NEON GODS

I survived the flu...

I'm just getting over the flu.  It wasn't bad and it only lasted about 36 hours but for those 36 hours I didn't feel like doing anything.  I read a novel, I watched the World Series, I slept a lot, and petted the cat.  Petting cats when you're sick feels very good.

I'm at the age where I'm supposed to have a flu shot every year.  I've never gotten one because I've never had a bad case of the flu or any other illness that made me real sick.  I don't like taking medicines if I can diseases that aren't life threatening.  Flu doesn't scare me (but it probably should at my age!)  I know I'm taking a stupid chance by not getting the shot, and every year I tell myself this is the year I'm going to get one, but...

We're at the WV cabin again for a few weeks.  All the leaves are off the trees now and we can see the valley floor from the windows. Of course at this time of the year the valley is brown and barren but it's still a delightful view from the deck where I am writing this. 

When we were here last, our washer AND dryer both broke on the same day!  The repairs would cost a lot and we would still be left with an old washer/dryer, so we're going to buy new ones tomorrow.  This is not a good time to buy appliances out here.  Last year we bought a new refrigerator in November and the weather turned ugly and the delivery truck couldn't make it up the mountain because the weather turned ugly.   We REALLY needed the refrigerator last year, we can survive without a washer and dryer (we have water, a washtub and plenty of Tide).

--Trakker

Buying a Hewlett Packard Computer? Beware!

Repairs to my laptop computer were completed 10 days ago.  So why don't I have it?

If I sound pissed it's because I am.

My Hewlett-Packard laptop, purchased last fall, developed problems with the display.  Since it's under warranty I arranged to send it back for repair.  I didn't know how long the repair would take (up to 3 weeks they told me) so I didn't know where I would be when they returned the laptop.  I included a note with the laptop describing the problem with the display.  I also noted that I would probably not be at the address where I sent it from, and asked that they give me a call before returning it so I could tell them where to send it.

Monday my neighbor in Maryland called and said FedEx had come to my house three times trying to deliver a package, but they needed my signature.  The only package I was expecting was my laptop so I called Hewlett-Packard and they said they were trying to deliver my computer but no one was ever home.  I told them that was because I wasn't at that address and asked why they hadn't called me like I specifically requested.  They didn't know. I gave them my West Virginia address and they said they would reroute it to me here.

That was Monday.  Today (Thursday) I got a call from a Hewlett-Packard service rep asking why I wasn't accepting my laptop.  I asked where they were delivering it.  He gave my Maryland address.  There was no indication anyone had rerouted it to my WV address.

So now I must wait until Monday (if I'm lucky). 

So anyone who is considering buying an Hewlett-Packard computer, beware!  They break, and their customer service if you need warranty repairs is the worst I've ever encountered.  I haven't even described my conversations with their service reps and the hoops I had to jump through getting this very simple (VERY simple) problem fixed.

--Trakker

Time Out!

My HP laptop screen is jumping and flashing and almost impossible to read so it has to go back to their service center for surgery.  They tell me to expect a week turnaround.  I'm not sure if I can find a usable alternative for blogging and email...so things might be quiet on Neon Gods for awhile!

--Trakker

It's Time to Decriminalize Drug Usage in the U.S.

Last November Massachusetts voted to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.  Andrew Sullivan, who summers on Cape Cod, went to the beach one day to enjoy a toke, assuming no one cared much anymore.  Much to his surprise (and dismay) a park ranger showed up and ticketed him for it.  What Andrew didn't realize was that he was smoking on federal land (Cape Cod National Seashore) and possession of even small amounts of marijuana on federal land is still a crime!

Fortunately for Andrew, the U.S. Attorney dismissed his case, but NOT the cases of the other three who were arrested with him.  On the surface it looks like favoritism, because Sullivan is famous and the other three aren't but the real reason the U.S. Attorney threw out Andrew's case is more sobering (and surprisingly compassionate).

The bottom line for me is this, it's time to stop this damn nonsense, wasting law enforcement's time and energy arresting pot smokers and further clogging the legal system.  Far more lives have been ruined by the arrests and prosecution of pot users than the drug itself. I recall reading about jail sentences of 5 years, 10 years, even more for those caught with even small amounts of marijuana.  Thankfully those days are largely over, but given the percentage of people who admit to using pot even occasionally and the lack of evidence of any real harm to society, it's time to decriminalize possession of pot and even harder drugs.  For the harder drugs we need to send those with a drug problem into treatment centers, not to jail (use jail only as a last resort).

I'm writing this as a 64 year old who has never used pot or any other drug.

--Trakker

Boosting the world's IQ

After finding myself immersed in David McCullough's biography of John Adams for the past few days, I'm busy trying to catch up with the posts on the Daily Dish.  Here is an interesting example of how the Internet has changed journalism.  Money quote:

What did we do before the Internet? The desire to drill down into multi-layered minutiae of small but important subjects was expanded a thousand times by the web. I really do believe its boosting our culture's collective IQ. And it makes it harder for the scoundrels, shysters, charlatans, and publicity whores of the world (like Bugliosi) to hide out. [emphasis mine]

Very true.  Actually we need to look no further than the search engines and Wikipedia to see all of the new doors that are open to EVERYONE in the world(!) seeking knowledge.  Yes, you have to expend some brain cells to evaluate what you read, but the Internet has allowed smart people to share their knowledge with the rest of us (so why do we still have nuts insisting that Obama was not born in the U.S.?).

--Trakker 

Amazing!

via www.guardian.co.uk

You may have already seen sand artist Kseniya Simonova's stunning work on YouTube but I just watched it for the first time. Wow!

Kseniya was the winner of Ukraine's version of "Britain's Got Talent" where Susan Boyle first popped up to become an overnight world-wide sensation.

Sometimes I sit back and reflect on what an amazing world this is, and how easily we can witness the beautiful voice of Susan Boyle, the magnificent talent of this Ukrainian woman, the embarrassment of a beauty contestant trying to answer a question she knows nothing about, videos of courageous Iranians, and the brutality in response from their illegitimate government. All thanks to the Internet and the digital technology we have developed.

Amazing.

--Trakker

On the hottest day of the year (so far) we lost power yesterday afternoon and didn't get it back until this afternoon.

We never lose power in the spring or fall when we could open our windows and enjoy cool, crisp air, we only lose it in the middle of summer when even the night air is hot - and sticky.

It's amazing how much losing power upsets our lives.  I forgot that I couldn't dry my hair after my shower this morning.  Also no coffee, no news, no Internet.  Ouch!

--Trakker

Sounds of Silence

I've been offline for the past week. Our cabin in West Virginia needed a lot of work and now it's almost complete and habitable after months of waiting. The only Internet we have is a weak unsecured wi-fi signal from the neighbor down the road. Thus I've been living in blissful ignorance of world and national affairs. I'm sure I would know if Washington was nuked but other than that....

There is something to be said for blissful ignorance, especially when it is spent at an altitude where air conditioning isn't needed and the windows at night must be closed to keep the chill out.  As much as I love living in Washington, DC, it is impossible to really relax in a big city.  There are so many interesting things going on all the time that one feels almost obligated to be part of it.  And in the summer Washington is always unbearably hot.

So it's been wonderful to get away for a few days and sit on the deck and read or think.  Granted, when I think I invariably end up worrying about our country.  Seems like everyone now recognizes and admits the major corporations own our Congress and run our country.  The big question is, can we wrestle control back and restore "We, the People, ..." again?  I think a lot of people on the right and the left are fed up with Congress and we're just waiting for a populist leader to channel that anger.  Sadly, that leader won't be Barack Obama.  Barack has shown he is bright and has more common sense than most leaders, but he is not courageous enough to challenge the CIA and Wall Street (maybe in his second term if he gets re-elected).  We need a bloodless revolution badly.

--Trakker

Portable Audiobooks

I want to give a shoutout to my daughter's new blog, "Koofie's Natural Living."  She has always been a big proponent of living a green lifestyle.  Her website details how she, as a mother of two little ones, finds ways to treat our earth as gently as possible.

On her website I learned about a new portable audiobook device.  They are called Playaways and she found them in her local Howard County (Maryland) library.  Each Playaway is preloaded with a book.  They fit in the hand and have controls that increase the reading speed, the volume, and for jumping from chapter to chapter.  They are perfect for kids, and for adults who are planning to spend some quiet time at the beach.

Playaways can be rented also, similar to NetFlix.  For more about this clever device, check out Playaway's website.

--Trakker

Obama

Life has gotten busy lately so I haven't had time to write much, but I've bookmarked some items I'd like to comment on.  Hopefully I can post a few today, since I will be out of town tomorrow.

After watching Obama for a few months now, I'm beginning to get the feeling that his writing and rhetorical skills have been largely responsible for getting him where he is today, not his leadership and legislative skills, which have yet to be developed.

Unfortunately, he made campaign promises that he now feels he cannot keep (e.g., DADT, transparency and openness).

Anyone who is paying attention knows that he is overly deferential to Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats, and contemptuous of the left.  In his heart I believe he is afraid that a majority of voters still lean strongly conservative and hate the left, thus he is doing everything he can to convince the MSM that he is not a liberal.  To do this he has decided to throw his LGBT constituency under the bus.

It was frustrating watching his recent meeting with the LGBT leaders the other day.  He said all the right words to the enthusiastic cheers of the leaders who still want to believe him, but it was all bullshit.  Take DADT (don't ask; don't tell) in the military.  Since Obama took office over 200 highly skilled gay military men and women have been kicked out of the military, and more are going every week.  President Obama says this is wrong, but he claims he can't do anything about it yet because the military brass at the top is resisting letting openly gay people serve under them.

Evidently Obama prefers to ignore the fact that HE is now Commander-in-Chief.  He is their boss. If he abolishes or suspends DADT, they had better salute and accept it or leave the service.  This is what Harry Truman did as C-I-C when he told the military brass that they WILL accept his order that blacks be allowed to serve as equals in the military service.

It's possible that the brass at the top are resisting this because they are all loony Christian fundamentalists and are threatening to leave the military en-mass if Obama allows openly gay people to serve.  Good, their exodus would only make our military better, especially when we're at war with Muslim nations.

--Trakker