We have each agreed to keep the other for another 23 years until separated by Shady Pines or a Russian nuke. The way the world is going... you never know.
Love keeps us together but even more importantly... it's mutual respect that gives our relationship its strength. And that is something we work on every single day.
Monday, October 7, 2024
NO - this is not a Jimmy Stewart movie title, but a difficult start to an extreme weather event. Hurricane Milton is moving toward Florida and our families are in the direct path in Clearwater and Largo. Fortunately most of my family is evacuating to Panama City, Florida, up in the pan handle. A few of the youth decided to stay behind and risk a trip to Oz, or worse. We hope they are not planning to be social media heroes and brave out the storm for the sake of a bunch of tip-top teenagers with nothing better to do. Evacuating isn't the hard part. The big challenge will be returning home to see how your life is changed.
Terry Ernest - October 7, 2024
Monday, October 7, 2024 1500
Milton is now a Category 5 Hurricane and traveling East by North East and headed directly for Tampa. Expected to make landfall sometime Wednesday as a Cat 3 or 4 Hurricane, insurance companies serving Florida are busy assessing risk and counting the properties they will no longer insure... should they survive. Governor Ron DeSanctimonious (not my words, so named by Donald Trump) will make speeches from a secure location including promises of all kinds of help and then focus on vilifying Biden/Harris showcasing all the ways their administration has failed in this second major hurricane to hit Florida this year. Trump's nipples will be in an uproar... which won't give the people of Florida anything more than a chuckle.
Monday, October 7, 2024 1800
Sherry reports that she and Janet and Bobby will be leaving by cars (packed to the hilt) sometime tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Jeremy and Kim and Kim's sister have been traveling north by car in serious traffic. Took them over 3 hours to go 40 miles. Sherry is taking mom's remains in a special traveling case. She couldn't leave her behind... mom hated hurricanes. Everyone seems to accept that personal safety is more important than personal belongings. Not so much for fear of losing them to the storm... but to looters. We shall see.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 1000 1300 (EST)
Sherry is a pensive mess waiting for Janet and Bobby to get their valuables secured and on the road. Jeremy and Kim made it to Panama City at around 1 AM. Nearly 12 hours on the road. The hurricane is now a Cat 4 and still aiming straight at Tampa.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER BRIAN
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 1230 (1530 EST)
Janet, Sherry and Bobby finally on the road to Panama City.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 1830 (2130 EST)
Janet, Sherry and Bobby safe and sound in Panama City and headed to their first martini. Now comes the waiting.
Latest hurricane track suggests the center of the storm will come ashore South of Tampa at Sarasota. That may or may not be a good thing.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 1200 (1500 EST)
Janet, Bobby and Sherry are enjoying their time at Panama Beach's Pier Park. Nothing to do but wait for Hurricane Milton to do its thing and move away. Although, for my taste, they are suspiciously close to the Gulf.
Latest tracking seems to show that the eye of Milton will make landfall just south of Tampa in Sarasota. That may or may not be a good thing.
In a similar situation, Andrew and I would likely be on our third or fourth martini by now.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 1400 (1700 EST)
That pesky Milton is drenching the greater Tampa area with heavy rain. National weather service issued a "flash flood warning" for central Florida where the outer bands of the Hurricane are pummeling the neighbors with rain... 2-4 inches already.
The most extreme part of the hurricane is expected during the night time hours. Now is a good time to don your galoshes and personal flotation device.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 1900 (2200 EST)
Milton is working the neighborhood. News accounts are all over the place. Hard to get too many details in the dark. Sherry heard from her grandson Dylan. He is safe and still has power. Jeremy was able to ping his home network so he believes his house is still standing and power is on. Janet and Bobby's home is apparently without power. No more information at this time.
Thursday, October 10, 2024 1000 (1300 EST)
Well, it's all over but the crying and the law suits. As expected, the news media area a buzz trying to top each other by having the most up-to-date damage and casualty stats. We have seen all the usual things. Wind damage and flooding. Power outages and the stupid and selfish who didn't evacuate and this morning needed rescuing. And of course, shyster lawyers are drooling in anticipation. Nothing new. Waiting for a report from Janet and Sherry.
Thursday, October 10, 2024 1300 (1600 EST)
Sherry reports that Jeremy's home suffered no damage but did loose power at one point. Janet and Bobby's home also lost power and had some damage to the carport but apparently nothing major. Janet, Sherry and Bobby plan to head hoem tomorrow... Jeremy on Saturday.
Friday, October 11, 2024 1000 (1300 EST)
Sherry, Janet annd Bobby on the road back to Clearwater. The greater Tampa area was apparently spared from the predicted storm surge because Milton came ashore to the south. They still had tremendous wind and rain which they will be cleaning up for a long time. When they get back home, Sherry, Janet and Bobby will tell and be told Milton stories for a long, long time.
Saturday, October 12, 2024 0900 (1200 EST)
Sherry at Jeremy's house in Safety Harbor. Power was just restored. No damage... just some green debris around the yard. Don't recommend looking in the refrigerator... save some fun for Kim when she gets home later today. Checking in with Janet and Bobby. Janet reports that her home was spared... except for a damaged carport and loss of power. As of 12 Oct at 8PM they were still without power. Janet's hotel the Sheraton Keys Hotel in Clearwater did not loose power and is back in business. Benevolence supreme... the Sheraton gave Janet a few days off to get back on her feet. Without power may be impossible for some... Janet likes the red wine which can survive nicely at room temperature.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVEN TREZEK
Sunday, October 13, 2024 1100 (1400 EST)
Janet and Bobby's home was left mostly unscathed... except for a damaged carport roof. They got their power restored this morning... and sadly had to dispose of a lot of food that was spoiled. Hot tube survived!
We have been after the San Diego Park Service to take care of the grove of red gum eucalyptus trees that stand immediately behind our home for 4 years now. These trees have a lerp psyllid infestation that the park service cannot manage because this section of the Azalea Park has been "decommissioned" which means it is no longer watered and the trees are 30-40 feet tall. Because we get so little rain, the infestation grows year after year. The major impact to us is that the infected leaves fall in our yard and are gross and disgusting. The leaves have black bumps on them that stick to everything. We are told the trees will be removed by October 10th. We shall see.
Well now, doesn't it just figure. City government for the people. I have to give them some credit, they did send a crew and they did cut a number of infected trees. But they did not cut down the trees directly behind our home which I have reported to them several times. Now it's possible that their arborist is severely nearsighted and just couldn't tell which trees were directly behind our home. Then it's possible that they cut down all the infected trees except the ones I complained about as pay back for complaining.
The rumors are true. You have to scream until you are blue in the mouth to get anything done correctly in San Diego.
So I will complain AGAIN
Day 5 - The Park Service says that the arborist has reevaluated our issue and says that there was some miscommunication with the contractors they hired and the trees I have been reporting will be heavily trimmed but not removed. He believes they may be able to water them into good health. NICE TRY. All we can do now is be patient and see what they actually do.
Day 9 - The park service confirmed that those pesky trees will be heavily trimmed tomorrow (Oct 12, 2024) but not removed. Now they are saying there is a plan for that tiny section of Azalea Park... to be developed for the citizens to enjoy as a recreational area. That section of the park land has been untouched since I bought this place in 1987. It grows wild with 10 foot tall prickly pear cactus and pencil euphorbia. Sounds like the arborist is in a power play. This isn't over yet.
You really must experience the San Diego Zoo's annual Food, Wine and Brew fundraiser. There is so much food and drink from vendors all over San Diego County that you couldn't possibly sample everything and still walk. Andrew and I have attended several times and trust me when I say, the extra $$$ for the VIP experience is totally worth it. And for the record... our boxing match was too explosive to Call.
Those pesky war mongers... what will they think of next? Considering all the terrible things warriors do to each other, I guess exploding pagers and walkie-talkies aren't that bad. Like it or not you have to admire the ingenuity of the exploding device perpetrators and the obviously secret supply chain that must have taken place in order to get thousands of pagers into the hands of the Hezbollah, which apparently they've had since February. It seems reasonable that there was some inside help along the way. I pity any inside fool who gets caught being complicit with Israel.
I'll bet that there is already a 'how-to' video on You Tube showing an easy way to check your pager for explosives! And everyone who has a pager will be looking for it... if they're smart.
While the perps haven't come forward yet, Hezbollah has already accused Israel and vowed retaliation. So if Israel is on the ball, they will be closely guarding their northern boarder and watching out for herds of exploding camels or flocks of kamikaze pigeons. After all, Hezbollah wants to stay on the down low technologically and after pagers, carrier livestock and smoke signals in code is about all that's left. We won't have to wait long to see what the Hezbollah does and you can bet worldwide media outlets are breathless in anticipation. Stand by for more bombs. And on and on.....
May your camels be TNT free and your pigeons properly plugged.
Terry Ernest - September 18, 2024
It sounds to me that Pope Francis is suggesting that America has lost its morale compass when he recently referred to Trump and Harris as "being against life" and stated that Catholic voters must choose the lesser of two evils. While not mentioning them by name, the Pontiff strengthened the church's position on abortion and sharply criticized Trump's mass deportation promise as "a grave sin" and said that Trump and Harris' stance on abortion was tantamount to "assassination." Strong criticism for American politicians seems out of place for the Pontiff. But then if you look at his picture during the speech he could be doing stand up comedy.
Recent polls suggest that 6 of 10 Catholics believe abortion should be legal and are largely conflicted on how many migrants (if any) we should embrace in America. If you have any faith in polls it should make you wonder why people call themselves Catholic when they don't endorse the Catholic doctrine.
But Catholics are not the only players in this confusing scenario on the very basics of life. Most organized religions hold abortion as a grave sin yet that doesn't seem to matter to the American electorate. Perhaps we should remove references to "In God We Trust" from all secular things because we certainly don't follow the basic tenants of any of the religions. Groups of Americans have been clamoring for this for years. Perhaps doing so NOW we may help assuage some serious and ubiquitous guilt.
Terry Ernest - September 16, 2024
Unlike those poor folks in the greater Phoenix area who have had more than 100 days in a row of 100° + temps, we in San Diego have our first taste of 100°+ this week and it's not pretty. Today we beat the previous record of 108° by one degree. At least we have been spared the single digit humidity that usually comes with a Santa Anna... but barely. Boy nothing will suck your plants dry like 100°+ and 8% humidity... and nothing sucks your wallet dry like $300 water bills. And how sad is it when you see your tomato plants drooping and your parsley smoldering at the tips.
I remember, some years ago, when I lived without air conditioning and I was working nights in the hospital. Trying to sleep in the day time on those infrequent but incipient 100°+ days found me naked under a ceiling fan with a wet towel over my belly. It was the only way I could fall asleep without pharmaceutical assistance.
But then, like most things, there is a bright side. While it may be Africa hot, we do save a little on hot water. In fact I measured the temperature of our water right out of the cold water faucet and it was 87°. Not to fear. We will stay cool. We took a lesson from the Polish youth of today and wrote down the recipe for ice cubes. Happy Birthday Alexander.
Terry Ernest - September 9, 2024
recipe by Terry Ernest
One of our favorite seafood restaurants is Karina's in National City. They serve this wonderful fire roasted octopus (pulpo in Italian). So naturally Andrew and I wanted to try to imitate their recipe at home. I researched many ways to tenderize octopus... which if you don't you will be chewing on a spare tire. I chose the pressure cooker method which worked great except I think I overcooked our 5 lb octopus. I had read that the octopus will shrink up to a quarter of its original size, but in my case it was more like a brief case shrinking to the size of a change purse. Never the less, it was very tasty and VERY tender. Andrew finished it off on the grill outside after dusting it with SPG and a bit of olive oil.
In a nut shell:
Wash well making sure the eyes and beak and any sand are removed.
Place a few bay leaves in a pressure cooker and park the octopus on top. Add enough water to barely cover adding a dose of Himalayan pink salt.
Cook on high for 15 minutes per 3 pounds of octopus (you do the math) and do a quick steam release when finished.
Remove and let cool.
Put it in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and your favorite seasonings. Octopus has great flavor and doesn't need a lot of extra seasoning. A little SPG is great. Save your seasonings for some delicious dipping sauces.
Just before serving, heat up a cast iron skillet (or equivalent) making sure it is very hot. Then sear the octopus on each side giving it the additional charred flavor. You just need to sear the outside, it should be fully cooked.
There are 842,911 YouTube videos online with similar recipes. NO CORKS
Good Luck - Terry Ernest - Sept 2, 2024
Lifelong Democrat and member of one of America's premiere political families, Bobby Kennedy couldn't handle the rejection he felt from the DNC so he registered to run for President as an Independent. That didn't pan out very well either. People could tell that he was many things but not leadership material. Defeated as a quasi Independent, Kennedy drops out of the race and throws in with Donald Trump. Whether he has negotiated a position in the Trump presidency or not, he belongs there as his ideologies and speeches are typically as garbled and vague as Trump's. Alas, I suspect Kennedy's 15 minutes of fame is on the fast wane. Like many in the Trump world, RFK Jr's brain has been twisted by conspiracy theories, COVID controversies and Trump's talented tongue. And Kennedy is in the same league with Nikki Haley who competed against Trump for the top GOP seat and routinely criticized him stating clearly that Trump was unfit to be President. Now she supports him 'even though we don't agree on many things'. American politics goes on and on and it gets increasingly difficult to believe anyone. So we just smile and listen and wait for November which is spinning up to be an exciting month.
Terry Ernest - August 25, 2024
We've been Pandaless since April, 2019 but the San Diego Zoo has renegotiated with China a new set of Pandas and here they are. Today is the first day the new Pandas are available for viewing and it's certain to be a crazy day. Andrew and I were fortunate to be invited to a special viewing a few days ago so we were able to avoid the pandamonium. Pictured here is Xin Bao, the 4 year old female. To our delight she was active and exploring her new digs. The remake of the zoo's Panda Ridge is beautiful, spacious and typifies a more natural Panda habitat. We loved the new enclosure except for the 8 foot glass wall that separated us. The afternoon glare was so intense it was hard to see Yun Chuan the 5 year old male even though he was front and center. But glare and long lines won't dissuade visitors. Everyone seems to love the giant pandas, as do we.
Check out Pandas Online at the San Diego Zoo's Website
Terry Ernest - August 8, 2024
The broadening escalation of tensions in the Middle East between the Arabs and the Jews is about to lure us into another war. You shoot at us, we shoot at you. Apparently it's the law. America has billions invested in the Middle East and we will not let anyone take it from us. Now may be the right time to update your investment portfolios to take advantage of the many, many corporations that build and sell arms world-wide. As I have said many times, war only benefits those that control it and those that make money from it and arms contractors and dealers are at the top of the list.
As we position more and more war assets in the Middle East the Israelis should be busy burying their silver in the back yard and looking for bomb-proof accommodations. The Iranian leadership and their allies surrounding Israel have no doubt found a way to exploit Israels Iron Dome and are waiting for just the right moment to strike. They will try to make it look proportional to the destruction Netanyahu has in store for them... but it won't be. America will say that we will stand in support of Israel... but it won't end there. There will be boots on the ground and jets in their airspace... and so it goes. But will it spawn World War III? I guess that depends on how China and Russia want to play... and who stands to make the most money.
We can only hope the State Department is pressing hard to get American civilians out of the region now so we don't have to risk more of our brave military in non-stop rescue missions.
Terry Ernest - August 6, 2024
Lady Gaga and Celine Dion encompassed a unique Olympic Opening Ceremony for 2024. I think unique says it pretty well. Lady Gaga was brilliant in her homage to French cabaret culture and even though her performance was prerecorded, for safety reasons, she did not disappoint. And what a thrill to see Celine Dion standing on the first level of the Eiffel Tower as she belted out a magnificent tribute to France and their own Edith Pilaf. Naysayers... bite me.
What Was This?
I am not sure what this actually was. Accounts describing this performance are all over the board. The perp, artistic director Thomas Jolly, has tried to soften the reported outrage saying it was not depicting Da Vinci's Last Supper but was instead a tribute to Greek mythology. The use of drag queens and others in the LGBTQA-Z (Curved) community was meant to show inclusivity. Well woke me up and try and convince the moral right of that. I saw this performance and really didn't think much of it. But then I have no fondness for drag queens unless they are doing exceptional comedy. And this performance was not funny to me. Nevertheless, it got more media attention than Lady Gaga and Celine Dion and that is just... wrong.
Terry Ernest - July 28, 2024
Ninety degrees before noon in July? Not terribly unusual for Southern California. One doesn't need to be a climatologist to appreciate the slow and steady warming we are experiencing. Or does one? Growing up in Chicagoland some 60 years ago I remember summers so hot that you had to walk on the grassy shoulder of the road or your shoes would stick to the melting tar. Today you can't swing a cat without running into someone that says carbon emissions are causing 'climate change' or someone else saying ... 'oh those prickly environmentalists... they just hate coal'.
Just like so many things these days, it's hard to know the truth. When I was a kid and you wanted to know what was going on in the world there was the newspaper, which came out once or twice a day and WGN News on channel 9. Putting your name to something that turned out to be false was often a career killer. Today there are 842,911 media sources, most of them instantly accessible and each produced by someone, with an agenda, who is comfortable writing his own truth.
Do you make money from the burning of fossil fuels? You probably don't want to admit to the reality of global warming. Are you making big bucks promoting clean energy? Then you have to vilify oil, wood and coal. Science be damned when the Golden Rule applies.
Trump promises to roll back environmental regulations created to slow impacts to global warming and to promote onshore and offshore drilling to make America... oil independent. Democrats, with Harris in the center seat, will likely regulate and tax us until we stop using fossil fuels all together and are forced to return to bicycles and boots. Which in many ways may be a good thing. wink wink
It's doubtful that either policy track will stop the runaway train that is climate change.
For me, it's hard to deny what so many world renowned scientists keep telling us. But then I don't have any money in energy production.
Terry Ernest - July 27, 2024
I can only imagine how hard it was for President Biden to relinquish his plans for a second term. He was yet another victim of the Golden Rule... whereby the people with the gold... rule. Kamala has been a dutiful VP standing well in the shadow of Biden. So well that we haven't seem what she is all about and what she may bring to the presidential table.
We keep hearing the same rhetoric over and over... Is America Ready for a Woman President? Well if all the vaginal checks have been done... YES. The MAGA Right would have a field day with Democrats trying to sneak in a trans woman. That we are not quite ready for.
I can only hope that Gavin Newsom is not on the list of VP choices. I imagine he has already made that clear to Kamala. Newsom needs four more years to drive California so deep in debt that we will have no choice but to declare bankruptcy and then sovereignty from the USA.
I still feel like we are being pressed between a rock and a hard place when it comes to choices. The Republicans do have some great ideas. Government is TOO big and our liberties are being chiseled away day by day by the regulate, tax and spend Democrats. But TRUMP is such a walking example of fertilizer that we can't believe anything he says. And what kind of future can he lead us toward. A very divided and confusing one. Are there no moderates?
Terry Ernest - July 21, 2024
Trump may be the only one who truly knows why he selected J.D. Vance as his running mate, but there are a lot of possibilities.
Well we can only wish J.D. Vance well and stand back and watch Trump's poll numbers soar. Political pundits will examine every word he utters and help keep him on an even keel while talk show hosts roast his every move. Can't wait to see who from SNL will portray Vance, but we may have to wait for the Fall and Season 50.
Terry Ernest - June 17, 2024
And you can bet Donald Trump will milk this sad ASSASSination attempt for every political point he can get. Just hours after the incident, before his right ear wound could form a scab, the MAGA Right was already claiming it was Biden and all the mean things he has been saying about Donald Trump that encouraged the shooter to take aim. And what a sad story for the poor, misguided shooter. To have been that close to his target and fail and never get a chance to be properly martyred for his cause, whatever that be.
Andrew and I should probably start looking for a place to live in Canada because the Trump camp will certainly take this opportunity to the bank. With doddering old Biden mistakenly introducing the President of Ukraine as Vladimir Putin at the NATO Summit, they add yet another piece of political fodder for the MAGA Right. And it certainly won't end there. The Trump camp must be having a field day with these latest events and there will certainly be another tsunami of Trump style fake news hitting Truth Social and the global media.
Terry Ernest - July 13, 2024
What an amusing and confusing 90 minutes. I really tried my best to keep up with their bizarre banter but fell by the wayside like most I imagine. While I may not have been able to figure out the details, I sure got a sense of dread for the future. Much of what President Biden said was unintelligible. Much of what Donald Trump said was just plain bullshit, which in fairness, plays to his strengths. While Donald Trump called Joe Biden just about every name in the book, Biden was a bit more restrained with his personal invectives. Donald Trump may have actually answered one question but not until he spent more than half his time berating Biden and going off on some inarticulate tangent of lies. And over and over President Biden pointed out Trump's lies and then garbled a semi clear point of his own. In the simplest of terms... this was a political nightmare.
My Take! They are both too senile and too embroiled in American politics to be able to provide a reasonable way forward. If there isn't another viable choice, we will need to look to a new Congress to repel the forces of Project 2025 and help bring the country to a more moderate political climate. Fat chance. Too many people think that the President of the United States requires a congress of an opposing party to provide checks and balances, but what it actually provides is political quagmire.
Terry Ernest - June 27, 2024
No finger pointing with this round. We both thought we were having some seasonal allergies or some such thing. Then coming home from the Del Mar Fair a friend told us all about the COVID-19 FLiRT variant. So we looked it up online and decided to test ourselves. OK so the test kit we used was expired but the results seem to fit and now we have the classic symptoms which are heretofore not responsive to Scotch. Stand by chicken soup.
Fare Well - Should this be my last blog - you will know why.
Terry Ernest - June 24, 2024
This road company production of Fat Ham at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego wins two thumbs up from me. 👍👍 The play had a run on Broadway last year and was nominated for 5 Tony awards but sadly it did not win. The Old Globe cast was superb and while some call it a drama, it sure had us rolling in the isles. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner James Ijames, Fat Ham takes unique liberties with Shakespeare's classic Hamlet and provides a 100 minute crazy ride into the deep south shining a spotlight on the complexities of trashy family values and the liberation of the LGBTQIA-Z spirit. It might help if you familiarize yourself with the basic plot of Hamlet before you see it but that is so... not required.
The Old Globe closes its San Diego run June 23.
If Fat Ham comes to a theater near you... go see it.
Terry Ernest - June 15, 2024
"The trial was a sham... these are bad people, in many cases sick people... I'm under a nasty gag order by a conflicted judge who can't put two sentences together"
A jury of twelve men and women (sorry if some of them identify otherwise), seated with the approval of Trump's lawyers, found him guilty of all charges. Following the verdict, words echoed across the nation that No One is Above the Law. But these words apparently mean nothing to Trump or his devoted followers. Seems to me that if we can't trust in the rule of law then as a nation, we are screwed. Trump is probably right in saying that this case against him was politically motivated. That doesn't make it wrong. Most everything Trump does is politically motivated. Is this a dark day in America? I don't think so. It might just be a long overdue warning to the rich and powerful... follow the law or be prepared for the consequences. Oh I am so... amusing!
Terry Ernest - May 31, 2024
Sound On We finally got hold of our vintage Kovarik family 8mm films from way too many years ago and this is the first of many attempts to save the memories using newer technologies. Please share with your family.
All of the remastered videos will be put here.
But should we go... really? It's long been known that Andrew and I are baseball jinx. Every time we have gone to a Padres game... they've lost. But yesterday we thought we would be safe since the 2nd place Padres were playing the 5th place Rockies and Andrew was staying home whilst I attended with friends. Nice try. How embarrassing for the Padres to lose 8-0 to one of the worst teams in the league... and how embarrassing for us to have sat through it. Padres stars like Manny Machado did nothing but strike out and sulk back to the dugout. There was one point in the game when we had a man on first... but that didn't last long.
While it's been a while since we went to Petco Park to see the Padres in action, it struck me odd that they no longer announce the play by play. If you wanted to know what was going on you had to actually pay attention or at least look at the tiny score board... or better, your phone. Although I did find out that if you go to the men's room you can hear the live radio broadcast of the play by play action. In the third inning I got up to get some beers and when I got back the Rockies had scored three runs. There was no announcement of any kind and zero reaction from the crowd. I have to say that it's quite boring to watch baseball that way especially on top of paying $20 for a beer and $9 for a lousy hot dog... ticket prices, parking prices... and seats almost as comfortable as American Airlines coach. Perhaps that helps explain why the stands were less than 50% full.
San Diego sports fans have always been fair weather fans and justifiably, they booed the Padres off the field at the end of that lazy performance no doubt fueld by the 3rd at home loss in a row... and the fact that you can't get onions for your $9 dog. There will have to be some substantial changes for the better before they see my butt back in the stands and that's not likely to happen. And that's too bad because I like watching baseball.
Terry Ernest - May 16, 2024
Andrew's dad Robert has had a trip to the top of the Sears (Willis) Tower on his bucket list for many years, and finally it has been realized. Together with his mom and dad, Andrew and I spent 5 days in Chicago playing tour guide and tourist. We did the Sears Tower, the Chicago River Architectural Boat Tour, Grant Park, Navy Pier and together walked close to 20 miles around the Loop and were sustained by multiple Chicago style pizza dinners. My brother Brian and his wife Penny joined us on Saturday and my nephew Brian and his family joined us the next day on Cinco De Mayo. It was a fast and wonderful trip for all of us... except for the lousy Chicago hot dog I had at Grant Park and the equally lousy Italian Beef sandwich I had at the airport on the way home. We missed Portillos... and that's sad.
PHOTO GALLERY
Terry Ernest - May 9, 2024
People often tell me I complain about the sub-class of politicians too much and for no good reason other than to laugh. TRUE! But there are times when constructive criticism and humor meld such that we can get our point across and truly enjoy it too. Now if politicians wanted to do something in support of the people, particularly the seniors... they would pass laws preventing companies like the Trident Society from reaching out with unsolicited offers of moribund cremation. Past a certain age it's hard enough to get up in the morning wondering if this could be your last morning let alone be greeted by a barrage of cremation offers... oh and my favorite solicitation... "Wanna Go To College Tomorrow? Leave your Body to Science Today!"
A notable inflation marker is the average cost of a funeral. Pre-pandemic it was around $5K and now it's up around $11K or about as much as a really good cut of beef. Maybe it is time to think about going back to college... ☹ And while it may be financially responsible, the thought of prearranging your own funeral, or postmortem college entrance is just a little creepy.
Terry Ernest - April 11, 2024
April is Springtime, cherry blossoms, Barbra's birthday and of course, Lao New Year. And every year blossoms appear, Barbra gets another year older and I get left home alone while Andrew busies himself with all things Lao New Year. And not just Andrew... his entire family is knee deep in art, dancing and food. Andrew designs and makes traditional costumes, event decorations of all kinds and whatever he can be vol-untold to do. Three major Lao New Year events this April keep the Manisouks very busy from San Diego all the way up to Temecula. I get to help out here and there... mostly doing web pages and advertising for the San Diego Lao Community Cultural Center (LCCC-SD) and Papaya Salad testing.
LCCC-SD Web Site Event Information
Cultural Understanding of the Lao New Year
Common sense is a life lesson that culminates in some degree of impulse control. 'Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.'
Take Andrew for example. We recently went to one of our local mountain towns, Julian, for a wood fired BBQ lunch. Andrew wanted to eat an entire side of deliciously BBQd beef but he settled for a single medium rib. Impulse control. My control is sometimes harder to master... like the other day when I was in the check out line at a grocery store. The clerk was arrogant, dismissive and a bit odoriferous or what the gen Z folks like to call 'diverse'. I wanted to punch her in the mouth but instead I calmly left uttering but two words... 'get help.' Now that too is impulse control.
When I was a kid parents were pretty free to teach impulse control by smacking you every time words came out of your mouth, the impact of which you clearly hadn't considered. And not just parents but pretty much all adults joined in to teach such life lessons.
I wonder if Donald Trump should hire someone to teach him impulse control. Nah... he'd be black and blue in a week and that would clash with his Oompa Loompa glow. See, I was going to say something much more controversial salted with ripe expletives but... Impulse Control.
Terry Ernest March 23, 2024
This dancing Leprechaun is the mascot of the Irish Quidich team from 'Harry Potter and the Globlets of Fire'. But then you knew that, right? Andrew and I can't be the only middle aged Potter-philes! Although among our best friends it certainly seems that way. Around here, "Five points for Gryffindor" is a common response to someone saying the right thing at the right time... especially around company. Sadly it usually falls on deaf ears.
For us, a little Hogwarts is just the ticket to unwind after an evening ear full of Israel destroying Gaza, Russians destroying Ukraine, Haitians destroying themselves and... well... anything Putin or Trump. There just isn't enough Irish whiskey to make all that go away.
So if the woes of the world get you down, lose yourself with some Hogwarts magic and practice your spells. It's a much smarter choice than throwing your phone across the room or putting your foot through the television screen. Unless of course you are in Slytherin House.... then by all means scream and cry until you are blue in the mouth. It's a good color on you.
Terry Ernest - Mach 16, 2024
Trump sold 1000 pairs of his "Never Surrender Gold High Top Sneakers" for $399 each just one day after he was ordered to pay $350+M as penalty for his fraud case in NYC. Of course the Trump camp denies that this move was to help offset the heavy fines he has been ordered to pay. After all - Trump has been marketing all kinds of ego-maniacal products for years to keep his enterprises afloat. It is unlikely that sneaker enthusiasts are the ones who bought out the first wave. It has been reported that re-selling of these sneakers is already all over the internet and for a much heftier price. Clearly there is broad expectation that these gilded shoes will be worth much more in years to come. I won't be surprised to see people wearing these gaudy shoes in public being mocked and harassed by people of good taste and intelligence, albeit lacking self control.
Perhaps Trump will share his entrepreneurial expertise with poor Mike Lindell who can't seem to sell enough pillows to pay for his $5+M big mouth fines.
Pay it forward, Donald.
Terry Ernest - February 22, 2024
The Dragon is the only legendary creature of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac and symbolizes good luck, strength, health and intelligence. So naturally I was born in the year of the Dragon. Andrew, on the other hand, was born in the year of the Rooster which might explain why he likes to crow early in the morning... and why we sometimes find feathers on the floor. The Dragon also carries deep cultural and historical significance in China often the symbol of ancient emperors and empires. Some say that MSG was first discovered in the remains of the last Chinese Dragon thousands of years ago which is why Chinese cooks put MSG in all their food... as a tribute... even when you ask them not to. According to folklore, a legendary dragon named Niam would terrorize villages every lunar new year. The people discovered that the dragon feared the color red, loud noises and bright lights. That is why we wear red clothes, parade with red banners and shoot off fire crackers... to scare the MSG out of dragons. And apparently it works! The dragons are gone but MSG remains as popular as ever.
Terry Ernest
After all these years of watching Bewitched and so many of the shows of my youth, I still haven't been able to decide which character was the most ridiculous. Was it Derwood who had every opportunity to let his beautiful wife Samantha give him anything he could possibly want... but instead tried to block her every twitch? Or perhaps Tony Nelson who did the same thing with Jeannie, a beautiful blond who said she loved him and showed it by going out of her way to torment him? Then consider Ricky Ricardo who couldn't recognize his own wife in a fake mustache or Mr. B from Hazel who put his foot in his mouth more times than Donald Trump. Also on the list are Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace who nears the top of the chart of TV curmudgeons and Colonel Klink who might have been a suitable mate for Edith Bunker.
A lot of the old shows bring back memories of my life as a child. Riding my bicycle to Jocks grocery store to get stuff my wanted for dinner was like walking into Quigley's market from Dennis the Menace or Gillis' market from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Potatoes were 9¢ a pound, veal cutlets a whopping 79¢ a pound. Today you can't even find real veal except in very expensive butcher shops. While Jocks is long gone the Quigley and Gillis markets will always be there to remind me of easier days. I guess that's the real reason I keep watching the old shows... that and I love to compare them to the shows of the day and of course, make fun of all of them. Who is the most ridiculous? I will just have to keep watching.
Terry Ernest - February 7, 2024
Okay, so I am not the smartest guy in town, but I am smart enough to know what's important to life after 70 and it boils down to two things. Do everything you can today to make yourself feel good tomorrow and... do not fall down. This may sound simplistic but it works for me. I know that if I eat a bunch of fast carbs today I may enjoy them at the moment but my knees will ache tomorrow. And as for falling down... I have never been one to belong to any hip group, but I certainly don't want to belong to the broken hip group.
I have said this many times... Andrew helps keep me feeling young... and on my feet. And I'm not just saying that because it's in our marriage contract 😁
Our relationship is built on mutual respect, selfishness aside. And it works for us... at least it has for 23 years and I'm hoping for 23 more.
The other thing that keeps me feeling young is caring friends and family to whom we are always grateful. Let's do this again next year and shoot to score even higher on the humble meter.
Terry Ernest - January 27, 2024
Speakers On
Picture It... San Diego, January 22, 2024.
We certainly made up for a lot of rain deficit today after a lovely Pacific storm dropped 3.7 inches of rain in 2 hours. VERY UNUSUAL for us usually drought stricken San Diegans. While our house sits on a hill so flooding is never a worry for us, Andrew's mom's house was almost surrounded by flood water from the valley in back and the streets to the west.
Sadly I had to add the thunder to Andrew's dance routine. For reasons that go way beyond ridiculous... we just don't get thunder and lightening. Even today the National Weather Service kept pinging our phones and TV with severe weather alerts including flood and thunder storms... but alas, all we got was rain. The evening news tonight should be amusing.
3 day rain total for our neighborhood... 4.8 inches. Now that's a record.
Terry Ernest
When *NSYNC recorded their pop hit "Bye Bye Bye" some 23 years ago I wonder if they had Trump's decimation of American democracy in mind. Unable to raise any more capital to further his broken bid for the White House, DeSantis, dejected by the Iowa Caucuses, found no reason to continue his own dream and rather, he jumped back on Trump's MAGA bandwagon. So we welcome him to go back to Florida where, for some reason, the people seem to like him. And why not? The MAGA right do have a few good ideas. Government is too big, too expensive and too intrusive. We should give those in need a hand up, not a hand out, and we should secure our boarders and let people immigrate through legal due process. Short of that they fail in almost every way. And if Ron DeSantis is now backing Trump after all the hurtful things Trump has said about him, he either believes he has been chosen to be Trump's running mate (God save us) or... he truly deserves the moniker... MoRon. And where better to continue that legacy than in the great state of Florida.
Terry Ernest - January 21, 2024
Corn and soybean farmers... two-thirds of whom believe that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and claim to be highly Evangelical... cast their votes in the first state primary election and chose Donald Trump as their Republican candidate. No surprise there. Braving the bitter cold on caucus night, Iowans showed up to confirm that if Trump could win their vote... then it would be a slam-dunk for a fast talking pepperoni salesman to get them to buy digital pepperoni. Which he most certainly did.
The number two and three Republican options claim to be energized by their sound defeat in Iowa. Nikki Haley knows that the Iowa vote is not the end-all and tells her crowd that New Hampshire 'will correct Iowa'. DeSantis, who came in number 2, did a relative Trump routine by blaming the news media for declaring Trump victorious hours before all the voting was done and claimed it caused 'voter suppression.' We are a bit surprised that neither DeSantis nor Haley blamed Mother Nature directly.
Trump is cocksure he will take New Hampshire by storm and based on American history, his win should secure him the Republican nomination so long as he stays out of prison. Terry Ernest - January 16, 2024
Clairol, back in the 50's, created the infamous marketing slogan... 'blondes have more fun' and of course the notion that blondes are 'dumb and easy' has been around for hundreds of years. In the spirit of the new year Andrew and I decided to put those stereotypes to the test. And not just blonde... we went platinum blonde. Initial reactions are mixed... and NO I do no look like Jamie Lee Curtis. While Andrew and I always find a way to have fun neither of us feels any more dumb or easy than before. And family... they didn't notice any change at all. Not sure if that should be disappointing or not. Being blonde makes us feel a little like Anderson Cooper... but without the bank roll and the millions of followers.
Terry Ernest - January 4, 2024
#1 - Say NO - Once and a while
#2 - STOP tempting Terry with cookies and bread
#3 - Find something nice to say about someone who makes your blood boil
#1 - Lose 100 pounds and gain 80 pounds back by Dec 2024
#2 - Disregard #1 if there isn't a 30 pound weight loss by June
#3 - Blame everyone else for your weight loss failures (except Andrew)
#4 - Find something nice to say about someone who makes your blood boil
Much the same way we did 2022 it seems. If you were to combine all the war, hate, ignorance and misery in the world it would still pale in comparison to the love that surrounds us everyday. Andrew and I are sustained by the love of family and friends. When we watch the news we do so with a grain of salt knowing that news media outlets only make money when they excite us with fear and compel us to tune in again tomorrow.
The Jews and Arabs have been shooting and killing each other for millennia. Nothing new there. The Russians have been aggressively attempting to devour eastern Europe forever it seems. Nothing new there. The Chinese think they are all that just like Americans do. Nothing new there. Mental illness, destitution and homelessness run rampant on our streets ostensibly described as the 'poor unfortunates'. Nothing new there either. You can look at all that and think... 'what a horrible time we live in' ... or... you can choose to look around at all the love and benevolence that people bestow upon one another... and let that warm and guide you.
We look forward to 2024 and all the changes we expect to see. If Biden and Trump turn out to be the only real choices we have for President we certainly won't be surprised. Americans are easily lead by the extreme and especially social media. The last four years have been fraught with Democrats and Republicans fighting to control power, weaponizing the judiciary and spreading their own versions of the truth. And nothing new there, either. We just wish they didn't spend so much of our hard earned money on their own selfish ambitions and worked a little harder on American prosperity. We continue to trust that there are sufficient watch dogs across America and around the world to maintain some semblance of balance... so we don't end the world on an explosive note but rather continue to live our lives with dignity, peacefully... and as we choose.
So as 2024 unfolds we will listen to the events of the day, as much as we can stomach, go to the polls and vote our choices and as we always do... look to our friends and family for the love and comfort that makes each sunrise hopeful. Being afraid and despondent over current events is a sad waste of the precious days we have left. The rich and powerful rule the world and we can pretend that we have some significant influence... but we don't. The ballot box is as close as we can get and that's a reality Andrew and I fully support. Terry Ernest - December 30, 2023
