Thoughts of a Common Man

We’ve heard a whole lot of calls for unity over the last couple of weeks. Mostly by the GOP. Because they were involved in the planning of the insurrection. I honestly don’t get it. People lost their lives on January 6th. Some of the people who were arrested, after they videotaped each other breaking in, are being released. There were pipe bombs placed at the scene. If they would’ve found Pelosi or Pence that day... ...they would have killed them. I’m also of the opinion that there’s no unity without accountability. There are rules. Rules have to be followed and penalties must be enforced. The thing that gets me is how these guys and gals turn on a dime. Say one thing on Monday and the exact opposite on Wednesday after checking which way the wind is blowing. And I’m not quite sure why guns are needed on the floor of Congress. One congressman threatening another is also something that should be frowned upon. I’ve purposely moved away from politics. I don’t want it in my life anymore, bu...

Some weeks it feels like it takes a month for Friday to arrive. It certainly felt that way this week. I started the work week on Sunday so I was pretty wiped out by mid-week. Struggled to catch up on sleep, battled the frigid 🥶 cold and survived a couple of zoom calls and a literal fistfight on one of the jobs. Mid-way through the day I was hit by a stray thought: “There’s a new Denzel movie!” That helped. Had a second stray thought: “I should make macaroni salad.” I make good macaroni salad. It teamed up perfect with roast beef sandwiches. By 9 p.m., I was watching the movie with a belly full... ...and I was relaxed for the first time all week.  The cat on top of the couch behind me. The dog at my feet. The idea that I could stay in bed a little longer was a comforting thought. 48 hours of peace. I considered all the Friday’s when I would hit happy hour, and then go out on Saturday night, and maybe even again on Sunday. No such aspirations anymore. Now it’s about resting. “No dra...

So, the Bills lost. And the further you go in a season the more it hurts the fans. “I’m not worried about Kansas City at all,” my wife said on Saturday before the game. I was dropping Sam off at work that day. “Kelce is a problem,” I said. “Edmunds has that covered,” Sam said. Turns out they were both really wrong. And as they fell way behind and the end was at hand, I texted the boys. “They picked a bad day to play lousy. No shame.” No one answered me. What’s funny about the Super Bowl matchup is that each week since about mid-season I’ve asked Sam what he would say if Brady was dancing in the confetti at the end. “No chance that will ever happen”, gave way to: “Brees will beat him.” To “No way they beat Rodgers in Lambeau.” “Now what?” I asked Sam. “I hope Brady does win,” he said. “I hate the Chiefs.” And that’s the way sports goes. I push buttons rooting for Brady in Buffalo. Not sure why other than it’s fun! And I admire the work ethic and besides... ...half the league is filled w...

I try to pack light when I’m on the road.  It makes for some odd-looking outfits. Now, I usually travel in sweatpants and a tee-shirt because they crank the heat up so high in the plane that I feel as if I’m in a sauna. But I also wear my work boots because if I packed them my bag is too heavy. I pack just a pair of slip-on shoes. Also, since it was just a two-day trip, I only packed one pair of jeans. That’s the scenario. I didn’t count on the mud. On Monday, I walked the job sites and I got absolutely filthy.  There was mud caked everywhere, and since I didn’t have a towel or anything to clean my hands, I just kept wiping them on my hoodie or my jeans. Monday evening at the hotel, I had a decision to make. I could run out and buy a new pair of jeans or I could just make it through... ...absolutely filthy. I’ve never been what one might call a snappy dresser. In my defense, I was just heading back out into the mud. So, I started Tuesday... ...filthy. Then I went to a horribly...

Life can grind you down. There are a lot of days when you feel like you’re doing things that you don’t want to do for people you may not even particularly like. Too much of it and you’re on the search for a way to bring a little excitement back into your days. Usually that excitement can be in the form of things that allow you to self-destruct. I’ve always had to travel a bit for work. The act of traveling sucks - it’s tiring. Yet, I’ve always felt refreshed, mentally, after a couple days away because I’m usually spending a lot of time in my own head, and I’m good at talking myself into being positive about all sorts of things. The road doesn’t hide much though because no matter how hard you try, you can’t outrun yourself. So, there I was, driving through Kansas, looking for cattle and the cowboys who chase it around. Every look around has a red, or brown hue to it, and there ain’t much there. Heard a news item about “food deserts” in the area... ...there are no stores where people mig...

My beautiful wife wrote the directions down for me.  I was ready to leap into the 2000’s by attempting to watch television on my phone on the airplane! I don’t have the patience for any of the sign-in crap so I normally just put on a Bruce record and sleep. But the games were on! On the first leg of the journey I set it up. I followed the directions and actually did it! I watched Brady throw 3 touchdown passes in the first half. It was great fun! Had my layover where I charged my phone and got ready for the Bills game. They loaded us all up and sat us at the gate for a half an hour.  The plane was packed with Chiefs fans as we were headed to Kansas City. I told the guy across the aisle that I was from Buffalo. “Should be a good game,” I said. “I’m thinking blowout,” he responded. The guy beside me was also a Chiefs fan, but he wasn’t so cocky. He spoke well of Allen and the Bills O. I tried to sign in. Nothing. Started to panic. The guy next to me signed in and the end of the ...

I was late to the party. In a casual conversation about politics a buddy of mine told me that I had to watch the old series, Newsroom with Jeff Daniels. I’m a huge Jeff Daniels fan and I had seen the famous clip of the show where he answers the question on what makes America the greatest nation in the world. I was a tad worried about how political that either Kathy or I would go to be entertained, but man, we tore through the series. It was great - Sorkin is a great writer and Daniels is a terrific actor.  All of it was brilliant... ...but there was a huge moment when I grew sad. I went to school to be one of the journalists in that room, and while things worked out well, I loved the idea of truth, justice and the American way when I was an idealistic kid. I’m sad that the world didn’t turn out to be the place I thought it was. The way that some people get their news is sad. We have people out there, right now, who believe that there is a huge pedophile ring that runs through Holly...