Category: Generic

Vote

Daily writing prompt
Do you vote in political elections?
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I sincerely hope that everyone who uses wordpress.com and responds to the daily prompts lives in a place where voting is something they have the right to do.

Do I vote? Yes. Always. Well… there have been the occasional city/town elections over the years when I have failed to cast my vote, but they are few and far between. These days in the United States of America it is especially important to exercise your right to vote because so many of the people gunning (pun intended) for power here are fascists and if they gain control our days of having a vote will likely end. We are on the brink of oppression here and have been for longer than most of us realized. Now that it’s clear, we still have half of the country who are in favor of giving up our constitution in favor of a cult. Yeah. Fascism is a bitch. Fuck them all.

I used to say that if you pass on your right to vote then you give up your right to bitch about what the politicians do. That used to be both an accurate response and a smart ass remark. Now it seems incredibly understated and naive. Voting is the only option at this point. Do it. Take away the fascists’ legal route to power. Vote them out. All of them.

Sorry for getting all heavy and shit. It’s Friday, I was hoping for something light and breezy today but this is what they gave us. Fuck fascism. Fuck the maga cult.

Direction

Daily writing prompt
What gives you direction in life?
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GPS. Get it?? Damn, am I funny! WOOHOO!

I don’t know what gives me direction in life. Does anyone? Does anyone have any direction or are we all just flailing away, blind and clueless? Are the people who claim to have direction just deluded and chasing fairy tales around through life? It seems that way to me.

I guess, like everything else in my universe, what direction I get comes from my family. Jen and the kids. Where they go, I follow. When they need, I try to get. Simple as that. I probably take direction from work too, but is that life or just profession? Is there a difference?

I can say for sure that I do not take direction from the stars or the calendar or any fairy tales. I am as clear on that as clear can be. It makes me sad that I know that a significant portion of the responses to this daily prompt are going to say exactly that. That is pretty depressing to me. Is such a reaction in some part a source of direction? No, I don’t think so.

I’m more and more on team flailing away blind and clueless here. What’s a red head to do, you know?

Quote

Daily writing prompt
Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
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I like to borrow my quote-to-live-by from the keyboard player for Spinal Tap. He said, “have a good time, all the time.”

No… sorry, I can’t back that up. I’m full of it. I don’t live my life that way. I more live my life by a quote from the drummer from Spinal Tap. He said, “the law of averages says you will survive.” Actually, Marty DiBergi said that, not the drummer. He said it to the drummer and the drummer agreed… and then shortly after the drummer exploded on stage.

So that might not be a good quote to live by either.

Google used to have a good quote and I would like to say I try to live my life by it, even if Google does not. Google said, “don’t be evil.” I would expect most of us could live by that pretty successfully without much effort, but if that is the case how does one explain the maga cult and the rise of fascism worldwide? That’s the exact opposite of don’t be evil. That’s a bunch of psychotics embracing evil and being as evil as humanly possible all day long.

Crap.

I guess I don’t really have a quote to live my life by. I love my wife and I love my kids and I love my family and I love my friends and I try to be a good employee and a good supervisor and I try to play the guitar as much as possible and I try to embrace the chaos that is the occasional run-on sentence.

Other than that… I guess… have a good time all the time.

Game Five: Tied in the Third

Game five is about seven minutes into the third period and the score is tied at one.

This isn’t a must win for the Bruins, what with their three games to one lead in the series, but after blowing the same lead to Florida in the first round last year, it sure feels like a must win to me!

Come on, Bruins. You’ve got half a period left to put Toronto away for good.

Game Five

I turned on the Bruins game just in time to see the Leafs score and take a 1-0 lead in the first period.

MuthaPussBucket!

The pain of the collapse in games five, six, and seven in the first round against Florida last year is still very fresh in my mind.

Not again, Bruins. Pretty please?

Holidaze

Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?
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Like most American kids my youth was spent living for Christmas. You know, presents and shite. As I got older my opinions changed. Xmas changed from a joyous celebration to a months long stress-fest followed by one happy, wonderful day. It dropped way down on the list of favorite holidays.

Thanksgiving ceremoniously took over the top spot on that list. Meeting Jen and having a couple of kids in my life brought new life to Xmas, a new perspective and all, but I still saw Thanksgiving as my fav. Quality family time, good food, a happy celebration. All of those things make it my favorite.

Weight loss surgery has changed the perspective again. I can’t really partake in the Thanksgiving feast the way I used to. A tiny bit of turkey, a tiny bit of stuffing, a bite of mashed potatoes and I am stuffed like you’ve heard about. It doesn’t actually change anything, I just feel oddly self conscious.

So does that change what I see as my favorite holiday? Not really. A little? Does that move Halloween into the top spot? If the kids were still trick or treating it might. I really enjoy being the guy who hands out the treats at our house, but I enjoyed bringing the kids out more. So Thanksgiving still tops Halloween. Memorial Day is a contender, but only by association. We got married near Memorial Day so to me the holiday is more representative of our anniversary. 15 years, this year. We’re going to celebrate with a little trip.

So I think the answer to the question of the day is the same one it has been since I was a teenager and Santa Claus stopped being a thing. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is the best of them all. At least for a middle aged red head living in the United States.

Camp Concussion

Daily writing prompt
Have you ever been camping?
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Back in the early 80’s I was a Boy Scout. You bet your sweet ass I’ve been camping.

I don’t think I was ever very good at it, if that’s even a thing. I always enjoyed the little trips. Tents, cabins, whatever. Tents in the winter time are a pretty sucky experience. Warm cabins? Now we’re talking. Except for that one time.

It was the dead of winter. The weather was super cold but the cabin was warm. The lake was frozen and we were going to try ice fishing. First we tried sledding down the steep, icy hill that had the path from the cabin to the lake. I wasn’t the first to go. The adventurous, athletic types lined up to go first. I was the awkward fat kid and I stayed near the back of the line.

All of the other guys were laying down on the sled and going head first. They were flying down that hill at crazy speeds. I was too chicken for that. I sat upright with my ass toward the back. My first run down the hill was awesome, at first. Then gravity combined with a really low coefficient of friction conspired to do their thing. The weight was at the back of the sled and wouldn’t you know it, the sucker spun around. I was now flying down the hill at a million miles an hour (estimated) backwards. It was exhilarating. Until the tree, at least.

I hit a tree while traveling at about Warp 8.5. Slam. Crash. My head slammed into the tree, very hard. I didn’t pass out, but it knocked me for a loop, I tells ya. Ouch town, population me, Bro. The adults packed me into someone’s car and drove me to a doctor. I had a concussion. I was a tad loopy for a day or two. I slept well, at least.

I don’t remember if that was my last Scout camping trip or not. It might have been. It would probably make a better story if it were. I quit the Boy Scouts when I was in the eighth grade. I gave it another try about a year later, but I didn’t last long enough to go on any camping trips. I am pretty sure that this concussion was my second and last. I was six when I had the first one and that was ice-related too, but I’ll share that story another day.

I guess the follow up question here is would I ever want to go camping again. The answer is never say never, but it’s a safe bet I have packed my last tent. Done and done.