This and That

Sadly, the baseball season is over. Making it worse, the Yankees won. That oversized city loves to buy itself the best ball team has also elected itself the most expensive Mayor. Go figure. Speaking of politics, I have gotten to where I hate the news as they seem to always attempt to make news and their reporting on this past mini-election was so overblown. Two governors and one representative election in rural New York wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence on anyone’s agenda.

-

I spent nearly two hours in the dentist's chair yesterday, receiving my second crown. The last time I had such dental work done, I was rear-ended by a school bus driving home. This time, the only bad thing to happen this time was the Phillies croaking. The last time I wrote what was probably my most popular blog post ever as I sarcastically recalled my visit to a dominatrix. Looking at some of the people who found my blog via google in the weeks that followed, I’m sure many were greatly disappointed. I have a beautiful dentist. She so dainty, but when she approaches your mouth with a handful of metal instruments, her hands suddenly appear to be the size of a catcher’s mitt. Thankfully, she is merciful. I could get used to that gas she offers. I don’t know why it has taken me a lifetime to discover, but this is the first dentist office I’ve gone to that offers the gas and after once trying it, I’m hooked. I just hope I didn’t say anything too stupid.

-

I was so whipped out after the dentist, that I came home and laid on the couch and watched "Bound for Glory," a 1976 movie about Woody Guthrie… Although I don’t think I’m related to Woody (maybe I should have Ed Abbey check this out), I’m sure I inherited some of his wanderlust.

-

In a previous post on hiking the Appalachian Trail, several of you were impressed with Daddy Long-legs looking over a small rock outcropping. Not to let DDL get all the glory, I decided to post the photo to the left. This was taken on my last day of hiking the John Muir Trail, when I took a side trip up the backside of Half-dome in Yosemite. A wrong step and you’d have a couple thousand feet to make your peace with your Maker. After I finish my Appalachian Trail posts, I’ll have to dig out my John Muir Trail journals and write about those hikes which I took in 1995-1997.

-

Although I don’t normally talk about my family, I should at least brag that my daughter has made the state middle school honor’s choir. Of course, that means a lot of weekend trips to various corners of this state. It’s odd to have her in middle school, but she’s doing well. If I had ever gotten the kind of grades she’s earns, I’d been orphaned as my parents would have had massive heart attacks. On a personal bragging note, and one that should cause a dozen English teachers to spin in their grave, I sold another magazine article. Although I've had lots of stuff published over the years, most have been in academic journals that don't pay. It's always nice to get a check, even if it don't make me rich.