Category Archives: Rants

Change Is Upon Me and the World at Large

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Personal Summary for Summer 2026 So Far. These are also my reflections on change throughout this period.

Changes are upon me and the world at large here in Summer 2026. Definitely middle of summer here in Oklahoma. Really hot days like the last few when it hasn’t cooled off at night make me appreciate the cool of late fall and early spring. We get bad ice storms here in Oklahoma City most winters, which in some ways are worse than snow being on the ground most of the winter when I lived in Nebraska.

Mentally I have stable for months. Haven’t had a breakdown since I think early February. And that was a short lived one because it happened during a time of profound stress when I had a neighbor with really bad dementia. It was sad and scary both.

Haven’t had hallucinations in months. Have been quite calm all spring and summer. Some of the staff had told me I was the easiest resident to work with and the most interesting. I sometimes talk history and current events with the staff. I usually try to avoid politics as that seems to be a good topic to not bring up when meeting someone new.

Haven’t heard much from old friends. One friend is getting ready to take his family camping in the Pacific Northwest sometime soon. Be a good time to avoid the heat going on here in the plains right now. Another friend has resorted to running all errands after dark until the heat breaks.

Current Events, Summer 2026

I feel for the people in European countries who probably didn’t have air conditioning or well-ventilated homes until recently. Never realized how bad the heat was taking a toll on people across the Atlantic until I read that thousands of people have already died from heat related illnesses and it’s not even August yet. I guess bad heat in summers in something I always dealt with and learned how to adapt even as child in 1980s rural Nebraska.

Haven’t heard much on the forest fires up in Canada lately. I don’t know if those have been controlled or if the end of the ceasefires in the Persian Gulf has pushed those out of the newsfeeds. No wonder travel advisories and cancelled airline flights are common these days.

Don’t know what our leaders are thinking. Russia and Ukraine have been at war longer than Russia was at war with Germany in World War 2. The US vs. Iran war was avoidable and unnecessary as far as I’m concerned and is probably going to send the world into an energy crisis, depression, and food shortage all at the same time. Food and fuel prices are probably only going to get worse in the coming months. I haven’t trusted my leaders for a while. Really don’t think that our current leadership groups anywhere in the world care about the consequences of their actions on the vast majority of people. Hate to say this, but we are probably on our own to make our own lives better, leadership or not.

Easier to Be Change than Force Change on Others

I’m not calling for rebellions or riots or anything like that. What I do know is that protesting isn’t working. Writing your congress person or leaders don’t work either. Neither does boycotting big businesses when they already are monopolized. Maybe our only option at this point, and it’s hardly a complete solution or one that will happen quickly, is to get as independent from authority and power and self-sufficient as possible.

Now I know this isn’t really realistic in many places. Many countries without some sort of political and economic freedom probably will seriously crack down on anyone who is trying to grow much of their own food or do their own maintenance on homes and cars. In some places, people already know they can’t rely on a corrupted system to care for them. I think many people here in the US have already figured out that politics can be stagnant when trying to solve problems and have already acted on their own. Heck, Americans never have completely trusted our governments. Most of the first-generation immigrants are here because they trusted their old governments even less.

Advice on Personal Relationships

The biggest bit of advice I can give is get out to know some people. Maybe do some in person meet ups organized within your neighborhood. Perhaps start attending religious services and meeting people there. Do activities outside of home that don’t cost much if you don’t have much money. Maybe use social media to see who shares some of your interests in your area. Or something as simple as meeting and greeting your neighbors across the street or down the hall. Sure, it will be tough at first as some of our social skills have weakened due to mass social media and the pandemic of a few years ago.

I fear that more hard times are ahead in the days and years to come. The world seems to have cycles when more can happen in 30 days than could 10 years in other eras. From the societies that I have read about that have experienced crisis in the last generation or two, whether it’s war or pandemic or economic depression or natural disasters, the people that did the best were usually those who had neighbors, family members, or even friends with a wide variety of skills that were usual to weather the crisis and rebuild once the smoke cleared.

My personal plan

In my personal circumstance, I may not be very mobile or good at growing crops or fixing machines with hand tools. But I do know how to communicate with a wide variety of people, can write well, can type well, know how to manage money and resources, know how to find common ground between different groups of people who may not otherwise work together, and I can be persuasive without having to resort to manipulation or deceit. I also know a little Spanish again and am on good terms with everyone who works at my facility. Maybe I could have been a diplomat or a negotiator for a labor union had I lived in a different era and place.

Both of my parents are retired medical professionals who still have a lot of that knowledge and can teach people. My brother is one of those who can stay calm no matter how bad things get and have learned to DIY home repairs in the years of raising children and being a homeowner. Several of our family’s friends from my parents’ church are farmers and ranchers and fishers and carpenters. Most of my cousins are farmers or ranchers. Those guys and gals can fix just about anything with duct tape, sheet metal, some wire, WD-40, Windex, and a little time and a little profanity.

Summary

In closing, while I do believe that the future can be good and more prosperous for most people, I also believe that we are not done with the hard times by any means. The celebrations of a North America hosting the World Cup in summer 2026 was maybe a preview of what we can be once we solve some of our current problems and peace returns. I’m convinced most of my problems (and most people’s problems) are not foreigners or automation or prices being unpredictable. I think most of our problems are from new systems being born while the old ones are still dying and being replaced. It’s been a rough go for much of the world the last ten to fifteen years or so. We have the potential for prosperity and peace once the transitions are completed. But the troubles haven’t ended and it will still be one hell of a crossing to get to where we can be.

Embracing Change: Insights from Recent Global Events

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Another World Cup tournament has come and gone. It was fun while it lasted. I think it was the exact worldwide get together and party the world was needing in the current world of the mid 2020s. Reminded the world that, for being a decade that has seen more change and upheaval and chaos than any since the 1940s, there is still a lot of positive change that can and will come from the struggles and tears of our current time. The tournament forced me to remember that many of the world’s problems are not due to ordinary people living their daily lives and just getting buy.

I’m convinced many of the world’s problems could be solved by different leadership than what we currently have. Not just political leaders but also business, media, literature, art, religion, culture, science, etc. Maybe our current time is one of those junctions in history when the old ways are dying off and the new ways haven’t been established just yet.

In time, the new establishment getting started will eventually become the old and decrypted that has served its purpose and will need to be forced out kicking and screaming. Only God knows what that new establishment will look like in 2080 to 2100. I probably won’t be around to witness it. But medical science is doing some really crazy advances these days. If AI and automation become even half as strong as they could potentially become, we are in for some insane changes in the years and decades ahead. Both good and bad and even some interesting and indifferent and trivial.

Here in the US, one of our prominent senators recently died and at least one other that I can think of right here and now is in the hospital. Definitely a sign of the old ways fading in real time. What we are currently reading on our news feeds isn’t merely clickbait, it’s the change of eras. We’re going from the era that started with 24-hour cable news to real time activities happening halfway around the world changing everything from social trends to the fates of billion-dollar businesses.

We are beginning an era when our tools can now problem solve and brainstorm better ways than people can. Humanity’s tools have augmented our muscles for thousands of years. For centuries, our tools have augmented our voices across distance and time. Now, for the first time in our species history, we actually built a tool that can, in some ways, create and collaborate better than most people.

Years ago, a computer scientist named Allan Turing proposed a test to see if a machine really could pass for a human. Now, the computers are not passing that test simply because they have, in many cases, gotten too smart and organized to pass for human. This is happening not even 90 years after this Dr. Turing was during his work. 25 years ago, I would have imagined this possible by the year 2100, not before the year 2030.

Any real wonder why time is seeming like it’s speeding up for even the young? Our worldwide civilization and culture have seen more changes and upheavals since the years I was in college in the early 2000s than most centuries or even previous millenniums. Most previous eras biggest changes would be a new generation of kings and queens and popes and maybe a few relatively minor policies change every few generations or so. Not anymore.

Sure, a lot can still go wrong. But a lot of good can come out of all this upheaval and chaotic creativity. People who can adapt and deal with rapid change can and will thrive in the years to come. Hell, if things do go completely wrong and civilization is thrown back hundreds of years, we at least have enough preserved knowledge to rebuild something more resilient. When the old die and give way, the new are born and grow out of the ashes and the springs that have always followed the death, drear, and chaos of every winter season. Not just in nature, but also human civilizations.

June 30, 2026: Thoughts on Early Summer and The World Cup

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I’m doing well overall. Most days I’m asleep by 10pm and usually wake up around 3:30 am. I play computer games for a few hours and then catch a few more hours of sleep after breakfast. We are now into summer and officially halfway through 2026.

Made a few new friends among the staff members. A couple of the staff members I was really close with moved on to other things. Many of the staff members I am friends with are immigrants.

One of the reasons I’m glad I moved to the downtown area is to get more exposure to different cultures. It’s paying off so far. In addition to immigrants, I made a friend originally from Indiana, another from Texas, a couple from Oklahoma, and one from Kentucky. Pretty good considering I haven’t travelled since I moved to the downtown.

My parents are doing well. They are enjoying retirement and spending time with the grandchildren. I usually see them a couple times a month. In addition to church activities, they enjoy binge watching series on Netflix and going to the movies at least once a week. A couple of years back they went to see Barry Manilow when he was playing in town. They also got to see the Husker basketball team when they played in the first round of March Madness and OKC was one of the host cities.

Been following the World Cup since it started three weeks ago. I love all the fan festivals and cultural activities. It was fun to see peoples’ impressions of my homeland. Made me remember that we humans have a lot more in common than we often acknowledge. The last few weeks made me remember that maybe peace on earth and goodwill to humanity is possible if we ignore the politicians and leadership caste. Maybe the path to world peace is cultural events like World Cup, music, art, and even things as mundane as international trade. It would be fun to see all three host countries make it to the round of sixteen. Canada has already made it and Mexico is currently playing right now. I really don’t care who wins the whole competition. I think the World Cup has accomplished one goal in bringing people together during these stressful times of crisis.

The World Cup has allowed me, at least for a few hours a day this summer, to forget about all the jobs being lost to automation, trade wars, real wars, stagnant wages, and general all-around uncertainty. It was the break from all the bad news I was desperately needing. I didn’t realize how bad I needed it until the fan festivals started right before the tournament. I guess only God knows how many friendships and potential romances were started in the last few weeks because soccer (or football to the 96 percent of the world not living in USA) allowed us as peoples of various nations and religions to forget about our current troubles and renew ourselves to face the ongoing challenges. Maybe our ‘elites’ are the real problem. Maybe that is the real benefit of the modern day ‘bread and circus.’ Not necessarily to permanently distract us from our problems, but to keep up from burning out over the long haul.

Reflections on Changes since 2015

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Final weekend in June 2026. Summer has returned with a vengeance. Fortunately, the air conditioning was fixed a while back. Looking like it will be a long summer.

One good thing about the heat and humidity is that my joints don’t hurt nearly as much now as they did in the winter. At least until the thunderstorms arrive.

I’m thinking a lot about my grandmother. She was born on June 28, 1918. She died in 2015. I’m thinking of all the changes she saw in her lifetime. I wrote a blog entry about this on this date in 2018. I’m now starting to think of the changes I’ve seen just since my grandma passed in 2015.

We had the world where Donald Trump was a real estate man and not a politician. Britian has had several prime ministers come and go. Brexit happened. We had a pandemic that killed millions of people all over the world. AI has become as common as smart phones. In 2015, AI was still mostly in the lab and not very good. Search engines were still a big deal before they branched into AI. Nvidia was known mainly by serious computer gamers. SpaceX and Tesla weren’t household names. Open AI wasn’t around. Drugs to treat obesity weren’t available to mass market. Podcasts were still niche. Self-driving cars were still experimental and not really available. EVs were mostly a niche luxury market. AI friends and lovers were science fiction. I liked Scarlett Johansen in the movie ‘Her.’ Turns out that is now science fact and not the science fiction it was a dozen years ago. Crypto currency was mostly limited to bitcoin and still very niche. Everyone (me included) thought 3D printers would be in every home the same way desktop computers were before the development of smart phones. Some predictions didn’t pan out.

As far as I know, I think more people in the world own smart phones than have easy access to safe drinking water. The level of AI we have today, well in 2015, was considered several decades away by most people. Hardly a day goes by where at least one company isn’t announcing layoffs (driven in part by automation and AI). China’s economy is probably bigger than even the U.S. economy. Most developed countries had birth rates decline below replacement level, whereas fifty years ago most people were worried about people having too many children. Turns out that prosperity and mass education reduced population growth to the point that many people are now worried that we won’t have enough people to keep civilization functioning at our current levels. Who can even guess what people of the 2070s will be worrying about in those regards?

In 2015 we weren’t spending trillions of dollars on building data centers and upgrading the power grid to power AI. In 2015, global trade was still relatively easy. Russia and Ukraine hadn’t gone to war. The US at war with Iran and Venezuela was unthinkable. Groceries were probably less than half the price they are now. Housing was still somewhat affordable. Gig work was mostly for younger people and retirees looking for extra income and not the necessity it is now. The idea of a person having a net worth of over one trillion dollars was the stuff of dystopic science fiction. Multi generational housing wasn’t common. Now it’s a necessity for many people. Heck, even I lived with my parents for two and a half years looking for a permanent home I initially thought would come open in only a few months.

I think the biggest change most people, me included, didn’t expect by 2026 was that white collar office jobs would be easily automated by AI. I figured it would happen eventually, I didn’t think it would happen by 2026. So now we have people who have tens of thousands in student loans because they were told that office jobs were safe from automation as recently as five years ago. The kids who would have never thought about the trades in 2015 are seriously looking at them now. The idea of Universal Basic Income was radical. Now it’s starting to look like might be needed if we don’t want millions of people in the streets starving and rioting.

Even though millions of jobs have been displaced and millions of people died during the pandemic, the stock market is doing better than ever. I imagine some people made more playing the stock and crypto markets than they ever did in a regular forty hour a week job. The stock market has gone from a rich person’s activity to almost a necessity for anyone wanting to manage money. Heaven knows banks won’t pay enough interest on savings accounts to even keep up with inflation. So much for the internet revolution making life cheaper. That was definitely the big prediction I personally got wrong.

A heck of a lot has changed since my grandma died in 2015. It seems like almost a lifetime of change was forced into barely over a decade. No wonder people are withdrawing and discouraged. I understand why many fear we are already living in a cyberpunk dystopia in 2026. We literally have near Star Trek like technology with the political and social leadership that hasn’t updated since at least the 1990s. Too many of our politicians, at least here in the west, still think like it’s 1996 and not 2026. In fact, many of the politicians we had in 1996 are still in power.

The World Cup, Reduced Joint Pains, Model Railroad Games on Computer, and Fantasy League Baseball

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Middle of the week in early summer here in Oklahoma. It’s supposed to rain on and off for the rest of the week. Going to be a change from the blazing heat we’ve already had. My joints do better in the warm and humid summers of Oklahoma than the cold and dry winters of Nebraska.

The World Cup starts on June 11th. I see that Fox is covering quite a few of the knockout round matches. I plan on watching at least a small part of all of them. The US plays Paraguay, I think, on June 12th out in Los Angeles. The international cultural enthusiast in me is wondering when China or Australia will host the tournaments. I hope I live to see that. I still remember how both countries went all out when they hosted the Summer Olympics back in the 2000s.

Feeling very stable mentally. My aches and pains are not nearly as intense as they were last fall or winter. In March the aches in my entire left arm were bad enough the doctors thought it was a dislocated shoulder even though I haven’t fallen the whole time I have been here. The X-rays confirmed it was just bad swelling. Heck I could have told them that and saved a half hour on the X-ray table. I do not appreciate how some medical professionals refuse to listen to patients. I enjoy it even less when a doctor or nurse treats me like I’m a 4-year-old child.

I no longer drink several cups of coffee per day. Most days I usually drink only one cup per day, usually in the early afternoon. Most of what I drink anymore is water or coffee or the occasional orange juice with breakfast.

I haven’t watched much tv since the Thunder lost to the Spurs in Game 7. Lots of people here in OKC are disappointed they didn’t make the Finals. Wait ’till next year, as the old Brooklyn Dodgers used to say when your great grandparents were growing up. Yes, kids, the Dodgers used to be in Brooklyn until about the late 50s.

Thankfully my air conditioner is fixed. At least I had a good fan and easy access to ice water. Now I’m really ready for summer.

Been playing a lot of old Railroad Tycoon II lately. Recently played a tough, but fun scenario of building a railway from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I think the Africa map is now my favorite map to play.

The America maps in the 1800s are really fun if you like playing against several computer opponents who are trying to pull hostile takeovers and take your customers and tank your stock prices.

The maps and dates are quite accurate to time and place. For example, you’re not going to find cotton farms in Canada, automobile plants in 1890, or diesel engines until the 1940s or steam engines after 1960.

I’m thinking about playing a map of building a high-speed electric route connecting all the major cities in China in the early 21st century. Heck, there are even maps that allow one to play Antarctica in the 2050s. Kind of disappointed that there isn’t a map that allows me to rebuild the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia. That would be lots of fun.

Even though I’m not a huge fan of Atlas Shrugged, I’m thinking about trying to retrace the fictional Taggert Transcontal lines from information within the book. Read the book back in 2007, so I might have to get a Chatbot summary of the route from the book rather than slog through that long beast again. Took me a whole winter to read that book even when I was in my twenties. Took me an entire summer to read War and Peace when I was in college.

In my fantasy baseball league, my team is starting to win again. We were in dead last out of 12 teams in my yahoo league until a week ago. But the batters finally started hitting for the first real time all season. Going to have to play almost perfect to make the playoffs after Labor Day. In real life baseball, the Rockies are in last place for like the fourth or fifth year in a row. I think being a Rockies fan is kind of like the kids who fall in love with the ugly little stray dog in the neighborhood. You just love it no matter how awful it looks.

Summer 2026: Thoughts on Current Events and the State of the Economy

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It’s feeling like summer here in OKC. I see that Europe has gotten really bad heat waves already. Looking like it could be a long summer. The air conditioning broke down on my wing a couple of days ago. At least I have good fans and access to lots of ice water. But the HVAC crew is currently working on the AC system even on a weekend. I love those guys.

In other summer news, my fantasy league baseball team is in last place in my league. Had lots of injuries early on and never recovered. But I play mainly for fun and make the ballgames more interesting. My team is named The Barn Stormers. It’s my first year back after taking two years off. Have done fantasy league baseball since like 2007. But I don’t obsess over it. And I have never gotten into sports gambling or predictions gambling sites like Draft Kings. If I have extra money to play with, I usually prefer the stock market. Just as well put my bachelor’s in business degree to work even while disabled.

Saw on Bloomberg that some of the big oil companies are warning about $160 a barrel crude oil by the end of summer. Crap like that happens when my country decided to go to war and shut down one of the most important sea trade lanes in the world. It’s like my leaders didn’t learn from the mistakes Russia made when invading Ukraine. I was afraid this war with Iran would be a lot longer than people thought. Too bad I was right. I guess some people in power just can’t let others be.

In addition to the high gas prices, another concern is the shortage of fertilizers for farming. So expect higher food prices than we already have. We may end up having to do like our great grandparents did in the 1930s and turn our backyards into gardens and chicken houses. Everyone I personally know who owns a house or rents a house already has a garden. Most of these people started serious gardening during the pandemic.

In other news, AI is replacing office workers really fast. I feared this would happen eventually. I was telling people about this clear back in 2012. Turns out it’s happening faster than even I thought. A friend of mine lost her office job to an AI a couple months ago. Still hasn’t found anything except for some gig work once in a while. I was afraid these changes would happen before the social safety net and laws would be adapted to a world of mass AI. Sadly I was right. It’s like those in power actively want to make things worse for entry and mid level workers.

Before people say ‘go into the trades’, even those are going to experience an oversupply of workers in a few years. That alone will drive down cost of labor. Basic economics, my friends. And what is happening to office workers now, that will be trades people when AI gets good enough to go into robots. Heck, Amazon already ’employs’ robot employees. And automation of factories is happening right now in China. We just don’t hear much about it in the US. Too busy fighting among ourselves to notice how much the world has really changed in the last dozen years. Brushing up on my Mandarin Chinese to get ahead of the rush. Ni hao to my Chinese friends 🙂 I think that’s how they say ‘hi’ over there.

With the way things are now, I’m glad I moved to OKC three years ago. At least I am close to family now rather than hundreds of miles away stuck in the middle of rural Nebraska. I get along quite well with my brother and his kids. I still see my parents a couple of times a month. My life has gotten a lot less stressful since I moved out of their house in the suburbs. I enjoy being in the city. At least I don’t have to drive everywhere now.

My birthday is in June. My drivers’ license expires then. While I will get the state issued ID, I won’t be renewing my driving license. I don’t think I’m safe being a driver anymore. My reaction times aren’t as sharp as they were even eight years ago. I don’t enjoy driving and haven’t for several years. Besides, here in the city, I get almost anything delivered and can hire Uber or Lyft if I really don’t feel like going out. We have some public transit, but most American cities are not as easily walkable as most places in Europe or Asia.

And why should I have a drivers’ license? Self-driving EVs will be hitting the used car market by the time I get well enough I could potentially leave my facility. I used to joke that my niece and youngest nephew would never really need a drivers’ license. My brother owns a self-driving EV. So, I guess I was right even when I made that prediction back in 2017.

I totally understand why people are worried about tech unemployment. As much as people complain about their jobs, it does give them structure and meaning. It took me a long time to adapt to life after employment once my schizophrenia got bad enough to destroy my career. It was one hell of a blow to my pride to get crippling panic attacks every day before I went to even a minimum wage job. I’m thankful for disability pension and was able to escape that mess before it killed me. I suppose you could say doing this blog is my way of giving back even though I can no longer hold a minimum wage job.

Anticipating the 2026 World Cup: Sports and Community in Oklahoma

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Starting to feel like summer here in Oklahoma City. Hot weather and most of the schools will be out for summer break by the end of the week. And the Thunder have gone deep into the NBA playoffs again. Lost a heart breaker in overtime here in OKC last night. Don’t have any time to lick our wounds as we got to play again in a couple days.

Mentally I haven’t felt this stable for this long since before I was diagnosed with schizophrenia way back in the year 2000. Been almost 26 years with a diagnosis. I don’t know if the symptoms have gotten less severe with age or if I am better with working around them at age 45 than I was even at 35. Either way I haven’t felt this good or hopeful since I was a kid. Not the norm for most people, let alone the mentally ill.

As far as psych medication is concerned, I’m taking only two psych meds per day. And one of those I need only half of the dose I was taking twelve months ago. I’m not on anything for anxiety. And I’ve been on the same two medications long enough that both are now in generic versions. Since the US doesn’t have Universal Healthcare, that means my meds are quite a bit cheaper now than they would have been even a couple of years ago but still quite pricey compared to most of the developed world.

Will the US ever have Universal Healthcare? I would say probably not until mass unemployment due to AI and Robotic Laborers became prominent and a significant percentage of the labor pool is left unemployed. Many people in my country are paranoid of governments enough that they simply don’t trust the federal or state government with handling healthcare. Many of my countrymen feel it sounds too much like government overreach. I do still think that the future can be really cool and prosperous. It has been brutal and probably will continue to be brutal to manage and navigate the transitions.

Many people here in the US have never really trusted government or any authority figures for that matter. Makes for a low trust society without much for social support outside of traditional places like family, community, and houses of worship for those who fall on hard times. And, of course, all three (family, community, and religious institutions) have weaker influence now than in previous eras in most places, not just in the US.

The US, along with Mexico and Canada, is playing host to the World Cup tournament starting in mid-June. Even though I don’t have a favorite professional team, I am excited to see the US host a good portion of the World Cup. Football (as the 96 percent of people who don’t live in the US understand it) isn’t as popular in the US as it is in most places. I’m not even sure what country is favored to win it this year.

Argentia won it in 2022, and France won it in 2018. That I remember and have written about in old blog entries. I know that Dallas, Houston, and Kansas City are hosting the matches that are within driving distance of Oklahoma. I’m interested in the cultural type activities that take place in host cities during the tournament.

It is difficult that many of my countrymen have become distrusting of foreigners and immigrants in recent years. Many forget that at one time their ancestors were the immigrants. I doubt my German ancestors knew much English when they first arrived. At one time people were accusing the Irish of taking most of the entry level jobs. I guess some things, other than the names and locations, never change.

I’m going to watch as many World Cup games as I can find even if the US doesn’t do well. I’m thinking about seeing in Amazon Prime has a setup where I can get all of the games the tv networks don’t cover. I had heard that negotiations for tv contracts were going rough with some countries, particularly China. I hope they get that settled before the games start. I don’t think many of my countrymen don’t realize just how big the World Cup really is. I guess that we are too isolated here in the US on many things.

I’m excited for the summer of 2026.I have finally adapted to hotter summers and less cold in winter. I’m enjoying Thunder basketball making another run for NBA champions and especially the World Cup tournament. It will be an eventful summer.

March 9, 2026

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First Monday after time change. It’s feeling more like late spring here in Oklahoma than late winter. Already had several thunderstorms and some tornadoes in this state.

I now transferred my permanent mailing address to my facility. I can get amazon delivery to the facility, at least as long as the front desk person signing for my packages actually does their job and brings it to me. I had a package delivered today that was supposedly signed for by a sectary early today. It still hasn’t made it to my room. All of the staff is acting clueless even though amazon clearly stated who signed for my delivery. I do hate it when people treat me like I’m stupid.

Haven’t been sleeping well at nights the last week or so. We have a dementia patient on our wing who screams all night, every night. Management has been made aware of the situation but still refuses to do anything about it. This is the second time I had to deal with a screaming dementia patient since early February.

I don’t have much planned for St. Patrick’s Day. I will wear green and I do have some alcohol free Guiness coming. I guess that’s about as crazy as I’m going to get this year.

Book Review: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

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Published in 1870, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a pioneering science fiction novel that continues to captivate readers with its blend of adventure, mystery, and visionary technology. Jules Verne, often considered one of the fathers of science fiction, presents a tale that is not only thrilling but also rich in scientific curiosity and philosophical depth.

Plot Overview

The story begins with mysterious reports of a giant sea monster terrorizing ships across the world’s oceans. In response, the U.S. government commissions an expedition to hunt down the creature. The expedition includes three main characters: Professor Pierre Aronnax, a French marine biologist; his loyal servant Conseil; and Ned Land, a rugged Canadian harpooner.

The trio eventually discovers that the “sea monster” is actually a highly advanced submarine called the Nautilus, commanded by the enigmatic Captain Nemo. Taken aboard, the characters embark on an extraordinary journey beneath the sea, visiting undersea forests, the ruins of Atlantis, the South Pole, and battling sea creatures, including the famous encounter with giant squid.

Themes and Analysis

At its core, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea explores the tension between man and nature, the thirst for knowledge, and the consequences of technological power. Captain Nemo himself embodies this conflict. He is both a genius and a tragic figure, turning his back on the surface world for reasons that are slowly revealed. His disdain for terrestrial society and his deep connection to the ocean symbolize both freedom and isolation.

The book also reflects Verne’s fascination with scientific discovery. His detailed descriptions of marine life, submarine technology, and undersea geography were remarkably ahead of their time. While some scientific elements may seem dated today, they were revolutionary in the 19th century.

Characters

  • Captain Nemo is the most compelling figure — mysterious, brilliant, and morally ambiguous. His past remains a secret for much of the novel, adding to his mystique.
  • Professor Aronnax serves as both narrator and a lens through which readers experience the wonders and dangers of the deep.
  • Ned Land provides a counterbalance to Aronnax’s curiosity — representing practicality, freedom, and a desire to return to land.
  • Conseil, loyal and methodical, offers occasional humor and stability in contrast to the more emotional characters.

Impact and Legacy

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remains one of the most influential works in science fiction. Verne’s vision of underwater exploration predates the invention of real submarines capable of such feats by decades. The novel continues to inspire filmmakers, writers, and even marine engineers.

Beyond its technological foresight, the book resonates because of its philosophical questions — about isolation, the limits of scientific pursuit, and the price of revenge and obsession.

Book Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

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Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, published in 1864, is a pioneering work of science fiction that masterfully blends adventure, science, and imagination. As one of the founding fathers of science fiction, Verne invites readers into a world where the boundaries of scientific possibility are pushed to their limits.

The story follows Professor Otto Lidenbrock, an eccentric and determined German scientist, who discovers a cryptic manuscript. With the help of his reluctant but loyal nephew, Axel, he deciphers the message left by a 16th-century Icelandic alchemist, revealing a secret passage to the center of the Earth. Together with their stoic Icelandic guide, Hans, they embark on a perilous journey into an extinct volcano in Iceland.

What follows is a fantastical adventure through subterranean worlds filled with vast caverns, underground seas, prehistoric creatures, and natural wonders that defy the imagination. Verne’s vivid descriptions and meticulous attention to scientific detail—balanced with artistic license—make the reader feel as though they, too, are descending into the Earth’s depths.

One of the strengths of the novel is the dynamic between the characters. Professor Lidenbrock’s relentless curiosity and Axel’s anxiety create tension, humor, and growth. Hans, quiet and dependable, serves as the stabilizing force in their expedition. Their personalities contrast sharply, highlighting both the courage and folly of human ambition.

From a scientific perspective, the novel reflects the 19th-century understanding of geology and paleontology, which today feels outdated yet charming. Verne was known for grounding his fiction in real science, and while some concepts now seem fantastical, his effort to incorporate contemporary knowledge was revolutionary for his time.

Thematically, Journey to the Center of the Earth explores the human desire to uncover the unknown, the spirit of exploration, and the tension between rationality and imagination. It celebrates curiosity but also warns of the hubris that can accompany it.

For modern readers, the book may feel slower in parts, especially during the heavily detailed descriptions and scientific discussions. However, the sense of wonder and the sheer inventiveness of Verne’s world more than compensate.

In conclusion, Journey to the Center of the Earth is not just an adventure story—it’s a testament to the enduring power of curiosity and imagination. While science has since disproven the possibility of such a journey, the novel remains a captivating exploration of what could be possible beyond the boundaries of our everyday world. For anyone who loves adventure, science fiction, or classic literature, Jules Verne’s work is a timeless treasure.