Golf, the Universe, and Everything

America has had itself one hell of a week / month / year / decade... Maybe it's the (failed) writer in me, but I agonized over how to properly articulate this post. I wanted to bring my own personal experiences with racism, but they felt like simple inconveniences compared to what is going on now. I also wanted to point out the hypocrisy of the NFL , but they already called themselves out, albeit years too late (but could have mentioned Colin Kaepernick by name). I also wanted to use clever literary devices to point out the disingenuous representation of the Black Lives Matter movement by those who lean right, but couldn't decide between a hypothetical or disjunctive syllogism. But in the end, I'll just go with recent history. The cynic in me can't help but to think we've been down this road before. Police brutality didn't start with Rodney King , but the global awareness did thanks to the advent of video. This was 1991... We all know how that ended (acqui...

The end of May for the first 19 or so years of my life meant Memorial Day and my birthday (and every now and again, they would be the same day). Then a special lady came into my life and it just so happened that her birthday was only four days away from mine. Over two decades later, through some very detailed planning and interesting timing, we decided to get married on the day between our birthdays. So for one week out of the year, we have both of our birthdays, our wedding anniversary, and a holiday (my eternal thanks for all who died for our freedom). It is without a doubt, my favorite time of the year. Christmas is fun but it is usually cold outside and there's so much holiday stress, shopping, eating, travelling. The same with Thanksgiving although it's usually a little less chilly and even more food. With the last week in May, we usually get great weather, the restaurants are all open (including our favorite anniversary spot, The Purple Patch ), and it's usually a l...

Anyone who has visited our house in the past few years may have noticed a not insignificant hole in the left side of our sidewalk near the stairs. It was home to a family of groundhogs. Over the years I've allowed them to stay due to a combination of being too lazy to get them out myself and all of my attempts to call Critter Control (the professionals) went unanswered or had no follow-up. So finally, after I noticed a few too many cracks in the base of my steps, I decided it was time to evict the little critters. So I called a local professional, The Wacky Bug Man . And like any good local professional, he returned my call the same day. #supportyourlocalbusinesses Long story short he gassed the groundhog lair only to find they were probably out getting some food or visiting some friends (hopefully practicing good social distancing). He filled the lair with rocks and dirt, dug a trench, and put chicken wire in the trench to prevent them from digging back in. He then put down some...

For the past few months, the blog has been more about "The Universe and Everything." Yesterday, it was about golf again. A big shout out to my lovely wife for holding down the fort and giving me the pass to golf for the morning! I even made it back home before noon as per the agreement :). A great day to be out on the course enjoying the weather and the company of good friends. I don't know what I missed more, the golf or the camaraderie... Either way, it was good seeing Clint and Brandon again, both about to embark on new phases of their lives. Brandon about to have a little one of his own very very soon, and Clint making big moves, his house being the biggest! Even though the golf wasn't the greatest, the catching up was indeed the best part. But I would be remiss if I didn't give you the blow by blow. The place: Laurel Hill. Walking up: Now that we are in the Coronavirus reality, some things have definitely changed. Checking in was a breeze, which conside...

Hello Friends, Some exciting news in the world of golf. But first a shout out to my good friend, best man, and godfather of my son and his lovely wife for driving all the way from Washington DC to deliver some delectable confections (Courtesy of the Rose Avenue Bakery ) to the wifey and me for our birthdays / anniversary! Ube Brioche with Ube Butter, Guava Pie, and Passion Fruit Donut (Nom Nom Nom) Honestly the world is a better place with Hino and Donna in it. But somehow everyone else will be about 10 pounds heavier if they keep this up :). So two exciting things things in the world of golf. The Match II featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, a G.O.A.T. and a retired QB. Hopefully it is a lot better than the first match. Maybe Tiger and Phil can learn to loosen up a little bit and have fun instead of treating this like life or death... But you don't have to twist my arm to watch Tiger Woods in action... 3:00 PM, be there or be square! The other exciting thing, the re...

I've basically stopped watching the news. Not that it's all depressing, but there are some stories that just do nothing but raise my blood pressure... Albert Einstein once said, "The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." My main form of news is Twitter, because I still have a random shot of getting some good news and a couple of cute pictures. But every now and again you come across something that just makes you question reality. This week's mindbender, Murder Hornets... You're Honestly Kidding Me! Better known as Asian Giant Hornets, they are the world's largest hornets. These "insects" (little flying monsters) can grow up to two inches long and are capable of slaughtering entire colonies of bees and even killing people. And where have they landed? WASHINGTON EFFING STATE! But just when you thought you were safe on the east coast, guess who's coming to dinner? Can I bring 100,000,000 of my ...

As Emerson, Lake, and Palmer never said, "Welcome back my friends, to the quarantine that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, stay inside, stay inside!" Been a little while since I last wrote. I should write more but trying to spend more time with the family and do more around the house, just short of requiring trips to Home Depot or Lowes. But for some levity, here are some light hearted anecdotes: My mother-in-law, in addition to being really good at injecting epi-pens, is addicted to QVC shopping... For years and years she has been shopping and overwhelming her husband and daughters with the merchandise. The stuff also has a habit of piling up in her closets, basement, and garage. But I will admit, she did hit it out of the park with a few items that came in handy during a quarantine. Phone Soap . No, it's not actually soap for your phone, but an UV Light Phone Sanitizer and charger. She bought this for us at least two years ago and it basically ga...