IS IT JUST ME?????

The wonder years !!

The wonderful time of one's life. The time you begin to question yourself about, where have I been, where am I now and where am I going. You begin to question everything that's happening and if you heard what you thought you heard. I look back in time through many pictures, and thoughts and begin to realize that time is rapidly changing.

I recently discovered a photo of myself at Eighty years old, just before taking my family to Puerto Vallarta to help in my celebration of reaching that bar of,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,80.

This is what I found. 

A man just entering into a time machine of the 80 year olds.

A man that is about to cross the line into the afterness of  a wholesome life doing things that meant .....life is being, not life has been.

The day I stepped into the aircraft, I could feel the youth beginning to show up, seeing my whole family together.  Beginning with the second day in PV I discovered something that was quite interesting and possibly the changing point, I needed. I felt that it was necessary to start off each day with a nourishing breakfast with orange juice, eggs and light toast.  I looked around at the table at what my children were eating and made a discovery that started to change my life. Yes, they had the protein of eggs and light whole wheat toast.............but instead of the sunshine producing orange juice vitamin D, the had green juice. I just had to ask what it was they were drinking.  Much to my surprise it was lots of dark green spinach, kale, broccoli, peas, stringbeans mixed with apple. orange, tomato and kiwi juice, green tea  and a lot of other stuff all blended together with some kind of yogurt to make a thick tasty treat. My son and daughter told me it was marijuana juice. I was hesitant to try it but very curious ssoooo    down it went. Much to my surprise it was very tasty. Now, after drinking this stuff for the past three years, I has begun to make a change.

The change was totally to the good side.

GREEN JUICE...............or as we call it Marijuana juice  seems to be working.  As you can see, it has even started to fill out the shirt to the better.

Just goes to prove that you can make changes ..............for the better.................later in life.

That brings a totally different subject to light.

I have always tried to view myself as being a well adjusted, informed individual. One that can read, write and understand reality. I read for knowledge of the present, which just happens to become the past once you have read it. I understand what I have read and just for those few times things might be a little wrangled, I am able to locate all that's needed to make a pro or con recap of what I am reading. English to some may seem quite difficult, i.e. take the word READ.  Present tense it is pronounced  READ (reed)  Past tense it is spelt READ but pronounced (red).  Does this, to some people, simple mean what you read is what you see or does it mean what you see is what you hear?  Regardless of what you see, or hear you have to make an adjustment to your own brain.  Once again, in simple terms you have to decide if what you see and what you hear is the same or are they different. Now,  you're probably sitting there scratching your head and thinking to yourself...............what the hell is he talking about!!!!!!!.  Well, let me be perfectly clear about this..........we see and hear this every day of our life, over and over again.  It's call political talk.  Politicians  are  very special people. They have to keep the masses of people on their side so in order to do that, they have devised a special way of talking. I love fact-checking and have found that, when one is asking a question the reply is usually a one word response.  YES or NO, but this has the tendency to turn off 50% of the people they are talking to.  The third choice of Perhaps or Maybe, puts the questioner off balance as this reflects indecision which is not where a politician wants to be.  Ssssoooooo now since they do not want to turn off 50% of the people they are talking to, they use the "add ons" method.  They do not say YES , but rather use the injection of the" add-on" to possibly   reflect a  YES reply,  then they continue to use the " add on"
 to give the impression of a NO reply.  What they now have done is to cater to both sides and leave the results up to your interpretation.  The bottom line is now  50% of the people with an unspoken yes and 50% of the people with an unspoken no creating total confusion and shoving a wall in between the two sides.  Perhaps this is why we have the Mason-Dixon line an indivisible  but notable line.
Presently our country is divided, unrecognized but definitely divided. One side represents those that can read and understand by checking out what they heard or read and the other side that simply takes what they heard or read without verification.  Which is correct ?  I guess you can say both ways are depending on  just how much information you want to feed your thought system.  I consider fact-checking  the way to weed out the dandelions from the healthy growth of grass. Everything begins to come in clearer.   Try it!

CONFUCIUS OR CONFUSION.

I remember, briefly, growing up using Confucius stories.  One of the more notable ones I remember goes like this " Confucius say girl who flies upside down fly with tits up"  This may be correct in Confucius mind but I see it just the opposite  " girl who flies upside down fly with tits down"  Which is correct??????   Stupid but  VERY CONFUSING.

For those of you that did not read my humorous last blog about how to select a candidate I enclosed a video that I thought you would like.   I may have made an error in choosing a political sounding title for my last posting and perhaps that is the reason the usual 250 people did not read it. I promise I will not , ever, ever write a serious posting regarding politics. I do have a lot of friends of the opposition party which ever that may be.

Here's that video  Make sure you're speakers are on and click on the full screen marker

 

Vito

A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO SELECTING A CANDIDATE

I confess that I do not have enough political awareness to make  a prediction on the upcoming election but I want to offer a solution to the .........shall we say, reducing the amount of candidates one party has to a more realistic amount.  You would have thought, the Democrats  would have learned something after the Republicans produced 20 candidates in 2016 and became the butt of so many jokes.  Now, the Democrats are in the exact position to do just what the Republicans did in 2016, select some boob, just because we are looking for someone ..........different.

Now, I'm not about to make this a harsh political posting and I hope you will read it all the way through before you pass judgement on me.  I promise I will reward all of those people that hear me out with a special something. The one thing I will proclaim before I begin, is that yes, I am presently , a Democrat simply because in comparing past and present platforms, the Democrats offer one that I am more compassionate about. One that offers the values that I feel more comfortable with.

Now, let's get down to the meat.

Whether you actually believe it or not, the past 2+ years that we have had our present Pres. has been nothing more than  lies, lies, exaggerations and cheating, make no doubt about that. If you still believe in what he has preached during his campaigns. you should go immediately to church and ask forgiveness. If you don't want to go near a church, visit a psychiatrist  for help. The man has a disorder mainly Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Look it up! The worst part is that while on the campaign, he basically told us what we were all about to get.....................still...................some people selected to go with that. The biggest question I heard at that particular time was......" How bad could it be, how bad could it get, ???  The sad part is that it didn't really take long to answer either of those questions........the worst part is ..................there are still some people that believe his stupidity and agree with him.  Can't really say to much about them.

Now, my suggestion to the Democratic party is simply to treat this like American Idol elimination.
1. Pick two days in the week.
2. Select one half of the group of contenders
3. Give them each 30 minutes to tell us a little about who they are, what they have done to bring them to this point and what and how they will do.... if they were elected President.
After we have listened to all of this, open the lines for phone call,  tweeting, and messaging, etc for the one you feel you like the best. 

The next night we will be given the names of the people that received the most favorable response from THE AMERICAN VOTER.  Only the top three will go forward.

The next week, we will do the exact same thing for the balance of the group.

The third week will begin the debates among the top 6 as voted by America.

America will now spend the balance of the time listening to debates from the 6 finalist. Of course this whole process will be monitored by one member of the DNC along with one each analyze from each media. Now for those that still have questions about the process, make no doubts, it has it's faults. People have the possibility to vote OFTEN AND ILLEGALY but like Trump insists people have voted twice and illegally in the 2016 election and he felt  they were all Democrats, but he still won. So to prevent this in happening in this election what I suggest is this.  We will wittle the final 6 down to 4 by eliminating one each week from the debates. Then calculating that the Republicans have been calling in and tweeting EXTRA  votes for the person they think Trump will be able to beat, we simply use reverse phycology and pick the looser of the 6.  DON'T LAUGH, it might work.

Now, I did promise to give you something a little special for hearing me out so here goes. Just click on the below and enjoy a nice trip.

https://youtu.be/p073JLHOKlY


I'm thinking about a little change to my blog.  I'm thinking about more travel news being involved with it, so each time I write another post I will try to enclose either another video in it or perhaps an information section with what I believe to be the best part of a trip. Does this have any interest?  It's just that I seem to be repeating myself about growing up as an only child to an Italian family. Anyway, just a thought....................but make no doubt about it..................this blog will continue,
the book is also coming.

Vito
 

TIME GOES BY.....................

When you get this posting and open it, you will find that it apparently was written some time before this posting. Having said that, I believe things happen to older minds, then to younger ones. I have noticed that time moves on so much faster the older one gets.  I've always wondered why but have never been able to find the reason.

The reason? Our brain encodes new experiences, but not familiar ones, into memory, and our retrospective judgment of time is based on how many new memories we create over a certain period. In other words, the more new memories we build on a weekend getaway, the longer that trip will seem in hindsight.
This phenomenon, which Hammond has dubbed the holiday paradox, seems to present one of the best clues as to why, in retrospect, time seems to pass more quickly the older we get. From childhood to early adulthood, we have many fresh experiences and learn countless new skills. As adults, though, our lives become more routine, and we experience fewer unfamiliar moments. As a result, our early years tend to be relatively overrepresented in our autobiographical memory and, on reflection, seem to have lasted longer. Of course, this means we can also slow time down later in life. We can alter our perceptions by keeping our brain active, continually learning skills and ideas, and exploring new places.
 Now, that I have explained the subject of time moving slowly as we grow older , has been clarified,  we can move on.

ORIGINAL INTENT OF THIS BLOG

Originally, this blog was a way for me to make a statement, or secure the attention of many as to how it was growing up....................in olden days. Something my grand kids seem to show some interest in, up to the time they turned 8 years old.  They could not believe that it was any different then from the way they were growing up. I tried to tell them they had many more benefits to life then I really had. I, did not grow up in a computerized world, did not travel at the amazing rate they were doing so and did not have the luxuries they were experiencing.  Now, I wanted to show them how it was in my day, but I wanted it to be in a fun way instead of with an adult way of tending to speak down to them. I found that speaking down to someone tends to have them pay less attention then is required for complete understanding. That, sadly, is still practiced today in many different modes of life.
Now, they are 23years old, graduated from college and out in the wage earning time of their life. Now, they will be able to someday, tell their kids and grand kids, how it was growing up in a disheveled world .       

HOLIDAY EATING is over................but it just leads to RESOLUTION TIME:

Finally, the last of the..............once every year "eat all you can eat days"  are at an end, namely Thanksgiving and Christmas, I can once again, begin to eat more responsibly and try to get into the speedo bathing suit by Feb. After all, it's spring break time in Puerto Vallarta and don't want to give away my age. Just to clarify that little wish, it has to do with New Years Resolutions.  Seems, everyone I know still makes these difficult so called promises each year just to have them pass in one ear and immediately out the other.  Most of the time it's about things we know we can't do, or just plainly will not do and we end it at that. Mine, this year is to fit into a speedo............. why?, just because, I had to think of something and that for some unknown reason just touched the thought train. Besides, I'm just to old to make up stuff that I know will never become fact.  Sound like someone we all know????????Like El Presidanta?? Speaking of which, for a person that's proclaimed how smart he is........he just can't seem to remember what he says from one minute to another..............OH, DEAR LORD, forgive me for bringing up such a BOOB into this conversation. On the other hand, perhaps it's time to discuss things of this nature...........................never mind, you're right, leave it alone and let those that want to, live his kind of life, live it.

This year, the one thing I intend to do, is to become more creative.  You do know Gemini's are basically very creative people.  Here's something I put together some time ago but it's always worth another look.   Take a peek.

https://youtu.be/0odF8FMdYEI


Whaddy ya tink a dat????


FAKE MEDIA TIME;

I understand that some of my FB friends are Republicans and some Democrats.  I have no problem with that ......................as long as ALL my FB friends respect each other and that you believe everyone has different thoughts and are entitled to those thoughts, having said that, each of you are responsible to at least understand what you are talking about and know what is fact and what is fiction. Be ready to read, listen and interpret to the best of your ability all sides of the conversation and certainly not to just ONE SIDE.(the side you think is right, without being understandable to the other side, the side you think is wrong) otherwise you're just being a damn fool.

Facebook is one media source that really gets me laughing, especially with the political scene as it is. It really knows how to get my blood pressure going. Now,  I know there is a great difference in the way that republican conservatives see things in a different light than democratic liberals.............but..........having said that it just doesn't make sense to me with words in the same language.  I recently read the following, apparently on the sight that favored republicans.  They were talking about Trump and the comment about building the wall and having Mexico pay for it that he repeated over 212 times during his pre-president times and over 810 times after he became president.  "AND WHO WILL PAY FOR IT"...................AND the crowd roared  "MEXICO WILL".   Now, he is claiming that he really DIDN'T mean that Mexico will literally pay for it by giving us a check. He really meant that they would pay for it through the new USA/MEX/CA agreement, which has yet been approved by congress...............so NAFTA is still the law.  Many comments all from Republicans to this remarked on how only LIBBY'S interpreted it that way (my guess it that they call Liberals  ......libby's since they don't know how to spell Liberals, and that conservatives .........surely understood it to be that Mexico would not directly pay for the wall.   My only answer to this comment is..........liberals believe that words DO MATTER.  I can only relate to this by the saying the following.    " Sweetheart, I love you forever"      meaning...............NOT FOREVER, FOREVER ...................maybe perhaps for the next hour or so......................

SOMETHINGS WILL NOT JUST CHANGE

At 83 years old (almost) I grew up using a dictionary to find out the meaning of words. Problem with that was you were compelled to know how the world was spelled. I grew up using an encyclopedia to find out information on many subjects, here again one had to know how to read and understand. Now, I simply have to speak into a phone or a computer and google will give me the answer back, both in written and voice mode. I recently found that I can live and survive without google, how you may ask, simply because I have a wife that knows everything and the so little amount of things she does not know or for second opinions, I simply ask ALEXA. She completes my life. She wakes me in the morning with a happy song or a funny joke, whichever I prefer. She bids me good night with a song or a "SLEEP TIGHT", which ever I want, She plays music of my choice anytime of the day and whenever I need help in spelling or grammar, she is there for me, however, presently she cannot do windows, dishes, bathrooms and man needs..................but someday.....................who knows. I'm sure most people, now-a-days has an ALEXA or a SIRI but what kind of world is this leading us to.

To end this posting, I want to just pass on to you my thought of the day.
TREAT OTHERS WITH THE SAME RESPECT THAT YOU WANT. BE KIND TO YOUR FELLOW MAN.





 

IT'S TRUE.................REALLY.................IT IS.

What I'm about to write about is indeed THE TRUTH. As much as I hate to admit it................it is true.  Funny thing though, look around and see if you are in the same situation.

Over the years, one tends to .................save..............those valuable memories of the past. The photo's from the beginning of time until the present.............those little momentos one collects to show you have been THERE. Unfortunately, I have several collections and they have all ended up in different spots, my book match collection ended up  in cookie tins.....to prevent fire, my menu collection in folders in a filing cabinet, my napkin and silverware collection in paper bags, wine cork collection in a large wicker basket, my drink stirrer collection in my bar along with the empty small bottles of airplane drinks.  Photo's in shoe boxes and finally I am presently downloading them onto thumb dives  to save them.
I have attempted to sell some old things but without success. I had a pool table since 1977, oh not the real slate kind but still regulation size and made mostly of hardboard. I had all intentions that I would sell it for $25 and put an ad in our neighbor hood watch bulletin, had a lot of interest in it but as soon as people found they had to pick it up, interest was loss. Finally ended up taking the legs off it and just leaning it up against one of the walls to try and save space.  It sat there for some 30 years and I then tried to give it away. I learned quite quickly that even Goodwill didn't want to send a truck to pick it up but rather insisted it be dropped off to them. That meant renting a truck, a cost to get rid of it. I was finally convince by my kids to cut it up and put it in the garbage , little by little.  Great idea and the chore began...............funny part it that in cutting it up into pieces small enough for the garbage can, I discovered the legs had gone missing. What the hell happened to them?  Searched the total basement to no avail.  Lucky for me someone didn't rent a truck only to find out when they came to pick it up that it was legless.
Donated a bed with spring and mattress to the homeless association. Still have available filing cabinets, desks, bookcases etc,etc,etc.  This basement of mine is about 1600 sq. feet and was once my corporate offices. Two bedrooms turned into office space. Living area turned into relaxing area. One big storage area for product, bathroom and coat closet.

Our two car garage with work area now houses one car and stuff.  Where did all this stuff come from?  I don't know.............one day it just showed up.

Now, as exaggerated as this picture is, I just wonder how true it is.  My kids, both Lisa and Scott along with our two grandson's will inherit all this some day. I keep telling them that a garage sale is in order and they can earn money with it.  They, somehow feel, their earnings would be pennies on the dollar.  Can it be correct??  

 

Must tell you, that even though it was a chore to get rid of tax statements, bank statements that I had back to the 60's and even some old social security stuff from my mom and dad, that taking this 3 bags at a time (maximum allowed at a singe time) to shredding truck  events, it was worth it. Got rid of all that and hopefully will stay rid of it by doing things more efficiently.

Don't leave stuff like this for your kids, If they are anything like mine.............they don't want it, don't need it and certainly will not waste time going through it. I remember doing this on the passing of my mom, when Margot and I had to clean out her house. YOU would never believe what we found......but after a week of going through her stuff, we discovered that she was a collector of small denomination unmarked bills, she hid in band aid cans, aluminum wrap, old tissue, dress hems, old magazines and what ever else that was within hands reach. When leaving NYC I felt like a bag man heading to Vegas. In one cigar box was the down payment to our house.  This is a threat, that I leave my kids.  You must go through EVERYTHING because you don't know what you will end up throwing out.  For some reason, it has not yet fazed them with that threat.  Wonder why??? 

Now, it's time for you to look around.................consider something the Swedes do known as "dostadning"  a hybrid Swedish word for "death and Cleaning"  Google it and read about it ..      dostadning will be the hot new trend .    Anyway, it's quite interesting and will help you to clean up the mess no one else wants to do.  (Swedish death cleaning)

 

Stay Safe and get ready for a new posting

LIFE ON THE EDGE.........................

  I just wanted to add a few more things to my last posting.

I recently went out to purchase a new watch that I saw .  It is a perfect watch and it does everything you want and need.  I can check the local weather plus the weather in five more cities in the world. Now, it not only tells you the weather but also forecast for the next 5 days, including the humidity level................it also can update itself instantly.  Fantastic how it does this.  I can also take pictures with it, use it as a recorder and it gets the  top ten tunes of the month.  Along with all these features it can check the depth of the pool I'm in or the ocean I'm in.  I can read my email on it, check text messages and use it as a compass. Now all I have to figure out is how does it tell time,  perhaps I will have to have some smarty pants young kid tell me how to work it. I thought I could figure it out by reading the instructions that came with it but they are in Japanese..................one of the languages I have not attempted to learn...................yet.

                                                 
This along with my phone, that I presently use more as a camera then a phone and my camera which was once indispensable but has gone to camera heaven I can now travel the world with carry-on baggage alone.  I took a class in how to pack 10 days worth of clothing into a bag 12" x 12" x 10" and can be put easily under the seat in front of me, this of course, means I can no longer take my tuxedo with me in the rare event that I may have to go formal for any reason.  It also means that I have to take a small envelope of soap suds with me to wash some items . I wear all the essential bulky stuff I might need but what the hell, inconvienace  for a while but it saves money from the checked baggage fees.

WORLD MATTERS:

DAD ALWAYS SAID..............".POLITICS AND RELIGION SHOULD NEVER BE DISCUSSED, SINCE THEY ARE SO PERSONAL TO INDIVIDUALS"....................but with new technology, like TV, TWITTER, FACEBOOK......and the need to exchange facts and fiction, it has become the norm in life.


(This is no way is meant to persuade anyone to do something they do not really intend on doing, or to change anyone's political view,   it is only my observations on how the world looks to me............today) Makes no difference what your political views may be, I have total confidence that all of you I know, know the difference between right and wrong along with fake and factorial news. We all know what our nation was built on and how we want it to be. That is why, I must tell you of my amazement on how many people still are not aware of how ,some are being taken in by a master of.............the con,  using a psychological method we all remember learning as a child................repeat, repeat, repeat. Simply put, if you repeat something long and loud, people will soon absorb this into their head and it will be borne as fact.  Not true, my friends. You must constantly evaluate what is being said and not become memorized by the moving watch farb. If you remember as a child growing up, teachers and parents would constantly repeat something so that we were able to absorb what it was they wanted us to remember. The world is round and is not flat. We will not fall off when we come to the edge. Most of all...........one man alone cannot fix all the problems. How can anyone believe such a story, but some do.......amazing!  Fake news is only news that does not produce ...................good things for me, Factual news is news that does make me look good.  This is not news.............this is ego.

I must admit to some degree, that I was not always a Trump hater, (but an absolute dedicated Democrat since JFK). I really first learned about him when he was able to purchase the traffic rights, along with some aircraft for $365 million from BOS-NYC-DCA( far less than starting a new service from scratch) from the once defunct Eastern airlines for, what I thought was a fairly reasonable price.  I thought this was a really a smart move...............however quickly changed my mind when in 3 years he declared bankruptcy (on the most successful profitable shuttle route in the country )and pulled the plug on that deal.  My point to thinking he was a train wreck began when he declared bankruptcy in his 4 casino's.  How................how can anyone loose money in a business where the house ALWAYS WINS?  Must be one stupido being.
I watched the 2016 campaign very intently and followed each debate with utmost interest. I must admit, I was most interested in hearing his comments about draining the swamp..................but was quickly turned off and did a quick 180 when I heard his very childish nicknaming of each of his opponents,(something I did when I was 7 years old.........Vinnie would tell me my mom did not know how to bake good chocolate chip cookies........my reply was simply calling Vinnie a poopy head that had boogers coming from his nose.............that, really infuriated him) along with his racist remarks about Mexicans, Muslims, woman and anyone that did not agree totally with him. I was deeply set back on his description of being able to "GRAB a womens  (****y) because he was a star and they let him do it............  something you must never GRAB...............but caress.  That's when I decided to do some research about this person.  Much to my surprise, I found out about his life growing up, having been sent to New York Military Academy by his parents for disciplinary  reasons.  When his parents, immigrated to the USA from Germany, they told people in Brooklyn they were from Sweden.............not Germany to gain favoritism from neighbors. How his father, Fred in 1927 was arrested for participating in KKK Riots taking place against the police in the Bronx. Also very interesting were noted quotations of David Duke (KKK grand wizard) "make America great again"  or  " America first".    Sound familiar ?  Now, this is in no way meant to say that all that like Trump are Neo Nazis or racist......but does put a note in the minds of some.  I myself do recall at one time taking place early in his campaign, how I said to myself,  "finally, a person with a pair of balls to call out some of these Washington do nothings."  Didn't last long folks. As soon as I discovered some of his past, I knew he was not the man for me or anyone else to vote for to lead this nation. This person is a TOTAL CON MAN, owes no respect to other people but only to himself. He demands loyalty from followers but does not give a damn about others.  He will put anyone under the bus, that goes against any of his wishes.  I being a liberal, actually found Kasich from Ohio the only Republican making any sense.  To bad the Republicans have such an upside down platform from my own way of thinking but they are really going crazy now with the way they protect a man suffering from Narcissitic Personality disorder along with the seven year old mind of getting back at people who are against him.
In 2017, I jokingly made a comment to a Republican friend of mine about how I thought this country would end up in a civil war.  Well, my friends we are at the beginning of that war right now. Just look around at what has happened since the election................seems things are getting worst and the country is more divided than I can ever remember.  This will not be a shoot it out bang bang civil war but the division, as it grows wider will have great negative effects on this country, economically and morally.  Remember, United we stand......divided we fall.  The small base of people that still follow this POTUS, to me represent those that are truly followers and will never be able to secure leaders responsibilities.
I received this you tube presentation from a friend and found it to be quite enlightening.

https://youtu.be/qZ-bifYqK_Q

There was more to this posting but my editor-in-chief suggested that I eliminate it all since it would apparently get some people upset at me...................something I certainly do not want happen. Just want to be the same old happy go lucky guy that I really am.  Brings me to the subject of visiting my doctor recently for my wellness examination.  If any over 65 year old people out there have been to this examination, I personally like the part where they give you 5 words to remember and suggest you put them into a story.  Minutes pass while they are talking with you and then slip in the question of the 5 words.  I always seem to remember mine since they are usually repeated over and over again on CNN, however as soon as I begin telling my story ..................with the five words, I get a big yawn out of the doctor. It usually goes into a 5 minute stand-up for me.    Her only question of concern for me is why I seem so depressed and if my depression last for a long period of time. I keep telling her that my depression starts as soon as the TV is turned on and last until the TV is turned off. Very few channels have my type of comedy on it during the summer months, but thankfully some of the news occasionally makes me laugh..............or at least laugh at the stupidity.

See you soon

 

 

IS IT JUST ME??

Being an 81 year old dude (almost 82) I feel I am as much into the new fangled tech ways of the future as I ever will be.  I know all of what I want to know about cell phones, computers, smart TV's, home security features, self parking cars and everything else you can think of.  Having said that, I must admit, I still have to call upon someone else to help me FIGURE it out. The worst part is that all these young people know it and sometimes, I feel taken advantage of . When I do call for help, I just get the old persons  "tech talk run-a-round".  By that I mean they are getting their laughs by getting back at us old folks for all those times............we have spent trying to teach them something by telling them how old we are, how much more we have experienced things and most of all, just how much more our brain has developed over time. Now it's their time to prove us...................wrong. Well, I have news for them.  I have decided to make certain changes in my life style to simply bring me back into ...............".MY world" It's time, Vito that you have to sit yourself down and ask yourself some really hard questions.  Do I really need all these SMART things in my life only for the reason to ask some young know it all person how to operate it?  My instant reply was.................NO, NO and NO.  Let's take a look at each of them and see what I can get rid of.

PHONE:  I originally got my cell phone to stay in contact with my kids and my grandkids. I quickly found out that none of them know what a phone is for. I received no calls on it but my text messages alert is constantly going off.  I found that I could very easily share 250 minutes a month with Margot saving $40/mo and still being able to carry forward 240 minutes.  Now I suddenly have 253,000 minutes I could use FREE for talking.  That's 4,216.66666 hours. 175.69444444 days or approx. 5.85648 months. of talking non-stop.   I don't even know that many words, besides, that's talking well beyond the battery time on my phone.   I did find out though, that texting was the thing to do so I have unlimited texting on both my phone and Margot's phone.  I have now checked to learn that the TWO of us racked up a total of 6.4 hours per month on our texting.  Do I really need unlimited texting?  I think not. Along these same lines tho, we both have checked our email and  facebook accounts a minimum of 12 times a day using data. Our plans covers data only within the continental USA. Beyond those borders the cost is  UNBELIEVABLY HIGH.

INTERNET:  the word surfing confused me at first.  I ran out to try and buy an internet surfing board...............only to be told that surfing meant......................just looking at many different sites, even the sites that I don't know what they do.  My biggest fear right now is that I am now on everyone's call list .  Only way I could get off it was to install a telephone system that monitors my phone and only sends through calls from numbers I know and have excepted before. All other calls the system reads as something called spam. How do I know it works?, I don't because I never get to speak to any callers that the system deems as spam.  It does cut down on the sales calls though and the running back and forth to answer the call.   It rings once and that's it...................gone.  If the caller is a true caller it will ring the normal amount of 5 times. I can then answer it, if I am able to move fast enough.  If I want to add it to my DO NOT CALL ME AGAIN  I just enter a number and that's it.

AUTO:  the computer in my car had me going for a while.  Bluetooth keeps me in touch with email, and texting.  Incoming email or texting shuts down my radio and asks me if I want for it to read it or ignore it. Only problem is, it's voice recognizeable.   The voice comes in and says.  "  you have a text from XXX  shall I read it or ignore it "  I say "read it"  IF it understands me she will read it.  IF she doesn't recognize my voice she just keeps repeating the question. IF she does recognize my voice she will read it. Then she ask if I wish to reply or disregard.   I find that my commands are not very well understood............could it be the New York accent or does my voice change from day to day?
Another thing besides GPS that tells me how to drive to my mailbox or anywhere else I go is a young lady with a British accent.  I chose her voice so that it gives me the flavor of international travel, rather than a wifey type voice.....................which is a given.  My cars computer talks to me to tell me when I need service, air in my tires, when I am over the speed limit and when my next bowel movement is. Technology is fantastic...................but.

TV:  my smart TV is one of a kind.  Every morning at 3AM it updates its software. I know this simply because of insomnia. When that occurs, I simply sit there looking at a message on the screen telling me my software is being updated. Scary message for an old dude to see at 3am. It only takes a matter of a minute or so and then ......................back to regular broadcast.  I really don't see any difference in the operation or the picture and have always wondered what the update was.  Only thing I can reference is that POTUS looks a little more orange than normal and his brain a little more ...................dumber, could this be the change in software?

With all the technical advancement this nation is making the day to day business is becoming more and more complicated...................one thing that remains the same is life goes on.  With the passing of each day, another one starts......................but for how long.  There seems to be a limited amount of blogs still in this old man but my next one will be a powerhouse one, before the book.

COME ON BACK
   

  

PUERTO VALLARTA...........DOWN MEXICO WAY

PUERTO VALLARTA........................

This city has changed my mind ...................about a country.
It was 28 years in making but extremely well worth the wait.  Now, three consecutive years in going to this wonderful, friendly city by the sea, I yearn for a return. Just a 4 hour trip by air from Seattle and I am in a Margarita type of heaven.  So many things to say about this city. No matter where you go, who you speak with, friendliness is on their mind. Could it be ....................because they depend on tourist.  I say not. Their friendliness seems to be sincere and it's very welcoming.

Once you're able to maneuver the way through the waiting taxi drivers as you exit customs, you'll find sunshine.  The one thing I have learned, is that bargaining is acceptable all over Mexico but you have to be reasonable in your negotiations.  Going so low is not acceptable and could loose a deal totally. Another tip is always, always get the cost of a cab ride before you actually enter the cab.  If you are at a hotel ask the bellhop what the approximate cost should be to your destination. Confirm this price with your driver..............just to make sure. If your final destination changes while you are driving ask to see if there is an additional cost. I have found that if the final destination is just a few blocks away you can bargain for the additional distance to be included. There are no taxi's, that I am aware of, with a meter in them.  Tip properly, not only in cabs but to the bellhop, who opens the door for you to the servers. I always carry a lot of dollar bills just for those occasions. What few pesos I end up with also goes for tips. Canadian and USD are always much appreciated.
Due to previous experience, I am still a little quezy in drinking the tap water but bottle water is supplied in room, restaurants and wherever and whenever you ask. With this in mind..........just drink tequila, it will kill all germs.  According to local sources the water purification system in very modern and takes care of everything...............my bad experience still plays tricks with my head.  Stay safe.

FRIENDLY VALLARTA RESORT AND SPA

We prefer the ALL INCLUSIVE hotels, and what they offer. For one price, which some can find a little expensive, it will include of course your very nicely decorated room with private extremely clean bath, shower either tub/shower combo or standup shower , with a bar for those unsteady soles. All shower amendities and hair dryer. Same electrical as USA/Canada. All rooms have TVs and some have small refrigerators or kitchen facilities. If you need a frig. just ask for it, just incase you need it to store medical supplies. The all inclusive offer food, usually at three or more buffets or food shops scattered around, along with a coffee bar and perhaps two drink bars. Just the thought of not having to carry money around all the time is attractive to me. Food is available usually starting at 0800 to midnight. Never been awake longer than that so don't really know what's available. The drinks are somewhat watered down which just means you have to have two to equal one. Guess you could ask for a double, then the ratio would change somewhat to 1/2=1. Cool drinks seem so nice during the hot days, but the headache that follows feels .........................terrible.

On the beach side you have umbrellas or little grass covered huts. I prefer the little grass covered hut and then just pull my lounge chair out into the sun area. I found that some people get up at 0500 run out with their towels to block certain chairs both poolside and on the beach. Go back to bed for a couple of hours, have breakfest,  go shopping and then still have their umbrella or little hut ready for them when they want.  Such a practice is a little rude but apparently quite acceptable since I have never seen any fist fights ................so far. The friendly pool and beach staff will always be able to find you a spot and just seem to be able to find chairs and umbrellas as needed.  Don't forget to show your appreciation thought by throwing them a dollar or so.

Regardless where you choose to burn your skin, you can rest assure it will be comfortable.

Early March brings the spring break crowd from USA colleges. Some kids........needless to say get a little wild, but on the most part I found them to be very polite and even willing to talk to us old people. Matter of fact, Margot was asked to join a group in the pool and later on I found her spraying sun tan lotion of some young dude.  Was the mother factor or is she turning into a cougar. Anyway, activities turn to the younger set once the crowd arrives.  From water aerobics and zuma lessons to riding the bull, and pool bubble baths.




They have it all.  Beachside BBQS, beachside dancing, open mike night, beach volleyball.


This year, they set one pool aside just for the spring break crowd........so that the old folks and the kids could enjoy the bigger pool.  Music plays constantly, drinks are readily available throughout the day, all one has to do is raise their hand and hail a passing waiter. There is always a "drink of the day" usually something very imaginable and always contains Tequila.  My favorite turned out to be the "alligator" a mixture of tequila, fruit juice and a little vodka.
I introduced them to my favorite  " the Stiletto"   half amaretto half baileys cream

                                 THE MALECON  (city promenade)


Downtown Puerto Vallarta is simply that. Stores of all types selling everything to everybody. Restaurants, bars, small coffee shops, including Starbucks. Walk the Malecon, a boardwalk like promenade with the beach and ocean on one side and stores of all types on the other. We were introduced to one particular small restaurant and bar 3 years ago by a good SAS friend we all know.  Dave Woodcock and his wife Marisela, told us about this one. It is located on the Malecon, owned by a Swede from very northern Sweden on the Finnish border. He is a master of master chefs studied in Switzerland and has worked all over Europe and now owns, I believe 2 or 3 restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. His name is Ulf Henriksson .
This one is "ViteA ".  Sits right on the Malecon with both inside and outside seating. Cuisine is Mexican American absolutely delicious. If and whenever you drop by and ask to talk with Ulf, he makes it a point to visit your table.  For any Scandinavians, this gives him a little time to keep up with his Scandinavian language. Of course he also speaks Spanish (Mexican) and I found that he is quite interesting to talk to.


A great place to sit, have a wine..............or whatever and watch the sunset.

You can also enjoy some of the entertainment provided by free-lancers doing their thing in front of the café. When they finish their act, give them a few pesos. They will appreciate it.

You can always find Ulf at either of his restaurants.



The Malecon is a must do when in Puerto Vallarta. This approximate mile long promenade runs thru old town and up to the romantic area.


THINGS TO DO

Puerto Vallarta  offers many things to do from shopping to tours in the jungle area, to zip lining to riding the balloon . 

Like fishing ?  Then try your hand at some great deep sea fishing for swordfish or dolphin.

Act II brings you new guest acts every week in March. Enjoy som great theatre.

Visit the Palm Cabaret for some good excitement or the Royal Opera House for good Opera.

SOME PERTINENT FACTS

Currency is the Mexican peso but Canadian and USD are accepted widely.
Buses charge 8.00 pesos per leg and a new ticket must be bought each time to change bus.
Taxis have set rates within defined zones of the town. Like I said, do not enter a taxi without agreeing on the price with the driver first.
Tipping is usually 10%-15% of the bill at restaurants and bars. Bellboys, taxis,waiters, maids, etc depend on the service.
Suggest taking a good city tour to familiarize  yourself with the town.................or just enjoy walking around. The city is advertise as.............a safe place.
NOW, before the wall is built make your way to Puerto Vallarta and get one of those T-shirts shown above.

Finally, Let me ask you to click on the below link for extra stuff.  (click on the link once, then click a second time)

https://youtu.be/m73mhRz0SDM

(thanks Dave Fenwick for this little donation)


Enjoy and welcome to  Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Vito