Black Cats and Stuff

 Hundley, Banks, Beckert, Kissinger, Santo. 

But the Cubs swept the Mets this weekend. 

I should write about Lexington Green

I don’t want to 

I will admit  I dig the Andy Hardy movies.

Remembering a time I never knew

There can be little argument the Beatles are the most influential artists in the history of Rock. Their history is fascinating from teens meeting in Liverpool to four lads playing 12 hour sets 6 days a week in the Hamburg red light district as 18 and 19 year-olds. Finding the right manager and ultimately the perfect drummer to unimaginable popularity and success. 

I go through phases listening to the Fab Four and then periods of skipping them when my phone plays my music library on shuffle. I have to be honest, I like the early music much better - up to the Rubber Soul album. The White Album and Sgt. Pepoer are crap for the most part. You likely disagree. You are likely wrong. 

When I was younger I preferred Paul’s sweet positive tunes. These days I prefer John’s more stringent songwriting. Of course, George's talent overrides it all in my opinion. 

One thing I’m sure we can agree on, whether you like The Beatles or not, the quality and quantity of music they put out in one single decade is unfathomable. 

Handyman

 I’m up early, the time stamp is real, but that doesn’t mean I have anything to write about. 

I went to the doctor for a routine visit yesterday. My blood sugar is way too high, he adjusted my meds. I need to adjust my eating habits. 

He thinks the pain in my hand is Trigger Finger. My right ring finger has been bent at a 45 degree angle at the end joint for a couple of years. In the past month or so I can’t bend the finger all of the way, it occasionally locks when I do get it partially bent, and I’m having increased pain. I thought arthritis, he has a medical degree, so it is off to the orthopedic hand specialist. 

I erased a two thousand word rant about my high deductible insurance. You are welcome. 

A $1.25 here, $1.90 there, adds up

It is not just the airlines that are padding the bottom line with fees, charges, and upgrades. As I paid my electric bill this morning it dawned on me the “convenience fee” I was assessed could equal real money to the utility. A quick internet search says Duke Energy has 8.6 million customers. If half of those households pay their bill online (and that’s probably conservative) the monopoly takes in an easy $5 million every month. So does the water company and the gas company and every other utility you pay. 

Now I could avoid this fee by writing a check and mailing it in, but given the state of mail service -at least around here- I’m not sure I could trust it to arrive in a timely manner. 

I suppose paying $1.25 to avoid writing a check, stuffing an envelope, finding a stamp, and worrying just how long it will take the postman to deliver said payment, is more convenient. It still seems like legalized theft. 

Thumbing through my rule book

 I guess we should believe all women until they accuse a Democrat . 

50 years was a long time ago

 Here is an excerpt from my First novel, Suburban Moon, Welcome to small town life in the 1970's:

It was Saturday Night, a few weeks later. The weather was more like early August; hot and muggy. The air was punctuated by the deep rumble of engines and glass pack mufflers. The shouts and whistles of teens mixed with an occasional car horn and racing engines. Some cars were parked, most were cruising at idle speed around Mary’s Drive-In. The cars were of various varieties and vintages. Dave Otto had a Dodge Charger jacked up in the back to accommodate wide tires. Next to him Bobby Bell revved the engine in the new Trans Am his daddy bought him and the Pontiac V8 rumbled with power under the firebird painted on the hood. An old Plymouth Fury station wagon had a different colored fender on the driver’s side. Jerry Schwartz drove past in his old ’66 Chevy C10. I swear it was held together by rust alone. Each vehicle blasted music, no matter the type of car or number of occupants. The music played a cacophonous soundtrack; radios and eight tracks turned to various volumes -- loud and very loud. Nearly all were playing rock and roll. The air smelled of French fries and sweat and Marlboros.

Or this...