tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87623857510119418742024-02-02T16:59:33.105-05:00Musings from the dark end of the barWitty bon-mots, philosophies, drunken tales, and other personal diatribes from somebody who really should know better.M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.comBlogger1062125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-29340664302461657952024-01-01T22:26:00.000-05:002024-01-01T22:26:07.304-05:00What I learned in 2023<p><i>This disappeared on me. And by that I mean that I was about 700 words in yesterday, had walked away to gather my thoughts for a few hours and when I came back my computer wouldn't respond, so without thinking about it I rebooted. Lost everything. In a sense kind of like last year. Not that I lost everything everything, I still have my computer and the things I did save, just not the new thoughts that had sprung forth, the progress I'd made. Because last year I had some losses and setbacks, just like everyone else, but I'd saved a lot, and as it turns out, sometimes I'm better on the second draft. </i><br /><br />So I'm back. It's been a minute. A very long minute. This blog started, like so many other things in life, as one idea that slowly transformed into another. Short stories, screeds and philosophy, weird ideas, political takes, poetry and art appreciation. This had been a digital space to just see what fell out of my head, to make comments about life into that vast unknown ether - partially because I didn't think the people around me would appreciate them and I tend to not want bother people unless I have to. There were the occasional screams into the digital darkness, but maybe as I've gotten older I've changed. Well, I know I changed, I lost some weight, I read some stuff from some new sources, I've pared back the dumb stuff. Still indulging too much from time to time, but also realizing my knees ain't what they used to be (I pulled a hamstring taking off my pants the other day), and that two AM is not a good time to decide to start new projects. </p><p>But around mid-year things got hectic. And a lot of things had to happen around the same time and since this was already something I was doing out of habit, this went to the back-burner. Then the closet, I guess, although the metaphor doesn't travel. I just lost this for minute. But then a lot of the things I really did intend to this year, that I actually did mean to focus on didn't get done either (duh.) Some because of my own mental machinations. Others because of things out of my control. Some things changed and because mortgage rates went up some stayed the same. But also fulfilled a few personal promises, and finally did some things I told myself I would do when I was fifteen, but kept making excuses to myself. Things came at me fast, more than once. But that's everyone and I like to believe I rolled with the punches and came up in not too terrible a position. When I think about it now, I've actually been pretty damned lucky in a sense. But that realization makes me wonder just how much longer this luck will hold. <br /><br />I still have a million scenes to the thousand stories dancing through my head, books I want to write but...I haven't really put pen to page since I stopped updating this. I need to get out of the house more, as the pandemic (and grey hair) turned me into a serious homebody, because I'm I need to grow my circle and my contacts. (<i>Alternatively, all my stuff is in my house, so why leave?</i>) I've lost weight but I need to lose more, and tone up a bit. Yeah baby, sexy dad body, although I have no kids, you know what I mean. But my new schedule is making the application of basic principles of self care in that regard harder than I expected. Because yes, exercise and health is self care. Important stuff. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsUTn_4hQ8dOZsnmTjQYgJvhc916QxOeLJk44v8h0S2Sf3yizXDckRrWDW1EFF1XyUVyurUD4Xx7iWlWeSTUkNe0lHNEK-kuC7soueiBWL7MZWUXy50SEbsqP9A0X6FV4hSiiIU40iTOKkv7e5ao61r_Tb0Yzkj6dfSZOt9s9ov_sI3pn7_XpNyqu/s552/Time%20and%20How.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsUTn_4hQ8dOZsnmTjQYgJvhc916QxOeLJk44v8h0S2Sf3yizXDckRrWDW1EFF1XyUVyurUD4Xx7iWlWeSTUkNe0lHNEK-kuC7soueiBWL7MZWUXy50SEbsqP9A0X6FV4hSiiIU40iTOKkv7e5ao61r_Tb0Yzkj6dfSZOt9s9ov_sI3pn7_XpNyqu/w181-h200/Time%20and%20How.png" width="181" /></a></div><p></p><p>To start this new year, much like I've suggested every year I've offered suggestions - go do something. <b>Seriously</b>. Something you hadn't done. Something you've been meaning to do. I recently watched a video of a man just a little bit older than me realize that the window of life's opportunities was closing, and the list of regular things that he'd come to enjoy was soon going to lose a few items, and that things he really wanted to do might not possible soon. It was one of those odd throwaway moments that make you think when you weren't expecting it. I have maintained for years that I have more time, next week, next month, next season, next year. That may not be completely true. And some events this year put that into very real terms. <br /><br />This past year I traveled. Not just the usual back to my hometown to see my parents, although that did become a major part of my year, or to the beach or something like that. No, this year I really traveled. Like clearing customs and stepping onto another continent traveled. In my youth I'd dreamed of getting away from that small town I grew up in and seeing the world. But my history had been when I had the time I didn't have the resources. And by the time I had gathered the resources I'd reached a opinion that work took precedence. Add in that I had never wanted to travel alone, I had wanted that mythical <b>HER</b> to be by my side. Just like it's not the food it's who you're eating it with, I'd developed the opinion that traveling was about the memories, and wanted my memories to make my heart sing. But that someone special part hasn't worked out for me like I'd hoped. She has her own plans. So last year when the opportunity came to go somewhere, I leapt at it anyway. And this year I'm going to do it again. <br /><br />This year I take on new career challenges. I had been slowly building a career that I'd fallen into. I tend to get into what I'm doing, slowly building up momentum until the work becomes something else. That track, in keeping with the metaphor, got derailed this year. So again, I'm starting over. But starting over wiser, maybe more seasoned to how life is supposed to work. We'll see. But then again I realize that I'd taken that type of work because it was a quiet thing after a period of professional chaos. A quiet where I could focus and in that process I had let myself slip on so many levels. But I've always been professionally flexible and adapt quickly, and expect this new thing will push me to be better. And I need to be as good as I can be. Before I can't. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipHV1JyQSA0DljltG07yoW9iF44eNpRhZmYMvg8Z1UhCeF17-rKwbc3PhGfQVBWBnGSNft7exUSU4rc0JSCpWA1YtF50ERsQuC555jSKGCZ4DC_R-afbAd_bsnnPN3rkfyQ8vWS0ONkHBpN6Dgt2KXy3f6-jbf-CZ71k0nyfvMeWgBGHclbaqtcW_/s1068/Philosophy%20304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1068" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipHV1JyQSA0DljltG07yoW9iF44eNpRhZmYMvg8Z1UhCeF17-rKwbc3PhGfQVBWBnGSNft7exUSU4rc0JSCpWA1YtF50ERsQuC555jSKGCZ4DC_R-afbAd_bsnnPN3rkfyQ8vWS0ONkHBpN6Dgt2KXy3f6-jbf-CZ71k0nyfvMeWgBGHclbaqtcW_/w200-h200/Philosophy%20304.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>Time is running out. This past year made it clear that my time and my luck won't last forever. And that I need to start chasing those dreams and doing those things I've been hesitating about, that I've been waiting for the right window of opportunity. I can't imagine how many variations on my future I've let die on the vine waiting for things I didn't have the audacity to begin. So as someone who has spent far too long getting ready for things to come, I need you to go out tonight and eat at that place you've thought about. Tell your loved ones they matter. Plan that trip. Start your journal, your side business, your religious awakening, your charity, your DYI project, your spaceship, your home brew, your exercise routine, to learn to cook, to learn a new language, to dance, to start walking, to mentor, go dancing, go camping, go the chili cook-off, join an improv group or try out for the national curling team. Just go do something, time is not your friend. <br /><br />So that's what I learned in 2023. Go forth and do. <br /><br /><br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-8545528910426900242023-05-20T16:33:00.007-04:002023-05-20T16:33:52.742-04:00Art is a thing...<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #414</b><br />Art is a thing. I know when we imagined AI's arrival, we imagined that it would take away all the drudgery and accounting jobs, not the chasing of art. I've seen too many people giddy with the anticipation of "creation," if creation is now putting five sentences into a AI engine and hitting refresh until it spits out something they like. Or telling the AI to write a good book about subject X and to put this part and that part in it and feeling that they'd done something. It's something, no doubt...but it's not really Art. If you know what I mean. </i></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWrTEEzXVUQ3wAwwrgQgQ5dBn3Wmndyqm3QGJnaDA9i1JCJ1nlCH3WfcWJoKR4Hl7lMz-zA1MHm0ZkBvGXmZA_ejFMRQEldcUzSvbA0-pA-3NF496PLZ1OUaGBT_mODB0qjy0hT7BvwNTyW4-z5ne2hdkqEPgsTU7ahwjglWM8NyRaDlPks8Yyw/s902/by%20Alisha%20Petrova%20-%20Orange%20mood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWrTEEzXVUQ3wAwwrgQgQ5dBn3Wmndyqm3QGJnaDA9i1JCJ1nlCH3WfcWJoKR4Hl7lMz-zA1MHm0ZkBvGXmZA_ejFMRQEldcUzSvbA0-pA-3NF496PLZ1OUaGBT_mODB0qjy0hT7BvwNTyW4-z5ne2hdkqEPgsTU7ahwjglWM8NyRaDlPks8Yyw/s320/by%20Alisha%20Petrova%20-%20Orange%20mood.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Alisha Petrova - Orange mood <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This might just be AI for all I know. I hope <a href="https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/templeofsummer/">Alisha</a> is still about that brush and strokes but this is nice, clean and calming. There is something about that skin tone in that color that is just striking though. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVK_pudH582C8sajyAc0PoOgv3uOr8XUE3Iukr0ZsO6AltnlzxORVxi8Q-pOe1ViuJ2smSppSoq0N7BGnbgrmb5I8eNRKkkCHrbWbhircSctOEVZYQkdPQIzBv-OL33owPbqoaAUYar0PQL2Nl34o8peAq_EeYpe-_ebGx9IM71psTsqDbuyjYA/s3072/by%20Don%20Lawrence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVK_pudH582C8sajyAc0PoOgv3uOr8XUE3Iukr0ZsO6AltnlzxORVxi8Q-pOe1ViuJ2smSppSoq0N7BGnbgrmb5I8eNRKkkCHrbWbhircSctOEVZYQkdPQIzBv-OL33owPbqoaAUYar0PQL2Nl34o8peAq_EeYpe-_ebGx9IM71psTsqDbuyjYA/s320/by%20Don%20Lawrence.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Don Lawrence</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is just feels fun. I may have to inquire about <a href="https://donlawrenceart.com/">a print for this one</a>, it's vibrant and alive and I don't know what to say. I like the hair, the color, her expression. I don't know if I have the appropriate space for it though. Like this is too much for my much subdued personal space. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrHddSh4GKgzV7CAwEXi1UuTuSLIX57oZqe4p8LPNH-voERARRlKRCbPMY2w7e8ihjEXPoPo-Mbz_E-s59oeMcWww-RsS99z93aRBL1Pa6Nt4vky2bEcj4U-QqwhuQN0UWoqFQRYYl0wHnObOTAY-PsDFeKwKYD1sFe4HQgdCtm2EpjaUOTc-Xw/s962/by%20Machira%20001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="746" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrHddSh4GKgzV7CAwEXi1UuTuSLIX57oZqe4p8LPNH-voERARRlKRCbPMY2w7e8ihjEXPoPo-Mbz_E-s59oeMcWww-RsS99z93aRBL1Pa6Nt4vky2bEcj4U-QqwhuQN0UWoqFQRYYl0wHnObOTAY-PsDFeKwKYD1sFe4HQgdCtm2EpjaUOTc-Xw/s320/by%20Machira%20001.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Mike Machira<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />So simple, yet <a href="https://www.artstation.com/machira">so nice.</a> Colorful in her expression, in her posture, while muted in it's palette. Okay, I also have a thing for women with short hair too. To me, short or no hair on a woman is evidence of an inner self confidence, one that in a time when women use their "crown" to express themselves tells me that the person trusts their face, trusts who they are. Well, not Jada Pinkett-Smith, but all the rest of them. </p><p>Barkeep, what wines do you have? I'd like something with a citrus, if you have it. <br /></p><p><br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-58243772014882120342023-04-24T22:42:00.004-04:002023-04-25T00:14:42.887-04:00To that actuary, we salute you. <p><i><b>Ramblings Post #413</b><br />Don Lemon got fired from CNN today and it's almost a non-story. I kinda liked Don a while back, and yes, he has had his moments we all cheered that he was there, but you gotta be able to see where things around you are changing and adapt. I don't bear him any ill will and hope he lands on his feet, but man you gotta learn to check yourself from time to time, for the good of the long term. Now normally, Don might have been the focus. But sometimes you just gotta go with your gut. </i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yteKI2l_A5CQitWZ8QdWvp2jvdUrOXn9n0uXld-bPwrsuakWyApuBRR_c-jHyfHKcM4ofZk9XVwtQoBzBN8NL2MpIvI6-_JwJFePs6whYQNdbs4NK3mRClunrK8Ju7LmD92QkryCOH0ju85aOqTFxZ25FfuV4ujWCG2XQol6Cptr1WI3UIcuMQ/s1080/2023%20Times%20are%20a%20changing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yteKI2l_A5CQitWZ8QdWvp2jvdUrOXn9n0uXld-bPwrsuakWyApuBRR_c-jHyfHKcM4ofZk9XVwtQoBzBN8NL2MpIvI6-_JwJFePs6whYQNdbs4NK3mRClunrK8Ju7LmD92QkryCOH0ju85aOqTFxZ25FfuV4ujWCG2XQol6Cptr1WI3UIcuMQ/s320/2023%20Times%20are%20a%20changing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I think somewhere, in a small office at Fox News HQ, a small bespectacled man (or woman) of middle age did some very interesting math (actuarial science), emailed his boss and that boss emailed Rupert. At that Rupert called the lawyers and I'm guess five minutes after that they turned Tucker's badge off. Er, I mean, they told Tucker that he'd agreed with them to part ways. <br /><br />While this is most certainty a tax write off for Fawx, as a cost of doing business, a good portion of these damages will probably be covered by insurance, the nature of which is referred to as media liability coverage. No doubt Fawx probably upped their coverage last year if it was an option, just in case. But settling with Dominion means that the impending suit with Smartmatic will probably have a similar outcome. It's kinda hard to argue when the judge starts with the premise that the defendant is guilty as hell. There may be a firm up for it, but I don't know who they might be. And as such there is a high probability that the settlement will be similar in size if not larger. Fawx has as cash on hand at this moment even after Dominion if need be, so no worries, and it too will be written off and handled by the insurer. <br /><br />But here is where the math comes in, and truth be told it's very likely that Capitalism is what did poor lil Tucker in. Let's guess that the total payout for both cases is around $1.8 billion. You may or may not be aware, but no insurer wants to pay out $18, much less $1.8 billion, although they're probably really only on the hook for 60-70% of it. But you've ever made a claim, you know what happens next: your rate goes up. So, with the Dominion payout and the the soon to be Smartmatic payout, either Fox's insurance rates just went through the roof, or any NEW policy they can find will no longer cover these circumstances - i.e., knowingly lying on the air. It's just too expensive. And although they admitted no wrong doing in the settlement, their current method of "news dissemination," which it didn't look like they planned to alter, was about to become more expensive. <br /><br />So what does all that have to do with Tucker? Aside from the former producer's discrimination lawsuit? Well, it seems that on his show on Friday, Tucker stared out at the camera and <i>denied that a Dominion settlement even existed.</i> <br /> <br />Which brings us back to the at small bespectacled man (or woman) who was looking at future projections and realized what level of risk a continuation of current "news authentication" and "news opinion" was placing to Rupert's checkbook. The term "pattern" comes to mind, and patterns tend to increase judgments and therefore settlements that would come before them. The Dominion case, the Smartmatic case, the discrimination suit, the Shareholder suit I just found out about. My understanding is that Fawx literally ran the promo for Tucker's show right before the segment where they announced he that he and Fawx had decided to part ways. So, I'm thinking this decision was last minute. <br /><br />I personally hope that he and his rhetoric are the first of many people that Fawx can no longer afford to keep supporting. To be clear, I doubt this ends the channel or anything else dramatic. I can already see the transition to podcasting or AM radio. But I do hope it returns some degree of civility to the majority of conservatives of this country and causes some degree of tempering of the most extreme conspiracy bound elements that seem to have been pushed the forefront as of late. I doubt that will happen, but one can dream. <br /><br />Barkeep. Whiskey. The good kind. It's that kinda day. <br /><p></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-25074143630085702412023-04-19T23:44:00.000-04:002023-04-19T23:44:53.582-04:00We Let Them Off The Hook<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #412</b><br />I need to get some focus. To find a center, calm the raging torrent of creativity trying to get out and find somewhere to start. And finish. At least a first draft. I've likened my production process for anything to that of freight train - slow at first, plodding but then picking up speed until once fully in motion I will put the rest of reality on hold to accomplish my goals. So, looking back, I'm thinking that might not be a good thing. <br /></i><br />You let'em off the hook! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOenUxI0jPmuqKzwLycFtK92oQlXR8E8bcOb7bw2eIK09HFYdAXDeAEj7t-QNPzMe3okc5kEWWe97w6vT_hSw_FpYkJ8T5OMY3RGW26dUwtSjXzRzI8aDV_xY3_CGaft9XeohI88BU5kxmBjfmlQb7EtmgKMdbpyD97-0uD08v9GVTPQwhxkPq7A/s450/People%20101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="450" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOenUxI0jPmuqKzwLycFtK92oQlXR8E8bcOb7bw2eIK09HFYdAXDeAEj7t-QNPzMe3okc5kEWWe97w6vT_hSw_FpYkJ8T5OMY3RGW26dUwtSjXzRzI8aDV_xY3_CGaft9XeohI88BU5kxmBjfmlQb7EtmgKMdbpyD97-0uD08v9GVTPQwhxkPq7A/s320/People%20101.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In another reality, Dominion rejected the 788 million dollar settlement offer and went to trial. There there in a marathon session they went into detail about all 7,000 of their exhibits detailing what the court had already determined: That Fawx Nooz had lied. It took on Simpson trial proportions, with a nightly update in eighty three countries around the world. It was so damning even NewsMax pretended they hadn't lied as well and began covering it. That the network became a literal punchline. Then, the jury having tripled the damages to almost 5 billion, as part of the final ruling Fawx would have to make to the audience it hadn't even told it been in litigation an on-air admission. And so, in the form of an ongoing series of 1-minute spots to replace one commercial per hour - starring all the various hosts who'd pushed the election lie would tell there viewers that a)They'd been sued about their election coverage, b)that Fawx had lost, c) that the election hadn't been stolen and most importantly d) that they'd known that the election hadn't been stolen the whole time but told them that anyway. And that the judge would order these ads run on Fox, every hour in rotation, until the next election. <br /><br />But Dominion took the money because...they're a business, not a national crusade and they needed the money. But to quote former Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz3Stx1N14Y">we let'em off the hook.</a> And quite frankly it's more than a little sad. <br /><br />Now, to be honest I hadn't expected a magical Matlock moment, a Legally Blonde realization or a My Cousin Vinny deduction at the last minute. It was always going to be more along the lines of an event Law & Order episode where at the end they look resigned to knowing that they'd given it the very best they could. In retrospect it was too hopeful to think this was about something larger than damages. The lawyers talked up the loss of reputation aspect a lot as we lead up to court day, but without a VERY public apology and/or a retraction of their characterization of Dominion's machines, it means that the national disinformation machine slips back into fifth and frames these damages as "minuscule" and "addressing a nuisance." The folks who believe Dominion was and still is compromised will still believe it - primarily because those people, some of whom control voting in local jurisdictions, only watch Fawx. With this little bump out of the way they will return to their bias affirming comfort propaganda with pockets just a touch lighter but not a wit wiser. The network is going to chalk this up as a victory, I can promise you that.<br /><br />I can't really blame the lawyers here. They listen to their clients as to settlement. So it falls to Dominion. And I think their management was a bit short-sighted in their version how the future needs to play out. But then they have duty to their shareholders on down the line. In the end the people who choose the voting machines and who only watch Fawx are going to wake up next week and possibly not even know about the case. Dominion might have secured the bag, but at what cost. Maybe money alone wasn't the best fix if it doesn't address the long term perception, one which Fawx news can heavily influence? <br /><br />One hopes that the next defamation case, one by Smartmatic which should get a boost from this settlement, gets a little juicer. But I wouldn't count on it. <br /><br />Barkeep. A nice gin and tonic. For old times sake.M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-77827441823899546202023-04-01T16:05:00.002-04:002023-04-01T16:05:41.815-04:00No Bracket, so it's Meh...<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #411</b><br />I once opined that the least racist person in America is a football fan on Saturday Night in the south when their team is down by four with two minutes left. At that moment, if they think you can score a touchdown and get the W, they don't care what color you are. I stand by that statement. </i></p><p>This year I could not spare the hours of research, player evaluation, game simulation and consideration of all of the other endless variables (height, weight, shoe size, major, beard or clean shaven) required to confidently construct a bracket that reflected my expectations for this years March Madness. Yeah, that sounds good. It's better than the truth, in that because I usually throw one together in five minutes based upon a) how impressive the team was in the mid-90s b) if I recognize the college c) if the mascot is cool and d) if my bracket needs some upset razzle-dazzle. And this year I just forgot. I remembered, but again because of my aforementioned well-honed and time-tested methodology I thought I could just do it later. I was wrong.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2naS2DYesFiCAHNbEwqMZ-KFjWgFPY6cwf59_9kyyv92lxd1Ym8vl4UCrTa_ctvSrSbna4lwibGUQWy_2DGSW5catjm7vYlw8AaepUylLiDzzVKr7BzhYRoZV8M7t4Wwis3Yy0y-bV-nZ9Er7rW0_hT9NxFOT4qL6pZSZuQbIQD1SqYWri6fUbQ/s529/Final%20Four%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2naS2DYesFiCAHNbEwqMZ-KFjWgFPY6cwf59_9kyyv92lxd1Ym8vl4UCrTa_ctvSrSbna4lwibGUQWy_2DGSW5catjm7vYlw8AaepUylLiDzzVKr7BzhYRoZV8M7t4Wwis3Yy0y-bV-nZ9Er7rW0_hT9NxFOT4qL6pZSZuQbIQD1SqYWri6fUbQ/s320/Final%20Four%202023.JPG" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via the ESPN</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Looking at the final four....wait, this is the Final Four? Like for the NCAA? <b><i>Seriously</i></b>? This looks like it would have popped out of a 2K version of March Madness, not actually happened. Theoretically, we all the love the Cinderella story, but damn. A couple FIVE seeds? A NINE seed? Was the selection committee on that <i>Henny</i> while setting up the brackets? We sure this isn't for baseball? Wait, if this is the final four, what the hell happened? </p><p>I have to ask because this time around, because I didn't have any virtual skin in the game, I did not feverishly tune in. Or even really casually tune in. ... <b>I suddenly realize why they make the brackets a thing</b>. In any case, my usual situation would have been a pizza and/or some wings and few beers on Thursday and Friday, flipping between channels, catching snippets of a game here, listening to an announcer's thirty second history lesson of player 143, watching the drama unfold.<i> Good game? </i>I'm locked in. <i>Game getting tight?</i> I'm there. <i>Upset alert?</i> Changing channels now. This year? I think I watched <a href="https://mainecabinmasters.com/">Maine Cabin Masters</a>. Due to some flooding and rot they put in new floors for this family retreat on one of the lakes, and tried to save the cabinets but eventually had to replace them. No, I'm not getting old. Maybe. But I wasn't watching basketball. <br /></p><p>And I like sports. You know this. Maybe it's because I'm not as active as I could be I'm not into as much lately. Or maybe it's because I'm not into them I'm not active? In any case maybe it's because the NFL season never really ended with the Lamar Jackson shenanigans sucking up all the sports news oxygen in the room. Or that college basketball hadn't ever really been my thing. I like the pros, play the full 48 min games in whole seasons for 2k, can actually watch soccer and enjoy it, and on more than a few occasions stumbled across a sport, learned the basic rules and caught up in the drama in a matter of thirty minutes. And I'm supposed to be more social this year. So why did I miss this year's Madness? Dunno. <br /><br />Barkeep. A gin and tonic. No, I have no idea why. No, I don't actually want one either. Just some juice. <br /><br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-82176531292859547942023-03-30T23:58:00.005-04:002023-03-30T23:58:33.491-04:00It should have never gotten to where it feels familiar...<p><b><i>This is a political post. </i></b></p><p>The usual Mass Shooting cycle : Outrage - Generous use of the phrase "thoughts and prayers" followed by indicating it's far too soon to discuss anything other than grieving - denial and deflection - next major news event....<br /><br />And this week's major news event was a doozy. <br /><br />It used to be relatively easy to do political commentary. Well, easier than it is now. The cycle for issues that need to be addressed has reduced from weeks to days, sometimes hours. There used to be time to research a bit and craft a cogent, intelligent comment that maybe someone would read and gain a bit of new perspective. But then when I started this, and even as recently as a few years ago, things seemed much slower. I'm not naive, this stuff as always happening somewhere, it's just now with new media instead of just happening we get to hear about it. I almost miss the days of three channels and PBS. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbepvo3HNqEYeuV-kpHLnEAgbZfg0XCUmxKvdJb1KsmV8I3zG4WZ7Zr1TkrHuJAM9Ulr2GwQqhBzDcivb9QdKXglS9SFr4U5xdCLpIHGinslkKsYPOB5r4qVdxRuKQMjVNm2aAbxCXwhXoqRj3vv2bB2-DxCngOoGyneWDWR4Oy9SUa8RlFr8UQ/s496/2023%20Conservatives%20-%20March%20A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="496" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbepvo3HNqEYeuV-kpHLnEAgbZfg0XCUmxKvdJb1KsmV8I3zG4WZ7Zr1TkrHuJAM9Ulr2GwQqhBzDcivb9QdKXglS9SFr4U5xdCLpIHGinslkKsYPOB5r4qVdxRuKQMjVNm2aAbxCXwhXoqRj3vv2bB2-DxCngOoGyneWDWR4Oy9SUa8RlFr8UQ/w200-h197/2023%20Conservatives%20-%20March%20A.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Step 3: Denial</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The shooting, as all events of this nature are, was tragic. And almost immediately that now familiar cycle started. Video I shouldn't have watched, images of distraught mother, distraught children, etc. But it's not quite the same as before, as local conservative politicians hot to serve their base couldn't get a handle on <i>DENIAL </i>this time through. I wasn't sure if it was an actual total lack of empathy or just a failure to understand how media works, but they started saying the quiet parts out loud. If I was even a amateur political hack the focus of all my ad campaigns would the use of the phrase "<b>We're not going to fix it</b>" to batter all conservatives and their issues, from inflation to education, banking to crime. I'm just saying, they're serving up softballs here. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7seT4yzMJTDco8enjbsmZIfp_wl0Ygsq0NQwtrV0y6KIRHnZO7-oWNohkf7NeGaJgq7qi4FT1fmvNME7fpjHfeaJuiWsEIOcgSqLiN3TTeQMS8WV1I2QaY6e3XPw_3T-TjMEqdgeaHwQuUHLYnCZxNjUpsyEQWERibHKfgmEYwVv9jX9Wh0TQoA/s885/2023%20Conservatives%20-%20March%20C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="885" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7seT4yzMJTDco8enjbsmZIfp_wl0Ygsq0NQwtrV0y6KIRHnZO7-oWNohkf7NeGaJgq7qi4FT1fmvNME7fpjHfeaJuiWsEIOcgSqLiN3TTeQMS8WV1I2QaY6e3XPw_3T-TjMEqdgeaHwQuUHLYnCZxNjUpsyEQWERibHKfgmEYwVv9jX9Wh0TQoA/w200-h199/2023%20Conservatives%20-%20March%20C.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><p>Then we stalled again at DEFLECTION, when the conservative media discovered that the shooter identified as trans. The outpouring of madness that ensued was as though a spigot of hate had been thrown wide open and then the handle broken off. Suddenly the tragedy was transformed into "an attack on Christianity" and proof that right wing efforts at the state level to end trans as a concept were just plain valid. Incorrect memes appeared and every mass shooter ever was apparently trans so now something needed to be done. Not ban guns - or even assault rifles - but something else. I had to stop reading when I saw someone suggest putting trans people in "camps" on one social media site. Camps? And we're arguing that kids need a sanitized version of history? Because that is a suggestion that should have set off alarms upon conception, much less been shared. I am sickened and horrified of what we are becoming. <br /><br />Then, a moment we never thought would happen came to pass...Cheato got indicted. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiLO1024U6UW8pvw7Wef0Wiz6LT5hWAH0S78WVlySAla0ySImx0xKPyq8_xNfbDOehFt3UzvKj98djyqF4BTsEhF3KAd1606O5S3ozVAPbaoPugrzi5elFOmbN2SQ2luVXfVEdFHzRCFx8_po16i-tuUZ1Dy0ORwHJTGMUSrcpv8Uhhm42lu8EQ/s539/2023%20Conservatives%20-%20Trump.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="539" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiLO1024U6UW8pvw7Wef0Wiz6LT5hWAH0S78WVlySAla0ySImx0xKPyq8_xNfbDOehFt3UzvKj98djyqF4BTsEhF3KAd1606O5S3ozVAPbaoPugrzi5elFOmbN2SQ2luVXfVEdFHzRCFx8_po16i-tuUZ1Dy0ORwHJTGMUSrcpv8Uhhm42lu8EQ/s320/2023%20Conservatives%20-%20Trump.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the Washington Post</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'll be honest, I was in the I won't believe it until I see him an slightly more orange jumpsuit crowd, but this is farther than we've ever gotten before. Bragg ain't playin' with him, even tricked him into praising the Grand Jury when he thought Bragg was going to send them on vacay for a month. Owch. <br /></p><p>But Cheato is another story. Our focus should be on the shooting, the new seemingly never ending violence and what we can do now to turn the tide. I understand protesters disrupted the Tennessee legislature today - not stormed as was reported. There was a lot of singing. I hope it soothed an aching soul or two. <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-76655629527299175892023-03-22T23:25:00.002-04:002023-03-22T23:25:17.170-04:00Blows off the dust....<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #410</b><br />Wallet. Keys. Cellphone. Mask. Ready. </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqinCZisMARTG-dH3jaj9_qEcWeiGgwf3h5rbkRq-MPZfdX1cRyN7YFpF6h5QvROSyB67lkPkxbFPtCLG2kc362dioXiSQgzsTu5hCtwnwptvw4kq1Ed_CuyyZZuUTXwsNgcYkmbiAazAmITJzTP74p7rMXOHH1HL4wRrDUcBcqq59KTUK4kGjg/s749/The%20Universe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqinCZisMARTG-dH3jaj9_qEcWeiGgwf3h5rbkRq-MPZfdX1cRyN7YFpF6h5QvROSyB67lkPkxbFPtCLG2kc362dioXiSQgzsTu5hCtwnwptvw4kq1Ed_CuyyZZuUTXwsNgcYkmbiAazAmITJzTP74p7rMXOHH1HL4wRrDUcBcqq59KTUK4kGjg/w268-h400/The%20Universe.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm back. <br /><br />Although looking at the count of visitors to this blog, I'm really just reminding myself that I'm still here. <br /><br />Shouts into the vast digital darkness. <br /></p><p>*Digital crickets.* <br /><br />But then that was really what this was when I started. Why I decided to do this in a forum where someone might find it instead of just on my computer will probably need to be looked into, but that's a whole other thing I'll need to explore later. As it is I've been meandering lately, running through the daily grind of just getting to the next day with the added difficulty of having to commute a few days week. I need to read more, having been derailed parsing through<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38657796-the-waiter"> a book about nothing</a>, not reading the other books I've bought due to that ennui and procrastinating trying to find the voice for the next chapters of the rewrite of a first draft. I'm trying to put some art on my walls, assemble a closet system and get the stuff on the back of my chairs onto hangers, find my diet (lost it on the candy aisle), start to exercise again and trying to stop finding new internet rabbit holes to fall down. I've been just being, which I wasn't enough and kept doing it anyway. So, now my existential question is what am I doing about it. <br /><br />Writing this is a start. <br /><br />Writing this pushes me to write more, to think more, to breathe more, to get more out, to do things because....I'm not even sure how that all works really. But writing makes something click once I start getting into it. Not that I haven't been creating. But it's a half an idea here, or an impulse not explored there. I've been avoiding throwing myself into whatever "it" is, so what is coming out is much too sporadic than makes for quality content.<br /><br />I am an artist....not creating art. <br /><br />Barkeep, let me have a ....what do you mean who am I? You KNOW ME! </p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-84391095823873497952023-01-03T23:20:00.003-05:002023-01-03T23:20:54.868-05:00It's just a game<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #409</b><br />Now, let's be clear, and so my point doesn't get misinterpreted, the Bills-Bengals game point didn't need to start again. That it can't be made up shouldn't even have been an issue. They can just mark it down as a tie and keep it moving for all I care. The injury was devastating, the aftermath traumatizing, and if the players had just walked out of the stadium to go wait at the hospital instead of lining up I wouldn't have blamed a soul. It is just a damn game. That is a man's life. </i><br /><br />I'm surprised that the NFL didn't have a protocol for this. It's a game where grown men are paid vast sums of money to run at each other at top speed and make contact. Hard contact. Repeatedly. They should have seen this as a possibility, even if the chances are one in a billion. And despite the obvious trauma stemming from the situation, they really seemed poised to throw the usual "Okay folks, shows over, nothing to see here" process that normally follows an injury. And if they had gone ahead with that five minutes to get your head together plan, I'm not sure what would have happened. Hamlin didn't have an ordinary injury. <br /><br />That's a just weird thing to write. "<i>Ordinary Injury.</i>" Sigh. <br /><br />We've see injuries in the sport before. Twisted ankles and knees, head shots that left players twitching. But in those cases as the player is carted off he's sitting up, sometimes angry at his body for failing him, other times hiding his face to mask the terrible agony he's going through. Even players in the neck brace give the stadium a thumbs up as they're loaded into the ambulance. And we know they'll be okay. Maybe they won't be playing anymore, but they'll be someplace - coaching, in the booth, on a Sunday analysis show or selling used cars. They'll be somewhere. But this was not that. To see the sheer terror on his teammates faces told you that. That the term CPR was used. He had to be revived on the field, implying that at some point on the field...well, you know. <br /><br />In high school, one of my teammates broke his neck during a game. He wore that Halo neck-brace for the next year I think. It did not look comfortable. Because we were young and naive we later joked that when he went down his mother had high hurdled the fence getting to the field she was so scared for her son. And after he'd been worked on, stabilized, loaded into the ambulance and carted off, without a second thought we lined up and went back at like we were invincible, when the truth was it could have been anyone of us. <br /><br /><i>"There but for the Grace of God, go I.</i>" Because on every play when I suited up, it could have been me. Grown men running at each other at top speed to intentionally make contact. Violent contact. Nature of the beast. Despite the rule changes and advances in all the padding, helmets and other safety equipment improvements of the last 50 years injuries are still expected, which is why you have the training staff there, the medics, and at that level even spotters to make sure no one is trying to walk something serious off. But not this. We expect a stinger. A sprain. A hyper-extension. But not this. This is from the football before modern football. We'd left this behind. Or so we'd thought. <br /><br />I am hoping for Demar's recovery. That he rises in a week or so and finds his charity funded through 2040 with even more money to hand out scholarships. I hope he thinks about it long and hard should he decide to put the helmet on again. I hope is family is overjoyed to have him back. I hope for him many blessings going forward no matter what path he chooses. <br /><br />This was just a game. That is a man's life. <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-53811663989101898862023-01-01T23:26:00.000-05:002023-01-01T23:26:14.011-05:00What I Learned in 20....No, I'm not gonna say it. <p>So, what as the passing of another year into the books taught me? What lesson have I taken to heart and tried incorporate into the "new me," who is now the "old me" since twelve months have passed. What secrets have I gleaned from my trials and tribulations that I might share so that those who would walk behind me might find the path easier? <br /><br />Let me get back to you on that. <br /><br />I spent the last week or so trying to find the lessons. I thought about during the drive down to see the parents, while I slept on that single bed with the brand new mattress in the guest room at my parent's house, during the long drive home. And all this week while I kinda tried to keep my mind on my work tasks at the new chicken plucking factory. And since my plucking is now "hybrid" and has quite a bit of transport, I thought about it during those drives home. I bubbled and burbled a bit. The always consistent <i>Life goes on</i>. The tried and true <i>Love endures</i>. Even the paradoxical <i>Sometimes getting what you want isn't the best thing</i>, that last one in light of my re-submergence into Atlanta traffic. But nothing clicked. </p><p>I've spent another year just mulling things over. I've planned and schemed a lot, and put in place a lot of things to get me to where I want to go. But I'm still in a mire of my own creation - replaying conversations and reexamining my actions instead of moving forward. It partly irritating because I know I can do better....but have apparently chosen this as the better option. <br /><br />Some of this is still Covid related. Because unlike a lot of folks I see in social media, I'm still masking when I go out in most situations. I still limit my trips out to just the basics, despite seeing stadiums filled to capacity, night clubs jumping and concerts in full rock. But then I haven't had covid yet either, so there is that as a plus. But this limited interaction also limits that thing I realized last year that I actually need - the person in personal contact. I've done one social event this year and honestly...I miss it. But I'm also of the opinion that with my luck even vaxxed and boosted I'll end up flat on my back if I get it adding up my sins and looking for heavenly frequent prayer miles. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKANcDDmmYbe87IFIefofx5G7a3VKrD1YtSQWvu4XuCU04jY9YhpH-Yc_JcV6SoNmM3uRithBhYa1wct82xWtNfU39dsfxiq444Ht6Uibx3zuxx9kgqtyPIfBL5cNs53Xh_CHJeLQpcpRVPPPb27_11iGKPP4ObnMU-dsFBJ8Z93dW3L-OZmZ2A/s532/Sayings%20742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="532" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKANcDDmmYbe87IFIefofx5G7a3VKrD1YtSQWvu4XuCU04jY9YhpH-Yc_JcV6SoNmM3uRithBhYa1wct82xWtNfU39dsfxiq444Ht6Uibx3zuxx9kgqtyPIfBL5cNs53Xh_CHJeLQpcpRVPPPb27_11iGKPP4ObnMU-dsFBJ8Z93dW3L-OZmZ2A/s320/Sayings%20742.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />This past year has been a...year. A number of things happened that I wish I had been a larger part of and the reason I wasn't because my own actions. I've said before and will continue to say that I'm responsible for 95% of things that happen to me through my own actions. I guess that's also true for my failings as well. And unfortunately for me, as I explained earlier, I'm probably going to dwell on that for far too long as well. Sigh. <br /><br />So, words of wisdom.... eh? I'm not sure I'm as qualified to be handing them out as I like to believe I am. But here goes....<br /><br />Go forth and live, taking time to balance between taking in the full of the now while keeping an eye on the future. Despite our best efforts and most passionate wishes, the world will not wait for us. Be kind but firm, and warm but cautious and open yourself up to the possibilities. Feast or famine, failure or triumph, just remember that you cannot stay here because here will not be here for long, so make a choice and go. And at the very least it will have been something you chose, not just let happen. <br /><br />To next year.<p></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-21850503474886014442022-12-10T23:53:00.000-05:002022-12-10T23:53:25.137-05:00Let's Make a Deal - An international diplomacy critique<p><i><b>This is a political post</b></i>. </p><p>There is a lot to unpack with the trade to get WNBA star Brittney Griner out of a Russian gulag. <br /><br />I mean, it is truly amazing how I'm just finding out so many regular folks do a lil' international diplomacy on the side. And how they all suddenly appeared on social media swearing this was a bad deal. Well, in MY side capacity as an quasi semi kinda pretend international diplomat, astronaut, chef and chicken plucker I disagree. So let me tell you why. <br /><br />First, this was the only deal on the table. This wasn't a maybe I can talk them into more, this was Griner or nothing situation. And like a coach trying to figure out do you take the field goal or go for the touchdown or fourth down, you take the points. Sure the ones we talk about go for it all, but the guys who win consistently year after year send out the kicker. Here, the points were getting at least one someone home. I've seen the article which indicated that at one point it maybe was one or the other - at which point I'm almost certain the ask was for both. Because a two-for-one is a good trade. Theoretically. But even if it was that fabled either or situation, why would you take the trained "soldier" and leave the citizen. I mean, that's just bad business. <br /><br />Then, the other half of this, claiming Viktor Bout is the "Most Dangerous Man in the World." Yes, and Micheal Jordan is the "Greatest Basketball Player in the World." And while it arguably was true when he was in his prime, in real terms it's been a long time since Viktor was in the gym shooting free throws. Bout was taken into custody in 2008, so it's been almost 15 years since he was truly connected. I'm only a geopolitical expert on the odd Tuesdays but I'm pretty sure whatever channels or networks Bout had in place have long since evaporated. Guys like him got their power from knowing who to call or where to go to get what was needed. And all of that, all of it, has changed since he was last in the game. Yeah, I'm certain he's still knows a guy or two who is doing something, but most of his resources are gone if not completely usurped, the circles he operated in have collapsed, transformed or shifted, and a lot of new players would happily knock him off for s-and-g on three ruble bet. He's still dangerous, but I doubt he'll be able to return to his previous level of infamy simply because getting back in just ain't easy. <br /><br /><i>(Note: Bout's main hook was that he used to sell surplus Russian gear. Well, unless he's going to Ukraine to pick it up where the deserters dropped it, he's got a minor inventory issue I don't see him fixing.) </i> <br /><br />And finally, if this "trade" upsets you, congratulations, you've just been played. Because if you think for one minute that the Russians didn't calculate the outrage over a "black gay athlete" going home while a "former Marine" was "left behind" when setting this up then this is your first day. Framing is important here. I keep seeing it as a portrayed even in US media as the government freed a druggie black lesbian athlete over a proud US marine captured behind enemy lines. Why not say that a Two-time American Olympian freed from a hellish gulag? She hates America conservative pundits scream, because she knelt for the national anthem. But this is America, and believe it or not hating America is allowed because we have that thing called freedom. Remember that? Also, why no mention of why that proud US Marine is even in custody, er I mean former Marine. I mean aside from Whelan having been <b>dishonorably discharged</b> for stealing, lied about being a police officer, was arrested on espionage charges, had four passports, well, obviously the situation is exactly the same as some empty cartridges that once held some weed? Why have we taken to referring to him only as "<i>former Marine</i>"? While technically true, it seems like some people in the conservative media are trying to push folks buttons instead of inform them and let them make up their own minds. You know, like the slogan says. <br /><br />In any case, Brittney needs to get her a big pizza, roll up one and relax. And I for one ain't mad. <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-38330172731312508682022-11-30T23:21:00.005-05:002022-11-30T23:21:47.143-05:00Gotta get your mind right...<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #408</b><br />I dunno even know anymore. The days all seem to mush together. The weather is all wonky. When I laid out my complete and total plan for how my life was supposed to go when I was in the fifth grade, sitting at home playing video games wasn't on my list. Mostly because at that age, the only video game was like PONG or something, but totally not the point. There were supposed to be yachts, penthouses and jets, and I supposed to be up for my fourteenth Oscar or something. Okay, I had a good imagination as a kid. Dream big.</i> </p><p>Next year I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone. It's pretty comfortable in here, but you can't grow in your comfort zone. And I need to grow. I mean, at this point I need to do something, I've gotten pretty damned lax. So we're gonna get up off our ass and do...something. <br /><br />I want to wake up in a villa by the beach and drink coffee as the tide rolls in.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IVSyEwi1OpwKR4SFZhpVcePhmNx8EsYJqtnlPgPQZG0tYqlOvvzHYRm4-RWuCBH0d6zxkG21QkM4qIigws8wcxd2aAsM1Gj__vr0qc6PrsL98IiPC4crdvBBAmLm8ilbqXqNMFiwX_vos5mEvVHUm4LOZmgG-D_PKQGkGQV1bCqoO7zz8EkAJw/s1351/tumblr_a923900665559169adaa24c5a4767ad4_04163204_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1351" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IVSyEwi1OpwKR4SFZhpVcePhmNx8EsYJqtnlPgPQZG0tYqlOvvzHYRm4-RWuCBH0d6zxkG21QkM4qIigws8wcxd2aAsM1Gj__vr0qc6PrsL98IiPC4crdvBBAmLm8ilbqXqNMFiwX_vos5mEvVHUm4LOZmgG-D_PKQGkGQV1bCqoO7zz8EkAJw/s320/tumblr_a923900665559169adaa24c5a4767ad4_04163204_1280.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />I want to eat foods I've never even heard of while sitting in a country I hadn't been to, with the people who made it. <br /><br />I want vistas and sunsets. I want guitar solos and singing at the top of my lungs the words to song I don't even know. <br /><br />I want to dance. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0yW4wWXvf5xb6WlVgNlFlWTD-P1ajH3kebO35XfcqUKsd88TVeHI6WHHnyz45dNa1m27UIJmTSKfmoBFjCTFc94P5eKX1iNB4jqlsYkTlHhcdLgSUCKYfE3c52-qPSvYPLVbJXy2bSVfnuy5jCpuchrE27TD5Hmzg4CmMLhd-djG6odOuOHOLQ/s540/tumblr_d8876f32bc380e88801b50c713d05c7f_e602f682_540.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="540" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0yW4wWXvf5xb6WlVgNlFlWTD-P1ajH3kebO35XfcqUKsd88TVeHI6WHHnyz45dNa1m27UIJmTSKfmoBFjCTFc94P5eKX1iNB4jqlsYkTlHhcdLgSUCKYfE3c52-qPSvYPLVbJXy2bSVfnuy5jCpuchrE27TD5Hmzg4CmMLhd-djG6odOuOHOLQ/s320/tumblr_d8876f32bc380e88801b50c713d05c7f_e602f682_540.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br />I want to see the places I told myself I would go when I wrote my bucket list some 30 plus years ago. </p><p>And as much as I wanted someone to share the adventure with, I see now I may have to go it alone. </p><p>...<br /><br />And I can't do that from the comfort of my couch. <br /><br />Oh, and I'm gonna get a new couch! <br /><br />Barkeep. I'm gonna need a flask. Full of whiskey. <br /></p><p> <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-64416175191170942322022-10-28T22:15:00.007-04:002022-10-28T22:15:40.794-04:00I need a break...<p><i>Ramblings Post #407<br />Where will you be when you get where you're going? This was a question asked by an old country comedian Jerry Clower. It's one of those things what with his accent just sounded funny, but is more a question that makes you question yourself. We wake, wash, work and waste away in this funny little thing called life. Do we know where we're going? Will we even know when we get there? And how much to get in? </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOa0JwEYjzBkr3ajkO6rw_55iUtEhKIhtm3TFRI5lyMLaHAO0XmWQkZVCFC5qnd6tr_EYYJB1fk850nmQDM6-gZxBsnop6E-P4YmsdYau5enhrnFGFihzCtJKATYLowuIrkhgPB1BfqKjVGcWYAnHL2u-q_1djH1mVjufNBwuNr6bJRTrUeURoEQ/s720/tumblr_1ff9730c3d61f47ba702f44ce9311f59_15a0609c_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOa0JwEYjzBkr3ajkO6rw_55iUtEhKIhtm3TFRI5lyMLaHAO0XmWQkZVCFC5qnd6tr_EYYJB1fk850nmQDM6-gZxBsnop6E-P4YmsdYau5enhrnFGFihzCtJKATYLowuIrkhgPB1BfqKjVGcWYAnHL2u-q_1djH1mVjufNBwuNr6bJRTrUeURoEQ/s320/tumblr_1ff9730c3d61f47ba702f44ce9311f59_15a0609c_540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>So yesterday I took a<b> sleep.</b> <br /><br />I had my usual day. I'm ranching from the house, so I logged in early and got started. My breakfast was a pair of sausage biscuits. Not the big ones like fast food places make, but this little one I found that you can microwave. Now I take them out of the package and quick fry them and put them back in the bun because I'm extra. And with the right seasoning and a bacon press they taste like the sausage biscuits from this little spot in my home town. But I digress. And lunch was a salad, my now usual at least four times a week. Ruff-agê! <br /><br />After work I was a little tired. Okay, a lot tired, I started nodding off in front of the computer while I was playing games instead of actually working on something towards self improvement or something that might make me some money. It's been that kinda season. Ugh. But I was down bad. I'd grabbed a small bowl of Crunchy Cheez Doodles to tide me over until dinner, which was supposed to be chicken curry, but I wasn't going to make it. So I figured, a quick thirty minute nap. I put the iPad on some light jazz, crawled on the couch and pulled up the throw. It was about <b>a quarter after Seven</b>. <br /><br />So at when I awoke at <b>One AM</b> I was a wee bit confused. <br /><br />Okay, no, I haven't been getting a solid eight hours lately. One rabbit hole after another on the internet, dumb games, etc., AND no I hadn't been eating right lately, you leave the house to run an errand and the burgers start calling my name. So too much red meat, not enough fish and chicken, and too much sugar because red velvet cupcakes are from hell. I've been pushing it lately not achieving. So maybe I just needed it. <br /><br />Still. Damn. Hell of a nap. <br /><br />Barkeep. Tall glass of ice water. I got gaming to catch up on! Okay fine, some work. Ugh. <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-79530040223461946692022-09-13T23:35:00.004-04:002022-09-13T23:41:11.331-04:00Under the sea. They're there too. <p><i><b>Ramblings Post #406</b><br />Long is the night, the sounds of traffic and the city outside my window, the last of the summer air hanging about my house. Quiet reigns, and in the stillness the weight of years presses down upon the soul and mind drifts back along the halls of memory, looking for something. It finds words. It's always the words there, waiting to dance, scurrying about, waiting to sing, waiting for me. </i></p><p>There is so much to unpack here. <br /><br />Just as my feed became dotted with collages of images of young black girls - and some older black girls - excited to the point of tears of seeing <b>The Little Mermaid</b>'s Ariel as portrayed by Halle Bailey, as if on cue, triggered by the idea of some iota, some of a sliver of joy for someone other than themselves - those people arrived. <i>You know who I'm talking about</i>. And in my feed I found where someone had pointed out this comment. And honestly, it begs the question. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75P3H13XPnG3CRXhpDXcMiV2Wt0za9-AvvJn-B3EoeLymrD2qt4-FfyhHkcINx7iE9zRiBolStgbkGqoGplYK-lagJbo9py4vKCIwuQRWrsSryazmiPE8LulByVmLdGyM0Av9QpulpJGRumXumG_G27Cn7BE9nW1bmeepvapjEMzCcAHQjLFDMA/s708/AI%20White%20Wash%202022.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="572" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75P3H13XPnG3CRXhpDXcMiV2Wt0za9-AvvJn-B3EoeLymrD2qt4-FfyhHkcINx7iE9zRiBolStgbkGqoGplYK-lagJbo9py4vKCIwuQRWrsSryazmiPE8LulByVmLdGyM0Av9QpulpJGRumXumG_G27Cn7BE9nW1bmeepvapjEMzCcAHQjLFDMA/w324-h400/AI%20White%20Wash%202022.JPG" width="324" /></a></div><p></p><p>Why would changing this character "<b>fix</b>" the whole movie? <br /><br />I once theorized in <a href="https://darkendofthebar.blogspot.com/2015/10/crossing-uncanny-valley.html">long ago entry</a> that one day something like this would come pass for the film industry. Where the tech would be so good you wouldn't really need actors, just the specs of the people you wanted in the film, and we'd be able to create films whole cloth for a few thousand dollars that looked like they cost a many millions to make. Of course that cheap price tag would be bootleg, as famous actors (or just beautiful people) would definitely charge big bucks to license their images just like now. And I imagined studios remaking films from the libraries with actors who previously could never have worked together, like a prime Marlon Brando co-starring with a young Humphrey Bogart and Brad Pitt in something together. I follow a guy on Instagram who makes posters and everything. It's pretty cool.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8y5Zw759rXeEp6SFJM1yn_1uGEkxEhcpwVcJhk__MlABhu72riKzSd0QTi9O7Wx9bdroWhQI_Vy4H1BZxyphdfTUo3u9jqmPjjvJva6LC5aO0LjUbndxeN0R_jXVFfKNwF15nVVneUJ9dcyicj5ToATjb1UyXCw617b4wFnML90kyMlrHNBn-g/s700/Original%20-%20Blade%20Runner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="467" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8y5Zw759rXeEp6SFJM1yn_1uGEkxEhcpwVcJhk__MlABhu72riKzSd0QTi9O7Wx9bdroWhQI_Vy4H1BZxyphdfTUo3u9jqmPjjvJva6LC5aO0LjUbndxeN0R_jXVFfKNwF15nVVneUJ9dcyicj5ToATjb1UyXCw617b4wFnML90kyMlrHNBn-g/s320/Original%20-%20Blade%20Runner.png" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p>But in my naivete, I missed <i><b>this</b></i> concept as a possibility.<br /><br />In retrospect I should have been able to put to the pieces together. There are already a few firms that specialize in sanitizing films for religious audiences, Ala edited for TV only in those cases edited for sin. And the ongoing shenanigans over the very existence of <a href="https://www.theroot.com/why-is-society-intent-on-erasing-black-people-in-fantas-1820214381">non-white folks in fantasy settings</a>, where people are okay with dragons, magic that works and demons <a href="https://izzy-lamb.com/2022/02/20/increased-diversity-in-new-lotr-series-is-a-good-thing/">but draw the line at black people</a>. I mean, that's just <i>too</i> unrealistic. And I know that new generation deep fakes which are going to be a real headache for politics in the future. So the idea that somewhere a guy wouldn't work overtime to remove what he might see as "undesirable elements" from his favorite piece of cinema shouldn't have been a stretch at all. </p><p>Why would changing this character "<b>fix</b>" the whole movie?<br /><br />It's the use of the word "<b>fix</b>" that gets me. As though the idea of a non-white version of an entirely fictional character being the center of the story somehow breaks that story. (Point of order - Disney's live action remakes of cartoon classics have been of dubious quality of late, so I hope they realize they're on thin ice here and take extra care.) It is a <b>STORY</b>, purely fiction and as such it can always be revised. The previous Disney version isn't even the original story. Let's be honest, when studios want to they don't even care if it was a true story, they switch facts all the time to fit the tale that sells tickets..um, I mean, that they want to tell. So why the outrage? </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopHlJr-tB82xNCLB-2aZV5CnAFEz0xTs8-qV7ovwFsWaTF36V1toTgDUEsGxntw6ms4ldGTOYM03dkLHqzbeS5MaKWV18RBULyMv8FEChf1f5YTj8KpYB0lgrlfjP3-JlJ9yxrOTb4OU15ImIC5qeQywpSQflQdBYBticNMzQFQ2JjsX3S9fwzA/s886/AI%20White%20Wash%20C.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="886" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopHlJr-tB82xNCLB-2aZV5CnAFEz0xTs8-qV7ovwFsWaTF36V1toTgDUEsGxntw6ms4ldGTOYM03dkLHqzbeS5MaKWV18RBULyMv8FEChf1f5YTj8KpYB0lgrlfjP3-JlJ9yxrOTb4OU15ImIC5qeQywpSQflQdBYBticNMzQFQ2JjsX3S9fwzA/s320/AI%20White%20Wash%20C.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>These are the stars of 2016's Gods Of Egypt. They gonna "fix" this too? </i> <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Well, the other word he used, the term "woke." It's become the new slur that fills in for the N-word to certain crowd, much like "Brandon" fills in for another not polite term they can use in public. That's the tell here. And the quick realization of what they'd done, that they were no longer just talking to friends but possibly to the whole world - they offered up some sort of half-assed attempt an apology. I mean, not even the courage of conviction at the end. And I say the end because Twitter swiftly suspended this account not long after it hit critical exposure. Yes, the use of the word woke tells me why he was mad. <br /><br />And I for one hope he stays mad. <br /><br />Barkeep, let me get some whiskey and Sprite. Two cubes of ice. Long day. </p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-16645877910726184942022-09-08T23:52:00.003-04:002022-09-08T23:52:45.987-04:00Long live the Queen....<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDoJNO-dXWTnm3TcGYYU-0Y2lEjVoFE6PDcdFz_YjtF0IUK0qHTNyOjAK1wT9wy4xoOXAgeHiQK-0ptKBE-JnlG5aTo_pGOOr_X2SX54DXbh7si0Dxwi61PGDWT8m5GZSNu0fHbXMv9aQgwPtpWWOFX49TBoyJnMAd2Wp9-A4lCuHJmAv13XQ8Q/s1445/QE%20002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDoJNO-dXWTnm3TcGYYU-0Y2lEjVoFE6PDcdFz_YjtF0IUK0qHTNyOjAK1wT9wy4xoOXAgeHiQK-0ptKBE-JnlG5aTo_pGOOr_X2SX54DXbh7si0Dxwi61PGDWT8m5GZSNu0fHbXMv9aQgwPtpWWOFX49TBoyJnMAd2Wp9-A4lCuHJmAv13XQ8Q/w324-h400/QE%20002.jpg" width="324" /></a></div><br />To be honest, the phrase "<b>The King of England</b>" sounds like something that should only exist in movies or video games. It's been so long now that the very sounds feel strange in the mouth. But now, in 2022.... here we are. She lived a good life. <br /><br />As much as I can understand a lot of the feelings of...um, less than grief..being offered today by individuals who had...issues... with even the idea of a real life monarchy still existing in the twenty first century, I'm not one to pick apart the life of someone who has passed on. At the very minimum, they no longer have a chance to atone for those misdeeds in this life, and that alone is very sad. Now is not the time for a rehashing of a long life which by definition is polarizing, she wasn't a starlet or some singer but the head of a nation and empire, so let history be the long judge that determines her place. When you get down to it, she was still a mother, a grandmother and great grandmother. And so a family grieves as an era ends within themselves. <br /><br />She served. Queen Elizabeth II. 1926 - 2023<p></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-62560683109620335352022-09-03T23:33:00.001-04:002022-09-03T23:33:30.522-04:00She did the damn thing<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #405</b><br />We idolize whom we idolize. It's personal most of the time. Most people like to think of Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time (so far). In my opinion it's a toss up between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Some others might say Bill Russell, or maybe Bron Bron. The metric we use in our head for really constitutes greatness varies. It's part of what makes sport a thing, facilitates argument and discussion, and in some cases causes men to do the only real research they'll ever do after they've gotten their diploma. </i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bqzVujtXx0cM_jdbmbPoSEBXylhZ7a8QYO7DbCYum1anNVXsFJFwXCJDGBrKRz-XKQHHWT-jtdmrfvAeAzp8X3mxjR4XSbum9l1g-mhQ9q3eL-9xQCMBNtzYciutWhKvzOWzdONeaS-hjEDcmOfMkHasGvWZABS4lAqhDxmqcSc_QpRwqXrHhw/s849/Serena%20by%20yung%20yemi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="677" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bqzVujtXx0cM_jdbmbPoSEBXylhZ7a8QYO7DbCYum1anNVXsFJFwXCJDGBrKRz-XKQHHWT-jtdmrfvAeAzp8X3mxjR4XSbum9l1g-mhQ9q3eL-9xQCMBNtzYciutWhKvzOWzdONeaS-hjEDcmOfMkHasGvWZABS4lAqhDxmqcSc_QpRwqXrHhw/w319-h400/Serena%20by%20yung%20yemi.JPG" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By artist Yung Yemi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Well, to say she had a good run..is an understatement. Of Biblical proportion. <br /><br />Unlike the arguments for greatest football team, best golfer, best home run hitter, there is no question who the greatest women's tennis player in the world was. Serena. <br /><br />I hope her future is as bright as past. <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-13446166947642534072022-08-30T23:56:00.001-04:002022-08-30T23:56:15.202-04:00I look up at night...<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #404</b><br />They were right. We don't really know what we've got until it's gone. It's hard to miss something still there, or in some cases even understand it at that moment, but once something is no longer within our boundaries - something as simple as spot to look up at night and be awed - the loss becomes evident in ways we can hardly imagine. </i></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPs8G2rl0qQMEDpF9p2NYzdAsBKiKc1GpDQk9oQ2EqkzdFUzrbT-hyQGAJ4jllMYRwY_fowFQliECoTPOLeUxxUPtB9nESP6BE4AqIbdvObc_8YV3E5s_HX1-YqkzG-0mYdH0zJIVuXqxfrduOHs8QK7wsYEJKUDnUHlrek7qguYCG3A6ZKempqQ/s900/Zen%20334.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="602" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPs8G2rl0qQMEDpF9p2NYzdAsBKiKc1GpDQk9oQ2EqkzdFUzrbT-hyQGAJ4jllMYRwY_fowFQliECoTPOLeUxxUPtB9nESP6BE4AqIbdvObc_8YV3E5s_HX1-YqkzG-0mYdH0zJIVuXqxfrduOHs8QK7wsYEJKUDnUHlrek7qguYCG3A6ZKempqQ/w268-h400/Zen%20334.png" width="268" /></a></i></div><i><br /></i>As a kid I spent time on grandparents farm, a place down three different bumpy dirt roads beautifully decorated by nature with a canopies of trees that made the trip feel magical to me. It was a quiet place, where they'd lived for fifty years, pumped water from a well and one of the barns was where my father was born. At night there was one light pole that was perpetually dim, I don't know why. <br /><p></p><p>There the night sky was a tapestry. It was magical. Thousands upon thousands of stars.</p><p>At my parents house in a small southern town, with light poles here and there by request, looking up at the night sky I could see at best two or three stars. <br /></p><p>I now live in the city. </p><p>I want to see the sky of my childhood again. <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-27509337968042620702022-08-23T01:06:00.000-04:002022-08-23T01:06:21.459-04:00There is always time for Art...<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #403</b><br />Art is subjective. Those things that bring light to my soul, that sets off the seismic tremors in my brain and spark the avalanche of ideas for me, might just be blah to you. And vice versa. I think we all need to learn to appreciate that difference and what it means. Because to me it means that I grow and my tastes change, I won't have to wait for the world to catch up to provide inspiration. It might already exist, it's just that last time I saw it my mind wasn't ready. But then again to you...</i> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgCsYfRrETI3cOPRYmwM3XG2cQ3Lzgpk-FW6aq44OpTx3IDJCbt1Mk5YIdPyrTVAGdL5smeJiwMCZIXJr8pddHNyB7fb2_6F5Og7gvf6o_lGrUq0vaYKrkaC8vKXx2vVMIuKLOf3rvroz47q7jpYhhng5oSruTp7DfIYZAq5yS2daFkKYh41wnw/s711/by%20Josep%20Tapiro%20Bar%C3%B3%2001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgCsYfRrETI3cOPRYmwM3XG2cQ3Lzgpk-FW6aq44OpTx3IDJCbt1Mk5YIdPyrTVAGdL5smeJiwMCZIXJr8pddHNyB7fb2_6F5Og7gvf6o_lGrUq0vaYKrkaC8vKXx2vVMIuKLOf3rvroz47q7jpYhhng5oSruTp7DfIYZAq5yS2daFkKYh41wnw/s320/by%20Josep%20Tapiro%20Bar%C3%B3%2001.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9AWCJGs30pQSrQObBfXSdw4FfaSzDC9V3ChpET_8YKdLF20HLnQAQKzBG2Q6OLLGP_g2jpNNGpKIcUR63jSs3eL-PrDn_pNr6UmcUhInTVFD6V6O5uiGNb_LvM5XC-pYplcszh80kTNdDI7_uAS6cF6ewLG0y6kr2jHSDY1T3MzHMRdBhDGnBA/s960/by%20Josep%20Tapiro%20Bar%C3%B3%2002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9AWCJGs30pQSrQObBfXSdw4FfaSzDC9V3ChpET_8YKdLF20HLnQAQKzBG2Q6OLLGP_g2jpNNGpKIcUR63jSs3eL-PrDn_pNr6UmcUhInTVFD6V6O5uiGNb_LvM5XC-pYplcszh80kTNdDI7_uAS6cF6ewLG0y6kr2jHSDY1T3MzHMRdBhDGnBA/s320/by%20Josep%20Tapiro%20Bar%C3%B3%2002.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdi3UHLKbEIpFJzcbop9a0CBXKT0FOSHkFPUh4yvH4mKjzBEFIIDVoopGa4Ypxzr8N24KZbcTJnLswAqVt0LYpFPDmi3r4kGmKfmfIw9cmDVkmcmH_egjgtj3eSM2i0mHG7-baVQYfDX7Ffg-WdXvMsMhEYtPgagLYUcb4-kgopl4rUn_vSZVFg/s948/by%20Josep%20Tapiro%20Bar%C3%B3%2003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdi3UHLKbEIpFJzcbop9a0CBXKT0FOSHkFPUh4yvH4mKjzBEFIIDVoopGa4Ypxzr8N24KZbcTJnLswAqVt0LYpFPDmi3r4kGmKfmfIw9cmDVkmcmH_egjgtj3eSM2i0mHG7-baVQYfDX7Ffg-WdXvMsMhEYtPgagLYUcb4-kgopl4rUn_vSZVFg/s320/by%20Josep%20Tapiro%20Bar%C3%B3%2003.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4LaNpMdjVsmL-Qbe4QT_awY0VPzvEHr9W_GaikAQTWl41xFhtqdl2i8CZ0ElXDCDmHIK3uHhORFM2z79gzu1hgRk94FS2-DDkJlRJkoUYtLrolctLmI5TdqcYFmBzM7SXoBGLFqCwBmnefjUCvc0sItafPd79ORKwgFZwcbjQ81ON5z8dgLI1Q/s870/by%20Josep%20Tapiro%20Bar%C3%B3%2004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4LaNpMdjVsmL-Qbe4QT_awY0VPzvEHr9W_GaikAQTWl41xFhtqdl2i8CZ0ElXDCDmHIK3uHhORFM2z79gzu1hgRk94FS2-DDkJlRJkoUYtLrolctLmI5TdqcYFmBzM7SXoBGLFqCwBmnefjUCvc0sItafPd79ORKwgFZwcbjQ81ON5z8dgLI1Q/s320/by%20Josep%20Tapiro%20Bar%C3%B3%2004.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Josep Tapiró i Baró was a <a href="https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/jose-tapiro-y-baro/">Spanish painter</a>; best known for his Orientalist watercolor portraits of the peoples of Morocco done in the late 1800's. I find his work fascinating in that his talent for capturing the essence of a subject practically leaps out of the image. And second, that a number of his subjects have to same skin tone as I. And I think his art is important, for it comes from a time when generally only rich European aristocrats were the subject of such works (or at least what has survived). </p><p>His grasp of detail is fantastic. Some of his work looks like photographs, or something that might have been photo-shopped last week. After the death of close friend in 1874, Baró moved to Tangiers, at the time bustling city of people from around the Mediterranean. There he set up a studio and painted images of the people he saw, capturing a different kind of person than the normal portrait artist of the time.</p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-15965638726267005762022-08-10T00:00:00.011-04:002022-08-10T00:03:12.072-04:00Florida man upset when Irony serves warrant<p><b><i>This is a political post. </i></b></p><p>I will admit that I, like pretty much everyone else, did not see that coming. And while I've tried to defend Merrick Garland over the past year, to be honest the man hasn't given me much to work with. And then suddenly he feints and lands a solid haymaker, and the crowd goes silent for a second. Whoa. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8R_mr7i8gGjuP7PlxKJS4CmVHP96G0CQl5CSEcLf0XwVKt0NlmiIPRlan23J6S2ofh55d0d6Q7IFvTtUknyKd_9wgPBid696BkqAV33XY-xaDUpZXj92GrpYU2KlRX7pRphvJ0j5E05fbOBuGNLRXOqTn7Z_571joBETbnmQCMSKRZkB4P1tvg/s603/Political%202022%20ad.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="603" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8R_mr7i8gGjuP7PlxKJS4CmVHP96G0CQl5CSEcLf0XwVKt0NlmiIPRlan23J6S2ofh55d0d6Q7IFvTtUknyKd_9wgPBid696BkqAV33XY-xaDUpZXj92GrpYU2KlRX7pRphvJ0j5E05fbOBuGNLRXOqTn7Z_571joBETbnmQCMSKRZkB4P1tvg/s320/Political%202022%20ad.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>Republicans want to scream about the weaponization of the Department of Justice, as though six months ago when they were sure they'd win back the Senate they weren't making sly remarks about using the tools of government in going after their own enemies along with those who'd betrayed Cheato. And they've completely forgotten or just pretended not to know about how the previous administration weaponized the IRS for those exact same purposes. Oh the irony of this situation, compounded by the fact that in 2018 the administration changed the penalty for unauthorized removal of classified documents from one to five years and turned it into a felony. (Public Law 115-118, Jan 19, 2018, Title II, Sec. 292) <br /><br />And as much as Fox news and the Conservatives want the White House to own up to being behind this, the reality is Cheato has a copy of the warrant, even though he was in New York when it was executed. And that copy explains exactly what they were looking for, what statutes that the court thinks were violated, and what judge came to the conclusion that there was preponderance of evidence to proceed. And instead of releasing for the clarity that his supporters believe is being hidden, he has not. <br /><br />Because, if you've been paying attention for the past few years the party that used to be the loyal opposition has transformed into something else much more dangerous. More cult than political party at this point, what an outsider can see as part con and part grift are blithely ignored by conservatives, who are probably more than a little scared that the world around them is changing at nearly every level and who are desperate to return to the "<i>good ol' days</i>," which weren't so good for any of the rest of us. And because the Democrats apparently weren't paying attention (or miscalculated) we came very close to end of our democracy just last year. Now caught out, the what used to be the party is grasping for whatever it can to stay afloat.</p><p>The real issue here is that half the country has been tricked into believing that "criminal" isn't a person who breaks the law, but a class of people. It's the good versus evil paradigm. The idea is a that a "good person" can do no wrong, even if what they did clear. The mass shooters weren't criminals, they have mental issues, they're good kids. The conservatives have associated good with a group (mostly themselves), not a set of actions, and the law is supposed to protect good people. It's why they felt they could attempt to overthrow the government and if they failed just could go home and nothing would happen to them. It's the fantasy where the hero breaks the law, but it's okay, because they had a good reason. <br /><br />Merrick, my bad. You got a little something something. But you're not done, not quite yet. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiGsPIKPJwPA2ElTjRLjb7cTM2kgmd9DhYyFIpbh1Ksk_lxRsvUkG_0lnEcXPNEqeGSqteLUwuV-7ZX7fvb2dMvY6dHxp8922NgcumjU6RP9mDn7bdfEV7ijnVxGSt_ZTdPPmibmLEML1y-s7XIK48hbFq0Tgrp3BoaKrYkqU79bsm9IBwZb9mw/s721/Political%202022%20ae.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiGsPIKPJwPA2ElTjRLjb7cTM2kgmd9DhYyFIpbh1Ksk_lxRsvUkG_0lnEcXPNEqeGSqteLUwuV-7ZX7fvb2dMvY6dHxp8922NgcumjU6RP9mDn7bdfEV7ijnVxGSt_ZTdPPmibmLEML1y-s7XIK48hbFq0Tgrp3BoaKrYkqU79bsm9IBwZb9mw/s320/Political%202022%20ae.JPG" width="268" /></a></div><br />M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-22758743546816873672022-07-31T23:26:00.004-04:002022-07-31T23:26:46.591-04:00Five minutes watching....The Bob's Burgers Movie. No, Really. <p><i>I don't watch a lot of movies because, well, at this point I just don't. I don't watch a lot of TV either. As I've said before, a lot of movies and television as of late have become much more niche oriented. And I ain't in their niche. Plus I'm STILL trying to be productive. And do some writing. Well, a little bit, I need to get back to it. And there is the business I'm supposed to be trying to get going. Well, I need to get back to that. I also still have a ton of video games I bought on sale I still want to play. Wait, I don't watch TV, play games, hustle or write...what am I doing? </i><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVirjAYYpgquW6T-wuArDOyJF21nqmGytkXhUevI61mt6ahi4MBY2JO9xdZYeIV8DMDy9nyBh4QN3Zy70KvRC7UiQSVgCAWgsSBDspOSYxVYShpCX4d0uFKKTzGXYoWbKtPJvR2Z8B2EuS0VeZkrGsnCxJxMR4Vz6s_b5CCOGvW2L92LFgGZgeA/s656/Bobs%20Burger%20Movie%20002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="656" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVirjAYYpgquW6T-wuArDOyJF21nqmGytkXhUevI61mt6ahi4MBY2JO9xdZYeIV8DMDy9nyBh4QN3Zy70KvRC7UiQSVgCAWgsSBDspOSYxVYShpCX4d0uFKKTzGXYoWbKtPJvR2Z8B2EuS0VeZkrGsnCxJxMR4Vz6s_b5CCOGvW2L92LFgGZgeA/s320/Bobs%20Burger%20Movie%20002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />In an attempt to cleanse my mental palate, considering the absolute mess we currently find ourselves in as a country, I decided to sit down and watch the Bob's Burgers movie. Note that I'm not really a fan of the show.<p></p><p>Honestly, Bob's Burgers is one of those shows where I'm always surprised to find out that their still making new episodes. To me, it's a low stakes, low-action family dramedy cartoon, for which the sole benefit of using animation is that the age of the actors becomes irrelevant. From the viewer's standpoint the idea of this being their ninth Christmas when they're nine gets a little screwy, but then I'd have to complain about the Simpsons. I don't watch the Simpsons either. Also, and maybe it's because as I've gotten older, the wise-ass little kid character has become more irritating and this show is rife with them. Or maybe it's because I don't relate to the characters, because infinite struggle is great for drama, it's exhausting to watch. So while I understand that it's fans love it, for me it's cartoon I occasionally ended up watching because the remote was way over there and didn't feel like getting up at the moment because my food was still hot.<br /><br />But I digress. The movie. Well, it was a movie. I suppose. <br /><br />Forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but it just felt like an episode of the show, but longer, and with slightly better animation. The family is on the brink of disaster (again) and the plan they have to fix...no, fix is the wrong word, to um,...kick the can down the road a bit, yeah, that plan is foiled because it really didn't make any sense (It was a burger. They were going to offer a really great burger.) And so they're in trouble again. Again. Only this time a sinkhole opens up in front of the restaurant and they can't do any business. Oh, and each of the kids has a personal thing they're trying to get past. Yeah, that is really imp...no, it's not really, because they really only focus on Louise's issue, because apparently she's the star of the show. <br /><br />Again, I don't really watch that much, but a lot of the stories I've seen seem to center on her. <br /><br />So then shenanigans ensue. There is a murder. Or at least a body. There is also singing, although not much, and not really that inspired kind of musical you'd get from some other animated shows, but it's okay. Then the usual running around to solve the murder because the police won't do it trope. And an um....well, okay I don't remember much past that part because it was boring. It was really like three episodes of the show pasted together with a few semi-subtle hints at the solution. None of the characters you know died, or really changed in a significant way. I would have thought it would be a perfect time to kill off the Jimmy Pesto character due to his voice actor no longer being with the show. I would have thought they could have introduced Jimmy's widow at the time (or maybe she's already dead, I don't know) who Bob would think would be easier to deal with but really wouldn't be. At least then the movie would have changed...something. <br /><br />As it is, I understand the film was a dud, although it reviewed well. Maybe the critics were fans. I dunno, but then I don't think it was for me. Which is fine, because not all media needs to cater to me, so there is that. So, in my useless opinion, if you need some good background noise... <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-91529340928253207292022-06-30T23:28:00.000-04:002022-06-30T23:28:03.242-04:00A Quick Restaurant Review - Snooze: An A.M. Eatery<p><a href="https://www.snoozeeatery.com/">Snooze</a> was a nice little surprise.</p><p>I
haven't been out much lately, that virus thing and all, but my cousin
wanted to do brunch. And while I'm not up for anything much, I figured
since I hadn't seen her in months and it would be relatively low key, I
would go out and enjoy myself. A bit. (That and in looking back to check the format I just realized it's been <b>FIVE YEARS</b> since I did one of these. WOW.)<br /></p><p>So
she picked this new spot, well new to me, called Snooze. It's a little
diner-ish kinda spot over in the super fast growth area of Atlanta
called Westside. Not to be confused with the actual west side of the city
where I live (as I've pointed out before), this is a super trendy
little area that used to be half abandoned buildings. Now it's trendy
boutiques, swank apartments and hot restaurants. And yes, I wish I lived
there but no, I also don't even want to fork out the loot for the
rents. Whooosah. The spot seemed like a winner to me, because again I've
been in the house for a long minute so we agreed to sit eat and talk.</p><p>I
apparently haven't been over that way in a while, and it's maybe ten
minutes away from the house. Working from home as really spoiled me. I think I put gas in my
car six or seven times all of last year. But apparently everyone else
has been working throwing up brick and mortar, and not just in my
neighborhood. It took me a moment to remember that the last time I'd
been at that corner - 10th and Howell Mill - that I used to pass nearly
everyday on the way to work. The spot where Snooze was located just two
years ago an industrial art installation, and I know I'd parked on the
street right by there a time or two to walk to a club in that area. Now
it's a whole apartment building. Whoa.</p><p>Snooze
is itself is like any other brunch spot on a Sunday - <b>BUSY.</b> Just like
in the way back, they had a group of folks milling about on the curb,
but my cousin had gotten a reservation, so I steered clear until time.
Well, maybe it was kinda busy. Maybe it's still the pandemic, but the waiting group seemed smaller the
usual. I remember once arriving at West Egg Cafe right up the street for
brunch with Spanky, putting our name on the list, going over to
Atlantic Station and getting a new phone and coming back just as they
said our table was ready. This seemed to be a relatively quick five or
ten minutes for walk-ups. But it wasn't stroll in and seat yourself, let me put it that way. <br /></p><p>The
inside is bright and airy, with early green and brown walls, gold light
fixtures, tall dividers and higher than diner ceilings. There is even a
bar in the back left corner. The staff is friendly, everything is
digital and they do this thing where they seat you even if your whole
party hasn't arrived. Which was cool because my cousin was running late.
Oh, one other thing...everyone that works there was black. The host and
hostess, the waiter, the bus...guy, everyone. Which is and isn't odd.
It's Atlanta, an all black establishment isn't unusual. But it's the
Westside where you can get three kinds of artisanal water in some
places, so it didn't really seem like "we" would be over there
considering what I know they must be charging for per square foot for
the lease. Maybe it was just the staffing that day, but it didn't
matter, I liked it.</p><p>Now
when I say everything digital, I mean, everything digital. You pulled
up the menu on your phone using a QR code on the table. Which meant my
usual phone etiquette rules when I'm out with someone have to be
partially suspended. The menu looks properly brunch diverse, but I still
went with my old standard for new places - Scrambled eggs, hash-browns
or the grits, bacon. I mean, if you can't get that basic staple right,
the idea that I would trust you with Eggs Benedict topped with a
Habanero Pork Belly or a French Toast is out of the question. Well, I did get a
pancake instead of the toast, but hey, I hadn't been out in a minute.
My cousin went simpler, with hash-browns (get them flattened and they're
just like Waffle House) and a flight of bacon. Yes, like a flight of
wine, it's a flight of bacon. Pure Genius.</p><p>My
cousin and I chatted about careers, she's a lawyer too, and about life
and Atlanta and getting older and things we should have done instead of
things we did. Sometimes you just need a friendly face, a quiet body to
bounce some things off. I think that the pandemic has us all re-evaluating our
priorities, and I have two or three things that I need to go ahead and
kickoff and stop standing around dreaming about. <i>ONE</i> of which is the
writing. Which I will definitely be re-engaging shortly. Finishing the second draft. So yeah, working from
home all this time has been great, except when you need a voice to
remind you that time is actually moving. I may have gotten too
comfortable with all that silence.</p><p>The food
was good, although the pancake was a little "bready" for me. I like mine
a touch thinner, but this was still good though. They could blot the bacon a bit, but it was still tasty, and a generous portion so I can't complain. I will note that the
idea of free refills hadn't caught up with them yet, so get a water to
start and save that juice for when the food arrives. By the way, you pay
digitally as well, through your phone. What are old cash guys like me
supposed to do?</p><p>All in
all, good experience. Not just the getting out of the house, but the
food and atmosphere as well. It's a good spot. I'll have to go again.</p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-8728101541572989272022-05-31T22:55:00.002-04:002022-05-31T22:55:30.182-04:00There is apparently nothing that will change their minds...<p><i>This is a political post.</i> </p><p>Angeli Rose Gomez is a mom in Uvalde, TX. During the shooting she drove to the school to get her kids. And the cops put her in handcuffs. So, she then got out of the handcuffs, jumped the fence and went into the school and got her kids. While the city police stood outside waiting for backup for nearly an hour. <br /><br />The same city police who bragged on social media about how every officer had Level 4 body armor. The same city police who in a town of 16,000 maintained it's own SWAT team. The same city police whose budget ate up over 40% of the jurisdiction's budget. The same police who, after couple of officers were grazed after being fired upon, stood outside an active shooter situation at a still occupied public school for more than<b> FORTY MINUTES</b>. I'm going to be honest, the response of Uvalde police department is beyond the pale. The law enforcement who did finally enter were Federal Agents whom the police onsite actually instructed to wait because... well, something.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3tASckyPtQna3KJFYfxubeJsnnQork6Nt4sTLmPST7Qxm4WxNjYKVGvPmME9NpS4B6NlJ_pMicYPm7q61AD_ezSWvhs6tn7lGJFyPcde4HGj9orZtzJ86f9l3pg3cYO4wR3FpEJ4HWMp5CEdMkvx_mC-uR4n7-1fxY2BmM6EYiD3R-tGXkTJgg/s587/0jujtufwif291c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="587" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3tASckyPtQna3KJFYfxubeJsnnQork6Nt4sTLmPST7Qxm4WxNjYKVGvPmME9NpS4B6NlJ_pMicYPm7q61AD_ezSWvhs6tn7lGJFyPcde4HGj9orZtzJ86f9l3pg3cYO4wR3FpEJ4HWMp5CEdMkvx_mC-uR4n7-1fxY2BmM6EYiD3R-tGXkTJgg/s320/0jujtufwif291c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ironically, the state's commission on law enforcement's 2020 training manual states clearly "a first responder unwilling to place the lives of the innocent above their own safety should consider another career field." <br /><br />The fact that we're still having to discuss mass shootings is horrifying. The fact that we haven't had the time and are still processing the previous week when someone walked into a public space and opened fire is even more horrifying. And now we're hearing the kids 911 calls and finding out that some of the children may have "bled out" from their wounds and could have been saved had there been earlier intervention. We should all be outraged by children now relating stories of covering themselves with blood as camouflage and crawling out of windows to escape while law enforcement stood by. Hell, the <i><b>Canadians</b></i> are so outraged by what happened to US that they're changing<i><b> their </b></i>gun laws. But we aren't. <br /><br />Or we should. Because the NRA convention (which by the way was a gun free event due to safety concerns) was held down the road not five days later. And the same folks who swore this was a terrible tragedy spoke at the event about the importance of being able to own a gun. Because the only thing that beats a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. This is the part where you should be really upset. Because the argument that a "good guy" with a gun could have stopped this tragedy is upended by the reality that at least 19 "good guys" stood idly by trying to formulate an attack plan/waiting for backup while children died. Some argue that if the teacher had been armed maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. I guess in a way, making clear that teachers are much braver than police officers. <br /><br />Isn't it weird how the story officials are telling us keeps changing? And how if this were someone explaining to the officials, like maybe the police, that they'd immediately get suspicious in regards to what actually happened. But we're not. <br /><br />Even as I write this the fallout gets worse and worse. The day after the Governor sat on a stage and lauded the heroism of the brave police officers. Various officials couldn't sing their praises loud enough. But social media is the devil, and video from the scene and those 911 calls rose from the ether and made them out to be fools. Now they're all backtracking, pointing fingers and whatnot. Abbott has revised his story to the ol' tried and true 'say it was a mental health issue', conveniently forgetting <b>HE</b> just cut the state's mental health budget. Officials in that Uvalde city police department are now ducking calls from the state.Because whatever caused this, easy access to guns and ammo did NOT add to the problem. Or so they say. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkYxL7vHdxRbgdPnMZQR2m0t117gmnTdNKNob8vh_bY_7JGUAZ6MphJRmsYxIXvnafBWZGB_hrEcmCfckxD1wAF8Q4evdnz0oriOja8-KOdeAmWAYnBFZcPyNIHfa1Pg6uKFPxMw4duKeNpH5beIh76BJee2rukqX6woeHSp9pMK_4jQVhNk3Zw/s693/Guns%20001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="693" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBkYxL7vHdxRbgdPnMZQR2m0t117gmnTdNKNob8vh_bY_7JGUAZ6MphJRmsYxIXvnafBWZGB_hrEcmCfckxD1wAF8Q4evdnz0oriOja8-KOdeAmWAYnBFZcPyNIHfa1Pg6uKFPxMw4duKeNpH5beIh76BJee2rukqX6woeHSp9pMK_4jQVhNk3Zw/w400-h315/Guns%20001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, WTF? <br /></td></tr></tbody></table>This is the America we live in. The conservatives want to Make America Great Again. Like in the 50's. And considering this rampant gun culture and the Supreme Courts latest rulings, I guess they meant the 1850s. <br /><br />M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-26481406080733630942022-05-05T19:22:00.003-04:002022-05-05T19:38:02.057-04:00I Woke up to a Nightmare<p><i>This is a political post. </i> </p><p><span style="color: #073763;"><i>"Men and women of good conscience can disagree, and we suppose some always shall disagree, about the profound moral and spiritual implications of terminating a pregnancy, even in its earliest stage. Some of us as individuals find abortion offensive to our most basic principles of morality, but that cannot control our decision. Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code." </i></span><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #073763;">GOP appointees Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor and David Souter, joint opinion.<br />Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1992</span><br /></b><br />One of the fundamental issues with a number of our current Democratic leaders is that they still believe that <i>these </i>types of Republicans are in control of that party to some degree. Today, I think we have enough evidence that we can firmly say that they are not. And thus, the republic begins to teeter. <br /><br />I was quite frankly stunned when I saw the article about the leak from Supreme Court. <b>Roe v. Wade</b> has long been held to be the third rail of American politics. An issue so hot, so divisive, that it was better to just let it lie where it was and yell back and forth over it, a lesson I thought was well entrenched in the political mind. I'll admit I was one of those who thought that even the now firmly conservative court would use the death by a thousand cuts approach since all they had was time. But impatience makes for odd decisions, so now somebody has pulled out an axe. And so it's about to get messy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPt18RZadht0VYzB5tJBrzH_98RZasLjaUvkG3EWeTaMaphuuj7PNipG4ULSsXxsedRevnKOB8CT3OKZJgOmj-SUEVDv1zRWjK3y80_LCib5iONm_JE5TW7QMX2QSpyHNjgTa5aMzck2EFAJDsh0dRJ-g-UhHDXUV3_cUpoln7aD6vbZ7Wql6Zw/s509/Scotus%20009.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPt18RZadht0VYzB5tJBrzH_98RZasLjaUvkG3EWeTaMaphuuj7PNipG4ULSsXxsedRevnKOB8CT3OKZJgOmj-SUEVDv1zRWjK3y80_LCib5iONm_JE5TW7QMX2QSpyHNjgTa5aMzck2EFAJDsh0dRJ-g-UhHDXUV3_cUpoln7aD6vbZ7Wql6Zw/s320/Scotus%20009.JPG" width="312" /></a></div><p>All these justices sat there as nominees during their hearings and said the "right" things. Alito called Roe an important precedent. Kavanaugh said that Roe had been affirmed many times. Goursh said that Roe was the law of the land and he accepted it. And Barrett swore that a judge just can't impose their will on the American people. And it appears that none of them were telling the whole truth. Or really any parts of it, as all have booked seats on this train and are standing at the station eager to leave. My law school professor used to call the Supreme Court America's council of wise men (and women). And they were supposed to be above it all, unshackled from politics. But here we are. And the republic begins the sway. <br /><br />I read about half of Alito's draft and the arguments I see are weak, if not in areas absolutely cartoonish. It's obvious he has it in for Roe. His argument hangs heavily on the idea that constitutional protection only applies to "deeply rooted traditions," which he seems to think have to have started prior to the 20th century to have any validity. In that vein, he goes on to cite "quickening" laws from the 1860's as the precedent for how abortion should be considered in the eyes of current law. You know tradition and all. Further, he seems confused and insulted as to why the 1973 Roe court would have consulted the American Medical Association instead of case law from Andrew Johnson's administration. I dunno, perhaps for medical facts? He then takes every measure of fetus growth listed in the plaintiff's argument as gospel (<i>although it's been frequently noted by medical professionals as questionable if not just plain incorrect</i>), gives no weight to the past almost 50 years of Roe's legal application or to the vast and tectonic shift in social mores and public viewpoints since, um, the Beatles ruled the music charts, all while working hard trying to awkwardly give deference to a viewpoint determined when a contemporary hot topic was whether or not Freedmen (former slaves) should be allowed to vote. It would considered be a work of insanely convoluted legal comic art if wasn't the project of a sitting Supreme Court Justice. </p><p>The misinformation and fakery is so obvious. I mean, the Conservatives say that this will to give the right back to the people so they can decide. But instead of the states putting it on the ballot and actually asking what the citizens really want, a lot of the conservative loaded legislatures are teeing up <a href="https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2022/05/04/louisiana-lawmakers-advance-bill-make-abortion-crime-murder/9648833002/">draconian regulations</a> in wet eyed anticipation of the ruling. Which should be a telling sign of bad faith. I'm guessing someone (The Grand High Conservative Poobah?) did the math in their head and figured that with the gerrymandering they've already done, getting it banned outright in the majority of states wouldn't be an issue. And I heard that the real plan is try for a national ban after they win the midterms. If they win the midterms? It just sounds crazy right now that they still might win. Right now we're all hoping that long feared political backlash actually and that blue wave finally washes in. We hope. <br /><br />By the way, has anyone considered the possibility that one of the Justices leaked the draft. I mean, as we've made it clear, there would be <b>no consequences</b> in that case, right? <br /><br />And for the uninformed, please stop screaming at the Democrats to do something. They're not lazy or playing a game, they just don't have enough firepower to combat this. They control the Senate by a tie-breaker and two Senator are DINOs. Most of our leaders, with odd exception Hillary Clinton, didn't see the long game and have gotten caught unawares.<b> </b>They, like Biden, see the guys they've known for years and still think they're dealing with reasonable people. They're not. <b>No, here, it's not the Democratic will to do something here, it's the ability. </b>They've tried, they just haven't been able to pull it off. <br /><br />So the answer is to vote, to agitate, to get out there and move some furniture. Give the people who want to give you universal healthcare and an end to corporate welfare some more ammo. There is no magic bullet, we won't get this done in a single march or one term of the Presidency. We need it all to put this living, breathing and evolving Republic back on firm foundation. Because I think a long fight has just begun.<br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-1835626755576868522022-04-30T21:56:00.001-04:002022-04-30T21:56:54.653-04:00Five Minutes watching....Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty<p><i>I don't watch a lot of movies because, well, at this point I just don't. I don't watch a lot of TV either. As I've said before, a lot of movies and television as of late have become much more niche oriented. And I ain't in their niche. Plus I'm STILL trying to be productive. And do some writing. Well, a little bit, I need to get back to it. I also still have a ton of video games I bought on sale I still want to play. Wait, I don't watch TV, play games or write...what am I doing?</i> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThYyX1xXgX_d2o5F_i4oIx2QxCnQGMDFgDJTMnIEjQC8WS0r0c_cmZmP4k_DzqyJcMA7M16-m_U5cgfwnrOFeqnf0RNbzGr_VkJdlBwNglM9dIozdYbPQYMbknzBDTlcQPTqihS_95nqMknbLYgUHhaz0to-M_nQ9vySUrjv18iajcE2KWG4bIA/s1280/Winning%20Time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThYyX1xXgX_d2o5F_i4oIx2QxCnQGMDFgDJTMnIEjQC8WS0r0c_cmZmP4k_DzqyJcMA7M16-m_U5cgfwnrOFeqnf0RNbzGr_VkJdlBwNglM9dIozdYbPQYMbknzBDTlcQPTqihS_95nqMknbLYgUHhaz0to-M_nQ9vySUrjv18iajcE2KWG4bIA/s320/Winning%20Time.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Winning Time surprised me by being a pretty good show. <br /><br />But, Winning Time on <b>NOT</b> the true story of the behind the scenes of the creation of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball dynasty, which also just coincidentally is the beginning of the rise of the modern NBA. It's just not. It says so in the bumper of every episode. It states clearly it's all be dramatized. It is Historical Fiction, right up there with <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/">Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.</a> Each week there is a podcast and about twenty <i>Youtube </i>shows picking through the script looking for where they stretched if not outright lied about what happened. This is very clear. <br /><br />And yet people are upset that the show is not a documentary. Go figure. <br /><br />The show is an ensemble piece, following the story of hedonistic wheeler-dealer owner Dr. Jerry Buss taking a big gamble on basketball, the slow growth of Pat Riley from junior announcer to legendary coach, and the maturation of Magic Johnson from college star to NBA superstardom. Along the way you learn about some the machinations Dr. Buss had to pull off to make it all work, a fresh look at a long forgotten coaching drama and see an idea of the shift from the young wet behind the ears rookie Ervin learning the ropes to Magic, the leader of a championship team. And while it's a great story, it's there is a lot of bullshit. A lot. <br /><br />It's a...um, gumbo if you will, of fact and fiction for dramatic purposes. Norm Nixon, the point guard of the Lakers when Magic was drafted has explained that no, he <b>did not</b> play Magic one on one while wearing a white fur coat at a party the summer before the rookie's first year. But it's a hell of scene. Jerry West is portrayed as angrily obsessed with winning. But a lot of this version of him are as I understand it, is taken from his own stories about his life, in that he broke a lot of golf clubs and could not watch the teams he assembled actually play the games. Pat Riley had left the announcing booth long before signing on as Westhead's assistant, but the idea of him sending down notes to the sidelines during games shows a hunger. Dr. Jerry Buss comes across as a guy with everything to lose but who refuses to back away from the table. Well, I understand his daughter is very involved in the show, so maybe that part is true. The starting coach that season, the man who actually designed the foundation for the Lakers fabled Showtime offense was only in a coma for three days, not weeks and the fight with Westhead didn't happen. And yes, even the games are out of order, but they way they were arranged builds drama, which is why we watch. I mean, we know the ending...it's in the title of the show, so filling out this space in the middle has to be good television. And it is. <p></p><p>Good television? You find yourself rooting for characters you didn't even like or notice. Or realizing there is more to a portrayal than there first seemed. Or recognizing a character arc halfway through without the changes being spoon fed to you. Or appreciating the characterization of even the supporting roles. Now, it's not the Wire or Breaking Bad, but it is good writing and very good acting. The editing feels a bit frantic at first, and they do show some portions of games but not much the real drama isn't in the seconds left on the clock but the tension between the front office, coaches and what goes on between dribbles. <br /><br />Half the fun of watching are the these characters meet other actors playing other famous people. It is LA after all. From early court-side Jack to Richard Pryor, Iman and Milton Berle, as well as other legendary NBA notables throughout the season, including more than a few unexpected drop-ins and quite a few actual history lessons. . <br /><br />More, one of the cool aspects of the show is that those actors for the most part fit. And while John C. Reilly and Sean Patrick Small give what are apparently inspired impression of Dr. Buss and Larry Bird, I'm not sure where they even found Quincy Isiah. There are times he appears to become a young Magic Johnson. I don't know if it's the way he holds his face, the angle, the lighting or even a little CGI trickery, but it's there. The actor portraying Kareem I think gives the elder statesman of the game the proper gravitas considering where he was in life. The show takes the time to cover a portion of his personal growth, as well as explain a number of things about a number of other players. Plus, the ball players are all actually tall, it's not camera tricks.<br /><br />It really is worth a watch. If only to see just what Jerry West is ready to sue everybody involved for. <br /><br />Barkeep. One for the Lakers. On Dr. Buss' tab. <br /><br /><i>Note - <a href="https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/oops-40-years-ago-magic-johnson-turned-down-a-shoe-deal-for-nike-stock-that-would-now-be-worth-billions.html">Yes, Magic did actually pass on signing with Nike</a>, which at the time made sense. But oh what could have been.</i> <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-57992599861160356202022-03-28T18:17:00.007-04:002022-03-29T19:30:53.001-04:00One way to get your ratings up<p><i><b>Ramblings Post #402</b><br />Love makes you do many things. Strange things. Dumb things. I my case, not even for actual love, but in an effort to get someone to love me (this is before I came the realization it does not work that way). But I hope that love never makes me go up on stage during a national television broadcast and slap another man because my wife gave me a look. Really. </i><br /><br />Well, that was stupid.<br /><br />It was a throwaway line, a joke at the end of four or five other jokes that would have faded into nothing. It was a lame joke about a film most people don't remember. But no one would have remembered it a week from now. Then this shit happened.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL097s0MvB0wAO8gMC-9DvoxUDUW5muzVEfJRysqOvP9dyhF7CXtK5L-cS6Pc5hIdU8zcsTjzIBtQBYvK6kxV3HbTiq5qGvdjFbVLcDDWLQ75GJsYFJLQWAPDiSV3FEmC09J_D2k4RWDjo4CQwa-cLLcA4SlFNfeAOxoC8vvTe-SBIH0fTG6DSFg/s653/Will-Jada%20003.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="653" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL097s0MvB0wAO8gMC-9DvoxUDUW5muzVEfJRysqOvP9dyhF7CXtK5L-cS6Pc5hIdU8zcsTjzIBtQBYvK6kxV3HbTiq5qGvdjFbVLcDDWLQ75GJsYFJLQWAPDiSV3FEmC09J_D2k4RWDjo4CQwa-cLLcA4SlFNfeAOxoC8vvTe-SBIH0fTG6DSFg/s320/Will-Jada%20003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I don't watch the Oscars broadcast, but someone posted a clip on Reddit that caught my eye. I thought it was a skit, a funny little thing that they'd done to liven up the show in some way. The Sporty texted me and asked me did I see it, and how Will was big mad. Now, the first clip I'd seen was short, Will walking on stage, slapping Rock and stalking off. The clip Sporty linked was longer, included the joke about Jada - which as I've said was kinda lame - and the slap, then it went quiet although the video kept running. And you'd didn't have to be from the hood to be able read Will's lips. He was for real big mad. Then I found the uncensored Japanese clip where you can hear Will cursing on live television and I realized that this wasn't at all staged in any way shape or form.<br /><br />By the way, I must applaud Chris Rock's professionalism. As a long time standup comic he's probably faced down plenty of hecklers and can feel when it's best to not press an issue due to outsized anger. As such, he did what a pro would do and tried to make light of it and keep the show moving. And after the show he indicated he would not press charges, most likely at the suggestion of the Academy. He is being the bigger man here. Because truth be told if it had been me, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have embarrassed myself, my momma and the entirety of Black America.<br /><p></p><p>Then after Will was dragged from the auditorium by secur....what? He wasn't? He sat back down, and a half-hour later won the Oscar for his leading man role in King Richard, <b><i>got a standing ovation</i></b>, and went to the Vanity Fair after-party like ain't shit happened? Really? Wow. I guess liberal Hollywood is behind the idea of "standing up for the wifey." Because that's how Smith's defenders, including a number of those in the black community, are framing it. A number of women seem to think a lame joke was a good enough reason to slap someone on national TV if its in the defense of the wife. But it's not like Jada isn't in the game, she got her own talk show and her own roles. If she wasn't in the industry, maybe, possibly, there could have been some umbrage - but an actor in the front row of an awards show is fair game for roasting. And she is an actor, isn't she? Another argument seems to be she has a medical condition called alopecia, and medical conditions shouldn't be joked about. But um, alopecia is a medical term for hair loss, not cancer. It's not as far as I know terminal. We joke about bald dudes all the time, but they too are suffering form a form of aloepica. So, what about that? And there are plenty of beautiful women who've cut their hair short or near bald by choice. What about them?<br /><br />No, this whole episode was a massive overreaction to a nothing. Which as a number of folks have pointed out gives rise to the idea that things aren't as happy at the Smith household as one might think, given their reconciliation after Jada's entanglement situation last year. What Tupac would have done jokes aside, one theory is that Jada's sour reaction combined with their rocky history prompted Will into action to openly demonstrate his love and support of her at all costs. Which is also problematic in and of itself. But that's another whole post.<br /><br />So, what should Will have done? He could have done the cursing from seat thing by itself. That alone would have been enough of a shock to accomplish his point. Or, at the Vanity Fair after party when he ran into Rock he could have just said "Hey man, that joke about Jada wasn't cool." And then explained the aloepica. And let Rock say my bad and apologize to Jada. And then kept it moving. But would it have been cool? YES, way better than this.<br /></p><p>It was a throwaway line, a joke at the end of four or five other jokes that would have faded into nothing by the time the award Rock was presenting three minutes later. It was a lame joke about a film most people don't remember and as it turns out, in poor taste to boot. No one would have remembered it by the end of the show. But now that joke and Will's reaction to it will be the subject of a thousand think pieces and evaluations. The incident is going to be object of ridicule of every late night talk show host worth his salt, SNL is going to have a field day, overshadows his own triumph and will be brought up on every other award show this season. This image has already shot up 50,000% to the very top of the meme market, is going to be a trivia question someday and will also most certainly be in the trailer of his biography film years from now.<br /><br />Yeah, that was stupid.</p><p>Barkeep. The good whiskey and just a dash of apple juice. Boy, I just don't know. <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762385751011941874.post-15261663840405637242022-03-20T17:46:00.006-04:002022-03-20T17:46:59.903-04:00The NFL Offseason Should Be a Show <p><i><b>Ramblings Post #401</b><br />The NFL off-season this year has been wild. The AFC West has turned into a arms race, Green Bay gave Aaron Rodgers the keys to the franchise, and I'm veering between trusting the Jones boys in Dallas to put talent on the field and screaming "What are they doing!" over and over again to anyone who'll listen. And no, I'm probably not going to watch the USFL. Are we sure that wasn't an elaborate hoax anyway? </i></p><p>It is said that because of how a grand jury works, that a semi-decent prosecutor can get a conviction against a ham sandwich if they really wanted to. So, last week when the people in a Grand Jury decided not to bring charges against Texan's QB Deshaun Watson, please know that I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. It may have hit my slightly receding hairline. Allegedly receding. <br /><br />For those who don't know, last season the NFL avoided addressing the issue at all when the Texans decided to not even suit up Watson to play. By the way, as long as Watson showed up to the facility, did his workouts and stayed ready, he still got paid like he was playing. A whole bunch of money. Only without the physical stress of actually playing. In the interim the Texans found new ways to embarrass themselves, aside from letting all the talent walk out the door. I mean, at one point the Texans found themselves torn between hiring as their next head coach a ...long time coaching veteran who been part of a Superbowl coaching staff and who'd just won two of the last three seasons as head coach with his previous team who happened to black and...checks notes... a former player and part time assistant high school coach who happened to be white. So, obviously it was a toss up. But that aside, they had at least been smart enough not to play Watson. <br /><br />I had a discussion about it right after it happened, I figured that a media savvy league would make it clear that even if there were to be no charges, that a serious suspension would still be assessed upon Watson's return to the field. I mean, they'd just suspended a player for the whole season for a single bet using the LEAGUE sponsored app. (<i>Okay, there is a sign in the locker room specifically prohibiting betting, so there is a difference. Although I wouldn't think you'd need a sign to say don't assault women, would you?"</i>). Would teams try for him? Sure, but this was a player who hadn't suited up in a year, and football comes at you fast. No, others said, it would be a free for all. The game is all about money now and they would not care. I argued that even from just a PR viewpoint, the league would not let that happen. </p><p>And I was completely and unequivocally wrong. <br /><br />The new NFL is QB driven. There was a time about twenty years ago where Trent Dilfer won a Superbowl. Who? He was the backup who took over halfway through the season and rode the defense of the Ravens to the NFL's promised land. And although he's an excellent analyst, he was also so mediocre he's the first starting and winning QB in history to not be resigned by his team for the next season. That's not possible with the way the game is now called and schemed. And everyone knows it. Hell, the Cowboys found it out after Dak went down and suddenly it seemed like the secrets of the completed forward pass were lost. And as it turns out Watson is a QB. And was a fairly good one. And as it turns out winning, or even the promise of winning, trumps everything. <br /><br />I heard analysts decry that half the league need to take a look at Watson. The Saints were talked about, Atlanta was in the mix, the Colts and Chicago discussed. And what other QB might go where depending on what could be worked out with Deshaun. You would have thought Watson was the second coming of Micheal Vick...no, the pun actually intended,... only with a less offensive charge. Yes, apparently to the NFL Animal Cruelty is worse than Sexual Assault, go figure. So after listening to Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless rag about how the Cleveland Browns had blown up their own dicey QB situation to even talk to Watson and how they'd been unceremoniously spurned I was shocked to see this....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9sukPUR9bXyyJ94NodOiELCayfuworIteNipSqrFh8KkZhYKWG4-4I3iuEcGhT4GEp7p2ZC08pwkrnFTDDcszv2lH2FWhWkXTpCZKXlThvRjG2G0JoLusPdg7_bfHWXC5L8Zk2U1OEhyFJ4Z6gJtfGXib3bmvyE8xljwXeVK9lVKm8QbgpBnpjQ=s602" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="602" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9sukPUR9bXyyJ94NodOiELCayfuworIteNipSqrFh8KkZhYKWG4-4I3iuEcGhT4GEp7p2ZC08pwkrnFTDDcszv2lH2FWhWkXTpCZKXlThvRjG2G0JoLusPdg7_bfHWXC5L8Zk2U1OEhyFJ4Z6gJtfGXib3bmvyE8xljwXeVK9lVKm8QbgpBnpjQ=w400-h201" width="400" /></a></div><p>The Brown fans online that I've seen are not especially happy at this turn of events. People in desperate need of a stable football situation, considering all the drama that happened with team during the season, weren't happy. You know, and they know, just because the state decided not to bring charges doesn't mean you're innocent. And did everyone in the league's media gang <b>FORGET</b> the twenty two civil suits still in the mix? This is one of those situations involving millions of dollars that makes you wonder just how smart some rich people really are. Did the Browns forget that quite a few of their fans are women? Did they forget that their fan base just <b>in general</b> might have a basic sense of decency? I mean, damn. It is very possible the Browns play a few home games this season to an empty stadium, and it won't be because of Covid. <br /><br />What's really weird is that the league is handing out top-tier QB money to a player who hasn't touched turf in a season. No, I kid, that's not weird, that's the NFL. What's weird is that Watson wasn't banished from the league for at least a season. Not sat out of his own free will, but formally banished with no pay for <i>at least</i> a season. And between you and me, people don't offer someone a quarter of a billion dollars, a large portion guaranteed, unless you're pretty damn sure that player is gonna suit up. Which means unless the league blindsides because of backlash, it's already a done thing. One of my old running partners stopped watching football altogether because he was mad Rothlesberger never got any punishment for his...indiscretions. I guess my boy is gonna be an Atlanta United fan from here on out. <br /><br />The NFL is something, ain't it. <br /></p>M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03420651427456195835noreply@blogger.com0