Read or No Read, There is No Try

It is 13:33 and I have already gotten quite a few things done. I mowed and edged and trimmed the
yard this morning, I packed for the trip, I took Jeff to lock-down, I went to the supermarket and I found out what my days/hours will be at the new job. I will work Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 06:00 - 16:00. I will be available to do things any night of the week and I will have Sundays through Tuesdays off. I never really considered that those hours would make going to Woodstock on Saturdays undoable until right now. That kind of bums me out but we cannot always choose all the aspects of our path. I will adjust and continue to move forward as living beings are intended to do. When one door closes find a better door to hang in the old one's place.

I am glad that I mowed this morning because, all of a sudden, it looks like it may start raining at any moment. I love rain and I don't mind mowing so it's all good. I do not even mind flying over the ocean in storms. I am not sure if I like dying because, if I have ever done it before, I can not recall the experience, I have to believe that the dying itself may not be so bad what leads up to the death may not be pleasant depending on the circumstances.

I said yesterday that I would write about what is in my notebook today. I have a bit of a problem: I cannot read what I wrote while I was walking. Blog to self, stop walking the next time you are writing so you can rad what you wrote.

Wow, it is raining like crazy now... now our yard will be the best looking one for a day or two because everybody else's will be too wet to mow when they get home. I also found that what we go for in Woodstock every Saturday can be done in Geneva at 18:00 on Tuesdays in Geneva - sweet. Cha Cha works in Geneva and we can just meet there. When one path closes another path can be found, "There is no try, there is only do."

While I was walking my 500 miles and 500 more yesterday I saw two separate bird fights. I am not sure if they were fights or mating rituals or something but something was going on in the fowl-world yesterday.I saw two geese beating the hell out of each other while two others swam ahead of them. My thought was that the two in front were floozies and the other two were fighting for the right to mate with them,Then, a bit later I saw two red-winged blackbirds rolling around asses over ankles fighting about something. I imagine most animals are twitterpated this time of year but there's enough lady birds to go around. I am not sure that was what was going on but I would bet my vas deference (VD) that it was. My VD is severed anyway so what do I have to lose?

I promise you (and myself) that I will lose at least half-a-pound while on vacation this weekend. I have to believe that a tropical island country doesn't have more fruit and vegetables than I can shake a fork at. I also plan to walk a lot of beaches and historic ruins and castles and such. I am trying to figure-out how to burn calories while it is raining and I am sitting at a poker or blackjack table. Maybe I could start the first health club  / casino where you ride exercise bikes or something while you are playing table games and maybe use a stair-master while playing the slots or peddling a bike while :rolling the bones" (those ideas are patent pending and copywritten and trademarked...). I think I would also have to cocktail servers dressed as aerobic instructors and the dealers dresses as coaches with the pinstripes. This way you would also be able to write-off your loses on your insurance as health club memberships. Yes, I am totally onto something here; I am starting to think like a Trump. Now I will have to rethink it - there is something in it for the patrons too in my case - not just everything in it for me. But this idea is HUGE (but Yuge)!

 I cannot imagine the Pirates would dupe a young kid, would they? 

I have to get some stuff done because we are at T-minus 14:30 and I have some stuff to get done. Thank you for being here and I am about 90% certain that I will not blog tomorrow. I may blog while in P.R. but I cannot promise as I do not know the WIFI setups and I am not sure how packed our trip will be. I appreciate you and hope I will be able to blog from our trip. I just now thought about Roberto Clemente. I did a report n school on him when I was very young and I wrote to the Pittsburgh Pirates and they sent me lots of information including a card, supposedly, autographed by him; why would an MLB team lie about something like that? What a special man he was. He died trying to get food and supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He had to go on the flight himself because the previous three he sent were diverted by corrupt politicians for their own gain, Maybe I will have to get Cangrejeros de Santurce jersey with his number on it?

Okay, I have filibustered enough. Is it bad luck to blog about someone dying in a plane crash
 off the Isle de Verde on the eve before you fly there? I guess we shall see. At least three of our party is on a separate flight so they won't have to suffer my same fate. TTT? (the other side)...MITM (out) Adios amigos y amigas! TA!

Showers Yes, But What About the Dishes?

Quit your screaming, it isn't that cold

It is 15:12 and my dogs are barking. I decided to walk to weigh-in today as I did not have a vehicle at my easy disposal. I could have rearranged things to have a ride but I thought this would be healthy. By the time I got there and back I could have run an 18.05684 K run (11.22 miles). Is there an 18K run? However, I did not run this time I just walked. I weighed-in and lost two more pounds this week. I only have to lose 0.6 pounds to have lost 40 pounds in the last four months; I am pretty happy with ten pounds a month. 2.5 pounds per week seems like a pretty healthy rate of loss.

We woke-up this morning and found no hot water coming out of the faucets (sinks, showers...). The heat in the house works and the gas stove works so it is not a natural gas issue. The pilot light is out on the water heater and I turned it off to allow any gas in the line to dissipate. I will go back down in a few minutes and try to relight the pilot light. I fear that the water heater has taken a poop. I don't mind cold showers as I had gotten used to them during puberty and, since we leave for Puerto Rico in two days, I doubt we will get a repairman here before then.

It was supposed to be near 70 degrees here today according to The Weather Channel but they were wrong. Right now, at what would normally be the warmest part of the day, it is only 51 degrees. I should have worn long pants on my walk but then I would have been hot.

See, they're already getting ready for Jeff's arrival

My legs are aching - too bad I cannot take a warm bath to soak them. My dogs are barking too. I am going to try to light the pilot light now without optimism. Unfortunately I was correct and it did not light. Now, I am waiting for the line to be free from gas again and I will try again.

Tomorrow I will have to mow the lawn again and edge the front yard; I hope it is warmer than it is right now. And, speaking of dogs, I also have to take Jeff to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm tomorrow so he can make some new friends and smell some different butts for a few days. He seems to like it there; at least he has never verbalized any displeasure.

Y received a few phone calls from the radio station I applied for a job this morning. I have not talked to them yet but I seem to be in high demand all of a sudden, I will call them back but I am leaning toward them being in the "you snooze, you lose" category since I already have an orientation date set-up for someone who was prudent and expedient to corral my talents and abilities. I believe I will call the radio station back because that is what civilized people do (I have heard of this and I would like to take steps to becoming civilized),.

It's fun to shower at the Y - M - C - A!

Okay, I am going to try to light this candle (the pilot light). I am going back downstairs with the attitude that it WILL work this time and see how that works for me and the water-heater. BRB...Still could not light this candle. I will call a repair person and schedule them to come out after we get back from our zip-in-zip-out trip. I seriously don't have a problem taking cold showers though they are not my first choice. I have a park district card and we have a YMCA membership if some of the roommates cannot wait a few days. I bet the ocean is warm where we are headed?

I have lots of things written down in my little notebook so I don't have to do anything exciting or fun or interesting to be able to blog tomorrow. I believe I will have time to clear many of the notes I wake written while out and about (if I can read the scribbles I make while I am moving). I will blog tomorrow most probably and I suppose I should back my water shoes and such too. Thank you for stopping-in. I hope it is warmer tomorrow for all of us. It will probably be dry here because The Weather Channel app says rain. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

"Like a Good Neighbor, You're on Your Own!"

Happy Monday! I am already planning where I want to walk today. Happily, I am addicted to walking these days. I thought about golfing today but I am without a vehicle and, though I could walk to a golf course, I don't think I want to walk that far carrying by golf bag that far. I do have a hand cart with wheels but how weird would I look on the bike path next to our subdivision walking with my golf clubs and cart? Maybe I need to get a golf motorized (electric) cart but I enjoy walking! The closest course is only 1.4 miles away and it is supposed to rain this afternoon. Maybe if I just took a small bag with a putter, a 3-wood and a 5-iron I could chance it?

In the category of "everything is about me" last night's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver talked about Puerto Rico where ME is going in a few days. Their economy is in the pooper and sales tax there is 11%. I suppose we will be helping their economy but why aren't they promoting tourism more? They are an American (U.S. and A.) territory so you do not even need a passport to travel there if you are an American citizen. I am going to see if I can get my passport stamped anyway. I tried that in England when we landed in Heathrow Airport and they wouldn't do it unless we were going outside of the airport; we were on a connecting flight to Czech Republic. I asked, "what if I get it stamped, step outside and come back in?" English don't have the same senses of humor as me - luckily and smart for them. I intend to tip well, as I always do, whenever we are in a tipping situation while we are there. This report said that the poverty rate there more than 45% and they have a $70,000,000,000 public debt and they say it is "not payable." Sales tax has been raised to 11.5%. I am even happier that we are going there if to even financially help a few people and/or businesses. Oliver even showed a news clip that the country shut-off the electricity to a hospital for non-payment of their electric bill. They did wait until surgeries were done for that day, at least. I am going to take a lot of single dollar bills to help a lot of people with a small hand-up! In a way, I am looking more forward to this now.

These are not the beaches that they show in the brochures

It is 09:20 and I am going to break now to go do something to blog about. That will probably begin by me getting dressed. I still have to get some road-work in today. I may just go to the back of the subdivision where there are just streets and very few homes and run the roads back there. Maybe I will take Jeff with me and I will play Rocky Balboa and Jeff will play Butkus.

Okay, it is 14:45 and I have returned. I walked over to the golf course and met all my friends (yes, I was alone) and shot 36 holes. I just took a small club bag with a wedge, a 9-iron and a putter. When I say "I shot 36 holes" I mean I went to the practice/putting green by the clubhouse and chipped four golf balls nine times each and then putted the same balls into the holes. I must say that I very good at reading the greens right now. Maybe that comes from age, wisdom, calmness and concentration. I have been working on those things for almost this entire year so far. My chipping was pretty good too. Now, of course, I really have golf fever.

When I got home from the links I called State Farm Insurance to make sure there would be no problem with them insuring the rental car in Puerto Rico. I found out that, even though Puerto Rico is a United States territory they only cover the continental United States. What a load of poop. We insure four cars and our house with them and I don't think we have never filed a claim (nothing immediately comes to mind but I may be incorrect there) and I find-out that the whole "like a good neighbor" thing is bologna? Puerto Rico is more like a stepchild than just a neighbor and they are not there for them? So, I called one of our credit card companies and they'll cover the car rental as long as we use that card for the rental. Maybe I should drop State Farm and just lease vehicles using this card to save money if they cover leased cars. I wonder if the card would cover the home insurance if I made the mortgage payments through them too? Not to mention the points/miles we get for paying our bill to them. We payed for a lot of our Hawaii trip with the miles from this card several years ago.

"Cannot cover your rental car but we can pay for these crappy commercials, Jimmy"

I have lots more to write but now I will have plenty to write after I weigh-in tomorrow if I save some. I don't like the blog to get too long because I prefer to let you get on and get out so you keep coming back. So, that being blogged, I will end now. I do thank you for coming by. I hope you are having the same beautiful weather we are having. Maybe the rain will hold-out and Cha Cha and I can go for a walk when she gets home; I may go even if she is not game. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Be well,
Be happy,
Be peaceful.

Cockle Warming Blog

I was not sure if I would blog today but I am blogging so now I am sure. Cha Cha and I took our weekly pilgrimage to Woodstock and, though we were going to take a picnic lunch, we did not and we ended-up eating at the place where we have eaten every Saturday for the last couple of months but one week. I will miss going there next week but Puerto Rico will be a good distraction and I think they have food there, right?

When we got home today I vacuumed the patio. It took quite awhile because it is very large (30' X 11') and it is stamped concrete (lots of crevasses); stamped and colored to look like a brown brick road. No need to follow the brown road just the yellow one I guess. If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown don't go down. I would have just swept it or hosed it off but that would have meant having to move everything off of the driveway-sized patio. It took quite awhile but I am happy that I did it because it looks nice for now. We have so many trees in the backyard that will make it need it again soon I am sure.

I know I wrote about it last year around this time but I purchased the MLB At Bat app again yesterday. That is the app that lets you listen to any Major League Baseball team's broadcast. You can listen to the home team's or the visiting team's broadcasts; you can even switch back-and-forth if you wish. If you live in the radio frequency area of your team it does not make sense as you can probably watch the games on television or listen to your local radio broadcast. My favorite team's home ballpark is 278.9 miles away and the broadcasts only would come in on very clear winter nights when there is no baseball (in the winter). The app is only $19.99 for the entire baseball season. I used it a lot last season. Sometimes I will just listen to Brewers' games too to hear Bob Ueker. Can you believe he has been doing Brewers' games for 46 years? I also like to listen to Dodgers' broadcast to listen to Vin Scully (67 years broadcasting their games). I am so sentimental.

I did not buy another bottle of the Cardinals' wine and the Red Birds lost last night. I am not going to buy another bottle to get another win; I realize that one is not connected to the other. My buddy Ed suggested that I buy one of many of the Anheiser Busch products. I considered doing this but Busch does not own the Cardinals any longer (since 1996). I did drink a lot of their products while I was in college (because I won them during trivia contests every Friday) and they owned the Birds and they did win one while I was in school but now there is no connection there and I don't drink beer these days. That was really long, run-on sentence. It was a great idea and a much better suggestion than me buying a bottle of wine for a win. They will win 80% of their games now that I will be listening (even though they lost last night while I was listening - one of the 20%).

It is 18:19 on a Saturday evening and I feel like going to bed. I am not going to do that but I feel like it.

I am pretty excited that Silicon Valley starts the new season tomorrow night; love that show. I wanted to say something introspective about the show so - I AM PRETTY EXCITED THAT SILICON VALLEY STARTS A NEW SEASON TOMORROW NIGHT! Introspective means  "to yell at the top of one's voice," right?

Okay, I am done writing. I probably shouldn't have written anything but it seemed like a good idea when I began. I do want to say that - no MATTer what your political alignments or lack thereof, or your religious or philosophical belief ... Global Warming is a real thing and we can slow that down by being better tenants of the blue ball we are hurling through space upon. Now I am really almost done this time but you can see that my looking below this paragraph.

Happy Bill Shakespeare;s birthday!

Thank you, so very much, for stopping by when you could be doing something productive - I am so happy and it warms my heart and my cockles (sort of the same things though one is the actual heart muscle in our chests and the other are the cores of our beings). I will probably not blog tomorrow but I might surprise us both. TTT?...MITM (out) TA!

May you be well,
May you be happy,
May you be peaceful.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! I can honestly say that this is in the top three of planets that I have ever lived on. I have to go to the store today so I hope it stops raining so I can walk there; I would feel guilty driving to the store on Earth Day. I guess I am all out of excused for driving today; I need to walk anyway. I suppose that is what umbrellas were made for... days like this, huh? Isn't that a song - "Umbrellas Were Made for Days Like This?" I admit that I am a tree-hugger. I don't kill bugs on purpose (I cannot help but kill them when they fly into the grill of my car when I am driving - I call that suicide). I catch bees and wasps in my hands and take them outside to set them free when they find their way into the house. I feed birds, and squirrels and rabbits on a daily basis. Be nice to the planet today - it has been nice to you!

Boy, this thing with Pat Boone attacking Saturday Night Live for parodying his film God's Not Dead 2 is getting out of hand. I will not watch his film because I missed the first one and (here comes the telegraphed, unfunny punchline) I would be totally lost. I did not see SNL this past weekend and, had Boone not brought it to my attention, I would not have seeked it out on the interweb to view it because I never would have known it existed. Here is a clip of God is a Boob Man if you want to see see what Boone is whining about. I understand that people are very close to their beliefs and stances on certain issues and they feel they have to defend their ideals and projects but this is making morons like me know about it and making it even a bigger deal by writing about it in a lame-ass blog that few people will ever see. I think people know that I am generally a liberally-minded person and I do believe that adult people should have the right to love whichever consenting adult they choose. There was a time when mixed race marriages were taboo. Maybe Pat is just trying to generate a lot of free press for a film that few will ever see but I think he believes very strongly in his project and has his quills up. I would love SNL to make fun of me - it is sort of an homage in my mind. Boone when on Glenn Beck's radio show and asked, "I'd like to ask Lorne Michaels, 'if someone did a funny sketch and portrayed his mother as a diseased whore would he find that funny or would there be some limit to what he and the show can ridicule?" Jesus would have just turned the other cheek (Gospel according to Matthew and from the Sermon on the Mount). I predict there will be a skit about Lorne Michaels' diseased whore mother on this week's Saturday Night Live. Or, at the very least, Michaels will do one of his pieces where he talks to the camera and addresses this with humor. Since his mom died in 2014 it could go either way or neither way. Maybe Boone is just trying to be a book huckster? I just set the DVR to record this week's SNL. It may be a rerun because the synopsis is, basically, empty. 

I am really jonesin' for carbs this week. I think my homemade corn tortilla addiction was slowing my weight-loss down so I have not had any carbohydrates (that I know of) since Tuesday. Maybe my body is just getting used to what I have been doing and I need to change-it-up? You would think that I would be happy with losing .6 pounds last week but I always want more (or less I suppose). I learned this week that losing .2 pounds is like losing a stick of butter so, losing .6 is like losing three sticks of butter. That puts it into a perspective that I can appreciate and be satisfied with. Everything is about the way you look at it and figuring a positive-spin to it on it. I am just doing salads and water until after my Tuesday weigh-in. I will deal with Puerto Rico eating when I come to it. When Cha Cha and I go to Woodstock Saturday we are going to pack a lunch to take with us and have a picnic in the Gobbler's Knob town square. I wonder why they didn't just shoot Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney? I suppose it is because the real Gobbler's Knob isn't even in the town square in the real city where the rodent looks for his shadow. Movies change reality all the time don't they? The Saturday Farmer's Markets begin there in May- BONUS!

The sun is popping-out so walking is getting more and more doable. It is only 09:08 right now and my watch says it will be in the mid to upper 50's before long (hey, me too) so I will enjoy walking to the store. Saturday is supposed to get into the upper 60's so a picnic in The Knob should be nice.

I have to start a load of laundry so, I will be right back.

"Right back" turned-out to be about four hours later as it is now 13:01. Now I am folding the laundry and the second load is in the dryer. I also walked to the supermarket, walked back here, put away the groceries, ate two Halo oranges, seasoned and began cooking a dozen chicken tenderloins, finished filling the dishwasher and stared the load of dishes and now I am writing again. On the way to the store I listened to the 80's Pop Radio station. The song The Metro by Berlin came on and I found myself tapping my thighs to the tune as I walked. I realized that the entire rhythm was just an entire of song of paradiddles. In case you do not have a drumming background, paradiddles are one of the primary rudiments. The entire was just a long series of electronic paradiddles with words thrown in. I love the song and now I will always why they don't throw and double paradiddle or triple paradiddle in there once in awhile. I live 80's music - I guess that was the wheelhouse of my life.

It seems that it is a free HBO / Cinemax weekend. We subscribe to HBO but not Cinemax and Cinemax is unscrambled. I did the usual and set-up the recordings but there is not much on Cinemax that I am interested in (at least over this weekend).

I am done for today. I have to eat some lunch (salad, of course). I am not sure if I wrote it here but, last week I had a dream about salad. Thank goodness it was not a nightmare because I love salads and I don't want to be afraid of them. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and your Friday night. I am not sure if I will blog tomorrow but I may after Woodstock. Thank you for stopping by. TTTT? (42%)... the tenderloins are beeping that they are done. MITM (out) TA!

Be well,
Be Happy,
Be Peaceful.

A Sure-Fire Betting System?

Happily, I will never understand prejudice

I cannot believe how hateful and ignorant some people are. I heard that there is one guy stockpiling twenty dollar bills (the ones with Andrew Jackson on them) so he never has to use a bill with an black woman on them. I suppose it is even a great kick to thins dude that Jackson is considered, by many, to have been the biggest racist American President in history. Some people seem to forget why our ancestors (at least many of them) came to this nation to escape racial persecution. I have no problem with any religion, race, gender, sexual orientation... and, even as a young child, I was accepting of all people no MATTer what. I just cannot understand the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of people who have to live other peoples' lives. I can barely handle my own junk sometimes and I certainly don;t want to mismanage your's too.

One week from today I will be in Puerto Rico; I am getting excited. I just reserved the rental car for the trip. I have to work-out the getting to O'Hare. The only issue is the return trip. We are leaving on two separate flights (three on one and two on one a couple of hours later). Cha Cha and I are the two and will just wait at O'Hare for two hours after the other three leave. Then, they will wait for us in San Juan for about an hour. On the way home they leave at 14:20 direct to Chicago and we leave at 17:35 and spend the night in Charlotte and come home the next morning. Maybe we will drive in and have them take the car home and we will take Uber or something home? My dad said he would pick us up too if we wanted him to... I may take him up on that one? I still have a week to iron that out.

I absolutely love to travel. I like everything about it; I do not mind screaming kids or crowds or running to catch a flight... I have traveled most of my life with drum and bugle corps and such and, I didn't even come to my current home (USA) until I was eight months old. Travel became part of my DNA make-up almost from the beginning. I suppose we all (unless we are C-Sections, I guess) travel through the birth canal so, I guess, most of us are travelers by nature and nurture.

There is a new story out that says the Chicago Cubs threw the 1918 World Series to Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox right before the Black White Sox threw the 1919 World Series. If that is true I hope they are cursed. It makes sense that, since Chicago was a huge gangster town, that the fix would be in more than once. Ironically, the fix was put into play by a St. Louis gambler named Henry "Kid" Becker. It seems that the Red Sox and the Cubs rode the train together from Chicago to Boston and that is where the plans were laid. A couple of key pick-off plays and outfielders playing shallowly (even after the pitcher signaled one of them to back-up but was ignored) when Babe Ruth "THE SULTAN OF SWAT" was at bat and hit a triple off of one of the Cubs' heads. I realize that the players were under-paid because their pay had been considerably lowered that year but what about For The Love of the Game?

I just read that Percy Sledge and Prince both died. Prince was only 57 years old. I suppose now, whatever singer dies next, will be forever linked with these two because famous people always die in threes right? I was a big Prince fan. He was an amazing musician and also helped many other acts blossom. I thing I saw Purple Rain in theaters about four or five times. I am sure Purple Rain will be on television very soon so people can capitalize on Prince's death. How else will they sell bagel bites and car wax...?

 I bet they all start and end with selling these books 

The Cardinals beat the Cubs yesterday so now I have to buy a bottle of that Cardinals wine every time I want a Cards' win? Or, does it only work against Chicago? I would buy one every time they played the Cubs if it guaranteed a victory but I don't know if I care that much to buy 162 bottles of wine per season. 94 wins seems to be the number to secure playing in the post-season. So, if I buy it directly from mlb.com they will charge me $53.99 plus shipping for three bottles. So, that is roughly $18 per bottle before shipping. That alone would cost me $1,692 plus shipping. If I could guarantee that would work I would do it in a heartbeat and then lay lost of money on the purchase plus interest on the Cardinals to make the post-season and recoup my money with lots of interest. Heck, if it worked I would find-out which team had the longest odds and send them to the World Series by buying their wine and I'd clean-up. Is this one of those "I've got a sure-fire winning system" deals? No, it is not but the success rate is 100% so far with buying this one bottle and getting a win. They play the Padres tomorrow night so I may have to buy another bottle tonight or tomorrow and test my theory. I could save the receipts and take the bottles back if they lost... hmmm. I have not opened the one I bought yesterday so the wine does not even have to be opened to get a win it appears. Maybe this one bottle is all I needed to buy for the whole season. I will go with that theory until they lose again - maybe one bottle is worth 9 mins and I will only have to buy 10 bottles plus whatever is needed in the postseason.

I am watching Caddyshack while I write this. It is one of the best golf movies (okay THE BEST) of all-time. Tin Cup is good. Happy Gilmore is good. Bagger Vance - good.  The Greatest Game ever Played is good. There are a few others that are okay but I would stick with those FORE (or five)!

I am getting long-winded again so I will end now. Thank you for stopping by - I am glad I took your mind off of the things you should be doing instead. Life is filled with too many "shoulds" and have to's." I am pretty sure I will be blogging again tomorrow. I have to get as many in as I can because who knows if I will blog at all from Puerto Rico?! Have a super rest of your day. TTTT (84.231%)...MITM (out) TA!

Be well.
Be Happy,
Be Peaceful.

Happy (and sad) 4/20 Yo!

It is 12:45 and the first pitch just occurred in St. Louis. The Cubs won last night too but I did get to see a rare triple by Yadier Molina. I saw a replay of a play last night and I saw what a class-act Yadi really is. One of the Cubs was coming home and, since there was no play at the plate, Molina reached down with his glove and brushed the bat out of the way of the player who was coming home. And, at this very moment Cardinals' center fielder Randal Grichuck, literally, robbed Cub Anthony Rizzo of a home run by reaching over the wall to catch the ball. That's a pretty good start as far as I am concerned.

I have had a pretty busy morning. I mowed the lawn at about 08:00, I went grocery shopping at three different stores (spreading the wealth), I had a salad for lunch (thanks to three different stores and my "assembly and preparation required), I took a couple of bags of yard waste to the yard recycling area... Maybe I should have done a way with a lot of running around and used the yard waste for the salad - maybe next time? And now a two run Cardinal home run by Matt Holliday. I am going to take credit for that home run by buying a bottle of Club Series St. Louis Cardinals Cabernet Sauvignon. They had Cubs and White Sox bottles too but... you know. If you're interested there is actually a website link printed on the label - mlb.com/wine. As it turns out there is wine for every MLB team. Turns-out that there are bottles with the logos etched into the bottles. I have one with a printed label but I may have to head back to that store and visit the liquor department. I got it at Hy-Vee if you live near me or have a Hy-Vee near you.I am curious what the cork looks like.

Today is 4/20. I am not sure weather to be sad because this is the anniversary of the Columbine, Colorado high school massacre in 1999 or get high because of today being the national "holiday" to get high (from marijuana). Supposedly, that date was decided-upon because of a group of California high school students that used to get together every day at 16:40 (4:20) to get high. Supposedly, the California penal code for marijuana at the time was 420. There is also a theory that there are 420 active chemicals in marijuana.Are these people high?I find it odd that, this morning by coincidence, I was watching Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back that I had recorded several weeks ago when we had the free Starz and Encore weekend we had a few weeks ago. I saw that movie in the theater and I have the DVD and it always cracks me up. I think (and I am not alone) that Kevin Smith is a cinematic genius.

Karma paid-off again as Molina just scored and the Cards are up 3 - 0 (let's stop the sweep). I really hate the stupid replays that they have for close umpire calls now. Like baseball isn't slow enough already now they review calls? I suppose it is so the ballparks can sell more beer and peanuts and Crackerjack and for the television broadcasters to charge for a few more commercials. This will make the "if we ever get back" part of that dumb song become a reality. Now it is 4 - 0. It's only the top of third inning and a lot can/will happen in the next six-and-a-half innings. I love this lucky wine though I have not tasted it yet and probably never will since that is just empty calories. I like the bottles with the hollowed-out bottom like a baseball bat hallowed-out for good balance and weight. They must be taller now because it says it still has 750 milliliters inside.

I think I am going to cut-down on the corn tortillas a bit. I am still losing weight every week but I think the tortillas (carbs) are slowing my loss down a bit. So, for a week I will cut-down the carbs and see what happens. Most aspects of life are just experimentation aren't they? We are all different and we have to find what works and does not work for each of us. If my hunch is correct I will start the tortillas again next week but just cut-down on the amount of shells. I love my homemade corn tortilla shells and I love my tortilla press.

 I hope it is not illegal to place that photo there though I would have lots to blog about 

I heard they have finally made the decision of who will go on the new United States twenty-dollar-bill. Harriet Tubman will become the new face on the double sawbuck replacing Andrew Jackson. Tubman was my choice for the replacement so I am pleased. I still remember how big of a deal it was when Susan B. Anthony was carved into the silver dollars back in 1979. I am sad that this is such a big deal because there should already be women on our currency.

Okay, I am going to quit to enjoy the rest of the ballgame; it is the top of the fifth right now. There is talk about rain and the Cards are winning 4-1... let's make this game an official game before the rain arrives. I hope you have a great rest of your day and night. I thank you, as always, for stopping by. I am sure I will blog tomorrow though the garage does need to be cleaned and this game and blog are preventing that happening today. TTTT (79%)...MITM (out) TA!

Be well,
Be happy,
Be peaceful!

Hopefully Day-Sleeping is in My Past!

 Yes, I have corporate sponsors and paparazzi and fans when I ride in the basement  

It is already 15:17 - time flies when time is flying.

I weighed-in this morning and I lost a whopping .6 pounds (yes that is point six pounds). I am really glad that I rode the stationary bike in the basement for ten miles this morning. I bet you didn't know we have such a large basement did you. I didn't leisurely ride the bike either. Riding a stationary bike, as you know, is not like riding a regular bicycle. You have to actually pedal the entire ten miles to make the bike go ten miles... coasting does not add to the distance. Anyway, I am glad that I did that because maybe I would not have lost had I not done that?

Well, the Cubs beat the Cardinals last night and, as expected, I took some ribbing today; I am okay with that. We are all on our own journeys and I am on one of positivism and kindness and we all must choose our own paths. And, should the Cardinals win tonight, I will not say anything against the Cubs. They are a good team this season and I wish them well and they do deserve to win a World Series soon, even if it does not happen this season. I thought about going to see the game on Wednesday down in The Gateway to the West but, since we are going to Puerto Rico in a few weeks, it doesn't seem financial prudent. I will see a game or two this season but perhaps later in the season when the teams are all hitting their strides (no "hitting" pun intended).

Maybe you have noticed that I have not commented on politics much lately? Firstly, there is so many people commenting on politics that they/you do not need my opinions on things. We all have our views and our country was founded, partly, on that freedom. I will let the people who think they are experts say what they want but I know what values and views I look for from who I will vote for and I will cast my vote that way when it is time. I am not sure that many, if any, of the politicians aiming for the office of POTUS really deserve it so it is a lesser of all evils for me. There are more choices that I would not make than ones that I would make at this point.

I got information about my starting at my new job; I have orientation on May 11th. Apparently I passed the background check and the urinalysis (never a question since I am a boring, law-abiding citizen as far as most people know).  May 11 is a Wednesday so, I am assuming and hoping that I got my first choice of shifts that would be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 06:00 - 16:00. That would mean that I would be off each of those days at 4PM and work only four tens instead of five eights. I am just assuming and guessing because maybe everybody will have orientation on that Wednesday? My second choice was to work Sunday, Monday and Tuesday from 06:00 - 18:00. That one would give me a four-day weekend every week with Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays off - that would be cool too. I would be happy to work three twelves and that shift has $1.00/hour extra shift "Key Premium (probably because it is only 36 hours per week instead of 40). I am not sure when to give my two-week notice to my current job but I will know more in a few weeks.

It is a fun rivalry (most some of the time)

So far, I am not tired of my homemade corn tortillas. They are so simple to make and they are delicious and I only make them as I want to eat them so they are fresh and warm. I cannot believe it has taken me this long to decide to do this. I wonder how many other things I will do in the future that I wall say that same thing about then?

Okay, that is it for today. I said I would blog today so I blogged. I hope the Cardinals win tonight so tomorrow afternoon's game will be a deciding game for the series; life is always more spicy with a little bit of dramatic spice in my opinion. Have a great night. I think I will be able to blog again tomorrow (perhaps earlier). I am sure something in the world will happen that I will have an opinion about or a distorted view on. TTTT (94.931%)...MITM (out) TA!

Be Well,
Be Happy,
Be Peaceful

Matther Goose Blog Us a Story!

It is such a fun car - especially with the nicer weather

I went and got the Fiat's oil changed after we got back from Woodstock on Saturday. The last two times I had the oil changed (on the JEEP and Fiat) were at Merlin's and I pretty much discovered that they were suggesting work to be done that was unnecessary. I know I blogged about it but they gave me a list of things that needed to be done. The JEEP was still under warranty so I went to the dealer and they found nothing wrong and did nothing to the vehicle. The next time I went back to Merlin's, after nothing mechanically was done to JEEP, they changed the oil and said nothing about any problems. So, the problems magically took care of themselves. No, the dealer was correct and these guys were trying to bilk money from me that I use to feed my family. I sent an email to Merlin's and the owner of the franchise called me and offered me this and that and I thanked him and declined. I figured he would want to know what was going on in his shop as I would want to know if I were the owner who did not work in the shop. Anyway, I went to Valvoline this time where I had gone many years ago and, as it turns out, there is a discount for law enforcement officers there that I didn't even know about. He noticed my P.D. identification when I got my credit card out to pay and I will take all of my cars there once again. Who says there is not Karma? Of course, they tried to sell me new wiper blades and the like but they were not pushy and I can do that stuff on my own. I used to do the oil changes too but it is such a mess and the disposal is a pain so this is better for everyone and everything involved.

I am at the Dekalb Schoolbook Depository (public library) again. My reasons for coming here today were three-fold. #1 - I wanted to get some books about Puerto Rico travel for our upcoming trip, #2 - I wanted to get some sun on my Casper-white arms before I get closer to the equator and turn into Larry the Lobster and, #3- I am planning on doing a 5K run in my Saturday hometown of Woodstock on April 24th (a Sunday); Cha Cha said she would do it with me; I hope it works-out that way. Since it is at 8AM it should be nice and cool before the sun makes it to it's zenith.

I felt like getting stoned and watching a Stones rock concert!

On my run over here I listened to the Cat Stevens station. On the way back I think I will listen to the Yusuf Islam station. I wonder if there will be any difference? Okay, I just looked to add the Yusuf Islam station and there is not one but there is a station called Yusuf & Cat Stevens Radio so I added that one.

I generally take a different route each time I hit the streets a-runnin' trying to beat the masses (yes, I was wearing inexpensive sunglasses). Today I cut-up the alley between Second and Third Streets. I recommend using alleys whenever you feel safe in doing so because there are a lot of weird things that people hide back there that you don't see from the streets. The road (and alley) less-traveled is better than the well-traveled ones. When I came out of the alley I felt as though I had gone through a time-warp or was sucked into a television and landed in Bedrock. Right before me was Fred and Wilma's couch in a park. It was actually a two-sided couch made of stone and concrete so you could be just as uncomfortable facing either direction. I was tired but I wasn't THAT tired so I took that photo and kept on going.

Last week I bought some Bluetooth wireless earbuds and I love these things. I only have to be within 50 feet of my device and they work great. I have them hooked-up to my phone and use them, mostly for Pandora (the music service not the charm bracelet people).


I started putting dryer lint out by the bird feeders again as we have seen many birds carrying twigs and brush to build nests. 'Tis the season Cha Cha says (not in those words though). So, once again, we will have the best-smelling birds in the MIDDLEwest.

I know I have talked about all the wildlife I pass when I am out-and-about. Today, one of the geese (and her husband - I assume they are married because of the children though I did not see any bling) that I have passed many times was sitting (like many have been doing on eggs of late) and the dude / bodyguard was standing next to her. I always give them lots of space because we all live together and I can move faster than them in situations like this. As I got closer I saw a whole gaggle of goslings beneath her. I suppose this, literally, makes her Mother Goose. I went up the hill to the road a bit and they knew I was no threat. Additionally, with this slight incline I got a bit of a better work-out. I will probably go back the same way but I know where they are so I will have my beak-up. I didn't take a photo of that because geese do not like paparazzi.

Okay, I am going to stop now and check these books out and head back home so I can get the JEEP and go to the store. Cha Cha and I walked to the store the other night but we just got a bag of ice and smaller food items that filled my backpack. Today I have to get twelve-packs of diet root beer and diet ginger ale and a 12-pack of water and a jug of distilled water Cha Cha's protein shakes. Plus, the place I get those, Target, is a long ways away. I have already done 3.96 miles today (more than a 5K) and I will add double more on the way back home (maybe not since I will probably not go the Bedrock route again).  Oh yeah, the Cubs - Cardinals series starts tonight. I will watch it from home alone because I cannot root for my team in public around here without being hassled. I prefer not to be hassled for my beliefs and preferences so I avoid that whenever possible.

Have a great day and enjoy the nice weather (I hope you are having good temps where you are). Thank you for coming by the library with me today and I believe I will blog again tomorrow. TTTT (?)... MITM (out) TA!

Be well!
Be Happy!
Be Peaceful!

Looks Like a Good Day All Around So Far

What a beautiful Friday - welcome to The Department of Redundancy Department. A) it is Friday B) it is 67 degrees right now at 12:21 C) I interviewed and got offered a job this morning D) taxes aren't due until Sunday because of a government holiday or something... I can list more but that is a pretty good day already in and of itself.

Jeff is lying on the patio in the shade. When I got home from C (above) I threw the Nerf disc (I always want to call them Frisbees no MATTer the brand name. Even though it is a Nerf product it is solid rubber. I guess Nerf saturated the market with foam or there is a foam shortage or something. In college I actually got injured playing Nerf basketball. On a super slam dunk I came down on another player's shoe and twisted my ankle to the point of black-and-blue and swelling twice the original size. I am such a delicate flower. Of course, I finished the game - would Dominique Wilkins come out of the game?

 I crack myself up 

If I do accept the job from C (above) it will not begin until some time in May so I will be able to use my airline ticket to Puerto Rico. I wonder if Cha Cha and I should re-renew our wedding vows in Puerto Rico? We renewed them once in Hawaii (to her surprise and with my brother's Hawaiian connections and diligence... I gotta guy). Our 28th wedding anniversary will be April 30th (we will already be back for P.R. by then but just barely). Anyway, I was offered the job and had to pee in a cup. So, barring any issues with my urine or my background check I will ponder accepting the job. Considering that I passed a urine test and a background check for my current job at the police department I have to believe that I will pass this one because I am boring and do not do drugs (unless prescribed) and I don't do anything exciting like rioting or stealing cars or breaking an entering... The place offered five different shifts and I had to rank my shift preferences from one-to-five. If I get four or five I will make a few dollars extra an hour but I would like to live like a regular human being again. But, Ques Sera, Sera.

Tomorrow Cha Cha and I will make our weekly pilgrimage to Woodstock; I hope we see Leo DiCaprio again. Speaking of that I read that Lady Ga Ga is talking about moving to Aurora, IL because she likes the people and the lifestyle...there. I also heard that Rihanna is moving to Skokie - does she like Illinois Nazis? I hate Illinois Nazis. I think all of these rumors are a bunch of hooey and, who cares anyway? I know for a fact that, when President Obama finishes his final term as President, the Obamas are going to buy four houses in our cul-de-sac and tear them down and build one huge house and live near us. It is true because I saw it writing (just in that last sentence there).

I guess I am just a rebel (but our house is not divided)

The St. Louis Cardinals have moved from last place into a tie for second place. The Chicago Cubs have only lost one game and lead the National League Central. The Cubs and Cardinals face one another for the first time this coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I will be sitting alone here watching the games. I will not be having peanuts. I will or be having Crackerjacks. I may consider a turkey dog or two inside a homemade corn tortillas too. I think the Cubs deserve to win a title but I was always hoping that it would wait until I was dust in the wind. There is still A LOT of season left but, though I have always been a good sport when my team has won and won and won, I know I will not receive the same courtesy from many of the opposing fans if the Cubs continue to do well. We always focus on the bad apples don't we? I have made great strides over the past two or three months to refocus my energies and maybe a Cubs' World Series win would test my resolve. I would look at it as a life-test for me. I still have a long way to go on my journey to Nirvana so I will work doubly-hard until October. Maybe I should drive down to St. Louis and find a "who needs one?" guy and go see a game. There has to be one general admission ticket left, right? I could stop in Hannibal on the way there or on the way back? I love that town. Maybe I will just drive to Hannibal and watch a game in a bar there with Sam Clemens' descendants. I am not sure if he has any living descendants but I know there are plenty of people claiming to be in the bloodline.

I am going to wrap this up. I hope you are having nice weather and have your patio door open too. If not, just be patient, it will be there soon. Thank you for coming-by. TTT (maybe this weekend some time)...MITM (out) TA!

Blogging is the Spice of Life

I found these elaborate cul-de-sac plans near the tunnel entrance

Man, it's already nearly 13:00. I guess that is okay because I did some grocery shopping and some laundry and took Jeff Helser to the dog park. I just heard Jeff outside trying to dig under the fence again and, upon inspection,  he is confined to quarters (in the house - house arrest) for the rest of the day. Such a shame that it is the nicest day of the year so far and the brat has to stay inside. There seriously is an area near the gate on the side of the house that looks like Jeff was playing Hogan's Heroes or The Great Escape and tunneling out. Maybe, since he was working alone, he was more like Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption. Good thing I am a better Warden than Warden Norton and I foiled the plan before the escape. So, now the prisoner is in the hole (the house) and whining like a bitch (but, since he is a male he is just a bitch "poser").

At the dog park Jeff was trying to prove his dominance by humping several of the other dogs. So, as you might imagine, we did not stay very long.

While driving to the store with Jeff (BHA - before house arrest) I heard a story on the radio that Canada had a record number of UFO sightings reported in 2015 according to Winnipeg-based Ufology Research. I cannot believe that "ufology" didn't get the red squiggles underneath it as a misspelling. That is a new word for me; the blog never ceases to educate me. Anyway, they reported 1267 sightings of UFO's for last year. This is the second highest number that they have received for a single year. 2012 was the highest number of UFO sighting (1981 sightings) because, of course, that was the year that the Mayan calendar ended which, of course, meant the end of the world (I guess we are now experiencing the afterlife or are in a dream-state). If you are interested in seeing the actual report HERE IS A COPY which breaks down the number of sightings per year and breaks them down by province. It is, actually, a very interesting report. The truth is out there - WAY WAY out there!

Apparently "THERE" is Canada

I just took a break to eat some lunch. We are down to only two corn tortillas. Fortunately, they are pretty easy and quick to make so I will make them on demand; they taste better when they are warm anyway. I found that making them thicker does not make them stronger. In fact, I think the thinner ones are more resilient. Silly me thinking tortilla companies didn't know what they were doing. I guess thicker ones are more like flat breads. Last night I made spaghetti squash for the first time. It is pretty good with a bit of olive oil and some garlic. I also added a bit of cheese to mine. We didn't have any red sauce but I bet that would be really good on top too. It was very easy to prepare and cook contrary to what I had been led to believe.

I think I am going to end now and go cut-up some chicken breasts into cubes and cook them. I am not quite sure how I am going to season them.I imagine that garlic will be involved. Garlic seems to be my go-to seasoning. Some of my other favorites are: cilantro, dill, paprika, sea salt, chives, ground pepper, onion, celery salt, horseradish root... I suppose it depends on what I am making, of course. I will probably grill the breasts since it is nice outside. So many decisions.

Thanks a lot for stopping by; I am so happy that you do. I am going to figure out my seasoning situation and cut the chicken. I think I will blog tomorrow. I have a big interview in the morning and I do not know how long that will take so I cannot be 100% sure if I will or not. I hope you have a great rest of your day and enjoy the weekend if you are going to get the weather that the expert guessers are predicting for the MIDDLEwest. TTT?...MITM (out) TA

Que Sera Sera!

Today is the anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's day of birth. Though he was a slave-owner for most of his life he called slavery a "hideous blot" and "moral depravity" and he believed that it was among the greatest threats to our new nation. In 1774 he introduced a law in Virginia that would stop the importing of Africans to be slaves. In 1784 he pushed for the ban of slavery for the Northwest territories. He was in the minority and it was not until Abraham Lincoln gave his life for the cause nearly 100 years later that slavery would finally abolished. I suppose Jefferson helped to blaze that trail. There is also a lot of talk that Jefferson also fathered many children with slave women. I am told, though I have not substantiated it (or even tried), that my bloodline runs back to TJ. I don't really know what difference that would make but it is something to talk about.

The 4Runner is finally ready; it will have been in the show for a week tomorrow. I believe I need to find a new mechanic in town sine it takes a week to put a new alternator in a vehicle. It sounds like they must have enough business already so I should spread the work to somebody who needs it. I suppose the flip side of that Jefferson nickle is maybe they are so good that many people takes their work there? I will walk there to pick the 4Runner up when it gets a bit warmer today so I suppose that is a benefit?

I just saw that the new season of Silicon Valley starts on April 24th. I started watching the show because I thought it was Silicone Valley (trademark/patent/copyright... pending) and showed breast augmentations but I liked it anyway and kept watching it. That is not true; I knew what it was about before we started watching it  - I am such a blog exaggerator.

I looked into adding the Fox Sports Midwest channel to our DirecTv account but it is not really that simple so I will just continue to listen to the Cardinals' games on my phone and pretend it is a transistor radio so I can feel like I am in 4th grade again. You have to add a complete package that is quite costly for watching a few games here and there. That is why so many automatons just follow the teams that are geographically near them. I have never thought about that - most people just like teams because they are close to them. Maybe that is smart and maybe it is lazy and makes those people like robots. Though robots could probably turn themselves into satellite dishes and watch whatever team they wanted to watch. But, robots probably aren't really interested in sports.

I have my interview in two days. It is always nice to have a meeting that, should it go your way, should go your way. But, on the off-chance that it does not go with the optimal outcome. would not be the end of the world. I believe in fate to a certain extent but I believe in chance to a greater extent. I do think that our actions and words and beliefs often determine chance and/or fate too. So, I suppose that means "whatever will be will be." You heard Doris Day's voice in your head just then too didn't you?

It is 12:30 and I am hungry so I am going to have some HOMEmade corn tortillas with salad and some salad and ground turkey. The, at about 14:00 I am going to walk the mile or so and pay too much for having the alternator replaced on the 4Runner. I thing I need to go get some new earbuds because I have misplaced my other ones. I think I need to get some florescent pink ones or yellow ones because almost everything we own has black in it and that is the color of my earbuds. That is much easier than remembering where I carefully put them so I would not lose them or forget where I put them. Maybe it is time to get wireless ones, huh?

Have a great rest of your day and your night. It is supposed to be nice the next several days and getting up into the 70's this weekend. It's about darn time. Nice weather would be nice while strolling through Woodstock on Saturday. I know it will be nice where I am at the end of the month though, as it does on all tropical islands, it will rain for a bit every afternoon - I can deal with that. TTTT (probably)...MITM (out) TA!

Be a Sport (seems like today's blog is one)

Hello, there! I cannot believe it is already 13:56. This morning I rode the stationary bike for ten miles and did about two miles on the treadmill. I guess it paid-off because, when I weighed-in today I was down 1.8 pounds for the week. That makes 37.4 pounds down since the last week of 2015. I know it will slow-down and I will eventually plateau but I will ride this wave as long as I can. 

I am happy to see that the St. Louis Cardinals have seemed to righted their ship. They began the season losing their first three games to the Pittsburgh Pirates but have now won their last four games sweeping the Atlanta Braves and beating the Milwaukee Brewers in the St. Louis home-opener yesterday. I have not and, even if provoked, will try very hard not to say or post much on Facebook about it. I have to accept that I live in Chicago Cubs' country and minorities are often abused and meant to feel bad in the country; there is a long history of that sort of abuse in American. I have never bashed another team though I have defended my team in the past. In all actuality, it is ridiculous to have issues over which sports teams people like. There are so many important things in life and if, what is supposed to be a distraction from everyday life be, sports become a bone of contention there are probably deeper issues at play. I know I can say that now but ask me how I feel come All-Star Break time.The Cubs and Cardinals play each other next week for the first time this season so that is when my true resolve will be tested for the first time this season. I wish the Cubs well this season.

I don't really have a whole bunch on my mind today so I am not sure why I decided to blog. I think I may just be tired from the 12 miles this morning on no food or drink. 

I am watching Rocky (1976) while I write this today. I recorded it over the weekend with the free Starz / Encore weekend. This is really a very good film. Stallone has made some pretty good movies and he has made some stinkers too. I imagine that can be said for most of the actors that have had fairly long movie careers. Speaking of good actors I immediately think of Morgan Freeman. Cha Cha and I have been watching his new series / documentary on NAT GEO (National Geographic Channel) called The Story of God with Morgan Freeman. It is a really good series. He visits different parts of the world and different cultures and talks to experts all over the world about their beliefs of deities. It is very interesting to learn where all of the beliefs and superstitions... come from. I have my own belief and, just like everybody else, I KNOW that mine is the correct belief. I never really thought of it but diets and deities are very similar words aren't they? I bet that is not coincidence. I also bet it isn't a coincidence that Morgan Freeman hosts this show since he played God in Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty. George Burns would have been good too - especially if he came back from the dead to do the series. Incidentally, I bet The Cardinals are God's favorite baseball team and The Saints are probably his NFL fave.

  What a special man he was  

Did you know that baseball is the most popular sport in Puerto Rico? Maybe I will try to catch a game while am there? Some pretty good ball players came from there: Roberto Clemente, Yadier Molina, Orlando Cepeda, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, Jose Cruz, Edgar Martinez...I may have to buy a baseball jersey as a souvenir. Maybe from the Gigantes de Carolina since they play in Roberto Clemente Stadium. I got Clemente's autograph when I was a kid and didn't take care of it, of course. Hopefully that shows-up again one day.We never listen to our parents do we?

It is almost 16:00 so I am done for today. Thanks a lot for stopping by. I will probably blog again tomorrow.Have a great night and, who knows, maybe it will get warm here soon in the MIDDLEwest? TTTT (92%)...MITM (out) TA!

A New Calling? NO!

One of my favorite parts of Silent Movie

I just got back from running to the grocery store but I certainly wasn't running on the way back home. On the way there I felt like Jackie Robinson and on the way back I felt like a cross between Dorothy Gale and Marcel Marceau. I am sure you get the comparisons but, in case I am too vague as I often am - it was 42 degrees and I made good time on the way there with the wind to my back. On the way home the wind was in my face (I suppose that would be called a headwind) and I could barely walk into the wind so there was not running involved. It was even more difficult with the backpack full of groceries. I guess that is better than a piano on my back. The entire trip was only 3.55 miles but it felt like 26.21875 miles (how in the hell did they arrive at that figure for a marathon?). Even in kilometers is is a weird number (42.195).

Yesterday I used the last store-bought corn tortilla so my day began making tortilla dough and using the tortilla press. I made about a dozen tortillas that were roughly 7" in diameter and grilled them.I pressed them a little thicker than the store-bought ones so they would not fall apart as easily when filled with mu usual fillings. I was saddened, un poquito, that they were not yellow (amarillo) though. While I was at the store I checked the ingredients of the pre-made tortillas that I had been buying and they use yellow corn masa (masa de maiz). I have to check and see if I can find yellow corm masa someplace. I did buy some corn so my mad kitchen scientist experiments can continue this afternoon with adding corn to the masa before cooking. I will try whole kernels and, if that does not accomplish my task, I will chop or grind or maybe even just use yellow food coloring? Part of eating is the presentation and I want yellow corn tortillas dag nabbit.

I was listening to the Barenaked Ladies station on Pandora on the my trek (both ways). As I got to the store I was hearing "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Can you ever hear that song and not think of Silence of the Lambs?

I started to write a political paragraph but deleted and I will just type four words - Al Gore Delegate Rules. So, you can either search that on your own or not and I did not say anything about politics - I just typed four simple words.

Splenda and Cha Cha and I rented Sisters on pay-per-view or whatever DirecTv calls it this past weekend. I would say that it was pretty good for a little while and then it just went on way too long with way too many stupid jokes. It was like Animal House with MIDDLEaged people instead of college students without all of the humor. It was too far-fetched and there were lots of flaws in the way people really behave in life unless they are completely psychotic. It was only $4.99 for the movie; I have spent more for worse things I suppose.

My mom and dad came over yesterday. My dad looks and feels great. It is so hard to believe he had triple by-pass surgery just a few months ago. We had a nice visit and I did not have to get stuffed-up from my cat allergy.

Okay, I could not stand it so I had to go try making the tortillas with the corn. I used the chopper and chopped the corn and then added the corn and a secret ingredient (it is a spice and it can be purchase legally in almost every grocery store in America) to the masa I used before and pressed and grilled about another dozen shells and I am much happier with the new batch. I am sure I will change what I am doing many times but I think I can make sun-dried tomato shells and green chili shells... Cilantro shells sound good. Maybe I can be The Tortilla Man and drive around town with a food truck. We used to have Bagel Man (at least that is what we called him or Mr. Bagel or Bagel Guy or Dudder or El Duderino...) at Southern Illinois University and he just stood outside of the bars and cooked bagels and customized them as they were purchased. We live in a college town and maybe I could drive around campus and make fresh tortillas with various different fillings out of the back of an old ice cream truck or something? I bet this is the way that Subway started - but they are too lazy to travel around peddling their wares. I think I will also make my own sound track and play the tune of Tequila and, when they would normally say "tequila" I will sing "tortilla." I am the P.T. Barnum of food trucks all of a sudden.

Hey, maybe our dog is actually named after Jeff Lebowski? I just now realized that is why I wanted, so bad, to name him Jeff!

Geez, I forgot that I was blogging and I made some more corn tortillas; they are so much better than the first batch. I also made and am cooking my baby turkey meatloafs at the request of my better-half. They will be awesome crumbled up and used as the filling for my corn tortillas. The loafs are made and in the pans but I will try to time them to be done at 18:00 (it is 17:01 right now). Meatloaf corn tortilla tacos maybe the biggest seller on the Tortilla Man Truck that I never start.

Don't I look nice in my Tidy Whities?

When I break-up writing the blog I never realize how long it gets (TWSS - see blog glossary for definition). I am going to stop now and clean-up the huge mess I have made of the kitchen. I do a lot of cleaning as I go so it really isn't that bad. Tomorrow is weigh-in day so I won't have too many tacos tonight even though, based-on the program I am on I can have pretty much as many as I want (within reason). I may go for another zip around the neighborhood tonight (with Jeff and Cha Cha if she wants to go). Then, in the morning, I will do between five and ten miles depending on how I feel. I will not eat anything tomorrow until after weighing-in at noon. every Tuesday I feel like a wrestler (like Matthew Modine in Vision Quest - I think I have written that before). trying to make weight to participate in the weight-class desired.

Okay, enough already blogger-mouth. I hope you have a great night and I hope that it is warmer tomorrow so I can wear shorts. Thank you for keeping me company in my tortilla truck house. I appreciate you stopping by and I appreciate all of the comments and questions and ideas that come my way. Don't feel you have to send me stuff but know that, if and when you do, I do appreciate them. TTTT (I would say 82%)...MITM (out) TA!