Know When to Fold Them

Powerful people get to be that way by disasters.  Lets take Joseph in the Bible.  It says there was a famine that encompased the whole world and everybody had to come to Egypt to get food.   I read somewhere that some pestelence struck Rome about AD 270 and just afterward there was a surge on people becoming Christians out of fear of the hereafter.   Norma's last Bible Study here was a month ago on the Four Horsemen of the Apocralipse in Revelation.   I guess there is a saying "Never let a good crisis go to waste".   I had on that Jim Church guy this morning on KFI.  They weren't as conspiritorial as I would have figured by now.   If this isn't a case to bring up the "deep state" I don't know what is.  Every twenty years I guess we need a crisis.  Twenty years ago it was 9 - 11 and people saying "We need a real Pearl Harbor style event".   Then if we hear Thom Hartman twenty years before this it was William Casey delaying the hostage releases in Iran to score more political points for the Republicans.   Leaders are born when there is a strong power vacuum to fill.  I can't help but think there is "spiritual warfare" going on in the heavens.   I think "The God Account" has been flexing its muscle.   After all when you don't know what cause things you say it is "God's will".   And I have told you that the best thing you can do is go along to get along.  This is no time for any "resistance" because we'll never win.  People from the Chinese red cross are saying that the measures in Italy aren't stern enough because public transportation is still running and people are still meeting in public.  We have New York, California, and Illinois doing a "kinder and gentler" shut-down than they did in China.  Will things get still worse?  How long will this crisis really last.  People are saying it will be a lot longer than two or three weeks.   You get to thinking of entities like the  "Deep State" at times like this.  There is some mysterious force, a guiding hand if you will, that is steering the universe toward what direction nobody knows.  I think it's affecting more than Planet Earth.  Of course I have my own unique perspective on things.  But even my sources are drying up.  Some people say there HAS to be an afterlife, but we can't know for sure.  Old people facing death from a viral illness are sure placing their bets on there being an afterlife as a hope to cling to.  Kenny Rogers died today.  Now there is a guy who I could like to talk to now.  They say that life is a gamble and if you wake up in the morning, you're a winner.  That's what Granny Clampet says anyhow.  

I was sitting out in the pre-dawn hours.   I was thinking of Romulan words they got from their tenth century oppressors, the Lnians.   Then I got a message from John Lennon.  He just said that the Corona virus was like putting things on hold for six months like he was trapped by Lanian forces for six months after he died.  I then wondered whether it was really John Lennon and he said “It’s me”.   And added that Stu Sutcliffe isn’t allowed to talk to outsiders.  It’s the first message I’ve gotten Sirius A since Glen Fry, and before that it was a really long time.  In terms of the Corona virus the first mention of it in my notes seems to be February 16^th.  The one after that was February 22^nd where I first heard the expression “pandemic” to prophesy what would come in the future.  We didn’t know then.   I’m trying to find the place where I said that the number of Corona virus victims in this country is less than twenty.  I couldn’t find it.    But just imagine a time when there were only thirteen or so people with Corona virus in the entire country and no deaths yet.  It wasn't that long ago.  

Quarantine

Here we are a day behind again.  The key news is that all of the Las Vegas casinos have closed down and the beaches of south Florida have been closed down by the authorities.  All of those college students won't be able to "congragate" or shack up on the beaches or in public gathering places.  They don't even want you hiking on a trail if it's two crowded.  I guess you can still go on a run if you do it alone.  Is it OK for you to be close with your wife and kids?  Just how far is one to take this "social distancing".   The Dow Jones Industrials are down into the ninetten thousands for the first time since President Trump's inaugural.   You already knew that.  Even if the economy went entirely back to normal tomorrow the damage to this economy would be imense.   Like I say, I'm thinking maybe it would be better to let the virus run its course and prevent this recession which is now going to occur.  I can't help think this whole virus from China thing is part of some gigantic social experiment to see how we'd all react.  The whole thing has an unnatural feel to it.  Since we are a day behind now here is some stuff from Tuesday you may want to know- or not.  

This is Wednesday morning March 18, 2020.   Yesterday morning I went out back just after six thirty and the sky was almost completely clear and it was starting to get light.  I saw the half moon out for the first time in a long time.  The sun was shining on the post when I was in the dining room at a quarter after seven and the sun was shining in the dining room two minutes later.  We had cream of wheat for cereal.  This was followed by a square Spanish omelet if you want to call it that and triangular toast and butter and jelly.  I went back for a second cup of coffee.   We covered stuff on the previous file.  I had Thom Hartman on.  

I shaved after ten and eventually got in line for Money Draw, which they were still having.  I heard that Chris wasn’t allowed to travel out in his car and I wondered what was going on.  I heard rumors we couldn’t even go out to the liquor store.   I got in money draw line at twenty to eleven and it was a long, slow line.   I heard more rumblings of a general quarantine.  Well I finally got in the office and Jennifer was wearing a mask.   I got my remaining fifteen dollars though there is a question when I get to spend it.   I was late coming down to lunch and Glen was doing another one of his lectures.   People will have their temperatures taken regularly.  There will be no going out even to church and the Catholics can’t have church here.  The store is off limits.  I heard rumors Joselyn would  go out and buy people things on request.  But trying to get her in a free moment is problematical.   The biggest change among others is that they would split up meal sessions so that people eat at least six feet apart.  This would be the last lunch together.  In New York they are thinking of doing a general sheltering in place phase.   We had corned beef and sliced carrots and wedge cut potatoes.  We had a green Rice Krispies shamrock cookie thing for dessert.  I had the Gary and Shannon show on.   Two people have admitted to me they went to the store violating the ban.   They were vague about whether a relative can come here if their temperature is taken.   Chris implied that his brother could no longer do Bible studies here.   I watched Days of our Lives.  Christian Maddox is Orphius’s son. 

The governor of Ohio changed his mind and canceled the Ohio primary at the last minute.  I checked the results of the other three states this morning.  Joe Biden won in Arizona,  Florida and Illinois.  They had maps county by county in each state and Sanders did a little better in Arizona.  I haven’t heard any speeches.   In terms of stores they have issued warnings against hoarding.   The supply chain is intact.  They are talking about food and other supplies now on the Stephanie Miller show with Bob Seska.   Earlier I had something on about the structural weaknesses in this economy that’s going to make it worse when the recession really hits.  Now they are talking about giving checks to every American for a thousand dollars and very soon.

I had a three-pack of lemon cookies and an iced tea for snacks.  The line to see Dr Saran was really long and I went back to watch Kelly Clarkson.   Later after two thirty I went out for a cigarette and I also had a cup of instant coffee and then I got in line behind Chris to see Dr Saran.  The line was shorter then.  Dr Saran still doesn’t have my blood tests from a month ago, and I overheard him telling others he didn’t have their blood tests either.   My temperature was 98.6 but that was with a forehead thermometer that usually gives me 97 degrees.   My blood pressure was high due to anxiety at 140 over 80.   Dr Saran told me to stop smoking.   I complained of renewed coughing and I got a prescription for cough medicine.   After this it was the last few moments of General Hospital and then it was Eye Witness news and the ABC network news.  

I called Paul and I guess it was after three.  (?)  Judy answered and said Paul call me back and a couple minutes later he called back.   Paul is on paid sick leave because he is 65 and considered a high risk person for his job so gets paid leave.  He couldn’t go swimming at his favorite pool because it was closed down.  He said Irvine Park was still open.  I told him about all of the stuff going on here.   Paul said, “Then it’s a quarantine”.   I told him I was uncertain as to whether he could visit here.  First they need accurate thermometers.   The first floor eats at four or maybe earlier.  They told us on the second floor that we would eat at five but then they were knocking on doors to eat at four thirty.  They have long tables in the lobby and hall with a chair at each end.  The other seating in the dining room is one person to a table.  We had macaroni and cheese and some fritter type thing I didn’t know if it was dessert or now.  But we also got vanilla pudding and grape juice.  I didn’t see Patty in there.   Then there was an extended speech by Governor Newsen on that had begun at four thirty but was still going on at five.  After this Major Garsetti spoke.  Both tried to put a little of a positive spin on things.

Happy St Patrick's Day

This is St Patrick’s Day March 17, 2020.   Last night was your usual news and I turned on the BBC news at six.  I had bouts of drowsiness here and there.   I got an egg sandwich with my medication.   It was Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.  I think they still both had audiences.  It was Law and Order Sexual Victims Unit at eight.  I went to bed at nine.  I was restless and got up a little after four and showered.  It’s clear sky outside for the majority of the sky with clouds off to the east.  Hopefully we will get bright sunshine today.  The ultraviolet rays help kill the germs.  Let’s pray that it won’t be till July or August when this epidemic ends.  Let’s hope they will be able to have proms and graduations and weddings.  Let’s hope the Olympics still go on and that the party conventions are held normally.  We need to be prayer warriors.  We have this arsenal of divine power we aren’t tapping into.  Let’s think positively for once.  I made myself instant coffee here because they have stopped serving coffee in the dining room entirely now.  I don’t know why.  I turned on Democracy Now at twenty after five but it was more doom and gloom about the virus.  Yesterday I turned on Democracy Now at five fifteen and it was doom and gloom about the Corona virus.  Stephanie Miller had the Rude Pundit on at six thirty.  We’re almost to the bottom of the page.  Let’s hope the epidemic lasts only a few weeks.  In China they are going back to work now.  It hasn’t been that many weeks.  Like Trump says, this virus will cycle through and we’ll be back to normal.  Today is Paul Evans’s birthday.   I know he’s in his early eighties but doesn’t look it.  I guess they won’t be having any celebrations here, but I’m not sure.   The primaries are going on as scheduled.   I was wearing a green shirt yesterday but it smalls like cigarettes so I changed it to a non-green shirt.  That’s very unusual.  I guess there will be no gathering in bars today to celebrate.   The Romulans are still celebrating.   This guy has a website on democracy now with 35 million viewers, about half of them in the United States.  He learned how to code websites just by watching others.  Yesterday they tested the first vaccine for the Civid 19 virus.  The faster we can put this in general usage, the better. 

(Monday)  This is later and I didn’t get my medication till nine thirty when I heard my name called.  Thom Hartman says this crisis won’t be over till next year preferably till a democratic administration takes control.   I would measure this crisis in weeks rather than months.  The information I’ve seen indicates that by June it will be over.  It would be unthinkable to cancel the Olympics this year.  This is unusual for a virus not to show symptons for fourteen days.  Thom says this virus could mutate but into a milder form because all of the really bad cases die off and don’t spread it.  Thom Hartman was pleased with Biden’s performance in the debate.  His faith in Joe is strengthened and now he feels he could hold his own with the President.   In Los Angeles county they have closed all bars, theaters, nightclubs, bowling alleys, arcades and health clubs.  Hopefully we can get through this rough patch and get back to normal.  But Thom Hartman says we’ll never get back to what normal used to be.   I hope not.  I hope a year from now this will all be a bad dream and not another continuing 9 – 11 situation.   

(Monday)  The democratic debate last night lasted two hours and not three.  I took one cigarette break after an hour.   Sanders kept returning to his Medicare for all message.  He hit the fundamentals.  Biden was more interested in saying that this is a war with the virus and that he may have to bring the military in to enforce order.  He stressed that fees will be waved for things like drugs and doctor’s visits and not to worry and the solution to our current problem has nothing to do with socialized medicine that Sanders talks about.  They also discussed global warming and climate change.  Biden has convinced me he’s serious about tackeling this problem.  He wants to end subsedies for oil drilling and the like.  Biden still wants to keep fracking because the carbon footprint is smaller with natural gas than it would be with oil or coal.  Sanders says it’s a crisis and he wants a revolution.  I don’t recall foreign policy being discussed much.  As the session progressed they spent less and less time talking about the virus.

This is Monday morning after six and Stephanie is on vacation but they are playing a post Christmas clipof her right now.  Jody Hamilton and Chris and Travis are in the studio.   Stephanie has canceled the rest of her sexy liberal tours.  Everything is canceled.  The governor is ordering the closing down of all the bars and casinos and restaurants and theaters are being cut to half capacity to facilitate social distancing.  Meanwhile we are told not to visit our elderly relatives, which to me is a terrible idea because these people need reassurance.  This morning I was restless and Joe had the TV on before four thirty.  They aren’t serving any coffee in the dining room.  You see patches of clear sky out but it isn’t hopeful for sunshine.   (Today I'm more hopeful)  

What About "The God Account"?

This is a cloudy March 14, 2020, Pi day, and restaurants give you a free piece of pie.  I was hoping the sun would make it out today.  I saw blue sky at 6:25 just as it was starting to get light, but it didn’t pan out.  I was worried whether Hardball would be on this week because last week the signs didn’t look too good.  The program continues.  President Trump announced a national emergency and he and Mc Connell and Nancy Pelosi are able to get a deal passed through congress for emergency relief to local governments.  But that doiesn’t extend to a broad payroll tax cut that was widely talked about.   In other news they took the tarp off the storage area around hear yesterday morning.  I presume that means that the electronics and other goods should be returned to the people who have been sprayed.  They still have the tape on the barber-shop door after three days.  I would guess that means that room was fogged.   School districts have been closing for two weeks including the LA Unified School District.  The Boston marathon is being postponed till September.   I’ve heard if you want to visit Israel you have to quarantine yourself for fourteen days, then you’re free to tour the country.  I guess they are freeing up resources for widespread virus testing even if you don’t have symptons.  That seems like a pretty good idea to me.  The president should be tested.   The Dow Jones Industrials rebounded and almost recovered Thursday losses up 1900 points on the D J I.   Investment now is a good idea.  At lunch our esteemed leader, Glen, gave us another one of his little pep talks.  These are usually bad news, one way or another.  They are going to clean the tables and chairs in the dining room more thoroughly.  That’s good news, including cleaning the salt and pepper shakers, which need it.  Visits to the library will be curtailed and there will be no Friday shopping expiditions for the foreseeable future.  A lot of people rely on those.  The only exceptions are if you need to see the doctor.  Also teachers such as Karen in music, and the arts and crafts teacher will not be coming here for the foreseeable future.  I guess that means Norma, the Bible study lady won’t be coming tonight, wither fried chicken.  Right now we’re out of soap and low on toilet paper.  That whole dispenser thing isn’t working out that great.  I took the final roll out from under the sink.  Glen also stressed that we should at all times be respectful to the staff.   In the afternoon I noticed that the pull wand thing on the blinds is missing.   I asked Joe about it and he says it’s been missing for some time.  He was turning individual blinds by hand, which is dangerous because they could break off.  Otherwise I got up before four thirty this morning and showered.  I was eager to get the day going.  But they weren’t serving coffee in the dining room at a quarter to five.   They seem to be phasing out early coffee but not all at once.  They’ll give you hope they might be doing it again but that is less and less.   

I was sitting out back in the pre dawn hours.  I was thinking about dark matter and warped matter.  There is a logical problem both me and the Star Trek people face with cloaked matter.  That is, since there is no transferable gravity either receiving or sending, you can’t have a “cloaked planet” because there would be no relational gravity to keep the planet in orbit around a star or planet.  This leaves dark matter which has gravity but no form of EM radiation.  So there would still be no receivable radio communication or heat transfer or visible light or any more dangerous short-wave radiation.  You would be safe here, and that includes microwave radiation they might bombard you with.  However gravity continues with dark matter.  There, of course, is also dark energy.   Some people say though that gravity is an illusion and it’s just accelerating through “curved space” or something.   Gravity is a separate force and not EM radiation, acc-ording to the scientists.  This of course contradicts Newton and our Romulan cloaking theory.  The other thing I was thinking about was the scripture that reads “Heaven and earth will pass away but my word shall never pass away” spoken by Jesus.  That’s pretty powerful stuff.  The word of God is thus powerful.  But it’s used so frivolously by preachers and would be prophets in the spirit.  If this is the same force that created the universe it shouldn’t be dealt with lightly.  We have learned from “The God Account” that God has the power to modify human conduct.  He has modified mine over the course of the past few weeks.  I would imagine if God wants President Trump reelected he can modify Trump’s behavior to something that is acceptable to the Lord so that He can say Trump passes muster and thus can be reelected. 

.  Now they’re saying on Hardball that they should cancel Sunday’s debate because of the virus and that Sanders should concede and get behind Joe Biden.  That’s crazy!  .  Now they’re saying on Hardball that they should cancel Sunday’s debate because of the virus and that Sanders should concede and get behind Joe Biden.  That’s crazy!   This isn’t a totalitarian state yet.   It struck me that if there is such thing as a pre-tribulation rapture or snatching away of the Elect, that a good sign is whether there are still fundamentalist Bible studies being held.  That's a good sign.  If the parable of last Thursday is true, then even the "saved" people could miss it and be "left behind".  

This is later and just after nine I saw the sun for the first time for a minute or two before it went back in the clouds.  Phyllis maintains the cat isn’t going to have kittens but Rose says she is and that she can feel the bulges.  I reached out my hand to her side and the cat reacted as if she were protecting unborn litter.   First Leah said the kitten was a male.  Then she said she was pregnent.  I have held that she is indeed going to have kittens and not that many weeks off.  

We Can't Escape Into Sports Anymore

This is Thursday March 12, 2020 and I think it’s girl scout day.  It’s like a “Film Noir” movie script.  It’s like a Stephen King novel like “The Stand” come to life.  Frankly it’s bumming me out.  President Trump was serious and reading from a script obviously not written by him in his twenty minute speech or so.  Gone was the political game playing.  This was serious stuff.  Travel of European nationals has been banned for thirty days.  When I first heard it I thought travel to Europe from America entirely was banned.   Trump wants payroll tax help for the average hourly wage worker.  Any help will surely be appreciated.  And we’re going to need the help because some of the measures in the past 24 hours since the speech seem draconian.  Gatherings of 250 or more have been banned in California by the governor.  I’ve heard the rumor Disneyland has been closed by the governor.   The NBA and the NHL have canceled the rest of their seasons.  They didn’t talk about play-off games.  Major league baseball has canceled the rest of spring training.  The start of the regular reason is in extreme doubt.  March Madness has been canceled for the NCAA.  They previously were going to play the games without an audience.  They are doing “Live” studio game shows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune without an audience.  If you want my feelings about most of this stuff I think it’s bullshit.  They even said Broadway in New York and the Lincoln Cancer and Carnagie Hall will be dark.  Can you imagine the enormous effects on the gross national product with all of this stuff?   Restaurants are closing down and in some cases going out of business.  Like I say it’s bullshit.  It's an artificial depression of our own making.  Nothing about the coming depression will be a natural phenomenon.   The Dow Jones Industrials were down over 2300 points today.  This is a new point record and is in excess of a ten percent drop as I figure it.  The numbers were in the twenty-one thousands.  I just heard in the news it’s the lowest figure since Trump’s inauguration.  This should make a few diehard Trump fans happy I guess.  It only points out, so they would say, the enormous stimulative effect Trump’s presidency have had on the stock markets. 

I went for snacks in the front room and Brother Bart was already there just after two.  I sat down and had a cup of popcorn with lots of unpopped cernals I spit on the floor, and one Oreo and a cup off tea.   Brother Bart started with the Bible study right away.  He said he was going to preach on the parables of Jesus and he actually got to six of them.  The first was on the workers in the vineyard.  The “payment” was as I said that you get eternal life in the hereafter.  There was a guy in the group that asked a lot of questions.  He asked about being born again so Brother Bart elaborated on that subject.  The second parable was on the two sons.  One said he would go work in the field and didn’t and the other son said he would not work in the field but then changed his mind and went to work in the field.  This is the son that “did the will of his father”.   The third parable was one that brought me up short.  It illustrates that you can’t just say “I accept your forgiveness for my sins and come into my life”.   Brother Bart said you had to believe everything about the Bible including the scenario laid out in the following parable about the tenants in the vineyard.    The landowner of the vineyard let his field out to tenants and he sent his servents into the field to collect the harvest but they treated the servants shamefully and beat some of them up badly.   Then the landowner sent his own son to collect the payment that was due and they conspired to kill him thinking they would get his inheritance.  This whole allegory is a highly biased account of the Jews and Israel and how God has never been that pleased with Israel all along.  The next parable was also anti-Jewish the way Bart tells it.  It was on the wedding feast.  The punch line is that the “good people” of the community, the Jews, declined to come to the wedding feast so the bridegroom went out into the highways and bi-ways to collect the general population, good and bad, and the place was packed with guests.  Brother Bart says these represent “the nations”.   Brother Bart stressed that the Jews were non-believers.  There was no acceptable excuse to "decline" this one time. And then there was the brief parable of the fig tree putting out its leaves and you know that summer is on its way.  This symbolizes the rapture that will occur “in this generation” and we are to presume that means since May of 1948 when Israel became a nation.  I pointed this out.  The final parable was on the ten virgins and the five foolish virgins why didn’t bring enough oil for their lamps and finally the door was shut against them and they didn’t get to partake of the festivities with the bridegroom.  This symbolizes the rapture.  I pointed out that the five foolish virgins were also saved.  But Brother Bart disagreed.  He said there are people in the church that are not believers.  That guy asked other questions leading Bart to talk about the founding fathers here in America and how they were all believers and maybe the Corona virus is sent here as a judgement and warning of God.  Then Cathy was saying something and I got up and left.  It was nearly a quarter after three and I had to use the bathroom back here.

[domestic news]  Housekeeping came in just after nine before I was quite prepared.  It seemed like a long hour.  I wandered two and fro about the building.  Actually just after nine it began raining and it was raining in earnest till at least three thirty.  I was afraid the room might leak because the rain was so relentless.  I changed my dinner meal to a grilled cheese sandwich.  When I returned at almost ten Joe was waiting outside for the floor to dry.  She hadn’t put a bedspread on my bed, but otherwise it was made.  She just came back a minute ago and offered bedspreads to Joe and me and I told her I already had a bedspread.  I had gotten one from the pile that was still warm from the dryer.  At least I knew that it had been washed.  Then I watched Gary and Shannon.  It’s funny how they say that they didn’t want to talk about the Corona virus and to turn off the TV news to clear the negative vibes from our minds.  But all they did was talk about the virus.  For lunch we had a good enchilada and white rice and green beans.  We had watermelon for dessert.  I went back and got a second (or was it first?) cup of coffee.  It was more Gary and Shannon and finally after noon I just turned it off.  I lay down briefly then I went out back to smoke.  Then I turned on the TV froth on KNBC and lay back down just meditating or something.   Days of our Lives featured Zander menacing that nurse in the elevator.  She’s lucky she escaped that ride with her life.  Victor is persistent in wanting her dead.  Victor has no conscience and has no empathy for either Will or all the others such as Sonny that are impacted by his lies.  Nicole is getting increasingly suspicious of Zander.  Christin remembered a heart shaped birth mark on the neck of her newborn baby and it’s a birth mark that Sarah just made reference to.  

Just an update about the Sea of Green.   Back in the late seventies I had a model of the metaphysical world that had the Sea of Green as realm eleven, flanked by realms ten and twelve.  These were both this universe but one of them had a psychic controlling influence on the other, because it was the realm with all of the dead people.   I was thinking the other day that perhaps the Sea of Green transcends the fifth dimension into parellel universes.  But later I was reassured by the Federation that this is not the case.   The Sea of Green is reality based (unlike psychics like Sylvia Brown) and it's skin to the psychic chessboard.  If people are unhappy in this realm, their unhappiness is based on their own reality and not being tormented by fifth dimensional phantoms.  The Orion federation has in the past connected itself to Osirus, the Egyptian god of the dead.  There has always been that identification with "The Dead" in the Federation.   But I don't know the metaphysical relation between the two universes.  As Chuck Smith would say, "More information is needed".  

A Little Bit of Everything

They were slow to get primary results in the news.  They were too busy talking about all of the permutations of the Corona virus.   Joe Biden won Missouri and Mississippi and we got those results but no details.   In the morning I checked and Sanders won in Washington and interestingly enough in North Dakota.  Biden won Idaho.   That leaves Michigan where Biden won with 52% of the vote to Sanders 34% or something.  Bloomberg still got a few votes.  They kept saying that it was going to really rain in the afternoon and then they said after three and eventually it did rain some.  But it wasn’t any downpour.  Meanwhile in east coast cities they have had temperatures in the low seventies, which is way above normal for this date.   There was no extended coverage.  Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune were on as usual.  I got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for medication and this sandwich I ate right away. 

This is Monday March 9, 2020 and the Dow Jones Industrials dropped 2013 points in a single day today.  That’s a record point drop but it’s a long ways from a percentage record.  The undisputer leader in that category was October 19^th 1987 and I remember that day.   That was a drop of five hundred points and the markets were less than a tenth of the value they are today.  That gives you some kind of idea how much the market prices have risen in the thirty years plus.  This is no longer a drop we can just shake off.  They say the markets have dropped nineteen percent since the highs of only a few weeks ago.  It dropped eight percent just today.  This Corona virus really has everybody spooked.  But an accompanying story is how much crude oil prices have dropped.  They have dropped into the thirties.   Of course if this is really true, when are we going to start paying a dollar and a half for gasoline like we were in the eighties?  There is completely no excuse for  the high gas prices we are paying at the pump here in California.  If the prices drop that far, which by all logic they should, then the trucking industry and all transportation industries should get a real boost and sales and commerce should pick up.

.  I watched “God Friended Me”.  It was a man under-going a crisis of what to do with his atheist faith now that he was dating a believer in God.  I see it as no problem.  If your circumstances change, then your response to it will change.  God won’t “tempt” me with having someone fall in love with me at my age.   Satan holds a firm grasp on me and has me living in fear.  I still fear the invasion of the bug spray people.   I see no evidence this week of anybody preparing for bug spraying.   I went to bed shortly after nine.  

I was looking forward to the dentist to get my permanent crown.  April knocked on my door when I had Bill Handel on to say the appointment was rescheduled to nine thirty so I had a little more time.  She asked what time I wanted to be picked up and I saiad “ten after nine” but she later amended that to say wait out back and not my room.   I brushed my teeth.  I went down about five after to smoke a cigarette and she was ready to go.  It wasn’t raining and basically didn’t rain all morning.  She went in because she wanted to talk about medical forms.  I asked for permission to go out and smoke a cigarette.  It would be “a few minutes” before I was called in.  The approval for that other crown came in and they talked about doing it this day but that would be just too long and already it was five to ten when they got started.  The crown insertion took less time than usual.  It was new and smooth.  No X rays were taken this day.  I’m not sure butI think April was in the back the whole time but she also gave me her cell phone number. 

We got back and I had another cigarette and looked at the money draw line in the hall because of the supposed rain.  It was long and I went to the room briefly but then came back down.  Augustine was moving boxes of electronic stuff like computers and TV’s and he was moving them OUT and not IN the rooms.  I got in line behind Joe.  People were already gathering in the dining room but I turned out not to be late.  I got my twenty dollars from Jennifer and I have fifteen left.   We had Swedish meat balls with beef gravy and mashed potatoes and a vegetable.  We started off with clam chowder from Rico, who says he made it.  I would have had seconds if offered on that.  We had apple crisp for dessert.  Then it was Gary and Shannon followed by Days of our Lives.   Kate finally sold her Di Mira stock shares to Chad.  It turns out Chad is a third one of these zombie people, and maybe Marlena makes four.  I guess Steve wants a whole zombie nation out there doing his bidding.  As Marlena points out, Steve is a phony who wants to turn Marlena into a phony.   As a reward for Kate’s submission to Chad she is now of “no use to him” and Stephano ordered Chad to kill Kate.  No good deed goes un-punished.   I finished up the muffins from Terry.  Joe had a total of just three.

I turned the TV back on but a minute or so later Paul met Joe at the door.  This is the first time Paul and Joe had actually met.  Paul had a new belt for me.  The other one had gotten pretty flimsy and separating.  The new one was nice and thick and stuff with a nice pattern on it.  I expressed concern about what was all that noise in the halls and Paul said they were just doing stuff in the big room.  I guess they were getting rid of stuff but I don’t know if it was in preparation for a bug spraying today.  I told Paul Terry had come by and Paul saw the church bulleton there.  Paul talked a little about Judy’s mental state.  Paul threw out his back a few days ago.  Now he’s goint to try and get workmen’s compensation.  He’s entitled.  He doesn’t know what exactually caused his back to go out except he was lifting a mattress off a bed at the time.  I mentioned that Mark was still preaching at the church.  Paul says he had talked to Mark just the other day, which surprised me a little.  [material deleted here].  Hopefully I can get over to see Judy sometime. 

The TV had been on Ellen and I switched to the news after Paul left.  Then it was the ABC network news.  At dinner Sarah had a bug spraying update for us.  I only hoped that it would not be more bad news.  It was perversely good news.  The era of bug spraying may be over.  Sarah announced that all of the electronic items had been taken out of the rooms.  The last time around this signaled the end of the spraying for bugs.  It’s going to be a long wait just like it was the last time.  We had a chef’s salad for dinner with crutons.  We had fruit cocktail for dessert.  I talked to Chris after dinner.  Those light blue wooden benches soak up the rain so they weren’t wet like the plastic benches were that hadn’t been wiped.  I had promised God that I would quit smoking if the bug spraying threat was lifted.  Now it has.  But I’m allowing myself a transition period to get over cigarettes.  I went to the store and got a large Nescafe and an apple Danish and strawberry Clippers paying cash. 

  Patty and I were talking about New Rochelle as a suburb of New York.   The national guard is forming a mile perimeter around a synagogue there where this lawyer got sick with Corona virus.  In Italy they are shutting down the whole country.  And that cruise ship remains docked in Oakland.   The tourists aren’t allowed to leave the ship yet or if they do it’s very slow.  The ones from other countries are “repatriated” to that country and they are home free.  Some sick people were taken off right away.  The rest are like military prisoners.  They get shipped off to a military base for fourteen days.  And of course Pearl Jam has canceled their concert tour in April.  The Coachella and “Stage Coach” festivals are delayed from April to October because of the Corona virus.  It’s really a strange state out there.  Students are taking their finals on-line and can’t even finish out their winter term quarters.   And both Sanders and Biden had scheduled rallies in Cleveland last night and they both canceled them.  But President Trump reassures us that all we need to do is stay calm and things will get better.  But the thing is this is just the sort of reassuring message the American people are craving. 

Too Many Withdrawals

At five thirty this Saturday morning I was out back and it was still completely dark.  But tomorrow with daylight savings time we are going to be plunged into darkness.   If I were president this is one of the first bills I would repeal.   It was coming up on a quarter to six and I thought I’d tune in the UFO station.  The caller there says the government may not know one way or the other whether or not we have been visited by UFO’s but uncertainty is one word the government doesn’t like to use because it makes the people feel uncertain and insecure, like our national security has been compromised.   Of course Christians would say any UFO manifestations that have been demonstrated are demonic in nature and it’s the devil trying another ploy to get us to believe in him.   So is mankind just an ant hill out in the Sahara desert where any human visitors aren’t going to put a flag on top of the ant hill and claim it for America.  There is also the fact that God is not only an all powerful being, but he’s a being with an intelligent will and he wants us to believe in him.  Some would say this is egocentric thinking.  But at five to six they cut off the caller and planed some demented thing about space aliens, as though it were all a joke and we really didn’t want to hear what the caller said.  I wanted to hear what he said because he sounded halfway sane.   In other news the LA marathon will be run tomorrow from Dodger Stadium to the sea, as usual.  People who are sick are invited to withdraw and given a free pass to running in next year’s race.  The NBA has a contingency plan to ban audiences from all NBA games and they’ll play the games without fans like they do in Italy.  The Pope is canceling more plans.  Yesterday President Trump signed an emergency funding bill to conquer the Corona virus.   I had the regular KNX news on after this.   I still have that carpo-tunnel thing in my right arm.  I’m assuming that’s what is but I want to be see Dr Saran about it on Tuesday if he’s here.   Afghanistan has already broken their peace treaty of last Saturday.  You knew that.  

Enough people have withdrawn from the presidential race in the week to last a lifetime.  Last Saturday we had Tom Stire withdraw.  Then on Monday it was Mike Budagieg and he lent his support to Joe Biden.  Then on Monday it was Amy Clovichar who withdrew.  She likewise lent her support to Joe Biden as previous candidate Beto Ororke.  I guess you could call that the ultimate insider opperation.  The party circled the wagons around Biden.  Of course Biden won big.  He carried ten states.  Sanders carried the other five.  These were Vermont, Utah, Colorado and California and I'm a state short.  Maine was up in the air for a long time.   Then I guess it was Thursday that Elizabeth Warren withdrew.  Clearly she didn't want to withdraw and I don't think she should have withdrawn.  She had her loyal supporters including my brother.  A lot of women and girls were counting on her, just as she pointed out.  Those little girls now have to be told "you have to wait for more years to see the possability of a female president.  

Chris Matthews abruptly retired from Hardball.  They say he was pushed out by MSNBC.   It apparently was a combination of flirtatious remarks to women and also "the young people" who have their own way of approaching the news.  It would seem the Bernie Sanders lobby kicked him out.  Chris has had it in for Bernie Sanders for a long time now and I guess management finally got tired of his continual hostility.  I don't know.  He was a good comentator in all other aspects of his job and we will miss his presence on our TV screens after twenty years.  

The devil has been playing mind games on me.  He now wants me to pray for things God knows that I don't want to come to pass and would be unhappy if they did.  But they may be things that aren't destined to come to pass.  But he wants me to pray for them just to prove to God that I'll submit and pray for anything he wants me to.   Of course Alcyonne has the power to switch fifth dimensions and thus to seemingly bring about things that formerly weren't destined to happen, and visa versa.  This is quite a power.  So you may pray for something bad in order to keep something worse from happening.  The devil can always torment you with "Well, just think of all the horrible things that haven't happened to you that could.  Actually it was Pastor Don who opened up this line of reasoning to me.  He said it to me when he thought I was making too many complaints about the way things were.   I guess when it come to the will of God I feel so powerless.   Jesus said "Blessed are the poor in spirit".  I'm not poor; I'm bankrupt.   Thursday afternoon's Bible study is something I should have said more at than I did.  I was restless then and kept thinking of getting away.  

 .   For lunch we had corned beef and potatoes au gratin and mixed vegetables.  We were supposed to have had roast beef with dipping sauce.  We had apple crisp for dessert.  I had one cup of coffee.  After noon the housekeeper came in but she said it was just to empty the trash because she was on her lunch break.  I watched Days of our Lives up till twenty to two when she came back.   The real Marlena has decided to submit herself to Steve alias Stephani Di Mira.  Supposedly he’ll let Kayla go free.  Justin has already paid him ten million dollars.  I was restless coming to the front room.  I got more apple crisp and then went back out for another cigarette.   Bart and Chris were talking with each other briefly.  This is the day that Chris gets paid.   They were playing Mo-town songs in the front room.   Brother Bart came for the Bible Study.   Today he said he’d actually do lessons from the Bible.  We did the Beattitudes from the Sermon on the Mount.  Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.  Everyone wants that.  Show grace to people who ask for a cigarette.  Blessed are the peace makers.  They will be called the sons of God.  Blessed are people who hunger and thirst to see right prevail.  They shall be satisfied.  We can always hope.  He covered them all pretty quickly.  Then he moved on to the Lord’s Prayer further down.  We should forgive those who commit offences against us if we want to be forgiven for our sins.   There was some talk about persecution.  My favorite line is “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”.  I tried to illustrate the point with an example from my own life and how Satan plants things in my mind that are unhealthy.   The remark fell flat.   There was a strong smell of poop when I first entered the room.  It went away when someone opened a window.  But then another lady in a wheel chair had an accident in her pants and the air became very foul and they were slow about getting her out.  I had a coughing spasm and I left when it was five after three.  I never got to pray for my sore right arm.  We did sing three hymns.  I went out to smoke.