All we need is love, Torn Slatterns and Nugget Ranchers

The NFL and the referees are ending the lockout; now the replacement referees can go back to their old job: putting shoes on the wrong foot at Foot Locker.

With only eight games left as of this writing, the Chicago Cubs are only five loses from the infamous 100 loss season. 100 loses would officially make the Cubs the replacement refs of Major League Baseball.

The Cubs can lose 5 games standing on their heads. In fact, that is part of their problem, they play standing on their heads.

Florida Republican Representative, Mike Horner, had to quit his re-election bid after his name appeared in a brothel investigation.  And he should resign. Not for going to a brothel, but for being stupid enough to give them his real name. 

The Green Bay Packer fans are furious over losing to the Seattle Seahawks on a blown call. In one Wisconsin bar, a patron was so upset he almost didn’t thank his bartender for his beer.

In one Milwaukee bar the patrons almost rioted. Well, not rioted, but they did write a rather pointed letter to the “Milwaukee Journal” Editorial section.

In Milwaukee, a bunch of beered-up Packer fans drove over to the house of a known Seahawks fan and they were intentionally stand-offish.  

The NFL and the referees are ending the lockout; now the replacement ref’s can go back to their old jobs: Time Warner Cable operators who hang up on customer complaints.

Since you asked:

Saw a wildly weird and dark movie last night. “Adaptation.” The cast outkicked the story’s coverage, Meryl Streep, Nick Cage, Chris Cooper. The cast of “Being John Malkovich” makes a cameo because the movie is about the writer of “BJM” except way darker and not nearly as clever.

But the movie does focus on one fascinating concept about life and death. Life is about love, we all know that, right? But not about how much or how many people love you. It is about how much you love.

This explains why so many movie/ rock stars lead such tragic and sad lives. Marilyn Monroe lived her life believing all would be good if she could get millions and millions of people to love her, which they did. Yet her life was an utter mess because she was incapable of loving anyone including herself. Especially herself.

It starts with loving yourself. If you don’t why should anyone else?

That is why the movie “Toy Story” is so poignant. What if the toys we loved so unconditionally as a child loved us back? Without any doubt in my mind, I knew my stuffed doggy, Morgy, loved me because I loved him so much. Guess what? He didn’t love me back and it doesn’t matter. My love for Morgan/Morgy is a real live living and breathing thing. (Still have Morgy, by the way)

That is what history’s most self-actualized people figured out. Lincoln, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer all knew. They didn’t do what they did to have people love them; they just wanted to help and love as many people as they could. 

We lost Wrigley in July. Now, I know dogs are not people. But that doesn’t matter. Morgan wasn’t even a dog. We loved Wrigley as much as you could love a person. That love was not dependent on his loving us back. He did, but that isn't the point.

Sometimes I like to take out my love for Wrigley  and play with it, just like I can still play with Morgan, but I can't with Wrigley. I'll talk baby-talk to him and think about cuddling him. Sometimes it makes me laugh. Most times it makes me cry. But that love is always there and I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

And it makes me feel better to know I will always have that love, long after Wrigley is gone. Wrigley’s love for Kasey was so great, it effectively ended his life in less than one year.

For the rest of my life I will have and admire the love I had for Wrigley just like I will always be impressed by the love Wrigley had for Kasey.

Ah, screw it. Let’s drink some Newman’s Own lemonade.

Now that is love.