My Use Of Carac – Fighting Skin Cancer

Fluorouracil cream and topical solution are used to treat actinic or solar keratoses (scaly or crusted lesions [skin areas] caused by years of too much exposure to sunlight). Fluorouracil cream and topical solution are also used to treat a type of skin cancer called superficial basal cell carcinoma if usual types of treatment cannot be used. Fluorouracil is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. It works by killing fast-growing cells such as the abnormal cells in actinic keratoses and basal cell carcinoma.

During the first few weeks of treatment, the skin lesions and surrounding areas feel irritated and look red, swollen, and scaly. This is a sign that fluorouracil is working.

In my case, after using this cream for 12 days, I am starting to look like Homer Simpson’s boss, Charles Montgomery Burns. And it is becoming so sensitive to the touch even wearing a hat is now not comfortable.

So, as I make my way through airports, fly to far flung places and meet folks during the this and the weeks to come while trying to stay focused on what I do for a living, I expect to feel like something out of a horror movie.

But, this is the best course of action for me and if I scare a few people, tough. I am standing up to cancer…

One Way To Stand Up To Cancer – Get Tested When and Where it Counts

Because I neither requested nor received permission from my brother to tell this story, I shall refrain from identifying him by name or divulge which brother this is about.

My brother’s life may have been saved by a simple, routine medical procedure that anyone over the age of 50 have, no strike that, MUST have, a colonoscopy. There I said it. Nasty thing that it is, this one medical test is one of the most hated and intentionally avoided of all medical tests people avoid. And it saves lives. Case in point, my brother.

My much, much, much, much, much, much older brother is over…70. That’s all I’ll say for now. And, when he told me several weeks ago he was not feeling all that well and experiencing some unusual symptoms that involved his lower bowel, I asked him when he last had a colonoscopy. His response? “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Now my brother is not undereducated, stupid or poor. He does not live in rural America and can read. He is a professional who has spent his entire life being informed about many things, including managing his health. Up until recently, he has done an outstanding job.

While my brother has had a few bouts with some minor issues over the years, nothing thus far has been life threatening. And when I got that wimpy response I did not just go away into the night and allow him to get “off the hook”. I insisted he get the test done, and, the sooner the better.

Where are we now? He had the colonoscopy and afterward learned he had a 3 centimeter cyst in his lower bowel that, while pathology from the test indicated was not necessarily cancerous, tests also showed some other “abnormal cells” in the area. It needed to be removed, surgically.

My brother moved swiftly to get the procedure out of the way, before he had too much time to think about it. That was the right thing to do. The complex laparoscopic procedure required two surgeons and several hours on the operating table followed by being in the hospital for almost a full week. During his recovery at the hospital and now at home, he is finding out that surgery, on any level, is neither fun nor easy in terms of full recuperation.

BUT, here’s the kicker to this story. This past week, my brother went back to see the surgeon for routine follow up. It was during that meeting he learned something that set him back off his chair. The final pathology came back and the fact is, he has…or had…cancer. Stage II cancer.

Here is the good news. All of the lymph nodes which were removed during surgery have been reviewed by pathologists and found to be cancer free. So, what is the bottom line? My brother had cancer before he knew it. His colonoscopy showed there was something not quite right and he elected to have a cyst removed – in a procedure that required surgery. That has not only extended his life but may have saved it.

Had he elected to avoid the colonoscopy in the next couple of years, he would have developed symptoms consistent with State III or Stage IV cancer and it would have been, too late. Period. The end would have been devastating for him and his entire family.

He is now consulting with an oncologist to determine if he should do anything further this year before getting another colonoscopy next year. Chemotherapy would have been ordered in the old days but the fact part of his colon was removed, the part that had cancer, and the fact all of the lymph nodes which were removed were “clear” may allow him to skip that treatment. Because he was proactive and acted quickly, he may now be able to resume normal life for a person who up until now has never come this close to a complete health involved disaster.

My message is simple. Tests are available to men and women to make sure all our body parts are functioning correctly. I have previously stated my mother died because of lung cancer. I have previously stated my wife’s mother is battling cancer. I have previously stated I have been doing on-going battles with skin cancer. Now my brother has had a very close call with colon cancer.

I attended a wake recently and reminded a friend with me in the room funerals are for the living. The dead are not really aware we are there (sorry to step on toes here).

If you love your family, get tested.

Super Bowl Sunday…So What?

So this is the big day, the day millions of football fans have been waiting for all year. What’s that? You say we have a problem here? I agree.

Today it’s the Packers against the Steelers. Great names. What do they mean? Are the Packers…packin’? Are the Steelers…steelin’? Nope, neither is.

This is a year when no team from any of the most populous states (California, New York, Texas or Florida) is playing. We don’t have a repeat opportunity as neither team won last year.

The Packers and Steelers are wholesome blue collar mid-west teams, from way back when football all got started. So who cares? Nobody. That is unless you are from the geographical area of either team, which represent fairly small media markets compared to teams on the coasts and from much larger cities…

So, here’s the thing. I think those companies that paid all that money to advertise on the most watched sports day of the year, many just to see the whacky new and highly anticipated commercials, are going to be sadly disappointed in the ratings today. Many people can’t watch because they are still fighting the continuing bad weather issues moving across the country. Even the folks that went to party in Dallas were rudely received by some really bad weather this week.

I have some interest in the Super Bowl this year, in the following order. I enjoy seeing new and clever commercials that make me laugh. The Packers are a wild card team that was not figured to make it through the playoffs (remember Brett Farve left there a few years ago). And truth be told, I would love to see Ben Roethlisberger get his butt kicked and have to eat dirt. Yeah, that’s motivation.

So, raise that Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst Blue Ribbon if you are from Wisconsin and your Iron City Beer if you are from Pittsburgh. You know what, the truth is, the real old and most famous beers, more of them, at least, are from Wisconsin. So, I predict the Packers will win. Besides, I want to see Ben Roethlisberger get his butt kicked and have to eat dirt. Oh, yeah – I already said that.

Enjoy the game. And the commercials. Someone has to watch, right?

The NEW Bermuda Triangle: Your Doctor, Your Retail Pharmacy and Your Medical Insurance Company

If you think you are in control of how you manage your health, you are in denial or not well informed. You and your health care provider may come to a mutual decision about your taking a certain, specific medication and he or she can write a prescription for you to obtain it, but you still may not be able to get it. Neither you nor your doctor are in control of that decision. Your insurance company is.

More and more medical insurance companies are turning to third party pharmaceutical partners to handle the dispensing of the medications you take. And they have the power to prevent you from receiving the medication your doctor ordered for you, at least using a reasonable co-pay. They can go so far as to specifically tell you what other drug you CAN have.

I just tried to obtain a re-fill of a medication I have been taking for a few months which is working for me. But it has no generic format. My medical insurance provider made a change on my behalf January 1st passing off the responsibility for approving my monthly maintenance medications and other drugs I may need, approved and requested by my physician, to a company that uses a secret formula to determine if they will approve the prescription – MONEY.

For the past few days I have been talking to my pharmacy, who has told me my re-fill was “blocked” by my insurance company. I called my insurance company and they said I needed to talk to my doctor to get “prior authorization” and have him send it back to the pharmacy. I did that. BUT, it turns out my insurance company is not involved in the decision to approve what my doctor wants me to have. It is another company that is in control and they want me to have something else. And, they have the legal power to do this.

For the record my insurance company is Aetna. And, for the record they are now using some company called Express Scripts to approve or deny the prescriptions my doctor and I agree I should be taking. I just spoke to someone at Express Scripts. The person I spoke to admitted they blocked my re-fill because it had no generic formulary. Therefore they want me to call my physician and have him call them back with a prior authorization for a completely different medication Express Scripts says I can have. Isn’t that great?

People were concerned about Communism and Socialism in the 1950s but that fear went away along with the bomb shelters people were building in their back yards. We have a much larger problem than the Russians today, big pharmaceutical companies dictating to us, through third party administrators working with our insurance companies as to what we can obtain, at a reasonable cost (read: co-pay).

I am mad as hell and yet…I am stuck. I have had to acquiesce to the terms dictated to me today by a drug pusher (not the doctor) – a company that does not know me and never met me has decided what is best for me. Do I sound pissed? The most difficult part of writing this was using language that is acceptable and not offensive to the weak at heart.

Nobody, and I mean nobody had better get in my way today...damn it all…

You Reap What You Sow

Tea Bag candidates and conservative Republicans campaigned on the message that tax and spend liberals were responsible for the current state of the economy and they were going to “fix” it. They scared the elderly by saying Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid were not safe in the hands of Democrats. But they vowed to do what ever was necessary to roll back spending and make cuts where needed to bring our country’s debt under control.

The fact that the economy, as proven by many indicators, is actually and has been improving over the past year (have you checked out the stock market lately?), and, while employment in the private sector is increasing at the same time government jobs are being eliminated, mostly through attrition, thus reducing the size of government, these facts have gone relatively unnoticed and certainly ignored by both the American people and those whom they just elected.

It is the morning after, by just more than a week, and even before taking office, some newly elected and triumphant Tea Bag backed winners who successfully knocked out their incumbent opponents are already putting their cards on the table.

Here is a brief (incomplete) sample of some deficit cutting they would like to see:

Social Security: Increase Social Security retirement age; Lower cost-of-living increases, Raise the threshold on the amount of income subject to the Social Security payroll tax.

Taxes: Overhaul individual income taxes and corporate taxes; For individuals and families, eliminate a host of tax credits and deductions; Reduce income tax rates, with the top rate falling from 35 to 23 percent (from where will the government derive income?); Reduce the corporate income tax rate to 26 percent from 35 percent and stop taxing the overseas profits of U.S. Based multinational corporations.

Domestic Spending: Freeze Defense Department salaries and bonuses for three years, and non-combat military pay at 2011 levels for three years; Double Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ proposed cuts in defense contracting; Reduce overseas bases by one-third, cut spending for base support and integrate children in military families into local schools; Cut public broadcasting funds.

Healthcare: At a minimum, limit or eliminate the tax-free status of employer-provided health benefits; Limit annual cost increases for Medicare and Medicaid to no more than one percent above the growth rate of the economy; Cap malpractice jury awards.

Get ready for a rocky road ahead…we are going into Reverse…

The True Natural Wish Of Any Parent – The Happiness Of Their Children

Our trip to Frisco, Texas was too short. But Maxine and I come away with our hearts filled with the joy and knowledge that Sharon and Dave are not just happy together. In my opinion, they are the PERFECT modern, real life couple.

That is saying a lot. Everyone knows at least one married couple in love. And, that’s nice. But, in thinking about the all the things that that must be in place for happily married couples to be at the top of MY list, I have to make some comparisons.

No comparison would be complete without thinking about Romeo and Juliet. Not even close. Tony and Maria in West Side Story? As with Romeo and Juliet, no true comparison. The best comparison I can make with regard to Sharon’s and Dave’s “story” is: The Princess Bride.

Yes, Buttercup (Sharon) has found her true love in Westley (Dave). But as in The Princess Bride, they had to overcome some obstacles along the way. Like me. Dave is the only guy Sharon dated before becoming engaged who I did not meet first. Ah, hah. I could not scare him away!

During their time together they have had to fend off some challenges. Some were related to employment and others related to health. In all of the situations during their time together I can clearly make a connection between their lives the mean Vizzini, the interesting Inigo Initoya, the huge and super strong giant and they even had to live for awhile in the Fire Swamp.

But, all of that matters not because just as Miracle Max discovered Westley knew the most important part of a relationship was “True Love” and that it alone could conquer all, Sharon and Dave has found that same rare truth as well, which bonds their marriage like cement. So, I have seen up close and personal, again, two people who believe and understand love is “as real as the feelings you feel” and therefore, as a parent, I could not be happier.

Maxine feels Sharon and Dave live too far away. I feel they could live anywhere on the planet because knowing they are truly one of the, if not the most happy couple on earth, I don’t have to see them every month for validation to support that fact. I am satisfied knowing regardless what may come their way, Sharon found the perfect husband in Dave. And I don’t have to hurt Dave because he truly loves my daughter Sharon.

All is well that ends well. Time to go home…the end ~

Mini Diary of One Day’s Travels – A Day from Hell

I have been fortunate this entire year. No major airport delays, no lost luggage, no real issues to complain about. Because I travel so much during the year I look at George Clooney’s movie character, Ryan Bingham and think, you make it look too easy. And, in real life, it could be a royal pain in the ass. Yesterday was…a royal pain in the ass.

The day began with Maxine drawing the short straw at Tampa International Airport. Her carry on bag was selected for rummaging and to say it was a pleasant experience would be way off target. TSA agents are basically rent-a-cops with all the bed side manner of a proctologist…she had to re-pack everything in her bag. That was the bad news. The good news, we could continue without Maxine being labeled a terrorist and detained.

I knew from reading weather reports the weather would be rough between Tampa and Atlanta and then flying through a cold front from Atlanta to Dallas so I suggested we not rely on the flight attendants for anything to eat or drink as they most likely would be strapped into their seats like the rest of us. We purchased some really delicious and nutritious sandwiches and drinks to carry onto the plane. Both of us were hungry so we to eat before boarding, or at least we tried to. Maxine tossed her sandwich out because it was simply gross and went for something else before we boarded. Can’t win them all, right?

I was right about the rough flights. And for anyone that does not fully understand the Delta/Northwest merger, while all the airplanes are now painted with Delta name, the routes, crews and flight equipment stayed “segregated”. The unionized NW crews are rude and their planes are falling apart. We drew the short straw on both flights this week. The Detroit former NW flight attendants were lazy, uncaring and in some cases just rude. I just read yesterday all Delta and NW flight attendants just voted whether to go union system wide or non-union system wide. They voted to go non-union, which may have had something to do with the attitudes we encountered. And when I say their equipment is falling apart, so many passengers expressed concern about a missing piece of the right wing assembly the Captain got on the address system to comment, assuring us it was not an important piece of the airplane and not to worry. Oh, yeah? Then why was it there in the first place?

When we arrived in Dallas and went to the luggage area, Maxine became aware and simultaneously alarmed at the fact her BlackBerry was “missing”. She had checked messages after we landed but no longer had it in her possession. She went to the Delta Luggage Manager for advice. He provided her with a security pass which would get her through security without a boarding pass so she could go back to the gate where we landed. I continued to wait for our luggage to arrive.

I was still waiting for our luggage when Maxine returned with her BlackBerry. It was being held at the gate by a Delta employee. Smiles all around.

Our connection in Atlanta was very tight due to weather and being delayed from Tampa. We made the connection but our luggage did not, although we did not know that yet. After waiting a respectable amount of time at the luggage belt in Dallas I also met with the Delta Luggage Manager who, after checking for our luggage in his magic computer told us our luggage was on the next flight from Atlanta. Bad news. The good news was, it was only a 90 minute or so delay. So, in thinking about our options about picking up our rental car and then parking it somewhere or staying in the airport and maybe grabbing a bite to eat (it was between 5:30pm and 6:00pm Central and I was getting hungry) I made the decision we should have dinner while waiting for our luggage.

But there are no restaurants on the outside area of the Dallas gates. To find a restaurant one must go through security. So, I asked the Delta Luggage Manager how we could get back into the to where the restaurants were located. He provided a second security pass for Maxine and one for me. Good plan, good news.

To be safe, though, I called the local Hertz office, located at the Dallas Airport, to advise them of our delay. I spoke with a real person at the office who told me, “No worries”. Delays of two or three hours have never created a problem for me at Hertz in the past so I was certain the car would be waiting for me anyway. Good news.

We went through Dallas Airport security and found only a Taco Bell, hot dog joint and one other forgettable fast food place. I then found and asked a Delta gate agent if those were our only options. She pointed down the hall and suggested we try TGI Friday’s. Things were looking up. More good news. When we arrived at Friday’s we were met by a hostess that was chewing gum, wore her hair in pig tails and welcomed us “guys”. When seated we were advised, over the loud rap music being played in the restaurant, they closed at 7pm. Really? “Yeah”, our waiter told us, “Everything closes at 7pm.”. Bad news? OK then, we made quick choices and commenced to have dinner while listening to rock music so loud we could not hear each other.

We completed our dinner as they were closing. Since airports don’t get repeat customers, we were not treated as such. No checking on the how the food was, nothing was said by our waiter other than “Here’s the bill”. Nor worthy of even bad news, just poor customer service. A theme becoming more common as our day wore on.

We got back to the luggage area to find our luggage waiting for us. Once again, good news and smiles all around. We thanked our new friend, the Delta Luggage Manager and began searching for a bus to take us to where the rental cars are kept. We were struck by the fact that an airport this large had so few flyers and fewer employees. The wait for a bus was about 20 minutes. It was starting to get late and we were both tired and irritable. Bad news.

The bus arrived to take us to the central rental car building. Good news. However, to say the bus needed shock absorbers is an understatement. I am blessed with good teeth. I still have them all and until last night, four fillings. I am not sure how many were left on the bus along with my kidneys. That was really bad news.

Upon arriving at the car rental building I found the Delta area and went directly to the Gold Number #1 Member board, only to notice my name was not on it. Bad news. So, we went back inside to the desk and got line with several other people who were already unhappy at the fact only one desk clerk was working the counter. The lady in first placed said she had been there 20 minutes and could not get waited on. More bad news. At that point a very large well dressed businessman spoke up and asked the Hertz guy behind the counter why we had to wait so long. His response was to point to a corner office about 100 yards away and say “Go see the manager”. I could not believe it. Neither could the large well dressed businessman. He took off like a rocket to the manager’s office, opened the door and started yelling, pointing to the desk, and, us. Then as he came back to us I noticed the manager got up and came out of his office too. Good news? I asked the businessman if he was coming to our aid. “Nope”, replied my new friend, “He is going to look for help.” “What?”, I asked…”Why the hell doesn’t he come to the damn desk?”

The bad news was beginning to pile up. So, I yelled at the guy behind the counter, requesting he find some assistance as even more people were lining up behind us. “Are you Gold?” he asked. I told him I was. “Then you go to the counter behind the Gold Number #1 Member board for help” he replied.” Huh? I had not seen that. So, off we went in search of the office where I would get help. This had to be good news.

We found the office, with a line and…are you ready, one guy behind the counter. Bad news. Do you know what is worse than someone being rude? Someone who won’t speak or answer questions. This was clearly an understaffed location and I was looking at a man who was working under a great deal of stress and pressure. But, I was still angry and tired too. My patience, what little was left, was wearing thin.

Finally, when it was my time to the one agent on duty behind the counter, I asked him why my name was not on the board. He asked for my name and checked his computer. “Your name was taken down and the car was put back into the system because you were late”, he told me. Oh, yeah – my call did a lot of good. The fuse which was so close to an open flame for the past few hours got lit. I lost it. I will skip what I said, etc., and simply say, after another 45 minutes, at my request, the “manager” came out to see me. About 15 more minutes and we had a car, at no cost, courtesy of Hertz.

We got to our hotel about four hours after landing at the airport. The hotel itself is beautiful, modern and very comfortable. The staff incredibly nice. Especially when because of a minor glitch they could not find my reservation (more bad news?). Actually, I had made an error in setting up the reservation and we were able to correct the problem in about five minutes. Great news!

But this would not be a complete day’s story without the perfect ending to very bad day. As we were unpacking, I noticed a note on the desk with a Dear Guest message and a graphic that looked like a bug on it. My first thought was, “Oh, no, they have a bed bug infestation.” Bad news? Wrong. The card read “You may see me during your stay here and I wanted t take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Bert the Water Beetle. I frequent Texas this time of year, trying to soak up the warm sunshine.” The card went on to say how to deal with any beetles if we encountered them and that they are basically harmless. I chose to turn the card over and not show it to Maxine.

It was the end of our day and time to prepare for bed. Maxine was in the bathroom and I turned on a lamp in the bedroom. To my shock, on the wall above the lamp, sat a wasp. Bad news! I read a quote from Ross Perot once, when he was running for President. Perot said, “I see a snake on the factor floor and I kill it.” That thought went through my mind in the nanosecond it took me to pick up the first thing I could grab, which was a hotel notepad, and swat the damn thing. It fell in pieces to the floor. Good news!  

This mini-diary was not meant to be a gripe session. Many every day travelers experience many of the unfortunate events we encountered yesterday. But, this is not my normal travel day and certainly to have this occur at every turn by anyone would not be anything close to “normal”.

Today, we are spending the day with our daughter, Sharon and her husband, Dave, the purpose of the trip. Today’s reunion after not having seen each other for over two years more than makes up for yesterday…Good News!

Why Is Halloween So Close To The Elections? I’ll Tell You

The fact Halloween is so close to the elections this coming week is an old tradition dating back too far for anyone to remember but ties in nicely with several themes.

Fist, it is scary to think we have to go elect Members of the House of Representatives every two years when U.S. Senators get a six year term. What is wrong with that picture? Members get elected and start campaigning again. Did our founding fathers get it right? I personally don’t think so. Are there term limits? No. Why not?

I suggest if you serve in Congress the following term limits should apply. A combination of 12 years maximum using the following possible options: A. Two six-year Senate terms; B. Six two-year House terms; C. One six-year Senate term and three two-year House terms. PERIOD.

Second, what’s up with our government NEVER telling us the truth? There are too many examples to even suggest here for they date back 200 hundred years. National security aside, I have come to believe any time anyone in any administration in my life time who looked into the camera lens on national TV and told me something important, he or she lied.

Area 51 does not have anything to do with aliens but everything to do with the development of super fast stealth and other experimental aircraft development by the U.S. Government. Our government likes to keep the Roswell thing going to keep the focus off the fact they are and have been using that area dating back to the development of the atomic bomb (Manhattan Project).

The Warren Commission was complete dribble. Oswald did not act alone and get off three highly accurate shots as quickly as suggested using the weapon found in the book depository. The magic bullet on the stretcher? Give me a break.

Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon all lied about Vietnam, where our “advisers” and troops were going, what they were doing and our government continued to say we were not in Cambodia or Laos, until we got caught there. OK, national security, right?

Do I even have to mention the weapons of mass destruction or why we really invaded Iraq? I think I’ll skip this one.

Do you want to rent the perfect, and I mean PERFECT Halloween movie to watch? It is NOT Seven, The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead, Alien, Poltergeist, Halloween, The Shining or even The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is Wag The Dog. If you watch that movie and are not convinced I am absolutely on top of the fact we cannot trust the government, and Wag The Dog does not sway you, rent Three Days of the Condor…good luck with trusting anyone in government, in any political party, again. Do your own filtering and….trust no one…

The Morning After

I am not going to be the first to say this nor the last – Congratulations to the Texas Rangers. They beat a team that closed their season with the best record in baseball this year.

The Texas Rangers were well prepared for the Tampa Bay Rays, who were out pitched, out fielded and out hit. They deserve the credit for winning their first post season game, ever. Now, they move forward.

Some, particularly in Tampa Bay, may wish to see them fail. I, however, hope they can continue to succeed. I WANT them to beat the Yankees. I WANT them to beat the National League’s best team this year. I WANT to say the Tampa Bay Rays were beat in the ALDS by the team that went on to be the World Series Champions. They earned it, they deserve it and they not only have a chance to win as they move forward, it would be fun to watch them play “small ball” against the odds and achieve that goal that so many others covet but now can only stand by and watch.

GO RANGERS!

On the Fence

On August 4, 2008 I began scribbling thoughts on something called a Blog. I was not on Facebook back then and thought I may have found a way to occasionally write a note about something on my mind, something odd or funny or, to be candid, to rant. What followed surprised me.

My Blog, Uncommon Sense, took over my life. In that month alone, in looking back, I wrote 25 times – almost as if I had a daily responsibility to write an article for a local newspaper. Obviously, I had a lot on my mind, almost every day.

What is a bigger surprise to me is, in looking back at what I wrote two years ago, I don’t actually remember doing the writing – this is almost like having an out of body experience and discovering who I am, or at least who I was.

Someone recently told me people don’t change but their behavior can. I am not sure where any new writings would take me if I hit the start button again. While I still have a lot going on in my head on a daily basis, I am unsure if I would have an audience for anything I may wish to address.

In thinking about writing again, I am making Uncommon Sense open to the those I am friends with on FB. There is a way to link Uncommon Sense to FB using Notes but even though I have set it up, I am having second thoughts. You can get to my Blog using the following link: http://jrtreehouse.blogspot.com/.  There are 32 posts covering a fairly short period of time waiting to be rediscovered.

I am traveling to the greater Pittsburgh area today for a few days of fun and frolic in an effort to make a living so I doubt I will have much to say due my travel today, tonight’s game between the Rays and Rangers, and my assignments while in Pittsburgh.

I would, however, find it useful if some or any of my friends on FB, the ones who have told me they read all my posts, would let me know if anything I wrote two years ago hits home and whether you would like to see more of what kinds of things rattle around inside my head…  

Retospective

About this time two years ago I burned out - that was because I had been writing at a steady pace for quite awhile and other matters were beginning to beg for my time. My consulting business was finally putting me in a position to make choices - work with clients or write. After a two year break, I am thinking of coming back.

This is my first attempt at using a blog again and I admit, I feel rusty. However, I still wake up everyday with "thoughts" on my mind and like to share. I also love getting feedback. Last, when I was writing a couple years ago I was not on Facebook, which has changed how I approach messages that to out to friends, family and even the public.

So, maybe it is time for me to start scribbling again...

To Blog Or Not To Blog

Prior to early August this year, I had never written or posted a blog (web log). With the assistance of my two smart adult children I learned how to set up a blog site and off I went.

I enjoy writing about my opinions of the day for cathartic reasons and for the safety of those closest to me. More specifically I felt if my head ever exploded too close to my wife, there could be unintended consequences. I used to joke about wrapping my head in duct tape. Blogging has saved me hundreds of dollars by not buying tape in which to wrap my head to keep it from exploding.

The site I use allows me to determine how many “hits” my site gets each day along with other analytic data about where those folks live (in general), etc. But the analysis I have seen since I have been posting my thoughts is telling me I do not have a very large loyal following. My guess is the folks that are going to my site on a regular basis are only close friends and immediate family, and even then not every day even though I have established a routine of writing just about every day to attract daily followers.

People can get to my site in one of the following three ways. After the first visit, they can bookmark and return to my site as a Favorite. They use the more modern way using an RSS Feeder (see following link). http://www.techafina.com/rss-explained/. The third way is if someone sends my site's URL to a family member or friend and that person opens the link.

Where is this going? When I alerted somewhere between 20 to 30 friends and family by e-mail I had started posting I received a lot of hits. But later I explained that was sort of cheating. If someone really likes following a favorite blogger they will continue to return to that site often, without prompting. So I explained to my friends and family I would stop providing a heads up but would continue to write. I wanted a way to determine just how many visitors I would receive every day to my blog site because folks really wanted to check it out and see what my thoughts were that day.

From hitting some high notes, reaching as many as 25 readers on certain days after providing a heads up my average readership has dropped dramatically.

Some bloggers write because they get paid to write for newspapers, magazines or web sites and are considered professionals in the new age of writing for others. I write for myself but based upon the drop in readership without prompting feel I may be getting followed by too few folks to continue to “post in the open”. I may as well keep a private diary, stop writing completely or perhaps send e-mails to those who respond to this posting and ask that I do so. I need some help in deciding what to do. While I don’t fancy myself a professional writer if there are not enough people who want me to continue posting, I should stop. Therefore I am going to do the following, immediately.

This is my last posting for several days, at least through the weekend and as long as a week. I am going “dark”. I have written 31 blogs to date (not including this one) with my average daily readership going from the high teens to as low as 1 but has settled between 5 or 6 per day. When you read this blog if you want me to continue to share my thoughts please put a note into comments section at the bottom of this posting or write me directly if you have my e-mail address and do not want your comment to be read publicly.

I will decide whether to continue to blog after I hear from those that respond. Several days is a long time to not write, at least for me, but it is long enough for anyone who has read any of my previous postings to come back to my site, read this and tell me if they want me to continue posting and why.

That’s it for today. I do not need to know if you agree with what I write but if I should continue. Simple enough. I look forward to hearing from enough followers to justify my time in posting my thoughts going forward.

Two Political Conventions, Two Completely Different Themes

I know most of America did not watch the Presidential conventions, regardless of party affiliation, age, gender, or whatever. As unlikely as it is many Americans watched one convention it is even less likely they watched or paid much attention to both. That having been said, I did record both events each evening and the following day pushed through the commentary on fast forward to see and hear the key note speakers at both conventions. Well, that is history and this week officially marks the start of the “Sprint to the finish”. In less than 60 days America will elect a new President.

From my observations in watching both conventions, glaring differences came through as if the volume was turned to high and the resolution to extreme. One convention seemed focused on its party’s platform, ideology, its goals and mission as well as its chosen leaders and how they planned to make improvements going forward following their “taking charge” of the county in January, 2009.

The other convention seemed completely focused on one party leader and that person’s selection as running mate. There was little specific focus on what is really wrong in America today and how this party’s chosen nominees are going to lead the American people forward after “taking charge” of the country in January, 2009.

After stripping away all the rhetoric, tuning out all the pageantry, music, streamers, confetti and balloons, there seemed to be two America’s being represented at these very different conventions. One was a high energy convention with what I interpreted was a genuine hope for something different in the next four years from the past eight. The other convention reminded me of something I have heard for the past eight years and every year this party has been in office or wanted to get there. Same message, different people saying the same thing as in the past despite their break from the current administration in office.

Both the Democrats and Republicans had energetic speakers to fire up their base and both took some shots at their opponents. But the similarities between the two ended there.

I took the time to see and hear the leaders of both parties speak and present their party’s and their own personal views about how they saw the past, the present and the future. One party seemed to “get it”, the other seemed too focused on trying to be so different from being main stream they neglected to address any specific agenda items they had in mind for our future except to criticize the other party’s perspective. One tone seemed positive, one totally obscured and vague.

It is no wonder most Americans have come to hate politics so much. Even a political junkie like me can become cynical about the process we still follow to select our national leaders. Worse, some still don’t seem to “get it” when it comes to communicating with us on a level we can and want to understand. But, if they did they would not be politicians would they.

I am hoping the three debates will be watched by a great majority of Americans. And I hope during those debates we get some real understanding of the differences between the candidates running for President and Vice President. I will be watching and hoping some serious issues get addressed in a serious way by everyone involved. Late breaking news has it that finally, sometime this week, we will see an interview by one of the major network anchors, Charles Gibson of ABC, with the only candidate that thus far has eluded a one-on-one interview with anyone. Sarah Palin has been completely sheltered from interviews to this point. I can only hope there were no pre-conditions such as having questions submitted in advance for ABC to garner this first exclusive interview.

One might say Palin will have to learn on the job in the event of a catastrophic event but learn how to interview with the national media before elected? That’s scary…how much time did she need to learn how to read a globe, the names of the countries where the bad guys live and learn party lines about how to make the other guy the focus of any hard questions she could not answer? Come-on now…

In November, after the debates are over and the ads have come off the air, we (the great majority of registered voters) will either vote, or not. If the majority of registered voters do go to the polls, I believe the majority already know for whom they will vote. It is said some are “undecided”. I challenge that notion. I have a theory the term “undecided” was concocted by pollsters who could not get straight answers from folks they polled, people who did not want to go on the record and tell the truth as to how they really felt when asked.

Churchill said once, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. I disagree. I fear the fact we, as a nation, are made up of some of the least informed people in any country in the world when one of the most important national elections in history is on the line. I fear for the future of our country as we have no idea what will be going on in the minds of those who actually do show up to vote this November. We will know the results afterward, but, we may never find out the “why”.

I Could Have Been Asked To Be John McCain’s VP

Remember when I said I could have been Obama’s running mate? Well, dog-gone, as it turns out, since I wasn’t asked, I checked and I could have been McCain’s running mate as well.

McCain selected someone younger than he is. That wasn’t too hard. Less than 10% of Americans today are his age or older and I am younger than he is.

McCain’s running mate is not living in the same state in which she was born. Me neither.

The GOP VP nominee can handle a rifle. When I was in the Air National Guard (I showed up at for all the required training and have the paperwork to prove it) I won a Marksman ribbon using an M-16. Now granted, I never shot at Bambi, but I’ll bet you if a moose got in my face and it was me or him, I could shoot it.

This same nominee showed leadership skills at an early age, being in the PTA, Mayor of a small town and now a Governor of a not too densely populated state. She wanted to be in front of a camera on the news and thought she would do well in journalism. As it turns out she did not do all that well in school though. Well, I was in a lot of youth organizations, becoming President of one. I was in the Jaycees and was elected as a Chapter President. I have been interviewed on TV (when I was a lot younger), thought of journalism as a college major (I like to write or I would not be writing this, would I), and I did not do too well in school, neither. As for being the head of some state, I find myself in the state of confusion much of the time so she may have me there.

McCain picked someone to be VP that apparently does not know where a lot of other countries are, the names of their leaders and has not traveled much outside the United States. She also apparently does not like to be interviewed about all this. Same here, across the board. I haven’t got a clue how to spell the names of some world leaders and just got my own passport within the past couple of years. Two birds of a feather.

Sarah Palin said she can be really sarcastic, cynical and difficult to deal with. Just ask my family about that.

Sadly, we do have some major differences. Well, not exactly sadly. I am a man and obviously McCain was looking for someone to offset the Hillary thing. Like a right wing conservative woman. I came that close.

But here’s the thing. There is talk about the fact Joe Biden won’t be able to go after Sarah Palin too hard because it would make him look like a guy beating up on a weaker person, Sarah being a woman and all. How about this. What if the Panther of Pant Suits Hillary Clinton was dispatched by the Democratic Party to go after the Pit Bull with lipstick? That would look like a fair fight, right? For about 10 minutes…..and for that I am grateful I am not McCain’s pick because I could not hold a candle to either Obama or Biden. They are smarter, better educated and know a lot more about the world than I do.

People like Sarah Palin because they say “she’s just like me”. I could be like that too. However I remember that George W. Bush was liked once by these same people that also believed they could sit down and have a beer with him. Well, not a beer, coffee perhaps.

But getting back to being Vice President, I think I would like someone smarter than me….a lot smarter than me. Maybe pretty soon we’ll get to see someone in the media actually interview Mrs. Palin and find out just what she believes in, besides trying to ban books from her town library she did not believe appropriate, allegedly firing a state employee in Alaska for not firing her ex-brother-in-law, believing that teaching abstinence will prevent unwanted pregnancy (whoops), thinking that drilling the hell out of Alaska won’t harm its environment and will somehow make an immediate difference in the price of gas, and that being a Harvard Graduate and President of the Harvard Law Review but skipping a high paying job with a large law firm in favor of working with the less fortunate in poor neighborhoods makes you an elitist.

Can you hear Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, as Col. Nathan R. Jessep, barking at the media “You want answers? You want answers?”. The media, “We want the truth.” Jessep, “You can’t handle the truth!” Perhaps not. But we need to ask anyway.

You Have To Love The Enthusiasm But What Is True And What Is A Stretch?

If you have watched the Republican Convention you saw two year Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and other Republican party supporters issue some fairly strong attacks against Senators Obama and Biden. However, Palin and her supporters had plenty of praise regarding her credentials to be Vice President. To some degree this is to be expected at a political party convention but I had to ask myself if some of what was said stretched the truth, perhaps just a little. Here are some quotes, judge for yourself.

Sarah Palin: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending...and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

A Little Closer To The Truth: My understanding is, as mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as Governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

Sarah Palin: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate."

A Little Closer To The Truth: Obama has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, Obama was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois, the first studying racial profiling by police and the second requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

John McCain: In an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson McCain said "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply...She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America."

A Little Closer To The Truth: John McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state - by population.

John McCain: McCain also stated on ABC, "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard…She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities."

A Little Closer To The Truth: While Governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their Governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations in the country.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for President of the United States."

A Little Closer To The Truth: I have to classify this as a major exaggeration and simply wrong. Palin received 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and received 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses but still received 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney: "We need change, all right - change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington - throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

A Little Closer To The Truth: This is an interesting perspective. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats been in charge of the House and Senate. Under Bush the federal government has grown to be the largest in this country’s history.

Florida Delegates Get To Wear Turnpike Collector Shirts – Really!

All 114 Florida delegates to the Republican Convention received the Hawaiian-design shirts worn by tollbooth attendants on Florida toll roads. The shirts even say “Turnpike” on them. I can honestly say I have seen toll takers on the Florida Turnpike wearing these shirts!
So, the questions are:

Is wearing a toll collector’s shirt at a national Presidential convention just a teensy, weensy bit tacky?

Will they be able to wear them, legally, once back in Florida and stop folks on the streets where they live and collect tolls (ala scenes from the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles)?

And, are they collecting any quarters, you know, to help offset the deficit?

What Does It Mean To Lose A Loved One?

I wrote just over three weeks ago about the importance of Hospice to families in need of support when experiencing the painful last steps of losing a loved one. The mother of my brother’s wife passed away over this past weekend, losing a battle to cancer.

There is not a lot I can say about the process one goes through when a parent or other close family member passes away. You may have experienced a close personal loss, perhaps not, yet. You may have read about the several steps of grief but it is a lonely journey even when you understand it intellectually and think you are ready. Nobody really is.

I hope we can find the money for research so we can continue to look for ways to find cures for deceases that take our loved ones from us. Regardless of age, regardless of how well one may have lived their life, regardless of financial or social circumstances, cancer knows no boundaries. It kills.

I also hope you can find a way to support your local Hospice, where ever you live. In the case of my brother’s mother-in-law, they did wonders and worked their magic to help the family as much as possible as they went through that journey to the end that had to come.

In memory of Ada and others who leave us when it is their time to do so…


There is a season, And a time for every purpose under heaven.

A time to be born, a time to die; A time to plant, a time to reap.

A time to kill, a time to heal, A time to laugh, a time to weep.

There is a season, And a time for every purpose under heaven.

How Do We Celebrate Labor Day And Why

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working citizens". Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894. All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday. Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.

But, while Labor Day is often regarded as a day of rest and is a National holiday folks who must work for a living rarely get the day off. While we celebrate certain religious holidays by closing just about everything, we take a holiday intended to recognize the working citizens within our country, and, we make them work.

What’s wrong with this picture?

If you read this in the morning but must then go to work, I want to thank you for being a working class citizen of this country. I will have the day off because I am self-employed, which another way of saying unemployed except when someone hires me to work. Honestly, if someone wanted me to work today, and promised to pay me, I would be right out there with you.

And if you read this after coming home from work, I want to thank you for being a working class citizen of this country. Because you went to work, our economy probably did a little better and I hope you made a decent wage today.

But if you are getting the day off and then go out to a movie, restaurant or going shopping, thank the folks that are working today to make your day off more enjoyable.

And last, if you are unemployed but would have preferred to work, I hope you could still enjoy your day, somehow, as I know the unemployment rates are up, wages are down and it seems to be getting harder and harder to find a reason to celebrate just about anything anymore.

Now then, let’s all get ready to go to work or look for a job tomorrow, except those of you have the luxury to stay home because you have retired. Who is left? Those folks who get paid for doing nothing, like most of the people we have elected into office….Happy Labor Day!

Where Do You Get Your News?

I took Saturday off from writing as I was pretty worn out from following all the political news of the past week. I enjoyed learning things about the Democratic nominees that I had not known previously and was more than taken aback at the choice made by the Republican presumptive nominee.

While running errands in the morning yesterday I spoke with a Vietnamese American college student who just became a United States Citizen three days ago. She was born in Vietnam but raised in this country, has turned 18 and wanted to become a US Citizen. While congratulating her and applauding her decision to become a Citizen I asked if she now planned to vote in November. She replied she did but has become confused about her choices.

This young lady attends college on a full-ride scholarship and while she attends a local four year institution of higher learning so she can work in her family business during off days and weekends, she could have gone to just about any school of her choice in the country her grades were so good in high school. She has been taking advanced classes for years and intends to become a bio-chemist to help find cures to illnesses where none exist today. I mention this to point out this is not an average person of average intelligence.

I asked about what confusion she had with respect to selecting a Presidential candidate in November and her answer stunned me. She withheld stating her original preference by name but said she had intended to vote for someone that would be creating history by being the first from his race to ever be President (guess who). She went on to say she had read, on Internet message boards, if elected he likely would be assassinated, so now she was reconsidering. My mouth must have opened so wide a jumbo jet could have safely landed in my mouth. I asked if she was now considering voting for “the other” candidate because of what she read and she admitted she was conflicted. I asked if she knew anything about the Vice Presidential nominees from both parties. She stated she was trying to find out more. We talked a bit about each of the Presidential candidates and their running mates. It was clear to me she was not getting her news from “main stream” sources. I asked if she knew about the attempt on Gerald Ford’s life by Lynette “Squeaky” From, a female who tried to kill a white, male Republican President. She had never heard or read about that incident and it shocked her. I asked if she knew that a young man by the name of John Hinkley had tried to kill Ronald Reagan, another white, male Republican President. She had not heard or read about that either and was shocked again.

After a few other questions about the history of our Presidents and their brushes with being killed in office I suggested she use the Internet to obtain information about several topics. To start, the Secret Service’s reports regarding how many threats are made daily toward every major political figure from both political parties in our country. Then I suggested she go to the web sites of both Barack Obama and John McCain and read what they have to say about their visions for the future. And finally I suggested she try to find a neutral political news source, such a Politico.com., which has a reputation for being really fair and balanced and not taking sides in favor of one party or another while presenting good data and questions about all important issues of the day. She acknowledged she was a bit embarrassed about the fact she had been relying upon information that was not main stream enough to be accurate and agreed to try to find out more about each candidate and their respective party’s ideology so she could become a better informed voter in November.

I also had a haircut yesterday but instead of discussing sports like we normally do when I am in the chair, the conversation somehow turned to politics (honestly, I did not start it). Huge mistake. My barber, it turns out, gets her news from other than main stream sources as well. Unlike the young college student I had just spoken with one hour earlier, my barber is a middle aged single female who is living slightly above the poverty line and has had a fairly tough life. She started to tell me all that she had come to know about the chosen leaders of both parties and how upset she was about what she was learning.

Rather than go into our conversation let’s just say I could not wait to get my haircut and get out of the shop. I was attempting to have a conversation with a person who had fallen prey to a great deal of not only misinformation but disinformation, lies, and distortions about the candidates now running for President and Vice President and it made me ill to hear what was coming out of her mouth. Not so much because she was saying things I disagreed with but where she had obtained her information and the fact she believed it.

Yesterday’s events followed conversations with a few of my neighbors during the past couple of weeks that also made me wonder where they received their news. I sometimes feel I live on a different planet than just about everyone with whom I come into contact. Why do I seem to see the issues of the day and the potential solutions differently than so many others? Is it because of where I reside? Tampa, Florida is a melting pot of many types of people with varied backgrounds, some of whom moved here from the Mid-west. But I seem to be surrounded by people that live in caves and their ideology reflects the most primitive perspective imaginable. Am I an elitist? Hardly.

To say that I am completely informed and get absolutely 100% correct information in the news would be an over statement. But because I use various methods to get my information and feel I am better informed about what is true and what is not about important issues of the day, I am now more concerned than ever about the future of our country. I have heard and read the average American does not get accurate information from reliable sources when it comes to how our country is governed. While speaking to two people on a Saturday is not a scientific study, the fact that one is a very, very bright and well educated person and the other is not but neither had clue as to the truth of what has occurred or is occurring in terms of our politics in this country made my drive home very difficult for me.

I hope and pray my recent conversations with my neighbors, the student and my barber were isolated incidents, but, I fear they were not. Good luck to us all this coming November and as the politicians like to say, God Bless America!

Sarah Palin – John’s McCain Running Mate

Sarah Palin’s United States Vice Presidential Credentials:

Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council, a city in Alaska with fewer than 10,000 people. She became mayor of Wasilla. She is a current a first term Governor of the State of Alaska (she has been Mayor less than two years).

Reported strengths for the Republican ticket: She is young, attractive (was a runner up in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant), she is pro-life and pro-gun (lifetime NRA member) and is known to be a strong conservative.

All righty now…..