Headed Down South

 to the land of the pines

And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road
Pray to God I see headlights

I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight ( Ketch Secor - Bob Dylan)

I had a very difficult few days in the Garden State.......highs and lows.......Track was an amazing reunion/celebration day.......perfect weather, great turnout and cold beer.....it was the highlight of my trip.........sadly my days in the office were marred by NJ Transit........a total nightmare...and i won't bore you.........Amtrak was a disaster both going and coming.....and i was so rattled and frazzled that i left  a day earlier than planned.....skipped Alexandria and rode the train for 14 straight hours to Raleigh.......I had to get on the right side of the Mason Dixon.....spent the night in a hotel downtown, went out for a few drinks in Wolfpack Territory and tried to unwind.......the following day at sunrise i found myself in a $300 uber desperately trying to reach home base at Capt Archies before they opened at 11:00 a.m. ....one the way out of town the above song came on the stereo.....i had no idea that Bob Dylan wrote the chorus for Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid soundtrack and received a co writing credit........the version by Old Crow Medicine Show is both beautiful and haunting and it summed up my trip........it remined me of the time i was leaving  Dublin in 92....and Dirty Old town came on the radio......it was defining moment for me.....the my life was in flux and a state of change....the haunting sound of Shane McGowan was powerful.....a song that has stayed with me to this day.......but i digress.........as i rolled out of Raleigh i embraced the fact that I am a Southerner Now....this is my home....my safe space...the place i want to be.....and i love it......i take it all in and i am enjoying myself........BayRidge and Little Silver were great to me....and i loved my time there.....but this now is what i am all about....and i am grateful to be livin the dream......I will be back to Raleigh someday soon.

2+3= GRITTS

And I gotta get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name
And I know that she's the only one
And if I die in Raleigh
At least I will die free

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama anyway you feel
Hey mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a south-bound train

Hey mama rock me 

Good old Randy Newman

 No one likes us-I don't know why

We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us

We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too

Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me

They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now

The ice age is coming

 The suns zooming in,

Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin,

Engines stop running, but I have no fear. (the Clash)

There is a force that is uniting to disrupt my pilgrimage to the North, train delays, heat restrictions, tornadoes, power outages and credit cards being declined…..the last acts of desperation……but alas I shall overcome.

2+3=armegeddon

I LIVE BY THE RIVER 

a lot of people won't get no supper tonight

 A lot of people won't get no justice tonight

The battle
Is getting harder
In this iration
Armagideon time ( The Clash)

it almost makes you think of Blazin saddles , the classic response when Sheriff Bart tells the town folk " can't you see this is the last act of a desperate man?"     ....to which Howard Johnson says " We don't care if it's the first act of Henry V, we're leaving"

the streets of the planet are in serious turmoil, but it is is starting to feel like this is a feather trying to stop a steel pendulum.....the good guys have the momentum and the return to some form of common sense and normalcy are inevitable.

Russia is killing itself off and going bankrupt by the day.....whenever the blood shed in the Ukraine stops they will be an empty shadow of their former selves.

Iran is getting ready to limp back to the negotiating table, but i think it's too late.....i think, hope and pray that Israel lands the knockout punch today.....take down the electric grid and bomb the oil fields.....let the people rise up and throw out the Religious regime once and for all. POTUS left the G-7 summit in Frogland early last night, he then told the 10 million citizens of Tehran to evacuate immediately....could be a ploy to force Iran to the table....but he doesn't really bluff when it comes to live and death......we'll see.

and on our shores the people have tuned out the media......the resistance is nothing more than a dating app for restless singles....go to a protest, meet a future boyfriend...put on an arab scarf and pretend you care about whatever is trending ........Gaza, Mexicans, lgbtqlmnop Alphabet community........their leaders are tired retreads......schumer, pelosi, amy wine garden have lost their steam, they are going through the motions....even they don't believe their rhetoric and nonsense.

I think these American protests are in fact the last acts of some very desperate people, and I think by Labor Day the world will be in a much better place, but what do i know, i'm just a doggie born with the gift of Gab.

i do know that 2+3=BEEER

Remember
To kick it over
No one will guide you
Through Armagideon time

All the early Roman Kings

 in the early, early morn’

Coming down the mountain, distributing the corn
Speeding through the forest, racing down the track
You try to get away, they drag you back
Tomorrow is Friday, we’ll see what it brings
Everybody’s talking ‘bout the early Roman Kings ( Dylan)

On this beautiful Flag Day we send Birthday greetings to King Don....(not Don King)

We Raise a Glass to Honor the Stanley Cup Champions of 1994.

We Salute the US Navy and Army as they celebrate their 250th anniversary

and we wait patiently for the Police, ICE and National Guard to crack some skulls on the streets of this Nation.

In case you missed it.... there are 1500 protests and One Magnificient Parade scheduled for this weekend. As our Commander in Chief celebrates his birthday, his military will donn their finest dress uniforms, roll out the latest weapons and strike up the Band and fly the colors of our great Nation. 

and thousands of illegal alien criminals will gather with self loathsome miscreant citizens of this nation to cry for Rapists, Murderers and Pedophiles....we have a crybaby loser culture in this nation.....when Biden won, when Spoonjiah won ....i wasn't happy......but i went to work everyday and still proceeded with my life.....i still gathered with friends and enjoyed cool refreshing glasses of Ale....i even went to weddings, parties and Thanksgiving dinner that i knew would be attended by liberals that voted for the other guy.....i didn't protest in Bryant Park......i funneled my discontent and energy into the Blog and made rational arguments against the demonrats.....occasionally my dog grabbed the keyboard and took some lowbrow racist jabs at the Indonesian Prince....but hey, obama ate dogs....so we're even.

But a large portion of our Society just can't function......they live in fear of some Wooly Mammoth Orange Beast that is going to do unthinkable things to them.....they relish in their fake victimhood.......like their party elders....Newsome , Padilla and all....they wish to be arrested and persecuted to validate their fears and to enjoy the avalanche of sympathy from their peers.....their just rewards are to wallow in the mire....they secretly pray for the Govt or someone to cancel their life so they have someone to blame for their own failure on the planet....it's so much easier to sit in Mommy's basement and lament that the system is rigged.....as opposed to stepping into the arena, taking a job and working hard to excel.......today I will drink beer in the Deep Dark Red South.....a Yankee in Captain Archie's Court....i will reward myself for my years of hard work , and i will patt myself on the back with each beer i drink.....and i won't laugh at the other side because that is what they probably want....but i will chuckle when i think of Henny Youngman....back when the jews in America were funny.

"She's a great cook...she made a meal fit for a King.....here King, here King"

PSA....next Saturday is the annual PC's BBQ at Monmouth Park.....look for the Sweater nite flag in the picnic area.

2+3=BEEER

If you see me coming and you’re standing there
Wave your handkerchief in the air
I ain’t dead yet, my bell still rings
I keep my fingers crossed like the early Roman Kings

come senators, congressmen

 Please heed the call

Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’   (Dylan)

but what if the senators are on the side of the rioters ?  what if the governor and his stooges are suing the Federal Govt to block the National Guard and the deployment of the Marine Corp to restore order ?

The battle outside on the streets of Los Angeles is for the soul of America, the battle is between those that believe in the union of a nation and maintaining our sovereignty......verse those that want open borders, no law enforcement, nomadic tribes that roam the globe and setup up tents wherever and whenever they want.....this front on the streets of LA will go a long way in determining which path America eventually takes. The people spoke in the last election....we can only hope that the people have the stomach to stay the course and support the dirty work that comes with reversing 4 years of a govt supported invasion.

it's hard to fathom, but somehow the demonrats are actually aligning themselves with Mexican flag waving thugs, the car & US Flag burners, the Soros hired agitators, the border crossing rapists, wife beaters and even murderers......AGAINST.........the Los Angeles Police, ICE , the National Guard and our military...........but in a twisted world at least they are taking a stand.....they are openly anarchists and socialists that wish to tear this society down.......i don't agree with them, but at least they are not hiding behind a rock.....the worst element in our society are the people that walk the tight rope.....you know them, they work in your building and live amongst us.......they denounce violence but defend mostly peaceful protesters....they claim to support ICE but don't want them in schools, prisons , court houses or sanctuary cities.....they don't like criminals but believe every Cartel member deserves due process......they dismiss the fact that these people broke the law to get into this country.....they want to overwhelm the courts so that nobody gets deported....because secretly they are the same as the anarchists, socialist communists....but they don't have the balls to stand with them....they have a caveat for everything.....they full smug in their own half & half horseshit....they think they are Better than Maga Nation and the Far Left....they are NOT......they are the weak kneed flip floppers that consistently change their vote against whichever party is in power because they are scared to chose a side.....they proclaim to be Independents but they are the reason the Dems and Republicans keep rotating in and out of the White House....a revolving door.......well it's time to make a decision and chose a side.....the choice cannot be any more clear than it is today in LA.

side note... all these chinese nationals being arrested for smuggling biological materials , roundworms, pathogens into the country have ties to the University of Michigan...it's time start asking the tough questions......."What Did Harbaugh know, and when did he know it ?" 

It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’

Just Got Paid today

 got me a pocket full of change (ZZ Top)

I was in a bar the other evening....ordered a burger...was having a delicous cold frosty beer and the band sarted warming up on the stage....it was 5:30 PM on a Thursday Night......and the music started at 6:00. The Band opened with ZZ Top Just got paid....and they were fantastic.....we stayed for a full set ...ate dinner....had 3 or m4 more beers and made it home before sunset........i thought to myself as i sat there drinking.....I think I'm HOME.

saw an interesting stat about the increased use of wegovy and other weight loss drugs by American teens....the reporter even mentioned the Obesity Epidemic...as if it was a chinese virus...Now i never received a grant from Harvard to do research ( my check was probably cut by that Oligarch Musk) but i have like most American males participated in the battle of the bulge......interestingly i found that when i spent a weekend on the couch watching sports, drinking a 30 pack and living off Chicken Delight and Wetsons Burgers that my waistline tended to expand.....and on those occasions that i found my way to the gym and sneak in a salad or two i managed to hold the line and even drop a pound or two.....go figure.......but why take personal responsibility for your actions when there is a govt funded shot for that ?

get ready ......a leaked report states that Pete Hegseth has instructed the Navy to rename the ship named after Harvey Milk & Cookies.....and the official announcement will come June 13th onboard the USS Constutution.....in the heart of Pride month......the left will scream , cry and throw a tantrum.......but like spoonjiah said...elections have consequences.......rumors say he is also looking into renaming the Ships named after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Thurgood Marshall and Harriet Tubman........this is all part of the reestablishing a Warrior Culture.......God Bless.....interestingly the last time a Navy ship was renamed was just a few years ago when the Biden orchestrated Congressional Committee went scorched earth stripping the names of anyone and anything to do with the Confederacy from ships, streets on bases or remaining statues........but that of course was just fine and dandy with the progressive left........yestedays pioneer is today's Hitler.

2+3=BEEER

I just got paid today
Got me a pocket full of change
Said, black sheep black
Do you got some wool?
Yes. I do, man. My bag is full
It's the root of evil and you know the rest
But it's way ahead of what's second best

Just like Crazy Otto

 just like Wolfman Jack,

Sittin plush with a royal flush, aces back to back.
Just like Mary Shelly, just like Frankenstein,
Clank your chains and count your change and try to walk the line. (Hunter-Garcia)

The brain is the strangest thing we own....hands down.......this morning i had a flashback out of the blue to circa 1971 and the first grade.........the teacher told us that we would be lining up in alphabetical order and going on a Class Trip to the Lavatory.........but my 6 year old brain heard Laboratory..........i was excited .....this was going to be the best day of first grade.......maybe we would do crazy experiments and play with smoking beakers...

well you can imagine my disappointment when we walked only a hundred feet to the huge corridor between the lower division and upper division........and there were two doors on either side of the gigantic wall......one for the girls and one for the boys......it was just a bathroom break.....no experiments...........as i stood there in line i could tell one of my classmates was equally annoyed by the colossal letdown......... separated in line by only Jimmy Mitchell and maybe Mike Nasta was my partner in crime Steve MCevoy........he turned around and complained to us..........." I Thought we were going to the Mad Scientist Lab to build a Frankenstein monster or something".....,,,i was relieved and probably elated that i wasn't the only mental patient who assumed they were taking first graders to a mad scientist lab on a random Tuesday.....but in hindsight perhaps i should have been alarmed that Mac and I were on the same page mentally at such a young age.........but it sure has made for some entertaining the theater the next 55 years or so.....

anyway.....i'm not sure where that memory came from.......but i must say that since i moved to SC....my mind has been digging these tidbits up more frequently......just a little different knowing you can't send a quick text and meet someone for an impromptu lunch......what lies below the surface of the brain is fascinating.....

Goodbye Mama and Papa
Goodbye Jack and Jill
The grass ain't greener
The wine ain't sweeter
Either side of the hill.

Gold will turn to Grey

 and youth will Fade away,

they'll never care about you 

when your Old & in the Way (D. Grisman)

true....BUT.....although we don't really care about sleepy joe biden perse .....we absolutely demand to know who was running the country the last 4 years.

It is not hyperbole to say that this is the greatest political scandal in the 249 years of this republic.....this was a non violent coup.....and the overtaking and hijacking of the oval office. Every bill and order that Joe Biden signed sb brought back under the microscope and HE should be forced to testify under oath if he signed it or not.......anything that was signed by auto pen should be null and void.......anything that wasn't signed in front of a TV or audience should be null and void.......and every other action sb revisited to determine if the POTUS made the decision or was the victim of elder abuse......more to come on this..........but for all the people like myself who railed and railed and railed that "This Guy" wasn't running the country and were dismissed as partisan MAGA nuts, or marginalized by conspiracy theory cracks.......I want an Apology.....because we were RIGHT......and we were the only ones paying attention.

today for the only the second time since 1990, I will miss the Spring Lake 5 (the first time was in the aftermath of Matteau, Matteau, Matteau in 1994)........i hope the torch of Bar A is carried .....i don't care if it's 49 degrees and or raining......those Beeers aren't going to drink themselves.....and still they remain the only true answer to that age old question.....what does 2 + 3 = 

When just a boy, he left his home
Thought he'd have the world on a string
Now the years have come and gone
Through the streets he walks alone
Like the old dog gone astray, he's just old and in the way

Fling you out into orbit

 No one's going to hear you shout

And fools aren't going to follow
You don't need to sleaze about (Jagger/Richards)

it's like watching a building implosion in slow motion.....Pelosi, Biden and Schumer.......people that rose to the top of their fields with double talk and the gift of gab.....wordsmiths that could debate for hours...turn and twist opponents words and steer conversations in whichever direction suited them......now being undone by their inability to Think Clearly and Articulate their evil thoughts.

Biden melted before the entire world last June and has never recovered.......he believes his own bullshiite.......he went on the view last week and insisted Kamala's campaign had 6 full months before the election to run their campaign......but the debate that ended his career occurred 4 months before the election , and it took a good 2 or 3 weeks of threats from Nancy before he announced he wasn't running......another week to 10 days before they burnt democracy to the ground and anointed Kamala as the nominee.......August 1st......or 3 months before the election.....do you think any of the hags on the view dared to correct him ? 

The other day the saddest sack on stage......Schmucky Schumer mustve woke from a nap, he looked disheveled....his shirt was partially untucked.....his hands unsteady.....he tried to tie the Quatar Jet offering to the confirmation of new judges....it made no sense......even for him.....but his eyes darted around the room looking for reassurance or applause.....but it never came.....the small group assembled for his Sunday press conference just took notes......and he looked like a lamb before the slaughter..........even Trump weighed in and said....."i'm not a doctor but it's easy to see something is wrong with Schumer"....he went on to joke that Schumer used to be a Jew , But NOW he's a Palestinian....

and this week he outdid himself......the day after Capn Crunch crashed the Mexican Navy into the Brooklyn Bridge......Schumer tried to link/Blame the crash on DOGE cuts to the Coast Guard......to which the Coast Guard immediately refuted/corrected such nonsensical claims as BS.

I just hope the voting public is paying attention and remembers this for years to come.

2+3=BEEEER

Sad, sad, sad
Mad, mad, mad
Sad, sad, sad
But you're gonna be fine

if you ever feel sorrow

 

for the deeds you have done
With no hope for tomorrow in the setting of the sun ( Peter Rowan)

hockey is just different....it's hard to explain......it just has to be witnessed and experienced.

Thursday night the Winnipeg Jets staved off elimination at home in game 5 against the Dallas Stars.

In the waning moments Jets Alternate Capt Mark Sheifele was being restrained by the lineman after a scrum and suddenly Jamie Benn of Dallas slipped in a left Jab to the face and dropped Sheifele to the ice....it was a dirty punch against an opponent that could not defend himself because he was being held by a referee..... Sheifele went nuts.....and tried desperately to get at Benn.........Benn was tossed fm the game and received a hefty fine.

On Friday Night Mark Sheifele's Dad Brad passed away suddenly at the age of 68..........On Saturday the Jets announced that Mark would play that night because he felt that is what his Dad would have wanted. During the playing of Oh Canada you could see the pain and grief on his face...

Mark scored the only Winnipeg goal of the game and gave them a 1-0 lease midway through the 2nd period...........in the final 15 seconds of a tied game the Stars Sam Steel  got a breakway......Sheifile made an incredible defensive play......he managed to poke the puck off the stick without making contact....but as he fell to the ice his shoulder made contact with Steels skate and he was called for tripping.

1:30 into Overtime the Stars scored the series ending goal with Mark Sheifile in the penalty box.......he was visibly  crushed......his teammates consoled him in the penalty box........during the traditional hand shake line the Stars all warmly greeted Sheifeli and offered condolonces......one player in particular hugged him for a long time.....the two players talked, hugged and patted each other on the backs for a full minute or two.......that player of course was Stars Captain Jamie Benn.

it's just a different sport......men of high character playing a childs game.

And the ocean is howling of things that might have been
And that last good morning sunrise will be the brightest you've ever
Seen

Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio

 our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you ( Paul Simon)

Garfunkels pal could have easily been talking about my Dog and this blog..........holy leave of absence batman......but we're back and we have plenty to say .

let's stay with beisbol for a moment since we were referencing Mr Coffee......Pete Rose is now eligible for the Hall of Fame.....Thanks to Donald Trump who mentioned back in January on Truth Social that Rose belonged in the Hall....but seriously.....the only discussion or debate centers around the Character Clause....is it a factor ? should it be a factor ? and what defines character from era to era ? are racist banned ? what about suspected racists or people who slipped up and had one racist episode ? 

Gambling was a major crime and offense back in the 1970's......hanging around known  gangsters in a club or a restaurant was enough to get a suspension or meeting with the Commissioner. Today every stadium in the league has a side deal with a casino offering live wagering on games in play. The league itself has sold its soul to Fan Duel, Creasers etc etc . .........players are left to the honor system and those they get caught betting on sports anyway get a slap on the wrist.

Pete Rose was arguably the best pure hitter to pick up a bat.........Pete Rose was hands down the most competitive player between the lines.......in a spring training game against the Yankees in 1963 (his rookie season).......Rose drew a base on balls in a meaningless exhibition game and dropped the bat and sprinted to first base.......to which career drinkers Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle commented " get a load of Charlie Hustle ".......and it stuck.

Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame...it is a shame it didn't happen when he was alive.....i will wait for the official induction and i am glad baseball fans get some closure........but i smell a rat.......i'll save it for another day.....but the cynic in me thinks is more about paving the road for the steroid era then it is about Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson.

How is it possible that NJ Transit Finally goes on strike .....and i MISSED it ? doesn't seem fair.....although truth be told.......i have been/and will continue  working remotely in the Palmetto state for the foreseeable future.....

On a very serious note.....the former head of the FBI took to social media to post a not so cryptic message about someone taking out the POTUS.......the attention starved loser that Jim Comey is /has become must be trying to drum up support for some new speeches or another book.....he posted a picture of a sign in the sand that said 8647.......as in 86 or get rid of President # 47........if you or I posted threats against Biden, Clinton, AOC, Schumer or whomever, we would have received a visit from the Feds and our jobs and livelihoods would be in jeopardy..Matteau walked a fine line on this blog and made sure to never, ever threaten anyone........the Feds better pay Comey a visit today .....put him in a cell with P Diddy and that Milwaukee Judge.....

anyway.....we are back online.........sorry for the absence......and remember 2+3=BEEER

We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files
We'd like to help you learn to help yourself
Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home

Derby Rant 2025

 if ever there was a year to listen to my predictions....this may be it......because truth be told i haven't watched a race since the Breeders and wasn't even sure who was in the field until yesterday......when i saw a comment on this blog requesting the RANT.......well i figured i owed it to my loyal following.

Now everybody knows that i ADMIRE DAYTONA and have had my share of bottomless Mimosa brunches at the LUXOR CAFE , and i was on my way there to meet NEOEQUOS and share one FINAL GAMBIT when a call came in about a FLYING MOHAWK on EAST AVENUE and BURNHAM SQUARE....it would be an insult to my chosen profession of JOURNALISM, not to mention my PUBLISHER; if i were to ignore such a story. I was a little late for the arraignment , thanks to bad directions from BAEZA or the SANDMAN as some people prefer to call him....but i still got there in time to hear that OWEN ALMIGHTY....aka the Judge, refused to RENDER JUDGEMENT on this COAL BATTLE......that despite the fact that .....i don't want to question the SOVEREIGNTY of this court , but there was CHUNK OF GOLD on the line here .....

and in this new era , where every legal resident of our great country has the opportunity to succeed , i'm praying for some CITIZEN BULL to have a TIZTASTIC 2:00 minutes and achieve that AMERICAN PROMISE............and if i still lived near the track that is how i would play it .

1) American Promise

2) Tiztastic ( a distant relative of Dermotts horse)

3) Citizen Bull

if anyone wants to throw in a $2 Triple BOX for me (1-5-14)......and a $1 straight Superfecta  3-2-6-5   I will settle up in a few months....

if the M/L Favorite Journalism wins, Trump will file an inquiry 

let my inspiration flow in token rhyme,

 suggesting rhythm

That will not forsake you, 'til my tale is told and done
While the firelight's aglow, strange shadows from the flames will grow
'Til things we've never seen will seem familiar (Hunter-Garcia)

greetings to all from the Palmetto state........one year ago today i was at a catastrophic low, thanks to nobody but myself......my own drunken antics jeopardized the future i had worked so hard for...i won't go into details, it wasn't a great story, in short i punched someone that desperately deserved it....but the Highlands PD did not agree.........well as stoics do, i lowered my head and got busy righting the ship....hired a very good $$$$ lawyer....i bought a wonderful bouquet of justice, ...i reestablished the finish line and this time i made it happen.........this morning as i type this i enjoy a cup of Java in a rental property 2 blocks from the beach....and next week i close on my future home......i owe it all to the critical life lesson i learned many, many moons ago.......2+3=BEEER

Inspiration, move me brightly, light the song with sense and color
Hold away despair, more than this I will not ask
Faced with mysteries dark and vast, statements just seem vain at last
Some rise, some fall, some climb, to get to Terrapin

Well

 I’m going back to Canada

On a journey through the past 

And I won’t be back till February comes

I’ll stay with you, if you stay with me 

Said the fiddler to the drunk 

And we’ll keep good time on a journey through the past…

All I am missing is Alvarez and the bottle of Jack and it would be just like the spring of 89

I just reached a place

 Where the willow don’t bend

There’s not much more to be said
It’s the top of the end  (Dylan)

40 years ago this coming June i took the biggest leap of my life......at the age of barely 20  i left my home and family and everything i knew to join the United States Navy........truth be told i was terrified by the fact that my life was not my own.....i was in fact property of the US Government.......4 months later that Govt sent me to deserted tropical island in the center of the Indian Ocean for 1 surreal year........12 straight months without a phone, live TV or realtime contact with the outside world.......i survived it all.....and then i lost my brother.....nothing could have prepared me for that and i would never be the same.....never shocked again.....that was the greatest shock of my life....from that point on i mentally prepared for everyone i knew to die......as soon as i heard someone was sick i began preparing for their death....not morbid......just refusing to be caught off guard ...it was a difficult lesson ....but my self defense system would serve me well....and the next 3 years i barely flinched when sent to the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean Sea,  North Atlantic, Cuba , you name it......90 days drug ops.....6 month cruise......crossing the Libyan Line of Death......unfazed..........

25 years ago i took a much smaller leap.........i left Brooklyn for good and moved to the open spaces of Monmouth County....closer to family but leaving all my friends......close to the Ocean, close to the racetrack, plenty of golf courses....but i had to commute to the city....and shortly after i arrived i was knocked out of my seat by the impact of a 767 hitting my building......the 2nd biggest shock of my life.....i went into defense mode and mentally shut down.....on my way home i thought about everyone i knew on the street and on the Cops or Fire and i assumed they had perished..as calls rolled in for the next two weeks i just accepted the horrible news as confirmation.........perhaps spurred on by those events a few more friends came over the Goethals and did enjoy a wonderful 25 year run and i never regretted my time in Little Silver.......great yard, great pets, many parties.

Next week i leap again......this one feels different as i prepare to retire from Wall St after the summer also......i may take a job bartending or the starter on a golf course just to stay busy ....who knows........but having turned 60 i am also putting up the defense system and i am very much aware that as i say goodbye to people....it could be the last time i see them...or the last time they see me..........not morbid....just realistic......i am excited to turn the page and see what lies ahead in the Palmetto state.........i will sit in my new yard with my faithful companion (Matteau Matteau Matteau) and we will  drink cold beer and listen to soothing sounds of the Grateful Dead and the piercing lyrics of Mr. Dylan......i will continue the Blog and hope to be back in time for Sweater Nite......but i know people make plans....and God sometimes has other ideas in mind..........stay safe....stay well.......hope to see you all down the road a spell

2+3=BEEER

Grandma said, “Boy, go and follow your heart
And you’ll be fine at the end of the line
All that’s gold isn’t meant to shine
Don’t you and your one true love ever part”
I been walkin’ the road
I been livin’ on the edge
Now, I’ve just got to go
Before I get to the ledge
So I’m going
I’m just going
I’m gone

hockey playoff predictions

 here we go 

In the East i see Chief Berubi solving the Maple leafs round 1 problems and defeating the Sens

The Panthers have little problems with Lightning

The Caps survive a young Montreal attack 

and my Hometown CANES easily handle the Devils

Out West......I think this is finally the year the JETS soar....but they will have to survive a first rd scare from the Blues.

Dallas will finally solve the Colorado puzzle

The Oilers will outlast the Kings

and Vegas puts the wild out to pasture......

second rd gets trickey 

as  much as i love Chief Berubi.......i think the leafs at their core lack guts and heart......and the Panthers have plenty to spare......sb a good series.....6 or even 7.....but FLA is the defending Champs...and they move ON

Canes are too young, fast and hungry for a Caps team that revovles around a 40 yr old........Go Canes Go 

as much as i love the heart of Winnipeg, i think Dallas may be on a mission........North Stars advance

Oilers are finding their way.....i think they make short order of the Vegas Knights......

Conf finals....where dreams go to die.....

Panthers make short order of my beloved Canes

and the Oilers outhit, outskate and outscore Dallas...

i see a rematch of Last Years Final.........and my prediction is

2+3=BEEER

we shall see.

Thrasher

 It was then I knew I'd had enough

Burned my credit card for fuel
Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand
With a one-way ticket to the land of truth
And my suitcase in my hand
How I lost my friends I still don't understand  (N. Young)

2+3=Sneaker Bomber Beers

You don't need no Gypsy

to tell you why
Ya can't let one precious day to slip by
Look inside yourself, and if you don't see what you want
Maybe sometimes then you don't

But leave your mind alone and just get high, oh yeah (G. Allman)

tonight we head to the worlds' most famous arena to see a tribute to one of the worlds greatest bands . it'a slice of apple pie with a jack daniels chaser.......the Brothers Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band....giddy up

But meanwhile, I ain't a-wastin' time no more

'Cause time goes by like pourin' rain, and much faster things

 

slippin and a slidin

 and playin dominoes....

Lefting and then Righting,
it's not a crime you know.
You gotta tell your story boy,
before it's time to go.  (N. Young)

are you ready for the country ?

because it's time to go 

2+3=Palmetto brewing Company BEEER

China Town

 Chasing that old dragon down

Madam Wong's
We play the blues with the curtains drawn
Sidewalks of white
While the L.A. sun beat out the night
Pounding brain
My last transmission down the drain ( John Hiatt)

this has sure felt like a spin on the Cyclone.... a roller coaster ride for the ages.....i have spent all my sideline money.....i'm all in on equities...and i am confident...ride the wave......don't sell......this summer will be a rocket ship straight up...

Captain Chaos may have pulled off his biggest victory...... while the media was losing their minds over what they perceived as a switch in policy or even Trump caving....the truth was far from that.

I too wondered why the Donn put Tariffs on Everybody....at first i too couldn't rationalize why he was tariffing goods from countries that we barely trade with or countries that have been our friends......and then i caught an interview with Jamie Dimon on Maria and it was like a lightning strike.

Mr. Dimon said what we all know....Tariffs HAD to be implemented , and the time was Now.....we could not sustain for much longer on our current path of increasing debt and widening trade gaps........he also said that the tariffs , if implemented correctly; would accomplish two things.......weaken China , BUT also strengthen our friends........and that's when it Hit me..........who are our Friends ??   Let's find out.

And so by casting the widest net......one big enough to encapsulate the entire free world (and some commies) we would be given the chance to SEE how everyone reacts in crisis.......talk is cheap.....anyone can vow to stand with you....but let's drop the gauntlet and see who really does.

In the 72 hours that followed many countries in Europe  and the Pacific were approached by China in an offer to form an alliance against US trade.......those that sided with China have exposed themselves for what they are....fair weather acquaintances .......and more importantly the likes of Australia and others told China to Fuk off........have demonstrated that they are true Allies....that is a friend.

And so as China further isolates itself from the world.....the USA has learnt a great deal about the rest of the world......Canada is a lil bitch that will eventually get bitch slapped.....but Japan and India accepted the tariffs as part of doing business and wish to reach deals with the USA....they did not waiver, they did not cry, they did not increase their already high tariffs......you can watch golf all day......you can read a library's worth of books on how to play golf........but until you have to put your BEEER down and hit that Driver .....you can't say that you can play golf........and now we know who can and will play.......and who just dresses like Tiger and never leaves the clubhouse.....

2+3=BEEER

When the master of disaster
Gets tangled in his Telecaster
He can't play it any faster
When he plays the blues
When he had the heart to ask her
And every note just shook the plaster
Now he's just a mean old bastard
When he plays the blues
Now he's just a mean old bastard
When he plays the blues

We used to play for Silver

 Now we play for life

One's for sport and one's for blood
At the point of a knife
Now the die is shaken
Now the die must fall
There ain't a winner in this game
Who don't go home with all
Not with all... (Hunter-Weir)

This is the fight of our lifetime......this is the fight for the future of our country....I wrongly assumed that everyone understood the premise......or at least everyone in my industry understood what this was really about......and then i found myself on a conference call with some naïve simpletons.....defeatists......crybaby loosers......people were actually arguing that the Administration should immediately drop all tariffs....so that things could go back to normal ........NORMAL ??

what was normal before January 20th ? the truth is that our country was in a death spiral.....since the end of WWII our country has been sold out by both sides of the aisle....the internal fight against American Exceptionalism began shortly after we ended with war in the pacific by dropping some calling cards on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.......driven by guilt or a self loathsome trait, we have propped up every other country on the planet at the expense of our own.....we have been and continue to be raped and ripped off in every trade deal....we have allowed our goods to be tariffed and we have refused to tariff incoming goods.......hey, we're rich....we can afford it......and the thieves of Wall Street hide behind the curtain of free trade.......and then for over a half century their insatiable greed forced publicly traded companies look everywhere else in the world to make their products cheaper and increase their profit margins....NIKE and others moved plants to viet nam , cambodia, thailand etc and paid pennies a day to workers, and raised the prices on their sneakers back home.........one isolated example ?  NO......a trend.....Hoover vacums moved to Mexico ....Big pharma went to Ireland....and on and on......to the point where very little is made at home and because of our unions and the costs of doing business , the products that are made at home cost significantly more......that is a strategic problem.........add in the fact that Washington DC ....both sides....have spent so much money that our debt is unsustainable .......we are a house of smoke and mirrors......we are the make believe Rock Ridge.......behind the facade of the Buildings there is Nothing there......we have, have, have to draw a true line in the sand.....gig in......and force the pendulum to swing back......this may be our last chance........Our enemies and allies look at Americans as being soft....unable or unwilling to engage in the long term battle.......ignore what they say publically...privately they are convinced that we the people will cave......we will toss out Trump and Vance in 3 years......and the Gravy train will start running again.....the good old days of paying for Europes wars in the Ukraine...and singlehandedly financing Nato will be back.......our tariffs will go away while their tariffs remain or even increase.......we will go back to paying enemies to like us..we will return to a foreign policy of appeasement......we will offer financial aid to nations that are thriving, while we drowned in debt.....do you think i am being overly dramatic ?  take a look at the protests on the campus of Columbia University....in broad daylight....under the watchful eye of the school administration; they are calling for the end of Western civilization values....they don't want a library upgrade or to change the school mascott....they want you and me burned at the stake.......wake the F up........it is critical for the future of the Republic that we do NOT cave.......this is not just a passing negotiation to get a slightly better deal....this has to be bigger.....we need to do our part......immediately stop buying anything from China........if you need a product, take the time to research, find and buy products made in the USA........Wall street is tricky, they like to hide the country of origin or us phrases like 100% assembled in the USA.......dig deeper....find the plant.....and only buy American....this may be our last chance.

as for the market.......we talked about this two weeks ago.....this really is the American Liberation......this remains a beautiful buying opportunity.....but even if you do not have the fortitude to BUY MORE like me......whatever you do........DON'T SELL in a down market.....i believe the long term future of America is so bright, we indeed gotta buy shades

2+3=American BEEER

 Gotta get to Tulsa

First train we can ride
Got to settle one old score
And one small point of pride...

Ain't no place a man can hide, Shannon
Keep him from the sun
Ain't no bed will give us rest now
You keep us on the run