October – 2016 – TALESetc.

The 2016 election has surrounded itself with stress, much of which we will hopefully soon be able to forget. The election also defined the term “Millennial”. I am sure the term existed before the election but this process has brought the definition to the forefront, since the people of the “Millennial Generation” will be a force that will have a place in the election our new government.

Pew Research Center defines the Millennial Generation as those born after 1980, and the first generation to come of age in the new millennium. Another name for the millennial is Generation Y. The Millennial generation follows Generation X in order of demography.

This generation is often associated with technology and social media. Since I’ve yet to meet a millennial without having a cell phone in hand, or earphones attached to some device to their ears, this definition is easy to understand. Their future will tell whether or not this is a good thing.

This is not the first generation of Americans to be categorized by chronology and history. The “Lost Generation”, which was the post-World War I generation, was actually a group of writers who came of age during the war and established their literary reputation. The decade for this generation was the 1920’s. The term was from a remark by Gertrude Stein to Ernest Hemingway. Continue Reading →

I wonder if there is some sort of a bell that goes off when one retires. I question this because since then, after decades of work, it seemed like half the planet wants to be some part of my life, or wants to take a piece away.

On the day I retired I received a phone call congratulating me, because I had just won a spot on a cruise ship that is scheduled to go around the world. All I had to do was give them every number that had anything to do with my entire life and I was destined to be a world traveler. I asked them why they thought anyone who earned retirement also became stupid? They didn’t answer and I assume they went to the next retiree.

A few minutes later I received a call from someone with a very heavy accent who told me he was part of the IRS and I was in deep trouble unless I give him every number that had anything to do with my entire life and if I didn’t comply he was going to have me arrested. For a few seconds I said nothing and then stated, “really?” This time he hung up on me. Continue Reading →

I believe religion should be a personal issue. The practice should not be on the forefront of national or international politics. I am saddened to observe this is not the case. The image of religion has degraded into a means of power and control.

I no longer go to any church service because it now has a tendency to evolve into a promotion of one idea over the other. I talk with my God every day. I enjoy doing this because it is a means of relaxing my mind and thus taking my thoughts away from the madness of our present.

I am told many concepts and ideas of our past are now being radicalized. In my nation a political discussion was based on ideas that would help our society. This election is based on personal assaults and fear. What made me most proud of my country was the election process.

In the past, when one lost an election he or she would concede with a promise to support the winning candidate. This is not the case today. Now we have a candidate that states the only reason for a loss would be that the process is “rigged”. This is a radicalization or our electoral system. Continue Reading →

Seasons in northern New England never change gradually. One day its sunny and warm with people walking the beaches in shorts and t-shirts and then, within minutes, the winds of autumn empty the beaches by becoming one large sand blower that scrapes the skin off one’s body and the hair off one’s head. These same winds also pull the leaves from the trees and basically rearrange our tidy little world.

This happened to me the other day as I drove off to an appointment. The day before was beautiful and warm. Because of this I wore a short-sleeved shirt and didn’t bother to wear a jacket. I was hoping this would be the year summer would last forever. Once again I was wrong.

As I walked into my garage I heard the wind howl. I hadn’t heard that sound since last March but I thought it was time for a little bit of interesting weather. As soon as I left my garage I knew I was right.

Backing out of the driveway was like backing into a wind tunnel. I swear my truck left the ground for a couple of microseconds because everything started to float a few inches in the air. Since I drive a truck I always assumed that I was in a heavy enough vehicle to hold the road. After driving onto my lawn and into my once-standing mailbox I knew I was wrong.

Driving down my road was like driving through an intergalactic battle scene from an old “Star Wars” movie. My truck was attacked by hundreds of red, yellow, and brown leaf-like star fighters that swarmed on my windshield hoping to block my vision and thus have me drive into the ditch or one of my neighbor’s mailboxes. I chose the latter. Continue Reading →

Every four years we are inundated with political advertisements telling us why those guys are bad and these other guys are the greatest since applesauce. It doesn’t matter what viewpoint you have because the debate over who is right or wrong has been going on since our nation began more than two centuries ago.

It seems easy to tell who is a Republican and who is a Democratic by listening to them. You can also tell the difference by the way they dress and their mannerisms. For example, Richard Nixon was a Republican and wore shorts and wing tip shoes when he went for a stroll on the beach, whereas Bill Clinton is a Democrat and couldn’t keep his pants on in the Oval Office.

Sitting in my old dilapidated beach chair one morning at York Beach I found myself wondering idly if it was possible to tell Republicans from Democrats when they were wearing almost no clothes and were supposed to be on vacation. Take away the Republican’s business suit and the Democrat’s blue collar and is there any real difference between them? Of course, today this concept seems to be reversed.

The first family I observed was a group of four with the father leading the way and the rest of the family following Indian file behind. This clear demarcation of power had me convinced this family was Republican. Actually I suspected the father was Republican with the wife and mother of his children bowing to the political consciousness of her husband. This little group planted themselves a good distance away from me. Actually, no one gets too close to me when I am in my retired mode. In the morning I actually scare myself with my untrimmed beard and rapidly decaying skin.

Continue Reading →

October 2016

A Generation by any other name.

The big bell of retirement.

The world my grand kids are destined to inherit.

Lashing through the hazards of our autumn world

How to tell Republicans from Democrats.