Archive for the ‘Just Saying’ Category
A few cups of coffee, an hour on the computer, and then back to the serious work of remodeling our spare room. I’m in the process of combining our master bedroom with an adjacent unused room and I’ve pretty much gutted the room to include removal of all the drywall from the walls and ceiling. I’ve pulled up and removed the carpeting and pads and removed the old electrical outlets and switches. Thank god it’s not a huge room but its still a lot of work and preparation.
Today I’m beginning to rewire some of the outlets and taking measurements for the laminate flooring. Small but important steps in the process. Next week Ill be reframing the closet and deciding how much of the wall to remove to make the new opening into our bedroom. Good old Lowe’s delivered the new drywall and studs last week and I’m almost ready to get serious about this project. I’m tempted to just call a contractor but my better half insists I do some of the heavy lifting. She’s just so frugal at times it makes me crazy.
I stayed up a little too late last night reading book number one of the Harry Potter series. I was surprised how closely the movie followed the story line but there were a few things in it that were edited out of the movie. Hagrid in the movie came across much differently than in the book. He was a big loveable hulk in the movie but was portrayed as something of a loser in the book. It’s those subtle little things that allows books to remain true to the authors original story. Hollywood has a way of editing stories in a lot of little ways that can sometimes change the entire story. I’ll stick to my books thank you very much. Unfortunately I got so caught up in the story I lost track of time and the next thing I know it was one o’clock. Obviously I need all the beauty sleep I can get so off to bed I went.
As I walked into the bathroom this morning the mirror was very unkind to me. I looked like “forty mile of bad road” and felt just about that good. I’m still tired as hell but I’m up and finally motivating.
My better-half is working today and has meetings scheduled well into the late afternoon. I can finish my tasks and still have time for a hour or two with my camera along the coast somewhere north of here.
Back to work. No more procrastinating
It’s about 10:30 am and I’m still on my third cup of coffee. I just sent my better-half on her way for a day of shopping with her daughter and new grandson. I don’t have to tell you how important “alone time” can be for a person’s overall mental health and I cherish every minute of mine. It’s just me and my shadow, my cat Stormy, sitting in my man-cave and trying to decide what we’ll be doing today.
It’s another dreary day but fortunately all of my outside work is almost completed and I’m ready to settle in for the winter. I think I’m in a minority but I’m hoping for lots of snow this year. Last year was a mild winter here in Maine and I missed not having that beautiful white snow-cover for the entire winter. On top of it all without proper snow-cover many of the plants in my herb garden won’t survive. Anyone who knows anything about herbs knows that many are almost impossible to kill and they’ll run rampant through your garden. But with a mild winter and not much snow-cover they won’t likely survive the winter here in Maine. Last Spring I was forced to replace many herbs transplanted from my late mother’s herb garden which had a great deal of sentimental value to me. Such is life, replant and move on.
Today I’ll be be returning to work on a small sculpture that I’ve been working on for almost a year. I seem to do a few things on it then stare at it for about a month and then do a few more things. I’m trying to picture in my mind the finished piece and where I want the project to go. It’s finally coming together for me as I hoped it would and as it usually does.
Not to give too much away but it’s a somewhat bizarre and outrageous sculpture of my better half’s bust. That’s a “head and shoulders” bust not a “boobs” bust. The hair will consist of twelve tubes of white caulking compound applied in a manner I’ve never tried before. Today I’ll have a few hours where I can properly focus on my project and maybe make a little headway. I really wanted to have it completed by Christmas but I just can’t rush it. It moves at it’s own speed and when it’s done, I’ll know.
More coffee to get started and if I’m a good boy, a brandy later in the day. Hoorah!
Well, we survived the “Storm of the Century” and I thought I was home free and clear. I should have known better than to think I could sneak by for a week or so without something or someone irritating the hell out of me. With a great many people without power I thought I’d be safe from those annoying individuals calling or sending me emails about the upcoming election. Wrong again. The phone calls began as soon as the rain stopped and the power was back on; “Vote yes for gay marriage”, “Vote no for gay marriage”. The TV bombardment hasn’t stopped either and will continue until the election has come and gone.
Yesterday a stranger shows up at my door telling me that gay marriage is a threat to the foundation of this country and I must vote against it. I couldn’t believe my ears. What a lame ass argument to try and use on me, an actual informed and thinking American voter. This is just another attempt at propagandizing from the religious right and all of their special interest groups. Needless to say I sent her packing with a tidbit of my advice to help her along, “Get a freaking life”.
I’ve written on this subject before but I guess it bears repeating. To qualify myself, I’m independent, extremely conservative, and a well informed citizen. I can’t even begin to understand this whole gay marriage argument and the idiocy I’ve been hearing about it. Freedom apparently no longer applies to you in this county unless you belong to the right religious or political group. Certain groups are spending millions of dollars to argue a point properly made by the founding fathers and later confirmed by President Lincoln. Freedom you morons! Any color, any religion, any sexual preference, anything at all. We’re all FREE citizens with the same goddamn rights.
How did it happen that so many people have forgotten why and how this country came into being. Live and let live. Freedom for all, not just for those who agree with you. Shame on all of you who are fighting against others who are simply requesting that their freedom be honored.
Everyone in this country is in a huge “shit and sweat” over the Muslim’s and their outrageous religious beliefs. I see almost no difference in this gay marriage argument. It’s a group of organized religions attempting to force their beliefs on a portion of the population who isn’t interested. America was founded initially on a desire for religious freedom and also I might add to protect people from religious fanatics with an agenda. I hate to admit it but the biggest problem in this country isn’t the economy, it’s too many people trying to tell to many other’s how to live their lives. The government is relentless enough without help from a bunch of frightened religious types who are defending marriage with apparently no clue as to what a real marriage is.
There haven’t been many times I’ve found myself embarrassed to be an American, but this is one of them. Shame on all of you.
I refuse to be drawn into the hysteria that is Sandy. I’d prefer to spend this day in the kitchen where I’m creating another batch of my signature chili on this gray and rainy day. I’ve made about a gallon of it so I’ll be sharing with nearby family members who are currently hunkered down awaiting the storm. The house is quiet because my better-half is off to see the new grand child for a few hours and I plan to enjoy it.
I’m considering a ride down along the coast a little later this afternoon to possibly get a few interesting photo’s of the storm’s approach to Maine.
I love Mother Nature in all her scary ferociousness.
Another restless night for me last night due to a constant stream of really odd dreams. I’ve always liked dreaming and I find myself looking forward to them. Of course there’s the occasional, sit up and scream, nightmare but they can be interesting too.
Dreaming is the great way our mind can play with us a little. You fall asleep and can be instantly visited by old friends and family who have passed making it seem like they’ve never left.
Last night I was traveling by car with an unidentified female when we pulled into a wooded area and stopped. I looked down the nearby trail and saw a pack of approximately fifty dogs just sitting there staring at us. The leader was a huge brown Great Dane. I told my friend to stay in the car because if we wandered off they’d be on us immediately. I slowly opened my door and they all ran away in the other direction. Go figure.
I’m not much for dream analysis since I believe it’s just our mind drawing on random memories to create a story. I do find it a little strange that there seems to be an overlying theme in many of my dreams. I’m always searching for something. My car, a briefcase, and very often my clothing. I occasionally have those dreams when I’m naked in public somewhere but they don’t bother me much because I truly love being naked. Some times I find myself in flying dreams and they’re a great dream to have. My ultimate favorite without question is the dream where I’m flying and naked.
Well I’ve had my coffee and I’m ready for the day.
Today I’ve scheduled a few hours to complete the close out of the Anti-Stupidly Central blog. I was a slow starter this morning but I finally downed a couple cups of coffee in an attempt to get my motor running. Last night was another cold night with winter just around the snowy, sleety, freezing corner. Thank God for that lifesaving electric blanket because without it I might have frozen off an important body part or two.
The closeout article for Anti-Stupidity is now completed and I’ll post it on the 31st so I can get to work on this journal. I keep second guessing myself about the reasoning behind the closing but I’ve just got to let it go and move on. It really was a great two year run and I learned a lot more than I ever anticipated about blogging and writing. Life truly does goes on.
I’m forcing myself to get the hell out the house later today and make a short trip the my favorite spot, the Scarborough River Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s the perfect place to take a few photo’s, breathe a little clean air, and commune with good old Mother Nature. I haven’t been there nearly enough this summer but I’ll make up for it this winter. Besides, I can’t wait to break in those new snowshoes I bought last Spring. As much as I like Summer and Fall scenic shots, I think the winter snow scenes are even more beautiful. I plan on going overboard this winter on them if we get the amount of snow needed to make them perfect. Everyone including Poor Richard is calling for large snow falls this year and I hope their right.
It’s time for a hot bowl of soup, a little reading, and then back to the computer. I‘m slowly getting the hang of blogging with my new IPad but I’m a long way from being as proficient as I need to be .
Well, the time has come to start fresh with a new blog with a more personal approach. This journal will contain whatever I feel like writing at any given moment. I think I’ll skip posting photo’s for now and just let the words come. Since I may be the only person to ever read this blog I’d better make it meaningful or I’ll just piss myself off all over again. The narrative will be ongoing and hopefully worth reading.
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Today was “Dutiful Spouse Day” where I was permitted to travel all over the countryside with my better-half as her loyal chauffeur and chat buddy. She shops and I read a book, maybe window shop, or just people watch.
I decided that a visit to a nearby Home Depot might be fun while she does her shopping thing. I watched a seventy-five year old woman attempting to buy paint from a young lady with a body full of piercings, a red strip of hair down the middle of her head, and a voice that could curdle milk. They discussed and discussed the color match and then cussed about the eventual results. One talking with her hands and the other rolling her eyes and shrugging her shoulders. It never got too heated but it easily could have. The older woman threw the samples down and stormed away in a huff. The young Paint Department associate appeared frustrated by having to give the company required Customer Service to such a bitch. She held her temper pretty well but her facial shade of purple made it abundantly clear just how much more she had to say but didn’t.
The day drags on with no better-half in sight. I just finished another two chapters of Satanic Verses. That’s the book that caused a great deal of turmoil in it’s day with a fatwa ordered on Salman Rushdie and blah, blah, blah. I don’t really understand why it was such a big deal because it’s unlikely if more than a handful of Muslim’s ever read the damn thing. Listen to this first sentence: “To be born again, sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, “first you have to die. Ho ji! Ho ji! To land upon the bosomy earth, first one needs to fly.” It’s a tough read and I have 545 more pages to go before I shoot myself. On a extremely good day this tome would make an excellent door stop.
Why is it that not one religious piece of writing more than five hundred years old makes any sense to me. I’ve read them all and found them vague and repetitive. It’s no wonder people continue to disagree over them and try to kill each other. Give me John Grisham any day.
My better-half’s birthday is on the horizon and I’m still struggling to find one more meaningful gift. Add to that my being told today that I’m in need of a Whooping Cough immunization if I plan on spending much time around my step grandson. He’s only a week old and already exerting his control over me. I’ll just add him to the list.
We’ve now visited another three stores, I’ve downed my fourth cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee, and now I have coffee breath, a coffee headache, and a seriously distended bladder.
Things I’ve learned today:
1. Seeing skinny jeans on a woman in her fifties is just as bad as seeing them on man in his fifties.
2. If you see a huge car moving at an extremely slow speed and there’s no driver’s head visible, slow the hell down and give them room. Eighty years old and going eight miles per hour. Yikes.
3. Don’t drink four large coffee’s in four hours.
Well we’re finally at home and I’ve finished dragging bag after bag of purchases into the house. I still haven’t found that special gift for her but I’ll worry about that tomorrow or the next day.
