Lovely Day…to howl.

LOVELY DAY…TO HOWL.

The Cast

Date: 04 April 2020

FILLERBUSTER’S ELEVEN

BACKGROUND:  This started as a long-winded numbered blog.  It transformed into an organized long-winded category blog.  Now, it is a quick-hitter to ease your pain.  I lack time.  So, the preparation of the blog actually made me procrastinate from writing the thing.  Let’s see who makes the cut.  Barely edited as usual unfortunately, so please excuse any mistakes during my stream of consciousness.  I feel the need…the need for speed.  Let’s turn and burn.

SETTING: This is written during my wife’s virtual brunch.  This lasted 4.5 hours last week.  Might as well knock a blog out when she is doing other stuff.  More US time.  Or The Wire time.  Their virtual brunch involved wearing a prom dress or something similar.  My wife is in a wedding dress.  Then, changed to a bridesmaid’s dress.  Then, changed again.  Not lying.  Next week is TOGA week.  Cue the Animal House blog theme right now.

1. EVERGREEN 1: TODAY WOULD BE… my favorite day of the year, the best day of the year, and the best 7 hours (with the intermission) of basketball each year.  I am sad beyond all belief.  Today would be the Final Four.  Whether my team is in it or not, this Saturday and then Monday are my two favorite days of the year outside of what would happen next, which is The Masters final round.  I love March Madness beyond all belief.  I know.  This is a trivial selfish sports-related rant.  I get it.  There are more important things going on.  But, it is my blog, and for a quick, fleeting minute, I would like to say that this would have been the day that #6 seed UVA played KU, with the Dayton-FSU waiting on the other side, after a bad controversial call eliminated Gonzaga vs. Dayton in the Elite 8.  This day would be awesome.  But, I read Man’s Search For Meaning, so my complaints are pretty minimal these days, folks.  People are sick, many people have important trips and weddings and such that are more important than fun trips or sporting events, and this is hollow of course.  But, for a minute, I just wanted to say this IS the best day of the year.  As Bill Withers taught us though, it is a lovely day, so find the silver linings, all.  And go howl tonight (explained in next evergreen). 
2. EVERGREEN 2.  COVID-19 RANDOM NOTES.  My random compilation of our quarantine/COVID experience.  During these sad times, I actually enjoy writing this part as much as my old, random, numbered blog back in the day.  And that is PURE enjoyment.  The fact that people are sending death threats to Dr. Fauci is really, really sad, even if that minority of people we can write off from the masses.  Partying is fun.  College is awesome.  Cabo is the bomb.  But, I wouldn’t want to be part of that group of 40 COVID kids who went to Mexico anyway.  Disrespectful.  The Fountains of Wayne singer died from COVID, and that makes me sad because I LOVE the song Stacy’s Mom.  You don’t know it?  Here you go.  Happy trails, Fountains of Wayne guy.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZLfasMPOU4  I can’t BELIEVE there are almost 10 states not buying into this stay at home concept.  Yes, I get the economy, but what aren’t we learning?  There is a city in Spain up on a mountain that has NO cases because they shut all entrances down and the people bought it to proactive preemptive action.  Any group events are bad, folks.  Did you see what sparked a “hot spot” in a small town in Georgia?  Two FUNERALS.  Stay away from other people, all.  Of course, we are into April, and the Georgia governor JUST now figured out that asymptomatic people can spread this thing.  Way to live in a cave, Governor.  If Trump has figured that part out, then you can too.  My parents are older and still run errands and it makes me nervous, and I don’t think they understand I haven’t left my house in two full weeks.  Last week, 6.6 million filed for unemployment.  That doubled the record, which unfortunately was set…the week before.  The Patriot Way for over a million masks to the East Coast, so I guess when massage parlors are shut down, Kraft can be classy as heck.  I think I have been house project lazy for long enough.  I got suckered into my couch and occasional workouts.  I am setting Monday as the day that I accomplish one house project a day minimally.  In the Philippines, they are SHOOTING people who don’t stay at home.  So, there is that.  It doesn’t really bother me that gun sales are way up.  Good for the industry.  I admire any industry who is staying afloat.  It bothers me that I am severely outgunned if The Purge goes down if this stuff goes South.  I have noticed that sports shows get a lot more high-profile guests considering everyone has nothing to do.  Their backgrounds still crack me up.  Dolly Parton is already awesome.  Blessed voice, classic movie, blessed chest, and just a good person.  She just donated $1.1 million to the COVID-19 cause.  Props, Dolly.  A Kansas City WWII museum is not laying off its workers.  It is giving everyone a rainy day project they haven’t had time for.  They are giving each employee thousands of pages of documents to digitize.  Love the creativity to save the people.  Rangers player Shin-Soo Choo gave $1k to every single Rangers minor league player for support.  Top Gun moved its opening date to Christmas rather than June.  It makes me sad, being the captain of the Top Gun fandom team, but I would rather conditions be optimal when the magic is released.  I watched a presser where most questions were about people’s stimulus checks.  I laugh and joke about the quarantine and then read a story about a young healthy person getting COVID and dying and it scares the shit out of me.  Louisiana just got scary very quickly.  We don’t need NYC to have competition.  Mike Leach posted a tweet with a woman knitting a noose, and he caught heat, he apparently forgot he is in the South, and a player already filed for transfer.  Online Twitter games and quizzes are becoming irritating to me, but then I find myself replying with my answer.  The tweets are all half quarantine fun, and half COVID serious, and you have to tread the line carefully.  The situation on aircraft carrier Teddy Roosevelt I feel like we only got about 30% of the info through the media.  This Zoom-bombing thing is crazy and sad that people would do that.  Hacking is bad enough, but hacking with racism people should move to the Philippines and break the stay at home order.  I am scared that this thing will go into the summer months and the East Coast will get hit by a “higher than average” hurricane season.  That would be insult to injury.  People get CLOSER during a hurricane, and that would be worlds colliding (another Seinfeld reference).  Someone has to pay, and there is no end of the line.  I talked with a friend the other day, and they said they were still paying for childcare even though their kid is home every day.  I just had a virtual happy hour with old work friends, and if we need to find a silver lining, it is that the lack of social interaction WILL make us appreciate people and gatherings a lot more in a couple of months.  In my virtual hh with old work friends, I am the only person left at…work where we met.  I see a federal stay at home policy coming right after April 15^th.  Maybe April 30^th worst case.  I think HBO is free to some extent if you are interested.  I would say you should START with True Detective after GOT.  A 99-year old man was charged with attending a party and breaking the stay at home policy.  Even badass Tony Boselli is in intensive care from this crap.  If I didn’t run an Air BNB with a closet full of supplies, we would have already run out of paper towels and TP.  Man, that gave us a big buffer.  I didn’t ration my IPA very well.  Will do better when I do my first out of the house grocery store and liquor store trip on Monday.  Regular, non-IPA beer just sucks.  I am so IPA aloof these days.  I have now talked my wife into using paper plates a little more, but for a week we were running the dishwasher literally once a day.  Steph Curry had to order and construct his own hoop for his home.  Giannis doesn’t have access to a hoop and hasn’t been shooting anything during this.  Man, priorities, people.  If I was a famous basketball player and had mattress money in the millions, the FIRST thing I am getting is a basketball court for my crib.  You guys are off.  Any time I question my life’s timing or luck, I remember that THIS was the city I last was when in Ecuador and spent a full night there before coming back to the States.  https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/karlazabludovsky/coronavirus-ecuador-guayaquil-bodies-in-the-streets  We have decided that if we need a vacation and this thing stretches into June, we might spend a vacation at our Air BNB downstairs.  I will be good research too, as I can jot down all of the things that bother me that aren’t down there.  A bus driver posted a video of a coughing passenger, and then died days later from the virus.  Sometimes it is NOT paranoia.  We are in Denver, and the governor has requested, not mandated, that everyone wear masks when leaving the house.  NextDoor has become less funny, and now is simply people calling out group gathering, people needing help, or people passing along possible criminals.  Think I will stop my jokes on NextDoor during the quarantine.  Here is a quick link to help you make decisions about being lazy but needing food and/or booze.  You are welcome.  https://www.westword.com/restaurants/denver-restaurants-takeout-delivery-during-coronavirus-11666765  It had to happen.  A couple had twins last week during their quarantine.  Poor kids.  Parents named them…Corona and Covid.  Poor kids.  Although I guess if they were named during SARS, they might have to be from Denmark or something.  At 8pm each night, Colorado started an 8pm howl that has become viral.  It is a howl to give props to the healthcare front line.  I think we modified something they are already doing on the East Coast.  Join in.  Kind of cool.  The security guy from Gigglin’Grizzly, who owns an actual wolf, has joined in too.  So, a man painted his COW like a tiger and then dressed like Joe Exotic.  Quarantine dementia.  So, let me get this straight.  We are all watching Tiger King BECAUSE we are on COVID-19 quarantine, and now HE has COVID-19.  Full circle, and best wishes.  A couple both got COVID-19 and died 6 minutes apart.  So, the movie Notebook meets the virus.  Corona has halted beer production in Mexico.  But, there is plenty of reserves, it is because of essential businesses shutting down, and has nothing to do with the virus sharing its name with them.  I can’t believe we still don’t know if you can or cannot get the virus AFTER you got it once.  I love lists.  Most of you know this.  I am starting a list of brunch and lunch and dinner places to help guide you moving forward.  I find myself spending some of my down time thinking about how I am missing the window or knocking of making money off of this quarantine.   It is going to be so weird when this whole thing breaks out being close to people in social setting.  Bill Gates, who isn’t the dullest knife in the drawer, says there won’t be a sporting event or three years.  Hope he just is smart in his Windows thing.
3. NFL: We are lacking sports coverage because there are…no sports.  But, the NFL Draft is still happening, against my opinion.  Anyway, the COVERAGE for the draft has been ridiculous.  It just occurred to me that it FEELS like the draft is happening THIS weekend because of the constant coverage, yet we are still THREE weeks out from it.  We will be saturated by coverage by then, and even sports guys’ wives will know the top ten mock picks by the time it happens.  It is so kind and generous of Clowney to knock his asking price from $20 mil to $18 mil.  What a guy.  He is the high ceiling guy with not a lot of stats that has done just enough big plays where he will get $17 mil.    Tom Brady will rent out Derek Jeter’s Tampa Bay mansion.  I guess the only person a Golden Boy would have in his domicile would be another Golden Boy.  The Cowboys signed Aldon Smith this week.  He hasn’t played since 2015.  He is 31.  He has probably paid his dues, yet if you think about it, his last dumb action off the field was just in 2018.  But, the league is better with him back in the league, because we all can try and imagine what dumb deed we will wake up to him doing on the wire one day.  We need the villains and degenerates too, folks.  It is like when Notre Dame or Nebraska is good.  We need those horrible fans in the mix too.  Derrick Henry signed the franchise tender with the Titans and good for both sides, but you have to think his long-term contract will be incentive-based to some degree with guarding from him getting suddenly just slow and big as an aging RB.  I am tired of hearing about Tua’s health virtually.  Sammy Watkins reached terms with the Chiefs, and it must be tough to talk a WR into playing with Patrick Mahomes.  Nick Foles will be in open competition with Trubisky.  If this fails, maybe he can just head back to Philly and wait for Carson’s next injury.  This will be his THIRD good chance to win a starting job (two at one, folks).  Why are we making such a big deal about Antonio Brown catching balls from Lamar Jackson?  First, let AB stay off media for a while.  Second, his cousin plays for the team and was in the workout.  Family affair as well as AB affair.  Just makes sense.
4. COLLEGE FOOTBALL:  If Dabo Swinney says the college football season will start on time, then it must be true.  Sarcasm.  Thanks for your two cents, Dabo.  I am trusting you and your southern drawl on everything football.  I am NOT trusting you on the state of COVID-19.  I watched the fourth quarter of the great 2006 USC-Texas game that was aired on Thursday.  Two quick things.  One, I forgot Texas was down TWO scores that late.  Amazing comeback.  Thought it was just one amazing score, not getting ball back and doing it again with a TD.  Two, I MISS Keith Jackson and no one sounds as great as him when announcing a college football game.  Whoa Nellie!
5. COLLEGE BASKETBALL: The Wooden Award finalists were announced the other day.  Odd fact.  THREE of them were seniors, which says something considering the one and done time we live in presently.  Props to those seniors.  They won’t win though.  It is Toppin by a landslide in my opinion, with Garza being second in my book.  Love Powell and Howard, but the body of work goes to the previous two.  Azubuike SHOULD be unstoppable and the runaway winner, but he never put everything together on a consistent basis.  I was sad to see that Tom Izzo had contacted Smith/Washington before the police in that assault case back in the day.  Hope that story is less true than we presently think right now.  Finally, in your memories of this annual great Saturday of year’s past, here is a nice compilation of the best Final Four games ever.  Enjoy.  https://www.si.com/college/2020/04/04/best-final-four-games-march-madness-history
6. NBA: I will have some comments on my favorite players in the draft next week.  I watched the Game 7 replay of Warriors-Cavs from a couple of years ago, and it was stellar.  Seriously, all.  Text your friends when you see a replay on that someone would care about.  Pay it Forward.  That LeBron block still blows my mind.  The NBA is looking to centralize the NBA playoffs in Las Vegas for ALL teams.  Like the concept of trying to get it done.  But, I have a big problem.  You PLAY the season for home court advantage and this negates this advantage.  Hate it.  I don’t mind an asterisk, but let’s not make the Bucks play in front of a neutral crowd.  They deserve more.  LaMelo Ball BOUGHT his Australian team now that he is moving on to the draft.  He BOUGHT the team.  That is one way to do it.  I hate the Ball family.  Not sure why since the father has been quiet recently.  But, guilty by transitive property.  I will comment on the Hall of Fame picks next week, since they aren’t “officially” released yet and I am on a schedule.  Have to finish this by end of her virtual brunch.  NO one talk to me about the 2K tourney for NBA players.  I mean it.  I can’t believe that ESPN has the results on their home page, and that, hypothetically, I could watch the “best” plays from each game.  Disgusted.  Can’t believe we are down to gaming on the ESPN front page. 
7. NHL:  The stories about what some NHL players are doing for the cause trumps other sports, because NHL players, although missing some teeth, are the toughest, classiest, educated, and most giving athletes in any of the big sports.  Second, I can’t believe that K’Andre Miller had a Zoom meeting for his fans and racist people hijacked it.  Hate all of that.
8. MLB: The Astros ex-GM and manager will end their bans even if the season is not played.  That is stupid.  They basically are getting off easy.  If no games are being played, a suspension can’t be carried out.  Plain and simple.  I hate this.  Have them learn a lesson.  Don’t let COVID-19 let them off easy for their trash cans shenanigans.
9. MISCELLANEOUS:  The Open might be cancelled, and probably will, and know we are now cancelling thins into JULY, all.  This is really interesting as we reach for sports topics.  This is everyone chiming in on the game they WISHED they would have call as an announcer.  Interesting read.  https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2020/04/01/broadcasters-reveal-game-they-wish-they-had-called   I feel bad for the colleges, who are losing this needed revenue to remain afloat.  I have told you that I refuse to watch the Masked Singer.  So, Gronk just signed with WWE and, in between, was the white tiger on the Masked Singer?   Sports replays are cool.  But, I want OLD bottom lines.  I want dated stuff.  Come on.  I love when I hear that Memphis “State” beat anyone.  If your bucket list is a horse race, you are screwed this year.  Yes, I wonder if I will get a shot in partying in the infield.  Had a chance, and missed it.  Dammit.  Caught the end of A Football Life with Mike Singletary.  Sad.  I think my wife just knows him as a coach and not the most badass linebacker outside of Jack Lambert.  I admit when I don’t know stuff.  I am reading a long article about Pulisic presently.  I did NOT know there was a “perfect hat trick” in soccer.  Left foot, right foot, head.  Had no idea.  You?  Concerning Twitter quizzes, there was a question about weirdest signed item by awesome athlete.  I didn’t respond, but would have been in the mix.  I have a puke bag from an airplane that is signed by the greatest Steeler of all time, Rocky Bleier.
10. THIS AND THAT: Love is Blind was a train wreck on steroids as I mentioned in last blog.  I multi-tasked the whole time, but admit to being curious while in same room as my wife knocked the episodes out.  Listen, it is horrible.  But, I DARE you to watch the first two episodes and not care about what happens.  Dare extended.  Out of five possible marriages, I only guessed one of five as far as success.  I am caught up on Westworld.  Just as confused as ever.  At least we had sex going on in season 1 before we realized who was robots or not.  Now, we are just confused and not entertained except for the big showdown in the making.  Cat fight.  Seinfeld reference, all.  It is kind of like Inception mixed with Matrix.  Is Ed still alive through the new guy?  Do I have that figured out correctly?  Finished Ozark.  Awesome, and Bateman does it again.  Two big deaths, lots of stress, and highly recommend.  I am leaving my wife…by starting to watch The Wire.  She is not showing resolve.  Got to start watching on my own.  Right before all of the Ecuador crazy COVID-19 stuff, the big waterfall in Ecuador…disappeared.  Not related to virus.  Rivers collided or something.  NASA is back?  12k people applied to go into space, and after this COVID thing, maybe I will apply too.  Aliens can’t be as bad as this stay at home order.  Phish has a new album, but how are people getting the mushrooms to enjoy them at home?  I chuckle and think of Dave Rathbun and my college roommate when thinking about Phish, and the best story you haven’t heard from me, when I carried Larry Mercado (who doubled my weight) outside of a Phish concert and then put an entire broken bottle in my palm when I set Larry down and almost bled out on the spot.  But, that is for another day.  I hate watching the success stories on Shark Tank.  It saddens me of all of the ideas that have passed me by.  Coolest Shark Tank story ever though.  Robert was at 20% equity.  Prospect was at 25%.  Had a putting green as part of his presentation.  Bet Robert 5% equity on making it.  I feel off the couch.  Robert missed putt.  Betting.  Awesome.  For equity.  Onward, the cartoon movie, was good.  But, my comment is this.  It wasn’t overly funny, never comfortable, and I was stressed OUT the entire movie.  Seriously.  No cartoon comfort.  I was glad when it was over as I was worried for everyone in the movie…even though it was a cartoon.  Rating.  B.   I told my wife after I was SOOOOOOOO stressed out the entire time.  Blinded By The Light was decent.  I am from Jersey, and Bruce and Bon Jovi were the two truths.  It became a musical a couple of times, and they really bug me.  I felt no real connection from character and Bruce at beginning of movie, but I got over it.  I forgot temporarily that Bruce wrote Blinded By The Light initially.  The soundtrack had to be incredible.  I would rate the movie as a B- (I grade very critically), and would say that it started weak for me, and ended STRONG.  No shedded tears, but I thought about it in last family scene.  Moving regardless.  If you live in the Highlands, you NEED to order the Tiger King from Edible Beats.  FOUR cocktails and sliders.  Best deal in town.  We are outside of the delivery zone, so we couldn’t indulge.  The queso at El Camino is very good, and they give you a LARGE portion for delivery during these tough times. 
11. THE FILLERBUSTER: I ran in 66 degree weather on Wednesday, and then ran and did TRX in snow on Thursday.  Love Denver weather.  I am supposed to tell SOMEONE, so I guess I will just release it in my blog, that the resort that Love is Blind occurs at is the SAME resort that my company had Presidents Club at three years ago.  I would tell JJ or David but they have enough going on.  Just passing that along.  If you are going to watch Love is Blind, skip forward 1-3 sentences. Spoilers coming.  If you DON’T plan on watching, then know that Damian screwed over the hothead Venezuela chick at the alter, Barnett was about to bail but then said I do, Kelly says no in the lock of the week because of being more friends than lovers, Jessica walked at the alter as she the lock of the week, Lauren said yes to her first white boyfriend, and Carlton is probably still thinking about if he should have told Diamond he used to date guys.  Running in the rain or snow is liberating, and listening to Rocky while doing is off the hook.  We all know that Rocky IV stopped the Cold War.  We got our Old Navy stuff.  She got 8 items for $100 and I got 7 for same amount.  Pretty stellar.  Everything fit.  Once social distancing is done, I will look GOOD.  I got two more pairs of cargo shorts if anyone cares.  I will keep the movement going single-handedly.  Reloaded like a UK basketball team.  Brunch is still going on for the girls.  I am editing and releasing.  Thanks for playing.  One final thing, my work had two calls with leadership this week, with everyone on the call.  My work has frustrated me over the years, but am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO impressed how we are handling this.  Upfront about communication, staying at home, where we are financially, and future cutbacks, reductions, etc.  Props, Four Winds Interactive.  I have never been so proud to work for you.  As my book Man’s Search For Meaning says, you can only find meaning DURING stress or tension.  We are feeling it.  Impressed how we are rolling on this.  Sort of surprised, and pleasantly surprised.   Love the communication and transparency.  Bill Withers.  We lost him this week.  He was kind of important to me.  A misunderstanding made me lose my partner in crime and best friend in life, Roger Woodlee.  We had a falling out.  For our time of friendship, for about 10 years, we were inseparable.  We would talk on a regular basis about how he would take John Elway and I would take Joe Montana in a game we had to win in football.  He looked like an ex-football player (Ronnie Lott to be exact), and we got that a lot.  But, mostly, he introduced me to three things in life.  Frank Sinatra, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Bill Withers.  We would go on my days off to bars in the middle of the day and play these three artists over and over.  We once played Lovely Day 24 times in a row (paid, not free) after my bar shift.  I won’t get into Roger too much, but he was the best and I kind of contributed to ruining it.  So did he of course.  Anyway, he got me on Bill Withers.  Ain’t No Sunshine.  Lovely Day.  And on and on.  And, on this greatest annual day of the Final Four, and in the week we lost Bill Withers, and in this time that we are dealing with quarantine times, just remember…it is STILL a lovely day.  Someone else is dealing with something much worse than you.  Your situation is not as bad as someone else’s.  The sun will rise, set, and rise again.  You will be fine.  Read that book I keep mentioning. Man’s Search For Meaning.   And…miss you, Roger.

ALTERNATE CATEGORIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT:

1. THE BEST WORKOUT SONG EVER FOR THIS WEEK (because the best song this week IS the best song ever…for now):
2. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
3. LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE
4. TRAVEL
5. THIS WEEK’S LIST
6. MY NUMBERS
7. GONE FISHING (the riddle for money):
8. PICS BY MY PIXEL (pictures from my phone):
9. LIFEGUARD ENTRY:
10. TWEET OF THE WEEK

The theme?  Bill Withers.  Lovely Day.  We lost him, and there was no contest.  And when you realize it is a lovely day, then you can go HOWL.

And our weekly reminder of the greatest sequel ever made coming out next summer (now in winter)… Top Gun 2.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epgkqPJ_bc0

MWTILMGBDEOASMGUWGEMCDFTWBIPMFBRMBWC

That’s it for today.  Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed.  Remember two things.  First, feed yourself, feed your family, but always, always remember to…feed the wolf.  Second,  if you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.  Will I blog again?  That is a CLOWN question, bro.  As one shepherd said to the other shepherd, let’s get the flock out of here.

THROW IT BACK IN THE POND

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