18 December 2022…..the most______time of the year

I was watching YouTube and the person mentioned “tax holidays”. I am not a fan. The only reason for “tax holidays” is to convince people to spend money. 

Duh.

 

Of course that is why they exist. 

The government wants people to spend money. 

So let’s just say you need $100 dollars worth of stuff. Any normal day you pay an extra $10, $9, $8, $7, maybe $6 in tax for the stuff you buy. But on a “tax holiday” You don’t pay the tax on select items. You still might pay tax. 

So why have a “tax holiday”?

Just so us peasants will buy things. 

It helps everyone feel like they are receiving a good deal. 

It makes everyone want to go shopping. 

That is exactly why I don’t like tax holidays. Everyone thinks they are getting a good deal. If you like fighting crowds, and saving maybe 10% on what you are going to buy anyway. 

Personally I hate navigating my way through crowds. I like people. I hate crowds. Mostly because I have a very difficult time in my wheelchair, and most people are not on the lookout for a person in a wheelchair. 

Anything that businesses do to convince more people to be there; Veterans Day discounts, tax holidays, sports events, etc., etc., I readily try to avoid. The crowds and frustration are not worth the pittance of savings.

29 November 2022……I would be a walking contradiction, if I could walk.

Most of what I share right now is based on my personal perspective in life, that said I think there is truth in it. If you don’t like what I have written that is fine. 

I have a very troubled opinion about theater/film/acting and anything related to them  and also, college/university in general. Education is very important. Still college/university is not the only way to get an education. There are so many good ways to educate yourself. College MAY be an option. 

First I have a college degree in theater and I used to have a teaching certificate. I was, and am, a very good teacher, but that is another story, for another time. Today I am talking about my university education in Theater/film. 

I love acting, costume design, set design and construction and many things associated with all that area. I love the teaching potential that exists with it.  I love to watch it. It is marvelous in so many ways. Theater and film can be a wonderful teaching tool. They need to be incorporated into more aspects of education. 

That said, the gospel of Jesus Christ is more important. I love the teaching potential that theater/film provide. If you do announce your conversation to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and his church, it’s easy to be black listed, dismissed from schools you are studying from or the industry in general. I know very few people that went through the theater/film/acting program that hold firm to the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are people that probably “believe” but seem to hide the light they may have. As far as I can tell most are still good people in many ways, but the fire they used to have is gone. They seem to have a very good life still, but many seem to advertise achievements that are riding on the coattails of someone else, achievements by loose association. I have known people that had major rolls in church films, that for whatever reason are no longer in the film anymore or the film is impossible to find. I see it that any associated connection with the church or the gospel of Jesus Christ is a type of professional suicide.

My other concern/pet peeve is how theater/film especially acting is not taken seriously. I myself have a hard time taking someone with an acting degree, or most people who have a degree in theater or film seriously, and I have a theater degree.  Most of the jobs in theater/film and acting specifically, don’t require a degree. There are organizations in the film industry that want people to have a four year degree. But I still know people without degrees that work in that specific film area. A four year degree makes as much since in theater/film as it does for being an officer in the military most of the time. That’s another story also.

 

Theater/film and everything associated with it in most college studies, should not ever be an option as a major at all. Minor, special emphasis, something other than a major degree track for most people. Most of the professors should be professionals in the industry, in some form. If it is taught at university/college level it needs support from subjects that are not seen as being frivolous. I personally think everyone should have at least a minor in business. Business is the common denominator in everything. Art business , Healthcare business, engineering business, etc.,etc.  I could go on but I think you get the idea. Again, I love theater/film and most everything associated with it. That said I have seen firsthand the lack of respect and credibility anyone with a theater/film degree is given. I’ve been told theater is “The Study of Life”. That’s, I would say, a nice way of saying, “ jack of all trades master of none.”

Someone with a degree, doctorate in theater history and criticism, said they had a degree in history. The response was, “No you don’t. Theater history is not History.”

If you don’t work in theater/film it would be very difficult to “fake” your way through. It is, in many ways, a world of its own. That said, persons who work in theater/film are forced to work with the real world most of the time. 

Now, to finish, I am still sorely tempted to get headshots (pictures) and put together a resume so I can see what maybe is available for something like me. (Wheelchair bound, bearded, balding, with difficulty speaking) But it would take my time away from my chilli peppers. 

19 November 2022…..to much remembering recently.

I am so annoyed and angry at my stroke right now. 

My mother is having difficulties. I want to help, but my brain injury causes me to go over board and act idiotic. I have first hand information that could be helpful. That said the emotional part of my brain is to dominate for this situation. I want to help but everything I know and understand is very laden with the emotional part of this situation, because I had it happen to me already. 

I called my uncle and even though he was a great sounding board, he probably understood the situation better than I ever could and helped me to just vent and understand that it is a very emotional situation for all my siblings, but didn’t say that directly. 

Even though I have trained myself to be less emotional about many situations. I can get overwhelmed easily. The emotional part of my brain is the dominant part. I have, somehow, trained myself not to cry at everything, so much so, that when I need to cry I can’t. That said I was driving with my children the other day and I wanted to bawl for some reason. 

So recently I have been bombarded with emotional difficulties. 

Life is a pain. 

My wife has been helping me make bread. Everything bakes ok so far. It just doesn’t seem to mix up and rise like we want it to. We have made some awesome sourdough bread. It is definitely a slower process than using store bought yeast. But I am learning how to be more understanding of how long the process takes. 

I have other concerns. 

The elections past. Not much has changed. Most politicians are still scoundrels. Democrats, Republicans, most of them are not worth the time it takes to vote. I still vote. But I have little hope that any good will come from voting. Elections are not much more than a pacifier to the public at large. 

Reading and looking at that last paragraph, I must be more cynical than I realize. I like to think of myself as pragmatic. Still the only true pragmatist I think I have ever known is my grandpa. He may never have called himself a pragmatist, he was just himself. I sure miss his wisdom. I have a very difficult time describing his wisdom at times, because it seemed to be full of contractions. Still, some of the best wisdom. 

31 October 2022……happy Halloween

All right, Brazil has a new president. That’s fine. I don’t live there and I don’t intent to. 

My wife thinks the new Brazilian President is great. I’m not so sure. The value of the money became worth less to the point Brazilian money is almost worthless. Here in the US we are currently having our own stupid inflation. 

So I made a bet with her. 

Right now on google, R$1 (brasilian real) is equal to $0.19 US. R$5.17 equals US$1. 

So, this is the bet. If in four years, the length of the Brazilian presidency, or if something causes his Term to be shorter, we will compare the price of the Real, brasilian money, to the dollar. 

If US$1 equals R$5.17 or more she pays me R$ 1000 (brasilian money). If US$1equals less than R$5.17, I pay her US$1000 ( American money). 

I think I’ve got history on my side. When I was in Brazil 30 years ago, 1 Brazilian Real was about the same price as 1 US dollar. The past few years it has been in flux. US$1 Between R$3.75 to R$5. 

She thinks she is right just because the money in Brazil had more buying power for a time. 

Ultimately, the purpose of government is to distract from the use of real power. 

Tudo bem, o Brasil tem um novo presidente.  Isso é bom.  Não moro lá e nem pretendo.

 Minha esposa acha o novo presidente brasileiro ótimo.  Eu não tenho tanta certeza.  O valor do dinheiro passou a valer menos a ponto do dinheiro brasileiro quase não vale nada.  Aqui nos EUA estamos tendo nossa própria inflação estúpida.

 Então eu fiz uma aposta com minha esposa.

 Agora no google, R$ 1 (real brasileiro) é igual a $ 0,19 US.  R$ 5,17 equivale a US$ 1.

 Então, essa é a aposta.

 Se daqui a quatro anos, a duração da presidência brasileira, ou se algo fizer com que seu mandato seja menor, vamos comparar o preço do real com o dólar.

 Se US$ 1 equivale a R$ 5,17 ou mais, ela me paga R$ 1000 (dinheiro brasileiro).  Se US$ 1 for menor que R$ 5,17, eu pago a ela US$ 1.000 (dinheiro americano).

 Acho que tenho a história do meu lado.  Quando eu estava no Brasil há 30 anos, 1 real brasileiro era quase o mesmo preço de 1 dólar americano.  Nos últimos anos tem estado em fluxo.  US$1 Entre R$3,75 a R$5.

 Ela acha que está certa só porque o dinheiro no Brasil teve mais poder aquisitivo por um tempo.

Em última análise, o propósito do governo é desviar a atenção do uso do poder real.

19 October 2022…..down my rabbit hole a back out.

I have been down a rabbit hole of sorts recently. 

I have been fascinated with watches. All sorts. 

Swatch

Timex 

Casio

Sieko

Rolex

there are hundreds of watch brands. 

Now days Swiss watches are given the gold star as the best. But before world war 2 the US was best. Then the war caused companies to start making everything for the war effort, and watches became secondary. The Swiss kept making watches, and after the war were pretty good and by good I mean amazing. 

Then a few decades later quartz watches almost killed the entire mechanical watch industry. So slowly, mechanical watches evolved into a luxury. A marvel of art and craft and engineering. 

So here we are at the present. I have a much more accurate clock on my phone than any watch. Still I find myself wanting a watch. 

So maybe I need to make a watch. I discovered you can buy watch making kits. I don’t have the physical ability to build a watch. Plus the kit is $250 more or less. 

Buying a watch is anything from $10 to $500,000+. But at many instances you get what you pay for. 

Then I was watching a guy talking about watches on YouTube. One of his points that really jumped out at me, 

“Nobody cares about your watch.”

This statement made me wake up to the reality of the situation. If I want a watch, nobody cares if it is $60, $600, 6000, or $60,000. It’s just a watch. Maybe 1% of the population uses one. 

I was talking with my son, and he said, “I have a clock on my phone, most people do.” 

I really needed these little wake up calls. 

I still think there are lots of very fun watches out there, but for the time being I can handle buying a watch at Walmart, or Target, or some other brand that costs less than $100. 

I will save my pennies and maybe someday I will justify buying myself or my wife a watch that costs a lot more. But I want to get used to having money to throw around like bullshit and help the flowers grow. 

Now to a much more serious topic for a few moments. My mom is getting older. I already know I can’t do much. But I can ask for your prayers for her and for me and my siblings as we navigate things with her, we need all the wisdom we can get. All I can say is my mom has been selfless to her children until things are not the easiest for her. We need wisdom, my siblings and I and mom.

I hate putting this out there for the whole world to know, more than anything we need faith and wisdom. So all I ask is for your prayers. 

12 October 2022…..wow.

I went to the botanical gardens the other day. Very fun in some ways.  I guess it’s a good time of year for roses to bloom here. 

I am frustrated because my chili peppers are not growing nearly as well as as the ones at the botanical gardens. Granted, because I live in an apartment I have to grow in pots and that might not be something that helps. But I am somewhat frustrated I have worked for months on trying to get my chilis to produce. The plants flower, then they don’t produce fruit. Very frustrating. I don’t grow plants just to grow plants. I would like to have them produce fruit. Last year my chili provided lots of pod. This year nothing seems to want to do anything. It’s good temperature for a while then it gets to hot or to cold. 

I might be limited to the chili peppers I have already grow. In some ways that makes me sad, and somewhat depends. But then I can focus my time on other things.

 My wife can’t eat chili peppers anyway. She has to be careful about things that she can and cannot eat. The biggest frustration, we live In Texas. It is nearly impossible to find food that doesn’t use some kind of chili peppers. Years ago my brother came to visit. He got the chic-fil-a hot and spicy sandwich. He commented that it was more spicy than was sold in Wisconsin. So, I guess things are naturally spicier here. Our lives are somewhat complicated. 

A really weird thing I discovered yesterday. Walmart sells Rolexes. Yeah I think that was crazy to. In the drop down menu in gives to options, and in the brands listed there is Rolex. So, on the app, you can buy a 20,000 dollar watch and you could buy pizza rolls if you have enough money. If you don’t believe me go to the app or the site and see for yourself. 

21-23 September 2021….what a life.

So I have been watching TV almost all day. 

I have been noticing how my emotions react to some scenes. I want to start bawling, but the only reason I don’t, because I feel like I have to clench my buttcheeks and toss my head backwards slightly. What a life. 

I seem to be going backwards to try and make some advances forward. I have started going to a gym that focuses on people in wheelchairs and other disabilities. Quite a workout. 

As I was reading scripture and studying, Isaiah, the thought came to my mind God has always been a God of miracles. Some of the miracles were more obvious in old times. 

The increase in miracles has been happening for a long time. Lots of people have been a part of a miracle, whether they admit it or not. The thing is we live around so many miracles it is difficult to accept some things as miracles. 

For example cell phones and tablets, that is a miracle, but it is a miracle that snuck up on most of us. We live in a time of not stop miracles. Lights, heaters, toasters, photography, air fryers there are so many little miracles, it’s no wonder that many people think that miracles have ceased. Miracles have not ceased. The are everywhere. We can not wake up in the morning and not find a miracle in our bathroom, running water, hot and cold water. 

Supermarkets are a huge miracle. I can go to one and buy everything I need to make bread. I can go to most supermarkets and buy bread. Lots of different kinds. (The kind I can make is still better), but if you want to buy bread you can. Some things are just fun ideas, like avocado toast. 

So, I can understand why people think there are no miracles, almost everything around us, in the US, and many other nations, is a miracle. 

But I guess some people think that if everything is a miracle, nothing is a miracle. 

My biggest concern is that some people don’t want miracles to happen because they don’t recognize anything as being a miracle.

Most of us need miracles for out very survival. We rely on them more and more all the time, and there are people who, unwittingly, want us to try and live without miracles.