The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Yes, I Am This Crazy . . .

Posted on | January 5, 2010 | 18 Comments

By the time you read this, I’ll be somewhere over the American heartland, cooped up in economy class on a United Airlines flight to California. With less than $200 cash in my pockets, my checking account overdrawn and overdue bills at the house, I’m flying to Pasadena to cover Alabama’s glorious championship. I’ll be lucky if they don’t shut off my cell-phone while I’m in Pasadena.

Robert Stacy McCain, 01 Jan 10. Location: Man Cave

Robert Stacy McCain, 01 Jan 10. Location: Man Cave

Many people praise as virtues such qualities as being “spontaneous” and “non-materialistic.”  They praise these qualities, because praise is cheap. And they’re not the ones who let Dan Collins double-dog-dare them into this crazy scheme. Trying to raise $2,000 in tip-jar hits in December? Madness.

As I calculated at the outset, that would require $70 a day, every day for 30 days. There were good days and bad days, but the sum total wasn’t $2,000. Nevertheless, we got close enough to the goal that I figured, “What the hell? Book the flight. The readers will come through. They won’t let me die in obscurity and poverty.”

Monday, exactly three people hit the tip jar for a combined total of $45. One of them was film producer Ladd Ehlinger, who has just about gone broke producing Hive Mind. A couple of regular tip-jar hitters — a guy named Mike and a guy named Chris — also gave money yesterday.

Well, too late to worry about it now. Crazy is as crazy does. I’ve got a carton of smokes, so I’ll manage to survive.

I’m writing this at 3 a.m. My flight boards at 6 a.m. My wife’s upstairs waiting for me to pack up the laptop so she can drive me an hour and a half to the airport. Say a prayer for me, and for her. She married me because, as she later explained, she knew I was going to be somebody some day. And I’ve spent 20 years trying to prove her right.

No guts, no glory.

ROLL TIDE! HIT THE TIP JAR!

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Comments

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  • http://wyblog.us/ Chris Wysocki

    “My wife’s upstairs waiting for me to pack up the laptop so she can drive me an hour and a half to the airport. Say a prayer for me, and for her. She married me because, as she later explained, she knew I was going to be somebody some day.”

    There’s your problem right there. You said you wanted to be somebody; you should have been more specific.

  • http://wyblog.us/ Chris Wysocki

    “My wife’s upstairs waiting for me to pack up the laptop so she can drive me an hour and a half to the airport. Say a prayer for me, and for her. She married me because, as she later explained, she knew I was going to be somebody some day.”

    There’s your problem right there. You said you wanted to be somebody; you should have been more specific.

  • Joe

    Just stay out of LA County. Patterico is waiting.

  • Joe

    Just stay out of LA County. Patterico is waiting.

  • Barbara Espinosa

    You are supposed to write about things we don’t know. If you lose your underware, You can always call “grandma the angry mob” collect with this prerequisite you change my name to “Nana” and she will send help!!

  • http://www/barbaraespinosa.com Barbara Espinosa

    You are supposed to write about things we don’t know. If you lose your underware, You can always call “grandma the angry mob” collect with this prerequisite you change my name to “Nana” and she will send help!!

  • Joe
  • Joe
  • Joe

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  • rod stanton

    Good luck!
    Keep at it maybe some day you will be somebody.
    Rod

  • rod stanton

    Good luck!
    Keep at it maybe some day you will be somebody.
    Rod

  • rod stanton

    Good luck!
    Keep at it maybe some day you will be somebody.
    Rod

  • Don King

    Being a Tennessee Vol fan myself…this is one of the few times you will hear me say(or type) ROLL TIDE! GO SEC!

    Have fun.

  • Don King

    Being a Tennessee Vol fan myself…this is one of the few times you will hear me say(or type) ROLL TIDE! GO SEC!

    Have fun.

  • Don King

    Being a Tennessee Vol fan myself…this is one of the few times you will hear me say(or type) ROLL TIDE! GO SEC!

    Have fun.

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