Things I Know

While admitting he didn’t understand it, Prince Harry the other day called the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution “Bonkers.”  This prompted Sean Hannity to go on TV attacking the prince and defending the first amendment.  Hannity didn’t admit it, but based on what he reportedly said, he doesn’t seem to understand it either.

A letter came in the mail on Saturday, as letters sometimes do.  This one was from a local car dealer and promised me that it could put me in a new vehicle and at the same time reduce my monthly payment.  I do own a vehicle that dealer sells, but I bought it 11 years ago, and I paid cash.  I must confess this has me wondering just how much lower he can make my monthly payment.

Is anyone else here watching the Smithsonian Channel’s series about the Tower of London? It’s of particular interest to my wife and me because one of the people they feature on the show is Yeoman Warder Chris Skaife, who guided our tour of the Tower when we visited 7 years ago this month. He’s in charge of the Tower’s ravens. That’s important because according to legend, if there are no ravens at the tower, the monarchy will fall. His official title is Raven Master, but when we took our tour with him in 2014, he called himself the raven lunatic.

I hate when that happens. I called a doctor’s office during the scheduled office hours to make an appointment and got a recorded message asking me to call during normal business hours.

It’s just a guess on my part, but it seems likely to me that some or all of the unfavorable stories surfacing recently about Bill Gates may be coming from his wife’s divorce attorneys.

Things I Know

I got my ticket, so I’m all set to win $345 Million in Mega Millions tonight.  I’m also all set to not win anything, and that’s much more likely. My plans for winning have not changed. If I do win, I’ll squander it.

For the first time in my life, I nicked a finger while slicing a bagel this morning.  Ouch!

I just got back from the dermatologist.  Sunshine isn’t good for you folks.  When I was a child, it was common practice for parents to make the kids stay out of the house for most of the day when the weather was nice in the summer.  Sunshine was supposed to give you vitamin D.  Maybe it does, but it gave me sunburn as a youth, and as an older man, all those sunburns have given me several skin cancers, so I go to the skin doctor twice a year for checkups.  He always finds pre-cancerous growths, and he did today.  He has found skin cancer in the past, but not today.  If your kids want to come inside in the summer, let them.

In PR speak, deflecting is answering the question you want to answer, rather than the question you were asked.  My wife should have been the PR person in my family, because she’s much better at deflecting than I am.  But I was once a reporter, so I’m quite aware when she does it. 

I was reminded this week about another PR skill she possesses.  When I went into the Army, I wrote my then girlfriend (now and for many years my wife), giving her my address.  Days later, I wrote to my mother, with the same information.  Mom called my girlfriend to tell her my address.  Saint Karen, who must be a saint to put up with me, thanked my mom and said she could now mail the letters she had already written to me.  One of the many ways she has saved my life over the years—Saint Karen didn’t tell my mom she already had my address, but had forgotten to call my mom with the information.

I don’t write much by hand anymore, so it’s kind of difficult to do it.  Muscle memory must be fading.  Apparently, I don’t type enough either, because I’m making and correcting a lot of errors doing that today as well.

Congratulate us.  My wife and I are fully vaccinated.  Pfizer, thank you.  Our daughter gets her second shot of Moderna tomorrow morning.

Saint Karen and I have been talking about where we’d like to go once we feel safe traveling.  She hasn’t come up with any answers yet, but I’d like to go to Hawaii.  And I’d like to spend at least a month in Florida during baseball’s Spring training season.

Talk to your insurance broker once in a while.  Sure, they may try to sell you more insurance, but the last two times I talked to mine, one of the employees there saved me money.  Right now, I’m anticipating a discount because I pay my premiums in full when due and don’t stretch them out for months and months.