I nailed it with the coffee today. I just eyeball it every morning. Some batches are sharp & strong and some are weak & watery. This morning, though, with the Allman Brothers on vinyl as a soundtrack for this (so far) fantastic Sunday morning, the coffee is superb.
I have a smattering of things running through my brain at the moment. So, in no particular order, I will ramble about them. * I've tried really hard in my adult life to stay as bipartisan as I possibly can. Hell, I've even wrote off politics for most of that time as a colossal joke--something that none of us can come close to controlling, or even scratch the surface of effecting in any way. "They're gonna do what they're gonna do." I've said. Well, with the recent happenings in our country--ie: electing an unqualified, certifiably insane, narcissistic, misogynistic, and downright bad person as our president--my outlook has changed. Especially since he didn't even come close to winning the popular vote, aaaaaand the possibility of Russia hacking into the election. So maybe young, cynical, conspiracy-therorist-about-politics me wasn't too far off base after all. Donald Trump and the Republicans (should be a band name) has turned me more left than I can actually believe I'm admitting. Not because the left is bad or anything--quite the opposite. But because I don't like labels. When you are a Democrat or Republican, you read what you want to read and hear what you want to hear, as long as it benefits your party. But even by being a non-partisan wannabe bystander, I am floored by the ignorance of Donald Trump. Sure, the Republican party isn't really up my alley either, seeing as how they're taking two steps back from progress (and 3 Doors Down, if you get my drift...) and discounting so much that is important to me in my adult life. But Donald is my main concern. Donald does not seem like real life. He seems like he's the lead villain in a super hero movie. Rich, powerful, crazy, hell bent on taking over the world, a posse of henchmen goons to carry out his narcissistic, power-hungry lunacy, two evil sons that are just as power-crazed and mentally unsound as he is, and millions of citizens that he has somehow brainwashed into thinking that he is their savior. That's some Lex Luthor shit right there. As far off-kilter as this situation is right now, I would not be the least bit surprised if we found out that he is about to unleash an evil robot capable of destroying entire cities and devouring the minds of people with morals, empathy, and intelligence. People would still like him, though... If you're a Republican, or believe in Republican-ish issues, that's fine. I'm there with you on some of them, kind of. But how in the hell can you be comfortable with this man in power? He doesn't care about you. He cared about your vote. The end. I'm not a real political guy, as I'm sure you can gather from my fairly uneducated ramblings. But I am a good judge of character...hence my concerns. * Up until March is when I act like I give a shit about football. I'll be smoking ribs and drinking beer today, like you're supposed to do when NFL Playoff games are on. And actually, I will be rooting for the Chiefs, a team that I like since I've moved away from Missouri. But it's not baseball. Aside from the outlandish contracts, baseball is pure and beautiful. I root for the St. Louis Cardinals--have since I was born. Didn't have a choice. They are everything that is right about professional sports. That said, I wasn't overly jazzed about the Cubs winning the World Series. But I rooted for them, much to the chagrin of other Cardinals fans. I had many a fellow Cards fan giving me crap for cheering on the enemy, that's a fact. Please do not fret, though. Know why? Because...the Cubs got nothing now. You were the lovable losers for over 100 years, now you're not. You're just another team--one with a poor postseason track record, still. There's always a love/hate relationship between the Cubbies and us. We jib-jab one another, and it's all in fun. I rooted for the Cubs in the Series--but not because we're buddies. It would have been easy to root against them, like so many other Cards fans did. But rooting for them, just to watch them lose their lovable loser mantra, fair weather fanbase, and fall even further into mediocrity...well, that's just kind of dark. The Cubs are just a team now. They're not special. Nothing really separates them from any other team, other than they're good, finally, which is good for a rivalry. Being in a rivalry with a shitty team just dumbs down your team, so this Cubs' surge will only benefit the Cardinals' play. Plus, their winning will wear off in a few years and then they will be a total afterthought, just like the Red Sox. The Cards? Well, we're pretty much always good. All my fellow Cardinals fans who thought I was soft and turning my back on the Birds, I am your leader now. * It's a little later in the day now. After juggling kids and whatnot, I am sitting in a chair, relaxed and watching NFL football. Both grommets are asleep right now, my ribs are resting comfortably at 250 degrees, and I am on beer number three--which is plenty. Not because I've become drunk (you silly bastards), but because I'm not a big beer guy anymore. I'm good for three, maybe four, then I'm done. Gone are the days of drinking my age in beer before 3pm. I like scotch whiskey. I also like to smoke meat, very much so. Like fishing, my other passion, there are plenty of variables and intricacies that go into smoking meat, especially on a 33 degree day like today. Like ice on the guides of your fly rod, colder temps tend to wreak havoc on a smoker's interior. But the ribs are looking good--recently wrapped in foil so as to incubate in a juicy meat cocoon (should also be a band name) of sweet and spicy wonderment. I could barbecue for a living. I've considered it--and by "considered", I mean I've day dreamed romantically about it while discounting the real life struggles that would come with it. That's all I have for now. I'm sure I've made a couple pseudo-enemies, and that's okay. What separates us is politics and baseball...what brings us together is a strong drink and the realization that we're all in this together. Cheers. //re.
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The word Ramble or Ramblin' (there ain't no Rambling) means to meander aimlessly with no direction or course. It means to take a route filled with turns and windings. And it means to blabber incoherently in a long-winded fashion. I check all those boxes. Here's an appropriate playlist...if'n you're in the mood for swell music. Ramblin' Fever - Merle Haggard Ramblin' Man - Allman Brothers Midnight Rambler - Rolling Stones I'm a Ramblin' Man - Waylon Jennings Ramblin' Gamblin' Man - Bob Seger Ramble On - Led Zeppelin Ramble Tamble - Creedence Ramblin' Man - Hank Williams Ramblin' Round - Bob Dylan Poor Rambler - Sturgill Simpson The end. //re. New Year's resolution, huh? Naw, never really got into that. There's never been one thing that I've felt I need to decide on to do better just because another year has begun. But the beginning of another 365 days does make you reflect on the good and the bad, and automatically I want to include more good, while eliminating more bad. I'd say it's human nature, for the most part. Unless you're Lex Luthor or someshit, and then it would just be the opposite.
As I write this, there are hundreds of Canada geese flying over my house, honking, jocking for a spot closer to the front of the V, pooping... But it's nice. The nature and the life--plus the smell of the first pot of coffee of 2017--make me appreciate. I know, I talk about that word quite a bit. But I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I have a very short window to jot down my current thoughts, as I hear my daughter upstairs singing "Jolene", becoming more and more awake and excited that her cousins are coming to visit today. And my son, who has a full belly of milk and will require incessant burping in just a matter of moments. My fatherly duties will take over before I am able to type all of my thoughts. But that's okay--it more or less sums up my feelings right now. The geese outside, the coffee brewing, the kids getting dressed and ready for their day. I want more of that. More nature and less screen. More real and less virtual. More quality time and less bullshit. I might even smoke some ribs today. Why not? Should round out an appropriate first day. I hear them all coming down the stairs now. Suppose I'd better wrap up and start making some french toast. Should go well with coffee, honking geese outside, a roaring morning fire, and my family. Have a swell year. //re. |
AuthorI am Earl. Archives
May 2024
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