The Speed on the Road to Life is Getting Faster
by Jeff Jordan
It's still scorching here in Mandeville. In fact, we haven't had one day where the temperature hasn't reached the mid-nineties. It's tough to wrap my mind around that even though we live on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, it's usually warmer here than it is on the south shore. Whatever happened to the Milwaukee phrase, "It's always cooler by the Lake."? (Hey Niki! should that last question mark go inside the quotes?)
I've moved along on several fronts. I have a new doctor. I will be enrolled in a new health plan. A health plan means there is a gym in my future. I took my first "just for the hell of it" ride on my moped. We are definitely getting to the 90% moved-in stage. I can report Maria got the flag pole mounted. I have a barber, but given that Memi is one of our friends down here, that wasn't a tough goal to reach
I need to bake some bread.
I'm probably going to need to get a long-range HD antenna for our TV. We are over thirty miles from the broadcast towers. Our biggest problem is no PBS reception. This means no News Hour. More importantly, no Brooks and Shields, no Masterpiece, and no Austin City Limits.
We haven't gone to a play or a film yet. They have some movie theaters and small playhouses on this side of the lake, but I'm betting we will do more of that kind of activity OSL. (Other Side of the Lake)
Thursday night, we went out to dinner with friends. This was National Hot Dog Day. We went to a local place that features Hot Dogs and Hamburgers. All I can say is the onion rings were outstanding. Maria and I went to Sonic the next day. We'll go to Sonic for a dog next time, but we have been told there is a better place, OSL, in The Quarter.
Have I mentioned I'm mowing the lawn again?
How friendly are Southern people?
I went to see my doctor yesterday. I was waiting in the lobby when a young man came in and registered. He was soon followed by an older cajun gentleman, who gave the receptionist one of those French names that recognized all of the families in his heritage for at least five hundred years. He greeted me and the young man with what seems to be the standard greeting down here, "How ya doing?"
The young man replied, "Good. And you?"
He answered. "Good"
I answered, "I've been better; otherwise, I wouldn't be here."
They got it, and I got a chuckle.
The young men ventured. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Apparently, my "cheese" was showing.
After I revealed that I am a recent arrival not only to the Mandeville area but the south in general, what happened was a flood of information on the weather, good restaurants, and places I must see.
People chat you up if you're waiting in line at the grocery check out.
Movie Theater Killer.
As I am sure all of you, we are trying to get our minds around someone who would go to a movie theater and attempt to kill as many people as there were bullets in his high-capacity cartridge clips. And like most of us, I'm sick of the bull shit concern from politicians who know that they have to do something to help mental health professionals and police be able to intervene with people like this guy, who was known to have mental problems refused help.
I agree with the conservative position that we need to do more with handling people with mental problems. However, one of the things we have to do is prevent them from getting their hands on guns. The recent killings in Charleston, Tennessee, and Lafayette were all made by dangerously deranged people. Our system does allow for any kind of meaningful intervention. So knowing someone is talking about and planning to do harm does us little good.
But then not allowing someone to own a 40 caliber handgun with ten cartridge clips does smack of a horrible violation of a person's rights. After all, many law-abiding citizens feel the need to own these guns, and we can't question their need, even though I've never heard of a real need for a gun like that. The gun itself is designed to do only one thing, kill.
I leave you now. Know that I often think of my friends and relatives in Wisconsin, and I miss all of you and certainly wish you well.
by Jeff Jordan
It's still scorching here in Mandeville. In fact, we haven't had one day where the temperature hasn't reached the mid-nineties. It's tough to wrap my mind around that even though we live on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, it's usually warmer here than it is on the south shore. Whatever happened to the Milwaukee phrase, "It's always cooler by the Lake."? (Hey Niki! should that last question mark go inside the quotes?)
I've moved along on several fronts. I have a new doctor. I will be enrolled in a new health plan. A health plan means there is a gym in my future. I took my first "just for the hell of it" ride on my moped. We are definitely getting to the 90% moved-in stage. I can report Maria got the flag pole mounted. I have a barber, but given that Memi is one of our friends down here, that wasn't a tough goal to reach
I need to bake some bread.
I'm probably going to need to get a long-range HD antenna for our TV. We are over thirty miles from the broadcast towers. Our biggest problem is no PBS reception. This means no News Hour. More importantly, no Brooks and Shields, no Masterpiece, and no Austin City Limits.
We haven't gone to a play or a film yet. They have some movie theaters and small playhouses on this side of the lake, but I'm betting we will do more of that kind of activity OSL. (Other Side of the Lake)
Thursday night, we went out to dinner with friends. This was National Hot Dog Day. We went to a local place that features Hot Dogs and Hamburgers. All I can say is the onion rings were outstanding. Maria and I went to Sonic the next day. We'll go to Sonic for a dog next time, but we have been told there is a better place, OSL, in The Quarter.
Have I mentioned I'm mowing the lawn again?
How friendly are Southern people?
I went to see my doctor yesterday. I was waiting in the lobby when a young man came in and registered. He was soon followed by an older cajun gentleman, who gave the receptionist one of those French names that recognized all of the families in his heritage for at least five hundred years. He greeted me and the young man with what seems to be the standard greeting down here, "How ya doing?"
The young man replied, "Good. And you?"
He answered. "Good"
I answered, "I've been better; otherwise, I wouldn't be here."
They got it, and I got a chuckle.
The young men ventured. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Apparently, my "cheese" was showing.
After I revealed that I am a recent arrival not only to the Mandeville area but the south in general, what happened was a flood of information on the weather, good restaurants, and places I must see.
People chat you up if you're waiting in line at the grocery check out.
Movie Theater Killer.
As I am sure all of you, we are trying to get our minds around someone who would go to a movie theater and attempt to kill as many people as there were bullets in his high-capacity cartridge clips. And like most of us, I'm sick of the bull shit concern from politicians who know that they have to do something to help mental health professionals and police be able to intervene with people like this guy, who was known to have mental problems refused help.
I agree with the conservative position that we need to do more with handling people with mental problems. However, one of the things we have to do is prevent them from getting their hands on guns. The recent killings in Charleston, Tennessee, and Lafayette were all made by dangerously deranged people. Our system does allow for any kind of meaningful intervention. So knowing someone is talking about and planning to do harm does us little good.
But then not allowing someone to own a 40 caliber handgun with ten cartridge clips does smack of a horrible violation of a person's rights. After all, many law-abiding citizens feel the need to own these guns, and we can't question their need, even though I've never heard of a real need for a gun like that. The gun itself is designed to do only one thing, kill.
I leave you now. Know that I often think of my friends and relatives in Wisconsin, and I miss all of you and certainly wish you well.
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