All Fixed

Well, since the last post, I'm happy to report that:
1. The e-mail hack has been successfully dealt with
2. The phone problem turned out to be due to a bad modem in our DVR and with the replacement of the DVR (an upgrade at no cost to us), the phones are working well.
3. We were able to find a current model microwave of the same manufacture and size as the old one that has been delivered and installed and working

All At Once

Yesterday was a home mini-disaster. First, it seems that one of our e-mail accounts was hacked and several acquaintances on it's mailing list received messsages asking that money be sent to England to bail M. out of jail. We are in the process of closing that account. Fortunately we don't use that e-mail service for personal stuff.

Then our residential phone service went on the fritz and our provider says it might take until Monday to get around to checking it out.

Finally, last night, our 10 year old microwave decided to bite the dust and since the space available for a microwave in our kitchen is limited and fixed, we will have to wait a week for one that fits to be delivered. You don't know how many things you do with a microwave until you don't have one.

None of these is particularly serious and all should be resolved within a few days. Updates of progress will be forthcoming.

Ah, The Good Old Days

When I was a "young" adult, I was usually pretty confident that my particular take on things was pretty accurate and it was clear that differing opinions were flawed in some way.

Now that I'm older, I find that I'm not nearly as certain of my lines of thought and much more cautious about asserting them, at least to casual acquaintances and strangers.

In these times of polarized opinions, it would be useful for everyone, at least on occasion, to argue a point from different sides to see that there may be some good points on many sides of an argument and identify possible ways to compromise (unlike this character from Wiley's comic, "Non Sequitur"). You may have to click on the image to enlarge it.

Just Checking

It's been a long, long time since I posted anything and I was just curious if I could still recall my Sign In password.

Apparently I can!

Please Forgive The Long Posting

The following is copied from a local newspaper

"Ill will over bill kill means entertainment from the Hill"
by Tim Rowland

"I pride myself on taking bold, uninformed stands, but I confess that I don't have a lot of strong feelings about national health care one way or the other.

To me, it's in the same category as Social Security, Medicare and the prescription drug act. I wish there were a better way than big federal government programs, but it seems to be the direction in which all civilized nations are moving. So why fight it?

I also can't help but point out that national health care would not have been necessary were it not for the insane greed of insurance companies, lawyers, drug companies, medical device outfits and just about anyone who took advantage of people's emotions, health and well-being for exorbitant profit.

But, since the health care law doesn't specifically benefit me, I am rather ambivalent.

Instead, I was all jacked up for the House Republicans (they of the You Lie! Hell no you can't! Kill the bill, kill the bill! faction) who were about to go full Bruce Lee on the Health Care Reform Law this week.

In anticipation of the action, Capitol Building janitors had sent out extra wet/dry vacs to soak up the expected gallons of drool and slobber produced by mouth-foaming Republicans. This was to be the bloodiest, craziest rodeo produced on the Hill since Ollie North slapped down the Democrats during Iran Contra.

At some point, I was pretty sure that we would be treated to video of some House members in party hats running around without their pants.

Most notable to me was the title of the Reform reform legislation: "A Bill to Repeal the Job Killing Health Care Law."

Great, they're going full preschool on us right out of the shoot. Can't wait for the sequel: "A Bill to Repeal the Poopie Caca Economic Stimulus Package."

Obviously, there are no grown-ups in charge, so this was going to be good, right? Alas, it was not to be. The Arizona shootings put a damper on the House trampoline act, to the point where sponsors of the bill considered changing the title from "Job Killing Health Care" to "Job Destroying Health Care."

I don't get it. They're about to deny health care to millions of mothers, women, children, people with handicaps and invalids, and all of a sudden they're worried that the title of the bill is too harsh?

Come on man, in for a penny in for a pound. Let your hair hang down. Call it the Repeal of the Law that Buries an Ax So Far Into the Skull of Jobs That the Jobs' Eyeballs Will Pop Out And Roll All the Way to Memphis Act.

House Republicans shouldn't try to be sensitive; it's not what they're about. If you're a run-first offense, you are just going to look silly if you come out throwing the ball.

But if you're a fan of pure goofiness, we haven't had this much fun since the "House Managers" during the Clinton years, when a bunch of fat old white men tried to remember what sex was like long enough to build an impeachment case around it.

In the search for a kinder, unkind compound adjective, Speaker John Boehner went with "job-crushing." That's a little limp in my view. I prefer Rep. Steve King, who called health care, no lie, the "entrepreneurial extinction act."

Steve. Dude. Do you really expect the people who put a person like you into office to understand what that means? Ix-nay on the Ulti-may Yllable-say, if you get my drift.

Ah well, it was bound to be a dud. As one reporter noted, the bill is dead on arrival in the Senate anyway. Or maybe we should say, destroyed on arrival."


Tim Rowland is a Herald-Mail columnist. He can be reached at 301-733-5131, ext. 6997, or via e-mail at timr@herald-mail.com. Tune in to the Rowland Rant on antpod.com or on Antietam Cable's WCL-TV Channel 30 at 6:30 p.m. New episodes are released every Wednesday.
Copyright © 2011, Herald Mail

Thank You for Thinking Of Me

Another birthday has come and gone. Melinda made sure that I was properly celebrated with a sartorial shopping trip and dinner out followed by cake, ice cream and presents opening. Everything was much appreciated, especially Holly and Steve's gorgeous Dog Book, the gift certificate from Mary Lynn and Tim and the H & D chocolate truffles sent by Gail and Bob.

Facebook gave a lot of my "friends" the opportunity

to send salutations and it was great to talk with brothers Bill and Bob and to Pop.

I guess I will have to try and keep having birthdays. Thanks everyone!

January 17 - The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Or The Obscure)