Hey! We're in marketing people.

If you ever need to quickly get me on the road to Angryville...

First spend two years convincing me that you are just marginally smarter than a post and then argue with me over the spelling of moulding as in crown moulding. I know sometimes my spelling skills are lacking here and there but when I say that moulding can be spelled with a 'u', I mean it. Especially when I offer that using the 'u' is the more European way of spelling the word, almost like I actually looked the word up in a dictionary. And then further doubt me when I specifically state that I have indeed looked the word up in a dictionary and have already been through this discussion. Then tell me you want air conditioning abbreviated A/C instead of AC, just for good measure.

Please note that I have been writing ad copy for real estate for over a decade.

Please also note that there are certain words one might wish to avoid even the appearance of one such word being mold so I don't spell moulding without the 'u' because it looks like this - molding and that doesn't look nearly as sophisticated as moulding.

Hey! We're in marketing people.

Why don't you go eat some cucumber sandwiches you little prissy pris.

That's what I told someone the other day.

...

So last night, I get back home at about nine thirty and I see something rustling in the grass. So I go to get a better look, I get about two feet from the thing and it turns out to be a small skunk. I'm glad I didn't spook em.

That's the kind of exciting life I live.

I'm retired.

I'm asked to come by to put together a weed trimmer. I asked if I need any tools, she didn't know. She did know that if I needed tools then I would have to bring them myself because she didn't have any tools. She went on further that she would like me to tell her what tools she would need around the house.

I was busy at the time of the call but I told her I could be by at 5:00PM. I got there early and was carrying a new tool bag with new tools in it. She was sweeping the front stairs and talking to two female neighbors.

"Oh, are you a repairman?" I was asked.

I smiled and said "I would have to answer no to that question."

The smile was due to the assumption she needed some things repaired. Good help is hard to find so folks are always on the lookout. You get to learn the tone of voice eventually.

I'm retired from the fix-it business, only family and friends get that service anymore.

Unless you're super cute

I forgot

If you ever wondered if an optical mouse would work on a bed/sheet - it does.

Laptop, sometimes you make me happy. You too little notebook usb port optical mouse from logitech, you rock!

So, I guess I was making a point or better yet sending a message. That message - screw you, not 'you' you, 'them' you. Them being the folks in charge.

Sure, I'll help out, sure I'm not going to make a bad situation worse but at least placate me with hollow promises and phoney concern.

I took a late lunch. I was stuck in the office helping someone do their job, a job which used to be done by three people and is now done by just one. It's the busy season and one person cannot keep up with all the requests, he's been by himself for two years now. He's one of my poker buddies so I help him even when I'm not asked. From eight thirty to three thirty I was helping out, I hadn't taken lunch and the crowd was gone so I left, instead of four o'clock I was out the door thirty minutes early. I hope someone says something. You see, I'm passive aggressive and I'm holding a can of whoop ass.

Any way here's a photo.

The other questions

You know, the other questions that go along with the trading lives with someone else.

The time machine question and the magic wand question.

Would I use a time machine to go back in time to change something I did? I would say, unless it's the recent past I would say I would not go back. I don't know what I would be screwing up by changing the past so, I most likely wouldn't do it. Unless, I had just realized something that I did half an hour ago, was really really stupid (which happens a lot), I might change that.

If I had a magic wand and I could change anything I wanted without any bad side effects, would I do it? You bet.

The question...

The question came up, if you could be anyone else in the world who would it be?

I asked would I still have knoweldge of this life I'm living or am I total that other person, with no knowledge of me?

You're totally the other person, the 'you' you know either doesn't exist or it's some other person.

Then I choose me, is what I said. Status quo.

I'm surprised by my answer everytime.

Show starts at eight and ends at four

"Timmy, is this plan just for show or is it ever going to be built? How long has it been hanging here?"

"Joe, everything I do is for show, all of this is just a show and sometimes I put on a pretty go show"

I'm here all week, folks.

emoticons

Everytime I hear the word emoticon I think of an offspring between some Transformer and a Care Bear.

yes, i think so

Bold as brass
Cock of the walk
The cat's meow

These are descriptives I need to use more of

She was standing there all bold as brass

He thinks he's the cock of the walk

She acts like she is the cat's meow

Maybe it's true...

the star's motivation

I wish I could make high quality toys all day long and sell them on ebay and get famous and rich ...not even rich, at least enough to pay the bills.

Have the toys passed down from generation to generation and show up on Antiques Roadshow, my great grandchild will bring the toy in and they will be told "Yes, this is very valuable. It must be great being his relative."

yummy, yummy lunch

lunch is at this place today today.

Lady G called, she said dress nicely and we'll do the lunch thing and do it up thusly.

12:15PM at the Mantra, you'll be there most likely, can't ya?

I just realized...

It could be argued that I play with dolls.

...
The novelty of drinking copious amounts of alcohol has worn out. I'm done.

I was witness to and I suppose partner in a friend getting smashed. I didn't like it.
...
So this old guy, about seventy, asks "What's the next stop? I want to get the Red Line."
"The next stop is Park Street which will get you to the Red Line." is what I said.
Then this guy starts telling me how he hates it when folks don't know what the next stop is when they are riding the trains. He says that in New York he could see how an out of towner could get confused but in Bos ton it isn't that hard to keep tract of the next station.

I said I ride the same train everday and sometimes I forget, I just get used to counting the stops until it's mine and folks sometimes don't need to know the names of the stations in between.

Then he comes right out and asks who I'm going to vote for. I tell him I don't know. So, he correctly assumes that I don't like either gentleman running for President. I tell him "Yeah, I don't think Bush is doing a good job but I don't think Kerry has the answers, either." I further stated that I thought either way me being a resident of Massachusetts I should have less worry because if Kerry gets in then he should take care of MA but if he doesn't then it's status quo.

Then the old dude says that a lot of America is the same as me, there are a lot of people who should know which way to vote but don't. Yeah, whatever dude. I'm just trying to get home.

Yesterday, from what I remember

There was a link from Raymi's site, some email, some drinking, some watching out for a friend and the snapping of a photo.

In one email Raymi wants a picture, a picture of me. You may have noticed there are not pictures of me on this site. Well, there is one but it's a long shot with the moon in the background. I'm shy, okay. Okay, I'm not shy, it's just that I haven't seen any photos of me I like. Seeing how I can control content on this site, I usually control certain aspects in my favor.

I'm a bit vain I guess. But the deal is I like to think I'm open and honest, somewhat. There is some stuff I don't spontaneously broadcast over the internet but if I'm asked something directly, I try to give a direct response.

Raymi asked for a photo of me. The only photos I have of me, I don't like, so I planned to just take one and send it to her. That was the plan before the beers, martini's, and mind eraser and the plan stayed the same after, probably not the best time to take a photo. I took the photo, I didn't hate it, so I went with it.

And then broadcasted it over the internet. So, if you ever wondered what my dumb face looked like thank Raymi.

That’s good to know
I was going to say in rhyme

But I am done being a spaz
and oh, thanks for the time

Oh, duly noted, I forgot...

So, I'm checking stuff and find out that if you had googled "duly noted" this site topped the list on Aug 21, 2004. Today I'm on page three or something. I just wanted that duly noted. I like duly noting things about duly noted.

Maybe, I am trying to get back on top of the list.

So, I had some time on my hands

time, money and a whole lot of goofy.

but hey, it made me happy for a while.

Suckered

"I wasn't suckered" is what I said.

"Oh, yes you were. We both were" was her reply.

I stated "We can't be suckered if the only thing you lost was something that you were willing to give"

"Whatever"
...

I like a line break after the title most times and I'll usually just type in the html code for a line break well, I just now didn't do it right and I get an error message that a tag is broken and a checkbox with an option to stop showing errors on this post.

"Stop showing errors?" Why? Do you think there will be too many or that I just don't give a care?

Only time will tell

He told her he loved her.

She mentioned something about "the power of the pussy."

He said nothing. Nothing at first. Powerful stuff indeed he thought but knew that it was just a footnote to one chapter of the whole book. "That's not more powerful than my choice to love" he offered.

She said "How can you be certain? You have already been affected."

"What if pussy was no longer part of the equation?" he asked

She said "It's too late. You have already been infected. There is no cure"

"So there's no way to prove my love is my choice?" he asked

She answered "Only time will tell."

Eyes on your own self, cat

Well, my plan to get screwed up went awry. I had four pints and had just downed a double shot of vodka and was given a coke when my phone rang. It was Lady G and somehow she knew I was at the bar. "Are you drinking?" I was asked, to which I answered "Right now I'm having a Coke."

She knew were I was but she asked her question anyway. Her question - "Can you pick me up at the airport?" Sure, I can. I got the flight number and the time, wrote it on my napkin, realized I wrote USA instead of US Air and fix it, then left the bar.

Her flight comes in at 8:45PM, I got the call at 5:10PM. The barkeep said "I'll see ya, Monday." My bar tab - one 16oz beer and one soda.

I got back to were I'm house sitting because that is where my truck is and I get this look for the cat (see photo above). He gives me this look but he's the one who threw up on the floor.

I have an appointment...

One of the barkeeps, one that floats the free shots my way, looks me in the eye and emphatically states “You are sooo not drunk.” I’m informed of this because after a couple/few shots, which were preceded by numerous pints, I said, “I think I’m done.”

The next time I’m there a discussion starts that despite large doses of alcohol, they have never seen me drunk. I’m a smartass so I say “Well, maybe we can set a date so you can get me shitfaced.” The reply to that was “How about Friday? I’m not working but I’ll come in.” So the date was set and today it’s Friday.

I'm being asked all these questions, questions I have the answers to but the person asking the questions should know the answers as well. This bothers me but what bothers me more is that he questions my answers.

Dude, if you know more than me, then stop asking me the questions.

...

I guess it all comes down to marketing. Phrase something differently but keep the message the same. It will save you headaches. You do not have to say "no, you ain't getting that, I'm only giving you this", why not say "Hey, looking at what your getting" don't bring attention to what they are not getting.

...

Sometimes, I get a little loud. Sometimes, my speech is colorful. Sometimes, the sometimes collide and I will loudly say something colorful.

"No, you don't understand that sometimes drivers are assholes" that was my mock response to a situation being relayed to me. I said it loud enough for the whole front office, which includes citizens here on business, to hear.

...um, how loudly did I just say that? Ooops, I guess. Eeh, fukit.

I have this problem you see. A problem with being obstinate.

ob·sti·nate adj.
1. Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or course of action; obdurate.
2. Difficult to manage, control, or subdue; refractory.
3. Difficult to alleviate or cure: an obstinate headache.

I don’t like a lot of online reference services mainly because I like to browse and browsing is difficult on most online services but an online service I enjoy is dictionary.com. Dictionary.com proves me right, it’s proves me wrong, it makes me a better person.

Anyway, back to the story, I’m obstinate. I tend not to let something drop. I will go on and on, sometimes. Sometimes, friends will plead with me to just let it go, they assure me “Yes, yes we know, but we just don’t have the time, please let’s just move on. Yes, you’re the crowned prince of bullshit. Let’s go.”

But last night, I did something out-of-nature. I let a discussion drop even though I think I could get my point across eventually, I just let it go. I’m not certain why.

I'm here babysitting this cat.

I have this mankin, in my office, the owner's seven year old daughter likes to pose it while I'm away from my desk. This is the latest pose. I don't know if it's some sort of martial arts or she indicating that I'm a pansy.
...
Seeing how I don't post from the day job, here are some thoughts I will have on the subway ride in:

Dude, if you keep staring at the side of my neck like that you're gonna have to buy me dinner.

Lady, you better stop your progress right there because I ain't moving. There is nowhere to go past me and I don't care how loudly you say "Excuse me" (she stopped right next to me).

I actually made an appointment to have the barkeeps get me drunk?

I must be a sucker for agreeing to housesit for the sole purpose of babysitting a cat.

I forgot....

One thing I do remember was that two of the barkeeps had on matching thongs. They were like a teal color.

Here's an unrelated photo
.

Yesterday, was running like a regular Monday. Mondays are slow at the favorite bar and grill so I do my best to drop by on Mondays for lunch.

"I have to go" I said

"Why? What do you have to do?" Jennifer asked

"Well, I sort of have that day job thing"

"When then come back for three"

I was just there for lunch so it was just sodas. Three is the normal quantity of pints for me unless I'm going to make a night of it so I said "Okay". I thought asking me to commit to three was pretty bold but in reality if I were to come back I was going to stay for three.

I went back with a friend and had my three, things were still slow so I was asked to stay. I was really done with the beer, sometimes I just have enough of it and it usually has nothing to do with the quantity or come to think of it the quality either, there just comes a point when I don't want beer anymore. I informed my lovely barkeep of this and she provided the option of Whiskey Sours, which is my current first choice after beer. So I said I'll stay but somehow my friend and I were served double shots of Vodka, the raspberry and orange flavors mixed, this happened twice. Then I got a regular shot of Tequila, my Whiskey Sour and then another double shot of the Vodka. I forget what my friend was doing. There was some teasing as to the long wait the last double shot was taking on the bar, but I freely admitted that I'm a pussy when it comes to drinking.

I got my bar bill which had three beers and a Whiskey Sour on it and I was told by Jennifer that the shots were on her, and that my friends is why I drop by on Mondays for lunch.

I believe that the bartenders are trying to kill me.

stars at hand

This site looks better with photos, so I'm taking photos, my neice is around so a lot are taken of her. She gets fed up with me but I did get this one.

I didn't catch it a first but she pointing at the stars, when she would point at one she would move to the next. I think I need to point at more stars.

“Is this the end of me?”

That's the question someone else asked of herself.

My version of that question, that I frequently ask myself, is "Are you done?" usually followed up by "Is that all you got?"

Usually, those questions come after I've done some feat of charity and have just taken a step away, sort of to distance myself from the thing.

I'll usually answer those questions with "Why don't you shut the fuck up?"

I'm rather not polite with myself and I'm more profane in my head than what usually is communicated outward.

It could quite possibly be that my best is behind me, maybe I'll never surpass my past but I know I have better in me whether I try to get it out to the world or not.

My answer to that first question that someone else asked of herself was that this wasn't her end. She's larger than her frame. I said this about her but I had to use the same measure on myself. My mind conspires against me and love to contradict me. I asked myself “How is this different for you? Is this the end of you? Do you really think this is all you have? Do you think you are done?”

I had to answer no for those last three. I'm not seeking out stuff to do but once in awhile something comes my way, some good deed that needs doing. I sometimes wait until no one is looking but I'll usually end up doing it.

I'm still not doing all I can but I'm not walking away from the stuff that crosses my path so for the moment I think I'll stop kicking the shit of myself.

Quality control is at an all time low.

I finished the half page ad for the neighborhood paper at 3 am or so, I read it over twice because I am trying to do a better job with things and stuff. I found no misspellings and I liked the layout, the image editing was fantastic (maybe not fantastic but at least good). I printed two copies, one for the office and one for the paper and left to try to get a couple hours of sleep before I had to be at the day job by 8 am.

Ten o’clock the next day I get a call asking where the file is located on my computer because there is a typo.

A what-oh? There cannot be typo, I checked it twice, is what was said in my head but me, knowing me knew there could be a typo regardless because I can’t proofread my own stuff with any sort of accuracy. My mind conspires against me. Anyway, it turns out that I substituted a nine for a six so some price was thirty grand off which sounds like a lot but was only 11 percent different.

Someday in the future I think I’ll learn my numbers.

Who is next?...

Last night I’m buying take-out from this place in the old/former neighborhood. I double park across the street from where I need to be and I wait for traffic to go by, this particular traffic is caused by Mike the Plumber.

“Hey, Tim!”

“Hey, Mike”

Need an assistant? No, No, No don’t ask that. I should like the job I have. I should. ….I could. …I would if…

I just left it at Hey Mike. I truly didn’t know I missed the old crew as much as I do. It’s been over seven years. It must be an itch or something.

Guilty by association?

Despite all my stories of wanton sex, excessive drug use, running from the law and being involved in the mob, I have a reputation of being a clean cut guy, a guy which doesn’t get into trouble, someone who plays it safe.

There will be times when I’m hanging out with friends and their loved ones will call them on the phone as we sit at the bar or something and I’ll hear “No, I with Greencatfish, I’m not doing anything” or “How much trouble can I get into? I’m with Greencatfish.” I’ll sometimes hear this while actually we’re doing something risky. My name is a type a salve.

Don’t worry I’m with Greencatfish.

Innocent by association.

Visitor

Lady G dropped by the office about a half hour before I was off the clock. She pointed out that, in my area, my cube neighbors all are hooked up with women of color.

I hadn’t noticed mainly because I just see a bunch of white guys.

They’re just a bunch of copy cats.

While she was utilizing my extra desk chair she points out the picture of her daughter and her daughter’s teacher and says “You know I hate that teacher. Why do you have that photo up?” I said "Because it’s a good picture of your daughter ...and because you hate that teacher."

whatever...

I’m trying to make a better effort with things. I’m not having much success but there I was taking better photos of some property. A property built from scratch to five stories tall, twenty five units in all. Built by someone I would call a friend, a friend who actually was there, working late. It was a chance meeting. I didn’t see him at first, he had to call my name to get my attention.

Of all the builders I’ve met, there were only two that I would actually work for, this guy is one of them. We catch up a bit, as he gets a banner that was left there for marketing purposes to give to me even though I’m just there for photos.

He calls me Terrible, one of the nicknames he has given me. Terrible is not a description of my job performance, it’s for the attitude I would get when I ran across some hack tradesman. Hack tradesmen were always a source of irritation for me, mainly because I would be the one that would have to fix the screw-ups. It would bother me that some ‘professional’ could not or would not do the job as good as I.

Dude, I don’t do this everyday like you and even I can do a better job.

Another nickname is Timmy the Heat.

He’s there working late because his main guy is on vacation. He’s doing things like sweeping up and odds and ends. If I had gotten there earlier I would have helped him out. I almost let him know that I’ll be by tomorrow, I’ll bring my tools.

I miss construction but I’m still certain it would kill me, like it almost had.

Nope and Nope.

So, did you go anywhere?

Nope.

Did, you do anything?

Nope.

...

I'm driving Lady G to a convention center which is where a birthday party is being held for someone turning thirty. The invite is a professional job, mailed in an envelope that is the Tiffany's blue. The invite states that it is for the bearer only and not for the bearer and the bearer's guest. It's a solo affair.

A discussion starts about including Tiffany's as a place to register your birthday gifts. Included in the invite was a smallish piece of paper (crudely cut with scissors) that informed the reader that the birthday girl was registered at Tiffany's, Crate and Barrel, and Bed Bath and Beyond.

I said Tiffany's has some reasonably priced items, some stuff around a hundred bucks. I think that a normal birthday gift shouldn't be more than a hundred but this one seemed like they were trying to make it extra special.

Lady G tells me one hundred dollars is too much for a birthday gift. She says, with a smile, it's okay to buy her items that expensive but not other people. She asked "Would you buy your friend in the office a gift for that much?"

I asked "Which friend?"

To which she got a serious-like attitude and said "The fat one" then shut the door to the truck and walked away.

Well no, not the fat one ...but the other one, maybe.

Back to the day job...

Not that any of these posts are ever profound or thought inducing but there were a few times I came by this space to throw something up but couldn’t do it.

It seems that during my week away from the day job I shut down the thinking part of my brain.

I think it kicked back on Saturday night because I was having trouble sleeping.

Back to work

I go back to work on Monday. I haven't really accomplished anything while hanging around the house.

I fixed the front door so it closes easily.
I painted the front door.
I refinished the house numbers and was able to keep the patina.
I bought an axe.
I cut a stump to grade.
I mowed the lawn.
I bought a new surround sound system.
I bought a new VCR.


Left to my own devices I'm rather lazy.

Logging onto Blogger was a hassle. It took me like twelve times trying to log on and now that I'm here I don't have anything to say.

Lady G told me I was wasting my vacation. She is right.

She called me while I was at my second job, she asked "Are you working?", to which I answered "Yep" and then I got a "Well, shame on you".

Maybe tomorrow I'll do something.

...

Sometimes, when I'm hanging out with Lady G, there comes a time when a certain will be between us, a physical distance not an emotional one. A distance that will be just right for me to see her whole picture and not just a section that I'm only allowed when she is closer, and not so far that I miss the details. And when that distance is acheived I'm reminded of how much beauty she possesses and I wonder why I need the reminding.

I don't know why I'm in her life.

The hedges - done.

The thing about pruning is that you have to be bold.