Viral Vicissitudes

Growing up, while staying small... Pregame Introduction: “ We'll take it from here..."   (OK, but have him back before nap time...) Toddler Transport: "Here, sit in this booster seat and if you promise not to squeal..the tires I’ll let you drive…”  Waiting in line: "Mind your p's and q's in here...you do know one from the other, don't you?" (Oh, you haven't had time to develop a sense, of sarcasm yet, eh?) Taking orders: “If you agree not to spill…the beans, you can order off the big boy menu…”  Table talk: "It says you have a degree in finance…not sure a lemonade stand qualifies…may have to fudge, a bit…”  Sign of the times: "Just make an X here, on the napkin to show you agree to our terms..." Many happy returns: "Take my hand and don't talk to strangers...other agents in particular" (this being a preschool and all)    Peer-to-peer” S o, how did you make out on your takeout? Oh, had to tip the waiter to act like I h...

“A, B…free Agent C” Alphabetical disorder  A, for Amateur-ish... given the blurred definition of how long you have to stay, before going...pro B, for Buy, buy buy $$$! "the sky is the new limit, for you, babe" C, for ("See this, I'll set you free...just sign")  Identity theft, what's left?! As in stealing not their childhood, not quite yet, but what developmental psyches call the stage of identity, the teen years... Sex ed, for Ted… “while your buds are trying to get to first, we’ll have you clearing the bases, in not time!" And on to topic of tipping… “while your peers are saying cheers, while throwing back a few…we’ll give you all the tricks to get them to pick up, the tab, you simply pay the tip…” So much for getting a formal education… "Congrats to the Great Late State..."  the mitten finally got smitten (Cha-ching$!) and joined the union, as the 46th state to sign on, to this new NIL MH$AA deal... No fair getting paid, to perform  (that w...

Finer points of point shaving  (brought to you by FanDuel - “count on us to point you in the wrong direction”😉) “For starters” Not my audience, as you are already "flush" with cash...this is for the suckers who get sucked up, prime suspects, in this point shaving that could even end up in a "game throwing" arrangement (as in "up for grabs!")... “What’s the point?” You ask… of shaving, if you’re only going to go halfway...? If you’re going to shave points may want to consider that "clean shaven" look that will send them looking the other way..."hey, they're too squeaky clean to do something so underhanded" (the hole point of faking a dunk, drop in the bucket, so to speak) and if you’re going to throw them off the hunt, remember each free throw is far from free here ("at least hit the rim")... “And to you, quiet quidders, out there” The ones those cards can go from yellow to red, if their slip-and-fall routines look too...r...

  Have you, like me… Grown weary, Knowing you’ve grown, Aged out, Of the (“groan”) school closing days, Rearranging the clothes you, yourself laid out... “My, how they’ve grown” (moan)  As I was told, As my own mother grew old, “Enjoy every moment…they wiz by…” Good words to live by.  (guess it’s just an old habit, as I still find myself checking, first thing each moaning…) 

USA, USA, USA...1st Amended rites, amended  "Read, read, read all about it!"  As in "it's a trifecta!"    Three sum and then some… reporters and supporters, of one of what will probably, knowing the city they hail from, The Motor City, Motown, and now comes the third of the “Big Three” as in three newspapers that will, as the new owner claims, continue independently report the news while sharing, the same big umbrella, under the banner of  USA Today: "good news is old news...papers" Carbon light… the new owner’s claim that one will not simply be a carbon copy of it’s neighbor…we’re talking… Degrees in freedom… updated as “we’ll continue to sustain a degree of independence from each other…” Should be interesting, as they will be operating these news operations under the same roof…so to speak… "Have I got news for you, and you and..."  It’s not quite what we’re looking here, but check down the hall, perhaps it will be of interest to the scaven...

Game, Time decisions - from A,B, and C, on to TBD; NCAA to the final floor.  Part 2 of Countdown to SB LX   Streaming and screaming (given the rumor each quarter Tubi covered  by a different streaming service... Changing channels...rearranging conferences... does anyone have time anymore to even attend, let alone pay attention** given all the coverage they are trying to accomplish, with all sorts of sports that, according to the come on! commercials, are to be incredibly eventful...the event planners planned it out several years back...to have these two teams in their respective divisions, have similar records by this time of the season -- a dream matchup that only those at the highest level (owners and league officials seen looking down at the rest of us paying public from the comfort of the enclosed booth) could dream up. All this, in order to up the excitement as well as what's called by those whose concern is new revenue..."upping the ante"... A fee-for-all... ...

Payoffs of Play-offs, are now on.  Your money was... well, spent. But what about all the extra time you spent on campus? Institutional Buy-ins... talking in-tuition, that most of us pay to, as it turns out, see others play... "Meet your faculty" But first, let me show you around, the facilities...starting with the locker room (if they came to play, need a place to stay, right?)  Leveling, the playing field... leads to fair play, but let's talk about how, if you stick it out...the terms of your initial (shoe) contract, you might even get the field named after you... The earning curve... as in loyal alums learning, that even thirty years on...mostly off the field of play, get to pay a "seasonal stipend" to sustain their seating...in the end zone 😖    Heated seats... "it still burns me to know that, after all these years of what the alumni.org calls investing, in my U, that me, myself, am just another...student number..." College of Lifelong Learning... ...

A hole new class of student athletes In a class by themselves - Living by one of the oldest college idioms, left over from the class before: "Tis better to be late..."  BMOC - which to stand for something but now just referred to as BIG, as in no qualifying remarks called for🤔 Elevating their game - well, at least their name, well above the stadium, as part of the whole new NIL thing. Speaking of inflated...talking about grade inflation… "The Big 4.0$"  - the newest blown-up lawn sign, a sign that things have titled in the other direction, in the whole student athlete equation...speaking of inequities... Bratwurst - the final outcome of this process..."You give us your brat and we'll make him..."  (what can happen when we start giving preschoolers awards before they even show up, to play) 

“I’m giving you fair warning…”  As in "this is final, almost" - part 1 of the Countdown to SB LX series  A  time-less tradition,  that leaves you with more… Starts early and often... From the two minute stretch:   "You've got two minutes, buster..." My snooze button bought me ten... The creative excuse: "There's a fender bender boss, and Siri says I'll be two minutes late...which got me a serious twenty plus minute talking two "You got a minute...?"  Followed me home: "I've only got about two minutes of homework, so you can let me go out and play first..." Only came in, due to dying of thirst... Turning a page: "Two minutes until lights out" Where "One more page" was the first time I doubled down... So next time... You hear the official timer on the field, court, or even center ice announce "There's only two minutes left..." plan accordingly: There's just no turning back time, but you can...

"And it came to pass..." (just a matter of time) Usually followed closely (as in a tailgater) "back in those days, after the event was predicted to unfold, before our very eyes..."As in a prophesy. Or just a bold prediction, that otherwise, to wise men, seemed to be inevitable... "Pass, but with care"   a sign, from earlier times, accompanied by one, solid yellow line, accompanied in turn, by some white dashes ("dash while you still can!") "No more passing" at least until you see the end...of the double solid yellow...."just stay mellow"    "Pass?! don't even think about it!" now, accompanied by a sign* that we got used to seeing every day, then on every hour, in front of our house. Now designating "stay in your lane...this is now called the shipping lane, more specifically for the Amazon deliverers…” Coming your way, get out of ours! They used to talk about Primetime but now with the latest shipping lane ch...

Whet and dry bars, and their growth charts - another revolution on a resolution Alcohol free… hardly, at least not yet. Despite the rising demand in what used to be called malt shops, a place you ordered your favorite, that came with what the bartender learned how to put a good head on it, more simply stated as “foaming up” - is now being gradually replaced by those that are being marketed as “good for your head”. Or for the mixers…”these will mix well with your meds” The moderate consumer groups have not yet experienced a moderation in prices…a cause for great debate between those pulling up bar stools as to whether this is due more to the technical nature of removing alcohol (not from the shelves, just ourselves)…or the oldest laws of economics of consumption as to what happens when there’s more of a demand for it -- far from free... “ Dry you a drink ?”😉 (the question remains how one is supposed to wet one’s whistle while drying out…)

“Great...another year of gut-wrenching decisions!" For starters…  the pro-biotics among and within us.  Add odds... with the anti-spasmodics. Do I...  simply “gut it out” or regurgitate when something doesn’t agree, with me…😫?  Up or down... there's products to produce both outcomes, as in getting rid of the impurities. Which, in turn… "Down, dig just a little deeper..."  Which is what I overheard while getting “scoped out” while they thought I was deep, asleep😱 Value added... as in supplements and other such additional ingredients to swallow, in both solid and liquid forms. For goodness' sake... as in "Thank Goodness" there's still Tums (containing the active ingredients of calcium, carbonate, magnesium, and sodium all in a chewable form) as all these choices of what makes for a healthy gut is giving me an upset stomach. (Now, that that’s settled, on to something of a re-gurgency: the state of vanilla…extract)

Stream of Conscientious  Stereotyping… Us, psychologists, as all being experts in dream interpretation. Of this I don’t claim expertise but willing to comment on what’s broadly speaking broad band categories. Such as haven’t you ever had dreams that took you soaring to great heights, that only came crashing down to earth when they saw the light of day? These are pretty common categories, on our collective consciousness. But then along comes one whose dream, the dimensions of which, could take us collectively, to the Light. Not the least of which, include the words and deeds of Martin Luther King Jr. “The least of these…” (Matthew 25:40) being a main part of his message. Keeping his Dream alive remains our collective charge.

Reformers of dormers  The Great Reformation… which followed the initial conversion…of their bedroom, to a study, guestroom, whatever fits the mood...(“they’re gone, time to party!”) Acts of De-finance… as in “you can kick in your share by at least sharing all that allowance you’ve been stowing away, while we've been shelling out big bucks, as in paying your tuition...not to mention your student housing costs😖”  Household Budget Buster… in the Brit aisles of home furnishing stores, it’s simply referred to as “householders” which brings to mind just how many it can comfortably hold… Kicking them, upstairs😒...  the dormer being the ‘new basement’ dwelling area, given the ongoing sociological trend of the goings-and-keep-comings-back-gen ("no wonder they call us upperclassmen")   A state of dormer readiness … a place you find yourself after Ms. know-it-all goes back to college… "Welcome back" … Who says you can’t go home again? "Thomas Wolfe said it best, mom...

Doing less, with more - what's in store for us Time is...running out. so why the weight? Putting weight back on - as in plates, after clearing...the bar -- 5's, 10's, even 25's (?!). Good to do gradually, and...oh-so-slowly. Each repetition, focusing on form. As well as breathing in ("Now...hold it") when lowering it, to your chest (?!) and forcefully exhaling as you lift it and then celebrate (cheers!") every other repetition (as greedy is considered bad form here). Such is the way in which one can build stronger muscles in the weighting room, living life on the bench - -  more muscle with less repetitions😅. On to another revolution... Acts of charity...come passion - another resolution that, after a strong beginning ("Happy....") starts Petering out -- the whole taking from Peter and giving to Paul routine ("I take it back!") unless one continues to stay, what resolutionists call "Home, James" -- as to where charity begins...

ME putting AI, on the spot…(or so I thought) "Sew what?!" was all I got in response to the extent to which this personification came, to take away jobs in the text tile industry... "Yeah, right?!" in the category of putting hosts of quiz shows out of the biz... "That a rhetorical question or what?!" in attempt to get its insights into how AI might create new jobs and expand the economy versus shrink it...”Ok, I’ll make it simple…what is your intention?” “ Depends on what you mean by is ” 😖Your witness. (so goes my initial free trial of AI)

Out, on the factory floor - a presidential precedent post... “It’s a Plant!”   Person, place or thing… Dependent variables - making up the equation of situational awareness, a situation out on the floor, that could easily result in an animated discussion about wage and price controls, and one wagging finger, out of control...    President dele-gators in tow - just in case he stubs his. Which, in this special case and his penchant for theatre, included a presidential (auto)bio writer and, for those occasional photo ops…presidential paparazzi person…whose respective advice resulted in this ob-scene gesture…”Mr. President just do and say what comes naturally; this is an auto manufacturer, after all…” Along with “if you want a photo with the president- just smile and keep your eye on the birdie…” Arch support (sore feat) - “I hear the lunches around here taste like crap…meet me at the closest golden arches and I’m buying…” (that will shut their traps). Now, for their bosses…...

A wild ride, down the tri-angle's side  Food and drink... on the brink From fusion… to bitter butter battles Margarine... getting marginalized   Lactose...  is now gross! An all out a-salt... on pepper Lunch counters …no more, nor soda fountains of youth…while calorie counters are weigh in.   Sweet as... saccharine, sanctioned as sacrilege   Wonder about bread?   the dosing down of dough Flour power... lasted for an hour All pills got buried… where do you think the brand “PB” came from…? Vaxing and waning… machinations on vaccinations  Butt weight a minute … Ozempic now part of a healthy diet (along with exorcism🫣) Carbon-nation...  at war with in oneself, bubbling to the surface - “belch!”  Where breakfast of champions... leaves us chomping at the bit (or maybe a few), as even cream of wheat, now considered a treat… Where even Betty Crocker... screams "he's off his rocker!" (at least over-saturated) The intake from RFK: Changing s...

Coaching carousel, gives weigh to Presidential packages...and hail storms. The new U... well, a place he once knew, as a freshman, arriving on the scene, in a Greyhound…it’s what an aspiring presidential candidate calls a humble beginning, at the student drop-off..."hail, to the wolves!" (short form) Orange U… glad to be back, after having to wear orange, man?! Maize and blue becomes U… Measuring up… as in one true measure of what’s in good tradition, called a Michigan Man, is where one hails from (despite the lack of actual wolverine sightings since the class of...), in which case a place in Harbor Springs, what we call “up north” (redundantly stated just in case you lack a sense of direction) will do just fine, given its penchant for hail storms… Students Unite… the same busy intersection he saw as a student drop off, right in front of the Student Union…which for us, whenever we wanted to press our agenda, curiously located a stone’s throw up “South U” which, regardless of ...

"Dead ahead" "Steady as she goes" "Keep on, keeping on..."  "Ripples scene..."  As in how to keep on Truckin' - despite the loss of now another founding member, whose faithful followers would totally get the "guess you'll just have to improvise" direction as an addition to the foregoing road signs -- given that "improvisation" was a hallmark of their spontaneous stage shows...  "Welcome to the club" were close to the words that he heard at the sweet age of sixteen, while on the eve of '64 (a nod to one of their biggest groups of influencers from Liverpool) -- along with the distant sound of what else but a...banjo (bet you thought otherwise) that brought his wandering to an end in where else, but a music store, where a storehouse of musical creativity in his in right, Jerry, casually greeted him "What's up Bob?"  Dead to the world - was the way in which the first night they spent together ma...

Pyramid schemes, and the unsolved riddle   "...it came to pass..." Usually a signal we're going back it time, to visit a place or time, or both... "...see, folks, from their perspective..." A common intro from a tour guide to get the group to try and peer, into the past... "...a feat of human architecture, of inhuman proportion..." We just crossed over from the ancient pyramids to the menacing creature featuring human head, lion bod, eagle wings...(imagine the dietary requirements) "...even more bizarre, comes an avatar..." The updated version of which includes "an electronic image that can be manipulated by a computer user..." "...the question that remains..." the updated version of the unsolved riddle, that the tour guide likes to leave them with, to come back for more...as to why..."the 21st Centurions, bought into a scheme that included a tabulated set of recommendations for a balanced diet that accounted for the ...

Our nights are far from silent  Twelve daze, a dozen knights  - make for a lot of racket!  Pillage a village -  What's coming from all those villagers dismantling their own village that fits on the mantle. More than minor excavation. And extending to those extension ladders that have to be collapsed once the elves step down. We're talking about feeling rung out here, one rung at a time...no wonder the elves took so long getting back to their storm shelter... Santa tracker - I f you haven't been eye witness to Santa and his sleigh, checkout all it takes these days to slay Santa...simply pull the plug and it's like our whole Santa Claus Lane gave out...one last shout..."Whoosh!"  "Do you hear what I hear...?!" It happened every time I got near...couldn't at first tell, where this #@*& noise was coming from...checked the girls and boys, their new electric toys...on to the front lawn...Santa long gone...finally bending down, causing a huge frown....

Venture Capital and its Green backers  Only makes cents… its inception and then genesis evolves from bored rooms…the be-holders that we can eventually become beholden to, without ever meeting them... Presidential prescience… of mind, that he was out in front of them, pressing his personal agenda…most recently including a clamp down on what’s in part shooting up the price of single family homes - - namely institutional buyers who are super private equity groups who tend to go under the name of “current resident and its currency” Part of his “Americas First” The evidence for, one needs to… “ Look no further ” The last words a venturesome capitalist wants to hear… than the zip code of 19406, featuring "one of the highest concentration of hotels, and the fifth biggest shopping mall in the entire country (AKA a land developers dream come true) nicely nestled in the shadows of the city of Brotherly Love” a former capital of US all. Found earlier but formally founded in 1719, well before...

“Dating Game” remains the same Word pics…   from behind the screen…the unseen, now accompanied not only by a few competitors who have been made up, by the makeup specialist…in what's now called the photo booth.  Host with the most… advantages…”If you only saw what I see, you might do a double take…”  .com ons… “can’t I just have a peak…” “hold on, I’ll be back…gotta' take a leak…” camera shy?   guessing he may have been when Chuck Barris created. this process of putting scenes of the first meeting on national TV, who was allegedly a bit hesitant to come out from behind the scene himself, until he became the strike force in "The Gong Show!"  (caution: some of the one liners on the latter may not get you past first base in the former...as in outdated dating lingo) 

A House divided, along party lines - making a raucous in Caracaras "Run DMC $!"   As in it costs a lot to keep the north and south separate...so goes his knowledge on geo systems... "Not quite, Mr....." Another try... "The cost of humidification..." You think data centers soak up a lot of water, check out how much a well balanced humidor demands -- especially when it is more north, than south...getting closer...getting warmer still... A sneak peak inside... of what to some appears to be a simple cabinet but to aficionados is stacked full of boxes...  “good Maduros and even puros…” it’s only rumored now, but will, with time, become more seasoned... as the real reason we went in there....if you want some proof, check out the earlier and current price of Cubans, before Kennedy created a price hike…some even in the shape of torpedoes - if all wrapped up in, bound by, and filled by the same region it qualifies as a puro…completely different from the whole Euro ...

Shame, is part of the game: “Who’s to blame?!” Notice the punctuation…marks - which can, depending on how often, by who, you are ‘called out’ by, leave you even more bruised and battered, which are, of course, in the course of a typical game, part of their ouch takes…"This game is already too damn long without you being called for illegal procedure...!" ("but coach, I was just nodding my head to indicate I was ready, after being told to get down, in the. set position") Talk about mixed signals... Back up camera men (and women on the increase)- an increasing role player, across competition domains…calling for more replays, a whole other huddle.... Lineups - where the announcers have the advantage. Given the media guides and such other advance notices, up in the booth where they move about freely -- whereas the actual role players called linemen find themselves having to hold their position (for convenience our coaches call it “get into your stance”) until such a time...

Olympic trials and tributations  “Don’t cry…retry”   A most unusual sight, of a speed skater staying in her own lane, without anyone else, keeping stride…after being judged as engaging in just a slight, bad touch of her competition in the first go-round…"disqualified...but wait a minute" (well, 60 or so...) Degrees of separation As in “I can’t believe she could beat her self after such a short rest in the long run (translated as skate here, the long blade version) as in the1500…it was as if she lapped herself " (the last part added by me, versus the ringside commentator, for added affect) - which, while some were already fans, for the rest of us who didn’t know her, made Greta greater - who, off the rink answers to the surname  of Myers. More drama and my ex-pert commentary to unfold, outside the rink…as in tomorrow's in stall meant… What’s on Deck, Taylor? (everyone wants to know) - if you check back you'll see what the stall, is about.

Patent pending - Business, as usual “They don’t know what they’re talking about…” In reference to the experts on international law, the action being patently illegal …”don’t they know that possession is…9/10th’s, which comes as close to 90% to capture at least the spirit of the law…”  “Makes for great theater, as well” Never shying away from what’s often called the world stage, and he being not only one who knows the art of the deal…but the greatest showman in earth…”we’ll show them all right…” Right up until the final verdict is in…as in July, 2026, in the FIFI World Cup final. What did you think I was referring to… “I wouldn’t touch that with a 39 and a half foot pole!”

2026 - Swearing still in, while ceremonies are out, of the question... “We’re all in this together…” In a place where the Inaugural address has none ”...as we’re all renters here…where every thing you need is free and no one owns any thing…wait…I meant owes no one in particular, not even your landlord…” Soaking the rich, while you soak up the sun…sounded like great fun… A pregnant pause… after finding out the city was not…pregnant with cash - - after studying what used to be called the financials, when there were some to look at…”our future is now blight…we’ve even had to downsize albany to all lower case, due to a loss of capital… the movers and shakers ran away from the tax givers and takers…we had to transfer some to building funds to fund a wall around Wall Street to keep those few remaining from scramming...from taking even a bigger bite out of the apple..." “ My updated bucket list...  if you’ll let me finish my term, after realizing there was a hole in my bucket, when the w...

"One can never tell..." who will ring the bell.  And other closely held maternal secrets. As in ringing in... not only the new years, but your ears, to the point of tinnitus itis. As in the honorific of being the chosen one -- the one chosen to signal the opening and closing of yet another day, the open and close of watching those on the floor create first a stir, then leaving a mess to clean up. Chaos! at its best.  A familiar ring tone..."Who's going to clean up this $#&%?!" "Watch live - stock traders while Wall Street is stalled " (come, be an inside trader for a few hours) "Weigh your options carefully, dear..." Many times whispered through pursed lips, into my ears, before, finally getting through my "thick head!" 😖 "In other words, child (it was as if she thought I needed extra directions) ...look both ways, before even thinking about crossing Wall Street..." And, while she was at it..."And if you happen t...

Old versus new, a clear-eyed view: Out with the new, in stays the Old... “Allow me to be the first…” to clear up some misconceptions (would’ve been a great resolution) about two forecasts for the coming year. The Farmer's Almanac, a mixture of wit, wisdom, and folksy forecasting, that had been around since 1818 (which, I imagine, was designed with us future readers in mind, to ease our minds, at least short-term memory) will soon be out of print, as in “aging out”. The other sagacious Old Farmer's Almanac, around since 1792...containing predictions of "astronomical events, tidal waves (well, trends at least), weather”, and all things "fun and practical" will persist to exist... "Which is which?" You ask. See, you thought the only ones who are growing up in the digital age, have two many choices... "The Maine difference" As far as I can tell, looking back, through the pages, is that the newer version is/was (if you didn't yet get your 2026 ...