Living With Back Pain

 I've had lower back pain for as long as I can remember. My official diagnosis is Degenerative Disc Disease, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and 3 or 4 compressed discs. Quite a few big words that all mean the same thing... my back hurts all the time. It's not just the back, pain shoots down the legs and the muscles grab and twist to make it even worse.  

Over time, you learn to 'live' with the pain because there's not much that actually provides relief. One of the worst parts is that since there is nothing outward that shows you're in pain, many people don't respect your situation.

In order to go anywhere i have to mentally map out my trip; even to the grocery store. Parking is important. How far do I have to walk to get to the building and be able to use a cart to take some of the pressure off my back? How heavy are the items I need to pick up and how heavy will the bags be when I check out?

Any situation is the same. How far do i have to walk? How long do I have to stand? Is there someplace supportive to sit? If those questions can't be answered ahead of time, it makes it impossible to go at all. I can't tell you the number of weddings, holidays and family parties I have missed because I can't be sure. 

I absolutely hate drawing attention to myself or the amount of pain I'm in or asking for help or needing special treatment. I try to do what I can but it's really hard to make it day to day. Some weather patterns even make the pain level go up. 

I had worked since I was a teen. I've had good jobs with benefits. Jobs that I enjoyed and had money to pay bills and to have money leftover to do something fun. As my back got worse I started losing them. First was a factory laborer which I could understand the pain was getting too great to continue. When I got bad enough that I couldn't even sit in an office chair for extended periods, I lost that job too. Shorter hours really don't help. The necessary steps to get to and from work are the same. 

I tried working from home. Hard to find a legitimate source of income there. I did apply for disability more than once and was turned down until the last time I was told I didn't have enough 'credits' to apply again. Part of the problem with getting approved for disability is that they want you to be under a doctor's continuing care. Well, once you lose your job and have no insurance, that's kind of hard to do. 

Back pain takes you down physically but it also takes you down mentally and emotionally. I envy people who can just get up and do anything, go anywhere without thinking about it. Having to baby my back along daily to function creates such stress. Constantly worried that it will lock up completely if I walk too far, sit too long or on the wrong surface, lift too much, bend too deeply, stand up too quickly, 

It doesn't help to constantly be in the awkward position of having to refuse invitations to go to anywhere. There is a quality of life that you lose. The ability to work is gone; including around the house or yard can't be done any longer. Feelings of worthlessness start to become a regular part of the day. Frustration leads to anger over a helpless, hopeless situation. 

I'm not sure if anyone reads these or if anyone who does will understand what this kind of pain does to your life. 

KFC Commercial Lesson

Ok, this isn't as much of a vent as it is an observation about KFC commercials. First let me start by saying I am old enough to remember the commercials in the 70's with THE Colonel Sanders. I think that's where KFC started the new series of commercials in the wrong way. 

I believe the first one even said Colonel Sanders back from the dead. Well, that was not received well. Understandable considering that many who grew up watching the original Colonel had a certain loyalty and respect for the man who started the company. Death is also a tricky subject to use in any area; much less when trying to get people to buy food. 

It really didn't help that Norm MacDonald was so on point with the role, he literally could have been a double for the man. I was sorry to see him let go for being too good in the role but it was spooky. 

Then a couple of people who were...honestly, just odd in the role. Now we have Rob Lowe. The commercial I've seen is better than the previous versions because there's a certain level of comedy now. Not an overt laugh but over the top delivery that isn't claiming to be a resurrected Colonel. 

I really think that KFC should have let the Colonel rest in peace. Maybe introduce a son or grandson who is promising the same flavor we love with a keeping with the times $5 fill up. Referencing the Colonel and maybe even showing clips of original commercials would have kept the nostalgia they seem to be going for without the creepiness.

Most companies have hits and misses when it comes to advertising. Not every commercial is going to connect with every person. It seems like KFC might have learned a valuable lesson concerning their customer's feelings about their original spokesman. 

Freedom Unless Someone Disagrees

I read recently that a company agreed to stop selling a t-shirt for a very popular television show because they were getting complaints that the saying on the shirt was racist. 
The show-The Walking Dead
The saying Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

If you don't watch the show, that phrase was used by a big, bad character when choosing who is was going to kill. 

I'm sure everyone has heard this or said it. It's used by children when choosing something or someone.  The shirt is reported to be racist because the phrase is a children's rhyme that goes something like this:

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe. Catch a tiger by it's toe. If he hollars, let him go. My mother told me to pick the very best one and you are (not) it. I think the wording may vary some by region.

Apparently all the controversy is that in the past the word tiger was exchanged for a derogatory racial term. Truthfully you can substitute anything with toes for tiger, preferably two syllables. 

Pretty long example but it proves my point well. It's not even something blatant on the shirt. It's also absolutely ridiculous. Also ridiculous that a small group can dictate what a store sells or who wears what shirt.

Should lactose intolerant people protest the sales of dairy products and threaten a ban against any store that sells dairy products? 

'We' have become a society of overly sensitive cry babies who want to make decisions for others; over stupid things like t-shirts. If you don't like it, then don't buy it. I really think people don't realize just how good we have it in the US. We have more freedom to make choices about how we live our lives than most countries. 

Just think about the countries who have censored internet access, are limited in the number children they can have, have bans on religious freedoms, etc.. Some people in the US really abuse the freedoms we have and try to use them to control others. 

It's really sad to think that someone who has the freedom to make choices on where they work, how they spend their money and free time has decided to use that freedom to try and force others to their thinking and take away those same freedoms from people who disagree with them.

I wonder if a group should be created, maybe call it LiveAndLetLive, who is dedicated to protecting the freedoms the other groups are dedicated to taking. One problem I can see right away is that the people who would join that group, just live their lives and don't bother anyone or plan to. Another problem would be the risk of that group turning into what they are fighting against. 

It's a shame that companies only listen to the loudest voices and don't consider the entire population in their decision making. 

Cleaning Up My Friends List

As I start this post, I cannot come up with a title that makes sense. A title that would tell someone who might glance at it, what the post is about. Let's hope I think of one before I'm done. 

This is a little, insignificant rant. So...what's with all the people on Facebook who want you to 'share' what they post to their wall on your wall? I don't mean recipes or some such. I'm referring to that annoying little threat of deletion post. 

It starts something like, 'I'm cleaning up my friends list blah blah... Then there is a call to action... Like post or comment on how we met. Then post on your time line and I will Like and comment. I know most of you won't do this, my real friends will, etc.

Taking this paragraph as they have posted it. What I read is quite different than the intent I think. 

First, does anyone on Facebook really clean up their friends list? Some might, I never have. Frankly, I have friends on the list I have met through gaming or another internet activity and while we don't 'know' each other, there's no reason to delete them. Many share funny posts or recipes that I enjoy seeing on my timeline. 

I know it's a big deal to get a lot of Likes on a post but I'm not sure why. My issue is when they ask for a comment on how we met. Either they can't remember who the people are on their list or are checking to see if people remember them. Yes, it's tempting to put something bizarre on their like 'we were both on the same alien spaceship'. Generally, I don't respond. 

Other than the fact the post qualifies as spam or some bizarre chain letter post; I find the fact that I am to copy an paste to my timeline annoying. Copy and paste will read like I wrote it. Well, I'm not cleaning up my friends list or deleting people so, why would I copy it to my timeline?

To let you in on a little secret, I've never done more than read those posts and, as far as I know, I've not been deleted from someone's friends list. 

Determining the reason for the post in the first place is tricky. If asked, most will say 'oh it was just for fun'.  Strange idea of fun, to threaten to delete friends. I really think that people get bored or need some type of attention. Maybe they fear that the person who sent it to them really will delete them. 

My point, if I need to have one is, knock it off. It's pointless and kind of annoying. I, for one, will not do it. And sadly, I still have no good title for this post. Maybe that's a clue that this is not worth posting but I'm going to do it anyway. 

Mainstream Media

While this is a pretty broad topic there are some things that I think we need to look at in mainstream media. So many things that I think people have forgotten or never knew. 

First of all, all news outlets are in the business of making money. Most of that money comes from advertising. In order to have companies willing to pay big bucks to these media outlets, they need to know how many people they will reach.

Mainstream media has to spin whatever news is out there to try to sway viewers/readers to choose them over someone else. In some cases, that involves a restatement o facts or giving a story more airtime than what's needed. They use fear mongering and shock value to grab your attention then continue to look for angles that will keep you from changing the channel or putting the paper down.  

News outlets should be reporting the news without opinion. That's their job. They should not resemble shopping channels trying to get you to buy their point of view.  But, sadly, that happens every day. 

For example, instead of just reporting all shootings equally, they look for an angle to keep you watching/reading. If all lives matter, then why focus on the race or national origin of the shooter? Can't two people have an argument that ends in tragedy without it having something to do with race, religion or heritage? According to maintstream media, no. 

Even if there has been no motive for the crime reported, they will throw in a comment like, 'There is no word if race was a motive at this time.'  Then why say it? Because they know some people out there will grab that statement and run with it. They have just created an atmosphere of hate and suspicion. Soon, that will spread through social media and begin to trend. More and more people will tune in or log in to read the story. 

Have they done this to fairly and accurately report a news story? No, they have done this to create news and grab a larger share of advertising revenue and make money. 

If you notice, any story that can't be used to create fear and panic, is quickly gone. There is no value to them in analyzing to death a shooting or other crime involving people of similar backgrounds. What this selective reporting does to the general public is create a fear and distrust of someone who is different. 

Until the general public realizes they are being manipulated by this, they will continue to do it. There's nothing to stop them. What saddens me is the number of people who accept their version of the 'news' as fact. Their actions and reactions create more news in marches, riots and demonstrations. 

Let's put news outlets back in the business if reporting news, not creating it. 

Introduction

I've tried blogging before and have always failed. Part of the problem I think is that I try to be too politically correct and not offend people. As I prepare for the half century mark, I seem to care less about that and want to add my voice to the masses.

This blog won't be able any particular topic and will be added to sporadically. I'd like to say that I will add daily or weekly but I know me well enough to know that all I have are good intentions and no follow through. 

Whether anyone reads it, who's to say but I think by getting out in writing things that I think or comment on topics I feel strongly about I will feel better about whatever the subject.

Writing for me is what this is about. I need to get my creativity and voice back from the stale rut of of vanilla articles.