I did something very ordinary today. And it felt completely unusual.
I went to the zoo.
Yes, they still have zoos. Here in Utah, I’m not sure if our zoo, Hogle Zoo closed during the pandemic. I’ve been to the zoo before. But, it’s been a long time. And with the past year experience, it feels like it was a 100 years ago.
Of course, it’s different. Everything is different now. I don’t know if anything will ever be normal again. Unless this is what we decide is normal. You have to buy your tickets in advance. And when you buy them, you get a “window.” And if you miss your window, you don’t get to go to the zoo that day.
Our window was 4:30pm. The zoo closes at 6:00pm. We live about an hour South of Emigration canyon east of Salt Lake City where the zoo is located. We were trying to coordinate 4 car loads of people. Car one was me, my lovely wife and my son. Car two was my daughter and her two kids. Car three was another son and his girlfriend. The last car was another daughter, her husband and their four kids.
My lovely wife should have been the project manager. She managed it beautifully. We all arrived mostly around the right time. We had to wait for my son and his girlfriend. I stood out front and waited while the rest of the family sat in a nearby pavilion. As I was waiting a mother and her little boy walked by,
But, I want to go today.
We can’t go to the zoo today. It’s sold out. We’ll go tomorrow.
Sorry kid, the zoo is sold out.
Even though the zoo is mostly outside, we were all masked up. The various subgroups in our group wanted pictures. So, each group got together and posed for pictures. Masks and all.
I didn’t even smile. Or maybe I did. You’ll never know from the pictures.
It was delightful. Three kids and six grandkids just wandering around looking at the animals behind glass, or gates. We skipped the primate house. Not on purpose. We just ran out of time. I almost expected that if we had gone in to look at the primates we might see a family of four, wearing masks sitting around the TV in their living room. . .waiting. Trapped.
It was a wonderfully ordinary afternoon that was extraordinary for it’s very banality.
I’ve missed those days.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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Billy Joel once delayed a concert for what most people would think was a poor reason.
The New York Mets went into extra innings.
I completely understand and agree.
Baseball isn’t for everyone. I’m glad it’s for some people. But, if my friends think it’s the world’s most boring sport? I understand. . .but don’t agree.
Baseball and it’s cousins like Cricket, is the only sport where the defense controls the ball. In fact, most often if a player on offense touches the ball, they are out.
Get hit by a line drive while running from first to second?
You’re out.
Interfere with a fielder trying to field the ball?
You’re out.
Get touched by a glove that holds the ball while off a base?
Yup, you’re out.
You might know that if a batter gets hit by a pitch he gets to advance to 1st base. What you might not know is that the rules say that if a player does not make a reasonable effort to avoid getting hit with the ball. . .
He’s out.
Baseball is also odd because ties are not allowed. You play nine innings and if you are tied, you keep going. How long? Well, the longest professional game on record is 33 innings. It was in 1981 between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings. The teams were AAA affiliates.
The other oddity about baseball is that it rewards inactivity. The pitcher touches the ball every play. He throws the ball to the catcher. The fewer runs that score the lower the pitcher’s Earned Run Average (ERA.) Lower is better. So, if the pitcher can keep the other team from scoring by throwing a shutout, that’s impressive.
Even better than a shutout is a no-hitter. That’s where not only do no runs score, but no batter even records a hit. (Baseball has very strict rules on what is or is not a hit.) So, a no-hitter is even more impressive.
But, topping that is the perfect game. A feat so rare that baseball tradition forbids discussing it while it’s in progress. A perfect game means that no player reaches base. No walks. No Hit By a Pitch (HBP.)
So, preventing the other team from scoring a run? Good.
Preventing them from getting a hit? Better.
Preventing them from getting on base? PERFECT!
Now, suppose you are the fan watching those games? The PERFECT game is when no one gets on base. That’s not exactly a rugby scrum.
Spring Training is going on right now in Florida and Arizona. It looks like Baseball will be back to it’s full 162 game season this year. I’ll probably watch between 140 and 150 Seattle Mariners games via mlb.tv.
If you don’t watch a single game, that’s fine by me.
Because you’ve read this far I’ll tell you my favorite baseball trivia question.
I’ve already mentioned that the offense can’t touch the ball. But, how can the defense score three outs without anyone touching the ball after it’s been hit?
No outs, runners on first and second base. Batter hits a towering pop fly that doesn’t leave the infield. Umpires immediately call the Infield Fly Rule: Batter is out.
One out.
The runner on first doesn’t see the ump call infield fly and he runs past the runner on 2nd base. The runner on first is now out.
Two out.
The runner on second steps off the base just as the ball comes down and hits him in the head. Batter is out (possibly literally.)
Three outs, triple play.
And no one on defense touched the ball.
And that’s why I love this crazy game.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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I’ve spent time learning about muscle memory. It’s the idea that if you do something enough times in practice that when the time comes to perform, you don’t think you just do.
Athletes practice it.
Soldiers train for it.
Even musicians work to achieve it.
I’m not really an athlete.
I’ve never been a soldier.
I’m not really a musician.
But, I have been a scouter for decades. I started when I was eleven years old. I eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I was a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. Later, I was Scoutmaster multiple times. I was Assistant Scoutmaster more times. (Being Assistant is way better.)
I’ve taught the basics of scouting multiple times. Basics include hiking safety, native plant identification, cooking and lots of first aid. Funny thing about first aid skills, I hate them. They are important. But, they trigger major PTSD for me.
I’ve been known to pass out just talking about injuries or accidents or anything having to do with blood and injuries. (Human blood. I’m totally fine with animal blood.) Given the choice, I’m fine letting someone else teach the first aid skills.
One of the skills that we teach is the Heimlich maneuver. You’ve probably heard about it. It’s a technique to use when someone is choking. It’s literally lifesaving. By the way, if someone is coughing it means they aren’t choking. You might feel like you are choking, but if you are coughing then air is getting in and out of your lungs.
Choking means that isn’t happening. Someone who is choking can’t cough. They can’t yell. Typically, they will grab their throat and possibly make a slight gagging sound. But, often they can’t make any sound.
My lovely wife and I had 13 kids. Many were close to the same age. Lots of little kids. And little kids put stuff in their mouths. One day my kids came to me with their little brother,
Dad, dad, he’s choking!
Scary, right? What do you do? Do you slap his back? Do you check his airway? Do you call 911? Do you ask what he swallowed? Do you. . .do you. . .do you. . .
It takes about a second to perform the Heimlich Maneuver. Get behind the victim. Place your fist just under his rib cage. Place your other hand over your fist. Give a sharp jerk upwards with your fists. Repeat as necessary.
It takes longer to read it than it takes to do it. And I didn’t remember all those steps. I didn’t think about all those questions. I spun my son around “hugged him” in the Heimlich and out popped a marble.
And just that quickly my six year old son went off to play with his brothers and sisters. None the worse. And in fact, he didn’t even know he’d been in danger. Neither did his siblings. In fact, I almost didn’t realize it. I’d saved my son’s life and no one realized it.
Muscle memory from all of those years teaching the Heimlich maneuver finally paid off when I needed it most.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel pain
I focus on the pain
The only thing that’s real
– “Hurt” Johnny Cash
I also hurt myself today. But, unlike the lyricist, it was an accident. Well, not exactly an accident. I was putting on my socks and I hurt my back. I’m not even going to dignify that by calling it an accident. I certainly didn’t mean to do it. But, it’s not like I misjudged a turn and bounced my car over the curb.
It sucks to get old. . .but it beats the alternative
I quit playing basketball a few years ago. I’m not sure if I quit because I no longer wanted to play, or because of the pandemic, or if I just got old. My brother, who is two years older than I am plays regularly. He dunked in a game a few years ago. I could barely touch the rim on my best day.
You don’t stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing.
– George Bernard Shaw
My friend asked me to join him to start riding bikes.
Motor or pedal?
Pedal.
I’m old and I have bad knees.
Biking is a great exercise for bad knees. Very low impact.
I’ve tried to balance my absence from the basketball court with other activities. I walk. . .sometimes. I hike. . .slowly. I do love camping. And I actually enjoy hiking to our camping spots. Some of the most beautiful are only accessible on foot.
I recently came to the realization that I’ve probably reached my athletic ability. That probably happened a long time ago. My youngest two sons are athletes. They are 18 year old twins. One plays football, the other is a runner. I watch them effortlessly do things that I could also do at that age.
I don’t really miss it. My father used to say, “You have to trade all of them for all of you.” You don’t get to pick and choose. And when I look in the mirror and see the wrinkles and when I tweak my back putting on my socks. . .or taking off my socks, I’ve already forgotten. . where was I? Oh yeah, my wrinkles are well earned. I wouldn’t trade them, for the ability to run up the mountain trails. Or even to avoid occasionally hurting myself while dressing.
Fortunately I’m not in any danger of kicking off anytime soon. At least I don’t think so. I have a few more wrinkles a few more sore backs and hopefully a long road ahead.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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Do you you call it soda? Or pop? Or maybe soda pop. For simplicity sake let’s just call it Coke. (Not coke. The capitalization is really important here.)
How much does a bottle of Coke cost? If you are like most of America you buy stuff at WalMart. A 20 oz bottle of Coke in WalMart costs $1.88. That’s actually quite a bit for a bottle. In my opinion. But, if you are checking out and you decide you just need that caffeine fix, it’s convenient and it’s cold.
For just a few pennies less you can get three times as much Coke.
You read that right. If you are willing to pay less money. You can get more product. For $1.82, six cents less, you can have 67 ounces of Coke.
If WalMart knows anything, they know how to price their products. So, why would they have two products with such vastly different prices?
My dad was a realtor for a while. He taught me the three most important things to remember about real estate.
1. Location
2. Location
3. Location
I had a friend once who was trying to sell his house.
I can’t find anyone to pay me what’s it’s worth.
.
It’s worth what someone will pay you.
The Coke that is 2.7 cents per oz is located in the back of the store. It’s room temperature. The more expensive Coke is located at the front of the store, right next to the checkout counter. And it’s cold.
How much does Coke cost? That depends. How much is Coke worth? That also depends. The cost and the worth are not some explicit value. They are variable.
A things worth is not about it’s cost.
It never was.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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We just passed the one year anniversary of the official start of the pandemic. I think people knew it was serious when sports started shutting down. Last year it was during baseball’s Spring Training that a Utah Jazz basketball player named Rudy Golbert, tested positive for Covid.
Rudy was talented, but not the smartest epidemiologist. The week before, so 53 weeks ago, Rudy was making light of the potential danger. He went around during a press conference and licked the microphone of multiple reporters.
A week later Rudy tested positive and first basketball and then other sports, including baseball quickly shut down. We all went into lockdown. We figured it out eventually. . .how to live. And slowly, ever so slowly, things came back. Including a vastly shortened baseball season.
That was 2020. Now, we are in 2021, we are older and wiser.
“When you’re 16 going on 17
. . .
You need someone older and wiser
. . .
I am 17 going on 18
I’ll take care of you”
– Sixteen Going on Seventeen
So, this year baseball Spring Training started on time. It’s almost like all was right in the world again. But, things have changed. For all of us and also for baseball.
It’s great to be watching baseball again. The Mariners announcers are a familiar voice in a sea of uncertainty. The roster, as baseball roster do from year to year, has some old familiar faces and some fresh young guns trying to make the team.
But, there are some rule changes. They almost seem like mercy rules from 5th grade. For example, managers can decide to end a game after 7 innings. Just say, “Nah, I don’t wanna play any more. . .you win.” Or if the score is tied, as many Spring Training games are both managers just throw in the towel.
Spring Training is a time to test out different players. Let pitchers try out new pitches and perfect their old ones. And it’s not always pretty watching a pitcher try to recover his form. So, another rule is the new 20 pitch rule. After 20 pitches, a manager can declare, “Inning is over.” The fact is if a pitcher throws 20 pitches, the other team has probably scored a couple of runs.
But, Spring Training isn’t really about winning and losing. As a fan it’s sometimes hard to remember that. Tie games? Shortened games? Mercy rules for pitchers getting rocked? What kind of baseball is this?
Baseball is a game of tradition. More so than any other sport. And yet, it’s also a game of innovation. Last year, we saw the four pitch walk turned into a simple wave by the opposing manager. And with that, the game changed. April 15 is Jackie Robinson day. Celebrating the day in 1947 that Jackie Robinson started at 1st base for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the baseball color barrier.
What’s ironic about that momentous Spring day in 1947 is that baseball was integrated before it was segregated. In the late 19th century, baseball had black players and no one really cared. Eventually, the black players were regulated to the Negro Leagues and white players (or passing white) played in the Majors. Two separate leagues.
Another change over the past year is that MLB announced that the stats for MLB and the Negro Leagues would be combined. The announcement passed with little fanfare, but it was a big deal for baseball geeks like me. They can’t go back in time and allow the players to compete against each other. But, they can give the great black ballplayers their due in the record books.
So, things change. The game is alive. It’s played differently today than it was a century ago, or even a year ago.
It’s not your father’s game. . .but then it never really was.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
Follow him on
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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I believe that everyone is interesting if you just know what questions to ask. Everyone has a favorite movie, a favorite vacation story, a time when they were brave, or dump, or scared or somehow extraordinary. But, not everyone is a great storyteller. But, that doesn’t mean they don’t have stories.
I think talents are the same way. Everyone is good at something. Even you. Especially you.
First let’s get something out of the way. Society values different skills differently. That sounds stupid, but it’s true. If you are very good at throwing a ball through a hoop, society values that skill. If you are really good at making money, (Yes, it’s a skill) society thinks that’s pretty cool. If you can make a musical instrument weep, or express joy, society thinks you are special and valuable.
And athletes, entrepreneurs and artists are very talented. And it’s not wrong for society to value their talent.
Likewise certain professions are valued more than others. I spent my career in the IT industry. It’s funny that Information Technology, computers is the “IT” profession. For some reason, knowing your way around a keyboard is more valued than knowing your way around a socket wrench.
I’m a good IT professional and a poor mechanic. Fixing cars is hard. You can’t just turn them off and turn them back on again to reset the system. Maybe that’s why I like it.
I also am a fair woodworker. Working with wood is satisfying because you if you mess it up, you can chop up your mistakes and start over. That’s satisfying. And it can also be difficult. I built some cabinets a few months ago. The cabinets turned out okay. But, I have been stumped on how to make the doors. Cabinet doors are hard.
I have a good friend who is a professional remodeler. He makes custom cabinets often. I asked him if he ever makes doors.
I know my limits. I leave that for those who specialize in it.
I may end up going and having someone else make the doors. The ironic thing is that the guy who makes the cabinet doors, the stuff I don’t know how to do, probably makes less than I make working with computers.
Many years ago my brother, who’s a CPA was painting his house. He ended up falling off a ladder and suffered a pretty serious accident. My dad talked to him during his recovery.
How much do you make as a CPA?
About $100/hour.
How much do you think a professional painter makes?
$20/hour.
The lessons was learned. He was spending $80 to earn $20. My brother still won’t get on a ladder.
But, just because society has placed a price on certain skills and certain professions doesn’t mean we need to, or even that we should. I know people who are incredibly talented at game playing.Literally, that’s their skill. They are really, really good at playing a game. They don’t get paid for it. In fact, it costs them money to play. But, they do it anyway, and they are experts.
I have other friends who love to paint miniatures. Some paint DnD figures. Some paint Small plastic Star Trek ships. And the funny thing is these ship are already painted. These guys just want to make the ships look better. And they do.
I’ve known guys who were experts at camping. You might think that’s not a thing. But, for my friend Sean it was. Sean could take a handful of oats and a flint and steel and spend a week in the Utah wilderness and come back having gained weight and probably slept better than I do. He was really good at it.
So, how about you? What are you good at? In fact, there’s probably something you are the best at. It might not even be measurable. Reading, listening, noticing all the different colors of green in a mountain meadow.
Just as everyone has a story to tell, everyone has something they do well. Especially you.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
Follow him on
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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“It’s Wednesday. Everybody works on Wednesday.”
– Dave
It finally happened to me. I literally forgot the day. Not in an “Oh, I meant. . .” kind of way. In a full on “No, seriously, it’s Tuesday!” It was my lovely wife correcting me so I had every reason to believe her. And eventually, I remembered Tuesday. . .you know, what happened yesterday.
It’s been happening all day. I was taking my son to the pharmacy. I’ve been to the pharmacy dozens (hundreds?) of times. The pharmacy is located next to the hospital. My children were born in that hospital. My grandchildren were born in that hospital.
And yet. . .as I turned a corner to cut through the parking lot I realized that I had made a wrong turn. The building we all wrong.
Oh man, why’d I turn here?
It’s a shortcut to the pharmacy.
No, the building is all wrong. I turned too early. Let’s see if I can. . .
I hadn’t turned early. And as far as I knew the building hasn’t changed in years. And yet, I was certain I was in the wrong spot. I wasn’t just mistaken. I was certain I hadn’t been there before. Of course, I had.
I balanced that little episode out with the one later as I was bringing my daughter home from. We first took her friend home. It was next to the old WordPerfect buildings in Orem, Utah. I helped build those buildings. I was a lowly telephony technician. I helped run wires and setup phones.
I decided to take a backway one that I used to know well. Eventually I found my way through to a main street. A street that again, I’ve been on hundreds of times. I used to get confused making the turn from this street (1500 East, but unless you’re from Pleasant Grove, or Lindon, you may not know it) onto the street that goes toward our house. I had learned to watch for a particular fence and yard lights to know where to turn.
Tonight, I watched for them and made the turn right onto a wrong street. Not just a wrong street. A street that I had no idea of. My car has a compass and I knew that if I kept going North long enough, I’d eventually arrive at my house or at at least a street that was familiar.
And eventually I did. But, once again, I didn’t realize I’d made the wrong turn. I was certain I made the right turn. And ended up on the wrong street.
Am I having “senior” moments? I don’t think so. I think it’s a side effect of the lockdown. We don’t travel. We don’t meet people. We hardly leave our homes.
I think I’m just forgetting. Forgetting what day it is. Forgetting where I live. Forgetting who I am.
Hopefully you aren’t.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
Follow him on
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or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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Excuse me. I don’t mean to bother you. . But, could you sign a copy of your book?
You might as well ask a writer if they want to be feted on a dais surrounded by adoring fans. Of course I’ll sign the copy of my book that you paid actual money to buy, some of which will eventually come to me.
Maybe when you become Steven King famous, you might get tired of it. But, when you are only Rodney Bliss famous, of course I’ll sign my book. No inconvenience at all.
Authors love fans. It’s why we do what we do. It’s why most of us do what we do anyway.
Every comment posted here, every LIKE or share or retweet is payback for my efforts here. The fact that so many of you have signed up to follow my daily scribblings is humbling.
In addition to books, and my scribblings here, I also write a monthly column for the local newspaper. It’s called the Timpanogos Times. (Timpanogos is the name of the mountain above my house and our town.)
My column is often about local issues. Since I am “local” stories about my family sometimes end up in the paper as well. Since the paper is print only and my scribblings here are online only, there’s a lot of cross over between the two.
Last month I wrote about when my family got Covid. I don’t write about my family often. You might not believe that if you read the many stories I share here. But, there are always details I hold back. Names. Details. Sometimes locations. My column last month was more personal than usual.
I talked about my family getting Covid. My lovely wife and one of my kids got it. It changed our lives as it has many people. Fortunately, my son made a full recovery and my lovely wife recovered, but still requires oxygen.
Then, last week, this showed up.
Understand our paper only exists in a print edition. So, to respond, this reader had to find a paper and a pen. Then, get an envelope, look up the address for the paper. Finally, they had to buy a stamp and then put it in the mail.
I appreciate every comment, every LIKE and SHARE. I appreciate each and every reader.
But, I especially am grateful when someone goes to the trouble of writing an actual letter. Not a lot of those anymore.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
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LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved
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When you start a diet program, you hope for positive results. When your kid starts playing sports, you hope for positive results. When, your wife says that she bought a home pregnancy test, you hope for positive results. (I have 13 kids remember?)
You don’t want negative results from your diet. You don’t want negative results for your kid. (Okay, let’s skip that last one.) The point is that positive is good. Negative is bad.
Except when the test itself is bad, or negative. In that case two negatives make a positive.
I ain’t got no money.
You realize you just admitted you have money?
Huh?
What’s a negative test? A bad test? Sickness tests. Cancer, Covid even the flu.
Are there even any other diseases this year besides Covid? It seems that way. But, there have been.
USA Influenza positivity rates are down 98% in 2020
Other diseases are down around the world. By wearing masks and social distancing we have not only had an effect on the spread of Covid, but other less infectious diseases as well.
But, how many of you have really worried about anything except Covid? Every time someone sneezes or coughs, anytime someone has a slight fever, a headache or just feels slightly off one day, we worry about Covid.
We’ve had a sign on our door for a year, “Someone in this house has a compromised immune system.” After Covid happened, we added another on, “Oxygen in use.”
The running thing about the oxygen sign, when the company delivered the oxygen machine they included a sign in Spanish. So, our sign actually says, “Oxygen en uso.” We put it up anyway. I lost track of how many times we’ve been in quarantine. Multiple false alarms (tests were negative) and a longer one during our positive test.
So, a few weeks ago we assumed the worst when another one of our kids started feeling achy. She quarantined and got the test. And a couple others of us got the test too. All the tests came back negative. But, she was still sick.
Now what?
We had almost forgotten what you do with people who are just regular sick, not Covid sick. So, naturally, we had her tested a second time for Covid. That also came back negative. Apparently, she’s just. . .sick. We decided it was probably mono. (And since she’s a service missionary, we assume it was acquired innocently enough.)
So, she’s doing what she did before, wearing a mask, quarantining in her room.
What a strange world when Mono is a positive result.
Stay safe
Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.
Follow him on
Twitter (@rodneymbliss)
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LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com/in/rbliss)
or email him at rbliss at msn dot com(c) 2021 Rodney M Bliss, all rights reserved