Author Archives: claudiajustsaying

Still Politically Stupid

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25politics-master675-v2   The clock reads 8:35, it is Sunday morning, and I have slept in. We had friends for dinner last night and the extra rest feels good.

Mr. Wonderful, awake since 7AM, is sitting on the living room couch doing the New York Times crossword puzzle.

The glass doors to the patio are closed, the outside soaked with water. Long streaks wet the surface as though sprayed with a hose.

“Did it rain?” I asked him.

“No, it’s condensation,” he answers remaining focused.

The overnight surge in humidity is spoiling the outside view, and the air is heavy with sweat. I make an Italian Roast k-cup of coffee, grab the newspaper, and join him on the couch. However, our good life is short-lived once I start reading.

An Associated Press headline, “Pre-book tour, GOP tries to define Hillary,” demands my attention. The article is beside the Thomas Voting Report, “How your U.S lawmakers voted,” giving the appearance that the topics are related, they are not.

image01   Florida Representatives, Corrine Brown, Ron DeSantis, and John Mica, voted in all eight bills that address some serious public concerns, i.e., military budget, minimum wage & equal pay, climate change spending, and spying.

   I am optimistic thinking they increased the  minimum wage, got serious about climate control and ended civil service job protection, not.

After everything was said and done the House voted to:

  • Approved a 1.8% pay increase for troops effective in 2015
  • Continue to contract with companies that pay less than $10.10 an hour
  • Prohibit the Defense Department from spending funds on climate change
  • Keep Presidential authority of indefinite detention
  • Keep Guantanamo Bay Prison open
  • Curb National Security Agency collection of bulk data
  • Fire any federal executive culpable in VA scandal
  • Fund water projects

   At least they did something or did not seem to do nothing, and on paper Republicans passed five of the ten bills and had time to discuss the publication of Hillary Clinton’s book, “Hard Choices”  and her up coming book tour.    

   The newspaper article discusses Republican efforts pre-book tour to stop Hillary Clinton from running for office. There is a Stop Hillary Pac, organized by Garrett Marquis who claims to have raised $500,000 and have 250,000 supporters.

   Once again feeling politically stupid, I wonder, can that be legal? Forget that these activities, previously done behind closed-door, are sleazy and unethical, attempts to prevent a woman from seeking political office can be construed as  sex discrimination.

    Talk is the book tour is part of Hillary’s plan to front questions about her competency while Secretary of State and her handling of Benghazi. It probably is, however, it is common practice for world leaders to write memoirs and there is even another book titled Hard Choices by another Secretary of State. Evidently book titles are not copyrighted and it is the perfect title.

  House Republicans plan to further probe the Benghazi attack, is included in the article, as is Senator Lindsey Graham insightful vow, “I’m not going to quit until I can prove to people that story was manufactured through gross incompetence or willfully misleading the public six weeks before an election.”

   What is he talking about? I thought Benghazi was about the loss of lives not political get elected strategies; though politically stupid, what do I know.

. . . . just saying

 

 

Whatever Happened to Mikey?

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Swingline is the name brand of an old stapler sitting on my desk, that I have stared at for the past ten minutes. The mental pause feels like writers block, but is probably indigestion, or a senior moment. The handy device has been dropped many times and has only a few scratches. It is dirty from forty plus years of handling.

Forgetting about environmental effects, I grab a bottle of Bang and spray it clean. An inscription, made in the USA Long Island City, New York, is readable when the finger grime is removed. The steel grey metal color now shines, and the words, Swingline Speed Stapler, brag about its lasting quality. There are seven patent numbers listed. The patents are probably why it continues to work and I have kept it all these years. It is sturdy and strong, and can also be opened to staple paper flat on a bulletin board.

Remember schoolroom bulletin boards filled with colored construction paper, and displays made from paper plates cut in pie-pieces, to demonstrate fraction equivalents; I taught first grade at St. Brendan’s School in the Bronx and when I left, took the stapler.

The song, Little Rabbit Foo-Foo, and Mikey come to mind, everyone knows Mikey from the Cheerios commercial.

Michael Gilchrist was my student.

There were three Gilchrist brothers: Tom, Michael, and John. John, the youngest, was the three-year old called Mikey in the commercial. The real Michael, my student, says, “I’m not going to try it,” in the commercial, and pushes the bowl of Cheerio’s towards him.

There was a lot of excitement when the commercial ran, and shortly after the family moved to Yonkers.

But whatever happened to Mikey, John Gilchrist?

MSG director of media sales John Gilchrist poses

Mikey is alive and says, “The folklore that I ate Pop Rocks, the exploding candies, and I drank a soda and my stomach blew up,” is not true.

Gilchrist, 44, has been in ad sales, first in radio, including a stint at ESPN, and now for MSG Networks, where he is director of media sales, primarily negotiating with advertisers on TV ads.

Although “Mikey” had no lines at all in his third and most well-known commercial, he built a successful career and appeared in about 250 other commercials.

 

Do You Tweet?

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“Do you Tweet?” Christine asks me, as the waitress approaches the table.

We are having lunch at The Olive Garden. It is a celebration of sorts; Christine has a new website  and food blog, Pudbudder. Tricia’s, children’s book, “Detective You’re” is in the hands of an illustrator, and my short story, “Wheels of Circumstance” is an FWA selection.

The waitress interrupts to tell us the specials and ends by saying, “I’ll be back to take your order.”

“I have a Twitter account but never Twit?” I responded

“It’s Tweet, you tweet, not twit on Twitter.” Twitter links to LinkedIn and can increase your followers. I have 452 followers. I’m doing resumes for people in Australia”

Tricia and I, thankful to know someone tech savvy are impressed, and leap on the opportunity to ask questions we feel too stupid to otherwise ask.

“If it is called twitter, why do you tweet and not twit?”

Soft spoken Tricia  inquires politely, “What’s Twitter?”

“Twitter is an online social networking service where people can send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as ‘tweets’.”   Wikipedia’s definition; “a short burst of inconsequential information, and ‘chirps from birds’.” Christine says smiling.

“I think I was a bird in a former life,” I comment.” But why characters? Why not spaces?”

Tricia asks, “Couldn’t they send a short email?”

“I don’t know.” Christine rolls her eyes and continues, “This is like trying to convince cavemen they’d be better off using matches.”

The waitress is back and takes our orders.

When she is gone, Christine leans across the table to Tricia and questions, “Do you know what a hash tag is?”

“Don’t be a twerp, how would I know about hash?” Is Tricia’s not so polite, reply.

“It’s a number sign, # you can use it to share a twitter story.” Christine taunts and proceeds to inform us; Twitter is undergoing changes and now has Tweetups, Tweetie, New Twitter, and Retweets.

I have a headache.

We leave the restaurant two hours later laughing about Twitter, tweets and twits.

Later that evening I login in to my Twitter account, take the Twitter -Tour and learn, one has to follow to get followers.

So, who will I follow?

Mr. Wonderful is watching the ALDS series, the Yankees are playing Baltimore.  I type Yankee in the search bar.  Mike Blooomberg, aka Mayor of NYC, tweets, “Go Yankees”

Ruth Westheimer, aka Dr. Ruth, Psychosexual Therapist,(I am surprised is still alive) tweets, “So-A-Rod benched”

Nothing exciting is happening here.

I  plan to watch Blue Bloods on CBS and figure the TV program is a safe search.

Jim Wahlberg, Dorchester, MA, no known relation to Danny, Donnie Wahlberg, real life brother to Mark Wahlberg well know for the movies, Ted and The Fighter is tweeting, really flirting with Paula NKOTB.

Not of interest to me.

However, Donnie was recently interviewed by Gayle King, of whom I am a big fan. She asks an interesting question, waits and respects the answer.  Sunday morning Gayle tweeted she’d been to Streisand concert and to the Barclay for burger bash with her favorite mayor.  I am jealous.

Gayle has 589, 454 followers and one more, me.

As of today I have one follower, dear Christine, but who is counting.

…just saying

Mr. Wonderful Goes Keurig!

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Keurig
I have loved the smell and taste of coffee, since the age of thirteen, when I was allowed an occasionally cup.

My parents drank instant, but I quickly acquired an appetite for the real deal at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Polished silver pots of hot perked coffee, accompanied by tiny white porcelain pitchers filled with heavy cream, were delivered on trays to the Banquet Office. I was a file clerk and felt special drinking the aromatic coffee from a bone china cup with the Plaza logo on it.

Our first coffee pot, a ten-cup corning ware electric was a wedding gift, and only used when company came. As time passed I finessed a four cup Farberware electric into our daily routine and said goodbye to instant coffee.

Once retired, Mr. Wonderful assumed many household responsibilities, and insisted we needed a Mr. Coffee. How could I refuse when the person asking was doing the food shopping and mopping the kitchen floor?

Life was good because, although Mr. Wonderful frequently wakes several hours before me and the new pot would turn off, he would have a fresh pot ready, and press start when he heard the toilet flush.

A good cup of coffee is more than a good cup of coffee, and Mr. Wonderful makes a great cup of coffee, smooth and never bitter.

Then along came the Keurig, the individual cup miracle machine. I had my first cup at my friend Christine’s house and fell in love with the red colored machine.
Christine explained that her husband, Angelo, was still working, so the additional cost per cup was not a problem and were planning for the added expense in retirement. They love their Keurig!

I shared her sentiment but responded nonchalantly. Mr. Wonderful’s reputation as a coffee brewer and his stock piling of BOGO Free Eight O’clock coffee would not translate into fifty cents a cup. Besides how do you tell the man you love you have found something better.

I wanted a Keurig, but kept my desire a secret. It would be ridiculous to complain, Bob makes great coffee, and cleans up the mess.

However, on February 17th of this year things changed. We stayed with my sister, Marti Gert and she had a Keurig! I did not scream YES, or do a happy dance and recall acting nonchalant as I went to bed feeling like Santa would arrive in the morning.

When I woke, Mr. Wonderful greeted me saying, “We should get one of these, it makes coffee better than I do.

We purchased the miracle machine shortly after.

Yes, the cost is close to double what we paid for a Mr. Coffee cup, but we are worth it and have advised our financial person to make adjustments for a lifetime supply of K-cups.

Morning Walk

Morning Walk

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Morning Walk April 24, 2014 The morning air is cool in Florida. As May unfolds the heat intensifies, and the humidity, accompanied by a sultriness that is hard to forget, descends. But for now, I enjoy early walks bemused by … Continue reading →

Conscious Uncoupling Vs. Smart Phones

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00000410                                                       On our first cruise around 1990

Aging & Attitude

Recommitted to posting a weekly blog I jump started the process last week by researching this week’s topic, Conscious Uncoupling.

Have you heard about Conscious Uncoupling? Gwyneth Paltrow and husband, Chris Martin, are doing it; getting divorced.

I was proceeding in a timely fashion and things were looking good until Mr.Wonderful (aka Bob) purchased two smart phones, a Samsung Galaxy s3 for me, and a Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro for himself. The learning curve is high with the acquisition of an expensive toy, but not to worry; there was lots of time to do both, write and find a signature ring for the new phone.

What is Conscious Uncoupling? Author and therapist Katherine Woodward Thomas coined the phrase as a process to;

• Release the trauma of a breakup
• Reclaim your power
• Reinvent your life

In other words; a civilized way to decide who gets the house, and what will you do if you don’t.

Gwyneth Paltrow announced the Conscious Uncoupling on Goop, a digital media and e-commerce company she founded to share all of “life’s positives.” Goop offers information on many things from recipes to the perfect dress and Paltrow shows good sense.

The Samsung Galaxy s3 mini in my back pocket vibrates, and interrupts my thoughts. I struggle to unlock the phone swiping up and down, then side to side and tapping. It is a text from At&t saying “Don’t delay, enroll today” in the Mobile Protection Pack.

So, without delay, I start the process, but find I must agree to things I am unsure about; so power off, and focus on Gwyneth and her daughter Apple. Named after a fruit, Conscious Uncoupling is sure to be difficult for the child.

Conscious Uncoupling is being adopted by others. A British Labour Party lawmaker used the term to reference a political disagreement as, “another example of coalitions conscious uncoupling,” Nevertheless my mind conjures a picture of a train wreck, and  I  wonder if I can somehow get in touch with Putin, he needs to hear about Conscious Uncoupling.

Katherine Woodward believes it takes about five years to truly heal from a breakup and offers a free online download to overcome the three major mistakes people make. Misconceptions perpetuated by Hollywood and media make the process long.

Dr. Sherry Sami and Dr. Habib Sadeghi, believe Conscious Uncoupling will redefine divorce, and the past practice of blaming yourself and partners. Dr. Sami addresses the issue of multiple relationships and says mating for life was easier for cavemen and women because of a shorter life expectancy, about thirty-three years. She has a point.

It was also easier because they did not have cell phones, nor need to decide if At&t Mobile Protection plan can access their contact list, photos, and video’s. After several phone calls and reassurance that the information is stored in a Cloud and only comes down if I lose or damage the phone. I check the agree square. It has taken three days to come to the decision.

We did manage to sync our phones to Blue Tooth in our vehicle and change our wallpaper without much difficulty. Next I need to find out what Google Play is and if I want to shop at the Google Play Store.

Mr. Wonderful and I are married 43 years and easily could have divorced for we have little in common, except values and we both like to laugh. This year he surprised me with a cruise to Bermuda, our honeymoon location; to celebrate and replace our vows with a year-to-year contract, that has no penalty fees.

Conscious Uncoupling is always a possibility.

. . . . just saying

Feeling Snarky

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    Snarky is how I feel;  you know cranky and annoyed. I am irritated and out of sorts about life’s absurdity. I am not alone, snarky is gaining popularity. Sam Champion recently used the verb to describe his conversations with former coworker, Al Roker. I never had a chat with Al or Sam, but know about snarky.

   Here are examples of what makes me snarky:

• The cost of two standard white pillowcases in Kohl’s is $49.99.
• A video pop-up blocks my recipe search for sausage on the Food Network.
•  Rug Advertisements appear on my Facebook page after shopping online for        rugs.
• My new smart phone doesn’t ring because the volume is off.
• Having my groceries triple wrapped in plastic and put in cloth bags I provided.

   I feel snarky about, Candy Crush, Linkedin, Twitter, Email and even my own WordPress blog. I am disenfranchised with social media and have been on a hiatus. Now I am getting back on that horse.

   The original word snark, a noun for animal, was the subject in Louis Carroll’s poem, “The Hunting of The Snark.” The poem categorized as nonsense, is whimsical and humorous, and I laughed out loud enjoying its absurdity. Substitute a few of today’s politicians, i.e. Chris Christy, Jeb Bush and Hilary Clinton for the Bellman, Barrister and Beaver, and things start to sound sensible because in the end,  the Snark was a Boojum. What is a Boojum? It is a tree; but in Lewis Carroll’s poem, something imagined.

   Gradually snark morphed to a verb, meaning to be critical in a rude or sarcastic way, or to find fault. In my case, it might be an emotion, but more civilized and requiring less energy.

   So in the pillowcase incident, I did not ask to see the manager or email customer service but went to Walmart and bought two quality standard cases in a cloth bag (no plastic packaging) for $5.99.

    By the way, a free copy of Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem can be found at The Public Domain Review along with a real find; a 1933 original video of a farmer playing hand fart songs. It is a hoot.

   After reading Lewis Carroll’s poem I was inspired and wrote the following poem. It may not make sense.

. . . .  just saying

Knock Knock

“Not only that, but this way you know,
Whatever you want, you need to let go,” said the door to the floor.

“Just set yourself free? How could that be?
Tell me more, it could be a trap,” said the floor.

“It could be a trap,  and not only that,
We could be much more!
I swing from hinges on call,
Hear mysterious things about it all.
Rumor – there is a big world to explore,” said the door.

“Whatever, a floor, a room, a broom, something more;
Will I be happy as somebody else, or happy simply being myself?
Not only that, do I go it alone?” said the floor.

“I can’t tell you that, what do I know?
But I can tell you this;
You’ll hear the door slam, if you don’t come along.
Not only that,” said the door to the floor.

 

The Eraser Law vs The Golden Rule

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“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Albert Einstein

 

Alexander McCall Smith is a favorite author of mine, although it is hard to say why. He is a series writer, “The #1 Ladies Detective Agency” being his best well-known. I am currently reading “The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds,” one of “The Isabel Dalhousie Novels.”

The composer Mozart is the subject in the first page of the book, and compared to Srivinase Ramaniyan, another child prodigy, in the next few. Not a page turner since I have little interest or knowledge of classical music, and never heard of  Ramaniyan. Yet, I am compelled to keep reading, fascinated by McCall Smith’s ability to make the mundane important.

The story unfolds slowly as Isabel Dalhousie, the protagonist, shares her wisdom and concerns as a philosopher and editor of “The Review of Applied Ethics.” It is dull, but I am entertained by her thoughts.

It is Isabel’s description of another character as offensive, minus social clues and lacking social judgment, that reminds me of my third grade teacher, Miss Pendergrass and The Golden Rule.

Isabel feels badly when she offends another, even a stranger and strives to change her behavior.

 The first day of school, a Tuesday after Labor day, Miss Pendergrass instructed us to open our composition notebooks and on the inside cover write, “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” Fake orange and yellow leaves decorated the bulletin board and the eraser monitor’s name was written on the black board. A class discussion on the matter followed. 

 Now jump ahead to the year 2015, when the “Eraser Law” will take effect in the state of California. The law will protect minors by giving them the right to delete comments on social media. There is debate about the message; say or do what you want, you can erase it, without consequences.  There is no provision for treating others the way you would want to be treated.

The Eraser Law evolved in reaction to a court decision not to protect the public from their own stupidity, but to coddle the young, in lieu of teaching them the Golden Rule.

In November of 2009, the disgruntled staff of B.J. Roberts, sheriff of Hampton, Virginia liked the Facebook account of his opponent during the election. Despite his staff’s lack of support, Roberts won reelection, and decided not to employ his detractors. These actions became a court matter when the unemployed protested, and claimed firing on grounds of a “Facebook Like” was a violation of their First Amendment Rights.

The court said, you don’t quite get it, grow up!

They were forced to look for new jobs.

I think about Miss Pendergrass and wonder what she would tell third graders about the Eraser Law, while she has the misbehaving write 500 times; “I will not talk in class.”

. . . . just saying

Counting Jelly Beans 101 for Baby Boomers

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CANDYLOGOsat“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. ” 
    Coco Chanel

The YouTube video “The Time You Have in Jelly Beans” has more than four million views and rightly so. The author, Zefrank 1, demonstrates visually how we spend time using jelly beans and the voice of Sad Cat Diary Guy explains the math. The message is effectively communicated, and the end poses provoking questions:

  • What are you doing with your time?
  • How much time do you have left?
  • What if you had half that amount?
  • What will you do with it?
  • What are you going to do today?

In order to answer the questions I did the math, you know multiplication, division and percentages, and it is complicated for Baby Boomers. The statistics are based on a life expectancy of 79 years or 28,835 jellybeans, minus 5,475 jelly beans for the formative years, leaving 23,360 jelly beans to divvy up among must do activities.  This is the breakdown. 

Activity                                   Jelly Beans                    Percentage of time

Sleeping                                  8,477                                      36%

Work                                        3,202                                     13%

TV Watching                            2,676                                     11%

Food, etc                                  1,635                                        6%

Chores                                       1,576                                       6%

Community Service                     720                                        3%

Attending others                           564                                       2%

Personal Care                                671                                       2%

These activities account for 83% of our time, leaving 3,839 beans to spend as we like. The message is clear; it is not a lot of jelly beans so spend them carefully.

Most Baby Boomers have about 5,110 jelly beans left; many are retired, so add the 13% previously allocated to work, to the 17% already designated to the area of do what you like, and life looks exciting, until you do the math.

It is not as difficult as the “New Math” of the 1980’s but it is tricky and there is a learning curve. Here is an example:

Retired, Dave has 5,110 jellybeans left, of which he plans to use 1533 for fun. He is invited to play pickle ball, and with the first serve falls, shatters his hip, and undergoes surgery. He now has a metal pin. How many jellybeans does Dave have remaining for leisure activities?

Please leave your answer in the comment section.

                                                                                          . . . . just saying 

You’ll enjoy this post,Ten Surprises Your Body Has in Store for You

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Pickled Carrots

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GE DIGITAL CAMERA“Why have sour grapes when you can eat pickled carrots?”

Who knew Pickled Carrots are popular?

Sorry, it is not a metaphor for a political rant or observation on life (as in sour grapes); it is a carrot recipe, as pickled cucumbers are pickles.

 The food item was recently a topic of conversation on Mostly Martha.

Martha Stewart interviewed Caroline Fidanza, owner of restaurant “Saltie” and the title of her cookbook. They talked about pickled carrots and her other business venture, the Gotham West Market Place.

Gotham is a new “food hall” in New York City between the theater district and Hudson River Park .  It sounds like an incredible food experience that can be read about at dailycandy.com.

Although Martha lists several recipes on her site, I chose Caroline Fidanza’s recipe, it was easy, quite delicious and an alternative condiment.

Pickled Carrots

1/2 cup sugar ( diabetes substitution, 1 tbsp sugar & 5 packets of equal)                                                                   

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup white or apple vinegar

3 large carrots julienne or shredded

Marinate carrots 30 minutes at room temp or refrigerate over night. Blanch carrots if you want a little less crunch in your carrots.     

Why pickled carrots? Well, today is Sunday and the one pound I lost last Friday has not come back . . . yet!

. . . . just saying

 

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