Happy Old Year!

The luckiest guy in the Milky Way galaxy! Snickers galaxy too.

April 30th will be Cha Cha and my 30th wedding anniversary. Can you believe somebody would be  able to deal with my shenanigans for 30 years? I guess we dated for about six years before that - college sweethearts. She deserves a Purple Heart. For our thirtieth we talked about going to Key West, Florida - we really liked it down there. We also talked about spending our anniversary helping the people of Puerto Rico by going there and helping in whatever way we could. We had vacationed in Puerto Rico a few years back and we loved it there. The people could not have been more pleasant and friendly and the island could not have been more beautiful. It saddens me deeply when I see where it is now. I worry that there is very little that we could do to help there since many of the people have come to the mainland (Florida and the like) to escape the horrors that still exist there. Jill has also wanted to go to New York City for most of her life so maybe we will do that. I have been there and it is fun and vibrant. I went with some buddies to see a Yankees' game and a Mets' game. We still have a few months to figure it out.

In 23 days our youngest offspring (Fabio) will be 21 years old. Time sure does fly by in life. He's a nice young man and I am very proud of that. I feel the same pride when I think of Splenda and how well she is doing and what she is doing in her life. She lives in Chicago and seems very happy. Happiness is one of the main things that you want for your children when they become adults. Don't we all just want to be happy?

I had recorded (DVR) a movie called The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) a while back and finally got around to watching it this morning. For some reason I am entranced by the Holocaust. I cannot imagine that any people could have been so barbaric as Hitler and the Nazis were. It was a very good movie with, mostly, a happy ending. History has proved to us that, overall, nothing about the holocaust was a happy ending. I am not sure why I am so fascinated by the goings-on during that time in: Poland and Germany and Norway and The Netherlands and Belgium and northern France... In a way it was a fortunate thing for those countries and the world that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii or The United States of America may have not gotten involved in the war and there could have been a very different outcome had they not "awoken a sleeping giant." I am not sure of exactly why I am so entranced by this era. Is it because I was born in Germany? Is it because of my great passion for other people and their rights to practice and be who they want to be as long it doesn't infringe on other peoples' rights to practice and do what they believe are right? Given yesterday's blog and today's I guess I am just reminded that compassion is one of the the sentiments we should have about and for other people. I think, perhaps, another reason for my deep feeling for animals. When I was young I would always tell people that I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up. If I ever finishing growing up maybe I will still be a veterinarian.   Bottom line, the film was very good and I recommend it.

I am starting to find that I blog better in the mornings. I have always been a morning person. I am a very light sleeper so any light or the slightest sound wakes me up pretty easily. I used to wear one of those masks over my eyes but I am always in protection mode, even when sleeping, and want to be ready to take a bullet for my family and/or friends if need be. The two masks that I have are: one black one that has yellow letters on it that read"out of order" and the other one I have is a picture of Napoleon Dynamite's eyes and glasses. I guess I am sort of a Baby Boomer Minuteman. I should probably sleep in one of those hyperbaric (or hyperbolic) chambers. I think one (hyperbaric) is for treatment of  decompression sickness and radiation issues and the other (hyperbolic) is used for out-of-body experiences and time-travel like in Quantum Leap. I would be open for either so I could sleep well and re-write history as a better place. I have seen in many movies and television series' that changing the past can change the course of history and make the present totally different than it is now. Pearl Harbor needed to be bombed so that we would not be ruled by tyrants and dictators. In a way, we owe much more to our ancestors for taking the fall for us so we can live the lives that we do presently. Perhaps we are taking bullets for the next ten generations after us by putting-up with the garbage that we see today? Maybe that is all of our purposes to be here and we just take that for granted.

Man, it is 09:26 already. I think I hear Cha Cha rumbling around upstairs so I will end for now. Thanks a lot for stopping-in again. I should be able to write tomorrow morning and the next morning because I don't go back to work until Tuesday. Be safe tonight as we usher-in a new year. I will just be here sleeping until all of the illegal fireworks start bursting in air or I may still be awake to see if Dick Clark is still alive. I am too nosy to wait so I looked - Dick Clark died in 2012. I cannot believe we can get a new year with him gone. Thank you, very much, for my New Years Eve blog that had very little to do with New Years Eve. Be safe and make so good resolutions. TTTNextYear...MITM (out) TA.

Empathetic Dawdling!

 

 Does that picture make you think of Harry Carey too? 

Sorry I didn't write yesterday; I was really tired after work. That last sentence was actually written yesterday and it was rewritten from the previous day. I wrote about three paragraphs and the ghost in this machine (I know I have written before how this computer erases things even though I have saved them) and they vanished. I will try to recreate the brilliant prose that I had typed though I am sure it was better so whatever I write now is not as good as it would have been yesterday. Don't read this next part aloud because my computer may hear you - I really need to get a new computer.

Yesterday (which would have been today when I originally wrote it) they handed-out letters to many of the seasonal workers where I work. I am not a seasonal worker so I was not really impacted directly. The letters were whether each of the recipients were to either become full-time employees or would be let go on a week or so. It was very emotional for many of them. I was happy that several of the people that I had trained when they first started received the good letters. Some people who got the rejection letters just left without finishing the shift. Some stayed and will work until they can no longer come in. I am a very empathetic person so I don't like to see disappointment or sadness even though we all see these emotions often. I consider my empathy sometimes a strength and other times a weakness. Having a full-range of emotions makes us compassionate and I certainly am that.

Moving on... I want to bring the words "dawdle" and "bushed" back into our daily vernacular. "Quit your dawdling!" and "Wow, I am really bushed." There are so many great words that we no longer used. Now I thinking of other words that I liked and we no longer widely spout. I immediately think of: henceforth, whatsername, kerfuffle, thingamajig, heretofore, ... I will come-up with plenty more after I post this unequivocal monstrosity. I love words. That is an odd thing to say now that I see it in words.

I do not have to work for three more days. I get New Years Eve off and New Years Day off and January second in 2018 off. It's just the way that my three-day weekend fell. I generally have a three-day weekend unless it is our busiest times of the year - late fall and early winter.heretofore,

Right now Cha Cha and I are watching Black Mirror on Netflix. I guess I would describe it as a new-age Outer Limits or Night Gallery or The Twilight Zone... Each episode is a different story unto itself. Some are better than others but they all make me think; which I often overdue. I am still watching Godless too, of course. We are very

I should have some time on my hands over the rest of 2017 to be able to write so I am guessing I will blog tomorrow. I hope you have a great night and I thank you for stopping by. Even though I did not write as much as I would like to have this year my resolution is to write more in 2018. Please stay warm for the rest of the year. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Godless, Seedless Cuties

I just got home from work. I cannot believe how nice it got outside. It was eleven degrees warmer on the way home than it was driving in at 5 AM. That sun sure does it's job even in the winter months. It was not very nice seeing the temperature reading in the JEEP at -11 degrees. I hope to see at least zero degree Fahrenheit tomorrow morning on the way to work.

Last night (3:45 PM) Cha Cha and I went over and saw the new Star Wars movie (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) in 3-D. The movie was pretty good but it seemed longer than it really needed to be, in my opinion. The 3-D was really good though. The movie was good too but it surely did not need to be that long - 152 minutes. That's 2 1/2 hours. I am old and this was on a school work night. That run-time doesn't even include the previews. When we got into the Fiat after the show Jill asked me, "what do you think the temperature is?" I said, without batting a frozen eyelid, "one." She laughed knowing that I would say that because that is one of our favorite lines from Planes,Trains and Automobiles. I turned the key and it was one degree outside. We laughed so hard that the windshield fogged-up even more than it already had from our regular breaths. That makes me wonder "why are witches' breasts cold?"

I like that I only work four days a week. I would rather work four ten hour shifts than five eight hour shifts; the three day weekends are great. We have been having to do an extra twelve hour shift each week on top of our 40 hours for the past couple of months. It was tough but the overtime pay was really nice. Some weeks I would work the extra twelve plus an additional four hours on top of that. I am too old to do that for very long but it sounds like that may be over now for this year - I sure hope that is the case.

I have to figure out what to have for dinner. All I have had to eat today was: a small salad, two Weight Watchers cheese sticks, three bananas, two Cuties, and apple and about 15-20 grapes. I forgot to have a partridge in a pear tree. Uh Oh, I have to go take my medicine before I forget. I will be right back.

I am back.

I have been watching a series on Netflix called Godless. I really like it but I have only found time to watch a few episodes. It's a western and a lot different than most westerns I have seen; it probably depicts how it really was in those times. I really like that her are strong women characters in the show too.I think you would have had to be a tough person to live in those times and situations. There are seven episodes (they call them "parts") so far but I bet they will continue on after these seven.

She is one of my favorite characters

I found some chicken patties in the freezer and I am rustlin'-up me some grub. Now I'm talking all cowboy-like. I think I will wrap this up and eat my dinner. I just wanted to write even a little so I get back in the practice of writing on a regular basis again. I appreciate you being a sounding board for me and letting me ramble-on. I wish my life were a bit more exciting so I could let you live vicariously through me.

Thank you for stopping by and I will try to do something more entertaining tomorrow so I can write about it tomorrow evening. TTTT....MITM (out) TA!

Blog is My Religion!

It has been nearly four months since I wrote my last blog. I have missed writing here and I have especially
missed you a great deal. I have been writing and researching for, what I hope will be, a book one day. I wanted to get started on that because one of my great weaknesses, off-and-on throughout my life, has been procrastination. I am not lazy by most means but I think I am too much of a perfectionist in many ways and, though it does not seem that it should be, that is one of my greatest weaknesses. One of my other great weaknesses is the ability to sleep very many hours in a row which is why I am sitting on the edge of my bed at 11:48 on Christmas night in my brand new pajamas starting this drivel. My sleeping problems have stemmed from several things I believe; me being born in a different country and my never sleeping senses of sound and sight. The slightest sounds or sources of light will cause me to awaken immediately. I may have been reincarnated from a guard dog or something. I have lots of excuses for not writing but I have many more reasons, that I had been ignoring, to write. I think I get a lot of things off of my mind here and can let some of my troubles escape into the ether. I hope the ether never fills-up because I intend to continue to release my bad juju into it. I am already bothered that I finished that last sentence with a preposition revealing another of my great weaknesses - I think too much.

I have been working on, what I hope to be, a novel some day. Work (my actual paying job) has been crazy busy for about the past three or four months so there has been little time to really sit down and write a bunch. I have notebooks and scribblings all together on my desk and I am fairly sure where the main direction my story is headed but I must set the compass properly to reach the destination. Finding true north is the hardest part of beginning that journey for me to arrive in the proper place. I am not looking for fame or fortune in writing a book; I just feel that I have been writing for most of entire life and I feel the need to have something bound that will be here when I am gone. Not for immortality either - just something to prove that I was here so when I am reincarnated and come back I will have a head-start to reach that next plain on my next go-around. Every now and then I have received unsolicited messages from some vulture (me thinking too much again) wanting to have me send money to have my blog hardbound. I cannot imagine what I would do with something like that and I know they are just wanting a new sucker to bleed. I am not that sucker.

I usually picture three people off-and-on in my mind while writing the blog - I picture: my daughter and my great friends of many decades Ma Meyer and Stacee; if I ever do write a book they will probably be three of the first people that I thank in my dedication or foreword; they have always been great supporters of and inspirations for me to continue writing. I know my son and Cha Cha will certainly make that list too. My damn foot is falling asleep right now. Since it is now 12:29 AM perhaps my foot is trying to tell the dumber parts of my anatomy that it/they should be sleeping. Happily, I have today (Tuesday) off of work so I don't need to get up in four-and-a-half hours to shower and whatnot. I think the Michael Franti station that I am listening to on Pandora is helping me get the creative juices flowing too. I have always liked that Jamaican groove in and the irie (yes, that is a word) of that music. Speaking of juices flowing - there has been a lot of Simon and Garfunkel on here too - I think Paul Simon is one of the great talents that has existed in my lifetime; he has irie too. I would not say or believe that, however, if he were not also a seemingly decent person.That is just my belief though I suppose. There have been rumors to the contrary but I believe they were made by people that had something to gain by making unfounded allegation. I am going to try to sleep for a few more hours now (currently 01:18) and see if I can dream about what I should write here when I awake. I never stress about what to write as, for the most part, I just babble like a brook for therapy's sake. I cannot be fired for my poor writing as the person I report directly to is an idiot exactly as dumb as I am.

It's 12:45 PM on  Tuesday now and I am getting around to writing again. I went to Fabio's place this morning because he had a flat tire. I took the tire pump and inflated the tire. He lives on the north side of town and we live more on the south side; it is not very far. On the way back I felt like crying my hands hurt so much from the cold winter air. It may also have been because I started watching It's a Wonderful Life for the 732nd time so maybe that is why I wanted to cry. I know what happens in this film better than I know just about anything else but it still gets me every single time. The movie is two hours and fifteen minutes long but the run-time is three hours on television. That means 45 minutes of commercials. I used to like it better when it ran on PBS so there was no commercials. We also have the DVD if I have that big of an issue with the run time.

For Christmas I got the Gore Vidal book Lincoln. I am very excited to read it. I would have to say that Abraham Lincoln was one of my favorite United States Presidents. I also liked: John Kennedy, Barack Obama, George Washington, both Roosevelts, Thomas Jefferson, Eisenhower, Truman, and Clinton. I have a Theodore Roosevelt that I have still not read too now that I write about this.

Jill and I are going to see the new Star Wars (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) movie this afternoon. I believe I have seen every single one of the Star Wars films in theaters. I think I saw the first one (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) in the theater with Mike Hicks in 1977. I was hooked right from the start; I never had a chance. I am really tired and I hope I don't fall asleep during the film. It would not be difficult to sleep with the big comfy recliners that they have in the theaters now. We bought the refillable bowl of popcorn early in the year and we take it with us to the theater and get a huge bucket of corn for less than five bucks. I will probably not eat any popcorn as I am trying to behave myself with the food again. I have lost twenty pounds in the past two months. I am afraid that Christmas did not help in that arena much though. I have just been eating lots of salads and bananas and grapes and apples and oranges. I will probably sneak from fruit into the theater. I think many fruits sound like popcorn when they are being eaten. It has always bothered me that there are no healthy snacks at theaters. I guess that is one great thing about drive-in theaters.

I just found out that the movie starts in 25 minutes so I have get dressed and get ready to go. I may blog again tomorrow even though I will work my ten hours. I hope you have a great day. I thank you for stopping. TTTT(hopefully)....MITM (out) TA!

A Harry Bloody Maria!

It is already three minutes until high noon. I did not write yesterday because it was quite a busy day. I drove Cha Cha to work because I have Noah's ride in the shop and I gave him mine to use and I needed to go back for my replacement urine test. I tired to get some information out of them about my last test that revealed red blood cells in my lemonade. I got nowhere with the receptionist/nurse so I did some shopping and came home. Later in the afternoon I called the doctor's office as they requested last week to tell them that my new meds were not improving my sleeping and the lady voice on the phone (supposedly) took down everything I wanted relayed to the doctor and I have not heard anything yet. So, I do not know if I am dying soon or not. I do realize that, from the moment we are born, we are dying so I am not concerned as I know the final outcome. I just think it would be nice, if my odds were hedging me to die sooner than later, that I could do some of the things that I would do if I knew I were dying. I started to make a list of those things but they were not things that I would really do so I deleted them. Most were not practical, some were stupid as I needed to think about Cha Cha living without money if I lost everything in Vegas or something... I would, in actuality, spend my last days helping people (strangers and people know and I love)  and saying goodbye to friends and family in fun ways. I know, for sure, that I would not hold my tongue about anything anymore. I know some people may be surprised to learn that the person they have known actually has not been saying everything on his mind; yes, I do have some restraint whether you believe it or not.

When I got home yesterday I cleaned the garage out so we can get both of our vehicles in there for the winter. It is funny how Spring and Summer mess-up a garage so. I did the laundry simultaneously. I also mulched the plants that we planted last week. That was pretty good timing as it rained well last night. After that fun stuff I went and picked Jill up after work. I took her to work again today because she likes it and I am off today. I will pick her up again when she is done for her day.


I am preparing for my interview tomorrow though I am, pretty much, an improvisational kind of a guy. It is nice that, whether I get the position or not, it does not really matter in the greater scheme of things. It is one of those It's a Wonderful Life moments that can determine what will happen in later days of your life. Will George Bailey be there to save Harry after he falls through the ice or will Harry die and all of those men on that transport die? I love that movie but I have mixed feeling about that one single moment in George and Harry's. I know George got the better end of that deal with Mary and the kids and the town all coming together to save him but what if George had gone off to college and Harry had died? Harry is really kind of a selfish jerk. To me, that is how destiny can screw with us. Harry caused George to lose hearing in that one ear when George gets into the icy water to save him. Then, their dad dies and George gives Harry his college money with the understanding that, when Harry graduates, he will come back and run Bailey Building and Loan so George can go to college. But, Harry comes home with a wife. Was he really even married? No matter what she has procured Harry a job at her father's company. And, then the war breaks-out and George if 4-F because of saving Harry as a kind again. And, of course, her earns the Medal of Honor and gets to meet the President of the United States (Harry Truman). Hmm, Harry Truman/Harry Bailey seems like a conspiracy thing to me. Then Harry comes home and toasts George as the riches man in Bedford Falls. I know what the central message of the film is but I don't think I could have done that to my brother George. But, George was the richest man in Bedford Falls because of his brother's hubris and greed and  selfishness. Having Cha Cha and my children in my life make me happy to be George any day of the week. I have no idea what cause this paragraph. I sure hope I stay on-target tomorrow during my interview.

I hear that Hurricane Maria is probably going to hit the entire island of Puerto Rico. The family and I went to Puerto Rico a few years ago and it is absolutely beautiful and the people could not be nicer or friendlier. I wish them all the luck I can muster and hope Maria takes a rest when she gets there and then just passes by quietly by. She is scheduled to be at THE CENTER of Puerto Rico early tomorrow morning. If you're a praying person I ask that you send them whatever juju you can muster. And a recent earthquake in southern Illinois this week and now a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico City, Good thing that there is no global warming.

I am going to play with practice interview questions some more and then, maybe, take a short nap before heading back to Geneva. I appreciate you stopping by and letting me take a break and ramble for a bit. I will let you know what happens with the interview when I know. I m so happy that I win no MATTer what. Have a great week and I will blahg again Sunday (probably). TTTSunday...MITM (out) TA!

My Brakes are Killing Me

I always tell her not to ride on the cart that way, but...

It has been a pretty nice day so far (it is 14:38 so I guess it is pretty far on into the day). Cha Cha and I went out for breakfast and then we went over to Menard's to get some mulch for the areas that we planted last week I think - may have been the previous weekend). We also got a few flower plants to add to the yard. Then we went to Target and got some groceries.

I am watching the Cardinals - Cubs game game and the Cubs are leading 1-0 in the 4th inning. The Cards have bases loaded with one out in the fourth inning ( double play ended that hope of mine). The Cubs won the first two games of this thee-game series and I hope that the Cards can avoid the sweep. Oh, that being blogged, it is now 2-0. Drats and double drats!

So, Hurricane Jose is wreaking havoc now and Tropical Storm Maria is headed our way now too. There has to have been two that I missed between J and M; there has to have been a K and an L in there. I will take a look. Okay, I found that Tropical Storm Norma is on the way next (toward Mexico) and Tropical Storm Lee is out in the Atlantic Ocean. Maybe they retired the K storms since Katrina is in the Storm Destruction of Fame? Okay, I did not give up and found that Tropical Storm Katia got tuckered-out before reaching Mexico.

I read about how Marriott sent a ship to their resort in St. Thomas to pick-up stranded people when Hurricane Irma had passed and before Jose had not turned north toward the area. Irma had pretty much devastated every building not made of concrete and the airport was closed due to the weather. I thought that was very nice to get there to rescue people before Jose arrived. They got there in time and got out in time but, they took only registered guests in the St.Thomas Marriotts. They left people there even tough they had hundreds of empty seats on the ship. There is no reason they could not have gotten everybody off of that island. If I had been a member of the crew I would have broken any company edict or rule and gotten every person that wanted to leave and that I could fit on that ship out of there. My job be damned. I would even have taken jail time for breaking maritime rules or whatever. Right is right and wrong is wrong. People in distress should always be helped when possible. Marriott is dead to me. I thought we had a Marriott credit card and I was going to cut it up but it is a Hilton card so I did not. The Hilton's need my money because they are so poor. I am very aggravated just reminding myself of that story.

3-0 Cubs now in the sixth inning.

I have a job interview set-up for Wednesday afternoon. It is where I already work but it is another position where they need additional backup help in a different department. If I were to get the position I would keep my current job and would just flex-over to work there as/when needed. I am kind of excited. It is nice to interview for jobs when you already have a job. I will study some of my responses between now and Tuesday night and whatever happens Wednesday afternoon is what is meant to happen. I know me better than anyone so I will just be me and let them see who I am.

My brakes are killing me!

Hey, it is 3-3 now in the sixth. I think I will end now since the game is getting excited and I know that me watching will make all the difference. Additionally, I don't get to watch may Cardinals' games and this is a good one. I will blog again tomorrow between all of the running around I have to do. I have to get my urine sample taken again tomorrow so they can determine if the red blood cells in my urine was a fluke or whether I am dying or something. That would take the pressure off of the job interview I suppose. I also have to get the brakes checked on the 4Runner. It is leaking brake fluid. I believe it may be a brake line. I am sorry I purchased the option of brakes option on the Toyota though they came in handy when we had the boat. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you every single day. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Mutts and Squeegees

I slept like a rock last night because of the new medicine. Why do we compare sleeping well with a rock? I think we could use any inanimate object for that analogy. How about "I slept like a squeegee?" Squeegee is a funnier word that rock. Rocks are really loud when they roll and gather moss. I read about the new medicine that I am taking on Al Gore's internet and it says that this medicine works by affecting the balance of certain natural chemicals in the brain (neurotransmitters). So, my body just needs a little push in the right direction I guess. I have not slept that well since I drank way too much back in college but, with this stuff, it didn't leave a hangover. I was a bit groggy at first but, if memory serves, this is the feeling of how I felt when I got a good night's sleep back in the 1970's or early 80's.

Today is laundry day and grocery shopping day for me. I just used the last of the birdseed (for the birds, of course) and the nuts for the squirrels this morning. I also have to get stuff for my work lunches. I have a chair to fix and I have some garage straightening-out to do because winter is coming. I did the dishes last night so that's one less thing. I am going to workout at some point today too.

Cha Cha and I are working very diligently at getting rid of DirecTv. We are checking how we can get to see most of our shows while dropping the big bills for stuff that we do not watch.We're trying to become minimalists in a huge house (oxymoron). The house part will be worked-on later in the process. We have way too much house now. I wonder if our neighbors would appreciate us making this place a fraternity or sorority house. I think I already know the answer to that question. I bet Jeff would like all of the pizza and munchies dropped all over the place. A boarding house? A flop house? A restaurant?

Not the actual throne

I spoke to my dad last night and he said that my mom's team pf doctors are looking for a "mind clinic" for her. I am not sure exactly what that means but she was, as much as I saw, the person with the most independent skills in the place where she is staying. She is easily confused, frustrated and irritated so I am happy that they are looking for something to address those issues. I don't foresee her getting much better but I will always hope for improvement.

Okay, shopping time. Can't touch this!

My goodness it is 14:13 already. I did the grocery shopping at the three stores and I spent the last, approximately, two hours working on a broken chair that Jill wanted me to fix. It is a pink felt chair with a silver base with five wheels. She uses it in her office while she is working about 14 hours a day three or four days a week. She spends the other four or three days working in one of her company's offices. So, one of the wheels on the chair was broken and I tried to fix it about nine different ways and I, apparently, am not qualified. I tried: solder, wire, rope, washers, zip strips... At the end I just took the wheels off and it will still sit on the base and spin. She has a carpeted floor in her office upstairs so she will be fine. She does have another plush chair that she has been using. She has lots of options.

While I was out doing the supermarket circuit this afternoon I got a call from my doctor's office regarding my lab work from yesterday. The lady voice told me that they found some red blood cells in my urine and they want me to come back in next week for another test. So, of course, I just now looked on Al Gore's invention again and the site I looked at suggests possible: infection, trauma, tumors, kidney stones, kidney issues, possible prostate problems, bladder cancer or kidney cancer. So, I will go back to Batavia next week and pee in a cup again. I have had kidney stones before and they are no fun. I don't think cancer is much fun either. Based on the choices on the site I would say the smart money here is on the kidney and probably on the Mick and the Stones. I think I will ask about medical marijuana so I can see what all of that fun is about. I don't want to tell Jill but I will, when she gets home, because that is only fair. I am sure it is nothing like Al Gore is suggesting. It will be nothing of consequence. Que sera sera.

I am an over-thinker on everything so this will occupy my thoughts until I get the next results (after the next test) sometime mid/late next week. Thank goodness I have pills to help me sleep now. There may be another European vacation in my future soon? England, Scotland and Ireland sounds like fun. Speaking of that Jill and I have been talking about doing one of those ancestry DNA tests. I have been told that I am mainly: Native American, Irish, German and Bohemian. Jill has been told that she is a great deal English. Her mom was adopted so who knows what we will find in her background?Maybe we will soon? Maybe we will go to Bohemia. I love the rhapsody there.We went to The Czech Republic (Bohemia) and Germany the last time we visited Europe so it if only fair that we visit Cha Cha's mother and fatherlands this time.

I think I will end now and get a few more things done around here before my love gets home from work. Thanks a lot for letting me vent and whine and prognosticate and hope and dream and exaggerate and bluster and whatever else I did here today. I wish the best for you and yours and I will blog again next week and we will see what we see and know. Maybe I will get that medical marijuana after all?  TTTSunday...MITM (out to make some cheese and chicken quesadillas) TA!

Don't Shoot Irma

I am starting a bit later in writing the blog today. Actually, some Mondays I don't even find the time to write at all so I suppose this is better than that alternative. Since Autumn/Fall is near the yard is not growing as rapidly so I can do this rather than giving the yard a haircut. 

I went to the doctor this morning and now I have some sleeping pills. He believes that many of my issues may be caused by my lack of sleep. I have never been a good sleeper so, perhaps, all of those sleepless nights may have been taking a toll on my other facilities? I blame a lot of that on being born in Germany and coming here to your country as an wee lad. I picked the meds up and will begin the labMatt experiments tonight. I am very happy that tomorrow is one of my days off of work in case this experiment goes awry. I am to call the doctor back next week to tell him how I do with this experimentation. I have nothing to lose but sleep itself. They also took blood and urine samples as this was, originally, meant to be my yearly check-up until I gave him my list of health grievances. I am happy that everything else seems to have gone very well and I will await the lab test results. 

After my doctor's appointment I went and visited my mom in the facility where she is staying in Winfield. When I got there nobody could find her anywhere. The place is secure and she has one of those house-arrest things on her ankle so an alarm will sound if she leaves the building. She is allowed to travel by elevator from floor to floor and she can wander within the building as she chooses. I must say that she is the most mobile person in the entire place outside of the staff and visitors. I sat with her while she ate her lunch. All of the other people there needed to be fed by nurses and volunteers and such. It was difficult to find her when I got there. I was wandering around the place looking for her. I finally got in the elevator and went upstairs (though I did not use stairs but it is still called upstairs). As the elevator door opened I saw my mom standing there waiting to get on the elevator to go downstairs (again no stairs). She told one of the nurses that she had been waiting for me to come for a long time and she began to cry (happy tears). She then told the nurses how I was her baby brother (my Uncle Rick). I did not correct her as the nurses knew who I was. She was very happy that her brother came to see her and I would not take that away from her. My Uncle Rick (and Aunt Linda) had come down from Rockford to see her a few weeks back. I was just glad that she was happy. I called her "mom" the entire time I was there and it did not seem to confuse her further. I took her some flowers from Cha Cha, Splenda, Fabio and I. I used our real names on the card. All-in-all it was a very nice visit. 

A couple of morons I would wager!

Today is 9-11 and instead of planes flying into buildings we have hurricanes tearing-up our southern states. I think we should make September only have ten days from next year on. I heard that over 50,000 Einsteins have expressed interest in shooting guns at/into Hurricane Irma. Officials have urged strongly against this as people will, certainly, get shot if that happens. I also heard that people are looting homes and businesses that have been ravaged in their towns as if the hurricane and weather/water/wind damage weren't enough. Things are bad enough for many, many people and then others want to kick them while they are down? I believe Texas and Florida both voted for Donald Trump for President and where is he while all of this is going on? This is the quietest that he has been since being given the Presidency. Now Irma is in Georgia. Maybe the next Hurricane will have a Gone With the Wind reference in it's name since Tara was in Georgia? The hurricane name has to start with a J and must be a male name next time so I guess it would have to be Hurricane John Wilkes. John Wilkes was Ashley Wilkes' father. You will remember that Scarlett O'Hara was in love with Ashley Wilkes but, frankly, I don't give a damn. That has always been Cha Cha's favorite film so I know more about that movie than I would care to admit. Until writing "John Wilkes" just now I never realized that John Wilkes Booth may have been named after John Wilkes? Gone With the Wind was published in 1936 and Booth was born in 1938. Seems like more than a coincidence to me though I am a conspiracy theorist from way-back. Both had a great deal to do about the south too. Hmmmm... 

Alright, I have to clean the kitchen and do some laundry so I will end now. I thank you for stopping by. Hopefully, I will be able to write about what a great night's sleep I had (will have at this point) tomorrow. Why does the bottle say to take "one or two" pills? I cannot be trusted with a decision like that! Who in their not-right, sleepy mind would take just one pill with that option? I suppose it will be a game time bed time decision but the Vegas-odds are 3:2 that I will take two pills. Have a great night and I will probably blog tomorrow (odds on that are even). Thank you for stopping by. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

The Earth Seems Angry

Hello my friend. I hope this week finds you well. I am worried about the people of Texas and Florida with the third hurricane bashing a few of our country's southern states. I cannot help but think of the University of Miami and their mascot being Sebastian the Ibis but them being called the Miami Hurricanes. I wonder if they will rethink being called The Hurricanes (Canes) after what has been going on. Perhaps I am too politically correct at times. Actually, I am less than politically correct more time than not. I guess, like most things in someone who calls himself Matt In The Middle, I deal with things on a case-by-case basis. Now I have The Scorpion's song "Rock Me Like a Hurricane" stuck in my head. I saw them in concert back in my college days - I was a big fan. Anyway, I hope things calm down in the southern coastal states of the country that I have called home for most of my life. 

Our fearless leader (45) has been very quiet this week. Is this his calm before another Twitter storm? Even he knows not to fool with Mother Nature.

Last night Cha Cha and I went to Chicago to a White Sox game with The Lost Sock and The Found Sock. I never really thought about the link between their nicknames from the Dirty Laundry Podcast days and them being such big Chicago White Sox fans. We had a very nice time having dinner near the ballpark and then the game. I had no idea that the Sox played at a place called Guaranteed Rate Field. I still thought their stadium was called U.S. Cellular Field though I still prefer Comiskey Park. I know sponsorships are everything in many sports. My favorite baseball team has played in Busch Stadium, named for Anheiser Busch, ever since I can remember. It is actually called Busch Memorial Stadium for the Augustus Busch family that started the brewery that made/makes: Budweiser, Busch Beer, Bud Lite, Michelob, Rolling Rock, Shock Top, Johnny Appleseed, Landshark... Wrigley Field (where The Chicago Cubs play) has been called that since 1927 when William Wrigley (yes, the chewing gum magnate) bought the team. Wrigley was originally called Weeghman Park named for the property owner Charles Weeghman. I guess sponsorships have been part of sports forever. The oldest MLB park is Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox) in Boston when the Sox have called home since the beginning in 1911. The name Fenway comes from the name of the land that the park sits on - called "The Fens." So, the oldest ballpark is not like a NASCAR racing machine with sponsor stickers all over it. I am positive that at  least 60% of my info in this paragraph is accurate. 

I am watching The Green Bay Packers playing The Seattle Seahawks while I write this. I am not as much of a football fan as I used to be. I still call The Miami Dolphins my favorite team. I have been a fan of theirs since I was about five years old. I think it all started simply because I liked dolphins. I still have a Dolphins' helmet from when I was about nine years old in 1972. It is on a shelf down in our workout room. That's the helmet there without all of the extra face masking that helmets have these days. Maybe that is part of the cause of my neurological problems?

Speaking of that, very loosely, I have a doctors' (general practitioner) appointment tomorrow. It is just a yearly check-up that they called for me to have. I guess somebody needs a new 9-iron or something. Why do we HAVE TO go see the doctor every year? I seem to being okay and I could use the money that I will have to pay for the appointment for other things. Like things that are not healthy for me. I realize my insurance pays for most of that but I pay for that insurance too. I have a list of things to talk to him about as long as he has me up on the rack. I am going to try for some medical marijuana or something. I am hoping that something like that might help me sleep longer than four hours per night. After I am done there in Batavia I am going to continue east to visit my mom in Winfield. I have not been to see her in a while. I always wonder what I will encounter when visiting her. I will stop and get her some flowers on the way. I hope she is having one of her good days. 

I am gonna stop now because somebody here wants to go over and get some ice cream. I need to put on a few pounds before tomorrow so the doctor has something else to give me the business about so I am game. Speaking of that, last night at the restaurant we went to (Turtle's Bar & Grill) I had Buffalo chicken egg rolls. I guessed on capitalizing because Buffalo food items are named for the city of Buffalo, New York. I do not want to offend the people of New York. I am going to try to make them in coming weeks. If I can figure them out I will share the recipe with you. And you know - I WILL FIGURE IT OUT! Actually, I think it will be easy.

Thanks a lot for coming by. I hope some of what I wrote made sense. I will probably blog tomorrow after I get done running my errands. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. I am happy that I still have to weekend days after today. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Martian Blog

I can tell winter is coming (not a Game of Throne's reference) because every two days or so I have to trim my finger nails.

Yesterday, while I was getting dressed after my workout and shower, I turned the television and started watching a movie that I recorded called Martian Child. There was a line by a little girl named Esther in the movie that made me think of yesterday's blog. She said, "Jesus is important but other religions are just as relevant." I do agree with that statement. I had seen parts of this movie while channel surfing a few days ago and I was intrigued enough to record the next showing. It is from 2007 but I had never heard of it. I think it is cool that John Cusack's character's sister in the film is his real sister, Joan Cusack. Oliver Platt is in the movie too and I have always liked him. I am easily convinced that things are cool. Do Martians have fingernails? I am also easily too curious. The movie is very touching and good. I suppose real movie reviewers would call it heart-warming.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson is in my town today to celebrate the opening of Quilts and Human Rights. It is a traveling exhibit focusing on social justice and human rights issues. It opened in 2008 at Michigan State University. After the exhibit closed there it became a traveling exhibit. It will be here at Northern Illinois University in the Pick Museum of Anthropology inside of Cole Hall on campus. It is arranged on the theme of The United Nations. The reason it is here now is, partially, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Cole Hall shooting on Valentines Day in 2008. Six people (including the shooter who took his own life) were killed and another 21 people survived with injuries (gunshot wounds, buckshot wounds and some injured just in escaping the scene). I was not a member of the Police Department there yet but I would, later, work with many of the officers that were first on the scene and instrumental in making sure the injuries were not worse. The reason Rev. Jackson is involved with the exhibit is that the curator at NIU, in searching for funding to get the exhibit here in town, unknowingly sought financial assistance from Jackson's goddaughter's Social Sewing Academy which focuses on "empowering young adults to use their experiences and intelligence and creativity to see their worlds and how they see their problems" according to the organizations' website. I will definitely get over to see the exhibit before it leaves town

I guess I misunderstood. I thought it would be here until VD?

Tomorrow is back to work day. I am only working three days this week because I got Saturday off to go see the Chicago White Sox play the San Francisco Giants. Cha Cha's brother and sister-in-law (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) have season tickets and they asked us to go. I cannot believe they couldn't get somebody better than us to go unless nobody else wants to see the White Sox (last place in the American League Central and already eliminated for any play-off hopes) play the Giants (last place in the National League West and already eliminated from the playoffs). I am guessing we may even get to watch the game from the announcers' booth or one of the dugouts. After looking at it closer - the White Sox and the Giants are the second and third worst teams in all of the Major Leagues right now. The only team worse is the Philadelphia Phillies. Happily, the St. Louis Cardinals are in third place and only five games out of first place. It will be a tough battle because the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers are both playing great baseball but that is what sports are all about. I still have hope for my Redbirds. I wonder if the White Sox will have a big to do in 2019 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1919 Black Sox scandal? I wold if I were them. You cannot change history so you may as well embrace it.

Cha Cha and I went out for breakfast and shopping this morning. I like the days when she is home. When we got home Fabio was here so that was cool too. Had we known he was coming over we would have waited and ate with him. I think he was mainly here to do some laundry and look for his computer cable that he thought he had left here. The three of us scoured the house and it is not here. Now I am doing laundry. The circle of clothes!

I do not really have much more on my mind. I am sure that does not surprise you. I have a doctor's appointment next Monday and I seem to have a good list of things to discuss with him. They called me for my "yearly check-up." I guess Christmas is getting close and doctor's have families to buy gift for too I suppose. My neurologist mentioned something when I was leaving my last appointment with him that I will discuss with my GP. I am a little stiff from today's workout now that it is 14:27. I always feel that way but I do end up getting down into the basement and getting a lot more workout in than I think I will. It helps to have the television and the DVD player down there to help take the mind off of the pain and gain.

Okay, I am done. Thanks a lot for stopping by. I will probably not blog again until Sunday. I hope you have a great four days (and beyond). TTTSundayish...MITM (out) TA!

Taking the Show on the Road

Happy Labor Day. I have bittersweet feelings about saying happy Labor Day this year. It seems to mean something different now because of all of the nonsense going on in our country based at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I wish I could just convince myself that what is being done doesn't affect me that much because I would be more content. I have always been a person that worries (too much at times) about how other people feel and think. I consider that a strength most of the time and a weakness on occasion. And, I am not traditionally religious though I do like many of the lessons and stories that most religions and faiths teach their followers. I think Jesus was probably a very caring person and I like a lot of the things he is credited with saying. I especially like the "do unto others as you would have done unto you" thing. That is not the exact way it was spoken but that is how we have made it to make sense to us. I have always changed it for myself to be more like "do unto others as they would have done unto them" because not everything that I like and want are, most times, the same as what other people like. I would prefer to give them what they want and like instead of assuming that they want and like the same things that I like and want. We are all different and that is a very god thing. I could not stand being around many people like me for too long.

I mentioned yesterday that we were probably going to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin today. I guess that plan has changed. I am not sure what it has been changed to yet but I do not believe we are going there. I think we ought to do something and Fabio said he'd go with us if we do go somewhere. We talked about maybe the dog beach in Chicago. I have always been going somewhere for something ever since I came to America from Germany when I was eight-months-old.

Yesterday Fabio and Cha Cha and I worked in the backyard for two or three or four hours. We: chopped/sawed down a tree or two or three, trimmed many tree branches from the forest of trees in the back, dug holes for and moved several plants of which I am not sure what they are, cleaned-up all of the debris... We have a lot of fire wood and such for the fire pit again. I am sure glad I mowed yesterday morning because it made working on the trees, bushes and plants a lot more convenient. Oh damn, I didn't feed the birds and squirrels yet. BRB. Maybe there aren't as many places to sit/perch will all of our work yesterday.

Ha, there is still lots of seed from yesterday still out there. I imagine they appreciate us more during colder weather. I am sure there are many more places to find food for the animals this time of year. I will keep the feeders filled for whenever they need some food.

I am watching Driving Miss Daisy while I write. I have always really liked this movie. I think Jill and I saw this at the theater when we were in our first year of marriage. In April we will have been married 30 years - holy moley. I may have mentioned it here before but Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were married on the very same day. I was going to write him and invite them to come out and celebrate with us on our special days but that seems stalkerish and I have decided against it. They both seem like very nice people.

It sounds like we may be going to White Pines State Park rather than Lake Geneva. Things change in the blink of an eye here. I think we are going to take Jeff with us. He loves riding in the car and he loves hiking and I am sure he would love deer though he will on the leash. He is very impulsive and would run into the woods and we'd never catch him. He has one of those chips in him but that would stink. The leash will solve a lot of problems. When I was much younger we used to call it White Pines Deer Park. I think that was a place to see deer (kind of like a zoo) within the park. I am not sure if that part is still there. I should probably wear long pants in case I have to tramp around into the white pines. Noah likes to hike so I am sure he will be up for it. I suppose we will have lunch there too or dinner or whatever.

I am going to end now and go downstairs and workout a bit. I hope you have a great day. I may blog again tomorrow - I will try anyway. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Another Blog Bites the Dust!

I have always loved those movies

I cannot believe I am actually blogging on a Sunday. I will probably say, at the end of the blog, that I will blog again tomorrow and Tuesday and then I will not. It is always my intention to write every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday but I seldom get to do that. It is only 10:32 now and I have already mowed the lawn to that cannot be my excuse.

Tomorrow is Labor Day and I do not have to work. My company (the one I work for, I should say, as it is not MY company) is open, as it always is, tomorrow but I am off (on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays). Jill and I are thinking about driving up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin just for the Helser of it. I remember, when I was in high school and was 18-years-old, my friends and I would go there almost every weekend because the drinking age was 18-years-old. I am not sure why we were in such a big hurry to grow up because, mostly, being a grown-up kinda sucks. These days I don't drink alcohol hardly at all. That being said, I did have three glasses of moscoto with dinner last night. I am not sure what there is even to do on Lake Geneva these days. I wish there were a way to type something into a devise and fond things like that out. Maybe I will have to invent that and become surer rich. I will complete and perfect my time machine invention first and then it is easy street for me. I think of Jerry Lewis every year on Labor Day. I wonder if anybody have a Jerry Lewis/Dean Martin marathon on tomorrow?

HAZMATT

I mowed the lawn early today and my neighbors, if they looked out their windows, were probably surprised to see me wearing: a red hardhat, blue mirrored Back to the Future-looking sunglasses, swim shoes, yellow gloves, jeans and a jacket. It was too hot and humid for all of that but it spared many of my vital bits and pieces. The hard hat saved me from two trees spearing my noodle, the glasses spared me from becoming a cyclops and the long pants (jeans) took several shrapnel hits with minor pains rather than the loss of a few naughty bits and pieces. One hurt a great deal but, when mowing a lawn, you have to play but sometimes.

I listened to thee Adam Ant station on Pandora again while I mowed. I think I usually listen to the Adam Ant station or the AC/DC station while I mow. I guess I have different stations for different things. I have sleeping stations, driving stations (vary depending on traffic and distances), blogging stations, exercising stations (though lately I have been watching movies). Some of the songs that I liked today (and have liked since the 80's) contained the lines/lyrics: "everybody avoids me like a cyclone ranger (so) I get my kicks above the waistline sunshine and we can act like we come from out of this world, leave the real one far behind..." That is three songs combined into one run-on sentence to keep you busy for a while.

I actually wrote the first paragraph of my first novel this week. Thought it and wrote it down because my memory is old and cob-webby. One of the things that I like about my work is that my mind can wander a bit while I work without it effecting my productivity. I can even think and whistle while I work if I want to. I do have to reign it in )the thoughts and the whistling both) occasionally but I have songs and ideas and thoughts running in and out of my mind all day long. I know most of us have that going on pretty much all the time. I am doing it when I write this almost constantly. So, having written the first line of my book, I guess I need to get my asterisk in gear and get to writing.

I have a doctor's appointment nest week and maybe he will give a prescription for medical marijuana so I can get some good writing ideas with my mind opened all the way.

His mom dressed him like Wizzo from Bozo

I still have that high-pitched humming/buzzing going on in my head but can still not get extra terrestrial chatter from it like people have claimed to have had. I am not sure if they are crazy or I am. Maybe I am extraterrestrial and I just don't know it. Wouldn't we be extraterrestrial to people on other planets? Maybe they hear our buzzing in their pointy ears?

One of my favorite songs of all time is playing right now - Bohemian Rhapsody. Freddy Mercury (I call him Farrokh) has one of the best singing voices of all time, in my opinion. He is probably the best singer from Zanzibar of all time. Queen is in my top-five music groups of all time; probably number one. I want this song played when my ashes are sprinkled somewhere I was never allowed to go when I was alive. I want to go into eternity breaking the rules. I will have to decide where and advise / I am open to suggestions.

Hey, Fabio just stopped by so I am going to make lunch for Cha Cha, he and I. Thanks for stopping in and I will try to write tomorrow (Probably not) and Tuesday. TTTSoon...MITM (out) TA!

I wish Gallant were still President rather than Goofus

Goofus is President Now

I suppose I should write something today since I only wrote once last week. I start now with no idea of what I will write about. I suppose Hurricane Harvey is the big news of the day and week and, soon, month and then, probably, the year. President Goofus has still not been down to Texas though there is talk that he will go there tomorrow. That talk does not come from 45 himself or The White House but The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said Austin and Corpus Christi Texas has restricted air space tomorrow due to "VIP movement." I am not sure if VIP stands for Very Ignorant President or Very Irritating Person. 45 is supposed to speak about the disaster for the first time this afternoon. Maybe, while he is down there he can go over the Mexico to see how that border wall is coming. Officially, I am sending my condolences and support to the people living a Hellish time right now in Texas and Louisiana before the leader of their own country sends his. Shameful! If 44 was still President (Gallant instead of Goofus) he would have been down there several days ago.

My mom is still not doing very well. She had a few incidents at the place she was staying and they had to send her back to Mercy Center. Presumably, she will get out of there today and go back to Winfield but, as my dad told me, she had a few problems yesterday so we are still waiting to hear what the next step(s) are going to be. I envy her a bit that she is not even aware of what is going on with our country right now. I am trying to ignore it more and more and it is helping some. I will be right back - the dryer is singing that the clothes are dry and it is time to: take the dry ones out, move the ones from the washer over, start another washing load and fold the dry ones.

While I am writing this the 1990 film Presumed Innocent is playing on HBO (does that still stand for Home Box Office?) It is so funny to see how many people who would, eventually, be on The West Wing are in this movie. Well, it is only three (John Spencer/Leo McGarry, Bradley Whitford/Josh Lyman and Jesse Bradford/Ryan Pierce) but seems like more when you see them in the movie. I loved The West Wing. While I am on television and HBO the season finale of Game of Thrones (GOT for we uncool kids) was on last night. Man, a lot happened. It seemed like the series was getting slow and then they had to wrap-up the season and throw a bunch in there. There were a lot of cliff-hangerish things that happened but nobody knows when the final season (season eight). Nobody seems to know when season eight is going to begin. There are talks that there are only going to be six episodes in the final season but a few of them may be two hours long or so. The hubbub is that the final season will probably not be hear until late 2018 or sometime in 2019. I imagine there will be a few marathons between now and then. After we watched GOT last night I went to bed and Cha Cha watched it again. She is way more into it than I am. I would probably be more into it if I could remember everything like the old days.

The best thing about not remembering things as well as I used to is that I really don't hold any grudges. I have learned to let the little and MIDDLE things go so I can have room to remember the important and nice things. It is odd how my memories of things from longer ago are still very sharp and my things of more current things are good but it is the MIDDLE time that I seem to have the most problems with.

It felt kind of like this only not as much fun

It is now 15:50 and I ran a few errands. I went to the bank and made a deposit - some of what was the change from the change jar in the kitchen. I took it out of the jar and put it in a Ziplock sandwich bag. I got to the bank and got out of the car and as I started walking to the bank the change poured out onto the parking lot. So, I got down on my knees and picked much of $72.66 worth of change and put it back into the bag. Luckily, there was a lady from the bank outside watering the flowers and she went in and got a broom and swept a lot of the money near me so I wouldn't look like a 5-year-old on Easter morning. Happily, I was there during off-busy hours as only one car drove into the lot right as I was done picking-up the treasure. I am not going to blame the Ziplock company and, as I look now, these were generic bags so maybe I should learn that lesson too. After that I went to get the oil changed on the Fiat. I change oil on the vehicles, for the most part, but that little critter is a pain since it is so small and low to the ground. I also filled the fuel tank for Cha Cha so she's raring to go tomorrow. She took the JEEP to work today. I also stopped by Target for a few things. I always think red when I think of Target.

Okay, I am done and have to get some more laundry done. Thanks a lot for letting me blather-on. I am going to try very diligently to blog again tomorrow. I always have those intentions but life just takes charge sometimes. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Blogger Eclipse

 Here is a photo of the moon shadow so please save your eyes 

Sorry I didn't blog yesterday but Cha Cha and I were in Chicago all day and didn't get back home to the cornfields until late. Game of Thrones had already begun but that is what the DVR (digtal video recorder) is for, I suppose.

I worked-out already this morning and then I mowed the backyard while it rained lightly. Today is supposed to be the supermoon solar eclipse but the overcast sky may hide it from people in this area? From what I have seen on CNN and TWC (The Weather Channel) that most schools in America seem to be closed for this. Cha Cha and I had entertained going to Carbondale (where we went to college) because that is, supposedly, going to be the best place in the world to see the eclipse. I had heard about how difficult it is to get places to stay and that the entire region will run out of gasoline and, if you can find some, it will be marked-way up in price. Splenda and Andy were planning to go there too (as they also went to college there. I feel like I need to play THIS SONG (Moon Shadow by Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam/Steven Demetre Georgiou) right now. I also heard about all of the crimes (thefts...) that happened in Chicago during the Lollapalooza music festival and I can always doing without having my things stolen or having to fight someone. It sure makes sense that the sun would want to hide while we have a buffoon ruling the Unites States of America. I would not be surprised if it did not come out of hiding.

Yesterday Cha Cha and I went to Chicago for what I was told, was meditation. We also knew that is was something that they were going to try to sell us. We went to the city and met Splenda and Andy at a cute place called The Flower Flat for breakfast/brunch. The place was very quaint and nice. I could see that it was, formerly, a flower store (which is probably where the name of the place originated). There was one of those stand-up coolers that you see at florist shops and supermarkets where they keep the cut flowers fresh. The food was great but the service was slow. My iced tea took awhile to arrive because they "had to wait for the the ice to be made." It was a great time. Now that we have an empty house maybe we should turn our house into a bed-and-breakfast. We have three vacant rooms now and a basement big enough to make three or four more bedrooms and we could even turn the dining room and the Tiki Room into bedrooms though they may be better as a sun room and a dining area. I wonder how the Home Owners' Association would appreciate that?

We spent a lot of time at The Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club in Wrigleyville. What a great, fun place. Great drinks before our meditation deal and Cha Cha and I went back for dinner after the seminarish deal. I like the entire neighborhood that the lounge is in. We also went to the Whole Foods across the street. I wish we had a Whole Foods out here.

Jill and I had been going to Woodstock, Illinois for meditation at The Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center every week until I had to start working every Saturday. We still both meditate regularly and it has helped me, many times, with my health. This thing we went to was about Transcendental Meditation. It sounded great and Cha Cha and I both waited for the second shoe to drop because it was obvious that the whole spiel was an Ovaltine commercial. I am very happy we went because we had a really nice day (because of this sales pitch) but we did not fall for the sell. I did learn things that I will use in the meditation that I already practice. I think I am, pretty much, a hippy.

I have the blinds closed so I don't even know what is going on with the sun. I really don't even care to be honest with you.

Fabio and I are going to the Kane County Cougars' game tonight. They are playing the Burlington Bees. I got the tickets free from work along with $30 in Cougars Cash (or whatever they call it) for souvenirs or food or whatever. We do have to pay $5 for parking but that is not big deal. If they have a rain-out or something maybe we can get tickets for a Peoria Chiefs game and wear our Cardinals' stuff since they are the MLB affiliate for the Chiefs. I will probably wear Cardinals' stuff tonight anyway.

It is 13:08 now and I am pretty hungry. I may run over to Schnuck's and get some chicken salad. I have talked myself in to ending now and going to the grocery store. I hope you have a nice end of the world day as it would probably be known as during ancient times when the sun disappears.I guess I will have to put some pants on for that won't I? Thanks for stopping by. Let me know if you will be at Northwestern Medicine Field tonight and I will buy you a beer. Everything in this every is called Northwestern Medicine something these day. TTTT (or tonight)...MITM (out) TA!