Category: Uncategorized

MONDAY DECEMBER 23, 2019

I take a bath and wash then condition my hair. Afterwards, I wash my body with my favorite Dial Soap.

After I am all clean, I put on some Old Spice deodorant and then make my face clean-shaven.

I’m told I look much younger than my age, but my looks don’t get me very far, unfortunately.

My Weather Radio in my kitchen goes off, alerting me to a freeze warning. So, I go to my bathtub and slightly crack open both faucets.

Then I get my Bible from my EDC backpack and read until I get a text that the couple I met was in front of my house.

I put my Bible back in my EDC backpack, then sling it on my shoulders and walk out the front door, locking it behind me.

The couple is waiting in a brand new van.

I get in on the right rear passenger side, close the door behind me, buckle my seat belt, and place my backpack between my feet.

“So how do you like the neighborhood?” The man asks me.

“Honestly, I think y’all are wonderful. I like my house. Melinda’s and The Corner Store are pretty awesome, but my only complaint is my neighbor.”

“What did he do now?” The lady asks me.

He watched me check out while I was making groceries, then he followed me home and was making comments on how I was using food stamps.” I pause then continue, “I’m schizophrenic, okay? And because of that, I get a disability pension as well as my medical needs met and some nutritional assistance. My neighbor was harassing me about that and accused me of sitting on my butt and he called me a lazy moocher.”

“You know, we’re both mental health counselors,” The man said then continued, “And we know the struggle you go through, so don’t beat yourself up.”

The lady then adds, “I thank God that you get the help you need!”

“I do too, believe me!” I answer.

“That man is just a jerk, but if he keeps harassing you, just call the cops. This city has always been a haven for mental patients and many of them not only survive here but they thrive here,” The man says.

“What will everyone at church think of my mental shortcomings?” I ask.

“They will realize that we are all sinners and we all have fallen bodies,” The man answers.

“There are others in the church beside you who are mental patients, so you’ll fit in nicely,” The lady interjects.

Soon we arrive at the church just as it begins to snow.

“I know the perfect Bible class to put you in,” The man says.

“Honey, is it the special needs class?” The lady asks.

“It sure is,” He answers.

I take my backpack and I am taken to the classroom.

There is the teacher, an older gentleman.

Then there is a younger couple.

Finally, a young lady sitting all by herself. She has long reddish blonde hair, a pretty bespectacled face dotted with freckles, and she is pleasantly plump. I’m instantly attracted to her!

She smiles from ear to ear at me and motions for me to sit next to her. I do so, feeling very giddy.

The teacher asks me to introduce myself to the class, so I tell them how I just bought a house in this city and my neighbors invited me to church. I told them I was from out of town, but like it here except for my neighbor.

The three students introduce themselves to me.

The teacher then asks, “Do we have any prayer requests?”

The young lady whom I am attracted to says, “Unspoken.”

I then say, “Just that God protect me from my neighbor.”

The man from the young couple says, “Our marriage.”

His wife says, “Yes, we need it.”

We all bow our heads as the teacher leads us in prayer, then begins teaching.

We soon get off the subject and begin to talk about marriage and relationships.

The young man says how women shouldn’t be so bossy.

To which his wife replies how men should be more considerate.

“What is your take on this?” The teacher asks me.

“Well,” I reply, “I’ve had some failed relationships in my past, but if I had a good lady in my life, I would definitely love her and revere her tremendously. If we all can remember to be like that with our significant others, treat them with love and reverence, that is, then marriage would be a lot easier and much more pleasant!”

The young lady to whom I am attracted smiles at me from ear to ear, until the teacher asks her, “And what is your take?”

“I think what this he just said is very true and I totally agree with him!”

I begin to blush.

So does she.

We then bashfully smile at each other.

“That’s very profound,” The teacher says, then continues, “I think you will make an excellent contribution to this class if you decide to continue coming here.”

“Thank you, sir!” I tell the teacher.

Suddenly, the power goes out and the room becomes dark.

“Must be the snow, you know the grid down here can’t handle it,” The teacher says.

I reach into my backpack for my Streamlight Jr. tactical flashlight and I light up the classroom.

The young lady whom I am attracted to smiles even more at me.

“I like to be prepared for anything,” I tell the class.

The young lady giggles.

The young man from the couple says, “Oh man, I think you’re definitely going to fit in here!”

His wife adds, “Yes, I hope you decide to join,”

“I think I will,” I tell the class.

I can see the young lady smiling from ear to ear with the light of my flashlight.

We sit in the dark as the couple continues discussing their problems, but the young lady and I are staring at each other with increasing affection.

Then the power comes back on, just as the lesson concludes.

We then go into the fellowship hall and have our meal.

Because the power had gone out, they all took pizzas from the freezer and began to bake them.

I sit at a table and wait for the food to be served.

Suddenly another young lady comes up to me and says, “My roommate likes you and she says she wants to get to know you!”

“Who is your roommate?” She points across the room to the young lady to whom I am attracted.

As I look at her, she waves at me.

“What do you think?” The other young lady asks me.

“To tell the truth, I think she is really cute and I like her as well. We just had a class together.”

“Aw, that is so sweet. She is going to be so happy and I cannot wait to tell her. Please don’t break her heart though, she has been hurt before.”

“So have I, so I promise to treat her right, wherever this may go.”

“Awesome! I’ll go tell her.”

“Also tell her to come and sit with me, that is if she wants to.”

“I think she would love to!”

I watch her tell the young lady and how she smiles with excitement as she hears.

Now she is coming over to sit with me. I feel even giddier.

She sits in the chair next to me. We awkwardly but sweetly smile at each other.

At first, there is an awkward silence but then she asks, “Do you really like me?”

“I sure do!”

“And you really do think I am cute?”

I look into her eyes and say, “Most definitely!”

“Even though I am overweight?”

I hold her hands while gently looking into her eyes and then say, “May I confess something to you, and please try not to hold it against me?”

“Sure,” She says with a heavy heart.

I continue gently looking into her eyes and speak, “I think ladies your size are God’s most beautiful creatures!”

I then blush afterwards, but she giggles.

“You’re quite handsome yourself, you know!” She tells me.

“I have to tell you two things and you may not want me after hearing them,”

“Try me,” She says.

“Okay first of all I am mentally disabled. I am schizophrenic but it is well controlled with medication, though,” I humbly tell her.

“That’s okay, I am mentally disabled too. I have PTSD.”

“And the other thing, I was married before, to a Mexican woman who treated me terribly. Then I was in a relationship with another woman who led me on, just to dump me a little over a year later. I only slept with my ex-wife though.”

“That’s no big deal, when I was fifteen I was molested by an illegal immigrant from Mexico, hence the PTSD and my weight gain. I’ve talked to many other young men, but they always give up on me before doing anything with me because I don’t put out. After all, I want to wait until marriage, so you can kind of say, I only slept with one person too, though it wasn’t by choice.”

“We both have a past, but I guess it makes us stronger.”

“Do you still want me, now that you know this?”

“Most definitely. I hope you still want me as well.”

“Of course!”

“You’re at least twenty-five, right? I know age shouldn’t matter, but I would rather not date anyone under twenty-five, although I could easily make an exception for you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m twenty-eight-going-on twenty-nine. But how old are you?”

“Thirty-two-going-on-thirty-three. I hope I’m not too old for you.”

“Nope, you’re perfect for me-I think four years is the ideal age difference and that is what we have!”

“Wow, you are wonderful!”

“Thanks! You’re making me blush though!”

“I know but it’s so cute!”

“Do you really mean what you say about treating a significant other with love and reverence?”

“Yes, I am serious as a heart attack and honest as a robin about that!”

“Awesome, do you think you could feel that way towards me?”

“I sure could, and more than anyone else I ever met!”

“Wow! Where have you been all my life?”

“In another town, unfortunately.”

“Do you want to know what my unspoken prayer was?”

“Yes.”

“Well, first let me say that I thought you were very handsome, like the moment I saw you walk into the classroom, and I liked you ever since then, but my unspoken prayer was that you would somehow like me too!”

I then hug her tightly. She steals a kiss.

Then she says, “Sorry, but I’m crazy about you!”

“Nothing to be sorry for, I feel the same way!”

“So, are we a couple?”

“If you want to be we are!”

“Then, yes, we are!”

“Finally, I think I have found someone wonderful!”

“I’m so happy, it’s as if all my prayers and the prayers of several people at this church have been answered!”

“Mine has been too. I used to meditate on the perfect lady for me and you fit the description exactly!”

She kisses me again.

We then exchange phone numbers and addresses.

It turns out we live within walking distance of each other.

Our pizza is then served and we happily eat.

We spend the rest of the fellowship time holding hands and falling more and more for each other.

“Are you able to drive?” She asks.

“I have my license, but I no longer have my car. I’m more focused on paying for my house.”

“That’s fine. We can walk to each other. I have a license, too, but was never able to buy a vehicle.”

“If I ever, get a car again, I can teach you how to drive.”

“That would be awesome!”

All too quickly the fellowship time is over.

We share a hug and a kiss, then I ask, “May I call you when I get home and also call when we wake up tomorrow!”

“Of course!”

“Yay!”

She then gets in the car with her roommates and I get in the van with the couple who invited me to church.

“Seems like there was strong chemistry between you and her tonight,” The man says.

“There sure was,” I reply.

“She has a very good heart, but sometimes she has some serious mental issues. However, if you’re patient and understanding with her, she will love you like there is no tomorrow!” The lady says.

“I can somewhat relate because she and I have plenty in common,”

“God definitely put y’all together, I can see that!” The man adds in.

“I think so too, honey!” His wife adds.

Soon we are in front of my house.

“We will pick you up Sunday Morning.” The man says.

“Sure thing,” I reply.

I then get out of their van, grab my backpack and close the door. Afterwards, I enter the gate of my cyclone fence, walk across my front yard up the steps then unlock and enter my front door.

I sit on the sofa and call my girlfriend.

“Hey, you!” She answers.

“I was calling to let you know I safely arrived home and I need to take my medicine.”

“Awesome, I’m glad you’re safe. We’re walking across the front yard now and I need to take my medicine too!”

“My medicine makes me sleepy, what about yours?”

“Yes, mine does too.”

“Well then, we both need our rest, but how I long to be able to hug you tightly and sweetly give you a good night kiss! I must also confess that I wish I could cuddle you in my arms throughout the night as well! But my prayer is for God to look after both of us until we see each other again and I equally pray for our peaceful slumber!”

“Aw, that’s so beautiful, and, yes, I have those desires as well!”

“Then if you want we can exchange these words every night!”

“I would love that and I can tell you’re going to make me very happy!”

“And you make me happy as well!”

“Yay!”

“Now we both need to take our medicine, so let’s hang up and take it!”

“Okay, I cannot wait for you to call me tomorrow,”

“I promise you, I will as soon as I wake up. Please don’t ever think that I am going to ghost you!”

“I know you won’t. I am never going to ghost you either!”

“Just making sure!”

“You’re so sweet!”

“So are you!”

“Okay, let’s take our medicine and I will tell you good night!”

“Good night!”

I take my medicine and then soon fall asleep happier than I’ve ever been!…

Back to “Second Chances”

So in order to make sure that we are all properly tuned in, I hereby declare that I am not the owner of the featured image on this page.  As my part of giving credit whereupon credit is rightfully due, I admit that I downloaded the said image from eBay.

Growing up, my parents always had cable.

I guess because of where we lived, we needed it if we were to watch television with any comfort or ease.

We lived about forty to fifty miles from New Orleans and sixty miles from Baton Rouge, so the only way to easily catch broadcast television was to erect an outdoor aerial antenna. My parents flat-out refused to do so.

At the age of eleven, I started to discover the differences between cable television and broadcast television.

It was right then and there that I decided for myself that broadcast television received over an antenna was far more authentic than cable television received over a wire. That is the best way I can describe how I feel about it. I still feel this way in my mid-thirties.

I first experimented with a television antenna briefly in the summer of 1998 at the age of eleven. I caught WWL-TV out of New Orleans.

Three years later, in the summer of 2001, I experimented again with a television antenna and caught WDSU-TV again out of New Orleans.

I was bit by the bug and catching TV signals over the air became an obsession for me.

While I didn’t have my own television set, I did eventually have a now obsolete television audio receiver, a Coby CX-17, which helped me with my experiments of receiving TV signals over the air.

In the summer of 2003, I finally had my own television set and I bought a set of VHF rabbit ears and a UHF loop. For the next few years that is how I watched television though the picture was snowy most of the time.

In the late fall of 2007, I discovered digital over-the-air television and was thoroughly impressed.

In the late Spring of 2018, while going through a divorce, I acquired my apartment and refused to subscribe to cable. Instead, I had a wall-mount antenna that served me well until Hurricane Ida, which destroyed my apartment and one of my televisions.

From December 2021 until April 2023, I stayed in an Ida Sheltering Camper with its own preinstalled rooftop antenna.

In April of 2023, my current and I fervently pray forever wife and I moved to the New Orleans suburb of Westwego, Louisiana.

We also inherited a bedroom television from my Paternal Grandparents’ estate.

I ordered a new remote for that television and an antenna.

The antenna I ordered is a Clear TV Premium HD Mini Antenna and that is what this piece will be a review thereof.

I had seen infomercials for this product, ironically on broadcast television for years.

Usually, I write off most things sold in infomercials as mediocre at best and I know from personal experience that the really good products more often than not, sell themselves.

Despite all the hype on the infomercials, this antenna is simply a basic, entry-level model.

However, I know that since I am in an area that is closer to television transmitters than I have ever lived before, I do not need a high-end antenna as long as I am here.

Furthermore, I forget what it was selling for on those infomercials but I paid only $9.82 for mine on eBay, and that included taxes and shipping.

It arrived on our doorstep this past Monday and I set it up as soon as I woke up.

I initially said in a related piece that it caught 65+ channels. The total number of channels it caught was 70, but some of them are duplicates.

But all of the channels come in clearly.

I do have two complaints, however:

The first complaint is that if either my wife or I get up and stand between the television set (the antenna sits on top of it) and our window that faces New Orleans, the signal will cut out. I am thinking of rearranging our bedroom for that very purpose.

Secondly, it sits on top of a flat-screen television, it should have had a clamp or something to keep it secured on there because my wife or myself bumps into the television stand the antenna falls and I might utter a few words that I ought not to utter.

I don’t think it would work out in the Gulf of Mexico as the infomercial claimed, at least not under normal conditions, but in proximity to any city with a substantial television market, this is all one would need to watch broadcast television satisfactorily.

I never tried it in a rural setting but I have tried other rabbit ear antennas in a rural setting and the results are marginal at best.

There are a few wall-mount antennas I have used in rural settings which performed very well, especially when paired with an amplifier. I will have to write a review on some of those in the future.

So, yes I have always found watching television over the air to be more authentic and dare I say even romantic as opposed to that miserable cable penis that breaks into homes and molests the residents’ finances.

And not only that, watching television over the air may [or may not] have an initial startup cost, but in the long run will pay for itself with the savings one will get from not paying for subscription TV.

I have said on numerous occasions that cable has, at some point around 2010, plummeted in quality yet somehow skyrocketed in cost.

In my opinion, cable television is not worth it anymore, even though my opinion is quite biased.

The infomercial for this product had some partially correct statements in it.

I guess this, therefore concludes my review of the Clear TV Premium HD Mini Antenna.

If I had to give it a rating it would be 4.85 out of 5 stars, because of the need to be by a window and the insecure footing.

I hope that you, the reader, have been informed, enlightened, and maybe somehow entertained.

May God richly bless you!

Back to “Product Reviews”

As usual, I am not the owner of the featured image on this page.

I had downloaded it though, I am not sure if I remember which website I downloaded it from.

On an unrelated note, between the previous post and this post, I had moved from the Houma-Thibodaux area of Louisiana to the suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Also, I am anticipating some foul weather later this evening which is forecast to go on into the morning hours tomorrow.

I know I had EDCed a Midland HH50B as my travel and commuting weather radio for years and I had tried several others aside from that model. I feel the need to be prepared and be prepared for whatever weather can occur is no exception.

Earlier this year, I had made up my mind to purchase a new weather radio, sepcifically for travel and commuting. During this month, I purchased a Kaito KA123, which not only gets Weather but also AM and FM.

And that device is what this piece will be a review thereof.

I picked up the package carrying that radio this past Easter Sunday or April 9th.

And I bought some rechargeable batteries for it this past Monday or April 10th and had been using it ever since.

I am thoroughly impressed by the audio quality and ability to pull in the signals I need and want to receive.

I also appreciate the mostly durable design which can so far withstand being carried in my backpack.

I guess it is neat to have a built-in digital clock, although I could take or leave that feature.

There is a standby mode, but lacking specific area message encoding, which means it will activate for all alerts sent out by a weather broadcast transmitter, including those alerts that do not apply to one’s location or situation.

There is a Mini USB port to charge NiMH batteries but neither the batteries nor the charging cable is included.

One feature that could be somewhat useful would be an LED flashlight, which is bright enough in a pinch but doesn’t measure up to a tactical flashlight by any means.

My chief and only real complaint about this radio is the fact that it does not automatically scan for a weather broadcast but instead must be manually set. This means that while this radio would be ideal for local travel where one knows which weather broadcast frequency to tune to, it would not be so ideal for cross-country travel.

FM reception is phenomenal and AM reception is better than I thought it would be. It would be better for listening to the news and talk shows and music would probably leave something to be desired.

The FM and Weather antenna works decently in both the extended and collapsed positions where I am located, however, if I would be in a less populated area, I would probably need to extend that antenna more often.

For travel within a city and the greater area of that city, this radio would be perfect.

I like the fact that it can be charged with a Mini USB cable, which adds to the convenience of charging even on the fly.

While the sun is shining brightly as it sets to the west of me, I know some rough weather is coming so I have it with me as I sit in a local cafe` typing this piece. I also have a tried and true Midland WR-120EZ on standby at my wife’s residence.

Earlier today, I looked at the Weather Surveillance RADAR and the cluster of storms headed my way looked like a miniature hurricane, eye included.

This is the calm before the storm, but I pray everything will be all right.

All in all, here is what the company website had to say about this product:

“You’ll never want to go skiing, backpacking, hiking or camping again without the Pocket Digital AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio – especially when you discover its many valuable features. With just 3 AAA batteries, you can connect with National Weather Radio forecasts and the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) for up to date announcements on storms, tornadoes and other hazardous weather or public alerts coming your way.”

This is a durn good radio, for most travel situations and even to keep around the house for safe rooms.

This, therefore, concludes my review of the Kaito KA-123.

I give it 4.95 out of 5 stars.

I hope that you, the reader, have been informed, enlightened, and maybe even entertained.

May God richly bless you!

Back to “Product Reviews”

John “Jack” Becker, Jr was born October 26, 1942, in Saint Charles Missouri, and was taken way too soon on June 15, 2022, at 9:18 AM. He was 79 years old.

I and so many others had referred to him as Coach Becker or simply Coach. This is because, for many years he coached basketball at my high school, although by the time I was a student there, he taught honors science and driver’s education in addition to being a guidance counselor for seniors.

Due to various reasons, I was unable to attend his memorial, but I still wish to express my condolences and disclose the impact he had on my life.

There are many stories I wish to tell of this kind-hearted, jolly, hard-working, and humble gentleman.

Some are directly from experiences I have had with him and others are stories I’ve heard from numerous sources.

Both he and Mister Luigi Vegas were the driver’s education teachers at the time I was taking the course and I made it my business to drive with Coach Becker because I wanted to hear all of his corny jokes and amazing stories.

He made me laugh and smile frequently.

I remember him going off on a tangent about mobile phones during the driver’s education course how he didn’t need one, didn’t want one, wasn’t important enough for one, and frankly didn’t want to be bothered by one. At the time I thought he was crazy for at least one of those statements, because to me and I am sure many of his students, colleagues, and family, he was tremendously important. I now though see how he would not want to be bothered by a phone and my fiancee can tell any one of you how I cringe whenever my phone goes off because I too don’t want to be bothered. I now see exactly where he is coming from.

Another story is on the day when he was going to be teaching me how to parallel park he announced that we were going PP in the street between two police cars. He then said how “PP” in this case stands for parallel park and if he were to tell that to a female student how she would freak out. After my driving lesson for the day was done, I went home and told my dad how Coach Becker made me PP in the street between two police cars in Downtown Houma. My dad was getting ready to blow a gasket then I told him how PP stands for “parallel park.” Of course, I had the exact reaction I wanted.

It was always fun to be near his office during Christmas time because he had Classic Christmas songs playing on a stereo system.

After his passing, I heard local broadcaster Martin Folse speaking fondly of Coach Becker speaking with people near and dear to him. It was from watching this, I learned of how he used to listen to Saint Louis Cardinals games on the radio. Had I known of this while I was in high school, I would have applied my skills acquired from my radio hobby and shown Coach Becker how AM broadcast signals travel much further at night, and on any given night he could have tuned in to the AM radio stations from Saint Louis and tuned in the games.

I remember his straw hat and his fondness for peanuts and how it was a comical sight to see him sitting on a school bench, wearing his straw hat and eating peanuts.

Though he had a temper when highly provoked, there was such a gentleness and innocence about him.

God truly broke the mold after he created Coach Becker.

I miss him and I wish I would have visited him more often.

Before I conclude, I will say that wicked people in high places have sown plenty of discord and divisions amongst as many groups as possible. So maybe I didn’t visit him because of the vast amount of difference between my generation (Millennial) and his generation (Silent.) Therefore I was worried that he would be disappointed in me.

We must need overcome our differences if we ever wish to get back to the better times we once had and I am preaching this to myself as well as anyone else. The only One who can restore this is Jesus Christ and I think Coach Becker would have agreed with that statement.

All in all, I miss Coach Becker and I wish God would have made more men like him.

So we’re all square with everything, I do not own the featured image on this page. I give all credit whereupon credit is due and in this case, I cropped it out of the 1991 Radio Shack Catalog.

Even before I had left my ex-wife, I had prayed that God would deliver me from that terrible marriage and I also prayed that He would send me someone who would be more in line with my standards. I will say that I had relaxed my standards to be with my ex-wife and I suffered quite a bit as a result.

I believe God has sent me my future spouse and we plan to get married in a few days. I will declare that we get along great and it seems that many things come against but, but because of God’s grace we come back stronger. My prayer is that He will continually sustain us and our relationship.

So ever since leaving my ex-wife, I had romantic interests in a handful of females.

One thing I wanted to do when these romantic interests is purchase her something that was made the same month and year she was born. To do this, I would read the Radio Shack Catalogs, look for a product that she [and I] could use that was from around that time, then check for it on eBay.

It wasn’t until late last month that I was successful in doing this.

I was looking for something for my fiancee (who was born in 1991) out of the 1991 Radio Shack Catalog.

I came across a Realistic Pro 2024, which is a mid-grade tabletop scanner radio made for and sold by Radio Shack. And that scanner is what this piece will be a review thereof.

I secured one of these on eBay late last month when I was looking at the pictures of it and saw that it was made in the same month of 1991 that my fiancee was born. I knew I had to give it to her.

So, I made the purchase, then I told her that I had a surprise for her and it would be in the mail in a few days.

She was happy.

When it came in, I presented it to her, then set it up. And by doing so, I think I got my fiancee’s feet wet into my scanner hobby.

After I finished programming it, I turned it on and let it scan.

It did so for hours on in, performing very well despite being thirty-one years old at the time I am writing this and also at the time of our initial use!

From my experience, I think Radio Shack made their best products between 1980 and 2001, then there was a sudden decline in quality that would contribute to the ruin of the company.

However, this scanner that I bought for my fiancee works wonderfully.

There are no issues with the volume or squelch knobs.

The audio is clear as a sunny day.

The memory keeps even when unplugged, which cannot be said of all scanners from that era!

Then there is the sensitivity, which is the finest I’ve seen on a scanner in quite a while, maybe even ever.

It is either equally sensitive as my Realistic Pro-59 (which came off the assembly line the same year) or it is possibly even better, due to the distance at which it pulls in signals that my other scanners in use struggle severely with or don’t even stop on unless conditions are just right. Dare I say, it may even outperform my Pro-2004 in terms of sensitivity!

My fiancee says listening to it at night helps her fall asleep and stay asleep.

I, of course, listen to it with her and am just amazed at the sensitivity, due to its ability to pull in distant signals with clarity and ease. Of course, I also appreciate the fine audio quality and robust memory.

So, I know a decent scanner when I see one and this is a good scanner indeed, albeit obsolete in some areas of scanning.

Unfortunately, most scanners are obsolete these days when listening to law enforcement and some fire and EMS entities because of all this gosh durn encryption going on, which I believe is a blatant and direct violation of the First Amendment’s Free Press Clause. Except for matters of a legal and ethically justified war, and I stress the words “legal and ethically justified”, or other events of extreme national security, I believe our government must needs to be transparent with its people and scanners allow this, except when government entities encrypt their communications. This is much better than a biased and edited press release.

Still, this scanner is a winner for pulling in railroad, civilian aircraft, some fire dispatch tone-outs, a little bit of marine traffic, local amateur radio, and much business band traffic.

By the way, I still wonder if these new Vietnamese-made scanners will still be working for thirty-one years in the future. For those wondering, the Realistic Pro-2024 was made in Japan, the country that makes the finest electronics, although I must admit that China, both the Republic (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic (mainland) is gaining on them and has been for some time. Scanners made in The Philippines were decent back in the day, but now I don’t think they are too hot.

Okay, enough of the politics already!

The catalog had this to say:
Be “on the scene” instantly-hear police, fire, and ambulance calls, aviation and marine communications, Ham radio, rail, and more from your own living room!

That statement was very true in 1991 and still is partially true in 2022

Below I will list some of the features of the Realistic Pro-2024:
60 Main Memory Channels
Full-Frequency Liquid Crystal Display
Search Function with 10 Channel Monitor Bank
2-Speed Scan and Search Modes
Lock-Out Key
Memory Backup
Motorola Antenna Jack in addition to top antenna jack for the supplied antenna.
Frequency Coverage of 30-54 MHz FM, 118-136 MHz AM, 138-174 MHz FM, and 380-512 MHz FM

The price tag in 1991 was $199.95 or $435.73 in 2022 Dollars.

Here I am getting political again, but something needs to be done about this terrible inflation, people are suffering because of it!

All in all, my fiancee enjoys her scanner and this is the first one she owns.

Actually, I don’t think she knew what a scanner was until I came into her life, but I may be wrong.

Let me say that I thoroughly enjoy it as well and it also has sentimental value because it is the same age as hers.

Easily I give this product a full 5 out of 5 stars and I only wish the electronics of today were made with such quality!

This, therefore, concludes my review of the Realistic Pro-2024.

I hope that you, the reader, have been informed, enlightened, and maybe even entertained.

May God richly bless you!

Back to “Product Reviews”

Today is January 27, 2022, which means it has been six years and one day since the very untimely passing of Mister Calvin John “Coach Buck” Buxton.

Even today, he is missed by many, myself included.

He was a kind, friendly, hardworking, and humorous gentleman and took from us way too soon.

I first met Coach Buck in August of 2001. I was in the boy’s P.E. class and his girl’s P.E. class was at the same period.

The first thing I noticed about him was that he would frequently make peacock calls, either in the gym or on the practice field-to which I found extremely hilarious.

I remember telling my mom about a certain coach who would make these hilarious peacock calls and how it made me laugh so much.

It was on September 11, 2001, Coach Buck led the entire assembly in prayer, in reaction to the horrible events of that day.

After class was dismissed, I told my mom that the man who led the prayer was the same man who does the peacock calls.

She told me that the gentleman praying was Coach Buck and how he has a wonderful sense of humor.

When he found out how much his peacock calls entertain me, he did them even more so, to which I would laugh until my eyes were watering and my sides ached!

In my sophomore year, (2003-2004), he taught me Old Testament Religious Studies and he would allow me to read my Bible in his class. Doing so prepared me for an encounter with Jesus Christ that following summer, to which I put trust in Him as my Lord and Savior.

Also during that class, he would frequently strike the metal cabinet with his fist which resulted in a loud bang. He did this to get his class’s attention, and I thought this was almost as funny as his peacock call.

Another time in his class, he was teaching how Yahweh provided the Israelites with quail to eat. And I asked Coach Buck if they had to call the quails, to which he subsequently sounded his infamous peacock call and I laughed for about five minutes straight.

I never played any sports but I must mention that those who played sports under him will tell how he was a talented and dedicated coach.

Years after graduating, I contacted him on social media and asked if he remembered me, to which he replied how he did and that I was one of his favorite students. I was very touched by this because he was among my favorite teachers.

I remember the day he passed, my mom called me on the phone crying that Coach Buck had passed away. I was crushed.

I still think of him every day that God sends.

On the day of his funeral, I was planning to attend, but I had overslept due to the troubles I have with the medications I am required to take.

I felt terrible for not attending because Coach Buck was good to me and he had a positive impact on my life.

All in all, rest easy Coach Buck, you truly were a wonderful person and I miss you!

Today is June 5, 2021, which would have been the 76th birthday of Mister Earl “Unit 2” Smith. But sadly he passed away on December 21, 2011. Even though it’s been almost ten years since his passing, I still think of him daily.

This gentleman faithfully worked as one of the custodians at the high school of which I attended. He was previously employed as a cook on several boats.

I first met him on January 6, 2001, and I initially thought he was from the Caribbean, because of his voice.

Mister Earl was kind, humble, hard-working and a man of the great Christian faith. He also had a wonderful sense of humor and was an excellent culinary artist.

Many times I would hang out with him before or between classes and he would tell me stories share his faith with me.

I cannot begin to tell you, the reader, about the impact that this gentleman had on my life. He may have only been employed as a custodian at my high school, but he probably taught me many more important life lessons than most of my teachers.

All I can say is that I wish the world would have had more people like him and that he was taken too soon.

One thing I must point out because I truly admire him for this is that he would randomly drop Gospel Tracts disguised as $100 bills all around the campus in hopes that more at my high school would somehow come to know Christ. He ran the risk of being fired for this but did it anyway. For that alone, I am sure he is casting a huge crown at Jesus’ Feet in Glory.

He could never pronounce my name correctly, but instead affectionately referred to me as “Aaron Mongo.”

Sometimes when I couldn’t understand him, I would ask him to pretend he is preaching then I could hear him clear as day.

I knew he looked out for me because I was a troubled teenager.

He also used to laugh when he caught me looking at women and girls.

Christmas of 2011 was a terrible Christmas for me because not only did I lose Mister Earl, but I also lost one of my favorite cousins a day after Mister Earl passed. All I can say is that it was God and family who brought me through that terrible time.

I could kick myself for not attending his funeral but he forever has a residence in my memory of all that he taught me and all the times he made me laugh.

To say I miss him is a serious understatement.

I know I will see him again in Glory and I’ll likely get an earful from him on that day.

I am not the only one who thought so highly of Mister Earl. I think everyone else in the whole school would all have wonderful things to say about him.

I thank God for sending him into my life and it was an honor to be able to work with him and hang out with him when I could.