"The poet's eye in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth; from earth to heaven." (Midsummer Night's Dream)

I am now proud to say that since Aug. 8, I have published 134 blogs. If you haven't read any yet, you better get started. Better yet, buy my book; it has 370 pages. I'll be bringing a copy of the Memoirs and a few copies of Shadows in the Sunset to the program I am giving Friday, Jan. 11 for the Library Club. For those who plan to attend and need a reminder, it will be in the Terrace Room at 10:30...not 10:00. And for those who are not privy to the HLI Newsletter, the title of my program is "The Power & Passion of Poetry & a Pot Pourri of Me." And the blurb goes: "Through reading and discussion of excerpts from some of the classic works of poetry as well as a selection of poems from his newly published books, ADDENDA and SHADOWS in the SUNSET, Dr. Norman Ross will attempt to show how to 'reinvent' yourself through the magic, the mystery, and the dynamics of great poetry--and to convince you that poetry is a part of your life."

By a "pot pourri of me" I simply mean that I will read a couple of my own poems to whet the audience's appetite. Bring money as I will be passing the hat around afterwards as did the bards of old. Processed canned food would also be acceptable. Of course, I don't mind giving my time for a good cause, but Friday I will have to wake at 8am in order to get to the program on time....or before. Since I find myself sleeping usually until 11:30 or noon, this will be a philanthropic deed of sacrificial proportions.

It may (or may not) be of interest to you, but my daughter, Bonny and my grandson, Sean will be coming here from California for a few days toward the end of the month. Bonny has celebrated the 20th Anniversary of her shop, "Dogs, etc.". And Sean is taking a hiatus from his painting. I'm looking forward to seeing them and having some fun.

"There' s place and means for every man alive." (All's Well...)

Let's just discuss the New Hampshire primary results. At this time, the count is not in, but it appears that Obama is leading Clinton. My personal choice on the basis of her experience would be Hillary. She is a very sharp lady, and it would be historic to have a female president. I'm not a misogynist. Her sex or religious orientation mean nothing to me in the voting booth. On the other hand, although Obama does not have the experience, he is a very bright guy with a huge charisma that appeals to people across all lines. I feel the same about a black president as I do about a woman. Color matters not to me. I was the only teacher in my school to go to the "March on Washington" and listened to Martin Luther King. The issue that matters most to me is the war in Iraq. There must be a way to extirpate ourselves from that huge morass. I cannot bear the thought of the misery and grief that families of those who die in this war are suffering. I've been there and done that. This is not to say that if a Democrat is elected, that the troops will come home the next day. It's a truly complicated and tragic situation. Whomever the Democratic Party nominates I will vote for. Change is in the air.

Today I went to the VA to see my psychiatrist at 1pm and my psychologist at 2pm. And I'm not ashamed to say it or to write about it. Even though some might think I am a dangerous cereal killer. (Protect your Corn Flakes). Actually, I'm just a poet and a tail gunner who's depressed. Anyway, I've been going to the VA "shrinks" for many years. I see these doctors about every 2 or 3 months because they are there for me to "vent". And I vented the loss of my mobility--which is a huge loss. Suffice it to say that I now cannot walk very far without severe pain. My primary care doc at the VA put in for a scooter for me and I have an appointment at the VA "wheelchair clinic" at the end of this month for them to determine if I am eligible for a scooter. I'm going to hate getting into one of those things ("hate" is not strong enough)--but as the medics told me, I have to move on. So, move on I will. (But don't wake me up before noon).

"Our doctors say this is no month to bleed." (RII)

I had many good wishes for a "Happy New Year", but I'm wondering when those wishes are going to be manifest? So far, it's been--well, not disastrous--but shall I say "distasteful"? First, I had to bring my '99 Malibu in for A/C repair. The A/C was only blowing warm air. Ironically, when I asked them to fix it so the air would be cold, it happened to be about 49 degrees outside with the wind chill. To make matters worse, the bill came to $163. When I picked up my car driving Rho's over to Firestone, I left her '95 Cavalier there for an oil change--but it also needed to have the "intermittent" wiper switch repaired, and also someone or something had ripped the mirror off outside the passenger window and it had to be replaced...ergo $348. Then on Thursday and Friday the Dow plunged into the Atlantic Ocean somewhere and cost my IRA over 3 figures. So what's so "Happy"? I guess the answer to that is I have been waking up every morning--but not before noon.

To carry on with my whining, I brought Rhoda to her eye doctor on Friday for a checkup on her post cataract removal procedure. Her appointment was for 1:40pm, but we didn't get out of there until 3:30 or so. Her doctor's excuse was that his nurse didn't tell him that a patient was waiting. Yeah? Tell it to the Marines. These doctors down in the "Sunshine" state are in the habit of scheduling two or three patients at the same appointment time--but they don't tell you that. I happen to be very fortunate in that I have most of my MDs at the VA and I never, ever have to wait more than 15-20 minutes past my time. Why? Because every appointment is for either 40 minutes or one hour. So my advice to future retirees--if they don't want to sulk in waiting rooms--is to join the Army for a few hours and then after your discharge for mental illness sign up for the VFW or American Legion and then at the VA Medical Center in W. Palm Beach. And there's no need to thank me for this advice. I offer it of my own free and philanthropic will.

"Trust not the physician; his antidotes are poison and he slays more than you rob." (Timon of Athens)

Mr. Col. Mike Pickering's comment on Jan. 2's blog is the longest recorded blog in the history of free and democratic blogobamas. Added to his interminable mountain of monotonous verbiage was a plethora of sentences that ran on and on like a tsunami of slow flowing lava. And apparently, apostrophes are--besides friendly and sociable games of cards--anathema to this pyramid of a man. He has all the virtues I dislike, and none of the vices I admire. So what's to be done? Next New Year's Eve-- perhaps the next time we dine with this virulent card-hating smushy Jewish tomato plant--after an afternoon of feeding slot machines and then ourselves, we shall retire to his place and sit around munching each other's words instead of engaging in the thrilling challenge of "Pay Me" which requires some thought as to know when to hold 'em or when to fold 'em;know when to walk away, know when to run--and whether or not you can get away with saying, "I paid you the nickel already! Look on the floor or between your legs."

You can read this watermelon's comment by clicking on the word "comment" at the bottom of yesterday's dessert-ation.

Today, as yesterday, was a very cold and blustery day, and hopefully the market didn't drop 220 points again... I haven't checked it. One happy thought was the fact that gold went up to $856 an ounce! I should have bought a hundred ounces 15 year's ago when I paid about $250 an ounce instead of only 10 ounces. Darn! Go know. Anyway, we dropped my car off at the car doctor because the cold air thing was only blowing hot air on hot days; then we were off to Boca and Rho's eye doctor for a check-up. Her appointment was for 1:40pm but it wasn't until after 3pm that we got out of there. Since she hadn't had any lunch and I only had half an apple turnover for breakfast we stopped in at Lox Around the Clock. She had a bowl of soup and half a corned beef sandwich, and I had coffee and shrimp salad on a bagel. Since it was about 4pm when our food arrived, we had no clue as to when we would be having dinner. It's 8pm now and still no dinner. I'm going to have something to say about doctors down here tomorrow who schedule multiple patients at the same hour. TTYL

"They say this town is full of cozenage...as nimble jugglers deceive the eye."

I'm finding out that there are devils out there who are bent on separating me from my money--and perhaps you are also being targeted. I know that the ubiquitous casinos cropping up all over America--Biloxi, Las Vegas, Connecticut, New Jersey, Florida and who knows where else--are satanically designed to inhale your money. And most casinos have slot machines that provide musical sounds to soothe you as your $20 bills are being sucked into these diabolical and addictive contraptions. And then there are the so-called "2-for-1" dinners. But when the check arrives, you find that you are not saving any money because the #1 dinner price has been doubled since the last time you ate a 2 for 2 dinner there. And I've seen people leave these bistros with smirks on their faces, thinking they have completed a coup--not realizing that they have been scammed and that the restaurateur has accomplished a "fait a compli."

Then there's the damn addictive games they try to sell you on the internet--and I succumbed to two of them--scrabble and Jewel Quest. In the Scrabble game, if you even play against yourself you lose. Then if you play against the computer, you wind up with angst and depression. Winning at Jewel Quest is like hurling a ball against a wall; no matter what you do it comes right back at you and you find that you've wasted an hour trying to beat it. And I won't even attempt to convince you about the prices of tickets to a show in Vegas or the Kravitz Center in W. Palm Beach. Only Shaquile O'Neal and Alex Rodriquez can afford it--and even they may have to sit in the balcony. So, just read a book or do the Times x-word puzzle. That'll keep you busy for free.

"To be up after midnight and to go to bed then, is early." (12th Night)

Can you believe it? Here it is, 2008. What's in store for us this year? Where will destiny lead us? For one thing, I do hope that we can end the war in Iraq and wherever else we are at war. Why bring misery to the families of our soldiers? Perhaps a change in our Presidency will be for the better. We could use a Washington or a Lincoln or an FDR or a JFK or a Clinton--be it male or female. Perhaps Bill will find himself in his old bed, and feed in his old kitchen. You never know. Destiny will tell us--it's in the stars.

Yesterday we went to the Isle Casino in Pompano. It's a really beautiful venue and a lot of fun--but not so much when you lose. We arranged to get there before 3pm. because they were giving away lots of money to the winners of a drawing. We got coupons in the mail to drop into a box every hour. None of the six of us heard our names called. At 5pm we all went into the Buffet and had some good food. They even had loads of shrimp and snow crab legs. If not that there were other dishes--like steak and pasta, salads, and soup. Our friends were Lou Strumlauf, President of the Computer Club and his beautiful wife, Annette; and Col. Mike Pickering and his Queen of Transylvania, Helen--but not of Troy. We left after the 7pm drawing and came back to our place where we had lots of snacks--fruit, danish, soda, candy, etc. We played an interesting card game until midnight when we drank champagne and watched the ball come down in Times Square. Then we all went out to the catwalk and watched fireworks that we could see coming from the beaches in Delray and Boynton. We finally got to bed early--about 2am-- and today I slept until one.

New Year's Day is usually a day of rest. Watch football. Have some chocolate pretzels. Pay bills, and just loll around. It's January and as I checked my calendar, there are doctors' appointments--of course; then Bonny and Sean will be here at the end of the month. On the 11th I'm giving a program on poetry in the Terrace Room sponsored by the Library Club. So, the first month of the year looks OK, and as always there may be a few surprises--perhaps emails like I got from one of my former high school students in response to my New Year wishes for her:

Wow... that's a hard New Year's wish to follow... Here's sending all of those good things back to you and Rhoda! I will raise my glass tomorrow night in honor of, and appreciation for, my good friend and lifelong inspiration, Doc Ross, who also happens to be an American hero -- and who has always been a hero in my eyes. (Debbie French)

"For last year's words belong to last year's languageAnd next year's words await another voice.And to make an end is to make a beginning." - T.S. Eliot

"How sour sweet music is When time is broke and no proportion kept! So is it in the music of men's lives." (Richard II)

Tomorrow is the last day of 2007. What kind of year has it been for me? I suppose that one of the best things that happened was the performance of "My Fair Lady" produced by Rhoda and directed by me. As a result of that production we discovered a new lady soprano diva, Madame Marilyn Silverstein who played Eliza to her cockney perfection, and the rotund but remarkable award winning performance of Sir Mike Herbstman as Col. Pickering. Producing this musical was one of the most difficult, but nevertheless rewarding events of 2007. When Rhoda and I agreed to undertake this show, we knew it was going to be a challenge--that's why we did it. But if it were not for her work, expertise, and organising abilities, it would never have gotten off the ground.

The second best occurrence of 2007 was the publication of two books that took me 13 months to write--my memoirs and a book of poetry--each in an edition in color and black and white. Everyone should at least try to write a book because the feeling one has when the book is finally printed and in your hands is indescribable. The question that first comes to mind when this happens is, "How did I do this?" But now that is behind me and I have to find new challenges besides the depression, a war, college, 10 musicals, a career, two marriages, two marathons, two books, 110 blogs, and Mike--just to name a few.

The third event that stands out in 2007 was the 10 day December cruise that we took to the Caribbean. Even though we did not come back winners of slot money, we did have a very good time, especially every night at dinner with some delightful friends. We did find that this ship, the Emerald Princess was much too big for us. The problem with my legs has gotten worse and I had a very bad time walking from one venue on the ship to another. This disability will have to be dealt with in some way in 2008. And it will be.

Next year Rhoda will be celebrating her 70th Birthday on Feb. 2nd, and we will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary. How the years do fly by. In July, therefore, we have scheduled a cruise in Scandinavia. By then we hope to find a solution to my physical problems. This 25th will be my second one and the two women who made the mistake of marrying me were each to me a blessing. It's like Socrates said in "The Symposium"--love is finding the other half that was once a part of you before the Gods divided each sex in half and scattered them over the earth for punishment of their sins. In my case, I suppose, each wife made up 1/4 of that which was once a part of me, and I'm fortunate to have found the other 1/4 in RH+

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL...I DON'T THINK I'LL BLOG IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.