Life On A B-I7

An Open Letter

Dear Mike,

You are one sneaky S.O.B. You do not provide a contact form on your legislative website, you only accept contact by email, and then only if the respondent first provides a zip +4 for validation.

On another note, if you are counting on God to forgive you for your servitude to someone as corrupt as the earthly master you have chosen to serve, you are in for a surprise on the day of reckoning. You do believe in a day of reckoning don’t you? You give every indication that you do by your pious and self-righteous demeanor…

As evidence of your corruption, you’ve kept your caucus out of Washington DC so they don’t have to answer questions from Democrats or the press. You’ve also told your caucus not to hold meetings in their home districts because you don’t want them to have to answer questions from their constituents. What part of responsible government, don’t you understand? If the means can’t be justified then neither can ends.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 76

Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes once said “Evan a dog distinguishes between being stumbled over and being kicked.” The good person doesn’t leap to a hasty judgment. Be tolerant in your view of other people’s actions. Look for the facts behind their actions before you rush to judgement. Before you assume you’ve been kicked.

Self-Betrayal

If you go along with an untruth, an untruth that is apparent to all reasonable people, and you do so out of fear that disagreeing with that untruth will reflect poorly on you in the eyes of someone you admire or want to ingratiate yourself with, you are committing an act of self-betrayal. Anyone who expects you to behave in this manner is a tyrant.

I think you know what I’m talking about…

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 75

If someone is irritating you don’t expect the situation to become magically better. It falls upon you to take action. Tell them what it is they should be doing differently. If you choose not to engage with them, then your best choice is to let the situation rest avoiding any further anguish on your part.

You have three choices: engage, be angry, or dismiss. The best option is to engage. If you’re not comfortable with that option, then you should dismiss. Getting angry is bad for your soul and does nothing to change the situation.

ALCS Game 2

Mariners vs. Blue Jays in Toronto ALCS Game 2

Mariners Pitching

Blue Jays Pitching

Play by Play

Mariners 1st

• Arozarena leadoff walk
• Cal Raleigh walk
• Rodriguex three run homer
• Naylor single up the middle
• Naylor steals second standing up
• Canzone strikes out

Blue Jays 1st

• Springer doubles
• Lukes E3 Springer to 3rd Lukes to 2nd
• 6-3 Lukes to 3rd
• Barger strikes out
• Kirk singles to right center Lukes scores

Mariners 2nd

• Robles F9
• Crawford F6
• Arozarena strikes out looking

Blue Jays 2nd

• Clement singles into short center
• Schneider 3U Clement to 2nd
• Gimenez 3-1 Clement to 3rd
• Springer (third strike not called) Walks
• Lukes singles to right, run scores, Springer to 3rd
• Guerrero 4-3

Mariners 3rd

• Raleigh F9
• Rodriguez walk
• Polanco FC 4-6
• Naylor single to enter Polanco to 3rd
• Suarez F8 (diving catch)

Blue Jays 3rd

• Barger 4-3 (first batter out, good)
• Kirk F9
• Varsho K

Mariners 4th

• Canzone 4-3
• Robles F8
• Crawford F9

Blue Jays 4th

• Bazardo in for Gilbert
• Clement 2-3 (very close)
• Schneider KO
• Gimenez F7

Mariners 5th

• Arozarena E4 takes second on throw out of play
• Raleigh intentionally walked (tremendious respect)
• Rodriguez KO (fastball)
• Polanco HOME RUN 3 RBIs
• Naylor K
• Suarez KO

Blue Jays 5th

• Springer 3-1 (great diving stop by Naylor, Springer gave him a pat as he ran by)
• Lukes base hit to right center
• Guerrero 1-3 Lukes to 2nd
• Barger 1-3

Mariners 6th

• Garver TRiPLE off the wall in left center
• Robles 5-3
• Rivas pinch running for Garver
• Crawford singles to left scores Rivas from third
• Arozarena K
• Raleigh K

Blue Jays 6th

• Kirk 4-3
• Varsho F9 (the park held it)
• Clement F8

Mariners 7th

• Rodriguez KO
• Polanco single to right
• Naylor HOME RUN 2 RBIs
• Suarez walk
• Rivas walk
• Robles walk BASES LOADED ONE OUT
• Crawford F8 RBI
• Arozarena K

Blue Jays 7th

• Clement 6-3
• Gimenez reaches
• Springer F9
• Lukes K

Mariners 8th

• Raleigh F5
• Rodriguez K
• Polanco F2

Blue Jays 8th

• Guerrero walk
• Barger F7
• Kirk walk
• Varsho F9
• Clement F8

Mariners 9th

• Mastrobuoni KO
• Suarez single to right
• Rivas F9
• Robles K

Blue Jays 9th

• Schneider walk
• Gimenez K
• Springer 5-4-3 game ending double play

Game Summary

The Umpire was very tight with his strike zone. The Mariners WANT another shot at Los Angeles after the season ending sweep by LA. Does pitching win pennants or does hitting? Today proved that it’s both, but you HAVE to have pitching. Taking the first two games of the series gives the Mariners an 89% chance of taking the series. Seven Blue Jays pitchers is a lot. Hancock looked shaky in the last two innings but he got the job done. The story was Mariners pitching and hitting combined.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 74

It is better to heal yourself than to seek revenge. Healing is not always easy, but rest assured it is good for your soul and will make you a happier and more content person.

How sad it is that we have a leader that epitomizes the tragedy of seeking revenge. Tragic for him who is seeking, and also tragic for those who are his targets.

It amazes me that the leaders around him, those that support him in particular, don’t see the importance of this life lesson and are not expressing outwardly how wrong this attitude is for all concerned. Tragic as well how many of those that voted for him are blind to this reality.

ALCS Game 1

Mariners vs. Blue Jays ALCS Game 1. This is my simplified score card. I like it better than an official score book version of the game because I can better describe and save the highlights of the game. That’s what really matters to me anyway.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 73

“If all you do today is pause, breathe, and show up with kindness… that’s a beautiful start.”

Back on the Bike

I’m back on the bike after a long hiatus. I’m not at liberty to say how long, but let me say that if I did tell you, I would be embarrassed. I had forgotten how good riding feels. It wasn’t my favorite sort of ride. It was a combination of road and gravel riding, about 10 miles on each surface for a total of just over 20 miles. I rode about 16 miles in the previous three days, so that was a fair jump in output. I have to confess, I did the 20 miler on an electric mountain bike, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the 30 somethings on the ride if I had tried to do it under my own power. It still felt good. I got kudos on Strava from one of the boys after finishing. That was gratifying. Will I keep riding? You bet. I want to be in shape come spring to do another Trans Am, number three. You heard it here first. Now I am committed. It won’t be easy, besides getting into shape, I need to recover from a torn meniscus. I’m progressing with that, it’s starting to feel better, so that is encouraging.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 72

Don’t preface your remarks to someone with phrases like “I’m going to be honest with you,” or “No disrespect intended.” When you do that you are calling into question the honesty of all your statements. Just put your thoughts out there and let them take on the life they were intended to have. Let your comments be as permanent as your tattoos. (Maybe that’s why I got a couple of tattoos…)

Red vs. Blue Part Deux

See Journal Entry on 10/9

I think the reason there are people that want to take the country back to the previous century, is simply because they don’t have the capacity to deal with modern society’s complexity. It’s ironic because the leaders implementing this transformation are not dumb. They are the opposite of dumb in fact, but there is a vital part of their capacity to deal with the complexity of modern society that is simply missing from their intellectual makeup.

Oversimplification? Perhaps. Give me a better answer… please…

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 71

Learn to leave your past behind. That’s not to say you ignore it, only that you learn from it and move forward. Love where you’ve been and look forward to where you intend to go.

Remember these two words: persist and resist. Persist in doing what is good resist doing what is not virtuous.

Red vs. Blue

It’s clear Trump and his enablers are coming after blue states. There is an effort to split America into two factions, and it is working rather well. When I watch NFL Football on TV or watch the Baseball Playoffs, I don’t see how that can happen to America, but it is happening. At the heart of it is Project 2025. Returning America to religious conservatism and minimal government at the expense of everyone except the rich. In our complex world, that would be a disaster. I don’t understand why there are people that think that is a good ides. What do they gain from the suffering of their fellow humans? The answer to that is beyond my understanding.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 70

It’s a good idea to always ask yourself this question before acting. Is what I am about to do consistent with who I am, and who I desire to be? The hard work of living is to always ask this question of ourselves before we act. This will help us to hold on to what we know is the correct path.

I Cry Sometimes

I often cry when I listen to music. I’m not sure why. I’d like to know. I don’t think there is anything wrong with me… Perhaps I shouldn’t be the one to judge whether or not there is something wrong with me…

I’m going to hazard a guess. I’ve reached that point in my life where I have the time and the capacity (I’m not senile yet… that I know of) to reflect on where my life has been and where it is going. When I was younger, I was too busy for that sort of thing. Now that the path in front of me is relatively clear I can allow myself the luxury of self-reflection.

Is that the answer, or has something changed biologically that has made me more sensitive, more appreciative… It could be both.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 69

Is there something better to strive for than pleasure? Of course there is. Remember that freedom, honesty, kindness, and a clean soul outweigh the gain to be obtained through the enjoyment of pleasure for pleasure’s sake.

Here We Go…

I try not to write about my personal life. After all, who really cares if I’m happy or not. Perhaps one or two people, but in the greater scheme of things, very few. That’s not going to stop me. So let me just say how lucky I am. I have a partner that, well, couldn’t be much better. She’s beautiful and cares about me. I love her, and I think most days if she were offered another choice, there’s a good chance she would keep me. (That could be out of convenience… you never know.) The bottom line is things couldn’t get much better and I am fully aware and appreciate that.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 68

Doing wrong is a strong urge that can be difficult to resist. Before giving in to the urge to wrong someone, think about how that act will make you feel. Will you really be set free by that act? The answer in all cases is no.

Is It Too Late?

“This is the 5th time we have emailed you.”

So it is…

Keep emailing me. I love hearing from you. At some point you are going to have to come up with a narrative that will open the eyes of Trump voters. Better get busy or it’s going to be too late for our country.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 67

Watching other people achieve success is a blessing. Life is not a zero-sum game. Other peoples success does not diminish me unless I let it. Put aside jealously and learn to celebrate with others.

My App Award

What is the best writing app for the Mac that no one knows about, besides Ulysses…? That would have to be Craft.

Not only does it provide unlimited capacity, is beautifully designed, has amazing capability, it’s also fun!

I use it to keep track of all sorts of random subjects that most people would probably use separate apps for. Everything from finances to tracking my daily health routine. In fact, in my world (a world where writing is an enjoyably and pursued on a daily basis) Ulysses and Craft are the only justification I need for owning a Mac.

I think it’s interesting to point out that one is German made and the other is Swiss made. I realize I’m going out on a limb here with what I am about to say, but I don’t think the American software ethos is capable of creating apps as functional and beautiful as these two, at least that has not been the case in my experience.

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 66

“It is better to do your own duty badly
than to perfectly do another’s.”

The Bhagavad Gita

Good Advice

Here is some good advice, creative and otherwise, taken from Austin Kleon after he took it from the Bhagavad Gita:

“It is better to do your own duty badly
than to perfectly do another’s.”

That’s probably why I get the same comment over and over again from my editor. “It would have been much better if you had said it this way…” It should be noted my editor rarely reads my posts, either before or after they go up!

Stoic Thought of the Day — Day 65

Everything in the universe is part of a larger whole. We are citizens of the world, not just the United States. What harms the individual harms the community, what harms the community harms the individual.

Lying

It’s very disturbing to have a President that lies to the public on a daily basis… and does it with venom.

As a single example, he told more lies in a single one hour news interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” than most people tell in a lifetime (not my words). If you ask him something he doesn’t like (or understand) he turns on you and says things like “that’s not a very nice question.” Apparently you are only supposed to ask him questions that allow him to use a lie from his vast repertoire.

When will all this sociopathic lying end? When the sociopath no longer has the bully pulpit. That’s going to be awhile. I hope it’s not too long for all of us that are living on a fixed income.