ShowMeBlog

Christmas Eve 2010

  The Post Office will be open today but will be closed on Saturday December 25th for Christmas.

  When I was living with Jim and Betty, my father and mother, we opened our Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve.  I got married when I was 26 and Darlene and I had four children so we opened our gifts on Christmas morning because of the kids.
 

My family, mother and father, were middle class. We had money for Christmas.  My father was a boilermaker (welder) and my mother was a nurse (LPN).  They both worked full time.
  When I was little it was standard for me to get two or three gifts.  One was marked from Santa and the the others from my father and mother.
 
  During the time that I went to Holy Name Grade School, grades 1st through 4th, I had a lot of friends and we played outside all the time.  I think all of those families had lots of kids.  I was an only child. 
  I can remember on more than one Christmas day when I went out to play the other kids asking me what I got and I would change the subject.  I was embarrassed because I got one or two gifts.  The other kids would have a long long list of gifts. I guess because of having a big family.
 
  I forget what Christmas it was but I am not  sure if we had a tree up.  I would think we did but there was no gift under the tree for me.  Jim and Betty told me that the gift was coming via the mail or UPS or something.  It was December 24th when it was delivered and I was home to get it.  It was not in gift wrapping or anything. 
  I opened it and it was a cap gun.  It was a pretty neat cap gun.  It was a revolver and you actually had to open it and put in bullets and you had to put a single cap in each shell.  So you only had six shots and you had to reload like a real gun.  I was not happy that it came on the 24th and that was the only thing I got but I did like the cap gun.
  I had a lot of toy guns over the years.  You got to remember back then that our heroes were Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, The Long Ranger and many others.  They were good heroes.  I think you were a better boy from listening to their shows on the radio and even watching them when they came to TV.
  I am not sure now days who kids have for heroes.  That may be the problem that we are having now days.
  I will be 70 in March.
  Glenn Beck is 46 years of age so who would his hero have been?  I think if Roy Rogers and Gene Autry had been his heroes he would not be the the low life scum that he is now days. 

  My heroes never killed bad guys.  My heroes were honest, truthful and clean living.

  Rush Limbaugh is 59 years of age.  I would hate to think that he had the same heroes that I had as a kid.

  I am not sure if religion played a part in kids my age or not.  I was Catholic.  I went to Catholic school all my life.  We had pray and religion all day long.  I was an altar boy at least one entire school year and I would assist the priest for early morning mass and then walk over to Holy Name school.  (The church was not next to the school at that time. It was  a few blocks away.)
 
  I suspect that movies, like John Wayne movies, had more to do with making people my age decent because of the cowboy ideal.  That would be funny and strange if fictitious cowboys made us decent Americans more so that Jesus Christ and religion.

  Marry Christmas everyone.

Comment on my last post: ShowMeBlog update

“Argent009 said:

The day of the personal blog is coming to a close I think, as is the day of the personal vlog. People demand to be entertained on a 24/7 basis and don't want to just "keep in touch" or "be informed" and this is why the media is no longer "news media", it's just "the media" as in, it could be any kind of media. Certainly CNN, MSNBC and Fox are good examples of places where they claim to be news and are anything but. They're there simply to entertain and the truth or facts are just statistics that tend to get in the way of them spinning their entertaining little "stories". People want entertainment and they want it NOW or else. You're to blame, I'm to blame, everyone is to blame. We all want our "On Demand" this and our "Netflix" and "Google TV" and "TiVo" and YouTube is 99% professionally created content, blah blah blah. The kind of things guys like us imagined bringing the world together and making it more close knit have been destroyed by these big media conglomerates and most of us just let it happen. So here's the solution, get Justin Beiber and Hanna Montana to throw some poorly made so called entertainment on your blog and you'll get views again. Otherwise, well, welcome to the second decade of the 21st century, where nothing is real anymore. It's kind of like the 80's but with better gadgets.”

  Oh God, I think Michael is correct.  If I accept his view then I am going to feel just like I did back at the end of the bulletin board days when I saw that the day of the personal free BBS was over and they were all going to be commercial and you would have to pay for them.
 
  Sure I use CNN and other sites like that on the Internet but what I love is the blogs.  They will still be there for a long time.  (Hell there are even a few bulletin boards around after all these years.)
  But, in my heart, I know Michael is correct.  Everyone wants entertainment so we do not have to think about important issues.  The stuff is like legal drugs for the mind.  We all like the 30 second cat video and God help me I not only watch Netflix, Hulu and other sites I pay them money each month.
 
  I guess the way things are headed we will just turn on our device, let us not call it a computer, and everything will be on a Google computer someplace and we will hit a key on our “computer” and tell it to entertain us.  It will know what we need to numb our brain.

Seven days since I got a pacemaker

  Just about 7 days ago they put a pacemaker in me.  I been just eating three meals a day.  I have not been eating junk food.  I got some great snacks here but I have not been eating them.
  They want me to limit my fluid intake to 64 ounces (2 quarts) or less per day.  I drink about 2 quarts (2 liter) of Coke a day!  I am sure they want me drinking water or something sugar free and not Coke.  I will have to work towards that goal.
  They want me to limit my intake of salt.  I been trying, without success, to do that for years.  I am trying to limit my salt intake.  I had a Sonic burger the other day and I did not eat fries.  Man, that was hard.
  I am trying to eat healthy foods.  That is going to be hard for but I am trying.
  They would like me to eat a diet low in fat.  I think I am going to cry.
  No heavy lifting for now. 
  Napping a couple of times a day is recommended.  God, I love these people.
Next they are going to tell me to have lots of sexual activity!
NO, “Ask your doctor when you can return to sexual activity.”  They are evil! Smile
  Try to stay in when it is too hot or too cold outside.  
  I live in Fort Worth so I might as well plan on staying inside during the months of July and August.
  My grandson likes to have the AC going all the time and likes it cold in the house and I just wonder is he trying to kill me?  Smile

  No strenuous reaching, pushing or pulling for 2 weeks for me.  I am not sure a 70 year old man should do any “strenuous” anytime.  At least that is what I am going to tell my kids.  Smile
  My son is moving from FL to Fort Worth soon.  His job transferred him here.  He is moving into a house.  I think I got a get out of helping move card now….  Sorry son I can not do any “reaching, pushing or pulling” or do any “strenuous” activity AND it is time for me to take one of my daily naps. Smile

  I wonder if there are any perks because of a pacemaker? 
  I wonder how long before I forget I have a pacemaker?
  I wonder how long before you never have to read any posts about my pacemaker?  Smile

Even a heart rate of 25 will not stop a true blogger

I am so glad to be home safe and sound. When you are in the back of an ambulance with a heart rate of 25 bpm you never know. Even with the excellent EMS staff of Fort Worth at your side and with the a great hospital like Texas Health - Harris Methodist waiting to receive you.
You can have great doctors like; Dr. McBride, Dr. Gudimetla and Dr. Takata ready to take care of your heart but sometimes you still are in the hands of God and you know it and wonder if you are going to get to go home and blog again.
Just in case I took out my camera and made this video. Even the great Philip DeFranco did not do that. In your face Philip.
I am number one. Smile
Thanks to all for the kind words and prayers.
ShowMeBlog: http://showmeblog.com
Philip DeFranco: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_DeFranco

All day riding buses

  My son wanted to get a new TX drivers license to replace his expired CA license.  We left here about noon and we got home about 8 PM.  When you have to ride the buses it takes all day to just do one little thing.
  Of course, they would not give him a TX license for his expired CA license. So Jimmy has a state ID and will have to go back someday and take the written, vision and driving test.  The driving part will be hard since we do not have a car.
  I still have a FL license and I did not get a replacement.  I did not want to spend the money.  This is my dry part of the month when I am broke.  If it is a choice between a new drivers license and eating, for some reason, I take eating.

  We spent hours and hours on the buses.  We first had to take the #26 (Ridgmar Mall/Normandale) bus to Ridgmar Mall.  Then we had to take the #2 to the downtown Transfer Center.  Then we had to take the #6 (8th Ave/McCart/Hulen Mall) bus to the DPS (drivers license place). 
  The DPS was busy but it did not take long for Jimmy to get his state ID. I am not sure how long it would take to get fully tested. For the driving test the first thing they do is test you for parallel parking.  I watch two different 16 year old boys try and parallel park.  The first one could not even get close. The second one got in between the poles bun no where near the curb.

 

  Riding buses is no fun.  I am talking city buses.  If you spent much time during the day you are going to get the mental subject just out of the hospital still with his hospital arm bands on…talking to only the voices he hears.  You wonder if they are going to go off.  Then you got the young black men … pants falling off…You always get one of them that can not find their bus pass…They are loud on the bus and talking to each other and people at the end of the bus at the other end.  Then you got the young black woman talking to each other and screaming and laughing  and talking non stop on the cell phones.  
 

Susan Boyle to sing for the pople

"London, England (CNN) -- TV talent show star Susan Boyle will sing for Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Scotland next month, the Catholic Church in Scotland said Wednesday.

A church spokesman said in June they were negotiating with the singing phenomenon to perform.

Benedict is due to visit England and Scotland from September 16-19.

Boyle will perform three times at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow on Thursday, Sept. 16, the Scottish Catholic Media Office said. She will also sing with the 800-strong choir at the open-air Mass there.

In the pre-Mass program, Boyle plans to sing the hymn "How Great Thou Art" as well as her signature song, "I Dreamed a Dream," the tune from the musical "Les Miserables" that shot her to fame in April 2009…"

Trash container or baby stroller

  Here is a photo of me taken September 1, 1941 in Holden, MO.  I am in a baby stroller right?  That is not a trash container with wheels? 

  Holden is in Johnson county, Missouri and the population was 2510 in the 2000 census.  My mother's family were all farmers.  I guess that is one reason I am a Democrat today.  Well because of FDR, WPA and because I care about working people. 

  Now my right wing friends are thinking …. You know that he looks like Nikita Khrushchev in that photo.  Smile
  OK OK, I know I do not have any right wing friends. 
  "Some of my best friends are…" Republicans. 

  The September 1, 1941 issue of "Life" magazine had Ted Williams on the cover and sold for 10 cents. 

Montage of troops returning home

Tissue Warning – Have a box of tissues at hand.

  "…And they shall see us: and we will fall upon their necks,
  and they shall fall upon our necks,
  and we will kiss each other…"
             Moses 7:63

I miss playing with my balls

  I miss playing with my balls.  Years ago I had some balls.  I guess they are called "Baoding Balls." 

"Baoding balls, also commonly known as Chinese Exercise Balls, Chinese Therapy Balls, Chinese Stress Balls, and Chinese Health Balls are believed to have originated in Baoding, China, a small town in the Heibei province, during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. In Baoding, the balls were once dubbed Chinese Iron Balls, since at first the Baoding balls were made from iron.
Nowadays, Baoding balls are made from many kinds of materials yet remain light to carry. They are usually hollow and made from chrome-plated steel, with most containing a chime within as well. People sometimes call these chime balls or harmony balls. You will find that Baoding Balls can come with many designs crafted onto them. These cloisonne balls usually have hand made designs which depict symbols or characters related to harmony, health, and other positive forces.
Baoding balls are usually used for exercise and meditation, but are also good when employed for medical reasons. To use them for exercise, place two Baoding balls within your palm then rotate them clockwise and counterclockwise. Gravity will help you keep on controlling the balls. There are many exercises possible. One is trying to not to let the balls touch one another during manipulation, as advanced users do. Such users of Baoding balls can frequently use more than two balls at one time. Manipulating the balls in your hand not only exercises hand muscles, but forearm and shoulder muscles as well…"   www.baodingballs.com/

  I had some balls years ago.  I think I just knew them as Chinese Exercise Balls.  I am not sure what happened to them.  But I used them to reduce stress and for hand exercise.
  I put a set on my Amazon WishList and when I order sometime from Amazon I will get them.  Then I can play with my balls again.

I should not watch the news

I should not watch the news or read the news online.  I  just get pissed off.  I been a news junky all my life and it is hard to stop listening to the news.  I was just thinking it may not be the news that upsets me so much as it is the comments left after a news story online.
Yes, I think it is the comments.  I need to not read the comments.

I think the worst comments are those left by the right and left hard core people.  No matter what the issue they are going to bring their little cause in and post their wild ideas about the issue.  Yes, the right are the worst.  The news story and be about a DWI accident or a storm and they will post about President Obama being a Communist.  Or they will bring up "states rights" or some other issue.  But I have seen the left do it a few times.
What is so stupid is that no one is going to change their position.  Believe me I have had an online site since 1982!  Do you know how many years that is ... My God!  That is 13 years before they invented the world wide web!  People connected to my site at 300 baud!
What I have found out is that people do not change their position.  You do not post something and then have a person from the other side ...say.. You know I did not agree with you but after reading that now I agree with you.  It NEVER happens.. never ever .. zero times.  
On CNN and YouTube and all of the other places you got these racist, right wing, state rights, anti-Obama, stupid people that over and over again just have to bring up all these stupid issues and comments.  
Yes, I know it is the same in my blog and other blogs...If you are a right wing nut.. You are not going to read what I post and say.. Oh wow.. I agree with Jim Howard I am going to join the ACLU and vote Democratic next time.  
My point is why.. flood CNN comments section with stupid comments?  They seem to think that if they post enough of these stupid comments that their point of view will be accepted as truth.  Not going to happen.
Like I said sometimes the left will do the same thing thing.
As much as I hate reading the stupid comments and as upsetting as it to me that people can not stay on subject and they are wasting THEIR time and band width it must be worst for them.  They must have zero life.  They should be down at the local KKK meeting drinking beer and cleaning their guns.