I can become more outgoing, more talkative, with more words to speak to the people I know and the people I meet. I can carry long conversations with people I meet for the first time without hesitating. I have many many many more words to share and questions to ask people I meet. Conversations that go above and beyond the weather, how busy or slow work or the cafe is. I have many many many more discussions and agreeable conversations I am a major role in. I can and I will.
Category: A story to tell
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I am my father’s son
In a previous post at Interestornot I described in some detail about ways my father mistreated me when I was living with him as a young boy. I also wrote that I wish he would have made more time to play ball with me.
My father said he is my best friend. A true friend will tell you words you don’t always want to hear. This is certainly true of my father. A true friend will not agree with you on everything. This is also true of my father. A true friend has your best interest in mind. While my father cared and looked out for me the ways he new how when I was a young child, sometimes in ways I vehemently despised I am grateful that he was in my life then and to this day.
I’ve heard numerous stories of children disowning their parents when they became old enough to take care of themselves because of their parents bad behavior. While this is the healthiest option for people in those situations I’m grateful that never happened in my family.
My father managed to keep a solid roof in a safe neighborhood over our heads and enough food in the kitchen while I was growing up all the way until I moved into my own home at 18. My father’s home was warm enough and dry inside on the coldest snowy nights outside. My father taught me how to shovel the snow and chip the ice off the sidewalks around the house early in the morning so men women and children could walk over them and to avoid paying a fine to the city where unobstructed sidewalks are the responsibility of the residents. In the hottest summers the cooling system kept the house from overheating throughout the years.
My father taught me many skills from mowing the lawn to installing and maintaining the sprinkler system. He taught me how to paint interior walls and exterior siding. He taught me how to maintain the fence and apply wood primer over it to keep it solid and strong. He taught me basic carpentry and automotive maintenance skills. He taught me basic plumbing skills. He taught me how to turn the soil and to plant seeds, to water them and to harvest the fresh produce as it ripened in his garden.
We had electricity wired into every room and plumbing that worked consistently throughout the kitchen and bathrooms throughout the years. The water pressure at home was strong with both hot and cold water and was clean and clear and ready to drink and to wash in consistently throughout the years built into the solid foundation and land where his house was built many years before may family moved in. We had a clothes washing machine and clothes drying machine in the house that consistently worked throughout the years. We had a telephone, line, and service that worked consistently in the house.
The house has windows on every wall of the exterior that open up and look out into the lively residential neighborhood that is safe day and night one block away from the public Elementary school I attended. My father always had a reliable car.
The community my father brought me up in is economically strong and stable and peaceful in the Democratic Republic of United States. Clean clear air filled the environment I grew up in. Environmental pollutants were not a problem in our community. The environment I grew up in is far away from hurricanes, tornadoes and tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanos year after year to this day.
My father has worked for himself since before I was born. He is his own boss and owner of several businesses. Through his work he has taught me about leadership and independence. These are all blessings I thank him for.
Growing up with economic strength and geographic stability is a reality for many of us US Citizens of America. I can thank goodness and thank God and thank the hard ongoing work of many generations of Americans who made this a reality for so many.
Thanking goodness has many implications. It’s good to have a clothes washing machine and a clothes drying machine at home. And it’s good when there is a store in your community with clothes washing machines and clothes drying machines for their customers use.
Every community is unique and has people with more financial wealth and people with less financial wealth and less material possessions. That’s life, that’s normal. We all can’t have the most and all of us can’t have the least. Increasing financial wealth is often the result of gaining a college degree and or a highly valued skill learned attending a trade school and through a lot of hard work.
I was enrolled in college with a full schedule of courses and attended classes on the college campus for one year. I did not graduate. I did not earn a college degree. I did not attend a trade school where highly valued skills are taught and people put to work.
I have many skills highly valued to me and are practical I use in life every day.
I know that many Americans have to leave home and leave their apartment and travel with their bag filled with their soiled clothes on their feet and in their car and sometimes have to pay the fare to travel on the schedule of a city bus to a store only during business hours to wash and dry their clothes.
And sometimes wait for the machines to be available and pay their hard earned money for each use of the clothes washing machines and clothes drying machines. Then travel with their bag of their clean and dry clothes back to their home to have clean clothes ready to wear.
Many possessions I was brought up with and learned to take for granted took on new meanings and new practical matters when I moved out of my father’s home into a one bedroom studio apartment I rented where I lived on my own for the first time 29 years ago.
That’s life and the experience of growing up and living on your own in your home away from the family you were born into. This is a human experience most Americans becoming adults realize at some time in their lives.
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Remember
We are making new memories for younger generations. Youth from, raised, and brought up in United States will remember mixed messages in the media and on news reports as they grow old enough to vote and form their own opinions about the men and women they wish to elect as leaders.
That is the power struggle. The struggle for power is continual, it always has been in US and on foreign soil. US Citizens have the freedom to vote in United States. Hold this freedom close to your heart and vote.
Fascism has not been major breaking news in United States for many many generations. The Government has recently, this month of October 2025 designated Antifa as a terrorist organization. For that reason individuals who say they are Antifa I steer clear of.
Whether you support or resist the current Government policies, as a US Citizen you have the right to speak up to our elected officials and have your voices heard. Peaceful assembly at a peaceful rally, peacefully protesting a policy is one of many ways to get your point across to our elected officials.
You can still yell and scream and hold up a sign while assembling, respecting the property peacefully at a rally.
Fascism is a word I’ve heard seldomly over the years mostly in the context of a conversation about the distant past. It didn’t make much sense to me when I heard the word fascism used and it doesn’t now. More modern words to describe politics are Democracy, Republic, Liberal and Conservative.
While each one of those four words have extreme examples some individuals went to, in general they are much safer to use and in most cases not the views of extremists. Being a moderate or a centrist is what the political party in power does to lead the masses. While the political party in power leans to the left Democrat or to the Right Republican, going to any extreme alienates a number of their constituent’s, their citizens and their voters.
It’s necessary for a politician to claim the name of a political party when leading. Names have meanings. Old names, recent names and new names. While Democracy and Republic names are far from new they are modern. Independent is also modern. Stay safe and pick a modern political party you believe in that best represents you and your interests.
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One good consumer
I’ve been an active consumer since I started buying things on my own as a young boy many years ago. About 99% of the things I buy are at a set price. That means 1% of what I buy the price is negotiable. I can’t remember the last time I bought something and negotiated the price of the thing with the seller. I was probably on vacation in Costa Rica and talked down the seller from their asking price for a piece of their art on sale in an open air market.
Sometimes I buy vegetables and fruit from local farms at the weekly open air market in town. The prices are always listed and I’m buying for me and not a large crowd of people so there’s no reason to negotiate a lower price for a large purchase of vegetables. Expecting a set price is normal market behavior when buying in person in stores in U.S. The same applies when buying things on the internet. I buy things for me and not for a large number of people.
Politicians in Washington D.C. often have to negotiate the cost of a law they want to implement with the other side of the aisle. Their negotiations on a cost of putting a law into action effects US Citizens in US and US Citizens living around the world. Their negotiations effect everyone living in US including illegal immigrants. Currently in Washington D.C. the top order of the day every day until the Government reopens is the amount of money needed in the budget to reopen the Government for a specific amount of time.
Negotiations are ongoing. When the Government reopens it will come with a future date when new negotiations on a budget to fund the Government will require an agreement by both sides of the aisle. That’s what a budget is, a specific amount of money to spend in a specific amount of time.
Both sides of the aisle are on different sides of the argument regarding illegal immigrants. Republicans are saying Democrats want to provide free health care to illegal immigrants. It’s a lie. Democrats know that illegal immigrants in US are not eligible to receive health insurance.
While most US Citizens have a health care policy every US Citizen does not. Health care and health insurance are not the same. Care is not insurance and insurance is not care. Having health insurance is very important and it’s not the same as being cared for by a health care worker.
A health insurance policy is an agreement between a insurance company and health care workers and the individual who’s health insurance policy’s name is in. As an American I care for my fellow Americans. My care is not that of a health care worker. I write. I write about people, places and things.
US Citizens are American and not every American are a US Citizen. America reaches from the US State of Alaska in North America going through the foreign country of Canada to US all the way down to the foreign country of Costa Rica in Central America to the foreign country of Chile in South America. People from America are Americans. America is much larger than the country United States.
Where you’re from matters and why you’re in United States matters. Whether you were born in US or migrated here from a foreign country matters. How you came to US matters. Why you’re here matters and what you’re doing here matters. If you are in US illegally our forces are working to bring you to justice. Democrats and Republicans disagree on many topics, it seems to be in our nature to disagree with the party on the other side of the aisle. If you are a US Citizen research, learn, ask questions, get informed, pick a political party or be independent. It’s your choice, up to you to choose and your right as a US Citizen to support a candidate and vote for them.
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I live in a safe neighborhood!
I prompted ChatGPT to draw a safe neighborhood in U.S.A. The drawing is ChatGPT’s repsonse. The houses and apartments in my neighborhood are not all as new as the neighborhood in the drawing looks and that’s ok!
I typed the ! at the end of the title to emphasize value. Typing a period at the end of the title makes sense to more people in US. Most people in US live in safe neighborhoods! I value this and a reason why I value living in United States. The difference between a . and a ! looks different and has a different meaning.
Outside the entrance to my home the neighborhood is safe! I make a difference at home and in my neighborhood and in the community.
Leaving home is not always exciting and going on a walk is a good way to get exercise. Too much excitement is not healthy for anybody. Visiting a cafe to buy a cup of coffee in my neighborhood is not very exciting and a opportunity to speak to a Barista at work.
Human relations are very important. I visit a cafe for a cup of coffee and interacting with a Barista in the cafe strengthens my human relations. Usually when I buy a cup of coffee in a cafe I place my order, pay for the cup of coffee and thank the person who serves me.
Sometimes a person at work greets me when I enter a store. Sometimes I might comment on how busy the store is. Other times I say thanks when I make a purchase and that’s it. Every time I visit a store it’s a new visit.
I often visit the same cafe where I have opportunity to see a person at work I recognize and make small talk with. Making small talk with people in the community is a strength and builds community.
Every time you speak to someone you make a difference. Speaking a few words to someone can make a big difference to them.
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Fear
One of my deepest fears is being eaten by another human being. Cannibalism. I believe cannibalism rarely happens. Still from time to time news reports detail the atrocious act of a human eating another human. I’ve had the fear of being eaten by another human since I was a young boy. I must have learned the meaning of cannibal on a television documentary. Cartoons and sitcoms were my favorite shows to watch on TV. Cartoons and sitcoms were not always on TV in the 1980’s. Not like today with internet enabled television where you can choose from a vast and expanding library of videos and live broadcasts to watch 24 hours a day. In the 1980’s if a scary show was on TV I’d usually look for a different show to watch. The horror genre was never a favorite of mine. I don’t have a clear memory of when I learned that cantabile’s exist or graphic details of a show on TV that explained cannibalism. When I learned about cannibalism the message became engrained in my mind. I don’t often worry about being eaten by another human. I’ve been writing about what I fear in my journal recently and it felt right to open up about this fear I have not expressed before now.
What motivates a human to eat another human is beyond my comprehension. Throughout history incidents of starvation have forced some humans to eat weaker humans to survive.
Those incidents are few and far between. While starvation is a reality in places around the world many of the people who starve to death don’t resort to cannibalism trying to survive.
The thought of cannibalism is revolting. I believe cannibals are insane human predators. Cannibalism is not a major problem in the world, but when it happens the grotesque news creates memories that last.
It’s hard to shake this topic now that I began writing about cannibalism. It’s a very sad and devastating topic. Now that I’m focusing on the topic I think the first time I heard about it was when I was listening to my mom tell the story of Hansel and Gretel.
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I miss my friends
This sounds cheesy but cheese is good. I miss my friends I met in Elementary School who I grew up with and attended middle school and high school with. I miss seeing my friends almost every day and spending time with them. I moved far away from my home town where I was brought up far from my friends who stayed.
People grow up and start families and build careers and have less time for friends when raising their own family and working to pay their mortgage and save money for their children’s college education and to have for their retirement. That’s life.
I moved half way across the country to Medford Oregon not knowing anyone other than some of my family who have since moved very far away from Southern Oregon. It’s just me here. Me and my pet dog. A good thing about being in Medford is every day I see people I’ve never met for the first time and have opportunities to make new friends.
I’m 47 and it seems as the years go by the harder it is to meet new people and make new friends. I haven’t been in College for nearly 30 years and meeting people outside of school is not as easy. Good friends don’t come easy.
I’ve never been married and am not a father. I could still bring children into the world with a good woman and that would be a challenge for the ages. challenges are good to have and build strength and resilience to adversity.
A good thing about being in Medford is I’m very far away from people I once called friends who did not look out for me and did not have my best interest in their minds. Some of the people I once called friends were bad influences, self destructive and reckless. They needed healing, correction and recovery. They are far away in space and time and of the distant past.
It’s better this way. I want to make new friends here in Medford who look out for me and have healthy habits and are of good character. I want to make new friends that are not in trouble with the law and have learned from mistakes either their own or from others. That’s a good thing about living in Medford. I don’t know trouble makers in Medford and I don’t know people in Medford who are in trouble with the law.
When it comes to making new friends in Medford I’m on a new page to fill with good habits that strengthen community. While there’s no reason for me to detail past troubles I’ve experienced I don’t shy from talking about mistakes I’ve made with people I know. When meeting someone for the first time I don’t talk about past troubles. Speaking to someone I just met about past mistakes would be awkward and out of context given the healthy positive situations I find strength in every day.
In Journal entries posted below are more details that include my successes and struggles.
I’m glad I had the opportunity to leave my home town for many reasons and took it. Many people never move far from where they are born. I’ve travelled to many cities and states, some for work and mostly on vacation and visited a large handful of foreign countries over the years. I’ve always come back home to United States. The U.S. is where I’m from and is my home.
I’m proud to be an American. The United States has many strengths and has many problems regardless of who POTUS is and how he or she goes about leading Americans and the role they play in the world. Responsible citizens work to make this country and the world a better place to live in. I believe that immigrants have many reasons to migrate out of the country where they were born. Most immigrants migrate for good reasons, are hard working and law abiding. That’s not the case in every situation, it never was. I’ve written more on the topic of migration in the posts below.
Living in Medford Oregon is much different than my home town in Colorado. Oregon became a state 17 years before Colorado became a state. That seems odd to me. Some of my distant family members on my mom’s side of our family very long ago were Pioneers from Europe and settlers who arrived in Virginia on the Atlantic Ocean’s East Coast.
On my dad’s side of our family my great great great Grandfather ( honestly it’s not clear to me how many generations ago) arrived in Ellis Island New York. Gradually over many generations our family settled further out west.
Colorado is smack dab in the middle center of US and Oregon is on the farther North on the West Coast of the Pacific ocean. I’m not a history expert but it seems that when Pioneers moved out west in carriages on horseback they would have arrived on the land that is Colorado long before they arrived on the land that is Oregon.
Good friends don’t come easy. Wish me luck.
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My mom turned 81 years old near the middle of August. On the same day she wrote me and my sisters about her down the road preparations for entering hospice. It was sad for me to read the message and not a big surprise. My mom has good health and lives almost independently in an elderly community with warm weather year round.
A team of property managers lives in my mom’s community who help look after the residents. Sometimes my mom borrows her friends car to do local errands and for the most part rides an adult size electric trike that has a basket for holding the things she shops for when she’s out riding around.
My mom cooks for herself and is healthy and strong. And my mom is not as strong as she once was. My mom moves slower than she used to. That’s aging and it is good to age. My mom has a sharp memory and quick wit and her ability to communicate is not what it used to be. That’s aging and it’s good to age. My mom lives in her own apartment in the elderly community and enjoys socializing with the men and women in her community.
I hope my mom lives many more years in good health and strength. My mom has comforted people volunteering at hospices and talked about hospice for years. My mom asked that me and my sisters “pull the plug” when she gets to a point where she is in overwhelming pain or discomfort. She has made it clear to me and my sisters that she would rather have us “pull the plug” than to keep her living in a vegetative state.
My mom is alive and well and just got home a few days ago from traveling on her own over the summer visiting family and friends in Oregon and Vermont.
I wish I had more money to visit my mom more often. I live across the country from my mom and can take time off work and fly to visit her. It’s expensive to take time off work and to save money to travel across the country. Family is very important to me. I will always make time for my family to be there with them and to support them when they are in need.
When I visited my mom last year we went to the beach. It was so much fun. The water was warm and we both went swimming in the ocean. It was a great visit and good to be there.
My mom has told me and my sisters that when she passes away she wants to be cremated. The topic of death is serious and a topic I don’t often write about or talk about much. It’s good to write about the topic of death the more relevant it becomes.
Life is good. Life is precious. Hug your loved ones and tell them you love them while they are here.
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Sometimes I believe it is difficult to make small talk with people I meet because I want to know if we share the same or similar political opinions. I want to know right away if their politics align with mine so I’ll know if a conversation will be agreeable or confrontive. I don’t like confrontation. I’m trying to make small talk with people I encounter more and more. I live alone and am here at home with my thoughts. No one else is here with me to agree with or confront. The matter at home is the physical matter that makes up the floor and walls and ceiling, the apartment I rent keeps me safe and secure.
Outside is adventure and life and opportunity and meaning. Outside there are people with similar interests and values. Outside are people from every walk of life. Rich, poor, highly educated and laborers. Outside are people scraping by in poverty and people who are homeless.
A neighborhood store I shop in often has snacks on the shelves and a soda machine. At the store I usually buy beer and cigarettes. I’ve been shopping at the store for several years. I am cordial with the salespeople who work in the store. All and all like most customers I go to the store to buy products then leave.
I don’t like that they sell pipes and bongs but I don’t make their rules. Smoking marijuana is legal in this community. It’s not the America I grew up in. In the America I grew up in Marijuana was illegal and criminal and suspect. Marijuana was dangerous. Eventually marijuana was available for medicinal purposes to people with health problems and authorized to buy it in the few places where it was sold. Most Marijuana for sale back then was sold illegally on the black market in back alleys.
Times have changed. Marijuana is legal for adults to buy and posses in small quantities and consume for recreational purposes on private land. Marijuana stores are in almost every commercial neighborhood in town.
When I was a teenager we spoke about how marijuana would one day become legal and sold like cigarettes.
Those days are here. Marijuana is addictive and smoking it harms the lungs. Marijuana is a controlled drug. Consuming too much marijuana in one session is dangerous. Some marijuana is more potent than other strains.
In the news marijuana farmers have been reported to be influenced by cartels and people working on marijuana farms have been mistreated and exploited. All in all the news reports of cartels infiltrating the marijuana industry is not a daily occurrence. I believe the marijuana industry needs more regulations to protect people who work tending the plants from cartels.
It is good that marijuana is legal. People can buy marijuana legally for personal consumption. People can buy marijuana in a safe and secure well lit store where there is no rush and no reason to hide. A marijuana store has to maintain quality standards. A consumer can buy marijuana today and pay with a credit card if they choose and get a printed receipt. For these reasons marijuana is safer to grow, sell and consume now that it is a controlled drug sold for personal use. I’m glad marijuana stores with similarities to liquor stores can not operate businesses in school zones.
I respect your right to sell marijuana in an authorized store to adults. I respect your right to consume marijuana. Please be safe and help keep marijuana away from young people.
Beyond cigarettes and beer going to a neighborhood store often to buy their goods feels good. I’d rather buy at a store in person than have products delivered to my door. Making a transaction with someone at work in person face to face is a part of living in community. It’s not the same as meeting with people when volunteering. Human interactions are valuable to me.
Interest or not 