I have questions but no answers

These are some things that may or may not amuse you.

Above is McArthur's Universal Corrective Map. He was Australian and got tired of seeing Australia at the bottom of the map and being asked about living at the bottom of the world. Life really is all about perspective and sometimes you have to turn the world upside down. If you don't like what you see remember you can change the world. Maybe?

Several thing come to mind. Is she having the "Big Mac"? If so it surely includes that "special sauce" they mention in the song. Could it be a "Quarter Pounder"? Ronald McDonald appears to be a player.







Seems like a good use for a cat. Serve and volley?



















The future Mrs. Sutor and I in 1974. Me with long hair (those were the days) sideburns and a Galesburg Sliver Streak Letter Jacket. The hair is gone, the jacket was stolen, the sideburns have morphed into a full beard and turned mostly white and the good looking woman in the picture is still in all my pictures. She still gives me that look. What was (is) she thinking?

The Man vs. El Hombre

Many St. Louis Cardinal fans were upset when Albert Pujols left for more money in sunny Southern California. Many comments that were made were not fair to Albert and hopefully did not reflect the feelings of the majority of fans. He has been an active participant in many St. Louis charity events and he casts a shadow far beyond the world of baseball with those activities. It is worth noting that while in St. Louis Albert actively resisted efforts to call him "El Hombre" out of respect for Stan "The Man" Musial. When you speak of St. Louis baseball and you say "The Man" there is never any question about who you are talking about. Albert was correct in his position and he deserves respect for taking that stand. The California Angels apparently were not aware of Albert's objection to this nickname and put up about 20 billboards referring to him as "El Hombre". He has once again taken the stand that this is not appropriate and has requested the billboards be removed. The Angels have respected his request and have agreed to do so. Some now are referring to Albert as a diva and demanding things outside his gigantic contract. They could not be more wrong. He is attempting to continue to pay respect to one of the greatest players in the history of baseball. Albert Pujols is a very good player and if he remains healthy he may well be spoken of with the likes of Ruth, Mantle, and Aaron. Albert as well as anyone who loves the traditions of the game understands that time is not now. When it is he will need his own nickname and not a remake of Stan Musial's. So Albert, continue to do the right thing, play the game with intensity and respect for tradition, because it is the way the game should be played. Purists will never accept the gambling of Pete Rose, the steriod records of Barry Bonds and any other player who has disrespected the great traditions of America's game.

Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh is hot and heavy in the news over the last few days regarding his comments about a Georgetown University law student. Ms. Fluke contrary to the allegations of Mr. Limbaugh was not advocating for taxpayer funded contraception. She was attempting to make the point that entities like Georgetown University do not pay for oral contraceptives even when the intent is to treat a medical issue like ovarian cysts and not to prevent unintended pregnancy. It is not a sexual issue as Mr. Limbaugh would have you believe it is a women's health issue. Once again a mass media talking head has decided to pursue an agenda by manipulation of the facts. Mr. Limbaugh is just one of many who seems to think that he who talks the loudest and longest must be right. He is but one of many and this is not limited to conservative commentators. Liberal media spokespersons have been guilty of the same sort of behavior. Mr. Limbaugh has apologized and indicated he made a poor choice of words in an attempt to be humorous. He is not presenting himself on a dialy basis as a comedy program. He alleges that the intent is a serious political discourse. Ms. Fluke was attempting to participate in our political discourse and make a statement to Congress about what affect a change in policy would have on her and other women. It would seem rather than addressing the issues at hand Mr. Limbaugh chose to make a personal attack on Ms. Fluke. The question at hand was not Ms. Fluke's sexual activities it was if employers who have a moral objection to birth control should be obligated to provide it in their health insurance coverage. Ms. Fluke for her efforts was labeled by Mr. Limbaugh a slut and a prostitute. He additionally suggested in his comments that she and the other females at Georgetown University should post sex videos on line for taxpayers to watch so they could see how their money was being spent. Is it any wonder why intelligent people who could add a voice of reason to our national discourse are so unwilling to participate. The statements they make are distorted and their characters are drawn into question instead of debate moving forward on the issue at hand. It is no wonder when one considers the facts that we often go to the voting booth feeling like we have no good choices. Millions of voters simply choose the one they think is the lesser of two evils. Well, sad to say but the lesser of two evils is still evil.

Newsweek seems to have hit the nail on the head. ENOUGH! Not just of Mr. Limbaugh but all those on either side of the debate who have managed to make it an uncivil shouting match. Being loud and being correct are not the same thing. A lie told loudly is still a lie no matter how many times you say it.

Michael Moore is certainly at the other end of the political spectrum from Mr. Limbaugh. His brief twitter comment posted above is as offensive and counterproductive as the statements made by Mr. Limbaugh. The name calling and insults from both sides need to stop.

Finally part of the problem may be in the recent scientific discovery that we tend to make a decision about things in about 343 milliseconds. This may have been a good idea when early man was sharing the plains of Africa with lions. Since men don't run as fast as lions the decision to run needed to be made quickly. If you believe in evolution (survival of the fittest) then a fast runner who makes a quick decision has the best chance. There are no lions trying to turn us into a happy meal now so it would seem like we could ignore the instinct to make a quick decision and replace it with the brain's ability to reason. Alas instinct seems to be alive and well. Charles Darwin, can you ever be wrong?

Be kind to one another. Think before speaking. Words once spoken can be forgiven but they will not be forgotten.

Baseball

Is there anything more American than our "national pastime"? It is Spring and of course our thoughts naturally turn to Spring training camps and the upcoming baseball season. The St. Louis Cardinals are the defending world champions an honor they will hold until sometime in October. It will be mentioned as often as possible this year so be prepared. When you talk about red states and blue states a Cardinal fan does not think of Republicans and Democrats. It is Cardinal red and Chicago Cub blue. There are some constants in life. If you love the Bears you hate the Packers. If you love the Cardinals you hate the Cubs. You are not required to hate their fans, they are rather to be pitied. When you are feeling sadistic you say things like Cubs- one World Series title 1908. By the way the Cardinals won their 11th World Series title in 2011. It must be tough to go 112 years without a trophy. The reason for this blog is not to make fun of the Cubs but to recognize the team Cardinal fans hate almost as much as the Cubs. Yes, the dreaded New York Mets. In 1964 my grandparents went to New York City to attend the World's Fair. They weren't baseball fans and the picture below was most likely just a shot of a New York City landmark. The Polo Grounds at the time were the baseball home of the then hapless New York Mets. So Mike enjoy this old photo from the Sutor family archives. While it has been a few years since the Mets have been to the "promised land" at least it is something you were able to witness and not have to read about in an ancient baseball history book. Making rude comments about the Cubs just never gets old.

Happiness

It really is something that happens in our heads. The following quote probably says it best. "The key to happiness is low expectations." Isn't that true. How often have we gone to a movie expecting it to be as good as the book we read 10 years ago. A great expectation in our minds invariably leads to disappointment. When we expect nothing we are pleased when we get something. Go to the DMV expecting to be treated like a leper and you will be pleasantly surprised if you aren't and not disappointed if you are.

Success is getting what you want.
Happiness is wanting what you get.

Go out there expecting nothing and get happy.

The picture above is the Sutor family in late 1981. From left to right: Jeff, Jeremy, Tammie, Carol and John. Two things to consider. Who is that thin guy on the left and who in the fuck thought those pants were a good idea? They are good for a laugh now. Where would one find those now? Might need a pair to make a fashion statement. That statement would be- dressed by Stevie Wonder.

Ladders

On June 20, 2011 I had the bottom of a ladder kick out from under me. I rode it down the wall to the concrete floor. The result was a dislocated shoulder and a torn rotator cuff. My injuries are better but I still have some limitations in movement. Today was the day I needed to get back on the horse that threw me. Some work needed done in the basement and I wanted to put a new shelf up in the stairway going down to display some of my Wizard of Oz stuff. So I got the ladder set up on the stairs and looked at it for a while. I wasn't sure I wanted to climb up there after all. I couldn't picture not being able to do work up high but the memories of the fall were right there to tell me not to do it again. I'm not one to give in to fear often and I forced myself to climb up and get to work. I immediately broke out in a sweat but figured as long as I was up there I should go ahead and do something. I marked where the bracket would go and got back down to get the drill to make pilot holes for the screws. It wasn't any easier going up the next time and Carol suggested I get someone to do it for me. Pride got involved then. No way is anyone coming over here to do a simple job like this. I am not crippled, this will get done by me. The holes got drilled and the brackets put up and all the time I was sweating like a whore in church. I forced myself to use my injuried arm because I need it to work as well as possible. Overcoming fear is not an easy thing and I honestly did not expect for this to be so troubling. I have fallen off ladders before but in the past the consequences have not been so severe. It will be interesting this summer when I have to stain the house and I will be 20 feet in the air and not 5 feet like today. Baby steps. Might be a good idea to take this really slow.

Motorcycles

Yup, I got one. A big honkin' Harley Davidson Ultra Classic. I know, I used to say it too. "Another douche bag Harley rider." I used to love Kawasakis. My first bike was a 1973 500cc triple. It was a two cycle chain saw on wheels. We had three kids and I rode that bike like a window licking retarded kid on the short bus to that special school. The next bike was another Kawasaki. This time a two cylinder 750cc Vulcan cruiser. It was fun to ride but not the speedster from my past. The kids got in collie ge and life got expensive. The bike had to go. I waited several years and bought a used Harley Soft Tail standard. I got away from Kawasakis because I got tired of paying good money and 2 years later the bike had lost half its value. It seemed Harleys held their value better. After riding that Harley for a few months I understood why people love them. It is a great American made bike. We took one long trip on that bike and it just wasn't made for couples who want to travel. When I was contemplating retirement I decided a big touring bike would be my present to myself. It is a great bike to travel on. We did lighten our load on the trip by mailing our dirty clothes home. The Postmaster in Ohio was amused.
The thing I learned along the way while I was riding was watch out for the other guys. ALL OF THEM!!!! People do stupid shit when they are driving. The worst is texting. They can't watch the road and the phone at the same time. What happens to their brains when they are talking on the phone? You can hold a conversation when you drive but put that phone to your ear and talk and something goes wrong. Why can't we hold our hand by our head and talk and drive the car? Some people can but most can't. Riding a bike you notice other drivers. Why do people in cars do shit and think they are invisible? You are in a glass room with a finger stuck up your nose digging away like you are mining for gold. Then you pull your finger out and look at the results of your labor apparently on the off chance that there will be a diamond on the end. More likely there is a chunk of brain tissue on there, like they had some to spare. Then there are the dancers and headbangers. They are so lost in the music and the moment they don't realize we are watching their American Idol audition or Dancing with the Stars routine. It's glass all around you! We can see you! Please work as hard at seeing the motorcycles out there as you do goofing around. We always lose when you hit us.