Been at this for years

The Internet was all atwitter last night following a tweet from a certain president of ours that “we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming” in response to record low temperatures across much of the nation.

I have been making this joke for years, though I usually phrase it something like global warming, why have you forsaken us?!

The president’s comment is an attempt at humor. It’s a cheap joke. The man, though his talents may be many, is not a good comedian. His detractors should be thrilled he’s trying his hand at comedy rather than politics, just as I’ve suggested they should be thrilled by how often the guy plays golf (as opposed to, you know, spending time screwing up the country).

Meanwhile, the temperature outside my home really is about 17 degrees, and that’s probably as warm as it’s going to be all day.

Actually it’s going to be 70 all weekend where I’ll be.

New Year’s at home never looked so good.

No news is good news?

The biggest story in sports this week is the game that isn’t. The NFL has decided against putting a game on this Sunday night, for fear it won’t compete with other New Year’s Eve telecasts. Final proof that sports are not sports, they are TV shows.

And sometimes you just don’t have a good one.

Unforgivable sin

The man who brings two of my favorite things together better than anyone else is John Schnatter. Don’t know who John Schnatter is? How about Papa John Schnatter? Yeah, that’s the guy: Papa John. Bringing sports and pizza together better than anyone.

But not now, apparently.

Papa is out as CEO of his own company, a few weeks after his controversial comments connecting slumping sales at Papa John’s (the official pizza of the NFL) with player protests over the national anthem. Whether this relationship is valid or not… you just… don’t… say things like that. That’s Unforgivable Sin #2 in this world. Number one is sexual harassment; number two is professing right-wing political opinions.

Apparently Schnatter is staying with the company in some capacity or another. (Delivery guy? Dishwasher?)

Maybe they’ll still let him be in commercials.

Standing there silently. Probably washing dishes.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

A bad day at the movies is better than a good day at work. A good day at the movies is simply glorious. Thus was my feeling today at Alamo Drafthouse in Ashburn seeing Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I don’t get to the movies often, so when I do it’d better be damn good. This one was.

Without giving too much away, yes, this eighth installment of the Star Wars series stacks up against those I would call “the good ones.” The story’s there, the special effects are there, and of course the most satisfying part of any Star Wars film: the humor. There are some clever nods to previous films, just subtle enough to be rewarding to loyal viewers.

They’re going to keep making these as long as they keep making money, which is to say until the end of time.

And I’ll be at every one.

Something to live for

A daily habit of mine is reading the obituaries from my old hometown paper, the Press & Sun-Bulletin of Binghamton, New York. It’s the only piece I read from said paper, and the only real news I ever get from home.

The list is usually about 20-25 names long. I’m always pleased to see that just before Christmas the list shrinks by some mystical force that keeps people alive during this most wonderful time of the year. Today’s list? Eight!

With apologies to those who’ve known this not to be 100% accurate, Christmas is just something worth living for.

This is why I like December

The reason I like December so much is that for a few weeks everyone acts the way I act all the time. Constant stream of treats and treating yourself? Yup! Parties where we pretend to be classier than we are? Yup. Monday? Tuesday? Yup, yup, doesn’t have to be a weekend. Getting free stuff everywhere you go? Yeah, and give away a lot of stuff too. With jazzy music in the background.

Make a lot of money, spend a lot of money, have fun. Those are the keys to life.

Happiness is…

It’s the holiday season, and life is good in the sports world. My sports world.

After an embarrassing loss Monday night the Wizards have bounced back with two straight wins on their Western trip. They are in first place in the Southeast Division, an admittedly meaningless distinction but a distinction nonetheless.

The Capitals have won three in a row, all in high-scoring affairs (hello, 50% off at Papa John’s!), and are rounding into regular-season form.

But they’re all topped by the… wait for it… Binghamton Bearcats! They are winners of five in a row, including several games against actual Division I opponents.

Yeah, that’s how we roll.