Good Morning All & Happy Monday!
I went grocery shopping this morning at the “senior citizens designated shopping time” of 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m….rise & shine, as they say! There weren’t many folks out shopping at that time of the day, so it was easier to grab what we needed. Plus we got to see our Safeway checker friend, Sandy, and catch up with her. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I will soon be officially a “senior citizen” when I reach that magic age of 65 next month…although unofficially they consider folks 55+ to be eligible for “senior citizen discounts.” Why rush these things? I’m beginning to think that 85 is a better number for folks to be considered “senior citizens” or “old people.” I’m always dangerous when visiting the grocery store…I’m easily distracted by lots of tasty treats that aren’t on my shopping list….and today was no different! I managed to add White Cheddar Cheez-Its to my grocery cart…after all, they were “on special” for $2.99 a box…how about that?
We made a trip over to my Mom’s last night and delivered her a Canadian bacon, mushroom & onion pizza, as she was suffering from a lack of tasty meals from her retirement community’s kitchen. They are delivering meals to residents now instead of having them congregate in the dining hall. Somehow the meals just aren’t quite the same as when they were provided in the dining room. Lots of adjustments come with the coronavirus challenge! Beer & pizza tasted mighty fine last night and Mom’s spirits remain good through this time of “self-quarantining.”
Speaking of good pizza (and there definitely is a difference between “good” pizza and “bad” pizza), check out Benedito’s Pizza the next time you are hankering of a pizza pie. They make one of the best in our known universe, for sure! They are doing quite a take-out business right now! That’s my culinary tip for the day…
A great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend and former T.V. news reporter, public relations guru & cancer survivor extraordinaire, Julie! Here’s to you and here’s hoping you have lots of fun on your special day of celebration! Thanks for all you do for our community, Julie. The world is definitely a better place with you in it! Happy Birthday wishes also go to singer/performer Chaka Khan, who is 67 today and to former U.S. Secretary of State, Russ Tillerson, who turns 68 today (one of many recent Cabinet choices by President Trump who don’t seem to stick around for very long…do you get the feeling that there is quite the “revolving door” in the Trump Administration?…kind of whacky, I’d say…)
CONGRATULATIONS to one of my favorite pro football players, former Detroit Lions and Washington State University (WSU) great, Jason Hanson, who has just been named to the College Football Hall of Fame! A well deserved honor, for sure! Can you believe that this former Mead High School soccer player was a “walk-on” at WSU and finished with all kinds of college records for place-kicking. It turns out that Jason had a 21 year career in the NFL (amazing, don’t you think?) and I think is the Lion’s all-time leading scorer. According to the current Athletic Director at WSU, “Jason Hanson epitomizes all that is good in college athletics.” I couldn’t agree more! Here’s to Jason Hanson and his terrific college & professional football career…the pride of Mead High School and Spokane!
Speaking of fabulous sports figures, how about John Brodie of San Francisco 49er fame? I came across his 1969 Topps Football Card yesterday. John was born in Menlo Park, California in 1935 and played high school football at Oakland Tech High School in Oakland, California and then went on to play college football at Stanford. He was a tremendous all-around athlete and played football, basketball, baseball, tennis and golf extremely well. He was a first round pick in the 1957 NFL Draft by the 49ers and played his whole 17 year NFL career there…amazing, wouldn’t you say?). He was the NFL’s MVP in 1970. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame (one of the first great quarterbacks in Stanford University history—and there is a long list of them after him). After football, he joined the Senior PGA Tour and won one major championship…he was a great golfer in his own right. His #12 jersey has been retired by the 49ers. Amazingly, he is not in the NFL Hall of Fame yet, due in some measure to the fact that the 49ers never won a championship and/or made it to The Super Bowl with John at quarterback (however, a good case could be made for him to be in the Hall of Fame given everything he accomplished as a quarterback in the NFL for such a long career….how many players actually have had a 17 year professional football career?? He retired as the third most prolific career passer in NFL history. When asked by the Associated Press if he thought his competitiveness would ever go away, Brodie said: “I don’t see how you could ever lose it. That’s why you play the game.” During the course of his football career, John developed trouble with his throwing arm. He turned to the Church of Scientology, as he believed that its teaching helped him recover effectively from his injuries and he served for a time as a spokesperson for the church. He became disaffected with Scientology after some of his friends in the church were harassed and abused. John suffered a stroke in 2000 and now lives in La Quinta, California. Here’s to John Brodie and the San Francisco 49er teams of the 1960s and early 1970s!
Here is the book/reading recommendation for the day:
Check out “The Deep State” (2018) by Jason Chaffetz…I was given this book by my friend, Jeff, and while I don’t subscribe to the idea that all of government is nefarious and evil, I would say that after reading this book, you get the feeling that the growth of government over the years, particularly the federal government, has led to the growth of a bureaucracy (i.e. “The Deep State”) that often times operates in a way that is contrary to the best interests of the people. The book describes story after story of efforts by the bureaucracy to maintain itself to the detriment of “good government.” It’s disturbing to read of the amount of waste and inefficiences that go on within “The Deep State.” The lack of transparency and full disclosure hurt our country. It seems to me that efforts need to be made to ensure that “The Deep State” doesn’t control the way that our government is supposed to function for the good of all. As the author of “The Deep State”, Jason Chaffetz writes: “The last step in solving our Deep State problem is embracing transparency. Secrecy is a stock in trade of the Deep State. They maintain their power by virtue of their ability to cover their tracks in the many cases in which the public would surely disapprove. Consequently, the Deep State has a serious weakness. Sunlight, in the form of transparency and accountability, is a powerful cleansing agent for both exposing and disincentivizing corruption. In “Federalist 51,” James Madison listed “a dependence on the people” as the primary control of government. As Justice Louis Brandeis famously said, sunlight is the best disinfectant. For the Deep State, sunlight is kryptonite. In the absence of market forces to constrain government, the threat of public exposure creates it own restraints. For this reason, the ultimate check and balance must be transparency. Exposure and oversight is a powerful antidote for corruption. Unfortunately, the cure depends on the ability to prove a case. That requires access to documentation—something the Deep State currently controls almost with impunity. The ability to cover up the truth is a powerful tool in their arsenal, one they’ve proven loath to relinquish…”
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.”
—Henry C. Link
“Men willing believe what they wish.”
—Julius Caesar
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
—C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity,” as quoted in C.S. Lewis’ Little Book Of Wisdom” (2018)
Here’s to a great Monday and lots of love always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)