Government Motors

My how time flies when your having fun. It hasn’t been long ago that General Motors (Government Motors) had to be bailed out by the taxpayers to prevent the auto giant from collapsing, along with Chrysler as both were basically bankrupt. Chrysler quickly formed a plan, if you can call it that, but it took until April, 2014 for GM to be officially free of taxpayer ownership.

Exactly how much did the GM action cost isn’t easy to find. Best estimates are between $10.3 and $16.6 billion. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, a billion here and there ain’t much, but when you have public funds keeping a corporation afloat, it does seem to be a lot. And, now there appears to be a threat to do it again.

General Motors is saying that they may have to raise prices and cut jobs to deal with tariffs. Somebody please, say it ain’t so. Is round two on the way? What will be the outcome this time?

We should at least be able to get a good deal on a car this time. "No deal, no dough." Who says that GM is too big to fail? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

How about if we get to submit names for new cars, and a few winners get a prize - like a new Ford. Here are some nifty names that might work. Pelosi Pusher - Clinton Coverup - Schumer Smoker - Maxine Machine.

Or, it could be that all models would simply be the "People’s Car."

Worked for Hitler.

PMO
©2018

Hear No Truth, See No Truth, Speak No Truth

Okay, let’s get back to some of what’s really happening in the world. First and foremost are the "children." You know those poor mistreated children that cost tax payers about $800 per day each to care for, because their parents broke laws and being held in separate facilities. It’s all Trumps fault, of course. Forget that the procedures were put into place by Bill Clinton and continued for two terms by Obama. Where’s the truth being reported?

Then, since the children are to be the current Democrat focus, what is happening on one of the other programs they support - abortion. Truth here is simple, you can kill them, but you can’t separate them from their parents. That must come under the heading of, see no truth.

Now the speak no truth. Using every possible diversion to solicit votes, the rabid left, cannot afford for the truth to be spoken. They are currently in melt down and should truth be suddenly told and accepted, their castles would fall - literally on the children.

Not to worry. The media has their back.

They will do whatever it takes to see that the truth is not revealed.

PMO
©2018

Bella

The Warning Sign is specific - "No One Under Age 14 - Beyond This Point - NO EXCEPTIONS." The sign is posted at the entrance of the chemotherapy room where I go. There are over 50 people in that room at any given time to be connected to machines that deliver the chemicals. As you can imagine, people are in various stages of treatment, attitudes, and attire. It is not a pleasant place, but the staff tries to make everyone as comfortable as possible in a positive caring manner.

There’s not much to do while you sit and wait for the clock to tick out the drops that fall from the IVs into your body. Some exchange brief pleasantries, but mostly, we just sit and wait and watch for the nurses to come answer an alarm when it signals the session is over.

Remember the sign clearly stated no exceptions to the policy. Enter Bella, at least that’s the name I heard her called. Bella is about 8 to 10 years old and is pulling a cart filled with give-a-way bags. She is with a member of the facility management and her mother. Bella has gathered, through donations, little things that she sees as helping make a spirit brighter. Then, she assembles the bags with contents and brings them to the cancer center, where they are usually stored and passed out by the nursing staff as patients needs become known. Not, this time, or as I understand, possibly one or two times before. This time Bella wanted to bring each person in that room, a goodie bag of their own - even the lady down the hall in isolation, because she is allergic to peanuts and there might be some brought in by another person.

I was sitting up front and first when she came it. She didn’t say anything, she just handed me a bag and moved on to the next person. I said, "Thank you" as everyone did while the mother and lady from the center smiled. From time, to time, Bella would stop and ask if she could go over to an area, and with permission she went and handed out another bag.

When she had made all stops, the two ladies and Bella left to store the bags she had left - a lot of them go to storage too. I took an opportunity to ask the lady from the center about Bella, so that’s where I got this post. When asked about the no exceptions, she simply stated, "some times there is an exception to no exceptions."  I can assure you that every person there that day had their spirits boosted by an exception - Bella.

A child that sees a need and fills it, feels really good to those that receive.

Thank you Bella. You are the exception.

PMO
©2018

Rabid Leftist

They used to be called liberals, but now they’ve up the ante. Democrat Maxine Waters of California is now declaring political war - literally - against Trump and any of his supporters. She wants them attacked anywhere at anytime - even at the corner gas station or local eatery. She encourages people to form a crowd and attack. HATE is the action word for the rabid left. They focus on pointing out hate in others when it exist or note. It is hate that drives them to hate anything that does not match what they want.

Last week, actor Peter Fonda said that Trump’s young son should be locked in a cage with a bunch of pedophiles. Talk about attacking children. Is this the new left? No. It’s just the cover coming off the old left.

How long can it be before the rabid left is faced with a civil war that they cannot deal with.

There are a lot of "rednecks" out there that can deal with it.

PMO
©2018

Chemo Day

No blog today - another 8 hour chemotherapy day.

I am officially now a toxic waste site.

Permit Patty

A woman in California has been dubbed "permit patty" because she appeared on her phone to be reporting an eight year old for selling water without a permit. The child reportedly was screaming out to get people to buy her water bottles so she could get money to go to Disney Land because her mother had lost her job and they no longer could afford to go. Horrors!!!!! Can you imagine an 8 year old not getting what she wants when she wants it?

The woman on the phone, video recorded by someone, now is facing death threats among other things for not accepting the behavior of the child as being okay. Fortunately, someone stepped up with four tickets to the amusement park and saved the day. It is nice to see that someone understands that if a child wants, a child gets - especially if the child behaves like she will die without it.

Don’t you just love my sarcasm?

If the child were mine, I would have spanked her until she found out what she did was stupid and she was not owed what she wants when she wants it.

PMO
©2018

Trading Cars

As mentioned several times before in the years I’ve written these ramblings, I’ve stated, that it’s hard to make any money trading cars - unless you are the dealership selling new and used vehicles. By the time you sign the final paperwork to make a trade, the vehicle you’re buying has depreciated in value. Nonetheless, my financial controller now has a new ride.

I’ve been planning to make a trade because of the health situation so she would have a new vehicle and not have to deal with that problem. As usual, when looking for a new vehicle, I check the specs and prices to see if it will fit the budget and meet the needs she has in an SUV - that’s all she wants. Cars went by the wayside several years ago. And, the battle begins with an unsuspecting dealership.

This time, I bought a model and manufacturer that I’ve never owned before. When I though I would buy this brand, I looked around to see how many are on the road, and checked with a couple of my neighbors to see if they are happy with the ones they have.

When driving around, I was aware of the brand and how many I would see - hardly none. Which can be a good thing. I’ve never liked being in the "in crowd."

And, I suppose you have experienced what I just did. After we drove the dang thing home, every other vehicle on the road was of the brand we got.

I saw at least five today, and I was just walking out to the mail box.

PMO
©2018

Can't Win

I really hate to keep writing about all the medications and treatments I have to endure now, but I am one of those people that rarely took anything but an aspirin, so I’m in "pill shock." The doctors keep telling me that I need to exercise but they give me medications that keep me from exercising, because of side effects which brings me to what I have found out about medicines.

It is best to read the side effects before taking anything, including an aspirin. Pills can kill you or make you wish you were dead. As a public service, I would like for you to review some of the most common side effects.

Many medicines may cause dizziness and you are warned not to drive or operate machinery. Other popular side effects are diarrhea and nausea. Then, there’s blurred vision. Muscle weakness and temporary loss of memory are in the top ten.

Before you take anything, do you really want any or all of those mentioned above?

Just imagine being dizzy, with diarrhea and nausea, with blurred vision and muscle weakness and not remembering where you are.

PMO
©2018

Open Borders

Being a creature of observation, it is obvious that the liberal Democrats want and will not stop until they have open borders for anyone and everyone to enter and leave this country. Currently they are using the tried and proven, "do it for the children" tactic the Clintons used.

Why do they want open borders? The answer is simple. If you transform America into a third world country, then you get to be the rulers. Forget what it does to the country - like drug cartels, unmeasurable crime, and open corruption. Illegal immigration is not immigration because of a multitude of reason. It is in fact an invasion of a mixture of people including criminals.

Unless borders and immigration laws are enforced. Everybody loses.

Even those that think they will get more illegal votes.

PMO
©2018

Attention All Men

Okay men, you had better pay attention. There’s a new sheriff in town. The following orders are to be strictly followed: "So men, if you really are #WithUs and would like us to not hate you for all the millennia of woe you have produced and benefitted from, start with this: Lean out so we can actually just stand up without being beaten down. Pledge to vote for feminist women only. Don't run for office. Don't be in charge of anything. Step away from the power. We got this. And please know that your crocodile tears won't be wiped away by us anymore. We have every right to hate you. You have done us wrong." - Northeastern University professor Suzanna Danuta Walters in The Washington Post

Once you get this down pat, the next order is to read Walters’ book.

"The Tolerance Trap - How God, Genes and Good Intentions Are Sabotaging Gay Equality."

And you said we don’t have a problem with higher education.

PMO
©2018

Life Rules

It has been a long time since I’ve shared some of my life rules. There are over 100, and probably will be more when ever I get inspired to write some more.  Life is full of rules and all one has to do is write them down and remember them.  They will keep you out of a lot of troubles and worries.  Anyway, here are a few to think about.

# 96.   Celebrities are not special people.
#102.  Your life doesn’t belong just to you.
#94.    You always have a choice.
#87.    Read the fine print slowly - twice.
#79.    Pain is a reminder that you are still alive.
#83.    Integrity is more important than money or power.
#85.    Sometimes, it’s okay to cry.

PMO
©2018

No News

You may noticed that I haven’t had much to say about current news recently. That’s because the "news" never changes. It’s the same old stories everyday. Trump did this or that or Trump is guilty of everything evil. He should never have been elected and if Hilldawg had won we would all be living high and free, so long as we bowed down to her.

Even the local news some how repeats over and over the same old stories. The story for the past year has been about renaming a school named after General Robert E. Lee. Because I don’t actually live in the city where the school is located, I can’t write a letter to the editor. But, as soon as they change the name, and they will, the next step has to be to change the name of the city. It is named after another slave owner and a member of the Confederate House of Representatives.

I also see and hear a lot about the country being divided and the existence of hate everywhere. If you are one to check the news, pay attention to who is trying to divide the country and spews hatred at anything that does not agree with their agenda.

No news is good news.

Well, at least it’s better than the news.

PMO
©2018

Uncle 'J'

Recently someone asked me a question, “When you were young, who did you admire the most?”  Perhaps I could have answered with one of several people, but I quickly replied, “My uncle J.”  As a boy then as a man I must admit that he was a character.  But, I admired him.

‘J’ was not educated, and very poor, but he seemed to me to posses important qualities, and he liked to have fun.  Perhaps it was because he served in WWII and saw and did what no man should have to see or do.  He came home with pure white hair although he was in his early twenties.  He was shot by a machine gun and so severely injured that he had to pick up his intestines and walk a quarter mile to an aid station.  He survived the war, but not the injury.  It would plague him all his life.

‘J’ would tell you that you couldn’t kill him because he had already been dead.  That’s the way he lived his life.  He took the little things in life as pleasures, and shared joy where he found it.
I could go on and on with stories about him, but everyone has at least one book in their life story.  And, this is not a place to write a book.

The lessons he showed me, not what he told me, were important, and I remember.

Don’t be afraid and treat everyone fairly.

PMO
©2018

No One Left

Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. He is perhaps best remembered for the quotation:

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

I had a friend that is now deceased. She was in Germany when all these things took place. She told me and others that the people loved Hitler because he brought hope and prosperity. The people were even willing to put up with all the atrocities, because their lives had improved dramatically. It was too late when the people realized what was really happening.  Think about this as you remain silent in all that is going around you to destroy this country.

And, remember, it was the Socialist the Nazis took first. Why, because they had laid the ground work for everything that followed to happen.

Silence can  be deafening.

PMO
©2018

Dad Day

First let me say, "Any fool can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a real dad."  Happy father’s day to all the dads - including me. Being a dad is a big responsibility that brings a lot of satisfaction whether you have a boy or girl or both, or even a bunch. It is not to be taken lightly. Raising children to do the right thing is really tough.

Mothers by nature are nurturing, I don’t care what you are told. Only they can do their part in rearing children. And, dads play a somewhat different role. Yes, dads should always have hugs and kisses when the offspring are young, but there is a time when he has to stand strong and be the go to for the really tough challenges of life. It is dad that must set himself aside and enforce the rules fairly and firmly.

In today’s world, dads are failing miserably because they are told they have to be all touchy feely and the goal is not hurt the feelings of a child. You could ruin them for life. The truth is that all children need discipline and rules. That’s the job of the dad. It does not mean that dads don’t love. In fact, it means that they do love enough to do what has to be done to get the child ready to survive and thrive as an adult.

How many dads today spank their children? The correct answer is not enough. A spanking when deserved and delivered without anger really gets attention. Spanking is not child abuse when the circumstances warrant it. My dad spanked me a few times, very few. My mother spanked me a lot, and I probably deserved it. But, the spankings I got from my dad were the ones that told me not to do something I did.

Now we have little snowflakes that can’t be told no or they will go to their safe space.

A few whacks on the behind by a real dad’s hand will melt a snowflake into adulthood.

PMO
©2018

No Crimes

Just in case you have been living off the grid, you will be thrilled to know that nothing has changed in Washington D.C. and anywhere else government is in control. Personally I am tired of all the investigations that lead only to a trail of tax payer dollars being squandered. Why don’t the all knowing elites ever wake up and realize that we, the great unwashed, are completely aware that they, the elite, cannot commit crimes or be held responsible for anything.

But alas, the talking heads keep spewing about this investigation or that as if they expect something to be found that would result in a prosecution. Hey, you have to remember that the media believes they are a part of the elite too, and not the useful idiots they are as they are manipulated to doing what the liberal politicians want them to do.

While there may be no crimes in D.C., as a private citizen, don’t dare spit on the sidewalk or off you go to jail.

If you have to spit, at least spit on a politician.

PMO
©2018

Do Need A Do Rag

Not that anyone cares except me, but, I have lost my hair because of the chemotherapy treatments. The medical people told me it could happen, but I didn’t expect it. I’ve thought about saving all the hair as it fell out and making a wig. That didn’t work out.

So, now I’m searching for a "skull cap" or better known a "do rag." I had no idea of where to buy one, but I do know that others that go through this experience find them somewhere because I see them at the cancer center. My financial controller suggest I check motorcycle shops. She is so smart.

Yes, I discovered on line that most shops have apparel. And, while I was browsing I checked out the motorcycles. If you are not a motorcycle fan, then you won’t understand when I say, "ain’t nothing sounds like a Harley." It’s sweet music that would put a baby to sleep.

While I have never owned a motorcycle, I have ridden a couple. And, I will confess that I favor the Indian bikes. So, now I am planning to visit a shop or two or three and check their selection of "do rags."

I wonder if I buy a motorcycle they would throw in a couple free "do rags?"

It’s got to be a great feeling, riding with the wind blowing where my hair used to be.

PMO
©2018

Confession

It has been said that confession is good for the soul. Whatever that means. Anyway, I feel compelled to confess that I did something that I have never done before. While I have had hundreds, even thousands, of opportunities to do so. It has been my vow that I would never do it, no matter what.

First, let me explain. It is my opinion that when I go into a store and make a purchase, I am entitled to the services that the store has to offer. The profits from my purchase include, or should include, access to basic service. This means that if I buy one or many products, I should have someone to check me out and put the stuff into bags to carry out of the store. I pay for the service. Hence, I never, ever, use the self-check out. But, I did today. At WallyMart. Because they only have one check out line or two at most, regardless of how long the lines get.

I did notice they have several employees monitoring the self-check out lines.

If they put them on the regular check out counters, there would be enough for folks to get better service.

PMO
©2018

Speaking For Hollywood

Robert DeNiro is a good actor. However, he is not very smart. And, I’m not saying there are a lot of smart people in his profession. Actors work in a make believe world and live in a make believe world, thinking what they have to say is important.

I will agree that De Niro thinks what he said about President Trump at the Tony Awards speaks for everyone in Hollywood and Broadway. But, what America heard was another foul mouth without a clue of how anything gets done in this country or any country in the world for that matter.

If Trump had made the same comment in the same or similar situation about De Niro, the media would have gone berserk for months.

It’s true. If the leftist radicals didn’t have double standards, they would have no standards at all.

PMO
©2018

Gotta Try It

I do wish my body would learn that I don’t have to get up early in the morning. Even on weekends when things are a bit less hectic around here, my eyes open around 6 a.m. or earlier. Since my eyes are open, the rest of me gets up - under protest. No, this is not about sleeping late, this is about painting.

There is a program on one of our TV channels about fixing up cars. The show comes on before 7 a.m. and I usually catch at least a part of it. Although I don’t understand all of what they are talking about and doing, I pay close attention, just in case they do something I do understand. This past weekend, the host was going to paint a cover for an engine part and the way he did it intrigued me.

He took a five gallon bucket and filled it about half way with water. He had selected four or five cans of spray paint in different colors. He took each can of paint and put the spray head almost touching the water and sprayed the paint onto the water. The end result was he had a variety of colors floating on the water. Then he took the cover and pushed it down into the water and pulled it out. The result was a beautiful design of flowing colors.

After letting the paint drip, he set the part aside and let it dry. Then he applied a couple of coats of clear coat to seal the paint job. The end result was fantastic, according to me. It is called swirl painting and you can look it up online. There are some varying techniques so you may want to check out more than one.

Now, I’m going around the house looking for something that needs painting.

If I had a really big bucket and a lot of paint, I would do my lawnmower.

PMO
©2018

A Bit Philosophical

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," said Charles Dickens in "A Tale of Two Cities" published in 1859. Is this an oxymoron? No. It is a descriptive of the times that exist every day around the world. That’s right, we all live our lives in the best and worst of times.

And, it’s often in the best of times that we are at our worse and in the worst of times, that we are at our best. Does that seem strange? Perhaps it is because that we learn more from the worst of times, but often get so overwhelmed with the good times, that we must venture through the worst times again.

Don’t blow a brain gasket tying to understand this little bit of philosophy.

Just think about it.

PMO
©2018

Growing Mayters

Just to introduce you to the lingo, in the part of the world where I live, there exist another language. Potatoes are ‘taters.’ And tomatoes are ‘may-ters.’ Onions are ‘un-gins.’ Well you get the idea.

I try every years to grow tomatoes - ‘mayters.’ In years gone, I’ve been successful with different varieties but now I focus on one - Early Girl. They are just the right size for slicing or cutting for salads. And, the flavor is the best. The problem is that all the elements must be aligned to grow them around here. It’s either too wet or too dry. There are insects that line up to eat the plants and fruit. Then there are the birds. Mockingbirds love tomatoes. They will wait for weeks for one to turn a little pink and then pounce on it like there is never going to be another one.

This year, either the plants drowned, a horde of insects came from another country, weeds that even God has never seen jumped out of the ground, or the birds held a family picnic. All of these make me mindful of why I never became a farmer.

Perhaps I should find another hobby, but I won’t. Oh, I may have to try another variety, but I just can’t stand the thought of not having, off the vine tomatoes. In the meantime, I will have to be happy with a trip to the farmers market and pay their prices, which is about 10% of what it cost me to grow my own.

Hey, it’s the sport of growing my own that counts.

PMO
©2018

Wait A Minute

You may not be able to imagine what is going on in my life right now, and I hope you never do. There are lots of things that one never thinks about, until suddenly you are faced with, "this may be the end." I have mentioned paperwork that has to be done, and then there are discussions about what happens if this or that happens and how to handle events that may or may not happen. And, now there is the issue of what happens to my financial controller. Does she stay in the house, move to another location or move in with my ace number one daughter and her family. The last option appears to be the plan. She will move in with the kids so she will be around those that can watch out for her and she can watch out for them.

As a matter of fact, this idea has caught on like wildfire. She and daughter have been looking at houses with a "mother-in-law" space. They have quickly identified two such locations. I mentioned that I ain’t dead yet and houses would have to be sold to buy another single dwelling. It was pointed out that you can’t wait until the last minute and the two houses we occupy now would sell quickly, so the process could begin almost immediately.

I understand that I may have no need to buy green bananas, but there is always an outside chance that I could outlive everybody.

It would help if they would quit checking my pulse.

PMO
©2018

Turn The Tables

The United Nations Human Rights Office has asked U.S. authorities to "immediately halt" the practice of separating immigrant children from their parents on the southern U.S.-Mexico border. "We are deeply concerned that the zero tolerance policy recently put in place along the US southern border has led to people caught entering the country irregularly being subjected to criminal prosecution and having their children—including extremely young children—taken away from them as a result," wrote Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani. Shamdasani went on to call the practice a "serious violation" of children’s rights and called the separations "arbitrary and unlawful." In other words, the UN thinks our laws and enforcement stink.

As usual, I have an answer for the UN. Why don’t we gather us 10 t0 15 million Americans with families and invade Mexico? What would be the reaction to that move? Mexico would pack as many as possible into filthy prisons and let the drug cartels take over those not sent to jail. What would happen to the children? You really don’t want to know.

To call illegal entry an "irregularity" only demonstrates their depth of irregular thinking.

So, get a few million of your friends and go to Mexico this weekend.

Surely you’ll get free housing, food, clothing, medical services and some pesos.

PMO
©2018

D-Day

On the morning of June 6, 1944, Allied forces staged an enormous assault on German positions on the beaches of Normandy, France. D-Day was the start to end the war in Europe. World War II was not just won by the courage and devotion to duty, but included a word we take for granted today - technology.

Radar helped the allies know what was approaching. Bombsights with complicated gyroscope technology allowed planes to pinpoint attacks. And, there was the synthetic material invented by Dupont for women’s stockings. Nylon was used to make parachutes, glider tow ropes, aircraft fuel tanks, and flak jackets.

The most widely known technology had to be the atomic bombs that led to the surrender of Japan. But, a small boat has been praised as the technology that won the war. Invented by Andrew Higgins, the LCVP, Landing Craft, Vehicle, and Personnel, changed the way troops and supplies could be launched and landed, thus overwhelming enemy positions.

It is because of technology that the U.S. today is the most powerful force to face in the event of a major war. Available technology keeps the peace. Those that would destroy us do not have the capabilities we have and they don’t know what all we have. Which makes it quite interesting that Google wants out of the technology business that supports our military and war strength.

The New York Times reported last week that they will not renew a Pentagon contract that upsets employees because the artificial intelligence technology could be in advance weapons. Reportedly about 4,000 employees demanded a policy stating that Google nor its contractors will ever build warfare technology. Google once had a motto of, "don’t be evil."

I guess now they should adopt a motto of, "stupid is not evil."

Stupid is just stupid, and it can't be fixed.

PMO
©2018

News/Comments

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding because of his religious beliefs. Will this ruling prevent future attacks on religious beliefs? No.

There is a faction in this country that has met with some successes in forming a totalitarian government to dictate what people can do, say or believe. Because Christianity is the largest belief, obviously if they can force the Christians to bow down, their goals will move much faster. The freedom of speech has been seriously infringed and compromised. When that is gone, then the next steps will fall into place in short order.

I can’t help but to be curious about what will happen should the radical left decide to attack a Muslim baker. To my knowledge they’ve not done that because of fear and good sense. They borrowed the good sense.

News about illegal immigration separating families is making the talking heads go wild. To be sure I understand what is being said, what is happening is that parents are breaking our laws and bringing the kids along to avoid punishment. The law breakers believe that if they can gain sympathy, not only do they and the children get to stay, they will also get a lot of free services, including food, clothing, housing, money and a free cell phone. I wonder what happens when a parent commits another crime, like robbery? Does the parent get to stay with the kids or do the kids go to prison with the parents?

Next time you read, hear and/or see the "news" stop and ask a few questions. Then answer them yourself.

That’s the only way to get an objective answer.

PMO
©2018

Bucket List

Back in 2007 a movie titled, "The Bucket List" was released. It starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The characters are a billionaire named Edward and a car mechanic named Carter. They are complete strangers, until fate lands them in the same hospital room. The men find they have two things in common: a need to come to terms with who they are and what they have done with their lives, and a desire to complete a list of things they want to see and do before they die. Against their doctor's advice, the men leave the hospital and set out on the adventure of a lifetime. They each have their own "bucket list" of what they want to do.

It is the movie that promoted the term, "bucket list" and it commonly used today to identify things that someone hopes to do before they "kick the bucket." And, it does not matter what your financial or social status happens to be, deep down inside we all have or should have a list. Do not confuse this list with dreams or ambitions or goals. It is simply what you want to do that just may be within your means to make it happen, provided the circumstances should arise.

A "bucket list" is not intended to be an opportunity for failure. Just something that you would really enjoy. I know I had a list before the term ever came into being. Nothing big. Just to see a movie that I wanted to see. I did that. Another was to drive through New Mexico and Arizona. I did that twice and enjoyed it both trips. And, just this week, I checked off another one. I went for steak and lobster for dinner. It used to be one of my favorite meals when I could afford it. Pretty simple, but very satisfying.

Make yourself a bucket list and you may just find that you really can do some things that you may have even forgotten about but still want to happen.

Just remember to check your bucket.

Be sure there’s no hole in the bottom

PMO
©2018

Paperwork

I’m trying not to focus on the condition I find myself in, but things keep popping up that require attention. It has been said that nothing is finished until the paperwork is done. Did you know that includes dying? It does. And, it requires some effort on your part before you depart. If not, then your survivors may have trouble they are not prepared to deal with.

You should have a will and/or a living trust, medical directives such as a medical power of attorney or living will, and in some cases a durable power of attorney to manage financial matters before you die, should you become incapable of doing so.

There are things such as birth certificates, marriage license, military records, car titles, property deeds and other ownership records that need to be in a secure location - not a bank deposit box. Insurance policies, a list of financial accounts and how to contact them, as well as copies of Social Security cards and drivers license need to be in a safe place too. A safe bolted to the floor may be the best place to keep all these items. Even a locked file cabinet is better than a bank because the person(s) looking for all these things may not have access to the bank box and/or it will take some time and effort to get the box released.

Obviously, your survivors will need a copy of your death certificate. In Texas, it takes about two weeks to get one from the county clerk of the county where the deceased died. This document is crucial for life insurance and some government programs such as Medicare and Social Security.

These are some of the more important papers that have to be transacted when someone dies. It is better to have everything in order than not having anything in order - regardless of your age and health.

It is a lot of trouble.

Best thing to do is, don’t die.

PMO
©2018

I'm Back - Sort Of

Okay, I’m back. Well, I am sort of back. If I miss some days, it’s because I am not up to writing on some days, and just plain not up to anything on some days.

There’s nothing I like less that someone that has to talk about all their ailments and problems, so I will dispense with most of the bad stuff. Sure, I have an incurable cancer, but everyone dies of something, it’s just a matter of time. Then, there’s the possibility that I may just defy the docs and outlive everybody.

If I ramble more than usual, just be aware that I now have "chemo - brain." That means that I don’t think just right. Truth is I never have though like everyone else does anyway. But, I will try to point out some things that I think you might find useful.

First is that when you have an appointment with the chemotherapy treatment people, they are not in a hurry. When I was told that my long treatment would last six hours, I believed them. It took over eight hours. I have now worked out a plan to cut that time down by going to the treatment center the day before to have blood drawn which takes about five minutes. That cuts out two hours of waiting time.

Other things that jump out to me today, include that I am told that I must exercise. Then they give me a big dose of drugs that take away any strength I ever had. The only thing I can exercise is to walk from my desk to the coffee pot. Their instructions say I am not supposed to have coffee, but they serve it during treatment so I figure I can drink it at home too.

Then they want me to take prevention drugs to eliminate problems like nausea. Well I am lucky enough to have that, but the prevention drugs, make me even weaker than the chemotherapy. That means I get less coffee because it is too far to walk to get it. Maybe, they know this and that’s why they want me to take the pills.

There are so many do’s and don’ts it takes a private secretary to write them all down or carry a recording device. My financial controller is in charge of remembering what I am supposed to do. But, then she has always done that. That makes it an easy job for her.

Did you know that house cleaning is exercise? Running a vacuum, mopping the tile, dusting furniture, carrying out the trash, and stuff like that are supposed to be "really" good exercise.

Some parts of this whole process sound familiar.

On those items, I’m sticking with my long time practice not doing some exercises.

PMO
©2018