My favorite team, the Indians, was leading the Angels 3-0 going into the bottom of the sixth. At the end of the sixth the score was tied, 3-3. Not to worry, plenty of time to pull out a victory. The bottom of the ninth, the Angels hit a bunt single and the Indians go home to the reservation in defeat ( isn't that the case in all the westerns). Before I heave my favorite cup of coffee at the TV set, I remember a lesson from my rehab days. Breathe in - exhale, breathe in - exhale, breathe in - exhale! That's much better, after all it's only a game.
Only a game? Why are these characters making so much money? Ryan Howard, 5 years at 120 million. Pujols worth fifty million a year. A utility infielder makes 650 thousand a year. This is not a game, it's a money machine. Have you read about any ball player suffering because of the Great Recession? It's not only a game! Big bucks warrant big plays , big hits, big wins. If they don't produce get the eggs ready. If they don't produce get the Tea Party after them.
Breathe in - exhale! It really is only a game - too bad some teams haven't learned how to play it.
4/29/10
4/25/10
High On The Hog
While driving along with Fuji The Toyota ( Fuji is doing remarkably well, which can’t be said for its corporate parent) listening to the radio ( no texting, thank you), I heard the words “ for sure he wasn’t living high on the hog”. What a wonderful cliché! Certainly I could make a blog post out of it.
A little research into origins of “ living high on the hog” did not reveal any blockbuster ideas for a post. The phrase usually refers to an affluent life style, the high on the hog indicating eating the best cuts of meat from the pig such as pork chops and ham as opposed to satisfying ones hunger with belly pork and pig’s feet. Pig’s feet! That brings back a few memories.
As a youngster my father often cajoled me to try pig‘s feet. I usually did as Pop said , but no such delicacy for me. I preferred eating high on the hog. If high on the hog was not within our budget there was always pasta - except for one recipe, spaghetti and anchovies.
Spaghetti and anchovies was a staple every Christmas Eve. Someone had decreed that on Christmas eve meat was to be shunned - no eating high on the hog. In our family, the dish of choice was spaghetti and anchovies. As I recall the only members of the family devouring this atrocity were our parents. Anchovies are small salty green fish with the emphasis on salty. Anchovies are also popular with pizza. Again, I’ll pass.
Perhaps one of the most vile dishes I was ever asked to make part of my diet was tripe, better
known in my circles as trippa. Wikipedia says that beef tripe is usually made from only the first three chambers of a cow’s stomach. Unwashed (or "green") tripe includes some of the stomach's last content, giving it an unpleasant odor and causing it to be considered unfit for human consumption. Though it is called "green" because it has a high chlorophyll content, in reality it is often grayish brown as a result of other undigested compounds.
For human consumption, tripe must be washed and meticulously cleaned. It is ideal to boil it for two or three hours in water with salt to soften it and also clean it in the process.
Talk about much ado about nothing, anything requiring such meticulous treatment to make it edible is in reality not edible. Pop and I parted on this one also.
By now the reader must have concluded that I’m a finicky eater. Not really, as long as the food is high on the hog. In my defense I submit that I have eaten pig’s blood pudding and actually thought it was tasty. I suspect that the blood came from high on the hog.
There is one delicacy that my mother prepared that I ate under false pretenses. My mothe
r thought I was in love with stuffed artichokes. As a child I dutifully ate the stuffed artichokes which in itself was a labor intensive chore. The stuffed artichokes were equally labor intensive to make which probably was the reason I never divulged well into adulthood that I could do without them. I’m sure my mother went to her grave wondering who would make stuffed artichokes for me. Fortunately no one rose to the occasion and that was OK with me.
My musing about foods I can do without came to an abrupt end when I realized why Fuji and I were out for a drive. Fuji was hungry! I pulled up to a gas station and got ready to fill Fuji up when I heard, “ how about some hi test”. No way Fuji, you’re not eating high on the hog. Its regular for you.
A little research into origins of “ living high on the hog” did not reveal any blockbuster ideas for a post. The phrase usually refers to an affluent life style, the high on the hog indicating eating the best cuts of meat from the pig such as pork chops and ham as opposed to satisfying ones hunger with belly pork and pig’s feet. Pig’s feet! That brings back a few memories.As a youngster my father often cajoled me to try pig‘s feet. I usually did as Pop said , but no such delicacy for me. I preferred eating high on the hog. If high on the hog was not within our budget there was always pasta - except for one recipe, spaghetti and anchovies.
Spaghetti and anchovies was a staple every Christmas Eve. Someone had decreed that on Christmas eve meat was to be shunned - no eating high on the hog. In our family, the dish of choice was spaghetti and anchovies. As I recall the only members of the family devouring this atrocity were our parents. Anchovies are small salty green fish with the emphasis on salty. Anchovies are also popular with pizza. Again, I’ll pass.
Perhaps one of the most vile dishes I was ever asked to make part of my diet was tripe, better
known in my circles as trippa. Wikipedia says that beef tripe is usually made from only the first three chambers of a cow’s stomach. Unwashed (or "green") tripe includes some of the stomach's last content, giving it an unpleasant odor and causing it to be considered unfit for human consumption. Though it is called "green" because it has a high chlorophyll content, in reality it is often grayish brown as a result of other undigested compounds.For human consumption, tripe must be washed and meticulously cleaned. It is ideal to boil it for two or three hours in water with salt to soften it and also clean it in the process.
Talk about much ado about nothing, anything requiring such meticulous treatment to make it edible is in reality not edible. Pop and I parted on this one also.
By now the reader must have concluded that I’m a finicky eater. Not really, as long as the food is high on the hog. In my defense I submit that I have eaten pig’s blood pudding and actually thought it was tasty. I suspect that the blood came from high on the hog.
There is one delicacy that my mother prepared that I ate under false pretenses. My mothe
r thought I was in love with stuffed artichokes. As a child I dutifully ate the stuffed artichokes which in itself was a labor intensive chore. The stuffed artichokes were equally labor intensive to make which probably was the reason I never divulged well into adulthood that I could do without them. I’m sure my mother went to her grave wondering who would make stuffed artichokes for me. Fortunately no one rose to the occasion and that was OK with me.My musing about foods I can do without came to an abrupt end when I realized why Fuji and I were out for a drive. Fuji was hungry! I pulled up to a gas station and got ready to fill Fuji up when I heard, “ how about some hi test”. No way Fuji, you’re not eating high on the hog. Its regular for you.
4/18/10
Keep the hell out of my government!
In today's Plain Dealer, Regina Brett devotes her column to sharing reasons some of her readers have for remaining Catholic. Except for one quote there were no surprises. Ms. Brett, a devout Catholic, molded a column around the reasoning of other equally devout Catholics. They are defenders of the faith and that is their choice. But what of the quote that bothers me?
One reader was quoted as saying, " The Catholic Church is still the Church of the people -- like the government used to be." The Church of the people? That in my mind is debatable, the Church reeks of authoritarianism, but if that is what someone is comfortable with - so be it. What really galls me is the statement, "like the government used to be". Comparing the Church with the government and concluding that The Church is "of the people" and the government is no longer of the people is ludricous. When is the last time that the people elected a Pope, a Bishop, a Pastor? When did the Church relinquish its veto power over the will of the people.
The last I heard we have a government of the people and for the people and no one has dared to change that. The people still have the power of the vote and its their choice as to how they use it.
I wonder, has The Tea Party and its anti- government rhetoric infiltrated The Church? Does the Pope know about this? Why do Catholics refer to THE CHURCH as though there were no other church? If The Church is of the people when will the people use their supposed power to clean house? When will The Church release its people from bondage?
Catholics should keep their Faith if that is what they are comfortable with, but for Heaven's sake keep the hell out of my Government!
One reader was quoted as saying, " The Catholic Church is still the Church of the people -- like the government used to be." The Church of the people? That in my mind is debatable, the Church reeks of authoritarianism, but if that is what someone is comfortable with - so be it. What really galls me is the statement, "like the government used to be". Comparing the Church with the government and concluding that The Church is "of the people" and the government is no longer of the people is ludricous. When is the last time that the people elected a Pope, a Bishop, a Pastor? When did the Church relinquish its veto power over the will of the people.
The last I heard we have a government of the people and for the people and no one has dared to change that. The people still have the power of the vote and its their choice as to how they use it.
I wonder, has The Tea Party and its anti- government rhetoric infiltrated The Church? Does the Pope know about this? Why do Catholics refer to THE CHURCH as though there were no other church? If The Church is of the people when will the people use their supposed power to clean house? When will The Church release its people from bondage?
Catholics should keep their Faith if that is what they are comfortable with, but for Heaven's sake keep the hell out of my Government!
4/16/10
Longevity Has Its Rewards
Talked to our 3 year old great-grandson Marcus on the phone yesterday. The feelings I had during our conversation are indescribable. Tomorrow will be our great-granddaughter Sophia's 2 year birthday. Longevity has its rewards!
4/15/10
A little ado about a few things
In keeping with this blog's title , I need to get a few random thoughts off my chest:
- A recent poll found Tea Party backers wealthier and more educated than the general populace. Education can lead to wealth but evidently it can also lead to stupidity.
- Whatever happened to the United Nations?
- Headlines are made when civilians are killed on military missions in Afghanistan. Iraq and Pakistan. Whoever said that war is civil ?
- Perhaps the world needs a Commissioner of War, ala the major sports commissioners, to regulate all the wars going on! Everyone needs to play by the rules. If they don't there should be hell to pay or better still they should be barred from playing war!
- Didn't we once have a Secretary of War? Ah yes, the post gave way to Secretary of Defense. They say that the best defense is an offense.
- At long last change has come to Washington. It is now Spring!
- The Cleveland Indians are determined to become the worst team in Baseball and are working hard for that distinction. When will they realize that Chief Wahoo has cast a losing spell which can only be broken by his release!
- Today is April 15th. Hope those tea partiers took time off from their hollerin' and bellerin' to file their taxes. I forgot, the wealthy don't pay taxes. They are too well educated for that sort of nonsense.
- Fortunately we have the middle class to pay taxes.
4/12/10
Opening Day Magic
Today is Opening Day for the Cleveland Indians and like every Opening Day it brings back memories of the first ( and regrettably the only) Opening Day I ever attended, April 7, 1973.My friend Fred and I decided that it would be nice to take our youngest sons to the Cleveland Indians Opening Day game. We were both transplants from New York State and had abandoned the Yankees for the Indians.
The day of the game, we set out for Cleveland Municipal Stadium. We had not purchased advance tickets since the Indians were a mediocre team and only a small crowd was expected. The stadium could seat over 70.000 fans - no problem.
Imagine our shock when we got to the stadium, had trouble parking and found long lines at the ticket booth. I don't know what got into me but the thought of my son missing the game after I had touted up the excitement he would experience got the best of me. I found myself dashing straight for the ticket booth , bypassing the long line. I reached the booth , stepped ahead of the gentleman ( lucky me that he was a gentleman) ready to buy his tickets and purchased four tickets for the game. The boos and curses didn't bother me, I had four tickets. I had forgotten that I was in Cleveland and people had been beaten up and even killed for such a stupid stunt. It was worth it. Igot the tickets, the kids were happy and we enjoyed the game. Best of all, Gaylord Perry had his spitter going - Cleveland 2, Detroit 1.
The evening news reported that a " flash crowd" was at the stadium. The largest opening day crowd ever, attended the April 7 , 1973 home opener at Cleveland Stadium. A total of 74, 720 fans including Tony, Steve, Fred and Christopher were on hand to watch the game.
Ed Note : The magic is gone! Opening Day 2010 - Texas 4, Cleveland 2, but still a fan!
4/10/10
About This Poem, Not So Dreadful
The above popped up on one of those desk calendars that people give other people for Christmas. The poem never won a Pulitzer but I think its great, even though the poet is referred to as the worst poet in American history. Reading the poem brings out sorrow and laughter at the same time, whether that was the intention or not, and leaves a pleasant taste - no pun intended. Isn't that what poetry is all about? I qualify as a critic since I can lay claim to being the worst poet in blogging history (About Poetry).
4/9/10
About British Politics
On April 6th, Gordon Brown announced that the United Kingdom would hold a general election on May 6, 2010. Within thirty days the Brits will decide whether Labour will continue to govern or whether the Conservatives will be the ruling party. Compare that to our presidential elections which occupy the political scene for a good two years and at the present seem to start right after Inauguration Day. The British system almost makes me envious. Cost efficient, a minimum of disruption and most important of all, only a proven leader will be the next Prime Minister no matter which party wins. Too bad they are beholden to a monarch.
(The high primal thinker criticized the last line in this post. She pointed out that the British are not beholden to a monarch - the monarch is ceremonial. To this high primal thought , I must respond that any populace that requires a monarch as head of state even as a ceremonial post is either beholden to that monarch or a bunch of a-holes!)
(The high primal thinker criticized the last line in this post. She pointed out that the British are not beholden to a monarch - the monarch is ceremonial. To this high primal thought , I must respond that any populace that requires a monarch as head of state even as a ceremonial post is either beholden to that monarch or a bunch of a-holes!)
4/8/10
Dancing Hole In One Golfer
We have a budding cinematographer in the family, our son-in-law. Considering that today is the start of the Masters, his first venture might be appropriate for a post. Move over Woods and Mickelson!
4/5/10
Color And Ethnicity Simplified
The 2010 Census questionnaire has stirred up some controversy with the multiple choice questions concerning race and ethnicity. Some object to the term negro, some want to see the term Latino. Are you white or black?
It would be much simpler and a tribute to our diversity if we were asked to respond to the question of color by using a sliding scale.
On a scale of 1 to 10 what is your color with 1 being very white,2 - white, 3 - mostly white, 4- swarthy, 5- yellow, 6- red, 7- brown, 8- mostly black, 9- black and 10- very black.
That should settle the color question. As for ethnicity, merely report all citizens of the United States as Americans!
It would be much simpler and a tribute to our diversity if we were asked to respond to the question of color by using a sliding scale.
On a scale of 1 to 10 what is your color with 1 being very white,2 - white, 3 - mostly white, 4- swarthy, 5- yellow, 6- red, 7- brown, 8- mostly black, 9- black and 10- very black.
That should settle the color question. As for ethnicity, merely report all citizens of the United States as Americans!
4/1/10
April Fool
Today will be a day like all days. We like to think of it as April Fools Day but really , is it any different than any other day? We have the privilege of playing the fool any day that we choose. For instance, I found myself musing this morning that on any given day in this fool's paradise, a fool and his money, which in reality is fool's gold, are soon parted.
If you have concluded that I'm a cynic down on life, shame on you. A cynic, no - a fool perhaps. Remember its April Fools Day and only a fool would choose to note it.
If you have concluded that I'm a cynic down on life, shame on you. A cynic, no - a fool perhaps. Remember its April Fools Day and only a fool would choose to note it.
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