10. What to do, What to do

The presidential election and the shenanigans of the candidates is the top news story everyday.  It is only overshadowed when there is some horrible tragedy, like a mass murder; but even that can't distract the pundits for more than a couple of days.  Then it's back to blah, blah, blah.

I'm not going to get specific because I want to remain neutral.  I’ve always felt I was open minded and willing to see both sides of every argument; but, this is the most bizarre presidential election EVER, and most everyone agrees.  To be honest though, I wish we had less controversial choices.  I will say this:  I feel that one candidate would probably be able to do a good job of keeping their promises; and the other, would be a complete disaster.  PLEASE do your research, listen to what smart people are saying, weigh both sides of the argument; and then, make your final decision.  Thanks.

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In other news:   Louisiana’s flood woes are unabated and the death toll continues to rise.   The California wildfires are never completely squelched before another one springs up.   Homes are reduced to ash and people and animals are escaping with only their lives and nothing else.  Even something as family-friendly as the Summer Olympics is being tainted by cheating and lies.  What is going on?!?

Okay, so how about some good news? I’ll get back to you on that.

   

9. Whir, whir, whir

The Etsy Seller that I complained about, replied back to me with the usual excuse; that someone else had made the error and it would be corrected.  It was, so that is that.  If only all of life's issues could be solved so easily.

I have plans to sell handmade items on Etsy eventually.  I have two store names reserved and I just need to get things going.  Step one is to buy a good digital camera for the page photos.  I also need new eye glasses and that is probably going to take precedence.  I need to be able to see in order to sew. Haha.

I used to be obsessed with my sewing machine; sewing something everyday.  I always had an outfit in production.  But then I discovered computers, and that was much more interesting.  Now I will be able to combine the two and hopefully create a profitable business.  Sew and press, whir, whir, whir.
   

8. Buyer Beware

What's on your mind today?

NYC is having an excessive heat alert that has lasted for several days in a row, with the humidity making it feel even more uncomfortable.  One of my cats had an episode with the heat two days ago.  He has seasonal allergies and so has sinus problems, and possibly mild asthma; but he was panting and freaking out, so I was freaking out because I didn't know what was going on.  I wiped him down with wet paper towels and put him in front of the fan until he cooled off, and then he settled down and relaxed.

Maybe the heat is exacerbating my bad mood and is part of the reason I am all riled up tonight.  I was looking at an item on Etsy and the listing stated the item was "vintage 1950s."  I know the brand, and the company did not exist in the 1950s--they started up in the mid-1980s.  That made me very angry, so I fired off an email to the Seller expressing that Etsy Buyers are not stupid and, what were they thinking.  

Several years ago, I bought a beaded bag on eBay that was listed as from the 1950s.  When I received it, I immediately knew it was not from the 50s because it had a plastic zipper and plastic zippers were not invented until the late 1960s!  Rather than get into a big hassle with the Seller and since I did not pay much for the bag, and also, I liked it; I just let it go.  Back then, eBay allowed Sellers to give Buyers negative feedback for whatever reason they chose, so it was always a gamble to complain about anything.

I will monitor the situation with the Etsy Seller and see what happens.  If the listing description is not corrected, I will have to complain to Etsy higher-ups.  I have not ever gone this far before, so I hope I don't have any repercussions for my complaint.  Wish me luck.  To be continued...
   

7. The Good Old Days

Maybe we are just spoiled, but it does seem as though life is getting harder and drugs are becoming the easy way out.  Life is getting more complicated.  There is way too much stress, demands, and expectations.  We need to be "tech savvy" in order to communicate.

I grew up in the 1950s and my selective memory has convinced me, life was perfect back then.  Food was organic before all of the pesticides and preservatives; and before it became a luxury to buy "real" food.  Needless to say, it tasted delicious.  Today, fruit and vegetables taste like what I imagine cardboard probably tastes.

We got dressed up and wore white cotton gloves when we went shopping at one of the big department stores.  When you rode on the bus, you didn't talk because it might bother other people. If you absolutely had to talk, you whispered.  People were very polite and respectful of each other.  Those really were "the good old days."

Remember the movie, Pleasantville?  Reese Witherspoon and Toby Maguire were siblings who regularly watched a TV program in the afternoons after school, that was about life in the 1950s.  With the help of a mysterious stranger, Toby's character is able to insert himself and his sister into the TV program and they find themselves back in the 50s living in Pleasantville.  It was a fascinating premise.  The town of Pleasantville was all black, white and grey.  There were "colored" people, but not what you think.  They were actually in color and were misfits from society because they were free thinkers and wouldn't go along with all the rules that the town had enforced on everyone.  The 1950s did have a lot of rules of etiquette that were considered acceptable behavior.  I guess you can't have everything, but I strongly recommend the movie.
   

6. Everyone is Talking about Drugs

There is a heroin epidemic.  Interviewers want to know:  When did you start using drugs?  Why did you start using drugs?  How did you stop using drugs?  When did you first realize you were addicted?

Now with the sudden death of our beloved Purple One, the topic has become a sobering jolt of reality.  Even when taken by doctor's prescription for legitimate pain; circumstances beyond our control, such as a weakened immune system, can have disastrous consequences.

Several popular musicians, advocate staying "high" all the time, because an altered state of mind is preferable to reality.  I suppose you can do that if you are in the music biz, but most people have real jobs.  Drugs and alcohol have a price, and you have to pay it.

The media blames the doctors for being enablers.  The doctors point to the fact that drugs are routinely advertised on TV to promote awareness and sell more drugs.  Unfortunately, no one is educating the patients as to how addictive the products are.  They are simply told, "Here, take this.  It will make the pain go away".  Naturally, the patient is a willing participant, but in the end, a victim.
   

5. Do you want Cheese with that Whine?

Wednesday, I went to the hospital for an out-patient procedure, but it didn't go as well as it usually does.  I've been in bed for two days trying to recover.  I had to resort to a powerful pain killer in order to sleep.

Two different nurses tried two times each to insert a line for an IV drip.  On the first three tries, they blew up the vein.  Then, when I went for the procedure, my regular doctor was going to be supervising a couple of rookie doctors who were fighting over which one was going to do the procedure.  (It is, unfortunately for me, a "teaching" hospital.)  "I want to do it.  No, I want to do it."   I finally had to tell them they were making me very nervous.

As expected, I became their human pincushion while they pushed and pulled a very large needle in and out of my abdomen until they got it in the right position.  I was in agony.  One of the rookie doctors tried to distract me with jibber jabber conversation.  When I told him to shut up, everyone laughed as though I was hilarious!  I wasn't laughing.   My stomach muscles are so sore I can barely walk and my arm is covered with bruises.

My advice:  DON'T EVER GET SICK.  Start taking care of yourself NOW, and don't do anything that might jeopardize your future health.  You will regret it and it's not worth it.  Doctors aren't the same as they were "back in the day." They're into it for the money so they can buy expensive toys for their personal lives, while not paying much attention to their professional lives. The patients are secondary.  Oh well...  There is more demand than supply and way too many people waiting to see doctors.  I actually waited for five hours before I saw the doctors for the procedure.  When it was finally over, I had been there for seven hours.

NYC is experiencing an excessive heat alert (feels like 105), which we haven't had for several years.   It's miserable, but the cats and I are surviving.  Sorry to whine so much.   It's just one of those days.

   

4. Suction Cup Climber Plucked from Side of Trump Tower on 5th Ave.

The climber was determined to hold on, but the very large and very muscular NYPD officers had a different idea—just grab him and pull him in through the window.  He was taken by police ambulance to the hospital for mental evaluation.

He later said, he is a big fan of Trump, and just wanted to meet him.

   

3. Surprise upset in Rio

American tennis star and defending women's singles gold medalist Serena Williams is out of the Rio Olympics. The world's number-one player was ousted in the third round by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3.

Her stay in Rio is now over after also being eliminated in doubles with sister Venus on Sunday.

2. Stories you may not have heard about Prince

Since the death of Prince Rogers Nelson, I have learned a lot about him that I didn’t know. I didn’t know “Prince” was his given name, and I didn’t know he was so tiny (5’2”).  I also learned a lot about his personal life.  He was very lonely sometimes.

They say there are no coincidences and Prince believed that.  After his passing, one of his many girlfriends Tweeted a poem that she thought represented his essence.  It did.  I recognized the poem as lyrics from a song on Natalie Cole’s 1991 "Unforgettable" album.

After doing a bit of research on the song itself, it turns out that her father, Nat “King” Cole had recorded it in 1948 and that is why she included it on her album.

The song was written in the 1930s by Eden Ahbez, nicknamed “Nature Boy” because he had adopted a hippy-like style of living—unshaven and living on raw food in a communal situation.  They were pre-beatniks and generally considered “Naturists.”  Thus, the song is named Nature Boy.  In 1948, he asked Nat Cole to record the song, which he did, and it was a huge hit.  The song sounds as though it was written about Prince.  You need to hear Natalie Cole sing it, and then you will understand.  Here is a YouTube link:  Nature Boy

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The following story is almost beyond belief, but absolutely true.

There is a young woman named Judith Hill who was a backup singer for Michael Jackson and she was rehearsing with him for his upcoming "This Is It" tour.  She is in the movie that Sony put together from rehearsal tapes.  Judith was with Jackson, rehearsing, the night before he died.

Here is where it gets really weird.  Judith was singing backup for Prince before he started his Piano and Microphone tour, which was a solo performance, and they had become friends.  She was on his private plane the night they made the emergency landing in Illinois!!  In fact, she is the one who alerted the pilot that Prince was unresponsive.  Here is a link to the full interview:  Judith Hill Interview  

   

1. I'm Back!!

I'm actually going to start blogging again!

After being extremely healthy all my life, I was jolted out of my reality by a diagnosis of a very serious illness.  So now, I am trying to bring my health back by eating almost 100% organic, taking natural supplements and avoiding sugar (that's the tough one).  If I hadn't changed my diet, I would surely be dead by now.  The doctors are impressed by my progress, especially since there is nothing more that they can do for me.  I have accomplished this very slow recovery by doctoring myself.  Needless to say, I am unable to work; so I am trying to survive on social security.  Start saving your pennies now, because you will not be able to "live" on this pittance.  And what I didn't realize, Medicare is not free.  You have to pay a monthly premium just like insurance, and then they only pay 80% of your doctors bills.  Don't get me started!!  

So, since I have a lot of time on my hands, I thought, why not blog.  I always enjoyed it before.  There will be a completely different topic this time since ABC cancelled One Life To Live—BUMMER.  But I'm over it now and have forgotten about it.

There is so much going on in the world.  I will be doing some newsy stuff.
 
Lately, I have become obsessed with the life and death of the musical genius Prince.  So, I am going to post about that a little bit.

I don't really want to blog about the presidential campaign because I'll just get all riled up and rant.  There's enough commentary on that topic already. 

Hope you'll join me.  Come back soon.