Posted in random with tags pride, random on March 6, 2026 by jefferyrn
It has been a week. On Monday I got a bill for medical supplies the insurance didn’t pay for. Then Tuesday I got food poisoning and stayed in bed all day Wednesday after a night on white porcelain. Then Thursday I had a blood draw only to come out to a dead car battery. Thank goodness for AAA.
I am afraid to say what else could happen. On a high note it is pride weekend in Cat City. Truly a maller event as these things go but it is the first of the season. A few goings on in front of city hall and a celebration at Agua Caliente on Sunday as they sponsor the infamous bed races. It should be a good time.
Here is a shot from a previous year.
Oh and David Archuleta is headlining a show on Saturday. He is a former American Idol contestant who came out recently to the chagrin of his Mormon family.
Oh David! (Not the one from HGTV.)
Side note, after several phone calls I think I got the insurance payment straightened out. It was “a billing error.”
Posted in random with tags random on January 27, 2026 by jefferyrn
I’ve had the bear for over twenty years. I bought it in a gift shop on the Riverwalk in New Orleans pre Katrina. It is hand made by a local artist. It is a memorial to victims of AIDS. Originally, I had it on display on a shelf in our bathroom in Reno. It was probably was not the best place for it with all that moisture. It had been in a box in the closet since we moved to Palm Desert.
I was considering putting it up somewhere. But I don’t have any of that New Orleans theme in this house. It remains a memory stored away in the closet. It almost seems appropriate as we are all feeling less free under the current administration. I feel like hiding in the closet too.
I love all the little do dads that are attached to him. I have a cross on the wall with a similar concept by a different artist. I purchased it in Morro Bay, before my parents passed away.
As you can see it has a New Orleans vibe about it too. New Orleans is one of my favorite places.
Posted in random with tags random on November 5, 2025 by jefferyrn
I just figured out that I can talk into this and write my blog. Much easier than trying to type on this phone and it’s my stream of consciousness isn’t that fun. It doesn’t seem to get all the words right so I’ll have to go back and make corrections.
It really is quite a mess what it’s texting for me so far, but it’s worth a try.
Today I’m going to help the neighbor set up a new air purifier in her living room. When you’re the techie on the block you get all the calls. I guess it’s better than being idle all day long.
I went swimming and took a shower to get the stink off or chlorine I should say. Now I’m sitting here watching TV. The View just finished and it’s time for J Hud (Jennifer Hudson). She’s a little preachy for me but I like her. Interesting yesterday on the view they had Marjorie Taylor Greene. Still a liar, but it was interesting seeing her interact with the women on the view. They were actually kind to her. And she chose to agree with them on somethings. I still don’t like her. She can’t be trusted.
Rick is in the bedroom doing the bills. Not a very fun job. Watching the money go out. Car got fixed yesterday. Quite expensive. But we did manage to save an hour of labor. The mechanic we have is pretty good. I hope this keeps the car going for another few years before we have to buy a new one.
I used to always be in charge of the bills. But since we got married Rick does it all. And I don’t mind letting him. Which has left me with the laundry. And some lighthouse keeping. He cooks. I do the dishes. The chores are pretty evenly split. I guess that’s what make a good marriage. That and not staying mad at each other. Oh but we do argue. Who doesn’t? When it’s just the two of us here alone we have to argue with someone. Sometimes I get a break when he calls his sister or I call mine. That’s why we’re trying to spend more time with neighbors. And maybe go to the happy hour.
Just got back from setting up the neighbor’s air purifier. She just bought a little one that sits on the counter. Pretty simple to use. I hope it works for her she has allergies.
I’ve written a lot with this thing so far. Think I’ll end it now. Hopefully I have something to talk about later.
Posted in friends with tags random on November 3, 2025 by jefferyrn
So many little things are happening to me. They add up to a lot of drama and dysfunction. This leads to stress, which in turn leads to eating. We all know where eating leads. I have somehow gained 10 pounds since jury duty.
First was the jury duty itself and the back and forth to Indio Superior Court for two plus weeks. Did I make the right decision?
Next came the need to repair the car. It needs all kinds of stuff, including motor mounts. Who knew those were a thing? The bill is over three grand. It’s been in the shop now for two days. I had to take money from my 401k to cover it.
While I was at it we decided to take enough to pay for a credit card we had been over using all summer.
I got the withdrawal, but in the process I discovered my previous employer was changing the plan the 1st of January to go with a new company. So, I made the withdrawal and let the dust settle before rolling the remainder over into an IRA last week. The money went into some strange state called a settlement fund. Today I repurchased mutual funds in the new account. Now it is an “Individual Retirement Account” and my former employer has nothing to do with it anymore.
Also in the middle of all this high finance we had company from out of town. My office became a guest room for five days and I was stuck at the kitchen counter using a laptop. Guess what else is on the kitchen counter, Halloween candy. I was doomed.
Happy hour
Other stuff happened too. We went to the HOA happy hour Halloween party at the insistence of our new board member friend, Dave it was not a good time. We sat at a high top table with Dave behind a pole. When I went to the food table and attempted small talk with some of the neighbors they looked at me like I had two heads and ignored me. I went back to our table dejected and munched on more candy
Food table
Dave came to the house after and we drank and talked till 1 am. That part was okay.
We agreed to attempt another happy hour. Next time I will be more aggressive and mingle whether they like me or not. I may need some courage before heading over. Hell I am old. I can day drink if I choose. I need to do something to break into their little cliches.
Hopefully the car is ready tomorrow!
Oh and I almost forgot. The lovely Franchise Tax Board informed me my installment agreement was being cancelled and to please pay up. damn, I had already set my withdrawal in motion and had not included this amount. Several hours on the phone and the installment plan was back in place. It seems the was a glitch in the system. Since my payment went in on the 2nd and not the 1st of September they cancelled me. Hello, the payments are automatically made. The 1st was Labor Day and the computer system didn’t have that exception in place. At least it was an error I could understand.
I hope November goes more smoothly.
P.S. There was a good thing. My chair broke in August. I call the store and they were able to order a part and fix it for free while my company was here.
Posted in random with tags random on June 22, 2022 by jefferyrn
In an effort to stay more positive, I have not watch any of the congressional hearings on the January 6th insurrection. But I can’t help hear tidbits in the news and seeing the headlines on the internet. I am not sure who these hearing are for, because we know what happened. The people who believe the false narrative are not watching these public hearings. It is a typical “preaching to the choir” move. But at least it will be recorded in historical purposes. Maybe future generations can learn from it.
What is more disturbing are the headlines about attacks or planned attacks at Gay Pride events this month. I feel like we are making moves in the wrong direction. Women are losing the rights to their bodies and we are losing our rights to marry, at least at the federal level. That is one reason I moved back to California. I needed to be surround by like minded people, not evil conservative, religious, racist, homophobes like we have in Nevada. And you wouldn’t think with an anything goes city like Las Vegas, Nevada would be more liberal. Nope, they love their guns, they hate them queers, and women are subservient to men. Oh and they are racist, didn’t I mention that too?
I will say this climate was changing. There has been a migration of liberals to Nevada. But the overall they are still a redneck state. My boss still thinks its okay to make derogatory comments about Biden in staff meetings. And it would be in normal circumstances. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But these are not normal times. I can’t wait to be fully retired and disconnected from that place. There is a gap between Northern Nevada (Reno) and Southern Nevada (Las Vegas) and it is at least 400 miles wide.
What else is bothering me? My sister is dragging her feet again. She needs to get moving on selling her house and moving up north to be with her son and granddaughter. To be honest I think it is unhealthy for her to stay in that house. It needs work and it smells horrendous. I fear she will die in that place and she is all I have left of family in this world. My husband thinks I should flat out tell her this is how I feel. But that is not our relationship. I don’t know that she would appreciate it or act on it the way he thinks.
Yes I have a nephew, but he needs to step up and take care of his mom. I have not met my grand niece, because my nephew and his woman (not married) are a strange lot. My sister has only seen the baby on video chat. He is a conspiracy theory monger. His woman is a recluse and suffers from mental illness. She is paranoid that someone would take her child so they are home schooling her. She truly is mentally ill. She gets SSI for it.
What I was hoping is that my sister could move up there and have a more positive influence on them. Plus despite his beliefs, she love him and wants to see that granddaughter. Who wouldn’t?
So I am working on my sister. Pushing her along to make the move. She wants to but she is a procrastinator at heart. She doesn’t want to think about too many things at once. We have to step it out to get her there. I just hope there is time.
Okay that is my rant….I feel better anyway….sorry to bore you with my fears.
Posted in random with tags random on August 24, 2021 by jefferyrn
As my 61st birthday approaches, I find myself with a case of the blahs. It is not a true milestone year. Next year is my retirement year. I should be excited. I am in my retirement home. Palm Desert is a dream come true. But for some reason, blah.
Maybe everything just moved a little fast this summer and I am still catching up to it all. Working from home this past year certainly has changed how we live our lives. We are closer. We are too close. We are in each other’s face’s way too much. We argue about stupid things. We argue about everything. We spend time together. We have no alone time.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
I enjoy getting up a half hour earlier and just sitting in the quiet house looking out the window at the jack rabbits and road runners on the lawn. It is peaceful. The stillness is wonderful. Those jack rabbits barely move at all. The road runners make up for that racing across the grass and into the drive. What they are chasing escapes me. Nothing seems to be chasing them either. Silence is truly golden. I half expect to see the ACME truck roll up and drop an anvil or something on old Wile E Coyote. Though I have not seen a coyote yet.
Okay, so the blah comes and goes. We are getting out of dodge for a few days. Not going to think about kitchen remodels, toilets, lamp shade, area rugs, appliances, couches, chairs, pictures, junk we moved and need to get rid of, etc. Maybe that will help me catch up. We can’t go on my actual birthday because that is a holiday weekend and the prices for hotels skyrocket not to mention the traffic. So, we are going a week early. As for that junk in the garage, I have already called a local charity to come and take a lot of it away. Some more boxes need to be sorted out, but that can wait for another day.
I think once things are organized, I might feel like I am here. Right now, it seems like a very long visit.
The days go by so quickly and yet the future seems so far away. I am so ready to retire from this place and spend my last days doing what I want to do when I want to do it. I turned 60 this month. It’s amazing I have lived this long and yet I see at least 20 more years in my future. It looks like I might be able to retire at 62. It all depends on our financial situation and healthcare.
DOW in downward spiral
Watching the stock market makes be afraid that my goal is unattainable. The real estate prices are holding so we might be able to sell our place. We might need to do that now and start renting. Our destination is Palm Springs. The prices there remain stable. But then I hear stories of investors looking for deals. Palm Springs is on their list. With people working from home during this pandemic, workers are discovering they don’t need to be in San Francisco or Los Angeles. They can work from anywhere there is internet.
Palm Springs is roughly 100 miles from LA or as the song goes 99 miles. There is less traffic, less smog, better weather (if you don’t count the extreme heat in the summer), and an all-round increase in the quality of life. That’s why I want to move there.
Also, it is eclectic. All sorts of people live there. Here I am surrounded by conservative MAGAs who scare the crap out of me. In Palm Springs I hope to be surround by my own people. It is a gay retirement destination of sorts. It is an old Hollywood retreat historically, but now it is more of a golf and leisure land with 360 days of sunshine a year. I don’t play golf but I would rather look out at those fields of grass then into my neighbor’s condo as I do now.
Beautiful Palm Springs
I think we would make friends. Not that we don’t have friends, but friends that understand who we are and aren’t just curious bystanders. I have high hopes for this utopia. But honestly we’ve got to get out of this place, if it’s the last thing we ever do. The people here are such animals. Pun intended.
Life Beyond the Casinos 