Dress Code
âš½ I was standing in line at our local McDonald’s a while back waiting on my order to be filled and standing beside me was a very attractive teenage girl. She was wearing, what appeared to be panty hose that went all the way to her neck and although you couldn’t see skin, you could see her shape, and believe me, she had a very good figure. At times, she seemed a little uncomfortable, standing beside an “old guy†revealing all the contours of her body. I tried desperately not to stare, and for the most part, I succeeded. At my age, I can control myself when something like that happens, but I don’t know what I would’ve done during my teenage years. To me, it appears that young lady had no concept of the male sexual appetite, or she didn’t care. True, the male sexual appetite may not be her problem, but it could get to be. I don’t go into the bad areas of town for fear of being mugged, I don’t drive fast for fear of hurting someone, and I don’t swim out too far from the beach for fear I can’t get back before getting too tired. I hope that young lady stays in safe places. Sure, she has the right to wear what she wants, but I’ll betcha police officers wear their Kevlar vests for a reason and that’s because it’s prudent. That young lady should only go places where she feels safe, dressed in that manner. I wonder if her parents approved of her choice of body attire. I recall my daughter during her teenage years in the ‘70s. At age 13, she wanted to wear nylon hose to school, and I said “noâ€, so she stuffed them in her bag and put them on at school, taking them off before coming home. I only found out after she became an adult and was bragging about how she fooled me. The one thing she failed to realize then, but now knows, it’s easy to take advantage of someone who loves you. I also recall that a fellow came to take her out on a date when she was 15-16 and he drove up in a van. I met him at the door and told him that if he wanted to take my daughter on a date, to go back home and get his parent’s car and then come back. He complied. Tricked out vans in the 70s had a very bad reputation. I dunno if that still applies. I started letting my two children make decisions about their life when they reached the age of 15, unless it pertained to their health and safety. I have met a lot of wonderful young people, and I don’t believe the world is going in the wrong direction as it pertains to them. That young girl needs to know that males have a different sense of right and wrong then females. I know that thought is depressing, but fundamentally true. A basic rule for young teenage girls is; if you try to sneak out of the house without your dad seeing what you have on, you aren’t dressed appropriately. ☢
âš½ Have you ever wondered about the hierarchy of a poker hand? As a kid in the ‘40s & 50s, playing cards was a good way to pass the time during the cold winter months in the southwest Virginia mountains. We had no money and using match sticks wasn’t putting enough “skin in the gameâ€, so we played “Noses & Knucklesâ€. If you bet 5 knuckles and won, you took the cards in your hand and whacked the dealer’s knuckles 5 times. If you lost, he took your cards and whacked your knuckles 5 times. You normally preferred to use “Knuckles†because it hurt less, but when the skin was peeled from the knuckles of both hands and if you wanted to continue to play, you switched to “Noses†hoping your luck would change. If not, you continued playing until the pain was overwhelming and you dropped out. Oh, I remember those winters well! It takes about 2 weeks to heal enough to play again. The knuckles seemed to heal faster than the nose and for us boys, it was a sign of manhood to endure those whacks without showing pain. It was especially painful when the older boys won because they could whack you much harder, and they were better card players. In that game, you had to get smart or get out, so I worked on my game and eventually became very good at it. I found it easy to win against opponents my own age and harder with the older ones, but I did have success. The girls never participated in that manly game and they probably thought we were idiots. I wonder how many people would be addicted to gambling today if they had to put “skin in the game†as we did as youngsters? Back then, I was unaware of anyone that was addicted to gambling, we just did it to pass the time and when Spring and Summer rolled around, we were outside playing “Dodge Ballâ€, “Kick The Canâ€, or “Hide & Seekâ€.
I still fondly remember those days of long ago, when we played in that little coal camp called “Pageâ€. I keep in touch with a few of them, but so many have drifted out of my life, probably, never to return.
Getting back to the poker hand hierarchy: The Royal Flush is the top hand (Ace, King, Queen, Jack & 10 all in the same suit). Next is the Straight Flush, which is a bit easier to get (five cards in sequence that are all in the same suit). For example, they could have a seven, six, five, four, and three, all diamonds. Then Four of a kind, Full House (three cards of the same rank & two of another rank); a Flush (five cards in the same suit-not consecutive); a Straight (five consecutive cards of different suites (Aces can count either as a high or low card)); Three of a Kind (same rank); Two Pair; One Pair, & lastly High Card (Hands are ranked by comparing the highest value card in each hand).
So, to recap, the order goes: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a kind, Two pair, One pair, & then High card.
Playing poker hardens your character and forces you to learn how to deceive your opponents, a trait that is never useful in any other endeavor and a very unattractive trait to have. I haven’t played cards much since becoming an adult, unable to find anyone retarded enough to “put skin in the gameâ€.
⚽ My wife and I sat down to watch the Super Bowl at 6:30pm on February 2nd, and after the fireworks and loud music faded into the background, I asked her who she wanted to win. My favorite team is the Washington Redskins and I’m not sure she has one. She responded that she was pulling for the Kansas City Chiefs and I asked her why? She responded that since she didn’t know anything about either team, she made her selection because she liked their uniforms. That brought a big old grin to my face. I have never, ever, pulled for a team to win because of the color of their uniform. I doubt that any man has ever based a selection for that reason. For me to pull for a team other than the Redskins, there’s a more nuanced reason: I lived in that city; my son/daughter was born in that city, etc., but never because I liked their uniforms. I think this helps explain the subtle difference between the sexes. Personally, I enjoy those differences, and I believe that’s part of the attraction between us. I noticed her dosing at times during the game, and I could tell she was only watching the game so she could see the commercials and half-time show that everyone raves about afterwards. The game was over around 11:30pm, and by the time we washed the dishes and got in bed, it was almost 1:00am. Being retired, we didn’t have to worry about getting up and going to work the next morning, so that was good. About 115 million Americans watched the game, as well as about 40 million foreigners. It kinda felt good to be sharing that experience with about 160 million of my fellow planet dwellers. Freud said, “When we share… that is the poetry in the prose of life†Now, you can pound a nail with that hammer!
Wherever you are in this world, I hope your family loves you as much as mine loves me. I know you will return their love abundantly. That is my intent as well. I am always grateful that you take the time to read my missives. Until next time, be well…Tommy.
