Another Friday

Well, let's see. Yours truly got new tires on the Blazer today. And the NY Times crossword was tough -- but I finally solved that sucker. These are good things. In other news....

Jay Leno's time on the Tonight Show is rapidly coming to an end. I will miss him. Jimmy Fallon as his replacement? Get outta here. Leno's only 64, in perfect health, and #1 in the ratings by a long shot. What the hell is NBC thinking?

California's on fire again. Yawn.

Some tycoon movie mogul named Harvey Weinstein plans on making a film starring Meryl Streep that will rid the USA of guns, and cripple the NRA. Really? Streep might have been out of Africa, but she's in America now. Good luck with that, Harv. Methinks you've been smoking too many matzo balls.

On the sports front....

The Lakers continue to get pummeled. They've gone from showtime to blowtime. And what were THEY thinking when they gave Kobe Bryant a new two-year $48.5 million contract? The dude's a shell of his former self, can't stay healthy, and the Lakers have painted themselves into a salary cap corner for a couple years. Crazy.

The Detroit Pistons have a head coach named Maurice (Mo) Cheeks. That name seems to be just about perfect. In a civilized society, one is taught to turn the other cheek when accosted. The way the Pistons are getting slapped around these days, this dude's gonna need a whole lot mo cheeks before the season is over.

But finally, a team came to town the Pistons should beat. The Utah Jazz, woeful cellar dwellers of the entire Western Conference. The Jazz thumped the Pistons by 21 points. Slap. One mo cheek just got lit up.

The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia draw near. Much has been made (in the US) over how gay/lesbian Olympians will be treated while over there. Sadly, the conversation seems to have turned away from the sporting competition itself into a debate over sexual orientation. Vladimir Putin, the Obama of Russia, has said everything's cool. We might not agree with certain lifestyles, he said, but come on over and compete anyway. Evidently, this isn't good enough for some people, particularly certain media rabble rousers. They want more "positive outreach". Well, guess what? It ain't gonna happen. Different countries have different cultures and ways of looking at things. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. The very definition of the Olympics is bringing the world's finest athletes together every 4 years to compete in their various athletic events -- not to make statements about other walks of life. Besides, the eyes of the entire world will be upon them. The security measures will likely be the best they've ever been. Do you think for one minute Putin and/or his comrades would allow something bad to happen to a foreign athlete -- regardless of how they lived their lives in their own country? No way. So how about we just let them go compete and shut up about the rest while they're doing it? Is that too much to ask?

And don't look now, but the good ole boys, and a couple girls, are already down in Daytona running practice laps and checking out their gear. Seems there's a big race coming up next month.

For those that are into such things -- if you want a book that will keep you up late at night reading it -- I highly recommend Never Look Away, by Linwood Barclay. Though once a best-seller, it's now a few years old and available in paperback for a few bucks. Stephen King called it the best thriller he'd read in 5 years, and I dare say that's an impressive endorsement. Twists, turns, and just when you think you have it figured out -- you don't. No fair peeking at the end. It really is an amazing read for people that are into thrillers.

Finally, I guess it's OK that my beloved yorkies shredded that section of newspaper with the crossword puzzle into confetti when I left them unattended for a while. That's what puppy dogs do.

But if they start gnawing on those new tires, we're gonna have to have another talk.