Hanging with Rich

Man, Do We Need To Lol These Days..... I hate to turn on the news these days. It's just been one miserable thing after another. In case you missed it, here's a recap of recent events: A terrorist's bombs explode in New York and New Jersey. No one is killed, but it still has the desired effect. A police shooting in Charlotte, NC. causes more civil unrest. More questions. More rage. Some guy indiscriminately shoots and kills 5 people in a mall in Washington state. All this is going on during a Presidential campaign that has such unpopular candidates, it makes me wish Abe Lincoln would come back as a zombie and run as a 3rd party candidate. There's only so much misery you can take. Maybe it's important for our sanity to take a laugh break. Not just smile. Not just chuckle. But laugh. Laugh out loud! Even lmao if you can. But do we make room for comedy in our daily lives like we religiously watch the miserable news? There are plenty of ways to relax. Plenty ...

National Anthem Protests Are Misguided..... Recently, some professional athletes have been doing a silent protest during the playing of the National Anthem before games. This trend seems to have been started by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He has decided to take a knee or sit during the playing of the Anthem. He has stated he refuses to stand and show respect to a nation that oppresses black people and people of color. Kaepernick (with the hair) kneeling for the National Anthem. This type of protest seems to be spreading in the National Football League to other teams. One head coach has even said he would join in as long as the whole team is down with it. The impetus for this protest seems to stem from the black lives matter movement. The players are willing to use the National Anthem as the opportunity to show displeasure with the present situation in America. But the National Anthem goes a little further back. Miami Dolphins protest. The National Anthem has bee...

My Memories of 9/11..... It seems whenever something horrible nationally happens, peoples memories go into overdrive. I was a very young kid but I remember the events of the day JFK was shot. I wasn't born when Pearl Harbor was attacked, but I'm sure older folks can remember that day vividly. 9/11 2001 was one of those days. Everything changed after that. And not for the better. Things have changed so much that sometimes it hard to remember what life was like on September 10th, 2001. Well kids, there was a time when you didn't have to take off your shoes to get on a plane. In fact, you could actually walk down an airport concourse to meet and greet relatives leaving or arriving at the gate. No Homeland Security. Going on a plane trip was thought of as fun. Berlin Wall falls in 1989. End of the Evil Empire? The Soviet Union had fallen in 1991. Our country had no evil empire to fight. No shooting wars. Gulf War I lasted a few weeks in 1991. It was so successful it c...

Can the Browns Catch the Mojo?..... Positive mojo is a funny thing in team sports. All it is is an attitude. Play to win. Expect to win. Confidence. Of course, it's not that simple. Good mojo is also the result of talent, training, coaching and planning. The Cavaliers started it all in my city. They were talented, but not the most talented. They fell behind in the Finals. but they refused to lose and became champions. The Indians appear destined for the playoffs this season. Once you make the playoffs anything can happen. So we'll see how far the mojo takes them. But what about mojo and the Browns? Plenty of good seats available. If zero is a starting point, the Browns would be at a negative ten.Years of loosing seasons. Not just loosing - historic losing. Most games have become unwatchable. Coaching changes, a turnover of the roster, and a turnover of the front office are regular happenings here. But this time the Browns are trying something never applied here befo...

Can the Browns Catch the Mojo?..... Positive mojo is a funny thing in team sports. All it is is an attitude. Play to win. Expect to win. Confidence. Of course, it's not that simple. Good mojo is also the result of talent, training, coaching and planning. The Cavaliers started it all in my city. They were talented, but not the most talented. They fell behind in the Finals. but they refused to loose and became champions. The Indians appear destined for the playoffs this season. Once you make the playoffs anything can happen. So we'll see how far the mojo takes them. But what about mojo and the Browns? Plenty of good seats available. If zero is a starting point, the Browns would be at a negative ten.Years of loosing seasons. Not just loosing - historic loosing. Most games have become unwatchable. Coaching changes, a turnover of the roster, and a turnover of the front office are regular happenings here. But this time the Browns are trying something never applied here be...

My Adventure Into Country Music..... I was born, and have lived most of my life in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. It's the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I grew up mostly listening to rock and pop music. But in truth, I like most music as long as I consider it good music. However, I have never been a fan of "country" music culture. The boots, the hats, the twang, the pickup trucks. I have even been known to poke some fun at the fine folks from West Virginia. Had I grown up in Nashville, or on a farm, I might have a totally different attitude. The name of this blog might be Hangin' With That Good Old Boy Rich . But it's not. This picture is a country song waiting to happen. But as I said, I enjoy all good music, and that includes country music. Country music is usually all about a story, and if there's anybody that enjoys a good story - it's me. Lyrics to country songs also seem to use plenty of brand names. Something like -  I'm sittin...

The Three Question Test..... One advantage of getting older is that there is a tremendous amount of "stuff" stored in your head. Important things, history, and interesting tidbits. But also ridiculous pieces of information and useless trivia are stored as well. I mean, is it really important to know what actor played Thurston Howell III on the old TV sitcom Gilligan's Island? (You don't have to Google that. It was Jim Backus. But the point is for me, that isn't even a stretch.) Thurston Howell III, and his wife Lovie. One disadvantage of getting older is that there isn't much opportunity to share all that crap you know. Most people I deal with are much younger than me.  I am one of the oldest employees where I work. Some days I get a feeling of isolation. I have very little in common with most of them. Yet, I do enjoy interacting with kids when I can. I can learn from them too. (Did you know Drake is known as @champagnepapi on social media?) On rare oc...