Thoughts of a Common Man

There was a Twitter account called: “Is Henry Kissinger Dead?” It was started years ago. Last night the leader of that account sent out a one-word message: “Yes.” And all the news channels raced to get out their long-ago written obituaries. Kissinger was 100. This wasn’t unexpected. Yet, some of those obits were rewriting history a little. “An impactful, global icon who was more influential than many presidents.” As opposed to others: “The bastard is dead. Adios war criminal! May you rest in piss.” Now, the living of one’s life should lead to kind words being shared after you pass on… …At least that’s the goal. Seems that there were a whole lot of people who are not devastated by the news. Kissinger did some things that some see as murderous. He crafted foreign policies that some contend cost thousands upon thousands of lives. “Excellent news!” One Twitter account tweeted. “Dick Cheney is on the clock!!” I read a lot about Kissinger and perhaps I won’t just pile on here. History will j...

We tried to hustle away from Buffalo this morning. I listened to the news last night: “An inch of snow later in the day.” I was glad that we wouldn’t be battling a storm on the way to the airport. Woke up and looked at Antarctica outside the window. I hustled. Loaded up the car, poured coffee, let Ollie out and said a sad goodbye. Went back to help Kathy. We made it into the car in decent shape and started the trek to the airport. Couldn’t travel more than 40 mph for first 10 miles but pulled into long-term parking right next to the shuttle bus. The driver never budged as I loaded the suitcases and Kathy. Still doing okay. We took off. “My phone!” I had left it plugged in. The driver doubled back. We got to the gate and I went in one lane with two bags and two carry-ons. Kathy negotiated the line one lane over. I made it through first and had my shoes on. Ten minutes to spare. We arrived at the gate and I thought of coffee. Was adding the milk when my phone buzzed. “They’re letting me ...

Yesterday was busy. A lot to do before we have our little vacation, and on Sunday night I tried to schedule Monday with Kathy… …who is a bit leisurely when it comes to schedule-making. Up and out early on Monday and forgot to work on a 2:00 session that I also missed sending an email out on. I was still okay - I could head home and send out the email on the way to somewhere else. “What are you doing?” I asked. “Running Sam to work,” she said. I knew that. “And then?” “Coming home.” “And then?” “I’m going to see where the day takes me?” I laughed. Stepped past. “Where’s this water coming from?” Stepped into a small bathroom at the basement level. I splashed. “Oh boy!” Looked down to see a dangling hose. Now, here’s the thing: I know nothing about fixing anything! I knew enough to shut the water off, and thought about calling a plumber. Then, I looked at the dangling hose.  Maybe I could replace that! I grabbed the thing and went to the hardware store. Stopped in the plumbing aisle a...

Had 4 days off, which promised real rest. I slept horribly each night! Went to bed tired at 11:00 each night and was up by 5:00 every morning. Threw 1,200 passes for Ollie in the muddy conditions and the frozen tundra at Camp Clifford. He caught at least 1,140 of those. Wanted to play more! The Bills coughed up another game - which matters little to me - but it’s all consuming for the community and impossible to ignore - yet everyone complains about the product that is the NFL - bad officiating, confusing rules, players getting maimed, possibly rigged or scripted… …but everyone keeps watching! The Jets-Dolphins game on Black Friday cost Amazon $100 million. It was a horrific sporting event (I didn’t watch but heard the score). It will break a viewing record. I mentioned it to my son, who also wasn’t watching, but was interested in following the game on his phone. “Have to keep an eye on it,” he said. “For fantasy.” Or to bet it. You can bet on every damn thing now. First score, final s...

I saw a Facebook post of Air Supply singing ‘Sweet Dreams’ - a song that came out in 1982. It was our prom song.  I still know all the hokey words. Immediately after, I saw the photo of Dolly Parton in the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit. Then I heard a disco version of the Stones new song, ‘Mess it Up’ (great song). Then finally, I read an article about Hall hitting Oates with a restraining order over the sale of their music. You couldn’t go a half an hour without hearing a Hall & Oates song back in the 80’s. Hit after hit after hit. Their songs were catchy and their videos were kind of painful to watch as they weren’t the greatest actors or dancers, but in a partnership like that I’d assumed that they were thick as thieves. Turns out they didn’t do all that much in the way of being creative. They didn’t hang out much, but knew that they could make hit pop songs together. Like a lot of acts from back then though they took a bit of a beating with their record deal. I’m not su...

Haven’t heard the Mariah Carey Christmas song yet, but the season is definitely underway. I saw a Facebook photo of someone’s Thanksgiving meal (BTW - Turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing don’t photograph well)… …but there was a tree up already. We don’t even think about putting the tree up until at least December 15 and there’s no way it will see 2024. Am I missing out? I don’t put a single light on the house either. Not even a wreath. Now it’s not that I don’t enjoy Christmas - I do - we just haven’t had a normal one in years. Last year a snowstorm canceled everything. The year before, Kathy was down as she had a hip replaced. In 2020, Covid changed everything. So, perhaps, I don’t want to jinx anything by getting the jump on the next holiday while I’m still digesting the food from this one. I broached the subject of gift for the boys. “They want cash.” Not a whole lot goes into wrapping cash. And our extended family has grown older. There aren’t a lot of kids running around right no...

On Wednesday a car went airborne near the Rainbow Bridge that connects Canada and the United States. Fox News was all over the reporting of the story.  I was working and barely glanced at the coverage, but what I read was that it was a car-filled with explosives driven by terrorists. “Good Lord! That’s 20 miles from here,” I thought. A friend texted to ask me if I was following the story and I repeated what I’d read - unknowingly - off  that right-wing account. “That’s not what I heard,” my friend texted. “God, I pray that’s not true.” I went to a trusted news source and immediately learned that Fox was reporting the exact opposite of what was actually happening. Turns out the two people who died were a couple, in their mid-50’s. They were driving a Bentley. They were not trying to get into the country - they were going to a casino in Canada. There aren’t any more answers than that right now - who knows why the car was traveling at such a high rate of speed.  Terrorism ha...