Angry Middle Aged Man

I have some pent up aggression. Not sure why but anyway here are some things I need to get off my chest.

They should just Xerox the Pot Hole story every year. I get it, Chicago roads after they are salted get pot holes. This is not a news flash. You can basically just run the same tape you had in 1983. If you live in Chicago and drive a car and don’t know this already then you should be neutered.

They should teach how to drive in snow in driver’s education classes. I am sure of two things. One is that the sun sets in the west. The other is that with the first snowfall of the year there will be an abundance of drivers on the road who have no clue how to handle this. Driving in the snow is a talent and takes smarts. Sadly it way to fucking easy to obtain a drivers license nowadays. Sure enough I was out on that first day of snow this year driving around behind mouth breathers galore who were either driving insanely slow in their minivans or driving completely inappropriate cars in the snow. (Newsflash a Ford Mustang with rear wheel drive may not be the best car to drive in the middle of a snowstorm.) Add on top of this the fact that a summer of “normal” driving has made the morons forget how to deal with snow. Sometimes it is all too much to take.

To the people who actually go to the stores on Black Friday, there is now a thing called the internet. I realize there are people in this world that actually like going shopping. Most of these people are women and I am fully aware I have no clue when it comes to the fairer sex. But even if you like shopping it simply boggles my mind how anyone would willingly get up at 4 AM to go to Kohl’s to save 10% on a pair of Dockers. Especially now when there are these things called websites where on some of them, you can shop for goods. I get wanting to go to the store to pick out things yourself. But, going on that Friday is certifiable.

If you don’t know what something costs find out before you go to pay at the register. There should be a rule. When you are in line you have committed to purchase the items in your possession. Nothing burns my impatient ass more then waiting behind some jag who waits until they are at the register to find out what something costs and then at that point has the internal debate whether to actually by an item. Listen, there are other people who had the misfortune to get behind you. They have lives as well and may not want to spend fifteen minutes behind you while you decide if you really want that turquoise sweater. You can usually find the price on something by either looking at the sign where you found the item or finding the this thing called a pricetag. If you still can’t figure it out then there are usually in most stores people called sales associates. They can help you find the price.

People at Cardinal Fitness need to respect others personal space. This has happened to me so many times I have lost count when I go to workout. I am on a treadmill. To my left there are like ten open treadmills. But for some reason some asshead will decide to use to the machine right next to me. This sucks because usually it is some guy (and I hate to say it but ten times out of ten it is a dude) who hasn’t bathed and when he starts to sweat reeks worse then my gas after I eat a Fasano's sausage pizza and troth of Lindy’s chili combo. I know I look all sexy when my ass is giggling on the treadmill but can you do me a favor and use this thing called deodorant. If you don’t want to do that then use one of the other treadmills. Thanks.

The IPod Scuffle

I am in the office in December and there is not much going on, therefore I am bored. So, I decided to write a blog. With nothing on my mind I thought I would write about the next twenty five songs that come up on my IPOD scuffle again. I got a cool speaker from the Francone Christmas grab bag (thanks Lorena) and I broke it in today at work. Again I need to remind all that read that I share an IPod with my wife and I am not going to skip one song no matter how embarrassing it may be. So, here we go.

Jeopardy, The Greg Kihn Band – A throwaway 80’s tune. I also like Kihn’s other 80’s hit the Breakup song. This song of course was also famously lampooned by Weird Al Yankovic with I Lost on Jeopardy in which Kihn was cool enough to appear in the video for.

Rapture, Blondie – The IPod must be on an 80’s kick. Not the best Blondie song but still cool in that it is one of the first songs with rapping to ever chart believe it or not. Also a cool video in which Fab 5 Freddy appeared.

Paradise, Sade – Ok, I like Sade. I could give a shit if anyone has a problem with it. She has a killer voice. This is probably my favorite Sade groove. Definitely need to be in a certain mood to hear this song (like on the verge of heavy petting.)

When I Come Around, Green Day – I know liking Green Day is a crime against nature among the true punk fans. It is called corporate punk and with good reason. But, try as I might to resist Dookie, I have to admit that yes, I liked it. This is the song that probably gets most nuked from the disc, but fuck it I like it.

Victoria, The Kinks – My brother is monster Kinks fan. I never really got into them. Recently I have been listening to more and more of them and loading more and more of their library to my IPod. This song just simply rocks. Thanks, Vince.

Were Not Gonna Take It, The Who – What do I really need to say on this one? The Who on arguably their greatest record. This song in particular is an anthem for a time and place though I was not alive for, thanks to this tune I get a feel for.

Loser, Beck – Beck’s first hit was on in Nick’s Toyota Corolla’s cd player on a continual loop back in 94. I jut loved the song then and still love it today. I will always hear this song and it will bring me back to a great trip to SIU to visit Conway and Rob. “Get crazy with the cheese wiz” must have been uttered 50 times that weekend.

American Idiot, Green Day – Shit. I am highly embarrassed to have this on my IPod. God damn IPod can’t you shuffle past Green Day. Yes, I own this disc and yes, I like this song. I can’t really defend it so I won’t bother.

Signs, Five Man Electrical Band – Now this is a jam. Many remember the Tesla cover in the 80’s. I am more of a fan of the original. I am told by my Aunts that when I was a small child I rocked out to this tune. I guess some things never change as I when I hear it now I still feel like grabbing a pen and paper that says thank you lord for thinking ‘bout me, I’m alive and doin’ fine.

Black Betty, Ram Jam – There is no way one can resist this song try as you might. This is hard core rocking in all of its 70’s best. Just try hearing it and not tapping a toe and starting a head bob along with the guitar and drums.

Pipeline, Dick Dale – Yes, I am a surf guitar fan. I think I wrote about this song when I listed my favorite instrumental songs. Dick Dale is the master of surf guitar and while it is strange listening to this song on a snowy December Chicago day, I can still dig it.

(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais, The Clash – I love the Clash and this song has them at their reggae best. Paul Simonon was a huge reggae fan and his input was usually these types of songs in the Clash’s catalog. This tune is about as un-puck rock as you can get yet works for the Clash. Have I mentioned just how much I love this band?

Change It, Stevie Ray Vaughn – For American blues guitar greatness, I don’t know if it gets any better then SRV. For all his genius with a guitar his vocals get overlooked. I never really thought about it much but Stevie could also sing. Change It, is like so many other Vaughn tracks, a blues driven jam that just hits you right in the gut.

Rock Steady, The Whispers – This is a Joyce song. Joyce as am I, is a fan of 80’s music. Joyce has more of an appreciation of the dance genre. I admit this is a catchy enough song in that vein. Not one of my favorite but there are worse offenses. (Such as Basil, Toni)

Free, Train – Basically this is one of those lame mellow rockers that were all the rage a couple of years ago. So, I know what you are asking why is this on your IPod? Well, I am not above liking a lame song or two. Yes, I will own to this one, give me shit, I deserve it.

Middle Man, Living Colour – Ah, Living Colour back in the Vivid days. This record will always take me back to driving around in Hunger’s Blue Dodge Omni jamming this on his tiny speakers in the back. My posse glommed onto this record and it kind of became the soundtrack for the summer of 1989 which was one of the best of my lifetime.

Word Up, Cameo – This song being played in Dell’s Impala caused him to either get a ticket or at the very least get pulled over. (I can’t remember if he was able to talk his way out of it or not.) Trust me it is a long story. The dude who sang for Cameo had some very distinctive and serious pipes. This track always takes me back to my senior year for some reason. (By the way this song was on when the mailroom guy came in and he just gave me the weirdest look. I guess I don’t look like most Cameo fans.)

Fuck the Police, NWA – Maybe the most pissed off rap song of all time. The original gangsta rappers that started an avalanche. This is a fucking jam. Lyrics that are so raw and angry that even this white suburban boy can get into them. Rest in peace, Eazy wherever you are.

The Look of Love, ABC – Another 80’s pop song. It is what it is. I am a bigger fan of Poison Arrow but this is decent enough in a synthesized keytar kind of way. Yes, the lyrics are stupid but hey it was the 80’s they didn’t have to make sense.

Our House, Crosby Stills, Nash and Young – A sweet little Graham Nash song that is catchy enough where you find yourself humming it after you hear it. I often sing this one to Joyce at home as we do have two cats in our yard. She had never heard of it before me. I am not sure if she is thankful or not.

All I Want is You, Barry Louis Polisar – I got this one off of the Juno soundtrack. This time last year, I was into the movie and its quirky music so I went out and bought the cd. I downloaded it to my IPod and still enjoy much of the songs. This is one of them that while I can understand if people find it annoying, I seem to dig even if it is a kid’s song.

Rocky Mountain Way, Joe Walsh – I hate the Eagles yet I love the Joe Walsh, James Gang stuff. I guess that is what you call a paradox. This and Walk Away are my favorites. Great guitar and Walsh’s always inspired lyrics.

We Gotta Get You a Woman, Todd Rundgren – Rundgren is one of those underrated musicians that no one ever thinks about but, was in his way very good. This song in particular is written and arranged exceptionally. I wish I had more of background on this guy because I know a lot of people who swear by him.

I Can See For Miles, The Who – A jam. Not sure what else needs to be said. This is the mighty Who at their Rock God best.

Say What, Stevie Ray Vaughn – This is Vaughn at his coked up and heroin ingested blues best. He recorded this before he got cleaned up and lays down some amazing blues guitar riffs. Like all Stevie Ray guitar licks he just knows how to make that instrument do things that others can’t.

Blog Hiatus

I’ve written about this before but the last couple weeks I have really been thinking about this subject more. Why do I waste my time writing a blog? I mean do I really think anyone gives a shit what my opinion is on anything? Am I that self absorbed where I delude myself into thinking that anyone bothers to even read the thing?

I read a lot of blogs. I am kind of a blog nerd. While there are far better ones out there, there are also a lot that are far worse. I put mine right smack dab in the middle. I am not a writer, I don’t pretend to be one and know my limitations enough to realize I will never be a professional. I am however opinionated. I would say that maybe I am opinionated to a fault.

In some ways I guess that is good and in others not so much. While I think everyone should have their beliefs and believe in them strongly, I guess having strong opinions can sometimes rub people the wrong way. At times, I am guilty of being very close minded when it comes to my feelings and don’t allow others to validate their beliefs. I consider their opinions invalid. I have this weird fixation with needing to always be right and trying to debate people about what they feel. That is wrong and I am trying to work on it. I am trying to be more inclusive and as much as a Jimmy Buffett record or Cowboy fan may irk me, I have to try to live and let live.

In the past, I used this little piece of cyber space to vent my beliefs (Like my hatred for all things ketchup) or to re-tell old war stores for the most part. Sometimes I wrote pretty good pieces and some others were just shit. But, I liked writing things here because it kept me sane. I could tell some story that made me laugh or vent about Jon Bon Jovi without fear of reprisal.

On the other hand, if I stopped writing my blog I doubt very much anyone would even notice. So, again I have to ask why even bother. I am almost embarrassed when anyone I know brings up the site. I guess I like to leave my blog on the internet and not really discuss it in person. The very rare occasions where someone compliments me on my writing I get almost self conscious about it.

As I have said, lately this has been on my mind a lot more then normal which has led to me posting less and less. Back in the day I could think of four or five different things to write about where now even when I think of something I don’t have the passion I once had for it.

With that in mind, I have been thinking of stopping altogether. Part of me still likes venting here and letting out my creative side. Another part of me thinks of this site as a chore. A chore I get no money from and waste a lot of time on. So, I think I will compromise and just post when things are really relevant to me. If something fires me up, then I will post my thoughts. This means less updates and I am ok with that. I went back and read some of my early blog posts and compared them to some current ones and it is easy to tell I had much more passion for it back in the day.

So, if the three people who read this, don’t see a ton of updates that doesn’t mean I am dead, it just means there is nothing I feel strongly about. I will still keep posting but I doubt it will be with the same regularity. Who knows, next week I may change my mind and be right back to posting three times a week. But, for now I am going to put the keyboard away for awhile and maybe I will get fired up again about writing on this old blog.

Nick

Hall of Shame

In all seriousness who does Santo have to blow to get a fair shake? I didn’t see Santo play so I can only go on numbers. If you look at those numbers Santo should be enshrined in Cooperstown. Let’s take a closer look.

For eight season from 1963 to 1970 there was no better third baseman in the game and that includes Brooks Robinson who is already enshrined. In those eight years Santo drove in over 94 runs every year. He also hit over 25 homers every one of those seasons. He had one bad year average wise in that span (in 1968 the year of the pitcher) but other then that he was steadily in the .280 to .300 range. He was so good he received MVP votes each season from 63 to 69.

Defensively he was outstanding as well. He won the gold glove every year from 64 to 68. If that is not enough for you the guy was in the top ten in OBP in seven seasons. His OPS was in the top ten five times. For his career he finished with a .362 on base percentage. His career OPS was .826. For comparison the great Robinson finished with an OPS of .723. Santo is a full 100 points higher. Let’s also not forget that Santo did all this fighting diabetes and playing in one of the best times for pitching ever.

Santo gets overlooked to me for two reasons. One he was overshadowed by Banks, Williams and Jenkins who are all in the Hall. Second is the perceived notion that he never hit in the clutch. If you look at his stats over his career his numbers are almost identical in any situation. Baseball Reference is a great website. They came up with a statistic called, late and close. In those situations for his career he hit .281 with 64 homers. He was a .277 hitter for his career. So, he actually hit a little better with the pressure on.

It seems the new system that the Hall of Fame has come up with is flawed. I agree the Veterans Committee was letting in too many fringe players. I mean Phil Rizzuto and Bill Mazeroski did not deserve to be enshrined. However, they have over-corrected and since the current system has been enacted not one player has been elected by the veterans committee.

It is a shame that Santo gets overlooked. I admit I am biased when it comes to Santo as he is a member of the Cubs family. But, I try to be fair. I don’t think Mark Grace should be enshrined under any circumstances. Santo was a Hall of Famer based on the numbers he put up during his career. Especially when you compare them to a player like Brooks Robinson. It is unfair what they have done to poor Ronnie. I guess they will never let him in.

Back to Work

I am back from a glorious vacation. I was off for eleven consecutive days and fuck did I need it. We lost a guy in one of our other offices and with our cheap ass company, of course it was decided that there was no need to replace him. So, that means those of us that are left have to pick up his work on top of what we already had. It sucks but in this economy what can you do?

Anyway with eleven days off random thoughts creep into my mind and there are things I need to get off my chest. Such as,

Why would anyone get up at 4 AM to go shopping on “Black Friday?” Maybe it is seven years of working at Kmart scaring my perspective. I used to hate working that morning. We would open when it was still dark out and there would be these jackals all waiting to save ten cents on a blue light we were running on candy canes. The doors would open and two minutes later there would be no shopping carts left. It was bedlam. On top of that just imagine your typical Kmart shopper. Now multiply that by 500. And one wonders why I am jaded.

The Bears are a fraud. They are 3-6 against teams that don’t reside in Detroit or St. Louis. Yes, Kyle Orton for the most part has looked good and Matt Forte is the real deal. But that defense is a sieve and it becomes pretty obvious that when Devin Hester isn’t returning kicks at a Superman like pace this is a very mediocre team. It also doesn’t help that Lovie Smith is more conservative then Barry Goldwater.

I am already sick of people bitching about the winter. If you don’t like it move already. These wimps all need to stop the whining. It is not even officially winter yet and already everywhere I turn I hear people bitching that it is cold out. Here is an idea, put on a jacket, a scarf and some gloves and then grow a dick. I realize I am in the minority but I actually like the colder weather (up to a point.) There are places in this country where it doesn’t get cold. Move there already and let the rest of us live in our snowy, frostbitten peace.

I need an iTunes intervention. I can’t stop downloading songs. I try and then I’ll remember some tune from the 80’s (like Josie Cotton’s, Johnny Are You Queer and yes I am lame) and I have this sick impulsive need to have it on my iPod. I can’t stop and it is killing me. At first after I downloaded my mammoth CD collection onto my iPod I thought I should be fine. It took months to complete the project and you would have thought I would be burned out from it. Sadly, instead I was like a crack head looking for my next rock. I listen to XRT all day at work and I will hear some song and become obsessed with having it. Sadly some songs are not available on iTunes. So, I then go on this mad search to try to find it on CD or from Amazon. My current obsession is getting Robert Gordon’s Red Hot onto my iPod. (Thanks Terri Hemmert.)

People who feel the need to walk around in public bare footed need to be ticketed. I am the first to admit I have a big phobia when it comes to feet. If there is a condition that is the polar opposite to a foot fetish then, that is what I have. With winter approaching this issue temporarily gets solved for the most part. But, I know come springtime the hillbillies will be out in full force exposing us to their corns, yellowing toe nails and toxic foot odor. I was in the elevator in my office one day this summer and some jackass came in there with sandals on. There is nothing I enjoy more then being entombed in a metal box with no fresh air and being forced to smell some yuppies feet. You are not a Jimmy Buffet concert you dipshit. I am all for casual attire in the workplace but this practice goes way too far.