A New cause I've found!

As most viewers / readers here know, I'm a constant reader. I've been that way since I was about 5 years old. In recent weeks I've been pretty much housebound, due to no wheels and little money. I've about exhausted my available books, and so, last week I searched through a box of books my Mom sent to Indiana with me for delivery to two of my sisters. Most of these books are ones I sorted out myself, from ones my Mom and sister Carol were giving me. Pretty much defined as "chick books". So, after browsing through a bunch of novels by authors I don't read, I noticed this one book titled "Three Cups of Tea". I had seen this book mentioned on some talk show, and so I read the jacket, and it sounded good*.(* Good in the sense of "good-as-I-can-expect-in-some-chick-books").
The story is about an American guy who grew-up in Tanzania, the son of missionaries who built a health care center, and a school for their African neighbors in Tanzania, back when it was still "Tanzanika". The guy discovered rock-climbing in Northern California, then advanced to mountain climbing. On an expedition to climb K2,(second highest peek in Asia), the guy becomes lost, and sick, and comes pretty well to deaths door, before he finds his way, and reconnects with the Pakistani porter who was taking him down the mountain. Anyway, despite hooking up with the porter, the man becomes lost again, and stumbles into a remote village, starved, sick, and disoriented. The local children guide him into the small village, where he is greeted by the village leader, or as close as a greeting as can be made, since the villagers have never seen an American, a European, nor anyone who lives more than thirty miles away. The only thing they understand is the name of the porter, and his village. The head man sends his son to find the porter, then they share their meager food with the big scary outsider, give him their best blanket, and put him to bed in the honored place,..closest to the fire !
Long story shortened: The man, Greg Mortenson, thanks the people for saving him, and for teaching him some phrases in their language. After seeing 80 children attending "class" in a barren field, using sticks to write in mud, Mortenson promises his benefactor, the Head man, that he will return, and build the children a school.
The story of how he does that, and the troubles he has with the Taliban, local mullahs, and the society in general, is an inspiring, and fascinating tale.
If this sounds at all interesting to you, here's a link to his Organization's web site : https://www.ikat.org/about-cai/
Check it out, and come back and tell me what you think!

Cold Enough for Ya ??

Hi There ! SubZero Man Here: It's so friggin' cold here today, -35 F this morning,...I had to go on about a 6 block walk, so this is how I dressed! Sorta like a 21st Century UniBomber !

Happy F'ing New Year !

I spent last night, (New Year's Eve), by myself, sitting in front of my computer, watching CNN's live feed from Times square. This wasn't the broadcast with Anderson Cooper and Cathy Losergurl, no, this was from way atop some building, just a stable shot of the area in front of the flatiron building. A couple of times the camera zoomed down to the stage areas. One time I could see Hill & Bill talking to Mayor McDollars, and another time I saw Anderson and Cathy, she was getting her makeup and hair touched-up, (and he was watching enviously!).
I ended the evening about 4 AM, after talking to some family back east, and avoiding another call from my Bro in California, because I had been warned that he had over-imbibed, and assumed his evil identity as Absolut Man.

So, The actual Highlight of my New Year's Eve, occurred early in the evening, when I was awakened from my depression nap, by a young man from my Senator's Office. He was calling to tell me that my request for some Inauguration Tickets had been granted, and that he would be emailing me the details ! WoW, I thought," something good actually happened to me on the last day of crummy-assed 2008 ?"
All of a sudden, I was overwhelmed with visions.Hordes of people are surrounding me, throwing dollars, and bags of gold at me, Why I Thought, "I might even be able to pay my friggin' rent !".
But, Alas, It was not to be. When the email arrived, I learned that I would be required to show a picture ID, when I called for the tickets at the Rayburn Senate Office building on the 19th.

So,...here I was back in Beautiful Downtown Midwest, broke, jonesing for a cigarette, and still really broke. Sucks to be Me, and all that stuff.

Welcome to 2009 !

Hello Friends and Neighbors, Welcome to my B,Daily Blog. I have another blog by this name, but it wouldn't let me sign into it, so here's the newest One!
I'm writing on Christmas Eve, alone, (BooHoo), in my new apartment in beautiful downtown Midwest.
It's cold and nasty outdoors tonight, and the web is full of reports about stranded travelers all over the nation, so I'm quite content to sit here in the comfort of my computer room, and think about the year to come.But First: A little rhyme by my demented twin Sherman;

Well I'm sittin' here wrecked on a number of things,
Usually Vicodin and high-dollar caffeine,
I'm not the best you've ever seen,
'bout as low as I've ever been!
It's not Your fault, or the world's really,
so let's not get frank, nor touchy-feely.
What the world needs now, is more Money and Love,
and a lot more help from the Lord above.
Lots more music about peace and chillin'
'N I don't mind if it sounds like Dylan.
So now I'll end this senseless ditty,
and let The Hermanator get real and gritty !

2009, sounds so nice, January 20th sounds even better. I'm really looking forward to President Obama! I sincerely hope that the majority of people, and especially the Congress agree with me, that this is an opportunity for a fresh start for America.
The one entity I'm really concerned about are the Mass F'ing Media. I mean, after giving Obama a virtual "pass" during the primaries, and General election, I pray that they won't pull a "Clinton" on Barack, and go after anything even remotely shady, as a real scandalous story, that they won't fill the headlines and bylines, and airwaves with hours of rumor-mongering, and create a series of "blank-Gates", to plague this historic Administration.