Kelly?

What the heck kind of a name is Kelly for a boy? Might as well call him Sue. (Remember the song "A boy named Sue.") Sheesh!

Delete!

Do you ever see an e-mail from someone who is a friend but you just delete it anyway? I do. As a matter of fact, I just deleted 5 without opening them.

I have a couple of friends that send me junk all the time. When I see their name on the thing, I just delete it. It's obvious too that the e-mail is just one of those chain jokes or something because they have about 863 different addresses on the top. I get tired of those.

I'm really starting to love my delete button.

Bumper Sticker Fun

I saw a bunper sticker today that read "Archeologists date any old thing". I found it really amusing.

F%#@ Iran

This morning on the radio I heard that the President-elect in Iran appears to be one of the terrorists involved in the Iran hostage crisis. For those of you who don't remember it:

"The Iran hostage crisis was a 444-day period during which the new government of Iran after the Iranian Revolution held hostage 66 diplomats and citizens of the United States. It is believed by many to have caused President Jimmy Carter of the United States to lose his re-election attempt, and punctuated the first fundamentalist Islamic revolution of modern times. It began on November 4, 1979 and lasted until January 20, 1981."

When I heard about this guy I started thinking about those days. This whole mess was going on when I was in senior high. I remember one night at the all night drive-in movies, a regular occurrence for senior high people, when a crowd standing around the snack bar started chanting "Fuck Iran!" It started small, but soon enough pretty much everyone inside the gates was crushed together and screaming this chant for a very long time. Several hundred people all chanting for about 1/2 an hour "Fuck Iran!" "Fuck Iran!" "Fuck Iran!"

That was the sentiment back then. The whole thing was so aggravating and all the talk was about kicking the Iranians' butts. There were some serious anti-Iran feelings everywhere. You couldn't escape it.

Now think about this; those people are now of the age where they may be in places of authority in our government. If not in government, at least of the age to be of some influence. That time was something they won't forget about. If this new leader in Iran is one of those terrorists, he probably has some serious anti-American sentiments. If he does and he has designs on making trouble, he should probably take into account the long memory of those of us affected by the whole Iran hostage crisis era and think twice.

Because I don't think there will be too much sentiment against flattening their country into a complete and total desert. I for one wouldn't mind it a bit.

We do live in interesting times.

It's Just A Slight Fetish

I've decided I have a slight fetish for women in sexy shoes. I've actually known it for some time. I just didn't think it could be considered a fetish. If I see a woman in certain types of shoes, it gets my attention. I mean really gets my attention.

Now, I'm not talking about the obsessive type of fetish where a person gets magazines and looks at 'Sexy Shoes' websites or anything. I'm talking about having a preference as to what I think is sexy and always looking at what a woman is wearing. When I see a woman walking by, I always check out her footwear. I think you can tell something about them depending on their shoes.

My very favorite are the kind that are basically all straps and have the ties that wrap around the calf a long way up. They tie several inches above the ankle. Those get me every time. Check out this pic. This is what I mean.






I've seen some that tie even higher up the leg too. Someone at work sometimes wears a pair. I love it when she does.

I guess as far as a fetish (or maybe it's just a slight fetish) goes, this one is kinda tame. I just know that recently I noticed myself always checking out the shoes. Nicci laughs at me. But she and I do get to compare notes about what we think is sexy and what impressions we get about the person by what they wear.

BTW, it's not always the first area I check out. I am still a guy, after all.

So, anyone going to confess to a little fetish too?

How Freaky Are You?

Summer made me do this. Besides, it a sex thing and who doesn't like those?

How Freaky Are You?

Instructions:

* Copy this entire list into your blog/journal.
* BOLD everything about you that is true.
* Leave plain anything that is false about you.
* Put an asterisk (*) at the end of false statements you would LIKE to be true.


I have had sex while wearing a blindfold.
I have blindfolded someone else during sex.
I have had sex while watching porn.
I have had sex while surfing porn on the Internet.
I sleep better after sex.
There are some nights I cannot sleep without sex or masturbating.
The bed is NOT my most favorite place to have sex.
I am turned on knowing someone is watching me masturbate.
I have masturbated for someone over a web cam. * (How 'bout the phone?)
I have had sex over a web cam. * (Phone?)
I will have sex with someone I just met if they turn me on.
I have been tied up during sex.
I have had sex with someone who was tied up.
I have dripped wax onto a lover's body.
I have had a lover drip wax onto my body.
I have a foot fetish.
I have a leather fetish.
I have a tickle fetish.
I like being choked during sex.
I have had sex in a burning building.
I have erotic art on display somewhere in my residence.
I enjoy nudie magazines.
Erotic toys are a regular part of my budget.
I think PLAYBOY is tame, maybe even boring.
I have clicked on porn links in my email.
I know the difference between girl/girl and lesbian sex in porn.
I have watched more than one gay/lesbian porn video.
Much of what I know about sex comes from porn.
Interracial sex turns me on. (I was 1/2 of an interracial couple many years ago so I guess it does, although most of the time, I don't even think about that part of it). (I really don't care. For me if the woman is sexy, she's a turn on.)
I think we should do more to understand the cultures of sex.
I would participate in sex research given the opportunity.
My current lover does not sufficiently meet my sexual needs.
I currently have a "crush" on someone of the same sex.
I have had sex at my place of employment. (previous 2 places of employment, not the current place)
I am often disappointed in my sexual relationships.
Some people might describe me as a nymphomaniac.
I am difficult to live with if I'm not having sex on a regular basis.
I sleep better with someone snuggled up next to me.
I have had sex under water. (Assuming a pool counts?)
I have had sex in the snow.
I have to have music playing while having sex.
I have had more than ten orgasms in one night.
I have flashed strangers.
I have given sex as a gift.
I have set-up a three-way for my lover. (Not the current one.)
I stopped during this list to have sex. *

[from the Nude Organist]

I'm Way Behind

I just got home from the hospital. It's been a bit stressful over here. My Uncle is doing OK, but keeps having complications. Now he's back in ICU, actually since last night. He will be fine I believe, but it's been hard on him and my Aunt. Also on those of us trying to keep his spirits up.

Oh, BTW, his tests were negative. Looks like there isn't any cancer in his system. No chemo is the best part.

Peachy and I went to see the Yankees whip the O's last night. It was a great time. I'll post some pics when I get the chance.

Needless to say, I haven't paid much attention to blogs since yesterday afternoon. I haven't been ignoring all my blogger buds, so don't be thinking I'm a bum.

This post is just to say hey to everyone.

Hey!

Now, let's just see what you've been up to.....

Some Names Are Too Sexy

Peachy was telling me about her weekend and she mentioned someone named Svetlana. I think it would be cool to have a girlfriend named Svetlana. How sweet would that be to introduce her? "Hi everyone, this is Svetlana. She's my girlfriend. Yeah, that's right, MY girlfriend. Not yours. Not yours either. Oh, and you stay away from her. At ALL times. Yeah, you too! And you too! All of you jerks stay away from MY girlfriend Svetlana! I mean it! Back off! I'm not kidding! Damn it! Come on Svetlana, we have to leave! These guys are too anxious to know you, if you know what I mean! Jerks!"

Ok, maybe I'm glad I never had a girlfriend named Svetlana. All the guys would be trying to get close to her. That name is just too exotic and too sexy.

Geez, guys suck.

Nicci's Garden

More recent pics from Nicci's garden. It's nice to walk around out there.



Some Daisies that she plants just because they are my favorite. What do you think Yoj?







Far away view from the back.








View from in the arbor. (That's Nicci with her Starbuck's)








Another longer view. (Nicci standing on the bottom deck. Don't tell her I showed you.)








A visitor stopping by for breakfast.








Another visitor. I don't recognize this guy!








My one contribution. (Other than all the building.) Aren't they cute?








I just thought this was cool with the water flying around.

Mayhem At Starbuck's

This morning at Starbuck’s I ordered a venti skim, extra foam, triple hot, cream cheese omelet latté with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and nutmeg. The girl at the counter just kinda stared at me for a second a little unsure what to say so I added a double shot of French onion soup “in a clean glass please”. That must have done the trick for her and she started laughing. Problem was, she couldn’t stop laughing. She had a really hard time turning to tell the barrista my order. Luckily, the barrista knew me and through her laughs, she said, “So, you want the usual?” Of course I did.

Now, the poor girl at the counter was still having a hard time taking orders. The people behind me were amused at what I said but they were really amused at the girl who just couldn’t stop giggling. (She is one of the Manager types there, btw, and is really a sweetheart.) So she’s trying to take their orders and relay them back to the bar to be made and she keeps stopping to breathe and giggle. I started to feel a little guilty until I noticed the next 2 couples in line were starting to laugh too.

Then she turns and calls the next order back and the girl making drinks very sweetly asks, “With cheese or nutmeg?” That did it. The girl at the counter lost it and the couple ordering started laughing too. When I looked at the barrista, she just calmly put my coffees on the bar, smiled at me and kept going about her business. I left with the poor counter girl still not under control.

I thought it was marginally funny when I said it. I guess she found it exceptionally funny. See what an innocent joke can do to someone? You just never know what effect your words can have. ;)

Favorite Movie Quotes

Karen posted a link to AFI's 100 Best Movie Quotes recently. I had been thinking about some of my own favorites. Here are the ones I like (forgive me if I don't remember them exactly right):

"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." (This one Karen already quoted on her blog. I just happen to like it too much to leave it out.)

"Use The Schwartz!"

"You're a good egg Noonan."

"That's the fact, Jack!"

"But this one goes to 11."

"I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

"This steak still has marks where the jockey was hitting it."

"Back off Jack! I'm a scientist."

"What knockers!" "Why thank you."

"Wolfman's got nards!"

"Take off, you hosers!"

"This one time, at band camp..."

"But, I'm funny how? Funny like a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh? I'm here to fuckin' amuse you?" (Had to look that one up.)

"Looks like you've been missing a lot of work lately."
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say I've been missing it, Bob." (Looked this one up too.)

"How extravagant you are, Rick, throwing away women like that. Some day they may be scarce." (One of my all time favorites.)

"Hey Whitey, where's your hat?"

"Yes your honor, this man has no dick"

"We're on a mission from God!"

"Yippee-kiyay, motherfucker!"

"Ooo, that's gonna leave a mark"

"Drop the gun, don't forget the cannoli". (Looked this one up too.)

"This is the LAPD. We're the most hated cops in all the free world. My own mama's ashamed of me. She tells everybody I'm a drug dealer." (This one too.)

"Bueller? Bueller?"

"Fuck you, Jobu, I do it myself."

"You know, if you shoot me, you're liable to lose a lot of those humanitarian awards."

I didn't mean to go off like this. I started this post this morning and it got kinda long. Who can guess the movies?

Top 10 Things I Like About This Week

10. The Orioles keep losing so the Yankees can keep up.

9. The sexy neighbor was out doing her windows in a sports bra and tiny little shorts.

8. McDonald's hasn't closed yet due to fat people lawsuits.

7. It's Friday and soon I won't have to see these idiots for a couple of days.

6. I've visited Starbuck's 6 times.

5. I scheduled my beach vacation.

4. Michael Jackson hasn't molested any more kids yet. (That we know of.)

3. Another work week is almost done and my sanity is still intact. (Relatively)

2. The lost boy scout was found safe and healthy.

1. My Uncle is doing well.

Scary Guy Indeed

What is up with the dancing bald guy on the Six Flags commercials? Is he as scary to anyone else? Is that a real old guy or a goofy, scary young guy dancing in makeup?

I dunno, but those commercials seem to be on every 5 minutes and that guy weirds me out.

I Am A Very Confused Individual

Here are some reasons why I say that:

Some people here don’t know that -70°C is warmer than -80°C and I can’t get them to get it. The temperature is NOT going UP to -80°C people. It is going DOWN.

I can’t understand why so many hospital workers are really overweight. Wouldn’t they know better? You should see the crowd where my Uncle is right now. It reminds me of when I was in gym class and my gym teacher was a 400lb. slob. Yeah, I’m listening to you pal.

I don’t understand how someone can sit in a meeting and agree with the plan laid out by the whole group, allow the project to be completed and then completely tear it apart when it is done. The same questions and stupid, uninformed arguments that we had gone over at the planning meeting. Holding up the works for a backtracking session lasting a week makes no sense at all.

The field I’m in should be filled with accomplished, intelligent, respectable people. I’m still looking for 1 or 2 to complete my handful.

When someone asks you why you would do something unnecessary and totally out of line that can (and probably will) cause much trouble for others you work with, why can’t you say more than “I don’t know.” Dumb-ass!

These are just very recent issues. Things fresh on my mind right now. I’m sure I could write more if I put my mind to it, but at this moment I’d just like to leave it all behind and not think about it for a while.

I'm Back

Thanks to everyone for the good vibes and wishes for my Uncle. He came through the surgery OK. We'll know within 2-3 days whether they managed to rid him of the cancer afetr the tests are back. The Doc seemed fairly positive about it all. Fingers are crossed.

Interesting note; I've been reading that incidences of cancer were not common pre-industrial age. It seems that the amount of oxygen in the air directly coorelates to the amount of known cancer in people. Apparently, the more advanced we become and the more we manufacture, the more pollution there is and this makes for less oxygen. Less oxygen has translated to more cancer.

Funny, the more we advance, the more we kill ourselves. Huh.

This Week Just Keeps Gettin Better

Just to let everyone know (because I don’t like to worry you) I will be away from blogger-land tomorrow for most of the day, perhaps all day. I’ll be at the hospital keeping my Aunt company. My Uncle is having surgery in the morning. For that stupid cancer. They are taking 15 – 50% of one lung out, depending on what they find once they see it first hand.

They say they will be able to tell within 20 minutes of removing the tumor whether or not it is malignant. I’m hoping and praying it’s not.

Anyway, any and all prayers are welcome and very much appreciated. For those of you who don’t, can’t or won’t pray, good vibes and wishes are also appreciated.

See ya real soon!



BTW, that title is pure sarcasm, in case you hadn't noticed.

This Had Better Be A Joke

Suicide is an option.

Well, maybe not but damn, will I be in for a few bad years. :(

Get to Know... YB! :D

If you're reading this, you are hereby forced to post your own "Get to Know..." post on your own blog! :P I got this one from Quyen and I would do anything she asked me to do. Anything. ;)

10 REALLY RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I raced Motocross dirtbikes when I was a teen.
2. I hate Japanese cars.
3. I'm almost very superstitious.
4. I would love to live at the beach.
5. The names Agnes and Blanche and Tristen really bug me.
6. I have a crush on a blogger friend. (Maybe more than one, actually.)
7. I laugh at almost anything.
8. I really really love roller coasters. Really really!
9. Sex was once important to me. Marriage cured that.
10. I don't believe that 4 out of 5 Dentists surveyed recommend sugarless gum for their patients that chew gum.

9 WAYS TO WIN MY HEART

1. Be a Yankee.
2. Surprise me... don't be shy about anything.
3. Share some long slow deep soft wet kisses that last three days.
4. Look me in the eye when we talk.
5. Tell me I'm funny and laugh with me. (At me sometimes is OK too.)
6. Be a steak and beer person.
7. Be independant. (Doormats are annoying.)
8. Be openminded.
9. Be intelligent and able to stimulate not only my body but my mind as well. (I liked this one Q, so I kept it.)

8 THINGS I CARRY/WEAR EVERYDAY

1. Silver 4 leaf clover. (I've worn it continuously since high school.)
2. Emerald earring.
3. A thong. (Just wanted to see if you are still paying attention. ;) )
4. Ray Ban sunglasses. (The sun makes me sneeze.)
5. Some type of Yankee emblem. (Never leave home without it.)
6. My sense of humor.
7. Wallet.
8. Listerine breath strips.

7 THINGS THAT ANNOY ME

1. People who don't look you in the eye when they talk to you. (Another keeper.)
2. People who are 'know it alls'. (No one really is.)
3. Those stupid "My Kid is an honor student..." bumper stickers.
4. Bad drivers! >:(
5. Women who are prudish in bed.
6. When I lose my drive and want to give up.
7. People who talk on their cell phones in public.

6 PLACES I'VE VISITED

1. Stockholm, Sweden
2. Halmstad, Sweden
3. Copenhagen, Denmark
4. The Holocaust Museum in D.C. (Very intense)
5. The National Museum of Art (about 100 times)
6. Yankee Stadium

5 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE

1. Visit Ireland (maybe find some family)
2. Write a blog that gets 50 comments.
3. Make a living via art and blow off the corporate world.
4. Get a smootch from Sandra Bullock.
5. Meet someone who actually 'gets me.'

4 THINGS I'M AFRAID OF

1. Drowning (For some reason, my biggest fear.)
2. Missing out on..... anything.
3. Being a parent. (No chance of that anymore, but it is scary!)
4. My Uncle's cancer.

3 THINGS I DO EVERYDAY

1. Blog
2. Have morning coffee
3. Wonder why I'm here. ;)

2 THINGS I'M TRYING NOT TO DO NOW

1. Panic about the Baseball season.
2. Be too serious. (It's way too early for that.)

1 PERSON I WANT TO SEE NOW

1. Peachy. (She makes me smile.)

Gramps Was A Clown (Too)

Check out this pic my Aunt gave me over the weekend. It is a real picture taken during the depression. Circa 1937-1938 is the estimated date. It looks like a character from a Groucho Marx movie, doesn't it?








That guy is my Grandfather. I never met him. He died when I was about 10 months old.

They tell me he was a clown. He loved to make people laugh. This pic is a little proof of that. They also tell me I came by those traits honestly. I had to get them from him.

The little girl just over his shoulder with the light colored dress and dark bow/ribbon thing is my aunt. She is now 76 years old.

I love these old pictures. Too bad Gramps got sick. I think he and I would have gotten along just fine.

Hopefully I've Learned

Recently I've been reminded that I have actually learned a bit of restraint in some areas. Specifically (for this post) restraint at speaking my mind all the time. In the past, I had none.

For many years of my life I would just say the first thing that popped in my head. Didn't matter who I was speaking to, what the situation was or who was present. In the midst of the conversation, I would lose myself and invariably blurt out whatever popped into my pea brain. Needless to say, it caused some problems.

I remember one time sitting at a bar listening to a friend confess to me that she had just returned from her beach vacation..... with her boss. Not the trip she claimed she was taking with her friends, but the trip she had taken because she was having a fling with her boss. Dumb ass me, I just said "I know". Without even thinking, I blurted it out. Not meaning it smart-assedly. I just already knew the truth and it was old news to me. (I get bored easily, especially with conversations.) It was a big deal to her. Her supposed secret obviously wan't a secret. She wasn't too happy with me and kept pressing me for how I knew already. I didn't want to tell her that her best friend had blabbed to everyone about it but I had already shoved my foot into my mouth. Oops.

I also remember a time when there was some young guy holding court in one of those trendy bars downtown. He was reading his poetry to a small group of women and talking about his grand views of romance and humanity. The women were all fawning over him and going on about how deep he was and how sincere he was. I was getting sick. So when they turned to me and asked what I found so funny (since I couldn't stop laughing), thats what I told them. I simply siad, "Your fawning over that guys line of crap is making me sick. Can't you tell he's just trying to impress himself? None of that stuff is workable in the real world. Only works to get a guy laid with women who are too stupid to know when a guy is BSing you." Needless to say, I wasn't too popular with that particular small crowd. (I did get free drinks from the bar tender and the owner that night.)

Yep, in the past I haven't been all too self-aware. I could relate many more stories like these. The good thing is that I have learned to think a bit before opening my big yap. Most of the time anyway. Recent events in life have made me realize that I'm not nearly as bad as I once was. I've learned a few ways of keeping quiet. Like, when someone is talking in my presence, not necessarily to me, and I've had enough, I just walk away.

Or sometimes I will get the urge to blurt out something and just the feeling that I want to react lets me know I had better think about it first. Those are the times I'll stop in mid-sentence and think a bit. If someone was paying attention most times they would notice that the beginning and end of the sentence didn't fit quite right.

A lot of the time of the time I just don't say anything. When someone is talking and I have no interest in speaking back, I don't. Believe it or not, this does save us from trouble. Unless they actually press the issue. Then, who knows what will happen.

I'm glad I've learned not to just blurt out whatever I'm thinking. It saves a lot of hassles. Like the time my old boss said something in a meeting that I found totally absurd and G and I just started laughing. She turned and asked what was so funny and wasn't she surprised when I responded with, "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard anyone say. What planet are you from?" Nope, not the best thing to say to your boss at a staff meeting. With age comes wisdom, I guess. At least I hope so.

Question Of The Day

I'm watching Outside The Lines on ESPN and they are doing a story about a lesbian basketball coach/school teacher who was fired because of her sexual orientation. There is a big discussion now about the influence of homosexual coaches on student athletes. Discussion about issues like negative recruiting and bias against not only the gay community but the massive negative bias against the Christian and/or anti-gay people who don't want their kids exposed to a gay persons influence.

Coaches do have a strong influence on kids. Teachers do too.


The question is:

How do you feel about this issue?

What Is It?

When a Doctor at an O.B.G.Y.N. is not an M.D. but is a D.O., what does that mean? I have a few naughty thoughts/ideas, but I wouldn't mind knowing the truth. ;)

Slumber Party Pic

I tried to join in on the slumber party that Meritt and Co. are having. I really did try. The problem is that the pictures I took of myself fresh out of bed this morning scared me so much I thought I was in some sci-fi monster nightmare. Believe me, I can't possibly subject all of you to that horror.

Sorry Meritt, I tried. Maybe tomorrow won't be as bad. We'll see. (Meritt looks great in the a.m. Go check out her slumber party pic and you'll see.)

On another subject, it's been a weird day. I've been an electrician and a laundry bitch for most of the day. Of course, I had to take a break to see the Yankees whip the Cubs. Again. I wonder if I need to repeat that for LAH? OK. I had to take a break to see the Yankees whip the Cubs. Again. Jeter got his first Grand Slam in that game. I found it strange that he had never hit a Grand Slam before today. It's so cool to be able to see it though. Then he hit another homerun later. I was also impressed with the young Yankee pitcher Wang. He was great.

Funny, every time I turn the channel and Alfonso Soriano is up to bat, he hits a homerun. (He plays for Texas now, btw.) Twice the other night that happened and just a few minutes ago he did it again. Maybe I should make a deal with him. I'll wait until he's up to bat and then flip over to the channel and he'll hit another homer. I think that type of super-power is worth a few bucks.

I've been such a blogger slacker this past week. I've tried to blog more but at work I've been too busy. Then at home, it's been too nice outside to sit here at the pc. I've noticed that the good weather has slowed down a few of us. It's natural, I think. The winter time lends itself to more frequent net surfing.

Well, tomorrow I'm going to take my Uncle out for Father's Day. I may not be blogging again until late. He goes in soon for surgery. Damn cancer. The whole idea is scary. Hopefully it will work out OK. I can't understand why Doctors act so stupid. Several months ago he was diagnosed with cancer. He told them to just go ahead and take out the tumor. Just get it over with. They have delayed and tested and ignored him for months now and the tumor has grown to over three times the size it was when they first discovered it. WTF? He's been telling them to just take it out. Now there's a better chance it has spread. See why I never go to the doctor? Waste of time anyway.

Well blogger buds, gotta go watch a movie or something. Hope all is well out there.

It’s A Week For Remembering

I went to Starbuck’s this morning (surprise) and while I was there someone I knew from a few years ago came in. She was a good friend but had moved away to California. Now she’s back and I hardly recognized her.

At first I thought, “She looks familiar.” Then, when she talked and told the girl her name (they write your name on your cup at Starbuck’s) I finally managed to get it into my bean who she was. So I slowly worked my way up to her and casually said, “I’ve never met a real Dodgers fan before.” (She was wearing a Dodgers t-shirt, btw) She turned and instantly I knew she knew me. I got a big hug out of it and then we talked for a while. It was good to see her.

I told her I hardly recognized her. She left as a bit of a frumpy but cute girl and came back a fit and sexy hottie. Does California do that to a person? At any rate, we will be getting together sometime soon for a serious catch-up session. It was great to see her.

Last night I had a similar incident but with a different reaction. I ran into another old friend who had left town a few years ago but when she came back, it’s like she’s totally someone else. (I may have mentioned her briefly at some other time.) She is my age, but has her PhD. She went straight through school without stopping after high school and had it 10 years ago. She was very independent and career motivated. She started out in R&D, did exceptionally well, moved to Marketing where she kicked ass and then left for the FBI. She was a forensics investigator. Quite the impressive woman.

Now she’s back, married with one kid and another baking in her oven, looking totally…. Ragged? Is that the term? She nowhere near looks like she did. She was once very attractive. Now she’s the frumpy housewife looking person. All her long pretty hair is gone; cut so short it’s scary. She just does not look like the person I knew. I think most people from back then would have a hard time recognizing her too. It’s like a disguise or something.

The good thing is that she seems to be almost the same person. She’s great to talk with although I did notice that she didn’t introduce me to her husband. It was the first time I had run into them together too. Still, it’s great to see her. I just have to get used to the ‘new look’.

I know, looks don’t mean anything. I’m not trying to be a superficial ass here. I’m just making a comparison between the two incidents because they are opposite. I’m still really happy to see both old friends. It’s just a surprise what a few years between visits means. Both were good buds that I did a lot of stuff with in the past. It’s amazing what a few years will do. I wonder how they see me now compared to back then? I’m sure if I asked, they’d tell me. Next time, I’ll ask.

What is with me this past week reminiscing about old friends?

Rookies In The Workplace

I've decided what it is I don't like about Rookies. They tend to over-react to Management. They also seem to have this idealistic view of the workplace. One that can never live up to the standard they've set in their minds. Being in the same business for 18 years, I've seen many of these types come and go. (I've been there myself too.) They have a tendency to take things personally when most of the time (emphasis on most) things aren't personal.

When I was new to the biz, I remember thinking I knew my stuff better than the people above me. Truthfully, a lot of times I did. The missing link in my mind was that I didn't know how what I did effected what they did. I didn't know what pressures they had above them and what the projects I handled meant further up the line. I just thought I knew it all. I also thought they owed me for doing my job.

Isn't that a silly thought? Thinking they owed me for doing what I was hired to do. Most people want recognition for a job well done. A lot deserve it too. But why should management continually thank you for doing your job? A daily thank you? I don't think so. They don't owe you thanks for the daily stuff. That's what your paycheck is for. You do your job, you get paid. Going above and beyond is another story. There's where the pat on the back is necessary. Mandatory in my book. But to expect someone to stop by and tell you you’re doing great on a regular basis is kind of silly.

Another group that annoys me is the 'problem children'. The high-maintenance employees. The people who complain constantly and are negative about everything. To them, they are right and everyone else is wrong and they don’t mind saying so. They are a total disruption to the group. Those are the ones to weed out. They don't realize that, although this is a free country (so called) management does own part of you when you are in their workplace. That paycheck doesn't buy your soul, but it does rent your behavior. While you are in their employ and in the workplace, they can and should tell you how to behave. Disagreements and discussions are a necessity in the healthy workplace. Disrespect and blatant disregard for direction are unacceptable behavior. I've dealt with a lot of those types. Continuous reactions like that and you have to go. I don't care if you are the best in your field. Time to get the boot. A lot of times, but not always, this type of person is also a rookie.

I’ve been there. I also outgrew it. Now I can’t stand these types of reactions/reactors. Nope, I don't have the patience for rookies anymore.

I’m Curious…..

How do you feel:

- When you are on the highway and see someone cruising along talking on the phone and really looking happy?
- When you see a morbidly obese little kid?
- When you see a couple of really old people walking and holding hands?
- When you see your drink is almost gone and you’ve missed last call?
- When you rush home to catch the end of the game only to find your team is getting stomped?
- When you’re craving a Pepsi and they only have Coke?
- When the dumb character in the movie leaves the safe spot and you know what’s coming?
- When you start to realize this just may be as good as it gets?

Shows What I Know

I wonder sometimes about people. There is this woman who works in another department who is very shy. She walks down the hallway always looking down. She keeps to herself most of the time. She's just not the outgoing type. Even when she's working, she goes about her business and basically works alone. She does interact with others just fine, but she is obviously shy.

But when I walk by her in the hallway and say hi, she always looks up, smiles and says hello. Sometimes she even stops to talk, even though her cheeks get red easily from being so unsure. It's kinda cute.


Then theres another woman in a different lab who is the total opposite. When I'm in there, shes always talking. Loudly. She doesn't seem to stop. I never see her laughing with anybody though. It's like she's holding court and the whole conversation is others listening to her.

Then when I see her in the hallway and say hi, (this morning, for example) she just walks on by. As if nothing was said. Sometimes she will look up, but usually she just keeps on going.

On the surface, I would think the opposite would be true in these two examples. Shows what I know. I wonder what makes people tick sometimes.

Latest Poll Results

It would seem that Cindy Lou has a lot of fans for various reasons. Hey CL, lots of us internet love you! As if we could resist.

The new Poll is posted. (Right sidebar) I'm having a hard time waking up this morning so if there are other answers you want to discuss, throw them into the comments section and we'll see what happens.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Goodnight."




You are a Cindy Lou Blog fan because of.....

Selection
Her widely varied musical tastes. 13 votes
Her great picture blog stories. 18 votes
Her star-quality magnetic personality. 16 votes
Her awesome sense of humor. 17 votes
Her amazing sexual attractiveness. 17 votes
Her dedication and talent at being a Mom. 17 votes
Her overall squirreliness. 21 votes
Her experience at touching other womens boobs. 19 votes
Her great taste in booze. 14 votes
Her hilarious comments. 17 votes
Her cool new car. 17 votes
Her ability to make you feel loved. 15 votes
That cool curl she gets on her forehead when it rains. 14 votes
All of the above. 27 votes

Don't You Forget About Me.....

I’m sitting here trying to stay interested in the Baseball game but it’s just not working out. Interleague play sucks! It’s like generic jazz or something; always leaves you wanting the real deal. The 2 American League teams I’ve been watching are killing the National Leaguers at this point anyway, so it’s even more boring. The only time I like seeing a blow-out is when the Yankees are giving it to someone. This year those times will be few, I think.

So I’m flipping channels and MTV is showing their awards show again. I don’t watch MTV much anymore. Maybe if they actually had some MUSIC on, I would. That’s rare though. But this time when I turn onto the channel, they are at a point in the show where I can relate. Big time. They are doing a special award to honor The Breakfast Club. Now there’s a great movie. 1985 was quite the year for old YB and that movie was a bright spot.

Do you remember when you first saw it? I do. I was out at the all night Drive In Movies with a huge group of friends. Yep, the town I grew up in had a working Drive In Theatre and we would load a car with everyone we knew and roll on in. The cost was per car, so every nook and cranny got stuffed with people. It was a serious party atmosphere when the all-nighters were playing. Usually we missed most of the first few movies. It wasn’t until we were getting tired that we’d actually see some of the later ones. The Breakfast Club was different.

Almost from the beginning it caught our attention. Once we actually started watching it, it was all over. We were hooked. Back then, that group of us really could relate to those characters. We could find a little of ourselves in one of them at least. The movie did speak to us about us. I wonder if it still has the same effect on younger generations today? Maybe it still does.

The award was received by Molly Ringwald (sweet), Ally Sheedy (another sweet one) and Anthony Michael Hall. Molly did most of the talking and one thing she said struck me as really interesting. She said, “We made this film for the MTV audience…” I wondered if she meant the original MTV audience, the current one or did she mean all of them over the years? I think the latter probably. Mostly because the movie is still a favorite even after 20 years.

I don’t believe this current audience and the one from 1985 have a lot in common, other than love of music. One thing we especially don’t have in common is MTV. Back then MTV was all about music. It was mostly all videos. It was well on its way to becoming the huge marketing thing it did become. I think it had only been around 3-4 years by 1985??? Maybe. I remember always checking in every night to see what new video would be playing.

These days MTV is just another TV station. All kinds of goofy shows, news, drama. Oh, and sometimes some music. It’s really not the same. Times do change, I guess. Sometimes not for the best.

I’m glad they recognized The Breakfast Club. It’s a great movie and if you are going to do some useless awarding, do it for something good. At least they got that right.

Oh well. Back to Baseball. Cool! Soriano just hit another home run…..

Clarification

For those of you who don't get what the last post was all about, Mike over at Just Off Center came up with this great idea where those who participate get to try to imitate another blogger's style. We put our names in a hat (a virtual one) and were assigned at random another bloggers name and we had to do a post written in their style.

The post content is what I've experienced, not what the copied person experienced. It's just written in their style. (I hope it is anyway.)

The participants are:

Cece
Duckie
Grace
Jeremy
McGibfried
Mel
Nina
PlatinumGirl
Steve
Trevor
Yankee Bob
Mike K.
Larry
Lena
Yoj
Quyen

Go visit them and see if you can guess which of us the other is trying to imitate.

*Update*

The secret is out. Here are the assignments:

Duckie was assigned Jeremy
Jeremy was assigned Grace
Grace was assigned Quyen
Quyen was assigned Larry
Larry was assigned McGibfried
McGibfried was assigned Nina
Nina was assigned Cece
Cece was assigned Mike
Mike was assigned YoJ
YoJ was assigned Trevor
Trevor was assigned PlatinumGirl
PlatinumGirl was assigned Yankee Bob
Yankee Bob was assigned Mel Mega
Mel Mega was assigned Steve
Steve was assigned Agent LAH
Agent LAH was assigned Duckie
Duckie was assigned Jeremy

Check them out and see how we did. I liked trying out Mel (I had to say that!). Her style is so fun and she sounds happy all the time. Thanks for the loan Mel.

“What Blogger Am I?”

So last night, being the sweet person that I am, I invited Nicci to go out for dinner. I felt bad (for her and me too!) because we had managed to miss the Birthday/Anniversary weekend by acting like guest stars on Home Improvement. Blah! Anyway, we went to Nicci's fave place to stuff ourselves, Shogun Restaurant for sushi and hibachi. Sweet!

When we start out, we got a nice surprise; the freakin sky suddenly lets loose with this ginormous blast of thunder and the rain splashes down on us like a tidal wave has just landed in our neighborhood! Gah! Good thing it didn't last long. By the time we got to the restaurant, it had passed. Whew!

I'll spare you the gory details of the woman who greeted us at the door and get right to the good parts. The Food! But I will say that just because you look the part doesn't mean you can pull off the accent and the mannerisms of a genuine Japanese Hostess. We could soooo tell she was an American faking the persona. I was thinking, “Why don't you just start jumping around the room like a "Crouching Tiger" stunt double or something while you're at it! Maybe then I'd buy it.” Whatever.

Anyway, we get to the hibachi table and we proceed to order an ASSLOAD of Sushi! You would think we were never going to see any sushi again! I remember thinking that maybe I wouldn’t be able to finish dinner after all that sushi, but then I remembered where I was. No problem!

Mmmmm...then the Hibachi Chef shows up and does his thing. If you’ve never been to one of those places, you really need to go. Just go. I said go! Not right now, after you finish reading this. Hee hee! Uhm, where was I? Oh… the chef does this really cool thingy where he tosses the egg around with the metal spatula and then he tosses it up just enough that when it comes down on the side of his tool (huh, I said tool!) it breaks just enough to let all the slimy stuff out but the shell doesn’t break all the way. How cool is that??? I NEED to know how to do it!

Oh! Then when he’s finishing up the cooking, (my filet was done to perfection btw), he starts cutting up shrimp and with that sweeeet magic spatula he tosses shrimp into everyone’s mouth. Total bonus! Some didn’t make it into the mouth though. A couple of people had shrimp juices in their eye and on their forehead. I hate when that happens! Hee hee! But I caught mine. How could I not, with the vacuum still running in my stomach, looking for more yummy food. Please, like I’d miss flying shrimp heading toward my open yap!

Hmmm…next, while we were waiting for the check (and me looking for some air to breathe since I had pigged out way too much) two of the waitresses came over with a mega bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup and a lit candle on it. They remembered that I mentioned Nicci’s birthday earlier and brought her a nice surprise. Then we all sang Happy Birthday along with them. But the one woman couldn’t say Nicci’s name right (her real name) and it kept sounding like she was calling her sushi. Hilarious! So naturally I sang ‘sushi’ in the birthday song. Nice!

Finally it was time to go. I had had enough food for three people. Sooooo...as you can guess, I was moving slooooow. But it was worth it. The perfect end to a lovely day. Lovely after leaving work, that is! If you’ve never been to a Hibachi place, check it out. It rules! But be prepared to be stuffed for a while. They don’t let you leave hungry. Ooooh yeah!

Just Like O.J.

So Michael Jackson got off. Even off the minimum charges of serving alcohol to minors. Huh.

I need to get my hands on some big time dough because it would seem that it's not how badly you treat others, it's how much you're willing to pay to get out of it.

Maybe we'll get lucky and he will actually leave the country like he claimed he would.

Today's Helpful Tip

From your helpful friend, Helpie Helperson.

Tip: Never go 'commando' when you are going out for a night of heavy drinking.

Guys; booze can tend to make you forget to tuck everything safely away before zipping up in the restroom. Yeoutch!!

Women; women wearing skirts and sitting on barstools have a tendency to inherit crowds of adoring men all standing directly in front of them. It pisses off their dates and then they are jealous of you. (Of course, you do get to drink for free.)

Remember, Helpie says any help is good help. :)

At Least I Learned Something This Time

I'll tell you what I've figured out recently about women. This should have worked its way through my thick skull long ago, but I just didn't pay attention. What I've finally learned is that when a woman says, "I've been thinking about maybe doing this project..." it means she has already decided to do it. It also means she has done a lot of considering and planning and mental logistics and knows pretty much exactly what she wants done.

Last week Nicci started talking about maybe replacing the stuff in our half-bath on the main level. We've decorated the tiny little roon in a Victorian style and the sink and toilet were still original from when the place was built. I should have gotten the hint as to what was coming when she wanted to go to Lowes and just look at what might be available. I avoided the trip on Thursday, but not Friday. And of course, there was the perfect set for our bathroom. Of course there was. (Yes, that was a sarcastic tone.) So now she was convinced that we needed to replace the old stuff.

I think I was set up. I think she already knew what she wanted and maybe even had already researched it.

Needless to say, we got the sink Friday but had to go back Saturday for the toilet. Naturally, not all the parts were in for the toilet and we had to travel another 50 miles or so to another Lowes to get the other parts. Now, along with going to another store, you naturally have to look around at all the neat stuff that the new place has. Naturally. Problem with doing that is a new place with different stuff brings on new ideas for new projects. Naturally. We got the parts we needed along with new lights (plural intentionally), house numbers, paint for areas that suddenly need painted, and lots of little stuff to keep me busy for a while.

Sunday was spent installing a lot of this stuff. A work day all day. My weekend gone in a flurry of home improvement. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not into stuff like this. I did it though, just to stay out of the doghouse. Plus, Saturday was Nicci's Birthday and Sunday was our Anniversary. I decided to let her go crazy for those reasons.

Yep, quite the romantic Anniversary, eh? We're old fuddy-duddies before our time, I think. But the end result is really nice. The room looks amazing. Most of the new stuff is taken care of, so next weekend I should be off the hook.

From now on I'll know better though. I'll know that 'thinking about something' means it's going to happen. At least I'll get some time to mentally prepare myself from now on.

I Remember That Day!

Check this guy out.








I'm falling in line with Meritt and Katy. This is a picture of me. The writing on the back says I was 19 months old. I know I know, I haven't changed a bit.

It's not as cute as Meritt's or Katy's, but it is the best I could do on short notice.

Come to think of it, Summer has a pic of herself when she was very young posted too. Well, I can't compete with those cuties. Go check them out. They are all sweet.

Let Me Tell Ya Bout My Best Friend

The picture below is one of me and my best friend from a few years ago. For some reason, I've had her on my mind a lot lately. She and I were basically inseperable for a few years there. I sure miss her these days.

She was so much fun to hang with. We did a lot of craziness together. I don't know if you can tell by the pic but she's 100% Italian. also, 100% hotness. The pic doesn't do her justice. Her name is one of the coolest sounding names ever (I obscurely posted it once long ago in some quiz list). For this post, we'll just call her Rootch. That was her nickname.

She was one of the more spontaneous people I've even known. You never knew what she'd do next. Especially after a few extra beers or a little time to talk herself into something. I remember once going to this bar downtown that was done in a beach theme. It even had a fenced back area with palm trees and sand. Well, there were these 2 pillars holding up the ceiling and someone had mounted a surfboard between them. One night the song "Wipeout" came on the jukebox and the next thing I knew she was up on that surfboard doing a go-go dance. It was a Saturday night and the place was packed. Needless to say, she had quite an audience.

I remember more than a few times we'd be out and she'd see a guy she thought was good looking and want to talk to him. I'd keep telling her to just go say hi. Then, after a few beers she'd go up to him and say, "Do you know you're a really good looking guy?" That is the ultimate icebreaker, I think.

One time she came back from a trip to Jamaica (I think) with all that long dark hair done in beads. It looked awesome! The beads started at he scalp and were worked into the hair to the ends. All you could see were the beads. She said it took about 5 hours to have it done. She left it for a few weeks. Then it took just as long to remove. You never could predict her.

We shared a lot of good times, ol Rootch and I. We shared some rough ones too. She had this really mean, abusive roommate for a while. Geez! What a bitch she was! I spent a good deal of time helping her around that situation. She had a really controlling dickheaded boyfriend for a while too. He sucked! It took her a while to realize that she didn't need that mess. Took a while to get over it too. She wasn't one to take relationships lightly.

She moved back to her hometown a few years ago for a new job. We kept in touch a lot at first. We even spent weekends together. Then, predictably the communication became less and less. Soon it was just Christmas and Birthdays. Then just cards on special holidays. Now, not even those special times. The last I knew of her, she had gotten married. Inherited 2 little girls via marriage and was living happily ever after. She was the type to want that lifestyle, so I'm sure she's doing well. I hope so.

I miss you Rootch. God bless you.

So, I’m A Guy Too

Tonight at the mall I heard a guy say, “They didn’t make girls like that when I was young”? Have you ever heard a guy say that? I have. I may have said it too; I’m not sure. I think the truth of it is that guys say that just to get away with checking out younger babes. Why else would they say something so obviously absurd? It’s got to be a guilt thing because good-looking women come in all ages and they start looking good to guys way back in the pre-teens.

I like looking at attractive women. Older or younger, it doesn’t matter. To me, there isn’t anything wrong with appreciating beauty. When I was younger, I checked out the girls in school and the teachers too. The girls looked just as hot to me as the older women. So obviously they ‘made girls like that when I was young’. Guys should stop saying dumb things like that. We all are “Girl Watchers” like the song says. It’s just our nature. It usually doesn’t mean anything. (I say usually because there are some perverts out there.)

The second best part of watching women is the effect they have on us guys. (The best part should be obvious.) A guy will lose his mind a bit when a pretty girl pays him some attention. It doesn’t even have to be anything personal either. Watch guys in checkout lines in the malls. They get next to a woman they find attractive and they start acting dopey. Making dumb jokes, complimenting them on their hair, clothes, etc…. and generally trying to be cool. They don’t necessarily want the woman. They do want the woman to want them. They will even try to start conversations with the woman to pretend to have some common ground, “Oh, you like underwater basket-weaving too? I’ve recently started learning that.” Uh huh.

My favorite scenes are when the ‘old guys’ start talking with a young cutie. The first thing they do is grab their belts and hitch their pants up a little higher. Then they start tucking their shirts in tighter. I don’t know why, but it happens almost every time. “What’s that you say?” *grab pants by belt* “It’s how much?” *Pull pants up hard and tight* *chuckles* “Well, I have that much right here in my wallet sweetie.” *Finishes stuffing shirt down pants again and whips out wallet* *hands money over while leaning on one elbow, winking slyly at the cutie* Old guys are crack-ups.

I’m just as bad as most guys. For example, at my favorite Starbuck’s there are several very attractive women working there. All are good at what they do and all are friendly. I like to stop and talk with them for a while when I’m there. Now, there is one whom I find particularly good looking. To me, she is stunningly gorgeous. (Check out my December archives. There’s a thong-flashing story there about her.) She is also the only one who can be marginal at doing the latte making sometimes. But it doesn’t matter, she could make luke warm, muddy water with a little whipped cream on it and I’d suck it down, swearing it was the best one ever. See? I’m afflicted too.

The difference is that I won’t make excuses. Unless it will impress the ladies, of course.

YB Likes Corny Jokes

I decided to do an evening post since I won't be able to post anything tomorrow morning. I have a very important previously scheduled engagement in the A.M. (Yes Grace, it's that foursome thing.)

I've been having another Laffy Taffy night. I know, we've been through this before, but you all know I can't resist dumb jokes. Naturally, I feel the need to subject you to a few too. Sorry, no prize this time around. Enjoy these. Repeat them as often tomorrow to anyone who will listen and not think you're a big dope.

Oh, and everyone have a great evening and morning.

Why did the Mother Cat move her kittens? - She didn't want to litter.

What did the Doctor give to the Duck? - A clean bill of health.

What do all fish have in their cars? - A shellular phone.

What do you call a cracked up window? - A pain in the glass.

What is a Polygon? - A dead Parrot.

What did one math book say to the other math book? - I have a lot of problems.

Which brand of underwear does King Tut like best? - Fruit of the Tomb.

What happened to the egg when it laughed? - It cracked up.


Just like you all are right now, no doubt. ;)

Tom Cruise Sucks

At least I think so. That's why I love this website. It's called FreeKatie.net, a site dedicated to freeing Katie Holmes from the evil (or evile, depending on your preference) clutches of the dreaded Tom monster. I hope they make headway. She's too good for that bum. He should be with someone like Bette Midler or Kathy Griffin or even Andy Dick. Those are better matches in my mind.

Everyone, support the cause!

Another Intrusive Thought

Everyone knows how much I love to share my intrusive thoughts. They really amuse me.

Tonight I was in the grocery store aisle with all the paper towels and that kind of stuff when this little, scrawny guy came around the corner. Now, I'm not a big guy. I'm 5'6" and this guy looked small next to me. He had those little half glasses on the end of his nose and the skinniest little arms and legs. He had a heck of a time just getting the cart turned into the aisle. That cracked me up.

As he came near to me, I envisioned myself reaching up and grabbing the Brawny paper towels, handing them to him and asking if that was what he was looking for. To me, that guy had to be a Brawny user. You know, one of those subconscious things people do. I could see him using Brawny towels just to feel more Brawny.

I did reach for them out of reflex, but I stopped myself. When I looked around, Nicci was giving me this really stern look, as if she had read my mind and didn't want me to do it. That cracked me up even more.

Oh well, it made sense to me at the time anyway. Intrusive thoughts are too much fun.

G And The Train God

My birthday recently passing by has me thinking about some of the past birthday parties I've had. One in particular stands out as totally absurd. Of course, when absurdity is the norm, my old friend G has to be involved.

I can't remember for sure which year it was, but it was one of the many parties we had in G's back yard. He had this old house in a tiny little town where a train track ran right behind his property. Literally you could walk 10-15 steps out his back gate and be on the tracks. The trains would come in regular intervals too. I believe somewhere around 45 minutes in between. We had a bunch of people over and built this giant bonfire in the yard. The booze was flowing in crazy amounts (as usual) along with some people smoking weed. (I didn't smoke. It just made me sick.) For a few hours things were about the same as always. Drunks making drunk jokes that are only funny to drunks. Lots of silliness and shots and all the usual party stuff.

At some point some genius got the idea that they would just burn their empty cardboard beer case in the bonfire. Then someone else suggested that it was a sacrifice to the beer gods in order for us all to be able to drink more beer. Naturally, all of us being in altered states kept adding to the lore of the sacrifice until there was this totally goofy ceremony being performed and the used case was burned. Once it was thrown in, cheers and high fives were everywhere. (and they were 'high' fives)

As we were all cheering the sacrifice, a train came by. A sudden hush came over almost everyone as the same idea must have occurred to all of us at the same time. "We must sacrifice something to the train god!" Well, that set off a frenzy of what we would have ready for the next trains passing. It started innocently with some coins being placed onto the tracks, some beer bottles. Simple stuff really. Then G came and put this old cassette player onto the tracks. He said it deserved to be sacrificed since it only ate tapes anymore. Next thing you know everyone was taking stuff from their cars and purses and putting them onto the track for sacrifices. By the time the train was due again, there was junk lined up for 10 feet on either side of the tracks and there were a bunch of drunken idiots standing by their favorite sacrifice, waiting to see it demolished by the inevitable judgement of the train god.

When that train finally came around the curve and we saw it was on the way, you would have thought we were totally nuts. There was cheering and yelling like it was a World Series game or something. When it got to the sacrifices and smashed them, people were actually jumping up and down and screaming like it was the coolest thing ever. It was hilarious! There was junk everywhere! The mess left behind was amazing.

The problem with this type of thing, all the ingredients I've explained being involved, is that the moment passes too quickly. There has to be another. The drunken mind is tuned that way. There has to be another moment. So naturally, we had to get more sacrifices ready! This time G started out by bringing out his toaster. He decided it would be a sufficient sacrifice since it only toasted bread. ??? We didn't care about his explanation; we joined in happily clearing his home of all the useless and semi-useless stuff. We put his toaster oven on the tracks, his old record player, a ton of bottles, some old music equipment (amps and speakers) matchbox cars, stuffed animals and even a lawn mower. That luckily got removed though before the train came by. I think it could have been a bad thing. When we were ready for the train god to pass judgment, the tracks looked like Fred Sanford’s back yard. There was junk along them for 20 feet on each side. I remember thinking, "I sure hope none of this stuff derails the train". Somehow through the beer and Tequila shots a lucid thought escaped.

Well, when the train came by this time, stuff flew everywhere! It looked like a bunch of mini-explosions. It really was cool to see. The celebration was huge again. But once again though, it was short lived. The next sacrifice needed to be planned.

This pattern continued for a couple more sacrifices until finally the thrill had gone out of it. Finally everyone left or passed out. When I woke up and walked outside to survey the mess, I was shocked! The tracks were littered with broken junk for 100 yards at least. It looked like a tornado had dumped piles of stuff onto this one stretch of tracks and no where else. The devastation was amazing to see. G came out and slowly surveyed the damage. He was silent for a long time, looking at all the stuff taken from his house and sacrificed to the train god. He stood there holding what was left of his toaster, smiled at me and said "Good thing 7-11 is nearby. I need a bagel." He then just tossed it aside and went and got a bagel at 7-11.

Looking back on these days, I truly believe there never was a 'normal' time out with G involved. It was a hell of a birthday party though. (And the shopping trip to Wal-Mart to restock G's house was another story in itself.)

What A Day!

So yesterday started out pretty OK. I wasn't at work, the worker dude showed up relatively on time, my kitty wasn't freaking out. I spent the morning doing fun stuff. Then shortly before lunch my stomach decided to do a few flip-flops for whatever reason and the entire afternoon was spent running to the bathroom to throw up.

It was fun!

By evening I felt a lot better, but by then I wasn't alone anymore. I love alone time and spending it puking wasn't my idea of a grand time. But, I wasn't at work!

Speaking of working, the guy from Lowes that did the doors was awesome. Not only did he do a great job, he was super dedicated. He took 2 very short breaks just to cool off and get a drink, but worked straight through to get the job done. He was awesome! The doors look great! *This is a recommendation for using Lowes, thank you very little. ;)

Anyway, I will be trying to catch up today. I hope to see (of a sort) you all soon.

Good Morning

So here I sit this morning, not at work but not off for something fun. We are getting a new front door installed and I get to baby-sit the worker dude. They told us it would take about 8 hours to do, so I will be home all day. It could be worse. I could be at work.

I don’t mind too much. It gives me time to catch up on some stuff I’ve been avoiding. I need to organize a few messes I’ve made in the house. I also am giving all my VHS tapes to a friend for their yard sale. I can’t play them anymore, so I may as well get rid of them. Some of them are still wrapped up in their original packaging. I got them and then saw the movie somewhere else and never watched them at home. I will make a list of the ones I want on DVD. Aren’t DVDs cool? They’re so much better than a tape.

I suppose I will have some extra blog time too. The only thing is that I don’t have high-speed Internet service at home, so I get tired of waiting for some blogs to load. I can’t see paying a fortune for the high-speed stuff at this point. Some day I probably will. At least I can comment on the Shout Boxes from home.

Our neighbor said something last night that I think is funny. She said she gets an idea for the house and goes to the store to buy what she needs for the project only to find that nothing exists yet for that project. She said, “I’m always shopping for something that doesn’t exist. I just assume it does.” That is funny to me. Maybe you had to be there.

Well, I’m off now to play with tapes. This could take a while. There are..... a few. ;)

It's Over When It's Over

A few months ago I wrote about a couple that I know who are married but really don’t like each other very much. We saw them yesterday and things are no better. Actually, things have become predictably worse.

They decided shortly after that last post that they should sell their house, suck up the ginormous profit from that, pay off debt and move to another state. They thought a new locale and new start would help their relationship. Typical stupidity in the works. There was no talking to them either. So that’s what they did.

Now, after just a few short months, their relationship is much worse. As I said earlier, predictable. Moving and starting out a new life only adds stress to an already stressful relationship. Now they are talking ‘hate’ when they argue. The worst part is that they do not shield their kids from it. They have 2 young kids that hear them fighting. I could just smash them for that bit of irresponsibility. Dumb asses.

This type of situation is so common. People, for whatever reason, can’t face the truth about where they really are in life. They instead try to find ways around facing the truth until things get so bad they can’t be ignored. It’s simple really, when something is over, it’s over. Walk away with the maturity it takes to do so, DO NOT involve the kids in the messy stuff, and begin anew. It sucks getting started, but in the long run, everyone wins.

If you think kids don’t know when parents don’t like each other, think again. Kids always can feel the truth. There is no way these 2 will ever feel stable now that they have heard their parents talking about how much they hate each other.

We have a weekend visit planned with them at the end of the month. I am not looking forward to it at all. When we are alone, I’ll get the ‘guy’ version; Nicci will get the ‘girl’ version. I hate that. I have a tendency to tell things as I see them, but this guy is in his own little world so much that he never listens anyway. I have nothing to talk with him about.

I think I’ll hang with the kiddies as much as possible. I understand them better anyway.

Drip Along Daffy

"Drip Along Daffy" is the name of the Looney Tunes Cartoon that the earlier mentioned song is from. (Previous post) Porky Pig sings it. I've been trying to get the audioblog thing to work for hours but it just won't. I think it's broken.

I just watched "Team America", the unrated directors version. I'm still trying to decide if I liked it or not. Parents, it's definitely not for kids. It is puppets and stuff, but not kids stuff. The sex scene is almost as raunchy as a porno. Some of it is worse. It was a bit different than I expected, but it did have some really funny parts. All in all, I think I just kind of liked it. I did like seeing that fat f%$# Michael Moore explode. That was very cool. We'll see how I think about it in the morning. Gotta sleep on it.

If the audioblogger is working, I'll post Porky's cool song tomorrow too. It's actually quite amusing when he sings it. Yes, I still love watching Looney Tunes on Saturday and sometimes Sunday mornings. Cartoons and Starbuck's to start the day. How can the day be bad after that?

Group Sing-A-Long

I'm having an interesting morning. One of the things making it interesting is a song I was reminded of. See if you can figure out where it came from. (This won't be easy, I don't think.)

"She's the flower of Gower Gulch
A cowpunchers sweetheart true
And her looks don't amount to much
cause one of her eyes is blue.

She' got skin like prariedog leather
She cooks nothing but chuckwagon stew
And her name is Minerva Ultch
She's the flower of Gower Gultch."

Yeah, I know, a true classic. It really is when you know where it comes from. I'd offer a prize but I wouldn't know what could possibly suffice for someone who would actually recognize this one. You'd have to have a mentality like mine to do so and that's just scary. Sometime this weekend maybe I can audioblog it.

Did I mention that I'm having an 'interesting' morning?

I Love The 70’s

I was checking out VH1 tonight between innings of the Baseball game(s) and they had a string of “I Love The 70’s” on. I love those flashback shows. Especially the 80’s ones, but I did manage to catch the 2 shows that were late 70’s. They crack me up. I started my first year of Senior High School in 1978, so a lot of this stuff I knew but managed to forget. Most of it I’m glad to have forgotten, but some is fun to remember. Here’s a short list of highlights, good & bad:

Kim Basinger in 1978 doing a commercial for beer shampoo. The shampoo actually had real beer in it. How cool is that? That wouldn’t fly today. The lawyers of the world would have a field day with it

WKRP In Cincinnati was a funny show. I had totally forgotten about it. I remember have a huge crush on Bailey and thinking that Loni Anderson was not good looking. My favorite character was Johnny Fever. I loved that guy. He was cool.

BJ & The Bear was the opposite end of the spectrum for me. That show sucked ass. A trucker driving around with a monkey and saving the world. I guess CB Radios and truckers were considered cool for a while. I never thought so. Plus, I absolutely hate any show or movie with an animal star. Bleech!

The Ginsu Knife came out in 1978. I remember being fascinated by a knife that would cut through cans. I wanted one so I could get some Pepsi’s, suck them down and carve up the cans. That had to be fun. Remember, cans back then were really cans, not aluminum.

Fantasy Island. How strange a show that was. Mr. Rourke had to be some kind of wizard or something to grant all those fantasies. I just wonder how come some real fantasies never got show time. I remember I wanted to be naked with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders on Fantasy Island. (They were really a big deal back then too.) Come to think of it, I still wouldn’t mind that fantasy.

The big question still goes unanswered; The Who or Led Zeppelin? Which is the better band? Anyone care to venture an opinion?

I remember Robert Plant being nicknamed “The Cock Rocker” He always had those super tight jeans on and he looked like he had an anaconda stuffed down into the front of them. There was a rumor going for a while that he had a sock in there during shows but I never heard of any proof.

Remember the game “Simon”? That thing drove me nuts! I would like to find one tomorrow and smash it to bits just for some relief. I could have done without that reminder.

“The Wiz” – “The Ghetto version of The Wizard Of Oz”. (Not my words. The people on the show said that.) Why do people feel the need to destroy classics like that? That movie stinks beyond stink. Funny thing though, Michael Jackson still looked human in that one. Yep, it’s that old.

“Animal House”. One of my favorite movies all time. It’s so goofy you can’t help but laugh. It also brought us the toga party and the best grocery store pick up line ever “Mines bigger than that.” (Said while holding a cucumber.) Can’t beat that.

I could write more, but it’s time to stop. Maybe soon there will be an “I Love The 80’s” show on. My memories from those years will be pretty amusing, to be sure. What I am able to remember that is.

Ice Cream For Homeruns

Meritt has a deal with her son; if he hits a homerun, he gets ice cream as a reward. I think she's a genius! I'm going to propose this idea to the Yankees. Something has to help. When you have a stacked team like New York and can't win even one game from the glorified AAA Kansas City Royals, you need some better incentives.

Think about it. A true reward worth playing hard for. Sure, they get paid a lot, but when you were a kid, what better incentive did you have than ice cream for a job well done? None. I think todays ballplayers need to get back to those types of roots. They need to remember that it is a game after all and they need to start acting like it is. They need to feel the satisfaction of playing well and enjoying doing the best they can. They need to remember what fun it is to play ball. As a reward they can have ice cream, the one reward they will remember.

Monetary rewards don't work. How could they care about a few extra hundred thousand dollars after already earning millions for sucking ass all the time? They can't. They act like it's really a job. A chore. To play a kids game, go through the motions and stink up the baseball diamonds. They need real, down home, fun type incentives. Ice cream is the answer. Maybe a Baby Ruth reward for a good defensive play or an Oh Henry! candy bar thrown in there for good sportsmanship too.

Yep, those guys need to remember just what it is they're doing out there. Playing. The Yankees look like they know exactly what they are doing; earning lots of money for a job not so well done.

They need some ice cream.

Geek Wars II

LAH posted something about Imperial Stormtroopers at the Renaissance Festival in Tennessee. Apparently there are people dressing as Klingons and Star Wars Stormtroopers at the Renaissance Festival. ??? Does this sound a little odd to anyone else? Aren't there conventions where sci-fi costumes are OK, almost mandatory? I really can't get past the utter geekdom of someone dressing in Star Wars gear to go to a Ren festival.

I could actually see Klingons fitting in better though. They are all about honor and warrior stuff, like the Knights Of The Round Table. We all know the Stormtroopers weren't known as honorable anything. Just shooters for the Evil Empire. I think if King Arthur had his choice, he'd have hired the Klingons for some medieval butt-kicking. He could trust them to be honorable anyway. He would have been insulted by the Stormtroopers showing up looking to get in on the grail search. You know they would just have stolen it anyway and given it to ole Darth. Yeah, the Klingons are a better fit, but truthfully, neither group belongs.

What would possess someone to do that anyway? Do they not understand history any better than that? Are they just so into their fantasy life that they can't go anywhere in public without their disguises? I really don't get it, and obviously they don't either.

"Yo, super geeks, when you go to a Renaissance Festival you are supposed to respect the theme there. You have plenty of real opportunities to geek out at Star Wars, Star Trek and Sci-Fi conventions that you don't need to show your ass elsewhere. Those are some of my favorite places too, but a Renaissance Festival is for Renaissance attire. Sheesh!"

I just don't understand people sometimes.

I Suck At Ebay

I really can't get the hang of buying stuff on Ebay. I always get screwed. Well, maybe not always, but a lot.

Last night I was trying to be really attentive to something I was bidding on. I watched it until there was less than a minute left and I was winning still. I even added a lot to my 'maximum bid amount' 5 minutes before the end just to be sure that I would win.

So I check it and there are 37 seconds left. I'm feelin the sweet anticipation of winning the auction. Next thing I know the bidding has ended and some butthead had outbid me. With 37 seconds left and they had to add at least $10.00 to win! Damn. I suck.

This isn't the first time it's happened either. As recently as last week it happened too. I guess I'm just not cut out for this kind of thing.

Admiration From Afar

I really admire my neighbors. The ones 2 doors down from me. That doesn’t sound like a big deal really. It is though because of why I’m saying it.

The reason I admire them so much is the way they appear to be content with their chosen life. They are younger than me and they have one little girl who just turned a year old. She is the most adorable little girlie who smiles and giggles at me every time I talk with her. I love to see them walking down the path behind our house together or strapping the kid on the back of their bikes to go riding. They just seem like the perfect couple in a lifestyle they are totally content living. I am envious.

I’m not a family making type person by any means. That is well documented. I am also not easily contented. Truthfully, it is the opposite with me. I am the second most restless person on the face of the Earth. I also have the attention span of a gnat. So when I see people who are where they want to be and are happy, I admire them greatly. I don’t know how you get to that place, but I love seeing it happen.

I really like my neighbors and wish them and their little sweetie all the best. I also will always feel a little jealous because they are happy where they are. I’ll never figure out how to be that way. I’m neither sad about it nor bitter. It’s just a fact for me. Not a problem, just a fact.

I think people like my neighbors are put on this Earth as an example for people like me. Luckily my attention span is limited. That way I don’t get any silly ideas about trying to change my ways. No coulda-shoulda-woulda’s here. I yam what I yam what I yam, as Popeye would say. That’s enough of a burden for any one person to try and bear.

Ian And The Blogger Ladies.....

..... it's all about the accent. :)

Curious Little Boys

Last night Nicci called me to the window to see these 2 little boys outside. At first I thought they were doing something funny or something, she was so insistant that I come and see. They were both about 5-6 years old. When I got to the window I noticed that one boy was pointing to the others butt. Next thing I knew, the second boy dropped his drawers and bent over. I thought this was strange until something stranger happened. The first little boy knelt down with his face really close to the naked butt and looked like he was sniffing. Then he leaned back and started poking his finger at the bumhole.

Next thing I knew, they had switched positions and the inspection was done again by the second boy. I was feeling a bit weirded out by this. Then they both pulled down their pants and proceeded to pee into the neighbors garden. Then the original kid layed down with his pants down and the other kid started lookibg at his penis.

These kids weren't trying to hide or anything. They were right out in the common area in full view of anyone and everyone. I was still weirded out by it. I don't remember being that kind of curious when I was little. Nicci wondered about the first little boy maybe being taught those things by someone who shouldn't be teaching them. I don't know. Is this normal behavior for 5-6 year olds?

We did talk to the one boys Mom about it. They live 2 doors away and we know them well. I gotta wonder sometimes.