Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[alaskaleftybass]

I tip a few but smoke nothing. Haven't for years. Just doesn't interest me anymore. When we toured Canada for six months at a time if any band member was found with weed they'd be immediately terminated and we called back to Seattle and had a fresh drummer sent out. Not only do I not do the stuff but I'll be doggoned if any knucklehead is going to get us stopped at the border......

 

[ric426]

If all can hold out I read miracles are on the horizon for eye issues. That's the next big thing in medicine. I have a friend here in little Sitka that received great news recently-- some treatments that were proven in Europe will be available here in the US in the near future. And he was told once his vision was gone that was it. Now he's been told there's hope. Not saying it's the same condition as your wife's but don't give up hope, lots of headway being made in that field.

I hope you can play bass again, I sprained my thumb recently and couldn't do a couple shows. Missed it.

As far as weed goes, come visit Alaska. It's all legal here! LOL

Thanks Will, I do appreciate the encouragement, but her condition is fairly rare and was unknown until 5 years ago when the technology was developed that could even detect it, so there's no work being done on treatments for it. The best case scenario would be a gradual loss of her central vision in her one good eye, but as time goes on the odds of a sudden catastrophic and total loss go up. My comparatively minor problem may be correctable with more surgery or I may be screwed. Either way I'll find a way to cope with it, but it's been 3 months now and the waiting to find out that's wearing on me. I'm on Medicare now, but my wife still counts on the ACA for insurance and if the rich old white lawyers in Washington succeed in killing that off, she won't be able to get affordable insurance, if at all. Now they're calling for cuts in Medicare and Social Security too. Naturally, all this stuff puts us both on an emotional roller coaster.

I didn't mean to stir up any controversy with my comment about weed. I haven't smoked any in at least 30 years, but the way things have been, I've found myself thinking sometimes that it'd be nice to have a joint to chill out.

Hanging out here is a welcome distraction from the roller coaster, so I appreciate you guys letting me hang out and make silly comments once in a while.

Ok, I'm done being serious...

Yeah? Well, you're all weird lookin' and yer moms dress ya funny!

 

[BassmanPaul]

Yeah? Well, you're all weird lookin' and yer moms dress ya funny!

You forgot: And sheep are nervous around us!

 

[Al Kraft]

I'm on Medicare now, but my wife still counts on the ACA for insurance and if the rich old white lawyers in Washington succeed in killing that off, she won't be able to get affordable insurance, if at all. Now they're calling for cuts in Medicare and Social Security too. Naturally, all this stuff puts us both on an emotional roller coaster.

As a retired civil servant and someone who spent close to my entire life in the Washington DC metro area, I have to a say I've never seen more dysfunction in government, ever. On top of that there is an unprecedented cavalier attitude about the consequences of decisions or lack thereof on hard working Americans.

The politicians seem to forget who pays their bills and that it's not an unreasonable expectation for those bill payers to want a little less drama from their elected officials and a lot more results. None of us who pay taxes would have a job for very long if we performed at the same level as our elected officials, who oh by the way usually exempt themselves from playing by the same rules they impose on us.

Sorry for the rant, but every time I hear about people who paid into a mandatory benefit program for years (like Medicare or Social Security) being treated as a financial burden to society when it comes time to collect the benefits they paid for, I become angry. Once you've paid your mandatory dues, I don't think the person or government who took your money has a right to do anything except deliver the service they promised.

For new program participants entering the workforce I'm fine with establishing new rules and/or new fee structures. But for those who worked a lifetime, our American values and ethics leave only one right course of action - deliver on the promises made when the money was taken from their paychecks.

 

[beans-on-toast]

...my entire life in the Washington DC metro area...

A lifetime of capital punishment.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

As a retired civil servant and someone who spent close to my entire life in the Washington DC metro area, I have to a say I've never seen more dysfunction in government, ever. On top of that there is an unprecedented cavalier attitude about the consequences of decisions or lack thereof on hard working Americans.

The politicians seem to forget who pays their bills and that it's not an unreasonable expectation for those bill payers to want a little less drama from their elected officials and a lot more results. None of us who pay taxes would have a job for very long if we performed at the same level as our elected officials, who oh by the way usually exempt themselves from playing by the same rules they impose on us.

Sorry for the rant, but every time I hear about people who paid into a mandatory benefit program for years (like Medicare or Social Security) being treated as a financial burden to society when it comes time to collect the benefits they paid for, I become angry. Once you've paid your mandatory dues, I don't think the person or government who took your money has a right to do anything except deliver the service they promised.

For new program participants entering the workforce I'm fine with establishing new rules and/or new fee structures. But for those who worked a lifetime, our American values and ethics leave only one right course of action - deliver on the promises made when the money was taken from their paychecks.

*****BIG APPLAUSE!!!!*****

We served our country. Now they can serve us!

 

[alaskaleftybass]

A lifetime of capital punishment.

Booooo, I mean... HA HA!!!!!

 

[ric426]

The politicians seem to forget who pays their bills

You mean the wealthy donors who buy their votes? The ones who will actually benefit from their current tax cut plans?
I disagree, they seem to remember them just fine. The main thing that's changed is that now they don't even bother to try and hide it. My feelings of disillusionment, frustration and betrayal are hard to overcome sometimes.
I think we may be treading on thin ice with regards to the TB rules about subject matter in the threads, so I'll stop my rant before it really gets going.

Does it seem like the professional sports seasons start earlier and end later every year? Pretty soon the World Series will start conflicting with the Thanksgiving day football games...

 

[Al Kraft]

You mean the wealthy donors who buy their votes? The ones who will actually benefit from their current tax cut plans?
I disagree, they seem to remember them just fine. The main thing that's changed is that now they don't even bother to try and hide it. My feelings of disillusionment, frustration and betrayal are hard to overcome sometimes.
I think we may be treading on thin ice with regards to the TB rules about subject matter in the threads, so I'll stop my rant before it really gets going.

Does it seem like the professional sports seasons start earlier and end later every year? Pretty soon the World Series will start conflicting with the Thanksgiving day football games...

I was wondering the same thing. I don't remember the World Series being a potential Thanksgiving day dinner topic in my younger years. Maybe it's just getting older, but I feel like I barely get back from the 4th of July fireworks and I'm seeing "number of shopping days left till Christmas" ads. It's like everyone is milking every cash cow for as long as possible anymore.

 

[spankdaplank]

So I told my doctor the truth after he told me I might not have long. "Yeah doc it's been forty-five years of nothin but wine, women, and song. But do you have any good news for me?".
"Well," doc said, "YOU CAN SING AS MUCH AS YOU WANT."

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Houston Oilers are my favorite baseball team.

 

[Stumbo]

Houston Oilers are my favorite baseball team.

Me three!

 

[beans-on-toast]

Did someone say Bassballs?

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Did someone say Bassballs?

 

[BassmanPaul]

As an outsider to the Washington goings on it would appear that the USA has turned it’s governance into a TV Reality show! It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic and very, very dangerous!

I’m sure that there was a Science Fiction book about just such an event.

 

[Al Kraft]

As an outsider to the Washington goings on it would appear that the USA has turned it’s governance into a TV Reality show! It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic and very, very dangerous!

I’m sure that there was a Science Fiction book about just such an event.

Well the movies Dr. Strangelove and The Running Man come immediately to mind!

 

[BadExample]

Thanks bro @BassmanPaul and @Stumbo . Anyone seen our troublemaker @BadExample around? Saw @agedhorse and @Passinwind recently. Amd Mr. @Al Kraft . Sheesh you'd think I was calling formation! Hey @beans-on-toast and @ric426 .........

And GOF #1 @B-string ????

Hi

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Well the movies Dr. Strangelove and The Running Man come immediately to mind!

And that’s being kind!

 

[G-Dog]

. . . it would appear that the USA has turned it’s governance into a TV Reality show! . . . .

The most recent episode of "The Orvillle", called " Majority Rules", was a planet very similar to 21st century earth, except that crime and punishment was decided by social media up-votes and down-votes! To me t was the least funny episode and most true to Star Ttrek, The Original Series in it's analogy to current phenomena, but with the hope of a utopian "better way".

In this case the "better way" starts with turning off the social media, to which I concur (present company excepted, of course).

 

[BadExample]

I've been off work all week. Wife had an ear rebuilt for the 2nd time. Expected they would attempt to fix a hole and just skim off some thickness from the replaced eardrum, both via laser. externally. When we got there, we found out he was going into the inner ear. So that involves pulling the ear half off and going in. He grafted the hole, better chance of success, lasered off the eardrum to about 1/200th to 1/500th of what it was, by his post op description, and enlarged the ear canal a LOT, as he described it. She's had a lot of trouble with this ear, and her very tiny ear canal makes an ear infection much more likely. The result is she's in a lot more pain than we expected, but hopefully better off in the long haul.

While taking care of her, I've been struggling to maintain my normal routine at work, no more than one task per day. In addition to that, I've had to wake up every day at the crack of noon and start prepping myself to be on the receiving end of another 12 pack of Guinness, so I just haven't been so chatty with all I have to do. Right now, in a rare state of sobriety, I type words for you. So I have not participated much since page 325.

Returning to where we were:

It was amazing to me in working with AIRLANT and AIRPAC decades ago (prior to establishment of the NAE and the AIR Boss position) that it was really like two different Navies. In the 80's as I recall one of the biggest differences in my area of concern was the value of the jet engine test cell on the fantail. I may have it backwards, but AIRLANT wouldn't deploy without it 100% operational for every engine in the CVW, and AIRPAC used it as a storage locker and relied on RFI engines in cans from a shore-based AIMD. AVCAL tailoring differences were obviously significant as well.

That extended deep into the culture and we did not get along very well at all. When we got our 3 CH-53's, the new and modernized FOD, they came with enough AIRpLANT enlisted and pilots to almost double our manpower. Such delicate flowers... It was a big mess for a long time. They were always waiting on parts, so we did get some help on our 3 to 4 H-3's and 14 Skyhawks. The '53's were pretty amazing during the brief moments they were not down or falling from the sky. We had a video of one taking a gutted out C-2 hanging on a cable to the bomb runs for target practice. We also pulled out and returned to Cubi a Marine H-53D in teh same manner. That one got stuck in the mud. The '53D's were said to be reliable, no folding tail, shorter and only two engines (plus the APP).

Now, I still need to do my task for today, replace the blower motor resistor pack in my Jeep. It's getting late enough that I'd better multi-task, taking a beer with me.