The Neil Blog: Thanks

Life and living.  What to be thankful for.   It is a long list.    Another year:  More success.   Things are good.  

A two-day headache. Dealing with the bank. After 24 years. they made me change my password. Fine. Did it and that threw me out of whack. A client pays me through this feature I’ve never used before. My bank won’t log on to it. Two trips to the bank, they are no help. I had to do it on my home computer. And even with that, it wasn’t easy. I finally got it done and basically, not letting anyone pay that way ever again.

Headache #2:  Every month, my password won’t log me in to my Schwab account.  I have to call.   They reset everything.   I’m tired of it.   

The football pool.   Got screwed.   If two teams didn’t implode, I’d have won the tiebreaker.    Other teams don’t lose, I’d have won outright. 

The new “word of the year”, covidiot. 

Fishing continues to be excellent.  I took Sean out, a guy from Boston, here because his in laws are in Tampa.  We had to fight wind to get to the spot.   I told him it would be worth it.   He said “Definitely worth it.”   He caught fish every cast for hours.   Just easy action these days.  If    He caught fish every cast for hours.   Just easy action these days.  If you know where to go.

Sold the riding mower.   Jim, the neighbor wanted it.  

I’ll get my reward in heaven.  An umpire, down on his luck, driving here from Arizona, staying with me, getting him a job until he’s back on his feet.   The umpire network knows about this one.   I hope it is just what he needs.

Terrific Trout, not attended how I thought it would be.  Virus scare still the problem?   I’m not sure.   The guys that did show up for it had fun.    Donald won.    Mike second place.  Brian in third.   Post hurricane, things hadn’t completely settled and it was more of a challenge but that’s what makes contests.

Making coffee, one of the best parts of the day.

Thanksgiving will be at my house this year.   A small group of the locals coming over.   The turkey is bought.   The rest of the fixings will be bought the day before.   Pretty big spread being put together for the guys.  

Guacamole on a waffle?

The Neil Blog, taking more hits than other articles.   People seem to like it.  It’s the day to day.  It’s “whatever comes to mind.”

My Times article for next week, complete. Overall, not much to do today. I booked my four-person trip for the 28th. I got a few things done around here. But ultimately, I can’t seem to find that much to do. What’s on TV isn’t impressive. It is almost late enough to go to the bar. I made them new drink tokens this morning. Buster Brown’s, I will be on my way.

TV: Still unimpressed with the general programming.   One time last week, a bunch of good stuff but all on at the same time.   Why is that?  The Seinfeld chick:  She should have quit with that one.   

Watching traffic go by.   People by themselves wearing a mask.?.   People driving with their phone up to their face using it.?? 

I’m unimpressed with a lot of human choices.   “Not the way I would do it” is the classification I would give it.   Things that annoy me, more than the average person.  Being late:  Top of the list.   I’d say the older I get the more tolerant I am.  

I see it daily.   People who are talking about their problems and it is obvious that the problems came from their choice. 

Ed stopped by. He’s in his late 70’s. While we were sitting there his phone made a noise. He had an incoming text message. His childhood buddy died. I watched this guy fall apart. He was in tears. I just kind of sat there and took it in. I offered to drive him home but he said he was OK.

2020 has been a year of death.  I even dreamt about death. My own.   The human mind is fascinating.   I drowned.   I just went to someone who could no longer act on my environment.   It was pretty realistic that way.   Then, I woke up and of course, I wasn’t dead.  I wasn’t upset.    It was overall just kind of interesting.    A hopelessness but really, overall, a peace. 

In the future, I’d like to get the machine to make my own beef jerky.    I’d like a new set of pans.   Otherwise, things can stay the same here for a long time.     My current pans will go outside for the grill.    Stuff like a compressor, ice maker are on the agenda.    Before all of that:  A roof for the deck.   The last of the cement going down after the next charters are over.   Prep work for that in the meantime.  Part of it will be shell.   The far side, cement for the kayak trailer.    Eventually that whole part of the front yard will be cement. 

I’m in this zero spend mode, trying to get up to a level I haven’t been since I bought the house.  Good charters coming up, the bank balance will be looking very good.

Nothing makes you dumber than saying Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.  It’s that simple.   You don’t understand the game, you don’t understand gamblers:  You shouldn’t be commenting on it.   As always, “if you want an answer, ask an umpire.” 

I have never killed anyone.   I have not even seriously considered violence like that against another human being.   There are people who have wished it on me.   I’m rearmed.   If you want to try it, I wish you luck.   If I see it coming, it will be the last thing you do.   

I have never been to a psychologist.    I have never needed one.   The one I know in New York, I talked to him back in 1998 when I had a whole bunch going on.     Asking him if I needed to talk to someone about it, he said “You don’t need counseling, you need new friends.”   So, I got new friends. 

I have reached another Facebook exit point.   I have discontinued participation, except for posting fishing articles on fishing pages.   Even that will eventually diappear.    Facebook sold me out years ago.   I resented it.   I wouldn’t have come back if you for the request from a dying friend.    Cancer took him.   I don’t like things I’ve seen.     MeWe is the new site.   They need some serious improvements.   In a week, I have connected to less than 40 people.   That’s not very efficient.    The other place they call Parler:  I have zero connections.  Whatever.

The dreams have been good.   I told you about drowning.   Back in high school playing golf.   Back in baseball, umpiring.  On the soccer team.    A variety.    The good times.  Going back to umpire school to start over is one of them.    A recurring dream, it is interesting how far those ones go.   They usually take me all the way.   My marketing job.   Those people are worked in often.    I make the money for the company and they don’t pay me.  Happens in the dreams.   Happened in real life.   Kind of depressing.

On tournament day, sold a rod and reel to Chris.   A message from him:  He caught a redfish on it on his first cast.

Success:  My clients are getting it done when they go on their own.   That’s excellent.  Donald won the event.   Brian came in third.    Good results by the people I trained.   And that is just in my event.  Brian and Katrina won over $1000 in another one.  

Day to day:  Progress.   When to lay more shell.  When to put down the last of the concrete.  It is all stuff that will be done soon. 

The bills are paid.   Life is good.   There is one outstanding debt I’m going to work on.  In 15 years, only one completely bad person with paying.   He “forgot his wallet” twice and didn’t pay for the fishing trips.   He cut off contact.   I saved enough of his information I should be able to track him down.   If he works where I think he does, I’ll play hard ball if I have to. 

There’s another one lingering.  I don’t think it is the same and will be resolved.   The Montana gals, their check is on the way.    One derelict:   Six years and two unpaid charters.   I’m going to play hardball there.    It’s annoying.   A guy that cried poor who then cut off contact.    I’ll track him down.   He can pay or I’ll put legal action into motion. 

It’s getting cold up north.   Will the people travel?   The virus scare is still a real obstacle.   I should get visitors and there should be out of state visitors that want to go fishing.   It should start happening soon. 

A cookout for football on Sunday.   We will have the grill going and I’m getting burgers, wings and I still have the brats left over from the tournament.    A good group showing up, probably going to make it a regular thing. 

The things that are secrets go on.   The world is an interesting place.   My own life:  Interesting as well.   Book five is still way on the horizon. 

The vines are maturing.   Looking forward to having them as thick in the front as they are in the back yard.    Those original ones are huge.   But the ones out front are really coming along.    Covering the chain link, the birds are happier the more the vines block the street. 

The deck and the yard, set for entertaining.   Arizona alumni club is the next one.  December 11^th for football against Arizona State.    Umpires, have to set a date for that one.   Umpires from all over the country, coming here.     A roof for the deck also in the plans. 

The good things in life.   The bad things in life.   I have my share of both.   Everyone does.   It’s all in how you handle it.   Do you let it run your life or are you in charge?    Too many people make choices I wouldn’t make.    Suck it up.   Gut it out.   Make life the best it can be and enjoy what you do have. 

Killing the weeds.   They just keep coming back.   Will I one day have a weed free lawn?   I’d say I’m getting closer.

Making lists:   I probably couldn’t survive without my lists.    I get it done because of my lists.   Five years ago, didn’t need it.   Now, it helps.

The Captain Mel Classic; Just about to set a date for it.   No question, the virus thing might still be a problem next year so I’m thinking May instead of April.    The format has changed slightly.   No more combined inches.   Longest redfish.   Longest trout.    The divisions stay the same.   I gathered some flies for the fly fishing guys.   I have good supplies for the raffle.   The format the same:  It is a Mirrolure, 12 Fathom event.   12 Fathom has new ownership but their relationship with me remains the same. 

Terrific Trout will be regular.   The guys liked it.   Participation should go up.   Everyone can catch a trout.    That one, just the cash.   No raffle:  Just one division for all.    If it grows, a Ladies division would be added.     If the right guys join in, a Fly division will be added.

Getting through this last slow period, the schedule gets good and, in my experiences, it should stay good.   Will the out of state people want to escape the cold??   The virus thing came back.   It canceled another four trips.   Will it ease up again??  People feeling comfortable to travel again, business will go up in a hurry.  

Pompano teasers.  Sales nonexistent.    Evidence other people just don’t fish the way I do.    One rod left for sale.    21,000 pompano teasers to get rid of.   I have “ready rigs” with the teaser loop knotted to a pompano jig.   $2.   Teasers are $1 each.  Seventy-five cents each if you get 100.     People go in together to get to 100.    I’d just like to see supplies go down.    I have more hooks so supplies continue to rise.   With off time, more teasers are tied.    I would say, I can retire from teaser tying.  I have worked in flies.   My flies have caught fish for the people who have them.    I do heavy in gold.    A weighted head.    Tied durable, like the teasers.  

At the bar, the guy I met a few days earlier asks if I’m married.    I replied “No, and if I live long enough, I intend to set the record for the guy who went the longest without being married.”

The Titanic was “practically unsinkable”, what else will we find out is not necessarily true in this world?

Capmel.com, the ads are still screwed up.  Google, still no help at all.    One day the ads show, the next:  Nothing.    It says it’s paying but the money is not added to my account.    It is disappointing and I get no help from anyone there.   The site is a monster.    Four new items posted daily.    The total amount on there is staggering.

Started watching golf again about a year ago.  Spieth sure disappeared.   Johnson is kind of running the show now.   Tiger shot a ten on a par 3 which amuses me for a number of reasons.   I root for most of them but I root against just one of them.   Same guy I have been against for 24 years now.   That number will grow.   Jim Furyk, reaching the end.    Annika Sorenstam quit a while back.   They were both in my class at Arizona.   I do watch them play.   I think their talent is unparalleled.   My nephew John had a nice swing.   I’m curious if he stuck with it at all.   He was a kid and I’d take him to the driving range.   He could stroke it.  

Hockey, when does that restart again?  How will they do this year?   After winning a Stanley Cup, are they a contender again??

Football I only follow for my pool.   The Buccaneers:  Who cares?   Any of the teams really:  Who cares?  

Basketball.   No, aside from University of Arizona.    Looks like basketball will be what we will have to gather for.   They got smoked in football yesterday.   I followed the Suns when I was a kid.   I have gone away from the NBA;.   

Other sports:   Nothing comes to mind.   I just don’t really care.

The weather should be good moving forward.   The wind is supposed to lay down before my next trips.   It’s been blowing for a month.    Calm days should be regular for the next four months.   November 22^nd, first day it hasn’t been howling in a month.

After a day of light wind, it’s blowing again.  Let’s hope it lays down in four days so that trips are nice and comfortable. 

Awaiting John’s arrival to town.   Get him on his feet and up and running.   Then, put him to work around here.   I did some preparation work today for areas of development in the front yard.    Progress is coming.

The next Neil Blog, it may be a little longer.    I plan on staying off the computer a little more in the weeks to come.   Get out and live life away from the internet.