Mass Murder

Yes, that was what derailed my plans yesterday and today.

I was going to do my minimal cleaning yesterday and then watch alllllll the Sunday news shows.  I watch them all.  I talk back to the TV.  I tweet.

But I never got to it.  Because there were tiny sugar ants in the kitchen.  So instead there was intense cleaning and.......murder.

I mixed sugar and borax and put it out in strategic places.  I checked periodically to trace their route.  I put out more sugar and borax.

Today I cleaned everything on the counter and nearby cabinets.

Many ants were murdered.

Boston, Even Stronger Than You Knew

Today is the first #OneBostonDay

And it's going to be the first of many.  Because Bostonians don't let other people define them.  On April 15, 2013 two assholes tried to make it their day.  Joker and Speedbump (I will not give them even that little respect by naming them) tried to make it their day.  All about their view of the world.  But we shut down the City and found them in four days.  And then except for the trial we forgot about them.  Because they aren't going to define us or that day.  Instead, Bostonians did what we do....we chose our own identity.  We chose to define it our way.  We focused on the victims and those who helped.  And plenty helped.  Of course there were Boston's 1st Responders; Fire, Police, EMT all the dedicated professionals you would guess.  And then there were Bostonians.  Other runners, spectators, people who were nearby.  People who didn't panic, didn't flee (and if you did run, that's ok, it's ok to have a sense of self preservation) but stayed and helped.  And people kept helping in the days and months after.  Raising funds to help those affected deal with their loss and by and large just supporting them.

Joker disposed of Speedbump and thanks to the judicial system, Joker is going away for a long time, or a quick walk to a big electric chair.  Who cares?

Boston meanwhile has instituted #OneBostonDay.

"On this day, we remember and reflect.  We greet our neighbors.  We lend a hand.  We reach out, give back, and go above and beyond.  We epitomize the spirit of the city we love."

We will honor those lost and those grieving.

We won't forget.

 But, like the man said

"It's our fuckin' city!"

Two Posts In One Day???

I can't help it.  I scored and I have to brag somewhere.  Of course, I also proved to myself once again that I am a clown and it has nothing to do with Pomalyst.

First, I had to go to Walmart to get a Dutch Oven.  I want to make a boiled dinner and I don't want to use the stock pot.  It was warm here and I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to walk.  I figured if I got tired, I could take the trolley home.  Or, more likely if I over purchased, I could take the trolley home.  So the trolley that picks up at Walmart arrives every hour on the hour.  Except 7pm.  2pm?  no problem.  5pm?  No problem.  Every hour except 7pm.  Now I have been caught standing at the bus stop before and it was a few months ago, so it was dark.  It's not a HUGE problem, there is cab service in Staunton.  I have the numbers pre-programmed.  But planning would be better, right?

So I walk up, it's two miles.  I didn't particularly rush.  And I was there in about 30 minutes.  Yeah, I am no four minute miler....but considering....it's not too bad.

I have a list, Kleenex - not heavy.  Dutch oven - not heavy because I wasn't spending oodles of money on it.  Shower curtain liner - not heavy.  Then I take a turn up the Easter Candy aisle.  So, I have explained my love of Hershey-ettes before in this blog.  Hershey-ettes are better than M&Ms, but harder to get.  M&Ms won the marketing war.  But they are usually around for holidays.  At Easter they are "Bunny Ears" and they are all white.  They are usually with the Reese's Ears that are all orange.  I think they get passed up because people don't get it.  Reese's, thanks to the movie ET are universally recognized.  But you have to be a little *cough* more mature to remember Hershey-ettes as a common candy.  So that's fine with me because I walked up the aisle and literally scored 48 bunny ears of Hershey-ettes at 50% off!!!!!  WooHoo!

 

So, why am I a clown?  I walked outside at just 6:55pm.  Yeah, 48 Hershey-ette Bunny Ears in my string bag and a two mile walk home.  How?  How did I time this so badly once again???

Life Is Good!

I know I drop off the internet (unless you are on FaceBook or Twitter with me).  Sometimes a blog post is just more than I can contemplate.  Funny thing is, I am still composing them in my head at the same rate I always was.

I am in my fifth or sixth month of Pomalyst.  I'd have to go back and look.  I causes severe mental confusion and agitation.  I know there are times Tommy and Frankie have to tell me to "Ma! Stop! You are upsetting me.".  I take is every night for fourteen nights and then spend the rest of the month coming out of it.  As usual I made all kinds of assumptions based on the first month.  I only make myself crazy.  Of course the symptoms cleared up quickly the first month, I was on the lowest dose possible and there was no build up in my system.  So it takes longer each month to get back to normal.  And they have have doubled  my dose, which is still only half what the average patient takes.  But Thalidomide and I have never been friends - Pomalyst is the latest generation of Thalidomide.  Next was Thalomid, but that was before my adventure started.  Then Revlimid and we all remember what fun I had with that in the summer and fall of 2010!

And now it's Pomalyst.  Which is seventy times more powerful than Revlimid.....I was told by a very proud and happy Dr. Miller.  Pardon me if I am not so enthused.

But it's working according to the wonderful Dr. Miller, so on we go!

I try to start on the 1st of the month and plan everything for the last week of the month.  Sometimes life cooperates.  For the fourteen days I stay with Tommy in Staunton.  Which compared to Craigsville is fabulous.  Seriously, there is a little trolley system that gets me around town.  I am fairly independent, something that drove me crazy in Craigsville.  I can walk to the library, several stores, the post office.  And it's a college town and I like the vibe.

The other 23 hours I sleep.  Haha!  Just kidding, it's not that bad.  But the other day, after being asleep seventeen hours, Tom felt the need to tap on the bedroom door and make sure I answered.  That's why he's my favorite caregiver.  No smothering there!

So what happens the other two weeks?  Well in March I had dinner with my goddaughter Debbie, shopping with my friend Kathy, visited my mother and set up my new storage (I have stuff all over Massachusetts!) in a convenient area.  Saw some other friends and had lots of laughs.  Spent time with my son Frank.

And.....best of all......two days and one night with my grandson, Frankie, Jr.  He is the most beautiful baby ever.  I could have just sat there gazing at him.  Of course, he is wild like his father, so there was no sitting.  There was hide-n-seek and singing and dancing and playing with trucks and blocks until Grandma Di was almost conked out on the floor.  But when he laughs, everything is worth it.  He's learned to almost say "please".  It comes out "peas" and when I hear it, there is nothing I wouldn't give him.  But like I said he is his father's son and he can be imperious.  I shouldn't laugh, it's gonna get us all in trouble later.  I was cutting a banana and putting two small pieces at a time on his plate.  His mother had mentioned that sometimes he stuffed too much in his mouth and made a gagging sound.  Well, no, I wasn't going to deal with that.  Anyway, at one point I didn't put the new pieces of banana on the plate fast enough and he tapped the plate with one finger like the royalty he knows he his.  And I doubled over laughing.  "Yes, Your Highness!"

So I fit in as many things as I could and scooted back to Staunton by 4pm on the 1st.  You take Pomalyst at night, so I was ok.

My cousin is getting married in May and it is perfectly timed for me - May 30th!  Ha!  The best I will be all month.

I've learned not to pile too much into that time.  I set two things that must be done during my "up time".  Then things that if I get to them, I get to them.  It's much less depressing than when I was trying to cram ten things into those few days.

But overall, life is good.  I know I am better off than zillions of other people.  I am grateful everyday.

The United States Constitution Means The Freedom To.....

and the freedom NOT to.

Could someone explain to President Obama, who purports to be a Constitutional scholar, that mandatory voting would be unconstitutional.

Never mind pointless and stupid.

4 Miles!

I walked four miles today.  I am so psyched!  It's even more exciting since I am in the middle of my 3rd round of Pomalyst.  I started last week and tonight will be the 7th pill of 14.  The first two rounds were 1mg each evening; but this month was doubled to 2 mg.  But some part of me must be getting used to it.  Less shaking, less panic, more energy.  It's still not a cake walk.  There is still insomnia and *cough* intestinal distress.  But I'm grateful for any good news.

Now let's see what this doubling does to my numbers.

History's "Sons Of Liberty"

To be fair, I have only watched the first of the three part series.  However, based on this first episode I must say....."History"?....not so much.

Very disappointing historical content.

That said, it's well filmed and acted. If it were an outright "drama", I would gave it many stars.

A few years ago " The History Channel" dropped "Channel" from it's name.  I would suggest they dropped the wrong word.

As I said, I have watched the first episode.  I had recorded all three episodes with plans to "binge watch".  But now I have decided to pace myself.  The third episode purports to deal with the Battle of Bunker Hill". Breath in.  Breath out.

 Just for a frame of reference, this is John Singleton Copley's 1772 portrait of Sam Adams.  Not much resemblance.

January 30, 1945 Raid at Cabanatuan

Seventy years ago today LtCol Henry Mucci of the US Army Rangers led a force of Rangers and Alamo Scouts in the largest and most successful rescue of American prisoners of war in American military history.

The Japanese held approximately 500 prisoners of war at Cabanatuan Prisoner Camp in the Philippines toward the end of World War Two.  These prisoners were largely made up of Bataan Death March survivors.  Men barely alive.  Allied/American intelligence knew that as our forces were successfully moving through the Pacific, the Japanese captors were killing POWs.

The rescue force of 133 US Army soldiers was vastly outnumbered.  Not just those Japanese soldiers in and running the camp, but very close by was a Japanese Infantry Battalion with approximately 1,000 soldiers.

So not only did Mucci's men need to get into the camp, overwhelm the 200 or so strong Japanese captors, rescue the POWs and escape; they also had to keep the camp down the road, from sweeping in and re-enforcing the camp guards.  That's where Filipino guerrilla Captains Juan Pajota & Eduardo Joson and their forces came into play.

Pajota and Joson with their force of approximately 270 Filipino soldiers coordinated a roadblock at the Cabu River Bridge.  This attack decimated the Japanese Battalion and took that pressure off of Mucci's forces.  It still wasn't easy, but it gave the Americans a real chance of success.

LtCol Mucci had handpicked Captain Bob Prince to plan the raid.  They had to go 35 miles behind enemy lines and they had to pull it off before Japanese to slaughter the remaining prisoners & deserting the camp ahead of McArthur's arrival on Luzon.  Prince's plan, featuring Army Rangers belly crawling across a large flat, open area right up to the camp landed him in the Army Ranger Hall of Fame!

The result - a great, great success!  This pic is the liberated prisoners.  Mucci & Prince lost only two men in the raid, which is astonishing as well.  I guess for today "BostonMaggie" can say - "Rangers Lead The Way"!

Global Tests - John Kerry Just Failed It

You know I don't believe in this crap, I have the sweatshirt (kinda tattered now) to prove it.

Back when SecState John Kerry ran against "W" in 2004, he made some ridiculous statement about "Global tests" during a debate moderated by Jim Lehrer

LEHRER: New question. Two minutes, Senator Kerry. 

What is your position on the whole concept of preemptive war?

KERRY: The president always has the right, and always has had the right, for preemptive strike. That was a great doctrine throughout the Cold War. And it was always one of the things we argued about with respect to arms control.

No president, though all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. 

But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons.

I went right online and bought one of my favorite items of clothing, evah!!!  It's a sweatshirt of Uncle Sam superimposed over a UN logo pointing & saying "I DON'T DO GLOBAL TESTS".  It's been eleven years, so when people ask I explain it's a belligerent retort to an obscure political statement.

Anyway, if you did believe in them.....the test took place in Paris, France over the weekend.

 Kerry didn't even show up - his grade?

F

Who Is Back On Pomalyst?

I'll give you a hint - I am blogging at 0500.

Never mind I have already screwed up.  I was supposed to start December 30th; lounge on the couch for 14 days and be done & have my head clear for my January plans starting January 16th.

I didn't factor in the chaos of the move.  Believe me I am thrilled with the new place...but happy chaos is still enough of a distraction.

So I'm three days late.  And I forgot to take something to pre-empt the digestive upset...strike two!

Pomalyst is taken at night, two hours after you've stopped eating.  Out of the fourteen days, two are also steroid days.  Steroids are best taken early in the day.  I got my burst of energy....but had to waste it looking for some lost paperwork.  Meh, win some, lose some.

But I am bummed, I will lose out on some of my January plans.

We're Moving!

I've haven't been this excited about a move since John Miller, Tommy and I left our apartment on the top of Broadstreet Ave to move to Rocky Nook in July of 1981.

When Tom asked me to move down to Virginia and live with him for a while in 2013, I arranged for a temporary place in Harrisonburg near JMU for June & July.  That way we'd have two months to poke around the rental market.  There were at the time, others who had a say in our choice.  I said I didn't care except for two criteria,  One, I wanted to be within a mile of public transportation.  I haven't driven in years, unless you count nipping down to the Craigsville post office or over to the dump. My second request was that it not be a ranch house.  I find them depressing.  I can't tell you why, but I've never lived in one ..... until now.  That's right we ended up moving into a ranch house twenty-nine miles from public transit on August, 2013.

Wha' happen????  I-a-no.

The only good thing that could be said for it as far as I was concerned was that Tom's commute to the correctional facility was nil.

Tom started talking about moving  just after last Christmas and I was like a four-year old.  When are we moving?  Can we start looking?  Well first decisions had to be made about where he wanted to go.  Would he move to another facility altogether?  Which one?  Or would he stay at this one and we would move into Staunton?

Well decisions were finally made and I found something so fast Tom's head was spinning.

It's an old tavern in the historic distract called "Gospel Hill".  It is 400 feet from a trolley stop.  Staunton has a good public transit system considering you're deep in the southwest of Virginia.  It's not Boston, but hey it beats having none!  I will be less than half a mile from the Amtrak station - no more scheduling around Tom.  The library is maybe three quarters of a mile - no more worrying about overdue books.  And right up the street is -  A CATHOLIC CHURCH!!! 

Not to mention that the main thoroughfare, East Beverly Street, is full of shops and restaurants.  There is a Shakespearean troup  and a movie theater.  It's a small movie theater, but the public transit system will drop at the front door of a big, new theater.  There are supermarkets and little specialty markets.

But the apartment itself has me even without all the great things around it.  It's old, it's got tall windows and high ceilings and wood floors and a long west facing front porch.

It's a triplex.  We are the middle with a couple below us and a family above us.  The porch seems sturdy enough, but up close you can see how badly it needs to be painted.  The landlord assures us this will happen in the spring.  The open living/dining area is behind the front door and first three windows on right.  Further to the left and out of this pic will be Tom's room.

In the back you can see that they have closed in the wooden porches.  That's where the kitchen, utility room, bathroom and second bedroom are.  As with many old homes there have been renovations over the years that did it no favors, but being a little strange appeals to me.  I like that it's not like any other house around.

There will be lots of cleaning to do, but so far there has been no sign of the mold I had to contend with out here in Craigsville.  And as a special bonus, as near as I can figure the overall household budget (rent, utilities, etc.) will drop about $200.  Thank you very much for this Christmas present Santa!

Last Pomalyst Pill....

...for December will be swallowed tonight.

And not a moment too soon!  My brain is seizing up.  Decisions need to be made and I am nearly incapable.  I am messing up other meds.  I am trying to arrange my Dr. Miller visit.  I am trying to remember things.  And I am nearly paralyzed.  I've been up since 10:44am (thanks Frank!) and only just out of the shower.

Pomalyst was none of the things I thought.  Unlike Revlimid which just put me to sleep, Pomalyst makes me shaky and dizzy, but unable to sleep.  My body is physically exhausted, my eyes are burning, but I don't sleep until I nearly pass out.  Even then, it's not restful.  It's full of strange, vivid dreams.  No, it turns out Tommy didn't come out to the living room the other evening and cut his hair and make a mess after I had just swept and washed the floor.  First off, Tom shaves his head to a whisper of hair these days.  He hasn't has curls in twenty years, lol.  But Sunday evening I dropped dead on the couch while watching CSpan BookTV (yes, I am that nerd).  I woke two hours later looking around for the hair.  Author James Robbins had been discussing his new book on Custer....I think that was the hair connection.  Anyway, I got up and went to bed and could not get back to sleep at all..  I didn't sleep until midnight last night.

New Chemo....and...STEROIDS!!

Relax.  You are all safe.  I am tucked away in the backwoods of the George Washington National Forest.

And Tom can just shut his office door; go to work or escape to his Dad's house.

With no license and no car, I am effectively incarcerated.

So....Pomalyst.  Don't Google if you are going to ask me questions.  I am not ready yet.

But steroids? We already know this story.  I have the living room pulled apart for cleaning.

 I only stopped because I was wicked thirsty.  Chemo aggravates my dry mouth (a common side effect of many medicines.... and I take many!!).

Back to it!

New Hampshire's Lessons

First - People say all the time that they want a candidate who votes issues and not party.  Voters claim to want an end to gridlock and politicians who will "reach across the aisle".

Clearly, if you are a New Hampshire Democrat who says such things yet pulled the lever for Shaheen......you are full of shit.

Shaheen has a proven track record of voting the party, and Brown has a proven track record of reaching across the aisle.

But this post isn't just about bashing hypocritical Democrats.  Oh no.  I am most disgusted with registered Republicans who bitch and moan about Democrats..... but stayed home yesterday.

I am so sick and tired of the RINO discussion.  I am not saying they don't exist, they do.  But labelling every Republican who doesn't toe the party line 100% a RINO is wrong.  And unhelpful. You play this RINO game and you defeat good candidates like Scott Brown.

Now you are stuck with Shaheen.  How's that feel?

If you are a liberal Democrat who voted for Shaheen because you believe in her and her issues - congratulations.

If you are a voter of any party who voted for Brown because you saw the value of moderate Republican and/or the danger of an Obama acolyte - good try, better luck next time.

But if you are a voter, particularly a Republican who disagrees with Shaheen or Obama and you stayed home..... well you are more of a problem than Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi.  You are playing some childish game you should have left in the sandbox.

I'm Tired Of Backhanded Compliments About The Pope

They are nothing new.  People wrote about Pope John Paul II the same way.  When he would write or preach to Catholics about some important tenet of Catholicism, inevitably some self important American would act like it was a sign.  A sign that the Catholic Church has found it's way around to their way of thinking.  So smug.  So self-congratulatory.  

It makes me want to retch!

And now it's Pope Francis....

The Pope preaches to the flock to love their fellow man.  How enlightened!  How modern!  

Well guess what?  All those commentators are about as narrow minded as one can get.  The Catholic Church was founded on the words Jesus spoke telling his apostles and followers to treat each other as they themselves would want to be treated.  It's been preached and taught for over 2,000 years.  And all those fat headed opinion writers act like they were miles ahead in this thought.  They disgust me.

The latest is a piece of satire reprinted at the Huffington Post by some ninny named C.J. Tuor.  The title of his crap is "It's Time to Start Ignoring Pope Francis".  Tuor thinks he's so funny, sarcastically pointing out all the "problems" with the Pope expecting Catholics to love homosexuals and feed the poor.  

Oh, my sides are splitting!  Not.

For the record, Catholics were always told to love each other and that while homosexuality was a sin; you hate the sin and love the sinner.  Sorry if that was too much for puny minds to digest.  And if you are gay and you don't like that and you want the Church to embrace your homosexuality, tough.  If you don't like what the Catholic Church teaches, then don't be a Catholic.  It's not a Democracy.  It's not a club.  If you don't like the rules, tough.  If you can't understand it, tough.

The Catholic Church says that if you are not in a State of Grace you can't receive Communion.  If you haven't gone to Confession, you aren't in a State of Grace.  Do you see protests outside Catholic churches where they carry signs demanding Holy Communion for those who think Confession is too much to ask?

The Catholic Church says if you have sex outside of marriage you can't receive Communion.  Do you see protesters carrying banners asking for equal treatment for adulterers?  If you know two people who live together without benefit of marriage, don't they love each other the same as two homosexual men?  But if you're gay, you should be above the rules?  Somehow the same Church that won't recognize two people living together, should make an exception for you if you're both the same sex?

You want to be gay - be gay.  You want to live together, live together.  You want to be two straight people who don't want to get married; have at it.  But if you want to come and tell the Catholic Church to change their rules to recognize your union, get lost. 

For the life of me, I will never understand the people who think it's ok to go picket or protest someone else's religious ceremony.  They'd be the first to scream about "separation  of Church and State" if they saw a creche near a public space.  But I could show you pictures of gay protesters throwing condoms at people leaving the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.  I saw the pictures and nearly lost my mind.  Who the fuck did they think they were to put their views above someone else's right to practice their religion.  Don't fucking talk to me about equality.  You don't know the meaning of the word.

But anyways......I lost myself for a minute there.

Does the author imagine we are missing his digs?  How could  we?  They were too blatant.  Pope Francis tells you to embrace gays.....and the rest of the clergy are just mouth breathers.  For Mr.Tour's information, I was educated by a priest who has been saying such thing to me since I started 1st grade in 1966.  The same priest who called on us to help the poor and pray for those who turned away from Christ for any reason.

I love Pope Francis.  I loved Pope Benedict before him.  I love my pastor. 

The rules of the Catholic Church are the rules.  I don't always live up to them, but you won't catch  me crying that they should make exceptions for my weaknesses.

If you don't want to accept the rules and teachings then go away.  

If someone says that you can't buy a house in a particular neighborhood or join a club because you are gay; I am right beside you.  I will stand with you in that fight, and proudly so.  If someone says you can't have a particular job because you are gay, you fight that fight all the way to the Supreme Court and I am cheering you on.

But your freedom to love who you want and live where you want and have the job you want does not trump my right to exercise my freedom of religion.

And Mr. Tuor can write a hundred sarcastic, self congratulatory articles and it won't make him anything other than a fatheaded jerk.

You are wrong and narrow minded Tuor and a million fatuous barbs aren't going to change that.

HistoryOfBoston

This is a free online course that will be taught by Professor Robert J. Allison.  He is without a doubt, the perfect choice.  It begins October 20, 2014.  Enroll now!  It's free.

How awesome is this????  It's so awesome, I can't even tell you!  It's the total answer to my Jeopardy complaints.

The front page of the website explains why you should enroll.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BOSTON

Boston is the birthplace of the American idea of democracy. The Boston town meeting, where each citizen has a voice, set the stage for the American Revolution. In the early days of American history, the people living in the small towns of New England had more power of self-government than anyone else in the British empire.

After the Revolution, this ethic of local control led to the creation of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, the oldest functioning written constitution in the world, which separates powers to create a “government of laws and not of men.”

In the 19th century, a key part of Boston History was its place as global hub of trade and transportation. Its clipper ships set sail across the globe to China, Europe and South America.

Boston was also the center of the American industrial revolution. Boston capital financed the mills of Lawrence and Lowell. The Merrimack River Valley was the most industrialized place in the western hemisphere, and the wealth generated by the mills enriched Boston, allowing for the creation of the city’s cultural and educational institutions at a time when Boston was considered the “Athens of America.”

Billie Holiday Sings My Theme Song

This is my answer to everyone from now on.  It might sound strange, but there have been some people whose judgement I took to heart.  But I am done.  If you hear that I did something that you think is foolish or reckless.....my answer is "Who cares what you think?  Not me."

Jeopardy! What? What!

So I did not watch tonight's episode in real time.  I was making dinner.  But I am quite sure, down here in Virginia, I heard a faint screaming coming from the north around 7:45pm tonight.

After dinner was ready, I sat down and hit play.

It happened during Double Jeopardy! while I was finishing off my homemade meatballs and spaghetti.

The category was "American Revolutionaries".  The first question:

"DR. JOSEPH WARREN, A MASSACHUSETTS STATESMAN, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO DIE IN THIS WAR, IN THIS JUNE 17,1775 BATTLE"

Buzz "What is Lexington?"  What????
Buzz "What is Con Cord?"  Is he ordering grape juice?  There is a town in Massachusetts called "Conkid", but, yeah, no, that's not the answer.
3rd contestant - shrug.

Then a few questions later, after I have swept up the hair I have torn out, the second to last clue in the "American Revolutionaries" category is revealed.  It's the second "Daily Double" and the "shrugger" had the helm.  I guess that's when you felt that worldwide rumble as the entire US Navy, past and present groaned.

"UNEMPLOYED WHEN THE REVOLUTION BEGAN, HE WAS HIRED TO OUTFIT THE FRIGATE ALFRED"

Now, I know you're all rolling your eyes and saying "Come on, Maggie!  You can't expect everyone to know this answer."  And yeah, you're right.  Sadly, I can't expect everyone to know the answer.  But we should expect them to know what the answer is NOT......"What is George Washington?"

I have agita!  Last clue was about "The Swamp Fox".  I just said "Forget it Alex, they're not getting that."

I Am Diseased!

I have a head cold and I  must be rid of it by Saturday.  I have to many things to do for the ........TADA....event!

So the work has begun.  Pills, fruits, fluids, Clorox wipes.

I don't know how this happened.  I carry gallons of hand sanitizer.  I stay away from people.  I clean my own hotel rooms - you know the germiest thing in a hotel is the remote control.  I wipe down surfaces in fast food places.  I do not care if I look like Howard Hughes in his late phobic years.

But still, I have a head cold.  Damn, stupid myeloma!  As my number climbs the rogue IgA cells crowd out the useful white blood cells that fight infection.

I'm going to surf the 'net for homemade remedies while I drink enough water to float away.

Why, No Matter What, I'll Always Love My Bad Boyfriend!

It's true Senator John McCain, R-AZ has let me down a time or two.  Especially with our differing views on immigration policy.

He is exactly like a bad boyfriend.  I love him.  He lets me down.  He makes it up to me.  I take him back.  But in the end, I love him.

I love him with my whole, tiny, blackened, shriveled heart.

I love him for many reasons, but mostly, he's got the balls to say what needs to be said.

 Tuesday, September 2nd I had Fox News on in the background.  It was Greta (who I am not that crazy about).  But I hear her say that John McCain is coming on shortly.  So I stop what I am doing in the kitchen and stroll toward the living room.

Greta:  "Senator John McCain joins us.  Good evening, sir."

McCain: "Good evening."

Greta:  "ISIS.  What are we gonna go about it?"

McCain: "Kill 'em."

It's at about the 2 minute 40 second mark of this video.  There's more to the conversation.  But really.  That answer is all that matters.