Tuesday Tidbits...
You know, there are times when no matter HOW "seasoned" you become in life, something will come along, take you totally by surprise, and wind up teaching you a valuable lesson (or three).
What I find amazing, is that after ALL these years, you're never to old to learn something...or be taught something.
There's value in such things (trust me).
*** Case in point, those (now) notorious garments we like to call....SWEATPANTS.
Now, there are some folks that feel this is the UOD (uniform of the day) every day, whether they are out shopping, at school, or out in the general public.
What bothers me, is that we were always told (usually by GYM teachers) that sweatpants were for gym class (mostly in the winter, when we would do long-distance running). And of course, we could always wear them AROUND THE HOUSE (except when company comes to call).
I'm from the latter of those feelings...I ONLY wear them around the house. I will NEVER been seen in public wearing anything but PROPER attire, and that means, shirt, pants (with something relatively UNKNOWN down here in the ghettohood used to hold them up where they belong, called a BELT), and shoes. (no flip-flops or "slides", and no garish-colored and striped "athletic shoes")
I prefer for other people to see me as a HUMAN BEING, and not some refugee from Barnum & Bailey or a homeless person who's several fries short of that Happy-Meal and a tad lacking in fashion-sense. So, the sweatpants stay INDOORS (as do our cats).
And changing from such informal clothing to correct outdoor clothing SHOULD be a no-brainer...no complication, no hassles, and no "accidents", right?
Well, imagine my astonishment when yesterday, when changing off those sweatpants, my foot got caught in the ankle elastic, sending me into a bit of a tumble onto the damn floor.
That's the FIRST TIME in my life THAT has EVER happened (luckily the carpet was there to break the fall).
Fortunately, on the "way down", the old training kicked in (and I still thank my martial arts instructor for that), and I managed to somewhat brace myself for the "landing".
I studied Wing Chun for a couple years back in the early 80s, and the FIRST thing you're taught is HOW TO FALL...PROPERLY.
What they fail to mention is how this can be accomplished when your extremities are occupied elsewhere (like in the waistband or ankle elastic).
But, you do what you've been taught to do, namely "adapt" to the situation, and brace for the inevitable the best you can.
I wound up on the floor, with a sore wrist (not even sprained), a brush burn on the one knee (unavoidable), and a few other slight assorted aches and pains. The good news is all THOSE hurts kept me from feeling the arthritis...talk about a shallow victory.
So, the lesson to be learned here, is that you should NEVER underestimate the power of sweatpants...
They are biding their time...waiting...
And when you least expect it, they WILL attack.
Remember an ounce of prevention IS worth a pound of cure (and helps ward off those annoying bumps and bruises).
Meanwhile, back at the Chinese laundry...
*** More on the triple shooting on Lima Rd.
Here's the link to the followup story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20111213/LOCAL07/312139966
Now, I have to give credit to Mrs. Bobby G for her feminine intuition here...she said that it was likely that the slayings were romantically-related.
And the story alludes to that.
Another thing puzzling is WHY the FWPD (and the coroner) have NOT released the name of the shooter, although ALL things seem to point to Bart Heller. Even his brother was on the news last evening expressing his thoughts on this.
Here's the link to a related story:
http://www.wwmt.com/news/indiana-1399381-wayne-west.html
AWB's blog had a good post yesterday about this, and it seems the house was purchased this past March from a Steven Bolin of Ft. Wayne.
The two homicide victims obits were in today's paper, and they are both mentioned as being good kids...and you know, THIS TIME, I BELIEVE IT.
I honestly feel these two WERE good people, and they had their lives cut short needlessly.
Neither had any court records, unlike all the mooks down here with rap sheets longer than most children's Christmas lists.
THOSE people are not of the "good" persuasion, but since many down here operate on a very different societal level of devolution, stemming from Darwin-in-reverse, it's little wonder that situations like the TRIPLE SHOOTING at Mookie's (a few weeks back) are still unresolved as to WHO the shooter was (with over a HUNDRED people witnessing the event - who apparently SAW NOTHING).
It pains me to see such a divide between people who have the same opportunities in life.
Some are gunned down in a pointless act of desperation by an individual, while others are gunned down because they hang with the wrong crowd, and reap the whirlwind of collateral damage.
This also proves that many times, people will be able to secure a firearm (legally) without anyone being the wiser when it comes to mental state.
Then again, we are ALL privy to such behavior...every single one of us.
We ALL have that "dark side" within us, and luckily, most all of us have managed to keep that beast well in check.
Given the correct provocation and the right circumstances, you CAN turn a pacifistic and well-intentioned person into a homicidal maniac.
And when that genie is released from the bottle, who can say where (and how) it may end?
We've often heard of that "temporary insanity" argument in many courtrooms, and I've come to know that THIS IS FACT.
Certain responses in people (biochemical in nature) will produce specific and enhanced attributes, namely the fight-or-flight response.
What do you think causes a normal person to be able to LIFT a vehicle off of another person in a dire situation?
What causes a seemingly regular guy to suddenly commit murder?
What forces a typical homeowner to shoot and kill several intruders to his/her house?
We ALL have it within us to do what we abhor...WHEN we need to do it.
And that need is predicated upon the situation, and more importantly, HOW we interpret it.
*** Lastly today, AMC is running White Christmas for 3 days in a row in the evenings, so last night, I decided to watch, and it proved a downfall of sorts for me. Over on TCM, they played Scrooge (Alistair Sim) at the SAME TIME...(damn)!
Suffice it to say, I missed that commercial-free showing...but not to fear, I still have my DVD of that movie (and with a color version).
So, I passed up a movie about REDEMPTION for a movie about BEING CHARITABLE to one's fellow man.
I guess at this time of year, we might take note of the underlying themes of the movies/specials we're watching...find out what that particular show is saying to each one of US.
I know, I can watch SCROOGE time and time again, and come away with something I might not have noticed before, or had forgotten...same can be said with WHITE CHRISTMAS, or IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.
Many things in our lives are truly TIMELESS...they have been around before we were born, and will last long after we've departed.
And I believe that while we're HERE...NOW, it's best for us to remember such things, and perhaps even to pass them along in some manner...or at least to practice them in good faith, letting others know that we can live (and thereby teach) by example.
That's something we can do not ONLY at Christmastime, but ALL year long.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.