Gapses in the Synapses

Have a veritable smorgasboard of material to cover this go around.  Subjects ranging from politics to the power of TV to sports, among other things.  So, if you're game, here we go:

• Want to know the true power of television?  My son had been playing his Nintendo DS in the living room all morning with the TV turned off.  I went into the kitchen to fix myself some breakfast and turned the TV in there on while I was eating.  He came in the room, while still playing his game, just to listen to the show I was watching. It was a show about the different stages the earth went through as it was being formed, too.  Riveting television for a nine year old.  He didn't leave until I turned it back off, either.  Reckon only got myself to blame for that;
• If you have any political ambitions, better make sure you know your local sports teams.  According to David Gergen, a well-respected political analyst, part of the reason the Dem lost in Massachusetts was cuz she didn't know who Curt Schilling is.  She was asked during a radio call-in show about him, and she apparently made some comment about him being a Yankee fan.  Per Mr. Gergen, the fact she didn't know who the hero of the 2004 Red Sawx is didn't set well with the Sawx fans and probably cost her a bunch of votes.  Just never know what may appeal to or turn off voters.  We sure are fickle sometimes.  Who says we only care about the issues?;
• Know this will sound crass, but if there's anything positive coming out of the whole Haiti crisis, it's that celebrities have something to rally around now.  Been worried about them since they don't have W to kick around any more.  Didn't watch the Hope for Haiti stuff last week, but it wasn't cuz it was hard to find on TV.  Counted at least 7 stations that were covering it, including the major networks.  Read the concert has raised almost $58 million so far and it's still coming in.  Did see an article today saying overall donations for Haiti are already slowing down.  Guess we've almost reached our saturation point.  Talk about a short collective attention span;
• Read an article saying the best gift you can give is cash if you are interested in donating for Haiti.  Have to say I agree with that.  Was down on the Gulf Coast for nine months after Katrina hit.  Saw piles of water, food, clothing and diapers still outside a lot of facilities when I left from there.  At some point, they are going to need to start purchasing building supplies and other things.  A lot easier to do that with cash instead of diapers.  Also easier to ship cash to Haiti than actual supplies;
• Saw where Grant Desme, one of the Oakland A's top prospects, is leaving pro baseball for the priesthood.  Have to admire someone who will give up potential millions to follow his heart.  He was the MVP of his league last year so he obviously had potential.  Said he had been conflicted since he turned pro and now he's at peace within himself. The article I read said there is 10 years of training involved to be a priest.  Never knew there was that much to it, but, then again, ain't Catholic, either.  You go, Grant, and God bless;
• Did you watch the NFL conference championships this weekend?  As much as Brett Favre has aggravated me this year (well, more the media covering him than him), have to admit he played a whale of a game while pretty much getting his brains beat out for most of it.  Wish could say it's surprising his last pass was an interception, but it ain't.  The game was his career in a nutshell.  Great plays because of the risks he's willing to take along with bonehead plays for the same reason.  Excited to see the Saints and Colts in the Super Bowl.  Can honestly say will be happy with whoever wins.  Da Bears are home watching, too, and am fans of both Peyton Manning and the Saints;
• Saw where Pernell Roberts died today at the age of 82.  Loved him in Trapper John, M.D.  Was also pretty good in Bonanza.  The article I read said he marched with Martin Luther King, Jr, somewhere in Alabama. Selma, I believe.  He also protested having an all-white stage crew for Bonanza.  Never knew he was that big into the civil rights movement.  Not a bad legacy for an old Georgia boy;
• Was looking at my map today and saw where someone from Istanbul, Turkey, had visited the blog.  Purty cool.  Wish it would tell me how long they were on the page.  Sometimes I will click on the "Next Blog" link at the very top of the page to see what else is out there.  Imagine that's what happened here.  Most of the websites are in other languages.  Oddly enough, most I run across are in Portugese.  Reckon that shouldn't be much of a surprise since the Portugese settled the half of the New World that the Spainsih didn't. A translation button comes up so can translate any that really look interesting to me.  Still, gives you some perspective on just how global the internet really is.

Well, that's all I got for now.  Appreciate you making it this far.  Hope you have a great week!

And, I am outta here!

Gapses in the Synapses

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween over the weekend. Ours was pretty nice in spite of the cold weather. Well, it was cold for the South, anyway. At least the rain quit around lunchtime. Could have been very miserable.

Anyway, have a few things to comment on this week. And away we go:

• Watched a little of the Vikings/Packers game yesterday. The Favre worship wasn't quite as bad this time, but it was a little much at times. Yes, it's great that a 40 year-old-man is playing his position well in the NFL. But, there are two things that have bothered me about both of his comebacks. First, the media acts like it's the Second Coming every time. As much as it may pain some people to hear this, he's only playing football. He ain't coming back to solve world hunger, solve the Middle East crisis, etc. There are much more important things to talk about in the world. Second, don't think he understands why people outside of Green Bay aren't really fans of him, anymore. It's not because he's not playing for the Packers and it's not because they are tired of the media oogling over him, although imagine that's got something to do with it. It's because it appears he drags these decisions out to get all the media attention he can out of it. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm, and, when he announces his retirement again, he will really mean it this time. Now that he's beaten the Packers twice, maybe he will finally ride off into the sunset and retire for good while he's still at the top of his game;
• Saw a story asking whether there's room for moderates in the Republican party. Made me a little angry cuz don't think there is room for moderates in either party. The reason for the story is there's a special election for a Congressional seat in New York. One of the Republican candidates withdrew from the race over the weekend cuz the other Republican candidate was ahead of her in the polls and in raising money. She was hand-picked by the committee cuz they thought her moderate views would appeal to more people. Maybe, maybe not. If people don't think she's likable, her stances probably don't matter a whole lot. So, now there are articles questioning whether there is room for moderates in the party. My answer is there's no room for moderates in either party. Read another story where Harry Reid added a public option to a Senate healthcare reform plan. Had to do it cuz the liberal constituency in his district was up in arms. So, he added something that will further drag out the process and probably has no chance of passing just to satisfy the less-moderate side of his party, which most likely shows him the most money. Think that is one thing wrong with America these days: there's no room for moderation in either party. Won't even get into the money part of it. Wish a viable third party would arise, or, at least a viable independent candidate. Not ashamed to say I voted for Ross Perot in '92 (before he wigged out). He had a pretty strong showing and got the attention of a lot of knuckleheads in DC. Unfortunately, he went crazy in '96 so both parties went back to their usual business. Sad to see;
• See where President Obama's poll numbers have come back to earth. Shouldn't be a surprise. Most politicians seem more appealing when they are candidates as opposed to actually serving. Wish they would delve a little deeper in those polls and ask why. If I had to guess, half of those who don't like him think he's taking things too far and the other half thinks he hasn't gone far enough. For those in the latter, he's only been in office for a year. Surely you weren't expecting everything to be solved in a year. Most of our problems have been bubbling for 15-20 years (and even longer). Don't care who you are. They ain't gonna be fixed in a year. If you are a regular reader, you probably already know where I stand on this so won't chew that bubblegum again;
• In case you were wondering, the blood pressure went down enough that won't have to take any pills for now. Have lost 33 pounds since the end of June in my Battle of the Bulge. Still hope to lose about 7 more before all is said and done. The Mrs has done even better than that. (Way to go, Honey!) Most of mine has been from running 4-6 times a week and using the Lose It! app on my iPhone to count my calories. My wife has done the same along with going to Curves three times a week. The hardest part has been finding the money for all the new clothes. (By the way, that's no excuse not to diet and exercise);
• A friend reminded me that you don't have to be alone when times are rough. You can always reach out to your friends for support. True friends will be there for you through good times and bad. They will also never complain about you reaching out to them. More importantly, you can always reach out to Jesus. He reminds us in Matthew 11:28-30 that He wants to help carry our burdens in life. All we have to do is ask. Just as a reminder, if you have anything you would like me or anyone else to pray about, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail. There is a link in my profile.

That's all I got for now. Just wanted to point out the left-hand side of the page in case you've never noticed. Have some quotes over there. Also have links to other blogs that I encourage you to check out. Feel free to become a follower if you'd like. Appreciate those of you who already are. Gives me encouragement to keep it up.

Peace out!

Shallow Thoughts

Do any of you remember the old Saturday Night Live vignettes Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey? Well, these are some of my shallow thoughts, but thought I would pay homage to him, anyway. Loved those things. Anyway...

• Tried to watch Monday Night Football tonight, but all the Brett Favre worship is making me sick. Yes, he is one of the all-time greats of the game. But, every time he completes a pass you would think it was the greatest pass ever thrown and no one else in the NFL could have done it. Just reminds me why I hardly ever watch ESPN anymore. Too much hype and not enough substance. Oh brother;
• Can't really figure out why some media folks are making such a big deal about David Letterman and his office romances. Doubt he's much of a role model to kids, especially since most of them are in bed when his show comes on. He's never really been one to take the moral high-ground, either. At least he didn't when I used to watch his show. He's an entertainer. He's not a journalist or anything else where he has to establish credibility. He makes his living telling jokes. Now, don't get me wrong, not saying what he's done is acceptable to me. But, he's human, which means he's a sinner just like the rest of us;
• Went to the doctor today and had high blood pressure. Bet my bloodwork will show I have high cholesterol, too. Thought my recent diet and exercise would help all that. Guess I'm getting old. Probably can't expect to erase years of not paying attention to my health in just a few months, either;
• Did you watch Amazing Race Sunday night? Loved Phil's line to the attorney, "Looks like the gazelles and zebras are outrunning the lion right now." That dude's been bragging about how he's the lion and the rest of the contestants are his prey and also talking about how smart he is. He gets lost just about every time he gets out of the cab or off the plane. Reminds me of the old joke where the "smartest man in the world" grabs the backpack instead of the parachute;
• Today my daughter told me I had a great job. When I asked why she thought that, she said because the people I work with really like her. The things a child thinks. Wouldn't it be nice if adults would think that way sometimes?

Only five more days until the Susan G Komen, a great and wonderful cause, 5K. If you are a woman, or just love one, please make sure you check (or remind them to check) for lumps on a regular basis. You can never be too cautious about something like that.

Peace out.