February 9th, 2023
“ Dobroho ranku”, or “Good Morning!” in Ukrainian, an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. I have decided that the UJT will remain focused on Ukraine until we can all rejoice in the end of hostilities. It has been 1,093 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Welcome, my friends! This is the first edition of the UGT for 2026. Beginning with this edition, I will be changing the format and content and timing of our updates to better suit my capabilities. I will try to continue to make them entertaining and educational and maybe even inspiring upon occasion. In any case, I’ll do my best.
A great deal has happened since I spoke to you last. I have a new knee. My pulmonary situation has deteriorated a bit, but I remain optimistic and hopeful. I am working to remedy the stiffness in my new knee and my muscle weakness at the same time working to wean myself from oxygen treatment. Keep your fingers crossed!
It’s times like these that make you appreciate the people around you even more than you normally do. My daughter Jessica goes just a super hero in my world. She watched over me every day I was in the hospital helps me be my to my best in my physical therapy. Her friend Charmaine also was very supportive and even even got us a pizza we didn’t feel like cooking after we got out of the hospital. Several of people have called and spent probably way too much time on the phone with me giving me encourageme ntand support. I’m grateful to everyone of you. Thank you.
I learned some stuff::
• Did you know there is a lovely statue somewhere in Russia? This work of art commemorates the loss of life in both World Trade Center attacks. It’s a tall bronze monolith with a crack down the middle and a stainless steel tear drop inside it. The name of every victims of both attacks is on the monument. I in all the thousands of hours of broadcasting on the subject of the 911 attacks. I had never heard anything mentioned about this wonderful tribute by the Russian people makes me wonder what else I’ve missed.
I found more to be grateful for this week. My orthopedic doctor says I no longer need to go to PT because my progress is so much ahead of schedule. I can just keep working my exercises at home. My pulmonary doctor and I worked out a process with the help of my daughter to determine the right dosage of diuretic to remove the water that seems to be accumulating in my lungs and heart. We’ll see the idea is to get me off oxygen as soon as possible.
Website Update:
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- I have added a couple a recipes this time. I saw a recipe for Donner kebab online and had to tweak it some but it turned out really good and it’s easy and you should try it. I also found a recipe for full fully loaded meatloaf, which I really liked. Hope you guys like it too.
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
I think if Donald Trump is remembered for anything, he will be remembering for for making our national politics at the weirdest possible combination of craziness. He continres with almost no backing from his party or from his constituents yet he does not seem to be altering his behavior much in response. I hope the midterms neuter him and keep him from doing any more damage and I hope new leadership will start working now to figure out how to undo the damage that has been done so far and all the executive branch. I believe in us,, the American people, but this is a sore temptation to give up.
Music Update:
I am celebrating my good fortune with some remarkable music that I hope you will enjoy:
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
• Wang Chun — Dance Hall Days — I I always love this song. It’s something about it just caught me and wouldn’t let me go. I hadn’t heard a long time when it came up on the rotation. Hope you like it too.
• Lionel Richie — Dancing on the Ceiling — I am starting to detect the pattern. His iconic soul album is just amazing. There’s so many great tunes on it.
• Christopher Cross — Ride Like the Wnd — I always like Christopher Cross’s music. There is a sweetness woven through his lyrics in music. Can you hear it!?
• Tears for Fears — Shout —, is another one of those bands that came out with the right sound at the right time I always liked them.
• George Benson—The Mascarade —George was always a constant jazz guitarist! But for some reason he came out with this so long and there was just so popular. It seemed to take over the airways at the time. Hope you like it too. Jazz in the middle of acid rock who to hunk it.
• Shawn Phillips – The Ballad of Casey Deuss– – Shawn is perhaps one of the most unsung truly great musicians of our generation he had a very interesting life. He was the one who taught George Harrison how to play the guitar he played on a lot of records you’ve heard and loved and never knew who was there. he was that kind of player. I found out about Sean through my friend Dean Chimerakis when I was home on liberty in the Navy around 1973.
That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; Always remember… The best is yet to come! As always, thank you for being my friend!