Concert Etiquette

As many of you know, I enjoy going to live music events.  I also am very fortunate that there are all kinds of tickets available for free, so I don't often pay much (or anything!) to go.  That being said, there are things that really are irritating me.....

Now I understand the difference between an outdoor venue, an arena type event, and a small theater.  I also understand different acts elicit different responses from folks.  But some of this stuff is gettig out of hand.

What is so hard about getting to your seat before the show starts?  I'm not talking about the opening act, but the headliner.  No, people wait until they start, then file in, causing folks to have to get up so they can get through, obstructing others views.  Way to think about anyone but yourself.

Then you have the guy singing along.  You know the words?  Yeah, so do most of the other people here. And if you were any good at singing, you'd have your ass up on stage instead of in the seats here with me.  I'm here to hear them, not you.

And what is the deal with all the talking during the songs?  And they play louder, you talk louder.  I was at a show last night and the guy in front of me talked to either his date or his buddy during EVERY song.  Usually I would say something, but I was a little tired.  And had mom with me.  And he was bigger than a wall, and drinking heavily.  I decided to cut him a break.  But shut the hell up.

I didn't show up to watch you walk up and down the aisle during every song.  Or go down to the stage and point at the performer like you are buddies or something.... and of course everyone has a camera in their phone now.  Big ol' sign that says no photography, but that only applies to everyone else.  So you just walk to the stage and snap away, or get you buddy to take your picture with the artist in the background.  Hope your pictures turned out good.  You looked like an ass doing it.....

And why do people keep checking their phones and texting.  What is so damn important?  If you are that busy or important you should just stay home and take care of your business.  Two stinkin' hours, and you can't not text?  Geez....

I don't know, maybe I'm wrong.  If  I'm out of line, somebody please let me know.  Hate to have to think I have to restrict myself to the symphony from now on.....

Couple of Things On My Mind

Just got back from spring break and had a great time.  I said it before and I'll say it again.  Thank you DD Eisenhower for the interstate system.  It sure is easy to get around.  But there are areas where things are in disrepair.  Need to take care of the bridges and tunnels or they'll be shot.  I also got to thinking about when I was a kid and traveled with my family.  We used to eat at places called Eat, or Mom's or Bob's.  Now it seems all you see are chains.  I understand people like to know what they are going to get, and I understand the economics of the thing.  But I still like they local restaurants.  Ate at a couple in Florida, and Stew took us to a place called Uncle Bills in St. Louis.  Food was real good, atmosphere was interesting.  What I'm getting at is if you get the chance, don't be afraid to support the little guy, while you still can.

What is the deal with North Korea?  Just exactly what is it that they want?   This guy is turning out to be worse than his old man.  And he is starting to seem crazy enough to do something that we are all going to end up paying for, one way or another.

Coach Rice of Rutgers seems to be quite the guy.  Pushing the players, throwing balls at them, he is probable lucky one of them didn't go off on him.  The thing is the AD and president of the university have known about these incidents since at least last November.  See ya boys, they'll be gone.

I think all the people trying to get the Supreme Court to rule on gay marriage are wasting their time and energy.  They should be going after members of Congress!!  One senator's son comes out as gay, boom--he changes his stance on the subject.  I think it's up to seven or eight who have changed their position lately.  They are tripping over themselves to get on board.  I just hope they don't have to lose a child to gun violence to address the gun issues...


So spring is here (allegedly), and that means the baseball season has arrived!  And with it we have astronomical salaries, PED investigations and rising ticket and concession prices!  And you know what?  People don't care!  Television ratings are up.  Attendance is around 75 million or so a year.  We don't care what they make or what they take, we just like to watch them play.  Unless it's the Marlins......

Well that's gonna do it for now.  Hang in there, things have a way of working out.....

NCAA BASKTBALL TOURNAMENT 2013

Well it's that time of year again, time to fill out the ol' NCAA bracket.  I've done this before, though not every year.  I have never had much success, so this year I have decided to put in some research and effort.  I have watched a bunch of TV shows and read a pile of internet stories, and the following is some of what I have learned.

It is wide open this year.  There are only 9 or ten teams that can't "win it all".

There are only 5 or six teams that have a chance to "win it all".

A sixteen has never beat a one seed.  This could be the year.

The Big Ten is the best conference in the country.  The Big Ten is the most overrated conference in the country.

You need good guard play in March.

A twelve seed always beats a five seed.  Except when they don't. 

Watch out for a team loaded with seniors.  Except if they were that good they would already be in the pros, wouldn't they?

Some teams can't be sped up, some can't be slowed down.  Some play great D, some can't score enough to win. 

Some teams have played a tough schedule.  Some teams haven't played anyone.

The Midwest is the "Region of Death".  Scary.

"They come to play".  "Cinderella Team".  "They know how to close".  "They take care of the rock".  Every cliche in the book.  And then some.

Enough already.  These guys have seen a lot more ballgames than I have, but I'm not all that certain they are any smarter.  One guy says team A will win, second guy says team B.  First guy says yeah you might be right. Think even I could come up with something like that.  So after all the reading and watching, it's back to the same old way of picking the bracket for me.  Generally higher seed, pick a couple of upsets, root for the kids schools now, then talk about how if a couple of plays or call went my way I could have won it all......

The Death Book

I have finally gotten around to starting to write my death book.  It's really not as morbid as it sounds.  I have done a terrible job of keeping the Misses in the loop when it comes to stuff like passwords, account numbers and things that she will need to know when I pass on from this ol' life. 

So what kind of stuff is in this book--which is still right now mainly a bunch of scraps of paper but which is slowly being turned in to a well organized script for the Misses for life after me?  Well first of all, I have the policy numbers for the life insurance policies.  And the phone numbers of who to contact!  There are account numbers and phone numbers for the various savings accounts.  And there are the passwords for all the various web sites that I visit....And who to contact to cancel certain things.

I am writing my obituary.  Figure this will save the family some time when I pass.  And who really knows me better than me?    I am also including some of my wishes as far as funeral services and what not.  Don't want it to be some morbid thing--I've really been a very lucky person.   Hope somebody will get a few cases of beer, turn up some tunes and have a little party....we know how I hate funerals.

I plan on writing little notes or letters to friends and family that I love.  Yeah I know these things should be done while I am still alive, but that's really not my style.  So people will just have to deal with that.  I still haven't decided if I'll leave notes to those who have irritated me, but it's an interesting thought to me (probably won't happen). 

When my Dad died I learned quite a bit about what needs to be done after a person passes on---I was the executor.  It can be a real pain in the butt.  You need to get x number of certified death certificates.  You need to close accounts and notify various companies and people.  It all happens very quickly.  And it is very hard on the ones left behind.  I really think it will be a "final gift" if I can kind of get things a little organized for the family when I'm gone.  It's a lot easier for me to do it now than for them to try and do it when I'm gone.  You may want to have a little talk with your family about these things, because the last time I checked none of us are going to be here forever.....

Happy Birthday Stewart

Today is my little boy's twenty first birthday.  I know that everyone says it, but it bears repeating.  Boy, the time sure does go fast.  I don't like to brag, but he is a wonderful young man.  Thoughtful, caring, intelligent, athletic. sense of humor.  On second thought. I do like to brag.....

I've been thinking lately about what Stewart has meant to my life.  It got me to thinking about what Teddy Roosevelt said when he was asked about going on an hunting trip after he was president.  He said something to the effect that it was his last chance to be a boy.  And that is exactly the way I feel about having Stew around here growing up.

I started to remember all the things I would have never done or learned about if Stewart and his sister Aleah hadn't come along.  I would have never known Elmo,or the Count or Gina or Hooper.  I would have never known Fred Rodgers or Mr. McFeeley.  Or Bill Nye.  I wouldn't have known what the Magic School Bus is, or Barney.  Would have never spent so much time in the parks or on playgrounds.

I doubt if I would have ever gone to a soccer game.  Must have been to well over a hundred by now.  I probably never would have gone back to the zoo, or the museum, or the Domes.  I never would have went to a train museum.  And the trips to Chicago for Science and Industry, or the Field museum, or the planetarium, or the aquarium.  Never.  I would have never gone back to Disney World......

I got to be a Cub Scout again.  Oh, Stew was the scout, but I was the "Den Mother" and got to do all the stuff with him.  He was a better scout than I was.  And what about all the family vacations we took.  Probably wouldn't have gone to half the places if the kids hadn't been here.

And then of course there were all the athletic events, from rec to select teams to high school, and all the other stuff in high school.  I had the opportunity to do some coaching.  Met some interesting people.  Never would have went to a track meet.  Never would have went to a band concert, or to a band revue.  All things that have made my life so much richer.

And it has continued in college.  I think a trip to St. Louis is just a short jaunt now.  I get to follow his track team, just as I did his high school team.  I got to go to the Drake Relays.  I've driven like a maniac for five or six or twelve hours to watch him run for two minuets at a time.  All worth it. 

I continue to be impressed with what a fine person he is.  I never got a call from the police, or from school, or from another parent with some kind of problem.  He knows what he needs to do, and just does it.  He actually is the person I wish I could have been.

So here is my birthday wish for you Stewart, on your twenty first.  I know all your work will pay off someday, so I'm not going to wish that for you.  And I could shower you with material things, but you never were much for that type of stuff either (good for you).  My birthday wish for you will be that one day you have a son much like yourself, one who enhances your life as much as you have mine.  Love you, Dad

Do As I Say, Not As I Did

I had to go back to my first posting to kind of get my bearings back on the ol' blog.  That being said, a little bit of advice to my younger friends....

A long long time ago I was in high school.  I was just an average student, maybe a little above.  As they do in high school, they eventually got around to asking me what I thought I wanted to do with my life.  I told them I wanted to teach high school history.  To this day I remember what Dale Hayman, my high school guidance councilor told me.  "Take it from a history teacher, you'll never find a job".  I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing, but what a pompous little man.  And I was a fool for listening to him.  I ended up drifting through college, graduated with my history degree, but not my else.  Should have gotten the teaching degree.

I am a mailman.  I got very lucky finding a job that enabled me to help support my family.  The benefits and schedule and vacation time has enabled me to enjoy my children, see America and to be able to see a pretty good retirement on the horizon.  But it is just a job.  It is boring.  There is really not much thinking involved, basically just the same thing day after day.  At least I don't hate it.  I get to interact with different customers (for good or bad) everyday, and I am outside quite a bit, so there are some things to be said for it.  And as for being something that was just temporary for me, it's too late to change now.

Which leads me to the points I want to make.  Everyday I see people trudging to their jobs in various offices and stores.  I talk to people that really hate what they are doing.  They don't want to be there.   Now I understand that sometimes you need to do what you need to do.  Good jobs are hard to come by.  That being said, I would suggest that you had better find something to do that you enjoy doing.  If you are indeed lucky, you will be doing it for 35 or 40 years--or more!  It is a long time.  Your life will most likely be happier earning a living doing something you like. 

So do some research, then listen to yourself.  If you want to teach, teach.  Be a banker, a chef, a salesman, a doctor, a plumber or soldier.  Do whatever YOU want to do.  Work at it, stay with it--you will be successful.  But try to do something you'll be happy doing.  May be one of the secrets of life......

TELEVISION

I've been doing some thinking lately about how I never seem to have time to get things done that I need to do or want to do.  I have come to the realization that I am spending way too much time watching television.

Then I start to think about all the garbage I am watching.  Why should I really care about cops and the criminals they are chasing, or watching them in prison, or acting like fools in lockup?  Why should I care about some goofy pawn shop, whether it be in Vegas or Detroit or New York or Chicago?  Why am I watching a bunch of goofs rummage through peoples storage units all over the country?  I think that stuff has to be staged anyways....

And then there are all the "hillbilly" shows I tend to gravitate to.  Guys catching gators, turtles, hand fishin', the list is long.  And the Moonshiners.....do I really care about Tim and Tickle and whether they get caught by the Feds?  And how can they not get caught---just watch the stupid show.....What is it about folks from the south???

I watch sports.  I watch sports I have no interest in.  Games I couldn't care less who wins.  I don't follow much basketball anymore, but football and baseball I watch.  For not much reason that I can think of.  Heck, I watch soccer, even though Stew isn't around anymore.

So I'm going to try and be done with it.  I have too many other things to do.  Books to read, chores to complete.  It's not going to be easy for me.  I find it very easy to just sit down when I get home from work, flip on the TV and the next thing I know 2 or 3 hours are just gone.  Well I have had enough of that.  Now there are a couple of things that I will still be watching....Seventeen or eighteen weeks of Packer football per year will not be missed.  Modern Family is must see for me, and will continue to be.  I do like a few PBS offerings, and they will be recorded.  But I am going to try and limit it to about that.  We will see how it works out. 

Although I would like to see how that Amish Mafia thing works out.....