I am in an extremely good mood despite the fact that there is bad news, perhaps frightening news might surround me. But first the good news.
Faithful readers will now that I am paid handsomely, extremely handsomely, to not work. I earned a very hefty retirement from the County of Marin – did not have kids, went to law school at night while working for the county and had had prenuptial contracts with the husbands that kept their hands off of my retirement checks. So it was with great delight to receive this news from the Marin Independant Journal.
“Despite a 32% investment return in the last fiscal year, Marin County’s public pension fund is playing it safe. The board of the Marin County Employees’ Retirement Association decided to factor in the extraordinary gain over four years rather than immediately when assigning annual employer contributions. The association includes Marin County and eight other public entities. Its net investment return was $829.8 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30. “This year for the plan as a whole the assets exceed the liabilities,” Graham Schmidt, a consulting actuary with Cheiron, told the board during a briefing on Wednesday.Schmidt said the plan now has $143 million more than it will need to pay the pensions owed to the association’s some 7,000 members — if an assumed 6.75% annual average return is achieved. Of course, there is no guarantee that future returns will meet that goal. In 2009, the association’s investments lost more than $146 million.The briefing on Wednesday was to help the association’s board decide whether to factor in the extraordinary investment return immediately when determining how much members contribute each year to meet their pension obligations, or whether to pass along the savings over the next four years.”
So that is great news – the retirement fund had a huge return on its investments in this fiscal year but is being cautious and conservative, not reducing the contributions made by existing employees. I, of course, do not make contributions as I am retired – I just take the money and run. 🤪
Now for the bad news. I brag, relax and am so grateful for my safety. Oops. Received word, actually from the United States that I had been bombed. Well, as usual the press got practically everything wrong BUT Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group attacked the United Arab Emirates in what it said was an operation using missiles and drones, setting off explosions in fuel trucks that killed three people and causing a fire near the airport of Abu Dhabi, capital of the region’s commercial and tourism hub.”The UAE condemns this terrorist attack by the Houthi militia on areas and civilian facilities on Emirati soil…(It) will not go unpunished,” its foreign ministry said. “The UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation.”The UAE, a member of the coalition, has armed and trained local Yemeni forces that recently joined fighting against the Houthis in Yemen’s energy-producing Shabwa and Marib regions.”
Guess where I currently reside? A hotel at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. It happened at ten in the morning and I was here – on the way to the Yas Mall Apple Store – as I recall. What did the press get wrong? The airport attack was at the site of the new under construction airport, I think. The following is my conversation with NEFF who alerted me of the attack.
Me: Oops. I guess I am not so safe here after all. I did not hear anything. I think it must be the new airport which is under construction but not here. I will go up on the roof and check. Roof also has a jacuzzi so it will be a fun trip as well. We will see what happens but I would not want to be Yemen right now. Hahahaha
The response of the UAE has been so wise. “The UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation.” That is a very polite way of saying: “ Do not do it again or your ass will be grass. That saying is so appropriate and making me laugh like a fool.
Of course, it was necessary to Google the expression: First heard it in Navy boot camp. “Your ass is grass, and Battalion is the lawn mower.” Now that is a perfectly appropriate expression
For some reason or another I just thought of this expression. “He was cruising for a bruising” That is an expression that means “Following a course of action likely to result in injury or other trouble for oneself.” Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang (1994) cites a 1947 supplement to Lester Berry & Martin Van den Bark, American Thesaurus of Slang as the earliest instance of the expression that Lighter is aware of: cruisin’ for a bruisin’ {or bruise} inviting a beating; heading for trouble. The origin of that phrase remains a mystery.
Anyway, a particular individual in my life was inviting trouble from me. He kept at it, with a great degree of arrogance. So I cut off contact with that individual, he just laughed when I said
Me: Please block me. I do not know how to block you.
He responded with laughter emojis. But then I found a wonderful young woman who showed me how to block him and I did – not only WhatsApp but also on Instagram. Now he has no way to get in touch with me. Well, he can read the blog but it is impossible to reach me on the blog. My blog master – who I recently figured out a way to pay from here – does not forward any responses to me. I do think it will catch him by surprise. I realize that he was a burden – he was asking the impossible – helping him immigrate to Canada but not following my directions or suggestions. He had a plan of his own that was not at all feasible. That means not practical, workable, achievable, attainable, realizable, viable, realistic, sensible, reasonable, within reason, within the bounds of possibility; useful, suitable, expedient, helpful, constructive; doable. Kept telling him it was not doable but as I am a problem solver I did keep trying to solve the problem It is a relief to have given up on it and him completely. Did not realize the burden until contact was severed.
It is strange. I texted Wise Man recently.
Me: I pray that you and your family are fine. Allah does listen to me, I do know.
He: I think HE both listens to you AND speaks to you.
Me: Again an inspired message from you. You are entirely correct – HE does.
This has been an entirely lazy day for me. It is now 13:00 and I am still in bed. I must get up, go up on the roof, survey the scene and have a jacuzzi. I have not had a lazy day like this in ages. It is usually off to the Apple Store for classes and device purchasing. Today was not meant to be a lazy day but Granddaughter (not my real grand daughter) did not show up at the appointed place at the appointed hour. The day was to be spent with her, perhaps taking the Hop On Hop Off bus. I will go alone another day. So it is up on the roof and then down for a late lunch. One might think I was retired. Hahaha.
Two photographs. My manicured toes and the back of my head. The photo of the back of my new coifed back of head was also posted on Instagram. I does look very good – a new haircut, the best ever. One woman said that it made me look ten years younger.
Me: I love you! Pretty soon I am going to look like a baby. I seem to be anti-aging.
First the Good News and Then The Bad News; MCERA Investing Yields 32% Return; Bad News, I Got Bombed at Abu Dhabi International Airport According to News Reports; It Will Not Go Unpunished Says UAE; Your Ass Will Be Grass Defined; Cruising For A Bruising Defined and Illustrated: Two Less Grandchildren; Wise Man Speaks; Photograph of Head and Toes .
I am in an extremely good mood despite the fact that there is bad news, perhaps frightening news might surround me. But first the good news.
Faithful readers will now that I am paid handsomely, extremely handsomely, to not work. I earned a very hefty retirement from the County of Marin – did not have kids, went to law school at night while working for the county and had had prenuptial contracts with the husbands that kept their hands off of my retirement checks. So it was with great delight to receive this news from the Marin Independant Journal.
“Despite a 32% investment return in the last fiscal year, Marin County’s public pension fund is playing it safe. The board of the Marin County Employees’ Retirement Association decided to factor in the extraordinary gain over four years rather than immediately when assigning annual employer contributions. The association includes Marin County and eight other public entities. Its net investment return was $829.8 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30. “This year for the plan as a whole the assets exceed the liabilities,” Graham Schmidt, a consulting actuary with Cheiron, told the board during a briefing on Wednesday.Schmidt said the plan now has $143 million more than it will need to pay the pensions owed to the association’s some 7,000 members — if an assumed 6.75% annual average return is achieved.Of course, there is no guarantee that future returns will meet that goal. In 2009, the association’s investments lost more than $146 million.The briefing on Wednesday was to help the association’s board decide whether to factor in the extraordinary investment return immediately when determining how much members contribute each year to meet their pension obligations, or whether to pass along the savings over the next four years.”
So that is great news – the retirement fund had a huge return on its investments in this fiscal year but is being cautious and conservative, not reducing the contributions made by existing employees. I, of course, do not make contributions as I am retired – I just take the money and run. 🤪
Now for the bad news. I brag, relax and am so grateful for my safety. Oops. Received word, actually from the United States that I had been bombed. Well, as usual the press got practically everything wrong BUT Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group attacked the United Arab Emirates in what it said was an operation using missiles and drones, setting off explosions in fuel trucks that killed three people and causing a fire near the airport of Abu Dhabi, capital of the region’s commercial and tourism hub.”The UAE condemns this terrorist attack by the Houthi militia on areas and civilian facilities on Emirati soil…(It) will not go unpunished,” its foreign ministry said. “The UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation.”The UAE, a member of the coalition, has armed and trained local Yemeni forces that recently joined fighting against the Houthis in Yemen’s energy-producing Shabwa and Marib regions.”
Guess where I currently reside? A hotel at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. It happened at ten in the morning and I was here – on the way to the Yas Mall Apple Store – as I recall. What did the press get wrong? The airport attack was at the site of the new under construction airport, I think. The following is my conversation with NEFF who alerted me of the attack.
Me: Oops. I guess I am not so safe here after all. I did not hear anything. I think it must be the new airport which is under construction but not here. I will go up on the roof and check. Roof also has a jacuzzi so it will be a fun trip as well. We will see what happens but I would not want to be Yemen right now. Hahahaha
The response of the UAE has been so wise. “The UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation.” That is a very polite way of saying: “ Do not do it again or your ass will be grass. That saying is so appropriate and making me laugh like a fool.
Of course, it was necessary to Google the expression: First heard it in Navy boot camp. “Your ass is grass, and Battalion is the lawn mower.” Now that is a perfectly appropriate expression
For some reason or another I just thought of this expression. “He was cruising for a bruising” That is an expression that means “Following a course of action likely to result in injury or other trouble for oneself.” Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang (1994) cites a 1947 supplement to Lester Berry & Martin Van den Bark, American Thesaurus of Slang as the earliest instance of the expression that Lighter is aware of: cruisin’ for a bruisin’ {or bruise} inviting a beating; heading for trouble. The origin of that phrase remains a mystery.
Anyway, a particular individual in my life was inviting trouble from me. He kept at it, with a great degree of arrogance. So I cut off contact with that individual, he just laughed when I said
Me: Please block me. I do not know how to block you.
He responded with laughter emojis. But then I found a wonderful young woman who showed me how to block him and I did – not only WhatsApp but also on Instagram. Now he has no way to get in touch with me. Well, he can read the blog but it is impossible to reach me on the blog. My blog master – who I recently figured out a way to pay from here – does not forward any responses to me. I do think it will catch him by surprise. I realize that he was a burden – he was asking the impossible – helping him immigrate to Canada but not following my directions or suggestions. He had a plan of his own that was not at all feasible. That means not practical, workable, achievable, attainable, realizable, viable, realistic, sensible, reasonable, within reason, within the bounds of possibility; useful, suitable, expedient, helpful, constructive; doable. Kept telling him it was not doable but as I am a problem solver I did keep trying to solve the problem It is a relief to have given up on it and him completely. Did not realize the burden until contact was severed.
It is strange. I texted Wise Man recently.
Me: I pray that you and your family are fine. Allah does listen to me, I do know.
He: I think HE both listens to you AND speaks to you.
Me: Again an inspired message from you. You are entirely correct – HE does.
This has been an entirely lazy day for me. It is now 13:00 and I am still in bed. I must get up, go up on the roof, survey the scene and have a jacuzzi. I have not had a lazy day like this in ages. It is usually off to the Apple Store for classes and device purchasing. Today was not meant to be a lazy day but Granddaughter (not my real grand daughter) did not show up at the appointed place at the appointed hour. The day was to be spent with her, perhaps taking the Hop On Hop Off bus. I will go alone another day. So it is up on the roof and then down for a late lunch. One might think I was retired. Hahaha.
Two photographs. My manicured toes and the back of my head. The photo of the back of my new coifed back of head was also posted on Instagram. I does look very good – a new haircut, the best ever. One woman said that it made me look ten years younger.
Me: I love you! Pretty soon I am going to look like a baby. I seem to be anti-aging.
