63 and counting

Well I am 63. That means 3 years until possible retirement. Over the last few months I have made a concentrated effort to find items that I wish to do while retired. This is what I have come up with:

a. reading and writing of course. Get restarted on the book.

b. crafting steampunk items out of kits, wire, and polymer clay. Automated of course using one of the small kits.

   First item is to create a steampunk version of a NERF gun. I have got the design in mind. I plan on making multiple prototypes to practice techniques. With lights, sounds, and maybe smoke. Laser output (cat play laser repurposed).

d, art items of wire and clay.

e. board games

In a week I should have the required tools and some of the supplies.

Politics, part 1

Politics

First of all, I have vented my opinion of Trump on social media. So if he wants to "de-naturalize" me he has justification. If you don't know he is threating that on legal immigrants. Of course being who he is if you don't suck up to him you will be first in line. But it is too late for me to hide.

Let me say this: Trump is a monster. I do not use that word lightly. I consider all high level sociopaths monsters as do most professionals. One characteristic is that they cause harm to the people around them. Trump's people around him is the US residents.

I have met four high level sociopaths in my life. All left destroyed lives behind them.

Some true statements are: "You can tell the character of a person if you put them in charge.", and "You can tell the character of a person by whom they surround themselves with." We have seen what Trump is like from before the Presidency to now. The people around him are also monsters and/or religious fanatics and/or corporate shills. There is not a one of them that I would loan $5 and expect to get it back.

You either lead by loyalty, hope or fear. Trump, and the GOP, have chosen fear. There are some real things to fear out there, but they are making things up to generate fear. None of their fear mongering, as far as I can tell, is based on fact. A good assumption is that everything said by the White House, Fox news, and the GOP is false. It is getting bad enough that even Fox news occasionally reacts to the lies. And the rest of the media is not doing the job of calling out, and refuting, the lies -- the lies generate more news.

The White House press core is intimidated. They put up with the lies so they can continue to get access. Ask the wrong question and you get booted off the list.

Taking children away from their parents is a monstrous act. While we know they are kept in cages (or pens as one of the Presidents people tell us) we have NO independent observer of their conditions. I expect it is not good. If it was good they would show it too the world, not hide it. I wonder how many have already died. I have not heard of any health care, or children's care, professionals being hired to take care of them. And I would have if there were thousands of children to help. The official number is about 1,000, but they have also said they have lost track of 1,200 so it must be many more.

The more I learn about the situation the worse it gets. One of the latest: "They don't know of any system to track the children to their parents." So the younger ones are just lost and will never find their parents.

I would give money to the groups that are fighting this but money is very tight right now. Everything I have must go to food or medicine. Later.

If we restore sanity to the US in 2020, it will take a generation to recover.

Horror Books and Movies

I have a problem with depression. What helps me is reading horror stories.
Almost all horror stories resolve well. There are occasional ones that do not,
but that makes reading more interesting. Like Russian Roulette except with
reading. No spoilers in this post. Stephen Kings "Revival" is one I feel where
the ending leaves everyone in a bad state. It is also a good novel.

If the horror novel has a supernatural element I don't find it will scare me
more than a shiver. But if it does not, and worse is based on a real life
incident, they frighten me and disturb me.

For example: I have Jack Ketchum's "The Girl Next Door" in book form and in a
movie. I have had both for years. I am too scared to consume them. The blurb on
the book and movie are enough for me. Eventually I will get the courage. But I
expect it to disturb me for weeks. Sometimes you need raw meat in the reading
diet.

Another is "Apt Pupil" by Stephen King. I have read the short story but while I
have the movie I have not been able to watch it yet. The idea of focusing your
interest on something evil, and knowing that it is evil, is very scary.

"Pet Samatary" by Stephen King is one of the few supernatural books that
disturbed me. Would you bring hell to bring back your love? I have not watched
the movie yet.

The books that I like the most right now in horror are "Duma Key" and "Needful
Things" by Stephen King. They both have supernatural elements but very late in
the game. In "Duma Key" the idea that art can be consuming and be unhealthy is
very compelling. In "Needful Things" that there can be items that you would do
much for, and do bad things for, is also interesting. And that actions can grow
into something horrible. These are what I would call "intellectual" horror
novels. It is the ideas in the stories that are the most interesting.

The "Duma Key" reminds me of an art exhibit that I had to leave because it was
so disturbing to me (and was for weeks after). I believe the artist was
Richard Burton but the paintings had tranquil scenes with people who had no skin.
The clash did something bad to my mind.

Another book and movie combination I liked was "The Mist" by Stephen King. In
the movie they changed the ending from the short story. There was a lot of
despair in the movie, but it was not hopeless, as it was in the book.

Another type of horror is best shown in the movie "The Beguilled", more
character and atmosphere than ideas. The "hot house" sensuality, and the actions
that provoked, were very intense.

I think the next Stephen King novel I am going to read is "The Outsider".

For fun I like "urban magic" books. I just finished up the Merry Gentry series by
Laurell K. Hamilton which was a lot of fun. I did read a lot of Jim Butcher's
Harry Dresden series until he lost interest (it has been over a year since the
last book). I also like the "Rivers of London" series by Ben Aaronovitch, but
I am waiting to get to the library to get the next couple in the series.

Lisa has loaned me the 20 Palaces novels by Connolly which I will get into soon.

 

House in Pasadena

Well the house in Pasadena is in the process of being sold. We have 14 offers, accepted one, and are now waiting for end of escrow. That should happen on July 5th. One big item out of the way.

Use Siri for notes

Tip:

When I go to bed I am awake for a while (sometimes a long while) and I think about things. These are things I want to do soon or ideas or subjects for blogs. But they are gone in the morning. What I am doing now is keeping my iPhone in the bedroom next to the bed and using Siri to create a note. Works great. And I have a charger on the iPhone.

Reminder

Just a reminder on how good "Sin City" was -- both in books and in the movies.

 

Just to remind myself - 1997

Hide in plain sight.

Why so serious?

When you think about it this is an excellent question.

 

Disaster porn

I don't know why but I like "disaster" photo's and paintings. They speak to me of the transient nature of reality. And by a good photographer or painter they are outstanding.

 

 

 

 

Return to blogging world

Hi,

After 5 years I am going to start blogging again. Why now? I am moving at the first of the year and this will be a good way to keep everyone up to date. But first a test post.