Mrs. Sneed and I went to the grocery the other night.  When we went to our car after shopping, the lot was empty in our row and only one car was in the row adjacent to us.  That car was two spots closer to the store and in the adjacent row. 

I unloaded our bags and glanced around for the nearest cart corral.  It was some distance away at the end of the aisle and I made the snap judgment to just leave my cart in the next parking spot and let the lot kid corral it.  Nowhere near the other car.

As I got into the cart I heard someone yell, and I made out the words, cart and cars.  An older guy approached and put his shopping
bag in the aforementioned car in the adjacent parking row.  I backed out of my spot and he huffed over, grabbed my cart and made something of a show of wheeling the cart back to the corral.

As we drove off, he shouted that I was a "fu*king a-hole."

Seems to me that he invests a lot of emotion in cart etiquette.


Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Health insurance, you can't live with it.......you get it.


For the most part I enjoy good health, especially for an older guy.  I take a cholesterol-lowering drug and that's about the extent of my regular medical needs.  For the most part, I don't use my insurance that much.  That doesn't mean that they haven't got a way too screw me, though.

My insurance insists that I order my cholesterol med via the mail, since it is considered maintenance, not urgent.  This, they say is the most cost-efficient way to get my pills and keep cost lower for everyone.  A 90-day-supply costs me $25 using my insurance.  Not too bad.

What I discovered recently is that the insurance pays zero dollars toward these refills and I pay the $25 copay.  I'm paying full retail through the insurance.  That got me to thinking.

I checked with some of these $4 plans at the big box stores and found my drug wasn't on their lists for $4.  But Costco will fill my prescription for $9 for 90 days, saving my $16 off the insurance company prices.  So, not only was there no benefit to my by my insurance, the company was profiting an extra $15 or so from my using them.  Bastards!

Not to lay lie to my good health claim, but I developed a touch of cellulitis in my thigh this week.  This morning I went to the doc and he prescribed an antibiotic. 

In this case, mail order is not practical anyway, so I went to my insurance website to find my options and cost.  They recommended that I go to a Walmart near me to fill the prescription.  I would have a $10 copay and they would contribute nothing.

I happened to ask the Walmart person what the self-pay price was and it turns out that it is $4.  Pay $4 without insurance, pay $10 with it.  Did I mention bastards?





Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

This box of produce was sitting in the middle of the street in Little Italy in Boston.  We never figured out why.

Mom makes emotional 911 call after baby is kidnapped!

That is the actual headline for an actual news story.  Accompanying the headline and story, was the audio of the call.

When did making 911 calls available to the public get started?  I know it has been around a while, but why is it news?  I don't want to hear people at the most awful moments of their lives. 

That sentiment extends to past human tragedies like the Holocaust and the NYC terrorist attacks, too.  I avoid movies or books that trade on the great atrocities. 

Walks down the aisle of the museum of man's inhumanity to man is not for me.

 

 

I need 2 tires for my bike and I found just what I wanted on Amazon.  I selected quantity "2" and checked out.  Smooth as silk, be here on Friday (today) and free shipping.

This afternoon a FEDEX guy came to the door with a big box.  My tires I presumed.  It was my tires, minus an 's'.  The box contained not tires, but a single tire.  There was room for two, but only a single tire within.   Was it a mistake in packing?  Would I have to call to find the missing tire.

An hour later another FEDEX guy came to the door with another box...the other tire.  I asked him if he was the same guy from an hour earlier and he was not. 

Those Amazon guys are usually very efficient, but it seems to me that this wasn't one of those times.


Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

The internet of my days.

Some people believe that the great social divides in this country center on rich/poor or the rising immigrant population.  Maybe they do, but for me the greatest divide is between those who have only known the information age and minimal customer service skills and those of us from the olden days.

We might have been badly informed back in the day, but we weren't clueless.  As nearly as I recall, anyway.

This is an actual conversation I had with a kid in an auto parts store the other day.  I was in need of a key, among other things and the store didn't have a blank for the key I needed..

Me:  Do you know of a locksmith shop in the area?

Kid:  Do you have a cellphone?

Me: Yes.

Kid:  You can use your phone to locate one and it will give you directions.

Me:  I don't have a smartphone.

Kid:  If you can find a phone book, you can find a listing in the yellow pages. Look under locksmiths.

Me:  I just thought you might know of one here in your neighborhood.

Kid:  I'm not from this neighborhood, I just work here.

Me:  Thanks.

Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Mrs. Sneed and I just trekked up to southern Nevada to do a couple of days of bicycling.  It was great, but the drive to and from is a slough.   Two hours to Phoenix and then 4+ hours through the desert with only Kingman, AZ to break it up. 

On our first day we rode the River Mountains Loop, which is 34 miles, beginning in Boulder City, NV, through Henderson, down to Lake Mead and back Up to Boulder City.

Just to the right, out of the frame, is the middle of nowhere

A fellow in the parking lot at our start suggested that it may be a bit hard on two oldsters like us when we had to climb the 1200' from Lake Mead back to Boulder City.  He turned out to be right.



Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Back when I was a working stiff, I used to hear people say that they are more busy in retirement than they were when they worked.  That mystified me when I was on the outside of geezerdom.  Now, I sort of get what they mean.

I'm not really busier these days, but I definitely find ways to spend my time.  I think it has to do with my life being less structured since I don't work.  I have more time to think about what I can being doing.

What the lovely Mrs. Sneed and I have been doing this past year is bicycle.  In fact, we biked over 4000 miles in 2012.  Not that we are keeping track or anything.

This past fall we spent a couple of weeks visiting New York City and taking a cruise up the east coast to Canada and back.  It was a lot of fun.

We had hopes of seeing the Book of Mormon while in NY but it cost more than sensible people should pay.  We took a guided bike tour of Brooklyn one day, wandered around Central Park another, rode the Staten Island ferry in a gale and rode the subway all over.

 This may be the greatest police vehicle ever.  We saw this in St. John, New Brunswick.  American police agencies may have Hummers and tanks, but St. John has the perfect vehicle for low-speed chases. And who doesn't prefer low-speed chases given a choice?

Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

It's Christmas Eve.  Even for a non-religious guy, Christmas is fun to celebrate...mostly.  The pressure to buy, buy, buy, gives me the creeps.
 
Mrs. Sneed is in the midst of cleaning and preparing for our family party which begins at 6 tonight.  I'm trying to help a bit, but I'm not that much help really. 

For instance, I tried to fix a small plumbing issue in the main bath this morning and now I have a leak on the cold water side of the sink.  The valve needs to be changed, but I dare not start that today.  So, the guests will have to be content with hot water only and they will never even see the bucket under the sink. 

The boys formerly known as the Sneedlets are 10, going on 11 and Grandpa has definitely lost his cool with them.

 Miss Riley is just now five and too cool.

 And...the reigning sovereign of these here parts, the oh, so cute Piper.

So, however you celebrate the holidays, or even if you don't, the best from the Sneeds!

Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Sneedlets of every size and shape

Even if you haven't heard of the Pareto principle by its formal name, you probably have heard of the 80/20 rule.  You know, 80% of the effects are the result of 20% of causes.  It is not exact, but is generally correct in a lot of cases.

For instance, worldwide, 80% of income is earned by 20% of earners.  In the US the top 25% of income tax payers, pay 87% of personal income tax collections. 

But my post is not about income taxes.   The 80/20 rule is a floor, not a ceiling.  If you think about it most of the problems in the work place are caused by a few individuals, most problems in schools are the result of a small number of students.  And you can go on and on, I'm sure.

I recently downloaded a police and fire scanner app.  It has been quite an education.  

What I have learned from the police scanner is that the overwhelming majority of police calls involve a very small segment of the population. 

We have a current crime spree involving an armed robber who has robbed the same fast food place 4 times in the past month.  You think that someone could figure out how to catch this guy, but that is just my thinking.

I was listening to the scanner the other evening and Mrs. Sneed had the local news on the TV.  While the local news reader breathlessly told us about how this guy had robbed the restaurant for the 3rd time, I heard on the scanner that he had just struck for the 4th time.

You have to grudgingly admire a guy who has found a plan and is making the most of it.  Or not.


Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

One of the worst aspects of government is their ability to pass laws that they cannot or will not enforce. 

In that regard, has their ever been a more widely mocked edict than the National Do Not Call Registry?  The Sneeds get unwanted calls all day, every day.


Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Not the mountain in question.  I took this on our cruise to Alaska.

No matter what someone tries to do or build these days, there is a group to oppose it for one reason or another. The arguments of the opposition range from the valid to the specious, depending upon your point of view.  Some seem reasonable until you let the emotion clear and think about it a bit.

Here in the Southwest US we have a lot of Native American folks and they have a lot of objections when it comes to building stuff.  After all, they do have history on their side when it comes to getting the short end of the development game.

Near Flagstaff, AZ. there is a skiing operation that wanted to build a pipeline to bring in water to feed snow-making equipment. And because water is scarce in the area, the plan was to bring in treated waste water from Flagstaff.

Well, the Navajo Nation went ballistic, legally speaking.  They didn't want the pipeline built at all and for sure they didn't want treated waste water dumped on what they consider sacred land.  They don't own the land, (see paragraph 2), so they claimed a sacred interest in the deal.

It seems that Katchina was born at the base of the very mountain where the waste water, turned snow, turned waste water was likely to ultimately flow. Try making the sacred birthplace argument if you are a Lutheran or a follower of another sketchy religious figure.  But I digress.

Legally, the Navajo lost in court and the pipeline will be turned on shortly, according to the news.

So, here is where the thinking about it a bit comes in.

Isn't all the water around up essentially treated waste water?  We all know that a bear does in fact sh*t in the woods.   Ask anyone.

Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Seattle's iconic sign

It is a story as old as the automobile and probably older.  They used to hang horse thieves.

A guy runs into his local pizza shop, either leaving his truck running at the curb or leaving it with the keys in the ignition.  A passing ne'er-do-well jumps into the unattended vehicle and the chase is on.

A short time later the local cops catch up with the thief and one thing leads to another.  The crook pulls a gun, the cops unleash a police dog, dog bites man, man shoots dog, cops shoot man.  Two are dead, one dog and one crook, a tragic ending all around.

Last night our local news ran a teaser in which the breathless news person said, "A Hooterville police canine  officer is shot and killed by a suspected car-jacker, details at six. "

This morning the Hooterville Daily Dish noted in their story that this is the second time in a few weeks that Hooterville police personnel have been shot in the line of duty.  That other was a human shot in the head by persons unknown.  That officer is on the road to recovery, which is great news.

So when did non-humans become officers and don't personnel have to be persons?  It takes a few years for me to get on board with these new-age sensibilities.











Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

The elusive Glacial Alligator spotted in Tracy Fjord

How are all of these changes in our healthcare system working out for you?  Here at Casa Sneed, not so good.

We receive our health insurance from the pension plan of my former employer, Tedious Systems.  It has never been a bargain, but as of late the costs have become downright onerous.

Recently, Tedious Systems was bought out by CenturyLink Communications.  Evidently, CenturyLink thinks that providing benefits retirees is a burden that they ought not to have to be bothered with. They look to be on a campaign to get those of us who are too young for Medicare, but retired out of their plans by making it too expensive to keep. 

This year the skunks at CenturyLink  raised our premiums by 25%.  The lovely Mrs. Sneed and I are going to be paying nearly $10,000 for our health insurance in the coming year. 

Let me put this in perspective.  I'm paying about 100% of CenturyLinks' cost of insuring me and they paying about zero. 

What a system.





Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Retired Guy and I mean it this time...mostly

I took this picture of a Bald Eagle on a raft trip we took in Juneau in September.

 





As the title to this post suggests my days at Ace Hardware are behind me.  Effective just prior to Thanksgiving, I left.   Mostly, I left because I'm too damn old to stand all day, but also because, after federal, state and social security taxes, I was left with next to nothing pay-wise.

My leaving was not without a bit of drama.  The management presented a couple of scenarios that would keep me working, I made a counteroffer, but in the end, nothing worked out.  Now, I wonder how I was able to bear it for almost five years.
  

Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Mrs. Sneed has always wanted to kayak, don't ask me why.  Kayaking is not something the locals are really big on around here.  Costco sell kayaks, but that is about your only choice around these parts when shopping for your kayak-related needs.

Maybe if you live in Ohio or New York or even a place like jolly old London, you can just load up the family kayak and have a paddle or whatever the act of kayaking is called.  Those places have lakes, rivers and streams.  I know this because I have Google Earth installed on my computer.

Out here, just north of the Mexican border, it is more complicated.  And by complicated, I mean darned near impossible to kayak.

This is a satellite photo of our fair city and the surrounding areas.  See anything that looks like water?  Don't be fooled by the blue objects in the bottom center of the image, they are copper mines.

Mrs. Sneed's kayak dream has been stoked by her kayaking enthusiast sister, who lives a mile or two from the Pacific Ocean and sends kayaking photos from time to time.

This all brings us to our cruise and the kayaking opportunity available to kayak dreamers.  We are signed up for a fun-filled kayak adventure in Ketchikan, which I'm told is a tourist town in Alaska.

Mrs. Sneed expressed concern that I might be "too big" to be allowed on the fun-filled kayaking adventure.  Specifically, that my weight would disallow us the opportunity to fulfill her dream.  The kayak people have a strict quarter of a ton limit.  Tight asses.

I wasn't actually over their weight limit technically, in my opinion. If they let me kayak naked and first thing in the morning, no problem...maybe.  But visions of being made to mount a scale in front of throngs of skinny people danced in my head.

"Nice try fatty, sit on the bench."

So, I have been trying to get myself in better shape, weight-wise. 

I use the term weight-wise because the lovely Mrs. Sneed has been doing real work toward getting in shape, exercising and such. She is losing weight and getting fit.  Show off.

Since May I have lost over 25lbs.  It turns out that if you substitute fruits for snack items and eat actual vegetables instead of  potato products and give up pizza as a staple, you lose weight without too much effort.  Who knew and why wasn't I told of this earlier?

The only downside is that I'm still about 15 lbs overweight, at least according to those so-called "health experts".   But hey, according to the kayak guys I'm in the pink of health. And that is what matters.


 




 




Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

 Good news, my unfortunate incarceration has ended!  For the record, I wasn't even there when things went down.

Life at Casa Sneed goes on.  We are leaving in 2 weeks time for a cruise of Alaska's inner passage, followed by a couple of days in Seattle with Mrs. Sneed's sister and brother-in-law.  Should be fun.

I'm still at the hardware store, but have lowered the number of hours I work.  I had it down to 15 hours a week, which was swell, but now I'm back to 19.  Half the time I can see myself working there til I'm 70 and the other half I'm plotting to just up and quit.  Since I started collecting my social security in May the working has become more intolerable.

I'm thinking of resuming the old blog, but who knows.  My best to any and all of my friends who happen by.



Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

Two guys who understand the concept of posing for a picture. 

I had the rare pleasure of spending the day with my oldest son and young Aiden yesterday.    We dropped off their car at the dealership for some routine maintenance and then headed out to the golf course.

The trip to the dealership, twelve miles one way, was a blast from the past for me.  When I last worked for Tedious Systems, it was the route I used in my daily commute.  I don't miss that drive or the atmosphere at Tedious.

Isn't it funny how when we work somewhere the battles of that organization become our battles.  Once removed, they seem so unimportant.  Every thing at Tedious Systems was portrayed as life or death.   That is an easy thing to buy into when you feel like you really need the job.  Since I left, those concerns are not mine anymore.

Nice thing about working at the hardware store is that I have no emotional investment in the enterprise.   As my old dad once said, when they lose their power to fire you, work is kind of fun.

After golf, it was back to pick up the car and head home.  Miss Riley and Miss Piper stayed with Mrs. Sneed, so I got to spend a few minutes with them before the boys made it back to our house

It was a very nice way to pass a day.



Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

 Our little Piper had to have minor surgery yesterday to have tubes put into her ears.  She suffers from ear infections.  Yikes!  Luckily things went well.

Here is an ethical dilemma for you.

Suppose a former employer sent you a letter saying that they we giving you $3500 to help pay for your health insurance premiums.  Also suppose that you think you are not entitled to the money and in fact called them to let them know of their mistake...twice.

Imagine that you even went so far as to check with a fellow retiree to confirm that he didn't get the same sweet offer.  Further evidence that it is a mistake.

Would you;

(A) Take the money and run,

(B) Refuse to take the money,

(C) Take the money but set it aside in an account for the day they figure out they screwed up?

I'm doing (c) on the off chance that they really know what they are talking about.  How long is the statute of limitations on this do you suppose?

Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

The court order barring me from the internets expired recently, so I thought I would resume posting.  Perhaps by now longtime readers have come to their senses and no one will care anymore.

Much has happened over these past three months.

Mrs. Sneed has settled into a retirement routine. She worked at her old job 6 days in February and that served to reinforce her decision to retire.  Getting up and going off to a job sucks, once you have gotten out of the habit.

I have cut down to 20 hours a week at the hardware store and I suspect I am going to call it quits sooner rather than later.  In May I am going to start getting my Social Security payments.  Believe it or not my SS payment is about twice what I make working 20 hours at the store.

My reasons for working is more complicated than the few bucks I make.  I enjoy working, as long as I do it in moderation.

In other news. the Seafood King has taken a job since the collapse of his fish empire.  This job keeps him from playing golf on Thursdays.  Some Guy Named Bob doesn't want to play if it just me and him, which is okay with me.  Last week the third player he lined up backed out, so SGNB called me with a last-minute excuse to bail out on our game.

I think I will just tell SGNB that I am done playing.  Recently, I have been playing on Tuesdays and some Thursdays at a par three course near our home.  I rather enjoy being paired up with whoever shows up.

You see what I'm up against.




Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

MW Sneed staff makes a holiday delivery

The Merle Wayne Sneed organization is always alert to current trends.  It helps keep us on the cutting edge of societal mores.

Just this morning a staff member wondered what type of luxury car our readers are buying for loved ones this holiday?  Television advertising indicates that the giving of luxury autos as holiday gifts is widespread and popular, so surely Sneed readers are getting in on the action.


 Will this be a season to remember for your loved ones?  Or will you fall for that old lie that it is the thought that counts? 


So, please if you will, post your gift-giving choice in the comments.


This year I plan to give a;

a) Lexus
b) Mercedes
c) Cadillac
d) Acura
e) Chevy (as if, but they are running commercials.)
f) Nissan (see Chevy)
g) Hyundai (not really)

Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky