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11/5/21

THE NEW AGE



As I have so often mentioned, writing this blog was totally to give my kids and my grandkids, an idea of what it was like growing up as an only child in an Italian family. Seemed to me as being a one-of-a-kind situation, looking back over my past.  My father came from a family of 6, my mother from a family of 9.  By the time I reached 10 years old, I had 52 cousins, just on my mothers side. My dad had a sister with 3 kids, and an older brother with 2 kids. The other brothers were not married.  My dad, was always known as big Vito and me being named after him just happened to pick up the name as................little Vito.  No problem but even after my dad passed on, that monocle stuck with me by my aunts and uncles.  Now that they are no longer here, My cousins that I talk with occasionally call me little Vito.  Oh well, so be it.
WHAT TO DO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

It seemed that after high School one bad part about it was that it separated me from all of my friends. My parents wanted me to go to college, but I knew that it would create a burden for them regarding the expense, but I applied.  Funny enough the 3 schools that I applied for never replied...........till this day, so I guess I can scratch them off the list now.  Guess, you're wondering which schools they were.............well, if you must know it was................Harvard, Yale and Princeton. That gave me the excuse to start working at the Hewlett post office and going to school at night which started in Sept of 1955.  The New York school of interior and architectural design.  Kept my parents happy and me busy.  
It was April 1966, when my next door neighbor, who was an accountant for SAS suggested that I look into employment at their head office located at the Van Wyck expressway.  He had made the arrangement for the interview and I was accepted on the spot.  I started in the mail room which was a snap job for me, having the postal experience from the Hewlett post office. I spent 6 months in the mailroom running mail around the building to the different offices.  After this time, I was promoted to reservation agent in telephone sales. 
There was a 2 year break in my SAS service that was spent with the U.S. Army, mostly based in Berlin, Germany.  Rejoined SAS when I returned home and was transferred to the airport passenger service, that I simply loved. Met so many of my still listed friends that flew for SAS, in all capacities.   Over the so many past years, still corresponding with them.
Traveling was always a thing I wanted to do, and luckily my 40 years with SAS, Scandinavian Airlines afforded me to that lifestyle. I was able to encompass the world 6 times along with being able to visit my favorite places over and over. I was able to fly to Europe for a Christmas shopping two or three days. Travel to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and many other places just to visit friends ..........for a weekend.




VENICE................ITALIA


Made a few of traveling films on you tube, that can be viewed if you sign into you tube and go to............vitoonfilm.  I will try to remember to post some of them on this blog. 



WHAT ARE WE BECOMING AS A NATION

There's something happening and I truly do not know what it is.  I try to remain as optimistic as possible but my optimism deteriorates drastically as soon as I either turn the TV on or open up a newspaper.
Most of the people that I know or associate with firmly believe that it's due to the pandemic, myself, I totally believe that it was the fault of number 45. It seems nowadays that the first thing you hear on TV or read in the newspaper is the amount of mass murders that are taking place, along with the attacks on people. People of different nationalities, older people.  Just in our small town of Federal Way it seems to be becoming the capital of the state for the amount of shootings and attacks they are being held. It seems that there's just no respect given to people that believe in something different than the other person, no matter what it may be, but primarily politics is playing a big part in this decision, mostly generated by number 45.
Forty-five, in my opinion, is a chronic liar. I believe that he has found this to be very useful in the business world. He uses this type of deceit quite creatively. He first  establishes the LIE and then constantly repeats it until finally people believe this to be true. This is a fact, try it yourself, tell yourself something subconsciously, that you know is not true. Constantly repeat, repeat, repeat it and eventually you will believe that this is true.  This is exactly what he has done with the 2020 election. He has created the lie that he won and has repeated it constantly entering the subconscious of a significant few people who have passed this information on as being the truth and now he has developed a cult and that's exactly what it is, a cult that believes that this is true. I have heard people say that they feel that he is still president he still flies around the world and you in Air Force One but when it's mentioned if he still president maybe we should blame him for Afghanistan but no, they cannot see that. This is not only logically incorrect it is just plain stupid and those people are plain stupid. This is the America I no longer recognize.  People are just unable to respect other people. People just believe what they hear, not what they can prove as fact. 
I also see, a lot of homelessness, a sight I had never seen growing up.  Tents, springing up all over town. Blocking sidewalks, parks and playgrounds. People ......"shooting up".   This is not a good sight. I am unable to explain what's happening, but I do know I don't like it. I do have compassion for these type of people and understand that the cost of living has gone far above most people are able to afford. I loose this compassion with people that find a way to loose all self respect.  Where does it all end.

Come back again,

Vito
     









 



As I have so often mentioned, writing this blog was totally to give my kids and my grandkids, an idea of what it was like growing up as an only child in an Italian family. Seemed to me as being a one-of-a-kind situation, looking back over my past.  My father came from a family of 6, my mother from a family of 9.  By the time I reached 10 years old, I had 52 cousins, just on my mothers side. My dad had a sister with 3 kids, and an older brother with 2 kids. The other brothers were not married.  My dad, was always known as big Vito and me being named after him just happened to pick up the name as................little Vito.  No problem but even after my dad passed on, that monocle stuck with me by my aunts and uncles.  Now that they are no longer here, My cousins that I talk with occasionally call me little Vito.  Oh well, so be it.
WHAT TO DO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

It seemed that after high School one bad part about it was that it separated me from all of my friends. My parents wanted me to go to college, but I knew that it would create a burden for them regarding the expense, but I applied.  Funny enough the 3 schools that I applied for never replied...........till this day, so I guess I can scratch them off the list now.  Guess, you're wondering which schools they were.............well, if you must know it was................Harvard, Yale and Princeton. That gave me the excuse to start working at the Hewlett post office and going to school at night which started in Sept of 1955.  The New York school of interior and architectural design.  Kept my parents happy and me busy.  
It was April 1966, when my next door neighbor, who was an accountant for SAS suggested that I look into employment at their head office located at the Van Wyck expressway.  He had made the arrangement for the interview and I was accepted on the spot.  I started in the mail room which was a snap job for me, having the postal experience from the Hewlett post office. I spent 6 months in the mailroom running mail around the building to the different offices.  After this time, I was promoted to reservation agent in telephone sales. 
There was a 2 year break in my SAS service that was spent with the U.S. Army, mostly based in Berlin, Germany.  Rejoined SAS when I returned home and was transferred to the airport passenger service, that I simply loved. Met so many of my still listed friends that flew for SAS, in all capacities.   Over the so many past years, still corresponding with them.
Traveling was always a thing I wanted to do, and luckily my 40 years with SAS, Scandinavian Airlines afforded me to that lifestyle. I was able to encompass the world 6 times along with being able to visit my favorite places over and over. I was able to fly to Europe for a Christmas shopping two or three days. Travel to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and many other places just to visit friends ..........for a weekend.




VENICE................ITALIA


Made a few of traveling films on you tube, that can be viewed if you sign into you tube and go to............vitoonfilm.  I will try to remember to post some of them on this blog. 



WHAT ARE WE BECOMING AS A NATION

There's something happening and I truly do not know what it is.  I try to remain as optimistic as possible but my optimism deteriorates drastically as soon as I either turn the TV on or open up a newspaper.
Most of the people that I know or associate with firmly believe that it's due to the pandemic, myself, I totally believe that it was the fault of number 45. It seems nowadays that the first thing you hear on TV or read in the newspaper is the amount of mass murders that are taking place, along with the attacks on people. People of different nationalities, older people.  Just in our small town of Federal Way it seems to be becoming the capital of the state for the amount of shootings and attacks they are being held. It seems that there's just no respect given to people that believe in something different than the other person, no matter what it may be, but primarily politics is playing a big part in this decision, mostly generated by number 45.
Forty-five, in my opinion, is a chronic liar. I believe that he has found this to be very useful in the business world. He uses this type of deceit quite creatively. He first  establishes the LIE and then constantly repeats it until finally people believe this to be true. This is a fact, try it yourself, tell yourself something subconsciously, that you know is not true. Constantly repeat, repeat, repeat it and eventually you will believe that this is true.  This is exactly what he has done with the 2020 election. He has created the lie that he won and has repeated it constantly entering the subconscious of a significant few people who have passed this information on as being the truth and now he has developed a cult and that's exactly what it is, a cult that believes that this is true. I have heard people say that they feel that he is still president he still flies around the world and you in Air Force One but when it's mentioned if he still president maybe we should blame him for Afghanistan but no, they cannot see that. This is not only logically incorrect it is just plain stupid and those people are plain stupid. This is the America I no longer recognize.  People are just unable to respect other people. People just believe what they hear, not what they can prove as fact. 
I also see, a lot of homelessness, a sight I had never seen growing up.  Tents, springing up all over town. Blocking sidewalks, parks and playgrounds. People ......"shooting up".   This is not a good sight. I am unable to explain what's happening, but I do know I don't like it. I do have compassion for these type of people and understand that the cost of living has gone far above most people are able to afford. I loose this compassion with people that find a way to loose all self respect.  Where does it all end.

Come back again,

Vito
     

9/14/21

WHEN WILL IT ALL RETURN??

 

When will it all return?   NORMALITY !!.     At my age, change is very hard to get accustom to. It's funny how the brain reacts to the slightest move in an unknown direction. The pandemic is still with us and you would think that after this amount of time, you would be used to it...................but no, still stick to the rules of mask wearing, washing hands and sterilizing when needed along with keeping my distance from people, which to say the least is the most difficult.  Being Italian, meeting and greeting includes a big hug and slap on the back, it's my heritage.  It's who I am. 

During this pandemic, I can honestly say, that I have learned so much more about............myself............then I could ever imagine.  Along with learning new things of interest, I have learned that I, as a person need companionship.  I found that I need an extraordinary amount of socializing.

CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN

Yesterday, my wife found a cockroach in the kitchen.  She immediately began to scrub down everything in sight.  Opened up and emptied out all the cabinets and draws.  Vacuumed and washed the total inside of them all, replaced everything after wiping the stuff down.  Sanitized the total counter area, moved the refrigerator and stove along with the dishwasher and totally cleaned underneath them.  Got down on her hands and knees and used cleaning vinegar and water to scrub the floors.  After six hours the kitchen was totally sanitized and sparkling...............................tomorrow I'm going to put the cockroach in the bathroom !!!!!!!!!!!!   

A BRAND NEW FEELING

I'm going to jump back a little to the memorial Day weekend. We decided to have a barbecue at our daughters house and the whole family was invited to attend. We finally get to see our 25-year-old grandkids in person rather than over zoom, this alone was worth every moment and was cherished, just to be able to see them hug them and give them a good pat on the back meant so much to me. We were able to just sit back have some good food and talk about the things that have transpired over this very hard pandemic time. The highlight of the evening was actually being able to say in June I will be 85 let's have a party at our house and the reaction was absolutely fantastic. We made all the arrangements to be held at Grandma and Grandpa's house June 20th and we will combine Grandpa's 85th birthday and Dad and Grandpa's Father's Day the plans were very explicit. That day has now happened and once again the feeling was enormously close to my heart like they would say in Italian la Familia e molto buona. 


NO LONGER A WORLD THAT I RECOGNIZE.

When I first decided to write  this blog, the main purpose was to build a log of memories, for not only my children to look back over, but more important, my grandchildren. Since then so many changes have taken place, changes not necessarily for the better but more radical. Looking back, I tried to remember when this actually started to change and this is the confusing part. The biggest recognizable changes started to happen at the start of the covid pandemic at the beginning of 2020.  Searching my mind though, I actually feel that it began slightly  earlier with the introduction of the 2016 presidential election. My intention here is not to make this political, but, in all honesty I began to see these uninvited changes occurring with the administration of that period of time.(2016-2020) People began to fight each other and ideas were not something we could discuss but were used to break us apart. Disrespect between races, people and groups happened more readily than normal. Hate started to find a way into our lives. The masses were beginning to fall and non caring for the interest of one another was beginning to take effect.  We no longer invited people to join with  us but we began to turn them away, a trait that I have never experienced. We were always an welcoming country to those less fortunate, but now we were shutting our doors to them. When the doorbell rang, we would open the door and speak to people with respect, now we look through a peep-hole to even see if we dare open the door. The government no longer seems to work to make the whole country better, but rather a select group.  
I am becoming more and more frustrated as each day passes, with those that seem to be unable to think on their own. Those that tend to know they are doing wrong, but refuse to change to benefit anyone but themselves. Those that tend to make the liars and cheaters the good and the logical and meaningful the  criminal. Those that are unable to accept truth but only hide behind THEIR so called understanding of what they believe to be fact.  Prior to the election and still after the election by 2 years we have heard of fraud and bad election results, even though none have been proven and continue to be debunked even legally. Now it's even starting about how the next election will be fixed.................unless the conservative party wins, of course.  What if they win, would the election have been fixed, should the other side cry fraud...............more WILL the other side cry fraud.  Is this how we teach not only ourselves but our children how to act???  Will the looser ALWAYS declare themselves  the winners?  Will sports be played only by winners? This my friends, is not the country I was born into. Not the country I was raised in and certainly not the country I served for. We no longer have to strive to prove our capabilities to win, we can now just lie about it.
Sorry to have to go on and on about this, just so disappointed in what we are becoming, a nation of big overgrown cry babies, trying to rely on the constitution that many do not even know what it says or how to read it, they only know how to lie about what it actually says to their benefit. I personally call them useless, worthless, know nothings.

I know one thing, I will not leave this country the same way it was when I entered it. A country I know longer recognize made-up of people that cared for one in other but rather for what they can get out of it.  People avoiding the law, people constantly trying to overthrow peacefulness.

Will we ever get back.................the original  America 

Vito


1/23/21

CHRISTMAS PAST AND NOW A NEW YEAR TO BEGIN::

Christmas is now pasted and a New Year is about to begin. In all honesty, I certainly hope 2021 brings a hellofa big improvement over what the world has experienced in the year of insanity, 2020. Between the virus pandemic and the insanity of a poorly run political administration, I can almost guarantee improvement. I'm not going to go into the political end of this because you all probably know how I feel. How Mr. shit for brains and his cult have turned this country into a 3rd world status is beyond any expectations..................but enough about that. 
The pandemic has rested and taken refuge in my brain, and if it wasn't for the little bit of technology that I know, I could have been forever lost. I found that ZOOM played an important part of any celebration that I might have wanted with my family. Because of our age bracket and the possibilities the virus has shown to destruct elderly people, it gave Margot and I the capability to, at least, see our grandkids. It still sits in the back of my mind and runs fear throughout the body to the extent that I have now become a hygiene freak, constantly washing my hands, while singing Happy Birthday.............to whom ever or whatever. I feel naked when not wearing my mask to go into any public place and my thermometer screams out  "take a break" every time I pick the thing up. The refrigerator door has developed squeaks from the constant opening and closing, the water spigot on the outside of the refrigerator door no longer works..............I think the off on arms has crapped out on me, from the constant use. This has also created me to brush my teeth 6 times a day instead of the usual 3, simply because I'm eating twice as much.  When not using soap and water to wash my hands, I have a bottle of sanitizer standing by in each of the bathrooms along with the kitchen. I run around the house cleaning the door knobs, counter tops, and anything that has been touched,  with disinfectant.  The only thing that still remains without disinfectant is the vacuum cleaner, since I'm the only one that goes near it.   Taking all this extra activity into consideration, I have found less time to shave, so I might go 3-4 days between shaves.........give me that "Marlboro man look", but raises hell with my blades, which causes me to use bits of toilet paper to cover up the cuts from the dulling of the blades.   Has anybody realized that Gillett razor blades now cost $20 for a pack of 10 and and each blade  only gives a close shave for about 4 times before the nicks begin?  

LOOKING FORWARD  

A new year is now beginning, time for the usual New Years resolution ...........that usually lasts 3-4 days.  Margot and I opened a nice bottle of Stella Rosa  and brought in the New Year watching TV and enjoying the celebrations and the music, from across the world, then off to bed.   My resolution for this year was to try and eat better, try to get a little more exercise and to try and think positive about  other people, even the 74 million (and you know who I mean) that are so disturbed in the nation, but watching the results on January 6th, we can forget those 74 million totally. Anyway, enough about that.  My first try at being nice to my fellow man, turned my thoughts though,   I pulled into Starbucks to get a coffee and figured it would be nice to buy the car just in back of me her coffee.  I pulled to the window to pay for my coffee, asked the cashier how much the bill was for the car behind me, thinking that she would just add it on to my total..............I almost had a heart attack, when she told me the person  ordered sandwiches , coffee, and a muffin bringing the bill to $24.18 .............................that act of being nice for my resolution quickly went down the drain.  I just got my coffee drove out of the parking lot and started to look for a little old lady to help across the street.  There is a limit to being nice to people, but I will try again.

Hopefully, this year will bring some kind of sanity back to this country, rid the earth of this pandemic and give us more hope to live our lives. 

MY DAY SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY.

I figured I would check my day schedule for the month of January.   What in the world was I thinking when I started to make my appointments.  One day alone would have me living at the local hospital.  Starting at 0940........1040.......1140 and finishing up at 1240, I see doctors, hope they are all on schedule, you know how that goes.  The very next day I am back to see my eye doctor at 1000-1200.  The lady's at the check in desk and I are already on first name basis...................hope Margot doesn't get the wrong impression on my visits.  Along with that  I had my first Covid shot in January and have now got that but have booked my second for February. Even after the shots, we are still advised to wear the mask and sanitize,  because of those strange people that think this is still a hoax. I thought people were more capable of thinking about what's right rather than other ding bat things.

Anyway, I was planning to get this out just after New Years but just couldn't make it.
Have a good day, will write again...................................soon.

Vito