Madison Mental

#45 held a party at Madison Square Garden. I was truly disturbed by the hate from some of the guest speakers directed at Hilary Clinton and Harris, let alone the vulgarity. I don't think I've heard anything like that in politics in my life. Is this person seriously running as leader of the number one country in the western world? 

Who knows? Maybe the 'basket of deplorables' will vote for the execrable #45 again. As I was reminded today, women folk, your vote is private. No one among your family and friends will know how you vote. Please do the right thing, if not for yourself, but your American sisters. Women have already died because of refused abortions. 

Monday Mural

I am joining with Sami and others for Monday Mural.

What can I find to use today. I peered down a lane.

A Saturday Outing

It was a delayed gathering for Hippie Niece's step daughters, 9 and 8, and held at Minta Hilltop Fantasy Playground in the new extended area of the old country town, Berwick, where Ex Sis in Law grew up. 

Hippie Niece's Cafe Latte Coloured Twin Daughters attend the same school as her step daughters and there were many of their school friends there, along with the parents. 

The school student population is about 70% non white, mostly south Asian families, Indian and Sri Lankan and this was the first time a family gathering has involved a significant number of people from other countries. One of parents with a head scarf painted henna hand tattoos on the hands of children. Hippie Niece offered to buy some halal sausages for the barbeque but was told by her mother that they can't be cooked on the same barbeque device as other meats. 

I'm pleased to say it all went very well. I left before gift giving and birthday cakes...it had been two and a half hours already and it was after 4pm. Rather than playing on all the equipment, the children just played together and enthusiastically participated in and egg and spoon race, followed by a sack race, pillow slips used rather than sacks.

Here a few photos of the area. If you look at the linked website above, you can see photos of the park itself. My photos are of the views. 

Lovely views this way.

Not so much this way, with crowded in new housing estates. 

As I was leaving and saying goodbye with a solid man hug from Hippie Niece's partner, he introduced me to his mate, a slim hippie dad of two, with long blond dreads and a beard. I do confess I may have noticed him earlier. "Fuck man, your black nail looks great. I am gonna get all mine painted".

Back at my car in my absence a mattress had arrived. Gay men calling other gay men 'a mattress' was a 20th century affectionate insult. I hope there was nothing directed at me with this mattress being left near my car.

Meanwhile back home, Phyllis and Kosov just keep giving. Delicious and I left one skewer stick and one meatball. I worry about a lack of greens in their diet, and in mine now too.

In the Clover

Clover Moore has been Lord Mayor of Sydney for twenty years. She was also an independent state politician for 34 years until rules were changed that disallowed being a Lord Mayor and a state politician.

She has always had a large gay fan base, and there are many reasons why. While Sydney is not my city, I have watched with interest over the years and generally she has performed well. She made a grave mistake by pushing for an underground power system for the city's new tram lines in a major street, rather than the trams collecting power from overhead wires, a system that has been around for a century plus. As the grumpy old gentlemen who have a technical interests in trams predicted, the below ground power system is unreliable and has led to many partial closures of the new tram system within the city.

Whatever, it is hard to imagine Sydney without Clover at the helm and she has quite a legacy of achievements. But as a shallow gay man, doesn't she just look fabulous at her age of 79.

Love, death and the whole damned thing

Today, the 25th, marks six months since Ray unexpectedly died. Life for me is now very different. Although I miss him terribly, I still live a good and indulgent life. I expect I will take a decent dram of The Scottish Doctor tonight and do some cleansing wailing. I think there is an Irish word, keening, and that is what I may do. 

Ray was loved by his own family and very loved by mine. Phyllis, I think wanting more wardrobe space and he knew I was sorting things out, rather cheekily presented me with two boxes from Ray's wardrobe. I am pleased he did. That was a bit more sorted out, and things from the past discovered. 

This pewter mug was presented to Ray by Mother, Step Father and ABI Brother for his fiftieth birthday. I had totally forgotten about it and I expect Ray had too. Mother was ever so skilled at giving inappropriate and useless gifts. Her heart was in the right place, of course. 

Do not be sad for me. Love is grand and I am so glad to have had it for nearly forty five years. I thought this clip of a reunited pair of swans so nice.

The Greatest Country on Earth, 1945

I fear for the good citizens of a once great nation. I wish I could utter the phrase, "Make America Great Again" but it sticks in my throat because of the connotations. I feel for devoted Republican voters. Decent people would never vote now for #45, yet where can they vote as committed Republicans?  Perhaps the phrase 'with equality for all' could be added, and better still acted upon. Are we really seeing a grave decline of a once great nation? It has happened before for various reasons.

No one, not no one could possibly vote for that man.

This is one of the more sensible answers to what I'm sure is a Quora troll question. Yes, statistics can be dodgy but...

I question a few things in the below, that Canada is #1 in healthcare, that #45 is ignorant of the issues in his country and that 15,000 young Americans emigrate each year. The latter could be true though. There are a lot of Americans in Australia but until they speak, we don't know that, and even then, we can't tell the difference between 'an educated' American accent and a Canadian accent, and there quite a few Canadians here too. 

Take this for what you will but it is hardly a sole source of news of the seeming decay of the US. The country has always seemed a bit dog eat dog to me. But I never get that feeling from US bloggers, who seem to be very decent and caring people. I have to keep in mind that generally, we bloggers are quite comfortable people in society. 

About a year ago I read the best words on freedom and it was simply this, citizens of the US are free to.... Citizens in Europe are free from...

I expect this is a troll question and a troll reply, but the writer has gone to the bother of making the spelling American.

We get taught here in America that we are #1 in freedom since we are #1 in healthcare, which is private. If international organizations rank us at #37 for healthcare behind Canada which is #1 for healthcare, why were we taught this?

Let's be honest for once, you aren't taught, you are brainwashed. Start at the top, you have been told for decades the U.S. is the greatest country on Earth.

At the end of World War II, that may have been true. After all, Europe and the Far East were smoldering ruins. Canada was even less damaged than the U.S.

Since the end of the war the U.S has been on a steady slide from the greatest to a second-world country into third-world.

The U.S. is no longer the greatest.

• Freedom — U.S. not in the top 50 countries.
• Healthcare — general healthcare ranked 31st.
• Healthcare — the new, medico/legal women's healthcare system ranked 77th.
• Education — 22nd place.
• Quality of life — 16th place, just ahead of China and Russia.
• Crime — 656 mass casualty events in 2023 in which more than 3,800 people were killed or wounded.
• Crime — leading cause of childhood deaths — gunshot wounds.

There are many more statistics like this but Americans ignore them. They clinging to the old statistics because they can't face the truth of American decline.

Don't think Donny Trump knows any of this and he has absolutely no idea how to make America great again.

Infrastructure is nothing. It will cost tens of billions of dollars over at least a decade to improve education and education is a department Trump wants to cut.

Until Americans recognise and do something about it, within a few years the U.S. will be classified as a third-world country.

Over 15,000 young Americans annually see their country's decline and emigrate. They know their country's attitude will not change and the decline will continue.

By definition Republican voters are not evil people, just misguided in my opinion, and that is about my personal politics. I feel bad for rusted on Republican voters as they have no where to go other than vote for the disgusting #45. 

Vote Blue, and you black people, get out there and vote against the evil despot. 

It's my Life

Strange things continue to happen in The Highrise. A nice little display of shells turned into a very large display after Phyllis and Kosov walked along a beach with their phone torches alight. Perhaps their friend needed more sex advice, although it sounded like she was doing quite ok on her own to me with a virile young man.

"Phyllis, what if the printer runs out of paper. I can't insert new paper with the shells there."

But wait, there are more.

They were scooped up and put into a bowl, and just as well, the next day the printer ran out of paper when I had to print out a document that some poor old age pensioner widowers need to do. Doesn't poor old age pensioner sound so much more needy than my former guise as a poor old age self funded retiree. 

Kosov has been here for since last Friday but he has gone home tonight. That's fine. He was given one day's unpaid work at a cafe as a trial part time worker. He worked one shift and he was then told he was casual. He was given cash in hand and then not called back.

It is hard for foreign students. However Kosov has what sounds like a decent proper part time job now, in Peel Street, Collingwood, and if I have any gay Melbourne readers, you will no doubt know Peel Street.

There was something fermenting in the dish under the heating. I think it was for a lemon pasta sauce. Three days later, for lunch I had a small bowl of left over creamy and spicy pasta. It was ok.

I am a tidy person and so was Ray. I dislike untidiness. Phyllis has learnt that I like the kitchen tidy. "Phyllis! There is a splodge of what looks like fermenting lemon pasta sauce on the dining table". "Phyllis, I don't want that supermarket bag left all day against my newly painted smart wall next to my art deco auto trolley, once owned by the mother of our Brother Friends". 

Now, I just have to train Kosov to automatically recognise that the recycling bin is full and needs to be taken down to the basement, and for him to push his chair back in under the dining table. 

These young people! How they must adjust to old man widower ways.

I spent over an hour on the phone to our electric company today. Although the bill payment automatically comes out of my account, the account is in Ray's name. Clearly this is the only time this has happened in the world. I only did so because I wanted the pensioner concession. 

I managed to apply my concession to my local council for reduced rates almost online. I had to write onto a printed out form, scan it along with a scan of my concession card, and email it to the council. At least my home was in both names.

Not so for the car, that I paid for. The car ownership needs to be changed from Ray's name to mine. 

Lordy, then there is insurance to sort out. I am so busy being a retired person and I have all this extra loaded on to me.