Thoughts of a Common Man

Saturday was the 4th consecutive day off. I woke up rested and relaxed. Ollie had a lot of trouble bringing the ball back during some of our rounds today because he got a lot of reps. The stuffing was great - I had it a few times as a snack - I nailed it this year. And then…. …a huge move! I put potatoes in the air fryer as everyone kept saying that it was the replacement for baking a potato. I was skeptical. I didn’t want my baked potato going wrong to ruin my porterhouse. Have you tried it? The process took about 45 minutes. Let’s just say, I will never bake a potato again. Was absolutely perfect. There certainly is something to be said for the more relaxed days. I have slept an hour later each day, have read a lot, and have written a bunch of pages (more to come soon). A lovely break all in all. Back at it tomorrow.

The post was sent on Thanksgiving night. The president of the United States called the governor of one of Minnesota, “Severely Retarded.” Seems like a low point, but obviously we can go lower. In just the last 2 weeks he’s called a reporter, ‘Piggy’. Told another to ‘Shut Up’ and also, on Thanksgiving night called a reporter a ‘Stupid Person’. Then there was a press conference to announce the death of a 20-year old National Guard soldier. He spent at least five minutes letting the world know that he is a great golfer who has won 38 club championships. He explained that he won ‘legitimately’ because people were watching. And Biden was basically removed from office because he stuttered during the debate. There are whispers… …that he is losing it and that MAGA is quitting on him. I don’t quite see it. One of the Republican congressmen put a triumphant post up: “He’s given us permission to say ‘retard’ again!” If you are nostalgic for the good old days when you could throw that word around...

I suppose that it was only a matter of time. National Guardsman patrolling city streets, and now we have a senseless tragedy. It’s bad enough that we have to battle daily lies. “There hasn’t been a murder in Washington DC in 6 months,” the liar in chief proclaimed the day before. Which wasn’t even remotely true. Then two National Guard soldiers were gunned down in the shadow of what’s left of the White House. “Did you hear about the shootings?” A work friend texted me. After I confirmed that I had his next text stopped me in my tracks. “The girl who died is my niece.” Good Lord. And now the blame game begins. Biden let him in, but the vetting process for asylum was granted in 2025. “Not the guns fault!” All the same stupid crap that we hear about with every slaughter in the streets of this soon to be 3rd world nation. I simply kept thinking: “She should not have been in harm’s way.” These kids are being used as political pawns in a game being played by people who don’t care, for even a...

I got a lot of the meal preparations done yesterday as I brined the turkey, and prepared the stuffing. All good so far, even though I can’t quite duplicate Mom’s stuffing - it’s close - and great - hers was better. As for the turkey - I have 20 pounds. For 5 people. That’s a lot of bird, and I will make sure it’s done well… …problem being, all but Kathy would rather have the dark meat. Which kind of works out because turkey is definitely Kathy’s favorite and I’ll field this question for days: “Can you make me a turkey sandwich?” Which I’ll do as I grab a bowl of stuffing with hot sauce. I’m telling you, Mom’s stuffing was so great that I’d eat it on a sandwich - which is essentially a bread sandwich! And my one constant Thanksgiving memory comes to me each year. 1986  We were living in Mountain View, California and it was 80 degrees. We played basketball all day - lifelong friend Scott was in the crew - and the Lions and Packers played an epic game that ended on a punt return for t...

I’ve been tired lately. I have always said that I get out of bed like I’m shot from a cannon. I chug my coffee and I’m traveling down the road before I even know where I’m headed. And I work from that moment straight to the end of the day. No breaks. I eat on the run to the next site. Usually. But I’ve been worn down, and last night I made an executive decision. No site visits. I’ll have the phone on, but my plan for tomorrow is to brine the turkey and make the stuffing, and hang with the Big O and Mr. Miller. Thanksgiving Break until Monday. And right on cue, there is talk of a winter weather advisory for Thursday and Friday. Let it snow. There aren’t any golf courses open now anyway. So, take some time to be thankful… …don’t take the social media bait to fight about politics… …and get rested up. The cannon can sit idle for a while.

She has always loved dogs. My love for my dogs has come directly from my Mom. She gave me the world’s greatest gift. Mom encouraged me to read. She was all for me writing, and through the years was my biggest fan as I chased the dream of writing something that makes people feel something. We have never had an argument. Growing up, I sat at Mom’s right hand at a dinner table that sometimes got a little crazy. I’d banter with my Dad about a whole lot of things (and I later learned that he took the opposite side of an argument with me - on purpose! Dad was teaching me to look at things from all angles). Yet, sometimes those arguments got rough, and Mom always had my blind side. I enjoy sitting with Mom, and I’m so grateful to my older sister, Corinne for making sure that Mom is happy every day. On Saturday, we watched a couple of episodes of Two and a Half Men - and shared some laughs. What else do we need to say on her birthday? No one - and I mean no one - ever made potato salad or brea...

Saw the story about a plumbing company that was using illegal immigrants as their main workforce and that the owners made a lot of money by paying low wages and jamming 20 workers into a hotel room. That’s the big secret, I guess. Business owners all across the country have taken advantage of cheap labor, on the backs of people who are willing to work. Then those same business owners complain about the influx of illegal people (which really irritates me as people aren’t illegal). I have a lot of experience working around men who struggle to speak English and struggle even more to understand the safety rules. The entire group of workers start to whistle when I show up on a site. Their little code to let one another know that the safety dude is lurking. The company’s that I work with have followed the proper channels to bring the workers in. They’ve paid money to bring translators in to train the employees. They like working with the employees because they show up every day and will work...

For some reason, I have a lot of guilt on Saturday mornings.  Here is the ritual. I try my best to sleep a little longer. I was awake at my usual rising time, but I successfully rolled over and got another hour.  I did Wordle, caught up on a little news. Sadly realized there was no overnight sudden death of a political leader, and then off we go. Ollie knows when I don’t have work.  He knows that he’s going to play a lot of ball.  Coffee for me, cat milk for Miller, and Ollie goes out to wait. I put on either Modern Family or Monk, and sip the first cup. We get the first game in, and return to the couch where, I start feeling the guilt. I know I need to rest my legs. I realize that doing absolutely nothing is doing something. And yet… …I feel unproductive. I’m at the stage of life where my body tells me to just stay down. Relax. You’ve done enough this week… …but those damn nuns did a number on me.  So did society. “Do some work!” I did the math as Jay and Glori...

My brother John is 62 years old today. Of course, it is also the 62nd anniversary of the day when JFK was killed in Dallas. I also heard about preparations for the 250 year anniversary of the country. I distinctly recall looking forward to the bicentennial celebration back in 1976. We had a parade in North Collins, flags waving high. It’s crazy how time flies on by. As far as John goes, I recall flying high on the swing set when we were about five years old. Life is short even in the longest days. As I get older, it gets harder to get to Friday each week. Sometimes it seems that time is moving slowly as we battle through the daily grind…. …but then it hits you that 50 years has suddenly got behind you. I love pointing out to kids at the construction sites that I’ve been in the business longer (and in some cases) a lot longer, than they’ve been alive. I’m also fond of letting them know that it’s the blink of an eye. And then they’d be in the boat I’m in now… …moving a little slower… …gr...

It’s weird to get that 28 degree blast in the face at the start of the day, but over the last few days it has warmed up nicely to nearly 50 degrees. More importantly, the sun has shined. Which is the important part. The grey is the enemy around here and the more days that are in color the better I feel. November 21st, and once again it dawned on me that I took precious few days off this year… …3 in February, 2 in August and 2 random days for golf. Definitely stupid, and probably the main reason why I feel absolutely burned out as I crawl to Thanksgiving week. Yet, it’s hard to overcome routine and obsessive thoughts. I have been saying, for about a month now, that I need a day. Just a quiet day.  Sit on the couch, play with Ollie, and do nothing else. But my eyes open at the same time, and I mindlessly go. Next thing I know, the day is coming to an end, and I’m beating myself up for not doing as much as I should have. And then, a stray thought creeps in… …my working career is neari...

You hear a lot about: “Why are we helping them (insert nation here) when we need help here?” I’ve heard that forever from Republicans… …wonder how they’re feeling about the $40 billion that was just ushered out the door. …concerned about how they feel with the love-fest with MBS and Saudi Arabia. (Thought they hated the rag heads). Wondering how they’re all reacting to the line: “There aren’t any talented people in America.” And don’t even get me started on the tariffs… …which were said to be “pouring in from other countries” but are now being lowered on beef, coffee and other items because… …Americans couldn’t afford the tax. The east wing of the White House was demolished… …the Supreme Court just let the world know that it was unlawful to do it and that there won’t be a ballroom built in its place. So, now they have to spend money trying to rebuild the east wing. Thankfully, the Epstein files made their way through the house and senate and only need to be signed by the president. The...

Two days ago, the president of the United States fielded a question from a reporter. Evidently, he didn’t care for the question because he said: “Quiet, Quiet, Piggy.” The day before his voice was hoarse because he supposedly went crazy shouting at the leader of another country. Yesterday, he sat next to MBS after doing a fly-over to welcome the Saudi Arabia leader and defended the guy for murdering and dismembering a Washington Post Journalist. He did this by saying that a lot of people didn’t like the reporter. All of the above is absolutely disgusting behavior by all accounts. “Quiet, piggy”???? Good Lord! When I saw it I wondered what my answer might have been had he said that to me. How did the reporter not answer that with a resounding: “Go fuck yourself!” I would have. I know it, and being kicked out would have been just fine with me. It calls to mind a work meeting I had once. The guy called the meeting for 5:30 in the morning and he did it to yell at the contractor I was worki...

There’s supposed to be a vote today, I think, on whether or not the Epstein files will be released. Doesn’t get any more corrupt or criminal than this. And it’s amazing to me how strong the red versus blue argument is in this country. Will people still wear a hat or fly a flag for a politician who is definitely in the files? There’s only one hat out there. I’ve never seen anyone wearing a hat for any other politician but the one who is most likely implicated. The ‘I hardly knew the guy’ argument doesn’t quite work when there are literally hundreds of photos of the two of them hanging around, ogling women. Birthday cards, emails, Miss Teen beauty pageants where the owner of the show broke into the locker room to inspect the contestants as they got dressed. The proof has been out there for all to see… …for decades. Photos of him holding his daughter by the hips and staring at her breasts and saying, “if she weren’t my daughter.” Paying off a porn star? The Access Hollywood tape? It’s bee...

Clare Danes is my favorite actress. Her facial expressions are amazing, and we went with her new series, “The Beast in Me” because she doesn’t appear in bad shows. It was great. “Landman” with Billy Bob is back - the first episode of season 2 debuted last night. “Mayor of Kingstown” is great. We also keep an eye on “Tulsa King” with Stallone. So, it’s less than 40 degrees out and the wind is blowing hard. We also watch a few network shows including “Tracker” and “Boston Blue”. We go with “Abbott Elementary” for comic relief. And I laugh at the people who mention that they “don’t watch a lot of television”. Why not??? It’s a golden age of television. The winter months are upon us. Keep making new shows… …beats the hell out of reality.

 That’s the hat that Buffalo Bills quarterback, Josh Allen will wear on the sideline before the Bills game against Tampa. It’s a hat that was designed by sick children from Oshei Children’s Hospital. Hopefully, they will sell a lot of those hats to benefit that hospital. Nearly 25 years ago, we spent a lot of time at that hospital. For a lot of years following, I participated in a program that helped define patient-hospital relations. Copies of my books, ‘Counting On A Miracle’ and ‘House of Miracles’ were handed out to new employees. I became friends with a lot of doctors and members of the public relations team. Yet, nothing captured the imagination of the kids at the hospital like visits from the Buffalo Bills. I did a signing at the hospital and attendance was good, but only one of three local television networks showed up. “If you were the long-snapper from the Bills you’d have all the media here,” the PR guy said, and we laughed. Josh Allen has a foundation that benefits the ...

Step back… …clear of the mess for a second… …and think about how insane this is. We are in the midst of an absolute madman raging that he isn’t a pedophile, despite all the evidence to the contrary. The madman is the president. And it’s not just the rage tweeting about how unfair the world is to the poor, suffering billionaire who plays golf every weekend. It’s also the: “What will he do to change the subject?”  That’s a fear. The Supreme Court ruled that he can’t be held responsible and that the president doesn’t have to answer to anyone… …so what’s next? A war? That’s most certainly a real possibility. Arresting Democrats? They’re certainly doing their best to do that. Give everyone a pay off so they continue to defend you even though you may have raped children? The $2,000 idea has already been floated. I’ll tell you one thing: I’m tired of it all. They’re now re-opening a case regarding Epstein go that the files can’t be released. Another little trick. I hope everyone is just l...

I heard a talking head speaking about how the administration is “laser focused” on doing the right thing. And this isn’t a political post, it’s a language post. They’re always ‘laser’ focused. When a character shouts: “Is that clear?” The other character ALWAYS responds with one word: “Crystal.” We have some lazy television writers! Every judge in every cop show says: “I’ll clear this courtroom!” Or more urgently: “In my chambers! Now!!” And I’ve always hated the cliche driven conversations. I worked with one guy who spoke in nothing but cliches. “I realize that you don’t have much bandwidth to work with, but I need you to think outside the box on this one.” I’d always answer him by asking: “What the f*** are you talking about?” And that’s why I don’t often participate in work or zoom meetings. It’s just a lot of people laser focused on making it crystal clear… …that they’re morons.

These next few weeks are going to be wild. Yesterday they released some of the Epstein emails and surprise, surprise, the guy that the pedophile Epstein hung around with, and called his best friend… …is all over the paperwork. To the uninitiated the guy in question is orange. He called an emergency meeting to try and squash it. Color me shocked. Anyone, at this point in time, that believes that he’s a good man, is absolutely delusional. It should have been over when he mocked the disabled guy, or spoke about grabbing women by the… …but it didn’t end there. When he was caught not paying taxes he said that it was cause he is smart. Making fun of veterans. Nothing moved the needle. So, finding out that he was sexually assaulting children probably won’t change the minds of the people who don’t have any morals. The rat is cornered. And that’s what makes this a truly dangerous moment in time. The world should be disgusted. A lot of people will let it slide. And that is disgusting.

Sounds like the government shutdown is coming to an end because Democrats caved. They gave in when the Republicans gave them their word that they’d listen to them. Color me skeptical. I’m not quite sure that a promise from those people will work out. But something had to give, right? Flights were canceled. People were left to starve. And there’s a lot to breakdown. 1). People aren’t staying home from work for the opportunity to get a maximum of $177 a month from SNAP. 2). Don’t start writing checks against the $2 grand that was promised because there’s so much tariff money coming in that they don’t know what to do with it. 3). Those on Affordable Care are about to have their premiums doubled. Not sure what might happen with the rest of our healthcare, but I doubt there will be rebates. 4). Don’t get a 50-year mortgage or a 15-year car loan. Imagine buying a home at 33 and trying to sell it at 65 after paying 32 years of interest. You’ll have about $8,000 in equity on a half a million d...

Two pitchers from the Cleveland Guardians were suspended in July for suspicion of betting on themselves. Clause and Ortiz would place bets, or have their friends place bets, on a single pitch! It seems (and I’m not a part of any of the betting groups) that one can place a bet on something as simple as a single pitch. It is alleged that this is what these guys were doing. They place a bet that the first pitch they’re going to throw is a ball, and then come into a game and bounce it. Easy $5 grand, right? Las Vegas has people watching! Why would there be huge bets placed on such a thing? Would you bet $5 grand that a pitch was going to be a ball? Me neither. Only way I’d do it is if I were the guy throwing said pitch! And that’s how easy and stupid as it was. It worked once, and they allegedly got addicted to winning their bet and kept doing it. It’s also a way to get fast cash for your friends. But here’s the thing: Clause was making more than $10 million a year. Ortiz’ salary was also ...

My nephew was heading to Miami to go to the Bills game with my cousin. His flight was canceled at the last minute because of staffing issues. My nephew has little political sense and doesn’t read into a lot of things. He argued with me about the last election, and then didn’t bother to vote. As he broke the news about his flight, he said, “The politicians are pissing me off!” I laughed. “They’re eating a seafood buffet and we can’t even get on a flight.” I laughed again. “We don’t have any help at work because all the Hispanic guys are getting deported, and they’re all legal.” “I told you,” I said. “I KNOW! I’m on my knees begging your forgiveness.” And I guess that will be how the tide finally turns. When all the gluttony and greed in one’s face, along with suffering, and hunger… …minds will change. Finally. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that he was sound asleep with an office filled with people holding a press conference. That’s funny. Sleepy Joe, indeed. (And I don...

Caught some footage of people standing in line for food. American soldiers are now visiting food banks and so are people who are employed by the government and haven’t received a paycheck since the shut down. Not to mention the air traffic controllers who are now quitting. But, it called to mind seeing food lines in 3rd World countries and thinking: “Glad that doesn’t happen in America.” I was a kid back then. As it turns out, I had a warped understanding of what being American meant. Yet, it called to mind the times when I didn’t have all the money I may have needed. I was never close to starving, but the college days were rough. We never had money! If we somehow scored a bag of Doritos and a tub of chip dip, we were thrilled. We ate a lot of boxed macaroni and cheese. It had to be check day if we could add a little hamburger. And we were never in danger of not eating because we had a meal plan, and we also grew fond of saying: “There’s a pork chop in every bottle!” As we held a beer ...

Americans typically travel to be with family for Thanksgiving. That will be very difficult this year as there will be a huge reduction in the number of flights because the government is shut down. Why is there no sense of urgency to solve this? SNAP has been halted. The information about who needs that help is easy to look up. Children, the elderly and the disabled. Even those who may be drawing it fraudulently aren’t getting rich off $100 a month. People will truly suffer, and the courts have stood up and said: “Fund it.” The administration is going to the Supreme Court to fight to make sure that no starving American gets fed. Why? Explain it to me like I’m five, because I can’t understand it. Grocery prices and inflation are up across the board. Tariffs are being paid by Americans. “People are going to suffer,” the dweeb who is the speaker of the house said. People are suffering! Isn’t the government there to help? Why are they going out of their way to make life more difficult. Peop...

I can look at that photo for a long time. Someone passed out during a meeting in the Oval Office. People are attending to the guy. The pathetic joke in the center of the photo has zero empathy. You can read his face: “Why isn’t everyone paying attention to me?” And I’ve heard from people who love that thing. “He donates his salary!” Welp. Turns out he doesn’t. His tax returns show that it was a lie. “He cares about the working man!” One phrase always comes to mind when I hear that: “He wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire.” That’s the truth, and the food stamps drama shows that none of them give a damn. In other news, Musk now has a trillion dollar paycheck. Upside down. No empathy. That photo says so much.

Back in 1981 or 1982, I was seated at the kitchen table of my buddy Jeff’s childhood home.  We were in the middle of an eating binge after playing golf. We heard the door open and Jeff said: “Uh-oh, Mom’s home.” “Why is that a problem?” I asked. “We just ate all the cold cuts and drank a gallon of milk,” he said. Jeff’s Mom came in and looked at us. A huge smile lit up her face. “I have pickles,” she said. As we grew to adults both Jeff and I would greet one another’s Mom as though they were our Mom. I always looked forward to the huge hug that Jeff’s Mom always gave me. Jeff lost his Mom today. It’s one of those seismic losses that shakes a town, and brings tears of loss to a tremendous family, as well as the entire North Collins community. As the years passed, the smiles grew bigger, and the hugs were stronger. The Renaldo’s and the Fazzolari’s have been shaken by loss, and all sorts of things that life brings. And tackling those losses together, with an unbreakable bond, and wit...

I posted the following on Facebook: “Hello darkness, my old friend. Why you here? It’s 4 pm.” And of course, I haven’t felt right since we switched the clocks… …waking up an hour early… …the darkness making me wish that my bedtime was now 6:30 pm. And speaking of darkness, Dick Cheney passed away. How miserable a human do you have to be for Dick Cheney to say you’re garbage? Cheney was the mastermind behind the fake invasion of Iraq. He was one of the more hated men at the start of the century. He died having been outspoken about what a waste the huge orange dude is. So, I leave in darkness. Come home as darkness is dawning and read all about the darkest days that this country has ever faced. Is America great again? The government shutdown is now the longest ever and there’s no end in sight. There are food lines. Another plane crash. A 60 Minutes interview that was absolutely embarrassing. And it’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow. My next tee shot is about 80 days away. I might need ...

Today is Election Day, and while the political scene is an absolute mess… …we all have the right to and should vote. Recent polling shows that 63% of the country have an unfavorable opinion of the sitting president. How anyone can watch the 60 Minutes interview and think: “Wow, he’s great,” is beyond me, but I’ll never understand it anyway. Yet, on this Election Day think about the fact that the federal government has been shut down for more than a month. SNAP benefits are drastically cut, leaving the most vulnerable of all our citizens without food. $40 billion went to Argentina to help their beef farmers while we have people starving here. So, elections have consequences and we are truly learning that lesson right now. I’ll take the time to vote. Takes 5 minutes. Does my one vote count? A lot of people don’t vote because they don’t think it will make a difference… …and that’s why so many millions don’t vote. Get out there. Let your voice be heard.

My first instinct when the Yankees were eliminated was to give up baseball for the year. On Sunday morning, I drove up Langford Road in my hometown and glanced to the park where I got my first ever hit in a little league game. I saw it clearly.  A ground ball thru the right side - between first and second - and as I rounded first I heard a lot of voices. My Mom was definitely cheering. I rounded it too far and had to scramble back to first. Stood there, panting. Thought of watching those World Series wins in ‘77 and ‘78 with my Dad. And thought about the game I’d seen on Saturday night… …between two teams I don’t care for. I didn’t know what to root for, so I just sat there and watched. It was amazing. Toronto fans feeling it. Two outs away. A light hitting 2nd baseman up was to be the first of those two outs with Ohtani on deck. “I don’t know why they aren’t pinch hitting for this guy,” I told my wife. “That’s why,” she said, one second later as Rojas hit it over the wall for the ...

As a 61-year-old man there are plenty of things that get by me. I use it to poke fun at the younger guys on the work site, taking jabs at their music choices. “What’s this rap song called, ‘Go f**k yourself?’” Much of the rap music is angry and contains some explicit language. There is one kid who is fascinated by the fact that I’m older and I chide him about what he likes. I’ve told him stories of the 90’s, which he missed because he wasn’t here yet. “By the time you were born I needed rehab,” I said. Well, he took the OSHA 10-hour class for the first time. “How was it?” I asked. “6/7,” he said. “What?” I asked. “6/7.” I just looked at him. He laughed. “You know, you’re usually senseless, but ‘6/7’ doesn’t answer my question.” Another guy overhearing it, laughed. “They say 6/7 to everything,” he said. “It’s annoying as hell.” “What does it mean?” I asked. The young kid shrugged. The other guy said, “No one knows. It’s nonsensical.” I was fascinated. It reminded me of the time when my ...

23,500 National Guard troops are being trained to handle civil unrest in American cities. You know why???? Because they’re planning to starve people and take away any chance people have of getting healthcare. It’s already virtually impossible for a young couple to buy a home, or pay off college loans… …and because they needed a tax cut for the rich… …millions more will suffer. We’ve all seen the breakdown of the people who depend of SNAP to eat. The elderly. Children. Disabled. And the working poor. That’s the majority of people who will be suffering. The training of the National Guard to fight against civil unrest is because they are expecting people to stand up and fight to survive. It truly makes me wonder about the men and women who are going to accept the assignment. As American soldiers did they ever expect that their fight would be against the American citizens? Dangerous, dangerous times, and I’ve said it a lot over the last couple of years… …I never thought I’d see it here in ...