Disappointment Is

Disappointment for your freshly 16 YO son is to arrive at the DMV for his written test, 4 minutes after they close.

Kinda cruel to close at 3:45 when most kids at that age are in school until about 3 PM. Even when your dad leaves work early and beats you home so you get there as fast as you can.

Lesson learned? No matter where you are, nice guys finish lunch.

Good Things for 01/30/2008

I found a week old advert for a used guitar that I really like. It includes a hardshell quality case and looks to be in fine condition. I hope to try to play it and see it Friday.

Once again my mischievous Sparky annoyed me. I guess I didn't pay enough attention to him last night as I was trying work on work from home.

He pushed over my hamper of dirty clothes. Dug out a pair of worn underpants. And chewed on them. As in there is no longer any crotch. Just the section that goes around one's waist. Or in other words; they are rags. Pets? I get no respect. I count this is the sixth or so pair he has done this too. This was the first time he intentionally pushed over the hamper to get at them. I guess I'll have to close the bedroom door now.

Good Things for 01/28/2008 Again

Happiness is washing dishes by hand with your 16 YO kid and listening to music you both might find interesting. I only say might because 16 YO don't always voice everything they think. And that is okay.

I think the pipes froze in the house next door. I'm not sure anyone lives there. It is owned by a long retired couple. He's been in a nursing home, and maybe she is too now. There was a company carrying out a lot of what looked like soggy stuff yesterday morning.

I stumbled upon Mavis Staples website. I'm always torn. Buy a cd or vinyl LP direct and hope it puts bucks into the artist's pocket? Maybe even a little more? Or support our local businesses and I go to the Electric Fetus. Let me tell yah, I heart the EF. So I notice old Mavis is on this like nine year tour. And she has four disc remaining already signed. For a buck more. Yeah, you know what I did. I ordered one. Ever heard the song "99 and One Half"? Find it and hear it. Okay maybe YOU don't like gospel. Yet, you should admit its a great song and well done if you get the chance. Well, that is on Mavis' latest disc. So go out and buy it. Just cause I want you to.

Good Things for 01/28/2008

My reply to a friend that asked me to attend a work oriented, but yet social golf outing.

Can you tell I hate golf? It needs a goalie. And full contact. And hecklers. And cheerleaders. More guys shaped like Jon Daly. Bullhorns, lots of those. Maybe some marine air horns, like they blast at hockey games. Extremely over-served guys with paint where their shirts should be. And play in sub zero weather. I mean Fahrenheit. None of this wussy degrees “C” either. I want golf in wind chills in negative number. And no gloves or hats so they really suffer. Those are the only conditions that pathetic pastime should be played. Then I might watch on television. Bloody hell.

Good things for 01/27/2008

Got a bunch of work-work done to catch up from being out those few days. Not caught up, but not feeling like I'm drowning.

Spent a bunch of time on Thing 3's iPod. Dang, I think I'm reasonably smart and I still can't get it to load more than 70 or so songs. For a 40 gig, it should swallow 100 entire cds, but no, it pukes after the 70 or so. I've tried wiping every file off of it. I've tried hard resets until my fingers hurt, I've achieved disc mode many times, I've tried Norton Disc Doctor and it even finished once. I managed even to get Norton Disc Wipe to run once and finish and it didn't make a difference. I still think if I can wipe the firmware off the disc, those pesky hidden files, it would restore just fine. Yet it crashes during every restore to date. Bugger.

Managed to properly record on DVD a little documentary called "Punk: Attitude". Includes interviews with either living member or members when they were alive of many of my favorite bands. The Dictators, MC5, Stooges, Dictators, New York Dolls, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash, Blondie, Chrissie Hyne, Buzzcocks, and more I just can't remember or spell including Jello Biafra himself and Henry Rollins. Man its way cool. Recorded it commercial free from IFC. Who needs regular television.

Took Sparky the WunderBeagle in for his three week checkup. The final results were he's probably just fine. They were very happy that I'm able to keep his weight down at 37-38 pounds. The vet was oh so very cute. And half my age. Sigh. They did feel he needed a booster shot and insisted on taking his temperature. As if he wasn't scared enough, there comes the rectal thermometer dude! Then that big poke for the shot. So far he's not having any reaction to his shot. No excessive lethargy or anything. They did suggest another food. The Beneful he was eating generates a lot of tartar on his teeth. I've been giving Iams and that isn't helping so they suggested a Science Diet to reduce tartar. He eats it just fine so I'm guessing it tastes okay. What am I worried about? Dogs don't care about taste!

Great things for 01/24/2008

Dinner at the Vineyard with your newly minted 16 YO son, Thing 3.

We each ate massive prime rib, baked potato and their famous salad (which is very yummy by the way). The salad puts that crap at Olive Garden to shame. (My apologies to you vegan pals. so I'm a flip flopper when it comes to food. Sue me.)

I even talked him into dessert. After all, it was a celebration type day.

Man, am I lucky to have such a fine son.

Among the Living 01/24/2008

January 18-22 were spent barking like a seal. Congested enough that I bought a vaporizer and brought my bedroom to near jungle like humidity. Added something called Vicks VapoSteam to the solution so when vaporized it smelled like menthol and camphor. Sort of like smoking Marlboro menthols without the smoky goodness.

At times the congestion was bad enough that my teeth hurt. Man I hate that. And oh my did the work pile up while I was out a few days.

It worked, so don't knock it if you haven't tried it. Really. I was less congested every morning I used it. I didn't use a lot of over the counter dubious drugs, just let the respiratory flu take its course. So much for this year's flu shot working to prevent it. I did drink lots of juice, water, 7 up, and other liquids. And plenty of naps.

I've now had the annual dose of bad daytime television. Actually not so bad, with satellite, you can always find some re-run of Diagnosing Amy, Judging Matilda, Law and Disorder - Middle School Principal Assistant Janitors (L&O-MSPAJ) or something. That is when I didn't find the energy to change the cd in the player. I listened to a fair amount of music and its the one time I thought; "Huh, a changer would be cool about now."

I wish I could listen to 89.3 "The Current" (I dislike the name, but its not my fault), but my tuner and it don't get along or something. I've tried a variety of antenna and no luck. When I can get it I tend to get a lot of weird annoying feedback as if someone is pulsing power to something within the circuit. Sometimes they are easily ignored, but at least once every half hour or so one "pops" loud enough to really annoy and for all I know distress the speakers. Two different amps, different pair of interconnects, two pair of speakers, two different homes, and the problem is the same. I'm guessing its the tuner. Its easily 20 years old, but little used for the most part and a quality Yamaha piece. I give up. Its a digital tuner, so I can't figure out what would be pulsing inside.

Good things; Thing 1 was out at the house working on a car and it was another nice visit. Sure am proud of that guy.

Thing 3 got to visit a couple of times with Thing 2. Glad she found some time for him.

Sparky has been fine. He really gets a case of the nerves when it comes to putting him into the kennel, but that's tough. The house is a lot cleaner and he gets into less trouble this way. The 10 minutes it takes to carry him to the kennel (I think it'd take a cattle prod and pain on his part to get him into it otherwise) and get him to drag himself (oh, I do mean drag, his legs move in slow motion, like I might change my mind in the meantime) into the kennel its hard not to laugh.

Good things this week 01/19/2008

A very nice respiratory flu keeps me home from work yesterday.
A nose sore from blowing it constantly.
Temperatures which might make it above zero for the high to signal that mother nature still has us in winter.

Bummer for the time period:

We didn't get any of the snow predicted. Would have made things look much nicer.

Time for another nap.

Good Things for 01/16/2008

I'm reminded of an old joke by Jack Benny. Jack's character was that he was cheap. Really very cheap. In reality it wasn't all that true, but its a character bit he stuck to a great deal of his comedic life. The joke goes, a robber comes up to Jack with a gun, knife, or whatever and says, "Your money or your life." Jack replies, "I'm thinking!" when the robber becomes impatient with his lack of a quick response.

Good things for this week? I'm thinking.

Oh, there were good things. Things in the mail here at the shack.

Two knew lamps from JCPenney that were on their clearance site at a great price
Two new mattress pads for Thing 3's bed to make him sleep more comfortably
Several new calendars for work and the house, here are the ones I remember
The official George W. Bush Out of Office Countdown calendar which gives a "Bushism" every day
Ansul Adams monthly calendar with beautiful photos by the great photographer
Futurama monthly calendar for the house
Simpsons monthly calendar for work
Richard Lederers wacky English page a day calendar for work (has a abuse of the written English language taken from adverts, publicity releases and the like)
That's Funny - a page a day calendar with a joke by a stand up comic each day (example Ballet is basketball for homosexuals - by I forgot who)
Art Calendar - a beautiful photo of a piece of art every day for Thing 3 who is very interested in art
A new copy on vinyl of the latest Heartless Bastards recordings
A new copy of the latest Amiee Mann disc (a Christmas recording) so my collection is still complete (I heart Aimee)

Gee, by the looks of the list I should just quit whining and look for those good things. Once I get started I have lots of them I just fail to recognize them sometimes.

My Monday (01/14/2008) and the rest of the week...

It was a long day
Work from home in the morning. See Thing 3 off and Sparky kennelized
Shower and then drive to work
Work
Re-fuel elephant, get a cheeseburger at Holiday (yuck)
Drive to school and get Thing 3
Run into traffic snarl - tipped over truck closes 35W southbound entirely eventually. We luckily get by it before they close the whole southbound lane.
Get Thing 3 to therapist
Get call from Lard while talking to therapist about homework and recent events
Patiently wait outside while they talk
Drive home, release Sparky
Get Sparky some exercise
Put Sparky back into kennel
Drive Thing 3 to Drivers Training
Grocery shopping
Release Sparky
Store everything
Don't feel like dinner see re-fuel, eat two yogurt instead
Go and pick up Thing 3
Watch Futurama
Collapse in bed

Good Things for 01/13/2008

The Cowboys LOST! Again! Jessica Simpson (shouldn't it be simpleton?) or not in the stadium. And wasn't Jerry Jones look on the sideline priceless. PRICELESS! Rich old face lifted geezers holding back the anger that the world still won't bend completely to their will. As Marv Albert would say, "YES!"

Bummed the Colts lost. I think they would give the Pats a better game. Especially if the two injuries really hurt the Chargers. Eh, its just a game. I'm sick of Fav-ray. Just sick of him already. Retire already. It would be nice to see him crushed by the Pats though. CRUSHED. Physically. Personally.

Went to a family holiday get together and ate and played Trivial Pursuit. The women won (again). Although it was competitive. Both sides have individuals that are sharp at different subjects. Sure there are questions everyone is ignorant of, but most of the time someone has a clue. Its fun. Even Thing 3 plays along.

Thing 1 has been working on a project car in the garage. Sunday night he came with his bride to finish it. He got it running and took a drive and didn't need a bail out. Meanwhile I was lazy and watched "Capote" with Thing 1's Spouse. We have the same taste in movies and so I lent them my copy so he could watch it later. I was really nice to have them visit.

Saturday night Thing 3 and I went on a big shopping expedition. Clothes for him. Yikes. He's easy to shop with. He has a plan to start with, we go in, he looks things over, he makes his choices, I pay and we leave. He's not one for expensive things or anything. His requests are realistic and he's past the "I gotta have" and maybe that's true of males and less so females. I give up.

Annoyance for 01/12/2008

While working on bills and listening to "The Sound" a defunct band from the 80s, Sparky managed to get into mischief. He pulled down both loaves of banana bread from the counter. No, they weren't like teetering on the edge; this took work on his part. One was in the bag, one was on a cutting board. He dined on the first partly eaten loaf first and when I caught him he abandoned that one and had gotten about 25% of the other loaf eaten.

Pets, I tells yah, I get no respect.

Things for 01/12/2008

Didn't feel like going to work yesterday. Like I have a reason. Sparky was rather lethargic, but really, I could have shoved him into the kennel like usual and gone. Its not like he pretends to enjoy it, but he doesn't seem worse for wear from it either.

So I tried out my new work from home connection. It does work reasonable well, some apps are slow to connect, save, or resolve issues. Yet it works and doesn't crash too often for mostly Micro$oft products. I did actually get work done. I left the TV off, the radio off, and didn't even play music. The only thing pestering me was sparky occasional desire to play tug of war with his new chew toy and dropping slobbered on tennis balls on my foot in hopes I'll throw it. I got lots done.

Later I showered and went to an appointment. Not one I was dreading and it went well.

Hit Target for some food and soda on the way home and found a toaster oven I liked. We make a lot of things like garlic bread and use the big oven to heat them. This will save energy costs hopefully.

Also hit Menards for some primer and sandpaper and masking materials.

I had set up the bread maker to make Hawaiian Sweet bread and it was ready when I got home. The house smelled great and even Thing 3 mentioned that. Nothing like fresh baked bread. It did sort of stick to the walls of the bread machine container. Dunno why. Tasted good enough that Thing 3 made a PBJ from it.

Today Sparky seems very chipper and has been pestering me to play. I worked another few hours this morning while Thing 3 slept. Got an important report done.

Now I can play a little. A nap sounds better!

Early End to Work Day 01/08/2008

Thing 1 called to say he'd found an engine for a clunker he drug to the house, okay driveway, Monday night. He got it as far as the end of the block and blew the engine. Left most of the oil on the street along with who knows what else. We pushed it into the driveway.

Today he called to say he found an engine. Can he borrow the elephant and get that to the house? Sure, why not.

I figured the easiest way is to just drive his hot rod home. As in a Nissan 240 with v-6 and turbo. Hit 3K on the tach and she screams like a cat with its tail on fire. So I left work early and blasted home, my ears are still ringing.

Dumb move for the afternoon. Along with the elephant keys, I gave him my house keys. D'Oh! I was able to get in the garage, but luckily after about 20 minutes Thing 3 came home and could let me in. Sparky was his usual exuberant self once let from the kennel and the day is finally looking up.

Now I have to work on the work I promised to work on from home.

Good Things So Far 01/09/2008

Breakfast with the boys at Al's in Dinkytown. Five orders of short stack whole wheat wally blues. Man we know how to live.

Thing 3 suggested The Libertines while we did dishes last night. Man he is one chip off the old ear.

Not so hot: I woke up at 3 AM and couldn't fall back to sleep. Sparky (who sleeps with me most nights) wasn't much help. He was as restless as I was. And apparently he had one hell of a nightmare as he was always pressing against me. Usually he gets too warm and moves away. Not last night. So I got too warm. Pets, I tells yah, I get no respect.

On the other hand this was good, I was up and at 'em and not late for breakfast at Al's. Be there at 6 bells or be square. I won't say who overslept and was late, right Curt?

Traffic still stunk at 5:30. Driving a vehicle sucks. I so wish for the ability to ride a bus and read a book.

Good Things for Today 01/08/2008

Sparky is doing really well. Spent his time in the kennel while I was at work and Thing 3 was in school.

Thing 3 worked on homework tonight without hassle, he helped with the dishes, he helped take down the Xmas tree, and helped wire in the internet so we both can be on-line together.

We had some chicken enchiladas tonight for supper and they were yummy. Thing 3 even mentioned that he liked them and he is not an easy to please chap.

Sparky dug up an old bone from the snow and has been looking all night for somewhere to bury it in the house so it is more handy. Usually that would be under Thing 3's dirty clothes in the bathroom. Now that he has a hamper in the bath, Sparky has no place to "bury" the bone and is wondering the house whining. This bone is soft enough I could chew it. Pets are just as funny as children. And endearing as heck. Its all about character.

Miraculous Recovery

Thing 3 called to say Sparky the WunderBeagle appears to be much better. Moving slowly, but moving again. He ate his supper (from yesterday), drank some water, and then wanted to go out and pee.

Heck, let the lovable guy bark himself horse for once. (He's gotten the previous tenant in trouble with John Law for barking too much.) Apparently some third shift neighbor called the coppers at the slightest "Arf!" Then again, beagles um, are supposed to bark in the less than humble author's opinion.

And I'll point out we were there first. The fuckers moved in long after we did. Just because their house costs (and looks) about triple what our shack is worth ain't got lick spittle to do with it, now does it. I like being the trailer trash equivalent in engineering suburban america.

Things for 01/07/2008

Good things:

Bread machine worked great! I figured out that I could set the alarm to make it finish just as I was getting up. The buzzer of it finishing its sequence woke me moments before my alarm was to go off. And boy did the house smell good.

Was able to shake the loaf out of the chamber and it smelled and tasted great. Fresh hot bread, yum.


Not so good:

Sparky didn't appear to have moved all night. He hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. He won't eat from my hand. I got him to drink a little water from my hand, but after about three handfuls of water, he stopped. Gave me this look like, "Um, thanks dude, but that's all I have the energy for."

The banana bread came out a lot darker than last time. Last time I used metal pans. This time I used glass pans. I also added a tablespoon of vanilla instead of a teaspoon. D'Oh! Read! Nitwit! Tastes okay. Not great.

Maybe tonight I'll make a loaf of Hawaiian Sweet Bread in the bread machine.

Good Things For This Weekend 01/06/2008

Made banana bread from the three overly ripe bananas. It smells great, but its not done yet.

Got to the grocery store and bought some sourdough bread mix. I dug out the Breadman Plus TR-600, searched on-line for a manual, and the bread should be done by morning. Hot bread with breakfast!

Took Sparky the WunderBeagle to the vet. Told them about the seizure. They gave him his shots and thought they saw something. They asked to keep him a few hours and took a blood sample and tested it. They are concerned and I have to bring him back in three weeks.

Thing 3 and I went to the condo and got the big oak desk and moved it to the house. It was a really heavy mother and man do my hands and back know it.

Listened to a lot of music this weekend. Really like the latest Fiery Furnaces latest disc. Also Interpol (sorry Carl, its pretty good) and Arctic Monkeys. There are more things I've acquired, but that's enough for now.

Took Sparky for a walk to get the paper this afternoon and since then he's laid on the couch and hasn't moved. Well, he got off one spot and moved to another and once got up and drank some water, but that is it. He didn't eat his supper either. He's really not himself. Really worried about him. Hope he perks up in the next two days.

Tonight I'm recording Boogie Nights from IFC. I watched up the part at the donut shop and had to turn it off. Wow, I'd forgotten how many really great people were in the movie. Burt Reynolds got all the publicity, but there are a lot of people considered quality actors in the movie considering its about the 70s porn industry.

Good Things Today 01/04/2008

Its Friday.
Put Sparky the WunderBeagle in his kennel when I left today to minimize the messes he makes. He doesn't like it, I don't like putting him in there, but I'm tired of him ripping the boxes and peeing on the floor.

Happy Obama won for some reason. Even if he has the worst possible name for the office. President Obama just doesn't have that ring to it, but I hope it grows on America. Change is good. Politics is BS anyhow. They are all bought and paid for.

Both Romney and Huckabee scare the beejebus out of me. I think Huckabee will turn out to be a worse lunatic that Bush if elected. When the evangelicals come out blindly for him, you know he's wrong for the office.

Thing 3 doesn't have drivers training tonight. That means I don't spend an hour driving him there. Note for new readers: its my blog and I don't share my children's names. They are not things nor do I think of them as that. Its just an easy way for you and I to keep track. Thing 1 is the eldest and thing 3 is the least oldest. They are boy - girl - boy for scoring purposes.

There was almost no traffic this morning. I hate driving the elephant on a daily basis, but single parenting and cycling 30+ miles round trip to work don't work. I'd move closer, but first I've got to sell one of the two properties I already have.

The future is bright and it might be a nice weekend.

Sparky got his nails done last night (trimmed) and is still upset about it. Either tomorrow or next week shots! He'll really be annoyed with me.