Putting things in perspective ....

In the late 1980's I got my first computer from my dear brother when he upgraded to a new 486 PC.
I was quite impressed that the 386 PC he gave me had TWO 500 megabyte hard drives. It used the new 3.5 inch floppy discs that had a 1.44 megabyte storage capacity.
   Today, in my pocket I have a flash drive that stores 16 gigabytes. That would be the equivalent of more than 11 thousand 3.5 flopy discs .... in my pocket.
  I remember how impressed I was when 700 megabyte CD's came out and then 4.7 gigabyte DVD's WOW. But that would still mean that I would have to carry 4 DVD's in my pocket to equal this one little flash drive. I almost bought a 64 gigabyte flash drive last week but, like I said in 1989 .. "I'll never use more than 500 megabytes of storage space."

P.S. I also have a 3 TB backup drive on my desk.That's more than 192 flash drives (16 gb) and more than 7 million floppy disks. It's good to put things in perspective.

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Loathes and Feces

  There are people in the world who seem to be members of the same club that I will call "Loathes and Feces". They are filled with hate and stinkin' thinkin'. ("They are always willing to help people to hate anything that needs hating" Thank you Robert A Heinlein).
  When I hear/read/watch the outpourings of these people, I know that there are others who are willing to be drawn in and poisoned by their rantings and will certainly join the club as a full time member. It makes me wonder; What is lacking in their lives that makes this type of action so appealing? I only wish there was a simple solution to this problem.
  Many would say they lack religion but I believe quite a bit of this is caused by religious fanaticism. Some would say they lack love but I believe they are in love with themselves and their hatred of others.
  Some would say they lack family values but from what I have seen of many families this is where they get their misguided ideas.
  Death seems like an easy fix but we know, from experience, that killing them only makes the other members of Loathes and Feces more determined in their misguided cause.
  Education seems like a good idea but that their motto appears to be "My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts."
  In these days of instant communication I see too many "loose cannons" thinking they can silence these rantings when they are only adding fuel to the fire. I want to say "People, you are being baited by a hate monger. A died in the wool member of Loathes and Feces.

                                         Ah and alas, what to do. What to do.

  After all, well meaning people who respond with opposing hatred are rarely heard. And when a person is ranting it's best to let them rant to exhaustion because it is difficult to stop a train moving at full speed.
  I have decided not to respond to these people and always remember that a soft spoken word, uttered with a loving heart, at the appropriate time is a good place to start.

Visit: April 2015

Every six months I am required to leave Mexico in order to renew my tourist visa which gives me a chance to visit friends and family in the Portland/Vancouver area. I have had so much fun watching my little great grandson, Lucas Sky Walls as he grows and develops. He is just now 20 months old and I have posted a video of some photos that I have made of him in these last two weeks. HERE

 

Alternative medicine ...

I have believed for many years that there are as many beneficial as well as bogus treatments in both modern medicine and alternative medicine. One of those alternative treatments, namely Acupuncture, I felt was bogus but never having experienced the treatment I reserved judgement.
Well, earlier this week I started having severe pain in my lower back and hip. The next day I felt shooting pain down through the back of my thigh and the next day it continued into my shin and ankle but the hip was the worst. It got to the point that I couldn't find a position to sleep in where I was comfortable and yesterday it even began to be painful to stand in one position without pain. I did some research on-line and it was obvious that it was Sciatica.
Ivone has been going to her doctor for acupuncture treatments for several weeks and I was in doubt as to their effectiveness but I was in such distress that I scheduled an appointment for this afternoon. The doctor agreed that it was Sciatica.
It was difficult to get onto the treatment table but I was ready. The doctor put four or five needles near my spine on my lower back, one in the back of my knee and one in my ankle. He put a light, warm cover on my lower back and turned on some soothing music. After about half an hour the pins were removed and he said I could get up when I was ready. I laid still for a few minutes and slowly began to get off the table. No pain. I twisted gently left and right. No pain. I bent forward. No pain. When I got home I laid down in bed on my back, turned to my left side, turned to my stomach and then to my right side. Still, no pain.
I have an appointment for tomorrow but at this moment I don't feel like I need it. We'll see how well I sleep tonight and what tomorrow brings.

UPDATE Monday, Feb 9 2015:
What I've learned about Sciatica and Acupuncture
First of all I want to say that Acupuncture is very good for temporary relief from the pain of Sciatica. It can give the body a much needed break during the healing process.
Second of all Sciatica can be dealt with by just keeping the back and stomach muscles in good tone. Strength and stretching exercises can prevent many of the common back problems and also eliminate the pain of Sciatica.
I am continuing the Acupuncture treatments while I am doing the physical therapy and already I can feel a lessening of the pain.

UPDATE FRIDA Feb 13 2015:
The pain relief from the 4 Acupuncture treatments has allowed me to continue the stretching/strengthening exercises and although I still have some pain it is manageable. I will continue with the program and hopefully the problem will be a thing of the past for ever.

Dear ones ...

  Well, here comes another Christmas season and the beginning of a New Year, hopefully a happy one for all. As I sit here near the beach with a cool breeze blowing in over Zihuatanejo Bay, I am so very glad that I'm not dealing with cold, wet, windy weather and that I have many friends from the northern climes to share the afternoon with and laugh about some of the images of snow and ice that we find on the internet (not wishing bad weather to any one, of course).

  There are so many quiet joys in my daily routine as I make my way through the open air market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. The kind smiles of the familiar vendors, the laughter and shyness of the children, the sun, ah the sun, and the constant pull of the warm sea water, beckoning my dry, dirty feet to wade in and refresh.

  I do, however, miss my friends and family from time to time and I hope the feeling is mutual. But I also have my friends and family here and I wish they could all meet. But alas, the distance and the border present problems and it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon. So I will just say to everyone, I wish you all the kind of comfort and joy and peace that I have found. I love you all.

Remiss, I have been remiss

Okay, time to play catch-up.

So Lucas Sky Walls was born six weeks early on August 31, 2013 weighing in at just 5 lbs.

                                                            Proud parents Kris and Amanda.

 

But now he has caught up and is doing extremely well.

Award winning smile.

With grandma Jaimee (Abuelita)

Also, I did get my tablet when I got back to Washington and it works just fine. Life is good :)