Places I have lived

Living in Naples Island in Long Beach was wonderful. One of my nearby neighbors was the auto dealer Don Kott. He had a waterfront home. He lost his small dig once and posted reward posters around the neighborhood offering $5000 reward for its return. Even with thecreward the dog was never found. We figured it slipped iff one if his docks and was lost at sea. 

Another neighbor had a great car collection. He had his Rolls Royce and a highly modified V-12 Mercedes sedan. It had twin turbos and was capable of almost 200 mph. He called it his wife's car even though she rarely drove it. Saturday morning I would wake to him rolling out his Ferrari, the V-12 sound was sweet.

As you may have already assumed, my neighbors had money. Naples Island has a lot of money. One thing about the rich, they tend to discard very good items just because they were last season's model. I found nice luggage, complete ski outfits, skis boots and bindings, high end stereo gear, etc when I took out the trash. I even found a co-worker a nice Lexus LS400 sedan for less than $2000. The owner said the dealer didn't want to pay what he thought it was worth so he just wanted it gone. The coworker said it was in wonderful condition.

Now, how was I able to live there? I lived in one of the few rental apartments on the south end of the island (that was where the money was) and paid $850 a month for a 400 square foot studio apartment.    Living there was great. I noticed recently the same place is renting for $1100 a month.

Alzheimer's and dementia

Alzheimer's and dementia. More and more seniors are being diagnosed with these  impairments. I deal with both issues with both my parents and it wasn't easy. I learned a lot being the primary caregiver in each case.

Seniors with these problems can get violent. One aspect of this is they suffer from extreme paranoia. If they feel threatened they will act to protect themselves. Be sure to remove all potential weapons from the home.

Sundown is a critical time of day. Something about the transition to night brings out the worst. They will run away. They will be uncooperative. They will be aggressive. I used to lock the gate so my mom would not wander off. My dad would decide he needed to clean.

Do not be alarmed by what they say. They will say things that will shock you. They will say they hate you. They have no restraint when it comes to subjects. You'll hear them talk about sex, they will share their opinions of relatives. They will also tell tall tales about things they did. My mom told me of all the places she had visited even though she never flew in a plane. She swore that a friend used to fly his plane and land in our driveway.   He would then take her on flights over Warner Springs. I know it never happened. Then there were tales of visits by aliens from other worlds. These were detailed accounts that  still make me think they could have happened.

No. I've dealt with this. I can  only hope I do not become a victim of these cruel conditions.

Learning

Just read about the thought of bring back Latin to schools as a foreign language. Yes, I was one if those weird people who studied Latin. Latin was the foundation to my further studies in language. I took two years of Latin in high school. I also took two years of Spanish and one year of French.  When I entered the military my language training and in particular the Latin helped me get assigned to Europe. I was sent to language school to study  Polish, a Latin based language.  Study of Latin also made me study history. In my second year if Latin we basically translated the diaries of Caesar's Gallic wars. The Romans were great recorders of history as where ever they went they brought scribes to record every event. I also took courses in literature including Shakespeare. My interests lead me to get a degree in geography. Most people do not understand what geography is about. A lot of misconceptions exist. Geography is the study of man and his impact on the land. I have worked as a professional cartographer (map maker). I also took a lot of coursework in civil engineering, climatology, planning, anthropology (both cultural and physical), psychology, art, and religion. In my past I kept putting off graduation as I kept taking more courses. I was able to do this by doing graphic arts and photography on the side and having generous GI benefits. Even my military career reflected my interests. Intelligence gathering included knowledge of language, geography and culture. My assignment to Berlin had me in the middle of the history of WWII. I spent two years of intense study of the rise and fall of Hitler and his deputies. I enjoy learning. Informally I have had my IQ tested (I once was invited to join Mensa) and they estimated it was somewhere above 120. I didn't take that much interest in that, I just enjoyed learning. So now you know a bit more about me.