Kickoff

These long hiatuses...obviously, I need to blog more.  I have been busy, sort of; Thursday I went to the Captains game -- I had a free ticket, and took advantage of their pizza and wings buffet...they also have a 25-cent beer promotion, which is both a wonderful idea and an awful idea at the same time, if you get my drift.  Last nite I went to a friend's house and we watched K-State lose, which is awesome, because -- and I am not sure why -- we do not like K-State.

http://inplainsight.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/29/20247880-poor-people-arent-stupid-bad-decisions-are-from-being-overwhelmed-study-finds

I think this is largely true, but the bigger issue -- which this article doesn't answer -- is that poor people make a lot of bad decisions in the first place, and how do you think that came to be?  I suspect we are looking at the symptoms and not realizing they are the disease itself.  Hell, even wealthy people are bad with money; they just have more slack.  Counterprogramming, as we like to say in the Social Justice community, is hard.

I suspect OSU will cover whatever spread they have...lots of expectations for the season, but I -- being the type of guy I am -- will say that it is all for naught; the team will lose at least once and all of the hemming and hawwing will be misplaced.  I think it would be better for Urban if that did happen, unless yet another Hernandez story comes out.

Paucity

Big Tuesday nite at home, NOT cleaning the house, eating some kale, and blogging.  I did watch the Tribe; Salazar pitched ok; if Stubbs holds the ball, he is not on the hook.  Alas.  His changeup was not really working tonite, but the fastball seemed to be lively enough, so you take it.  I was fascinated by the announcing team hemming and hawwing about the necessity of Giambi batting against Downs.  Well, duh...this is by design, as Francona -- I am liking his tactical acumen less and less, can you tell -- is going with the short bench for an interleague series so he can have more relievers....even with Giambi as a PH only and Raburn limping.  Yes, it is defensible, given that Salazar is going tonite, so you may need to work some guys, but...given the nature of the 'pen, can't you run Albers or Shaw into the ground, if need be?  The September callups are a few days away, and barring some 18-inning slugfest, I think you survive with six or seven relievers.  I would say Hill would be the odd man out, but that has been the case since May, and no one else seems to notice.

I read An Army at Dawn, part of the trilogy about the US Army in Europe in WW2; quite good, very long, but didn't really seem like it, and of course I like guns and war. 

I had some bloodwork at the MD yesterday, and when I took off the bandage today, there is a red mark on the my elbow where the needle took.  It is painless, but it looks like I am some junkie, and I've never had it before, so it is even more unsettling.

Queens

http://inplainsight.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/21/20052531-people-think-everyone-who-is-poor-gets-welfare-and-its-just-not-true-how-the-myth-of-the-welfare-queen-died

There have been a LOT of stories about this lately; the CATO report, the continuing high level of food stamp use, etc...  as someone who works with a lot of poor people, all I can say is...all of the above.  For one thing, yes, in a lot of cases, it is NOT economically feasible for people getting benefits to work.  Wages could be higher, but of course, we could also make the benefits less generous (which could lead to tax declines); a lot of the issue here is marginal wage benefits, such as child care and Medicaid.  Issue two, which a LOT of people seem to forget, is that in many cases...poverty is simply the result of poor choices, many of which are fairly irrevocable.  For instance, in the above article, she got a divorce and moved in with the wrong man.  Economically, divorce is bad...and then the wrong guy (something tells me the two were closely linked), and you're fucked.  I am not saying divorce shouldn't be an option....but at the end of the day, you have to look at the economics as well.  Or getting pregnant early, or the famed drug addiction, or spending your excess income on smokes and booze. 

Anyways, my point is, even if you gave the poor more money -- in the form of benefits or wages or dropping it from the sky -- most of the money would be wasted, simply because the people who made these crappy decisions in the first place will simply go out and make them again.  I don't like it, and you don't like it, and some of them may not like it, but that is the way it is.  How do you teach people not to be dumbfucks?  Most of the time, you can't.

I just finished Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried.  It's a fiction work about the Vietnam War...it was ok.  Very modern in its approach, so while I liked what I read, I didn't exactly feel anything while reading it, which is prolly me, but...

Change

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/19/ted-cruz-at-princeton-creepy-sometimes-well-liked-and-exactly-the-same.html

I found this interesting; first, of course, because I don't recall reading anything like this about our current President.  Second...how many really change that much in 20 years or so, politically?  I thought about myself, and pretty much my views are the same.  Dating Monica made me even more militantly free-speech, but I was pretty far along. I think I have become a bit more anti-gay marriage, somewhat so that it overtakes my libertarian streak, but not that much.  Abortion, government spending, insurance reform...the same.  I think I have become more Rand Paul-like in my views on foreign policy, but I really and truly believe we as the US have to go in and bomb the shit out of people we don't like, and I've had that view since grade six.

I guess my point is that for most people, college is when their views finalize, as you meet new people and new ideas....they come into clash with the viewpoints you brought to the place, and some sort of synthesis (or not) is the result.  I suspect that in most cases, confirmation bias results, and while you may develop a toleration for certain things, the core view doens't change; it's just a matter of nuance.
Moving on to the world of Matt, I watched "Project X" last nite -- moderately humorous, actually -- and I am close to finishing Lee's Miserables, which concerns the A.N.V in the last year of the war.  Continuing my literary approach to Say's Law, I picked up several more books at the liberry today, which I hope will impel further reading.  That said, I am going to wash the floors tonite, come hell or high water. Though high water would be somewhat more effective.

Randoms

Finished up Mailer yesterday, which means the next book is number 50 on the list.  As I have read some of those above them, and accounting for the fact there are several works of Joyce to go...I consider it to be officially half-finished.  Rah.  The Naked and the Dead was good, ending a little odd, but a LOT of modern fiction reads that way, so...what else can you do?  I prolly stayed up later than I should have to read it, but....it's done.  I have now moved on to Lee's Miserables, which documents the last year of the life of the A.N.V.  Interesting.  I have a new set of books at the library, so my continuing pursuit of the literary equivalent of Say's Law is in order.

I brunched with a friend at Lucky's in Tremont this weekend.  It was good; I liked what I ate -- a variaton on sausage gravy and biscuits -- but it is a little pricey.  The parking in Tremont is a pain in the ass, no doubt about it, and it's not like the place has a lot.  I guess it is more artisan than First Watch, but, as I say, standardization has its benefits.

I went through a small pile of papers today; all gone, all to the recycle bin.  Tomorrow a Netflix DVD arrives, and Thursday -- which is something I should have done today -- I will start on some intensive scrubbing in the kitchen, which is overdue, I think, for some tender loving cleaning....

I had grilled squash for dinner today; a neighbor gave me two of them, and I asked at work how to prepare them -- salt, pepper, some flour and oil -- and voila!, we had dinner.  It was ok; I think I let them cook a bit too long, but it was fairly healthy, paired with a salad and some fruit.  The price was also right, which was also a powerful incentive for future servings.

Fighting

I got home from my meeting today, and the ants had returned.  Ugh.  Only a couple, just enough to annoy me.  The vinegar really doesn't work, so I am not sure what to do next.

I am reading Mailer's The Naked and the Dead -- the next on my fiction list -- and it is actually quite good, mainly because (I didn't know it going in) it is a WWII combat story based on his own experiences.  So, it's sort of like "Band of Brothers" or "The Pacific," though Mailer has these odd throwback chapters where he looks at the lives of each character.  Some are interesting, some are not.  The writing is highly descriptive; on the one hand, I think he could have cut 100 pages, but on the other, it adds to the quality of the piece, and much of it is pretty fine writing.  Hence, I have been really going through this one, almost a record.  I suspect -- strongly -- that if the subject was anything else, I wouldn't be so interested.

The whole A-Rod/Dempster/Giardi contretemps amuses the hell out of me, mainly because it seems the whole thing is designed to bring sympathy to A-Rod.  Yes, Dempster should have been thrown out of the game.  Yes, Girardi should NOT have been thrown out of the game.  Yes, A-Rod has helped the Yankees, especially with the bat, since their offense has not exactly been swimming lately.  He is a hard man to find empathy for, but sure enough, now people can.  Odd.

Hiatus

Wow...five days between posts.  Let's see.  Wednesday I watched "American Reunion" and tried to go to bed early...the movie was good; funny, but the ending was a little gay.  Thursday I woke up early and went to Mass and worked late and was in no mood to post.  Yesterday I treated myself -- a long week -- and dined with a friend, followed by cocktails (for him).  Got home in time to watch the Tribe lose.  Today was the OC.... very busy; I mean, the count was 129, but it seemed more.  People were slow today...new registers, and plus, they were schmucks.  Everyone knows the rules, but no one seems to remember...oi.  Lots of produce and bread today, but no meat, and of course EVERYONE complained...it's not on the food bank ordering sheet, and when it is, it is beyond our cost.  Lots of salad to give away, so as you can imagine....our clients were even more miffed.  We also ran out of school supplies, so of course the crises continued.  To be sure, a lot of people WERE pleased to get them, and the produce...and, from what I heard, the clothing room did a land office business.

I am tired.  Not sure why, aside from being busy, worn by work, not sleeping, but I am fatigued in every sense.  And it sucks.  I may try to sleep early tonite...and then again tomorrow.  I had six hours last nite, which honestly was a huge shift...

Knowledge

I realize this will surprise some of you, but I actually agree with some of what Holder said today.  There does need to be changes in sentencing, and we do need to stop other aspects of the drug war.  Of course, the way to do this is to legalize it, or at least decriminalize some things and emphasis other crimes over that of the drug trade.  I don't like it, of course, but in this day and age...well, there should be a place for a semi-legal businessperson.  To say nothing of the fact that the Hope and Changers should be pissing themselves over yet another thing that could be taxed (to say nothing of the income taxes from drug pushers).  I wonder how much the big guys at the top would pay, assuming one or two of them decided to legally file, in the hopes that it would prevent further police intrusion into their...operations.

I am about halfway through Anabasis and it is fairly interesting.  The story is pretty good, but I am also learning -- incidentally, sadly -- quite a bit about the ancient world.  For instance, soldiers didn't have their weapons and armor on 24/7.  Per the text, the articles of war were carried in wagons, and were put on in case of battle.  This seems ridiculous to us, but on further review, I can see how it was done back them, as the stuff was heavy and uncomfortable.  It was simply easier to march without it and call for it as needed...even when in the middle of an enemy's country.

Mysteries

So, I watched the Tribe game -- who doesn't want to see Danny Salazar pitch? -- and instead watched Andrew Albers "carve" up the Tribe.  I note two things.  First, the Tribe -- as noted by the broadcasters -- plays like crap in Minnesota.  Second, it seems the Indians -- and this has been going on for quite a while now -- seems completely lost when facing a new pitcher; I mean, someone who's never been up, even if he has quite pedestrian stuff.  People like Bourn were totally flummoxed, and it seemed that only Yan Gomes actually hit the ball well.

I point these things out because 1) they've been going on for quite a while and 2) No one seems to be able fix this.  I mean, if you or I sitting on the couch can say "What the fuck?" you'd think the front office could -- using all of the sabremetric might known to man -- put together a plan of attack to win up north or figure out how to send a rookie to the showers in the fifth.  Of course, the front office has ONE postseason appearance in a decade -- in the AL Central, no less -- so maybe, just maybe, they have bigger issues.  As does ownership, obviously.

The July OC stats:
413 clients, reporting 181 seniors, 556 adults, and 398 kids.

I suspect numbers will begin to pick up now and through the year; school supplies are in, people start having more expenses, and budgets get tight.  The elasticity of demand takes over, if you will, and there you are.  The Hot Meal meeting is tomorrow (I am skipping it, like I do every time) and I assume they will report the same thing; numbers are down a bit, but going up.  The main issue for the Hot Meal isn't so much the food -- a lot of it is donated by someone else, and the fixings aren't that expensive -- but the disposables, the paper and plastic plates and cutlery.  It takes a lot out of the budget, and the prices of those things go up all the time.  I of course suggest feeding them less, or more finger food, but no one ever listens to me about these things.

Recovery

It's been quite the busy weekend, so rest is good.  Saturday was OC day, and...things were ok.  We had a big rush early, but very little the rest of the way; lots of walk-ins, but singly, so the crowd wasn't too bad, which was sort of a shame, as we had not only a LOT of bread, but 175 10-pound bags of potatoes (yes, it is almost a ton), of which we gave away nearly half...and after people took some home and the three-quarter house took some, there are still a lot left.  My Mom and I split a bag; some of the potatoes were, um, a little bad, and Mom griped of course that people would give them away (like a company is going to pay someone to pull out bad potatoes), but that is still a lot of potatoes to eat...and give away.  I can only hope the hot meal people use them.

Anyways, Saturday was a late family poker party; today was brunch with some friends and then off to Mom's for some dinner/labor.  I also helped two friends move -- one truckload each -- so I am a little beat, in all honesty.  But we survived, as did the Tribe, who had what can only be called -- given the circumstances -- a momentous victory today.  One suspects they will be glad to get away from home, where maybe they can play some teams they can beat.  Or not.

Not sure why, but I have been on a green pepper kick lately, pretty much eating one every day.   They are good, lots of water, some flavor, not spicy at all...I mean, there are worse foods to eat, and with my new love of green foods and healthiness, I can think of worse things to munch on.

despair

Oh, the week I have had...

First and worst, we lost PQ last nite, coming in fourth.  Team XI had rough rounds -- bad movie sequels and the missing link, among them.  Alas.  It does happen, but one does not like it, and I feel it.  Deeply.  Also Wednesday nite, I noted a pile of crud in the cabinet under the sink; I guess there is a leak there, and there has been one for some time.  Ugh.  I will have to clean it out before calling in the plumber; not the first on the list of priorities, but so be it.  I am seeing some ants, but not a lot, hence the need to put traps in the cabinet.  I washed down the sink and countertops with vinegar, and one sees them little now... so far so good.

The Tribe is taking it like an altar boy; I think we all know the Tigers are better, but this is a little much.  Alas. 

Also, I went to my car to get something, and lo and behold...the tailpipe was a half-inch off the ground.  Grr.  Thanx to the wonders of the Internet, I figured it how to attach a coat hanger to the thing, and made it to the auto shop, where one hopes this will be an inexpensive repair.  Again, not quite in the budget, but...one does what one must.  And, work has been busy and will remain so until next week.  Late next week. 

http://callandpost.com/news/2013/aug/01/black-white-education-achievement-gap-worsened-unr/

Interesting.

Missing the Obvious

Well, that was a not entirely unexpected turn of events...  I don't know; this is something I do NOT like about Francona.  Kluber was pitching well, put a man on...and Francona decided to yank him, prolly because he had been through the lineup 3 times, and even though he was pitching well... well, we ALL know how that goes.  Smith gets out of it, but not before mucking it up and getting a HUGE assist from a baserunning error.  One has to admit, Smith has pitched well, but not that well this year.  Then, in the 9th, he goes to Perez -- third day in a row -- and he struggles...and Francona leaves him until he gets bombed (by a lefty, to boot).  Now I know EVERY manager does it, but...come on; on a nite when the closer doesn't have it, it's manifestly obvious...and you leave him in?  I mean, really.  You could have gone to a lefty -- you now have TWO, you know -- and then to Allen to face the righties.  I guess that is ONE thing I have NEVER liked; you pull the starter who pitches well, but you wait until the closer blows the game before yanking him. 

I would expect the press to nail Francona about this, but they won't.

Speaking of, thousands of Clevelanders woke up this morning and did NOT have the PD in front of them.  And we all survived.  I think we all know that I am exuberantly pleased by this, but...I think there are quite a few reasons as to why the PD is downsizing.

First, of course, is its liberal bias.  I don't think this is quite the issue people make it out to be; I mean, this is blue-state Ohio, and it should NOT surprise people that the paper reflects this.  On the other hand, it's completely in the tank for the left, and that, of course, means that for the third of us who around here who do not subscribe to that nonsense...well, we're not buying.  This is a problem because... Two, NE Ohio is experiencing population loss.  I know, I know, hard to believe that people would flee this bastion of liberalism, but...there are fewer people around to buy the paper (save for the poor and stupid Obamaites), and in that case, you broaden your base.  Which brings me to point three, which is that the PD has decided to answer the question of population exodus and suburban growth by....championing neo-urbanism, regionalism, and everything else.  To be sure, this reflects the biases of points one and two, but as more and more of the region's population leaves/has left the urban core, you'd think they would want to present themselves as a regional paper; what goes on in Akron and Lorain and points in-between is in some ways more important, if not moreso, than what happens in the city.  Seldom, of course, is such a view presented, which is why, of course, that people seldom read, or buy, the paper.

Brink

http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/features/urbanorientedlife080113.aspx

I find these stories interesting, because what no one mentions is that it is the crazy GOP notion of school choice that has given  all of these parents these wonderful public, charter, and private schools.  I am willing to bet that these parents would rather eat turd than vote for a GOP candidate, but the fact of the matter remains that these new urban utopias have formed precisely because of people like me.  And they wonder why I say Catholic Schools Week should start with a procession to kiss my ass in gratitude.

I finished Season on the Brink, which I picked up at the library as an extra.  It's the story of the 1986 Indiana Hoosiers, coached by Bobby Knight.  I rather liked it, as it combines the best features of a history book with the in-depth versimilitude one craves -- the author is a sports reporter who spent a year with the team.  One thing that was interesting was how many names of note today are scattered throughout the pages; one forgets that there were a LOT of good players at Indiana.  Also...no conference tournament in those days.  The Bog Ten conference championship was determined by the regular season -- crazy talk -- and that and the non-conference record determined if you the NCAA Tournament, the NIT, or stayed home.   Today, we call that...quaint.

Awake, still

I should be in bed, but of course I cannot sleep, so here we are....I guess if this was a game for the Tribe to lose, this is it: Ubaldo pitched like shit and the Tribe were completely handcuffed by Fernandez.  As a pitching lover, it was fun to watch, aside from the fact that it was my team that was taking it in the pooper.  Alas.  On baseballprospectus there was an article that discussed the Tribe, and I didn't realize HOW week the last part of the schedule.  I mean, I know the division is weak, but...assuming they play to their potential, it can work.

I watched "Finding Neverland" tonite, the Johnny Depp movie about J.M. Barrie writing Peter Pan.  It was pretty good; sort of maudlin, of course, but I almost had a tear in my eye (I've been feeling down lately, not sure why, ok, lots of the usual reasons) for some of it.  For all the talk of "The Lone Ranger" and Johnny Depp, a movie like this one was most impressive.