Over the years I have seen many variations of Frankenstein at the movies. The “original” was pretty good, and some of the other variations were OK as well.

This past couple of weeks, when I have had some time, I FINALLY read Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. What a GREAT book, and NO WHERE NEAR ANY of the movies I have watched! And if the movies had followed the book they would have been even better than they were being WAY off base from the book as they were!

Now, I understand that a lot of times the book is better than the movie. I get that and understand why. But these movies are WAY off base of the book, have a totally different bent in the story line, and is pretty crude compared to the book.

If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it!

MANY, MANY years ago, RIGHT after “The Brick (to the right here!) came out I acquired one and charged it up. I think I paid a bit over $1,000US for it. It was one of the first non-bag “mobile” phones. I loved it. My first phone bill was like $3,130ish dollars (I was doing pretty good financially back then), but it was worth it to be able to move about and do my job. (I was a Bounty Hunter and Private Investigator at the time.)

Fairly quickly I decided I wasn’t home much, was normally out and about, and I that I didn’t need a land line, so I had my land lines (I had two lines, one business, one home then) turned off and I ONLY used the cell phone. This was back in the late 80s or early 90s. (I think very early 90s?) I kept that phone for a long time, upgrading once to a slimmer version of the same thing, the Baby Brick as we called it back then.

Then it was time in the mid to late 90s to get this phone, which I carried a version of for quite a while.

Until Friday the 6th I carry a Motorola Flipside Smart Phone. I like it, although it was obsolete the day after I bought it, BUT, it is time to reverse the trend…

Yep, as of the 6th, I am basically turning off the cell phone (actually am turning off the Flipside and going to a cheap pay as you go Samsung flip phone) and going BACK to a land line as the primary phone.

Why you ask? As I get back into Religious life, where I probably belong, my goal is to move a bit more away from technology and from being constantly in contact, or contactable. I want to spend more time reading, praying and contemplating than I do texting, talking, etc.

Now, I was one of the first to go only to a cell phone, which now MANY people do, will I start a new trend and take people back to a land line? The land line is a VoIP phone, over the Internet, so it is cheaper than an “old time” land line… Looking forward to see how it works out for me!

Well, it finally happened, but it seems that it wasn’t “overly” announced this time, and it is to get up to 58 today, but I finally woke up to snow yesterday!! And enough you could make a snowball or two!! I loved it!!

I finally put up the flag I wanted to put up a year ago when I moved in!! It looks good with snow behind it!

Yesterday morning I was driving to work, and each time I looked about, I saw more and more things that just had me wondering about people today. I was heading to the hospital early in the morning, still dark out (due to rain clouds and the time), and a couple of minutes late in leaving, so I was looking at the people in the cars that I felt were driving badly for one reason or another (extreme slowness, too fast, weaving in and out of lanes, running lights, etc.)

The first person I “looked in on” was someone that was weaving in and out of traffic, but at the speed of everyone else, almost hitting cars as they drove. When I chanced up beside him, I found that he was reading a tablet, as he drove, spending most of his “driving” looking partially down at the screen, which was resting on the steering wheel. One hand on it, and one hand on the wheel. He would glance up every few seconds or so and adjust his location or speed as needed.

The next person I pulled beside who was going REAL slow, in the left lane (the “higher” speed lane for those not in the US) putting on makeup as she drove with every light in the “cab” of the car on so she could see what she was doing.

The next person who was weaving within their lane, and going slow then fast, was busy with his hand in the back seat apparently looking for something. He would throw stuff up in the air, shifting it around, move half his body into the back seat as he reached for something (speeding up as he did so), then slam his brakes and slow down when he “came back up front”, again, while going along in the left lane on a 55mph zone.

These were just the top three “offenders” of many…. There were many people on their phones texting, or talking not paying attention to the road as well.

What are we doing these days? Do these people realize that they may effect and affect others on the road too with their actions?

(I know, you are asking what I was doing looking into their cars? I always maintained speed, kept a safe distance from other cars, and looked all about as you are supposed to as you drive.)

I’m amazed at what people do!!

Well, a couple of weeks ago we had what was supposed to be our first 2 plus inches of snow!! Here is what we got:

Yep, that is all we got, and it quickly vanished! We were supposed to get a couple more inches this past weekend, but it never showed up, and in fact it was BEAUTIFUL out all weekend, if a bit cool!!

This is going to be a long hot summer I bet, with lack of water all over the US! No major high snow melts to keep the water going!! I can only pray that spring brings us a lot of rain!!

When I was in high school, from 9th grade through 12th grade, I was in ROTC and on the drill team with arms. While we were good, I could only wish we were this good!:

Very well done, and very sharp!

Ok, I’m a bit miffed at my fellow Americans… I was reading a news article in which New York has now made it illegal for NY City to allow religious organizations to rent public property to hold their services/meetings.

In general I don’t understand that ruling, but if that is what the City wants to do, and they don’t mind the loss of revenue, that is their problem.

What gets me though is all the commenter quoting “Separation of Religion and State” from the US Constitution as a reason to back up this move by the State. Yet that amendment is miss-quoted. It reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The first part is what people are tripping up on: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

This means that Congress can not establish a “State Religion” or require anyone to be of any specific religion. It doesn’t mean there is to be a total separation of State and Religion and that the State can not have a religious service on their property.

The comments in this news article miss quote the Constitution “with authority”, but they are wrong, and I’m not sure they have even read the Constitution based on the statements they make, and how they make them!

ARGH!!

Back in the early 1970s there as a show on the air called EMERGENCY! in which two guys showed the world the new Paramedics in California. This show was a key motivator for me to get into emergency medicine and lead me to go initially the Coast Guard, who wasn’t hiring, but finally into the US Army as a Combat Medic (91B plus others). It progressed from there. Anyway a great TV series, and I found it, all 100 episodes, available on Netflix, and started watching them again. A GREAT series still!! Although I have been laughing at the cloths of the time. (Didn’t think they were funny looking back then though….)

Today while checking out what was available, I also found “The Rat Patrol”. LOVED this show when I was a kid, in black and white, but didn’t see a lot of them, as, if I remember right, when it was on, there were things that my parent’s wanted to watch instead. Started watching it today, in color now!!, and am enjoying them too!

So, without commercials, I am now catching up and re-watching Seaquest, Emergency!, and The Rat Patrol, as well as watching new and old movies… A happy camper, and it keeps me busy as I recoup from surgery and exercise on and off all day at home.

Been “out of it” since the 10th when I had my surgery. The days immediately following the surgery I seem to have slept off (for the first three days anyway) and I don’t remember a whole lot from surgery day till Thursday afternoon. Wednesday just kinda vanished!! Thursday afternoon I felt like I had had my surgery the day before, and that I had gotten home just yesterday. I BARELY remember the ride home, other than sitting on the recliner when I got home. Don’t remember getting up to go to bed or anything!!

By Saturday I was pretty much clear headed from all the drugs/trauma/etc., but was still on the pain pills and such. By the end of Sunday I had pretty much had it with the drugs and stopped taking them. Early Monday I started feeling like I had a fever, but was unable to take it, as I didn’t have a thermometer, and no one I called did either! I’ll have to get one. Anyway, after a few times of feeling like I was burning up for an hour or two at a time, and then going into cold sweats, I decided I was having a fever, and called the Doctor’s office, but was only able to leave a voice message. (Never did get a call back, two days later…)

Yesterday morning I woke up in a cold sweat that later turned into feeling like I was burning up again. I called a friend and we were off to the ER. After making sure I didn’t have a clot (blood) formed/forming in my leg and checking my blood stats, it was decided I was probably coming down with a cold and sent home.

Luckily there was no signs of infection in the left knee, which would have been VERY bad! Still feeling kinda “uh” aside from the knee, which is swollen again (too much hobbling yesterday?), but at least it is not an infection!

So, back on track today, and things will be back in line by the end of the day in the direction of goals, plans, writings, readings, etc. I’M BACK!!

Ok, surgery was done this past Tuesday. They took a bit over three hours apparently, instead of the one hour they told me it would last. I was also supposed to go to Physical Therapy Wednesday morning, but the doctor gave VERY firm, multiple times, instructions that I was not to take my locked brace (locked straight) off until the 26th when I go see him again.

He then added an “important” second appointment on the 19th for some reason!?

Wonder what happened in those 3ish hours that took so long and why changed as to the PT I was supposed to start?

I was brought home by a good friend Tuesday evening, arriving about 8PM, and was out cold shortly after that. Don’t remember much of the ride home either… Slept most of Wednesday, and Thursday felt like it should have been Wednesday and that I had just gotten home the evening before. I slept a good bit Thursday as well.

Not as sleepy today, and have taken no naps (yet…) today. Knee still hurts a good bit, especially when I go to raise it up when I sit, or when I go to put it back on the ground to get up to eat or to go to the restroom. Dull throb between… Unless I’m standing, then its a steady pain…

Can’t wait to get the brace off though!

Not the best way to get off of working, but I’m kinda glad I’m not at work right now..