Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[NYCat]

Thank you all for the kind words. I am back at catsitting again. I took the same bus from a different stop. I wanted to mail some bills at the post office. The boxes on the street are not safe. Crooks fish out the mail and erase the checks. A friend of mine didn’t wind up losing money but it took her months to get a new account and get all of her automatic payments and charges changed. Now I use a special pen and have a nearby post office where I mail them. I saw something happening up ahead on my way. I thought someone fell off a bike and a kind man was helping. Not at all. It was a dispute over a CitiBike and I doubt either one of these guys had paid for it. There were belongings scattered around and people were passing out at the curb to avoid the situation. On of the guys went off pretty quickly and I got my bills mailed. There was a sweet old couple on the bus. Both of them had canes and they cheered me up with their sweet faces. When I got off the bus a woman I don’t know who was walking a dog wished me happy new year. There are so many people here you have to run into some good ones. 

 

Paulette

[Michael Ventura]

Just saw on the local news that bus drivers are getting assaulted more and more by passengers and crazy people who jump on the buses.  The drivers want a complete enclosure to around the driver to keep them safe.  But that doesn't help the other passengers.

 

So just back from the dentist and he did a temporary fix on that tooth and then wants me back in two weeks to extract the remainder of that molar and take out the neighbor molar and put in an implant there (that molar is cracked in half too but held together with a crown) and leave today's broken molar empty.  Such a mess I have.

 

Gen, it must have been tough for you not to smile, you seem like the sort who smiles a lot.

[Dave Nelson]

Just got out of the hospital after suffering a heart attack on 17 December.  They added a stent in one artery and will be adding another in the near future.  One artery is totally blocked.  Along the way I picked up a case of pneumonia and lost my voice.  This is after previously surviving stage 4 lymphoma in 2010 and lung cancer in both lungs in 2014 and 2019.

 

I was hoping to get up to 2000 images on line by the end of the year, but I guess that will have to wait. I had thousands of images from the South China Sea during Viet Nam War days through hiking and boating in Lake Superior that all disappeared in 2010 when I was hospitalized with lymphoma and not expected to survive.

 

So 2024 is a new starting point.  Again.  I'm only 78 years young, and hope to recover my strength quickly...

[Michael Ventura]

28 minutes ago, Dave Nelson said:

Just got out of the hospital after suffering a heart attack on 17 December.  They added a stent in one artery and will be adding another in the near future.  One artery is totally blocked.  Along the way I picked up a case of pneumonia and lost my voice.  This is after previously surviving stage 4 lymphoma in 2010 and lung cancer in both lungs in 2014 and 2019.

 

I was hoping to get up to 2000 images on line by the end of the year, but I guess that will have to wait. I had thousands of images from the South China Sea during Viet Nam War days through hiking and boating in Lake Superior that all disappeared in 2010 when I was hospitalized with lymphoma and not expected to survive.

 

So 2024 is a new starting point.  Again.  I'm only 78 years young, and hope to recover my strength quickly...

 

Wow Dave, that is a lot you have been through and still going through.  I wish you a much better 2024!  Be well my forum friend!

 

Michael

[Cecile Marion]

Best wishes for a healthy 2024, Dave!

[NYCat]

1 hour ago, Dave Nelson said:

Just got out of the hospital after suffering a heart attack on 17 December.  They added a stent in one artery and will be adding another in the near future.  One artery is totally blocked.  Along the way I picked up a case of pneumonia and lost my voice.  This is after previously surviving stage 4 lymphoma in 2010 and lung cancer in both lungs in 2014 and 2019.

 

I was hoping to get up to 2000 images on line by the end of the year, but I guess that will have to wait. I had thousands of images from the South China Sea during Viet Nam War days through hiking and boating in Lake Superior that all disappeared in 2010 when I was hospitalized with lymphoma and not expected to survive.

 

So 2024 is a new starting point.  Again.  I'm only 78 years young, and hope to recover my strength quickly...

 

Oh no. You qualify for some awful prize for having the most truly dreadful things happen. I'm a 23 year survivor of cancer but I only had the one awful illness. I'm a lucky one. I wish you many more happy new years.

 

Paulette

[NYCat]

2 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Just saw on the local news that bus drivers are getting assaulted more and more by passengers and crazy people who jump on the buses.  The drivers want a complete enclosure to around the driver to keep them safe.  But that doesn't help the other passengers.

 

So just back from the dentist and he did a temporary fix on that tooth and then wants me back in two weeks to extract the remainder of that molar and take out the neighbor molar and put in an implant there (that molar is cracked in half too but held together with a crown) and leave today's broken molar empty.  Such a mess I have.

 

Gen, it must have been tough for you not to smile, you seem like the sort who smiles a lot.

 

The implants are incredibly expensive but I am happy with my two. No worry about cavities in a screw topped by a crown.

 

Paulette

[gvallee]

2 hours ago, Dave Nelson said:

Just got out of the hospital after suffering a heart attack on 17 December.  They added a stent in one artery and will be adding another in the near future.  One artery is totally blocked.  Along the way I picked up a case of pneumonia and lost my voice.  This is after previously surviving stage 4 lymphoma in 2010 and lung cancer in both lungs in 2014 and 2019.

 

I was hoping to get up to 2000 images on line by the end of the year, but I guess that will have to wait. I had thousands of images from the South China Sea during Viet Nam War days through hiking and boating in Lake Superior that all disappeared in 2010 when I was hospitalized with lymphoma and not expected to survive.

 

So 2024 is a new starting point.  Again.  I'm only 78 years young, and hope to recover my strength quickly...

 

Hang in there Dave. Here's to reading your next post in the Good News thread. 

 

[gvallee]

3 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Just saw on the local news that bus drivers are getting assaulted more and more by passengers and crazy people who jump on the buses.  The drivers want a complete enclosure to around the driver to keep them safe.  But that doesn't help the other passengers.

 

So just back from the dentist and he did a temporary fix on that tooth and then wants me back in two weeks to extract the remainder of that molar and take out the neighbor molar and put in an implant there (that molar is cracked in half too but held together with a crown) and leave today's broken molar empty.  Such a mess I have.

 

Gen, it must have been tough for you not to smile, you seem like the sort who smiles a lot.

 

 

I do love banter, laughing and jokes, although my other British half has thankfully given up telling me English jokes 😁

[Betty LaRue]

6 hours ago, NYCat said:

Thank you all for the kind words. I am back at catsitting again. I took the same bus from a different stop. I wanted to mail some bills at the post office. The boxes on the street are not safe. Crooks fish out the mail and erase the checks. A friend of mine didn’t wind up losing money but it took her months to get a new account and get all of her automatic payments and charges changed. Now I use a special pen and have a nearby post office where I mail them. I saw something happening up ahead on my way. I thought someone fell off a bike and a kind man was helping. Not at all. It was a dispute over a CitiBike and I doubt either one of these guys had paid for it. There were belongings scattered around and people were passing out at the curb to avoid the situation. On of the guys went off pretty quickly and I got my bills mailed. There was a sweet old couple on the bus. Both of them had canes and they cheered me up with their sweet faces. When I got off the bus a woman I don’t know who was walking a dog wished me happy new year. There are so many people here you have to run into some good ones. 

 

Paulette

I know you have always loved NYC, but things there aren’t what they used to be. I worry about you.
I was frightened only once in Oklahoma City. I went downtown to purchase a garage sale permit, and a homeless guy was there near where I parked. He was very aggressive & crazy acting trying to extract money from me & scared me a lot. I practically ran to the courthouse. I had no cash & got my permit with a check. I very timidly came out & assured myself he was gone before I crossed the street back to my car.
I was grateful when they changed the rules & allowed one to get the permits online to be added to the water bill.

[Allan Bell]

18 hours ago, NYCat said:

An unfortunately typical morning in our fair city. I went through our garden and was delighted to startle a robin and then see a sparrow on a fire escape. Then on the corner I saw a drug deal going on. I was waiting at the bus stop on Christopher St. when I was aware of a guy across the street…black guy in sweat pants and hoodie (it's like a uniform for our craziest men)… shouting and waving his arms. Fortunately, he was walking away from me but spotted me just as the bus was arriving. He ran towards me. I was hoping to get on the bus before he reached me. He was shouting that nobody would fight with him. The bus driver was new and, fortunately, had a supervisor standing next to her. She hadn’t come to the curb so I was down in the street and it is a high step. I can usually make it by pulling myself up but I basically fell into the bus. The supervisor was helping me up and telling me to always wait for the bus to kneel. Meanwhile the crazy guy was right behind me also trying to help me up. He came into the bus and sat down. I went up and stood right by the supervisor and told him the guy was chasing me. He said he’d take care of me but, of course, I was very worried that the crazy guy would follow me off the bus. Fortunately, he got off the next time someone was getting on. The supervisor was teaching the poor driver to kneel the bus before opening the door. She’s starting a hard job. I’m home now and put Arnica on the side of my eye bone where I hit my face. I hope I don’t get a black eye. Right now I’m mostly feeling angry. I want to feel safe where I live.

 

Otherwise, I've been having a happy holiday season and hope you have too. If you come to NYC take care.

 

Paulette
 

 

I am very sorry you have had that nasty experience.  Pleased you were not hurt to much physically but I realise the mental scare will take time to recover.

 

Please talk to someone about it and do not have nightmares. I only wish I could help you but it is difficult at this distance and I will not be coming to NYC.

 

Allan

 

[NYCat]

Thank you Allan and Betty. I have been hyper-vigilant in my neighborhood for a long time and it is actually better now than what it was six months ago. My emotional reaction is mostly fury at the politicians who have abandoned law-abiding citizens in favor of "compassion". It doesn't even work for the mentally disturbed. One guy is dead who would have been alive if they had either sent him to jail for a crime or put him in locked rehab. He lasted a few weeks in rehab and then left. He was in no condition to be on the streets and was accidentally killed by a brave man who was protecting subway passengers. Basically, it is a mess.

 

Paulette

[spacecadet]

2 hours ago, NYCat said:

accidentally killed by a brave man

 

 

2 hours ago, NYCat said:

it is a mess.

With a firearm- part of the mess?

[NYCat]

44 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

 

 

With a firearm- part of the mess?

 

No. Daniel Penny is a hero to people who need to use the subways. Unfortunately the way he is being treated by our justice system discourages men from helping anyone being attacked. There are more good men than bad. Many more. 

 

Paulette

[spacecadet]

17 minutes ago, NYCat said:

 

No. Daniel Penny is a hero to people who need to use the subways. Unfortunately the way he is being treated by our justice system discourages men from helping anyone being attacked. There are more good men than bad. Many more. 

 

Paulette

No firearm, but he seems to have choked to death a man who had "attacked" no-one.. Gotta be some due process for that I think.

Edited December 30, 2023 by spacecadet

[NYCat]

55 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

No firearm, but he seems to have choked to death a man who had "attacked" no-one.. Gotta be some due process for that I think.

 

Whatever happened that day (you seem to have made up your mind) the troubled guy had 42 arrests on his record and three of them were for unprovoked attacks on women in the subway. He needed to be in a locked facility. There were three guys trying to subdue him. All of them were not waiting for someone to be hurt. The failure to keep these troubled men off the streets is what bothers me. Again this morning I avoided walking past a homeless guy who was shouting. He proceeded to urinate on the sidewalk. The poor owner of the florist there is getting a bad surprise when he opens his shop. We have a lot of homeless services here but they can’t force anyone. I’m going to drop this now. It is too political and (as usual) we are on opposite sides. 

 

Paulette

[spacecadet]

11 minutes ago, NYCat said:

you seem to have made up your mind

Just looked at the news reports and Wikipedia, haven't "made my mind up" at all, just looked at the evidence when it was said he was "helping someone being attacked".

Whatever his record, that day the dead man apparently wasn't "attacking" anyone. Whether killing a very annoying sick man is particularly "brave" is a matter of debate but no doubt the defence will be defence of another so the jury will decide.

Through no fault of your own you live in a place shot through with violence which is presumably why it comes up in your conversation.

As they say, the personal is political but fair enough.

Edited December 30, 2023 by spacecadet

[Gervais Montacute]

17 hours ago, Dave Nelson said:

 

So 2024 is a new starting point.  Again.  I'm only 78 years young, and hope to recover my strength quickly...

 

Best wishes for 2024 and watch your diet.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Gervais Montacute

[Gervais Montacute]

32 minutes ago, NYCat said:

 

Whatever happened that day (you seem to have made up your mind) the troubled guy had 42 arrests on his record and three of them were for unprovoked attacks on women in the subway. He needed to be in a locked facility. There were three guys trying to subdue him. All of them were not waiting for someone to be hurt. The failure to keep these troubled men off the streets is what bothers me. Again this morning I avoided walking past a homeless guy who was shouting. He proceeded to urinate on the sidewalk. The poor owner of the florist there is getting a bad surprise when he opens his shop. We have a lot of homeless services here but they can’t force anyone. I’m going to drop this now. It is too political and (as usual) we are on opposite sides. 

 

Paulette

 

Best wishes for 2024 Paulette. Sadly, many parts of the USA have predictably decided chaos is the best way forward. Fear not. That will fast be (perhaps not fast enough for many) coming to an end unless I'm way out on that prediction. These things go round in cycles. As a sidebar, it doesn't matter at all if someone attacking you is mentally ill or just plain ill. That is not open for debate. Stay away from them and let able bodied good men deal with it. Most people that 'take a view' are usually the first to start screaming for help the second they're threatened by someone's pet cat, never mind some lunatic on the street.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Gervais Montacute

[NYCat]

Thank you, Gervais.

 

Paulette

 

[Dave Nelson]

Thanks, all.  I'll just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

[sb photos]

I've had a lingering cold  for some time now, nothing new, then my wife was hit by a real bad one on our return to Aylesbury, which I then caught. I have a sore throat, a very ticklish dry cough that sometimes goes on for ages, runny nose, but no temperature. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. We are up to date on vaccinations, both flu and covid. We both test negative for covid. I even bought new covid testing kits as the earlier ones we used had only a month left before expiry. Still clear with only the single red line. No breathing difficulties. I stocked up with tissues yesterday. I can live with it but I do wish it would go away. When out I get some funny looks when I have a coughing fit.

[Allan Bell]

55 minutes ago, sb photos said:

I've had a lingering cold  for some time now, nothing new, then my wife was hit by a real bad one on our return to Aylesbury, which I then caught. I have a sore throat, a very ticklish dry cough that sometimes goes on for ages, runny nose, but no temperature. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. We are up to date on vaccinations, both flu and covid. We both test negative for covid. I even bought new covid testing kits as the earlier ones we used had only a month left before expiry. Still clear with only the single red line. No breathing difficulties. I stocked up with tissues yesterday. I can live with it but I do wish it would go away. When out I get some funny looks when I have a coughing fit.

 

Sounds awful.  Get well soon.

 

Allan

 

[Rebecca Ore]

20 hours ago, NYCat said:

 

Whatever happened that day (you seem to have made up your mind) the troubled guy had 42 arrests on his record and three of them were for unprovoked attacks on women in the subway. He needed to be in a locked facility. There were three guys trying to subdue him. All of them were not waiting for someone to be hurt. The failure to keep these troubled men off the streets is what bothers me. Again this morning I avoided walking past a homeless guy who was shouting. He proceeded to urinate on the sidewalk. The poor owner of the florist there is getting a bad surprise when he opens his shop. We have a lot of homeless services here but they can’t force anyone. I’m going to drop this now. It is too political and (as usual) we are on opposite sides. 

 

Paulette

 

I'm glad I live in a civilized country where even annoying people like the drunk who was going to kiss me are handled civilly (my neighbors talked him out of it without being mean to him; and I've seen similar things since with a suspected thief in the hospital last year and how the coffee shop staffed handled a panhandler who was bothering my brother and me).  Nicaragua has very few beds for mental patients, but they're generally not killed for being annoying.  

 

But I have seen market women running food stands beat a drunk who was harassing a couple of gringas having lunch,   Given the NYC woman who was calling in a "Black guy threatening me" to the police when the man had only complained about the lawless Karen letting her dogs off leash, I tend to be somewhat cynical about how some things are handled in the US, but perhaps at least you don't have political discussion punctuated by rocks shot out of black powder weapons and gun fire every decade or so.

 

Given that military guys in Blacksburg, Virginia, were notorious for hitting on women who were with other men, and beating guys up for protesting,  I tend to believe that a lot of US incidents could have been handled other ways, and having better mental health care would also be nice.  As, actually, it would be here, but the crazy are more likely to be harassed than do the harassing, even here.   I got a street crazy woman trying to give me money after I ran off a kid who was teasing her.

 

Every country has its problems.   I'd rather spend time in my back room with three masonry walls between the messes on the streets every ten years or so than be in a country that considered the poor expendable, and other countries targets for inciting riots by lying.   Nobody asks to be that crazy as that man was.  We need some other solution than life imprisonment in crap conditions or sending them to unprepared homes for the elderly who really can't cope with younger mental patients, or killing them, or encouraging them to kill themselves as some countries already appear to be doing. 

 

Sometimes, kindness works better.   I haven't had that drunk come after me again.  Covid could be be reason, too.   I'm in what's basically a middle class Nicaraguan neighborhood, but the crazy street people don't get run out.  Maybe a compassionate hooker could have helped the guy who was "threatening women" on the subway.   Given that I grew up in the US south, I'm a trifle cynical about white women having hysterics over a crazy guy who's black.  Not unaware of the other possibilities, but my would-be kisser had a thing for gringas, too.

 

You can blame some of the problem with street crazies on Ronald Reagan who first closed California asylums to the chronically ill who were being warehoused, then did away with Federal funding when President.   Dealing with people who are mentally broken is a hard problem.   Hiding them is a small scale version of the US throwing wars and paying for insurrections in other people's countries, then trying to keep all the displaced or terrified people from fleeing to the US (something I advise against when people ask about going to the US).

 

 

[Michael Ventura]

It's best we stay clear of politics