Thoughts of a Common Man

My buddy Chris lost his Mom yesterday, and I immediately remembered so many moments. Life is made up of moments that stand out in the face of routine, work and drudgery. 1). The first one I thought of was a night when I was sick. The head cold was destroying me and I had a sore throat, was tired and my voice was shot.  Chris had invited me out for dinner and I went, with a design on bugging out early. Half the reason I went was because Barb and Eddie were going to be there. We had dinner and Chris suggested drinks. I tried to beg off. Barb and I were talking about our favorite authors. She ordered me a drink. A warm brandy of some sort. It was the best cold I ever had. By the time I left, I felt great. 2). One day, Chris called me. “My Mom has some books for you.” We headed over and I left with about 50 books stuffed into a bag. We talked about our favorite authors again. 3). Every single time I wrote a book I made sure that Barb got one of the first copies. She tried to pay me each ti

What a weird story. Someone attacked Lady Gaga’s dog walker, shooting the man, and running off with two of Lady Gaga’s French Bulldogs. Stealing dogs? The story had a happy ending for the dogs as they were returned to LAPD by a woman who was not presumed to be a part of the attack. Does anyone want to steal my cat? You don’t need a gun! Miller has certainly changed the dynamics of our home. He walks around like he’s paying the mortgage around here. The worst part is that in the wee hours of the day he goes from room-to-room checking to see who is asleep and who isn’t. When he returns to my room... ...he announces his arrival with a shrill shriek. The damn cat has ruined my sleep every night for the past two weeks. Yet stealing Gaga’s dogs? That’s low. I can’t even enjoy a movie or a series of a dog is harmed in the action. The bad guy runs in holding a gun and the dog comes at him. “Don’t shoot the dog!” I yell. Now, the guy can shoot 12 people on his way in and I won’t blink an eye, b

The crash happened at 7:00 in the morning on a stretch of road where speed can be a major factor. They preliminary information being that it was simply an accident and that there wasn’t drinking involved. His legs are a mess as is his ankle. So many people wondering if he’ll ever play competitive golf again. He was rehabbing after his fifth back surgery and now his legs have been smashed. I enjoyed watching Tiger play. Every tournament was different if he was in the running. I would bet on him and give my buddy the field. I’d win too. A dozen or so years ago it was a given that Tiger would win more majors than Jack. Tiger has won 15. If he were to win a 16th it would be the greatest sports story in history. He’s 45 years old.  They say that he has the body of a 75-year old. And it was just a couple of weeks ago that I watched the documentary that chronicled Tiger’s rise and fall. Then I watched his son play a couple of holes, red shirt and fist pump and all. Even before the crash it ki

What the hell happened? When did we all just learn to accept that lies are all right?  “News” announcers lie. Senators lie on the floor of Congress. The former guy lied about 70 times a day. And social media? Forget about it! People make memes and pass them around. Disinformation. On purpose. It’s been aggravating me for years, but I kinda’ went off after the DUI charges were dropped in the Springsteen case. Bruce has been squeaky clean for 40 years in the public eye. On a unseasonably warm weekend in November (we golfed that Sunday - 75 degrees).  Bruce got on his motorcycle and went to a park near his house. He hung out with fans and in a moment of weakness. He took a shot of tequila. Maybe a little dumb, but he was arrested in an extreme over-reach. Fine. It’s a law to not drink in that park, but instantly, the truth of the matter was public knowledge. That didn’t stop the New York Post putting Bruce on the cover for three straight days with headlines proclaiming that he was obliter

Will there ever be such a day again? Ever since there’s been a change in administration I have drifted away from all-news-all-the-time. I’ve listened to Dan Patrick talk about sports - he’s the absolute best. I’ve gone back to Howard Stern and I have to admit that he made me laugh out loud a couple of times. I’ve listened to music. The thing about music is that it can magically transport you to another place and time. I heard Men At Work singing ‘Who Can it be Now?’ and I was back in the car with Jeff Renaldo. The music blasting on a summer day after golf when we were 19 years old. I’ve only kept an eye 👁 on the news.  I feel less like the whole world can blow up now. “We have major breaking news,” the anchor said. And there was Tiger Woods’ car. Again. I’d recently watched the documentary on Tiger and I felt badly for him. Yeah. I pitied a famous, successful billionaire who can hit a wedge 175 yards. This will be in the news for awhile. How did he crash the car? Was there something i

It’s been nearly a damn year since the start of the pandemic. Everyone has worked television to a nub, and it’s amazing, but there are so many great shows. Which has led to a competition of sorts to find the next great series. We are scouring Twitter feeds and Facebook posts to capture what we will burn through as we discuss things we used to like to do before the freaking virus. Kathy found Broadchurch which was good and had 3 seasons. It was easy to follow with a fast-moving plot line. That’s key because I often read or write as we’re watching, and Kathy plays Candy Crush, and often misses what the hell is going on. “Cardinal!” I yelled out as we watched a movie. It’s a series about a detective and they say it’s a little like Bosch. We loved Bosch. So, we put it on and there was a huge reveal at the end of episode one. “Did you follow that?” I asked. I knew she wasn’t paying attention at all. “Yeah,” she said. “The woman detective is supposed to be investigating Cardinal, but she doe

And I still hate February. “You’ve said that every day this month,” Kathy mentioned. “It hasn’t proven me wrong.” The coming snow reports started on Thursday. I read 8” to 12” and opened the curtain to see snow flying on Saturday morning. But we were doing okay. The lake effect mess was just a little south of us. It’s funny, but when you’re in a snowstorm and it just misses you, you see a lot of the bellyaching coming from people less than 19 miles away. My buddy JC was crabbing about 30”. My brother John, who lives about 12 miles away, was talking 4’. He posted a few photos of all the snow on his roof. Then I popped out to see my Mom on Sunday morning. I made my way through her back yard. It was up to my mid-thigh. I used a club to knock off some icicles off the back of the house so the dog didn’t get impaled. One of the icicles looked more like an iceberg. The roads were snow packed and icy. Halfway home, I was waved down by a young lady who was trying to stop me from moving ahead. I

About a month ago I heard about the tragic passing of a work friend. He was just 52 years old. He was trim, did not have any health problems in recent decades.  He’d been sick as a young man...his mid-twenties...and he had quit smoking and drinking way back when. Covid ended his life. He suffered mightily before he lost his battle. And I was certainly sad when I heard the news, but I was way more than sad when I saw his photo and read the obituary. As I stared at that photo I remembered all the talks we had about football and golf and work. He was one of those type of people who was always up. He smiled a lot, and talked a lot. He never missed work. He loved his family. Good, solid man. Gone. 30 damn years too early. What is infuriating to me is that I mentioned the loss to a man on one of the job sites. A man who was who refusing to wear a mouth or nose covering. A man ready to insist that the flu kills people too. “How old was he?” Was the first question. “52.” “Did he have underlyin

Went out to dinner with a good friend the other night. As we’ve done for the last 25 years or so, we grabbed seats at the bar. It was a tad weird. There are glass booths set up. Two person booths and one person booths. We were seated in the two-person booth, but just outside our booth was a guy in the one person setup. His experience looked weird to me. Like he was drinking beer in a prison cell. We actually talked with him. Had to speak up a little so he could hear us through the glass. I had a couple of lemonades and the mile high meatloaf that the menu says, can’t be finished. I finished it. And sort of like the netting in front of you at a hockey game, we quickly got used to the glass booths. The televisions were set to golf and college hoops. The bartender was still smiling, but she had a mask on the entire time. A new reality, I suppose. And when dinner was done, I kind of felt all right with the whole experience. “Do you know that I haven’t been in a restaurant for more than a y

What a story that was. I woke up to photos of Ted Cruz on an airplane, and I gotta’ be honest here, I didn’t think it was him. I mean you’d really have to be devoid of shame if you could board a plane while the state you represent is in a historic deep freeze. He couldn’t be that dense, could he? Takes me back to the Al Franken quote which absolutely sums up Cruz: “I like Ted Cruz more than anyone else in Congress, and I HATE Ted Cruz.” So, yeah, he could. And by mid-morning it was confirmed. He WAS beating feet out to a vacation at a resort, as people he represents were without power. And then! It was reported that he was coming back! He put out a statement saying that he made the trip to simply drop his daughters off... ...because he’s a good Dad... ...and that he was coming right back! How stupid would you have to be to believe that story??? What gall. Seriously, this dude is truly something else. His performance just before, during and after the insurrection was abysmal. You’d thin

Everyone’s mother has said: “If you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all.” So this is a rough post.  Rush Limbaugh has died, and kicking the dead is not a good look. So, let’s just talk about the career highlights. He scrolled the names of those who died of AIDS behind Dionne Warwick’s, “I’ll never love this way again” and he did it for a month! Laughed all the way through it. He called a rape victim a slut. Said that Donovan McNabb was only a quarterback because they wanted to find a black man to play the position. He called Obama a house negro and backed the birtherism garbage until the day he died. He said that Michael J. Fox was faking symptoms of Parkinson’s. He called Chelsea Clinton a dog when she was a teenager. Those are just some of the highlights of a career. I still haven’t said a bad thing about him. He certainly took a lot of definitive stands on a lot of things. He said that drug addicts should be killed. Yet, he changed his stance on that after he

We’ve been watching the show, Broadchurch, which is a drama from the other side of the pond. It’s a good show. The plot moves along nicely, but the accents are rough. I often miss dialogue, asking, “What did he say?” Kathy often responds with, “I have no idea.” So we have to rewind it. They also use the accent when they say the word ‘can’t’ and I absolutely make a comment there. Yet, it’s the phrasing that gets to me. There’s one character who was being questioned by the police and he ended every sentence with: “Why would I?” I responded with: “Wood eye!” After doing it three times Kathy said: “27 years of you yelling wood eye!” And of course, it’s a reference to one of my all-time favorite jokes. A shy guy who lost his right eye in an industrial accident is trying to date, but he’s too self-conscious about his missing eye.  He goes to the local dance and stands against the wall all night, working up his nerve to ask the pretty girl to dance. He finally does it...wandering over and stu

13 degrees when I started the car. The cat starts every day the same way: Screaming at me, non-stop. I have no idea what he wants. He likes to go outside but he has a “I don’t go outside when it’s cold” rule. Then he wails at me because it’s not warm. “I don’t like it either,” I remind him. And it’s Monday.  I’m not a huge fan of Monday either. And still limping badly on a painful ankle. No idea why. I battle the cold all morning. Try my best to walk like a penguin so the ice don’t put me on my ass. Constant phone calls they all start with, “Can you?” Around noon I’ll get the first call from home. “Any dinner ideas? How’s the ankle?” “Chicken. Shitty,” I answer. “You hear about the snowstorm?” “Bah!” And that’s February in a nutshell. Cold, tired, sore and aggravated. And then I run into a guy on a site who is all smiles. “I love this weather!” He calls out. “I went ice fishing on Saturday and rode the sled all day Sunday.” “Get away from me,” I said. “It’s all about your state of mind

We didn’t do anything special to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I actually made a great pasta sauce - steak, olive oil based. I was dishing out Kathy’s and I felt the beginning of a drool. Problem being, neither of us was much up for walking! Getting older ain’t for the weak. My right ankle started to swell up on Thursday. There was a bit of pins and needles, and a ton of pain. No idea why. It got worse on Friday and Saturday and I was limping pretty good. So, we lived vicariously through Jake and his girlfriend. “Looking for a place to go eat,” Jake texted me. “Italian.” Which is ironic because he only recently started eating Italian food. “I like Marco’s on Niagara Street,” I answered. (Buffalo has some good restaurants). I told Jake about lunch trips to Marco’s with a couple of work buddies. I like the stuffed hot peppers and the steak sandwich. Of course, I’m a pasta fan, as well. But that wasn’t the big visit there. I went to Marco’s one time to pay off a lost bet to Jeff. It was supp

I feel a whole lot like I felt back in 1995 when Orenthal was acquitted. The fact of the matter was that I knew both verdicts were coming. And a whole lot will be made of the Democrats not calling for witnesses. It wouldn’t have mattered. The GOP was always going to vote to set Trump free of the stain of being the only president convicted in an impeachment trial.  The guy who wouldn’t open up the senate to have the trial when Trump was still president, voted ‘not guilty’ because Trump wasn’t president when the trial started. And then Moscow Mitch eviscerated Trump and left no room for interpretation. “Guilty!” Still horribly disappointing for any American who believes in our system of government. It doesn’t work. So, now what? Trump will be tried criminally. Doubtful that he ever goes to prison. Even more doubtful that he ever receives a single vote for the office of president. So, let it just end. Try to build the system back with accountability, honor and decency. He’s just a stain.

There are laws that cover: 1). Not using information to buy stocks based on what you learn through your government job. There were senators accused of just that as they knew what Covid-19 would do. They bought stock in dust masks and hand sanitizers. Big story. No charges. 2). There are laws in place to keep political candidates from shifting campaign funds into their own personal coffers. I know of a great number of high-profile politicians who did just that. The FBI knows. No charges. 3). There are tax laws. Most Americans are terrified of the IRS. They will chase hard-working Americans to check the mileage. Some politicians who are either millionaires or pretend billionaires have publicly proclaimed that they don’t need to pay taxes. We can’t even check it, I guess. Certainly no one outside of Wesley Snipes or Al Capone have ever faced consequences. 4). Inciting violence? Check the tapes. Wasn’t just one guy trying to get a gang of people to storm the castle. One even said, “We need

The impeachment hearings are disconcerting. The defense will have their day today and basically it will boil down to this: “I can shoot someone on 5th Avenue and I won’t lose any followers.” Or: “What about the people who looted Target over the summer?” Thing is, Pence, Pelosi and Romney (among others) were nearly murdered. They would’ve been had they not been whisked away. Trump was all for it. The GOP is all lined up to acquit. I don’t get it. The mob smeared feces on the wall of the Capitol.  Their biggest complaint in life is that people kneel for the national anthem or don’t say the pledge of allegiance. 5 people died. 140 were injured. They would’ve hung Pence. During the insurrection, Trump tried to inflame. If that isn’t enough to convict, forget it. No president will ever be impeached and convicted. So, let the defense out on their sham presentation and then... ...arrest all and charge them criminally. Can’t impeach a private citizen? Arrest him them.

I got the news alert on my phone: “Bruce Springsteen arrested for DWI.” What??? He’s been in the public eye for 50 years! He’s spoken openly about his depression, and how he had a hard and steadfast rule for the band - no drugs!  Drinking to not interfere with the band! Now, the report is just a TMZ story, and make no mistake, there’s no excuse for getting behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking. A lifetime ago, I’d certainly been there. Crazily, when I was young and dumb, drinking and driving around was a night out. Thankfully, laws have been enforced to curtail that crazy risk-taking behavior. I often think about an interview that Bruce did about a decade ago. He told the interviewer to not make him look like a saint because he certainly isn’t one. In his autobiography he openly spoke about his deep depression. And it’s weird to think that someone who brought joy to so many through all the years suffers with such mental difficulties. I had a couple of instant thoughts: “Oh man, you

Ross & Rachel were on a break!  Joey was as dumb as a stump, but man, he was funny. Phoebe delivered hundreds of great lines. I know this because rather than watching the impeachment hearing as I wrote reports, I tuned in reruns of Friends. Good times were had by all. The ‘trial’ is a sham, and a shame. There are ‘jurors’ there who have said that they have already made up their minds and would vote to acquit. That’s ridiculous and smacks of not doing your job. And it sickens me to think that the lives of those who died, or maimed, are being disrespected by those who can’t even be bothered to waste their precious time to listen. On the other side, the evidence is right up front. Two months of lying that the election was stolen. There was ample time to produce evidence of fraud. There wasn’t any. So, he tried to overthrow the Democracy. It’s on video. His words. Screaming for them to fight like hell. Stripping the guard of personnel and equipment necessary to hold the fort. Allowing

So, Monday was irritating. 12  degrees. My computer suddenly decided that I needed more space. Then I started noticing a few even more irritating things on social media. People crapping all over Brady, which was to be expected, I guess. People love a winner, but get your win and get the hell out of the way! Win too much and people will eventually hate the crap out of you. But the more surprising thing was that Bruce was taking some hits! For appearing in a television ad. He never did before, but every other rock star has by now. “Sell-out!” Seriously, ya’ think he did it because he needs money? And it wasn’t much of an ad. It was more a plea. To every day Americans to stop with the division. Think about considering being a human to people you think are on the other side of the divide. It was inspirational and they were fine words. The left didn’t like it because they don’t want to unite with people who attacked the Capitol. The right hated it because they don’t like Bruce... ...or anyo

I kept telling my boys, from mid-season on that Tampa Bay could win it. Obviously you know why. He’s been there and he knows how to win. That’s not a small thing. Kansas City got rattled. At 14-6 I announced: “They’re done.” My boys didn’t agree, but once you’re emotional in a game like that, you’re finished. The second half was just another coronation of the royalty of football. The halftime show held no interest. The boys knew The Weekend and seems to like it. We took in more calories yesterday than Brady will have in 3 years. All that was left was the Bruce commercial and the squares. Bruce delivered. The squares didn’t. Bruce’s message was beautiful as I knew it would be. He’s very calculated and has a finger on the pulse of the country. We don’t survive with the constant fighting. The meet in the middle idea was quickly panned by both sides. Of course. Bruce was also ridiculed for wearing a cowboy hat. He was in Kansas! I know where the church is. Bruce and Brady came through. The

The NFL certainly has a monopoly on this day. Despite the fact that millions claim not to watch the NFL anymore because of the kneeling during the anthem... ...they’ll all watch. And for the 10th time they’ll see Tom Brady there. I told my kids it was going to happen as soon as Brady left New England for Tampa Bay. I didn’t actually believe they would make it all the way there though. To do so in a single year is tough and I thought that limited practices during the pandemic would hurt the preparation, but as Dan Patrick said on his show on Friday: “Don’t bet against the G.O.A.T. 🐐” It’s the same principle I’m going by for today’s prediction. Tampa Bay is better than people think, as a team. They picked the top 30 players from both rosters. Tampa had 18 Kansas City had 12. Their O-line, wide receivers, running backs, linebackers and defense is better than Kansas City. They’re playing in their own stadium. And yet, if there’s a blowout it will most likely be in Kansas City’s favor. Bot

So some rules for living that I’ve learned along the way.  In all honesty, I saw this written out on a sign, but I agree. 1). Let it Go - this is a big one. Don’t hang on to the things that have hurt you. Get rid of the people who did it, if you must, but if you can’t, forgive them.  It took me a little while to learn this, but my life is better for having been able to pull it off. 2). Ignore the Doubters - For some reason, people sometimes go out of their way to tell you what you can’t do. Thankfully, somehow, my parents were able to grace us all with a fair amount of self-confidence.  I remember writing “House of Miracles” as I started interviewing a Mom who had a son who was terminally ill, I thought, “I can’t do this.” That lasted 10 seconds. 3). Give it Time - “This too shall pass.” I’ve often told myself that many times through the years, but I also learned that sometimes the time that you have to give it is...A LOT OF TIME!  And still, it never all goes away, but you have to lea

I can’t imagine watching a Super Bowl without at least having a chance on a square here or there. Last year, I only had one. A small one. I made up for it this year as I have 3 boards and one is a good one. I don’t bet the score or the coin flip or the length of the anthem. I just want to have a chance! And it’s always been fun, but it’s even more fun when we win. The big win happened in a Patriots win. Our numbers for that game were 2 & 9. Jeff and I had split the squares we got and that particular square was purchased after we had exceeded our budget. We split a great prize.  But the one I lost is the one that I really remember. It was the Oakland-Tampa Bay game and if you remember, the game was well in hand when Oakland got the ball for the last time. They had zero chance! But they were trying to score... ...when I had the numbers for $5 grand! And then... Rich Gannon threw an interception. “YES!” I screamed. “GAME OVER!” But... But... But... No one bothered tackling the guy who

I must say, I was a little shocked today. There have been news releases and statements made regarding OSHA and their possible involvement in regulating actions in regard to Covid-19. I’m a messenger regarding the rules, so I mentioned that everyone is tired of it, but maki sure that you’re compliant is important. “I’ve never worn a mask and I never will!” A guy shouted from up in a scissor lift. I’ve known the guy for awhile so I figured that he might be joking. He wasn’t.  He hit me with all the shots: “Everyone of those deaths is suspicious. They ain’t Covid!” “They’re taking away my rights!” “I had it. The flu was worse!” So, he wasn’t joking. I let him know that my job is to enforce the rules. “You try and make me wear a mask and I’ll find a new job,” he said. I told them a story about losing another friend to it. 52 years old. The man was suffering for a month. He passed away on Saturday. “People die every day,” the man answered. “Sorry for him, but was he a mask-wearer?” I told h

The mind is a wonderful thing.  I was driving through a snowstorm in the Boston area, and for some reason I thought about an old construction boss - Bob McClure. Bob was pushing 70 when I worked for him back in 1986 so, he’s most likely long gone. But he was one of those tough old laborers. His fingers were all banged up. He walked with a heavy limp. Hard worker.  Me and my buddy Zane nicknamed him Mad dog. Then I thought about Zane. We were great friends. Then I thought of a conversation we had as we were stripping forms off a concrete wall after a pour. “I can just see old Mad Dog getting down and dirty with... That’s where I lost the memory!! My Dad’s secretary was a beautiful girl. I’m talking stunning! If she ever left the trailer every guy just stopped what they were doing just to watch her walk on past. Zane was telling a joke about old Mad Dog and the beautiful blonde having a secret affair. I remembered the conversation. Clear as day. I just DIDN’T remember her name. And it dr

I’ve had a truly open faucet when it comes to doing new stories. In November I began work on a story about the softball team I played on as I grew to be an adult. The Barking Lions. Started it around Thanksgiving while also working on a non-fiction book. I finished the first draft on Sunday morning, writing about 50 pages between Saturday and Sunday. A wild ride. I’ve never written anything that long that quickly, and I must say, it’s a beautiful story. Nearly everyone I know and love is in the book. I didn’t even change their names, but the beauty of the story is that it’s a mix of fiction and non-fiction. The people who were there will know what’s true. One of my buddies and probably my longest friend has read along - I didn’t send him the ending - and like me he felt a profound sadness as we both figured out that we were nearing the end. An emotional roller coaster. Two months. 70,000 words. Now, I’m going to do the real work of editing and working with my talented artist to get som

 Here we go! The shortest damn month and the one I can’t stand. What happens in February? 1). That freaking groundhog comes out and tells us how much longer we’re gonna freeze our asses off.  I don’t know if he’s ever right or wrong. I just know that I’m freezing my ass off. 2). Tommy dances in the confetti The Super Bowl is usually in February and leading up to it all I hear is “I hate Tom Brady.” If he wins - which has happened 6 times - the win is minimized in the eyes of those who hate him. If his team loses - which has happened thrice - his haters chant, “Tom Brady sucks.” I just want to win the big square. 3). Daytona 500 My siblings and the Chuckster love this race. I watch about 30 laps. And usually pick the winner to win the bet. 4). It’s cold I recall a February a few years back where it never got over 10 degrees.  Stubbornly I got up and went to the jobs to show the crews how tough their safety guy is. Dumb. 5). Lake Snow Events They call them: EVENTS! I just remember drivin