Friday Night

This has actually been a quiet week, here in Alville, something that doesn't happen very often. When we first got together, we were both riding the merry-go-round, but we knew if we got together, it would not continue.

What we decided was, that instead of the merry-go-round, we would attempt to ride the roller coaster. We will hang on tight to each other and scream like hell in the corners.

We have survived so far, but it has not been easy.

My mom has said "It is a testament to your love for each other that you have stayed together through all of the stuff you have been through".

Some times it seems like we have to pack a lifetime of crap into our relationship.

We will survive.

On a lighter note, on Fridays at work they serve an excellent clam chowder. I usually don't pack a lunch, because I love the chowder. That doesn't keep me from making fun of it.

I am standing in line with T, and remark "Once I got the clam".

"You know, they take a 55 gllon drum of chowder, and they drag a clam through it on a string. If you are lucky, the string breaks, and you get the clam. Once I got the clam."

People were chuckling at our conversation.

As I got in line to check out, I heard T. behind me "Hey Al, I saw the clam. I didn't get it, but I saw it."

I suggested that we should start a society. The ""I saw the Clam" society. We should print t-shirts with the slogan.

"I saw the clam."

We wondered how long it would take Management to ban us.

Flooring

In her neverending quest to make sure that I do not waste my life in unproductive pursuits like drinking beer and watching sports or even reading abook, Mrs A. has arranged for the next task that will occupy my other-than-at-work time.

Last fall she decided that we needed new flooring in the kitchen. Although I valliantly attempted to delay this major chore, we went out last week and bought new flooring for the kitchen.

It came in last night, and I went down to Home Depot and picked it up. It is sitting out in the music room, mocking me.

I suggested to Mrs A. that I should take off today to consider the best way to install this flooring. She told me that I want to stay home every day. I said that was fine with me, I could stay home every day if she insisted.

I want to go play with the new flooring, but the packages very plainly state "Not to be opened until the day of usage".

It is free floating composite flooring that snaps together like Pergo, but is made to look and feel like stone. The color is Copper Slate, which has a kinda beige background with copper colored highlights. It will go real well with the white oak cabinets and antique copper handles I put in last winter.

Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend

What Tangled web

Sometimes thing happen that are such a web of events that they just seem more than coincidental. One thing happens that causes another that causes another, and all the sudden, years later, an unexpected result comes of it that it seems there is a larger thing at work.

But I ramble. Something I am good at.

This starts quite some time ago.

My son was in the process of a trainwreck of a first marriage. I got a call, and he was being kicked out of the house by CPS. It seems his stepdaughter had accused him of peeking at her in the shower. She was 11, and hated him. I won't go into all the details or anything, but CPS in their normal heavy-handed manner decided he had to leave.

I let him move in here, knowing the allegations were probably false, but not denying something might have happened.

His first wife was a complete slob. I refused to go see my grandkids because the house was such a pig sty that I couldn't stand seeing them living like that. Instead, I babysat the kids at my house. I have wonderful memories of getting up on the weekend and sitting with them in a big chair, one on each side, drowsing in the morning sunshine while reading the Sunday funnies..

Because the house was unfit for human occupation, once my son was out of the house, they declared her an unfit mother.

By this time the girl had admitted that what she had said was not true, but it was too late. The kids had been taken by the State.

My son could not get custodey, so the kids were placed in Foster Care. I took V. Some very nice people took the two younger kids. The oldest, the daughter who started this series of events went to stay with her great grandparents. I did my best to make sure that everyone was safe and taken care of. No one else in the family seemed willing to step forward and do anything.

I tried to work with the oldest daughter, but she was totally out of control. Any time anyone tried to set limits for her, she went the other way.

She was pregnant at 14, put in a State House for kids, ran away, was taken back. I tried to get her what help she needed, but you can't help someone who won't be hepled.

Eventually we lost contact.

Some months ago she started calling here to try and get back in touch with V. By calling from an unlisted number, she eventually did. She is 18 now, employed, and engaged to be married.

We had her over, and let V. go spend the weekend with her, being very cautious the whole time.

When she was over, R. was here one time. They had stayed in some contact over the years, and since they both had troubled pasts, they hit it off.

She has memories of me being a "Kick ass" grandpa, and realized over the years I was just trying to do the best thing for her. When she bought a used car, she brought it over to me to check out. I told her it had a blown head gasket, and pointed out a couple of other things wrong with it.

She took it back to the lot with a "My grandpa says" attitude, and they agreed to fix it for free.

When she and R. got back together, she reccommended R. for a job where she worked. R. went in for an interview, and was hired.

Is it all just coincidence, or was there a larger thing at work? Bread cast upon the waters, does indeed return in time.

I don't live my life on the principal that my every attempted good deed will be rewarded, but it is fulfilling to know that some times, good comes from them.

Got nothin' here

Just another day. The most that happened today was that I went to book rooms at the Kalaloch Lodge and the prices kept coming out WAY higher than I expected.

The attack of the fine print demons.

Although this is the off season, and prices are lower in the off season, the little bitty asterisk leads to the caveat box, which says that off season prices only apply Monday thru Thursday.

Bummer.

So I either pony up the extra salad or give up on Kalaloch.

I think I'll double check the budget. I'm sure I can find a few extras in there somewhere that we can do without.

Back at it

I'm still having trouble with Blogger. For some reason, I can't add a post from work. It just won't connect to the dashboard.

At least it will now let me add comments. It wouldn't let me do that last week. Any improvement is good, I guess.

My head was still over at the Lodge. I just couldn't seem to get engaged. Good thing there wasn't a whole lot to do.

We are planning our next excursion. We ususally go to Lake Quinault fot our anniversary (April 9th) but I think we are going to go to the beach instead. There is a resort at Kalaloch that has a bunch of cabins for rent, and they are critter friendly, so Molly can come along. The rates aren''t too bad in the off season, a little over a hundred bucks a night, so it will be comparable to Lake Quinault.

The only thing to consider is that we are going to Maple Lane with Morning Light the weekend before, and we might be a little worn out.

Lake Quinault

Here are some pictures I took this morning on our morning walk.

First: Proof positive that it does sunshine in the Rain Forest. even in the Winter










The little bird in the picture is no bigger than your two thumbs put together

We saw five large salmon going up this stream. I don't think they can make itup the falls. Atleast none of them did while we were watching. The fish were about three feet long and probably wieghed around 15 lbs.

The trail along the edge of the lake. Moss growing on everything. It was so peaceful and quiet. A few birds chirping the background lap of small waves on the shore.

Very restful. Just what the doctor ordered.

We had a wonderful dinner last night. Braised salmon for two, served on a cedar plank, with Lobster mashed potatoes, and seared vegetables. A berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for desert. We waddled back to the room and went into a food coma.

V-Day

No big romantic thing today. I have reserved rooms at The Lake Quinault Lodge for the weekend. Mrs A. wanted to have a drink tonight to commemorate the 4th anniversary of my proposal, so I bought her a bottle of the best Rum I could find.

My mom is coming over to take care of V. this weekend, so Mrs A. and I can get away for a quiet weekend by ourselves. I am SO looking forward to a quiet weekend. The nice thing about going away is that you can't feel guilty about sitting around not doing anything if that was the whole purpose of your trip. We will probably go for a nice long walk in the rain, but that is about it.

And NO I'm not going to go into any detail about what other things we have planned!

New Bolgger sucks!

Basically because I had no choice, I was forced into the new blogger. I am less than happy with the results.

I cannot access my blog(s) other than at home. At times it is impossible to post comments. When I was assimilated, one of my blogs (STAR) lost significant content. STAR is the book I am working on, and Chapter One just disappeared. I have backup, but that's not the point. What if I didn't? Chaper one is just right.

Had a very nice weekend with Mrs A. I have promised to redo the floor in the kitchen. I had heard of a product that is like Prego, but in immitation stone. Only available by special order from Home Depot. A little expensive, but it is for OUR home, so on Saturday we went to take a look.

We settled on Copper Slate. It is like slate but with tan and orange colors. It will reflect the antique copper handles on the cabinets, while rflecting the Oak cabinets. It should look great. The stuff won't be available for a week to ten days, so I have a momentary respite from the honeydo list. I'm quite sure Mrs A. will find the next thing that needs to be done.

R. called today to tell me she has found a job. I am thrilled. It starts at $11.00 an hour and has full benefits. Paid sickleave and vacation, health coverage, Dental benefits. Please, God, help her through the first couple of weeks.

The whole job thing is such a weird bunch of coincidences that if I didn't already, it might make me believe in God.

More about that later.

PICS

The Peanut Queen requested that I show a couple of my pictures, since I put in my MEME the other day that I have actually sold a couple.

Most of my stuff, I give away, but here are a few I had hanging around.

The photo's aren't that great because they are in frames and there is a lot of reflection, but you can get the idea.

They are not long on pretty, but that wasn't what I was looking for.

Benjamin

This is a picture of our Grandson, Benjamin. When Mrs A. went toUtah at Christmastime, she took this picture at the airport when she was coming home.

Benjamin insisted on helping her with her luggage, so here he is with her carry-on.

The trust and innocence in those eyes almost revives my hope for mankind.

We all start out with such eyes, but over time they become jaded and untrusting.

Oh, to be able to see the world through those eyes again!

Vending Machines Promote Insanity

Every day when I get to work, I go down to the vending machines and get myself a 20 0z. Diet Coke with Lime.

Some like their caffiene warm, I like mine cold. This is not an optional activity. I NEED IT!

So I always make sure I have a couple of ones and some change. This morning I had the required $1.35, so I ambled down to the automated chaos of the vending machnes.

Everyone has had bad experiences with vending machines. Taking your money and giving you nothing, product hanging up in the machine, not giving you the right change.

My favorite was when you ordered a soda in the old machines that filled paper cups, and the cup failed to drop. You watched helplessly as the soda and then the syrup and your money went literally down the drain.

Today the vending machine took a dislike to the dollar bill I fed it. I have no idea what it didn't like about that particular bill. It was practically new, unwrinkled and seemingly free from defects.

I checked it, turned it around and tried it the other way. Still no, again, no, again, no.

In the midst of this I remembered one definition I had heard of insanity: Doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

As if by telepathy, the machine must have sensed my thoughts, because it accepted the dollar bill. Same machine, same dollar bill, same everything, different result.

Pschological studies of rats showed that the most powerful way to reinforce behavior is with a random reward/punishment system.

The rats were placed in a cage with a lever. When they pressed the lever they some times got food, sometimes got a shock, sometimes got nothing. The rats would sit there and press the lever until they collapsed from exhaustion. Even more than the rats that got rewarded every time they pressed the lever.

So in the bigger rat race we are being programmed for insanity by machines through a random punishment/reward system.

And don't tell me it's a coicidence.

MEME

I was tagged by

An Exraordinary Woman in an Ordinary life

with this MEME.

The recipient is to reveal five little known facts about his or her self. Got to put my thinking cap on for this one.

First of all: I am a published poet. Just barely. I have had several things published. Nothing extaordinary, but still, my words on paper, published by someone else. I don't count internet stuff. Some of it I have put here when I run out of anything to say.

Second: My first love tried to comitt suicide. Took a bottle of pills. It left me devestated for years. I was walking around talking and functioning, but I was in a state of suspended animation. She left a note. It wasn't me she was running from, but her parents. She was 18, I was 19. For years afterwards she was in my mind, and every time I thought of her the bottom dropped out of my stomach and my throat got tight.

Third: I have actually sold a couple of paintings. I dabble with art. I had a chance to go professional at one point, but I had a family to support, so I went for stability and a reliable paycheck. Every once in a while, I get a wild hair and drag out the art supplies and do something, but it's been a couple of years since I have done anything more advanced than doodles. One of my co-workers once compared my notepads to the journals in MYST. I love doing creative things with my hands. My latest effort was to repair a sadly damaged accoustic guitar. I carved a new nut and bridge out of mamoth ivory, reset the fretboard and restrung it.

Fourth: I am a voracious reader. I have to have something to read. If I didn't have a book, I'd read Magazines, or newspapers. If I didn't have them, I think I would read soup can labels and cereal boxes. I have read thousands of books, and my library at home contains several hundred.

Last: I proposed to Mrs A, on Valentines Day. It will be four years next Wednesday. It was at the Lake Quinault Lodge. I have reserved a room there for the weekend after Valentines Day. My mom is going to watch V. that weekend, so we will have a quiet weekend away by ourselves (With our Shi-Tzu Molly, of course). We will be in the boathouse again, since that is the only part of the lodge where you can take a pet.

Tag, you're it, whoever you are.............

What a tangled web........

Mrs. A. and I were in this e-mail war yesterday. Things worked out eventually, but it took basically all day to work things out. It took me forever to get a handle on what was going on. The twists of logic it took were Byzantine to say the least. It goes this way:

On Saturday,we went over to Mrs. A.s sisters. It was Mrs. A.s nephews birthday. On the way we stopped at Starbucks to get a gift card. Of course, Mrs A, had left all her money and credit cards at home, so I had to pay.

When I got my wallet out, Mrs A. noticed that I had a picture of my grandson in my wallet. As we arrived, she asked "Does it hurt you that I don't have a relationship with your kids?"

"Yeah, it bothers me you can't get along with them."

Wrong answer. I implied that she might have been at least partially at error.

That started off three days of unpleasantness.

We had a decent time at her sis's place.

Going to Church on Sunday, she started in on me. I asked her why she was trying to pick a fight, and got the usual female answers "If you don't know I'm not going to tell you" Very prickly day on Sunday.

Then a shitstorm of e-mails yesterday.

You don't understand. I have been hurt, you never listen to me, you think more of your daughter than you do me, blah, blah, blah.

Your daughter comes around all the time. You will come and go at her beck and call, but my daughter won't come around at all. I think she is afraid of R. and her friends.

The AHA! moment.

She hasn't seen or heard from her daughter in a couple of months. The last couple of times L. called was before Christmas, and Mrs A. refused to talk to her.

She had seen the picture of my grandson, The Inevitable E., then seen her sis's family in a nice birthday party, which got her to thinking about her daughter and her grandkids.

I sent her back a VERY carefully worded e-mail pointing out that the very last words out of L.s mouth as she left were "I miss my mom, I want my mom back"

It's too bad they don't have a phone, and we don't have their address, or I would bundle Mrs A. into the Blazer and hold her captive and drive her down to Puyallup to see the kids.

But the logic chain I had to go down to get to what was really wrong was exhausting.

Charlie Musselwhite

Friday night was the Charlie Musselwhite show at the Kirkland Performance Center. Charlie and his band are on tour to promote his new CD "Delta Hardware Co." the CD has been nominated for eight Handy awards.

The show was everything I expected and more.

First of all, Charlie is Charlie, and if you know enough about Blues to hook up to one of his shows, you are going to get what you expect to get. He is comsumately Professional. He can take a simple piece of steel and reeds and turn it into a mighty communication tool of magical proportions. The thing about any CD is that it doesn't have the soul of the moment in it. The solos, audience participation. Even a live album can't really catch the essence of the moment.

What surprised me was the quality of his band. They were excellent, Chris "Kid" Andersen is an amazingly accomplished guitarists, and his solos brought as much response from the audience as did Charlie's. The drummer and bass player provided solid backup.

The only things that were not perfect were the sound system, which had some feedback problems, and the fact that although they were on stage for an hour and a half, I WANTED MORE!!!

Not Half Bad

Mrs A. and I have been going to counseling for the last six months or so. It's not that our relationship is bad, it's that there has been soooo much CRAP going on around us that we needed some help staying focused and some validation that the things we were doing were the right things.

Last night was probably our last visit, unless some big crisis slinks over the horizon. Things are going OK. Not that everything is OK, just that we are comfortable with our ability to handle them. The counselor was a big help. He actually enjoyed seeing us, because we were a rare exception, a couple who was pulling together and obviously cared very much for each other, but just were going through some tough times.

So afterwards we went to Redmond Town Center for dinner. It was nice, although the restaraunt was awfully crowded for a weeknight.

Tonight we are going to the Kirkland Performing Arts Center to see Charlie Musselwhite. He is a killer blues harmonica player who has been around forever. I've never seen him in person before although I have three of his CDs. We have also never been to this venue before, so it ought to be a trip.

Hope y'all have a great weekend, and in the words of that 60s band, Canned Heat:

"Don't Froget To Boogie!"

Just Keep Marching

R. came by last night to pick up her summons and I had to take her to where she had been staying to pick up her stuff, which she put in my basement with her other stuff.

She had to sort out her stuff and pick out the stuff she needed to take with her. She was offered a job at The Cheesecake Factory, but had to turn it down because she has no place to stay. It hurt like hell to drop her off at the bus station, not knowing where she was going.

Sometimes we just march. We plod. We stare at the back of the guy in front of us and place one foot in front of the other, more out of inertia than intent. No real destination, direction unknown. The journey becomes the destination. The process becomes the intent. As long as we keep marching, things will eventually work out. Determination trumps incentive.

So we keep our head down and march.

Chronic Chaos

Yesterday when I got the mail, there was a summons for R.

She got a DWI last year and is still working through the Courts. I guess she has to show up for something or the other this week.

She got a job offer, but turned it down because she doesn't have anyplace to stay right now, plus has the court date. I am not real clear what happened where she was staying. I am supposed to help her go get her stuff tonight and I'll find out. I'll give her the Summons while I'm at it.

We received notice last week about the "sudden and tragic" death of a co-worker. I had worked with the guy about ten years ago. He was my Functional Manager. Everyone speculated all week long what had happened.

The Services were last Friday, and it was suicide.

He was only 47, and left a couple of kids and a wife. He had this big booming laugh, and seemed find the humor in just about every situation. We had attended some of the same meetings recently, and he seemed to be the same as he always had been. It was a real shock that such a vital seemingly happy guy with friends in many countries would choose to pull his own string. I admit that it jarred me.

His wife got up at the funeral, and without being specific, said that he was carrying some burdens he could not divest himself of, and didn't know how to get help, so he chose the only exit he could figure out.

What a shame.

Attitude

I have an attitude problem this morning.

I got it from Mrs. A.

The dog woke her up at 1:00 wanting to go out, so she got up and took the dog out. While she was up, she noticed that the garbage had not been taken out. I know because she woke me out of a sound sleep to tell me.

I went right back to sleep.

So when I woke up this morning, it was the first thing I heard from her. V. didn't take out the garbage. Before I was even out of bed. She pushed past me and knocked on his door, and in her very best fishwife screech started in on him.

When she came in the bathroom, I suggested that there was perhaps a better way to handle it than screeching, it was like throwiing gasoline on a campfire. It was perhaps not the smartest thing I have done recently. What can I say? It was zero dark thirty and I am not at my best when I first wake up.

When she got around to the part where she always has to be the one to get V. to do anything, I told her that I do my fair share in that department, she claimed sole ownership of the territory, so I asked "So I am a liar as well?"

Once again, not the best move.

Not the way I wanted to start the week.

Busy

I've been in meetings most of the time, or in between meetings, so I haven't had a lot of time to blog or comment.

I'm sure glad tomorrow is Friday, cause I'm about worn out.

I don't think we have anything planned for this weekend, but next weekend will be busy. I have enough chores around the house to keep me busy for months.

Between my oral surgery and having the crud, I haven't accomplished much in the last couple of months.

Sitting here listening to Charlie Musselwhite's "Delta Hardware" CD. Next weekend he is coming to town. I'm really looking forward to seeing him.

Catch you on the rebound.

Getaway

Mrs A. is getting cabin fever. She had it REAL bad when we had all the snow and cold, and is a little better now that the cold and ice is gone, but she just wants to get away.

So I booked us for a weekend at the Lake Quinault Lodge (http://www.visitlakequinault.com/) for the weekend following Valentines Day. I proposed to her at the lodge on Valentines Day, so I figure I will make double bonus points, and a temporary immunity to the honeydo list. Not that I have ulterior motives or anything.

I also agreed to take the condo on the Oregon Coast for a week in September. We will have to figure out what to do with V. for that week, but can always take him along if we HAVE to.

So now Mrs A. has a couple of things to look forward to. She will function a lot better if she has some rewards to think about.

R. came over last night to get some dressier clothes, because she is going to a Government Job Fair today. I sure hope she gets something.

She looked a lot better than she has. Her life seems to be stabilizing. I took her to Chang's Mongolian Grill to eat. She can be such an attractive, personable young lady when she chooses. Or such a hideous viscous bitch. It's like the old poem:

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle
Of her forehead

And when she was good
She was very good indeed
And when she was bad
She was horrid.

BEWARE!

Number One Idiot of 2006
I am a medical student currently doing a rotation in toxicology at the poison control center. Today, this woman called in very upset because she caught her little daughter eating ants. I quickly reassured her that the ants are not harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the hospital. She calmed down and at the end of the conversation happened to mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to
kill the ants. I told her that she better bring her daughter into the emergency room right away.
Here's your sign, lady. Wear it with pride.
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Number Two Idiot of 2006
Early this year, some Boeing employees on the airfield decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home. Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator beacon that activated when the raft was inflated. They are no longer employed at Boeing.
Here's your sign, guys. Don't get it wet; the paint might run.
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Number Three Idiot of 2006
A man, wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America, walked into the Branch and wrote "this: Put all your muny in this bag." While standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the police before he reached the teller's window. So he left the Bank of America and crossed the street to the Wells Fargo Bank. After waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo teller. She read it and, surmising from his spelling errors that he wasn't the brightest light in the harbor, told him that she could not accept his stickup note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America.
Looking somewhat defeated, the man said, "OK" and left.
He was arrested a few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at Bank of America.
Don't bother with this guy's sign. He probably couldn't read it anyway.
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Number Four Idiot of 2006
A motorist was unknowingly caught in an automated speed trap that; measured his speed using radar and photographed his car. He later received in the mail a ticket for $40 and a photo of his car. Instead of payment, he sent the police department a photograph of $40. Several days later, he received a letter from the police that contained another picture, this time of handcuffs. He immediately mailed in his $40.
Wise guy ... but you still get a sign
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Number Five Idiot of 2006
A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all of the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of Scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said, "Because I don't believe you are over 21." The robber
said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because she didn't believe him. At this point, the robber took his driver's license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and she put the Scotch in the bag. The
robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested the robber two hours later.
This guy definitely needs a sign.
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Idiot Number Six of 2006
A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers.
The first one shouted, "Nobody move!" When his partner moved, the startled first bandit shot him.
This guy doesn't even deserve a sign
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Idiot Number Seven of 2006
Arkansas: Seems this guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back knocking him unconscious.
It
seems the liquor store window was made of Plexi-Glass. The whole event was caught on videotape. Yep, Here's your sign!
(Please note that all of the above people are allowed to vote) ________________________________________________________________________
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IDIOTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road.
The reason: "Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore."
From Kingman, KS
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IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE:
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the
person behind the counter for "minimal lettuce." He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg. He was a Chef? Yep ... From Kansas City!
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IDIOT SIGHTING:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?
To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?"
He smiled knowingly and nodded, "That's why we ask."
Happened in Birmingham , Ala.
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IDIOT SIGHTING:
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when its safe to cross the street I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, "What on earth are blind people doing driving?!"
She was a probation officer in Wichita, KS ___________________________________________________
IDIOT SIGHTING:
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to" downsizing." Our manager commented cheerfully, "This is
fun. We should do this more often." Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.
This was a bunch at Texas Instruments.
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IDIOT SIGHTING:
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her own life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.
A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office no less.
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IDIOT SIGHTING:
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our
car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the drivers
side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "its open!" His reply, "I know - I already got that side."
This was at the CHEVY dealership in Canton, Mississippi!
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STAY ALERT!
They walk among us .. and they REPRODUCE!!!
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Well, I declare

Winter to be over.

As of now I have cancelled the rest of winter and declared it to be Very Early Spring.

One of the things I have been known to say, is that I miss Winter, Seattle only usually having two seasons: the warm rainy season, and the cold rainy season. Every once in a while we have a dry season (also known as August). Very seldom do we have Winter.

One of the advantages of living in Latteland is that if you want to go to winter, Snoqualmie Pass is less than an hour away. People strap boards on their feet and go fall down mountains and break various appendages all the time.

But down here in civilization, we generally avoid the symptoms of true winter, like snow and ice except for an occasional temper fit by the Frost Queen or her toady nephew, Jack. Well, they have proved that they have some sway over conditions.

Fine, they proved their point. Now they can go the hell back where they belong.

So I have decided that Winter is over.

At Last!

It din't freeze last night!

Woohoo!

Mrs A. drove herself to work this morning.. I have been taking her in for several days because she is scared of the snow and ice. She panics if the car does anything but what she wants. She gets white-knuckled just riding in the car when I am driving. I must admit that I occasionally blip the gas pedal intentionally just to get her attention.

The other night we were going down the street in Renton, and there wasn't another car in sight. I dropped the car out of four wheel drive and blipped the gas pedal, and we started spinning in a circle. We ended up pointing the wrong way on a one way street.

I think Mrs A. had an accident.

I know, I'm bad.

More of the Same

Well, it's snowing again. It really doesn't bother me all that much, but Mrs A. is about to drive me nuts (short trip, huh?). She is getting very restless.

She is pretty independent, and having to sit around at home, or rely on my for transportation is driving her nuts, so she feels obliged to pass it along.

I brought my iPod docking station/stereo to work today. I have loaded about 70 CDs on the iPod. What used to take up one full drawer of my desk is now taken up by a little black 1" X 3" X 1/4" piece. I have only used less than half of the storage space on th iPod. Gonna have to go CD shopping.

First thing I did this morning was step outside and step on an insidious terrorist patch of ice lurking under some seemingly innocent snow, and next thing I knew I was laying on my back at the bottom of the steps. Pure as new fallen snow? HAH! Beware .

As I lay there on my back with snow falling in my face, I confess to having some negative thoughts.

Nothing is seriously hurt, but I am probably going to have a couple of technicolor bruises.

I am ready for winter to be over.

Any time now.

I'm waiting........

New Toy

I finally managed to break out the Huskies and dogsled and mush down to Fry's to spend my Christmas money.

I bought an iPod Nano 8 gig MP3 player, and a docking station/stereo.

I spent a good part of Saturday recording CD's on my laptop and then on to the i-Pod. I put on twenty some albums, and only used about 1/6 of the memory. Tonight I will bring home a bunch of CDs from work and load those. Then I suppose I'll need to go but some new music.

The only problem with it is that you have to have iTunes to use it, or it has to be compatible. My boom box at work has an MP3 port, but it still won't play my iPod because I can't download iTunes.

I downloaded Jonny Lang's new CD (Turn Around) at home and am listening to it as I type this. I really like it. It is consideraby cheaper to get it on-line than at the store. Ten bucks as opposed to fifteen. I know some think it is stupid too pay anything, since you can download it for free from one of the pirated music sites. I think it is unethical to steal music, and so far I have never done that, although I do copy CD's.

On the other hand, the weather is still freezing. It briefly got above freezing yesterday, and it wasn't as cold last night as it has been. But to counterballance that, they are predicting more of the white stuff tomorrow.

I want to hear about this Global Warming stuff again.

Not too bad

Mrs A. wanted to have a ride to work today, so I had to get up a couple of hours early. The streets weren't bad at all.

Mrs A. knew I was not real happy about having to drive her around when to my perception there really isn't a problem. She promised me a little something special for running her around.

Last night I went out to get pellets for the pellet stove, but the place was closed. There was a sign on the doors that said they had closed early due to inclemment weather. I'll probably wait until Saturday to get more pellets, and get a ton. That will take two trips, but will probably last the rest of the winter (assuming that this eskimo weather doesn't persist).

It's been a challenging week, and I am sure glad it is Friday.

Drenching rain, hurricane force winds, arctic cold.

What the heck is next, a twister?

(knock on wood)

There's No Business Like Snow Business

I want to know what the f*ck we did to piss off the weather Gods up here in Latteland.

First we had November, which set an all time record for rainfall.

The we had the December wind storm that left large areas of Western Latteland without power for several days. It did a record amount of damage.

Last night we had a real nasty snow storm. Mrs A. and I had an appointment at Group Health in Bellevue at 5:00 last night. As we turned off of 405 to head East on 520, I said "I just saw a snowflake!" it was corn snow, and by the time we had gone the couple of miles to Group Health, the road was white.

When we got out, it was a mess. It took us about a half an hour to get there. It took us three and a half hours to get back home.

We have about six inches of new snow this morning. The temperatures are dropping, so tonight all that water will be turning to ice.

Mrs A. stayed home, but I went to work. Lots of empty parking spaces here at the Lazy B. It should be a quiet day.

When I got here I called her to tell her that I had arrived in one piece, she wanted to know if I would come home at lunch time and give her a ride to work.

I bought her a $30,000.00 four wheel drive SUV so she could get around, and she won't drive in the snow. I can't decide whether to be impressed by her common sense, or pissed at her for her reticence.

Well, I got to go sacrifice a goat to the weather Gods.

Generator

So here is the generator I bought last night. When I got to the dealer, they had it serviced and ready to go. Choke it a little, one pull and it was off and running. The showed me how to operate it.

I should show Mrs A. how to run it I guess. On the low setting it will run for 15 1/2 hours on a tank of gas.

It is small and light enough that I can pick it up with one hand. It will come in real handy when we go camping.

There was a light dusting of snow when we got up this morning. I woke up at 4:00 this morning and looked out the window to check, and it was bare. When Mrs A. got up at 5:oo she came right back upstairs and said "Uh, honey, take a look outside."

Sure enough, Jack Frost had crapped in the street.

Luckily, by the time I rolled out, it had pretty much turned to mush.

They are saying it will be pretty cold for the next couple of dys, getting down into the low 20s and high teens at night, and "warming up" into the low 30's in the afternoon.

If I wanted that stuff, I would have stayed in Idaho.

Blog Frustration

I had a very busy day today at work, so time to hit the blogs was at a premium. So of course Blogger was being updated, and every time I tried to comment, my comment just disappeared into the ether. I just gave up after the third attempt.

We are expecting a snowstormm tonight, so I went out and bought a generator after work tonight. I bought a super silent Honda 2000. A little moe expensive, but very small and light. I can carry it with one hand, so we can take it camping, and it's quiet enough that it shouldn't disturb people around us.

I heard fromm R. and she is living in Black Diamond and working for a property management company. It is a temp job, but a lot of times temp jobs can work into something permanent. I hope, I hope, I hope.

Stayin' Home

One of the things I learned this weekend is that I can't take Percocet and still blog. Oh, if it was absolutely necessary, I probably could. I just couldn't work up the determination and concentration necessary. Much easier to just roll over on the couch.

Another thing is that I don't sleep. I kinda float between consciousness and sleep. Not in one world nor in the other. Not a bad place to be, except when the dreams get weird, and you have a hard time distinguishing what is real and what is not. But then, some of us have that problem even without the drugs (like our President, for example).

My face is still pretty swollen, and I am in a moderate amount of pain, but I decided not to take any Percocet.

At least until I get this posted.

I also need to run to the store for smokes. I have only smoked two cigarettes in the last couple of days, and I feel a nocotine fit coming on, so I need to do that before I take any pain medication, because I really shouldn't drive if I take some.

I was watching the news this morning, and there was a film clip of someone in a Tigger costume punching a kid in the face. Of course the parents of the teen are suing. I figure the kid probably had it coming. Way to go Tigger!

TTFN

Disclaimer

I find that if I go very slow, operating the keyboard is not beyond my capabilitiess.

Logic may be a completely different thing.

Percocet makes me dizzy, and a little confused, and shaky. Other than that, I'm doing fine. My lower left jaw is numb enough that it doesn't bother me too much, bt just enough that I know it is there. TV is about as complex as yougrt, so I can follow that, but whats the point.

I took a couple of Halcion before the operation. It was weird. Walking around in a rreal fog. All I wanted to do was sleep. and that's what I did. Came home and hit the rack for severl hours. So dizzy I can barely walk around.

Time to see if I am capable of doing anything else.

Good News/Bad News

Tomorrow I go in for oral surgery. This is the fourth and final oral surgery. Because of my diabetes, I have poor circulation in my gums, which means I am prone to infections. The way to eliminate this is go in and remove some of the gum tissue to eliminate the "Pockets" I have had this procedure done on three of the four quadrants in my mouth.

Tomorrow is the fourth and final stage. The alternative was to have em' all yanked and go with dentures. That's for old people, and I'm only 58. I'll fight to keep what I have. Once they start removing things, where does it stop?

"Mr. Warren, you have an infarcted toenail, we need to remove your leg."

Or

"You have an aggravated bilateral hangnail, the arm needs to go, up to the elbow."

NO. They are mine, I'll fight for them.

So I get a couple of days of laying around, high on Percocet, trying to read. I picked up "Forever Odd" by Dean Koontz yesterday, so if I can focus and put together a train of thought, I'll have something to read.

Sometimes the dreams are wierd.

Who knows what evil?

I am currently reading "Red Dragon", which is a precursor to "Silence of the Lambs". Hannibal Lector is the scariest villian EVER. The book was a Christmas present from V., and he knew how much I liked the latter. And although I had seen the movie, I had not read the book for "Red Dragon".

I love a good scary movie or book. Oh, I don't mean one of the grossout blood and guts cheap immitations of a scary movie. Or as I like to refer to them "Don't go in the Basement" movies.

"Silence of the Lambs" is both a good book and a good movie, and although there are a couple of gory moments, they are not the focus of the movie.

"Red Dragon" is not quite as good, but still better than most.

The absolute best book for giving me the creeps is "Pet Cemetery" by Steven King. I found the book genuinely disturbing. The kind of book that made me so uneasy that I had to ask myself "Why am I reading this?"

After "Red Dragon" maybe I'll go reread a nice Louis LAmour.

Back in the Saddle Again

Back to the grind. Oh well, at least I have a job I enjoy most of the time. I am kinda pissed that I ended up with the crud over the Holidays. I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to get done over the break. The only thing I really accomplished was to get the computer moved over to V's room. I still need to get the room cleaned up and organized.

I did get the tree taken down and the Christmas Town put away.

My New Years Resolution was to not make a New Years Resolution. Which I made, and therefore broke.

Happy New Year

Hope everybody's evening was fun and safe. I quit going out on New Years Eve quite some time ago. Too many crazy people out there.

So we didn't do much of anything. Sat around and watched a little TV. I am playing a Fantasy Strategy game (Heroes of Might and Magic V), so I played some of that on my new laptop.

I am still fighting the crud. Getting up tomorrow and going off to work will be a challenge.

I feel a nap coming on.

Feelin' better, feelin' bad

I heard fromm R yesterday. She is actually getting her stuff together. She has been in touch with Social Services, has gotten a health card, got signed up for food stamps and a temporary housing thing.

Finally she is doing somethng positive for herself!

I felt a little better yesterday, so I took V. down to the Mall so he could spend his Christmas money.

I bought a couple of CDs. Eric Clapton/JJ Cale. It's OK but nothing to get too excited about I'll know better after about the 10th time I hear it.

The other is a Charley Musselwhite (Delta Hardware Co). I am listening to it now, and it sounds REAL good so far. If you like blues harmonica.

Which I do.

Musselwhite is coming to town in Feb, and I have tickets.

After eating a soft beef taco, V. and I went to see Eragon. Pretty good movie. V. was disappointed because they left out a lot of the book, which he absolutely loved. But if you went into it without any expectations, it was well put together and entertaining. A couple of hours went by real quick.

Some of the special effects and animation were pretty damn skookum.

On the other hand, the virus is whacking the snot out of me.

Litterally.

I was supposed to go over to my Mom's today and hook up her new phones, but I didn't feel up to it, and when I called she told me to just stay away until I got better.

BLLEEAAACCHHH

I had plans. Big plans.

I was going to do stuff and go places. Really I was.

But the fact that my nose was leaking, my eyes were watering, I couldn't breathe without hacking up a half a lung convinced me it was better for civilization in general if I stayed home today. Who knows, if I had gone to the Mall, I might have infected hundreds of people, who would havve infected hundreds of others until the whole of ccivvilization as we know it would have been brought to it's knees. I just couldn't risk having that on my conscience.

I got up with Mrs A. this morning and sent her off to her serfdom at BECU, but I slithered back in bed and slept until 10:00.

My Mom had asked for telephone equipment for Christmas, so that's what she got. I was supposed to go down and install it all today. I called her up and even before I could tell her I was sick, she up and says "You don't sound so good, are you sick or something, cause if you are don't bring it down here to me!"

So I confessed and begged off until Friday. I took Molly for a walk and got the mail, and that was the only two times I was out of the house all day. I feel a lot better tonight.

I better be, cause I got things to do. Big plans.

Home remedy

The Jambalaya is cooking on the stove. The wonderful smell permeates the house. I haven't made Jambalaya from scratch in a long time. Ever since I discovered Zatarains boxed mix. It is almost as good, and a whole heck of a lot easier to make.

Jambalaya is my all purpose currative. Good for dang near anything. Just spicy enough to get you to break out in a light sweat. Cajun Penicillin.

There was a time that I subscribed to the Cowboy Crud Remedy: Put your hat on the foot of the bed. Drink until you see two hats. Blackberry Brandy seemed to work best, but now that stuff is way too sweet for my diabetic body.

It's Christmas!

Today was a very quiet day. Mrs A. and I are both not feeling well. She gave me a little something special for xmas.

It came in a very small package.

It is called a virus.

She seems to be doing better now that her native mosses have been rehidrated. Unfortunately, she has to go to work tomorrow.

I have all of next week off. I don't like having all of the time off lumped up now, because it means after the Hollidays, I don't have an official day off until Memorial Day.

Nice quiet day at home. We talked a lot and cleared things up. I made clear to her my commitment to her, and things are a lot better.

Never heard from R. She is off doing her thing, whatever that might be. She told me she has no friends and nowhere to go. Maybe that ought to send her a message.

The bottom line is that what she needs, I can't give her.

I need to take care of myself, and Mrs A and V.

Next Christmas will be better.

Christmas Eve Eve

Mrs A. is home at last. I missed her terribly while she was gone.

She has a miserable cold or sinus infecction. She sounds terrible, but I'm still glad to see her.

So she wasn't at the family Christmas Eve party. Neither was one of my nephews and his wife. They were sick, as was his younger brother.

And of course R. was not around. Her last words to me were "I'm going to go get a gun and blow my brains out." I told her to go check herself into a clinic, that the kind of help she needed, I couldn't provide.

This will probably not be my favorite Christmas ever.

On a more positive note, I tasted Turducken for the first time. In case you dont know, it is a deboned chicken inside a deboned duck, inside a deboned turkey. It was good, but to me personally, not worth the time and expense.

Have one for me if you're having one,.

Christmas Eve

Well, Christmas Eve morning, acctually.

Yesterday was another challenging day in a string of challenging days. Today will be better. It had better be, or I want my money back.

Mrs. A flies back from Utah this afternoon. She managed to catch herself a dandy of a headcold or sinus infection. The cold dry air went straight to her sinuses.

It's going to be a busy morning. Yesterday afternoon, I made a batch of egg rolls, but I need to cook some of them up for our family Christmas Eve celebration. It took me about three and a half hours to roll 123 egg rolls, but then I didn't have anything better to do.

I am typing this on my new laptop. It's a HP with a 17" widescreen, full size keyboard and 10 key, and wireless internet card. Now I can blog from just about anywhere.

My family celebration starts at 1:00, and I have to clean the house, do some laundry, take Molly for a walk, and cook eggrolls, so I can pick up my mom at 12:30.

To quote Tigger, that Icon of instability,

TTFN

Batchin' it

Mrs A. is with her son and his family in Utah now. She called last night after she got there to let me know things had gone fine. She was so proud of herself. Five years ago I don't think she would have been able to travel by herself. I just hope I haven't help create a monster.

It was so wierd this morning. I mean, our mornings are so ritualized. She gets up at 5:15, goes down and watches Joyce Meyers, lets Molly out to pee, and comes up to take a shower. I get up at 6:00, and she will just be getting out of the shower. When I get out of the bathroom, it's downstairs to take my medication, collect my badge and cell phones. Kisses and out the door.

Except that this morning it was all different.

I stood there by the front door with a vague feeling of discomfort because a large piece of the morning ritual was missing.

Molly, the Shi-Tzu, is neurotic. She is "sensitive". If she sees the suitcases come out, she gets all wound up. When I took Mrs A. out to the airport last night, when I got home, the dog had been sick, pooed and peed inside and looked like she was expecting to be beaten. We don't beat the dog, ever.

So I sat down in the recliner, and she jumped up next to me and lay down and didn't budge for at least an hour. After an hour of reassurance, she went and got her toy and brought it too me, and we played for about 45 minutes, at which point she pointed out that her dish was empty. She followed me around all night, no doubt making sure I wasn't going to disappear on her.

Whe Mrs A. and R. had their fight, Molly spent most of the next week hiding behind the speakers in the Music Room. She kept barfing and developed diahrea, and we ended taking her to the vet. I think it was just nerves.

Today is the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year. up here in the Northern tier, that translates to about eight hours of daylight.

It is also my last day of work this year.

YEEEE-HAW

Tranks a lot

Mrs. A. is leaving for Utah tomorrow night, and she is as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. She can hardly sit still. She is taking off a half a day today, and her flight leaves tomorrow at 3:00.

This will be the first time in her life she has travelled by herself, and she is a little intimidated. No, make that terrified. We have done a quite a bit of travelling since we got hitched, so it isn't as intimidating as it used to be, but she is still VERY uncomfortable. I honestly believe that five years ago she would have been unable to do it.

I will just advise her to just take another Zoloft and float through the whole thing. Or if I can get through Security, we will check in and go find a cocktail lounge and I will buy her a couple of stiff ones to settle her down.

But I think one way or the other she will need to be tranquilized.

Aftermath

The storm was on Thursday, and today is Monday. There are still 1/4 million people in the Greater Seattle area without power.

Plus the temperatures have dipped into the low 30's and high 20's, and it is expected to stay cold for the next couple of days.

It is very hit and miss as far as power goes. You'll be driving down the street and there will be power on one side of the street, none on the other.

There are no generators to be bought anywhere. We were out and about on Saturday, and just out of curiosity I asked everywhere I went. They had pretty much sold out first thing Friday morning.

The check I was expecting came in Saturday, a couple of days late to do me any good. I had Mrs A. deposit it this morning. Vinnie and I may go down to Fry's tomight. For Christmas he wants to get RAM for the computer. I am going to get a new computer with part of the money, so my old computer will become his. He plays a lot of WARCRAFT on it, and has a problem with lag. We will go talk to the computer geeks and see if upgrading the RAM will improve performance. I think that once it is his, if he gets rid of the thirty shortcuts on the desktop, it will improve the performance. I am trying to decide if I want a desktop or a laptop Each has it's advantages.

I understand that my two brothers are still without power. I guess that's what happens when you move out far enough where there are trees all around. They have generators, so they will get by. At least as long as they have gas...

Back in The 21st Century

Our power came back on this morning about 5:00. Last evening was a travel back in time. By the time I got home from work and checking to make sure my mom was OK, it was dark.

People were crazy out there. Gas lines were a block long, traffic was bumper to bumper, and tempers were short.

A lot of people seem to operate by the Chicken Little Philosophy. Every little bump in the road is the end of Civilization as we know it.

We had purchased three wind-up flashlights for our trip to Mexico last Summer, and they served us well to get the camping gear out and the candles and all that. I have an 1890s oil lamp that I keep ready to go for just such times. It works just fine.

So I broke out the Coleman two burner propand stove to cook with, the hurricane lamp to see by, and a battery powered rado that does AM, FM, CB, and TV. We sat and listened to the TV news on the radio, talked, and Mrs A. wrapped Christmas presents by candle light.

The only problem was that we had no heat, but early to bed and a good down comforter took care of that.

Two bodies in close proximity sharing heat both stay warmer, as well as providing all sorts of entertaining possibilities.

I have been intending to buy a generator. I sold some shares in Boeing and have been waiting fot the check to come in. Of course the check came in today.

I will probably go ahead and buy a generator, thereby guaranteeing that the power will not go out again for the next ten years.

Blown Away

Contrary to what you might have learned on the news, the entire Greater Seattle area has NOT, I repeat NOT been blown North into Canada. Some of the landscape has been rearranged slightly, however.

Right now there are over a million people in the Puget Sound area without power. My house is one of them. I don't know where the fault is, but it is probably a tree across the lines somewhere close.

Mrs A. asked me if I was going to work. I replied "It is dark and cold here. At work it will be warm and lighted and I can get a hot cup of coffee."

We are opperating on about a half crew today. The work hasn't slowed down, just the available bodies to do something about it.

Gotta run. Work beckons.

Bobbit Update

In a recent news broadcast, it was announced that Lorena Bobbitt's sister Louella was arrested for an alleged attempt to perform the same act on her husband as her famous sister had done several years ago. Sources reveal the sister was not as accurate as Lorena. She allegedly missed the target and stabbed her husband in the upper thigh causing severe muscle and tendon damage. The husband is reported to be in serious, but stable condition, and Louella has been charged with.....

A Misdewiener! !

You know darn well you're going to send this on to somebody

How Far Would You Go?

Aimlessly wandering around the Internet I came across a story about how the worlds tallest man was used to rescue a couple of dolphins. http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2006/12/14/541607.html.

The dolphins had ingested some plastic and were in gastro-intestinal distress. Conventional means of removing the plastic had failed. So they enlisted the worlds talles man to come in and reach down their throats and retrieve the plastic (At least I assume that was the shorter route).

Good thing it wasn't a whale.

So, how far would yo goo to aid an animal in distress?

Aftermath

I can't believe I ate the whole thing..........

Well, it was all you can eat.....

Our counseling appointment went very well yesterday afternoon. We both got something we needed, and Mrs A. got some insight into her own behavior that really struck home. The Therapist provided us with some suggestions which were very helpful. He always provides a perspective from a little outside the situation, so his insights are always useful. As always we left feeling more focused and positive. He helped us through a couple of things that had been causing friction between the two of us.

So afterwards we went to Todai's for all you can eat. And we did. Mrs A. isn't a big fan of sushi, so she stuck with the Tempura and coconut shrimp and teryiaki chicken and that kind of stuff. And went back for seconds. And the dessert section.

My first plate was the hot foods, like Mrs a, except I also got a couple of spicy dishes, and yakasobe. The second plate was the sushi. And yes I did get several that featured raw seafood. I really like the octopus and the spicy tuna roll. The third dish full was dessert. Fruit danish type stuff, chololate/coffee cheesecake, cheesecake with blackberry topping and a couple of others that I can't remember.

A 22 oz. Asahi Super Dry with dinner helped the food slide down.

We both groaned with pleasure while they rolled us out to the car.

My blood sugar was still through the roof this morning. I don't think I will need to eat for a couple of days.

Oh well, its what you do every day that determines you health, not what you do on one day.

But it may be the one day that determines the quality of your life.

Feast Day

Today will be a grazing day.

Both Mrs. A and I have Christmas thank you feasts today at work. Hers is a lot more elaborate than mine, but there willl be no shortage of food. We will both graze lightly at the pastures at work, but only because we will do out serious eating later today.

We have a session with our Counselor this afternoon, and as always we will be going to Redmond Town Square afterwards for dinner.

Ever since I got together with Mrs A. I have been trying to get her to go to Todai's. It is an upscale all-you-can-eat sushi restaraunt. At first Mrs A. didn't want to go at all, because she thought that sushi meant raw fish. The raw fish stuff is sashimi, which is a kind of sushi, but not all sushi is raw. I bought her a couple of types of cooked sushi, and much to her surprise, she liked them.

Occasionally, she will pick up a sushi platter at the store, so her attitude has changed some.

I still wasn't able to get her to go to Todai's. Mainly because the restaraunt doesn't open for dinner until 6:00 and out appointments were always at 2:00.

Our appointment tonight is for 5:00, so we will be hitting Redmond Town Square at the right time.

At the Christmas party we went to last Saturday night, one of her friends was raving about Todai's, so that settled down her anxieties about the menu. I can't wait. Sushi and an ice cold Asahi Super Dry. YYUUMMMM!

So do you go for sashimi, or think it should be used as bait?

Eye of the Draft Horse

Not Eye of the Tiger.

Hunched forward, with our shoulders firmly planted in the harness, head down, we plod forward.

Our task is never triumphantly complete. Each day brings another task, remarkably like yesterday's task.

Maybe there will be an extra potion of grain in our feedsack tonight. Maybe a well earned night's rest. Maybe not.

Our engines do not race the clock for time and distance.

Through sheer determination we plod. Through intertia we plod.

But behind the dull eye of the draft hourse, there is a beach..........

Abomination!

Today we have an event which threatens the very core of civilization! An event so disturbing it may shift the magnetic poles and alter reality!

OK, so maybe that's a slight exaggeration.

I am working both days this weekend, and that is a rarity. I considered it a personal success story when I could live off of my 40 hour a week salary. There are people here that work every available hour so they can buy all of the toys. Newer truck, bike, quads, boat. Upgrade the spouse.

What I don't understand is, if you are working all those hours, when do you get to play with the toys? And if you can't play with them, what good are they?

So I avoid ovetime whenever I can. But people get busy this time of year, and so I got thrown in the frying pan for this weekend. This is only the second time this tear, so I can handle it.

We have a Christmas party to go to tonight, but we will have to leave early, cause I have to get up at zero dark thirty tomorrow and rattle my chains out in the factory.

Not only do I have to be here, but they EXPECT ME TO WORK.

I can feel reality crumbling around me even as I type this............

Still Getting the Busy Signal

I sat down last night and typed up the Rules Carol and I wrote the other day, and printed them up . One copy for R. one for L., one for the refrigerator, and one to take to the therapist.

It's good to have everything all defined and set out.

I sat V. down last night and made a deal with him. He can play Warcraft, but I have his solemn promise that he will not be going over his time or getting up in the night and sneaking into the computer room to play. The agreement is that if he does it again, the game will be removed from the computer, and he will NEVER be able to play it again.

This isn't about playing a stupid RPG, it is about trust, and I explained to him that the implications go way beyond the computer. He will be eligible to get a drivers license (shudder) about a year from now, and if I can't trust him, he sure as hell can't take my car.

I have also broached the subject of Christmas Day with Mrs. A. I want to see all the kids and grandkids at Christmas, but she is still recovering from all the crap. She isn't nearly as resilient as I am. We have tabled the discussion until we go see the counselor on the 12th.

Things at work are pretty hectic as the first 737-700ER runs through the factory. They are even talking about bringing in extra support on the weekend.

Busy

Haven't had a lot of time lately to visit my blog or yours either.

I got an opportunity yesterday to buy a drill press for $50.00. A genuine industrial size 200 lb. five foot tall drill press. I have always wanted one, but they have always been a couple of hundred bucks, so when this one came up, I grabbed it. Vintage 1940s. but in perfect condition.

Today I had a meeting first thing in the morning, then the first 737-700ER loaded in Final Assembly today, and I am the designated point of contact for Electrical Problems. First of a customer/first of a model always means some emergent manufacturing problems, so I will be busy from now through at leaast the 20th, when it is supposed to roll out the door.

Gotta run, I need to put together a report on how the first day went.

SANTA"S BUTT REJECTED!

Here's what is wrong with this country. A little crASS commercialism gone awry. A special occasion brew, crafted in England for the Holidays, will not be allowed by the State of Maine to be distributed because they find it's label either objectionable, or they feel that it would appeal to minors.

I know that living way up North the way they do, it must be difficult to find things to do this time of year, but rejecting this beer for its name or label smacks of Puratinism, you know, the comcept that somebody, somewhere might be having some fun and it's not a good thing.

When I brought up the plight of the importer up to my fellow workers, they wanted to know if I had ever had any Santa's Butt. I had to admit that I was not that close with Santa.

By the way, special occasion beers are generally stored in large oak barrels called "Butt"s, so the name is a sort of twisted pun.

That's probably why it appealed to me.

Review

It was really nice seeing the Count Basie Orchestra on Saturday night.

If you like big band jazz, it was a real treat. Yeah, the music was of a different age, but it was the best there is at what it is. We had a great time. The food was good, and the music was world class.

Just what the doctor ordered.

I got out and did the repairs to my Z this morning, so it will be back on the road tomorrow. I love driving that car, and I have missed it.

Friday night Carol and I sat down and wrote out all the rules of the house. If the kids want to come here, they have to abide by the rules. It was a good exercise for us to sit down and write things out. We have discussed this a lot, but a thought is never complete until it is written down. It is also unfair to expect someone to respect a set of rules they have never seen.

So, we got it done.

Today R. came by to get some of her stuff, and I made her sit down and read the rules. Needless to say, she was not pleased. She told me she didn't love us any more and never would, she was going to change her name and move out of state.

Sounds like something a 12 year old would say.

Tough love isn't just tough on them, it is tough on us too.

Count Basie Orchestra

Count Basie Orchestra is coming to Jazz Alley this weekend.

I have made reservations for Mrs A, and I for dinner and the show.

With all of the crap we have been through recently we need and deserve to have a night out.

I'll let you know how it was.

But maybe not ALL the details.

The Count has gone on to blow some cool jazz with the celestial quior, but the band lives on.

Pick A card

You are The Hermit

Prudence, Caution, Deliberation.

The Hermit points to all things hidden, such as knowledge and inspiration,hidden enemies. The illumination is from within, and retirement from participation in current events.

The Hermit is a card of introspection, analysis and, well, virginity. You do not desire to socialize; the card indicates, instead, a desire for peace and solitude. You prefer to take the time to think, organize, ruminate, take stock. There may be feelings of frustration and discontent but these feelings eventually lead to enlightenment, illumination, clarity.

The Hermit represents a wise, inspirational person, friend, teacher, therapist. This a person who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious and confusing.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Once Again I have stolen from Denny. If he didn't have such good stuff, I wouldn't steal it.

At the moment, it fits.

Thrill a minute

The ride to work today was a thrill a minute. If anyone was watching Monday Night Football they came to realize the word North is in Northwest.

The roads this morning are a sheet of ice. I have lived around snow most of my life, and I think today was the worst I have ever seen.

I snowed some yesterday, and then most of it melted off, Then it started up again, but the water under the smow froze up. Then some of the snow on top melted, but a cold air mass from Canada invaded from the North, and it did what they call a flash freeze. Created this nice ice sandwich with snow filling.

Maybe it is all a plot by the Canadians to take over Microsoft.

I only live four miles from work, but I live on top of the hill and work is at the bottom. Going down the hill isn't too bad unless the light changes and you have to pretend you tried to stop. I say pretend, because it is not something you have any choice in. You can try, but it ain't happening, so it makes more sense to run the light than try to stop.

Your brake pedal is not your friend. I like having a stick shift so you can use the engine as the brake without stopping the tires from rotating.

I was only out of control briefly, a couple of times, when I was testing conditions to see how things were.

They were bad.

I told Mrs. A that I didn't want her driving today. If she was dead set on going to work, call a cab. And I gave her an extra $20 to pay the cab with. Only thing ism there are no available cabs, since about a million other people had the same idea.

Stay warm, stay dry, stay safe.

SNEESH!

That's a combination of snow, sleet and slush, which is what we have on out streets right now.

It started snowing yesterday morning, snowed on and off all day, and for us quit last night about 9:00. Right here, the streets are bare and wet, but if you go a few miles North or South it is not so good.

I woke up and turned on the news to see pictures of upside down vehilcles, fender benders, and cars in ditches. Lots of school closures to the North.

V. was bitterly disappointed that Renton School District was having school today.

Mrs A. has to take her car in today, because it failed emissions testing. I knew it was going to fail, but that's OK.

So here's a little paranoia theory for all of you conspiracy theory types.

Car manufacturers have added all kids of sensors all over the car. One of them that fails all the time is the Oxygen sonsor. It reads how much oxygen there is in the exhaust, If the levels are too high, it suggests that you are not getting complete combustion.

This sensor goes bad all the time. So it tells you that it is getting bad readings. Why? Because the sensor is bad. So when you go get emissions tested the machine says you are getting an error message. Not that there is anything wrong with the way the car runs, but you are getting an error message.

So you have to get the car to the repair shop so they can replace the sensor. That will cost you a couple of hundred bucks.

Does it really change anything?

No. Well, it does change your bank ballance, but nothing else.

If you spend the money to replace the sensor, and the car still fails, you get a waiver because
you already spent X amount of dollars.

The don't charge you for the second test, so you take the first test, knowing you will fail, go get the car worked on, get it tested the second time. If it passes, cool. If it doesn't, show them your receipt, and you get a get out of jail free card, and get passed anyway.

What a crock.

Turkeytale

Blame this on Denny. After reading his blog today, I was inspired to put this together.

We raised all kinds of things on the farm.

It was primarily a dairy farm, but we raised chickens for the eggs and also for meat, pigs for the meat, cats to keep the rodent population down, dogs and horses for amusement.

One year we decided to try raising turkeys, just for the heck of it.

At that time I believed domesticated laying hens were the stupidest creatures on the face of the Earth. I was wrong. Turkeys have to be the holder of that dubious honor. A creature could not be stupider and still live.

We ordered a dozen turkeys from the supplier when we made our spring order for chickens, and they arrived at about the same time. When they ship the chicks, they throw in an extra, because they figure that one will die from shipping and handling. In this case all 13 arrived sound and healthy.

The instructions told us we had to teach the turkeys how to drink from whatever water dispenser we were using, because otherwise they would drown. You were to hold their head in the water until they swallowed and then take it out. Repeat once, and they got the idea.

One of the persistent folk tales is that turkeys will look up at the sky with their mouths open during a thunderstorm and die. I cannot attest to the truth of this, as we never lost any turkeys that way, but it strikes me as likely, seeing how dumb they are.

My little sisters decided that they would make a pet out of the extra turkey. Of course they named him "Lucky" and he had the run of the yard. Come slaughter time in the fall, Lucky got passed over. He grew to be huge. And mean.

The side yard was his territory, and he defended it fiercely. One of his major sources of amusement was to terrorize the dog. The dog at the time (Tschindi) was a half border collie, half coyote, and was the best mouser we ever had on the place. The turkey ambushed him almost daily.

Seeing as the turkey outweighed the dog by about 20 pounds, it was a pretty one sided battle. The turkey also ambushed anyone who wasn't paying attention. After getting ambushed a couple of times myself, every once in a while I would amble casually out into the side yard, and when Lucky was about ready to pounce, I would turn around and give him a good swift kick, and then run away before he could recover.

Down at the end of the driveway we had a power drop which ran the welder and a 120 volt outlet for an old beat up refrigerator. We kept fresh eggs in the refrigerator, which were for sale for 50 cents a dozen. My mother raised the laying hens, fed us all the eggs we needed and kept the "egg money" for little extras for her and the girls.

There was a box next to the refrigerator to deposit the money, so anyone could come by at any time to get eggs even if we weren't there. We trusted people to leave the money, and to the best of my knowledge no one ever stiffed us. If we were home, they would usually come by the house and have a glass of milk or a beer and visit a spell.

We were off at church on Sunday when someone came by to get a dozen eggs, and when we got home we noticed that the turkey was moving mighty slow. We went off on a berry picking expedition up Pack River, and picked several gallons of huckleberries.

When we got home we were greeted with a gruesome site. There were feathers guts and blood all over the side yard, and in the middle of them, chewing on a bone was the dog. He had figured out that Lucky was hurt and couldn't defend himself. He not only killed the turkey, he mutilated him. There was no piece left bigger than a pack of cigarettes.

He had paid that turkey back for every peck and every wing slap he had ever gotten, and looked mighty please with himself.

I get a certain satisfaction every year at Thanksgiving when we stuff the bird in the oven.

Happy Thanksgiving

I thought I'd take a minute to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am determined to keep focused on the good stuff.

I just went down and checked on the bird. It is getting close to done. Wrapped in Bacon, stuffed, and smelling SSOOOOO good. I give it at least another half an hour before it's done. My tummy is rumbling already.

It is another rainy Northwest day, but I am inside and dry and warm.

It is a good sort of laid back day. Just Mrs A. and V. and I. I watched Pinks until I got tired of it, and then Mrs A. turned to the dog show, while I am reading a classic John D. McDonald Travis McGee novel. No great aspirations or plans, except for eating turkey and dressing and deviled eggs and matbe some cranberry sauce.

I have tomorrow off, like a lot of people. But I absolutely refuse to participate in the madness of the day after sales. There is nothing I need so bad that I would go battle the crowds for it. I would rather go to the dentist than go out tomorrow shopping.

I plan to just hunker down and take it easy and let the world go on without me.

Hope everyone out there in the blogosphere is having a great day.

Banish darkness!

I stopped and looked over my blog this morning, and I came to the realization that even I am sick of my whining. Shit happens, so get over it and move on.

So I now decree Alville municipal code 1452397 which bans all whining for the rest of the year. I will think only positive thoughts, see the humor in all situations, and write only positive posts.

I will trust in the Lord and be thankful for the many good things in my life instead of the few negative things.

I have a loveing wife, who I need to pay more attention to. I have an intelligent and challenging grandson living with me who is a good kid, and I need to spend more time with him.

I am in reasonably good health, and have a superior mind. I am financially secure enough that I do not lay awake at night wondering how I am going to get the money to pay the bills.

I have a challenging and rewarding job. I am proud of what I do.

I have a whole bunch of family that would come running to my aid if I really needed help.

I have friends and faith, and a rock solid belief system that gets me through the toughest times.

I own my home, and while it is not payed off, another ten years and it will be.

So I hereby banish darkness and glum thoughts.

Nothing

So I got no idea what the fu*k is going on. R. was supposed to get a truck and come over with the last of her stuff.

Supposedly her mom was suposed to rent a truck and get the last of her stuff to my house. No surprise, it didn't happen.

I am so sick and tired of trying so hard to make things happen when no one else even makes an effort.

The list goes on and on and on, but there is no payback.

I give up.

Tough Day

I whined about the Special Assignment I got yesterday. It is a little better, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.

I talked back and forth with R. and she was supposed to meet me at her appartment when I got off work so I could help her move the last of her stuff that she is putting in our basement. You think that someone who is unemployed and doing nothing could at least get her butt over there in time. After all I am doing HER a favor by helping her.

But you would be wrong.

When I got home the little light on the phone was blinking. It was the school. V. has been using inappropriate language in the classroom again. He got detention. When the teacher called home to tell me, he beat me home, and erased the first two messages. I got the third. I read him the riot act. His reasoning was that since he wasn't screwing up as bad as everyone else, he should get off free. No such luck. I kicked him off the computer until I feel like letting him back on. The little shit.

R. didn't get to her appartment until 6:30. Mrs A, was furious, but I told her to back off. What the hell difference does it make to her what time I go to help R. I told her she was being unreasonable, which of course was like throwing gasoline on a fire.

I went and got a load of her stuff, and brought it home. While I was there I told her she was not welcome at Thanksgiving. That was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I drove home with tears in my eyes. I spent the remainder of the evening leaking around the eyes. Tough love is hard stuff on everyone involved.

At least I am pretty sure that today will be better than yesterday.

Frustrated

Can I just go home and go back to bed?

I had a frustrating weekend, and am having a frustrating day. My boss has given me an assignment that is almost guaranteed for failure.

R. was supposed to move furniture this weekend, so I set aside Saturday for the task, with the instruction to call me Friday night. She didn't. She also didn't call Saturday morning. I finally called her at 11:00, and she returned my call at 1:00. I wantes to be DONE by then, not thinking about getting started. Sjhe said she was going to call a friend who had a truck, and get back to me, but she didn't call back until 5:00. By then it was too damn late.

The boss wants me to do an in-depth analysis of the Electrical Engineering releases for the first 737-700 ER. The damn thing loads in 10 days, and there are about 1600 drawings to check. He also gave me the names of five people wh are supposed to help me.

I sent them a meeting notice, and not a single one of them has replied.

The meeting starts in 15 minutes, and as far as I know I am flying solo, the plane is on fire, and I have no parachute.

Security

There is no such thing as security. Once you accept this idea, you can settle down and get on with living. Life is a state of uneasiness, just some times are more anxious than others. Even if you are laying at the beach cooking yourself in coconut oil, there is a little sentry parading around in your head checking the perimeter.

Yesterday when I got home, I needed to get out and check out why the clutch was not working properly in the Z (Despite the fact that it was raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock at the time). When I opened the double doors to the basement from the inside, I heard a scraping noise. I looked down and it was little pieces of trim going to one of the two little windows.

Someone had attempted to break into the house!

When the house was burglarized four years ago, that is how they gained entry. The doors have a vertical latch, a sliding catch and a 2 X 12 cross bar that I installed, so you can't just bust the window, reach in, and unlatch the door. The fact that the bar was in place says they couldn't get through.

But upon thinking about it, I decided I didn't like having glass in the window.

I had some 1/4" plexiglass laying around that was left over from some other project, so I cut it to size. Tight enough that it had to be helped into place with a hammer and a board. Then replaced the inside trim to hold it in place. And added a couple of extra nails.

Sure, you can still get in that way if you are determined enough, but you can ALWAYS get into a house if you don't care how much noise you make.

So I feel a little more secure.

But the little sentry in my head is on alert.

And I have given him live ammo.

CARS

I may have mentioned I am a Motorhead. Not a complete garage junky mind you, but I do love working on a nice clean well kept car.

This usually translates inot having a couple of projects. The downside is that I am working on and driving the cars at the same time. This reared its ugly head this morning.

Suddenly the Z didn't want to go in gear. I had to force the stick a little before it would go into gear. The clutch pedal also did not want to disengage. This means one of two things. Either I am leaking hydraulic fluid from the clutch, or the adjustment rod is out of adjustment.

I had an offsite meeting this morning, and when it was over, I could NOT get the car to shift into Low. I finally turned off the engine, and it slipped in to gear. I took it back home and switched cars to the Blazer.

The Blazer has no heat, so it is not my favorite, and it gets like 14 miles to the gallon. To fix the problem with the heat will be expensive if I don't do the work myself.

I should do something about the Blazer. Either fix it or trade it in on a new car. The practical side of me says to get a new Chevy HHR, which I like the looks of and is a good ballance of style and use. 3o+ miles to the gallon and a lot of interior space and it looks nice.

The not so practical side of me saw the new Saturn Sky on the road the other day and wants one real bad. Good gas mileage and a kick in the ass to drive.

Oh, whatever to do.

Insomnia

Mrs A. has not been sleeping well. This is both good and bad.

The bad thing is that she rolls over and asks "Honey are you awake? HONEY ARE YOU AWAKE??"

"I am now"

"Why do you think they did that?"

I am, of course supposed to immediately know what she is talking about. The scary part is that I usually do.

That is the bad part. Because she is having a hard time sleeping, I get awakened in the middle of the night, or early morning.

The good part is that she is now awake, and has to find something to do. So she does me. This is behavior I want to encourage.

So if I could cure her insomnia, would I want to?

Nothing weekend

I didn't accomplish a damn thing this weekend.

I am SOOOOO proud of myself. I haven't had a weekend where I could do nothing in so long that I had forgotten what it was like. I played computer games, read a book, watched football on TV (GO SEAHAWKS!!!).

The truth of the matter is that Mrs A. has a cold, so she didn't want to do anything all weekend, and it didn't take a whole lot to convince me to do the same. It was contintuing to be overcast and rain and cold, so we just retreated into our shells and closed the doors.

We were supposed to go places and do things, but never left the house. I think we were just gathering our strength before the race to the end of the year. After all THANKSGIVING IS NEXT WEEK!!!

No need to panic.

Just center yourself, slow your breathing, and try to concentrate on the good things. Go to your happy place.

Everything is going to be OK.