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Five Things

One of the highlights of my week is to read folks’ Five Things blog posts.  The ones I read a nice diversion from the mishmash of the usual political BS, upcoming must-have gadgets, sports happenings (the Lions got screwed the other night), and entertainment brouhaha (trust me, making theatre and other entertainment is much more fun than reading about the entertainment that others make) that I read daily.  They remind me that there are some people still living as humans having actual experiences, and just not head-to-toe sports stat machines, OS-or-hardware-manufacturer-branded-cyborgs, or political talking point dispensers.

So, after some gentle prodding from people who won’t let me anymore tell them that I have nothing to say or that I wrote everything I might say into my paper notebook, I’m at least going to try to write Five Things every week, to be posted on Wednesdays or Thursdays.  My first one will be on a Tuesday because today is Tuesday and I have to write and publish this today or else.

1.

I decided to go to the library to write.  Not only are there too many distractions at home, but I don’t have a desk.

I need a desk.  Writing at a desk makes the writing feel more real to me.  I read once that sitting on the bed or the sofa can hinder the writing process because when you’re on the bed, your body gets the signal that it’s time to go to sleep and on the sofa, your body is ready to sit and relax, watch TV, read (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not writing).  However, if you’ve ever been to school or an office job at all, sitting at a desk tells your brain that you’re ready to get work, since that’s what it’s been trained to do.

Given the number of words in this blog and the fact of my often trying to write sitting on the sofa before something invariably comes on TV, I’d imagine there’s some truth to this.

So I need a desk.  Other than my one at work.  I’m always being sought out there.  Not conducive for writing.  Unfortunately, none of my hiding spaces at work have desks or even room for a desk.

I also want to stop writing on my laptop and get a PC again.  Even if it’s a Chromebox.  Something with a mechanical keyboard.  Maybe I’ll even get a mouse with a cable attached, again.  Something not facing the TV.  Something I won’t feel tempted to pick up and go sit near the TV with.

2.

This time last year, the O’s had won the AL East and it was the best time in my adult life to be a fan.  Now, we have Chris Davis signing going-away bats for his teammates and Buck hugging him, seeming like a father about to see his son head out into the world.  All discussion is about who might be staying, who might be going, and how the team will look vastly different next year.  Even after the Royals gutted the O’s in the ALCS last year, there was still hope and excitement.  I knew they wouldn’t go back to being the same sad O’s we’d become accustomed to.  AJ and Manny and Crush would still be here, even if they let Nelson Cruz and Andrew Miller walk.

This time around, I’m not so sure.

3.

Now they’re talking about magnetic trains and futuristic pods to get around back home.  I guess if they don’t put any of the pods in the hood, folks can just go back to riding horses.  Might be faster than the bus or the current light rail.

They should have just built the new light rail.

When the maglev is finally done, you’ll be able to get to DC in 8 minutes.  Once you get back, you’ll probably have to take a bus to get to your final destination and that bus will take an hour to get you there, but I guess that’s progress there.  Maybe they should find a way to magnetically levitate a bus or everybody’s cars if they live in the county.  The state might be willing to pay for that.

4.

Coach Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan Wolverines took a picture in front of a local Cracker Barrel and thanked them for the great food and service.

While I do enjoy a trip to the Cracker Barrel for a hamburger steak, I really hope they didn’t travel 700+ miles to eat only at a chain they can get probably get anywhere, when they were literally minutes from G&M Restaurant and some of the best seafood in Maryland.  Maybe they had to stretch their per-diem money.  You can get a couple of hamburger steak dinners for the price of a crab cake platter.  Not that I suggest this.

5.

The Lions got hosed during Monday Night Football.  Sure, had they been given another play, they might have fumbled the ball again.  This is the Lions.  But at least get the call right, especially if you’re standing right there.  Saying that you didn’t make the call because the batting of the ball wasn’t overt, is a cop out.

You know what else might not be overt?  Doctoring a baseball.

“Sure, he threw a spitball, but we’re not going to eject him because he wasn’t overt.” Sounds ridiculous in that situation, too.  Just call the game as it is.  The Seahawks have been to two straight Super Bowls and won one.  They don’t need the help.

Bonus:

Nearly 90 minutes of writing can go by so quickly when you’re really in it.  My reward for this: relaxing with a nice cup of Kefir while watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

What I’m reading: “Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy” by Dinty W. Moore

What I’m listening to: WFAN. Bound to be lots of angry Yankees fans tomorrow.