Amtrak

The Southern Chief runs from Chicago to LA every day.  I got on in Topeka at midnight Sunday morning and arrived in LA at 9 AM Monday morning.  It was clean and comfortable.  The lounge car is lined with windows on the sides and the top - a great way to watch the scenery roll by.  We stopped in Albequerque for about an hour "mechanical break".  I assume this means fuel, water, and provisions.  And they changed the crew.

The seats were way more comfortable than the economy seats on an airplane, but still they need to recline farther for good sleeping.

Kansas

8 November 2012 - 28 January 2013

We buried my father and put my mother in a home.  I stayed for three months in the family home where I grew up.  I visited my mom most every day to assist with her adjustment to her new life.  I also took on two projects: one, to clean the basement, and two, to do the paperwork for a VA pension application.

During my time there, I gained some weight back, all of it around my belt.  Perhaps due to the cold weather. Or perhaps it's true what they say, that American food is so engineered there's no nutrition left in it, and the human body has no idea what to do with it.

I also took the opportunity to gear up.  I got a new phone, a Nexus 4, and a new computer, an Asus 11.4 Win 8 machine - something between a netbook and an ultrabook.  Also replaced my headphones with earbuds, bought a small universal powerstrip, an HDMI cable, and a battery charger.

Also bought some new Ex Officio travel clothes.  Most clothing is cheaper in Asia, but certain specialty items are hard to get.

When buying a phone for Asia, make certain it is unlocked GSM.  Verizon phones won't work.

The nice thing about shopping in America is you can return stuff you don't like.  In Indonesia I found generally once you pay for it, it's yours.  I bought some Dr Dre earbuds in Bali, hated the sound quality, but could not take them back, so I just threw them away.  

Favorite things about America: margaritas and chips and salsa.

Aid and Attendance

Dad was a veteran of WWII, and the VA provides an "Aid and Assistance" pension for a veteran and his spouse, when either of them gets to the point they need ongoing assistance with daily living.  This could be in the form of in-home care, a nursing home, or an assisted-living facility.

The VA makes it very difficult to learn about and apply for this pension.

There are websites and consultants who will help you.  Unfortunately, many of them are borderline scams, taking the opportunity to sell irrevocable trusts or annuities to applicants to help them hide assets and therefore qualify where they would not otherwise.  This can backfire latter on down the road.

I spent weeks doing research and filling out the forms.  I'm told it will take several back-and-forth rounds with the VA over the next six-months to a year before it's finished.

The best website I found is http://www.veteranaid.org/

compassion

“By letting go of your own personal agenda and embracing humility it is possible to be aware of the suffering of the world without interpreting it as injustice and feeling sorrow or pity.”

http://www.pathwaytohappiness.com/writings_compassion.htm

“True compassion involves the recognition that the suffering of others is also our own.”

“Buddha did not pity for the suffering of others but for the ignorance that causes suffering and that is why he set himself on the path of self-realization.”

“...true suffering is caused by ignorance and true help consists of bringing enlightenment.”

http://www.rasas.info/compassion.htm