Ring

I had a very...interesting night.  Couldn't sleep, then went to bed, felt low blood sugar, snacked, went to bed, woke up again...same...then woke up at nine.  Oi.  Not a lot of quality sleep.  In the meantime, I discovered that as always, the heat plays a trick with my back, and it is a little sore...not sure why, but it is.  Argh.  But here we are...sort of made it, I guess.  I did crack and put the AC on, which sort of helps.

I am reading Ring Lardner's Stories and Other Writings; I saw it in the WSJ a few weeks ago, and it is next up on the reading list.  I like it...I mean, it is interesting and sort of wry, but I can see no one reads him anymore, as it is terribly dated.  I mean, a lot of the characters he uses -- the stock and naive bumpkin -- we just don't have anymore, and some of the plot twists and the list -- baseball players cajoling for money -- really would be incomprehensible to the modern reader.  This is sort of a shame, as he does give a good sense of the era and of the life of ballplayers and sports figures in general in the day.  But such is the nature of things...

Loss

I am little surprised -- but not terribly so -- that McDaniel lost in MS last nite; I don't think he ran the best race, Cochran pulled one out, and even if you didn't like the spectacle that ensued...well, it's legal.  I do wonder, though, what would happen if McDaniel and his supporters simply stayed home on Election Day.  Not saying all of them will, of course -- I don't think anyone wants to see a Dem win the seat -- but on the other hand, they could say "Look, you've done your best demonize us, marginalize, etc... so win the race without us."  It would be close...very close.  Hell, if McDaniel had any brains, he'd run for governor...and his supporters should change the voting rules as well.

I started League of Denial, the book about the NFL and its concussion problem.  It's pretty heart-rending, even for myself, Mr. Assumption of Risk.  I am not quite at the point where they figure out how much damage is being done (I am just reading about the introductory studies on brain damage), so I suspect it will be worse, but...let's face it:  the NFL has a commodity that is highly desirable and profitable, and has a lot of replacements...people will literally do anything for their moment of glory, even if it involves killing themselves.

Speaking of memory loss...I've been having trouble scoring 45 on J! recently, and missing some FJ! answers; to be sure, the categories have not been in the wheelhouse, but, excuses and assholes.  Anyways, last two nights...52 and 50 right, and nailed the final tonite.  Best day ever...

Biting

I am not sure how it happened, but I have been eaten alive by mosquitos, which is fine -- I am sweet -- aside from the fact that I itch like a motherfucker.  I think I got a couple Saturday while lawn mowing and weed whacking (the electric string trimmer is a LOT easier to use than the gas one) and then rest came yesterday hanging out at Jim's.  It was part of the post-Corpus Christi fest...which was nice.  The procession was also wonderful...very Polonia, if you get my drift.  A little longer, which was interesting. Crowd could be larger, not that what we had wasn't a lot, but...I suspect it is a neighborhood issue, even if the place is crawling with cops (at that time).

I watched all of the game yesterday -- the Euro-style affair did not help -- and while I did not fall asleep, nor was I amused, and worse, JIm and friends gave me the business for knowing "so much" about soccer.  Oi.  As with so many other things, know that I know this...  I do hope Team USA wins, because it is Team USA and not some group of Godless shitty foreigners from a Third World shithole that we should bomb, but...fi we don't, we can all start paying attention to the real sports.

The Tribe really laid an egg this weekend; I am not sure why John Axford still has a job, but I am not an Ivy Leaguer, unlike the Tribe front office.  Both of the first two games were winnable...  I don't know, but Asdrubal is pretty much Swisher, a mistake-hitter who, worse, lights up at the first pitch, and between poor recognition and the long swing...well, seldom does good result.  Thank God he will be gone next year (one hopes).

http://www.forbes.com/sites/billfrezza/2014/06/23/the-rise-of-uber-should-have-politicians-regulators-and-crony-capitalists-shaking-with-fear/

It should, but it will not, lest anyone doubt the power of the entrenched state...at each and every level.

Declines

Odd news about the Tribe, calling up McAllister and DFAing Outman.  As for Outman, I am not sure he is the worst reliever on the team (Axford), and while it may be that the Tribe has lost confidence in him (and lefties are a dime a dozen, especially LOOGYs), I am not sure that he pitched so poorly that he merited cutting...especially given Francona's reliever-friendly ways.  I mean, using him and Crockett in the low-leverage LOOGY roles would be fine.  I also note the timing; obviously, no one watches TV downtown, as it was quite obvious that this game wasn't going to happen.  Aside from selling hot dogs...why not make a move tomorrow?  Hell, unless you wanted to use McAllister ASAP, you could have used Masterson tomorrow and given everyone an extra day of rest.  To be sure, I am not saying it is good to use Zach against the Tigers...

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/06/deep-pocketed_casinos_others_d_1.html#incart_river

I got a kick out of this, given the role the PD played in driving these places out of business, with the BS about human trafficking and all.  Not that the PD has a choice, given that the casinos advertise in the paper and on the website, but...it seems a little hollow.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2014/06/18/tarheel-tax-hikes/

This is also pretty awesome; it would be better if some reporter -- ha! -- did their job and asked the Moral Monday people what taxes, if any, they would want to put in -- if not all of them -- to achieve their goals, and what would happen if businesses left, tax revenues went down, etc.  I mean, I think we all know it will not happen, but...then you wonder why no one buys newspapers anymore.

Down

Let's start with two interesting posts:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeleef/2014/06/16/its-liberalism-day-real-liberalism-not-the-phony-authoritarian-kind/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2014/06/16/repeal-and-replace-remains-the-goal/

Both of which, I think, have relevance...

In the meantime...it's hot -- this is the first day it has been summery, if you will.  The Tribe is losing.  I am overtired, as always.  (I went to bed at 10:30 last nite, which means I am still deficient in sleep by about 80 hours.)  My latest series of dating/speed dating/social initiatives have fallen flat.  Work...well, the numbers are in, but now comes the drag-downs of text and writing.  My reading is going slowly...I mean, it is interesting, but single-spaced three-point font and complex stuff make iti mpossible to put away 100 pages a night.  Alas, alack.

I hope we do not get big storms tonite, but it certainly feels it will be the case...I mean, if things cool down, so much the better, but...no wants to swelter and storm, do they?

The May OC stats:
194 seniors, 554 adults, 404 kids...405 reported client visits. 

Back to the Tribe...I don't know about you, but I am not exactly thrilled with the idea of McAllister starting again; maybe it was the back, but he does have an awful lot of these stretches...which means a trip to the bullpen.  And given the state of the rotation...

Weekend

So....super busy weekend, which I will summarize down to the highlights; yesterday I went to Geneva-on-the-Lake with my friend Jim (and godson) and family and friends...it was nice; we mainly hung around the lodge (which seemed somewhat swank) and the beach/park area, and thus missed the kitschy tourist-trap areas.  It was nice; I could see a day or a weekend there, but for the rest of the time...well, I don't anything more than that.  Though...it is nice there, watching the lake come in and all; very pretty.

I see Terry Francona went to Carrasco in a close game, and so far so good...it's odd; he doesn't use Cody Allen for five games, and then uses him three days in a row (and intensively)...ditto for Shaw and Atchison.  I realize they are his best relievers, but...I think part of the problem is that managers tend to have favorites and simply don't realize that relievers are fungible.  This is especially because...well, Carrasco has pitched well, albeit in low-leverage roles, and it is foolish to keep guys pinned down in a spot.  In the meantime, John Axford -- who is pitching like Carrasco in April -- is still employed, which is a little odd, given how miss or miss he is.

I am reading The Formation of the Christian Bible; it is interesting...one point the author made early -- which I never thought of until reading it -- is that for the early Christians, the Bible didn't exist, and more importantly, the Old Testament -- which to Jews was THE LAW -- was something less sacrosanct, given that in recent memory -- i.e., the life of Jesus -- there had been major revisions to the law...mainly, love thy neigh and do unto others.  Thus, those laws they didn't like/were inconvenient, the early Christians droppes.  And, if you think about it -- say, looking at usury and gay marriage, for instance -- we are still doing it now.

Links

http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2014/06/12/catholics-capitalism/?singlepage=true

I found this interesting, but not surprising; for one thing, most of the hierarchy is...well, to the left, which does not surprise me.  For another...if you think about it (I think Heinlen has made this point), the Church -- especially at the top, institutionally -- survives off of large donations from corporate groups, sort of guilt-payouts, if you will, so this is the only way to keep the money flowing.  Most of this dough, in turn, supports Catholic Charities and other groups which do do a lot of good, but also involve pushing poverty around, and not actually solving it (they would then be out of work, you know).  It is a vicious cycle....

http://news.msn.com/us/perry-discusses-view-of-homosexuality

I can see how, in SF, this would be an issue, but if you think about it...well, he is right.  If you, as many Christians, view this conduct as a sin -- an abomination, as it says in Scripture, is defined as that which you refrain from doing -- then you do not do it...and that is that.  And, if you take his analogy further....AA is religious system -- largely -- for treating the disease of alcoholism; the first step, of course, invokes a higher power.  The kick, of course, is that a lot of people -- and mind you, this is a modern trait -- simply do want to assign sinfulness to any action.  I for one do not think that is what Scripture sayeth, but what do I know?

I also note -- but didn't copy the link -- that in CA, they have thrown out teacher tenure.  I think this is good; I've always said that if the teachers had any brains, they would have gotten rid of the system long ago, or at least made it such that there was A mechanism to get rid of bad teachers.  I always the analogy of the medieval guild; the guild and its members had not only rights, but responsibilities, such as quality and standards.  One could buy non-guild products, but it was caveat emptor.  I wonder if the NEA and their ilk ever thought that going to the barricades for every employee would ever come back to bite them...as it has.

Heads Have Rolled

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/06/with_green_light_for_opportuni.html#incart_river_default

The more I read about this, the less I like it; I mean, I don't really think it will do ANY of what they think it will (aside from putting more space for traffic cameras).  If people want to go to University Circle, they know how to get there.  If they do not...well, they a find a reason not to.  I guess there is some shovel-readiness about building more roadways, and let's face it, it's not like these were bustling spots to begin with, but...

Lonnie baseball...I am glad he did, mainly because I have been a champion of his career since day one.  I seem to think he is hitting because he has stopped trying to pull everything; he shortened his swing, started going the other way, and is now getting hits...so pitchers now have to challenge him inside, and thus...power.  It's funny, given the prevalence of shifting, how Lonnie has benefited -- when so many hitters do not -- by keeping a level approach about things.  Chisenhall still doesn't walk much....but it is ok, I guess.

The shitty defense is NOT ok; you'd think someone would want an auto-de-fe or something and have public displays of infeld, or something.  Odd, very odd.

The Cantor election took everyone by surprise; hell, I was surprised; channel-surfing on a commercial break, and there was Eric Cantor, hors de combat for immigration.  I really think Boehner is pleased, as it removes the main challenge to his rule...gives the Tea Party a scalp, but also one close to the throne.  Cochran has to be a little concerned in Mississippi, as he was not exactly reveling in momentun before...

Rah

Well, it is past midnight, and that makes it my birthday...truthfully, it feels like just another day.  I think I finally figured out the number issue at work.  Rah.  I decided (and I think foolishly) to try and remove the blood blister that formed on my thumb; it sort of worked, but it is still sore and swollen, and I think the lost 9 pints of bloody pus while trying to get it out.  I need to buy a weed whacker tomorrow...happy bday.  And, there are other bills...

Of course, Mom has been on me every day this week to figure out what I want to do for my bday, and of course I haven't told her anything, because I don't care and I really don't want to do anything special, and of course she thinks that is horrible, so we are at loggerheads.

Honestly, I've never really liked them; I mean, when I was a kid, we'd have a party, so I'd work like a slave and clean my room and get the yard ready to work like a slave and have people come over for food and cake and presents; it was nice, but I think I figured out early on that it was really wasn't worth it, and of course, I'd rather not slave away for three days (clean up!) for the thing, and everyone thought I was the selfish asshole.  Thus, when I turned 18, it was the last party, and I have never heard the end of it.  Yes, doing what I want on my special day...well, you can see how things came to be.

There is something else though; I mean, my life isn't that wonderful or exciting; I am not married, no kids, and that's not changing soon; work is ok.  The things in which I am involved I need to be uninvolved with, which is not exactly a raging declaration of success.  One gets older, which is also nothing to celebrate (certainly NOT at 36)....but thost aren't it, either.

I was washing out a plastic honey jar for the recycle bin -- one of those shaped like a bear -- and I said to myself "how cute,"something the kids would like (that I am not having) and then it hit me...there I was; I could see the beauty in something like that, but not for all of the things people were trying do for me (like my family and friends) and worse, I was kicking it away.  I've always been this way, of course...but after a while, you get to a point, and it's not going to change, and it didn't have to be this way...but there it is.  All that is past is wasted, and what is left to come is about the same.  And it is the saddest of things.