Sunday

We went to Key West the first week of January for our 20th anniversary. I did some research on Key West which said the average temperature there was in the 70's in January. It was, in actuality, in the 50's with a cold wind blowing which made it seem even colder. We were told by some of the locals that this was the coldest it had been there since some time in the 1800's. It was an enjoyable trip for me but I don't think the wife thought as much of it. Key West is a party place and she's not much of a partier. Will we ever go back there? Doubtful. As I said, she wasn't impressed.

I don't mean to seem selfish, but why does my Christmas present turn into "our" Christmas present which really means my wife's present? What it boils down to is that "our" present ends up being something she wants. I can deal with this to a certain extent but every year?

Saw the Rockettes at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta last week. It was an amazing show. This upcoming weekend we'll be heading to Florida to my Sister-in-law's for an early Christmas. It's debatable as to whether my Father-in-law will go as he doesn't seem to exactly be happy about having to go a week early to accommodate my Brother-in-law's relatives who only live two hours away. We live about eith or nine hours away. It wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't that we have to accommodate these relatives every year one way or another. Last year they were there on Christmas day and we had to wait to even bring our luggage in because theirs was still in our room. I have to agree with him. I think this is very inconsiderate. But, it's that or don't go at all. At any rate, right now it doesn't appear he will go and I'm not all that excited about it either.

Rainy Sunday

I'm retired now. At 59. Not that I wanted to but with the changes going on at work coupled with the current personnel, it was best I go. I did not and could not agree with the laziness and slackness that was taking place. This was under the nose of the head honcho. He not only agreed to it he helped it along. They were all good buddies, rode motorcycles, and visited each other after hours. The place of business has no policy about higher up consorting with subordinates but as a in the middle employee, it sure put me in some tricky situations. So, I felt to save my own skin it was better to get while the getting was good. Not that I don't have some animosity and bitterness as retiring early cost me a cool 10% of my retirement, but even then I did the right thing.

After The Holidays

The holidays came and went. Christmas was spent at the Sister-in-law's house in (or near) Orlando. It wasn't a bad time but spending two solid days to travel to stay two days isn't something I am happy with. The worst part was the Father-in-law. He's a hyper, 76 year old man who can't hold his tongue to save his life. On the way down we decided to stop for lunch. I was driving and pulled off I95 and he spotted a Dennys. Of course I was in the left straight thru lane and the left turn lane had a red. He wanted me to make an illegal left turn from the straight thru lane. Not only is this in itself illegal but it's technically running a red light so I ignored him. He let go with a stream of obscinities along with telling me I didn't know how to drive and basically just how screwed I am period. I turned around and we went back. But, I told my wife this is it. I will never make this trip with him, ever. Then after we arrived it was two days of him talking and walking and talking and walking. He got up very early, made sure everyone else got up as I suppose he didn't want to be by himself. They didn't say anything but I can guarantee you that they were happy to see us go. Next year, as much as enjoy being there, it won't be with him. At least not the ride down. He can drive by himself or get someone else to go but I won't.

Holidays On The Rise

Not that I'm all that excited about it. I'll be off the least amount of time in years and the majority of that will be spent with the wife and her family. Today we have to eat lunch with her Mom as she and her husband will be away on Thursday. I don't really know why as we'll be there again on Christmas Eve and then Christmas with her Sister and Dad at the Sister's in Florida. What this means is that most of my time off Christmas will be spent on the road to and from Florida. Not my idea of a Christmas vacation. But, I have no choice in the matter.

Dreaded Sundays

Dreaded Sundays are only dreaded Sundays because it's the day before Monday. Monday...the day I return to hell for five days. One of these days far, far away, I'll be able to not dread Sundays or Mondays. It's a long ways off but it's there somewhere.

In other news, it's cloudy and rainy here. Not that I don't like the rainy days, I do, it's just that it's been this way for three solid days and is supposed to be this way for at least a couple more days. Guess I'll have to deal with it the same way I deal with Sundays and Mondays. You gotta love it.

Another Sunday

What can I say? Maybe changing my font will help my tendency to go for long periods of time without posting anything. I read somewhere that everyone should keep a diary and post something in it every day, important or not. The idea was to at least get something down on paper and in the end it's like leaving a record for your family and/or friends what was going on in your head. Sounds great, but it's more difficult for me that it sounds. I usually have a difficult time coming up with something that doesn't sound about as boring as anything could be. So, in the end I have these long lapses where I don't put anything down so it doesn't give a logical sequence as the thoughts don't all the time fit together. I keep promising myself I'll make an effort to get something down but it falls to the side. And anyway, who wants to hear what I have to say?

Long Time No See

It's again been a while since I was here. I go through periods of having nothing worthwhile (what I consider worthwhile) to say. I do this mainly as something for me to do as I doubt many, if any, people actually read it.

Over the weekend, Saturday to be exact, I went with my wife and her Dad to Red Lobster. This is an every few week ritual though it is usually done on Friday night. And, usually he wants to go to a pizza joint called Peppinos because it one of a few places left that you can sit and eat pizza and drink beer. In his world pizza isn't pizza without beer. The pizza tends to be on the greasy side but for some reason he thinks it's the best pizza on the planet.

Over the years most of the family has gone along with this although my brother-in-law got to the point he'd order a philly steak sandwich rather than eat the pizza. He still submitted to drinking the weak, thin tasting draft beer that is cheap. This is why my father-in-law likes it. Cheap and American (for the time being). I have trouble with the beer but have been hesitant to buck the system for fear of being called out as a traitor to the cause. There was this one time I got brave and ordered a Heiniken for which I caught the wrath of the father-in-law and have not made that mistake since.

I don't know the point of all this other than I'm am bored and rambling. The long and short of it is that this is the story of my life. So, this is living.

Once Again

So, here I am once again. It's been quite a while since I posted. The Super Bowl is tonight and frankly I'll be happy to see it gone. I'm personally am sick of Tom Brady. Though I don't have a great deal of faith it will happen I hope New England goes down in flames. Not that I'm a big Giants fan and in fact I am a Redskins fan, but I can't stand Tom Brady. Unfortunately, if they do win it will never stop.



One thing I read in the newspaper that pissed me off was that the legislature in Georgia passed a resolution recommending they have a college football playoff. For god's sake. We are having to deal with recession, sky high gas prices, and less and less money to spend and they are concerned about a football playoff! Why can't we wake up and realize we have to get these morons out of office.

The weekend is almost here and although I won't be working there's nothing much going on. Hopefully, it'll be a nice quiet weekend. It's terribly dry here as we haven't had any rain in quite some time. The grass and plants in everyone's yard are just dieing out. We also have been getting some smoke from the fire in south Georgia and northern Florida. We're not close and it's truly amazing that the smoke could travel so far. I am in northeastern Georgia.

A couple of weeks and it's off to Palm Coast, FL for a little vacation. We'll be staying in a condo with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. That part I have reservations about as the sister-in-law has this way of making plans for everyone, then getting irritated when any of us don't want to follow the plan. Otherwise, it will be nice as I haven't had a vacation in a couple of years.

Just Another Day In Paradise

I saw this on a sign outside a plumbing business on my way home yesterday. I wondered if the person who did it was sincere or if they were being sarcastic. I suppose in the plumbing business it could go either way. I can see it being paradise when you look at the money you make but making the money would be anything but paradise.

I once had a pipe under my house to bust. Of course it was the dead of winter and I had to repair it myself as at the time I didn't have the money to hire someone to fix it. It was cold and I had to lay int he mud and water under the house to complete the job. It was at this time in my life I definitely learned a new respect for plumbers.

News In The Meantime

It's been a while since I last posted. It's a combination of depression and just being lazy. Feeling I have nothing worthwhile to say doesn't do anything to promote posting either.

Since my last post, I have been to Florida and found out that I have high cholesterol and am taking medication for it. Two different pills together. They want me to drastically change my diet but I have a very difficult time in dealing with that. A couple of the main things is to stay from fried foods and back off red meat. I can back off the dreaded red meat OK but a lot of what I like to eat is fried. Fish, chicken, pork chops. I can handle them baked but not as in that's the only way I'll ever be able to eat them again. I don't know.

The situation at work is no better that it ever has been. Same old, same old. The one bright spot here is that I have less than five years until I can retire. At least it's something to hold on to.

Working With Immaturity

So help me, I for the life of cannot understand the "boys" I work with. I use the term "boys" because these are grown, adult men who act like boys. They maturity level leaves a lot to be desired. It's as if they never grew up. They play games, act as if nothing really matters, will try their best to just be aggravating all the while aggravating everyone in their general vicinity, and then they think it's so funny. One instance is just dropping something in the floor to make noise. They do this and actually think it's funny. Huh? I don't get it. What's even sadder is that all these guys are married with kids of their own. Rather than trying to set some kind of good example for their kids, they let the kids set the example for them. The kids actually show more maturity and responsibility. This is one reason I look forward each and every day until the time I can retire. It's absurd to the inth degree.

Back to the Daily Grind

I went back to work Monday after over two weeks off. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I had expected, at least from a work standpoint. From a mental standpoint it was as devastating as I had thought it would be. Retirement looks more appealing all the while. Get me outta here!

Dazed and Confused

I finally have gotten over the pneumonia although it did take longer than I would have expected. I return to work tomorrow and I can't say I'm looking forward to it in any shape, form, or fashion. Not only will I be two weeks behind in my work, but having to go back and deal with the stress and pressure is a killer. The bad part about it is that it's all so unnessary. It's the people that make it stressful, not the job itself. Of course, I have this to be true in any number of situations. This is the number reason I don't like dealing with people at all

Not A Good Week

Spent four days in the hospital last week with pneumonia. I think it was as much of a surprise to my doctor as to me. When she came into the room she had this look of shock on her face. This was the first time I have ever been in the hospital for anything and I must say I didn't like it even a little bit. There were breathing treatments, blood takings, vital signs taking, and it was at all hours of the day and night. They were not shy coming in at 3:00 AM to get a blood sample.
At any rate, I'm at home now, feeling better but still not 100%. I have to go back to the doctor on Tuesday to have yet another X-ray and see how things are going. The doctors at the hospital advised me that next year I should not only get a flu shot, but a pneumonia shot as well. After this experience, I have no doubts that I will heed their advice.

Summer's Gone

I once had a Kink's album which had a song called "Summer's Gone". I loved the song but for the life of me can't remember what the title of the album was. They have always been my favorite group anyway. I once even stood outside the Fox Theatre in Atlanta until 4:00 AM waiting on Ray Davies to come out so I could shake his hand. All the rest of the group came out earlier and their drummer had a beer which he dropped and the bottle broke. I scarfed up the top of the bottle and kept it for years as reminder. By the way, Ray Davies did eventually come out and I did get to talk with him and shake his hand which at the time was the highlight of my life. Looking back on it, I am amazed at how silly we were when that age.

My Life, One More Chapter

Life is getting more and more difficult to handle each and every day. I have to work very hard to keep any kind of positive attitude as I am surrounded by negativity, especially at work. There are those in my work place that never can say a word about anything in a positive way. It's gotten to the point I don't want to talk to them even though I have no choice. I could go to them and say "you've just been awarded the highest salary in the company" and they would complain that it just meant they would have to pay more taxes. Unfortunately, their negativity has a tendency to rub off on others around them so that the entire group tends to have a negative attitude and outlook. It must be be a sad person with a sad life to not only be miserable yourself, but to want to make everyone you come in contact as miserable as you are.

What The Hell?

It seems that daily my life soars out of control both at work and at home. I wonder why I can't seem to get any control over even the most mundane things. Could it be that I am truly insane? At times I think so. Things that seem to come so easy to everyone else seem to become a test for me. I try to make some sense of things but the logic escapes me. God help me! I am lost!

Crikey!

Hey, it's been a lousy week, a lousy month, and for all purposes, a lousy year. This has been the year of the buzzard as far as I'm concerned. I can barely wait until it's over. I can only hope that next year is better. Right now, my mood is just shoot me!

Progress

After the surgery the ear is healing up nicely. I hope I never have to go through that again although there is that possibility. Funny though, even though I've been through all this I still have a problem with hats and sunscreen. I don't understand why they want to make most products like this with a scent that smells like you're at the beach. The ones that claim to have no scent really do, it's just not the "at the beach" scent. Another problem I have with them is that they have the tendency to burn the crap out of your eyes if you sweat. This is doubly irritating for me as I wear contacts. The only product that I have found that doesn't burn my eyes is one made by Coppertone called Sport. It doesn't smell like a coconut and doesn't seem to burn my eyes. Still, it has a kinda greasy feeling which I am not fond of either, but I have to deal with it. Life goes on.

Nail In Tire Trick

Went to Target yesterday only to come out and find my left front tire flat. Of course it was pouring rain. Par for the course. To make matters worse, I have only changed a tire on my car one time previously, so it was get out the little owner's manual. By the time I got the tire changed and was ready to hit the road I was soaking wet and in less than a happy mood. This is the second time in about a month that I have had a nail in a tire on my car. The other time it was a bolt. I'm beginning to have some serious thoughts that this crap may be coming from work. The morons I work with don't give a thought about picking up anything they may drop in the parking lot. I can only hope, if this is the case, that one of them gets a bolt in their tire. Of course, this ain't gonna happen. I just don't have that kind of luck.

Another Week

Again nothing unusual going on. Get up, go to work, come home, watch TV or read, go to bed, and back to work. I heard a song once and the lyric was "all life we work and work is a bore. If life's for living what's living for?". Somehow I understand and relate to this on a large scale. At times I feel my life is passing me by and I'm standing still. Maybe it's one of those things that's all in my mind, but at times it seems real. Why am I here and what the hell am I doing? I really don't know. Age old question I know but in my mind a valid one.

Another Lost Wednesday

And so here I sit on another Wednesday night. Normally my wife has her little church thing and choir practice tonight. During the summer they don't have dinner at church so she comes home to eat and just sit around until choir practice. Oh joy! What this means is that I have to sit here and wait until she goes before I can really do anything I'd like to do. I know it sounds selfish, but I feel that I give her all the time she needs to do what she wants or likes to do. Why should I have to give up what I like to do for three months out of the year just because she doesn't have to eat at the church? She could visit her Mother or Dad. She could visit friends, but no. She has to come home to make sure I'm not doing something I shouldn't be doing whatever that may be. I've even tried to talk to her about it but she acts so hurt and defensive. All an act, me thinks. So, until I can come up with something different, my Wednesday nights are only mine nine out of 12 months.

Sunscreen, Anyone?

Had an appointment with my dermotologist on Friday afternoon. Not as pleasant as I had hoped. I had a place behind my ear (which is why I went to begin with) which he said was basic cell carcinoma, which is actually a type of skin cancer. It's the least serious of any type of skin cancer you can get but there's just something about the word "cancer" that is very sobering. He cut the place off but wants me to see another specialist who does some kind of special treatment just to make sure the thing is completely gone and won't return. It's not the type of cancer that will get in your bloodstream, but it's still not to be taken lightly. At he very least, it's made me rethink the sunbathing and sunscreen. I have not been one to really slop on the sunscreen nor have I been one to wear a hat. I think that's all about to change.

This Week

This week hasn't been, typically, any different than any other. It's been dull and boring and much too much routine. You know, get up, go to work, return home, eat, sleep, and back to work. The life of most of the mundane little people of the world. This is all the while the well to doer's enjoy their life. I'd like to enjoy mine but without cash, it's not all that easy to do. Anyone got any suggestions? Just let me know.

Upcoming Week

Well, the sister-in-law lands Monday and already everyone is drooling to be at her feet. After the way she has treated everyone I don't know why. I told my wife if they don't want her acting like a queen, stop treating her like one. She, nor does anyone else, have to jump everytime this chick says frog. They all complain about how shitty she treats everyone and looks down her nose at everyone, but you can bet the farm that they'll all be there everytime she shows her snooty nose. I, myself, don't give a rat's ass if I see her or not. She's so selfish with the "the world revolves around me" attitude I can't handle it. If we ever get around her, she's the number one topic of conversation and she makes sure of it. Sound bitter? I suppose, but I just have a lot of problems handling the "I am better than thou" attitude.

The Rant

There is a web site that I, at one time, really liked to read. It's called "Capitol Hill Blue". It's a political web site and at the time they didn't take sides. They were pretty independent. Lately, and this isn't a problem for me, they have leaned more left than right. What my problem is is that the guy who operates the site, Doug Thompson, seems to have fallen into some kind of funk where all he does is criticize about other bloggers and rants as to how they don't have the intelligence or right to even be on the internet. In other words he has a very self righteous attitude as if he's the only site who should comment on anything related to news and politics. Every day there is some "rant" about how much better he and his site are than any others including "Daily Kos" and "The Raw Story". I don't read the "Daily Kos" much, but I do read "Raw Story" and in my own opinion, it has become a much better site than "Capitol Hill Blue". It's too bad that he's taken what was once one of my favorite sites and turned it into his own pulpit for promoting himself.

Wednesday, Oh Wednesday!

At least I have my internet connection back. It went out Sunday and I went into a panic. Funny how at one time there was no such thing as internet and now I go into cold turkey if mine goes out. Anyway, they came out this morning and determined it was a faulty modem. At least it was that simple. I always fear it's going to be some unsolvable things that means I am without my computer for days or even weeks. I know it sounds like some kind of social disease, but I can't help it. I am a computer addict and I love being so. Sometimes, it can be detrimental to my mental health especially when I do something stupid to screw my computer up. Then I curse myself and wonder why I messed with it at all. But, then I go back and will do the same thing over and over. What can I say, I am a tinkerer.

Wednesday Redux

What the hell? Is my life just destined to be shitty from now to the end of time? This week has been just a series of negative happenings. I have made every attempt I can to make things come out right but to no avail. I need help. Where to turn? Anyone out there who gives a damn?

A Not So Good Week

This has been a less than good week for me. I think the wife and I have agreed on two or three things the entire week, work is a bore, and I washed my car on Friday because I felt it safe to do so as it hadn't rained in two weeks. Well, it began raining on me coming home from work Friday afternoon and did not stop until about mid-day Saturday. So, the car looks as if I never touched it. Par for the course!
My problem with work, as I've said a thousand times, it that I am simply burned out. I've been there too long and the importance of and excitement from the job are long gone. Unfortunately for me, I am stuck there for at least five and a half more years. No where to go. My wife's family all live here (with the exception of her sister who recently moved to Flordia). At least she got away from the powerful grip of the family. I know they must be breathing a sigh of relief. My wife wouldn't move away from her family if her life depended on it. So, I am stuck. I wonder how many others have the same or a similar situation? Probably more than anyone knows.

Back from Florida

Well, the sister-in-law and her family are now in Florida, much to the dismay off all the rest of the family. This is actually the only time since I married into this family that anyone from the intermediate family has moved any further away that about 60 miles. It will be a big change for everyone and will take a while to readjust, there's no doubt. But, I'm sure that in time everyone will adjust. It's just not going to be an easy adjustment for some of them.

Car Repairs

As I figured, the truck turned out to be more of a pain than at first thought. Mainly because the dealer told me he would have it ready the same afternoon I brought it in. Turns out they either didn't have some bracket they needed or had the wrong bracket. Of course they could not possibly get the right bracket until late in the afternoon and the truck would most likely be ready the next morning. Surprise, surprise! So, it ended up that they did get the bracket and did call right around lunch to come and get it. While there I decided to have some extra keys made for my Xterra. This also became a 45 minute ordeal because at first the guy at the counter didn't make keys so they had to locate the guy who did. Once there he had problems in deciding which key was mine even though I had the tag they gave me when I bought the car. Finally, after several minutes of trying to find it on the computer he noticed I had the tag which had the key number on it (I had told him this when he first asked me if he could help me).
Anyway, so he takes the tag, types the number in a computer and lo! there it is. All he has to do is insert a blank key in the machine and the computer does the rest. And, as if to add insult to injury, the keys cost a mere $4.50 each. So, at least I have the keys and the new bumper on the car. It's over and done with and hopefully I won't have to do anything like this for a long, long time.

Non-Event Wednesday

It's been a non-event week with the exception of taking my truck to the local Nissan dealer to get the bumper replaced because some dork who was recuperating from an all night drinking binge backed into it and mashed the hell out of my fender. It was almost worth not doing it at all once the estimates were gotten and having to set up an appointment, then the actual taking it for the repair. This alone costs me valuable leave time off at work. And all because this guy can't control his drinking. I can't either but at least I stay at home and don't put my ass behind the wheel. Anyway, it's over now and it's on to the next tragedy.

Sunday Is As Sunday Was

Not much going on. I don't have to go into work tomorrow which is a blessing in itself. Otherwise, the most I've done this holiday weekend is to go help my sister-in-law get some junk out of her attic. Doesn't sound terribly exciting but being the pervert I am, at least I got a shot of her butt as she was climbing up the ladder. The down side was that there was a ton of stuff up there and it was hot as hell. They are moving to Orlando in a few weeks and it has the entire family shaken. They're the type family that has always been pretty close and this is the first time one of them has moved any further than about 50 miles away and even that ended up with them moving back here. It is going to be rather sad and it's going to take a long time to adjust. Socially, we are quite tied to them. Every time I think about it seriously, the cliche "nothing lasts forever" comes to mind and I hate that slogan with a passion. Maybe it's my romantic side, but I have to feel things last forever. If not, why get involved to begin with? This is just a shot to my system. I'll adjust in time, as will everyone else. How much time is the question.

Another Wensday, For Joy

OK, so I don't lead a terribly exciting life. So, how many people out there lead the same type of life? All of us don't lead a sex filled life of excitement and wonder. I get up, go to work every day and return home to the TV and a life of boredom. I've tried to change it, but it's nothing short of a challenge. Correct me if I'm wrong, but how many of you lead an exciting life full of fun and games?

The Week That Was

It all began last Sunday. I left home to go to a Mother's Day dinner and when I returned my once operating computer has an error message saying something to the effect that my hard drive was operating out of its normal parameters or something to that effect. I tried to reboot it to no avail. I thought at first that I might have gotten a virus of some type that wouldn't let me reboot. I tried everything I know to get it operating again but ran up against a brick wall. On Monday I took it to my local computer repair wizards. Ended up being my hard drive totally died. I quite a few photos I had taken on our last vacation not to mention several programs that I downloaded that I don't have a disk to recover from. Anyway, finally, after being told a hundred different stories about when I could expect it back, Thursday I got my computer back. I have spent the last three days reloading my programs and software. It has taught me a valuable lesson about backing up my information and programs, not to mention a couple of hundred bucks to get the hard drive replaced.

Mother's Day Weekend

It's been a somewhat interesting weekend so far. Last night (Saturday) we went out to eat with the Father-in-law, the Stepson, and his pregnant girlfriend. The Father-in-law spent a good deal of the night making some reference that I was the father of the child. Why? I have no idea other than he thought it funny. Later, he made some remark about her wanting me as her dog on a leash. I didn't say anything but at first thought, that's absurd. He was being so vulgar that I told her that at least he wasn't saying anything about me humping her leg. Even as I was saying this I was getting this visual image of me humping her leg and in my perverted mind thinking "hey, what's the problem?". So can you blame me. She's 19, has big hooters, and a nice buns. I'm considered by many to be ancient. I know it's really sick, but, trust me, this is exactly how the male mind works. Even at funerals men are checking out the females. I know because I've broached the subject with the men I work with. We're all sick. What else can I say?

The Day Before Monday

Once again it's Sunday and I find myself sitting here trying to think of something to post to my blog. I lead a rather normal and mundale life so it's not as if there's excitement abounding all the time. Between work and taking of the vehicles and home there's not a lot of room to do much of anything else. It doesn't help that gas prices have once again skyrocketed and I feel a certain amount of guilt at going anywhere. The thing that bugs me about the gas situation is I never seem to hear a real reason for the price increases. There's always some lame reason such as the "concern over the situation in Iran" or "that there may be a shortage" because of this or that or something or other. Then I read that Exxon has record profits and they paid one of their CEO's or managers or whatever $400 million when he retired. Well, in my mind, guess who's paying for this bozo's retirement? But, I don't know what the solution is. The President and our useless Congress want to have this investigation or that committee look into price gouging or oil company profits but it's all a sham. They're all bought and paid for and we suffer. When will it end? Once the average American wakes up and decides enough is enough. When will this be? Not any time soon, I'm afraid.

This Week So Far

This week has been a really good one for me. At home and at work it's as if nothing can go wrong. I caution myself to not get to caught up in it as there is always tomorrow and the threat of shit hitting the fan at any moment. But, for now, all is well. I am at peace.

Blackberry Winter

It has gotten almost fall-like here these days. Lows in the upper 40's and highs only in the mid 70's. Here it is called Blackberry Winter as this only occurs when blackberry bushes are blooming. Usually the heat has already been turned off and the air conditioners are going strong or the windows are up. The blankets have been put away for the summer and of course, you wake up freezing with only a sheet and/or a bedspread for cover. So, you put a blanket back on the bed and that's good for a few nights. Next thing you know you wake up sweating as the tempearture has gone back to normal. This, along with enough pollen in the air to choke a horse, and it's life in the south.

Chipmonk Hunt

Here's the scoop. I have spent almost 30 minutes chasing a chipmonk around our bedroom. Our cat brought it in as he has several other animals. I finally caught this one in the trash can and let it go outside. I have had only one other cat in my lifetime and am constantly surprised and amazed at what this one bring to us. It's incredible! He's so proud and we are so shocked! Sometimes I think he thinks it's all very amusing. I don't.

Another Week Down The Tubes

Not a bad week, as weeks go. Things went pretty well for me at home as well as at work. I only hope it stays this way. One of my deep reservations is whether we will be able to go anywhere on vacation this year. With gas prices increasing daily it's really doubtful at this time even though I could use some time off drastically. What really pisses me off is that we may not be able to take a vacation while Exxon is paying one of their executives $400 million retirement. I think it's time our congressmen and president did an all out investigation of all the oil companies. They're ripping us a new one and don't even feel any guilt. In fact, they seem to be flaunting it!

Easter Sunday

There are two holidays which I have problems with, to a certain extent. Easter and Christmas. As both of these are supposed to be religious days how did the Easter bunny and Santa Claus get involved. Neither of them had jack diddly to do with the actual reason for the day. Don't get me wrong, I don't oppose either. I just don't understand it. True, I haven't done much homework in regards to either one, but just logically I am confused. How do we keep getting things like the Easter bunny and Santa Claus attached to what is supposed to be a religious day and eventually they come to mean more than the actual reason for the day? This has always been a question in my mind.

Saturday Shopping

As it was raining yesterday and I couldn't do my soon to be usual weekend mowing the lawn, I went shopping with my wife. That is an experience in itself. It's incredible to me how we can go on vacation somewhere and she gets tired of walking or doing but shopping there's no limit to the amount of energy she has. By the end of the day my feet were killing me and just to sit down was like a pleasure like none other. She can go from store to store look and re-look and re-look again and never tire. Meanwhile, I am wanting to cut my legs off below the knee as my feet are killing me. I wake up the next day with sore muscles I never knew I had. But, I try to be the good sport as I know she's enjoying herself and that's what matters.

Tuesday Lunch

Attended a luncheon today for a coworker who's leaving. Thing is that she won't be missed. This is one of the most loud, obnoxious, inconsiderate, people I have even known. She thinks her comfort is all that matters regarding the heating and air conditioning and thinks her position is much more important than it really is. This woman is not in touch with anything like reality. No one will miss her and that in itself is sad. She thinks the world revolves around her.

Lazy Sunday

I haven't gotten much of anything accomplished so far this weekend and likely won't. There are many things I need to do but I find at times that it is quite difficult to work all week in a pretty stressful job and then want to come home and work all weekend. I need the time to unwind and regroup. This is nice in theory but in reality there aren't that many weekends I can do that. Owning a home with a nice sized yard takes care of my Saturdays during the Spring, Summer, and at least part of Autumn. The Winters are not quite so bad and there isn't a lot to be done, at least outside. And people wonder why the latter part of Autumn and Winter have become my favorite seasons of the year.

Father-in-law

I had an interesting thought the other day. My father-in-law is a very narrow minded, prejudiced individual. The only group he isn't prejudiced against are caucasian males. Any other group he dislikes equally. His politics are on the conservative side. His heroes are Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Anyway, he wouldn't vote for a Black or woman for president if his life depended on it. My thought was what would he do if the two running were Hillary Clinton and Condolezza Rice? I really want to bring this up at some point just to get his viewpoint. Not that I think there's a chance it will really happen, but from my point of view it would be a problem for him for sure.

Another Wednesday

Another Wednesday. Nothing much going in my life at all. It's sheer boredom. Work is work, home is home. Nothing else much to be said. Please help me. Give me hope.

Cooking

One thing about me that many people don't know is that I like to cook. I watch several of the cooking shows on TV and get some magazines geared to cooking. The biggest reason I don't let everyone know this is that a lot of people, especially the ones I work with, don't consider it a very masculine thing to want to cook. I credit my Dad with learning to cook as he always was preaching to me about how I should learn to be independent and be able to take care of myself under any circumstances. And, it has helped me tremendously. I enjoy it very much and cook more during the week than my wife does. I usually get home before her and I cook while she is on the way home. That way we can get through with it and have the evening free. If I didn't and waited until she got home we would eat at least an hour later. Besides, though it's questionable as to whether she would agree, I am the better cook.

And So, It's Wednesday Once Again

Not that much has happened this week. The most exciting thing is that we had a small fire in the field behind our shop yesterday. Not much damage but a lot of excitement. This is most likely the most exciting thing to happen there in years. Not that it's an exciting job or anything. I am waiting to hear from someone, anyone.

It's Sunday Again

Spent yesterday morning trimming limbs off the trees in my yard so I won't knock my head off when I cut the grass. Yesterday afternoon was spent washing my Nissan pickup. Ended up I had to wax the thing too, which is something I had not counted on. It does look all shiny and clean though. Later we went to my sister-in-law's house for a cookout. I promised myself that I wasn't going to drink anything alcoholic once there, but that lasted until she said I made some margaritas and they're in the fridge. One led to another and another and to eventually to too many. Paying the piper today, for sure. Think I'd be old enough to know better.

Spring is Acoming

The first of March. Spring is on the way and to be honest I don't look forward to it. Cutting grass, yard work, washing cars, and generally all the Spring and Summer stuff I can live without. I think sometimes I should live somewhere it stays cold all the time but I know the wife would never go for it. Another thought is to have a place that either doesn't require yardwork or that I can pay to have the yardwork done. Neither of these is a practical answer so I suppose for the time being I'm stuck. It's all my parents fault because they weren't rich. If I were rich I wouldn't be concerned in the slightest.

Posting

My posting to my blog will come a lot less, as anyone who might read it on a regular basis might have noticed. I was doing my posting, for the most part, at work. Well, they are cracking down on what web sites we can go to and insist that we should not be on any web site that is not work related. So, most of my posting will come on either Wednesday night or Sunday morning as these are the days I am usually on the computer. Just so anyone interested will know.

Long Time Coming

I haven't posted anything in a while as there really hasn't much of anything going on worth posting. I tend to live a relative routine existence. Pretty much from home to work and back home. Years ago my job was exciting but I have been with it so long it has become old hat. The big news with my family is that my sister-in-law and her family are planning on moving to Orlando, FL this summer as her husband had to change jobs and supposedly, this was the only thing he could find at the time. I, myself, think it's that he's wanted to move to Florida for some time. We went to Ft. Myers, FL with them a couple of years ago and since then he has mentioned several times he would love to live in Florida. The real downer is that they have a couple of young kids and live just down the road from their grandfather. He is retired and spends a lot time with them. He isn't a bit happy about them moving and the fear is that he won't be able to mentally or physically handle them leaving. I think this is another reason my brother-in-law wants to move away. He and the father-in-law don't always see eye to eye and being that he's at their house on a daily basis I think my brother-in-law has had his fill. Everyone will adjust as there really isn't any other choice. That doesn't mean they will like it.

Anyone Out There?

So, is there anyone out there? I keep posting and waiting for someone to respond but so far, nothng. Give me a break. Someone must be reading this. Just a word or two.

Passing of Time

After a long, long week and a very short weekend I find myself once again contemplating what happened to the entire year last year. I have heard that as you get older time seems to pass more quickly and I am a believer. I take time off work and it seems as if I never left. I sit and try to remember what I did and why did the time go so quickly. I was thinking this morning that it would be nice if time at work passed as quickly as time does at home. It's not just last year but about the last 35 years. Seems like one day I was 20 years old; in the Army; in Vietnam, and next thing I know it's 35 years later. I was reminded of this when I received a letter from one of my Army buddies over the weekend. Ever since we got out we always talked about getting back together and for one reason or another never did. He was saying we'd better come up with a way before another 30 years passes. By then, I doubt I'll even remember who I am, much less an old Army buddy.

Return To Normal

Back at work and a return to the normal daily grind. I didn't take much time off for the holidays but enough so that I just got a little taste of sleeping late and doing whatever I wanted for a day or two. That's enough to make it very difficult to come back. At one point in my life I would take two weeks off at Christmas. Talk about not wanting to come back to work! Two weeks of peace and quiet not having to make any decisions or have anyone making any demands on me was like a dream. My stress level dropped to zero and my entire attitude about life improved to a point that it was spooky. But, the first few days back after the two weeks was nothing short of hell. It was like being in the twilight zone. Next year I do plan on taking a week off as not taking off this year did kinda dampen my Christmas spirit. So, at least I have something to look forward to. I have to take 'em where I can get 'em.

Stormy Wednesday

It's a rainy, stormy day here today with thunderstorms and even some hale. This is a little unusual for this time of year but not totally unheard of. A few years back we even had some tornadoes right around Christmas. For some reason, it does seem to make the day go slow. Seems like I've been here for a week.

Things are settling back down after the holidays. The decorations are coming down and on my way to work and home I don't see nearly as many lights on as last week. I suppose we'll take ours down and store them this weekend. Not one of favorite things to do. That's one of the things about Christmas that I have a problems with. There's such a big build up and then in a day it's over with and gone for another year. Very depressing.

So, anyway, nothing much is going on at the moment. A lot of people here are off work, both at my workplace and the area in general, so things are kinda slow. They'll pick back up next week when the schools return and everyone heads back to work. So, I'm off to explore other ways to waste the rest of this day. Only a couple of hours to go so I should be able to kill them in some kind of creative way.

After Christmas

Back at work after four days off. They flew by, which I knew they would. Funny how time at work goes by at about half the rate time at home does.

Christmas went OK. Friday night we ate dinner with my sister-in-law. No special occasion, just company. Saturday night was back at the sister-in-law's for Christmas dinner. We have to split Christmas up because her parents are divorced. So, it's normally Christmas Eve with the Dad and Christmas with the Mom. This held true for this year. Christmas day her Dad and others came to our house for lunch. We only did sandwiches as no one really wanted another big meal. Everything went well.

We did go back to the sister-in-law's house Christmas night but that ended up being a not so pleasant mistake. First, I think her kids were just tired and irritable. Their Dad was definitely irritable. Also, they were trying to get everything ready to leave the next morning for Tampa to visit his relatives so they were busy. I ended up sitting most of the night by myself watching some kid's DVD on television.

Anyway, Christmas is over for another year. I have feelings at both ends of the spectrum about it. One part of me is glad it's finally over things will get back to normal. The other part of me is sad that it's over and things will get back to normal.

One thing that won't be normal again is that my sister-in-law and her husband are planning on moving to Orlando. This will mean big changes for everyone. They've been here quite a while and everyone sees everyone else all the time. This won't be the case after the summer. How it affects Christmas remains to be seen.

Christmas Light Trip

We went to see some Christmas lights last night with my sister-in-law and her two kids. The lights were great and everyone had a good time. It would have been much better if the sister-in-law would at least try to control her kids. The first little incident was when she stopped to get a camera at a CVS. She took the little girl with her but left the younger boy. For 10 - 15 minutes the kid did nothing but cry and scream and I do mean scream. My wife tried to calm him and the friend that came with my sister-in-law tried to get him calmed down, but to no avail. We were all so happy when the mother returned and he shut up.

Incident number two. We ate at Outback, which from my point of view isn't a kid type restaurant, and hte little boy sat next to me. He was constantly standing up in his seat with his little camera aimed at at the people behind us. She would make him stop only to have him do it again. This is not to mention his constand laying in the seat with his feet on me, pushing or sitting so close to me that I had no room. Once he got behind me and was pushing from the back. Then there was the daughter. My wife got A1 for her steak. The little girl decided it stunk so she wanted to exchange places with someone. So, everyone shifted so she wasn't next to the A1. Next, she wanted the cheese off everyone's salad. I don't particularly like cheese so I gave her mine. I sat and picked all the cheese off the salad only to have her spit and sputter that it tasted bad although it had absolutely nothing on it.

We finally left the restaurant and went to see the lights. On the way the little boy fell asleep. Not a good sign. When we get to the lights, for some reason I couldn't understand, they insisted on waking him up. Another stopping the car, ten minutes of crying and screaming.

After that both the kids calmed down. Once we actually began going through the lights they became captivated by that and it was OK. We do this again and again. Every time we go out with her sister her kids act this way. She sits and watches and rarely says a word. Again I told my wife this was my last time of doing anything with her sister and her kids. But, it's all just blowing air. I'll find myself back for more of the same again. I just can't figure out why.

Cold and Windy

It's a cold, windy day here. It's overcast with a tiny chance of a flake or two of snow before the day's end. It normally snows here maybe once a winter and then only a couple of inches which is usually melted and gone by the end of the next day.

I went for my yearly physical this morning and nothing was terribly amiss. I have to go back in a couple of weeks to get the results from some blood work. They have to send the samples off to the lab somewhere or another. I don't look for there to be any problems though.

The biggest problem is that I need to get off my duff and get back to exercising the way I was doing a couple of years ago. I worked out, either with weights or on a ski machine, six days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. The only thing I can figure is that I got burned out and gradually have gotten to the point that I may work out once or twice a week. I kept finding reasons not to exercise. It didn't even have to be a good reason, just a reason. Now, I tell myself all the time I need to get back to it but I procrastinate. It's tomorrow, next week, or after the holidays. Any excuse to sit there and do nothing. Anyway, I really do need to get myself motivated and get back to working out. I felt so much better when I did.

Bah! Humbug!

I haven't posted anything for several days as I'm getting more and more frustrated with this Christmas stuff. I have had some difficulty in getting into it anyway as I won't have but the least amount of time off to even celebrate Christmas and in the last week or so it has gotten doubly difficult as my wife is determined it's going to be the way she wants it come hell or high water. She has even gone to the point of moving little decorations I have laid around the house to a point she wants them. The house is decorated as she wants it, we are spending the little bit of time off we have with her relatives (two out of four days), and now I learn yesterday that we are having Christmas dinner at our house even though I had specificially said I did not want to do that because of two things. And, rather than a traditional meal, her and Mom decided we'd just eat sandwiches so no one would have to bother with a real meal.

First, her sister and her husband (and their two out of control kids) always show up late. Then her kids ransack our house while their parents sit there and talk never saying a word to their little darlings. They bang on my wife's expensive Yamaha piano and play on her expensive organ. They bang toys on our nice wood and glass coffee and end tables. All this while their parents sit on their rumps and watch. Then, if we say anything to their darlings they get pissed. They run up and down the stairs and then to add insult to injury, end up not wanting to eat anything we have as they don't like it. The second reason is that the last time we did something like this it was a Thanksgiving. Everyone piled in our house made a big mess and left as soon as they could leaving us with the mess. This is with the exception of the brother-in-law and sister-in-law who hung around to make even more and bigger messes every time we cleaned up the kitchen and dining room. I swore then we would never do this at our house again.

The bottom line is I'm ready for Christmas to be over. I have had trouble getting into the Christmas spirit because of the domination of my wife and it's still two weeks before the fact. I can only imagine how it's going to be for the remainder of the season.

Today's Rambling

We, at work, have our annual Christmas/Holiday lunch. It's a nice gesture by the people in charge but these gestures are getting to be less and less. At one time we had the lunch, got a gift certificate for a local grocery store, and a special tree ornament. The lunch went from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and they had buses to pick everyone in the outlying parts and take them to the dinner and return them to their work place. All that has gone by the wayside with only the lunch remaining and even then they have cut the hours back by an hour. It ends at 1:00 PM now. They claim the budget can't withstand the other stuff even though you can find a hundred ways they waste a lot more money than it would take to do the gift certificiate and ornament.

Still, I suppose we shouldn't complain. We could get nothing. Still, it's just another example of how that every time the budget either has to be cut, lowered, or adjusted, it is done on the backs of the employees. Our insurance rates are raised and coverage lowered, our holiday lunches or spring cookouts are tightened or done away with completely, our raises are lower, if we get one at all. It's politics. The concern is with getting and staying elected. If the employees have to suffer and tighten their belts in order for them to not do the right thing then so be it. If we don't like it we can go elsewhere as there is always someone to take our place. They are so caring. I have visions of someone named Scrooge about this time.

Anyway, that's the way it is and there's nothing anyone can do. It's just life and the way things are and most likely, have always been and will always be. Fair? I don't care to hear this crap about life not being fair. I just think life should be enjoyed. It's difficult to do that when you are constantly having to deal with getting the shaft every time you turn around.

Weekend Recap

To recap the weekend, Friday night we went out to eat dinner with my Father-in-law, Sister-in-law, and her two kids. After dinner we drove to a local park to view their lights. It cost $10.00 to get in and the entire trip around the loop took maybe ten minutes if I'm generous about it. It definitely was not worth the money. After that we went back to the Sister-in-law's house for about 30 minutes and then to the grocery store and then home.

Saturday we went to Commerce to the outlet malls there to do a little Christmas shopping. It was cold, overcast, and occasionally raining. We did a good bit of walking which I am happy about as I feel like I'm burning those calories when I walk. For lunch we went to a Dennys as my wife had never eaten at one. It was an experience as the people in the next booth or table had a whole flock of kids and not only were the kids loud, but the parents were louder. It made for a rather unpleasant lunch. I know the whole place was happy when they left. I know I was.

After this, the weekend really just coasted by. The rest of Saturday and Sunday was routine. We have our holiday lunch for work this week, which is really pretty decent. It's a catered affair and the food's really quite good. Othen than that and me getting my hair cut this week, there's not much between now and Christmas. Christmas isn't going to be much of an affair as most of it's spent with my in-laws and with us not taking any time off to amount to anything, it really just doesn't seem to be something to get excited about.

That was the weekend. Except for the Christmas lights and shopping it was pretty much like my every weekend. Not that I feel life is boring or anything, but it is.

Thermostat Woes

There is a rather large, overweight woman who works in the same part of the building I do. This woman has some sort of problem in that she stays hot all the time. It can be 20 degrees outside and she complains because the heat's on. She will, whenever she choses, flip the thermostat from heat to cool and doesn't even have the intelligence to move the thermostat off the 68 degree setting for the heat. In a while it's like a refrigerator in this office. I have spoken with her on more than one occasion but her attitude is that she has the right to be comfortable and be damned if everyone else is frozen. We are without boss now and the last one was too much of a wimp to say anything to her. I don't know where she gets off thinking she's the lord of the heating and air conditioning in this office, but it is very, very annoying. Of course, she is a very annoying person anyway. I could deal with it if we could reach some sort of compromise but that word ain't in her dictionary. Another little thing that happens is that she will leave (I leave before she does) and leave the air conditioner on so that the next morning the heat hasn't been on at all and it is freezing in here. We play this thermostat game all the time, summer and winter. It is my sincere hope that when they do hire a new boss he can help sort out a workable solution. In the meantime, it's either sit and try to endure it or play up and down with the thermostat all day.

Christmas Past

Not too much of anything going on at the moment. The daily grind is about it. It's difficult to believe that another year is almost gone. Last year we went to Gatlinburg, TN to see the lights and Christmas parade. Doesn't seem like it's been a year. The lights and parade were great but it was so cold. The days weren't too bad but once the sun went down it was frigid. I felt sorry for a lot of the majorettes in the bands as they only had on a wind suit type outfit and I know they had to be freezing as I had on the full compliment of winter gear and I was freezing. The ones I felt really sorry for was this one band from Gainesville, GA. Their majorettes had on their normal one piece, sleeveless bathing suit type costumes. There is no doubt in my mind that by the time they got to the end of the parade they had to be frozen solid. I would have liked to have went back this year but the wife didn't want to so we are just staying at home. The word I got was "maybe next year".

End of the Day

Well, another day almost ended. At work, that is. I got a call from the wife. We had yet another leak under our kitchen sink. We thought it might be some of the new pipe the plumber installed recently so we gave him a call. He came out and checked it this morning and lo and behold if it wasn the faucet leaking. Of course it had to be replaced as it can't be repaired, naturally. So, another nice chunk of my hard earned pay to the plumber. At the same time he's replacing this faulty faucet, the guy's out to replace the ceiling and the holes in the wall that were removed or damaged to install the new pipe from before. Seems it never stops. I have gotten quite frustrated with this entire situation with this house. Not much I can do but grit my teeth and deal with it. But, if it doesn't ease up soon I may have to declare bankruptcy.

Back Again

Well, Thanksgiving's over and Christmas is on the horizon. Not that I'm really in the Christmas spirit as I'm not. I can't explain it but I haven't been able as of yet to latch onto the Christmas excitement. I do or am looking forward to the little four days off, but other than that it just do anything for me. We even went shopping Saturday and put our tree up Sunday but it just doesn't feel like Christmas. One thing is that the weather was warm and the malls really didn't seem to be as crowded as normal. Whatever the reason it just seemed like another day of shopping. Maybe I'll pick the spirit up before long, but at the moment I just feel blah about the whole thing.

Sunday After Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving went OK. Nothing out of the ordinary. Lunch at the Mother-in-law's and supper (dinner) at the Sister-in-law's. We have to do every holiday in much the same way as my wife's parents are divorced. So, we end up having lunch at one place and supper at the other. The Sister-in-law meal is normally the most enjoyable as at least you can drink alcohol there. At her Mom's it's serious business. We ended up staying at her house until 3:00pm on Thanksgiving day (everyone else baled) and I thought we were never going to leave. I don't know why my wife so all of a sudden decided to just hang around and chit chat. Anyway, things went OK.

My Pal, Sam

My pal, Sam. We're best buds. We have a mutual respect. He does what he wants and I repsect that. We don't hassle each other and are perfect for each other. Of course, he thinks he's the boss and I let him.

Watson's Mill State Park

This photo was taken at a local park which, as you can see, has a covered bridge. It was pure luck that the old car happened to be coming out at the time I took the photo. I took this with a Pentax PZ-1 35mm camera with a zoom lens, then scanned it onto my computer. The origianal photo is not quite as light and a lot clearer. But, hope you enjoy it anyway.

More On The Work Scene

As I have laid out in the past, my life would be so much easier if I worked with mature, responsible people rather than the selfish, self centered, brats I work with. Rather than just do their job for eight hours a day and go home and everyone's happy, they'd much rather do any and everything to be hard to get along with and difficult. It truly is as if I am dealing with two or three year old kids in grown up bodies. They won't out and out refuse to do something but just do it at their pace which drives me insane. Their pace is incredibly slow. I have put up with this now for at least six months and my patience has all but disappeared. My plan is to call the supervisor into my office next week and present him with a written memo on where he needs to get it together in regards to this job. It is definitely going to affect his performance evaluation which is tied in to raises and could affect more. I have always shied away from writing people up at this job because previously I went through a period with a couple of other troublemakers who gave me no choice. I had to write them up just to try to exhibit some authority. All that was accomplished was that they resented it and me and afterwards, really did take every chance to do whatever they could get away with without getting fired. Anything to cause problems, but still within the rules. This is what I fear will happen with the present situation but once again, I don't feel I have any other choice. It is rapidly getting out of hand and if it keeps going the way it's going my evaluation is going to take a hit.

Why people have to be this way has always been a mystery to me. To them it is much more important to show how stubborn and difficult they can be than it is to actually get rewarded for doing a good job. I, for the life of me, don't understand why people think they're being so cool to act this way. They come across as jerks. Plain and simple.

Weekend Past

It was just a normal weekend with no real jump for joy moments. We went to my sister-in-law's house Saturday night and ate dinner with their in-laws from Tampa. They're nice, retired people originally from Pennsylvania and we always try to get up to see them when they're here. I, as I am prone to doing at their house, drank more than I meant to and felt quite like crap yesterday.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and there again, I don't expect anything out of the ordinary, much to my dismay. As much as I'd like to do something different that won't be happening. I am having a lot of trouble getting in the holiday spirit anyway.

More On My Life

The past couple of days could have been better. Last night, while slicing an onion, I also sliced the end of my pinky finger. I thought it would never stop bleeding. In fact, for a while I was beginning to think I had, somewhere along the line, turned into a free bleeder. Finally it did stop. This morning, while flossing my teeth, I somehow managed to pull a filling right out of my tooth. The ironic part of this is that first, I was trying to take care of my teeth and secondly, I have an appointment for a cleaning today. Then, to top off the morning, I have an argument with the wife about holiday plans. It appears that it will be another holiday period with her relatives. This is in addition to the fact that I have, up until the past couple of years, always taken at least a week off for Christmas. Not so the past couple of years. I suppose it's no big deal but it just sorta puts the dampers on my Christmas. At work we get Friday and Monday off and that's it. So, just like last Christmas, it's going to be a quick come and gone one. I hate that. I like the Christmas season and like to go to the malls shopping and being among people in general. But, that ain't going to happen for the second year in a row and I am less than happy about it.

Anyway, that's the way it's gone for the past couple of days. I keep telling myself it's got to get better, but I have serious doubts at this point in time.

Lousy Weekend

This has not been a good weekend and actually not a good week. We were supposed to go out Saturday night. This had been planned for over a week. Out of the blue, everyone who was supposed to go decided Friday night they didn't want to go out. I had been looking forward to it all week. To say it was a disappointment is putting it mildly. After that, the weekend has simply evolved into nothing. Sitting around trying to read or watch TV about as bored as one human can be. I suffer from depression and have been trying very hard to not have to go back on medication as I don't like the side effects. I am now to the point that I feel I am fighting a losing battle. I feel I have lost all control of my life, both at home and at work, don't sleep worth a damn at night (I either toss and turn all night or wake up at 3:00 AM), and generally think life sucks. People who don't understand depression think you can just snap out of it. They don't get it. If I could just snap out of it don't they think I would? Anyway, I think I am not going to have much choice but to hit the medication route again.

Engineer Ramblings

I work for a local government. My two direct bosses are engineers. Funny thing about engineers is that I have yet to meet one who has any common sense. They can calculate, throw numbers around, and talk logic, but they don't really have anything resembling logic. In their minds creating more and more paperwork to justify a job or project far outweighs the actual result of the job or project. It reminds me of an old saying I heard while in the military: "if you can't blind them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit". It is no wonder to me that so many people have such a bad impression and attitude toward government. And, God forbid, I go in and question something they want done or offer what I think is a better way of doing it. I have to go in with mounds of knowledge and paperwork as I know I'm going to be put through the wringer explaining every tiny, tiny detail of how I think it should be done, why, and what the end result will be. The kicker to it is that they think they are so superior and the reality is that everyone makes fun of them and laughs at them behind their back. It's almost enough to make me feel sorry for them. Almost.

Tuesday

I was, for the most part, correct about the weekend. I sprayed waterproofing on my deck on Saturday and that was pretty much Saturday. Sunday we did attend a house warming for my wife's cousin which turned out to be more fun than I had thought it would be. Unfortunately, my wife and her family can't seem to get the planning stage of anything down pat. They like to leave things open and just let it happen. I, on the other hand, like to have an idea of what's going on and when. As late as Sunday afternoon, nary a soul seemed to have an idea of what this house warming was. Some thought it was just a drop by social for a couple of hours with no gifts, food, or refreshments. Others said it was a full fledged party with food, booze, and the works. This is actually what it turned out to be. I should let myself, but I get so aggravated and frustrated with my wife and her family every time something like this comes up. No one communicates or will call anyone to get details. Sometimes we're actually loading up to go before anyone can decide where it is we're going. Everything with them is fluid which drives me nuts. You'd think that in all the years I have had to deal with it I'd be accustomed to it by now. Not so. I keep telling myself that one of these days one or more of them are going to slip up and actually get on the phone and talk with the rest of them and we will all have a picture of what is happening. But, I think chances of this happening are slim and none. They are also a very stubborn, hard headed group who fight change like the plague. So, I may as well make up my mind to just not let it bother me and go with the flow. Yeah, I can do that...right.

More Aggravation

After taking a couple of days off last week to sit with the plumber so he could replace all my old copper lines at an astronomical costs, over the weekend we have found two leaks in the new stuff. Why it waited two days to start leaking is a mystery, but the aggravation factor is now at an all time high. This is two weeks of water leaks, plumbers, and water in the walls, ceilings, floors, and now the front yard. So, what this means is that the plumber has to come back over here and repair the new leaks which means more time off work as they won't go into the house without someone being here. This, I didn't need. And, this still doesn't take into account the time that has to be taken off to meet the guy who's giving an estimate of how much it will cost to replace the missing ceilings and holes in the walls. I said this before, but this is really beginnging to put me in the mind of the Tom Hank's movie "The Money Pit". Unfortunately, seeing that I'm living it rather than watching it on the screen means it ain't funny.

Upcoming Weekend

A, for the most part, fairly uneventful weekend coming up. At least I won't be at work. Most likely be around the house reading or watching TV and awaiting the dreaded Monday morning. Once upon a time I had this goal of reading at least one book each month. For a while I was able to do it, but as with most things I do, got bored and eventually quit reading much at all. I've promised myself that I would return to trying to read more as I buy books all the time. I have a bookcase full of books I've never even attempted to read. Probably enough to last me the rest of my life. Did the same thing with photography. Decided I wanted to pusue photography. Even took classes and got a diploma from a photography school. Bought all this nice, expensive equipment and for a while took photos of everything. Then, one day I just woke up, said why, and now rarely even take the camera out. When I do, I'm so out of practice the photos are terrible, I get frustrated and won't do it again for a long time. So, now I hesitate in attempting anything as I just don't want to fail again or put all this effort just to lose interest. I read an article the other day where someone was saying anything you want to do "just do it". May be easy for them but it ain't so easy for me.

For The Record

Haven't really felt much like posting lately. Have been in a funk of some sort due to this, that, and the other. It's only been a three day work week for me but it is still dragging. More later.

Morning After

Went with the wife to her sister's last night. Ended up drinking way too much booze. Today I feel like hell. Every time I do this I tell myself if I ever get through this I will never do it again. Sure. If I had a dollar for every time I've said that I'd be able to take early retirement. So, I don't think I'll be retiring any time soon. Right now I'd be happy just to feel somewhat human again. Maybe later on in the day.

Long Weekend

This will be a four day weekend for me but not the type I'd like. Monday and Tuesday I have to sit at home and babysit the plumbers replacing the copper water pipes in my house. Not only will it be boring but plenty costly. I'm trying to look at it on the up side in that at least I'll have all new water pipes with a guarantee, but it doesn't come at a good time. There are a lot of other places I'd like to put the money I'm spending on these pipes. Seems like the old cliche about there always being something to go wrong is really more true than not. Another good thing is that at least I am not at work. What a break!

Today

In a nutshell, the day has been mostly a waste. We have a position open which has been open since July 1. We have taken applications for the position since then. We have done interviews and finally decide on someone. We hold off until mid October just to make sure we don't get any more applicants. None. Then as soon as I start checking this guy's references they call me from our personnel department and say they have three more applications and a couple of them look real good. So now it's back to square one. I want to get the right person but I'd also like to get the position filled. Now, this will cause another week or two delay. This is par for the course. This is a local government office and dragging their feet is standard operating procedure. Nothing gets done quickly which I find extremely frustrating at times. Other than this, I have not been able to much of anything accomplished. I suppose there's always tomorrow.

Back At Work, Day 2

This is shaping up to be just another boring, uneventful day at the daily grind. I've really gotten burned out on this job, to be truthful. I have been here much too long and it gets increasingly difficult to find anything new. In the earlier days, it was as if there was always something new and everything was exciting, but as the years have passed it has become more routine. I would love to get out of here and would do so in a heartbeat, but practically I can't. Too many obligations and in this town, there isn't much choice of places to work. So, for now, all I can do is hang on, show up, and do what I'm asked to do with as much enthusiam as I can muster, which isn't very much, and keep telling myself that retirement will come one day, eventually.

Back At Work

The day I've looked forward to for a week. The dreaded back at work day. I know I had a week off but it sure doesn't seem like it. It always seems to me that time passes by so quickly when you're off work and doing something you like as opposed to being at work.

Nothing at all has changed during my absence. I come back to the same people with the same lousy attitudes. I keep hoping that something will happen to open some eyes and make all the hard to deal with people realize their attitudes and childishness isn't doing a thing to either change the things they don't like about working here or get them support from anyone else. But, with people like these it's a waste to even believe that some day they will see the light. They are totally lost.

Return From The Mountains

Made it back from the Smokies fine. Had a good time with the exception of my disappointment that the leaves were not changing as I thought they would be. I think we were about a week early. Came back on Thursday and on Friday had the plumber come over to give an estimate on the cost of replacing all the copper water lines in my house. They keep leaking and it costs me bucks every time I have to have them repaired. His estimate was over $3.000.00. It's something that even though I don't want to spend the money, has to be done. It's not just the money. The inconvienence is going to be great as he estimates it will take three days and part of that time the water will have to be off. Lovely.

Boss Musings

Today is the last day I will be working for or with my present boss. I wish I could say I've enjoyed it but that would not be a true statement. He came here from Detroit and rather than coming in with an open mind he came in wanting to do everything his way. One problem was that he was too inexperienced in this field to know how things are done or what is needed to accomplish some aspect of the job. He would get frustrated and irritated if I did not agree with his assessment and suggestions and it created ill will between him and myself. He also did not like being a manager of people and often shirked this part of his job by either ignoring what was going on or giving in to the other employees thereby undermining my authority with them. I mentioned this to him several times but in the end it didn't matter. He would still buckle to their pressure rather than putting his foot down which left me in a sensitive position. Actually, his last day is October 21 but I am off next week. I don't think I'll be making a trip up to say goodbye. My biggest hope is that the next person they get in here is more down to earth and knowledgable about this job. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening as the pay is too low to attract really qualified people. The tendency is to hire someone with general knowledge of the field and hope they will pick it up. This hasn't worked. His position ends up being open on average of every two years. So, if this continues, at least I'll only have to deal with the next person for about two years. This one hasn't made it the full two years. It's actually only been a little over a year. Plenty long enough for me.

Autumn

It is definitely feeling more like Autumn. It's overcast and actually cool, temperature wise. This, as I have said before, is my favorite time of year. There's just something about the cool, crisp air that feels clean. It also means I won't be mowing the lawn for five or six months and that makes me very happy. Saturday I'll be heading into the Smoky Mountains for a week in Gatlinburg, TN to hopefully see all the color with the leaves changing. I love it up there even if the leaves weren't changing but Autumn is especially nice. Normally, it's a yearly adventure to go to Gatlinburg for a week although last year I didn't make it for Autumn. I did make it to their Christmas light display and parade. It was a good parade. Probably the longest parade I have ever seen. It was made even longer because it was so cold but it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Owning A House

We found out last night that we need to have some old copper water pipe in our replaced as it has begun leaking and according to the plumber, once it starts leaking it will continue. I can't help but believe him as we originally had a small leak in one area which is why we call the plumber to be gin with. Last night upon arriving home it had sprung another leak filling my floor with water. We again called the plumber and he again advised getting rid of the suspect copper pipe. Of course the cost is unreal. An estimate of between $2,000 and $3,000 just to replace the pipe. This does not cover the cost of replacing the ceiling or walls that have to be torn into or out in order to replace the pipe. I know this is something that it will be beneficial in the long run to do but right now I am suffering sticker shock. I have questioned in the past whether there is all that much benefit to owning a house as opposed to say, a condo, and now I question it even more. At least with a condo I wouldn't have to worry about replacing water pipes and walls at an astronomical price. But, for now, I have to bite the bullet and deal with it.

Children

That's what I work with. Children. Not the not yet grown type but the grown type who physically are in an adult body but mentally haven't fully developed. The "if I don't get my way I'll pout" adults. The you made me mad so I'm giving you the cold shoulder type. The type of person you absolutely love to be around because they are so good at making life pleasant (yeah, right!!!). I don't understand why they never developed mentally. Why are they still stuck in infancy? Did they have such a spoiled childhood that they simply think they should be able to do, say, and have any and everything they want or else? It really, in the end, doesn't matter. With all my faults and problems I am just soooo happy that I am not one of them. It must be miserable to be that miserable.

Monday Again

I do so love Mondays. Not only do I have to hear that obnoxious alarm clock bright and early but after the rude awakening I have to get out of the bed, get dressed, and go to work, but I get to endure all the jerks on the road on the way. There's the jerk that won't drive over 45 and as it's a two lane road most of the way and almost impossible to pass I'm (along with a solid line of cars behind me) stuck. Then there's the other jerk that tries his best to see if he can get as close to my bumper as humanly possible without actually touching it. How he accomplishes this I don't know. What I do know is that either way my nerves are shot before I ever get to work. When I was being taught to drive the word courtesy came into play. As in being courteous to the other people on the road. Apparently, that is a word most of the drivers today never, ever heard. At one time I thought road rage wasn't really a real thing. Now I know it is.

Long Week

All told, this has been a long frustrating week. I wish sometimes that I could turn off my brain with a switch so I could be like so many of the people I have to deal with every day. Work is a prime example. My problem is that I have pride and having pride I care about the job and want to do it the way it should be done. I seem to be the only one. Everyone else just kinda shows up, some of them late with a very feeble excuse, and do what they have to do just to make it through the day. They could care less whether they do something the right way or not just so they act as if they are doing something. I don't know if there is an answer or solution to a problem like this, but I do know for me personally it is a very frustrating situation.

This Is Friday?

Normally, Friday is my favorite day of the week but so far this one doesn't qualify. It has been nothing short of a pain since it began. My coworkers acting like children trying to get around rules they know have been in place since they began here and to add insult to injury, a disagreement with the wife. I am sitting here now wondering why is it that it seems that no matter what I do or say, people simply want to be disagreeable and give me a hard time. In the case of the employees it is just them wanting to circumvent a rule that they have know since the beginning was in place and getting pissed when I tell them no. Just like kids. Asking for something they know they can't have but ask for it anyway. With the wife I think she is under too much pressure and tends to snap when I say something to either disagree with her or something she doesn't want to hear. At any rate, I certainly hope it gets better as the day goes on. This is no way to start the weekend.

Rain and More Rain

Tropical storm Tammy has arrived. It's dark, windy, and pouring rain. They may not get to play the second game of the series with Houston in Atlanta today and frankly, that could be good for the Braves. I watched the game yesterday and it's like always. They do great during the regular season then choke during the playoffs and world series, if they happen to make it. Funny thing is that this is the first game I have watched all year and they get blown out. Back in the early 90's I was an avid fan. Watched every game I could. But, after a few years of them trading away players and players leaving to the point of me not even knowing who was on the team, I lost interest. I know very few of the players on this team. Who knows? Maybe they'll pull themselves together and make it all the way. I do have my doubts, though.

Another Day

Another day, another dollar, as the saying goes. That's become the rule of life as far as my job is concerned. I have been here much too long and have gotten burned out on it. For many reasons, I cannot leave it. I come in every day and do exactly what I have to do just to make it through the day. I no longer really have the interest in it I once did. I just want to make it until 4:00 PM then I can go home. I try to distance myself from my coworkers as I frankly don't trust them. I don't feel at ease discussing anything with them at all. There is too much back stabbing that goes on here. Anyway, it is just another day. Nothing special. The one thing I have to look forward to is 4:00 PM.

Hate Mongers

I really about tired of picking up the paper or watching the news on TV and seeing someone on the "right" spouting forth all this hatred. It, to me, doesn't seem there is any interest on their part to live and work together, they just want everything their way. They don't want democracy, they want a one party rule dictatorship. Watching them I see some of the most evil people I have ever seen. It's as if you are looking at the devil himself. It's scary. These are the people who claim they have moral and family value superiority over all of the planet. All I see is a lot of bigoted, hate filled, hate spewing, self centered, creatures. I don't think you could really consider them people. It's good too that we have elected a president who is a uniter. I'd hate to think of what it would be like if he wasn't a uniter.

Day After Day

It's difficult to come up with something original to write each day. It try to do that as I read somewhere once that it is healthy for your mind to write something every day if for no other reason to let other people get to know you. I can only think that it's the beginning of another long week. I keep telling myself it will get better but it never happens. I try to find little things to be all happy and excited about but in the end the big things overshadow all my little things until I can no longer find any little things, just the one or two big things that are like a dark cloud. In a couple of weeks I take a trip into the Smokey Mountains for a few days. It will be so great to just be out of this city and away from my job for a while. But, the reality is that I know that in the end I have to come back and therein lies the rub.

Day After

Attended a wedding and reception yesterday afternoon and last night. My downfall was that they had an open bar. I took full advantage of it and now am dealing with the aftermath. I have to say that the food wasn't all that great but overall it was an excellent party. Today I have to attend a birthday lunch for my brother-in-law and stepson. I really am not into it but I don't have any choice but to go. At the very least it'll get me out of the house for a while.