Hello on Friday

Dear Friends,

Our Thursday went exactly as planned, but I was one tired buckaroo when our Third Thursday event was over. I did have a little energy left over to continue partying at Patrick's Pub. When I left the house for the event, Linda wasn't sure if she would make it to the Third Thursday because she was so tired from the Curley full schedule routine. She too got her second wind and joined us and worked the Irish Sister City Booth. She also went to Patrick's Pub for a little while.

Third Thursday was a big success, and the weather was perfect for the 5 PM to 8 PM event. Even though we just about break even once we pay for the Irish Bangers and a few other items, our Irish Sister City Committee is a well established part of Third Thursday. People ate 25 pounds of Bangers, and all of the Irish Whiskey Cake. There are 14 Bangers per pound. One lady and her husband came over to me as I was cooking the bangers, and the woman said that she saw me on National Public Television (another Liberal concept) based out of Albany, New York. She said that I did a good deal of talking during the program (that is nothing new). She said that even though I missed the program since I was working the event, I could access what I missed on the computer. I do remember that an Irish Sister City Member and I were formally interviewed during the May Third Thursday. I explained what an Irish Banger was, etc. The interviewer had a small hand held camera / recorder. I was wondering what happened with this taped interview, and now I know.

Our musician next to our booth was well received until his guitar broke down. Our Irish Sister President, who is a talented musician too, let him use his guitar. Music attracts the crowd, and then we sell the people food.

Another thing that happened while we were setting up at 3:30 PM was a policeman confiscating, and ticketing a bunch of teenagers on bicycles. I had written a letter to the editor of our local newspaper about the police had to stop kids on bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc. because of pedestrian safety issue. Well, the police took control of the situation for this Third Thursday, and this incident happened right in front of me. Do you think that the police read my letter to the editor? The Police Chief stopped by for some Bangers, which he does every Third Thursday, and he said "Curley, I read your letter to the editor." The Chief is a former student of mine. This is another case where "The Pen is mightier than the Sword."

Speaking of writing, I did get a little flack from some of my blog readers about some political comments that I made yesterday. I love the response to some of my positions. I am not going to change my Liberal views or take off my Rose Colored glasses. I still think that the two party system works in the United States. The people who say they are "Independents" are just wishy washy, and they have abandoned their party. They are the fence sitters who are on top of the fence, and can't decide which side of the fence to jump over. Oh, I can hear these independents ready to chime in about being able to vote for the best candidate whether the person is a Democrat or Republican. I still stay fix your own party if you think that it doesn't represent you and your ideals anymore.

The world is still in turmoil. The Syrian and Lybian conflicts scare me the most because I can see the United States being an integral part of these conflicts. The humanitarian aspect outweighs the conflict itself. Most people on this earth worry about their own family, having a roof over their head, and being able to provide for their family. They don't care about the ruling party unless they feel like they are being abused.

CNN had article about Saudia Arabian women being encouraged to drive cars which is against the rules of that country. The internet can be a wonderful thing when people of other nations see how our Democratic society works. A woman not being able to drive in our household would put a real damper on my "Separation is Good" rule that I live by.

Today is the Central Berkshire / Pittsfield Relay for Life at our beautiful Onota Lake in Pittsfield. Linda and I have participated in the past, but we are taking a rain check for this year. Even though UNICO is running the concession stand all day and night long, I decided that I needed a break between the Irish and Italian events that I volunteer for. Our Irish Sister City president has his team all set, and they are ready to camp out this evening. I say good luck because rain is in the forecast. As I said in previous e-mails, our camping days might be over. I use the word "might" because I could visualize a camping trip with the grandchildren. Both of our sons have taken their children camping already. We took our two boys camping when they were small too. I do remember putting a portable crib in a pop up camper before our oldest son ever reached his first birthday. What you do during those child rearing days gets passed on to the next generation. Yes, I do realize that an air conditioned room with a shower has been passed on from generation to generation in the lives of some of the recipients on this blog, but you don't know what you have missed if you skipped the camping experience.

Well, I am supposed to play golf with the seniors. A light rain is falling with a chance of morning thunderstorms which is a bit unusual. I don't do golf in the rain. I can't even get my clubs in the car because it is full of Third Thursday gear. I could do with a day off, and catch up with some reading on my IPad. Linda would most likely do the same thing, but on her Kindle. We are not sure about our evening plans right now, but we will leave that time slot open for discussion.

Have a great weekend!
We have a graduation party to attend on Saturday, and Fathers Day is Sunday.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad