Oy! Memories! MJ's "Leave Me Alone" from the 80s

On jump-starting the economy

The solution is not to credit. Post WWII "up" economy buying power was not built on credit cards. Credit? Yes. Cars, houses. But even in 60s credit cards (pre-VISA card) belonged to a few businessMEN, and NOT to women. Wrong, yes, but fact. Point - economy was not credit card driven. Outside of big credit for houses, cars, etc., things were saved for, bought on lay-a-way, which still exists, by the way. How hard is it to pay for something you want badly enough in 3 months, without interest, with no reference to your credit, and no bad mark on your credit if you "default"! You get money you paid back, but they keep the "fee" you paid upfront, if you do that, and put it back on the sale rack. Drawback - things reduced on sale usually get a 2 week lay-a-way. Plus - you can pay any amount at any frequency so long as you meet a minimum agreed-upon amount monthly. I remember my late mama buying, on credit card, and said, confused, "What did people do before credit cards?" Then it came to her, "Of course! They laid-a-way!" I told her "Guess what, mama! It still exists, today!" She was shocked, "Richway, K-Mart, Belk. They all do 3 months." She asked the clerk at the register, and she confirmed, yes, they still had lay-a-way. Mama was flabbergasted that it was not being used much and that she'd forgotten about it.

I am $79.95 poorer, but....

Well, I am $79.95 poorer, but at least the refrigerator got a clean bill of health, for now. The man checked it thoroughly, and confirmed what I suspected: it started behaving again (late last week, a day or two after I phoned in for the repair man to come), before he got here. It was doing exactly what it was supposed to do. At first, he thought not, because the freezer wasn't at zero F (-17.78 C), but was floating around 32 F (0 C). Then he realized it had just slipped into its "defrost mode" before he got here. So, he watched it for a while and found it went in & out of that just fine. He checked it out thoroughly, and found no signs of problems, leaks, etc. The only "things" he found were a clogged freezer drain, which he flushed for me, and that it's nearly empty, and he pointed out that promotes inefficiency. I assured him, as soon as my money is in (due today), that can and will change. He also told me what to look for, how to know if a compressor goes, and how/where the "off" switch is, which I did not know. I told him that was good to know, incase it started doing things it wasn't supposed to do. He agreed. However, he did give me some tentative bad news that was definitely unwelcome. I was just about to ask him what the average lifespan of a refrigerator from that era was, as it is 11 years old, when he volunteered the information: 10 to 15 years. So, he said, at 11, mine was definitely on it's final run, but not having problems - yet. He also explained the kind of things that would be worth fixing on it (fans, seals, etc.) and the kinds of things not worth fixing on it (compressors). In the former case, he said calling him would work, but in the latter case, I would be better off buying a new one. SIGH! Yea, right! Well, all I could tell him was that it had better hold until I get my credit card paid down so I can get one then if I need one, etc.

Ray Noble Orchestra,Tony Martin,Paul Robeson,Noel Coward,Fred Astaire,Buddy Clark1930s-Ray Noble-41-50

A look at my own past

If I had to speak words, right now, instead of type on this keyboard, I could not, because of the choked up feelings and tears. The notorious verbose chatterer that I am, given to digression with ease, I cannot find the words, for this, right now. Not any that I want, that begin to convey my feelings, my response, my emotions, having read this. Yes, thank you for writing it, but "thank you" seems so - inadequate. One last thing, I recollect the first time I got an HIV test. It was the early 1980s. I had sudden weight loss. Ultimately, it was because of having been so obsessed with my weight, that I purged myself too much with laxatives, got symptoms, and self-medicated with a health store brand of potassium, only to make things worse. By the time my doctor saw me, I had a notable weight loss of a sudden 10 pound drop, and bizarre cardiac rhythms. I suspected it was that, but didn't have to courage to tell her. Knowing I was gay, she said "I think it's about time to test for HIV." I started to cry, quietly. I was also seeing a counselor back then, to help me cope with being gay. I remember telling her that if I was positive, I was going to commit suicide, and how. I had it all figured out, in detail. I also added, very calculatedly, "And there's absolutely nothing you can do about it, to stop me. You have to let me leave your office, today." She asked "Why?" and I said, "Because by law, I have to be a danger to myself, and/or to others, for you to commit me, and this moment, I am not actively a danger to either myself, or others." She paused, stared me down, and said, "You're right." I knew, that week, that if it was positive, that I was going to do it, because I feared facing an AIDS-related death. Of coping with fundamentalist parents who disapproved of all-things-gay. In retrospect, I knew that fear, only for me, that fear could not stop the test, but drive me over the cliff, if I was indeed, positive. Despite being positive now, diagnosed in 2002, I am glad that did not pan out that way, back in the 1980s. I would have missed out on a lot of life, and much with family and friends, that was yet to come.

How U know you need to pray @ work 2/2

How U know you need to pray @ work 1/2