What Would Jimmy Do?

The last entry in this blog discussed friends and good friends. Eleven years ago today, I lost one of, if not the, best friends I’ve ever had. Some friends develop over time… my friendship with Al Chura was instantaneous. From the first time I met him to the last time I saw him, our relationship was always the same — we just seemed to connect. Over the years we did a lot of things together and sometimes we just did nothing together, but I always felt better having been with him.

It turns out that all the best things in life are not things at all…they’re friends. And when someone like Al comes along, you’re never quite the same… because you’ve met the ultimate good friend.
My Indian heritage believes that there is no death, only a change of worlds… I’m sure that world is better because of Al….
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We attended a party to celebrate Independence Day and saw a lot of friends that we hadn’t seen in a while. Friends are a pretty important part of our lives. Some friends you see almost every day, some maybe once a year — or less. Friends come and go in our lives… so I got to wondering, what makes a good friend? Most of us have a number, or a lot, of friends. But is there a distinction between a friend and a good friend? I think there is — I know a lot of people that I consider friends and some that I consider good friends. I think it’s accurate to say that Claire has more good friends than I do. So, again, what moves a friend into the “good” category? I guess you could say a good friend is someone that you can trust and who won’t judge you, or someone whose company you enjoy, or someone that sticks around when things get tough, or someone that just makes you smile.

Those all seem like good attributes to look for in a friend…. the dictionary definition of a good friend is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. I suppose that’s true enough. Aristotle once describe a true friend as a single soul dwelling in two bodies. That sounds good too, but what differentiates a true, lasting friendship from other relationships? Most of us have at least one friend that is someone that knows us better than others and that we can count on when the need arises.

Recently I’ve started paying a little more attention to the news than in the past. I tend to read more articles and look for information that supports, or doesn’t support, the subject in question. Of course, a lot of the news is political…. even more so than in the past, and much of it is oriented towards personalities and personal attacks rather than real issues. This brings to mind something I once heard — when the character of a man is not clear to you, look at this friends. I’m not trying to make anything of this, it’s just difficult to keep it from popping into my head when I read/listen to all the Washington name calling and jockeying….

Of course, all this rambling hasn’t answered the question of what makes a good friend…. maybe there is no answer, or the answer is different for every single person. Good friends expect and endure the good, the bad and the ugly. Family can be, and often are, friends and sometimes friends are more “family” than our own families. The “gift that keeps on giving” is a well known marketing catch-phrase… maybe that’s what good friends are.
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Well, here it is the 4th of July again — when, in my mind, summer seems to begin winding down. The days are getting shorter, the trees are starting to lose some leaves, and all the back-to-school sales are in full swing.
But every year (or at least some years) about this time I try to write something about the 4th. Often I try to concentrate on things that aren’t universally known about the holiday. I’ve probably mentioned some of these before, but I’m old and my memory ain’t what it used to be, so bear with me… but keep in mind that while I believe these things to be true, they could very well have been created by the “fake news” of the time.

I think it’s interesting that one President (Calvin Coolidge) was born on July 4, but three Presidents (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe) died on July 4. In fact, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day — July 4, 1826. That just happened to be the 50th birthday of the United States of America. I suppose if you’re into “signs” you could make something of that….

On July 4, 1778, George Washington ordered a double ration of rum for this soldiers to celebrate the holiday — I’m not sure how this figures into American history, but it was a nice gesture.

We lived in the Philippines and there was always a big celebration on the 4th… not only because it was America’s Independence Day, but also because the Philippines gained their own independence from the US on July 4, 1946 with the signing of the Treaty of Manila.

I’ve been in a number of countries on the 4th of July and many of them celebrate the holiday — probably because a lot of their citizens moved to the US — and — to attract American tourists.

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but only two people (John Hancock and Charles Thomson) actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4 — most of the others signed on August 2nd.

The day that Congress actually voted for independence was July 2, not July 4.

Even though July 4 has been celebrated for a long time, it wasn’t officially declared a federal holiday until 1870… almost 100 years after the nation was founded.

Ok, enough… your head probably hurts from all the fascinating information you’ve absorbed. Go have a hot dog and a beer — Happy 4th!!
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Almost every year, I start the year off by making New Years Resolutions… this year was no different — I again made some very challenging resolutions. Usually at the end of the year I report on how I did, but since we’re about half way through the year, I thought I’d take a look and give myself a mid-term grade.
So here’s were I stand….
These are my resolutions for 2017, simply stated. If you’re at all interested, the rationale for making each one can be found in the original blog… just look in the December 2016 archives.

•I resolve to not send a text to someone sitting in the same room… or even the same house.
Well, I had the best of intentions, but I haven’t lived up to my resolve — I’ve only done it a couple of times and it was to share a picture that I’d received… but I’m still trying

• I will take a selfie this year
I still have the best of intentions, but I haven’t been able to pull it off yet — but, there’s still a lot of time left, so I’m optimistic.

• I will not save my fortune cookie message in my wallet
So far I’ve accomplished this one bigly… maybe some of the reasons are that I no longer carry a wallet, only a credit card holder — and — I’m not sure we’ve been to a totally Chinese restaurant yet this year….

• I will not come up with any new cool social media acronyms
I’ve lived up to this one “big league” — haven’t come up with a single one

• I resolve to be accepting
Well… can we just say this one’s in work?

• I will not buy bright colored sneakers or tennis shoes or golf shoes
Home run! I have been 100% successful — only got a pair of white sneakers. They are kind of bright, but I’m working on getting them dirty.

• I resolve, every day, to (try) to be better than I was yesterday… and today
Well, luckily I added the parenthetical expression to this one… I have honestly tried — maybe I’ll try to quantify it by the end of the year.

I keep saying that a very low percentage of people that make resolutions actually keep them and every year I say something like, “why bother?” But every year I conclude that even if you’re jut a little bit serious about wanting to make a change, the “new year” can be used as a clean slate to do just that….
Obviously most of my resolutions aren’t world changing, but I usually try to list a couple that I really would like to live up to. This is the first time I’ve stopped to take a mid-term review, so maybe I can improve on some things. Stay tuned for the “final” in December/January….
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Well, America’s Birthday must be getting close. It’s easy to tell at our house — several days before and several days after the 4th, we are treated to the sight of a Porta Potty when we step out our front door. There is always a big 4th of July party and of course a porta potty has to be placed prominently out front so all of us can enjoy the view… adds a bit of class to the neighborhood.

So since this is a July 4th tradition, I thought it’d be appropriate to focus on the porta potty rather than fireworks, patriotism, freedom, picnics or things like that.
You’d think there would be a ton of information available on a subject like this, but amazingly the facts are pretty muddled. It appears that the porta potty, or at least the concept of the porta potty started on the docks… workers had to make quite a trek to use the “facilities” and these trips impacted the work schedules. Some sort of a “portable” arrangement, usually made of wood was implemented. Eventually the concept was expanded and when fiber glass came along, the contraption became “truly portable.” None of this was patented until 1962 when a patent was issued to George Harding.

While we’re on the subject of toilets, I’ve always heard that Thomas Crapper invented the (flush) toilet. That’s not true, but it makes for a good story. Crapper did hold several patents related to plumbing products, but the one he’s most famous for wasn’t invented by him. The “Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer” was issued British Patent 4990 in 1898 to — not Thomas Crapper — but a Mr. Albert Giblin.

So as the 4th approaches, think of us, or envy us, having a front row seat for that great American symbol — the Porta Potty.
Have a safe and fun 4th!!
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Well, a milestone has come and gone… we had a busy week and I didn’t get around to talking about it here. The milestone was June 25th. On that day every year, it’s exactly six months to Christmas. But more importantly, it’s two of my kids birthdays… that’s right, I said two. You’re probably thinking what a coincidence — two kids born on the same day, and, they’re not twins. Well, it turns out that the two kids are married to each other. Dave and Chassie share the same birthday.

If you’re into astrology, you might make something of this… although I find astrology interesting, I’m not “in to it.” I did read a bit about it, and people born on the same day, same year and same time are termed “time twins.” This doesn’t apply to Dave and Chassie because they weren’t born in the same year. But I got to wondering if there was a word or phrase that described people with the same birthday. As far as I can tell, there is no proper word for the situation. Usually, people with the same birth date are referred to as “birthday twins.” But I did uncover some information that indicated the term “Irish twins” is an accepted description when two people are born on the same day and month but one year apart! That fits Dave and Chassie perfectly.

As I said, it’s been a busy time around our house and theirs… in fact, since their last birthday, their house has changed — literally — they just moved into a new house.
So belated happy birthday to the Irish Twins and for the rest of us, welcome to the countdown to Christmas….
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Today is Father’s Day… a day that doesn’t get quite the publicity and fanfare as Mother’s Day, but an important day nonetheless.
Dad is often the guy around the house that you ask when mom says no. But of course he’s much more than that… if he doesn’t have your hand, he’s always got your back.
I’ve heard it said that any guy can be a father, but it takes a lot to be a Dad — happy Father’s Day to the two best Dads I know – Dave and Chris.
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I watched a special on the ABC Network last evening about Watergate. I can’t say I heard or saw anything that I hadn’t before, but it brought back memories of what a sorry state the country seemed to be in back then.

I’m not sure why, but I perked up when I heard the term “witch hunt” several times. I had forgotten that Nixon had used the term. This morning I thought about it some more and decided the term jumped out at me because President Trump has used it often in the past few weeks/months. Both Trump and Nixon are and were of the opinion that they are/were treated unfairly.

Of course Trump and Nixon are not the the only politicians to believe they are/were victims of unjust allegations. Hillary Clinton referred to the Whitewater investigations as part of a “vast right-wing-conspiracy.”
I’m not judging anyone — I just don’t remember any other President (or politician) using the term “witch hunt.” I even googled it… and couldn’t find any more.

The point? There is no point — it’s just one of those things that I found interesting and it was a chance to practice my “extensive research” procedures. The only thing my research turned up was that political witch hunts in the U. S. date back to the very earliest days of the republic.
We should all remember the 1692 Salem witch trials, that focused on allegations of witchcraft and ended with the executions of 20 men and women — now that’s a witch hunt!
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Today is my best friend’s birthday… If a genie came along to grant me one wish, I’d have to tell him to move along to the next person. I’ve already got what I want in life — Claire. She’s my true “all-in-one” package — wife, best friend, soul-mate and my partner in crime.

It’s interesting that I always strive to come up with the right words to express how I feel about her… there’s always sweetheart, dear, darling, honey, etc. But sometimes I use words that don’t have much, or any, meaning to anyone except us. Just about any word that’s a special part of our language with each other can be special to both of us. Of course the three most powerful words are still, “I love you.”

But sometimes, when trying to express my feelings for Claire, the English language just comes up short. I spent some time in China and they have a phrase — Zhi Zi Zhi Shou, Yu Zi Xie Lao — that means “to hold hands and grow old together.” I like that… of course, in the end, “I love you” always wins out.
Happy Birthday my love and thank you for being you.
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As is the case lately, the headlines seem to be mostly about the President. I suspect he likes the publicity — maybe not some of the current publicity, but apparently it’s still publicity to him.

Anyhow, as I think back over the week, the President seems to have a (fairly small) list of favorite words… I didn’t count, but he used zero, terrific, tremendous, huge, bad, amazing, tough, “they,” loser, and stupid a lot. Almost every time I listened to him he used one or more of those words.
I remember during the campaign him saying that he went to an Ivy League school and he was highly educated. I’m pretty sure he said, “I know words. I have the best words.” So who am I to argue that?
Anyhow, where I started with this is that he uses some words and phrases that are just funny to me. I always get a smile when he says “big league” or “bigly.”

And that got me to thinking…  some words are just funny and make us laugh, even though sometimes we don’t know why. Bamboozled, cantankerous, cattywampus, waddle, squeegee and mugwump are funny to me. My dad used to tell me to use my noggin… I always thought that was funny. I think platypus is a funny name for an animal, but if you’re talking about more than one, the plural of platypus is platapie.
I was talking about the President earlier and a funny word that applies often to some of his statements is discombobulate — that means to confuse someone. And as you’ve probably figured out by now, I really had no point to make or really anything to say when I sat down to write this… so it might fall into the harum-scarum category.

I’ve found that looking for humor in words helps me cope with a lot of what I read and hear on the news. Of course I can’t find any humor in a lot of the words that make up the news. When I was little, I was told that “words can never hurt you.” I sure hope that turns our to be true….
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