By now, everyone has at least heard of "Coronavirus," the latest threat to our overall health. And now it's invaded Eric's Planet. No, I haven't gotten sick from it, though apparently people who have chronic diseases are at higher risk of coming down with this illness. Type 2 diabetes counts as a chronic illness, and since I happen to have that, I'm at a greater risk of catching it, so claims the Center for Disease Control.
Am I worried? Nope. I have always been diligent about washing my hands, whether I've used the restroom or not. Throughout my life I've always kept myself clean regardless of whether I'm sick or well, peed or pooped. It's just plain old common sense. Mom and Dad taught us to wash our hands often, and I've done just that. I haven't gotten hooked on hand sanitizer and for the most part don't use it, as I feel that plain old soap and water get the job done just fine. The trick is in the length of time we take wash our hands. Simply rinsing our hands isn't good enough. Using soap and water and rinsing for at least 30 seconds is at least what it takes. And that's what I'll do.
People have been discouraged from greeting people with the traditional handshake. As long as I keep my hands clean, I haven't strayed from shaking someone's hand. Since I wash my hands often, I don't consider it a threat to greet someone by shaking their hand. So far, I've been fine and I expect that to continue. That said, I don't get offended if someone refuses to shake my hand. I understand that not everyone is comfortable. If they choose to greet me with a fistbump, a pat on the back or whatever, that's fine. We all have to look out for ourselves and others until this Coronavirus goes away, however long that takes.
Friday, March 13, 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Let's go to the movies!
Most people like to take a break from their hectic schedules and go do something fun. Some people enjoy bowling, though as it has become rather expensive, fewer people choose that as an activity. Bowling alleys are closing all over, and whatever leagues still may be active are losing bowlers. This is an unfortunate trend that has no sign of letting up anytime soon.
So what does bowling have to do with going to the movies? Simple: they're both fun activities that millions enjoy every day despite the fact that bowling is on the downswing as I mentioned above. Maybe I'll write something about bowling in a future post since I did quite a bit of it over the years, but I'll focus on the movies this time.
When I was a kid, waaay back in the '60s, we went to see the latest movies (usually Disney movies) at our local movie house, the El Portal Theatre in downtown North Hollywood. (We called it "uptown" for some reason.) They charged a mere 75¢ for a ticket for us kids. We were often sent with a small bag of candy (shhh! Don't tell anyone at the theater!) The El Portal Theatre is still there, still called "El Portal," and is almost 100 years old. However, most of the entertainment nowadays is live stage shows. A block down the street was the Guild Theatre, a smaller place that didn't seem to get the same movies as the El Portal did, though once in awhile we saw movies there. As that part of North Hollywood became run down in the mid-to-late-'70s, the Guild became a Pussycat Theatre (just what every neighborhood needs). Not long afterward, it closed when many of the old buildings on that block were bulldozed to make way for a new Hewlett-Packard Corp. office building that was built on the site.
I enjoyed going to the movies. More often than not, we had double features that filled our entire Saturday afternoons. And I'm sure our parents were glad to get rid of us for a few hours. Maybe while we were gone they went bowling or did...other things. You never know.
As I got older, my trips to the movies became few and far between. The movies of the early to mid-'80s weren't so bad and Lori and I went to see a movie occasionally when we were dating and early in our marriage. We did take Diana to movies when she was little, but we stopped going later. Not much to see in our opinion, and I stopped going for a long time.
Many years later, a friend and co-worker asked me if I was interested in going to see a foreign film after work. I thought, "Why not?" and went. It turns out that a multiplex in beautiful downtown (or uptown?) Oxnard shows foreign films in association with the Oxnard Film Society on most Monday evenings. Jim and I go when we're able to, and sometimes arrive early to eat dinner next door at Fresh & Fabulous, a restaurant that serves natural, organic food.
Occasionally, the movie is an American film that is a bit off the beaten path. They're just as enjoyable as the mainstream films—perhaps more so. Once in awhile, one of Jim's co-workers joins us, or his sister will join us. Susan sometimes brings a friend. We always have a good time whether it's only Jim and me, or if Susan and her friends are there. A few times we've gone to the movies later in the week at a different theater.
A nice thing is that most local movie theaters consider age 60 to be a senior, which gives us old fogies a good discount on seeing a show. Unless a film is unusually long, it's usually over not long after 8:00, giving us time to get home and do anything we need to do before calling it a night.
If you're interested in the films that the Oxnard Film Society shows and their scheduled showings, visit their website here.
While I am comfortable at home, it's true that you can look at the same four walls for just so long before you go cuckoopants crazy. I've come to realize that for far too long I've not had enough companionship with other people. I will always be more or less a solitary person, but an evening out now and then is necessary. A good movie fits the bill nicely.
So what does bowling have to do with going to the movies? Simple: they're both fun activities that millions enjoy every day despite the fact that bowling is on the downswing as I mentioned above. Maybe I'll write something about bowling in a future post since I did quite a bit of it over the years, but I'll focus on the movies this time.
When I was a kid, waaay back in the '60s, we went to see the latest movies (usually Disney movies) at our local movie house, the El Portal Theatre in downtown North Hollywood. (We called it "uptown" for some reason.) They charged a mere 75¢ for a ticket for us kids. We were often sent with a small bag of candy (shhh! Don't tell anyone at the theater!) The El Portal Theatre is still there, still called "El Portal," and is almost 100 years old. However, most of the entertainment nowadays is live stage shows. A block down the street was the Guild Theatre, a smaller place that didn't seem to get the same movies as the El Portal did, though once in awhile we saw movies there. As that part of North Hollywood became run down in the mid-to-late-'70s, the Guild became a Pussycat Theatre (just what every neighborhood needs). Not long afterward, it closed when many of the old buildings on that block were bulldozed to make way for a new Hewlett-Packard Corp. office building that was built on the site.
I enjoyed going to the movies. More often than not, we had double features that filled our entire Saturday afternoons. And I'm sure our parents were glad to get rid of us for a few hours. Maybe while we were gone they went bowling or did...other things. You never know.
As I got older, my trips to the movies became few and far between. The movies of the early to mid-'80s weren't so bad and Lori and I went to see a movie occasionally when we were dating and early in our marriage. We did take Diana to movies when she was little, but we stopped going later. Not much to see in our opinion, and I stopped going for a long time.
Many years later, a friend and co-worker asked me if I was interested in going to see a foreign film after work. I thought, "Why not?" and went. It turns out that a multiplex in beautiful downtown (or uptown?) Oxnard shows foreign films in association with the Oxnard Film Society on most Monday evenings. Jim and I go when we're able to, and sometimes arrive early to eat dinner next door at Fresh & Fabulous, a restaurant that serves natural, organic food.
Occasionally, the movie is an American film that is a bit off the beaten path. They're just as enjoyable as the mainstream films—perhaps more so. Once in awhile, one of Jim's co-workers joins us, or his sister will join us. Susan sometimes brings a friend. We always have a good time whether it's only Jim and me, or if Susan and her friends are there. A few times we've gone to the movies later in the week at a different theater.
A nice thing is that most local movie theaters consider age 60 to be a senior, which gives us old fogies a good discount on seeing a show. Unless a film is unusually long, it's usually over not long after 8:00, giving us time to get home and do anything we need to do before calling it a night.
If you're interested in the films that the Oxnard Film Society shows and their scheduled showings, visit their website here.
While I am comfortable at home, it's true that you can look at the same four walls for just so long before you go cuckoopants crazy. I've come to realize that for far too long I've not had enough companionship with other people. I will always be more or less a solitary person, but an evening out now and then is necessary. A good movie fits the bill nicely.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
When are you going to finish that post?
Wow...now I'm nagging myself! Never thought I'd get to that point. But there may be a good reason for it. In the course of looking through my index of posts, I see a bunch that are in draft mode. For those not familiar with computer programs, some of them allow you to save unfinished work if you find that you need more time to work on it, fine tune it, etc. before you print or publish it. Some of those programs call that uncertain state of limbo "draft mode." The term makes sense if you stop and think about it.
I've noted that there are so many things that I want or need to write about, and I do get the post started. But for whatever reason, I don't get around to finishing those posts and publishing them for you to read to help you get to sleep. Right now I have about a half-dozen posts (or thereabout) that are sitting in draft mode. Why don't I/can't I get them done? That's kind of an easy one, really. I get an idea, start the post, then just sort of run out of steam. Those posts sounded like a great idea, but once I got them started and looked over what I'd written, they didn't seem like such great posts anymore. Or I'd had a change of heart. Or something I thought was hilarious...wasn't.
Sometimes, people go through their cars, closets, dressers, garages, junk drawers, etc. and finally throw away stuff that they've held onto for years. I don't delete unpublished posts. They stick around for a long time. But there were a couple that I left alone for awhile, then got a spark of inspiration and opened them later, getting them finished with much better content than if I had finished them initially. Sometimes a little extra thinking makes a post better.
But there are posts that are best left unfinished for a variety ofexcuses reasons. "Funny post...no, actually it wasn't." "There's so much I can write about this!" [sits down to write a new post and gets three whole sentences done] "Wow! I'm stuck and haven't written enough." "Hmmm...maybe I'd better not write about this. I don't want to hurt or offend anyone." And so on, so forth.
Sooner or later, all of the unfinished posts will get done. My blog is my story. Leaving out parts is like that part of me didn't or doesn't exist. I can't have that, can I?
I've noted that there are so many things that I want or need to write about, and I do get the post started. But for whatever reason, I don't get around to finishing those posts and publishing them for you to read to help you get to sleep. Right now I have about a half-dozen posts (or thereabout) that are sitting in draft mode. Why don't I/can't I get them done? That's kind of an easy one, really. I get an idea, start the post, then just sort of run out of steam. Those posts sounded like a great idea, but once I got them started and looked over what I'd written, they didn't seem like such great posts anymore. Or I'd had a change of heart. Or something I thought was hilarious...wasn't.
Sometimes, people go through their cars, closets, dressers, garages, junk drawers, etc. and finally throw away stuff that they've held onto for years. I don't delete unpublished posts. They stick around for a long time. But there were a couple that I left alone for awhile, then got a spark of inspiration and opened them later, getting them finished with much better content than if I had finished them initially. Sometimes a little extra thinking makes a post better.
But there are posts that are best left unfinished for a variety of
Sooner or later, all of the unfinished posts will get done. My blog is my story. Leaving out parts is like that part of me didn't or doesn't exist. I can't have that, can I?
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