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

18 Responses to “Yes, I Am This Crazy . . .”

  1. A Leap of Faith
    January 5th, 2010 @ 9:51 am

    […] So, Stacy’s jetting to California with $200 in his pocket and a bunch of smokes. […]

  2. Chris Wysocki
    January 5th, 2010 @ 3:00 pm

    “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.

  3. Chris Wysocki
    January 5th, 2010 @ 10:00 am

    “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.

  4. Joe
    January 5th, 2010 @ 3:09 pm

    Just stay out of LA County. Patterico is waiting.

  5. Joe
    January 5th, 2010 @ 10:09 am

    Just stay out of LA County. Patterico is waiting.

  6. Barbara Espinosa
    January 5th, 2010 @ 5:45 pm

    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!!

  7. Barbara Espinosa
    January 5th, 2010 @ 12:45 pm

    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!!

  8. Joe
    January 5th, 2010 @ 10:29 pm

    Dated, but funny.

  9. Joe
    January 5th, 2010 @ 10:29 pm

    Dated, but funny.

  10. Joe
    January 5th, 2010 @ 5:29 pm

    Dated, but funny.

  11. Fear and Loathing in Orange County : The Other McCain
    January 6th, 2010 @ 12:38 am

    […] — I was in a state of wretched exhaustion that only aggravated the depression I felt over my deplorable financial condition. Being tired, I can handle. Being broke, I can handle. Being tired, broke and a thousand miles from […]

  12. rod stanton
    January 6th, 2010 @ 3:06 pm

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

  13. rod stanton
    January 6th, 2010 @ 3:06 pm

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

  14. rod stanton
    January 6th, 2010 @ 10:06 am

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

  15. Don King
    January 7th, 2010 @ 2:08 am

    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.

  16. Don King
    January 7th, 2010 @ 2:08 am

    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.

  17. Don King
    January 6th, 2010 @ 9:08 pm

    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.

  18. Fabulous McCain Journalism Refreshes Alabama : The Other McCain
    January 9th, 2010 @ 10:07 am

    […] attempt to associate my name with the expression “chubby chaser” in search engines.”Yes, I Am This Crazy . . . POWIP rogered up.Pasadena Reconnaisance Report uberview really enjoys Twitter. Rhetorican confessed […]