Days of endless potential
Face me constantly it seems
Without the imposition of
Schedules and deadlines
There is freedom to accomplish
Whatever demands are revealed
At any moment
And the promise of fulfillment
Resulting in ultimate contentment
It's merciless
(from A Higher Loyalty; Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey)
". . . And then there was a man named Harry Howell. . . During my junior and senior years of high school, I worked for Harry at a large grocery store near Allendale. I didn't make much money stocking shelves, retrieving carts, and working the ash register, maybe four dollars an hour but I loved my job. That was in large part due to the kind of leader he was. . . Somehow he created an environment that was both demanding and incredibly fun. He suppressed a smile at our silliness- just letting the corner of his mouth turn up slightly so we could see his amusement- and told us bluntly when our work wasn't good enough. We loved him. But we also feared him, in a healthy way. Because he made us feel important, because he so obviously cared about what he was doing and about us, we desperately wanted to please him. . ."
(from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/the-evil-reign-of-the-red-delicious/379892/)
For at least 70 years, the Red Delicious has dominated apple production in the United States. But since the turn of the 21st century, as the market has filled with competitors—the Gala, the Fuji, the Honeycrisp—its lead has been narrowing. Annual output has plunged. And even still, a gap is growing between supply and demand from American consumers. Earlier this month, Todd Fryhover, the president of the Washington Apple Commission—whose growers produce the majority of apples in the United States—recommended that this harvest, up to two-thirds of the state’s Red Delicious yield be exported.
How did such an unlikeable apple become the most ubiquitous in the country? And as its dominion here ends, where will it invade next?
OHO's
"Ocean City Ditty," the
CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if
you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak
My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:
(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)
"They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball. And they tell you to hit it square."
Willie Stargell (1940-2001; former Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder and 1st baseman)
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan in 1992's "A League of Their Own"
I'm not really a huge baseball fan. Not really a fan of any professional or college-level sports. Guess you could say not a sports fan at all.
But, two-fifths of my family are definitely sports fans, and I think it safe to say most ardently BASEBALL fans, so consequently I occasionally assume the role of a spectator, being the good 'sport' (pun intended) that I am and for the enjoyment of the company. Some aspects of of baseball I do find especially irritating though. First, and probably the most contributory to my remaining dislikes of baseball, is the size of the professional baseball players' salaries. Yes it's free market principles at work. And yes, if huge amounts of the general public (and the two-fifths of my family) refrained from purchasing tickets to attend games then the principles of supply and demand would bring those prices (and salaries, etc) down.
Next (and wouldn't you know it- it's money again) is the astronomical prices levels being charged for food and beverages at the ball park. To the supply and demand equation I (and usually the two-fifths) do not contribute. So in and of itself, the prospect of being a baseball fan simply does not provide me with an adequate return of investment both in terms of money and my valuable time.
But being the optimistic pessimist, I do enjoy aspects of my periodic jaunts to the ballpark when asked. I am fascinated by the ever-present herd mentality of humans at a large sporting event. And I do enjoy the specter of my fellow homosapiens gorging on greasy food and shouting specific instructions to young men hundreds of yards away and far out of hearing proximity. But, as I realized at a recent game, I am becoming increasingly appreciative of the complex psychology (all baseball superstition aside) of the game of baseball.
OHO's
"Ocean City Ditty," the
CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if
you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)
My latest solo release, '2014', can be downloaded digitally at:
(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)
