1/3 empty?

Happy Saturday. That ever-welcome Spring warming trend is underway. What is also ‘underway’ is our quickly disappearing stash of coffee (a couple more days). This means that there is a run to Costco in my near future, and here comes the best news: our ‘Big-Mack’ I-471 bridge that caught fire (arson) back in November will be re-opened tomorrow evening – a month early and when in use it’s easily the best route the nearest Costco. Hence, I’m writing with a smile on my face.

What’s in the TV ad below mixes our need for a coffee purchase run along with thoughts of my Frozen 5K race from last Saturday. It’s a great vintage ad.

The Frozen 5K — last Saturday started right at freezing which was both perfect and a nice warm-up from weather earlier in the week. Pleased with the event, however, it did cause me a bit of reflection.

I think many of us perceive ourselves as being somewhat younger than what our calendar age would suggest. And just like we see our kids and grandkids staying at the same age until an event makes us realize that in fact, they’ve ‘jumped’ a decade or so along ‘maturation road’. Looking at the results of the Frozen 5k — I realized that now I had become that wizened old man on the course.

Out of 2,259 entries I came in at number 1,572. Not bad – it looks a little better when parsed out for gender and age grouping, there I was number 10 (males in age bracket 70-99). See, just like politicians say, numbers never lie.

Where I did receive a bit of a shock was that for the first time, I realized I was the oldest entrant.

Without a doubt, looking at my own ‘aging’ process I realized I had advanced 15 to 20 years in under an hour.

Overjoyed – (Little) Stevie Wonder: Last Sunday Marcia and I went to a small gathering (200 or so, which filled the venue to capacity) Jazz performance. The Phil DeGreg trio had Phil  arrange Stevie Wonder’s compositions into an afternoon of wonderful Jazz music. As DeGreg told us; “Wonder’s melodies and harmonies are pure genius.” I learned that Stevie, blind since birth first performed on stage at age 4, and at age 11 signed with a major Motown label under the professional name of Little Stevie Wonder.

For the afternoon the Trio had invited guitarist Brad Myers to play alongside. Myers has played with any number of Jazz greats and over a 20+ year career has been involved in projects as far ranging as Jazz, Funk, to Western Swing.

It was only natural that the afternoon began with a piece we all knew; “You are the Sunshine of My Life”.

I captured a very different piece, “Overjoyed“, which was played as a duet with DeGreg on the piano and Myers on guitar. It’s a little-known number and was one of my favorites of the performance, not a big tempo upbeat number, but oh so melodic and lovely.

A Historian – Now that our newly installed President is performing much like an “Energizer Bunny”, and is quickly securing a likeminded team around him, I thought it proper to give you some quotes from one, John Mearsheimer. Who is Mearsheimer you ask? He’s an internationally recognized political science professor at the University of Chicago. He’s a foremost scholar of international relations and is best known for his theory of  ‘offensive realism‘.

“Are humans fundamentally social animals who strive hard to carve out room for their individuality, or are they individuals who form social contracts?”

“In the anarchic world of international politics, it is better to be Godzilla than Bambi.”

“Bandwagoning is a strategy for the weak.”

“If there had been no decision to move NATO eastward to include Ukraine, Crimea and the Donbass would be part of Ukraine today” then “For Putin, the illegal overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected and pro-Russian president —which he rightly labeled a coup— was the final straw… and there would be no war in Ukraine. “

If you’re into Football, be sure to watch the Super Bowl tomorrow evening.

If you’re not, remember that for the very first Super Bowl (1967) held in LA’s Memorial Coliseum, they couldn’t fill the stadium – about 33,000 tickets went unsold, leaving the stadium 1/3 empty. I mention this to prove that you’re not alone.

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

A few miles east of here along the Ohio River in Point Pleasant stands a small, wooden, 2-room house, the birthplace of our 18th President Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822). But “Ulysses” wasn’t his real first name. Which one of the following was his genuine first name?

1) “Jesse”
2) “Albert”
3) “Thomas”
4) “Halmer”
5) “Hiram”
6) “Josiah”