View from a Short Perspective: September 2025
- the editors
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
(Because running can be funny, and should be fun) by Bill Indek
You may be a redneck if you think reruns of the TV show Hee Haw are documentaries.
The NYC Council is seriously considering allowing city employees days off to care for a sick pet. This is a neat gesture toward mental health, but I can foresee issues where this might be abused, such as:
My hermit crab is depressed.
My sloth is too lazy.
My goldfish has an identity issue and thinks it is a whale.
My cat will not answer to “Kitty-Kitty” unless I use the correct pronoun.
My pet pig was traumatized when he saw me watching a movie with Kevin Bacon.
Scientists have created a transgender mouse. That means Mickey and Minnie are now one and the same. So if Pluto gets mad and says, “Go f… yourself,” it is now possible.
A tale from the old dude hangout—the barbershop:Freddie, the barber, announced that the Girl Scouts will be selling their famous cookies on Saturday at 1:30 instead of the previously announced 11:30. Joe, a customer, said, “That’s too bad, as I cannot make the later time.” Me: “I guess you can actually say that is the way the cookie crumbles.” Other customers: groans.
True News.
People are upset that, due to the bird flu, egg prices are increasing. The Dept. of Justice is looking into reports that egg companies are in collusion to artificially raise prices for more profits. If that is true, I guess you can really call it a... shell game.
Now for a surprise announcement: I attended the Bezos wedding this summer in Venice. Well, it was actually Irving Bezos, an old friend living in Bayonne, NJ, and his church was on Venice Street.
Feel-Good Story. In July, I had a chance to visit with one of my former students—also one of my former track kids. She graduated from GRHS in 2000. One of the most caring, selfless people I’ve ever met.In 2001, she brought me her varsity track letter in a case with a story about how track and I had helped shape her. In 2004, she invited me to her wedding. From 2004 to now, she and her husband and two kids have worked as missionaries, making a difference in people’s lives in Africa.While visiting her parents in NJ, she invited my wife and me to their home for an open house. During the blessing before dinner, she incorporated me into her giving of thanks. Quite an experience!
Late Realization. The TSA has, for about 10 years, required airline passengers to remove their shoes at check-in as a safety protocol.Just dawned on me—the initials nicely match up to: Take Shoes Away.
Sports of Sorts
Pope Leo. The first American Pope is from Chicago and is an avid White Sox fan. Last year they set a record for most losses in a season. So the ground is now set for a real-life makeover of the movie Angels in the Outfield. I would call it Vatican in the Dugout.If he’s also a Chicago Bears fan, long-distance passes with the game on the line would truly be Hail Mary throws.
Annual Pilgrimage. Attended my annual pilgrimage baseball game in Brooklyn—the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league affiliate of the Mets. Ballpark is in Coney Island. My buddy and I go every year, including getting a hot dog and fries at the original Nathan’s.Exciting game—decided in extra innings with Brooklyn winning in the bottom of the 10th on a home run that just cleared the fence. The whole place went positively bonkers!
National Senior Games. Participated in the National Senior Games Track Championship in Iowa. Qualified last year for the 2025 meet. My kids were great in helping set up the logistics, accommodations, etc.Ran against a top-quality field—participants had to meet standards to enter, hence no slow folks. Ran the 50- and 100-meter sprints in the 75–79 age bracket and saw a lot of backs.Still, it was neat to mingle with older athletes from all over the nation. Also got to see a minor league Cubs game in Des Moines and found a lake to kayak in. Busy week.
Best Anecdote of the Games. In the Men’s 95–100 age group:One of three entrants didn’t respond to the starting pistol in the 50-meter dash. Officials rushed to him—he said he’d taken out his hearing aid and didn’t hear the gun.So they restarted and had him watch for the starter’s smoke. Once he got going—he really ran. No pitter-patter—he won!
Bill
Comments