The Eye of the Storm

-

It hasn’t snowed in awhile.

The Bills got some good news as Hamlin appears to be on the mend.

It was over 40 degrees all week.

Somehow it feels like we are in the eye of the storm.

And I don’t know about other people’s jobs but it seems to me that 4-day work weeks are worse than 5-day ones.

Everyone appears to be trying to jam all the work of the week into the shorter window and as a safety guy for a lot of companies…

…damn, my phone almost started on fire at one point.

One call, text, email after another until I finally held the phone aloft and announced:

“I’m going to throw this thing off the f****ng wall!”

There were three other guys standing around at the meeting and they all laughed.

Which helped me center a bit and laugh too.

In all the happiness over the health of the Bills safety, I was reminded of the greed and pure evil of the NFL.

I listened to former players discuss the non-existent disability insurance or pensions of the former players.

I considered that they lied through their teeth about the CTE findings, and while everyone congratulated everyone else about how lovely everyone was…

…it dawned on me that if there was a secret ballot of NFL owners they’d all probably vote against making sure Harmin is set if he can’t continue with his career.

But, you know what, it doesn’t matter.

The NFL will win again.

All the people who vowed to never watch another game because players were kneeling during the anthem?

Yeah.

They’re all watching now.

But I have vowed to be more positive this year, so I will swallow my aggravation with the league for a moment and I’ll think about the people who donated to the Hamlin charity.

More than $7 million raised.

People finally agreed on something…

…we all wanted that young man to pull through.

So, maybe we aren’t just in the eye of the storm, and perhaps the other shoe won’t drop until another lake effect storm blows through.

Now.

We just have to figure out how to elect a speaker of the house.

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