Sitting inside tonight nursing a cold. It seems it always comes on like this during the last really nice weekend of the year.
Anyway I have a box of tissues next to me, and a half a pot of hot tea on the stove. I am thankful that my disease did not afflict me during the work week. I did come down with a scratchy throat on Friday afternoon, but was able to make it through till the end of the day. I will have to judge tomorrow night whether or not to go to work on Monday.
Luckily for me (or rather planned) I have enough sick days to be able to take it off if I need to. I know a lot of people who seem to always have theirs used up this time of year, and have to take it on the chin (wallet) when the flu and cold season arrives. I cannot say for sure but many of those that seem to have used up all of their sick days by now always seem to be the ones that can ill afford to have days lost. I recognize that may be a rude judgment on my part, and am always willing to evidence to the contrary, but it just seems that way in my eyes.
Perhaps it is because they have a family, and must use these allowed days in order to take care of a sick loved one. There are a lot of married w/children in my place of work, and quite a few are women. Not that women are always the parent of choice to stay home in such a situation, but recognizing the uneven pay scale they are likely to be the better of two options. Not always, but one would have to be a ostrich to not see the evidence of such a choice.
But I digress, as this is about me, and my needs.
To be honest I see a case where fair pay for women really enters into why "I" have a cold. If the responsibility were to fall on the other parent once in a while I could see where the likelihood of my coming down with what can only be called as the black death (I'm confident) as often, would be lessened. It may very well be the effects of the putrid flavored elixir I downed a half hour ago, but it seems to me that if the family coffee can had a little more even funding for such occasions, parents would not have to choose to go to work when they are sick themselves. Hence being trapped with the grouchy Agnosticrat who curses the air he breathes every time a co-worker sneezes would not have be an option.
So please when the option comes up...if there is ever a re-introduction of the fair pay for women act...think of me (sitting here now, thinking of going nuclear with the NyQuil, and planning on jotting down my final wishes on a lightly lotioned, half used piece of tissue) and push your legislator to pass it. If this is not enough, please feel free to give your adress so that I might send you the other half of my tissue.
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To cheer you up, I have attached a link to some photos of an outing by a bunch of my friends in Bello Oriente, Costa Rica.
(copy and paste, por favor!)
http://motoclubamigos.hi5.com
The road trip was September 21, so you will notice lots of mud.(My house is in the background at the top of the hill in the first photos)
Working around moms subjects you to a very intricate network of viruses. The hardship that you share with school teachers and health care workers will make you strong and resistant. (Read the book, "The Blue Zones") Live long and prosper.
One of the reasons that moms have to work in the USA is that we have a perceived need to drive two cars, eat food fast, be owners of every new toy, wear the latest fashions, pamper ourselves and respond to every conflict with violence or threats of violence. If you look closely at the photos on the link, you will see lots of happy people who are covered by the third best health care system in the entire world. This excellent care costs their government only FIFTEEN PERCENT of what is spent on health care per person in the USA. Much of this savings is due to an emphasis on prevention of disease instead of waiting for the reactive drugs you had to revert to. As a "residente pensionado", I pay $60 a month for the equivalent of Medicare A & B, plus dental. It also covers my family. (The head of cardiology in the new hospital in San Jose gave me his personal cell-phone number, "just in case")
The same people who will vote for Bubba and Sarie McBush in the Presidential election will insist that we have the best...(fill in the blanks)... in the world, ignoring the facts stated by George Soros that we are about to pay for years of excessive consumerism by becoming a second-rate country. The folks who set aside their six-pack long enough to make the minimum payment on their maxed-out credit cards will call you a Socialist if you advocate for better health care (while they lend their capitalist "every man for herself" system billions to support one small part of a failed system).
pura vida
"One of the reasons that moms have to work in the USA is that we have a perceived need to drive two cars, eat food fast, be owners of every new toy, wear the latest fashions, pamper ourselves and respond to every conflict with violence or threats of violence."
My first thought is, that is a hell of a statement for a man with more than one house, in more than one country. While I am sure there is a lot more to the reasoning behind such a choice, I highly doubt that it is something that is done without a certain amount of self pride, and assets gained from the very system you find fault with.
I am curious though, if it is necessary?
Should we all see seasonal expatriation as a need?
UMM?
Checked the link, and it kinda looks like a well... A hispanic biker chick dating service? You may need to direct us a little further.
Bye the way,.. do you have Stephanie's phone number?
Ag,
You are stuck in a typical US paradigm. You assume that I live a typical USA life-style while in Costa Rica. In fact we have no private transportation, our house in CR, while unusual, has been built, so far, with inexpensive labor and materials due to my over 30 years of experience in construction. That is the source of my pride. At 70 years of age I am blessed with strength. My crew of neighbors showed up each morning at 5:45am and we worked side-by-side for 56 hours a week. The money was borrowed and hopefully represents an asset that will be my estate.
The Hastings house has become a burden and will eventually be liquidated.
My great wealth is my family, not my assets. The only riches I was able to accumulate are my investment in the Social Security system which I was unable to avoid. I have no other income other than an occasional donation for carpentry.
What I don't pay out for car insurance, heat energy, telephone bills, electricity, water & sewer, and other US expenses is more than enough to support me like a prince during the winter. We live like ordinary Ticos (Costa Ricans), unlike many foreign tourists who don't shift gears and rent cars, demand a life-style of affluence, etc. I love rice&beans. Fruits and vegetables are cheap, fresh and delicious, and the food has no preservatives.
What you missed about the videos was that the bikers are riding dirt bikes that would not be considered street-legal in the Socialized regulated USA. They aren't riding motos that cost as much as a car. Those are their everyday transportation. I assumed that the audience was adult, so I didn't bother to mention that some of the photos would offend regular church-going conservatives. Most of the young ladies in Costa Rica make this old man's head turn and heart skip a beat. Eventually, McD will reach out from San Jose and obesity will arrive, but until then I will join my buddies on the park bench and admire the scenery. A country bordered by two oceans lined with beautiful beaches offers endless eye-candy. Exercise and healthy habits, combined with a passion for laughter, extends the life-expectancy of Ticos well over three years longer than we in the USA.
The above represents the minor advantages of living away from the violent and self-serving culture of the USA.
Perhaps you and a few readers can appreciate some facts beyond the pablum served from pulpits and media outlets. The culture of Costa Rica is hard to leave behind in order to spend summers with my grandchildren. I write a regular journal while I am there, for the benefit of relatives and a few friends. In seven years the pages have piled up to more than you would want to host, and still don't do justice to what this peace-loving country has become primarily from doing away with their military and not being aggressive.
What do you imagine the USA would have become if almost all of the money spent on militarism was instead devoted to education, health care, and social programs?
How many kids, like Lisandro Solano, would have degrees in Electrical Engineering? How many kids, like his sister Melisa who turns 15 this month, would speak five languages? Would a subsidized bus system make a difference in the way we think about "needing" cars?
Do you suppose that walking down the hill to talk to a professor of sociology at the bar would be more interesting than listening to the latest NASCAR news?
Most of the people that I meet at the Rancho Amigos know more about our politics and government than most of the citizens who will vote here in November, and you can put serious money on their hope, along with the rest of the peace-loving people of the world, that they are praying that McBush will not win.
Anybody could expatriate away from the USA for a fantastic retirement and life of adventure. Fortunately for me, very few will.
I can fly back and forth for less than it would cost me to visit my sons in Yellowstone Park and San Francisco. I am only too happy to fly over Florida, with just enough time in the Miami lay-over on my return to wonder why I am coming back.
Learn to dance the cumbia and you can dance with Stephanie. You don't need her phone number, she'll be there. Christmas is twelve fiestas long.
Do you miss the "truthseeker" as much as I do?
We are still alone...after a week of expanding socialist handouts to the wealthy (from each according to his ability - to each according to his access to the President).
When neccessity required me to research long-term assistance and care in this country, I discovered that 17% of our nursing homes provide a level of care that qualifies as criminal abuse. At about the same time I learned that the rich and famous were flocking to places like Costa Rica for surgical and medical procedures. Recovery was beachside, etc.
It occurred to me that my Social Security alone would allow me to have a full-time nurse to attend to my every need as I neared the afterlife, outside of the USA.
For a while, I rushed around promoting that idea to my aging friends and relatives, but like yourself, they prefer to linger within their comfort zones and insist that the fear of change is better than the accusations of treason.
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