Random musings

No Rule 5 posting as I'm on vacation this week. But here's some stuff that's been rattling around in my brain. And I hate all that racket . .

The Sox won again last night - Red beating White 10-2 as Jon Lester looked dominating in improving his record to 11-4 this year. Theo's out shopping for arms to bolster the rotation but is looking in the dinged and dented bin hoping to find a miracle.

Rays lost after managing only 1 hit, again! The offensive woes of this team are mind-boggling and of course local geniuses are screaming for Shields and Upton to be traded for more unproven prospects in the hopes of, as above, finding a miracle. I hate to say it, but sometimes the Yankee formula of just throwing cash to get players seems a little more productive. Assuming your player personel guy knows what he's doing.

The Bucs have allowed Barrett Ruud to go to the Titans (I think). That's the second time they released their leading tackler, the first being forcing their Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks to retire early. All in the hopes of bringing in some college kid to become a superstar. I said last year that I didn't agree with how they are running this team. I know it seems to be working, but I just don't see how. Guess that's why I'm not a head coach :-P

Let me see if I've got this right -- House Republicans have passed three bills now addressing the debt/deficit situation since coming into control in 2010. The Senate, under Democrat control along with the Democrat in the White House, has shot down each one. Harry Reid was actually filibustering his own bill last night! In addition, the Democratically controlled Senate has violated it's constitutional duty by neglecting to publish a budget for over 800 days now! And the mainstream media is portraying Republicans and Tea Party fiscal conservatives as irresponsible?! Who's the party of NO now?

As I finish up my vacation, I can't stop feeling guilty for spending a little money just goofing off. I keep catching myself scolding myself -- "This could be going for bills . . . should be putting this into the house . . . pay this off . . . pay that off . . ." sheesh When did I become my mother?!

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And just because a pretty girl takes my aging mind off stuff, here's a lithe young lady making me want to buy a chopper and go cruisin'

A small town boy in the big city

There was an episode of Friends one time, where Phoebe's little brother came to visit. And he's talking to Joey and Chandler about his day goofing around NYC. He talks about visiting Times Square, chatting with some hookers, and buying ninja stars at some store. Chandler looks at Joey and remarks ruefully, "We don't take advantage of living in the city."

I was born in a smallish town west of Tampa on the Gulf. I've spent most of my life living in the same county except for a couple of years when I lived in north Tampa while attending USF. I go to Tampa for hockey games and football games, but otherwise, don't travel there for anything else but the airport.

I had to travel to Tampa the other day to drop some stuff off at one of the hotels. With some time on my hands, I decided to park the car and just walk around a bit. As I've mentioned before, I work for the post office, so I wear a uniform to work that includes shorts (obviously). I wear them year 'round, even in winter, even last winter when it was below 30 degrees, raining, with 30mph gusts. In fact, I pretty much live in shorts. My dress up is usually jeans and a shirt. But my default wardrobe is jeans and a baseball jersey. I'm not a dressy guy.

So I forget that plenty of people dress up for work. And walking around the city, seeing all these men and women in business attire . . . I feel so out of place. Like some small town rube gawking at skyscrapers for the first time. And I'm sure, compared to New York or Chicago or L.A., or some places, Tampa is still small time. But to me it looks so different from where I live my life. So alien.

I walked from downtown towards the Forum, where the Lightning play, and on to an area called Channelside. It's a connected series of shops and bars and theaters. I've heard it advertised on the radio a million times. But I've never been there. And it's within walking distance from where I watch hockey games! Honestly, how short sighted can you be?!

But while I'm walking back to my car, all I can think is what else is there around me that I don't ever take advantage of? Tourists are always stopping me on the job to ask for directions. And during the course of the conversation, something always comes up about how great it must be to live/work near the beach and how I must be there every weekend. And my usual response is that I'm too busy working to lay at the beach.

I wonder if it is like that for everyone everywhere in the world? My sister lives/works in Hawaii. I wonder if she gets to enjoy everything that her tropical paradise has to offer?

I guess that where that stuff about stopping to smell the roses comes from. Maybe I should lift my nose from the grindstone and check out what's around me before it's too late to enjoy it.

An outsider

As a kid growing up, I never really had a large group of friends that I hung with. I had one best friend that I did everything with and when he moved away, I was alone. Ended up spending that summer and the next couple by myself.

High school was pretty much the same -- one or two friends, but never the big clique of buds and pals that everyone else hung with. In fact, at graduation, when everyone else was doing those epic parties that have become the norm, I went out to dinner with my family and then went home.

In college, I was in a fraternity, which should have been different but was not. Funny how alone you can be in a group. Fortunately, I had a close friend who was more like a literal brother, that made it less obvious that I wasn't in with the in group so to speak. That outsider status was brutally driven home when I got married, to a girl who was also in the frat in college. We sent out invitations to everyone and no one showed up. We booked this huge beautiful church and barely filled the first couple of pews. That sucked.

My current job is pretty much the same. I spent ten years as a union steward defending co-workers against contract-defying management. Sometimes to the dismay of my co-workers. Also, with my familiarity to being an outsider, I tend to stick up for those I feel are being unfairly picked on. So I've advocated and befriended enough people on the disapproved list that I'm not in the fully trusted community. I get the sideways glances and lowered voices from time to time, and often get left out of little get togethers, even though everyone is totally friendly to my face.

Of course, as a conservative political person, everything is aligned against me. Every aspect of mainstream culture and media portrays me as dangerous, bigoted, small minded, etc. If you are also a conservative, you know how relentless this is and how lonely it can make you feel at times.

I do a bit of artwork on the side for creative release. And I recently got a chance to attend a gathering of like-minded artists for a couple of days. I'm pretty well known in this circle and yet . . .

Same old, same old. After the obligatory friendly greetings, I'm standing by myself. I see the now all too familiar dance of someone walking my way, making eye contact, then turning to change direction thinking I might be coming to talk to them. The forced small talk, awkward pauses, "oh, I've got to catch so and so before they leave..." and on and on. It gets really old.

I often wonder what it would be like to be popular like I see with other people. What's it like to have someone see you across the room and make a special trip over because they want to talk to you? What's it like to have people make an effort to stay in touch with you, to seek you out without an ulterior motive?

Oh well.

/end self pitying rant

So this Orbit gum chick is a saucy flirt

Vanessa Branch is her name and see-thru hoochiness is apparently her game whilst shopping in New York City.

"febulous!"

Hat tips

I was checking my stats this morning and noticed I got some traffic from a site I wasn't familiar with. Clicking over, I see this guy has listed my blog in his blogroll.

Cool

So here's a thank you to The Daley Gator.

I also want to throw a shout out to The Classic Liberal who occasionally links my Rule 5 posts.

Thanks guys. I feel like such a grown up blogger now :-)

Update:
I see another guy has added me to his blogroll -- Jake Finnegan, has me in his Rule 5 beasties subset. heh

Thanks man :-)

Katy Perry is subtle, resourceful

After exploiting every possible permutation of flaunting her cleavage without actually ever showing anything, Katy Perry has moved on to exploiting "the other cleavage".

At the recent premiere for the live action Smurfs movie, and yes, this is the proof that Hollywood has officially run out of movie ideas, Katy eschewed her usual decolletage baring outfits for a booty baring outfit:

And they say this chick is formulaic and without original ideas.

Fooey, I say. That's innovation, baby!

p.s. I still cannot fathom how a tool like Russell Brand gets with a chick that looks like this.
*shrugs*

Retro goodness -- Brigitte Bardot

And 'cause I'm feeling especially old today . . . here's a little flashback to the innocent days of sexy -- Brigitte Bardot, with all her gap-toothed overbite-ish, wonky-eyed European sexiness:

Back then it was all Brigitte and Raquel Welch, full-figured normal looking women. No cat-faced botox babies like Megan Fox or Kim Kardashian.

*sigh*