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Alpha male behavior
It turns out my story of the Welcome Stadium restroom bathroom stall missing a door and the guy taking a huge dump during halftime of an Ohio high school state playoff game resonated with some in the community.
• Mike N. writes:
Love Screencaps as a reader and never thought I’d write in. But your story of the doorless toilet stalls hit home…
1981 and a freshman in College (Clemson). The fraternity “houses” are the old officers 3 story dormitories with a living room on the first floor (Clemson was a military college up until 1963). If rooms on the floors were not occupied by brothers to start the semester, GDI’s (God D*** Independents) were assigned a room and housed there (usually until they could transfer out after fraternity rush to some other GDI dorm and a new pledge would move in after pledge season).
Enter me and my new roommate to this situation and we had never met. We have room 201 (1 of 9 rooms on the hall and directly across from the large bathroom. The bathroom was one large shower stall with three shower heads, 6 sinks and, around the corner, 2 urinals that faced 3 toilets with stall walls, but no doors. It was quite a shock when I realized the toilet stalls had no doors. Anyway, I ended up joining that fraternity (ATO) later that semester and, over the next 3 years, it ended up to be no big deal as all the guys on hall were friends. But, it took some doing.
Two things worth sharing…
It was pretty awkward in the morning of my first day of classes to walk around the corner at 7:00 a.m. to use the urinal to find a brother (who, at the time, I barely new as I had only been on campus/in the house for 2 days) on the toilet doing both his business and brushing his teeth. That ended up being the first thing I encountered every weekday morning for the next 2 semesters. Me: “Morning Rob.” Rob (with a toothbrush in his mouth): “Mmmmphft, Mike."
Also, occasionally the pipes in the urinals would leak and, when you flushed them, they would spray water 5 or 6 feet in all directions. If they were leaking, and some brother found out you were “on the pot”, it was not unusual for some arm to reach around the corner and flush the urinal. In your rather helpless state, you’d get soaked.
Keep up the good work!!! Go Tigers!!!!!
• John H. writes:
I had to laugh at the story about taking a dump with no door, I bet all the Veterans the read SC did, When I went to boot camp not only was there no door, there were no stalls at all !
Just a row of toilets about 18 inches apart. Nothing like having a chat while you squeeze one out LOL
I’m asking the Vets to tell the SC community something you had to do or saw done in the military that would shock the civilians. This will be fun!
Odds & Ends messages because it's Friday and I have dropoff duties
• Jake in Oregon writes:
Joe, first of all best wishes and quick recovery for your son.
Am I losing it or has Hildee had "work" done on her belly button? Seems a bit more normal looking these days. Perhaps a readers poll is in order.
Just an FYI but here in Oregon for the first time in 12 years the voters in the Portland area actually voted down a proposed tax increase (and there have been a lot in these 12 years) Perhaps the tide is turning a bit.
• Clay W. writes:
From the school of always leave it better: One of my sons and his wife often visit places and stay in friends' homes. They never leave without a maxed-out cleaning of the kitchen leaving it sparkling as a thank you for some hospitality.
Just a suggestion to all. Always return a favor and do it unexpectedly.
• David B. writes:
I taught / coached for 30 plus years. From kindergarten through 12th grade. Coached t-ball through varsity baseball. By far the most challenging group was the 9-10 year old age group. Something about attention span, what they consider normal, silliness. By far the hardest to get to pull in one direction. Not knowing what you were going to get on a consistent level, not the playing the game but the attitudes and dugout observations. It was just different.
I was never one to like to give everyone a trophy at the end of the year. Those things tend to get tossed around a bit. But the last 5-6 years of coaching park rec ball my wife and I were given an idea that worked great. We printed up certificates and put an individual history of that players season. Anything that was positive, was written on that certificate. We just kept up with things during the season, bought some cheap frames, and gave them out at the end of the year during an ice cream party or cookout. The kids loved them.
• Brian L. says:
These are your new must-have footwear for next season's Bengal games.
• Mike D. on watching LIV Golf:
Oh Joe and Scott B the first line stated that I watched LIV golf on the internet (remember no commercials), expect better of you two. Going to DC next week and if we get the chance we might stop by Trump National to watch LIV in person.
Would be fun to compare it to other PGA tournaments that I have attended, including going to the Masters about 50 times. Now before people get their panties all in a wad I said that I would compare it to other tournaments not that it is equal to Augusta. Anyway, off to mow and thanks for the sticker.
• Al writes:
Silvia Funes, Salma Hayek and Liz Hurley. Can’t go wrong!
• Jason DeM. writes:
C’mon Mike B. The Pure Michigan commercials are voiced over by Tim Allen, not that liberal commie Daniels!
• Wyn in Colorado writes:
Glad to hear your son is doing better. One of the greatest challenges as a parent is being in a situation watching your child struggle with health concerns. In summer 2021 I spent 9 nights at Children’s Hospital CO with my daughter who’d gotten sick after returning from a trip to Florida. She could barely walk and at times was hunched over. Test after test, multiple blood draws, her tears absolutely tearing my heart apart, they ultimately diagnosed her with an auto immune disease (Junior Rheumatoid Arthritis to be specific). It’s been a long 2 years since, in and out of Children’s for visits, but she’s mostly pain free minus the occasional flair up. I empathize with any parent taking care of sick kids no matter how severe. Know you’re not alone.
In regards to “Dad Advice” (I know I’m a little late to the party) I had a math teacher in high school tell me “The start of something new brings the hope off something great”. I’ve never forgotten that and I always tell that Tommy kids when they question whether to try something new.
Appreciate all you do for TNML and the SC’s communities.
Blower advice needed
• Joel H. writes:
Hey Joe, just started following late last year and recently bought a new place and have been mowing on Thursdays since March this year.
While I was mowing yesterday, supposed to have storms in Hutch America (aka Hutchinson Kansas), I was wondering if there was a way to get a TNML rating system for mowers, blowers, trimmers etc? I know I can typically just use Amazon ratings or some articles on the internet, but I have a lot more faith in the people that mow on Thursdays.
I’m going to need a new blower soon, and I want to get some advice from the guys in the trenches. Appreciate everything you do and I hope you enjoy taking care of your lawn this evening.
Cocktail Deck!
• John L. writes:
I do enjoy a cold beer, but in warmer weather my go to refreshment is a Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic. Hence the name of this project. Below are photos of the unadorned structure, then the framing, and finally the finished deck. It's the perfect vantage point from which to admire my freshly laid stripes.
Kinsey:
I know what the readers are thinking: Where is this because it looks like something out of some trendy architect magazine. This is on the western side of the Catskill Mountains where John L. calls home. Last June, John L. made his big debut by showing off his property -- and that beautiful rock wall -- and now he's a regular emailer.
Just a regular guy.
I don't remember any emails where he said anything about being some high-end achitect for the New York elites or anything like that.
We're talking regular guys being regular guys and building cocktail decks to appreciate their property.
It's awesome.
Country living
• Dana B. stops by this morning:
Ahhhhh. Living out in the country is awesome. We have a Town Marshal, a Goober, a Gomer, a Floyd, and plenty of Otis Campbells!!
It's nice to see photos of people's kitchen tables covered in crap after going so long seeing perfectly staged Instagram and Facebook photos
One Leg Bell from my text group posted two interesting photos this week of Amazon boxes piling up on the kitchen table and he mentioned how he's going to wait to see how long the boxes sit there before his wife and their daughters decide it's time to recycle the cardboard.
I looked at the photos and immediately thought how nice it was to see that the Kinsey kitchen table isn't the only kitchen table that takes incoming fire from Amazon, the mailbox, and the kids' teachers who are funneling all the school crap to our house.
It's just something you just don't see much of on social media these days.
It's like when someone says they don't have the perfect lawn and that they're afraid to show their TNML lawns on social media. That's why I wanted TNML to be the most inclusive mowing league in world history. We'll literally take ANY lawn as long as you take pride in your lawn.
There's not some grand essay statement to be made about One Leg Bell's packed kitchen table other than it was refreshing to see. It's a true sign that everyone in the text group is comfortable with each other when they start showing their vulnerabilities.
That's it this morning. Gotta run to the school dropoff line. It feels like the last two weeks have been two of the busiest weeks in the last decade. Seriously. Between work, the kids, baseball, the mowing schedule, managing America's largest mowing league and planting flowers, I'm burnt out.
Thank god the pool pump fired up last night and it appears we're in the clear there because my ass is about to spend quite a bit of time in there this summer.
Have a great weekend. I'll be on the road. More on that later.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
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Megan Fox attends the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Launch at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 18, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)
Megan Fox attends the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue launch at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 18, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/FilmMagic)