Random thoughts...8-15-2026

Hi, everybody! Hope you're doing fine! Still trying to completely get back in the swing of things in the wake of that 5-26-2026 prostate reduction...right now, I'd call myself 99.999% recovered.

One of the activities I'm trying to get back to on a full-time basis is...getting myself caught up on current events. And one of the many events making me cringe is the treatment of the crew on the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The USS Lincoln has been at sea since November 2025...and food shortages, plumbing problems, and declining health among crew members have marred the ship's deployment (lengthened by the ship being sent to Iran). That's no way to treat people putting their lives on the line to keep the United States on the map.

You're welcome to read an article on npr.org: "Families of USS Lincoln crew say Trump should be 'ashamed' of conditions on board." (This article was updated today.)

Speaking of keeping the US on the map...if you're registered to vote here in the US, please make sure you do so this coming November (earlier than that if you can). There's too much at stake right now, and all kinds of people through the nation's history put their lives on the line (even to the point of death) to make sure ALL American citizens of voting age can cast ballots.

On a lighter note...on 3-31-2026, I started a new business.

I'm not doing this alone: I've been getting help from fellow LinkedIn member Wil Bowers. (That's right, THAT Wil Bowers...the same Wil Bowers who's been a guest star on TV shows like "Young Sheldon" and "Scandal.")

Maybe you're interested in this new business of mine, too...and if you are, feel free to watch one or both of these two videos: https://PPLProtect.com and https://PPLEmpower.com.

It'd be great to hear from you!

About that prostate surgery...

It was a success.

The surgery actually took place at 7:30 AM on 5-26-2026 at Omaha's Methodist Hospital...and five hours later, after they reduced my prostate by 100 cm, I woke up in my own room there. I was discharged at 11:30 AM the next day.

Surgery was the easy part...the first robotic radical prostatectomy ever done here in Nebraska. Recovery was the hard part. Very difficult at first to let my body heal...circumstances didn't really permit it.

First order of business was to clean up my apartment...something wearing a catheter made harder (especially when you factor in the use of a vacuum cleaner). Good thing the staff at UROHealth Partners removed my catheter on 6-3-2026. Despite what Methodist's discharge instructions said, I ended up throwing out my bed in four pieces, running that vacuum cleaner, and climbing stairs. (Couldn't help climbing the stairs...I live on the third floor.) I'm trying to eat better than before, though: More fresh fruit, more soups, more salads. And I'm fighting to stay better hydrated than back in April. I'm drinking less pop, more water, and more Gatorade, too.

I actually feel better now than I did before the surgery; in fact, I'd call myself 99.999% recovered from what the robot (and the laser attached to it) put me through.

Now...to do something about those extra bathroom visits...

If you're in the Omaha/Council Bluffs/Bellevue area...

...there's a new caterer in town. (Well, it's new to me.)

The name: House of Bah.

House of Bah actually got started in 2020...and its aim is to provide, as the Website says, a unique and bold experience of modern African cuisines.

H of B provides a customized menu to fit your needs...something for everybody, regardless of the event you're trying to provide fine dining for.

This month alone, I've twice had the chance to taste Bah's cuisine...and both opportunities happened at church functions (6-13-2026 and 6-28-2026).

The House's fine food helped make the two functions better.

Don't just take my word for it...check out all the House of Bah has to offer by calling 402 212-7149 or logging onto https://houseofbah.com. You'll be glad you did!

April...the cruelest month

At least for me, it was.

On 4-16-2026, living with an enlarged prostate caught up with me. That morning, at 3:45 AM (Central time), for the first time in my life, I woke up unable to eliminate.

As a result, I was unable to help out at our church's all-congregation cleanup. Instead of helping to tidy up a church building, I ended up seeing UroHealth Partners (10707 Pacific St., Omaha, NE 68114).

UroHealth's staff took care of the pain in my private parts, all right. By 11:55 AM, the staff put a catheter on me...and I was able to drain.

They had me come back for a pair of followup appointments...4-22-2026 (the day they took the catheter out) and 4-23-2026. I felt all right after the cath removal. Felt able to do my thing on my own. But on 4-25-2026, the pains came right back.

On a freakin' Saturday...and UroHealth isn't open on weekends.

This time, I ended up going to the emergency room at CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center- University Campus (2412 Cuming St., Omaha, NE 68131)...the closest hospital to where I live.

By around 1:30 PM, CHI's staff put a new catheter in me...and that's what I'm wearing at the present time.

Two days later, the UroHealth staff announced that I'll undergo prostate surgery at 6:00 AM on 5-26-2026 at Methodist Hospital (8303 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68114). The object: To reduce my prostate to a more manageable size.

I'll continue to wear a catheter until at least 6-2-2026. Until that date comes, I'm not about to have that cath removed.

Here's hoping for a successful prostate surgery.

Meet the new boss...same as the old boss

Well, that's how I see this year's NCAA Division 1 women's basketball tournament finishing up.

The same four teams that won their regionals in the 2024-25 season's go-'round are back at it: UCLA, Texas, South Carolina, and eventual champion Connecticut...with the Huskies rolling to their 12th wonen's D-1 title (and first since the 2015-16 campaign...when Geno Auriemma's club pulled off a four-peat).

Right now (6:06 PM Central time), the semifinals are about to tip off...so, here goes with the predictions:

Connecticut over South Carolina, UCLA over Texas...then on 4-5-2026, the Huskies will be beat Cori Close's Bruins. Again.

Tomorrow, this season's NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tourney heads for the home stretch...and it doesn't look so cut-and-dried (at least to these eyes).

So...with that in mind...here's how I think that cycle will shape up:

Connecticut over Illinois, Arizona over Michigan...followed by...Dan Hurley's Huskies taking care of Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats on 4-6-2026.

Come to think of it, any one of those four D-1 men's teams can be the final club to cut the nets down.

Anyway...I hope your favorite men's team and your favorite women's team win!

I never thought I'd need it...but here I am

Last year, two people who found me on LinkedIn asked me to start GoFundMe projects for them...one an evangelist from Pakistan, the other an auto mechanic from Gambia.

But here I am...a retired factory worker-turned-screenwriter from the United States. And seven days ago, I launched my own GoFundMe effort.

If you're getting ready to toss your monitor, laptop, or cell phone across the room, wait...here's what happened:

The company I spent 1-26-2004 through 10-5-2022 with is an employee-owned business that offers its employees what's called an Employee Stock Option Program. In the program, company workers receive shares in the business...and that means they can eventually take a payout, start an IRA, etc. Well, the last time company officials made a stock declaration was October 2024. A month later, I called the financial group that works with my previous place of work to seek a payout in response to the stock declaration, and the payout arrived in my bank account on 1-2-2025. Did everything right...I set aside 5% of my monthly income (stock money plus Social Security payments) to put in my savings account for emergencies. I didn't try to splurge...in the meantime, I waited to hear from the factory and the financial group to see if a stock declaration would take place in 2025.

When I came to realize no declaration would happen in 2025, I went looking for at least a part-time job where the money would supplement my Social Security income. Three months later, I'm still looking.

I applied for a job with a company I worked for from 1980 to 1986...an inventory firm.

First day back on the job was supposed to be 1-2-2026...except I received an email from a company manager. The email stated that a computer glitch fouled up the information four other applicants and I put online (info about taxation, Direct Deposit, citizenship, other goodies)...and that the company wanted us to fill out the info all over again. After I put my information back in, I haven't heard back from that manager. Phone calls and emails have proven fruitless.

America's biggest furniture store (it's here in Omaha) turned me down, too. And I haven't yet heard back from a used book store or from a thrift store.

I'm not giving up the search...and I'm not giving up on a screenwriting-TV writing career. (Even reached out to a local firm, Fallen Giant Films.)

Just want to get back on my feet and make sure I can get ALL my bills paid.

Right now, I receive $1,399.30 a month from Social Security...and pay $785.00 for rent each month.

Presently, each month, I'm paying $165.35 for Medicare Senior Supplement, $121.34 for car insurance, $78.66 for utilities, $55.63 for cell phone use, $49.99 for Internet use, $42.92 for dental insurance, $28.62 for landline phone use, and $15.17 for renters insurance. Those eight other bills come due before I even see my SS money (and that dough comes on the third Wednesday of every month).

I've found a cheaper rate for car insurance...but I can't act until I see any new money. And I've cut back on groceries...now spending $365.00 monthly, and that's $87.00 less per month than what I'd been shelling out.

If you're able to donate to my own GoFundMe effort, just go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jims-journey-to-financial-stability.

Here's wishing you and yours all the VERY BEST for 2026...and beyond.