All About Mick's World

Math Is Hard A few days ago, my lovely wife and I were out to dinner with good friends. We chose one of our favorite places, with good food and drinks. Our timing was perhaps less-than-ideal (Friday evening at 5:30), but we got one of the last open tables, and our drinks came quickly as we perused the menu. Food was ordered, and we all sat around the table catching up, sharing recent tales from our lives. All laughs and smiles. Our server was attentive, checking on our drinks regularly, bringing fresh when needed. She apologized that our dinner was taking so long. “I’m so sorry for your wait, but the kitchen is backed up. Your food should be going in soon. I’ll take 10% off of your food bill because of the delay.” To be honest, we didn’t find the wait excessively lengthy, especially for peak dining hours on a Friday, but 10% off? Sure! Our meals came, and lived up to our expectations, as they always do at this particular establishment. We dined, chatted, laughed, and enjoy...

I’m sure you are familiar with the term “soul-mate”...you know, that one perfect person for you on this earth. That one person out of the 7½ billion on this wide and wonderful and diverse orb we call home. That one person some folks strive to find and then live out their life in pure bliss. That one person who is your perfect match. Ah, what a romantic ideal that is, no? But, being the non-romantic pragmatic that I am, I feel the chance of finding your soul-mate (if said person even exists) is statistically unlikely if not impossible. The likelihood of a person even passing his or her alleged soulmate in a crowd is small indeed. But the chance of meeting, creating a bond, and engaging in a relationship with that rare individual is even more remote. What if that person lives in another city, or another state, or another country, or even an entirely different continent? What if he or she is too old or too young? What if you just don’t find that person attractive? So many potential roadbl...

When you are five, your parents are immortal, and will live on forever... When you are fifteen, you understand that your parents are human, and at some time will pass on, but not for a long, long time... When you are thirty, you recognize that your parents have noticeably aged, but will still be there for some time... When you are fifty, you make time in your life to visit your parents, wondering how many more times you can... When you are fifty-eight, you stand in a hospital hallway outside your mother’s room, discussing hospice care with her doctor... May 10, 2017 Picking up my car from the body shop on a mid-May Wednesday afternoon, the familiar sound of my phone ringing interrupts my conversation with the technician. I check the caller ID and see it’s the nursing home where my mother resides. “Hello.” I listen to the voice on the other end. Mother has fallen out of her wheelchair, and has a cut on her forehead and is being transported to the ER. (This is not...

The Pantagraph Comments Section Aka: You Don’t Know My Name, So I Can Post What I Want For several years, this subject has been a thorn in my side. If you are a regular reader (or even a casual one) of The Pantagraph on-line, you’ve likely come across the comments section after most articles. And if you are at all like me, you are appalled at the hatred displayed in some of the blatant vitriol allowed. In my case, the comments I found most disconcerting were concerning bicycles, Obama, LBGT rights, college sports, politics and politicians, climate change, traffic in BloNo, …..apparently just about any subject is ripe for targeting with foul comments. I believe one of the biggest factors enabling these comments is Lee Enterprises (The Pantagraph’s parent company) policy of allowing complete anonymity  for the commenters. This policy allows individuals to post things that I cannot imagine any civil person uttering to a fellow human in today's society. Apparently I am not alo...

My world has now stabilized to the point that life is back to a level of near normalcy, but sadly for me, the words for these posts don't flow as easily. If you all have any requests on subjects, feel free to ask. Until then, I'll continue to regale you with tales and thoughts from my little world. Today's subject? So many of you have asked about my new career, I think I'll fill you in a bit. My New Career As I assume you are all aware, one year ago I was abruptly dismissed from my career of over 26 years when Mitsubishi closed the auto assembly plant here in Normal, Illinois. Not having been on the search for work for most of my adult life, I was largely at a loss for what to do. About a month into my forced retirement, a friend offered me a part-time temporary position in her office, and I gladly accepted. While the work was interesting and the people were great, I quickly realized that I was not cut out to spend eight hours a day in front of a computer, ment...

In this image-obsessed society in which we live, many people are overly concerned with their looks. Looks which, to be perfectly honest, are more a matter of genetic luck, than a means to judge a person. When I encounter someone whom societal norms would consider “pretty,” I think that this fortunate individual was given a set of genes that would make life a bit easier, but I don’t wish I could be more like that person. That person’s facial structure may allegedly make him or her more attractive, but it can’t make them beautiful. I don’t overly concern myself with my own appearance (yes, I know...thanks Captain Obvious), and I don’t judge you by your looks either. Yes, a person can be pretty and beautiful, but a person can also be pretty and not beautiful. The old saying claims that “beauty is skin deep” but I beg to differ...for me, pretty is skin deep, while true beauty is so much more. True beauty is not contained in one’s skin; but rather in one’s thoughts, one’s actions, one’s...

I'm finally ending my unplanned hiatus from this blog. The last few posts had been an emotional set for over a few months for me, and my writing has hit a roadblock since. I apparently need an emotion-packed event to inspire me to pick up and write again. This time, and this should come as no surprise to those who know me, this event took place in the courtroom. (It is worth mentioning that this trial came soon after five cyclists were slaughtered by a driver in a nearby state.) I watched the closing arguments of a trial of a man accused with what amounts to vehicular assault against a good friend of mine. Watching these arguments brought back memories of that night, and thoughts of so many car (or truck, motorcycle, etc.) interactions I've personally experienced. I'll skip the tale of that night and share with you a few incidents of the past week, and then give you my thoughts on the potential repercussions of the trial: The world of a road cyclist is fraught with per...