Final post of the year

We've reached the end of 2021—FINALLY!!! 2020 was bad, 2021 was worse, and let's hope that 2022 won't be WORSER! It's time that all of the nonsense from the past two years is over and done with and it's time to move on to better things.

2021 ends in two days, so this will likely be my last post of the year. For the time being, I need to visit our local library to write posts. At some point, I'll have access to my own computer and be able to write at home once again. The details about this and a bunch of other things is a really Long story and I don't even want to get into it here. Think of how comfortable you'd be in a small car driving through a parking lot hitting all of the speed bumps at 60 mph. That's where I am right now.

I've given this post the title of "Final post of the year," but with a little luck, I might squeeze in one more. That depends on a bunch of things. Best to consider it the last one, though. I have quite a pile of things that need to be addressed before I can play around on my planet.

Sometime next week, I may write a bit about the nonsense I'm dealing with. Never did I think I'd be in this deep. It's going to take a lot of prayer and work to get out of this hole. Stay tuned.

Maybe 2022 will be better?

Since everything was shut down around March 2020 thanks to good ol' COVID-19, life has been, well, less than fun. That's about as nice as I'm going to get because otherwise some not-so-pleasant words just might appear here—the kind you hear a lot in R-rated movies and biker bars.

Back in 2020, everyone hoped that by the time 2021 came around, things would get back to normal. As we've seen, no such luck. In fact, during this year, at least two new variants of COVID-19 have shown up. First there was delta, and now omicron. The makers of at least one of the vaccines used for the booster shots claim that their vaccine covers those. We'll see, as my nephew and his girlfriend have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Wonderful news, huh?

In a little over a week, we'll be heading into a new year. We said the same thing a year ago and many thought that 2021 would see an end to the pandumbic (I can't help calling it that, in part to the appearance of the new variants and the fact that too many people still don't take this whole thing seriously—they don't wear face coverings or keep their hands clean, and think that they're somehow above catching any form of the virus).

Will 2022 keep the fun and games going? Only time will tell.

What to do when life becomes overwhelming

Y'know, for a guy who isn't working, I sure have a lot of stuff going on. Trying to finish the taxes (I filed an extension, but the deadline is coming up—long story). I'm behind on some other things and trying to work through them. Despite health issues, I am able to work, though I would be best at doing what I've been doing for a long time, which is pretty much engineering support—drafting/design, technical writing and illustration. It's frustrating when people tell me to "go apply at a warehouse" (Amazon, Costco, etc.) or "get a fast food job" when they don't know my state of health. There are personal transportation issues, as in "needing reliable transportation." I'm still planning to rid myself of that tragic carpet on my face. And there's the never ending fight to try and keep myself healthy, vertical and breathing. These days, life is kind of like trying to fit a full-sized, five-course meal onto a dessert plate. If nothing else, at least I'm sleeping well and getting enough.

As I mentioned previously, I've connected with the local Baptist church. The last time I was there, I asked Pastor Glenn if I could arrange a time to sit down with him and just...talk. I have no doubt that he can point me in a better direction than the one I'm heading in. He's really busy this week, but he said that perhaps sometime next week could work, and that he would be glad to spend some time with me.

A couple of friends invited me to join them at Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) this week. I think I'll take them up on their invitation because I could use that. Fright Fest is going on out there and they'll be open late. SFMM is one of my happy places, and a visit out there always puts a smile on my face. Mom and family are going to visit this weekend to help me with some things at home.

Today's post was mostly written for me to vent a little. At some point, all of the crap will be over and everything will be all right once again.

A rambling visit to the Planet

It felt so good to be able to write a new post last week. So much so that I wanted to try it again. Like last time, I'm at the library. They got new computers with some funky keyboards, but I'm sure they'll grow on me over time.

Speaking of growing...

By now, most of you know that during the early months of this year, I have regrown my beard. Something's wrong with it because it's all gray—like it's old or something. A few days ago, I overheard a guy tell someone to "go ask that Methuselah-looking guy over there." That calls for me to rethink having such a monstrosity adorn my face. I never wanted to grow it in first place, but when the simple act of shaving becomes difficult, it's just easier to let the hair grow and the beard flow. While I'm still fighting the fatigue that caused me to grow it in the first place, there comes a time when it's gone far enough and must meet its doom. That time is soon. Perhaps I'll write a post with before and after photos—for shock value if for nothing else. The police can update their files with my new photos. I'm not easy to catch so they'll have their hands full.

Getting around the Planet has been difficult as of late. The three cars at our house are anywhere from 15 to 20 years old, and all are running poorly or not at all. Common sense says to "just get a new one." Easier said than done—especially now because even used cars are hard to come by. It's all related to COVID-19, so they say. Not having worked for awhile doesn't help, either, as it takes money to acquire a car.

Have I rambled enough yet in this post? I think so. I'd better not say any more about the things that are bugging me at the moment or I'll end up getting into things that need to be kept quiet for the time being.

I'm thankful for being able to get back into my blog and do some writing, whether it makes sense or not, and whether it's a long or short post. Any way I can do it, it's good for me.

Looks like I'm back

Didn't think you'd see me again, did you? Honestly, neither did I. When you don't have a computer, you use your tablet if you have one. Mine worked enough for me to write while the library was closed, but it ran out of memory then went all josoco and stopped working altogether. I thought I was sunk.

I don't recall if I've written about having started to attend church where I live. Like most things, I'm slow to jump in with both feet, so I haven't officially joined this church as of yet. But I do enjoy going and there are some wonderful people there. They just got a new pastor last spring, and in my opinion, he's a keeper. Pastor Glenn Bezerra is young and brings a whole new dimension to a conservative Southern Baptist church. From what I've seen, he's really given the church a good kickstart. Reaching out to the community is high on Pastor Glenn's agenda, and the church has planned or will plan events that involve the community. With five acres of property, there's a ton of room. A recent event was a block party. Everyone at church was invited and encouraged to bring family, friends and neighbors. They had a ton of food—American, Brazilian, Filipino and Mexican. (I had a little of each.) There were games, music and a raffle. I even won a new tablet. (I was surprised because I usually never win anything.) I invited my mom, my sister and my nephew. All of them had a good time, got to take a tour of the church, and they got to meet Pastor Glenn.

It's been about a month since the picnic and I haven't yet set up the tablet. But I'm behind on most things these days. Overall, I'm not feeling well. Even though I'm fully vaccinationated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines, I'm still struggling. After my poor Honda quit running last December, I've been driving Diana's old Corolla, and now it needs a ton of work. Per my last post, I still haven't been out to take a much-needed coaster ride. Taxes. Issues with my home. *SIGH* 2021 may go down as a worse year than 2020.

This wasn't a world record-breaking post in terms of length. But it's enough for me to reconnect with both of my readers. Despite the challenges, I think I'll be OK when all is said and done.

Will I return to our local theme parks in 2021?

It's very strange for me to not take trips to theme parks. For most of my life, those trips were always a lot of fun. As we all know, the events of 2020 kept parks closed for most of the year. I only visited Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) twice, which is unusual for me. One visit was in January to attend the media day event for the park's newest coaster, West Coast Racers. The other visit was in November for their first ever Holiday in the Park drive-through experience. I never got out of my car during that event, so of course I got no rides on anything.

Now with so many people receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations, parks are reopening, though with restrictions on number of guests and how close they can be to one another. In fact, as I write this, Diana and Lori are getting set to head to the recently-reopened Disneyland Resort tomorrow to celebrate their birthdays.

SFMM reopened last month and reservations are being taken for guests to visit. As with Disneyland, there will be restrictions in place. Ditto for Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland California, and SeaWorld San Diego. Things are slowly getting back to normal.

But the pandumbic is only part of the problem—for me at least. My own health issues don't help. I need to work with my doctor to get those things under control, resolved, amputated, cured...something. It'll take some time and work, but I'll get there.

Notice to my readers

This is a quick heads-up to anyone who follows me by e-mail. Apparently, the folks at Blogger have decided to discontinue the "Follow by Email" service, come July 2021. If any of you are getting my posts by e-mail, you will no longer receive them in your e-mail as of July. The best thing for you to do is to make sure that you add my blog's website (http://erics-planet.blogspot.com) to your bookmarks if you haven't already.

Also, I will still post links to my blog posts on Facebook, so if you are connected with me there, watch for status updates, as they will contain the link to the latest post. Keeping an eye peeled for a link on Facebook and bookmarking my blog's website will assure that you won't miss anything.

Yell for Yellow! Making pandumbical progress

What in the world does that mean?!?!? Yell at a yellow light to stay yellow till you get through it? Yell at the yellow stuff you dripped on your clothes while eating a hot dog? Or the worst—yelling at that yellow stain spreading across your lap after you've laughed too hard at something...

But Yellow is a good thing in this case. It's the final tier and least restrictive of the COVID-19 color tier system. It may be a thing in other states, but it's definitely a thing here in California. 

It is estimated that our county (and certainly others) should be moving to the Yellow tier in the next week or two. With the number of COVID-19 cases dropping statewide, Gavinor Newsance claims that the color tier system could be gone, extinct, kaput by June 15. My guess is that once that happens, it means that we'll no longer be under restrictions as to how many people can be in a restaurant, sports facility, theater, theme park, etc. Call it "almost" back to pre-pandemic levels. This doesn't/shouldn't mean that we can let down our guard. Continuing to social distance, wash our hands, and wear face coverings will be a good idea for at least awhile. With more people receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines now available, we should reach herd immunity, which is a major turning point.

And things should improve significantly from that point on.

Orange you glad we're making progress?

Danger! I'm being punny again. Our county just moved to the Orange tier of the state's COVID risk factor system the middle of last week. Only one more tier left to go: Yellow. Maybe I'm just jump-up-and-down, golly gee, giddy glad that we've taken yet another step toward the end of the colored tiers here in California. Even Gavinor Newsance says that they can throw out the COVID color tier system by as early as June 15. What a relief that will be! Imagine going to a building dedicated to one purpose—putting food on a table in front of us so we can chow down. And filling my own cup at the Freestyle machine! Haven't done those things in ages!

That may not mean the end of needing to wear face coverings, though. While the end of the color tier system may mean fewer restrictions on us, continuing to wear our face coverings may be a wise thing to do. There will still be a risk of catching the dreaded coronavirus, though not as much. It would be wise for certain individuals [points at self] with a chronic illness (in my case, two) to continue wearing their face coverings despite being fully vaccinated (which I will be soon). Better safe than sorry.

Interestingly, I recently got a text message from my sister about arranging a visit to Six Flags Magic Mountain sometime soon now that the park has reopened. Other parks in the state will reopen within the next month or two. SFMM is requiring would-be guests to make a reservation to visit in order to comply with a state-imposed limitation of the number of guests in the parks. (Imagine if parks limited the number of guests in the parks all the time! No more packed-to-the-gills theme parks! That would be a theme park fan's fantasy come true!)

Strange as it sounds, there have been a few benefits to having limitations on travel and activities. Fewer people crowded together, less traffic for faster commutes among them. But getting our normal lives back will be a blessing. I'm looking forward to that!

Are we finally heading back to normal?

After 175 years of the COVID-19 pandumbic (well, it seems like it's been that long), our county has finally moved from the Purple tier (the most restrictive) to the Red tier, meaning that there are fewer restrictions on us. More opportunities for dining inside restaurants, and more people allowed into businesses are among the benefits in the Red tier.

A thought about these tiers: I don't know how or why they were given the colors they got. Purple, Red, Orange, Yellow. It seems more logical to have the most restrictive tier be red, then move to orange, then yellow, then green—think traffic lights. Why? Because that's an easy, familiar way to remember the color levels. When I hear "Red," I think "Stop." Then with Yellow or Orange, I think "Caution." With Green, I think, "You're good to go!" That makes sense to me, anyway. But I didn't make it up. Learn more here.

Being able to go inside a nice, cool and clean restaurant, pour our own drinks, and have some elbow room sounds really good right now. We'll still need to wear our face coverings, but getting to sit and eat inside will be like a luxury. Also, by the end of April, most—if not all—of California's long-shuttered theme parks should be open. Of course there will be limitations of the number of guests; face coverings will be required, social distancing will be in place, and ride vehicles and tables will be frequently sanitized. Fewer people will be able to ride due to social distancing, so waiting will take longer.

I'm guessing that movie theaters will reopen with limited capacity, as will bowling alleys, gyms, etc. Maybe Jim Kula and I can resume seeing the foreign films on Monday nights.

Aside from the increase in activities permitted, more important is the fact that this disease is slowly but surely receding. We won't be losing so many of our loved ones. Sadly, some of my friends have lost one or a few family members and/or friends.

People are receiving their vaccinations—if they can get an appointment to do so. I've been trying, but no appointments have been available. At this time, people with certain conditions are getting priority to receive the vaccine. (I qualify because I'm diabetic.) Strangely, there are vaccination sites in every city of our county, except for the city I live in. Kinda figures, huh? But I can keep trying, right? At the rate I'm going, I'll plan on being fully vaccinated by the turn of the next century.

I've called this COVID-19 situation a "nightmare" and a "pandumbic." What I'd like to call it is "over." 

Is it OK to be angry with someone who's sick?

At some point in our lives, we've had to care for or deal with someone who is fighting some sort of bug, condition, disease, virus—whatever. For many of us, it's our children or spouse, but could also be a friend. Taking care of someone who is ill can be frustrating, especially when that person becomes dependent on you for simple things that they normally do on their own. But is getting angry, raising your voice or even striking them (I've heard stories) ever the right thing to do?

So why am I writing about this? As of late, I've been dealing with something that's been causing me to sleep a lot. I've written about it here on the Planet, and know that I need to see the doctor. That's old news. Until the COVID-19 pandumbic goes away, that could be tricky. However, with the new vaccines now available, maybe that'll speed things up. Our county just moved up a color level (to Red), so some of the restrictions have eased. I've had various people actually get angry with me that I'm not well and can't (they think "choose not to") do what they feel I should do. (Remember: many of these folks are armchair physicians and know it all. Upon request, I'll bet they'll proudly show you their medical duhgree.)

Regardless of the nightmare we've been dealing with for a year, there are going to be sick people from now till the end of time. Those who choose to deal with their ailing family and friends by following the advice given in Caring for the Infirmed by Iyell Atyou are doing the world a tremendous disservice.

Inflicting anger onto someone who got sick because of a virus going around or from a treatable condition allowed to get out of hand will not make them better, nor will it fix the problem. Depending on the affliction, taking care of someone can be exhausting. But as hard as it may be, try to show some compassion and kindness to those who could use it. In reality, that means everyone all the time, but when people are under the weather, an extra serving is not only a nice touch, but may have some benefits.

Things seem to be coming together

After what seems like an eternity of unericsplanetary debacles (try saying that fast three times), mishaps, bad tastes in my mouth and gum in my hair, it looks like there is a light at the end of the tunnel—and this time it's not a train.

Some things aren't changing (like my bizarre sleep habits as of late. I told you about that last time). But some things...maybe. Just today, in fact, I woke up at the crack of late afternoon—3pm to be exact, a mere 13 hours after hitting the hay. Getting up at almost dinnertime is not a good thing, especially when you're a diabetic. Going too much time without eating can be dangerous. Fortunately, my blood sugar reading was good at 111. But later on, what made my day was a visit from someone who may help in ridding our place of one of the two old, decrepid cars that live here. The best of the bunch will be returned all fixed...my CR-V. Done at no cost to me, too! I'll asplain when it happens.

Whenever things start to go right, it's a boost to my feelings of self worth. And I've badly needed that for such a long time. I've spent too much time worrying about what's to come. What I've learned is something I've actually known all along: that patience and prayers pay off. Many family members and friends have reminded me of this; the good things that are starting to happen is a sign that it's true. I need to learn to listen.

Everybody wants to be a cat!

Well, maybe not everybody—and maybe not even me. What brought this up is a few facts about me and thinking about how things are going in my life these days. Then the infamous song from Walt Disney's classic 1965 movie, The Jungle Book, came to mind. First, I was born under the sign of the cat, you know, Leo (not Lincoln-Mercury). Next, as of late, I've been sleeping upward of 12-15 hours a day whether I need it or not, or even if I don't want to. We all know that cats spend more time asleep than they do awake. I also sleep curled up in a ball (think "sideways fetal position") under some very thick covers to stay warm. And in the summer, too! It also helps my feline persona that I have been very lax about shaving. I've almost completely regrown the signature beard I had from high school till about 1999. The difference is that my once auburn jowl-to-jowl face carpeting is now completely gray. I may be 61, but I look about twelve times that. See for yourself:

Small children and animals beware, right? At least the hair on top has more or less retained its natural color, though it's starting to pull the dreaded disappearing act. So far, no one I've encountered has tried to pet me or call Animal Control. They even allow me into grocery stores, so at least I can still get my mum-mums and other things I need.

This is the result of dealing with who-knows-what. My doctor sent me to the lab and nothing is out of whack, though my blood sugar numbers could be better—typical diabetic issue. But I'm in no danger, my heart and lungs are OK, etc. He also sent me to an endocronologist for further treatment, but thanks to some missing information and a tight deadline by which I had to have had my visit, I missed out. It's a new year, so I'll see if we can try it again. Having good health insurance is a godsend, but at times it can be more like "unsurance."

So there you have it. You didn't ask, but you got an update on me anyway. Weird as it sounds, I may be rockin' facial fur that rivals Chimi's, but that will change ASAP. And maybe I can take care of some other things that have needed doing for longer than they should. One step at a time. But first, a little more sleep...

In an age of automatic, why do I drive manual?

Well, the title of this post isn't exactly correct. There's more to it than what I wrote. I didn't want a title a hundred words long.

I've been driving since way back in the '70s. The first car I ever drove was probably one of the driver's training cars. We had a small fleet of 1974 or 1975 Plymouth Valiant four-door sedans at our disposal during our few weeks of instruction. Naturally, our cars had automatic transmissions to make our learning easier. Fewer clutches to replace, I'm guessing. At home, we had a 1965 Chevrolet BelAir station wagon with the dreaded "three-on-the-tree" three-speed manual with the shifter mounted on the steering column. Mom and Dad drove it with ease, and my older brother Mark picked it up fairly easily.

Then there was me.

When I tried to learn, I probably popped that clutch so many times people thought I was trying to make the car jump like the lowriders do. But after about three or four...hundred tries, I finally got it down. Once I felt comfortable with the whole process, I was good to go. Mark had a couple of early '60s Ford vans with the same setup, though a bit different with the driving position ahead of the front wheels. At one point, I was asked to drive a Chevy step van (think food truck or delivery van) for a friend. This truck had a three-speed manual, and I was nervous driving it out on city streets. But I did OK.

Over time, various friends got cars with four- and five-speed manuals. Those were floor-mounted, making them easier to drive. Despite knowing how to drive a car with a manual transmission, I played it safe with my choice of a first car—a used 1975 Oldsmobile with a floor-shift automatic. About five years later, my friend Bill showed up at my house and suggested that we go look at Toyota Supras, since I'd shown an interest in the car. During the test drive, the salesman said he was impressed with how I drove and handled the car. Next thing I knew, I was filling out a mountain of paperwork so I could drive my new car home. Wait...WHAT?!?!? That was a $16,000 car ($50,000 in today's money). I WAS PROBABLY NUTS TO DO THAT!!! No, not "probably." But they did knock $2000 off of the price.

So now I had a car with a five-speed manual transmission as my primary car. The Olds wasn't worth trading in, so I took it home. Mom gave me the Glare of Death when she saw my new wheels. Don't know why; probably never will. My sister Barbara drove the Olds for awhile, then one day it was just...gone. Someday I'll find out what became of it.

Aside from rockin' the gears, the Supra took me on some interesting adventures. Bill and I went to St George UT one weekend. Then my sister's friend Lori from work saw it parked at Mom's when she and Valerie stopped by for a visit. Lori joked about taking a ride in it, and Valerie set me up with a date with Lori a week later, giving Lori the chance to ride in my car and get to know me, too. A little more than three years after that date, we got married. Those cars were very popular with thieves, which resulted in my car being stolen three times. Read about that here.

The Supra took me about a quarter-million miles before it pooped out. I replaced it with a 2002 Honda CR-V with an automatic. We wanted a manual, but couldn't find one. A friend of ours found a 2002 CR-V with a manual and bought it, but, strangely, has had all kinds of problems. I don't know why.

My CR-V has also gone a quarter-million miles, but is having some issues. Whether it's at the end of its life, I don't know yet. I need to get it looked at by a good mechanic. In the meantime, thank goodness Diana's old car is available for me to drive.

How did Diana come to drive (and LOVE) a manual? Lori and I felt that if Diana learned how to drive a manual, she could drive anything. And it might limit texting behind the wheel if she had to mind the gears. She learned quickly and enjoyed it. So much so that after nearly 14 years at the wheel of her Corolla, she set out to get a replacement. Lori helped her find a couple of suitable choices. Diana chose a Mazda3 sedan with a six-speed manual transmission. As of this writing, I have neither driven nor ridden in her new car, but I'll get my chance. 

Cash in my chips or keep playing?

Everyone who reads my blog or knows me personally knows that I've been struggling as of late with regard to a number of things: DD. Employment. Health. Home issues. Lack of personal transportation. Money. Not having shaved for two weeks (and, boy, is that beard gray!). That I tend to list things in alphabetical order (hint: note the first letter of the first word in each sentence. Weird, but...me). A lot of stuff on my plate. Before I get too far, let me clear up the title of this post. I'm not planning to send y'all a permanent ¡adios! and doing something crazy. I'm just thinking out loud about dealing with such a full plate of chaos.

And I didn't include everything. I went back for seconds when you weren't looking...

When you're faced with so much, you often can't successfully deal with it all at once. You need to take it step by step. Tackle whatever you can however you can. Sometimes solving the small things clears the way for solving the big things. When resolving your issues, it's always easier when you're strong—whether mentally or physically (or both), depending on the challenge at hand. My physical health is slipping, though I'm eternally thankful that I'm strong mentally. I'd rather have the entire package—the mental AND physical health—but I'll take anything I can get.

So, no, I'm not cashing in my chips anytime soon. I'm going to keep playing even without much money. It only takes one good hand to win, and I feel that the winning hand is in the deck somewhere. With divine intervention, good luck and perseverance, I'll be dealt that winning hand and my name will be on it.

It's strange that I use these metaphors of gambling when I don't gamble. (Maybe I miss working my roulette table, having gone the entire year of 2020 without working any casino parties thanks to the pandumbic.)

Keep my (hairy) chin up and take it as it comes. I'll be OK. My faith in God, Diana taking care of me, and everything else I've mentioned here will help to keep me afloat.

How soon will it be till we get back to normal?

Given the amount of time we've been stuck in this worldwide pandumbic, there's no doubt that many of us—if not all of us—can't help but to wonder when things will return to normal. The short answer is "who knows?" On my planet, what is normal cannot be easily defined, as "normal" here is as complicated as can be. Six of one, half a dozen of another as the saying goes. For the sake of simplicity, though, we'll focus on things where the majority of our fans live. And that would be Earth.

My own year is not off to a good start. Still without wheels, it's hard to get done what I need to get done. I have some friends who have had COVID-19 hit home in one way or another. One friend and her husband picked up the virus somewhere, but got one of the new vaccines and are doing OK. Another friend and his wife got the virus; he's OK, but his wife was in the hospital briefly. In the last message from him, he says she's home and improved and he has yet to show any symptoms. I don't know whether they got vaccinated.

As I write this, we get a new president in two days. The last four years have been nothing short of a fiasco politically. We'll see how it goes. At age 78, Joe Biden will be the oldest person in U.S. history to take the office of President. There have been rumors that Biden chose Kamala Harris as his vice president intentially so that should he need to leave office during his term—for whatever reason that will be—she will step up and become the first female U.S. President. Could happen, but we'll see.

Some have speculated that COVID-19 will be with us throughout 2021 and into 2022. There are reports of a new mutation of the virus that people are picking up. Between all of the politics, DD (from my last post), viral mutations and who-knows-what-else, there's no telling when normal will come around the bend. Maybe chaos is the new normal. If that's the case, it'll take some getting used to.

Giving some thought to 2021

Yes, another blog post from the guy who brings you to tears every time he hits that PUBLISH button. COVID. Eric's non-running car. Diana taking Dad grocery shopping. Taco Bell open for pick-up orders today but not tomorrow but open the day after, meaning that a one-mile walk (round trip) to get food is a gamble that not even Las Vegas has seen. Whether I get food there is iffy, though the exercise is certainly good for me. Me sleeping twelve to fifteen hours a night. A lot of random stuff cluttering our garage and front walkway and the back seat of my car (there's a story about all that clutter—I need to give some thought as to how to present this as it's a sticky situation that needs a cautious approach in order to avoid the threat of a lawsuit—seriously! But know that it's a "Long" story in a variety of ways). At our house, 2021 has gotten off to a rather...interesting...start. Maybe 2022 will be normal. You never know. But I'll see what I can come up with regarding any writing about this cavalcade of catastrophes.

First the tale of the lengthy slumber. I get into bed at 1-3am, curl up into a ball under the covers, get warm and pretty much become comatose. (How comatose you ask? I sleep through thunder, earthquakes, traffic and trains passing by only 200 feet away!) Then I wake up in a dimly lit room. Why so dim? Because it's 3:30-4:30 in the afternoon in the middle of January and the sun is riding down the offramp of the day. It's done its job warming the Earth and providing our electricity, and nighttime is coming. Why is my body doing this to me? A good question that only a doctor and lab tests can answer.

But I'm just getting started. 5pm, time to get the mail out front and eat breakfast. Read the paper under the lights, check e-mail, do some fruitless online job searching (since that's where the jobs are, but fruitless because no one responds to me despite having an "awesome" resume, so say some recruiters). Eat lunch and spend some time on Facebook and other sites, do laundry if needed, eat dinner while laundry is going, pay bills if any are due, deal with *GULP* the dreaded DD (this is part of the aforementioned Long story regarding all of the clutter), feed the chinchilla and get to bed. Rinse and repeat daily.

I'll write more about my car and Taco Bell some other time. And maybe even DD.

Things have to change, and no one but I can effect that change. With help and guidance from God—and a blessing or twelve from Him—I can resolve this. All I will say is that this nonsense had better not keep going throughout the rest of this year or else it will beat even the worst that 2020 dished out. Given some of the issues I'm dealing with (not everything is mentioned here, but believe me, I could write volumes), I can easily see why some people decide to call it a life and cash in their chips early, so to speak. Don't worry about me, though—I'm not going anywhere because I have too many things on my kick-the-bucket list, among which is visiting at least a few of the 43 states I haven't been to, visiting Japan, and riding a wooden roller coaster that isn't in California. You can't do those things when you're pushing up daisies. 2021 will be the year that things get back to normal for me—and everyone else...I hope. For me, normal life is generally happy and I'd like for that to return. And I'll bet everyone else will, too.

Without wheels in SoCal

Last month I wrote this post about my car crapping out on me after 255,000 miles and nearly 19 years of faithful service. At press time—nearly a month later—I still haven't been able to get the car to a repair shop. For one, I have no money. For two, I've been kind of down for the count, healthwise, that is. Just today, in fact, I slept for more than fifteen hours, getting up around 4:30pm. (I think my body's trying to tell me that it needs a replacement or something. Not sure...)

We've all heard that everything happens for a reason. That could very well be the case here, though right now I couldn't tell you what that would be. The thing is, in Southern California, realistically, you need your own car to get around. Sure, there are ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber, but to be honest, nothing beats getting into your own car whenever you want and going wherever you want. Interestingly, my previous car went about the same distance in about the same amount of time, so maybe whenever I get my next car, assuming it's this year, I can expect it to last till I'm 81. By then, I'll be too old to drive. Mom still drives at 84, but she doesn't have the health issues that I do. In all honesty, though, I don't think I'll be around then. At least I hope not.

Fortunately, my daughter has been good about taking me to get groceries and to other places I need to go, despite having a busy work schedule. (I plan on keeping her.) But aside from running the errands of life, sometimes you just need to get away, even if it's only for a few hours. Things can get stressful—looking for work, managing my health and home, hiding from certain annoying people, etc. (I can write quite a post about the "annoying people," but maybe some other time...)

Getting this problem resolved will take some doing, some praying, and some time and money. I'm sure I'll find something about this that I can whine about and put into blog form for you.

It's never too early to plan for your future

From the time we were little snotnosed bratsters, our parents and teachers always told us that we need to think about our futures and start planning for them. That makes no sense at all when we're living at home with Mom and Dad taking care of us—doing our laundry, cooking our meals, keeping our home clean and everything working, etc. We live at home until someone sweeps us off our feet, then we marry that lucky person and go live with them and take care of each other for the rest of our lives.

Wait! Not so fast...

Somewhere in that plan should be getting an education and/or going to work, raising any children that might result from this partnership (marriage is a partnership, right?), and affording/maintaining a home. At the same time, we need to plan for those years when we decide to call it quits at work; that is, retire.

Back in the old days, we'd usually retire at the ripe old age of 65 and collect our Social Security money till we died. In many cases, that was within ten years of retiring. These days, many people tend to be healthier, which means that they'll live longer. The longer we live, the more money we'll need to keep ourselves going. If you have the means to put away part of every paycheck, one of the best things to do is to open a 401k account. (Everyone reading this already knows about these accounts, so I won't go into details.) Investing in the stock market could also be lucrative, provided you make wise choices.

Blather, rinse, repeat.

Most people are well aware of the financial end of retirement and all of the decisions needed to be made and responsibilities fulfilled. But many people forget about another aspect of our so-called golden years: our health. By my observation, many people my age spent much of their youth and early adulthood doing what is known as "partying hardy." Not to brag, but that just wasn't my scene, man. Unfortunately, Type 2 diabetes caught up with me and has wreaked all kinds of havoc. Never mind the booze and marijuana and all of the other things. Like all of mine, my battle with diabetes is a "Long" story with no need to repeat the details. Many of those things have already been written about and are here on my planet, so take a look elsewhere in this blog to find them.

In my own case, I don't have much. Circumstances beyond my control (which I won't get into here) helped to deplete my funds. But that doesn't mean I'm sunk. Opportunities abound if you look for them or create them. It's a matter of finding something that works for you and to have the drive to do it. I ain't dead yet. A bright future is still possible. And it is if you're able and willing to do what it takes to get there.

Keeping a promise

Many times over the years I've promised a short blog post. So here you go.

Looks like we made it...but...

Have no fear—I'm not going to be singing Barry Manilow tunes any time soon. Unless you want some windows broken, that is. The title of this post comes just one day after the end of 2020, which was voted Worst Year in the History of the Earth by pretty much...everyone.

But 2021 got underway just 24 hours ago, and started off with a bang. No Tournament of Roses parade, no football games, no anything normal to celebrate the new year. As for me, I didn't even get dressed or go outside (except to get the paper). Without a working car and Diana at work, I could not visit the grocery store. Sure, they deliver, but I actually like going grocery shopping (and doing laundry, which I'm doing now). With all of that going on and a new blog post, I hope the house doesn't blow up.

I recall that when 2017 started, I'd been out of work for a long time, and a job came my way. Jobs don't just drop in your lap—you have to look for them. I have a lot to say about the job seeking process in the U.S., and little of it is positive. That'll be a blog post in itself.

Could something come my way in 2021 or will it just be another odd year? Time will tell, and so will my health. I mention my health a lot because there's a lot to tell. But like the job thing, it'll require its own post.

Now that 2021 has gotten going, let's do everything in our power to make it as good as 2020 was bad.