Cuckoo for MITM Puffs!

I know I am getting a late start writing today (17:37) as I had to: do the grocery shopping at two store because one was of little help, work on the taxes, pay bills, clean the kitchen, make dinner (which is in the oven now)... While I did some of that I watched one of the movies that I checked-out from the library (Memento). I watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest last night after I got home from being out east (Aurora, Illinois area is east for me). You can read yesterday's blog to find out about that adventurous day if you are so inclined and haven't read that one yet. Watching Memento and doing all I was doing, simultaneously, led to a lot of re-watching many parts multiple times. It made the film kind of 4-D for me I suppose.

Eventually, I may have to give-in and get some ink?

Cuckoo's Nest is still one of my favorite films. It's so funny to see people that we knew in different roles too like: Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Louise Fletcher, Vincent Schiavelli, William Duell, Michael Berryman, Brad Dourif... I looked at the film differently this time given the situation that my mother is in right now. While watching Memento I could relate, personally, to the main character in many ways though I do not have any tattoos. I do take lots of notes but, if I were inclined to take photos to remember things I would use my cell phone but I did like how he used the Polaroid camera and could write notes directly on the photos. I can write notes on my phone with the photos though. But, what if I forget that I took photos on my phone? I will have to work that out as it arises I suppose.

I like to believe that a lot of my mind slowing is simply from age. I hope that is what it is. I can remember things from many years ago like they happened yesterday but I cannot find my shoes... I know lyrics to songs that I haven't heard for 30 years but music calms the savage beast I have hear. My mind can be a savage beast at times.

I am cooking one of the house favorites - turkey giardiniera meatloaf, Jill came home and then went over to the gym and it should be done by the time she gets home. I do the one regular-sized meatloaf and then I fill one of the cupcake pans with mini loaves, The smaller ones are great for lunches. My weekend ends tonight so I imagine I will have some meatloaf with my salads in tomorrow's lunch. I will make that game-time decision at 05:00.  It is really good crumbled-up on tortillas though I don't eat many of those anymore.

Is that a Cuckoo?

Weird, I am watching last night's The Late Show With Stephen Colbert while I write this (in addition to cooking - no wonder I have memory issues) and the musical guest (Aimee Mann) is going to sing a song from her new album, Mental Illness. My entire weekend (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) has had a theme. I have liked her since she was with 'Til Tuesday. Yes, I can still know all of the lyrics to Voices Carry so hush, hush.

Okay, I am going to end now because Jill is back home and we are like ships in the night between Wednesday and Saturday so I like t spend as much time with her as I can as long as I can remember her. I know I will never forget who she is because she is like a sweet melody with haunting lyrics to me in many ways. I hope you have a great rest of your night. I probably won't blog again until my next weekend (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday). Thank you, so much, for stopping by and for all the kind words about my mom's current journey. TTTS, M or Tu?...MITM (out) TA!

Creating My Own Irony

 Yes, I bought the cap because of the guy on the right! 

I hoped to have written Saturday or Sunday but today is Monday and I am just now finding making the time to write again. Saturday, when I got home from work, I was spent and then yesterday Jill wanted to go to Cherry Vale Mall in Rockford as she found something very specific that she had been looking for at a store in that particular mall so we went there. I lived in Rockford from the time that I came home from Germany until I was done with fourth grade and then we moved further east and bounced from town to town each year until I was in seventh grade to where my parents still live today. I wonder if my parents were on the lamb or something? Cherry Vale is much better that the mall that I hung-out at as a yute (Fox Valley Mall). Cha Cha got her stuff (after hours and hours) and I bought a Brooklyn Dodgers' cap. I have LOTS of caps but I did not have a Brooklyn cap until yesterday. He was the first ever MLB Rookie of the Year (eventually what became what the trophy is now called). However, there is so much more that he did after baseball to continue to fight for African-American rights.  An amazing and brave human being!

Today I met my dad over at a nursing home (assisted living with medical care) called The Grove of Fox Valley in Aurora. We were checking it out as a potential place from my mother to go as she cannot care for herself and my dad cannot care for here either. It was a very nice place and they have all of the types of care that she needs now and will, potentially, need as her condition continues to advance. After we discussed the payment procedures and saw the place I followed met my dad at their house where I met he lady (who lived next door to them who will watch my mom from time-to-time as my dad runs his errands and such. She seems to be a very nice lady. She went home after we got there and my dad went to get together all of the things that he will need in order for my mom to live at The Groves. It appears that medicare and medicaid will take care of most of tab. I hope she gets in before the federal government does something to foul-up those programs too. Anyway, mom ate her sandwich and drank her Coca-Cola and then I helped her to the living room where she sat and soon fell asleep. She is much better than the last time I saw her but her mind is still not functioning properly. I was really glad that she was not mean today as she had been many of the previous times I had been with them. When my dad left for the errands she asked me, "where did you brother and mother go?" I think she was thinking that their neighbor was my mom and my dad was my brother?

While I was waiting for my dad to arrive I sat in the parking lot and starting watching one of the DVDs I got from the library. Our JEEP has a DVD player built into the the sound system. It is kind of like the Batmobile (Mattmobile). You push a special button (I cannot divulge where it is) and the screen for the navigation system... opens-up and the slot to insert the DVD magically appears. Incidentally, movies cannot be watched while the vehicle is moving because watching movies while driving at high rates of speed could be hazardous to other citizens. Anyway, the movies I got from the library are: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Memento (I may have already told you that). So, I was sitting in the Mattmobile in the parking lot of a cuckoo's nest (partially) watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Sometimes I like to create my own irony. I only watched about 15 minutes of the film so, when I am done writing, I will probably watch the rest and then, maybe, start in on Memento.

While I was driving to my parents' house I noticed a campaign sign for a guy running for Road Commissioner (not Commissioner Gordon though I would vote for him) named Aaron Grosskopf. I definitely would vote for this dude if I lived over there because Grosskopf, if translated from German to English, mean Big Head. How do you let a dude with a big head (who, in turn, probably has a big brain) not win whatever he is running for? I can think of a Batman villain who had a big head though, now that I do think of it, that I would not vote for -  (Egghead). Now I have Batman stuck in my head and I am thinking about the show Feud (Bette and Joan) and Victor Buono (who played King Tut on Batman) is portrayed in the movie because he was in the film that the series is about (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?). I did not realize he was homosexual . Times were much different back then so I suppose you tried to keep something like that under wraps. It is a shame that our country was that way but it is great that we have evolved so people could be who they want to be now.

Okay, I am going to end now because I have spent most of the day serving others and I am going to watch my movie now. Thank you, ever so much, for stopping by. I will keep you updated on my mom's new journey (ours' too I suppose). I hope you have a great rest of your day and night and, perhaps I will blog again tomorrow as that is my last weekend day for this week, I think I may actually get a day that I can do what I want to do for a change. I just have to figure out what I might want to do tomorrow - open for suggestions. TTTT (most possibly)...MITM (out) TA!

The Aftermatt (for now)

I am sitting in the car at the behavioral health building at Mercy Center in Aurora. Visiting hours aren't for another 22 minutes but I just took a leisurely drive over and will wait to go into see mom. My dad will arrive shortly, I presume. Hopefully, we will find out this morning when she will be able to go home. I do not believe she is ready and I do not believe he is ready to help her as much as she needs. He says he has a neighbor that worked in the mental health field that will help him when he needs help. 

I go back to work tomorrow so it's all dad's show until Sunday. I will go to their house in an emergency but I am about 50 minutes from their house when at home or at work. Maybe I will double-up on the blood pressure meds - just kidding. My dad arrived and we went in to see mom. She was sitting at a table basically catatonic. She and a lady name Sandra were the only ones a the table when we were admitted. My dad sat on one side of the round table across from me and Sandra was at my nine 'clock and mom was at my three o'clock with my dad at my twelve. Sandra was more awake than my mom though it was clear (even though I did not know her personally) that she needed to be there. She was probably close to my mom's age and her hazel eyes, though they would track somewhat, were empty inside. I held my moms hand with my right had and I held Sandra's with my left. Sandra asked my to rub her head to I massaged her head. After awhile she began crying and said, "tell my son that I love him." She said that a few times and I assured her that he knew that she loved him even though I knew I would probably never meet him nor did I know if he even really existed. She then told me that she has a son and a daughter. It was kind of heartbreaking and, as I spoke with her and held her hands off-and-on, I teared-up. I have a tender heart and I well-up pretty easily at times.

Those last three paragraphs were written Sunday and it is Thursday now. Mom went home that night (Tuesday). My dad and I managed to get her into his car (actually the nurses had to put her in the care per regulations) and I met them at their house because, of course, I had my car there too. When we got to their house she walked into the house with my had pulling the walker and me walking behind her with my hands under her armpits. I felt sort of like a puppeteer with her as my marionette though she was actually making the walking happen, She would have folded without my holding her up though. So, I got her to the couch and she immediately fell asleep sitting there as I am sure the walk in was exhausting for her. My dad went to get her medicines and some door alarms while I watched television while she slept on the couch next to the chair I was sitting in.

I do not believe she should be home and I made that very clear to the hospital staff and my father. His health is not very well and he has to have a hernia outpatient surgery and I am on deck for that in early April. Pride can be a terrible thing. My mom needs to be in facility with 24-hour care in my non-medical opinion. If it were Jill in this situation I would sell everything that I owned to make sure she were given the best care available. I know I could sleep on someone's couch or in my car while she recuperated. I guess I am of a different generation and mind-set. I always plan for the worst and hope for the best. Most things end-up being closer to the best than the worst but I am ready for whatever happens with my mind in that mode. 

I am gonna end now but didn't want to leave you hanging on what was going on. My mom has some people (nurses) coming in during the week to bathe mom and help with minor things. Their neighbor lady works in the field (from her house) and she can come over and cover form my dad when he needs her to. I will also be available to take him for his hernia surgery (outpatient) in early April. I am not going to reread this as I am exhausted from work today and you get the picture I hope/believe.

Thank you for all of the whatever it is that you do (pray, send vibes, juju, happy thoughts...). I truly appreciate you (as I always have) and it's great to know people like you are in my life. I am not sure when I will write again but I would guess maybe Saturday or Sunday? Thanks for stopping by... TTTSat or Sun...MITM (out) TA!

Dear Prudence

My mother is going home from the hospital tomorrow afternoon. I feel that is a huge mistake and it
could have, potentially, a very bad outcome. I have little say in the matter but I have expressed my concerns to the main decision-maker(s) to no avail. I will continue to be a thorn so that, regardless of the outcome, I will have a clear conscience. My input seems to just throw napalm on this fire yet I have to know that I did my very best to stave-off any potential disasters. I am not sure if this decision to just let her go home is coming from denial or financial reasons or sentimentality or what. Believe me, there is nothing that I would like more than to see my mom well and at home without the fear of harm to herself or others. But, how does one go from "late stages of dementia" one day to "going home tomorrow." I suppose it is possible but my dad says she seems about the same as yesterday when I saw her. I will continue to push what I believe to be proper and prudent until she is released. I have a few other theories in my mind but, though I have discussed my theories with my closest confidant, I am not very optimistic that my hopes and wishes will be heeded.

While I am typing this (and while I cleaned-out my closet before starting this) I have had CNN on with the Russian Intel Hearings being held. I feel that many of the people testifying and examining feel a bit like I feel. There is a "big gray cloud" over our country (as there is over my family and my general outlook) right now. At least with the Russia/Trump situation there is a criminal investigation going on.

I know I sound like a broken record but I suppose what is on our minds most is what we talk about (and blog about) most. Just took a break to make some egg salad and clean the kitchen, Clean as you go is always the most efficient way I feel. I do lead a very exciting life I must say. I would make such a great spy as boring as I am - no one would ever suspect me as being a spy. And, writing here that I am a spy would really throw people off the scent. Who would say that he was a spy in a blog read by millions thousands hundreds dozens just you and I if he were really a spy?

I better go down and start another load of laundry. Tomorrow is my Sunday and then back to work on Wednesday. Hopefully, I will feel better and mom will be doing well at home but doubt that both will come to fruition that soon. If I could have just one I would hope for mom to be doing well and me still having this cough, scratchy throat and constant congestion. I will try to blog again tomorrow but I am not sure if that will happen. It sounds like Fabio may go with me to see my mom this afternoon (if 18:00 is considered afternoon as it is after noon). Thanks for letting me ramble about barely anything. I am going to start another load of wash and then maybe take a power-nap.  Have a great rest of your day/night and perhaps my path will cross yours again tomorrow. TTT?...MITM (out) TA!

Pulvus Et Umbra Sumus

Thank goodness my weekend is finally here. It has been a tough week. I have been working on fighting this cold and I think I am finally in the lead though colds have a tendency to make a surge just to lose in the end. My mom has been in the hospital(s) for nearly a week now. I am going to go over to see her from 11:00 - noon this morning, The visiting hours in the behavioral health area are from 11:00-12:00 and from 18:00-19:00. I did not go last night because I had been feeling poorly and I did not want to get people there sick; they have enough on their plates there.

This is not really that far-off as to what it is really like

Mom has been diagnosed with suffering from advanced stages of dementia. Though, she does not seem to be suffering which is a bit of a consolation. She has had dementia for some time now but this is the first time the doctors attached the word "advanced" to it. Before she was moved to the behavior health unit one of the psychologists in the other hospital asked her a few questions. He asked her what year it was and she could not even give an answer. She was asked if she knew where she was and she could not answer correctly even given multiple choices (one being "the hospital") and then she was asked if she knew who I was and she said that I was her brother. I like my Uncle Rick (her brother) a great deal but I know that I am not him. To find that I actually am her other brother and not her son, after all these years, would be a made-for-television movie wouldn't it?

When we visit her we are in an open area where all the patients that are able to receive visitors are gathered sitting in chairs. Some get up and walk around, some throw plastic cups across the room at other patients, some scream obscenities, some place paper towels on their heads like hats, some yell because they know there is water in the little kitchen area and are incenses that they cannot have any more water, some talk on the telephone to people that are not there (actually having arguments with nobody on the other end because the phone only works when the people running the ward turn the phone on). It is pretty heartbreaking. It, in all seriousness, was well-depicted in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. At least my mom has people that come and visit her (my dad goes the two times every day like he is allowed) and I go when I am not working. I am glad that she is not violent like she has been in the past with her dementia. Those times were even tougher on both dad and I. I suppose that came out of frustration and fear so we just accepted it for what it was. Tomorrow or Tuesday another psychiatrist is going to meet with dad and I to discuss the next steps he/she recommends for her treatment. I know what I believe needs to happen but that is not my decision to make as I am just a consigliere from time-to-time. There are so many factors that go into making these decisions: sentimental, moral, financial, practical, medical, reasonable... Life is messy a lot of the time.

I really do not have much more on my mind but I know people have been wondering and I have not had much time to write until this morning. I suppose writing is my church or meditation or release or whatever. We all have something that we use to feel like we are not alone though, as I am finding out yet again, in the grand scheme of things each one of are, in all reality, alone. Yes, we have friends and loved-ones and co-workers and we struggle through every day wondering what our purposes are but, in the end, we are but shadows and dust.

Sorry to be so maudlin this morning but being sick and tired (hey, that is a real thing isn't it?) always does that to me. I thank you, so very much, for always letting me spout my oft typographically-challenged rantings. I will keep you filled-in as to the progression or regression of the situation. Writing always helps me release and it is so much less expensive than therapy I suppose. I also use humor (or at least there attempt thereof) to mask my true sadness, pain and sorrow most of the time. If I can entertain myself maybe I am not all that bad off. Living in ones' own mind is pretty lonely I have come to learn.

Thanks again and I will keep you updated when I can. TTT (probably) tomorrow...MITM (out) TA!

Early To Blog...

I would have liked to have had a bowl of rice with Uncle Ben

Yesterday, daylight savings day, I did something for the first time that I believe I have ever done on daylight savings day. I have always heard that we should change batteries on that day. I changed the battery on the garage door keyless entry and I changed the battery on the front door keyless entry. They both needed changing and now they are changed. I also changed one of the light bulbs on/in the garage door opener. Those batteries had needed changing and the bulb must have been too but I didn't realize that until I had to re-program that code as the other bulb was/is still working. Sorry for all of the bad things I thought about you on this day on the past Benjamin Franklin. I can be angry at him because, as family legend has it, we are related to Uncle Great Great Great Cousin Stepfather-in-law Uncle Ben. I am not really sure how we are supposed to be related to him but maybe I will check that out when Cha Cha and I are on Ellis Island in May? He was supposed to have been a lady's man so I suppose I could be a tenth generation bastard or something.I have read that he was not allowed to write The Declaration of Independence as they other member of The Continental Congress thought he'd sprinkle it with subtle and hidden jokes - so that's where I got my sardonic wit.

I drank a lot of hot tea yesterday to help soothe my sore throat and slow down the constant scratchy coughing. Last night I went to stir the lemon and I grabbed a spoon from the drawer and I grabbed the, what I suppose is called. the tablespoon even though the TEAspoons were right next to them in the silverware caddie deal. I never real thought of the large spoons as tablespoons: I just thought of tablespoons as a unit of measurement. Thank goodness we don't have grapefruit spoons or I really would have been in a quandary.

This would minimize a few steps

I wrote those last two sentences last night after writing yesterday's blog which turns out to be beneficial. Now it is today (or tomorrow if you are still reading those last two paragraphs) and, so far, the time change sucks. My mom was taken to the hospital today because she fell at home and my dad could not get her up. She has some issues that she has been in the hospital for before with that, though they have not gone away, have been mostly manageable. So, I spent most of today with my mom and dad at Rush-Copley Hospital in Aurora. As soon as there is a bed available she will be transferred to the behavioral health part of Mercy Center Hospital where she was a year or two ago.

I am wiped-out so I am gonna end since I have to be on deck with my dad again tomorrow.. I have only had a small salad and some fruit today so I should eat and hit the rack. I am still coughing a great deal from a scratchy throat and I am still doing a lot of hot tea with honey and Ricolas. Cha Cha made some homemade chicken soup so, if I have some of that, I should be right as rain (whatever that means). I may or may not have tome to blog tomorrow - maybe I will take the computer with me because they seem to have great WiFi in the hospitals. TTT?...MITM (out) TA!

...And Then Reality Sets In

I have thought, for most of my life, that I was a happy-go-lucky, positive person but I have come to believe that I probably am not quite as optimistic as I have portrayed or believed. I think I like to give the air of positivism (mostly to myself) but I think that may be to over-compensate for the negativity I really have brewing inside me almost constantly. I have been told, kind of recently, that I have an unhealthy trait of worrying about other peoples' happiness and feelings at the expense of my own. It was incomprehensible to me at first but, after reflecting and pondering that that for a month or so, I believe that is probably spot-on. I wonder where that comes from? Perhaps it comes from not wanting to get beaten with a belt when I did something wrong as a child? That must not be the reason as I was beaten nearly every day as a boy but, as I have come to learn as an adult, I may have deserved some slight punishment but the 12 Years a Slave treatment was quite excessive. I think that made me more understanding for things like American slavery and the Holocaust... Everything may have a purpose. I suppose it has, and does, make me who I am and I probably tend to overcompensate by trying to be compassionate and caring. I do not believe one can be too compassionate. I realize we all live in our own thoughts much of the time. Most religions are fear-based too which, though we went to Bible school every week as kids, I never bought most of the mumbo-jumbo. They were fun stories, I suppose, but I think I was like many when I was a yute that I would try to believe just in case it were true. I have long since come to terms that, though many people need that crutch to be decent people or to feel safe, I am just decent because it is in my DNA or psyche to be good and nice and caring. Yes, I am mischievous and naughty and I feel bad about it but, occasionally, people need to see the ugly parts of us to know they cannot be hateful and bullies without repercussions. I am happy to live in a place, at least for now, that we can believe what we want to believe even if it is not the norm; there are many parts of the world that do not have that luxury/freedom without consequences. I will step down from the pulpit now.

Maybe that last paragraph came for my current state of health. I have been sick with some kind of a cold or flu for almost a week now. I came home from work one day and, happily, we got to leave work about 90 minutes early yesterday. I have a cold or a flu or something. Maybe I have cooties?People come to work sick and share it with everybody and then, morons like me, continue that cycle by bringing it back in with us after we have contracted it. Last night I slept with a bag of Ricola cough suppressant drops, a box of tissues (not Kleenex brand as they are usually referred to) and a little pot of tea with lemon and Splenda (the artificial sweetener that may cause who knows what) in it next to the bed. I am still really stuffed-up and my throat is scratchy but I am off from work today because of my "weekend" until Wednesday morning so maybe I will be better by then? I am really glad that I am off the day after/of the stupid Daylight Savings idiocy. We are well beyond the farmers needing more daylight technologically since they could run NORAD from one of their combines these days.

Look Old MacDonald - NO HANDS!!!!

I have to make a, possibly difficult and perhaps futile, phone call later today to try to make several peoples' lives more positive, hopeful and fulfilling. I am not sure if it will be well-received but it is something that I must do before a (probably inevitably) disaster occurs. I know this is vague but, as I have found over the years, if I write it down I will usually follow through with whatever it is even if I write in hieroglyphic terms.

I cannot believe it is already noon (11:00 if it were yesterday). Cha Cha is working on her second Master's Theseus - she is such a hard-worker. She is the daughter and granddaughter... of a family of farmers going way, way back before they had lights and computers attached to their farm equipment and she definitely has the work ethic of a farm family. I am so lucky that she was the first generation of her family to be able to go to college and she wound up at the same college where I was. I thank my lucky stars almost every day that she is part of my life. We went out with our college friend Greg a couple of weeks ago and he commented that we were very rare these days having been together so long. That's why I am glad that Jill is always so busy - she's too distracted to look for a newer, better model.

To the Mattphone!

I guess I will end now and think about getting dressed as it is nearly noon (new time). I also have to make that aforementioned phone call. I hope you have a great shortened Sunday and I will try to blog again tomorrow but I always leave the words "might" or "may" or "possibly.." in there because something always seems to encumber me now and again. I appreciate you stopping by and I do write requests is you have any. TTTT (78%)...MITM (out) TA!

In Constant Sorrow, I Blog Again

This was a creepy dude too. Probably the first time I took note of Sir Tony

I am not proofreading today so enter at your own peril! 

It is 17:30 and I am already in my pajamas. I have been fighting a cold for the last week or so and yesterday was terrible. I woke-up yesterday morning and thought about calling-off work but I decided to get dressed and go in. I lasted about four hours before I came home. I laid on the couch for a few hours watching some of the things on the DVR and then, at about 19:00 I went to bed. Cha Cha wasn't home yet but I had called (texted) that I was home and was going to bed. She said she'd stop and pick-up Portillo's on the way home. Oh, I forgot - I also watched a movie on HBO (HB2e to be precise) called Fracture. It drew me in at Anthony Hopkins and I watched the whole movie and loved it. I don't want to spoil it in case you are interested but his character in the film reminded me quite a bit of what, probably, is the most notable character in his repertoire. Not Alfred Hitchcock. Not John Quincy Adams. Not Dr. Kellogg. Not William Bligh. Not Richard Nixon. Not Frederick Treves. Not Pablo Picasso. Not Abraham. Van Helser Helsing. Not Methuselah. Not Claudius. Wow, he's played a lot of real-life people when I type those names. I bet you know what major one I left out that he is most famous for. Anyway, I loved it and recorded it for Jill. And, I ate the salad on my two breaks today as I was zonked-out on Tylenol PM before she got home.

So, today, on the way home from work (the whole ten hours this time) I stopped at Walgreen's and got some Mr.Bubble. I dare you to try to find any other bubble bath soap other than Mr. Bubble. I cannot remember the last time I took an actual bubble bath but my aches and pains from this cold made me want to give it a go. Incidentally, I am a shower guy and hot tubs do not count as baths in my opinion. Noah (Fabio) was home from school and it probably sounded odd to hear the bath running and the sounds of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? Pandora station coming from the upstairs master bathroom. I love that movie too (in my top-ten for sure) and I like some of that old-timey music. I do not like country per se but that this is more of like bluegrass music I think. I just realized, while typing, that Mr. Bubble (the soap) really dries-out your hands (mine at least). Now I am relaxed I feel like going to bed.

I am pretty sure that I am not eating any dinner tonight either as I am already in my pajamas and am having visions of sugarplums. I am not really even sure what a sugarplum is though I really like regular plums, Plums are my seventh favorite fruit.

Does one need to take a shower in the morning he she/he takes a bubble bath the previous night? I know it probably depends on the level of activity once one goes to bed but, at most, I might watch some television or listen to music. I think I may have started a trend. Fabio just went upstairs and I believe I hear the bathtub water running. Wait, it stopped. Maybe he was rinsing my DNA from the tub before he fills it for himself? He used to take quite a few baths as he was growing into his 6'6" body because he'd have aches (literal growing pains I assume)

I think I may watch last night's episode of Baskets before I head up. I love Zach Galifianakis and this show always cracks me up. Louie Anderson is awesome as is Zach. I sure am talking a lot about entertainment today. I will be right back I have to go grab another Ricola. Tomorrow is my Friday (your Saturday) and I am not gonna miss any more time being sick this week (he typed as he sneezed). I bet I don't see Cha Cha tonight either because I may be asleep within the hour (everybody is asleep before 20:00 these days aren't they?

Holy moley, that's further than I thought 

I think I am going to end on that. My nose is raw and my throat is scratchy and I should sleep. Thanks a lot for stopping by for what seems to have been an entertainment blog mixed with a bit of a pity party. Send me your bill for the therapy session and I will laugh and not pay it. Baskets may have to wait until tomorrow night or Sunday.

Did I mention that Jill and I are going to: New York City, Boston, Martha's Vineyard and Salem in a few months? If you've been there give us some advise. We haven't even decided whether we will fly or drive. I have been to NYC with a could of buddy to Mets and  Yankees games but I have not been to Beantown. Jill has been there because the publisher that she work for is based out of Boston. Neither of us has been to Salem or Martha's Vineyard. Okay, enough- I cannot stop coughing now. TTT (maybe tomorrow)...MITM (out) cough, cough, sniffle, cough... TA!

Cowabunga Cauliflower!

Last night was a bit of an adventure but Cha Cha and I did get to see Logan. We arrived at the Carmike theater in DeKalb at about 6:40 for the 6:45 showing. It looked a bit dark inside the theater and there did not seem to be anybody inside milling about. There were many people sitting in their vehicles but it looked like the place was closed. I got out of the car and walked to the theater door to find it locked. I walked back to the car and went to their website and saw that the show was scheduled as I had seen earlier. I further looked and saw that the show was playing at the neighboring town of Sycamore at the Sycamore State Theatre (yes, they spell it all fancy like that) at 6:45 so we skedaddled over and watched the show there instead. The theater did not have the fancy reclining seats but, since I was very tired, that actually worked to my advantage. I told the people at the theater theatre about Carmike and they said they had heard from other patrons that the DeKalb showplace was closed but they did not know why. It worked out well because I did not fall asleep in a comfy chair and they had better popcorn (we got the caramel/cheese corn mix). The movie was really good and it all worked out fine. Next time we see a show we will have to make a decision on which town's economy to sprinkle our money into.

I am doing laundry right now and I just started the dishwasher. I figured, since we spent our popcorn and movie money in Sycamore, I better spend some extra water bill money here in DeKalb so as to not get run-out on a rail. Now I am thinking about Oh Brother where Art Thou.

I called my dad this morning and my mom seems to be doing better today than yesterday according to him. It appears that one of the new pills that she got last night helped her sleep all night which may have been a large part of the problem; she does not sleep very well. I have had sleeping issues from time-to-time and there have been ramifications at times.

Pizza & Ninjas (seems like destiny other than the cauliflower part)

The basement needs some more work and that will be one of my tasks today. Tomorrow is back to work day so I want to get lots done today. Having a four-day work week is very nice. Four tens is better that five eights as far as I am concerned. It is especially nice getting off at 16:00. Today is also cauliflower pizza day. I have never tried to make pizza crust from cauliflower but today is the day to give that a try. Fortunately, we live very close to a supermarket and many restaurants so there are several back-up options should the experiment prove a poor culinary move. I bet the birds will like it if we humans do not. The Ninja food processor or chopper or whatever it is called will come in handy to make the cauliflower florets become chopped fine enough to transform into pizza crust. I will try to remember to take a photo of the pizza when it is done. Just writing about the "pizza" is making me hungry.

I took a break there and Ninja'd the cauliflower. The cauliflower is chopped, steamed and now drying out. I also grated the cheeses (mozzarella and parmesan) and there is a lot of dishes to wash after the ones that are already in the dishwasher finish their hot tub and sauna time machine. I always try to clean as I go because that is the worst part of cooking so I get it done and move-on. I really hope I am not wasting my time with these pies (it sounds so Italian calling pizzas pies - I have seen too many gangster films). The recipe I found followed does not mention anything about tomato sauce (gravy as they would say in the gangster films - at least on pasta they do) though the photo shows red sauce so I looked at other recipes and I see that Valerie Bertinelli (formerly Mrs. Eddie Van Halen) has a cooking show on The Food Network. I wonder if she'd be on the podcast when we get that going again? I had a bit of a crush on her when she was on One Day at a Time back in the 1970's.

I will be right back - the dryer is playing that tune when it is time to fold the clothes before they get wrinkled. I will be back momentarily.

Okay, the clothes are now folded so maybe Cha Cha will renew my contract for another month or so unless she reads that about Valerie - mum's the word!

I have to wrap-up now because I am gong to take my chopped cauliflower that has finally dried-out and I am gonna mix it with all of the spices and bake it and hope this whole cooking day has not been wasted. I would imagine that the birds and rabbits and squirrels will eat it if it doesn't turn out as I hope. I plan to take some to work for lunch tomorrow unless it is horrid.

Thank you, as always, for taking time out of your busy day to stop by. I appreciate writing and, seeing that people read this and comment on occasion, it gives me the drive to keep on scribbling. I hope you have a great rest of you day/night. Maybe I will write again after work on the morrow but I have been coughing and have had a scratchy throat all day today so I may come home and go to bed. Not that typing requires me to speak or anything. We never know what the next day might bring do we? Maybe I will die in my sleep though that is not in my day-planner so I doubt that will happen. TTT????...MITM (out) TA!

Don't Worry, Be Bloggy!

Today is not really a great day so, maybe, blogging about it will help me some? It is 14:51 now and I have not gotten hardly anything that I intended to get done accomplished. I did get some things achieved but I am distracted by issues with my mother's health. She has not been well for quite some time and today sounds like a very bad day. I have spoken to my dad several times today about what is going on and I am not happy with what is being done by her doctor. The doctor's answer, so far, is to throw more medicine on the fire rather than seeing her and getting to the bottom of what is going on right now. I will probably head over to their house tonight or tomorrow even though there is nothing I will be able to accomplish. I am waiting for the call from my dad that I hope will not come. That, hopefully, sounds more ominous than it is right now but I have not seen things with my own eyes.

I did get some things done this morning - I tidied-up Kajunkles Studio so we can get back to recording the show soon (I know I have said that for weeks). I changed the driver-side brake light in the Fiat. I almost said "rear" brake light but it is not necessary (I hope) so I wrote it in it's own sentence here instead. I did a little sorting of the things in our crawlspace (I am really happy we paid the extra bones to have the crawlspace floor concreted). Maybe using the word "bones" in the same sentence as "crawlspace" wasn't the best choice? I think I am going to head to the store and get some softener salt and some other things that we need. I will be back in a few minutes and blog after I dump the salt in the softener. Maybe I will make a UGE mattgarita since I will have all of that salt.


Saturday night, after work, a LARGE BUNCH of us went out for dinner and lots of drinks. Somehow that turned into bowling (yes, we left the bar/restaurant and went to a bowling alley for that part). Not everyone went to the bowling alley but I would say that there were ten or so of us. I had not bowled in many years but I did pretty well. I think I only bowled one complete game and one partial game. In the complete game I did very well and ended with a 170 something thanks to the spare followed by the turkey (three strikes in a row) that I rolled toward the end. I guess it just took me a few practice rolls to get back into the swing roll of things. Yes, I thought lots about The Big Lebowski. And, no I did not have bumpers in the gutters. Three of us left early but I will leave that part of the story out in order to protect the (mostly) innocent. I am sworn to uphold the Good Samaritan Laws and not divulge any specific information and I will abide by my sworn oath; I was one of the Samaritans (for the record). Is it weird that I am not at all a "Bible guy" but I am a Samaritan? I did not even know where the term "Samaritan" came from until now yet I threw it around willy-nilly (now I know where that comes from too).

While I was at the store a bit ago I also bought the ingredients to make cauliflower crust pizza. I hope it "tastes just like regular pizza" as I have heard and read many places. I live in the Chicagoland area and, besides New York City and Sicily. we are one of the most particular places about our pizza in the world. I will let you know how it works out once I have made and tried it. It probably won't be tonight as I think we are going to see Logan at the theater. I believe we will go to the 18:40 show if you are looking to loot our house. But, since I am watching Logan you will pay in more ways than you believed possible. Our ferocious dog should slow you down too. I am worried that I will fall asleep in that big comfy recliner at the theater but then I will be more well-rested to find you and go all Wolverine on your patootie. I have a feeling that Wolverine will die as I saw Hugh Jackman on, I think, Late Night Tonight With John Oliver, and this will be his last time portraying Wolverine. I like Hugh Jackman and I know he likes me too.

Is he reading The Virginity of Famous Men?

I am really stuffed-up (nasally) today. I imagine it is due to something that I drank but, to narrow that down, would be quite difficult. I usually get stuffed-up when I ingest caffeine but I am not sure if I had any caffeine. I believe I did not.

I won an autographed copy of the book The Virginity of Famous Men from Northern Public Radio (WNIJ and WNIU). As you may have guessed they are the local NPR radio stations. I have not begun reading it yet, as I still have two from the library that I have to finish as they have a due date and my new one can be with me until I die. I skimmed the book and was saddened to see that I am not mentioned in the book. I can only think of five reasons why that would be but I will allow you to determine your own reasons. I am happy to know that there are no photos in the book.

Okay, I am going to call this a wrap. Thank you for stopping by. I think I will blog again tomorrow but I never know what the day will bring. I may go over to my parents' house tomorrow no MATTer what I hear or don't hear tonight. I hope you have a great evening. TTT (whenever - hopefully tomorrow)...MITM (out) ADIOS!

I Dream About Sleeping!

Yes, I wore my badge to bed coffin

Okay, I wrote yesterday so I may as well keep the streak going for at least one more day. Here goes nothing (I figured if I said "here goes nothing" the bar would be set very low and anything I write will be more than nothing).

Last week I officially severed the ties with the police department where I had worked for several years. I am no longer an employee of the state of Illinois. I loved that job but working over-nights was causing me major health issues. It was not the working nights, per se, rather the working nights and then trying to switch to days to be a real human with a family. I can totally understand why vampires don't come out during the day. They sleep in coffins or caves or wherever so there is not any light or passersby making racket. I did not sleep in a coffin but I did wear one of those eye mask thingies to block the light. I also had earbuds with music playing to drown-out the normal world rolling-on. I am much better now that I have a day job. I have never slept well and I thought some of that was from being born in Germany and then immigrating to this country at about eight months post-utero. Who knew that babies understood time at such an early age?  Also, don't tell President Clockwork Orange Julius Caesar (patent pending) that I am an immigrant.

Speaking of Tiny Hands, I watched a lot of "the address to the joint session of congress" last night. It was not as bad as I had anticipated it would be though I still find him a deplorable, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, conniving, opportunistic, sexist, bigot. I am not going to go off on that tangent here now. I know many people, including my father, think he is great. I think many of these people are happy to no longer have a black man as President and are relieved that the we do not have any woman as President. Incidentally, I voted for 44 twice and I voted for the white lady this past time. I did not watch the entire address because I got tired (literally and figuratively) of all of the clapping for every single statement. (insert standing ovation here). Enough about that.

All of a sudden I am really, really tired and it is only 18:42. Am I old? Yes. I will probably go to bed somewhere between 20:30 and 21:00 because I get up at 04:30. I have always been an early riser and I sleep very lightly both of which really stink. I should have probably worked at the fire department rather than the police department in hind-sight.

I bet both the police officers and firefighters had their jobs cut-out for them last night with the wicked storms that went through this part of the MIDDLEwest. We got some pretty good hail here but just a few counties south of us there were tornadoes and such. I worried about Splenda driving home from here to Chicago last night but she made it safely. She said she never got above 40 miles-per-hour on the tollway because of the rain and traffic. Thankfully, she made it back to her home on The North Side (represent!).

Hearing "north side" in my head makes me think of The Chicago Cubs. I really hope their reign is over. As a Cardinals' fan, believe it or not, I was happy that they won The World Series. I was happy for my friends who have been loyal fans for as long as they can remember. That being said, I hope they do not win it again until after I am ashes and dust and tree fertilizer. I was always gracious when my team would win but most of these people were not. I suppose they just didn't know how to handle it. Maybe if The Cubs win again the fans will be better prepared?

I am getting pretty tired of thinking and typing so I think I shall end this nonsense. I appreciate you stopping by and for the nice messages you sent saying that you were happy that I am writing the blog again. I am happy for that too and I hope to keep it up even though most of the times it is just nonsense. I do, however, accept requests and will attempt to write about anything.

Don't tell anyone but I may go to bed even earlier than 20:30 tonight. The wind is whipping outside again (better than inside I suppose) and I like to sleep on windy nights. The wind blowing reminds me of one of my favorite sounds in the world - the ocean waves crashing to shore and washing back out to sea.

Thank you, so very much, for stopping by; I appreciate it more than you can know. Oddly, the lights dimmed just as I wrote that. I suppose the high winds I hear whipping outside are responsible for that.

Good night and good blogs (ooooh - the lights just dimmed again. curiouser and curiouser). That will be good for sleeping too. I will try to write again tomorrow. MITM (out) TA!