I just had to add this. I had been hearing about this book called Atlas Shrugged and there are a lot of famous and powerful (rich) people that treat this book like the wholy gail, so I got the audio book.
I started listening and the first 10 minutes where they give the about the author, etc... made my stomach turn. I'm pretty sure I know what this women's views were and they were not nice and if you asked me to point to someone who was evil, she would be a good example.
I'm going to try and stomach it and listen to the whole thing. It's over 1000 pages long. I looked to see if there was ever a movie made and I found some very strange stuff. It seems that the rights to the movie have been bought and changed hands many, many times, and it seems that there is, dare I say it, a conspiracy to see that a movie does not get made from this book.
Being a person who strongly defends free though and expression, I feel I would be a hypocrate if I did not listen to the book and give it a chance.
I'm sure it will be months before I am done with it.
Bill
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Long Time, No Posts
It has been a long time since I posted. A lot has happened. I just past the 18th month mark of living here. A good number of neighbors have passed away. Most notible my neighbor across from me. He was only 59. Very sad. His life was no picnic either.
I read through my old posts. The Batman movie was a real let down. The first 30 minutes was the best part. The Joker was way over the top. In other movie news, I just saw Twilight, which I did not think I would like, and I have to say it was very good. I think the actors had a big part in making this such a good movie. The script seemed a little weak, but I recommend seeing it.
And in other movie news, there are 2 movies filming here in the Capital Region. A film with Angelina Jolie is going to be filming the last weekend of April and the 1st weekend of May here.
There has been a lot of craziness here in my building over the past few months. Over the winter someone shut off all the valves for the heat. I believe there are 26 or 28 for each floor. This has happened several times and the management has resorted to removing the valve handles from the pipes. Then someone losened all the nuts on the brackets holding the heating pipes to the ceiling.
There has also been someone putting super glue in people's door locks. Basically, I'm in the crazy house.
I got in an acident over the winter. Thank God I did not hit anyone else, just the gaurd rail. It did a large amout of damage to the car. They don't build them like they used to. The bumper is 100% plastic. The front of the car folded up like an aluminum can. I don't want to think what woould happen if I hit something at 30 or 55. I was going about 10 when I hit the gaurd rail and on my old Ford Van I doubt there would have been any damage.
The town's have no money to salt or to plow, so they don't do either and the result is what happened to me and about 100 other drivers that day. There were many more cars smashed up just ahead of where I crashed. I can remember when they used to have salt trucks and plows out before the storm, through the storm, and after the storm. Not any more. So now I don't think I will be driving when it snows. It's a drastic measure, but the risk is too great. I had nightmares for a week after the crash.
The wind is picking up outside so I am going to go have a look at the weather and see what's up.
Hopefully my next post will not be so long overdue.
Bill
I read through my old posts. The Batman movie was a real let down. The first 30 minutes was the best part. The Joker was way over the top. In other movie news, I just saw Twilight, which I did not think I would like, and I have to say it was very good. I think the actors had a big part in making this such a good movie. The script seemed a little weak, but I recommend seeing it.
And in other movie news, there are 2 movies filming here in the Capital Region. A film with Angelina Jolie is going to be filming the last weekend of April and the 1st weekend of May here.
There has been a lot of craziness here in my building over the past few months. Over the winter someone shut off all the valves for the heat. I believe there are 26 or 28 for each floor. This has happened several times and the management has resorted to removing the valve handles from the pipes. Then someone losened all the nuts on the brackets holding the heating pipes to the ceiling.
There has also been someone putting super glue in people's door locks. Basically, I'm in the crazy house.
I got in an acident over the winter. Thank God I did not hit anyone else, just the gaurd rail. It did a large amout of damage to the car. They don't build them like they used to. The bumper is 100% plastic. The front of the car folded up like an aluminum can. I don't want to think what woould happen if I hit something at 30 or 55. I was going about 10 when I hit the gaurd rail and on my old Ford Van I doubt there would have been any damage.
The town's have no money to salt or to plow, so they don't do either and the result is what happened to me and about 100 other drivers that day. There were many more cars smashed up just ahead of where I crashed. I can remember when they used to have salt trucks and plows out before the storm, through the storm, and after the storm. Not any more. So now I don't think I will be driving when it snows. It's a drastic measure, but the risk is too great. I had nightmares for a week after the crash.
The wind is picking up outside so I am going to go have a look at the weather and see what's up.
Hopefully my next post will not be so long overdue.
Bill
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Cassel Road
The last 2 weeks I was in PA at my Aunt & Uncle's house, just before they sold it, I remember driving to Bubba's several times. Bubba's was a restaurant that used to serve really great hamburgers. They are still in business, but everything has changed and the buggers are now terrible.
I used to take the back way to get there, which was the shortest way, but was also very scenic.
The one road that I turned on was called Cassel Road. It went through a hollow and was a little tricky to navigate with all the turns.
In PA there were moments in time that were just amazing. Where you knew that what you were witnessing was something truly great. Where time almost stood still and you knew that God wanted you to see this and to appreciate all that it meant.
Cassel Road was one of those places and the last 2 weeks were one of those times. Coming back, on the left hand side of the road, just after the hollow, was a farm house with a big tree in front.
The farm house was not any different from all the others, but was different was the old man sitting in the chair under the tree.
He was there every day, just looking out over his farm. He looked too old and frail to have been the one that did all the work. My guess is that his family had taken over running the farm.
There was something about seeing him, so much expressed in that moment. His family could have put him in a nursing home, like so many other families have done, but they didn't.
He knew his time was growing short, but the pride he must have felt and the joy of looking out over his farm each day knowing what he had built. It must have given him great satisfaction.
A life well lived. All he had done and all he had given to his family, and his family continued to honor him for his hard work by letting him spend his last days where it meant the most to him.
I'll never know that feeling. What days I have left will be spent in this welfare apartment, or worse. I loved PA as much as that old man. Seeing it sold killed a part of me. It never meant as much to my Aunt or Uncle as it did to me. It was my home. The only home I've ever had. My life is filled with too much heartache.
I used to take the back way to get there, which was the shortest way, but was also very scenic.
The one road that I turned on was called Cassel Road. It went through a hollow and was a little tricky to navigate with all the turns.
In PA there were moments in time that were just amazing. Where you knew that what you were witnessing was something truly great. Where time almost stood still and you knew that God wanted you to see this and to appreciate all that it meant.
Cassel Road was one of those places and the last 2 weeks were one of those times. Coming back, on the left hand side of the road, just after the hollow, was a farm house with a big tree in front.
The farm house was not any different from all the others, but was different was the old man sitting in the chair under the tree.
He was there every day, just looking out over his farm. He looked too old and frail to have been the one that did all the work. My guess is that his family had taken over running the farm.
There was something about seeing him, so much expressed in that moment. His family could have put him in a nursing home, like so many other families have done, but they didn't.
He knew his time was growing short, but the pride he must have felt and the joy of looking out over his farm each day knowing what he had built. It must have given him great satisfaction.
A life well lived. All he had done and all he had given to his family, and his family continued to honor him for his hard work by letting him spend his last days where it meant the most to him.
I'll never know that feeling. What days I have left will be spent in this welfare apartment, or worse. I loved PA as much as that old man. Seeing it sold killed a part of me. It never meant as much to my Aunt or Uncle as it did to me. It was my home. The only home I've ever had. My life is filled with too much heartache.
Monday, August 11, 2008
What Women Want
I was thinking about this interview that I saw. A reporter was talking with this LA 20 something women about dating.
The 20 something said, " All I want is a guy that doesn't wear flip flops as regular footwear."
I thought for a moment and said to myself, that's a reasonable request.
Then the 20 something went on, " And doesn't wear shorts."
Again, I thought this a reasonable request. "And he has to have a job", she continued.
Also reasonable, so she doesn't want a beach bum, surfer type.
But it continued with pauses after each statement.
He has to wear dress pants, and shirt and tie, a suit, and he has to make 100k a year, and drive a new car, and own a nice home, etc.. , etc.. , etc..
So in other words, she wants what every women wants. That perfect guy.
I've learned over the years that you have to listen to what women say and then translate it to what they really mean. I know this sounds like a cliche' , but it could not be more true.
If the reporter did not sit and wait during the long pauses, he would not have gotten the big picture.
I find myself questioning and analyzing everything that is said to find what they are really trying to say.
When someone tells me something I ask myself, WHY ? Why are they telling me this.
Especially when it comes to uncomfortable experiences. I ask why did they tell me about it.
I think it is a combination of several things.
They are showing off ( look what I can do, or look what I made happen )
and they liked the end result, but may be embarrassed or ashamed that they liked the result or of their behavior.
When I see how much women use men and then hear the women explain it as though they are the victims, it makes me sick.
My belief is that if someone needs help and you can help them, then you should. It's the right thing to do. And you should do so with no expectation of a thank you or of a quid pro quo.
This way you feel good and you are not relying on the other person to complete the emotional transaction.
Women, and some men, tend to abuse the kindness of strangers and friends. When me do it they are labeled users and have a stigma attached to them.
When women do it, it is rarely acknowledge as such. And labeling them with terms like "gold digger" or "cock tease" has been made the equivalent of a hate crime. It is hate speech, even though it is the truth.
Men are dogs. That's true and that's said often and men just have to take it. Men will date as many women as they can. People think Bill Clinton was an exception, but now we see that he was not. The first Bush has a full time mistress and 6 girlfriends in different cities and the wife knew.
If you are a women there is no better country on earth the the USA. You have all the freedoms and benefits and protections, and almost never have to take responsibility for any of your actions.
God Bless The USA.
The 20 something said, " All I want is a guy that doesn't wear flip flops as regular footwear."
I thought for a moment and said to myself, that's a reasonable request.
Then the 20 something went on, " And doesn't wear shorts."
Again, I thought this a reasonable request. "And he has to have a job", she continued.
Also reasonable, so she doesn't want a beach bum, surfer type.
But it continued with pauses after each statement.
He has to wear dress pants, and shirt and tie, a suit, and he has to make 100k a year, and drive a new car, and own a nice home, etc.. , etc.. , etc..
So in other words, she wants what every women wants. That perfect guy.
I've learned over the years that you have to listen to what women say and then translate it to what they really mean. I know this sounds like a cliche' , but it could not be more true.
If the reporter did not sit and wait during the long pauses, he would not have gotten the big picture.
I find myself questioning and analyzing everything that is said to find what they are really trying to say.
When someone tells me something I ask myself, WHY ? Why are they telling me this.
Especially when it comes to uncomfortable experiences. I ask why did they tell me about it.
I think it is a combination of several things.
They are showing off ( look what I can do, or look what I made happen )
and they liked the end result, but may be embarrassed or ashamed that they liked the result or of their behavior.
When I see how much women use men and then hear the women explain it as though they are the victims, it makes me sick.
My belief is that if someone needs help and you can help them, then you should. It's the right thing to do. And you should do so with no expectation of a thank you or of a quid pro quo.
This way you feel good and you are not relying on the other person to complete the emotional transaction.
Women, and some men, tend to abuse the kindness of strangers and friends. When me do it they are labeled users and have a stigma attached to them.
When women do it, it is rarely acknowledge as such. And labeling them with terms like "gold digger" or "cock tease" has been made the equivalent of a hate crime. It is hate speech, even though it is the truth.
Men are dogs. That's true and that's said often and men just have to take it. Men will date as many women as they can. People think Bill Clinton was an exception, but now we see that he was not. The first Bush has a full time mistress and 6 girlfriends in different cities and the wife knew.
If you are a women there is no better country on earth the the USA. You have all the freedoms and benefits and protections, and almost never have to take responsibility for any of your actions.
God Bless The USA.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Parking
Now that I have 2 vehicles I am aware of the parking shortage we have here. Thursday afternoons are the worst, especially if they serve Turkey dinner at the seniors.
We share the lot with the Senior Center. Half the lot is theirs. There are 90 parking spaces total, 45 of which belong to us. There are 121 apartments. See the problem.
Obviously the people that built the place did not.
Builders see parking as a liability. It's makes them no money, so they build as little of it as they can. Even in cities where they have parking meter, there is no parking.
Parking, like parks, should be a mandatory part of city design.
I was in Schenectady 2 years ago and parked on the street next to a parking lot that was the size of an entire city block. The street where I parked had parking meters. The lot said Permit parking, but the lot was completely empty.
I asked what the deal was with the lot and was told it used to be for GE workers, but had long since been abandoned due to downsizing. For whatever reason, the city did not take it over. I can't imagine that the parking meters make the city that much money and they deter people from coming to the city to shop. Having free public parking should be a priority, but it's not.
Go figure.
We share the lot with the Senior Center. Half the lot is theirs. There are 90 parking spaces total, 45 of which belong to us. There are 121 apartments. See the problem.
Obviously the people that built the place did not.
Builders see parking as a liability. It's makes them no money, so they build as little of it as they can. Even in cities where they have parking meter, there is no parking.
Parking, like parks, should be a mandatory part of city design.
I was in Schenectady 2 years ago and parked on the street next to a parking lot that was the size of an entire city block. The street where I parked had parking meters. The lot said Permit parking, but the lot was completely empty.
I asked what the deal was with the lot and was told it used to be for GE workers, but had long since been abandoned due to downsizing. For whatever reason, the city did not take it over. I can't imagine that the parking meters make the city that much money and they deter people from coming to the city to shop. Having free public parking should be a priority, but it's not.
Go figure.
The 4 Seasons
No, not the singing group. I refer to the 4 seasons of the year, which we used to have here in Upstate NY. Now we slam from Winter to Summer and back again.
When I was a kid, oh boy, now I know I'm old, we had clear skies and could see for miles. Now with the smog you are lucky if you can see 500 feet.
I remember that Spring started in March and there was a gentle climb in temps every day, but it was still cold in the mornings all the way into June. Then the summer would start and June would get a little hotter and July and August you had heat, like we have 5 months of now, and then in Sept it would get cool again and slowly the temps would go down till around Thanksgiving you had the first frost and snow by Christmas.
This year Summer hit in late April and has not let up. Long range forecasts say it will be hot like it is now till at least Sept. I went back in the climate records and found that the actual temps are not much warmer then they were 100 years ago, but the heat index is much higher.
The dew points used to be 30-40 degrees below actual temp, now they are only 10-20 degrees below actual temps and that is a big deal. On a day where temps hit 88, but the dew point is in the 50's, it does not feel that hot, but take that same day and have a dew point in the high 70's and it feels like 110.
The smog is causing this problem to get worse and the air quality is so bad up here it looks like LA moost days. You literally can't breath when you step outside.
I look forward to Winter for the clearer air that it will bring.
Bill
When I was a kid, oh boy, now I know I'm old, we had clear skies and could see for miles. Now with the smog you are lucky if you can see 500 feet.
I remember that Spring started in March and there was a gentle climb in temps every day, but it was still cold in the mornings all the way into June. Then the summer would start and June would get a little hotter and July and August you had heat, like we have 5 months of now, and then in Sept it would get cool again and slowly the temps would go down till around Thanksgiving you had the first frost and snow by Christmas.
This year Summer hit in late April and has not let up. Long range forecasts say it will be hot like it is now till at least Sept. I went back in the climate records and found that the actual temps are not much warmer then they were 100 years ago, but the heat index is much higher.
The dew points used to be 30-40 degrees below actual temp, now they are only 10-20 degrees below actual temps and that is a big deal. On a day where temps hit 88, but the dew point is in the 50's, it does not feel that hot, but take that same day and have a dew point in the high 70's and it feels like 110.
The smog is causing this problem to get worse and the air quality is so bad up here it looks like LA moost days. You literally can't breath when you step outside.
I look forward to Winter for the clearer air that it will bring.
Bill
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Movie Reviews & My Life is a Toilet
Movies are so tough to figure out. The reviews rarely tell the whole story.
Take Hancock. There was no hype and I only saw a few previews on TV.
The reviews were not very good. I did not plan to see it, but now that I saw it I have to say it was OK. The first half of the film was very good. I thought the last half was a little weak.
Sex and the City did not get very good reviews either. I have not been able to make it through watching the whole thing. The outright hostility towards men is sickening. It's a real feminist movie from what I've seen. I can't imagine the last 30 minutes would have made much of a difference.
The subtext was even more brutal. If you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about.
If you really hate men, you'll love this movie. I'm not sure if the original series was like this.
I seem to remember some bad stuff about men, but I don't think it was this bad. It's amazing how well the series worked when it was only a 50 minute show. Oh Well.
Now the Batman movie is Due out tomorrow and I have seen no previews on TV. I don't know why. Maybe they are counting on work of mouth. I have seen about 30 minutes of this film and it is awesome. If the rest of the movie is as good they have a runaway blockbuster on their hands.
Opening opposite The Dark Knight is Mama Mia!
What can I say about Mama Mia! There are so many bad things to say it's hard to know where to start. let's start with It's a musical. Meryl Streep is supposed to be the young pregnant woman who does not know which of the 3 men is the father. There's a good role model.
Not to mention the fact that she's like 60 and looks like the Crypt Keeper.
This is a movie that I'm sure women will love. And I'll bet every guy dragged to this train wreck will be secretly dying to see Batman.
I wondered what they could put up against Batman, and Mama Mia! makes perfect sense since most guys are going with a date and they default to what the date wants and I'm sure that Mama Mia! will make some money.
I think Dark Knight will be mostly single guys of every age range. Even though there is a love story in the plot line, I don't think women will want to sit through all the explosions, which are freaking awesome. And the cinematography and the choreography are amazing. The timing and the editing had to be spot on for these action scenes to work, and they look flawless.
Hopefully I will feel well enough to make it to the opening night. Right now I feel sick and have been feeling sick most of the past few weeks.
My life is in the toilet and there does not seem to be any way to fix it. I have not enough resources and too many responsibilities and too many people asking for help.
I should not have anyone asking me for anything. I don't get why everyone ignores this.
I feel like every day I get up I have to save the world, and I hate it. And even after people ask for my help, they get pissed because the help I give is not what they want.
Specifics are very important, and if it takes 50 pages, or 30 minutes to explain what is needed, they should take the time and then get the hell out of the way. Micro managing is not an option. If that's the option then they need to say that as well.
And most important, don't get upset if I decline to help because the demands are too high.
I watch professional contractors, who charge 100's of dollars an hour, not follow any of the requests of the people that hired them, do the job badly, incomplete, wrong, not warranty any of their work, and then the same people hire them back again to do more work.
That's insane! It happens all the time. My analysis is the world is mostly made up of people who don't have a clue. They don't know how to do their job and they don't care. They do just enough to get paid.
I like to think I do a good job, but I know I screw up and I have weak areas, and I apologize for my weaknesses, which is more then most do. I am who I am. That's all I can be.
Take Hancock. There was no hype and I only saw a few previews on TV.
The reviews were not very good. I did not plan to see it, but now that I saw it I have to say it was OK. The first half of the film was very good. I thought the last half was a little weak.
Sex and the City did not get very good reviews either. I have not been able to make it through watching the whole thing. The outright hostility towards men is sickening. It's a real feminist movie from what I've seen. I can't imagine the last 30 minutes would have made much of a difference.
The subtext was even more brutal. If you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about.
If you really hate men, you'll love this movie. I'm not sure if the original series was like this.
I seem to remember some bad stuff about men, but I don't think it was this bad. It's amazing how well the series worked when it was only a 50 minute show. Oh Well.
Now the Batman movie is Due out tomorrow and I have seen no previews on TV. I don't know why. Maybe they are counting on work of mouth. I have seen about 30 minutes of this film and it is awesome. If the rest of the movie is as good they have a runaway blockbuster on their hands.
Opening opposite The Dark Knight is Mama Mia!
What can I say about Mama Mia! There are so many bad things to say it's hard to know where to start. let's start with It's a musical. Meryl Streep is supposed to be the young pregnant woman who does not know which of the 3 men is the father. There's a good role model.
Not to mention the fact that she's like 60 and looks like the Crypt Keeper.
This is a movie that I'm sure women will love. And I'll bet every guy dragged to this train wreck will be secretly dying to see Batman.
I wondered what they could put up against Batman, and Mama Mia! makes perfect sense since most guys are going with a date and they default to what the date wants and I'm sure that Mama Mia! will make some money.
I think Dark Knight will be mostly single guys of every age range. Even though there is a love story in the plot line, I don't think women will want to sit through all the explosions, which are freaking awesome. And the cinematography and the choreography are amazing. The timing and the editing had to be spot on for these action scenes to work, and they look flawless.
Hopefully I will feel well enough to make it to the opening night. Right now I feel sick and have been feeling sick most of the past few weeks.
My life is in the toilet and there does not seem to be any way to fix it. I have not enough resources and too many responsibilities and too many people asking for help.
I should not have anyone asking me for anything. I don't get why everyone ignores this.
I feel like every day I get up I have to save the world, and I hate it. And even after people ask for my help, they get pissed because the help I give is not what they want.
Specifics are very important, and if it takes 50 pages, or 30 minutes to explain what is needed, they should take the time and then get the hell out of the way. Micro managing is not an option. If that's the option then they need to say that as well.
And most important, don't get upset if I decline to help because the demands are too high.
I watch professional contractors, who charge 100's of dollars an hour, not follow any of the requests of the people that hired them, do the job badly, incomplete, wrong, not warranty any of their work, and then the same people hire them back again to do more work.
That's insane! It happens all the time. My analysis is the world is mostly made up of people who don't have a clue. They don't know how to do their job and they don't care. They do just enough to get paid.
I like to think I do a good job, but I know I screw up and I have weak areas, and I apologize for my weaknesses, which is more then most do. I am who I am. That's all I can be.
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