Pirates

My Pirates are still hanging in the National League playoff picture.  They're playing pretty well going into the final month of the season.

I'm not sure they quite have the horses to make the playoffs, but they should have their second straight winning season after twenty consecutive losing ones.  That would be a really good achievement.

Yogurt Wars

I was having a little trouble eating yogurt with fruit in it-- it was a sinus issue-- and an aide suggested I get plain yogurt.  So, we got this Gogurt stuff.  It's not great.  Last night, another aide told me I needed to tell them I wanted to go back to the yogurt with fruit.  She even said she would call them for me.  She was fairly fired up.

I know these aides are trying to help-- it might even be part of their jobs to suggest things-- but I really do know what I'm doing.  Honest.

Books

I haven't received books from my book clubs recently, so I reordered one yesterday.  It seems to have had the wrong address.

Hopefully I'll get new books soon.

Hawaii

I'm feeling better than I have in years.  If I keep improving to November, I probably could make the trip to my conference in Hawaii.

However, that assumes the flights there and back would go smoothly and on time.  There's also the matter of bringing an aide-- and then there's paying for the whole thing.  It probably won't work out.

Watered Down Coke

I have a particular aide sometimes who is no doubt very good at his job, but also very fussy.  Saturday he decided regular Coke was too strong for me after I coughed as I was drinking a can, so he added water.

Some aides, though they mean well, make decisions based upon too little information.  Had I wanted watered down Coke, I would've bought Pepsi.

Rainy Times

We went shopping in the rain this morning.  It brought to mind the times, forty years ago, when I went to high school football games, sitting through rainy evenings.  Those times were often in October and November, and the rain was cold.

It's a bit sad to realize that the boys who played those games are older men now, no longer capable of making the long run, or the great catch, or the crushing tackle.

Heat

Heat and summer storms are finally hitting the area.  So far, it's been a nice, mild summer.

There's some evidence that an El Nino might be forming in the Pacific, which could lead to a mild winter in America.  We can only hope.

Renee

My niece Renee is in her first week at Indiana State.

This is her first time living on her own, but I know she's up to it.  She's terrific.

Sinus Problems

I've been having sinus issues lately.  I get them regularly, especially when the weather changes.  It's annoying.

Sneezing and getting the stuff out might help, but I've never been able to that when I want to.

Self-Driving Cars

I saw a report this morning that predicted self-driving cars will be here sooner than expected, perhaps in only a few years.

That will still probably be too late for me, but such cars will certainly increase independence for the disabled.

Razor Vs. Shaver

When my aides shave me, they generally use a razor with a blade.  Recently, however, Yodit has started using my old electric shaver.

I don't know why she switched, and it doesn't matter, but it is curious.

Renee And Callie

My brother Jon brought his daughters Renee and Callie over for a visit yesterday.  Renee starts at Indiana State next week, and she wants to become a nurse practitioner.  I'm extremely proud of her.

Callie, on the other hand, has just started kindergarten, and she told me all about that.  She is a piece of work.

A Bit Of Diplomacy

The fellows running preparations for the conference in Hawaii that I had a hand in creating are inviting nations that have expressed interest in participating in an international lunar base program to send representatives to the conference.  Spreading the cost of such a program among several nations would reduce the burden on any one nation.

We are hoping that informal talks in Hawaii among the representatives could lead to something more substantial.

Animal

Every once in a while I see a little brownish thing whiz past on the ground. It moves so fast I can't tell exactly what it is.

Maybe it's a chipmunk.

Stock Pop

One of the stocks I used to own made a huge upward move this morning.

I understand why I had to sell my stocks and put the money in trust so I could be covered by Medicare early, but it seems to me that law needs changing.  As people live longer after retirement-- whenever they retire-- it'd be better for them and for society if they could maintain control of their property even when receiving government aid.  The argument against that is that if people have funds they should pay for their own care.  True enough, but that eventually puts added strain on government programs as they have to pay all the bills.  Allowing people to keep resources and having them pay some of the bills would stretch out the aid.

Field Of Dreams

Yesterday I watched a show on the 25th anniversary of the baseball movie, FIELD OF DREAMS.  While it's about baseball, the movie also tells the story of a son's relationship with his late father.

When I was a boy, Dad and I would go into the backyard summer nights, and he would toss pitches I'd try to hit with my plastic bat.  I think that's a big part of my love of baseball.  I really don't know what it's like to be on a football field or a basketball court, but, thanks to Dad, I have seen balls coming at me that I've tried to get better at hitting over the course of a long summer season.

Life Patterns

I have established a daily pattern that allows me to function fairly well.  I also have a stable aide situation at the moment, which is good.

Hopefully, I can maintain these patterns for a while.

Hiroshima

Today is the 69th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, an event that truly changed the world.

The bombing did horrifying damage, but it also helped end the war without the necessity of an American-led invasion of Japan.  In so doing, it probably saved tens of thousands American lives-- and, ultimately, more Japanese lives than it took.

Big Blow

My Pirates are losing their best player for a few weeks to an injury.

Hopefully they'll be able to stay in playoff contention until they get him back.

Uneasy Saturday

I had a touch of diarrhea Saturday, which wasn't fun.  Luckily, I was able to wait until an aide was here.

It was better yesterday and so far, so good today.

Injuries

There seems to be an inordinate number of injuries in major league baseball this season, and even though NFL training camps have just opened, teams are already losing guys for the entire season.

I don't know what's going on-- maybe physical training standards need to be changed.