'World's Sexiest Athlete' Alica Schmidt Is Back, Guy Fieri Is Ready For The Draft & Lane Kiffin Driving Recruits In A Rolls-Royce
The weather is causing chaos for Screencaps readers
Let's start with our friends in Crosby, North Dakota, a tiny village of 1,100 about 10 miles south of the Canadian border in the far northwestern corner of the state where we have a contingent of readers. The crew typically gets together for a round of golf on NFL Draft weekend to celebrate the end of winter and the start of their golf season.
Not this year.
The crew lived through a multi-day blizzard earlier this month, and now Nate N. says there are more issues:
Hey Joe, just wanted to check in and update the readers on how things are going in NW ND. Still no power in the vast majority of Crosby. An estimated 500 power line poles in Divide County were snapped Saturday night due to the heavy wet snow and high winds.
An army of utility workers have descended upon the area from several states to assist in the recovery effort. They are doing a tremendous job in less than ideal conditions. Montana Dakota Utilities estimates that power will be returned to Crosby sometime on Thursday.
Unfortunately, some rural farms might not get power for at least another week. Many of the wise locals fled the area to spend a few nights in hotels in Minot or even Bismarck. My wife's job doesn't allow us to leave town in situations like this. Plus I thought it was prudent to stick around and rotate the small generator I was able to buy between the fridge/freezers and a small heater that warms our bedroom at night.
Temperatures on the main floor of my house range from 48 degrees Fahrenheit at night all the way up to 55 during daylight hours. It's currently 51 degrees as I type this e-mail, but it doesn't seem that bad. I guess I've gotten acclimated to the cool temps.
You can rest assured that if the power does return Thursday, the local Outkick readers will all gather at a local watering hole to watch the NFL Draft, crush a load of domestic beers, and spin yarns about how we survived the Great Blizzard/Power Outage of 22. As always DBAP
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Read that part about the Crosby OutKick readers getting together tonight for the Draft. This is their tradition & the shittiest of shitty weather isn't going to stop them from figuring out a way to keep the tradition alive and strong.
While politicians have been bitching at each other and blue checkmarks are freaking out about what's going on with Twitter, there are people busting their asses to keep this country rolling along and it's so much more invigorating than anything a politician has going on.
This is why people keep coming back to Screencaps day after day. They want to hear about the Real America and how people are kicking ass on a daily basis.
All that said, I need to get to Crosby and have a beer with these guys -- soon.
• Speaking of weather, I received a message Wednesday from Guy G. in western NY who is completely down and out over what happened in the weather department:
I believe that the TNML season may be canceled entirely this season. 85* Sunday, and this much snow Wednesday. Glad the rest of the country is coming along. WNY apparently got moved to the arctic.
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Hang in there, Guy. Brighter days are on the way. May owes all of us a break.
It's been an inspirational week around here
• We started with Mike in Layton's message about becoming a homeowner after living his entire life in apartments and then we had Jeremy P. catching the attention of a Simon & Schuster executive over his book recommendations.
Meanwhile, Sean K. has been enjoying all of it:
Gotta say, Screencaps content just keeps getting better and better! Like Brent P., totally inspired by Mike from Layton's missive -- especially the thrill of homeownership.
And could not be happier for Jeremy P., getting an autographed 'thank you' from his favorite author Jack Carr for recommending Carr's books to the Screencaps community. You are dang right I am going to pick a couple of Carr's novels for my beach vacation this summer! What a first-class move.
On the subject of 'best advice I ever got' (yet ANOTHER Screencaps gem-in-the-making) first and foremost is what my dad told me back in high school when the subject of college and careers came up: 'I don't care what line of work you end up choosing, Sean; just whatever you choose to do, be the best at it that you can possibly be. If you choose to dig ditches for a living, dig the absolutely best ditches you possibly can.' Took that to heart and it made all the difference in the world.
Keep at it my friend! Reading Screencaps has become the best morning break ever for me!
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Damn right, Sean. There isn't another daily column on the Internet that can hold a candle in the wind to what Screencaps readers have built.
On cleaning out the beer fridge
• Saturday I stopped by my buddy Diesel's house, and he was trashing all sorts of old beer in his garage fridge so he could restock for a party later that night. There were old Bud Light seltzers in there from last summer that were horrible in the first place.
What's your beer fridge strategy?
RVing America
• Jon U. in Dahlonega, who always has something intelligent to say and raises the bar around here, dropped this nugget on me Wednesday:
I saw the comment today about camping and totally agree. Trips like the one you went on with your parents create memories for a lifetime. My wife and I were fortunate enough to restore an old 1956 Airstream that had belonged to her grandparents and had been sitting in a field in her aunt’s ranch in Oklahoma for 25 years. With a five-year-old granddaughter and another one on the way, we are looking forward to lots of weekend trips and summertime longer trips with no video games, cell coverage, etc. Below is a photo of the Airstream at a local campground near my house here in Dahlonega. (We don’t pull the Airstream with the 24-year-old convertible, needless to say…).
Another great family getaway, albeit a bit pricey, is a Grand Canyon rafting trip. We’ve done two of them, most recently last summer. The one we’ve done (with Grand Canyon Expeditions) is 8 days, seven nights – sleeping out under the stars, with all your meals prepared for you by the guides. There is no cell reception which probably makes it one of the few places on earth where you have no choice but to disconnect. I’ve gone with my wife and son both times and we’re already discussing another trip. I highly recommend this company as they are very professional and safety-conscious.
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On missing our fathers
• Marty M. writes:
Hello Mr. Kinsey, hope this finds you well. I've been contemplating sending this email for a few days, so decided to go ahead and write it.
I just got to feeling a little emotional this weekend after getting out on the course for the first time and really missing my dad's sense of humor after watching me top an iron shot and ruining one of the few good drives I'll hit all day.
The screencaps community was on my mind after I left work Saturday to mow my mom's yard. I just happened to be listening to "I drive your truck" by Lee Brice on the way over, and it just struck me that standing in my parent's tiny one and a half car garage with all these things my dad kept over the years and firing up his mower is where I can feel his presence the most, and I'll be damned if I didn't immediately think of you and the people who enjoy this column.
Thanks again for all this, it's not just enjoyable to read. This column and this community is inspiring. I've attached a picture of my old man, ate up with cancer about two months before he passed, having my niece and nephew try to help him get his mower started, cause he just wanted to take of his yard and feel normal for an hour or so. Thanks again.
Dang, Marty, you're causing my throat to clench up this morning. Let's start by saying your father would be proud of you for going over there to put a fresh cut on the lawn for your mother. And I know this community is proud of you for sharing this emotional email, even if it tears open some of their own wounds.
This is about pushing forward. Your dad kept pushing forward, and I think those are really the lessons we all need to see and learn from. You learned it. Your kids are learning it.
We're never going to give up, and I believe that's the beauty of Screencaps. Each day is different. Each person has to find that inner fortitude to keep pushing forward in their lives. We owe it to our forefathers and to our families.
I'm terrible with my own inspirational quotes. This is the best I can do, but I think it makes the point clear.
Now, on that note, we move on with the final Thursday in April. Give 'em hell out there at work. Have a great day across this great country.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com