For one reason or another, I picked up a new hobby of sorts - collecting (inexpensive) vintage postcards. Today I am wandering the streets of Paris, around 1900 or so.

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I guess, continuing in Paris .... I watched a lovely little movie (2011) called "Midnight in Paris". It struck a note with me because my favorite time and place would be Paris in the 1920's - with Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Dali, Picasso etc etc - and that is exactly what this movie is about - a modern day guy who slips back there to party every midnight.

It's not my world anymore

More and more often, I find myself realizing that it's not my world anymore. (Was it ever ? I thought so at one time.)

My gen (the boomers) are no longer the target audience for new movies, TV or music. And all the new "arts" feel pretentious and immature and poor replacements for what has gone before.

The mad mood swings and viscious differences across the political divide in every "civilized" country is certainly not where I thought we'd be at this point. (Reading history shows that this has been forever true - the changes in societies have been going on for 10,000 years.)

So ... it's not my world anymore. I leave it to GenXYZ and the new millenials to take it where they desire to.

Not my problem anymore. (Really -was it ever?)

Why do I bring this up? Well this week I had a stimulated political discussion with a guy way on the other side of politics from me. Things were getting kind of anxious at one point, and I simply admitted "To be honest, I really don't care that much. It's not my world anymore. You guys can do whatever you want with it." And he says .... "To be honest, I don't care that much either."

Had a drama play out here last night. Not sure yet how it ends.

Deb remarked that it sounded like the postman couldn't start his truck. After 15 minutes he was still sitting out there and I went to investigate. He's slumped in the seat, wedged against the door and he looks like frozen wax.

Things got pretty dramatic at that point . Deb called 911 while I yelled over her shoulder that we need an ambulance "right ####ing now". They got here in 3-4 minutes !!

Took 4 guys to get the door open and get him out and into the ambulance. Gotta say they worked very fast , and we retreated to the house. The cop came up said they were working on him, and that they took him to the hospital ("so that's a good sign"). Based on what he looked like, I think it could go either way for him.

Postscript: It's 2 days later now and some OSHA guys stopped by the house. Sadly our mailman died. Nice guy, 60 years old.

My Ebay account has been busy busy. Sold 6 lenses in 30 days, fattening up my Paypal balance (so I can buy more stuff I don't need). Had people asking me to ship to South Africa, Brazil, Korea (South) and Isreal. When I told them the shipping charges, I never heard from them again. But actually I told the guy I wouldn't ship anything to Brazil because of their terrible Ebay / Paypal reputation (the customs police down there are the worst criminals).

Update this morning: make that "sold 7 lenses in 31 days". I put it up for $65, he offered $50, I declined. He paid me $60+shipping and the deal is done. Ships out today.

Trying hard not to get hooked on my new vintage postcard habit. "Trying" is the key word there.

Anyway, I am doing well this month.

Well, I'm back from 2 days at St.Vincents, where they non-stopped pumped in fluids and antibiotics to get rid of (most likely) a UT infection. Asked me the same questions 50 times over and over. I can't blame them - they're trying to figure out what caused the symptoms and there are so many possibilities.

Sent me home with pages of instructions and follow-ups with various doctors, and I promised I'll be good and do what they said to do.