Hanging with Rich

Stupid Supreme Court Decisions..... Recently, the news has been all about the United States Supreme Court. But not about a court case or a decision. It has been about nominating and approving a new Justice to the Court. The process involves the President nominating a Justice, and  then being voted on and approved by the Senate. The US Supreme court building. The new Justice had a controversial process. He had a detractor that knew him from his college days. She said he sexually attacked her. He said he didn't. He was approved and today he is the newest Justice tot the United States Supreme Court. On election days, I hate voting for judges myself. Since I am neither a criminal, nor a lawyer, I have no idea who these people are. It's crazy. Look, these's an Irish name. Hey, there's an Italian! A Supreme Court Justice is a very unique job. Once approved, you serve for the rest of your life. There are no re-elections or term limits. You are beholden to no one. ...

Happy Birthday,,,,, Yesterday was my birthday.Not just any birthday. It was the birthday where you officially become a senior. I'm not too happy about that. But there's no fighting it. I'm reminded of my age almost every time I get the mail. I get junk mail from cemeteries and other age-related "benefits". No moustache. Only hopes and dreams. Most of my birthdays are nothing special. This year I got a couple of surprises. First, my daughter surprised me by driving in from Buffalo for a visit. Secondly, my wife planned a surprise party by inviting my buddy Mike and his family. Very nice. If you haven't guessed, I struggle with my age. Not just recently. I remember I struggled turning 40. "OMG I'm 40!" I thought. "I guess that makes me officially middle-aged." Maybe I struggle with age because I remember how much fun it was to be young. Most young people don't have to worry about bills. They have an opportunity for plenty o...

A Tale of Two Islands: Similar - But Way Different..... During my recent cruise I got to visit some foreign countries. That's good, because it's always good to expand your horizons. I only got to visit them for a few hours in a tourist port, so it's not like I'm an expert in their culture or politics. But it was long enough to draw some conclusions. Sometimes the differences are striking. Welcome to Jamaica Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are both tropical islands in the Caribbean. They are only 272 miles apart. They are both in a beautiful part of the world. But after visiting, I'm left wondering how things got so different. Jamaica is a large, lush, extremely beautiful place. There are the Green Mountains for growing highly regarded coffee. Tropical forests and plants are all over. Waterfalls and water features just seem to spring up everywhere. Streams are so clean you could drink out of them. The hummingbird, that I got to see for the first time in my ...

Cruisin' - Part 1: The Boat..... I just got back from my Caribbean cruise yesterday. So I've got to tell you about it. But too much to say in one blog. So I'll break it up. But how was it? Great , beyond my expectations. How am I? Whipped. Parts of my body are badly sunburned. Also, the stereotype about getting sick on a boat?  That's true. I'm coughing and hacking frequently. But let me start telling you about the trip. As regular readers will remember, my wife and I planned a cruise last year for our 40th anniversary. But Hurricane Irma came, and the trip was cancelled. So we decided on trying it again this year. After shopping for a cruise line we decided on a new comer to the American cruising market, MSC Cruise lines. MSC is based in Italy. They are one of the largest cargo shippers in the world. A while back they entered the cruising market, and only a few years ago decided to enter the American market with Caribbean cruises. Their calling cards are ele...

My Annual Cleveland Browns Prediction..... It's that time of year again. Labor Day Weekend. It marks the end of what passed for summer this year. In the sports world, Baseball will be heading for the playoffs in about a month. The Friday night lights of high school have already begun. Now it will be time for our local heroes, the Cleveland Browns to begin as well. Every year I use this blog to make a prediction on the Browns season. It has always been wrong. I have been overly optimistic. Maybe I'm just an optimistic person. How can a group of people whose job it is to make personnel decisions on the Browns be so wrong every year. What kind of job is that? You get up in the morning and read, watch, and talk football all day. You should get good at that just by accident. John Dorsey wore a sweatshirt all summer. But no. Last season the Browns were historically bad. Zero wins. Z-E-R-O. Actually it's hard to be that bad. Changes had to be made, and they were. They...

The Camping Life..... I guess you could call me a city guy. Or at least a suburban guy. Born and raised. I've spent most of my life in city environments. I live relatively close to my work. Stores and shopping are close to my neighborhood. If I needed a gallon of milk I probably have a choice of a dozen places within minutes of my house. My idea of roughing it away from home is a Holiday Inn. But there is a whole different lifestyle out there. Out in the country. Country living. Yesterday, our lifelong friends Mike and Anne invited us out to their campsite. It's about an hour south of our home. It's not just a trip on the freeway. You take  two-lane secondary roads for miles to reach the campsite. Traffic lights were just a memory. At least the GPS takes the stress out of finding the place. This is all foreign to me. Welcome to the country. When we got to their campgrounds it was like being invited to their own private, gated community. We registered at the offic...

Travel - and the Case of the Rather Curious Persimmon Tree..... In a couple of weeks the wife and I will be going on vacation out of the country. It will be a Caribbean cruise, and I'm getting pretty excited. I haven't been able to travel much lately, and rarely out of the country. But to be honest, I'm also getting just a touch of anxiety. Peace Bridge in Buffalo, NY. Leaving the country, and even leaving my region, can make me uncomfortable for some reason. I like Canada. Outside of the metric system, it's pretty similar to America. But I always feel more relaxed when I'm on that bridge, back to America. It's not just out of the U.S. either. Sometimes it's strange just traveling in the Southern states. Maybe it's the accent. Sometimes I need time to get my ear accustomed to their lingo. One time I was in a diner in Memphis , Tennessee. I had to ask a young waitress to repeat her question to me three times. Apparently she just wanted to know ...