Fun and Games Dept

More Distraction.

So Walmart has told its stores to take down any “signing and displays referencing violence”, including advertising for violent video games. However, they will continue to see guns as they do today. There’s no change there.

Wow, that will solve everything.

I am by no means anti-gun, but I am definitely anti-stupidity, and honestly, there is way too much stupidity going on in the United States. I’m surprised we’re not dumping Gatorade on crops to give them electrolytes.

Facts can not be debated. I know people like to watch news channels that reinforce their opinion and show people debating fact, but reinforced opinion is not the same as fact. It’s still opinion and while I’m at it, a repeated lie does not become a truth.

Other countries report video game revenue in proportion to the size of their population when compared to the United States. Would you like to take a guess as to what’s not in proportion? Mass shootings. Violent gun deaths. But by all means, let’s go after video games instead of doing anything, hell, I’ll take ONE thing, about regulating gun sales.

We are sending our loved ones to workplaces and schools and malls and concerts and festivals where they have to engage “Active Shooter Drills”. My old elementary school stood nearly 80 years without having bullet proof glass installed throughout the main entrance. It’s bad enough that we have an entire generation of Americans that has known nothing but a country at war.

Living in fear is not freedom. You can sing the National Anthem, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, demand everyone stand up in patriotic gestures, but singing and pledging and standing does not make freedom. Going shopping without worrying about getting shot by a maniac that bought a gun at Walmart, that’s a good start for freedom.

Walk.

I really love the fact that it’s a short train ride to the downtown area of the third largest city in the United States. Downtown Chicago has so much to offer, and I really cherish the opportunity to walk the area on a school night.

I love watching the business people leaving their offices. I enjoy the tourists as they navigate the city via map or map app, occasionally confused about things like “Upper Wacker” and “Lower Wacker”. I smile when I see out of town folks enjoy our city for a business meeting or a convention or a family vacation.

It’s nifty living in a city that people want to visit. I grew up in a small tourist village along the shores of Lake Ontario, but spent 25 years in a city that not many people visited. There’s only so many times you can visit a replica of the Liberty Bell or see an overgrown watering can.

Chicago has so much to offer and I find it a wonderful place to live. Many years ago Dublin, Ireland tugged at my heart strings as the definite place for us to live.

I’m happy to say Chicago tugs my heart strings the exact same way. I’m proud to be a resident of The Windy City.

Happy.

There are rumbles in the air that ABC is considering reviving the brilliant comedy “Happy Endings”. The Internet better not be trolling us because this is amahzing news. The fast paced comedy has always been one of my favorites and I have been watching reruns since the show went off the air back in 2013. It was cancelled way too soon. The cast was brilliant together and the quirkiness, meta jokes, and farcical situations is just what we need in this otherwise depressing time in the United States.

ABC: BRING. IT.

Plus, I’ve always had a straight crush on Eliza Coupe.

Karaoke Potential.

My goal for the month of August is to sing this song at karaoke. Few would probably know it, but I would have a grand time singing it.

This is what happens when you take half of Pet Shop Boys and combine them a bit of New Order and a bit of The Smiths. Here’s Electronic with “Disappointed”.

Reset.

This vacation has been all about doing nothing. We didn’t do any tours, we didn’t climb a mountain, we didn’t engage in typical sightseeing activities. We relaxed. By the pool. In the still. In the calm.

This is exactly the break my brain needed. After the first day my mind flooded with ideas: vacation, aviation plans, betterment at work. More music in the air. Less worry about using the latest and greatest app. Focus on using the tools I have, both for work and for flying.

I realize I’m a lucky man to be where I am today, but I also realize I’ve worked hard to be where I am today. I’m looking forward to continuing to work hard to achieve my goals. The feeling of accomplishment is such an awesome feeling.

I am writing this from a United flight upon a Boeing 777-222, experiencing United Polaris first class amenities for the first time. We are on our initial descent into O’Hare.

It’s been a fantastic vacation. But it’s great to be home as well.

*I’ll be writing more about vacation over the next week or so. I have many blog entries bouncing around in my head.

Sunscreen.

“Always wear sunscreen”.

Back when I was in radio, there was a song called “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”. I tried to wear sunscreen my entire adult life, as I had too many sunburn incidents when I was a kid. The thing is, I don’t like the feeling of sunscreen on my skin. But we’ve found a lotion by Nutrigena that fits the bill.

Even with all this sunscreen slathered on my body, I’ve managed to get some sun today. I’ll have to really slather it on tomorrow.

Resort Life.

We work a lot for moments like this. One can not take money with them when they’ve come to the end of the road. Experience all you can, both work and pleasure. When your time comes, be exhausted, out of breath, and when asked what you did with this life, answer honestly, “I did everything I could with what I was given”.

Life.

Here is where all my cares go away. I find pure personal fulfillment and enjoyment as a private pilot. It’s one of the greatest accomplishments I have made in my life, and I look forward to continuing to grow as a pilot and enjoying this view for many, many more years to come.

Flute.

I have a habit of singing or humming or making random noises in my falsetto voice. I’ve come to the realization that the melody I sing like this is the same tune Martin Mull plays as an evil flute player on Wonder Woman. He hypnotizes Jan Brady with a flute.

Man the 70s were wild.

Random.

CTA sign shoved behind a kiosk at the Rockwell Brown Line Stop in Chicago.

When Earl is working an evening game at Wrigley Field I end up with some time on my hands. In the summer I don’t feel much like going outside but I’m not really a fan of driving the car all over creation while living here in the city. Yes, I went to school to be a Traffic Engineer but I believe urban areas such as Chicago have much better options in the way of public transit. I love the ‘L’ here in Chicago and I ride it almost every day.

Wanting to get a walk in during this beautiful weather I’ll jump on the ‘L’ and get on whatever train is first to appear at the station. I’ll ride a random number of stops and then I’ll walk back home. Today I walked two miles back to the house and I loved every step of it. You could almost feel the sigh of relief that the Monday workday was over and people were enjoying a drink or a meal with a spouse or friends on the sidewalk.

I love that energy. I love the vibe. One of the things I’ve noticed lately is that people of a certain age seem to be on their phones less while seated at a table. I’ve always been sensitive to the use of technology in social situations, but I don’t know if it’s because we live in a different socioeconomic situation than when we did a few years ago or if the pendulum of smartphone use is starting to swing back the other way, but it’s rare to hear someone having a conversation on their phone in a restaurant or at a bar. Back in Utica we’d hear about custody battles and people making doctor’s appointments and fights with a bank. I don’t notice it nearly as much in Chicago.

Maybe I’m just better natured since we’ve moved here.

I do love the vibe of happy people enjoying life with friends and/or family. It’s energizing.

And we all need good energy.