It's a wide, wide world

"Up periscope." Something a submarine commander might say when they want to take a look outside their cocoon and see what is happening in the world around them. 

This is a fitting name, then for Twitter's live streaming app, Periscope. Through its use, one can really see the world around them. At least whatever Twitter users, worldwide, are willing to show. 

And there are many of them. First launched as an iOS app, Periscope eventually came to Android as well. And people got out there- or stayed in- showing all things, from mundane to spectacular. 

In Paris, there is Claire she takes her bikes rides through the circles of Paris, narrating as she goes. She takes viewers to see many of the wonders of Paris- as does Euro Maestro1 answering viewer questions along the way. Viewers see whatever Claire points her iPhone camera at, and hears her narration, while texting in their questions and comments. 

In California here in the United States, there is Kate Sullivan, aka Kitten Grenade up in San Franscisco and Amanda Oleander in Los Angeles. Amanda is a talented painter who spends many late nights demonstrating her painting technique, putting out positive vibes and even takes viewers on journeys through Los Angeles. 

Kate, while not yet at the same viewership or most loved status as Amanda, provides her viewers with entertainment through Late Night Ukelele, where she encourages the viewers to type in outrageous comments which she sings, without missing a beat. Kate also has a cadre of friends in the San Francisco area, and through intersecting periscoping, provide a rollicking good time. Among them are Jennifer, Hannah, Mandy and Tristen. It could almost be considered a 2015 version of Real World San Francisco, except that it is actually real world, real time events. Kate and friends even periscoped portions of her May 2015 wedding and reception. 

Also in Los Angels is Kelly Elise May. She is a frequent periscoper and can be seen doing anything from helping a friend, Annie, create a weekly YouTube, to zany bits that involve a lot of viewer commentary. Her casts often turn out as not to be missed. 

One thing periscope provides that is not provided in a YouTube show, or traditional broadcast media or movies is that it is live, it is raw and it is real. In the early days of periscope, there was a running theme- show your fridge. Although seemingly a thing of the past, there is something about that as an exercise- to see the contents of ice boxes across the globe. 

Periscope forbids nudity in its terms of service. It cannot catch all nudity, but it does lock offending user accounts when it is caught. This is th Internet, and it comes with all the pitfalls of the anonymity he Internet provides. "Trolls" come into casts and say things like "show boobs," or some non-native English speakers will say "open boobs." periscope has provided a tool to block these trolls, simply by tapping the comment and clicking block. This ejects user from broadcast and prevents them from returning to the broadcaster's feed in the future. 

Periscope also has community standards in addition to the terms of service. It provides a report broadcast button on the title page, allowing viewers to report offensive material. 

Vacation- Midweek

1/2 of my vacation is gone. 

Sat- Arrival: took denied boarding compensation of $400 to sit in ATL from 7:30a-2:30p. 

Nice Italian dinner when I finally did arrive in Plano. I ate chicken! At my request!

Sun- the mid-day bday party planned for Sat was moved to Sun. A second Italian dinner, different pasta. Cake & cupcakes. Thomas's less Bryan. I took the ThomBoys to McD to play in play place and eat fries and drink Dr Peppers. Their daddy picked them up. 

Went out with R after 12. Not much doing in Allen, TX at that time. 

Mon- Met Rebecca and boys @ McD in the villages. We had to hustle out by 2:30, though, as Mom was preparing a big dinner. 

In celebration of St Patrick, we had a nice boiled dinner. Both Tri cut & flat corned beef. Cabbage, turnips, carrots, and 3 kinds if potatoes. A nice Irish soda bread.

Took Ethan to Raising Canes after trying to go to iPic to see Non Stop (missed start time) then The Purple Cow (it was closed/out of business), then Cosmic Jump. That was also closed/closing. I guess the chicken strips made up for it. He said he eats that a lot, but only drive thru. It was his 1st time in the restaurant. 

Tues- Ethan slept over my parents.  I took him to adventure landing in am. He rode go karts, bumper boats & played arcade games. We met his Mom in Dwntwn Plano for lunch at Utban Crust. We sat on 3rd floor in Ice Bar. Food was ok. My first meal out here. 

Then EBT and I went first to party city, then Toys R Us looking for a Knight Costume. No luck. At party city, adult stuff only (too big). At Toys R Us, kiddie stuff only (too small). He did score a foam sword, though. 

Then we went to the Outback. He ordered a cheesy fries app and a kid steak & cheesy fries meal. He took most of both home. This was my second meal out. 

Wed- R, Mom & I went to Cadot, a French restaurant. I had Duck Confeit. R had chicken crepes and Mom had a Portobello Sandwich. Then we split dessert of Beignets and a Creme Brûlée. This was my third meal out. 

Now I am with R at Post Office. She has been inside for 1/2 hour. I have watched people come and go. What could she be doing?

Tonight, I am to go to a wing place called Sauced with my Dad. I asked my Mom to make Chicken cutlet for Sat. It was my first chicken since July. This will be my second. 

Friday, EBT, Mom & I are supposed to be going to Medieval Times. Hence the Knight Costume. I'm sure it will be fun.  It is an 11 am show time. 

It is a Wonderful Life, still

Today I was going through some old pictures at the request of my sister, here in the Dallas Metroplex. 

I came across a picture of her. It was a close up. Her determined jaw. Her elegant nose. She was wearing a pair of blue play sun glasses. Her unruly, yet luscious hair. Her prominent clavicle. And of course, her lips. 

So sweet was she to me. For so long. Far longer than I could have hoped. Certainly far longer than I deserved. I did nothing to earn her sweetness. It was something that I will always cherish. She is so lovely. I am without her now. Still, having been with her, in any capacity, leaves me unable to say anything other than it's a wonderful life. 

Adventures in traveling with the Kid, Part I

Our view from topside on te MegaBus, ORL to JAX. 

We had a pleasant 1 day vaca in central Florida. Thankfully, the Kid got out of riding in te Van Fri night. Unfortunately, he did not take advantage of that time to sleep. 

He slept 11:30-1:45. Then I woke him up to leave. The actual departure was from Dwntwn JAX an hour later. (Cum Sleep: 2:15)

He slept the entire ride to ORL, 3:00-5:15am. We disembarked and walked across to wait for the local commuter bus to KIS, Lynx 18. (Cum Sleep: 4:30)

There was no sleeping on LYNX 18. We arrived at KIS (intermodal station) at 7am. My sister took us to her house and the Kid went directly to bed. My Sis and I went to Shades of Green. We bought a 4 day park hopper, good through Sept, for the Boy. We returned about 10:00 and I woke the Kid up. So he slept 7:20-10:10. He got ready and we left for parks. (Cum Sleep: 7hr 20min)

The trip began in EPCOT, per his request. He & I went on Mission: Space. Alighting from the ride, I told him my face and neck were perspiring. Maybe motion sickness symptoms in old age. 

We went in single rider line for Test Track. I ended up getting of line after he got on ride. Met my sis at end of ride and we waited for Kid to get off. 

Next, we took some pics around te water between future world and world showcase. 

We went into world showcase and decided to get lunch. Went to get CroNuts first. The sensational dessert, launched in NYC by chef Dominique Ansel at his SoHo bakery, had NYers lined up for hours to buy them. We faced no lines. Priced at under $5, EPCOTs version was coated in a cinnamon topping. Patricia took the top layer (and all the cinnamon with it!) and I ate the rest. The Kid also ate one. It was good! But not wait for hours good. Thankfully we didn't have to. 

Dessert taken care of, we let the Kid pick the dining spot. He chose Dragons Nine in China. Patricia ordered spring rolls and ate about 1/3 of one. The Kid and I both got a spicy beef steak dish. It had diff color bell peppers and onions. We also had some dim sum (pork) for the table, but I had to eat 2/3 of it. 

We continued around the world show case, the returned to the water taxi area to take the boat around the lagoon. After that we went to World of Coke and the Kid tried every flavor. His favorite was from Indonesia. He did not like the Italian offering. 

We then left EPCOT for Animal Kingdom. My sister took the Kid to Expedition Everest, stood in the single rider line with him while I waited in the truck. Then they returned to the truck and we left for Disney's Hollywood Studios. 

At the Studios, the Kid and I mad a bee line for Rock & Roller Coaster. We stopped just outside, however, when we saw a FastPass+ line. We waited there 18 min and it was a big waste of time. We got FP+ for Star Tours for 6:15-7:15 and Tower of Terror for 8:30-9:25. Since we had Dinner reservations near Sea World for 8:30, that last one wasn't happening.

The single rider line moved slowly throught Rock & Roller Coaster. By the time we got out, Patricia was already out of the Beauty and The Beast Musical. Also, my walking for the day was done. The nerves in my feet so shot, my feet were like cinder blocks at the bottom of my feet. I sat the next two hours and spent the final 1/2 hour walking the parking lot to the Truck. 

Pat took over the Tour Guide duties with the Kid. He seemed o have had fun with her. 

We drove to Delmonico's and met Marty. Everyone had some type of pasta dinner. The Major had Frutti de Mare. I had linguini & clam sauce. The Kid had a 1 lb. piece of lasagna. Marty exclaimed at the end that he had never seen a plate so clean & cleared. We went back to my sister's and everyone went to bed. 

My sister and I went out to Publix some time after 7. I woke the Kid up after 10, and my sister made bacon & eggs breakfast for the Kid and Marty. I ate 1/2 of a Publix sub. 

They drove us to the bus station in ORL. We were the last to embark b/c of the wheelchair. Traffic has been at a standstill after Deland on I-4 for 40 min. This is going to mean a late arrival in JAX, and an unhappy Brooks. The Kid is currently unfazed by the delay and is again sleeping. He's only 14. 

Like I said, Life is Good. No hope, no Love. But for now, some purpose. The Kid. 

45. No hope, no love, but I continue to manufacture purpose

Tomorrow I'll be 45. 45. Such a difference 5 years has made. This birthday approaches with no fanfare, really no connections. No Love. No Hope. But I still have family, and I continue to try to manufacture purpose. 

I took the Kid on a blitz of Walt Disney World. We visited 3 parks. I attempted to get him to the more age appropriate rides: Rock & Roller Coaster, Star Tours @ the Studios; Mission: Space, Test Track @ EPCOT; and Expedition Everest @ Animal Kingdom. There was some fill in at both EPCOT & the Studios. 

I, however, was unable to complete portions of the blitz with him. Thankfully, my sister was there and took up the slack. My feet wouldn't move. Like two cinder blocks filled with cement & stuck on the bottom of my legs, they just wouldn't budge. I spent the last two hours on a bench near the entrance, and it took me 1/2 hour to walk out to the truck. My sister led the kid around during that time. We then went for a wonderful dinner at Delmonicos. It was truly something. 

Despite everything, I feel so lucky & blessed. Sure, no Hope. Sure, no Love. But I am now living on memories. People have been very generous to me over the years. I have survived, and at times thrived. I have loved & felt love. I have lived with hope. Life is good. I have no complaints. Right now, my focus is this Kid. 

Life is wonderful

Is this a great country or what? 

I am currently Orlando bound with my ward on a double decker bus. Sure it's 3am and he only had 2 hours of sleep. He'll be able to sleep another 2 hours in way down, and maybe another 2 hours at my sister's house. 

He is joining a long line of kids to whom I have attempted to bring the joy of Disney.  He is quite a bit older than any of the other kids at nearly 15 years of age. But he barely seems any less excited. Well, at least until we pulled into the Jax Conv Ctr pkg lot and I told him to get out. 

He was not prepared for the idea of riding a bus to ORL. He was full of 'Why?' But imagine traveling two hours south for a mere $13. Is this a great country or what? Life is Wonderful!!

Life and things best left unsaid

I am so ready for all this to be over. Every inch of me aches; parts of me no longer function.

I am tired of others and their choice processes. So many want to take all the very little I have.

Makynzi. She has no Mommy. For 4 years now. So resilient.

I am a prisoner, and there is no escape. So people have been very gracious to me. Undeservedly so.

I still have some things to take care of. Once that is done, then I can just be done. I wish it were today.

My own choice processes are faulty. Very much driven by trying to make up for the missing things.

One thing I still find myself incapable of is being beholden to someone or someones.

Every inch of me aches. Pain. It is in my skin. My skin actually hurts. It is in my muscles. It is in my bones. Internally. I just hurt.

I am tired. I cannot sleep. Now when asked, I simply say, yes, I slept. Why? I am not looking for feigned sympathies. They are an embarrassment to me. A reminder: I am that servant who did not used the coins given. Not in a way that they could benefit my master, anyway.

My eyesight is failing. Daily I can see changes. But only in distance vision. Close up (reading) is still fine.

I am ready to go. But there are still things that must be taken care of. 3K. Firing costs, too.

The Rangers are going to the World Series for the second year in a row.

Why am I such a codger? I always have been a grudge holder, but now I am responding to things in a way that seems ridiculous even to me.

I was told I could be saved. Alas, that was not true, either.

There is so much more to say. But there is so much pain behind my right eye.