Now that the trip is over, I can reveal that Sheila and I were up in San Jose within the past week so that she could meet my parents. The trip was not foreseen at the beginning of the month as that I was involved in a hot project at work and that Sheila didn't think she could get the time off. I decided to take the week after the Fourth off thinking that I would be spending it in Tucson, but Sheila made some inquiries at where she works and she learned that she could get a block of time off.
Since we didn't know when we would have this opportunity again, we took it. We left Tucson on Thursday the 10th and we were up in San Jose the next afternoon. We bypassed both Phoenix and L.A. on the way up, and with a detour at the Tehachapi Loop there were 892 miles on the trip odometer when I pulled into my parents' driveway.
We took three days to drive back as that I had my heart set on taking her down Route 66. Ever since I did that drive in November 2011 I had been wanting to repeat it, and with some company this time. I have to devote a separate post as to what we saw that day, as that there was more than one abandoned gas station between Victorville and Barstow. Also, what I thought was once a truck stop east of Barstow was instead an agricultural inspection station. The Spirit gas station next to I-40 is now a Valero station, and is operational. And there's some new graffiti at the old gas station at Cadiz Summit. I plan on posting some pictures of this trip and the previous one.
As for San Jose, there wasn't much time to play tourist. There were my parents, some longtime friends, and we got to visit Mark's parents with the help of Skype. I didn't get to see everyone that I wanted to see either. That will have to wait until the next time.
I hope we can be back in San Jose for the holidaze, but all indications are that Christmas will be spent here in Tucson.
I do know one thing. I really enjoy being with Sheila, and like me she thought that 66 was the "bomb".
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Fourth of July, 2013
It's the Fourth of July today, our national holiday where some of reflect that it was on this day that our Founding Fathers declared their independence from Great Britain and King George III. Fighting had been going on for well over a year, and those brave men in the Continental Congress who voted for this Declaration were committing an act of treason against the Crown. The penalty for doing so was death by hanging, but they were willing (and committed) to the cause. Independence was formally won in 1781 with our mother country recognizing it via treaty in 1783.
So where have we gone since then?
We went westward. We had an internal war. We took in more rejects from Europe. We invented things. We built railroads. We built highways. We fought the Kaiser almost a century ago, and we fought the Nazis a generation later. We put several men on the moon and we brought them back. And right now, I'm asking where we are going.
There's a strange collection of news lately that suggests that there is something wrong. IRS official Lois Lerner testified under oath before a House Committee and then invoked the Fifth Amendment (which I happen to believe in, for the record). She now wants immunity from prosecution, which is a strange demand if she really did do nothing wrong, and if she needs immunity then that suggests that she's already committed perjury.
Not too long before that, we had Attorney General Eric Holder running guns to the Mexican drug cartels, of at least which one of them was used to murder a Border Patrol agent. The person who pulled the trigger of that gun is exactly the type of person that the Obama administration wishes to give amnesty to, and for reasons I can't understand the Republican Establishment (an organization which is a very grave threat to our national security!) is going along with this too.
We have allegations in the news as of late as to how the NSA is reading emails, listening to phone calls, monitoring Facebook, and the emails of journalists. (I don't really have a problem with the NSA trying to figure out who the terrorists are, for the record.....though I'd prefer you guys get a warrant from the FISA court).
And over in Florida, we have a much publicized trial going on, which in my opinion is only happening due to unusually high pressure from Organized Media, who would love nothing more than to see riots, burning, looting, destruction, and mayhem, so that they can report higher ratings and try to collect more advertising revenue.
Yes, it's strange out there. Very strange. You have to wonder where we going, and why we are in this handbasket.
In spite of all that, I happen to believe in this country. I like living here. I like enjoying the freedoms that I have, in spite of my concerns of them being under attack from radical leftists who hate this country more than Al Qaeda does. And although I have some reservations about policies coming from the federal level, I at least, as I write this, still have the right to write my Congressman with my concerns.
However, freedom isn't cheap. Many thousands of brave Americans have perished on the battlefield to preserve what we now have on this day.
We really need to think long and hard about this before we surrender that freedom.
So where have we gone since then?
We went westward. We had an internal war. We took in more rejects from Europe. We invented things. We built railroads. We built highways. We fought the Kaiser almost a century ago, and we fought the Nazis a generation later. We put several men on the moon and we brought them back. And right now, I'm asking where we are going.
There's a strange collection of news lately that suggests that there is something wrong. IRS official Lois Lerner testified under oath before a House Committee and then invoked the Fifth Amendment (which I happen to believe in, for the record). She now wants immunity from prosecution, which is a strange demand if she really did do nothing wrong, and if she needs immunity then that suggests that she's already committed perjury.
Not too long before that, we had Attorney General Eric Holder running guns to the Mexican drug cartels, of at least which one of them was used to murder a Border Patrol agent. The person who pulled the trigger of that gun is exactly the type of person that the Obama administration wishes to give amnesty to, and for reasons I can't understand the Republican Establishment (an organization which is a very grave threat to our national security!) is going along with this too.
We have allegations in the news as of late as to how the NSA is reading emails, listening to phone calls, monitoring Facebook, and the emails of journalists. (I don't really have a problem with the NSA trying to figure out who the terrorists are, for the record.....though I'd prefer you guys get a warrant from the FISA court).
And over in Florida, we have a much publicized trial going on, which in my opinion is only happening due to unusually high pressure from Organized Media, who would love nothing more than to see riots, burning, looting, destruction, and mayhem, so that they can report higher ratings and try to collect more advertising revenue.
Yes, it's strange out there. Very strange. You have to wonder where we going, and why we are in this handbasket.
In spite of all that, I happen to believe in this country. I like living here. I like enjoying the freedoms that I have, in spite of my concerns of them being under attack from radical leftists who hate this country more than Al Qaeda does. And although I have some reservations about policies coming from the federal level, I at least, as I write this, still have the right to write my Congressman with my concerns.
However, freedom isn't cheap. Many thousands of brave Americans have perished on the battlefield to preserve what we now have on this day.
We really need to think long and hard about this before we surrender that freedom.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Your Random Thought for the Day
Those who are celebrating today's Supreme Court rulings are the very same people who, on other days, wonder why Muslims hate this country so much.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Happy Birthday to Myles Goodwyn!
Myles Goodwyn, the lead singer, songwriter, guitar player and frontman for April Wine is 65 years old today! He's still leading April Wine and is now an active blogger. I was able to personally wish him a happy birthday this time, and I'm sure he'll see it soon.
In his honor, I am posting a YouTube link to his song "Caviar". It was from a solo album he released in 1988. It's a cool song and an interesting video to boot.
Caviar
Yes, I haven't posted in quite a long time. Life has been very busy lately so I'll now catch you up.
At work (and I really hate to discuss work when I'm not there) I got caught up in a major software upgrade to one of our product lines. I'm not a software engineer by any stretch of the imagination (my degree is in electrical engineering) but my boss didn't have anyone else available to do this work so I was tasked with writing up four change packages and given an agressive schedule.
I didn't think we would meet schedule, but my job is to execute the project so I went off to do just that. I ended up getting ahead of schedule, and so I was given a fifth change package. I got that one ahead of schedule, and then I was given a sixth one......too late before the deadline......so I had to spend some time and energy recovering schedule on that one.
It was painful in the sense that I was putting in some long hours and coming home too burnt to do much of anything. However, I am now freed up to do some other things, and I've also been able to take some time off.
In case you were wondering, I am still seeing Sheila. We are seeing a lot of each other. There's no way to put it other than I really enjoy being with her. We've been going out to try some new restaurants, we've been to baseball games, we sometimes hang around my house and watch old episodes of Hawaii Five-O, and once in a while we are out driving around somewhere.
I very much want to take her up to San Jose but I don't know when that will happen. I'm in the situation to where I need to start burning down the vacation time that I've got on the books, but she doesn't have that much available, so I don't know when she'll get to meet my folks (I've met hers).
I also want to take her to an April Wine concert in Jackpot, Nevada later on this year, but I don't know if I can pull that one off. I've got the time on the books, she doesn't, and I'm not going without her.
Speaking of music, Bachman & Turner are touring this year and have announced a handful of dates. As of this posting there aren't any in my corner of the continent. I ought to get hold of Fred and see if he can tell me anything. Getting up to Vegas would be easier than getting up to Jackpot, but no Vegas date has been announced for either B&T or April Wine.
It's not all bad. Creedence Clearwater Revisited is playing here in Tucson, in September. I saw them once at the Pima County Fair, back in 2008. I came away being very impressed. It was a two hour set, and the lead singer John "Bulldog" Tristao has quite the stage presence. You can't help but like the guy! I think he's a better singer than John Fogerty.
A purist might tell you it isn't really a Creedence show without John Fogerty, and that's fine. Me.....I came away feeling like I had seen the real Creedence. More power to 'em!
I think that is going to be it for now.
Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat. It'll do you more good than you can possibly know.
In his honor, I am posting a YouTube link to his song "Caviar". It was from a solo album he released in 1988. It's a cool song and an interesting video to boot.
Caviar
* * * * * * *
Yes, I haven't posted in quite a long time. Life has been very busy lately so I'll now catch you up.
At work (and I really hate to discuss work when I'm not there) I got caught up in a major software upgrade to one of our product lines. I'm not a software engineer by any stretch of the imagination (my degree is in electrical engineering) but my boss didn't have anyone else available to do this work so I was tasked with writing up four change packages and given an agressive schedule.
I didn't think we would meet schedule, but my job is to execute the project so I went off to do just that. I ended up getting ahead of schedule, and so I was given a fifth change package. I got that one ahead of schedule, and then I was given a sixth one......too late before the deadline......so I had to spend some time and energy recovering schedule on that one.
It was painful in the sense that I was putting in some long hours and coming home too burnt to do much of anything. However, I am now freed up to do some other things, and I've also been able to take some time off.
* * * * * * *
In case you were wondering, I am still seeing Sheila. We are seeing a lot of each other. There's no way to put it other than I really enjoy being with her. We've been going out to try some new restaurants, we've been to baseball games, we sometimes hang around my house and watch old episodes of Hawaii Five-O, and once in a while we are out driving around somewhere.
I very much want to take her up to San Jose but I don't know when that will happen. I'm in the situation to where I need to start burning down the vacation time that I've got on the books, but she doesn't have that much available, so I don't know when she'll get to meet my folks (I've met hers).
I also want to take her to an April Wine concert in Jackpot, Nevada later on this year, but I don't know if I can pull that one off. I've got the time on the books, she doesn't, and I'm not going without her.
* * * * * * *
Speaking of music, Bachman & Turner are touring this year and have announced a handful of dates. As of this posting there aren't any in my corner of the continent. I ought to get hold of Fred and see if he can tell me anything. Getting up to Vegas would be easier than getting up to Jackpot, but no Vegas date has been announced for either B&T or April Wine.
* * * * * * *
It's not all bad. Creedence Clearwater Revisited is playing here in Tucson, in September. I saw them once at the Pima County Fair, back in 2008. I came away being very impressed. It was a two hour set, and the lead singer John "Bulldog" Tristao has quite the stage presence. You can't help but like the guy! I think he's a better singer than John Fogerty.
A purist might tell you it isn't really a Creedence show without John Fogerty, and that's fine. Me.....I came away feeling like I had seen the real Creedence. More power to 'em!
* * * * * * *
I think that is going to be it for now.
Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat. It'll do you more good than you can possibly know.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
"Elected Officials are Fundamentally Dishonest"
What you are about to read is a letter to the Editor of the Newtown Bee. I became aware of this by an email forwarded to me from a friend of mine in Florida who didn't know if it was real or not. I googled it, and it's real.
You will never, in one hundred thousand million lifetimes, ever read or hear about this from Organized Media.
That's one reason why there's a blogosphere, and you're now going to read this here.
It can also be found at this link: LINK
You will never, in one hundred thousand million lifetimes, ever read or hear about this from Organized Media.
That's one reason why there's a blogosphere, and you're now going to read this here.
It can also be found at this link: LINK
To the Editor:
This letter was forwarded to Barack Obama, John Boehner, Chris Murphy, Dick Blumenthal, Elizabeth Esty, and Harry Reid
I live in Sandy Hook, CT. My family and close friends weren't harmed on December 14. That day impacted 26 families with an indescribable, staggering pain and anguish. For most of Sandy Hook, it merely affected us with an inescapable intensity of sadness and grief.
Gun control has long been a focus of many in this country. Though I'm not knowledgeable of all the nuances of the Second Amendment, based on the Founding Fathers' circumstances, it had far more to do with enabling the citizenry to protect themselves against tyrannical government than against local psychopaths. It is about providing a balanced firepower so when King George's successor came knocking on your door, you could fight back. Government today is no less inclined to abuse its authority than it was then. Based on the absurd and ongoing power grab that is present day Washington, it's as threatening as ever.
That so many of you view the NRA with its resistance to further restrictions on firearms as intransigent lunatics has far more to do with how you conduct yourselves in office than it does with the NRA's actions.
You in public office are fundamentally dishonest people. You lead lives of deception at every turn, structuring your lives as comfortably as you can while governing with an indifference and arrogance that is absolutely maddening. When the country is reeling from financial disaster, you waste a trillion dollars on a health care bill we can't afford and you've never read. You claim it's critical because health care costs are killing this country... no they're not, you are! You are killing this country. You endorse the ongoing slaughter of millions of unborn children and whine when terrorists are water boarded. You can't lecture us right in Newtown High School about not doing enough to keep our children safe, while simultaneously slaughtering the unborn. You fabricate the intense, media laden drama of the fiscal cliff and lack the courage to do anything about truly reforming the obscene gluttony of government. You know you'll be out of office before the bill comes due… you don't care and have no integrity nor honor.
You lie whenever and wherever you need to to move forth your agenda. Were you able, you would purge the US of guns… every last gun in the country, if you could. So please forgive Wayne LaPierre and those of us who don't trust you as far as we can spit. You're a dishonest lot, motivated by a distorted worldview. If mass murder prevention were truly your goal, you would welcome armed security wherever needed. It is outrageous that we protect our money with far more firepower than we protect our children.
I have never owned a gun, nor wanted to as intensely as right now. You'll stop restricting guns when only you have them.
Brendan Duffy
4 Chestnut Knoll Drive, Sandy Hook January 8, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
40 Years of Bachman-Turner Overdrive!
Forty years ago today the first album by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, called Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was released by Mercury Records under catalog number SRM-1-673. The band had been formerly known as Brave Belt and had released two albums on Warner/Reprise under that name. Sales of the Brave Belt albums weren't much to the Warner execs' liking, and the band itself was undergoing some changes.
It is said that their name was inspired by the trucker's magazine Overdrive. The band was at a truck stop outside Windsor, Ontario, where they had just concluded having lunch. Stopping off to pay for it, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner noticed the magazine. They were thinking about changing the band name and were considering "Bachman & Turner" back then but wasn't sure about how that would fly since Seals & Croft were using a similar naming scheme and they weren't a soft rock act. The word "overdrive" seemed to fit the style of music that they were playing, and thus they became Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
As the name was being changed, Randy Bachman asked Warner/Reprise for a release from their contract so that they could sign as "Bachman-Turner Overdrive". An album that was to have been called Brave Belt III had been recorded, and as soon as they were released from their contract Randy offered that album to Warner/Reprise, who refused. Randy kept on sending the tape to various record companies, encountering 23 rejections before being signed by Charlie Fach of Mercury Records.
From what I know, Randy had spent $100,000 on the recording of that album, plus touring costs. Mercury offered them $100,000 for two albums, that is, $50K per album, but Mercury also wanted them out on the road to promote the album. What followed in 1973 was an exhaustive tour to promote the album. The album stayed on the charts for over a year, but never got higher than #68. What happened was that the album would sell well where they played, but wasn't selling where they hadn't played yet. It went on to achieve gold record status in the United States and Canada, but took a long time in doing so. I didn't get my copy of it until November 1975, so there's no doubt that back catalog sales were helped out in their heyday of 1974-75.
BTO went on to record several albums before disbanding in 1979. They re-formed in 1983, and again in 1988. The "Not Fragile" lineup last played together in fall 1991, and Robbie Bachman led a version of BTO which played the county fair and casino circuit until the end of 2004.
If you've read my past posts, you already know that Randy and Fred reunited in 2010 to record and tour as "Bachman & Turner", as that Blair Thornton and Robbie Bachman hold the rights to the BTO name. I can't tell you what Randy and Fred are planning to do this year. Chatter has it that new dates are being planned but I have not emailed Fred to find out what's going on, and even if he tells me I may not be able to pass that along, nor would I without his permission, and no, I'm not going to ask for permission. I do personally believe that he wants to go out with Randy this year and we can only hope that Randy feels the same. Their last gigs were in New Zealand a few months ago, and it could be that Fred's on a break and working on restoring his collection of vintage Corvettes (I would like to be in his garage some day to see his 'vettes!).
Incidentally, today is also the birthday of Jim Clench, who played and sang with BTO from fall of 1977 until the spring of 1979. He would have been 64 years old today.
It will be a year and a half before I can claim 40 years of fandom, but that will likely arrive quickly the way life seems to be accelerating for me.
I can say that the songs sound just as good today as when I first heard them.
To all the members of BTO: "thank you for the feeling"!
It is said that their name was inspired by the trucker's magazine Overdrive. The band was at a truck stop outside Windsor, Ontario, where they had just concluded having lunch. Stopping off to pay for it, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner noticed the magazine. They were thinking about changing the band name and were considering "Bachman & Turner" back then but wasn't sure about how that would fly since Seals & Croft were using a similar naming scheme and they weren't a soft rock act. The word "overdrive" seemed to fit the style of music that they were playing, and thus they became Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
As the name was being changed, Randy Bachman asked Warner/Reprise for a release from their contract so that they could sign as "Bachman-Turner Overdrive". An album that was to have been called Brave Belt III had been recorded, and as soon as they were released from their contract Randy offered that album to Warner/Reprise, who refused. Randy kept on sending the tape to various record companies, encountering 23 rejections before being signed by Charlie Fach of Mercury Records.
From what I know, Randy had spent $100,000 on the recording of that album, plus touring costs. Mercury offered them $100,000 for two albums, that is, $50K per album, but Mercury also wanted them out on the road to promote the album. What followed in 1973 was an exhaustive tour to promote the album. The album stayed on the charts for over a year, but never got higher than #68. What happened was that the album would sell well where they played, but wasn't selling where they hadn't played yet. It went on to achieve gold record status in the United States and Canada, but took a long time in doing so. I didn't get my copy of it until November 1975, so there's no doubt that back catalog sales were helped out in their heyday of 1974-75.
BTO went on to record several albums before disbanding in 1979. They re-formed in 1983, and again in 1988. The "Not Fragile" lineup last played together in fall 1991, and Robbie Bachman led a version of BTO which played the county fair and casino circuit until the end of 2004.
If you've read my past posts, you already know that Randy and Fred reunited in 2010 to record and tour as "Bachman & Turner", as that Blair Thornton and Robbie Bachman hold the rights to the BTO name. I can't tell you what Randy and Fred are planning to do this year. Chatter has it that new dates are being planned but I have not emailed Fred to find out what's going on, and even if he tells me I may not be able to pass that along, nor would I without his permission, and no, I'm not going to ask for permission. I do personally believe that he wants to go out with Randy this year and we can only hope that Randy feels the same. Their last gigs were in New Zealand a few months ago, and it could be that Fred's on a break and working on restoring his collection of vintage Corvettes (I would like to be in his garage some day to see his 'vettes!).
Incidentally, today is also the birthday of Jim Clench, who played and sang with BTO from fall of 1977 until the spring of 1979. He would have been 64 years old today.
It will be a year and a half before I can claim 40 years of fandom, but that will likely arrive quickly the way life seems to be accelerating for me.
I can say that the songs sound just as good today as when I first heard them.
To all the members of BTO: "thank you for the feeling"!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Some catching up to do.........
I know, it's been several weeks since I last posted. I've gotten an email or two about people asking me how I'm doing. There are lots of things going on in life right now that I've been busy doing, and as a result I don't seem to have a whole lot of free time lately. It's all good, or most of it anyway, and I remain alive and well.
Sheila and I have been seeing a lot of each other over the past several weeks. Most weekends we spend the whole day doing something together (today she's at her house getting caught up on some things too). Last weekend we did a lot of walking. Weekends before it was barbecuing, visiting, or going out to eat. Last night we went to a baseball game. Next weekend is the county fair. When she comes over later on, I'm firing up the grill and slow-cooking a flat brisket.
We've been doing a lot of things together, and having lots of fun.
However, I feel the need to catch up here, and to post some random thoughts and observations.
Dennis Rodman was over in North Korea not so long ago. A lot of people, most notably on the talk radio circuit and a few here and there on Fox News have a problem with him.
Me, I don't have a problem with Dennis Rodman going over there. I really don't.
My problem with Dennis Rodman is that he came back.
There seems to be a push in some (if not all) in the "blue" states to tighten gun control laws in the wake of some tragedies. There are even some efforts on the federal level.
I can't point to a single law, passed or proposed, that would have prevented these tragedies. Connecticut will require the registration of high capacity magazines while outlawing the possession of newer high capacity magazines.
First of all, the criminals aren't going to register their magazines. They simply won't. Those in favor of this law must know this, yet they insist on magazine registration.
That tells me that the purpose of this law (and other laws requiring registration of firearms) have only one purpose. That purpose is to let the government know where the legally held firearms are. They don't seem interested in knowing where the criminally held firearms are. Why is that?
A conspiracy theorist will tell you that the purpose of these laws are to set the stage for a future confiscation.
I find that kind of viewpoint difficult to disagree with.
As I've said before, criminals don't register their guns.
While driving around Tuesday night, I tuned in to one of the talk radio shows, and it was Andy Dean interviewing a professor. I unfortunately did not catch this professor's name or which institution of higher learning he was with. The professor criticized Andy Dean for not wanting to "invest" in infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
I don't know about the professor, or about you, but me, when I think of the term "invest" and the act of investing, I'm doing so because I want to get some sort of monetary return on this.
How do I invest in the widening of some interstate highway somewhere? There's no toll being collected on that highway (at least not here in the West) and no dividend that the highway is going to pay me. There might be a publicly owned construction firm that I could buy stock in, but I wouldn't be "investing" in it since I'm not allowed to designate a portion of my tax dollars to purchase stock in that company.
Likewise, there are extremely wealthy owners of sports franchises in Major League baseball or the NFL who demand that the city buy them a new stadium using public funds. The politicians then beg the voters for another tax increase in order to "invest" in that new stadium or arena in order to keep the team.
If the word "investment" is accurate in these instances, then how come the major Wall Street corporations don't form consortia to "invest" in new ballparks and basketball/hockey arenas?
Two reasons. One, they don't have to if they know that gullible voters can be suckerered into increasing the sales tax, and two, the projects won't return money anyway.
Seattle blew up the Kingdome a few years back, and they're still making payments on it.
This brings up another topic. Sheila and Iwere talking about baseball strikes that seem to occur every so often. I remember that one back in 1972, the one in 1981, and especially the one in 1994. There always is some debate over what the cause of the strike is. Some say the baseball players are being greedy, and others say the owners are being greedy. I'll go so far as to say that both sides are greedy, and that one consequence of a bunch of money gathering in one place is that everybody who is near that money will get into a bitter fight over who that pile of money belongs to.
I have another theory as to why there are baseball strikes, hockey lockouts, and other labor disputes in professional sports.
The cause of these strikes are the fans.
When the strike is over, the fans always come back (there were a lot of fans who did not come back after the 1994 baseball strike; and who never will). The fans are willing to pay $10 for parking, $60 for a ticket, $8 for a beer, $4 for a hot dog.......it's the fans who keep coming back, no matter what the price is, that is causing these labor disputes.
If the fans were to form a union and demand lower ticket and concession prices and to go on strike until their demands were met, they might stand a chance of actually winning such a strike.
Yes, we went to a baseball game last night. Parking was free, the great seats were $10, and we got a good honest game out of it. It was the Triple A Tucson Padres, who are in their last year in Tucson, hosting the Fresno Grizzlies. Next year they play in El Paso, and unless the local Golden Baseball League franchise is re-activated we will be without baseball here in the Old Pueblo next year.
Tucson isn't exactly a baseball town. The Sidewinders did not get fan support, and now they're in Reno playing as the Aces. The Tucson Padres came here with their owners expecting Escondido to build them a new ballpark, but that fell through. El Paso then agreed to build a new ballpark for them and it will be ready next year.
I like minor league ball, in that you get an honest game. The players are all itching to move up to the majors, so they're not yet crybabies.
As for major league ball: I won't go.
When the players came back after the 1994 strike, I went on strike as a fan and I'm still on strike. I can't so much tell you the teams who have been in the World Series since then.
Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.
Sheila and I have been seeing a lot of each other over the past several weeks. Most weekends we spend the whole day doing something together (today she's at her house getting caught up on some things too). Last weekend we did a lot of walking. Weekends before it was barbecuing, visiting, or going out to eat. Last night we went to a baseball game. Next weekend is the county fair. When she comes over later on, I'm firing up the grill and slow-cooking a flat brisket.
We've been doing a lot of things together, and having lots of fun.
However, I feel the need to catch up here, and to post some random thoughts and observations.
* * * * * * *
Dennis Rodman was over in North Korea not so long ago. A lot of people, most notably on the talk radio circuit and a few here and there on Fox News have a problem with him.
Me, I don't have a problem with Dennis Rodman going over there. I really don't.
My problem with Dennis Rodman is that he came back.
* * * * * * *
There seems to be a push in some (if not all) in the "blue" states to tighten gun control laws in the wake of some tragedies. There are even some efforts on the federal level.
I can't point to a single law, passed or proposed, that would have prevented these tragedies. Connecticut will require the registration of high capacity magazines while outlawing the possession of newer high capacity magazines.
First of all, the criminals aren't going to register their magazines. They simply won't. Those in favor of this law must know this, yet they insist on magazine registration.
That tells me that the purpose of this law (and other laws requiring registration of firearms) have only one purpose. That purpose is to let the government know where the legally held firearms are. They don't seem interested in knowing where the criminally held firearms are. Why is that?
A conspiracy theorist will tell you that the purpose of these laws are to set the stage for a future confiscation.
I find that kind of viewpoint difficult to disagree with.
As I've said before, criminals don't register their guns.
* * * * * * *
While driving around Tuesday night, I tuned in to one of the talk radio shows, and it was Andy Dean interviewing a professor. I unfortunately did not catch this professor's name or which institution of higher learning he was with. The professor criticized Andy Dean for not wanting to "invest" in infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
I don't know about the professor, or about you, but me, when I think of the term "invest" and the act of investing, I'm doing so because I want to get some sort of monetary return on this.
How do I invest in the widening of some interstate highway somewhere? There's no toll being collected on that highway (at least not here in the West) and no dividend that the highway is going to pay me. There might be a publicly owned construction firm that I could buy stock in, but I wouldn't be "investing" in it since I'm not allowed to designate a portion of my tax dollars to purchase stock in that company.
Likewise, there are extremely wealthy owners of sports franchises in Major League baseball or the NFL who demand that the city buy them a new stadium using public funds. The politicians then beg the voters for another tax increase in order to "invest" in that new stadium or arena in order to keep the team.
If the word "investment" is accurate in these instances, then how come the major Wall Street corporations don't form consortia to "invest" in new ballparks and basketball/hockey arenas?
Two reasons. One, they don't have to if they know that gullible voters can be suckerered into increasing the sales tax, and two, the projects won't return money anyway.
Seattle blew up the Kingdome a few years back, and they're still making payments on it.
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This brings up another topic. Sheila and Iwere talking about baseball strikes that seem to occur every so often. I remember that one back in 1972, the one in 1981, and especially the one in 1994. There always is some debate over what the cause of the strike is. Some say the baseball players are being greedy, and others say the owners are being greedy. I'll go so far as to say that both sides are greedy, and that one consequence of a bunch of money gathering in one place is that everybody who is near that money will get into a bitter fight over who that pile of money belongs to.
I have another theory as to why there are baseball strikes, hockey lockouts, and other labor disputes in professional sports.
The cause of these strikes are the fans.
When the strike is over, the fans always come back (there were a lot of fans who did not come back after the 1994 baseball strike; and who never will). The fans are willing to pay $10 for parking, $60 for a ticket, $8 for a beer, $4 for a hot dog.......it's the fans who keep coming back, no matter what the price is, that is causing these labor disputes.
If the fans were to form a union and demand lower ticket and concession prices and to go on strike until their demands were met, they might stand a chance of actually winning such a strike.
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Yes, we went to a baseball game last night. Parking was free, the great seats were $10, and we got a good honest game out of it. It was the Triple A Tucson Padres, who are in their last year in Tucson, hosting the Fresno Grizzlies. Next year they play in El Paso, and unless the local Golden Baseball League franchise is re-activated we will be without baseball here in the Old Pueblo next year.
Tucson isn't exactly a baseball town. The Sidewinders did not get fan support, and now they're in Reno playing as the Aces. The Tucson Padres came here with their owners expecting Escondido to build them a new ballpark, but that fell through. El Paso then agreed to build a new ballpark for them and it will be ready next year.
I like minor league ball, in that you get an honest game. The players are all itching to move up to the majors, so they're not yet crybabies.
As for major league ball: I won't go.
When the players came back after the 1994 strike, I went on strike as a fan and I'm still on strike. I can't so much tell you the teams who have been in the World Series since then.
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Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.
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