Christmas Dad 2015

The silence is deafening on this unseasonably warm, pre dawn Christmas morn. A morning in which I am fast asleep, then abruptly awake. The transitional stage from soothing slumber to befuddled consciousness has somehow been stolen. As my thoughts begin to collect themselves I realize something else is missing....

Dad. 

Dad will not be a part of this festive day for the first time in this writer's life. Awareness of similar occurrences experienced by countless others does little to ease the sense of loss. No words or philosophical profession will suffice. 

Memories of Dad are now prized possessions. I count them up like the colorfully adorned presents tucked under a glistening Christmas tree. 

Maybe today as you open your gifts from friends and loved ones you too will you unwrap fond memories of Christmases past. 

Dad would have liked that.

One Two, Buckle My Shoe

Somehow I become the guinea pig for breaking in my brothers new video camera. Here's how to tie a shoe in 2 seconds. (Because you never know when you're gonna need to leave in a hurry!)

'It Follows': Best Horror Movie for 2015?

Released in American theaters April 3rd 2015, 'It Follows' is a modern horror flick worthy of any fan interested in that genre. The plot was fresh, the acting capable, and was directed in a way that worked for me. It was distributed on DVD July 14th 2015 and I highly recommend this film. Here are a couple of reviews from Rotten Tomatoes.


Allison Wilmore – BuzzFeed: It's a testament to how scary a movie It Follows is that for days after watching it, you walk around thinking up survival plans - should you hide, stay on the move forever, pass the haunting on to someone else? Full Review...

Mark H. Harris – About.com: A good old-fashioned spooky tale that forces us to confront the inevitability of death and asks what we would do if we could see it coming. Full Review...

Does Amazon Deceive Customers at Checkout?

I have been an avid Amazon.com shopper for many years. I highly recommend their vast amount of goods, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service. With that being said, there is one questionable practice that Amazon engages in that to me is an outright deception. Here are some screenshots to walk you through.

Screenshot #1: I have chosen a pair of Bluetooth headphones. It has free shipping if the order exceeds $35.00. So I'll just find another item I need for at least $6.10. As you can tell by the picture the FREE Shipping is in bold. Now to add another item...

Screenshot #2: I found an armband. It's $7.99 so that brings that total to $37.89. This item also ships free if the order is over $35.00. I love Amazon! I'm going to get free shipping! Right? Right??

Screenshot #3: So I've hit the checkout button. Good thing too I need to get off here and do some stuff and.......hey wait, where is my free shipping? I don't understand. What did I do wrong? So after rechecking everything......

Screenshot #4: Bingo! I found the problem! I had to scroll down a bit. Amazon distinguishes between Free Shipping (5-8 days) and Standard shipping (4-5 days). So I have to CHOOSE Free Shipping....(thought I already did when the total exceeded $35.00.) So now I will check Free Shipping...

Screenshot #5: And look what happened! I get my Free Shipping! Oh and by the way, why was it 6.25 when I was going to have to pay it but 5.25 when they issued the credit? (I've yet to figure that one out, but it had no effect on the total cost.)

By now you should see where I'm going here. Why doesn't the cart default to the free shipping option if it meets the requirements? If this is not bait and switch it is very close to it. I discovered this discrepancy a few years back when ordering something in a hurry with my smart phone. Realizing Amazon had charged for shipping a few minutes after getting the confirmation, I contacted them to complain and they promptly refunded the shipping.

Can you imagine how many customers don't catch this? Good for Amazon's bottom line, not so good for unaware customers.

To those of you that wonder why I don't sign up for Amazon Prime which offers free 2 day shipping on eligible items, stay tuned, I have a few things to say about that in a later post. Web designers that work on shopping sites like Amazon are top notch. Every word and picture and placement thereof are extremely calculated. So what do you guys think? Is this much ado about nothing?

Is Donald Trump The 'Bad Medicine' This Country Needs?

Remember as a kid when you got sick? After putting a cool hand to your fevered brow fretful parents would rummage through the medicine chest or run down to the drugstore and get you some medicine. "Take this, it will make it better" you were told. And with a face prepared for the worse you swallowed the suspicious looking liquid. The 'bad medicine' lived up to its name but after a while you began to feel a little better.

If you had told me one year ago Donald Trump would be a leading presidential candidate of 2016 I probably would have laughed it off as some political joke, waiting for the punchline. I have no animosity towards him. With the economy in the shape it's in, a good dose of capitalism would benefit the country. Sure, I cringe at some of the things he says, but I tend to like people that are upfront about what they think. Regardless, in this politically correct environment I doubted Trump's bluntness would get much traction with other folk.

So you can imagine my surprise when the media outlets began to reveal his polling numbers. I assumed family members and friends would quickly discard such nonsense and crown Trump a rich, arrogant fool. But I was the one fooled.

Who knows at this juncture how things will unfold. This narrative is not to analyze the pros and cons of such a presidency. I leave that dear reader in your hands. But this writer can't help but wonder if Donald Trump may be the 'bad medicine' this country needs to get better.

Has Redskins Head Coach Jay Gruden Painted Himself Into A Corner?

With Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden's decision at the beginning of the season to promote Kirk Cousins over Robert Griffin III for the entire season, he may have unintentionally painted himself into a corner. Six games into the 2015 NFL season it seems the Washington Redskins organization have once again placed fans and players in the precarious position of yet another losing season.

Since joining the Redskins in 2014 Jay has tippy toed around a dysfunctional organization with an almost cult fan base for quarterback Robert Griffin (including the team owner, Dan Snyder) while trying to rebuild a team in total disarray. Though the jury is justifiably still out on Gruden as an NFL coach, keep in mind this is the front office of a  team that chews up and spits out coaches (even previously successful ones) with a vengeance. (See Joe Gibbs, Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Shanahan).

For the 2nd time in two years Kirk Cousins has played poorly after being promoted to first string. At 2-4 and help from a weak NFC East there is still a chance to make a season of it but decisions must be made promptly and commandingly. Gruden should go down swinging and that means changing course on the fly if needed, even at the expense of appearing to flip flop!

Win or lose against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday, Cousins must have a positive performance over the next two games. If there is any doubt, after the Tampa Bay game, a change to Colt McCoy must take place during the bye week. If Cousins plays well in Tampa he should continue to be under scrutiny against the Patriots after the bye. Why? That will be an 8 week sample of his performance. Half the season. We could be 3-5 or 4-4 at mid-season. Cousins must positively contribute in both upcoming games. No time to coddle quarterbacks. There are 52 other players not to mention thousands of paying fans to which Jay has an obligation.

Gruden should play to win. To heck with the future, screw the politics. If Kirk hurts the team BENCH him. The upside of Cousins' being pulled is that it will reveal if we really have a starting QB on this team at all. Jay will get to evaluate Colt McCoy one last time. Colt and Cousins both had decent preseason. Griffin's preseason was so bad he should be out of the picture.

So lets win the next 2 games. Jay Gruden needs to plan ahead and leave options open. Much better than standing in the corner watching paint dry.

New Year's Resolutions? I Got Your 5 Resolutions Right Here!

With the year 2015 fast approaching I'm skipping my resolutions this time around and instead have a few recommendations some others might be interested in... 

Nightcrawler (2014): Good or Bad?

     I saw it this weekend. Thought it was pretty good. At least the concept was a little different. An ambitious young man tries his hand at the seedy side of crime journalism. What did you guys think? Google +

How To Breakdown A Tent In Less Than 2 Minutes!

     

On my last camping trip to Jordan Lake in Raleigh North Carolina, I decided to record a video of the only thing I dislike about camping. The fishing here is always pretty good and who doesn't love being around the campfire at night. But as much as I enjoy the experience, in the back of my mind I always dread breaking the tent down and packing up!



     One day I guess I might graduate from the primitive tent camping to a more convenient method but for now I will suck it up and deal with putting away that dang thing! So this video is here to remind me how fast and easy it is to accomplish!

Close Enough To Perfect For Me

     My brother and I ease our bass boat through the cool shade of flooded cedar and cypress trees. The water is an inky black with green sprinkles of duck weed dotting the surface. The symphony of cicada rise and fall in the backdrop of a beautiful spring morning on Santee Lake.

     My cell phone buzzes then rings and I marvel at the coverage in such a remote area. "Hello?" I answer as I slowly pull in my fishing pole. I am careful. One phone in the bottom of the river has taught me a lesson.

     My wife answers and it's easy to detect the panic in her voice, "Garry, I took Earl to the doctor with his back problem. The doc gave him a shot and I brought him home. As soon as I put him on the ground he gave a yelp and started dragging his hind end like he's paralyzed!"

     Let me explain, Earl is our then eight year old dachshund with a history of back problems. An ailment to which this breed is very susceptible. When he was just a puppy we noticed he whined a lot and was very stiff when we picked him up. He sometimes looked like he was walking on tiptoes. The pain was not constant as best we could tell, but periodic. Under a vet's care we had managed his condition and most times he seemed to be a happy, healthy, active doggy.

     "Where are you now?" I ask. "Back with the vet. He's saying Earl probably has spinal cord damage! Garry I don't want him to suffer!" was her choked reply. She knew I felt the same way having discussed the matter in the past. 

     "Then we should put him to sleep. What does the vet think?" I ask. I hear her talking to the vet in the background. "He wants to give Earl a few days to see what happens and then decide" she states in a trembling voice.

   

 I didn't think I could endure putting him through that. I wanted him out of pain.  He was taken to the vet that morning after wailing and panting in agony from back pain the entire night. It seemed wrong. In the back of my mind I feared he would never again be out of pain. "Tell the vet to put him to sleep." I coldly reply. This was a time to be humane and decisive, or so I thought.

     "Are you sure?' she asks. And in that question I hear a heart breaking. I feel the blood drain from my face as I reply, "Yes".  And with that she hangs up. Silence on the line. Birds sing cheerfully in the trees all around, in sharp contrast to the weight, the very heavy weight of regret that drapes from my shoulders.

     Ten minutes go by and I have played out the scenario of what is taking place at the vet's office over and over. The phone rings again. "Hello?", my voice is a little shaky. This time it is the booming voice of the vet that answers. "Mr. Rackley your wife wanted me to call and explain a possible option for Earl. There is an animal hospital in Charleston that treats spinal cord injuries but it is critical that he get there within the next 4-5 hours." Now I am silent, wheels turning furiously in my head. What to do?

     "And the chances of him being mobile again?" I ask. "The hospital says possibly seventy percent but they can't be sure until he gets there. And he needs to get there immediately.  I've already called them for you." he replies. Even through the phone I can feel the veterinarian rooting for Earl. He wants me to agree and I wonder how much my wife has influenced him.

     "Then lets go for it." I say with reluctance overpowered by relief that today my dog will not perish by the hand of his master. "Tell my wife I will meet her there!" I exclaim. Renewed hope surges and I am ready to do battle with the little fellow.

     That was 5 years ago.....I glance down at my now 13 year old double dappled dachshund, Earl. He lays stretched out contentedly at my feet as I write this. Earl, a bona fide member of our family. The source of much happiness and not a little grief to the lives of my wife and I.

     Unlike many Hallmark movies that portray the perfect happy ending to a near tragedy, this is real life. You see, the operation was not successful. Earl can only walk a few feet before he has to drag his rear end around. But due to his paralysis his back pain is gone. What a blessing! And you know what else? I don't think he minds dragging around one iota. I think he would say it's a small trade off for living nearly pain free after long years of suffering. He now has a custom built handicap doggie cart made just for him and he can fly in that thing!

     To this day I occasionally look back on that initial decision to end Earl's life. A few people have told me they would have done the same thing, though for selfish reasons, such as cost and inconvenience.  My response was based on love, on that I can assure you. So what unseen forces were in place to save a little dog's life that day? That, dear reader, is for you to decide.

     Recounting the event brings me back to a song performed by the group  Alabama from the mid 80's. The song entitled Close Enough To Perfect For Me. The title delightfully describes that dog and this ending.

I've got my eye on you!