Laundry day

Sitting in ye olde laundromat just washing some work clothes before I kick off a relatively easy work week for myself (only one double), but whilst I was away some things did happen which require my attention, or some cleaning up as one doing laindry might say, which I just did.

I am bummed by the quick closing of "Hug Thai" here in Oakland.  I know, you don't know where or what it is, but it appeared to be a Thai restaurant around the corner from my apartment.  Now I am not one that has a hugely experimental palate, I am not as bad as my mom was in that department, but  I can honestly say I have never had Thai food, so a place so close to my apartment tempted me to try it soon.  I figure i could get something to go, if it sucked too bad I could always make something at home, but this would at least be between me going from points A and B, rather than going out of my way to try something I didn't like.  Except they were open for like two weeks, so by the time I was able to stop by after work onenight there was a closed for renovations sign on the door.  Perhaps this saved me, if they could only make it two weeks, i am thinking even if Thai food was good, this was a poor representation of said food.

So, Leveon Bell decided not to sign his franchise tender offer with the Steelers and chances are good he will never play in the black and gold again.  I don't get the mindless peeps that immediately went to critical mode of him.  Yes, I get he could have made $14 million this year and it is more than anyone reading this blog will make in their lifetime, but NFL contracts are just paper.  Everything is about guaranteed money, not just this season but going forward.  Otherwise a team can cut you, and regardless of what your contract says financially, NFL players are basically "at will" employees, they can be cut or fired at any time for almost any reason.  So I get Bell wanting some form of security in the form of guaranteed money.  The fact James Connor has played well in Bell's stead, makes it all the easier to FU Bell from the fanbase's perspective.  But what happens whoen Connor's rookie contract comes up, and he is seeking and exponentially larger increase in salary than Bell sought, given Connor is pkaying on a third round rookie contract right now.  James Connor better be watching what is taking place right now, because unless the Steelers lock him up under a long term extension before his contract comes up, the same people loving him right now will be offering up the Bell treatment to him soon enough.

Lastly, I should probably pontificate on the elephant in the room, that being the shooting that took place at the Tree of Life synagogue a couple of weeks ago.  First off, I am not surprised in the least.  As I have often said, nothing is going to change because dead bodies are just the cost of doing business in America.  Sooner rather than later we will be able to teach our kids geography by the number of people killed in a certain location.  What was off putting to me, besides the carnage, was the Stronger Than Hate thing that popped up immediately afterward, as if somebody saw this occur and thought to themself, this is a prime branding opportunity.  Because clearly it is incorrect.  Mr. Bowers was exposed in the same concoction of geography, so certainly the region itself is not stronger than hate.  I'll admit, I am not stronger than hate, I keep all emotions, including hate, available in my emotional toolbox, as one does not know when a specific emotion may be called for. I am aure that comes from a childhood where the first memory of my father was of him trying to choke the life out of my mother.  I guess the trend now is to offer thoughts and prayers, but how has that worked out for Sandy Hook, or Orlando, or Parkland.  It is the emptiest of gestures to do.