My week was planned. I gave up the idea of travel and instead was going to play golf every day this week. Well, it’s raining now. Pretty hard. No golf today.
Just my luck.
But I’m playing tomorrow. And now that Pastor Mike has asked me to lunch one day this week, I’ll have to take him up on that.
No radio show. No newspaper. Just plain relaxation. We’ll see how long it takes me to get antsy.
No radio or newspaper next week. And no trip to Mount Rushmore. I’m saving that for next summer when I’ll have more time. My plan now is to play golf every day. Every single day. And to relax and be around my friends and just have a good time. I can’t wait.
You know, blogging is weird. I told Denise I was going to write about our situation and she gave me her blessing. Who does this stuff? Apparently, I do. It’s quite a world we live in.
Thanks, by the way, to all of you who read this blog. I really appreciate it. I don’t understand it, but I appreciate it.
You know my friend Denise. Sure you do. She’s the really cute girl. Anyway, my friend has a restless soul and she wants to experience the world. So she’s going to be leaving soon to do something new and different. Without me. Insert the "Aaah, poor Bob loses out again" here.
It’s not a breakup, actually. More like a restless soul who just needs to do what she needs to do kind of thing. Anyway, I wish her the best. And I think she’s leaving a great opportunity, but what do I know? She reads this blog faithfully and I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of your comments.
As for me, life goes on. I believe Denise will always be a friend, even though I always tell her I don’t need any more friends. I have friends, friends and more friends.
I met Denise about 5 1/2 months ago and she ignited some things inside of me that had been long dormant. She’s something special, even though she doesn’t really agree with me on that matter. Trust me, she is. I’ve known about her wishes to go elsewhere for a long time, yet I chose to hang in there and hoped she would eventually change her mind. She never did. Guess I don’t have the gift of persuasion I thought I did.
Anyway, Denise, even though I think you’re making a mistake, I wish you the best. And just because I think you’re making a mistake doesn’t mean you are. It’s a coping mechanism. But I still believe it. I hope you find contentment and happiness and whatever else it is you’re looking for wherever it is you end up.
I’ll always be happy when I think about you.
I have a week off next week. From newspaper and radio. Been a while since I’ve done that. So I’m soliciting ideas. My first inclination is to get in a car and head for Mount Rushmore. Never been there. Then, after that, I’m thinking about heading over to Yellowstone National Park.
But before I do anything, I like to check with you bloggers. You’re my compass in so many ways. Any suggestions that won’t cost me an arm and a leg?
I’m looking forward to football season. There, I said it. In my business, the summers are a welcome respite from the craziness of high school and college sports. It’s a time to kick back a little bit. But by the middle of August, I’m always ready for football.
One of the things I look forward to is getting together with my buddies _ guys I grew up with in Derby _ to watch Monday Night Football. We meet at some bar, preferably with great televisions, and we watch the game. Well, some of the game. Mostly we talk and reminisce and it’s a reminder of why we’re such good friends in the first place.
I’m looking forward to seeing the guys again. Oh, I see them when it’s not football season. But it has become a ritual over the past three years to gather on Monday nights. It’s a great night of the week.
I saw a great movie over the weekend, World Trade Center. Very emotional, as you can imagine. And very well directed by Oliver Stone, who steers clear of controversy in this movie and goes for the heart.
Get ready if you see this because it definitely dropped me you right back to Sept. 11, 2001 and brings back every ounce of raw emotion I felt that day. Maybe more.
I’m one of those who thinks this horrible event is something all Americans need to immerse themselves in. Learn everything you can about it. Watch everything you can. Ask questions. Be enlightened. As far as I’m concerned, the West’s conflict with the Arab world is the biggest threat to the United States ever. Bigger than Communism. Bigger than anything.
There’s a part of me that wants vengeance and a part of me that wants to resolve this issue with peaceful means. I don’t understand why so many Arabs want us dead, but I know they do. They hate our lifestyle. They hate what we stand for. They hate our affluence. And they’re willing to die because of their hatred. As martyrs.
Anyway, I highly recommend the movie. It’s one you won’t soon forget. Like United 93, which was released in the spring, World Trade Center is a tribute to the people who died on Sept. 11. And to those who tried to keep them alive.
Amazing movie.
As many of you know, I’m learning to swim. It’s not easy. I’m having trouble with the breathing aspect. My instructor insists it will just come to me as I give myself more time. I wish I were more confident.
Swimming is a blast _ the 4 or 5 seconds I’m actually able to do it. Until my air runs out and, in a struggle to get my head above the water to take a breath I completely lose my balance. But I’m determined and, in fact, I have my next lesson tomorrow morning. After it’s over, I’m going to stay in the pool and practice. Then I’m going back to practice this weekend.
So many of my friends say they would have no idea how to teach somebody to swim. They just know how. I envy them and wish I would have done this a long time ago. But at least I’m doing it now and it’s one of the most personal challenges I have ever faced.
I’ll keep you posted.
I’m hesitant to write about politics on this blog because the subject is so divisive. I have good friends whom I can’t talk to about politics, because it turns contentious. What a shame. We are not living out the concept of democracy; our country is so divided that we’re two countries within one.
It’s not too strong, I don’t believe, to say that many Republicans hate Democrats and many Democrats hate Republicans. We can’t listen to ideas and find a consensus; if we listen to ideas from the other side our only interest is to fill them with holes.
This is really depressing to me. I think there are a lot of good conservative ideas. I think there are a lot of good liberal ideas. The problem is, there is nobody in leadership able to bring these ideas together because it’s not politically doable. If you stand as a liberal, you stand as a liberal on all issues. The same goes for conservatism.
It’s silly to hate George W. Bush. You can disagree with many of his ideas, which I do. But hate him? What good does that do? It only serves to create a greater divide in the country. The practice of open and respectful debate has disappeared.
You see this at all levels of government, I believe. It’s on full display right here in Wichita, with our City Council. They spend so much time arguing that leadership is forgotten.
Anybody else worried about this? Are we too far gone? I’m afraid we are.
Bob Gibson, the former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, is my favorite all-time athlete. I loved the way Gibson competed. He was a monster on the mound. He took nothing from anyone. He was all arms and legs and 95 mph fastball. He was, in a word, nasty.
Gibson probably wouldn’t be my nomination for World’s Finest Human Being. From every story I’ve heard, he’s as gruff and impersonal in real life as he was when he stood out there 60 feet, 6 inches from the plate.
Stories I’m hearing this week, though, are deflating to me. Gibson is in Wichita to watch his son play for a Cape Girardeau, Mo., team in the NBC World Series. Gibson is a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest pitchers in history. He’s an icon in St. Louis to this day. But, as I said, he’s not Mr. Nice Guy.
A couple of people have written to tell me that their attempt to get Gibson’s autograph the past few days didn’t go so well. He was surly, even toward kids. He didn’t want to be bothered. He snapped at people.
Well, that’s really unfortunate. You would like to think Gibson would handle his social skills a little better. I doubt he would have been drowned by a sea of autograph-seekers; it was probably just a few. Yet, personally, I would never approach Gibson for an autograph because I know better. I’ve heard the stories before. Leave the guy alone. He doesn’t like signing cards or anything else you put in front of him.
It’s not endearing, but it’s who he is. And I don’t admire Gibson for his humanity; I admire Gibson because he won games for the Cardinals. I feel your pain, those of you who have been snubbed. But it’s your pain.
Justin asks, rather innocently, whether my public stance on the Wings _ the happiest day of my lives was when they folded _ is accurate. He wonders if it might be a bit of a charade.
Oh, that Justin.
Actually, the Wings were fine during their heyday. I didn’t go to many games because, frankly, I just don’t get soccer. But the indoor game was OK because it involved more action and more scoring. Outdoor soccer? Nope, don’t get it.
The Wings became tiresome to me, though, with their constant "Save the Wings" campaigns. They had clearly worn out their welcome. They captured a niche audience and for a few years during the 1980s were one of the biggest things in town. I give them that. But I don’t stay awake at night longing for the Wings. I just don’t.