RIP Jackie

Jackie, the bald eagle who became famous thanks to the Friends of Big Bear Valley Eagle Nest Cam, died this morning at the Ojai Raptor Center. 

 

Along with her mate Shadow, Jackie raised several batches of eaglets on camera over a period of several years. Her two most recent eaglets, Sandy and Luna, fledged about the same time Jackie was rescued after being attacked by two other eagles. She may have also been ill before the attack - her official cause of death was anemia. Video of the attack and its aftermath, where Jackie appeared to have been unable to get off the ground, can be seen in this article. My guess is that they'll autopsy her and find out more about what happened to her.

 

As much as I (along with many others) hoped for a full recovery that would see Jackie return to Shadow and their nest, given the updates I had come to expect the worst. This seemed like it  just wasn't one of those times we were going to get a happy ending. But the rescue meant she at least got a chance and didn't have to suffer through deterioration in the wild. 

 

Jackie will be sorely missed. Reaction to her death is dominating my Facebook feed right now. So many people were just crushed by this news.

 

In the meantime, I'm hoping for the best for Shadow. Not sure how he interprets Jackie's absence. It will be interesting to see what next breeding season brings to the massive nest in Big Bear. 

 

Rest in peace, Jackie, and a big thank you to the Ojai Raptor Center, where everyone worked so hard to save her. "Our team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her."

 

July Words of Wisdom

Every morning you have two choices: Continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them. (Erling Haaland) 

 

Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks. (Dr. Seuss)

 

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment. (Marcus Aurelius)

 

Man cannot stand a meaningless life. (Carl Jung) 

 

There is such a thing as evil, and if you do not fight it, it will eventually triumph. (Ann Widdecombe) 

 

The Daveigh Chase story just got worse. Again.

Per the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, Daveigh Chase's offical cause of death was AIDS, with "chronic polysubstance use" listed as a secondary cause. This story just gets more and more tragic. According to the linked article, her father stated that, "...she had been homeless and struggled with drugs since the age of 13." 

 

I had no idea she'd fallen into such a downward spiral and for so long. If I'd thought about it, I would have assumed she was still working even if I wasn't personally seeing her pop up in anything, but her last credits were in 2016, ten years ago.

I know I keep saying this, but every time I read something new about this story it just gets more and more tragic. Daveigh had such a unique look and was such a talented actress, she should have had an amazing career and life. I wish someone could have helped her. She deserved so much better.

 

Image snicked from her imdb entry. 

 

Utterly classless

Late night host buffoon Jimmy Kimmel apparently thought it would be fun to mock someone whose house burned to the ground because he doesn't like the guy's politics. This is a perfect example of why late night shows are dying. 

 

Spencer Pratt ran for mayor of Los Angeles and was hugely embraced across demographics. The videos he ran on social media were off the charts amazing and should be studied by future candidates. Whether or not Pratt lost the vote legitimately is another conversation. For now I'll just say California never had these issues when we voted in person. Both California and Los Angeles politics are absolutely corrupt and like many here, I have little to no faith in the security of our elections these days. I do think it would have been interesting to have seen what Pratt could have accomplished in the role of mayor. A lot of people seem unaware of this, but he has a degree in political science from USC, so he's not as unqualified as many seem to have assumed or claimed.

 

Pratt has said he'd leave the city if he lost the election and I have to say I don't blame the guy. After all, it isn't like he has a house to come home to here now. It burned to the ground in the Palisades Fire, which is a whole other issue in terms of if that had to be as bad as it was, and who might bear responsibility for that.

 

But the point is that Jimmy Kimmel, his producers, and his writing staff thought this would be hilarious:

 

“I know things might be tight right now, especially with the out-of-state donation money running out,” Kimmel said during his monologue. “Moving is expensive, so to help you out we rented you a U-Haul. Our staff spent the whole day decorating for you, and everybody will notice you and wave goodbye as you leave.” 

 

The image shared by Kimmel shows Pratt appearing to cry, plastered across a U-Haul with the phrase, “Just defeated.” 

 

This is what passes for "comedy" on network TV these days. But what Kimmel and company forgot in their cruel glee is that Spencer doesn't need a U-Haul to move. Why? Oh, yeah...

 

 

Oh right, the thing that prompted Pratt to get involved in local politics in the first place - he lost his home in the Palisades Fire! It wasn't that long ago, Jimmy. Nobody local has forgotten about it. It hasn't faded into the past. Heck, there's a family who lost their home in the Palisades now living just a couple doors down from my apartment. They're all over the place. And Jimmy Kimmel thought it was acceptable to poke fun at these victims. I wonder if he'd volunteer to provide U-Haul's for the other 6,836 families that lost their homes. Also, twelve people died in this fire. I'm sure Jimmy will eventually get around to making them fodder for his "comedy".  Maybe his staff could mockingly decorate some hearses for them.

 

Honestly, if I ran ABC, I'd yank him off the air for this and not let him back on until he made a sincere, on-camera apology. The 2025 Palisades and Altadena fires and the lack of rebuilding support has traumatized not just the victims in those communities, but all of Los Angeles and it's not a wound that's going to heal anytime soon. Kimmel's mockery of a victim of this is just disgusting.

 

Full California Post article is here.

Famous (and not so famous) idiots in the news

Hollywood people are so full of themselves.

 

Andrew Garfield - Dude, relax. No one in the real world cares what you watch. Watch something, don't watch it, we don't care. It doesn't affect us. It's yours. We have ours. The whole reason for this story is he doesn't want to be canceled in the industry for watching something by an author that the so-called tolerant industry hate right now because she won't walk in lockstep with their beliefs and won't be silenced. Which leads us to...

 

Josh Duhamel - "Because I respect their views on things but I'm not going to preach to them." Holy moly, this guy gets it. But wait, there's more! "They can believe what they want to believe. I'm just here to, you know, make cool stuff." Nailed it, but I wonder how much of a backlash he's going to get within the industry for not sticking to the script. 

 

Going back to Garfield, referring to J.K. Rowling - author of the Harry Potter series and one of the most successful authors in the world - as "she who shall remain nameless" isn't as clever as he thinks it is. How about this take, Andrew: Are you not saying her name because of her opinions on certain topics (which, whether or not you agree, she's entitled to have)? Or are you belittling a woman? Are you a misogynist? Down with your patriarchy! 

 

Or are you dismissing the writer as beneath you because you're a big Hollywood star and don't have to acknowledge the little people? Are writers just schmucks with Underwoods to you, big shot?

 

Also, did Hollywood ever give back the billions of dollars they made off Rowling's creations? Come on, show up how outraged you really are about her opinions and cleanse yourself of her filthy money! 

 

Laura Benanti (Who? Yeah, me too) makes an ass of herself when a group of teen theater kids didn't recognize her on a plane flight. Apparently she's trying to walk it back as down to earth self-mocking, but if she's such a great actress wouldn't that have come across in the first place? In her defense, she's a successful (if not recognizable) actress, with tons of credits and a Tony Award. Unfortunately, it's now her performance as a big shot who gets pissy over not being hailed by the little people is what a whole lot of people find the most memorable.

  

There have been a lot of memorable responses to the original video, but this was my favorite:

 

Okay, Sophie - Challenge accepted?

I marvel that Sophie has made it to the age of twenty, then this pops up:

 

 

You can read all about thirty year old Flossie here. 

 

All joking aside, I honestly don't think for a second that Sophie has another ten years on her. I'm just grateful that at her age, she has the quality of life that she does. Other than being much thinner than in her earlier years, she's pretty much the same Sophie as always. She's still strong enough to jump up on my bed and my desk, so she's still got enough strength to carry on.

 

Oh, and there's also this from the same article:

 

 

Thirty-eight? Holy cats!

 

Only time will tell how Sophie does in comparison to Flossie and Creme Puff. In the meantime, I'll appreciate every day she does have.

 

 

And the Oscar goes to...

Belated news as this week was finals week of English 2 for me, so I haven't weighed in on this yet. But as of 4pm today, my fall semester final essay was submitted and another semester in the books! I am free of school assignments until Spring semester begins in mid-February! And so now, da entertainment industry newz.

 

An oldie but goodie from I Can Has Cheezburger. Remember them?

 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was apparently thrilled to announce that YouTube will be airing the Oscars beginning in 2029.

 

Oscar on the move image snicked from here.

 

The contract runs through 2033. 

 

Time will tell if this is a win. ABC has aired the Oscars for decades and viewership has dropped dramatically over the years as Hollywood holds less and less sway over the masses. It will be interesting to see if YouTube can reignite interest in the ceremony or if they inherited an albatross that ABC will be glad to be rid of.

 

October Words of Wisdom

When the tyrant dies his rule is over. When the martyr dies, his rule has just begun. --Soren Kierkegaard

 

Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured? --Friedrich Nietzsche 

 

Find a secret place and be unreachable! And then, in the silence of solitude, the things you can not reach in the clouds will meet you there. --Mehmet Murat Ildan

 

September Words of Wisdom

Rough month.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. --Isaac Asimov

You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea. --Sophocles

When a hero stumbles, well, the cowards rejoice. Nothing feels better to a coward than to watch a brave guy fall. These cowards rejoice, for they don't know what greatness looks like. --Dave Chappelle

You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad. --Aldous Huxley

 

It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. --Epictetus

 

Life did its best to break you, now didn't it? But all it did was awaken a beast it should have left sleeping. --Lisa M. Lilith 

 

Nope...not today. No one is fucking with her positive vibes. She's vibrating on a higher frequency. --Rosalyn (Her Soul Unraveled on FB) 

  

May Words of Wisdom

The longer I live, the more convinced I am that this planet is used by other planets as a lunatic asylum. --George Bernard Shaw (I know I've posted this one before, but it bears repeating, so...)

 

Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything in life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. --Steve Jobs

 

I began to understand that suffering and disappointment and melancholy are there not to vex us or cheapen us or deprive us of our dignity but to mature and transfigure us. --Herman Hesse

 

The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think. --Aristotle

 

If you are ruled by mind, you are a king; if by body, a slave. --Cato the Elder 

 

Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent. --Adam Smith

 

 

Royal Pains: This time it's personal

Like many people I've watched the truly impressive train wreck that has been the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Show in the years since they split with the British royal family with a litany of complaints about the unfairness of their royal, privileged lives. I've previously blogged my feelings and observations here, here, and here.

 

Since then, they've had one fiasco after another. I don't need to get into all of them, but here's just a few examples: A failed podcast, a failed launch of a line of lifestyle products, a failed polo show, a much derided trailer for an upcoming cooking and lifestyle show that nobody asked for, a faked Princess Diana-style dangerous car chase, as well as numerous personal appearances that reeked of a desperate need for attention and fell flat every time.

Then, the other day, they showed up at the site of the recent and absolutely devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena. You know, to raise awareness in case there's anyone left who is unaware of the fiery hellscape that has been Los Angeles the past couple of weeks.

 

They spent all of 17 minutes making an appearance to show their concern (with cameras in tow, of course) before going out on a brief tour of burned out parts of Altadena that actual residents have not been allowed into yet (with cameras in tow, of course).

Residents haven't even been allowed back in yet (I know because I know one of them) yet these two idiots are allowed in to tramp all over the wreckage of countless lives so they can "assess" the need. You know who didn't need to personally "assess" the need with a camera crew in tow? These idiots. Thousands of Angelenos began donating food, water, clothing, and money before the fires were even out. We didn't need their royal lownesses to bring this need to our attention.

How do you think it made the victims feel that their tragedy was turned into a D-list celebrity photo op? I know I'd be livid if these self-important twits were walking through the wreckage of my former home, possibly damaging or destroying what little is left to salvage.

Also, I partially blame Victor Gordo, the mayor of Pasadena, who conducted the tour. Really, should he be wasting his time with this crap, giving celebs a tour of the carnage? You can't tell me he doesn't have more pressing issues at the moment. He should have told them to piss off and find a way to actually make themselves useful.

Then, Justine Bateman got on social media and rightfully ripped them as ambulance chasers and disaster tourists, and called their photo op repulsive. Check, check, and check. And then Meghan doubled down by showing up at a collection center the next day to hand out some more useless hugs and get more photo ops.

 

A number of celebrities have been shown helping out in a variety of ways, but they've actually been helping out, not "making an appearance" (with cameras in tow, of course).

Repulsive is right. As an Angeleno (who is fortunately not in a fire area) I find it ghoulish that they're exploiting this tragedy, something that will take us years to recover from. It's been mind-boggling how everything Harry and Meghan have touched since leaving the British Royal Family turns to shit, but just when you think they can't sink any lower, they prove me wrong. I wonder how much public mockery (and they're getting a lot of it, not just from Justine) it will take to get their useless selves out of the public eye, but apparently we haven't reached that rock-bottom yet. But I hope it's soon. It's one thing to make yourself look ridiculous trying to be a big-shot producer when you have no creativity or talent to offer, but it's another thing entirely to exploit victims of a tragedy the way they have with Altadena. 

Too bad we can't deport them back to England, but I don't think the Brits want them back.

Apocalyptic Now

The view from my balcony late yesterday afternoon. I'm about 9-10 miles south of the Pacific Palisades fire, where this smoke is coming from:

 

 This morning:

About what I was expecting. Our air is brown. If I have to go out, I'll be digging out a mask from the COVID days. Also, the wind is kicking up again, which is bad.

I'm fortunate to not be in any of the fire areas, but it was terrifying and depressing to watch one fire after another crop up and explode yesterday and into the evening. One started in Eaton Canyon above Arcadia and wreaked havoc on Pasadena and surrounding areas. The Palisades fire has wiped out almost the entire town then headed into Malibu and apparently has destroyed blocks of homes on Pacific Coast Highway right on the beach as well as a number of venerable businesses including the Reel Inn and Malibu Feed Bin. It's also caused evacuations in north Santa Monica.

I've also heard there have been two fatalities, but considering how fast these fires spread, I won't be surprised if there are many more.

There's already been discussions online about how our state and local governments have handled water resources, forestry management, and budget cuts to local fire departments, but there will be plenty of time to examine that later. I'm sure there's plenty of blame to go around, and even with the catastrophic winds, I'm guessing that better management and funding of resources may not have prevented the fires themselves from spreading, but I'm thinking it didn't have to be this absolute carnage. I can't even bring myself to pull pictures and video for this post. When all is said and done, this is going to be destruction of historic proportions, and I feel so awful when I think of the thousands of people who have lost their homes and businesses. I don't know how much more people can take.

 

Updated 1/10/25: Just found out a friend lost her house in Altadena because of the Eaton Fire. This is just so brutal and awful.

Public Domain Day strikes again

January 1 has become a double holiday for creatives. In addition to welcoming a new year, it is also now recognized as the day copyrighted works are welcomed into the public domain. That's right - January 1 is Public Domain Day. 

Several classic animated characters and shorts have just hit the public domain. Post-Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse (now talking and clad in his familiar white gloves), Popeye, and Tintin are now fair game, as are the first Silly Symphonies, including the classic The Skeleton Dance. 

 

Some major novels are now in the public domain: The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner), A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway), The Maltese Falcon (Dashiell Hammett), A Room of One's Own (Virginia Woolf), Seven Dials Mystery (Agatha Christie), The Roman Hat Mystery (Ellery Queen's debut), and the first English translation of All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque).

 

Among the films now in the public domain are The Marx Brothers' debut The Cocoanuts, Best Picture Winner The Broadway Melody, Pandora's Box (directed by G.W. Pabst, starring Louise Brooks), Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock's first talkie), The Wild Party (Clara Bow's first talkie), and Hallelujah, one of the first major studio films with an all-black cast (directed by King Vidor).

Some classic songs and musical compositions hit the public domain yesterday: Singin' in the Rain, Ain't Misbehavin', Happy Days are Here Again, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, An American in Paris, and Bolero. Actual recordings now up for grabs are California Here I Come (Al Jolson), Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin), and Shreveport Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton).

In addition to the above, there are also poetry and artwork losing their copyrights. A comprehensive list can be found at Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, and be sure to scroll down to the section where they discuss the importance of the public domain. You may or may not agree with their point of view, but they still make some compelling arguments for the release of works to anyone who wants to use them.

Susan Smith denied parole

Hard to believe, but it's been thirty years since Susan Smith was convicted for the murder of her two young sons in 1994. This week she was eligible for parole for the first time and was denied. Good.

 

I've seen footage of Susan at her hearing and I have to say it gave me flashbacks to her performances at the time of the crime. The non-existent tears (you'd think she'd have figured out how to work up actual tears by now), the self-pity, the apparent lack of true remorse for her actions. She just wants out of prison. She claims to be Christian now and while I have my doubts, that's between her and God. But it was tough to listen to her state that God forgave her for her actions and she hoped the parole board would feel the same way. I mean, it's like nothing's changed. Thirty years in prison and she's the same person who offed her kids in the hope that the rich guy in town would marry her and solve her money problems.

 

"Tearful."

One of the things that really sticks in my mind during that period is finding out not only that she had been arrested for murder, but had admitted to it. I worked at an office in West Los Angeles and that day was a co-worker's birthday, so a bunch of us took her to lunch, and that lunch ran long. We finally got back to the office and shortly thereafter the news broke, and what I remember most is how angry everyone was. We had a lot of young (20's-30's) women in the office and a number of them had very young children, and none of us could fathom how someone could do that to her own children. People were pissed, and it wasn't just us - that was the prevailing response to the horrible news of what Smith had done to her sons.

I don't know what she thought would happen after she let that car, with her children strapped into the back seat, roll into John D. Long Lake. My guess is that she thought everyone would feel sorry for her, especially (hopefully) the guy she'd been dating who'd broken off with her because he didn't want the baggage of someone else's children (my guess - there were other issues and that was a convenient excuse). Some time would pass and eventually the car would be found, and everyone would assume that the "carjacker" dumped it in the lake. More time would pass and the crime would just go unsolved. In the meantime she'd marry rich guy and live it up. The worst part of that scenario is if someone had been arrested and tried for the non-existent crime. Given Smith's sociopathy, I could see her playing along and having an innocent man convicted figuring it would get her off the hook. I could see her doing that. What a terrifying thought.

David Smith, the boys' father, showed up to argue against her release. His wife and daughter also spoke, as did the prosecutor at the time of the crime and the current prosecutor. One of the hardest things about listening to them was when David pointed out that thirty years only amounted to fifteen years per child. 

 

Unless she does a complete 180 at some point, I don't think she's ever getting paroled. I think she was delusional to think she'd be released the first time she was eligible, given the heinousness and notoriety of her crimes. Smith will now be able to apply for parole every two years, but hopefully she'll continue to rot in prison for the rest of her life.

Little angels.

I feel a low-budget horror film coming on

Headlines!

Police hunt 42 monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina research facility.

All together now: What could possibly go wrong?

As a writer, this is my answer: Everything and more!

Let's dissect this article writer-style, shall we? Bold mine.

A police search is underway after 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina on Wednesday night.

Police in Yemassee, Beaufort County, said the Rhesus macaque primates escaped from Alpha Genesis, a business that provides "nonhuman primate products and bio-research services," according to its website. 

 

Uh-huh. So, research animals. Check!

The monkeys were a group of "very young females" that have never been used for testing. An Alpha Genesis spokesperson confirmed to police that the animals "are too young to carry disease," according to police statement.

 

So they do primate "research services", aka testing, but 43 animals are living there rent-free without having been subject to any testing. And as far as being "too young to carry disease", we vaccinate infants. 

 

But denial of danger to the public is typical of the people in charge of the danger, and this will definitely come back to bite the spokesperson in the ass as anyone who's ever seen a movie like this knows, so...check!

"Alpha Genesis currently have eyes on the primates and are working to entice them with food," police said Thursday afternoon.

 

In other words, we got nothing. We don't control them and are hoping they get hungry enough to be dumb enough to be captured. Great plan right there. The comedic breather before the upcoming carnage. Check.

Traps have also been set up and officers are using thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to recapture the animals, police said.

 

Cue the scene where an officer is scoping out a monkey via thermal imaging, only to have another killer monkey sneak up on him and attack, dispatching him in a most gory fashion. AKA, The "Clever girl!" scene. Check!

“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” Yemassee Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. 

 

Primates are smart in real life, and they're even smarter in movies. Either way you know they'll find the one point of entry you forgot to secure. Check!

 

Anyone who finds a monkey should not interact with it but instead call 911, it said. 

 

No shit, Sherlock! But for the sake of playing along, we'll have the idiot character who doesn't know the difference between domesticated pets and wild animals, only to learn the hard way he's wrong. Or it could be some chick from PETA who is just so sure she can communicate with her sister primates, who stupidly thinks that they'll understand her and bond with her, giving her the opportunity to save the day....only to learn the hard way she's wrong. But we know what happens to both of these characters - they get ripped to shreds. Lots of screaming and blood. Check!

Alpha Genesis did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from NBC News.

 

Evil, mad scientists stonewalling the noble media. Check!

The company secured a federal contract to run a colony of 3,500 monkeys on Morgan Island off the coast of South Carolina, also known as Monkey Island. 

 

And there's your title: Monkey Island. Also, THREE THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED MONKEYS??? Who thought this was a good idea. Damn, you couldn't pay me enough to work on that island.

The Post and Courier newspaper in Beaufort County reported that primate escapes have happened several times before in the area, including in May this year, and in 2016 when 19 evaded security at Alpha Genesis before they were recaptured six hours later.

In 2022, three monkeys escaped following a traffic accident in rural Pennsylvania.

 

So it's happened before? Have you learned nothing from the previous escapes? Of course not. They never do.

 

Outbreak, anyone?

Old school rescue story

I went to North Carolina several times in the 2010's (Writers' Police Academy in the Piedmont Triad area and Bouchercon Raleigh). It's a beautiful place with wonderful, down-to-earth people. When I was there California was still in a drought and I was blown away by how green everything was in NC. Trees everywhere. I just fell in love with the place.

 

Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown NC. Former home of Writers' Police Academy.

 

So seeing the horrifying images of the destruction of Western NC and the decimated small mountain communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene has been heartbreaking. It's Katrina-esque. I remember seeing pictures of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and wondering how you even begin to recover from that. NOLA did it and hopefully North Carolina can too, but I'm hearing a lot of unpleasant stories online about the lack of government response to Western NC so far.

But it's like the story told by Fred Rogers - when he was a child and there was a catastrophic event, his mother would tell him to look for and focus on "the helpers". There would always be people stepping up to help. And it's still true. A number of non-governmental organizations immediately stepped up to help out.

In addition to the always dependable Cajun Navy (you can help them out here) a unique group is helping bring supplies to remote areas that have been cut off due to the destruction of the few roads leading in and out of their communities: Mountain Mule Packer Ranch is delivering relief the old-fashioned way.

I've seen a lot of stories of people trying to reach victims cut off from assistance due to the storm, but this one just blew me away. Pack mules. In 2024. Political leaders are nowhere to be seen, but these guys show up with their mules and get the job done. This part of the article especially got to me:

Sarah Haynie had fled her home in Swannanoa to reach her parents in Black Mountain. She was outside with her family, surrounded by downed limbs and debris, when a member of the Cajun Navy 2016 approached. “They walked up through the trees that had fallen over our driveway and asked if we needed food or water. And then they saw my two boys,” Haynie says. The volunteers returned with a chainsaw to start clearing the downed trees, and stuffed bears for each child.

 

“My boys lost all of their toys in the flood, we lost everything,” Haynie says. “The only thing they have are the clothes that they left in.” The volunteers handed Haynie $40 in cash, bottled water, and bags of food. “He told me he noticed our spot up on Ruth Street because his grandmother’s name was Ruth. As he was leaving, he had tears in his eyes and said, ‘This one’s for grandma.’”

 

Forget politicians. They don't care about the common man. But our fellow common men...they're the ones who show up when needed, and they don't do it for votes or photo ops. As appalled as I am about some of the things I'm hearing about lack of official action, I am heartened by the non-official action.

 

An awful day in the world of hockey

Johnny Gaudreau of the Columbus Blue Jackets and his brother Matthew were killed while cycling yesterday. Gaudreau, 31, leaves behind a wife and two young children. I read somewhere that Matthew, 29, leaves behind a pregnant wife.

As if all that wasn't enough, today - the day after their deaths - was supposed to be the wedding of their sister. Apparently the wedding was cancelled, understandably.

Oh, and it gets worse. Reports are that the vehicle that struck them as they biked was driven by a drunk driver. So this could have all been avoided.

 

Like many others horrified by the news, I can't help thinking of the utter devastation that has hit this family. It's Shakespearean in scope. Today and this weekend should have been a joyous family celebration, but instead they're planning the funerals of two young men senselessly lost. This family has lost two sons/brothers, two wives have been widowed, at least three children have been deprived of their fathers, and a young couple's marriage will always have the shadow of her brothers' deaths attached to it. I don't know how, as a family, you survive something like this.

Full report on NHL.com.

And this story got even more brutal: Johnny Gaudreau's wife is nine weeks pregnant.

End of an era

Just when you thought the Los Angeles Times couldn't become more of a shell of its former self we get this news: Legendary sportswriter Helene Elliott is leaving the Times after 34+ years on the beat.

Although she covered a number of sports, Elliott, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, is probably best known for her L.A. Kings coverage. She will be missed by L.A. sports fans.

I hope she made bank on the buyout.

My version of Super Bowl Sunday

Not a football fan. Not a fan of crooked politicians (yeah, I know it's redundant) either. The difference is that the entire country isn't supposed to lose.

Holy donkeyballs, Weatherman!!!

A couple days ago I checked out the forecast and saw that we had another storm coming through. It was due to start next Wednesday and run through Sunday. I just looked at it again and holy moly:

 

Nine straight days of rain? Keep in mind this is as far as the forecast shows - I have no idea if Thursday, February 8 is the last day of the storm or if it's going to go even beyond that.

I know Southern Californians are big babies when it comes to weather, especially compared to places that get things like hurricanes, tornadoes, snow, and freezing temperatures - we are spoiled in that respect - but this is going to be bonkers. 

 

Given the crazy crap going on in this world, I can't say I'd blame him.

Think I'll stock up when I go shopping tomorrow so I can hunker down for a while. Just in case.