SOME THINGS ALWAYS STAY THE SAME

Hello my friends:
Warm and muggy in the Northeast. One day till the long-awaited Graduation Party extravaganza of friends Skyler and his cousin Meghan, children of Roy the G.B. King and the Edge of Darkness, respectively. The party will be at another family member's home, where there is an absolutely GREAT swimming pool. Looking forward to it as the family is a bunch of good people. Perhaps an impromptu Texas Hold-'Em tourney will materialize. All-In, baby!

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE
And to what am I referring to? Kids. Or more accurately, kids playing sports in the yard, or during video games. When I was a kid and I'd play sports with my friends around the house, like whiffle ball or football or hoop, we would always have a running commentary going, like there was somebody broadcasting the games. I think even nowdays as an adult, my friends and I occasionally do it while we're on the golf course. (In high-class British accent)"We now go to the 14th tee, 182 yard Par 3, uphill and into the wind. Last year's Open Champion Chris Douglas will hit first. Oh, and he's hit a beauty. Tracking at the hole like a lawn-dart, you can almost hear the beeping as the ball homes in on its target. And OH MY!!, one bounce and off the flag stick, coming to rest 2 1/2 feet from the hole! He'll have a short birdie attempt from there. Now, Watervliet resident Robert the Bounty Hunter. Robert finished 367th in the U. S. Amateur Public Links and got a special exemption to be in this tournament when he beat the tournament Director in a heads-up poker game. Now The Hunter......Ian,... can you figure out why he's lined up so far to the left?" "Yes, Nigel, it's because Robert is a horrendous slicer of the ball." "I see. And Oh dear, you seem to be right, as is Robert, who has sliced his tee shot past the right-side bunker and into Old Butt-Crack Pond. What a shame."

That's kind of what we do today. And my kids, as I observe, do it too. What's strange is that my kids don't even watch sports on TV. I know that shocks all of you who know me, but it's true. Nevertheless, they give a broadcast, along with the "OH,what a great shot!!" kind of stuff they must hear from the TV when I watch sports. They're all great imitators, aren't they? Having kids makes you have to be careful of the things you say around the house. You might find the same sarcastic or vulgar stuff coming right back at you from the mouth of some kids, smart-ass or not.

GOOD-BYE TO THE SAUCE SITE.COM
July 31 will be the last day for www.thesaucesite.com I have decided to close it down and concenrtate more on this blog and erecting some other websites in order to generate some extra income for the family. Working at Amtrak in Rensselaer is the pits. I need 9 more years to get 30 and I need 17 more years to get to age 60 where I can retire. I am sure I can't take it that much longer, and I am bound and determined to find a niche in the marketplace, or somewhere out in the world, college degree or not, where I can excercise whatever talents I have and make the kind of income that I believe I should be making and be able to leave the esteem-sapping hole that is Amtrak. WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT THE WORKERS AT AMTRAK HAVE NOT HAD A RAISE IN 6 1/2 YEARS? That's not a misprint. Our last contract ran out in December of 1999. The management where I work is woefully sub-standard and exists somewhere in the 50's-70's era. I won't go into the whole thing now, but suffice to say, they need some management gurus who have kept up with modern management practices to come in, clean house of present management, and get the morale, caring, and production back up. We all do our job and get the trains out on time, but absolutely no one cares. Ah, c'est la vie. You don't like the station you're listening to, change it, if you get my drift.

Alright everybody, have a great weekend. I was able to get the second Pick in my Fantasy Football League's draft, so Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks will be coming to play for the Assassins in the Pit of Despair. Be VERY Afraid.

And if you do NOTHING else this weekend, please remeber that....LEN IS RIGHT!!

I am,
Len Tollerton