Category Archives: Vent

Seriously???

Posted on September 6, 2025 by daeja's view

I’m delicious. I can attest to that, as these freakin’ mosquitos confirm it. Doesn’t matter what foods I eat or avoid, if I am sweating or cool and dry, whether I am freshly out of the shower and scrubbed squeaky … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Autumn, Coping, Gardening, nature, Rant, Seasons, senior musings, summer, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Vent, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Wildlife | Tagged commercial repellent fail, electronic fly swatter, flying army from hell, huge mosquito bites, immune response, moquito wrist bands, mosquito army, mosquito bites, mosquitos, tennis racquet insect swatter, type O, waiting for mosquito death, waiting for winter, weeding with mosquitos | 3 Comments

Fighting Windmills

Posted on February 4, 2025 by daeja's view

Early on I had a gut feeling where this would be heading and how it would most likely end up, but decided to hold out in the (futile?) hope that there might be some righteousness in all of it. Once … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Aging, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Deafness, disability, disability accommodations, grief, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Rant, Regrets, senior musings, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged Anthony Bourdain, bad closed captioning, business, CC out of sync, closed caption, closed captioning, CNN, CNN accessibility discrimination, CNN documentary series, CNN out of sync, CNN Sucks, corporate disrespect, deaf discrimination, discrimination, FCC Disability Rights Office, hard of hearing, hearing discrimination, hearing loss, Jake Tepper, left out, Linda Ronstadt, Martha Stewart, news, Stanley Tucci, The New York Times, Tom Hanks | Leave a comment

Summing Up Twenty-Four

Posted on December 29, 2024 by daeja's view

Scrolling back over the past posts of 2024 puts it right in my face that there was plenty about nature, food, weather, and just mindless, ambling summations. That, and a couple of Rants here and there. At the beginning of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Coping, Earworm of the day, Flashback, Food, Gardening, Holidays, House plants, nature, Perspective, Photography, Rant, Regrets, Seasons, senior musings, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, treasures, Uncategorized, Vent, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Wildlife, Winter | Tagged 2024 in retrospect, celestial phenomenon, clouds, colors, Cooking, earworms, impressions, little dog, mind-spinning, oddball thoughts, ROYGBIV, serenity, snow, Stuff, the Zone, Weather, whimsical observations | 1 Comment

Disease

Posted on November 10, 2024 by daeja's view

Disease: “Any harmful deviation from the normal structural or functional state of an organism. A diseased organism commonly exhibits signs or symptoms indicative of its abnormal state.” Dis-ease: “A particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Autumn, Cooking, Coping, Dogs, Food, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Vent, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Weird | Tagged be the light, comfort food, cooking as diversion, dis-ease, disease, distractions, eastern wildfires, eating your stress, family divisions, flowers in november, hateful people, hope and sorrow, my papillon, November, political divisions in families, recipes for sanity, rosy dawn, smoke in the sky, solace in nature, sorrow, thank God for dogs, the election, troll, uneasiness, we need rain, wildfires | Leave a comment

Assumptions

Posted on October 12, 2024 by daeja's view

I was driving around looking for a good space in a rather large parking lot that serves a number of chain stores. The plan was to meet and accompany a friend who had a few errands to run in those … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Perspective, Rant, senior musings, Shopping, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged aggressive-looking vehicles, assumptions, big black trucks, don't ding my car, not always as it seems, not what you imagined, old guy, parking space hog, perspective, taking up all the spaces, what an asshole!, who taught you how to park? | Leave a comment

Respect

Posted on May 8, 2024 by daeja's view

I’ve been bouncing between doing a little bit of yard work and planting myself in a chair on The Urban Porch during this spate of gorgeous days. The poppy patch, located in a corner of the front yard by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Daeja's Garden, Dogs, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Photography, Rant, Seasons, Spring, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Vent, Views From he Urban Porch ™ | Tagged disrespectful people, flower thief, garden police, neighborhood garden, picking flowers, picking up after dog, poppies, poppy patch, poppy police, signs, stealing flowers, yard signs | Leave a comment

A Simple Kindness

Posted on February 26, 2024 by daeja's view

Many years ago while on a flight from Istanbul to New York, I settled in to watch an inflight movie, when all of a sudden the headset I had brought stopped working. While the airline had packaged headsets provided for … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Aging, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Deafness, disability, disability accommodations, Flashback, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Rant, Travel, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged accommodations, airline headsets, airlines, broken headset, disability, disability accommodations, disability awareness, flying while deaf, hard of hearing, headsets, Hearing Impaired, invisible disability, the cheap seats | Leave a comment

Okay Boomer

Posted on December 23, 2023 by daeja's view

To celebrate the Winter Solstice and welcome the soon to be increasing light, I picked up a small bag of chocolate treats. I’m sitting here staring at the screen while eating one dark chocolate amaretto-filled cordial after another. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Earworm of the day, Flashback, Holidays, Perspective, Rant, Regrets, Seasons, senior musings, Uncategorized, Vent, Winter | Tagged boomer contributions, boomers love their children too, effects of amaretto cordials, get over yourselves, it wasn't supposed to turn out this way, not all boomers are bad, the next generation, we had high hopes, we tried our best, what will you do for the next generation?, winter solstice thoughts | 2 Comments

My Big Apologies for the WordPress Difficulties

Posted on December 6, 2023 by daeja's view

In response to those who have contacted me about the difficulty they are experiencing when trying to respond with a comment on any of these posts, and to those subscribers who have let me know they haven’t gotten the expected … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Coping, Rant, Regrets, senior musings, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged can't comment on WordPress, don't want to leave this site, should I leave WordPress?, sticking with my blog, subscribers not getting notification on WordPress, WordPress difficulties, WordPress sucks | 4 Comments

You Can’t Get There From Here

Posted on October 26, 2023 by daeja's view

Has anybody else experienced the dead-end adventure of trying to navigate through an AI generated automated maze, where you cannot contact a real human being, and felt OK with that? The tipping point came when I was required to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Rant, senior musings, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged AI answering systems, automated answering systems, breakdown of the human experience, can't make an appointment, caring physicians, depersonalization of medical practice, giant medical mergers, impersonal medical mergers, lack of connection, screaming at phone menu, social degradation | Leave a comment

In Five Days

Posted on August 22, 2023 by daeja's view

It’s almost astonishing that my credit card has not warped and melted from all the use it has gotten over the past week. The “tap” feature on it suddenly stopped working during the last number of transactions, which may or … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Deafness, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Rant, senior musings, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged almost deaf, expensive hearing aids, expensive medication, healthcare failure, hearing aids, hearing discriminiation, hearing impairment, inadequate health insurance, insurance company rip offs, lacking health care coveerage, making ends meet, medicare won't cover, Oticon, reverse slope hearing loss, RSHL, senior expenses, surprise bills, uncovered expenses, unexpected expenses | 1 Comment

Tankini Hellscape

Posted on May 16, 2023 by daeja's view

Admittedly being a lousy swimmer, it stands to reason that I’m not much of a fan when it comes to being in the water, or even on the water. I would say I’m more of the type who likes to … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Deafness, Fashion, Hearing Impaired, Rant, senior musings, Shopping, Spring, summer, Uncategorized, Vent, Weight | Tagged bathing suits, buying a bathing suit, chat option for hearing impaired, hearing loss, mature bathing suits, senior beachwear, swimsuit hell, women over fifty, women over seventy, women over sixty | Leave a comment

Uncivilized

Posted on May 9, 2023 by daeja's view

Because it has been so weather-glorious, I’ve waffled back and forth about whether to do the happy thing and share a bit more about blue skies, nature discoveries and snippets from The Urban Porch ™ ……or instead launch into a … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, Perspective, Rant, senior musings, Spring, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Vent, Weird | Tagged angry americans, back in my day, born into an uncivilized world, collapse of society, disrespectful people, lack of courtesy, rude people, something's gotta change, what is wrong with people? | Leave a comment

Unspooling

Posted on April 18, 2023 by daeja's view

I can’t believe I’m back again posting so soon, but it seems the season is suddenly unspooling so quickly that I can’t keep up with it and feel the urge to share my somewhat nerdy excitement about the flora/fauna explosion. … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Daeja's Garden, Gardening, nature, Perspective, Spring, The Urban Porch, Uncategorized, Vent, Weather | Tagged dealing with irritation, neighborhood, rapid onset of spring, spring blooms, The Urban Porch, transcending frustration, turning to nature | Leave a comment

Suspended Animation

Posted on February 26, 2023 by daeja's view

The happenings surrounding the Urban Porch over the last week have been laced with a series of incidents that have been both mildly and somewhat greatly dramatic. A few days ago I was out with the dog for his final … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Coping, Dogs, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged bad tenants, drunk neighbors, evicting terrible tenants, good dogs bad owners, horrible neighbors, neighborhood dirtbags, urban porch, when gentrification is a good thing | Leave a comment

Linden

Posted on May 23, 2020 by daeja's view

This is a rather longish post concerning the frustration of municipal red tape and the loss of a friend, of sorts. It is one of those “shaking my head” type posts. It is also about quality of life, trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, grief, Perspective, Rant, Regrets, Spring, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged arbor, city ordinances, Linden tree, losing a tree | 4 Comments

Bullies

Posted on June 19, 2019 by daeja's view

A few months back, in the wee hours of a Sunday morning following a tribute event for a departed loved one, someone crept up onto our porch and stole one of our wicker chairs while we slept. In the scheme … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged bullies, bully, creeps, drunks, grow up, intruder, Neighbors, sad excuse for a Marine, surveillance, theft, thief | 5 Comments

Ashes

Posted on April 10, 2019 by daeja's view

Left holding the bag again Or box, as it so happens A container of dust That is not really him * Okay it’s true the person is gone Their spirit and essence Does not reside in this unworthy cube of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Coping, Friends, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged choices, death, loss, Memories, remains | 1 Comment

Rage

Posted on September 19, 2018 by daeja's view

Okay, it was clearly my fault. Today started out poorly, following a week without one solid night’s sleep. Perhaps it was because I stayed up too late watching a forgettable movie with loathsome characters and a predictable outcome, but last … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Coping, grief, Perspective, Rant, Shopping, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged aging, angry people, anxiety, death, depression, insomnia, it's my fault, losing a friend, loss, parking lot altercations, road rage, senior demographics | 1 Comment

Fakers

Posted on May 8, 2018 by daeja's view

There are individuals and organizations that sell service animal certification or registration documents online. These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Deafness, Dogs, Hearing Impaired, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged assistance dog, emotional support dogs, ESA, fake ESA dogs, fake service animal certification, fake support dogs, hearing dog, service dog | 4 Comments

Space Invader

Posted on August 23, 2016 by daeja's view

Every six to eight months I pay a visit to the hair salon. Because this does not happen very often, I continue to patronize the same person I have been seeing for decades, even though I have moved a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged at the hairdresser, invading personal space, personal space, rude people, sit on your own side | Leave a comment

Blessings Amid the Depression

Posted on August 10, 2016 by daeja's view

Breakfast this morning consisted of a handful of foraged chanterelle mushrooms sautéed in butter and garlic, then scrambled into two fresh eggs from a neighbor’s chickens and sprinkled with ground Himalayan pink salt and fresh peppercorn. The mushroom eggs were … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Coping, grief, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged appreciation, blessings, depressed, depression, dysthymia, feeling blue, gratefulness, loss, moods, people judging depression | 4 Comments

Left Out

Posted on August 25, 2013 by daeja's view

There are always challenges in the reshuffling of families, friendships and loyalties when it comes to a divorce. Over the many years since mine occurred, there have been waves of problems laced with intense hostility interspersed with moments of peacefulness … Continue reading →

Posted in Coping, Divorce, Friends, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged being excluded, divorce, divorcee, ex-husband, ex-inlaws, former family, former inlaws, hostile divorce, rules of divorce | 4 Comments

The Up Seat

Posted on February 19, 2013 by daeja's view

Not having posted anything in a while, I really hate to pick up the blog after a hiatus by opening with a pet peeve, but I suppose this annoyance is the impetus that has provided enough kick-start to sit down … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged habits, mess, messy habits. co-habitating, messy partners, pet peeve, Pig Pen, toilet seat up, unmade beds, war of the sexes | 9 Comments

No Thanks, I’ll Pack Myself

Posted on December 10, 2012 by daeja's view

I assume the pay scale for checkers and baggers at big chain supermarkets is probably rather pathetic. Perhaps because of this, some positions are filled with less than stellar employees. But really, does anyone even train these people on how … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Rant, Shopping, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged annoyances, grocery baggers, grocery shopping, heavy shopping bags, shopping | 8 Comments

Hacked

Posted on October 11, 2012 by daeja's view

My credit card bill came in the mail today. Usually this particular card is only used for online purchases that use secure sites, and there were only a few purchases made this month, so the anomalies jumped out at me … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Deafness, Hearing Impaired, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged bogus charges, credit card fraud, credit card security, hacking, identity theft, unauthorized charges | 3 Comments

The P.I.A.

Posted on February 20, 2012 by daeja's view

I could get into the details, but the short version is that a shoulder that has been sore for months suddenly exploded into nauseating pain radiating from my shoulder to my elbow. Anything that is “radiating” on the body doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged calcium deposits, hospital survival, hospitals, House, question authority, shoulder pain | 6 Comments

The January Bitch

Posted on February 5, 2012 by daeja's view

Whew….. that was the crankiest of months, very glad that one is over. My rough January seemed to be set off surrounding the rescue of a spider….sort of. While having a conversation with my boss in the hallway, we simultaneously … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Coping, Humor, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent, Wildlife, Winter | Tagged cable TV, car delivery, Cataract Surgery, Cranky, Eye Surgery, last straw, satellite dish, Spiders | 2 Comments

Pink Skid Marks

Posted on February 3, 2012 by daeja's view

The current exposé of the Susan G. Komen Foundation following their defunding of Planned Parenthood has created a feeling of helplessness and enragement that I have not experienced in decades. While formulating in my head how to address this in … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged breast cancer, pink-washing, political madness, Seeing Pink, Susan G. Komen | 7 Comments

Who Are These People?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by daeja's view

We still have a land line. It seems they are becoming obsolete, but there is one attached to our cable television and internet access, a package deal. We gave up our old phone number in order to get this “great deal”. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Hearing Impaired, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged collection agencies, land line, old phone numbers, Wrong number | 5 Comments

Feral Crap

Posted on November 12, 2011 by daeja's view

I will be blunt and maybe a bit vulgar here – yesterday morning I stepped in cat shit, and that is exactly the word I screamed after stepping in it. Since there are no young children in the house at the moment, I did not yell … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Perspective, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged eccentricities, feral cats, Neighbors, wild cats | 3 Comments

Nothing But Rice

Posted on October 26, 2011 by daeja's view

In the scheme of life, just a small disappointment here today. Today I had lunch at a little restaurant near the workplace that serves a fusion of Thai, Cambodian, Chinese and American food. I think it mostly caters to college students. The people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged leftovers, lunch, rice, take out | Leave a comment