New Normal – CDTalent Enterprises

*Driving five miles for coffee was rewarded (twice) by having better than regular java at FoCastle Farms with refills and super-cinnamon soft cake cider donuts.*

Enjoyed nephew’s Raleigh wedding and family time to the max Friday and Saturday, then high speed, point-to-point, 700+ miles Sunday in 100 degree heat driving north was affirming. Ten ‘As I Damn Well Please’ days of max mental health in NY, then 829 miles in 12 hours to stick the proverbial landing in Charlotte Thursday was Mission Accomplished stuff.

I made two timely decisions to stop for directions, then relied on incredible 35.4 mpg in my silver Sonata, Bullitt2, and dead reckoning navigation skills. #BoomerwithAttitude in 2024 is Eye-it and-fly-it.

Having promised myself nine holes of good swings (screw scoring), and played two balls all the way (from whites, several 440-plus) in breezy 86 degree sunshine, yay! for 5 wood and wedge work. Wouldn’t have tried playing in 97 heat in Charlotte. Saturday at racetrack was a qualified economic loss, but looking good every bit of the day-night, checking my casino luck-skill (+1200 last year) was a classic Yes! on skills.

Greatest unexpected positive was whacking tennis balls with brother David, now 64, in light sprinkle and fading light. Only hit a dozen or so, but seemed to have that nasty break on his serve right out of the closet. Can you believe it, a doctor suggested stressing his leg could help some necessary rebuilding of bone issue. It doesn’t get much better than that for a birthday gift, right?

Why should anyone care about my road trip? Personal JOY and mental health were the prime consideration, because there might be tense times in near future. I’m taking responsibility for my actions in pursuit of that joy, infringing on nobody else. I tipped one dealer $25 – a decent sharing if there’s rent and groceries, I’m just enjoying a little Life rush. My cards – tarot reading is hook to my books – indicated a Good Woman is supposed to be appearing, I’d appreciate that more than boxing a trifecta in next part of 2024.

Social Goodness plans for playing more tennis, that begins immediately. I’ll let you know about the serving part, my shoulder still sounds funny from bike accident in 2020.

Wednesday was definitely casino time

Even after hitting with David until 8:30 in the gloaming and sprinkle, Wednesday was definitely last casino time, went with a seersucker pearl-blue jacket, gray slacks, Bugachi blue-blue shirt, had same felt hat with $200 budget each time. Wound up driving to Schenectady three times, doubling my $$$ the last two. That’s not quite Olympian determination or success, but I appreciated having discipline to say, ‘$200 up, take the traveling cash and I quit’ after just 45 minutes.

*Yeah, a bathroom selfie instead of red silk boxers on a Texan with cigar, but I was glad to uphold Saratoga tradition-rep of looking good.*

Filling up my Social Goodness tank, bro and I enjoyed Wheatfields 1 lb. Lasagna and bright lights on Broadway post-races that Saturday. Hitting an exacta ($66) with favorite as #2 worked great for bankroll early, freed up betting through featured 11th, a $500k Grade 1 race. Losing voucher slip ($55) at end of day was one of few negatives on two week odyssey-road trip.

I never made it to Siro’s this year, always give it homage in my books. With all the fast driving, I smooshed a cone to avoid a collision at a rotary, so panel awry and $200 parking ticket at downtown location for wedding welcome night, I’d feel okay wishing anyone such a trouble free vacation.

Okay, the water pressure at Dave’s wasn’t that hot, but neither were daily temps, 10-12 degrees less than Charlotte and breezy, high 50s at night, windows open!

Picture of guy in red silk boxers, cowboy hat, cigar

A historic picture of LeSharque (checking as Romance writer name?) in red silk boxers and bow tie is now part of GShork’s Attitude 2024. Just FYI, the classy tuxedoed gent I’m referencing was supposed to be an artsy classic https://artincontext.org/roy-lichtenstein/ The ‘voice bubble’ over the cowboy hat, taped to some coat hanger and anchored with an ace bandage wrap, specifically addressing the red silk boxers, says “I’m so gal-durn rich, I bet nobody notices I’m wearing red silk boxers outside like I’m freaking Madonna.”

That’s some of the Attitude I’m copping at this point. I will not be cowering from any whoa-ho! post-Biden announcement fears after return from Saratoga. How I continue to keep an Etsy microeconomy and personal momentum going into Fall of ’24 is my short term focus. I got official notice about responsibility, and will train as first-time election precinct official (after 40 years as a voter), beginning in August. I’m refreshed and ready for this run to November.

Not sure how The Great Recession, COVID Pandemic, and now resisting *another* round of trump negatives will stack up with Brokaw’s ‘Greatest Generation’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation_(book) but there’s a magnitude of something coming next four months. If my post-Biden analogy-prediction of bloody heads popping in profusion in trump world like Season 3-4 of The Boys holds up, let Miller be in that scene. Just sayin’.

We’ll see how the Olympics roll for USA

The first election I voted was 1976, post Watergate. I always gave those Repubs who went to Nixon and said, “Nuh-uh, you can’t stay,” credit for reality and pride, doing right by the country and office. Nixon wouldn’t do about 10,000 of the things trump et al minions continue doing in service of The Big Huge Lie. These last two SCOTUS verdicts, wow! but Uncle Joe stepping down for the good of party and country, Legendary is the best word.

I’m chuckling out loud at Pubs demanding Speaker Johnson investigate whether the President lied about his cognitive powers after this. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/can-t-tell-the-truth-mike-johnson-caught-in-lie-about-joe-biden-s-health/ar-BB1qf0f5?ocid=BingNewsSerp Will the Olympics take all the air out of Repubs and news cycle, until they LEAVE EARLY, with a withering amount of financial bills to fix? Will that give Harris (+$200M raised in short period after change, direct link to Women’s support) an opportunity to showcase her leadership more than LeBron against South Sudan, or on boat for opening ceremonies?

Every group will get air time at convention, Biden’s age is no longer a question. Let’s admit, for several cycles the Dem’s haven’t been guilty of circular firing squads. Open convention or aligned on committed delegates is solid, the business-task at hand 100% known. Bigger deal than Olympics? Yeah, second won’t really count.

Like the US Men’s Olympic Super Team of NBA stars https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/wnba/us-mens-basketball-team-rolls-past-serbia-110-84-in-opening-game-at-the-paris-olympics/ar-BB1qMhIf?ocid=BingNewsSerp (oh my! KD 21 pts. on 8/8 shooting in first half), Biden, and now Harris, must continue proving *this* 2024 version of USA democracy is worthy of the hype and expectations, even after nailing an overall Greater Good promise, saving things that we’ve come to think of as New Normal in post-pandemic, not-elected trump world.

Ms. Biles is beyond spectacularly back, the USWNT put two excellent games together in soccer competition behind a new coach https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/the-story-behind-uswnt-s-coach-at-the-olympics-emma-hayes/ar-BB1qC4dK?ocid=BingNewsVerp, and Katie Ledecky is still Katie Ledecky, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XIC6O9P4WE with a 1:53.6 leg in 4x200m freestyle, but lots of medal-level activity in Paris won’t change immediate political challenges at home.

For the female boxer who quit her match with a ‘questionably gendered/previously suspended’ fighter whose punch was ‘far, far more painful than anything she had ever experienced,’ yes, you need to pick another sport.

Looks good from here, Blue!

I’ve never offered my clicker and face mask to anyone shouting that common comment, but I’m still the authority figure for this situation. Two sides of coaches-players: When you tell a player to move away from a potential situation, the correct Next is act of moving, never “I’m not in the way.” Coaches usually get that straightened out without extra hoo-ha.

“Why was that last pitch not a strike?” by the catcher clarified a long-running situation, where coaches had questioned *every*single*call* for two games as they came back through Losers bracket. “You need to turn around, and Coach,” I signaled, “you need to come here, because ten year olds wouldn’t have the stones to question an umpire about a pitch if you coaches hadn’t been d*cks for two games.

“Get all the coaches and buckets back in the dugout (they had 4-5), and if I hear anything more about X, you can watch this game from the parking lot,” was gist of my instructions. Getting specific about catchers trying to get sucker swings by setting up on outside corner – “It crosses the batters box line, I don’t care how good a catcher is about bringing it back, its NEVER going to be a strike,” is my mantra.

Not all catchers relate that fact to pitchers, who get frustrated post-move, seeing catchers glove in strike zone. Many pick up sand on low throws or even jump, then position glove dead center.

When I plant my foot so I can see plate and batters location to it, as catcher, you WILL need to set up closer. I’m grateful for shorter spaces between plate and backstop many places, too many passed balls with run-run-run scoring isn’t cool.

Coaching and Other Stuff

The coach who used ’22 years pitching in big leagues’ as credibility might be counting minor leagues too, but thinking he’s getting better pitching from a 10 year old arm by nibbling outside vs. getting it over plate so kids learn what strikes really look like, is flat wrong. Its also contrary to ‘get them to swing’ by calling strikes attitude we’re told to use. If a batter couldn’t reach it with a pole, I’m not calling your kid out.

Special bats – You hear an obvious difference in a sturdy ten year old’s PING! of 200-plus feet into trees and whatever is brought to the plate in less competitive leagues. If a kid ‘got all of it’ putting it over an outfielders head, thats not a Drop 5 level bat.

Curve balls – If you KNOW your pitcher’s got one, and you try telling him not to use it a lot because it WILL hurt young arms, that’s not going to work when he keeps getting people out with it. When a pitcher smiles and fiddles in their glove, you know their Special Pitch is coming.

On Fathers Day: More power to millions of Dad-coaches, who often started because of their kids, but keep things going over ten or twenty years. I smile every time I hear one say, “If there’s a passed ball, you should be here!”

Admitting I have NO respect for the coach who left his pitcher in for *8* runs in top of first (eventually 12-0 hole), actually saying, “Don’t look at me, I’m not taking you out.” What could possibly be on his mind? when they lost 15-11, humiliating a kid who couldn’t find the plate with Google Maps?

Its said the only person you can rely on is one dressed like you, but when every parent at a recreation league game thanks you for being there, man, that’s affirming! As long as little sisters have enough snacks, the American Family Experience that is Little League carries forward. For anyone who offers me a Gatorade on a 95 degree day like today, yay you!

After last years success at the Saratoga track and casino, my Blue paychecks are mad money for NY vacation in July, New Normal at its finest.