This should be fairly obvious, but I am Michael Crook [Facebook]. I presently reside in Albany, New York, as I have since 2013. Before that, I lived in Rome, New York. I grew up in Oregon, Nevada and Arizona before landing in South Jersey and, ultimately, upstate New York.
I may not have much in this world, but I do enjoy cable television, reliable Internet service, groceries delivered to my door, a laptop, an iPhone®, iPod® iPad®, a landline, an Android® tablet and a VOIP line.
In regards to the material things, especially the "toys" that I have, I know precisely how fortunate I am. I do not exactly volunteer at the homeless shelter (and I actually curse out homeless bums who beg for money or other forms of assistance) or anything, but I do know how fortunate I am, whereas I have plenty, some have none. But those sorts of people put themselves in that situation, so not much sympathy, if any at all, is warranted.
Now, let me be clear: I have absolutely no sympathy for homeless people, especially the ones who reek of booze and urine, and never help them because they put themselves in that situation, and I do not wish to have my money spent on booze and drugs, which is what the homeless would spend it on if I freely gave them money. And no, I would not bring them to a food establishment and pay for their meal, because I would have already passed out from the stench.
Unfortunately, their presence is common in my neighborhood during the summer. They are just like cockroaches, but it is not legal to squish them. I find their presence in my neighborhood angering and odd, because mine is an otherwise good neighborhood, tarnished by the lazy but filled with hard-working adults who earn a living, which is more than we can say for the homeless. A filthy, smelly, backpack-toting homeless guy passed by my stoop one summer day and thought I would just freely hand over my iPhone so he could make a call.
When I started listing his failures in life, he ambled on and whined about "karma." Sure, let the homeless guy use a $600 phone when all he has to do is run and then turn around and sell it for more drugs and/or booze, or at the very least, taint it with his homeless funk. If I allowed a homeless person to touch anything I owned, I would have to burn said item. What a putz.
More recently, a young woman passed by and said, "Excuse me, sir?" which is always the homeless bums' precursor to begging for money. I told her to go play in traffic. She seemed hurt by that. Well, if you're going to be a bum, you need thicker skin!
One thing I hate is mooching. So I have no respect for parents or their children when they choose to mooch and accept free breakfast or free lunch. Everyone knows there is no such thing as a free meal, and when losers and their loser kids take free meals, those of us who have earned our lot in life have to pay. Disgusting!
I have always been a trendsetter; in high school, I was one of the first, if not the first, student to get a cell phone, bring it to school and openly use it, because at the time the school's handbook only outlawed pagers but did not breathe a word of cell phones. Needless to say, that loophole was closed up the next year. I was also the only student in my high school to work for the first commercial Internet Service Provider in South Jersey. During my time there, I helped monitor the datacenter and, on one occasion, restored service to customers after a major power outage.
I do not smoke or drink and neither should anyone else.
I do not believe in the following: ghosts, the "moon landing (a complete and total fraud)," UFO's and life on other planets (If you think even for a moment that life on other planets is possible, we cannot be friends!) or stars (especially on KIC 8462852), ESP/psychic abilities or aliens, to name just a few things.
In regards to the moon landing, let me make it clear: it did not happen. No human being ever has been or will be on the moon. I, in my opinion, consider "men" like Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong (I hope his death was slow and painful), and anyone else who claims to have been to the moon to be frauds, liars, cheats, scoundrels and losers. I blame the media and the stupidity of humanity for these wild claims being given any credibility.
I like laughing at people who seem to truly believe that UFO's and aliens, first of all exist, but are also located or have been seen in my adopted hometown, once home to Griffiss AFB, which is now a business park with some areas still controlled by the military, including EADS (formerly NEADS).
NEADS, you may recall, played a huge role in the government's astoundingly slow response to the incidents that occurred on September 11, 2001. In fact, they were literally playing games on the taxpayer dime nstead of defending our country. A baboon could have done a better job! A baboon! Heck, they seem to admit as much on their Web site. "We will detect and defeat the next air attack on America," their mission states as of the time this was written. They seem to be saying, "Our bad! But we swear, we'll get 'em next time!"
As far as religous beliefs go, I am an atheist, because I am a man of logic and reason. I do not waste my time stalking some magic guy in the sky.
One thing I cannot stand is people playing the victim. One prime example is the rash of officer-involved shootings in the summer of 2016. The families of the deceased oft play the victim, but the reality is that cops don't shoot for fun. The target had to do something, and even if they did nothing at the time, they surely did something wrong in life, so the shooting is just delayed justice. My sympathy goes to the cops, who have to put up with vile abuse from the family. I have no respect for those who shoot police officers.
Another thing I rather enjoy is history. I love learning about the history of buildings and property, especially places where I reside or where I am educated. For example, I know my present residence is over 130 years old and is still going strong. Horses once walked by my front door (which looks like it has been there since the 1800's) and, even more likely, took a massive dump where I now bring out the trash and recycling. The historical society has a picture of my building from almost fifty years ago. Not much has changed!
Starting in 1993, while in junior and senior high school, I formed and ran the Unlimited Too Fan Club, which I believe to be the first fan-run entirely Internet-based fan clubs for a foreign eurodance group, namely 2 Unlimited from the Benelux. Known for their hits "Get Ready for This," "Twilight Zone" and "No Limit" (#1 in 35 countries) in the U.S., being their fan club president was fun and eventful; I was mentioned in Rolling Stone, The Press of Atlantic City and on radio stations worldwide, including Austria, even if I had to have it translated for me.
The fan club closed in 1996 when the original performers chose not to renew their contracts and were replaced with two female singers. That did not go over well.
Anyway, the intervening years were quite unremarkable. In 2011, I was honored to help one of the producers and founders of 2 Unlimited to secure a record deal in the United States.
Finally, one morning, after arriving at work, I decided I had to go to the hospital. For various reasons, an ambulance was called. When I got there, a CAT scan--or some other sort of scan--was done, and five minutes later, things started popping. I was rushed to surgery. It turned out that my appendix had burst and it was so bad that they could not even see my appendix.
A normal surgery to remove one's appendix takes one doctor maybe thirty minutes. Mine required two doctors and the procedure took four hours. I had been walking around with a burst appendix--and the intense pain that is part and parcel--for two weeks. Most people can only survive such a thing for maybe three days and that's being generous.
My doctors impressed upon me later just how lucky I was to have survived and in fact, a parade of medical students and doctors came to visit me, the guy with the two-week burst appendix. The fact of the matter is I was shockingly close to going septic, which would be the point when nothing else could have been done. I spent a few days in the hospital on antibiotics. The normal time is no inpatient to one overnight stay.
Truthfully, I do not believe in "mistakes" or "accidents." When a person does something, it is not a "mistake." It is intentional, calculated and planned, despite his or her claims to the contrary. About the worst possible thing a person can do to me is apologize. Rest assured I will not accept the apology and rest assured it will be an unpleasant situation that will not end well.
Look, if a person were truly sorry, said person would not have done whatever it is he or she is apologizing for to begin with. Thus, all apologies are fraudulent, I say. It is as simple as that, not up for debate. To make it clear, I do not forgive. On the rare occasion that I do, I may forgive but I do not forget.
Far from being a meerkat, I do not play well with others. That is just the way it is. Honestly, my favorite thing to do is be alone. Alone, alone, alone. I do not socialize and I do not associate with people if I can at all avoid doing so.
I like to stay at home, alone, eating from a list that includes burritos, Chinese food, pizza and other foods that are designed, apparently, to drive me to a very early cholestorol-based grave. My numbers are consistently through the roof. But, totally worth it!
I also enjoy drinking my absolute favorite beverages, which include (in no particular order) apple juice, orange juice, SunnyD®, Gatorade®, Clear American Strawberry Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water, strawberry soda, root beer floats, Pepsi® and Sprite®. And yes, water (always filtered, never tap, even for brushing my teeth) to keep me, you know, hydrated.
I do not consume alcoholic beverages. I do not use tobacco in any form, and I do not use illegal drugs, nor any drug that is not prescription or a legitimate over-the-counter drug. I do not consume tea or any beverage other than soda which contains caffeine. I choose to surround myself with those who at the very least do not smoke, drink or use drugs. I do not "party," and I like to be in bed by 9:30 p.m. at the latest.
At its core, this who I am. As Popeye has said, I am what I am and that is all that I am.
One thing you should know about me is this: I especially hate drunken drivers. I have no tolerance for them, their excuses and their attempts to appear as though they are good people who made a "mistake." More often than not, when the driver is hauled into court, he or she ends up having more rights and considerations than the victim or the victim's survivors.
A drunkard's friends will typically scream at the top of their lungs that he or she is a good person and that it was "an accident." Good people do not drive while drunk. And drunken driving is never an "accident," because to drive while drunk clearly requires a series of intentional and malicious acts. It is as simple as that, in my opinion. I do not believe that a drunk driver can be considered to be a good person, nor do I feel there can ever be forgiveness or redemption for the same.
When a drunken driver claims a crash was an "accident," he or she is being disingenuous at best. The person in question did not drink to the point of intoxication and then get into the car--while drunk--by accident, and he or she did not put key to ignition by accident. He or she did not start the car and put it into gear by accident, and did not take to the roads by accident. Therefore, driving while drunk is never a "mistake" or an "accident."
That is especially so since everyone knows drunk driving is wrong. Thus, there is no excuse for driving drunk, no matter many crocodile tears the drunkard pretends to shed. Any remorse a drunken driver feels is for himself or herself, never for the victim or victims they slaughtered to satisfy their drunken bloodlust, in my opinion. A person who is evil enough to drive while drunk is, I feel, incapable of feeling true remorse or guilt, because if that person were truly sorry, he or she would not have done it to begin with.
Again, drunken driving is clearly a malicious, planned and intentional act, since the person in questions knows they are drunk or are getting to that point, so drunken driving can never be excused. Never. Anyone with half a brain knows that there are options for people who inbibe when they know they will be driving. Indeed, choosing a designated driver is always smart, as is hiring a taxi or calling one's friends.
If a person is so irresponsible as to be under the influence of alcohol to the point of intoxication in a situation where driving is an issue, and then malicious enough to want to drive while intoxicated, he or she can make it right by choosing one of these options. Because there are options, a drunken driver--especially one who injures or kills--can never be redeemed or forgiven by man.
Drunken drivers who injure or kill another need to be punished harshly. Why? Clearly, because they knowingly drove while drunk (intent) and then aimed a loaded weapon (the car) at the victim, which qualifies as murder, in my opinion. It is my opinion that anyone who ever has or ever will drive drunk is a threat to society and should be treated as such.
Sadly, very few states take serious action against drunken drivers and hand out weak sentences (piddly fines and maybe a short suspension of one's license) when no death is involved, and cake walk sentences like ten years when a fatality is involved, almost rewarding drunken driving. This is why drunken drivers take to the roads. They know that they will wind up having more rights than their victims, especially if they are able to find an attorney filthy enough to defend such an act. So much for justice in America.
I feel that any lawyer who defends a drunken driver is reprehensible and should burn in Hell right along with the drunkard he or she defends.
No, there can be no tolerance or forgiveness for drunken drivers. Not up for debate. It is my belief that it takes a malicious, bloodthirsty and a downright evil person to drive while drunk. There is no other explanation and, as I pointed out, the matter is not up for debate.