The thin blue line

Tomorrow I will get to beat on my wife, get drunk, push a Police Officer, yell at a Police Officer, fight with a Police Officer, and no matter what I say or do I get to go sleep in my own bed tomorrow night. OK, It won't be my real wife and it will be apple juice not beer, but they will be real Police Officers and I get to tell them off.

Lincoln Police Department domestic violence practicals begin tomorrow in Air park. A chance for me to take the best and worst scenarios I have seen or been a part of and give a dose to the young officers who are going to hit the street soon. It is actually a fun day, about fifteen veteran officers come up with sometimes easy, sometimes difficult situations, and recruit officers are graded on their performance handling and properly dealing with the parties involved. We get to bring props, they get their real uniforms with real police cars using real dispatchers, and they never get to know what they are dealing with until they knock on that door. The acting isn't the best, the bad guys have to give up easily, and sometimes we have to lob a slow pitch, just so they can knock it out of the park. Let me think what to start with? Mental Health patient who can hear bats all the time, Woman chokes man and has a gun, two roommates fight over a Pimp Juice cup. I don't know what I will start with, but unless some young rook uses unnecessary force against me, It will be a productive, enjoyable day.

Good Day

Earth day 2010

Anyone who has ever talked to me for more than ten minutes knows I am not a liberal. I am about as typical Nebraska conservative as you can get. Guns, religion, labor unions, you name your issue and I am going to side with the right. About the only view I have which may be middle of the road or left leaning is environment. I googled 'earth day 2010' before I started this blog to do some research, and have to agree with all of the steps they suggested;

-clean up your local park

-save energy whenever you can

-turn off lights

-plant a tree

-buy local

-use farmer's markets

After reading these I continued reading, and the website turned into a typical dirty hippie left leaning meat is murder the world is going to end because you drive a F150 instead of a Prius. Nice.

Me and my dad have planted over three hundred trees on my property. I recycle every week everything the local center will take. We buy our beef and pork from local farmers. I heat my house with corn. Yes real feed corn bought from the Coop in Firth, Ne. I drive a car that gets 40 miles to the gallon. I do everything I can to teach my fellas and baby girl to be good stewards of the earth, not because Al Gore says I have to, but because I want my sons and daughter to have beautiful places to take their sons and daughters hunting and fishing. And if you ever want to get pistol whipped, all you have to do is litter in front of me at a state park.

Good Day

Random thoughts on my day off

I need to get some fertilizer on that grass. I need to cut and burn some of that dead wood in the tree line. Call the banker. Nascar race at 11. Take in recycling. Water the new grass. Go over spelling words tonight with the boys. Dentist tomorrow. Pasta for dinner? Turkey hunting next weekend. Balance the checkbook. Call the rock guy. Tell the boys to clean their rooms when they get home. Call Dad. New cell phone, not yet. Wonder if Segur got that package in Afghanistan. Get dressed. Get Abby dressed. Brush Abby's hair. Ponytail, Yep. Garden? Maybe wait another week on that. Check the weather. Get the mail. Stop by the lake and see if the Carp are jumping. Mac and Cheese for lunch? Abby says 'yep'. Take my allergy meds cause I am sneezing. Mushroom hunting? Clean the kitchen. And most important 'get the hell off this computer and get some shit done.'

PEANUTS GET YOUR PEANUTS HEEEAAAA

This last Saturday I had the pleasure of going to a White Sox game with my brother in law, Jacob Cafaro, It was a beautiful Saturday game, the sun was shining, the beer was cold, and if you've never had a SuperComiskey Hot dog, that might be one you could put on your bucket list. The Sox almost pulled it off too, but no, a loss to the Twins 2-1. Jake and I talked about many things during the afternoon but our main topic was work, and future jobs as Jake is going to be looking for a new job this summer. He even asked my advice on going to work for the Federal Government, specifically military. I gave him the pros and cons from my days in the Corps, then we started talking about the possibilities both of us could have done with our lives.
During the day I played a game in my mind I haven't done since I was a kid. I would watch one person while they were working and try to imagine myself as that person and how my day would have gone. I saw my life as a Major League baseball player making millions of dollars living in luxury, I saw myself as a parking lot attendant making ten bucks an hour trying to survive in a very expensive city. I saw myself as the Official Organist of the White Sox getting forty thousand people (most of whom would never dare sing at a Karaoke) to all belt out 'take me out to the ball game.'
Now don't get me wrong I strongly believe I have a good job and a great family. I wouldn't change what I do or who I am. But for one day wouldn't it be cool as hell to just yell 'peanuts' and watch a ball game and get paid.
Good Day