And life goes on. From Neil: Capmel.com
The older you get the more things change. I believe I touched on this one with my father at one point. In his advancing years I know he embraced my mindset. I would like to be able to drink as much as I want but never have to go to the bathroom.
Six months post Facebook I get more spam than I do regular email. It is up to 200 people who have followed my example. If you ask me, Facebook is dying. Whatever.
America: Making thousands of millionaires out of people with zero talent. It is hard to find anything to watch on the television. Brutal programming. I missed my calling.
I am still trying to find something nice to say about Nancy Pelosi. On a bright note, Elizabeth Warren released the DNA results that she used to be a chimpanzee.
Political ads for a Florida election: If they are true, we have no candidates to choose from. I can tell you that the ad messages aren’t having the desired effect. They are denouncing a guy and they convinced me to vote for that person. I’m sorry you weren’t more successful.
Mailing pipe bombs. At least none of them blew up. The guy watches too much TV. Robert DeNiro got one? Personally, I knew where the guy stands but only on accident. I try to not watch TV.
Jon Gruden with one win going into week 8: That’s as good as a Miami University loss. Megan Kelly called to ask to see if I could hire her. Church covers up priest’s abuse of 50 boys. Whitey Bulger dies in prison at 89: Presumed not from natural causes. Megan Markle is pregnant. I didn’t do it.
In the fishing world, the authorities closed snook and redfish. Based on “Red Tide.” What about the freeze we had in January? Snook, already in a perilous position, got clobbered again. What happened with Red Tide was small compared to what the January weather did to them. My efforts continued, I was on them before September. I was on them after their decisions. I am pushing to get my input and the input of guys like Scott Moore incorporated into the process.
The thing that is apparent, very visible and obvious: Fishing is worse than it was five years ago. Human pressures. More people arrive every day. Redfish? Redfish haven’t been good for over four years. In my opinion: If people are involved, it’s going to get ruined. Me, I tried to not be part of the problem. I haven’t killed a redfish in over four years.
Other species have done OK. In my opinion, closed seasons are in order. No harvest for part of the year to allow species to proliferate.
The Red Tide. Is anything being done? Funny how one year ago I wrote about water quality and how we needed to do some things before this happened again (http://www.capmel.com/open-those-cuts-up/). We do these other worthless sand renourishment projects. But do we do anything to improve water flow anywhere? No. Not anything. Such a rich country. So many resources. Yet we FAIL.
I believe it will have to be up to us. I’ll bet I can organize it, get $1000 from every hotel. $500 from every restaurant. With that money and experimentation we can, if not stop Red Tide, make it better. I’ll tell you: I could use some help. I am usually the guy of action. But this one would be big.
It took me my whole life, and my Dad missed it, but I finally got banned from a Pub. It wasn’t even for fighting. I’m disappointed to tell you: It is because the owner is hell bent that a $10 football pool might cost him his liquor license. I was sympathetic. I was respectful. I got asked to leave anyway. So goes the world. I can live with it. It’s his place, he can run it however he wants to. I’m just sorry I gave him business six days a week the last ten years…. You’d figure I would rate higher?? I’m out. There are some people very displeased. I have been telling them to leave it alone. I want to be left alone. If people get wound up, I can’t move on. I am perfectly happy sitting at my new house. Seriously.
There are bigger issues in life. Like: Should I grow a beard again? That’s more important than being at the pub. I put $100 on Boston to win the world series five weeks ago. That’s more important. I havne’t won the football pool this year. Since I got thrown out of the pub over it: I need to win it at least twice in the last ten weeks. Bet placed early enough, that payout would be pretty good.
I am an umpire. First and foremost. I was an umpire longer than I have been a fishing guide (that margin is narrowing). I didn’t watch a baseball game in 2018 until the first Wild Card games. I can tell you for a fact: The fellas have had good plate jobs. Angel Hernandez had a time on the bases but instant replay corrected all of that. Angel had a tremendous plate job. People hate Angel. People hate Joe West. Joe West should be in a retirement home. But he wants to set the record. Anyway, people don’t like either of those guys. But for years as people have asked me I have said
“Me in the big leagues. I want to work with Joe West and Angel Hernandez.” Not kidding. Neither of them cares what anyone thinks. Both of them stick up for umpires. If I was on that crew we would have fun. I’d fit in with those guys.
World Series crew chief, Teddy Barrett. Sparring partner for Evander Holyfield. In 1997 I hung out with Ted multiple nights in a dive bar that is now gone (they tore it out and put a road over it.) Me, a preppy umpire. Ted was in biker gear. Ted is also now an ordained minister. I thought Ted would have forgotten about me. He hasn’t. A short time with the guy, he remembers I was into fishing and he was tickled when Timmons told him I am a fishing guide.
Publishing power: Owner of capmel.com. It isn’t all about fishing anymore. The previous two I did like this got nominated for the Whatever Award. If you know me, the last thing I want is an award. I want a blonde girl who thinks I’m funny.
And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
Neil
- The Neil Blog… - July 26, 2023
- The Catfish - July 26, 2023
- update - July 22, 2023
