DOES AGE MAKE YOU SLOWER??

Does growig older make one slower? It has me.

I walk slower; but much of that is due to the lasting effects of the stroke back in 1995. Thing is, those things were gone right after the stroke; but are now coming back. I don't understand that.

I react slower. I like to think that it is due to more thought to the question at hand; but it may just be due to a slower brain being able to comprehend.

I don't think I talk slower; but I sometimes talk more. I miss Felix during the day and want to talk to him more in the evening.

For all you young men out there, realize that your sex life will slow down as you age. Not only will it take you longer to achieve ejaculation; but you will have less volume. Even the feeling will not last as long.

Your spending habits will slow down greatly. Your desires for new things will not. Your ability to pay for them will, so you will stop buying as much new toys.

The title of this blog is "Into the Night". Well, you aready knew that; but do you know why I called it that. Because as I grow older I feel that I am just fading away into the night. I do not leave the house unlelss Felix is with me. Reason: I need him for physical as well as emotional support. Without Felix by my side, I am not sure of what my response time will be. Also, my hearing is less that acute; somtimes he has to restate the question so I can hear wht the waitress or salesperson said. That, sometimes, makes me feel stupid; but it is a fact of life, so I have no choice but to accept my situation. The doctors have said a hearing aid will not help; it is nerve damage that can't be corrected.

I guess that is due to a life of listening to rock and roll music when I was young at a very high volume. I liked my music loud, I still do. The more the walls move, the more I like it. I resent the younger generation that drives down the street with their damned radios turned up so loud; but I was just as bad when I was their age. Make that "CDs", rather than radios.

ELVIS is still the KING of rock and roll in my book. That wiggling ass of his made my hormones flow.

The only thing that hasn't slowed down as I age is TIME. Time keeps moving on. Time waits for no man, hmmm, someone said that already. The problem is that I run out of time to do the things I want. Last night was another one of those nights when I got to bed after 2 AM. That has been going on all week. I grew up watching Julia Child on TV. She was a hoot. I loved it when she slapped that chicken. I said "slapped" not choked. Last night the food channel had a tribute to her and references to food on TV from that area. They even showed a pre teenage Ricky Nelson. Hmmm, does anyone remember him? Does anyone even remember Ozzie and Harrriet? How about Sooupy Sales? Most people alive today have no idea who Soupy Sales was. I admit, I do not remember him on live TV; but I have become acquainted with him through clips of his old shows. He was an icon to the children of the 50s.

Time goes by so fast today. I wake up, pay a few bills, take a few telephone calls, fix supper for Felix, watch a litle TV and it is time for bed. Well, I guess all of us fall into that category; but most people work for a living. Notice, I did not include that in the things that use up my time. Still, times runs out on me.

Maybe it is because I do not use my time wisely. Maybe I daydream too much? Felix encourages me to do whatever I want to do during the day. But the day just doesn't seem to have enough time for me to do those things, anymore.

DAMN, where did the time go. I am old and ready to fade into the night.

Hopefully, I will be around a few more years to pester the hell out of people.

UPDATES ?? B E W A R E

Last night we installed new Windows Updates from Mickey Soft and a new update from Symantic for Norton. WOW, was that ever a mistake. We lost access to the outside world. I am not sure which update screwed us; but we could not access anything over the Internet.

This morning I ran Checkdisk, just to be sure that all the disk surfaces were still in good shape. The thing ran OK and when Windows opened, it advised me that a new network was installed on the computer. OH, what new network? Somehow, the Symantic, Norton, update installed a new network. Why did that not notify us last night? We rebooted the machine multiple times; but had no notice of a new network. It took Checkdisk to do something; but I do not know what.

Anyway, be very careful on installing new updates from either source. Reboot your machine after each new installation. Do not install two updates at the same time. REBOOT YOUR MACHINE AFTER EACH NEW UPDATE. That way you will be able to make any corrections or adjustments you may need. I have still not run all programs that access the Internet, so I am not completely satisfied that things are back to normal. But, I am happy that we are on the way to getting things corrected.

Computers are fun, only when everything works as it should; when it doesn't, it can be hell.

MISSING IN ACTION, OR IS THAT MISSING ACTION

I think it is really missing action. I am home all week while Felix gets to go to work. Work, yeah I know it is not all fun and games; but at least he does get out of the house and see and talk to people, have some interaction with others. On the other hand, all I do is sit home and watch TV, piddle on the computer, or listen to what is on the radio shortwave bands. One of these days I am going to get so fed up that I actually piddle on the computer. Thre are days that I am really tempted to give it a good pissing.

I know that since we took our vacation my posting to this blog has really suffered. I went from posting every night to posting two or three times a week. I don't know how many people really read my blatherings so I am probably not disappointing that many fellow travellers on this rock. I try to keep up; but time just escapes me. Before I know it the time is 3 AM and Felix will be getting up in two hours. I try to get in bed before he gets up because if I don't my whole day will be a major waste. I won't have supper fixed, I won't even be awake when he comes home.

We are going through a major money crunch here. I got hit with a big income tax bill due to the improper payment of sick leave monies from my ex employer. They did not reduce the payment when I started collecting Social Security, so my income really shot up and I got stuck with a 4 grand tax bill.. Yup, $4,000. A bit much, don't you think? Now, the thing that really pisses me off is that even though I am paying back that monies, the IRS will be able to keep the tax money that I paid on the funds I should not have received. As far as I know, there is no way to recover the tax money.

To top off the whole matter, the former employer had the wrong figures for tax withholding for me. Instead of being single, they had me as married and three kids. Somebody is trying to fuck me royally. I got that corrected a couple of months ago; but I do not know how it is going to work out for me on this year's taxes until I actually start filling out the forms. That won't be until February of next year. I am hoping that I will be able to deduct the monies I pay back to the ex employer; but I don't even know how that will affect my tax status. Felix is caught in the middle of all this.

He wants to help me; but doesn't have the extra funds to put in. There is no guarantee that I will be able to pay him back. So, in the meantime, I am reducing the purchasing of food supplies. We are going to deplete what is in the big freezer, whether we like it or not, we are going to have to eat it and cut our food expenses. The weather is horribly hot and we buy a lot of soft drinks. I will drink water; but only if I have to. I like ginger ale, cherry coke, coke with lime and that kind of stuff. Problem: they cost money.

I am juggling our monies as best I can. My mortgage company misapplied our last payment. Instead of applying it to the loan, they put it directly towards reducing the principle. That would be a nice advantage for me, except they now say I am delinquent on payment and want me to make another loan payment to them. I did that, and filed a complaint. If nothing gets resolved, I will file a complaint with the state banking commission. How much effect that will happen is anybody's guess. My guess is that it will not do a damn fucking thing for me. I am out the extra thousand bucks. Of course, it will reduce the principle of the loan; but it is money that I can not afford to spend right now. Fucking bank. They are never wrong, you know.

Well, Felix says it is time to go to the grocery store so I must close this and will bitch more later.

Have fun, bois and girls. Remember to tell the one you love that you love them.

HELLO, HELLO, WHO ARE YOU ?

There is nothing that pisses me off more than being awakened by the damn telephone. Now, you must realize that my bedtime is usually 2AM and 9AM the next morning is too early for me to get up. So this morning, when the damn phone rung at 8:24AM, and considering that last night I didn't get to bed until 3:00AM; I was pissed.

I struggled to get my CPAP face mask off and roll over to the opposite side of the bed to answer the fucking phone. I made it just in time to hear the calling party hang up. Was I mad? You damn well better believe I was mad. I was unable to get back to a sound sleep. I rolled around in the bed, catnapped a few times; but could not fall back into a sound sleep. I got up about 11AM.

I went into my office to check the caller ID to see if it was someone I knew. Nope, it wasn't. It turned out to be a call from some damn cellular calling card based in Sndy Luty, California. Now, tell me where the fucking hell that is. The post ofice has never heard of it, the Internet does not know the name; but they say the area code is a valid code for Southern CA. OK, that was bad; but it gets worse. At 8:56 some clothing charity called to see if I would donate clothes. At 9:00 my phone rang one time. At 9:05 the phone rang for one and a half rings. I knew it wasn't Felix calling or he would have stayed on the line until I answered.

At 2:37 the phone rang again with a call from Tennessee. This time it really was for me. I wish there was some way to get rid of the telemarketers and the wrong number callers. Hey, I pay for the phone line, the service and paid for the two-line telephones we have in the house; so I think they should be there for my CONVENIENCE, not my ANNOYANCE. Of course, there is no way to avoid the unwanted calls. I could subscribe to the service where a caller must punch in a code before being connected to my phone; but that would eliminate legitimate calls from other friends.

I am going to disconnect the phone in my bedroom and I do not think I will be able to hear the other phones in the house. That should allow me to sleep later in the AM. I will have my cellular phone on the nightstand next to my bed in case Felix needs to reach me in the morning. He usually calls on his lunch hour and I am normally out of bed by then. This is not the first time I have thought about dumping the landline telephone and going to the cellular system for all my calls. Doing so would cout my telephone expenses in half and that would be a step in the right direction; but it would, also, mean that every phone call would have to be done on that damn little toy phone that poses as a telephone. I like the feel of a real handset, not that little toy cell phone.

What a picky bitch I am, huh?

FORGETFUL

I could end the post with the title. It really says it all about me, I would forget my ass if it wasn't attached. I can't tell you how many times I have thought about a great idea to talk about on this blog, only to have forgotten it by the time I sit down in front of the computer.

I plan out a full week of good suppers, but by the time Felix and I go to the grocery store, I have forgotten what to buy.

I watch something on TV during the day; but by the time Felix gets home for supper, I have fotgotten all about it. Naturally, I think about it after Felix is in bed and I am still up watching the boob tube.

I start cooking a good supper; but forget to add some special seasoning that really brings out the flavor.

I forget to pay bills in enough time for the mail to get delivered. I have had to send one bill by next day postal service in order to avoid a late charge.

I sometimes forget to tell people how much I love them.

I don't forget birthdays; but I forget to buy presents in time to give them on the birthday.

Sometimes, I actually forget to know when to shut up.

Pathetic, ain't I?

FELIX & OSCAR GO GERMAN

Today, Felix and I drove to Hermann, Mo for a good German meal. "So what", you say. Well, if you want real, authentic, German food; the only place to go is a town comprised of mainly German decendants. The food in Hermann, Mo is real, authentic, German dishes and they make all of their own sausages, breads, rolls, etc.

We went to the Vintage Restaurant at the Stone Hill Winery. It was a drive; but the food makes the nearly two hour trip worth it. Stone Hill offers a full winery tour and wine tasting after the tour. We have done this before, so today we went for the food only. Believe it or not, I actually ate a full meal without haveing bratwurst. Having the handicapped placcard for my vehicle allowed us to park right next to the restaurant building. I waddled in and we were seated immediately. Normaly there is a wait line.

I would tell you what I ate; but I can't spell all the stuff. I will say the Knackwurst, sauerkraut, red cabbage and hot German potato salad were fantastic. I think the other two meats were German-style Schnitzel and Sauerbraten. They were served with two kinds of rolls; both made in their kitchen. Dessert was one of the best apple strudels that I have ever tasted. They served it hot.

After we got stuffed tot he gills, I drove up into the hills above the town of Hermann. When you drive in across the bridge, you can see a large home way up on a high hill, just a bit west of town. I had to investigate this. it turned out to be a Bed and Breakfast Inn. It was beautiful; also expensive. $200 bucks a night. A bit out of our budget; but beautiful, nevertheless. I continued on that gravel road up higher into the hills. This turned into a one lane road that dropped off rather sharply on one side or the other; we were really back in the woods. It would have made a beautiful setting for an expensive house. Most of the houses were upgrade homes, under the $150,000 mark. There were a few older homes from people who had lived there for many years.

Much to my disappointment, the road turned out to be a dead end road. I know we drove for two miles on this road with only one road that turned off in another direction. I was surprised to see that this road came to a dead end. I sort of expected to see some castle pop out of the trees, it was such a serene, yet lonely road. I am the adventurous sort that will drive down almost any new road just to see what is at the end. Felis was nearly ready to shit his pants as I drove the winding and hilly one lane road. He was afraid we would go over the edge at any moment. Nope, not me, I haven't lived all these years for nothing. I love experiences like this and am ready to do it almost any time.

After the turn around, we made our way back into town and headed for home. The access from I-70 is a two-lane, asphalt road (some kind of state highway) and across a narrow two lane bridge high above the Missouri River. I mean, you don't let your attention wonder for a second, the bridge is that narrow. Large trucks are restricted to a 15 MPH speed limit so as not to sideswipe a vehicle going in the opposite direction.

When we reached I-70 we drove across the highway to one of the Stone Hill Outlet stores to purchase some fruit of the grape. Yep, fruit of the grape; but not wine. Plain old grape juice; but the best grape juice I have ever tasted. It beats Welchs or any other commercial grape juice all to heck. They have a number of non-alcoholic juices that are very tasty. We managed to walk out with 16 bottles of grape juice and a bill of $65. which included our 15% discount.

I heartily recommend the Vintage Restaurant at the Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri.

KEYHOLE - - GOOGLE EARTH

My computer time has been consumed by my attraction to a computer program that shows the entire eath from a satellite view. I am nosey, what else can I say. I have been researching the myth known as "Area 51". Does it exist? Yes, it does. Keyhole, later known as Google Earth shows it in low resolution; but some folks have obtained a hihg resolution image of Area 51. It is fascinating. There is web site known as "Dreamland" that discusses Area 51 in great detail.

There is an Air Force Base to the southeast of Tuscon, Arizona known as "Davis-Monthan AFB" that is the boneyard for military aircraft. This is used for storage as well as the eventual destruction of unneeded aircraft. Do you know the cost of building a military jet fighter? Close to 20 million bucks. There are at least 800 of these aircraft at Davis-Monthan. They are identified by type number and it is a high resolution shot. You can count them if you wish. Yes, there is even one or two "Blackbirds" there intended for destruction. That is what I said, destruction.

Do you pay taxes? Can you afford to pay higher taxes? They are not going down, you know. We destroy these planes because we do not want them. Our government knows they have you to pay for more planes. Judging from the last election, we have millions of people who want to pay more taxes.

Did you know there is another secret installation in the Nevada desert called "Area 52". That is not the official designation; but that is the nickname of the installation. Do you know where the Yucca Mountain location for the storage of spent nuclear fuel is located? It is about 100 miles from Las Vegas. I wonder what would happen to Las Vegas and the hundred of thousands of people there if something were to go wrong with the Yucca Mountain storage site.

I have been learning more and more from the Keyhole - - Google Earth program. Things that I am surprised are released for general knowledge of the American public. These are secure sites and you are kept miles from the location. In fact, the closest location that you can view the entire "Area 51" Groom Lake site is 26 miles away. However, with a long telephoto lens and a clear day, pictures are easily taken of the site. With a steady tripod and a long telephoto lens, pictures of people are quite possible.

The site known as Area 52 can be approached by car. You can actually get within 200 feet of the front gate. That is, if you know which dirt road to travel and don't get lost. It is miles away from any large city; but it is easily accessed if you have a good map, such as what can be printed from the Keyhole - - Google Earth program. I first came across this program on a free 10-day trial basis. I liked it so well that Felix paid $30.00 bucks for a one-year subscription to the streaming video. I am not kidding you, this is fantastic; at least, for me. As I said at the top of this post, I am nosey. I want to know everything I can about things that interest me. What our government is doing, interests me.

At one time in my long working career, I worked for the U. S. Army in a civilian position and had a top secret clearance. During my time on that job, I saw the grand total of one (ONE) top secret document. It was in a stack of lower classification documents that I needed to do my job. I immediately turned the document to the senior military official on duty. It was not something I needed for my job. Now, with the release of Keyhole - - Google Earth, I am indulging my curiosity. Last night I was still in front of my computer screen at 3:30 AM.

An side comment: Would you believe that I actually had a syringe in my desk, filled with a solution that would have killed a human; and was under orders that if the facility ever came under attack, I was to inject my right thigh with this solution to keep from being captured and tortured to divulge classified information. The location of this facility was downtown St. Louis, Misouri. Does our government have a parinoid view? I think so. I would have left the syringe there and run like hell. I am not comitting suicide for anyone.

You tell me, do I have an addiction to the desire for information? Keyhole - - Google Earth will give you more information than you ever dreamed possible.

VACATION INTERRUPTION

Felix and I had a good time on our vacation; but it was spoiled by our having to attend a funeral of a friend. Funerals are never fun, of course. We have known this friend since 1988, he was the local police dispatcher and a ham radio operator. Pat was 48 years of age and way too young to give up life here on earth.

His problem was his weight and the fact that he was born with bi-polar disorder. Pat was overweight to the extreme. He called me on day and told me that he had just recovered from an episode of no hearing or sight. I immediately told him to call his doctor or go to a hospital because he had just described symptoms of a stroke. I know about these things because I had one. Pat did not seek the medical attention he needed. The next day he had the same thing occur. His mother discovered him on the living room floor, unable to get up.

She called the ambulance and they took him to the local animal hospital, well the local hospital. You can see that I do not care for the institution. They transferred him to the Washington University Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. Upon admittance to the hospital, he weighed 470. He was admitted to the ICU, placed on a ventilator and kidney dialisys machine. After 4 weeks in the hospital, he had made some improvement; but due to the stroke and heart attack suffered after being admitted, his body simply could not cope with the stress and gave up the fight.

Let this be a note to everone, seek medical attention at the first sign of something being wrong. Do not underestimate neurological symptoms. There is no way for you to know what is going on. It may be a very simple thing or it may be a stroke. A heart attack is something the doctors can work on and correct. The brain is something completely different. A stroke is nothing to take lightly; many times it leaves the patient in a wheelchair, or worse.

Whether it is a dry stroke, caused by a blood clot or a wet stroke, caused by a weak artery; it is a very serious medical condition that can not be corrected easily. In fact, many times there is nothing that can be done except to thin the blood and hope the clot disolves. In the event of a wet stroke, the blood vessel can be replaced or bypassed; but the damage has been done and that is not correctable. The brain is not something that can be operated on like your heart can.

We took two days from our vacation time and paid our respects to our friend. It was a very difficult time for both of us. May our friend Patrick rest in peace. He will be mised by many friends and family.