Humpday Happenings...
Wow..Wednesday already...I keep forgetting about that Monday holiday gig.
Tends to throw me off my game, and you'd think by THIS time, and after all these years, I'd get used to it.
Well, some things you NEVER really "get used to", that's for sure.
Like life...and death.
*** Now, I'm not gonna get into a philosophical diatribe on my ex's passing...that's left for better men than I with a lot more initials after their last name.
But I would like to say that it really "weirded me out" to see her obit in the paper.
Seems like some prank instead of cold, hard fact.
When you think back to things you did together, and then read that obit, a profound sense of non-belief washes over you.
In some ways, it actually makes me want to "get my OWN sh*t in order"...just in case.
I know I'm always telling Mrs. Bobby G. (whenever I hear a certain song or piece of music) that: "I want that played at MY funeral", or "Have that played when they lower me into the ground".
It seems light-hearted enough when I mention it (and a bit macabre), but none of us know WHEN our Maker will call any of us "back home".
Our own mortality stares us in the eye whenever we see or hear about the passing of someone in our lives, be they a parent, sibling, spouse (or former spouse), or, and I really don't like reading about this...a child.
Val's funeral will be Friday, 9AM (no military time for her) in Philly, and the first thing Mrs. Bobby G. asked was if I wanted to go.
Truth be told, as much as I would like to attend, it's too far to drive, and flying THESE days spooks me even more than seeing a person I knew for over a decade who was 9 years younger than I was, "at rest" in a coffin.
I'd much rather remember her as someone very different from that somber depiction.
Maybe I'm at the age where having seen those in my life go before me is downright frightening.
It's sure depressing as hell, I can tell you that.
I know that in the past, I was always the one who was THE ROCK when it came to emotional displays at a funeral.
It took a profound moment to get me to break down, and many times, I patted myself on the back for being as STOIC as I was.
But friends, even THAT type of stoicism comes with a price...
What doesn't bother you NOW...WILL come back and bother you LATER, trust me on this one!
When Dad passed, Mom was a wreck, and deservedly so...I was the pillar to lean on in those moments.
I think my main concern at the time was making sure Mom had that "strength" to cling to.
Trouble is, MY grief didn't surface until several months later.
Suppose it's different for other folks...that's just how it turned out for me.
So my reasons for not being there are justified in my mind.
If I still lived in Philly, that choice would even more difficult...no one can really say.
But we will send flowers and condolences...and I will mourn in my own manner.
'Nuff said about that for now.
Moving ever onward...to something completely different
*** You all know I've had my car for 28 years (right up there with my TV and BETA VCR...lol -tomorrow is her birthday, but no cake...maybe a wash and wax? - how time flies), and it was back when cars had a LOT less electronic stuff than they do now.
Sure, I've got me a set of "idiot lights" on the dashboard, and all TWO gauges (fuel and speedometer only ) are ANALOG, but I like it that way...automotive minimalism at it's best.
The Wifey-mobile at least has a set of smaller gauges for oil, battery, and water temp, but that was 13 years newer than my car.
Nowadays, everything is done "electronically". You can't do ANYTHING in any vehicle that is not controlled by something requiring VOLTAGE.
Want the window UP or DOWN?
There's a button for that.
Want to LOCK the doors?
Yep, gotta button for that, too.
Adjust the seat?
No sweat...gotta BUNCH of buttons for THAT one!
UP. DOWN. FORWARD. BACKWARD. LUMBAR. RECLINE.
(whew) Does every thing but take the dog out for a walk.
Then there's all the "entertainment" crap taking up space and weight.
We apparently can no longer do for ourselves...we need "electrical intervention" along the way.
We have to be MORE comfortable in our cars than we are AT HOME?
Something just ain't right with that.
And when asked by consumer panels what the NUMBER ONE complaint was with their NEW cars, people invariably stated it was....(drum roll, please....wait for it...) THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS on board!!!
(who knew?)
We've over-complicated things SO damn much, that the car won't take to going into gear unless the damn seatbelt is buckled.
Take this new Ford Fusion HYBRID they have out.
It gets 41 MPG in the city...(wow).
It's engine has 156 BHP and there's a whole lot more technical "stuff" I won't get into.
What I WILL mention is that (for your viewing enjoyment) several LCD full color video screens where the GAUGES should be.
So while you're driving "green", you can WATCH leaves and vines "growing" on those screens...
(( "WTF?"))
Why in God's name would I want growing vines on my dashboard?
Why do I even NEED such crap being a distraction?
(got OTHER DRIVERS taking care of THAT)
Don'cha miss those days when gauges where mechanical in nature, and the only distraction was the wind whipping through the cabin as you rolled along at 60 MPH with the windows down and the Beach Boys on the damn radio?
But, if it's NOT an electronic issue, it COULD be a major MECHANICAL one, like this story:
(( Published: July 6, 2011 3:00 a.m.
Suit accuses GM of failing to fix Impalas
DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press
DETROIT – A lawsuit claims General Motors Co. treated the police better than it did average citizens when taking care of a defective part in 2007 and 2008 Chevrolet Impalas.
The lawsuit alleges that Impalas from the two model years have defective spindle rods, which connect the suspension to the rear wheels. The defect causes the wheels to misalign, which makes the tires wear out faster. The tires could also wear out unevenly, increasing the risk of a blowout.
GM fixed the part on police versions of the Impala three years ago but didn’t correct the same problem in hundreds of thousands of other Impalas, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Detroit.
Donna Trusky of Blakely, Pa., who bought a new Impala with Goodyear tires in February 2008, claims that before she reached 6,000 miles, the tread on her rear tires was so worn she had to replace them. Typically, tires should last for 30,000 miles or more. Her lawyers are asking the judge to certify her lawsuit as a class action.
According to the lawsuit, GM sent a bulletin to dealers in June 2008 telling them to replace the spindle rods and tires on affected police vehicles. It also authorized dealers to reimburse police who had bought replacement tires as long as the reimbursement request was made before July 31, 2009.
But GM allegedly didn’t offer the same remedy to non-police owners. The company sold a total of 423,000 Impalas from those model years. GM spokesman Alan Adler said 23,800 of those cars became police models.
Adler confirmed that GM issued a service bulletin for police cars from the 2007 and 2008 model years because of suspension problems. But he said the company wouldn’t comment further. ))
Talk about an "OOPS" moment THERE, hmm?
*** We might be staring at homicide #13 in Fort Wayne, too.
(( One person is dead after an early morning stabbing in Fort Wayne
Updated: Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011, 8:20 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 06 Jul 2011, 4:14 AM EDT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - New information has been released on Wednesday morning's fatal stabbing in Fort Wayne.
One person is jailed in connection with the crime. It happened just before 2 a.m. at 6053 Bunt Drive.
38-year old Aung Kyaw was pronounced dead at the scene.
With the help of Burmese translators investigators arrested a suspect.
That person is now charged with aggravated battery and in the Allen County Jail.
A preliminary investigation shows there was a disturbance between the victim and the suspect when the stabbing occurred.
An autopsy today will determine the exact cause and manner of death. ))
The entire area of Bunt Drive between the 5700 blocks and the 6100 blocks is ALWAYS a "busy" place for the local po-po. Never a day passes without some FWPD officers being called to that area.
And Burmese prefer bladed weapons to guns (for now). Just wait until they all LEARN ENGLISH...and start stopping by the gun shops.
Won't that be "fun"?
*** Finally today...each of us is here for a REASON.
We might not have any idea WHAT that reason is, and many times, that will bother the hell out of us.
Yet, if we were someplace else (which is where most of my neighbors should be), we wouldn't be able to do the work that's required of us (whatever that might entail or however unpopular we might find it).
Sure, it's great to be someplace you WANT to be...living La Vida Loca, but life doesn't guarantee that to any of us...at all.
And if we were at THAT place, what good would we be to ourselves...or to others?
We might find ourselves up to our necks in problems, and eventually, we will extricate ourselves from them...one day at a time, one problem at a time.
And THAT builds character; it rather defines WHO we (can) become in life, so that we might help others in our families or even beyond such confines.
We grow stronger by advancing THROUGH our adversities, not by shirking them.
We make better decisions by learning from mistakes, not by avoiding them.
And we become better people that we all were the day previous.
So if you ever doubt your purpose in life, or the path you find yourself trodding upon, take just a moment to look around you...at the little things...
Everything in life has brought you to that point in time...for a REASON.
So strive to become the best "you" possible and give that reason the meaning it richly deserves.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.