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.