Here we are 2 years later and I’m still breathing. I’ll say one thing, it’s been a painful 2 years. I’ve had at least a half a dozen eye operations, and way more than that in Dental surgeries. Bottom line? My left bottom molar implant is a no-go due to the chalkiness of the bone due to my cancer radiation treatments 10 years ago. And my front lower bridge needs replaced for $3,000 which I don’t have. And as for my eye, I’m still half blind. It’s called a retinal detachment. And I’m still waiting for it to finally adhere to the macular wall which could take up to a year I’m told. Until then? Everything through my right eye is wavy gravy–with a veil of sorts.  Can’t drive so Crystal is the new boss of the car. (Her car, actually..)

I also lost Kitty.  This has been the hardest pain to deal with. He passed from kidney failure…which I’m constantly blaming myself for for not knowing the gravity of his condition. If only I had known I would have maybe been able to get another four or five years from his companionship. Crystal was so broken up and it was all I could do to keep from crying there in the Humane Society clinic room when they took Kitty away. Sedated. We have his ashes now. And we found a kitty with a bunny face–ragdoll mix–to help with our grieving process. Kitty was what they call a Birman ragdoll.  A highly expensive breed, which to my understanding, are Indonesian Temple cats.  So there’s really–outside of divine intervention–not a prayer of getting another Kitty just like Kitty.  Clones cost up to 50K so that was out from the get-go. (Tho we did order a fake stuffed”clone Kitty” to have …like Roy Rogers had w his Trigger… for $500.) So now our new Kitty (who is a girl, by the way) has been graced with the name of Kitty, once again. Only this time it’s “Miss Kitty” (like in Gunsmoke) instead of “Mr. Kitty.”  For the time being I sleep with (and still converse to) a little stuffed “Build-a-Bear” cat Crystal found at the thrift store for my comfort.  And we trade our new companion, Ms. Kitty, back and forth like we did with Mr. Kitty.  And so the grief goes on. And on.

That’s about all I have to add for now. We’ll see how the eye does. We’ll see how our new Kitty fares. We’ll see if I can forestall my front lower bridge from failing until my insurance can cover it.

Hopefully, more to come. (Trump’s criminal apocalypse aside..)

Hate to say it, but when you have to go to these lengths for hope things are getting skewed.  Or should I say screwed…?  Yeah, I voted.  But in a solidly red state that’s not a vote; it’s just a dead rat flipping off dark shadows of oncoming hot rods..  Will America become the same hypocritical fantacist police state of fifties yore …under this very likely fascist Russian-agent dictator Tumpsky?  Are we really going to have to endure all that crap yet again????  Lord have mercy if that’s the case, is all I can say… 

     Yes, she strides onto that burlesque stage in her well pressed prosecutorial power suit while her criminal defendant dances, belches with jaundiced laugh alongside his jaded fascist audience he’s unleashed and normalized.  She’s the virgin tied at the stake while Mr. Evil Sorcerer bekons dragon to come eat her.  Nope, no St. George in sight.  Anywhere.  No one to fight off his audience of hate to consume her. 

     Well, I guess I shoulda seen it coming.   Way back when I knew someday my Boomer demographic would eventually get old grumpy but still vote.  And then too weasily cling to a misbegotten conjob fearless leader’s squakking–because o’course having an opinion is the only thing you’ve got left to kicking the bucket with.  Which leaves only the husk of once idealistic young selves turned inside out …now just a mere tool for the con …for their one last hoped for revolution for everyone else to be forced to kick the bucket in, too.  Raptured up or whatever the fuck.  Painful for me to say, but it’s pure selfishness, disassociation and hate that rules us now.  We’re old and want the Big Kaboom to go up in.  Biblical shit.  So looks like I’m done.  Will blog again next year if there is one..

A long overdue update.. 

Well, it’s now mid 2024 and I currently reside way up on Vista avenue. And I do mean way up–on a second floor. The upshot is that they moved Crystal right next door to me, and plus, she’s my (paid) nurse now (via H&W). Kitty is doing just fine.  And we trade him back and forth daily for lots of snugs.

As for my back bridge, it was not able to hold up in the end. l also lost my lower front tooth with complications leaving me with a three tooth lower bridge, as well.  Enrolling in Molina’s HMO provided, at the time, money enough to get implants started for the lost bridge, and the front tooth and subsequent front bridge dealt with, but the cost financially has been considerable. (I also had to have two old crowns replaced.) So I’m dead broke.  The final cost of the back implant molar crowns will be out of reach for some time.. so I’ll be paying the usual $200 per month (plus $50 dental insurance) until I can finally get those accomplished.

As for me personally, I’ve been getting into this rather expensive trip of Japanese and diamond whetstones–sharpening on my Japanese tools, kitchen cutlery, etc. Oodles of fun learning all about steels and how to grind on them.. just so’s I can give myself regular boo boos wit sharper stuff. Laters.

Just an update pour moi..

Kitty’s medical dental visit at Humane Society went well. Turns out she didn’t need spayed because she’s a he and has already been neutered. The dental only removed one tooth and did a cleaning. Still waiting on the bill after grant money kicks in..

So all’s good w Kitty.

Crystal’s B-day at this year’s Anime festival held at Boise’s Grove. Unfortunately, it’s its last…but still a good run of 20 years for the kids. And for us older kids at heart, too! I’ve likened it to Boise’s Mardi Gras.. and so, hopefully, not an end for a chance at downtown cosplay in years to come.

As I stepped into 2022 I found myself faced with a few challenges, to wit: (a) my dental bridge was failing and no way to replace it for under $5k – with my savings down to $1.5k (b) I was abruptly moved into a shoebox half the size of my apartment, and (c) I wasn’t physically up to moving everything I’d accumulated – banging on 71 years old this year.

Well…

(a) Delta Dental had an emergency outreach program which ended up saving the bridge. (b) I lucked into an extra bunch of pain pills when my prescription was filled. And (c) I got it all in and, plus, now have a “porch” where I can sit and admire BSU’s new (nationally recognized!) gorgeous art building and watch Capitol Blvd. parade by. So it’s all good. After all.

On Bob Dole… Not So Much.

Apparently Mr. Dole has given us a window into just how pervasive dirty money is. Using his political creds he amassed a lobbying portfolio of dirty money Russian (and presumably others) oligarchs. Names include the likes of Mogilevich and Solntsevskaya whose gangs bought SE Asian heroin from the OSS/CIA’s Kaoumintang anti-communist proxies.
Threads:
“Bob Dole literally worked for Vladimir Putin’s oligarchs, the same ones who attacked our last two elections.”
“He was a handmaiden of dictatorships and crime syndicates.”

I recently joined the rat fink Club group and have enjoyed going back to those halcyon days of my youth…and which inspired me to get into my drawing of weird-ohs. Basically, to entertain my classmates and friends. To this day Ed Roth’s toons are a fun doodle. Thanks, Ed, for all you gave to us kids at heart.

Boise’s old Torch Cafe (now a strip joint) used to have famous finger steaks. Back in summer of ’68 a pipe moving buddy of mine by the name of Bruce Rankin (brother to Kenny Rankin, a well known recording artist from Caldwell who made good) related to me that the recipe for those finger steaks at the Torch came by way of his Grandma Rankin. Well, I just happened to stumble across a FB posting of it from an employee who worked there back then. Here’s the scrap of paper recipe for you all to share amongst yourselves. Incidentally, the real secret is that the steaks are best if they’re tenderloin meat.. tho that’s rather spendy I’ll admit.