Free Works! (most of the time)

I have been a sports fan from even before I was born. I think I was supposed to be a Cubs' fan from some photos I see of myself uniformed as a baby but, luckily, somewhere I picked up an immunity to that virus and am not. I kid Cubs' fans and visa versa but I really do admire people who can stay faithful to teams that are perennial losers, in most cases, just because of proximity to that team or because they were broadcast on a "superstation.". Anyway, the reason I began this blogging diatribe; I cannot stand the major sports going to these rules that teams can challenge calls. I am speaking mainly of baseball and football. Being the suspicious cynic (and old crotchety poop) that I am I know it is so the teams can extend the games to sell more food and beverages and souvenirs at the games and so the networks can sell more food and beverages in the way of more advertising dollars to: Papa John's and Anheiser-Busch and Pepsi and Coca-Cola and McDonald's and Miller Brewing Company and Pizza Hut and Subway... not to mention all of the communication companies (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T....) and sports companies (Nike, Adidas, Dick's Sports...) and insurance companies (State Farm, Geico...) not to mention the networks advertising their shows - need I blog more? I would almost rather have every sport go to a pay-per-view forMATT. I would love the ability to pay to watch individual games of the St. Louis Cardinals whenever I have time. Or, even the option of choosing to pay for my favorite teams for even one season (season-by-season basis). Did I mention that the Cardinals are, once again, the National League Central champions? If they go the World Series this season I AM going one of the games again. I would say the 2006 World Series was easily the best ballgame I ever went to other than watching and/or coaching my kids when they were younger. For the stories and circumstances just as much as the game itself. With my DirecTV converter or, whatever that box is called these days, I think there is the capability to have at least 9,999 channels. There is probably LOTS more money available to the greedy with advertising money though. At least the Green Bay Packers have the name Green in their name. But, ironically, they are fan/share-holder owned. 360,584 people own the Packers (representing 5,011,557 shares). That means you know that big shots own about 4,500,000 of the shares but I still think that is pretty cool.

The new Dirty Laundry Podcast (free with only occasional phony bologna ads) is recorded and in the process of being edited. It is free at that link and also free on iTunes. I cannot say it will always be free because we never know what the future holds for us until it becomes the present but, we have no plans on charging for it in the foreseeable future. I see that we have received a lot of downloads from Bulgaria this week. I have to go down to the studio and see if there is a little pin in the map there. I am amazed that people find us and continue to listen to us all of the world. It truly is humbling and it drives us to keep going; we feel like we have an obligation to people I think. Free works (we are even Free to parts of the world that don't live free). I like to feel that we are pirate podcasters in the un-free parts of the world.

Don't make me go L.T. on yo ass

Work has been interesting this week (and it was only my second Wednesday last night). Your Friday, which was my pre-Monday, was the most exciting. The highlight of my night was when I actually ran-down a 19-year-old dude. I will pause there for a moment and let that one sink in --- a MIDDLE-aged, fat man running down a tall, seemingly well-conditioned 19-year-old and catching him.(insert interlude music here) For you youngsters out there, experience and sobriety trumps youth and stamina every time. Okay, at least this time. I was like a MIDDLE linebacker (pretty much Lawrence Taylor) - I played the angle. As it sits now, I am actually going to get my two regular nights off this week. And, with my Sergeant being off tonight and tomorrow night, there there is little chance of that not happening. We really take these little things for granted sometimes don't we?

The film Groundhog Day is on right now. I have an odd feeling that I have seen this movie before.

I am gonna end because I like to keep these short. I don't want reading to be a chore for anyone. I will let you know when the new show is ready and, I will blog again tomorrow. I cannot believe how excited I am that I have two days off this week and one of those will be spent watching the Cardinals neat the Dodgers. I am predicting a Cardinals-Angels World Series. Pujols coming back to play in St. Louis in October just seems to have baseball sentiment written all over it. Have a nice fall-feeling night tonight. Thanks a lot for stopping by. TTTT...MITM (out).

Are You Part of My 83%?

TV Trays are way better than husbands

I am not going to tell you where I am writing this but, though I am using what has been historically called a TV Tray, there is no television in this room. It is a shame that there isn't ordinarily televisions in this room because sometimes we spend an awful lot of time in here. Sometimes this room has been called the library yet there are no books in here either. The one thing we never really do in here is eat because you don't blog where you eat.

Yesterday I wrote that there was a 100% chance of rain in New York as was predicted by the National Weather Service. Technically, they were correct as there was .31 inch of rain. But, that was not enough to cancel the Yankees' game. Derek Jeter got to go out with a better bang (the drum slowly). Jeter drove in the winning run in the 9th inning in his last game played at Yankee Stadium. He also hit a nice double earlier in the game. It was nice to see him get a little chocked-up too; I thought he was a robot.

I was watching Dallas Buyer's Club and afterward a movie called Freeloaders came on. The film was stupid but I watched the entire thing while I did other things. I am referring to Freeloaders not Dallas Buyer's Club when I say it was stupid. The thing that intrigued me about Freeloaders is that it was centered around Adam Duritz's house. If you listen to Dirty Laundry Podcast, and I have written about it here too, he and I may share the same mental disorder. Cha Cha has another theory about what may be my milady now and we will probably talk about that on the new show (probably to be recorded today).

At the beginning of this past podcast we played a clip from South Park. I didn't realize, until the day after we posted  Load #162, that the clip hadn't even aired on the South Park yet. The following night the part that we had already aired appeared on South Park. I am waiting for a letter from Matt Stone and Trey Parker regarding this MATTer.

The work-week resumes again tonight. My normal Sunday (tonight) is once again being interrupted by mandatory voluntary overtime. Tonight is only five hours again but I will be compensated for 7.5 hours. Supposedly, this will be the last one for awhile. It was nice having two days in a row off this week (I took the vacation day to go to the ballgame).

I have lots to do today and it is already 0833 so, I had better wrap this up. I hope you have a great day and a great weekend if you are like 83% of the world and have Saturday and Sunday as your weekend. I made that figure up but I bet 83% is close. Thank you for taking the time to read the blog and listen to the show (you can actually listen to the show while you work or even read the blog). TTTMonday probably...MITM (out)

Throwback Blogday

A lot of changes in baseball have been good (Jackie Robinson / Ebbet's Field)

I am tired. I am not sure if I am bone tired or dog tired but, I am very tired. Maybe that is one bad thing about having two days off; when you only have one day off a week you don't have time to get tired because you are too tired to be tired. Last night I even dreamt. I very rarely remember dreams. How come spell-check doesn't think that dreamt is a word? So, not only does spell-check dumb us down by allowing us not to know how to spell, it also doesn't know when we use words that do exist. I think spell-check is run by ISIS or Al Qaeda or his sister Dorothy Qaeda. So, I have tonight off too (I used a vacation day to take last night off). Then, tomorrow, it is another overtime day. Seems like robbing Peter to pay Paul using a vacation day to take a vacation day and then working to earn another vacation day. It is the hamster wheel that "the woman" (or "the man" if you're sexist) keeps us walking.

Last night I used a vacation day (night) to go see the final game in Wrigley Field as we have known it since Babe Ruth played there. I am kind of happy that the Cubs won. I am a huge Cardinal's fan but, since the Pirates lost, it isn't that bad that the Cards lost too. I love history and it is sweet that the Cubs won the last time Wrigley Field isn't Jumbo-tron'd like the rest of the league. I have mixed feelings about the changing of Wrigley. I love the fact that, once you get inside and away from the Taco Bell and McDonald's right outside the gate, you are taken back to the early 1900's. I understand that the past always has to eventually give way to the present that becomes the future but, it is kind of sad. I was happy that my son and I could experience it one last time. I also think it kinda sucks that the people across the street, just past a long home run, get to charge people to watch the games. I guess it isn't much different than people watching the game between the bars of the fence back in the day. On the flip-side, I do watching instant replay and such on the huge televisions in the other ballparks. I have been to lots of upgraded MLB parks (Houston, Arlington, Baltimore, St. Louis, Cleveland, U.S. Cellular (Chicago), Toronto, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Washington...) and I enjoy all of the amenities and comforts but there was something cool about going to Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium and Wrigley Field. It is ironic, in a way, that they tear down the old parks and build new ones to look like the old parks (Baltimore really comes to mind). On another baseball history note - tonight is supposed to be Derek Jeter's final game at Yankee Stadium. However, there is 100% chance of rain there tonight and the Yankees are not in contention for the post season so the game may be canceled and his last at bat may have been last night's check-swing ground-out to first base. History can be so very fickle.

We were surrounded by people from Australia at the game last night. It was fun listening to them talk about the game and how our money is so different than there's... The little girl behind me mentioned that in Australia her pockets are always so heavy with the coins. I wish I had thought about it last night but, I have lots of money from around the world just because I think the money is cool, I should have asked them to swap me some of their Australian money for some of my American money.

I think we are going to record the new Dirty Laundry Podcast tonight. It really depends on Cha Cha. She is working on a huge project for her work and it is due tomorrow. The paying gigs have to take priority over our hobby. A hobby that just happens to entertain the entire world. You're welcome world!

Have a great night; I hope everything is good in your life. I am fairly certain I will be able to blog again tomorrow. Thank you a lot for being here. TTTT...MITM (out)

Welcome to Living Blogland

I have landed on Living Island (giant 'shrooms)

England calls in Scotland Yard when they need some expert assistance. Does Scotland use Scotland Yard too or do they call in England Yard or Ireland Yard to help? Or do they still use Scotland Yard and just call it Yard? Is Scotland Yard like calling in the FBI or the CIA or something? I have always just accepted this as part of the process when watching films. I know they are real because they were involved in the whole Jack The Ripper deal.

Last night at work I was doing some foot patrol and I saw what looked like two white miniature bowling balls. Not very miniature because they were nearly as big as my size 10 1/2 bowling shoes work boots. I wasn't sure what they were at first because they looked like huge Styrofoam balls. I reached down and touched them and they felt mushroomy and they were definitely "attached" to the ground.I don't care for mushrooms other than in Super Mario Brothers. It was like I landed on Living Island (H.R. Pufnstuf)

 By my size 10 1/2 work boot to show 'shroom size

The new Load Dirty Laundry Podcast is up. The shows must be good because even Cha Cha is listening to the show now. She says that we are delightful.Just click that Red, White and Blue link there or get it free on iTunes ("dirty laundry podcast"). 

So, now I have to work more overtime at work. I have to work this Friday and next Friday. I know I bitch about it but I have learned, from this week's podcast, that I am a hoarder and this is like hoarding COMP time. However, I am taking a vacation day Wednesday (I guess that is tomorrow isn't it?) to go see the Cardinals game in Chicago. I am not sure if they could MATTematically clinch the National League Central that night but that would be cool. They are already guaranteed a play-off spot but it would be nice to win the division and not have to deal with extra games as a wild card team. It's weird that the game tonight is on WCIU. The Cubs not on WGN seems to be like a crime to me. So, this week, I do get two days in a row off (Wednesday and Thursday). I had requested to have off October 11th and 12th to go down and see Splenda but those days were denied. That is one of our busiest weekends of the year and, since I am so vital and essential to the organization, they cannot survive that time without me. I was going to switch it to the following weekend but Splenda cannot get off work that weekend. So, Cha Cha is going all by herself. I told her to take the train and relax and drink and Wifi and meet some amazing man... 

It is 1551 already. The days go by so quickly when you sleep until noon, edit a podcast and then have to figure out dinner and then sleep before going back to work at 2200. I am thinking, since Cha Cha is at class tonight (DePaul) we may do WingStop or Subway. There is not enough time for B-Dubs (Buffalo Wild Wings). Maybe Chiplotle? Editing the show really wipes me out.

Buffalo Wild Wings is better but this is quick

We talk a little about my self-diagnosed mental disorder but, Cha Cha has another theory that makes a lot of sense too. No, it does not have anything to do with me being too sexy as you might believe. I am going to explore this one a little. I think we will talk about it on next week's show. The new show is not up for 20 minutes and I am already worried about next week's show. You're only as good as your last show I guess.

I have to end so we can get dinner and I can sleep. Have a great night (hey, this is my Friday this week I guess). Thank you for stopping by - I really, really, really do appreciate you. I will be able to blog tomorrow because I will not be editing a show and I am off work to go to Chicago. Lucky for you! TTTT...MITM (out) ;)

Being Crazy is Scary. I Do Like the Idea of a Boobie Hatch Though

Last night was a good night to have off work. The St. Louis Cardinals went extra innings against the Brewers and won in 13 innings AND it was on one of the ESPNs. I guess it would be ESPN The Nueve since it was on channel 209. The game ended at about midnight. Their magic number is now eight (The Ocho). I don't really care about that stuff. They WILL make the play-offs so I don't really need all of the hype built by THE MAN. I am excited about baseball and don't need their lame-o help.

Today 'tis Talk Like a Pirate Day. It seems more like it's Facebook Post Like a Pirate Day than TALK like one. Other than in pirate films and Pirates of Penzance and Dodgeball I don't think we actually hear people talk like a pirate today do we? I must admit that I have "ARRRRRRRR" running through my head though. That's me though - I am as simple-minded as a rum-soaked pirate. I am surprised that there aren't a bunch of pirate movies on today; that seems to be the modes operandi of a lot of the networks these days.

Ha, I just thought about the National League Central - I hope the landlubbin, hornswagglin,' sons-of-biscuit eatin' Pittsburgh Pirates walk the plank soon and spend the rest of the season in Davey Jones' locker like the shark bait that they aRRRRRRRe.

Remember several weeks ago when I told you about my malady where I would all of a sudden feel like I have jumped into someone else's mind/life (most recently Mickey Dolenz)? Well, it just happened again right now. This time I transported into Kevin Kline's mind/body/life...whatever. On Talk Like a Pirate Day I become the man who played Douglas Fairbanks in Chaplin who played pirates in many of his films.

He does look quite a bit like Sideshow Bob

It is now ten minutes later and it just happened again. Cha Cha witnessed this one. I didn't transport into somebody else's body/mind this time. I just felt like I was going to puke and I had a weird smell/feeling in my nose. Oddly, Cha Cha and I were watching television (me blogging and she having her morning cup of joe) and there was a story about Adam Duritz' (most famously known as the lead man of Counting Crows) having something called Depersonalization Disorder. He says it is "hard to explain, but you feel untethered. And because nothing seems real, it’s hard to connect with the world or the people in it because they’re not there. You’re not there." So, now I have been reading a lot about this and it sounds like what this may be. Isn't that how it always works though? You read something or hear something and then you are convinced that you have that thing? So, now, I think I may be bordering on crazy. I suppose I have always been walking that thin line though. If I become a Cubs' fan we'll know that I am crackers. If I am crazy the blog and Dirty Laundry Podcast will surely both get a lot more entertaining. Isn't this the point where I am supposed to hire a personal assistant and get handicapped plates or something? In all seriousness, I should probably go see someone who knows something about this stuff. This really would explain a lot. Maybe "jumping" into these other people's bodies is early schizophrenia? I could really have some fun with that one. Duritz says, "being crazy is scary." I would say that even the thought that I may be crazy is a little scary. Maybe it's just an allergy? Maybe I am just sleepy. I knew I shouldn't have eaten that blowfish/puffer fish/jelly fish sushi but it was so delicious

Well, I am going to go and walk around the neighborhood naked now. Thanks for being here in the early to MIDDLE stages of my dementia. I expect readership will go up considerably as I get loonier and toonier and you can say, "I read the blog when I just thought he was crazy but now I feel bad because he actually IS crazy." Have a great Friday while I am raking-in the OT tonight. I may blog tomorrow but, I probably won't know the difference anyway. TTT?...MITM (bonkers) OUT!

MITM: An Intimate Blogstory

It is much later than I usually blog but I wrote TTTT yesterday and "today" is the fourth T so here I blog. I would have blogged earlier but today, being my only day off this week, I was pretty busy. I did quite a few of my manly duties: grocery shopping, doing the laundry, cleaning the kitchen (dishes...), making dinner, cleaning the kitchen again... Now my back hurts; I guess housework IS, in fact, back-breaking work. So now I am sitting in a wingback chair with my feet up on a hassock watching the PBS documentary The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.I think that this Ken Burns fellow may have a good career ahead of him. Now that I think about it my feet may just be up on a footstool but for some reason hassock came to mind. My grandma used to call footstools hassocks. I am sure there are differences between footstools and hassocks but hassock is more fun to say. Anyway, I have always been a big fan of the Roosevelts: Eleanor, Franklin and Teddy. I have read several biographies about Theodore. It is funny how the show just mentioned that people only got one day off and I constantly whine about having only one day off when, in my case, I am getting paid time-and-a-half for those hours and these people were probably making pennies. We are such pansies these days (when I say "we" I am referring to me).

The new load of Dirty Laundry Podcast is in the works and should be up by Monday (my guess is by Saturday but I will give myself a few days cushion). Saturday will be a week since the last show was uploaded so, I am now shooting for Saturday, Now, to complete the picture of my wingback chair scene, Jeff is lying at my feet. The only thing missing are a pipe, a bearskin rug and a fire in the fireplace. Incidentally, we do not have a fireplace; we decided against one in this house. We had one in the old house but they are more trouble than they are worth though they were pretty standard days of the Roosevelts. Now we have a fire pit on the back yard - far less trouble and potential problems.

Me at Wrigley Field

Fabio and I are going to the St. Louis Cardinals game at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. I am going to use some of the time that I have earned from all of my overtime. From what I can tell we are eight rows off the field down the third base line. Weird thing is that I also got offered some tickets for Tuesday's Cardinals game at Wrigley Field a couple of days ago too. I actually had to turn those tickets down; I don't want to take two days off. Cha Cha's sister apparently won tickets and some kind of a parking pass and she cannot or doesn't want to go. It was nice of her to offer. If I weren't already going on Wednesday I would probably have taken those tickets. Even if it had been a day game I may have considered going and then toughed-out work that night (and the night before). Actually, now that I write that, I don't think I would have done that either. You watch, something historic will happen that night and I will kick myself for not taking the other day off too.

I am really sleepy and I get to sleep real hours tonight so I am going to bed. Maybe I am being stupid and I should just stay up my "regular" hours tonight since I work tomorrow night but I don't want too (I am sleepy). I hope you have a great Friday tomorrow (today if you're reading this tomorrow which today now for you). Thank you for coming by - I will probably blog tomorrow (or today if you're reading this tomorrow which is now today) while editing the show. TTTT (which may now be today?)... MITM (zzzzzzzzout)

People Are Funny (and some aren't)

I have the urge and feel the need to write but I have very little on my mind. That is not true. We all have hundreds or thousands of things on our minds all of the time but I am not thinking of anything that most people would be interested in reading about. I am tired of blogging about work but, when that is the thing that occupies most of our waking time, what else have we? I suppose that is why, when we meet somebody for the first time, we ask, "so, what do you do for a living?" It used to toast Cha Cha's sandwiches when people would ask me what I did for a living and they would not ask her. She was right; in these times why, when everybody seems to have to work, why do the men always get asked what they do for a living and the women seldom do? Is it just sexist tradition from back when most women stayed home running the house and taking care of the family? The most important jobs of all!

The actual letter that assumes me a moron

Tomorrow is my one day off this week. See, I am talking about work. Actually, now that I blog about it, I am talking about the one day that I am not working. See, I am making strides for all womankind!

We got some interesting mail yesterday. We received a letter (addressed from Schaumburg, IL) from a Toyota dealer here in Dekalb. How does that work? I usually throw most pieces of junk mail away without even opening them; in the recycling bin, of course. I am at the point that I even throw away every catalog that comes in. With the internet why do we need to continue killing so many trees? If I want to buy something I know where to find it! Anyway, it said something about buying our Fiat. We bought the Fiat in Schaumburg and we bought our Toyota 4Runner here in Dekalb so I was intrigued. I knew, even without reading it, that it benefits somebody else much more than it benefits us - no MATTer what they try to tell me. It looks like an internal memo that they mailed to us - complete with a yellow Post-It note with printed words to make it look like it was hand-written. They want to give us $11,421 for the Fiat even though, the memo states, it's only worth $9,910. They want it so badly that we had better act by September 30th "before the value drops." I have rarely seen internal memos that include the registered trademark symbol and disclaimers at the bottom. And, then there is an advertisement for the 2014 Camry. Aren't the 2015's or maybe even the 2016's already out? They are trying to rip us off by stealing our car to sell their overstock so they can make room for the new cars. I am just basing all of this on my suspicious nature but I would bet my useless testicles that I am correct.

I should go get my little notebook where I write things that come into my mind. I know I wrote a couple of things in there last night but I don't remember if they are intended for Dirty Laundry Podcast, Matt In The Middle or just invention ideas or reminders to pay bills or sell cars to shysters. Why is it spelled "shyster" when it is from the German word "sheisser" which means "one that defecates." Yes, you guessed it, sheisse is shit! Shouldn't it me sheisster?

Okay, one of the notes would be good for here. Last night I was sitting at a light that had just turned green and I realized that I am a cross walk profiler. I can usually tell, simply by looking at people, how they will walk across the street. I am not talking about their strides but, rather, their paces. Many of these youngsters these days (that was written in my old, shaky man voice) do not care about anybody but themselves. I can come up to a stale green light and people will just walk like turtles. They are technically jaywalking and they have the nerve to look at me with the F-U face. I am one of those guys who will pick up my pace to get out of your way. I am more concerned with strangers than I am with myself; I am starting to believe that maybe I am the dumb one. I don't blare my music at full volume in a crowded elevator unless I have earbuds in my ear holes. I hold the door for people - no MATTer of gender or age or ethnic make-up. I am officially a crotchety old man. I suppose that began three days ago.

I am going to go do some laundry. Thank you for coming by and, of course, for listening to the podcast. We will be recording another new show tomorrow night. I am always in a better mood on Wednesday nights even if there is only one day-off following it. Have a great night. TTTT...MITM (out).

No News is Good News of All News is Bad News?

He was like a drug dealer 

I never remember whether I have blogged something or just thought it so forgive me if I reblog myself. I think, if I am still thinking it and I am reblogging it, it is work reblogging maybe? So, now with that big build-up... why do we buy products that make us need the products even more later? I am not talking about drugs per se rather things like lip balm. My lips grow a little chapped so I apply Burt's Bees or Chapstick. Then, in about an hour later or so my lips are chapped even more and then I chew my lips and then they are bleeding and hurting. I think moisturizer is kind of the same way. Nose spray too.

I got some potentially good news last night but I cannot say anything about it (I think that includes blogging) so I am not sure why I am saying that. Why do we say stuff like that? So that others know we can keep a secret. So we can be like, "I know something that you don't?" I will tell you when I can.

Turns out I am working one of my days off again this week. I could work both Thursday and Friday but I chose just to work Friday. I cannot work any more weeks with zero days off if it is my choice; I am too old and tired for that. So, I will work five hours and get COMP time for seven-and-a-half. I am taking one night off Wednesday to go to Wrigley Field to see the Cardinals and then, if I get the, approved, I am taking two days off in October to go to Southern Illinois to visit Splenda. All of those extra hours I have banked are coming in handy already. One problem is I am not sure when we are going to be able to record the next Dirty Laundry Podcast. Maybe tomorrow?
                                     
I don't really know what's going on in the world today so I cannot really blog about current events. Everything I can think of it sad or evil. Why do the news reports mostly report on bad things? I nevr even watch the news anymore. I haven't for several years. The Chicago news will report about a house fire just because their helicopter flew by or somebody called it in. A house fire is tragic, yes, but how is it news? How does that impact the millions of people watching the show? Frightening people must be big money. Is it just that, even local news programs these days, have to fill hours and hours of air time,

I have to make dinner and hit the rack. Thanks for slowing down for a few. I hope you have a great night (tomorrow is hump day for you (probably) so, you have that going for you which is nice. I will probably blog again tomorrow - I will try to find out some things that are going on that I can blog about. TTTT...MITM (out)

Bees In My Blogget

Give me a B, a bouncy B

I have a few bees in my bonnet today. Hit it Roz

You would think with as many years that I have lived in homes surrounded by corn and soy beans and such I would know a little something about farming. I married a farmer's daughter and still nothing. Early in our marriage we lived in a barn that was converted into a house and I still cannot tell the difference between beans and sunflowers when they are in the early stages. Why do we have so many bees (not beads - that is a joke from this week's Dirty Laundry Podcast) in our house lately? Maybe they're wasps? I just caught three that were all huddled together on the window planning a take-over coup of the house. They are so stupid; they are all together on the window so I could scoop them up with one paper towel. I don't kill things (other than brain cells) so I catch-and-release even bugs. I took the paper towel outside and let them go. The only way I will kill something is if it comes down to an "it or me" scenario. But, why so many of these black and yellow striped flying things? We leave the patio door open now that the backyard is fenced-in so Jeff can come and go as he pleases (only when we are home and awake, of course). Are the farmers pollinating things this time of year? It is very ironic (not sure if it is true irony - more coincidence) that we talked about bees on this week's show.

Another bee in my blogget is/are license stickers. Why do we have to pay for new stickers every year for our plates? I just got postcards in the mail letting me know that the Fiat and the Jeep need new stickers by October 31 - Halloween, how appropriate. The 4Runner just got a new sticker last month and, of course, since we just bought the Explorer that has a new sticker because we had to buy plates and a sticker. So, within about three months, we have spent / will spend about $600 on those little stickers. And, the Fiat has ecology plates so that one is $40 more that the other ones. Does that extra money go to the some ecological program? I assume that is so; we can probably take that off our taxes as a charitable donation, right? I am getting crabbier than usual today. I just get it out here and then I appear 60% normal in the real world. Okay, 54%.

Some have learned nothing

Is anybody surprised that these issues of violence are coming out about NFL players when they are off the field? They are trained and dedicate their lives to being brutal. They take drugs that screw with their brains and their hormones kind of like the Gama Rays that screwed with Bruce Banner and made him turn into the incredible Hulk.  Does anybody think that Leonidas was a great father like they depict in the film 300? I am happy that the teams and the NFL are actually taking action on these incidents. I wonder, if the press and social media weren't the way that it is, if they would just have swept it under the rug. Say what you will about social media,,, but it sure does hold people who are  normally being jerks accountable these days. Ray Rice knocking his wife out cold and then dragging her out of the elevator and then using his feet to move her motionless body around like a large roast in a walk-in freezer. And, Adrian Peterson beat his child so badly that it looked like something out of Twelve Years a Slave. Coincidentally, I am watching Glory on Sundance and the scene where Denzel Washington gets beaten for looking for shoes was just on. That is a horrifying and moving scene and he was an adult and it was pretend (acting) and it still gut-wrenching. Beating kids and women is much worse. When I was a kid, and I know that I have blogged about it before, my brother and I were beaten with a belt all the time; sometimes with the buckle end. We had welts all over our bodies. I cannot imagine my parents doing anything like that now. They are very nice and caring people. What drives people to get this angry? I am the guy who captures bees and wasps and flies in his hands and lets them free outside. Am I this way because of getting beaten back then? Do I just know what is right? We have never hit either of our kids.  We sure did scream a lot back in the old days and we had grounded and taken video games away for awhile and such but never have hit. There is NO REASON to hit a child.

I sure had a lot on my opinionated mind today didn't I? I have lots more I could include but that is enough for today. I am just happy that I surround myself with people who know these things are wrong. I suppose you never really know what goes on behind closed doors but I have always felt that I have a pretty good read on people. I know lots of people that I consider mean or unkind... but I am forced to interact with (coworkers, "customers,"acquaintances...) and I just try to limit that to a need-to-interact basis. That's enough, Thank you for letting me spout my niceness propaganda. Have a great rest of your Monday (my Wednesday but it sounds like there is more overtime coming over the next few weeks which will skew that but, that will be a blog for many other days I am afraid). TTTT...MITM (out)

Nuts, Crackers, Bananas... (am I crazy or making a fruit cake?)

Almost every day I think of something for the blog and most times I have a pad of paper and a pen with me. Every so often I have an idea and I do not have a writing utensil or my phone (where I can take notes) and I think, "this idea is so great that I will remember it." I had one of these moments early this morning. Guess what?! I cannot remember the idea I had. How cruel is my mind that it allows me to always remember that I had a great idea for the blog or the podcast but it doesn't let me remember the idea itself? Note to my mind - if you are not going to let me recall the great idea that I had please do not let me remember that I even had the great idea.

Fabio has been sick for the last couple of days. I think he has the cold that I suffered-through for about two weeks. Maybe I should have stayed home from work a night or two but I just toughed it out and it probably lasted longer because of that and all the extra hours (less sleep). Last night I was up late but I set my alarm as a backup for him. I had fallen asleep on the couch but I had my phone (with my alarm) on a table right next to me. At 0743 Fabio came down the stairs from his room and I awoke immediately (I am a very light sleeper) and looked at the time. School starts at 0745. I looked at my phone and, though I had set the time for the alarm, I had not hit the little icon that turns green when it is on and turns the alarm on. I asked him what happened with his phone and he looked and he had the volume all the way down. This is precisely why I have multiple alarms set for the nights I work. I am a constant worrier though I try to hide it most of the time. It a skill/defect that comes in very handy while playing poker. So, since he had been sick for the last three days and had been going to school anyway I called him in sick today. Ironically, this is the best that he has felt all week long and this is the day I call him in sick. Three-and-a-half day weekend for him - yesterday was a half-day at his school for some unknown reason. Because of 9/11? I really have no idea why.

Why do people who are so talented also so crazy a lot of the time? Is that the whole "a fine line between brilliance and insanity" thing. I am watching Braveheart and it makes me think of some of the great films that Mel Gibson has made and then I think of Ray Rice who played some great football. They both had everything and they went crackers. Were they always bananas or does the pressure get to them? Why so many synonyms for "crazy" have to do with food? I suppose there are many more who are brilliant  and non crazy and we just tend to focus on the ones who are nuts. Hey, there is another food one. Nuttier than a fruitcake.

I was working on the garage today. It is not done yet but I have made a big dent in the job. I have to be able to get two vehicles in there this winter. I will begin working on editing the podcast soon (today). We have three cars here now and only room for two in the garage. I think we will put the one that Fabio drives in the garage as he needs to drive to school in the morning and we will put Cha Cha's in the garage because it is the newest of the vehicles and she, too, needs to drive during the day. I work nights so the 4Runner will sit outside at my work. We do have a covered parking garage at work I can park at too if I wish but it is a bit of a hike to the office from the parking garage. I think I am going to have a block heater installed in the 4Runner before winter. That reminds me, I should get the snow blower over to the guy to get it tuned-up before winter.

So many things to do and so little time. That being blogged I had better get going. Enjoy the chilly weather here in the MIDDLEwest. Hopefully, wherever you are, you are having nice weather. There is so much talk of weird weather going on lately. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great evening. I may blog tomorrow provided I get Dirty Laundry Podcast up tonight or in the morning; that is my priority at this point. TTTT or after...MITM (out)

Day Baseball (I love, I mean, hate it)

I have this card in a box in the basement

My first two-day weekend in about five weeks has commenced. I started with a 4 1/2 hours nap (you might call that my nightly sleep) and then got up to take a shower. After getting dressed I turned on MLB Network and, what do you know, The St. Louis Cardinals are playing the Cincinnati Reds. At 11:30 AM? Awesome! At that same I time I received a call for the Chicago Cubs. Yep, I am finally getting the call from the Cubs. I have tickets for the Cubs' final game of the season against the Cardinals coming in the mail. I also saw that opening day at Wrigley Field next season is against the Cardinals. I love baseball; it really is the smells and the sounds as well as the emotions. Day baseball is the best; especially when I work nights. They talked about the possibility of Pete Rose getting into the MLB Hall of Fame. I think he should be in. I am biased though. As a kid he and Roberto Clemente were my two favorite players.

Between inning I went over to Subway and grabbed a turkey breast sandwich. Damn commercials. Do other parts of the country have giardiniera at Subway? I know Champaign, IL doesn't. Shouldn't they have spelled it GARDENiera since it has almost the entire garden in the ingredients? On the way back I wondered to myself, "self, why did they decide on red, yellow and green as the lights on the traffic light?" Why not the primarily colors of red, yellow and blue? Because the sky is blue? Well, the trees are green so that is just as distracting if that was the issue. Well, in that line of thought why not orange, pink and purple?

We are going out for dinner with my parents tonight. We haven't seen them in awhile. Life sure gets in the way of things; working nights adds to that exponentially.

We sure could use a Matt Holliday home run here! He walked. And now they lost - dammit! I hate day baseball.

I have not had enough sleep yet today. I may try to take a nap before dinner. Dinner is in three hours though. Thanks a lot for slowing down long enough to read this. I do not feel very creative write right now. Have a good rest of your day. I will be more creative with a few more winks. TTTT...MITM (out). I SAID GOOD DAY!

WBW (Way Back Wednesday)

Tomorrow is 9/11. I was deeply saddened and shocked that day but I will never understand why we relive these types of things every year. It's almost like we are celebrating these kinds of tragedies. I don't think we should bury our heads in the sand but how do we heal if we keep picking the scabs? It needs to become a scar. We aren't morons - we're not going to forget. I remember the day that I got my toe cut off and I have plenty of scars but I don't celebrate it every year. I know what day it happened but I didn't get t-shirts made commemorating the loss of the leader of my left foot. We all have scars from childhood and when we happen to see them we remember how we got them. I bet the countries that perpetuate these kinds of events love when we make big deals out of them.

We are going to record Load #161 of Dirty Laundry Podcast soon (maybeish). Cha Cha is on the phone with MADYM so "soon" is a relative term. They are on speaker phone so maybe I should just take the microphone in there and we could do an on-phone interview. I could probably even sneak it in there but that would be unscrupulous. On a different podcast note - I see a lot of podcasts posting new loads every day. I should listen to these shows; they may just be ten minutes long or half-an-hour long. Would anybody want to listen to our lunacy every day?

I feel like I am back in college. I am listening to Hall & Oates (Kiss On My List) and watching Top Gun on HBO. I was already watching Top Gun (I saw this film in Carbondale, IL in 1986) and then my friend Mary Capet Miller (from high school) was talking about Daryl Hall so I posted a video of the song on her Facebook page. I won tickets to see Garfunkel Hall & Oates at a bar in Carbondale (Gatsby's) in a trivia contest. I won the tickets at the bar they were not playing at the bar. I think college just exists so we have things to remember and keep us young in our minds; the same reason Facebook is around maybe. I guess there is that whole education-deal too but that is secondary. I met Cha Cha in college and we have been together for over 30 years. My buddy Greg is from college/1982ish too and he is still with me in a platonic way (not that there is anything wrong with other ways but he doesn't like me like that). Now Splenda lives in Carbondale and every time we go to see her it is like plugging me into a USB port and recharging me a bit. I think I may be getting a recharge some time in October. That Facebook/memory thing reminds me - tomorrow is TBT -Throwback Thursday. I wonder how many 9/11 posts will be TBT-related this week?

I am so happy that, at this time tomorrow, I will already be awake again and begnning my first weekend (two-day weekend that is) in almost a month. I really need that two-days. We underestimate that two days off sometimes I think. I know many of you just had a three-day weekend. I never get that unless I am using a vacation day or a COMP day.

It sounds quiet in Cha Cha's office so I am going to go and see if it is time to record the show. The show must go on! Thanks a lot for hanging here for a few. I am pretty sure I will blog tomorrow; probably while I am editing the show. Have a great night and enjoy the crazy weather I am hearing about all over the U S and A. Flooding in Arizona and Las Vegas? Maybe it's time to start getting some cubits of gopher wood together huh? At least buy stock in a gopher wood lumber company. I bet I can corner that market pretty quickly. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Big Changes A'Comin!

I said I would blog today so, even though I don't really have any idea what I am going to write, here I am.

I am going to try not to talk about work today. Since my job was all that I have been doing for the last two-three weeks that is all I have been blogging about. I will just say that I did not sign-up to work the overtime this Thursday night. The posting has not been made for who is working but, since we are Union and there are people below me on seniority with Thursdays off, I will not be listed. If I am for listed, some strange reason, I will get out of it with the help of M.A.P.. I wish my Union was M.A.T. so I could feel like everything is about me. I need to get a life again. The podcast will help with that.

We have not been able to record the new Dirty Laundry Podcast yet. We will get it done tomorrow and I will have it up Thursday or Friday. Next week we are going to have the guy over to help us configure the new microphone/mixing board set-up. I have also got a request in for a quote to help us also get into the world of adding video to the podcast and getting on Funny or Die and/or YouTube... It is pretty exciting - potentially. The ideas were sparked when we had Eric Peter Schwartz on the show (load #159).
I think I learn something from every person I speak with every time I speak with them. I have lots to learn so that makes it easier.

I just ordered Chipotle for pick-up. I don't feel like cooking today. Yesterday I barbecued chicken on the grill. We also had salad and pasta with basil pesto. We haven't had Chipotle for quite some time. It's just as close to home cooking as you can get other than nobody lives there so it isn't home cooking.

Soon this entire picture will be covered in white

I am hearing a lot of talk that this is going to be another harsh winter here in the MIDDLEwest. Why do we need to know that in advance? So we can buy plows and get new snow blowers and our shovels? There is really nothing we can do about the weather and, if we hated it that much, we'd move I suppose. I do often wonder why my ancestors decided to settle in this part of the country. I am guessing that, when they made that decision, it was in spring or fall. Back in the day when people were headed West almost everyone grew their own fruits and vegetables and raised animals for food and convenience. So, I suppose if you came here when it wasn't winter Illinois would be pretty enticing. This town is still known world-wide for corn. That just made me think of the corn salsa I ordered and have to pick-up in 25 minutes (I made the pick-up time for 16000. That will give me plenty of time to get the food, eat and then sleep before going to that place that I'm not going to blog about anymore today.

The food will be ready in fourteen minutes so I had better get going. Thank you for stopping by; I always appreciate you. I will probably blog tomorrow. I hope nothing exciting happens tonight at that place I go more often than anywhere else because I don't feel like blogging in hieroglyphics anymore but I am pretty sure most people don't want to read about my woes at the place that shall not be mentioned. TTTT most probably)...MITM (out). All I am is dust in the Dust Bowl wind.

"Required Optional" Reading

It is Sunday afternoon and I am sitting on the patio with Cha Cha listening to the Cardinals/Brewers game. I think I like listening to baseball on the radio (APP on my cell phone in this case) than watching it on television. I think I may start going to ballgames by myself and sit in the stands with my cellphone in my breast pocket with my ear-buds in my ears (maybe just one ear so I can enjoy the live sounds of the ballpark) listening to the game. I feel like I am cheating on the Cardinals because I decided to listen to Bob Ueker and the Brewers' broadcast on WTMJ rather than the Cards' broadcast on KMOX. I do prefer the Cardinals' broadcast because I like the to hear the inside stuff about my team. It is funny that they just played a Miller Brewery commercial. KMOX plays Anheiser-Busch commercials and WTMJ plays Miller commercials. I guess since they play in Miller Park and Busch Stadium it isn't that surprising. If the Cardinals begin losing, it is 0-0 now, I will have to switch broadcasts. There sure are a lot of superstitions in sports aren't there? I am just a little stitious!

Most of the rest of America is watching football and I am listening to baseball. I am not much of a football fan anymore. I still like going to football games occasionally but it is more for the people and the atmosphere and the excitement. I was much more of a fan when I played fantasy football. Ironically, I think It looks like I am going to a Bears' game December 21st against the Detroit Lions. I am pretty sure that does not qualify as irony, dontcha think? I must say that I enjoyed watching the Northern Illinois University - Northwestern college game yesterday though. NIU beat Northwestern - see, once the Northwestern players talked Unionizing they got lazy. I work with a lot of Union members that fill this bill; not indicative of all  Norma Rae's though.

It is Monday now. I found out last night that I do not HAVE TO work Friday night and if I WANT TO work Thursday night I can volunteer to work five hours and get paid for 7 1/2. I feel like I have had enough extra hours and, if they are not going to be forced upon me this time, I do not think I will sign-up for this one. I really would like to have two days in a row off. The next day I will HAVE TO work is October 3rd. I am confident that work is settling-down a bit now. There are several events coming up over the next few months that will throw monkey wrenches into that so I will enjoy the perceived normality for now.

I just saw that someone is claiming, without a doubt, Jack the Ripper's identity has been confirmed through DNA testing of blood found on a scarf. Pish posh I say.

Turn signals became a "required option" on all American vehicles in 1954. I am not sure what a "required option" is as this seems like an oxymoron but that is what they called it. I am tired of so many oxymorons not using their turn signals. It could not be any easier to flick that little arm to the left of your steering wheel. You don't even have to turn it off; it turns itself off after you complete your turn. An ingenious invention! Why will so many people not use them? I use them for lane changes and when I am turning... The worst is when I am sitting at the entrance to my subdivision wanting to leave the hood and some moron zips down the road and flies into the subdivision without letting me know she/he is turning in. Then, many times I will get stuck waiting for a line of traffic before I could have exited. This was my only break out. Today I was tempted to turn around and follow this inconsiderate she-dog to her house. I did the "what the hell" thingy with my hand and mouthed "what the hell" to her but I thought better of following her. I hate inconsiderate people.

It's 1800 and I am gonna get some sleep for my Wednesday shift tonight. It's nice to know what day is my Wednesday for at least one week. Thanks a lot for slowing down and turning in (I saw you used your signal). Have a great night and I will blog you again tomorrow. TTTT...MITM (signaling a right turn outta here) TA!

I am Nueva Cinco!

Why is it in poor taste to bad-mouth the dead? If someone is a bitch or an a-hole or a miserable decroded piece of crap in life why do we have to forgive them when they die? I bet this rule or tradition when a loved-one of a jerk died. I suppose it is nice to keep your bad feelings to yourself for the sake of surviving friends and family. I am a hypocrite all the time. Hypocrisy is kind of essential if you do not want to go through life completely alone. The word hypocrisy comes from the Greek word hypokrisis which means "play-acting", "acting out"... Most of my hypocrisy is to spare people's feelings. Maybe that is cowardly but I'd rather be a coward than an a-hole; is that hypocritical? Does it has something to do with Hippocrates? That would make sense since doctors play-act all the time. Hmmmm... Yes, so as not be totally hypocritical I will tell you that I thought Joan Rivers was an unfunny, crabby, old bat. Even when she was young I thought of her as an old bat. It could very well have just been an act but, based on the things she acted in, I don't feel she was that good of an actress. Being mean to people on purpose is not funny. It is weird that we played a clip of her on our most recent Dirty Laundry Podcast.Maybe it is hypocritical of me to blast her and then use her to promote the podcast - consider it an homage. To continue my hypocrisy - GO CUBS! (they are playing the Pirates).

I wrote that last paragraph yesterday and it would be cowardly and hypocritical (though probably wise) to delete it. Maybe nobody reads blogs on Saturdays, huh?

I am the other 98%

I am being told, through instant messaging, that I may have to work both next Thursday and Friday (my Saturday and Sunday). I texted back that if it comes to that I may play the seniority card and force one of the people below me to work one of those two days. I must have the word sucker written all over my face. I think it is because I am a team player and usually do whatever it takes. I am getting tired of being a team player. I may have to be an Ocho Cinco. I will be more of a Nueva Cicno I suppose. That is like Ocho to the next step. I have had two days off in the last month and now I am going to have to miss another complete weekend? I work to live; I do not live to work. I need to find a job that isn't a public safety job where they can "force me" to work to serve and protect the public. I wish print wasn't dying because I may consider being a librarian. I am really good with the Dewey Decimal System. I am even considering contacting Hamburger U (University). I am dog tired most of the time this past month; I am at a crossroad. At my age I never thought I would be making stupid decisions like this; the human life-span/expectancy increasing doesn't seem too appealing to me. Times were much simpler when we died in our 30s! I am just worn-out and just trying to figure out which way to go wabbit, which way to go. I should probably not write about my works so much but that is what we do most of our waking hours isn't if? Now I have the song Convoy stuck in my head - "so we crashed the gate doin' 98 saying let them truckers roll 10-4."

Now I have written two paragraphs yesterday (it is 2341 right now).

The weather outside in my part of the MIDDLEwest is beautiful. It is almost noon and it is only 66 degrees. When I go in to work tonight it is supposed to be around 58 degrees; I think I may wear my jacket. I love when I can wear my jacket; it is like the Swiss Army Knife of jackets with pockets and zippers and snaps... I feel like Captain Kangaroo when I am wearing it.

I have a day to get to as I seem to have so few of them lately. Enjoy your weekend. Thank you for stopping by. We will probably record the new load of Dirty Laundry Podcast tomorrow too. I will try to have it up by Monday. Enjoy the nice weather in the MIDDLE of America today. TTTM (Mondayish)...MITM off

Doctor and Mister Helser?

It is 0432 and I am already in my jammies. The five hour shift (2300-0400) went very quickly. Yesterday I wrote that this was going to be last one day-off weekend. Well, that may or may not be true now. My Sergeant said that I may have to work again next Thursday (2300-0400). I could get out of it if I wanted to; I could force someone else who is below me in seniority and has Thursdays off to work while I am here in my jam-jams sawing logs. So, now I have to decide by Saturday night whether I want to work five hours next Thursday night and get another full night off (or the pay if I choose).

Jeff Swanson Helser is thoroughly confused. He is not used to me being home at this time and he thinks it is time for him to get up. If I am home at this time, because it is normally my night off, I am usually asleep. It is funny how dogs can just be the same any time day or night. I guess, unless they are a worker dog of some sort, they really don't have anything to do during the day so they can just lie around like a rug or a dog and sleep so, whenever we are up, I guess they are up too.


I am going to stay awake until 0630 and wake Fabio up for school. He wakes himself up (with the help of his alarm) but I am more convincing than his phone alarm.

Last night Cha Cha went to her first night at DePaul University to begin classes for her second Master's Degree. It dawned on me that she has attended many college in this state. We met at Waubonsee Community College about 31 years ago and then we both transferred to Southern Illinois University after she attended Northern Illinois University for a bit and returned there for more classes later. She received her (first) Master's Degree from Western Illinois University. Now she is beginning her second Master's at DePaul. She needs to take some classes at Eastern Illinois University, Northwestern and University of Illinois to get the big ones out of the way. There are many school in our state and she is an alum of most of them. I guess if she works in education she may as well be educated on, in and from just about every school in our state. I am very proud of her; she is such a hard worker and she isn't even a dull girl.

Tonight we are going to Cooper's Hawk. I made reservations last night and had to settle on 2045. That is kind of late but the only earlier time was 1830. Cha Cha has her huge world-wide meeting that she is hosting during the day and I am not sure 1830 would be doable for her so I went the safe route.

We are probably about a week away from working on getting Dirty Laundry Podcast upgraded. It has kind of been slowed down because I haven't had a day off. I cannot wait until the show sounds even more professional.

Will history repeat itself?

Last night the Cardinals beat the Brewers. The Pirates lost too. The only other team in the National League Central that won yesterday was the Cubs. The Cubs have won three in a row but they are still 13 games out of first. The Cards have won six in a row now. The Brewers are four out and the Pirates are 5 1/2 out. Sorry to bore you but, since I was checking, I thought I could save you having to check as long as you were here already.

I have to start making Fabio's lunch. I should probably make him make his own but worry what that would entail. I wish he would just get the school lunch but he says the lines are so long he would barely have time to eat. I have never investigated to see if that is true so, I make lunches. Have a great day (your Friday probably) It;s my freaking Sunday already and I just got off of work two hours ago. Thank you for listening to the podcast and reading this blog; I hope you get something out of them too. Not sure about the blogibility of tomorrow. TTT I blog ya again...MITM (out).

Weekend? They really do exist!

Private lessons available by appointment only!

It is finally my Friday tonight. Tomorrow is my Saturday and Sunday rolled-up into one. Tonight is my last day of non-stop work (meaning days in a row not, literally, non-stop). My next day of forced overtime is October 3rd. Tonight I have to bet five to get 7.5 (meaning that I work five hours and get either paid or get the vacation/COMP equivalent of seven-and-a-half hours). Five hours will be a breeze. I even get to go in at 2300 rather than 2200 and I get off at 0400. I think they make it five hours because anything after that they have to give me an extra paid thirty minute break. I like Unions now that I am back on this side of the line and not on the management side anymore. Maybe Cha Cha will get a day off soon too huh?

Last night at work I saw a "suspicious vehicle" (that's an industry term) driving around a parking lot in the MIDDLE of the night. I drove up and saw a young lady behind the wheel and a young man in the seat next to her. They looked very nervous when I drove up; I see this look pretty regularly at work. I asked, "is everything okay?" The girl said that the dude was "teaching her how to drive stick shift." I could totally relate to this. When Cha Cha and I were in college at Southern Illinois University I taught her how to drive a standard transmission vehicle in a college parking lot down there. I just told them to be careful and wished her good luck and went on my way. I never even called in the plates; I hope it wasn't Clyde Barrow teaching Bonnie Parker how to drive the get-away car. I radio'd it in so they wouldn't be bugged every two seconds and went on my way. When I taught Cha Cha we did the lesson during the day so nobody really bothered us.

The St. Louis Cardinals now have a three game lead over the second place Milwaukee Brewers. The Cards have won five-in-a-row and the Brewers have dropped eight straight. I hope that, by Monday, the Cardinals will have won nine straight and the Brewers will have lost 12-a-row. They play each other in Milwaukee, starting tonight, for the next four days/nights. The last MLB game I saw live was when Greg and I went north of the Sausage/Cheese Line to watch The Cards come back from a six run deficit to beat the Brew Crew. I would like to get up to see one in this series too but my only night off for those four is tomorrow night and think Cha Cha and I are going to Cooper's Hawk for date night. Maybe she would prefer a peanut and Cracker Jack dinner? She has been working VERY hard (20 hour days) for the past month+ on a huge project that she will be hosting world-wide on the web for her company tomorrow and she deserves a night out with a handsome prince. Hopefully, if she kisses me I can turn into one? She may have to settle on this toad. I could use one of the COMP days that I have earned to go to Milwaukee but I will hold-off. I would like to see another World Series. I never thought I would get to see one in person and now I am talking about going to my second. I realize I am putting the beer cart before the Clydesdale here. Just let the Pirates (lost four straight - three of those to the Cardinals) and Brewers continue losing for now.

I have to end now. I have some pending issues I need to attend to toot-sweet. Have a great rest of your Thursday. I will probably write again tomorrow. Thanks a lot for stopping in. Your invited back again to this locality to have a heapin' helpin' of my blog reality. TTTT...MITM (out)

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I have to give a big thank-you to the young lady at Walmart. I do not usually shop at Walmart for many philosophical reasons but we had bought Fabio some pants for work there because he is tall and slender and Walmart seems to cater to pretty much every body size and shape. We got the incorrect size; he was even skinnier than we thought. I did not have the receipt but they were kind enough to exchanged them. The girl (I do not mean that in a demeaning way but, at my age, there are more girls than women these days) asked to see my ID. I pulled out my driver's license and handed it to her. She asked, "do you have a CURRENT ID?" I asked, "what?" She responded that my license expired in 2013. She handed it to me and, sure enough, it had expired September 14, 2013. She was kind enough to accept my FOID card and my work IDs and exchanged the pants. I went directly to the DMV and got a new license. The lady (not a girl) there said that if I had waited two more weeks I would have had to have taken the driving test... I am fairly certain I would have passed but I suppose that costs more (this was only $30). My birthday is in 12 days and, at that point, I would have been driving illegally for a full year. I have driven out of state and averaged driving over 100 miles per night. I have shown my ID many times to many people over the year. I have been driving state vehicles (allegedly) that entire time. I even bought another car and bought plates and had the title transferred. I have to have my license on file at work and you'd think they would have asked for a new license. There have been a lot of balls dropped over the past year (mine too it seems). I am not sure if I should even say anything at work. I do not think I will.

Don't you hate when you plug your laptop or your cells phone... in to charge and then you go to use that devise and it sends you a message that you need to plug it in only to find out that one of the ends of the cords wasn't plugged-in properly? So, now I am writing this on a leash.

Thank goodness my phone isn't this large (TWSS)

I have a phone application (app) that I just love. Soon it will be useless for several months (kind of an APP that takes a winter vacation) but, for now, it is my favorite APP. It turns my cell phone into a transistor radio from back in the day of sorts. As many know, I am a huge St. Louis Cardinals' fan. Incidentally, If you are not a baseball fan you may just want to skip to the next paragraph. You are welcome to read this paragraph if you wish, however. The APP is called At Bat. It allows you to listen to the live local hometown radio feeds of any game going on in Major League Baseball. Better yet, it is a free APP. If they ever decide to charge for this APP I will keep it. I am currently listening to the KMOX feed of the Cardinals/Pirates game. It just makes it even more nostalgic when I walk around with my cell phone in my breast pocket and a hometown baseball game is being broadcast from my boobie.I have heard Milo Hamilton broadcast Astros games on KBME, Jim "Catfish" Hunter doing Orioles games on WBAL, Vin Scully and Rick Monday broadcasting Dodgers games on KLAC, Bob Uecker doing Brewers games on WTMJ... I love it. My faves, of course, are: Mike Shannon, John Rooney, Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky broadcast the Redbirds though. Maybe it combines my love of broadcasting with my love of baseball? I even like the commercials; they keep the local commercials in. I hate those feeds that just have dead-air during the commercials. You aren't sure if you've lost the signal or what. This will be really cool the next baseball trip I take. Every Major League Baseball broadcast is available. Even Toronto surprising. I don't know why that surprises me but it does. I have loved broadcasting and baseball since the day I was born so this APP was made just for me. I miss Foster Brooks' Harry Caray's broadcasts

Speaking of broadcasting - have you listened to the new Load of Dirty Laundry Podcast? It is also free! We moved up 3,856 spots in our ranking yesterday; odd how having a new show after a month will do that.

I am almost done bitching about work for awhile. Tonight, normally my Friday, is the second to last day of no nights off. Eight hours tonight and five hours tomorrow night and I get one day off to launch me back into "regular" schedule. As long as working overnights is considered "regular." The next round of overtime, depending on the assignment and when it occurs, may not include me volunteering. Some things we are forced to work. I am one of two people who have Thursdays off (the other person is below me in seniority so she would be forced if I didn't sign-up) on Fridays (the other person off is above me so I may as well sign up and look like a team player rather than get "forced" to work). I just looked at the schedule and there are no more home football games scheduled on Thursdays or Fridays this season - yessssssssss! I do like having the COMP hours off though. I am not sure if I just like to bitch more, however. Politics are abound in every walk of life aren't they?

Cards and Pirates are still scoreless in the 5th. At the point of this writing the Cardinals lead the National League Central by two games - finally and hopefully permanently.Go Cubs (don't get used to that).

I am gonna scoot. It is 1406 already and I will be trying to sleep in about three hours. I love baseball day games. Even more so that I work nights. Thanks a lot for slowing down to stop here for a few minutes. Have a great rest of your day and night. I will probably blog again tomorrow. TTTT (97%)...MITM (out at the plate on a close call) Seeya!