I’ve never gotten less than 93 cents in coins back on any monetary transaction. And it’s always in the same breakdown: one quarter, four dimes, five nickels and three pennies – a combination that sounds like there’s a 12 horse sleigh rally in your pocket. Cashiers know that, too. They do it on purpose. It’s their little way of saying, “This is for all the jerks that question my basic math and reading skills when I make a mistake.”

That’s why loose change bothers me.

Vacations are annoying, too.

Yeah, it’s nice to get away. But a vacation, in reality, is like getting mugged at knife-point by a stripper: It’s over quickly and fun in a new, different sort of way, but you still feel a little violated in the end. Especially when it’s time to go back to work. The enormous back-log waiting on your desk, and that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize the beach isn’t there to save you makes you wonder if taking the week off was even worth it.

But you can’t just not take vacations, right? Or throw away loose change? They’re both important. One helps us be flexible and accurate when exchanging money for goods and services. The other keeps us from freaking out at work and quitting, thus slowing down productivity. Without both, our economy would fold.

We need to think positive, and remember how helpful change and vacations can be.

Change is a lifesaver when you’re getting on a toll bridge, using a rest-stop bathroom with a novelty dispenser, or buying a gallon of milk that costs $4.07 (change itself, if used responsibly, can break the cycle of too-much change abuse).

Vacations are helpful reminders that there’s a world outside of work that we should try to find time to live in every day – or that unemployment insurance is just one well-conceived plan to get yourself fired away.

High school is brutal. No where does that seem more true at the moment, then in Lakeland, Florida, a town that has become a media hot spot recently due to the brutal attack of a high school girl by six cheerleaders. Why has this story gained such a huge array of media attention? It’s not because of the incident itself, although it was vicious, cruel and pre-meditated. It’s not because the victim was an honor student and her abusers were blonde haired, blue eyed cheerleaders. The reason this story is worse than the countless others that are reported every day is because the attackers primary motivation for video taping the incident was so they could upload the video to MySpace and YouTube.

In the days since this heinous story came to light, a lot of media shows have been concentrating primarily on that fact. I even heard MySpace referred to as the “anti-christ of this generation.” Call me crazy, but if six teenage girls and two teenage boys (they were standing guard outside to make sure no one caught on to what was going on inside) have no qualms about tricking a fellow teenager into coming over to their house, ganging up on her and beating her until she’s unconscious, waiting until she comes to and then beating her some more, leaving her with a concussion, partial loss of hearing in one ear and partial loss of sight in one eye, I think there are some people a little closer to home that need to be taking the blame.

Not only did these teens commit these horrible acts, they also showed no remorse and no concept of how severe their actions were. One girl was quoted as asking police officers if they would be out of lock-up in time to go to cheer leading practice. Obviously the parents of these kids need to step up to the plate and take on a little responsibility. I’m pretty sure it must take years of parental inaction for children to reach this level of selfishness and cruelty. Let’s put the blame where it is deserved, on these children, who have no respect for human decency and on the parents and families who created them.

This was a test and most of you failed it. Not really, but if it was, I would fail you. It seems the only reason people responded so strongly to this is because I mentioned Oprah. Next time I will go after Paris Hilton instead.I write blogs often, actually I have written 63 of them since I started working here in July of 2006.Since that time, I have written about various topics such as a sneaker I saw on the side of the road, my car catching fire while my husband was driving it, the crime rates in Chenango County and various other real or fictional subjects.  One thing I have learned throughout my blog writing experience is writing about a celebrity is one way to make sure people are reading what you write.I could write about school drop out rates, poverty and sexual abuse, but nothing and I mean nothing, gets people’s attention more than putting the name of  a celebrity in the title.Just look at Mike’s blog about Tom Petty, the poor guy got canned for such things. And Jessica, her blog responses hit the roof when she wrote about Tom Cruise.Why is this? I am unsure.I did however, like the responses I received. People now think I  get a kick out of making people feel bad, I  am a sad excuse of an individual because I picked on such a “humanitarian.”Have you ever met Oprah? I haven’t … therefore to judge what is seen on television is one rule my parents always said to obey: “Don’t you believe everything you see on TV” I can hear my father saying clear as day!On a side note, to Ana Sarca, your application for copy editor is in the mail.

Really, does she?

I just read a statement about her dog dying and it occurred to me, that I for one think the woman does not know how to cry. OK, so maybe she has shed some tears on camera in her time, but I mean real tears, the kind where she actually sobs and her shoulders shake like the rest of ours do when we have had enough.
Her dog of 13 years, Sophie, passed away and Oprah is dedicating a show on the abuses of dogs to her, what did she call her, “a true love in my life” man, I don’t think she has ever even referred to Stedman like that.
So let me get this straight, her dog dies and she is banking on it in some way or another right. Okay so maybe the dedication is just that, a tribute to her lost dog.
But anyway….do you think she really cries? If she does, she doesn’t do it right.
Maybe it is just me but I can’t see it. I am sure she gets mad, like when Stedman leaves his socks on the bathroom floor or something, or she may yell when her employees mess up her lunch order. But still, I simply can not see the woman breaking down and losing enough composure to shed tears, real ones. I also can not really see Hilary cry, I know she did on TV, but come on who fell for that? Laura Bush, nope, have never seen a tear.
I am pretty sure that to become such a powerful person, it requires certain bodily functions removed from your body. Like passing gas, burping, having the hiccups, throwing up and even your stomach growling device is probably removed upon becoming a somebody.
I think when someone out and out cries, it tells you something about them. Not that their weak, but that they can show emotion now that’s power!
Ok, so if you are still reading this you may be wondering why I decided to bash Oprah, in actuality, I am bored and saw he face in the newspaper so what the hell, I thought I would pick on her today, not really for any reason just because. Maybe she will read this and cry…….

Wednesday, April 2, I ran into Unadilla Valley head varsity baseball coach Matt Osborne around 6 p.m., who, like me, was eating dinner with his family at the Pizza Hut in Norwich. That statement alone should tell you something.
Osborne, again like me, was enjoying a relaxing evening with his family. Normally, I would be moving dinner along quickly with the purpose of reaching The Evening Sun office to take incoming calls from coaches. Or, I would be returning from an out-of-town game. Osborne, as well, would typically be finishing up a baseball game or finishing up an after-school practice. Why were the two of us so blithely going about our business? Cancellations and more cancellations.
Osborne had games on Monday (at Harpursville), and Tuesday (at Bainbridge-Guilford) slated, and both were postponed. Regardless if either or both games were played on UV’s home diamond, postponement was inevitable. On this April 2nd day, a day available to make up the postponements, field conditions remained across the majority of the area, unplayable.
Not having an exact count handy, I will conservatively estimate the area-wide baseball and softball cancellations due to poor weather at around a dozen and a half. These are all games that will eventually need to be played, and according to empirical evidence and my 13-year track record covering sports, the games left outstanding on each respective team’s docket will appear on open dates in the schedule. As cancellations pile up – and they will most assuredly accrue voluminously – the open dates become fewer and fewer, and legitimate practice sessions will linger as a long-ago memory from the early weeks of March.
My point here: Scheduling baseball and softball games in Central New York this time of year is wishful thinking at best, and unrealistic. I have pushed the idea yearly to move the start of the season back 10 days to two weeks. Cancellations are still inevitable due the fickle nature of spring weather, but the imminent postponements due to cold weather and horrid field conditions may be avoided.
I also like the idea of playing twinbills on Saturday, or at the least playing the make-up contests on the first day of the weekend. Why not? Be it a home game, a road game or a rescheduled game, regular Saturday contests will cover around one-third the entire schedule. Of course, Saturday is not exempt from rain-outs as well.
The end result of the current state of local scheduling is a stack of bunched games over a two- or three-week period. I have written up half a team’s schedule over a seven-week season in 10 days – nine games in 10 days!
Remember, we are not talking about Major League pitching staffs that carry 10 or 11 world-class arms. In most cases, these local clubs have one or maybe two quality arms, and perhaps a couple other guys that can give a couple quality innings. It is watered-down baseball where scores in the double digits become commonplace.
I’m all for offense, but Abner Doubleday did not intend baseball games to end in 22-19 counts with double-digit base on balls and double-digit errors.
To paraphrase a Ben Franklin quote: “Insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting a different result.” It is time the brain trusts of high school sports look at the inequities in the scheduling and find a better way.

So I slipped out of New York for a week earlier this month, a stealthy exit perhaps unbeknownst to local readers.
Let’s just say that local sports are on the down low from the midpoint of March until early-April. It is an ideal time of year to take a breather from the longest of our three high school sports seasons, and I decided to vacation in Florida and visit my best friend in the world, Aidamarie Rull. Aida and I spoke on the phone frequently discussing a to-do list for my seven-day stay. Hearing about her routine, my interest immediately piqued when she mentioned her ping pong games three times a week at the local YMCA in Navarre. Aida grew up playing the game frequently with her family, but had not played regularly in years. She made the acquaintance of two retired gentlemen, John Lawlor and Grant Urquhart (sounds like “Erk-hart.”), who had their own high-level table stored at the YMCA’s facility. Aida befriended John and Grant, and she was soon joining them along with others in round-robin type matchups. She recounted her daily experiences of table tennis, and I admitted to some envy. I, too, grew up playing ping pong recreationally, but had played sparsely since my college days almost 18 years ago. (Note my flip-flopping use of ping pong and table tennis depending on who I am talking about. My pointed usage will be explained later).
We resolved to make ping pong a part of our morning regimen after working out in the YMCA’s fitness area. Sidenote: Aida is a certified personal trainer and children’s fitness specialist, and she trains and teaches classes at the YMCA.
I was so hyped up to play ping pong, two days before I took my flight out of Syracuse, I resolved to buy the absolute “best” paddle Wal-Mart had to offer. After dispensing a tad over $6 after tax, I was ready to take on all comers.
Early in my stay, Aida and I purchased some ping pong balls so we could play on the weekend before I actually met John and Grant for their thrice-weekly games on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It was a nice tuneup for the both of us, and a heck of a lot of fun. Doing some research for this blog, I learned that table tennis is one of the world’s most popular games. Considering how I have never met anyone who didn’t enjoy the game upon trying it, I should have assumed that in the first place.
Monday, I was introduced to John and Grant, and therein, the differences between ping pong and table tennis were laid before me. The YMCA’s dynamic table tennis duo usually do a warmup in the YMCA fitness room before embarking on their ball striking fun. Within their duffle bag contains multiple paddles protected with their own form-fitted cover, a buffing and cleaning instrument to wipe the surface of their paddles clean, and multiple balls that are of tournament-level caliber. These two gentlemen come to play table tennis with paddles that cost possibly 10 times what I paid at Wal-Mart. In comparison, I am a hack who has never invested a penny in the game, and the Wal-Mart paddle is the first piece of table tennis equipment I ever purchased.
Summary: Table tennis is not just the formal name for the game, it also describes – in my opinion – the caliber of player. I, Patrick Newell, play ping pong – an informal name for the sport adopted some time ago, and an accurate allocation for informal/novice players.
I learned some nuances of the game during the week (keep your serves low or they will be smacked back at you down your throat was lesson numero uno) I also picked up on rules changes that were implemented a few years ago to increase fan interest among world-class players.
For instance: Games are now played to 11 instead of 21. Two serves are awarded for each player and rotated until someone reaches 11 points. Players must win by two points — the same as the old rules — and in the event of a tie, 10-10, each player alternates one serve at a time until a person wins by two points. The second more glaring rules change is that a player can no longer serve out of his hand, thereby hiding the ball until striking the ball. A ball toss of at least six inches is required before serving. I would imagine that rules change would presently affect a large number of novice players.
A playing buddy of Grant, John, and Aida, whom I met during the week, Kenny, is just a big ol’ cheater. (Just kidding Kenny). He whistles serves at break-neck speed utilizing the hidden-ball-in-hand technique. Kenny, a retired EMT and firefighter, is another great guy I met, and I thank all of the gentlemen — and Aida of course — who reinvigorated my interest in a game I loved for years.

Sorry for the long break in between blog updates. I was suspended for two weeks, nearly fired, in the wake of my controversial Tom Petty and Bobby Brown opinion pieces.

The break gave me time to think, long and hard. And I’m here today to apologize and, with your blessing, to start over.

I made two unfortunate, and clearly damaging, mistakes. Both Mr. Petty and Mr. Brown are American heroes. You folks made me realize that. For attempting to tarnish their legacies, I am truly sorry.

As an act of contrition, I’m enrolling my five-year-old son in a Bobby Brown drug seminar. No, no, Mike Jr. doesn’t have a drug problem, yet. This was a preemptive measure. My hope is he’ll learn from the best how to be a man and how to do the right thing. Clearly, I can’t offer him that. But after finally hearing all the songs Mr. Brown did with his childhood group, New Edition, I’m confident that he will get my son started on the right path (giving my boy the chance I never had).

As for my personal thoughts on Mr. Petty. I love Tom Petty. I own all his records. The truth is, Jeff Lynne, his former and least known band-mate in the Traveling Wilburys, forced me to write all that bad stuff about him. If I didn’t, Lynne, also the frontman for Electric Light Orchestra, was going to make me wear a wig afro and dark tinted sunglasses at gunpoint and videotape me singing “Don’t Bring Me Down” and put it on YouTube. It was all part of his sinister plot to get back at Tom for not only overshadowing his role in the Wilburys, but for Tom’s overall status in the music business. (Lynne never got over being underrated as a guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer). The national embarrassment I would’ve faced couldn’t compare to the pain I caused. Sorry.

Never the less, I must choose my blog topics more carefully, given the sensitivity expressed by my readers. So I’ll quit chasing waterfalls, and stick to subjects I’m used to. Like deep-fryers. That said, If they dunked salad in bubbling-hot peanut oil, I’d eat it. And I’m not afraid to say it…

I have decided I want to further my career. You see I do not want to know more, be more intellgent, I don’t even want to work harder to get farther. I want to sleep around, get paid to do so and become famous overnight.

Isn’t that what everyone else is doing?

I would like to think of myself as a hard working,  good standing citizen, mother and devoted individual. Where has this gotten me. You guessed it, not very far.

You see, the Spitzer scandal is about celebrity status and banking in on the fact that this creep cheated, lied and maniplulated his way through political office, it is about power, the power of the media and the power of the cold hard cash.

I bet Spitzer will make big money when hollywood cashes in big on the large budget movie coined Client #9, the truth about sex and politics. Maybe they will even hire some big names like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to play the lead rolls, while I realize Pitt is a lot better looking then Spitzer, as I recall, that duo knows how to cheat and get caught too!

I will have to agree that the United States may be the only country to reward a call girl with fame and fortune after finding out she had an indecent relationship with a top poitical figure. She says she is a singer, from what I heard she sings like crap but has a pretty face. Over 5 million hits on her myspace page in a week and other prospects are starting to flow in. POOF! lets give her a talk show, hair dresser and make her into a little girl’s playing doll.

So…after reading all about what I have to do in this country to get ahead a little I informed my husband I didn’t care if I had to lie, cheat, manipulate and force my self into being paid thousands of dollars to sleep with high ranking political figuars with big ears to further the career that I really don’t have any talent in.

He was ok with it.

No Not really. He actually thought I was insane.

I guess I better call it quits while I am ahead besides being honest and hard working are still concepts I enjoy being part of.  Even if it doesn’t put my kids through college.

Otselic Valley has one of the best kept secrets in head varsity boys’ basketball coach Dave Loomis. He’s self-effacing to the point where the Amish would admire his modesty. Completely deferential to his players’ efforts, Loomis was justly – and duly – noted for his coaching exploits last month. Section III named Loomis its 2007-2008 Class D-2 Coach of Year. Admittedly, I had no idea he won this award, as Loomis certainly was not going to tell me. Fortunately, an Otselic Valley fan and patron informed by telephone of Loomis’ honor, and I pledged to follow up.
For 21 seasons, Loomis has piloted a successful Vikings club. In my tenure, his team has made two Section III finals, and this past season, a 20-2 mark overall, was one of the school’s best-ever seasons. Often, coaches get too much credit for winning or too much of the blame for losing. In Dave’s case, he’d prefer to fade into the shadows and remain unnoticed.
I congratulated Dave on his award in a recent conversation, and his response: “It’s (the award) more the result of the program and what it has done in previous years,” he said. “If a coach wins the award, it is usually due to the success of the team.”
“Talent wins games” is a bit of a misstatement, in my estimation. If all other things are equal, superior talent does usually win games. Yet, unharnessed talent or skills that are not properly realized can lead to unfulfilled expectations. Working with Dave for 13 seasons and having bore witness to his coaching, he knows how to properly utilize talent. His teams play the game the right way: Plenty of hustle, oodles of hard work, in-your-face defense, working for the best shot in offensive sets, and playing unselfishly and together.
In case you haven’t met Dave, he is not a physically imposing gentleman. He is often times the smallest man on the basketball floor, but he commands the respect of his players, and from the recent vote of Section III coaches, has earned the respect of his peers. Congratulations again Mr. Loomis.

Political scandals are nothing new. Whether it is having not so appropriate relations in the oval office, sending scandalous instant messages to under age boys, getting caught literally with your pants down in an airport bathroom or being involved in a high end prostitution ring, it seems politicians never think they are going to be caught.

With the hundreds of political scandals that make the news everyday, I’m not sure why countless politicians assume they are above the law, and that they will never get caught. When it comes to public figures, someone is always watching, and few people are going to miss the opportunity to rat you out.

Perhaps these people aren’t afraid of getting caught because they feel they can get away with it. I guess generally, that is the case, but as a voter, I feel the American people deserve a little more from our political leaders. I’m not asking for perfection, just honesty. If you’re going to fight adamantly against something in the political world, try to keep your nose out of it in your private life.