The Pussification Of America

This writer knew that something was going on in America, even as a kid.  It wasn't immediately clear what it was (with this writer being a kid and all).  The one thing this writer knew at the time is that what was happening wasn't right.  There was an undeniable feeling in the pit of the writer's stomach (as a kid, mind you) that America was going to pay a serious price for...whatever this was.

As a teenager, this writer realized what was happening.  Men in America were being devalued.  This writer watched the men and the nation itself were being pussified.

This insidious plot to rid America of masculinity started roughly 40-50 years ago, with the rise of the Feminist movement.  Don't get this writer wrong.  The feminism of that day didn't destroy the modern American male, but what it wound up morphing into; Feminazi-ism and it's followers, the feminazis.

What do feminazis do exactly?  Their goal is to pussify the modern male by telling them that everything masculine is wrong.  They come up with bullshit terms like "toxic male energy" and garbage like that.

But how do they do this?  After all, no grown man is stupid enough to believe he's wrong simply because he was born a man.  The answer is simple.  Bombard the children with this message.  As mentioned before, a grown man isn't that stupid, but a child might be.

The media is also an active part of this.  They use TV to brainwash children into believing this tripe.  This is often done using shows that portray fathers as incompetent and stupid, while mothers (and women in general) are portrayed as having all the answers and never making mistakes.  People who have lived life know it's bullshit, but children (who have barely lived at all) don't.  This makes it easy to poison an entire generation of boys into thinking into thinking what they think and feel doesn't matter.  What do you think this does to the mental development of a young boy?

Heck, it's gotten so bad that women are trying to make men for ashamed for wanting or having sex.  Did you know that as a man you can be arrested if you have sex with a woman and she regrets it later.  Don't believe it?  Just ask Bill Cosby.  Bullshit like this is meant to scare grown men out of wanting the most basic desire and instill pussification into the minds of the young boys who see it.

It doesn't get any lower than this next story, though.  This writer was watching a news show one day where this woman gets on air and says one of the most stupidest things a human being has ever said.  She said that all men are potential rapists.  The fact someone can get on TV and say utterly retarded crap like that with a straight face shows you just how much the American male has been devalued and is a precursor to how much lower he can fall.

Well, this writer is going to just leave it there for now or this post could get pretty long.  Anyway, hear this (or read this well), America.  We as Americans have to fight back against this pussification of the nation or America will pay.  Men, the builders and protector of society, will do their darndest to no longer be men.  What happens when a society has no one to build it up or protect it?  You can be sure it's nothing good.  It's not funny or cute.  It IS bull stuff.

Until next time...

Working With Retards

We've all seen it.  There's that one person (or several people) that don't seem quite right.  If it looks like a retard and it sounds like a retard, it's a retard.  While retards aren't necessarily bad people (at least not on purpose), but they can make for co-workers who aren't safe or competent.

During this writer's years as a supermarket janitor, he ran into a number of them.  Some of the dumbest people on Earth work at supermarkets (or at least the one this writer worked at).  This was especially true of the people who brought the carts inside from the cart corrals.  Oh, the stories...

There is one experience this writer had while janiteering.  As a supermarket janitor, one of this writer's duties was to clear debris from the carts.  So, as this writer was doing that, a co-worker comes in with a bunch of carts and almost mows this writer down.  He saw this writer there and proceeded to do the dumb act anyway.  When this writer angrily asked why the guy did it, he answered, "hur hur."  If only that was a joke.  Anyway, it was it this time this writer realized the guy was genuinely retarded and didn't know any better.

In another instance, this writer witnessed a co-worker almost run down a customer with a cart.  It was a different guy, but the same dumb crap.  This writer wondered, "who is hiring these idiots?"

Then there's the co-workers who are just incompetent.  The writer once saw a worker "cleaning" the bottle return room.  All he did was sweep one tiny spot and proceeded to not mop the floor after getting a mop bucket ready.  Even worse, he made the decision to take the bucket to the slop pit and pour the unused cleaner down the drain.  WTF?

These are only a few cases of retardation this writer witnessed at work.  Sometimes it can't be helped, especially if the person is legitimately retarded.  But if the person is just a moron or incompetent, it's inexcusable.  In either case, it can make for an irritating or potentially dangerous workplace if these people aren't CLOSELY supervised or not made to pay for their mistakes, at least.

Until next time...

Bike Safety

Well, it's summertime and you know what that means.  It's bike riding time.  Could anything be more rewarding than trading in your bus pass for biking shorts?  Probably.  Anyway, moving on.

As good as riding a bike can be, it's not without risks, especially these days.  Between idiots driving cars and hazards (both natural and unnatural), it's all too easy to wind up in a situation that's bad for you and/or your bike.

1.  Ride Like No One Gives A Darned

Because they don't.  The road is a lot less friendly toward bikers, with people texting and driving, people rushing to get home to watch Love & Hip Hop, or people driving like they're auditioning to be Hollywood stuntmen.  As a biker, you have to assume that the person behind the wheel is sadistic, uncaring, drunk, or just plain stupid if you want to survive.  Put another way, ride on the sidewalk where it's legal, especially if you aren't in a rush or traveling on the major roads in your city.

2.  The Two-Ton Death Machine Always Has The Right Of Way

Do you know how many times this writer has been hit when the traffic light or stop sign was in his favor?  Twice, with countless close calls.  Do you know how many times this writer has been hit waiting for the car to pass before going?  None.  It doesn't matter what color the light is, the car/truck/bus/UFO always has the right of way.

3.  Always Be Armed

A good lock can get you trough those rough patches of your commute.

Carrying a weapon can be risky, especially if you aren't licensed.  However, you do have a weapon that police can't confiscate.  Your bike lock.  A chain lock is thick and can inflict some nice damage.  A cable lock can be used to choke out someone who's getting too aggressive.

The one this writer prefers is a nice, hearty u-lock.  It's five pounds of solid-steel pain waiting to be unleashed that works well on both rowdy humans and animals alike.  You can also use u-lock to immobilize a foe if you're feeling nonviolent.  Simply put it around his or her neck and lock them to the nearest stop sign.  This will give you the time you need to escape a rowdy individual.

Of course you can also get your CCW, which help if you live or travel through a particularly wild area.

4.  Watch Those Hazards

It doesn't matter how tough your tires are, avoid it.

This is a one-way trip to Flat Tire City.

Talk about crumbling infrastructure.

Potholes, downed tree limbs, and other things can quickly mess up your commute.  This is especially true at night, when most obstacles are hard to see and potholes are impossible to see.  At best, you'll suffer a flat tire.  At worst, you'll be like Buzz Lightyear, flying to infinity and beyond over your handlebars.

And there go some bike safety tips for you.  It's a dangerous world for bikers.  To stay safe, you stay calm, be alert and observant, and be prepared.  You also have to act like you give a crap, because nine times out of ten, the people you're sharing to the road with don't.

Until next time...

Seven "Friends" You Should Shed

Good friends are hard to find.  Everybody knows that.  And because they're so hard, you don't get many of them.  Most people can go their whole life and never find one.

Bad friends, on the other hand, are easy to find.  Heck, you'll probably make more bad friends than bitter enemies.  Here are seven friends to shed if they are in your flock or avoid if they're not.

1. The Time Leech

This will be brief, as a previous post already goes into detail about "friends" like this.  Basically, a time leech is someone who thinks you should hang out with them, no matter what you may have going on in your life.  You have to put them first and you have to hang out with them whenever THEY are ready.  And they always make you do stupid stuff, just for the sake of wasting your time.  Make sure YOU control the time when you see them and you'll be fine.

2. The Butthole

The thing about the butthole is the fact that he's a butthole.  It's that you are associated with him.  You may not co-sign everything he does, but you may end up taking the fall for something he does.  The only thing worse than a bitter enemy is a friend who will get you caught up in some bullshit.  Avoid them unless you're extremely desperate (near suicidal, really) for friends.

3. The I-Think-I-Know-It-All

This "friend" wants you to hear how informed or intelligent they are.  The thing is, they often talk about things you don't care about, so they come off as annoying instead.  This is often coupled with them telling you how little you know about anything, in an attempt to make you feel stupid or make themselves feel smart.  You don't need that in your life.

4. The "You Need Me" Guy

A variation of the Time Leech, these "friends" will force their presence on you.  Their logic is that without them, you enjoy their company so much, that you would be lonely without them.  That, as you may have surmised, in BS.  This is obviously a lie they craft for themselves to feel good about being downright invasive at times.

5. The Person Who Won't Shut Up

These are those "friends" who don't seem to need to breath in between statements.  They just talk and talk and talk, not stopping to breathing or giving you a chance to respond to anything they say.  If you don't force your two cents in, they will NEVER stop talking.  It's even worse when you're trying to be alone or enjoy some peace and quiet.  So annoying.

6. The Projector

These "friends" are always looking to put THEIR flaws and problems on someone else in an attempt to feel good about themselves.  These individuals often have sad, pathetic lives and it's always somebody else's fault.  They can't get a girlfriend, it's the woman's fault.  They can't get a job, it's the employer's fault.  They can't get a candy bar, it's the store's fault.  Naturally, they will try to put some of these things off on you as well, which is meant to stress you and make them feel better about themselves.  The Either avoid them or take them to a good therapist.

7.   The Downtalker

These "friends" are losers who aren't living the life they want or think they deserve and need someone to feel like they are better than.  That's where you come in.  These people will try to talk you out of getting ahead in life with the hope that you're dumb enough to listen.  These people NEED you to feel bad about wanting to grow, trying to bring you down if you feel good and discourage your advancement.  This is coupled by them trying to brag about their own achievements.  Put another way, their greatest achievement is making sure you don't achieve anything.  This is dangerous for fairly obvious reasons.  Ditch 'em.

And those are the seven types of people you should to trim out of your circle.  You want friends that you actually want to see you do better, perhaps even helping you get to where you want or need to go.  You don't need human obstacles who only live impede your progress and/or stress you out.  As this writer has said before, you only get so much time in this world.  Do you really want to waste it on people you don't like?

Until next time...

When The Conversation Turns...

There are few things more rewarding than sitting down and having a nice, long conversation with a friend.  You'll start with the intention of talking for ten minutes and the next thing you know, three hours have passed.  It's the ultimate display of comradery and TRUE friendship.  Sometimes, though, conversations can take (for lack of a better word) weird turns.

For instance, this writer has a friend he talks to about almost everything.  No matter what we talk about each meeting, we always wind up talking about three things: politics, players (like basketball or soccer), and penises.  Yep.  You read right.  Naturally, as a straight man, this writer doesn't want to talk about penises.  Yet for reasons beyond this writer's understanding, this friend (who claims he's also straight) never fails to find a way to eventually talk about another man penis.

WTF?  This writer doesn't know many straight men who enjoy talking about the male sex organ so much.  Heck, this writer doesn't know gay men that obsessed with it.  Kobe Bryant, President Trump, Blake Griffin, Roger Federer, etc.  There's not a man alive (or dead, disturbingly enough) who's "organ" he won't fantasize about.  Somehow, he acts surprised when this writer questions his "straightness".  Gee, could it be because you're the ONLY male who keeps talking about other men's penises?  And before you ask, he's not some penis doctor.

Heck, he even wonders about the appendage between this writer's legs.  For instance, this writer will say something like, "Those NFL cheerleaders sure are hot."  This friend won't ask this writer to describe the cheerleaders.  Instead, he'll ask, "Did your dick get hard?"  WTF?  What straight man wants to know about the status of another man's appendage when the conversation was about hot cheerleaders?  Yet he's claims to not be gay.  Yeah...

This friend will also say VERY weird stuff.  One day, we were in the park talking and we saw someone walking in the distance.  This friend then said, "If that was a woman and we were hood, we'd be raping her."  Why would an older (he's got fourteen years on this writer), "educated" man say something like that?  How does something like that come into the mind of someone who's not mentally ill?

And his fantasies are always some messed up crap like that.  It's never something constructive that will improve our lives and/or the lives of those around us.  It ALWAYS something fuckshit that will get us thrown in jail.  It makes this writer wonder why he even has a guy like that in his circle.

It's not all bad, though.  Most of the time, it's good conversions.  But other times (more often than this writer would like) it make this writer want to walk away and never talk to him again (or at least tell him to shut up).

Do you have any friends like that?  People you may be ashamed to be seen with in public because they just say weird, stupid, or borderline criminal at in opportune times?  You can survive.  Just tell them you don't want to talk about the subject or don't participate in the conversation.  Or just start walking away.  They'll learn...hopefully.

Until next time...

Time Leeches

You know them, you hate them, and chances are you hung with one at some point.  They want nothing more than to drain your time and stress you out if they can.  They are what this writer likes to call time leeches, though most people may know them by a different name; the needy friend.

Needy friends aren't necessarily bad people.  They can, however, be very annoying and in rare instances, even be dangerous.  They won't shut up, they won't go away, and if desperate enough, they may even attack you.  They'll try to shame you into spending time with them.  It doesn't matter what the weather or if you have plans that don't involve them.  You must stop what you're doing (or going to do) to satisfy their...needs, for lack of a better word.

This writer remembers a particularly needy friend he once had.  At first, we only meet once a week and had good conversations.  One could even call these interactions fun.

That's when his needy personality came out.  Once a week slowly became everyday, against this writer's will.  This writer would try ignoring him, going so far as to put on headphones and crank YouTube up to max volume to try to drown out the sound as his voice.  This writer would still give him full attention once a week and perhaps that was this writer's mistake.

Eventually, it got really bad.  This writer remembers one day, he couldn't even cross the street to get something to eat.  The guy would ask (in his most pathetic voice), "where are you going?"  Speaking from experience, when you're hungry, the last thing you want to do is stand there answering bullcrap questions.

Then, things reached a breaking point.  This writer had just gotten off work.  It was the night before our usual weekly meeting, but this writer decided to give him some time.  This writer spent two hours talking to the guy until our meeting place closed.  It was raining that night, so we found an overhang and waited out the storm for a half hour.  Once the storm ended we started walking, stopping at a spot near his house and talked even more.

Then, it started raining again.  This writer was kicking himself for not getting home before the storm picked up again, but the rain was still light.  He had every intention of getting home before it kicked into full gear.  That's when you-know-who said his piece.  "Come on, it's not raining that hard.  Why are you being selfish.  Just give me ten more minutes."

This writer, half-yelling, said, "It's raining and I've given you three hours on a day we don't normally meet.  And we're supposed to meet again tomorrow.  How much freaking time do you need?"  At this point, this writer rode off, dreading the thought of the next night.

In short, you should shed time leeches as soon as possible, but you don't necessarily have to.  You can successfully be friends with a time leech as long as YOU control the time.  Like a bartender serving drinks, know when to cut them off.  Once you've hit your limit, just start walking away, maybe with a goodbye.  Make no mistake, though.  It's best to rid yourself of them, as that's the way of the least stress.

Until next time...

Customer Service

We've all experienced customer service at some point in our lives.  Some of it good, some of it bad, all of it service.  At times it seems like these businesses hire the most retarded people they can find and put them in the positions they're least qualified for.

For example, we've all had a bad cashier.  But have you ever met a cashier who can't count.  How do you get a job as a cashier when you CAN'T COUNT?  That is just confounding.  What was the hiring manager thinking when they made that decision.  He probably said, "Oh, so you can't count?  You'll be a fine cashier."  WTF?

Then, of course, you have the cashier who talks down to you.  They might say something like, "The is expensive," like you can't afford the item.  At that point, this writer is does everything in his power to keep from saying, "I knew how much it was when I got it off the shelf.  Shut up and ring it up."

Sadly, a lot of bad customer service comes from those identified as Black.  They give you weird stares, like you're bothering them.  This writer remembers going into a McDonalds where there were a bunch of Blacks "working".  They all pretended this writer wasn't there.  Eventually, this writer did get service...from the one White person working there.  Yeah...

Things get pushed to the next level when Black women make a sad attempt to give you service.  And good lord almighty, if you see two or more Black women at the service counter, turn around and leave.  The only thing you'll get is shitty service and a headache.  One day this writer went to a Subway and two Black women were at the counter.  It went as well as you would expect.  All this writer can say is, "never again."

One thing supermarkets do right that other business don't do yet is give you an alternative; shelf check-outs.  You just ring up your order, pay, and go.  The machine knows how to count.  The machine won't at like a smart ass.  The machine won't be talking to co-workers on be on a cellphone while you're waiting.  It's all business.  Obviously, there are some things machines will never be able to do that only a human can do.  One thing machines can do is give you consistent service, especially as a cashier, which is a concept that escapes some humans.

It can be baffling how some businesses put people in positions they obviously can't handle.  In spite of you you've read, the answer is not to bring in more machines.  The problem can be solved simply by hiring people who actually give a crap.  Hiring people who don't go out of their way to be assholes.  If an asshole does slip through the crack (no pun intended) weed them out or at least put them in positions where they don't have to deal with customers.  In the words of pro-wrestler Triple H, "It's what's best for business."

Until next time...

Feminist Bullshit

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you that a woman can do no wrong
And that the man is always the bad guy.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you that victims of rape
Can never be male.

Feminist Bullshit
Will allow a woman to lie and say a man raped her
And he must accept it even if he can prove he didn't.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you the law never side with the woman
When in reality the law favors women.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you that a woman is the more loving parent
Even in a situation where the father is clearly more stable.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you that a woman can be independent
While expecting a man to still be chivalrous.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you all Black men
Are sexual predators looking to rape White women.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you it's not statutory rape
As long as the student is male and the teacher is female.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you a woman can walk around topless
And get mad at a man for looking at her breasts.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you if a man rejects a woman's advances
Then that man must be gay, not simply uninterested.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you a man is shallow
If he picks a pretty woman over an ugly one.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you a man can never fight back against a woman
Even if her attack could cost him his life.

Feminist Bullshit
Will tell you a woman's money is hers alone
But a man's money is his and hers.

Feminist Bullshit
Does not believe in gender equality
Because it shames men for being men.

And finally, Feminist Bullshit
Will continue spitting in the face of real Feminism
And continue being bullshit.

Detroit Pistons 2018

OMG.  What a shitty team.  Seriously, these dudes are garbage.  What happened?  Just what happened?

Things started off well enough.  They rushed out of the gates early, quickly establishing themselves as the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.  They had good chemistry.  In particular, Tobias Harris was shooting the lights out.  Heck, they even beat the defending champion Golden State Warriors on the road on a night when the Warriors big names had big games.  Everything was good.  They were the talk of the league.

Now then, those of us who are fans knew this momentum wouldn't last.  They wouldn't be able to stay ahead of teams like the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers forever.  That was just the reality of the situation.  However, none of us knew how bad it was going to get.

The team had a 14-6 record, then went on to lose seven straight.  Now sitting at 14-13, they managed to save the season (or so us fans thought) as they fought their way to a 22-18 record.  We all breathed a sigh of relief.  The Pistons could still make the playoffs.  Then, came an eight-game losing streak.  Whatever they were doing before, it was no longer working.  Andre Drummond (my personal fave) was playing his ass off (including a ludicrous 30 point, 24 rebound game against Utah Jazz in a loss), but it wasn't good enough.

Just when it seemed the season was lost (and all hope with it), GM/coach Stan Van Gundy made a ballsy move; he acquired Blake Griffin.  The toll wasn't light.  It cost them Tobias Harris (their leading scorer), Avery Bradley (their best perimeter defender), and Boban Marjanovic (a talent backup center).  While it did suck to see Tobias go, Blake was the star this team needed for future success.  At least, that's what us fans thought.

Much like the beginning of the season, things started off well.  Drummond had another ridiculous game (21 points, 22 rebounds) as the Pistons pulled off a shocking victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Then, Griffin arrived against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Pistons added another four victories, crawling back to a .500 record.  Hope was alive again.

Then, they remembered they were the Detroit Pistons and started to suck.  The suffered loss after embarrassing loss.  The most telling game of the season, however was an embarrassing win (you read right).  They almost blew a 30-point lead against a short-handed Atlanta Hawks (who are garbage when healthy), but held on to win.  Yes, they won, yet still somehow proved they suck.  They limped into the All-star break on that performance.

Don't let the "W" fool you.  While technically a win, this was a loss all the way.

After that, they just went out and got embarrassed on a nightly basis.  Can't beat the Atlanta Hawks.  Can't beat the Brooklyn Nets.  Can't be the Memphis Grizzlies.  Can't beat the Charlotte Hornets.  Can't beat the Orlando freaking Magic.  Just loss after head-scratching loss to the trashiest teams in the league.  At this point, you'd almost think they were a high school JV team.

Then, Reggie Jackson came back and they managed to string together some wins, but by then it was too late.  They put themselves in a position where they weren't going to make the playoff, even if they won the last ten games straight (they were 7-3 during that stretch by the way).  Some would argue that missing the playoffs was better than barely making it, then getting steamrolled by the Toronto Raptors or the Boston Celtics in the first round.  Personally, this writer isn't so sure about that.

The whole season wasn't trash, though.  They picked up some nice victories over some of the contenders.  This included a win early in the season over the Golden State Warriors (the defending champions, mind you) in their gym in a game where their big names (Curry, Thompson, Durant) had big games and having to come back from 14 points down to boot.  How the heck is that even possible?  They also score an improbable victory over the seemingly unstoppable Houston Rockets (dat James Harden, though). Going 7-3 in the final 10 games was nice, too.

The game that gave us hope early in the season and...

...the prove the Warriors didn't just lay down and take it.

In a nutshell, the season was a turd, but there is hope for the future.  What if Reggie Jackson hadn't gotten hurt?  What if they got Blake Griffin earlier in the season?  What if they hadn't lost to so many bad teams?  These are all questions that could be asked by fans, but it's pointless now.  Well, as we Piston fans have gotten used to saying, "There's always next season."

Until next time...

Scores courtesy of Pistons.com.  Stats courtesy of Warriors.com.

Oh, How Fast They Turn On You...

If you've read this writer's past post, you know he's written a good deal on friends and friendship.  What's a good friend?  What's a bad friend?  When do you question the strength of a friendship?  When do you ditch a friend?  What do you do when you've been ditched?  This writer has written on all these things.  One thing this writer has always wanted to get into depth on is the "fake" friend.  That time is now.

This writer remember it clearly.  It was a late night at a supermarket that shall remain nameless.  This writer was sitting in the store's café, working hard on a blog entry for you all to read.  Then, that's when the "friend" showed up.  That wasn't unusual.  We met there, so it's not like this writer wasn't expecting him.

Now, this "friend" was a talkative person.  You know, the kind person who speaks in run-on sentences.  It's almost as if they'd die if they stop talking.  At times, this writer wanted to say, "Calm down.  It's okay to take a breath every now and then."

Anyway, this writer would listen to this person's garbage week after week.  It was "white devil" this, "Dutch bastard" that, how bad Michigan is, and how much he can't wait to go back south.  This writer just sat there quietly, wanting to blow out his own brains with any gun within reach.

Then, one day this writer didn't want to do one thing he wanted to do.  That was good enough to have this "friend" on him and hurl all kinds of verbal garbage.  This writer went from being a "great friend who's smart and listens" to "evil, mentally ill, and ghetto".  Keep in mind, this was all because this writer refused to do one VERY MINOR thing.

He then went on ask a series of dumb questions.  Why do you hate me?  Why do you hate Black people?  Why do you hate yourself?  The whole time, the writer was calmly thinking, "This is why nobody wants Black people around.  Too much drama for no good reason."

It got to the point where he threatened to leave and not come back.  At this point, this writer welcomed him to do so, because he'd heard enough.  This writer was even willing to pay him to leave.  Of course, he didn't leave.  He calmed down (sort of) and talked about how he needed this writer's friendship.  Quite the mood swing, almost like a drug addict.  This writer didn't need that kind of "friendship" and took his leave.

In the end, it was like dealing with an abusive spouse.  They'll abuse you and say they'll never do it again.  If your head is working, you'll realize the person is full of BS, decide you don't need the stress, and leave.  If you stay, knowing that this person can (and will) turn on you, then you have no one to blame but yourself.  Sure, you can take the risk that that it won't happen again, but you'd better make sure that's a risk worth taking.

Just for the record, this writer was say that not all "friends" are worth keeping.  Identify them as "toxic", shed them quickly, and RUN!  There is no shame in getting out if you're miserable or being done dirty.

Until next time...

Tales From the Bus 3

Ah, yes.  The bus.  This writer isn't sure why, but the bus seems to be a breeding ground for BS.  These rolling cages of iniquity are the present place to see it.

Sometimes, the BS happens off the bus.  For example, in this writer's town, people seem to have death wishes, especially in the downtown area.  The bus will just be cruising along and suddenly people will just lunge in front of it.  This writer that sometimes you've got to get across the street, but can you at least wait for the 10-ton death machine to drive past first?

This was especially the case during the whole Pokémon Go craze.  People would be in street looking for Pokémon, completely oblivious to the fact that there was a bus roaring street toward them.  Luckily, nobody was ever hit (to this writer's knowledge).  Still, thing like this have to be stressful for drivers, who risk turning someone into a Ghastly because they just have to have a Pikachu.  And no, passengers DON'T like it we the bus has to suddenly stop because someone jumped out in front of a bus.

Staying off the bus, the bus station is ripe with opportunities for BS to happen.  The bathrooms can be just as disgusting as those in supermarkets (see earlier posts for more on that).  One day, this writer saw a pair of underwear a toilet.  Apparently, somebody had soiled them and tried to flush them down the toilet.  Extreme yuckage!

And finally, that "choose your gender" garbage hit the fan when a male crossdresser decided he "felt like a woman" and walked right into the women's bathroom and exposed himself to those within.  The REAL women ran out of the bathroom and others refused to go in (for obvious reasons).  The crossdresser wouldn't leave the bathroom and had to be escorted out by the cops.

So, there you have it.  BS involving the bus doesn't necessarily always happen on the bus.  Stay tuned for more Tales From the Bus.

Until next time...

Larry Nassar Almost Beaten in Court

Sometimes the greatest joy in life comes from breaking a foot ass in someone's ass.  That's what almost happened in Michigan, as a Randall Margraves, a father of three of Nassar's accusers, attempts to attack Larry Nassar in court.  Unfortunately, the bailiffs stopped him before he could get to Nassar.  Just check out this video, courtesy of NBC News:

If only the bailiffs had been a little slower, we'd have seen the greatest moment in the history of courtroom videos.  If only the judge had granted Margraves the five minutes he wanted with Nassar...that would have been nice.

It's not all bad, though.  Margraves will likely not be punished for the outburst and that piece of garbage Nassar will (hopefully) never get out of jail again.

Until next time...

Dietary Changes

It was the late 2016, or as this writer remembers it, the Season of Pain .  Seriously, it seemed like all this writer did was hurt.  He woke up, ate breakfast, took a shower, and hurt.  Then he went to work and hurt.  He when to his after-work fun spots and hurt.  Then he'd go home, eat dinner, and hurt.  Finally, he'd hit the shower, get in bed and hurt some more.  It seemed like all he did was hurt.

The pain was terrible.  Toothaches, coughing, legs wobbly like Jell-O, arms feeling anvils were in each hand, foot pain, and general lack of energy, among other things, sometimes all at once.  The pain would go away for a few days, then come back for a few weeks.  The intensity of the pain would change, but the fact that it was pain didn't change.  What's worse is that nothing seemed to help.

How bad did it get?  This writer asked himself, "Is this what it's going to be like for the rest of my life?  How long do I want to live if I have to keep going through this?"  That was the last straw.  This writer was going to do something about it.  But what?

This writer forgot what it was that made him think of it, but he asked, "Is it something I'm eating?"  After asking that, this writer looked at his dining history and noticed all these episodes of pain had one thing in common; pork.  Whenever this writer ate pork, he'd feel these pains.  During more prolonged stretches, this writer had eaten pork as many as three times a week.  Ribs, fried pork chops, baked pork chops, ham, and (sigh) bacon.  Pork was ate the center of this writer's diet and it was (he assumed at the time) killing him.  So the choice was either give up pork and live a happier life or continue eating it, live in pain, and question rather or not he wanted to live.  Needless to say, it was an easy choice.  This writer hasn't felt a sliver of pain since.

Bacon...how I miss thee.

Now, rewind back to 2012.  This writer loved Pringles.  He'd eat them almost everyday...until they made him want to vomit.  This writer said, "I have been eating these a lot lately.  Maybe I should give them up for a while."  So, this writer didn't eat a single Pringle for several months.  When he ate some after a long layoff, the same thing happened.  Goodbye, Pringles.

That thing resembling a head has a trick up his sleeve.

Jumping to 2013, this writer felt heavy and had a general lack of energy.  This writer didn't know why.  He did plenty of exercise and was at a healthy weight...or so he thought.  This writer checked the scale and realized he was almost 180 pounds (this writer is a small guy).  It was a news story that let this writer know that pop (or soda for those not in the Midwest) could make you fat.  So this writer gave up pop for a while and watched his energy go up and his weight go down.  Serious cutbacks here.

Avoid everyday drinking to keep your energy up and weight down.

For the fourth and final stop, let's go to 2014.  This writer had to stop eating Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  They were just too good.  It got to the where he ate 28 in one day.  Twenty-eight!  That was fine...until he realized exactly what was in a Reese's.  Honestly, they shook change the name to Reese's Crack and Heart Attack Cups.

These little things must have crack in them.

Yes, giving up foods you like can be BS, but ignoring your body when it speaks IS BS.  Like with this writer and pork.  His body was doing everything in its power to say, "Stop eating pork!  I don't like it anymore!"  The same thing with Pringles and pop.  His body was saying, "this stuff is slowing me down.  Stop eating it."

So, there you have it.  Don't ignore your body when it speaks.  Listen to it.  Don't make it yell or repeat itself.  When it comes to food, you don't need a doctor (though it's recommended) to tell you what your body already knows.  Study your eating history to weed out nuisances before they become big problems.

Until next time...