Thanks cinderella. My car was not badly damaged. I was more worried about the car I hit. The way the tyres were hit meant that it could not be driven anymore and had to be towed away on that steep and narrow mountain road.

I know what you meant about paying attention to the body. I woke up several times that night recalling the moment just before the impact. The next day my body was so tensed I had to get a massage.

I try not to be paranoid about driving again and drove four hours the next day to get home. My car is only three months old!

Glad your car is salvagable. I didn't mean to sound cold, but car expenses can really throw a wrench into thing. It's adding insult to injury - literally.

Got my own bad news this evening after whirling around selling my house and being extatic for that short period of time. Some @$%@#@# got my debit card info and has been transfering money out of my account all weekend. I'm down $5000 - he maxed out my overdraft and I'll still be in the red when I get paid Thursday. Not only do I have all my bills to pay, I have a trip booked to Florida on Saturday. The bank says it could take 2 weeks to 2 months to recover the money. I want to scream!!!!!

YIKES!!!!


Glad the car is salvagable. I have had some lovely cases of whiplash. I'm sure it's not a good thing. I say that from lots of experience.

Tabby, I am really sorry to hear your woes.

I'm glad you can get your money back.

Do they know who did this?

I can't imagine how they can NOT figure out who did it. The transfers were made over the phone. I have the account numbers but not the branches. There were 5 transfers in all, $980 each. Two went to one account, two to another and one to the last. One account is still on my list of "payees" - probably they got shut out before they were able to delete it. You can only set these up if the accounts are in the same bank. So they HAVE to be able to figure out where the money went. Chances are, the money didn't stay where it was but was transferred somewhere else as well - but again, you can only do this within the same bank. Although he could have withdrawn it from a machine from each of the accounts. Even in that case, once they figure out who's accounts they were, they know who's name it is.

It's just so bloody aggrevating and just another sign of how royally screwed up the human race is that they would do something like this.

Someone would achieve room tempature over five grand If I ever caught them.

I know what you meant about paying attention to the body. I woke up several times that night recalling the moment just before the impact. The next day my body was so tensed I had to get a massage.



Yup - pay extra attention to your body..........injuries from accidents can come up days or weeks after the fact. I just saw my doctor a week ago, I had slammed into a wall playing racquetball, and a week and a half later, I couldn't walk........doctor explained the phenomenon - she said she's seen some neck/back injuries up to two weeks after.....

Be kind to yourself......I'm very glad that you are OK...

With my 2 herniated disks in my neck, my ear problem, and my lower back/SI joint issues, I am in my chiropractor's office almost weekly. 2 weeks is too long between adjustments - 7-10 days is ok.

After a wreck, I can be in there 2-3 times a week for a couple of weeks. It's better than pain. It's better than drugs.

And, I have a licensed massage therapist who works for my chiropractor so she can actually tell what is wrong with my body when I go in. She knows that, if I say it hurts, I'm telling the truth. And, if I say it really hurts, it's very important that she pay attention.

I am normally obscenely healthy with no joint problems etc., but was laid-up the last 4-days with diverticulitis, and particularly bad episode of it, which is a lifelong condition, although it varies in frequency, duration, and amplitude. But it did teach me one valuable lesson, being sick by yourself is no fun at all and I feel that I would have felt better had someone been there to provide a little care. Part of that is my fault, I have 2-nurses in my neighborhood, one across the street, and I should have called. There might even be an idea in there somewhere for a mutual assistance pact.

So, that put a bit of a damper on this week's activities and I did miss several events to my regret. But I'm back to about 85% capability physically and it's Halloween weekend. So, here are the plans:

Tonight there will be quite a bit of festivity in the heart of the town. I might go to our newly acquired city hall (the old fire hall) and help to hand out candy. The weather will be exceptional. There will be further festivities at The Dog. I am also invited to a bonfire at Chris's house.

Tomorrow night, there's a party at neighbors' Tony and Laura's house, plus my favorite band is playing at The Dog and I would be remiss if I did not see them.

Today and tomorrow the highs will be in the low-70's, a nice change from the cold start of the week.

I hope that all of you have a fine weekend and remember to get out there, out of your comfort zone (which is an artificial construct to shelter you from fun) and meet some new people. Flirt, converse, practice being the fun person that you know that you are. Keep your expectations low and enjoy the results. After all, it's a lot better than what goes on in your living room, right?

Dutch

You guys have a great Halloween. I'm holed up in BF's basement with the upstairs lights off (to ward off trick or treaters). The reason? Tomorrow we are off to Disney for a week! BF's DD7 is with her mom and she'll get dropped off here after she's done her Halloween festivities (BF is working). We leave first thing tomorrow morning. Have a great week!

I left work early Friday to go get a new TV

I put enough overtime in this week to get the monsterest sized LCDHD TV I could cram into the bed of my truck and cover Tab's income with her not working.

We stayed awake fot 24 hours straight watching this thing.

When Tabs feels better, we are going to try the Wii on it, in fact I think I might be up for a round of golf after work!

Of course, I have the new hours at work, which allows for me to have every other Friday off, but does require working until 17:30 most nights. I had an invite from my best friend Chris to a Halloween bonfire later in the evening. I left work and decided to catch-up on some shopping as I had been laid-up sick at home Tuesday-Thursday, so I had a mental list ( I rarely rely on a physical list for anything unless there’s something truly complex going on) and I started at one of the big-3 grocery chains in the St. Louis metro area, called Shop N Save. You might think of them as the discount chain. They built a new store about 2-miles from work about 1-year ago and it is absolutely fabulous and might in fact be their flagship store. I went in for two bottles of my favorite salad dressing and emerged with a cart-full. I then popped into the nearby Target and bought two wool-vests that were on sale. I have always fancied vests as a fashion accessory. I then headed to Wally World for sundry H&B (Health & Beauty) items and also walked out with cart-full. Then a quick stop at Hardee’s for a spot of dinner. This particular location must be the center for all known entropy as considering the customer load they were just horribly organized to the point where it was comical. I chuckled and forecasted Hardee’s doom as the collective disorganization of this particular restaurant could topple a civilization. Right.

Onward then to home and then a very quick unload as I was pressing 21:00 at this point. No sign of any trick-or-treaters at that hour, so headed up to The Dog which was packed with adults and children alike. Gene, the owner, has a tradition of handing out boatloads on candy to the kids. Halloween in a big deal in the old party of town, and it would take some time for me to set the whole thing up, but suffice it to say people in St. Paul know how to have fun for all ages on Halloween. Next year I will have some more-involved plans. I walk into The Dog where the regular cast is in attendance and Jo Ellen says “You’ve won.” I’m going like what, but then recalled that I put my name on 2-squares on the World Series board, $5.00 per square, as my friend Tom had encouraged me to play, not something I have ever done in my life, but at the time I figured everyone that I know at The Dog is playing, so I might as well too. So back to the present, Dave is looking for the payout and I ordered a beer. Jo ends up handing me an envelope with my name on it, and there’s $100.00 in it! Needless to say, I ordered several rounds that night, including one for Tom. Anna and her husband Kerry popped in and I talked with them for a bit and made my usual rounds. In any given night, I may shake up to 100 handshakes and am known for my firm grip. My friend Keith and I have a little friendly contest every time we shake to see who can grip hardest and longest. I’m sure that I’ve impressed him before. I ended up at the bar and had a great conversation with my friend Bruce. He is a HVAC guru and has a lot of practical knowledge about a lot of things. When we first met he was pretty leery of me but was warmed-up greatly to me particularly this year. As an example, he elected to sit next to me at the bar. We had a far-ranging conversation about energy, the desperate state of the US auto manufacturers, and how some industrial motors are bearing-less. He, his wife Katie, who is usually a delightful and intelligent conversationalist but obviously was tired that evening, and their son left shortly after as Bruce was going duck hunting in the morning.

I’ll set some context here. You can Google St. Paul and see that we’re just to the left of the Mississippi River. We are up on the bluff and there is a lot of land in the floodplain, thousands of acres that adjoin St. Paul. There are hundreds of duck clubs in St. Charles County and duck hunting is a very big deal and represents a lot of money to many people. The duck clubs typically cost of lot of money to join and according attract a certain socioeconomic class. The Busch's, of Inhouse-Busch fame, live just right down the road and absolutely live for duck hunting. Saturday was the opening day and I understand that the take was decent but not spectacular because the weather was too warm, mid-70’s for highs and 50’s at night, some of the best Halloween weather we’ve ever had. Anyway, between dove, turkey, deer and duck season, some wives don’t see their husbands on weekends for several months. All are a big deal in St. Paul. To see wild turkey is no big deal, I’ve had to shoo some off of the road this year already. There’s even a certain fashion element to duck hunting!

Oh, I should add, first their was the ATM, then there was the credit terminal, and now, drum roll please and hold your breath with anticipation, now there’s the website:

The Dog Prairie's new webpage

That’s a lot of technology introduced at The Dog in the last month. If you pull up the page, there are four photos, starting from the left, that’s Gene and Nikki, Jo Ellen and her mom Rosemary, Dave holding the frog-legs, and lastly Jesse on last St. Patrick’s Day.

After Bruce and company left, Anna came back sans husband and kid, so I knew that she was looking for a fun night “out”. She sat to my right and my friend Paul was on my left and we talked about a lot of things for many hours. People tend to under-value truly good conversation, I just live for it! I have a gift for it as well and appreciate someone present who can engage my grey matter, which is not always a common experience. Anna is fully capable. I finally told her what I tell everyone else about her, that she is simply the most rational woman I know. I did not know how she would accept that but she took it as I intended it, which is a great compliment. Both Anna and Paul have strong connections to England, Paul was born and lived there for some period, Anna’s mother is from there and Anna has lived there, so I think I got them started on the discussion and their families come from about the same area. I had a great time with both, then we would split up a bit, I introduced Anna to Roland and Arlene, whom she had not met before, the mayor and his wife showed and we talked to them, etc. This setup continued until after the official close (01:30) and I walked Anna out right around 02:00. We’re to the point that we meet and greet with customary hugs and she told me that she loved me and I said the same back to her. I am confident that we love each other as friends. I’ve spoken my piece on the subject before of married women and there’s no need to repeat my strong stance. I have many friends that I love and I tell them frequently. This includes several male friends. Non-romantic love is very powerful stuff and can last you a lifetime where romantic relationships do not. I gave Anna my current theory of very attractive women. I’m just not interested in them, they are self-centered, self-absorbed, and generally very shallow, worrying about the ticking clock that will make their looks fade. I’m not interested in their manipulation or mental problems either. I’m still fairly ambivalent about women in general, I’m too the point where their flaws are readily indentified. I find the actual process of dating to be tedious as well. I haven’t met a woman that captured my interest in a while. I guess I’m too particular and jaded.

I headed home and ended up sleeping until noon! Then it was the usually housework and yard-work, including watering the grass as it has been a dry fall. I made sloppy-joes for dinner with some chili-beans on the side (I prefer them to baked-beans) and some chips, really quite a little nice meal. I don’t recall making sloppy-joes in my house before. I had been texting back and forth with Susan and at one point she said that if she could get a sitter that she would like to see Big Easy playing at The Dog. I guess she couldn’t make it as I didn’t hear back from her. I was very wound up but did not want to get there too early, so ironed (yes, I am the king of ironing) and checked out a couple of different shirts to wear with one of the new vests. I got everything together, including picking out a bottle of wine for Jo Ellen. Time for an aside.

Friday (Halloween), Anna and I were talking to Bill, I’ve known him casually from The Dog and we had a really nice conversation. I gave Bill my standard sales pitch and told him that if he runs across any single women in his journeys that I would appreciate a referral. He said that he would. Jo was standing listening and I made a remark to the general audience that Jo had never set me up with anyone. She got a funny expression on her face and said directly to me “Because you never asked.” Bingo, big bingo. My own advice, which I did not follow in this instance, is to never assume that even those closest to you can guess your wishes and desires. I made a formal request to Jo and also reflected that she is a direct communicator and that I did not have to play manipulation games to communicate my message. This is to say that not very many women are direct and there’s nothing wrong with person who’s manipulative as long as you understand their game. Not everyone is capable of direct communication and many who aren’t will have passive-aggressive tendencies. I was taking off my shoes at home Friday night and I replayed that scene and busted out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. The thought had never occurred to me to ask Jo directly. Lesson learned, I brought her bottle of wine into The Dog, handed it to her, told her that I had not been following my own advice, we both laughed and then she was informative the rest of the evening about the single women on the scene. Problem solved.

A bunch of people were in costume at The Dog and they would later have a costume contest. I had the normal conversations and making the rounds, etc. for a while before the band started. I had a voicemail on my phone from Chris and stepped outside to be able to hear it, and this guy on this, well, awesome looking bike rides up, sputters something about bugs, takes off his helmet, and it’s my neighbor with the same first name as me. For those of you that don’t know my first name, it is somewhat unusual, as far as I know there are only 3 of us in the county, and somewhere beyond statistical probability 2 of us live in the same subdivision. I admired the bike, which I’ll bet was more than $30,000, and we went back in. He met friends there who followed the same band, so I got introduced around, he bought me a beer later, and I went over and sat with them for a time.

The action was pretty slow at first with not very many local people there. Often a good band will bring a lot of there own people/fans etc. and this was the case for the evening. It later got quite packed where the dance floor was very crowded, more crowded than I cared for. I got bored with the scene, something that rarely happens in that scenario, and said my goodbyes and left at about 23:30. Of course this was on the old daylight time, so I won’t assume the non-daylight time until Sunday. Neighbors Tony and Laura were having a party, so I stopped home, grabbed a few Blue Moons, and headed up there. They were all sitting around a fire-pit, which actually felt good that night, it would have been too warm for one the previous night, so I pulled up a chair and swapped some stories until about 00:30, when I called it a night.

It was great sleeping weather with all of the windows in the house open and several fans on. The house inside had gotten up to 76 during the day, so things were pleasant. I woke up at 08:45 on the new time, took me a minute to figure out what time it was. I got up, dressed, fired up the espresso machine and headed out for the papers. It was pleasant enough outside at that point, low 60’s, so I sat in my favorite chair in the driveway and would read the paper a while, putter, etc. while listening to my favorite radio show. I would pop inside on commercials and do some housework, and yes, this bachelor knows how to clean a toilet. I have to say that there are many aspects of housework that I feel that I do much better than the XW and certainly with no complaint. I also had the sprinkler running in the back and chatted with a few neighbors, including me new ones across the street and encouraged him to water his newly laid sod. I outlined a few philosophies of grass care to him and pointed to my lawn and said that the results speak for themselves. I’ve been asked a lot about my lawn, what my secret weapon is, etc. and I just tell them that I mow at the highest height that the mower allows. I fertilize regularly, spray for bugs at least twice a year, last year I did lime and this year gypsum, I keep all of the crap of off the lawn and have nary a weed in the front, which was sodded, have some clover in the back where it was seeded, and it just doesn’t concern me all that much. I went from oat plants (from the straw) in the back yard last year that I mowed just to knock down the tall weeds to one of the nicest backyards around with minimal effort. I’ve been growing grass for over 20-years and have picked a few things along the way.

I like to putter and did quite a bit Sunday. I had a hankering for a tuna sandwich. The hankering was quite distinct, so I whipped up some drained chunk light with some Miracle Whip and a spoonful or so of this jarred olive tapenade that I have. The latter was added for accent and I threw some queen olives and some Lay’s chips on a plate, grabbed a Blue Moon, and headed out the back door, thinking that I have yet to have a meal on my patio furniture, so sat with my back to the sun and enjoyed. Chris invited me over, so later in the afternoon I got cleaned up, headed to his house, stopped for some beer, and met him at his house as he was finishing up with applying a layer of mud to his downstairs drywall. We sat down and chatted just a short while before his neighbor Kirk joined us. I had beeped at Kirk as I drove by earlier as he was in his garage working on his johnboat. So we had some very pleasant man time and I caught-up with the news of Kirk who I hadn’t talked to in quite a while and was quite pleased to see. He is s microbiologist so he and I always have things to talk about, included lignin-producing algae and cyanobacteria. Just you’re usual sitting outside and drinking beer talk. Again, it’s a pleasure to have your grey matter engaged and particularly with someone like Kirk who has some very different viewpoints. I appreciate different viewpoints immensely. Hey, if we all had the same viewpoints, what would we discuss? I am very tolerant of different viewpoints and can talked comfortably without anger on many subjects that most people would be afraid of conflict or uncomfortable with. I am comfortable in my own skin and confident enough to not be offended by other’s viewpoints. Everyone in entitled to their own, and just like the general measure of anyone, some are better than others! Chris’s neighbors Jeff and Michelle stopped by, Jeff, Chris, and I all work at the same place and Jeff and Michelle live next door to Chris, connection, connections. We all chatted more and it was then disappointingly dark early, major bummer, so I took my leave and headed home for a light dinner and started up one of my personal favorites from my personal collection, “Big Fish”. Now I had reset both of my watches that I wear regularly, but had not reset any clocks in the house, so the net effect is that I thought it was bedtime and went an hour early and then got up this morning an hour early. By the time I finally realized what was going on, it was 06:00 and I’m standing there fully dressed and ready to go to work, so I said, what the heck, and came into work an hour early. At some point I’ll straighten this all out tonight.

As always, this is a summary and can’t begin to encompass what was done and what as said, as I’ve said before, I am high-bandwidth and a lot of information was exchanged. Check out The Dog’s website and I give them some picture ideas, including a picture of me!

I hope that all of you had great weekends as well!

Dutch

Wow after GG's loss, to think we may not be here for the next weekend or booka's next episode!!

Truly we are blessed with each day and we need to make the most out of what we are given here on earth!

Dawn

Where would we be without each other?

My weekend started Thursday night with a work session for the St. Paul BOA (Board of Alderman) at city hall. Most of the meeting consisted of poring over a large map and figuring out who owns what parcels of land that either border our city or are unincorporated and surrounded by the city. This involved a lot of discussion as to who to approach with the idea of annexation etc. We had quite a row with the County earlier this year over their long-term plans to rezone land adjacent to our city to 1-4 homes per acre. Our zoning is 3-acres minimum with septic or 1-acre minimum with water and sewer. We had quite a spirited discussion and the Anna (my fellow alderperson, friend, mentor, and coconspirator) retired to The Dog. We found a table and my friend Paul was there and joined us. We conversed on many subjects, with the preponderance on political themes and analysis. Jessie was tending bar and a guy that I see occasionally was at the bar and acting a bit erratically. His name is rusty and it turns out that he’s a brother of my friend Bob. I did not get all of the history but gathered the story that Rusty is unbalanced (that’s as kindly as I can put it) and Jessie evidentially collected an earful and was extremely nervous to have Rusty in the tavern. This was a bit unknown to us at the time as events unfolded over the next 24-hours or so. As it was, Jessie closed the tavern at 00:30 in an effort to get rid of Rusty, which did occur. As we were walking out, my friend Dean told me that Rusty had said to him that I was an alien. There’s quite a bit more to the story and I’m caught between being amused and the grimness of Rusty’s condition. So my secret is out, I am an alien form another world, so break out your tinfoil hats.

I stayed up a bit longer once I got home and slept-in a bit the next morning. As you might recall, I now have every other Friday off. I did some housework and caught up on a few things. I generally have a very neat and tidy home environment, so when I say that I caught up on a few things, they were small things. I cleaned up and headed out for errands, stopping at a Penn Station for lunch and then hitting all 3 of the major local grocery chains, shopping sale items. I drove through town on the way back to home and as I passed The Dog I saw several people standing outside with a sheriff’s deputy and one was Rusty’s brother Bob.

I got home in the afternoon and put everything away and started watching the last Rambo movie before deciding to head out to Josephville for their fish-fry and then later heading to The Dog. I should remark that Toni initiated a round of texts that afternoon which was nice. I should remark that Toni initiated a round of texts that afternoon which was nice. I got out to the church at Josephville and had a nice dinner and said hello to several people that I know. I saw someone that I hadn’t seen in a while and motioned him over. There are still people that I run into that remember me with the long hair, which I grew for about a year. I ran into two of these at the fish-fry and it’s a pretty amusing situation. I know quite a few people out Josephville way and have attended all of their events this year, including their picnic and fall festival. It’s the next town to the west and is similar to St. Paul in a lot of ways but even smaller. I really like the Father, Father Larry, and had a chance to catch up with him at the fish fry. He taught my RCIA class and I know several people from Josephville who were in the class, including two that I had a nice chat with at the fish fry.

Friday nights are social-nights at The Dog. It’s also karaoke night which has its own amusements. It was also Cynthia’s birthday, so some extra revelry was at hand, including my dancing with her and others to several songs. There was also the news of the day about Rusty, who had been making threats and was walking up and down St. Paul Road, so someone called Bob and his brother Ron and they in turn called the police, two of which showed up, and after some consultation with the deputies they elected to drive Rusty out to Wentzville, about 10-miles west of St. Paul, and install him there in a hotel. They had the monsignor come down and talk to Rusty and they also asked the monsignor if there were any services available. To my knowledge they are still searching for a solution to the problem. According to my inquiries, Rusty’s mental state has been in question for some time, was a factor in his ex-marriage and a cause of his divorce, he can’t hold a job, has no place to live, has exhibited bizarre behavior, and had lately been making threats against his family. I’m sure there will be further installments to this story. I sat with Paul at the bar and we stayed until close. I went home, restarted the Rambo movie where I left off, finished it and started the last Indiana Jones movie, and finally clocked out at about 02:00.

I did not sleep as long as I wanted to, just couldn’t sleep anymore, so got up at about 08:30 and puttered a bit and read two papers. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were all about the same for weather, cold and blustery with highs in the 40’s. It was no enjoyable to be outside. I popped out after the papers and noticed next-door neighbor Jim putting together some plastic deck-boxes, so I moseyed over and gave him a hand. We spent about 90-minutes together with some great conversation. Jim is a lot like me in a lot of ways and we get along great. Usually his wife Pat is present but this time I had Jim to myself for some good man-time for the both of us. Men need man-time, some more than others, and particularly those that are in relationships with females. The converse is true also.

I puttered around a bit more and decided to take a nap after starting up a roast in the crock pot. I clocked out about 14:00 and had a nice nap that last until about 15:45. I felt very refreshed afterwards and picked up where I left off on the Indiana Jones film. Later is added carrots to the cork pot, and then after that some potatoes, and by the time I was done with everything, including clean-up, it was about 20:30, so I headed for the shower. By the time I got cleaned up, ironed (I am the king of ironing and am particular in that vein) , and dressed, it was about 21:30. The bands always start at 21:00 so I hustled off to The Dog, which is about 1-mile from my house. Paul was at the bar so I stood in that vicinity before a seat opened up. The band, Smackdab, was simply awesome and played many songs that I have never heard before, including the second-half of the second-set being Led Zeppelin, including “Moby [censored]” and the drum solo, which was excellent. I had conversation with both the guitarist and drummer and told them several times during the course of the evening how good they were. They did some 4-piece stuff with the very capable female vocalist and they did some 3-piece stuff, including some instrumentals. I’ve seen a lot of bands at The Dog and elsewhere and this was definitely one of the best. They have another date at The Dog early next year. The band season there runs from October into May, Saturday nights, with the occasional Friday night and Sunday afternoon thrown in. The will have a Turkey Dance on the 26th, which I’m looking forward to. Some of the people I saw Friday night showed up as a group fairly late, they might have been at a wedding reception or something earlier. I had some amusing repartee with one married woman, introduced to me later as Joann by Father Larry, and she was there so I went over and said hello. Of course, this is after about 50 handshakes from everyone I know at greet every time I’m at The Dog, I am a social and political animal! There were some curious happenings that I’m still scratching my head about. There was an interesting blonde I met Friday night at Josephville, I’ve seen her around before and have assumed in the past and still in the present believe that she is married, but I cannot confirm that beyond a shadow of a doubt. We were not officially introduced so I know nothing about her. After a bit, she definitely noticed me, and at one point danced literally inches away from me with some guy from their party (someone else’s husband), shaking it to an interesting extent right in front of me. I was a little uncomfortable in the close proximity of them. The song ended and she went and sat down with another woman and both were in a position to view me at the bar by leaning forward a bit. This they did quite a bit and it was obvious that they were both looking at me and talking about me. As the world of women still remains a true mystery to me, I haven’t a clue what all of that was about. I will emphasize that men are not good at picking up subtle signals from women and that women both need to be more direct and bolder in communicating what they want. Most of the group, including the aforementioned blonde left before close. I was tired and wasn’t going to stay, but the drummer promised us a few songs in their last set, including 2 that Paul requested, so I had to stay and perked up a bit when they started the last set. Needless to say, I stayed until close, went home, started up the movie again and stayed up until about 02:30. Yes, I was quite the night-owl this weekend.

I got up Sunday about 10:30 and read the papers and listened to my radio show. I puttered indoors a bit and then geared up for some outside action. Last year with my long hair my head and ears stayed very warm, this year with the shorter hair something warm on the noggin is mandatory. It was very windy and damp all weekend, making it seem even colder. I mowed the back and front yards, both needed it, and hung outside for several hours before packing it in and heading inside. I actually enjoyed the Indiana Jones film so much I watched it twice and then started “The Bank Job” which was pretty good. I had a light dinner and bundled up again to head out for a walk and a smoke of a Partargas Black, a very spicy and long-smoking cigar. After the first lap, I unzipped the shell I had on over the layers as I was getting quite warm. I did two laps of some nice hilly terrain (the river bluff) and finished off the cigar outside once I got home, it truly is a long-smoker and I highly recommend them. While I’m on recommendations, I had some Anchor Steam Porter beer this weekend which was just excellent and of course my favorite bourbon, Bulleit. I headed in and watched a couple of episodes of “Ballykissangel” that both had some various serious turns involving divorce, love, and death. I won’t spoil it for you, but a lot of stuff happens in season-3. Then it was off to bed at 21:30 in order to get up at 05:30 this morning.

It was 28 and very frosty outside this morning with rain due later in the day. I exchanged texts with Toni this morning. This should be a fairly quiet week and I’ve been fighting off a bit of germs inherited from Paul and Jo Ellen. I checked the movie schedules at the theaters of off my two favorite theaters; neither has anything playing that interests me. If I had the means, I would start-up a theater in this county that played nothing but indie films, there are at least two in St. Louis County, but it’s too far a drive for most films. I have a concert at The Pageant this Friday, it’s one of four coming up in the next 6-weeks or so that I’ll see there, including one on 12-26-2008 that Paul and I will attend with a group from The Dog, including Jo Ellen. We’re getting hotel rooms and everything and we should have a blast.

I hope that everyone had a nice weekend!

Yes, we are thrown some challenges in our life and it’s our job to overcome them. It would be naïve to expect that our divorces will forever be the hardest moments in our lives.

This is why I have defined my Sam’s Theory of Life. Sam’s refers to Sam’s Wholesale Club. When you shop there and see something that you like/want, you had better get it there and then, because due to the nature of Sam’s, it might not be there the next time you visit there.

Things and people pass in and out of our lives and when it’s good, we should attempt to enjoy every moment of it because none of it lasts. Change and entropy are inevitable forces in our lives.

Booka, I had a much more exciting Sunday than you. I don't care what you say. I spent the day doing my colonoscopy prep. :RollieEyes:

Please don't give a booka styled report on colonoscopy prep

Friday, I had to go back to he hometown to pick up my R/C airplanes to sell on Saturday and to help the older brother move one of my printing presses I had loaned out to another printer a couple of years ago.

I got to his house by 9:00AM and we went into town and for some odd reason he pulled into my old neighborhood, mentioning something about buying a house for his daughter to rent from him.

Then it hit me! MY HOUSE HAS BEEN FORECLOSED ON AND THE FREAKING HARPY IS GONE!!!!!

GLOAT GLOAT GLOAT GLOAT!!!!!

Anyways, we moved the press in about an hour with he and I working together to rig it and move to the trailer and shore it up. I called XBIL to meet us for lunch and we went to my old shop to unload it. While the employee unloaded it with a forklift, I visited my old friends up front and gave them some pointers on the new equipment. They were never trained and are having big problems.

Mike (my old partner), asked me to come back during Thanksgiving and he will pay me to teach them what I know. My new company sent me to school to operate the new technology.

Met XBIL and had a good lunch. I miss him alot. We were the best of friends and I credit him with saving my life. He finally broke silence and asked if I had any contact with SS and I told him the truth. That the Harpy™ won't allow it and I have had no contact in almost two years now. I asked him just to let her know Tabs and I want for nothing. If I see it and want it, I just get it and with Tabs not working, it takes me 6 hours of overtime to make up for one of Tab's work week.

Well, we go and get all my old toys and I head back home and get back by 8:00PM. I am exhausted from 10 hours of driving and running around, so I go straight to bed after scratching Roxy on her feathered knotty little head.

Get up at 8:00AM, go get twin brother and head to the hobby store where the swap meet is. We have a freaking fire sale and get all the money before lunch, leaving the high priced people with no customers.

We made enough money to cover the annual inspection and repairs on our real airplane, plus play money left over.

After the sale Tabi and I went yard selling, twin brother went down to the airplane parts store to get the parts for the Beech.

I found The Island of Misfit Toys™ plush toys and got them all.
I asked her was I the King of the Island or Charlie in the Box?

Anyways, I found a clam shell cover for my truck and got it too for almost nothing. I'm going to bring it to work and have the painter spray it for me.

I took Tabs for an epidural this morning and she will require two more. I hope that solves her back problems as we really can't go do anything lately.

Pariah - Can your XBIL let your SS know that you miss him and would love to see him but you can't?