Road Rage

Monday morning on the way to work I was driving east on Holcomb Bridge, in the left lane with a black car to my right. I try to drive in the left lane on this stretch because the right lane backs up with cars turning right, headed to Ptree Industrial south. Up ahead a white van pulled out in front of the black car. I figured the black car would slow down. Instead the black car started to pull left into my lane, still right next to me.

 

Luckily there was an empty turn lane to my left that I could pull into. This avoided the crash. Right there every morning a police car sits with its flashers on, at the top of a hill at a slight curve. Sometimes the policeman will stop traffic to let someone out. I was hoping the policeman would see what happened. Since there was a line of cars behind me, I was stuck behind the police car waiting to merge back into traffic. I never saw the black car again.

 

On the way home from work Monday I was headed down Spaulding, in the usual long line of cars lined up to turn right on Holcomb Bridge, not a half mile from where the morning incident took place. When I'm in this turn lane I try to stick close to the car in front of me, as a courtesy to all the cars behind me. Invariably a more important person will drive past the long line of cars lined up to turn, then wedge their way in at the front of the line. That's what happened to me yesterday.

 

There wasn't much space between me and the car in front of me, which was pretty much stopped. But sure enough a tan sedan came out of nowhere and tried to edge in to the small space in front of me. To show that I didn't appreciate their boldness, I pulled up close. The poor sap in the passenger seat looked back at my front bumper. Since I drive an old car I should've pulled up even closer.

 

When the light turned green the tan sedan wedged on in ahead of me. When it made the right turn it didn't turn into the right lane, but roared off into the left lane, accelerating down the hill even though the light a quarter mile away was clearly red. I could've gotten behind the tan car at the light, but stuck to my normal right lane. Things like that bother me.

 

Still reading Gary Sinise's "Grateful American." Not too long after Sinise signed on to star in the CBS network's CSI New York some network executives learned Gary would occasionally play golf with friends. Sinise was relatively new to the game. He's signed up for lessons but hadn't had many. CBS televises the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, and likes to get actors from CBS to play. Ray Romano. Kevin James. So Sinise was strongly encouraged to play. It was three days of stress, slicing balls into the rough and into crowds. His golf instructor caddied for him, and he helped him hit a few decent shots.

 

Are any GT bball players good enough to go somewhere else? Guess it doesn't matter – these days players like to jump ship to go play somewhere else.

 

Sunday Snitker was trying to get everyone into yesterday's game, since they aren't playing until Thursday. Kept switching pitchers to get the lefty/righty matchup. Gave the Mets something nice for the offseason. Good to see Ortega and #24 and Duvall all homer. All will be on the postseason roster. Not Hamilton I hope, who got caught stealing on a pitchout.

 

Friday we had leftovers from the BBQ lunch. I took Brunswick Stew home for supper. Crashed on the couch. Finished season 5 of Fresh Off the Boat and started watching season 4. Also a new sitcom about a small church choir in Kentucky.

Saturday morning I went downstairs early for ESPN College Game Day. Did laundry and dishes. Cleaned out the garage. Folded clothes. Fixed quesadillas. Found ice cream in the freezer. Took out the recycling. Cleaned out emails. Trimmed hedges.

 

Anna came home from work and I went with her to Moxie Burger. I wasn't too hungry so I didn't get a sandwich. They brought out all these fries so we took home the leftovers.

 

Sunday School at JFBC. New pastor is a great preacher, but on his first official Sunday the 11 am service only saw a tape of the earlier service. Now in October and November he and Bryant Wright are alternating sermons on giving. Interesting start for the new guy.

 

Stopped by WalMart on the way home to buy a fan. Quesadillas for lunch. Trimmed more hedges and did more laundry and housework. Ceil arrived home from SC. Had Matthew, Anna, and Christian for dinner – Mexican with new kinds of sauces.

Finally made it home Monday evening. Ceil cooked a chicken stir fry dish. Anna and Matthew are with us. Watched The Neighborhood and Chicago Med. Ordered a cord for my car and some ambervision night driving sunglasses to reduce glare.   

 

Next Monday us Murphys are dining at Tacueria for M's 21st birthday. Might be the Cheshire Bridge location because I'm not sure Westside is open on Monday. I'll keep you posted. We might get our Christmas card picture taken while we are together so I'm trying to get everyone to wear Christmas outfits.  

 

Chuck Colson's wise words on impeachment

As the impeachment inquiry into President Trump continues to dominate the news, the Colson Center's John Stonestreet invites us to consider wise words written by Chuck Colson in 1999 after President Clinton's impeachment ended with his acquittal by the US Senate.

Colson noted that while 80 percent of Americans believed Mr. Clinton to be guilty, two-thirds did not want him removed from office. By not convicting the president, Colson believed the Senators made a decision motivated by politics rather than the facts of the case.

Then he observed: "Politics is nothing but an expression of culture. It is not enough to win elections, for political power alone cannot change how people live or change their values. It is essential to change hearts and minds as well. And that starts, not in Washington, but with our neighbors."

Colson concluded: "For all of us who are Christians, regardless of how we view this process, let us remind ourselves that we serve a God who rules over the affairs of men—whether they know it or not."

 

BURT SHOTTON  [SABR Bio] was the last person to manage a major league game in street clothes. Last game managed in civvies was Sunday, 01-Oct-1950. He earned the nickname "Barney" because of his speed. An extremely swift center fielder during his playing days—Shotton averaged 38 SBs over his first six full seasons—he was nicknamed after Barney Oldfield, the celebrated late nineteenth-century/early twentieth-century bicycle/auto racer. He was Duke Snider's first manager in the majors.Snider's debut was 17-Apr-1947, two days after Jackie Robinson's. Since Dodger skipper Leo Durocher had been suspended by Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler prior to the season for consorting with gamblers, coach Clyde Sukeforth managed the team's first 2 game before Shotton became the permanent replacement. So Snider's debut was also Shotton's first day as manager. He helped Branch Rickey solve a religious dilemma. Branch Rickey had vowed to his mother that he would avoid ballparks on Sundays. He sensed that he could trust Shotton and, in 1914–15, he became the Browns' "Sunday manager".