Tuesday Tidbits...

Here we go...are we getting comfortable with seeing the number 2017 yet?
Hopefully, you're adapting to writing checks or any other correspondence with the correct year.
I know I'm still doing double-takes on the wall calendars.
Our Hoosierland weather for today will have us with cloudy skies, some off and on rain, and a high back up into the mid-40s. Got some fog but not around where we are.
What say we all get the day started with a nice hot cup of our favorite morning drink, as we see what's been going on elsewhere, shall we?
*** First off of the coat rack is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
JANUARY 3 -
---Today is National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day

(funny, we USED to call them "cordials")
---It's National Drinking Straw Day

(drink some beer through one - get a cheap, fast buzz)
---And, it's National Fruitcake Toss Day

(cripes, people, it's not a CABER for God's sake)
*** Next up, time to take a peek at ALL the police calls from last week that the media didn't tell us about (because they were too busy with Mariah Carey's New Year's Eve walk-off):

SHOTS FIRED ((113)) / ARMED ROBBERY((53)) CALLS - 12/26 - 01/01
((23,113 - vandalism by gunfire))
=======================================
DEC 26 - 
16F174301 12/26/2016 09:41pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 3000 RAYMOND AVE & EDSALL AVE
16F174302 12/26/2016 09:45pm 53 ARMED ROB 100 RUDISILL BLVD E
DEC 27 -
16F174743 12/27/2016 10:44pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2100 EDEN ST
16F174760 12/27/2016 11:40pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 5200 WERLING DR
16F174540 12/27/2016 01:49pm 23,113 2700 LILLIE ST
16F174362 12/27/2016 01:38am 53 ARMED ROB 2600 BELLE VISTA BLVD
16F174554 12/27/2016 02:33pm 53 ARMED ROB 5800 JEFFERSON BLVD W
16F174721 12/27/2016 09:12pm 53 ARMED ROB 2200 CALHOUN ST S
DEC 28 -
16F175082 12/28/2016 05:58pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 200 RUDISILL BLVD E & CLINTON ST S
16F175159 12/28/2016 09:17pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 8100 BRIDGEWAY CIR
16F175127 12/28/2016 07:54pm 23,113 1800 COLERICK ST
DEC 29 -
16F175234 12/29/2016 02:27am 113 SHOTS FIRED 2400 JACOBS CREEK RUN
16F175484 12/29/2016 05:28pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 1000 DELAWARE AVE
16F175539 12/29/2016 07:28pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 4700 LAKE AVE
16F175255 12/29/2016 04:24am 58 SHOOTING 1600 SPY RUN AVE & TENNESSEE AVE
16F175500 12/29/2016 06:04pm 58 SHOOTING 3200 ADAMS ST & DREXEL AVE
DEC 30 -
16F175620 12/30/2016 12:24am 113 SHOTS FIRED 1100 CAPITOL AVE & OLIVER ST
16F175624 12/30/2016 12:24am 113 SHOTS FIRED 3600 LILLIE ST
16F176044 12/30/2016 11:35pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 1100 WABASH AVE
16F175735 12/30/2016 11:15am 23,113 1200 CAPITOL AVE
16F175740 12/30/2016 11:29am 23,113 1200 CAPITOL AVE
16F175981 12/30/2016 08:09pm 23,113 1800 OLYMPIA CT
16F175803 12/30/2016 02:01pm 53 ARMED ROB 4100 HESSEN CASSEL RD
DEC 31 -
16F176065 12/31/2016 12:06am 113 SHOTS FIRED 3800 WEISSER PARK AVE
16F176122 12/31/2016 02:57am 113 SHOTS FIRED 7500 WINCHESTER RD
16F176209 12/31/2016 11:03am 113 SHOTS FIRED 100 BRIDGETON CT
16F176256 12/31/2016 02:01pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 7100 WADINGTON RD
16F176272 12/31/2016 02:26pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 400 COX DR W
16F176293 12/31/2016 03:12pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 7100 SANDYRIDGE PL
16F176306 12/31/2016 03:43pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 1200 GREENE ST & BOWSER AVE
16F176326 12/31/2016 04:33pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 4200 CENTRAL DR
16F176343 12/31/2016 05:05pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 3900 CLINTON ST N
16F176388 12/31/2016 07:11pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2900 MCCORMICK AVE  
16F176405 12/31/2016 07:48pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 4600 WOODSDALE LN
16F176412 12/31/2016 08:05pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 1700 HILLSIDE AVE
16F176426 12/31/2016 08:44pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 4100 DALEWOOD DR  
16F176457 12/31/2016 09:50pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 5500 BRAZO LN
16F176473 12/31/2016 10:16pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 3000 STARDALE DR
16F176478 12/31/2016 10:24pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 4400 ANTHONY WAYNE DR SW
16F176499 12/31/2016 11:42pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 4000 MONUMENT DR & KIWANIS DR
16F176506 12/31/2016 11:55pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 3300 PORTAGE BLVD
16F176084 12/31/2016 12:54am 53 ARMED ROB 2200 HOAGLAND AVE  
16F176342 12/31/2016 04:13pm 53 ARMED ROB 200 RUDISILL BLVD E
JAN 1 -
17F000034 01/01/2017 12:06am 113 SHOTS FIRED 700 POPLAR ST
17F000005 01/01/2017 12:07am 113 SHOTS FIRED 900 THIRD ST
17F000020 01/01/2017 12:37am 113 SHOTS FIRED 1600 ST JOSEPH BLVD
17F000042 01/01/2017 01:22am 113 SHOTS FIRED 1800 FOX POINT TRL  
17F000049 01/01/2017 01:30am 113 SHOTS FIRED 1800 HENSCH ST & ARCHER AVE
17F000056 01/01/2017 01:52am 113 SHOTS FIRED 4900 CLINTON ST N
17F000130 01/01/2017 05:31am 113 SHOTS FIRED 1000 DELAWARE AVE & KENTUCKY AVE
17F000145 01/01/2017 06:43am 113 SHOTS FIRED 1100 PONTIAC ST E & OLIVER ST
17F000032 01/01/2017 12:55am 23,113 4000 CENTRAL DR
17F000207 01/01/2017 11:45am 23,113 1200 FLETCHER AVE
17F000213 01/01/2017 12:30pm 23,113 3000 SIMCOE DR
17F000248 01/01/2017 02:12pm 23,113 2900 OLIVER ST
17F000003 01/01/2017 12:08am 58 SHOOTING 2200 FOX AVE
17F000242 01/01/2017 01:47pm 58 SHOOTING 7900 JEFFERSON BLVD W
===========================
FIREWORKS CALLS 12/26 - 01/01
===========================
NONE ????            
Well THAT certainly is a surprise. You mean ALL those gunshots were indeed...GUNSHOTS?
So much for telling the low-information crowd about "celebratory gunfire", hmm?
*** Next up, you can easily see that it never takes long in a new year to produce the numbnuts who chronically practice that special kind of STUPID, as is evidenced by the following story.

Here's the link:
http://wane.com/2017/01/03/gun-goes-off-during-party-man-seriously-hurt/

Okay so when you HAVE to have a party at a motel room, you ALWAYS have to play "pass the pistol", right?
And, you HAVE to make sure the damn thing's LOADED (just like the party-goers).
Well, when such frivolity ensues, the result can often be like what happened here.
Someone got their finger in the trigger and BANG...someone gets a free ride to the ER.
This took place around 2330 hrs last night at the Regency Inn along the 1000 block of W. Coliseum Blvd.
A man was shot in the head (and he wasn't the one holding the pistol, when it went off), but it didn't appear to be life threatening. He was transported to hospital in serious condition. The shooter was taken in for an interview.
*** Next up, A column by Frank Gray shows that not ALL of last year's homicide victims were of dubious demeanor. Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/23rd-victim-was-viewed-as-kind-17044615

Yes, this person was shot to death in a parking lot at the Texas Roadhouse after an altercation.
Jeffrey Lute worked two jobs and attended church...hardly descriptive of the "typical" suspects we see in homicide cases, like the low-information crowd and gang bangers.
He was the 23rd victim of the 48 we had last year.
*** Next up, someone writing a letter to the editor "gets it".
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/letters/Letters-17008974

(scroll down to the SECOND letter about the parks and money allocation)
Yeah, I'd have to say I'm not the only person asking questions when it comes to ALL the expenditures and "rubber-stamping" going on downtown. I can add David Nichols to my (growing) list of people.
He makes a good case when it comes to "needs versus wants".
And that's something THIS city has yet to fully delineate.
*** Next, let's see what's happening at "Kitten Corner"...

Finish shaving and feed me, please.

The furry felines have been in fine form as they are slowly but surely getting ME into their routine.
At least they're not waking me up by meowing...(yet).
But I can feel that coming in a few months.
Wifey has been getting the "facial rub" treatment, and I told her that it's pretty hard to get a picture of that when it happens. In fact, it's impossible without a third party around.
The ringworm medicine is running low, so we may have to renew it later this week. SO far, it hasn't gotten worse on the female, and no evidence with the male. They don't even give you a full bottle (for the price). When did they start doing that?

Today the chair...tomorrow the world.

We can see the "social skills" of the cats developing. Both of them will come over (not always when they're called), and make nice. They also are finding the squirrels that stop by fun to watch.

I'm also "cat-watching".

A nice break from all the birds that come to feed.
Fortunately, Patches and Junior don't mind cats (as long as kitties are INSIDE the house).
*** Last back to the umbrella stand...in some ways the years never seem to change.

I mean, we DO change calendars and mark the passing of every year, but what REALLY changes?
Well, PEOPLE change for one thing. Places can change, and most everything we come into contact with from a technological viewpoint changes. We can see that on damn near a WEEKLY basis.
But, while time passes, and all these things and people appear to change, is it THEM, or is it US?
As we all go through life, we accumulate all sorts of knowledge and wisdom (well, we do if we're paying attention and seek such things).
And, how we view the manner in which things change...or mature, if you will is crucial as we take our journey.
Sometimes, that's a good thing, while other times...not so much.
Too many people are too willing to change anything for any reason and at any time.
Not always a good fit.
That whole "change for change sake" gig gets boring real fast, and keeps everyone off guard too much.
Some out there want that; a pliable populace, willing to follow along with each new "thing" (or fad) that comes along. Again, not always a good fit.
Maybe we can make this year a year of substantive improvement along those lines.
Can't hurt to at least try, right?

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