So Far, So Good

I've been back for a week and might soon adjust. As it is, there appear to be no outstanding warrants or anything so that is OK.

The important thing is to keep in motion and don't give up, if at all possible. That was one reason I liked being on the road. you have that extra incentive to pick up and keep moving. Campgrounds only allow you for so long. Recent weather made hanging around anywhere too long akin to locking one's self in an oven set to cook pizza. The car has windows which make it windy if you drive with them down, and a/c for purely high carbon footprint, good old fashioned cooling. Even so, you probably get better milage with windows up, running a/c, than you do windows all the way down traveling the same speed. Windows just down an inch or two and no a/c, I believe, has the advantage.

My age and mortality confronted me on this journey, and that sucks, but I suppose it is good to get it out of the way at some point in life. I'm barreling head long toward the invisible finish line and will reach it whether I want to or not. I'm closer to it than I was thirty years ago. OK, accept reality, and then give it the finger and forget it. Way too much of our culture wastes time on some sort of worship of false immortality--too much plastic surgery, too much adulation of entertainers as if they are timeless and bigger than life, too much classification, like "seniors", and whatever they call young punk kids, etc.

Every time I get injured or sore, which has happened to me since I was a very small child, or someone else I know gets injured or sore, they invariably say, "well, we aren't getting any younger", "Old age is catching up", "i'm getting old". What kind of dumb ass attitude is that? Of course you are getting older. By definition everything is as seen through our reference frame of this 4 dimensional dimension. Time is the fourth, after length, width, and height. Or depth if you prefer. You measure time, then you automatically have age. So why point out the obvious?

You are probably suffering from self neglect is my guess. Or you may just have bad genes or bad luck and the place where you exist is liable to fall apart because it is a lousy unit. Or all the above. It is what it is. Time goes on, so if you gonna blame every ache and pain and shortfall on age, why not just end it all now? Put yourself out of your misery. Things fall apart. You work with what is salvageable. I was in worse shape years ago. I was in better shape other years ago, so there it is. Gimme dollah, man, I old and a friggin senior citizen.

Last thing I want is for kids to think I am cool. Those who believe that keeps them young are just frightened and trying to cover it up. Unless, of course, the snotty little bastards will pay me money because of it. Then, go ahead, think I am cool as glacier ice.

One thing for sure, senior discounts at motels are largely mythological tales designed to get your cheap, greedy old self in the door. AAA gets you the same thing, if anything. The standard line is to say, "Oh, I already gave you the discounted rate. The normal price is a billion dollars".

In a way, I'm glad of that. Discounts based on date of birth, race, or other condition of birth have nothing to do with the cost of supplying the room. I could see discounts for those who bring their own sheets, towels, soap, shampoo, toilet paper, maybe even their own bed. And who don't use electricity and such. But what is the logic of old equals cheaper? I've heard the fixed income rationale.

Why not just put everyone on a sliding scale? To each according to need, from each according to ability. Sounds like a plan that is sure to work and everyone can be happy and nice. Oh, maybe it was tried before. What could go wrong? Maybe what goes wrong is that someone or some group has to decide what is your need and what is your ability. And your cooperation cannot be optional in such a scenario. That gets sticky because then the nice people (or person) in charge has to force you to see the light and comply. Could get ugly.

The whole pension, social security scheme of things is a trap, but many die before it bites them. That is how those things work.

Anyway, the senior thing is garbage. Like it is easier for an 18 year old to afford dinner than a 70 year old. Another crumb doled out to help get votes.

In the mean time I will trick and harass any place that uses that senior discount bait. The trick is to wait until they give the price, then ask nonchalantly, "so, what age is considered senior these days", as if you are only curious--not greedy, which you are. If you are lucky, the 20ish, clueless clerk will say, "Uh, I dunno, maybe like fifty." "Oh, wow! I can't believe it--I qualify!! Thanks, young whippersnapper!" And you get 10% off because killing your joy over winning this miniscule lottery is impossible for all but hard core sociopaths Acting! Remember your lines, cues, and marks. And P r o j e c t!. But let me warn you, this only works maybe one out of seven times, and it is very hard to play the Indians, and Asians. "Oh, we're too cheap already. No more discount is possible!" Or, having a bit of a different work ethic, they will say senior is 75 years old, "maybe".

I managed to set and spring the senior trap a couple of times, but it almost is not worth it. One thing for sure, do not let them know your age before finding out what senior is. If you do, they just add a few years and set that as the senior line of demarkation.

I'm hungry. I had one good meal since Seattle. I still have my strawberry jam, homemade, so I am not hurting for good food. Plus the seasoning, I forget the name, too lazy to look*, that Joel thinks is better than Howling Wolf. It is from NC, and it is different and close to as good on french fries. I have to compare the two. Needless to say, for a vegetarian, I have the best rubs for meat and fish of anyone I know. The NC stuff is salt free, so that may be a benefit. But the Wolf is mighty fine. Both are better than you find in most pantries, so I will not call a favorite.

That did it, I have to figure out what else is here to eat.

*OK. Looked at the container--Richard's Delicious Seasoning .. for pork, poultry,seafood, did it say bar b que? THAT, and/or beef. No msg, no salt. Joel made me an offer I couldn't refuse--he spent hard earned money and gave me a bottle of it. I find it is best on salty things. So, if your fish, pig, cow, crow, chicken or squirrel is on a high salt diet, Richard's is what you want. It is also good on tortillas with butter. I'm now too seasoning savvy. I'll have to replenish my almost depleted supply of howling wolf, and when Richard's runs out, I'll have to search the black market for more.

By the way, that's where I get my protein, in case you were curious. The Black Market. The Seattle jam maker finally pointed that out because I have never known how to answer when a carnivore bares it's fangs and snarls, "So, you a gotdammed vegerarium. Tell me this, sissy boy, where you get yer dem protein?" Of course, the answer was obvious the whole time. The Black Market has always been where I got it.
Thank you, S.