eh.

“What’s new? ...Nothing” she said answering her own question for me.

“That’s correct. No new stories. Would you like to hear an old one?”

“You’re boring”

“That’s already been established”

...

“Thanks a lot. I appreciate that you listened and tried to help. I’m going to send a ‘Thank You’ note to your boss.”

“Thanks but you don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t have to. If I did have to I probably wouldn’t”


Yeah, there are lots of things I’m told I have to do but don’t


...


“No, she didn’t mention the other lady. She was looking out for you.”

“I’ve got a few people looking out for me.”

“That’s good that you have people looking out for you because you have a crazy wife.”

“I like ‘em crazy. It makes things interesting.”

...

Vegas and Iceland are on the list.

I do, he does, we do

Sometimes the doing is more important than what's done.

This is more of what I was looking for

“I wish I could say that it was nice talking to you but it wasn’t.”

Sometimes we’re let go early. Times like this past Wednesday. If we do get to go it’s usually at two.

I took lunch at one which is early for me but if we were to get to go at two, it would work out better for me.

I walked to the regular lunch place and, on the way, met a poker buddy who had the same idea. I also just received a call from a different friend that he was on his way.

We sat at the bar which was mostly empty except for the two end seats on the left and the end seat on the right which left the four in the middle. I sat next to the guy on the right after my buddy sat in the chair that would be to my left. I usually keep an empty chair next to me and someone I don’t know, if I have a choice but I thought we were going to need the chairs and sometimes when you sit right next to a guy he feels crowded and doesn’t stick around. This guy stuck around.

That day’s lunch started in 16 ounce tumblers poured from a tap. We got a call at about one thirty that we would be let out early, right at two which meant I was done for the day.

The guy to my right started talking to me after I had witnessed his fourth pint since I had been there and after each request he adds ‘It’s for the road’. He told me that he was 57 years old, he was from ‘across the pond,’ he was born in ’54, his father was eleven years older than his mother, his first name was Paul, he’s a limey, his last name was H-O-W-E-S (he spelled it out instead of saying it) and his family’s name can be traced back to 1647 here in America.

I wasn’t so impressed with the guy’s lineage because my great to the eighth grandfather was married in Boston, Mass on Oct 9 1657, and I know that guy was a blood relative. This guy, he just knew that some guy named Howes was in Boston in 1647.

He asked if I was Irish. I told him maybe but mostly Scottish, French Canadian, Polish and Jewish. He seemed to be worried that the Boston Irish wished to do him harm.

He told me that the greatest holocaust ever to happen was what the Europeans did to the Native Americans. He also told me something that he said was very important that his grandmother told him, “Don’t believe anything you read and only believe half of what you see.” I didn't disagree with either of those statements.

He eventually was shut off at the bar at about 3:30. I was told he arrived when they opened at 11:30AM.

During my conversation with Paul five other friends had entered the bar. I was commended for my patience listening to the guy by my friends and the bar staff.

As Paul was about to use a route that wasn’t a straight line to the door he said “I wish I could say that it was nice talking to you but it wasn’t.”

I just laughed.

I’ll listen to anyone.

Lunch ended after two double shots with one friend and myself at the bar.

At 6:38PM I took this photo of sidewalk artwork.

Sometimes, there is only my honor to guide me.

Sometimes I’m dishonorable.

“God sends rain on the just and the unjust” or something like that. Some folks think that means calamity comes to all but the problem with that is rain is a good thing. It means good things happen to both the just and the unjust.

Something I like to do is stand at the edge during the rain with a cup of coffee in hand and just watch and listen to the rain.

I don’t do it often.

…

If the choice is mine, I prefer the truth to lies but there are times I’ll avoid finding the truth. So, I guess there are times I’m a coward.

“I wish you hadn’t told me that”

“Then you shouldn’t have asked the question”

...

a friend left a note on my chair. The note said "Happy Thanksgiving, Kiss Ass"

The long shot. I’m on a long shot kick. Notice all the long shots?

The first long shot idea I had was to shoot this shot but I never did for some reason. But last night I said “What the heck, I’ll shoot that shot tonight.”

Traffic was light so as I crossed the street I turned on the camera, shut off the flash, set it to timer mode then set it on the double yellow center line and pushed the button.

I pushed the wrong button and shut the camera off. I swore and then proceeded with steps one through three again but now a car crested the hill maybe a quarter mile away. I didn’t want headlights in the shot but I decided to take the shot anyway.

It turns out that I suck at guessing how long it takes the shutter to do its thing when the camera is in timer mode and also that the sucker cresting the hill was moving quicker than I thought.

I had to decide whether to chance the camera and leave it in the middle of street while speedy goes by or I could grab the camera early and wait for the shot I truly wanted.

For some reason I chose to chance the camera.

It wasn’t worth the risk.

Sometimes Lady Luck slips me the tongue

So, I called our mutual friend. I got voice mail. I told the story and asked if she had the info for the invites because I only had the quanity and no specifics.

I ordered the stock online which ships next day free of charge just in case. I drove to Staples to get what I needed. Staples only had enough for 100 invites. I bought them. Ivory with a metallic silver border.

Our mutual friend called me back.

"So, you ran into the Councilor, huh?"

"yeah"

"What did he say?"

I told her the scoop. I also told her I could do 100 tonight if needed and the rest tomorrow. I was told they would be mailed out this weekend so there is no huge rush.

That's what I like to hear.

I have the proofs ready, I'm just waiting on the stock and I'm good to go.

Until tomorrow, I'm out.

click

"fuck you, i'm a lady"

that's golden

Hey! ...oh

"Hi, Councilor"

"Hi, Tim. How are you doing?"

"I'm good"

"Did you get my invite?"

I'm thinking "No, I didn't get any invites to anything. Someone is holding out on me" but once he finished his question it was "Did you get my invites finished?"

Which changed my response in my head to "Oh, shit! No." His request for invites came via a mutual friend and after a different request for invites which needed a second order, so I forgot about his invites.

"I'm glad you said something. I started looking for the stock but then I forgot." I said

Which was true but now I need to really find that stock. I can custom make the invites and reply cards from scratch but it's the envelopes that are usually the problem.

I'm not going to hand make 250 pairs of different sized envelopes. That would take forever.

The problem seemed familiar

I recently watched The Buffalo War.

The main point of contention is over free-roaming buffalo, roaming off of public land, public land known as Yellowstone National Park. I have seen these buffalo up close.

Native Americans, ranchers, activists, the State of Montana and the federal government were all involved.

The Native Americans, the activists and the federal government all are against the shooting of the buffalo. Montana and the ranchers feel they need to kill the buffalo to keep their domestic cattle disease free.

So far Montana and the ranchers are having it their way.

It seemed to me that the ranchers were acting out of an unfounded fear and questionable practices. The other side was asking for open-mindedness.

One side seemed wrong and the other side seemed right.

One side seemed to care the other side seemed to care not.

The problem seemed familiar.

O/I

I’m hot then cold.

There are times when I’m with people who know me and someone will say something I’ve stated an opinion on in the past. And people will look right at me because the think a reply is coming, usually a reply will come but sometimes it doesn’t.

I don’t know why sometimes I don’t speak up on things that I usually speak up on. There are times I’ll passionately argue a point and other times it seems I have no regard for that same point.

It changes moment by moment.

click

click

I often talk to myself.

The heavier things are debated within the confines of my head.

Some do not like my abrupt manner.

Sometimes, I’ll tell myself to shove it.

…but I make no apologies for it.

Truth is truth, I prefer mine unsugarcoated.

free doom

Sometimes history calls to me and asks “What about you?”

Usually, I’ll flip history the bird.

…

The Freedom Trail is marked in red and runs through grave yards.

Did you ask me to leave?

tip this

Riding the train to the stop by my house I get a tug on my suede jacket. I turn around and it’s the guy I used to buy the daily paper from at the train station. The train station of preference is currently under reconstruction, so both of us have been displaced.

“Hi, John how are you doing? I haven’t seen you in a long time” I said.

“I’m alright. How are you?”

“I’m doing okay”

“This is my girlfriend. What’s your name, again?”

“It’s Tim”

he turned to his girlfriend and says “I always remembered him because he always gave me a tip”

well, it wasn’t always and you only kinda remembered me.

I hope his name was John.

shoulder shrug

That statue is Sam Adams – revolutionary.

My surname can be traced back to the days of Sam, in the same town as Sam, and even further back than that.

I wonder what my father’s forefathers were doing back then.

Insert guitar solo

just the fax

I get to the second job early, folks are there. I start to do my job from the privacy of my own office and I hear this human made noise, not a scream, yell or shriek I’m at a loss to describe it.

Turns out there is a mouse in a glue trap and someone who doesn’t like mice has found it.

I do not like glue traps. I most likely hate them. I prefer the old fashion kind that just snaps their neck right away. With a glue trap the mouse either starves or tears himself apart while tying to get free, not a pleasant way to go.

I threw the mouse trap with mouse away.

…

“Tim, can we move the fax, back where it was?”

where it was used to be by the stairs I ran the phone jack there myself, the questioner was the owner, she can do whatever she wants

“Yeah, I think the jack is still there”

I moved the fax and plugged it in but I didn’t get a dial tone. To the basement I went and there I spied my phone cable cut.

Bastards, I said.

I lucked out rerunning the cable though, there was an old fax line jack that wasn’t being used and the line was still active. Snip snip and screw screw and the fax was alive again.

And the sweetest part was that five years or more ago, I left extra phone line cable wrapped up by the jack the first time I ran the wire and the extra was long enough to reach the active line.

I’m easily amused.

Because misery likes company

“What are your plans for Thanksgiving?”

“Turkey at my house, probably”

“Do you know what you would be eating if the pilgrims shot a cat instead of a turkey?”

“No. What?”

“Pussy”


I’m subjected to this joke every year.

Sometimes, I notice things

gayety, gaiety, gaieties

Do you know what’s weird? Sometimes I spell phoney with the ‘e’ and sometimes I don’t and I’ll choose which spelling according to the feel of the sentence.

I had to edit a post. Well, I didn’t have to, it was just that I was getting too many hits for people looking for ‘flut a phone.’ I didn’t know that instrument was so popular.

I’m mildly obsessive compulsive but I hope that I never get to the point where I will be too concerned with reading the words to the point that I miss reading the story.

But that damn water cooler bottle always needs to be straightened out, I can tell you that much.

It’s probably best if you don’t really listen to me because honestly I’m quite absurd.

I sometimes wonder if people know that I’m mostly a goofball.

My supervisor the other day, while I wasn’t there, was explaining to the female barkeep how smart I am. I think that is strange. And, I’m not that smart.

Pretty bold stance for a dude with a bird on his head.

Who knows

The question was “How many people know who you truly are to your deepest depth?”

“Including myself? …None”

I'm just a phoney step-dad

The question of marriage comes up. I give a smart ass reply. It’s just a habit. Personal question – smart ass reply. Try it, you’ll see.

Saturday I received a phone call, I had just finished snow throwing the parking lot, driveway and sidewalk, I was on my back, on the bed, legs hanging over the edge, thinking of how I was going to waste the rest of my day. Most pressing was getting my damp clothes off, damp with sweat and snow. The phone call was from Lady G, Little g ate something and was having an allergic reaction, Lady G had to be in work soon, the plan – I take Little g to the emergency room.

The only symptom Little g was showing was a case of the hives which I didn’t know at the time. I’ve never actually seen hives before. If things were more serious Lady G would take her daughter herself but my lady is short on days she can take off, so that is where I came in.

We met at Lady G’s house, which is 15 minutes from my own and among other things I’m told “If anybody asks, you’re her step-dad.” Lady G lives three minutes from the nearest emergency room.

At registration, I’m asked “Relation?”

“Step-dad”

“Address?”

So, I blew the address question and started to give my own address but on the second try I did give Little g’s address.

Unfortunately, the questions got harder.

Little g was prescribed Benadryl and given a dose at the hospital. I got the prescription filled, gave Little g a second dose at the prescribed time and waited for Lady G to get home.

So, here’s the deal. Lady G and I depend on each other, we act like we have been married for quite some time. The reason I’m not married to her is because I’m not certain her love for me is greater than how irritating I can be at times.

I remember riding the Metro in Paris, I did something that pissed her off a bit and she nagged me a bit so we rode to the Eiffel Tower mostly in silence. We were on speaking terms when we got to the tower and I forget how many stops we rode but it was too many to be pissed off …in Paris …of all places.

Too many times I have to remind myself that I love her more than I love myself. I should not need reminding but sometimes my pride will forget.

Whenever I hear her say she loves me, I think “yeah, today” and wonder whether if tomorrow it will be the same, no matter how many yesterdays I’ve heard her say it.

So for now I’m just the phony step-dad to her daughter.

Another office manager - gone. Gone from the second job.

The going away party was tonight.

I was called outside with the smokers, the office manager is a smoker. I was told that they very much appreciated that I was there. I didn’t think it was a big deal.

...

I walked in and said “Hi”. The greeting was for my buddies and the barkeep. I was told by one of my buddies not to stare at her boobs. I usually don’t but when someone says don’t look at boobs you just gotta look at boobs.

She then says “Guys try to order beer through them” and then stares at my chest and says “Can I have a Bud Light?” and holds the stare. I laughed but my buddies didn’t get it. They were too busy holding their stare.

my right is your left

If you ever ask me for directions always watch my hands and ignore whether I say left or right.

I have a tendency to call every turn a right turn but if you watch my hands, the hands tell the truth.

It’s a problem I’ve always can remember having.

I feared the Hokey Pokey.

Still do today, I guess.

I had the reputation as being the smartest first grader but I failed the Hokey Pokey portion of the class.

Maybe that’s why I don’t understand some things sometimes because you know – the Hokey Pokey, that’s what it’s all about.

Maybe that’s why I say I’m right but I’m actually left.

Oh, Yeah.

Happy Anniversary, Pogeybait

Oh, One G. I Hardly Knew Thee.

Sometimes, I’ll type over two thousands words.

Sometimes, I’ll edit it or rewrite it to a more condensed state.

Sometimes, I’ll save it as a draft.

Most often, I just delete it.

Infrequently, I’ll post it as is.

…

My sister told me that I like to be contrary.

I disagreed.

Thanks, Veterans.

The internet saw more of me than usual today.

Thanks to all that played along.

I was still in bed when I got the call. “I need invites posthaste.” Okay that’s not word for word but that the gist of it. And it was nine o’clock, I should have been out of bed anyway.

I was forewarned about the invites over the weekend. I was asked can you do them, I said I don’t remember what they look like. I was told you’ve done them in the past.

Oh, those invites. Yeah, I can do them.

Today, I did them, 250 invites with envelopes. Easy Peasy except that my printer kept jamming on the envelopes so I had to single feed them.

So, I’m standing at the printer feeding one envelope at a time into it which gives me a lot of thinking time some of which spilled out at bringthebeef.blogspot.com.

Happy anniversary, Radiohumper

End transmission

Thanks, Veterans.

A suicide made the paper, it was the topic of discussion.

“You gotta have real guts to kill yourself” was said by someone.

“Or a real lack of guts” was said by me.

I was asked to explain.

I said that with suicide you just need guts for a moment but with life you gotta have guts all the time.

...

Honestly, I don't know why it's titled that.

feel better now?

Yes, yes I do

My opinion

Who asked for my opinion, you ask?

I have this habit of speaking my opinion. I will speak it when I’m asked. I will speak it when I’m not asked.

I am willing to speak it to anybody in earshot no matter who they think they are, especially when I think my opinion is contrary to there own.

Don't like it, don't ask ...or stay out of earshot.

...

"You're a smart-ass" I was told.

"I'd rather be a smart-ass than a dumb-ass" was my reply.

I'm mean, too.

Alright, already. Here's a photo

Sure is quiet

Hello. HELLO! said while thumping my head melon-style.

Is this thing on?

…

Nothing on the election?

Nothing on real or imagined voter fraud?

Nothing on how most of the problems with the voting machines were non-candidate specific and/or could be chalked up to user error? Users being municipal workers who only do this crap once every two years.

Nothing on how if you look at this map here that the Dems really got their ass kicked?

Nothing on keeping the faith?

Nothing on you still gotta vote even if the system sucks?

Nothing on how he says, on a primetime news show, that he personally thinks that anybody should be able to marry anybody they want but yet today the paper states he will push for a gay wedding ban?

Nothing on how marriages are a state issue and not a federal issue?

No squirrel stories? There hasn’t been a squirrel story in ages.

No quotes?

No rants?

No new pictures?



I’m glad you’re not famous or else there would be a lot of disappointed readers.

Meaningful is distant at the moment. …but then is it ever close in these parts?

The DNC site is back up. They are asking for feedback.

“We plan to use your feedback to help develop our strategy in 2005.”

I really don’t have any feedback just a bit of advice: screw honor and play the game to win, find someone who is engaging and worry about the sound policy later. Stay away from MA democrats, they are all bores, save one. And when you pick a running mate from the South try to get one that can win his own state. Get everyone on the same page and work stuff out before hand also have folks step aside if needed to front a better ticket.

Start working candidates now.

You need to rework your image and/or your platform. Half the country found you more distasteful than that other guy. I don’t really know why that is I just know that it is. Ask around and find out.

I think they have a new donkey logo

You-do-it

Saturday I had two things that kinda needed to be done.

One thing was mow the lawn before it snows.

The other thing was to run network cable from the hub to a new location at the second job.

I chose the latter but I did not have cat 5 cable so I drove to where I knew they would have it. I hadn’t been there in years. I think I’ve only been there once since my father died in ’95. He used to go there all the time. This place sells kits to build your own robot as well as transistors, capacitors, blank circuit boards, all sorts of electronic parts.

I picked up 500’ of cable. It was more than I needed but I also plan to wire my house.

I probably have enough to wire a couple houses.

So anyway, now I want to build my own robot.

…

The mandolin – four notes learned solid.

"Ask not for victory, ask for courage. For if you can endure you bring honor to us all, even more you bring honor to yourself."
- -- From the Decathlete

Hope for the hopeless

So, I read someone’s post and I wanted to tear them a new one but I was in a hurry and I would be away from any of my computers so I would have to wait.

I needed to pick up Little g from some after school program. It was raining and it was dark. I stayed in the truck and was looking out the window. When I thought I saw her I got out and walked over. She was with some friends and said her goodbyes. She said goodbye to each one of the five by name. I thought it was excessive, just say one generic “See ya” and call it a day, was what I thought at the time.

As we walked down the stairs to where I was parked, Little g was asked “Who’s that?” I was the who. “He’s a friend of my mother,” the standard answer I’ve heard several times before but then she adds “He’s my friend, too” a nonstandard answer.

I held the door as she climbed into the truck, she has given up on telling me that I need running boards so people can get into my truck easier. She said “Thank you” as she sat down. I said “You’re welcome, friend,” a nonstandard answer.

I made it to the second job, the only thing pressing I had was to write just one check. I turned on the P4 and accessed the internet, I made it to where I wanted to leave my heated comment but the heat was gone.

I left a strongly worded post on my own site then erased it.

Life goes on.

You can throw your hope away but me – I’m keeping mine.

The mandolin is played with a pick.

from page eight

Walking to work I realized that no matter how conservative my personal beliefs are I am, politically, a liberal with social issues anyway.

get real, please or there will be no change

I’ve read in some comment that the election was rigged.

The election was not rigged.

I will not deny that some things happened with voter registrations as with voter eligibility and I’ll even concede that some votes could be tampered with but to rig a nation wide election is not possible without getting caught eventually. There would be too many people involved for there not to be some incriminating trail.

Look at the electoral map almost every state voted for Bush in 2000 as did in 2004. So, in two consecutive presidential elections four years apart, thousands of people in local government all over the country conspired to get Bush in office, twice. That just isn't possible. An argument can be made that the conspiracy only needed to be in certain key states but that doesn’t explain why Bush took a majority of the states in this country. The republican message appealed to a great number of people.

Were the eight seats gained between the Senate and the House also a conspiracy?

The democrats got beat. And until folks acknowledge that, then the true problem will not be fixed. I don’t know why a majority of this country voted the way they did but contributing it to voter fraud or some conspiracy theory isn’t going to make things better.

It most likely makes things worse.

Pardon, me. I'm going to lunch.

I was a block and a half away from where the concession speech was given. I passed by the gathering crowd as I was on my way to my destination.

I’m still not used to seeing my everyday familiar sites on tv, even though it happens a lot.

In my former childhood neighborhood, they have an annual parade. The parade is locally known as a big to do, it’s televised and everything. I used to live right on the parade route, all I would have to do is watch it from my window. But me, I watched it on tv. I could hear the commotion of the parade outside my house but I would watch it from the comfort of my couch.

It was there if I wanted it.

I should take more pictures of the things I brush by in life. There have been times when I could have shaken history’s hand.

I watched the speech on tv while paying Keno while drinking lunch.

The event was there if I wanted it.

I was with someone familiar. He kept saying that he has never been to the famous hall where the speech was happening. I've been there a couple times, once for the mayor's inauguration. The hall is open to the general public most days, you just have to walk right in.

I don’t memorialize though because usually when it’s happening, I’m not so impressed.

I’ve actually been involved when footnote history has been made but you know what, the cable bill still didn’t pay itself.

Freak'n Ohio

Nothing is getting done at the moment

Instead of finishing my work I'm watching how the states are falling.

Lady G called, she was delivering coffee to the poll workers earlier today. I should have took the day job off today to help her. Her plan was to go to the Kerry party on Boyston Street.

I could finish here and head downtown but I don't see that happening.

Talk to the Publisher

Today's front page of the Herald has the head line "Hey, Sox Nation, it's time to move on... And now, the election."

You're the fukers that have been running the stories since last week.

Hold onto your socks

My brand new snow thrower weighs 185 lbs and it's not a pleasant experience getting it into the back of my truck. There was a sign by the snow throwers that said 10% off any snow thrower bought today and another sign two feet away that said 10% off snow throwers all this weekend with coupon. I pointed out the difference to the lawn and garden section guy and explained that I don't have a coupon. He then told me "I have the coupons." That's great! I saved $71.50.

My mandolin, yesterday, was approximately 50 miles from my house. I might get it today.

...

Labels that once fit don't quite fit anymore.

...

I was asked to find a light green and an orange bandana. I found out that both A.C. Moore and Michael's have bandana sections, near the t-shirt sections. I found an orange one but I couldn't find a light green one, so regular green had to do.

At A.C. Moore I'm asked what I am making. I had the bandanas and two dark green t-shirts (on sale), I said I was just sent to get things and she starts telling me how her husband would never be able to get things like this and how his Italian mother ruined him.

Lady, I just want the bandanas.

I think I'll start wearing bandanas.