Friday Follies...

Why do I get this nasty feeling that we're having more GREY days than sunny ones?
We are closing in on winter, though.
It will seem a lot more LIKE it over the weekend, too.
Our Hoosierland weather will have us with mostly cloudy skies, slight gusty winds and a high of only around 41 degrees. We also have some rain and/or snow showers possible throughout the day. Plan accordingly.
So let's start the day with a nice hot cup of Friday Fortitude, as we see what's been transpiring elsewhere...
*** First out of the cutlery drawer is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
December 2 -
---Today is National Fritters Day

(not to be confused with CRITTERS, got it?)
---It's National Mutt Day

(did not know we needed TWO of them)
---It's National Special Education Day

( Funny, in MY day, all education was special to some extent)
---And, it's Faux Fur Friday

(wonder who skins all those faux critters?)
*** And since it's a Friday, let's see what goes on over the following 48 hours:
December 3 -
---Saturday is National Roof Over Your Head Day

(always good to have one of those)
---It's National Rhubarb Vodka Day

(you gotta be kidding, right?)
---And, it's Skywarn Recognition Day

(never heard it called this before)
December 4 -
---Sunday is National Sock Day

(toss out all those "religious" ones, got it?)
---It's National Cookie Day

(any kind, any type...your choice)
---And, it's National Dice Day

(roll 'em if 'ya got 'em)
*** Next up, let's get our last dose of STUPID for the week out of the way.
---Here's a PSA if you use Google Chrome.
You may have noticed a full screen popup with a download button.

Danger, danger, Will Robinson!

The screen says this is an "urgent update".
DO NOT DOWNLOAD IT or OPEN IT. It's a malware scam.
Apparently, some underwear only clad loser in some mommy's basement has too much time on his hands.
Here's a link with the warning:
http://removeallthreats.com/how-to-fully-remove-urgent-chrome-update-pop-up/
(yeah, it has a tool you can download at the end, but if you already have a good A-V system in place, no worries).
---Question: Can they ever make a watch band that LASTS these days?

Dammit!

I swear I go through more watches due to band "failure" than the watch failing outright.
I have batteries that I can swap out, so that's taken care of, but yesterday, I was buckling the watchband, and I suffered a catastrophic failure when the band just split in two (at the damn clasp, of all places). And, naturally, it cannot be fixed, so the only alternative is to TRY and find another band, or easier (and probably cheaper still) is to just get another digital watch.

Don'cha HATE when this happens?

Maybe, I should (back) go to a pocket watch, or a wrist model with a METAL LINK band?
The old "twist-o-flex" bands lasted forever...where the hell are they now?

I miss watches like THESE.

I mean, it's not like I have acid for sweat and am rotting the silicone rubber sport bands away like some alien.
Cripes, people...just make a sport band that lasts more than 2 frigging years. That's all I ask.
Got me a helluva collection of broken band digital watches that still work fine.
*** Next up, I really can't classify this as totally "stupid" per se, because there is a wee bit of truth involved.

This has to do with our record homicide rate and here's the story link:
http://www.wpta21.com/story/33837372/urban-leader-points-to-income-gap-as-factor-behind-historic-fort-wayne-homicide-count

The social factors CAUSE the economic factors.

Sure (rolls eyes), it's the INCOME GAP that's causing ALL the damn homicides and violence in Fort Wayne. Let's blame Bush, too...while we're at it.
(BTW,  I've just been hired by president-elect Trump as his Press-Secretary...and I'll also be the next Pope.)
Who sits around and cogitates such NONSENSE like this story, anyway?
Jonathan Ray, head of the city's Urban League (more like an uber-minor league to me) spoke out against the reasons mentioned by FWPD chief Reed and P.I.O. Joyner cited as the rise in violent crime (they said drugs and gangs, and they happen to be CORRECT).
(( "Good paying jobs for people who are hopeless is important to reduce the violence," says Ray. 
The 2016 Distressed Communities Index ranks the city of Fort Wayne as FIFTH in the nation for the largest income gap between zip codes.
"The Urban Center of this community is under-developed," says Ray. "And there are few jobs. That needs to change." ))
In this "few jobs" thing alone, Ray is right...the south side DOES need jobs. But what caused WELL OVER ONE HUNDRED PLUS BUSINESSES to leave down here in the first place?

It was the (rising) CRIME, and not the lack of jobs or opportunity. And the jobs won't come back UNTIL the crime is highly reduced, mainly in the black community. Whites are not as involved because...well, there aren't that many still down here, and those who are, are older and not caught up in any of this crap.
THAT is the cold, hard TRUTH to all of this. Damn shame those who NEED to see this cannot (or will not).
The story does have one error - a homicide count of 44 was recorded back in 1997, and this city broke that record in 2013 (45). We currently stand at 46 homicides for 2016 (3 were police-action shooting, btw).
*** Next, our cats are getting into a "routine", as if we thought otherwise.

Definitely a smackdown!

When I get up (always before 0600 hrs), they are "ready to rumble"...they start off with wanting to get fed, so they can provide us with the latest installment of World Feline Wrestling...lol.
Yep, they take to that early on (wish I had that kinda get up and go).
Wifey also usually has an "audience" when she's in the bathroom getting ready, too.
All this, and they still manage to be underfoot as well. You learn to tread carefully.
Some things never change, even after all these years when they're revisited.
*** Last back to the spice rack...One thing you can always say about our pets - they are never in a state of DENIAL.

Wish the same could be said about US.
Our pets tend to act on a more instinctual level, whereas we toss our instincts to the four winds, and allow our emotions to "rule the roost", rather than allow that grey matter sitting on top of our shoulders to take hold.

This isn't to say we should divorce ourselves from our emotions - they DO have their place in our lives, and we'd be a lot more savage without them.
But, this cuts both ways...many of us ARE more savage when we employ our emotions, and that's why our jails are filled with all types of human flotsam.
You have to learn early on that you need to temper your "gut" (intuition) with your emotions, and not allow one to override the other all the time. You can always trust your gut "feelings", which are based in the instincts we have from birth, but placing emotions on the SAME level as instinct will not typically end all that well.
Like I'm always saying (as have others)...humans are complex creatures, and we live in a complex world, trying to manage our complex lives. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it?

Well, with the right mix of civility and morality, much of what we thought was complex becomes elementary, and therefore able to be handled a lot better a lot more often.
That leads to becoming a better person.
Therein lies the lesson for this week.
Do have yourselves a good weekend.

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