It is the Birthday of . . .

It's the birthday of author Ian Fleming, born in London in 1908. His family enjoyed wealth and social standing; his father, Valentine, was a Member of Parliament, and when he died in World War I, Winston Churchill wrote his obituary. All doors were open to young Ian, and he worked as a foreign journalist, a banker, a stockbroker, a high-ranking officer and assistant to the director of British naval intelligence, and foreign manager of London's Sunday Times before he took up the career, and the character, that would make him famous. Casino Royale (1953) was the first of his many "James Bond" novels, which featured the playboy spy — code name "007" — and a host of fast cars, nifty gadgets, and hot women.

Fleming also wrote a children's book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964). In it, his character Commander Pott gave some advice that Bond might have heartily endorsed: "Never say 'no' to adventures. Always say 'yes,' otherwise you'll lead a very dull life."

Awarded the Rambo Seal of Approval !!!

RAMBO anticipating some tasty treats !!! He is an excellent watch dog.

A little Bit of this , A little Byte of that . . .

Things have been really busy since around mid April. Much too busy for me to provide any regular updates.
In my last posting, I mentioned that I was taking care of Rambo, a dog owned by an acquaintance who is currently at the Stanford Medical University Center for his second heart surgery. The surgery was scheduled for yesterday. I do hope that things went well for him, although after the surgery - - - I would expect them to have placed him in the ICU ward, so I expect no updates for a few days. I did send him a text message to let him know that I hope things went well, and to contact me at his convenience.

I have been experiencing difficulty with my Right ear and Eustachian tube for the last few days. It is a chronic problem that dates back to 1991. Coupled with my tinnitus, it makes for some really interesting times upon occasion. Today it got so bad that I experienced vertigo, nausea, and became quite vomitus. Thank goodness for my big Ironwood USS England hiking staff! Had I not had that to assist me with my balance, I would not have even been able to leave the house.

As it was, today was a day that I needed to do some grocery shopping at Sam's Club. Fortunately for me, my friend Masa provided invaluable assistance. He drove me to  Sam's, pushed a cart for me while I gimped around the store picking out necessary food items, helped me at the checkout counter, loaded the car, then drove me home. I really hated to have to add to his already long days, but I am very grateful for his assistance.

I was supposed to have an appointment with the Veterans Administration for 21 May. That appointment was canceled by the Veterans Administration, and rescheduled for 3 June. This past Monday, I received both the confirmation card from the VA for the appointment on 3 June - - - as well as the letter from the VA canceling that same appointment. I called them that afternoon. Now the appointment that I was supposed to have on 3 June has been rescheduled for 10 June. This actually is becoming more and more common behavior from the Veterans Administration. If they are going to continue to keep canceling appointments, then what is the sense of even making them? Cancelled appointments are of zero benefit to the veterans who need them. Appointment tag is not a valid form of therapy.

It is quite understandable given the performance of the Veterans Administration, why so many veterans seek other methods of recovery and/or pain relief up to and including suicide. The latest study that I saw showed that the suicide rate among veterans was nearly triple what it is among non-veterans.

Between my bouts of depression, my nightmares, my sleep loss, and other things that prove intrusive - - - I have managed to get approximately 96% of my package to the President of the United States, and one dozen other specifically targeted officials completed. I had hoped to already have the text of that letter into the hands of my proofreaders by now. Unfortunately, there will be another slight delay. Let me just say up front so there can be no mistake that I really appreciate the assistance of those who have agreed to proofread these letters, and have seen 90% of the documents that will be accompanying these letters when they go to Washington. While it is not my desire to take the United States Navy and/or the Veterans Administration to task in the public media - - - this will basically be my final action in trying to get an ongoing nightmare that my government caused through sheer incompetence resolved.

 Should this action fail to achieve the desired results, I make zero promises as to what I will or will not do next. Will address that when the moment is upon me. What this country has become through lack of intelligent, responsible, accountable adult leadership sickens me.

Enough for now. I hope that this finds everyone I know in good health and high spirits!

Meet R - A - M - B - O

This little cute fella is named Rambo. He is a teacup Cha-HooYah-HooYah that belongs to an acquaintance of mine who is currently in the Stanford University medical Center awaiting his second heart surgery.

I hope that the surgery and recovery goes well for him, but in the event that the worst happens - - - I will consider it my sacred duty to ensure that little Rambo has the best life possible for his remaining years.

I tried earlier today to make a video of him, but just like my previous house guest - - - Tober's - - - this little guy seems somewhat video camera shy! So, wanting my acquaintance to see this prior to his surgery - - - I finally gave up on the video, and just decided to post this picture.



Rambo and Gordita - - - Close Quarter Maneuvering

 



Not an auspicious beginning to my day . . .

This arrived in my inbox this morning. Not a hoax. Local news channels running the story now in order to get the word out as quickly as possible. Hopefully, most people will not be drastically affected. I am sure though that there are some that will have not followed the basic tenets of proper security. These individuals will find themselves with a nightmarish task confronting them, rather than a minor bump in the road.

Shared as a Public Service.

Just a wee larf . . .

A very popular man dies in Aberdeen and his old widow wishes to tell all his friends at once, so she goes to the Aberdeen Evening Express and says, 'I'd like tae place an obituary fur ma late husband.'

The man at the desk says, 'OK, how much money dae ye have?'

The old woman replies, '£5' to which the man says, 'Ye won't get many words for that but write something and we'll see if it's ok.'

So the old woman writes something and hands it over the counter.

The man reads 'Peter Reid, fae Kincorth, deid.' He feels sad at the abruptness of the statement and encourages the old woman to write a few more things, saying, 'I think we cud allow 3 or 4 more words fer ye money.'

The old woman ponders and then adds a few more words and hand the paper over the counter again.  The man then reads - 'Peter Reid, fae Kincorth, deid. Ford Escort for sale.'

Work or Play ???

At a command picnic, a bunch of officers were standing around talking. A Lieutenant said, “I think that making love is 80% fun and 20% work.”

A Commander responded by saying, “No, I think that making love is more work than that. I would say that it is 60% fun and 40% work.”

Then a Captain said, “No, making love is definitely way more work than that. I would say that it’s more like 20% fun and 80% work.”

They continued to discuss the matter for several minutes until a Chief Petty Officer walked by. The officers called the Chief over to ask his opinion.

The Captain said, “Chief, we’re having a discussion, and we’d like your input. The Lieutenant says that making love is 80% fun and 20% work. The CDR thinks that making love is 60% fun and 40% work. I say that making love is 20% fun and 80% work. What’s your opinion?”

The Chief scratched his chin and said, “Sir, I think you’re all wrong. Making love must be 100% fun, because if there was any work involved, you’d have an Enlisted man doing it for you!”

This is INSANE - - - And it needs to be fixed.

Did you know that, in dozens of states, it’s legal to fire an employee just because he or she is gay or lesbian?

That’s insane. We’ve made too much progress toward equality for LGBT Americans to let such outright discrimination go unchecked at the workplace.

 
Discrimination has no place in our laws -- and no place at work. Period.

Let’s strike another blow for freedom and equality by protecting LGBT Americans in the workplace.

It’s already illegal for employers to discriminate against employees for reasons involving race, gender, national origin, or disability. Why should it be legal for sexual orientation (or gender identity, or gender expression) to be the reason someone gets fired?

And, by the way, why is this still an issue in the year 2013, especially when this country is making so much progress on marriage equality?

It shouldn’t be. We can put an end to legal discrimination against LGBT employees. Democrats and Republicans agree that this kind of discrimination is wrong, and that it shouldn’t be legal. If you agree, too, I could use your help.

Anytime is a good time to make our country more fair and equal. But when it comes to workplace discrimination against LGBT Americans, the time to make it illegal was a long time ago.

 

Senator Al Franken is gathering signatories on a petition in order to do just that. Would you take a minute to add your name?

 

To sign Senator Franken's petition, click here.