Unsocial Media

I don't know what the deal is...  sometimes I am totally fine.  Other times this huge wave of sadness hits me and I get this surge of emotion.  It just hits out of nowhere.  Like bending down to pick up the soap when it drops in the shower.  Or reading posts from the last two weeks.  Or talking to my Dad and spending time with him.   There was the family picture taken at the funeral where the entire family was together.  A picture I cherish.  My Dad was playing in photoshop and overlaid some text onto it.  "Pat's family cleared her for take off with the angels."  Emotion swelled when he showed it to me and I couldn't speak.  Emotion comes in writing what he wrote on the picture.   There was an open house at their community for the grand reopening.  I originally didn't want to go and my Dad sent me a message the night before at 11 at night asking me if I was going to come.  I made arrangements to attend.  Whe...

Most fascinating to see right wing media destroy Snow White from every angle imaginable. Disney and zellweger think the problem is the audience. They can't possibly fathom that the audience doesn't like Zigler and the 'modernized' version of the story. It always our problem instead of their problem. Nevermind the fact that zigler has done nothing but trash the movie since being selected to pay the part. The issue is zigler. She is an outright ugly person on the inside and the outside. She's a typical gen z having been told she's exceptional her entire life. She's brilliant. She's talented. She matters. Her opinion matters. She's been lied to entire life. She's boring. She's ordinary. And she's ugly. She entitled. She's a loser. Bob Iger should be canned for not keeping his pet on a tighter leash. If anything Disney should sue zigler for damaging their brand with by running her big mouth about the story and her politics...

My favorite toy is my stereo. I love listening to music. My system is so dialed in - for the moment - that it gives me goosebumps. Makes the hair on my body stand on end. It's electrifying. Invigorating. With my ears being abused by the industry I'm employed and age, I didn't think I would ever experience the phenomenon again. But… here I am living my best life. The sheer beauty of the music vibing with my soul brings a swell of emotion that only music can summon. It's the resonance, depth, isolation and effortless finesse and dynamics on display with a great John Williams cd. The lush strings. The auditory colors. The sparkle of the brass. The mellow clarinets. Thankful I can afford such a luxury that brings such pleasure and enjoyment to my life. But for as much as I know my stereo really sounds like trash. And my ears are so messed up that I think it sounds good.  I guess it doesn’t matter because it’s what pleases my ear. 

I was reading an article about low testosterone. The article started "People assigned male and people assigned female at birth produce testosterone." Get the fuck out of here. Men and women produce testosterone. This bastardization of biological truth is bullshit. Decoupling of sex and gender is seeking to normalize gender dysphoria. Proponents for this way of thinking - aka the trans movement - are mentally ill and this needs to be treated. And those refusing to accept biological fact need to be institutionalized. Stop insisting rational people play along with your illness. Jeezus. Stop it with this nonsense. Freaks. Now Botox is being marketed to me. To reduce forehead lines, laugh lines, crows feet and other visible signs of aging.  Botox is botchulism. Being injecting under the skin. Last I heard that was poison that comes from canned goods that are not sealed airtight.  The poison causes paralysis of muscles   Can be useful for treatment of migraine.  If a...

The last couple days of my mom's life...  don't quite know what to say about them.  I remember last Sunday when I came to her house and saw her slumped in the chair barely able to move after the medication fell out of her mouth and onto her shirt.  No one was available to change her shirt.  I asked my Dad if he would do it and he declined.  I did it.  It was the most awkward thing.  I had her told the clean shirt up to cover herself as I carefully removed the dirty shirt.  I planted by eyes next to her head looking at the back to her chair and was able to help my Mom be comfortable while preserving her dignity.  There are some things about your parents that you shouldn't know.  Like what an 80 year old body looks like while deprived of nutrients and exercise....  So there was that. Then seeing my Mom in the hospital bed after she could no longer walk.  Laying there with her head cocked to the side and her mouth open as dying pr...

 An Evening with John Denver was his first live album recorded in 1974.  The versions of the songs we sang at the funeral came from the live album because it had orchestra accompaniment.  And this album is heralded as the best live album he did.  And I can see and hear why. Later in his career John Denver got way too preachy about the planet and politics during his concerts.  Over the last 2 days I've been listening to a lot of the albums my Dad gave me.  Listening to the later stuff, John Denver turned into John Kerry ranting about the environment, destruction of the planet and the politics of war.  Whatever. Which is why this 1974 album is so great.  In reading the liner notes, it seems that 1974 was when John hit it "big" after a start about 5 years earlier in 1969 and gradually becoming a solo artist for RCA records.  1974 - you can hear the amazement in his voice of playing in front of 35,000 people.  The purity in his lyrics, ...

 Today was Mom's funeral.  While we were planning the service we called it a celebration of life.  In the end, it was a funeral.  An opportunity for friends and family to gather, celebrate, mourn and bring resolve to the unsettled feeling when someone of significance is no longer physically with us but forever part of us. While my sister, Dad and I were planning the service, we decided we wanted to incorporate John Denver's "Take me Home, Country Roads" into the service as my Dad associates going home as a metaphor to back to Pennsylvania and going to heaven to be at home with God.  It is a song that holds deep meaning for my Mom and my Dad. I had other ideas...  I wanted to include "Rocky Mountain High" in the service because to me the song speaks to my Mom's delight in nature - the birds, the wind, the trees, the sun and being free when she breathed the clean air in the sun while the birds chirped...   We settled on opening the service with Rocky Mou...

There is something wrong with the cost of healthcare in our country.  I don't have a lot of things wrong with me but the check in engine lot pops on occasionally.  For those who don't know, I suffer from manic depressive disorder and I've been on various forms of medication since approximately 2008.  Medications only work until they don't.  For three years I've been on something called Caplyta.  On 42 mg for the long time and most recently downgraded dose to 10.5 mg once a day.  Reason for reduction was jaw clenching that lead to cracking a tooth.   Originally my doctor told me the medication was expensive and that there was no generic equivalent.  She completed the necessary paperwork facilitating my health insurance provider to cover the cost minus the generic drug copay as it was medically necessary.   Last week, I went to the pharmacist for a refill and the insurance supplement had expired.  Notified at time of pick up the retail cos...

 It's been a week since Mom left our world and crossed over to the other side.  This week has been one of the most disappointing and one that will go down as being exceptional in my life. The hospice we selected turned out to be a complete disappointment.  I don't know if they were too small, incompetent or incapable of providing quality to care to my mom and our family.  Things went sideways in a hurry when was conflict between the nursing home and the hospice nurse and took a further nose diver when I had had to play peacemaker between the two organizations.  The chaplain was useless.  The social worker did absolutely nothing.  The only real care my mom got from hospice as she died was daily visits from the nurse, 3 baths, a hospital bed, an oxygen concentrator that was broken and morphine to numb the pain that comes as the body expires. I feel forgotten by the hospice agency.  Discarded.  Maybe my expectations were too high.  My famil...

Radio.  Radio stations.  Free entertainment that is delightful.  Getting to hear a bunch of different music without having to curate the place list yourself or even think about it.  Don't like what is being broadcast?  Change the station.  I think radio is the best.  And it's free!  No subscription fees and no service provider required.   The techies among us call traditional radio "terrestrial radio."  Like it's some kind of mutant technology from the dark ages.  While the technology may be old, it's tried and true and cost effective.   The current generations don't understand the appeal of radio.  Much like I don't understand the infatuation with streaming. I'm old.  Past the heyday of life.  Just because technology is newer doesn't mean it's better.  I used to think I was born in the wrong generation.  Now I realize I am here to keep technology and culture from the old days relevant in today's world....

The house of mouse hired Rachel Zegler to play Snow White in their latest live action remake of a beloved classic. Since signing on to play the lead role Rachel has been outspoken about the outdated plot line and all this contrived outrage that the prince kissed Snow White while she was sleeping. As if it was some kind of violation of her autonomy as an animated character. During the early pressers zegler was saying how the story was going to be modernized to remove toxic masculinity and have the female take the lead in her own destiny. The controversy escalated as the film entered production. The dwarves were originally some cadres of DEI characters. The entire production was taking a flame thrower to the legacy of Walt Disney, that period of history (should we call it herstory) and the story. Disney has downscaled the premiere and restricted media access because they're afraid of someone causing a scene and raining on their parade of self serving promotion and celebra...

On Monday my mom proclaimed the promise of her baptism. After years of suffering from dementia, she was restored; made whole on the other side. One thing you may not know about my mom is she was tough as nails while having the grace of an angel. She carried my dad through some medical scares and was a huge advocate to him getting the care he needed with her medical background as a registered nurse. Roughly 10 years ago I was charged with taking mom back to Pennsylvania to see her dad, my pappy when he moved into a nursing home. We went to his house and there had been some changes to the back porch. It was my job to take care of mom. I saw my uncle and leapt up onto the raised porch. There used to be a railing around the porch. Mom tried to do the same and tripped on the ledge letting out a yell. Her leg got pretty torn up and was bleeding pretty bad. We got her into the house and decided she needed to go to the hospital. Mom never flinched or complained about the situati...

My Dad often laments on his sadness with the family not being in the same place at the same time for visits. Hes always been distraught over my sister and her family's infrequent visits and the overall lack of time spent together. It has bothered him as long as they were married. My family is together at the moment with my oldest being home for spring break. Having my family together brings feelings of happiness and completeness. Serenity if you will. The feeling of being whole. I never felt that quite so strongly as now - when my mom is dying. Now I understand why it has bothered my dad all these years when the family hasn't been together. At the same time in the same place. It's sad to think it is a feeling he yearns that has rarely been fulfilled or satiated. The circle was rarely ever complete for my side of the family. I love the feeling of being with my wife and kids and relish in it during this sad time. I understand why it bothers my dad that t...

Why don't they call a dill pickle a dickle?

 The only person who ever totally loves you is your Mom.  You are part of her and she is part of you.  There is no other bond like that in existence. I've written about some of the painful parts of growing up - the not so nice.  The nitty gritty.  At at the same time, when someone is dying the only thing left is love.  Everything else quickly fades to nothing. Up until she could no longer speak, my mom was always so happy to see me.  Her day was always brightened when I came to see her.  Even as she started dying she would open her eyes and smile and whisper hello and that she loved me.  I've talked to her, held her hand and just sat with her.  Alernating with being with my Dad even though they are in the same room. Now as her body shuts down, when she hears my voice she tries her best to look at me.  I don't know what she sees or what she does not see.  I think she hears our voices and feels our touch. I'm looking forward to m...

End of life is not pretty. My mom has dementia and her brain no longer communicates properly with the rest of her body. It's affected her ability to swallow. She is holding and pocketing what's supposed to sustain her. She's starving to death. Barely able to eat or drink. It's sad to see her deteriorate. Over the last 6 months she's lost 40 pounds. She's dying.

See article below: Duke Medical School Labels Punctuality As "White Supremacy Culture" sharesplosion.com They say that being on time is perpetuating white supremecy. Using a clock and measuring time to agree on when events happen is racist.   A better option is to meet at day break, sunset or around lunch time?  When is lunch?  Let's have a random meeting and hope we end up at the same place at the same time to conduct business, see a movie and for dinner.  Imagine the anasthesiologist showing up after the surgeon starts his procedure.  What is it with these people?  They are crazy.   The left wants to destroy how our society works.  They're manipulating fundamental truths like the differences between men and women, how time works, what is age appropriate material to expose children.  If having time integrity is racial injustice maybe modern society isn't for you.   

Some people say there is a break in period with new gear. During the break in period the bass opens up and the speaker fills out. Some say the break in period can last 200 hours. I don't know if that's true. Perhaps there is a break in period for the ears and the brain to adjust to the output of the speakers. The brain calibrates to the stimulus. I've heard a lot of gear. And as something may not sound good initially but it sounds better after an acclimation period. I just don't see how a speaker has to break in.

Hospice care has been ordered for my Mom. Her weight is at an all time low. She's not eating or drinking very much anymore. Neurologist hypothesizes that dementia impairment is advanced to the point my mom doesn't know how to swallow without being coached or promoted in real time. Selected hospice care agency and there was significant friction between the residence my parents live and the hospice nurse. It escalated to the point of speaking with the executive director of the facility and the corporate nurse for the facility. If a staff member is interfering with someone outside their purview providing care, I have a significant problem with that. Hopefully this has been corrected and there will not be any retaliation or drop in the quality of care either of my parents receive. Don't know how much time my mom has left. I guess that's between her and god. I am hopeful this is the most kind, caring and compassionate stage of her life.

Many topic choices at the moment. Political. Professional. Personal. Yadda yadda yadda. Everyone knows my insatiable urge to comment on politics and the like. Must resist temptation.