Thursday, August 20, 2026

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home

I prefer radio to television. I particularly love the old radio shows from the 1930s and 1940s, especially the Kraft Music Hall, which aired from 1933 to 1949. I have 10 shows on five CDs of "KMH" hosted by Bing Crosby that were broadcast to the troops during World War II. I also like The Bob Hope Show from around that time; I have many of those shows on many CDs.

In the 1970s, when I was a teenager, I had a 23-channel CB radio in my bedroom. The "real" CBers had the 40-channel models who would listen to the truckers. I remember my father attaching the five-foot-long whip antenna onto the chimney of our house. I thought that he was going to fall off of the roof.

My handle (name) was "Algernon," named after the character played by Roy Kinnear in the 1965 Beatles movie "Help!." I was a member of the CB Radio Club at school.

I remember some of the "10-codes." 10-4 is "message received." 10-7 is "leaving the air." 10-20 is "your location." 10-23 is "stand by." 10-36 is "the correct time." My all-time favorite is 10-100: "I need to go to the bathroom." ... and there was the important 10-200: "police needed." Actually, Channel 9 was the emergency channel. We never went there.

My best friend John also had a CB radio in his bedroom. What's funny is that in the evenings, we would call each other on the phone to tell each other we were on our CB radios. We would hang up and then talk to each other on our radios. We could have just continued talking to each other on the phone. Yeah, but it was fun.

In the 1980s and 1990s, I used to listen to radio stations around the world on portable shortwave radios. I was once able to pick up a radio station in Fiji, when I was living on Long Island, New York. (Yeah, I'm a nerd.) The radio waves are shot into the sky and bounce off of the atmosphere to travel around the world. I received better reception on Long Island than I ever did in Florida, where I live now, mainly because of better atmospheric conditions and the massive router in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that boosted the shortwave radio waves. (I forgot the official name of the facility.) I would also listen to the Atomic Clock in Fort Collins, Colorado; digital clocks are now synced to it. These days, I can listen to world radio broadcasts online.

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home

I definitely remember eating a piece of pecan pie with a thick layer of chocolate ganache on top, but it was long ago.

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home

Well, yes, I do like bacon.

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, when my age was around 7 to 10 years old, my friends and I, along with kids across the United States, maybe around the world, would engage in the stupid, dangerous practice of running behind "The Fog Man," the guy spraying the insecticide DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), as he drove around in his pink-and-gray truck in my neighborhood in Babylon, Long Island, New York. While running, I would squeeze my nose together, and keep my mouth and eyes shut for so-called "protection. "Due to harmful effects, DDT use was banned in the United States in 1972 and worldwide in 2004.

Trivia: Only female mosquitoes suck your blood.

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home

They have definitely helped me over the past several years.

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home 

I prefer radio to television. I particularly love the old radio shows from the 1930s and 1940s, especially the Kraft Music Hall, which aired from 1933 to 1949. I have 10 shows on five CDs of "KMH" hosted by Bing Crosby that were broadcast to the troops during World War II. I also like The Bob Hope Show from around that time; I have many of those shows on many CDs. 

In the 1970s, when I was a teenager, I had a 23-channel CB radio in my bedroom. The "real" CBers had the 40-channel models who would listen to the truckers. I remember my father attaching the five-foot-long whip antenna onto the chimney of our house. I thought that he was going to fall off of the roof. 

My handle (name) was "Algernon," named after the character played by Roy Kinnear in the 1965 Beatles movie "Help!." I was a member of the CB Radio Club at school. 

I remember some of the "10-codes." 10-4 is "message received." 10-7 is "leaving the air." 10-20 is "your location." 10-23 is "stand by." 10-36 is "the correct time." My all-time favorite is 10-100: "I need to go to the bathroom." ... and there was the important 10-200: "police needed." Actually, Channel 9 was the emergency channel. We never went there. 

My best friend John also had a CB radio in his bedroom. What's funny is that in the evenings, we would call each other on the phone to tell each other we were on our CB radios. We would hang up and then talk to each other on our radios. We could have just continued talking to each other on the phone. Yeah, but it was fun. 

In the 1980s and 1990s, I used to listen to radio stations around the world on portable shortwave radios. I was once able to pick up a radio station in Fiji, when I was living on Long Island, New York. (Yeah, I'm a nerd.) The radio waves are shot into the sky and bounce off of the atmosphere to travel around the world. I received better reception on Long Island than I ever did in Florida, where I live now, mainly because of better atmospheric conditions and the massive router in New Brunswick, New Jersey, that boosted the shortwave radio waves. (I forgot the official name of the facility.) I would also listen to the Atomic Clock in Fort Collins, Colorado; digital clocks are now synced to it. These days, I can listen to world radio broadcasts online. 

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home 

I definitely remember eating a piece of pecan pie with a thick layer of chocolate ganache on top, but it was long ago. 

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home 

Well, yes, I do like bacon. 

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home 

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, when my age was in single digits, my friends and I, along with kids across the United States, maybe around the world, would engage in the stupid, dangerous practice of running behind "The Fog Man," the guy spraying the insecticide DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), as he drove around in his pink-and-gray truck in my neighborhood in Babylon, Long Island, New York. While running, I would squeeze my nose together, and keep my mouth and eyes shut for so-called "protection." Due to harmful effects, DDT use was banned in the United States in 1972 (age 11) and worldwide in 2004. 

Trivia: Only female mosquitoes suck your blood. 

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home 

They have definitely helped me over the past several years. 

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home 

I like the occasional IPA, but I'm not sure if I ever imbibed the hazy version.

August 20, 2026, home














Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, August 19, 2026, home

I love Carvel's chocolate soft-serve ice cream in a bowl with chocolate jimmies (sprinkles). I never liked ice cream cones.

From husband Bill, August 19, 2026, home 

I prefer mashed potatoes, especially with a little crumbled blue cheese mixed in. I like french fries in the traditional way: dipped in mayonnaise. I sometimes use tartar sauce.

August 19, 2026, home








Doctors Appointments

From husband Bill, August 17, 2026, home

pulmonologist appointment, 11:15 a.m. ET

From husband Bill, August 18, 2026, home

appointment with general physician, 1 p.m. ET, follow-up exam regarding my time in hospital (August 4-11, 2026) with severe pneumonia (with complications)

From husband Bill, August 19, 2926, home 

another follow-up appointment, today, 2:30 p.m. ET: 1st part, ultrasound of left leg; 2nd part, analysis of ultrasound with vascular surgeon; In November 2025, I had artery-bypass surgery: Surgeons removed a three-foot-long main vein in my right leg and inserted it into my left leg to bypass a blocked main artery. I had 96 metal staples inserted in my legs: right leg, 70, from my ankle to my hip; upper left thigh, 16; lower left calf, 10. (This diagram shows a right leg; mine was done in my left leg.)





Tuesday, August 18, 2026

R.I.P. Frank Beard

R.I.P. Frank Beard, age 77

August 18, 2026, home




Today Is ...

From husband Bill, August 18, 2026, home

I like ice cream cake, specifically Carvel. I'm not sure that I have ever eaten an ice cream pie.

From husband Bill, August 18, 2026, home

I love looking through mail order catalogs, especially food catalogs, like Harry & David and Swiss Colony. The Harriet Carter catalog is one of my favorites; it basically contains stuff for the household; health items; and holiday decorations. We may still receive it.

I absolutely LOVE the Archie McPhee catalog of novelties, funny gifts, and funny toys.

https://mcphee.com/

From husband Bill, August 18, 2026, home

I like Italian reds, mainly Chiantis, and Austrian (not Australian) whites.

From husband Bill, August 18, 2026, home

I really don't like fajitas. I need some kind of sauce on my Mexican food, preferably mole. I love Chicken Mole, which is chicken smothered in a spicy chocolate sauce.

August 18, 2026, home










Monday, August 17, 2026

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, August 17, 2026, home

During my career (series of gigs) as a journalist from September 1982 to May 2017, I worked for two nonprofit associations.

In 1991, I was the Copy Editor of "RIMS," the official magazine of the Risk and Insurance Management Society, which is an international nonprofit association for corporate insurance buyers. My office was in New York City (Manhattan).

From February 2016 to February 2017, I was the Associate Editor (reporter, writer, editor, photographer, photo editor) for the two magazines of "Shop!," an international nonprofit association for the manufacturers of components for retail store displays, including mannequins, lighting, shelving, flooring, architecture, etc. Part of my job was also to edit statistical analysis reports (white papers) and catalogs. While I was there, the association transformed itself after a recent merger of two nonprofit associations. In October 2015, the Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.) merged with Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI). My office was in Hollywood, Florida.

From husband Bill, August 17, 2026, home

During the 1979-1980 school year, I attended Northfield Mount Hermon School on two campuses in Northern Massachusetts. I entered the senior class as a "PG" (Post-Graduate student). I had already graduated from West Islip High School on Long Island, New York, in June 1979, when I was 18 years old, so I actually have two high school diplomas.

Later, I would receive a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in the French language from Villanova University (December 1984) and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri (May 1988).

From husband Bill, August 17, 2026, home

Pineapples contain the enzyme Bromelain. I used to eat pineapple slices and chunks, drink pineapple juice, and chew Bromelain tablets to help my sinus problems (and my lung issues). I also used oral and topical steroids (nasal spray). I eventually lost my sinus battle, so several years ago, I had to have surgery to remove eight polyps within my sinuses and nasal cavity, plus I had all eight of my sinuses cleaned out and expanded. The surgery took several hours.

Personal Trivia: Ever since my surgery, every time I cough very hard, I start sneezing.

Pineapple juice is also used to tenderize beef when marinated because the Bromelain enzyme breaks down the muscle fibers.

From husband Bill, August 17, 2026, home

Due to diabetes, I have been struggling with my feet for many years. This includes diabetic ulcers (which required my podiatrist to carve both of my feet with a scalpel every two weeks for several years); Cellulitis (many skin infections within my feet and legs which required intravenous antibiotics every day for six weeks, one time causing both of my kidneys to fail, requiring me to endure six weeks of dialysis; Osteomyelitis (bone infections); and peripheral neuropathy (numbness and pain in both of my feet). In recent years, I have had five surgeries on my left foot to remove decayed bone and bone fragments, and scar tissue, and to have two toes amputated. I even tried hyperbaric therapy many times which required me to lie down in a sealed chamber that was pumped full of high-pressure oxygen.

August 17, 2026, home














Sunday, August 16, 2026

Hello Video

From husband Bill, August 16, 2026, home from the hospital on August 11, 2026, after 8 days in the hospital (with pneumonia)

I created and uploaded this short AI (Artificial Intelligence) video onto my YouTube channel. (length: 1 minute, 1 second)

AI: Hello (August 16, 2026)

https://youtube.com/shorts/NnD5DgECAao?is=XQnNbIc9am2ysygY

Before Retirement

I found this video to be helpful, but it's more for the people who have yet to retire. (I retired in April 2017.)

According to this video, I have been retired my entire life, mostly, meaning that I have lived my professional life as if I were retired. I worked hard during my professional days, but I never took much of it to heart. My attitude was: I will stay at my job until they throw me out.

The only thing that I ever took seriously in my entire life was and still is my heartfelt love for family members and friends. That's all that really matters.

My religion is Gaudiya Vaishnavism (Hare Krishna), which basically states that nothing on Earth is of much importance compared to "Returning To Godhead (Heaven)." We are all here temporarily, and when we die, we hope to go back "Home." I was always serious and diligent with my many professional gigs, but I never got so deep into them to allow them to cause me too much distress.

Regarding one of my gigs, I typically joke about me being a hot-shot journalistic ace in New York City. I was never that delusional to really believe that, but it was fun pretending to be a hot shot. I was just your garden-variety nerd, writing about the financial and technical aspects of the chemical industry for a weekly, international magazine.

The basic idea is to live your life on your own terms because, relatively, no one cares about your life. They are all too busy living their own lives to care about your life. The tiny amount of people who do care about you are the precious ones and the only ones who really matter.

"10 Things Retirees Just Stopped Caring.About"

https://youtu.be/A-lvYmMpGSA?is=9STZwD-jZK7e1doO

August 16, 2026, home from the hospital on August 11, 2026, after 8 days in the hospital (with pneumonia)




Today Is ...

From husband Bill, August 16, 2026, home from the hospital on August 11, 2026, after 8 days in the hospital (with pneumonia)

Decades ago, I used to drink an alcoholic beverage called the Cuba Libre (simply rum and Coca-Cola). More memorably, in the early 1980s, I used to drink frozen lime daiquiris (we called them "dacks") using rum, ice cubes, and Minute Maid frozen limeade concentrate swirled in a blender.

From husband Bill, August 16, 2026, home from the hospital on August 11, 2026, after 8 days in the hospital (with pneumonia)

I like the occasional bratwurst with mustard.

From husband Bill, August 16, 2026, home from the hospital on August 11, 2026, after 8 days in the hospital (with pneumonia)

I am not a fan of roller coasters. 

August 16, 2026, home from the hospital on August 11, 2026, after 8 days in the hospital (with pneumonia)












Today Is ...

From husband Bill, August 20, 2026, home I prefer radio to television. I particularly love the old radio shows from the 1930s and 1940s, esp...