Care Package

Close to Easter 2015 I received a care package from a very good blog friend, Jolene of Jo's Jumbled Jardinière.  It was my first package ever from Singapore.  She's a very sweet girl--a good wife, sister and friend (some of her current friendships started in...well, I'll just say they started when she started school :).  

Jo included a selection of items for my taste buds and my mind.  The package had:

--Yan Yan (tasty cookie sticks with a pool of chocolate for dipping):
--Pepero (chocolate covered pretzel sticks):
--Inspirational magnets:
--Captain America (Diamond blocks):
--a book on the Evolution of Language: and
--a jar of candy--including eyeglass candy packaged in the shape of a lucky 8!  The jar included samples of Haw Flakes, White Rabbit taffy, lemon candy (Smarties style), grape Magic Pop (pop rocks).  

You're probably thinking (and I wouldn't blame you) that I ate it all too quickly to take any pictures.  But I did take pictures.  I lost them when my IPod crashed right after that.  I still had the jar of candy, so I took more pictures of that and the non-consumables with my replacement IPod.  Since I am somewhat cursed when it comes to pictures*, my IPod and computer won't speak to one another.  So no pictures!  I've tried many times.

But pictures or no pictures, I remember and appreciate your kind gesture, Jo!  Thank you!!!

PS - Thanks to Jo, I know that, after a brief fling with Malaysia, Singapore became truly independent in 1965.  50 years ago!


* I lost almost all of my childhood and early adult photos when someone stole the leather bag my wife had put them in.  She had taken them to her office to scan them--so we would always have copies.  Cursed! 

Context (and "So long, farewell...")

In early November I received a promotional e-mail from "Brad's Deals" touting shopping bargains for the day.  The first item listed on the Subject line was "personalized stockings".

That confused me.  Why would a woman need her stockings to be personalized?  Is it like moms putting their kids' names in their underwear before they go to summer camp???  I deleted the e-mail without opening it.

In mid-December I saw a Christmas stocking in a commercial.  Christmas stockings!!!  Of course, THAT is what "Brad" was promoting in early November.  This reinforces my belief that Christmas is promoted too early--before I'm ready to think about it.  Let me get to Thanksgiving, then start bombarding me with Christmas.

That said, merry Christmas to all (who celebrate it) and to all...farewell. 

I'm closing down Waiting for Wisdom. Saturday Night Live stole one of my stories, so I'm out.  It has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't had a good idea for a post in many months.  :D 

Thank you for humoring me over the years and being part of my extended family.  I over-shared like crazy here and you were always understanding, supportive and a wonderful source of treasured observations, humor and advice.


PS - But you're not free of me yet!  I'll still be visiting your blogs and commenting, hopefully on a regular basis.

Disappointed...

in myself.  I started to name this post "Today's yesterday", but that might have given the impression I think this post is deep.  It's not.


During quiet moments it's not unusual for some of my own recent events to come back to me. Conversations, encounters, decisions...anything, it doesn't have to be a big thing.  It's not intentional.  It's just where my mind goes at times.  We all do it to some extent.


As I was commuting home yesterday I remembered seeing a story on the news last week about a murder near a gas station in a neighboring county.  As my wife walked through the room that evening I said, "Hey look, gas is $1.97 there."


Gas!  A man had been killed and I was noticing the price of gas.  At the time I didn't think anything of it.  But it was bad.  I didn't realize I'd gotten desensitized to the news.  I shared this story with a friend at work and he laughed--but out of surprise rather than thinking it's funny.


Any suggestions on how to re-sensitize? 

Sleep Cycles

My belief that some of us are simply born to be night owls keeps growing stronger.  That was given a big boost this week when a friend posted that her baby preferred to sleep all day and stay up all night.  She's doing everything possible (short of drugs) to flip that around, but it's hard to fight mother nature. 

I know, because I am one of those night owls. 

As a small child I tossed and turned almost every night when trying to get to sleep.  Eventually I'd give up. 

• Then my feet would go up on the wall. 
• Then I'd sit up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. 
• Look out the window. 
• Sit in the rocking chair in the living room. 
• Then sit on the end of my parent's bed, in case one of them was awake.

If one of them was awake, they were too smart to admit it.  Eventually I'd go back to bed.  Morning would come too soon.  Morning still comes too soon. 

My daughter takes after me with regard to sleep.  So it was no surprise to me when our then-4 year-old daughter told us she'd seen a cartoon that was only on at 2am.  She saw a commercial for the show and said, "I watched that last night."  My wife said that was impossible, but our girl described it too well to be mistaken.

I suspect there might actually be more of "us" than there are of the early-to-bed crowd, but they run the world.  They get up early and make all the rules while the rest of us are still sleeping!  :D 

Candyman

The version given to us by the "greatest generation" granted childhood wishes ("you can even eat the dishes"). 

The version created by the baby boomers will kill you just for saying his name. 

This could mean nothing...maybe it's not a trend...but I'm suddenly worried about what the millennials are going to do!!!  (As soon as they get out of their parent's basements.)


PS - You guessed it, I had nothing to post.  So I gave you a sample of one of the silly, random thoughts that cross my mind during my daily commute to work.  :D

Free Speech

It's interesting to read how people in the US react when there is a negative reaction to "speech" they agree with--the standard, uninformed reaction is to say the First Amendment to the Constitution protects us from being criticized for what we say.  Too many have a basic misunderstanding of what the First Amendment guarantees. 

The text reads:  "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ... "

It's actually not that cut and dried--you can't threaten people (especially important people).  But the government can't arrest you for disagreeing with a law, policy or regulation; saying what you think of any or all religions; or sharing your views on patriotism, abortion, races, countries or whatever. 

But it does NOT mean:

• people won't mock you, ostracize you
• you can't be fired for things you say
• people won't boycott your business

You're (almost) free to say what you want without interference from the government.  But the First Amendment does not shield us from the reactions of other people--including employers, customers, friends and neighbors. 

A Hollywood celebrity learned this lesson recently.  He participated in an anti-police rally and is quoted as saying, “When I see murders, I do not stand by . . . I have to call the murderers the murderers.”  (He was referring to the police.)  In response, several police unions called for a boycott of the celeb's new movie.  In a subsequent interview, he said, "I was under the impression that I was an American and I had First Amendment Rights." 

He is and he does.  But being free to say what you want does not mean there will be no consequences for you. 

Belated Halloween Post

I forgot to share a Halloween/ghost story this year!!!  But it's never to late to post whatever we want, so here's story about a ghostly encounter in my parent's dark, spooky basement. 

Basement? Cellar might be a more appropriate word. It was unfinished, with a concrete floor and cinder block walls. It flooded on occasion, so the washer and dryer were up off the floor on pallets. The cellar was lit by four single, bare light bulb fixtures--one in each quadrant. Only one of the lights could be turned on from upstairs.  The other 3 had pull chains. At night it was a creepy place.

I made frequent trips to the cellar to move clothes from the washer to the dryer and to bring clothes up from the dryer. That was a regular chore. During one night time trip to the cellar, it felt more creepy than usual. Dread would be too strong a word, but I wasn't happy to be down there.

I hurried a little and tried to show no fear. Did I mention I was 8? Anyway, I filled the clothes basket--which was as big as I was--turned off the light over the washer and headed for the stairs. In my haste, I slipped when I was halfway up the stairs. I started to fall backwards with the laundry basket on my chest. I gasped, holding my breath in anticipation of the impact (with the concrete floor). But instead of hitting the floor, I felt something touch both of my shoulder blades...like two hands catching me. Suddenly I was standing straight up again, just a few steps down from where I had slipped. It happened so quickly I wasn't sure what HAD happened.

Did my grandmother save my life that night? (According to family lore, my dad's mom haunted the house.)  Or at age 8 did I have the reflexes of a cat and catch myself? Since my hands were clutching the laundry basket and the basket itself was laying across my chest, I don't see how I possibly could have caught myself. Someone...something saved me that night. I like to think it was my grandmother.

This was the only odd experience in my parent's cellar...but as I reached my teen years, odd things started happening in my attic bedroom.  (Spooky things.) 

Renewable Resources

It's becoming more and more important to recognize and utilize renewable resources.  So I want to share a few tips on paper products.

The brown napkins in my desk drawer at work are a renewable resource.

The white tissues on my desk are not.

Why?  Is it related to the production process that made one brown and the other white?  No.  Is it related to which company manufactured them?  No--they're both generic products, I have no idea who made them. 

The napkins are renewable because I get them for free from the take-out place on the first floor of my building.  I have to BUY the tissues!!!

So, I hope this has been helpful and that you'll all do what you can to save money the planet.  :D

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!!!

Sorry for being late.

Canadians easily make up a quarter of my list of favorite people.  (Side note:  Peru, it's like you're not even trying.  Get it together!!!  :)

I hope all of my friends (in the northern hemisphere) are having a great autumn! Happy spring to the "southerners"!

Pope Mania

The Pope's recent visit to the US prompted lots of discussion about him and the Church, including some odd criticisms.

People on the political right were referring to him as "that communist Pope" because of his stance on immigration and helping the less fortunate.  Pretty ridiculous criticism.  Anyone surprised that the leader of the Catholic Church believes in people helping each other has led a very sheltered life.

Of course, people from the political left had equally odd criticisms--revealing the shocking news that this supposedly progressive Pope doesn't support abortion or gay marriage.  Weird!  It's like he's a dyed-in-the-wool Catholic or something! 

Pope Francis is a good man.  Hopefully he will help people realize that you can disagree with people and still respect them (unless they behave disrespectfully). 

College Acquaintances

During my first year of college I interacted with a small group of guys who (like me) were studying accounting.  Sometimes we talked before class started.  Some days we had lunch together at a greasy spoon--a tiny burger joint down an alley (so good!).  They were classmates (not friends).  After class the group headed for the subway.  I did too.  That's when they really started to annoy me. 

The apparent leader of their group was not very evolved and the others were easily lead.  He thought it was fun to make women traveling alone feel uncomfortable.  He'd stare at them, make creepy comments.  I swear sometimes I thought I heard him grunt.  His buddies joined in and they tried to isolate that day's target from the rest of the passengers.  My grandmother would have been ashamed of me if I let that happen.  So I didn't.

At their worst, I'd stand between them and the girl until she got off the train.  Other times I tried to explain why what they were doing was wrong.  I tried to get them to see they were being disrespectful, creepy and scary.  I even tried the old "what if it was your sister or GF?."  But their leader had an ignorant answer for everything.  I think I suggested they ask their mothers about it.  But it's been a long time, I'm not sure.

But I am sure I made no progress with those boys.  They laughed at what I said.  Hopefully most of them grew up and changed their behavior.  But I doubt it.  For me the experience was a bit of a revelation.  That's when I first realized you can have truth, justice and logic on your side, but that doesn't mean anyone is going to listen.  After summer classes I started working full time and going to school at night.  I lost touch with the boys after that.  Then I started having trouble with the girls, but that's a different story.  :D

I'm sure I wrote this story before, but I couldn't find it!  A great post about ignorant signs posted by college boys welcoming female freshmen to campus reminded me of it.  Will things ever change???

Prohibition

We don't do prohibtion very well in the US.  I think it's a people problem. 

THE "Prohibition" in the US, during which the sale of alcohol was banned, was a failure.  It did reduce alcohol consumption for a time, but mostly it succeeded in making criminals rich and costing the government tax revenue.  But I'm not referring to just THE Prohibition.  I'm talking about most things that are banned or illegal:

• Illegal drugs?  Failure.  There are so many heroin overdoses in the DC area that most local police departments stock the antidote in patrol cars.  And now China is sending us "synthetic drugs".  It's as bad as PCP and has been blamed for the recent spike in homicides.  Oh, and PCP is back.
• Gun control?  Where bans exist, failure.  Jurisdictions with the most strict gun laws routinely have the worst gun violence (Chicago).  We actually under-report the problem by counting only murders instead of all the shootings.
• Commercial sex?  Where bans exist, failure. 
• Once upon a time, abortion would have been on the list.  Its ban was a back-alley nightmare. 

Maybe the US is a country of criminals. My daughter tells me that when the US was still under British rule, our forefathers routinely headed west without permission. At the same time our Canadian brothers patiently waited for the Crown to authorize who, when and where--great examples of loyal, law-abiding citizens. 

Because of our history and "spirit", I don't think banning handguns in the US would be any more successful than the bans mentioned above.  Criminals would still have them (and profit greatly by selling them) and there would be more criminals than ever because the US version of law-abiding citizens are going to hide as many as they surrender. 

Our gun problem won't be solved until we solve our people problem. Maybe it's not too late to become the "Nation of laws" we often claim to be.   Maybe we could start with little things, like obeying existing laws. Don't drive 30 MPH over the speed limit in school zones (or call the policeman names for giving you the ticket you earned).  Try stopping at a stop sign once in a while.  The government needs to pitch in too.  Stop looking the other way when government officials break the law.  Let's take a few baby steps to show our laws matter and apply to everyone.

"I'm sorry"

That can mean I'm apologizing for something.  Said differently, it's a question.

But I think it can also be said as an expression of empathy.  I'm I wrong? 

Someone in my past (don't know who) MUST have used it that way because I do!  Is it from my grandparent's era and fallen out of use now???  I ask because more often than not, the people I say it to respond, "It's not your fault" and I have to explain that I meant it as an expression of empathy.  I had to explain it to someone today--and my tone was less empathetic and more "why the heck would I think it's my fault???" (which I feel bad about now). 

Anyway, if you tell someone you have a terrible headache and the person says, "Oh, I'm so sorry", the correct response should be something along the lines of, "I'm okay" or "Thank you". 


PS - Although, if you work with me and you have a headache, telling me it's not my fault probably isn't the worst answer.  lol!  (The person didn't have a headache)

G is for Gross!

Lisa (of expanding) recently posted her ABC's, with each letter of the alphabet representing a question she had to answer.  G was "Grossest Memory?".  Her grossest memory is very similar to mine--or at least it reminded me of a very gross one.  One that I'm now going to share.   (It's Lisa's fault!  :D )

My wife and I used to take my dad and his wife out to dinner once a month or so when they were not in Florida.  Dad liked to reciprocate once in a while (usually at The Old Country Buffet or someplace similar).  On this particular outing he introduced us to the Piccadilly Cafeteria.  My daughter (who was almost 4 at the time) loved it.  Specifically she loved their corn and their jello (red).  She had several servings of each.  It was cute.  Later that night it was not so cute. 

At 3am I heard my daughter crying in her bed.  Crying and throwing up.  She was throwing up all the corn she'd had for dinner...and it was pink!  It looked like a pink corn version of a science fair volcano.  So gross!!!

My wife cleaned the child and I took care of the sheets and blankets.  Getting through moments like that (instead of going for a drive)...that's love.


PS - Oddly, my daughter isn't that fond of corn now.  :)

"You better watch out..."

That's a line from a Christmas carol.  One that warns kids to be good because Santa is coming. 

I want to share a reason for adults to be good:  My wife might be on your jury!

Last night as we watched the news, my wife said, "They should fry that guy!!!  Oh, that reminds me.  I have to call about jury duty in the morning."

Be afraid.  Be very afraid!!!  :D


PS - Hope you're all having a great summer so far. 

My Life in Numbers

I'm following Lisa's example (on Expandng) and sharing some relevant numbers from my life (actually just the past 10 days):

3 doctor appointments (bronchitis, sinus infection, ear infection, and thrush)

3 antibiotics

2 anti-fungals (for the thrush)

1 inhaler

1 nose spray (antihistamine)

1 steroid

That's 8 prescriptions (so far). It turns out the steroids suppressed my immune system, making it harder for the first antibiotic to work on the infection...and making it easier for the potential bad side-effects of the antibiotic to manifest and create new problems.

"Pray for Mojo" You get pop culture cool points if you get the reference. :D

Have a great weekend folks--I'm looking forward to July!

My First Niece

I was 6 when she was born.  The first year was fine, but once she became mobile I was made responsible for keeping her out of trouble.  That was a big job.  Once she became verbal it was an impossible job.  :)

Much like her other uncle (my middle brother, the open container of gasoline), she seemed to love getting into trouble.  I wasn't an angel myself, but in this scenario I was the angel on one shoulder and he was...well, he was the one on her other shoulder.  lol!  And the two of them bonded over that. 

Every summer she spent two weeks with my parents.  My brother was the fun uncle and I was the uncle tasked with helping my parents try to change her from a spoiled brat into a regular person.  Most summers it worked.  She went home with manners.  But by Christmas they were gone.  It was frustrating.  Today she is a contributing member of society (sort of...she works for an insurance company :), a wife and mother. 

But my main image of her is that of a 2.5 year-old, watching my brother and I fight in the front yard (we were only wrestling).  I was 9 and he was 12.  It would be a few more years before I could take him on a regular basis, but that day I had him.  I'd twisted him into a  pretzel and had complete control of the situation.  My niece didn't like that and decided to help her favorite uncle--by yelling at me to "leave him alone" (HE started it) and by kicking me in the face and head.  To stop her I would have to let him go--and I really didn't want to let him go.  So that went on for quite a while.  I finally yielded when I realized my brother was more amused by our niece kicking me than he was upset about losing to his little brother. 

They made quite a tag team back in the day.  :D

Cross-over Appeals

Something amusing is happening on my Instagram account.  Well, it's amusing to me.  I'm sure it has happened to everyone with an account. 

When I first opened the account, I started getting random "likes" from people I didn't (and don't) know.  I hoped they were friends of friends deciding to reach out...and sometimes they were.  But most often they were ladies* apparently trying to sell something.  I say "apparently" because I never clicked on the links on their IG accounts, so I don't know for sure.  (The accounts are all the same, six to 12 pictures of a girl who is not completely unattractive and a link to click.  Maybe to talk with her?  I don't know.) 

The funny thing is that over the past few months the strangers visiting my IG account (in hopes of peaking my interest and getting me to click on their links) have been men*.  The kooks running the operation finally noticed I wasn't responding to the strange women*, so they started having strange men* visit instead.  

I joked with my wife that it means I have cross-over appeal.  But these appeals to cross-over are strictly business, hustlers looking to separate a fool from his money.  That part is not so amusing.  I'd like to think no one clicks on those links, but someone must or the kooks wouldn't keep trying. 
 

* Of course there's no way to tell who actually manages those IG accounts.  It could be one 90 year-old man running the entire operation.  In fact, I could be that 90 year-old man!!!  But I'm not.  :D

Not so nice...

I used to do "Darkside" posts every once in a while to re-affirm that I am not a nice person. Or at least that I'm not always nice. Things have been pretty hectic lately, so I'm repeating one of those Darkside stories for fun and to show I have not abandoned my blog. Here goes...


This must have been the first rotten thing I ever did—I don’t even remember it. But my brother swears it happened.

One afternoon (before I was even old enough to attend elementary school) I climbed up on a chair in our dining room, next to the door. I was waiting for my older brother to get home from school. When I heard him coming up the back steps, I prepared myself. As he came through the door, I whacked him over the head with a small cast iron skillet. Then I dropped the skillet and ran to our mother screaming “Help! Help! He’s trying to hit me with a skillet!”

Wow! I’m glad I got THAT regret off my chest. Oh who am I kidding—he totally deserved it!!! I should have hit him twice!!! I really hope that story is true.  lol

That brother was 3 years older (and bigger) and had a terrible temper. I'm sure I was just employing a little tactical strategy to get even with him for something (if it even happened).


PS - This story highlights the importance of varying your schedule. You don't want your comings and goings to be too predictable.  You never know when a 5 year-old with a score to settle might be waiting for you!!!  :D

This Day in History

Not THAT day.  I mean a day in my history.

First year of college I needed a job.  Badly!  Every day after morning classes I looked through the want ads during lunch.  I'd put in a few applications and had one interview, but nothing was happening.  It was starting to feel like a hobby.  The week leading up to Easter I saw an ad for a bookkeeper at a seafood warehouse.  I called the number and had a weird conversation with the owner.

Me:  I'd like to apply for the bookkeeper position.  Is it still open?
Owner:  Yes.  Are you in good shape?
Me:  Ahhh, yes, but why?  Pencils don't really have lead in them!
Owner:  Well, there's not a lot of bookkeeping.  I do it myself and I'll teach you, but afterwards I'd like you to help in the warehouse.
Me:  **thinking, thinking**  Okay.  When would you like me to start?
Owner:  Sunday.
Me:  Easter Sunday???
Owner:  Yes.
Me:  **sigh** Okay.

I wasn't happy--I was studying accounting and wanted to work in a related field.  Plus, the guy running the warehouse came across as a real jerk.  But I needed the money. 

I didn't have class on Good Friday--which was fortunate because I had to replace my car's alternator.  Before I finished the job my mom let me know I had a phone call.  We didn't have an answering machine, so I would have missed that call if she had gone to work.  But it was Good Friday and she never worked that day.   

The call was from the Smithsonian's personnel office.  They were offering me a job I had applied for in early-January.  I'd given up on getting it since so much time had gone by.  But I got the job and it was the start of what has been a interesting career for me. 

Fate was smiling on me that Good Friday and I am very thankful--I have lots of reasons to be on this day.




PS - I really enjoyed calling the warehouse owner to let him know I wasn't taking that job!  :D

Monday Morning Dream

Like every Monday, I rolled out of bed this morning and started getting ready for work.  A little cereal, time in the bathroom, time spent getting dressed, then it was time to walk out the door. 

That's when I woke up.  I'd simply dreamt I was getting ready for work.  What a waste of good dreaming time!

The worst part?  I had to do it all over again!!!  :)

Semi-belated Happy Monday!


PS - This used to happen to me regularly in my late-teens, but this is the first time since then.

Astrology Bias

When my daughter's birthday rolled around (months ago), my wife looked up her 2015 horoscope and shared it.  I asked her to check Pisces for me.  I forget exactly what she read about Pisces, but it was more of a description and less of a prediction--and it was one awesome thing after another.  It gave me a good laugh.

Descriptions of Pisces are always awesome.  I know the descriptions are positive (mostly) for all of the signs, but to me it appears Pisces gets the most favorable treatment.  And I think I know why.

Are all Pisces awesome people???  As much as I want to say yes (and I know some who are), the answer is no.  Like any other group, we're made up of all sorts of characters--good, bad and ugly.

EDIT:  I had to change this post after writing it.  My theory was going to be that Pisces are always described positively because the first person to write descriptions of the various signs was, himself, Pisces.  He would of course want to make his own sign the best.  That would explain so much.  And once the die was cast, all others would follow.  But when I actually did 5 minutes of research before clicking "Publish", I discovered Pisces is one of the oldest signs on record AND that we're currently in the Age of Pisces (despite claims made in that song).  The Age of Pisces started in year 1 and runs through 2150. 

This is my time!!!

PS - What's your sign???  :D

Middle Finger Workout

I gave the middle finger on my left hand a real workout today!

My right elbow was sore, so I decided to use my left hand to operate the mouse (on my PC) at work.  So it was middle finger for single-clicking and index finger for double clicking.  I could have borrowed a left-handed mouse, but it seemed easier to stick with the right-handed pattern of single-click being on the left side of the mouse and double click on the right. My brain can only handle so much.

Happy Friday!

How Blogging = Zombie Apocalypse

That is a post title I never thought I'd write! 

On last night's episode of The Walking Dead, one of the survivors commented how the members of her group came from all different types of backgrounds and probably would never have met if it wasn't for the zombie apocalypse (ZA).

How's that for putting a positive spin on something???

I'm glad I've had the opportunity to meet all of you through blogging--without having to experience a ZA.  But, if we ever DO have a ZA, make your way to DC.  According to The Walking Dead it's the place to be!  :D

Wisdom Tooth

A few weeks ago I flossed off a crown.  It was unsettling hearing something bouncing around in the bathroom sink (for a second I worried it was a tooth).  I was relieved to discover it was a crown, but then went back to being worried.  My dentist claims that's the best way to lose a crown--by hard flossing, it helps uncover trouble early.

Before the new, permanent crown is installed, I have to decide whether to have the wisdom tooth behind it pulled.  The dentist thinks the wisdom tooth was a contributing factor in losing the crown.

So, what do you think?  Pull the wisdom tooth?  Do you still have your wisdom teeth? 

Why do I keep hearing the sound of a dentist's drill???  You know, this temporary crown is fine...I probably never need to go back to the dentist.  :D


PS - Where's the Tooth Fairy and Crickette (my dentist friends) when I need them???

Broad Brush

What's your demographic profile?  What groups do you belong to? What's your profession?  How old are you?  Are you a member of a religion?  Are you male?  Female?  Caucasian? Asian?  Black?  Don't tell me, just have that info in mind.  Now, of all the groups you could possibly be linked to, is there one group from which I can judge you based on any act ever committed by any other individual within that group?  If you're a teacher, can I blame you because a creepy teacher tried to take advantage of my girlfriend?  Am I responsible for the Holocaust because my dad's family is German?  If you're a police officer, can I assume you shoot people because of their skin color? 

 

I hope you answered no to all of those questions.  The answers are obvious.  And yet many, many people answered "yes" regarding the police officer in Ferguson.  People who weren't there "knew" the facts before there was an investigation.  DC's member of the US House of Representatives said she didn't need to know the facts, because "I know what happened."  All those people knew what happened, but they didn't. 

 

The young man did not quietly surrender as first reported by his friend and, as it turned out, his partner in crime.  However he had lived his life in the past, that day he was willing to use his size to assault people.  He made a series of bad choices that ultimately cost him his life.  The investigation confirmed:

• He robbed a store and had no problem man-handling/intimidating the store clerk.
• Rather than move out of the street as asked, he cursed the police officer.
• He tried to pin the officer in his car, punched him twice and tried to take his gun.
• When instructed to stop, he continued to advance on the officer--he's apparently the one person who didn't put his hands up and say "don't shoot".

It's very sad...for him, his family and the police officer.  Shooting someone is a hard thing to live with, even when the world isn't screaming for you to be jailed (or worse) before an investigation. 

 

People making assumptions without facts before the investigation caused a lot of trouble for that town.  But that has become the norm.  What really blew my mind was that even after the facts became clear, people were still saying the young man had been "executed".  After the grand jury verdict, one person I knew posted comments on-line that shocked me.  I'm going to share two examples that were posted together: 

• "Boston Marathon bomber performed act of terrorism, killed a cop, had shoot-out with police. Brought in alive."  Actually, one bomber was killed and the other was shot several times.  When police caught up to him, he was too weak to resist arrest. 
• "Aurora shooter killed 12 people, injured 70 others. Apprehended & brought in alive. Brown stole cigarettes, was shot 6 times."  The Aurora shooter did not resist arrest when the police arrived, so he lived.  Brown was not shot for stealing cigarettes.  He was shot in what was a life and death struggle that he instigated by attacking a cop and trying to take his gun. 

When I saw those comments (and plenty of others), to me they read "I hope someday to live in a country where you can attack a police officer and try to take his weapon without consequences!"  I don't want to live in that country.

Trends are made up of individual incidents, but we can't assume an individual incident is part of a trend.  You have to wait for the facts.  When you don't and you're wrong, you hand your opponents a credible reason to dismiss what you say.

If you agree with me, great.  If I'm mis-informed, I'm happy to be corrected.  But don't feel obligated to post a comment if you're not comfortable sharing your views on this.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

My friend Rooth is hosting a Valentine's themed haiku contest.  The submissions were due earlier this week.  She has published the top four and asked for help in choosing the winner.  Pop over and cast your ballot.

I've posted before (maybe twice) that on Valentine's day we should celebrate friendship too.  Mentioning it a third time seems a little crazy, but where would we be without friends??? 
So, happy Valentine's Day my friends!

PS - I submitted two silly haikus for Rooth's contest, but here's one more:

Valentine’s is here.
Supposed to be for men too.
But where's my candy?

Or flowers?  Why aren't I being taken out???  I'm one-half of a couple, but all the commercials are about what I'm supposed to be doing for her.  What a gyp!!!

(You know I don't feel that way.  But I had to say it to maintain my union card--guys are supposed to complain about Valentine's Day.  But for me, every day is Valentine's Day!)   :)

World View

I remember seeing an interesting little cartoon in a magazine when I was a teenager.  It showed parents bringing a newborn baby home--and then the dad taking off the top of its head so he could cram thoughts and values into the kid's brain.  In the cartoon they were all bad (racism, sexism, hatred, etc.). 

Kids do absorb the values/attitudes around them as they grow up.  But hopefully the majority is good and as they gain life experience they're able to eventually decide for themselves what to keep from those early lessons.  And hopefully they never stop learning, evolving.

So if I channel my parents/grandparents/whoever in a bad way, that's on me.  And if I rebel against what they taught simply for the sake of rebellion, that's on me too.  Regardless of our path in life, as adults we are responsible for how we conduct ourselves, our opinions, how we define right from wrong, how we treat others, etc.. 

We are responsible.

In an upcoming post I'm going to share my views on an item from the news.  Maybe several.  My views lean towards the old-fashioned (not all of them)--all those years living with my grandparents.  But they are my views.  I've had time to edit and shape them over the years and hopefully that will continue.  If you find yourself agreeing with me, great.  If not, that's great too.  Perhaps I can learn something from you!

An old joke

A very cheap fellow, who never wanted to pay for anything, came up with a scam to get a little food for free.  He went into a restaurant and asked for a table for two--he was meeting a friend.  When the waiter brought over a basket of bread and asked for his order, the man said he wanted to wait for his friend to arrive.  After finishing the bread, he left, saying his friend stood him up.

He tried the same thing the next day and it worked again.


When he went to the restaurant for the third time, the waiter brought over an empty bread basket. When the man asked why the basket was empty, the waiter replied, "Your friend got here first today."

That's an old, old joke. I've been watching old TV shows lately.  Apparently there was a time when you could get a taco for a nickel!  **sigh**  :D


Happy Monday!!!

Clean Slate

2014 ended weirdly!  More on that later.

My family had a nice holiday season.  The usual food, family and gifts and an unusual amount of time off from work.  For me.  That was nice.  My wife didn't take any time off.  It was oddly busy in her office...or she was OD'd on family time.  :)

About the weirdness.  Christmas Day we cooked and then took the food to my father-in-law's house.  When we returned in the evening a bird had staked a claim to our front porch.  It was determined that we would not pass.  We couldn't get to the door.  Reluctantly, I armed myself with a snow shovel to discourage the bird.  After one solid, mid-air whack, it decided to take up residence across the street.

Two nights later as I drove my son home from work, a depressed racoon threw itself under my car.  I took evasive action to avoid the critter, but he guessed my move and went in the same direction.  It was my first confirmed road kill.  (One night in a very heavy rain I hit something small--maybe a turtle or a rock, I couldn't find anything.) 

I felt really guilty...about both incidents.  And I waited for a 3rd.  I put out a general warning to wildlife in the area to avoid me and I was especially cautious until New Year's.  Hopefully enough time has passed now that a third incident is not coming.

I have a clean slate.  Happy 2015!!!