Well, our fathers fought the second World War, spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore

People have often called me a dreamer because I have these idealistic points of view about how life should be. I don’t feel as though my ideas have the romantic air about them that others do, I just think that people have stopped believing in those things.

Sure, I know that the world has changed dramatically over the last 5, 10, 25, 50, even 75 years, but when did we stop believing that we could still have our cake and eat it too? Why is it necessary to work on a Sunday, or any part of the weekend? Of course, some businesses would need to be open: hardware stores, restaurants, maybe some retail shops – businesses that sell the items or services that people would use on weekends should be open. What is so important in the world that an attorney must work at least one day out of every weekend?

When did we stop going to the “Jersey Shore” for weekends? When did we stop taking car rides to see relatives? When did we stop spending time with our families on the weekends to go into the office?

My favorite scene in the movie Eddie and the Cruisers is when they’re at the Jersey Shore writing music. Aside from the great dialogue that occurs, the scene in the background makes me wonder how and why we ever stopped doing these types of things.

I’m not saying the world has to stop on the weekends, because obviously, it doesn’t. What I’m saying is that we are so wrapped up in our careers, we have forgotten to live our lives, to show our children to live their lives for others and not for their career.

My thoughts on this began on the other day on the 29th, which would’ve been my grandfathers 87th birthday. I thought about when my mom was growing up in Buffalo; they used to go across to Crystal Beach, in Canada, and spend the weekend at a family cottage on the shore with other relatives. There was a great amusement park there, which has been closed for some 15 years, but it holds special memories for my mom and for my dad as well. When I was growing up, we went to the beach a little less often than my parents, but still, I had the experience of living that sort of life and as I’ve grown older, I wonder where that has gone and if we’ll ever get it back.

I think this all goes back to the “funk” I’ve been in and the aggravation I am feeling with having to earn a degree to get the job I want. I had a conversation with someone about this last week and they spoke about how going through college shows discipline and the ability to think. My response was that I worked for the same company for 15 years; I rose through the ranks to get to where I was a year ago when I left. I did this without spending $100K on an education and earned money instead. Isn’t that the equivalent to 4 years of college without the partying?

Nowadays, if I want to find the job that allows me to go to the Jersey Shore on weekends, I have to get a 4-year degree to prove that I am worthy. Is there anything LESS romantic than that?

Of course, I live a couple thousand miles away from the Jersey Shore, but that’s an entirely different problem!

Buffalo
Sociology

Drive in drive out, I'll come back again.

What is with people passing me because I am driving at or just slightly above the speed limit? I mean, I don’t need to go 10 mph above the speed limit to get to the next red light. Every time people pass me, I wind up sitting behind them at the red light, how has this been productive for you? Instead of being behind me, you wound up in front of me. Congratulations, you won the race.

This happened once yesterday on my way in to work and the lady driving the Jeep Commander who passed me didn’t even have her hands on the wheel! I know this because when I looked in my rear view mirror, her one hand was holding the cell phone to her ear, while the other was holding her coffee mug up to her face. Then she proceeded to pass me at the first stop sign, then run the second stop sign and still only made it as far as the red light at the end of the street where I slowly pulled up behind her and waited for it to change. I didn’t see any checkered flag waving when I got there, so I assume she got out and took it for her trophy case at home.

It happened again today on my way to work, this time by a snobby looking fellow in a Mercedes (I’m not saying everyone who drives a Mercedes is snobby looking, but this guy WAS!). He passed me at the stop sign again, DID stop for the second one and still wound up right there in front of me at the signal.

Then on my way to lunch, I also had to stop at Barnes & Noble (I had a gift card - nosey!) for the new Duncan Sheik CD. This guy creeps up on my tail, like that is going to make me go faster, then juts out into the right lane and passes me at probably about 35 mph. Oh yea, I was in a SCHOOL ZONE! Guess what? I pulled up behind him at the next red light.

See driving faster than me doesn’t get you anywhere quicker. I know this because I’ve had about 10 speeding tickets prove it to me.

Anyway, here is what I’m getting at: by passing me in a short distance situation, you’re not gaining any significant time and really, you’re just pissing me off!

Money, it’s a crime. Share it fairly, but don’t take a slice of my pie.

In this day and age, I have the utmost respect for an athlete who says, “I don’t want to play anywhere else, I only want to be a (whatever team they play for).” Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for superstars to play for multiple teams throughout their careers thanks to free agency and salary caps.

In this case, I admire Jeff Bagwell’s attitude for only wanting to play for the Houston Astros and not wanting to take a trade to the American League so he can be a DH for the remainder of his career. See, Bagwell has been very injured in the last few seasons, missing 115 games last year alone. The Astros contend he can’t play baseball anymore and will be filing an insurance claim on him, by no later the January 31st, to recoup some $15 million of the $17 million owed to him on his contract. He says he can play and plans to report to spring training as scheduled to prove the Astros wrong and earn his spot on the team. As noted in the article, he feels the team is showing him very little respect in exchange for the loyalty he has shown them and doesn’t think their relationship can ever be repaired.

For the most part, I have to agree with him. However, the question remains, can he come to spring training, work out, play and do all the things he used to do and sustain it for the long season of baseball? This is what the Astros are stuck wondering and don’t want to be forced into paying for a broken player when they could’ve saved that money, or spend it on 5 younger guys to groom and develop for the long haul.

I have a solution for both sides:

As I said, I admire Jeff Bagwell for his loyalty and hard work, but at this point in your life, paying you $17 million dollars seems a bit much. The Astros need to get their heads out of their asses and realize Jeff Bagwell has been the cornerstone of this franchise for over a decade now and he deserves a fair shot at playing baseball as much as anyone else.

Jeff Bagwell, humbly and graciously offer to restructure your contract. Yes, the Astros have shown you less respect than you deserve from them, but if you are serious about wanting to stay a Houston Astro and about wanting to play baseball this season, I think this is the only fair way for this to happen is for you to do this. It offers the Astros the out they are looking for if you are injured, but at the same time, you will be paid more than a fair wage for your services. $17 million per year breaks down to roughly $105K per game. Why not say, for every game you start and play a minimum number of innings, you’ll receive $110K. For any game you appear in (pinch-hitter/runner/defensive replacement), you’ll receive $30K or some other number, whatever. This only seems fair to me and as a fan, who is basically one of the many people paying your salary, I think you should do this. It’s important for me to know that when you put on that uniform, you can play to the best of your abilities and that your employer, the Houston Astros know that they are getting their money’s worth from you as well.

I'm not a miracle and you're not a saint, just another soldier on a road to nowhere.

Have you ever had a spell where no matter is happening, nothing seems to satisfy, motivate, drive or bring out the passion inside you? I am probably going through the deepest funk that I’ve been, in a long, long time.

I am struggling to find the motivation to come into work on a daily basis and school is kicking my ass. I did really well in my first 2 classes, an A & B+, but these classes are 3 ½ weeks in and I feel as though I’m way back in the first week. I can’t seem to get my head focused to get the work done and the further I fall behind, the less I am inclined to catch up. I know in my head and in my heart that I have to do this. If I ever want a better career than what I have now, whatever that is, I must finish this. All this effort to get a silly piece of paper that says, “Hey, now that I have this degree, you can ignore the 15 years of my life that I devoted to one company, working my ass off 65 hours per week, climbing through the ranks and earning a good living because in today’s world, that means nothing." It’s all about the college-fucking-degree. Isn’t that just awful? Growing up in a blue-collar city, I always believed that hard work would get you through anything. If I sell my soul to the “Gods of Labor”, I can have a nice life in the future, but it doesn’t work like that and in the past 10 years, businesses have become so greedy, while cutting costs’ and slighting their payroll, that no matter how hard you work, you’re still always just a little behind.

I remember a conversation I had with my parents when I was about 14 or 15 about how I didn’t have an interest in going to college. My stepfather asked what kind of life I wanted and I responded that I don’t need a lot of money or material things; I just need enough to get by and a little extra for “fun”. Personally, I still believe that, but it’s not enough to only live for today anymore. You have to live for 40 years from now, plan for the future and only survive today. What I am doing now will affect me when I’m 75, never mind how I feel while I’m (coming up on) 32. Live today and work for the future. That’s the meaning of life nowadays.

This brings me back to needing the college degree. I don’t even know what I plan on doing with it once I get it. Maybe I’ll sell it on eBay so I can pay off my student loans! Maybe I’ll just burn it as an act of rebellion! Maybe I’ll take it with me on every job interview and threaten to burn it if they don’t hire me. I sacrificed a lot by going back to school at 31 years of age and they shouldn’t have even worried about whether I had that piece of paper, they could’ve figured out the type of person I was by actually reading my (impressive – if I do say so myself) resume.

Nowadays, loyalty means nothing; dedication is a lost art; and respect, well, that word just doesn’t exist unless the prefix “dis” is in front of it. In today’s world, everybody is disrespected or disrespectful, but nobody shows respect or reverence to anyone for anything. I guess I could say that I feel that my past qualifications should speak for themselves, but I am disrespected because I don’t have the college degree for which everyone keeps begging me. I don’t receive any respect for the work that I’ve done in the past, it’s all about the “What have you done for me lately?” How am I supposed to work for you today, but work for me for tomorrow – that doesn’t seem very fair now does it?

Anyway, I can’t help but wonder why I’m in such a terrible funk.

Rants
School

Oh, this virtual insanity we’re living in has got to change, yeah, things will never be the same and I can’t go on

Wouldn’t this be a great idea for criminals? Put a microchip in their hand (or some other random body part) that connects to a GPS tracking device and they could never escape. I think we should put it on all of our politicians as well! Technology rules most of our lives anyway, so why not let it overtake these people’s lives?

We have all these identity theft issues nowadays; this could be the solution to all of those problems. No more worrying about whether someone has your social security or driver’s license numbers, the only way someone can be you is through your personalized microchip implanted into your body. Think of it – all the times you had to fill out repetitive paperwork could be stopped with the scan of your personal chip.

You could even personalize it to the extent where you go through McDonald’s drive thru, wave your hand and your order is placed – not a word is spoken. Once you get to the window, not cash or credit cards exchange hands, just swipe your hand and the money is deducted from your account or charged to your card!

Consider the possibilities! Your entire life could be on “speedpass”.

Technology

When the earth is restless, miners die. Bone and blood is the price of coal

(Click the title to read the story)

Of course, the White House will investigate somebody else’s screw up, but heaven forbid they investigate their own screw-ups! (See Hurricane’s Katrina & Rita, among the many!)

My sympathy goes out to the miners families.

Tragedy
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Rita
Politics

So walk out backwards and I’ll think you’re walking in

I know, I know. I’ve been terribly neglecting my blog in the past 2 weeks. The holidays were very hectic for me and I found very little time to do anything other than what was on my schedule. In any event, I am back and ready to tell my tales and go off on a society that is increasingly disturbing my good senses!

However, before I go off on just about everybody else, I will quickly humble myself and give everyone a fun laugh at my expense.

Last week Thursday and Friday, I watched a friend’s dog and stayed at his apartment. This way, I could easily take the dog on his morning walk and then go to work without having to waste a whole lot of time and gas. On Friday morning, I woke up a little later than I would’ve liked and walked the dog quickly. When I returned, I hopped in the shower, got dressed, throwing my tie around my neck, but not tying it and running out the door to get to work.

Usually, by 1230 or so, I will need to use the restroom, however, for some reason, on this day I didn’t need to go until 330. When I unzipped and reached inside, I couldn’t find the hole in my boxers. In about a half a second, I realized that something was very wrong – my boxers were on backwards.

I really don’t have anything else I can say after that!

Stupidity
Blogging