Tag Archives: Imperial Plaza

Metaphor

The Imperial Plaza hawks are beautiful, majestic and purpose serving. Sitting high in a tree that is by the parking lot of the building named “Boxwood”, I can sit on the bench, smoke my cigar and watch them (as well as take a picture or two). I have noticed that chicks have hatched and the female stays in the nest. Mothers, no matter what species of creature, with very few exceptions, take care of the young and the male hunts for both female and young.

In return for the nesting, the Imperial Plaza garden don’t have much trouble with animals picking through the garden taking what is there. They also provide pleasure through their soaring, jumping from one tree to another and being a sentinel by sitting on the ends of buildings keeping watch over the property. They do not cause any problems and, as far as I am concerned, they are welcome to stay as long as they desire.

It is ironical that we have hawks because one of my air force bases was Hahn AB,

W. Germany and the symbol was a hawk. I was there ten years and we were known as the Hahn Hawks. We have a Facebook site that tells the story of the base and a Facebook private site so we may stay in touch and talk in private. The Imperial Plaza hawks are another matter. They are immigrants.

I know that is a stretch but let’s look at this metaphorically. Lately the immigrants and the wall have been an issue but I can use the hawks as a metaphor for the immigrants.

The male and female hawks flew over our fence and set up home in the top of our tree. They were not invited but they are here anyway. However, they tend our garden and keep other vermin at bay. They don’t cause problems and stay to themselves. They do a job that we can not and will not do. Therefore, we live in harmony with them. We are not afraid of them and they are not afraid of us.

The wall and immigrant situation is just about the same. For years and years we have lived in harmony with many people that are not legal residents (most are legal). However, they tend and pick our produce, do construction work and many other things that Americans either don’t want to do or want much more money to do the job.

Okay, get rid of the birds. Let’s say, people are afraid of them and want them gone. What is left is a mess. Not a thing will be left in the garden because the animals will get it all. Squirrels and rabbits will take over, not counting the other small animals I have seen. Imperial Plaza will not be the same. The same thing will happen with the immigrants. The fields will not get picked, tree edibles either, we will be short of construction workers as well as other low pay employee jobs like lawn care.

Think about the pay. The immigrant will work for ten dollars an hour or less. The high brow American want more, much more. Ten dollars an hour for a ten to twelve hour day is not as much as fifteen dollars an hour or more. The American will only work five days a week or less and the immigrant will work six or seven days a week, if you let them. Then there is anything over eight hours of work become overtime but not for the immigrant, unless it is automatic, and anything over a five day work week (forty hours) is overtime unless you’re an immigrant.

I watch the male bird bring food to the nest for the female and the chicks. It is a pretty sight. The bird keep a little, so as to have the strength to continue working, and the rest is for the nest. The immigrant is the same. They make the money, keep a little and send the rest home (where ever the locale), just like the birds. Most Americans will make the maximum amount of money they can, keep most of it for themselves and give the family as little as possible.

There is another part to this saga. Send the male and female birds back across the fence because they are illegal. The chicks must stay because they were born here and have a birth right. Now Imperial Plaza must care for the chicks. They must provide food, lodging, medical care, clothes, etc. That will be a lot of money when the male and female birds were doing it and Imperial Plaza did not pay anything.

The same applies for the immigrants, The kids that were born here must stay and we, the tax payers, must foot the bill until they become adults. Sure, we pay a little now but not as much when they don’t have parents to care for them. We must think before we leap because everything we do have a consequence that may bite and we will all suffer. Any comeback about my little metaphor? Hummm

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: American, animals, birds, Facebook, garden, hawks, illegal, immigrants, Imperial Plaza, metaphor, wall. Leave a comment

Apr. ’17

The Pen Is Mighty

“The pen is mightier than the sword”. This is the phrase that have been said for “X” number of years. More years than any of us have lived or can remember. It is the truest words ever spoken. After my blog, where I wrote about “The alarm clock” and the one about ROMEO, both here at Imperial Plaza, things changed. I didn’t speak with anyone about it, nor did I see anyone about it, but things changed. The trash truck comes around a little later. The leaf blower is a little later. ROMEO is back to the way it used to be. Alas, I didn’t do anything but write because I am only a force of one and I am tired from fighting losing battles. So, in order to vent, I wrote.

Venting is a good way to relieve stress and pain in a way that does not hurt anyone. This blog, for instance, is a small way of venting. Letting off steam peacefully and calming down because of the length of time it takes to write a blog. I write this blog on retirement (I get off course at times) and I write the religious blog (I get off that track at times also). Sometimes the lines of both blogs blur into each other because my mind is muddled a lot. I have a lot going through my mind all the time. I guess that comes with old age and, the Lord knows, I feel really old at times. So I write, hoping to relieve my muddled mind, and that helps to make the pen mightier than the sword.

A person suppose to rest (relax), and slow down during their waning years. I find myself becoming busier and busier than ever but, in a way, I enjoy it but I also rest. I’m not as frantic as I used to be. This keeps me active, my mind stays alert and keeps me healthy. Everyday I see so many people, some younger than I am, that are on their last legs (as the saying goes). I see them sitting around, doing nothing but talking to each other; smoking and talking to each other or just sitting do nothing. Deteriorating. Getting sicker by the day. There are so many things to do here at Imperial Plaza that are FREE yet they participate in nothing. I am given one excuse after another for not participating and none of it seem true to me. Then I see those that are active, energetic, vibrant, full of life and are in their eighties, nineties and a couple at one hundred. Life is being active and being active is life. I shouldn’t complain, I am not complaining. I want to live a long healthy life, however, I do not need more to do.

I have my writing, crossword puzzles, Sudoku puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, bicycle, some television programs, appointments, going around with my wife (driving to the casinos, shows, appointments, etc.), family gatherings, fishing and a few things here at Imperial Plaza. I am now seriously thinking about accepting the offer to help the Tuskegee Airmen on their talk circuit (I still help the Mighty Pen Project on their talk circuit). There is so much that I do that I, at times, can’t attend something because other things all of a sudden take priority. While doing these things, my mind is always on the next blog to write, what will it be about and the construction of that blog..

That’s it for venting with nothing really to vent about. I just hope the feeble people that does nothing at all find something to become more active. This way they will live a longer, healthier life by being more productive. And, I thank God for letting me put down the sword and pickup the pen.

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: blog, free, healthy, Imperial Plaza, Lord, Mighty Pen Project, religious, retirement, ROMEO, Tuskegee Airmen. Leave a comment

Mar. ’17

Comings and Goings

I want to welcome Ron back to Activities. It is so good to have him back especially to lead ROMEO on it’s monthly excursions to different restaurants. Yes, ROMEO is back to its original form (the pen is mightier than the sword) . Now Activities can get back to his norm and on it’s luxurious way. Again, welcome back Ron.

As I have said before, it is so nice to be retired and to be able to go to places without worry of having to do this or that to your house. My wife and I went to our favorite casino places, Maryland live, Horseshoe and MGM casinos. We spent three days and two nights away without a care in the world. Who says you can’t do things when you are retired? That is what retirement is for, to do what you want to do when you want to do it. The only reason that we came back so soon was because we had another engagement Saturday evening, where I ran into a guy I used to work with more than twenty years ago. Again, good food, music and lots of fun.

Last Tuesday, as it is every Tuesday, the White Squirrel have it’s live music along with good food and fun. The Thunderbirds, who plays every other Tuesday, were really great in the music playing and selection. The White Squirrel have a new menu and the food was really good. I am glad to see the upgrade in the food because, for a while, the food was going downhill. I talked with James, the assistant manager of the dining facilities, who is back and he seem to be doing well. He is still crazy and it was really great to see him running around acting crazy with everyone.

Now that warm weather will soon be here, it is time to get my bicycle, and other things, ready for good weather so that I can go outside and get some pleasant exercise done. Being cooped up all winter have really gotten me out of shape, as if I was in good shape to start with. LOL Being in the age group that I am in, doesn’t take much to get me out of shape. Keeping myself active and not sitting around doing nothing should keep me healthy and vibrant ( I hope). Of course going to the casinos, like we do, and all the other things, doesn’t leave much room to cram in the exercising. I really don’t like going down into the gym and going through the exercise routines that a trainer would give. Good shows on TV does not help the situation any either (smile). I will keep trudging along and doing the best I can to stay in shape so that my wife and I can continue to go to the casinos.

Really, there’s not much to put in to today’s blog. I am just looking forward to the warm weather and the upcoming activities from the Activity Department here at the Imperial Plaza. The Activity Department have the cherry blossom/boat ride coming up as well as other exciting outings. I don’t know how many I will be able to go on because I know that some will clash with my schedule. But, of course, I cannot miss ROMEO. So I say to all, get out there and be active. Maybe I’ll see you somewhere along the way.

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: casino, dining, exercise, food, gym, Horseshoe, Imperial Plaza, Maryland Live, MGM, music, retirement, ROMEO, weather, White Squirrel. Leave a comment

Mar. ’17

Black History Programs

With February being Black History Month I was a little busy. Actually, the way I feel about it, there should be some way Black History is incorporated into each and every month. There is too much history, up front and much, much more hidden (think about the movie Hidden Figures), that is relevant and should be remembered. I have thought about the direction I wanted to go while writing this particular blog but there are many directions and my mind was mixing them all. I think I have a grasp of it for now.

I did not want to write anything that I have read or heard about. I want to give you personal experiences, experiences that are in line with what I am writing. My mind seem to drift off the main subject and I could write much more than I post. I’ll try to make it short and to the point although it is difficult when writing history or about historical figures. For instance, when I wrote about The Last Graduating Tuskegee Airman, I only wrote about the time before he went into the military up to his graduating as a Tuskegee Airman. If I had written his entire story (I have him telling it to me on an over an hour long digital audio recording).

I was a part of one program where I was portrayed as Sen. Obama and then as President Obama. I read his speech when he was running for president and his farewell speech (I used my radio voice from my radio days). That was a nice program and I was told I did well. The audience was very small and I only counted three Black people in the place. Imperial Plaza have enough Black residents to fill the auditorium yet they come to very few programs and this was about them and for them. Yet, they complain there aren’t any programs for them, etc.

The second program was at the Virginia War Memorial. I was on the stage panel for a discussion plus a question and answer period. There were six of us and among us were Tuskegee Airmen, a woman (Army Retired) whose story would make you think of one of the women in the movie Hidden Figures), Viet Nam and the Iraq era. I can’t tell you who was more interesting, the Tuskegee Airmen or her. My input into the program did not hold a candle to theirs and I could have been listening all day to their stories.

The crowd was small and , here again, there should have been many more. After the panel stories, question and answer period, we went outside for a wreath laying. Franklin Military Academy presented The Colors and I assisted in the wreath laying ceremony. We pledged allegiance to The Flag, a female Franklin Academy Cadet sang the National Anthem and a cadet blew “Taps” on his trumpet. The weather co-operated. PBS was there and it aired the next morning and the papers were there but I did not see the article. All of it was beautiful. I could do this all year, not only during February.

The thing I am sad about is for the young people. Most are not interested in history, especially Black history. They know about some of the famous Black people but they do not know about the small things that were accomplished. Most do not want to know who did what or why. They seldom understand what the conditions and hold backs were. I have even found they have a lot of misconceptions about ancient history, like the Pyramids or the oldest operating library in the world. Things like this are important to me, personally, and it helped shape my mind and all my actions through life. The few that soak up history seem to be better because of it.

All of us on that stage at the Virginia War Memorial was a tiny sample of the history that is sort by historians. It was sad only three of four kids were there to hear about the tiny portion of history from the people that produced it. Yes, I am a part of it although I rarely talk about it. It started with Civil Rights and ended at my retirement from the military.

To those before me and/or accomplished more than I have, thank you. To those that are learning about past history, keep digging. There is a treasure trove to find. And, as I have said before, you will never know who you may be talking to because most will not say unless asked. That person may have a background that would shock you. Keep digging…

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: Army, Black History, Blacks, Civil Rights, Franklin Military Academy, Hidden Figures, historical, Imperial Plaza, Iraq, PBS, Pyramids, radio, retirement, Tuskegee Airman, Viet Nam, Virginia War Memorial. Leave a comment

Jan. ’17

Casinos

Had another good week last week (this week was just for relaxation and recharging my energy) with a four day trip to Maryland. If you looked at my Facebook page you saw the picture of my wife holding our latest great-grandchild when we made a stop on our way back to Virginia. We were in Maryland to do our usual thing, gamble at the casinos. We headquartered at Maryland Live’s hotel which put us between Horseshoe and MGM. We get perks from all the casinos but decided to use Maryland Live’s because it was between the other two.

Look at it this way; four day stay at their hotel, their perks and our acquired points gave us all our meals and each gave us slot machine money. All I needed was the gas money and a little more to keep it interesting. In fact, we came back with money in our pocket. Can’t beat that for a four day stay at three casinos. Plus we got to visit the baby on the way back (got through Washington the day before the inauguration).

Thinking about that, this is what we ran into. Usually, on week days, the hotel does not have many people staying. I noticed the parking lot almost full and more cars were coming. All the other hotels had the same thing. Then I started calling myself a dummy because, after talking to a couple that was checking-in, I was told that they were getting the hell out of DC before the crowds hit. Then I noticed that most of the cars had DC plates.

After visiting the baby it dawned on me that it was the same area that The Last Graduating Tuskegee Airman (an article I wrote) lived. In fact, I am still trying to get the article printed for the general public. It have been approved by the MPP (Mighty Pen Project) and they have a copy but the Richmond-Times dispatch turned it down. The newspaper say it does not have a Virginia connection although the man live in Ashburn, Virginia. It does not make any sense to me, but who am I to say? Also, the man is Black and his wife is White, they had to live in Washington because of segregation, that is the same as the Loving story that hit the movies last year.

The highlight for this week came on Monday. Four of us from the Mighty Pen Project had a townhall type panel discussion, at The University of Richmond, for a freshman class that is writing about war. They included my two writings on protests in the 1950’s. The question and answering went well and, in fact, we could have gone on much longer than we had time for. This is our second time doing this. The first time was at the Library of Virginia and that went very well also. I hope to do it again.

This year I work on my birthday and my wife is out of town. As I get older, holidays, birthdays, etc. does not mean as much as it did when I was younger. I prefer peace and quiet plus time to read or write. I stay busy, although my wife say otherwise, and I believe staying busy help the body stay active, younger and spry. Inactivity bring on more aches and pains, more than usual, and it can be avoided without medication for that particular ailment. I see too much inactivity around here (Imperial Plaza) although there are so many programs and events for the residents. Most do not attend any of them. Alas, what can I say or do about it? Not a thing.

Until next time…Stay warm, keep on keeping on. I’m out!

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: birthday, casino, DC, Facebook, Horseshoe, hotel, Imperial Plaza, inauguration, Library of Virginia, Maryland, Maryland Live, medication, MGM, Mighty Pen Project, MPP, townhall, Tuskegee Airman, University of Richmond, UR, Virginia, Washington, writing. 1 Comment

Jan. ’17

It’s Good To Be Retired

Lately I have gotten off the trail by talking politics instead of talking about retirement here at Imperial Plaza. Well, I guess I will get back to talking about Imperial Plaza and tell you that things are as usual, not as smooth as it should be. We are losing people, good people, that we should not be losing at all. That is because of management or supervision or whatever but it still boils down to losing good people.

We just lost a bus driver/supervisor who has gone onto more, or you could say, better endeavors. It seem as though he was angry about something that occurred, here at Imperial Plaza, and he said he had to move on to another job. I do not know exactly what it was but it made him mad enough that he has found a new job, we’re going to miss him. It seems as though Imperial Plaza is short of personnel in all departments. From what I could find out, through talking with some of the other individuals, it seems to be that there have been problems with supervision. I cannot say whether supervision is correct or whether supervision is wrong, but it seems that it needs looking into to find out what is going on.

ROMEO went to Morton’s and had a really expensive dinner. The dinner was tasty but boy did it cost a lot. The drinks were very expensive plus I have never seen a Long Island Iced Tea in a wine glass. The side dish was large enough to share with three other people. What a waste when so many are starving and this place is over feeding. I can say that I do not want to go to Morton’s again but it was nice to at least go one time. Next month we are to go to Hardshell. Hopefully that is not too expensive but to be with the ROMEO guys once a month is worth it.

My wife and I are headed back to Maryland Live. We are to stay three days because this way we can go between Maryland Live, Horseshoe and MGM. I really don’t like MGM but, as they say, a happy wife is a happy life. Seems as though we called it just right because the weather should cooperate for us. Ice storms and a little snow is scheduled for this weekend but we are headed out Monday morning. I am glad that the bad weather is north of us because I have spent enough time in bad weather while serving in the military.

I am using this new voice activated program and it seems to be working very well. I decided to buy the program in order to write the two blogs and other writings that I have scheduled. It seems to take less time and making corrections is easy. All I have to do is edit. I have to edit because I do not have everything correct in order for the program not to make mistakes. However, so far so good and practice make perfect. The more I use it the better I’ll be and I’ll probably be using it a lot. So far what usually takes me an hour to write has only been 15 minutes. Needless to say, it’s money well spent.

This last snowstorm really bought to the forefront why I decided to move to Imperial Plaza. When you think about not having to rake leaves, shovel snow or worry about frozen water pipes, it brings a smile to your face to know that you’re at Imperial Plaza and don’t have to do any of that. So, I’ll take the good with the bad and stay right here at Imperial Plaza and have a good time looking out the window at the bad weather. Everyone take care until the next blog. Don’t forget to check out my other blog, faithingodministries.net. I write on the weekend that this one is not written.

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: blog, driver, Faith In God Ministries, feeding, Hardshell, Horseshoe, Imperial Plaza, management, Maryland Live, MGM, military, Morton's, ROMEO, snowstorm, starving, supervision, weather. Leave a comment

Dec. ’16

Happenings

Hoping all had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and did not forget what and/or why the holiday is. It’s not for commercialization but for the religious beliefs that is meant. In fact, here we are just a few days after Christmas, New Year is not here yet, and Valentine stuff is already up. Now we are in the new year with new things that will occur (especially here in the USA). There are other worst things that are occurring in the world. Let us not forget good old Imperial Plaza have it’s problems also. Oh well..Life goes on.

Being retired means having fun so I’ll mention only a couple things that is happening at Imperial Plaza. Our head of food services is out although he just got here. I’ve talked about food services before therefore I won’t get into it again although my heart is pulling me to speak more on the subject. Alas, I will not, for now. Also, there are a lot of people that is crying about the rent going up but it is just a little bit. I know that being retired put most people on a fixed income but this is not unexpected. No matter where a person go, the rent takes a yearly rise. Not much but it will rise. There is a very old joke that mention “like age, rent goes up” and it does. And we have a new director for Imperial Plaza, Mr. Don Jones. I am patiently awaiting the good things that is promised to happen.

In Imperial Plaza’s weekly travels, this week we went to the Virginia State Capitol Building. I have been to the U.S. Capitol many, many times but not my own state’s. Why and how, you would ask. Easy. The word is “segregation”. As a kid I lived in Washington, D.C. and we used to play in the capitol building and go to many other places. It was not like it is now. The Virginia Capitol is beautiful, not because it has been through a recent renovation but it is. The first capitol was in Jamestown then it moved to Williamsburg and, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War it moved to Richmond.

I took many pictures and listened to the tour guide with fascination. Much of what was said bought back my teachings in school. When I started school, it was a requirement to take the course, Virginia History. This was a requirement all through elementary school. It would have been nice to come to the capitol, when I was in school, but two things were in the way to keep that from happening. First I lived in Petersburg and Richmond was twenty miles away with zero school buses and second, it was during segregation and that meant many places I could not go and that was one of them.

I’ll cut this short for now and go on to another pressing thing. Before I go I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and want you to keep reading and please pass this on and on and on. I need followers and likes for encouragement to continue and, most of all, for the blog to grow. Suggestions for topics to write about would also be great. See ya and remember my saying…Be kind to your neighbors because you’ll never know when you’ll need them. Also, ensure your words are soft and sweet because you’ll never know when you’ll have to eat them. Bye, bye…

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: blog, Christmas, Imperial Plaza, Jamestown, New Year, Petersburg, Revolutionary War, Richmond, segregation, U.S. Capitol, Valentine, Virginia History, Virginia State Capitol, Washington D.C., Williamsburg. Leave a comment

Oct. ’16

A Week of Delectation

I am still on cloud nine from all that I have seen, done and went through this week. In a nut shell, I interviewed the last graduating airman from the famed Tuskegee Airmen of Tuskegee, Ala. Myself and Len Rasmusen, with Len driving, went to northern Virginia to meet with (Ret.) Col. Carl Johnson. He was the last to graduate because before his class graduated he had a bout of appendicitis and was hospitalized. When he got out of the hospital, his class had graduated and he was all alone. He was thinking he would be sent home but, instead, he was allowed to finish his training and graduate as the Last Tuskegee Airman.

At 91, he is clear voiced, full of spirit and was eager to talk about his storied career as an Army Officer although he did time in the USAF and the Army National Guard. Through him, I found out about Tuskegee Airmen flying bombers, although it was after WWII. He also flew in Korea and Viet Nam and was posted at the Pentagon, among many other places. Len and I viewed a number of scrapbooks and saw pictures of many people of note, such as Gen. Chappie James as a lieutenant. We were told that he was good friends with Chappie James, because he was his co-pilot, and they remained friends for years.

I have it all recorded so I can refer to it as I write a longer, more precise, work for The MPP (The Mighty Pen Project), the Virginia War Memorial and self-gratification. I love history. Everything about history. I love to dig deeper as I ask the question, why? I don’t mind the research nor do I mind the inevitable self induced trance I fall into.

In the middle of the week Imperial Plaza took us to the new Afro-American Museum, officially entitled, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. After lunch in Washington, D.C., we traveled the very short distance to the museum, which was very crowded. A word of caution for anyone that is planning to go there. Go on-line and get tickets first but plan to wait a few months before the tickets will allow entrance. Getting tickets now will allow you entry in April or May although there is a line for people that arrive without a reservation but there is not a guarantee that you will get in that way, even if you wait all day.

There is no way you can view the entire museum in one day so I concentrated on the lower three floors (basement) of the eight floors. I quickly went through most of the displays, not spending too much time on any one thing. I had three hours and almost didn’t make it although three hours seem like a long time but when you are engrossed in the displays, time flies and there is so much.

The thing that bothered me most were not the displays but the kids. Most of the kids were either running through the place, playing with each other or mindlessly texting. The great majority were not interested and, I will make a bet, could not tell you about anything there. What a shame. What a waste.

In that section was a short display on the Tuskegee Airmen and, I noticed, one of the pictures on display was one that I took a photo of from Col. Johnson’s scrapbook. There, on display, is one of the planes that the Tuskegee Airmen flew (The Spirit Of Tuskegee) and a few other pictures. I wish the display had more but you take whatever there is to take. The photos of some of the grotesque hangings done to my people where very haunting to say the least. The display of an actual slave house really show how small they were for the number of people that lived in them, or should I say survived in them. That’s all there was then, survival any way you could.

That was my week and I am overjoyed to have lived it. Col. Johnson and the museum made my entire week and I’m happy for it. Imperial Plaza’s Activity Department get thumbs up for the work in getting tickets, getting us there and getting us back safely. Praises to Kayle, Ron and Jerome.

See you next blog. Don’t forget to check out my other blog, although it will automatically pop up on other sites (twitter, google, etc). The weekend is coming and my wife and I are off again. Our schedule is full and we have a lot of fun and adventures to catch up on. Bye-bye and remember…Be kind to your neighbors and ensure your words are soft and sweet.

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: Afro American Museum, appendicitis, Army, Army National Guard, blog, Carl Johnson, Chappie James, culture, google, hospital, Imperial Plaza, Korea, MPP, Pentagon, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History And Culture, The Mighty Pen Project, Tuskegee Airman, Tuskegee Alabama, twitter, USAF, Viet Nam, Virginia, Virginia War Memorial, Washington D.C., WWII. Leave a comment

Oct. ’16

Watson

Looking back, I can see many things that were, years ago, thought to be either science-fiction or someone’s imagination or just plain entertainment because it was considered an impossibility. To give an example (young people don’t know about this) just look at Dick Tracy from the comic strips. He had a wrist watch that he could not only talk into and hear but he could see the person he contacted and the person could see him. I was always fascinated then and can see all of it now. For those of you that can’t remember when Dick Tracy was printed, try the 1950’s and ’60’s.

Quite a few things have come from the original Star Trek Series (Capt. James Kirk, Mr. Spock, etc) that, at the time, had my head spinning. There is so much that have come from the imagination of others that wanted to entertain us but, instead, were ahead of the world they were in. They jumped to another sphere. A sphere that no one, not even them, could have seen without a crystal ball into the future. And the then future is still coming, little by little.

We seniors, if you think a little, can see things that came about when we were young that boggled the mind, but, were thought about years before that. The people that were proposing those things were said to be crazy or were completely ignored. And, just think, the not so imaginary things are still coming about. Remember Lost In Space? Remember the robot in Lost In Space?

There is a lot of work being done on AI (Artificial Intelligence). That is the project being done on robots and making them super intelligent. They are making robots that can think, never forget and get smarter on it’s own. Also, they are making robots that are making robots. I can still remember watching Lost In Space on a black and white television and saying to myself that it was impossible for a robot to do the things that it did.

The computer that was on Jeopardy and won the game (named Watson) was a hit for quite some time. Watson is still around. Wrap your head around this; Watson is being used in a hospital diagnosing ailments and proposing a course of action. Watson has read everything there is to read about medicine and every medical journal that comes out. A doctor can not do that nor remember the entire written material. Watson can and did. Watson not only reads written material, it can also look at x-rays, MRI’s and all the other things. I remember reading comic books about that back in the early sixties.

I also remember reading, and seeing movies, about computers going amok, taking over the world and treating humans as slaves. There are scientists who are now thinking the same thing and is getting a lot of resistance to that idea. As a senior citizen, I don’t have to worry about that. I don’t have that much longer in this world and robots aren’t developing that fast. Or are they?

Some people are saying robots are not around them (I guess they are thinking about machines running around doing things) but I beg to differ. I’ll name a few things and, believe me, there are so, so many more things I could name. There are self driving vehicles, cell phones, television (broadcasting units and viewing apparatus’), all sorts of computers, and to put things into a nut shell, everything that is anything has some type of electronics in it. These things can or almost can operate on it’s own or remotely, by another human or by another computer.

All of us at Imperial Plaza utilize some sort of computer (robot) each and every day, from the time we awaken (does a robot (alarm clock) awaken you) to the moment we go to sleep (does the computerized TV or radio put you to sleep), whether we realize it or not. It is a beautiful thing. Or is it? Will the robots take over Imperial Plaza? Will they take over the world? Time will tell. More time than I have left.

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Posted by tega227. Categories: AAH-RETIREMENT, Imperial Plaza, RETIREMENT. Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, cell phone, comic books, computer, Dick Tracy, eletronics, entertainment, Imperial Plaza, Jeopardy, Lost In Space, machine, MRI, robots, sci-fi, senior, Star Trek, television, Watson. Leave a comment

Oct. ’16

A Little Of This, A Little Of That

Wow, busy is as busy does and I have been a little busy, for a retired person. First, at Imperial Plaza there was a fashion show of which my wife and another woman worked extremely hard to present it and decorate the stage (can’t forget the Activities Department). It turned out really good and I have included a smidgen of photos. Personally, I like the Elvis impersonator (LOL). He was a gas and sang two or three Elvis songs. Of course, I was roped into participating, therefore, I was made the photographer.

Myself and two others, from The Mighty Pen Project (MPP) (go to the web site or Facebook page) got together for coffee and, accidentally through conversation on various topics, an idea was formed. There was an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch, which was originally in the Washington Post, about a ninety one year old Tuskegee Airman (remember the movie Red Tails) and he live here in Virginia, about three hours away. Well, he was contacted and myself and another person will interview him next month. I will write a back story about him and I’m not quite sure what else, we’ll figure that out as we go. He seem quite nice and, so far, I’ve spoken to him twice. Keep me in your prayers that the story will be good.

Oh, how I love pro football season especially my Dallas Cowboys. The rookie quarterback, Dac, is good and he is a great improvement to the team. I said that in order to say this. You know what I am doing on Thursday night, all day Sunday and on Monday night. Are you ready for some FOOTBALL? On the other side, my Dolphins still find ways to lose even when they play a team that they should conquer. Oh well, such is life.

Imperial Plaza was going to the new Afro American Museum, but, the overwhelming response for entry have caused the museum to issue entry tickets. The next available possible bulk ticket issue for bulk tours is next spring, I am told by the Activities Department. Instead, we will go to D.C. just for lunch and I guess for the ride. I can hardly wait to go. Other things are on the schedule, especially, ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out), so I have a full plate when football is added in the mix. Then I have my writing, in which I have slacked off lately, and I have to get back into it. I have seen some notices about freelance writing jobs/contests, etc. and I am missing out on some good cash by not writing like I should.

The people that have garden plots said they wanted rain for the things they are growing. As a kid I was always told to be careful what I ask for because I just may get it. Well, the rain has come and now the cry is that it is too much. All that was needed was patience enough to wait for the state fair to arrive. Why? It always rain during the state fair, without fail.

Well, after I edit this before uploading, I must start in earnest the writing I have been putting off for so long. In fact, I have more than one piece I am presently writing on. So, next week I am hoping to post my other blog, faithingodministries.net, before I go to a military retirement ceremony in Hampton next weekend. If not I’ll post it the following weekend and this post following that. Sorry about the delay but, as I’ve said many times before, I am retired and I don’t have a schedule anymore. See ya later! Gotta get a move on!