Putting a bow on 2017, on to 2018!

The year is drawing to a close and it is time to take a quick look back before charging into something new, if for no other reason than to remember what NOT to do!  LOL

2017 was a fun year as Michelle and I traveled up and down the East Coast.  We resolve to go West this year and see some stuff we haven't before.  I need to catch up on yardwork and there are several books to be written.  It never ends, but that is the way I like it.

Reffing football was something new this year.  The thing I noticed most at the football games was how incredibly insecure people were.  Coaches, players, fans, and even some other refs.  Of course, I had people yell at me when I threw a flag, but I laughed at them and assessed the penalty anyway.  No one tried to come after me even when I threw one coach out of a game!

I am pretty easy going but when a coach start dropping F bombs and screaming (this was a game with six year olds), it is time for him to go and I had not problem personally escorting him off the field.  There are basic standards to maintain....end of story.

I like teaching history at community colleges and I will stick with that. Plus I will ref more football games.  There are other things I am going to try so I will keep you updated.

Just remember, the world is a crazy place and it always has been.  Sometimes you have to put your foot down to keep it relatively sane.  No fuss, nothing dramatic, just do it.

Polite yet firm, Canadian style with some Pittsburgh steel.

Time to do some stuff!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The airline problem

Air rage incidents rose again....partly because of more flights and partly because,well, air rage incidents rose.

The airlines and their passengers are caught in a vicious cycle.

The passengers are squeezed into small cabins, leading to anger, especially after waiting in line for hours, dealing with security and getting ripped off on a never ending stream of "fees".  They go bonkers which leads to stewardesses becoming more paranoid, which leads to more angry passengers and so on.....

The people making decisions that make everyone miserable--airline execs--are not on site to deal the with the misery, focusing only on how to squeeze even more dollars out of passengers who have become prisoners and air staff who are turning into prison guards.

If you are looking for a truly miserable place full of unhappy people, go to the airport.  No one--passengers, staff, security--looks happy.  It is a microcosm of everything that is wrong in the 21st century.

Something is going to give and it can be headed of by following the Golden Rule--treating others as you would like to be treated--but with such selfish, narcissistic people on all sides of the issue, it is hard to forsee anyone doing the right thing.

At least the news will be interesting.