SCAM ALERT: Frontier Communications

 Once again, Frontier Internet has experience an internet outage in or area. Twice in 2 weeks now. Ours is back on, but now the CBS affiliate channel on Paramount+ thinks it's in Lafayette, Indiana, not where we are at in Terre Haute, IN. We can't get our local WTHI-TV10 news channel. This happened a week ago and it's happened again. What is Frontier's problem? @FrontierCorp @Verizon #FiberConnect22 #ExecutiveHire #WeAreFrontier #LetsGoFrontier #BuildingTheFuture  @paramountplus #paramountplus

Whenever I complain to Frontier, they shift the blame everywhere else but upon their employees. In addition, I have tried their solutions and none have worked or I've been sent to either a chat bot, who repeats the same solutions, or a non-voice enabled text thing that does the same thing. Either way, our problem remains. It seems that Frontier Communications wants us to do the work of their employees for free, then pay for their service. That sounds like a scam to me. And I'm willing to wager they will not adjust or credit our account for the missing time without their service.

 

FRAUD/SCAM ALERT! McDonalds Store #3289 Terre Haute Indiana

On Friday December 5 2025, an issue occurred at the McDonalds Restaurant in North Terre Haute, Indiana that I consider to be a case of Fraud, or at the least, a scam.
Rather than post right away, I choose to wait 24 hours in order to insure that anger wasn't clouding my judgement or descriptions of said fraud/scam.
What follows is an account of said incident.
To begin with, this particular store is owned by Nick and Jami Kasprzyk, who also own two other locations in Terre Haute. This store has had issues in the past with poor customer service and yesterday's incident is yet another example. The store number for this McDonald's location in North Terre Haute at 2111 Lafayette Ave is 3289.
At 4:15pm, my wife and I entered McDonalds (#3289) to place an order for the new promotional item, the Grinch Happy Meal. My wife wanted to give me the socks that came with it. The store manager was running the cash register and was dealing with a particularly difficult customer and took 10 minutes to complete a single order. Next, my wife approached the manager and asked if they still had socks with the Grinch Happy Meal. The manager replied that they did and my wife held up her phone with the McDonalds App running and asked to use her points and requested the happy meal. The manager entered the appropriate number, the app acknowledged receipt of the order and the manager asked what she wanted in the happy meal, i.e.: Chicken Nuggets, Cheeseburger, ect.. My wife stated that the chicken nuggets would do. The manager then informed her that the drink would be a small size, which my wife acknowledged and said root beer would be her choice of drink. The manager then asked her if that would be all and my wife said yes. The manager then informed her that her order would be ready "shortly" and handed her a small cup. We stepped aside and waited patiently for another 10 minutes, while I poured a root beer for her. Finally, the manager placed a happy meal on the counter and said "here's your order." My wife immediately stated that this was not what she had ordered. "I ordered a Grinch Happy Meal, not this!" The manager rudely stated that "the app points only apply to a child's happy meal, not the Grinch Happy Meal." My wife, now visibly angry stated, "If you had told me that before, I wouldn't have ordered the happy meal! What about my points?" At this point, the manager snorted abruptly at my wife, then turned and walked away, leaving us standing there dumbfounded by her arrogance.We left very dissatisfied and it took over an hour for me to calm my wife down (not an easy task, I assure you). She was most angry at having used her points needlessly and at the arrogance of the manager.
Frankly, we felt just like we had been dealing with the Grinch himself, only disguised as a manager.
This experience has left us with a very sour taste in our mouths for what was supposed to be a pleasant customer experience. Especially considering that we have been loyal McDonalds customers for decades.
Looking back now, I consider the manager's disregard for our complaint and her lack of informing us that app points may not be used for a Grinch Happy Meal to be, at the very least, a "lie of omission", and at worst, an act of fraud/scam.
As such, I feel it necessary to lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and file an investigative complaint with the Consumer Fraud Complaint Division of the Indiana State Attorney General's Office. My experience with Tood Rokita in the past has been very positive and I'm certain his office will pursue our complaint as effectively as it has in the past.
I'll also file an investigative complaint with Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul and his Consumer Fraud Complaint Department.
The sad part of all of this is that had the manager just informed us of the app points restrictions, we would have probably went ahead and bought the Grinch Happy Meal. Instead, we were treated poorly and with much disrespect. Like I said, it was like dealing with The Grinch himself.

Ruminations on Death, Life, Love and the Grim Reaper

 Well, it's been nearly 48 hours since my "episode" and I thought I would share some thoughts regarding it all.

To begin with, a bit of prologue.

The "episode" in question is something called Syncope. It is the medical term for fainting, which is a brief and temporary loss of consciousness caused by a sudden, temporary decrease in blood flow to the brain. While often not serious, it can be a symptom of an underlying health condition, so it's important to seek medical advice after an episode. Symptoms before fainting can include dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, or blurry vision. 

It all started on Thanksgiving Eve when Amanda and I were called out to take our niece to the ER for reasons I won't go into here. Needless to say, we didn't get home until 3:30am. I was up at 7am to begin cooking the turkey and other assorted things. That was followed by a brisk gathering of family, followed by a family argument amongst grandsons, which was very stressful for me. By 11:30pm that night, I was finally able to relax and finish up some computer work and turned to watch a live-streaming video of Norwegian Train Camera Views. The next thing I know, I'm realizing that I am on the floor, staring up at strangers legs and hearing them questioning me. "Am I alright?" How do I feel?" ect... It took me a while to regain my senses and I do recall my grandson asking me who the president was, to which I replied; "An idiot!". That got a good laugh and I recall the EMT attending me saying that I seem to be coming out of it quite well. 

According to my wife Amanda, she heard a thump from her spot in the bedroom and walked in to find me lying on the living room floor, awake but unresponsive. I recall none of that. Apparently, I was in this state for 15-18 minutes before EMT's arrived at our home. The one thing I do recall after EMT's loaded me up on a gurney and were preparing to take me to Union Hospital was looking into Amanda's eyes and seeing fear. Not the normal kind of fear from say, spiders or lightning or something like that. No, this was the kind of fear that is spawned from witnessing mortality and the realization that she might lose me. The vision of her fear haunts me now and I feel a measure of guilt for putting her though that pain. We have been together 42 years now and I would give up my soul if it meant sparing her any pain from my passing.

 The doctors at Union Hospital were both compassionate and thorough in their attempts to diagnose what happened and I applaud them for their efforts, Despite their best efforts though, they couldn't definitively diagnose my "episode". Of course, I had taken in very little hydration throughout the day and that, combined with the underlying stress of the day was probably what caused the "episode", according to the doctors. Their only concern was that the "episode" lasted 15-18 minutes, rather than a few seconds. They were unable to identify any underlying causes, so it was apparently a one-off event and I should be just fine.

Unfortunately, I missed going to my 302nd concert; Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in Nashville, Indiana. A real bummer as I was looking forward to seeing a group whose music I truly enjoyed.

As I mentioned earlier, seeing the fear in Amanda's eyes is the thing that will stick with me for the remainder of my life. It's important to know that she is my reason for living. When we met, it was Love at first sight... for both of us. Since then, we have spent a lifetime together as a team. It's us against the world and I would have it no other way. But seeing that fear in her eyes is something I can never forgive myself for putting her though.

Of course, there were many well-wishers on Facebook as Amanda had put out the call for prayers, which is kinda odd for me since I'm a Druid, like my father before me. Nonetheless, I appreciate the sentiments and I did receive a number of visitors while I was in the hospital (18 hours), for which I am very grateful. 

It's an odd thing cheating Death as I have. In fact, I've done so 4 times now. The first was in 1979 in a motorcycle accident. The second was in 1985 while working for the Terre Haute street department. The third was in 1987 when I fell out of a tree and broke my neck. And now this time, although this one feels different as it wasn't an issue of mechanics, stupidity or pure blind luck. This time was more personal, owing to the fact that it was a breakdown of my own body. Apparently, I'm getting old.

It was Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 movie, Gladiator who stated: "Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back." When I blacked out, it was as if a switch had been thrown, so to speak. No warning, no signs of impending doom, nothing to indicate what was coming. When my my time comes, and it will, as it does for all of us, and this is the way Death takes me, I can't complain. It was a peaceful, if somewhat disturbing experience. My biggest fear is that I'll go like my father, grandfather and my best friend, Jim Bickle. All had cancer and died in suffering and pain. 

I was pleased to note that during all of this, I retained my sense of humor. I credit my father for this when he introduced me to the writings of Mark Twain. It was Mark Twain who wrote the following: "The human condition in all its misery has but one truly effective weapon... laughter. Against the onslaught of laughter, nothing can stand." That has been the driving force behind my Philosophy of Life and being confronted by the possibility of Death and still able to make others laugh gives me hope for a brighter future.

Karma has also rewarded my survival with an opportunity to continue my Science career as I found out today that I will be a primary contributor on a research paper involving comparative analysis of cometary emissions from three comets; 3I/ATLAS, C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) and C/2025 R2 (SWAN). Gene Shoemaker would have been so pleased. 

In summation, I am still alive and grateful to be so. Being 65 years old now, I find that thoughts of my impending Death come a bit more frequently now. Still though, I treasure Life and all it has to offer. Especially being able to have Amanda by my side. When I needed her most, she was there for me. Always has been, even when most mates would have bailed. She has not. I am blessed beyond words by her presence in my Life. 

In the immortal words of the Wizard of Oz; "Per ardua ad alta!!!"

Illinois Oz Festival 2025: A Rousing Good Time!

 It's that time of the year again and Amanda and I find ourselves heading westward towards Mapleton, Illinois and the annual Illinois Oz Festival. This is a wonderful festival and we attend every year since the beginning long ago as Guest Authors. 

You can tell we're near the Land of Oz.

 

Once we arrive, we're greeted by the Gang of Loons, whom we consider all to be good friends. 

 

After a bit of setting up and getting comfortable, Amanda and I are now ready to share our Vision of Oz with all the visitors and patrons.

Soon, the sounds of Oz come wafting towards us from the Main Pavilion and before you know, we're off to see the wizard.

The Butler Haynes Park, where this festival is held every year, is truly dedicated to promoting all things Oz by building a dedicated Yellow Brick Road, Gale Farm, Munchkin City, Dark Forest, Witch's Castle and Emerald City, which is there year-round.

Of course, we start with the Gale Farm and a certain crotchety old lady who seems to be looking for some mangy old dog.

 

 

It's a twister!!!!

Why look, we're over the rainbow now...

And could this be Munchkin City and Glinda; Good Witch of the North (actually South according to L. Frank Baum)?

 

Hello Scarecrow, Tin man and Cowardly Lion...

    

Now that's one lovely Yellow Brick Road.

Hmmm... I wonder where this path leads? And why do I keep hearing the sounds of screeching monkeys?

Oh no! It's the Wicked Witch of the West and her castle!

Is that one of her pets?

After a quick getaway from that wicked old witch, we look off in the distance to see the Emerald City beckoning us homeward. We must be out of the woods, out of the dark and out of the night...

Oh joy! At last we meet the Wizard and his Guardian of the Gates!

And here's the whole gang together once more.

Of course, once we leave the palace of the Wizard...

Then it's on to see what else the Illinois Oz Festival has to offer. There's vendors, food trucks and petting zoos, oh my!!!

I do believe I see Bellina the Hen clucking about.

And the biggest ear of corn I've ever seen!

And what Oz festival would be complete with costumes and cackling. Looks like Dorothy is sharing some stories with another witch. And speaking of Dorothy.

And many others as well.

Now that's a yellow brick road!!!

Now for the best part of the festival, at least in my own humble opinion. Every year, the organizers bring in Stephen's Puppets Marionette Show and their performance of The Wizard of Oz.

Notice anything unusual here? Well, I'll tell you what it is. Notice that no child is looking at their phone. None of the children have ever seen a marionette show before and they are absolutely captivated by it. Of course, it helps when the puppeteer is slightly odd, as Mack Raynor definitely is. His performance is always spot on and I truly believe his presence at any Oz festival makes it a far better festival. 

By the way... Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

Overall, we had a fun time as we always do when we attend this Oz festival... Despite the heat. We owe a special debt of gratitude to all the volunteers who made sure we had a canopy, table, chairs and cold bottled water anytime we needed it. I would also like to offer my profound gratitude to Park Director Jim Robertson for making us feel so very welcome. In addition, The Spirit of Oz Characters Group deserve a special thanks for bringing their love of Oz and their unique Ozian talents to this wonderful festival. We've worked with them many times throughout the past and they always bring the magic of Oz to children everywhere. 

 

Per ardua ad alta!!!!

2024: Another Fantastic Illinois Oz Festival!

    So, once more Amanda and I found ourselves on our yearly pilgrimage to the Illinois Oz Festive in Mapleton, Illinois, although we were unable to attend last year due to Amanda having the flu. Nonetheless, we were looking forward to this year's festival, especially sionce the weather was looking incredible.We were not disappointed as the skies were clear, temps in the mid-70's and a light breeze, which did pick up later in the day.

 We knew as soon as we arrived that we had made it to Oz.

 

The opening ceremonies were very well attended.

 And it would seem that the Spirit of Oz characters were have a wonderful time.

 

Afterwards, Amanda and I set up for a day of books, authors and Oz... oh my!

Before all the fun could begin, I made a walk around the grounds to check out the Land of Oz. There were plenty of Wizard of Oz vendors...

 

 

... as well as other vendors.

 

In addition, there were bounce houses, including the biggest ear of corn I've ever seen.

As well as a petting zoo, which was very popular.

 There were also plenty of food vendors to serve a wide variety of tastes.

And then there's the park itself.

For those of you who have never attended this Oz festival, you're missing the most amazing Land of Oz park I've seen anywhere. The town of Mapleton actually built a Yellow Brick Road/Land of Oz/Gale Farm House park in Butler Haynes Park... and it's quite amazing and a perfect backdrop for a Wizard of Oz festival.

There's the Gale farm...

and Professor Marvel's wagon.

 Then it's a quick hop over, (or in this case) under the rainbow.

Then the entrance into Munchkin City and a lovely spot where you can "follow the yellow brick road..."

 

... and into the Lollipop League's headquarters.

 Soon, a grove of apple trees appear...

... and then it's off along the yellow brick road.

 

 There were loads of children's activities along the way, including a scavenger hunt.

...And of course, an occasional Tin Man or Cowardly Lion to chat with.

What's this? A dark path off the road of yellow brick? I wonder where it leads to?

Looks like a wicked place to me.

Well, whad'ya know... It's the Castle of the Wicked Witch of the West.

After a quick tour of the castle, I decided to make haste back to the Yellow Brick Road.

Oh joy! It's the Emerald City. "You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night..."

Whew! What an adventure that was! Now, it's back to books and the lovely wife. The rest of the day was spent introducing folks to our very kid-friendly vision of Oz. Book sales were good and we got to see lots of folks dressed up for the costume contests throughout the day.

 

 

 

Looks like adults enjoy dressing up in Oz costumes as much as the kids. I do believe the future is looking very bright.

During the day, Stephan's Puppets, hosted by Mack Raynor,  performed a classic marionette version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Kids were just rapt with attention.

 

This was from the first show, but by the second show, the floor and the bleachers were just packed and I couldn't get anywhere near enough to get a picture. This show is always the highlight of every Oz festival I've seen them perform at. I'm convinced kids need more entertainment like this. Notice there are no kids looking at phones during the show. It's that good! Mack, the puppeteer is always somewhat zany, just like his predecessor Bob Walls from years ago. I guess puppets do that to a person. Every time I see this show, all I can think of is..."Thunderbirds Are Go!!!" Those of you my age or older get that joke.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted, but had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We got one very nice group photo of the Spirit of Oz Troupe at the gates of Emerald City...

Before I finish this post, I wanna thank Jim Robertson of Butler Haynes Park District for allowing Amanda and I to be the festival's Guest Authors for all these years. His support has been very uplifting for us and we are most grateful. I also wanna thank all the volunteers for their tireless efforts, especially those in what I have deemed "The Gang of Goons".

These folks are the backbone of a very successful festival, year after year. Amanda and I send our love to you and all at the festival for all you do. Without your efforts, we would not have done anywhere near as well as we have all these years in attendance. Per ardua ad alta!