Happy Hallowblog!

I am so glad that Halloween is here. Why you may ask? Well funny that I would assume and pretend that you asked.  Because I am tired of all the pseudo-scary movies on television. Most of them are garbage and I'd rather watch a non-scary movie than a crap scary one. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is on tonight. Now that is a good Halloween flick. But why would they show a kids show on Halloween at 7PM? Your target audience is walking around begging for food like a bunch of hobos. They should have showed it last night or waited until like 8:30 while the little kids are starting to develop their sugar rushes. Idiots (the television people not the kids)!

It's a very wet day here in the MIDDLEwest and there are leaves everywhere. It reminds me of the beginning of the non-crap scary movie Halloween. Wasn't that supposed to have taken place in Illinois? Haddonfield is a fictional town but Illinois is a real state because I live it! I wonder why they chose Illinois to set this movie in? We have had our share of murders here - John Wayne Gacy, Richard Speck, Drew Peterson... so maybe they were onto something, Maybe Haddonfield was near the Wisconsin border so we could include Dahmer and Gein. What is it about the MIDDLEwest that makes people want to kill other people? Probably all of the wet and snowy days. Maybe it's the Chicago traffic that creates this madness.

Tonight I get to spend eight hours in this wonderful moisture. I know I have said it many times, many ways but, I like the rain. I am not sure why. I may have to get out the EVP tonight to freak myself out. I am not sure what I believe about the afterlife. I guess that means I could be convinced of just about anything. I believe I heard and experiences some things at The Tinker Swiss Cottage that night we went to that paranormal investigation. However, I am not sure if we wanted to experience things so we made regular things seem like paranormal activity or there really was paranormal activity. Probably some of both. I know of many places that I have seen very suspect incidents and feel may have some ghostly activity and I may check some of them out tonight.

The World Series is over and my team didn't win. At least they were at the dance I suppose. The Red Sox played really well and deserved to win. Congratulations Boston. That town had a pretty rough year so it was kind of nice. I hope those dudes can shave their beards now. They should change their name to The Boston Prospectors.

Speaking of death and creepy - I read that Mick Jagger hit on Katy Perry. He is old enough to be her great grandfather. What a creeper.

Don't forget to listen to the new Dirty Laundry Podcast.

I am going to get a few winks before work. If I should die before I wake I plan to haunt President Truman's poker table at The Little White House in Key West. Come on down and hang with me. Thanks a lot for stopping in; I will remember you when I am making a list of who not to haunt. Have a great pumpkin night, Charlie Brown. TTTT...MITM (booooooooooooo) TA!

I Got A Blog!

I am not going to blog around the bush. You know it and I know it - I am going to whore the podcast in here so I may as well get that out of the way right now so we can just put that out there and move on. Dirty Laundry Podcast Load #132 - Here Comes Mr. Ball! is ready to be suckled..

Halloween is tomorrow. One of the two craziest times of year at my work. After tonight the next three days should be relative Hell. But, as AC/DC said. "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be." I don't mind a little Hell once in. Firstly, time flies (though I imagine if there were a real Hell with fire and brimstone and treacle time would not go so fast) and Secondly, it makes one appreciate the non-Hell times. I always sort of felt a kin to Hell given my last name. I am kind of like Lucifer's foot wiper - the door Matt on his front porch.

We haven't bought our Halloween candy yet. Maybe we'll give out pennies. Remember those a-holes who gave out pennies? I suppose now, if you were one of those jerks, you'd have to at least give out dimes. I have been trying to think about what I have a lot of that would be a small piece of crap that I could give out. I immediately think of all the junk in my golf bag. How about tees, golf pencils or even golf balls. I wish I would have thought about that earlier; golf pencils and tees and ball markers are free at a lot of golf courses. In the Spring I am going to start early and collect these freebies for next Halloween. I could put an empty bowl on the front porch (plastic so it could not be thrown through a window) with a sign that says "Please Take ONE!" Kids would come to the door and think that some brat came and emptied the bowl or that they should have gotten here earlier. I am kidding with all of this, of course. I loved Halloween as a kid and wouldn't do this to the future of the world. We do have quite a few apples on the tree in the backyard. Do kids like apples these days? Oh, there's all of the lies about razor blades in them that we were told. I believe those lies were started by the candy companies to make us all fat on Halloween candy.

I am making asparagus chicken right now. We still have some left-over cilantro corn and dill redskin potatoes from two nights ago and I will include those and do some rice. Mix the leftovers in with the new stuff and maybe we can get rid of it all. Whatever we don't eat tonight may wind up in someone's trick-or-treat bag or plastic pumpkin tomorrow.

Conde Nast Traveler just did their list of the top ten best cities in the world. Only one of the cities is in the U.S. and A. and, as it turns out, it is in the state that Cha Cha and I have always thought that we would retire to if and when we are ever able to retire. Do people really even retire anymore? Maybe we will just move there and get jobs instead of retiring? The top ten best cities to live in according to the travel magazine are:

1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
2. Quebec City, Canada (another place we have talked about moving to one day)
3. Siena, Italy
4. Rome, Italy
5. Vienna, Austria
6. San Sebastian, Spain
7. Charleston, South Carolina
8.  Salzburg, Austria
9. Budapest, Hungary
10. Florence, Italy

I could live here I think!

I am thinking that I wouldn't mind going to any of these places. Italy made three of the top ten spots. Our Fiat wouldn't be nearly as cool in it's native land though. We have said for a long time that we thought we'd eventually move to South Carolina. Charleston is a pretty cool town too but I'd want to live closer to the ocean I think. I'd probably think differently during hurricane season- maybe Charleston wouldn't be so bad.

I have to get dinner done. I have too many fires going in the kitchen and if I don't pay more attention we will be giving all of this stuff out tomorrow and eating out tonight. Have a great All Hallows Eve Eve.Thank you for continuing to stop here and for listening to the podcast. If you have any suggestions for either, short of discontinuing, please let me know. I love suggestions. TTTT...MITM (Boo!) TA!

Something's Wong!

Yoohoo, it's Monday! This is actually the ONLY day that I have the entire day off. I never realized that until right now and it's kind of bumming me out. I had yesterday off but, on Sundays, I work from 00:00 - 06:00. So, six hours of my Sunday are spent working and the I have to sleep. I have Mondays off and then go back to work Tuesday night at 22:00. No wonder I am tired most of the time. I do not think this cycle is ever going to change at my current job/position so I have some thinking to do. I like my job - I like it a lot but, I like my family more. There is talk of another position opening up at work soon but, A) I have really liked not being in management for the first time in about 30 years, B) the work hours would, most likely, not change C) I'd have to manage the people that I have worked beside for a couple of years, many who have been there longer than I have. Some of them may not appreciate my awesomeness when I am bossing them around. On the plus side: it means more money which is always good though, not a great motivator for me these days. The part that entices me the most is that I could make some changes that would really help the community and the people we serve. Maybe, a slim maybe, my days off could be Saturday and Sunday even though that would mean that my only full day-off would be Sunday instead of Monday. Weekend days off would be nice but, I am not sure that this would happen. Time will tell and I will test for the position, if and when it gets officially posted. I will make decisions based on firstly, whether I get offered the job and secondly, what the particulars are. Who knows? It could be job suicide - it's kinda nice having the safety net of the Union.

The new Dirty Laundry Podcast was uploaded Friday or Saturday (I have a hard time keeping my days staright). We will probably record the new show tonight and it will maybe be up tomorrow. It will definitely be up by Sunday as long at there is no major problem like we experience occasionally. I made the link to the show green this time instead of red. Maybe green will entice people to GO to the podcast. I have usually made the link red and maybe people weren't GOing rather STOPing from listening to the show. Or, maybe it makes no difference at all and people didn't realize that was a link at all.

The Word Series is stressing me out. That's not a bad thing. Sports were invented to, in addition to allowing us to be physically active, to drive us mad. Why do you think people who follow teams and sports are called fans? I imagine you know that "fan" is short for "fanatic."  According to Mirriam-Webster (I think if my last name were Webster and I had a daughter I would name her Mirriam) synonyms for fanatic are: rabid, radical, revolutionary, extreme... An antonym that I like is MIDDLE-of-the-road. Anyway, this World Series has been extreme so far. The last two games ended with things I don't if I have ever seen (at least not too often) before. Two nights ago there was interference called that allowed the Cardinals to win and last night the Cardinals lost with a chance to tie it in the bottom of the 9th when their pinch runner Kolten Wong got picked-off of first base to end the game. How many headlines around the country said something about Something's Wong? Maybe none but that would have been my headline. I DO ENJOY A GOOD PUN! I just made the title of today's blog Something's Wong so I could be correct because I DO ENJOY BEING CORRECT! Wong was one of the heroes the previous night and even was on MLB Network discussing the game on the field with Harold Reynolds when the game was over. I have to cut him some slack - he was in the minor leagues about two weeks ago. Happily today is my only full day off so I get to watch my Cardinals go up 3-2 tonight before heading back to Boston to win one of two to become World Champs AGAIN.

I am gonna wrap-up here. I just cleaned the kitchen and now I have to do laundry (the clothes and the show prep and the show) among other things. Cha Cha is working from home today so if she is not too busy maybe we can even go out to lunch. I am hankerin' for a good salad. I love salad but find hat most of the time they taste better when somebody else makes them for me. I guess that is true with most foods really. Maybe because, while I wait for my food, I can have two or three cocktails. I am much more appreciative when I am lubed (please keep in context). I should get a haircut today or tomorrow too - not as good getting done lubed.

It's All Downhill (skiing) From Here

Our front walk after I shoveled 5' of snow (I can't wait)

It snowed again today - that's two days in a row. I supposed that makes it too difficult to continue my denial. Winter is right around the corner. I know people who have never experienced a good old Midwestern winter think it seems great but it really isn't. You see all of the of the beautiful new-fallen white snow and, yes it is   beautiful, but that is just the propaganda. That stuff is really cold and mix that with 40-mile-per-hour winds and you get something called "windchill." Windchill sucks! I am not sure what the formula to generate this number is but it all equals cold as Hell. I am not sure who ever came up with that phrase but it must have been made with sarcasm on a really hot day and it just was fun to say so even actual cold things became "as cold as Hell." But, I digress. The first time you shovel or, snow-blow or plow, the driveway it's not that bad but it gets worse - much worse. The first one is usually in December and it's a pretty snow and it's not too wet and heavy but then... January and February come. It feels like 50 degrees below zero Fahrenheit and you have to have your entire body covered. Any exposed skin will be burned more than if you were shoveling snow on the sun. Maybe that is a bad example though I do imagine that shoveling snow on the sun would be worse if that were possible. Anyway, not really happy winter is on the way.

The World Series is getting ready to commence. I am sure you know who I am rooting for. This is where that stupid idea for the all-star game comes into play. The winner of the all-star game (National League or American League) gets home field advantage in the World Series. The all-star game is still lame (see, it doesn't even get capitalized). It was good back in the 1970's when Pete Rose would knock the catcher down if he were blocking home plate but ballplayers don't play ball's out like Charlie Hustle did. Actually, even back then, now that I think about it, didn't play like Pete Rose but they may have then if "it counted." Don't even get me started why he should be in Copperstown. Yes, I think he should be in the hall of fame. I cannot believe this is Carlos Beltran's first World Series. He has the third highest postseason slugging percentage behind Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig - I am happy he is on my favorite team and made it to the Series. Three times he fell short of going to the Series by only one game. I hope the Cardinals win just for him (and for me). Of course, they have to bring up all of the bad things from Boston earlier this year. Wonder why we can never heal? We just keep picking those scabs! They just have to kill a lot of time. Why can't they just show the game already. Why do I watch all of this fluff? Planting commercials in the broadcast pisses me off too. Television isn't free anymore (satellite, cable...) so stop with all of the commercials. I will watch the first four or five innings and then will have to listen to the rest of the game on the radio. You know, because I have mentioned it here before, that I do like baseball on the radio though.

He is one of the reasons I played like I did

I think the fans in Boston are actually booing some of the Cardinals' players as they are being introduced. What a bunch of assholes (the ones booing). I GUARANTEE that will not happen in St. Louis. I have heard that many people in beantown are not too cordial. I have many friends from and in Boston and I do know that many of them are great people and not a-holes.

I am tired but it's too late to take a nap. I have to get ready for work in about 1 1/2 hours and the game is on anyway.

Dirty Laundry Podcast should still be ready tomorrow. That isn't to say that it will be but it should be. I have a few things I have to get done - like root the Cards to get at least four runs now. Thanks a lot for stooping by and for reading the blog. Make sure that you're caught up on the podcast so when the new one is ready you can listen right away. We salute Australia this week. We have lots of listeners there and what to show our appreciation by misinforming the world about their great land. Have a great night and a good morning tomorrow. TTTT (perhaps)...MITM (aus) TA!

Autumn is Augone!

Remember yesterday when I was talking blogging about how much I like Autumn? If not, stop reading this and at the end of this sentence and you can hit that little down arrow and read yesterday's blog before you continue; I will wait for you to get back up here. Well, AUTUMN APPEARS TO BE AUGONE! It's snowing here now. I think the World Series would be fun in snow. Boston and St. Louis are both possibilities of getting snow. Tonight at work I will be outside the entire time so... hold on I just thought of something that I have been meaning to do but haven't done yet - THANK YOU BLOG! I am back - I had to fish-out my winter face-masky winter hat. It is awesome and versatile. It can be worn just as a hat or as a hoody deal where it covers all the way down to my neck and leaves my face pretty much open or it can be worn as a hoody deal with a cover over my mouth or my mouth and nose and has a pair of drawstrings to cover as much or as little of my face as wanted. The last one usually keeps the villagers from screaming in horror.

Dirty Laundry Podcast is 75% edited. We are going to rerecord the last 25% because we praddled-on about our salute to Australia. We can even make a fantastic place like Australia sound boring - we really do have quite a rare talent. I am guessing it will be up Thursday but tomorrow is a possibility. You know I will tell you when it's ready - why else do we do the show if not for people to listen? It's not like the blog that I do just so I can say I did something today. Is it just a coincidence that Autumn and Australia begin with "AU?" The answer is yes. Yes, it is just a coincidence.

I should probably try to get a nap in. I have to pick up Cha Cha at the train station at about 18:00 and be at work at 22:00. That is provided she makes the train and there are no delays... I guess I should have thought about that before I began blogging huh? I talked myself into it - I am off. Have a great night; stay warm. Thanks for stopping by. TTTT (almost sure)... MITM (out) TA!

When the Cha Cha is Away

When I was a kid everything was still B & W 

Cha Cha is gone for tonight and that usually means Buffalo Wild Wings. She hates that place and Fabio loves it and I think it's good so it works out well that way. We have a basketball meeting at 18:30 so I am not sure if we will go to B-Bubs before or after the meeting. Dirty Laundry Podcast is mostly done though we still have a bit of work to do on the show and I figure that will be uploaded Thursday.

The weather sure does seem to have turned in the MIDDLEwest. They are talking that we will probably have a frost tonight. How do "THEY" seem to know everything about everything? I have thought about changing my name to "They" so everybody would listen to me and believe everything I have to say. I guess it is almost Halloween so it makes sense that it would be chilly. They just plays the odds. I hope we get an "Indian Summer." In case you are unfamiliar. an "Indian Summer" is when it starts to get cold in autumn and then there is a day or two when it gets ward. I am not really sure why they call it Indian Summer but I know I have always liked it. I have always liked Indians (both kinds) too (Native Americans now). Whenever we played cowboys and Indians as kids I was always an Indian. Do kids play cowboys and Native Americans now?  Stupid Columbus thinking he was in India!

Fabio just got home and he want to go to Jersey Mike's Subs instead. It's new in town and he hasn't had it yet so I guess we will go there instead. One thing nice about living in a college town is that we always get a lot of great businesses in town. I cannot even think what this town would be like if we didn't have the university here. It would be a small town in the MIDDLE of a bunch of corn fields that Cindy Crawford is from. We are still most of that I guess other than we aren't that small.

The World Series starts on Wednesday. I usually watch some of it unless the Cardinals are in it. When they are in it I watch all of it. That being blogged, I have watched a lot of World Series games. Now that I work nights I will list to a lot of it on the radio too. I love baseball on the radio. This time they play the Boston Red Sox. The Cardinals are gonna look for revenge for their loss to the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series. I love the Autumn Fall Classic.

We are headed-out. I will finish this when we get back.

We are back and they just called an my car is ready at the repair shop. Happli;y it was just a line and not the entire transmission that was bad. So.it is only $300 instead of what could have been. So, I have to go get the car and then head to the basketball meeting. I may as well end as much as I seem to have to get done in a short period of time.

Have a great night and I will probably blog again tomorrow. TTTT (thanks for stopping in),,,MITM (out)

Guard Your Catalytic Converters!

I haven't blogged in a few days because I was pretty sick most of this week. I am at about 70% now which is pretty good. I went to work on Tuesday night but then took Wednesday and Thursday off. I pretty much slept most of the time between coughs. I rarely take off of work due to illness but started wondering, "what am I ever going to do with my nearly 200 hours and growing of sick days?" so I took off and it seems to have helped. Maybe I would have felt better anyway had I gone to work but then I may have gotten someone I work with sick and it would have eventually come back to me. My sick hours can be taken for sick family members too (FMLA) so it is nice to have them in "the bank" in case something comes up.

If I had chosen I would have preferred to be sick tonight and tomorrow night. The two days I was sick there was a day NLCS game on Wednesday and yesterday was a travelling day so they play again tonight. I guess I wouldn't have enjoyed the games much anyway feeling the way I did. Now, I think they play tonight and I will be able to watch most of the game before going to work. I really hope the Cardinals can end this thing tonight. The game starts at 19:30 and I have to be at work at 22:00. The last night game they played while I was working went 13 innings and I listened to most of it on the radio. I really like listening to baseball on the radio. Football and hockey are pretty good on the radio too. Basketball isn't quite as good on radio.

I was behind in editing Dirty Laundry Podcast too but it is up now. I hope my sickness didn't hurt the production quality.

This morning I took Fabio to the orthodontist. While I was sitting in the room while Fabio was getting new wires and such on his braces I could not help but notice the way things were running. A pretty young girl comes in and gets things ready. Then and old white dude comes in and tells her what needs to be done and she begins to do the work. Occasionally, another pretty woman comes in and then another and they ask each other dental questions... Then the old white dude comes in and makes sure the work is done properly and then paces up and down the hallway peaking-in on all of the other pretty women that he has working for him. I could not help but think of him as either a slave owner or a pimp.

I have heard of a rash of catalytic converters from cars lately. Pretty much every car manufactured since the mid 1970's has a catalytic converter. The converter converts the pollutants that the car emits into less toxic substances. They are usually easy to get to under the vehicle so can fairly easily and quickly be removed. Why would somebody want a catalytic converter from a 1976 Bel-Air? Money, of course. A catalytic converter contains: gold, platinum, paladium and rhodium and can typically bring in about $200 at a recycling center. I am going to start parking my car in the garage. I doubt that my vehicle is much of a target since I work nights. It sits outside here (until now) during the day and at night, while I am at work, it is pretty secure; you'd have to be really gusty and pretty stupid to tamper with my car based on where I park.

I think my writing juices have dried-up. I guess I am not as close to 70% as I previously bragged. I may lie down so I can have no problems at work tonight. Thanks for stopping in; I do appreciate you. Have a great rest of your Friday and Frinight. I haven't shaved in four days - that'll be fun. Just got word that it's gonna be about $350 to fix the 4-Runner and it will be ready Monday. Some transmission line rusted out and needs to be replaced. Much cheaper than buying a new vehicle which was my fear. We haven't had a vehicle payment in about two or three years and it's pretty nice. Anyway, here I praddle-on. TTTT (maybe).... MITM (not coughing OUT!) TA!

Holy Myrna Fahey Mattman!

Happy Columbus Day. I assume it's still Columbus Day but our calendar reads "Explorer's Day." It's been Columbus Day all of my life and I think it still is because I am pretty sure there is still a Columbus Day Parade in Chicago. I just checked and it will be on television from 12:30 - 14:30. I never understood watching parades on television. I imagine it's fun to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, even though it's probably pretty chilly, but I was in so many parades as a kid I am not much of a parade fan these days.

Being Explorer's Day and all it is kind of funny that I turned on the boob tube because, I am a boob, and Daniel Boone is on METV. Ironic since Daniel Boone was an explorer and also because Myrna Fahey is on this episode ("The Price of Friendship"). If you know what Myrna Fahey looked like you'll understand that last reference. She dated Joe DiMaggio in 1964 and received death threats because of her dating of the Yankee slugger. The FBI found that the threats came from a mental patient who didn't think Joltin' Joe should date anyone but Marilyn Monroe. Fahey was on just about every television show from the 1950's and 1960's it seems: Gunsmoke, Batman, Daniel Boone, Maverick, Bonanza, The Alaskans, Bachelor Father, Death Valley Days, The Many Loves of Dobey Gillis, Colt .45, The Ed Wynn Show, Overland Trail, Zorro, The Adventure of Superman, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Harbor Command, The Gray Ghost, West Point, Kings Row, Cavalcade of America, Thriller, Checkmate, Acapulco, Straight Away, Surfside 6, Laramie, 77 Sunset Strip, Wagon Train, Hawaiian Eye, The Time Tunnel, Rango, Peyton Place, The Reporter, Kraft Suspense Theater, Perry Mason (which ironically is coming on right now - it would be weird if this was Myrna Fahey day and she is in this episode - she was on four episodes)... Believe it or not there are more. Many of those shows I have never even heard of and I thought I knew just about everything about television (being a boob and all). Also on this episode is Kurt Russell.

It's nice that Cha Cha and Fabio are both off today and this is my Sunday. If they ever get out of bed maybe we can do something today. If they're still in bed at 19:00 I may just head to a bar and watch The Cardinals win their third straight game against The Dodgers. I am getting sick I think (sore throat, stuffed-up nose, headache...)so maybe some bar medicine would be good huh? Maybe I should start wearing my long johns to work. I never knew how having donuts on your body kept you warm - it never works for me.

We HAVE TO record the Dirty Laundry Podcast today or tonight too. Yesterday just got away from us.

I have to go blow my nose. Have a great Explorer's Day or Discoverer's Day or Columbus Day... Just have a great day. Thanks to the three of you that stopped-in today; I hope all is well. TTTT...MITM (achoo) TA!

A Rare Sunday Blog!

The Cardinals are up 2 - 0 over The Dodgers. Their next game is Monday night. I am surprised that they aren't waiting until Tuesday because there is football Monday night. It kind of aggravates me that they aren't playing any baseball today but blog forbid they compete with football Sunday. Don't they know that my days off are Sundays and Mondays? Money makes the world go 'round, the world go 'round, the world go 'round. That's a really old song so I suppose I should be used to that unfortunate truth but I am not. Actually, I think that song was written for Cabaret in 1972 so I was 9-years-old so it was really just nine years short of forever. The networks probably like football because I am guessing a very low percentage of people DVR football. They either watch it live or don't watch the games. I am a fan of most sports but I really do not see me recording a sporting event. I have done it in the past, usually when I was at the game so I could see replays or something but, I do not think I have ever watched on of those recordings.

When do the Bears play? That's usually the time I go shopping. Stores are bare, pun intended, around here when the Bears are on television. Damn it, they played Thursday didn't they? Maybe I should drive to Green Bay to get my shopping done. I am pretty sure that it would take less time and money just to shop here with the crowds huh?

The Walking Dead starts again tonight I think. I should probably get some sleep today so I can watch it live (also, pun intended). Now that I have Sundays and Mondays off I get to watch things like football and The Walking Dead. I am kinda the walking dead from last night's work. I got to work some O.T. and then I wanted to go to breakfast with Cha Cha but she, apparently wanted to go without me, because she said I should stay home and get my rest. Well, I didn't get my rest and now I am hungry to boot. Maybe when I go get the fastener that I need and the transmission fluid that I sadly seem to need I will get something to eat.

The 4-Runner us leaking transmission fluid. It is a 2004 and we have had hardly any problems with it at all so, I am worried this may be a costly one. Maybe it's time to trade it in? I hope not. It will, most likely, be cheaper to get it repaired than to get a new vehicle even if the entire transmission needs to be replaced. We have not had any car payments for a long time and I would love to continue that streak. I am gonna go to the store now and will finish this when I return (13:05 CST right now).

I am back. I found the clamp I needed for Jeff's dog run at Mernard's and I found some transmission fluid with Stop Leak in it at the auto parts store so I will give that a shot and keep an eye on it for a couple of days. Maybe I will get lucky and it is just a seal or something and this will seal the seal.

Th early football games are wrapping-up and CBS is gonna show bull riding next. Really? I am not sure how the NFL licensing and fees work to show games but Fox is gonna show the Saints - Patriots game and maybe CBS just decided to concede the time slot by playing some crap that nobody will watch but the programming is inexpensive. I guess there has to be a place to sell boots and cowboys hats too.

Maybe I was a bit hasty

They're showing highlights from today's games around the league. They said that Adrian Peterson's two-year-old son was "brutally beaten and died on Friday." I just went over to read what happened and all it says is that the boyfriend of Peterson's son's mother is being held in connection with the beating. He is probably happy that he is being held for his own protection. If that were my son I would find a way to get to that dude even if it meant me going to prison. I cannot even imagine that kind of pain. And for him to play in the game? Wow. Not much you can do I guess so you may as well play but I am sure everybody was offering condolences but I guess that doesn't matter - it's not like it will be out of his mind at all.

I have to get some winks now. I think we are gonna record Dirty Laundry Podcast tonight. Thanks for checking the blog out today. Have a great rest of you weekend. I will let you know when the new show is up - probably tomorrow. TTTT...MITM (with a sinus headache, a sore throat and a leaky transmission - what a mess I am) TA!

The Right Blog!

Tonight the Cardinals begin their last step before the World Series. Tigers vs. Cardinals sounds familiar but I would rather see a Red Sox - Cardinals World Series. Even though the Tigers have been around forever Red Sox and Cardinals just seem more old timey. I would say Dodgers too if they were still in Brooklyn but they are not. I think it is pretty cool that the Oakland Athletics with their "money ball" made it as far as they did. GO CARDS!!!!

Sorry, I had to leave for awhile. Drove to South Elgin to get Jeff. I took him to the vet at 07:00 for his procedure. He does seem much more docile but he is probably still partially medicated and possibly still has some discomfort. I remember when I had this procedure and I was ten times the puppy baby that he is being. I wouldn't mind his he stayed this mild-mannered from now on but U am not holding my breath. Not that he has ever really been bad yet but he is a bot rambunctious from time-tot-time. I think that is the first time that I have ever written the word rambunctious and spell-check seems to think I spelled it correctly. It seemed pretty straight forward.

I am afraid that I am going to fall asleep before work and miss most of the Cardinals' game now. I actually should sleep because we are gonna be VERY BUSY tonight. This is one of our two busiest weekends of the year. It's my Thursday though and I like being busy so it's no big whoop.

Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter died. That leaves John Glenn as the last remaining Mercury 7 astronaut alive. The Right Stuff is one of my favorite movies of all time. It makes sense and seems fitting that John Glenn would be the last one alive. Those dudes were the real deal. Can you imagine the fear they must have felt not having any idea what they were headed to in space? I guess it's not much different than people like Christopher Columbus must have felt when he set out on a voyage with the chance that the world was actually flat like many people believed. I have another of my favorite movie on television right now while I type this - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. I really like history-based films. It doesn't matter if the story is made-up or guessed on or embellished; they just make me think and appreciate how good we have of now because of many people in the past. Gladiator, Band of Brothers, Glory, Roots, Saving Private Ryan, Star Wars, Dances with Wolves, Braveheart... I could go on for quite awhile if I were so inclined. Maybe I just like violence after I read that list.

I am gonna try to sleep for a bit. Have a great Friday night and maybe I will blog tomorrow but maybe not. It will be a surprise. Thanks a lot for stopping by. TTT? (tomorrow maybe)... MITM (zzzzzzz off) TA!

Sheryl Crow / Rick Springfield? WHAT??????

The St. Louis Cardinals have advanced to the NLCS (National League Championship Series) and will face the Los Angeles Dodgers to see who will play in the World Series. I don't have to tell you who I am rooting for. My prediction of a Red Sox / Cardinals World Series is still alive. I don't care if that prediction is wrong except for one half of it - you know which half. I cannot help but wonder how Albert Pujols feels. Since he left the Cardinals for the Los Angeles or Anaheim or California Angels (you have to have a program just to remember where they are from) I think the Cardinals have been in the post season every single year. He seems like a nice fellow so I am sure he is happy for his friends. What is the deal with the California teams? Didn't the Raiders and the Rams (not counting St. Louis -ironically) continue to change their city names back in the day? ("back in the day" refers to a time in the past that I am not exactly sure of and am too lazy to Google. How lazy am I that Googling something is too taxing?)

Well,goes there goes our chance to get Sheryl Crow on Dirty Laundry Podcast. Our people have been in negotiations with her people to get her on the show when she performs here in town in a little over a week. Today a story hit that she reportedly told investigators about her knowledge of Lance Armstrong's doping in 2011. She said she spoke to feds that she saw him getting a blood transfusion on a plane in 2004 and he told her that "it was just part of the sport" and the old "everybody in the sport is doing it." She was told that she would not be prosecuted for her testimony and she spilled about her ex. Thanks a lot Oprah! I am fairly certain we will not hear from her people again. Though, this would be a cool place to hide from the media and we would post the show after she got out of Dodge. I actually heard them use that saying on Gunsmoke a couple of week's ago. I would even agree not to discuss this new revelation unless they were cool with us talking about it. It seems like we are always right in front of things but then those things are blowing by us watching us fall back in their rear-view mirrors. I will remain tenacious and a pesty dude and eventually, I hope, we will hit a bag a big one.

Two People who will probably not be on Dirty Laundry Podcast

A couple of weeks ago, before he appeared in our town, I asked Rick Springfield about being on the show and he said he "don't talk to strangers." He didn't really say that but he didn't talk to me so I guess he said it without saying it. It's cool that we get celebs in our little MIDDLEwest corn-filled town but we need to start getting some of these people on the how.

I am going to try to change things up today. I am going to take my pre-work nap from about 16:00 - 19:00 so I can see people here before I go to work. I still get about six hours in the morning / early afternoon but the dishes and laundry and lawn aren't going to clean or mow themselves. Tomorrow right after work I have to get Jeff to South Elgin by about 07:00 so he can have the procedure that we discussed on the how done. I am sure he will have the time of his life. I think he will have to wear one of those plastic discs around his neck. I will try not to make fun of him. When I had this procedure done I had a bag of frozen peas on my "area." I didn't have to have one of those discs around my neck because I am not a limber as Jeff. I sure hope, in addition to helping not get testicular diseases, this will take some of the craziness out of him. He is a total madman dog. The main reason to get this procedure done for dogs is not the reproduction reason, as Bob Barker suggests, rather it is to prevent cancers and other diseases that may occur by not getting it done.

I am gonna try to get a few more things done around here before my pre-game nap. We are gonna be VERY busy the next three days at work. I don't mind busy - actually I prefer busy. And, I get to work some OT on Saturday. Happy to see you were here again and that you listened to the podcast. don't worry, eventually we will have a huge star on the show and give them our rare form of interviewing. Have a great night (or day depending what part of the world you are reading this from). I think I will blog again tomorrow depending on the Jeff thing, sleep and work. TTTT?....MITM (chillin') TA!

Was Jesus Made Up?

LOVE ME SOME BUDDY JESUS!

Man, I wish we were recording the new Dirty Laundry Podcast today. There is a story that I just learned about that is going to be HUGE!!!!! I am talking about HUGE around the world - like JESUS HUGE (literally). There will be arguing and disagreement ... and I wish we could have been the cause of that; unfortunately, that's how you get recognized these days. By the time we record the next show and get it uploaded it will be in the midst of world-wide discussion and controversy and I would have liked to have spearheaded that craziness. I guess that one of my hopes is that the podcast gets big and we can do that for a living one day. I know that this will most likely never happen because I am not willing to risk everything we have built to do the "all-or-nothing" move. It's always easier to make that move if the "all" is closer to "nothing."

I guess I may as well tell you the story that I GUARANTEE you are going to hear about everywhere withing the next two days. An American Biblical scholar, Joseph Atwill, will be appearing in England on October 19th to show his evidence / proof that that New Testament was written by Roman aristocrats and that they fabricated Jesus Christ. He says that the evidence that he has is conclusive and proves that Christianity was started as a sophisticated government propaganda project to pacify the Roman people. He says that Jewish sects were waiting for the prophesied warrior Messiah which would have caused much more violence in the region so the Romans "invented" a loving, caring, peaceful Messiah (a compassionate belief system) so the Romans would "turn-the-other-cheek" rather than resort to violence. He goes on to say that Jesus was not even based on a real person. There will be A LOT of talk about this but you may have heard it here first. I don't think this will change things in religion but it will make people think - something that many religions and governments are afraid of. I am very interested in this story. I like all history. Anybody who knows me well knows that I am not very religious but I am extremely spiritual in that I want people to all be kind and considerate and get along; I think religion has been a great vehicle to help deliver this action.

It's kind of funny because in the most recent load of Dirty Laundry Podcast that was just uploaded yesterday we talk about how we are thinking about starting to go back to church because we like the new Pope - oh, the irony of life. He seems caring and like Jesus would have been. I am not Catholic, nor have I ever been, but I have been to more Catholic masses than any other masses in my life. I was even married Catholic. Additionally, last night at work, a discussion arose about the Higgs boson or Higgs particle and it started to get into a big bang vs. divine intervention discussion and I quickly said I was not going to get involved in that discussion. I just mentioned what the particle discovered at Fermilab possibly suggests. I guess that's why I am The Agitator. I didn't start the discussion but I was starting to get sucked in to the black hole before I wisely jumped out. I think that if there was a Jesus he was a pretty good dude and I would have liked him a great deal. I am not sure if Atwill is correct or incorrect but there will be plenty of discussions that will resolve nothing coming up. It's ironic that there have been so many religious wars fought over a dude that may have been made-up. There were never any wars started over Santa Claus (yes, I have heard the rumors that he is fictitious too).

This weekend at work is gonna be hella-busy. And, I get to work some overtime on Saturday night. I signed up because: A) who doesn't like extra $ B) I want to show them that if they keep offering it I am interested and, C) I am off Sunday so I get to rest the next day too (I don't have to wait until the seventh day for my rest). Though, ironically, Sunday is the seventh day I guess. even I rest on the seventh day.

I find it fitting that while I blog I am watching a Little House on the Prairie marathon. I am pretty sure Charles Ingalls was a real person, unless Laura made him up too, but I doubt that he was as nice as he is portrayed in this show. When I was a kid adult men were assholes and this was waaaaayyyy before that and they had no running water or decent transportation or ready-to-eat food so these dudes had to be crabby as Hell. How different would drive-up windows look in those days?

I didn't intend for this blog to turn into a "what is real and what is not" blog but, then again, I never know where it's headed when I begin and I always wonder how it got there when I am done. I think I am gonna get a few winks before work. Thanks a lot for stopping-on-in and for listening to the podcast. I appreciate you mucho. Have a great night and, what is this, Wednesday only? I was gonna say have a nice weekend but it is only hump day (for you). I will probably blog tomorrow so I can continue to whore up the podcast for those who don't get to the blog today. TTTT...MITM (off to never never land) TA!

Podcasters: Where Are They Now?

We finally recorded Dirty Laundry Podcast  a couple of days ago BUT - I know, I always  have a big but - I began editing it last night and discovered that the audio was compromised. I don't suspect terrorism or espionage. Before we recorded the show we were experimenting with two microphones to try to improve the quality of the already near-perfect show. I began editing the show and there was feedback on the voices. We sounded like two robots in an echo chamber. Our technical staff (Cha Cha) worked diligently to try to save it as it was but it could not be saved. So, there is no new show up yet and we will have to rerecord tonight. We talked about some fun things but now we will probably not talk about any of those things because they will no longer be spontaneous and won't be quite as topical. I guess I could put it up as is but I think it would give you a headache or some kind of spasms or something. But (another big but) you could try to sue us and then we would become famous and then be exposed that the suit was phony so we could become world-popular and then we'd be pariahs and be forced to be on a podcast reality show or a Podcasters: Where Are They Now show in about ten years.

I wouldn't make him have something done that I didn't try first

I probably shouldn't have started this blog because Jeff has his next appointment in two hours. I guess I don't need to shower. I love being a guy, sorry ladies, because I can just throw on a baseball cap and leave. Brushing teeth takes far less time than a shower... I think this is only more vaccinations but I wish this was for the snip, snip. He's not humping things very much but he is full of pee and vinegar. What does that mean? My parents always said that when we were kids - "full of pee and vinegar." Maybe it's "pea and vinegar?" Not really sure. It's funny how we use these words and phrases we hear as kids when we don't know what the Helser they even mean. I can honestly say I don't think I have ever used that phrase until right now and I am too big of a hurry to find out what it means but, you know I will find out because that's just how full of pee or pea and vinegar I really am. I will schedule the snip, snip today though as blog is my witness.

Tomorrow Cha Cha and I will begin to get back to the gym. We have been really busy for the past couple of weeks so have not been as diligent in our work-outs.There are always excuses and we could have gotten there if we tried since they are open 24 hours per day but we don't seem to have many hours together when we are both awake so... excuses, excuses, excuses.

I have to start getting things together for our trip to South Elgin. I could have been more productive blogging but I had to keep throwing a purple rubber football that kept coming back to me so that I would throw it again. I will let you know when the new show is ready. This was a really boring blog - sorry for that. Have a great day. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

OT Blog

I don't mean for this blog to turn into Matt In The Middle of the Field of Dreams but, it is noon and the Cardinals and the Pirates are at it again. It is noon and game two of the NLDS is underway. The Cards won pretty handily yesterday and I figure I must have been part of that since I wrote a lot about baseball in yesterday's blog and you don't mess with what works. Why are sports' fans so superstitious? I think it is pretty much most sports but I think baseball is the most predominant. It doesn't happen often but, it's days like yesterday and today that I am happy I work nights. I like that Bob Costas is announcing too. I have always liked him.

Last night was my second of two days nights of foot patrol per week at work (Tuesdays and Thursdays). I like that I get to do different things at work. I think a great way to get burnt-out is to have to do the exact same thing every day - variety is the spice of work. I also like knowing, unless something unforeseen occurs, what I am going to do before I get in each night. It sounds like several things are going to change coming up with the recent hiring of our new boss's, boss's, boss's, boss - I will call him Chief both here and in person. I am excited for some of the changes that I am hearing may come. I am also excited that there are going to be more chances for overtime. Next Saturday I am already getting to work 3 1/2 hours of OT. Previously, with my nearly four years with the same place of employment (four separate positions / three different departments during that time), I have only gotten OT two times.

Man, Carlos Belltran is a beast in the post-season. I am happy that he is our Kraken! I blogged too soon; today's game is starting to look just the opposite of yesterday's game. The Cards are down 3-0 in the third inning - lots of time left in the game.

I have to end because I just got a call that I am being picked-up in 15 minutes and whisked away for lunch. I suppose I should get dressed. My jammies are fashionable but at my age it;s just sad to be seen in public in pajamas - it looks like senility. Thanks for stopping by - the podcast will be recorded this afternoon. TTTT (probably)...MITM (out to lunch - more ways than one) TA!

Post Season Blogging!

There is a meatloaf in the oven for all of the carnivores in this house (minus Jeff). I will include a vegetable and probably mashed potatoes.

Game one of the NLDS (National League Division Series) begins in an hour. As you can imagine, I am rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals. They have won 11 World Series. This is the Cards' third straight year in the post season; they made it all the way to game seven of the National League Championship Series last season and the year before (2011) they won the World Series. You can probably tell that I am pretty pumped. Do you think Albert Pujols is watching the game? They are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. I have always kinda liked the Pirates but not this year. The Pirates have never been in a division series before. The last time they were in the playoffs there was no division series. I have always kind of liked the Cincinnati Reds too. I liked the Reds because of: Bench, Rose, Concepcion, Griffey (the first one), Foster, Morgan, Seaver, Driessen, Perez, Geronimo and Sparky. How cool of a name is Cesar Geronimo? And to pronounce it Say-Czar! Rose and Bench were my favorites. The Pirates was all about Roberto Clemente. After he died I wrote a paper about him in, probably, 4th grade, I wrote a letter to the Pirates and they sent me a lot of Clemente and Pirates' stuff including an autographed card. I have no idea what happened to that thing but I sure hope I find it in a filing cabinet one day. Alou and Stargell were pretty good too. The Bucs had the good Alou brother - Matty! Their real last name was Rojas... did you know that? Do you know who the fourth Alou brother was? Boog! For the Series this year I predict the Cardinals and the Red Sox. The Cards will win in six. I actually do wish my friends who are Cubs fans could experience this excitement. There are many jerky Cubs fans but I suppose that can be said about any team; I just see these jerks because I live in the Chicago area. 

I have been really tired lately. I figured it was my weird schedule and, just after having pretty much gotten used to it, my days off switched so maybe that has something to do with it? A lot of people are saying that they have felt tired lately too so maybe it is just the change of seasons. I could have a terminal disease that is just beginning and I will ignore the symptoms and will probably die when I should have gone to the doctor. Truth be told, I would rather die than go to the doctor so they can charge me for stupid crap that I don't need. I have switched back to my old doctor in Geneva, IL and have been much happier since I switched. He hasn't charged me or sent me for unnecessary crap. It is weird to find out that I am older than he is - one or two months older but, still weird. I guess it has to happen to all of us if we live long enough huh? Imagine if Doogie Howzer were your doctor. But, he is older now too I guess.

When I was a kid doctors all looked like this guy

Still no podcast recorded yet. At this point we may as well wait until Sunday and call this a week off. A lot of the stuff I had to talk about was pretty topical but now I am not so sure. Que Se Pod Se Pod. Cha Cha and I have both had a lot going on over the last week. I bet, at his point, there will not be a new show until Monday. 

The game is finally starting. I watched ESPN for the last hour while cooking dinner so, I am pretty hyped up. A pretty good start - striking out the lead-off batter. Don't worry, I am going to end it here pretty quickly so you won't have to endure my hype. 

The dinner bell is beeping (the oven timer, that is). I have to mash the taters and get the peas seasoned - I use celery salt and dill and some times those little crunchy onions. The old "season to taste" routine. Thanks a lot for stopping by. Have a great night and I may blog tomorrow - tough to tell at this point. GO CARDINALS! TA! 

Short and Short

I wish that was why my feet hurt

The government shut-down didn't stop me from working last night thankfully. My feet hurt this morning because I walked about 10 mile over seven hours but it is more of just an ache really. Aching feet is much better than a hurting bank account. Is that what they mean by "a good pain?"

We still haven't recorded the new show yet. Maybe this afternoon when Cha Cha gets home from work? This has been a really busy week. I feel like I am letting people down by not having the new show ready yet but at least it's free. If we charged for the show I would get something up even if it were just me talking. I know a few people who would come over in a pinch but I know you have grown to expect a certain whatever it is that we do and I don't like to disappoint people; it's one of my weaknesses. That is not to say that I don't let people down because I believe I let many people down every day of my life but, it is seldom my intention. I let myself down more that I let others down though so, I guess it's fair.

Remember a week or so ago I wrote about the creator of Beanie Babies being charged with tax evasion? I guess he pleaded guilty and then broke down crying in court. Dude, you don't cry. That's not gonna give you much street cred in prison. Now you are guaranteed to be some dude named Bubba's Beanie Baby. I don't usually feel bad for people like this because I am a rule-follower. I may not be rich or powerful but I am not somebody's Beanie Baby in cell block H.

I have no idea what to write about today. Is it obvious? I have idiot's block - is that redundant? I think I am gonna make this a real short one (like I haven't heard that before). I am gonna try to take a nap because when Fabio gets home in about an hour I promised to take him to Buffalo Wild Wings. I know that is real poor English but if my government can shut-down so can I.

Have a great day and maybe I will talk to (podcast) and/or blog you tomorrow. Thanks for spending a few moments with me - I appreciate you. TTTT (one way or another or both)....MITM (zzzzzzzzout) TA!

Will There Be a Blog Shut-Down?

You may have noticed that there is no new Dirty Laundry Podcast yet. You may not have noticed that too. In dishonor of the United States' federal government shutting-down we did not record the new show last night. It may have had something to do with Cha Cha missing the train yesterday and having to drive to Evanston. It actually had more to do with her driving home from Evanston because she had to drive home after driving there in the morning because she missed the train. I am not sure when we will record the new show and, then, I am not sure when I will get it edited and uploaded. Life always gets in the way of things.

It's embarrassing that our government acts like a bunch of babies. Of course, each side blames the other side and I know what I believe and I also know there are just as many people that believe the opposite of what I believe than believe what I believe. I heard on the news this morning that some state and local government people may be asked to go home too when they get to work. I work tonight and, technically, I work for the state of Illinois. If I don't get to work tonight I would appreciate it if they'd just call me ahead of time. I'd much prefer to work but if I am not gonna work don't make me come in. I guess I should say that I'd much rather get paid but it seems that nobody wants to pay anybody not to work these days. Unless you work for the federal government, ironically.

If I get locked-out or shut-down or sent home or whatever term they use for getting screwed I am going to pack up the tent and a sleeping bag and head to one of the National Parks and go camping. Mesa Verde would be a cool place to camp. If I slept at Abraham Lincoln's house I wouldn't even need a tent or sleeping bag if I get there early enough; I could sleep right in Abe's bed. Sleeping in the Arch in St. Louis would be cool too. I could wake up late and watch one of the Cardinals' play-off games right from my bedroom window (with the aid of binoculars, of course). Wow, the options are overwhelming. Mt. Vernon? Camping on the White House lawn would be eventful I bet. Imagine all of the cool places to sleep in The Smithsonian Institution- wasn't there a movie about that? That whole town is some kind of an "institution" as far a I am concerned.

 BED & BREAKFAST

I have to take the Fiat over for service this morning. I think we still have like five free services left. They say they are "free" but we all know that they are figured into the price of the car when you buy it. We're really not as dumb as they think we are. At least I get to take it right here in town now. They didn't tell us that when we bought the car in Schaumburg but that's because, even though we don't pay each time we get the service done, I believe, the dealerships get some kind of pay from the manufacturer when they perform the services. I pretty much always figure I am getting screwed by someone most of the time. I don't think that very often when dealing with individuals like you but when dealing with companies I pretty much always feel that way. We all know people who behave this way too but, for the most part, I believe people are good.

I had better start getting dressed. The car appointment is in an hour. I will let you know when the podcast shut-down is over - probably today or tomorrow. If I do get "shut-down" let me know if you get "shut-down" and we'll start our National Park Service Bed and Breakfast. Imagine fresh buffalo steaks and eagle egg omelettes for breakfast in Yosemite or lunch while sitting on Teddy Roosevelt's glasses on Mt. Rushmore. When the government gives us crap we may as well make crap sandwiches.

Have a great day. Thanks a lot for stopping-in regularly and for listening to the show if the shut-down ends. The previous shows are still there if you need a fix in the meantime. TTTT (almost assuredly)...MITM (shut-out) TA!