Last Friday I had surgery for a "partial" knee replacement in my right knee. Technically this is called a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement, which in layman's terms means installing a small "cartilage replacement" prosthesis in the section of the knee where the original cartilage has worn down to bone on bone. Since I have already had a successful total knee replacement on the left side five years ago, I knew what to expect - but some things have changed.
The surgery was at 7:30 am and took about two hours. After a short time in recovery I was moved to the room I would occupy for the next two days. At noon that same day, a Physical Therapist shows up and says , "Would you like to take a walk?" I thought she was kidding, but she was not. So five hours after surgery I was walking down the hall (using a walker) on my new knee! The general consensus among surgeons nowadays is the sooner you can start therapy the quicker recovery will start - someone should have asked the patients for their opinion. After a walk this first day, I started on full sets of exercises the second day, including climbing stairs using crutches.
One of the dictionary definitions of a Masochist is "One who has a taste for suffering". I think Physical Therapists fit that description perfectly ("other peoples" suffering that is). On the second day she tried to see how far I could bend my knee and moved it until it stopped.
"Does that hurt?"
"Not too bad", I said.
"Then let's see if we can bend it further" - ouch!
Those friends of mine that are Physical Therapists know I am poking fun at them - it has been proven that this therapy after the surgery is the most important factor in the recovery process.
I am now home and going through sessions three times a day on my own (with the therapist calling in every other day to check progress). These are not fun sessions, but an hour before, I take two Oxycodone "happy" pills and then, even the therapist looks good - I guess this is what they call "better living through chemistry".
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The "Big Apple"
I love old Rock and Roll, I love Contemporary Jazz, I love the Blues, I love (some) Country music...but mostly I love Opera. Is that a paradox or what? As my hair started turning grey, opera started sounding enjoyable and the more I listened, the more I became a fan. Maybe it's because when you really listen to a great opera singer you realize that a voice like that is god given. To you sports fans out there, the best way I could describe it, is that Pavarotti was the "Tiger Woods" or "Michael Jordan" of opera.
Last week we watched a performance of La Boheme at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. It was a Christmas gift from our oldest daughter who in her younger years danced for the San Diego Ballet and Opera. So we spent last week in the "Big Apple' with the highlight of the trip being the night at the opera which included an elegant dinner at the Grand Tier restaurant in the Met Opera house itself. So us country folks were able to rub elbows with some of the New York elite. But they must have been envious of us. My wife planned on this evening for months and even had special earrings made to match a necklace that she inherited from her mother - she was the "elite" one in the Grand Tier that night. It was an evening that we will remember for a long time, and if you have not spent much time in the "big apple" don't miss it - just take a lot of money.
Last week we watched a performance of La Boheme at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. It was a Christmas gift from our oldest daughter who in her younger years danced for the San Diego Ballet and Opera. So we spent last week in the "Big Apple' with the highlight of the trip being the night at the opera which included an elegant dinner at the Grand Tier restaurant in the Met Opera house itself. So us country folks were able to rub elbows with some of the New York elite. But they must have been envious of us. My wife planned on this evening for months and even had special earrings made to match a necklace that she inherited from her mother - she was the "elite" one in the Grand Tier that night. It was an evening that we will remember for a long time, and if you have not spent much time in the "big apple" don't miss it - just take a lot of money.We also took in a few other sights - the Museum of Modern Art, the Paley Center for Radio and TV (our son is a "big wheel" there), Lombardi's (the first pizza restaurant in the USA), Grand Central Station, the United Nations, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts (don't miss it) . We also had dinner and drinks at a restaurant called Bill's Gay 90's, a "speakeasy" going back to the turn of the 20th century and still going strong. This was unique since my grandfather played piano there for a long time in the late 30's and early 40's. It was one of the highlights of a special trip to the most energetic city in the world.
Now we are back on the Central Coast at our 20 acre ranch - a slight change from the "high density" of NYC. And as I dug holes today, and set traps to catch the gophers that invaded my vineyard while I was gone, I thought "Wow, just a few days ago I was rubbing elbows with the elite at the Met Opera, and now I am up to my elbows in dirt chasing varmints that are trying to kill my vines".
Isn't life interesting?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
You be the Judge
We recently had a case here in California that reminded me of the importance of this election...
In a small town library in Central California, a librarian saw a 39 year old man watching child pornography on the library's public computer. When he left, she asked her supervisor if she should call the police. Her supervisor said "No let's keep it a private matter and speak to him if he does it again." This response was not acceptable to the librarian so she contacted the police and told them the story. They asked her to call them if he ever showed up and did it again, since it was illegal. He did come in again, and logged on to a child porn website. She called the police, they came and caught the man viewing nude pictures of young boys and he was arrested and charged with viewing child pornography.
When the supervisor found out that the police had come and arrested the man, she was livid and fired the librarian. This was a County library and the County Supervisors supported the firing. Their reason - the librarian had violated the man's "privacy rights". There will be a lot of litigation from both sides on this case, but in a talk show debate, a liberal ACLU lawyer, although agreeing that viewing child porn was against the law, argued that: "The mans privacy rights under the constitution were more important than the child porn issue". Unbelievable.
This "privacy" issue is also the sticking point in the U.S. Congress with their reluctance to renew the Foreign Intelligence Security Act (FISA). By not renewing this bill our intelligence agencies will find it very difficult to monitor phone calls from suspected terrorists overseas. In the meantime, the safety of millions of US citizens could be put in jeopardy if we cannot track terrorist activities. I am in complete agreement with the right to privacy for every citizen - but within reason. We have to protect ourselves - do we want another 911? This is probably another issue that will go all the way to the Supreme Court for a decision.
Here is the point of this blog:
Liberal Supreme Court Justice J.P. Stevens is 88 years old. In addition, by next year, five other of the (liberal) justices will be in their 70's. So the next President could have the opportunity to appoint 2 or 3 new "Supremes" during his (or her) first term, and possibly another 2 or 3 if they serve a second term. What kind of judges do you think Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will appoint? No question it will be those with the philosophy of this ACLU "privacy" advocate discussed above. John McCain says he will appoint strict Constitutionalists - not judges that legislate from the bench. Presidents come and go, but Supreme Court justices are appointed for life. These new Supreme Court Justices could shape America for the next generation or two, and if they have the philosophy of a Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton (and liberals in general), think about what this country could become...
Could viewing child porn, or conducting any other illegal activities on the Internet become OK? Could criminals, instead of being punished, become "victims of society"? Will you be able to keep ownership of your property if the government wants it? Could environmentalism and regulatory agencies rule our lives? Could illegal immigrants be allowed to enter our country en mass and receive all the rights of a US citizen?
You be the judge.
In a small town library in Central California, a librarian saw a 39 year old man watching child pornography on the library's public computer. When he left, she asked her supervisor if she should call the police. Her supervisor said "No let's keep it a private matter and speak to him if he does it again." This response was not acceptable to the librarian so she contacted the police and told them the story. They asked her to call them if he ever showed up and did it again, since it was illegal. He did come in again, and logged on to a child porn website. She called the police, they came and caught the man viewing nude pictures of young boys and he was arrested and charged with viewing child pornography.
When the supervisor found out that the police had come and arrested the man, she was livid and fired the librarian. This was a County library and the County Supervisors supported the firing. Their reason - the librarian had violated the man's "privacy rights". There will be a lot of litigation from both sides on this case, but in a talk show debate, a liberal ACLU lawyer, although agreeing that viewing child porn was against the law, argued that: "The mans privacy rights under the constitution were more important than the child porn issue". Unbelievable.
This "privacy" issue is also the sticking point in the U.S. Congress with their reluctance to renew the Foreign Intelligence Security Act (FISA). By not renewing this bill our intelligence agencies will find it very difficult to monitor phone calls from suspected terrorists overseas. In the meantime, the safety of millions of US citizens could be put in jeopardy if we cannot track terrorist activities. I am in complete agreement with the right to privacy for every citizen - but within reason. We have to protect ourselves - do we want another 911? This is probably another issue that will go all the way to the Supreme Court for a decision.
Here is the point of this blog:
Liberal Supreme Court Justice J.P. Stevens is 88 years old. In addition, by next year, five other of the (liberal) justices will be in their 70's. So the next President could have the opportunity to appoint 2 or 3 new "Supremes" during his (or her) first term, and possibly another 2 or 3 if they serve a second term. What kind of judges do you think Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will appoint? No question it will be those with the philosophy of this ACLU "privacy" advocate discussed above. John McCain says he will appoint strict Constitutionalists - not judges that legislate from the bench. Presidents come and go, but Supreme Court justices are appointed for life. These new Supreme Court Justices could shape America for the next generation or two, and if they have the philosophy of a Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton (and liberals in general), think about what this country could become...
Could viewing child porn, or conducting any other illegal activities on the Internet become OK? Could criminals, instead of being punished, become "victims of society"? Will you be able to keep ownership of your property if the government wants it? Could environmentalism and regulatory agencies rule our lives? Could illegal immigrants be allowed to enter our country en mass and receive all the rights of a US citizen?
You be the judge.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Advice to Pastor Wright
The news makers have been consumed with the comments made by Pastor Wright of the Trinity church in Chicago and his inflammatory comments about America, and white people in general. Anyway you slice it, it is "hate speech" and it's a shame to see such deep seeded feelings toward white people, and toward the USA. This country with all of it's faults, is still the greatest country in the world. You can argue that Pastor Wright and his generation may harbor some deep seeded feelings from the era of segregation, but his speeches are certainly not helpful, and may torpedo Obama's nomination.
But even more important - when will the black people of this country quit claiming to be, and stop acting like, victims?
Obama says his Pastor Wright is a patriot, but "misguided" - I don't know. But if he is, maybe he should have rephrased his sermons a bit. Here are some suggestions regarding some of his more controversial statements:
- Pastor Wright said, "The USA invented AIDS to infect and kill black people". A ridiculous statement - how about this: "The AIDS epidemic is devastating Africa, and as the super power in the world, the USA should be leading the effort to eradicate this disease" Doesn't that sound better?
The fact of the matter is, the USA and the Bush administration have led all other countries in financial and other contributions to HIV/AIDS treatment and research. More than twice what the Clinton administration ever did.
- Pastor Wright called this country, "The US KKK of America". How about this: "The US has made significant strides since the days of the KKK in America, but as blacks we believe the country still has a long way to go, to overcome discrimination". Doesn't that sound better?
Many blacks have forgotten that the Union army under the direction of Republican President Abe Lincoln fought for their freedom. Seven hundred thousand Americans died in that war. I even had a great-great grandfather who joined the Union army just 10 years after emigrating from England because he felt so strongly about freeing the slaves. He lost his arm during the Battle of Gettysburg. In addition, without Republicans the Civil Rights Act would never had been passed , yet for some reason, blacks still believe we are the party of "discrimination" - go figure.
- Pastor Wright said, "Not God Bless America, God Damn America". How about this: "God created us all equal, and the bible says 'damn those that do not follow the teachings of Jesus'" Doesn't that sound better?
Many black people feel they have had a raw deal, but is it really the fault of America? What about the billions that America has invested into elevating the plight of blacks - starting with the Civil War, then civil rights legislation, affirmative action, educational preferences, welfare, subsidised housing, etc, etc. Do not blacks have some responsibility here? I could make a list, but I will paraphrase Bill Cosby: "How will we African Americans ever get our act together when 70% of our children are born out of wedlock. Where have all the fathers gone?" Obviously the situation is more complicated than that one issue, but resurrecting family values again in the black community would be a great start.
Here is my point - if Pastors like Dr. Wright want to preach about the plight of blacks, why not do it in a positive way? "Hate speech" is just that - causing nothing but a further schism in the race differences between black and white.
So we will see if Obama can overcome this problem with his Pastor Wright association. Wouldn't it be interesting to know what is in Obama's heart, and how much of this "hate philosophy" he actually believes. But it's the Democrats problem, and they will have to decide sooner or later between Obama or Hillary. Who do you think is more qualified? Someone that sat in a pew the last 20 years listening to black against white hate speech, but doesn't remember hearing any of it? Or Hillary, the "experienced" candidate ready to lead on day one - a candidate who has travelled the world with her daughter Chelsy meeting world leaders, and the only first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt to enter a war zone, literally dodging sniper bullets as she and Chelsy bravely ran for their car after landing in Bosnia. Make your choice.
But even more important - when will the black people of this country quit claiming to be, and stop acting like, victims?
Obama says his Pastor Wright is a patriot, but "misguided" - I don't know. But if he is, maybe he should have rephrased his sermons a bit. Here are some suggestions regarding some of his more controversial statements:
- Pastor Wright said, "The USA invented AIDS to infect and kill black people". A ridiculous statement - how about this: "The AIDS epidemic is devastating Africa, and as the super power in the world, the USA should be leading the effort to eradicate this disease" Doesn't that sound better?
The fact of the matter is, the USA and the Bush administration have led all other countries in financial and other contributions to HIV/AIDS treatment and research. More than twice what the Clinton administration ever did.
- Pastor Wright called this country, "The US KKK of America". How about this: "The US has made significant strides since the days of the KKK in America, but as blacks we believe the country still has a long way to go, to overcome discrimination". Doesn't that sound better?
Many blacks have forgotten that the Union army under the direction of Republican President Abe Lincoln fought for their freedom. Seven hundred thousand Americans died in that war. I even had a great-great grandfather who joined the Union army just 10 years after emigrating from England because he felt so strongly about freeing the slaves. He lost his arm during the Battle of Gettysburg. In addition, without Republicans the Civil Rights Act would never had been passed , yet for some reason, blacks still believe we are the party of "discrimination" - go figure.
- Pastor Wright said, "Not God Bless America, God Damn America". How about this: "God created us all equal, and the bible says 'damn those that do not follow the teachings of Jesus'" Doesn't that sound better?
Many black people feel they have had a raw deal, but is it really the fault of America? What about the billions that America has invested into elevating the plight of blacks - starting with the Civil War, then civil rights legislation, affirmative action, educational preferences, welfare, subsidised housing, etc, etc. Do not blacks have some responsibility here? I could make a list, but I will paraphrase Bill Cosby: "How will we African Americans ever get our act together when 70% of our children are born out of wedlock. Where have all the fathers gone?" Obviously the situation is more complicated than that one issue, but resurrecting family values again in the black community would be a great start.
Here is my point - if Pastors like Dr. Wright want to preach about the plight of blacks, why not do it in a positive way? "Hate speech" is just that - causing nothing but a further schism in the race differences between black and white.
So we will see if Obama can overcome this problem with his Pastor Wright association. Wouldn't it be interesting to know what is in Obama's heart, and how much of this "hate philosophy" he actually believes. But it's the Democrats problem, and they will have to decide sooner or later between Obama or Hillary. Who do you think is more qualified? Someone that sat in a pew the last 20 years listening to black against white hate speech, but doesn't remember hearing any of it? Or Hillary, the "experienced" candidate ready to lead on day one - a candidate who has travelled the world with her daughter Chelsy meeting world leaders, and the only first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt to enter a war zone, literally dodging sniper bullets as she and Chelsy bravely ran for their car after landing in Bosnia. Make your choice.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Golden State
California is called "The Golden State" because when the rainy season ends in May, the hills and mountains turn a beautiful golden brown until the following winter. In Central and Southern California we rarely get rain between May and November. But that is not the case during the winter when rain turns the golden state into a picture that even Monet could not duplicate. My son described it as reminiscent of Ireland and a friend from down under once said "It is the closest thing to New Zealand I have ever seen".We took a drive through the countryside today to view the spring wildflowers in bloom and it was breathtaking. Although a picture cannot duplicate the beauty, here are a few examples:
Chapel on the Hill, east of Paso Robles, California
And the beauty of it all...living in wine country, when the hills turn brown, our thousands of acres of vineyards turn green.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Ya gotta have "balls"
Most of us believe in ourselves, and sometimes even think we are better than we actually are. But that is OK, "self confidence" is a virtue and a very valuable character trait.
But the Clinton's, along with their arrogance, have taken "self confidence" to a level never reached before. Barack Obama has won twice as many primary states as Hillary Clinton. He has won almost a million more popular votes, and he is ahead in "pledged" delegates by over 100. Yet Bill Clinton in a speech this weekend suggested it would be a "dream ticket" if both Democratic candidates ran together. And then Hillary shortly thereafter (during which I am sure was a planned interview) said, "I would be proud to have Barack Obama as my Vice Presidential running mate". Is this hubris or what? This is a woman that has been in second place for most of the Democratic race, and now offers the first place candidate her running mate slot - this lady has "balls".
I believe that the Clintons have convinced themselves that they are "entitled" to eight more years in the White House, and are oblivious to the real world right now. And they will probably pull every dirty trick out of the book during this primary season to somehow get her a win. I hope the Obama campaign is ready for a tough fight...this will be fun to watch.
But the Clinton's, along with their arrogance, have taken "self confidence" to a level never reached before. Barack Obama has won twice as many primary states as Hillary Clinton. He has won almost a million more popular votes, and he is ahead in "pledged" delegates by over 100. Yet Bill Clinton in a speech this weekend suggested it would be a "dream ticket" if both Democratic candidates ran together. And then Hillary shortly thereafter (during which I am sure was a planned interview) said, "I would be proud to have Barack Obama as my Vice Presidential running mate". Is this hubris or what? This is a woman that has been in second place for most of the Democratic race, and now offers the first place candidate her running mate slot - this lady has "balls".
I believe that the Clintons have convinced themselves that they are "entitled" to eight more years in the White House, and are oblivious to the real world right now. And they will probably pull every dirty trick out of the book during this primary season to somehow get her a win. I hope the Obama campaign is ready for a tough fight...this will be fun to watch.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Foreclosure Crisis
You cannot pick up a paper or watch a news program these days without reading about the foreclosure crisis. Buyers of homes have simply spent more than they could afford, and their debt burden is too much to handle, so they walk away and let the loan default. Although this represents less that 1% of the total mortgages in the country, this "overspending" has had a significant psychological impact on the economy, and thus affects those other 99% that are able to pay for their home loan. Are we "talking" ourselves into a recession?
But who set the example? Could it be our government ? Our national debt is over $9 trillion as of this date, and Congress just keeps spending. In simple terms, that is a $30,000 debt for each of us - including our children and grandchildren.
Congress recently passed a "stimulus" bill, which to a large extent is because of the fear resulting from home foreclosures. This stimulus package will send many Americans a check in the amount of several hundred, up to a thousand dollars or more. Unbelievably, the original stimulus bill included illegal immigrants, but our few remaining Conservative Republicans in Congress put a stop to that. The total stimulus bill is expected to be about $150 billion. Not only will this not stimulate anything, how can it come from a government that can't even begin to pay their own debt? Many Americans believe the government is an endless source of money, and don't realize we are borrowing the $150 billion for a so-called "stimulation" of our own economy. Instead of the term "Federal Funding" what would the average American think if each government spending bill had the title: "This project is paid for from your earnings".
Unfortunately, who is going to foreclose on the US Government?
As for us, we are going to divide our "stimulus" check into six parts...for our grandchildren, and let them stimulate the economy. But there is a catch...if they read this blog and send us an email, they will get their share. If they don't respond, Grandpa knows that they don't read his Blog, so too bad - we will spend their share on ice cream, Starbucks, cool clothes, and all those things they could have had themselves. This sounds like we are trying to "indoctrinate" our grandchildren with money...well I guess we're guilty - we need more Conservatives out there to turn this country around.
But who set the example? Could it be our government ? Our national debt is over $9 trillion as of this date, and Congress just keeps spending. In simple terms, that is a $30,000 debt for each of us - including our children and grandchildren.
Congress recently passed a "stimulus" bill, which to a large extent is because of the fear resulting from home foreclosures. This stimulus package will send many Americans a check in the amount of several hundred, up to a thousand dollars or more. Unbelievably, the original stimulus bill included illegal immigrants, but our few remaining Conservative Republicans in Congress put a stop to that. The total stimulus bill is expected to be about $150 billion. Not only will this not stimulate anything, how can it come from a government that can't even begin to pay their own debt? Many Americans believe the government is an endless source of money, and don't realize we are borrowing the $150 billion for a so-called "stimulation" of our own economy. Instead of the term "Federal Funding" what would the average American think if each government spending bill had the title: "This project is paid for from your earnings".
Unfortunately, who is going to foreclose on the US Government?
As for us, we are going to divide our "stimulus" check into six parts...for our grandchildren, and let them stimulate the economy. But there is a catch...if they read this blog and send us an email, they will get their share. If they don't respond, Grandpa knows that they don't read his Blog, so too bad - we will spend their share on ice cream, Starbucks, cool clothes, and all those things they could have had themselves. This sounds like we are trying to "indoctrinate" our grandchildren with money...well I guess we're guilty - we need more Conservatives out there to turn this country around.
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