The Heidelberg Hell-Raiser?

It is much more complicated when the monster is inside your head!

It is 02:06 Sunday morning and I am wide-awake, I had been asleep but, as happens quite often, I am now awake in the MIDDLE of the night. I feel like I have Stockholm Syndrome or something. I know that has to do with growing close to one's kidnapper and missing them after their release. I make this comparison because I feel as though I have been kidnapped by my own mind and I really miss it now that it is gone. I would not say that I am unhappy but I do miss the things that I did not know that I had when I had them. I imagine that can be filed into the cabinet of not realizing what I had until it was gone. It is a bit different in that I did know what I had and knew that it would possibly gone one day yet, now that it probably is, I am ill-prepared for that revelation. Maybe I am just a bit melodramatic because I have been in and out of sleep and I am a bit foggier that I usually am though the fog seems to like to be around me more and more. We do not agree on the situation but fog is really hard to get rid of without the fog's willingness. I should probably take another sleeping pill and see if I can sleep again. Though I have never done recreational drugs I am beginning to regret that choice; what difference would it have made. At least, had I done drugs, I would have something to attribute my problems to; maybe that is the most difficult part? I think I will take one of my prescribed crutches (pills) and sleep for a few more hours though they don't always help. I plan to take Jeff out for a walk at the park at about 07:00 so wish me luck on the sleep - the waking-up shouldn't be much problem. Now my damn foot just fell asleep - wait for the rest of us Mr. Selfish! Good night morning whatever. I will be back before you know it - quite literally.

I slept pretty well until 05:41 though I woke-up in a panic that I was going to miss my flight. I had the plane tickets but was running late. Turns-out that I don't have tickets and I am not travelling to Greenland today. I love travelling and I do love the thrill of making it someplace JIT (just in time) though I also hate it; I would rather be bored at an airport two hours early. Without mentioning anybody specifically, I have gotten very good at navigating places very swiftly and making destinations just by the seat of my pants (pun intended). It will probably continue to be a very useful tool until the end of my days - as the pearly gates are slamming closed.

Perhaps I am bird-brained...and proud of it!

Jill and I took Jeff for a walk in the park this morning; it was a great day for a walk. It was very nice and Jeff got to chase quite a few squirrels. They were all just screwing with him. They would stand on the ground near the bases of the trees and when he made his move they would run to the trees and head up the trunks and, when they were about seven feet or so up, they would just stop and turn around and look down at him. I think, if they had MIDDLE fingers he would have caught about seven or eight birds this morning. After that we brought Jeff home and headed back out and had breakfast with Jill's sister. Jill takes her sister to breakfast almost every Sunday and I tag-along once in awhile. Actually, more often than not now that my dance card is not as full as it once was. Then we went to Lowe's and bought some more flowers for the yard. It looks like it is going to rain now so I am not going to dig the holes right now. Another sign that it may rain is that the birds are very busy at the feeder right outside of my chair; I always know when bad weather is coming because the birds become gluttons in case they have a few days without dryness. They hunker-down in bad weather. Birds are pretty smart; I am not sure where the term bird-brained comes from but I think it may actually be a compliment. Maybe it has to do with the size of their brains but, in relationship to their bodies, I am sure they are the same percentage as humans? I am bad at math so I will just say that I am correct. Hey, being a St. Louis Cardinals' fan kinda makes me bird-brained, huh?

 Russell Crowe was really good casting 

I was watching Cinderella Man the other night while waiting for my sleep-aid to kick-in. Man, I love that movie (easily in my top ten off all time); I have watched it probably 30 times. Anyway, when they introduced Jimmy Braddock for his fight they mentioned his nickname (The Bulldog or Bergen) and I wondered what my nickname would be if I were a fighter and I decided on The Heidelberg Hell-Raiser. I am not much of a fighter so I will just retire undefeated with an unused fighter nickname.

When Fabio and I went to the Cubs game I really liked the renovations they made. I thought I would hate them because I liked the feel of old-time baseball but, other than the huge boards it still felt the same way. I am not sure why it never dawned on me but the renovations were all about money. One of the large screens has the word BUDWEISER emblazoned on top and the other one has WINTRUST on the top. Also, between innings there are commercials running. When people said that the Cubs were going to join the 21st century I was so naive to know they meant by hypnotizing us with the "buy, buy, buy" messages. Sports are big money and that is just the way that it is now.

I am gonna stop now because I am out of stuff to say. I have contemplated quitting the blog all together but I am gonna stick it out for awhile and hope that feeling goes away. I hope you have a rest of your weekend and thank you for stopping-by. TTT?...MITM (out) TA!

I am Very Slowly Becoming a Fine Wine

 Doesn't seem like too much to ask. Does it? 

I spent last night walking around Chicago. By the end of the night I had walked 10.17 miles and donated to many people's buckets. On the way back from Navy Pier I passed an elderly lady off the Chicago Lakefront Trail. She had about six large duffel bags that were completely full as well as a few of shopping those bags with handles. She was not close to the path and she did not appear to be looking for money; it was maybe like she was bedding-down for the night? I was so tempted to go over and give her ten bucks but so many things came into my mind. Would I be offending her? Maybe she would think me a masher? If she needed/wanted money wouldn't she at least have a small bucket or cup sitting out? So many things went through my mind. She was the first woman that I have seen for the past four weeks but, this is also the first time I have taken this path. Perhaps it is safer there because people are probably biking and running and walking all night long on this path and I imagine it is highly patrolled by officers. It is also fairly-well lit. A couple of times I almost doubled-back but did not. Maybe next week, just after dark, I will pass this area again and see if she is looking for some help. 

I am a very empathetic person which is one of my great strengths and also one of my great weaknesses. 

I would say that I put money into about seven or eight people's buckets last night. Actually, one of the guys I got him going one way and then back the other. He just had his cup there and did not have a sign and did not say anything. As I passed I put some paper money in the can and he looked up and smiled very big, looking right into my eyes, and thanked me with a huge smile (and words). I always look them in the eyes and smile to show them that somebody cares about them (learned that from Dick Gere). I realize I am creating scenarios in my head but aren't we all doing that all the time? We all need to know that somebody cares. On the way back I hit him again and I said, "if I keep passing by you'll end up being a millionaire." I noticed there was no paper money in his bucket though I know there should at least be mine in there. It dawned on me that this money thing, just like just about everything, is all about marketing. If people see too much money in there they may be more unwilling to give. There didn't seem to be as many people out looking for help last night as there had been in previous weeks. 

 The EL has starred in so many movies - "hey you sleaze - my bed!" 

I do not write about this to be braggadocios as I know I am not that good of a person. I do it, rather, to try to inspire others to do the same for others as Richard Gere, through Jill (that doesn't sound right but GOOD FOR HER), has done for me. Maybe it is a little selfish in that it makes me feel like I am helping fellow human-beings down on their lucks but that is not my intent for doing it or writing about it. PAY IT FORWARD - that didn't work-out very well for Haley Joel Osment did it? Whatever, we all have to die of something.

We parked the car in a parking lot right next to an alley under the EL (elevated train) at the beginning of night. Actually, many of the parking lots are right beneath the EL because who would want their store or restaurant or apartment under the LOUD trains all day and all night long?  Anyway, I learned that Jill does not like alleys. I suppose, if I weren't Mattman I would feel the same maybe. I kiddingly said, "I know it's because it is because of the movie Ghost" and she said that I was right. It was not specifically because of that movie but the scenario in the movie. She agreed to walk a very short way in the alley with me and it showed her that, as early as it was (like 21:00), there is too much activity going on in alleys for anything to happen. The pizza deliver folks are loading up their deliveries in the alleys (back doors)... Later at night it probably would be a worse idea. There was more chances of getting hit by a delivery person driving like a maniac than getting a shiv in the gut. Speaking of pizza - we had Lou Malnati's pizza before her class. Some of the best pizza in the world. We just had a small deep dish and I was full for an hour. I was really happy I walked as far as I did though my feet do ache a bit today.

 Cha Cha really hates blood 

I am going to start walking more - maybe every night. I sleep so much better if I walk at night. Maybe I am becoming one of those old farts; I know why they walk now. I have always been a fart (Jill even has called me FART off-and-on for the past 30 years or so) but I am now adding the old part. Everything about farts is funny to me: the sound, the word... maybe not the odor of other people's though mine smell like chrysanthemums. I bet Jeff would walk with me. I walk pretty briskly and, since he has four legs, he does too. I know he would love it. I think we will start tonight though we won't have quite the views that they have in Chicago. Maybe I will take him with me one week? That seems like maybe a bad idea but I will mull it over.

I took lots of notes of things that I saw and did last night but I will either save them for later or, more likely, lose them. I have to get some things done so I will end now. Thank you so very much for stopping by. I like that you keep coming back because it makes me want to write so, one day, when my mind is completely gone, I can read about what I did when I could do things. How come when we forget things but we don't forget how to talk or write? I am not complaining, just my curious nature. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Am I Some Kind of a Do-Gooder All of a Sudden?

I had no idea it was Thursday already. It has been a busy week of roller coaster rides; good thing that I love roller coasters. Yesterday, while I mowed the lawn I thought to myself, "self, there sure are a lot of apples on that tree." So, when I was done mowing I played Matty Appleseed and filled a bucket full of apples. I left several for the birds but, if they wanted them I am guessing the tree would not have been filled with apples. I figured I would make a bunch of apple sauce. Well, I cleaned many of the unblemished ones for apple eating and then decided to make two apple pies (scratch-crust not some of those pre-made deals....I need my lard, dag blammit!). After all of that I still had enough apples left to make  a lot of applesauce too. The worst part, as always with this sort of thing, was the clean-up. And then, after the clean-up I had to make dinner and then clean that mess up too.

This morning I went over to see the neurologist to have him update my release since my work/department cannot accommodate my restrictions. The nurse just added an addendum to the bottom starting that if the cannot accommodate the restrictions that I should just follow the previous note. That note said I could not work nights. The good thing is that they will fax it to my work insurance so I will continue to get paid.

This is why I decided it to leave it to the people who are ON THE JOB!

After the appointment I headed over to get some fuel before going to pick-up the few things we needed at the store. While I was out pumping the fuel a voice came over the speakers saying, "Pump three I will see you after you're done fueling." Of course, I immediately looked up and saw that I was pump six. Then I looked around to see who was at pump three thinking someone wanted an autograph or to take a selfie with me or something. The guy at pump three was a tall, blond doofy-looking fella. His car was smashed in the front right quarter-panel. I looked at the gas station and saw an old lady behind the counter looking at him and his car with a pair of binoculars. When I got done filling, pre-paid at the pump as I always do, I drove over toward pump three. As I pulled behind him he put the nozzle up, jumped in his car and pulled quickly away. Of course, the first thing I did was look at the plate number. The rear license plate was covered by something dark. It appeared to have been a black hand towel or washcloth. He tore out of the station and I followed him for a bit but he began recklessly swerving between cars at a high rate of speed, obviously knowing I was following him. I broke-off my pursuit and just called in what I had seen. They will probably not catch him but I did more than any plain citizen john citizen would have done. Am I nosy or just observant? Probably a bit of both but I have worked at a job for several years where nosiness and observational skills are required. Can you believe they cannot find for something for me to do there? Maybe, instead of starting a detective agency, I could consider masked, caped, crusader. While I was following this guy I just figured twenty bucks or so of gas isn't worth someone getting hurt or worse. I must admit that I enjoyed the adrenaline that came from pursuing a "perp" though I am not sure he is was a perp though there was a lot of evidence pointing to him being up to no-good. I cannot believe I erred on the side of caution; I usually err on the side of risk and carelessness. I will be second-guessing that decision for a few days probably. Maybe I am finally maturing?

Tonight I will be in Chicago and maybe I can find an adrenaline fix there. It would not be too difficult to find one if I need one. I bet there are NO fill now and pay later pumps in Chicago. I thought there were none anywhere anymore.

I was working on paying bills before I went over the the doctor and I still have more of those to do. Most of the bills that I pay are medical-related in one way or another. I keep getting totally caught-up and more come it. Jill and I have racked-up some doozies over the past couple of years. Are we the only so-called first-world country that still profits from its citizens being ill? And, to make it even more profitable they provide us all of the great preservative and additives to the food that continue the cycle. Yes, some of you are smarter and eat the right things but we are set-up to fail and keep others rich. All of the Presidential debates have really shown me how much they don't care about you or I. Speaking of that, I got a call to see if I want to help the local Bernie Sanders campaign. They are "canvassing" Saturday and I think I may go help. I hope canvassing just means hanging stuff on peoples' doors because I am really not up on the positions as much as I should be to represent any candidates. I am just a foot soldier - part of the infantry. I do know that all of the Republicans that I have seen and heard are not the solution. I think expatriate may be the true answer.

I have to get some things done so I need to call it a wrap. Thank you so much for letting me blab; I honestly think it and you are a couple of the things keeping me from going completely crackers. Have a great rest of your day. I will blog you again tomorrow and I will probably Facebook my progress around town tonight so I can remember to write what I did tonight tomorrow. TTTT...MITM(out) TA!

I Didn't Really Blog I blogged

Try as I might, sleeping has never been one of my strong suits

Well, the human resources department at my work called me yesterday and I was told that they talked to my department and the department is "unable to accommodate my medical restrictions." My neurologist made it pretty clear that he would never clear me to work overnights again so, I am back on medical disability but, at least I can drive again. Maybe it is time to start that detective agency, huh? I have several connections that may come in handy in that field. I'm disappointed that I cannot go back to work but I am also happy that I will be able to go to Chicago with Cha Cha again later this week and that I will be able to go visit Splenda later this year in Carbondale. I have a lot of decisions to make over the next few weeks. Professional gambler (poker specifically) may be a fun thing - I love gambling. Male model? Fat, ugly people buy stuff too you know.

I was sad to hear that Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra yesterday; he was one of the great entertainers in baseball history. He was a pretty good ball player slid home yesterday but he was much better at coming up with ridiculous phrases that make sense by not making sense. Some of his most popular ones were: "If you see a fork in the road, take it." Someone once asked him what time it was and he asked, "you mean now?" He said, "it gets late pretty early around here." "It's deja vu all over again." "I didn't really say everything I said."  "If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there." He had hundreds of them. He always made me smile.

Our house will look like a green-browed Eugene Levy soon

I got my Cha Cha's project done yesterday and I think it turned-out wonderful. The customer who ordered the project and job was Cha Cha and she was very happy with the final product too. We have an arbor to the right of the garage that is covered in vines. I looks kind of like an entrance to The Secret Garden (it leads to our backyard.While we in Europe Jill noticed that people had the vines of ivy growing atop of their garage doors and above and around their front entrance doors; she really liked it. So, now we have the beginning of a new home for ivy vines over the garage door and, once the ivy takes-off, I am guessing that I will doing one over the front door too eventually? I cannot always wrap my mind around her visions but I have learned not to question her ideas as they nearly always end-up remarkable and beautiful. This one was easier for me as I did see examples all over Europe. Soon after we do things, many times, we will catch her inspirations all over our neighborhood and the town - the best form of flattery. You're welcome North America!

I am still wrapping my mind around the fact that I will probably not ever be going back to my former job. I wrote that first paragraph yesterday as I do sometimes to try to capture my true feelings and the passion of a situation. I liked that job and was good at it and I was doing good to help people every single time I worked. I have accepted it and am moving-on but if it has a chance of killing me it is what is meant to be. I already do way too many that could kill me. What, I have to stop over-eating now too?

I have thoughts almost every day about moving to Germany. I know that I probably never will but, as much as I have been brain-washed to love the U. S. and A, I see so much more appreciation for people and the environment and fairness and equality in other countries. Canada is much the same as Europe and moving would be much cheaper.

All of that ivy and vine talk makes me remember that I have to mow the yard today. Tomorrow night I will probably go to Chicago again. Last week I just walked around the lakefront. I watched a Triathlon, walked to Buckingham Fountain, went to the Art Museum, went through Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue, killed some cups of homeless or whatever their situation, just became a tourist of a city I know fairly well. It is so large and things change so much that it is always different. My watch told me that I did over 13,000 steps while I was walking for that three-ish hours. Because of that, and riding in and out of the city with Cha Cha, I really like going. We usually have dinner after her class too. We try to do it before her class but the traffic usually makes that nearly impossible unless we left earlier. However, she is working earlier so that is tough. Navy Pier is quite a hike but, if I start directly for there when her class begins, I think I could do that and be back in time. Plus, there are about one-million taxis in town if I get n a time-crunch to get back? I will have to do some homework tonight about this.It looks like it is about 23 city blocks each way; I think this may be the plan.

Thank you for stopping by and giving me a place to work out my plans and frustration. Some of the world seems to be trying to toss me onto the scrap heap but I will not allow that happen and I appreciate your helping me. I so appreciate you being here as often as you can be; it helps me to keep going. I hope you have a fantastic day and, if you happen to be in Chicago tomorrow night, let me know and maybe I'll buy you a beer at the pier (I should probably copyright that "Beer at the Pier" thing though I cannot believe that hasn't been used before). TTTT...MITM (out) TA

"What Time is it" Used to be an Easier Question to Answer

Did you know that the telegraph and trains, mainly,  were the reasons that time zones were invented? Trains were each on their own schedules and would crash into each other quite often so something had to be done. The time zones began as 100 railroad time zones and then were whittled down from 300 sun zones. Now we have 24 time zones on Earth - makes sense doesn't it? There needed to be one central location for longitudinal references so the Greenwich Meridian, based at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, was started because the Greenwich Observatory had a great reputation for its accuracy and reliability. It's nice that Jill takes these classes so I can learn things that I may or may not forget. We, the royal "we" I suppose, are all pretty much aware of the time these days with our cell phones and watches but there are so many things that we take for granted. I am neurotic about time and I am a slave to it. I cannot stand being late though I have sort of become used to it if I go anywhere with most other people. I will never like being late though I imagine it continue until I am late for my own funeral. Cha Cha is still on pre-time zone time quite often. Can you imagine getting on a ship or a train and have no idea what time you would get somewhere or whether or not you'd run into another train or ship? The Rolling Stones may never have gotten so popular had the time zones never been invented.

I am going to quit talking about all the things that I forget unless I forget; I am just gonna deal with it internally. That is not to say that you will not hear me utter, "oh, I'm sorry, I forgot" coming out of my cake-hole now and again.

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I will be so happy next November when this stupid Presidential election is over. Can you believe we still have over a year to hear the gas of these blowhards? The primaries don't even begin until March. Some candidates are already starting to call it quits but, until Donald Trump (along with his toady Sarah Palin) drops-out it will continue to be a side-show. We all know that Trump is doing this because he is a media-whore and loves to hear his own gas, right? I am sure he is getting lots of tax breaks from being a "Presidential candidate." He would lose money being President. There is NO WAY he wants to really be in charge of our country. However, I bet his ego is pushing hard. I am already working on my exit strategy based on a worse-case scenario.

Today I am going to work on Cha Cha's the project that I bought the 17-foot piece of wood for yesterday. I do not think that it will be that difficult but those are usually the worse kinds of projects. I like the ones that seem impossible because there is less pressure of doing it perfect and you are almost always pleasantly surprised. I need to get dressed and get working on that so I will probably end now. Thank you for stopping-in. I hope you have a great day. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

From Hope To Mope

Still pending or denied?

Well, it's Monday and I am released to work but I am not at work. Maybe I will get a call today but, I have been thinking and I think I recall that me department "does not have light-duty" and me sitting at a desk and working days would be considered light-duty compared to my normal job. I wonder how that works? If I am released to work and they don't have work for me does that mean that I lose my disability status?  And, then not and be getting paid at all? I will wait and see if Human Resources contacts me today and, if not, I will call them tomorrow. Will the University find me a job in another departments? I do not think my neurologist will release me to go back to nights as I think he thinks that is most of what is causing my condition. Maybe I should just keep my mouth fingers shut about this situation until I am back to work. I will just let you know if I am working or am not you can draw your own scenario - who doesn't like to draw now and again? I thought I was important at work but, now I find out, that I was not as essential as I thought I was; the world can go-on without me I guess. That is a relief!

I am kind of curious that, now that they have photos to compare it to, why don't they find out if my brain has shrunk more? Those were the first brain scan so now they have something compare that one to. I wish I would have thought of that when I went to see the neurologist. I would do it next time but I will forget. I cannot even do my job how am I supposed to do a brain surgeons job?

Yesterday Jill and I spent hours and hours at Menard's trying to figure out a project. We figured it all out and came home. We did not buy any of the materials because one of the things that we need for the project is 17 feet long and we had the JEEP which could not accommodate that item. If we had had the FIAT we could have put the top down and I could have just held it I suppose. Instead, I went over today with the 4-Runner today and got the long item, as well as the short friends. The long thing hung out the back about four feet but the back window goes up and down so it worked okay. I got to watch the red flag waving off the plank off the back of the ship. Isn't the red flag the STOP flag in auto racing? No wonder everybody was pulling over behind me; I gotta use that more often.

 Notepads work better for me though I do misplace them quite often 

Even though we were at the store for so long yesterday I still did not remember where the items we had decided-on were located. Good thing I took some photos of the SKU numbers on my phone. I went to the counter and asked where the main item was located and they told me the aisle number and where that was. My life is seriously becoming the film Memento. Incidentally, after awhile of looking for the main item, I left Menard's and tried Lowe's before going back to Menard's and using the SKU numbers. I am trying to make my mind do it on its own but it seems to have a different agenda than my ego and my pride do. It saddens me but that it is okay because I just forget that I am sad and depressed until I get sad and depressed again later and then the cycle repeats and repeats and repeats and repeats... I always have to blog to refer back to if I don't forget how to read. Why do we remember some things and not others? What if we forgot how to breath or how to walk or blink our eyes. I realize the eye and breathing things are just a natural responses but what if...?

I am not sure if you saw but I blogged yesterday because I had not blogged Friday or Saturday and was getting withdrawal symptoms.

I just now found out that Yvonne Craig died while we were in Europe. That shows you how much media we had while on holiday. Maybe people there don't even know who Batgirl is. The only reason I found out now is that I saw a post that said she was snubbed in the segment that they always do at awards shows - the Emmy Awards were on last night. Man, I had a crush on Batgirl. She was pretty progressive for the 1960's; I have always liked strong women. They also snubbed "Rowdy Roddy" Piper - he was a great actor. So much so that may people believed that "professional" wrestling was real. I liked wrestling too but I knew it was very similar to Batman in that it was not real.

If I don't go back to work this week I will be able to go the Chicago again Thursday with Jill. She is taking a class for her second Master's Degree at DePaul University. Her class is two blocks from Michigan Avenue so it is very close to many, many, many fun places for someone who needs brain stimulation. I think her class only lasts five or six more weeks. The class is like three or four hours long so I get to see a lot in that amount of time. It is odd to me that most of the businesses (restaurants, stores...) close at 8PM. I would think, in Chicago, they would be open much later. I just like walking and there are lots of great things to see when walking in Chi-town; especially on the lake-front.

That is all I have in me today. Thank you for stopping by today and whenever you can. You make me smile and I hope that I return that favor every now and again. Sorry if there are typos... today because I am not going to proofread; that's what editors are for. I hope you have a great night and, if I am nor working tomorrow, I will blog again then. It is 1406 now so I am fairly certain I will be blogging tomorrow. TTTT (I give it 90%)... MITM (out) TA! - I wish I had a Matt Signal to add here now.

A Better Man

I tried to play poker online this morning but the site is down and they have a prompt that says they are "looking into it." I think that is code for the poker God is emptying the collection plates so they can begin racking more of our buy-ins later. I am pretty sure that all of the gods of the universe are gamblers so what is this about?

Yesterday was a great day. Fabio bought me a couple tickets to the Cubs - Cardinals game yesterday and then he traded shifts with someone at work so he could go with me. I sorta pushed him into seeing if he could go because: firstly, he bought the tickets for me and secondly, what is cooler that a father and son going to a ballgame together? I guess a father and son having a catch is cooler but we do that from time to time still too. I think Abner Doubleday must have invented baseball with either is dad or his son though I don't know if he even had kids. You know damn good and well I have to check this out now.

Wow, did I learn a lot about Abner Doubleday that I didn't know. He was a Major General with the Union Army during the Civil War and is credited with firing the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter. He also played a pivotal role at The Battle of Gettysburg. Who is this dude, Forest Gump? After the war he obtained the patent for the cable car line in San Francisco which are still there today. Anyway, supposedly, he invented the game of baseball in Cooperstown, New York in a cow pasture but that is being questioned by scholars now. I went to Cooperstown quite a few years ago and now I may want my money back. I guess it was still cool seeing all of the baseball stuff and everything so I will stop my class-action suit. He did plenty for our country so even if he didn't invent baseball let's throw him that bone (at least, in part).

Richard Gere eating fries from the garbage

Yesterday, on the way into the parking lot to go the the Cubs-Cardinals game, there was a lady standing in the street between the two lanes entering the lot with a coffee can for money; I threw a couple of singles in her can (that's what she said). I have often put change in these cups or cans or whatever they use to collect their charities because they say they are: homeless or hungry or their kids don't have have clothes or whatever... I put a picture of the guy I gave money to on Thursday night on Facebook to help inspire others to do the same. The reason for my new-found insurgence of doing this and making sure that I have paper money (singles and fives mainly) in my pocket is because Cha Cha, as she has done for our entire relationship, is making me even a better person with the story she told me. She told me about something she had heard on NPR. Richard Gere was researching a role for a film called Time Out Of Mind where he portrays a homeless man trying to rebuild a relationship with his estranged daughter. Maybe she thought of me because of the "time out of mind" part? I cannot find where it is playing in my area yet but IFC (Independent Film Channel) has bought the rights to the movie and it should be released soon. Here is A CLIP - it does not look like a very up-lifting film but that's really my kind of movie. It's funny that I didn't even know it was called Time Out Of Mind until researching for this blog. Maybe that is why Cha Cha thought of me when she heard the story - the "out of mind" part.. Anyway, he talks about how, when he was researching and acting as a homeless man in New York, nobody looked home in the eyes as a homeless person. If they had they may have recognized him as Richard Gere. I think maybe people don't look at homeless people in the eyes because they feel guilty not helping fellow human beings in trouble. Anyway, now I always look them in the eyes and I give them paper money rather than coins (unless I am ill-prepared because of my debit card and I only have change). I make it a point to have singles and fives when in a big city now though.

Me and my new friend Willie at The Field Museum in Chicago 

I felt like I needed to blog today because I haven't for a couple of days. I will be able to blog tomorrow. Human Resources from my work called me Friday and said that they sent my "return to work" information with the doctor's medical limitations for me to my department and they have not heard back from them about a position to accommodate the doctor's orders. So, I should just wait to hear from them before going back to work. One bad thing I didn't think about for working days is that I will have to buy a parking pass. Can you believe they would make people buy parking passes for the honor to work? Working nights saved me that money but caused me my physical and mental health. Now, I am already falling-apart they are going to take more of my cash too. I would ride my bike but, when winter arrives, I will regret not driving. I suppose I will not put the cart before the horse (semi pun intended) and wait to see when and if I will go back soon.

Okay, I think Jill and I are headed to the store. We need bird seed - my charity never ends. Do you think Richard Gere feeds the birds? He probably does! At least I have him beat in the looks and the blog department. Have a great day and, as always, thank you for stopping in. Enjoy the weather and be nice to somebody today - even if it's just yourself. TTTT (since I won't be working just yet)... MITM (out) TA!

Sorry so Late Today but...I Have Been Released (sort of)

But be a loving drunk like Matt In The Middle

My chauffeur just brought me back from my neurologist appointment. I allowed her to come in rather than making her sit in the car as most drivers are forced to do. I always give her the choice because maybe she would rather get in the back and have a highball and watch a movie or something. I remember when I was very young my grandparents used to call drinks highballs; it sounded so classy when they got plastered. And then, when we went home, my grandpa, apparently, would beat my grandma. Oh, the glorious 1960's. I never knew that he hit her until years later - he was always very nice to me and I never would have thought about something like that ever even happening. Be careful what you do now because it may be revealed when you're gone and then your image will be tarnished.

I have been released by the neurologist to go back to work beginning Monday; I am so excited. I have, however, been given work limitations. We dropped-off the sheet to the Human Resources department and they said they will check with the department and see what they have available for me. The only limitations I have are that I must work day shift and it must be "sedentary" (I suppose in case I have a seizure). I was hoping that going back to work meant getting back into shape easier but, I suppose diet and exercise will have to do for now. Hopefully, the department has something for me; I was told by H.R. that I should wait for a call. If I had to guess I would predict I will be in Records. I hope they don't throw me in with dispatch because I don't think I could handle that job. Since it is daytime I doubt they need any help in dispatch anyway. Nighttime is much busier than daytime in the line of work that I do. I am just happy that, apparently, I am headed in the right direction mentally and medically. I was worried that I would never get better - this will be the test. I am not sure what happens if my department doesn't have any positions. And, working for a state that is supposedly broke, maybe it is cheaper for them to pay me to stay home. I sure hope that is not the case. Yet another adventure and learning experience.

I don't know, when I am working days, when I will write the blog. I suppose I could either write it at night and post it in the morning or I could just write it and post it at night. I guess it is up to you when you read it so it really doesn't MATTer when I post it. I will let you know if and when the change begins. I don't even know how many people read it. As long as there is one I will write - I read it (sometimes... those are the rare days with no misspelling and typos).

I am going to Chicago with Cha Cha tonight for her class at DePaul University tonight. Her class is about three hours long and I will probably hang-out either at the Lake Michigan riverfront or maybe at Harold Washington Library.  It is not like there is a shortage of things to do by The Magnificent Mile and Lake Michigan. And then, Saturday I am going to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs and Cardinals. I should get an apartment in the city, huh?

Yesterday I painted the front door, mowed the lawn and spread nine bags of pea gravel on the path on the side of the garage. I have one more bag of gravel but am waiting to see if there is any settlement and I can add that bag if needed. Then I made dinner, cleaned the kitchen and did laundry. How is all of this stuff gonna get done with me not here? I guess I will have to spread the wealth again - woo hoo! We got ten bags of pea gravel and a quart of paint for free (sort of). We bought some of things "on sale" at Menard's awhile back and their sales mean that you have to stop at the service counter on the way out and pick up a rebate slip and then fill it out and get a rebate voucher in the mail. So, I did that awhile back and we got a voucher for $37 and some change. I will be damned if I am gonna let them bamboozle me into thinking I won't go through the trouble so they don't pocket the "savings" that other companies have. What a scam! If I can find a way not to get scammed I will take that way.

Okay, I have more to get done around here before heading east. Thank you for stopping by; I really, really, really appreciate you. Have a great night. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Me and Ringo Down By the School yard

This could be yours and written-off to charity!

What is the deal with the hairs hanging out of our noses and ears? Do our heads shrink that much as we age? My neurologist told me that my brain has shrunk so, maybe that has something to do with the ear and nose hairs? I suppose they need trimming just like our heads and other external areas of our bodies. I have never one time trimmed my arm or leg hairs and they don't become forests. What's up with the nose and ears - maybe it is because they need to keep dirt out and we cannot clean them like we can the rest of our body in the shower. Maybe, if I picked my nose once in awhile, the nose hairs wouldn't have to be yanked when the begin to tickle my chin.

I read yesterday that Ringo Starr and I have something in common though, flatteringly, he is copying me. He is donating his three-piece drum kit that he played when he was a member of a group called The Beatles. Though the kit I donated was much larger (see yesterday's blog) he is upping the ante to over-compensate by including a guitar used by John Lennon and one of the four original pressings of The White Album which was locked in a vault for the bast 35 years. The proceeds that come from the sell of Ringo's items will go to benefit the charity that he and wife Barbara Bach founded, the Lotus Foundation, which funds and supports a number of social welfare causes. Okay, Ringo you BEAT me again though I donated my kit first. I have always loved Ringo and Barbara - they seem like very great people.

 Above one of the thresholds inside of Shakespeare and Company  

Try as I might I cannot seem to stay away from Facebook; I believe I am addicted to social media. Are there businesses that provide social media interventions? Am I too late to start this business craze? I smell reality show!!!!!

I need to go back to old-fashioned reading. It was suggested by Cha Cha that maybe reading more books would change the way my brain is wired back to when it worked properly. Maybe it has something to do with her working for a company that owns four of the top 17 publishers in the world. Coincidentally, I bought a couple of books when we were in Paris and I have to decide which one I will start reading today. I bought them at Shakespeare and Company - the very little book store in Paris that I had always wanted to get to but never had. Since we were here I bought "Paris Without End" a story called "the true story of Hemingway's first wife." I bought this book because I am a Hemingway fan and he spent a lot of time here. Plus who wouldn't like a book that is"a bittersweet modern love story that reads as a novel?" How come there are never any bad reviews on the backs of novels? I also bought "Napoleon: The Path to Power 1769-1799." I think  I am gonna start with "Paris Without End."

My short story, finally entitled "Fly's Time," was submitted for the short story contest last night. I still have four more days if I want to finish a second story for the contest but, if I do that, I would be embarrassed if my stories tied for first place. But, more stories would increase my chance of winning. YES, I am extremely competitive.

I have a neurologist appointment tomorrow morning. I have no idea what to expect. I am still having "spells" that they would probably call seizures but we'll see what they say. Since I last saw him I have had 56 spells. I write down the times and lengths to see if I can detect a pattern but I do not. It's almost as though I should keep an in-depth journal of what I am doing, what I eat, and EVERYTHING else to find if there is something that is triggering these issues. I also have depression and confusion and a lot of memory lapses though many of those I attribute to just aging; maybe beginning to read will rewire my brain. Supposedly, we can rewire our brains by changing our habits so I am going to try that.

 Maybe I should dig-out my Howdy Doody ventriloquist dummy?

The other day I was thinking to myself that this will be the first year since I can remember that I will not go to a Major League Baseball game (I have not been to a minor league one either this season though I did hang-out with Ozzie Cougar of the Kane County Cougars last weekend). I never told anyone about that thought - it was just in my chasm. Two days later Fabio gives me two tickets tickets to Saturday's Cubs- Cardinals game that he bought me for my unbirthday. I, of course, asked if he had Saturday off because I am still not supposed to drive (maybe that will change tomorrow?) and I have two tickets and a man and his son (both Cardinals' fans) together at a ballgame IS Americana. He told me he has to work Saturday. He is trying to trade with some people at work because he has worked for a couple of them a few times and they "owe him." He will know tomorrow afternoon if he can go. Sure, people love to give-up their free Saturdays to work. I reap what I sow I guess. So, if he cannot get the day off I will hire a limo for the day and have the driver go with me to the game or, I will get a ride to the train station and go to the game via train and elevated train alone and then take a homeless person to the game and buy him/her (taking a woman would seem creepy though I think) hot dogs and nachos and peanuts and sodas and Cracker Jacks all day. Or, I could just walk around yelling, "who needs one, who needs one?" The answer, now that I think about it would be "me, I need one."

I have a lawn to mow and pea gravel to spread and a door to paint bills to pay and dinner to make... so I had better get-on gettin' on. Thank you for stopping by; I hope you have a great day. TTTT (depending on the doctor maybe)... MITM (out) TA!

No Total Recall of Recall

I have been told that September 14th is my birthday all of my life. I began wondering why I just believe everyone and all of the so-called legal documents as fact. I have always said that I would investigate this further but this year, I believe because of the time that I have on my hands and the trip back to my SUPPOSED (that may be a lie too) place of birth and that my mind will probably only get worse, that I should start working on that before the other 40% of my brain deteriorates. By the way, I tried to hide this birth date lie from Facebook but people started wishing me Happy Lieday anyway. It is difficult to hide the Lieday when your family knows the true lie. Okay, hold on to your birthday lie hats...

So, there have been 13 leap years since I was born in 1963 (if the year is even the truth). Leap years occur "nearly" every four years. I hope I don't lose you here but I keep losing myself so you won't be alone. I was Born at 21:38 on 9/14 in Heidelberg, Germany (West Germany at the time) which was 04:38 - seven hours later than it was at the same time in the Chicagoland area (Rockford is where I lived when I first moved to the States as an expatriate though I think that term has to do more with working in another country). So, that means it was actually 9/15 in my new country. In researching what my U.S. and A. birthday is versus my German birthday I have also learned that each calendar year actually has 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 47 seconds in it which is why we have to have a leap year every four years - to balance out saying that a year has "365 days - hold the change." All of the "Happy New Years" I have yelled at midnights have been lies too. No wonder I am a good at poker - I am a born bluffer. Anyway, I am too stupid to know when I was born and, unfortunately that has nothing to do with my recent brain migration. I wish Socrates were here to help me figure this out though I would have to do it in my head (if you missed yesterday's blog that probably made no sense to you). He would probably have something to say about how the date of our births should not be recorded or something. I think I am at least one day younger than I was led to believe I was. But, does it just MATTer what time it was where you were born and not where you move to or is where you're from inconsequential? And, since I was born on American soil in Germany did they use German time or  U.S. and American time? According to the United States Army and the Department of Immigration I am older than I really am. I don't think it changes anything legally but I am closer to Libra and further from Leo than I am thought to be so all of my horoscopes and fortune-tellings may have been incorrect. That means that I drove "legally" too soon, I drank alcohol "legally" too soon both when I was 18 in Wisconsin and when I thought (as did my new country) I was 21 in Illinois - I am a multi-state hooligan.I may have been a felon at 17 or 18 and I was my own accomplice so I should have done double-time. I think voting was okay because there were no elections around my birth date that I recall (ironically, I could not recall the word "recall" when I went to type that). I am going to continue to try to get to the bottom of this mystery but I wanted to throw it out here because you are smarter than I am and you may already know the answer so I can quit and just watch the grass grow again.

I think that the seizures I have been having may be a lifetime of jet-lag and time travel. Okay, more on that in the future (or the past) if I ever figure it out.

I talk about businesses and products and things that I like in the blog so, I think it is only fair that, when I have an issue with a company or business and  I should mention that too. We took the JEEP Patriot (Splenda has a Liberty) into Merlin's on 9/11 (you may remember me mentioning that in the blog too - Socrates is rolling-over in his grave) to have the oil changed. Every time I have taken one of our vehicles in there for an oil change they have always found something else that needs to be done. I just let the dude go through the spiel and say, "no thanks." One time, after he quoted me a price for new tires for the FIAT I said no thanks and, when I checked them I decided that it would not be a bad idea to get the tires replaced. I ended-up getting the four new tires (mounted...) for under $400 when Merlin's wanted $700 for the tires. I know they hate the FIAT because every time I have taken it there he says to me. "have I ever told you how much it costs for the oil filter for this car... I am almost losing money changing the oil on this car." I always say, "yes, every time I am in here..." Firstly, I call BULL LONEY on the extra work needed (I started with a different word and ended with one that isn't really a word but less offensive) and secondly, then tell me you don't want to do the oil change on the FIAT and I will go somewhere else! After this last lying I think maybe I will take the other cars someplace else and just keep taking the FIAT there every time I need the oil changed. So, coming back from my wandering tangent, we took the JEEP to Tom Sparks ,where we bought the JEEP and purchased the warranty (we bought the vehicle used), and they checked it over and called back four hours later and said there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. Supposedly, according to the Merlin vehicle inspection report, "rear struts blown" and "driver side inner tie rod slight play." I am afraid if I go back there my Tourette Syndrome might kick in. Maybe I will have Cha Cha do the talking when we go there next time. Oh yeah, the JEEP supposedly needs new ties too though I measured the depth and the treads appear great to me.

It's all ball-bearings these days. Maybe you need a refresher course

I have some things that I have to get done today so I had better wrap-up. If you figure-out when I was born please let me know. I don't know why it MATTers but I like controversy and I need something to occupy my mind and I am not one of the people who just believes what I am told to believe. Maybe I just think too much and my brain is just overheating? Okay, that's it! Thank you for stopping by on my birthday or the day after my birthday whether you are a chicken or an egg person. I hope you have a fabulous day. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Socrates Would Really Hate Me

The first graduation at JAMS - The Class of 2014

Yesterday Cha Cha and I donated my old drum kit, a couple of tambourines, a few other percussion instruments, about 50 sets of drumstick (every type you can imagine), and an acoustic guitar to a secondary school (Jane Adeny Memorial School for Girls - JAMS) in Kenya that is adding a music program to the curriculum it had begun in 2014. I know it is really going there because I gave it directly to my friend, Matthew Tembo, an internationally known African musician who is starting the music school and at JAMS and is taking it there himself. It makes me happy to know that many young women will get joy and a brighter future from something that once brought me so much happiness. The song Joy To The World is swimming through my heard now, "...all the boys and GIRLS now...joy to you and me!" You can check it out at www.JAMSKENYA.org.

I was very sad, over the weekend, when I first learned that Rupert Murdoch purchased National Geographic. It just shows that money can, almost literally, buy anything. I grew-up on National Geographic and I learned many things that I know and believe today. Will my future great-great grandchildren be denied the truths of climate change and the many species of animals that are/were annihilated by human-kind's recklessness and disregard for the beauty of the world and it's inhabitants? I truly am deeply saddened by this. I would hold hope that this is one area that the Fox parent company would leave it the way that it is but I know that would be foolish and naive of me. I am foolish and naive quite often but, when I see it headed my way, I try to avoid it. Money (mainly the love of money and the greed that accompanies it) ruins most things eventually. Murdoch is Australian - you'd think he would have a better appreciation for what beauty there can be appreciated in the world. I will reserve judgement and hope that perhaps he saw that National Geographic was not doing well and he didn't want to see it disappear. We all have many sides to our psyches and personalities and I will hope that his good side is behind this move.

 Perhaps I have just written too much in life. Socrates proves everything IS about me! 

How does the phrase "over-qualified" even exist? We are taught to learn and grow intellectually as humans and know as much as we can. Be diverse and strive to "be all that you can be." But, apparently, there are limitations. That phrase really frosts my cookies!

I was surprised to learn the Socrates would not like my blog. Plato wrote about a conversation Socrates had with Phaedrus where Socrates, supposedly, said that "words themselves are not representative of knowledge." The writings said that Socrates was against writing but we cannot take his word for that because he never wrote anything down - nothing! Could Plato not have liked Socrates and wrote this knowing that Socrates would not defend himself to the future by writing it down? I am not saying that Plato would make this up - why would he? Maybe he and Socrates didn't like each other and Plato knew, eventually, people would have to believe his account as we would never know Socrates' position. Socrates, as it is written by that rebel Plato, said words are to knowledge as pictures are to their subject. He said that real knowledge could only be gathered via dialog; that the questions and answers between people (probably only men in his day) is where ideas are interrogated until knowledge is truly understood, So, texting back-and-forth is probably okay, right? Maybe, based on the early history of the world with little or no writing. we are not really sure if we are who we think we are or even if things happened as we are told that they happened. I love writing so Socrates would have hated me if he were alive today though he would be too old to do anything about it.

REO Back in the big hair days

I just heard from Kevin Cronin (lead singer for REO Speedwagon) that REO guitarist Gary Richrath died yesterday morning. I remember that I saw them right after I got my big toe chopped off my senior year of high school. Can you believe that REO has been around since 1967? They were a fun band and nice guys. Richrath left the band in 1989 and had one solo album but then rejoined the band for a concert in 2013 to help raise funds for people who had lost their homes to a string of bad storms. The band originated in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; meeting at the University of Illinois when they were students there.

I hope you have a great day. Thank you, so much, for sharing part of yours with me. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Chianti and Crushable Hats - Is This Heaven?

 Congratulations and thank you POTUS 

READER WARNING-  I DID NOT PROOFREAD THIS TODAY - actually I rarely do any more but you probably have made that summation.

I am sure you have already heard but, just in case you have not, President Barack Obama won his second Nobel Peace Prize yesterday. With all of the obstacles he had to overcome, mainly because of his race and the narrow-minds and ignorance of many people in my adopted country, I cannot believe what he has accomplished in eight years. Some of the members of my family, however, do not feel the same way that I do - nobody who has ever been married to me or sired by me though, thankfully. I am proud that he was a Senator in my state and I am proud that I voted for him for President both times that he won.

I began re-watching the series Deadwood last night when I could not sleep. I would say that is one of my top-ten favorite television series' of all-time. I have been to Deadwood but I do not remember much about it because I was young and I didn't have the appreciation for it that I gained from watching this show. I do not recommend it if you are faint-of-heart, don't like violence, cannot take full frontal nudity (male and female) and do not like words that rhyme with smocktrucker. I have to say that word (the real one, not the one that rhymes with it) is one of my favorite words when I am really angry with someone. If someone called me that I would probably laugh rather than be angry as many might be. If you have HBO and you're looking to watch it the site says it is only available until this coming New Year's Eve (31-December-2015).

What happened to Rich Hall? His Mr. Softee film-bit was hilarious!

Yesterday I was working on bills and I could hear the music of the ice cream truck driving around the neighborhood. When we were kids we had The Eskimo Man and Mr. Softee but I don't know what this ice cream person calls his or herself. I hear that truck a lot lately but I mention it today because of the song that was playing from the truck. Is it good marketing for a truck selling any kind of food to be playing La Cucaracha? It was only the melody and no lyrics were sung but, do you think the young people who are the main customers of these predators know that La Cucaracha means "the cockroach?" And, if they did or do, do they even care? I don't usually buy food (or anything resembling food) from anyone or anything associated with bugs or vermin. I am just picky that way. Some cultures eat bugs and scorpions and such so who am I to judge?

This morning Jeff and I went for a walk. It was very nice; what a perfect morning to throw on a sweatshirt and get out for a bit. Jeff was in Heaven with all of the wildlife we encountered. We saw lots of squirrels that just messed with Jeff. There was a family of deer: Mama Deer, Papa Deer and Baby Deer. We saw lots and lots of birds. I like how many animals just stop in their tracks and wait to see what you are going to do before they decide what to do. The squirrels would go up part of the tree and then just watch us; they were just messing with us because squirrels are a-holes; that is probably why I like them so much. The deer just stopped in their tracks maybe 50 yards and just waited to see what we were gonna do. Fortunately, for them. we were not hunters because they we caught with their hooves down. Ironically or. maybe just coincidentally, we have another squirrel in the backyard and this one likes to mess with Jeff. He waits until Jeff sees him and then scurries half-way up the tree and just looks down at Jeff. Jeff, of course, barks like crazy but he has not figured-out how to climb trees yet. I bet he will before he leaves the planet. I wonder if this is squirrel that Jeff has history with - the one who sat up on the roof and threw nuts at Jeff. Maybe Jeff is still harnessing some resentment and he remembers this little bugger.

I am starting to piece together parts of what I believe my current mental conditions stem (not an intended brain stem pun) from; I am neurotic in several ways. I have always been a time-miser; I was gonna say Time Nazi but I hope I am not quite that nuts. I HATE HATE HATE being late because I think it is very rude. I have had to learn to deal with this because, when there are other people in our lives, our schedules are not always ours alone. I would rather be an hour early and have to entertain myself by talking a walk or a nap or something than being last. But, I cannot be too early either unless it is something where I am meeting someone because, then, if they are early it's a win-win. I also hate rudeness and abhor discourtesy. I see that all the time in today's society and, no pun intended, it drives me crazy. I do realize that there are times when circumstances arise and discourtesy happens accidentally. I know I have made the connection between Hannibal Lecter but I think both killing people and eating them are rude too. I just get crabby and become a bit of an a-hole but I am not ever hungry enough to eat the rude.

Chianti and Crushable Hats - what a delicious day it should be

Since I am so cultured and dainty Jill and I are going to a charity event called Wine on the Terrace at the The Ellwood House here in town. My chauffeur will drive me there - she is a hottie too. The event is from 16:00 to 19:00. There are only 72 tickets left so, if you want to rub elbows with us (or you're a  hitman or a hitwoman looking to cash in you know where I will be... or will I?). Tickets are $50 each but that is for dinner and tasting of over 30 wines AND it is a charity event so it is tax deductible. $100 for dinner and drinks is pretty good. I bought the tickets on line and I have the Eventbrite APP on my phone so they will just scan that when we get there. That is great because I would probably lose the tickets and there is little chance of me losing my phone other than around the house. Oh my, I think I am going to wear my German hat too; you know, the CRUSHABLE one. There have been very few occasions for me to wear my crushable hat since being back in the USSA (not a stutter). Maybe I will find a nice Chianti?

Have a great day. I am so enjoying this chilly-ish weather. Maybe we'll see you tonight - I will be the one in the CRUSHABLE hat; I hope an anvil doesn't fall on my crushable hat and smoosh my crushable head. TTTMonday (unless I see you before then)...MITM (out) TA!

I Only Regret That I Have But One Blog To Post Today!

So when was year Zero? Or, did One BC follow One AD?  Zero can't exist, right?

I am still on my Facebook hiatus; I had been finding it a bit of a time-suck and I have short stories and blogs to write. Perhaps Facebook was created by the future me so I could remember EVERYTHING which makes it even more ironic that I am sick of it. Today, if I were a Facebook minion, I am certain that I would read about 9/11 and how I should "never forget." How could I ever forget what these unselfish people did in the name of honor and duty, while looking in the face of horror, to help their fellow humans? Many gave their lives in the service to others - what an honor that is for someone who cares for others so much.Yes, my memory is still on-the-blink, but I do remember the birth of Jesus every year so why would I forget something that just happened in 2001? I have been lead to believe that Jesus was born 2015 years ago (maybe 2016?) but many of the great minds think that he was actually born somewhere between six and four B.C.. And I always knew B.C. stood-for "Before Christ." It is confusing because the year A.D. was always supposed to have meant "After Death" but it really means "anno domini" which, translated from Latin means, "in the year of our Lord." How confusing is that? How could One B.C. have been Before Christ? I know all that but Facebook thinks I am going to forget 9/11? We all remember birthdays and holidays and to change our underwear and to brush our teeth so quit reminding me to remember when my son was four and my daughter was nine; I remember those times. On a side-note loosely related, I blame Facebook for my mind getting lazy and I am thinking about filing a class-action lawsuit. If you forget anything, and want to be part of my class-action suit, let me know and I will add you to the list.

I discovered something very odd about me this morning while putting my socks on. I have better balance on my left foot, where I am missing a big toe, than I have on my right foot that has all of the original hardware. Overcompensation? More concentration?

 I have a couple of these stamps. I wouldn't sell them for one red cent!  

Took the JEEP to get the oil changed this morning and, of course, there was a show about 9/11 on the television in the lobby. Never even made the connection until the guy said, "hey, a Patriot first thing on 9/11." Oh, today is 9/11? And, what a shock, they found other things that were wrong with the JEEP. I have never, ever been to Merlin's when they didn't find something else to try to do or sell me. That must be the magic of Merlin. I usually go somewhere else and get the other things done MUCH  cheaper or realize they are minor and do them myself. The oil change prices are worth the snake-oil selling at the end. Plus, I am checking now, but our Patriot is still under warranty but, what it covers will be the fun. The dealer is going to look at the JEEP on Monday. Of course, the guy couldn't tell me on the phone what my warranty covers. I will dig the warranty out of the filing cabinet and find that out. So much for being patriotic on 9/11 though Monday is 9/14 (not such a memoral day like 9/11).

I heard from one of my co-workers that police officers should be extra cautious on 9/11 because there have been threats against the people in blue on this date. I cannot find anything on the interweb that substantiates this but anyone, especially emergency civil servants, should always be extra cautious. I wish I knew where all of the hate toward people who are trying to help and serve others comes from. I think much of what is wrong is intolerance and/or the perception of intolerance. It makes me sad and causes my handicapped mind grief. Whenever I am in public I Always have my antennae up. I know where everyone is in a room and I know what I will do if any of them go rogue. I always have "an out" and I always have a plan/scenario in my mind. I think a lot of that comes from movies and television but I think much of it also comes from my work and my imagination. I drive the same way. If A does this then I will do that but if B does this I will do that and so on and so on... I also think that may be a big part of my mental issues - my mind never rests. Maybe I am just nosy and bored?

 A fellow short story writer - I'll know him soon 

I believe that my short story is ready to be submitted for the contest. I had Cha Cha read it and, with her suggestions, I believe the story is much better. I was prepared for her to dislike the story (see previous paragraph) but she really liked it and she does A LOT of reading. I trust her because, even though I might pout for awhile, she will always tell me the truth when I ask. No MATTer what happens with the contest (unless they own the rights to it or something by me submitting it) I believe it will be included in my forthcoming book of short stories. I will probably start a second story later today; it will be totally different than the one I just completed. I just now thought of the name of my short story book. Maybe for my second book (even though the first one is far from published or even written for that matter) I will include other peoples' stories too. So, get your writings done; you only have about two or three years to get it together.

While I wrote today's blog I had the movie Bicentennial Man on in the background. It was on HBO this morning while I was getting dressed (I always need mental stimulation to keep my brain overloaded). I had to get things done early so I had to stop watching it. Now I have it on HGO GO! I remember that I watched it many years ago (probably in 1999 or 2000) and that I liked it. In 15 years or so one's views and sensitivities change and I like re-watching movies that I have not seen for years. Life's experiences and circumstances change our points-of-view many times over. I cannot believe I liked this film as much then as I do now; it is a really good movie. I think this Isaac Asimov fellow (the story's writer) has quite a future ahead of him. Just remember, however, that I am a sap and big on the heart-warming stuff. I do, however, wish there were more shoot-out scenes in the movie - there is not even one. Can you believe that? I like many kinds of movies in case you haven't surmised. I am not sure if this would be considered a romance or science fiction or family or fantasy (back then, maybe, but now it might be considered history)? It doesn't really need a shoot-out scene, by the way.

Okay, I could keep talking to you all day long but we both have things we need to get done. Enjoy the fall-like weather today in the MIDDLEwest and thank you, so much, for stopping today. I am going to take this September 11th to give thanks that my friends Dee Simpson and Delores "Ma" Meyer are doing much better medically than they were just awhile ago. Don't worry, you don't have to get sick to be mentioned in the blog - just send me a note and I will gladly include you in the blog; I would probably even autograph a copy of it for you if you wish (no charge). Better do it now before my book of short stories takes-off because the price may go up or, at the very least, you'll have to wait on line to see me. TTTT (most probably)...MITM (out) TA!