Pain makes it difficult to go day to day

"Won't you look down upon me, Jesus, you've got to help me make a stand. You've just got to see me through another day. My body's aching and my time is at hand. I won't make it any other way."
 -- JAMES TAYLOR, 1971

A few months ago, this verse got stuck in my head, and it took me a lot longer than usual to remember the song. "Fire and Rain" was one of the great songs of its time, and might possibly have been the best song ever from James Taylor.

The last three months of my life almost epitomizes this song. Between spinal problems -- a degenerative disk in my lower back -- that likely will never leave me, and double vision that has plagued me for about four months now, my body is definitely aching.

That doesn't necessarily mean my time is at hand. I intend to be here as long as my wife needs me, and it would make a huge difference if could just get past the double vision and see normally again.

The back pain is at its worst at night. In fact, it has been at least a month since I have slept through the night. Generally I awake after sleeping for 60-90 minutes. Then I'm awake for up to three hours before the pain goes away enough to sleep again.

Things will get better.

They just have to.

***

Free stuff?

For people who aren't billionaires?

Is Bernie Sanders crazy?

Actually he's not, but he is allowing himself to be pushed farther and farther to the left in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.

His most recent proposal -- eliminating $1.6 trillion in student loan debt -- would have an incredible effect on the last two generations of college students.

Maybe too much of an effect. One thing that is absolutely true is that if you're going to forgive all student loan debt, you're going to put an end to the student loan program. So even if you're going to make all public two-year and four-year colleges tuition free, what do you do about living expenses?

And what about private colleges and graduate schools?

Sadly, giving people something for free makes them value it less. But if we reworked the original idea of the G.I. Bill after World War II, we could have people perform public service -- military or civilian -- and earn college.

In the same way, we can demand service in exchange for student-loan debt forgiveness. Say a year of service to reduce $25,000 of debt. Not only does it take away the stigma of "free stuff," it creates a feeling pride in serving the community.

You want a lesser solution that would still help some? Forgive all interest on student loans. If someone borrowed $50,000 for college, they pay back $50,000. If that doesn't seem like a big deal, you've never dealt with a loan shark.

As the late great Rodney Dangerfield once said:

"I borrowed $100 from a shylock. I paid him back $25 a week for four years and still owed him $300."

'Bosch' house evokes amazing California memories

I have lived in a lot of different places, some special and some not so special.

Some provided spectacular views, others were pretty mundane. Seeing the monuments and memorials of Washington, D.C., at age 13 pretty much blew me away. By 32, when I was getting ready to move to North Carolina, it was "been there, done that" for the Nation's Capital.

As I worked my way across the country in the 1980s, I saw the Mississippi River (and the Gateway Arch), the Rocky Mountains and the deep blue of Lake Tahoe. But it was April 30, 1990, my first day on the job as a suburban sportswriter covering the Los Angeles Dodgers that gave me my first look the the most amazing view I would ever see.

Dodger Stadium by night.

You sort of have to imagine this one from the photo. The press box is essentially at the top part of the photo, behind home plate.

Parking for reporters was at the top level behind the home plate portion of the stands. When I came out of the building at 11 p.m. and looked to the southwest, the lights seemed to go on forever.

Incredible, and for most of the next two summers, it was a view I saw almost every night.

Random thoughts and perspectives for a May day

In a world of too much information, there are many things I would rather not know.

For example, I'd rather not know ...

Down the stretch

... that Donald Trump thinks the horse that crossed the finish line first at the Kentucky Derby was disqualified because of political correctness.

... that when comic books started being called graphic novels 25-30 years ago, people who read real novels let them get away with it.

,,, how long it will be before I can stream the latest "Avengers" movie. I certainly don't want to go to a theater to see it.

Still in jail, but Rule Brittania and another cheer

What's it all about (Alfie)?

Well ...

It's the eighth day since I deactivated my Facebook account in response to a 30-day suspension for so-called "hate" speech.

I'm not going to write again about what happened and why. The only purpose of mentioning it is that whenever I first go to my computer in the morning, Facebook is one of the first websites I visit.

Over the last 10 years, Facebook has been my primary tool for keeping up with friends and family. In fact, with many people, the only contact I have with them is on Facebook.

I'm sort of at a loss where to start.

It ain't Supermax, but Facebook jail is no fun at all

Again!?!

As you can see from my post several weeks ago, I received a seven-day sentence in Facebook Jail for what they called hate speech.

I referred to Donald Trump as "(rich) white trash."

I served my sentence, did my time, and when my sentence was up, the warden gave me a suit of clothes and a $20 bill and told me the next train to Memphis was leaving in two hours.

Huh?

Never mind. I promised to be more careful and began posting again.

Rich have it good, but there are ways you can succeed

Back in the 1950s, there was a television show called "The Millionaire" that ran for six seasons.

The premise was that a wealthy recluse named John Beresford Tipton would select a different person each week and give them a check for $1 million. They were not allowed to tell anyone where they got the money.

In a country where the average family income in 1955 was about $5,000 and the average home could be purchased for less than $12,000, a million was big bucks indeed.

Fortune magazine reports that in 1955, there were only about 30,000 American executives who made in excess of $50,000 a year, and they paid about 40 percent of that in taxes.

Numbers aren't easily available for every year, but in 1953 there were about 27,000 Americans worth at least $1 million.

A very special week and a handful of random notes

As sports weeks go, the one we're in the middle of right now might be my late friend Tom Kensler's favorite of the year.

Two of the events he most enjoyed covering for the Denver Post happen in this particular week. First is the NCAA men's basketball championship game. It takes place on Monday night. I don't know how many Final Fours Tom covered, but it was more than my two.

2013 in the ATL

In fact, the last time I saw him alive was the morning after the 2013 championship game, in which Louisville beat Michigan in the Georgia Done right here in Atlanta.

Strangely enough, the last Final Four I covered also was a Louisville victory, in 1986 at Reunion Arena in Dallas. I don't think Tom was at that one.

But it's the second event of the week that makes it so special. Starting Thursday, right here in Georgia, the best golfers in the world get together at Augusta National Golf Club for the tournament known as the Masters.