I want a new drug

I tried to follow some of my own advice and NOT read the side effects on prescription drugs. Got a cholesterol drug today and broke down and read the insert. For me, that's a mistake as I immediately started to imagine some of the 129 possible side effects. OK, not really but there are so many medications out now and many of them are advertised on TV with funny, fast-paced disclaimers. I guess they figure if they say them quickly it won't have a scary impact (just the opposite for me). If you take more than one or two drugs it seems there has to be some type of negative interaction. Yet, I guess if we didn't have these we wouldn't be as healthy..

I decided to take advantage of my medical insurance while I have it and seek treatment for some of those nagging ailments. No excuses that I can't take the day off for this test or that procedure..So I'll do what I need to and hope not to have too many new chemicals to deal with...Man, one day on this pill and my legs ache.. shouldn't have read the insert..

Nap trap

It has been almost two months of not working (a regular schedule) and it's time to report what could be one of the most common of all the time killers (outside of tv watching) and that's napping. Never planned, usually peaceful and relaxing and almost always interrupted by a phone call. It used to be napping was an isolated weekend event. For me it was in mid afternoon on a Saturday or Sunday when the house was quiet. Most times now it is a couch event with the TV on. So there's your double whammy TK. The ultimate serious nap (when required) is in the bedroom without the TV - always on top of the covers - less incriminating should you try and disguise the event, however, I am frequently checked for flat hair - the daytime nap giveaway.

The tricky part or the nap trap is not completely screwing up your night time sleep. Usually a 30-minute event will not impact the big sleep at night. It all depends on when you nap. Recently I had the big mama of daytime, bedroom, no covers, no TV three-hour special. By 11 pm that night I was ready to power wash the deck but not hit the sack. I think I was up until 3 am and wondered if it was worth the price. I straightened out in a day or so. It is kind of like JetLag... sort of nap lag. Maybe I can perfect this someway.. Just have to be figure a way to de-flatten the hair (the best nap is a non-detected nap)..zzzzz

Boys of summer

Been playing on a men's softball team here for almost 20 years and after each year is over I wonder how much longer I can continue. You really start to feel your age when you're playing a team of 25-year-olds. It brings back memories of the days when you had the power, the spring in your legs and the enthusiasm. I just signed up for another year after I realized that now with time killing a priority it's not always the "game" but the social aspect of getting together and enjoying the event - even if you suck and don't really contribute. I am making a special effort this year since I have all day to rest before the game.. maybe a nap will help..maybe not rushing from the train station will do the trick.. maybe steroids??

Waiting for Curly

You know how you have to take days or half days or chunks of the day off to meet workers who come to the house? This is no longer an issue. I had a call from our oil company a few days ago and they asked if they could get in to do a cleaning on our boiler. "How about 8 am, first stop, on Wednesday?" The guy was surprised that I said sure I'll be here and the appointment was set.

Then I wondered - OK, is this going to screw up my schedule for today? Ha, just kidding. I have plenty of room for adjustment. I wondered if they would send the usual guy to do the job. I think he lives close by and they give him jobs in this area.. He came by on an emergency call one day last winter and I was amused at how much he looked like Curly of the Three Stooges. I'm not sure if that was good or bad. Turns out he knows what he's doing and he got our heat going. Today, the truck pulls up, I open the garage and there he is..He not only keeps my house warm, he amused me for hours as a kid --- NYUK , NYUK, NYUK...

An Omen?

Killing time at the gym today (a regular routine). While getting dressed a guy 20 years my senior says to me 'Don't Ever Retire".. I'm thinking, OK this is spooky.. Am I on candid camera? I was waiting for his follow-up comment and figured it would be - you have to keep active, moving, busy..don't let the cobwebs collect. So I nodded and decided not to disclose my situation. Plus I was sort of glad he pegged me for a guy who just couldn't be retired.. too young and verile - I WAS in my bathing suit.. He followed up his warning with "Everybody thinks you have nothing but time on your hands and calls you all the time to go here, do this, do that.. I only wish I was still back at work".. I gave the usual polite nods and a few pre-packaged answers.. He did hang around for a somewhat uncomfortable time period while I tried to organize my post-swimming mess..

Then again, maybe he did have me sized up for a potential retiree. I realized I kept saying 'huh and what' which probably shortened the conversation..He was speaking just fine. As he left the area and I thought about it I realized I had my ear plugs in the whole time. (not bad considering I've driven HOME once with them in)...

With that said...

Went to a mandatory unemployment office meeting today. It seemed to be for just a small group of guys . The U/E guy was trying to be helpful but I could tell right away that this was going to do me NO good. I kept quiet, added my info and decided to amuse myself the best way I know how -- watching somebody else's quirks. This guy leading the meeting used the phrase "with that said" at least (no kidding) 40-50 times in the hour .. I was keeping count. I think it was just a nervous reaction..

I had nothing in common with the other guys who talked a lot about their military experiences which may or may not affect their job quests. At the end, after looking at web sites and resume templates he asked to make one-on-one appts.. they all did.. I said I'd call him. Not to be cruel - he was a nice guy - but with that said I don't think he can help me.

Turn your head and gag

It seems retired people go to the doctor a lot. I guess it's because they have the time OR they are rapidly deteriorating. Well, I do have the time and I hope I am not deteriorating too quickly. I had the usual physical things checked only this time I have to schedule a stress test. I thought shoveling out the driveway this past January would have cleared me.

I've had a stress test before (like 20 years ago) so I guess I am due. I had told my doctor that since becoming a free spirit I joined this local gym and was working out 4-5 times a week.. Figured that would give me brownie points but that is the very reason he is sending me for this test. He wanted to know if I ever got short of breath or had any other scary symptoms. Just noisy knees I said. He checked that out and calmly said.."you may eventually need a knee replacement"..What's worse - getting these things done or worrying about getting these things done?

So now I will have to explain to my unemployment rep that I can't be bothered chasing down some dopey job.. I have medical appointments to keep...

Things Irish

I get this e-mail asking me to pass it on to all my office mates and encourage them to wear green on the 17th..Hey, I don't HAVE any office mates (anymore). How insensitive.


Watching the parade on TV... a real time killer...

I always called my mother on St Pat's since usually (if it was a weekday) I could see and hear it from my office window. Sure, I could have walked one block to see it first hand but remember that crowd thing. My mother (and father) were mostly Irish but I don't think they attended the parade since they were kids. My mother would ask if I wore green and most times I did for her sake. My dad worked in the textile industry and was one of the few Irishmen in that role. I knew he was Irish -- he looked it and acted it -- but after a long day's work on 7th Avenue he'd often get home and express his feelings in Yiddish ----- oy gavult..

On the dole

I thought by now I'd filled out enough applications and info pages to satisfy the unemployment benefits people.. I guess not as I now have a mandatory meeting at one of their many offices - always in a crummy area - next week. Along with this letter came a whole bunch of blank forms I have to fill out - and all my apps are marked "vet".. Maybe they think I care for sick animals OR they are going to offer me a job back in the navy?

Sign of the TIMES

The last time I got a job it was through the classified section of the NY Times. Even though I had tried many other resources including an outplacement firm, it was the Times that had the most listings on a weekly basis - a huge section. Each week I'd find at least one or two where sending a resume made sense..That method has basically been replaced by e-mailing and such.

So not having paid much attention to the classic newspaper listings in the last 15 years I assumed the Times still had their large Sunday classified section ready for me to plow through. Admittedly, today was the first day I actually did this..As I sorted through the sections of this $4 newspaper I assumed the giant classified section was missing - so I looked through it again only to find the job listings which were buried as a one or two page listing in the middle of the Business section. This took about 2 minutes to scan to see that there was nothing close to what I want/need.

I had started looking at the electronic listings (Monster, Ladder, etc). Again, that seems to range from entry level admin types to telescope repairman. For the past month I had been reading our local Pennysaver. Lots of local jobs which satisfies my non-commuting need, however, I think I need to brush up on my plumbing and handyman skills. Maybe I AM retired?

Out like a lamb?

Everyone is anxious to kiss this winter crap goodbye. Time killing will be a lot more enjoyable when you can go outside and bond with the wild life and foliage. (we have lots of trees and animals). In preparation for the seasonal change I have placed my fake two foot owl (know as a 'scare owl') in a strategic location near our kitchen window to put fear in the hearts and miniature minds of the robin(s) that fly into the window's reflection. This lasts for at least a month in early spring and wakes us up at 6 am everyday. The birdbrain thinks its reflection is another robin - this as per the internet. So I guess the bird wants to either attack or mate. In either case it leaves the large picture window looking like the bottom of a monkey cage. We will see now if the owl will earn his keep (the head spins with the wind - sure to confuse your average robin)..

I thought maybe the owl placement in mid-March was premature but NO.. Today on March 13th with the temperature at a comfy 24 degrees I killed my first Yellowjacket wasp (or bee or whatever the hell those things are) buzzing in the kitchen. It was huge and loud..WHERE did it spend the winter???? Maybe inside the 'scare owl'????

The Mall

It took a while of time killing to finally make that weekday trip to the mall. This is a big favorite with people I know, however, the jury is out for me classifying this as a favorite. Yes, it's less crowded (big issue with me), plenty of parking, no traffic, no lines. So you can't really blend into the crowd and you become a TARGET of opportunity for those poor sales people lurking in their stores' doorways like Tijuana hookers. I had to rehearse my response as I approached every one of these anxious barkers. "No thanks.. I have enough candles." "No massage chair for me. Vibrations cause bladder discomfort".. "I don't drink tea unless it's cold".. It reminded me of being in one of those Caribbean cruise ports where you politely turn down every pitch. OK, this wasn't as bad and everything was legal but I will be better prepared next time.

Yes, I'd say there was about 75-100 shoppers in the entire mall. Each store I cut through had one or two so I had to duck away from the perfume spritzers. I thought this was a good sign as my quest was the Apple store.. Yet, I'd say that at least 50% of that mall crowd of 75-100 were IN the Apple store. Every T-shirted Apple employee seemed to be in "conference" with a customer. I could overhear snippets of their conversations as I planted myself at the iPhone counter. I read everything there was to read and was thinking about getting one as my current phone looks like a Tonka toy. I usually don't want sales help because I know how to buy a sweater. I was in there for quite a while and started feeling less interested (a personality flaw) after reading the AT&T plans (I had my AT&T bill which makes no sense).. Both my son and wife have iPhones so I wanted to be able to be at their levels. Of course you know I left the store. I will have to return with one of them so I can regain my comfort zone to buy this phone. I need to be in that zone to shop..

The funny thing is I'm not afraid of technology (I love it).. Before leaving for the mall, I advised a friend who called on what kind of flat screen TV to buy and how to go HD. Always easier when it's not you although I did admit to her I count on my son to advise on all such matters..

So the trip was not wasted. On the way out I passed by Foot Locker. There were no doorway sales pitchers. I needed new sneakers and I was regaining my comfort zone. No big deal. I looked at their 586,000 pairs, listened to the piped-in techno rock and let a nice sales person lead me to some great running shoes at a nice sale price. Running? I think the last time I ran more than 10 yards was on 9/11...

Ridin' that train...

OK, so it's been 6 weeks or more since I took the commute into the city (100 miles round trip)... Did it today to meet up with my son and my barber and kill some time. Took an off-peak (non rush hour) train -- cheaper and less crowded, however, there's more to it. With the rush hour trains, 99% of the passengers know the rules and how to behave in a sardine can. Keep your elbows tucked, your reading material close to the vest, your cell phone calls quiet and short and overall keep your conversations toned down. In the event these guidelines are not followed, one must aways, always have an iPod or some kind of noise-drowning device. On the non rush hour train you have the free-for-all crowd. Just when I thought things would be ok a group of three teen-age girls got on the train and behaved like they were at the Mardi Gras..Not sure if they realized that there were 30 or so other people who may, just may, be bothered with their volume and content. The last resort for me is to say something for fear you'd be thought of as an old fart.. I always hope somebody else will step in. PLUS, this was a one-shot deal today.. Hell, I could live through this.

Besides the volume it was the content, the syntax and for some reason their apparent quest to have everyone hear their conversation. Recently I've noticed that the "go-to" word for teen-age girls (mainly) is "LIKE".. some examples. "So, he said I was like artsy" "I don't think I am artsy, do you? It's like a knock, isn't it" "he was so like opinionated I told him whatever"..I think these girls were music majors at some NYC school and one of the two was talking about how much she liked the guitar style of Jimmy Page (of Led Zepplin).. My GOD, she knew all about him and the types of guitars he used for different songs.. I felt like quizzing her since this guy came right out of my generation..As much as I tried to listen I was completely distracted and tense (my usual state)..I got through the ride obviously ..

Whatever I choose to do going forward (what other way is there to go??) it will NOT involve the train. Those days are over. Once you get away from it you realize there are more fulfilling ways to like kill that time!!

"Jobstock" at Yasgur's farm? see link

http://laidoffcamp.pbwiki.com/NewYork

1:59am -- 3:00am !!

Ever wonder how the daylight savings time elves work their magic? As previously mentioned, many clocks (connected to servers) in your house change automatically. Included in these are your cable boxes which are just computers. I'm never up past midnight but lately it hasn't really mattered and last night I purposely stayed up until 2 am to see exactly what happens. At 1:59 as I waited and watched that cable box. Then magic - wooosh - 3:00 am. An hour lost in the abyss of the evening.

I figured it would be uneventful. It wasn't like Y2K or anything, however, that was equally uneventful (our whole company was on 24-hr standby -- ahhhhh, those good old working days).

So now here I am up and watching TV at 3 am. This is the time when stations run their weirdest stuff. Well weird and racy (racy??). Many of the cable stations are running their not-ready-for-prime-time material. It's like all channels became Cinemax and as I sit in the darkened living room switching stations I wonder what kind of meeting took place at the National Geographic Channel to sell a block of hours to the sleazy vitamin hawkers and the pony-tailed guy and his wacky exercise machine. Are there really enough potential customers out there at that hour? Who watches this? Well, last night I did.. My equipment will be delivered Wednesday.

Let the sun shine!!

Our local news channel reminds me that this Sunday is the start of daylight savings time. So what does this mean?? Better moods, staying outdoors, easier driving?? Actually it means you have to run around Saturday night or Sunday morning and change all your clocks (don't forget the cars and watches). Yet, many electronic gizmos self-correct magically.

On the other side, this means that it's darker longer in the morning.. Not easy for those of us who get up at 5 or 6 am and you won't see the sun till later.. Wait a minute, I don't HAVE to get up.. SPRING AHEAD!!

TIme is on my side, yes it is

Didn't have any real ideas for today's entry, however, I did want to point out something. My 'posted' times were off by three hours - which has since been corrected. So if I entered at 7 30 am it read 4 30 am. I didn't want anyone to think I was hunkered over this computer like some kind of mental case in the middle of the night.

I'm posting a little later in the day today and I am watching a couple of those Judge shows. Who the hell would bring their most personal legal issues to be disclosed on national TV? And these judges can be tough - and they're always smarter than the litigants. Imagine being told to sit down, stop talking, you're a liar?? Remember one of these judges wrote a book entitled "Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining"!!! Very judicial??

Paper or plastic?

So I've taken over the grocery shopping duties for our household. I have no excuse and don't mind all that much. I'm a stereotypical male when it comes to shopping but I feel like I am contributing to the "effort" if I can eliminate this from my wife's to-do list.. I just need to be told what to buy. I also need to start looking at prices now that I don't have a job. Yikes, some things are very expensive.

Some of the worst teen years of my earlier life were spent working in a grocery store and I knew all the prices. Our store was used more than once in the original "Supermarket Sweep" TV show. We had to get the store ready before the show and clean up the mess after the show. Plus our regular customers couldn't shop while we were in TV mode. I think about those days now as I stroll the aisles of our store. That era was such a crummy experience that I opted to join the military to escape - it paid off.

This current store is right next to the health club I'm using so I can actually do TWO things with one trip out of the house - woo hoo. One important criteria with shopping (or any other activity in life for me) is the crowd. I guess I inherited from my mother this aversion to crowds. I spend a fair amount of time calculating the optimum low crowd time. Ever go to a movie on a Sunday at 1 0:30 am?? Ahhhhhh, nobody walking in 20 minutes late and empty seats all around..

Besides learning the layout of the store, I also am seeing products that interest me or entice me. Never shop hungry or you wind up using that damn Dunkin Donuts counter which is strategically located right near the check-out area. Donuts are so easy to eat while driving.

I have tried some new products now that I know they exist and I know where to find them. When I first started I noticed all sorts of sales pitches. Low salt, low sugar, low carbs, high fiber.. speaking of high fiber, I am now in day 26 of the Bran Flakes 10-day challenge.. Ooops, gotta run!!!

Snow Job

This is the first real bad weather day since unemployment kicked in.. I've already had 3 phone calls asking me if I miss the train ride today.. Of course I'm happy not to have to take that 50 mile ride into NYC. I can remember many delayed days. So what does the day have to offer besides scenic views, rumbling winds and Rachel Ray on the TV? I guess it's the constant breaking news stories about the snow's status. You'd think this was a nuclear attack.. It's SNOW, it's the NORTHEAST.. DRIVE SLOWER, WEAR MITTENS, FILL YOUR WINDOW WASHER FLUID.

The big task for me is clearing the driveway. I bought a good snow blower a few years back since I have a long driveway and some walkways. It never works to just ignore the snow or wait for the melt. I tried that in January and we had 3 weeks of Arctic temps which just froze everything solid. On the positive side even though the snow blowing is a major task I have a doctor friend who says IF you can successfully survive that job you don't need to take a stress test. I think my lawn service guys actually DO the snow removal but I'll continue to handle this. It gives me a sense of health and saves me a trip to the Dr. I wear a bright yellow winter coat when I do this job.. It's the ONLY time I wear this coat (when I snow blow). This way if I collapse you can find me.

The boys of winter

There is a glimmer of hope in the middle of this winterish hell (12 inches of snow predicted) - spring training games are on TV. This is a great way to kill a few hours. Besides your favorite players you get to see an expanded roster of guys wearing numbers in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Most of them are unfamiliar. The announcers are in spring training mode too. They are brushing up on their rap and never stop reminding us how warm it is there and how crappy it is back up north. I'm not sure if it's nice to see swaying palm trees on the screen only to see brown and yellow grass outside my window. We're weeks away from green ... I guess there's hope.

There is something decadent about watching a weekday spring training game on TV while the rest of the working world is toiling away. Baseball is in a league of its own.. Except for a few football exhibition games there is no other sport treated with such anticipation. The official season starts too early - March 30 or April 1. Commonly 30 to 40 degrees at a night game in the north. The sports sections of most local newspapers are already dominated by baseball news. There are endless subjects to cover - steroids, medical reports, new stadiums, the economy, salaries, trades and now and then the GAME --- amazing!!??