What a long 8 days I had. Got to see some important people and my son did ok in his diving thing. But I have never been happier to walk in the door after being gone for so long. My little ones all recognized me even after transitioning back from being a bearded old man to a fresh-faced marginally-younger man. And an absolutely wonderful weekend was had by all.

As for weekends, the Astros didn’t have a good one. Neither did Adidas after the LaVarr Ball fiasco in Las Vegas.Sorry, guys but sexism isn’t a good look. You might want to keep that in mind next time you choose sides between an official and a clown. I wish I’d have gotten a chance to give my thoughts on Spieth’s win at the British Open, but a week later is too much to ask for.  I’ll wait till the PGA in two weeks to comment on golf again (at the professional level-I still reserve the right to comment on my own game).

Well that’s about it. Hope the quick sports update wasn’t too much for those of you that don’t like them. I kept it down to a single paragraph just for y’all. I’ll gradually up the dosage, though. So be prepared.

Well, seeing as I was completely checked out from all political news for the time I was gone, I may take a little time to get back into the swing. So bear with me.  As for the slack-picker-uppers here at Glibs, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking such great care of the links while I was gone. Every one of you did a better job than I would have done. And I owe each and every one of you a debt of gratitude.

Alright. We all know why you’re here. It ain’t for my rambling appreciation of my friends. It’s so you can get into…the links!

Venezuelan Presidente Maduro

Venezuelans abstain from rigged vote. Socialist paradise State-capitalist hellhole on the brink. Poor bastards. If only they’d have done their socialism harder, I’m sure it would have worked. No word yet from Frank on what he thinks.

Chris Christie’s tryout to be a wrestling heel continues to be a success. I can think of no other explanation for his behavior.  Kudos to the fat man for his upcoming career change.

Mexicans solving water problem.

Van hits pedestrians. But the real fun happens in the comments.

Um, its a third-world country. Why wouldn’t you expect this kind of thing to happen?

Houstonians know how to beat the heat.

Like I said earlier…I’m back.

Have a great day, friends!