Grass Clippings in my Craw

Good afternoon all! To my faithful readers, sorry it has been six months since my last entry. Much has transpired in those days, weeks and months. For the highlights you can get caught up by listening to my podcast. But what brings me back to the typed word page is this: Outrage.

No it’s not the astronomically high prices at the gas pump even as they slowly relent. No it’s not the Roe vs Wade reversal – but that’s a very interesting debate. In the grand scheme of things, it’s several hundred rungs below all that, but still I feel I’m entitled to vent. And seeing as how this is my blog site…I’m gonna do just that!

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Top 10 List of ill-advised times or moments to shotgun a beer

(as heard on the Chuck and Dave Podcast)

Chuck and Dave Podcast – Episode 91 – Business Jargon III

** Note: Shotgunning a beer definition – Taking a can of beer, turning it sideways and using a key or sharp instrument to puncture near the base of the can. Then, using the tab on top of the can to open, drink from the punctured area while tipping the can upright until the contents of the can are consumed. It is basically a party-way to ‘chug’ the beer.

10) “I’d like to call to order, this meeting of the Cub Scouts…”

9) When drinking from a glass beer bottle.

8) At the front of the line to pass through the metal detector to go into the court house.

7) After receiving Communion. (to lose the wine aftertaste…and possibly a chance at the afterlife)

6) To conclude your job interview (job applicant).

5) To celebrate your friend’s one year of sobriety at the AA meeting.

4) On a float trip with a beer found at the bottom of the river.

3) To successfully complete the 12th beer in the 12 Minute Shotgun Beer Challenge.

2) Before heading out to walk the tight rope at the circus.

1) To kick off the baseball game…as the home plate umpire. Play ball!

Enjoy. Have a great evening. Peace. #33 – The Freak <<09-26-2021>>

Cleveland Indians 2021 (First 32 games) – 20% Check-In

Hello all and welcome to my blog!

I did an Indians baseball piece about three weeks ago and wanted to keep the trend moving. After 16 games, the Indians split wins and losses to sit at 8-8. I took a look at series opening games, overall series won-lost and finishing games of series as well (games 3-4 of the series or official two game series finales). I brought back the inning by inning tracking of runs…and good news: The Indians finally put a tally on the board in the fifth inning! It took them until their 20^th game to do so, but it has been done!

Since those first 16 games, the Indians improved in winning first games of series by going 3-2. Of those series that they won game one…they won each of those series. Again, the team has been finishing strong in series by going 3-1 in last official game of each series (the Cincinnati series had the final game postponed by weather). The team sits at 18-14 overall, one game back of the Chicago White Sox. With their current record, the team is 4^th best (by record/percentage) in the American League.

Over games 17-32, scoring for the team increased (which is good!). They scored 74 runs despite being no-hit by the Reds a few days ago. That comes out to a decent 4.6 runs average per game. It is worth noting that the Indians have only broken double digits in scoring once so far this year (11 vs the Tigers). Which should be no surprise as the offense lacks established hitters in several lineup spots.

1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	Extras
8	4	6	13	6	16	8	10	1	2

Runs Scored By Inning

With 20% of the schedule in the books, I’m pleasantly surprised. It’s a long season, but in taking a long hard look at the product in the dugout and on the field – this team seems to be overachieving…for the moment.

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The Postal Service in 2021 (02-16-2021)

Good evening y’all readers! Hope everyone is staying stay and warm during the Snowmageddon Polar Freeze (SPF -75) event presently underway in the Midwest of the United States. As bad as it is here (Missouri), I imagine it must be infinitely worse up in Michigan, New York et al and on into Canada. How do human beings acclimate to such harsh temperatures? I feel sorry for the people that live in places like Texas and the nearby states who are completely caught off guard by stuff like…snow.

With The Pandemic still motoring on, like a dude on a scooter holding up highway traffic, I have found a tad more time to blow some life into the embers of my blog. Over the last 12-14 months, I’ve noticed a huge change in how a particular institution has performed.  That institution that I am referencing is none other than the US Postal Service!  (cue the dramatic reveal music!)

If we take a look at grocery stores, big box stores and the other online giants – they have had to modify their day-to-day operations for Covid. But for the most part, they are still selling things and people are buying them pretty close to on-par with before Covid time if not performing better, sales-wise. Meanwhile, smaller mom and pops shops along with dine-in food restaurants and bars have taken huge losses or been forced to close permanently. The main difference between these two groups and their survival has been the online presence. Larger corporate based entities with online capabilities have thrived, while local sole proprietors have shuttered their doors or barely kept afloat. Even with the online companies being adaptable, there are still glitches in the matrix.

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Looking ahead (01-31-2021)

Good afternoon to one and all who found their way to my tiny virtual blog corner of the universe. Here in Missouri (of the United States), the weather is dreary, gray, blustery and cold. Not the bitter cold of the extreme north or south poles, but cold nonetheless. By now some parts of the country and the world for that matter have endured literal feet of snowfall but within the St Louis region we have maybe had half of a foot cumulative. Some locally enjoy the snow (or at least the appearance of it) and on the flipside some loathe its very mention. At this time…there’s really not much first hand to report on that front so we shall move on.

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Why don’t you write more?

Hello all. As I type this I am three days into a head cold, yes it’s just a head cold. This sucks. I’m not majorly debilitated in any way, I just have head congestion and a little scratchy throat. In years past, before the C word spread over the globe, I would’ve taken some Sudafed and boldly gone out into the world to carry on in spite of the sickness. Ah but this is the broken year 2020 and all the rules have changed. In the last 9 to 10 months, the old world has disappeared like the ice in a fast food cup sitting on the asphalt during the noon day sun of summer. Gone are the days of ‘toughing it out’. Replacing those sickly souls slogging along coughing and wheezing, are the devout hand-washers and toilet paper hoarders. We are sitting at three weeks to go until the end of this blasted year. I had remained virtually (ha, see what I did there?) sniffle-free for most of the year. Almost made it to the end. Oh so close.

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You’ve got 35 minutes…

So when you’ve wasted most of the day and you have something you’re supposed to do in a little over an hour, how do you shape a thought process for a topic? Presently it is 3:55pm CST on Sunday, November 29th. I’ve spent the morning and early afternoon playing on my phone (Angry Birds 2), paying bills and surfing the web for Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/pre-Cyber Monday deals. This is extremely wasteful but alas I must own up to it as this is a true inventory of the day. One of the things on the list (paying bills) made one of the other things on the list (shopping for deals) essentially pointless.

Now I’m wondering if The Dollar General (store) sells wire cutters. Hmmm. I have a potential project in mind but it may hinge upon the availability of said cheapo wire cutters. Oh well, hopefully everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday (US version)…although I guess it’s OK to ask those north of the US border is they enjoyed theirs (October 11th)?

Anyway, good luck to all as we are now less than four full weeks away from the Christmas holiday…

Peace. <<11-29-2020>> #33

Pocahontas & Rain Showers

To set the mood, I think we need to step back in time to 1989. If I could borrow from Skid Row’s I remember you:

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain…

Good day to all. Today is November 21st of the cursed year 2020. There are but 41 days left in this calendar saga and with a little luck we can make it through to see 2020 ousted like all of its brothers before. I was supposed to rise early today, which I did, in anticipation of playing a softball tournament in the adjacent state of Illinois. The city of destination in Illinois is/was Pocahontas – yes, like the Disney film and the Native American woman who was born just before the start of the 1600’s.

As you may have deduced, rising early to prepare to go play softball and ambient sounds of rain don’t generally go well together. Alas, the tournament was canceled and after a short amount of time I resumed my fitful slumber. This turn of event(s) allowed me to park myself in front of the laptop to post on my blog. Yes I could be writing this piece on the WordPress app but good gawd that would entail traversing a more difficult road, much like Pocahontas followed when she assisted John Smith (see guys can ask directions).

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Election Weak

Is this thing on? How do we do this again?

Thanks to my previous blog post pieces on All Saints Day and All Souls Day plus the piece I did on the post 2016 election mess, my hits for the blog this month so far have been pretty impressive. It’s also great considering I seem to jolt back to reality and realize that it’s been weeks upon weeks since I was last able to sit down and blog. As we sit today, we are looking at approximately 8 weeks to go until the end of 2020 (good riddance). But the real hoopla at present surrounds and is shrouded by the outcome of the 2020 United States presidential election. Our cliffhanger teeters upon whether or not incumbent president Donald Trump will be able to sweep the balance of the states still hanging in the balance…even multiple days after election day to try retain his title (WWE reference intended).

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Greg Fusco Memorial Tournament 2020

Hello everyone and welcome to the beginning of October of the year 2020. Mother Nature is always a bit unpredictable here in the Show Me State when it gets to be this time of year but otherwise its pretty much typical fall weather to report.

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Sunsets and Shoelaces

Greeting in whatever part of the world you are reading this. I try to remember that my readers are from around the globe and knowing this brings a smile to my face. It’s pretty humbling and cool, to think of people from of all different cultural backgrounds reading my thoughts and maybe, just maybe I find a way to bring a smile or a laugh to them as well.

Today is September 4th of the dreaded year 2020. I am weighing in at 184 lbs (sorry I think that is about 83.5 kilos?). Miss Sadie the tortoiseshell cat is under the desk screaming to be paid attention to…only to scurry away when an attempt is made to pet her. In the current stay at home pandemic state, I have not showered yet today (eeewwww!) but alas I will soon. My accomplishments for the day are a bit lean on the accomplishing aspect.

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September 2020 – What’s Next?

Hello and thank you for coming by to cyber see me. Hopefully everyone is doing well and avoiding the pandemic maladies that have crushed most things in this calendar year.

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Natty Bumppo Redux

I’m slowly scanning the living room of my home. Nothing. Nothing around me looks anything like my sophomore English classroom of 1987. But yet, here we are. A very small handful of people on social media might remember me from Grandview High School. Of that tiny handful, probably only one or two may have been with me during that fateful day in the fall of 1987.

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And Yet More Random Pix

For what this is worth (easy, lazy post on blog for postsakes), here are some images that have been captured on my desktop for your judgment/consideration of revulsion:

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May the Fifth Be With You

Hello and Happy Cinco de Tuesday! For all the Star Wars people with hangovers from yesterday, I shall try not to shout in ALL CAPS. Sorry, just had to show a for example moment instance.

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