I wonder what has happened to someone I once knew.

 

Thirty five plus years ago, I ran a computer bulletin board system which allowed users to dial in and exchange messages.  This bulletin board system was connected to others via dial-up phone connections, and predated the general use of the internet by the masses.  Several of us in the Northern Westchester area met in person and developed friendships.  Chris was one of those people.

Now, Chris was one of three siblings, the only boy of the three.  Vicki and I feel that Chris was a victim of emotional abuse for reasons I won't discuss here.  But I will say that Chris lived in a fantasy world of his own making, and that he would tell "fantastic" stories to make himself seem special in front of people. His reality was mundane.  He paid his bills by working as a security guard at a nearby firm and dumpster dived for the computer parts from which he build his first computers.  He was responsible for introducing Vicki to me.  But he was always under the illusion that Vicki would be his girlfriend, while Vicki was making sure that this would never happen.

Eventually, Chris's parents died and left the family homestead to the three siblings.  When I saw this building, it had solid bones, but it was in need of a lot of TLC.  There was a big hole in the kitchen floor that needed repair, and I never found out why it was there. The sister I met was a little bit crazy, and the other wanted nothing to do with Chris or her crazy sister.  In time, Chris would be the sole resident of the place, but he couldn't perform basic property maintenance.  For example, he didn't even know how to keep his driveway free of ice during the winter.

Chris got mixed up with the wrong person and got locked up for an attempted crime against someone's property.  (His acquaintance persuaded him it was going to be a practical joke, from what Chris once recounted.)  He was in jail for roughly a year and a half while the house went unattended.  During that period of time, several of Chris's friends tried to look after the place until Chris's sister put the kibosh on that.  That winter, the pipes froze and made the house a disaster area.  Neither sister knew or cared to turn off the water and winterize the house. Eventually, the house was sold as-is, and needed just as money to repair the place as it did to buy the place.  Hopefully, the new owners have made this place a good home.  But I'm digressing from the story. 

When Chris was released from jail, he ended up in a nearby suburb.  Vicki and I each said that it would be prudent of us not to be in contact with him, and I had one or two contacts with him at computer flea markets   Luckily, I lost contact with him.

Several years later, I met Vicki while shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Vicki noted that I was the only person she missed from Chris's circle, and we began a friendship that lasts to this day.  But what happened to Chris?  Neither of us wanted to renew contact, but we wanted to find out what happened to him.  After a little internet research, I found out that he moved to North Carolina - far away enough, that neither Vicki nor myself would ever have to worry about meeting him again.  

Yet I wonder.  Did he ever get the therapy needed to put his life back on track?  That's one of many questions I doubt will be answered....

Lunch with CCS and Game Night afterwards

 

It's nice to have friends.  And today I was able to see one for lunch.  CCS and I have known each other since the 2020 Census, and we try to meet with each other once per month.  Both of us had a bit to catch up on, and it felt like we could have chatted longer if we didn't have time constraints.

But first....

I had several things to do today:

1. Lunch with CCS
2. Laundry
3. Trying to find a Door Knocker
4. Game Night

Since CCS and I rarely meet before 1:30, I usually have time to take care of little things before meeting her for lunch.  I didn't start getting ready for lunch until noon, as I'd be able to get showered, made up, and dressed without rushing.  So, I decided to wear a flowery dress to lunch, as it would be comfortable both in the heat of the afternoon, and in the coolness of the evening.

Lunch lasted longer than usual.  We tend to meet at 1:30, and finish around 3.  Today, we finished closer to 3:30.  The conversation stayed on the typical subjects that usually come up - our trips, our activities, and upcoming events.  We will meet the week before both of us leave on our upcoming trips, and it will feel like we just met a few days before.

Once done with lunch, I decided to run over to Home Depot to find a Door Knocker.  The one I bought from Amazon was a little too large for my door, and it will be returned soon.  This trip was a waste of time, but I learned something - Home Depot is not the be all/end all big box hardware store it makes itself out to be.  There are interesting gaps in its store offerings.

When I got back home, I rushed to put a load of laundry into the washer and then the dryer.  I was done with my laundry by 6:45, and I was off to game night.  As I left the house, my brother called - all the obstacles to selling the house have been removed.  The lender's bank has approved arranging the closing, and I could now give the lawyer a schedule of my availability to set up a closing date.

Game night was fun, even though I didn't do well in the game we played.  While playing the game, I sent word to a few friends that the last known obstacle to selling the house has been removed.  Hopefully, we'll have a closing date set before my upcoming trip.    

On the way home, I decided to get something to eat.  So, I drove to the White Castle in Yonkers for some "Belly Bombers".  (I grew fond of them as a kid.)  As I drove there, I was reminded of how the area used to look when my late wife worked nearby.  There were several late night food trucks operating in the downtown Yonkers area - I don't think this would have been the case 30 years ago.  Hopefully, this means that this area of Yonkers is becoming safer and a more desirable place to work and live.

I was supposed to have lunch with a friend today, but...

 

Last night, I received a text from MSJ asking me if I could postpone our lunch until next week.  Considering how busy  this week would be for me, I was glad that we could postpone things.  But this left me with nothing that absolutely had to be done today.

- - - - - -

I finally got a decent night's sleep and woke up reasonably well rested.  Yet, I could not get up the energy to get dressed and go outside for most of the day.  MSJ and lunch were postponed until next week, and I decided to make this a Jammie day (again).  I still had to take care of things, so I started by washing my wig and letting it dry for future use.  (I'm glad I have a choice of wigs to wear.)  But what should I do? what do I need to do? And what will I do?  all came to mind.  Then, I decided to get showered and made up, and put on the dress below.

 

It is an exercise dress with built in shorts.  So I knew it would be a little inconvenient to wear.  (Think potential restroom visits.) Yet, it looked good on me, and was appropriate for a summer's day.  So I'd be prepared to go out when I finished taking care of things at home. 

Around 5:00, I decided to drive to the local mall, and found that there was almost no activity there. The Sears at one end of the mall closed several years ago, and the mall is barely hanging on.  Most of the storefronts are empty.  Some of the remaining storefronts are occupied by places such as a martian arts studio, an independent jewelry store, and other small independent businesses.  If the remaining anchor store (a Macy's) were to close, I'd expect this mall to be closed within a couple of months.  I didn't bother to walk the full mall length, as it was very depressing and my legs were bothering me after a short walk.

My next stop was at Trader Joe's where I picked up some fruit, some juice, and some salad I could eat for dinner.  Did I need to stop there?  No.  But I still needed to walk around a little, and it gave me a few more minutes on my feet.

 

Every Brilliant Thing

 

If either of us had our druthers, Vicki and I would have chosen a different date for us to go into NYC to see the play "Every Brilliant Thing".  The weather forecast was abysmal at best, with thunderstorms and abnormally heavy rain expected during the whole time we'd be in transit to the train station, to the restaurant, and to the theater.  But there was no way I was going to give up seeing this play, having already dropped over $100 for my ticket.

- - - - - -

This morning, I got moving slowly, but made sure to have some food in my gullet before Vicki arrived.  As much as I wanted to wear a dress, I wasn't sure if the weather would have permitted me to do so.  Instead, I wore one of my tunic length dresses with leggings underneath.  (I should have worn the dress, as it was too stick to wear the leggings without getting overheated.)  Vicki was wearing a trouser outfit, and also would have liked to have been wearing a dress.  (Both of us should have done so, but that's the luck of today's draw.)  As we got to Croton Harmon, the heavens opened up, and we both got waterlogged to one degree or another.

Once we had our tickets and were on the train, the rain came back with a vengeance.  By the time we reached Ossining, we could barely see the parking lot next to the train tracks - the Hudson river was lost in the deluge from above.  By the time we reached Tarrytown, one could only see a gray wall of rain - I'd have pulled over to the side of the road if I were driving a car.  Yet, by the time we reached Grand Central, the rain was only a manageable drizzle.

From Grand Central, we took the subway over to the restaurant - Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bau.  Arriving at 5 pm, we enjoyed a wonderful Dim Sum dinner.  Vicki loved the quality of the food, even though a couple of the dishes she wouldn't order again.  (I agreed with her, and will remember it for next time.)  By the time we left (6 pm), the place was starting to get crowded. So, we took the subway to Times Square, and walked over to the theater to see the play.

Vicki and I were seated in different areas of the theater due to a seat selection mistake.  Both of us loved the show.  Even though an unseen character attempts suicide several times, it is a play which affirms, if not celebrates life. Audience members are chosen to participate in the show, and one tends to feel more energized leaving the show than when one arrived.

The show broke around 8:45, and we were heading back to Croton around 9:15.  I dropped Vicki off at her car at 10:15, and I was in my bed by 11:00.  Not bad for a day with terrible weather during part of it.  

 

Monday, Monday, Can't trust that day...

 

Again, I woke up very early for me and took a couple of hours for me to get drowsy enough to fall back to sleep for another cycle.  But then, the effort I make to go to the toilet for relief is just enough to trigger an Adrenalin response to prevent me from getting more rest. So I've learned to make sure I had enough relief in order to trigger a relaxation response from my body when possible.

What does the above have to do with it being Monday (as I write this)?  Well, I had enough to take care of today that even the slightest trigger would be enough to keep me awake for hours.  Couple this with the change of atmospheric pressure that has my knees reminding me how old I am, and even going back to bed for a couple of hours wouldn't help much.

- - - - - -

Yesterday, my brother asked me to talk with the lawyer handling our house sale.  Luckily, I had called his office around 3 pm, and got an unsatisfying answer - it's the buyer's bank that is responsible for the delays in the sale of the house.  So when he called around 4 pm, I had already taken care of the one task that I had responsibility for today.  Now, when he calls, he won't look like he's a pain in the ass for calling twice in a single day.

A little later, I got showered, made up and dressed to go out to the diner.  (I was not in the mood to cook.) After finishing off half of my fish and chips, I then went to the supermarket to pick up food for the rest of the week.  I figured that I'd get this task done before my Zoom with our Texas friends this evening.  Was I in the mood for this?  No.  I'd have rather gone out for a drive tonight, as tomorrow will be a nasty day.

- - - - - - 

The  Zoom call went better than expected, as one of our Texas friends had more to contribute to the conversation than usual.  Yes, RQS and I did much of the talking.  But this time, it didn't feel like we were putting in all the effort to talk.  

 

 

We're about to enter another "Forever War" - and I'm Afraid!

 

We've been at war with Iran since February and we have nothing to show for it save 16 dead bodies so far. The Orange Monster (as usual) said that we must defeat this enemy without defining what an American victory looks like.  Like our mistaken involvement in Vietnam, the Monster is on track to sending in American soldiers to fight and die on foreign soil.  And, like Vietnam, America will have a hard time getting out of this war.

 

There is a totally incompetent man holding the office of US President.  He has no concept of any idea of how to end this war.  The Gulf nations who pay for America's troops to fight and die for their oil now demand that we keep fighting this war, as they know that Iran will become much too powerful if America pulls out of this war.  Like Vietnam, pulling out is politically impossible to the powers that be, because they are unable to admit defeat.

 

So, what is likely to happen?  Like Vietnam, America will continually escalate things, thinking that its obsolete war tactics and technology will be enough to defeat Iran.  And, like Vietnam, America will run the financial printing press to pay for this war, destroying the value of the US Dollar.  The UK had a similar problem after WW2, and found that it couldn't afford to be a colonial power any longer.  With America, the debasement of our currency will eventually end the era of our "Pax Americana" - we will no longer be able to maintain the "Peace" around the world that benefits everyone.  World commerce will suffer, and people around the world will suffer because the world order will not provide the stability and safety needed for people to prosper.

 

In eras of instability, our species has tended to make wars.  The US is at war with Iran.  Ukraine is at war with Russia.  Will China finally attack Taiwan?  I see this happening while America is distracted in Iran.  Assuming that this war starts in the next couple of years, what will happen to our computer chip supply?  We have a big problem with data center construction sucking up as many chips as TSMC (and others) can fabricate.  What will happen to our economy if we can't get the computing power we need to facilitate a modern economy?

 

Making war is similar to smoking cigarettes.  Before a nation starts a war, they can have millions of dollars worth of munitions that can be used, just like a smoker who has bought a few cartons to be smoked.  Once used, munitions are like cigarettes - totally worthless.  Both have done their damage, with little value to show for it.  Was may be necessary at times, but should be avoided save for the most extreme of reasons.  One may need to fight to resist bullies, as a nation may need to fight for its survival.  But it doesn't need to fight wars to feed its ego.  We don't need to prove that we're the biggest power in the global playground.  We need to prove we ready to fight when needed, but avoid fights we don't need to fight/

 

Right now, we're in a war we didn't need to fight.  The Orange Monster can not admit that he made a mistake, and that America has lost this war.  Until this happens, things will continue to get worse around the world.  Let's hope that things change soon.... 

A movie for a Sunday afternoon (a short post)

 

OK, most of us reasonably well educated people know of Homer's two classic works: The Illiad  and the Odyssey.  These are classic tales which lend themselves to retelling - either in the ancient Greek time frame, or in some other time frame.  One of my favorite retellings of the Odyssey is the movie "The Warriors".  Same story, just different settings.

- - - - - -

RQS and I awoke knowing that we'd be eating breakfast, showering, and speaking to my brother before leaving for the movie.  Why my brother?  He texted me with another complication for the sale of the family homestead - the title search is taking way too long, and he wants me to chat with the lawyer to see if some pressure can be applied on the title search company to speed things up.  (Their excuse is that we have a very common last name, and it's taking forever to do a proper title search.)

Around 2 pm, we drove to the movie theater, and arrived in time for a 3 pm show.  It was nice to be in a dress again, especially on a nice Summer's day.  For a big box office opening, there were hardly any people in the theater.  And we settled down for the next 3 hours to watch the movie.     

All too soon, the movie ended, and I had to drop RQS off at home.  Again, I hit some traffic and trekked back on some local roads before getting onto the highway.  It was nice to get back home and get into something more comfortable than the dress I wore this weekend.