I am incredibly thankful.
Yes, I know I should've written this a week ago before Thanksgiving, but give me a break. There's been a lot going on of late so I didn't have much of a chance to write an entry. Nevermind that my computer went on the fritz and I am now in the market for a new laptop.
**Column Intermission 1**
I've always found Black Friday to be an intriguing day. I myself would never venture out early in the day, partly because the extra savings that I would get is not worth putting my life or health at risk, partly because I don't care for crowds. That said, it never fails to see how the different retailers try to entice people to come to them. Some stores were opening or "starting" their sales at 10pm Thursday.
In addition, we have retailers offering deals on online purchases beyond Black Friday, which is great for those who don't want to leave the house that day. Me? I worked at CVS to make some extra money for my Christmas shopping this year. It has been interesting though looking at the deals that are being offered on laptops and other such things.
**We now return to our regularly scheduled column**
Now I have to keep an eye out for deals on a laptop since I'm done with the desktop computer going forward, especially given that I have wi-fi in my apartment. As much as I've enjoyed my computer, it's a big space eater and as I get closer and closer to living with Rachel, space will become a premium.
In any case, I've completely gone off track.
I am incredibly thankful this year so I figured I'd rattle off some of the reasons why for those to fall asleep to, er, read about.
1. I'm thankful for my relationship with Rachel and Payton.
A few years back, my friend Lennie told me that when I'm dating someone, they should add to my life, make it worthwhile. They shouldn't suck the life out of me and make me wonder day in and day out why I'm with them. With Rachel, I not only have added her, but her daughter. Between the two of them, I've had some amazing times and look forward to what's coming down the road.
Have there been bumps? Yes. There always will be. Anyone who thinks a relationship is going to trouble-free is dreaming. There are always going to be moments where you don't see eye to eye and whatnot. What makes a strong relationship is how those rough spots are handled. What makes this relationship amazing to me is how we're able to talk about those rough moments, understand each other, and move forward.
In the end, the good times far, and I mean FAR outweigh the rough spots. With her, I really do feel I've found my match.
And I'm grateful, not just thankful, for that.
2. My immediate family.
Yes, they drive me nuts sometimes. Family always will. Sometimes I wonder why they do what they do or say what they say. Sometimes, you have to cut the chord with one (Lori) to make things easier on everyone.
I love my family. Teresa and her kids are a constant source of amusement. My mom, well, she's always been full of stories and random moments. Put the two of them together along with the kids and you have an interesting combination. For all the stuff we've been through, we've never lost each other even if one of us (*cough*LORI*cough*) was trying her best to be the center of attention.
You guys entertain the hell out of me. I'm thankful for the help and entertainment.
3. Having a stable job.
Yeah, I work two jobs. One, I love, the other, not so much. But I work. I'm not in the unemployment line. I'm not spending half my day looking for work. And I'm lucky enough to have one job that is pretty damn good with some great people to work with. And even better? That job is continuing to show growth.
Take that CVS.
4. Having a roof over my head.
Yes, I spend a fair amount of time at Rachel's, but I'm lucky enough to be able to afford my own place. Is it far from everyone? Yes, but it's still my own place and I can now sit and tell people I lived on my own for a while. I can sit and say I was able to take care of myself and not rely on anyone else.
That said, I look forward to sharing a roof with Rachel and Payton in the near future. One of my favorite things has been to come home to the two of them being there.
So I'm thankful for having a roof over my head.
5. Having my own vehicle/possessions.
I don't like asking for things. I don't like telling people what I want. One of the things that I'm exceptionally proud of is that I can sit and say that my car is MY car. Yeah, I'm still making payments on it, but it's because I put the money down and have been making the payments myself for 3 years now.
I'm also proud to say that the couches in my living room are mine, that the TV is mine, and a lot of other things I have are mine. I didn't have a housewarming to receive any gifts and aside from my bed, second TV, and a couple of other things, most everything in my apartment is my own.
Yeah, I'm thankful that I've been able to buy most of my own things.
6. My health.
Okay, so I need to get my butt back in gear with working out. That, like some other things, will be easier to do once Rachel and I live together. That said, I'm in good health. I don't have any major health problems and while my diet could probably be a little bit better, I'm not spending every other week in the hospital.
I can move around relatively well, I don't have breathing problems, and can keep up relatively well with a two year-old.
I'm thankful for that.
7. Friends.
I've never had a lot of friends. I'm grateful for the ones I have. I can be myself around them and know that while it's not always perfectly fine, they'll still give a damn. Do I sometimes lose sight of them when in a relationship? Yes, but a lot of that also has to do with living on the east side the last year and a half. By next summer, I'll be back on the west side and that aspect will be much easier.
That said, if not for a few of you, I wouldn't be who I am today, and I'm thankful for anyone I can call a friend.
In essence, I'm thankful for a lot so I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that.
Thanksgiving was good this year. I was able to eat with Rachel's family, then spend some time with mine. The last week or so has been pretty hectic though, hence the lack of posting. Work was busier in preparation of the holiday and until I get a laptop, work is where I'll be posting from exclusively.
Since the last two months have each been the best ever, you can imagine that makes for limited opportunities.
For those not keeping score, as of right now, Rachel and Payton will be moving in with me next month around February until my lease is up, so we've slowly been moving little bits and pieces of their things into my apartment. This way when the lease is up, we're not moving a ton of stuff at once, just what needs to be moved. Then when my lease is up at the end of June, we'll move into our own place.
I'm looking forward to it. Some might wonder if I'll be able to handle living with both of them, but we practically already are, we just split the time between the two apartments. In the end, things will become a lot easier once we get into our own place on the west side. Sure, I'll have somewhat of a drive to go to work, but neither of us will be going back and forth between apartments. When I leave work, I'll really be going home.
And it will be awesome.
I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year though. I'll be able to share it with Rachel and Payton on Christmas morning and that means a lot to me. I didn't get to see Christmas morning the last couple of years because I was working at CVS, but I made the decision early on to take the day off. I want to watch Payton tear into her gifts, then go to my mom's and give Teresa's kids their gifts from Rachel and me.
There's a lot to look forward to down the road. I'm just glad I have two very special people to travel down that road with.
I won't be doing it until December actually is here, but look for my annual letter to Santa where I ask for ridiculous things along with some actual things that I want. It's been something I've been doing for a few years now in various places, but this will be the first time it won't be done on a social site, but an actual blog, so I'll probably recycle some of the things from previous lists.
So if you've read previous editions and see repeats, deal with it.
Oh, and be thankful for what you have.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
it's opinion, not fact
Before going further, please read this.
Now that you've digested that tidbit of information, we can move on.
I'll admit, I can be opinionated. If I disagree, I'll be the first to jump in and say why I don't agree. I'll defend my position as much as I feel needed, although I usually try to avoid insulting the person I'm debating with.
That said, I've never confused opinion with fact. Just because I think T-Mobile is the best cell phone company out there doesn't mean they are. My friend Lennie could argue that Sprint is (although I doubt he would). Others would chime in that Verizon or AT&T are better. Some might even say they all stink and to go with Revol.
I could think a lot of things, but that wouldn't make them fact. Unfortunately, a lot of what I read anymore tells me that how I think is in the minority. There are far more people out there who consider what they think to be an actual fact. They will argue until they are blue in the face even just to show you how "wrong" you are.
I call these people fanatics.
We see them everywhere. It could be a sports fan, a video game fan, a movie fan, a music fan, and so forth. It could be the person who thinks that there isn't a store better than Walmart. It could be the person who thinks that DirecTV is the only way to go to watch TV.
It can become nauseating how far people will go to push how they think and diminish what you think. It seems to be the worst when it comes to sports and video games.
Just go through Cleveland.com and read the comments on any of the local sports teams. I can promise you that right now, most know what the Indians, Browns, Buckeyes, or Cavs should do and if they don't, management is a bunch of bungling idiots who should all be fired. They are the ones who call the coaches stupid, who say the players suck, who say the owners are the worst in all of sports.
Granted, the Browns comments are particularly nasty right now, and understandably so. The team hasn't played well most of the year and people are impatient around here. They forget it sometimes takes a while to get the talent level built up and that we have a rookie head coach. No one wants to hear the be patient card though. They want a winner now. I get that.
Video game fanatics, aka fanboys, are worse though. To them, the PS3, Xbox 360, WII, DS, PSP, Gamecube, PS2, PS1, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, Atari 2600 is the best system ever and if you don't own it then you are the dumbest person alive and you shouldn't be allowed to play games or shop at the supermarket because you'd buy poison you're so stooopid!
I'm not exaggerating. I wish I was. There was recently a discussion about which game was better, Modern Warfare 3 or Battlefield 3. Within 3 comments, the war of words had already started. "Battlefield is the BEST/WORST game ever!" "MW3 rocks/sucks!" "If you like Battlefield, you deserve to be shot."
The best are the ones that say they've never played the game, but they know it's bad because of the company that made it. Or they'll never play the other game because the one they have is automatically better just because.
More recently I've been reading about people complaining about T-Mobile. Look, if you don't like them, then switch. They didn't put a gun to your head and say they're the only cell phone company around, so you have no choice. And personally, I've never had a problem with them. Granted, I pay my bill on time and don't call them screaming when I do have a problem, but even so most experiences have been good with them.
The thing that kills me is the people who don't have them anymore who still go on their Facebook page and tell everyone else to switch because they suck. Why are you on here if you don't have them/like them? Your opinion of them "being the worst phone company ever" doesn't mean they are. It just means you had some bad experiences, probably related to your overall attitude problem, and you were best off just switching companies.
Another thing? People who don't like certain tv shows or radio programs. Don't like it? Don't watch/listen. Solves that problem quite nicely.
I know this comes across as whiney, but I do get tired of people acting like their opinion is the end-all and no one else's matters.
In the end, I don't care if you agree or disagree with me as long as you respect where I'm coming from.
Now that you've digested that tidbit of information, we can move on.
I'll admit, I can be opinionated. If I disagree, I'll be the first to jump in and say why I don't agree. I'll defend my position as much as I feel needed, although I usually try to avoid insulting the person I'm debating with.
That said, I've never confused opinion with fact. Just because I think T-Mobile is the best cell phone company out there doesn't mean they are. My friend Lennie could argue that Sprint is (although I doubt he would). Others would chime in that Verizon or AT&T are better. Some might even say they all stink and to go with Revol.
I could think a lot of things, but that wouldn't make them fact. Unfortunately, a lot of what I read anymore tells me that how I think is in the minority. There are far more people out there who consider what they think to be an actual fact. They will argue until they are blue in the face even just to show you how "wrong" you are.
I call these people fanatics.
We see them everywhere. It could be a sports fan, a video game fan, a movie fan, a music fan, and so forth. It could be the person who thinks that there isn't a store better than Walmart. It could be the person who thinks that DirecTV is the only way to go to watch TV.
It can become nauseating how far people will go to push how they think and diminish what you think. It seems to be the worst when it comes to sports and video games.
Just go through Cleveland.com and read the comments on any of the local sports teams. I can promise you that right now, most know what the Indians, Browns, Buckeyes, or Cavs should do and if they don't, management is a bunch of bungling idiots who should all be fired. They are the ones who call the coaches stupid, who say the players suck, who say the owners are the worst in all of sports.
Granted, the Browns comments are particularly nasty right now, and understandably so. The team hasn't played well most of the year and people are impatient around here. They forget it sometimes takes a while to get the talent level built up and that we have a rookie head coach. No one wants to hear the be patient card though. They want a winner now. I get that.
Video game fanatics, aka fanboys, are worse though. To them, the PS3, Xbox 360, WII, DS, PSP, Gamecube, PS2, PS1, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, Atari 2600 is the best system ever and if you don't own it then you are the dumbest person alive and you shouldn't be allowed to play games or shop at the supermarket because you'd buy poison you're so stooopid!
I'm not exaggerating. I wish I was. There was recently a discussion about which game was better, Modern Warfare 3 or Battlefield 3. Within 3 comments, the war of words had already started. "Battlefield is the BEST/WORST game ever!" "MW3 rocks/sucks!" "If you like Battlefield, you deserve to be shot."
The best are the ones that say they've never played the game, but they know it's bad because of the company that made it. Or they'll never play the other game because the one they have is automatically better just because.
More recently I've been reading about people complaining about T-Mobile. Look, if you don't like them, then switch. They didn't put a gun to your head and say they're the only cell phone company around, so you have no choice. And personally, I've never had a problem with them. Granted, I pay my bill on time and don't call them screaming when I do have a problem, but even so most experiences have been good with them.
The thing that kills me is the people who don't have them anymore who still go on their Facebook page and tell everyone else to switch because they suck. Why are you on here if you don't have them/like them? Your opinion of them "being the worst phone company ever" doesn't mean they are. It just means you had some bad experiences, probably related to your overall attitude problem, and you were best off just switching companies.
Another thing? People who don't like certain tv shows or radio programs. Don't like it? Don't watch/listen. Solves that problem quite nicely.
I know this comes across as whiney, but I do get tired of people acting like their opinion is the end-all and no one else's matters.
In the end, I don't care if you agree or disagree with me as long as you respect where I'm coming from.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
the follow-up
Yesterday's post was, well, a long time coming.
It also wasn't nearly as long as it could've been. But I learned a couple of things.
One, I really dislike the way my formerly oldest sister behaved most of the time and two, I really like the font I chose for the repost of the e-mail I had sent her. So going forward, I'm going to use it and see how it works.
I could've written more and if my sister had actually had the guts to respond to my e-mail, I probably would've had enough material to fill up a small book. But there has been no response and it's not likely there will be. She'll probably go on Facebook and Google+ to complain about how inconsiderate and rude I am, and that's fine. She wants to continue to elicit sympathy from her friends, then she's more than welcome to.
Me? I didn't write the blog to garner sympathy. I didn't write it to intentionally disgrace her. Okay, so maybe that last part isn't entirely true, but I'm also at the point where it no longer matters to me. Her opinion is about as worthwhile as my dad's, and those who have known me a long time know how little I care for that man or what he thinks.
It's still a sad case and I still wish that my mom and Teresa didn't have to endure it, but sometimes you have to go through something like that to move forward in life and now I think they can. They no longer have to worry about taking care of Lori and her many, many needs. No one wants anything to go down the way it does, but Lori didn't give my mom a choice and my mom did what had to be done.
Now hopefully everyone can move on and not think about it anymore. My mom can concentrate on trying to get things in order and just have Teresa and the kids to help take care of, something that's infinitely easier than trying to take care of Lori.
That's no joke.
In the end, life moves forward and there probably won't be much more mention of her in here unless she does something else that warrants me talking about it. For now, she can live in her fantasy world where she's the goth queen and everyone loves her and whatever she wants she gets. In the real world, the rest of us are trying to get by week to week and not fall too far behind.
Which is what I'm going to concentrate on doing the next few weeks. I went three weeks without being scheduled at CVS and I felt it. You don't realize how much of a difference a couple days makes until you aren't working those days and the amount of money you're bringing home isn't what it was. Luckily the last pay period included two 8-hour shifts and a holiday, the next will have at least 2 8-hour shifts and a holiday (and possibly a third 8-hour shift), I will be receiving my $50 rebate card from T-Mobile, so once I get through the next week or so, things should be square in terms of money.
Then I can concentrate on Christmas shopping a bit. I need to get something for my mom, sister, her kids, Rachel, and Payton at least.
Time to start coming up with ideas and quick.
It also wasn't nearly as long as it could've been. But I learned a couple of things.
One, I really dislike the way my formerly oldest sister behaved most of the time and two, I really like the font I chose for the repost of the e-mail I had sent her. So going forward, I'm going to use it and see how it works.
I could've written more and if my sister had actually had the guts to respond to my e-mail, I probably would've had enough material to fill up a small book. But there has been no response and it's not likely there will be. She'll probably go on Facebook and Google+ to complain about how inconsiderate and rude I am, and that's fine. She wants to continue to elicit sympathy from her friends, then she's more than welcome to.
Me? I didn't write the blog to garner sympathy. I didn't write it to intentionally disgrace her. Okay, so maybe that last part isn't entirely true, but I'm also at the point where it no longer matters to me. Her opinion is about as worthwhile as my dad's, and those who have known me a long time know how little I care for that man or what he thinks.
It's still a sad case and I still wish that my mom and Teresa didn't have to endure it, but sometimes you have to go through something like that to move forward in life and now I think they can. They no longer have to worry about taking care of Lori and her many, many needs. No one wants anything to go down the way it does, but Lori didn't give my mom a choice and my mom did what had to be done.
Now hopefully everyone can move on and not think about it anymore. My mom can concentrate on trying to get things in order and just have Teresa and the kids to help take care of, something that's infinitely easier than trying to take care of Lori.
That's no joke.
In the end, life moves forward and there probably won't be much more mention of her in here unless she does something else that warrants me talking about it. For now, she can live in her fantasy world where she's the goth queen and everyone loves her and whatever she wants she gets. In the real world, the rest of us are trying to get by week to week and not fall too far behind.
Which is what I'm going to concentrate on doing the next few weeks. I went three weeks without being scheduled at CVS and I felt it. You don't realize how much of a difference a couple days makes until you aren't working those days and the amount of money you're bringing home isn't what it was. Luckily the last pay period included two 8-hour shifts and a holiday, the next will have at least 2 8-hour shifts and a holiday (and possibly a third 8-hour shift), I will be receiving my $50 rebate card from T-Mobile, so once I get through the next week or so, things should be square in terms of money.
Then I can concentrate on Christmas shopping a bit. I need to get something for my mom, sister, her kids, Rachel, and Payton at least.
Time to start coming up with ideas and quick.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
An open letter to my sister
The following is the exact e-mail I'm sending to my older sister on the heels of what happened recently. It is unchanged. I will add further thoughts on the situation afterwards.
Dear Lori,
As of this moment, you are not my sister. If anyone ever asks me going forward, I only have a younger sister. This is how much you've pushed me away and it isn't even because of anything you've done to me. It's what you've done to mom and Teresa. You've upset both of them so much that I can no longer consider you family because a family member doesn't act the way you've acted. A friend doesn't act this way. I don't know what to call you now.
I really don't care if you read all of this. I don't care if you delete it without a thought. I don't care if it makes you angry, sad, or whatever. I don't care. This is more for me to get this off my chest since you have decided that it's easier for you to play victim than own up to the fact that you continuously make mistakes in your life. In that regard, I hope you're happy knowing that you put mom in a difficult position; continue to shelter, care for, and essentially pamper her oldest daughter who shows almost NO appreciation for what her mom and sister do for her.
Instead, you'd rather present yourself as some tragic victim who was "hurt" by those who should've been there for you. Well, mom and Teresa were there for you. They housed you, they fed you, they helped you get the supplies you needed, and pretty much anything else you whined for. I can't think of one thing you did or bought for yourself. Not one. Everything you "own" was given to you or you were helped in getting. You had a cushy gig. All you had to do was respect that it was mom's house, mom's rules and not make a fuss. You couldn't do that though. You disappeared for over a week when they thought you were going to be gone for a weekend. You didn't seem to give a shit that your animals were suffering even though mom told you they were. Then you come back and act as if mom didn't do anything for them.
You have problems. I've known this for a long time but if mom was willing to keep you around, that was her decision. You finally pushed her though. You finally went too far with her, and instead of sitting and talked to her, you treated her like she was an evil witch throwing you out for no reason. I know what you've been posting on Facebook about us. Mom and Teresa know as well. You made such a HUGE fuss about her posting on Facebook, yet you're taking it 10 times further by posting jokes and eliciting sympathy from people who have no idea what actually happened.
You are more concerned with how you appear to friends and those who barely know you rather than how you appear to your own family. You are more concerned with your image than anything else, hence why you were more concerned about the Xbox (which Teresa helped pay for) than your bunny, who you claim to care so much about. If you'd rather lean on them than us, fine. It saves all of us the trouble of babying you. Truth is, the only time you ever seem to have energy is when it involves something you want to do. Any other time? You're too tired, you have cramps, you have some other excuse. You refuse to get a normal job because you're too good for it (and I don't want to hear about no one is hiring. I see "for hire" signs all the time; you just only want to do certain things).
You would have nothing if mom and Teresa didn't help you the last few years. Yet you couldn't appreciate that. You still can't. Instead, you portray us all as if we were completely evil and doing the worst thing ever to you. You deleted us off Facebook the moment she kicked you out. Who does that?
I'm tired of the woe is me stuff. Personally, mom should've kicked you out a long time ago. She works way too hard to put up with your shit, but you don't care about that. You don't care she sometimes puts in 60 hours a week or more to support everyone in that house. The only thing you ever care about is how anything affects you. If it doesn't, it's unimportant. Mom needs help? Oh well. If it didn't benefit you at some point, you were too tired or sick. Well guess what? Mom's 55. She's tired and her health isn't great. Does that not matter to you? Sure doesn't seem like it.
Oh, and the Zaphod thing? I still haven't forgiven you for the role you played in that fiasco. Yes, Tara was wrong to come at you the way you did, but you deserved it. I told you I was taking him and his brother to my future apartment. I told you repeatedly. So what do you do? You sneak him out while I'm working so I can't because your friend was more important. Well guess what? Zaphod would've been fine. Pook is a happy cat and would be even happier if his brother was with him, but because you didn't respect what I was trying to do, you took that opportunity away. All because of a friend. As far as owing you money? I don't owe you shit. You've been given enough. I have my own apartment with my own things inside of it, my own car, and can actually hold a stable job. I'm damn proud of where I'm at right now. I have my flaws, but when I've upset mom, I learned from it and didn't do it again. You are incapable of that. You instead treat her like she's a villian and you didn't deserve what happened.
What I've seen is someone who screws up, and rather than accept responsibility for her mistakes, turns around and blames everyone but herself. You never own up to anything. You blame everyone around you. It was this person's fault, that person's fault. You sit there and act like Cleveland is the armpit of the nation and that things would be so much better everywhere else. Well, if that was the case, why hadn't you gone before you were kicked out? Obviously you know people who would take you in, oh wait, that's why you were upset about being kicked out. You had nowhere to go.
Well, you should've thought about that before you went and pissed off mom. You lived under her roof virtually rent-free. If you needed a ride, she took you. If you needed supplies, she bought them for you. Everything was handed to you and you STILL couldn't appreciate it. You always want more. You want a better laptop, a better phone, a better this, a better that. Yet what have you done to earn any of those things?
Part of me wishes I could post on your wall and show everyone how you really are. But I already know it would be a waste of time. You have so many people fooled into thinking you're one kind of person when you aren't so I wouldn't bother with it anyway. I know you probably won't read this far into this e-mail. That's okay. This is more of a release for me anyway.
As a family, we love you and wish it hadn't come to this. Well, they do. Me? Not so much.
What continues to kill me is how everyone adapted to make things easier for you. Teresa trying to keep the kids quiet because you were sleeping. Mom buying you the supplies you needed. Yet God forbid you do the same for them. Staying up all hours of the night while Teresa and the kids tried to sleep. Always wanting more when they gave you things. You wanted people to be considerate of them, but you couldn't do the same for them. I suppose you have to be one of your inner-circle friends to receive that kind of treatment.
I hope you realize some day what you did to Mom and Teresa. I really do. But I don't think you will. You'll milk the "woe is me" angle until you find somewhere to settle, then after a while you'll wear out your welcome there as you have everywhere else you've gone. Then you might try to mend the fence with mom as you have in the past, but hopefully the next time she says up yours and refuses. You don't deserve it in my opinion.
What's sad is I do have good memories with you, but more often than not, I've wondered just what the hell you were thinking. So good luck with your life. Good luck with your friends. They've shown to be vastly more important to you than your own family. As for me? You are no longer a part of mine, which I'm sure you're fine with as well.
David.
*sigh*
I don't even know where to begin really. I'll be the first to admit that my relationship with Lori was often rocky, if it existed at all. We butted heads often and I've never agreed with how she chose to go about things. I've talked a lot about how her soap-making operation should be a side-job, not her main one simply because it's not a feasible way to sustain business.
She always had her flaws, she sometimes pushed our mom to the brink, but she always managed to avoid going completely over the edge in that regard. She'd find a way to mend things and continue to stay living at my mom's house. She even would occasionally show an ability to show some compassion and do what she needed to do, but it wasn't very often.
Well she finally pushed too far and my mom pushed back. Now she's staying with her dad because she has nowhere else to go (a hard fact to believe simply because she has so many people bending over backwards for every other reason in her life). She's since resorted to going on Facebook and villifying my mom and sister for what they did. This is on the heels of her calling my mom immature for posting on Facebook the need for her to figure out what she's going to do with her animals.
What she doesn't tell people is that my mom had to post online because NOTHING else was working. She had tried to text Lori on a few occasions and Lori decided it wasn't worth her coming back from her little trip to Detroit. What ultimately prompts her to react is the Facebook post since her reputation is now being damaged because she's no longer being shown as the strong, independent woman she wants everyone to believe she is.
Even now, she's trying to portray herself as some sad victim, thrown out for no reason by her unreasonable mother. She wants sympathy and she's getting it from people, some who have tried to get her to call the police on my mom for doing so.
Are you serious? Lori doesn't do shit around the house, whines constantly, and doesn't pay rent, yet these "friends" think she should call the police on my mom because my mom finally put her foot down?
Oh wait, they probably think she's been paying rent, paying for the utilities, bought everything she owned herself, and think she's the next coming of Mother Teresa. They'd probably bow down before her if she asked she has them all so convinced that she's an amazing person.
What they don't know is how Lori often wouldn't do something unless she really wanted to and it benefited her. If it was anything else, she was too sick and/or too tired to do anything and would just sit on the couch (that my mom paid for) and play on Facebook (on a laptop given to her no cost) and text on her phone (also given to her at no cost). Her supplies for her soap-making endeavor? My mom and sister helped buy her supplies. The Xbox she claimed was hers? My sister helped her pay for it.
Even her cats my mom was taking care of more than she was, yet they were her "children." When she finally came back, she practically blamed my mom for them being in bad health. In other words, someone else's fault other than her own. Everything was always someone else's fault. It was never because she made a mistake, someone else caused the mistake to happen.
It's sad in a way really. She's 36 and while she knows what she wants to do, she doesn't have a plan to get there that doesn't involve stepping all over people around her. She wants someone to take care of things for her, buy the things she needs without her having to do a whole lot of heavy lifting. She seems to genuinely like making the soap and all that, but she can't buy the supplies herself, which becomes a problem.
I'm glad my mom finally put her foot down. They don't need the burden of caring for a 36 year-old child like they have been. The kids don't need to worry that if they want to play at 11am, they won't wake her up and Teresa get yelled at for letting kids be kids.
Which is another thing that I didn't mention in my e-mail to her. She was more concerned with material possessions than how much the kids are going to miss her. For better or worse, they love their spooky aunt and she's removed herself from them in her actions and in her being more concerned with her stuff.
It's just a sad situation. I could see how much it upset my mom, but at the same time, how much it angered her.
I hope she learns and makes changes, but doubt she will. She's far too wrapped up in her image and how others see her to realize what she's done to those who were closest to her.
And that's the real shame of it all.
Dear Lori,
As of this moment, you are not my sister. If anyone ever asks me going forward, I only have a younger sister. This is how much you've pushed me away and it isn't even because of anything you've done to me. It's what you've done to mom and Teresa. You've upset both of them so much that I can no longer consider you family because a family member doesn't act the way you've acted. A friend doesn't act this way. I don't know what to call you now.
I really don't care if you read all of this. I don't care if you delete it without a thought. I don't care if it makes you angry, sad, or whatever. I don't care. This is more for me to get this off my chest since you have decided that it's easier for you to play victim than own up to the fact that you continuously make mistakes in your life. In that regard, I hope you're happy knowing that you put mom in a difficult position; continue to shelter, care for, and essentially pamper her oldest daughter who shows almost NO appreciation for what her mom and sister do for her.
Instead, you'd rather present yourself as some tragic victim who was "hurt" by those who should've been there for you. Well, mom and Teresa were there for you. They housed you, they fed you, they helped you get the supplies you needed, and pretty much anything else you whined for. I can't think of one thing you did or bought for yourself. Not one. Everything you "own" was given to you or you were helped in getting. You had a cushy gig. All you had to do was respect that it was mom's house, mom's rules and not make a fuss. You couldn't do that though. You disappeared for over a week when they thought you were going to be gone for a weekend. You didn't seem to give a shit that your animals were suffering even though mom told you they were. Then you come back and act as if mom didn't do anything for them.
You have problems. I've known this for a long time but if mom was willing to keep you around, that was her decision. You finally pushed her though. You finally went too far with her, and instead of sitting and talked to her, you treated her like she was an evil witch throwing you out for no reason. I know what you've been posting on Facebook about us. Mom and Teresa know as well. You made such a HUGE fuss about her posting on Facebook, yet you're taking it 10 times further by posting jokes and eliciting sympathy from people who have no idea what actually happened.
You are more concerned with how you appear to friends and those who barely know you rather than how you appear to your own family. You are more concerned with your image than anything else, hence why you were more concerned about the Xbox (which Teresa helped pay for) than your bunny, who you claim to care so much about. If you'd rather lean on them than us, fine. It saves all of us the trouble of babying you. Truth is, the only time you ever seem to have energy is when it involves something you want to do. Any other time? You're too tired, you have cramps, you have some other excuse. You refuse to get a normal job because you're too good for it (and I don't want to hear about no one is hiring. I see "for hire" signs all the time; you just only want to do certain things).
You would have nothing if mom and Teresa didn't help you the last few years. Yet you couldn't appreciate that. You still can't. Instead, you portray us all as if we were completely evil and doing the worst thing ever to you. You deleted us off Facebook the moment she kicked you out. Who does that?
I'm tired of the woe is me stuff. Personally, mom should've kicked you out a long time ago. She works way too hard to put up with your shit, but you don't care about that. You don't care she sometimes puts in 60 hours a week or more to support everyone in that house. The only thing you ever care about is how anything affects you. If it doesn't, it's unimportant. Mom needs help? Oh well. If it didn't benefit you at some point, you were too tired or sick. Well guess what? Mom's 55. She's tired and her health isn't great. Does that not matter to you? Sure doesn't seem like it.
Oh, and the Zaphod thing? I still haven't forgiven you for the role you played in that fiasco. Yes, Tara was wrong to come at you the way you did, but you deserved it. I told you I was taking him and his brother to my future apartment. I told you repeatedly. So what do you do? You sneak him out while I'm working so I can't because your friend was more important. Well guess what? Zaphod would've been fine. Pook is a happy cat and would be even happier if his brother was with him, but because you didn't respect what I was trying to do, you took that opportunity away. All because of a friend. As far as owing you money? I don't owe you shit. You've been given enough. I have my own apartment with my own things inside of it, my own car, and can actually hold a stable job. I'm damn proud of where I'm at right now. I have my flaws, but when I've upset mom, I learned from it and didn't do it again. You are incapable of that. You instead treat her like she's a villian and you didn't deserve what happened.
What I've seen is someone who screws up, and rather than accept responsibility for her mistakes, turns around and blames everyone but herself. You never own up to anything. You blame everyone around you. It was this person's fault, that person's fault. You sit there and act like Cleveland is the armpit of the nation and that things would be so much better everywhere else. Well, if that was the case, why hadn't you gone before you were kicked out? Obviously you know people who would take you in, oh wait, that's why you were upset about being kicked out. You had nowhere to go.
Well, you should've thought about that before you went and pissed off mom. You lived under her roof virtually rent-free. If you needed a ride, she took you. If you needed supplies, she bought them for you. Everything was handed to you and you STILL couldn't appreciate it. You always want more. You want a better laptop, a better phone, a better this, a better that. Yet what have you done to earn any of those things?
Part of me wishes I could post on your wall and show everyone how you really are. But I already know it would be a waste of time. You have so many people fooled into thinking you're one kind of person when you aren't so I wouldn't bother with it anyway. I know you probably won't read this far into this e-mail. That's okay. This is more of a release for me anyway.
As a family, we love you and wish it hadn't come to this. Well, they do. Me? Not so much.
What continues to kill me is how everyone adapted to make things easier for you. Teresa trying to keep the kids quiet because you were sleeping. Mom buying you the supplies you needed. Yet God forbid you do the same for them. Staying up all hours of the night while Teresa and the kids tried to sleep. Always wanting more when they gave you things. You wanted people to be considerate of them, but you couldn't do the same for them. I suppose you have to be one of your inner-circle friends to receive that kind of treatment.
I hope you realize some day what you did to Mom and Teresa. I really do. But I don't think you will. You'll milk the "woe is me" angle until you find somewhere to settle, then after a while you'll wear out your welcome there as you have everywhere else you've gone. Then you might try to mend the fence with mom as you have in the past, but hopefully the next time she says up yours and refuses. You don't deserve it in my opinion.
What's sad is I do have good memories with you, but more often than not, I've wondered just what the hell you were thinking. So good luck with your life. Good luck with your friends. They've shown to be vastly more important to you than your own family. As for me? You are no longer a part of mine, which I'm sure you're fine with as well.
David.
*sigh*
I don't even know where to begin really. I'll be the first to admit that my relationship with Lori was often rocky, if it existed at all. We butted heads often and I've never agreed with how she chose to go about things. I've talked a lot about how her soap-making operation should be a side-job, not her main one simply because it's not a feasible way to sustain business.
She always had her flaws, she sometimes pushed our mom to the brink, but she always managed to avoid going completely over the edge in that regard. She'd find a way to mend things and continue to stay living at my mom's house. She even would occasionally show an ability to show some compassion and do what she needed to do, but it wasn't very often.
Well she finally pushed too far and my mom pushed back. Now she's staying with her dad because she has nowhere else to go (a hard fact to believe simply because she has so many people bending over backwards for every other reason in her life). She's since resorted to going on Facebook and villifying my mom and sister for what they did. This is on the heels of her calling my mom immature for posting on Facebook the need for her to figure out what she's going to do with her animals.
What she doesn't tell people is that my mom had to post online because NOTHING else was working. She had tried to text Lori on a few occasions and Lori decided it wasn't worth her coming back from her little trip to Detroit. What ultimately prompts her to react is the Facebook post since her reputation is now being damaged because she's no longer being shown as the strong, independent woman she wants everyone to believe she is.
Even now, she's trying to portray herself as some sad victim, thrown out for no reason by her unreasonable mother. She wants sympathy and she's getting it from people, some who have tried to get her to call the police on my mom for doing so.
Are you serious? Lori doesn't do shit around the house, whines constantly, and doesn't pay rent, yet these "friends" think she should call the police on my mom because my mom finally put her foot down?
Oh wait, they probably think she's been paying rent, paying for the utilities, bought everything she owned herself, and think she's the next coming of Mother Teresa. They'd probably bow down before her if she asked she has them all so convinced that she's an amazing person.
What they don't know is how Lori often wouldn't do something unless she really wanted to and it benefited her. If it was anything else, she was too sick and/or too tired to do anything and would just sit on the couch (that my mom paid for) and play on Facebook (on a laptop given to her no cost) and text on her phone (also given to her at no cost). Her supplies for her soap-making endeavor? My mom and sister helped buy her supplies. The Xbox she claimed was hers? My sister helped her pay for it.
Even her cats my mom was taking care of more than she was, yet they were her "children." When she finally came back, she practically blamed my mom for them being in bad health. In other words, someone else's fault other than her own. Everything was always someone else's fault. It was never because she made a mistake, someone else caused the mistake to happen.
It's sad in a way really. She's 36 and while she knows what she wants to do, she doesn't have a plan to get there that doesn't involve stepping all over people around her. She wants someone to take care of things for her, buy the things she needs without her having to do a whole lot of heavy lifting. She seems to genuinely like making the soap and all that, but she can't buy the supplies herself, which becomes a problem.
I'm glad my mom finally put her foot down. They don't need the burden of caring for a 36 year-old child like they have been. The kids don't need to worry that if they want to play at 11am, they won't wake her up and Teresa get yelled at for letting kids be kids.
Which is another thing that I didn't mention in my e-mail to her. She was more concerned with material possessions than how much the kids are going to miss her. For better or worse, they love their spooky aunt and she's removed herself from them in her actions and in her being more concerned with her stuff.
It's just a sad situation. I could see how much it upset my mom, but at the same time, how much it angered her.
I hope she learns and makes changes, but doubt she will. She's far too wrapped up in her image and how others see her to realize what she's done to those who were closest to her.
And that's the real shame of it all.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
should recognize more
Tomorrow is Veteran's Day.
I'm sure a lot of you knew that already and those that didn't found out through the course of the day thanks to the 759 commercials that have been running on tv and radio. Or maybe you found out because there's no mail delivery and banks are closed.
Veteran's Day is a nice idea, it really is. Have a day for those who are either serving or have served in the military in some form.
But why just the one day?
Why do we need a holiday to show appreciation for those who serve? Sure, some places do things for the military on a regular basis, such as discounts and so forth, but I've seen in the last few years that become less and less common. I have a friend who served and one thing he's said that he used to be able to go just about anywhere and get a discount of some sort. Now, he doesn't really bother to ask anymore since the practice has decreased so much.
Some of it is certainly due to the economy. Companies need to recoup every last penny that they can to try and make a profit and a military discount cuts into that profit margin. Some of it though seems to be more than that. Some of it seems to stem from those against the far reach of the military arm. Most of it, and this disturbs me, seems to be just a lack of appreciation anymore.
Whether you're against and for our military being active in other countries, regardless of how you felt about the battles overseas in recent years, it shouldn't diminish the things that the men and women go through who actually do serve. Just because you hate why they're there shouldn't change how much you appreciate what they're doing.
A little while back I wrote about how some professional sports athletes should stop whining about their contracts and play because what they're doing pales in comparison to what a person in the military goes through. I bet that most would shut up and enjoy playing the game again if they had to sit through a warzone making a fraction of what they make to play a game. Athletes aren't "soldiers" and most wouldn't survive a week in boot camp, much less the front line of a warzone.
I still stand by that.
I raise the question again though. Why do we have to have a holiday to show appreciation? Shouldn't we be doing that every day? Shouldn't every business offer some sort of perk to those who served in the military? Why just one day? Did these men and women not do enough to justify even a month? I mean, not to take away from black history month, breast cancer awareness, and other causes that have entire months devoted to them, but shouldn't the military at least have one? Hell, give each branch a month while we're at it.
Give the marines two months.
Put up banners, give them a parade, have sports teams show appreciation by allowing those who served to get in for at least half off the ticket price, if not more. If you've been wounded, you get in free. Let them sit in the luxury boxes for crying out loud, especially if they just spent the last several months sitting in the sand, baking in the desert heat while trying to avoid getting shot or blown up. Put them on the field for the national anthem. Introduce them before the game instead of the players.
Give them discounted meals at restaurants. Give them deals on clothes and whatever else they want to buy. Put them in the front of the line at amusement parks. If they need medical help, give it to them for free, no questions asked. After all, them getting shot, stabbed, or whatever else happened to them is allowing that hospital to operate as a free business.
When you see them on the street, give them a pat on the back (just watch out for wounds) and say thanks. When you take care of them at a business, be sure to say how much you appreciate what they did. If you see someone at a bar, buy them a drink or two.
Everything we can do, everything we can say, everywhere we can go is because of those who have and currently serve in the military. Everything. Without the military, who would we have sent over after 9/11? Who would protect the border from invasion if we didn't have a military? Without the military, most of the basic rights, if not all of them, wouldn't exist today.
Yet we spend too much time complaining about the military presence overseas. We complain about what's happened in the middle east. We show very little in appreciation until the calendar says we should.
I think that needs to change. So stop a week from now and say thanks, not because Veteran's Day passed by recently, but because you can.
Otherwise someday, you might not be able to.
I'm sure a lot of you knew that already and those that didn't found out through the course of the day thanks to the 759 commercials that have been running on tv and radio. Or maybe you found out because there's no mail delivery and banks are closed.
Veteran's Day is a nice idea, it really is. Have a day for those who are either serving or have served in the military in some form.
But why just the one day?
Why do we need a holiday to show appreciation for those who serve? Sure, some places do things for the military on a regular basis, such as discounts and so forth, but I've seen in the last few years that become less and less common. I have a friend who served and one thing he's said that he used to be able to go just about anywhere and get a discount of some sort. Now, he doesn't really bother to ask anymore since the practice has decreased so much.
Some of it is certainly due to the economy. Companies need to recoup every last penny that they can to try and make a profit and a military discount cuts into that profit margin. Some of it though seems to be more than that. Some of it seems to stem from those against the far reach of the military arm. Most of it, and this disturbs me, seems to be just a lack of appreciation anymore.
Whether you're against and for our military being active in other countries, regardless of how you felt about the battles overseas in recent years, it shouldn't diminish the things that the men and women go through who actually do serve. Just because you hate why they're there shouldn't change how much you appreciate what they're doing.
A little while back I wrote about how some professional sports athletes should stop whining about their contracts and play because what they're doing pales in comparison to what a person in the military goes through. I bet that most would shut up and enjoy playing the game again if they had to sit through a warzone making a fraction of what they make to play a game. Athletes aren't "soldiers" and most wouldn't survive a week in boot camp, much less the front line of a warzone.
I still stand by that.
I raise the question again though. Why do we have to have a holiday to show appreciation? Shouldn't we be doing that every day? Shouldn't every business offer some sort of perk to those who served in the military? Why just one day? Did these men and women not do enough to justify even a month? I mean, not to take away from black history month, breast cancer awareness, and other causes that have entire months devoted to them, but shouldn't the military at least have one? Hell, give each branch a month while we're at it.
Give the marines two months.
Put up banners, give them a parade, have sports teams show appreciation by allowing those who served to get in for at least half off the ticket price, if not more. If you've been wounded, you get in free. Let them sit in the luxury boxes for crying out loud, especially if they just spent the last several months sitting in the sand, baking in the desert heat while trying to avoid getting shot or blown up. Put them on the field for the national anthem. Introduce them before the game instead of the players.
Give them discounted meals at restaurants. Give them deals on clothes and whatever else they want to buy. Put them in the front of the line at amusement parks. If they need medical help, give it to them for free, no questions asked. After all, them getting shot, stabbed, or whatever else happened to them is allowing that hospital to operate as a free business.
When you see them on the street, give them a pat on the back (just watch out for wounds) and say thanks. When you take care of them at a business, be sure to say how much you appreciate what they did. If you see someone at a bar, buy them a drink or two.
Everything we can do, everything we can say, everywhere we can go is because of those who have and currently serve in the military. Everything. Without the military, who would we have sent over after 9/11? Who would protect the border from invasion if we didn't have a military? Without the military, most of the basic rights, if not all of them, wouldn't exist today.
Yet we spend too much time complaining about the military presence overseas. We complain about what's happened in the middle east. We show very little in appreciation until the calendar says we should.
I think that needs to change. So stop a week from now and say thanks, not because Veteran's Day passed by recently, but because you can.
Otherwise someday, you might not be able to.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
what a mess - sports edition
I was originally going to write a column chronicling the halfway point in the NFL season and where each team stands today. It was going to be serious with a touch of humor, or so that was the theory when I was originally planning it in my head.
Then yesterday all hell broke loose with the Penn State sexual abuse story involving an ex-coach and what it meant for Joe Paterno. Then this morning I read how the lawyer for the NBA players union compared how the players were being treated in negotiations to plantation workers. Then I read an agent say he was going to steer his players away from certain teams (including the Cavaliers) because of the stance being taken by those respective teams' owners.
A part of me snapped.
I was already fed up with the NBA and its lockout. Sure, the NFL was locked out and I was irritated by that, but the NFL resolved its issues without losing any regular season games, or exhibition games really. The NBA has lost a month and it seems like it's getting worse.
Sure, I read at least once every other day that there are signs it's going to get done. Then the next day I see things completely broke down and flamed out. It's become increasingly frustrating to read about simply because there appears to be no end in sight and neither side seems to want to budge.
How did we get to this point?
In short, the owners made bad decisions for several years, handing out max-contracts to anyone and everyone they felt they needed to win an NBA championship. For the Cavaliers, it was the Larry Hughes signing, for other teams the player varies. In any case, the owners kept giving up huge chunks of money for players who weren't worth it and hey, what player would say no to that?
The owners made a bed they no longer wanted to sleep in and the players, well, they liked that arrangement. That and the ability to create super teams to try and win championships as demonstrated first by the Boston Celtics, then the Miami Heat. In other words, the players found a way to make the current system benefit them beyond what it was meant to do.
The theory was with the system the way it was, teams should've been able to keep their top free agents if they desired by being able to offer longer, more lucrative contracts. If a player left for whatever reason, it was reasoned that he really just wanted to win or he wanted the bigger spotlight. The system wasn't perfect, but for the most part teams could keep their stars. Once the loophole was exploited though, players took notice and whispers of other "super" teams started to float.
The owners said enough was enough, but they had created the mess and the players didn't want it to change.
Now we're stuck in a stalemate that goes beyond how much money each side gets and now things are getting testy.
First was Bryant Gumbel comparing NBA commissioner David Stern to a plantation owner. Then came the comments from Jeffrey Kessler about players being treated as if they were plantation workers. Later it was revealed that an unnamed player agent was telling anyone who would listen that he would steer his players away from "hardline" owners such as Dan Gilbert of the Cavs who want sweeping changes to the system, saying if the owners want his players, said owner is going to have to overpay for their services.
First off, plantation workers? If I'm a descendant of any slave that worked on a plantation, I'm offended by this simply because of what those people had to endure. They didn't make millions upon millions of dollars to get treated like crap, they were basically treated like crap and lucky to be alive. So throw that one out along with the plantation owner comment from Gumbel who stopped being relevant the moment he tried to do play-by-play for the NFL Network a few years back.
Then there's the agent. I already despise agents whose only motivation in this whole process is to continue to make sure they receive as much money as possible, which means they'd be against any of the changes that owners want to propose, so as a penalty, this agent is going to make sure his players avoid owners who are behind sweeping changes. Nice way to do business buddy. You're pissed because things might change and you might lose some money in the end, so this is how you respond? If that's how you are and a player is willing to keep you as an agent, then I personally don't want this player on the team I root for anyway and I'll be more than happy to boo him when he comes to play the Cavs.
In the end, changes do need to be made, but there are some things that shouldn't be changed. For one, players should be allowed to become free agents without limitations. I never liked the franchise tag in the NFL and I don't think it would help in the NBA. Second, one max contract per team. If a player wants to team up with his buddy, he can take less money to do it and show he's really about winning. Third, make it more difficult to do a sign and trade. If he wants to play eslewhere, he can go. Fourth, cap off the salaries and do what the NFL is doing and institute a minimum spending level, ensuring that teams have a chance to field a competitive team by spending money, but not too much.
Oh, and each side shut up. The economy sucks and much like with the NFL, no one wants to hear millionaires and billionaires complain about money. I don't care how you split the revenue. Just do it, get a deal signed, and get back on the court.
In the long run, the lockout is a minor news item compared to what's going on at Penn State. For those who don't know, it's come out that Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach under Joe Paterno, reportedly molested a large number of young boys on campus using his charity as a front to meet the boys he molested. I won't get into all the details since you can find them virtually all over the news, but it's a sad and shocking turn of events.
The thoughts I have on this are simple. Paterno reported the incident to his athletic director back in 2002, who then apparently decided it wasn't worth investigating further and it fell off the map until recently. Now people are outraged and rightly so. As the week has gone on, more and more have come forward saying Sandusky molested them, and the heat has increased on Penn State more and more as it appears that the AD and president of the university tried to keep it under wraps.
Paterno himself announced today that he is resigning after the season, the first to take the fall for this. While it's certainly true that he should've done more, followed up on what was said to him by a former undergraduate assistant, he also shouldn't be taking the brunt of the assault. The sad truth is everyone involved is guilty to some extent, some more than others. Sandusky himself is a sad excuse for a human being, using a charity foundation as a way to meet the young boys he was assaulting.
Words can't even describe how horrible this situation is really. I can sit here and tell you how the boys affected haven't been the same since, that anyone who has dealt with sexual abuse is prone to trust issues, but I'm just rehashing what others have said better than I could ever say.
In the end the act is tragic and hopefully Sandusky receives the punishment he deserves for doing what he did.
Then yesterday all hell broke loose with the Penn State sexual abuse story involving an ex-coach and what it meant for Joe Paterno. Then this morning I read how the lawyer for the NBA players union compared how the players were being treated in negotiations to plantation workers. Then I read an agent say he was going to steer his players away from certain teams (including the Cavaliers) because of the stance being taken by those respective teams' owners.
A part of me snapped.
I was already fed up with the NBA and its lockout. Sure, the NFL was locked out and I was irritated by that, but the NFL resolved its issues without losing any regular season games, or exhibition games really. The NBA has lost a month and it seems like it's getting worse.
Sure, I read at least once every other day that there are signs it's going to get done. Then the next day I see things completely broke down and flamed out. It's become increasingly frustrating to read about simply because there appears to be no end in sight and neither side seems to want to budge.
How did we get to this point?
In short, the owners made bad decisions for several years, handing out max-contracts to anyone and everyone they felt they needed to win an NBA championship. For the Cavaliers, it was the Larry Hughes signing, for other teams the player varies. In any case, the owners kept giving up huge chunks of money for players who weren't worth it and hey, what player would say no to that?
The owners made a bed they no longer wanted to sleep in and the players, well, they liked that arrangement. That and the ability to create super teams to try and win championships as demonstrated first by the Boston Celtics, then the Miami Heat. In other words, the players found a way to make the current system benefit them beyond what it was meant to do.
The theory was with the system the way it was, teams should've been able to keep their top free agents if they desired by being able to offer longer, more lucrative contracts. If a player left for whatever reason, it was reasoned that he really just wanted to win or he wanted the bigger spotlight. The system wasn't perfect, but for the most part teams could keep their stars. Once the loophole was exploited though, players took notice and whispers of other "super" teams started to float.
The owners said enough was enough, but they had created the mess and the players didn't want it to change.
Now we're stuck in a stalemate that goes beyond how much money each side gets and now things are getting testy.
First was Bryant Gumbel comparing NBA commissioner David Stern to a plantation owner. Then came the comments from Jeffrey Kessler about players being treated as if they were plantation workers. Later it was revealed that an unnamed player agent was telling anyone who would listen that he would steer his players away from "hardline" owners such as Dan Gilbert of the Cavs who want sweeping changes to the system, saying if the owners want his players, said owner is going to have to overpay for their services.
First off, plantation workers? If I'm a descendant of any slave that worked on a plantation, I'm offended by this simply because of what those people had to endure. They didn't make millions upon millions of dollars to get treated like crap, they were basically treated like crap and lucky to be alive. So throw that one out along with the plantation owner comment from Gumbel who stopped being relevant the moment he tried to do play-by-play for the NFL Network a few years back.
Then there's the agent. I already despise agents whose only motivation in this whole process is to continue to make sure they receive as much money as possible, which means they'd be against any of the changes that owners want to propose, so as a penalty, this agent is going to make sure his players avoid owners who are behind sweeping changes. Nice way to do business buddy. You're pissed because things might change and you might lose some money in the end, so this is how you respond? If that's how you are and a player is willing to keep you as an agent, then I personally don't want this player on the team I root for anyway and I'll be more than happy to boo him when he comes to play the Cavs.
In the end, changes do need to be made, but there are some things that shouldn't be changed. For one, players should be allowed to become free agents without limitations. I never liked the franchise tag in the NFL and I don't think it would help in the NBA. Second, one max contract per team. If a player wants to team up with his buddy, he can take less money to do it and show he's really about winning. Third, make it more difficult to do a sign and trade. If he wants to play eslewhere, he can go. Fourth, cap off the salaries and do what the NFL is doing and institute a minimum spending level, ensuring that teams have a chance to field a competitive team by spending money, but not too much.
Oh, and each side shut up. The economy sucks and much like with the NFL, no one wants to hear millionaires and billionaires complain about money. I don't care how you split the revenue. Just do it, get a deal signed, and get back on the court.
In the long run, the lockout is a minor news item compared to what's going on at Penn State. For those who don't know, it's come out that Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach under Joe Paterno, reportedly molested a large number of young boys on campus using his charity as a front to meet the boys he molested. I won't get into all the details since you can find them virtually all over the news, but it's a sad and shocking turn of events.
The thoughts I have on this are simple. Paterno reported the incident to his athletic director back in 2002, who then apparently decided it wasn't worth investigating further and it fell off the map until recently. Now people are outraged and rightly so. As the week has gone on, more and more have come forward saying Sandusky molested them, and the heat has increased on Penn State more and more as it appears that the AD and president of the university tried to keep it under wraps.
Paterno himself announced today that he is resigning after the season, the first to take the fall for this. While it's certainly true that he should've done more, followed up on what was said to him by a former undergraduate assistant, he also shouldn't be taking the brunt of the assault. The sad truth is everyone involved is guilty to some extent, some more than others. Sandusky himself is a sad excuse for a human being, using a charity foundation as a way to meet the young boys he was assaulting.
Words can't even describe how horrible this situation is really. I can sit here and tell you how the boys affected haven't been the same since, that anyone who has dealt with sexual abuse is prone to trust issues, but I'm just rehashing what others have said better than I could ever say.
In the end the act is tragic and hopefully Sandusky receives the punishment he deserves for doing what he did.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
a whole lot of random
I used to be a very random writer.
The number of subjects I'd bounce around from was absurd. I was also probably more opinionated in the past as well, more likely to tell you just how stupid something was to me.
Well, today is your lucky day if you've missed those days. See, today, I have a few thinks to rant about, albeit mostly sports-related items, so I'm going to go on a little rant on things from the continued talk of LeBron James, Tim Tebow, the NBA lockout, Urban Meyer possibly coaching at OSU, the declining of Grady Sizemore's option year, and the Kardashians, since I had to have one non-sports related topic in here.
Of course I'm prone to thinking of more items, but the ones I wanted to hit on are written down already, so any additional topics would be bonuses.
And given the economy, that's probably the best bonus you're going to get.
Things I don't care about
LeBron James
This one irks me. The guy left over a year ago. He didn't win a championship, in fact, he failed in a more grand fashion than ever as he consistently came up short in the playoffs. In fact, if it weren't for Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat would've flamed out before the Eastern Conference Finals. He consistently disappeared in the fourth quarter of games and was turnover-prone even more than usual.
So why do people in Cleveland still talk about him? I get that this town more than others holds grudges longer. Consider that many still were cold in regards to Jim Thome coming back to the Indians at the end of the last season. We just have a hard time letting go, and since James was perhaps the most gifted athlete since Jim Brown to come to Cleveland, it's made the resentment that much worse.
Maybe it's the fact that the Cavs were the best shot at a sports title with James, and if the best player in the league couldn't deliver a championship for the city, who can?
More likely, it's the fact that he went on national tv to announce where he was going after parading various team executives into Akron to try to convince him to sign with them (this ties in with the lockout that I could care less about later). It was bad enough he left, but he did so in an hour-long special that also managed to turn a large number of people away from ESPN in the process.
The media here hasn't been able to let go either. Almost weekly there is some kind of article on Cleveland.com documenting what he did, or what the Miami Heat are doing, or how the lockout affects his chance at a championship this year.
Personally, I don't care what he's doing. Sure, I rooted against the Heat in the playoffs, taking particular joy when they made it to the Finals only to lose, but ultimately, my world wasn't going to come to an end because they won a title. I actually have always liked Wade. The guy is fearless and clutch, which will be the reason why the Heat win a title in the future.
So let it go Cleveland, let it go.
Peyton Hillis
On the list of things that's been carried way too far, the drama with Peyton Hillis is near the top. Ever since he was held out of a game because of strep, he's been a topic of discussion, first because the Browns were going to give him a new contract, then because he didn't play, then because they couldn't reach an agreement, then because he was hardly playing in the games he was in, to the most recent bit of controversy.
Seems that Hillis skipped out on a charity function recently. In my true "I could care less" fashion, I have no idea what function or what the circumstances are. I don't care. Does it make him look bad? Maybe, but really until the details of why he skipped out are revealed, I'm not the type to judge.
I also don't think the team is "punishing" him by sitting him so much. I think the guy is legitimately hurt. Let's face it: the type of year he had last year was amazing, but by the end he was not nearly as effective due to injuries and teams loading up to stop him. And fact is, injuries happen to everyone, not just the smaller players. I think the Browns would love to use the guy, but he can't stay healthy and it's partly because of last year, and partly because of the lockout.
In the end, what he does in his personal time is none of my business or anyone else's. One radio host was actually taking Joe Haden to task today because Haden skipped a radio appearance to show up at a charity event, mostly because this host had been announcing all day the day before that Haden was going to be appearing somewhere. He was worried that it made him look bad, well too bad. Haden is allowed to do that. So deal with it.
In the meantime, everyone get off of Hillis's back. There are still 9 games to play this year. Let's see how it plays out.
That said, a year makes all the difference. A year ago, fans were fawning over Hillis. Now they're calling him names and hoping the team gets rid of him.
Tim Tebow
I never liked Tim Tebow. I'm gonna come clean with that right now. Therefore, I've cared very little for him since he took off while at the University of Florida. I never thought he would translate into a bonafide NFL quarterback and really was hoping that he would fail before he even started.
Somehow, someway, he managed to get drafted by the Denver Broncos, in the first round even. Then he struggled to make the team, yet by the end of the season, he was starting and playing semi-kinda-reasonably well. Then it was back to back-up status at the start of this season, even ending up third on the depth chart behind Kyle Orton (who always seems to get thrown under the bus) and Brady Quinn (we all know his story). Some thought he would get cut.
Last week was his second start this season. He was hit early, often, and hard. At the end, unnamed Detroit Lions players were laughing that he was the quarterback, saying that hitting him became boring in the third quarter. The polarizing quarterback was under scrutiny again.
Tebow, well, some don't like him because he is very upfront about his faith in God. That's the wrong reason to hate anyone. It's commendable in fact that someone in his position is willing to talk about his religious faith as openly as Tebow without linking it to his recent play on the field (which many athletes are guilty of doing; some only mention God after making a spectacular play).
Others, like me, just don't see how he cuts it as a quarterback. He doesn't throw the ball well and all he did in college really was quarterback sneaks, which somehow, someway, almost always managed to work. In fact, he was able to use that in his previous start against the Dolphins, who showed just how pathetic they really are in losing that game the way they did.
By all accounts, Tebow is a nice guy. But unless the Browns are playing the Broncos, I really don't care to hear all about him and what he did on the field.
The NBA Lockout
This saddens me to say, but I used to be a huge basketball fan. Back when I was a kid in the late 80's and early 90's, I was a HUGE Cleveland Cavaliers fan. My favorite player was Mark Price, but I could watch Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Craig Ehlo, and Hot Rod Williams all day as well. Those Cavalier teams played in the Richfield Coliseum, which was an eternity from Cleveland, but was a great home court advantage. If it weren't for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the Cavs could've easily won at least one championship in those years.
But they didn't. And until LeBron James, the Cavs were never a serious threat again. Then he left and they became the laughingstock of the league again.
In a way, I still do love basketball. I love getting on to the court to play, although it's been a while now. But watching it doesn't excite me as much, and Rachel knows why as we had a very lengthy discussion about basketball's problem.
The players are wimps.
The star players are the worst too. If they get tapped, they scream bloody murder if the referee doesn't blow their whistle. If they get called for a foul, they scream bloodier murder, even if the replay shows them slapping the guy across the face while tripping him while punching him in the kidney. The player with the ball is never getting the calls in his favor and the guys without the ball never committed a foul.
That's been the best part of the lockout. I don't have to see players prance around like little girls because the ref blew the whistle on them.
Basketball was at its best in the 80's and early 90's. Back then, you could slap a guy a few times, "accidentally" hip-check someone into the front row, or almost kill another player, and the ref will just say "play on" as if nothing happened. That's when the game was physical, rough, and it wasn't uncommon for players to bleed.
Now? Accidentally running into another player earns you a flagrant foul and potential ejection, even if you were going after the ball.
Don't get me wrong, I still want to be able to watch basketball, but I'll be more than content to watch college hoops once the season starts. The lockout has been so obnoxious (quit fighting over money when the average fan can't afford to go to your game!) that I'm almost oblivious. Most years, I knew when the opening game was. This year? I had no idea it was supposed to open tonight.
To that, I say "meh."
Urban Meyer
This is another example of fans wanting what they don't have.
Luke Fickell was announced as Ohio State's head football coach in the aftermath of Jim Tressel "resigning" and later Terrell Pryor defecting to the NFL. He was given a roster missing several players due to suspension. He was forced to decide between a veteran quarterback who had no idea where the ball was going when he threw it, or a freshman quarterback who would get a deer in headlights look.
In short, he never had a fair chance this year. Fans expected the Buckeyes to roll over everyone like they always have despite the turmoil, and when they didn't, fans lost it. Losing to the Hurricanes the way they did on national tv was an embarrassment. Losing to Michigan State was excruciating. Losing to Nebraska was heartbreaking. Fans went from thinking Big Ten Championship to talking about Urban Meyer being the next coach because Fickell didn't know what he was doing.
Look, Meyer was a great coach at Florida, but his coaching career shows he hangs around for a while, then abrubtly leaves. He may bring something extra to recruiting, but from listening to him in the broadcast booth, he doesn't seem all that interested in coaching at this point in time. If the Buckeyes hired Fickell to "get them through" the sanctions and suspensions, then they've done Fickell a great disservice, especially given him being a former player with the Buckeyes.
In short, I don't want to hear about Meyer. He's not the coach of the Buckeyes. Fickell is until he's fired or quits. There seems to be an obsession with fans over who isn't with a team as opposed to who's actually on it.
In short, I could care less about Meyer.
The Kardashians
I'm not a fan of reality tv. I'm not a fan of pseudo-celebrity reality tv. So seeing reports on ESPN Cleveland and ESPN about the divorce of Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphreys (granted, an NBA player; a low-end NBA player, but still), I lost interest immediately. Granted, I read enough to see that it ended after only 72 days (really?), but that was the only thing that made it noteworthy to me.
In general, I'm not a celebrity follower. I don't care where people go, what they eat, who they're seen with, or how they ended up in jail. I don't care about their personal lives one bit. I've watched maybe a grand total of 15 minutes of the Kardashian show on E!. I can't justify spending a lot of time on a show like that.
I know I go against a majority of people in saying that though and really, there isn't anything wrong with anyone who likes watching shows like that. I just don't care for them. The things people on those shows complain about would be great problems for me to have if you ask me.
Parenting
This is one I just thought of, mostly because of a conversation I had with Rachel last night.
I could care less how someone else is doing something.
Let's say you were raising a child and you wanted your child to no longer use a bottle and told everyone involved with watching the child that they aren't to be given bottles anymore. Now let's assume everyone goes along with it (as they should, since you are the parent and it's your call). You think everything's fine and dandy until one day you find out that someone is still giving your child a bottle.
So you go and you ask them about this and they say they have been. You then explain why you don't want your child using a bottle and to stop it. Want to know how NOT to answer?
"Well so and so's pediatrician says it's fine for their child."
You'd be able to see the steam coming from my ears if that happened to me. As I stated last night, I don't care what pediatrician said to what person about any child. I'm not that person, that isn't my child's pediatrician, and it's a different child. I do NOT care what someone else is doing. This is what I desire for my child and I suggest you follow it.
This applies to a number of situations though. I've always hated when someone says something is fine for them or someone else when I'm having an issue or don't agree with it.
The main point though is when it comes to a parent and the child, what the parent desires should be followed. If someone doesn't like it, well, tough.
Grady Sizemore
This isn't so much a rant about not caring about Grady Sizemore as it is a reflection on what could've been a great career.
Let's start by saying Sizemore is not as good as some have portrayed him to be, but he also wasn't as bad as some wanted to say he was either. In short, he was a player that a lot of people liked because he always went all out, whether it be crashing into the wall, diving at will, sliding hard to break-up a double play, or even leg-out a double-play grounder.
He was a guy who could hit for power, steal bases, and take hits away in the outfield. He never took a play off and when he was hitting well, he was a doubles machine. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to strikeout a lot and never had a strong arm in the outfield. He was most comfortable leading off even though he should've been hitting in the middle of the order.
From 2005 through 2008, he was durable. In that time, he missed a grand total of 9 games. He didn't get hurt and you had to tear him off the playing field if you wanted to rest him. He was the heart and soul of a young team.
It caught up to him though.
In the next three seasons, he missed 276 games due to various injuries, leading to the Indians to decline his $9 million option for next season. Some are lamenting it, saying he has a chance at returning to form. They could be right, but given that he's had microfracture surgery, he likely will never recover the burst that made him such a dangerous player. When he wasn't hitting for average and walking much, he made up for it with home runs, doubles, and stolen bases. The power may still be there, but the doubles and steals won't be, making him less valuable.
The Indians, if you ask me, made the right decision. They can now try to resign him for less money and give him a chance to show that he can return to health, or he'll latch on with another team thinking the same thing. He may even come back to haunt the Indians some day.
That doesn't seem likely.
In the end, Grady wasn't a great player, but he wasn't terrible either.
The number of subjects I'd bounce around from was absurd. I was also probably more opinionated in the past as well, more likely to tell you just how stupid something was to me.
Well, today is your lucky day if you've missed those days. See, today, I have a few thinks to rant about, albeit mostly sports-related items, so I'm going to go on a little rant on things from the continued talk of LeBron James, Tim Tebow, the NBA lockout, Urban Meyer possibly coaching at OSU, the declining of Grady Sizemore's option year, and the Kardashians, since I had to have one non-sports related topic in here.
Of course I'm prone to thinking of more items, but the ones I wanted to hit on are written down already, so any additional topics would be bonuses.
And given the economy, that's probably the best bonus you're going to get.
Things I don't care about
LeBron James
This one irks me. The guy left over a year ago. He didn't win a championship, in fact, he failed in a more grand fashion than ever as he consistently came up short in the playoffs. In fact, if it weren't for Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat would've flamed out before the Eastern Conference Finals. He consistently disappeared in the fourth quarter of games and was turnover-prone even more than usual.
So why do people in Cleveland still talk about him? I get that this town more than others holds grudges longer. Consider that many still were cold in regards to Jim Thome coming back to the Indians at the end of the last season. We just have a hard time letting go, and since James was perhaps the most gifted athlete since Jim Brown to come to Cleveland, it's made the resentment that much worse.
Maybe it's the fact that the Cavs were the best shot at a sports title with James, and if the best player in the league couldn't deliver a championship for the city, who can?
More likely, it's the fact that he went on national tv to announce where he was going after parading various team executives into Akron to try to convince him to sign with them (this ties in with the lockout that I could care less about later). It was bad enough he left, but he did so in an hour-long special that also managed to turn a large number of people away from ESPN in the process.
The media here hasn't been able to let go either. Almost weekly there is some kind of article on Cleveland.com documenting what he did, or what the Miami Heat are doing, or how the lockout affects his chance at a championship this year.
Personally, I don't care what he's doing. Sure, I rooted against the Heat in the playoffs, taking particular joy when they made it to the Finals only to lose, but ultimately, my world wasn't going to come to an end because they won a title. I actually have always liked Wade. The guy is fearless and clutch, which will be the reason why the Heat win a title in the future.
So let it go Cleveland, let it go.
Peyton Hillis
On the list of things that's been carried way too far, the drama with Peyton Hillis is near the top. Ever since he was held out of a game because of strep, he's been a topic of discussion, first because the Browns were going to give him a new contract, then because he didn't play, then because they couldn't reach an agreement, then because he was hardly playing in the games he was in, to the most recent bit of controversy.
Seems that Hillis skipped out on a charity function recently. In my true "I could care less" fashion, I have no idea what function or what the circumstances are. I don't care. Does it make him look bad? Maybe, but really until the details of why he skipped out are revealed, I'm not the type to judge.
I also don't think the team is "punishing" him by sitting him so much. I think the guy is legitimately hurt. Let's face it: the type of year he had last year was amazing, but by the end he was not nearly as effective due to injuries and teams loading up to stop him. And fact is, injuries happen to everyone, not just the smaller players. I think the Browns would love to use the guy, but he can't stay healthy and it's partly because of last year, and partly because of the lockout.
In the end, what he does in his personal time is none of my business or anyone else's. One radio host was actually taking Joe Haden to task today because Haden skipped a radio appearance to show up at a charity event, mostly because this host had been announcing all day the day before that Haden was going to be appearing somewhere. He was worried that it made him look bad, well too bad. Haden is allowed to do that. So deal with it.
In the meantime, everyone get off of Hillis's back. There are still 9 games to play this year. Let's see how it plays out.
That said, a year makes all the difference. A year ago, fans were fawning over Hillis. Now they're calling him names and hoping the team gets rid of him.
Tim Tebow
I never liked Tim Tebow. I'm gonna come clean with that right now. Therefore, I've cared very little for him since he took off while at the University of Florida. I never thought he would translate into a bonafide NFL quarterback and really was hoping that he would fail before he even started.
Somehow, someway, he managed to get drafted by the Denver Broncos, in the first round even. Then he struggled to make the team, yet by the end of the season, he was starting and playing semi-kinda-reasonably well. Then it was back to back-up status at the start of this season, even ending up third on the depth chart behind Kyle Orton (who always seems to get thrown under the bus) and Brady Quinn (we all know his story). Some thought he would get cut.
Last week was his second start this season. He was hit early, often, and hard. At the end, unnamed Detroit Lions players were laughing that he was the quarterback, saying that hitting him became boring in the third quarter. The polarizing quarterback was under scrutiny again.
Tebow, well, some don't like him because he is very upfront about his faith in God. That's the wrong reason to hate anyone. It's commendable in fact that someone in his position is willing to talk about his religious faith as openly as Tebow without linking it to his recent play on the field (which many athletes are guilty of doing; some only mention God after making a spectacular play).
Others, like me, just don't see how he cuts it as a quarterback. He doesn't throw the ball well and all he did in college really was quarterback sneaks, which somehow, someway, almost always managed to work. In fact, he was able to use that in his previous start against the Dolphins, who showed just how pathetic they really are in losing that game the way they did.
By all accounts, Tebow is a nice guy. But unless the Browns are playing the Broncos, I really don't care to hear all about him and what he did on the field.
The NBA Lockout
This saddens me to say, but I used to be a huge basketball fan. Back when I was a kid in the late 80's and early 90's, I was a HUGE Cleveland Cavaliers fan. My favorite player was Mark Price, but I could watch Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Craig Ehlo, and Hot Rod Williams all day as well. Those Cavalier teams played in the Richfield Coliseum, which was an eternity from Cleveland, but was a great home court advantage. If it weren't for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the Cavs could've easily won at least one championship in those years.
But they didn't. And until LeBron James, the Cavs were never a serious threat again. Then he left and they became the laughingstock of the league again.
In a way, I still do love basketball. I love getting on to the court to play, although it's been a while now. But watching it doesn't excite me as much, and Rachel knows why as we had a very lengthy discussion about basketball's problem.
The players are wimps.
The star players are the worst too. If they get tapped, they scream bloody murder if the referee doesn't blow their whistle. If they get called for a foul, they scream bloodier murder, even if the replay shows them slapping the guy across the face while tripping him while punching him in the kidney. The player with the ball is never getting the calls in his favor and the guys without the ball never committed a foul.
That's been the best part of the lockout. I don't have to see players prance around like little girls because the ref blew the whistle on them.
Basketball was at its best in the 80's and early 90's. Back then, you could slap a guy a few times, "accidentally" hip-check someone into the front row, or almost kill another player, and the ref will just say "play on" as if nothing happened. That's when the game was physical, rough, and it wasn't uncommon for players to bleed.
Now? Accidentally running into another player earns you a flagrant foul and potential ejection, even if you were going after the ball.
Don't get me wrong, I still want to be able to watch basketball, but I'll be more than content to watch college hoops once the season starts. The lockout has been so obnoxious (quit fighting over money when the average fan can't afford to go to your game!) that I'm almost oblivious. Most years, I knew when the opening game was. This year? I had no idea it was supposed to open tonight.
To that, I say "meh."
Urban Meyer
This is another example of fans wanting what they don't have.
Luke Fickell was announced as Ohio State's head football coach in the aftermath of Jim Tressel "resigning" and later Terrell Pryor defecting to the NFL. He was given a roster missing several players due to suspension. He was forced to decide between a veteran quarterback who had no idea where the ball was going when he threw it, or a freshman quarterback who would get a deer in headlights look.
In short, he never had a fair chance this year. Fans expected the Buckeyes to roll over everyone like they always have despite the turmoil, and when they didn't, fans lost it. Losing to the Hurricanes the way they did on national tv was an embarrassment. Losing to Michigan State was excruciating. Losing to Nebraska was heartbreaking. Fans went from thinking Big Ten Championship to talking about Urban Meyer being the next coach because Fickell didn't know what he was doing.
Look, Meyer was a great coach at Florida, but his coaching career shows he hangs around for a while, then abrubtly leaves. He may bring something extra to recruiting, but from listening to him in the broadcast booth, he doesn't seem all that interested in coaching at this point in time. If the Buckeyes hired Fickell to "get them through" the sanctions and suspensions, then they've done Fickell a great disservice, especially given him being a former player with the Buckeyes.
In short, I don't want to hear about Meyer. He's not the coach of the Buckeyes. Fickell is until he's fired or quits. There seems to be an obsession with fans over who isn't with a team as opposed to who's actually on it.
In short, I could care less about Meyer.
The Kardashians
I'm not a fan of reality tv. I'm not a fan of pseudo-celebrity reality tv. So seeing reports on ESPN Cleveland and ESPN about the divorce of Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphreys (granted, an NBA player; a low-end NBA player, but still), I lost interest immediately. Granted, I read enough to see that it ended after only 72 days (really?), but that was the only thing that made it noteworthy to me.
In general, I'm not a celebrity follower. I don't care where people go, what they eat, who they're seen with, or how they ended up in jail. I don't care about their personal lives one bit. I've watched maybe a grand total of 15 minutes of the Kardashian show on E!. I can't justify spending a lot of time on a show like that.
I know I go against a majority of people in saying that though and really, there isn't anything wrong with anyone who likes watching shows like that. I just don't care for them. The things people on those shows complain about would be great problems for me to have if you ask me.
Parenting
This is one I just thought of, mostly because of a conversation I had with Rachel last night.
I could care less how someone else is doing something.
Let's say you were raising a child and you wanted your child to no longer use a bottle and told everyone involved with watching the child that they aren't to be given bottles anymore. Now let's assume everyone goes along with it (as they should, since you are the parent and it's your call). You think everything's fine and dandy until one day you find out that someone is still giving your child a bottle.
So you go and you ask them about this and they say they have been. You then explain why you don't want your child using a bottle and to stop it. Want to know how NOT to answer?
"Well so and so's pediatrician says it's fine for their child."
You'd be able to see the steam coming from my ears if that happened to me. As I stated last night, I don't care what pediatrician said to what person about any child. I'm not that person, that isn't my child's pediatrician, and it's a different child. I do NOT care what someone else is doing. This is what I desire for my child and I suggest you follow it.
This applies to a number of situations though. I've always hated when someone says something is fine for them or someone else when I'm having an issue or don't agree with it.
The main point though is when it comes to a parent and the child, what the parent desires should be followed. If someone doesn't like it, well, tough.
Grady Sizemore
This isn't so much a rant about not caring about Grady Sizemore as it is a reflection on what could've been a great career.
Let's start by saying Sizemore is not as good as some have portrayed him to be, but he also wasn't as bad as some wanted to say he was either. In short, he was a player that a lot of people liked because he always went all out, whether it be crashing into the wall, diving at will, sliding hard to break-up a double play, or even leg-out a double-play grounder.
He was a guy who could hit for power, steal bases, and take hits away in the outfield. He never took a play off and when he was hitting well, he was a doubles machine. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to strikeout a lot and never had a strong arm in the outfield. He was most comfortable leading off even though he should've been hitting in the middle of the order.
From 2005 through 2008, he was durable. In that time, he missed a grand total of 9 games. He didn't get hurt and you had to tear him off the playing field if you wanted to rest him. He was the heart and soul of a young team.
It caught up to him though.
In the next three seasons, he missed 276 games due to various injuries, leading to the Indians to decline his $9 million option for next season. Some are lamenting it, saying he has a chance at returning to form. They could be right, but given that he's had microfracture surgery, he likely will never recover the burst that made him such a dangerous player. When he wasn't hitting for average and walking much, he made up for it with home runs, doubles, and stolen bases. The power may still be there, but the doubles and steals won't be, making him less valuable.
The Indians, if you ask me, made the right decision. They can now try to resign him for less money and give him a chance to show that he can return to health, or he'll latch on with another team thinking the same thing. He may even come back to haunt the Indians some day.
That doesn't seem likely.
In the end, Grady wasn't a great player, but he wasn't terrible either.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)