Grumpy

I just got done trying to place an order for delivery with Walmart. I have a 15 day free trial period. But Walmart snd I are having a tough time arranging a meeting of the minds. I am grumpy, as often happens nowadays. I had a procedure Monday and got sick immediately. The hospital said it was pneumonia. However, they did not hear it through their stethescopes.Anyway, I now have a bunch of pills to take at varying times of the day.A very modest pneumonia. I want to thank Reader Tat for recommend ing Philip Kerr. I am now reaading one of his books right now. thanks, Tat. Can IO recommend an author to you? Lionel Davidson. You can get his output on Abebooks. The rose of Tibet is one of my favorites. Try him and see whether you like him. I don't always like authorz I am supposed to like. I'm not saying they are not good, they just don't suit me. Faulkner is one writer I don't have much time for. I concede that he is brilliant and a genius. I just don't want to read him. If I had been assigned his work when I was in college, I might have enjoyed his work. I read Fitsgerald in college.But he is a more accessible writer. Faulkner is a lot of work, like Beowulf, another book not on my top 50 favorites list.

Inanimate objects are malevolent

Inanimate objects have it in for me. A case in point: my new Eufy robot vacuum cleaner. It worked three times, whizzing all over my new apartment and then returning to its home base. so i lovingly cleaned it, emptying the receptacle for dirt and removing the brushes and filter and cleaning them. So how did it repay me? I turned it on yesterday and it went merrily about the place. It seemed to be working. But it never returnined to its charging station. It's smeowhere in my home but seems to be hiding. I looked in all the posible sits where it could be hiding, and then in the impossible under the beds, etc. and then the improbable ones, then the impossible ones. Could it be lurking in a closet? Perhaps it had leaped into he bathtub? It's nowlere to be found. Perhaps it realizes that when I find it, it is gning back to Amazon toute suite. Meanwhile, the dust accumulates and I have to clean it myself!

Isn't every dog entitied to one bite?

If you are paying attention youo might notice that BLM-antifa rioters did not get the same treatment as the Pro-Trump crowd. Resiglnations and tut-tuts all around, especially from bad sport supreme Mitt Romney. Chris Christie weighed in, he of the Fort Lee crossings fame. Another hypocrite reveals himself. I don't know exactly what happened last Wednesday night nor does anybody else. The prese is purposely vague. One gathers from press accounts that the pro-Trumpers enraged the ire of the press by even existing, let along showing their faces. Did the police encourage the rioters? What happened? Maybe the attorneys investigating the deaths will shed light on this. Surely the deaths of four people can't be passed over. But what of the rioters who have kept us entertained all Summer? Will they suffer any consequences? Probably not.

Did Al Sharpton get a nasty letter from the IRS? Did Tim Geitner?

So I got a letter from the IRS that if not nasty was imperious and abrupt. They threatened to seize my property. It was sort of the iron had in the velvet glove, except there was no glove. I'm just wondering whether the "reverend"* Al Sharpton got a similar letter? If so, what did he do? I don't know just who reveres the good rev. Not me. But I understand President Obama had hin as a guest in the White HOuse more than once. I won't say he is an anti-Semitem but he is.

Looking for my glasses

I have three pairs of glasses and finally found one of them. The other two are somewhere in the upheavel of moving. This was the worst moving experience I've ever had. The movers lost a 40 in television set. Youo would think this would be hard to lose, but not for the boys and girls at Overland Movers. They also lost the two bedside tables and two matching lamps I had in the second bedroom. All that's left of them is a single, dented--but not dented by me--lampshode. My ssecond bedroom does n't have room for them anyway. But I would like to have my digital scale, my shower chair, and my robotic vacuum cleaner, and the $100 antenna which are also missing. And the television. I actually found the remote for the television set in another box. How do you lose a television set? Well, how do you lose your glasses. I don't absolutely haxve to have them since I had cataract surgery. But I like wearing them because they are progrsssive, so I can read with them. I found one pair but the earpiece was hanging by a thread. So I called America's Best, which fixed these glasses before. You have to have an appointment with America's Best because they are frightfully busy. Anyway, they put me on hold so I could listen to their commercial about what bargains they offered for about 5 minutes--an eternity in real time--and when I finally got a sentient body on rhe phone, she asked my if I had bought them from America's Best and I had to answere in the negative. The sentient body then informed me that they could not fix these foreign glasses. I asked why and was told if was because of Covid. What the hell is the connection? Covid 19 a wonderful excuse for not doing your job or doing a half-assed job. The United States Post Office apparently suffers from this disease. Important documents which were mailed to me never came. So when I ordered new glasses I opted to pay extra for two-day delivery. I did this the day after Christmas and I am still waiting for this lightning fast delivery. By the way, WalMart's optical department fixed my glasses. They were very gracious about it and did not charge me. I guess Covid has not spread to WalMart.

Some books I like that nobody else has ever heard of:

I am re=reading "The Menorah Men," by Lionel Davidson, Davidson also wrote "The Rose of Tibet," A great adventure story,reminiscent of Alexandre Dumas. I just looked up Lionel Davidson, the author, and discovered that he was a three-time golden dagger winner. He was an englishman, and had that particular felicity of style more common in English authors than in others. His books are sure pleasure to read.

Dr Jill and other stuff

For some reason, blogger is making it impossible to publish comments. Thanks for commenting anyway. I know who you are. You few, you happy few, I appreciate it. When I wrote aboout "doctor" Jill, I didn't want to single her out. Az majority of doctoral dissertations in the field of "education" are as bad or worse than hers. Of course the University of Delaware had to grant her a garbage degree. They were happy to do it. All their education degrees are garbage. Colleges and universities no longer have standards. Do you think Michele Obama got into Princeton because she had scholarly qualities? Rid yourself or that notion. She was a legacy; her brother had a basketball scholarship. Do you think that airhead Chelsea Clinton was accepted at Stanford because she was smart? Judging by her current vapid comments, IU hink she got in because of her daddy and mama. It's not hard to get into Princeton or Stanford; what's hard is to get less than an A average. And not because all the students do A level work.

About Dr Jill's dissertation

People are sneeering about Dr Jill's dissertation: I've got news for them: All the dissertations at the University of Delaware's Education Department are like hers--stupid. This is what an education dissertation is like, at the Univdersity of Delaware and everywhere else. It's a sstupid degree for sstupid, but pretentious, people.

I've just been reading my old posts

Gosh, I was witty then. Could I refer my readers to "Horrlbie Harold,"? Talk aboout sparklling prose. I'm not funny any more. I've become an old grouch. I'll try to go back down Memory Lane, since 2020ffers so little levity. Or should I just pack it in?

Hello everybody

I am back online with barely energy enough to whistle. Nevertheless grateful to be alive and kicking. I will soon start to shoot out witty apercus but not quite yet. Consider this the only holiday greeting I am capable of. I wish you all well, better than well for sticking by me. I have a feeling that if I survive 2020 I will be alive, for a while at least. Keepthe flags flying, happy new year!

I'm still alive and living in Maryland

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas

I'm seriously thinking about GoFundMe

I just got the news that my new mortgage. It's going to be about the same as my old mortgage. I could not pay my old mortgage without guests from airbnb supplementing my income. If I made $1000 from airbnb every month, I was doing fine. Without this, I am totally up a creek. What am I going to do? No answer suggests itself. I can't work. I could not last a day. I can barely stand up. Everything has gone crazy. My old IRA, which took almost all year to get out of AIG. My credit report, which was a total fiction, but they will not correct it. So my new mortgage will cost extra points. I'd rather eat barbed wire, but I may go to GoFundMe.

My interesting year

I was just reviewing my adventures of 2020 so far: January: Serious anemia February: Mini stroke March: Immured in a horrible place, the bryn Mawr rehab hospital, where you lie in bed for 23 hours a day and receive useless physical therapy. I left AMA, thank God. They were giving me so many blood thinners that you could have brushed your teeth using my blood, what there was of it, short as it was of hemoglobin. A friend helped me escape. April: My dentist told me of a hematologist who would give me iron infusions. Finallly got to see him and get blood tested. For some mysterious reason, it is difficult to get iron infusions, which made you feel better instantly and are readily available. One of the mysteries of the medical system. Meanwhile, the government gets Covid-19, which maes it impossible to get any medical attention or get your hair or nails done. May, June, July: restaurants close. Delivery. Medical professions fire everbody who knew what they were doing, and suspend any meaningful phone contact. voice mail takes over the world. You can never talk to anyone again except by downoaading their rotten apps, and then you might grudgingly get attention. Aside: why can't you see a podiatrist? Another 21st century dilemma which appears unsolvable. Getting your ears cleaned out is completely ruled out, it can;t be done. Although why ear and foot doctors are needed by covid-19 patients is never explained. August: Put my 2-story house up for sale so I can live near one of my daughters. Discover the value of the house has increased $300.00 over the last 16 years. Another mystery. discovered that property in MD is higher priced than property in DE. Another aside: I don't like MD. They gave Lincoln a hard time during the Civil War and have been corrupt ever since. Also produced Nancy Pelosi. August to present: troubled by Realtors, Banks, and credit bureaus. because I was paying my car payments to the wrong account. Nissan reported me as deilnquent. This is costing me money on my new mortgage. No one can, or will, do anything about it. So they ruined my credit, and won't fix it. Sucks to be me, right?

Chutzpah

Experian, the credit bureau that is ruining my life and my credit, offers me a new credit card! no reasoning with them. It would be like reasoning with the wind. . Congress, if you have nothing else to do, look into these credit bureaus, they are a blot on the body politic. Of course, Congress does have the duty to make sure that everyone at a Trump rally is wearing a mask and that keeps them busy. that and stealing the publicc's money. When I see stores full of people wearing these masks, somehow they remind me of the German Jews willingly sewing Mogen Davids on their clothing, thinking this would keep them safe.They thought Hitler would leave them alone now that they were humiliated and labeled, not allowed to go to school and attend concerts. Falso beliefs. Nothing keeps you safe from your enemies. I know the analogies are far fetched, but this is how I see them.

Thanks

 It was really heart-warming to see the responses to my kvetching.  Thank everyone of you.  L love you too.  You are the true comrades of my heart.

Tell me if you are still here.

 I would like comments from my readers just to inform me that I, and they, are still alive.

I know I am not as amusing as I was once, but I'll work on it, if you are stil reading this thing.

Protection racket

The Mafia should take a hint from their spiritual cousins, the Credit Bureau.  I just opened my experian credit  report, to discover that I had 6 (six) black marks on my credit report.

One of them is from Nissan Acceptance, which totally muddled my credit by keeping three accounts open and not accepting the checks which my bank faithfully forwarded to them.  I was never told I was in arrears ro this company. They just kept sending me bills.  They reported my account as delinquent to the credit bureau but not to me.  I I am trying to purchase a new home and was informed that I was delinquent.  I then looked into the matter and discovered that I was paying into the wrong account.   Attempts to rectify the situation were shrugged off.  A credit report is as final and irreversible as death, apparently.  From the Nissan dealership and Experian I received no help and no courtesy whatever.  Sucks to be me, was the final answer.

At long last, Nissan sent back the payments I had made  to the wrong account.

I finally asked to look at my credit report.  To my amazement, I had 6 (six) black marks on my credit report.  One was from Macy's, where I had had an account for about 40 years.  I never had a complaint from them.  The other four were baseless.

Experian offered to "repair my credit" for a payment the amount of which was undisclosed.  I refused.  I want no further dealing with these weasels.

It was just another protection racket, but apparently legal.  So the Mafia ought to rethink their business practices.

 

 

 

 

 

A license to be rude in horrible 20/20

Now that we are enduring a never ending wall-to-wall corona-virus public health emergency, people are enjoying the luxury of being rude to their fellow citizens.  Commentors on websites no longer restrain themselves from wishing those who disagree with them slow lingering and painful deaths.  Or from releasing personal information about those they consider in error .  Or showing up at the homes of their fellow citizens to threaten death and destruction and keep their innocent neighbors up to all hours by shouting, dancing and singing, 

 

Every day brings idiotic but necessary tasks, like figuring out why $970 worth of car payments did not reach Nissan although the money came out of my bank account.  The person taxed by Nissan to figure it out was very reluctant to help in any way; in fact, he audibly rejoiced in  his inability to be of any assistance.

 

I persisted, and eventually he informed me that the money went into the account for the car I traded in for this one.  You see how boring and stupid this was, right?  How uninspiring it was?

 

Now,  I have to prove that my EZPass is not working.  There are no actual humans involved in the EZPass system.  It's voice mail jail all the way.  If the problems they prefer are not the actual problems you have they hang up, saving themselves endless effort.  Although, being government emloyees, they never exert themselves anyway.

 

 

The wheels have come off, and the nation is merrily rolling down a cliff

 When I worked at the library, I was the secretary of the library board.  That meant I took the minutes, and I could put whatever I wanted into them.  if something had been mentioned at the meeting I did not want discussed, I left it out of the minutes presented at the next meeting, and it was officially a dead letter.  If I wanted action on something, I included it in the minutes and we eventually worked on it.

 

This worked well when I had harmonious relations with the Board; they trusted me.  When the politicians got their greasy fingers on the minutes, our treasurer insisted on hiring a stenographer to insure that the minutes were completely opaque and revealed nothing.  The money to pay her came out of--where else?--the book budget.  But that was okay, because no-one on the Board actually read a book and had no idea why we had a book budget.  

I recalled this handy arrangement when I heard of the FBI's Form 302.  The 302 reports were written by the agents who interviewed the subjects.  Though these were treated like holy writ, in truth the agent could claim whatever he/she liked and the subject had no recourse.  HThe interviewer could revise the 302 to say whatever he wanted it to say.  What a great way to slander and vilify people!  And how unnecessary, especially in a day and age when everyone has access to video tape.  A video tape of an interview would transparently reveal the facts of the case.  But this was not done.  It appears that videotaping interviewees is still not being done.  Suggestion:  why involve the subject in the interview at ll, why not just let the agent make up whatever he or she wishees to say without even involving the subject.  Yes, that would save time and have the same result.  Much easier all around, no?

When I heard about these Holy 302 the scales fell from my eyes, and the FBI was revealed as the corrupt and useless organization it truly was.  Subsequent events revealed just how malevolent the FBI was and still is. Totally politicized, it's only reason for existing is to set traps for the duly elected President and pull him down. It's a jobs program for the useless and malevolent like Brennan, McCabe, Lisa Page and her lovers and no doubt countless others, all of whom make far more money than the taxpayers, poor fish, who support these parasites.

But I digress.  I really wanted to draw attention to how awful routine daily living had become.  Try to make a dental appointment, or get your hair done, or have your eyes examined.  They really rake you over the coals for attempting such impudent activities.  Everyone is hiding behind a screen of voicemail, using Covid 19  as a justification for their rudeness and incompetence.

According to the poet e e cummings: "There's a hell of a universe next door, let's go!"  I'd like to be transported to that universe as soon as it becomes feasible.  As soon as I get the app on my phone, and can a leave a message on the proper person's voicemail.

still alive and trying to stay that way

 Yes, I am still alive.  I miss the old days of blogging, when other bloggers read your posts and reacted to them.  Now, it's all Facebook and other, still more horrible websites.

I loved the old blogger sites: Matt Peak, where are you?  Also airforcewife, whose life was so interesting and lively.  Johnny Virgil, a really talented writer who lived in Upstate New York, could always make me laugh.  Texas scribbler? Tatiana/?  If I forgot to mention you, sorry.  I can barely remember my dentist's name, and I see him every six months.

I am depressed by our country's plight, and my own.  The whole country seems to have been led by a pack of idiots for years, and now we know it.  The jig is up, but the masks remain.  Whose idea was it to quarantine the healthy, anyway?

 

How in the world did, in a country of 330,000, Bill Di Blasio, rise to a calling in life higher than a pizza delivery man?  No one is more qualified than him?  Really? If you can explain it to me, please do.

Joe Biden, really? The most pressing issue for Democrats is how to pronounce K Harris's name, while Joe can't remember to put his socks on before his shoes.