By Gaylen Duskey
Jinx
/jiNGks/
noun
· 1.a person or thing that brings bad luck: “one was never to wish luck to someone going hunting or fishing, as it was seen as a jinx”
That, according to the dictionary, is the definition of the word jinx.
But is there such things as a jinx?
The answer is there is no definitive answer.
But some people think there might be and even the Andy Griffith Show dedicated an episode to someone feeling they were a jinx.
In that episode, which was broadcast originally in 1962, a synopsis from the IMBD (Internet Movie Database) says after losing a game of checkers to Floyd the barber, Barney accuses Henry Bennett, who was looking over his shoulder, of being a jinx.
Soon, everyone seems to be accusing him of being responsible for some accident or problem.
Andy thinks it’s all nonsense and, to prove his point, asks Henry to join him and Barney in their boat at the annual fishing derby. Andy and Barney have always won the opening day prize for the most fish caught, so Andy is confident this will dispel any myths about Henry. It doesn’t quite go as planned when the boat springs a leak and sinks.
An unhappy Henry announces that he’s leaving town, but Andy decides the time has come to make Henry know how much he is appreciated by his fellow citizens and arranges for Henry to win the door prize at the local fundraiser. Even that doesn’t quite go as planned when Henry, instead of drawing the winning number out of the hat, draws the slip with the hat size on it.
Still the townspeople give the gift to Henry to show they like him and they do not consider him a jinx.
It’s a feel-good moment but I am not so sure I am not a jinx to the Calhoun boys basketball team.
After I took a header into the driveway I was physically unable to keep the scorebook for the Red Devils and while I have been away Calhoun has been going great guns with a nine-game winning streak which makes me halfway afraid to return since any Calhoun loss could be laid right at me feet.
I can just imagine Barney Fife saying to the basketball team: “Inkem binkem notamus rex, protect us all from the man with the hex” as I pull the hat size out of the hat.
Geez.
By the time this is published I believe Calhoun will have won 11 straight games and have a record of 15 wins. I feel I should stay away so as not to jinx them. Yet I would like to go to senior night to thank this year’s senior class for all the memories.
So here goes: “Inkem binkem notamus rex, protect us all from the man with the hex.”
EXTREMELY HONORED: I was extremely honored Saturday night for something I did that did not seem like I was doing. The Calhoun Republican Executive Committee honored me for being the Chairman of that committee for several years when basically there was no committee.
I just was there giving the county a Republican presence. But that was about it since my get up and go had basically moved away. Frankly I felt like a failure and tried to get somebody, anybody to take over the chairmanship from me.
I was able to get Michael Fitzwater to take the chairmanship from me and he did a great job revitalizing the committee but he had to give it up when he was given greater work responsibility. That’s when Roger Props assumed the chairmanship and has wrought wonders.
How big of a wonder?
Calhoun now has more registered Republicans than democrats.
A miracle? No. A wise thing? Yes, especially with the insane lurch toward socialism and communism of the national democrat party in recent years.
Locally the parties are remarkably the same, with both wanting good jobs, good schools, and a hope for a good future. But nationally there is a difference a big and unfortunate distance and difference where one (the GOP) offers American values and America first and the other (the democrats) doing virtually everything to put America last and the globalists first.
I had a good time at the GOP Lincoln Day Dinner although I did not get to stay too long since I was feeling a bit rough.
I got to meet a lot of old friends from the Republican Party and surprisingly they still remembered me. I got to stall with the Warner Brothers – Kris and Mac – and Mitch Carmichael and Kent Leonhardt and Roger Hanshaw and Mike Stewart.
I talked with Kent about us working on a tire way back when and I spoke with Mike about how I resigned as chairman at a state meeting and how he told me he wanted me to stay and Roger about how we were talking at a Calhoun-Clay football game and how I told him that I thought he should run for the House of Delegates and that I would support him completely. He did run and he did win and now he is Speaker of the House.
And I also got t talk with Governor Jim Justice.
Did we talk about politics?
A little. We agreed that the GOP would sweep the House, Senate, and Presidency along with the state.
But mostly we talked about basketball and mutual friends.
When I went to Glenville State two good friends of mine were Jackie Joe Robinson and Marion Gordon. They were roommates and lived next to me when I stayed in the dormitory for one year.
I asked him about Marion since Marion was his (Governor Justice) assistant coach at Greenbrier East.
Then we talked a little basketball and I said I was an average player, Marion was a good player but Jackie Joe was a great player.
He said he bet I held my own but I related the story of a pickup game we played.
“Jackie Joe blocked my shot with his elbow,” I said. “He was that much higher than I was. And to top it off he was dribbling the ball and I was guarding him and he elbowed me in the nose.”
We both laughed.
While I really like Jim Justice the governor and think he is doing a good job I really, really like Jim Justice the coach and that’s the guy I’d like to spend my time with.
One thing I was asked repeatedly was “how do you choose who to vote for?”
The answer is simple I vote for whoever I feel would do the best job.
We are fortunate in Calhoun to have mostly good candidates for our open positions. I know as I look at the GOP candidates I am pleased by the people the party has attracted for the most part and should they win the primary I would support almost every one of them.
So your choice is to find who would best do the job – since technically they are your employee – and vote for them.
I want to especially thank Crystal Mersh for making me go to the dinner. I had a wonderful time and I also got to meet her husband, George. He’s a nice guy and I really like him.
Thank you Crystal for getting me out of my shell a bit.
Until next time stay safe but don’t live our life in a bubble.
