Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

Daily writing prompt

This one is tough. I think I have really wracked my brains over it for maybe five whole minutes. I don’t think I have ever really met anyone famous. I’ve never met anyone infamous either.

I went to an in-store show at Newbury Comics in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA on the day Throwing Muses released their Limbo album back in 1996. I got autographs from all three members. Kristin Hersh, David Narcizo, and Bernard Georges. Are they famous enough? I mean, they absolutely are to me but does the rest of society consider them famous?

When I was really little my father took me to an autograph signing with two members of the Boston Bruins. This is back in the mid-70’s. I seem to remember it being at a car show in the parking lot of the Osco Drug store in Tewksbury, MA but that can’t be true, can it? The two Bruins were Stan Jonathan and The Chief Johnny Bucyk. They were both household names in New England at the time, and The Chief probably still is. He’s a total freakin’ legend in these parts. He’s probably the most famous person I’ve met, even if I don’t really remember it at all.

My Uncle worked for The Boston Celtics. I shit you not when I say that legendary Celtics head coach and general manager Red Auerbach was the best man at their wedding. Really. Had I been there, that probably would have been what I wrote about today. I think I was too young to go though so I didn’t meet him. I don’t think my Uncle counts as famous, but it is really freakin’ impressive when he shows off his two Celtics NBA Championship rings (1984 and 1986).

I guess when it comes to meeting famous or infamous people I have lived a pretty uneventful life.

What is good about having a pet?

Daily writing prompt

The real question should be what isn’t good about having a pet? Assuming your pet is a cat. I mean, dogs and fish and hamsters and llamas and alpacas and potbellied pigs and all are fine as pets, but cats… cats are the best.

Cats don’t give their love unconditionally. You need to earn it. You need to be the best human you can be to have a cat respect you. That’s the way it should be. Sure, feeding them and changing their litter helps, but it’s attitude too. You do right by them and they’ll sit on your lap and let you pet them and they will rub against your feet while you’re standing around (that is literally the best).

There are downsides too. They are expensive. They require a lot of work. They run around the house like maniacs and mess things up and break stuff. It’s all worth it though, especially for those one or two minutes a year when they let you pet their bellies.

Go adopt a cat from your local animal shelter. We have two and we’re sort of thinking about getting a third (not really, but really… would one male cat in the house calm down the fighting between the two female cats, or would it make things worse?). Don’t think about it… just do it. Adopt a cat.

Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not including your home or car).

Daily writing prompt

Not including your home or your car… well what about upgrades to your home? Do they count as personal items? How about a definition of “personal items”?

Do windows count as personal items? If they do then the answer to this question is probably all of the replacement windows we had put into the house last April. It could be remodeling the garage into a primary bedroom suite. Do bed/bath suites count as personal items? What about furniture? There’s also the cellar, kitchen, and dining room remodeling we did. All of that stuff is really expensive.

While those purchases are accurate, they aren’t really in keeping with the spirit of the thing. At least I don’t think they are. That answer is probably the laptop upon which I am typing this post. It is a two year old MacBook Pro (14 inch M1. I know that because I looked it up when Apple had their M3 launch a week or two ago) and it probably cost about two grand. The most expensive item I own is probably the Les Paul Standard 50’s that Jen got me for my birthday. That probably ran her a little more than the MacBook. However, I did not actually buy that guitar, Jen did. Therefore I cannot use it as the answer to this question.

The most valuable personal item I own is probably my Les Paul Custom. The one that is still in the shop getting major surgery. I paid $550 for it in 1990. A quick search on reverb.com and ebay.com shows me that I could probably sell it for somewhere around five grand. I am not selling it though. That sucker is going into the casket with me when my number is up. My step son can have the rest of my guitars, if he’s still playing. Otherwise, Jen and the kids can sell them and split the money. The custom though… that one is going into the ground with me forever.

Computers and guitars seem like the correct answer to this question, but I feel like I am missing something. I can’t think of what that could be though. I guess that means computers and guitars are the answer I’m running with. You’re welcome.