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Not that Bob

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by Not that Bob

  1. If changing hotels is an option, stay at Park Lane. You will be in reasonable walking distance of more than you can see in three days, so transportation won't be an issue. Just try to avoid Leona. If art deco architecture is of interest take a tour of Rockefeller Plaza. If opera is of any interest, The Metropolitan Opera is as good as it gets. Even if you have only a minimal interest in opera, the Met is so good with sets, lighting, etc., not to mention the actual singing, that it is worth the evening. Also you can get reservations to have dinner at the theater before the opera and mark two things off the wish list. The food is good, and it's "moderately fancy", but not world class if that is what you are looking for. The Met is a 10-15 minute walk from Park Lane, so this is the one event you might want to take a cab for. I am not good at hailing a cab, so I give the bellman a 5 to do it for me. I probably tip too heavily, but I find that if I have a pocket full of 5's and give out one or two as appropriate, I can get willing help as opposed to people treating me like I'm a pain in the ass. Planning ahead for $100 in fivers, added to the cost of the trip makes my time much more pleasant. I'd take good shoes, rather than roller skates, to Guggenheim. If you decide to go there, watch any documentary on the building itself and/or Frank Lloyd Wright to pique your interest. Check weather.com and pack accordingly. Last time I went there was a freak blizzard and I was happy I took long undies.
  2. I am not defending the Catholic church. Nowhere did I say they are "beyond reproach." I think it would serve the greater good if they could get their shit together so they can stop doing bad and continue doing good. If you don't think fixing a huge problem in a world wide organization with millions of members is "complex" then I've got nothing for you, but y'all have some introspection. You don't give one shit if the bass biters reform. You just want the doors closed.
  3. You boys are totally tunnel visioning this. The reason I posted was to point out that it is a complex problem and there is good, along with the bad. What you really want is for the CC to go away, and the dumb ass Bishops have given you a powerful weapon. There are social organizations on The University of Texas campus that do bad things. Is the only answer to close down The University of Texas? Jesus. Fucking. Christ, indeed. Show some higher level thinking.
  4. There must be a way to weed out the pervs while keeping the good that the church does. I am sometimes amazed by the the surl baby/bathwater thinking. You guys are smarter than that.
  5. I am not a Catholic. I think much of their belief system is strange. We will, however, have to be patient while they close down Caritas, a 3-4 billion dollar per year charity, 140,000 schools, 5,000 hospitals, 16,000 clinics, and 10,000 orphanages.
  6. The Episcopal Book of Common Prayer has some good words.
  7. I use that quote often...did not know it was Bobby Lane. I am becoming ill at ease with football in may later years because of the damage that is now becoming apparent. I have been watching for decades, but I cringe when I think what is being done to the bodies of these people. Juice only exacerbates the damage.
  8. Just another example of the olds wanting to stamp down the exuberance of youth. Who the hell wants to live to be older than 55 anyway? Amirite? Who the hell expects to have any of their mental facilities or cardiac function left after age 55? Amirite?
  9. JFC people! I said Pam as a generic term. I actually use Vegalene which is the tits. I learned about Vegalene years ago from a cook when I was working at the State Hospital. She could cook 50 eggs on the flat top and not break one yolk. I don't see enameled cast iron as "no stick" like Teflon, but as low stick, but I'll be damned if I can get an egg to not stick without using some ghee or Vegalene. You people must be wizards or something.
  10. Is it okay to use Pam while wearing my cargo shorts? It's hard to keep up with all the rules.
  11. Section Hand in Brownwood. Get the 5 lb. sirloin "family style" medium rare. Sides are meh, but the meat coma is awesome.
  12. Enamel coated cast iron with a dab of ghee works well, or a spray of Pam.
  13. I need to let health care workers in to my father's house without having to make a 50 mile round trip to open the door for them myself. I am not comfortable giving them a key, at least not at this point. I may be more comfortable with it as I become more familiar with the workers. He can't open the door himself because...that's the reason he needs health care workers. I made a couple of calls and everyone wants to sell me whole house automation. I need one lock that I can operate from an app on one phone. Any suggestions?
  14. C. S. Lewis can be comforting, especially for Christians. The Problem of Pain may be appropriate now. There is a boxed set entitled "Six by Lewis" or some variation of that which has 6 of his best books. It's probably out of print but can probably be found used on ebay...actually I just looked on Amazon. There is a used set for 12 bucks. There is another for135 but I don't know why one is priced so much more than the other. Get the cheap one. Edit, Six by Lewis included The Problem of Pain. For 12 bucks you can't go wrong.
  15. Spur, you can't afford to be paralyzed. It may not be time, yet, but if there is not a miracle of major proportion, and soon, you need to help this family make end of life plans. I had to do this with a dear friend. The initial "do you know where your will is?" was met with a bit of shock, but soon the family was glad that I was "making a list" for them. Grim list, but it had to be done. As above, they can only hear, "Fuck! I've got cancer! Fuck! I've got cancer!". They can't think about future needs when the immediate needs are so overwhelming. If you can, and if it's time, you have to be the end of life planner for them. At least help them make a list of where things are. Where is the will? Where is the life insurance policy and what is the name and phone number of the agent. Who can be contacted right now to help with the kids? Are there funeral plans? Has it been paid for? Ask if there are people she wants to see, and contact them for her. You can't tell them what to say, or how to act, but you can give her the chance to see people she wants to see. They may freak out and tell you to butt out. If they do, abide by their wishes, but make the simple statement "I am here to help with any of this if you want." It may not be time yet, but all the Stage 4 stuff is not encouraging. My 2 cents in your most difficult situation.
  16. Heifetz. Vitali Chaconne. The only thing left after is for him to smash his Strad against a stack of Marshals.
  17. I tried to start back on limited running. Knee hurt after the third day. Diagnosed with chondromalacia patella. Any hints for recovery/exercises/etc.?
  18. I just finished a Lays Potato Chip and beer supper. My ears are ringing like cicadas are in the yard. I guess my old age is going to rule out the pleasure of salt.
  19. ...and if such is available, get a social worker involved. Most hospitals have a social work department. Most people think of social work as "charity", which in some cases it is, but in addition a social worker will know what services (such as house cleaning, shopping, etc.) are available, and how to get the patient qualified. As in the medical appointment, take notes from the social work appointment. This appointment can also be confusing. What I find helpful is to say, "I am really on overload right now. Please tell me what my one next step is, who I need to talk to, and what the phone number is."
  20. If it works with the personalities involved, have someone go to the appointments with her, and take notes and ask questions. Almost every appointment will have much detailed and confusing information that the patient can't absorb. Even if the only information gleaned is the date and time of the next appointment it will be helpful. The health care worker says, "We are going to start an IV and give the latest therapy to you. You need to let me know if you start to get dizzy. When we finish, you may have some bruising, which is normal unless it continues to spread. If it spreads call the office immediately. Your next visit is in one week. Make an appointment on the way out." What the patient hears is, "Fuck! I have cancer. Fuck! I have cancer." A friend with them can take notes on what the patient needs to do, make the follow up appointment, and remind the patient of the next visit.
  21. I shamefully admit that I have made an entire meal out of a bag of Lays Potato Chips...more than once.
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