What is waiting for me in 2018?

Each and every year throughout the existence of Eric's Planet, I've tried to end the year with a post to wrap things up for the current year and project a little hope onto the coming year. 2017 really flew by with me having written the fewest posts in a long time. If you're going to call yourself a blogger, then you'd better blog.

A few obstacles came up that took honey bunches of time out of my schedule. (That expression sounds like something out of a cereal commercial, huh? Just call me a cereal killer for stealing that...) From what I'm seeing for my future, things in 2018 should ease up and you'll get to read a bit more should you choose to do so. And I hope you do.

There are a few posts in the draft stage, pending my ability to dig up photos and/or facts necessary to complete the post with the assurance that what I've written is complete, entertaining, factual, humorous where necessary, informative, and other ten-dollar words that I can't think of at the moment. Perhaps I'll have better luck if I stay with the one-dollar words.

Unlike previous years, I'm going to mention a couple of ideas that I've had for posts. Normally my posts come right off the top of my head (like my hair), sort of "spur of the moment." By sharing these, they'll be more likely to be published since they'll be out in the open, forcing you to bombard me with demands to get them published.

For instance...

Those of you who know me personally know that I am a part-time croupier (roulette dealer) working occasionally for an organization called Gold Coast Casinos. Having done that since 1996, even I'm surprised that I haven't written about this. It's time.

I possibly have a couple of press days to attend for new attractions at some local theme parks.

Anyway, 2017 is almost done. Enjoy the holidays, stay safe, and we'll reconvene fresh and ready to face 2018.

Is there a Sigalert on Eric's Planet?

No, because they're not allowed here. All both of you may have been wondering why it's been more than six months since my last post. It's unexcusable, I tell ya. But there just hasn't been time.

You see, blogging is not merely writing for the sake of writing. Blogging is writing about something. There's a theme, a reason for a post to be written. I could write about laundry if I chose to. And it just so happens that I'm doing a load as I write this. But blogging about laundry would be pure, clean...boredom. And I never bore either of my readers.

The honest truth is that Eric's Planet is as random a place as there could ever be. The beauty of randomness is that it could be quite entertaining, or it could be as boring as waiting for jury duty. Around here, we try to make random...fun. Where else can you read about amusement parks, chronic disease, public transit, and work issues in the same place? Right here on Eric's Planet.

I've managed to reach the ripe old age of 58. Senior discounts are coming my way in droves. (Not exactly sure what a "drove" is, but it sounds reasonable enough to use here.) Getting up there in years means even more material to write about. I'll get there. One day you'll stop by and there will be so much to read that you'll slap yourself upside the head and think, "There aren't enough snacks to eat while I read all of this!!!" That's OK. You don't need them. The snacks, that is.

As I mentioned before, a lack of time has been a problem. Lack of a computer doesn't help, either, but my tablet or phone can suffice. Tonight I'm using my phone for the first time to write an entry, and it seems to be working out just fine.

The main reason for tonight's post is to let you know that while things are creeping along around here, they are moving and there's no need to find a defibrillator. Life on The Planet is A-OK and will get back up to speed ASAPish.

After I'm gone, then what?

A recent post on a friend's blog inspired this post. His post was about his father-in-law, who was doing some planning regarding what to do with his remains after he has passed away. That got me to thinking about what I should have done with my own remains after the old ticker stops ticking.

First off, I'm not headed to the Great Bed, Bath & Beyond anytime soon, so don't worry. In fact, just last week my doctor said that I should live to be about 120, with diabetes even! I must be doing something right. Do I want to live that long? Honestly...no. Besides no employer wanting to hire someone that old (except maybe Walmart), I'm not sure what I'd do for all those years. My then 80-year-old car probably won't be running too well by then, even though it's a Honda, so I won't be taking many long trips.

Normally, the end of life is not something I talk about very much. All of us will have an end-of-life experience. We'll either go to sleep and not wake up, get squashed in a tangle of cars out on the highway, or fall from a great height and experience one heck of a freefall. That can be quite a thrill, but the sudden stop at the bottom might throw a wrench into things. In my case, despite my doctor's excellent prognosis of my life, it's highly likely that my previously mentioned diabetes will put me out for good. You just never know.

But once my body runs out of juice, what happens next? Someone has to do something with it. It can't just lay there collecting dust, bugs, junk mail, or a line of spectators all the way out the front door and around the block. E.J. Harrison & Sons (our local trash collector) probably won't take it. And don't even try Camarillo Recycling. They'll just throw it over the fence onto the railroad tracks and let Amtrak take care of it.

The thing is, your "remains" do not only consist of your body. Over the course of a lifetime, most people have accumulated all kinds of stuff, and it remains after you die, unless something is done with it. Just the other day I got something in the mail from a random attorney wanting me to sit with him (and lay out money) so that we can put my will together. I've never really given much thought to what to do with all of my stuff after I'm gone. I've always thought that I'd just leave everything to my wife and children and let them decide what to keep, what to donate, sell or give away, what to throw away, and what to put in the bonfire. Thankfully, I don't have much of value. Give all of my clothes to the Goodwill or Salvation Army. I kind of have a coin collection; keep that—it could be worth tens of dollars. My collection of El Cheapo Comics­™ can go to anyone who wants a laugh or none. My coaster stuff—the T-shirts, park maps, coaster parts, etc. could be donated to the ACE Coaster Museum. And so on and so on...

But then there's that...body again. What are my wishes as to disposing of my soul's earthly home of many decades? Many people nowadays choose to be cremated. By comparison to a traditional burial, consisting of an expensive casket, burial plot, grave marker, and untold other things, cremation is usually a lot less expensive, thus relieving survivors of laying out a ton of money that they may not have. In my case, that's yet to be decided. Over the years, because of my love of roller coasters and thrill rides, a few friends have joked that my remains should be loaded into one of the cars on Superman—Escape From Krypton out at Magic Mountain, and launched at over 100 mph up and off the end of the tower. Nice thought, but I have a feeling that park management might not be too crazy about such a thing. We'd better think about a way that's a little more "down to Earth..." Honestly, I would most likely choose cremation. That way, anyone who wants a piece of me can get an urn of their own choosing and help themselves to a scoop of Eric.

Seriously, when all is sad and glum, this is a real concern that must be addressed at some point. Without any official wishes expressed by family, the state gets involved and...well, government...you know how that goes.

There are some tough decisions ahead. But I'd better get serious about it. And quite honestly, any of us who are "up there" in years need to give that some thought whether we want to or not. Get it in writing and make it official. That's the best way to make sure things are carried out the way you want.

Is Facebook going over the falls?

Facebook got its start in 2004 as a social network meant for college students. Over time, older people began to join, either having moved over from MySpace (remember that?) or by pure curiosity. As a result, about a third of the entire world population is now on Facebook.

At one time, people joined, connected to old friends, joined discussion groups tailored to the things that interest them, posted their whatabouts and whereabouts, shared photos, shared feelings, and a number of other things that I've probably left off. It was a nice way to take a break from the crazy, hectic lives that many of us lead.

Not a big surprise, but politics tends to infest almost any place where people gather, be it online or in person. Generally speaking, that's not a bad thing. We do need to be informed about what our society and government is doing. There's nothing wrong with discussing issues that may affect what we do and/or how we do it. Good discussions are healthy and worthwhile. Despite the good, there are people who choose not to participate. And that's OK. It doesn't meant that they don't care. Many people keep their views to themselves. To be honest, I'm not a political person. Of course I care about what's going on, and I read or listen to people I feel are knowledgeable and reliable sources of information. As a quiet, private person, I tend to keep things to myself. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Where it does go wrong is when you can't discuss a recipe, a quote from a famous person, or your favorite play without someone posting something political, which not only steers the thread right off the road, but angers those who are trying to have a simple, non-political discussion. And they can turn ugly.

The outcome of our recent presidential election was not what many people wanted. In fact, it turns out that the runner-up of the election actually got more of the popular vote, but was defeated by the electoral college. Before becoming our nation's 45th president, the last job on his resume was host of The Apprentice, a reality television show. If you want to read more about that show, click here. Personally, I've never watched it, but I don't watch much TV anyway.

Protests against President Trump are at an unprecedented level. At no time in my memory can I remember when so many people protested against the actions of a sitting president who has been in office all of two weeks. However, admittedly, Mr. Trump has already ruffled some feathers with some of his actions within this short period. (I won't get into specifics here as that isn't the point of this post.) Everywhere you look, someone is whining about the outcome of the election and things that President Trump has done or promised (threatened?) to do. I don't agree with some of Trump's antics myself. As Americans, it is our right to protest, however, provided it's peaceful.

However, in some places, there have been outright riots, complete with property damage, injuries—you know, all the bells and whistles. Hardly what I'd call peaceful.

Thirty-two paragraphs and dinner and dessert later, we've finally gotten to Facebook. As stated earlier, Facebook is a social network. Politics have always been a part of any social scene, be it online or in real life. People sit and discuss politics over Big Macs at McDonald's for crying out loud. You can't get away from it. It has always come up on Facebook and always will. But lately, people have resorted to name calling and insults, often with people they call friends. All because they voted for the "wrong person" or take a different stance on a particular issue. What's up with posts that read, "Unfriend me now if you support Candidate X or Issue Y." Seriously? Have some of us really adopted an "if you don't agree with me then I'm not your friend" kind of attitude? Too many friendships end up hanging by a thread or flat out come to an end over political and social issues. And I'm talking long term friendships in a lot of cases. Stupid and immature if you ask me. As far as I'm concerned, this attitude is a good indicator of someone who needs to chill out and grow up.

Some people still post non-political things and get some good participation until...one bozo gets in there and turns it into a political rant, which sends it over the edge. And because of the apparent inability to escape the madness, people are talking about leaving Facebook. Probably not for good, but it's going to be a long time before they return.

The rants and raves, the insults by others, and the dramatic (or "traumatic" if you prefer) rise of the constant complaining about almost everything that we see on Facebook is not going to push me off of it. What you'll get from me is what I've been giving you all along—bad jokes, silly comments, crazy blog posts, and the occasional insightful observation because it's what you've always liked. How do I know? Because you've told me in one way or another. There's no need to change something that works.

Pizza

That's it? A one-word title? About pizza?!?!? Who in the world would write a blog post about pizza? Well, it's Eric's Planet, so my guess would be...Eric. And that's me.

We have a pizza chain out here in my area (and maybe it's all over the place—I don't know) called "PizzaRev." At PizzaRev, you "craft" your own pizza, meaning that you direct the employees to put your choice of ingredients on the dough as you walk along the assembly line. They offer several kinds of dough, a multitude of different sauces and cheeses, and all kinds of meats and veggies. You name it, they have it. (Well, almost. Ask them about cheddar cheese next time you're there. But more on that in a bit.) Last year, PizzaRev started a promotion where their normally $8.25 pizzas were only $6.00 on Tuesdays. Considering what you get, that's quite a deal. And selected people around this planet have made good use of it. So much so that most of the staff at our local PizzaRev not only know one of those people by name, but know how to correctly spell the name of that person whenever they show up. We won't say who we're talking about here...

I had always heard that pizza was actually invented here in the U.S. by Italian immigrants when they arrived in the 1800s. However, as Diana learned during her trip to Italy last year, you can get quite a tasty pizza when in Rome, so the "created in America" aspect is debatable. But Diana learned that they do pizza quite well over there. When I asked her if she had tried pizza in Italy, and, if so, what she thought of it, she said, "best pizza ever!"

PizzaRev offers several different kinds of dough—their Signature Thin (which is Roman style), Double Dough for a thicker crust, and a gluten-free dough for those who are sensitive to gluten. Personally, I'd like to see a whole wheat dough, but that's just me. Some years back I created a chicken pesto pizza with a whole wheat crust that was usually a hit when I brought it to potlucks at work or family gatherings. When you bring home an empty tray, you know they liked it.

Believe it or not, there is a downside to pizza. It's fairly obvious, but too much pizza makes too much...Eric (or anyone else for that matter). Because I prefer thin crust and like lots of veggies on mine (except mushrooms), I don't worry so much if I only eat it once a week. For me, it's always been about the toppings, not about the crust. Less dough, more toppings. Depending on the toppings, an individual-sized pizza is actually better and healthier than a cheeseburger and fries. Wait—did I actually write that? Yes, I did because I mean it. While I do like pepperoni and sausage, those meats tend to be loaded with fat, sodium, nitrates, and who knows what else. Chicken on pizza has become a favorite of mine. Crumbled lean ground beef is good, too. Just spare me the mushrooms.

Before I have to go put more change into the parking meter, let me address the cheddar cheese issue that I mentioned before. As the entire world knows, I do like a good cheeseburger. A very basic one, but a good one. So why not combine a cheeseburger and a pizza? Eric's Signature Cheeseburger Pizza™ would start with a good whole wheat dough slathered with a good tomato sauce, topped with extra sharp cheddar cheese and crumbled ground beef. Add some spinach and black olives on top and that's it! PizzaRev has all of those ingredients except for the extra sharp cheddar cheese. I've asked them about it, but so far it appears not too likely to become a part of the regular offerings. So it looks like I'll have to craft my own pizza in my own kitchen to pull this one off. But as I like to say, my kitchen is my laboratory...

When all is said and done, at the end of the day, it is what it is and other cheesy sayings, you can never go wrong with pizza. Be it a slice or an entire pie, pizza is one food that knows no bounds in terms of what can be done with it.

It's time to pick up an old habit: giving blood

For the first time in more than five years, I found myself being tapped for a pint of the red stuff. This afternoon, I pulled into the library parking lot so I could go in and terrorize the internet for awhile. I happened to look across the lot and saw the familiar United Blood Services bus parked there. Normally they announce when and where it will be, but I hadn't seen a notice about today. I thought for a moment as to whether I should try and donate a pint of blood, then decided to go for it. While I did feel a bit woozy afterward, I think I made the right choice.

Back in the '80s when I worked at Statham Transducer Division in Oxnard, they had the United Blood Services (UBS) bloodmobiles stop by every so often. I was a relatively healthy young guy of about 30 at the time, so there was no reason for me not to donate a pint. While I've never had a problem with needles, I wasn't sure what to expect by making a donation. Turns out that it was relatively painless, there are some nice looking young ladies taking good care of you, and you get lots of treats when you're finished. Sounds like a win-win to me.

I made regular donations every eight weeks for a number of years. Somewhere I have my one-gallon and (I think) two-gallon pins. All that blood...I was a lean, mean donating machine.

Then along came diabetes.

Initially, I continued my donations because the medications that I took were on the OK list at UBS. But once I began taking insulin shots, I hesitated making donations. One time, though, I went ahead and went to a donation center and was told that even we insulin-shooting diabetics could still donate depending on what kind of insulin we took. Certain types of insulin that were derived from bovine sources were not OK (because of mad cow disease) and anyone using them could not donate blood or platelets. In my case, since I was taking Humilog® and Lantus®, I was OK. I donated a couple of pints but then just dropped off the map. Over time (and still) I have my days where I struggle just to keep up with basic things that I need to do. When you're not feeling your best and are honest about it during your pre-donation screening, they usually won't allow you to donate. That's for your own good.

Getting back to donating blood was one of the things I missed doing—not for my own benefit, but for the tremendous amount of good it does for others. One pint of blood can be used in so many different ways. If you're able to do so, I highly recommend that you call your local blood bank and make an appointment.

This is a donation that you make quite literally from the heart.

A new year has arrived...will it be better than last year?

It seems that even during 2016, a lot of people were lamenting that it was the worst year in a long time, if not ever. True, the world lost a lot of noteworthy people, right down to December 31. The economy is still sluggish, a lot of people are still out of work, and the world is still battling wars and various other sources of turmoil on a seemingly increasing level.

In the closing days of 2016, many people were glad to see that year come to an end and thought and wished and hoped and prayed that 2017 would bring us good luck, prosperity, fulfilled dreams, and so forth. Of course that could happen, but it's too early in the year to tell. All that has happened as of January 2 in any year is hardly an indicator of what is to come in the remaining 363 days of the year.

For me, of course, getting back to work is tops on my list. Unfortunately, the longer one is out of work, the less likely most employers will consider that person for a position. Why that is just baffles me. There are many good people out there eager to work, but can't seem to click with an employer and receive an invitation to join the ranks of the employed despite the fact that they have plenty to offer. All because they haven't worked in "too long." Ridiculous if you ask me. Do they think they'll have to teach us how to tie our shoes again? I have years of experience and skills that have been honed along the way. Stop the nonsense and show me to my desk, please.

But I'd better not pout and better not cry about things I can do nothing about. Just keep praying and trying. Something will work out.

As for world events and such, we'll just take it day by day and see what happens during 2017. It's pretty safe to say that we will lose a few noteworthy people because we always do. Some of us will lose a friend or relative. Others will lose jobs or have some other bad luck come their way. Sad as it is, that seems to be the way of the world.

Let's hope that it won't be on the level of 2016, though.