Whew! That Was a Close One!

My post for today does not start as I intended. I tried to access my website, but my Firefox browser would not cooperate. I also tried using the Microsoft Edge browser. Same result. Thankfully, I Googled my website and it suddenly appeared. I would have hated to fail the 30 day challenge due to technical difficulties. Trust me, it is hard enough to write something on the fly. Computer glitches make it much worse. I believe this is the first time that happened. The good news is that it is over for now.

Just yesterday, I wrote about my love of computers and technology in general. Today, I had some more choice words to express my thoughts, but since I have already calmed down, I do not want to shock anyone with my naughty vocabulary.

In a sense, the misadventure with my website is an example of our life experiences, at least of mine. Everything seems great. There is nothing to worry about and I am happy. Then stuff happens, and the stuff is not often good. Like all of you, we hunker down and deal with the issues. There may be pain and ongoing concerns, but eventually we let those memories fade and we move on to the next thing.

Of course, there is also happy stuff. When Aida said yes to my proposal was one of the happiest. Our wedding day may have surpassed that. The kids graduating from college added two more. The kids got married, and now have children of their own. Four more amazing people to love. More wonderful memories than I can count. It is sometimes easier to remember the bad, and that is a shame.

When I look back on my life, much of which has been laid out in earlier posts, I hardly remember the bad events. The good ones are always at the top of my mind. We all faced adversity, but we also have had wonderful times. I cannot do anything about the bad stuff. It happened. Once you are past that event, please do not hold onto those memories. They will only bring you down, and you cannot change them anyway.

I call my blog “Join the Adventure” because to me, life is an adventurous journey. While I recognize the negative things that have happened in the past, I never dwell on them. I save most of my memory for the good things. I believe our perceptions create our outlook on life. Memories of the bad stuff only reinforce the pain and suffering of the past. Who needs that?

The good memories remind me constantly that this life is and has always been a wonderful adventure. While I am not perfect in any way, my mostly positive outlook helps me focus on what really matters. When I count my curses and blessings, I know I am blessed in so many ways, and my failings cannot compete. You are blessed as well. Hold onto the good and let the rest fade away. And prepare for all the wonderful things yet to come. I wish you all the best today and everyday.

Is It Weird to Love Finance, Science, Technology, and God?

Instead of digging up memories of my distant past, let us consider whether or not I am weird in the present. I think the short answer is YES. In truth, my fascination with the subjects mentioned happened over the fullness of time. In case you had not heard that particular phrasing, it came from two old English comedy programs called Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. It is no surprise that the English came up with Monty Python after seeing those programs. The head civil servant and minister were the key characters. When the minister asked why government programs took so long, the civil servant would reply that the programs would work over the fullness of time. In other words, stop asking questions.

As a young boy I was fascinated by dinosaurs and astronomy. I grew up in the late 50s through the 60s. Those were great days for both fields of study. New dinosaur fossils were being found everywhere. Astronomical telescopes were getting larger and better. Manned space flight began in those years too. When Jack Kennedy promised to put a man on the moon by the end of the 60s, everyone jumped on board and we succeeded. I mentioned before that I took a first semester course in Astronomy from James Van Allen. Being around him was a dream come true. In those days, he was very grandfatherly. That only added to his mystic.

Once you are bitten by the science bug, I do not think you ever recover. When the theories of dark matter and dark energy emerged later, I was overwhelmed. Everything that had been studied to date only accounted for four percent of our universe. Whoa! That means we basically know nothing after thousands of years of study and experimentation. Unreal!

My love for technology came later. There were no mobile phones or personal computers then. In college, I recall typing a program into punch cards and handing them to one of the operators. They fed the cards into the mainframe. Later, I received my printout to determine whether I had written it correctly. Less than ten years later, I had my own personal computer at work. They still cost $5,000 in those days, with no hard drive. Barbaric!

Since then, as my children grew, I bought a Commodore 64, one of the first consumer PCs. Over the ensuing years, I build my own PC, and upgraded hard drives and RAM. Hooked again. I may be one of the few crazies who does not need their children or grandchildren to help them program anything. Another lifelong love was created.

Accounting/ Finance was an afterthought. When I went to college, I thought I would be a stock broker or some other executive. I only took three accounting classes, which were required for my degree. I graduated in 1976, which was also a recession year. Lucky me! The only job offers I had were from an SS Kresge story in Wisconsin, or an iron foundry in Iowa, less than fifty miles from the university. I went to the foundry. I just could not see me pushing around the blue light special beacon.

Careers evolve over time. I found my niche in manufacturing accounting. The foundry lasted two years. I then worked in medical device factories in Missouri and Mexico. Later I would work for an irrigation manufacturer, a hearing protection company, and a label printer. Everyone needs their numbers.

I have no complaints about my work life. It was fine, although it did not end too well, but that is okay too.

Of course, I have not mentioned God yet. I think He has always been with me. I believe He is also with everyone else. We are part of Him, and we are His children. That is my view. When life is less than great, it is easy to forget that connection. I will never forget it again. After all, He got me through all of it. Life is an amazing journey. Enjoy the ride.

Bits and Pieces of Life

I was not certain what to write about today. Early this morning, a piece of my missing childhood memory came back. It was not much of a revelation, but did put some context into those missing years.

I was in seventh grade in 1967. That was also when my father was sent to Vietnam for a one-year assignment. He had been there twice already, but his job on those two temporary duty assignments was to fly KC-135 tankers from Thailand over Laos and North Vietnam. The mission was to refuel B-52 bombers incoming from Guam. Those were high altitude flights and only for three months at a time. In 1967, he would be gone a whole year. That is a lot of time for a family to be missing the dad.

His one-year assignment was flying a spotter plane (one engine prop, single seat). He shot smoke rockets at enemy emplacements around the airport so the fighter-bombers could come and blast them.

I have mentioned the issues my mother had before. She had a very difficult year. For some period of time, my uncle’s wife lived with us to help out. My grandparents did what they could, but most of the time, the three of us were alone. I have also mentioned the difficult relationship I had with my brother. So, I was truly alone.

I have very few snippet memories of those days. That is probably for the best. It was not a good time for me. Still, the time passed and my dad came home, safe at last. He had quite a few new medals to show for his time there.

I believe that was a turning point for my mother. She had gone from okay to not good at all. After that assignment, we moved to California. He spent a few months in training while we lived in Merced. Then we moved to Travis AFB and stayed there four years. Being in the military, my dad was still gone a lot. When he was home, everything was normal. The other times, life was a mess.

When I was at school, all was good. I had my friends. I always loved school. I was in a place where I could excel. My pals and I would play tennis. I could play golf for free at the course on the base too. When that assignment ended, my brother went away to college, and the rest of us moved to Biloxi, Mississippi. That is when things went from bad to tragic for my mother. The day I asked the neighbor to help was the worst day of my life. Within a few days, she was gone.

Those memories are something else I wish I could forget, but that is not possible. Time moves on. Life goes on. The decades since that day have dulled the pain. Better things entered my life and I am grateful to Our Father for all the grace He has shown me.

We are all given challenges in our lives. Sometimes we excel. Other times, we just muddle through. 1967 was definitely a muddle year.

Politics and Religion Incoming – Run for Your Life

The one thing we all know is that we should not discuss politics or religion with anyone whose beliefs we do not already know. It is a lose-lose scenario. So, I try very hard not to engage casual relationships with either. What would be the point? It is difficult enough to find friends, so why take the chance on ruining what could be a great relationship?

Being a writer does complicate things. I write what I believe. My Revolution series was about a global collapse when governments are controlled by power-hungry lunatics. The Carl Prescott series allowed me to explore my spiritual beliefs. Of course, I did my best to fill those stories with heroes, villains, familial relationships, and lots of action. After all, it is not my goal to convince anyone of anything. If you loved the Harry Potter books and movies, that does not mean you believe in witchcraft and wizardry. It only means that you liked the novels and films. I hope my readers feel the same about my books.

In my opinion, the current super-partisan nature of many countries is making things worse. When our leaders began to talk down and denigrate the people in their own countries, those leaders have lost their mandate to lead. Frankly, if you research most of them, you will find how they have enriched themselves at our expense. They suck us dry with taxes and other mandates, and then tell us how terrible WE are. Sounds like an abusive relationship to me.

It is sometimes difficult to remember, but things were not always this bad. There was a time when political parties were not diametrically opposed on every issue. Remember when President Bill Clinton reached across the aisle to Speaker Newt Gingrich? The government accomplished great things for the following years. Something important was lost between then and now.

Some would like to put all the blame on President Obama or President Trump, depending on their party affiliations. To me, that is too simplistic. It happened before them, probably before Clinton too.

In my humble opinion, it began before President Eisenhower left office in 1960. In his final address, he reminded us to beware the military-industrial complex. Bingo!

From that moment, we all knew there was something going awry. Eisenhower and Kennedy did not feed that beast knowingly. From that point, certain politicians on both sides were sucked into the circle of that complex that fed the war machine ever since.

While World War 2 was inevitable given Hitler’s Holocaust and Japan bombing Pearl Harbor, I am not so certain after that. Some of you may remember better than I about the Korean War and Vietnam. Did our engagement really solve anything? Yes, I can see that South Korea is a great nation. How about Vietnam? Or Afghanistan? Or Iraq? Or Syria? Or even Ukraine today?

Is the United States really fixing anything in those most recent efforts? I do not know, but I do not see much progress, especially in Afghanistan, where Russia and the USA lost much blood and treasure on that foreign land.

I am not saying I have any answers. Dwight Eisenhower was a great military leader and a good president. I do not think he said those words for nothing. What do you think?

In Winter, I Am Lucky to Live in San Diego

There are many days, weeks, and months where I wish I could live elsewhere. As I have mentioned in the past, California is very far to the Left. The Bay Area, LA Basin, and Silicone Valley are represented by people who love to spend money, whether the State has it or not. Taxing the people is their reason to be. They will not save the excess water from the snow melt from the mountains to ensure the survival of the Delta Smelt, a tiny fish that amounts to nothing in the total scheme of things. Rather let the people have no water and save those fish.

I hear that our governor is considering a run for the White House. This is the same guy who shut down the state, and promptly went to a fancy dinner party at French Laundry in Napa Valley. That is an excellent restaurant with insane pricing. A normal dinner (without wine) is $400 per person. The citizens were forced to wear masks, stay home, and maintain social distancing when they briefly stepped out for groceries. He and his pals enjoyed their dinner with no masks or distancing. I heard the tab was $20,000.

I guess the best way to summarize it is that Hollywood is in California. Now you are getting the idea.

Of course, the upside is the weather, and that is why I am here. As I have aged, I have lost weight and become very sensitive to the cold. Today was a bit rainy with a high in the mid-50s. For me, that was awful. I bundled up, but still felt the cold penetrating my bones. I cannot imagine being where it snows. I have lived in Wyoming, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri. I have visited Norway and Sweden for business in the winter. I must have been Superman in those days (or at least a younger man). I remember walking to school while we lived in Wyoming. I had to be less than ten years old. The windchill was thirty-five below zero. I had to walk backwards to school as the wind blown air was too cold to breathe. Amazing what a few decades will do to a person.

We do have wild fires and the occasional earthquake. I hope I am not jinxing myself, but I cannot remember the last time I felt a tremor. The fires do not affect me much either. I live close in to the city, so the fires do not get close. Wind blown smoke is all I have encountered, plus a few ashes on the ground.

The quandary remains. Would I prefer lower taxes, cheaper rent, and a government that cares for its citizens; or would I like not to freeze? So, here I sit, waiting for whatever comes next.

As a last thought, California now allows composting of human remains. Just the soil enhancer you want on your lawn. Thanks Uncle Joe! The grass looks great.

Well, I Guess You Can Learn Something New Every Day

I know this is a phrase we have all heard too many times, but it does ring true for me. Today, many thanks to fellow #RRBC author Shirley Harris-Slaughter, I learned my posts did not include any hashtags, which helps pull more readers to my blog. Frankly, WordPress has a place to list hashtags, and I do put them there, but apparently they are not where they need to be. I guess I can take the rest of the day off now. I learned my new thing for the day. Thank you, Shirley!

Yesterday’s lesson took a bit more time. While I was married, I was the resident chef. I cooked most of the meals for the family. I learned to cook from watching my grandmother in the kitchen. She and I had a special relationship. Watching her taught me so much about food. Later, I began to watch cooking shows and collected cookbooks. I was lucky to never have any fear of cooking. My grandmother and those TV chefs made everything look so easy. I just expected it to be simple, and that was that. Not everyone is like me, for sure.

Aida has a special sense of taste. She is one of those people who can tell how much salt is in food by just sniffing it. I can smell herbs and spices, but saltiness has always required the taste-test for me. She never did much cooking, and she has a fear of screwing everything up. I have told her, like I told my son, “It’s just food. Don’t worry about it.”

Yesterday, she asked me to make chicken soup. She would take notes on what I did. Next time, she wants me to watch as she prepares the same thing. She took more than a page of notes. It shows how our life experiences have led us in different directions, at least as far as cooking is concerned. I think I already knew that, but it was abundantly clear last night.

On the other hand, she can make the most beautiful bows and wrap presents to look like a million bucks in the blink of an eye. She is a balloon artist and florist. I feel like a caveman beating on a big rock with a little stone while she easily creates things of beauty. We are all so different, and that is wonderful.

It is those differences between us that make life so amazing. I cannot imagine a world where most people were like me. Yikes! Our diversity makes us powerful. Where I fail, others will flourish. Where I find things simple, others will see only complexity. It is an amazing world, and I embrace it. Unfortunately, not everyone is so benign. I suppose we must suffer the fools while we cling to those who enlighten and fulfill us.

Learn something new today. What have you got to lose, except a bit of fear. All the best.

The Crazy World Where We All Must Live

It is a great time to be a writer, especially in the nonfiction, science fiction, and dystopian genres. Perhaps thrillers too. As we become more and more interconnected, we see ever more craziness around us and throughout the world. As borders blur due in general to political choices, the bad stuff that infects other nations ends up here too. I suppose it is only fair that our personal version of zaniness crosses those borders as well.

Sometimes, a person has to wonder when this will end, or if all civilization will collapse into a morass of violence, crime, and authoritarian regimes. In Canada, the government declared Martial Law over a traffic jam. Reasonable people used to believe Martial Law was reserved for foreign invasions or eminent threats from foreign actors. China is using their Road and Belt policy to take over other governments and install their personal choices. I know that has happened in Ethiopia and in currently in progress in Brazil. The governments are complicit, as their pockets are being lined with cash.

Our friends in Europe have eaten so much of the Climate Change narrative that people may freeze to death this winter as natural gas and heating fuel are eliminated. I honestly want this world to be as clean as possible, but national leaders viewing their citizens as necessary collateral damage is unacceptable.

Consider this tidbit from the US Government: In 2021, 80% of our electricity was generated by fossil fuels and nuclear power. Climate activists want to eliminate both, immediately. So, where will our electricity come from?

If you are in full agreement with the Climate Change group, that is fine. I do not care about your personal or political views. They are your choices. Good for you.

Being a finance guy, my mind goes immediately to the numbers, which is why I write this. What will this (or any other) country look like with 20% of the electric power we had in 2021? In my state of California, our governor wants to eliminate gas stoves and has already passed a law that new cars sold in the state starting in 2035 must be electric. Wow, that is a lot more demand for electricity that we do not have.

I am all for solutions. That is what finance guys do. If rational minds developed a plan that would fix all of this in 5, 10, 20, or 200 years, I would say great!. So far, it is nothing but blather about how the world will end if we do not do what they say, with or without a plan to return to normalcy.

Why we or other countries allow this kind of silliness is beyond me. If there is not a solution, I guess we are just supposed to give in. Sorry. That is not what intelligent people do. That is what puppets do.

Again, the zaniness has to stop sometime. I wish it was today, but that is unattainable. I keep hoping a real solution appears soon. True science, which means peer-reviewed findings, is the only antidote for the zealots on both sides. I fear we will be waiting for some time.

Continuing Right Along From My Last Post

I think I finished yesterday’s post with a remarkable insight: Our lives are not at all similar with our fellow travelers. Did anyone else catch that? Perhaps it is only remarkable to me because it is a huge part of my life.

Aida, the love of my life, lived a completely foreign life compared to mine. I will not mention any of her past, but it was substantially more traumatic than my own. Still, the fates brought us together for many years. I loved and learned a lot, along with raising a family and charting a path in business and to a successful retirement (and career as a writer).

Her life held many more challenges than mine, I think. I add the disclaimer as I do not remember much of my childhood. My brain (or soul) built a barrier between then and my middle school years. Whenever I have endeavored to remember, the roadblock says the bridge is out, turn around, and go back from where you came.

She remembers every event and detail from her youth. I have heard everything several times. When I consider how difficult life was for her, I cannot help but wonder if my past could have been worse. It hardly seems likely, but since my past is blocked, I have no way of knowing. This blockage has been with me so long, I rarely think about it or wonder what is behind that locked door. My brain says, “Yeah, don’t even try, okay?”

Honestly, I do not believe my childhood could not have been as tough as hers. I believe my family life was just so difficult that my mind decided to protect me from those memories. Her mind would not do that. She realized that she had to be the one to protect herself. She kept those memories as armor against anyone else who tried to hurt her. If you have not guessed yet, she is a much stronger person than I.

That strength is a big part of my attraction to her. Frankly, I feel weak compared to her, but I endeavor to be strong for both of us. All of us need someone to rely on when we feel weak. I know she has been that strength for me, and I hope I have returned the favor.

Life is an amazing adventure. There is no doubt about that. She has been part of my life for thirty-eight years. Things may be a bit different now, but we all need to deal with life’s ups and downs. Change is inevitable. When we take the chance to really know and understand someone else, our view of existence and our own lives changes forever, for the good.

That is why I know we all live very different lives. Those differences make us stronger together. That is why we must cling to those who matter the most, no matter how life has treated them or us in the past.

What Infamous Superstitions Spook You?

Today, I am not a superstitious person. That was not always the case. I still remember as a child avoiding the breaks between pieces of concrete. The old saying was, “Step on a Crack, Break Your Mother’s Back.” Thankfully, I must have missed enough of them to ensure her back was uninjured. Although it was long ago, I am certain I was fearful of checking under my bed for monsters too. Again, I was blessed not to be devoured by some horrible beast lurking there. Oddly enough, I never had that fear of monsters in my closet. Interesting.

As I got a bit older, I had more than enough true evil-doers to make me the introvert I am to this day. We’ve all been there. It’s called Junior High! Argh, not again!

Then I arrived in HIgh School. Good Lord, protect us. Actually, it was not that bad. I was firmly the person I am to this day. I had a circle of friends, and that was enough for me. Sure, I ogled the cheerleaders, but they were out of my league. For the first three years, I attended Vanden High School, which was located just outside the fences of Travis AFB near Fairfield, CA. I was certain I would finish high school there. Nope.

My father was given an assignment to the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He had to do one year of training first at Kessler AFB in Biloxi, MS. So, my senior year was in a brand new school. What fun, right?

Mississippi turned out to be a great state, even though Biloxi still showed damage from the last big hurricane. I was instantly saying y’all like everyone else. I was born at Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, LA, so I had an affinity for the South. I still love biscuits and sausage gravy, although I don’t eat pork anymore. My stomach cannot handle it now.

I had a fairly large circle of friends, of whom about one-third were other Air Force brats like me. Don’t get me started on the peel-and-eat shrimp cooked with Old Bay. I am drooling a bit even thinking about it now.

I have two memories of those days to share.

My English teacher was a miraculous lady named Mrs. Bankston. She supported my desire to write (poetry in those days). No adult had ever done that before. Of course, in that same class, one of the most gorgeous cheerleaders sat right behind me. One day in class, she asked, “Mrs. Bankston, what’s an adjective?” The teacher and I were equally shocked. Unfortunately, the class had to endure a rehashing of the forms of speech. The cheerleader who asked the question was a senior too.

My civics teacher was a young woman named Ms. Trussel. She had to be right out of college. She looked not much older than her students. There were three cheerleaders in that class, along with one of my best friends (who later became an anesthesiologist). I bet he knew what an adjective was. Anyway, Ms. Trussel gave us a speech that it was vital that we take notes on the lecture and do our reading assignments in our textbook. Immediately, she began lecturing directly out of the textbook. I was following her by reading from mine. Still, the cheerleaders and most of the class were feverishly taking notes.

I will never forgot looking at my friend’s face. He too was smiling from ear to ear.

Life is such an amazing journey. Sometimes, our voyage requires a brief layover so we can see the silliness that most of our fellow travelers endure. Perhaps the greatest superstition is that we all live similar lives.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Amazon

In deference to my post about Monty Python: and now for something completely different:

I have blathered on about my past, career, political viewpoint, and who remembers what else. Today, I thought I would try something very different. My big question is:

What Do You Think About Amazon (and not the river)?

Personally, I am conflicted. I understand what that company has done to so many brick-and-mortar retailers. In fact today, I received an email advising that my neighborhood Bed, Bath & Beyond was closing. I went there and found the store had less than a third of the goods they typically held, on the first day of the closing sale. The only bright side to the story is that I made some good money on BBBY stock years ago. When Amazon was growing wildly, I decided to sell my position. Good thing. I think I sold at the peak.

Many shopping malls have been closed around the country. Smaller retailers just cannot complete with Amazon’s pricing. Jeff Bezos must be deliriously happy.

So, as a rational businessman, I see the damage Amazon had done. But, I also see the benefit of not going to a store. I am a guy. I have never enjoyed shopping, except for groceries. I love to cook and must choose my own items. I do not trust some new associate to pick the right avocados, or chilies, or anything else. Who wants some stranger man-handling their food? Not me. Yes, I know some other strangers have handled everything before it left the fields and reached the shelves, but that is not the point. The point is that I make the final choice.

On the other hand, Amazon recently opened a one-million square foot distribution center less than ten miles from where I live. It takes thousands of workers to handle the incoming and outgoing shipments. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Amazon trucks are driven by well-paid people who bring my stuff to my doorstep. As a non-shopper, that is a fabulous convenience. With my Prime membership, shipping is free too.

Plus, being a bit compulsive, I tend to buy more than I need. If I have it, I don’t worry about running out, right?

Okay, Amazon Prime is not cheap anymore. I do watch Prime TV though. I am a rabid NFL fan, and now, Thursday Night Football is only on Prime. What other choice do I have?

I also have four grandchildren, two of whom live on the East Coast. Shipping presents with UPS or USPS is expensive. With Amazon, free again!

And now for the dirty word: China. Yes, I know too many Amazon products are sourced from China. When I buy those same things in a local store, they come from China too! What is a guy supposed to do? China is a bad place. I agree. But what can I do? For example, I posted about my bout with COVID, which originated in China. My pharmacy gave me COVID test-kits. Guess what? From China again. I think our relationship with China needs to change. That is up to our government.

In the interim, I do what I can. I imagine that is what we all do. So, what do you think about Amazon? Please let me know what you think.