The Baby Boomer Renaissance: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Going Like Sixty

It Was Pretty Good, Thank You, How Was Your Saturday?

Posted: 30 Oct 2010 06:27 PM PDT

This was one of those Saturdays where every plan I made got screwed up and made for a pretty good day.

Everybody slept in – I poked my nose out from under the covers at 7:44.
I rousted the pooches and got their morning routine accomplished, everybody cooperated.
Turned on the heat. It was 57 degrees in the house. Nancy was in D.C. with Jon Stewart / Stephen Colbert to Rally to Restore the Sanity and/or Fear. I didn’t want to turn the heat on without her permission, but it was damned cold. First thing to go wrong. Furnace didn’t fire.
The lawnmowers wouldn’t start so I could mow/mulch the leaves from the neighbor’s tree. (Yes, I have a back-up lawnmower because Nancy said if I bought an electric start she would mow the yard sometimes. Then she had a series of operations that kept her doing it.) Second thing to go wrong.
I hooked up the blow-me leaf handler and blew the leaves from the patio and NASCAR room/cigar bar.
This brought me back to the dogs to do a pee and poop run.
A message on the answering machine at 11:23 said that the 2:00 zipline run with a bunch of volunteer firefighters had been moved up to 11:30. The zipline was 30 minutes away, but what the heck, it’s Saturday and if I caught up with them, fine, if not fine. Potential third screwed up plan.
I went anyway and met them just as they were going into get “geared up.”
After 90 minutes of flying through the tops of the bare trees yelling like an idiot, I was hungry for some good Q.
Big Bubba Bucks Belly Busting Bliss BBQ was just 20 minutes away. Major problem. Closed. Sign said they would be open Saturday 10 am to 8 pm. It was 2:45.
In the back lot next to Bubba’s I could see some blue smoke rising from the trees. No such luck, just a bunch of good old boys watching a big pile of brush burn. They didn’t have a clue why Bubba was closed. But they did get a chuckle when I told them when I saw the blue smoke I was afraid they had a hog burning and had put him out of business.
Lunch was a Diet Coke on the interstate.
Exercised the Magnum Hemi Wagon by running up to 100 mph a couple times. Zipline fever!
Back at the old Rancho Del Leafo, I gave the mower another try and vroom! Mulched the leaves. It had been so long since I last used the mower (because of the drought) that I guess it just needed more priming.
Made myself a healthy snack of two Quaker chocolate coated granola bars and invented a new adult beverage:

Take a 24 oz. plastic souvenir cup
Add 12 ounces of diet Sierra Mist Cranberry soft drink
Add a healthy slosh (maybe 4 ounces +/-) of apple cider
Add a like-wise unhealthy slosh of Demon Rum
I call it the Seirra Misty Apple

Took a break to drink and read the latest AARP magazine and was all pissed off at the cover because of the airbrushing done to Jamie Lee Curtis and Betty White – the people who say that plastic surgery isn’t for them! But they sure do like the old photoshop treatment OK.
Accumulated all the extra long extension cords in Edison’s Cabin to reach get power for the electric hedge trimmers to the bushes near the street.
Done and done. Well, not really, more like done and a half. I left the trimmings in a heap in the driveway. If I am able to move tomorrow, I’ll put them in trash cans.
Made myself a hearty meal of Nutrisystem Chili and another Sierra Misty Apple. Read in Business Week how Google doesn’t pay their fair share of taxes. I am conflicted. As an owner, I want Google to make as much money as possible, but corporate tax avoidance through shell corporations to do the Double Irish and the Dutch Sandwich stinks. (Mostly because I can’t do it.)
Watched a Southwest Airlines jet land at the Smallburg Airport. We don’t have scheduled commercial service to Smallburg. The approach to the main runway lines up with the street behind the house. The muckety-mucks think Smallburg should have scheduled commercial service. They haven’t read that airlines are cutting back on flights. Except for Southwest, which is moving fast and furious to make it easier to jump the Mexican border. That 737 landing actually was quieter than the corporate jets that zip in and out at tree-top level. The flight originated from Dallas Love field, the home of Southwest. Things that make you say hmmmmmmmm. I should have alerted the media.
Watched the sun disappear and fired up the chiminea to burn the sticks that had accumulated from a summer of big winds. Had another Seirra Misty Apple.
The embers died down at 7:44 p.m. and I am inside for the duration of the day.

All in all, not a bad twelve hours for a Saturday.

Baby Boomers U. S. (The Blog)

What Types of Online Education Programs are Baby Boomers Taking?

Posted: 31 Oct 2010 03:56 AM PDT

This is a Guest Post by Brian Jenkins from BrainTrack.com.

What Types of Online Education Programs are Baby Boomers Taking?

According to the education marketing firm AcademixDirect, 46.4% of Baby Boomers are taking online courses in order to obtain new jobs. Yes, perhaps some Baby Boomers are attending brick and mortar schools and taking weird classes such as tree climbing, syrup making, American degenerates and cheerleading in American Culture. These are real courses! However, they may look odd on a Baby Boomer’s resume.

Healthcare is the top choice for Baby Boomers taking online programs. The healthcare field is one of the fastest growing employment sectors in the nation and one of the main reasons is due to the health care needs of aging Baby Boomers! Baby Boomers taking care of Baby Boomers. It makes sense.

The healthcare field offers rewarding jobs that provide good salaries and attractive compensation packages. The most popular healthcare field for Baby Boomers going back to school is nursing. Healthcare administration and billing are tied for second place. Experts forecast a big demand for reregistered nurses through the decade. Salary surveys show that most registered nurses make about $60,000 per year.

Most Baby Boomers probably don’t realize they can qualify for RN status with an associate degree. However those with a bachelor’s degree are qualified for better paying positions. Numerous schools offer online degree programs in nursing. Many of the programs do include some training at a medical facility. By the way, male nurses are increasing. Nursing is a good field for both men and women.

The two-year associate degree in nursing focuses on technical skills. RN programs let students earn money more quickly than a four-year BSN program. Many online schools offer an online associate’s degree that qualifies graduates to take the NCLEX-RN exam and apply for a RN license. Those with an associate degree in nursing are qualified for entry-level nursing positions in hospitals and impatient facilities. An online RN to BSN provides registered nurses who have a nursing diploma or an associate degree a fast track for obtaining their BSN.

Some of the other jobs in the healthcare industry that pay well are sonographer: $57,000; dental hygienist: $56,000; and laboratory technician $46,000.

In addition to online nursing programs, online degrees are available in a variety of healthcare fields such as nutrition, radiologic science, medical assisting, health information technology, gerontology, respiratory therapy, paramedic science, hospital administration, occupational therapy and alternative medicine. You can even take on online massage therapy program. Some online healthcare programs only take 12 to 24 months to complete.

The healthcare field provides rewarding jobs that pay well. Programs can be taken online. Baby Boomers can take a tree climbing class or they can take an online nursing program and make some money helping those students that come to the hospital after they fell out of a tree.

If you would like to Guest Post for Baby Boomers US, check out our Guest Post for Us page.

About the Author: Brian Jenkins is an expert on career and education topics and can be found writing articles as an expert on these and other topics at BrainTrack. com.

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Saturday, October 30, 2010

Going Like Sixty

Unimpressed by TV Halloween Costumes

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 08:15 AM PDT

Once again, television has ruined a perfectly fine holiday.
Halloween costumes used to be original and clever and creative and HOMEMADE.
I am just so unimpressed with all the celebs putting on a costume conceived, created and paid for by some network.
I’ll guran-damn-tee ya, some of the people showing up in costume today didn’t have a clue – and didn’t care what their costume was. Just do it, collect a gigantic paycheck, and head home to instruct their maid to hand out the free candy they were sent by a sponsor.

Holidays should be work. Think about it, the more work, the more reward – at least when it comes to goofing off.
Easter – color the eggs and hiding them. Work.
4th of July – loading up the pipe bombs, running to emergency room. Work.
Labor Day – toting beer all. day. long. Work.
Thanksgiving – finding the platter used once a year. Work.
Christmas – putting out carrots for Rudolph. Eating carrots. Work.

Just not enough work goes into Halloween these days.

Baby Boomers U. S. (The Blog)

This Weeks Good Reads-Week Sixty-one

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:35 AM PDT

Every week I come across an article or two that I find very helpful to me as a Baby Boomer and think may be of some interest to you, the community, as well.

They may be from an online news source, another Blog or Website or something I found surfing around the Internet. They could even be something that was sent in by a reader of the Blog or a member of the Baby Boomer’s Forum.

Enjoy!

Driverless Google car might not fly with baby boomers by Mark Rutledge… A humorous reflection about the new autonomus Google car and a vintage Chevy Caprice for a Baby Boomer guy.

Baby Boomers and their entertainment icons by Paul Braind… This must be national reflections week, this one is a short piece about Mrs. Clever & Mr C. Two fond memories for me.

I hope you found this weeks choice(s) helpful and enjoyable. What did you think? Do you have any suggestions for next week?

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