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Savvy Senior: Protecting Your Pets After You’re Gone
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What is the best way to ensure my pets are taken care of after I’m gone? I have two dogs and a cat that are my four-legged family, and I want to make sure they’ll be well taken care of after I die.
Solo Senior
Dear Solo,
It’s a great question. Every year, approximately 500,000 cats and dogs enter shelters when their pet parents experience an emergency or pass away. Without a proper plan in place for the future care of your pets, they are at risk of ending up in a shelter where they could be euthanized.
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Health Beat: Is Cannabis Right for You?
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Mark McNease
Once Upon a Gummy
I’ll be honest: I’m a cannabis guy. I haven’t had a drink for 9-plus years, but several years ago I wanted something to help with stress management. A friend gave me a cannabis gummy, and I took half of it. After years of apprehension, I discovered the sky did not fall, I didn’t want to run off to the nearest drug dealer or bar stool, and I quite enjoyed it.
After years with a clear head, I do not like feeling intoxicated by anything. I did that for decades as a young person, even having a reputation as a pothead in high school. That kind of misuse, of the psychotropic components of marijuana and of my own mind and body, holds no allure for me at this age and hasn’t for a long time.
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Health Beat: Is Cannabis Right for You?
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Mark McNease
Once Upon a Gummy
I’ll be honest: I’m a cannabis guy. I haven’t had a drink for 9-plus years, but several years ago I wanted something to help with stress management. A friend gave me a cannabis gummy, and I took half of it. After years of apprehension, I discovered the sky did not fall, I didn’t want to run off to the nearest drug dealer or bar stool, and I quite enjoyed it.
After years with a clear head, I do not like feeling intoxicated by anything. I did that for decades as a young person, even having a reputation as a pothead in high school. That kind of misuse, of the psychotropic components of marijuana and of my own mind and body, holds no allure for me at this age and hasn’t for a long time.
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The Weekly Readlines October 12
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
War in Israel. I have no words.
In a choice between horrible and worse, GOP Reps Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise are competing to be House Speaker. Expect a buffet of shutdown extortion, lies, and base-thrilling vengeance in either case. America, we hardly knew ye. Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene, classy as ever, says she won’t support Scalise because he has cancer.
And the cherry on top of the hate cake goes to Alabama, where a children’s book that has nothing to do with being gay and no gay characters, was flagged in a public library system because the author’s last name is Gay. If you’re not awake yet, queer folk, you better set your alarms!
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The Weekly Readlines October 12
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
War in Israel. I have no words.
In a choice between horrible and worse, GOP Reps Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise are competing to be House Speaker. Expect a buffet of shutdown extortion, lies, and base-thrilling vengeance in either case. America, we hardly knew ye. Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene, classy as ever, says she won’t support Scalise because he has cancer.
And the cherry on top of the hate cake goes to Alabama, where a children’s book that has nothing to do with being gay and no gay characters, was flagged in a public library system because the author’s last name is Gay. If you’re not awake yet, queer folk, you better set your alarms!
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Savvy Senior: Do You Need Life Insurance After You Retire?
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Do I still need life insurance after I retire? I’ve been thinking about dropping my policy to escape the premiums. Is this a good idea?
Approaching Retirement
Dear Approaching,
It depends on your family and financial situation. While many retirees choose to stop paying their life insurance premiums when they no longer have young families to take care of, there are several reasons you may still want to keep your policy. Here are some different factors to help you decide.
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The Weekly Readlines October 6
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Quote for the Week: “Vacations mean a change of pace, a gentleness with ourselves, a time of rest and renewal, and a time to stretch ourselves and encounter new people, new lands, new ways, and new options.”—Anne Wilson Schaef
Speaker McCarthy out, Paris bed bugs in! For the first time in American history, the Speaker of the House has been removed, in a charge led by the inimitable Matt Gaetz. Claims that Gaetz is behind the historic Paris bed bug infestation have yet to be confirmed. Mais oui!
California Governor Gavin Newsom named Laphonza Butler, president of pro-choice Emily’s List, to replace the late Diane Feinstein. Butler is both Black and a lesbian, making this a double dose of deliciousness.
The MAGA government shutdown was averted at the very last moment by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s refusal to be extorted. We know the price he paid.
Trump, more accustomed to gagging people than being gagged, was ordered to stop issuing fatwas against law clerks and attorneys general on his bizarre social media platform. The countdown clock to his violation of the order is ticking, with Vegas odds makers favoring jail time.
And my favorite nearby town, Lambertville, NJ, was named among the most charming in the country. I told you so!
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The Weekly Readlines October 6
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Quote for the Week: “Vacations mean a change of pace, a gentleness with ourselves, a time of rest and renewal, and a time to stretch ourselves and encounter new people, new lands, new ways, and new options.”—Anne Wilson Schaef
Speaker McCarthy out, Paris bed bugs in! For the first time in American history, the Speaker of the House has been removed, in a charge led by the inimitable Matt Gaetz. Claims that Gaetz is behind the historic Paris bed bug infestation have yet to be confirmed. Mais oui!
California Governor Gavin Newsom named Laphonza Butler, president of pro-choice Emily’s List, to replace the late Diane Feinstein. Butler is both Black and a lesbian, making this a double dose of deliciousness.
The MAGA government shutdown was averted at the very last moment by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s refusal to be extorted. We know the price he paid.
Trump, more accustomed to gagging people than being gagged, was ordered to stop issuing fatwas against law clerks and attorneys general on his bizarre social media platform. The countdown clock to his violation of the order is ticking, with Vegas odds makers favoring jail time.
And my favorite nearby town, Lambertville, NJ, was named among the most charming in the country. I told you so!
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The Twist Podcast #243: Canada Calling, Bed Bug Couture, and an Interview with Podcaster Mark Goldstein
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we chat about Mark’s upcoming Canadian cruise, speculate on the language skills of French bed bugs, and enjoy an interview with Mark Goldstein, founder and podcast host of Where Do Gays Retire?
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2023 MadeMark Publishing
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The Twist Podcast #243: Canada Calling, Bed Bug Couture, and an Interview with Podcaster Mark Goldstein
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we chat about Mark’s upcoming Canadian cruise, speculate on the language skills of French bed bugs, and enjoy an interview with Mark Goldstein, founder and podcast host of Where Do Gays Retire?
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2023 MadeMark Publishing
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Cover Reveal for ‘Dreamshaping: On Shaping Reality and Living Our Dreams’
UPDATE: NOW ON AMAZON AND FREE FOR SUBSCRIBERS!
I’ve been working on this longer than any book I will ever write. It first came to me about 18 years ago when I was sitting on a beach on Long Island. One of my goals for 2023 was to finally finish it. Almost there …
“It’s understandable that we can react with fear to what we think our bodies are telling us. Who doesn’t assume a grave prognosis when we go to the doctor looking for answers? It’s as natural as gasping for that first breath, terrified there will not be enough air left for another, and another, and another until we take our last. But denying our body’s messages, or pretending they’re not speaking to us at all when in fact they may be shouting, is an invitation to harm and frustration.
Begin to hear your body. Be quiet with it and let yourself learn its language. You are its first and truest friend. You are the one it longs to communicate with. And when it asks you to pay attention, let nothing be more important than understanding what it has told you. When we become the best interpreter of our body’s language, we begin to live in partnership with it, and to trust it will never lead us astray. We may not always like what it has to say, and sometimes what it tells us will be devastating, but we will listen carefully. The answers are there, and in those answers is the opportunity for peace, acceptance and change.”
From When the Body Speaks, Listen (Chapter 15)
Discover this and many other ways we inhabit the dreams we call our lives, how we create them day by day, and how we can begin to experience them as the ultimate lucid dream. No supernatural assistance is required, no surrender to powers outside ourselves.
Dreamshaping is not wishful thinking: it is wishful doing. In this simple guide, this dreamshaper’s manual, you’ll find chapter after chapter of simple insights: how the body speaks to us, how we make choices that determine our experiences, how we act, often unknowingly, as the architect, landscaper, set designer and director of our own existence.
Keep reading, and see what simple reflection and observation can reveal about the lives we live, and the lives we create, in which we’re both the dreamer and the dream.”
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Cover Reveal for ‘Dreamshaping: On Shaping Reality and Living Our Dreams’
The eBook is up now at Amazon, with the paperback coming out very soon.
I’ve been working on this longer than any book I will ever write. It first came to me about 18 years ago when I was sitting on a beach on Long Island. One of my goals for 2023 was to finally finish it. Almost there …
“It’s understandable that we can react with fear to what we think our bodies are telling us. Who doesn’t assume a grave prognosis when we go to the doctor looking for answers? It’s as natural as gasping for that first breath, terrified there will not be enough air left for another, and another, and another until we take our last. But denying our body’s messages, or pretending they’re not speaking to us at all when in fact they may be shouting, is an invitation to harm and frustration.
Begin to hear your body. Be quiet with it and let yourself learn its language. You are its first and truest friend. You are the one it longs to communicate with. And when it asks you to pay attention, let nothing be more important than understanding what it has told you. When we become the best interpreter of our body’s language, we begin to live in partnership with it, and to trust it will never lead us astray. We may not always like what it has to say, and sometimes what it tells us will be devastating, but we will listen carefully. The answers are there, and in those answers is the opportunity for peace, acceptance and change.”
From When the Body Speaks, Listen (Chapter 15)
Discover this and many other ways we inhabit the dreams we call our lives, how we create them day by day, and how we can begin to experience them as the ultimate lucid dream. No supernatural assistance is required, no surrender to powers outside ourselves.
Dreamshaping is not wishful thinking: it is wishful doing. In this simple guide, this dreamshaper’s manual, you’ll find chapter after chapter of simple insights: how the body speaks to us, how we make choices that determine our experiences, how we act, often unknowingly, as the architect, landscaper, set designer and director of our own existence.
Keep reading, and see what simple reflection and observation can reveal about the lives we live, and the lives we create, in which we’re both the dreamer and the dream.”
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My Interview on the Where Do Gays Retire? Podcast with Host Mark Goldstein is Up Now!
My interview on the Where Do Gays Retire? podcast with host Mark Goldstein is up now! CLICK TO LISTEN.
Shout OUT Lambertville! America’s #1 Halloween town.