Thoughts of a Common Man

I’m kind of glad that we are falling back this weekend because the darkness makes me not want to get up when I usually get up. Of course, it’s going to be dark at five o’clock going forward. But the frost in the windshield and having to get dressed up to play catch is rough. Which reminds me! Yesterday I went to a demolition job at a big church/school in the city. It always amazes me that whoever vacates the buildings just leave everything behind. I counted two copy machines, about 8 computer monitors, and at least 50 Bibles. Just scattered about. And then I spotted a little football. “OLLIE!” I actually called out his name. Then I spotted a bigger football. When I returned home at the usual time, Ollie was waiting, of course. I showed him the little football. Then I showed him the bigger one. Pure joy. Normally he waits as I unpack my stuff and charge my Notebook. Yesterday I just set it all aside and we headed right to the backyard. He had a wonderful time. He headed for bed a little...

40 million Americans that depend on SNAP to eat are being told to pound salt. There appears to be zero movement in re-opening the government and the financial aid that keeps people’s head just above the water is being stripped. Evidently, we don’t have the money to help. Cause we’re in dire need of a ballroom, and a trillion dollars for the department of war so that we can bomb boats out of the water, killing all aboard, and then figuring out if they’re good or bad. The elderly, the disabled and children rely on SNAP to freaking EAT! “Sorry, we’re tapped out!” But $100 million on golf trips is necessary. Private planes for members of the cabinet. The military parade that no one went to. Billions are being wasted. 1.4 million government workers haven’t been paid in a month and may never be back to work. Air traffic controllers are calling in sick. ICE is raiding American work places… …looking for criminals, but instead deporting men and women who have been working here, and paying taxes...

I haven’t been to a theater in years. The last time was when Springsteen released “Western Stars” which is one of my favorite records of all time. We didn’t go this weekend to see, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” with Jeremy Allen White playing Bruce, but we will see it soon. “Nebraska” is a record that drips with Bruce’s depression. Of course, way back in 1982, when the record was released, we didn’t know why a rock star, whose career was just taking off, would release such a stark record. I was a Springsteen fan way back then. I had loved ‘Darkness’ and ‘The River’ and I also owned his first 3 records. I was a freshman in college when Nebraska came out, and for the uninitiated, it was so insanely different. There weren’t any hits.  Bruce didn’t even appear on the cover, and they didn’t even tour to support it, or even make a freaking video! And the songs were so damn dark. Bruce’s chair was creaking on the recording. He taped it in his bedroom.  Songs of desperation, ...

We have a saying around here: Everyday is an Ollieday. Coming off a week when I couldn’t shake the doldrums I mentioned to Oliver that we were going to go hard on Saturday. “No work,” I told Ollie. “I grab my coffee and we’re playing football.” By 9:30 we had gone through 3 rounds of 25 throws. I wrote a little in between with ‘Modern Family’ on in the background. Hit the grocery store, and then took a ride to spend a little time with Mom.  Ollie was waiting at the door for more. By 7:00, we had played 7 times, and the last round had him walking the ball back to me. He had a few bones, and a little rotisserie chicken. I also made a huge rack of ribs, and packed some up for the boys. A good way to shake myself out of the funk. “No work tomorrow,” I mentioned to Ollie as he got ready for bed. “No golf either. Tomorrow is another Ollieday.” Didn’t look at the news. Didn’t dwell on the fact that the government is closed and there doesn’t seem much interest in re-opening it. Furloughed ...

I’m an optimistic, upbeat guy most of the time. I struggled this week, and I’m trying to figure it all out. First, my golf course closed for the year. That’s rough news, and not having a tee time scheduled really wore me down this week. Secondly, the image of the White House being demolished really upset me. Yeah, there have been changes made to the house throughout the century, but never in a whim. Protocol and policies be damned.  We don’t have a choice. Coming off the ‘No Kings’ march we saw a video of the fat orange guy as a fighter pilot. He dumped crap on the heads of Americans. Then they demolished the East Wing. For a ballroom? As working Americans struggle to make ends meet? That’s depressing. And then there is just plain work burnout. I’m tired. Things that normally have me fired up have been making me yawn. Which happens from time to time… …to all of us… …and I will snap out of it… …Ollie will make sure of that… …I guess that’s why they call it the blues.

There’s a group of safety guys who get together every now and again for lunch. We take turns buying, and have tried a lot of good spots in Buffalo throughout the years. We have a favorite Chinese place and a little hole in the wall Mexican place that serves the best shrimp tacos. We even tried an Indian place once. Once! Was horrible. Yesterday, we went to breakfast. The rain has been coming down hard, and the temperatures are dropping. Safety guys don’t care for lousy weather. One guy works for the government and even though he has to go in… ….he ain’t getting paid! So, he’s not overly enthusiastic about starting his day. We sat there for a little while and had a little more coffee. Told a few war stories. We’ve been getting together for more than 25 years… …this time I saw the future… …getting together for breakfast when we are all retired. Hope we get the chance.

In case anyone hasn’t noticed we don’t have a functioning government. The House is closed. They’ve worked just one week since July, and there are no negotiations scheduled. Yet, things are being decreed. The east wing of the White House is gone. Demolished. Without regard to a vote, or a process. The money is being raised through ‘donations’ from the wealthy, who now own a piece of the government. Exactly what the founding fathers were concerned about. Farmers are going under. And we are giving billions to Argentina cattle ranchers. The poor are losing food stamps, and before you yell, “Good!” Try and figure out where the poor are going to go to get money. Healthcare for a family runs $27,000 a year and there are reports that it will triple. Imagine paying $80 grand a year for lousy healthcare. The walls are closing in. The foundation is shaking. And Americans - a majority of them - haven’t even noticed. We never had troops in the streets detaining people without due process. We’ve nev...