Monday Musings...

Ah, yes...it's the LAST Monday of 2013, and the eve of New Year's Eve, which means that 2014 is right around the corner...can we stand the strain?
We can stand the Hoosierland weather, which as of today, will see another cool (as in COLD) down with temps struggling to reach the freezing mark (partly sunny with a high of about 22 degrees F) - a big change from this past weekend here.
We should see the new year greet us with some snow later in the week...but only a slight snow shower around here today...with no accumulation.
So, let's stay comfy, and top off that warm morning beverage, and see what's in store for us this morning...
This is going to be short, sweet, and to the point...
*** First out of the garage today...gonna take the Wifeymobile to the shop routine service.
We're due for an oil change, and I want them to check the damn CHK ENG light that loves to stay on, while the car performs normally.
The BEST part about stopping down there...we get our FREE 2014 calendar from Yeoman's.
The worst part - having to walk back up the alley and see how the aborigines live and the mess they always leave in their wake.
Still, beats driving a distance for basic car needs...one of the very few saving graces in this part of the ghettohood.
(and yes, I WILL be "armed"...lol)
Just trying to not become a victim...that's all.
*** Next up, a stabbing AND a shooting on (where else?) the city's SE side, leaving two people in critical condition.

-- The stabbing happened in the vicinity of Creighton and  Fairfield around 0400 hrs Saturday. The perp , one Michael Johnson, 21, was captured a short time later at his house on the 300 block of McKinnie
-- The shooting took place at an "after-hours" club called HARD HITTERS (a black, one-story building) in the 5000 block of Avondale Dr, ALSO around 0400 hrs Saturday...gee, these ethnic morons have nothing BETTER to do?

Now, depending on which news source you read or listen to, a man was shot in the leg outside the "bar", but witnesses told police they heard gunfire INSIDE the building...so you make the call.
There IS a sign that says NO WEAPONS ALLOWED INSIDE, but when did SIGNAGE ever stop an idiot from heeding it?
Must be that cultural Oppositional Defiance Disorder at work there...to which one symptom of this ailment seems to be an entitlement mindset.
-- And, there was a police pursuit THIS morning around 0330 hrs (yes, THEY are still up at this hour...typical).

Oh, THAT is gonna leave a mark!

It began with a routine traffic stop (for speeding, as these people LOVE to do down here), and wound up with a pursuit that ended when the fleeing car crashed into a house located at the corner of E. Paulding Rd and Abbott St.

A "belated" Christmas gift!

Unfortunately, the fleeing suspect was NOT killed.
(damn - foiled again).
Police found a GUN and MARIJUANA inside the vehicle...(another BIG surprise down here).
The suspect suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital for evaluation.
The car was not reported as stolen, and the person's name has not been released.
But, I'll BET he's already "in custody" for a nice list of charges.
*** Now, on the flip side of such aberrant behavior, we have this story...
http://www.wane.com/news/local/local-church-holds-service-for-victims-families
Is another "feel good" display REALLY going to stop these criminals from doing what they want to in this city?
Not a chance in hell.

You can know a person by their "friends".

Does it provide closure for the victim's families?
Not really, most all these homicide cases remain UNsolved.
And, let's NOT forget that many of the homicides were GANG and/or DRUG-related,.so the victims weren't as "innocent" as we would be led to believe.
Or maybe the grieving family might have seen as to WHO their deceased son, brother, father, whoever was HANGING WITH, because that is the BIGGEST barometer of what will happen when it comes to violent behavior and criminal activity.
I would say that if you're NOT involved, you're not going to be bothered at all...but I'd be in error with such an assumption.

Many times, houses are shot at (or ambulances) or people NOT involved get struck down, because these perps mostly can't hit the broad side of most ANY barn...or hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle.
WANE did a story on it earlier this year regarding VANDALISM by gunfire...
It's still a crap shoot (no pun intended)  as to whether or not YOU could be involved in some "deal" gone bad, when the gunfire starts.
We call that COLLATERAL DAMAGE...
*** Last back to the barn today...how best to assess this past year?
WHERE does one begin?
There is just SO damn much stuff to sift through, and naturally, you will hear the media citing THIS event, or touting THAT event.

I say forget all that...YOU decide what was important...TO YOU.
How was YOUR year, specifically?
How did events shape YOUR life this year, and how did YOU respond to them?
THAT is how the year is properly measured...by what took place in YOUR life, and what transpired within YOUR four walls.
I can't really say that ONE news story was more "important" than another, because there is this thing called CONTEXT.
If we take THAT out of the mix, then we can summarily make a call as to whatever story became the "most sensational", sold the most papers, and garnered the most air-time...but is that THE most important thing? Certainly there IS more...
Every story we read or heard about had it's OWN parameters for the "context" to which it applied.
And we can't go from story to story without regard for a much larger picture...like HOW do any or all of these stories fit TOGETHER?

Life is a MOSAIC...made from bits and pieces from what we learn, experience, as well as who we come in contact with, how we act and how we REact to any situation.
As we go through life, we place all those shards into that which represents our life.
There is no broad brush strokes in any of our lives...no "one size fits all",  and I suppose that's fine, because we are complex creatures completely different one from another, and the better and more comprehensive the "detail", the better we become.
And becoming more and better than we were the previous day should be something for all of us to want to reach for.
That should apply to EVERY year we are upon this earth, and more specifically, every day we draw breath.

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