It looks like it is 50 degrees, but it is only 19

Greetings, readers. Sitting here in my chair by my living room window gazing out at the construction site and the Days Inn behind it, the sun and blue sky make it appear as though it could be a nice warm day. In reality, it is only 25 degrees F. When I left for coffee this morning at 7:30, it was a balmy 19. Tee-shirt, hoodie, down coat, knit hat, and gloves was mandatory outer wear. Even as a child I hated getting dressed up like a polar bear just to go outside without catching pneumonia. Yes, readers, appearances can be deceiving, for the high is only expected to be 32 degrees at 3:00pm.

As I’m dictating, clouds are thickening. According to the weather forecast, this was supposed to be a “partly sunny day.” I suppose this still qualifies. I know sometimes at camp in Maine, it can be cloudy in the morning, yet the afternoon can be sunny and beautiful.

On to another topic, which I will call mini technology grrrr, last evening I was looking for a baseball game for the laptop which is mostly an app for iPhones. I found it, but do you think I could download the damn thing? Finally I had to stop to go to sleep. I will try again another day. The game is called 9 Innings Baseball and when I play it on my iPhone it is awesome. The graphics are unbelievable. Yes, readers, you know me, I am a big kid at heart and love my baseball and football games, a.k.a. simulations. Some of them are so complex you need a PhD just to operate them. I’m not certain if it will happen in my lifetime, but one of these years I think a Star Trek type holodeck will be invented and you could magically appear in any baseball stadium or local ball field you want, and enjoy watching any two teams you can imagine. Boy, I hope that does happens in my lifetime. If I’m ever lost, you would know where to find me.

Finally, prayers go out to anyone affected by the cold snap from Canada to central Texas. Two words for you people … bundle up. Please remember to check on family and neighbors, and don’t forget the elderly and the homeless.

Speaking of the homeless, next Wednesday’s blog entry will be on this topic. I think it will be a good post. Until then, take care, have a great week, love one another, and happy reading.

It certainly didn’t feel like spring today

Greetings, readers. No, it most certainly did not feel like spring today. Smith, Traci, and I went out for coffee at 7:30 this morning before church, and the wind was blowing briskly right in our faces. It was 62F yesterday, but today I don’t think it made it to 40F. No wonder my back is in spasm!

Yes, I woke up from my afternoon nap with a back spasm. Every time the weather gets colder and the wind blows, my back seems to say, “Nope, I’m going to rebel.” I guess I’ll take two Aleve before bedtime… As usual.

I shall definitely have the heater running this evening. The low temperature is going to be below freezing. It always happens, you know. Just when we think warm weather is here, mother nature decides to laugh in our faces, and play a cruel prank. My friend Jim calls March the “adolescent month”. Well, March is over tomorrow. It can start getting warmer anytime.

Speaking of spring starting, baseball season is in full swing… No pun intended. I’ve already watched more baseball on TV in the past week than I did all of last season. Isn’t that amazing! I call myself a baseball fan, but hardly ever watch the real McCoy. I told myself that I was going to watch more real baseball this season, and play fewer baseball video games. I must draw myself back to the real world.

I did want to thank the two folks who recently purchased Four’s a Crowd. I don’t think we’re going to make the New York Times best sellers list, but every sale helps. Thanks so much! I don’t think my idea for Five’s a Family has strong enough legs to stand on at the moment, but I still have the notes on my computer, and two other writing projects ready to begin. Yes, you read correctly, two writing projects at one time. Wowzers!

Finally, between now and Wednesday afternoon, I’m going to do some research on baseball’s new rules to speed up the game. I’ll be speaking my mind on Wednesday… Oh yes. I’m not going to give the entire blog topic away, but suffice it to say that I am not for some of these rule changes.

There you have today’s blog entry. If you are in an area of the world where bad weather is happening, I certainly hope it turns sunny and warmer for you soon. I pray for all those who need prayers this evening. Do take care, will see you Wednesday, and as always, happy reading.

Go away you darned polar vortex

Greetings. readers. Good morning from what feels like the arctic, though I know it is colder there. Here in central Pennsylvania we are under a wind chill advisory for this afternoon and tonight. The temperature was a balmy 4 degrees F and tonight it will be a low of -4 with a wind chill well below that. I really hate it when it gets this cold because with my seizure issues going from extreme cold to room temperature can throw me into a tizzy. I must enter whatever building I am going into and sit down for a moment to let myself acclimate to the warmer temperature.

On the plus side, this weather is fantastic for getting house work done, writing, the continuation of my new baseball gaming league, etc. Tonight if a friend of mine does not call off, I am going to dart over to Panera … only a few hundred yards away … and have an early supper. Thank goodness for my harf (my knit hat with scarf attached), thank you to Becky F’s friend or family member who knit it for me. Another plus of this cold weather is that all the diesel in the construction zone’s machines has basically turned to glue. The big gate is locked up and there are no workers working. For once I don’t need to shout to Rebecca over a blasted pile driver. I’ve been driven so crazy by that machine, any break I can get is a welcome relief.

My new Out of the Park Baseball league is down on paper. Later today I will go into the game itself and begin construction. I was thinking about doing a YouTube channel series as I play the game with a team of my choice, but so far a lack of interest from my followers is making me think twice about that idea. It takes a long time to upload a video to YouTube, and I would have to put a sign on my front door so that anyone passing in the hallway would not think that the crazy guy is talking to himself. Lol.

To end this first blog we will write today, #799, let me explain what is to come. After Rebecca and I edit this one, we shall publish, click to Facebook and make sure it comes up on Twitter, and then we will get right to work on blog entry #800! After editing and spell checking, we will set it up to go live tomorrow afternoon, not on Sunday. I wanted Rebecca to be here so that #800 was a joint effort, as the milestones have been in the past.

So there is entry #1 for the day and we’ll end it as we always do. Have a wonderful day, stay warm if you are in the arctic blast, prayers to all the people in the world who need it at this time, and as always, happy reading.

Frustrations with health insurance

Greetings, readers. For the past half hour, Rebecca and I have been calling numbers trying to find out information about my soon-to-expire health insurance coverage. The deadline for the marketplace is two days away and I was supposed to get a letter from the state telling me rather I qualify for medical assistance through them or not. I looked in my mailbox today and got all the mail from this last week; no such letter was in the pile.

This brings me to a problem. I cannot proceed on the marketplace website without said information. Sometimes I think the government does this on purpose. Their mission: give Joe grey hair. Just now, Rebecca and I called three separate numbers; two of them were not the department I needed to talk to and one was a non-working number. Thanks Yahoo!, get your information updated please.

With many of my co-workers sick with colds, flu, and such, I feel like I am going to need my health coverage very soon. I’m praying I won’t have a lapse in the coverage, for knowing my luck, that’s when I’ll get double pneumonia.

Yes, it seems the town bug has hit, mainly because of the sudden drop in the temperature. Yesterday morning, I walked from the bus stop into work and said to myself, yep, winter is here alright, even if it isn’t officially here until the 21st of this month. I’ve had to forgo my comfortable hoodie for the bulkier down coat. The pockets are not as deep so I have to my cell phone and keys in my backpack.

On Monday, we’re having a code inspection in the apartment building, starting on my floor around 9am, and the notice said I need to contain any pets. I’ve asked the restaurant manager who hired me if I can work a later shift on that day. I’m hoping she says yes. If not, poor Keekee will either be locked in the bathroom or crated up until I get home. She will not be a happy kitty cat. I used to work the 3pm to 8pm shift, and that wouldn’t be bad. If I was put on the 5pm to 11pm shift … well, let’s just say I’m used to going to sleep at 9:00. My fuel tanks would be running on fumes. I hope to get a response from my manager by this afternoon.

Rebecca is not certain quite yet if she is coming down with something or not. I’m sure she hopes to make it tomorrow but her body might rebel and say no, you need to sleep today. If that is the case, either I will put a blog entry up or Rebecca will from home.

Speaking of the blog, I’ve made an executive decision. Beginning in Feb 2018, I am going to begin to compile blog entries from years two, three, and four for my second blog book. I’ve been meaning to do this for quite a while, and I was going to call it Greetings, Readers 2, but I think I will use my creativity and come up with a different name. My target date to have that out is mid-April. Between the novel and my new blog book, there are many positive achievements for our creative endeavors coming out before I go to camp in August.

Well, that just about does it for today. I’m going to call it an early session and let Rebecca go home and recoup, if she is indeed catching something. I am going to rest my feet most of the time today and tomorrow before I go back to my fast food job for the Friday and Saturday shifts.

So, until next time, have a great day, take care, and happy reading.

Surprise! A Tuesday blog entry :-)

Greetings, readers. Yesterday was a hectic mess and almost a disaster. I took a good friend, Becky, to the train station. Traci went with us too. It was supposed to be a stress free day, but it didn’t turn out that way. It was cold, very windy and the Zipcar I was supposed to obtain was not there when I needed it.

After 30 minutes of speaking to several agents, I was finally able to get a car. Traci, Becky, and I got on the road a little bit late and with frayed nerves, but ready to enjoy the 40 minute ride. The speed limit was higher than I expected – 70 MPH – so the trip went by faster than I thought it would. We were in Tyrone in no time and having an early dinner at the Burger King. There weren’t many people there, so we were able to get our food quickly. After finding a table, we sat down to a nice meal and interesting conversation.

We had about an hour to kill, so we didn’t rush eating our meal. I sipped my coffee and relaxed. After sitting and talking it was finally time to go. None of us wanted to go back out into the cold and wind. I was severely under dressed, only wearing a shirt and hoodie. I ran to the car, unlocked it and started the engine. It took a few minutes before the heat was able to blast through the vents. It was just a short drive from the restaurant to the train depot. I kept the car running so that we would all stay warm while we waited for the Amtrak train.

There was only one problem, Becky’s train was a late. She got updates on her cell phone. As a matter of fact, the train was getting later by the minute. Something was wrong. As it turned out her train was being held up by another train that was having difficulties. I thought that’s what the problem was, but I didn’t want to tell Becky my guess earlier because I didn’t want to worry her. I was sad when Traci and I had to leave to get back to town on time. There was no place for Becky to keep warm, just a little shelter by the train tracks. I would have stayed, but I had only reserved the car until 6:30. We did the best we could.

Until tomorrow, have a great day, take care and happy reading.

Time to open up my chakras and more thoughts since yesterday

Greetings, readers. Thinking back to yesterday’s entry, I realized that it has been quite a long time since I’ve done chakra work. In years past I had someone who did massage and energy work on me, including clear out my chakras. Since he retired, I’ve had to do it myself with the aid of a very good YouTube video. It wasn’t quite the same, but I still think it worked.

After work hours yesterday, I was blown away by the fact that I slept from 4:00 pm until almost 7:00, then called Bingo, and shortly after my light supper, could again barely keep my eyes open. Research must be done.

I could be suffering from anemia, although I’m on a multi-vitamin. My blood sugar could be off, or it could be any number of things. That is why I am not the doctor making $50 an hour. After this blog entry is posted, Rebecca and I are going to type an email to my general doctor. I’m quite certain that he will want immediate blood work, which will require a bus or Zipcar to get there. I feel it is more than worth it. I do not wish to spend the rest of the winter lying around like an old rug.

Yesterday on Facebook a couple of friends did chime in and said that I was correct that the change of seasons might have something to do with it. Both of them suggested taking walks. I cannot run or jog, but I can indeed go for a stroll. I think I will take their advice.

This morning was dark and cloudy, and 41 degrees F. I’m still hoping for indian summer. I’ve lost track on whether we have had our warm weather for the year, or if a little more is yet to come. I would hate to think it is going to be cold from early October until April.

After I do my chakra work today, I will see how my knees feel and get a little exercise in. I have a couple of errands to do as well as go for coffee with Tracie. We will be going to our new Sheetz, which is close by and has great coffee.

In conclusion, I am going to write a note to the creator of the chakra video I watch to ask how many times a week or month that video should be viewed for optimum health. I am hoping he doesn’t reply with something like, as often as you need it. A more direct answer would be helpful..

I bid everyone a great weekend. Stay warm if it is cold outside. Take care and happy reading.

Self hypnosis, anybody?

Greetings, readers. I’ve been very busy on YouTube the last couple of days, checking out different people’s self-hypnosis videos. I like what I see. Obviously, I’m not trying to make myself act like a chicken. I’m trying to use it for relaxation, memory enhancement, and relief of closed chakras. A year or so ago, my massage therapist had to retire and by now my chakras are as closed as they are going to get. It makes me feel lethargic, cranky, and depressed. When they open, I feel much more energetic, happier, and I’ll bet you my work productivity will greatly increase.

I even found a video that supposedly can turn you into a magnet for the opposite gender. This one I will have to watch and stay awake for to believe. There might be something to it, so as with most things, I will view it with an open mind.

In the last two or three weeks, my state of mind has been either depression or something I can not put a label to. I seem happy enough, but I just don’t have the energy to do anything. Not only is my writing suffering but my early to bed early to rise routine has shifted about an hour later each way. That is partly because the weather is so frigid here in Pennsylvania that I just don’t feel like going out to Panera at 7 in the morning. I do miss the usual morning crowd. I always enjoy greeting them as I would the folks at Bear Spring Camps.

I think this afternoon, after work hours, I’ll spend some time seeing what videos various YouTube channels have to offer. I’m a little bit leery of it because I’ve never hypnotized myself before. So readers, keep your fingers crossed. If you don’t hear from me on Friday, you will know I have turned myself into Keekee’s cat.

On a side note, our local library here in State College, Schlow Centre Region Library, had major damage due to the severe cold. Flooding was the result of one sprinkler pipe bursting, leading to several hundred thousand dollars in destroyed books, clean up of water damage and mold prevention. Schlow will be closed until at least this Sunday. I don’t want to sound selfish, but my books were in the section that got it the worst. We just found out via their website that two of my three books were destroyed. I have other copies here to give them if they want; no big deal.

Until Friday, take care, please be careful, happy reading, and stay warm; a major cold front is dropping down from Canada.

Mud

Greetings, readers. As I’ve mentioned before, there are times in my life when I feel like I’m stuck in the mud. I just can’t get into a complete morning ’til evening routine. It is true that my morning routine is pretty well established, but once noon-time rolls around, all bets are off. I only work with Rebecca Wednesday through Friday. The weekend, Monday and Tuesday are my opportunities to write, clean the apartment, and have some me time. What I must do if I am going to continue to be a writer is take advantage of the early week and actually write.

I’ve sat at the computer before with a word document open, but no great ideas seem to take form. One time I started a short story, and the next day I edited it and realized it was total crap. I’ve been told by Rebecca never to throw any writing away, but sometimes I just cannot help myself. I know it’s garbage because what I read looked and felt forced. When I know that my writing is forced, the only place it can be put is the clunker file.

Another reason I think I’m stuck in the mud happened just last week. Rebecca was reading out loud a story I had dictated a year or two ago and I thought to myself, boy this is pretty good. Then to my shock I realized I can’t write like that anymore. Yes, my medications have been proven to dampen my brain to keep my seizures in check. I’m almost positive that this is what is affecting my creativity. I’ve got a dilemma. Obviously I don’t want seizures, but I don’t want what I call oatmeal brain either.

Between now and early March, when my best friend is coming for a visit, I’m going to tinker around with daily schedules and routines for writing. After his visit, hopefully with that routine in place, I’m going to begin to write with a vengeance. I want to have something to show for the year before camp time rolls around in August.

Lastly, you could say the cold weather is stuck in the mud, too. We’ve been having an arctic blast for a couple of weeks. The strange thing is I’m getting used to it. As long as there is no snow or ice, I suppose I can handle it.

Until Friday, keep warm, good luck with all of your endeavors, and, as always, happy reading.

Time seems to be going so fast

Greetings, readers. Here it is another Friday. These weeks and months go by so quickly. Seems like I just got back from camp not that long ago and yet Ryan Seacrest just dropped the ball last week. We went from summer 2014 to New Year’s Eve in one paragraph.

I’ve experienced this phenomenon for many years now. It seems the older I get, the faster time seems to go. I have no idea why that is. When I was in school, I was sometimes teased by kids, which I disliked. Also, I never found school fun, so time dragged. Now I can do basically anything I want and days and weeks fly by. I’m going to be looking up on the internet to see if a scientist has some theory on this.

Tomorrow is back to Dungeons and Dragons gaming day and I’m looking forward to that. Last week’s gaming day was called off for a variety of reasons, so I’ll enjoy getting back in to playing my character Catrana, who is a half-elf ranger, for those of you who know the game. I think I liked my other character Donaar, a dragon-born paladin, just a bit better. I really felt I knew him and his made-up family.

Last night I did a variety of gaming projects, including Madden football and the Sims 3. While doing so, since the games are easy, I thought about when is the perfect time of day to write creatively. Rebecca suggested Mondays and/or Tuesdays, which are days I usually don’t schedule much. I think she is on to something there. Instead of doing my early morning train or airplane simulator I can suck it up and say that on these days I write, and the rest of the week I can continue writing or play games. Anything to break the creative road block. Do I have the 500 page doorstop novel in me? I doubt it. But a few more short story books? Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

Finally, Central Pennsylvania is in the deep freeze. According to the weather site on my computer, tonight’s low could be -1 degrees. Now that is frosty, folks. So bundle up, here’s to a great weekend, and happy reading.

Is Hell cold?

Greetings, readers. The sun is currently out but the temperature is about 15 degrees. Tonight’s low will be a frosty 5 degrees. Earlier on we briefly had a snow squall with whiteout conditions. Mother Nature decided to get angry.

This morning as I was having my breakfast at Panera I overheard a couple of women discussing the weather. One of them said, “It is cold as Hell.” That got me thinking. From what I have learned in church, Hell is not cold. It is such an odd expression; I’ve used it myself many times. As I understand the stories, Hell’s a place where the Devil lives and flames are all around. Does this sound cold to you, readers? It doesn’t to me. I have no idea of the origin of the phrase. If any of you know, please leave it in the comment section.

Quickly on to other news. Now that the holidays are over, I will be taking down my decorations tonight, vacuuming and dusting, and getting my living room back in order. Since it will be so frigid this evening, I am going to treat myself to a can of soup for dinner. I did that the other day in the microwave oven, and though it is dying, it was still up to the task. Eventually, I’m going to throw away my oversize bowls and cups along with that old microwave and get some new things in the apartment. I’ve lived here at Addison Court for about 9 years but don’t really feel like this is my home. It has the feeling of a roof over my head, a place to keep me dry and warm, but I find myself saying to people, “I’m going to go back to my apartment now,” instead of, “I’m going home.” Cleaning out the old and buying a few new things, I think, will solve that problem. I want my little apartment to feel like home. I want to be proud of it when I have people over for a visit – not embarrassed by it.

Well, folks, since today was our meeting day with my accountant, time’s running short and we have just enough time to edit this entry. So until Friday, take care, stay warm, and happy reading.