Does Elon Musk or Bill Gates adopt? Asking for myself. I need a $6000 roof repair not covered by insurance and trying to explore alternatives that don’t involve putting said transaction on a credit card. Oh well…Happy pre-Friday!
— Peace. #33 —-
Ides of March 2023
Beware!
I’m just saying…don’t order the Caesar salad today! Cheers!
— March 15,2023 — #33
2023 Creative Process
I started this blog on WordPress in 2013. Ten years later the world has changed in so many ways. My life has changed in so many ways. Based on the multiple endings and re-starts, many would’ve expected that Cat Lady Prophecy (of me) to have come to fruition. But as it sits today, just the two felines reside in my home. However, I’m simply a modest lotto win away from adding to that number to create a fluffy, spoiled Pride.
In 2013, many people read blogs on the daily. In today’s world, I think that practice is not very likely to be happening. It seems that everyday life moves too fast and no one has time to invest in reading a 8-15 minute piece about random riff-raff. Most digestible ideas and concepts need to be meme ready or reeled in by TikTok videos. Our society as a whole is so geared towards instant gratification that I fear at some point, the old ways will soon be lost to the current generation because the process(es) takes too long or there simply is an APP that does the task quicker (and better) for you. Some of the tasks made obsolete were perhaps better for our daily lives, but within those tasks sometimes there were life lesson on patience, discipline and attention to craft. Anyone, who ventures out into a public venue on a daily basis, should easily be able to see several examples of those three things being short-changed or short-cutted with regularity…and it’s a sad thing to behold.
I have always been stupidly optimistic. Ultimately I expect that quality will figure into my death somehow. Stay tuned. It took me quite a long time to understand my most effective internal process when it comes to being ‘creative’. Sometimes you have to release or put down what you’ve been holding onto instead of rolling it over and over in your mind. This can allow the next idea or concept to come along and not compete with the distraction of the other thing(s). Sometimes you may actually be able to get to the next level of an idea by purging the first phase that wasn’t able to cohesively come together. Just a little tip that has helped me decompress and get to new (better?) ideas and thoughts.
In closing, let me share with you, one of my favorite expressions over the years (one that I’ve used in many job interviews). It is:
If I got hit by a bus tomorrow, I’ve left the person following me a map of how to pick up my work or what was still needing to be accomplished. This fatalistic scenario is utilized to infer that everything can change in an instant, for good or ill. If the world internet got hit by a bus tomorrow, what would we be left with and how would those left move on?
Grass Clippings in my Craw
Good afternoon all! To my faithful readers, sorry it has been six months since my last entry. Much has transpired in those days, weeks and months. For the highlights you can get caught up by listening to my podcast. But what brings me back to the typed word page is this: Outrage.
No it’s not the astronomically high prices at the gas pump even as they slowly relent. No it’s not the Roe vs Wade reversal – but that’s a very interesting debate. In the grand scheme of things, it’s several hundred rungs below all that, but still I feel I’m entitled to vent. And seeing as how this is my blog site…I’m gonna do just that!
Make me the 11th Commissioner of Major League Baseball
Hello and good day. Here we are well into the month of February of the year 2022 and the start of the 2022 spring training has been delayed. In my estimation, Rob Manfred has failed to be the leader Major League Baseball needs and thus he needs to be replaced.
Let’s look at the man’s recent activities in relation to his job duties, shall we? Last year he spearheaded a political play to steal millions of revenue dollars from the city of Atlanta, Georgia (hey Denver, Colorado! Would you like 10’s of millions of dollars?) over a political play that was essentially none of Major League Baseball’s business. Eventually the city of Atlanta was able to recoup some of their losses by ultimately being triumphant in the fall classic aka The World Series. How did good old Rob parlay this great underdog story into momentum for the offseason? By not being proactive in the slightest and sitting on his hands for literally months whilst the franchise teams engaged in a lockout with their players’ union.
Strike one.
Manfred and his focus group of bean counters are worried about the length of games being 45 seconds too long. His fix-all solutions are to try to curtail mound visits and other insignificant rules that add about six minutes to a game. True baseball fans (aka baseball’s core customers) will watch a baseball game if it last 2 hours and 30 minutes or 2 hours and 45 minutes or 3 hours and 6 minutes. He needs to stop obsessing over the micro when the macro is fine. His agenda is letting the sponsors dictate how the game (product) is presented and portrayed. Does anyone remember when the St Louis Cardinals of the National League played the Minnesota Twins of the American League in a daytime World Series game in 1987? That was 35 years ago by my count. Stop making everything about primetime advertising leverage and trying to squeeze an extra 50 Cent, er…50 cents out of each telecast.
Strike two.
The farce that is the Hall of Fame selection process is EMBARASSING. Your all-time hits leader and all-time home run leader are not inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. Regardless of the speculative circumstances surrounding a player’s accomplishments, if their stats are in the record books and acknowledged as the yardstick for the sport, then these players are legit and should be considered on their accomplishments (period). Case and point, recently the besmirched designated-hitter David Ortiz was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. In 10 category comparisons (seasons played, hits, runs batted in, home runs, walks, runs (scored), doubles, Gold Gloves (defense), stolen bases and strikeouts) between Ortiz and Home Run Champ Barry Bonds…Ortiz only is above Bonds in one of those categories (career doubles 632 vs 601). What is missing here is the ‘good guy’ double standard MLB and its coverage crusties employ. Ortiz, despite getting caught with his hand in the performance enhancing cookie jar, is a personable and likeable personality. Bonds on the other hand was viewed as kind of a ‘Richard’ throughout the sport and thus is not given the same chance to rehab his legacy. As far as the All-time Hits King in Pete Rose Sr…he should 1000000% be in the Hall of Fame as a player. If the sport wants to permanently disbar him from the Hall as a manager, I’d support that no questions asked. As a manager, Charlie Hustle was middling at best. But as a player, competitor and recordholder (for a record that was set three dozen years ago that will never be touched again), the now 80-year-old Rose deserves to be pardoned by Manfred and enshrined.
Strike three…YOU’RE OUT ROB!
Conference Title Up For Grabs: 02-12-2022 Eagles vs Black Cats
For those familiar with the Jefferson County Athletic Association (JCAA) Small Schools (basketball) league for the girls (this year), you probably already know what was on the line this weekend. If you aren’t aware, then let me tell you. For the division of six local high school teams (Crystal City, St Vincent, Jefferson R-7, St. Pius X, Herculaneum and Grandview) the title of league/conference champion was up for grabs in this showdown between the Grandview Lady Eagles and the Herculaneum (Herky) Lady Black Cats.
With the St. Pius X Lady Lancers already done with their conference schedule and sporting a conference mark of 4-1, they were most likely Eagles fans on this night. That lone loss in conference play came at the hands of the Lady Black Cats who were able to overcome a rough first half and outlast the Lady Lancers in their matchup. The Grandview squad came into this home contest with a 3-1 conference record (their only loss coming at the hands of the Lady Lancers). With Herky sitting at 4-0, they needed a win to capture the conference title outright or a loss would result in a 3-way tie for the conference championship. The Lady Black Cats also had the cache of being two-time defending conference champions with an eye on becoming 3-peat winners!
Grandview Eagles’ Chase Wilson Achieves 1000 Career Points
It’s not often you see a team, trailing by 40 points late in the fourth quarter in a high school basketball game, get a mid-court steal that turns into a contested layup…and the fans in attendance erupt for both schools. However, on this second Saturday night of February 2022 in a very forgettable season for the Grandview Eagles boys, there was a wholly memorable moment.
Saturday, February 12, 2022 Chase Wilson walked into the gym for the Grandview Eagles needing 18 points in the upcoming contest with the Herculaneum Black Cats to reach 1000 career points for his high school career. Here’s a recap of how the game unfolded:
Quarter 1: Chase Wilson no points in the first seven minutes of game time. Wilson makes 3-point shot in the last minute of the quarter to pull his team to within 3 points of the Black Cats as the game is 14-11 after one quarter.
Quarter 2: Wilson features a 3-point shot from the top of the key and a 2-point layup. He also picks up his second foul. Herculaneum leads 31-19 at halftime. Wilson has 8 total points and needs 10 more for the 18 needed.
Quarter 3: For the Grandview team as a whole, entirely rough outcomes on offense and defense. Wilson only able to muster a 2-point jumper as the Black Cat defense smothered him and the rest of the Eagles with authority. Black Cats lead after 3 quarters: 59-24.
Quarter 4: Herculaneum substituted in most of the reserves from their bench with their sizable lead. With the lead at 30+, by rule, the game clock was running regardless of stoppages. This fact made the task of Chase Wilson achieving 8 more points a little easier (vs reserves), but also harder (less time than normal with no stopped clock situations). After a few misfires in the first couple of possessions, Wilson connects on a 3-point shot about three minutes into the quarter. After traded possessions of turnovers, Wilson connects from the left wing for another 3-point shot with the clock showing 2:03 remaining. The Black Cats increased their lead to 40 points at 70-30…and Wilson came down and launched a 3-point attempt! The shot was no good and the Black Cats rebounded the miss. They attempted to bring the ball up the floor…but a hustle play by two of Wilson’s teammates caused the steal and the second player was able to feed the ball to Wilson for him to streak to the basket and lay the ball off the glass and in! 1000 career points! Wilson adds his name to the wall in their gym that features six other Eagles who have achieved this feat in their careers.
The Herculaneum Black Cats boys earned an impressive, dominating victory. But on this night, the Grandview Eagles team was able to cheer one of their own and the accomplishment Wilson was able to achieve on the shoulders of his and their collective efforts.
The Perfect Fantasy Football Season Doesn’t Exi…
Oh hi there! Welcome to my Blog site.
I don’t often get to brag (read NEVER) about my success with a fantasy football team. In most realities, my fantasy football teams generally leave me feeling like a Dallas Cowboys fan in the second round of the playoffs. Eeesh…too soon? But this year I was part of three fantasy leagues. In one ESPN league, I was the commissioner. Then in another ESPN league, I was a participant. And last but certainly not least, I was in a Yahoo league as a participant. In my ESPN leagues, I did respectable (by my low standards) by going 9-5 and qualifying for the playoffs in each before being rudely dismissed in each. I’m sensing that you may not be impressed with my my regular season .643 winning percentage. OK fair enough. Let me up the ante…
How about a perfect season? You heard correctly!! I matched the 1972 Miami Dolphins of the NFL (year of my birth btw)! In my lone Yahoo league entry, I posted a 15-0 regular season before sweeping the two rounds of playoffs to claim the undefeated, undisputed crown! Here are the screen shots of the standings, roster, bracket and recap.
A December to Remember…and Forget
Welcome to my blog site and Happy New Year (2022). If you are reading this from decades in the future and absorbing all the content instead of having to actually read the words, that is pretty cool. However, if you are reading this in the conventional fashion, that’s OK too.
Today was and is January 1, 2022…late in the evening (after 10pm Central Standard Time). I’ve been pretty busy with my ‘work’ as the end of the year was a big to-do for financial reasons for the company I work for at present. For the last 11-12 days, the distraction of work has been something of a blessing I suppose. Just like I’m meandering and dancing around getting into the meat of this post, I have spent a week and a half doing much to avoid sitting at this keyboard for this post.
To come out with it, I‘m coping with a loss. To my existence, a crucial loss. Trying to quantify how to convey to my readers the depth of this loss is certainly complicated. If you have someone in your life that you talk to or text on a daily basis multiple times…and have basically done so for almost thirty years, then you can probably slip on my shoes. The loss of my friend Mike after nearly three decades of daily or every other day shared silliness has left me adrift emotionally. Mike was victim of Covid-19 and he drew his last breath in this world on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 1:33pm.
Mike was a happy-go-lucky person. He was a brother (to Ken). He was a son (to Leon and Barbara). He was a husband (to Jess). He was a father (to Jacob). And he was a friend (to me and many others). I’m sure he was cousin and maybe some other family designations too, but I’m not Ancestry.com to sort that out.
December 2021: Closing the Year with Kitties
Good afternoon or thereabouts depending upon where from Mother Earth you are reading these words. I think my WordPress dashboard was reluctant to let me start the endeavor of creating a new post. The interface was sluggish and glitchy – much like me most days. But after some coaxing with my mouse…here we are. Twenty short days left in this year of 2021. In many ways this year has gone quickly and yet it also feels like the year lasted about 111 or 112 days longer than previous years.
Top 10 List of ill-advised times or moments to shotgun a beer
(as heard on the Chuck and Dave Podcast)
** Note: Shotgunning a beer definition – Taking a can of beer, turning it sideways and using a key or sharp instrument to puncture near the base of the can. Then, using the tab on top of the can to open, drink from the punctured area while tipping the can upright until the contents of the can are consumed. It is basically a party-way to ‘chug’ the beer.
10) “I’d like to call to order, this meeting of the Cub Scouts…”
9) When drinking from a glass beer bottle.
8) At the front of the line to pass through the metal detector to go into the court house.
7) After receiving Communion. (to lose the wine aftertaste…and possibly a chance at the afterlife)
6) To conclude your job interview (job applicant).
5) To celebrate your friend’s one year of sobriety at the AA meeting.
4) On a float trip with a beer found at the bottom of the river.
3) To successfully complete the 12th beer in the 12 Minute Shotgun Beer Challenge.
2) Before heading out to walk the tight rope at the circus.
1) To kick off the baseball game…as the home plate umpire. Play ball!
Enjoy. Have a great evening. Peace. #33 – The Freak <<09-26-2021>>
TV Time Warp – 07-25-2021
Hello all. I hope your month of July has been a thing of smiles and laughs. For myself, it has been like mentally stepping back in time. From a weather pattern perspective, this July here in Missouri has contained some of usual steamy days packed with July hotness. But it has also featured more than a few weekends of significant rain. With the presence of this rain, my usual outdoor activities have been prone to cancelation. With these freed up hours, enter into the equation some TV classics! Re-engaging these old favorites has been nostalgic and almost like entering a mental Twilight Zone. (cue the dramatic theme!)
For those younger readers, if I mention the TV series One Day at a Time, you may think I’m talking about the recently concluded remake/reboot featuring Justina Machado. But hold up, that is not the show I’m talking about right now. The OG One Day at a Time show debuted in 1975 and ran through 1984. I think I discovered it in reruns as a kid some time around 1980. I would’ve been 7 or 8 at that time.
Hump Day 07-21-2021
Hello from the quagmire of spreadsheets and grind of extricating funds from an employer! Lunch time comes early and just wanted to say hello before I scurry back into my ground hog burrow.
Hope everyone is having at least of moment of success today. As always, message me, text me, tweet me your thoughts for posts or just feedback!
Peace. #33 – The Freak / <<07-21-2021>>
Is The World Without Purpose Now?
Hello to those who have matriculated into Blog U today, tonight…or applicable time of day in your realm.
Does it seem like to anyone else that each new day only serves to spin the sun that much closer in time to implosion with no real positive movement forward by the human race? We here on this blue-green rock called Earth only exist for cell phone providers to target to cannibalize other carrier’s customers, am I right? Meanwhile, the bulk of the general populace seems to have nothing better to do than to snipe and swipe at 2D faces of unknown people who appear to have profiling differences about their preferred dish soap. These are the days of our lives…
Duckies
Peace. — #33 – The Freak <<07-18-2021>>
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