Opinions in the Shorts: Vol. 300

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For me, this is the perfect image to mark the 300th post of Opinions in the Shorts (OITS). After all, I see myself dropping confetti on you as a way to say thanks.

I started blogging on 28th August 2008 as a politics and sports blog. My first OITS appeared on 25th November 2008. A few weeks earlier, President Obama won the election for his first term.That first OITS featured a hilarious Jimmy Kimmel skit showing the secret handshake between President Bush and President-elect Obama. Too bad the video is no longer available.

I started this series as a way to toss out a variety of short thoughts. Over time, thoughts were categorized, Interesting Reads and The Onion headlines appeared, the Garrison Keillor quote served as the conclusion, and a song sent readers into the weekend. I even wrote about the Keillor phrase in this 2009 post.

My golf league started this week. Last year was my first year in this league. I was fortunate to play with the eventual league champion multiple times. What a nice guy! Over time, I learned about his health issues (but from others). Several weeks ago I learned he passed away during the winter.

For anyone looking for a new laptop, I suggest considering the Dell Outlet Center. I recently purchased my third laptop from them because I’ve been very pleased with the others. Even a better deal when they have specials (see Coupons) on the Outlet Center’s webpage.

At the time of this writing, I’m way behind on Act 6: Purple-Indigo-Violet of Colors: The Musical. Timing simply wasn’t good.

There will be a post this weekend, but it will be a Salute, not an Explore.

The success of the Donald Trump (R-NY) campaign continues to floor me. Yep – I missed it – sadly (and in my opinion), it’s a poor commentary on Americans. Although the chance of the Republican convention being the last stand is between slim and none, I will continue to say (1) Trump has a huge mountain of negatives to climb, (2) the majority of the Republican faithful will vote for him because that’s what partisans do, and (3) he has no chance of getting my vote – absolutely none! My tendency is to cast a vote for a candidate, but in this case, I am willing to vote against one.

I’m sorry to see Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) suspend his campaign. Several times I stated that I thought his nomination would be the best for the Republican party, but that hope has dimmed. My reason was simple – I was confident that he would be crushed in a general election, therefore causing the Republican party to retreat from ultra conservatism. Hence, the best for the party.

Here are two articles regarding examinations of President Obama’s time in office: An economic look and a broad view.

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To lead you into your weekly dose of satire, The Onion offers tips on training for a marathon.

Weekly Headlines from The Onion (combos welcome)
Iconic Iwo Jima photo under investigation
Man who did something wrong now hates cops
Kid you used to babysit 5 bar stools over
Man ashamed of himself after cashier reads food order back to him
Abandoned tuba player honks mournfully by side of road
Students watch in sympathy as teacher’s humongous ass erases part of whiteboard

Interesting Reads
History of the universe through ocean sediment
Hiroshima
Restrictions on religious attire for women
Spirituality and Snoopy
A look back at the American eugenics movement
Comparing images of space: 100 years ago and now

Long-time readers know I’m a Moody Blues fan, and remain disgusted with their omission from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nonetheless, when I started blogging I had no idea where it would go and for how long – so many thanks to my readers for keeping me going. Have a safe weekend and in the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.