What Did I Miss?

-
Being out of routine is weird for me, but one of the good things about it was that I missed a lot of the news.

Like the State of the Union...

...I hate that speech anyway.

From the applause, to the mocking of whatever party doesn't have the speaker at the podium, to the horrible rebuttal afterwards.

But it's weird to think that the next state of the union will be done by a different president.

8 years will have gone by quickly.

I also missed commenting on a lot of the Powerball stuff.

Weird dynamic there, right?

We kicked around what might happen if we won all that money.

An obscene amount.

Don't you think there's a chance when you plunk down your two bucks for the ticket?

I bought tickets in New York and Arizona.

I checked them, knowing that getting even a single number would be a chore.

It was.

Imagine if we all plunked down two bucks to say, get rid of poverty.

A novel idea.

We wouldn't raise a million bucks with a contest like that.

But alas, the prize is being claimed.

Just not by us.

I, not surprisingly, did a lot of reading on the trip...just two books though...nothing obscene...but one of those was by true crime author M.William Phelps, who I met at an awards ceremony a few years back.

Phelps does a lot of research on horrific murders all across this great nation. We had a couple of beers back then and talked about some of the people he'd met.

"Pure evil," he told me. "Some people are just absolute monsters."

I wondered if getting into the minds of such people had any influence on how Phelps lives his life. I found that he was a family man...and met his wife...and a spiritual guy. We talked about God, about writing, and about those monsters.

It's weird reading the books that Phelps puts out each year and I've even seen him interviewed on the True Detectives series.

"I'll never be out of a job," he told me.

And think about that. Since Cain slew Abel...people have been killing one another and he's right...no matter what...it will continue to happen.

Did the Donald do anything while I was gone?

I've lost interest.

I know that there is some question about Ted Cruz being a Cuban Canadian and not an American but that makes me not want to watch any of it.

Will Donald as president eventually lose steam?

I can't see it ever working.

It might be funny, but it's kind of a serious job, right?

Ah well.

Had I won the Powerball none of it would've mattered.

I might have even plunked Pops out of obscurity and we could've formed our own ticket.

We would've won too!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suits

-
Like a lot of other people we got pulled into the series, ‘Suits’ on Netflix. I’ve never had much fun hanging around lawyers who have questioned me as a construction safety officer. I once testified in a case where the opposing lawyer started questioning me by going through my educational background. “So,” he said, racing to a crescendo, “You graduated from college with a degree in Communications-Journalism and suddenly, 30 years later, you’re a ‘safety expert.’” He actually made the quotation marks with his fingers. I just looked at him. “How does that happen?” He bellowed, sure that he was going to discredit me. “Well,” I said. “I knew I was overqualified to become a lawyer.” The courtroom erupted in laughter. Even the judge chuckled. The rest of his questions landed flat. So, I wasn’t all that keen on a show about lawyers, but ‘Suits’ is great. Meghan Markle became a princess because of the show, and she is very good in it (and a beautiful woman). Yet, there is so much more. The wri
Read more

My Buddy, Dave

-
Way back in 1997, I started working with a steel erection company out of Syracuse. I was coming straight from a long stint with a steel erector here in Buffalo so I knew my stuff when it came to steel erection safety rules. On day one, I met with the safety director and he was just getting started as a safety guy, but man, he certainly cared about the guys he worked with. Dave was a good man from the start. He’d say things like: “You’re so full of beans.” Just a down to earth, hardworking guy who became a fast friend. We drove all around New York State setting up jobs. I always let Dave drive so that I could rest. One fine day, way up North of Syracuse, we passed a state trooper.  I glanced at the speedometer. “You’re screwed,” I said, and seconds later, the lights came on. Dave was beside himself.  The cop stopped by the window, grabbed the license and registration and headed back to his vehicle. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You’re pissed, but you’re such a good guy that I bet you tha
Read more

Mom & Ollie

-
Image
 Ollie Stadium is a mess. The heavy rains rendered the backyard a mud pit and even though we threw in the side yard, the Big O was looking for more, and we were both covered in mud. I had to take some steam out of him somehow so I suggested we go visit Grandma. Ollie hates the car, but he laid quietly as we made the trip. We even brought the football because there is plenty of room to play at Grandma’s. Mom opened the door and started laughing. I thought about the love she had for every single dog we ever had. Oliver was quick to give my Mom a kiss, and then he stood beside her. The love between Mom and Dogs is a mutual bond. Through the years, Mom would make breakfast for the dogs.  Fried eggs, toast, bacon… She would wrap Christmas gifts for them. “To Jeter, Love Santa,” she would write on the cards. They played with the big chicken that made a lot of noise. Mom tossed the football and Ollie brought it back to her. As the visit drew to a close I headed for the door.  “C’mon, Oliver,”
Read more