One of the nice things about being retired is that I have a few hours of free time most days.
After taking Charlie to work today I came home, exercised and read several chapters of David Drake’s Monsters of the Earth. I then fixed lunch and headed for the beach. (Chuckle – 64° and sunny) I sat down and completed the puzzles from both the Times and the Register and then read some more and then did some more puzzles, left over from last week. By then it was three o’clock and I had to pick up Charlie.
I brought her home, fixed her some Earl Grey tea. Then to the gas station to purchase petrol for the next week and to the smoke shop for her cigs.
She did some school work; I worked on my book (105,000+ words, two and a half chapters to go). Fixed her some soup for dinner while she watched a dvr’d episode of Criminal Minds.
I ate in the spare bedroom and enjoyed an adult beverage, a cat in my lap and an anime on the boob tube.
Netflix has some good anime, both movies and TV series. Tonight I watched the last couple of episodes of The Devil is a Part-Timer. Are you in need of a few good laughs? Watch this one.
I suppose, if you really wanted to, you could say that it’s a story about the mutability of character under changing circumstances or the perception thereof. But, nah, don’t read anything serious into it.
At any rate the next to the last line is a spoiler.
Oh, yeah, remember those container ships I occasionally talk about? You know, the ones that bring those (cheap) foreign goods you buy in W – – – – t? Today I counted thirteen of them off the coast. According to the TV news stations there are actually more than thirty of them waiting to be unloaded at Los Angeles/Long Beach.
Don’t hold your breath.
He finds work as an assistant manager at a well known international burger franchise.
Time to get a re-fill on the adult beverage. Good Night.
Bucket List is a term meaning the things you would like to do before you “kick the bucket.”
I have another way of thinking about it, teacher that I am or, maybe, was—the time you stop learning is the time you begin to die. I would like to be around a while so I try to learn at least one new thing every year. Several years ago I learned how to juggle. More recently I learned how to roller blade. Last year I took a Tai Chi class. Now I’m writing a book. (I thought I was stretching things a bit when I set a goal of 100,000 words, but, just passing 102,000 words, the story is still telling itself to me. I think about three and a half more chapters and I’ll be done. Then on to the second book; yes, there’s still more story.)
I believe the best way to stay alive is to have something to look forward to. If you have nothing to look forward to, why bother?
Why this topic today? Well, it turns out that two of my favorite authors are currently writing a series of books—a “Five Book Dash” in a series I quite enjoy. I look forward to reading all of them and more. The authors are about my age and I hope they have genes like those that come from my mother’s side of the family.
One of the people commenting on their FB post said, “I’m 73. Hurry! You have to get them all done before I die . . .”
Reflecting on this I thought that when it’s time for me to go, I don’t want to have already done everything. I don’t want to regret not having done things. I want to be in the frame of mind that there are still things I want to do—if nothing else, I want to see what’s behind that final curtain. (For those of you who think me cynical: Yes, I’d even like to know if there’s nothing behind the curtain.)
Cheap Foreign Goods
Went to the beach today for lunch, puzzling, and reading. Stayed for about two hours. Heavens, it was absolutely beautiful, 82° and a slight breeze.
The picture is taken at Fifteenth Street. Background left is Catalina Island and background right is Palos Verdes.
Offshore HB
Looking toward the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, I counted thirteen container ships—one coming in, one leaving and eleven at anchor offshore. That’s about eighty thousand containers of foreign goods waiting to be unloaded. Those of you still waiting for your Made in China winter coats—good luck.
Mist and Smoke
Mist and Smoke in WindowMist and Smoke in WindowSmoke woke.
Haven’t posted any cat pictures lately so here are Mist and Smoke enjoying our California sunshine (safely indoors).
My wife, Diana or Di, to her English family and Charlie to the rest of us is still teaching. This year she had the whole of Thanksgiving Week off. A good week to relax and veg-out.
Saturday – relax, watch college football, and fix spaghetti for dinner.
Sunday – as above, but pro football and took Charlie to have a mani-pedi.
Monday – relax, we went to MNF dinner at Mike and Sandy’s (nice tradition as Mike and I have been doing this for somewhere around thirty years).
Tuesday – took Charlie to her “pain management” doctor and had one of her “heavy” meds dosage reduced—less med in the same number of pills for the same cost.
Wednesday – one of Charlie’s good, retired friends came over to visit for several hours and I then took Charlie to another doctor’s appointment.
Thursday – the two of us had a quiet Thanksgiving dinner together: turkey, mashed potatoes and peas. Her brother called and was quite chuffed that he had prepared a good batch of roast potatoes. I’ve found that a 16-pound turkey has plenty of meat for the two of us for dinner and several days of leftovers—oh, yes, gave the cats a bit of turkey, too.
Friday – quiet day with leftovers and football and Charlie grading English class essays (7th & 8th grade). When I see her doing this I give quiet thanks that I was able to retire when I did.
Saturday – basically a copy of Friday except I started out watching Premier League “football”—Go Arsenal!
Sunday – should be a copy of Saturday except for the angst of Charlie having to go back to work tomorrow and the Grey Cup is on this afternoon.
The above list is not an exhaustive one. There was grocery shopping to do, including the purchase of cat and bird food. Clothes washing, dishes, general cleaning, etc. that needed to be done. The gardener came by yesterday and the front yard and backyard gardens are beautiful, if lacking in summer flowers.
Charlie finished reading the latest Aloysius Pendergast book, Blue Labyrinth, by Preston and Child. She is now on the patio reading Relic and drinking her second cup of tea. We actually have dark clouds overhead so, maybe, we’ll get some of that promised rain this week. (Maybe, even today.)
I’m a half-dozen chapters into Heritage of Cyador by Modesitt and it promises to be a good read.
I’ve written the first eight chapters of my book, two more full chapters and two partial chapters farther on in the story. My goal is a hundred thousand words but I’ve got more story than that in my head and will have to do a “bit” of trimming.
Downloaded Annie Lennox’s new album, Nostalgia, marvelous. I’ve got 18,000+ songs and tunes on iTunes and have music playing in the house most of the time—on Apple TV and playing through our stereo. (Still waiting for Diana Krall’sWallflower.)
The OC Register is again a no-show today—haven’t had a copy delivered since Thursday a week ago, but I still get their emails. The LA Times hasn’t missed a day or been late. (This really bugs me as the Times does not cover Orange County high school football. It’s playoff season now.)
School Teacher Alert
—and anyone else who has ever had a “pointy-haired” principal or boss: Today’s Dilbert (with apologies to Scott Adams).
Principal: Would you like some feedback on your (teaching) performance?
Teacher: No.
P: You’re supposed to appreciate feedback because it makes you feel valued.
T: How does listening to you belittle me about things you don’t understand make me feel valued?
P: Well, I don’t know. It must be an indirect thing.
P: Maybe we should just try it and see how it feels.
T: Whatever.
P: I don’t actually watch you (teach) work, so I’m mostly guessing about the things you do wrong.
P: I accuse you of being slow and disorganized!
P: Is it working yet?
T: Yes. If that makes you go away.
I don’t know if this accurate for your current situation, but, if you’ve been a teacher long enough, you’ve had at least one, and maybe several “pointy-haired” principals. (I know I have. I, of course, won’t mention any names, but, if you’ve taught with me, you will probably name the same ones.)
Etc.
Charlie’s sister, Tricia, has confirmed that she’ll be here for Christmas. (She lives in England.)
Sunday Morning Company
The cats are keeping me company: one on the back of my chair, from which position he sometimes washes my hair, and the other atop her castle.
And, as I look around at all I possess and think on all I am thankful for one thing stands out: Charlie, without whom nothing else seems to matter.
And, one more note, Charlie reports that it is now raining.
Last Friday evening I noticed a spot just to the left of where I was looking. When I looked at that spot, it moved to the left and so on. I had not been looking at a bright light and I hadn’t seen any flashes and there was no pain. OK, so what was it? I had no idea.
Saturday – spot still there.
Sunday – spot still there.
Today – spot still there.
This morning, after driving my wife to work, I stopped in at my optometrist’s office. He immediately sent me to an ophthalmologist (Clarity Eye Group). Got in at about 2 o’clock. Quick check – dilate the eyes – exam – wait – take a picture of each eye. Hmmmmm . . . hmmmmmm . . . hmmmmm . . . can’t find anything wrong. You’ve got a floater.
What’s a floater? Is it serious? What do I do about it?
“I’ll show you a video.”
Waiting room TV – to one of the assistants – “Show this gentleman the video on Floaters and Flashes.”
One of the joys of retirement is being able to read when I wish, not when I have time after completing lesson plans and grading papers.
Reading 1
During the last month I’ve read, or re-read, a dozen books. I have all of Lee and Miller’s Laiden books and re-read most of them. They are good, well-paced stories with interesting characters. Having already read most of them a couple of times, it is not necessary to read all of the detail work and get bogged down in description; I can skip that and read what I consider to be the interesting part of the stories. In re-reading the short stories I can skip those I found less interesting, or just plain didn’t like, and only read those I enjoyed.
Cyador’s Heirs
Reading 2
Yesterday I finished Cyador’s Heirs by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. and today I finished David Drake‘s latest RCN book, The Sea Without a Shore. Both were excellent books. I’m several chapters into both The Kraken Project by Douglas Preston and To Do or Die by Mike Shepherd. These are also good stories but not as compelling as the other two books.
Earlier this month I also finished The Price of Peace and They Also Serve by Mike Moscoe.
Reading 3
Where is the best place to read? I don’t know.
Maybe on my exercise bike with music in the background.
Maybe in the living room in my recliner and a cat or two on my lap.
The Sea Without a Shore
Maybe in my wife’s backyard garden on a perfect afternoon, which is where I finished The Sea Without a Shore an hour or so ago.
Maybe at the beach on a warm Spring day with a soft breeze and a bit of jazz from my iPad.
Yeah, they’re all the best place to read, especially when almost everyone else is at work.
