I always thought she had more of a look than a voice. But yeah, what an opportunist. And Christian grifter with Christian in quotes.

Oh yeah, and on top of everything else, we had to take Curly to a doggie cardiologist this morning. The princess has three leaky valves, but luckily the enlargement of the heart is still minor. A couple of medications should help her a lot. But guys...the doc came to us, did the exam and an ultrasound, ekg and blood pressure...$85. That alone makes it difficult to leave Colombia. But certainly not impossible. Up next, another visit with the endocrinologist. Fun fun fun.

This is great information. I was wondering what the healthcare was like. I know you can get Medicare there, but didn't know how bad things were. Thanks for passing it along.

I think we’ve reached our limit here. I’ve come to the realization that we’re staying here just for the healthcare, even though neither of us likes it here any more. And the situation with my friends over loansharks and kidnappers are pushing us over the top. Yesterday I spent the evening with my friend sobbing and shaking over whether or not he’s going to get killed because he can’t repay the loans. And he’s serious. They’re pointing guns at him. Seriously. I can’t cope with this. Maybe it’s time to close this door and not look back.

So here we go again. And we just got our fuckin visas. That cost almost $5000. The good thing is they’re Resident Visas which allow us to leave for up to 2 years without any penalty. And if we continue paying for healthcare, I can come back for my new pacemaker when the time comes.

But where? I don’t know yet. Probably not deeper into South America, and probably not Spain or Portugal where everyone else is heading. Costa Rica, with humidity and bugs? Someone suggested Puerto Rico because there’s no need for visas, which I honestly believe are going to get tougher for Americans because of Trump and the coming expat migration. But PR has its own set of problems.

Stay tuned. It probably won’t happen until mid to late 2025, so there will be plenty of hand-wringing and tears along the way.

Life. What fun.

Hey kids, guess what time it is! It's time for another BK relocation adventure! ITR for those who want to skip the rerun.

I heard from someone who heard from someone is a very typical of the way the right likes to introduce doubt. It's the same as when Trump says "many good people are saying" before he spouts some bullshit that his cult will then pick up and amplify.

Hunter was found guilty of only two things: having a gun and lying on the application, and tax evasion. No pay for play or pay for access regardless of how deeply the Republican buffoons looked into it. And yet the amplification continues. What's sad is that no one expects any better from them. We just expect this low is how life is now.

Hunter was prosecuted to punish Joe. That's all there is too it. Addicts are rarely ethical...they all lie, cheat and steal to some extent. It's part of the disease. I've known very few alcoholics who were ethical while they were in the midst of alcoholism. Alcohol gives you the ability to forego ethics. Anyone who's ever had too much to drink and said things they regret can attest to that.

Hunter had a target on his back because Republicans hate Biden and they went for the easiest prey.

Dry drunk and sober are two very different things. The requirement for the first is only to stop drinking. The requirement for the second includes a lot of personal introspection and spiritual work. Ergo the shitty behavior persists for the dry drunk. Someone who's truly sober and has done the work can have a transformative experience. I'm not saying it's common, but at it's basic core, any 12 step program is just a spiritual cleansing and realignment. Really, that's pretty much all it is. Skip that part and you're still an asshole at heart and will probably fail at sobriety in the long run.

I don't know which Hunter is but he's such a minor character in all of this I don't pay too much attention. Offhand he seems to be a garden variety addict who lost his spirit somewhere along the way which in my opinion is what most addicts are. But who knows. People become addicts for so many different reasons. It's how you handle it once you're faced with it.

But stopping drinking isn't the same as healing from alcoholism. A vast difference in the amount of work required to succeed in being a better person.

Im watching it now. So good. Everything about it. But Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning are perfection.

"Claudia I can see your roots."

I made the worst, dryest turkey I've ever made. But also the best gravy I've ever made. Go figure.