Oddities

I don't know...I think Yost went to the pen way too soon tonite; Shields is your ace, and while Ventura is a gasser...well, pulling the guy in the 6th?  Yes, the pitch count is high, but...I think in these types of games you need to milk the starter, especially because Yost isn't the type of guy to go to the Davises and the like early...sort of like another AL Central manager.

Yes, I am saying Francona cost his team some games by pulling the starter too soon (or not letting Kluber finish his starts)...to be sure, everyone does it (ok, Oakland is NOT doing so right now), but...

September OC stats...487 households, serving 194 seniors, 664 adults, and 504 kids.  The introduction of the computer system to register clients has gone pretty well -- it is not too bad, and once we added some real mice to the laptops to make it easier for the seniors to maneuver them...it really paid off.  It does make things go a little quicker at first, so the bags really need to be packed, but...I think it will be better come winter, once the crowd really packs it in early.

Ok, the As really need to pull Lester now...and they are.  But I still think it is smarter to drive the guy hard and long, rather than let the bullpen (and a part of the pen you don't have quite the faith in) blow it.

Recovery

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/09/gov-mccrory-nc-needs-fewer-journalists-196151.html

I like the guy...

http://www.newgeography.com/content/004528-why-suburbia-irks-some-conservatives

I think one issue is that for many people -- especially on the right -- suburbia is fairly insular, in that people keep to themselves and to their families, and thus (this is Bowling Alone) don't get involved in neighbors/churches/communities, which is primarily a conservative view, in that people are active at the local level in solving problems and such.  Anomie, if you will.  This is right, though I've said that suburbia came from the crowded urban conditions of my grandparents' generation; people lived close, in duplexes often, with their families nearby.  As they became more successful...they wanted space.

Anyways, spent the weekend in Columbus for Josh's wedding...very nice, very raucous.  Not much rest.   If I ever get married...I will try to get by in as few pictures as possible.  The bride is Greek, so there was some good grub and pastry.  Columbus, like Cleveland, has become fairly developed downtown; lots of new stuff since I was there last.  I think this is good...but all those residences mean less commercial space, and I am not sure people are cognizant of the tax ramifications...not that it cannot be changed, but this is often the last adjustment made...

Still here and coming back!

For the record....there have been no posts because I have been busy, and when I home...I've not had time to write.  Some of this is good and fun, others not so much....but I am not abandoning you, my few readers!

I promise an eventual (and long) update when I have time....

Books

I don't know...this could be me, but going to Bryan Shaw in this game seems a little...optimistic.  Just saying.  In the meantimes, with the Tribe slowly sinking away to the playoff drain...well, I guess we aren't really surprised, are we?

I read -- on the recommendation of a parishioner -- Yallop's book about Pope John Paul II...I would say it was interesting, but not necessarily good.  They guy is something of a conspiracy theorist, which is not necessarily bad, but...the book is all over the place.  Certain parts -- the Vatican Bank and its role in money laundering, the inner fighting of the Vatican -- seems pretty solid; other parts, such as foreign policy and the conspiracy on murder regarding Pope John Paul I...seemed a little, well, stretched.  A lot of it was a rehash of the other various scandals, and thus not done as well.  I was simply pleased to be rid of it; next is a book on American logistics in WW2, and then... all twelve  books of Powell's series called A Dance to the Music of Time, which is based on a painting by Poussin.  The first book is about 200 pages, give or take, so if they are all that way...well, it should be ok.  Well, I hope.  No, I won't read them all at once -- one followed by some non-fiction, you know me.  But they will be read, no matter the time needed.

Caught

Well, the Tribe has certainly picked the wrong time to start losing games...to be sure, with the injuries, I am not sure we can expect success, but...far too many games that could have been won have been lost, which is a problem...to put it mildly.

I stayed in like a good boy last nite and got seven hours of sleep, which is nice, given that I haven't been able to do it lately...and am still tired now.

Watched "Sabrina," the Bogart/Hepburn/Holden flick...it took a while to get cute, and while it was nice...well, I didn't think it was that nice, if you get my drift.  Of course, I am a man...so maybe that was it.  :)  At least I got to cross one off the list of films.

So, I got to Mass this AM, and there was quite a hubbub, as someone put up signs that people are NOT to take stuff out of the boxes where we collect food for the OC.  This amused me, because 1) Some of our parishioners do it; and 2) I think many of them are prolly poor enough to do so.  I told some people the signs were put up for the benefit of the Polish Mass, since -- according to the collection -- the fur-wearing types that tend to populate said Mass must be struggling.  I didn't want to tell anyone the other reason I don't mind people taking stuff out of the boxes is that there is less for me to tote around...

Social Justice

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how-st-louis-county-missouri-profits-from-poverty/

I think we see this around here; I mean, there is of course the obvious issue with Linndale, but you could easily look at Caucasian Heights and Newburgh Heights, where -- as I like to say -- "All of them" is the answer to "How many police does it take to pull over a minority?"  Course, all of these communities are populated by Hope and Changers who tacitly --if not actively -- full agree with said police policies, even if they serve no real purpose and drag people further into debt for pseudo-crimes.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/cfpb-union-tensions-110784.html?hp=l11

Speaking of worthless government agencies that serve no real purpose...

In the meantime, today was the TFG cookout, where I supplied a dish a meaty beans and carried the grill to and from the rental place.  Not too bad of work but enough that I did not do enough of my own work, so I left early and caught up...and will have to slog away the rest of the week.  It was good to eat like a pig and such, but I do wonder if maybe this is carried to excess...that and I kept being interrupted by people and their queries...I think I had a dozen, which is excessive.  I hope this will not continue, but I think we all realize that it will....

Happy and sad

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/09/us/politics/a-president-whose-assurances-have-come-back-to-haunt-him.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1

I always get a kick out of these articles, as they imply that the guy wasn't very competent or intelligent to begin with; of course, some of us knew this...

The August OC stats:  407 visits, totaling 184 seniors, 558 adults, and 475 kids.  Rah.

Depressing Tribe game, as with 19 games left...I don't think there are enough of them for the Tribe to win them all, not without help.  Sad, because Bauer pitched a good game, save for the bad inning...and the runners left on was simply...awful.  The Giambi PH-AB...well, it was indicative, if nothing else.

Flicks

So, I've been watching films from the National Historic Film Registry...first was "Duck Soup," the Marx Brothers film.  On the one hand, it was pretty funny, gag-wise; but it also had a dated feel, mainly because (I suspect) much of the physical comedy -- which was imperative in the Vaudeville Era -- is simply gone, and thus largely beyond the scope of our experience.  Not that it wasn't funny, but now...our films have a lot less of it; look at say, "Airplane!" or the Leslie Nielsen films; they have less, compared to what is done now...I think it has more effect that way.

To be sure, it was not as dated as "Pups is Pups," which was a Little Rascals skit from the 1930s or so...whoa.  I mean, now people would cringe at the obvious stereotypes (which is the only reason there was such a multicultural cast) and, I realize I am hard-hearted and NOT one for kids, but... the thing wasn't that funny, anyways.

I also watched "Steamboat Willie" (sort of cute) and the footage from the 190^ SF Earthquake (more the aftermath); I suspect nowadays, with war and devastation a click away, it's not biggie, but in 1906...well, I am sure it was pretty stark for people to see...which makes it historically and culturally significant.

Awake

I have to admit; I watched the second half of the OSU game, and I was most bemused by the play-calling; I don't know, a rookie QB, an aggressive defense...shouldn't you use short passes and screens and slants to build confidence, stay out of third and longs?  Nope, not to Urban; there they went, forcing the young QB -- in the face of a pass rush that no one could figure out how to defend -- to make impossible throws.  It reminded of Thursday's Tribe game; when Bourn was caught stealing, I was like...they're going to lose this game.  I mean, Francona seemed to forget that you never take the bat out of the hands of your best hitter...which is what he did by sending Bourn with Brantley at the dish; I don't know; I can see how you'd want to send him, but...to me, the risk outweighed the reward.  Then, running Tomlin out there -- your worst pitcher -- was simply ridiculous; I dunno, I know everyone does it, but the lefties have pitched far better...couldn't any of them have been used?

Went to the Lakewood Wine and Craft Beer fest last nite; it was nice, if a little scammy; but at least you could totally tanked if you desired.  I had a bowl of chicken paprikash (good) and a vegan chocolate cupcake...the cake was ok, but the chocolate was totally foul and rank.  I only had sips of a few beers, a double shot of a couple of IPAs, and some cider, which I think I prefer the best.

OC duty Saturday; very slow in the first half because of the rain, and then it picked up in the later hours as it turned to drizzle.  We were busier than we thought...

One other thing I learned; I have minimal difficulties staying up past last call, but the morning after...early Mass was not exactly a blast.

Casino

This is my 200th post (here), and I wish had something exciting to say..well, the Tribe is certainly making things exciting today.  Other than that...well, not much.  I caught up on the backlog of emails, which is always good.  I have made serious progress with Huxley, always a good thing (I still think I need a couple more days to get through it).

Took Mom to the Rocksino yesterday...she liked it, didn't lose that much...  As for myself, it was...well, I spent about as much on slots as I did on coffee and snacks.  I did note that a good share -- say half -- of the slot machines are more like computer screens and games than the traditional machines (befitting my old school style, I pulled the handle every time).  Most of them are nearly $1 a pull; even the penny machines are 20 cents a pop, which is slightly unsettling.

I was bemused by the fact that the place -- which seems to have PLENTY of old people around -- relies heavily on computer systems for player reward cards, change, reimbursements, etc., I mean, some of them could figure it out, but half the time, of course, they would mess up and require assistance.  I don't know; I am always amazed at how often the self-serve machines at the grocery store conk out/require assistance, but the casino had devices that could put them to shame.