It’s not me, it’s you

I generally don’t think of mandatory auto insurance as one of the worst things about the American republic, but it has long bothered me that owning such is a requirement of law when I most certainly would never buy it otherwise. I’ve never been in an accident, I’ve never made a claim, and it does sort of gall me to simply pour money into some mystical bad driver fund.

Several days ago I received via e-mail a description of the way in which I’d be supporting that fund in 2016. It was several dollars higher per month than that to which I’d become accustomed. Again, I never make a claim, and my wife and I really don’t drive that much anyway. It was time to be “that guy” and make a call.

To be fair my customer service representative was polite and understanding on the phone. But I still wanted to wring his neck. He explained that it really had nothing to do with me, just unusually high number of claims in my neighborhood.

Hmm.

I thought for a moment about the way people drive around here.

And I shook my head and hung up the phone, knowing I’d been beat.

March in November

Ya gotta love a November evening so jam-packed with college basketball you think for a moment the madness of March has descended upon us. (Ah, Spring.)

Two games of interest stood out for me: one, my old home’s local rivalry of SU vs. St. Bonaventure (who knew that one would be close?); and two, my new home’s rekindled local rivalry of Maryland vs. Georgetown. Way to get Van Pelt involved on that one, too.

Kudos, as well, for the slick TV crossover that occurred when the Game Day gang discussed college football rankings during a basketball game.

This is why sports are awesome.

Back to reality

The toughest part about a really good weekend, obviously, is that it does end, and one must go back to the realities of life and work and home improvement projects.

All I can say is thank God for Fargo, making Mondays bearable since 2015.

Whose holiday is this?

The question I’ve received most since Wednesday’s post is why didn’t you mention anything about Veterans Day?

Why didn’t I mention Veterans Day?

Because everyone else bent over backwards to do so.

I’m sorry to say Veterans Day has become yet another overcommercialized and overpoliticized day in which politicians, merchants, and laymen alike try to outdo one another in how much they “care.”

I care. The same amount I care every day. And I don’t need a sale or a day of from school (didn’t do either, by the way) to remind me of such.

Truth is, I’m greatful to everyone who was involved or is involved in making this the greatest nation in the history of the universe, regardless of veteran status.

If we’re going to celebrate something, remember that the origin of this holiday was the commemoration of the armistice to end World War I. Honestly I’d be fine with a return to that, alongside the tacit remembrances we give to other anniversaries of other ends to other conflicts.

Happy belated Armistice Day, everyone. Remember that your 10% off coupon at Cracker Barrel expires Sunday!

This is what I was used to

If the Wizards are going to make a habit of getting blown out every night I think I’m going to start to disrespect the home team and root for Kevin Durant too.

Then again, if the Wizards continue playing as they have been I don’t think Durant’s going to want to come here anyway.

Ah, crappy Bullets of my youth… good to see you guys again!

Shhhhhh!

For God’s sake don’t anybody tell me about either The Peanuts Movie or Spectre. Obviously I plan to see both but have not had a chance to yet and I want to go in fresh.

That is all.

Morning radio programs change yet again

These things tend to change without official notice, but it has now been about a week that our local “Sports Talk 570,” WSPZ, is now airing “The Steve Czaban Show” weekday mornings. (Oddly, “The Man Cave,” which I would have given about a B+, seems to have disappeared.) This is about the twelfth morning news change that has occurred on 570 or its “sister station,” 980, since I moved to town, so I’m excited but nervous. For a guy who can’t get enough of “the Czabe,” this is a great move. Three hours in the evenings on “The Drive” is just not enough Czaban for me; I’ll take mornings too.

Hello, early Christmas.

A date which will live in fame

Sunday, November 1, 2015, was a date so crammed with sports goodness not even the extra hour of standard time’s return was enough to contain it. Indeed, it was well after midnight on the East Coast that the Kansas City Royals put up five runs in the 12th inning to seal their World Series win. This was a day that began with football on another continent, a marathon on our own, 500 yards passing from a certain Mr. Brees, and some old-man magic in primetime from a certain Mr. Manning. That’s Peyton, not his brother who threw six touchdowns and lost.

Who in his right mind would want to go back to work today? Not this guy. Thanks, Loudoun County taxpayers, for arranging this sweet “teacher work day” for which I don’t have to show up.

Lesson for today: sports > going to work.

Baseball still swingin’

You’ve got to hand it to baseball, for putting together (so far) two great games to begin this year’s World Series. Yes, Game Two ended with a less-than-thrilling 7-1 score, but if you watched the thing you know the game was much closer than that.

Every time I think our national pastime is ready to disappear completely it does something to bring me (and everyone else) back. Yes, I realize the NFL is still king these days—and it has even stepped into the future through online broadcasting—but baseball is still the main event come late October evenings. And now that it’s the weekend I can actually stay up for those late October evenings.