November 2017 – Page 2

25

So, I did get some of the recycling done. Let’s look again at what I did in 2012. Somewhat appropriate considering my music choice as I’m reviewing. If you care.

NoJoMo Day 9 – 11/9/2012

Both. Again.

1. What is the most ironic thing that has ever happened to you?

Well, I’ve gotten a free ride on the streetcar when I had a pass that was good for that day. But it didn’t rain on my wedding day.

2. Who is or has been the most influential person in your life and why?

You know, I honestly don’t have an answer to that question at this point. My parents, my dad especially, shaped lots of things in my life. But I appreciate that I’ve been allowed to find my own way on many things….

Maybe I can write about certain individuals who helped me gather a few important things?

My high school football coaches, and my Army JROTC instructors helped me with punctuality. Being late as a broadcaster is a Bad Thing (TM). In all my years in radio, I think I was unexpectedly late for work maybe three times. Since then, I’m worse. I’ve been late for work a few times since I left radio.

Only once did I really feel like it was something for which there was no good excuse. I forgot to set my alarm, and just overslept.

Of course, there’s other things where I was influenced by things I’ve read. Not many of those are were case studies in how not to be “That Guy.” I am not “That Guy.”

At work, I don’t suffer fools with much grace these days. There is a problem with that, however: much of what I consider foolishness is also considered “tradition.” So, you’ve done this task this one way for fifteen years.

Give me a minute. I might find the fuck I’m not giving. Just because you’ve always done something one way doesn’t mean it’s eternally the right way

At the same time, I’m open to hearing a compelling argument. Even if I’m initially skeptical about something, you might be able to convince me.

Now I’m doing a really lousy job answering the prompts. Somehow, this feels familiar. Doing things strictly by the prompts normally doesn’t work out completely right <u>for me</u>.

If you’re not okay with me trying to find the best way to do something, don’t ask for my help….

But that’s about all I have for today. I’m spent. More tomorrow.

What is the most ironic thing that has ever happened to you?
My response before was pretty flippant. I still don’t know if there’s anything terribly ironic that’s happened to me. Maybe my medical condition will lead to financial success someday. Who knows?
Who is or has been the most influential person in your life and why?
My wife. She’s stuck with me through all of the travails over the past few years. I do do some things differently because of her. I think of her take with pretty much any decision I make. (I say that because, well, she’s really not a consideration when I go to fill my coffee cup at work….)
My dad would be in there, and I don’t know why I didn’t write about the things I do where what he taught me influenced what I do now. Those others that I mentioned are still very important, but it’s very difficult nowadays. I don’t have the freedom that I used to on account of whatever my body is deciding to do at any point.
I apologize that I still don’t have good responses on a lot of these. I really have more pressing things on my mind today.
On the bright side, though, my project is coming along. Unveiling next week sometime.

11.24.17

Do you take things too personally?
I do more than I wish I did. There have been certain times in my life when I thought that people were only doing something in order to attack me. I feel less like that nowadays, but there are still times when I wonder if someone is just trying to hurt me, even if it is through a very small, insignificant gesture.
I think we all have times in our lives when we are going through a course of bad luck and therefore, anything that happens to us during that time has to be the work of someone who is purposely trying to get us.
During my time in college, I was unable to get an internship with one of the major accounting firms in the area. Some people close to me started to speculate that someone who I considered a friend was going into these firms and telling them about what a terrible person I was. To me, there are two things that seem very wrong with that theory:

Have you considered how that would make the person look to the company? Who would really want someone to work for them that comes in with a bad attitude like that and who in an interview immediately starts talking crap about someone? No one, because nobody wants a problem employee.
How awful of a person must you think I am that people would be so quick and willing to start spreading lies about me?

I think the truth about the internship situation is that I don’t interview well and I learned too late that even low-skilled jobs still count for experience in the professional world because it gives the firms a point of reference as to what they can expect from you.
There is only one firm where I believe I was not given an opportunity because of a vendetta, but that wasn’t from someone in my circle of friends. It was an employee who felt slighted by me for something I was involved in.
I honestly think that nothing opened up for me here because the universe knows that while I love where I live (the city at least, not a particular fan of our building), I really want to be somewhere else. As of now, it looks like things might be moving in the right direction for that to happen in the coming year.
Until tomorrow…

24

As promised, Thanksgiving recap…
Yesterday morning was spent trying to get this repairman up to my mom’s house.
((long backstory deleted))
They finally got things into working order yesterday morning.
I cooked a turkey. It went well, though I had to finish it in the oven so it’d be up to the correct temperature.
My wife’s dessert was the real winner.
We got home just before 2100, and tried to watch some of the Giants-Redskins game. At halftime, we gave up and went to bed.
Naturally, that early bedtime found me awake way too early this morning. *yawn*
After glancing away to look, the Redskins did win. Doesn’t look like we really missed too much, though. With the Redskins playing on Thursday, we’ll probably get the Saints’ game on TV Sunday. I’m okay with that.
So, back to familytime…. My wife and SIL were having a good time talking about girl stuff, while I was worried about cooking. Talks about various things; my brother and I agree that there was one video that was the peak of MTV’s video library. You might say that it as Epic.
I’m very close to finally getting this virtualization host working the way I want it. Maybe once I”m finished with that, I’ll get to doing the prompts for the rest of the month. My head is kinda spinning right now.
Not sure if I mentioned, but with the old diary site coming back, I did look more to see if my “lifetime” subscription is going to be honored. Amazingly, yes it will be.

11.23.17

Do you find it more pleasant to spend the holidays with a few select people or do you prefer large gatherings?
I think I prefer a little of both. I don’t mind being around people, but I hate putting on clothes and going somewhere. I would be perfectly okay with just staying in my pajamas all day and cooking a two person feast. If I am cooking myself it means I can experiment with new recipes that I know other people may not be open to. My husband is generally open to trying new recipes, unless they are really out there. Although he has developed a taste for tofu and soy chorizo, so maybe I could get him to try a cauliflower turkey? Not really interested in that myself, but I like the occasional challenge in the kitchen.
Really tired today because I decided to take a nap at 9:30 last night and then wake up and bake a dessert to take with us. Ended up staying up until 5am so that it could properly cool. Then to get up at 9:15 this morning and yeah it is more than a little draining.
Currently getting snubbed by my MIL’s pekingese and hoping that my fantasy football team can come up with something today. We shall see.
Also, waiting until 6pm for the ULTA Black Friday sale, because I need to add to my collection of a couple hundred lipsticks.
Until tomorrow…

23

One more week, and I guess that’s something for which I can be thankful.
Up early, despite being awake late, because I’m dealing with this guy I’d hired to do some repairs at my mom’s house before her guests arrive.
He made one of the repairs after I gave him cash to go buy parts he needed. Another repair he was supposed to finish this morning, but he was supposed to be at her house an hour ago. I spoke to him before seven. He was supposed to call when he got there, but I haven’t heard from him.
More than a little steamed.
And after a glance away to call him, no answer. Really?
Apologies for the distraction, but this is what’s on my mind right now, along with trying to cook a bird this afternoon, amidst watching the Lions’ game.
Minnesota at Detroit
Both of these teams are actually rather entertaining this year. I’m expecting a low-scoring game until the end.
Los Angeles at Dallas
Not sure what, really, to make of the Chargers. Dallas, of course, is all about injuries and suspensions.
I think with what’s been happening with some of the Cowboys’ issues, you do really start to see how some of the now-deceased owners kept things together. Jerry Jones isn’t my favorite person, certainly, but what he did to a rather moribund franchise after buying it is rather incredible.
The Rooneys and the Maras, along with their redheaded spokeschimp, have really changed it into something that’s a bad product in places.
I can think of few things worse than watching a Colts-Niners game. Even Hugh Culvehouse and Bill Bidwell couldn’t have come up with worse products.
New Jersey(A) at Washington
Nudge to Gregg Easterbrook on the snark about the Giants. With fans like Carl, there is a bit of a soft spot. What they’ve done the past few years, since they fired Tom Coughlin, is pretty rotten football. At least the defense is somewhat interesting with Steve Spagnuolo’s return.
So, in-and-out on the Lions’ game, may catch most of the Cowboys’ game, and a night game that will be completely meaningless if the Giants beat the Redskins.
But at least there’s an AFC team playing.
Tomorrow, I’ll wrap up what happened while I’m munching on leftovers, maybe I’ll find some writing leftovers to help carry this through the final week.
Right now, I’m listening to a Reason podcast on net neutrality. I do have to recommend yesterday’s Fifth Column dispatch.

11.22.17

If you could be in any career field, what would it be? (Assume anything you choose, you are the best in the field.)
If I could do anything, it would have to be a college professor of history or a writer. I think I could actually be both, given the fact that anything I want to write about would have to do with research about something in the historical area.
History has always been interesting to me, but I have never been encouraged to take that path as a career. I can still have it as a hobby though.
On second thought, dream career would be working at the Smithsonian Institute in the American History museum. Yeah, it all ties together and I think you see where I am going with this.
Until tomorrow…

22

November 22nd is an important year for many in the previous generation. When I was very young, around the 25th anniversary, I took keen interest in it. Later, there was the Oliver Stone movie.
As I’ve aged, however, I’ve become more convinced that the worst thing to come out of that was LBJ’s presidency.
Kennedy may well have been re-elected. Maybe not. He did get us in to Vietnam, which fans seem to gloss over.
How do you feel about people’s need to post every detail of their relationships on social media? Are you guilty?
I tend to tune it out, for the most part. In my vacuum right now, I really don’t have access to social media. When I worked there, previously, I did check in on Facebook to see what was going on with my dad’s family after my uncle had suffered a severe, ultimately fatal, stroke.
After my abrupt departure from my last situation, I did do more on Twitter and Facebook. Not so much with my health issues, but with current events.
I do talk about my wife sometimes, occasionally quoting her, often without attribution, but it’s normally not about anything serious.
People might get some amusement about the conversations we have. I do enjoy being alone with my wife. Other things, both personal, and mundane, aren’t really anybody else’s business.
I am committed to my wife. Even if that changed, I would never air our laundry. If someone cares, ask. If you’re someone who might want, or need to know, I’ll share.
I don’t know what I’m going to write about tomorrow, Thanksgiving. At least there is some AFC Football this year. The Los Angeles Chargers playing in Dallas seems appropriate, though with the Jerrydome, there wouldn’t be snow falling. *checks forecast for Dallas* Hmph. Even if God was watching through the roof in Texas Stadium, tomorrow looks like it’ll be a nice day, there. No Leon Lett moments, anymore. (Interesting seeing Eagles’ Head Coach Doug Peterson, there….)

11.21.17

If given the opportunity to see how different choices would effect your life, would you proceed with it?
Absolutely, not even a question. I would like to make sure of things because I do the “what-if” thing enough to drive myself crazy. So yeah, given the opportunity, I think I would totally do it.
The other thing is, it would be nice to know what else I should have done when I was younger, so I can learn from the mistakes that I have made in the past.
But I would really like to know if there is anyone who wouldn’t take advantage of something like that, if it was really possible.
Until tomorrow…

21

What inspires you to keep writing?
Right now? That I’m waiting for these repairmen to return, finish the job I hired them for.
More generally? It keeps me somewhat level. I can sit back, close my eyes, and pound something out.
For Novembers, it allows me to reflect some on where I am, correct mistakes I’ve made, and find some peace in time for the holidays.
The stretch from September of last year until July of this year is a complete blur. (Well, that’s the case of many, many things, on account of my failing vision, but….)
I think I still can do some quality work, although I have to approach things differently. Things really scream by. I hope that I haven’t disappointed too many people.
My desire for revenge is kind of gone. Things do occasionally pop up that I have to look into, dig back through my archives, and inquire whether there’s something that might bite me.
So much of what’s coming out in the news is about behavior I just can’t comprehend. Have I done things I regret? Absolutely. Is any nearly as bad as what (long string of celebrities) did?
Not by a longshot.
I still haven’t had the opportunity to delve into stuff from 2012 thoroughly. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe Friday Who knows? For tomorrow: How do you feel about people’s need to post every detail of their relationships on social media? Are you guilty?

11.20.17

Have you ever had someone tell you not to do something, only to turn around and tell someone else to do it?
Yes. There was a time when I was younger that I was not in a good place mentally. Maybe it is just regular teenager stuff, but I thought there was something very wrong with me and wanted to talk to someone about it.
Told this to someone I trusted, and they told me it was stupid because it would place a stigma on me for the rest of my life.
Fast forward a few years, and this same person is telling someone else that if they feel like something is wrong, they should go talk to someone. No talk or stigma and no hesitation.
What I have learned from this experience is to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself against most people. There are only a few chosen people who I let my guard down for completely.
Until tomorrow…