After getting a bite to eat, I decided to head to my regular bar to catch the Red Sox game. The place was packed, which was expected as tonight was game four of the World Series and a chance for the Red Sox to sweep the Rockies. I sat outside for a bit watching the game on an LCD screen near a large gas heater (a bit chilly tonight). Then I headed to the main bar and snagged a standing-room-only spot at the edge of the bar near the wait staff serving area. I spoke to the owner for a bit as well as several of the staff whom I’ve come to know over the several months I’ve been hanging out there. The owner was nice enough to buy me a beer and I got to enjoy a real pint glass (when it gets crowded they often switch to plastic to keep up with demand and to avoid potential breakage), which always makes the Magic Hat #9 taste better. Then as Papelbon struck out the last Rockies batter, the owner busted out a whole slew of champagne bottles and started spraying. I got drenched in champagne (managed to get my PDA phone into my pocket before it got hit too much), and I have to say it was a first for me. Bar staff then poured the rest of the champagne and handed cups to as many people as they could – many toasts were raised and the bar owner worked the crowd as rowdy as any fan. In a town where I know very few people and where most of my friends are far enough away that I rarely see them, it’s nice to have a place to go where, even though you know it’s business, you’re welcomed and made to feel at home. And tonight, it was good to share the experience of the Red Sox winning their second World Series in four years with a group of excited fans. Yeah, almost as cheesy as the theme music to “Cheers”, but the sentiment is legit.

I was catching up on the local news today and noticed that there is some grumbling about Deval Patrick’s foreclosure program. This got me thinking about the so-called “crisis” in the housing market where those people who took advantage of subprime loans and ARMs are discovering that they vastly overextended themselves and can no longer afford their mortgage after the rate adjusts. This is happening everywhere because the housing market was pretty hot a few years back, and Massachusetts (which has had an overpriced housing market for years before the housing boom) was right at the head of the pack. Now that the housing market has cooled and the realities of ARMs are hitting home for those who should never have bought a house in the first place, suddenly it’s a crisis. What’s more amazing to me is that both Federal and State governments are trying to find ways to bailout homeowners who can’t meet their financial responsibilities. Whatever happened to people taking responsibility for their own actions? (more…)

Having recently had a heart attack that required a week in the hospital, two catheterization procedures for both investigation and the placing of stents, and a need for prescription drugs for the rest of my life, I’ve discovered that I have a stronger interest in the health care system here in the United States. One of the concepts that keeps getting pushed out there by politicians is the concept of Socialized Health Care, or Universal Health Care. This would be an attempt to mimic the health care systems of countries like Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Cuba and so forth. I’ve been doing a little bit of research and while I agree that our system of health care has a lot of issues that need to be addressed, moving to Socialized Health Care seems like a giant step in the wrong direction. (more…)

I done busted it but good. Yep, I had me a heart attack about two weeks ago or so. As many others have done before me and many others will do after me, I ignored the symptoms with what my mother has been overheard terming “Yankee stoicism” and went about my business…for about five days. This including riding my motorcycle North to visit family. It was there that I discovered that I couldn’t really walk more than five steps or so before I would become short-of-breath and my chest would start burning. By the way: if anyone out there has some strange chest constrictions in conjunction with an aching jaw and/or aching teeth (as I did), go to the hospital. I had no idea that jaw and teeth aches were heart-attack-related symptoms, but they are. (more…)