Summer's almost gone

 I woke up this morning with Jim Morrison's voice in my head.  That particular song was one that resonated this morning  Here's the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZQWr7cF0eY

As a kid, I loved his voice, and as an adult I still do.  He didn't have a lot of range but his delivery was .. wow.  

This song was one I was thinking about this morning.  "When Summer's  gone, where will we be?"  As a kid  Summer meant FUN (as the Beach Boys sang)   Waking up when you woke up, not for school.  Going swimming in the local pool or going to the beach.  At night, when I was in High School, hanging out with friends, sitting in the hills talking and laughing.  Nights seemed, in my memory, always warm and full of promise.  Summer was like that too;  Full of adventure.

Now Summer is just a hot day.  We run the AC and worry about the power bill.  We have been cooped up due to the pandemic, but things are easing here in California,  I have seen Midsummer night's dream- TWICE, gone to the Pageant of the Masters and seen Hamilton.  I have missed the arts.  I flew to Vegas to spend time with my grandkids, which is a story for another day, but my walker "Wheels" had QUITE an adventure.

While I remain hopeful for the future, I am , lately , woolgathering about Summers gone.   

All the News that fits

 Wasn't that the "tag line" for Rolling Stone Magazine?  I stopped reading them in the late 1980s'   I gave up my subscription when I had my daughter.  They had become less relevant to my daily life and I subscribed to Parents  and other child-friendly magazines, although I DID subscribe to "George" ( remember THAT, I found it well written and entertaining.  I was sorry when it folded)   I currently receive Newsletters from my Union, which I scan, AARP magazines and Westways.  I just renewed Vanity Fair and I have a pile of Smithsonian Magazines that I keep "meaning to read" but am way behind.   I was thinking this morning about taking a day off, shutting myself in my bedroom and just reading and napping.  AHH sounds good.  It won't HAPPEN mind you, but it's a goal.

I was thinking about two news events this week.  I am not watching the Olympics, which is unusual for me, but the time difference and the huge amount of work I have these days has made it impossible.  we see the results on social media and NBC is doing a piss-poor job of coverage, the usual single minded American-centric reporting, and while I AGREE we need to support our athletes, when we are not in contention, they SHOULD show some of the other Gold medal competitions.   After all the symbol is FIVE interlocked rings, not one ring to rule them all.

I applaud the courage of Simone Biles, who was able to place her own health above the  "need" of people who demanded she perform for them.   If she had a broken arm or a broken leg, would we be yelling that she should "suck it up " ( Remember Keri Strug, who was forced by her coach to perform in pain?   She was hailed as 'courageous" when in fact, she was just a scared teenager who was pressured by someone who was a bully who needed HER victory to enhance HIS status.  He was and is a pig)  The stigma of issues with mental health are still there and we do not seem to accept that is is the same as any other health condition and not a weakness.  My own medical provider is guilty of this.  When I get a message, reminding me of my appointment, They leave out the name of the doctor of what office she is with.  THEY are perpetuating the stereotype that caring for your mental well-being is somehow shameful and needs to be hidden. It shouldn't.  I applaud Biles and Naomi Osaka for their openness regarding their mental health and the fact that they are doing something to heal.  Both young women are wonderful role models.

I was looking at the Senate today and wondering if the sudden push by the Republican Party to pass the infrastructure bill is meant to take the focus of the January 6 commission.  We ALL saw what happened, if we were watching the news.  The fact that the Former guy says they were "hugging and kissing the police is a travesty.  If he thinks what went on was "hugging and kissing, that goes a LONG way to explaining why he is divorced. Twice.   I am looking forward to the testimony of others.  I was crying when I heard the police officers and ashamed to hear the Rethuglican branch of their party call them "crisis actors"  They are POLICE OFFICES  Please do not wave your "back the Badge" banner in my face, if THIS is how you act when they are not doing what you want them to do. And whatever is in the Kool-aid that they serve at those committee meetings that makes every Republican forget how they were cowering  in fear in a secret hold somewhere in the building while Trump's Tourists hunted for them in the halls must be some powerful stuff.  Mike Pence is the worst.  They would have HUNG him if they had gotten hold of him, but there he is, licking Trump's boots.

I am heartened by Adam Kinzinger.  He put Country before Party.  It may be the end of his career, IF the current Republican Ruling class has it's way. Although I do not agree with most of their platform- WHEN THEY HAVE ONE ( they currently only have slogans and advertising) I believe we need both sides of the coin to have an effective government.  The current Republican Party is being run by the Mean Kids from your Junior High School.

Thursday musings

I am not going to bore everyone with daily reports of my progress toward getting healthy   There is NOTHING worse than a convert to anything, as my Dad used to say; and while I don't consider myself a "convert" in any way, shape or form, I am on this journey to get better.  I am not really denying myself stuff- life is far to short to do that and I didn't sign up to be a Monk.  I am making better choices and decisions about my day to day doings.

I am about to get on the bike.  The new scale arrived yesterday, so it is my baseline, BUT I have lost four pounds from my last dr visit.  I didn't gain it all at once, so I am not going to lose it all at once.  Slow and steady wins the race.

I saw in the news The Former Guy "plans" to sue Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.   Yeah He PLANS it.  Want to bet he thinks he can settle out of court?  I think the "discovery" portion of the trial , the documentation as to WHY he was banned is going to be fascinating.  One of his minders needs to tell him the truth.  Can you imagine what they might be able to prove in court to provide backup for his banning? 

I think he is so used to suing small companies and having them settle that he doesn't realize they have  more money than he does and more lawyers as well.  It's going to be interesting if the courts even let him proceed with his claim.

I subscribe to the brilliant Heather Cox Richardson's blog "Letters from an American"   She has quite an extensive knowledge of history and politics and she lays it on the line.  On July 5, she said something that resonated

Biden recalled that the United States of America was based not on religion or hereditary monarchy, but on an idea: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all people are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights—among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” We have never lived up to that ideal, of course, but we have never abandoned it, either. Those principles, he said, “continue to animate us, and they remind us what, at our best, we as Americans believe: We, Americans—we believe in honesty and decency, in treating everyone with dignity and respect, giving everyone a fair shot, demonizing no one, giving hate no safe harbor, and leaving no one behind.”

I love the quote that we have never lived up to, but never abandoned the ideal that we are all created equal.  Yes, I know  and acknowledge we have a long way to go before that is true, but we have to hope and strive for it.  Probably not in my lifetime, but maybe in my grandkids time.  

Remaining hopeful and working toward a goal, whether it is racial equality or losing a few pounds is something  on my mind this morning.

Morning and I have a fuzzy brain

 For once, I was "sleeping good" as my Dad used to say, when the alarm went off.  I am trying to get up earlier, to work on my stationary bike and collect my thoughts.  I have to lose about 10% of my weight before they can do the knee surgery and I am woefully out of shape.  I blame pandemic laziness.  If I were still working in an office, I would be walking more, which frankly is the best exercise for someone with my health issues.  Alas not, and for a long time, I did not really venture out of the apartment.  So now, I am paying for it.  

We bought a new scale.  The old one was depressing me, until we realized it was massively inaccurate.  You could get on it and get off and step back on and have gained five pounds.  To be honest, it's not a people scale and I think it was not able to adjust to movement.  It's probably fine for its original purpose, weighing packages.  The new scale arrives today and I start over with "weigh-ins"  

UGH.

Like most women I have a lifelong dread of weighing in and as I have gotten older have avoided doing so- which is probably why I weigh as much as I do.  Denial is not just a river in Egypt.  Still the workout regimen I have for myself is challenging but not killing me.  I think I am losing weight, Chris thinks I am losing weight ( and he would be able to tell more than I would) but we will see when the new scale arrives.   I am going about 5K a day at least on my stationary bike and trying to make 10,000 steps a day all told.  As I am still at home, that is an issue, but we walked yesterday, my "bad" knee screaming in pain.  I think it will get better as I train those muscles as well.

Chris signed up for "Noom" and he is using the program.  I am just cooking the program and following his diet.  Is that cheating?  Should I be paying for the Noom advice?  I don't think so since I don't use the service and am just doing the cooking and shopping for the family.  I could be wrong.

I've gotta jump on the bike.  I read my Kindle while I am biking, more motion than sweat at this point although I keep a steady pace.  I have to work today. Wearing myself out before the day begins would not be my best idea.

leaving Las Vegas

 I am happy to be going home.  Usually at the end of a trip I am not wanting to go, wanting one more day, and although I will be going back to the grind of work, I am not sad to be leaving the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.  Not a fan.

They never resolved the "no internet" thing and while they credited us yesterday- and I will be talking to them about it again today- I really think they don't WANT you to have internet, so you will go gamble.  which we did to little success.

I felt sorry for the newbie at the hotel Help Desk.    He told us they would call us in 24 hours to resolve the problem.  Good for the NEXT guest, but sucks for US.  Thank goodness for mobile hotspots.

The food here is terrible, except for Ri Ra where we had a amazing meal.All the "menus'" are on a QR code on the tables and sometimes the menus don't load.  Did I mention the problems with the internet in this place?  The cook at the Seabreeze Cafe really knows his way around a microwave. I suspect, but cannot confirm that he also nuked the toast.  I am thankful that I did not indulge in Room Service Breakfast, which was 10 bucks more per plate PLUS the delivery fee.  $18 bucks for a Denny's style meal was bad enough, but $28 would have made me really, really angry

We took the tram over to the Excalibur for dinner and had a fun meal at the Vagabond, which is a bar that serves food.  Decent food. Chris loved  nachos and I kind of enjoyed my pulled pork, except I hit a huge bite of pepper at the first try and thought I was going to stop breathing.  Our waitress Renee was quite cheerful and she made it a nice night.

Don't go to Hazel's COFFEE and Cocktails after 6 looking for coffee.  They only have whatever weak coffee they serve everywhere in this hotel AND give you attitude when you ask for it anything else.  It should be advertised somewhere on their menu  WE DON'T SERVE COFFEE AT NIGHT or something

I wanted a decent cuppa.

EVERY FREAKING STARBUCKS IN THE PLACE WAS CLOSED.

The Gelato place makes coffee. HALLA-Freaking-lulah!

We never got to the pool. When we went to the Shark Reef Adventure we could see the pool was PACKED ( my dad had an expression "elbow to asshole" which seems appropriate"  I am NOT into crowds)

It was semi amusing, watching entitled people march up to the entrance of Shark Reef , only to be told it was sold out.  We bought tickets early in the day as I recall this is why we didn't go last time.  It sells out quickly.  One woman INSISTED that the women directing customers CHECK to make SURE there were no tickets and tapped her shoe at them until they did.  There were no tickets to be had.   The exhibit was nice, but crowded and since we are both on scooters navigation around people got tricky- people were nice but it was sometimes a tight squeeze.

The people in the room next to us were partying with the people directly across the hall from them till around 11. The doors banged constantly.  I thought I was stuck in French farce film.  It started up again to a lesser degree around 2 am.

Don't get me wrong, the people who work here ( except for the bartender at Hazels') have been super nice. The place is mismanaged, probably by someone who got their degree from the Former's Guy's  "University".It  seems to be the same business model.  We won't  be back here.

 

Los Wage? Sin City? road trip

 Chris decided I needed a vacation so we made plans to get away.  USUALLY  that means Laughlin, but no rooms were available so we decided to try Vegas.  I must admit, I really don't like Vegas all that much, too noisy, too busy, too Vegas-y  but we had free rooms at Bally's.  HAD Operative word in that sentence.  They screwed up the dates and we couldn't get the freebie.  We play a game called MyVegas that gives you free rooms and shows, even if it is  little restrictive- you have to stay three night to get some of the comps. We opted for Mandalay Bay.

The adventure began when the GPS said there was an accident on the 210 and rerouted us.  Through the Angeles National Forrest. I don't remember ever going that far through the forrest and while it was interesting, it was harder on Chris who was driving the twisty winding roads.

Since we each bought a room, we wanted to make sure that the reservations could be joined and we would have the same room both nights. tired for FOUR DAYS to get someone to answer the phone. Nope.  We got here, having packed super light in case we had to move. The person at the desk corrected the issue and we are in the same room.  Service in this hotel is spotty at best, the people when you can get them are perfectly lovely and it is not their fault their management is crummy. There is NO internet WIFI connection and no way except for Chris' Hotspot connection.  we are paying for it but it's not here.

We did have a lovely meal at RiRa an Irish pub  in the hotel.  Our waitress Sinead was lovely and recommend an excellent moderately priced whiskey. The food was very good!  It made me happy.

We are off today to another adventure. I made the mistake of MOVING a coffee cup and was charged ten bucks for the error.  It was two cups of horrible coffee, to borrow my friend Ruth's phrase you could read through it.  Hot bean juice with powdered creamer and a ton of sugar.  bleh  I hope for better as we venture out for breakfast this morning.

June 23

 I woke up thinking about my mom today , for obvious reasons.  I was thinking about how scared she must have been, on this day in 1958, delivering a six weeks premature infant, alone .  She was in the hospital , but by herself as a neighbor she barely knew drove her in the middle of the night from the Valley to Kaiser Sunset. My Dad was at work and WHY she didn't call him is part of her character, I think she didn't want to disturb him at work. Back then, men didn't go into the delivery room anyway.  The next morning, the doctors came in and demanded to know why she had delivered me so early.  She snapped "you are the doctors!"   Who knows why.  I contend I was hungry.  I never really liked confined spaces, so maybe THAT'S it! She was convinced I would be ( pardon this word) "retarded" and would need to go to an institution for care ( it was common in the 50's to place special needs kids in they system, essentially warehousing them)  While I proved her wrong, the jury is still out on my sanity.

Every year on my birthday, I pause to reflect on the year that was and turn my thoughts to what I hope will happen in the coming year.   2020 was a complete washout, but I did learn something about myself, created a few new "pandemic dishes" that will remain in the recipe file.  I refuse to mourn what did not happen, and plan for it to happen THIS year.  

I count my blessings.  I learn from the good things and the not so good things.  I find my strength and my voice. I work on my craft and my art.  I recently re-read a quote from Kurt Vonnegut, an author I have read but not been wowed by.  He said "I don’t think being good at things is the point of doing them. I think you’ve got all these wonderful experiences with different skills, and that all teaches you things and makes you an interesting person, no matter how well you do them.”   It gave me pause and comfort that while I may not have the skill or talent some of my friends do, I am looking at the experiences as part of my journey.  When I travel, I remember that the trip is part of the experience, not just the destination.  

James Taylor said that best "the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time"  This year, as I begin what will be my 64th trip around the sun ( I am 63 today so...)  I will try .