Ok, I have had enough; I just can’t take it any more.  Whoever invented the glossy computer/tablet/netbook screens must live in a windowless, unlit world.  I am a techie person; I always have been. I bought my first TRS-80 about 30 years ago and spent hours and hours on it.  I even changed my occupation from an electric engineer to information technology a few years after that. I am no stranger to this techie stuff. The first thing I bought that had a glossy screen was a laptop. I innocently didn’t really think of the consequences of my action. But I soon … Continue reading I Hate Glossy Screens!!!!

This is a picture of Indianapolis taken outside of the Indiana Historical Society building there. Continue reading Indianapolis – 2003

The Mayowood mansion was the home of the founders of the Mayo Clinic. Continue reading Mayowood Mansion – MN 2003

Am I biased about anything?  Of course I am. I, like everyone else have life experiences that have taught me certain lessons. And of course growing up I picked up many opinions from my parents and others around me. South Carolina is one of those biases that runs in me. This goes back to my high school history class days and learning that SC was the first to jump out of the Union because of the slavery issue. Then of course a hundred years later there was Senator Strom Thurmond who was consistently voted into office, even many years after senility had … Continue reading Am I Biased??…. Of Course I Am..

Living in a small town means the county fair is probably the event of the year. That is certainly the case for our small town. Continue reading County Fair July 2006

Source:  Editorial Cartoons – USATODAY.com Photos. I wonder what an elephant would look like without its trunk? I think it would look like a very strange character. But that is indeed what the current crop of Republicans have done to their mascot.  They have cut off its nose to spite its face. :)   I realize it is very difficult to be against everything and maintain any kind of consistency. I kind of admire the Republicans for being as good at it as they are.  It is really hard to be against everything But what do I know….. Continue reading It Is Hard Being Against Everything….

Spend your fixed income on what is important to you, not today’s marketers. Ok so this is kind of bogus post in that I don’t know what the 76 retirement rules might be that precede this one. :) But that doesn’t make this one any less important. One of my blog buddies proudly states that he has given up cable TV. I salute him for that if that is important for him but I choose to do otherwise. But I do see his point in several aspects. It seems that much of what is on cable today is nothing but a giant … Continue reading Retirement Rule #77

For me this is one of the most perfectly composed pictures I have ever taken.  It is of the top storage area in the main community building for the Shaker village. I have been there on several occasions and never tire of going back.       Continue reading Pleasant Hill KY – 2003

    I just poked my picture directory to see what would come out for this post. What you see is the raw ingredient for tequila. I took these pictures when we were in Guadalajara Mexico in 1995. I spent a lot of time there during my life in the corporate world. I never found a more gracious people than the co-workers families I visited while there.         Continue reading Tequila Mexico – 1995

I have been in a rather melancholy mood lately thinking about life. I have concluded that life is what you make of it. Yeah I know this is one of those sayings that we tend to fall back on at times. I guess this is my time. I have come to realize that life is not some glorious dream to be lived sometime in the future. It is not about those days when you can finally say goodbye to a seeming never-ending job. It is about day-to-day living; each and every one of them. If you think otherwise you are wasting a … Continue reading About Life…

My conservative friend and I recently had a conversation about a judge who made an extreme ruling about praying at a public school graduation ceremony. This federal judge went so far as to make a list of what words could be said there. The source article is at the bottom of this post. Here are parts of our conversation: My Conservative Friend (MCF): Prayer is the new terrorist weapon. It can, according to one judge, cause “irreparable harm.”  RJ: Sadly this is becoming pretty common place during the months of May and June. But is having everyone sit through Christian, Muslim, Hindi, … Continue reading My Conservative Friend re:Prayer at Public Ceremonies

From all the cows it is obvious that this is a working dairy farm.     Continue reading Working Farm, Northern Wisconsin 2010

Here is a picture of the lobby of the Truman Presidential Library in Independence Mo. While the library was somewhat minimal compared to our recent presidents. This mural was outstanding. Continue reading Truman Library – Independence Mo. – 2003

I have been thinking of my Dad today so I thought I would dig up this picture of him and me that was taken twenty five years ago on the evening before my wedding. One of my anticipated joys in life was to be able to spend more time with him after I left the corporate world. Regrettably he passed away about four months before that event. Continue reading Thinking of Dad….

Source:  GOP presidential contenders drift to the right – Politics – Decision 2012 – msnbc.com. Mitt Romney is about to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination today. He seems to be the most creditable candidate in the Republican field but that is not saying much. Given his flip flops there is no way I would ever trust him as my president. Here is a quote from the above article: Romney, who leads in most polls, has rejected his earlier stands supporting abortion rights, gun control and gay rights. He says his 2006 law requiring Massachusetts residents to obtain health insurance was right … Continue reading And Then There is Mitt…..