Other Matt Keoughs

We all think we are unique, don’t we? We are. Each of us has different experiences and perspectives. Even identical twins are not really identical. The younger goes through life looking at the older and the older goes through life looking at the younger.

It is kind of like the parallax effect.  I only have two eyes, but if I hold my index finger at arm’s length and close my left eye my perception of the world shifts from when I close my right eye.

It should be no surprise, then, that the accident of having the same first and last name is an interesting and a tenuous bond, but really is not much more. Two times in the recent weeks I’ve had people mention that they know a different Matt Keough in the Cleveland area.

My curiosity is piqued at this type of revelation. I’m interested in my family’s history. My father’s family was not particularly close and the fact that my grandfather died when my father was an infant didn’t help any Keough bonding. Plus, Keoughs always seem to find some reason to feud in every generation. I don’t look at this as being difficult, I look at it as having integrity and “sticking to your guns.” As Hank Jr. sang, it’s a family tradition.

So, this is an open offer. If you stumble upon this blog post because you were Googling “Matt Keough” or even “Keough” please feel free to comment and connect. Even if we can’t determine a direct connection in familial relationship we can be friends because there is something we share!

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UPDATE!

Totally not staged. Don’t you think the smirk of the ball player and your humble blog host are a bit similar? I promise you, this was not a conscious pose on my part.

lotsomatts

 

 

 

 

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Update to the update. If you look at my public Facebook profile it has a handy list of  Other Matt Keoughs!

If I had a million dollars…

A good friend of mine once called the state-sponsored lottery “the most successful way to tax stupidity” and I am afraid he is correct. I know my odds of winning the lottery are less than <insert absurd example of being struck by lightning or finding a needle in a haystack> but I do from time to time buy a ticket. Am I stupid? Maybe. One of the great paradoxes of life is that if you really are stupid you will never know it.

The best part of buying a lottery ticket is fantasizing about what you would do with the windfall. Would you like to know my latest scheme?

I want to build a church.

Specifically, I want to build a chapel in the Romanesque style which would be be made available to all the firefighters, police, or soldiers (Reservists mostly) and any other Catholic individuals who may find it  difficult to attend Mass at a regularly scheduled time at their usual parish.

My scheme would, of course, need the blessings of the local bishop. However I’d like to create a situation wherein the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would be available by appointment whenever two or three would gather in His name. One way this might be practically implemented  would be to have some attachment to a monastery.  So I guess I’m also proposing the foundation of a monastery. Remember, I’m also planning on winning the lottery, so the sky is the limit.

Too ambitious? Perhaps. I just think that this would be a wonderful service to those who serve. Which also makes me think I should not wait to win the lottery. Who would like to help me arrange a system that would help these people never miss Mass?

Driftwood and Ice

When you think of driftwood you probably think of a beach. When you think of a beach you probably think of summer breezes and sunscreen. I live in Ohio and near Lake Erie. I know that summer is fleeting and that the beach is actually there in all four seasons. A couple of years ago I captured this image on my cell phone. Enjoy!

 

Photography Prints

You may be a birder if…

It was Jeff Foxworthy’s birthday yesterday. Those who consider themselves superior to rednecks will sneer. The joke is on them. Mr. Foxworthy is one smart dude and an author of one of my favorite children’s books “Dirt On My Shirt“.

In homáge to the concept and in recognition of the Fall migration I offer “You Might Be A Birder If…”

  1. You take binoculars when fishing.
  2. The possibility that you will tap your brakes to get a better look at a bird on the wing is very real
  3. You worry that your insurance agent reads your blog posts
  4. You get a little lump in your throat when your wife texts you that she thinks she saw a (fill in the blank) at the feeder
  5. You are glad you do not have a corner office with a window because you know you would never get any work done
  6. If you get a corner office you install a bird feeder, then blinds. Face it, you are conflicted
  7. It is perfectly normal to keep a year list on your Google Drive because it can be accessed in the field from your smart phone or from your desktop wgullhen you get back home and have had the opportunity to cross check your reference materials
  8. You die a little bit if you catch yourself saying “seagull”
  9. You think the girls at the Ed Sullivan Show were a little bit over the top at Elvis but your would understand if it were Kenn Kauffman
  10. When you hear “Birds of a feather flock together.” you think “Well, in most cases, but not always.”
  11. You were asked to take pictures of your son’s birthday party but the boy to bird ratio heavily favors the birds
  12. No new projects at work can be due in April or October. There are more important things that must be attended to
  13. You want to invent a time machine only because you want to stop the guy who introduced the EUST to the United States
  14. You didn’t have to look up the banding abbreviation for European Starling (I did)

In all honesty I do not consider myself a birder. I’m not that committed. I don’t see my lists as a competitive pursuit. I simply enjoy observing the endless variety, beauty and complexity of nature. I hope if you do see yourself in any of the items on my list you will see we are kindred spirits and allow a smile.

Happy birding!

A great day at the Great Geauga County Fair

Driving home from the Great Geauga County Fair my wife said “I think we have a new family tradition.” and I agree.  If your conception of a county fair is dominated by carnies and corn dogs you need to go to Geauga County and see what a real fair is all about.

I admit I am biased. My brother is a volunteer at the natural resources area so it has a very comfortable atmosphere and we feel like VIPs. But I sincerely think we didn’t have a unique experience compared to anyone else.

They boys got to fish for free, shoot bow and arrows courtesy of the Geauga Bowmen Archery Club, eat fresh fried catfish and sample (several times) carp salad on a cracker. We saw a demonstration of retrievers from the Inside the Great Outdoors Retrieving Team. We also picked up freebies from the Geauga County Sheriff’s department, Ohio Division of Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, Ohio State Parks, Geauga Park DistrictLake Farmpark, and any other organizations. Plus, we didn’t even scratch the surface. Corn dogs are to be had.

The fair is every Labor Day weekend. If you have an opportunity to attend it is highly recommended.

 

 

23andMe Knows Me

I’m not even close to being a science geek, but I just could not resist dropping $99 on the DNA testing service at www.23andme.com. My primary interest is for ancestry information. The testing gives customers a peek at what percentage they are likely to have of European, African, Asian, Native American heritage and will also allow subscribers to connect with people who share common genetics. Fun!

23andmeThe testing also provides information about your likelihood for drug reactions, your predisposition to some diseases,  your likely health risks.

Coolest of all, this test will tell you how much Neanderthal blood is in your veins. Like, I could be Encino Man. (I’d rather be the dude in Blast From The Past, but that is another Brendan Fraser movie. I do love Mr. Perry Como.)  blastpast

I’ll have to wait a little longer to see how much Neanderthal I am because the ancestry results take longer than the health and physical attributes tests.

So far:
I’ve straighter hair than average
I have blue eyes
I’m not likely a sprinter

Spooky accurate.

Valentine Flours

Today is St. Valentine’s Day, or as it is more commonly called Valentines Day. Being a Catholic who likes to stay in the loop for feast days I must note that St. Valentine was demoted so this isn’t even his feast day officially. On the liturgical calendar it is now the Feast if Sts. Cyril & Methodious. They were brother priests who, among other accomplishments, are credited with inventing the Cyrillic alphabet. That is pretty impressive.

Back to Valentines Day. As the tradition has outlived the feast day, we are still expected to woo and pamper our romantic partners today. While I rarely succumb to the totally invented Sweetest Day I can’t totally in good conscience let Joyce think I don’t still feel totally head-over-heels in love with her on Valentines Day.  Which means I occasionally buy her a present.

I love Joyce for too many reasons to mention. Sounds like a cop out, right? But it is true. She is a great mom, fantastic wife, terrific baker, dedicated Cleveland sports fan, good cook, has a laugh that is so infectious you find yourself crying along with her at the most stupid things. She’s everything and more I ever could have hoped for in a wife.

She is also frugal. Because she is frugal she thinks baubles and beads and such are not a good use of money. Have you ever noticed that the florist raises the price of flowers in early February? I won’t risk spending too much hard-earned cash because “society tells me” I should buy Joyce flowers. So what is a hopeless romantic like me to do today? I bought Joyce flours.

Valentine Flours

Pretty brilliant, right?

My only concern is that I may not be able to top this gift next year, having set the bar so high.

 

 

 

UPDATE: Through an odd twist, Joyce did get flowers on Valentines Day. From a baseball team.  I’m not making this stuff up. Joyce was selected as one of the Lake County Captains favorite fans.

 

 

It can’t be very fun to be a squirrel

It can’t be very fun to be a squirrel. That thought struck me as I pulled in my driveway this evening. Somehow the garage door was accidentally open and there was a squirrel hanging out in our garage.

I tried to shoo the little fellow but he looked like he was in no hurry to leave. Think about it. If the best home you ever lived in was a bunch of leaves stuck high in a bare tree, a crappy suburban garage built in 1959 would seem like a mansion.

IMG_0010Like I said, I tried to get the furry rodent to skedaddle, but he just hid somewhere. I tried to put myself in his shoes (I know, squirrels rarely wear shoes) for a minute. The poor think probably spent half the fall running around collecting and hiding nuts only to forget where they were or have some screeching blue jay steal them. In contrast, I can have Nutella any time I please and I never have to fight Cyanocitta cristata for it.

As far as I know he is still somewhere in the garage. As long as he doesn’t pull a Kato to my Inspector Clouseau and drop out of the rafters on me, I’m willing to let him live the high life for a bit.

Why does this blog exist?

Have you noticed I’ve not posted here in some time? Twitter is partially to blame, of course. Micro-blogging is more expedient than writing paragraphs and editing and such.

More so, however, is the fact that I can’t decide what the theme of the the blog should be. Whatever I’m thinking about? Just the things that irritate me? Living as a Catholic in a society that seems to disdain Catholic values? A daddy blog? A birding blog? A Catholic daddy birder blog?

Your suggestions in the comments are welcome, unless they link to a blog about male enhancement or Russian brides.

Presidential proximity

President Barack Obama visited Bowling Green in Ohio today. This caused a BGSU graduate to lament on Twitter that she never got to see a President of the United States of America while she was a Falcon. I replied that I saw Ronald Reagan there in 1988 on the campaign trail for George HW Bush. Which got me thinking. I’ve seen four Presidents in person.

I saw Ronald Reagan at the Wood County Courthouse in the fall of 1988. I was a reporter with the Bowling Green Radio News and has a press pass. Great front and center view. I remember he was still very popular except with a few malcontents perennially protesting whatever. I was not nearly as conservative politically then as I am now but I still appreciated being that close to someone who was clearly an important historical figure.

I saw George HW Bush the same year, I think, at the Ohio Association of Broadcasters convention in Columbus. This was a small crowd and again I had a great view. I recall that I was included in a crowd reaction shot on the local news that night. I may have had a bad mustache. He was not nearly as charismatic as Reagan, but who is?

I saw George W Bush at a campaign stop at Lake Farmpark in Kirtland on 2004. It was a hot day. My son John was a toddler. Someday I hope he tells his grand-kids that he saw a President.  You could just see a small little figure from where we stood. The crowd was up for a rally.

The only POTUS I’ve ever spoken to was Jimmy Carter. He is not my favorite, but my mother was a big fan. He was on a book tour and stopped at a Barnes & Noble in Mayfield Ohio. Since my mother was starting to get infirm, I offered to stand in line in order to get her book signed. I stood in a line for quite some time with people who were pleasant enough, but not being a big Jimmy Carter fan I had to stick to small talk.

Eventually I got to the front of the line and shook his hand because when you are face-to-face with a former President that is what you do. We exchanged courtesies and I was on my way. I was a little sad for my mom because she would have liked to meet him. When I met back up with her, she was grinning. She happened to sit in the coffee shop area adjacent to where the Secret Service had escorted him in. He stopped and said hello so she got her signed book and also met her favorite former President.

Even though I am just an average guy, I feel lucky to have been a witness to history.