Hi guys. Have yiu read the article from 12UP about the 40 Things that Baby Boomers Do That the rest of Us Don't Understand. Written well and amusing to a small degree. But as usual with Millennials and Gen z and Z and all others below the age of 50; you like to lump ALL baby boomers into a net box and put us on the shelf. Like we have nothing to contribute. Like we are all the same. I read the first 10 and found nothing of me in the article and I was born in 1955. Right in the middle of the baby boomer years. I have never eaten dry toast, watched infomercials or bought anything from QVC. My 40 year old daughter uses Yahoo and I use Gmail. I read a lot about the qualities that are supposed to be exhibited by Millenials to differentiate them from Gen X or Z don't trust any of it. People are too diverse to put in boxes. We are shaped by the circumstances around the time period we are born into but also have the capacity to change and adapt. When you see an older person do not assume they are incompetent or racist or rich because they are older. I don't not assume that you are unmotivated because you are working a nothing job. I don't assume you are weak and useless because you are still living with your parents. Maybe you are. Not for me to say. Maybe you should lay off the weed. It drains you of ambition. Have I put out enough stereotypes or should I throw in a few more?

My new life day 2

 Hi. Day 2 and we finally have rain. Received a 20 minute downpour this afternoon. Water running in rivers in the parking lot. Half an hour later you could not tell it rained except for puddles in the road. 

Right now it is midnight plus 30 minutes and lightning woke me up. We are having a thunderstorm. Now I cannot sleep. So I get up to unpack a box with my office stuff in it. I am going to the office tomorrow to work as I do not yet have internet access.  I will get it next week. Meantime I will have to scrounge for internet access. Starbucks down the road is a possibility.  There is also a business center here at the apartment complex. Two actual offices are available first come first served. I will check it out.

My family is a little weirded out by my being here, in this apartment. Leasing agents don't use the word "apartment", the term is "home". My "home" feels more like a hotel then a "home".

Words have power. Calling this space a "home" rather than "apartment" makes it more personal somehow. A space you may want to be in. It is a nice space. Crown molding in the living/dining area. Large bathroom with ample storage and a large bathtub. Walk in closet. Full size washer and dryer. Queen size bed plus room for my desk/printer/file cabinet without crowding. I would not have chosen this place if I did not feel I could be comfortable here. 

I bought a couch that has two loungers and I bought a new dining table. They were delivered today. Look good. Was debating on whether I should get a dining table and use the space for something else  but I am glad that I decided on the table. I find the table is useful and I need the horizontal surface for doing stuff other than just eating. Dining tables are the heart of a home. I need a heart in my home. 

Our poor excuse for a thunderstorm seems to be over. Someone somewhere is getting a ripping good storm but we got the outskirts. Barely a tease. Oh well. Really good storms can be scary with all the vertical and horizontal lightning. Be grateful for the rain.

Need to go to bed now. Try to sleep. 6 am is coming whether I want it to or not. 

My new life

 First day of my new life. No longer living with my daughter and granddaughters.  Cut that umbilical cord (painful process.) Moved into a one bedroom apartment yesterday. Slept great last night in my new place. Little discombobulated this morning.  Maybe because I am so tired. Body hurts from moving.  

Sitting on my patio in the relatively cool morning breeze. I live in Phoenix az and this is July. Yesterday was partly cloudy and 108. This morning is 85 and cloudy. Should be 102 today with a 15% chance of rain. I check the weather every morning to find out of there is a chance of rain. And rejoice at any moisture from the sky. It is refreshing and life affirming. On average Phoenix receives 7 inches of rain per year. A big rain is an event to talk about.

My first day and have already impacted one of my neighbors.  A nice young man with a dog that he walks a lot. He said his dog was friendly and then qualified that by saying "well unless" and I stopped him there. I showed him my arm that is healing from a rather bad dog bite and said "forgive me if I don't want to pet him." He said "that is awful. So sorry" and takes his dog in the other direction if he sees me. Only a couple of times but I thought that is very sensitive and sweet of him. Lots of people would try to convince me that their dog is different but not him. I respect him for it. 

My apartment is only 720 Sq ft but roomy enough for a living room, dining room, bathroom with soaker tub and lots of counter space, kitchen, a bedroom where I set up my queen bed, dresser and TV and my work desk and in all the rooms I have space to walk around. I have a walk in closet which is great. All in all, for my first day, plenty of space for me.

I am tired in my bones but I know I need to get some work done today organizing things. I will feel better if I do.

Time off

After a stress filled few months, personally and professionally, I am finally taking some time off work and away from home. A few days to rest, sleep, drive a few hundred miles (I like to drive), and take hundreds of pictures of gorgeous scenery.  

I was so wound up on my first day of my vacation I looked up how to relax on the internet. After looking at several websites related to relaxation I gave myself permission to not fill my days with activity.  I gave myself permission to read or sleep or sit on the balcony of my hotel rooom and watch the sun go down. To not worry about the things I am neglecting at home. To take some time and unwind the nerves. 

I have been gone 3 days now and going home tomorrow.  I feel better. I need to so this more often or find something I  can do at home to relax which is more cost effective if not as much fun. Yoga has never appealed to me but might be worth a try.  Meditation might be better if it helps the physical as well as the mental effect of stress. Will have to try. I want this feeling to continue.

So tomorrow will go home and put my pictures on the computer screen and revel in the awesome pictures I took. Slot canyon and Painted Desert in Arizona USA. Worth the trip. If you come here don't miss the roadside attraction where you can see dinosaur footprints. Bye for now. Sleep awaits.

   Hi. Anybody watching REACHER on PRIME VIDEO? Pretty cool. Did not read the books by Lee Childs so I cannot discuss differences between the books and the show. The characters are not typical for this type of show for the most part. Reacher is not what I expected, l am happy to say. I like Findley and Roscoe just as much as Reacher. Unexpected moments of humanity in the right places and stiff necked resolve in others. Great way to spend a few hours. 

Democrat who supports the second amendment

 I am sure there are other democrats who believe in our right to bear arms. I would like to hear from some. Anyone out there? I feel so alone.

 So by episode 5 of KNIGHT  Rider I was done. Enough. Moving on.

To another disappointment. The Book of Boba Fett. None of it is interesting or makes sense. Possibly I need to understand the backstory. I am on episode 3 and still don't care what happens to Boba Fett. There is not a character that I find interesting and the music is awful. I keep comparing it to the Mandalorian. That is such a great show. I was hooked a few minutes into the first episode and could not wait for the following week. Boba seems to have two facial expressions,  mouth open or mouth closed. Otherwise his face never changes.  I am going to keep watching because I refuse to believe that all episodes will be so bad with all the talent behind it. 

KNIGHT RIDER

 On NETFIX. Knight Rider is on Netflix. Ha ha. I never really watched it when it was on TV. And I can see why I never watched it before. But now I am hooked. No bad language. Lots of car action. Mild comedy. Tall good looking guy with an easy smile and good manners. What is not to like. Besides bad scripts and uneven acting. There were shows on every day with the same formula and I never thought I would miss it.  I watched high action gritty stuff.  Now I am tired of all the bad language and grisly violence and people acting badly. Maybe in my old age I like to believe people can be decent to one another and don't need to put one another down to lift themselves up.  The good guy can win.  See for yourself. Sit down with a cold bottle of coke and potato chips on your favorite comfy chair and watch Michael save, if not the world, then at least a small part of it.  We are all safer because of it.