Horse Manure Park

My "favorite" time of year is approaching. No, I'm not talking about the election, although heaven knows I will be glad when it's over. I'm not talking about Halloween. I'm talking, of course, about the nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This is truly my pet peeve. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame makes me crazy. I've been critical of it for years because it is simply not done right. While the pretentious nominations committee have recently allowed fans a token online vote, in the end the committee will nominate who they darn well please. In short, the nomination process is controlled by a small number of individuals -- most of them frustrated journalists -- who allow their own personal tastes and the smell of their own farts to get in the way of blatantly obvious choices. For years I screamed at the Hall for their refusal to even place KISS on the nomination ballot. Forget the fact that no other American band has sold more gold rec...

A chilly October morning. Fresh coffee is brewing. I have the day off. Here's what is on my mind today. The presidential election is less than a month away and it can't come soon enough. I can barely bring myself to look at social media right now. Almost everything is politically charged; one person argues Clinton is horrible while another counters Trump is awful. Both sides are convinced their candidate can do no evil while the other is Lucifer incarnate. Friends are getting upset with friends, brothers are fighting with sisters. Can we just stop? Here's they way I look at it, and be mindful I claim to be neither Republican nor Democrat; in fact, I think a huge problem with American politics is the two party system (I will get to this later). This is a complicated nation; it is a melting pot of many religions, races, creeds and philosophies. I don't think we can be dumbed down to a simple two party system any longer. It's not the 1820's anymore. I am al...

Today is my birthday. I came screaming into this world 47 years ago. But one thing you will never hear me complain about is growing old. As the old saying goes, "Never complain about getting old; it is a privilege denied to many." I'm paraphrasing there... and I do not know who said it. But it is very true. And I was reminded of this truth on Wednesday. My brother's soulmate, my sister-in-law, Kathy, passed away in the early morning hours of October 5th. Kathy battled cancer for several years and she was a warrior. In August, she made the courageous decision to withdraw any further chemo treatments as they were making her incredibly ill. Her choice was to live the rest of her life on her terms, doing things she enjoyed, rather than spending her days in and out of hospitals with no quality of life. She made this resolution knowing her time was short and she embraced every moment she had left. It was simply a measure of her bravery and faith. She did it her way ...