"As the purse is emptied, the heart is filled." (Hugo)

.....Well, the big day is tomorrow. After six months of vicious lobbying and lies in the media by the other parties in contention, and a failure to raise a million dollars to be used in the campaign, inauguration day is tomorrow when RH+ will be installed as President of the Huntington Lakes Chapter of the City of Hope. This chapter raised over $42,000 last year in donations to this very deserving charity, and hopefully, during her administration, even more will be forthcoming this year. The Chapter has over 300 members, and since almost every one of them are women, you can imagine the problems that will be forthcoming for Rhoda at their meetings. Colin Powell has said that leadership is solving problems, and that is something that Rho is very good at. She is a leader, and I believe she enjoys challenges. For example, I'm her biggest challenge.

.....I believe I was smart. In order to put RH+ in a good mood for tomorrow's special event, I had a dozen assorted roses sent to her which I purchased online from an outfit called Pro Flowers. I think they do a good job. They have a wide assortment and it saves a trip to the florist who may not have what you like. The roses I sent came in a vase and included was a small box of chocolates.

.....Rho was supposed to have a card game today, but no one told her that it was canceled. While she was playing I intended to go down to The Isle casino to spend a couple of hours, but she came back, so instead we went to the Arcade on Atlantic Ave. It's a fairly nice place where you can get free sodas, coffee, and ice cream while you're playing their slots. You can't win money on them; only coupons or gift cards. The machines are nothing like the ones in the casinos down here, but they're still fun to play and spend some time while not playing golf. But we'll be playing cards tonight, anyway--at the Strumlaufs.

.....There may be a conspiracy afoot. Son, JR, wants me to perform on the TV show, America's Got Talent. I can sing well enough to perform here in the shows we put on in our own theater, but certainly not in competition with such as the English gal who sings like a lark. Also, JR suggests that I could recite some poetry or a soliloquy from Shakespeare, but I doubt if they'd ever let me do that in the show. Then there is my nephew, David, who suggests that I write a play or a screenplay. Who knows? Maybe I will, some day. Meanwhile, I'll stick to writing the blog.

"Heaven is above all, yet there sits a judge." (Henry VIII)

.....I'm having a problem with my computer and I don't know how to fix it. Several times a day it freezes up on me and in order to unfreeze it I press, control, alt, delete. I'm really getting tired of that routine so one day I'll probable burn this thing. I don't know if the engineering of computers has yet to be perfected; the damn things can be extremely frustrating. Only this past week I've downloaded Explorer 7 and then Explorer 8. I don't know what the difference is from the Explorer I had before. Nothing seems to have changed. Well, in spite of all the aggravation it can cause, the computer is an extremely handy appliance to have around. I never could have written a book, my memoirs, if not for the computer so I'll keep it.

.....I realize that I said I would not be writing this blog anymore, but the urge to write something seized me into changing my mind. I guess I'm working on "Paternoster Vol.VI" now. The first five volumes that I have published are languishing on my bookshelf. Not one of them has been sold, except for the ones I've bought for myself. I truly don't expect anyone who has been reading my blog to buy a book full of them.

.....Son JR continues to insist that I audition for the TV show, "America's Got Talent", and I keep telling him there's no way I'm going to put myself through that by merely reading some poems. He thinks it would be a novelty for an octogenarian to be reciting poetry on stage. I'd surely get the gong, or whatever it is that they are giving idiots these days. I truly appreciate my son's faith in my skills; it's really nice to have that kind of support. But I don't think I can get anyone to buy a ticket to my one man show in Las Vegas--in the event I won; which I won't.

.....It won't be long now before Rh+ will be installed once more as President of the City of Hope chapter on our campus. The event will take place on September 30th, and many witnesses are expected. I think they're going to serve bagels and cream cheese at that meeting, so of course I'll go. RH+ is a very intelligent gal with amazing zeal and energy. I encouraged her to run for that office because she has leadership qualities which should not fust unused--if that's the proper way to use "fust". I think Shakespeare may have used it once. And thus--I will.

.....This evening is the first night of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. That means that I have to atone for my sins this past year or God will fix my wagon. I wonder if that melanoma surgery was his way of punishing me for not atoning last year. Now, I'm trying to think of any sins I've committed this year. I don't think I have any--at least I haven't committed adultery or anything like that. I hear that in the Middle East somewhere the punishment for adultery is being stoned to death. I think that's cruel and unusual punishment for a little fling. So, light a candle for your loved ones.

"I summon up remembrance of things past." (Sonnet 20)

.....So, I should not have spent so much time in the sun without using some suntan lotion. I used to get blisters on my shoulders from the many times I went swimming in Lake Michigan in the Chicago summers--and in the Atlantic Ocean when I was in elementary school in Long Branch, N.J. where I was born. Then, of course, since I've been in Florida from 1983 playing golf three or four times a week and too lazy to protect myself against the sun, I should have known that I'd get skin cancers in my dotage. Besides several squamos cell carcinomas and one melanoma surgery later, I got a phone call from my dermatologist yesterday to come in for some nitro-glycerine spray on two pre-cancerous cells on my left arm and my right arm. So let this be a warning to you. Get to the dermatologist at least once a year, and stay out of the sun.

.....Since I can't play golf any longer, I needed something to do besides writing blogs, so I joined the theater arts workshop which meets for a couple of hours on Thursdays. Today, I had two monologues to read and I blew the class away,--metphorically speaking. I know I can still act and sing even though I won't go on the stage again. If I had it to do all over, perhaps I would have tried to get work in the theater. Still--I treasure the years I spent in the classroom. I got a comment on the blog I wrote on "happiness" from "Anonymous". However, at the end of the comment it was signed by "Bobby". So, how anonymous could that be? Well, Bobby, whatever makes you happy.

.....Just learned from Robin that the film "Julie/Julia" is based on a blog written by Julie Powell. I have no clue as to how that blog was discovered let alone made into a film which no doubt has made the blog writer rich. Now, if enough of you people pass Red Baron's blog link on to at least five friends; then maybe they'll pass it on to five more friends. Eventually, when I get old,--metaphorically speaking-- my Paternoster blog books will be discovered, and then if it's made into a film, I'd like Clint Eastwood or Sean Penn to play me. Then, if that happens, I'll be able to leave my family a generous inheritance, and my wife a palatial abode, and a plane ticket to Israel. So, OK out there; let's get on the stick. You, too, Marilyn.

"....and Summer's lease hath all too short a date." (Shakespeare)

.....Today is the first day of fall and cause for celebration because this summer was the worst imaginable. It also was the first day that I took my scooter to the VA where I had a dental appointment. It was a little scary to get the lift in position so the scooter could drive up and on to it. Then, Rho and I put the cover on it, and that was no easy job. My head was in my heart (yeah, I know) all the way up there--some 28 miles--because from my rear view mirror I saw that cover flapping around in the wind and when I saw a parking space at the hospital I was much relieved. Coming home I didn't put the cover on because I didn't see any rain clouds, so I saved myself a tough job. It was about 12pm when I got there and since I hadn't had any breakfast, I thought I'd get a cup of coffee and an apple turnover at the little cafe in the lobby. However, when I reached for my wallet it wasn't there. Where was it? I left it home like an old idiot. I made the same mistake on my way home when I stopped at the plaza to get some gas. I realized again that I had no cash to pay for it.

.....Philosophers agree that the primary aim of the human race is to achieve happiness, but they're not too clear as to how to achieve it. Generally--on the average--people believe they are happy sometimes and at other times in life they are not. I will, therefore, philosophise in order to fill a gap in knowledge. First of all, to achieve happiness, one must have good friends to start with. Secondly, one must find someone to love in marriage or out of it. Then, of course, a man must acquire money enough to get the things he desires. You cannot find happiness in a working life without being happy in your work. Good health is also a necessary factor in finding happiness. It takes a very strong constitution and good fortune to attain happiness and to possess it for most of one's life.

.....The following is one of the comments on CNNs Jack Cafferty's blog:

.....An 85 year old and a 5 year old have something in common; they both tell the truth and call it like they see it. A five year old doesn't know about consequences and repercussions, and an 85 year old doesn't care.

"There are few die well who die in a battle." (Henry V)

.....On the second nite of Rosh Hashanah we had two couples over for dinner. A few days before, Rho swore that she was too tired to have guests on that night, but I guess she enjoys doing it, and so it was done. We had turkey, asparagus, noodle pudding, kashe varnishkes, matzoh ball soup, gefilte fish, wine, and I can't account for anything else. For our gentile friends as far as kashe varnishkes and gefilte fish is concerned, you don't want to know. During the evening, one of our neighbors, who was, and apparently still has, an abiding interest in Judaism and debunking the "Jews for Jesus" movement led us to the point where we were debating which religions believe in a Heaven and a Hell. Of course, we aren't politicians so our discussion was civilized. I gave the guys the benefit of my vast experience on the subject of Heaven and Hell.

.....I don't have too much knowledge about which religions believe or do not believe in Heaven or Hell, but I do know that Ulysses S. Grant once said, "War is Hell!", and from my experience I tend to agree with that assessment. But I don't recall that Grant ever defined Heaven. I don't believe he did. Then there is Edward Fitzgerald, who in "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" wrote, ".....I sent my soul into the invisible some letter of that afterlife to spell, and by and by my soul returned and said 'I myself am Heaven and Hell'. John Milton in "Paradise Lost" (a work of pure genius) in describing Satan's speech to his vast and lost legions after being kicked out of Heaven for attempting to overthrow God, had Satan on the burning lake attempting to encourage his men by stating, "....the mind is its own place and of itself can make a Hell of Heaven or a Heaven of Hell." Satan was sort of the Rush Limbaugh or Newt Gingrich of the book. Then there was Jean Paul Sartre who wrote the play, "No Exit" in French. In the play, which had a simple set, and only four characters, one of whom was the Valet who lead Garcin to a door and ushered him in where he met Inez and Estelle. After years of discussing each other's sins in the room, Garcin's adultery, for example, he decided to leave. But after opening the door, the heat was so great that he could not get out. Sartre was saying, "...l'enfer, c'est les autres," which everyone knows means that "Hell is other people." I tend to agree with him depending upon whom the other people are. In my life, I've met many whom I would like to lead to that particular door. To my knowledge, I don't believe Sartre ever wrote a play about Heaven where a valet would lead me to a door, behind which there were 76 virgins....please, not now, but a number of years ago.

.....Now, thousands of soldiers will be coming back from the hellish war in Iraq and after being discharged they will not be able to adapt to civilian life for a very long time. Many will not be able to get work. Many will find that their wives no longer have a love interest in them. Many will take to drugs or alcohol. Some will contemplate or even comit suicide. The military is a very organized life. Every moment of your time is accounted for. But, back in civilian life, veterans will not know how to deal with organizing themselves. Thousands of returning veterans will be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or "battle fatigue" as it was known after WWII. Personally, I prefer the latter term because I have found that most people to not understand PTSD, and that includes many in the medical field that I've encountered. The trauma of combat in war can last a lifetime.

"Violent fires soon burn out themselves." (Richard II)

.....Oh boy! I just love these comments. It's like a debate, a civil one at that, with the Baron winning. I am also delighted that my good friend and student (and a Professor), Bob Fox, is back with me, although I haven't a clue as to how he knew I was writing blogs yet again. But to respond to some of the comments; I never wrote that the DC protest was not peaceful, Jon. My objection was to the tenor of the comments on the signs. And for Joel's comment; what Carter had to say about racism in this country has nothing to do with his credibility. What he said was absolutely credible, and I believe it to be true. I made no comment on his other issues which may or not be credible. My opinion of the man has nothing to do with my opinion of his statement. And to Anonymous, as for my "self-proclaimed" statement that my reading comprehension is "first rate". What's wrong with confidence? It in no way implies anything about any one else's reading comprehension. And if you read that into my statement, then your comprehension might very well be "second rate" as you self-proclaimed it.

.....In these blogs, I write what I believe, and since it's my blog, I guess I have every right to do so. If I write what I believe, it in no way means that I believe I am right. Believing that I'm "right" is not one of my beliefs. I have enough sense to know that I may be wrong. Civility is a very fragile thing, and at any moment in time may be abused. I believe that Sen. Wilson's outburst in Congress was, under the circumstances, uncivil. However, since then, he apparently has many constituents who agree with him because he has raised over a million dollars and is something of a cult hero. To be "right" one must have incontrovertible evidence or facts. So if a poll was taken from all Americans and a great majority voted his conduct uncivil, then I suppose that is enough evidence to conclude that he was, indeed, uncivil. And that is what I believe.

....Keep those comments coming and perhaps there is a liberal Democrat out there somewhere who will come to my defense when I'm in need. I don't have a clue as to my friend Sir Bergovoy's political bent, but this is what he wrote in his comment--in case you missed it:

.....Doctor Baron Rouge is passionate about whatever he does, whether teaching, acting, reacting, or considering local and world affairs; that is certainly a virtue.You are free to disagree with him as long as you appreciate his many virtues--a massive intellect; a heart of gold; multi-talents that create envy in the spiritually impoverished; and the courage of an immortal. He maintains ruthless personal standards of excellence. AND THOSE ARE HIS BAD POINTS!A thoroughbred proves himself by his progeny. Robin, Joel, Bobby, and Bonny are as good as it gets.So, here's to you, Doc Ross. May your health improve and may you enjoy becoming a Centurion, in every sense of the word.

.....

"Civil dissension is a viperous worm..." (Henry VI)

.....My previous two blogs seemed to have tickled a few funny bones, judging from the comments I received. That is justly what I expected. My views are liberal--and to the "left" I would agree--but not always. I have no objections whatsoever if readers desire to disagree with me in writing comments. If I did, would I publish them? I think that of all the blogs I have written, and in the five books of them I have published that I rejected only two or three--and those had nothing to do with controversy. So, if you dare to read what the Baron believes, keep those comments coming. He is fearless, or he wouldn't have joined the Navy.

.....Florida now has what they refer to as a "mini" SunPass--which deducts the tolls on the Florida Turnpike automatically. (Once in a great while one sees a sign calling it the Ronald Reagan Turnpike) The "mini" pass sells for $4.99, but before they came out with that, they charged $25 which I paid. Consequently, I e-mailed SunPass and said that I didn't think this was fair, and I asked what the difference was. I got a reply today that there is no difference and that the mini SunPass was offered so that people who could not afford $25 could go through toll booths automatically. Now isn't that the exact same reason that Obama would like a "public option" on the health care reform plan so that people who couldn't afford to pay the private insurers premiums would have an opportunity to protect their health with a government policy? That's how it appears to me, anyway.

.....The Baron's daughter, Robin, says that America is the only place she wants to live.

As for me, this is not the country I fought for. Sometimes I feel like I want to vomit as I read and hear about all the bickering between the two parties in the Capitol; and the rowdiness of the protesters--whatever they're protesting-- is not like the country it was once when you didn't have to dial one for English. Sometimes I think about moving to a more civilized country. But then I've not been able to find a country on Google that sells chocolate covered halava or Mallomars, and so I'm stuck here in Condoland--the land of Early Birds and buy one, get one free land; or get soup and half a sandwich land. The land where guns are allowed in the forums where the President speaks. And how many Presidents have been assassinated here?

.....Since our two party system doesn't appear to be working too well and the country is divided 50-50, perhaps we ought to consider the autocracy in China according to Thomas Friedman of the NY Times. He writes, "...When one-party autocracy...is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can just impose the politically difficult but important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st Century." China is overtaking us in electric cars, solar power, nuclear power, wind power--and many other important improvements in the lives of its people. Think about that!

....I probably have more to say, but I just got a telephone call from RH+. She is truly amazing. Besides being a first rate and loving caregiver and a leader as President of a large charitable organization, she is apparently now an athlete. Today was the first day of bowling in the club she belongs to and on the telephone she just told me that she bowled a 204! I never broke a 100--except on the golf course. She only weighs about 45 pounds and she bowls a 204. I'm impressed.

Addendum

(Actually, this addendum should come at the end of the previous Sept. 15 blog, but I don't know how to get it there--so don't read this until then)

Jimmy Carter: Wilson comments 'based on racism'

Email this StorySep 15, 8:48 PM (ET)By GREG BLUESTEIN

ATLANTA (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter says Congressman Joe Wilson's outburst to President Barack Obama last week was an act "based on racism." Carter says Wilson's comment was part of an "inherent feeling" of some in this country who feel that a black man should not be president.

Carter called Wilson's comment "dastardly" and said the president should be treated with respect.

"It is proved already that you are little better than false knaves." (Much Ado)

.....I simply cannot believe that I've taken to writing blogs again, albeit not quite too often. It seems that whenever a thought comes into my head, albeit not quite too often I have to write it down and pound it to death. Right now it involves health care. From the time I had surgery on my leg on June 15 right up until this day I have had the very best of health care...the kind of care I believe every person, because they are human, needs and deserves, and not only in this country. We don't have it here....in the most powerful and wealthiest State in the world. I cannot make myself abide by the reasons given for not accomplishing this...at least here--here in America, and not turned down by a sign waving mob. Not having every one of our citizens covered is not moral, and as Obama has said, "not in our country's character."

.....Today I received a comment about my "invective" against a rowdy, disrespectful, racist filled mob of ignoramuses, who came--not for a protest--but for a lynching. Perhaps she had a "hard time" reading my blog, because she was born in 1950 and I in 1924. She never had the luxury of experiencing the kind of America I fought for...and this is not it. Not when some hate-filled Senator from South Carolina, no matter his party, can get up in the Congressional chamber and shout at the President of the United States, "You lie!" when he didn't. I know what was not said by him--"You lie, boy!" This guy, I learned, belonged to the Sons of Confederate Veterans and conducted a campaign to keep the Confederate flag atop South Carolina's state Capitol in 2000. In this morning's paper, Mareen Dowd of the NY Times said that she believed "....the frantic efforts to paint our first black president as the Other; a foreigner, socialist, fascist, Marxist, racist, Commie, Nazi; a cad who would snuff out old people; a snake who would indoctrinate kids" has much to do with race. And so do I believe it.

.....The commenter was not there, as I was, when I listened to Martin Luther King's words that still ring in my ears. She may not have read as I did that one GOP activist said a gorilla that had escaped from a zoo was one of Michelle's ancestors. Dowd goes on to say, "Some people just can't believe a black man is president and will never accept it. For two centuries the South has feared a takeover by blacks or the Feds. In Obama they have both." I believe the reason for the "Tea Party" in DC was to bring down the health plan, and thus the President. Just check out the sponsors. The Baron, too, as is the commenter, a true believer in free speech, but that does not mean one should say anything at all or do anything at all in the name of free speech. There has to be a line. Shouting "You lie" at the President during a speech in our Congress crosses that line. Give me a break.

.....I think I'll go along now with the Platonic idea that only philosopher kings should run a country. Now, if we change our form of government so that only the nobility would reign, the Baron would have a chance to make the laws as he sees fit. And the first law he would make would be to have Hershey's make only dark chocolate. It's healthier and would bring down the cost of health care.

"Now is the winter of our discontent." (Richard III)

.....It is never ending, it seems. We both were up all of last night because Rho was having agonizing pain from cramps in her legs; in addition her kidneys appeared to be shutting down because she was unable to urinate--except for piddling. It hardly paid to buy the toilet. Finally, about 4am we decided to call 9-11 and had her taken to the hospital where she remained until 8:30 this morning. Seems she was dehydrated and that was causing the problems; so they hydrated her and returned her to me no worse for the wear. The second worst part of the night was having to stay up all night without any sleep, so we both tried to get some since then, but not before she went to the library to get a book she had ordered. God forbid that she should be without a book and a bottle of water. The culprit we decided was the whole corned beef sandwich she had for lunch, which of course contains salt enough to dehydrate her.

.....To continue somewhat from the previous blog re: health care reform,a bill we got from my stay in the hospital for a couple of days after overdosing a few weeks ago was for $30,000. I have no doubt that these kinds of hospital charges paid by Medicare and our private insurance goes to pay for people who have no health insurance and who are climbing on our backs. Still opposed to health care reform? And of course if illegal immigrants turn up in the ER, they are not going to be turned away, I would think. But what crazes me is that most of them ignore the need to learn English--as our grandparents did when they came to this country. I am flabbergasted that movies do not have closed caption in Spanish. It may come to that; almost everything else is in Spanish.

.....Not only that--and this has nothing to do with health care--I went through all the clothing in my closet and could not find shirt, shorts, underwear and most anything else that was made in the United States...but China, Pakistan, Mongolia, India, Iceland, and the North Pole. What with the profusion of immigrants here, the clashes between the left and the right, the political differences between Democrats and Republicans, the social and moral schisms among our people, the two wars we have been fighting for years with the loss of young life and the cost of billions of dollars that might have been used for research to cure catastrophic diseases, I fear we are no longer living in a country, but more of a boiling cauldron. And for me, the words, "God bless America" are beginning to ring hollow.

"Diseases desparate grown by desparate appliances are relieved." (Hamlet)

.....What is happening in America is beginning to turn my stomach...literally; my gorge rises at it. The protest event in Washington yesterday by a right wing extremist, racist, and idiot mob was a political and moral disaster for America. Never in all my experience has such vicious and violent disrespect shown to the President of the United States. One sign carried by an archetypal moron pictured Obama with a mustache drawn to make him look like Hitler. If this kind of thing doesn't sicken even the most conservative of Republicans, then our country will be shamed in the world and Barack Obama's position in the world's view will be damaged. It's difficult for me to understand what is happening in America when an important political party propagates outright despicable lies about what Obama's health plan means. I remember vividly how this country came together as one powerful unified entity in order to defeat our enemies in World War II. Now, we have been at war with two countries for many years in wars that are not winnable. Those wars unfortunately are not in our nation's consciousness in the same way I can remember, and that's the reason it angers me.

......Some Republican senators who have vested interests in insurance companies are spreading fearful rumors that Obama's plan will lead us into socialism. Contrary to popular belief, socialism is not a political system; it is an economic system distinct from capitalism. It was Plato who said that governments are formed in order to pass laws according to the needs of the public and in the public's interest. Our government already serves the public through Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and services for veterans. Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital and derives its wealth through exploitation; creates an unequal society, does not provide equal opportunities for everyone to maximize their potentialities.

.....In today's Florida Sun-Sentinel J.James Rohack, who is the President of the AMA, writes that "...Medical advances and improved care have led to fewer deaths from heart disease and cancer, but it's a moral stain on our nation that not all Americans can get that care because they lack health insurance." Our President, that is, every American's President--like it or not, has presented us all with a health reform plan to ensure that millions of people unable to get insurance will have the opportunity to get the health care that we all desire and deserve. So those ignorant, misinformed, misbegotten people with their hatred and their signs can go back to their caves and sulk because our Congress is going to pass a health reform bill and Obama is going to sign it. The AMA's president goes on to say, "Our country cannot afford to squander this opportunity." AMEN!

"O, I have suffered with those I saw suffer." (The Tempest)

.....My son, JR, e-mailed me suggesting I audition for the TV show, "America has Talent". He proposed that I enter the stage on my scooter and recite a monologue from Shakespeare, or read a poem in the Scottish dialect, or do the number, "Trouble" from Music Man. Or perhaps do it all. He wrote that being 85 years old would wow the judges. It's a wonder that he didn't suggest I sing "Rich Man" from "Fiddler". I replied that my skills have deteriorated with time and I also have no doubt that I would get the gong or three X's. JR replied that even with the deterioration I'm so far ahead of all other 85's it wouldn't matter. JR said that I could make a video and submit it, but I don't know anyone with a camcorder and I don't even have a camera. I stopped taking pictures long ago. You look at them once and then stick them in a drawer someplace never to be seen or organized again. I was flattered by my son's recognition of my "accomplishments" and I suggested that he and his brother audition for the National soccer team since the coach would be wowed by the skills of fifty-year olds.

.....As I have mentioned, the lift for my scooter is now attached to my car, and I have the freedom to go to the casino and scoot around from slot machine to slot machine. I would love to play black jack, but I have not seen a table for less than $5 a deal. I'm not that good. I don't want anyone to believe that I'm going to enjoy this scooter, because actually I am embarrassed by the need for it. I also have bitter memories of my dad, legless, in a wheelchair, and I'm not thrilled about being mobility deficient as he. Or my mother, also, as a matter of fact was confined to a chair in her later years. Oh, well...at least my sister only uses a cane.

.....But, now at last, I am free from the pain I suffered from the melanoma surgery. I fought fiercely and viciously through that calamity in my life, and weathered the storm it caused me. It was my own hurricane or tsunami, and now the cloud has dissipated. Believe me, it was almost as much of a trauma as WWII....and memorable. I'm sure I got through that pain-pill-filled three months because of the encouragement I received from my family, and especially that of my good friend, and hero, Phil Bergovoy, the Count of Guttenberg. And if not for the love and life of my good caregiver, RH+, I would probably be long gone from this world. I was constantly reminded of the words of my alter ego, Hamlet, who wished "..... that this, too, too solid flesh would melt; thaw and resolve itself into a dew; or that the Everlasting had not fixed his canon 'gainst self slaughter." He continues in his misery for the lack of a VA shrink for the remainder of the four hours of the play, and in the end, his wish is consummated.

.....For those in the know or who own a good calendar, today, 9-11, is also Patriot Day, and wearing red, white, and blue is in vogue. Tonight RH+ and I are going to a "Boomers Club" meeting in our clubhouse where Patriot Day will be celebrated with food and entertainment. I have red, white, and blue suspenders in keeping with the theme, and I will remember those who lost their lives on that day, not to be forgotten.

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered???

....Our next door neighbor, Freddie, gave us a gift he brought back from Germany. It was a witch on a string that we hung up in the kitchen a few months ago. Ever since then we have been bewitched. I won't even begin to discuss the evil that has happened to me. But take, as an example, what happened at dinner last night. Rhoda was broiling some hot dogs in the oven--two Nathan's and two Hebrew Nationals. She said we could have one of each--on hot dog rolls, of course. But as she took them out of the oven, all four fell on the floor at witch (sic) point RH- uttered the F-word as she retrieved them and stuck them on the table anyway. So we were stuck with floored dogs. They were a little dusty, but that added some to the culinary flavor. So the summer from Hell continues unabated. Perhaps it's time to burn the witch in our kitchen.

.....Right now, we are awaiting a call from Mobility Magic where a lift for my scooter is being glued to the back of my car. But the way things have been going, once the scooter is placed in the lift, I may have to drive the car with just the two back wheels as the weight in back of my trunk lifts up the two front ones. That should be fun. Speaking of fun, Rh+ and I went to the movies and saw "The Hangover". It involved a bachelor's party of four guys in Las Vegas. It was the funniest film I've seen all year. One has to be selective these days, as it seems all the films are catering to the younger crowd what with the plethora of sci-fis and the animated stuff. If you're in puberty, there is no paucity of films you could choose from. If you're over 80 and you see a guy in a movie that age, he is probably dying from shingles or an impacted tooth, whatever. Not very entertaining...nor encouraging.

.....I don't have too much more worthwhile to say today; except that there is a time honored proverb that means articulate and intelligent communication (speech and writing) should use few and wisely chosen words. It is best associated with the play 'Hamlet,' by William Shakespeare and is spoken by Polonius who states that 'Brevity is the Soul of wit'. Amen

"I 'gin to be aweary of the sun...." (Macbeth)

.....This has been the summer out of Hell! I can't wait for the end of it....I know that DST ends on October 31, but I don't suppose that's the end of summer...whenever that is. I will welcome it. So many things have happened to me--physically--that I'm guessing the cause is the onset of senescence. Well, I guess that occurs with many people. But I'm not in favor of it. The melanoma wound on my leg is taking its time to fully heal; however, it's almost there. It's almost three months now, and I'm guessing the 100% heal will take about another month. The happy thing is that I have been free of pain for a week. The wound care nurses that came twice a day, and the physical therapist that came twice a week are no longer coming--as of today. I was growing terribly weary of that whole routine. The wound care nurse is now Rhoda. She does a good job. And she doesn't have to be the caregiver she was in the early stages of post surgery. I can't wait for the lift for my scooter to be attached to my car so that I can get out of here! I have been cabin'd, cribbed, confined! And I need to be free.

.....With the arrival of the fall at least I'll have the pleasure of watching college and NFL football, and eventually--in October, the playoffs and the World Series. I love soccer, but I still believe baseball is the best game in the world. Basketball, I think, is silly....a team, college or NBA, to be successful must garner giants to put on the floor. And all the games you watch look almost exactly alike. Hockey is for Canadians and Russians. I wonder how they communicate.

.....Also this fall my cousin Edith's granddaughter is being Bas Mitzvah-ed. Actually, I believe the event will be this week. Many of my many cousins will probably be there in New Jersey by invitation. I didn't get one, but I sent a copy of my book to Edith to remind her that I'm still alive. I don't know if she'll read it or if she is able to read it--she's about 89 or more; but that's OK. She'll not miss my name on the cover. Another relative of mine--actually a former relative--my sister-in-law, Mildred, passed away the other day. Of course she was my ex-wife's oldest sister. Mildred was a fine lady, very bright and very "with it." Her passing saddens me. Her two sons are Barry and David and they will be bringing their mother back to Florida where she will be buried next to her husband. Harry and Mildred lived in Florida for many years, but after Harry died, Mildred followed her two sisters, Norma and Thelma, to California.

.....Stay tuned.

"A wise man cares not for what he cannot have." (Herbert)

.....I've been brooding and melancholy since the healing of my melanoma surgery has not yet occurred. The pain I was having is gone, thank heaven, but the wound lingers on and the wound care nurse is still coming every day to remove the dressing and put a new one on. I am really tired of the whole routine. As far as being melancholy is concerned, besides Hamlet, I also identify with Don Juan, a character in Lord Byron's (1788-1824) book of the same name. Byron created the concept of the 'Byronic hero'-a defiant, melancholy young man, brooding on some mysterious, unforgivable event in his past. (Sounds like me). Byron's influence on European poetry, music, novel, opera, and painting has been immense, although the poet was widely condemned on moral grounds by his contemporaries. He was suspected of having an incestuous relationship with his half-sister, and he went abroad, never to return after he was accused of bi-sexual affairs. Although I don't remember any 'unforgivable event' in my past--oh, excuse me, I do--but I have on occasion brooded about my past. \

.....I identify with the brooding Don Juan, who one bright evening looked at the stars and wondered ..."how the devil they ever got there." And, like my image, Don, I have been wondering lately about the same thing--as I often have--with no answer. But I attempt the answer myself. Take the oak tree for example. What caused it? The acorn. And what caused the acorn? I assume the power of nature in the acorn that kept it growing. But no series of causes can go on forever. Sooner or later we come to the end, to something for which we know no reason. Somewhere there must be an uncaused first principle from which everything else starts and a supreme and final end for the sake of which everything exists. If you know what I mean.

.....Yesterday we went to a place called Magic Mobility and bought a lift for my scooter. Of course it'll go on the back of my car and it will allow me to get out of the house and go wherever I want or need to. I had to give in to Rhoda who has been urging me to buy a lift for many weeks--or months. I just didn't want to spend the money for it. I don't know why. I was also concerned about what effect it would have in my car. I can't worry about that now. But at Magic Mobility we bought a used lift for half the price of a new one. We'll also buy a cover for it to protect it from rain as it often does here without a moment's notice save for a very loud thunder blast and lightning. I can't worry about the car--the scooter has priority. I have a cane, but I can't walk with it more than about 100 yards before the leg gets painful. All of this--including the brooding like Don Juan--is a result--no doubt--of the aging process. Even my sister will be 84 this month. I just called her and offered to take her out to dinner on her birthday and buy her a lobster!