Know When To Say When

Sometimes I stumble across a story that at first glance should not anger up my blood.  The a small detail emerges near the end of the story that red lines my rage meter.  For instance, the story of Roger Strong, the back country skier that had to be rescued from Snoqualmie last year after triggering an avalanche.  As if being buried in an avalanche weren't bad enough, his legs were smashed against a tree and he spent three months in a wheelchair.  It's been a year since the accident and his recovery story is being sold as 'inspirational', and it very well may be.  However, what cheesed me off is the fact that he is married and has a very young daughter yet will continue to back country ski after having a near fatal accident.  Strong even admits he's lucky to be alive, but states that not being able to back country ski would be like depriving him of the oxygen he breathes by 50%.  Yes, well...how 'bout this Rog...next time you trigger an avalanche you may not be so lucky and the results would be depriving your daughter of 50% of her parents.  I understand that back country skiing is a 'passion', but why not channel some of that energy into sticking around for your kid?  The time to take chances with your life ended when you became a parent...imagine the impact your death would have on your family and your daughter growing up without you.  If you were a single guy, hey, I'd say great job on the rehab and you've got more guts than I do by returning to what nearly killed you.  But you aren't a single guy, you are married with a young daughter...continuing to pursue your passion is just selfish.

Well, wasn't that a peachy way to start this post?  Hmmm, what else has me riled up...oh yeah, Manti Te'o.  So, first off, I'm renaming my fantasy football team Fake Dead Girlfriend next year.  That's low hanging fruit that needs picked.  Secondly, wow...Manti is either the dumbest person to ever play linebacker for Notre Dame or incredibly and unbelievably naive.  I've heard just about every side of this story and I still think he was somehow in on it.  There's no way anyone is as stupidly naive as he claims to be.  Manti Te'o was more than willing to share details of how he met his dead fake girlfriend, things they did together, etc., when the story advanced his narrative.  As the story collapsed he turtled up and now wants us to believe that he was too embarrassed to admit it was an online only relationship and they never actually met.  If that were the case, why exploit the living piss out of that relationship all season long?  That's still the part that makes no sense - he pumped this up as Love Story, Part II and hooked a lot of people into believing him.  I feel he played a part in perpetuating the hoax and his involvement will be discovered by private dicks hired by the NFL during the vetting process of potential draftees.

I'm glad to see the fog has finally begun to dissipate.  Getting to work the last couple of mornings has been more of an adventure than usual due to icy roads.  I almost piled the Black Mamba up into a row of parked cars getting out of our neighborhood.  Luckily, the tires caught a bare spot and I was able to safely navigate the car without incident.  The fog also seems to amplify the cold, so standing around and waiting for the train to arrive hasn't been fun either.  I'm also just sick of the gray, fog makes everything look dilapidated and hung over...walking through the thick air makes me feel as if I'm strolling through a BBC production of yet another Jack the Ripper story...minus the homicidal slasher attacking and hacking ladies of the night.

If you get a chance, check out Leo Kottke's cover of 'Sweet Emotion'...lots of guitar noodling for those of you that enjoy such things.

Cheers!