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July 2, 2001

OHMYGOD.

The appointed month is upon me. The highlight of my entire summer is nearing. M and the kids will be here this coming Saturday. By the time we get back to the compound from the airport, it should be about 7 p.m. < eastern standard time, in the event you were wondering >.

Of course, I am busy here preparing things for them. I hope they feel at home here. The boys are excited about the Nintendo 64 and, I think that they'd play non-stop if we let them. Which, of course, we won't... although, I do believe they will be playing much more than they would be allowed to generally.

I've got tons of plans for things to do while they are here. We could never do all of the things I've thought of, but, we aren't lacking for ideas. The zoo, the lake, camping out, bonfires, making birdhouses, dinner with Mom and Dave, hiking the nearby nature trails, cooking on the grill, shopping, visiting friends and family, general site seeing and the like... I think we'll be busy enough.

Then, of course, there is the disco party thing again. With my Sista's kids here for a weekend when M and the boys are here - it ought to be quite the commotion. 5 kids sort of insure that.

July 3, 2001

OK. I stripped the kitchen floor and put on 2 undercoats of sealer followed by 2 coats of tile finish. What a job. The last time it was done was a year ago. Of course, if I did it more often it would be easier to do. Let's not talk about that though.

As you could guess, I'm really looking forward to spending time with M. The hammock is swaying under the Arbor again and I rigged up a rope so that we can swing ourselves without getting out of it. Hopefully, the mosquitos won't carry us away. Or, we could lay on the hammock defiantly -  thoroughly doused with the lovely scent of bug spray. Whatever the case may be, a dark starry night would make it all worthwhile.

It's amazing but, the dogs don't seem to be attracted to the hammock at all. I was afraid to have it there because I had imagined it hanging in shreds after they discovered it. So far so good. But, I wouldn't say it's out of the question where they are concerned.

Yes. Tasha and Booda are up to the same old stuff. Stealing things around the neighborhood is now a predictable event. The latest things are a sand pail, a plastic ball and, an assortment of cast resin figurines.

The other night somebody in the area was blasting off some major fireworks. They must have been antsy because I think it was Sunday night. It must have spooked Booda because suddenly he was jumping up at the back door on the house trying to get my attention. I was surprised to see him there but, much more surprised to see that it appeared he had scaled the kennel fence. I can only hope that doesn't become a habit.

It's always something.

THE CONFIRMATION:
It's nearing dusk. Whoever has the illegal fireworks in the neighborhood is again firing them off. I heard a loud crash and a bang right outside the window in the wing and went outside to investigate... Booda is sitting in the hood of my truck looking wild-eyed and Tasha is panting on the driveway nearby looking nervously around. It's a damn good thing it's an old truck. He clawed it up pretty damn good.

Great. Tomorrow night I ought to get a lot of sleep. Maybe tonight, too.

I took them for a walk and Booda is totally spooked out about the fireworks. Tasha doesn't even seem to be as bad as he is. I went back into the house and Booda tried to squeeze his head in the door as I entered. He has never done that before.

I went in the house and got the codeine pills the vet gave me after the neuter and spay. I gave one of them to each of them. Or, I should say... I crammed them down their throat and held their muzzle shut until they swallowed. Artful Tasha managed to swallow and spit it into the dirt. Take two: dirt and all.

I hope it helps.

July 12, 2001

Reporting from grand central:
Yep. They are here. They are here and I have had a big grin on my face for days now.

As for M & I - we are busy. Up to now, we've been doing something with the kids every day. Yesterday we went bowling and out for lunch.

The first part of the day after breakfast, we crammed into the car and headed for the bowling alley. The kids wanted to go bowling.

I turned and drove down the highway. We were talking and looking at the surroundings. All of the green. And, all of the barns. Even I have a new appreciation for the countryside out here. After several minutes of cruising and anticipating, I realize that I must have gone in the wrong direction. I turned around and lo and behold, certainly not to my surprise at that point, but - found it down the road several miles in the opposite direction.

OK. So we unload ourselves and the kids. It's almost like you feel as if you've been folded up after you get out of the car. We walk up to the doors. It's the banquet room. After locating the actual bowling alley, we find out that there is no open bowling.

Arrrgggghhhhh.

Fold back into the car. Drive on the major highway to cut across town. Locate bowling alley. Unfold. Find the door and choke on stale cigarette stench and the essence of dirty carpets. We find a person only to find out there was no open bowling there either. The man at the counter called and confirmed open bowling a few miles away.

Thanks. So we fold again. Finally get there. Apparently I need to invest in a GPS system.

We enter. We bowl. We leave. We fold again.

I take them to a great nearby restaurant. They are closed. We fold again.

This is becoming funny. So, I take them to the local, "it ain't pretty but that have good food" kinda place. We park in the bakery parking lot across the street. We go in the bakery and buy a cherry pie to take to Mom and Dave's place tonight. We are going there for dinner. We run to the restaurant across four lanes of traffic in which we are jaywalking.

We sit down and eat. Everyone was happy. M pays for lunch and we leave to fold into the Eclipse once again.

After bowling and lunch, we get back to the homestead. After unfolding we have about an hour and 20 minutes < or so > until we leave for Mom and Dave's house. We play with the dogs. < dogs who are scaring the crap out of two six year old boys with their exuberant behavior. Behavior which includes -  but is not limited to > jumping, licking, scratching, and, the general gamut of canine to human harassment. Typical dog stuff I suppose.

So.... we go for a tractor ride instead. "Go in 7th gear!" "Go fast..."

....and while I rarely do as I am told, I most certainly did.

I jarred them around in the yard in the trailer hooked up to the tractor. Even dragged some vegetation across them as we traveled.

Then we went to Mom and Dave's for dinner. My Sista and her kids were there.  My Aunt was there, too.

Good food, good fun... everything was fine.

That was ONLY Yesterday.

July 16, 2001

Alright then. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh...

You may have noticed I have been having continual problems with my site here at NBCi... I'm in the process of setting it up elsewhere. Details will be forthcoming.

My computer has been whacked out lately, too. Seems that every time I log on my browsers fail or, the screen freezes, or - better yet... it looks like I am logged on and then nothing happens. DUH. You sit there and sit there waiting for nothing. After several shutdowns and disconnects - suddenly the damn thing works. You never know why. Is it the computer itself? The modem? The software? A combination of stuff?

M and I have been having trouble just checking our e-mail. The damn thing is not cooperating. And, I must say that it is excessively irritating.

It's so irritating that I have contemplated a new computer and a cable modem. When things aren't working right, sometimes throwing money at the problem works.

Wahhhhhhhh.

OK. I'm done whining.

BUT... that is the reason why I haven't updated the site more often while M and the kids are here with me... the stupid techno probs made it improbable. It ain't worth the hassle.

Tomorrow is another day. Thank God for that.

July 18, 2001

Wednesday.

This has been an activity filled vacation. Today we spent the day at the lake with the kids and my Sista, her friend and all of their kids. Wouldn't you know it - it was kids day at the park. All of the kids snapped up a variety of prizes and giveaways. They had a riot.

I've done more road running since M and the kids got here than I have in months. Normally, I'd be spending my vacation on a variety of handyma'am projects. Oh, well... it's not like that won't be happening again because it will. After they leave, I'm certain I'll be getting back to the grind. I've got plenty of work piled up. But.... let's not talk about that, OK? I'll get to it. Count on it.

Hmmmmm... let's see... how about a rundown of things we've been doing... things like walking through the woods, watching frogs in the rain, dancing, talking, swinging on the hammock, watching bats, looking for fireflies, tending mosquito bites, cooking on the grill, taking naps, having a giant brushfire/bonfire, rock hunting, shopping, watching boats in the river, driving in the car, drinking soda pop in primary colors, making birdhouses, destroying a wasp nest, introducing the kids to the 3 Stooges, ohhhhhhhh and before I forget to mention it - one of the highlights of the vacation was a 4 hour limousine ride.

Yep. We got picked up by our driver last Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. I was fortunate enough to be given a limo certificate from my friend Gail who won it in a raffle last fall... so, I arranged a citywide dollar store tour with M and the boys < ...thanks again Gail! >. We went to 6 dollar stores and I gave the kids 2 bucks a piece at each store. It was funny to be whipping up in front of these dollar stores and having the driver open the door while we all slid out of this huge black limo with blacked out windows... ironically in front of the dollar store.

Then, we went to one of my fave places for lunch and the boys got to go back into the kitchen and make their own pizzas. They enjoyed it so much that we ended up going again yesterday. It was "rude Tuesday" and it's a very relaxed and fun place to be. Everyone is hollering and sometimes hollering at you. The kids thought it was hilarious. When we first got there, I didn't tell M that it was "rude Tuesday"... so, after I told her, she looked a little relieved to know that people around here don't normally act that way. She did wonder why everyone was yelling and saying things like, "whattaya wanna drink? You've got three minutes to decide..." ;^)

Obviously, we are having a bunch of fun. And, it's really nice simply to be with them. It's wonderful to have M here with me. A few times I've nearly had to pinch myself because I thought I was dreaming... but, I'm not! Unfortunately, my time is limited with them, and, I have already been thinking about how I'll feel when they leave. And, I'm thinking about how hard it is to be away from them.

My house will be so frickin' quiet when they leave. I really don't like that. It makes me sad. But, I know that there is nothing that either of us can do. 2,000 miles is one hell of a trek. And, not one easily made without preparation. So, for now... this is the way it is. I'm trying to learn to live with it - only because I haven't another choice.

Anyway.... here go our phone bills again. And, that's another story in itself. We are both shelling out plenty for that habit. But, it's not a practice I see either of us breaking that easily. Not even when I know we should set some stringent limits because this is costing us plenty.

For the most part, I just don't give a shit about the money. Not when it comes down to talking to her or not talking to her...

...except when the bills come. Then I wince once a month. Which ain't that bad if you think about it... that's merely a dozen winces a year. So, it's not like my face will freeze that way or anything.

Whew.

That's one less worry.

July 23, 2001

It's 7 p.m.

Moments ago, I arrived home from the airport. They are on the plane back to Arizona as I write. Damn! I've been home for five minutes and I miss them already.

It's so quiet in here that I turned the TV on when I walked in the door. The voices in the background are drowning out the fact that I'm home alone.

It's sucks though because, for the most part, I don't mind being alone. Being alone can have its advantages. Ask me on another day and I'll tell you about that... BUT instead, let's talk about this... after having such a glorious time for the last 17 days, in a house that was full of pleasant voices and laughter - well... tonight I don't want to feel alone. My being is still buzzing with the joy they brought here with them. It feels like they left a whole lot of that here.

How cool is that? What a nice residual effect. I like it. I like it a lot. < to them: "gee... thanks!" >

It's also cool that I am quiet. Of course, as I am typing I am working out brain cells via thought. Yet... I am quiet. I'm not yapping the ol' trap.

OHSHIT.

I just remembered that I have to go into the office tomorrow. That part sucks. I am tired of that interfering with my life - ;^) - but, I am afraid that I like to pay my bills. For that reason alone, I think I'll go in.

Hmmmmm.... I'm gonna take it easy tonight. I'll write again soon. Very soon. I'm tired.

July 24, 2001

Back home entirely intact from a day at the office. It turns out that the day I despised last night really wasn't so bad. So... here I am - home. Home assessing the garbage accumulation.

It's trash day tomorrow. Gotta get this junk dragged to the curb. Another real life scenario. Monotonous motion on a weekly basis...

Woooooo frickin' hoooooo.

Now you know my trash day. Once again, perhaps we have something in common, or, perhaps we don't. I wouldn't take it as some sort of karmic sign if we shared a trash pick-up day. In fact the odds are pretty good that it could be true. Better odds than 1 out of 7 since Sunday isn't generally in the running.

But... there's much more important stuff to talk about. Hmmmmmm.... let's see.... what about the news?

....uhhhhhhhhh....

...Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson are now engaged. America the beautiful: WE LOVE OUR SKANKS. I don't have to say more. Unless you have no idea who they are... then I would say, ...oh, forget about it. It doesn't matter. It's anti-matter.

Gary Condit. Twit extraordinaire - Chandra Levy affair - Ken doll hair - Chandra is where? Nothing else to say with the lack of hard evidence anywhere...

Big Brother is back and they call it 2. Fear Factor ad naseum. Staging Survivor. When is reality TV not reality? Answer: when it's TV.

Reality. Meteors fly-by the east coast shooting sparks. Gas prices lower. Stop and drop the roll: blackouts subside. The Bush administered government kickback is in the mail - still, the Shrub can't buy my love. The Bush push to privatize social security draws protestors backing Bush into Wall Street. The Pope slams stem cell research with the papal lip on his replacement hips. Smuggling Cubans is a lucrative hobby. Triple digit drop on the Dow. Andrew Burnett, the guy who was recently sentenced 3 years for throwing a dog named Leo into traffic during a confrontation with a motorist, will be given as much as 16 additional months in the slammer for stealing tools from his employers van and pushing the vehicle off a 250 foot cliff into the Pacific. Potential eligibility for dumb fuck of the year award.

Whew...that's enough of that shit. Apparently... I can't take it.

Therefore, I'm off to my trash dragging reality. While the sound of plastic wheels on dirt and sparse gravel is not particularily appealing, it beats sitting here in this uncomfortable chair.

DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES... I COULD NOT UPLOAD TO THE SERVER MUCH AT ALL THIS MONTH...

DON'T WORRY - OTHERWISE I'M DOING FINE

July 30, 2001

Unfortunately... you may not be able to find me because the site is not yet indexed on the web... AND the jerks over at NBCi wouldn't allow me to put a link on the old site directing you to this one. That's why there was so much trouble accessing the old site. They were getting ready to implode.

Initially, I had parked my site on xoom.com - and, that worked out well for years, despite the annoying banner at the top of the page. THEN... NBCi bought out xoom and snap.com... things went OK for a while < with another annoying banner > and then WHAM-O... they decide to pull the rug out from everyone who had a site there.

Anyway.... with the new domain name, you can be assured that I'll resume some frequent writing again. Of course, the sporadic days won't entirely disappear because, well... they won't. Trust me on that one...

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