Category: Interesting

Tomorrow marks one year since my bride died. She took her last breath about eight feet from where I’m sitting right now. I am reminded of her in random ways: smells, sounds, sights, and seasons.

One thing to know about my wife was that music was important to her. She liked the old Roger’s and Hammerstein musicals, opera, and classical compositions. Heck, her major in college was voice or vocal training if you prefer. She often sang at community events before I came along. She continued to sing during our marriage but got invited less frequently as the years went on. In later years, she sang at many funerals.

She and her children sang a song for me at our wedding.

It was a surprise that they sprung on me after the ceremony. As it was recounted to me, she and the children would practice singing it on the way to school in the morning. The song was, “If You Could See What I See” by Geoff Moore. The song became her ringtone for the entirety of our marriage. We’re not the only people to use the song during a wedding but it was special to me.

Oh, eventually my generic ringtone was “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives. Each of the children earned their own ringtones too. Child #1 got “When the Saints Go Marching In” which was due in part to this child being a band nerd. Child #2 earned “Now that We’re Men” from the first Sponge Bob movie.

As good as my ringtones were, when each child was born, their mother assigned each a song. The song was mostly a bedtime thing. I don’t recall what the songs were. If I guessed, “Baby Mine” from Dumbo went to child #2. Child #3 was assigned a church hymn like “Amazing Grace” or something like that. Child #1, no clue what song it was although the wife was partial to classic Disney stuff.

I have a special place in my heart for the three songs listed below.

“The Warrior is a Child” by Twila Paris

“Touch of the Master’s Hand” by Wayne Watson

“Tell Me Again” by Geoff Moore

During my wife’s cancer and beyond, I frequently listened to “Stand by Me” by Darrell Mansfield.

Darrell has six or seven versions of the song that I have accumulated over the years. My favorite is from his album “People Get Ready” from 2009. It is a slightly edited version of “Stand by Me” from his live concert video released in 2008. Darrell Mansfield owns this song. He reclaimed it as the church hymn that it once was but stays with the tune made famous by Sam Cook. The video version of the concert is worth it just to watch this song and “Tell the Truth”.

One other song that deserves an honorable mention that has some musical hooks and lyrics that get my attention is “Things Left Unsaid” by Disciple. Many lines really sting when I listen to it, but a few don’t/didn’t apply to our relationship.

Here’s most of the lyrics presented in order.

It’s just a matter of time a few days ago
I saw you, you were fine
Remembering what you said
About the book you read
The one I got you
The Beginning of the End
Oh how we’d talk
For hours upon end
What I give
Just to do it again
But you’re lying there
In this hospital bed
Won’t you open you eyes
And let’s talk once again

If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I love you
I hope that you can hear me
I hope that you can feel me

Well I’ve been here all night
And I’m watching you
Breathe in and breathe out
Is it really you
Or just a machine
That’s giving you life
And it’s making it seem
That there could be hope
I could say to your face
If it weren’t for you
That there would be no grace
That’s covered my life
You took the time
To speak into my mind
And my heart
Words of life

If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I love you
I hope that you can hear me
I hope that you can feel me

So goodbye for now
And I’ll see you again
Some way, somehow
When it’s my time to go
To the other side
I’ll hold you again
And melt at your smile
Now all I have
Are the ones that I’m with
And you taught me not
To take for granted
The time that we have
To show that we care
Speak into their minds
And their hearts
While they’re here
And say I love you

If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I love you
I hope that you can hear me
I hope that you can feel me

I’m gonna call this post a wrap. I’m feeling spent just thinking about her last few hours of life. Disciple’s lyrics hit close to home and emotionally strike a chord with me as well. I’m sure you can find all the songs listed on YouTube or Amazon Music.

On my recent visit to the once golden state, I saw a behavior that I haven’t noticed before. The older folks purposely decided not to raise certain issues just to keep peace in the family. I think this was for their well-being and not mine.

My folks don’t talk about my girlfriend. My mom says she doesn’t want to hear about it but keeps bringing it up anyway. I took the hint and don’t tell her that we will get hitched in a few months. On this visit she kept asking me about my future plans. I gave her an evasive answer since she kept saying she didn’t want to hear about my friend. It was kind of weird.

She also kept talking about women that were previously married not wanting to do it again. No shit Sherlock. I learned that lesson on my trip to Ireland last summer. Somehow, she ignores it when I told her that during my last visit with them, but when she learns it from her friends, more recently, somehow its now true. Keep up with the group mom.

I’m past caring what my parents think about me getting married again. I don’t get why they suddenly care. They wanted me to divorce my previous wife because she was, in their opinion, a “bad mother.”

Essentially, my mom wants me to find a white girl with a bunch of baggage, personal and financial, and somehow that will lead to happiness. Sorry, I don’t want to marry someone that looks like my grandmother—or at least my memory of her. I also don’t want a babe that is Dave Ramsey’s worst financial nightmare.

I know a good deal when I see it. My girlfriend is someone worth pursuing. As I have said before, she checks all the boxes in what I say I want in my next wife.

My other quiet encounter concerns my father-in-law. It was understood that any discussion of a certain baby was verboten. When others brought the subject up, I just deflected. We both avoided the issue which was fine with me. I’m not a biological relation to the child or its parents so that was easy to take a pass on discussing.

So, there you have it, avoid certain topics and you can peacefully coexist, even when visiting family. The key is not to be totally honest and learn which things need to be withheld. They don’t want to know what’s really going on in my life. Check the things that promote drama at the door. Nobody knows everything I really did on my recent visit to California.

Lastly, unless someone ends up in the hospital or the morgue, I don’t plan another trip to the Left Coast this year.

By Chief, Johnnie Does, Jake the Snake, and Troll

In a very rare once in a lifetime situation, we had an emergency meeting of the blog staff sans William.  We met at a local pizza joint and are looking forward to Johnnie Does reviewing it.

We blog because we love it.

Look at the talent we have here at Reallyright.com

The Chief is our political blogger. He goes after both parties even calling out Donald Trump when he sees fit.  Chief even went after Aaron Park and rumor has it that Park couldn’t sit for a week due to the beating Chief put on him!  One thing is for sure; he takes zero prisoners! 

Real simple, do not tell me Jeb Bush is a squish and then sit front row at a fundraiser event in Reno. 

Johnnie Does is a wild man.  His food reviews have actually shut a couple of businesses down.  He actually got an Afghani place to quit using Frank’s Red Hot as a substitute for actual hot sauce.  The owner of Side Burn BBQ got into the comment section and tried to refute him, the place closed down in about a week.  Dickey’s BBQ has shut twice, one thing is for sure, if you like average BBQ go own or eat at a Dickey’s.  Iif Johnnie Does has the cannon aimed at you, pray for rain or mercy because it will not be good.

Jake the Snake is our resident “Catholic” we use air quotes because his blogging makes us wonder if he puts money in the collection basket or takes it out when the offering basket goes around.  He has never met a Pope he actually likes.  He is for sure not scared at all of calling out the Church for its misguided ways.  Jake will be spending a long time in Purgatory, look it up you heathens!  Transgender parents? No thanks.

Troll cannot be taken seriously.  Literally during this get together, he was reading a Playboy and smoking a joint.  He doesn’t take things seriously and we don’t take him seriously.  He has a love for Jennifer Aniston, Hope Hicks, Lolo Jones, and Angel Reese.  He does know smoking hot women, at least from afar.  We have a sneaky suspicion he has a thing for Lauren Bobert as well, to be continued. Troll loves nothing more than mocking folks, but he has not blogged recently.  He and Johnnie Does are going to be on a milk carton soon if they do not shape up.

Let us take a gander at what we have accomplished here on the blog.

As mentioned earlier, Johnnie Does has shut down a couple restaurants, he has talent.

The best thing this blog has covered was “Grapist” Dominic Foppoli. 

Folks the blogs went viral, we had record traffic on the blog.  We had an attorney threaten a lawsuit while naming his client in the comment section.  Full disclosure, we only named his first name, the attorney put his full name in the comment section, are you retarded?  Sure, he was not charged with a crime, but my reporting got the attention of the attorney representing the survivors, and a journalist at the local paper.  I was interviewed by both; my stories are credible.  William gave me a platform; we got a ton of views!  I make no apologies for my reporting or talents.

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Blog Staff

Editor’s Note: we also used to have a contributor named Mr. X: the man with no name.

Mr. X went dark once the CRA faded away. I guess he ran out of windmills to tilt at or something. Maybe Mr. X, got mad when Twitter stole his online persona and claimed it as their own.

I have been getting a ration of crap lately from a few people asking me why I blog and why I select the topics that I do. As for blogging, blame Hugh Hewitt’s book, Blog.

My answer to why is simple; I blog for me. When I pick a topic, it’s usually for one of the following reasons.

1. I want to research something and keep the information somewhere that I can access it on the fly. I might blog on a computer issue, how I did a home repair, or some issue that caught my attention.

Example: when I went to my wife’s grave a few days ago, I entered one word in the blog search engine and got my last post about my wife. I sat next to her grave and read my post, pausing to wipe my nose several times as I cried.

2. I want to express my feelings about something that I am experiencing. This blog is a personal blog. I am not trying to earn fame or money from the things that I post. I make it a habit not to name names or give out hordes of personally identifiable information. It seems that lots of folks assume that I take them to task by name, but this is not true. I will occasionally mention my relationship to someone but never their name. Often, it’s as vague as “I know a person who did …”

I occasionally blog about kids and relationships. I make it my practice to only use the names of public people or folks in the news. The only exception is an obituary on my wife that was copied from another source and reposted on the blog.

3. I want to opine about current events. I reserve the right to call people out when I think they are hypocrites or say dumb things. For example, if you claim to be a follower of Christ and defend abortion, transgender folks, or other things contrary to Scripture, I may occasionally say something about you. This includes the Roman Pontiff, a current U.S. Senate candidate in Texas, or someone married to a local church Elder. My solution is to practice what you claim to believe and get a pass from me. I will not fire the first shot but will be happy to return fire if the mood strikes me.

4. I do allow other folks to submit things that they write for publication on the blog. I will even allow stuff to be posted here that I don’t agree with. Occasionally, I have sought out folks that gripe about something that was posted here, but nobody to whom I have offered a chance for rebuttal has been willing to submit a contrary opinion. I try only to edit for grammar and spelling. I don’t always get it right but think my edits improve the understandability of submitted material.

The bottom line is that if you don’t like discussions about religion, politics, or my life then stay away from this blog. If you wish to avoid being mentioned on the blog, try treating me as a fellow image bearer of God, judge me with the same measure that you judge yourself, and if you have an offense against me work it out. As a rule, I don’t hold grudges against people that treat me poorly; however, if you treat others poorly, I reserve the right to call you out on it, perhaps mercilessly.

As I told someone recently, get the beam out your eye first and then we can take a look at mine. I am having way more fun right now blogging on religion than other issues. Lately, if I’m having to take time out to go after you, then you must really be trying to get on my bad side, because I’m not looking for an excuse to take a whack at anyone. I would much rather live in peace with most folks.

I went to the once golden state to attempt to accomplish a few things.

Sadly, a few didn’t materialize. I didn’t visit or have any contact with a person mentioned elsewhere on the blog and the blog staff meeting fell through due to some family issues on their part.

On the plus side, I did get to spend two wonderful days with my father-in-law. He’s a great guy. I also got to pay my respects to my departed wife. It’s a few days shy of the one-year anniversary of her death. While I was in Elk Grove, I visited my wife’s grave and left her a dozen red roses. I read an account of her life which was previously posted on the blog.

Upon reading the post, I did agree to a recommendation previously given to me, to remove a jab at someone that I poked in the narrative. Once I got back to the place where I am staying, the criticism of the individual was removed but their contribution, which was praised, remains in the narrative.

One observation was the high cost of everything under the domain of Newsom. Regular gasoline was $6.25 at a Shell station in Livermore, California. The cost of drive-through food was markedly higher than freedom loving Idaho. Menu choices were fewer as well.

The frogs in the pot of water might grumble a bit but they are generally happy as the water hits boiling. Generally, people think the “other guy” is getting hurt worse than they are. It seems weird traveling through a world built on the pillars of envy and disposability. Seeing masses of people thinking a dystopian world is normal is surreal.

I accomplished another goal; namely, I got my girl the long-promised diamond ring. I was hoping she would want a ruby engagement ring, but I did ask to verify what she expected. Good thing that I did. On the other hand, she already received a gold ruby ring from me last year. Now I just need to pay a few bills and then plan a return trip. Oh, said return trip, if I buy the ticket now, has a $550 fuel surcharge on top of the regular rate for airfare. I might save money if I wait to buy a ticket.

I had an ambitious schedule for this trip and accomplished many objectives. Tomorrow, I need to make a purchase at Ikea and then have another lunch opportunity with a groomsman from my wedding. Once these events are completed, I’m ready to return to north Idaho. I miss my puppy.

Folks William’s blog about the sinless attacking him is par for the course these days.  This is Baby Boomers trying to attack folks through straw man arguments when things do not go according to plan.

The key is to fight that fire with gasoline!  Here is how.

Folks there are 3 types of parents. 

              Disciplinarian: You chide your kids each time they screw up or go off routine.  This works just fine until said child gets a car or goes off to college.  They rebel and things go south quite quickly as they realize when the parents are not around, they can and will do anything they please with no repercussions.  This isn’t terrible but eventually leads to problems if not corrected.

              Traditionalists:  The parents give their children all the tools to succeed, intervene, when necessary, but mostly are there as “guardrails” as opposed to being a helicopter parent.  This is the category I was in; I positioned myself for success getting a full ride to college, my sister chose a life of crime.  My parents did try; she does not want to change.

              Helicopter parents:  Or “friend parents” as I call them.  These parents want to control their kids’ lives and mold them after what they couldn’t be.  There will be no consequences because if they don’t like the teacher’s grades, they will go to the principal.  If that fails, it’ll be a phone call or letter to the school board.  Coach won’t play my kid, they go to the athletic director.  The parents: defend, coddle, and make excuses for said children at every turn, the kids never hear the word “no.” 

If you still cannot figure it out, options 1 and 3 listed above are the problems in today’s society.  In option 1, the kid will rebel, and if they do not find issues or consequences with their behavior, it will get worse not better.  In option 3 why should your kid apologize?  They did nothing wrong; their entire life has been sheltered and enabled so why apologize?  Rather than choosing things like counseling, let the person go down the path they are going down.  Sure, you won’t like the journey, but in my experience that’s the only thing that can cause someone to wake up.

In the case of my sister, listed above, the reality of the situation was shared with me by my parents.  They stated after the age of 30, people are set in their ways, they won’t change.  They are both dealing with health issues; they have bigger things to worry about.  They fully believe their daughter will come around someday, but she must hit rock bottom.  Folks, for some people, bottom doesn’t have enough rocks to stop them.  My parents shared that they think it’s equally likely she winds up in a ditch and they get a late-night phone call to come “identify a body.”

If you think that last sentence makes me not a real Christian; ok, you are entitled to an opinion. Go ahead try to be “captain save a ho” and spend your years left on earth trying to fix people.  We’ve spent tons of money on homeless solutions…. Nothing has gotten better.  Ditto with mass transit, and other objectives, you cannot fix some people/problems.  They can only fix themselves.  Trying counseling or an intervention just gives that person what they want, it’s not my fault it’s yours. 

So how do you fight fire with gasoline?

Easy, it requires thinking about yourself and your own wellbeing.  Your problem kid wants to move back in?  They do it on your terms.  If drinking, drugs, and not having a job aren’t allowed, they better conform or they can’t return to the house.  It’s your house, your rules, do not compromise.  Once you start deviating, the child catches on and will push more and more.  Remember the book you read as a kid, If you give a mouse a cookie, he will want a glass of milk.  It never ends.

Let history be the judge of your parenting. You can always say “what if” later on in life, a child going off the rails doesn’t mean you are a bad parent.  Look at the negative influence the television and social media has on all young people.  Thank God I am not on it!

The bigger thing to take from this blog is this, why are you letting folks judge you?  It is your life not theirs.  The people judging you are likely miserable.  So your girlfriend is overweight?  What’s it to them?  You aren’t married, have no kids?  Again, are YOU happy?  They make fun of your friends, yet they have none of their own.  Trust me when I say this, their kids are doing worse than yours.  It’s called being shallow and extremely insecure. They are trying to attack someone else’s castle when they have many problems in their own.  Oh, they make fun of your choice in women?  I truly hope they are dating a super model!  News flash; they aren’t.  Make fun of me for not being married?  Sure, I also see you and your wife arguing in public, I wonder what the drive home is like. 

Folks, who cares what your friends think about you, they should always be there for you…. If they are judging you, they are not your friend.  You will be living with the person full-time, not them.  If all they see is looks/financial situation/work title they are shallow as hell.  I guarantee you they are not happy. 

In closing I’ll say this.  William, screw what the Boomers think about your parenting style, who cares? 

Yeah, the 90-day guy attacks me, as do my extended family. I’m 40 now, no wife, no kids.  I will admit I am an easy target for folks who believe in some weird game of life.  Trust me when I say this, the guy who is married making fun of your girlfriend, has a treasure trove of porn on his computer.  Oh, when people make fun of your friends saying they’re fat, spend too much, or what have you, I guarantee such a person is a loner.  Kids do not talk to you?  That’s a reflection on you.  So, am I missing something or inadequate?  No thanks.  I’m good.  My house which I paid 300K for is worth about 600K, my stock picks are worth about 500K,  I have about 150K in cash equivalents. Trust me, I’d take my life over yours.  Money isn’t even a thing to me, I gave away 35K last year.  But trust me, you are doing better than me, I’m the inadequate one, your trophy wife, what happens when she is no longer a size zero?  Better go on one of those weight loss drugs, right?  As she ages, better get a boob job and a butt job, right?  Seriously William, read the blog a few times.  If that discussed above is happiness ….. no thanks.

The Chief

Attorney Mario has finally written up the necessary documents to get my girlfriend’s annulment underway. He has had the necessary reports that he needed since December 9^th of last year, but it wasn’t until earlier today that he got the documents filed with the court.

Folks, we are grateful that Mario is finally moving forward. Our frustration is that he moves with roughly the same speed as John Thune trying to bring the SAVE Act to a vote in the Senate.

So now the Court attempts to notify felon Dennis that his piñata wife finally has the means to dump him. My girl and I are expecting that Dennis will not be notified (for reasons stated below) and will not dispute the proceedings. Last I heard, Dennis, is hanging out in South Korea, except when seeing his new girlfriend. He can’t return to his home country due to an outstanding warrant for hospitalizing his wife when they last saw each other. Yep, you’re a class act when you cheat on your wife, abandon her, and then beat the shit out of her just for fun.

Oh, Dennis does know the annulment is happening because he was convinced to unblock his ex on social media long enough to be told. That was in November. Oh, his reply was that if she gave him the house and two million pesos (~$35,000) that he wouldn’t object. Yo! Dennis, who’s the scumbag in this equation?

Not to be out done, Dennis has a sister or two that is harassing both me and my new girlfriend online via fake accounts of Facebook. The sisters are sending anonymous messages to us via these fake accounts. Oh, the newer accounts are using photos of my girl as their profile pictures. One profile picture is one that my girl put on Facebook in November of the two of us at the beach, and the other is one of her after being beaten; said photo was only shared with the police and her ex as part of the arrest warrant process. It was never posted on social media.

It appears that the sister[s] are upset that my girl will get half of the money when the house, which is jointly owned, is sold after the annulment is completed. We (my girl and I) agreed months ago not to go after the other assets that her ex has hidden just to get this unpleasant mess behind us. Instead of being thankful that we are not attempting to extract every last farthing from him, he and his family are being vindictive that my girl gets a few crumbs off the table. They are mad that she gets anything.

Anyway, after the notification attempted box is checked, then the court process can begin. As of now, it will be three hearing dates spread over a few months. The process is crippled to prevent a fast process. Hopefully, at some point, we are hoping that the judge will issue a summary judgment in my girl’s favor and truncate the process, so we don’t have to go the distance with all the hearings. Anyway, her freedom is coming. It’s been nine years since he was first caught cheating. The marriage cratered from that point. By any metric, the marriage is dead and has been for many years.

I was witness to a customer and a colleague talking about things they saw on the television.  As documented in this space, I do not have cable, nor do I partake in watching much more than, call it an hour a week.  I think 90% of what is on said virtual babysitter is propaganda one way or the other.  That includes Fox News. 

They got to talking today, saying there are reports of people impersonating ICE agents and how it is impossible to know what is real and not.  Since all ICE agents are masked, anyone could impersonate them, right?  Right?  The said the agents can bust down your door or shoot you while driving by… because they can!  They can detain you and ask questions later.  They were roused about how the shootings were not necessary and were entirely avoidable.  I had to get up and take a long trip to the bathroom as this was unreal.  But this is a reminder we live amongst the sheep; you view the tv for hours on end and think it is gospel truth.

This is why I am glad to be a libertarian; I will break down how the above is not true at all.

First of all, a warrant is required to enter your house by force (aka kicking the door down.)  ICE agents, while masked, must still present valid ID documentation if asked.  They also cannot enter your property via a locked gate, again, unless they have a warrant or are chasing you (the illegal criminal) on foot or by car. 

If you are stupid enough to open your door for someone you don’t recognize, or feel has dubious credentials, you deserve your fate!  There is nothing wrong with asking for someone’s credentials or flat out not answering the door.  I don’t.  If I’m not expecting you, you either better be dropping something off, or beat it.  I will not allow entry!

Again, they need a warrant to operate.  They cannot and do not operate in a vacuum like the folks on cable TV will have you believe.  When ICE shows up to do a raid, they are usually looking for one or more people, who are here illegally, who have criminal records, and missed their court date.  Read the sentence again.  They do not simply raid the local Home Depot parking lot, that’s a lie.  Also, this may be news to our California readers, but some cities and counties DO cooperate with ICE.  When a person is arrested and it turns out they are here illegally, they can be turned over to ICE that night!  Other times the person is picked up for a crime like; DUI, domestic violence, battery, or theft and when discovered is also turned over to ICE. 

Regarding the statements about people in the home/car also being arrested and deported that is a thing also.  It’s also legal.  Choose your friends wisely!  Folks, if I am in the car with a criminal illegal alien, I too can expect to be detained for questioning, just like if I was hiding someone in my house; in which case you can kick my door down!  See how that works?  I’m shielded from the law if I am doing nothing wrong, such protections do not exist when I am harboring a fugitive from the law!  Folks, no judge will issue a bench warrant for failure to appear if you missed a hearing about a speeding ticket, these people are the worst of the worst. 

Now regarding the part about shooting illegal criminal aliens.  Again, what you are seeing on tv are clips from the incidents are formatted and condensed to fit a narrative.  In the case of the women who tried to make a getaway in her car and was shot 3 times, it is hard to argue that she was a saint.  She was agitating officers all day and was told to exit the car!  She made a choice, that choice was suicide by cop!  The other person who was killed, again, was agitating and out of control. He even brandished what appeared to be a weapon.  I never am happy or will defend the shotting of someone, but come on, in both cases it was extremely avoidable. 

The only commentary I will provide to defend the ICE agents is this.  They have a very thankless job. They are vilified by the news/print/radio media constantly.  They have been doxed (identity given to the public) and had their/spouses/family’s lives threatened by deranged whackos.  They are doing their jobs. Oh, and the current President ran on this exact agenda.  It should not be a surprise.  Folks speaking again as a libertarian, the law gives wide latitude to peace (police type) officers when they are involved in a shooting.  If said officer claims they feared for their life, or thought they saw a gun, they typically have the right to use deadly force, even in a state like California.  It is not smart at all to agitate someone who is wearing a badge and carrying a gun, especially when they can use and apply deadly force as they see fit.  I would not want to be hoping that officer is having a good day while I taunt him mercilessly. 

Last point, I overheard the 90-day guy saying, “how come they can’t just shoot them in the leg?”  This is a typical, highly uneducated response that I have come to expect from a “California Conservative.”  First, you are not trained to shoot someone in the leg. Tell me you haven’t shot a gun before without telling me you haven’t shot a gun before.  No gun range has the ability to get you to shoot someone in the leg, it’s a small target!  Hence you aim for the center mass (the torso).  Law enforcement is trained to only discharge their weapon to protect lives and property; think self-defense. This is the difference between cops and soldiers. The other aspect of a police shooting that he doesn’t have the ability to comprehend is, until the threat is considered neutralized, the medics cannot give the victim medical attention.  So, to lay it out, shooting the person in the leg will likely just cause them to bleed out anyway.  Trust me most of the time when there is an officer involved shooting, the criminal is very well known, and the police planned for this likely happening.

The Chief