Bellbottom Blog

USPS

I may have written about the USPS before but I feel the need to make another run at it.

As you may know, the Postal Service is proposing to do away with Saturday delivery for regular mail.  Packages will still be delivered.  The change is supposed to take place in August.

First, a little family history.  My Dad started working for the Post Office (as it was called then) Thanksgiving week 1956.  I was 5 months old.  From then to now, the USPS has been a major influence in my life.

He worked there for 29 years.  I was employed by them for 27 years  before taking an early retirement.  My wife works there.  Even my son works for them to earn enough money to put himself through college.

Over the first 14 years of Dad’s career, he had to work extra jobs because the pay was so low. He worked part-time at convenience stores.  During December, he would work for Sears putting together toys.  We didn’t see a lot of him back then.

Mom worked part-time as well, just for us to get by.

Then, in 1970, Moe Biller led a strike in New York which was followed by strikes in other major cities.  After a short time, there was legislation that allowed for unions, collective bargaining and all the rest.

Finally, Dad could just work one job.  We weren’t rolling in money.  It took a long time to dig out from all the debt they had incurred trying to raise a family.

Dad was a mail carrier.  Most of his time there he had a walking route.  It is hard to properly explain the toll that takes on a person.  When the weather is good, it can be tolerable.  But in the rain, snow and all the rest of the credo, it is drudgery. Carriers feel it in their backs, shoulders, knees and especially their fingers.  If you look at the hands of a retired carrier, you will see all kinds of twisted fingers and swollen knuckles.

If you work inside a plant where the mail is sorted through high speed machinery, you avoid the weather but not the sore feet, hands, back and the added inhaling of paper dust.  The air is full of it and it settles in your throat and lungs.  The ventilation that used to handle that problem was shut off after the anthrax attacks in 2001.

I know there are tougher jobs. I am just giving perspective for people who aren’t aware of the toll working for the USPS can take.

Now, back to the lack of Saturday delivery.  I think it is being suggested to try to move Congress into changing some things.  Notably, the pension requirement.

Let’s be clear.  If UPS or FedEx or someone else wanted to do the everyday deliveries the Postal Service does, they would have tried it by now.  Fact is, they can’t.  A large percentage of the packages they move wind up being delivered by the USPS.  It is called the “Last Mile” mail.  They pay the postal rate because it is cheaper for them to do that than deliver the packages themselves.

The USPS also hires small trucking  businesses to move their mail over long and short hauls.  Since they don’t have their own fleet of planes, they have to purchase space on commercial carriers.  There is a whole lot to moving the volume of mail the USPS does every day.

As far as benefits go, people have said the benefit package is too rich and they (postal workers) should get less.

I find it odd that people who had fits over anyone suggesting that the rich pay more in taxes are in favor of taking away bargained for benefits.  I would like for workers in other industries to fight to get better pay and benefits.  Workers should be striving for more and better not settling for less and less.  If that means joining a union, then by all means, join one.  The pendulum has swung so far over in favor of the CEO’s, it is time for it to come back.

A strong middle-class drives the economy with their purchasing power. Not everyone can own their own business, so you need workers who are fairly compensated.

I don’t know how this situation is going to resolve itself.  It will probably be some sort of cobbled together mess that leaves no one happy.  That seems to be the way things get done these days.

Peace

I Am In A Video

I mentioned that it was a plan this year to try to make a little more effort to publicize this blog.  As an attempt to do so, I sent my last post about guns to ThePoliticalCarnival.net .

They are a very good site if you look at things from the perspective that we do here at the Bellbottom Blog.

Almost immediately after sending the post, they contacted me and asked if I would make a 30 second video for a series they have called BLUNT.  They compile the contributions and create a video.

You and I know we don’t do technology here, so I was a little reticent to try anything for them. But as they explained how simple it was, I found myself running out of excuses.

(Point your phone at your face, talk for 30 sec. send it to us.)

Of course, it isn’t all that simple.  I haven’t attempted anything like that since Communications class during my senior year of high school.  39 years ago. We studied newspapers, radio, and television.  No internet back then.

I remembered enough to scribble a script out on paper torn from the shopping list, went over it a few times, and started to make the video.  And the 30 second part is hard as well.  Thanks to Twitter, I have learned to be concise.

It took three attempts.  When you film yourself with a phone it is not easy to make sure you are centered in the frame.

Finally, it was done.  I sent it in on Friday and waited for the finished product to be completed.

Monday afternoon, it was.

I was a nervous wreck as I started the video.  It is a shade over 10 minutes long.  If I did this right you can view it below this post.

I am extremely proud to be a part of this.  The editing is outstanding. And the visual that was placed over the last few words that I contributed took my breath away.

I think it is an important message whether or not I was in the video.

My thanks go to @GottaLaff who is one of the two women who run ThePoliticalCarnival.net. and is the person who talked me into contributing.  I can’t thank her enough for the opportunity.

You should check out their site.  Bookmark it.  Go to it often.

And as we always say here

Peace

Making More Of An Effort

In the last post, I talked about promoting this space a little more aggressively.

To do that though, it means I have to write another post, even though I just wrote one Friday.

There is a wonderful author named Rachel Thompson who has written three books, two of which I have read and the third I eagerly anticipate reading.  She goes by RachelInTheOC on Twitter.

She has started a hashtag called #MondayBlogs .  If I tweet about today’s effort using that hashtag……well, I don’t know what happens.  I guess we will find out together.

On to today’s post….

sj who goes by popqueenie on Twitter is stuck in #MovingHell (her hashtag, not mine) and it reminded me of some painful moving memories of my own.

To start with when I was single, there must have been a sign on my forehead which said, “He isn’t married. He must have free time.”

I helped a lot of people move in my twenties.

My most hated piece of furniture became the sleeper sofa.  You know, the sofa that folds out into a bed.  Two pieces of furniture in one.  They weigh a metric ton.  You need more than two people to move one and the best part is the move almost always involves a staircase. Preferably one with a turn in it.  The person who owns it is always confident it will fit through the space they desire it to go through.  Logic eludes this person when you point out that after carefully taken measurements it will NEVER go through.  NEVER.

So, you have to take it up the stairs, wedge it into the turn, showing the person that you were right and while you wait for the forthcoming apology, you hear instead, ” Oh, ok.  Just bring it back to the living room”.

When a few guys , lured in by promises of pizza and beer, are doing the moving, it is the most “guy” thing ever.  Sizing up the available space in the truck. Arguing over just how to fill said truck.  Finding just the right sized piece to fill an empty space.  Sort of a reverse Jenga.  The loading is so important because you want the unloading to go fast because …I did mention the pizza and beer, right?  Only a rookie would ever let the amateur moving crew touch a beer before everything is safely placed at the new residence.

Sometimes, as when I helped my parents move several years ago, it is necessary to ask at least one of the owners to go ahead to the new address (Sorry, Mom. You were holding up the show.)

I have a fond memory of helping a friend move during a snowstorm.  He was moving from an upstairs apartment to the converted garage on the same property.  It was a pain until we got to the refrigerator.  The fridge was an old Norge. You have seen them.  They have a rounded off top and sides. When we finally wrestled it downstairs and got it to the front yard.  We had it on its side, looked at each other, smiled and shoved the thing across the yard like two bobsled racers, yelling and laughing.

I strongly advocate the use of gloves when you are a mover.  The second you think it will be alright to take one off, blood will be spilled. And the bandages will have already been packed.

I am proud that in the dozen or so moves I took part in, nothing was broken.

Now by contrast, we have had two different moving companies move our stuff.  Each time things were broken.

It’s funny how when you are going through the process of moving, you forget about the reasons why you are moving.  The reality of it is so overwhelming.  But eventually everything gets to the new place.  Then you have the dilemma of what to do with all the empty boxes and all the packing material.  And THEN….you are home.  The bad memories and scars fade.  As with most things, the funny stories survive.

Well, it is time to go babysit my grandson.

Thanks for reading.

And as always,

Peace.

One Year Anniversary Of The Bellbottom Blog

That’s right.  One year.  Actually, Jan. 6 was the anniversary date but in keeping with the laid back, bellbottom approach, we are celebrating today.

A year ago I had just gotten to 100 followers on Twitter and decided to finally make an attempt at writing a blog.

Ken and Lisa helped with a name.

We were off and running.

According to WordPress, we have had about 1900 views in the last year. Not bad considering I don’t promote this blog very much. Maybe 3 mentions on Twitter each time I write something.

I have been pleasantly surprised to have gone a whole year without any negative comments.  Not ONE.  Even when I wrote about politics.

In the last year, I have written 76 posts.  I took off the last part of the year while my wife was home recovering from shoulder surgery with the exception of a few posts.  It was a nice opportunity to spend time together. (Except for the whole surgery and therapy part)

I wrote about family, Scooter Store, childhood memories, music, and , yes, bellbottoms.

I tried to have a regular Friday Potpourri post which met with mixed success.

I wrote a serialized story about my wife and I and our first year of being together.  Of all the stuff I have written, that is the one I am happiest about.

So….what does the future bring, you ask? I think there will be more regular posts this year.  I do have to decide how to promote this space a little better.  I treasure everyone of you who have commented or helped spread the word on Twitter. I really do.

I think it is time for me to make a little more effort.  Maybe add pics or videos or links. That is a BIG maybe.  Technology is not my friend.

In any event, I hope it is interesting enough to earn your continued support.

Thanks for the last year and as we go forward,

Peace.

Holiday Potpourri

Ho Ho Ho!

This is my version of a Christmas letter to those of you who follow us here at the Bellbottom Blog.

First of all, I hope you are all doing well this season.

It has been a little hectic around here.  Hopefully things will calm down a bit.

After being sidetracked with politics followed by my Dad’s health setbacks, I wasn’t sure if I could write the kind of stuff I like to.  I was afraid it would seem too light, frivolous.

Actually, I haven’t really had a problem being snarky on Twitter.  The quick jab is still there.  It is just trying to write something longer that has been a challenge.

For example, I wrote this on Dec. 19 in response to a question about what was going on:  Eagles picked up gun nuts and dropped them over the fiscal cliff. #TwitterHeadlineNews .

Maybe it is just the folks I follow, but it seems two or three stories take hold and that is the conversation for the day.

Now, on Dec. 12 there was a concert for the victims of the hurricane.  It was a great concert. And watching it on Twitter was a blast.

The Rolling Stones. The Who. Paul McCartney. Billy Joel.  Fantastic.

There were a lot of age jokes. Not by me. All of the people I named rocked hard that night. Might have been peer pressure.

I did get into a little Twitspat (if that isn’t a word it should be) over the merits of Pink Floyd.  I have never understood the appeal.  NEVER. NEVER. NEVER.  And I was around for their heyday.  Dark Side Of The Moon is a steaming pile of overblown, pretentious crap.  Don’t even ask me about The Wall.

That was Dec. 12.  Dec. 14 was a different matter.  The school shooting happened and after a short time, the usual arguments flared up with a little more heat than usual.

You know, too many guns vs. not enough guns.  The state of mental health care. Parenting shortfalls.

I am not going over this ground again here.

Too much has been said and not much will change.

I did say in response to the thought that if a teacher had a gun things would have been different:  Most of these gun people would soil themselves in a showdown with an armed assailant. Reality is way different than the movies. (Dec. 15)

As I am writing this, the end of the world is supposed to be happening.  That would be helpful since I am not quite sure how to end this post.  But it is 23 minutes after midnight, so someone will have to come up with a new date for the end of the world.

Ah, I just remembered something I wanted to mention.  One of the loyal followers of this blog is moving from California to Texas. During Christmas week, no less. I can’t say who because I didn’t get permission to mention it from that person first.

When I first heard it, it seemed logical.  I mean the Mayans have let us down but we all know California is going to fall into the ocean some day, so why not move?

Texas has a lot of problems.  Falling into the Gulf of Mexico is not one of them.

The follower seemed a little anxious as anyone would be when faced with moving to a new place.

On the plus side, Texas is the home of some great country music artists.  Willie, Waylon and the boys.  Jerry Jeff Walker.  Austin City Limits on PBS.

Some incredibly beautiful scenery.

Tons of friendly people.

BBQ.

This follower is moving for the best of reasons. To be with the one she loves.  It is a Hallmark movie and we here at the Blog wish her well.

To all of you who have followed us, Merry Christmas!

And as always,

Peace.