The "Old Block" Tells All.

  In retrospect, I should have stayed in the military service for 20 years, gone to college for 2 years, then worked for the Post Office for 20 years! I would have retired at the tender age of 61! If life served me the same with this new path, I would have been retired for 4 years before my health declined and ended in a coma from a DVT/PE! (Basically, a life-threatening blood clot that stopped my heart, and ended my breathing rights.) For a few minutes, the Earth had more air to breathe and one less senior citizen in the US census! But, to my joy, the woman I married, Dr. Lin, and my Heavenly Father had other plans! While I was an unwilling and uninvited visitor of another dimension, several dozen people visited my hospital bedside, claiming to be family. The medical staff was baffled as to why my lineage includes African, Asian, Hispanic, and European bloodlines! Work, school, neighborhood, and other sources comprised my “family” and poured in from all avenues! (Somebody love...

  "Some dating site brides are young, beautiful, and dangerously alluring sirens who artfully seize their male victims by the heart strings and the wallet, and drain them dry." Though loneliness is not a crime, many well-intentioned single men are punished daily by attractive single women who prey upon their sympathies and desires for companionship. While dating girls online, single men must become equipped with the tools and knowledge to defend themselves against the beautiful predators who lurk on most free dating sites. Meet The Quintessential Dating Site Bride Though she is likely known by a hundred other names, Raven Riley is an adult video icon who is also a victim of the proliferation of online dating scams. Raven’s image has been utilized to commit numerous frauds in various email, instant messenger, and dating site scams, involving hundreds of unsuspecting men in Europe and the USA. Russian or Ghanaian scam artists utilize Raven's striking image, along with a ...

  Children are Special... Especially when it comes to Life Insurance. Children are expected to be on the planet for a long time (0-100+ years, according to the new Mortality Tables), so their life insurance rates are less expensive than an adult or even a teen! Once a child passes the age of 14, they fall into a different pricing category. It's logical. When was the last time you had one of your teenagers plop on your lap and tell you they love you? Life becomes more dangerous for teens after the milestone year. They are no longer considered cute and cuddly by the insurance industry, and subsequently cost a few pennies more to insure than your toddler. (But teens still get a better rate than you or I.) But to make a short story long, I give you a sample illustration of the power of youth: "The Merry Child Story" This is Merry Child. She is only 2 years old. Her parents want her to have a great life when they are no longer around to take care of her. (The Childs plan to mo...

  It is a matter of belief, I am afraid that I have had many encounters with “afterlife entities” and afterlife experiences, but no concrete, empirical proof to exhibit in a court of law. “Hearsay” thrown out of court! “Dreams” tossed out on their proverbial ears! “Fears” dismissed soldier! “Hair standing up on the back of my neck from a mysterious cold spot” oh please, who do you think you are fooling, man! “The voice of my very own Uncle saying, ‘Everything’s going to be alright!’ (At his own funeral no less), Poppy Cock!” “Go peddle your horse urine somewhere else, old man!” “I DON’T BELIEVE IT!” So, is religion the answer? Okay, which one? Do you believe in resurrection, reincarnation, or reparation? (We never got our 40 acres and a mule, did you? Oops! “Wrong type of reparation, sorry, my bad!”) Religion in modern times, is employed more as a weapon than a helpful tool! Proper religion should prepare it’s constituents for the possibility of afterlife conditions. Some clerg...

ARRIVAL: When the Chip walked into our Las Vegas apartment, (after a long solo drive from San Diego, CA), he was immediately greeted by ancient African hugs, gentle geriatric kisses, and a  6-foot-long banner that read: "Happy Birthday to the Greatest Son in the Universe", (I paraphrase because I am old)! Hanging said birthday banner was a feat that defied gravity, logic, advanced age, and the 4-foot 11-inch frame of CMB, the Birthday Boy's other mother! DIN DIN: The beef chuck roast had been velveted and marinated for hours, and had acquired the ability to melt in one's mouth! CMB wanted her Baby Boy to eat and enjoy his "well-guarded" plate of homemade victuals without having to chew his food. He was merely required to inhale the essence of what would normally be a chewy chunk of chuck! (Search velveting on your favorite browser.) ACTIVITIES: The meal proved to be the "knock-out punch" that put the Chip on the canvas and left the Old Block and hi...

  Looking back 50 years to my youth, I smile, then laugh at myself for thinking I was something special. Surely, I survived SEER training, combat weapon training, and firefighting school at the Marine Corps base. And yes I even passed the basic swimming course at the UDT SEAL base. I earned a Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate in less than four years. I was a 23-year-old Vietnam veteran when I came home for the last time to claim my promised management position at the New China Club Restaurant. When I met the owner, Mr. Fong, in front of the restaurant, he casually dismissed me with an off-hand wave. I had even gone to school with his daughter, but my reunion and promotion vanished with a wave of his mighty hand! So cool! I stood there eating his dust instead of a combination plate! ("How quickly they forget their promises.) Later, when I moved to San Diego, where my illustrious military training began, I started teaching local, disadvantaged youth the discipline and rigorous martial a...

  The Old Block has decided to experiment with an AI Assistant today, to delve into a guilty pleasure that engages him as a reader, writer, and gamer. If you are old enough to read this blog, you are mature enough to enjoy adult visual novels, (also known as VN’s). The Old Block may also provide downloadable copies of suggested suggestive novels based on your response to today’s blog. (Please indicate whether you would prefer a male or female protagonist, to enjoy the proper point-of-view!) Play them alone, or share the love with your partner for a more intimate experience! Adult visual novels come in many categories and subcategories that offer a unique and immersive storytelling experience that caters to adult audiences. Here are just a scant few of the joys of adult visual novels: SAFE AND PRIVATE EXPLORATION Exploration of mature themes: Adult visual novels often explore complex and mature themes such as love, relationships, sexuality, and personal growth. These themes ...

  He always had good intentions. He wanted to be a good man, father, and husband more than anything in the world. However, the world would not let him be. In college, the girls came on to him like flies on stink! They were so sweet, “Me gustas, hombre,” some sweet-talking Latina would say. “Gusto kita, lalaki”, he would hear from a foreign exchange student. The unsolicited daily female attention he received, went straight to his big and little heads, twisting his self-made reality from the good guy path he pursued to the passively active playboy path. Parked cars and empty office buildings became his shameless playgrounds, where he spent many hours accepting the wanton favors of loveless ladies who easily turned his head with up-skirt glances, stolen touches, and secret smooches that attested to his furtive, manly magnetism. After a time, he did not care how or why he was given this surreptitious man-power over luscious ladies, he merely embraced his gift and shared the “love” ...

The abnormal combination of retirement, black-out curtains, tinted window shades, and advanced age gave birth to the W.T.I.I. Syndrome! You know you are afflicted with this dread disease when you wake up at all times of day or night, and ask out loud, “What time is it?” For me, it started about four years ago when my wife, (CMB), and I moved into our pseudo-affordable, senior get-away apartment, on the shady side of Las Vegas. We moved from Sunny San Diego so we could afford to buy a loaf of bread, and still pay our rent! Vegas living, (although considered our last resort for retirement living), has been economically consistent, and very good to us. However, the summertime “sun-sations” blast a laser-intensive hole in your cool zones and your cooling bill! Thus the shaded window screens and black-out curtains! Our apartment is so dark that the photo-sensitive nightlights never go off! (Not even in the middle of the day!), “Just the way we like it!” Technology solves a myriad of s...

 No, it is not Angela Davis! And no, she is not a famous eclectic singer. Her claim to fame is not what she did but what was done to her. We shall address her as "Lady" for anonymity and privacy. My Sister-In-Law, Lady was not the most beautiful girl in her family, (but you could not have told her that), nor was she the most intelligent of all the sisters born in her rather large, southern family. Lady grew up in a peculiar time and place where old-school ideology met new-school liberalism. (The scars on her back reflected the anger and misguided love of those entrusted with her care and upbringing!) Had she been born on the West Coast, under a more structured and caring parental regime, Lady might have been a scholar or a famous activist for her people and their cause, but life had other plans for Lady! Abuse to her was synonymous with love and eventually became the only language she understood. It shaped and guided her choice of men, and permeated her corrupted sense of soc...

This ragtag bunch of misfits provided 24-hour safety, security, medical assistance, and tech support for the senior residents of one of San Diego's most prestigious retirement facilities. (The Penthouse Suite is leased for a mere $10,000 per month!) This 24-acre former lemon grove featured 24/7 emergency medical care, a medical wellness center, several recreational and entertainment venues, a barber shop/beauty salon, an in-house thrift store, a formal dining facility, (with an in-house chef), a secure computer room, as well as many other healthy amenities. (They even had a venue built in Puerto Rico for the more adventurous elders!) The star of the show, (in my humble opinion), was first and foremost the “elite” security personnel who responded to every emergency call, regardless of its nature. Security Officers provided the muscle when a fallen resident needed to be safely lifted or supported until paramedics arrived. Security Officers safeguarded the entire 24-acre site via ...

The first article I had ever written in the 80's, sold to an international martial arts magazine. The article was written on an old manual typewriter that poked holes in the paper as I "hen-pecked" my way from start to finish. The article was inspired by two of my BFAMs, one of whom is now a legendary Capoeira Master, and the other who is now a poetic, master pastry chef! I was a super prolific writer in those days, after having majored in Commercial Art and minored in Journalism, ("Thank you, Mr. Adams and Ms. Dixon"). I wrote everything from product descriptions to novelty button slogans. I honed my writing skills by working in a one-man resume-writing office where my commercial art skills allowed me to produce creative resumes for performers, dancers, and other artistic clients. The marriage of writing and art served me well and later included music and songwriting, in my own recording studio, (FHBR Productions). I continued to write articles in local newspap...

  Isn’t it a shame that being evil is far easier than being good? Think about it a second. In this country alone, there are over 700 billionaires living as residents in more than 40 states! Yet we have famine, homelessness, and sick children and most of this stems from poverty! (Granted, mental illness and drug use also play a major part in these maladies, but money also fuels a great deal of these issues!) Someone, sitting somewhere at the head of an empire of greed benefits from the plight of the poor, infirmed, and addicted. It always amazed me how so many late-night “infomercials” about cats and dogs supersede the plight of human beings who suffer more. God created creatures to roam the wilds and survive out of doors. The animals that are suffering are doing so because of their entitled human owners. If laws were passed to prosecute and imprison these evil, abusive pet owners instantly upon each and every infraction, more attention could be placed upon humans in the wild, who...

  Did I remember to tell you, “I love you” today? Did I plant 1000 kisses on your lips, cheeks, forehead, neck and shoulders today? Have I been the husband you deserve, all day? Have I kept you in my heart, thoughts and spirit when you briefly left my side? Do I buy you, (or let you buy), the things that make your heart sing the melody that only my heart can hear? Have I been faithful enough for you to brag about me to your family and friends? Do I perform the duties that a good and faithful husband should and must to keep your head from turning side to side, “looking”? Have I made my indelible spousal mark on you so well that other men can see it, sense it, (without looking at your ring finger)? When I do say, “I love you”, do you believe in your heart and soul that my words are true and unequivocally heartfelt? Do you hold me one step below God as I do you? Do you include me in your prayers in hopes of keeping your good and faithful husband by your side for all time? Do I mak...

  My guess is that we are all addicted to air, water, and food, but beyond that, what has an uncontrollable grip on you, and will not let go? Do you know it by name? Is it a noun or a verb, (a person, place, thing, or perhaps an activity)? Is it making you strong or making you weak? Is it extending your life or shortening your existence? These are just a few of the questions you must ask yourself before you indulge in that next sip, snort, dip, or whiff of your chosen poison. Some medical professionals say, “Anything in moderation”! However, there are numerous cases where the indulgence with a chosen poison was a first and last time choice. Meaning it became a fatal choice that defied moderation. Like the young girl who was glued to her cell phone and stepped off the curb in front of a semi-truck before her younger brother could grab her or warn her to stop! Or the young man who had one fateful snort of cocaine that permanently stopped his heart! I am sure you could dig up many...