little black book with my poems in it...

I'm not a big fan of Sundays. Yeah, it's a day off, but looming over it is the prospect of waking up to Monday and whatever form of individualized hell that holds. Back in my high school days, I would usually devote an hour or two every Sunday to listening to "The Wall."
Well, I'm less dramatic these days, but tonight I'm in touch with those feelings. I'm slightly hung over, unshaven, tired as shit, and not looking forward to a full week of work.
I hung out with the Divas last night. The 'rents are away, and we housesat. Stayed out by the pool until the wee hours. Lots of beer, lots of fun. But my ass is getting old. Crashing on the couch at 3AM, falling asleep watching "Earth vs the Flying Saucers" and getting up at 9... not so easy anymore. I napped several times today at TK Jr.'s birthday party.
He'll be 2 years old tomorrow. Holy shit.
I was going to hit the sack early tonight, but it's already too late to be early. Guess I'll pack it in and see what tomorrow brings.

Lazing on a sunny afternoon

Hold that thought, gonna go have a smoke before I begin...
Much better. So, it's Friday. I took a vacation day today, as Molius and I are headed down to historic Plymouth this evening to see The Machine. I'm looking forward to it. Last live show I saw was.... either Nick Cave or Neil Finn, I can't remember. It's been a while.
I got up at the crack of ass with TK Jr. this morning. We had a bit of a scare with him last night. He was standing on the couch, and the phone rang. I went to grab it, heard a crash and then crying. Seems he fell off and cracked his face on the coffee table. He's OK, got a nice shiner and a purple nose. The amusing part of it was I had just picked up the phone, and before I could get out a "hello", I yelled "holy shit! fuck!" and hung up. Thankfully, it was only the Divas.
After KG and TK Jr headed out, I went to the laundromat. Came back home, talked to the lanlord a bit. The upstairs neighbor is going to start building a deck over our porch next week. Probably be disruptive for a while, but it'll be nice to have a roof over our heads when we're out there.
Of course, should my boys find their mark, KG and I won't be smoking, and spending much less time out there. Such is life.
I'm watching The Golden Voyage of Sinbad . Man, that Harryhausen rocks! Dated as it may be, the fx still look pretty good. I used to love this stuff as a kid. Holy crap, Tom Baker of Dr. Who fame is in this!
Anyhow... not much to say today other than pointless rambling. Celtic Pride is on now, so I think I might nap in front of the TV for a bit. Or go smoke another butt.

You're not my friend!

So, I get home from work today, and I'm hot as hell. The house is hot and stuffy, and KG wasn't home yet. I grabbed my ice coffee and cigs, and went out on the porch for a smoke. I figured I'd have a nice, relaxing 10 minutes or so to myself.
Not so. In case I've neglected to mention it before, we've got a bit of a squirrel problem here. They'e been using the trees as a bridge to the roof, and have been nesting in the attic for at least a year now. When we still lived upstairs, we could hear them up there, chittering and running around and such. Since we've moved downstairs, it's not as much of a problem. It's actually been kind of amusing to watch them climb up the tree and jump onto the roof. One of them in particular usually pauses over the porch and stares at us.
Well, I'm out there this afternoon, trying to chill, when I hear a rustling at he base of the tree. I look over, and it's the nosey squirrel. He started to head toward the porch. No big deal, I figured he'd scamper off through the yard.
Nope... he scampered right up the steps and headed for me.
Being the brave soul I am, I jumped out of my seat with a startled yelp. He was between me and the door, so I had no escape route. I yelled some more, along the lines of "shit!" and "what the fuck?!?". He kept coming! I figured jumping out of my seat would scare him off, but again I was wrong. I grabbed the chair and put it between us, thrusting it at him. He started to turn tail, then came at me again. Scampering left and right, those little beady black eyes staring at me.
Now, some people might have yelled "shoo" or "get out of here." Me, what did I yell to scare off my little attacker?
"You're not my friend!!"
I have no idea where that came from, but it did the trick. He turned around, ran up the tree, and jumped on the roof. He paused, as usual, to stare down at me. And I'll be damned if he didn't look a little sad that I had thwarted his freindly gesture.
Sorry, guy. First off, you're a rat. Second, there's this thing called rabies, and I don't want anything to do with it. And lastely, you are not my friend.

Home again, home again jiggity jig

We got home from Shelter Island around 6 tonight. All pretty tired. It was a fun weekend, but all and all I'm glad to be home.
We ended up having to take 2 ferries to get on and off the island. The South Cross ferry left New London, CT and brought us to Long Island. Then we had to take the Shelter Island ferry to... well, you know.
New London was interesting. We saw a couple of soldiers in their bdus. Homeland Security, I guess. The South Cross ferry was huge. We had to leave the cars on the deck and go upstairs during the ride, about 90 minutes. The second ferry was small, we just sat in the car and it took maybe 10 minutes. There's something weird about sitting in your car and crossing the ocean.
Friday and Saturday night we hung out with KG's sister and cousin until 4 in the morning. Good times, lots of beers.
Saturday was a catered dinner. Oysters on the half shell, steamers, lobsters and swordfish. Sooooooooooo good. TK Jr. had a blast as well, except for Friday night when he fell out of bed. That was scary. He was sleeping on the bed KG and I were supposed to share. Pretty high off the ground. We were outside with the monitor, and I heard him rolling around. All of a sudden there was a thud, and he starting crying. Before a sound came out of him I was up and flying up the stairs. No harm, thank god, but it shaved a few years off of my life. TK Jr did have nightmares the next night, but so far tonight he's sleeping like a bug in a rug.
So, back to our regularly scheduled life. KG and I have the day off tomorrow to catch up on some sleep. Then it's back to the grind. Until Friday. Then it's time for fun again.

Revenge of the Death Eaters

Well, I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed my day off today. My major accomplishment: finished reading the new Harry Potter book. I've been dying to share the news, as there were some major twists. So... here come the spoilers.
Harry returns to Horwart to find Hermione pregnant with his child. Harry is growing more and more frustrated with the teachers, because he feels they are holding him back. Looking into a crystal ball, he sees Hermoine dying during childbirth, and decides to start learning the dark arts to help save her.
Dumbledore teaches Harry, then reveals himself to be Lord Voldemort! He orders Harry to execute all the other teachers and the students. Only then will he be powerful enough to save Hermione.
After slaughtering everyone, Ron and Harry get into a huge duel. During the duel, Harry is horribly injured.
Dumbledore rescues him, incases him in armor and....
Hhmmm, wait a second. I think I might have been a little distracted while reading that book.
Anyhow... we're off to Shelter Island tomorrow for our mini vacations. No updates until Sunday. Here's hoping everyone has a good weekend!

Man goes in cage, cage goes in water

Well, today was a suck ass day at work. I tried to get things in order for vacation, but ended up getting nothing done. Lots of people with stupid problems, and several attempts to train LP and LC while being bothered by said people.
So, I was going to do some work from home tonight, but it's hot and I'd rather hang with KG. Plus I'm watching Mythbusters now. So... looks like I'll be logging in tomorrow. On my day off.
The divas came by tonight to pick up house keys... they'll be kitty sitting as we make our way to Shelter Island. Here's hoping it's a fun weekend.

Two bits

I've got this habit I can't shake, a hold over from my days working for the rock hound.
I only shave at night.
In the morning, it takes all my effort simply to get out of bed and in the shower. I also wait to the last possible second to get out of bed. Doesn't leave much time for trimming the whiskers.
But at night... I get a good lather, a good look in the mirror, and shave away. Of course, shaving at night means I don't shave every day. I can usually get away with twice a week. Sometimes I wish I could function like normal people.
I shaved tonight. Wouldn't be so bad except it's miserably hot already, so I didn't appreciate the added warmth. Also, I'm on page 99 of the new Harry Potter book, and I'd like to read some more. However, I also want to spend some time with KG. And I have a baby to make.
What was my point?
Week two of being on Adderal. It seems to be working well, I do feel more focused, and I'm down to two cups of coffee a day. I have dry mouth a lot, so I'm drinking more water. I take extended release, so I should be on a fairly even keel all day. Today, though, I nodded off during a meeting. Wouldn't have been too bad, except there were only 4 of us in the meeting. Hard to escape notice. Minutes later I was wide awake again. So I guess from time to time there is an ebb and flow. Interesting.
We bought a new dvd player yesterday. It's a recordable player. Now I should be able to burn dvds of TK Junior footage. That'll be fun. I think I'll figure that out after we get back from vacation this weekend.

See You Next Tuesday

I have a past I'm not entirely thrilled to possess.
Nick Cave knows what I'm talking about....

"Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore"

Once there came a storm in the form of a girl
It blew to pieces my snug little world
Sometimes I swear I can still hear her howl
Down through the wreckage and the ruins

And it ain't gonna rain anymore
Now my baby's gone
And it ain't gonna rain anymore
Now my baby's gone

Now the storm has passed over me
I'm left to drift on a dead calm sea
And watch her forever through the cracks in the beams
Nailed across the doorways of the bedrooms of my dreams

And it ain't gonna rain anymore
Now my baby's gone
And it ain't gonna rain anymore
Now my baby's gone

Now I got no one to hold
Now I am all alone again
It ain't too hot but it ain't too cold
And there is no sign of rain

And it ain't gonna rain anymore
Now my baby's gone
And it ain't gonna rain anymore
Now my baby's gone

And I'mHere I'm on my own
She ain't coming back no moreShe ain't coming back no more
She ain't coming back no more
Say what you will, I don't care

And it ain't gonna rain anymore
Now my baby's gone, yeah
And it ain't gonna rain anymore
Now my baby has gone

Her name was Heather Belmore. I guess I loved her, or at least I thought I did. I loved her lies.
It's been 6 years since I left that shipwreck behind, and she still haunts the chambers of my heart.
These days I tend not to wax as poetic as I used to. I certainly have no room for her kind of drama in my life. No patience for it. But there was a time when I thought I was Prince Charming.
I'll be getting to her story before too long on my JS blog. On this quiet summer afternoon, those memories are crawling up from the deep, like the dead rising from the grave. Stupid zombie emotions.
She is one person I will go to the grave hating. That said, I must extend her one thank you. She taught me a great many things. Lessons I probably didn't need, but I got schooled anyway. The experience made me a better, stronger person.
Ah, fuck it... she's a psychotic C word. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

Too lazy for links

That's right... a linkless post. It's not that I'm actually too lazy, it's more that I'm sitting outside in the sun and although that's fun, it's not really ideal for web browsing. So, anyway, on with the story...
Last night was fun. Molius, RB and I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I'm a fan of the original movie, and I'll admit to never having read the book. That said, I think I liked this version better. It was fun, wacky, and oddly moving at the same time. Depp is one hell of an actor. He managed to be over the top and subtle at the same time. I really dug it.
On my way home, I stopped in at Target and Toys R Us. I bought TK Jr a Darth Vader wrestling buddy. I swear it's for him. Got myself some SW tins and notebooks, and bought KG a Pink Floyd T shirt.
Home at 9, watched the season premier of Battlestar Galactica. Can this show get any fracking better? I'm betting on yes.
Slept late this morning, then went to the laundromat. Not my favorite past time, but it had to be done. We need to get off our asses and buy a dryer so I can do it at home.
Now, I'm home again and sitting outside enjoying the day. KG and TK Jr are napping. Tonight, my mom is baby sitting and we're venturing down to Attleboro to hang with the Divas. Should be fun.
I think tomorrow we're going to drive down to the Kingston mall. KG and I are overdue for some clothes shopping. That's the mall I trooped at recently, and to quote Elwood Blues, "This mall has everything." A "big fucking Target", Old Navy, Newbury Comics, and various other wonders of commerce. That should be fun.
Now I'm starving. Should go find something to eat. Gatorade and Marlboros just aren't cutting it.

Cars

Work ended up being pretty stressful today, and it was all my own doing. We were closed by 8:30 this morning. Should have meant a relatively easy day, catching up on everything I've ignored this past week. Well... I took a look at the error report for SW, and they still had 60+ patients on it. I knew ML would be losing her shit at this point, so I decided to help out.
By the end of the day they had 15 left. But let me tell you, I worked my ass off! Everything I looked at was a huge mess.
So, I got very little of my own work done. I left with RB right at 4. Got half way to my car when I noticed that the traffic on the lower deck (93 South) was backed up. So, not wanting to sit in my car sweating for 90 minutes, I decided to go back to work and wait it out. The other day I stayed until 5:30 and actually had a pretty good ride home, faster than usual.
I managed to catch up with all my emails. Then, clincians discovered I was still there. So much for getting work done. JC came in, her laptop keyboard was fucked up. I couldn't figure out what was going on, and at this point it was 5:30. So I sent her to get a loaner and locked her's up for the night. I'll let Molius deal with that tomorrow. Sorry, dude.
At any rate... the highway was looking better. I left, got onto the Zakim and discovered.... a fucking parking lot where a highway should be.
I got off at Neponset and drove through Quincy. I've done that the last few days... it's been quicker and more enjoyable than the highway. Not today. More frigging traffic.
When did I get home? 7:30.
I want my flying car, and I want it now!
I'm watching some funny stuff on the National Geographic channel. Currently it's a show about ghosts.. debunking spirit orbs at the moment. Earlier it was spontaneous human combustion. I can think of a few people I'd like to see exploding into flames.
Well, I've got nothing else to say at the moment.

Adderal Nation

So, today was my first day on ADD meds. Well, technically not my first day, as I tried some Adderal two weeks ago. But it was my first day on them with a script.
Lesson #1, gotta cut my caffeine intake. After my third cup of coffee this morning (2 prior to taking the pill, 1 after), I started feeling lightheaded and jittery. I had one of the clinicians take my blood pressure, and it was 144/88. Slightly hypertensive (401.9). I got a baseline yesterday, it was 110/80. So..... decaff, here I come.
Funny thing about ADD and amphetamines is the drugs generally have the opposite effect of what you would expect. Most people take speed, they get hyper. Someone like myself takes it, and they become more focused. I do feel a burst in energy, but thankfully I can direct that energy into completing a task or effectively multi-tasking, as opposed to my usual approach. That would be short bursts of intense work followed by long bouts of walking around, going for a smoke or surfing the net.
It'll be interesting to see the long term effects of taking meds. I'm hoping mostly that I'll finally develop some productive habits. Losing a few pounds would be a nice side effect as well. The prescription has to be renewed every month, which means a trip to the shrink. Probably not a bad thing either. I'm a big proponent of preventive mental health care. Every one should get an annual mental check up. It can't hurt you, and in fact could be very helpful. We might also start catching the crazies before they get too nutty. And that ain't a bad thing either.
I had a long chat with the guy upstairs today. That would be my new neighbor, not God. Not a bad guy. I feel much better after having talked about things. They are not trying to buy the house. The guy is a general contractor, and has been working on apartments he has rented for years. That's cool. The landlord OK'd building a patio over our porch, which means we might be able to get it screened in. That'd be super sweet. KG and I have been keeping our smoking strictly outside, and there's a bit of a skeeter problem. Her ass is covered in bites.
Now that I've mentioned smoking.....

Titty Boo Tower

Lost in Translation .
Back to hot weather again. At the moment I'm trying to stay cool, Listening to Live8 and drinking a Sam's. The ride home was miserable today. I try to avoid using the ac in the car as much as possible. I don't know, I figure it's better to sit in a pool of sweat and suck on tailgait emissions. Anyhow... my unruly mop of hair was really getting to me. I had had enough.
So, much to the disappointment of RB and much to the delight of CH, I'm sure, I shaved that fucker right off. Back to being a skinhead, and I must say I'm much more comfortable. TK Junior was a little freaked out. When he and KG first got home, I had only cut the front and sides and was sporting a killer mullet. I had actually decided to keep it for a day, but KG laughed so hard I went right in and shave the rest off.
It was a good run, and I enjoyed having long hair again, but summer is the wrong time to do it. My head is happy now.

You got my cheeze wiz, boy?

Another weekend comes to an end, and as usual it feels way too soon. This weekend mainly consisted of KG and I taking turns sleeping. It's been a stressful week, and it kind of caught up with us.
Our new neighbors are a bit odd. They finally moved in, but they have a couch, a chair and a pool table out in the yard still. Last weekend we overheard someone upstairs talking about buying a house and getting rid of "them". We've been assuming that meant us. Our landlord is away on vacation, so I haven't been able to confirm or deny any rumors of pending sales.
We have a one year lease that we just signed, so by right we should be OK until that expires. It's the pooltable in the yard that was making me nervous. I don't imagine that's a long term storage plan.
The other thing with these people is they are either doing or talking about major renovations. New cabinets, decks, etc, etc. Doesn't sound like something a renter does.
Well, I overheard them in the yard today, and managed to confirm that they are NOT in the process of buying this place. Thinking about it, planning it? Yes. But it's not in the works. I'm guessing they've made some sort of arrangement with the landlord. Renovations for rent, or something like that. As soon as the llord gets back, him and I are going to have a chat.
The other thing that has been bothering me about these new folks is how they've taken over the whole property. I brought 3 pallets down into the freshly cleaned out basement so we could store some shit down there. I went down yesterday, new neighbors have filled the basement with their shit, and they used my pallets. Not a big thing, but enough to rankle me. They've taken over the whole yard, except for our shitty stretch, and I discovered their washing machine hooked up to our electricity and our hot water.
So... one of two things will be happening in the near future. Either KG and I get aggressive and move on buying this place ourselves (and then kick their asses out), or we start shopping for a new home. And that means house. Either way, we're going to have to end up buying a house.
God damn adulthood and it's responsibilities.

They're coming to get you, Barbara

Last night, RB, Molius and I went to see Land of the Dead. Totally satisfying. I am, in case you didn't know, a huge fan of the zombie genre. No one can beat Romero, he's the Godfather of all zombie flicks. It was nice to see the final installment in the series, and it was awesome to see George with a decent budget. Good acting, excellent effects, and a great story. I'm pleased.
Afterwards, we went to Uno's. I love their four cheese pizza, so that was a treat. All and all a fun night out. Until it came time to drive home.
All day yesterday we had soaking rains. It was pouring! I had left my car at work, and when I returned, I had a feeling I might be in trouble. The moonroof leaks, and anytime there is heavy rain, the inside of the car gets soaked. Sometimes it's just the driver's side floor. Other times it's the seat as well. Last night, it was both. In addition, the ceiling continued to drip the whole ride home. One drip on my left shoulder, one drip on my right wrist. Chinese water torture.
Thankfully, I had a towel in the backseat, so my ass was only damp when I got home. I've got to get that thing fixed.
KG and I have been somewhat at odds all week. Today doesn't look any better. She let me sleep late today (usually I sleep in on Saturday, she gets Sunday). Well, TK Jr woke me up at 11. He was carrying a big wooden stick and a grill lighter. KG was asleep on the couch, and the entire apartment was littered with toys and books. I woke her up, and I was not nice. Now, she's back in bed, Jr is napping, and I'm blogging. Mission for the weekend... get this little family back on track.

Ironic, eh?

Yesterday ,while hanging out with Molius and RB, I predicted that there would be a terrorist attack very soon. My reasoning? Well, back in September of 2001 the big news items on CNN every morning were shark attacks and Chandra Levy. Up until the 11th, that’s all they were talking about.
This summer, it’s the same deal. Lots of news about shark attacks and missing girls.. I wake up this morning, and what’s on the news? Terrorist attacks.
For the record, I was just being a wise ass. So, I’d like to submit the following equation to our law enforcement officials to help prevent future attacks.
Shark attacks + missing girls = terrorist attack. You have been warned.
Not much else to report at the moment. I’m having a painfully slow day at work, as I was feeling super productive yesterday and managed to clear my plate. Leaving me with little to do today. I wouldn’t mind, but it makes the day drag.
Oh, I am highly disturbed over the recent upset at my favorite radio station. KG and I have been big fans of Steve Sweeney’s Neighborhood on WZLX for some time now. Well, Steve and Lance went on vacation, and now they’re gone. Off the air, apparently given the boot. It’s sad that I’ve gotten so emotionally involved with a radio station, but I felt like they were part of the family. You guys will be missed.

Life. It's bigger.

229 years ago, a brave new country was born. 20 years ago my parents divorced, and I moved to MA. Almost 2 years ago, TK Junior was born.
20 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.
These days I tend to live my meager little life, and not give too much thought to the world around me. I'm content, and it would probably take something like alien tripods exploding out of the ground to genuinely upset my little world.
However, that does not stop the world around me from getting up to all manners of crazy shit.
China and Russia . I remember hearing a few years ago that China was facing an overpopulation of men. The quickest, most effective way to rid yourself of an over abundance of young men is throw yourself a nice little war. Thin the herd, and gain a country or two out of the deal.
Hhhmmm. Don't want to be an alarmist, but America might want to start watching it's back. Actually, I take that back. America should start watching it's shit. No more fucking around with thinly veiled Imperialism. Time to start being a responsible neighbor again.
I admit, my mind tends to dwell on the morbid when I let it wander. Last night, KG and I were sitting outside, listening to fireworks both in the distance and all around us. I thought about life in Baghdad. I don't want to live there.
And I really don't want to have to get involved in keeping that from happening. What I really want is for everyone in the world to start doing their job right, and do it well. Is that too much to ask?
I'm watching Rescue Me . Sully really gives some lousy advice. Not good. Haha... that was just confirmed. Stupid people are funny.
So are angry smart people.
What am I trying to say? Blogging in front of the tv will probably lead to more disjointed entries as my already mostly disjointed brain gets to wander even more.
So, are Molius and I the only ones who are nearly giddy over the Floyd reunion? That was some gooooood shit. All I'm asking is more, more, more.
Well, enough for now.

Back in business

Happy 4th! The actual holiday, today, was fairly uneventful for KG and I. TK Jr. was away, down in RI with his grandmother. KG and I slept in late, I finished painting the pantry, then we went to Best Buy to pick up a wireless router. Result: I am now sitting on the couch, listening to Floyd, and blogging my little heart out. Super sweet!
My pc remains an oversized toaster at the moment. Once I find all my start up and program discs, it'll be time to rebuild that sucker. For now though, I'm not too worried. I can do what I need to, and I like my new arrangement.
We went to a cook out at Names and CC's yesterday. Good times, good food, cheap beer. I always enjoy hanging out with those two. We should make more of an effort to do it.
We're still in the process of unpacking and re-arranging our apartment. We've done a pretty good job so far, and getting the pantry painted was key to finding a place for most of the clutter. So we should be ship shape in no time.
Well, I was excited to be on line again, and figured I'd have lots more to say. I don't. So that's all for now.
One last thought, since I mentioned Floyd... I saw their Live8 performance. Fucking awesome! Roger really seemed to be having a good time, so let's hope there will be more to come.