Mid-Week Musings
by Michael DiMatteo
Triple Option Publishing
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Quote of the Week
“A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important?”
— George Washington - First Annual Message to Congress (1790)
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Instant Replay - UGH!
I’m tired of it—so tired of it I can’t help myself. I’m talking about replay in sports. Where once replay was supposed to be used for the most controversial calls on the field or diamond, it seems it’s used for everything, almost as though they’re replaying every play to ensure some rule, obscure or not, is not being broken. It’s exhausting, it’s extending games into wee hours of the morning, and, for my money, making game watching almost unbearable. Further, the commercials, especially where college football is concerned, are completely out of control. The games are now 4 hours or more, replays contributing to the ridiculousness.
I understand the desire for replays…making sure the key call in the key situation is done properly. I get there is a lot of money riding on the correct call as well (especially where gambling is concerned—and if you think pro and college sports are not aware of this, well, I have prime land to sell you in Bangladesh).
But…I’m a purist.
Think of the games or contests you most recall. I’ll bet they’re the ones with the most controversial calls: 1975 Vikings/Cowboys (Hail Mary game), The Immaculate Reception, any match John McEnroe was in…
Those are the ones we remember the most, and the ones fans talk about for years. They become “What if” games, the ones bandied about and argued about for what seems like generations. Did Ruth really call his shot? If there was replay, we’d know for sure, but then the legend of whether he did it or not would be gone (personally, I think he did, as did a lot of others who were in the stadium that day).
Replay is a momentum killer for teams, takes way too much time (why is it we, the TV audience, can figure it out in one or two replays, but the officials take forever??) and slows everything to a crawl. Sitting in a stadium when a replay is going on is torture…and takes a lot of the fun out of it.
I say, get rid of replays entirely. Human error is part of the game whether we like it or not—officials are not perfect and that adds an extra element that I find intriguing. So, let’s do away with replays entirely and get back to the game!
Oh, and get the hell off my lawn!!
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Quick Observations
- Recipes with exotic ingredients…stop it. Most of us can’t find them in our local store anyway!
- Gotta love a portobello mushroom. Cook it, fill it up with stuff, and top it off with cheese. That’s good eatin’.
- If you’re looking for a nice, cost-effective whiskey—Early Times Bottled in Bond.
-Monday night the Chicago Bears are back at it…let’s go Bears!!
-The first golden leaves have fallen just outside my window.
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Recommendation
So, I can’t remember a time when I’ve woken up with a non-sore back…especially the lower back/sciatica region. It’s been that way for years, and has annoyed me for the same number of years. Enter—Smooth Spine. It’s a pillow specially designed for side sleepers like me. It comes with a comfortable strap that keeps it on your leg, and when you sleep on your side, ensures your spine is aligned properly. For the first time in years, I can now awaken with zero back pain. Zero.
No, I’m not getting paid for this, but if you’re like I was, waking up each morning with a sore back, and you’re a side sleeper…well…you need to give this a try. It has made a significant difference for me, so much so, my sleep tracker (yes, I’m one of them) shows me I’m getting the best sleep I’ve gotten in, well, I can’t even tell you. It’s been a long time.
I’m sure there are other products out there (this costs $39), but this worked for me, so I thought I’d pass it along.
One caveat - the first couple of nights you will get soreness in other places as it does take a few days for your body to adjust. But, believe me, it’s worth it.
Geeze, as I was writing this I realized how old I sound.
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Memes, Truth, and all That!
I’m fascinated by the meme culture we’ve created. Seems once something is put in a meme, it becomes truth. I spent the last week, just for fun, looking up various memes to see how truthful they actually were…and most were not close at all. They took a grain of truth, something that happened, and either distorted it completely, or left out the vast majority of the story so as the meme would fit the narrative of the person posting it.
What’s most interesting about it, and quite silly in my opinion, is the notion of how many people will buy into the meme’s narrative. There must be something psychological about a picture with words on it, something that instantly makes it true. I don’t know as I’ve not researched that. But, what I will say is that when someone fact-checks a meme on X or some other platform, clearly demonstrating its error, it doesn’t seem to matter…people will continue to believe what the original meme said.
It just goes to show that siloism, those who have a certain set of beliefs, will not change those beliefs, no matter how much fact-checking is done to the contrary. Once their bias has been confirmed, that’s it—game over.
The good news is I believe those people are small in number, their numbers exaggerated due to social media. I do believe the vast majority are not that gullible…right?
Have a great week!!
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Bloodlines: A Story of Memory, Silence, and Family will be out soon. The ebook is out right now on Amazon or anywhere ebooks are sold. Get your copy today!
— Michael DiMatteo
Triple Option Publishing
©2025