That's a Great Question

 I detest hearing any politician reply to a citizen, "That's a great question."

Translated, that means the citizen caught the politician in a lie or the politician got caught feeding the populace bull s+*t and the politician does not have a clue, either. 

There is something very condescending and patronizing about hearing, "That's a great question."

Below is a pathetic example, but you will get my vibe.

Citizen:  You want to promote density housing with no parking as the government is pushing public transportation and electric vehicles.  Yet there is no plan for parking nor where people would charge their electric vehicles.  Public transportation is inadequate to get people and families to their jobs, schools, doctors appointments, etc.  Exactly how will people get around, where will they park and charge their electric vehicles with all this new density building with no parking and no real public transportation system, and how do we meet our carbon emission reduction goals simultaneously?

Politician:  That is a great question!

Bottom line:  Hearing "that is a great question" is the equivalent of hearing "I have no effing idea myself and I am full of bull-oney."  Any political campaign manager who encourages his client to use "that's a great question" when caught in a lie or flat-out does not know the answer should be fired immediately. 

Thanksgiving :) and Orange Cheetos

 My favorite holiday is just around the corner - Thanksgiving!!  It will be a very manageable number this year and cooking for them will be a joy rather than penance.  I have shed the ingrates, as I've made it clear that I will not be disrespected - especially in my own home.  I have no idea where they are going to leach a Thanksgiving dinner.  Not my problem.  

Hey, have you heard the Orange Cheeto will be our commander in chief?  I'm certain you have.  I refuse to name him as any kind of attention feeds his ego.  I have very mixed feelings about it.  I listened to him live during the debates where the media could not spin anything.  I thought he was worse than Biden as far as mental decline.  And no, I'm not a fan of Camel Toe, either.  I know too much of her backstory in San Francisco.

I can honestly look in the mirror and know that I did not vote for either one of them.  I can honestly state that I voted my own way, and trying to convince me that I was "throwing away my vote" fell on my deaf ears.  I do not believe any vote is wasted.  That is what the two dominant political parties want you to believe because their worst fear is competition.  I honestly believe there are more people like myself who were not impressed with either candidate, but felt compelled to hold their nose and vote for one of them, as they were successfully manipulated into thinking that "they would be throwing their vote away" if they did otherwise.  

The Orange Cheeto has a stupid mouth.  While I do believe our borders should be more secure - there is a BIG difference between LEGAL and illegal immigration - I don't think his solution of rounding them all up in a mass deportation will get anywhere.  However, every country has a right to orderly entry.  If you think I am full of it, try emigrating to another country - LEGALLY.  You won't like the forms, expense, wait times, and other requirements for entry.  Why should rule breakers trying to get into the United States get preferential treatment?  There are MILLIONS of people who would LOVE to live in the United States.  What is our answer?  We coddle the rule breakers, and punish those who are patiently waiting their turn.  

Controlling entry into the United States will benefit immigrants from employers looking to exploit them.  If they are here legally, immigrants will be more confident in exercising their rights by calling out employers who treat them poorly.  We all benefit from that. 

I can understand the appeal of the Orange Cheeto as he is really the only option we have had as far as candidates who were not already pre-selected, career, politicians.   He does support law and order - but to a fault.  I think many Americans feel abandoned by the democrats who tend to want to "de-fund the police" and provide (at tax payer expense) sex change operations for incarcerated felons while we, who are law-abiding citizens, can't even afford basic health insurance. The democrats were too busy wringing their hands and obsessing about which pronoun a person uses (rather than just focusing on the person) whist the rest of Americans just wanted a steady paycheck (and hopefully benefits) and hope that they will get out from underneath oppressive rent, health insurance, homeowners insurance, auto insurance, taxes, and grocery expenses.

We would not be in this mess had the democrats been honest about Joe Biden's mental decline (as many of us had suspected for a LONG time and our accurate speciousness was adamantly dismissed by the media) and put forth a candidate who could stay up past 6:00 PM.  We would not be in this mess had the republicans put forth a candidate who was not a bombastic blow-hard and could conduct themselves in a more refined fashion.  One would think name calling and bullying were limited to elementary school yards.  Nope.  

Well, I got off on politics and turkeys.  What's the difference?

 

Elderly Frustration Part II

 If you have not taken care of elderly relatives, your turn is coming.  Looking back, I see how as a child I used to go with my mom to the old folks home in rural Minnesota to visit Aunty Emma Krummel and other elders to whom I am related.  Some of these elders did not speak English.  They spoke their native Czech (Bohemian).  I knew when they were talking about me - I understood just enough to know I was being insulted.  My dad refused to go along for the elderly visits as they all hated him because he was a protestant and they objected  the marriage.  

Enough of that.  

I received a call from my sister last night.  She is pulling her hair out with dealing with my mother.  She wanted to know if there was room enough for one more at our Thanksgiving table.   Of course there is room!  Get on a flight, sister!  I'm here for you!

One of the issues is my older brother.  Yes, the GLORIOUS first-born BOY where the sun RISES and SETS out of his ARSE HOLE.  My mom cannot see anything wrong with him.  The birth order is:  my sister, older brother, myself, and then my younger brother.

The problem with my older brother is that he will tell people he's coming to an event or holiday, and then not show up.  We all want to get on with our food that we have been preparing all day and serve it to the people who have had the decency to let us know we have the honor of hosting and actually show up.  It's getting late.  People are getting hangry.  Mom calls brother.  He is not answering his phone.  Brother is not answering texts messages.  All we want to know is if he is showing up or not.  We all want to eat.  Mom makes excuses for brother as to why we should hold off and pulls the emotional blackmail card and starts to cry.  

We've had it with waiting.  We serve the food.  Everybody is having a great time.  Now we are cleaning up the kitchen.  Brother finally walks in with his wife and wants to know what's going on as he holds out his bag of Tupperware containers expecting us to fill it with leftovers.  

EFF YOU BROTHER.  

The point of this post is that my sister is taking all the brunt of dealing with my mother, and my brothers just show up periodically wanting food, money and to use the house as an air BNB.  They do NOTHING to help. 

 

Lahaina, Maui

 My last post was about wanting to live alone on an island to rid myself of people who think they should have access to my pocketbook because of their own poor planning and even poorer spending habits.  Yes, people who have inherited $$$$$ and BLEW IT are now expecting me to wave my magic wand to replenish their bank accounts and wipe out their debt.  

The list of people wanting "loans" from me is growing.  

I am NOT a bank.  I am not a financial advisor.  I am not a credit counselor.  I am not a retirement planner.   What is ironic is that the people who want me to fork over $ on their behalf have a newer (and fancier) car than I do and also a larger house in a fancier neighborhood.  

One of the guys I work with told me I could become a loan shark, but that is not my personality.  He is a loan shark himself and is paid quite handsomely.  Being a loan shark does not come without its drawbacks.  I don't want to be in the money loaning business.  I don't want to have to send Tommy over in the middle of the night to rough anybody up and bust knee caps for non-payment of money due.  

I digress.  I'm being overly dramatic and taking a poetic license to vent my frustration about mostly family members thinking that I am nothing but a cash dispenser.  

Wait.  The post title is Lahaina, Maui, Hawai'i.  How did I go off on a tangent about loan sharks and family moochers?  

This is where me wanting to be on an island comes into play.  I've spent the last 5 days on Maui in Ka'anapali which is just north of Lahaina.  I was there for a work meeting.  Many parts of Lahaina burned to the ground 15 months ago.  It was haunting to see the blackened concrete and remnants of the devastating fire that ripped through there August 2023.  It was like reliving the Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa all over again.  What really got to me was seeing pictures of fire victims staked along the highway adorned with leis and crosses.  I busted out crying.  

So, maybe being on an island is not so great after all.  Is it better than being sucked dry by mooching family members?  

This post does not make sense as I have been awake for almost 24 hours straight and I realize I'm rambling.  I would usually blame alcohol for the rambling, but I have not imbibed. 

One more topic to throw into this rambling rant.  

Did you hear Trump got re-elected?  I'm certain you have.  Here is the best part about the election results while being in a resort hotel room on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean:  Nobody freaked out one way or the other.  The next day life went on as usual.  Nobody even talked about the election results.  Keep calm and carry on.  

Here's my personal fear with the election results.  Trump is his own worst enemy.  He says some REALLY dumb stuff.  Please, somebody chop his social media twitter thumbs off.  He only incriminates himself. I was dumbfounded at his performance with his debate with Kamala Harris.   Trump said some really stupid stuff that bordered on Alzheimer-ish that made me question his mental capacity like Biden's slipping cognitive ability.  That is what really scares me.  Should Trump die in office, that means Vance would be president.  THAT SCARES ME.  

So, from what were we to choose?  Let's be honest.  Kamala was never presidential material.  She was the box checker for female-black-asain-whatever-ethniciy-minority-vote getter to launch Biden into presidency as he was your average, the run-of-the-mill old white dude who needed a bi-racial person-hood who acknowledged having vagina and identified as female to seal the deal for "diversity, equity, and inclusion."

The democrats effed this whole thing up themselves.  They should have admitted that Biden was in cognitive decline a long, long time ago (like we all suspected and were told over and over again by mainstream media that Biden was just FINE until the disastrous debate on live television the media could not spin) and put forward a plan for a real 2024 presidential candidate.  Instead, we now have Trump who is also in cognitive decline, and his succession plan with Vance looks to me a lot worse.

One thing I need to give Trump credit for:  The stem of illegal immigration into the United States was a lot less under the Trump administration, and I dare say that international "terrorists" did not pull the crap they are doing today.

Well, I'm just a middle-income American who gets hosed as I pay a lot in taxes.  I'm too rich to get any government freebies (as I am also white so I am automatically disqualified) and too poor to get the big business corporation contracts and related tax breaks.  Maybe I should not speak any English and claim a homeland government tyranny so others can work themselves to the bone to support ME.  

Wait.  My homeland government tyranny is California. 

 

 

 

Why is it MY Problem YOU did not SAVE YOUR $$$$$$$$$$$

 It's headed there.  Yup, there is trouble in my marriage.  I'm angry.  I'm frustrated.  My sister-in-law, who is elderly and broke, is now showing signs of dementia.  I'm now taking care of her personal bill paying.  I can't ask her anything, as she tap dances and does not give me a straight answer.  I have to go online to her accounts to see balances and activity. 

Hubby defends his sister and gets upset when I ask uncomfortable questions like, "Your sister is broke.  She owes $15,000 in credit card debt.  Her IRA distribution of $400 per month will run out in 2.3 years.  She needs that money to survive.  She has $250 in her checking account and zero savings.  We pay for her property taxes, fuel, auto registration, cell phone and more.  She can't get a reverse mortgage because she lives in a mobile home.  The rent on her mobile home space is going up January 1, 2025.  She blew her significant inheritance on crap made in China.  Yes, I have her on a wait list for low-income senior housing, but that wait is 3-5 years.  When we asked her POINT BLANK yesterday at our kitchen table what her long term plan was, she said she does not have one."

What frosted my behind was when I told her she does not have one nickle to spare she just giggled.  

I don't want her living here.  I think that is her passive-aggressive plan.  Plus, she does NOTHING to better her situation.  She does not take care of herself.  She does not exercise.  She can get a free hot lunch at the senior center Monday - Friday to either eat there or take it to go.  She won't do it.  They have services at the senior center.  She won't participate. 

Please people, don't dump your own elder care onto others.  You will get old someday.  You will need care.  Also, don't expect the money fairy to appear out of nowhere (whether it is the government or family members) to bail you out.  

Living alone on an island is sounding better and better.

David Allen Novitsky

 Scorpios.  I'm surrounded by them.  I have tumultuous relationships with Scorpios.  Someone once told me that the most complicated and explosive, intense relationships are between Scorpios and Pisces.  I don't know if that's true or not, but it's been my life experience thus far.  

After the death of my "first" love, I've gone back and read all my journal entries from high school.  Dave was mentioned almost daily for three years.  So much emotion, so much angst, so much insecurity on my part.  I finally got the strength to pull away from him.  Fast forward 41 years.  I never thought I would be participating via streaming for his funeral.  Dave was a huge chapter of my life, despite a confusing and awful one.  

I have pictures from high school dances that I almost shared on this blog.  I got an unnerving chill that Dave did not want that.  I'm not so sure I'm compelled to honor him after the way he treated me.  He certainly did not honor ME.  I might post the pictures, anyway. 

Yes, Dave was an abusive asshole.  One of my coven said it best that what I'm feeling is an uncomfortable sadness.  That assessment was spot on.  All of the memories came bubbling up to the surface watching his service this morning.  Dave could be incredibly funny and charming - he could also be very sadistic.  He was almost like a Jekyll and Hyde.  Believe it or not, I started crying when the priest went to the urn and blessed it, and then watching people come up to the urn after the service and have their moment.  Now Dave is a pile of ash.  Gone. 

Dave's own family did not speak to him (and vice versa) at the end.  Tells you a lot about his character.

https://www.millerfuneralfridley.com/obituaries/david-novitsky