Apria Healthcare---A company with a cold,cold heart.

Yesterday in the mail I received a bill from the Apria Healthcare Corporation, in the amount of $35.01, billing for a full month of rental of the oxygen unit that the LP had been using for the better part of two years. The billing period was for the month of November (the month just past) billing me for the rental period beginning Nov. 8 . My initial reaction was that like most companies the billing office had not been notified that the said rental equipment had been returned on Nov. 11Th, (The LP having passed on on 11/06, two days before the start of the billing period in question), and that the said bill would be prorated for the four days that the equipment was in my possession before being picked up by the Apria service.

So wanting to resolve the bill, I of course called them to confirm the above, confident that it was an oversight , and the bill would be adjusted accordingly and I could complete the closure of that account.

I called, the 800 number referenced on the billing, and the phone was promptly answered, I explained the reason for my call, and was efficiently transferred to the billing dept, and the individual that answered was polite and knowledgeable, she was quick to pull up the LP's account, confirmed that the bill in question was what it was. I politely explained, that the LP had passed on the 6Th, that I had contacted them on the 10Th and said equipment was picked up on the 11Th, and she confirmed that was indeed what the record showed, but then she quickly and efficiently told me that SHE did not have the authorization to prorate the billing for the four days of the billing period in which I had possession of the equipments, and then she kind of muttered, that she was fairly certain that most bills were never prorated, but she would transfer me to someone that had the authorization to do so------I was on hold for the better part of 25 minutes, waiting for that individual.

Finally I was talking to a real person and not a recording telling me ad nauseum that all representatives were busy but that calls were being answered on a first come first serve basis, with bouts of inane Muzak between these announcements. I went through the same drill as the first and was once again told their records agreed with my own , but to bad the equipment was received four days AFTER, the start of the billing period, and NO they would not prorate the bill accordingly.

Here we have a situation, where a loved one has passed on, those that remain behind now must deal with not only their immediate loss, and grief, but deal with funeral arrangements. Had I made getting his equipment back to Apria the top priority, and put off dealing with the disposition of his mortal remains, I could have avoided this problem. I didn't know the Apria Corporation could care less about my grief and from their perspective getting the money was of paramount importance. Their policy of billing for an entire monthly period, and not prorating a bill due to a death makes --------Apria Healthcare Corporation, a company with a cold cold heart.

Well it will be a cold cold day before I allow another penny to go that Company. I would caution all my readers to avoid Apria like the plague, and hope that those who read this will caution all their friends and relatives of this companies greedy policy.

Turkey Day Eve

Met with mylawyer and got alot of my unknowns resolved, and I must say I am feeling alot more optomistic about what the future portends. Looking forward to spending time with my family, and eating waaay to much, but then who can say no to good cooking right? (lol) The weather even appears (at least as I write this) to be cooperating and the rains are ending , so the drive out to Redlands (about 80 miles) should be less stressful, hopefully all those leaving town for the weekend will leave today or tonight.

Tonight I will eat "light" as I wanna show up "hungry" for the good stuff (I'm thinking Onion soup, with grilled cheese sandwhich, okay maybe two sandwhiches.

Tonights evening entertainment will be the next six episodes of the continuing saga of "Its always Sunny in Philadelphia". (compliments of Netflix)

Guess thats it for now sportsfans---you all have a great Thanksgiving, and I will hope to have some pics to share with ya on Friday.

FIRST THE FIRES---NOW THE MUDSLIDES

Every year we go through this cycle here in Los Angles. We get hit by forrest fires and we all stay glued to our TV's to watch the conflagation and worry about our family and friends who live in areas near the fire. Last year I worried about my Nephew Eric, with the fire in the Poway area, also at the same time Judi and my Nephew Peter were under evacuation orders with the fire near Fallbrook (the town of fallbrook was almost evacuated), Tish was inundated with heavy atmospheric smoke and ash from the fires near her place. So far this year have not had quite that much worry, although for a time I worried about my oldest Nephew Edward as he lives in Corona, and they had a large fire near them.

Now the fires our out, but we now get the rain, if its heavy, we will get mudslides off the burned hillsides, and much feverish sandbagging is going on in those affected areas. and once again we will be given live coverage of those disasters. It is truly not my favorite time of year here in my area. Hopefully the rain will come slow and light, and the dry ground will absorb it, without turning into walls of mud running down the hillsides . Time will tell------.

STILL GOT STUFF TO DO

Okay, not having a life, and all this time hanging on my hands,  I will play the game, and identify my experiences from the list of 99 (Thanks Missy)

(Things I have done are in Blue)

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis - on a stick!

10.Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - by the sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked -

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching - those amazing orcas!

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Caught a fish

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating  (caught em, cleaned em and fried em--Rainbow Trout)

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

ITS A RED LETTER DAY---EEEEEEEHAWWW

Today sports fans the old dude successfully performed a great performance of "Fluff N Fold", if it had been formally judged, I like to think I would have scored a 8.5 (out of a perfect 10 possible), ---it wasn't my fault the first washer coin intake jammed on me necessitating taking the clothes out of the washer and going to another machine, and if anything I should have been scored higher in that it was a more difficult maneuver than a basic straight in and out machine load, but I digress. (it should be noted the owner of the machine refunded the coins I had started to put in before the jam)

In any case I finished the necessary fluffing and folding and returned to the palace, put the laundry away, and grabbing a fresh cup of coffee from the dependable coffee dispenser I operate in the kitchen, have sat down to my computer to peruse my friends blogs, do some commenting and then to review how my own modest inputs were received, and "YOWZER"!!! FIRST THING I NOTICED, was that I had a new follower to my blog-------(and YES Virgina there IS a Santa Clause)----which kinda just makes my day. MY humblest thank you to the new person following my blog. Makes this a Red Letter day in MY book.

One small step for the bloggersphere, one giant leap for the Old dude----(life is good).

ITS FIRE SEASON AGAIN

As you no doubt are hearing in the news , California is burning again. Every year we have fire season, and you have to wonder why people continue to build in the canyons and hard to get to places. For those of you wondering, I am not located close to any of the fires currently raging, the closest is the Sylmar fire and its 30 miles from me, in North Los Angeles---although I am getting the smoke and some ash fall from it.

I feel very sympathetic to those families that have lost their houses, especially at this time of the year. Not that there is ever a good time of the year to have your house burned down.

I must also salute the hard working firemen, out on the lines , fighting the fires, and saving so many homes that could well have gone up in smoke had it not been for the heroic efforts of the firemen, the water dropping planes and helicopters. Unfortunately we are also getting high Santa Ana winds, (a hot dry wind ) blowing through the canyons and its almost impossible to stop the fire under those conditions, usually the winds die down at night.

Tuesday--Election Day 2008

Well its been like forever that we have been bombarded with all the rhetoric of political commentary, but today brings it all to an end, at least for a little while.  It appears that the turnout will be a record in the number of voters actually voting, but unfortunately with the record turnout willcome a landslide of legal lawsuits protesting this or that precincts votes, how votes were counted, etc, etc, etc.  Further, the election will be so close in so many states, that it will not surprize me if it will be days before we learn who wins, and it could easily be tossed into the supreme court for a final decision----time will tell.

In anycase the winner, be it liberal leftist Obama, or "Hurray for the USA" McCain---neither will have anything close to a mandate for his programs.  The congress dominated by the liberal democrats for the last two years has done zilch,unless passing the biggest deficit budget  in history counts as an accomplishment  They are already in discussion and planning for more federal handouts to the poor , the ignorant and the lazy, all eagerlyh awaiting "Obama's crowning, and learn how much he will be spreading around.  The liberal leftist congress has stonewalled any possibility of making the bush tax cuts permenent--so automatically taxes will go up in 2009, taking more from those americans producing and "distributing it around" to those that aren't.

I am trying to imagine how things might go, if when the all the votes are counted, the legal beagles have had their say, and its determined McCain is the winner------I wonder if the major networks that have been so openly biased in Obama's favor will  change their ways and get back in synch with the people?  Most likely however this is not going to happen, but-----whoever gets elected will know they are being watched and judged.

I STILL DON'T WANNA----BUT---(SOB)

Normally, if normal can ever be applied to me, I would have gone out and done My weekly shopping yesterday . (saturday), but in a fit of rebellion I allowed myself to procrastinate and put it off----well NOW I no longer have that luxury---am down to to cans of beer, so gonna HAVE to go out and get provisions, so might as well go to the damn supermarket as well.

I remember as a kid, grocery stores use to be kinda neat. everyone smiled and seemed to know each others names, I can even remember buying cambells cream of tomato soup, five cans for a $1.00, and (laugh) I well remember, when the family moved to California (home of happy cows), and I got sent to the store to get a quart of milk, came back home told my mom the store was out of milk, got sent back to the store , and subsequently learned that milk was sold in those funny waxed boxes, rather than the clear round glass bottles I had always seen it sold in!! (live and learn right?).  I read someplace , that in Europe,  milk and cream is sold in pyramind shaped containers that keeps them fresh longer?? does anyone know anything about that?

Then after the big war, WW II, the grocery stores expanded into what we now call the supermarkets, where nobody knows your name, everyone is in a hurry, nobody smiles while shopping anymore---except the masochist's.  The supermarkets are vast football field sized offerings of everything in the way of food and household items known to mankind.  The stores offer not only a cornicopia of food stuffs, they also have toys, Bar-B-Q gear, lawn furniture, T-shirts, socks, Throw rugs, dishes, silverware, knives, razors and blades (I remember when one had to go to the Drugstore for those).

In the old days one went to the store and bought tomatoes and fruit when they were in season .  Now we import food all year round  from just about every country in the world.  You want tomatoes today---you have to decide between about 8 different varieties.  Coffee, oh my look at all the different brands and flavors to choose from, then one has to decide if one wants whole bean or ground.  At my local Ralph's, if one would like to buy some soup---Ralphs has about 30 feet of soups to choose from---(but they never seem to have campbells Cream of Asperagas in stock??).  The point being shopping is no longer any fun, its a real pain in the rear end.----well do have to admit its kinda fun to crawl through the produce dept, and check out all the wild foreign  lettuces, and beans and mushroooms and stuff ----not that I would eat any of it mind ya.

Anyway, today I will go to the supermarket, get my weeks worth of food (and oh yeah razor blades), I want to pick up some flour tortillias, am gonna make a stab at making them Egg burritos Judi mentioned earlier in one of her comments on my page----maybe with luck she'll post the whole recipe??  (hint hint). 

"SOMETIMES YA FEEL LIKE A NUT"

Hi guys---its me , "old dude", woke up this morning and decided I had to break out of my rut. It was time I kinda rearranged the furniture of my life---get new perspectives on things. Then it occurred to be I need be somewhat careful, and not burn any bridges behind me---that thinking kinda made me nervous----so I slipped back into my regular morning drill---went to the weekday meeting of the SOCADS group.---downed acouple de-caffe's, exchanged views on a number of world topics, the sharp turn to the left by the USA, and how high will taxes go up?, Will and Obama presidency result in a cutback in the social security benifits we are getting now? and other such issues.

I remembered we were out of dish soap and picked up a new bottle of same, along with a 12 pack of O'Douls. and allowing for the standard $8 it will cost to do the fluff and fold thursday (tomorrow), that will leave me something in excess of $10 bucks of my allowance left over as the week ends. (thats PHEENOMENAL!!)

The LP awoke around 10am, and I got him settled in the Den with his morning cup of coffee----followed about an hour later with his Carnation Instant Breakfast (today it was strawberry flavored, which he likes and so he is in a decent mood). and I have dutifully read all my family and friends blogs and commented on their new posts as needed. I have checked my own blog page and made note of the comments I had received since yesterday---didn't take me long to read both of them.

Now I'm bored again and once again I remind myself that today I was gonna break out of my rut, do things different-----this time, with my stomach only partially nauseous, I changed my blog template----which of course YOU are aware, the question is? what do ya think? Is it me? is it to die for?---or is it kinda dumb, and maybe I should just go back to the old one, the tried and true original blog Template? Let me know guys and girls

"I will cut taxes for 95% of Americans"----yeah sure ya will

Senator Obama has over and over emphasized how his programs will cut the taxes of 95% of Americans , which is not exactly the truth. In that 40% of Americans are retired seniors, or are young adults that only work part time and do not pay taxes ---but the biased media don't seem willing to correct that lie to the American People.

Here's another issue the media has failed to ask Mr. Obama to explain, and one I am sure he hopes nobody will ask him. Beginning in 2009, the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 begin to expire. What follows is information taken from an Article from The Heritage Foundation, which addresses this issue in clear concise detail. MR. Obama and the leftists are not about to keep those tax cuts permenent, and will let them expire----but it won't count as a tax increase in their book.

The Bush 2001 & 2003 Tax Cuts about to expire:

If the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 are allowed to expire, millions of working families will see their economic prospects dim, their job opportunities diminish, and economic uncertainty rise.

The central provisions of these landmark tax bills are scheduled to expire over the next five years, which means that taxes will rise dramatically for most taxpayers. Between now and January 1, 2011 . Tax rates will rise substantially in each tax bracket, some by 450 basis points;
Low-income taxpayers will see the 10-percent tax bracket disappear, and they will have to pay taxes at the 15-percent rate;
Married taxpayers will see the marriage penalty return;
Taxpayers with children will lose 50 percent of their child tax credits;
Taxes on dividends will increase beginning on January 1, 2009;
Taxes on capital gains will increase, also beginning on January 1, 2009; and
Federal death taxes will come back to life in 2011, after fading down to nothing in 2010.

What make this tax nightmare scenario particularly scary are the economic benefits that will never be realized if the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts disappear. Businesses are watching now to see if Congress will make permanent the first to expire of the major economic growth components of the 2001 and 2003 tax acts—lower taxes on dividends and capital gains. Failing to make permanent the low tax rates on investment would signal to businesses of all sizes that the other major elements of the Bush tax plan will also be allowed to expire. They would adjust their investment and hiring accordingly.

Economists in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation used a mainstream model of the U.S. economy to project the economic effects of making the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 permanent. Their report estimates significant economic gains throughout the period from 2006 through 2014, particularly after 2008. For example, making certain that taxes on investment remain low will add about 285,000 jobs per year in fiscal years 2008 and 2009. In those two years alone, lower taxes on capital gains and dividends mean an additional $70 billion in economic output and an additional $110 billion in disposable income for households.

If Congress makes the tax cuts permanent, the major economic benefits begin in 2011. For example,
Total employment will rise by 1,087,000 jobs per year, on average;
Annual GDP will be over $111 billion higher, after inflation;
Personal savings will grow by $163 billion per year, on average, after inflation; and
After-tax household income will grow by an annual average of $274 billion per year, after inflation.
However, these benefits become economic losses if Congress fails to make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent. What is the cost of failing to act? Over one million lost jobs each year between 2011 and 2014; over a hundred billion dollars less in economic output per year; slower wage and salary growth; slower savings growth; and so on. The need for Congress to make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent is clear.

NEWS FLASH---Dinner tonight will be Saurkraut w/ Frankfurters and Dumplings

I have just returned from the Den, where the LP has given me to nights menu and cooking instructions. Tonight we are having the ever popular Sauerkraut, w/hot dogs and dumplings dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Qt Jar Jar Sauerkraut
12-14 Slices Slices Bacon
1 Lg. Sweet Onion
6 Cups Chicken Broth
10ea Frankfurters (all beef)

PREPARATION

Open the jar of sauerkraut, and drain the liquid, and set aside. In a skillet, cook the slices of bacon til crisp, spoon out and lay cooked bacon strips on paper towels to drain and cool. While bacon strips are cooling, chopped the large sweet onion into a nice diced condition and place into skillet used to cook the bacon, and return skillet to the burner and cook onions til caramelized. While onions are cooking, take a large ( 5qt pan with lid) and crumble the crisp bacon strips into the bottom of the pan. Add the frankfurters (uncut) on top of the bacon crumbles, add the drained sauerkraut, and the caramelized diced onions. Add The chicken broth , put lid on pan, and put pan on burner, and simmer on low for 3 hours minimum. Check pan from time to time and add more chicken broth to keep the ingredients covered while cooking.

When it comes time to serve dinner to the troops, prepare the standard recipe for dumplings as described in the ever popular Betty Crocker Cookbook, and spoon into the simmering pot above and cook (covered---no peeking mind ya) for an additional 15 minutes.-------voila Dinner is ready to be dished up and served.

IT Ain't Honey-----Honey

Reading various blogs its amazing what one can learn. Today (10/12/08) I clicked on a blog titled "Marginal Revolution". This blog always has an eclectic subject matter going for it, and today's posting , "Fruitless Fall" was particularly thought provoking.
I have noticed myself that this year there has been a much lower level of bee activity in my area of southern California. Tyler Cowen, the author of the above posting, makes reference to a book that talks about the effects of our modern Industrialized farming methods, and the impact it is having on the bee population. Something evidently that has been going on for some length of time.
In the posting referenced above, I learned that not all Honey sold on the store shelves is real honey, some of it is only about 40% honey, the rest a mixture of other fillers, like corn syrup, rice syrup, and such.
So don't be totally surprised if your hubby or boy friend some morning eating his breakfast suddenly says, "This ain't Honey---Honey?"

Nothing is to be taken for granted

The sun comes up in the East no matter what we do, and its a good probability that it will continue to do so for a goodly amount of years to come. THAT you can pretty much take for granted, everything else----is a crap shoot.
After the raping and pillaging of earlier in the week, I thought I could put all that negativity to bed, and start my new week on a positive note. I should have known better than start it with a visit to the Supermarket.---on a Saturday-----in the early afternoon no less. (I am beginning to think that at my tender age of 71, I am developing an appreciation for masochism.)
It wasn't much of a shopping list, some Carnation Instant Breakfast (variety pack), a baked pie (Peach or Apricot), Bleach (used the last at this weeks fluff and fold event), and Pork Chops (Pork Loin-center cut)---and that was it.
Needless to say, having described the day and the time of day I arrived at the Supermarket, it became a living hell. Several runs through the store parking lot, before I found a parking slot. That alone kinda negatively affected my up til then happy mood. Inside it was crowded, loud, and over-run with unleashed children. I should have turned around and left right then, but my stubbornness kicked in----me versus "THEM"---gritting my teeth I pushed my shopping cart aggressively into the innards of the store.------about the only thing I can say as I staggered away from the checkout station later, ----they didn't see me cry.
No Carnation Instant Breakfast-----No Peach or Apricot Pie, had to buy the LARGE bottle of Bleach (they were temporarily out of the convenient middle size), and in the meat dept, their was only one pathetic package of center cut pork loin chops, which I didn't even bother to pick off the shelf----and by that time I was not in the Mood to ring the bell for service.
To complete my day, upon making it back home with the bleach---found the Property Tax bill in the Mail box.---the good news is---its smaller than the Plumbing bill of yesterday. Anyway-----maybe tomorrow will be a better day---but I ain't taking that for granted.

Its Saturday----anybody here??

Once again its saturday and a person could swing a cat around here and hot hit a soul. All those fun bloggers that are busy all week posting and commenting, on weekends, go home and deal with their real lives. Makes one wonder just how efficient many of our workplaces really are---but I digress.
Its been an interesting week. The democratic controlled congress managed to "spend" another 700 billion dollars, to buy up "garbage" loans, under the presumption that at some later date the houses will be worth more and they can unload them back on the open market and make a profit-----yeahhhhh rightttttt!!! Further this new legislation allows the government to determine what interest rate is to be charged on a loan, and if necessary can also adjust the principle amount thats owed----wonder if one has to be a leftist democrat to stand a chance of having ones loan favorably adjusted? In any case this bailout of wallstreet, added $15,000 debt to every man women and child in America. Not to worry, the Government will sell another 700 billion dollars worth of bonds to Foreign countries, and keep on spending----someday the foreign countries might just sit down and talk to each other and find out they "own" more of us that we do. ---heres a thought?---what if they decide we are a poor risk, and stop buying our bonds----oh no, ya mean we would have to stop giving away money??

Damn yankees----

Call it whatever ya want, a senior moment perhaps, or just a bright positive memory that one is reluctant to give up. Today while performing the weekly Fluff N Fold routines, I caught the tail end of a piece of music, which in turn allowed me to pull up the fun song and dance numbers that entertained us in the Movie version of the Broadway play, "Damn Yankees". Starring Ray Walston, Gwen Verdon and Tab Hunter. Those if you not familiar with the Plot of Damn Yankees, should know that its about an older man who is a rabid baseball fan and on a hot summer night listening to his favorite team, who hasn't had a good season in some number of years, vocalizes his wish, "I'd sell my Soul to have the team win the Pennant", and then of course enter Ray Walston as the Devil and his assistant, played by Gwen Verdon, who in this plot plays the role of "Lola". and those who have seen the movie have to remember the classic song and dance number Gwen Verdon does, "What Ever Lola Wants, Lola Gets"-----and THATS the song in my head all day, interspersed with other Musical interludes in "Damn Yankees", like "Shoeless Joe From Hanibal Mo"-----"You Gotta Have Heart", "Good Bye Old Girl", and of course "Two Lost Souls" (a duet sung and danced with Tab Hunter). Anyway the Music from Damn Yankees has got me through the day----

What A Difference A DAY Makes.

Yesterday the doomsayers (aka the doom and gloom leftist liberal media) were all screaming how the world was ending, that we were in a financial melt down, the start of a Depression yadda, yadda yadda. All because the silent majority got on the phone, on their fax machines etc, etc,and told Washington NO on the Bailout. The Wallstreeters panicked and the market dropped 778 points, something around 7 percent. The doom and gloomers were all saying that today (Tuesday it would drop another 1000 points.
Well the sun came up in the East (as it always does), and gosh smart money looking at the basics of the American economy decided no, the sky wasn't falling, the free Market was just doing its thing---and voila, today the market went up big time. Further, consumer confidence index for Sept went up from the month before, The dollar grew stronger against the Euro. It also was noticed that the failure of Washington Mutual bank, resulted in JP Morgan buying it up, and the bank didn't even close, but just kept doing business, nobody lost any money---and that was the biggest bank failure in the history of the United States----also financial guru's are starting to say there is plenty of available money around (note JP Morgan having just bought up Washington mutual had no problem raising 10 billion dollars -----the FDIC has about 250 billion dollars to back up bank failures, and as such can handle 4-5 big bank failures a week for a long time (all accounts are insured up to $100,000)----so maybe just maybe we don't need to panic and run up a trillion dollars of debt payable by the taxpayers-----??-----MAYBE, we should just let the market finish correcting and let congress pass whatever legislation that needs to bed past to prevent the greedy distortions from happening again. No golden parachutes for those banks that fail, maybe some legislation to assist home owners keep their homes due to layoffs or major illness (no bailout for those that just flat speculated on ever increasing housing prices and got caught being greedy) Let applaud the silent majority that kept our congress from totally panicking to the leftist media's attempt at creating a crisis that really isn't as bad as they would have us believe. No BAILOUT of those greedy firms, not with taxpayers money anyway.

Will Success Spoil GOG?

I know its poor form to go around bragging about one's self, but gosh darn I have spent five month's working on my blog here and well dag nab it, I'm a proud old blogger. Today, I was awarded page rank of 3 by Google. I know that's not all that high, but it just goes to show ya that my Lil blog is growing, that my "build it they will come" attitude is paying off. It may not seem like a big deal to some , but for me ---well its a RED LETTER day for GOOD OLD GARY (gog)---and I want everyone of my readers to stand up and take a bow , cause I couldn't have got this award with out your help, your patience and loyalty. THANK YOU , THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Mixed Berry Pie and GOG

It was a fairly decent day til about two hours ago. Just before 2pm (PST) the LP casually inquired if I had any intentions of going to the grocery store today. I replied that yes I did have that on my list of things to do to day---(actually it was the only thing I had on my list of things to do to day---like I said it was a nice day). I equally casually inquired as to why he had asked me that, was there something he would like me to pick up from Ralph's??
Obviously there was or he would not have asked if I was going to the store---we went through the social niceties ---well if it wasn't a bother, no its no bother, yadda, yadda yadda, and I learned that he had this sudden desire for a piece of pie. No nothing fancy like one might get at Marie Callendars, just a good old fashion off the shelf standard pie from Ralph's. "Sure , no problem, and what kind would you like?" says I---The LP pauses, blinks a few times as he ponders his specific flavor hunger and in a low voice, "An apricot Pie would be great----(then seeing my skeptical look on being able to find that particular flavor, he went on)---my second choice would be a Berry Pie, no, no, wait, make that Key Lime Pie---but if they don't have that then make it Cherry" By this time I am now taking notes, and getting a headache, but I manage to collect all the info regarding just what kind of pie he would like, as well as his second, third and forth choices..
So I collected my own grocery list, and headed out to the big supermarket , with reasonable expectations of success. The sun was shining, and the world seemed to be in balance, ---you would think at my age I would immediately know something was about to go wrong it always does when things get to being that good.
It started as I pulled in the big parking lot at Ralph's---I swear I had stepped into the twilight zone----for immediately I was swept up in the tide of cars going round and round looking for a parking slot, stop and go, stop and go, stop and go-----three and a half complete circuits of the parking lot, before the gods decided to allow me to park, and that of course was about as far from the store entrance as one could get and still be in the parking lot. (but I was grateful to get out of the stop and go, stop and go level of hell).
I entered the big Ralph's emporium, the cool air conditioning washing over me as I bravely pushed my empty cart, and for a brief couple minutes I began to have hopes that the worst of it was over, and the rest of my trip would go smoothly (yeah right!! its truly amazing that I retain any sense of optimism at all).
The circus in the parking lot should have prepared me for the zoo inside the store. It was readily apparent to me as I looked at the structured chaotic mob surrounding the checkout stations that if I had any smarts at all I should flee the store and go home and accept the LP's snickers of disgust at my inability to purchase a simple everyday item that he had requested. My family inherited stubborn streak precluded my making such a rationale decision, I had come to shop and should it mean I would be run down by unattended kids playing tag with market baskets, or delayed in mid blocked isles by seniors trying to read their scribbled grocery lists---I would complete my own list, no matter how long it took.
Unfortunately my list of items required I go all over the damn store from one side to the other , from the front to the back-----dodging the kids, keeping my hands to myself, and not throttling the screamers, keeping one eye on the shelves for my items, the other on the lookout for mad dog cart drivers---there was a four cart pile up on Isle #6 involving two older blue haired women, their husbands, a young women with two screaming 6-7 yo's, and senior citizen driving one of the electric carts-----I didn't stick around to find out who or what had happened, it seemed they were about to start throwing can goods at each other---I wanted no part of that----I rounded up my half dozen items from my list, and pushed my way into the bakery area to get the LP's pie. I quickly determined they had no Apricot pies, (his #1 choice) but they did have Peach pies, hmmmm, but wait he had made no mention of Peach pies, so best not to get that, I had to screen about 1-12 cherry pies, before I scored one that read "mixed berry", I grabbed it and headed for the check out stations----it was like entering the seventh level of Dante's inferno. The screams of tired and cranky children, the snarls of adults who had been in line waaay to long. In my own line, it was like life had suddenly gone into real slow motion, every one ahead of me had issues with the checkout person, regarding whether it was a two get on free, or a coupon for a different size, but what the hell ---last minute changes of mine, my ice cream is melting can you send the box boy back to get a frozen one, etc, etc, etc.---I don't remember clearly paying for my groceries, nor do I recollect driving home the few blocks to the house---what I do remember is, unpacking the groceries, hearing the LP telling me he was ready for his pie and wanted ice cream on it----, in a calm smiling face I gave him a nice slice of pie, with Ice cream, he smiled up at me, and vocalized his thanks, and once again GOG returned to his normal good natured self (GOG is shorthand for "Good old Gary althought sometimes it stands for "Grumpy old Gary")-----well it HAD been a nice day at the start anyway.

Obama Just Doesn't Get It.

I watched the first presidential debate last night and its obvious to me that the Leftist Liberals have nominated a totally green man for a candidate. Yes I am talking about Barrack Obama, the guy looks like a young college professor, and certainly talks like one, and he demonstrated over and over in the debate his total lack of understanding of how nations relate to each other. In his naivitivety, he thinks its like a good old boys club, where leaders just sit around and call each other by their first names and talk out their problems..
In the debate, he actually said he would talk with terrorists, without any preconditions. In short he would give these criminals legitamacy and recognition, more or less telling the world that they must have some worth, and should be treated as equals.
He even had the gall to blurt out we should chase after the terrorists and follow them into Pakistan, in short invade Pakistan---(McCain was so stunned by this ignorant uttering from Barrack, he admonished him in front of the cameras telling him one just doesn't say those things in public.)----no, Obama just doesn't get it------and he seemed like a History Professor harping on things in the past, rather than dealing with things as they are today.

Bailout Everyone Except The Stupid Taxpayers

My day started with my arriving at my Local Gelsons Food emporium for a meeting of the SOCADS, (For those that don't already know that's the Sherman Oaks Coffee and Debating Society--SOCADS)---here over coffee and donuts, pastries, cookies and whatever we kick around the worlds problems, politics , and societies ills in general. Today's discussions were centered on the pros and cons of the the big government bailout----and concluded with the democrats in control of the congress it will turn into the biggest taxpayer funded welfare program in the history of Mankind. and it would in time Like LBJ'S "War on Poverty" totally screw up the nations economy and all at the expense of us the tax payers. The Liberal democrats won't stop til everyone is bailed out , except the stupid tax payers. So best if ya just stop working now, and belly up to the welfare office. (Hell I don't even know where the welfare handout office is??) It was generally agreed that it would really be best for the country if we didn't bail out the greedy bankers and mortgage lenders and just tough it out----after all damn few of the average taxpayers have over 100,000 in the bank, and we are government insured up to that amount. $700,000,000,000 will pay for a lot of bad banks and the accounts in them----should they fail.
Tonight we have the first of the Presidential Debates. I noticed Obama went out to Missouri early, man that boy just loves to talk in front of cameras don't he. His medical plan, which sounds really terrific, will only saddle the taxpayers with $1.3 TRILLION more debt. but will ensure another 35 million people who can't afford insurance,--- and he says how he is gonna cut taxes for 95 percent of the people---so where is all this money gonna come from ??----yeahh that's what I thought---but boy he sure does talk pretty don't he?