Monday Musings...
Yesterday was Valentine's Day...and yes, I was one of those sappy people that went along with it.
I USED to be one of those hopeless (or was that HOPEFUL?) romantics...you know, wear the heart of the sleeve kinda gig.
There was a time (in what seems like another life out of many) when the whole "girlfriend" thing occupied a lot OF my time (perhaps too much some days). I suppose one could call it "the thrill of the hunt".
But now, I'm a married man, the hunt is over, and this old "lion" loves to nap after dinner...LOL.
Still, that doesn't deter me from doing my "husbandly" thing, namely get the missus some much-deserved flowers.
Tell you what...if you want some really NICE blooms, check out the Pro Flowers website.
And the prices won't make you wince in agony, either.
I got the wife a nice crystal vase with TWO dozen assorted color roses, and it even came with a small box of chocolates.
...Wasn't too shabby at all.
They even toss in some "flower food"...enough for at least a WEEK.
(nice touch)
Many will contend that Valentine's Day isn't a "real" holiday, and I agree. It's not, at least not in the truest sense.
We're not flying the flag, or honoring our fallen military service personnel, nor are we celebrating a new year, a religious event, or even the birth of our nation. Still...it's one of those "fun holidays" for a lot of people.
I liken it to Halloween, sans the rubber masks...(for most people anyway).
And no door-to-door begging, either.
Basically, I've shunned Valentine's Day...we can get chocolate damn near ANY time of year and at better prices. And we GROW flowers from spring to fall around the house and garden, so that's easy enough solved.
But this year, showing the wife that I still love her just seemed the right thing to do...
Considering how the neighborhood has devolved over the decade, it's nice to snag a bit of what "used to be" from the primer of life.
And Lord knows I'm busy looking out for our safety and property, to ensure others don't take what they have not worked to get (from us).
So, a little "love" under our roof is a welcome respite from all the chaotic nature of our neighborhood.
** But through all this, there were a few other things that going on in our world...
Like the Daytona 500 (yawn).
It took them damn long enough to run the bloody race, and I was glad to see a different driver win, other than the "current cabal".
The delays in the race were due to POTHOLES on the track...!
Wish OUR CITY could patch them AS FAST (here) as we saw on TV yesterday.
Now THAT would be a damn fine use of OUR tax money, yes?
** And, we also had the opening of the Vancouver Olympic games.
Tell you what...they had one HELLUVA opening event, even if one of the four torch supports failed to rise from the stage.
And I have always thought that the Canadian national anthem was cool...(used to even sing along at Flyers hockey games) but they had some pop star turn it into a "jazz-ballad"...big mistake. it's called an ANTHEM for a reason, sweetie. I guess the word SOLEMNITY isn't in HER dictionary.
Perhaps that's why I detest anyone "singing" OUR national anthem in any manner OTHER than the original version...
Unfortunately, one luger was killed in practice prior to the opening, and that cast a pall over the ceremonies.
Currently, America leads the pack with a total of SIX medals (wasn't ten as first noted - I hate small type), and it was great to see Apolo Ohno take a silver medal in his first of several speedskating short-track events.
I did enjoy watching the Biathlon yesterday (was better to than Daytona), even if a Frenchman won.
The Biathlon consists of being able to cross-country ski (fast), and then be able to shoot a rifle and hit what you're aiming at (5 rounds prone position, 5 rounds standing) while it's all being timed (deductions for missing the targets too).
My ONLY beef with the IOC, is that they only allow these mega-tricked-out .22 caliber rifles that are about as loud (and powerful, it seemed) as my CO2 BB pistol...!
I mean give these guys a REAL WEAPON...like a .308.
All a .22 will do is piss someone off at the distances they were shooting. And there's absolutely NO recoil with a .22, so reacquiring a target is child's play. I mean that's WHY they teach KIDS to shoot using THESE rifles and caliber.
If you give these Olympians some REAL firepower, with a good, healthy KICK every time they shoot, the competition would be a lot more fun. And none of this fancy-pants custom rifle crap...let 'em all shoot the exact SAME weapon..."out of the box", as it were. THAT will separate the shooters from the posers REAL fast.
But, it wasn't all sunshine and lollipops in other places on Valentine's Day.
** A couple was burned in a suspicious van fire Sunday, according to the DeKalb (IN) county Sheriff's Department.
The cause of the fire was believed to have been the "failure of the reaction vessel" used to manufacture methamphetamines.
Yepper...nothing says "I LOVE YOU" on Valentine's Day to your "significant other" like a one-pot explosion in that back seat, does it?
** Two men suspected of robbing a Valentine's Day gift stand in L.A. were killed in a car crash resulting from a police chase.
The men stole gift baskets AND cash from a vendor near downtown.
The victim called police, who spotted the suspect vehicle nearby, which sped away. The vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle and the two men were thrown from their car. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Oh, yeah...STEALING that Valentine's Day gift for your woman says SO much about YOU as a man...doesn't it?
Frugality is one thing...laziness is quite the other. These men WILL get the flowers, just NOT the ones they wanted, and for the WRONG occasion.
That ranks right up there with rolling your baby-mama's BLUNT for her as a Valentine's day "gift"...how ghetto can you get, hmm?
Yes, Virginia...it takes ALL kinds to make up the world.
Some we can live with, while others give us pause to ponder why they're even breathing the same air that we do.
It's amazing what a sense of misdirected priorities will DO to people, isn't it?
That's why we have LAWS...and hire people to ENFORCE those laws.
It does make me wonder what jerks such as these might have planned for St. Patty's Day...or (heaven forbid) Easter?
Somehow, the headline "SHORT PERSON IN LEPRECHAUN OUTFIT STEALS POLICE CRUISER AND CRASHES INTO IRISH PUB", or "MAN IN BUNNY SUIT TAKEN HOSTAGE - STANDOFF IN 7TH HOUR" doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling for the upcoming holidays...how about you?
Yeah...it takes ALL kinds these days.
Have a great week, keep warm, be well, and...
Stay safe out there, America.