But who's counting........

Victor, you can't start a sentence with "But..."

But watch me.

If blogs bore you, turn left here.  If numbers bore you, same.  If you want laughter, entertainment, you know damn well you've come to the wrong place.

I mentioned someone asked me about "numbers. readers of your blog" that stuff.

I started this blog in 2005, which, ironically, was the year of the Big D.  From 2005 through 2022, I wrote 1,769 blogs using checkenginelight.blogspot.com.  Somehow, I lost ma' dayum password (several times), reset it, forgot, did that again, same, and the blog disappeared into dust in the wind.

So.............. I restarted in 2022.  Added '1' (checkenginelight1.blogspot.com) and have written 918 additional blogs since.

I don't have "Number of readers" from the first blog, but, using the average number of readers per blog on Blog1, (91.84 per blog), it's been read 246,788 times.

Victor?  You bragging?  Hardly.  With age comes tree rings. Worn out chairs. Coffee spilt on numerous laptops, desktops, yada.  To liken all those blogs in all those years with all them readers, to playing pool acumen (pun mebbe intended) after years at the billiard table... George Burns said it best... "Sex at 90 is like playing pool with a rope."  Ya know?

First......... half of the damn reads (prolly) are from when I clicked it again to correct errors - and sorry, I know they still come thru.

And certainly, one hella amount of readers are fly by, searching Google for "The check engine light came on in my 2006 Honda Accord, now what?" 

I think too............... many are lost due to language........ Strangely, only 24.5% hail from the US... Brazil is next at 12%........ and, TAKE THIS JOHNNY CASH, I've been read in Mehico, Argentina, Vietnam, UK, India, South Africa, Singapore, Canada, Turkey, Pakistan, Uruguay, Columbia, Germany, Spain, Russia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and a bunch listed at "Other."

I'd say hi to them all, but, if you remember right, moments into Mehico I about peed my pants because I had no idea what you call bathroom/restroom in Mehico.  El bano, tyvm, whew.  No sprechen sie Deutsch.

Do you write for attention Victor?  Don't answer, we already know.  Yes, but mostly not what you think.  For 20 years, I've been divorced.  Sure, two 'live-in' relationships. four or so years total, but, mostly me, myself and I. Que, Are you lonesome tonight. I've noticed, walls aren't much for conversation.

I do blab, but truly, only here.  If I were seated with you and s'more people... well...one friend labeled me "deathly quiet." And, that's true.  Better thought a fool.

I like life. I like light. I enjoy laughing. Smiling.  Could be just the recent times, but there seems to be a hole in our bucket and we don't get near enough of that crap anymore.  Thus, I try.

What those numbers won't tell you is........... probably another 5 or 600 blogs never published.

The book I will never write is entitled "I'm positive, I think."

That's all I try to be here and you'll never know how much I appreciate your eyeballs.

Oh happy day....... 

Taps and naps......

There, I've said it again.  (Ain't that an old song?  Uh huh, Google or AI, one'a them sumbitches confirms.)

I just spent the better part of an hour reading (and sometimes weeping) obits.  Uh huh, I can feel the 'lack of love' from some who think I'm weird in doing so... but that's OK, I think some of you are quite weird too! Hehe.

I read accolade after accolade.... Awards won... things invented (uh huh, couple of 'em today).. books written... great culinary skills...  degrees upon degrees...businesses owned, started, led....  envisioned all the dang moving vans they loaded as many lived in parts here, there, darn near everywhere.  One couple, arrived in the US with $78 to their name, made quite the life for themselves.

I got tired reading, sure, because I'm old...  and, because I agree Gizmo, "BRIGHT LIGHTS".. I considered a nap but I had 9 left to read.

More of the same......................... except.............. then they mentioned being married 64 years, 59 years, almost 70 years...  traveled to 49 states... points, Continents allover the World.. had 2nd homes in Florida, the Lake, Colorado (I can't mow one yard, letalone two)... oh....... they raised kids... several with many......

Victor, you can't take a nap, you ain't even had breakfast.... bite me, but I guess you're right...

And too, in addition to being teachers, preachers, 'sisters', managers, dedicated workers, they played softball, chess, bridge, did crafts, sang in the choir, painted, "fixed stuff, anything really". taught Sunday School.. volunteered here, there......  lives lived quite well.  Victor, you ain't done.

Oh yeah........ "Never missed a grandkid's game, event, music show, yada"... .golfed, fished, hunted, girl's weekends, Scout leader, coached Little League. All.  Most did it all.  And that's wonderful to read.

But, makes me tired.  First thought, "Damn, reading about all them makes me think, 'Victor, you need to getup, go, do, you got a lotta catching up to do!' "

Which, makes me hella tired thinking about.  

Once again, not your normal blog,.... or, is it?

While sure, maybe weird to read about others after their lives here are finished - it's also very uplifting to me to read of............. well.......... good people........... good things......  demonstrated.

Close your ears.  I worry about us.  The upcoming elections, no matter how they turn out.  We've GOT to figure out how to coexist because now we can't even commandeer a zipper merge or a 4 way stop. 

One friend already (temporarily) got off Facebook. 

We need to use the examples of those before us... If that sounds like preaching, so be it.  Accolades, Golden Rules, care, concern - over attitudes.  Sounds difficult. Shouldn't be.

Love to all, yes, probably a nap ahead 

We'll conduct a routine property inspection next Monday, 10/5 at starting at 10am. You don't have to be present...

That was a recent text from my landlord.  So.  I thought, "What if I keel between now and Monday?"

So, just in case, I'm preparing.  Bought me one'a them six foot skeletons at Wally... dressing it up with clothes, shoes, hat, all that.  Putting it behind the shower curtain.  Sorry, kinda.

On my bed, a tape recorder and note, "If only this bed could talk."  And then I'd record some crap, all they gotta do is press the button:  "I gotta pee."...  "Oh shit, it's Tuesday, I gotta work." ...  'Sorry Doc, butt dial."  That was a real one.  I take my phone to bed and play Sudoku to put me to sleep... once, I'd somehow dialed my eye doctor at 2:37am... he called the next morning at 8.... "Damn, I gotta pee AGAIN."...  "The envelope is between the mattresses.".. 

Ain't that what all geezers do?  Don't trust banks, hide that money crap somewhere they ain't? So, the envelope between the mattresses had been opened... a note inside "Victor, you idiot, you moved it to your sock drawer."

183 Compression socks in my sock drawer, one white regular sock, a dead giveaway, pun mebbe intended.  Envelope there opened as well... "Victor, you idiot! You moved it again!"

 I figured they'd somehow run outta patience looking for an envelope that doesn'' exist and start throwing junk in a dumpster.   So, above my mantle, I could just seem 'em tossing my framed 1985 Sport's Illustrated pic of the Royal's in a dog pile after winning the World Series... note attached "NOOOOOOO, don't toss this!  Mail it to my buddy Tip in Tulsa!  His addy is in my phone!"

 OK, stupid blog idea #12,673.  Sorry, kinda.  Been there, will do that again.

Original thought was to do a blog on boobs and booby traps... but, it's been so long since I've seen one..   ahm, yeah, a booby trap... I didn't feel qualified.

Virgil Kane is my name... and that damn song kept rippling thru my brain... looked into a blog... Civil War.... nah... and strangely, the whole damn band (with the exception of the drummer) was from Canada.

Last idea was bucket lists.

There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza.

Love, Victurd 

 

Travel as an old fart............

I ran into an old buddy I see actually fairly frequently in our little town - he's the epitome of a travel lover.... he's been to hunnerds more towns than Johnny Cash's I've Been Everywhere, Man.....  He's zigged East-West and West-East on them even number Interstates, and yes, zagged on the North-South, South-North odd ones.  And that tain't even mentioning he's done the Route 66 thing, start to finish, at least once that I know of.

As we visited, his words, eyeballs and enthusiasm spoke to the view of four or five National Parks, almost as if I was there too......... hang on dude, lemme grab my bear spray! After our visit, I was tired, yet full of admiration.  He's had affliction, swatted cancer twice, broken this's, that's, but ya can't stop him.  Kudos.

There's a little gal that occasionally fetches me a Miller Lite - she works for 5, 6 months, then, she's off!  Colorado one Winter teaching snowboarding, Oahu the next, learning surfing, backpacking Thailand, Vietnam, allover over there the next... she just flew out a couple days ago to Seattle...enroute to, I think the Phillipines - by her lonesome, always.  Admirable.  It's her 'education' minus the student loans that accumulate. She's a young punk, but OH the energy, you go girl!

Band camp, yes, a live in/with... a career with a huge medical conglomerate 'lent' her boo koo flight miles, Welcome to the Marriott darn near free rooms for life, that.  Mark, set, she went.  Once, around the World. I ain't kidding. Took off to the West... somewhere on the Coast enroute to Tokyo, with stops (and I know I'll forget some), ha, found an old FB thing:  Japan-Singapore-India-Germany-Italy-Slovenia- Croatia- Bosnia- Montenegro.. they (she and a good buddy) followed the sun... came home from the East Coast.

Victor, I wonder, as you post, list this crap, do you think people reading kinda think back to where they've traveled?  I HOPE SO... that's kinda the point.

Yes, with age, it gets harder and harder.  Sure, you can dial up Trafalgar and they'll set it all up for you... but still... ya gotta get that heavy suitcase from the bedroom to the car.. .kajillions of steps... whereinthehell is the bathroom (or, knowing the name for bathroom per whadever Country you're in, been there, darn near peed my pants there... walk, stand, wait... stand, wait, walk s'more...  

Victor, you're retired... what's the hurry, relax, take  your time.......   Today is October 2nd, do you no comprende, by the time I take all ma' clothes off, Tim Conway-old-man-walk into the shower, scrub here, there, HIGH JUMP over that 3 inch lip back to the br floor... dry off, get dressed, use four different contraptions to get compression socks, pants, shoes, yada on....... it'd be October 4th by the time I'd get done with all that

I love travel, but it takes funds, friends, worry about Fido and Fifi.... and energy.  Maybe a month or two in Mehico again, I dunno.  

Mind travel - NOW you're talking.  Frequently, I put on a good set of tunes... checkout old pics on Facebook, photo albums from when there were so so many more loved ones around... close my eyes, and, I'm there.  No cost, tips, ice, snow, heat, tiredness, dark driving, getting lost, steps, language barriers, panhandlers, grumpy front desk folks, that.  Ya still get the scenic view from your brain of yesteryear... complete with remembered hugs, voices, smiles, smells... travel at it's best.

I dunno what your situation is, or, if you even wanna travel. If you do, go, of course.  If you're coupled with someone that's faster, I hope they have patience.  If you still run the 600  yard dash a couple times a year, play Chicken Fat at least once a week, then you have patience if one is a little slower than you.

Resist saying "NO" every time you're invited.  One day, ya won't be asked.  Stop, think, consider.  Do the bucket before you kick it.

Zip-a-dee-zip-code, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-a-dee-zip-code zip-a-dee-ay 

We'll leave the light on........... 

Tilt!...........

Recently, I was sitting at this joint that had 78 TV's, or so it seemed.  Coulda even been more, I dunno.  Like people watching - ya gravitate to whatever pleases you, find interesting, makes ya laugh, you enjoy.  Sports was the main fare- and my head, attention, skipped past hockey, basketball, baseball, Sports Center, you name it, they had it.

I found my attention focused on some National Doggy Obstacle course thing, where, led by trainer/treats, hounds of differing breeds ran, and jumped over hurdles, through long tunnel hoops, up/down bridges, see saws, pinwheeled right left thru 15 upright stakes.... 

It was a very refreshing respite from under further review... our team stinks... WHY did he leave that guy in to pitch?..   we RUN on 3rd down and 8?  It (the doggies running the obstacles) was fun, they're amazing athletes, and, cute as all get out to boot.

I've tried, here, this blog......... long time I've tried.... to promote kindness... golden rule stuff... "get knocked down?  Get up, chillax, be cool."  Think before we blurt/hurt... yada..  That said, some folks just ain't a lotta fun to be around, forgive me Father. I think we all, inside the tent of our person. THINK rotten stuff about certain others occasionally.  Keeping it within is another thing.

 The heck does that have to do with dogs Victor?  I'm glad you asked.  TILT.  Ya ever meet up with a doggy for the first time.....they look at you... and then they give you this TILT?  Uh huh, they're 'measuring our person'...  it's said to be leery of folks that dogs are leery of - so, it drives me nutty when I can't (right away) get a hound pooch to walk up, rollover, lemme scratch the belly...become good, fast friends up to and including the point of backscratch, play that funky banjo (with your back feet) Fido.

The TILT.

I vote - we, in life, can carry on our goal of harmony, peace, goodwill to mankind, with just one out.  In our back pocket - we carry the right to TILT.  That is, when we see someone we'd like to run away from as fast as we can.....  someone who's REALLY LOUD (bugs the crap outta me)... someone who talks about another someone... are ZERO fun to be around... we carry that right in our back pocket - to look 'em in the eyes, and TILT, without actually saying Jane/John, "you ignorant slut", without blurting how we really feel... simply a universal (you are not a nice, kind, pleasing, harmonious, fun, loving, genuine) person, TILT. 

A simple, TILT.

Beats the heck outta gnawing on their shin.

Exposing one's fangs to let em know how you really feel.

A simple, TILT. 

Victor, this was stupid. Boring. Really, not very nice.

To all that I say................

TILT.

 Good day. 

Whatever......

(All of the below, stolen.  Please don't tell.) 

Australia is wider than the moon.

Switzerland prohibits the ownership of just one guinea pig.

The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be in Barcelona. Eiffel's design was rejected by the Spanish city for being too ugly, he pitched it to France. The locals weren't in love with it either but tourists from around the world flock to Paris to see it.

Snow occasionally falls in the Sahara Desert.

Tigers have striped skin (in addition to striped fur.)

 A shrimp's heart is in it's head.

Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins. (I wanna call BS, but moreso, I wanna know who tested, found that out, and even moreso, WHY?)

Bees may fly up to 60 miles in one day..

Hippopotamuses can't swim.  (Again, tempted to call BS, but, the site was done by school teachers.)

A chicken once lived more than a year without a head.  I think I seen him in the rotisserie display at Sam's Club.

Animals can be allergic to humans. HA!

Most ginger cats are male.

Giraffes are much more likely to get his by lightning than humans. Even basketball players?

Bees can get drunk on fermented tree sap.  (They can still fly 60 miles in a day but it's more a NE-NW-NE-NW pattern.)

Dolphins give each other names.  OK teach, go ahead and call my parents, I'M CALLING BS!

There's an ant species that's unique to New York. (Called a Manhattants.) You wanna impress me, try saying Unique New York, three times, REAL FAST.

You didn't try. TRY IT DAMNIT.

A group of pugs is called a grumble.  Damn dolphins prolly named em that.

Wombats make cube-shape poop. Ouch.

Salad and croutons anyone?

The immortal jellyfish can reverse its life cycle and start over again.  WHY AREN'T SCIENTISTS STUDYING THIS? 

Nutmeg is a hallucinogen. Oh crap, here come the Tide pod folks.

Before we had toilet paper Americans used corn husks.  Ouch.

The Spanish national anthem has no words.  If they didn't have that Running Of The Bulls thing I'd say Spaniards are a boring lot. 

The shortest war in history lasted only 38 minutes.

I can't remember if that was my first or second marriage.

GIT UR LAZY BUTT UP AND AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER AND DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE!

(Wasn't me, one of the dolphins said it. Pretty sure they called him Flipper.)

Beehave,

Love, Victurd 

 

 

Perspective.................. and.............. "At the end of the day."

Football.  Eww.  Gimme a break, and I don't mean a chunk of the dayum Kit Kat Bar... I mean, you ALWAYS talk sports and I've had my fill of it!

Football.  At the end of the day, I love sports.  Sorry kinda, not really.  I would say, I'm not quite as all-consumed today as I was however long ago... but I still very much enjoy.

"My football team", ie, the one I root for, won.  With the exception of last year, they've had a pretty nice run. If you read the Sport's page, sure, there will be naysayers.  If you peek at what folks say after, it ranges from "a win is a win' to "Run, look out, the sky is falling."

At the end of the day, we won.  Had we not, sure, disappointment woulda set in, but then, I took the average pay of an NFL rookie ($885,000) and divided it by 17 games... thus, had the day ended otherwise, I can see 'em taking their helmet, pads, etc off, flying home, arriving late... at the end of the day, placing their head on the pillow...  "Now I lay me down to sleep....I wonder how much, today I make?"  One-seventeenth is $52,058.82.  Hard to feel badly for them... right, schoolteachers, preachers, part-time golf course clubhouse attendants?

Money ain't everything.

Much is measured at the end of the day.  Did good happen?  Did you help to make it happen?  Did  you make someone feel good/better about themselves? Are you really rough on yourself and it's hard to find happiness at the end of the day?

Victor?  Yeah?  You change your last name to Olsteen?  Funny haha..

What's really important at the end of the day?

Well, two quick examples.

I awakened to a text this morning from a friend (sent at 8:22 pm) asking me if I've heard from a mutual friend.  It's obvious as I age, my end of the day is earlier and earlier and earlier...  I hadn't.  So, I'll contact friend today and apologize for going to bed early.

Next, the early morning Wordle battle with youngest niece... a few months back we'd had a nice lunch with cousins, second-cousins, and one had contacted her with "Let's do it again" and my niece included "She mighta texted you too, I dunno."  I looked.  She hadn't. So, I texted my niece back 'She likes you best.. I'm never talking to either of you, ever again." Takes care of that.

In all seriousness... Can you imagine, the "At the end of the day" people in our city, county, state, land, family, extended family, work family, church family, in the World - the trials and tribulations that accompany their "At the end of the day" feel?  Illness.  Loss.  Abuse. Addiction.  Food insecurity. Unemployment.  Divorce/Separation with the possible scenario of a non-working spouse allofasudden 'inheriting' a $1600 a month rent payment, expectations to fill the fridge to feed three mouths, buy them clothes, shoes, take the sick dog to the vet.  How could you sleep with all that going through your brain?

We know, ya just never know the at the end of the day of others.

Trust me, I've done my share of "Blurt hurt" in the past and I'm certainly not proud of that.  I guess we could all lighten the load on life......... make that head hitting the pillow a little more comfy - if we're simply kind.  Sadly, so, so many don't even have a pillow, bed, housing for that. Help others when we can.  Think, 5 seconds before replying - especially if it's something that's taken you back, or by surprise.

At the end of the day.......it's storming somewhere.  It's incredibly cold/hot somewhere else.  incredible pain within.  Worry about loved ones perhaps off the path.  More bills than bucks.  Perfection just simply doesn't happen.

Harmony can be tough to achieve.  

At the end of the day.. it shouldn't be though, should it?