The Neil Blog: Just Lovely

Mental illness an excuse?    It has been four years.   A guy throws his baby girl off a bridge to her death.   Now, no doubt, he’s messed up in the head.    But no death penalty.   Of anyone I’ve seen in my lifetime, this guy should be put to death for what he did.   I drive over that bridge five times a week.     You have to wonder who failed.   Who let him even have a chance to be alone with this kid?    If we can see he’s this messed up, those people would have known.   Unfit for trial for four years.   Now fit for trial, he’s going to be institutionalized.    But which institution?    A regular prisor (my pick) or a mental facility?    No question, one way or another he got off easy.     How easy?    We will find out in a few weeks.    I hope it is handled right.   Justice for a small kid who didn’t have a chance in life.     Five days for jury selection?   Why does it take more than a few hours??    Stuff like that keeps me unimpressed with our system.    It simply shouldn’t be that hard.   Unfit for trial:  We were talking about it a few months ago.   I said “Is he unfit to take out in a field and shoot him?”   I thought I would get opposition and criticism.   I did not.    Taking the guy out and shooting him sounded fine to the people I was with.  Mentally unfit or not:  What he did, he should be told “this is why you have to die” and then do it.    Instead, he’s probably going to be watching TV for the next 40 years.     Not good if you ask me.    Not good at all.  

My hockey team continues to win.   Currently tied with Arizona.     Cracks me up they have hockey in Glendale, just down the road from where I grew up.    A football stadium where I used to hunt dove.    Time goes on.  Things change.     My time in Arizona has been slight in the past ten years.    I went out with Dad in decline.   Didn’t see much else other than the house.    If I do go out there again I would like to go back to the mountains to where I used to fish as a kid.     That would be worth it.    I’d like to do it “camping” with a few of the people I did it with back then.   The fishing?    I’ll watch.   As it turns out, I’ve caught enough fish for five lifetimes.   Update:  Second game in a row.   One goal game, two empty net goals and a three goal win.      They keep winning.   Beat Washington, twice.    I don’t know who does the scheduling but they didn’t play them all year.    Then three times in ten days?    That’s no good.     One team’s hot.   Better to spread it out as far as parity goes.  

The hockey team, most wins they have had in a season and there are still nine games left.   The question remains:    What about Boston?   We should find out, they play them twice in the next week.    If Boston beats them both times:   It’s a bad sign.    I’ve got San Jose as another contender.   Earlier it was Toronto but I think they have faded.    Tampa Bay has a chance.    If Boston plays like they did ten days ago against the Lightning, they can’t be beat.  The Lightning, shorthanded too much.    Discipline has to be lacking.   They would give up one or more fewer goals per game if their guys weren’t in the penalty box.   They are good enough:   They could not be in the penalty box as much.    Simple.  

Lots of fishing.    On a little break before three straight, another break and then four straight.   It’s a good schedule.     The fishing:  Depends on what you like.    Generally, it got tougher.    Everywhere.    For three days I counted on the ladyfish.   Stupid ladyfish.    People like to fight them.    In three attempts:  One pompano.    It has to be getting close but they are just not there yet.     The great fishing elsewhere a month earlier:   It dried up.   I have growing concerns.   Honestly:  I don’t think we take care of it well enough.    Fish are more valuable alive than they are on a dinner table.    It’s sport.    Snook:  We failed.   Redfish, they don’t know it yet but we failed.    Other species are starting to also show signs of stress.   What do I know, I’m only out there 250 days a year….    A new governor who has said nothing.   I had some hopes for this one.   Six letters I’ve sent, six times I have been ignored.    That’s not good.   People are watching.   I earned the respect.    I should have:   I worked hard enough at it.   My father even tipped his hat on what I did the last time.     That’s after he told me not to do it.    After that was all said and done he said, “You’re the wrong guy to go up against when you are right.”    I told him how frustrating it was to argue with people where, it’s their job, but they don’t know anything about what it is they are in charge of.     It was nothing short of pathetic.

Skip to now, they want to pat themselves on the back.    “We stocked 2000 redfish.”     When you stock 200,000 redfish, let me know.    I am unimpressed.     You only closed them because of red tide?    Redfish have been in trouble for four years.     The unaware.     I speak up but do they listen?   Scott Moore speaks up:  Do they listen?     Don’t guys like Scott Moore get any respect?    I can tell you, I know what I am doing.    I can tell you:   Things aren’t what they used to be.    It’s sad.    But it is reality.   In my opinion, if humans are involved:  It’s going to get screwed up.  

Showed up to sell a guy a book after fishing.    He beat me there.    At a tackle shop actually.    I give him his book and two people walk up and ask if I had more copies.   Sold two more books from that guy telling people he was there to get the book.      Sales are steady, good for a book I just got in hand three days ago.  

The manatees and dolphin have provided some fun for people.    The manatee we saw one day was just massive, possibly the largest I have ever seen.     Some days, manatees just lingering under the kayaks.    They just lay there and look at you.    I would start naming them but none of them seem to know my name.    I guess I have to think of it this way:  90% of everyone I know has never seen one.     Their loss.    A thousand pound creature that just swims around my kayaks for fun.     No doubt:   My clients are in awe, and they should be.   

Speaking of just lay there and look at you, my niece had a baby.    My brother would have been a grandfather now.     Something I’m sorry he didn’t stick around to have.   It is a good thing.     I’m sure they will enjoy that addition to their lives.    Now her two sisters and brother get to see what I got to do as an uncle.      I was pretty good at it.   When they got big enough to have fun, that’s exactly what we did.     I always felt that kids need to feel like they were important.   I tried to show them that I would listen, that I would be involved with them.   I was the youngest of four.    The newness of kids in our family was long gone.      Not that anything was bad or anything, I’d just say that when I came around, there was less excitement about another kid being around.   I remember the relatives that showed me some attention.    I remember the ones that didn’t.    That’s life.  

The negatives.    I derailed something, finally.    There’s a bar owner who is a total loser.   There’s a guy I graduated with.    Seven years in the NFL, six years special forces, five years CIA.    He wanted revenge.   Six foot seven, 295 pounds, I’d have pulled up a chair to watch.    But I convinced him, it’s better for me if he doesn’t do anything.    People have shown their true colors.    20 years ago, it would have been a meltdown.   Now, no one cares too much.    So you know what:  Neither do I.     I’m all right with a lesser role in the world.   I’ll hang out with people that want me around.    Their loss.    The boycotts are pretty small.    But that is actually rising.    A couple more people have come by and said they won’t go in there anymore.    Not a bad thing for me to see.   I was disappointed I didn’t see that more.     If any of them were treated the way I was, it would have been a fight.   But I get treated that way and overall, no one seems to care.    Whatever.     I’m fine sitting right here at my house anyway.   The losers?    They are just added to the list.     People that could have been benefiting from knowing me:    They will never get anything from me.     That’s simple too.  

The positives.   I got an email on Royalty payment for the first book.    More sold on Amazon than I sold.      I make half that way but it was a chunk of money.   I thought it would be less than half of that.    And that’s probably regular sales moving forward.    I know of five people who bought it on Amazon.     The other 30 people were new to me.    Not getting rich but I’ll tell you:   It will pay some bills.    I’m pleased that people want to read what I have done.  

Days off keep disappearing.    Everyone wants to go.    Just booked another one 30 seconds ago.   This is good for me.     This is the best condition I have been in for probably three years.     Two books selling.   Pompano teasers selling.    It went from fairly “blah” in 2018 to on fire right now.    Two new fly rods are getting broken in good.    Three fly fishing trips on the books.   New rods and reels:  They need to get experienced.  

Fishing just isn’t what it used to be.    Who is going to join me to make things improve??   I wish that wasn’t the case but the reality:  I’m out there all the time.   I know.    We have issues.   I want to go back to “a lot of fish” again.   So, I got a reply from the governor this morning.    It’s a start….   More after I reply (and what they say in return).   It’s crunch time.    We need progress.   We need people who care.   We need things to be better in our future.    Period.   I will succeed.