Thoughts of a Common Man

By the end of the day, 2025 will be in the books. The Yankees didn’t win the World Series - they were good, not great. I didn’t get an ace - got close a couple of times.  I worked too much - didn’t take enough time off. But, the family stayed healthy - and that’s the most important thing. “Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive.” America has been a mess for about ten years. It saddens me to no end, and it coincides with the emergence of a political figure who emerged, bringing hate and rage down a golden escalator. Either that was the reason it all went to hell, or its because the Cubs won the World Series back around then. Things need to change. Those in power who are raping children, taking bribes for pardons, getting rich in the stock market, ducking taxes, and selling their souls have to be held to account. The common folk need a chance at a life. People shouldn’t have to die to stop working. Healthcare should be a right, and not a pyramid scam. Kids should be able to go to schoo...

Those were some serious winds here in Buffalo yesterday. The battle isn’t over as there are calls for heavy snow today. Yet, it’s a weird thing knowing that I have to get dressed and go outside for work. I opened my eyes, and ears.  Heard the wind. Looked out the window. Made a decision to ease back into things after the break. “Few inside jobs. Write reports. Get back inside.” My phone rang around 7 a.m. “We have a scaffold that is collapsing.” So much for easing back into anything!!! I was on the site by 7:30. The temperature was noted at 33 degrees. My car hadn’t anticipated the wind lowering the temperature. I was dressed well enough… …or so I thought. I needed my hands to take photos using my notepad. “Why do we live here?” I yelled in the direction of one of the workers. He didn’t laugh. It took me a good thirty minutes to get feeling back in my hands. It was garbage day. The containers were all over the street. Only in Buffalo. What were my ancestors thinking? Why did I alwa...

All my life I’ve spent the days before the start of a new year thinking about the year that’s just passed, and plotting what I might do better in the next 365 days. 2025 has been a really strange year. The politics are one thing. We are absolutely bombarded by chaos, and you can’t really grab hold of one crazy story before the next one hits. Can’t control any of that, which makes me think that I should just ignore all of that noise, but that’s not an easy thing to do. I don’t pay any attention to any of it during the work day… …there’s so many different ways for it to get in though. I’ll try to be better. There are other avenues of chaos though as I’m reaching the point of my career where looking ten years down the road is no longer about the status quo. “How long you going to work?”  I heard that question thousands of times in 2025. I’m caught between it still being fun, and it sometimes being a colossal pain in the ass. No idea. The kids need us a little less. It’s quieter around...

Have had plenty of down time - which is strange, but has allowed us plenty of time to watch a few movies. We caught: 1). Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere - about the making of his Nebraska album back in 1981. Of course, I was a Springsteen fan way back then, and it was a record that was slow, and so different from the previous three he had made. Had no idea that Bruce was suffering with depression back then. He opened up about that just about ten years ago. The movie is great, even though I already knew the story inside and out. Jeremy Allen White was great. Bruce’s relationship with his Dad was well done. 2). Weapons - Jake was pushing this movie on us, and it is a horror movie with a little sci-fi mixed in - not our usual go-to movie. It was great!  Intense from the start and well done. James Brolin and the woman from Ozark were great. Two hours of intense fun. 3). Goodbye June - a Kathy pick - was about saying goodbye to the family matriarch.  This was a little slow, an...

Weird week with Christmas throwing the routine out the window, and we had some ice come in. Icy conditions are the worst. Even Ollie was slipping around catching one of his new balls. And I glanced at the upcoming weather - ice and snow give way to 51 degrees and rain on Monday and it’ll be down to 20 by Tuesday. And next week will also be a weird week as we all start wondering who is working and when the banks and post offices are closed. I’ll be going in on Monday, for sure - 5 straight days off is enough! Then we will think of 2026. Try to plan ahead a little. Not easy to do as there is so much unsettling news. We are watching a mental breakdown in real time: “Merry Christmas to the radical left scum.” “Biden-FBI sent 274 agents into the crowd on January 6th.” Insanity. Joe Biden was not the president on January 6th. Agent orange was. As for calling half the county ‘scum’ because they want the Epstein files put out. Unsettling at best. Hundreds of hate-filled posts on Christmas morn...

There’s certainly enough probable cause. Al Franken was fired for making a joke (when he was a comedian) that seemed to demean women. Americans were up in arms as everyone agreed that politicians and leaders must be held to a higher standard. We have seen just a little of the Epstein files - there are more than a million documents still being held back by a DOJ and FBI that appears compromised. And still, what we’ve seen has been horrifying and there is no denying that the current president is all over the files. The accusations are horrific. Rape, murder, intimidation of victims and straight up violence against children. Children! No wonder why they tried to deny they existed, and then made a terrible attempt to redact the documents and hide one specific name. No one involved should be in a position of power. It’s not a hoax. It’s not a witch hunt. It’s not a Democrat conspiracy. What it is, is horrible acts of violence and sexual abuse of CHILDREN! Some have since died in what may ...

It’s been a strange year. A weird timeline. Hoping there is peace around the corner, worried for the future of the country, for sure. But, for a couple of hours yesterday, we sat around, eating, laughing and sharing stories of years gone by. Nothing feels better than blood on blood. The laughs come quick when you’re spending time with siblings and nieces and nephews. Especially in my family where we were all so close, and more than a few of us were ‘a little off’. Grey hair. We all get tired faster. I didn’t see more than 2 opened beers on the table. We killed a case of water though. Laughed hard at a few of the stories, and the hugs are tighter now. No matter what is going on in the world, they can’t take away family love. Or great memories. I hope the food is great, the drinks are cold and the laughs are long. Merry Christmas!

The memories are vivid. Christmas Eve gatherings were always at Grandma and Grandpa Fuzzy’s . If we were playing word association and someone mentioned ‘Christmas Eve’, my first response would be ‘ Anchovy Pizza ’. Grandma made real pizza - like they serve in Italy - she always included an anchovy one and I ate a lot of it. The house was always packed - cousins everywhere - and drinks flowed. As a kid, it always seemed loud. Lots of hugs and kisses. We’d head over to Uncle Herb & Aunt Rosalie’s too. We’d get home in time to get ready for Midnight Mass . As the adults we’ve also made Christmas Eve a focal point with our families  The food is always great too and Chuck does a pretty good job of imitating Grandma’s pizza . Whatever your traditions are: Make them wonderful. Seems to me that our ancestors are still around on Christmas Eve. That’s the magical part.

Dreams are great. Especially those that feature loved ones that we’ve lost. Dad’s birthday came with a visit in my dreams and I woke up smiling. I read somewhere that most dreams that we have last for like 3 seconds. When I can remember my dreams - which is often - it seems that I’m dreaming that dream the entire night. But what is weird to me is that the dream isn’t a memory, but rather a brand new discussion about absolutely nothing. Dad was just there. I heard his voice, saw his face, and woke up thinking: “Happy Birthday!” The holidays are tough when it comes to losing loved ones. I truly feel for people who are going through the first Christmas without a treasured loved one. It’s hard to set that aside and just enjoy yourself because they’re just missed. Dream visits are great, but Dad putting Frank and Dean on full blast and having a drink or two was as good as it got… …and the food was so much better. Happy Birthday to my Dad… …thanks for stopping by!

It’s sickening. The Epstein files were not released.  What was released was meant to mislead and misdirect away from the pedophile in Chief. Photos of Diana Ross and Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger at charity events. A shot of Bill Clinton in a pool. Everything else redacted, but a few things leaked through, and a photo of the man trying to hide everything and a child was shown. “That’s A-I!” “That’s his daughter!” No matter what evidence is presented, those in the cult will use one or other of those excuses to try and say he was clean. And I can’t kid myself into thinking that everything will be exposed. The coverup is what brought down Nixon in Watergate days. The coverup we are seeing regarding this is almost comical.  Those in charge are grossly incompetent. But it keeps going, doesn’t it? Jack Smith came out and testified to everything. 1). The 2024 election wasn’t legit. 2). There was a Russia connection. 3). Documents were stolen. 4). January 6th was a criminal enterpri...

There are packages all over the kitchen table. Gifts about to get to their destination, but they must be wrapped first. I’m not allowed to wrap gifts. I even offered. “Don’t touch them,” Kathy said. “We can’t give anyone a gift that you’ve wrapped.” She’s probably correct. I definitely do not have that talent. I’ve tried.  Can’t do it. Yet there’s also prep work to do. We have a couple of Christmas Eve visits to make, and then I’m cooking here on Christmas Day. “I need to know who is eating here,” I said. “So I can make enough.” “Doesn’t matter how many people I tell you are eating here you’re going to make enough food for twenty people,” Kathy said. She has a point. But Christmas has always been a day of anticipation, hasn’t it? As kids we waited on Santa. As adults with younger kids, we waited for it to be over. And now, it’s a little more relaxed… …unless you’re blessed with OCD. I waiting for the gifts to be wrapped. And then unwrapped… …so I can get rid of the paper.

The howling winds resulted in bitter cold temperatures. Coming the morning after a 55 degree day in December… …I got dressed for job sites. Thought about never taking a day, and decided that I could still do some work without clomping through mud as the wind hit me in the freaking face and froze my ample forehead. I got a mug of coffee and went up to the computer with Miller in tow. Thought about Christmas and some things we needed around the homestead. Headed to BJ’s to look around. I even wondered, “What am I doing here?” Bought some Christmas presents for Mom and a few others. Sat in a massage chair , and considered buying it. It comes in a huge box. “Who’s putting that together?” I wondered, as I passed up buying it. Meandered home and put away what I bought, and took a slow ride to have lunch with a couple of other safety guys that I’ve known for 30+ years. We had a lot of laughs about days gone by, and tacos from an authentic Mexican place . That’s when the wind really kicked up...

Mike Johnson sent Congress home for the year. The final tally is 87 days worked in 2025. They went home, spelling an end to the end of the Affordable Care Act exemptions. Millions will pay more…a lot more…for their healthcare. The speech was a colossal failure because, as expected, it was one lie after another. Drug prices are down 600% meaning that you will now earn a lot of money just by getting your script filled. I’m thinking people will take it as a part-time job. And it’s unbelievable that someone would have the gall to change a John F. Kennedy Memorial to include a name that will forever be stained… …think Benedict Arnold . And make no mistake, there won’t be a vote on Friday because they are attempting to conclude all business on the day the Epstein files are coming out. He changed the name from Kennedy Center to Trump-Kennedy Center . I have a better idea. Instead of the Epstein Files it should certainly be changed as well. Trump-Epstein files sounds about right to me.

In light of recent news events, I’m struggling with the idea that America truly went around the bend. Just nastiness. Constant garbage behavior. There’s a portion of the population that is thrilled that they get to call people ‘re*ards, or fa**ots’. Seriously, they thought it was straight up bullshit that those words were frowned upon. Yesterday, plaques were put up about Obama and Joe Biden. In the White House! Don’t read what was placed on the plaques - it’s as if a 6th grader wrote it about the guys who beat him in kickball. You can Google ‘Bad Behavior in fast food places’ and watch customers fight, berate servers, and destroy one another. Every single social media post has someone in the comments making fun of the person who posted it. Sickening stuff. And there are two songs that stick in my head when it comes to thinking about such things: Jewel has a song where she delivers the line, “Only Kindness matters.” And the Stones sing, “Put On a Kind Face” in their song “Between a Roc...

Thinking back to all those years when Christmas was the most highly anticipated day of the year. Seemed like it took forever to arrive. When we had the kids here, of course, it was even more exciting. “I’ll call Santa” was met with a resounding: “I’ll be good!” My brother posed as Santa for me. I have no idea what he’d say on the other end of the line, but my boys always behaved after talking to him. Miss those days. A week away from Christmas Eve now, and I’ve watched packages arrive. “What are those?” I asked. “Your gifts to me. By the way, what do you want for Christmas?” “World peace,” I answered. Can’t think of a single thing. Most of what I wear I get from contractors. My golf bag is up to date. Plenty on the book shelves. Can’t think of anything. The tree is standing. We don’t have any bulbs on it yet. Kathy and her friend are going to get to it. Hopefully before Christmas. Yet, we have plans to see our families and I’ll cook for the boys on Christmas Day. Going to surround myse...

I didn’t know Rob Reiner. But man, waking to the news of his death, and that of his wife - possibly at the hand of his son… …hit me hard. He was Meathead, of course, so he was in my life when I was just a kid. I used to think about what he was trying to say to Archie, and realized that he wasn’t going to win an argument. A liberal trying to talk sense into a bigot was good television as Mike got his ass kicked every week, and Archie - as ignorant as can be - stuck to his guns on issues like Vietnam, global warming, gays and race relations. All that stuff was being debated way back then, and Rob Reiner’s character was on the right side of all the issues as he fought for equality. I didn’t know Rob Reiner, but through his work, I knew where he stood on world issues. I know he didn’t care for the current administration and one gigantic mess in particular. We even had a few exchanges on Twitter as I found myself rooting for Rob Reiner to speak out, and he did. To be killed in such a manner...

The latest mass shooting to be reported on was at Brown University. “Thoughts and Prayers” has given way to: “Stuff happens”. Or: “Shootings are a fact of life. We need to accept it and move on.” Those above quotes are attributed to the president and the vice president. Isn’t that sickening? Nothing to be done. Hold your breath and hope the next mass shooter isn’t in your neighborhood because, evidently, if you get gunned down… …the rest of us will just accept it… …and move on. We can’t fix it. We won’t fix healthcare. Buy less food and toys if you’re hurting for cash because you aren’t wealthy and until you are you have to learn to live with less. Since we have to just learn to accept it I have decided that I’m not going to get caught up in the coverage of any of the mass shootings. We aren’t studying the men who do this to see if we can stop it. The idea that lunatics shouldn’t have unfettered access to guns can’t even be discussed. We definitely need to protect the rights of the gun...

We are in for a crazy holiday season. The Epstein files are scheduled to be released in the next week or so, and while the FBI most likely redacted the names of some of the offenders, the oversight committee has a treasure trove of information, and they are going to release it a little at a time. That information will implicate a lot of powerful men, including a huge orange one. There’s no way that he is not involved. The two men were bosom buddies, and the operation is way more sordid and horrifying than any of us ever imagine. I’m under zero illusion that we will find out everything. Way too many people are trying to keep their fortunes and careers. Too many people are going out of their way to try and forgive some of the most vile crimes. There are photos of Epstein with powerful men. Those men belong in jail for what they did. Hundreds of children. Their lives destroyed. So, what to do, what to do…. …start a war with Venezuela? There will be distractions. Denials. Accusations. And ...

I don’t follow college football, but I know that Michigan is one of the power teams. Still didn’t give it much thought when I saw that they fired their coach Sherrone Moore, but I kept getting news flashes about it. So I looked. Seems the married coach and father was having an affair with someone who also worked at the school. After he was fired, he was then arrested. For stalking and breaking in and terrorizing the woman who had suddenly broke up with him. So, now I was hooked. Word was that everyone was aware that the affair had been going on for two years or so. It was against school rules, but a blind eye was turned. Then the woman broke it off on Monday. By Wednesday, he was fired. On Thursday, he stalked and broke in and threatened the woman. Allegedly. I’m not into the gossip of it all, and certainly don’t know any of the people who were involved… …but it amazes me that someone can blow up their life in such short order. We hear about such things when there is a mass shooting or...

This is the week, I guess for Christmas get-togethers. We had our annual safety guy get-together and it’s always great to see everyone. Had a few laughs for sure with people I’ve had the pleasure to work with for more than 3 decades. And I work with a lot of different companies and they always invite me to their company parties. I don’t go to many. I’ll swing by for lunch if I’m in the neighborhood, but these are guys I see on roofs, in excavations, and on demolition projects. It’s good to shake their hands when they aren’t filthy. Tell a story or two. It’s kind of the best time of the year for just hanging around, and smiling a little. Of course, we’ve been battling a cold snap here and that’s a real bear on the body. “This was a fast week,” Kathy mentioned. “Really?” I asked. “Was less than five degrees every morning. Every hour passed like a day.” “Christmas is only 2 weeks away.” Yep. See more friends and family and loved ones and smile a little bit. Nothing wrong with that. Two mo...

I have tried hard to steer clear of bashing the Orange turd, but man, he makes it difficult to ignore what has become painfully apparent. He’s out of his freaking mind. Just in the last couple of days: 1). Mentioned Karoline Leavitt’s mouth and lips. Truly creepy. 2). Spoke of his ‘aced’ cognitive tests. It’s a truly odd thing that he is fixated on.  His doctors continue to test his mental capabilities and he hasn’t figured out why, but he is obsessed with the idea that he did better than anyone ever in history. 3). He keeps falling asleep in meetings, and he’s lost as to why people are mentioning it. He also mentions that he works 21 hours a day. (He doesn’t). 4). The economy. He gives the current economy an A+++++ but one breath later explains that affordability is troubling because of Biden. If we are at an A++++ why does he blame Biden? 5). This might be my favorite: “Someone told me that I’m the best President of all time. Even better than Lincoln or Washington, and I said, “B...

 Ollie has 12 different balls. Most are of the football variety, but we also throw a round ball now and again to stay in shape for baseball season. He is under strict orders to bring the ball in after each round, but he forgot. Oh, we also name every ball, and we have deep discussions about which one we are using for that particular round. The ball you see pictured is named ‘Goofy’ and for the last few days, we’ve searched high and low for the original ‘Goofy’. The betting line is that he left it outside and then the snow fell. Finding a white ball in a yard buried in snow is difficult. We were both sick of looking so I stopped at Pet Smart and picked up the replacement. Oliver was so excited when he saw it. He caught every one. On another note: I may be losing my marbles.

The thing about being a lifelong writer is that sometimes I don’t get a lot of say on how it’s all going to play out. In early November, my sister sent me a text that had a nickname that she has always called me: “Clit.” Made me laugh at the time, but something clicked. Just a six or seven word text kicked it off. That night, I wrote a few pages. Set the story the night before the ‘Blizzard of ‘77’. It snowballed from there. Characters, plot line, the title and the main theme… …it was all there. Typed it as fast as it came to me. There’s a long way to go, but it is just sitting there, and I visit it, an hour here and an hour there. Over the weekend, I didn’t write anything new. Just read what I had. Another little trick is to make sure that I’m not mentally worn out when I’m putting the words down. Reading it was good enough. Woke up yesterday morning, not realizing that more of the story would be sitting there for me to grab. As I made a long drive to the first site, I was TRAPPED in ...

I don’t say it much this time of year, but as I tossed the ball around the yard for Ollie on Sunday morning, one word came to mind: Beautiful. The snow was lightly falling. We heard the PA system from the Bills Stadium as they announced something or other. Then the voices of children.  They were laughing. And that’s what took me back. I visualized the back yard with the sandbox and swing set. Thought about the boys playing tennis ball baseball back there. I could almost hear their laughter. And I thought about a line we heard in a movie we’d just seen. “The payoff for being a great parent is that you become irrelevant in their lives.” We aren’t there yet, and that’s sort of depressing, but it is true. They don’t need us like they needed us 10 or 15 or 20 years ago. But it was peaceful. I thought about the day, I moved a truckload of dirt to set up that swing set. Took me hours, and Kathy opened the window and asked: “What are we doing for dinner? The boys are hungry. I can make you...

Since we spent ten minutes in a tour bus, parked in Taylor Swift’s driveway, right next to Travis Kelce’s car, I feel as though I’m sort of an expert on their relationship. Yes, they’re engaged, and Taylor has been at all the Chiefs home games, but this isn’t a typical year for Kansas City. They’re going to have to battle for the right to end Buffalo’s season in the playoffs. As for Taylor?  All her songs are in the top 10 from her new record, and I’ve listened to, and liked a couple of them. So, yeah… …expert. What calls it all to mind is that Travis mentioned that in two and a half years, they have never had even a single argument. Come on now. I’ve been married for who the hell knows how long, and I don’t believe that we ever went more than two and a half weeks without having an argument. Two and a half years? Like 900 days? Nothing???? Hard to fathom. And I’m thinking that if you go that long, holding it in, or biting your tongue… …there will eventually be an explosion of sorts...

I texted my sister on Monday to ask her if the birthday celebration week was underway. “Of course!” She answered, and mentioned lunch with a friend and time spent with Chuckles. My sister enjoys her birthday, and she should. She deserves to be celebrated for at least a week every year. And man, we have celebrated December 6th for a lot of years now. I taught a class on Friday, and there was a young girl in attendance. I had to ask. “What year were you born?” “2006!” She proudly announced. My God! And now, when we have to enter our year of birth, we have to really spin that wheel like we are contestants on the Price Is Right. But I’m hoping that my wonderful sister has at least 50 more birthday weeks. We will figure a way to join the celebration today. Thank you for all you do, and for keeping the family tight. The Queen! Happy Birthday 🎁🎊  We love you!

Like a mafia don, the president is ordering executions of people on boats as they approach the United States. Are they running drugs, or fishing? We’ll never know. Because there’s no due process. Just blowing people out of the water, and doing it in between naps during the cabinet meetings where they go around the table and thank him for keeping hurricanes away from the main land. Hard to believe. The blowing people out of the water is troubling. Figuring that there were two survivors clinging to a boat after the initial strike… …they bombed them again. Those are war crimes at best. Straight up murder in the least. And it sounds honorable - trying to keep fentanyl out of the country- but: a). Venezuela isn’t where fentanyl comes from. b). If you’re serious about saying no to drugs, you probably shouldn’t pardon a drug king pin. Now, as for nap time at every meeting. Three straight days of video of him sound asleep. Yesterday he slipped off whilst standing up. Sleepy Joe? Finally, how a...

Doing my little training gigs all across New York State and as part of the safety training I have had to do sexual harassment training as dictated by the state. It’s always a rough sell to construction personnel and I get a lot of comments about ‘this sucks’. I know a lot of guys who roll their eyes when told they can’t make fun of someone who is changing their sex or want to be known by a different gender. The video is long. The test is cumbersome and the participants absolutely hate it. Then I am asked to sell it to them a little… …which is difficult because I have been in the business for a lot of years. I’ve heard it all. I’ve traded playful insults with a lot of guys and have never had my feelings hurt… …but as I told the class. “It’s a real issue, and many people have had their lives ruined by a boss or a coworker who didn’t stop.” “Don’t cross the line. Don’t be an asshole.” The class laughed. “You should write all the safety rules,” one of them said. And, in a world where it se...

So, America is now taking aim at boats with brown people on them. As a matter of fact, they struck one, saw that there were survivors and bombed it again. The idea being that perhaps it was a boat bringing drugs to our shores, but I’m just wondering here: Due process? Or is it straight up murder now? “We’re gonna’ start doing it on land,” the huge orange toad said.  Meanwhile, he pardoned a convicted drug dealer, in between drone strikes of small boats. Fighting crime? Law and order? Department of war? All of it stinks, and now, no one knows anything. The drunk, ex-Fox news reporter now knows nothing about the murder of those who survived the first attack. “I was hustling into my next meeting.” Didn’t stick around to watch the carnage. Now, I may be misinterpreting the constitution here, but is the penalty for a boat ride - with or without drugs - now murder - if you’re brown? Every damn day. A new horror. Had to laugh at the long nap during the cabinet meeting, though. Sleepy Joe?...

Uh, no. The latest distraction being bandied about is that people should put on a jacket and tie to take a flight. That would be comfortable, right? I’ll put on a jacket and tie when I get a seat big enough to be able to hold a book without making contact with the person who is also sharing my seat. People are so crammed in now. You want civility? Have the people carting us around maybe stop yelling at us the entire time. “Are your pockets empty?” The guy asks in a nasty voice. Then he asks it five more damn times before you can take 3 steps. God help you if you have a sip of water on you as you pass through the line. On the plane there’s a ten minute lecture on buckling your seat belt. Then are the wonderful moments when they hustle you onto the plane to hear: “We are seventh in line for take-off.” And you sit there for 40 minutes. In a suit and freaking tie? And then there is the deplaning issue. The plane lands and people in the 20th row immediately stand up… …if you’re seated next ...

December. Thanksgiving in the rear view. The break was certainly restful, but the howling winds and the cold temps had me feeling a little agitated as the long weekend wound down. But I was kind of looking forward to being back on a construction site. I have training coming up too, and it’ll be fun to dust off some of the old stories, and tell a few new ones. Three weeks until Christmas, which has started the: “What do you want for Christmas talk?” I gave my standard answer: “Peace on earth.” What else would I possibly want? My golf bag is updated. I have plenty of books in my ‘to read’ pile. Just sixty days away from my golf trip. Peace on Earth is the only other thing I can think of. Yet, that question is always followed up by what we are going to get the boys, and other family members. As far as my kids are concerned it’s less about a gift and more like a bank transaction. “They want money.” Time to get the tree out… …make sure the heater is charged up for my jacket. Time to head ba...