Just One Week To Go...

...And then, it'll be Christmas Day.
A week after that, we'll be into the NEW YEAR...can you believe it?
That's just crazy.
Anyway, like I mentioned yesterday (but not at length), the Hoosierland weather will be a bit on the repetitious side for the next several days. Not a lot to bother with, actually.
Temps today will only rise to the lower 30s, mostly cloudy (what, again?) with a chance of a snow shower (no accumulation), and that's all she wrote.
Might as well xerox this forecast and stick it up through the early weekend...the weather-people can take a couple days off..
In the meantime, go get a cup of your favorite morning beverage, park it here for a spell and let's see how (more) screwed up the world has become in just one day, shall we?
*** First out of the rucksack is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart."
This is attributed to Washington Irving (3 April 1783 - 28 November 1859), and those if you who studied American literature should be familiar with that name.
He was an American author, essayist, biographer, historian and diplomat of the early 19th century.
And...here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Irving
Curiously enough, the familiarity most of us have with him is mainly due to TWO short stories:
-- RIP VAN WINKLE (1819)
-- THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW (1820)
These were included in a compilation of his stories and essays in a tome entitled "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon" (hence the clue yesterday). Obviously, that was Irving's pen name. Another fact as that he had a brother EBENEZER (who was not a "scrooge".).
His life is one of those that includes many ups and downs, not the least of which was a untimely death of his 17-year old fiancee (Matilda Hoffman) in 1809.
The WIKI is a really good read, and again shows that people of an earlier time, were "multi-faceted" and pursued multiple "careers" through their lives.

And if you think that Washington Irving and BATMAN have no relevance one with the other, think again.
It was IRVING who first referred (in 1807) to New York City as GOTHAM - an Anglo-Saxon term that means "goat's town"...so there.
And, it was Irving who also coined the term "The Almighty Dollar" (1837).
Writing under various pseudonyms, he often wrote lampoons of New York culture and politics in a similar manner to (of all things)...MAD MAGAZINE.
Talk about ahead of your time, hmm?
Irving was one of the FIRST to publish a poem entitled 'The Defense Of Fort McHenry", which would go on to become the words for our nation's ANTHEM - THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER. The author pf the poem being one Francis Scott Key.
Like I said, his life and times are quite noteworthy, and give a unique insight to our history.
*** Next up is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
December 18 - 
There are quite a few things going on, so pay attention...
--- Today is NATIONAL ROAST SUCKLING PIG DAY (that's a straight-forward one)
--- It's also FREE SHIPPING DAY...funny, been seeing LOTS of "free shipping" all over the place at various stores and even online (some restrictions do apply...read the fine print...lol)

--- And, it's NATIONAL RE-GIFTING DAY...hmm...thought that was the day AFTER Christmas...ROFL!
--- It's also ANSWER THE TELEPHONE LIKE BUDDY THE ELF DAY...((rolls eyes))...okay, then.

Sure...not gonna have ANYONE in white coats showing up at MY door after that.
And last but not least...it's INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY...
(how many green card holders illegally live in YOUR neighborhood, boys and girls?)

I guess there are about 20 MILLION who are celebrating today (the REAL number is much higher)...with tens of thousands more to come across a porous border.
Makes me long for the days when Ellis Island was THE point-of-entry, and Mexicans stayed in Mexico, unless they came her LEGALLY.. I miss that.
Moving on...
*** Got a couple news briefs...
---  Obummer breaks more laws and cozeys up to Cuba. Here's the story link:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/17/371398638/cuba-frees-american-contractor-alan-gross

Il Duce applauds himself (again)

So, all of a sudden, we "need" a NEW APPROACH towards Cuba, a communist country that has all but enslaved it's people and mired them in economic woes for decades...WHY?
We need cigars THAT damn bad?
Anyone recall a little dust up from the early 1960s called the CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS??
Took place a mere NINETY MILES off OUR shores...talk about brinkmanship.

Our future 51st state???

I suppose Cuba needs car parts for all those "vintage" 1950s taxicabs?
I blogged about a series that was on Nat Geo a while back concerning the REAL Cuba ("Cuba's New Now"), and it wasn't a pretty picture.

Talk about a trek BACK in time...

There are even Cubans (there) who think that better relations between us is NOT the best way to proceed.
You can Google this all up for yourselves and decide.
---  Another armed robbery at Eddie's Gas Station on N. Clinton St in Fort Wayne.
Here's the link:
http://wane.com/2014/12/18/armed-men-hit-n-clinton-gas-station/

Again, it was two BLACK males, and the descriptions of the armed robbers were similar to the ones that hit Sports and Spirits a couple days ago...some things never change,m do they?
The robbers got away with money and ciggies.
I'd bet the farm they were NEWPORTS....LOL.
--- The city and police are "building trust" with ROUNDTABLE discussions.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/Police-build-on-trust-with-roundtables-4053992

THESE guys...they ain't.

Guess it wasn't bad enough that the former FWPD chief, Rusty York had the department walking on eggshells for years, and parts of the city got WORSE under his watch...now, the city wants to rekindle the Arthurian Legends...how noble of our own "King" (Henry).
It was interesting to note that it was said that crime went down about 13%  since last year.

Depends who you talk to.

So, if I do the "math", and run back these numbers years ago when we were told (then) that crime dropped 13% (good number - used frequently)...all those years with a 13% DROP in crime have to be cumulative in nature and therefore MUST result in NEGATIVE NUMBERS for all crime everyplace here...???
Sorry, not buying that one damn bit. I "live the adventure" every day down here in Fort Wayne's "crotch", and see people break laws every single hour...and go unnoticed and (more importantly) unpunished...for MONTHS if not YEARS.
The focus on police work down here is nothing close to addressing all the "broken windows", but rather a reactionary answer to crime after it develops.
Not the best way to provide that QUALITY-OF-LIFE the mayor always is touting...is it?
*** Last back to the barracks today...Had a nice chat with the Missus last night.
She's doing okay and finding her way around down there in that small town in Texas.

And she resolved the car seat issue...lol. Beats running alongside it.
Now, it wasn't 10 minutes after I got off the phone with her, that I got another call...and when I picked up, I heard a song from Guys and Dolls playing on the other end.

First musical  - Guys and Dolls - 1969

I knew IMMEDIATELY who it was...my longtime and dear friend from high school...Mark!
(now living in the Fiist State).
Wow...talk about a blast from our past.
I think we crammed about 3 decades into 40 minutes...and here I thought only TIME LORDS could do that...LOL.

It was a wonderful way to end the evening...
Everyone should have more times like those...maybe we'd have fewer people at each other's throats, hmm? Be a nice change.
All this was after I made myself a nice pot of Italian sauce, complete with meatballs.

Yep, had me a VERY good meatball sandwich for dinner...and have enough for THREE more.
Them's good eats, people!
Got all the ornaments on the tree, and have to set about sending out some cards and wrapping some stuff to put in the post this weekend for my  "brother" Mark.
You know...you don't really need a LOT of friends...just a couple REALLY GOOD ones.

And once in a while, maybe even once in a lifetime, if you're fortunate enough to be blessed this way, an EXCEPTIONAL one comes along...definitely a keeper, folks..
Still, I'm adjusting to this ad hoc "bachelor life" and I think I've got it squared away.
Like I said the other day...we should always thank God that our PRESENT state is not our PERMANENT state.
Now THAT is something to be truly thankful for..in more ways than one.
And that's all I got to say on that.

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