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Author: mikeljohnston1 (Page 68 of 269)

Retirement is not without Hassles: Stop the Bus #2007

April 18, 2022 / / 0 Comments

With company in town, it’s been several days since I’ve contributed to this blog. I’ve been stuck on post number 2006 and events of that related life-year, as I shared memories with a hometown friend that has been around since grade school at Beardsley School 1962. He told me that the “Bombers” nickname was changed to “Bulldogs.” I was formerly a Rice “Krispie” before we moved to a new neighborhood. Rice was torn down years ago and Beardsley is in a new location. Everything has changed, even our High School lost its unique nickname. The “Blue Blazers” are now the “Lions.”

It’s “Matinee Monday” and “Patriot’s Day” but we can’t fit a movie into our busy schedule. I was pushed on my run this morning (more than a minute a mile faster) by a neighbor, as we talked about today’s Boston Marathon, something that he has run 15 times. I never qualified but ran the course one day when I was visiting another high school friend. I’m now sitting in my office watching the latest episode of “Winning Time.” I also won at Wordle this morning, after my first loss yesterday following 29-straight. 

I have to correct my Amtrak reservation that I made last week. I needed a means to get from Portland to Vancouver BC this September where we’ll catch the Viking Cruise to Alaska/Japan. We always enjoyed the route into Seattle for ball games. As it turns out, the train trip included a leg by bus from Seattle to BC and my wife objected. Apparently, with border restrictions and limited schedules, the train no longer runs directly into the Vancouver station. Instead, we’ll use Alaska points to fly, fitting more closely with the rest of this luxurious adventure. After all, we’re flying First Class from Tampa to Portland and have a suite aboard the ship. She’s right, stop the bus?

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Good Friday #2006

April 15, 2022 / / 0 Comments

It’s Easter weekend and Good Friday. As I reflect on the past, 2006 saw us living in Decatur, Illinois. We bought a home on Lake Decatur that was previously owned by the Andreas family that owned Archer Daniels Midland. In fact, the basement had a direct communications system to the corporate offices for work-at-home situations. The company brokered the first deal on wheat trade between the U.S. and Russia and was the subject of a Federal Investigation into price fixing and became the book and movie, The Informant, starring Matt Damon, who we got to meet during filming.  I thought it was cool that Leonid Brezhnev had once visited our home, but the property was cursed for resale after ADM moved their corporate offices to Chicago and a glut of executive homes sat on the market for years. Selling that home was one of the greatest hassles of my life in a costly sense.

ADM was also responsible for the unpleasant odor that plagued the city, as I can recall saying “it stinks here!” I remember another businessman replying, “Oh, that’s the smell of money!” It was like the story about the Emperor’s Clothes, where no one wanted to admit that there was an embarrassing problem. I left there with a real estate albatross and without a job, so the memories of my time there weren’t all good. We did, however, make many good friends, most of which moved away once they got the chance. My wife and I may pass through there again this summer on our trip up to the Grand Hotel, to see those that are left behind. 

One of my early friends from grade school and his wife are coming for the night. We met them for lunch about a month ago down in Ft. Myers after several years of separation. He lives in lower Michigan now, but owned a body shop in our home town of Elkhart, Indiana. They winter at Marco Island, and are stopping by on their way out of Florida. We’ll get a chance to catch-up further on a friendship that’s approaching 60-years. It will be a Good Friday!

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Signs of Getting Old #2005

April 14, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I have about an hour to write before the storm called Nora passes through again. She is my nearly 4-year old grand daughter and a destructive force. Last night she broke the cool electronic balloon that I got for her and Tally’s food dispensing toy. I was able to fix the latter after she left, but spent about an hour collecting kibbles off the living room floor. She does not know what “NO” means and doesn’t listen anyways (I call her IgNORA.) This morning our house was filled with contractors, four at one time! They were in and out quickly while Tally was at the dog park. My wife just left for her Aqua-fit class but will be back to fix us all lunch, once Nora finally arrives. 

I’m supposed to be enjoying bonding time with my little prodigy, but I’m not a patient baby sitter, while she’s a hand full. By the time of Saturday’s Easter Egg hunt, I will have spent four straight days with her after years of seeing her only once or twice a year. I’m also not feeling particularly great. In fact between the upset stomach and contractors, I only managed a miserable mile this morning (consecutive day #4,855) and did not swim. I did however, finally get in the shower that evaded me yesterday. Once again, it was baby sitting and contractors that moved me away from my normal routine. I was so out of sorts yesterday morning that I completely forgot about my chiropractor appointment and Borrego Boyz luncheon. They knocked on my door, wondering where I was?

I spent about an hour on the phone yesterday trying to resolve an issue with a water filter on our refrigerator, speaking of hassles. Apparently, I ordered the wrong part and it took five different Whirlpool employees in five different cities to finally order me the proper model number and credit my account for the return. They don’t even want it back and suggested that I donate it to charity. I then spent another half-hour online arranging for our flights to Kauai in December. I had finally found a reasonable fare just as our doorbell rang and it is was time to go to lunch, when my wife had just put lunch in front of me. I threw on some clean clothes and jumped in the awaiting car, still confused on why they were an hour early? Just another sign of getting old!

 

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: More Disruptive than Helpful #2004

April 13, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Both the Cubs and White Sox won last night and I succeeded at Wordle and Quordle this morning, so it’s shaping up to be a special day. I’m watching Curse of Oak Island where they are dealing with another curse in trying to uncover the Money Pit. It seems to be a constant state of affairs, as the show was aptly well named. Last night we saw another episode of Severance on Apple TV, after immersing ourselves in Van Gogh and gorging ourselves on steak and Chilean Sea Bass at Michaels on East. Today is much less eventful, keeping my eye out for warranty-work repairmen. Yesterday, they were up on the roof to patch some tiles that were apparently “overlooked” after the last inspection. A year ago tomorrow we officially moved-in after a night at a nearby Fairfield Suites. It’s hard to believe it’s already been a full year of being a Florida resident. 

Back in late March of 2018, we were headed home from our Mediterranean Cruise when I wrote about Vincent van Gogh and his Starry, Starry, Night painting that was made into a song by Don McLean. Last night, we experienced his work as a digital video in larger than life form. It incorporated all of his paintings with the most appealing being Almond  Blossom with pedals falling all around us. We, of course, bought a magnet to stick on our garage refrigerator to commemorate the occasion, joining hundreds from other world travels. 

We’ll hopefully hang the outdoor entry light later this afternoon. It will match those on both sides of the garage door and complete our overhead lighting needs. We have then agreed to invest in some outdoor lighting both in front and back of the house that should be installed in the next month. We also looked at tile and stonework for the outdoor kitchen while awaiting delivery of parts. These will be the last two major projects for 2022, with extensive travel on the horizon. My son and grand daughter should be over this afternoon to start this work – she’ll probably be more disruptive than helpful!

 

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Fingers Crossed, Again #2003

April 12, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Almost every year has its unforgettable moments. In 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas upon re-entry, killing all seven astronauts on board. I watched on a TV in the lobby of an Indianapolis agency, wondering if it was another terrorist strike? It was also the year that made Cubs fan Steve Bartman famous when he supposedly interfered with a potential out against the Marlins in a Playoff game. The Marlins went on to win the World Series and Bartman was lucky to escape with his life. We were coming back from Hawaii and in the airport when I saw the Cubs collapse. We would have to wait another 13-years for the Cubs World Series curse to finally end after a 108-year draught. 

The Cubs are on TV this afternoon as we head to Sarasota for the van Gogh exhibit. I guess I can give up a day of baseball for a little culture, although to me the game is culture. Our 2016 Wrigley Field World Series tickets are mounted on the home office wall next to me, along with the baseball cards of 1908 Cubs stars Tinker, Evers, and Chance, who took the crown in the early years. The cards of Rizzo, Russell, and Baez who were the modern-day version of the double-play trio, are encased next to them. All three of these Cubs stars are no longer with the team in the five years that have passed and most of the current lineup is unrecognizable. 

I did not sleep well last night, although it was nothing in particular that was bothering me. My mind was busy thinking about being gone from home for two full weeks and the preparations necessary. It’s mostly silly things like this that keep me awake in retirement, and most of the things I worry about never happen. We’ll be gone for another two weeks in July/August, a whole month in September/October, and two more weeks in December. We have at least ten weeks of travel ahead in the 37-weeks remaining this year. It will undoubtedly be the busiest year of travel in our lives, if not affected by Covid, fires, work stoppages, border restrictions, or cancellations that have plagued our first few years of joint retirement. We’ll spend some time on the beach, fly cross-country, cruise from Alaska to Japan, drive 3,000 miles through the Midwest, and end up in Kauai with family to end this eventful year. I doubt that we’ll ever be this active again, although next year calls for a drive to Maine and an adventure down the Nile. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, again! (See Posts #1329 and #1877) 

Retirement is not without Hassles: The Excitement Continues #2002

April 11, 2022 / / 0 Comments

By New Year’s Day of 2002 my life had completely changed. I was remarried and had seen the fall of the Twin Towers, after being on the observation deck the year before. I was running WLFI-TV in Lafayette, IN and had watched the final collapse in the lobby having just arrived at the office after my hour-long drive from our Zionsville home. I had spent the commute listening to the radio reports and monitoring our TV coverage on the way into town. My wife had gone the opposite direction into downtown Indianapolis for her job. It was a huge news day for the television business, as people watched in disbelief while the tale unfolded. We moved a TV into the kitchen and couldn’t keep our eyes off the footage. My staff worked around the clock and extra security was added. An armed guard greeted me the next morning, with concerns about terrorists taking over the air waves. These measures lasted for about a month.

We had been married about six months when this attack on our freedom took place. Our Las Vegas wedding in April and September 11th are two of the most memorable events in my life, outside of the birth of my son 27-years before. Every trip to New York City from that point on included a visit to Ground Zero and eventually the reconstruction of  the World Trade Center. 

Today is another quiet “Matinee Monday,” and certainly not as eventful as those that happened in 2001. The Batman seems to be our only choice now that I no longer have to pick up my grandson this afternoon that had originally disrupted our movie plans. Tomorrow, we’re headed to Sarasota for the van Gogh Immersive Experience and dinner at an old favorite, Michael’s on East. We also need to plan a drive up to Leesburg to see my sister before she heads back to Indiana. I still have baby sitting duties on Thursday morning with my grand daughter. Friends arrive on Friday for the night and the kids will be over Saturday morning for an Easter Egg hunt. Next week, we leave for Singer Island and our 21st wedding anniversary celebration. I’m currently watching the newest episode of “Winning Time,” after finishing Season 2 of “Bridgerton” last night. Tonight, we’ll continue with “Killing Eve,” as the excitement of retirement continues. 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Murph #2001

April 10, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I’ve started another streak…this time with the game Wordle where I’m now 23-0 but remaining humble.  Obviously, I’ve only been playing for less than a month, but supplementing it with Quordle that is much more challenging, having stumped me a couple of times already. The running streak of course continues, but poor Tally got sick on my office rug. I didn’t notice it until after my first couple of preparation stretches when I felt some moist spots on my back. I had laid right in it, so there was a delay getting started this morning. It was a rough way to begin my Sunday, especially after finding out that my nephew’s youngest son had to be air-lifted out of Cancun to Miami for medical reasons. He’s recovering at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital after a couple scary nights in a Mexican facility that required cash in advance for treatment. It was apparently a costly vacation.

I went to a retirement party last night about ten houses down from us. After just one year in this neighborhood, we’ve made lots of friends and gone to many parties where I can drink and walk home. The alcohol messes with my sleep, so it was a restless night. All I  have on my agenda today is more baseball, the Long Beach Indycar race, and The Masters. I’ll be fighting Tally for the chair in my office, where she’s laying right now. Maybe I’ll go outside to watch once it warms up a bit? It was a little chilly in the pool this morning.

I got a call from one of my Portland buddies during the party last night. He was joking that he had an extra ticket for the annual Old Timer’s Baseball dinner. I doubt that I’ll make the 3,000 mile trip but will see my friends in Portland this September before our Alaska cruise. Atlanta Brave’s Hall of Famer, Dale Murphy #3, is the guest speaker in his home town, and I’ve asked them to get me an autographed copy of his book titled Murph. The event is in two weeks, so I’ll be in touch that night. Last time we attended, most of us all nodded off after the speakers droned on. We’re hoping that Dale will be more entertaining. A giant mural of him is on our neighborhood stadium where the Braves host Spring Training every year. Keep them awake Murph!

Retirement is not without Hassles: Leap Forward #2000

April 9, 2022 / / 0 Comments

The year 2000 was special–even though it wasn’t the start of the 21st century–because it was a leap year. This according to Scientific American. “Julius Caesar devised the leap year to correct for the fact that the earth circles the sun in 352.24219 days. Because this is not a whole number, the months of the year would slowly fall out of sync with the seasons. A fairly precise correction to the Gregorian calendar debuted in 1582, and stated that a century year will only be a leap year if it is evenly divisible by 400–which is true for Y2K.” Mathematic or astronomical nonsense aside, “the official calendar millennium did not start until the year 2001. We, therefore, celebrated it twice, although my wife to be severely cut her fingers making dinner, so we spent New Year’s Eve 2000 in a hospital waiting room. In 2001, we were making plans for our wedding. 

This morning I marked day 4,850 of “The Streak.” I’m now lucky to break a 15-minute mile, as I slowly chug along, far from “leaping,” on our neighborhood streets. Wind has been a factor these past few days, but it’s been fortunately at my back after the half-way point of my 5k daily journey. It’s also my birth mother’s 89th birthday, but she sadly doesn’t acknowledge my existence, although my wife insists that she hasn’t forgotten. I hope to see some Facebook posts to assure me that she’s all right. It’s been a year since I’ve seen any pictures usually posted by my two living half-siblings on her side, who also have not responded to my letters. Today always brings out the Jerry Lee Banister side of me, as was recorded on my birth certificate. The birth father’s family has been more than welcoming.

Tomorrow is National Siblings Day, so I have eleven  people to remember. First, is my sister that I grew up with that was also adopted. In addition, there were six Banister children from my birth father, with five girls are still alive. The son died in an accident as a teenager, so I’m the only living male on that side of the family. I’ve met four of the now women, plus their mother, and frequently stay in touch with one. I will visit her again in July. My birth mother had four children after me. Two have passed, so technically I now have seven partial siblings still alive to honor on this annual occasion. I regularly maintain a Ban(n)ister Family Tree on Ancestry that ties together all the members of my adopted and DNA families, as I continue to search for genetic connections.

2024 is the next leap year, having seen five go by since the year 2000, and ran on three February 29ths since my streak started in 2009. In my mind, the only distinguishing factor is that extra day in February. Otherwise, there are 365 days every year, with one additional running day every four years. I just hope I can continue to Leap Forward for many years to come. 

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Party Like It’s 1999 #1999

April 8, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I could resist with post #1999 – thanks, Prince. Next up, tomorrow my 2,000th retirement message. It’s been nearly that many days since I left the workforce on December 30, 2016 (1.925 days to be exact). It shows that I’ve met my daily pledge of a post each day. “Party On, Wayne!” I recall the t-shirts that we printed back in my Ft. Wayne softball days, circa 1984. “Hello, my name is Doug Clark and I wanna party with you!” His wife wore a similar version of “Hello, my name is Deb Clark and you’d rather party with me.” They were phrases coined at the bar where we would hang out after games – O’Sullivans Tavern. As we passed along full trays holding shot glasses of kamakazes, Doug and Deb were the friendly faces of our group that would take over the bar and sing “New York, New York,” on stage. We would have easily adopted this song if would have existed at the time:

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you
I only want you to have some fun
… I was dreamin’ when I wrote this
Forgive me if it goes astray
But when I woke up this mornin’
Could’ve sworn it was judgment day
… The sky was all purple
There were people runnin’ everywhere
Tryin’ to run from the destruction
You know I didn’t even care
… Say, say, 2000-00, party over


Oops, out of time
So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999
… I was dreaming’ when I wrote this
So sue me if I go too fast
Life is just a party
And parties weren’t meant to last
… War is all around us
My mind says prepare to fight
So if I gotta die
I’m gonna listen to my body tonight, yeah
… They say, 2000-00, party over


Oops, out of time
So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999
Yeah, yeah
… Let me tell ya something
If you didn’t come to party
Don’t bother knockin’ on my door
I got a lion in my pocket
And, baby, he’s ready to roar
Yeah, yeah
… Everybody’s got a bomb
We could all die any day, aw
But before I’ll let that happen
I’ll dance my life away, oh-oh-oh
… They say, 2000-00, party over
Oops, out of time
We’re runnin’ outta time
So tonight we gonna party like it’s 1999
… Say it one more time
2000-00, party over


Oops, out of time, no, no
So, tonight we gonna, we gonna, whoa!
… Alright, it’s 1999
You say it, 1999
1999
Oh, 1999
Don’t stop, don’t stop, say it one more time
… 2000-00, party over
Oops, out of time
Yeah-yeah
So tonight, I’m gonna party like it’s 1999 (we gonna, whoa)
… 1999


Don’tcha wanna go (1999)
Don’tcha wanna go, oh (1999)
We could all die any day (1999)
… I don’t wanna die
I’d rather dance my life away (1999)
Listen to what I’m tryin’ to say
Everybody, everybody said party
… C’mon now, you said party
That’s right, everybody say (party)
You can’t run from the revelation, no (party)
Sing it for your nation, y’all (party)
… Dreamin’ when youu’re singin’, baby say (party)
Telephone’s a-ringin’, mama now (party)
C’mon, c’mon, you say (party)
Everybody, do tell me (party)
… Work it down to the ground


I say (party)
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (party)
Come on, take my body, baby (party)
That’s right, c’mon, sing me the song (party)
Yeah-yeah, oh, no no (party)
… That’s right (party)
Got a lion in my pocket mama, say (party)
Oh, and he’s ready to roar (party)
… Mommy
Why does everybody have a bomb?
Mommy
Why does everybody have a bomb?”

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Prince
1999 lyrics © Npg Publishing

Retirement is not without Hassles: Light at the end of the Tunnel #1998

April 7, 2022 / / 0 Comments

This blog is now quickly approaching the Twentieth Century, with this post #1998. Monica Lewinsky made big news that year as part of the President Clinton sex scandal. Ironically, the FDA approved Viagra for erectile dysfunction about that same time. I was in the process of leaving WISH-TV in Indianapolis to run WLFI-TV in nearby Lafayette, while in the unpleasant business of going through a divorce. My son had already permanently moved to Florida, far removed from the knock-down, drug-out battle that ensued. He’s still in Florida to this day, twenty-four years later, and sadly going through this horrible ordeal with his wife and three kids at home. 

When we moved in to our Florida home a year ago, there were ten “holes” in the ceiling that needed to be filled. They were each hidden with a white plastic cover that hid the wiring above. Last night, my son installed the final overhead fixture, one of which moved with us from Portland. It was my twentieth anniversary gift for my wife, a crystal chandelier from a nearby display window, as close to “China” as we could get. (See Post #1995). We had an electrician hang it in our new dining room, along with three lights suspended over the kitchen bar, LED lighting to highlight the backsplash under the cabinets, and two bathroom lights. We called him about installing the rest of our purchases but he never responded. My son offered to help, needing a distraction from his home life.

He has already situated two lanai fans, decorative fixtures in both bedrooms, a complicated, artsy installation in the great room, and an overhead light in my office. In addition, he replaced the lights on each side of the garage door and will soon add a matching pendulum light in the front outdoor entrance foyer. Finally, a motion sensor has been installed in the garage for hands-free light operation, while my wife has plans for more of these. Next, we’ll look into landscape lighting to further keep him busy. Watching my grandkids is all part of the deal, along with what we would have paid an electrician, who would have turned up his nose at several of these intricate crystal pieces that took hours of patience to install. We’ve still invested over $18,000 in this project, with several thousand yet to go, but we’re finally starting to see the “light” at the end of the tunnel.  

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