Friday (the 13th) Follies...

Wow...another one of these days again. hmm?
How do we become SO "lucky"?
We have made it to the end of the week, and with it...who can say?
Our Hoosierland weather will bring more springlike conditions, with a high today again into the low 50s.
But, we will have clouds moving in and later today, a chance of some showers.
So make the best of it...it's all we got.
Now, go get your favorite morning drink  (already got my java) and let's see what's been going on.
*** First out of the starting gate is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
March 13 -
---Today is EAR MUFF DAY...lol.

Yeah, it's gonna be 50-something outside.
If those ear muffs drown out the loud-asses in my part of the ghettohood, I might give it a go.
---It's also JEWEL DAY...now I don't know if this means I should "bling out" or listen to the female singer?

Maybe it means we should look to the Book of Proverbs...instead?
"Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies and nothing you desire can compare with her." ((Proverbs 8:10-11))
Yeah, that might work.
And here's what's going on this weekend:
March 14 -
---Saturday si NATIONAL PI DAY...(that's not PIE day)

My passwords are the last SIX digits of PI

Well, the date IS 3-14..."do the math"...
---And it's NATIONAL POTATO CHIP DAY.

(as long as I have onion dip to go with them, not a problem.
---It's also LEARN ABOUT BUTTERFLIES DAY.

Again, not a problem...got me a book on the cute little buggers.
March 15 -
--Sunday is THE IDES OF MARCH
And if your name happens to be JULIUS or CAESAR...(or both), best to stay inside, and don't have any "friends" over.
---It's also INCREDIBLE KID DAY..

Lord knows THOSE kids are hard to find and in HIGH demand these days...
Good luck there.
----And, it's DUMBSTRUCK DAY

If you come down here, I can guarantee you WILL be dumbstruck...and quite quickly, too.
---It's also EVERYTHING YOU THINK IS WRONG DAY.

I THINK I know what I'm thinking

Well, that is EVERY day down here in the crotch of Fort Wayne...lol.
And as far as politics goes, it also seems to be every damn day in our nation.
*** Next up, once in a while, someone gets something RIGHT.
Take THIS story, for example in today's J-G:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/editorials/Street-cleaning-5496586
Street-Cleaning indeed...trash is still trash.

The story makes some good points about the influx of drugs to Fort Wayne, and those cited in the article confess openly that this latest drug bust is NOT the only "source" for such street-pharms.
What still surprises me is that hardly anyone else (other than myself and a few others) have even mentioned this before...like back a couple decades when crack first came to the Fort.
And if they DID mention it, WHY was it not addressed at the level we appear to be seeing it today?
It can't take THAT long to get "the wheels rolling" to stem the flow of narcotics into this city...or can it?
I will say the fact that all these OTHER agencies that have been involved in the recent busts speaks volumes as to the DEGREE of the problem.

Obviously, the local constabulary could not get a handle on it, or ignored it long enough for the dealers to get a foot in the door.
The genie was allowed egress from the bottle, and we all know how damn near impossible it is to reverse that process.
It was stated in the story that "drugs really drives so many of our crimes"...gee, 'ya think?
Think about it...robberies, burglaries, assaults and the like ALL serve a much higher cause - that of being able to procure illegal drugs.
Doesn't get any simpler than that, folks.

"Wakey, wakey"

And thefts of FIREARMS becomes a priority to these street thugs, because having a gun is a necessity when getting into the drug trade at ANY level.
I mean, if you "think" you got ripped off in that last deal, why NOT just shoot the bastard that stiffed you, right?
And don't think that these major busts represent the amount of USAGE by the citizens here...not by  a long shot.
What it DOES tell us, is that this city is a great HUB for distribution to places like Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincy, and even Indy.
Why bother to set up distribution in a LARGE city (like Indy) when a "smaller" city could have you go unnoticed for a lot longer, right?
Next thing you know, everyone from everywhere else is travelling HERE to get their shit...or a lot more traffic is in and out of HERE to the aforementioned cities...Other (legitimate) businesses should be as savvy.

Sometimes, it all comes together.

So, yes, we still have other drug "pipelines" here in Fort Wayne, and that neighbor you don't see much of can well be a part of it.
Never take such things for granted and bever believe that this can't happen here.
It's BEEN happening...for decades.
And this city has already allowed ONE-FOURTH of itself to devolve into near anarchy as a result.
We've got more street-justice than than REAL justice (or even natural justice). All you have to do is read the police blotters,
I should know...
I "live the adventure" down here daily.
*** Next, and more on the lighter side...I've been accumulating some stuff since Christmas.
I recently got a couple books (purchased online) for a LOT cheaper than I could most anywhere else.
You have to do some looking around to manage that, believe you me!
The first offering is CAPTAIN AMERICA - THE FIRST AVENGER (THE SCREENPLAY)
While it's not AS good as the V FOR VENDETTA screenplay book I got a while back, it IS pretty cool.
Has all the dialogue and writer's notes as well as the storyboard sketches for the "chase" scene through New York.
Nice to be able to "read along" when the movie comes on...and recall some great quotes from the flick as well.
The OTHER tome that has been added to the Bobby G. Library is "Whovian" in nature.
It's the DOCTOR WHO OFFICIAL GUIDE: HOW TO BE A TIME LORD.
It's a smallish hardback that I got for under $10 (and that is a bargain, trust me), has full color pictures all through it, and is a real hoot when you read it.
All that you could possibly want to know in order to become a lord of time and space is included, with a history of Gallifrey, all the doctors, adversaries and companions...not bad at all.
It sits alongside another book I got for Christmas - THE TARDIS HANDBOOK.
So, whenever I DO find that elusive machine (could be disguised as anything on this planet), I'm outta here...LOL.
(but I will be holding tryouts for companions...just so you know)
*** Last back to the finish line...well, not EVERYTHING I know is wrong.
In fact, most ALL of what I do know is RIGHT, and that's not me tooting my own horn.

I take the time to LEARN stuff...get acquainted with something called THE FACTS.
I study history, dabble with various philosophical viewpoints, and embrace the many mythologies that are supported by those philosophies.

Thank God..it ain't THIS bad yet.

All this...while trying to keep the "Barbarians from the gate", as it were.
Not easy manning EVERY watchtower by your lonesome, and it's even harder to "call for backup" when needed.
When a neighborhood succumbs to the evils of society, it can no longer be called a neighborhood.
There are no REAL neighbors anymore...just groups of individuals with a smattering of common interests, and no sense of self, the future, or appreciation for the gifts that are provided by a much HIGHER power.

Yep...that's me...

It's been studied and proven that the "millennials" know LESS than former generational counterparts...not a good thing.
It can also be said that the baby-boomers and perhaps a portion of the generation after them know a LOT more than those growing up today.
You can't always "live for the moment,...IN the moment".That's not progress.
You CAN take time to learn from the past to affect the present and make a better future, though.
Sadly, not as many people want to get on that train.
So, when people become more detached...more insulated from normal interaction, and more desensitized to those evils in the world, we can grind that evolutionary wheel to a halt really fast.

We all need to step it up a notch whenever possible.
Take some pride in WHO you are...WHAT you have done or can do, and always be thankful that you are allowed one more day here.
A little bit of humility CAN go a very long way.
Do have yourselves a great weekend.

Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

((Almost forgot...finally passed 2300 POSTS...some kinda "wow", huh?))