Friday Follies...

I don't know about you, but I am SO glad the weekend's here.
Yesterday for me seemed a comedy of errors, and none of it was my doing.
Let's hope we start the weekend off in a better frame of mind (until someone else comes along and f*cks it up), right?
Our Hoosierland weather for today will see us with another nice day in store for us. Temps will top out around the 80-degree mark with mostly sunny skies, and a slight chance of rain later this afternoon.
So, let's not dawdle any longer and get ourselves a nice cup or glass of Friday Fortitude as we see what has been and what will be going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the back door is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
SEPTEMBER 16 -
---Today is NATIONAL PLAY-DOH DAY

(love the smell - hated the taste...lol)
---It's also NATIONAL CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD DAY

(talk about a breakfast in your mouth)
---It's NATIONAL STEP FAMILY DAY

(sorry, we've more a traditional one, what's left of them)
---It's also NATIONAL WORKING PARENTS DAY

(which does NOT apply on the SE side of Fort Wayne)
---It's MAYFLOWER DAY

(the sailing ship and not the moving company)
---It's NATIONAL TRADESMEN DAY

(I remember when we used to HAVE them in greater abundance here)
---And, it's NATIONAL P.O.W. AND M.I.A. RECOGNITION DAY

(Every bit a hero...ALL of them)
*** And since we are at week's end, let's see what is going on over the following 48 hours...
SEPTEMBER 17 -
---Saturday is NATIONAL APPLE DUMPLING DAY

(John Chapman would be proud)
---It's also CONSTITUTION DAY AND CITIZENSHIP DAY

(illegal aliens need not apply)
It's NATIONAL MONTE CRISTO DAY

( I have these most of the time - try it with genoa salami...even better!)
---It's also NATIONAL GYMNASTICS DAY

(have leotard, will travel)
---It's BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB DAY FOR KIDS

(this isn't a Mickey Mouse club)
---It's also PUPPY MILL AWARENESS DAY

(We're all aware of them, unfortunately)
---And, it's RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERSHIP DAY

(another day for Scrappy)
SEPTEMBER 18 -
---Sunday is THE AIR FORCE BIRTHDAY

(kicking ass from the skies since 1947)
---It's also NATIONAL CHEESEBURGER DAY

(we just had a double one...lol)
---It's NATIONAL HIV/AIDS AND AGING AWARENESS DAY

(I'm DEFINITELY aware of the aging thing)
---It's also WIFE APPRECIATION DAY

(just ONE day? Seems kinda unfair)
And there you have it...lots of stuff to take in even if you're not attending Fort Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Festival near downtown...take care and act appropriately.
*** Next up, yesterday was another study in IGNORANCE...on behalf of the people who pick up our trash (or pretend to do so).

THIS is a typical trash pickup day.

Allow me to explain...
Every Thursday is our trash pickup day...not a problem. Our bin is placed out by the alley entrance in the same place RELIGIOUSLY every day the pickup is due.
Well, recycle was yesterday also, and they cam by before 8AM...great.
Trash came by around early afternoon, and when I saw the lid opened on our bin, went out to retrieve it.
What I found amazed me (and that ain't easy). The trash was STILL IN THE DAMN BIN.
Every other bin had been EMPTIED, but NOT OURS. It's like someone started to empty it, then had a brain fart, and left the bin there with the lid open.
W---T---F---???
Okay, so it's off to call the usual people, and after spending time on the phone with a nice Republic C/S worker named Karen (who I did not blame for this in any way and told her so),
I figured that something would get resolved. I also spoke to a supervisor (Chuck, who was even off the clock - nice hours) for Republic, and he said if it wasn't picked up by 5 PM, it WOULD be early tomorrow (today).
Hadda light a fire under someone, right?

Well, long story short - another trash truck arrived around 1610 hrs and picked our trash up.
This shit really has to stop.Why OUR house is always the one missed pisses me off, as if to say your bagged trash that makes pickups easy is not worth our time.
The crews on the trucks need to get their heads out of their asses and take some pride in their job, that they must be getting well-paid for...period.
*** And, if that wasn't enough, we keep getting calls from an older woman asking for "Tom", and NO ONE by that name lives here (or ever did), although she always gives OUR number as the one she dialed when I ask her.

I've told her repeatedly that
Yesterday, I went off on her.
I've had enough of wrong numbers and fat-fingering.
(we already get too many robocalls getting past these so-called "no-call" lists.)
I told her is she keeps calling, I will have the police come out to her house (yes, I was bluffing nicely).
She apologized a few times, and I hung up on her.
We'll see if she learns anything from this.
Not holding my breath.
*** Next, a tragic police-action shooting of a 13-year old who brandished a "look-alike" weapon in Columbus Ohio is making news.

Here's one link to the story:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/slain-ohio-teen-tyre-king-bb-gun-looked-real-weapon-cops-article-1.2792973

Yeah, a $10 armed robbery call, and three teens near the scene...one of them pulls this BB gun from a waistband and it's "game over", kids.
Have to admit the pistol looks real enough, especially at night. Personally speaking, I can make them look even MORE real if need be.

Which is the REAL one?

I can grab one of these air-soft pistols on eBay for about the same amount of money that the armed robbery was for...it's that easy. A pistol that shoots steel BBs can be had at the nearest Wal-Mart or online at various stores starting at around $30 (low-end). Trust me, I've bought a few.
So, I better not hear another outcry for any sort of GUN control here.

There are two main aspects to this situation.
First, I don't care how "innocent" and "good" this teen was. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time, doing the wrong shit with the wrong people. Add that up and tell me that the outcome when confronted by police would turn out well for all involved. It's not cool to hold up anyone for any amount of money.
Second, don't become portrayed as a victim, when you're a perpetrator.
Sure, it's sad to see things like this, BUT, if the boy had NOT done what he did, he'd still be playing football for the school he attended, instead of being a statistic born from a major societal problem in his community.

One might even view such actions by this boy as a precursor to a criminal history. That's how a lot of them get started.  And, let's NOT forget how the officer feels and how his life and career have taken a major turn. He had NO knowledge that the BB gun was NOT a real one, and when confronted in such a manner, training takes over. Clairvoyance is not something that can be taught at the Academy, nor are crystal balls standard police issue.
I hope we don't see stupid-ass knee-jerk reactions by minorities in Columbus. That doesn't help race relations one damn bit.
*** Next up, and speaking of shootings, the fathers of victims in the recent Holton Avenue quadruple homicides have their say. Here's the link:
http://wane.com/2016/09/16/fathers-of-quadruple-homicide-victims-speaking-out/

There was this 18-year old, ready to give birth to a child...and she's dead.
(although being pregnant AND in high school seems to be more the "norm" these days than when I attended school...another societal issue not addressed, but rather allowed to thrive).
Why 20-year old Marcus Dansby was even PERMITTED into the house should be the bigger question here (imho).
Could have avoided a LOT of grief on this one.
*** Next, FWPD chief Reed weighs in on the shootings as well. Here's that story:
http://wane.com/2016/09/15/fwpd-chief-addresses-quadruple-and-triple-homicides/

By the sound of the chief's voice, he knows this is a societal issue at the root of all this violence.
And he is concerned about our city's reputation, as well he should.
All you have to do is look at the SE side of town here, and KNOW what type of reputation IT has received over the last couple decades, through the timely ignorance from City Hall, and the black community itself.
It's not hard to see what can and will happen under such circumstances.
*** Next up, another chapter in "The Hobo Chronicles"...

"I'm SO tired from all that running."

Our furry feline was out and bout a lot yesterday. I saw him come flying across the street after running from behind the house across from us where(the Latino was there "working" on it, and must have startled him. Let that be a lesson - don't wander far from "home", buster!

He likes sleeping alongside the house near the patio

From there, it was more cute, more sleep, and more eating (not in that order, mind you).
Later on, he disappeared and I checked outside until after 2300 hrs...he was nowhere to be found, and I became worried. I mean, we do have minorities that love to walk their pit-bulls OFF the damn leash, so that's always on my mind. Plus, all the speeders we have zooming along our residential streets to all hours will cause concern.

"I AM a modern-day Sphinx. Deal with it."

Fortunately, he was outside the door this morning, wanting to get fed...(whew).
Hopefully, he'll stay closer and farther away from the local idiots.
*** Last back to the front door...unless a society makes a choice to better itself, it may well fall into ruin.

Some folks can't figure THIS one out.

Yes, you may quote me.
When people settle for LESS, then that is EXACTLY what they will get.
When people start practicing the whole "whatever" mindset, instead of a more productive "what if?" mindset, they wind up wallowing is squalor, ignorance, and yes, even violence.

Violence surfaces when no effort is put forth to reason something out.
Call it the bastard stepchild of frustration.
So, why do people become frustrated? Well, why do infants cry?
They want their NEEDS MET, and at such a young (and helpless) age, have neither the vocabulary to voice their need, nor do they have the means to actively try to ACHIEVE whatever goal is needed to meet that need.

Trouble is, some people NEVER seem to move past that infancy stage of mental processes.
Sure, they may speak well enough and are functionally literate in most ways, but the MORAL maturity needed to make the good choices in life is sorely lacking, and never nurtured to the point that they can become more autonomous as individuals.
And, without a moral basis in life, one cannot move far enough forward to avoid the pitfalls of evil such as ignorance, or violence.

There really needs to be a paradigm shift in our way of thinking, if we, as both a nation AND a people are to proceed throughout the future that will soon become our history.
We will need a better legacy than the one many are already working on, that's for sure.
Therein lies the lesson for today.
DO have yourselves a good weekend.

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