The Alaska show, I watch regularly. A new one. Chubby blonde girl that should not be out of the city. She talks the whole time they are trying to hunt so no animals walk anywhere near them. The one guy, Andy, he comes to town a couple times a year. He was real interested in what I do. Watching that show yesterday, a guy with rod and reel: Just not very good at it. But he caught two fish. If it was me, I’d have caught 20 fish. My mountains theme is coming. Airlifted out for five stitches? Come on. You are supposed to be a hardcore mountain man, you use a bandaid for a five stitch wound.
On TV: Criminal Intent, I’ve seen them all. Just unimpressive programming. I know this is a rerun topic. I just don’t get it. Who is in charge?
My bees. Unreal. Two weeks ago I could count 30 bees. Today, there were over 400 which is just an estimate because there are too many to count. Going through the 7 Up fast. They are drinking so much I’ll have to keep buying it. Today: At 11AM, the most I have ever seen. Had to be 500 bees. At 1PM, half that. By 4PM they were back again. Just a mess of bees. They drink so much; it’s costing me some money to feed them. So, a store trip. Bags of sugar were 1.79. I can make a lot of bee drinks with a single bag of sugar. Got more 7UP so I can do a mixture of sugar water and 7UP. I know it is kind of silly. I just like my bees. There wouldn’t be this many if I wasn’t feeding them. It is something to sit there and watch. If I sit close, they land on me. Usually on my hands. Other times, my ears. Stung? Not a single time. Allergic, getting stung wouldn’t be good. In Arizona, we had Africanized bees. Bad. They attacked. My bees are docile. It is amazing. The sun goes down: Not a bee to be seen. None. 7UP there to be drank, not a bee in sight. Another day. Seven bees to start the day. Within half an hour, over 500 bees swarming. My friends the bees. Hey, when there’s nothing else to do, I hang out with my bees.
Another stimulus? Doesn’t make up for the $15,000 I lost from the virus killing out of state visitors. Still picking up enough trips to make things worthwhile. I am confused. In the news: People who make 60,000 dollars should get the stimulus. Why? If you are making that much, why do you need a check? Now me, I took a $17,000 hit and I continue to lose business left and right because of the virus. The stimulus definitely helps me. But others making that much, I don’t really get it. No sooner than I typed this, Kevin O’Leary said the very same thing.
One thing’s for sure: Bleach is never on sale anymore.
Blog follower feedback, “You are the Rush Limbaugh of fishermen. The topics you haven’t touched yet. I’m patiently waiting. I have become very interested in what you have to say. Straightforward, I’d like you to be a candidate to vote for.” That, not going to happen.
The internet, kind of like TV: Not much to do. I post to capmel.com. I keep up with the reports that are submitted. I publish my own. Email: Deader than it used to be. Pretty much the same with text messages. Just not a lot going on.
Three years without Dad. At this time three years ago, he was in full decline. The end. February 24th is the day he left Earth. I talk to him every day. I say “Burning one for you Pop” every time I have a cigar lit. I talked to him plenty when I had the chance. I made the best of it. I did with Grandpa Taylor and with my brother Mark. In life: You run out of time. Dad, stories not written just simply have never been told. The cousin Scott visit was a lot of discussion about the man.
I lost my advisor. I have to figure things out myself from now on.
The lowest tourism in ten years.
95% of racism is America is just people talking about it. All this racism they talk about: Where is it? I never see it. The few times I have seen it in my life, it’s just talk and not anything other than people who don’t like another kind of people.
The Chiefs, a safe favorite just get manhandled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They never had a chance. University of Arizona, Rob Gronkowski, two touchdowns. I broke tradition. I watched “the halftime show.” Mistake. Evidence of why I don’t watch the halftime show. I give up.
Gronk will be at my house. President of the alumni club, I’ve been in touch with him.
The Lightning continue to win. I am more into that than anything else. I didn’t care too much about the Buccaneers. I don’t care about the Devil Rays. I wish they played every night. They finally gave the goalie a night off. The guy they put in for him? He gives up nothing. They encountered the Florida Panthers. That is the best team I have seen this year so far. Then game two against them: The Lightning whipped them. The rubber match: The Lightning gave them three goals. If not, they would have won. Then, a week off because of the weather in Texas. Then, a bad loss to Carolina. They got shut out. They bounce back and beat them the next game. So, there’s hope. Then, they beat them again. 3 to 0.
Detroit had some real talent but they can’t put anything together. They didn’t trade Killorn. He is a problem. He hurts the team with his decisions and penalties. Too many turnovers. Two weeks ago it wasn’t happening. Killorn is killing this team. No Kucherov, having Stamkos back isn’t cutting it. They just might not be a championship team anymore. They are close. Dump Killorn, they get better.
Still not sure why they fight. Why aren’t there fights like that in other sports? Other sports, you throw a punch and you are ejected. You can use your hands in hockey, but not in soccer? Offsides in both sports.
I clap when they score. I clap a lot. All without Kucherov. They can be sloppy. And still win. The thing I liked the best? Stamkos can fight.
41 years since “Miracle on Ice.” Defeating the Russians.
Penalties in most sports are interesting. Penalties just killed the Chiefs. You know you can’t do that, so why do you do it? Icing, I still don’t have a grip on icing.
I played: I remember the feeling of scoring. Ended my career in soccer with two goals against Arizona State. My final game. My final at bat? A home run. Closed out my careers on high notes.
Thoughts on other sports. Track. I get it. Being the fastest or the best. But no ball, puck or anything I just struggled to find the appeal.
Great trip to the grocery store. $260. Supplies that will last here for a while. I’ll probably do another $150 trip in the near future to “finish off the list.” I’m leaning back toward my “diet.” No bread, no cheese, no pasta. I need to drop 50 pounds. Every time I make that change, it works. I need to start it. I have been enjoying my cheese.
The following of the Neil Blog is good. I learn about more people who follow it regularly. I got this email yesterday:
“Neil. Your blog is a great idea. Your thoughts on the world mean something to me. Even when I don’t agree with you, which isn’t often, it is thought provoking. I wish I had the time and the mind to do one of my own. Instead, I just live through yours. If it’s something that’s on my mind, you seem to talk about it. You should have a nationwide TV show: An impeachment is for Removal From Office. The guy isn ‘t in office anymore so why is there an impeachment. Neil Taylor is the only who is saying it.”
A guy I talked to brought it up. He said that he gets a kick out of them and thinks it’s the #1 best read of these blogs. From this guy, a real compliment.
I do them when I think of things. I don’t publish until I get into page five of a Word document. I think that’s an acceptable length. Too short is no good. Any longer is probably harder to read? I could do one a day. If I spent the time just sitting here with the news on: I could do them that often. I let things come up and I add them. No hurry.
I figure, if I can publish one every three weeks, that’s a decent time frame.
Fishing, a big one to look forward to: Melissa. Last time I took her, she caught a nice shark. This time:
Two guys want sheepshead. So, I made the plan. These guys:
More to come with fishing. The schedule is light but I have some action. Anthony, hoping to get out before his shoulder surgery. He is bringing a friend. Time on the water is better than time anywhere else. Having the schedule to be out there and be getting paid to do it: That’s a great life. Update: Rain coming in, postponed him AGAIN. Didn’t want the same thing to happen again. It poured rain on us the last time we went. The big dealbreaker, they upped the wind forecast.
The action will be good for another four months. Things have changed. Not for the better. Closures didn’t help like I’d hoped they would.
Getting Max out again. Got John and Mark Hirschbeck out. Mark got a cobia. Anchored up on Skyway rubble, snapper, sheepshead and even a pompano. Before that, they threw lures to ladyfish and trout.
More house progress and more planned. I need to get Mike back involved. I want him to find a roof for the deck and the front porch. Used the fire pit a few times but it warmed up and it hasn’t been fire weather for ten days. I need wood. If I get Anthony out, he’s got firewood to give to me. Concrete to finish the back deck. Evaluating other ideas. With enough off time, might as well keep getting things done here.
The standstill in life: Book 5. It will make waves all over the country. It is done. No timeline for publication. It doesn’t publish until life changes. Some know why. 98% of people do not. Life as I know it: An interesting story.
So, I get my shaving supplies from Harry’s. They have been sending blades regularly for years now. I don’t use as many as they send. When I die, my nephew is going to have razor blades for life. Oh, to not have to shave. Most winters I go ahead and just have a beard. Didn’t do it this year. And, my head’s shaved. Went to that six months ago. Saving money on haircuts, I can shave my head myself.
The last time: I was 15 years old. A freshman. Got my hair cut down tight. Mrs. Hendrick said “The good thing is, The good thing is, you don’t have a badly shaped head.”
Now you know something about me, no one else knows. It reminds me, a purchase I keep forgetting to make. A mirror for the shower. I’d like to just shave while I’m in the shower but without a mirror, that doesn’t work.
I mentioned it before: It is in the plans for me to “return to the mountains.” Will it be the Arizona mountains? Eventually. North Carolina is driving distance. When it gets brutal hot here, I’ll be taking some breaks and going rural in the mountains of the Mid Atlantic.
Dumbest man on Earth? Easy. Tiger Woods. Have you seen his ex-wife?
The movies on TV, failures. Vacation. Without Chevy Chase. I was insulted and depressed. But the biggest ripoff of all time. The Longest Yard. Brutal. Leave it alone. Don’t try to remake a classic.
A long time habit. After a sneeze I say “*&^%$#(er”. Every time. Since I was 17 years old. Living in Safety Harbor, thick oak trees. Me, I took care of keeping our street clean. The down side, the neighbors across the street with two small kids. Me, not knowing they were on their porch, I expanded their vocabularies.
Spring training, weeks away. Memories: It used to mark the end of my life for the rest of the year. Now, it means nothing. Will the umpires be in touch this year? They were two years ago. The virus interrupted everything last year.
Many, many months until football is played again. August, preseason. The heat of summer first. Not looking forward to summer. I love these months. Mentioned it above: I need to get out of here more in the dead of summer. I’ve earned it.
My minivan, pure gold. The best I have ever had. Rusted like all the others: When it rusts a lot worse, just time for a new one.
Vaccine? Well, after the rest of the world. Them first. No one is better than avoiding people than I am.
The bars closed again. Which ones and why? It is a mystery. I ran into a good old boy, entering the grocery store. I used to see him at the pub. He said “I stopped going in there when you stopped going in there. That was the final straw. I don’t like her either. I’ll ride my bike another half mile to go somewhere else. I’m sorry you didn’t end up owning that place.” Well, I’m pretty happy not owning the place. More and more, I never want to own the place. My future: I’m going to build a fishing kayak. That will be my business.
Already talked about that. And that. The blog is a little harder to write these days. I feel like “I’ve already covered it.” The world has a way of continuing to give me new material. I haven’t made fun of grammer in two blogs now, maybe I should go back to that? What to discuss? Well, just wait.
The bad people of the world: Where did they come from? How did they get that way? The anger, I talked about the last time. Why are people so angry?
Virus traffic is over. The times of quiet streets is over. People are out and about. Is it worse now than it was then? I think it is. I’m back to not going anywhere. Going fishing is about it and even that hasn’t been that often. For a while longer, that’s the way I am going to do it. When things ease up: The alumni event. The umpire event. The Captain Mel Classic. All on the agenda.
Time asleep has leveled out. The weird dreams haven’t been happening for a while. A month ago, they were wild. I’m fine with not having them for a while.
Once again, the wind is proof that God doesn’t want us to be happy. Finally got lucky with no wind on days people wanted to go. Great weather. The wind will return.
University of Arizona basketball, formerly a top program, loses two times in a week. That never happens. I have said it for YEARS: Fire Sean Miller. It is time to give the program to someone who isn’t a moron. If only Lute Olson’s wife didn’t die. He retires and Steve Kerr is the head coach. She dies, Lute stays far past his prime and Kerr moves on to other things. Loss. Kerr would have had that program a dynasty.
Taking my friend to Wal Mart. I haven’t given a dime to Wal Mart in ten years. Sitting in the parking lot was like watching the NFL halftime show. Almost hideous. Early teenage girls with babies, dressed like street walkers. White guys that think they’re black guys. It was interesting. It made me realize, I’m not racist one bit. Even though I had to shake my head at some of it, most of it I just watched with interest.
It is an interesting world. The locals will get this one. Steve got Julie to marry him? What is wrong with this picture?
Everyone who sends me text messages: I want you to start reading them before you click Send. The mystery of so many of these messages. Tell me what this means: “Do you the times yet? What til?”
I have not bought ice cream in years.
In life, there is death. The guy I was going to have move in with me, an umpire who was in a bad car accident in 2004, he died today. The brain damage from that accident did him in at a young age. I reneged on my offer for him to move in. Other umpires told me I’d just be throwing him out. He had major problems. He wouldn’t cooperate with his family. He wasn’t in a good place. I’m sorry it ended for him but it probably solves some problems.
It was six years before I was born, John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Reenactments and studies on the incident: Three shots. Were all three from the Depository? The magic bullet isn’t magic after all? A “lost bullet” is more the topic now. Six seconds? Nine seconds? One guy is saying it was 11. Was Oswald good enough to shoot that straight in just three shots? Or was there someone else? There are still witnesses who are alive. Their recollections are most interesting to me. People who were there. Did the missing bullet hit a traffic signal? I am curious, how much money Zapruder made from his movie. The year I was born, they walked on the moon. “Neil” comes from Neil Armstrong, a little-known fact. Screwups in this world go way back. How did Oswald get so disturbed to take a rifle to a president? Conspiracy theorists looks less and less correct. Open cars, motorcades. You will never see those ever again.
Capmel.com ads showing again. The Facebook Nazis: Capmel.com is still “blacklisted.” How stupid are those idiots?? It’s still all messed up. They still haven’t made any effort to help me. No one I’ve talked to has been any help fixing it.
When the weather is good: Back to fishing. Some silver trout and maybe sheepshead for Jeff. Inquiry for multiple fly-fishing trips. Update: A strikeout for silver trout. Caught everything else but zero silvers. Odd. In February. They should be easy right now. Things have changed.
Yesterday was a bad day. Jim, walking his dog, stopped by. “Did you hear about Mike?” No. He’s dead. He was a regular at my parties. A cook for the lobster and shrimp. He played my football pool. No word on what happened but he’s dead. No more Mike Brandemihl. One less guy in my football pool. One less guy over for cookouts. A connection: His cousin is Sheryl Beach, Craig’s wife. It was a real kick in the groin. Mike was over here a lot in the last year. He had fun over here. And now: He is gone.
Update: Nancy Pelosi was more responsible for the Capitol violence than Trump.
Drinking vodka, smoking cigars and being nice. Little fishing, working on the house is a regular activity. The last of the cement is going down. As part of the cement project, six anchors will be made. New tables have been built. One, a fillet station. The other, a bee station. Mike stopped by. I talked to him about installing a roof over the driveway and deck. Generally: Everything is done. Small projects left; the house is ready for parties.
- The Neil Blog… - July 26, 2023
- The Catfish - July 26, 2023
- update - July 22, 2023
