Happy Halloween!
Be careful driving tonight. Watch out for the kids.
I loved tricking and treating with my children when they were small. Got a second chance with Robert and Ally. Joined Lisa and Corey walking with them Halloween evenings.
Completed the Halloween walks each time by sitting with my children and then Robert and Ally and eating the candy they had collected. And for several days following.
I was a kid at heart! Still am!
There was no blog yesterday. Sorry. I am having a few “off” days and did not feel up to it.
Ergo, I have two days of things to share today in one blog. Means today’s blog may be a bit long. Bear with me. The material is interesting. It also means I shall be sharing my thoughts in the order they appear in my notes. Organization lacking.
We start with tuesday afternoon. A first time visit with Dr. Schnapp. He is a neurologist. Dr. Norris referred me. My lower back suddenly killing me. Norris suspects I may have a disc problem.
Since it was my first visit with Schnapp, I did not get to see him. His physician assistant Julie handled me. Took info, checked me out, etc. I see Schnapp next wednesday. In between I have had an MRI and he and Norris are awaiting the results.
Julie was terrific. Knowledgeable. Put up with my detailed rendition of my problem.
Then to The Grand for Happy Hour. Sat next to Chris. My company for the second week in a row. She works Security at the Airport. She has interesting stories to tell.
A couple were seated to my left at the bar. As they were leaving, the wife asked if I was Louis, Key West Lou. Love it when this happens!
They were Lisa and Greg Runion from Sylvania, Ohio. Sylvania near Toledo.
We had an interesting chat. They have been reading my blog for years. Both retired teachers.
They have a daughter Brynn. She works for Nationwide Insurance in Columbus. Loves the job. Nationwide is helping her get a Masters.
Brynn and Nationwide brought back a fond memory. When I was a young lawyer in the 1960’s, I was a Nationwide insured. Homeowners and auto. Nothing big. Nationwide at the time had a Policyholders Advisory Committee. Somehow I got elected up several ranks in the organization and ended up National Chairman of the organization for two years. Spent some time at Nationwide’s home office in Columbus. Got to know Nationwide’s President Murray D. Lincoln well. An outstanding individual. A class act. Influenced me. He died in 1966.
I suggested Lisa and Greg mention Lincoln to their daughter. See if she was aware of him. If not, she should become acquainted with his history. He was a true leader.
I hope to run into Lisa and Greg on their next Key West visit.
Matt was bartending. Nice guy. A gentleman.
A sudden hug and kiss. It was Jean Thornton. Husband Joe was with her. I had not seen Joe in months. They live in Birmingham. I spent 12 days in their home when I escaped Hurricane Irma. Great people!
Joe was leaving yesterday. Someone has to work. I sometime think Jean spends more time in Key West than Birmingham. Actually, the two are together often as they should be. The past few years they have become world travelers.
I ate early. I had not eaten since 6 am. A busy day. Meant I left The Grand early.
Tuesday night was Kamala Harris’ major speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. The same place from which Trump spoke before sending his people to the Capitol on January 6 to do damage, etc.
Harris was terrific. She’s got it! Well qualified to be President.
Yesterday was an MRI at the Key West Hospital. First time I have had an MRI since receiving the pacemaker. A big deal. Preparation wise and during the procedure. Because of the pacemaker, I had 6 additional nurses. I was the first MRI that morning with a pacemaker. Five of the 6 nurses involved were learning. You need a pacemaker observer when you have an MRI. Don’t ask me why. Confusing.
So I had the 5 learners plus Cathy. Cathy was their teacher. She knew everything. I was impressed with what she knew about me and my pacemaker. She even knew the first surgery at Mount Sinai had left a wire in my heart and I had to have another surgery to get it out of my heart.
The MRI went well. So I assume. I will know next week if I have a lumbar disc problem. The MRI was to determine if I did.
I felt under the weather yesterday. Telephoned Carola to tell her I would not be at Brady’s in the evening. She had planned on baking me Irish scones. I did not want them to be wasted.
Trump’s major speech at Madison Square Garden turned out to be a major screw up. Someone on his program spoke poorly of Puerto Rico. A garbage dump or something. Going to cost Trump votes in the U.S. A ton of Puerto Ricans now live here on the mainland. They are insulted about the comment and Trump’s failure to apologize for it. Trump says the event was a “love fest.” In his mind only.
The Washington Post’s failure to make an editorial choice for President has thus far resulted in 250,000 cancellations. Bezos deserves it! May he take a gigantic financial loss.
Would you believe? Why is it not happening on the U.S.? Since 2007, all McDonalds’ fleet trucks in the U.K. have been fueled with cooking oil from their restaurants. In 2018, McDonalds successfully redid 80 percent of its waste cooking oil for use across its European fleet.
The Dodgers won the World Series. Four games to one. Sloppy baseball yesterday caused the Yankees to lose the game.
I have tons more material. Saving it for tomorrow.
I want to close however with Actress Lee Grant. She is 99 years old today. God bless her!
She starred in movies such as Shampoo, In the Heat of the Night, Airport ’77, and Valley of the Dolls.
She won an Oscar for her brilliant comic performance in Shampoo. Grant was blacklisted from 1952-1964. She won the Oscar after her blacklisting had ended.
The years of her blacklisting were times when we feared a nuclear war with Russia. Serious business back then. A daily fear. McCarthy was a fruitcake U.S. Senator. A weirdo much like Trump. A danger much like Trump.
McCarthy caused many in the movie industry to be blacklisted, lose their ability to work. Careers were destroyed. Some justifiably, some not so.
Grant was blacklisted. Not because she was a Communist. Her husband apparently had some involvement. She refused to testify about her knowledge of his doings. She herself was never involved. She was blacklisted because she would not testify against her husband.
When she was back to work, she also starred in the TV show Peyton Place.
When 50, she decided to direct also. She became a successful director as well as actress.
Enough for today.
Enjoy your day!
I read on CNN, some time ago, that the McDonald’s in the US tried to keep the fuel oil thing with their trucks in the UK, quiet here in America, because of the right wing backlash to all things ‘climate change’ here.
What is a matter with us?
Trump, with great difficulty, climbs into a GARBAGE truck that had “T R U M P” painted on it is Huge letters, while campaigning in Wisconsin.
Now that’s a special kind of Stupid