I recently asked some people to explain what non-material things--besides family, friends, home and technology--they were thankful for. Here's mine:
--A job I like. (Most people I know hate their jobs. I love mine. Not every day is a fairy tale, but I love the job overall.)
--A good career, with good benefits. (I get lots of sinus infections--as if that was my career instead.)
--My numerous interests. (Writing; literature; baseball; baseball cards; the writing industry; short story and novel reading [and writing]; antique buying and dealing; dealing baseball cards [I'm also a part-time picker]; football; walking; hiking; biking; movies...) You get the idea. I think boredom is the worst kind of hell.
--My abundance of energy. (Until lately, I could subsist quite well on 4-6 hours of sleep per night.)
--My "intelligence." (Real or imagined.)
--My imagination. (Which can often get out of control, and which is often not a gift.)
--My health. (I used to be a lot worse off, and my sinuses--as terrible as they are--used to be much worse.)
--My sense of humor. (Again, real or imagined. If I'm only half as funny as I think I am, then I'm still hilarious.)
--My proximity to mountains, beaches, rivers, hiking and biking trails, and big cities.
--My local sports teams. (I've got the Patriots and Red Sox. True, the Sox finished last the past two years, but even then they're entertaining. And they've still got 3 World Championships in the past eleven years, with a few other post-season appearances thrown in. Plus I've got Fenway.)
--Great neighbors. (Bad neighbors can be nightmares.)
--Heat, electric and an affordable education. (Most people in the world don't have any of those.)
AND A HEAD'S UP TO CHRIS AND JAY AND TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO MADE THIS THANKSGIVING STRESS-FREE AND WONDERFUL. YOU'RE THE BEST!!!
WHAT'RE YOU THANKFUL FOR? (It's okay to comment even if it's not Thanksgiving anymore.)
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
Quick Jots Oct. 2015
Just a few things:
--What the Pope said to Kim Davis: "Really? Really?"
--Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders: Only in America, man. Truly their political success makes this country special, in every sense of the word.
--Actually, the Pope said: "Can you make your husband change his clothes now?"
--The chances of your child "getting" autism from the flu shot is much, much, much, much less than your child dying of the flu, or of spreading it to someone who may die of it. Or of making the flu more virulent.
--In India right now, a strain of the plague exists that is not vulnerable to any antibiotic at all.
--Since I published my recent Kim Davis blog entry, I lost a follower of this blog. I wish you well, and I'll leave the light on for ya.
--But you still can't decide which part of your public job you're not going to do.
--BTW, the Constitution does not guarantee you the right to wield your religion as a weapon in your war against those you hate. It guarantees you the right to have that religion, and it guarantees you the right not to be thrown into jail by the government for having that religion. And that's all.
--You still have to do all parts of your public job. And you have to serve wedding cakes to everyone, too, for that matter.
--Freedom of Religion means the government can't discriminate against you, and you can't discriminate against others. Get it now?
--Note to bakery couple: You're spending more money on your defense than you would have if you'd just paid the damn fine and made that damn cake. And, P.S.--How do you know the person who just made your pizza wasn't gay, and spit on it?
--And if you want to use the Bible as your weapon, you do so at your own peril. It says that divorce is bad, too--and Kim Davis has been divorced three times. The only things more surprising than that are that she has been married four times--and that she has been married at all. Let the record show that she has not refused marriage licenses to those previously divorced. Though she did (inadvertently, is my guess) give a marriage license to a transgender person.
--In all seriousness, this Pope--who is more liberal than the New Masses--probably did not pat her on the shoulder and say, "Good job." I'm betting he very politely gave her some what-for, no matter what she ends up saying later. I can see him whispering, "I've just worked very hard not to distance people from this religion, so will you please knock it off?"
--If there's to be yet another Carrie remake or sequel, she should be in it. That's perfect casting.
--Now, from out of left field: Though the Yanks (See what I did there?) made the playoffs and the Sox didn't, the Sox are currently playing much, much better, and have more reason to be excited for next year than the Yanks do.
--The Yanks are not long for these playoffs, either. They're old, they're tired, and they cannot consistently hit, drive in runs, or pitch well in innings 1-6. They're in the playoffs because they have three hitters with 80-95 RBIs, and because their 8th and 9th inning guys are lights-out. That won't be enough in the playoffs against teams with much, much more.
--Religion, politics and sports. Yup. Sorry about that.
--What the Pope said to Kim Davis: "Really? Really?"
--Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders: Only in America, man. Truly their political success makes this country special, in every sense of the word.
--Actually, the Pope said: "Can you make your husband change his clothes now?"
--The chances of your child "getting" autism from the flu shot is much, much, much, much less than your child dying of the flu, or of spreading it to someone who may die of it. Or of making the flu more virulent.
--In India right now, a strain of the plague exists that is not vulnerable to any antibiotic at all.
--Since I published my recent Kim Davis blog entry, I lost a follower of this blog. I wish you well, and I'll leave the light on for ya.
--But you still can't decide which part of your public job you're not going to do.
--BTW, the Constitution does not guarantee you the right to wield your religion as a weapon in your war against those you hate. It guarantees you the right to have that religion, and it guarantees you the right not to be thrown into jail by the government for having that religion. And that's all.
--You still have to do all parts of your public job. And you have to serve wedding cakes to everyone, too, for that matter.
--Freedom of Religion means the government can't discriminate against you, and you can't discriminate against others. Get it now?
--Note to bakery couple: You're spending more money on your defense than you would have if you'd just paid the damn fine and made that damn cake. And, P.S.--How do you know the person who just made your pizza wasn't gay, and spit on it?
--And if you want to use the Bible as your weapon, you do so at your own peril. It says that divorce is bad, too--and Kim Davis has been divorced three times. The only things more surprising than that are that she has been married four times--and that she has been married at all. Let the record show that she has not refused marriage licenses to those previously divorced. Though she did (inadvertently, is my guess) give a marriage license to a transgender person.
--In all seriousness, this Pope--who is more liberal than the New Masses--probably did not pat her on the shoulder and say, "Good job." I'm betting he very politely gave her some what-for, no matter what she ends up saying later. I can see him whispering, "I've just worked very hard not to distance people from this religion, so will you please knock it off?"
--If there's to be yet another Carrie remake or sequel, she should be in it. That's perfect casting.
--Now, from out of left field: Though the Yanks (See what I did there?) made the playoffs and the Sox didn't, the Sox are currently playing much, much better, and have more reason to be excited for next year than the Yanks do.
--The Yanks are not long for these playoffs, either. They're old, they're tired, and they cannot consistently hit, drive in runs, or pitch well in innings 1-6. They're in the playoffs because they have three hitters with 80-95 RBIs, and because their 8th and 9th inning guys are lights-out. That won't be enough in the playoffs against teams with much, much more.
--Religion, politics and sports. Yup. Sorry about that.
Friday, September 13, 2013
It's Been Awhile--and More Quick Jots
So I've been away for much longer than usual. Exhaustion, work, sinus infections and some serious insomnia (so bad that, despite a lifetime with the issue, I had to take a sick day for it for the first time), but I'm plugging along. Here are a few quick considerations in the meantime:
--From the Sick World File, as per my last blog entry about this sick, crazy world, I offer you the story of three teens who beat to death a father of 12, grandfather of 23, while he was collecting cans in an alley for some money (which you would need with 12 children and 23 grandchildren). As if that weren't horrible enough, it turns out that one of them filmed it on his cellphone, and then uploaded it to his Facebook page. The reason? Same as the one other teens gave when they shot a college ballplayer a few weeks ago: they were bored.
Filming a murder. Laughing during the filming. Posting a murder to Facebook. Killing...for fun.
What the hell is going on?!? Read it for yourself here.
--Speaking of which, the teens who beat to death the World War II vet in his 80s in Washington state recently pled not guilty today. Although they, and the beating, were videotaped by security cameras.
--And one of them said the man was trying to cheat them in a crack deal. I couldn't make that up.
--This past Sunday night, a neighbor and I met in the street while I put my barrels out. We talked about the Patriots game, the Sox game, and the tennis match, that we coincidentally both watched. Then I went back in and started yet another three-hour night of sleep. He went to bed early, as usual. And did not wake up.
--I'll miss meeting up with you at the mailbox and talking sports, my old friend. Shine on.
--It can happen just that suddenly.
--And not just to my neighbor, who was in his 80s. The guy murdered in Washington state was in his 80s, and the guy in the alley probably was, too.
--If I'd known that the Sox would make beards like those the Seven Dwarfs had the new big thing, I would have kept mine. It wasn't in Mike Napoli's range, but it got very full and gnarly when I just didn't give a damn about shaving.
--The Patriots are a very ugly 2-0. But as a co-worker said today, a win's a win.
--Putin isn't making Obama look bad. That's a whole lot of nothin' right there. Putin's the same guy who has recently sung bad songs to celebrities, who poses without his shirt, and who does many other things to increase his own visibility. The surprising thing here is that he did a relatively restrained thing, like write a commentary for the New York Times.
--Though he's certainly not as popular and well-loved by the world as he was six years ago, Obama is still very well-liked and well-respected. Nobody could have kept up his past level of world love. But to say he's now unliked by the world is ridiculous. You're talking about Obama's predecessor there.
--Up next: a blog entry about the evils of ebay.
--From the Sick World File, as per my last blog entry about this sick, crazy world, I offer you the story of three teens who beat to death a father of 12, grandfather of 23, while he was collecting cans in an alley for some money (which you would need with 12 children and 23 grandchildren). As if that weren't horrible enough, it turns out that one of them filmed it on his cellphone, and then uploaded it to his Facebook page. The reason? Same as the one other teens gave when they shot a college ballplayer a few weeks ago: they were bored.
Filming a murder. Laughing during the filming. Posting a murder to Facebook. Killing...for fun.
What the hell is going on?!? Read it for yourself here.
--Speaking of which, the teens who beat to death the World War II vet in his 80s in Washington state recently pled not guilty today. Although they, and the beating, were videotaped by security cameras.
--And one of them said the man was trying to cheat them in a crack deal. I couldn't make that up.
--This past Sunday night, a neighbor and I met in the street while I put my barrels out. We talked about the Patriots game, the Sox game, and the tennis match, that we coincidentally both watched. Then I went back in and started yet another three-hour night of sleep. He went to bed early, as usual. And did not wake up.
--I'll miss meeting up with you at the mailbox and talking sports, my old friend. Shine on.
--It can happen just that suddenly.
--And not just to my neighbor, who was in his 80s. The guy murdered in Washington state was in his 80s, and the guy in the alley probably was, too.
--If I'd known that the Sox would make beards like those the Seven Dwarfs had the new big thing, I would have kept mine. It wasn't in Mike Napoli's range, but it got very full and gnarly when I just didn't give a damn about shaving.
--The Patriots are a very ugly 2-0. But as a co-worker said today, a win's a win.
--Putin isn't making Obama look bad. That's a whole lot of nothin' right there. Putin's the same guy who has recently sung bad songs to celebrities, who poses without his shirt, and who does many other things to increase his own visibility. The surprising thing here is that he did a relatively restrained thing, like write a commentary for the New York Times.
--Though he's certainly not as popular and well-loved by the world as he was six years ago, Obama is still very well-liked and well-respected. Nobody could have kept up his past level of world love. But to say he's now unliked by the world is ridiculous. You're talking about Obama's predecessor there.
--Up next: a blog entry about the evils of ebay.
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