Feeling the NFL burn

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/feb/06/joe-montana-nfl-injury-problems

Joe Montana enjoyed one of the most storied careers in NFL history. But the former 49ers quarterback has detailed extensive physical problems caused by 15 years in the league, including knee pain, neck pain, eye trouble – and arthritis that “hurts like crazy” in the middle of the night…

Montana, who won four Super Bowls with the 49ers, has spent much of his post-playing career in the doctor’s office. Recently, Montana said, he had elbow surgery and now he’s got problems in his neck. To date, he’s had three neck fusions, and his knee is so badly damaged he can’t straighten it…

Hey, Joe, do you get to take opioids for your pain?

Study: renters pay more for car insurance

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/study-renters-pay-more-for-car-insurance-020916.html

Since the housing market crash, fewer people have been able to buy homes, meaning more people have to rent. Rents have quickly escalated to the point that last summer, Zillow declared a “rent affordability crisis.”

It’s bad enough that rent keeps going through the roof, but a new study claims renters face another hit in the pocketbook – they pay more for car insurance than people who own their homes…

Hey, Hillary, can you fix this?

“we have to bring them to heel”

http://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clinton-does-not-deserve-black-peoples-votes/

Bill Clinton presided over the largest increase in federal and state prison inmates of any president in American history. Clinton did not declare the War on Crime or the War on Drugs—those wars were declared before Reagan was elected and long before crack hit the streets—but he escalated it beyond what many conservatives had imagined possible. He supported the 100-to-1 sentencing disparity for crack versus powder cocaine, which produced staggering racial injustice in sentencing and boosted funding for drug-law enforcement.

Clinton championed the idea of a federal “three strikes” law in his 1994 State of the Union address and, months later, signed a $30 billion crime bill that created dozens of new federal capital crimes, mandated life sentences for some three-time offenders, and authorized more than $16 billion for state prison grants and the expansion of police forces. The legislation was hailed by mainstream-media outlets as a victory for the Democrats, who “were able to wrest the crime issue from the Republicans and make it their own.” …

Some might argue that it’s unfair to judge Hillary Clinton for the policies her husband championed years ago…  In her support for the 1994 crime bill, for example, she used racially coded rhetoric to cast black children as animals. “They are not just gangs of kids anymore,” she said. “They are often the kinds of kids that are called ‘super-predators.’ No conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel.” …

The 1990s were a different time, and one must put words that were said in the past in the right context. However, speaking as if human beings were just like dogs reminds me very much of Mitt Romney. And it’s an attitude that doesn’t change over time.

Just like black people and Barack Obama, perhaps women are going to be very disappointed in the future if they choose to vote for Mrs. Clinton.

And now, back to real life… 🙂

The fear of poverty

I know apartment complexes need to enforce the rules, but whenever I see a car being booted, I feel really bad for the owner. This photo is from last year:

My car registration was due in December, but I couldn’t afford to pay for it until January. I was nervous about it, thinking my car would be booted at any moment. I don’t know how a tenant can rectify this problem with a freaking boot on the car.

Ever since I received the eviction notice (which is actually a notice to vacate, but it may as well be an eviction notice), I’ve been on edge. Waiting for a knock on my door, with the police on the other side, forcing me out of my apartment. I’m very thankful for my friend, Payne Hertz (Sean), who explained that I can’t be thrown out of my apartment until March 31st.

And then this morning, I hear a large vehicle outside, which is getting ready to tow a blue car (that looks just like mine):

I’m not what you would call presentable at this moment in time, but that didn’t stop me from hopping to the front door, slipping on some shoes, and high-tailing it outside. Not that I could have stopped this guy if he was actually towing my car.

I don’t know what I would do without my car. As I’ve said before, if or when I become homeless, it will be the only home I have.

Still, I was surprised at my acute reaction. In fact, I’m still shaking. I’m feeling that kind of fear that people who suffer from anxiety must feel all the time. That kind of fear that can make your head throb and your pain worse. I suppose it’s a fear of poverty, although in my case, there’s a little more to it.

Since I’m not a doctor, I can’t diagnose myself with PTSD. But I think my anxiety comes from my past as a pain patient. For those who are interested, that part of my story is here:

https://painkills2.wordpress.com/2015/04/12/as-a-chronic-pain-patient-how-many-times-have-i-been-abandoned/

Since I’m so shaken up, I decided to do some packing today. Downsizing means deciding what’s worth keeping and how much I have to let go. Remember all those cute (but useless) nicknacks you bought at Pier 1? They were the first to go. (I don’t know what I ever saw in nicknacks — sure, they’re cute, but all they do is collect dust.)

Remember those clothes you thought you would fit into someday? Yeah, those have got to go now, too. I’ve been hanging onto my medical records for 30 years, so no doubt there’s plenty to get rid of there also.

It’s hard to worry about taking care of myself when I’m faced with eviction. I’ve already tried chocolate therapy today, but it’s not working. The only good news is that bud is currently helping me cope, along with all of my blogging friends, of course. Can I say “thank you” too much? 🙂