No Blog Today

I decided not to blog today because I am too crabby. My crabbiness would probably make for an entertaining blog but not healthy for any of us. I guess this is sort of a blog so maybe I did blog?

Hopefully I will be better by Monday.

Enjoy your weekend

I May Have a New Home and Maybe a New Job (all in one)!

They call it that because it drains the life out of you!

I found that the job I wrote about yesterday would most likely be afternoon / night work for at least a year or so and then there would be a CHANCE that I could work days. The hours would probably be 1600-0000 to start which would actually be worse than the hours I have now since it would be day AND night. It may be Monday - Friday though. I like my current job itself and love my boss and I am pretty good in the seniority department (I would drop back down to the bottom in the new position) so I will probably not retake the test in 30 days to improve my 94%. I will just keep plugging-along until something with more "normal" hours comes along. With our new Governor making cuts to state budgets maybe my job will change soon in other ways too?

I have been in a funk for the last couple of days and now, when I look at the calendar, I realize it is the end of the month. I keep forgetting that every 28 days or so I get crabby until it happens and then I look at the calendar and remember why - my time of the month,

Who makes up those silly quizzes on Facebook so we can find out which Disney mother we are or what condiment we most associate with or what piece of gravel we were in ancient Babylonia?  I have taken these quizzes but I do not think I will do that anymore. I have a feeling they are gathering information and, if a world-wide genocide is started the people who take these quizzes will either be first to go so the world is a better place or they will be the last survive so the people performing the cleansing are intellectually superior. Either way, as is my nature, I will remain in the MIDDLE somewhere.

Why do we even care? Where's Mr. Blackwell when you need him?

Speaking of Facebook there is a photo going around asking "what color is this dress." Is it white and gold or blue and black. I believe it is a total scam to make us all look like moron guinea pigs. I have seen the photo many times and sometimes it is gold and white (most of the time) and sometimes it is blue and black. I believe there are more than one photo and some have one and some have another just to create a buzz about something. I am waiting for the other shoe dress to drop. There will be an advertiser of something attached to this thing soon. Maybe that one show... Say Yes to the Dress or something like that. I don't know if that is the name of the show but I have heard something like that in passing. We are just a bunch of sheep most of the time. Worse yet, many of us know we are sheep (like me) but still keep coming back to be slaughtered again and again. You'd think we would just want to know if it were cotton or a synthetic fiber.

Since I wrote those previous paragraphs I took the 4Runner and dropped it off at the mechanic (problems with the power steering and not warming-up properly), rode with Cha Cha to work, stopped by Target and bought some nail clippers (I have several pairs at home but I encountered a hanger an needed to get that chopped-off), came here to Barnes & Noble Booksellers and set-up shop to finish the blog and entertain myself. Jill and I are meeting my parents for lunch at a place called The Honey Jam down the road a piece from here. With the one vehicle at school with Fabio, the other at the shop and Cha Cha going to work it would have been a long, cold walk to Geneva from DeKalb so, I dropped her off at work and will waste time in the meantime. I am a world-class time-waster so no problem there. After lunch I will have more time to kill this afternoon. I contemplated a movie but there doesn't look like anything good that I haven't already seen.


When I first arrived here at the book store I bought a huge water (I would feel guilty sitting here using their electricity, internet, heat, chair, table, washroom, air...) and thought I would check and see if they had Young Frankenstein here. You may recall I searched many places out in the country community we call home in the MIDDLE of the cornfields. Thanks to karma they had it. I didn't even think that it would come in Blu-Ray but it does and I decided to pay the extra to get in that way. Won;t Cha Cha be pleased?! I thought using the word "pleased" instead of "happy" would sound more Geneva-ish. It is almost 1000 now an I will get Jill for lunch a bit after noon and, after lunch. I will have several hours to kill again. I may head over to Funway and play some video games (I love shooting games) or go bowling (is it sad to see a guy bowling by himself with a loaner ball and rental shoes?).I guess I could take-up drinking again and go hang-out at a bar. Hollywood Casino for some Black Jack or Texas Holdem? I guess I could always go home and then come back too huh?

I suppose that I could use this place like a library if I wanted to couldn't I? I could go get a magazine or a book and sit here and read it. Do you think they would frown-up me opening a book on tape and listening to it from my computer? I would be considerate and wear headphones if they wanted. Hey, I already bought Young Frankenstein and I could just sit here and watch that couldn't I? Other people are starting to filter in and a lady just sat down in a big comfy chair with a couple of magazines and is reading them. She didn't even buy a huge (1.05 quarts / 1 litre) Fiji Water and a Young Frankenstein movie. I would never do that; that seems rude to me. Perhaps that is why I am not a millionaire: I actually have a brain that only puts-out 37% greedy and rude and heartless.

It's a really rough day for me today!

I have to go use the washroom again (at my age you only rent the liquids). This place has everything for a homeless Matt. I need to find one that is open 24-hours. I may as well sign-off. I think I will sit here and play Texas Holdem on Pokerist. I have been playing a lot of poker on-line lately and I win more than I lose which is why I am think about heading to the casino. Okay, enough already. I will almost assuredly blog again tomorrow. Thank you for stopping by my new Barnes and Noble Blog In The Middle. Try to stay warm if you're in my nape of the neck.

Post Blog Script (PBS) - that lady with the magazines just left and she just left the magazines on the chair that she was sitting at. I will probably put them back since she is so rude. Hey, maybe I can get a job here - kind of like Tom Hanks did in The Terminal. Okay, I have work to get done here at my new job - problem of how to kill time solved. I hope they will let me off for lunch with Cha Cha and my parents. TA!

Now All I Can Think of Are Thin Mints!

I am kind of disappointed right now. I just got home from testing for another position at work and I only got 94% on the test. They allotted two hours to take the test and I was back home in 36 minutes. I thought the test was super-easy so I didn't take the extra time to review my answers as I think I should have. I can take it again in 30 days and I believe I will do that. Even if it doesn't amount to me getting a day-time position I NEED to get 100% on this test!!! Before the test I had to fill-out a sheet and one of the questions was relating to if I would lake daytime or nighttime work. I checked the box that read "day-time only." The only reason I want to switch is to get daytime work. If I switch to a different department I would be starting over with seniority too which kind of stinks since, after three years, I am finally in a comfortable spot seniority-wise. DAY TIME WORK is the key. Only vampires, zombies, werewolves and ghosts should work night.

I told you a couple of weeks ago about a show Cha Cha and I have been watching the television show called Schitt's Creek. I still really like this show. I think it is funny how they have names of the Schitt family sound like other things. I am a punster and like word-play (probably the seventh most annoying thing about me) so this is right in my wheel-house. Chris Elliott plays Roland Schitt (roll in), his son is Mutt Schitt (dog) and his wife is Jocelyn Schitt (jostling? - not quite as clear). Of course, I had to come-up with ideas I will present at the next writer's meeting for new relatives (Schitts). Dominick / Dom Schitt, Paula Schitt, Doug Schitt, Lewis Schitt, Kat Schitt, Phil F. Schitt, Dewey Schitt, Fanny Schitt, Will Schitt, Jack Schitt, Bill Schitt, Dick Schitt, Lucy Schitt, Willie Schitt, Betty Schitt, Smiley Schitt... I have several more but these are the names I am pitching for the family reunion show.  I also find it funny that the other family on the show (Eugene Levy's family) is the Rose family. Kind of an opposite effect if your television has smell-o-vision (would it be vision?). I think I will also introduce another side of the family named The Fartz. I am pretty skillful at running a joke into the ground.

Turns out I am a pretty good catch (in moderation)

I heard a thing on the radio that listed the top three things gals notice and like about guys when they first meet them. The ladies look for: a good sense of humor, intelligence and a nice smile. I think I have all three of those from time-to-time but I probably had them simultaneously when Jill and I first met. Now she is stuck with me all because of my false-advertising campaign back in the early 1980's. Luckily, I think the statute of limitations has run-out on this so she is stuck.

I am still doing really well on my new outlook on life food. Fabio brought home a couple of boxes of Girl Scout Thin Mints and they have been sitting there for about a week. Neither Cha Cha and I will touch them. I am pretty sure that Fabio is just tormenting us for all of the parenting we have performed over the past 18 years. If they were Samoas I would be having a tougher time but Thin Mints are definitely my number two (speaking of the Schitts).

I am sorry that I did not blog yesterday. I am sure you were heartbroken. Maybe when I typed TTTT on Tuesday I meant Ta Ta Til Thursday instead of Ta Ta Til Tomorrow. I really intended to blog yesterday but Schitt happened (see what I mean about the stupid puns?).

I am James Franco for Stoner Foods

I keep hearing that there is a big push to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois. I am not sure how I feel about that. I don't have a problem with pot though I am rule-follower. I suppose, if it were legal, I would try the pot (I know there are at least ten Schitt's Creek jokes in there somewhere). I wonder what the surrounding states (Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky) would do. Kentucky would fall right in though the whiskey manufacturers would probably try to stop it. I think Wisconsin (a state that lets kids drink at bars as long as their with their parent) would be okay with dope. Iowa could go either way though they are big on growing things there. Missouri and Indiana seem kind of like followers so I think I can speak for all of us and say we are all in. Supposedly the states neighboring Colorado are not all in agreement though. Oklahoma and Nebraska are talking about law suits against their neighbor. Nebraska and Oklahoma should just start opening Dorito's, Ramen Noodles and Funyuns factories on their borders. I cannot wait to see the Seth Rogen and James Franco and Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg commercials. Alright, alright, alright. I might watch Surfer, Dude - I love that film.

Okay I have to get some things done today. I only get two days off a week and I have six days of stuff to get done. I think I need a nap too. Thank you for stopping by. I am fairly certain that I will blog tomorrow though I have several things on my agenda. Have a great whatever day this is for you (I always get so hung-up with names of things). TTTT (82%)...MITM (out) TA!     P.S. - Today's blog has made me hungry.

Free Blog - It Doesn't Even Cost ONE RED CENT

One Red Cent - this was not touched-up or colored in any way by me

Yesterday I wrote about how I find a penny almost every night. And, the penny always leads me to find some other coins very near by. Last night I found a penny and, because it has been 100% that I have found more money next to the penny, I looked around for the rest of the pay-out. I did not find any other coins near by. I have been conditioned to look so, I looked. There was one odd thing about this penny - it was red. I remember when I was a kid people would say things like "I wouldn't give you one red cent for that." I figured that was because the copper pennies would give off a reddish appearance. This penny, however, was red. Red on both sides. Unfortunately, red pennies don't seem to have other coins surrounding them.Maybe the pay-day from this penny comes later. Perhaps I need to play the lottery today? Oh great, I just looked it up and "one red cent" seems to be a racial slur. Pennies, before they were "Lincoln pennies" the one cent piece used to be an "Indian Head Penny" with a Native American on the front. I am sure the Washington Redskins would like to see them come back. The term "Redskin" has a lot of different views of where it came from but I have heard a lot lately that it had to do with the bloodshed they suffered by early "Whiteskin" settlers rather than the reddish color of their skin from the sun. I think I just made up the "Whiteskin" thing.

I am happy that my hump day is behind me now.

I wish we didn't have fingernails and toenails. That isn't fair for me to wish for you too. I will rephrase it and say I wish I didn't have toe and finger nails. I am trying to think of how many times I actually use my nails. I guess their good for picking-off scabs. Scratching is a nice thing to put in the fingernail sales brochure. Scraping stickers off of things make them handy (no pun intended). I am without two toenails and I have never missed either one of them. Maybe I cannot climb a tree as fast nude as I used to be able to but, other than that, I have not missed them. I must say that fingernails do come in handy when picking ones nose. Why do we hide the fact that we pick our noses? You know that most of us do it from time to time.

Even Mother Nature sets goals and counts milestones 

I need to workout again today. I am not at the point where I am totally addicted yet; I still have to push myself just to go downstairs and beat myself up. I know, eventually, I will be back to where I live to workout but I think that will be a month or two from now - maybe when the weather breaks. I am eating right and I am working-out so I am headed back in the right direction. I wonder if I had been in a state of depression and didn't realize it. Maybe slipping-back was a way to punish myself? Cha Cha had remarked from time-to-time that she thought I was depressed. I was always laughing and appearing happy but I suppose any babbling idiot can do that (I know some that fit that scenario). I was either in denial or I was correct and I was not depressed. I didn't feel depressed but I cannot think of any other reason to ignore everything I had worked so hard for and achieved and let all slip back. Maybe I am one who likes the journey more than arriving at the destination. I sure do force myself to think sometimes. Forcing myself to think has forced me to realize that I like the journey AND arriving at my destination. I have always been one who loves travelling and trips but, without a goal or an ending-point, what is the use of travelling? Life is a journey and we all end-up in the same place so maybe the journey is all that we really have. I am happy to know the people I know and have them travelling with me on my journey to nowhere or everywhere or somewhere. I guess that is why we need to set new goals once we reach the ones we had set. Maybe I should only have milestones and when I get close to the last one set new ones. I need to keep that stick with the carrot on it moving forward. I know none of this are revelations but I need to write it to believe it. I guess milestones measure the miles of your goals huh? They need to work together!

One goal that I have set now is that Jill and I record a new Load of Dirty Laundry Podcast and get that going again. We are planning to record Thursday night and I hope to have it uploaded by Saturday morning. I will have to start coming-up with topics to discuss. Maybe we will keep the first kind of short until we get back into the swing again. I will try to get to Guitar Center and see about that new mixing board before that too. That will have to be Thursday during the day I suppose. Friday I am meeting my parents for lunch in Geneva. I chose Geneva because, that way, Cha Cha can join us as she will be working from her office in Geneva. In case you are looking to assassinate me we will be at The Honey Pot and 1230.

Soon to return to and ear near you!

I have been having trouble with the steering on the 4Runner. It is very hard to steer when the vehicle is cold and it has been cold for a long time since this winter stinks. I bought some power steering fluid and just went out to fill that but it is already full. It is probably something that will cost a lot to fix.

Alright, I am going to quit stalling and get down and work-out. It is already 1402 so, I will go down and beat myself up and then take a shower and then sleep and then go to work. Thanks for letting me self-examine my mental state today; I appreciate that your shingle is always out. Have a great rest of your day and your night. I will blog again tomorrow because I always have something on my mind and fingers. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

I Had a Dream (two actually)

I am starting to understand that "find a penny pick it up all day long you'll have good luck" saying. I have found pennies lying on the ground three nights in a row. When I bent down to pick up the first one I found two quarters lying next to it. The next night I bent down to get the penny and there were a dime and a nickle there next to that penny. Then, last night, I picked-up penny number three and there was a quarter and a dime. I wonder what I will find tonight. Good thing I am a pessimist and always look down or I would never have started what will certainly lead to finding something super substantial.

I have told you about all the animals and things I see while I am up all night. I have seen: deer, coyotes, skunks, foxes, geese, UFO's, Waldos, Jesuses (those last two mainly at Halloween time)... The other night I saw something that I have not seen since I was a young lad (that is an attempt at a joke about how old I am). I saw a pterodactyl the other night. Incidentally, it was very close to where I saw the UFO (I still have the video of the UFO by the way). That spot must be some kind of a vortex to another dimension or a different time or something. Anyway, I put the photo of the prehistoric creature strapped down on a truck there because I know you would think I was lying otherwise. You can see how big it is based on how it takes-up the entire bed of that trailer. It appears that they must have done some kind of experimentation on the beast. Trying to transport something in the MIDDLE of the night because you thought nobody would see it huh? You shouldn't have come through the town of the guy who finds pennies every night (I am observant).

I do not remember my dreams most of the time. They say we always dream (how they can make a blanket statement like that I have no idea unless they test every single person) but do not always remember them. Thursday and Friday night I had dreams that I remembered the next morning. On dream Thursday and two on Friday. I was so amazed that I wrote them down because they must have some significance if I remember them, right? The first one was not real detailed but it was about the set of plates my mom has that she got in Germany when I was born. I guess I am supposed to get them when she dies. I talked to her yesterday and she is doing fine. I don't remember many specifics beyond that.

They must have signed this for me in the dream

The other dream was much more detailed and I think I wrote these notes down immediately after I had the dream three nights ago. Michael Jordon and I were hanging around together at Wrigley Field (like we always do). There were no fans in the seats; it was before a game and before the gates opened or on an off-day or something. We, apparently, were members of The Chicago Cubs (so, I guess it was more of a nightmare than a dream for me). I joke because I am a Cardinals' fan. We were participating in some kind of a home run derby. It seemed like we were teamed-up in pairs and MJ and I, like we are in life, were paired-up. We could not find our way to get onto the field (which probably represents some kind of a problem I have in my waking life or something significant). Ron Santo and Don Kessinger were the team hitting and we were next. I guess I woke up after that so I don't know if we ever got on the field or how we fared in the contest. Supposedly, according to my mom, I am related to Don Kessinger through marriage so, it seems, these dreams have a lot of ties to my mom.

I saw Michael Keaton did not win Best Actor for Birdman. I am glad the Academy listened to me and read the blog about that. I am not overly surprised that Birdman won best picture and many other awards since it was about acting and it stroked the egos of pretty much everyone who votes for these awards, The film was okay but I would not see it again. I like a lot of people in it and I like Keaton but not in this role. He may have even been better in Night Shift. Definitely better in Beetlejuice. Anyway, Eddie Redmayne was amazing as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Roles where people play real people are always good for the Oscars: Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker), Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx), Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts), Virginia Wolf (Nicole Kidman), Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett), Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandy Bullock), Queen Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), June Carter Cash (Reese Witherspoon), King George (Colin Firth), Dicky Eckland (Christian Bale), Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep),Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis), Norma Rae (Sally Field), Jake LaMotta (Robert DeNiro), Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek), Salieri (F. Murray Abraham)... I am sure I could go on but you get the idea. If faced with the choice of two roles ALWAYS go for the one based on a real person. Liam Neeson should have won for Oskar Schindler even though he was beaten by Tom Hanks for playing that dude in Philadelphia (also based on a real guy though the name was changed).

I have decided that newspapers are hazardous to our health. Have you seen how the people who deliver these papers in the MIDDLE of the night drive? Holy moley. And, turn signals could not be easier to use. I know you have your hazards on constantly and, in your case, this may be because you are the hazard.

I made the mistake of not wearing my long johns last night. Man, did it get cold again here in the MIDDLEwest. It looked like it was gonna get warmer but then it changed its mind.

I love watching the birds eat the seed we put out for them. Why do people like to watch animals eat? Squirrels, fish, sharks, birds, whales, giraffes, lions... It is kind of weird if you think about it. We don't like to watch other people eat so why do we like to watch other species' eat?

I have talked and blogged myself into getting something to eat. I know this is short notice but you are welcome to watch if you want. This got long in a hurry. I appreciate you hanging in there; I hope it was worth it. Have a great whatever day this is for you (Wednesday for me). I need to eat something, work-out, go to the store, sleep,go to work and repeat. Maybe not the store thing though. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Don't Believe the NO PAIN, NO GAIN Hype

Seriously, say NO to  Pain & Gain

You are probably so happy that it is Saturday and you get to loaf around all day or do whatever the heck you want to do without answering to the man. I am, however, bummed because I am eleven-and-a-half hours away from beginning my work week. I don't hate work I just like doing nothing a lot better sometimes.

I am very sore today. Not the angry kind but the "man, my arms and abs and lats are killing me" kind. I suppose the aches mean either that I am working-out correctly or that I am working-out incorrectly. How do you know which one it is? Since it is just aching and not hurting I think it is the good kind of pain - the "no pain, no gain" type. That reminds me - while I was working-out yesterday I started watching Pain & Gain starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I searched the internet for suggestions on some good movies to watch. Most said that the film was just okay but it was worth watching for the two actors' performances. Those reviews were completely wrong. The film was terrible and I would rather watch complete strangers' kids school Christmas shows than this garbage. The performances were terrible and the movie was even worse. I usually like Wahlberg and have liked Johnson off-and-on but not here. Supposedly, Tony Shalhoub and Ed Harris are in it too (two actors that I almost always like) but I could not stomach the movie long enough to get to them. 

I took a break there to install a new light above the kitchen sink. Now my biceps ache even more. Some pain and some gain. I think I just like to complain. Now that I poke at myself (I already wear glasses to read so it's only a MATTer of time before I am completely bind anyway) the pain is actually right when the arm pits turn into arms. From what the interweb is telling me those are called my Teres Minor muscles. It sounds sexy when I hear that.

Is it just me or is that referee Bill Murray?

I just searched the guide on the television and there is a documentary on HBOW (the W stands for West) called Broad Street Bullies. As you might know it is about the Philadelphia Flyers. I am starting to find television stations stealing ideas from my blog. I wrote about goons in hockey a couple of days ago and then HBO totally changes their programming to capitalize on the success and growth of the blog. It's just like all the Robin Williams movies showing-up right after he died or all of the football films on TV when it is Superbowl The Big Game time of the movies starring Oscar nominees at Academy Awards time. I don't really believe that they changed their programming because of the blog but it is fun to go to the land of make believe from time-to-time. 

I didn't know I was doing a sports blog today. Most times I never know where the blog goes until it gets there and this is one of those times. I guess the percentages were in that favor.

if you ask me

Speaking of The Academy Awards, I cannot believe Birdman is getting so much great hype. Jill  and I saw it when it first came out in theaters and I wrote about it back in October. I wrote about how it seemed like it was geared toward acting-types and/or people in the business. Maybe that it is why it is doing well in the awards arena because acting-types are the ones who pick those winners. I love Michael Keaton but thought his performance was poor. I remember that Zack Galifianakis and Naomi Watts gave the best acting performances in the film. Even better than Keaton and Ed Norton (one of my favorites). Birdman will probably win Oscars for Keaton and for Best Picture because of politics and the need to make themselves seem more relevant to themselves. I really don;t like the winter in the entertainment world because all of the award shows and such making the bazillionaires feel better about what they do. 

Okay, it is 1018 now and I have to get some things done before work. I am starving too so I think I will steam some broccoli. I hope you enjoy your Saturday and your Saturnight. We are gonna have a heatwave in my part of the MIDDLEwest. It is 24 degrees now and they are saying that it will get up to 30 degrees. I cannot remember the last time that we have had lofty numbers like that. Thank you for your blogticipation. TTTMonday...MITM (out) TA!

Do Unto Others NOT as You Would Have Done Unto You!

Cha Cha snuck down and took this photo - I gotta work on that flabby gut

I finally got a really good workout in yesterday. It still amazing me how I have to drag myself into working-out but I always feel great while I am doing it and even better when I am done and my muscles have that slight ache. I did arms and cardio yesterday so today I will do legs and more cardio. I am going to work the stamina and endurance every day I think.

While I worked-out I watched a movie called Goon on Netflix. I searched the interweb and made a list of movies that sounded good based on a bunch of strangers. It is not great but I found it entertaining. It is a good movie to workout to because it got the adrenaline going.  It is a hockey movie about a guy who is just a goon. In case you are unaware of what that means in terms of hockey it is an enforcer, a protector... He fights and mainly protects the other players. Eddie Shore is probably the most well-known because of the movie Slap Shot. Without Marty McSorley to protect him Wayne Gretzky might have only been The Very Good One instead of The Great One. Dave Schultz of The Broad Street Bullies (Flyers). Bob Probert... There were some surprising people in the film - Eugene Levy and Liev Schreiber namely. I knew Sean William Scott was in the movie so he was not a surprise. Based on some of the footage during the closing credits it seems like it may have been based on a real guy. If you are a hockey fan you will probably like it okay though it is no Slap Shot.

They said they may have the film at Best Buy

I just got back from doing the shopping. I went to the supermarket for groceries and I stopped by the butcher to get Jeff some pipe bones. Cha Cha had mentioned that she has been wanting to watch Young Frankenstein again so, while I was out, I looked for the video. I tried Walmart, Target, Five Below, Best Buy, Dollar Tree and had no luck. I think Walmart would sell more videos if they didn't dump them all in a huge bin all together. There may have been a Young Frankenstein in there somewhere. who knows? I should have just brought a cart up and started taking the DVD's out a putting them in the carts. I came home and went on the computer and Red Box does not have it. I checked on the computer and the Sony site that is connected to our DVD player doesn't even have it. So, I thought about buying it online but, they made it a pain in the asterisk so I did not complete the purchase. I have always had an over-zealous want/need to please everybody else. I wish I could shake that character flaw.

While I was out I stopped over at work (the Human Resources department) and filled-out a form so I can test for another position. The exact name of the form is a "request to test." I want to test for this particular job because it is daytime work (I think from 0600 - maybe 1500 with an hour lunch?). I am not sure if I would accept a position if offered because I do not know the pay scale. I make pretty decent money and am getting a 16% raise in less than a month and then, if our Union contract goes as planned, another 14% raise later in the year. If I get an interview and get offered the job I will have to evaluate and decide. I heard about the position Wednesday night/Thursday morning while at work from someone who currently works in that department. If I see this person again I will ask about the pay. There would be a lot of things to weigh if it comes down to it. I like what I do but, as much as I like it, I like my time with the rest of the world more. I wold not have been able to go shopping while the rest of the world was at work if I worked days like everybody else.

I hope that means what I think it means

Jill and I talked about many things this morning and what we discussed made me think of one of the two best things I took away from college. It actually was the number two thing. One of my professors said something that I have carried with me ever since I heard it. I know you are on the edge of your seat waiting to read these sage words. We had always been taught (at least we MIDDLEs and beyond had) that "you should treat others as you would like to be treated." It comes from Matthew 7:12 in The Holy Bible - "do unto others as you would have done unto you." This professor said that we should actually "treat others as THEY would like to be treated." That makes perfect sense to me. Not everybody necessarily wants to be treated the way I want to be treated and I may not want to be treated the way you or they like to be treated. I try, most of the time, to follow this simple rule. I would say this the the new Matthew's philosophy as the old Matthew is pretty outdated. I would say that it is my credo (or creed if you prefer). If, when I first meet people, I don't know how they want to be treated I treat them as I would like to be treated until I learn their preferences. By the way, you may already have guessed that the best thing I took with me from college was Cha Cha!

It is already 1428 and I have to workout still and, when Jill gets home from work, it sounds like we are either going to Noddles and Company or Applebee's for dinner. I would make other choices but "treat other people as they would like to be treated" and these are the places she mentioned. I really don't care where we eat. I have only had two Weight Watchers cheese sticks, about five dill pickles and some carrot sticks today so, if it stays that way, I can eat pretty heartily (that is a word isn't it?) tonight. Again with the cylindrical-shaped foods. I think I may have some peas, broccoli or asparagus after my workout.

Is Stuart Goddard still alive? I always liked him and his music. I just heard the word adamant and I thought of him. It is funny how that word totally describes him. He was pretty steadfast in his beliefs and had unshakable convictions. In case you do not know who he is - he is/was Adam Ant (the singer not the cartoon superhero). I guess he is still alive according to Wikipedia and it sounds like he may be a bit senile now if that is correct.

Okay, I have to workout and shower and maybe I can even sneak a nap in there? It is really cold out so I am happy tonight is my Sunday and I don't have to be back at work until your Saturday (tomorrow) night. Thank you, as always, for stopping by. I guess you are treating me as I would like to be treated and I appreciate that. I hope you have a great Friday and Frinight. I will blog again tomorrow provided I am able. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

The Same Low Low Price of 0/100ths

I know that is crude but when I looked for a photo this popped up

I know it is very unlike me to be totally random but, when it comes to dill pickles I am a Claussen Matt. I think it is simply that they are refrigerated and I seldom find a limp pickle. I dislike flaccid dills. I like the crunch. Guess what I am eating!?! I just realized that all I have had to eat today was a banana at 0400 (on my break) and about four pickles. Maybe I will have to have a turkey dog next.

It is high noon right now and this is my Friday night. WooHoo.

Am I the only person who has a high pitched humming or buzzing his his/her brain all the time when there is no background noise? I think about it a lot and always forget to ask people if they have that too. I have always had very acute hearing (which is a curse more than a blessing a lot of the time) so maybe that is part of that? Maybe it is some other beings trying to contact me and I just cannot make-out what the messages are. Perhaps everything, in fact, makes a noise and I am intercepting the furniture and plants talking about me and I just do not speak their languages. I think that is why I always have to have background noise going - it drowns out the buzzing a little. If I were a little harder of hearing I think I could sleep better and I would also not be so nosy. It is going-on all the time; even if I am in the quiet of the woods or in the MIDDLE of a green field. I don;t really notice it much until there is silence.

I have used this notebook for too many things. I usually don't hybrid the notebooks (I have dozens going at one time) but this has some note about unlawful restraint in it so I think one found it's way into pocket four when it should have been in pocket one or two.

I noticed a lot of signs as I was driving around last night. It was a quiet night at work because it was thirty degrees below zero (windchill) a lot of the time and it was not intended for humans. When I say "signs" I am referring to actual signs at stores and restaurants... Why did the people who are jockeying for all of our cash decide to make things have to include 99 cents or 9/10ths of a cent back in the day? You know - fuel is $2.53.9 and a dinner is $10.99. Why can't they just be $2.54 and $11.00? Are we so stupid that we cannot realize that these things are a dollar more than they are trying to make us believe that they are? I was gonna get one more gallon of gas but I just didn't have that extra nine-tenths of a cent. I seriously wonder why they do this. I have heard that the gas thing started way back when gas was only like twelve cents a gallon and raising it one cent would seem like a huge rate-hike so they just raised it 9/10th of a cent. How else could they get their extra billions of dollars from we ignorant saps? I think the 99 cent thing is probably the same - made to trick we ignorant buffoons. I know some other countries even add the price of the sales tax to the price so you know EXACTLY what you will be paying. That would have come in very handy all of those times as a kid when I was four cents short on getting that pack of baseball cards.

Ironically, with all of the cold last night I encountered several people from India. We have a lot of Indian people in town because of the university. I always enjoy talking to people from that part of the world. I would say that 99.99% of them I have talked to are very, very nice plus 9/10ths. Of course, when it is very cold, I always mention the weather here and ask them what people back at their homes say when they tell them that is thirty degrees below zero. In Celsius -30 degrees is -34.4444 degrees Fahrenheit (Celsius is most of the rest of the world's measurement method).  As you may imagine, people back at their homes have zero concept of how cold that is. A lot of times we will then talk about how hot it gets in India and I have very little concept of that and 99/100's. I can never understand why some people find people from other parts of the world or people of other races/religions/cultures... scary or offensive for merely those reasons. I love that we are all different. I think some people are just afraid of people who are not like them rather than being like me and just be amazed and excited about our differences. I have a lot of hope and joy in life knowing that most people are not like me. I would probably not like me much if I weren't stuck with myself.

Those aren't my knees

It was funny when I went out to head to work at about 2130 last night. I wore my Long Matts (you may call them Long Johns) for the first time of the year. Up until now I just toughed-it-out but I bought into the hype of the cold this time. As I walked out to the 4Runner to head-out I immediately learned that this layering theory of braving the elements is the real deal. The Long Matts that I put on had a rip in the back part of my right knee (what is the backside of you knee called? - that should have a name) and I could IMMEDIATELY feel the coldness in that area. I may use this as a mind-trick to convince myself that I am warm from now on. I will leave one area (an area that will not overtake the rest of my body) a little less protected so the rest of me is tricked into thinking it is special and that I like it better so it stays warmer. Will it work if I do it intentionally? I will report back on my scientific findings at a later blog.

Wow, I rambled a lot today. I have more energy on my days off I guess. I feel a lot better than I did a couple of days ago though I am still a bit stuffed-up. Thanks for letting me prattle-on. You know I appreciate you coming-by. I may not always remember to say it but know that it is true every time that I blog. Have a great your Thursday. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Maybe There IS Something Wrong With That!

Until tonight maybe. Minus 128.6 is about to go down!

Another day in paradise. That is as long as paradise is located in Vostok, Antarctica. It is only supposed to get down to minus eleven degrees Fahrenheit here so, compared to Antarctica, this is kind of tropical I suppose. When I get off work tomorrow morning at 0600 it is supposed to be -11 and who knows what the windchill will be?!  It may be a long johns night. I have not worn my long johns one day yet this winter. I have worn a long-sleeved turtle neck under my uniform shirt several times but no extra down below, I just figured my hot ass would keep me warm. Tonight may even be too much for my sweet Bermuda onion. Bermuda is warm isn't it? Maybe I won't need the long johns after all?

I am feeling a little better than yesterday. I am still a bit run-down but after tonight it is my weekend so I think I should be able to work so I have something to complain about (the weather) in tomorrow's blog.

I say maybe there IS something wrong with that!

I went and ran some errands this morning. I took the old car battery back for the core refund, I went to the supermarket and got a few things, I dropped some things off at Goodwill. Mostly things that Fabio has out-grown (when you are 6'6" that will happen occasionally. I just know that second-hand since I am still a little average MIDDLE guy of 5'9". I checked some old lottery tickets (no winners) and I went to another supermarket to get a few other things. While driving I heard that TBS is speeding-up reruns of Seinfeld by 7.5% so they can squeeze a few more minutes of commercials into each showing. Why do you think they decided to settle on 7.5%? Will they slowly increase the speed once we are desensitized to the 7.5%? I have heard what I have thought were weird sped-up voices on other shows before but I have not watched Seinfeld in a long time. I rarely watch shows that are not DVR'd because of my work schedule so I would probably not notice anyway. It's not bad enough that we have to pay for television but now they want to show MORE commercials too. You would think that, since we pay for television these days, we would get shows commercial-free. That has angered me for quite some time but what can I do about it other than not watch television (not an option) or DVR almost everything (my standard practice). I know they are working on ways to thwart that practice because working the products into shows like some of the smart shows do would be too difficult to monetize their greedy satisfaction I imagine.

Last night Cha Cha and I watched The Theory of Everything. That is the film about Stephen Hawking.What a fascinating story. It was, as you might imagine, more cerebral than action-packed. It is a very good movie. We watched it on pay-per-view or whatever DirecTV calls it. Oh, I just checked and they call it DirecTV Cinema. That is not a very clever title but maybe they just want to keep it simple so there are no mix-ups.

I cannot believe I didn't realize yesterday that it was Matt Tuesday. Sorry if I disrespected: Dillon, LaBlanc, Lillard, Modine, Damon, Groening, Lauer, Broderick, Perry, McConaughey, St. Matthew or any of my fellow Matts/Matthews. I hope I don't get kicked out of The Handsome Matts Club for this faux pas.

Mike Fox makes me not feel so old as a member

I just rejoined AARP. You can become a member at the age of 50. I was a member and I let my membership lapse but I thought I would go ahead and renew. We are planning on doing some travelling and I bet I can safe money as a RP that isn't retired. I assume that the RP still stand for "retired persons." There really aren't nearly as many RP's as there used to be. I think I will be a RIP way before a RP. It is not really as necessary to retire anymore sine most people don;t do back-breaking work like back in the day. Most jobs now allow us to sit on our RUMP's so we can keep working. I wish the AARP discount would save on things like mortgages and utility bills and other big things. You pretty much save on things that you don't NEED to have. Just like most things it is a way to put money into someone else's pocket. I will make sure to use it to at least get my $16 per year back.I think that will be pretty easy to do.

I wrote some notes for the blog because I am of AARP age - let me go find my little notebook. Blog among yourselves until I get back.

Maybe I should have consulted my notebook when I went to the store because I forgot to get power steering fluid. Why write it down if you're not going to read your notes moron? I even had the notebook with me! I had a MIDDLE AARP who will never retire moment I guess.

Was so much better with The Mattgarita Happy Hour

I did not write too many things that I have not already blogged about. I did write about Margaritaville (the song). It was playing on the radio while I was driving around (I sure do drive a lot - maybe I should be an UBER driver) and I thought a lot about that song / phenomenon. The song was written in 1977 in Key West by Jimmy Buffett. I remember listening to it in college in the early/MIDDLE 1980's. It was a fun song to listen to while you were drinking. In 1985 the first Margaritaville restaurant opened in Key West (one my favorite places in the world - I love the Keys). There are now 29 Maragritaville's worldwide. He has his hands in everything. This guy is a bazillionaire now because of my help. I had my own show on Radio Margaritaville for a couple of years called The Mattgarita Happy Hour. When Radio Margaritaville went to SiriusXM Radio they began playing ONLY music and did not bring shows like mine over to the new forMATT. I had thought, when I heard that Buffett was going over to SiriusXM, that I would soon be world-wide famous but that was not in the cards. I cannot believe he cut me out after I made him so famous/popular. Anyway, I digress... my point of that all was that you never really know what could be the thing that pushes you to the next level. Buffett wrote this cute little song about escaping everyday life and going to your own personal "island" and people just related to it and now he has more wealth than he can ever spend. I met him only once; I imagine it was the highlight of his life. I wish I could say that he was a jerk so I could dislike him but he was very nice. He is short though - that makes me feel a little bit better.

Alright, I have to get more things done around here before I sleep before my Friday begins. I think I am going to go dig out those old recordings of The Mattgarita Happy Hour for old time sake. Thank you for stopping by. Just keep doing what makes you happy and maybe one day you will be rewarded for doing what you love. Maybe you already are and aren't even aware of it. I feel I am rewarded in non-monetary ways every day for doing what I like to do. I hope you have a great Hump Day (my Friday). I will try to come up with something blog-shattering for tomorrow. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Yes, I Look For Trouble Constantly!

I am feeling a bit lot punky today. Fabio was really sick for about four days last week and I am afraid that maybe I picked-up on his cold. I do not get sick very often and I hope this is just a lack of sleep issue and I will feel better later today. He is in the public a lot of the time (goes to high school and works at a supermarket) so you see a lot of people and come in contact with illness all the time that way. I work with the public daily and I have a crappy sleep schedule so I have a lot of opportunity to get sick too. I only have two days nights left of my work week so I will probably just tough it out and get my coworkers sick too; that's what team players do. It will be a game time decision.

I just heard the phrase "you're just looking for trouble." I used to hear that all the time which probably says something about me but now that is what I do for a living. Well, 60% of the time that is what I am doing. I am looking for trouble so I can squash it or, actually, looking for the potential for trouble and heading it off at the pass. Danger used to be my MIDDLE name but now it is Trouble.

Last night while I was driving around looking for trouble a song that I have liked a great deal for a long time came on the radio, It was My Immortal by Evanescence. I had always heard that the song was about dealing with and coping with the death of a loved-one; most often that it was the death of band member and the song's writer Ben Moody's grandfather. I had that in my head when I listened to the song but, last night, I pictured Cha Cha and my journey with her hospital stays at the end of last year. That is the great thing about songs; we can all read different things into them and make them soundtracks for our lives. And the meanings can change based on the chapter of our life. This is a beautiful song no MATTer what it is really about.

While I have planted Cha Cha's hospital stays in my head again (thanks Evanescence) I became thankful for all of the nice comments I keep getting about the blog again from you. A lot of the niceness is coming from people who began reading the blog to follow what was going on with Jill and they have continued reading. I love writing and I am thankful that it brings joy or thoughtfulness or a smile or makes people feel that there are other people (me, at least) who think crazy things like they do... to them. I usually thank you at the end of the blog but - thank you for reading and for all of the nice comments. I don't even mind the bad comments because they give me other things to write about. You make me smile just by stopping-by and I hope I return the favor by making you smile once in awhile.

Now I am thinking about death a lot. I suppose, as they say, it is part of life. We all have expiration dates but it would be handy if they were printed on us so we would know when to whoop it up. I know many people who have lost their spouses and most of them seem to be women. Why do men usually die first? I suppose it used to be because they seemed to be under more stress with being the bread-winners and bearing most of the responsibilities. That has changed a lot in America - it has in my house. Luckily, I have not ever had a problem with things like that. We are a team and always will be. I have always wondered if I would prefer to die before Jill or visa versa. I don't really have much of a say in that MATTer and that is the way that I prefer it. I do often wonder which I would pick if I made the call. I would be very, very sad to see her die. I cried a lot when there was even a reasonable chance that she would die. I am one who generally is more worried about other's feelings than my own (generally - not always) so I sometimes think that I would prefer that she died first so she didn't have to have the pain of seeing me die. That sounds presumptuous but it is not meant that way. But, I do not want to see her die either. She is a better person than I am so it would be better for everyone concerned if she out-lived me. Dying together would be sadder for the kids but they would get more insurance money. I am happy that this decision is not mine. If it were I think I would say take me first. Maybe that's where that joke "why do men die before their wives" comes from. The answer is "because they want to" but the reason is not as funny as I had previously thought.

Another thing that has been bothering me is that Mr. Peanut sounds more like Bill Hader than Robert Downey Jr. these days. I had always hoped to be the voice of Mr. Peanut and I guess it is too late for that now. I am too old to be a cast member of Saturday Night Live and that seems to be a prerequisite these days. Downey was a better voice. Hader sounds like too much of a smart-ass all the time. Mr. Peanut is sophisticated. He wears a monocle and a top hat for crying out loud. That makes me wonder who is the most successful SNL cast member in history. Belushi? Louis-Dreyfus? Chase? Murphy? Downey? Murray? Ferrell? Sandler? Fey? Fallon? Farley? Myers? Rock? Stiller? Crystal? That is a tough one. Do you measure it by net worth? Some have been around longer. Some died younger. You get more money for films and shows these days. Incidentally, there were a couple of snide comments about Downey during the SNL 40th Anniversary show. Maybe because he wasn't there?

Wow, I had a lot to say today. Thank you for letting me say it. I also appreciate all of your kind words and your continuing to give me reasons to write. I hope you have a great rest of your Tuesday and your Tuesnight. I am still on the fence about calling-off work tonight. I feel like HELLser and don't want to get everybody else sick so I get it back. I will make that decision in about four-and-a-half hours from now. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Live From the MIDDLE of America, it's Matt In The Middle!

I am watching the 40th anniversary show of Saturday Night Live. I have laughed out loud several times watching some of the old clips but three-and-a-half hours is way too long. There are a lot of stupid ones too. I can think of many things that they have left out and many of the ones that they chose to show and redo that I thought were bad choices. I just wish they would have showed clips and forgot about a lot of the live stuff. It is sort of like a really fun party that you weren't invited to and they are just entertaining themselves. So many people gained so much weight - mostly the men. Marty Short and Steve Martin and Paul Shaffer look pretty much the same. I have been watching SNL pretty much since it started. Thankfully, we didn't have 900 channels back then or I could not say that. Chris Rock is now introducing Eddie Murphy. I never even realized that Eddie Murphy hosted the show while he was still a cast member.

I am tired of working; I don't think I want to do that anymore. What are my choices? Death? Living in a cardboard box? Winning the lottery? Printing my own money? Prison? I guess I have to suck-it-up like everybody else in the world. In less than a month I get a $2.00 / hour raise and we are currently working on our new union contract which looks like will bring me another couple of bucks an hours. M.A.P. Union - represent!
Did John Goodman lose a lot of weight or did everybody just pass him up and that makes him look thin? It's like Thornton Melon says. "if you want to look thin, you hang around with fat people." I think he just lost a lot of weight. Good for you Johnny!

I think I wrote a few note for the blog but I am too lazy to go upstairs and get my notebook. It's isn't my Wednesday for another seven-and-a-half hours ya know.

I really don't have anything. I usually run-on at the fingers but, for some reason, I have nothing going-on in my head. I know I have been accused of that many times but I am just now admitting it I guess. They say that is the first sign of recovery. I seem very tired today and maybe that has something to do with it. I will definitely have to get some sleep before work tonight.

I work for the State of Illinois - why do I have to work on President's Day? Well, I guess I work every day no MATTer what since I am considered "essential personnel" but if everyone else got off I would at least get paid double time (or, as I handle it, get more COMP time). I am still trying to get back to where I was before I saved Cha Cha's life three or four times. I did get a couple more days of COMP time a couple of week's ago when there was a work-closure and we still worked. I was fortunate that I worked the days that we were "closed." If those had been my off-days I would not have gotten the COMP time.

Okay, I stalled long enough to make it look like I had something on my mind. Have a great rest of your day and night while I am freezing my bippy off again tonight. I do feel like I have been fighting a cold for the last few days. Fabio was really sick for about three days but I am just stuffed-up. I seldome get very sick. Thanks for letting me ramble. I will try to think of more interesting things to write about for tomorrow. The definitive word is TRY." TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Is This Day About Love or Violence?

Valentine's Day means something different in Illinois

Happy Valentine's Day! This day is supposed to be about love and appreciating the people that are important to us in our lives. In my part of the MIDDLEwest there are other things that come to my mind too. Just east of us is a small Midwestern town called Chicago there was one of the most famous shootings of all time in 1929. You know it's a big deal when you hear names like Al Capone and Bugs Moran associated with it. They even gave it a name so it could be marketed for the rest of time - The Saint Valentine's Massacre. It's been referred to in many movies and television shows and songs and stage plays...

In 2008 we had a shooting here in our town too. I remember driving home from work and, as I got closer to home, seeing several helicopters hovering over town. I tuned the news radio station in and learned what was going on. I am not going into great detail but I am always a bit more cautious this day for this reason. I work with a girl (I call her a girl because she is quite a bit younger than me only - do not read anything else into it) who was injured in the shooting. She even became a police officer because of this event. I knew that about her until Splenda sent me an article that was in Cosmopolitan magazine about her and the event. I like her a great deal. She is always friendly and smiling; that says a lot to me about a person (it is not 100% though). She can be through something so dramatic and traumatic and still be positive says a  lot about her character. I did not know her before 2008 so maybe this changed her but it seems to be her nature.

Last night on the way home from dinner and a movie we were listening to the radio and they had a story about a young lady girl (23 years old) from Geneva that was arrested in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She had flown up to Canada to be part of a shooting/suicide at a shopping mall. We heard the story just as we were driving by Geneva High School. We know lots of people from Geneva. Cha Cha works in Geneva. There is a very good chance that we know this girl's family. They have not announced her name yet but it will happen. Everything has to be everybody's business. Thank goodness for a person who tipped-off the authorities and for the Mounties (Canadian Mounted Police). Geez, I wonder why Canadians hate us Americans. Actually, I am not sure if they hate us and they probably don't because they don't seem very hateful; it's probably because of the great health care that they have and the over-the-counter codeine and the stronger beer and the clean air...

I have convinced myself that Valentine's Day is more about hate and violence than about love as we're taught to believe as children. We cannot have anything nice! I guess we cannot make things like this turn things bad. I assume that people pick this day on purpose to do this because they are miserable and want to make it miserable for the rest of us. I know I will forget by next year but I am going to make sure I stay away from big crowds on V.D..

In hindsight maybe we weren't so smart to go out to a theater on the opening night of Fifty Shades of Grey. We did not see that movie (and I NEVER will) but it was playing in four of the theaters at the mega-huga-plex where we watched Kingsman: The Secret Service. I guess it wasn't Valentine's Day last night - it was just Friday the 13th (another day that is surrounded by murder - mostly in film).

I highly recommend Kingsman: The Secret Service. It was a fun movie. I am guessing there will be sequels because they added the colon to the title. I didn't find it ironic until right now that I am promoting a film that could not have had any more guns and firepower and violence in it when I wrote about all of the violence in my area this time of year. Maybe everybody just hates Midwestern winters?

We thought it would be funny to screw with Matt & Jill all night long

While Cha Cha and I were sitting in the theater waiting for the show to begin we could not stop laughing. The theater was probably about 25% full when we got there. We sat down at the third and fourth seats from the aisle. Everybody in the theater was talking at their regular voices. It was weird. I realize the film hadn't started but don't you still kind if whisper in a theater? Then, two people came and sad next to me in seats one and two in out row. There was 75% of the theater open and they had to sit next to me? Jill and I just looked at each other and started to laugh. Is Allen Funt still alive (if you're MIDDLE-aged or beyond you know who that is)? So, I moved to the other side of Cha Cha. Shortly thereafter a man in an electric wheelchair came in and parked right in from of Cha Cha. The chair had a really tall back/headrest and it totally blocked her view. When the heck is the hidden camera going to be revealed to us? We got up and moved to the third row of the theater. I didn't sign any release forms so, when I see this night on some hidden camera show, I will be getting a pay-day!

I forgot to mention that, at dinner, we ordered a bruschetta appetizer and, when our main dishes came and the appetizer hadn't arrived yet, I told the server that we didn't want the appetizer any more. I was very nice about it but why would we need an appetizer when we have our meal. Plus, I did not intend to pay for something we did not receive and I figured it would be easier to deal with it right away than to haggle at payment time. Maybe the Diet Gods were looking out for me? I didn't need the bread. So we ate our dinners and then she brought us a piece of cake to split. Curse you Diet Gods! I did not eat any of the cake - take that Diet Gods! On the bill we were not charged for the cake but it was listed at "birthday cake." She just brought us a piece of cake that they give away free anyway just to ease her conscience.

Okay, I have to get some things done before work tonight (my Monday - blechhhh). I hope you have a great Valentine's Day. I LOVE YOU for stopping-in today - thank you. Thank you for all the nice words and comments about the blog too; I really appreciate them. I will not blog tomorrow. I do not know why I don't blog on Sundays most of the time. TTTMonday...MITM (out) TA!

A Nap & Broccoli - What a Great Friday the 13th!

Jeff and I are so much alike sometimes

I did not do anything today that I had planned to do. Fabio has been sick for the last three or four days and I was feeling run-down so I lied down and fell asleep. I think I slept from like 1000 to just a few minutes ago (1354). I slept for almost four hours. I barely sleep that long most nights (mornings). I feel much better now that I am up so maybe I was just tired. Since today is sort of my Sunday I guess it was like any one of you normal people taking a nap on a Sunday afternoon.

Unreal... just as I finished writing that last paragraph a commercial came on the television that caught my attention. It was a commercial for a guitar store. If you read yesterday's blog you know that I had planned to go to Rockford today to Guitar Center to get some new recording equipment for Dirty Laundry Podcast. Guss what the commercial was for - unbelievably it was for Guitar Center.Thanks a lot karma! I was also going to get some new tactical pants but that was just because I was going to be in Rockford. I don't really need them. Maybe I will lose more weight this week and need a smaller size next week anyway. Now I have something to do next week.

I made a dinner reservation at Tribella for Cha Cha and I in three hours for Friday the 13th Valentine's Day. I work tomorrow night so we will beat the rush and let the chefs practice on us. I have not eaten anything today, which is bad, because I fell asleep. I think I am going to have some peas or steamed broccoli so I am not complete famished when we get to the restaurant.
We also have tickets to see a movie right after dinner; we are going to see Fifty Shade of Gray. Of course, I am kidding! I would not see that movie for the life of me and neither would Cha Cha. She hates it more than I do and she knows some about it. We are really seeing Kingsman: The Secret Service. I like to put all my plans here so that if somebody is trying to kill me they know exactly where I am so the chance of innocent people becoming collateral damage is diminished. If you are going to kill me tonight please wait until after dinner and, if you're as cunning and wise as I hope, you'll do it before I see the film and pick-up more pointers to foil your plan.

I never put the dinner and movie together with getting lucky until now

I didn't go to the dentist either. I could not find my dental insurance card so I rescheduled that before I conked-out. I called Delta Dental and they are sending me a new card. I probably could have just given the dentist the new number and they would have taken me but I am changing dentists and they why would they just trust me? Maybe I just hate the dentist and karma was doing me a solid. So, I will still go but just not on Friday the 13th!

Why would they make a Hot Tub Time Machine 2? Now that I think about it - why would they make a Hot Tub Time Machine 1?

Okay, full-disclosure time. I went with the steamed broccoli. Delicious! I just put Lowery's Salt and pepper on the broccoli.

I must have been sleeping pretty deeply because I actually dreamt or dreamed. It always mildly angers me when Spell-Check tells me that dreamt is not a word. DREAMT IS A WORD!!!!! Anyway, I DREAMT that Cha Cha and Splenda and Fabio and I were at a parking garage and couldn't find our cars. I cannot remember it too well now but I think we all had driven separate cars and we kept finding the ones they had driven but could never find my car. I think I woke up shortly after that so I don't think I ever found my car.

Hey, the broccoli is working already!

I think I am going to go take my shower now and get ready. I may play a quick Texas Hold'em tournament first. I prefer tournaments over sit-and-gos because the players tend to be a little better. Believe it or not playing against good players is better than to play against bad players. I could tell you why but there are so many reasons. I wonder if Cha Cha would want to go to Hollywood Casino after the show. I had a nap, you know! Have a great rest of your Friday the 13th. I will probably blog again tomorrow so I will wish you a happy Valentine's Day then. TTT V-D Day...MITM (out) TA!