Don't Ask Me

I'm often asked for my advice. I am by nature a generous person and I freely give advice when asked.  I've been around a long time (70 years) and have experienced a lot.  However, I am coming to the conclusion that I am going to stop giving my advice, even when asked.  Why?  Because it is not taken.

Why should I waste my time?  I think I'm a pretty intelligent and successful person.  Anyone who knows me knows that I generally make good decisions.  In fact, I almost always make good decisions.  If I have any faults it is perhaps that I am TOO GENEROUS.  I believe it is called "Generous to a fault."

Well, I have come to the conclusion that for whatever reason, even when my advice is asked, it is ignored.  So folks, friends, please don't' ask my advice in the future.

Here are a couple of recent incidents.

• Incident Nubmer One:  A friend of mine asked me if I knew of a handyman.  It just so happens I did.  In fact two friends asked me.  I told them of the maintenance man that works at the hotel where I work.  I even talked to the man and asked him if he was interested in working for either one of these two old gay guys.  He said he was.  I told him I would contact my friends and tell them.  That I did.  That was months ago. I even asked the maintenance man to call one of my friends to show his interest.  He did.  Still nothing.  Thus my time was wasted, the maintenance man's time was wasted and I was embarrassed.
• Incident Number Two:  A couple of years ago a friend of mine was undergoing a breakup in his longterm relationship.  He asked my advice how to invest his share of the proceeds of his jointly owned house with his former partner.  I advised him to put it in a CD.  I said specifically NOT TO INVEST IT IN A MUTUAL FUND.  So what did he do?  He invested his money IN A MUTUAL FUND and then had the temerity to blame me when his fund lost 40% of it's value.  We didn't directly blame me but did say "I should never have listened to my friends advice to put my funds in a mutual fund."  I told him to his face "I DID NOT TELL YOU TO PUT THEM IN MUTUAL FUNDS."  He just looked at me like I stepped off a spaceship.  Apparently I didn't fit into his narrative of being the VICTIM of which he is fond of playing.  
• Incident Number Three:  My neighbor asked my advice as to what kind of cell phone to get.  I highly recommended an iPhone.  I had already convinced her to get an iPad which she loves.  So what kind of phone does she get?  She gets an ANDROID!  Then she asks me how to use it.  I told her I didn't know how to use it nor did I wish to give myself a headache trying to figure out how to use yet another non user friendly product.  She also got a new computer.  I advised her to get an iMac.  Did she?  Oh no.  No she didn't.  She got an HP with the tower and all.  Thus she can spend the next several years with the constant upgrades and making sure her virus protection is up to date plus all the extra money she will have to spend hiring my former Computer Guy to help her out when her computer freezes up.
• Incident Number Four:  a blogger friend blogged that he was getting a new computer.  He already has an iPhone.  He didn't ask my advice but I did offer my advice to get an iMac.  So what does his partner get?  He gets a HP computer because he says it "is more user friendly."  NOT TRUE.  Only Apple products are user friendly.  All Windows based products exists only for upgrades to keep Bill Gates the richest man in the world so he can be the big benefactor  hero (along with Melinda of course) in curing malaria in India.  

Folks, I know I'm on a rant here but sometimes it is just so frustrating to know that in an area that I know I am right, that people I know have so little respect for my opinion that they ignore it.  It doesn't make me feel good at all.  Oh I'll get over it but this is depressing. 

However, I will stop giving advice when asked and not volunteering when not asked.  I'll save myself a lot of aggravation and feeling the Victim myself.  Maybe it is me after all.

Me ascending steps at a long forgotten historic site in Montreal, Canada in 1967
an appropriate picture to symbolize me walking away from a long habit of mine offering advice to friends - my advice is rarely if ever taken so why waste my time? I'm tired of it.

Healthy Chicken Breasts

Trim fat from chicken breasts

Hi folks!  Something light this morning.  It's been awhile since I posted one of my tried and true recipes.  Here is one that I make all the time.  It is a very simple healthy recipe for cooking chicken but very tasty and elegant.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in shiny aluminum pan

This isn't my original recipe.  I discovered it many years ago (late Fifties) when my father was given a special diet by his doctor to help with his heart problems.  My father loved anything cooked in LOTS of grease, especially fried chicken.  This is a recipe for chicken (I use boneless chicken breasts) that isn't friend and doesn't use any grease.  However, it does use butter but only a minimal amount.

Place breasts in pan to cook slowly in melted butter

Here are the ingredients you need:

3 (or 4) boneless chicken breasts (or any other parts of the chicken you desire)
1/4 cup butter
1 sliced onion
salt and pepper to taste

Place one sliced onion on top of breasts

I told you it would be easy!

• Here's what you do now.  Take a stainless steel aluminum pot (a shiny stainless steel pot seems to work best, don't ask me why it just does) and melt the 1/4 cup butter.  Be careful not to brown or burn the butter.

• Next, place the chicken breasts in the pan.  

• Salt and pepper the chicken breasts to your taste.

• Place the sliced onions over top of the seasoned chicken breasts.

• Cover the pan and cook on Low for approximately 30 to 45 minutes until the chicken begins to brown.  

• When the bottom of the chicken has browned, turn over.  You may need to add a small amount of water to the pan to prevent burning.

• Continue cooking until the chicken is a golden brown on both sides.

Cook breasts in butter with lid on until browned

Turn the fire off.

Turn breasts over to brown on both sides, adding water if necessary to prevent burning

Now you have a tender, tasty chicken that can be eaten as is or added to any other recipe. 

I usually eat one chicken breast with fresh al dente string beans and French Fries (yes Virginia, I eat French Fries - oven baked without the salt).  

I cool the rest of the chicken and make chicken salad with it to take to work at my nighttime hotel job.

This is ONE EASY TASTY RECIPE.  You can't miss!

Enjoy!

Gingrich Wins South Carolina Primary!

Me (plaid shirt) at the White House 1967

Great news!  New Gingrich won the South Carolina Republican primary!

First, let me make this perfectly clear.  Newt Gingrich stands about as much chance to enter the White House and I do.  The closest I ever got to the White House was a tourist trip I took with my Bill in 1967 (see above picture).  The second time I got close to the White House was two years ago when I marched (beads and all) in a gay demonstration parade past the White House.

Me (green beads and Goofy hat) at the White House 2009

Again, let me make this perfectly clear:

NEWT GINGRICH WILL NEVER BE ELECTED PRESIDENT

Having said that, let me makes this clear:  I am going to thoroughly enjoy watching the good Christian Republicans tie themselves all up in knots in their unreasonable obsessive hatred of the present occupant of the White House by trying to decide with LOSER they will nominate to represent the Republican Party.  Will it be Willard Mitt "Mittens" Romney, the millionaire elitist who has NO CLUE of what life is like for the average American or will it be the grandiose, race baiting, Macy's balloon parade buffoon Newton Gingrich?  I'm telling you folks, I'm loving this.

Santorum?  You have GOT TO BE KIDDING.  I'm pretty sure we're past electing homophobes like the self-righteous, sanctimonious Santorum to the presidency.  Even George W. wasn't a homophobe who equated same sex couples wanting to get married the same as a man marrying a goat.

And then there is the Cute Little Old Man Ron Paul.  Don't kid yourself folks.  He's a homophobe too.  He's still in the time warp where he calls gays "queers."  How quaint.  The only good idea Ron Paul has is to take us out of all the wars this country seems intent on getting involved in.  All his others ideas?  Wackyville.  The novelty of Ron Paul has worn off on me.  He was cute at first, now he's just tiresome.

Let the games begin!

The Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney Show

Yep, that's me - Out of It

Missed me?  I've been gone for a few days.  I usually blog everyday but I've been off track the past few days.  If I stay away too long then I tend not to blog at all so I'm forcing myself to post at least something today.

I have many blog posting subjects twirling (thanks Herman Cain for the resuscitation of the word "twirling") in my head but I don't feel well enough to give them their proper due feeling like I do today.  I think my rant against Comcast a few days ago pretty much drained me (not stop that!)

For the past three weeks I've been fighting a cold.  The worst of it was last week.  I think it is gone only to wake up in the morning with a big frog in my throat and feeling the blahs.  I have been entertained somewhat by the Republican Clown Show in South Carolina.  I'm loving seeing Mitt "Mittens" Romeny squirm and twist about releasing his tax returns, which I am sure will show he is PAYING NOTHING!

I'm not a Newt Gringrich fan but I did like him handing Jon King of CNN his head when King opened up the GOP debate with a question about Gringrich's open marriage with his second wife (like there is something THE MATTER with an open marriage?)  Hey, there is nothing like a Scorned Woman and a self important pompous ass for a good show.  And, I'm not one of these right wing nuts who hates anything about The Media (I watch MSNBC ALL THE TIME "for Pete's sake") but I don't' like Jon King, he of the  big head and little stumpy body who thinks all his questions are history making.  Jon Kin walked right into the Newtser Shredder and I loved it!




Now I'm on a roll.  What's the deal with Romney not releasing his tax returns?  I know what it is, he isn't paying taxes!  I am certain of it.  And while we're on the Romney subject, what's the deal with NONE of his FIVE sons ever serving a DAY in the military?  Five big strapping dudes and NOT ONE OF THEM SERVED A DAY IN THE MILITARY?  Romney was asked about that last year and he gave one of his patented Romney Answers "Well, they help me on my campaign which is the SAME THING."  NO IT'S NOT MITT!  Are you kidding?  This is the problem with Mittens.  He honestly thinks it IS THE SAME THING.

The Romney Clan - Not one son served in the military.  What?  Are they too good?

Continuing my roll with my Romney Rant, what the deal with strapping his Irish Setter (Seamus) on the ROOF OF HIS CAR while the Romney Clan made their annual 12-hour trek to Canada some years ago?  For Pete's sake, the dog shit himself (it dribbled down the back window of their van, Romney pulled over to a gas station and hosed Seamus down and put him right back up on the roof of their car), and yet Romney says "He enjoyed himself."  How does Romney know what that dog was thinking?



Hey, now I'm back in the groove now!  I'm gonna end this rant and check out the results of the South Carolina Primary.  I'm in the mood to see the Newtser win this thing and make the Republican presidential race really interesting.  Go ahead and admit it, wouldn't you like to see Obama and Newt debate?

Why Big Companies Fail

This morning I heard the news that Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy.  Yes, you heard it right.  Eastman Kodak, the Goliath of the photo industry has failed.  Eastman Kodak, the company that discovered digital cameras wasn't smart enough to figure out that the future was digital photography.  Basically put, the high salaried executives couldn't get their heads out of their asses and let their company fail.

I'm reading Steve Job's biography now.  It is a very insightful book, not only about Steve Jobs personality (he was an asshole) but about his frustration with dealing with companies like Eastman Kodak who couldn't or wouldn't get their heads out of their asses because of arrogance, inertia and incompetence.

I am typing this blog on a Steve Jobs product, an iMac computer.  I use an iPhone.  I also use an iPad.  These are almost perfect consumer products in that they are very user friendly and ahead of the curve in anticipating the consumer's need in the 21st century.  Whatever Steve Jobs personal failings as a Feel Good manager of people (he was terrible), at least he had a vision of where and how consumer products and customer service should be in this day and age.

This morning I experienced another example of corporate arrogance, hubris, and incompetence.  Last January I signed up with Comcast for my Internet service.  Previously I had Verizon (yet another example of corporate arrogance, hubris, and incompetence) but I discontinued their DSL service because it was so unreliable and slow.  My only other choice was Comcast, the local monopoly.

Me with my Comcast paperwork, ready to sink into the Labyrinth of Frustration with phone calls this morning

I did not want to use Comcast because of my previous dealings with them when I moved into my new home in November of 2006.  I won't bore you the reader of my nightmare experience of just trying to get service set up on my new house but suffice it to say I was glad to be done with them.  I signed up with Verizon, and while they didn't have the arrogance of a monopoly company their customer service wasn't much better (too automated) and it was SLOW.  Rarely a week went by that I didn't lost my Internet service at least once.  After several years of constantly rebooting my modem and going through the Menu Hell of calling Verizon, I finally relented and signed up with Comcast in January of 2011.

Last March I got my first bill in the mail.  Of course it was wrong.  They charged me too much.  I called them (another Menu Hell by the way) and they said I wouldn't be receiving a bill because I had a credit.  Okay.

The months roll by.  Then I got to thinking last November "That credit must have been fulfilled by now."  I  still haven't received a bill.  I checked my credit card billing.Yep, there it is.  They're charging my credit card.  Funny, I don't remember giving authorization for that.

I meant to call them but with my Prostate Drama and the holidays rushing upon me I didn't get around to it until just this morning.  I call to find out why I'm not receiving a paper bill.  Yep, I was in Telephone Menu Hell again.

I heard that Comcast is losing about half a million customers a year.  I heard that they were "doing" customer service now.  Hey, BIG WHOOP!  So I call expecting to get an immediate answer to my phone call like I do when I call Apple support.  HA!  Foolish boy Ron!  I go through the menu options.  You know how it works.  "1 for something, 2 for something else, etc."  I finally choose "4 for other."  Then I"m on hold.  No surprise here.  So I stay on hold for about ten minutes and finally I get someone.  I tell her my problem.  "Why am I not getting a paper bill?"  She tells me that I'm getting "e-bills."  Funny thing about that, I don't remember authorizing "e-bills."  I asked her where the e-bills are going.  She tells me to my e-mail account.  I tell her that I don't get any Comcast e-bills to my e-mail account (which is AOL).  She tells me they go to my Comcast e-mail account.  Oh, and what account might that be?  I didn't know I had one.

She tells me I have to talk to Internet support.  Okay.  She transfers me.  Yep, you guessed it.  I got a long silence then a message from the telephone operation "If you would like to make a call...."  OH I'M NOT SURPRISED.  Comcast hung up on me.  And not for the first time either.

So I hang up and go through all the menu options until I get someone in the Internet department.  After another fifteen minutes I get someone.  I explain my problem and she tells me that she can't help me because she is in billing.  Yep, I'm back to Square One again folks!

Me patiently waiting on hold - at least I wouldn't be talking to someone from India

I patiently explain to her (barely surpressing my anger and frustration because I KNEW this would happen) and tell her I want to find out what my Comast e-mail account is so I CAN SEE MY BILLS!  I told her I've already been through the Phone Transfer thingy this morning so DON'T TRANSFER me to a dial tone.

She transfers me to another number and I wait another 10 minutes then I finally get someone.  We're going on 45 minutes now folks just to find out where my bills are.  This is why I didn't call last November.  I knew this would be an ORDEAL.

I talk to the new person.  I explain to her that I don't know what my Comcast e-mail account is but I would like to check my bills but I don't want Comcast to be my default e-mail account on my computer.  You know how that works with these companies, you check into them and the next thing you know Bing is your default search engine and not Google.

She assures me that Comcast won't be my default e-mail account unless I choose it.  She walks me through how to get to my Comcast e-mail account, providing me with a password which I didn't know I had.

I get to the Comcast e-mail and yep, it is not a user friendly e-mail site.  No surprise here.  Except for Apple and Discovercard, most Internet sites are notoriously non-user friendly.

With the Comcast representative on the phone (and she didn't sound happy probably because I didn't sound happy), we go into my e-mail account.  Only last month's bill is there.  Uh, how about LAST YEAR'S bills.  Oh, for that I have to do to Comcast's website under "ACCOUNTS".  We're up to an hour on the phone now folks.  Just to find out my bills.

After some more laborious searching around their Internet site I finally found my bills from last year.  Yep, they were e-billed.  I asked her why I was e-billed without my permission.  She said that the (excuse me, I just got an automated call from Comcast to answer a Customer Satisfaction Survey)...I'm back.

She told me that the customer service technician who installed my Comcast equipment last January should she explained to me that I would be e-billed through my Comcast e-mail account.  You know what?  He might have explained that to me and maybe I missed it.  I don't think so.  But I could be wrong.  One thing he did do, he installed the equipment in a timely manner and my Internet provider service is MUCH BETTER than it was with Verizon. Since last January I only had to reboot my modem once which was a VAST IMPROVEMENT over Verizon's service.

But still, sloppy customer service by not informing my of the way I would be billed.  And then I still had to jump through all these hoops this morning just to get it straightened out.

Comcast may be on a new path to improving their customer service but quite frankly, after this experience I don't see it.  I get a better Internet connection with them (faster than Verizon but still not as fast as FIOS that I had at my home in Pennsylvania) but there is no excuse for this laborious procedure that I had to go through this morning just to get a paper bill in the mail.

I think big companies fail because sometimes they get too big.  They're like a huge ship, they can't turn around without sinking the whole ship.  They're especially prone to failure when they become a virtual monopoly without competition because the first thing that goes is customer service and the first thing that appears is the arrogance and the "take it or leave it attitude."

I hope Apple never gets like that.  Steve, I miss you already.

Alone

I don't want to be alone.  Bill went to the VA this morning.  That is usually a half day affair because the Wilmington VAMC is 89 miles way from where we live in southern Delaware.  Bill catches the American Legion Post 28 van at 6 am in the morning.  There are other vets in the van.  They all have appointments in the morning at the VA.  Usually the appointments are finished at 11 or 12 pm then they all load into the van and take the hour and a half trip back to their homes in Sussex County, Delaware.

When Bill goes on these trips to the VA in Wilmington is the only time I am alone in the house.  Bill is always here.  I kid him about it but I am glad he is here all the time because I don't want to be alone.

In a way I relish the time he is away because I can do things I normally wouldn't do when he is here.  This morning I shampooed all the rugs in the house.  What a job that was!  I'll hear it from him but I dare not shampoo rugs when he is here because I'll never hear the end of it.  So I take my opportunities where I can.

Bill and I have been living together since February of 1965. Prior to Bill I lived by myself for a couple of years in Coatesville, PA.  I had an efficiency apartment.  I was on my own.  I didn't have to explain anything to anybody.  I came and went as I pleased.  And I was very lonely.  I was a Lonely Boy.

Then along came Bill.  He used to visit me in my apartment on the weekends from his home in New Jersey which was two hours away.  Every weekend he would visit me.  Then the trips became he would pick me up and take me to his apartment in Pennsuaken, New Jersey.  Yes, he would make the trip to Coatesville, PA to pick me up, take me to his apartment, then take me back to Coatesville, then drive home.  Who else would do that for me?  I have that answer...NO ONE.

Eventually Bill asked me to move in with him.  After some reluctance I agreed.  It was the best decision I ever made in my life.  Of course over the past forty-seven years of living together (in two apartments and three houses), I have thought about living by myself.  At times it seemed attractive but when it actually happens, like this morning, I realize I don't want to live alone.

Bill and I are at the age now where that one of us might be living alone sometime in the future.  It will probably be me because Bill is 83 and I'm 70 years old.  Neither one of us are spring chickens.

I think about the possibility of living alone more often these days that I did in my Carefree Youth.  To be very honest, it scares the hell out of me.  Oh sure, I could find someone to live with me but there will never be another Bill.  No one who cares of me the way he does nor someone I would care for.  At my age I'm a prime Sugar Daddy target or another single Old Guy.  Neither will work with me.  You know what they say about us old guys being set in their ways?  IT'S TRUE!  I could never live with anybody else.  Never.

So here I am, wondering what the future will bring.  I guess I'll have to get a Little Buddy like a cat or a Pomeranian dog.  Yes, that's what I'll do.  Being alone sucks.

My friend Larry yesterday on FaceTime with one of his "friends", Canterbury the Cat
I'll ask him if he has a spare cat when that time comes

"Hilly"

As I wrote in a previous post on the movie "The Help", I was pleasantly surprised by all the performances in this movie.  Perhaps the biggest surprise was by the actress who played the part of "Hilly."

I did not know who the actress was when I was watching the movie but she was so good that at the end of the movie I went on the Internet to find out who she was.  Much to my surprise she was Bryce Dallas Howard.  You so you don't know who Bryce Dallas Howard is?  Well, perhaps you know who "Opie" is?

Remember "Opie" of the old "Andy Griffith Show?"

She, Bryce Dallas Howard is the daughter of Ron Howard, the former child actor and now very well respected director!

Who knew?