2014-06-12 Thursday

June 12^th is special day for me: both of my sons were born on June 12^th four years apart. I remember each of their births as if it was just yesterday. They have both grown to be good men of whom I am very proud. Unfortunately, as most of you know, neither has any use for their dad.

What makes today even more special is that it is also the birthday of my grandfather, Nicholas Lawrence Temple, know to the readers of Nick's Bytes as TNT.

A Facebook post by my friend Pat in Sicily reminded me of why I am again writing this blog. It was a very nasty troll attack that almost drove me completely from Facebook. It began by the troll responding to my Facebook post lesson Pres. Obama during his trip to Afghanistan on Veterans Day by saying he wished that the President would be murdered in Afghanistan. That upset me to no end!

The troll then continued his attack on me personally with flame after flame. In case you are not aware of the definition of flamer in the context of the Internet—which neither the troll or his wife were—the Urban Dictionary gives this definition:

A person who constantly starts fights on forums or message boards, usually with many vulgar statements and outright lies attacking one individual or group.  

This flaming troll distracted me the point that I began defending myself against the flames which is neither my intent in writing on Facebook are my blogs. Even though I blocked the troll and his troll-wife from my Facebook account, he flamed again by accessing my pages via a mutual friend’s Facebook account. That was when I began considering deleting my Facebook membership.

Instead, I began to again write this journal blog. I am rather glad that I did. As a friend commented on this blog, blogging gives one the ability of writing much more depth and detail than either Facebook or Twitter. I just wish that I could follow the advice I gave Pat today via this graphic that I created shortly after the troll attacks. 

However, I can't. Being hated causes me an abnormal amount of spiritual pain.

 Tomorrow may also be a special day for some:

I, for one, do not believe that Friday the 13^th conveys bad luck.Cultural histories  confirm the neutral qualities of the day. On the other hand, I do see a potential for tomorrow being transmitter of good things.

For the past several weeks I have been reading—studying—the book Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit. For anyone interested in the ways of shamans and/or Celtic history, culture, myths, and spirituality,  this is a marvelous book that I highly recommend.

For the ancient Celts, it was not the combination of Friday, Thirteen, and Full Moon that would make the day special. It was that the light of the full moon was said to make fairies more active in lives and affairs of humans, often bringing good fortune.

With the arrival of Christianity, the fairies, who were seen as neither viewed as good or bad by the Celts became all bad. Thus, the beginning of the superstitions about the full moon and Friday the 13^th (Jesus was crucified on Friday; 13 people attended the Last Supper in the Upper Room).

I have one final item to share: the delightful and potent prayer that I received from a friend in this morning's email:

~ Healing Prayer ~

Take my higher self

and every aspect of my being

To the very first incident

that caused these issues to start.

Let go of all of them

Hold the space open for

me to fill with all good.

I ask my spirit to dissipate all negative thoughts

and behaviors quickly without

and within, no residue

or echoes left behind.

I am filled with love

and gratitude

I am surrounded and loved

and protected in every way.

Please help us:

we are in great need this month

Day Ninety-eight

Thus far, today has been a mishmash of events. The kitty Kids awakened me at 5:00 a.m. because they didn't look at the clock and see that D.S.T. is over and it wasn't 6:00 a.m., when they normally get their breakfast.

An hour later I needed to pick up some non-prescription medications, so I drove to Walmart, going through a McDonald's drive-through and breakfasting in the car in the Walmart parking lot. Four metro police cars were gathered in front of the far entrance of the store; I think the officers were also breakfasting. My paranoia had me avoid them: I don't like being around people carrying guns, especially when society has licensed them to kill. 

By the time I returned from my adventure, I was exhausted. I napped from about 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Then I tried to do some  housework, but found I was having trouble breathing. I did what I could and then played with Alex a bit, followed my Little Girl, and finally Sugar.

In the early afternoon I tried watching pro football, but even the Colts and Giants respective games could not interest me. I felt the need to studying and pray. So I did.

Then I realized that I'd not posted the Peace Globe I created and today is Blogblast for Peace. So I wrote a new blog-post to follow the one I'd posted early this morning before I went to sleep which contains videos expressing my view on Tuesday's election.

Now I need to make my daily call to my mother and then rest a bit.

I ended the day watch pro-football and completing tomorrow's Nick's Bytes post. Now I am reading to retire for the night. (The kitty kids are already sleeping).

Day Fifty-six

Yesterday my kitty kids each received a flea/tick treatment  and thus avoided me until each wanted kitty treats. All animosity toward me is long gone.

I have spent most of today celebrating and sharing today as the International Day of Peace. Please follow the link to Nick's Bytes and join the observance.

Early this morning I posted Friday (Graphic) Funnies on Nick's Bytes. Drop by for a laugh!

This afternoon I spoke to a private (non-agency) house cleaner name Virginia who has been referred by the VA. She is coming on Monday afternoon to discuss services. I need to decide if I want to put myself through the emotional stress that some of the caregivers have caused or continuing doing all by myself. This weekend I'll compute the pros and cons and probably publish them here before Virginia arrives.

I downloaded this this afternoon. It's too neat not to be shared.

Perhaps I worked too much today. I'm satisfied with my accomplishments, but now my ankles are swelling (congestive heart failure) and my left leg and back ache (1970 tank injury). I hope to get a load of wash into the washer; first I'll raise my leg and best a bit.

Day Forty-three: Vipassana

This morning I was inspired to create this graphic: 

The stress in my life, especially financial, remain; however, this morning I awakened refreshed and at peace. Perhaps that is the result of my taking time last night and this morning to sit in Vipassana meditation. It has been much too long since I have experienced the peace that comes from meditating.

My neighbor  came by and told me the result of the last time she convined me to drive her to the ER late at night. She said that the doctors threw her out, told her she comes only to obtain narcotics, they were no longer going to admit her to the ER, & she needs to admit herself into a drug rehab center. I agree with the docs.

I must give serious thought to this:

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. ~  H. L. Mencken

Day Forty-two: Altruistic Me

Yep,that altruistic frog is me:I'll help someone even if what it takes to do so will drown me. In the last ten of so years I have given to others tens of thousands of dollars to the point that in the past year I have not had enough money to purchase food for any month, always running out by the second week.

Of course, money isn't the only thing my altruistic lifestyle/philosophy/theology has cost me. Without going into "ancient history" (the past 10 years), last night is an excellent example. 

My neighbor entered my apartment last night just as I was relaxing to watch Chelsea Lately -- i.e., 11:00 p.m. She whined, begging me to again drive her to the VA ER (Veterans Administration Emergency Room) as she has convinced me to do in the wee hours of the morning more than once in the past.  I explained (over and over) that I was ill: weak and painful leg; difficulty walking; labored breathing. 

She heard none of it, so finally my altruistic self kicked in and I drove her to the  VA ER, where is waited (outside on a bench because I didn't want to go inside with her) until after 3:00 a.m. when I informed her I had to go home because the battery of my portable oxygen compressor was running low. Even then she wanted me to stay, suggesting I come into the hospital and have them supply me with bottled oxygen. I didn't and reached my apartment at about 3:45 a.m.

Today I have paid a heavy price for last night and this morning's altruism. I have been exhausted; I have been sick at my stomach; and I have been basically functioning at half-speed, half-mind. There is a side story to this regarding the outcome of my neighbor's VA ER visit that I shall share tomorrow after I learn the rest of it.

With all that my lifestyle/philosophy/theology has cost me, I do not regret helping anyone, even those whose  need was a scam. Four years ago I explained one element that drives my altruism with the story of The Bishop's Candlesticks. Another driver for me is Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan.

The third element (driver) is what I learned in seminary about God's economy (economic system).

Quite simple, God's economy is the theology that in the world God has created enough for everyone to live comfortably. The reason that isn't true is that a few have a much larger portion of the world's resources which creates a scarcity of resources for the majority of others. Therefore, following God's economy informs me to share all that I have. If that sharing causing hardship for me, someone else who follows God's economy with share their wealth with me and so on throughout the world. It rather how many theologians explain the "miracle" of Jesus feeding the five thousand.

So, I continue with my altruistic lifestyle/philosophy/theology lifestyle, even though there are more times these days of my resources being inadequate even for the basic needs of the kitty kids and me. I have faith that at some point someone with share their abundance with us.

Day Twenty-five

Today I am attempting telephone contacts with government bureaucrats and lackeys of the 1%. I'm have a difficult time not becoming depressed.

Thus far today I've been unable to reach the bureaucrats with whom I've needed to speak at VA. I have spoken with someone at Montgomery Ward and my account has supposed been corrected to show PAID IN FULL. 

I don't know how long I can sit here doing this!

A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR OZONE HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR THE LOUISVILLE METRO AREA. MEMBERS OF SENSITIVE GROUPS MAY EXPERIENCE HEALTH EFFECTS.

Unfortunately, I am a member of two of those Sensitive Groups!

I'm giving up on the phone calls I've been making most of today. Since I'm not getting through to anyone at VA with whom I need to talk and Ma Bell only gets me robots and then people who can't assist me and who transfer me to another damned robot, I'm going to save my sanity, relax, and try again tomorrow.

This seems to come from the same "scientific reasoning" as the one Atkin used concerning rape:

Todd Akin would have made an excellent member of the Inquisition. 

I just prublished this graphic in my primary blog, Nick's Bytes:

With his engineering and managerial experience, Republican U.S. Representative William Todd Akin would have made an excellent witch hunter

This evening I am feeling an anxiety that is pushing me down into depression. It isn't what I can do or can't do that drives me into depression, it's the threats and power of idiot bureaucrats, politicians, religious freaks, and the lackeys of the 1% do that frighten me.