I was with my friend and her daughter tonight. The daughter teaches young kids, five and six years old, and she spent the entire ride home, about an hour, complaining about the job.

I asked her if she is going to stick with it. She said yes. I told her, "Good. Your complaining shows me how much you care."

Sometimes you need to listen to what people are really saying.

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what I'm up to these days is trying, not very hard, to not get fat.

My dad who weighed about 130 pounds most of his life got up to 175 as he got older. He said it indicated a life well spent.

Just watch the cholesterol and blood pressure, Dom.

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Oh, fer sure (shoves a moon pie in my face)

We need a cheese war. If you’re going to fight it out why not about cheese? It’s what the silly French would do!

Many French cheeses are certainly more mature than most twoplustwo posters, and often more sharp.

<golf clap>

A Happy Marine is a bitching Marine.

I aspire to one day put as much effort into my posts as Zeno.

I probably have written about this too much, but, ya know, it's nice to have good friends and family.

On Friday, one friend invited me to see her nephew's band with a few of her family members. On Sunday I saw my two best friends in the morning and then went out for dinner to celebrate another friend's birthday (only downside is listening to girls talk), and tomorrow I'm going to Chicago to see another old friend. My daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter drive down to see me almost ever week. My former administrative assistants came down to see me and go out for lunch a couple weeks ago. I've been out sailing a couple times with another old friend. (Oh, and going to Ireland next month.)

So despite not being able to drive all summer, the friends are keeping me busy, driving me around and helping out in any way possible. I've probably been doing more this summer than most in the past.

I'm glad I'm not a cranky old bastard. My advice to you: Don't be a cranky old bastard.


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This is the Great Elephant Migration on display in Newport, RI. They are selling the baby elephants for 12, 000 and the big ones for 20, 000. Apparently, 70 have already been sold to people from or visiting Newport I guess they get them when the tour is over.

https://youtu.be/PFPGDhK3MS0?si=SS0Ey5xIAH8Xtk3d

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+1. It's pointless, and nobody really cares. Plus, there is no correlation between being a cranky old bastard, and being someone who has anything to be cranky about.

Whenever I come across a cranky old bastard, I picture them as a princess who slept with a pea under her matress, and that helps me keep it in perspective.

Nice one, Bryce!

Also, I've been on the road for a while, and not in touch much. I also occasionally lurk P&S, but I don't feel I'm informed enough on the issues to actually post; just a reader.

Anything interesting happen that will surprise me when I get there?

In Chicago until Saturday. Tomorrow taking in the Art Institute and then to the library to meet my niece. Finally, dinner somewhere.

Played golf this morning, lunch with a few of the golf guys, and then hit a nice music venue just across the street from Oak Park.

Friday looks like the architecture tour, one that also takes you inside some of the buildings, and try to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright Unity Temple in Oak Park.

I like Chicago.

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that's cool, John

Does that include the Chicago Cubs, Mr. Cole?

John sent me a photo of him enjoying Chicago and said I could share it:

he sent me another one:



I think that's Ray Zee next to him, but I'm not sure

I didn’t know John could sing!

Ray Zee wears sunglasses?

It's true then. He's on a mission from God

Alas, no Cubs game. Art Institute of Chicago is amazing. Crowds of people trying to get a look at Van Gogh's self portrait and a couple of his other works, and almost no one looking at one of Hockney's great paintings. One weird thing: they had nice descriptions of almost everything, but no description at all of five Cindy Sherman's self portraits. They would be hard for anyone to understand knowing nothing about Cindy Sherman.

My niece gave me a nice tour of the Chicago Public Library. It's a great library.

And went to dinner and then caught a Pretenders tribute band that was surprisingly good.


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John, you picked a good time to come to Chicago in the summer. Just keep your head on a swivel with lots of situational awareness On nice summer days the shootings usually spike. Weather has been pretty much perfect today (and yesterday). 80ish sunshine and low humidity.I spent a couple hours lounging on the deck this afternoon while reading and listening to music. Was great out there!

Tonight is gonna be be beer and pizza night! Haven't had pizza in quite a while and have really been jonesing for it.

My friend has lived in Chicago (Oak Park) for around forty years so no problem with staying away from troublesome areas. Today, we did a tour of some of the famous buildings (the Macy's is pretty spectacular) and went to Cindy's for a drink.

View from Cindy's and Tiffany ceiling in one area of Macy's.

awesome John.