Really?

When I didn't have a smart phone that notified me every time an e-mail message arrived, I didn't notice that I am now the recipient of a heck of a lot of advertising.  Now that I do have a semi smart phone, the ads chirp my phone at least once an hour.  I would call it a smart phone but I am too dumb to make it do only what I want it to do.  After being hacked last month, I am kind of shy about just who and why they are using my data on their sites.

I guess there are a lot of people out there that are just allowing their data get into systems and don't realize their debit and credit cards can track their purchases and tell telemarketers a lot about them.  Yes, I  know this sounds a little like conspiracy theory, but the reality of the increase in advertisements coming in on my cell phone has some basis in truth.  I am just not sure if it is my truth or theirs.  This week I needed a pair of gloves and Harbor Freight wanted my telephone number as I was paying cash for the gloves.   I said no thank you politely and the girl said why?  Because I don't want you to think you are free to call me day and night.  With all the Robo calls coming in during the season of elections I just don't want someone else start calling.  The good news is that I can screen the calls with Caller ID and don't answer calls I don't recognize.  That 800 Service number can just stop calling I don't want to answer a survey or donate money to any political party.    

Last night the Barbershop chorus had its usual Monday night practice.  As I have nominated myself as the program guy for next year I am thinking about how to make the practice sessions fun and alive.  I mentioned to the director that our practice last week felt really good.  We were in the Mall and didn't spend about half our time trooping back and forth to the risers.  I mentioned that the chorus could benefit from sitting down and running through the music one time with the music and then stand up and sing without the music.  We just don't show much emotion when we perform.  We have a good sound but I'm sure we look like a zombie chorus,  No wait, at least zombies want to eat brains.

What does it mean to you when you don't have the coordination you once had?   Yesterday while I was moving a new toilet down stairs to replace one that doesn't work well, I fell down outside on the hill.  Seems like I just got my feet tangled up and made as good a Parachute Landing Fall (PLF) as I could.  Skinned my knee and elbow a little but at least I could get up and keep moving.  I did have a visit to a neurologist a while back and was notified that there is a follow up visit next month.  Perhaps he can help me understand that old people just fall down sometimes.  I am trying to limit my exposure to falling but that is difficult when I have been so able in the past.  Perhaps I need to get more regular exercise that cross trains my muscles. 

I fully expect that the Politicians tell the truth in their advertisements.  Our Governor talks about all the money he is directing to education and anyone that was awake last year knows that the Kansas Supreme Court made him restore the funding cuts to education.  He claims to have grown up on a farm but his father won't let him drive a combine.  Doesn't he know that every kid that knows anything about farming thinks he is a dork if he can't anything as simple as operating a piece of farm equipment?  Heck, even a city kid like me drove a tractor as a young teen ager.  Another thing is that there seems to be some stigma about attending the convention for your party.  I would think that anyone so dedicated that they run for an office would attend the nominating committee for their party.  Can you tell that I am strongly into the Never Re-elect Anyone (NRA) mode?  I think we need to change them out on a regular basis unless or until they start getting things right. 

I am glad that I am not in charge of what the news programs show each broadcast.  To be fair and balanced, is a thankless task.  How does the killing of one person in Oklahoma stack up with a bus wreck where several died?  How long does the protest in Ferguson, Missouri need to be a nightly coverage?   Where is the fact that we are digging a debt hole deeper each day.  Where is the idea that while the Affordable Health Care act is a good idea, it plainly isn't delivering what it said it would do?  Why does the Government get to decide what is enough insurance for me?  Do I want a Government that tell us they may run out of Social Security Money somewhere out in the future holding the purse strings to our health care?  Oh well, tough decisions without much rewards.

Better roll.

MUD