Horse Manure Park

Today I finally did something which I've been thinking about doing for months now. I've finally logged off Facebook and washed my hands of it. I call Facebook "The Great Experiment Gone Terribly Wrong." It is one of those ideas which seemed great in theory: keeping connected with friends and family you don't get to see often. What a great way to stay in touch! Sounds nice. But something happened on the way to heaven, as Phil Collins would say. At some point Facebook got ugly. It got gross. It happened about four years ago, toward the dawn of the presidential election of 2016. A line was drawn in the sand. It became the MAGA cult (by definition, that's what it is) on the attack and on the defense, against the rest of the world. Democrat versus Republican. It quickly dissolved into a perceived Good versus Evil. So-called Patriots versus Snowflakes. And there it has remained. Civilized discourse was severed like a head in a guillotine. Friends started fighting wi

I am reading a fantastic new book by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch called The Lincoln Conspiracy . It is an impeccably researched true account of the first plot to kill Abraham Lincoln prior to his inauguration in 1861.  Many of you have already stopped reading, but those who haven't, this might be interesting to you.  Much of this book centers around Lincoln's journey by railroad from Springfield, IL to Washington D.C. where he is to be sworn in as the country's 16th president.  Whenever I read history, I pay special attention to what many consider the trivial details. Personally, I think real history is in the forgotten notes. That's the good stuff.  This is a particular trivial footnote in Lincoln's history that fascinated me. In February 1861, Lincoln's train made a stop in the town of Westfield, New York, along the shores of Lake Erie. Prior to this stop, Lincoln recognized the town's name on the itinerary and requested to meet a special resident of Wes

I've always loved useless knowledge. Trivial stuff. Interesting facts that really don't mean a whole lot in the big picture. This little quirk about me isn't always a good thing. I found history so interesting that my first college degree was a BA in American history. Basically, I went to college for fun (a rather expensive way to have a good time, by the way). Two other degrees followed. And no, I'm not boasting. On the contrary, I am embarrassed by the fact I had no focus or direction when I was younger. I wasted a lot time, energy and tuition just floating down the river of books and term papers. So that's my story. Once upon a time my mind traveled "any way the wind blows," to lift a line from a song. As I've gotten older, I am much more focused , but I still love useless knowledge. I guess it is in my DNA. But history has always intrigued me, especially quirky bits of history.  Since you are reading my blog, I know you're smart and you might h

There has not been a live sporting event on television for a couple of months now and I'm reaching the depths of despair.  The wide world of sports have always been one of my main escapes from the real world and I'm not afraid to confess that I really, really   miss it. So how desperate am I to watch a little friendly competition? Well, yesterday I watched Korean baseball.  For real. Korean baseball.  The game featured the Samsung Lions versus the LG Twins. The game interested me deeply because my Samsung television is connected to an LG soundbar. I mean, what are the chances? (Trust me, I can't make this stuff up).  Members of the LG Twins, whose names I cannot pronounce. As the contest unfolded, the broadcasters (who were quarantined in their own hotel rooms, watching the game on t.v.) remarked that Korean baseball was different from Japanese baseball, which itself was different from American baseball.  To be honest, it looked like baseball to me. And it was a very welcom

Little Richard died yesterday, Saturday, 9 May 2020. Just when you thought this year couldn't get much worse.  So now, all of my "Mount Rushmore of Rock and Roll" icons are dead. I've always regarded Little Richard and Chuck Berry as 1A and 1AA on my Mount Rushmore of Rock and Roll. Both rose to fame at about the same time. Berry, who died in 2017, is known as the "Father of Rock and Roll," Little Richard as the "Architect of Rock and Roll." It is impossible to say which was more influential.  My third icon is Fats Domino, who also passed away in 2017. Domino is inexplicably overlooked by many critics, yet he's credited by everyone from the Beatles to Elvis Presley as an enormous influence; not only was Domino an innovative songwriter, he was a Billboard monster, scoring thirty-seven Top 40 singles in his career. Many music historians say Domino recorded the first rock and roll record, which was also the first of its genre to sell a million cop

The COVID-19 chronicles continue. Yesterday Adam Schlesinger passed away. He formed the band Fountains of Wayne, had a big hit "Stacy's Mom," a song I always liked. He also wrote "That Thing You Do" for the Tom Hanks directed film of the same name. That's another great song. Schlesinger was only 52 years-old. Just a few days ago Joe Diffie, a huge country star from the 1990's also died from the virus. This is getting crazy. I am afraid it is only the tip of the iceberg. Not much happening these days. The snow is melting. The kids are zipping right along with their distance learning like pros. Normally this is an optimistic time of year -- spring!! -- after a long cold winter. But I think most people are feeling a bit of anxiety with this whole COVID-19 thing. Maybe "a bit" isn't strong enough. "a significant amount" is probably closer. We now have two cases in Crow Wing county. It is coming. I've been on a John Mellencam