My view of the Dropkick Murphys during the song “Skinhead on the MBTA”

To all of my friends and family,

You may want to have one last look at me before July 8,  for on July 8th I am going to see the most epic-ly epic concert ever conceived by mortals…..and my face might just melt off at the sheer power of such a lineup.  I am willingly going to tempt fate like they did in Indiana Jones and look uponst the stage which by far Dropkicks and the Bostones clearly have more power than the Ark of the Covenant in this particular instance.  So at the risk of you never seeing my face again due to meltage you may want to have your final looks.

Signed,

Me

Apparently I have too much time on my hands?

There may have been a thin shred of doubt in my mind that the world is plummeting headlong into the crapper, but that last little smidgen was obliterated the other night by the Discovery Health channel.

 Wife and I have taken a shine to the myriad “reality” shows based on surgical procedures. Dr. 90210 is a particular favorite because the relationship between that narcissistic Brazilian doctor with the heinous fashion sense and his ditzy, blond wife, “the codependent enabler”, makes us feel like maybe we’re not so abnormal after all. But we are equal opportunity gawkers. Any show that portrays folks going under the knife is OK with us.

But recently I have become aware of the most ridiculous double standard in the recorded history of shitty television.

These medical reality shows pull no punches when it comes to the surgical procedures. They’ll show pictures of someone’s intestines being filleted, a breast sliced open like a baked potato and a huge slab of skin and flesh that has been removed from someone’s body during a tummy tuck procedure. No gore too gory.

But nipples must be blurred out. Must not show nipples.

To review: Blood, gore and perforated colons = kosher. Nipples = bad.

I think I speak for many when I say WHAT THE FUCK!?

What dillweed made this decision? One can only assume the determination that nipples create a sexually explicit scenario was made by some suit at the FCC who hasn’t been laid since the Carter administration. Sir, if you’re reading this, here’s a word to the wise: when you are watching a woman have her boob slashed in two and held agape by the Jaws of Life, there is no room for titillation. They could superimpose a porno onto the lower portion of the screen and it STILL wouldn’t turn guys on. We all have nipples. Be a man. Lose the blur.

New Rule Compels Los Angeles Firefighters to Cover Tattoos

Ah yes,  the nearly age old argument about professionalism.  I engage in this argument on a near monthly basis with a variety of people all of which would be eliminated during the U.S. Geography 2^nd grade question on “Are You Smarter than a 5^th Grader.”  Most contest that to be professional by their narrow minded definition you simply have to “Look” professional placing heavy emphasis on polished boots neatly pressed (and dangerous I may add) polyester shirts.  Nothing is said of a Professional attitude and demeanor that you can in fact take the largest pile of shit in the department (or ten of them for that matter) dress them in a Class A Uniform and they still will be the most unprofessional professional firefighter to walk the face of the earth.  It’s their attitude that will give them away every single time, their air of incompetence, and general grotesque inability to do much outside of breathing the correct way.  Perhaps if management focused a little more on the Acting and a little on the Looking they might actually discover that people don’t particularly care how we look…Don’t believe me, look at the last 50 or so thank you letters sent to the department for services provided to the citizens I can guar-damn-tee they refer to “Acted Professional and Treated me like a Professional.” 

I can also tell you that a person well enough to notice scuffed boots and tattoos probably should have refrained from burdening the already abused 911 system with their petty bullshit.

Apparently I need some kind of class because….and it was news to me….telling someone to “Fuck off and suck my ass” is not the proper way to get my point across that I am extremely displeased with another human.

I mean honestly what better way is there to abruptly get the point across than to use the aforementioned statement?  I am not one for idle chatter, bargaining the merits of each individuals point, and tip-toeing around feelings of another human because they are to much of a candy-assed-tit-baby-Starbucks-swilling-mammas-boy-with-smaller-than-average-man-plumbing.  Who actually has time to enter into a frivolous diatribe when you can just get right to the point? 

 So instead of a conversation like this; “Excuse me sir,  I couldn’t help but notice you took a rather aggressive tone with my child after he clumsily fielded that ball and failed to make the correct play at first base.  Furthermore I know that my five year old has some how dissuaded the legions of Scouts in the stands who are here to watch your five year old play from awarding him that huge signing bonus you and the wife were hoping for.  If you can at all help it may I suggest a more positive reinforcement  this way we can accommodate each other as we strive for the championship title of our community t-ball league which will greatly help our children chances of becoming the one in a million starters for the Red Sox.”

I abbreviate the conversation to this;  “Yell like that again and you and I will have an appointment in the parking lot….dont like that idea? Perhaps you should Fuck off and suck my ass”

I like my way much better but others think I need help with my conflict resolution skills.

For the next two years no one in my Local is allowed to say the following phrases;

“What does the International do for us?”

“They never asked our opinion on that?”

“Why did they decide that?”

“Why is our Per-Cap going to be spent on that?”

“They raised our Per-Cap for what?”

“Why did that Resolution get passed?”

“Why are we supporting him/her/they/them?”

“How come they don’t support more Republicans?”

“We didn’t know that was going to be ratified?”

“We didn’t know this was an issue going before Congress/Senate?”

“Why don’t we have Heart-Lung or Cancer Presumption?”

“Isn’t that what the International is for?”

-Or any of the other 1,000 questions and snide remarks heard on a daily basis.

By not sending our voice to the International through our Delegate vote we have lost our voice for two years on the International level.  Way to go guy’s,  way to knock us back a few more decades…you sure you aren’t in the Management Group….perhaps you should be.

Riddle me this….How is it a group of backwoods rednecks in a “Right to Work” state is a more powerful Union than us who have grown up in one of the strongest Union states in the country?

Today across our nation firefighters will pause and reflect on a tragedy that occurred one year ago today.  Last year 9 Charleston SC firefighters lost their lives in a fire that to this day the ramifications ripple across the country and have most of us still shaking our heads in disbelief.   Obviously the loss of any life in a fire is devastating,  as a Professional Firefighter who has seen more than my fair share of time in the “breech” what makes the loss of 9 firefighters in Charleston unpalatable is circumstances surrounding their deaths. 

When you are in the business where,  on occasion,  you walk a razor thin line between success and failure you fall back upon and draw from past experiences, training, equipment, leadership, and gut feelings to get you home at the end of your shift.  Leadership, equipment and training failures in Charleston have created Widows, grieving families and fatherless children.  The leadership or lack of in Charleston should be held to a criminal standard.  In the civilian world the case studies and precedents are clear let us change the circumstance.  Let us pretend that a truck driver was allowed to take to the road and he had not received the proper training to drive and he hit a bus killing 9 people…he would certainly be held to a criminal standard as would the people or company that allowed him to do so.  Tactics in the fire service change on nearly a weekly basis.  Command officers owe it to themselves and to the men they command to stay abreast of the latest information, the latest classes, the latest training.  We rely on them to see the much broader picture, to forecast the outcome, and to actively and safely mitigate the problem. 

Management of tactics change however management philosophy does not.  Take these two texts from a centuries old manuscript on leadership during warfare.

“When the men are well trained, rested, properly fed, clothed, and equipped, if their spirits are roused they will fight vigorously.  However, if physical or material conditions have blunted their spirit; if there is any imbalance in the relationship between command and troops; or if for any reason they have lost their motivation, they will be defeated”

“If the leader is weak and unenlightened in his instructions and leadership and the deployment of his troops into formation is askew, it is termed chaotic”

Centuries old management philosophy that still holds true today yet leadership by its very core definition is seemingly a foreign concept to those leaders who were on scene that day in Charleston.  Through inept, outdated, and antiquated tactics, strategy, and philosophy are directly responsible for such a tragic loss.

Across the country the same attitudes and directives of outdated tactics, below par training standards and inept leadership that exist in Charleston exist in fire departments to this day.  We are not advancing fast enough in the fire service we are simply dodging bullets playing a dangerous game and counting on mathematical probabilities.  Tactics, philosophies, training and attitudes that existed in the 70’s no longer have a place in the fire service neither do the ones possessed in the 80’s or 90’s.  We can glean valuable lessons from such tragedies as Charleston, Worchester, Brockton, and the countless other Line of Duty Deaths that occur across this country every year.  These lessons have been paid in full by guys who have been failed by incompetent leaders and outdated practices.  Lessons that our own incompetent leaders seemingly ignore……we are simply dodging bullets.

If you are a regular reader of this site you know in my youth I had an obsession with the band Bad Brains.  Recently on a trip to Daytona I was reminded of the day I fell in love with that band and quickly realized I have been a rabid fan for exactly 20 years.  Walking from the hotel on a serious “shell hunting” mission with the kids we wandered under a pier and on the other side was a flood of memories of my youth.  It was this same stretch of beach I wandered in 1988 with a cousin and my younger brother when we accidentally happened upon a full frontal assault of music taking place on a stage just off of the beach.  I was surprised to find footage from that show on Youtube which I will place below for your viewing pleasure.  The stage is still there although the surroundings have changed dramatically.  Instead of small hotels which surrounded it back in 88 it is now surrounded by a open air mall with such corporate abominations such as Stone Cold Creamery, Starbucks, and a Sunglass Hut.

Here is what it looked and sounded like in 1988.

Can you tell I have been reading lately?  While on vacation I read 6 books which makes this the most awesome vacation in many years.  Now I will tell you to read these books and if you don’t I will make fun of you relentlessly.

I read two books by the same Author Michael Patrick MacDonald:

All Souls is a look into the crime laden “Southie Projects” in the late 70’s and early 80’s during events like the “Bulger” era and the “Busing Riots.”  If you don’t like Irish Culture, Fist Fights, drinking, suicide, drug use and the Irish Mob…..don’t read this book.

The follow up to “All Souls” the Author in this book tells of how he escaped Southie by diving head first into the Hardcore Punk scene of New York and Boston back in the day when Punk was Punk.  Also included is a few chapters about a trip to Ireland to visit relatives. 

Read them or you suck.

I know I am a bit late with this but you NEED to read these two books.

If you have seen the series “Band of Brothers” you will no doubt recognize the name Dick Winters.  This book is his own account of what happened to him and the men of the 101st during some of the most brutal battles of WWII.

Bagpipe Brothers is the account of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipe and Drum band following the attacks of 9-11.  If you can get through this book without shedding a tear…..you simply dont get it.  This is truly a gut wrenching story of loss and coping with loss while trying to add dignity and honor to funeral services.

July 8 ….the only thing that would make this lineup any better would be to add Street Dogs.  Two legends from the Boston Punk scene and my top two favorite bands of ALL TIME are coming this way.

This flag was seen hanging/draped over a building in Waterford what you cant really see is the torn and tattered flag is being held to the ground with large rocks..  The business is Forster’s Carwash and after the confrontation and ensuing threats I feel further action is warranted.  Forster’s runs many carwashes and oil change/ repair businesses in and around Waterford.

Forster Car Wash
248-618-0740   

Here they are Bitches and no you cant touch them.

I find it odd (not really) that the sudden spike in gas prices were seen upon the arrival of the Economic Stimulis checks.  Dubai must need a few more dollars to complete a few more manmade islands?  Its that or a certain leader with a background in Oil is planning his  retirement and exit strategy and which retirement villa will he be staying at.  My guess is somewhere in this hood.

Dont just listen to the music, listen to the words these guys dont just say the words they live it and instill it in others. 

I am not sure if I should take offense to Japanese punks playing Irish Music or relish in the fact that this type of music is so widely popular everyone wants in on it?  Ladies and Gentlemen……The Cherry Cokes.

Yesterday I saw the Driver of the Wartabago on the road…..I tailgated him and then flipped him off.  Big deal you say…..he was “working” when I did it. 

That is all,  back to practicing the pipes now.

Soon if you are eliglible you will be recieving your Economic Stimulis Check, what are your plans for the money. 

Lets get one thing STRAIGHT and lets get it there in a hurry.  For those of you who have failed 2nd grade Anatomy.  If you are born with a cock and an apple bag you are a guy.  If you are born with a vagina you are a girl. 

 It is IMPOSSIBLE for a man to get pregnant but it is possible for a woman to get pregnant.  If you are somewhere in the middle say…..for instance……some tool who was born a woman and still is a woman from the waist down ……YOU ARE NOT A F*&%^&G MAN.  Listen up Oprah!

The freak on a leash tool box who claims to be a man is not a man,  enough of this country’s obsession with and glorification of gays and trans-whatever people.  Unlike Leno I offer no and will not be saying “I’m Sorry” to the small and insignificant of population of gays.

Since Basball season officially started yesterday in Michigan I decided to post the single Greatest Play in Baseball History.

A man enters a bar in downtown Detroit and orders a martini. 

The bar has a Robot Bartender.  The Robot serves him a perfectly made martini and then asks him, “What’s your IQ?”  The man answers, “150″ and the Robot proceeds to make conversation aboutglobal warming factors, quantum physics, spirituality, biochemistry,environmental interconnectedness, string theory, and nanotechnology The customer is very impressed and thinks, “This is really cool.” 

He decides to test the Robot.  He walks out of the bar, turns around and comes right back in for a rum and coke.  Again, the Robot serves him a perfect rum & coke and asks him, “What’s your IQ?”  The man responds, “About 100.”   Immediately the Robot starts talking, but this time about the Lions,NASCAR, the Tigers, supermodels, favorite fast foods, guns and women.  

Really impressed, the man leaves the bar and decides to give the Robot one more test.  He returns and asks for a beer and the Robot brings himan Old Milwaukee Light and asks, “What’s your IQ?’  The man says, “Er, 50 I think.”  And the Robot says…REAL SLOWLY…,

“So…………Ya gonna vote forKwame again?”

Dont know how I missed the release of this video but somehow it escaped my viewing until just the other day.  If you ask my 4 year old real nice he may just sing this for you word for word.

As I write this I am a little over 24 hours away from spending some quality time in the hands of a skilled tattoo artist.  You would think a guy who has as many tattoos as I do the luster and anticipation of having ink permanently pressed into my flesh would have vanished or at least made great strides toward vanquishing just a little.  Not so, I feel today the same as I did years ago when I got my first one.  That familiar smell of soap and alcohol that greets you as you enter a “Parlor” the comforting humm of the tattoo machines is just a small part of the whole experience. 

Today I will be paying close attention to the naked patch of skin that will soon hold a well crafted piece of art.