Here are three Random Thoughts which are rattling around in my head today…
#1) Several people have asked why I’m not writing about the wildfires in California. The answer is simple: I don’t have anything compelling enough to contribute that you can’t access on approximately forty-two million other sites. My only thought on the subject is the hope my friends in that area don’t have to grab their go-bags and hightail it to someplace that isn’t burning.
#2) As the NFL season wound down last weekend, there was a lot of talk about players breaking long-held records for passing, receiving, running, sacking quarterbacks, etc. But considering that some of the marks surpassed were set during an era when the season wasn’t seventeen games long, should they come with an asterisk? Can you really compare the yards gained over a four-month season to the same statistic from a three-month season?
When Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s record of sixty home runs in a season, Major League Baseball’s record books put an asterisk next to Maris’ 61 because he’d played in a 162-game season while Ruth’s were 154 games long. Since then, four other players have exceeded Maris’ total, but they all had 162-game seasons, too — not to mention steroids — so the asterisk became moot.
The only sports-related record I can think of that will never be challenged has to be Wilt Chamberlain’s claim that he slept with 20,000 women in his lifetime. And that never needed any punctuation other than an exclamation mark!
#3) Is it just me, or is there now a lot more alcohol being displayed in supermarkets? The Dierberg’s nearest my house replaced about a third of its produce section with shelves full of beers and liquors I’ve never even heard of (though that’s not surprising since I haven’t touched a drop in over 30 years). The Schnucks down the street increased the volume of its booze-filled aisles markedly, as well.
I’m sure they would both explain they’re only trying to meet consumer demand, so perhaps the public is drinking a lot more alcoholic beverages. If that’s the case, is it bad news for bars that people are buying booze to take home, rather than going out for a few? Or is this trend in addition to what’s being sold in those establishments?
I’m surprised the supermarkets haven’t posted a sign saying Make America Drunk Again.