The writings of an almost over the hill, sometimes very opinionated firearms enthusiast, who supports and defends The Constitution Of The United States Of America, who doesn't know it all but tells it all like he sees it and who votes that way too.
Well almost. Today, I am putting in my retirement papers. I will actually have my last day at work on November 3rd and my retirement will become effective on November 4th. That is of course if the chemo does not kill me first and I am not kidding. I get my next session tomorrow and Friday - and two days after the first session, my heart rate fell to as low as 38! That was scary. Yet, the chemo doc absolutely refuses to admit that the drop in my heart rate and blood pressure (It fell too) was in any way related to the chemo. My cardiologist said if due to nothing else, it was due to dehydration caused by the chemo because the chemo had me whizzing about every 45 minutes on Friday, then about every half hour for about 16 hours on Sunday. So, if the chemo oncologist does not change or lower some of the crap I am going to get through the IV, I will refuse treatment this time around. Why? The cardiologist told me had my heart rate fallen just a few more beats my heart likely would have stopped and I really do want a happy retirement and that requires a beating and healthy heart!
Well, anyway, I am looking forward to retirement. Maybe not to the continued radiation treatments (which also have been effecting me badly earlier than normal according the the radiation oncologist) and chemo treatments but to the hopefully cancer free time after that and I am hopeful that time will be at least 20 to 25 years long. Retirement, sweet - sweet retirement.
Watch the video but beware because it contains racially insensitive and quite possibly offensive lyrics (even though probably sung by a black man). I have no comment, except to say that, if the video is a genuine CNN news report and not a prank, then I am highly pleased to see CNN fuck up as they did. That was not only by playing that terrible song but because they quite possibly had that absolutely disgusting song among their audio archives and if so, it shows their true nature in my opinion. Ask yourself, if not a prank video, why was it that they even had such a song in their archives or allowed their studio people to even have access to such crap! You can make up your own mind about it.
I have been keeping, hunting, collecting, breeding reptiles and amphibians for many years. I probably got my first herp when I was nine or ten. That was a Red Eared Slider Turtle. Over the years since then, I have kept and bred snakes, tortoises, and lizards. I have kept, but not bred, many other types of the above herps plus turtles, frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts. Most recently I bred my Herman's Tortoises and Corn Snakes. My most recent collection, until today, consisted of 3 Anderson's Salamanders, 2 Fire Bellied Blue Tailed Newts, 2 African Clawed Frogs, 1 Iberian Ribbed Newt, 11 Corn Snakes, 2 Hognose Snakes, 1 Musk Turtle, 4 Hermann's Tortoises, and 2 Redfoot Tortoises. I said until today and that is where 'friends' come into play.
Many years ago, I guess about 21 or 22 (pretty sure it was 22) years ago, joined the Long Island Herpetological Society (LIHS). That is when I met Rich M. Jr.. Since then we have become good friends even though we usually only see each other about a dozen to a few more times a year. Rich's dad used to be the president of the society and under him, our membership reached its apex of over 300 dues paying members. Today, I think we are lucky if we have 80 dues paying members, Yet, as a herpetological society, we are still going at it. Over the years, Ive met many others at the LIHS whom I consider friends but none probably quite as close a friend as is Rich M Jr, to me. When I told him I had cancer and that I needed to get rid of most, if not all of my reptiles and amphibians, he was the first to offer assistance and he offered to take all my herps and if I wanted, said he would care for them until I could take them back. Others also offered but Rich was the first to step forward. Now, truth be told, I told him about my cancer first, but he offered help immediately and absolutely with no conditions attached.
Today, I gave Rich most of my animals. Linda drove me to his house ad we met Rich and Ann (his lady friend) there. I gave them: 3 Anderson's Salamanders, 2 Fire Bellied Blue Tailed Newts, 2 African Clawed Frogs, 11 Corn Snakes, 2 Hognose Snakes, and 2 Redfoot Tortoises. That left me with the Iberian Ribbed Newt, the Musk Turtle and the Hermann's Tortoises. As I told ich, the corn snales are his and so are the Hognose snakes, to do with as he pleases. I am hoping, when well again, to take back the salamanders, newts and frogs. Due to the probability that my treatments will lower my ability to ward off infections, I am not supposed to clean out things like reptile or amphibian tanks and tropical fish aquaria of which I still have 3 aquaria and 2 tortoise tanks. I also plan to reduce the aquariums to only 2 tanks - one housing my newt and the other the musk turtle and both also holding some fish, Brendan will then take care of them and all of the family will probably care for the tortoises because not only do Brendan and I like them but so do Linda and Celina.
As for the herps I gave to Rich, I trust he will care for them well, maybe even better than his own, he is that kind of a friend. As far as friends go he is a blessing. My thanks to him and to the other of my good friends who offered to help: John H., Harry F. and Kirk P., and to Gideon H. and Mike R. who also sent well wishes - all great guys. (If I missed anyone, sorry my memory is sort of like swiss cheese lately.)
Well, as I posted before, I am really looking forward to Brendan and I going on our annual hunting trip. It is the goal I have set for myself for when my cancer treatments are over (and hopefully successful). As usual, I set our trip to start a day or two before opening day for deer. Also as usual, I have been planning to go up to scout out the new area in which we will hunt. So far there have been a couple of bugs that have gummed up the works just a bit but the basic plan is still on for the hunt.
Since my first round of chemo knocked me on my ass for the last 9 days, I did not get a chance to drive upstate last weekend, or this one, to reconnoiter the hunting grounds. I have one more weekend before they give me another dose of that evil yet often life saving concoction and am hopeful I will be able to make the drive and get the lay of the land. As Brendan told me though, I do a good couple to a few scouting trips every year and we hardly ever even see a deer let alone bag one; so maybe we ought to just go, get out of the car, walk into the woods and shoot the first thing we see (yes he does mean the first deer we see). He may have something there but I still want to go take a look before we hunt there if for no other reason than it would do me a lot of good to get out and about for a day in the woods. If I am really lucky, he will come with me next Friday night or Saturday morning.
The other thing that has unexpectedly come into play is the timing of my chemo. All the docs were saying that I would be out of it for maybe a week or two after the treatments were over, well except for the head man who told me it would be an additional 4 weeks. I am thinking he may be the one who was right. With my last chemo session coming close to the tail end of treatment, my recuperation from it may take me longer than I expected. If that is the case, our trip may have to be delayed a week, which is not that big a deal except we will miss opening day. I think I should have ample time to recover from it but then again by the time of the last treatment I will also have received radiation therapy 5 days per week for 6 weeks, with one more week to go. whatever, I should have about 2 full weeks of recovery from all my treatments, and 3 weeks from my last chemo, before our hunt as it is currently scheduled. I am hopeful I will have the strength and determination to get it done. As I said though, if not, I can wait another week and go hunting the weekend after Thanksgiving. I guess time will tell. Shit, if he has to carry me into the woods and prop me up under a tree then so be it!
Now for the good news. We both got Deer Management Permits, also known as Doe Permits. They increase the odds of us putting meat on the table. We have one or two for the area where I hope to hunt, and another one for an area in upstate NY that is much closer to our home. If worst comes to worst, we will hunt there; it is good to have a back-up plan.
Hmm, I just had the thought that we have not been to the range in a long time. It would behoove us to go and get in a bit of practice and to make sure that the scope on the Marlin 336 is still spot on. With the way my neck feels from the radiation, it might be best for Brendan to do that himself although maybe I can go along for the ride. No great hurry on that one, it is not like it requires rocket science or anything to adjust the scope if it has been knocked out of alignment.
Other than those considerations, I guess I should stock up on the gear or supplies we may need for the trip. I am going to be very short on cash relly soon, heck I already am short. I just paid half of Brendan's college tuition by credit card and have not paid even half of that off and the other half of his tuition is coming due on October 1. Add to that the steadily building copay expenses for my cancer treatments and I can just about assure one bottle of doe piss may have to last the whole season! I may also have to wear the same leaky cold boots I have worn for the past several years. I had been ever so sure I was going to buy myself a nice new pair this year but think it may have to wait until after I pay the doctors off. Perhaps, I could sell a gun from my small collection, to help out with the hunting expenses but then I would probably hate myself for having done so - that is usually the way I feel after I part with one of my firearms. Oh well, old boots it likely will be for me, that surely is nothing out of the ordinary.
The things I took for granted are piled up quite high, They reach far enough up to block out the beauty of the sky. They surround me on every side so close yet now so far, I must give a sigh. I saw each of them just about every day Without realizing that in them treasures lie. I daily passed them with nary a glance, I had more important things to try. Yet now, I cannot enjoy even the least of them without illness, pain, and all my effort to try. I embrace them, from this moment, as dearer to me So much more precious to me until the day I die. And should I be well again I make this sacred vow To pay more attention to them, than I do to I.
You know, there are a lot of things I used to take for granted. Being able to swallow without pain, being able to walk up the stairs without feeling as if I had just run 10 miles (uphill), being able to go to work every day, being able to drive, having relatively normal blood pressure thanks to my meds instead of way to low BP thanks to other meds, that my heart was in relatively good condition, that I would probably live until I was in my late 70s at the least, my relative health, that I would wake up tomorrow, that I would soon retire fat and happy, that food smelled and tasted good, that my wife loves and cares for me, that my wife is a good woman, breathing without an effort, feeling relatively well even when I thought I felt miserable, feeling alive and well, not being depressed, that I would be around to shoot up all the ammo I have stashed away, that my son and I would go hunting together this fall, that my daughter would marry her sweetheart and I would be there to see it, that I would visit my mom at least once a week, friends and friendships, AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON AND ON. It was just way to easy to take all that stuff for granted but I don't anymore not now with the cancer and other developments with my health. Apparently the chemo, after only one 2 day treatment, may already have severely damaged my heart - as per my cardiologist. Heck, I even took the chemo for granted but now certainly cannot do that, not if it is going to cause heart damage but the jury is still out until further testing.
My health issues are not really my concerns in this post although my health issues brought that concern to light. Taking things for granted, a common human flaw or condition, that is my concern as it relates to me having done it. For now at least, I have stopped doing it as best I can. Sure, I guess I still expect the lights to go on when I flip the switch but now I am thankful that they do go on. A day or two ago, I actually caught myself thinking how wonderful it was that the lights went on when I flipped the switch, I thought to myself: "That is a good thing". I mean that most honestly - I had that thought over such a simple thing I used to take for granted. I have had a lot of thoughts like that lately, about things as wonderful as my wife being there for me to something as silly as the toilet flushing.
Now, I don't know if I can maintain not taking things for granted but will try if for no other reason than to let those who care about and for me know that I do not take them for granted but that I appreciate everything, every big or little thing, they have done for me. Along those lines I have my family, loved ones, close friends to thank but I also have others like you. You folks out there who have sent me well wishes and spirit lifting messages of hope yet, you do not even know me. To all of you, thank you ever so much, with all my heart.
...then why is it we (as in U.S. Corporations) keep on sending jobs to Mexico?
I was out shopping for American made dungarees (jeans to most folks born after the mid-sixties) couple of weeks ago, while I could still get out on my own with regularity. I went to a large retail store, heck let me say it, I went to SEARS. There they had a decent selection of dungarees for sale. Some were store brand, or so I guess and others were manufactured by once great American companies such as Levi Strauss, Lee and Wrangler. I had made up my mind, before going out, that I was going to buy American as in MADE IN THE USA or in other words by nation of origin and not generically meaning made in North, Central or South America. I am sick of seeing our stores filed with merchandise from shitholes like Mexico, China, Pakistan, Vietnam, Honduras and so on and I am even more sickened by seeing myself wearing things made in those countries when we need manufacturing jobs right here.
One of the things that has always flummoxed me about companies who outsource jobs like that then have to import items into our country for sale is how they can afford to do so. Heck, they have to open offices in foreign lands, maintain those offices and staff, arrange with foreign manufacturers to actually fabricate the goods or have to open their own factories their to do so, then they have to pay taxes in those countries, export fees, shipping fees, importation fees and Customs duties to get things into the USA (of course we almost have eliminated Customs Duties which once were the mainstay of the US economy) and have to get them to the retailers here and somehow - SOMEHOW THAT ALL WINDS UP BEING LESS EXPENSIVE FOR THEM THAN IT WOULD BE FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY MAKE THE GOODS HERE WHERE THEY ACTUALLY PLAN TO SELL THEM! I blame it on lots of things such as available slave labor in foreign countries, labor unions in the USA greedily stripping away every penny they could at every opportunity they had, politicians who were on the take, free trade agreements, illegal aliens flooding our nation, the welfare state mentality, politicians who were assholes and failed to realize how Customs Laws the way they used to be protected the revenue of the USA, and on an on. I do not blame greed of the corporations, they were always greedy, yet even with their greed the United States of America used to be among the top manufacturing nations of the world (if not number 1) but that was all before free trade, NAFTA, most favored nation status effecting trade, Custom Duties being all but done away with and unions getting as much money paid to a longshoreman, a sanitation man, a first grade teacher as is paid to a police officer or a registered nurse or even some doctors.
Somehow though I have digressed from my major point. Regardless of all of the above reasons as to why things are not made in the USA anymore, I want to know something and the question is related to the above so I have not digressed too far. What I want to know is this:
Politicians, such as President Obama, and Republican Party hopefuls such as Perry, continually spout off just how precious to our economy are the illegal aliens who entered (or remained within) our country by committing a crime. They tell us of all the good they do and of how they deserve things like the American Dream Act or whatever it is called so that they will get resident tuition in college and free health care and this benefit and that benefit that were once only for citizens or legal resident aliens. They tell us how much they contribute to the tax revenues (what bullshit Mr. Perry - shame on you) and of other supposed good things they do and they tell us that they take jobs that Americans will not take. Again, that is pure bullshit. Here is how I know it is bullshit, if they were so good for the economy, then why is it that American manufacturers are not hiring them by droves but instead are still outsourcing jobs to places like Mexico? Yep, when I checked those dungarees I mentioned above, every darned pair I looked at, of 3 major brands, were all manufactured in Mexico or some other godforsaken shithole of a country. Now mind you, at least one said the fabric was made in America and then the pants were assembled in Mexico but as far as I am concerned that is the same as being MADE IN MEXICO and not made In The USA!
So why is it that those jobs keep getting outsourced to those shitholes when we need jobs right here and when we have what probably amounts to tens of millions of illegal Mexicans here who are supposed to be the godsend for our nation?
I will absolutely not vote for any politician who tells me how good a fucking wetback is for the United States of America. I would rather not vote, and allow Obama to win reelection, than to vote in the likes of a pro-Mexican, anti-American, criminal supporting, wetback loving Governor of Texas but of course, I will vote, just not for Perry (and just so there is no doubt - most assuredly not for Obama either).
I don't know who wrote the following piece, I got it in an email. Maybe you have seen it too, maybe not. I can vouch for what is said as being the truth because I remember every old fashioned thing mentioned below from when I was a kid. If we went back to doing things like we did way back then we would not need to have a care in the world about going green - now would we!
In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment." He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?
As for me, I would gladly go back to doing a lot of things in those old fashioned ways; not everything maybe but certainly a good number of them.
We have an ATT wireless account. We have had it and been loyal customers for years despite several instances where whom I believe are the morons at said company have tried our patience and loyalty to just about the breaking point. Tonight, I went to their website to check my account, you know the site, the one at www.att.com. Well, if you click on that link, now as you read this, maybe you will go right to the ATT site. Me, I was directed, time and time again to a foreign language site for ATT when I tried it - a Spanish language site. Not for nothing, I live in the United States of America, I do not live in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Peru or any number of other Spanish speaking countries - so why in hell did those morons at ATT have their web address direct me to a Spanish speaking site! Then, as if to add insult to injury, I call their 24 hour a day, 7 day a week customer service number and get a recording telling me to press a number for Spanish. Add to that, the so called 24/7 number is only operational during certain business hours (go figure) and I can say Fuck Them and fell good about it. They make me sick as if I am not feeling like shit enough already. If I keep them after this it will only be because I am too friggin fatigued, in my current state, to shop for a more American Pride sort of a company; shame on me if that turns out to be the case. Anyone know of a really decent cell phone company that does not support multi-lingual, multi-nationalist, socialist, anti-constitutional policies as I believe is the case with ATT?
...suck - especially chemo so far since they tell me all the effects to date are due to it.
Fatigue could never describe my condition over the past week and I have to say, anyone who can get right back to work after the first dose of chemo has superpowers. Me, I have discovered just how much of a wimp am I. That is all, this took an effort to write, I am going back to sleep now.
...and will be staying at his aunt's and uncle's time share. He said he wants to play Texas Holdem and I explained they may only have games with a limit and not any 'all in' games. He kind of got it, but I forgot to mention they may have an 'all in' tournament he can enter for not too much. I also asked him about what hand beats what. I think it does not matter what I tell him, he is doomed. As he told me, he is going there to lose money. Well I gave him a crash course but am pretty sure he did not listen all that well, 21 you know! I did give him the best advice I could think of though and made sure he listened: Go with a set limit that you are willing to lose, with your spending money for food, drinks, clubs, gas kept distinct from what you are willing to lose gambling. Then when you gamble, take it slow and easy at first, if you lose a big pot, especially because of a dumb mistake, do not get mad and try to win it right back. Just try to win, not to win back any loses, and if you lose, never - absolutely never - take money out of the other pocket to try to win back all of your lost gambling money and never use the ATM, credit card, or borrow money to try to win back losses. I cringe at the thought of how much he may lose but who knows, maybe he will have a role reversal come back as Elmer J. Fudd - millionaire, owning a mansion and a yacht - I just hope he pays his taxes on the winnings does not wind up in Alcatraz.
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ZOMBIES & ME
As for zombies - bring em on! I am ready to shoot em down or knock down depending on which type are they. The pic is of the shoot em down type but click on it to see the knock em down type.
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DON'T TREAD ON US
GRUMPS, GEEKS, GUN GUYS/GALS & GENIUSES - All Worth A Read and Who Gave Me A Courtesy Link - Thanks
