Lorde

I saw this picture of Lorde; at least I think her name is Lorde. Who can keep up with the plethora of young singers anymore?

Lorde is her stage name. Her true name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (no wonder she calls herself Lorde!) and she holds dual citizenship in New Zealand and Croatia.

You may have noticed that she is wearing a see-through top and a see-through dress. In Hollywood, this is called “glam” and it is quite acceptable. But in Virginia, If I wore see-through clothes, people would be offering me good money to put on more clothes. In fact, that’s my backup plan to be used if and when I run out of money.

Lorde is only 21 years old but she has been performing for a big part of her young life. In 2014, she was included in Time's list of “The 25 most influential teens of 2014”. In 2015, Forbes placed her on their list of "30 Under 30" young people "who are changing our world".

As of May, 2016, Lorde has received 31 awards and 82 nominations. She is probably best known for her 2013 hit Royals. In fact, now that I’ve broached the subject, I’ll make that my song of the day.

First Aid Kit at Polar Music Prize

I’ve written about First Aid Kit (Klara and Johanna Söderberg) in a previous post. But here we go again. This song is Emmylou from First Aid Kit’s 2012 album The Lion’s Roar. It’s a homage to songwriting duo Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. I decided to post this video because first, the song is very pretty, and second, the lyrics mention Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. Harris was in the audience as the duo performed and was moved to tears. The song was performed at the 2015 Polar Music Prize banquet at Grand Hôtel in Stockholm, Sweden, where Emmylou Harris was awarded Laureate. The gentleman seated next to Harris is Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden.

Breakfast

I had an appointment this morning with the lab to get blood work done. The lady hit the vein on the second or third jab. I counted myself lucky. Sometimes they keep jabbing until I tell them to stop and use the other arm.

“Stop!” I plead with them. “I’ll confess. Bring the documents. I’ll sign them.” But that only elicits a chortle of glee. “Bwa-hahaha!” I hear them laugh as they continue to twist the needle and jab again and again.

When I left the lab, I had a strong craving for a Mickey D’s sausage biscuit. There’s a Mickey D’s just a couple blocks up my street and I almost swung by it and got that sausage biscuit. A sausage biscuit and a cup of coffee seemed like it would hit the spot.

But then I told myself don’t do it. It’s not healthy. It’s not a proper breakfast with lots of nutrition. Go home and eat something healthy. And so I did.

When I got home I ate a candy bar (chocolate and peanut butter), a milkshake (french vanilla), and two servings of ice cream (cookie’s ‘n’ cream). Now that’s a proper breakfast.

No? Okay then, maybe it falls a little short on nutrition, but I made up for it at lunch. I prepared a large plate of french fries, hosed them with ketchup and plenty of salt, and ate them all. Nobody can tell me that is not a healthy meal. It has all four of the important food groups: fat, sodium, carbohydrate, and unpronounceable chemical additives.

Ooh, my stomach feels a wee bit queasy. Maybe I should have eaten that sausage biscuit after all. Who would have thought that eating healthy food would upset the stomach?

First Aid Kit

The song of the day is My Silver Lining from the 2014 album Stay Gold by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit (sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg).

Moral Dilemma

Security guards at a Baltimore hospital ejected a patient from the hospital during the night, presumably because she was poor, couldn’t pay, and they wanted her room for a patient who could pay. They put the woman on the street wearing only a thin hospital gown and socks when the temperature was in the mid-30s. This was obviously a life-threatening situation and yet the guards didn’t care. How can humans be so callous? Guys: put her on a gurney and park her in a hallway! That’s bad enough, but tossing her into the street in 30-something weather wearing only a hospital gown is unthinkable. It’s a death sentence.

This is what happens when the medical system is run on the basis of capitalism. Capitalism works great for allocating many resources. But when it comes to health care, capitalism allocates health care on the basis of who can pay the outrageously high medical bills and not on the basis of who needs medical care the most urgently.

America is all about survival of the fittest. That’s the way many Americans seem to want it. Can’t keep up? Then die. Can’t pay a hospital bill? Then die on the street in the cold. Can’t pay the heating bill? Then freeze to death. Can’t afford to buy food? Then starve.

Conservative Republicans, especially, believe this is the way our society should function. In socialist countries, the leaders of the pack reach back a helping hand to those who are struggling and pull them forward. In those countries the ethos is not every man for himself but rather, protect the community, help the society, so that everyone can survive and prosper. But the capitalist ethos is “every man for himself”: be strong, be fit, be intelligent and well-educated. If you’re not these things then you don’t deserve to survive. Compassion has no place in a capitalist society.

I’m not saying capitalism is without its advantages. I’m saying there is a place for capitalism and there is a place for socialism. There comes a time to spread the wealth, especially when most of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a very few. We should not let political dogma get in the way of morality.

Year One Musings

I've always felt that Germans in the 1930s were good, decent people who somehow had Nazism inflicted on them. But watching events in my country and in the current administration, I conclude that the Germans got what they wanted. They fell under the spell of an adept orator who appealed to their base instincts. They could not have predicted how destructive the malignancy would become, but surely many knew from the beginning that they were setting out on a path from which no good could come.

I hope we don’t see a replay of that afflicted time. We have the benefit of hindsight, so whatever happens the details will be different. But too many people are under our leader’s spell. They adore him regardless of what he says and does. In fact, the more outrageous are his comments, the more his disciples applaud. Where have we seen that before?

I won’t try to enumerate all the offensive things that have come out of this man’s mouth. There are enough lists already on the internet. I will end with this quote from Trump that is revealing and perhaps self-reflective: “Good people don’t go into government.”

Bebe Rexha

The song of the day is 2016's I Got You by singer, songwriter, and record producer Bebe Rexha (Bleta Rexha). The song is included on her 2017 EP All Your Fault: Pt. 1.

The Undiet

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…”
— Shakespeare, Henry V

I want to lose weight but diets haven’t worked for me. So I have a new plan. It involves not eating.

The trouble with diets is that when you eat a little food each day you stay hungry. But if you don’t eat anything, your body adjusts and after a few days you’re not hungry. You really aren’t. It’s magical.

But I’m not fasting. I make at least one glass of vegetable juice each day. I like juice by itself, but I kick it up a notch by adding flavored psyllium fiber. That replaces some of the fiber that the juicer removes. I also drink an isolate protein “shake” each day. Isolate protein is almost pure protein.

I make my juice because the bottled vegetable juice from the grocery store is often mostly tomato juice that has been pasteurized. It’s good for making a Bloody Mary but I question how healthy it is. Heat destroys some nutrients. It also contains added sugar and salt and chemicals that probably are not found in your average vegetable, such as potassium chloride, magnesium carbonate, disodium inosinate, and disodium guanylate.

I hope this “undiet” works. When I look down, it would be nice to see my toes again. I know they’re still there, but I wonder what they look like. It’s been too long since I’ve seen them.

Santana & Rob Thomas

The song of the day is Smooth from the 1999 album Supernatural by Latin rock band Santana featuring Matchbox Twenty vocalist Rob Thomas. The song won three Grammy Awards and as of 2013 is ranked by Billboard as the second most successful song of all time.

Letting Go

I have a friend I’ll call Dutch (not his real name). I’ll call his wife Anna (also not her real name). Anna is dying of cancer. Lately she has suffered bouts of dementia. She will try to put the bathroom trash bag over her foot, thinking it’s a sock. She will get out of bed and walk around the house naked. She is on oxygen but continually pulls off the oxygen tube. Dutch says he can’t leave her for a minute. Most recently, she has adamantly refused to eat or drink. She refuses to take most of her meds.

I’ve lost loved ones. I held my father’s hand as he died. I held my mother’s hand as she died. I think I know some of what Dutch must be feeling, but still I don’t know how to respond when he tells me the latest sad news about Anna’s condition or the latest evidence of her mental decline. I ask a few questions. Is Anna feeling better today? Is she eating? Is she drinking water? What did the doctor say? Each question triggers a flow of words and sad stories. I don’t know what words would be of comfort, so I just listen. Sometimes I feel like shaking my head in sadness or even in disbelief. But mainly I listen.

It’s difficult to believe that just 14 months ago Anna prepared a Thanksgiving dinner for her family and a few friends. Her decline happened so fast I could see her change from week to week. I saw what the chemotherapy did to her. She became so nauseas that she refused to continue the intravenous treatments. So her cancer doctor prescribed a chemo pill. Even with health insurance the price of the chemo was $14,000 per month. Dutch and Anna are not wealthy people. Luckily, they were able to get financial aid.

Then Dutch had to begin taking a platelet drug. It’s used in cancer treatment so he had to get the prescription from a cancer doctor. Dutch has good insurance but his co-pay was $3000 per month. After taking it for a month or two, Dutch told me he was going to stop taking the medicine because he couldn’t afford it. But the cancer treatment center found financial aid for him. So in addition to the demands of being a full-time caregiver, he has financial worries hanging over his head. How long will the financial aid be available? What will happen to them if and when it ends?

I’m on the outside looking in. I can’t advise anyone. I know the difficulty of letting go. But I feel that there is a time for everything. As the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “To everything there is a season … A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;” If I could say anything of comfort, I think it would be that. Know when to let go. But that is hard to say to someone in Dutch’s situation. And if I said it, it would probably be of little comfort.

When I left Dutch’s house today, I told him, “Call me if you need me.” His reply was, “You call me if you need me.” I knew Dutch was sincere; that’s just the kind of person he is. But given his circumstances, I would not have the audacity to ask for one minute of his time.

Ambrosia Parsley & Elegant Too

The song of the day is 2013's Empire by singer-songwriter Abrosia Parsely (Ambrosia Nicole Parsley) and record production team Empire Too (Chris Maxwell and Phil Hernandez). This performance was recorded at Le Divan du Monde in Paris on October 31, 2013.

The Cost of Cold

Did I mention it was cold outside? Yes, I did — two days ago. Now it’s colder. It’s 1°F at midnight, if the National Weather Service can be believed — and that’s a big “if”. Tomorrow is supposed to be colder than tonight, with a low possibly in the negative digits.

The boiler in my cellar burns one gallon of fuel oil per hour, and it has been running in a cycle of 30 minutes on, 100 minutes off. Let’s do some math.

Hours in a 30-day month: 24 hr/day x 30 days = 720 hrs

Minutes per boiler cycle: 30 + 100 = 130 min

Fraction of time boiler runs: 30 min / 130 min = 0.23

Hours per month the boiler runs: 720 x 0.23 = 165.6 hrs

Current price of #2 heating oil: $2.731/gallon

At a burn rate of 1 gallon per hour, the boiler is burning $2.731 per hour. Therefore, for a 30 day month my boiler will burn through this much cash:

Cost per month: $2.731/hr x 165.6 hrs = $452.25

From October 1 to December 31, my city has seen 1352 heating degree days (122 in Oct, 475 in Nov, and 755 in Dec). So my heating bill since October 1st will be about:

(1352 hdd/755 hdd) x $452.25 = $809.86

We’re halfway through the heating season. The cost for the entire season could easily be double. And if a pipe or outside water tap freezes and bursts, there’s the repair cost. There’s the cost of keeping the boiler running (parts occasionally fail) and there’s the cost of routine servicing (replacing the oil nozzle, replacing the oil filter, cleaning out soot). Any way you slice it, winters in Virginia have a price tag. It’s the cost of cold.

And this bit of irony isn’t lost on me: while I’m paying to keep my house warm, I’m also paying to keep my refrigerator cold and my freezer frozen.

Dire Straits

The song of the day is Brothers in Arms from the 1985 album Brothers in Arms by British rock band Dire Straits. The album was one of the first to be released on CD and remains one of the best selling albums of all time globally. The song appeared in the Miami Vice episode Out Where the Buses Don’t Run. The memorable scene with Crocket and Tubbs racing through the Miami night to a climactic meeting with Hank Weldon can be viewed here.

It’s Cold Outside

One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day. After spending months — or years — stuck in a time loop, Phil (Bill Murray) developed the same outlook on winter that I have right now, and he expressed it perfectly.

To quote from a well known song, “Baby, it’s cold outside.” According to the National Weather Service, the thermometer hit 1°F (-17°C) this morning. I’ve observed that the NWS people are not sticklers for accuracy, so I don’t know if the 1° report is valid. But the temperature was definitely in the single digits. When day broke, a gray overcast filtered out whatever warmth the weak December sun might have offered.

An outside water tap on my house froze. I could turn the handle but water would not flow. I worried I might have a frozen, burst pipe. That would be bad news. I looked at the water meter and saw the indicator wasn’t moving. I felt a little better but knew time would tell if I had a big problem.

Snow is in tonight’s forecast. Weather prognosticators always hedge their predictions, so the forecast calls for a 70% chance of snow. It also says to expect an accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. If there is a 70% chance of snow, it follows that there is a 30% chance of no snow. If there is a chance of no snow, shouldn’t the minimum be zero instead of one inch?

I’m hoping for zero. Cold and bleak days are bad enough without slogging through icy slush between house and car.

It’s not all bad, of course. Winter can have its own charm. Falling snow is beautiful, sledding is exciting for youngsters, and basking in the warmth of a crackling fire is mesmerizing. There are winter comfort foods to enjoy, like warm stews and casseroles, hot chocolate, and hot buttered rum.

Then one day there will come winter’s biggest gift: spring. Birds chirp and build nests, flowers bloom. The world turns green again. There are Saturday morning drives to the farmers’ market and walks along the greenway beside the river. But I can’t think about that now. Winter is only 2 weeks old. Spring is 78 days away.

Joey Heatherton

The song of the day is Gone, originally recorded in 1957 by Ferlin Huskey. The song was covered by actress, dancer, and singer Joey Heatherton (Davenie Johanna Heatherton) on her 1972 album The Joey Heatherton Album. The video can’t be embedded so you’ll have to listen on YouTube. Caution: Heatherton is nude from the waist up. If the sight of female breasts offends you, don’t click the link. Instead, visit a shrink to find out what is wrong with your brain.

New Year’s Pondering

As I begin this post, it is late evening on New Year’s Day. My New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. I can’t lose weight if I continue eating, so I resolved to stop eating. That resolution worked until 8PM. Then I realized I had leftovers in the fridge, and my choice was to eat the leftovers or throw them out. I hate throwing out perfectly good stuff, especially edible stuff.

So I ate the leftovers. I ate an egg, and a sausage patty, and a serving of lima beans. It may sound like an odd combination, but single people eat plenty of odd combinations. When you’re single, your options are often to piece together a meal out of odds and ends or throw out perfectly edible odds and ends and create new odds and ends.

After eating the leftovers, I rounded up still more leftovers. My fridge held a bottle of leftover tomato juice, so I poured a serving into a glass. I added a dash of leftover Worcestershire sauce, a dash of leftover Tabasco sauce, a few grinds of black pepper, and oh yeah — a shot of leftover vodka. It was quite tasty.

I sat down in my quiet, dimly lit room and pondered my life. New Year’s Day is a time I ponder many things, including whether I want to continue writing this blog. When I hit the publish button, this will be my 1177th post to this blog. Is it time to stop?

Perhaps I should abandon writing. It occurs to me that my thoughts are more interesting (at least to me) than anything I type. I should set up a video camera and record my thoughts. I can publish the resulting video to YouTube as so many other wannabe pontificators have done. I could convert this blog to a vlog. Instead of blogger, I could put vlogger on my résumé.

I’ll have to ponder this some more. I have many thoughts but unfortunately not enough time and resolve to express them. Perhaps I’ll just skip over to YouTube and watch police chase or car crash videos. It sounds mundane, I know, but it’s often better than the tripe available on the small screen. In fact, car crash videos are more interesting than most blogs. Which gives me an idea: instead of posting a “Song of the Day” as I do when creativity fails me, I can post a “Crash of the Day”. For the best auto crash videos curated just for you, the virtual rubbernecker, go to VirtualWayne’s Crash Blog.

It’s just an idea. New Year’s Day is still ticking toward its conclusion. I’m still sitting in a dimly lit room, and I’m still pondering many things — things like how I’ve spent my life and what I would do differently if I were given the chance. And I wonder if other people have similar thoughts. Do they have regrets, do they wish they could have do-overs? Or do they think their lives have been lived with no imperfections on their part? My life has plenty of imperfections that I wish I could undo, but maybe that’s what life is about. Maybe each of us has been given a life in order to have an opportunity to learn what dumbasses we can be. Well, mission accomplished! I’ve done a few things I’m proud of, and I’ve done more than a few things I wish I could undo. But I can’t undo my mistakes. As the French say, c'est la vie.

Lea Michele

The song of the day is Auld Lang Syne performed by actress and singer Lea Michele (Lea Michele Sarfati). The song is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. Happy New Year!