I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 175. With eyes closed, A finger pointed to the page, causing my finger to fall close to the word”cash.” That will be the prompt. As a reminder I will be offline March 12th through the 19th. Tempeste and Twiggy return on March 20.
Since spring is almost here and baseball will be starting soon, I thought it would be a good idea to go back to 2013 and revisit a post co-written by Marie Bailey and me. For those of you in little league, this may be useful. Hopefully, there will be a few laughs for the rest of us. I announced yesterday that I will be off-line from March 12 to the 19th. Tempeste and Twiggy will be back on March 20th.
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Top Ten Things Not To Do at a Little League Game
10. When at a little league game, do not assume that your brief foray into sports during high school makes you an expert in the game your child is in. If you do at best, your advice will fall on deaf ears. At worst, that big assistant coach with the ball bat is heading your way.
9. When at a little league game, do not call out penalties as if you were the referee. If you do at best, everyone will ignore you. At worst, the crowd of child worshiping parents from the other team have plans to meet you after the game.
8. When at a little league game, do not think you can place bets on the outcomes. If you do at best, all the action will be low-key. At worst, parents of the kids you bet against will find out and toss you out of the game and split your winnings.
7. When at a little league game, do not show up wearing your uniform from high school. If you do at best, you won’t rip open your pants the first time you sit down on a bench. At worst, your kids will fumble a play from sheer embarrassment, and you’ll have to find your own way home.
6. When at a little league game, do not show up toting your own keg of beer. If you do at best, everyone will think you are a hero. At worst, the county liquor control board has seized your beer and provided you with a drafty place to spend the night.
5. When at a little league game, do not prowl the sidelines and try to make eye contact with your kid. If you do at best, your kid will be too busy playing the game and ignore you. At worst, you’ll not be warned that the ball just tossed is headed straight for a spot that will hurt.
4. When at a little league game, do not spend the whole time pretending to be videotaping the game on your smartphone when you are checking your email, the latest stock reports and weather updates. If you do at best, you can continue uninterrupted. At worst, several parents ask if they can have a copy of your video, and in the moment, with no excuse, you drop your phone into a water bucket.
3. When at a little league game, do not offer to take all the kids out for ice cream. If you do at best, they will all be lactose intolerant and forbidden to go. At worst, they all take you up on your offer and find that you forgot your wallet after ordering.
2. When at a little league game, do not attempt to join the cheerleaders at any point during the game. If you do at best, someone will stop you. At worst you’ll wind up dislocating your hips, and your kids will never speak to you again.
1. When at a little league game, do not shower insults on kids from the opposing team. If you do at best, the crowd noise will drown you out. At worst, when their parents come to silence you, no one will stand in their way because yelling at kids is just wrong.
After last week’s disaster, I’m happy to report that this week’s trip to the Lakeway City Hall Art show will be a success. The lights and art cooperated. We are catered by Stella San Jac of Austin. Our entertainment is Don McLean.
Before we go, I want you to know that I will be traveling and on a break from Wednesday March 12th until Wednesday March 19th. I will be off-line for the whole week. Tempeste and Twiggy will be back on the 20th.
Menu
All American – Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Crispy Hash Brown, Sourdough Toast
The coffee machine leaves a message to watch the time after pressing my order. The 10 oz coffee order is pressed and the cup is filled in ten seconds. A message comes back that the machine will try for a new record tomorrow. With a shoulder shrug and a sip, the clock is the next item of concern. The setting is for Chicago on March 8th, 1925. The duration is an hour. The plunger is pulled and we find ourselves at the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Dr. Herman N. Bundesen, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health announced in an article in the Department’s weekly bulletin that the ongoing crossword puzzle fad caused no ill health effects from headaches or eye strain, as had previously been feared, and was beneficial to health in general. The Commissioner reads from the bulletin to the employees gathered in the cafeteria. In a feature titled “Cross-Worditis”, Bundesen humorously noted, “The savage little cross-word microbe may be largely explained by the fact that part of our lives and much energy must be put into amusement, to satisfy the play instinct within us. Therefore, any game with a mental ‘kick’ in it is quickly accepted and eagerly pursued. A collective sigh went up from the crowd, and all continued drinking coffee and working on their crossword puzzles.
The alarm goes off and we end up on the couch. A text has come in from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “open book, close eyes, point, write.” When you’re ready to sit down and write your SoCS post, open the closest printed matter, close your eyes, point to a word, and use it as your prompt. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun! Following directions, I open and point at a page of GQ Magazine. My finger lands on the word “watch” in a Cartier Timepiece Advertisement.
Esther has given Eternal Road – The Ffnal stop a wonderful review on her post today. I am very grateful to her since the book isn’t in her normal reading type but she enjoyed it enough to write her review. Thanks so much, Esther. I hope you guys hop over there and check out her blog. It is a very interesting place. Thank you again. Esther.
Verizon teamed up with ForgiveCo to eliminate $10 million in consumer debt for 6,500 Western North Carolinians who are still recovering from Hurricane Helene’s sweeping devastation.
The North Carolina families learned that Verizon—the world’s second-largest telecommunications company—cleared their medical, financial, and other debts with the help of ForgiveCo, whose “random acts of kindness” model purchases consumer debt with no applications required. In fact, the beneficiaries did not need to take further action.
Recipients were then notified through surprise letters, emails, and text messages.
But if a phone call learning that your debt has been cleared isn’t exciting enough, Basketball Hall of Fame coach and Asheville native Roy Williams has signed on to share the news with the impacted families.
“These are challenging times, but I’ve seen the strength and resilience of this community. Verizon’s support is a powerful reminder that no one is alone, and together, we’ll rise stronger,” said Mr. Williams.
“It’s a privilege to share this message of hope with the incredible people of North Carolina.”
The hurricane destroyed Shelley Queen’s home in Jackson County. Still, she was one of those touched by Verizon, having medical debt forgiven after she was diagnosed with diabetes, which turned her family’s life upside down.
John Middelkoop
“There were numerous hospital visits, including times I was in a coma and needed a pump to survive. These medical challenges have been difficult, both emotionally and financially. This forgiveness is truly a life-changing gift.”
Craig Antico, Founder and CEO of ForgiveCo, confirmed the debt relief, saying, “Through this effort, Verizon will bring transformative change to the lives of North Carolinians in crisis, leaving a lasting mark on future generations.”
Tim Luker, who also lives in Jackson County, has congestive heart disease and was hospitalized the day before the hurricane hit. Since then, he’s been working tirelessly to clean up lots of water damage, floor issues, and yard damage. “When I got out of the hospital, I couldn’t go home because of storm damage.”
“It means everything to me,” said Tim. “I don’t have much… $11,000 is life-changing for someone like me.”
“This makes a huge difference.”
The good news in this story is that a giant company is willing to help its customers in their time of need. Today’s JohnKu talks about helping others. I hope you have a beautiful weekend.
I’m very pleased to have been invited for a video chat with Stephen Geez and Beem Weeks tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern time.
We will be discussing Detour on the Eternal Road and other things so I hope you can join us. The discussions with Stephen and Beem are always lively with a healthy dose of laughs too. (My face is always good for a laugh in itself)
Here is the link to join the broadcast at 8:00 PM Eastern. I hope to see you there.
I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 205. With my eyes closed I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger was “face.” That is the prompt today.
This post, co-authored by Marie Bailey, ran on November 6, 2013. Since people still commute to work, it should be relevant.
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Top Ten Things Not to do When Commuting to Work by Car
10 When commuting to work by car, do not apply mascara or use an electric razor while driving. If you do, at best, you’ll have smudges or missed spots. At worse, you might wind up with a mascara brush sticking out of your eye or a long shave up the side of the head as you slam on the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of you. (Good luck at the meeting.)
9 When commuting to work by car don’t drive like James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. If you do, at best, you’ll just wind up stopped at the next intersection. At worst, you’ll wind up alongside the road being attended to by a traffic officer eager to make his quota early and being on display for all the folks you passed.
8 When commuting to work by car, try not to listen to state or national news on your radio. If you do listen, at best, you will need to breath deeply. At worst, your fellow commuters will call the local police thinking all those expletives were signs of a nervous breakdown. (Sitting in the back of a police care sure makes those news stories seem insignificant don’t they?)
7 When commuting to work by car, do not think you are encouraging the driver ahead of you to go faster by following them so closely that you can see yourself in their rear view mirror. If you do, at best, the driver ahead makes no sudden stops. At worst, they quickly step on the brake and cause you to rear-end them. (Don’t even try to argue the point of who’s fault this accident is. You know it’s yours.)
6 When commuting to work by car, do not try to eat your breakfast and drive at the same time. If you do, at best, you’ll just gross people out when they see you stuff a double-Egg McMuffin in your mouth. At worst, the coffee you start to sip will wind up all over your nice white shirt or blouse when you suddenly have to step on the brake to avoid hitting someone pulling out of a McDonald’s in front of you. (Seemed like a good idea while in the drive through.)
5 When commuting to work by car, avoid the temptation to pick your nose, pop a pimple, or check your teeth while waiting for a green light. If you can’t avoid the temptation, At best, no one will see you. At worst, the other commuters viewing your activities will be attending customer meeting that you have scheduled that morning. (Too bad you grossed out your important customers)
4 When commuting to work by car, do not try to read The Wall Street Journal or finish reading the last chapter of the book you can’t put down. If you do, at best, you are fully aware of surrounding traffic. At worst, you’ll never get to finish the book because the traffic cop saw you reading, pulled you over, and then confiscated your book (How were you to know it was on his TBR list?)
3 When commuting to work by car, do not think there will be no traffic when you’re running 15 minutes late for a meeting with the CEO of your company. If you do, at best, you make all the lights. At worse, the city utility vehicles will be out in full force, trimming trees and picking up yard waste on every street that is normally part of your commute. (Your commute time is double and your chances of being fired triple)
2 When commuting to work by car, do check your text messages before you get to your office. At best, you’ll have some near-misses as commuters try to get around you and put distance between your bad driving and theirs. At worst, the same traffic cop that pulled you over in #4 and #9 will be more than happy to pull you over again since you are single-handedly helping the officer meet a quota.
1. When commuting to work by car, do not treat your driving as a right, but rather as a privilege which can be taken away at any moment for bad behavior. If you do, at best, you’ll rack up more fines and fees in a month than you pay in car insurance in a year. At worst, bad driving can lead to bad things happening to other people or to you. (Be mindful. Be aware. Drive safely)
