What's It Take to Make a Great Neighborhood?

Only you, baby, only you. 
Ah well that's not quite true. It helps a lot to have a few other good-hearted neighbor acquaintences/friends. I mean really, we're so lucky to have good neighbors in all colors. I'm thinking of Chris & Anthony and their three kids, who we've practically known from their births, and all the Halloweens they came to our door. Not even frightened by Janet's macrame skeleton Sam hanging outside. 

Or Anthony next door (another Anthony) who cuts some of my front lawn when he cuts his, saving me a few passes in time and effort. Or when I asked the first Anthony to help me build my steps in the back patio and he did, readily and quickly. Or the walkers every dawn and thruout the days and nites, a wave and hello here and mine back, knowing each other by sight and/or name, like the tall blonde walking her dogs past my house often. Marianne, who gave me a ride home when I was stranded years ago at a funeral service of a fellow coworker in Pennsylvania. 

Oh, yeah, you need you and a few good neighbors, like Allstate. 

Living in Trenton's Burg as a kid, goin' to the exciting food and smells of Italian vendors on Butler Street and its Festival of Lights --  parading a stature of the blue-caped Blessed Mother thru the streets in pomp and circumstance. Ah, and the massive fireworks after the procession in Columbus Park! A neighborhood where we boys played outdoor basketball on St Joe's court, or where it was safe for me to play in the dirt with my toy soldiers and matchbox cars when I was 7. 

We don't have to live apart in McMansions which are furniture poor. No, just a bit of sharing and caring is what makes any neighborhood worth staying in. A neighborhood where it's safe to ride our bikes as Jan and I did for years for a little exercise. Or walking the sidewalks around the blocks commenting to each other on what looked nice about the yards landscapes and their outside facades, and the efforts by their owners to "keep them up" like we also kept up our house and property.

A Neighborhood Watch volunteer component that I belonged to for years sponsored by our Hamilton police brought a sense of community and safety. Or the McGruff safehouse program originated around town by Janet and friends in the 80's to provide safehavens for lost or latchkey children. The township even gave her a public award at Septemberfest our huge annual communityfest, attended and enjoyed by thousands, similar to Trenton's Heritage Days Festival that came later. 

Or how about the block parties we had in my Ewing Township neighborhood off Scotch Road as a kid. Us kids runnin' 'round happy, with small vendor booths for great hotdogs and hamburgers and Italian sausage and peppers, as well as animal-looking balloons and candy corn.

And none of this costs much, not much at all. A little volunteering, cooperation and friendliness.

That's all.

Surely we can make our neighborhoods great and open to all again, like the thousands doing it today in big cities or small towns everywhere in America.
Oh what fun it would be to visit all those block parties and meet good people!

Do you have a neighborhood story to share?


Best, Rod

Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.
My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

Check it out at no obligation or Subscribe to this Blog (at bottom of this page) or thru NetVibes (see right side). Both free of course, thanks to Blogger by Microsoft...

What's There to Like . . .

Today's Blog is a smattering of thoughts and opinions, emotions and likes, for a white 64 (64! as of May 1st),  year-old middle class guy like me. Go to the very bottom of today's Blog to email me your comments, opinions for free. A regular subscription thru Netvibes is also free.

Likes:
1. The Internet: Everything. Used it thoroughly at my State of NJ job since it became commonplace    in the early 90's as the World Wide Web. Took to it greedily and easily;

2. Google: Most stuff, like most satisfying searches, since finding my fav Wikipedia or Wiki entries on first page of results. Easier for my tastes than Chrome, whose poor Tab system I have never understood even after trying. My wife Janet uses Chrome exclusively;

3. Computers - I love almost everything about them, from operating IBM's 360 256k mainframe in the '70s to the IBM 370 models years later, and bigger;

4. Email - Using MS-outlook at work exclusively for 10 years plus, great. loved the labeling and file system, able to save emails by category/topic easily. The same now with Gmail, probably the same in Yahoo, others. "When find a good thing, stick with it," Janet and I say. Perhaps even too long like the XP OS, but finding Windows 7 fantastic after re-adapting;

5. MS-Word - I guess I'm a Pro with it, writing a novel and all, Episodes in 2012. But it's quirky, quirky. Often frustrating cause can't format and space my words and sentences exactly as I'd always like to. But everything has limitations until fixed in the next version. Thank God twice for upward compatibility!

6. MS-Excel - love it, so easy with */+-= so simple for formulas. The copy and auto update based on relationship so functional;

7. Blogger/blogspot - I have two blogs here. A Blessed Life in America I started 124 blogs ago. Good Ideas for New Jersey, started earlier than that, my first foray into blogging on my own - speaking out with thoughts, logic, illogic, opinions - so much freedom to be me! Yet a cautious public me tho, in a way, not wanting to piss off people except the bastards doin' stupid stuff like murderin' poor people without means to defend themselves, killing and maiming innocents without their own guns or elected officials to fight back, to change dumb laws, to make society better, and to promote human rights. Thank goodness for our hundreds of social orgs like Amnesty Intnl, Red Cross etc;

8. Online Webinars and webisodes - Ah, how many hours spent here, both at work abnd now at home since retired. I have an excel sheet of dozens of webinars on Energy, IT, etc since being retired in 2009. a real boon to education and spreading knowledge, now matter-of-fact like Univ of Arizona online courses et al;

9. Writing Prose - So easy in Word Perfect which I learned early on at OTIS in '85, then thankfully (?) switching to the business bandwagon with MS-Word;

10. Writing poetry - I count the spaces as well as letters and words when i write poetry, puncuation counts equally as much, like EE Cummings. To me it must read and sound and look perfect back to me to be complete;

11. Teaching - The Faith, memoir classes, procurement classes: Delegated Purchase Authority to our clerks/buyers in Admin Division and how to write a Waiver of Advertising for state agency CIO's;

12. Public Speaking - Never afraid - the first fear of most Americans. So what if i say something wrong if pointed out I'll readily admit and find out the facts, or agree with the dissenter if logical. Besides, Jan told me its not what I say that's so important as the tone and pitch and smile or frown on my face, and what my arms are doin' to add emphasis. That's why I like exclamation points in my writings. its okay to express absolute joy!

13. Learning - I want to be a sponge. I am a sponge, but can't remember for long any words spoken. I must take extensive almost verbatim notes for my mind to wrap around and remember the words, concepts and speaker's important points. That's worked well for me so far I think, w/out filling my brain's storage units with useless trivia, even tho I love that also;

14. Marriage - The one and only institution created for free love and limitless sexual enjoyment (ah, when both partners agree of course). my own, 43 years of happy and together for 43 years as of yesterday 6/12/2014, 46 years altogether together;

14. Kids and grandkids - My real physical purpose in life, even adoption. parenting is a one-of-a-kind learning and doing experience, thinking outside of my own needs and wants and puttiong that little human first out of love not just necessity. a joy if we have the necessary prosperity everyone needs to make it work out best.

So what kind of things do you like about life, your life, what life is offering? What you can afford?

Tomorrow's Blog maybe: What's there to dislike . . .

Best, Rod

Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.
My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

Check it out at no obligation or Subscribe to this Blog (at bottom of this page) or thru NetVibes (see right side). both, everything free of course, thanks to Blogger by Microsoft...

You Know You're manic When . . . Part One of . . .

Part I: Top Ten Reasons You Know You're Manic . . .

1. You care less about anyone or anything else in this whole wide world and know that you've got all the solutions to people's personal problems, government's problems, street pothole problems, the upheaval in educational testing and standards, tapping a jar lid off of a pickles bottle - any and all of it. Each one of the world's problems. Personal problems and advice are only a tad more difficult to develop for you. Ugh! If only the President and Congress would listen!

2. You tell your psych what medications and dosages you should be taking, at what times, and with what liquids. I personally like caffeine free Pepsi or Diet Iced Tea from Acme. 

3. You were sent by God as described in the Gospel of St. John 14:26. You know you are, without doubt (your reader would say "I think" instead of know. How could he know?). This  is without question, foreordained. You are the "Counselor" spoken of by His Lord Jesus Christ: 

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

[This thought has occurred to me a dozen times over the years. and I can remember it when "normal." That's how I could write my book Episodes.]

3. You pick out your house key from its chain ring to lock your car door. It happens more often when "not" manic so you're either hypomanic, or just plain confused/mixed-up all the freakin' time. Stupid in other words. Your mate sees these faults and thinks ?!Gj$/? "He must be manic."

4. You could take any words from Michael Jackson's Beat It song and apply them to what you want to be and do. 

5. You are detached from everyone and everything in this world by miles, but stay in the moment like Herman Hesse's Siddhartha.        You can/will become, are becoming, perfect, supremely capable and confident. 

6. It's your mission, to be Like God and do things as God would do them. After all that’s His image He gave You!          Then there's more perfect where he unites You with His Son in the next spiritual world -  that’s the perfect "world" to You.

7. You write "Now I want to have another fucking cigarette", even though you had one 10 minutes ago when you started typing these reasons.

8. Instead of smoking 8 Salem 100s a day you're smoking 16 Marlboro longs.

9. You could run a Corporation with 4000 employees and 20 divisions based on all your ideas for a company that you're having right this minute. In fact, you wrote 13 pages completely fleshed out titled "My Corporation" in 1979 while on your way to a full flip-out ending in hospital for a month. 

And . . . drum roll please . . .

Number 10. 
 During your episode you disagree mentally with your perfect wife who does know what's best for you, even when you've agreed to commit yourself into a mental institution with her simple words, "Rod, let's find you help. I think Princeton House is a good place for you."Especially since being manic you always know what's best. not only for you but everyone else too.

 

Disclaimer: These Top Ten reasons are Rodney Richards' tongue-in-check thoughts and are representations based on the personal manic experiences of the author. 

Part one of five Parts. Each part with Top 10 Reasons You Know You're Manic . . . 


Best, Rod

Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.
My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

Check it out at no obligation or Subscribe to this Blog for free thru NetVibes or by email (see bottom of this page).

A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!

This lovely little memorable phrase is a palindrome referring          (I think), to George W. Goethels, one of a handful of its Chief Engineers. The canal was started in 1881 by France but halted due to disease and mortalities, taken over by the U.S. in 1904 and completed in 1914. Nearby Goethels Bridge to/from Staten Island is familiar - on one early trip in the '80s our family traversed it 3 times in one hour, confused by poor signs as to which way to go.

I mention palindromes because they spell the same words backwards as forwards, kinda like DaVinci's mirror writing.  I'd have fun as a kid in Sister Charlie's 6th grade class writing country names backwards, like A-C-I-R-E-M-A. Fun huh? Another example is Dogma: I Am God, which is close to my heart having believed it for Myself when fully manic years ago. Medications have helped clear my mind of the mania since, but I'm not sure what clears out dogma. It seems it's only being replaced with newer dogma.

From Reverend Doctor Martin Luthor King Junior's church sermons, to the 1954 Civil Rights Act, more laws followed, hearts began changing, social norms and stereotypes changing, morphing into human rights for everyone around the world, such as Gandhi had led before King. An example of a dream becoming reality, a huge dream becoming even a more amazing universal reality. Harder than changin' lead to gold, I think. Harder than changin' letters into words and then into palindromes.

It seems to me the inventors start with an idea, maybe an image. It may sit for months or years or they begin tinkering immediately. They wake with or form a dream, a goal. And if strong enuff, if driven and motivated enuff, thru their hard work and effort, with help or no, fortuity or no, it probably becomes reality - if not now then in a similar form in the near future, or even at the same time by someone else halfway around the world.

Like the 17th century formation of calculus by Newton, Leibniz and others, or solo -- like flying machines improving from Kitty Hawk's Wright Flyer I to the size of Jumbo 747-8Is carrying 460+ people passengers. 

What's the point? 

We're all each and every one of us on a journey of discovery baby, with side trips to reality as we see it, not only possible but probable.

Best, Rod

Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.
My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

Check it out at no obligation

The Absolute Joy of WW III

So, I ask myself, "What the eff is it goin' to take to teach mankind not to put up with these totalitarian regimes? WW III?"

I mean, these dictators point their finger and a man woman or child dies immediately. If its one, its a million. What do they care? They have millions more fodder and soldiers, as in countries like Russia right now, today, and potentially China, both of whom evidently want to rule the world - whether thru conquest or unfair business practices. 

The Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i religion, Baha'u'llah (English: Glory of God) wrote for the need of Collective Security in the 1800's, and many others as well before and since. Simple really: If one country invades another, all the other countries of the world (as in Desert Storm), must rise up and UTTERLY DESTROY that (dictator and his misguided country, DESPITE most of their citizens being innocent. How else can we separate the aggressor from the pacifist? Just kill 'em all. 

I'm being facetious, we know diplomacy and consultation (even the right samctions - as in holding back Iran), can work, but . . . . there comes a time, an event, a demonstrated character and evil, which calls for these A'holes' utter extermination. Think of the tens of millions of lives saved in WW II if Hitler and Nazism had been nipped in its bud. Do we need more examples?  Jews and humans of the world won't and shouldn't let us forget those evils, but that hasn't been enough

Apparently we do, over and over again, this time the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and sending thugs to other Ukrainian cities to sow foment and disruption - essentially anti-democratic policies. Every one should realize by now with the the exponential increase of democracies (in some form) in the world, they are better and more prosperous than these totalitarian regimes, whether from dictators like Assad and Putin, or corrupt militarys as seen in Eqypt and elsewhere now. 

Just destroy the hell out of 'em. Nuke 'em. Cut out the cancer, don't placate it. Specifically, bomb the hell out of Russia's border with Ukraine/Crimea and destroy those troops and armaments - now. Don't tell 'em you're goin' to do it - as Nike says - Just Do it.

Will it start an atomic WW III? So be it. 200, 300, 400 ? million lives will be utterly obliterated - a pittance given 7.n billion. Will that be enough to wake us up to these evil cancers and the need to cut them out?

I for one want to eradicate the disease, not tolerate it or research it. That's why God created radiation. Zap 'em once and for all. Get it over with, spend a hundred years recovering, and then, maybe then, maybe we'll have learned our lesson for good. Finally.

What do you think? 

Best, Rod

Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.
My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

Check it out at no obligation