On this date one year ago, one of this site's earliest posts was about my childhood friend and his untimely - perhaps - death on this date in 1988. By common consensus, Joe was a f*up. I can't/won't deny it but we'd been friends for more than 20 years and I'm biased. He got himself into something ugly and didn't survive. Suicide? Murder? At this point, what difference does it make?

But that was the past - water long under the bridge.

Fast forward about 10 years.

I was sitting in a bar with a friend - the Ace High in Golden, Colorado. The Ace High was as close to a dive bar as would be allowed on Washington St in downtown Golden. Many if not most of its clientele were Coors workers - the brewery was just a few blocks away. Coors was not a big seller there. Did I mention that I had once lived in an apartment above the bar? That's OK, it's not part of this story anyway.

Just as an aside, it appears downtown Golden has been highly gentrified since I lived there. Including the Ace High.

Ron and I were sitting back in a booth BS'ing about something not important when over by the pool tables, I swear I saw Joe doing his Joe thing around the table: taking on all comers, clearing the table, getting free beers as a result, and working his bedroom eyes on the waitresses.

Joe had died about 10 years earlier ...

I swear it was Joe. I'll swear it to my dying day. It looked like him, same hair, same face, same body. He was dressed like Joe, he acted liked Joe, he played pool like Joe. He flirted with the girls like Joe.

The girls reacted to him like it was Joe. We'd go into a place together and the girls would come to me asking how to meet him.

But this Joe didn't know me and it was the first time ever I watched him as a stranger. I'd known the original since he was 13.

I couldn't follow the conversation with Ron I was so distracted.

I swear I was watching Joe in action.

There's not much to this tale. I didn't walk up to see him up close - the pool table was maybe 10 feet away - but I watched him for about 20 minutes or so.

Ron & I finished our beers and left.

Of course I can rationalize this.
Maybe.
There's more to this world than what rationalization can explain ...

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It's not the first thing to go; it's the last thing you remember going.

Yesterday (12/26) would have been Gerard's 80th birthday ...
I forgot to make mention of it.

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For those of you who may not know, Scott Adams - the creator of Dilbert - has a daily podcast known as "Real Coffee With Scott Adams". Scott Adams also has advanced Stage 4 prostate cancer but he still carries on with his daily program.

He had something interesting to say on Christmas Eve, particularly his comments starting at 41:35:

Utube dot com/watch?v=Cw4qjWeBkkw

"Is it going too far if I said that the Democrats are a criminal organization?"
Etc ...

No Scott, not at all. Perhaps not far enough.

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'nuff said.

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Years ago though. We don't live here anymore

and we have cats now so no Christmas trees.

I'm not a church-goer; I don't consider myself "Christian", mostly because I find the corporate structure of churches somewhat nauseating with middle management (preachers) not trustworthy. And a few other reasons I need not go into here. But I will acknowledge "something" is there.

However, tonight will find me in a church ... out of respect for some friends - and for the purpose of maintaining contact with others having similar feelings of our nation.

Stolen from Kim Du Toit of "Splendid Isolation"
"allow me to remind you that while religion itself has little interest for me, I am absolutely firm in my support for the Judeo-Christian culture and heritage.
And I am even more supportive when I consider the alternatives of atheistic totalitarianism (i.e. Communists) and, even worse, radical Islamism.  They both suck big time, without reservation."

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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