Friday Filler – Sorry…But I’m Going There!

Thank Grog It’s Firday!

Man…another one of “those weeks,” when trying to keep track of time, and the time space continuum, and how to make more time, when you have too much to do.

It got weird this week, in that we recorded an “Addicts Live,” on Tuesday. But, we had to kind of pretend it was Saturday.  Which was weird enough.  But, at the very same time, Wookiee and his amazing spousal unit Heather were getting induced, to bring their newest family member into the world.  An amazing new son, who was “early,” but still cranked up the scales at 9 pounds!  So, being early, during a broadcast that was early, but airing later, and not being able to talk about it, almost broke my head!

It’s an amazing little family we have here.  It’s absolutely crazy that I first met Joe (Wookiee) and Alissa just a little over six years ago. Six years…damn. That is a long time to do anything, much less blog about a game that nobody thought would still be around. That breaks my head.

I love them. They are like kids, or nieces and nephews, or something(somehow I fit the “crazy uncle” better than a Dad for them). And Safi has been a wonderful addition…his “Ying” to my “Yang (although if you watch “Live” tomorrow, Safi goes DARK!).

I’ve now “been back to Addicts” for twice as long as I was gone. We don’t really talk about “the unpleasantness,” these days. It’s kind of like the South losing the Civil War. It happened. We are over it. Mostly.

Of course, as much as I love her, there is one thing about writing for this site, with “Alissa’s Rules,” that makes me a bit nuts. And yes…I’m going to “Go There.”

One of the primary rules on this site is “No Politics.”  It has served Alissa well, as she has been able to avoid the pitfalls almost every other public forum.  Almost everything these days ends up being political. You can’t talk with almost anyone for more than 20 minutes, without politics coming up.  Sometimes it is the ONLY 20 minutes you ever speak to someone.

The crazy thing is…as you may have figured out…I am very political. Politics has been part of my life since I was a teen.  In high school, I marched for civil rights, and against the war in Vietnam. In my adult life, as a marketing and broadcast consultant, I worked on countless campaigns, locally, regionally, and nationally. I have loads of opinions…and often find myself defending or defiling BOTH sides of the aisle.

But here…except for the occasionally buried zinger, I keep my politics to myself. I do it out of loyalty to Alissa. I do it because she has been extremely generous over the years with our work in Buyijja, Uganda.  And, I do it because “it be the rules, boy!”

It has actually served me well.  I have slowly, but surely, become apolitical and non-partisan. The fact is, at this point, I think I hate both parties equally. The political system is broken…and in many ways, a fool’s game. The world of broadcasting that I was once so much a part of, has become one of the problems.

But, I won’t go there.  Not here.

However, this week, last Sunday to be exact, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by someone I have mentored over the past few years. He is also a Patrick (but with a “K”), and he does a very local podcast, that came about by a conversation, and some random plans to do a podcast together, more than a year ago. I am a perfectionist, and wanted to do it “the broadcast way.”  He just wanted to do it…and learn as he went. In the end, he was right.

Oh. And he is also my barber. And he is also a pretty interesting Hip Hop artist, for whom I helped do some production on his last album.  He is interesting, funny, and driven to keep creating.  He reminds me of me…back in the day.

In fact, he asked a lot of questions that alluded to me “being old,” and was fascinated that a “Silly Game about the Simpsons” could have so much influence in fundraising for kids in Uganda, we will likely never meet. I talked about what amazing and generous readers we have. So yes…YOU ARE  IN IT!

Me (Patric) and Patrick (aka SelfEsteem Boat Willie)

What happened as the interview was looming, was that I realized that I needed to bring back an old friend in my life.  I needed to find a way to release some steam during this truly insane era of “going back to the Good Old Days of 1969.”

So…I have started posting on my old blog again. Not my TSTO blog. But, the REAL place where “CrankyOldGuy” was born.  I started writing under that name almost 20 years ago. I registered the original domain in 2005. CrankyOldGuy has been around for a lot longer than some Presidents (one comes to mind) have been in politics.

So yes…I am GOING THERE…to spare Alissa any more of my veiled, crazy, (she says sneaky) lines about the condition of the world.  I just won’t go there here.

For those who “just want to play the game” as a form of escape…good for you. No worries. You are fine.  It’s what I was doing for a few years myself.

But, I can’t sit quietly anymore. The world is nuts…and getting nuttier. I bemoan what we are leaving to our kids and grandkids. And frankly, doing all of the volunteer work I do, to actually create positive change, just isn’t enough.  If I don’t speak, I’ll go nuts. Or, perhaps just more nuts…if you believe Alissa.

I’m going to keep this simple.  I will be posting at least once a week…maybe more. I won’t bore you with partisan rehashes of what you see on the news every day.  But, I will try to find ways to compromise.  If we don’t, we are doomed.

Follow Me HERE…
http://www.crankyoldguy.com

If you want to listen to the podcast I did with Patrick (with a K)…
You can find it HERE.

We cover a lot of territory in this conversation and don’t agree on loads of things.  I am old. I am more moderate than he is. But, I am also pragmatic. I can see the danger in ignoring the writing on the wall.

I want to thank Alissa again…for allowing me to “return to the fold,” even though at this point, it feels like we have always been together.  I don’t know what the game holds in store.  I am also pragmatic about that. But, in the meantime…I will do what I will do, here, and there… Join the conversation.