So where do you hang out?

    Most of us go through life with a daily routine and generally are not aware of the "life" going  on around us. Yes, we sense there are other people there, but we generally focus only on ourselves and the immediate task at hand, that of growing older.

   Many of us live our life by getting lost in our work. We may join a club or activity that involves people and the interaction it  provides with other,  but as we get older and in my case,  face retirement squarely in the eye, life suddenly changes. Retirement was the time we looked forward to with excitement and anticipation. Now it captures  a new emotion ... fear. Who will be around for us to talk to?

   And the loss of a spouse or family member at anytime is difficult, but living alone at an older age can be can be very frightening. Look at the growing industry of assisted living centers. ( wonder how the food is?) Might be a great place to invest some money.

   Even if a spouse is still alive, the shift to retirement can be a challenge for both. Going to work every day got you out of the house and gave you the opportunity to interact with others. But now...........wow. The number one question each morning? What am I going to do today?

   Today's retirees are a very different bunch. We tend to be younger and have remained more active. We grew up in a time where there were more  things to do when compared to previous generations. There was Woodstock!!! The sudden change from this active daily life to one more sedate can really shock the system. So what do you do?

   Like any resourceful 'baby-boomer, you revert back to the behaviors of your youth. No... not the drinking beer and smoking 'pot'. You hang out. 

   As teens, we hung out on the street corner (some of us smoking) or behind the bleachers, doing whatever we did behind the bleachers (smoking again?).  As we grew older, it became drinks after work at the local pub, a much more socially acceptable behavior. 

   It might have been  a church or a social group, joining the Rotary Club, but we  always participated in some sort of social networking (guess where this is going a another blog?). But over time, people grew older, moved or passed away and the opportunities for those remaining were not as numerous as they once were, although there are the over '50' dating services, soon to be '70' I suspect!!

   But today... it's McDonald's to the rescue, or some  fast food chain. Many mornings on my way through town I will stop for a cup of coffee. There are four different fast food restaurants within a stone's throw of each other and I try to visit a different one each time. Spread to wealth, you know!!. It didn't take me long to realize the different  groups that were “holding court” at each location. But here is the interesting point. At one spot, it is a group of retired couples, at the next it was a group of men, and the third was made up of all women. The fourth... generally empty. No 'senior specials'. Boy,  are they missing out.

   On the warm, sunny afternoons, a totally different group gathers at one of the parking lots, securing a good view of the highway but with a watchful eye upon their 'chrome enhanced' motorcycles. True, this group tends to be a bit younger, but I am not really sure. It's the gray hair in the pony tail that fools me. OK. I am just jealous. The ponytail... and the 'bike'.

   But we may have created a national emergency here, however. I have heard, via the rumor mill,  that at certain locations there have been high stakes bingo games and wild and uncontrolled card games that needed police intervention because they were disturbing the younger customers.  Oh we are still a crazy generation!

There are only 336 days until Christmas

   This is going to be a busy year. It's  already January 23th and my dance card for the year is almost full. There is so much to do and so little time to do it, even if I am retired. With my trusty pocket calendar in hand, I am beginning to note the important upcoming dates for this year. (Yes, I still use a pocket calendar sometimes.)These dates are above and beyond the normal medical appointments and the traditional  daily events in my life like getting the oil changed in my car and the vacations I hope to take. “The planning” is to insure I get everything accomplished. Right!!
   There are 650 days left until election day 2014.  Already I have heard the discussions about the candidates for Governor and who might win, depending on how many run. Blah, blah, blah... I didn't know we had candidates yet, only wanna-Be’s.  What the pollsters fail to realize at this early date is that a great deal can happen between now and the next election day and if we pick the candidate this early in the process, what's the purpose of having an election?
   There are 81 days remaining until this year's deadline to file income taxes. Like me, I am sure that you are well organized, with records and paperwork in place...to take to the tax preparer of course.
   There are only 10 days until Groundhog Day, a day symbolic of what is to come. Speaking of Spring, there are 57 days until the first day of Spring. I wonder if the groundhog knows that? More important, does he care?
   There are 162 days until July 4th.  The 4th represents summertime in Maine, warmer temperatures, vacations and tourists. If we love tourists so much, why is it that we can't wait until they leave on Labor day, only 222 days away.
   I  searched for the date that has statistically been the first day each year when the temperature registers 60 degrees, the first day I wear shorts. It certainly isn't today!! The search directed me to a website that told me that the best average temperature to grow marijuana is between 70 and 85 degrees. I am still trying to figure out how I ended up on that site!
   There are 2017 days until the next Inauguration Day, 2017, the day that symbolizes one of the basic principle of our  society, free democratic elections where citizens have the right and privilege to vote for the candidate they believe can best lead the nation. It also is a symbol of the peaceful transition of power should the President represent a different political party. (Didn't we just have Inauguration Day this past Monday??) And lest we forget, Inauguration Day also marks the beginning of the next campaign cycle for the 2016 election. Oh boy!!
   There are 89 days until Earth Day a day that has come to symbolize the efforts to save the earth and the environment.
   To my grandchildren, there are 228 days until Grandparent Day, plenty of time to get a card and bake some cookies.
   It is going to be a very busy year and for those who may be interested, there are only 266 days until my birthday and I don't want you to forget.
   And finally, there are just 343 days until January 1, 2014. Happy New Year.

Taking aim.... at the 2nd Amendment

   Since the latest tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, the battle cry of the gun advocates has been the 2^nd Amendment and how the 'government' wants to take away the “right” to own a gun (well maybe not everyone in government). I had not looked at the Bill of Rights or the U.S. Constitution for a long time so I dug out a few history books and went to the internet to refresh my memory.

   Even in the early days of the new nation, many were wary that, after going through a war fought for the independence from the tyranny of the English, a new government would quickly step in and take control, treading on the new found freedoms. In an effort to prevent this from happening, the Founding Fathers penned the Constitution and later several amendment, the first ten known as the Bill of Rights. But have those 'rights' changed because the world has changed?

   What is truly interesting to me is that much of the Constitution and the early amendments were based in English law, the very laws which were the reasons for entering into war. Yet the early leaders realized one thing, one of the a flaw of being human: “that with power comes fear, the fear losing control.”

   Now, the Constitution has been viewed by the experts as a living document, one that should adjust to the changing times and reflect changes in society. Far be it that anyone of the “Fathers” could see 350 years into the future though. Can you imagine Ben Franklin reading about Newtown on his Ipad?   

    Recent shooting massacres have caused many to take aim at the 2^nd Amendment, the right to Bear Arms, more commonly referred to as 'gun ownership'. A quick look at the original wording addresses the notion of a well regulated Militia to keep the peace and “security of a free State and that the “right of people to keep bears arms shall not be infringed. (A quick reminder, many Americans already owned guns at the time because they had been part of the war, or needed to hunt for food)

   Today, gun ownership appears to be more than just about owning a gun. Some see it as the last 'real hold' on personal freedom and independence. In the 350 plus years since the Revolution, the feeling of many has been that government has continued to erode the individual freedoms that so many had fought valiantly to gain. Paranoia is alive and well? Perhaps that is so, but...

   The world is a different place today. Those who drafted the Constitution clearly understood that things would change, but they had no clue how much. Is there a need for a ”regulated Militia" today ? Probably not, but don’t tell some of those living the “The Kingdom” of northern Vermont or the rural areas of the mid-west. Is there a need to protect ones personal property? For many, gun ownership is that means to that protection.

   But I think I may have figured out why owning a gun is so important to so many. A gun is something that you can buy, hold and touch. You can name it, clean it, talk to it. It represents “real” individual freedom and power and, when the fear is that government may take that right away, it is just too much for some to bare. Just another case of'government control'.

   But let's not forget that with “rights” come responsibilities. And who gives those rights?  Let the discussion continue.

Can't remember your password? Click here.

          With a high degree of regularity, each morning begins with a similar routine. I bring in the newspaper, start the coffee pot and log on to the computer. Recently, however, I had a frightening experience. I could not remember my password! I am sure it was just a ‘senior moment’, but I was suddenly gripped by fear. I got up from the chair, walked around the house for several minutes and as quickly as I had forgotten, I remembered. I looked out the window. The password was ‘snowyday12’. I try to select passwords that would be easy to remember, something to do with the current season of the year. But this seemingly minor memory lapse had turned into a bit of panic.

          I have a  file that lists many of the passwords for just such occasion, forgetfulness, that is. (Of course I am not going to tell you where it is.) The passwords I use on a regular basis are easy to remember most of the time. The ones I use only once and awhile are more difficult. I counted the number of different passwords in the card file… there were only 21. But that did not count the passwords not written down, the ones I forget to write down or the ones I use for work and who knows how many more. So now, as I am getting older, in addition to remembering where I might have left my slippers, I am now faced with the challenge of “passwording” my way through the day. ( I know there is no such word, but...) But how do I select a good password? I am running out of pets' names.

       There are a number of websites offering suggestions on selecting passwords. It should be strong. Strong? What does that mean? Length is important. Who says size doesn't matter!! Use characters, numbers and letters. Is there anything else?

       For those of us who have trouble remembering, some sites allow you select a ‘clue’ question. My personal favorite asks for “your grandmother’s maiden name once removed.” What does 'once removed' mean. If you can’t remember names, perhaps using a phrase might do the trick.. Birth dates and names are always a definite no-no.

          There is a newer method available. It is an automated system for selecting passwords and every three months the system sends you a new password. But what I found was that in some cases, you needed to establish a user name and password to log on to the site and there could be a minimal fee for these “more secure” passwords. I am not paranoid, but I'm not sure I want some person behind the scene with access to a list. And what happens if on a particular day the random passwords turn out to be all the same across the country? Could happen!!

          I specifically like the websites and blogs that list the ‘do’s and don’ts’ for selecting passwords. My guess is that these are websites developed by people who have at one time or another been hackers and have just finished serving time in jail. Pretty clever though..

       One site suggested taking your name, reversing it, adding a few capital letters, throwing in some symbols and numbers (never a birthday), substituting the letter ‘m’ for an ‘a’, adding your pet’s name and you are ready to go. Xuml#nMj&3lucky. Now that is impressive and easily remembered.

          I have decided that as I get older and my memory begins to fade, the fewer passwords I have to remember the better. So I need to figure out a way to enter just one password each morning that allows me to navigate my way through the entire day.

Any suggestions?

Do these 'jeans' make my butt look big?

   I have decided that if, for some strange reason, every pair of jeans in the country and the world were to disappear, there would be 'a lot' of people walking around “butt naked.” I came to this conclusion as I sat in the parking lot at the local grocery store, motor running to keep warm,  waiting for my wife as she pick up a couple of items for dinner  (like all the other retired folks).

   It was late afternoon, bitterly cold and the store was very busy as people rushed home from work. As I watched them race in and out of the store ( it was cold!) I realized that almost all were wearing some form or degree of 'jeans.' Many pairs were old and tattered. Some were new. Christmas gifts I might assume. Even gentlemen with shirts and ties were wearing 'jeans'. No black or gray slacks here. But the sneakers??? Not sure about that!

   The story goes that the term 'jeans' comes from the word 'Genoa' and referred to a cloth that came from Italy. Originality it was used to make pants for sailors, being a thick blend of linen and wool. The problem with linen was that it needed to be pressed in order to look neat. And you know the Navy.

   Years later jeans were being produced in England and were made primarily of wool. And the year? It was the 1700's. Later, a new fabric was introduced, denim, and the rest is history.

   By the late 19^th century America got into the 'jeans' business and the most well-know maker was a gentleman by the name of Levi Strauss. Along with Jacob Davis they would change the industry forever. (It was Davis' invention of the metal rivets to keep the pockets from ripping  off.)

 ' Jeans' hit the beginning of their everlasting popularity by the 1950's . New companies emerged on the scene and as usual, the movie industry played a major role in their success as the "rebels" on the big screen all wore jeans as a statement of "rebellion."  James Dean ring a bell?

   I can remember my fist pair of 'jeans'; dark denim blue and stiff as a board. But I could only wear them around the house, never in public, according to my mother and definitely not to school.

   'Jeans' were made for the 60's and 70's and the hippy movement. They were to become the symbol of individuality and an independent spirit as they took on new shapes and designs.  And by 1970, the dark blue had given way to the new look of “washed-out” and 'well worn'. Bet you can still find pairs of  'jeans' buried at Woodstock.

   From the early 1980's to the present day, 'jeans have continued to expand their roll into high fashion and design. There are very few who do not have at least one pair of jeans as a major part of the wardrobe whether they be designer or regular, distressed or destroyed, ultra low or pencil thin.

   I have several pairs of 'jeans', now that I am retired. I have a “dress pair” to wear with a nice shirt and sport coat, several pair that I wear when working around the house and mowing the lawn, one pair with the mandatory tears and worn out knee and one pair spotted with paint. ( I personally like the shirt, sport coat and 'jean' look with boat mocs.)

   The future of “jeans” looks sound and secure, regardless of "how big your butt is." And besides, if 'jeans' were, to all of a sudden to disappear from the face of the earth, I am not sure how pretty a sight  would be!! Could give  new meaning to the term " ugly butt naked!"

Stepping off the cliff

    Unless you live in a cave or under a rock, it has been difficult to avoid listening to the endless hours of discussions about the 'fiscal cliff'. “Discussion” may be the wrong word to use.' Discussion implies dialogue. What the" leaders" in Washington have done is to make us feel paralyzed, fearful and worried about the impact of going “over the cliff'”. We have become so distracted by this hype that I wonder what we are really missing, what are we being distracted from......not that I am paranoid or anything!

   In a discussion with someone the other day, he referred to the lack of integrity in leadership today leading to the current state of uncertainty and frustration.

   “Everyone seems to be out just for themselves. Politicians just want to get themselves reelected. They don't really care about the 'little guys like us'.”

   After thinking about his statement for a moment, I responded by asking, “Don't you mean leadership with integrity?”

   I know the two statements don't seem very different and I may be splitting hairs, but my belief is that integrity is a moral and ethical quality in people and people bring that quality to the position. The position doesn't give a person integrity, the person gives integrity to the position. So...current leadership may have created the …..“integrity cliff”. Just ask the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Did he really tell a fellow legislator to “go f___ himself?.” And now he is trying to defend his comment in this morning's paper!! Maybe too much time in the tanning booth has tanned the brain.

   The definition of integrity includes words such as honest, high moral character, moral uprightness. I am not sure what 'uprightness' means, but if it has the word moral in front of it, it must be OK

   As society has changed over the year, I have come to believe that the qualities associated with a high degree of integrity have changed also. Actions once viewed to be the standards for defining high levels of integrity, have been “dumbed down” to explain today's lack on honesty and the loss of a moral compass. Behaviors that never would have been accepted years ago are now part of a new mainstream of leadership and help to define the new 'personal integrity'. Has the term 'honest leader' become an oxymoron?

   Now don't get me wrong. There are some good, honest people out there, both men and women. Unfortunately the ones that attract our attention are those we hear about making the headlines, those exhibiting a lack of integrity, not only in their leadership roles, but maybe their personal life as well. Can we actuality separate the two? Wasn't it Stephen Covey who said that you can 't live one way in your private life and another in the public one.

   So maybe we have been taken to the edge of a new 'cliff,' one with little financial cost, but one with  great moral and ethical costs If there is a time when we need leadership with integrity and the highest standards, it may be now. If there is a time when we need 'truth in leadership', it is now. If there is a time when we need leaders we trust, it is now. The decisions and the path to the future is too important to get lost in being misguided.

  Watch out! There is a new cliff up ahead and the first step could send us over the edge.

Important facts and information to know

   As I walked the aisle of the local grocery store, the mom  walking ahead of me was talking to her son. She  asked him what he had learned in school that day. “We learned the same things today we learned yesterday. I don't know why I have to learn how to spell. I'll never use  many of the words we learn  anyhow.” OMG!"  He may be right.
   This could be a long year in school for this young lad. But it did cause me to pause to think about some of the things we learn. Being old and wise now, I understand the importance of some of the things I considered really dumb when I was in school, like math. But there are  things we learn that seem to have no value at all, useless bits of information.
   For example, did you know donkeys kill more people on an annual basis than the number of people who die in airplane crashes. I didn't even know donkeys could fly!
   And who invented the electric chair? It was a dentist.  Shocking! Makes you want to run right out to that next dental appointment!
     The first person to survive the fall over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel was a teacher names Annie Edison Taylor. Science teacher maybe?
   Did you know the largest turtle in the world weighed just slightly over 2000 pounds.
   Words provide us with useless information. For example, the word 'desserts' spelled backwards spells stressed. Isn't that what happens when you eat too many desserts?
    Dreamt is the only word in the English language that ends in 'mt'.
   In China, the words for 'crisis' and 'opportunity' are the same. Let me think about that for a minute. Maybe the folks in Washington need to......I'll move on.
   The words' race car' and 'kayak' are the same whether you read them from the left or the right. For someone who is dyslexic, no problem here. Did you know the names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with. Not sure? Check it out.
   The word “typewriter” is the longest word  using only the top row on a keyboard and for those who took typing in high school, “stewardesses' is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand.
   Speaking of size, “Go” is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
   One can only wonder who has the time or the energy to research  these nuggets of important  facts. As I watch baseball games, or any sport for that matter, I am amused at the number of statistics that make their way into the broadcast. Who hit what pitch in what inning to win the third game in some playoff game can only be out done by a record  number of yards gained by a running back while only wearing one shoe. If not mistaken, I think he kept on running, right into the locker room. I watched that game!
   But now on to more serious facts. I will spend at least two weeks of my entire life waiting for  traffic lights to change from red to green. The average chocolate candy bar has eight insects' legs in it. In 1933, Mickey Mouse received 800,000 fan letters. That's almost as many as I received last year!
   Did you know the number of cars on the planet is increasing three times faster than the world population? You can bet the major car manufactures know that little tidbit. Not so useless, is it?
   Sometimes, as I think about what I may write, its like banging my head against the wall. If I were to do that for an hour, I would burn 150 calories. OK. OK I hear you laughing.Explains a great deal doesn't it?
   Well...with a storehouse of information like this,who knows. I may be ready for the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" TV show.