Back to Ohio: Changes Afoot at Greenlee Gazette

See, here's the thing, kids. Mommy and Daddy aren't breaking up, and it's not your fault. But we are moving. We're Leaving Las Vegas, and moving on. After 20 years in the desert, and about 17 since the original experiment almost uprooted me, I've decided that the Mojave has given me all it's going to. I'll miss friends made here, and those who made the initial journey with me. There is no doubt of that. But there comes a time when "home" shifts. And "home" is now moving eastward.

I will always have a soft spot for Lost Wages. And as long as my adopted family members here in the valley remain, I'll always want to come visit. But when they've gone as well? I doubt that Vegas will hold much interest for me. I quit gambling accidentally when I quit smoking at the end of 2010. Most of the tourist traps never got me. I avoid those areas like the plague already. But I do cross Las Vegas Boulevard almost every single day. I can see Mandalay Bay and Luxor from my office window. I came here when Luxor was birthed, and helped with the delivery, along with that of Stratosphere, New York-New York and more. Las Vegas will be in my blood for a long time.

But 2,000 miles eastward lies the Buckeye State, the land of my origins. My bio- and step- parental units reside there (when they're not sunning in very separate sites in Florida), as do my siblings and one of The Other Half's sisters. How weird is that? Couple that with the facts that a) all of the rest of the family is within a day's drive of central Ohio, and b) that the remaining nieces and nephews are growing up so fast, we almost can't keep up? No brainer. Since we found ourselves in a position where we can afford to go? We're going.

I'm going to have to start at least pretending that
this means something to me.

However, dear reader, the fact of the matter is, all of these changes makes daily blogging a challenge! Not only are we preparing for a total upheaval in our lives (beyond the unfortunate termination of a beloved family pet), we're also running out the remaining days of both long-term careers, jostling the holidays (our last set), and trying mightily to squeeze in every last gathering we can with beloved friends. The period between now--early December, 2014--and the end of the first month of 2015, are going to be packed solid.

I will continue blogging throughout. I'll likely track our journey, our eventual arrival, and everything along the way and after. Greenlee Gazette will survive, and continue, becoming an Ohio-based blog. I'd be foolish to think this concerns more than a handful of people, if that. Though I have a small following, it's unlikely very many people care where I am. And I suppose that really says it all. My career is likely to become almost completely location irrelevant. Why shouldn't the blog?

One thing that will go by the wayside is the What Happens in Vegas feature. But I suppose it wasn't appointment viewing in the first place. I might come up with a Useless Nut feature for my new Buckeye status. But largely, things will remain the same. I'm leaving this post up, may update it, and may future-date it, just so that people realize that there is a transition going on. But I'll be both back. . .and never really leave. I'm just moving! Come with me? We've got eight or ten weeks to get there. Thanks!

"Mean" Jean Schmidt, Bounced from Congress!

Image from source, TPM

I'm no longer a resident of the Buckeye State, but I've always thought that "Mean" Jean Schmidt was an embarrassment to my home state. She's one of many in her meanness on the right side of the aisle. Glad to see her go. Way to go, Ohio!

[Excerpt]

Jean Schmidt Loses House Seat In Major GOP Primary Upset

In a major upset, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), a fiery conservative voice in the House of Representatives, has lost the Republican primary for her redrawn House seat. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

MAD TV: OSU Buckeye Fans Gay?

OK, I'm having a frivolous post run here today. But hey, I have incendiary political posts in spurts, so why not fun stuff?

Football season is upon us again, and as a native Ohioan, I'm obliged to support the Buckeyes, even if I have no genuine interest in football. If you're from Ohio (particularly Columbus), you're a Buckeye by default.

This video is from a couple of years ago on MAD TV. It was something of a heyday for the show in my opinion, when Josh Meyers (Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers' brother) and Ike Barinholtz regularly teamed up for comedy.

The gag is, of course, the inherent homoeroticism (usually unacknowledged) of team sports, and sports fandom. And you have to give credit to Meyers and Barinholtz for their fearlessness as actors. Even in this day and age, unabashed same-sex attraction--even in acting--is a rarity. Of course it helps that it is painfully funny. (Incidentally, it would have been just as funny if the characters were Wolverines fans. . .)