The Write Journey

Seasons change

Although the weather over the last couple of days has seemed more like the middle of winter, the seasons are clearly changing.

Sunlight lingers well into the early evening, the birds, bunnies, squirrels, and insects are coming out to explore the burgeoning spring, and the streets are becoming increasingly filled with the motorized devices of transport which crawl the surface of our world like wheeled ants. And last but not least...

It's Baseball Season!!! :biggrin

The first swings of lumber actually took place Sunday night, but today the 2003 season of Major League Baseball goes into full swing (pun intended :smile). Baseball is very much the favorite sport in this country, though I'm not sure exactly why.

Maybe it's because it's the sport of the summer, when everyone is able to get outside and soak up some sun while enjoying a good game.

Maybe it's the fact that unlike other sports, baseball is a sport with a relaxed and soothing attitude, where strategy, thought, and skill are as important, and in some cases even moreso, than pure athletic prowess.

Maybe it's because it's the one sport nearly everyone can play, both the child and the child-like, where parent and child can bond while tossing the ball around in a backyard or lot.

Or maybe, just maybe, it's because that it's the one sport where those without insanely unobtainable physical gifts can still dream of playing professionally and actually have those dreams eventually come true.

Or maybe it's just because of all those whacked out parents who'd literally kill so little junior can begin his baseball oddysey on a little league team with the hopes of one day hitting the big time so he can buy Mom her dream home and Dad his Porsche.

Nah. It couldn't possibly be that, could it? :wink

-The WheelMan

I'm tired

I'm tired of war of any shape or kind, for whatever noble or ignoble reason, for any justifiable or unjustifiable motivation. In the end, killing one another never leads to anything but more killing. Will the cycle ever end?

I'm tired of a world in which every single person or entity involved in whatever situation arises has an agenda of his or her or its own. No one cares about anything but how things wil benefit him, what money, glory, fame, power, or what have you, can be garnered from the outcome of the situation. Exactly when did caring for one another go out of style?

I'm tired of incessant, overindulgent, overhyped press coverage of the war, where all the major media outlets scramble about like starving dogs after a bone as they play a gruesome game of one-upsmansship, trying to be the one to get the story on the air before their rivaled counterparts. When did the destruction and death of others become a glorified sport?

I'm tired of government leaders who choose to completely ignore the voices of their constituents, not even bothering to truly explain the situation to them so that perhaps, just perhaps, the reasons for the war may actually be understood by the masses. Exactly when did Democracy and Autocracy become one and the same?

I'm tired of marching, chanting, hypocrits proclaiming their desire for peace with one hand upraised while the fingers of their other hands clutch Molotov cocktails behind their backs. How can you demand peace from others when you don't even practice it yourself?

I'm tired of dictators who use lies, torture, rape, and other means to subdue their populations and even use people as human shields and guinea pigs whenever the need arises. How can any human being be capable of such evil?

I'm tired of those who, despite the possibly less than sincere motives for the present situation, refuse to acknowledge that the outcome of the war may actually be in at least some ways right and good. Sometimes, doesn't the ends truly justify the means?

I'm tired of people who practically come to blows merely because someone has the audacity to disagree with them. Isn't the freedom to have and express your own opinion what America is supposed to be all about?

I'm tired of those who bang their war drums and cry out for blood. When has killing, though perhaps an unavoidable necessity at times, ever been an act worthy of glorification?

Finally, I'm just tired of the whole damn thing. When will mankind learn the true meaning and value of life, and instead strive for the ultimate goals of harmony peace?

-WheelMan

Fantasies

No, this isn't an entry about Michaela Pereira, though seeing her host The Screen Savers last night was a dream come true, (well, almost anyway :wink).

No, what I'm talking about here is fantasy sports. I've been playing for years, and for the last few I've been playing in this really competitive league.

When I was just joining random public leagues where the other members were total strangers, I kicked major butt, usually making my run to the top during the second half of the season (whether baseball, basketball, or football). Thought I was the man. But with these guys, it's rough and tumble, nose to nose, war. I admit, I haven't put as much time into it in recent seasons as I had in the past. Life just tends to get in the way, you know? But this baseball season, I'm out to reclaim my crown! I'm going for the gold, striving to be all that I can be, climbing to the top of the heap. I will be a champion again!

Um, or maybe not.

But either way, it sure is fun trying. :smile

-The WheelMan

Journeying back in time

One of my fellow blogger friends, the LabMistress, is currently in Poland and is posting daily about her experiences. Her latest entry is about her tour of the German Death Camps in Auschwitz. It's powerful and moving to be reminded of the utter horrors that mankind is so capable of, especially with all that's presently going on in the world. I think it's imperative that we all remember these things, so that maybe we'll strive even harder to never let them happen again.

-The WheelMan

A hill of coffee beans

I have a really short story that was accepted to appear on coffee cans made by the company Story House several months ago. I just got the info on when it will appear, so I thought I'd share with you in case anyone wanted to order a can.

They normally sell their coffee by subscription services, so the can with my label will only be available for a short time. And I know nothing about coffee, especially the gourmet kind, so you're on your own figuring out what to order, should you choose to. :smile

All the necessary info is below:

Enchanted Beans Label (4/2/2003): Devour The Sky