This post revolves around a phone call with my brother Jerry a year before he died.  It mostly concerns his health issues. 

At the time Jerry was 81.  He talked some about the love of his life, Joanne Pattavina.  He mentioned Joanne's mother was getting ready for Hospice care (she has since died).  

He also added that both Joanne's parents were alcoholics.

As for Jerry's health at the time.  He has vascular dementia.  Basically his vascular system is clogged up and it's affecting his brain function.  Think ED of the brain.  Caused by diet, as so many American illnesses are these days.  He also had "nitro" pills he carried around in case of angina.  And a "I've fallen and I can't get up" device he carries around his neck.

He's had two stents installed, said if he needed any more stents, he wanted the Abbott ones that dissolved.  He didn't live that long.

He talked a bit about his son Brian, who has mitochondria disease, which he inherited from his mother Carolina.  A painful illness that Brian has been dealing with for many years now.

Jerry died on February 27, 2018 from pneumonia, a blessing really as his dementia was slowing getting worse, and it would have been sad to see him go down that rabbit hole. 

It was very nice to see him one last time in the Fall of 2016 on our RV trip to the north east.

 Baseball Parks I have toured or seen games at:

Sort of order of year and teams:

1)    Cubs vs. Giants est. 1962  Wrigley Field

2)    Cubs vs. White Sox 1963  Comisky Park

3)    Pirates vs. Braves  1960  Milwaukee County Stadium

4)    Cubs vs. Mets, 1964 Shea Stadium

5)    Candlestick park  1970's

6)    Oakland Alameda Stadium 1970's

7)    Anaheim ball park  1970's

8)    Old Yankee Stadium  1984

9)    Astrodome  1990's

10)  Fulton County Stadium, Braves, 1991

11)  Dodger Stadium  1991 

12)  Mile High Stadium Rockies 1993

13)  Coors Field  1995

14)  Fenway Park  1990's

15)  Bush Stadium (old)  2000's

16)  Safeco park  Mariners 2000's

17)  Kaufman Stadium 2006

18)  Camden Yards, Orioles 2007

19)  Phillies park 2007

20)  Pittsburg park 2000's 

21) AT&T park Giants 2000's

22) Miller Park Brewers 2000's

23) Toronto 2010's 

24) Miami 2010's

25) Minnesota 2010's

26) Petco Padres 2010's

27) Yankee Stadium (new) 2010's

28) Citi Field Mets 2010's

29) Sun Trust (now Truist) Braves 2010's  

30) Walked around unfinished New stadium in Arlington Texas

Parks left to visit

Arlington now that it's finished

Great America, Reds

Minute Maid, Astro's 

Tampa Bay Dome, Devil Rays

Bush stadium, Cardinals

Nationals Park, the Nats.

Did I miss any?    

Capitalism or Socialism?

 Having not seen it (Apocalypse Now) in forever, not sure if I'd like the Communist message that critics said it had.   I'm a Ann Rand believer in capitalism.  Trips to St. Petersberg and Cuba just hardened my view that the "pure" socialist or communist ideology just makes the ruling class very rich and everybody

else poor as dormice.  Capitalism just allows (or should allow) anyone who wants to, to work, save

and get as far as they can, many try, many fail, and many who have failed a lot, went on to provide

amazing things for the rest of us.  But I hate crony capitalism, that's unfair too and isn't capitalism 

at all, providing special favors to politically connected or lobbyists who get special favors for their 

company.  Look at all the car companies that failed in our country in the 1st half of this century.

And look at how good cars are now, mostly because each car company is in a "war" to make the 

best for the buck car they can.  Thousands of choices.  Cheap small cars, and crazy expensive 

luxury modes, something for everyone.  Under socialism, you get the Trabant (east german piece of shit car).

In a world that Bernie Sanders would have us live: "You don't necessarily need a choice of 23 underarm spray deodorants or of 18 different pairs of sneakers when children are hungry in this country."

So in that world, one deodorant, one brand of sneakers, one Trabant car for everyone.

we'd all be poor...but equal!  But Bernie would still have 3 houses....just not you.