Since Google did not like the idea of me trying to help seniors stay healthy and maybe make a few dollars to supplement my military retirement and social security and therefore deleted my previous blog on senior health and fitness, I have bought my own domain and built my own blog on Senior Health and Fitness at http://fitness-after-40.ws.
Please just take a moment to take a look at it, and, if you think it of value, please bookmark it, link to it, and/or recommend it to others. I had the other blog up for about five years, and just now Google decided it was not worth keeping around.
Thank you.
Don Baldwin
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Whatever Night at the Movies...Germany 1980-81
For a couple of years in the 1980's I was stationed in a small town in northern Germany, Soegel. Pronounced a bit like Zergal, only not quite.
Anyway the town wasn't a whole lot more than a village, and only had about 7,000 inhabitants if I remember. The U.S. Army did not actually have any real assets there, and we worked on a German Luftwaffe (Air Force) base. They provided all our support, and the married families, German and American, lived in NATO housing.
The unit I was assigned to was a "special weapons" (read "nuclear") unit and controlled the warheads and provided training to the German units actually assigned to use the weapons.
Like the town, our footprint on the Luftwaffe base was very small and we had a few buildings, including a tiny NCO/EM Club, PX, and Commissary.
The army considered us to be an "isolated unit", and sent us movies to watch for free. We got new movies almost every day, but I must admit that I use the term "new" very carefully and with reservations.
The way it worked was that the army bought a certain number of movies to display, but it was a mix of fairly recent stuff and some I would not show my dog. The movie distribution was from post to post and we never really knew what was coming. Since there was a movie every night and there was not a lot of other things to do, especially for the families and those who did not drink heavily, people would just decide to go up to the movies and watch whatever was showing.
The movies were shown by guys who got off the duty roster by being a "projectionist" in a building that was not a whole lot more than a shed. There were no refreshments and people would often pop big bunches of popcorn for everyone to share and sometimes would bring sodas and candy.
For a short period of time while the movie was playing, we were just one big family, and people, especially the enlisted men, often got a kick out of my ex-wife telling the post commander's son to sit down and behave, since he was a junior. She would yell out, "Aaron Royer, sit down and behave yourself." and everyone would laugh, including Colonel Royer, the base commander.
We got to see some pretty decent movies on a regular basis, but there were some dogs and some mix-ups. These actually were generally considered to be part of the entertainment.
There was one movie, somewhere below Grade B, which was terrible. It was so bad, I wish I could find out what its name is and watch it again. In one scene, a car and a truck had stopped on a small road, the truck on one side, the car on the other.
In one shot, three people were standing directly in front of the truck talking. The camera angle changed and they were standing across the road by the car. Someone off-screen yelled at them and they looked startled and suddenly ran over to get back in front of the truck, resumed their positions, and started over.
In another scene, a character had to duck when the microphone dropped into the frame and almost hit him on the head.
On another occasion, we got the first and last reel of one movie and the middle reel of another. The projectionist had no way of knowing until the second movie started showing, and, once we figured out what had happened, just continued to show the odd reel to the finish and then put the last reel of the original movie on.
Oddly enough, it's fun to remember those strange movie nights.
Anyway the town wasn't a whole lot more than a village, and only had about 7,000 inhabitants if I remember. The U.S. Army did not actually have any real assets there, and we worked on a German Luftwaffe (Air Force) base. They provided all our support, and the married families, German and American, lived in NATO housing.
The unit I was assigned to was a "special weapons" (read "nuclear") unit and controlled the warheads and provided training to the German units actually assigned to use the weapons.
Like the town, our footprint on the Luftwaffe base was very small and we had a few buildings, including a tiny NCO/EM Club, PX, and Commissary.
The army considered us to be an "isolated unit", and sent us movies to watch for free. We got new movies almost every day, but I must admit that I use the term "new" very carefully and with reservations.
The way it worked was that the army bought a certain number of movies to display, but it was a mix of fairly recent stuff and some I would not show my dog. The movie distribution was from post to post and we never really knew what was coming. Since there was a movie every night and there was not a lot of other things to do, especially for the families and those who did not drink heavily, people would just decide to go up to the movies and watch whatever was showing.
The movies were shown by guys who got off the duty roster by being a "projectionist" in a building that was not a whole lot more than a shed. There were no refreshments and people would often pop big bunches of popcorn for everyone to share and sometimes would bring sodas and candy.
For a short period of time while the movie was playing, we were just one big family, and people, especially the enlisted men, often got a kick out of my ex-wife telling the post commander's son to sit down and behave, since he was a junior. She would yell out, "Aaron Royer, sit down and behave yourself." and everyone would laugh, including Colonel Royer, the base commander.
We got to see some pretty decent movies on a regular basis, but there were some dogs and some mix-ups. These actually were generally considered to be part of the entertainment.
There was one movie, somewhere below Grade B, which was terrible. It was so bad, I wish I could find out what its name is and watch it again. In one scene, a car and a truck had stopped on a small road, the truck on one side, the car on the other.
In one shot, three people were standing directly in front of the truck talking. The camera angle changed and they were standing across the road by the car. Someone off-screen yelled at them and they looked startled and suddenly ran over to get back in front of the truck, resumed their positions, and started over.
In another scene, a character had to duck when the microphone dropped into the frame and almost hit him on the head.
On another occasion, we got the first and last reel of one movie and the middle reel of another. The projectionist had no way of knowing until the second movie started showing, and, once we figured out what had happened, just continued to show the odd reel to the finish and then put the last reel of the original movie on.
Oddly enough, it's fun to remember those strange movie nights.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Short Book Review: Money and the Meaning of LIfe
I am currently reading Jacob Needleman's book, Money and the Meaning of Life, published in paperback by Doubleday, 1991.
Mr. Needleman explores, from a personal point of view, the relationship between money, the inner self, and the outer world.
One of his points seems to be that, while money is an important, and sometimes dangerous, factor in our existence, it is also sometimes misunderstood and assigned either too much power, or the wrong role in lives.
Money, in Mr. Needleman's view, is actually an outgrowth of the need for man to create a better, more connected community but, in the modern world, often leads one astray.
A good read, though a little turgid at times.
I do recommend "Money and the Meaning of Life
" by Jacob Needleman.
I also recommend the following for those interested in this area:
Magic, Myth, And Money: The Origin Of Money In Religious Ritual
Mr. Needleman explores, from a personal point of view, the relationship between money, the inner self, and the outer world.
One of his points seems to be that, while money is an important, and sometimes dangerous, factor in our existence, it is also sometimes misunderstood and assigned either too much power, or the wrong role in lives.
Money, in Mr. Needleman's view, is actually an outgrowth of the need for man to create a better, more connected community but, in the modern world, often leads one astray.
A good read, though a little turgid at times.
I do recommend "Money and the Meaning of Life
" by Jacob Needleman.I also recommend the following for those interested in this area:
Magic, Myth, And Money: The Origin Of Money In Religious Ritual
Sunday, November 27, 2011
I See Dead People....Too
Years ago, I taught people to drive big trucks. In most cases, there was a certain amount of fear involved...which I thought was a good thing.
In fact, during orientation, I would talk to my students about what we were about to do over the next few days, and then ask, "Anybody nervous?"
Every once in a while, I would get somebody who said, "No! Not me."
I usually stood up at that point and offered to get them another instructor.
It was a dangerous thing we did, and I wanted people who respected that.
As instructors, we got safety reports from the company and tended to keep our eyes and ears open for safety matters.
One point was interesting to me.
New drivers had the most accidents, but "experienced" drivers tended to have the worst accidents.
You see, new drivers were scared of everything that might happen. They were worried about doing the wrong thing. What they were often intensely worried about was hurting someone...not themselves, but somebody else.
Experienced drivers tended to throw the rulebook out the window and drive based on the idea that they knew everything they needed to do. That's one of the reasons they had high speed, expensive, accidents with lots of death and destruction.
I had one student who was doing well until the day we hooked up a trailer and started pulling it around Dallas. His ability to handle the truck became worse and worse.
Finally, I had a talk with him.
Know what he said?
"Don. I see dead people."
That's a quote, by the way,
This was after the move "Sixth Sense" with Bruce Willis, had come out, so, at first, I thought he was just using that line from the movie to make a point.
After a minute, however, I began to realize that this guy probably had never even heard of the movie.
He was simply stating what was weighing on his mind.
He was scared to death that he would be the cause of someone else's death or injury.
I see dead people too. I have seen bodies covered with a blue tarp on the side of the road. I have attended funerals for people who made the wrong decision.
It makes me think.
That's often why I do the things I do...right or wrong, by the way...the dead people I have seen.
That's also often why, after the first rush of anger at someone else's thoughtless or dangerous behavior, I remind myself, that they have not seen what I have seen. They have not had the opportunity to learn what I have learned.
I hope that I'm too "experienced" with life to have most of the small accidents that newcomers to the game tend to have. I also hope that I have experienced enough life to avoid the bad ones...if I just stay "scared" enough.
I've seen enough dead people.
In fact, during orientation, I would talk to my students about what we were about to do over the next few days, and then ask, "Anybody nervous?"
Every once in a while, I would get somebody who said, "No! Not me."
I usually stood up at that point and offered to get them another instructor.
It was a dangerous thing we did, and I wanted people who respected that.
As instructors, we got safety reports from the company and tended to keep our eyes and ears open for safety matters.
One point was interesting to me.
New drivers had the most accidents, but "experienced" drivers tended to have the worst accidents.
You see, new drivers were scared of everything that might happen. They were worried about doing the wrong thing. What they were often intensely worried about was hurting someone...not themselves, but somebody else.
Experienced drivers tended to throw the rulebook out the window and drive based on the idea that they knew everything they needed to do. That's one of the reasons they had high speed, expensive, accidents with lots of death and destruction.
I had one student who was doing well until the day we hooked up a trailer and started pulling it around Dallas. His ability to handle the truck became worse and worse.
Finally, I had a talk with him.
Know what he said?
"Don. I see dead people."
That's a quote, by the way,
This was after the move "Sixth Sense" with Bruce Willis, had come out, so, at first, I thought he was just using that line from the movie to make a point.
After a minute, however, I began to realize that this guy probably had never even heard of the movie.
He was simply stating what was weighing on his mind.
He was scared to death that he would be the cause of someone else's death or injury.
I see dead people too. I have seen bodies covered with a blue tarp on the side of the road. I have attended funerals for people who made the wrong decision.
It makes me think.
That's often why I do the things I do...right or wrong, by the way...the dead people I have seen.
That's also often why, after the first rush of anger at someone else's thoughtless or dangerous behavior, I remind myself, that they have not seen what I have seen. They have not had the opportunity to learn what I have learned.
I hope that I'm too "experienced" with life to have most of the small accidents that newcomers to the game tend to have. I also hope that I have experienced enough life to avoid the bad ones...if I just stay "scared" enough.
I've seen enough dead people.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Finally Retiring...the Hard Way
Gave my notice the other day. I've only been working a couple of days a week anyway. However, my wife and I sat down and looked at everything that's happened and where we were financially and figured out that we could do it.
Actually, I will miss "going to work"...and the money, little as it was, of course. However, I hurt too much and have to take a fairly strong pain pill sometimes to get through a shift. Also, since my wife went into cardiac arrest recently and got a defibrillator implanted, she cannot drive and is afraid to be alone.
Can't blame her.
She is disabled and has always had a fair number of medical appointments, but there will be a few more for a while. And, with me being diagnosed with prostate cancer recently, I now have medical issues of my own, including my old friends arthritis, high blood pressure, and atrial fibrillation.
Time to stop and smell the roses, even if somebody else has to plant them for us.
Money will be tight, and my ADD/ADHD style of money management won't make it any looser, but we should be able to hold out.
Wish us luck!
Actually, I will miss "going to work"...and the money, little as it was, of course. However, I hurt too much and have to take a fairly strong pain pill sometimes to get through a shift. Also, since my wife went into cardiac arrest recently and got a defibrillator implanted, she cannot drive and is afraid to be alone.
Can't blame her.
She is disabled and has always had a fair number of medical appointments, but there will be a few more for a while. And, with me being diagnosed with prostate cancer recently, I now have medical issues of my own, including my old friends arthritis, high blood pressure, and atrial fibrillation.
Time to stop and smell the roses, even if somebody else has to plant them for us.
Money will be tight, and my ADD/ADHD style of money management won't make it any looser, but we should be able to hold out.
Wish us luck!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Ygnition Cable Sucks. Yes, It Is That Bad!
We moved into our current apartment at Westdale Hills in Hurst, Texas. last December. The only cable provider here is Ygnition. At first, we had the basic cable package, and were not overly impressed. Service was too spotty, but, it was all that was available. After a few months, we upgraded to a premium package. Since then, we have had extended outages almost every week. We now know the two local Ygnition technicians (who are very nice, by the way) by their first names and even have one of their personal phone numbers on our cell phone. We see them at least once a week, and each visit generally means one of us is tied to the apartment for the day. After several weeks of this, and complaints to the apartment management as well, we have decided to cancel Ygnition and just get the local channels. We are also considering moving from Westdale Hills when our lease is up, as they don't really seem to care about their tenants.
I have a friend, by the way, who told me that he was ready to move from his last apartment because THEY only had Ygnition and he was fed up. Shortly before his lease ran out, they changed cable service and he stayed there.
Ygnition cable service is really, really bad.
I have a friend, by the way, who told me that he was ready to move from his last apartment because THEY only had Ygnition and he was fed up. Shortly before his lease ran out, they changed cable service and he stayed there.
Ygnition cable service is really, really bad.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Me and the Snake Eaters - I Report for Duty
Okay, there I was at the Fort Stewart NCO Academy at TAC-X training area. It was my first day on the job, and, as was common in the army, we were going to do PT.
I had been told that all the other cadre had been hand-picked by the Post Commander General Vaught, and the commandant, First Sergeant (P for Promotable) Julius W. Gates. I had also been told that, except for the cooks, the cadre was made up completely of people recruited from the Ranger Battalion in Savannah.
I was the member of the cadre who was NOT a Ranger. I was warned that expectations would be high as General Vaught had a personal interest in the 24th Infantry Division/Fort Stewart NCO Academy.
Rangers! Snake eaters!
Okay, they were tough and had one hell of a rep, but so what?
We were going to be running a school to train everybody....combat arms to typists. Why worry about how Rangers did things? I was an accountant/administrative specialist and was in pretty good shape. I could run a couple of miles and had no real problem with PT.
Not that this assignment was going to be a piece a cake, but I should do okay. Heck! With my background, education, training, and experience, I should turn out to be a pretty valuable part of the team.
Okay, let's get this PT session over with and get to work!
I am not sure that even the best explanation of the facts of life could have prepared me for what happened over the next hour, but I am almost glad that my day started in ignorance.
You see, this particular morning was what was known as "Commandant's PT". PHysical training was going to be led by 1SG(P) Gates...who was a Ranger...did I mention hand-picked by the General?
Maybe there was a reason he was selected....such as being one tough son-of-a-bitch.
"Commandant's PT" was another term for "Hell".
I had been told that all the other cadre had been hand-picked by the Post Commander General Vaught, and the commandant, First Sergeant (P for Promotable) Julius W. Gates. I had also been told that, except for the cooks, the cadre was made up completely of people recruited from the Ranger Battalion in Savannah.
I was the member of the cadre who was NOT a Ranger. I was warned that expectations would be high as General Vaught had a personal interest in the 24th Infantry Division/Fort Stewart NCO Academy.
Rangers! Snake eaters!
Okay, they were tough and had one hell of a rep, but so what?
We were going to be running a school to train everybody....combat arms to typists. Why worry about how Rangers did things? I was an accountant/administrative specialist and was in pretty good shape. I could run a couple of miles and had no real problem with PT.
Not that this assignment was going to be a piece a cake, but I should do okay. Heck! With my background, education, training, and experience, I should turn out to be a pretty valuable part of the team.
Okay, let's get this PT session over with and get to work!
I am not sure that even the best explanation of the facts of life could have prepared me for what happened over the next hour, but I am almost glad that my day started in ignorance.
You see, this particular morning was what was known as "Commandant's PT". PHysical training was going to be led by 1SG(P) Gates...who was a Ranger...did I mention hand-picked by the General?
Maybe there was a reason he was selected....such as being one tough son-of-a-bitch.
"Commandant's PT" was another term for "Hell".
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