"Monitor Madness"

I remember watching a very bizarre movie in the early 1970s called "THX 1138". Its thesis was similar to "Brave New World" where massive brainwashing was taking place on the populace. In "THX 1138", there were monitors everywhere constantly showing propaganda to brainwash and hence control the general populace.

This science fiction concept has become a reality these days. Practically every place I go, there is invariably an HD monitor with continuous looped videos spewing out information consisting mostly of advertisements. They are ubiquitous these days including every doctor's waiting room, the examination room, the drug store pharmacy and other various and sundry locations.

Although these are very annoying to me when I prefer to read my Kindle in peace and quiet, the MOST annoying is when I stop to fuel my vehicles at a gas station, there is a monitor built into every gas pump blaring out ads at an extreme volume! There is no escape! The only useful monitors playing videos are at my church where the videos are both informative and edifying.

I guess the next time I go to a target rich monitor environment, I'll have to remember to bring my heavy duty ear plugs even when fueling my vehicles!

+++Mike+++

Who are the “They”?

There is an old expression that is often repeated when one inquires as to the origin or explanation of something. Namely, “That’s what they say”. My question has always been, “Who are the “They”? For example, If you asked about why tornadoes always hit mobile home parks, the answer always is, “That’s what “they say”. Of course, this response is given for countless things that no one has a rational answer to.

Who and where are the “They”? Is there some hidden unmarked clandestine windowless building in the Nevada Desert (maybe within Area 51) or in Washington D.C. (perhaps in the CIA building basement that cloisters a panel of black clad masked  “They” who have the vast knowledge to answer every question that no mere mortals have the answers to?  It may be some super computer that has all the answers to any question that could possibly be asked. However, the “They” existed when I was a kid, long before computers were invented. Therefore, this thesis is irrelevant.

Maybe some disguised guest who used to be one of the “They” will appear on Coast to Coast AM and give us the answer. Meanwhile, I shall continue my thesis that this is indeed yet another esoteric clandestine government agency that we mere mortals will never be privy to. Could this indeed be true?

Well, “That’s what “they” say”. 😛

Mike

Needing a “Lube” Job

I normally create new Blog posts by just sitting behind the laptop keyboard and start typing, hence; most of my Blog posts are written extemporaneously.  However, I am writing this Blog post ahead of time on Word. The reason for that is that my arthritic joints are sore from overdoing some “Head Stone Hopping” earlier this afternoon and I am reposing in my plush office chair for now. My Orthopedic Physician said I need to exercise my joints often. Trodding to and fro in a cemetery seeking to find requested headstones to photograph certainly fills the bill. My joints are certainly sore now, but I refer to it as a “good sore”, knowing it helps to produce a little lubrication to my mostly cartilage free joints.

Since I need lubrication, I wonder if my Orthopedic Physician could implant Zerk fittings into my knees, hips, shoulders, fingers and neck? Then I could go out to the barn and get the grease gun when I need some lubrication.  Hmmm, on 2^nd thought I had best avoid implanted Zerk fittings on my neck lest I look like Frankenstein.

Ah, rather than unsightly Zerk fittings, maybe I could spray the skin over my joints with some WD 40. It sure works wonders around here on squeaky hinges, etc. Hmmm, on another 2^nd thought, those are the kind of things I contemplate if I forget to take my medications, therefore; I will not dwell on impractical things and just continue to repose in my office chair until supper preparation in a few minutes. I think I’ll fry some French Fries, they have a lot of grease, at least the way I fry them, and grease is certainly a lubricant. Hmmmmm…

Mike

Taming the "Beast"

At last, after a life-long battle with unruly hair, my hair is relatively straight with just a little curl. Instead of looking like Don King, my hair actually lays flatter! The solution of this annoying problem came about in a rather perfunctory way.

Two months ago I began taking some very “high test” fish oil that is imported from Norway. It is in liquid form since I have trouble swallowing those huge fish oil capsules. I take this to help ease my arthritic joints. It really helps, but unfortunately, there is no “silver bullet” to cure arthritis (or bipolar). All the medicines do is ease the symptoms somewhat.

About a month ago, I noticed my hair was not as unruly as it always has been. This is a very useful and fortunate benefit from the fish oil. I wish I had started taking this years ago. Although my joints still ache, they do not ache as much and I have a little more field of motion too. In the past, it was a major effort to put on socks every morning which involved a lot of painful stretching to get the sock opening past my toes as I sat on the end of the bed. Now I can get about an inch from my toes without too much stiffness and pain. One inch is enough. Any more clearance is just “icing on the cake”.

Well, fish oil won’t cure my progressive arthritis, or make me immortal, but I’ll sure settle for the side effect of more manageable hair!

+++Mike+++

Who Was that “Masked” Guy?

Good grief! Racoons have become much bolder these days! In the past, when I went to the barn to feed the barn cats, the resident raccoon would scurry away. Lately, as soon as I fill the cat food bowl, it has been sauntering right up to the bowl and starts to eat as soon as I get a few feet away. The same one came right up on the deck the other night even when the cat was out on the deck and when I confronted it, it just stared at me and eventually sauntered down the steps.

Sometimes when I go into the barn during the day, the raccoon and cats are eating out of the same bowl. Apparently, cats and raccoons have some kind of affinity. Maybe they do, but I have never had an affinity for raccoons. They are a nuisance.

Since the cats and the raccoons appear to be slightly overweight, they are certainly getting enough to eat thanks to me.

In an attempt to be optimistic in regard to raccoons, at least there have not been any skunks around lately.

+=Mike=+

“Variety is the “Vice” of Life!”

Since I mentioned shopping yesterday, I will continue this topic today. My goodness! Shopping has become so difficult and confusing these days. Back in the “Good Ole Days’, when I had a hankering for something, I only had one choice. These days there is a plethora of varieties on things that used to consist of only 1 choice.

Permit me to illustrate. I like Milky Way bars. In the past, they were just one basic bar. Not so these days! Now on the shelf are the following: Milky Way Original (what I always get); “Milky Way Simply Caramel” (whatever that is?); “Milky Way Caramel Apple”; “Milky Way Dark Chocolate”. These are just the variations I can recall.

Reese Cups also come in various flavors these days. I just prefer the basic ones that I have always eaten. I always buy chocolate or chocolate swirl ice cream. I rarely find swirl ice cream any more. These days the store freezers are rife with all kinds of weird flavors such as “Cookie Dough”, etc., none of which appeals to my Baby Boomer taste buds in the least which were weaned on Chocolate, and Vanilla, or for the true adventurists, Neapolitan ice cream. Humph! Try to find Neapolitan ice cream these days!

I could go on with dozens of examples. It always puzzles and aggravates me why manufacturers have to keep constantly “reinventing the wheel” these days, which results in spending a lot of time trying to find the basic stuff among the crowed shelves of some weird variation of the heretofore basic products. Of course, if I’m not careful, I usually end up getting some weird variation of the basic things I prefer.

I yearn for the days when things were so much simpler. I won’t even get into the subject of modern vehicles. I used to do most all my own repairs and maintenance in the old days. Now when I raise the hood on my vehicles, I can barely see the engine with all the stuff that is attached to it now days. It is just as well, I guess, since arthritis has pretty much limited my movements in most all joints. 

Alas, when I get overwhelmed with the complexity of life these days, I go and look under the hood of a friend’s 1957 Chevy or go out to the barn and look at the engine of one of the old 1950's International tractors and remember how simple things used to be!

+++MiKe+++

Not on the “Razor’s Edge” of Society

These days it has become very frustrating to me not to find basic things that were once always stocked in stores. “Brick & Mortar” stores complain that Amazon is taking away a lot of their business. I always attempt to get things at local stores and go to Amazon when I cannot find what I need locally.

For example, one of my old school “set in my ways” things is shaving with a single edge razor. I have used a Schick injector razor since I was 16. These are superior to the extremely overpriced ineffective multi blades these days. These days it is impossible to find Schick injector blades in any store. Hence, I get them at Amazon. I don’t understand why they are not stocked at stores anymore. Needless to say, it is categorically impossible to find a Schick Injector razor in any store these days. When I replaced mine, I had to find an old used one on Ebay. A cursory check of the hundreds of Amazon customer comments reflects my aggravation that you cannot find them at local stores anymore. There are countless “old school” shavers like myself according to my research. That being the case, I’m sure they could sell Schick injector blades and quality shaving soap and brushes for Baby Boomers and shaving purists like myself if they stocked them. It is indeed a mystery to me why they do not stock them anymore. Furthermore, has anyone tried to find an old fashion GLASS orange juice maker lately? If you can find one, they are all small undersized plastic; consequently, a click on my Amazon icon ensues.

These are merely two of dozens of examples as to why I purchase certain things on Amazon rather than locally. The bottom line is: “When they start to carry again some of the things I use, I will buy them locally.”

I’ve always had the thought that I would like to open a store and stock things not found in stores anymore.

 )(MiKe)(

“Floating Heads”

Over the last few years I’ve been using on Oral B tooth brush with a “floating head”. The bristles are mounted on a kind of a “shock absorber” that somewhat absorbs the pressure when I tend to use too much force when brushing.

This “floating head” concept brought back a flashback from an old memory. Baby Boomer Alert!!! Does anyone remember the old Norelco Electric Shaver with “Floating Heads” circa early 1960’s advertisement? It always played at Christmas time and showed Santa Clause riding on the “floating heads” like a sled on a snowy hillside.

I could not find any videos of the original ad, but did find one from the 1970’s. Unfortunately, it is not the same version as the original. The original was in black and white and had a song that went, “Floating heads, floating heads…”, that’s all I can recall. After an exhaustive Internet search, I have not been able to find the video or the lyrics to the original song.