Thoughts of a Common Man

We didn’t really go out of our way to celebrate Halloween when we were kids. I remember sloughing you and down the street, of course, a whole bunch of us, getting candy. But mostly we thought wearing costumes was kinda’ dumb. My kids were the same way. We’d almost half to force them to go knock on some doors. Yet, there are people who really get off on it. Houses are decorated. Selling pumpkins is big business. This is where I go on record and state that anyone eating or drinking something pumpkin flavored... ...is a little off. There’s pumpkin freaking everything!  Everywhere!! I got a pumpkin flavored coffee, by mistake one morning, and I tossed it after one sip. The ghosts and ghouls and all the scary stuff is a tad odd too and we always talk about the Saturday that we shelled out ten bucks apiece to go on a haunted hay ride and about a minute and a half in... ...we were headed back to the car with three hysterical kids. There hasn’t been a kid at our door looking for candy in a...

In February of 2020 I was invited on a golf trip with some great friends. Just 4 days in Florida, but I remember thinking: “What a great start to the year!” That honestly feels like it was 10 years ago. And here we sit, Halloween. Sixty-two days left in this eternity of a year. And I can’t believe how down and out I’ve felt during some of these long-ass days. I watched the dueling political rallies yesterday. One was held at a social distance with people in masks and cars. The other a old-time rally. Mask less and totally ignoring the facts. Shake my damn head. How is it even possible? The science. All these sick people. So many Americans dying. No plan. No empathy. Defiance and division. Got a text from a dear friend. “What do you do when you feel down?” Then a text from an old friend. “I’m positive for Covid. I’m so sick. Fever broke, but I haven’t been able to stand up since Monday.” “Oh God!” I wrote. “You’ll beat it. Rest. Stay hydrated. Good thing you’re an elite athlete.” (I was...

I didn’t watch a single pitch of the World Series. Not sure why. I wasn’t that upset about the Yankees getting beat, but a few factors came into play. 1). Other than Kershaw I didn’t care about seeing the Dodgers win. I’ve always liked Kershaw though, and I’m happy for him. 2). Baseball is on too late. Now, it’s only 8:00 when the game starts, but why bother if my team isn’t in there? The Rays change pitchers every other inning, and neither starter went more than 6 innings. Didn’t want to invest a couple of hours in watching a game when the end was still 2 hours away and 2 hours into my sleep time. 3). The shift and the bullpen use  Even during the Yankees-Rays series I was put off by the entertainment value of the games. Shifts are taking away all base hits other than Homers. One relief pitcher after another is killing the pace and they’re all throwing 100. Strikeouts reign! 4). Umpires They stunk in the Yankees series. Okay, I was a little mad. So, congrats to the Dodgers - first...

Saw a photo of the White House yesterday. There are about 6 fences in front of the place. Can’t even see the front door. Trump said this yesterday during a stump speech: “So, three weeks in, Biden is shot, and they say Kamala you’re in! Can’t happen. A woman socialist president!” Wait. What? He said: “Biden is shot?????” Come on, America. A candidate saying that about another candidate??? And then you stand up and sing, “I’m proud to be an American”? What happened? At the debate they were speaking about kids in cages and Biden said, “These kids are separated from their parents.” The answer? “Good.” Trump said, “Good.” The rich man pays no taxes. It’s brought up: “That makes me smart.” We lost our way. It didn’t all happen over the last 4 years, but it’s disintegrated fast. Kindness and empathy? Equal rights regardless of race, color or creed? 225,000 dead? “Ah they were old anyway????” Will the election that’s just 6 days away solve all the problems? Definitely not, but man, we gotta’ ...

I can’t imagine that there are many undecided voters, and I am loathe to stuff my political opinions down anyone’s throat, but I’ve always been honest about my thoughts, and I believe that faithful readers of this blog are well aware as to how I voted. What I think those who might be wavering should truly think about: 1). Who is mentally fit. They’re both old white men and I often hear about speaking gaffes related to Biden. Do me a favor, though, just listen to a Trump rally. Tell me what, if anything is true.  2). Working as United States I have never heard anyone govern - out loud - in favor or against a state based on whether or not they voted for you. Blue states and red states? That’s not a way to go. 3). Covid response  The virus doesn’t have any idea who is a democrat and who is a republican. My question is in regard to who can best solve this, or at least control it. We don’t have cases and deaths only because we do a lot of testing. That’s simply NOT why it’s spreadi...

The frost pushed back the tee time. When we hit our first shot - down the middle - it wasn’t 40 degrees. The course was set to close for the season following Sunday’s final round. Had a great time and me and JC both made long putts on the final hole... ...which was apropos for a good year. We are now just 8 days away from the most horrendous election ever. When that is over... ...maybe there will be relative calm. (Probably not as one candidate appears keen on a scorched earth approach to how the Democracy rolls). Could it be that the world may calm down? (Of course not). Yet, for me and the other three guys I hung with every Sunday morning in this god forsaken year, the question remains: Now what? I know the time will get filled - I’ll write a little, make some breakfast, hang with the dogs & cat. Try and stay warm. But what I will miss most of all is the looking-forward to the 4 hours of relaxation. We all have enough golf balls, but I enjoyed going into the woods to find a few m...

I wasn’t planning on voting early, but after discussing my scheduled trip with a work client they let me know that the cost of flying out on a Wednesday as opposed to Election Day Tuesday was an extra $700. “Can you vote early?” They asked. Even sent me the link to where the early voting was being held. And like everything else, it became a recurring thought. I NEEDED to vote early and I wasn’t gonna’ put it off. I found the closest place - voting started at noon - so I decided to head over a little early - got there at 11:30. Was a hundredth in line. “Wow,” the guy behind me said. “People are making sure they vote in this one.” We watched the line grow behind us. ‘Wow’ is right. The line snaked down the sidewalk and all the way back to the baseball diamond. We started talking baseball and then we chatted about work. Turns out three straight of us made our living in the construction field and we knew all the same people. They were in unions. I was a long-time union member. “I’m glad I’...