Here We Go...

So I was looking at my presidential predictions from February 2019 and man was I was way off. I've always been a terrible predictor of presidential politics. One year ago I predicted Kamala and Booker as the last two standing in the Democratic nomination process. I didn't expect Bernie to get back in it. Buttigieg was not even on my radar. Same for Klobuchar and Bloomberg.

American presidential politics is extremely unpredictable. Who would have thought a reality TV star would get elected and get the evangelicals to worship him despite his brazen amorality? Who would have thought high profile senators from California and New Jersey would fail so miserably in the nomination process? The mayor of South Bend, Indiana as a contender? You kidding me? A 78 year old self-proclaimed socialist as the leading candidate? I was a history/political science major in college and I saw none of that coming.

So...my predictions are pretty much worthless. But here goes anyway.

If Bernie gets the nom, Trump wins in a landslide.

The Democrats are going to screw this up, again. They have an amazing shot at victory. They have in their sights a president who is unpopular and a mess. But they're going to put up a nominee who will scare moderate Americans to death. The word socialism will be uttered in every Republican ad. Bernie is volatile and a bit scary when he gets angry.

Trust me, I will vote for Bernie if he's the nominee. I just don't see him attracting the votes of average Americans especially when the economy is strong. No one is going to vote for a revolution when unemployment is at 3% even if many of those jobs can't pay the bills. If he continues to say he will raise taxes on the middle class...he'll be toast in the general election.

So, with my record, I've probably just handed the election to Bernie Sanders. I just don't see it. Elizabeth Warren maybe. Amy Klobuchar possibly. But Sanders?

Lots of things can change over the next few days and months. Coronavirus. Stock markets. Wars. No telling what might happen. It's a chaotic world.

Things Old and New

One of the many things I really admired about my Grandfather was his refusal to be left behind the times. He was not scared of change and was always curious about how new technology worked. This was a guy who grew up on a farm in central Kansas during the Dust Bowl days of the Great Depression. His family used an outhouse. But he was always curious about how things worked. He got a degree in Industrial Physics from Kansas State University and became an engineer for McDonnell-Douglas.

But even after retirment he didn't quit learning. In his 70's, he enrolled in an Intro to Computers course at a local Juco so he could remain ahead of the curve when it came to understanding the newest technological innovations. VCRs, vinyl records, eight-tracks, cassettes, Compact Discs, DVD players, Mp3 players, the internet, email and wifi did not intimidate him as they did for so many of his generation. He learned how to use excel even though he had been retired for years. He used it for his financial planning. He did not fit the old stereotype that you can't teach old dogs new tricks.

But he also took great care of the things he had purchased. When my Grandmother told me to look to see if there was anything of his that I wanted after he passed, I found some old super 8 cameras and a movie projector. I also found an amazing analog non-electric typewriter. He probably hadn't used that typewriter in years. But it was clean and safely kept in its case. He took care of stuff even if he had moved on to newer things.

Recently I've taken a liking to old tech. I have an old overhead projector in my classroom that I use as a decorative piece. I have an old fireside chat type radio. I've got a few old super 8 cameras. I have an old stereo receiver and turntable. I like these things even if I don't use them much. I wish I still had my old Walkman! These things are heavy duty, built to last. I guess they came before the planned obsolescence way of doing things.

I really like the look of this typewriter in my classroom. It reminds me of my Grandfather. It also reminds me of a time when products were impressively engineered and were often works of art themselves. My wife makes me keep these things in my classroom. Not sure what I'll do with these things when I retire. But for now, I'll enjoy looking at them and how they remind me of the past.

Barometers

I have to admit I thought about closing down this blog after my Grandfather passed away last week. He was one of my most loyal readers. In fact, I'm not even sure anyone else even reads this thing. To be honest, most blogs are vanity projects and The Internet Lounge is no different. After he passed I thought, what's the point of continuing since my only reader is gone? But I started this blog really for myself. It keeps me writing. I also find it cathartic. So, even if no one is actually reading this, I may keep it going. A voice crying in the wilderness.

So anyway, my Grandmother asked me if there were some things of my Grandfather's that I might want. So I came home with a few items. These items are not worth a whole lot financially. But they hold a lot of sentimental value for me.

One of these items was a German made ATCO barometer. This hung in my grandparent's kitchen for as long as I can remember, at least forty years. It hung in an indention in the wall above their phone. I don't even know the story behind it. I'm not sure where or when they got it. I just know that it fascinated me as a kid. I would check it regularly whenever we visited Grandpa and Grandma. To me it represents a continuity that's lasted my entire life. My entire life it hung on that wall showing the barometric pressure of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I'm not sure how accurate it is. That doesn't really matter. But it would be super cool if it actually does work. I calibrated it yesterday and so far it seems to be pretty close to the barometer reading on my Weather App on my phone. I plan on keeping an eye on it for awhile to see if it truly works. Either way, I really like this piece. It reminds me of great memories in that kitchen in that house on Oswego in Tulsa with wonderful people.

Rest in Peace, Grandpa

My Grandpa was and is one of my heroes. This past weekend he passed away after 94 years of living an amazing life. A compassionate and godly man, he was always helping others. He was a rock in my life. An engineer who worked on the Apollo spacecraft, learned to ski at age 54 and skiied until he was 77. A scratch golfer, proud Kansas State Wildcat and great singer. He served in dozens of capacities at Will Rogers United Methodist Church for over 50 years. I will miss his infectious laugh and great stories. He was also one of the few readers of this blog. So much more I could say. I will miss his advice and wisdom. Rest in Peace, Grandpa.

Chiefs Rally

Be forewarned: I'm going to sound like a grumpy old man on this post.

I must admit I was disappointed by the Chief's Super Bowl Victory Parade that wrapped up in front of Union Station yesterday. Two major things stood out to me...

1.) The crowd size. People were saying beforehand that they expected a million people to attend the parade and rally. 800,000 had come to the Royal's victory parade and city officials expected even more for the Chiefs. The NFL is more popular than Major League Baseball and it had been 50 years since the Chiefs had won the World Championship.

But, watching on TV,  I noticed pretty quickly that the hill in front of Liberty Memorial was much more sparsely crowded than in 2015. The early photos had captions that said more and more were coming. But even by the end of the rally, the Chief's crowd paled considerably to the crowd that came to the Royal's celebration. That crowd was spectacular. The Chief's crowd? Kind of embarrassing. I will admit that photos can be highly misleading for numerous factors.

I have to assume that the weather was the big difference maker. 2015 saw a beautiful fall day of 70 degrees for the Royals parade. Yesterday was 20 degrees with wind chills in the teens. Knowing that you would have to wait for hours in cold weather to get a good spot might have convinced many to watch the rally on TV. Still, cold weather would not have stopped fans in Buffalo or Denver. Even Boston had bigger crowds after six Super Bowl titles. Granted, KC's population is not the size of Boston but I would have expected more fans to show up.

The Royals also drew fans regionally to their rally. The weather looked dodgy, with snow and ice in the forecast. I'm guessing fans from Topeka or Harrisonville were not going to risk it this year.

In 2015 there were many logistical issues that arose due to the large mass of people coming to downtown Kansas City. People parked on the shoulders and banks of freeways and interstates. There were not enough port-a-potties. Although joyous, it was a bit chaotic. Even though the metro area made vast logistical improvements this year (many more restroom facitilies, more shuttles, simpler parade route, no alcohol) a lot of people may have not been willing to deal with it, especially in bad weather.

Another factor is that in 2015 it had been thirty years since the last championship parade. In 2020, only five years had lapsed despite being a parade for a different team and sport. My guess is that many were of the mindset that 'I did it in 2015 and dealt with all the hassles because it had been a long time, but now...I'll just be watching from home.' There's also an expectation that the Chiefs may be set up for many more of these parades in the years to come. That expectation is very premature. Championships should never be taken for granted. But most Royals fans cherished that 2015 title knowing that because of how MLB economics work, it might be a long time before the next one.

Even though is was 50 years between championships for the Chiefs, I think most Chiefs fans know that the NFL's structure makes it much more likely KC can afford to keep their star athletes. Royals fans knew that the window for their team was much shorter and that they should enjoy each and every moment of 2014 and 2015. I know I sure did. Maybe things will change with a new owner but for a small market team, it's much harder for a team to do what the Royals did in 2015 than for what the Chiefs did in 2019-2020.

I'm guessing all those factors led to smaller crowd sizes. I could be way off. Who knows? Still kind of embarrassing. I bet the commemorative photos of the Chiefs rally will be zoomed in pretty tight.

Here's where I will sound like an old man...

2.) I was disappointed by the overt alcohol consumption of the Chief's roster. Alcohol was banned for public consumption along the parade route. But Mahomes and Kelce made fools of themselves by multiple shotgunning of beers. Mahomes had to make a pit-stop halfway in the parade. Then, from the top of a bus he poured beer down to the street to a waiting Kelce. A lot of Chiefs fans think that was awesome. I found it sophomoric. It was the antics of frat boys. You didn't see the Royals act that way in 2015. The Royals had much more class.

Half the team, when they spoke at the rally, were obviously inebriated. Slurred speeches and Tyreek Hill having to be held up by teammates is an embarrassing moment for the team. I was particularly embarrassed by Mahomes. He's always carried himself with dignity and respect. Yes, he's been seen pounding beers at different sporting events around town. But this was a big stage with a lot of kids in attendance. A lot of KC schools cancelled yesterday for the parade and there were a lot of students on the parade route. And that's what they saw, the leader of the team shotgunning beers. I expect that from Kelce and Hill. But Mahomes? You're the 2018 MVP and the reigning Super Bowl MVP. You're the face of the Chiefs and maybe even the NFL. You want to be paid $40 mil a year? Then put the beer down and enjoy the crowd's adulation. That was bush league.

I'm not throwing away my Mahomes shirt or anything. I don't expect these guys to be saints. But such public displays of idiocy by the MVP was troubling. I certainly hope this isn't the beginning of a trend. The Chiefs have had enough Kareem Hunt type stupidity. He's only 24 and he's been pretty mature in so many ways. Let's hope the maturation process continues at the next Super Bowl parade (if Chiefs fans are so lucky to have another one).

Chiefs Win!

I did not think it would happen. I seriously never believed the Kansas City Chiefs would win a Super Bowl in my lifetime. They last won the title four years before I was born. And all those films of Hank Stram and Len Dawson looked like ancient history as I was growing up in Overland Park.

Wow.

Mahomes is the real deal. Andy Reid so deserved this.

Only downside is that when I wear my Chiefs gear from now on people might think I'm a bandwagon. Other downside is my Dad wasn't here to see it. I would have loved being in the room with him for this. He died one month before the Royals won it all in 2015 and also missed this. But I got to share these memories with my son, so that's something special.