1/9/25

 Thursday, January 9, 2025

D+65

2007 Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPhone

In bed by 9:30, awake at 1:35, unable to sleep, thoughts of FF&SJ, John Finerty, a mistake in making the beef stock, up at 2:05.  At 6:45, the temperature is 12°, wind chill 8°.   

Prednisone, day 240, 5 + 2.5 mg., day 2/55.  Prednisone 5 mg.at 5:45 and other meds at 10:40.  I see the opthalmologist today at the VA and need to ask about my reading.  

A year ago today: Lilly is having trouble with a lack of strength and control in her hind legs.  Very worrisome.

The Carter funeral.  I watched a bit of Biden's eulogy for Jimmy Carter.  The words are good but there is something about the guy that is off-putting to me, his mannerisms, the automatic and perfunctory signs of the cross, his lack of speaking skill, something.  A headline today told us that Biden still believes he would have beaten Trump in the election if he had not withdrawn.  Unbelievable.

Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, etc.  I am feeling deep sympathy for the thousands of people who have lost their homes in the wildfires.  I'm also thinking about the loss of not only the physical structures but of the loss of the contents.  Many, perhaps most of the victims of the fires have had to evacuate without being able to take anything with them.  Even if they could have salvaged something, what would they take?  What would Geri and I take if we had only a short time to take things from our house before its destruction by fire?

VA Eye Clinic.  Glaucoma OK.  Wet macular degeneration is OK.  The eyeglass prescription is OK.  Dry eyes - preservative-free artificial tears.  Warm eye mask.  Some other gizmo which will be sent to me.

Europe Against the Jews.  I'm into the third chapter on Audible.  Devastating.  This reinforces my long-held opinion that Europe is 'the Dark Continent," not Africa.  This is a stunning description by a non-Jewish German historian of the savagery in many, indeed most, European countries, against Jews.  He concentrates his narrative, though, on Russia, Romania, France, and Greece.  I assume that most, if not all, adult Jews are familiar with this history and that almost no non-Jews are.   While working in the kitchen, I listened to the author's description of the 'ethnic cleansing' of Germans by the French of Alsace-Lorraine after World War I.  Their methods were emulated by the Nazis after they captured lands in WWII.

Cabbage Borscht.  I finished the borscht this evening.  I have to add the sugar and lemon juice and maybe some dill tomorrow.