Thursday, August 8, 2019

We Did That Already

We Did That Already
Atlanta, GA
June 2019


I am with my cousin and we are heading to the Alzheimer Unit to pick up my uncle and his wife.  Pam stops to speak to one of the nurses and I go ahead to his room.  I knock on the door three times and he knocks back and yells, "Come in.  Just come in."

I open the door and attempt to create a light moment.  "I didn't want to barge right in just in case you two  were having wild sex," I laughingly tell them.

"We did that already," he tells me in a dead pan voice.  And then he pauses and continues, "25 years ago.".

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Thoughts on Indonesia

Thoughts on Indonesia
June 15 to July 17, 2019


I loved all of the orangutans in Borneo.  We got up and personal with them.

Our four day river cruising was great fun. We watched monkeys and orangutans all day long.

"Where do you sit?  is the question asked by strangers to determine your cast.

Every citizen must practice and identify a religion.  otherwise, they are view as atheists and that concludes that they are communists. But they are limited to being a Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Catholic or Protestant.

I bought a silk, blue batik scarf.

I'm walking a shitload of steps but it doesn't seem to have any effect on my weight.

My right knee is killing me, particularly when I go down all of those damn steps.

I loved the little Bali dancers.  i loved their eye rolls.

I loved the mask makers.

I loved the shadow puppet makers.

We went to a basic factory and tried our hand at it.  All of our work was ugly and not worth saving.

I loved the little girls in the traditional dance classes.  They practice three hours a day, five days a week.

I drank several turmeric drinks and it seems to be receiving some of my knee pain.

I couldn't believe how hard it is to harvest rice.

They eat a lot of rice.

We wasted a lot of rice.

We watched women make rice cakes.  They sit all day and make these little cakes, just using one hand.

The 68 year old brown sugar farmer works too damn hard.  Some days, he is climbing 15 trees just to collect the sap. Then it is cooked for five hour and stirred the whole time is he has to bend over all damn day.

The food has been great.

The beer is mediocre.

Jakarta is not worth visiting. It's a big, ugly blah city.  I loved Borneo and Bali.

We went to the Monkey Forest and walked amongst hundreds of monkeys. They can be aggressive.

We went to a temple that had monkeys that were so aggressive that we couldn't wear our glasses, flip flops or anything else that they could just grab from us.

We went to a Bird Park and walked with the birds.  They were magnificent and regal.

The rice fields were beautiful.  I think I took 200 photos just of them.

Every home has a private temple so there is never the excuse that you don't have time to go to the temple.

I bought two batik sarongs and I wish I had bought more.  I love them.

I had four decedent body treatments.  I had a 2-hour massage for only $18.  I was embarrassed by this low cost and when I tipped the masseuse, she was stunned.

My friend bought a painting and then decided that she didn't want it so she offered to sell it to me.  I loved it and was thrilled to buy it.  But she wouldn't take any money from me.  So I took her out to dinner.  And then she gave me the museum book that came with this painting.  It must have cost her a fortune.

We met a woman who was in prison for 10 years because her father was a communist.  And in 1965, there was some sort of coup and the communists were blamed.  She is 79 now and she still tears up when she talks of this time in her life.

we went to a ballet and I was excited when it started and received when it finally ended.  I couldn't follow the story.

We went to the circus.  The venue was sit but the performers were fantastic.

We went snorkeling in Bali.  I felt sick when I was in the water and then I got terribly sick on the hour long boat ride home.  A few days later, I found out that we had an earthquake that day. Maybe that's why I got sick.










Thursday, August 1, 2019

Listening to Vivian

Facebook Post
Listening to Vivian
November 8, 2012 at 12:34 PM  
Wilmington, DE  


I am talking class (Great Minds of the Eastern Philosophy Intellects) with a woman who is 97 years old. She contributes to the discussion every week. And every time she speaks, I just want to celebrate life.


Responses:

Bridget E Kelly: and her husband is 92. Vivian told me she likes younger men.

Bridget E Kelly: just now she talked about the importance of changing/challenging your mind set as you go through life.

Kirsten Kollars: Right she is.

Sally Doan: Wow ~ first time I've felt 'young' lately ~ thanks for sharing!

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

July 2018

July 2018
My birthday month
PA, CO, NJ, DE, MD


1- (SU)- PA- visited Vicki Murphy Kendall in the hospital.  She has a creepy eye infection.

2 -(M)- PA- Damn it was hot today.  I hung at the pool with my neighbors.

3-(T)- PA- It is still so damn hot that I hung out at the pool until the thunderstorm started.

4- PA- Tricia and her family had a birthday dinner for me and then we went to see fireworks. I love to watch fireworks.

5- (TH)- flew to Colorado for a few days to hand with the Nicoellas.

6- (F)- CO- Mike agreed to be the designated driver while we went to three different breweries: The Post, Twisted Pine and Vision Quest.

7- (S)- CO- Brenckeridge Hootenanny. The weather was beautiful but too damn sunny. We had VIP tickets which gave us free beer, food and full access to the event.  We also got a free growler and could take home beer if we wanted.  Mike Gordon, from Phish, was the main drawn. But I was most pleased with the opportunity to explore their huge, warehouse refrigerator.

8- (SU) CO- started our road trip south.  We are headed to Pagosa Springs for my bday.  We stopped in Mt. Crested Butte for the night.  We drove through the remains of a forest fire. And the smell of death and decay permeated our car.

9- (M) CO- My birthday.  I am 63 today. We spent the afternoon at the thermal pools and the Riff Raff Brewery.

10- (T) CO- We drove over the Rio Grande River for the 5th time in two days. And it was a thrill every time we passed it.

11- (W)- PA- flew back from CO and arrived at PHL just in time for evening rush hour traffic.  It took forever to get home.

12- TH)- PA- hung at the pool.  The water was too warm from all this heat.

13- (F)- PA- I went the Amish market and bought too much damn food.  OMG, that shrimp salad is delicious.

14- (S)- spent the afternoon at the pool. Surprisingly, it was not crowded for a weekend afternoon.

15.- (SU)- PA- I bought a new umbrella for my balcony.  It is bigger than I wanted but it will do the job

16- (M)- I went to an Anti-Trump meeting with Deb Green: WTF- Women, True and Fucked.

17- (T)- I had intentions for heading to my house in MD to do some gardening but heavy rains aborted that idea.  I just hung here and chatted up the neighbors.

18- (W)- MD- I went down to the house to weed whack the shit out of the plants on the front sidewalk.  The Joann and I went to Johnny's Sushi House for a late lunch.

19- (TH)- NJ- spent the afternoon on LBI with my high school friends. Nine of us got together. Then we wandered off to Daddy O's for drinks and a sunset view.

20- (F)- NJ/DE- I left LBI in the early afternoon and headed to DE for dinner with Jaye and Dom.  They are getting a new grill on Monday and wanted to have one last dinner from the old grill.  Dom made steaks and they were tasty.

21- (S)- Philly- met up with Rosina and her 89 year old dad and we went to the Oyster House on 16th & Samson St.  We ate all afternoon.  I had an oyster, egg and bacon sandwich.

22- (SU)

23- (M)- PA- Jon and Justin and I went to the Split Rail Tavern for drinks.  Jon lamented that his girlfriend dumped him to day.  Justin talked bout his efforts to sell his dad's stuff on eBay to pay for this funeral.  And so I picked up the tap.

24 (TU)- PA- I had a facial this afternoon and the woman massaged my face which I just loved.  Then I met up with Shelia Santoro for dinner.  I had grilled calamari.  I love calamari and usually, it is served fried.  So when I get it grilled, I am so damn delighted. After she left, I joined Jon for drinks and Quizzo at the Side Bar Cafe.

25 (W)- PA- dinner in Philly with Sharon and her family.  Heather has moved back from Seattle which is cause for celebration.

26 (TH)- PA- I joined Kathy Flatley and Jane Momer for a stroll around the Stoneleigh Gardens.  I was disappointed because I thought this new garden venue was competed but it is a work in progress so we didn't see too much.  We did go to lunch and I got Hot Rock Kobe Beef which was delicious.

27 (F)- PA- went to the movies with Kathy Flatley- Sorry To Bother You. It started out as a potentially great movie on social commentary and then it just got out and out silly.

28 (S)- PA- Dinner at a Lebanese restaurant in Philly with the siblings.  OMG, everything was delicious. Somehow this was a birthday celebration for me so I didn't have to pay.  And I also ended up with a copper coffee pot from some street merchant.

29 (SU)- PA- a lazy day at home.  I slept in very late and didn't do much. But I did go out for a coffee ice cream cone.  God, I hope I don't slip in to this habit.  But an ice cream store just 50 yards away from my home is too damn tempting.

30 (M)- PA- the movies- Three Identical Strangers. A few years ago,  I read a book, Identical Strangers on the same topic. I cant believe how cruel some people can be.

31(T)- MD- a day at Carpenters' Point with Shelia and Joann. It's been three years since the three of us hung out together at the beach. We ended up at the bar at Steak & Main in North East, MD.


San Juan Mountain Range

Friday, July 26, 2019

July 26




Facebook posts


July 26
Moments in my life as remembered on Facebook


2018

Kobe beef

4.6
Azie on Main Restaurant
$$Asian Fusion Restauran
2017
A Very Nice Brewery- Boulder, CO


2016- The DNC- Hilary is elected to be the first female candidate

20162

2015
Bird brains in Baltimore, MD

2014
Eating dinner with friends
 to 

William Bill Hughes added 24 new photos to the album: BRUNCHERS GET CRABBY — with Lucinda Taber and 8 others at Bay Crawlers Crab Shack.


2013- I am spending the summer in Haiti
Water, I think about it all the time. What are we going to do when there is no more clean water? The water situation seems a little better in Haiti than in other poverty contries I have visited. It seems as if people do not have to walk as far to get clean water. Water stations can be found at random spots around the city. Mostly women fetch the water, five gallons at a time. They carry the water buckets on thier heads and make thier way through the rutted streets with an ease that amazes me.

Image may contain: one or more people, people standing, tree, plant and outdoor


2012- my Chinese student visited me for 5 weeks.

As probably the poorest tourist in America here, I am having the most wonderful time here thanks to this nice dragon lady here as you may see.

 to 

I don't quite know how to handle this year knowing you are not at SSD at all... It will feel like a battle after the best general has retired.



As probably the poorest tourist in America here, I am having the most wonderful time here thanks to this nice dragon lady here as you may see.



 to 

I don't quite know how to handle this year knowing you are not at SSD at all... It will feel like a battle after the best general has retired.