I had a birthday last week. I’m grateful they keep rolling around, but I’m grappling with this age thing. Mostly I notice my age when I talk or text with friends. We used to talk about football, baseball or bars, small town gossip or talk about some grandiose business ideas. Somewhere, all of that died.
My friend Jeff in Iowa now mostly texts me about his cardiology appointments except when he keeps me updated on his knee replacements or upcoming shoulder surgery.
My friend Andy in California who used to talk about crazy antics or plans for future antics now sends me pictures of his meticulously maintained garden and I send him the line patterns I mow in my yard. Every now and then we mix it up and he sends me some medical news from hospital visits, or we trade our pet dog photos. We sometimes debate various medicines and medical procedures as well.
My friend Dwyane in Savannah, who foolishly partnered with me on a number of shenanigans over the years, mostly debates statin medications with me via text, or we send TikToks back and forth with varying right wing conspiracy theories that we would like to believe are true. Terribly sad is that we traded rain totals from our respective homes last week, a true sign of aging in place.
Foley and I used to text immature insults about people, places, and things and now we mostly just lament government spending and share Air Supply videos. That’s probably the moment I realized how old I had gotten.
I’m not sure when you shift into old man conversation gear, but this “life change” appears real and unavoidable.
Until last week, I had no idea that people think the government is controlling the weather. I would like to not believe that, but Russia election interference, Covid and Roswell aliens don’t help me believe that. Anyway, I guess you should consider the weather agenda of any future candidates, just to be safe.
I’m 59 years old now, but it has dawned on me that this is actually the start of my 60th year on this planet. That seems like a long time to me. I sure thought I’d be more mature by now. That’s kind of disappointing.
Honestly, If the government is going to control the weather, I’d probably advocate for Sunday afternoon rain, except in the fall. That seems the best time for a light shower. In the fall, Monday mornings seem optimal. I’d probably do away with thunderstorms, seems like a hassle just to get some rainwater. I’d also move the snow back to primarily in January and make February and March rainy months, rather than snow. Probably need a committee with a couple of co-chairs to get this fully lined out.
I recently lamented the City of Kansas City making roadway changes in an effort to slow down traffic. I suggested that maybe enforcement would be a strategy that would work better than redesigning roads. Let’s all agree that traffic is a mess these days. The number of high speed and dangerous drivers is off the charts. Driving Hwy. 152 in the morning is like entering an onramp to the Indy 500.
A quick Google search told me that Kansas City wrote over 220,000 traffic citations in 2014 and 2015 and by 2023-2024 the number was below 50,000. Did the traffic get better or did the police just quit enforcement? Seems pretty obvious to me, but as I’ve reminded you on many occasions, my only qualification in such matters is a large dose of common sense.
Before they start redesigning roads, or the government true and tried solution of putting up a sign that says “stop doing that,” maybe, just maybe, they should enforce the laws.
(Guy Speckman cannot be reached discussing medical procedures and rain totals with his friends)
