The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

While I refused to watch it live on television, I did watch Donald Trump's Oval Office address later in the evening online, as well as the Democratic response. My first thought was, "WTF was that!?!?" The man was more monotone than a sleep-talking Ben Stein giving an impression of a robot. He spoke more slowly than a sloth nicknamed Ben Carson. Trump snorted more than a coke-addict, nicknamed Sniffles, with a sinus infection. Also, it's not like he said anything new. He repeated the same old talking points (lies) he's been uttering since he was 12: "We need to build a wall;" "It's about national security;" "Lots of drugs coming in;" "The shutdown is the Democrats' fault;" etc. If I wanted to watch reruns, I'd tune into TBS. I'm not a fan of hyperbole, but this isn't hyperbole; it's the truth. Last night's Oval Office address was the worst, most boring, least persuasive speech I've ever see...

I received a kind, thoughtful, unexpected gift the other day. It's amazing how such gestures can affect a person. He or she might be going through a funk; may have just received some bad news; or the cold winter weather could be negatively impacting their mood. For another to reach out, unexpectedly, and make them feel as if others do listen and care, is meaningful beyond words. I can't thank this person enough. Given how this kind, thoughtful, unexpected gesture impacted me, I challenge all of my readers to reach out to a person you haven't seen/spoken to for a while and provide them with a gesture to bring a smile to their face. It doesn't have to be anything expensive or fancy. Just do something to let them know you care and I'm certain it'll make their day. Hopefully we can continue to pay-it-forward in the new year to bring light, hope, and joy to others. Cheers!

I found it utterly hilarious to listen to the ESPN talking heads discussing the college football national championship game from last night. It's as if they were all involved in a you-got-it-more-wrong-than-I-did shouting match. "You picked Alabama!" "Oh yeah?!? Well, you picked them by 50!" "At least I knew who Trevor Lawrence was!" "I said Lawrence was a better quarterback than Tua!" "Oh, no you didn't! You never even uttered his name!" Then there were "experts" who went the denial route, saying, "I still can't believe it happened. I'm stunned. I woke up today and thought, 'Was I dreaming?'" Just admit it, you drank the Nick Saban/Alabama Kool-Aid and were wrong, as Donald Trump would say, "bigly!" I admit, before bowl season began, I thought Alabama was going to win the title. After watching the semifinal games between the Tide and Oklahoma, as well as Notre Dame a...

As I do every now and again, here are my Twitter-trending-hashtag posts for the past month or so, ordered from the most popular to the least popular (all my tweets can be seen here - https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki ): 1) #TrumpResign and go to jail or don't resign and go to jail. It's your call. 347 Likes, 147 Retweets 2) Since he's doing so much damage by himself, how about building a wall around Trump instead? It'll be funded by taxpayers. Let's call it a prison. #GoFundTheWall 343 Likes, 92 Retweets 3) #TrumpResign so we can accurately refer to you as both Individual-1 and President-Done. 249 Likes, 118 Retweets 4) #TrumpResign and bring Pence with you. 242 Likes, 99 Retweets 5) #TrumpResign and my 7-month-old son will teach you how to work an umbrella. 229 Likes, 103 Retweets 6) So let me get this straight... You nominate and elect a man who bragged about grabbing women by the p*ssy, but have a problem with someone calling this p*ssy-grabber...

So I overheard a scary story on Christmas. I discovered an ardent gun-owner is also a sleepwalker. His significant other shared a story on how she felt he was going to kill her. He supposedly heard a loud noise, so he went to the safe and wasn't responding to his girlfriend. She thought he was sleepwalking again and was freaked out as he was loading his gun. Without uttering a word, he stood right in front of her with a loaded firearm, and it was this point she thought, "Well, I'm gonna die." Fortunately, he walked away, attempting to find the potential intruder (there wasn't one), and when he returned, he appeared to be fully awake and responsive. For as much as I've written about gun violence and measures to reduce its frequency, I had honestly never thought about the potential dangers of a sleepwalker owning a firearm until this past Christmas. Now, a shooting/murder while one is sleepwalking is incredibly rare. There have been only 68 documented cases ...

I've always been a staunch supporter of the LGBT community. For as long as I can remember, as with all demographics, I've fought for them attaining equal rights in this country. Of what value is freedom if not every person is legally allowed to access it? Having said all that, I started feeling old over this past Christmas season when I was approached by a person who came out to me as "non-binary." LGBT: Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders. That's what I know. Non-binary ? What in the world is that? Hating the feeling of being ignorant on a topic, I decided to research the term and here's what I found. "Genderqueer, also known as non-binary, is a catch all category for gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine - identities which are outside the gender binary and cisnormativity. Genderqueer people may express a combination of masculinity and femininity, or neither, in their gender expression. Genderqueer people may identify a...

Like every holiday season, it was hectic and draining this year. Many presents were opened. A lot of food was eaten. A number of people called for the family to do shots. Movies and football were watched. Music was played. Laughs were had. There was one moment, however, which stood out from the rest this past Christmas season. A family member of mine had alienated himself from the rest of the family for the past 10-15 years. I hadn't seen this individual for roughly 8 or 9 years. After hearing about an awful accident this person was involved in, I wondered to myself if we'd ever see each other and interact again. I thought, "Was it really worth it? The grudge(s) which prevented you from spending time with the family?" That's one thing that's always struck me about grudges. None of us know full well when our time will come in this life, so if tragedy strikes either us or an individual to whom we've given the silent treatment for years, how much regret wi...

I don't often get personal on here, but feel the need to do so to start the new year. I've never really been one for New Year's resolutions. This year is different, however. Last year was a bumpy, transitional year for me. For the longest time, I was battling early- to middle-life demons, from childhood sexual abuse to epilepsy to a brain tumor and subsequent surgery and beyond. I never fully dealt with the abuse I suffered as a child, for fear my attacker would come after me. This led me to depression, isolation, anxiety, and alcohol. With the help of those closest to me, I finally began the process of placing those demons behind me last year. I still have a ways to go, however, and hope I'm able to ultimately defeat said demons this year. That's my ultimate goal. I no longer want to be in any way controlled by the demons of my past. I want to finally feel like I have some control over my life. I want to be a better man, a better father, a better boyfriend, a b...

In Week 17 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ...the Baltimore Ravens care about Lamar Jackson's health like Colonel Sanders cares about vegans. - ...Aaron Donald is quicker to the quarterback than a 40-year-old virgin is when in bed with Jennifer Lopez. - ..., due to all of the backups playing, Week 17 should instead go by the name Preseason to the Postseason or Late-Season Preseason on Steroids. - ...New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles's job is less secure than a tooth fairy in Bean Station, Tennessee. - ...the Miami Dolphins enjoy Buffalo weather like Harley riders enjoy nationwide Schwinn road trips. - ..., if the Pittsburgh Steelers in crunch-time were our planet, the earth would officially be flat. - ...in today's day and age, Confucius would say, "When Tom Brady fall, flag fly, Gisele cry, defense ask, 'Why the f*ck?'" - ..., in Springfield, Massachusetts, Saquon likely means "Air Barkley" or "Dr. S." - ......

Happy New Year! With said fact comes the sad news that the NFL regular season has come to an end. Here now are possible New Year's resolutions for each team. Arizona Cardinals : Place David Johnson's name and photo on the back of milk cartons, report him as missing, and hope he's found one day. Atlanta Falcons : Hire the beast from The Shape of Water to be the team's doctor. Baltimore Ravens : Get Joe Flacco a cheerleading outfit and some pom-poms. Buffalo Bills : Be relocated to the Bahamas but maintain the team's nickname so that they become the Bahamas Bills. Carolina Panthers : Ask Riverboat gambler Ron Rivera to stick to the penny slots. Chicago Bears : Invest in human cloning, specifically of Khalil Mack and Tarik Cohen. Cincinnati Bengals : Improve Vontaze Burfict's diet to include vegetables in addition to steroids. Cleveland Browns : Don't hire anyone who even partially resembles Hue Jackson. This includes Hugh Grant, Janet Jackson, ...

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What is with all the hate and trolling on #8 Central Florida (UCF) after their 40-32 loss to #11 LSU in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day? I can't tell you how many times I've heard supposedly nonpartisan announcers/commentators say, "Well, that just goes to show you Central Florida didn't deserve any consideration to be part of the four-team playoff." Uh, no it didn't. Central Florida won 25 straight games leading up to their 8-point defeat at the hands of SEC-power LSU. They defeated another SEC-power, Auburn, in the same game a year ago to finish the season 13-0. It's not like they lost to a nobody or got dominated. The Golden Knights were an inch or two away from recovering an onside kick toward the end of the 4th quarter, which would have given them a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime. Not only that, but they were starting their back-up quarterback in place of their all-conference starter. So you're going to tell me an 8-point l...

I recently stumbled upon an article, entitled, "There Is a War on One Gender," and it soon led me to realize there is such a thing as an anti-woman woman columnist. Her name is Adriana Cohen. In this article, Cohen makes the following comments: - "Forget the mythical war on women." - "What we're really seeing in American culture is a growing war on men. There's a bias against men that seeks to demean, devalue and ultimately emasculate normal, healthy men and boys in virtually all aspects of life - the U.S. educational and legal systems, the workplace, pop culture, and even modern-day families." - "It's no secret that the American public K-12 school system - in an effort to empower its female students - is now predominantly 'teaching to girls,' versus providing curricula and atmospheres that educate, support and empower all students equally." - "Turn on any sitcom or Hollywood movie and you'll easily find mal...

Former George W. Bush speechwriter and current conservative columnist Marc A. Thiessen seems to be taking a course in Wishful Thinking 101 right now, given his most recent Press Herald  piece, "Mueller probe could turn out to be a disaster - for the Democrats." Thiessen starts his column with this: "All of Washington is focused on the political peril President Trump faces from Robert Mueller's investigation. But the Mueller probe could very well turn out to be a disaster, not for Trump, but for the Democrats." ...and that's where we begin. Okay, Mr. Thiessen, let's hear your attempt at hypothetical rationalization, as if there were such a thing... "The Special counsel was appointed to investigate whether Trump engaged in criminal conspiracy with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. If Mueller finds incontrovertible evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, then the president will be - and ...

In Week 16 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ...Phil Collins wrote the song "Invisible Touch" as a psychic vision of Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden's pass interference calls on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. - ... Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart will co-author the book,  Faking Punts: For Dummies By Dummies . - ...the FBI is currently investigating the Baltimore Ravens defense, for when asked about their diets, they all said, "Like Jeffrey Dahmer, human flesh!" - ..., it's being reported that, once his playing days are done, Philadelphia Eagles tailback Darren Sproles will be the central figure on a Disney show entitled,  The Little Shit That Could . - ...Tony Romo loves football more than a jolly obese white guy in a red hat and coat, who apparently stole a bunch of material items to break into people's homes to share these stolen items, likes cookies. - ...a double-rainb...

Last year, I eclipsed my previous record for blog views in a single day with 11,111 ( https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2017/10/new-blog-reader-record.html ). Well, as I discovered just a couple minutes ago, I surpassed that one day total in a big way yesterday, with 72,564 views. Thank you dear readers for helping me achieve that record! I hope I can continue to entertain you in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. Happy Holidays. Cheers!

What is it with these wackier-than-usual conservative columns of late? Tis the season to be crazy? The latest in the growing list comes courtesy of John Sweeney at The Federalist . His article is titled, "You're Not Allowed To Knock Trump For Stormy Daniels If You Watch Porn." No, this is not a joke. Stop laughing. Okay, you can laugh, but follow along as you do so. Thanks. Sweeney starts his whatever you want to call it with this: "Many have been quick to judge President Trump for his affair with pornography creator Stormy Daniels, and rightfully so. But Donald Trump is not the first man to cheat on his wife with an onscreen prostitute this year. Presumably, thousands of men engage in adulterous behavior with pornographers and strippers every day." Really? There are that many strippers and pornographers in central Ohio? I had no idea... Culturally we may not believe it, but each time a married man watches pornography, he commits an act of adultery. This...

Fox News columnist David Bossie wrote a piece the other day which I feel the need to rebut. It's titled, "Attacks on Trump ignore all the things he's accomplished." Now, the technical definition of accomplishment is "to achieve something successfully," but when most people hear the term, they tend to affiliate it with something positive. After the news reports a murder, you don't often hear observers say, "Well, that's an accomplishment." No, we tend to hear such a response in light of some good news, like graduating from college, getting a job, etc. Keeping that in mind, let's dissect Bossie's "piece." "Hardworking American taxpayers who believe in commonsense conservative ideals have many reasons to feel good about President Trump's job performance during his first two years in office." "Commonsense conservative"? I see Mr. Bossie is a fan of oxymorons... "By any measurement, this pre...

In Week 15 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ...95% of dogs immediately run into their backyards after hearing Tony Romo scream, thinking it was some kind of strange of animal. - ..., even as a rotting corpse, Elvis Presley scores more than the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. - ..., due to Aaron Rodgers throwing an interception, we will have to endure 3 more months of winter. - ...Buffalo's so short on running backs, they're toying with the idea of placing a lineman in the Wildcat formation. They will call this the Wild Hippo. - ..., after seeing them perform on Saturday night, it's all but inevitable that the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns will star in an off-season porno, entitled, Playing with Chubbs. - ..., if talking produced babies, Philip Rivers would have closer to 9 trillion kids than 9. - ...Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn has balls the size of Uranus. - ...the Kansas City Chiefs will soon pen the book, Defending a 2-Poin...

There are two main purposes for my social media accounts, Twitter in particular: 1) To inspire positive change globally and 2) To garner more recognition individually. In order to do this, I try to keep my 96.7k followers informed (among others); stimulate thought and civil discussion; and prompt laughter. I regularly try to share information about different writings of mine, books, radio show/podcast appearances, etc. Honestly, when I started on Twitter, I had no idea what I was doing. Now I kind of feel like a pro. I try to interact with my fans and followers as much as time allows for it, but I can only respond to so many posts and questions in a given day. Also, while most of my interactions with followers have been positive, there have been occasions when this has been anything but the case. One such instance happened just today, which I'll delve into now. A follower told me, "I've been noticing you posting some bad headlines lately. What's up with that?" A...