All Sentimental In Me Gulliver!

Let's hope that this works!

Blog #997 - the pressure is on! Obviously, it's on my mind every time I blog now. I cannot wait until I start blog #1001. Maybe I should just call this one #1001 and move on.

The new load of Dirty Laundry Podcast is up. It was a pain for some reason getting it up (TWHS) this week. It was on the part of our hosting company, Podomatic, I believe. It may also have been our WiFi. Tomorrow Xfinity is coming to the studio to see how we can speed things up. Currently we use Frontier Communications as our internet provider and they just cannot keep up with all of the magical stuff that happens up in this hizzy. We have a World-famous podcast produced and launched into space from here, a blog that has been around since Jesus was in diapers, a home office that produces some of the best marketing in the entire free world, a teenager who, when he has any free time these days between tennis and preparing for the ACT's, competes with friends in virtual car-jacking and wars and such, a new voice-over sensation that you will soon be heard everywhere from up in this crib... We have more communication going on from here than many small countries. We have outgrown our slow internet and it's time to step-up; that happens tomorrow. I am aware that everything is always exciting when it is new and I know there may be hiccups but, we have to try to become better, stronger, faster.

St. Patrick's Day is in four days. This was always a big deal when I was a kid. My mom's maiden name is McGuire and her grandmother's maiden name was O'Reilly so, we have a bit of the green blood in us. We always had corned beef and cabbage that day. I am not really sure where the drinking of beer comes from with St. Patrick's Day. I think that Irish Car Bombs or Jameson's Irish Whiskey are probably more the norm these days. I am a huge fan of Bailey's Irish Cream. I am not much of a beer drinker anymore. There is something in beer that stuffs my nose up. Also, it is on Monday this year and I will work Monday night. I would probably have a margarita or two if I went out (they are green you know). What is the deal with the green? Is it because of the plush grassy fields in Ireland? The Shamrock? The four-leaf clover? Their national color is Royal Blue! It probably has to do with the shamrock that St. Patrick used to teach the Holy Trinity. I guess it actually IS St. Patrick's Day, after all, and not Ireland Day. And, why do you get punched or pinched if you wear orange St. Patty's Day? (I know some people say St. Paddy's Day but, it's not St. Padrick). Is that because the Protestant's color was orange? Every year I think a lot about my Great Grandma Kitty (Katherine O'Reilly McGuire). Maybe these days are just about remembering our past and thr people we have lost. I still have my Grandma Kitty's binoculars. Whenever we would go to her apartment in downtown Rockford, IL when she was only 92 years old I would spend hours looking out her windows with those things. She lived in a high-rise building right on the Rock River (like the 20-somethingth floor and there was always lots to see). Yep, days like St. Patrick's Day are about remembering loved-ones we have lost and better times.

Kinda badass actually

Now I am getting all sentimental in me gulliver. I am talking about the gulliver from A Clockwork Orange and not the one sometimes associated with the pubis. Weird that I am thinking about A Clockwork Orange when I am writing about the Irish. Now I am wondering why my Grandma Kitty was Catholic and I am not. I married a Catholic and got married in a Catholic church but I am pretty much a Pantheist. I am going to have to ask my mom why we were never Catholic? I should probably be a Red Sox fan - NEVER!!! Do you suppose I could get government money if I started a Pantheist Church?

I have to begin doing some research for the show. I know it does sound totally off-the-cuff, and it is, but we have to have some direction to get to the off-the-cuff stuff. There are no scripts but, we have topics that we plan to discuss. We are always open to suggestions. Some of our best talks have come from people's letters and questions."Keep those cards and letters coming" (that is what we used to call emails and Tweets and Facebook messages...).

Have a great night. I didn't talk about much other than myself today, sorry. Sometimes MATT In The Middle is all about Matt I suppose. I really appreciate you letting me explore my inner-shrink today though. I will let you know when the new show is ready. Hopefully by Monday at the latest - XFINITY willing. TA!