The Week

Monday: watched “Me Before You.” Good movie. Also watched The Neighborhood. Very good. Not much else. Left work at six. Ceil cooked spaghetti and meatballs, with rice noodles. Also tossed salad. Matthew ate with us.

 

After work Tuesday I drove up to Cumming again, for a presentation on the Atlanta Crackers at a small downtown history/research center. Eleven or twelve in attendance. Most had been to Cracker games. Former Cracker pitcher Corky Valentine’s son brought various memorabilia, including his 1956 Southern Association championship ring. Also a photograph of Babe Ruth coaching first base at Ponce-de-Leon Park. After baseball Corky Valentine became an Atlanta policeman. Corky’s wife came from one of the founding families of Roswell.  

 

I remember going to Braves games in Atlanta Stadium way back in the 60’s but need to find out if I ever went to a Crackers game at Ponce de Leon Park. I would’ve been five or younger. My friend Johnny brought some of his Cracker keepsakes. In 1969 the Braves hosted an old-timers game between former Crackers and a team of former big leaguers. The rosters read like a who’s who of baseball: Montag, Frank Torre, Charlie Trippi. Harry Walker.

 

Also learned at least two of the Cumming guys also bussed downtown to the Sears Building on Ponce to register for the Army. I had told them you had done the same. Johnny went down there in 1971, not long after he’d graduated from college. Johnny said he caught the bus just a few yards from the building we were in, at the historic Sinclair station on the square. He was ruled overweight and told to lose ten pounds. Instead on the way home he drank three milk shakes. The Viet Nam War was over by then.

 

Wednesday night I went downtown to the Center for Civil and Human Rights for a discussion about Atlanta and the Negro Leagues. Had no idea what it would be about or I would’ve asked you to go. Interesting evening. I’ll share my notes once I get them typed up.

 

Stopped for gas on the way home, so I went my usual back way past a scenic lake on the way home. I’ve been taking this route for over twenty years. Made the turn on Chimney Springs Drive, then completely missed the turn onto Bishop Creek Drive. Had to make a u-turn.

 

Thursday I left work at five, for the third straight day. Fought worse traffic than usual, with everyone going home for valentines. Stopped by one store for candy and a card, and another for roses. Traffic was bad and drivers weren’t paying attention. People want diversity, and the ability exhibited by drivers on the road is certainly diverse. Some good, some real bad.

 

Took me an hour 45 to get home. Went up the street to Pizzaria Lucca, just off the Roswell Square. There is another restraurant or two next door, and the parking was jammed. Had to walk a quarter mile from the square. Ceil’s favorite pizza. On the way home we stopped for ice cream to go with the apple pie Ceil baked for me. Watched “Schooled” and “The Kids are All Right.” Excellent.

Lunch meeting today, catered by Willy’s Mexican. Made a salad. If there are leftovers I’ll have another at five for supper. After gorging for the Super Bowl and also last weekend, I had a real good week – down five pounds. Gotta keep it up and up the exercise.  

 

I’m slowly trying to wean myself off bobbleheads. Opted out of two of the four bobblehead groups I was a member of, so I wouldn’t get so many notifications. Still get a bunch. Not sure how many games I will go to this year. Tuesday I saw a Georgia Tech Buzz bobble but didn’t buy it (it was missing the antennae). I used to have one but sold mine.

 

Over the past few years the processing plant where I used to work has endured numerous retirements of 30 and 40 year employees: Dobson, Lively, Page, Sweatman, Walls, Hurst, Murphree, Smilie, Born, Pruitt, Garmon, Norman, Reggie, Hooper, Wells, Cook, Hollingsworth (Doc’s dad), Morgan, Samples, Baldwin, Bogar, Thompson, Gaddis, Greeson, Mesnard, and others. Over 810 years of experience. Plus over the same time period the machines have aged. Production, efficiency, and service has gone downhill. I’ve had to move a bunch of orders offsite to get things done, at a higher cost. Fortunately the company is bringing in talented managers to turn things around.   

 

Ever since I moved on 20 years ago, and especially during the recent ten years of decline, I’ve always tried to help out however possible. The orders I handle are complicated, and since that plant doesn’t process them that often I don’t mind helping them out when needed. I try to give the plant plenty of time to cut my orders, though I know people from other offices are constantly needing to get rush orders pushed ahead of mine. The people there who have to handle my orders every day understand the specifications on my orders, and appreciate how I set them up in a way to make them run most efficiently. If I did my orders differently it would take longer and be less efficient.