Two Days of Blogs in one (may be some redundancies)

I don't wish to reveal my secret identity but my MIDDLE name is Bruce!

It's 10:27 (Monday) and I am taking a break from today's first project. I have cleared-out the front room. I am sure there is a fancy name for it but I am unaware of what that would be. I don't know if a foyer is a name for a room in a home or is that only for hotels and theaters and such? People who do not live here stay sometimes and we do watch a lot of movies so, perhaps, our home could be classified as a part-time hotel and/or theater? I think I may start calling it the cloak room because that seems cool. Maybe we should get a pool table and I could call it the billiard room. I will work on that and I am open to suggestions. I rambled so much I don't remember how I cleared that room out so quickly. I mopped the hardwood floor with hot water and a very small amount of soap. I also did the stairs that go up from the front door. I am waiting for them both to dry so I can wax them. I am so glad that we do not have any carpeting on the ground floor anymore. The water went from being clear with a white soapy tint to a very dark brown by the time I was finished. Maybe if we didn't have Jeff (the crazy, muddy dog) carpeting would be an option but mopping is easier and cheaper than renting one of those huge carpet cleaners. Anyway, I will wait for the drying time and then I will wax the stairs and the floor in the entrance area to Stately Helser Manor. Oh yeah, and then move the furniture back. I will probably arrange the room the same way as it was arranged because, apparently, my way of arranging furniture is not classy enough. I will put it back where it was and everything will be right in the world again (just cleaner).

The floor is still not dry so I will write a bit more. Hey, I got all of the vacation days that I put-in for, approved. I still have some in the bank and I will use them throughout the year if I wish. The ones I really wanted were the one day this coming Saturday and the ones around our 30th anniversary at the end of April/beginning of May. I am not sure where we are going for our anniversary but I don't believe we will go to Puerto Rico again because I am not sure we could help with as devastated as that place is right now. It is beyond where we thought it would be as our date approaches. I want to remember it as beautiful as the time we went there. We are also considering Austin, Texas and New York City. I think I have blogged about that before but those are still the top picks. Jill has never been to New York and I know she would like it but, she is the one who originally mentioned it and now she is not sure. Key West is also on the table. We loved it there. That will give me something to ponder while I am playing Danielsan. I am totally open to and anxious for suggestions. The final call is Jill's because I have traveled extensively throughout my life with vacations and baseball trips and drum and bugle corps...

I might actually take a nap today. I have to go get a new light for the Fiat. Jill took the JEEP so I would have the one with the bad light to fix. She was not even sure which light is out. I am guessing that a message came up on the instrument panel. The last light bulb I changed-out in that car was quite expensive as I recall. I didn't win the lottery again so I still have that streak going. I think I have only played the lottery twice in the past five years - there's more to just "getting in it win it" as it has become evident.

I could not wait - it is the driver's side headlight that is out. That's a pretty important one. I might even say the most important one. I may buy two bulbs and replace both front headlights. Last time it was the front passenger side light and the other one was quite a bit dimmer than the new driver's side light was.

Now it is 13:23 (Tuesday) - it doesn't seem like an entire day had gone since that last paragraph does it? I never did get that nap yesterday. I still have quite a bit of gobshite to spread around but I am not going to just chatter just to chatter. I did get that FIAT headlight and it was a lot less expensive at Walmart compared to the last one I got at Auto Zone. I don't much care for Walmart but I do not much care for being taken advantage of either.

Not the actual card that still has 91 cents on it

When Jill and I cancelled our DirecTV we received a gift card (VISA) from them for the remainder of what we had not used for that month. The card was for $51.49; whatever we do not use they keep - bastards. So, I nickeled and dimed buying things that we needed at home (including the replacement bulb for the car) and I still have 91 cents left on that stupid card. I want to use more of it so they don't get to keep any of my money. I am sure that is their game; thousands of people get these cards and they cannot spend it all so these millions and billions of pennies add-up and make these media conglomerates and other companies even larger. I know I wrote about this already but this is preposterous. I first tried to have it deposited in my back account but there was some reason/loophole so I could not do that. Fargin' bastages! We, the common people, do all of the heavy lifting so these fat cat politicians and business moguls can live off of our sweat and aches and pains. Maybe our vacation will turn into a staycation? I have always thought it would be cool just to disappear from society (random). It's tougher these days with all the chips and facial recognition things... I think if I were alone I would just become someone else and disappear in Europe. Maybe even go to Mexico and become a citizen before they build that wall that I will be damned if I am going to pay one cent for (I do have 91 cents available though). I think I would rather live off of the government in prison though I am not very tough and I don't want to be somebody's girlfriend (I didn't use the B word).

Oh yeah, I also got the flu shot yesterday. So, within a few days I got a Hep-B shot on Saturday (because I am a first responded) and I got the flu shot free at Walgreen's so I don't die from the flu.

Thanks for stopping by today for today's and yesterday's combined blogs. I will try to blog again tomorrow. I only have to work three days this week because I have Saturday off for Splenda's 26th birthday / Fabio's birthday party at The Safehouse in Chicago. I have to get the secret password so I don't have to do a stupid stunt in the alley so everybody inside can watch my on the televisions where I will be broadcast on the televisions from the cameras in the alley. If I don't blog tomorrow it may be because I got whacked or I may just be tired. TTTWhenever... MITM (out) See ya on the other side! TA!

Invisible People and Fake Refunds

Hey, it did not even take me a week before blogging again this time.

Yesterday, I got off of work at 16:00 and I went to O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to pick-up Cha Cha from her company's national sales meeting in Orlando. Have you ever wondered why O'Hare's airport code is ORD? I have always known that is was an abbreviation for orchard (since 1940 it was coded that way). I further knew it was because, where it sits, it used to be an orchard. I did not know, until now, why it was named O'Hare. Was it because rabbits (hares) would probably live in the orchard? No, it was named O'Hare in honor of World War II flying ace Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare in 1949. I write "World War II flying" ace and I think of Snoopy and his Sopworth Camel that looked a lot like a doghouse with a propeller. For some reason, nobody decided to change the ORD to a more fitting to the airport's namesake. It could have been abbreviated as EHO (Edward Henry O'Hare)? I just looked at all of the U.S. airport codes and very few of them make sense given their names or locales. Midway Airport in Chicago is MDW; now that makes some sense.

All that travel talk makes me think that I got all of the vacation days that I had put in for approved. I did not allocate all of my vacation hours as I like to keep some in case something arises or I just decide to carry some over to the following year. I have this coming Saturday off so I only have to work a three-day week. We have a get-together with some family to celebrate Fabio's 21st birthday (January 22) and Splenda's 26th (February 5). I then get about two week's off in April/May for Cha Cha and my 30th wedding anniversary (April 30th). We still have to figure what we are going to do / where we are going to go for our anniversary. It will be probably be more exciting than our honeymoon was - St. Louis. You know she's a keeper when she will go to Busch Stadium to see a Cardinals' game on her honeymoon. We did get to meet Fredbird though so it was all worth it.

Here is the staff trying to assemble his casket

If the weather forecast for today is correct we should experience at least three of the four seasons today. I think we will have all but summer.

I heard that the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, died today. We used to go to IKEA a lot and we love their stuff but it is always a madhouse and you have to wait in lines to check-out for a really long time. Assembling their stuff with their weird little tool kits was always so exasperating too. Kamprad was the richest man in Sweden. I would have thought that it was one of the members of ABBA but maybe they are the richest now that this dude is gone?

Jill told me about a young female bartender at the Orlando airport. You know the type, she called everybody "hon" and knew everything. Jill said that the girl talked about how the Civil War was not about slavery but, in fact, about states rights. What, states rights to own another human being? Bartenders should not engage in any controversial talk since they rely, largely, on tips.

I cannot believe it is almost noon already. Time flies when you are blogging and watching In the Line of Fire. I have liked a lot of Clint Eastwood's movies even though I think he's a kook. Maybe I just think that because of his politics - especially when he was talking to that empty chair on the stage at the RNC (Republican National Convention). I am not sure if that was acting or senility or humor... I think, if memory serves, he was talking to/debating with an invisible Barack Obama? It is funny that I wrote "when memory serves" when he doesn't even remember if there is somebody sitting in the chair next to him or not. I also think he lost that debate; Eastwood must be a master debater. I have liked quite a few of his movies - there is a fine line between genius and insanity.

BASTARDS! (mine has my name on it though

When we cancelled DirecTV and changed to Roku we now have a credit of $51.93. So, we got a DirecTV Mastercard for $51.93. I have to activate the card and, if we don't use the entire balance, there $3.00/month fee . I am going to head over to my bank tomorrow and see if I can just put the money in our bank account. Otherwise, I will probably use the card to pay a bill or something. Why couldn't they just send us a check or directly deposit into our account? We had the payment direct deposited into their account every month when we paid for the DirecTV. They are just trying to get some of that money for themselves. Bastards! I bet people will not use it all and DirecTV is makes thousands of dollars on pennies and fees and unused cards. I will be sure to use all of this credit/refund... as blog is my witness.

I am going to end this now and get out of my pajamas and into some big-boy clothes since it is after noon. I am glad that you were here and that it is Saturday Sunday. I also have to watch Saturday Night Live because that is on my todo list.

Rocky Blog

It is 06:22 on a workday and I am blogging. I got out of bed a little before 05:00 and did all of the
usual (showered, brushed teeth, took meds, got dressed, made lunch, drove to work, clocked-in, clocked-out, drove home...) The day flew by. It was going to be a light work day so they let some people go home if they wished. They started calling people's names in order of seniority and, when they got to  mine, I said I would go and I clocked-out and drove back home. I grabbed a form on the way out so I can use some of my vacation hours to get paid for the ten hours today. I also turned in my vacation request form for this year. I did not use all of my hours for vacation but, if they are all approved, I will still have half of my vacation time to use when/as needed or wanted.

This works out even better because I am driving Jill to the airport today so she can fly to Orlando for work. I was going to do that after work but now we can go earlier and perhaps I can beat the rush hour traffic coming back home. And, in addition to that, I am still tired and maybe I can take a nap before going to O'Hare. I am going to watch more of Mindhunter on Netflix though; I am totally hooked. I am on Season one: Episode five (S1: E5). I am not sure what I wrote about it, if anything, yesterday but it is a lot like Silence of the Lambs in that it follows FBI agents speaking with killers (serial and otherwise) to try to find out what makes them do what they do. There seems to be a new person that they are dealing with in each episode but they also go back, on occasion, to speak with the ones that they were previously talking with. There has been some talk, in the series, about them writing a book about what they are doing. Maybe I like Mindhunter so much because I am usually looking for mine.

I love cemeteries and Key West has one of my favorites

It is so quiet in the house this morning with the occasional barks from Jeff outside to say hello to the kids waiting for or walking to their school buses.

I had a banana on the way to work which is usually enough to get me to the 09:30 break but, being home, I feel like I want to eat. I put my lunch in the fridge for tomorrow and I am not going to eat anything until lunch time. That big yawn might signify that I am still a bit tired. Though I think I sleep well I am pretty sure that I have misinformed myself on that. I am tired most of the time. I know I have been fighting a cold for the past three weeks or so. I an fairly certain that is not the flu but all of the stories that I have been hearing about influenza killing people makes me wonder. I have never been convinced that having a flu shot stops me from getting the flu. I have, actually, had the reverse effect to the flu shot once in the past and I think I have learned that it is not for me. If I die from the flu I want my tombstone to read, "We told him to get the flu shot!" Actually, I really just want to be fertilizer for a tree. Have you seen that?

They're called burial pods

Is it odd that I have a picture of Fred Flintstone punching out from work with a rock time card into a rock time clock and then I have a photo of a rock tombstone? I feel like I need to continue with this, newly noticed, theme. I did listen to a classic rock radio station on the way to and from work this morning. I do remember hearing the song "I am a Rock" by Simon and Garfunkel last night while I was falling asleep. I was listening to the Paul Simon station on Pandora.

I made the mistake of thinking I could watch Mindhunter and blog at the same time but I cannot so I will finish this and then work on that. I am just so happy to not be at work with my head all stuffed-up and such; being sick at work really stinks, doesn't it? I think may be why I was feeling weird at work on Saturday too.

Now I have Sylvester Stallone stuck in my mind after just deciding on, and typing, the title of today's blog. I wish I could sleep like a rock on occasion.

Okay, I am starting to ramble so I will end and do some mind hunting. I hope you have a fantastic day and I am delighted that you stopped-in. Watch for falling rocks because I don't want to have to write about getting knocked on the head with a rock. TTTT (quite possibly)...MITM (out) ROCK ON!

How's it Bloggin', Eh?

I love to watch Canadian shows like Trailer Park Boys and SCTV (Second City Television) and the like because I am so entertained by the different words that they use for things that we have other words for in the new world like: a peeler bar is a strip club, a jumper is a sweater, trainers are tennis shoes... I bet they are entertained by the way we speak too. We do use a lot of the same words too like: flip flops are thongs (though a thong is also some of those under clothes with the dental floss going in the center crevice), a couch or sofa or overstuffed chair is a Chesterfield (I learned that one from The Barenaked Ladies' song "If I Had a Million Dollars" - great song). I am going to run to the supermarket or grocery store (the same words they use in Canada). I think turkey meatloaf is in order for dinner tonight. I just mix the ground turkey with a jar of giardiniera and bake away.

I am back from the supermarket and I have eaten lunch. I made the cardinal mistake of going to the grocery store while hungry. I am also now watching Trailer Park Boys Out of the Park - Europe on Netflix and eating too much. I have laughed out loud several times but I have a pretty immature sense of humor so I am not surprised. They were just in Norway and Sweden and Finland and are now in Amsterdam for the next two episodes. I put the groceries away while watching so I can feel that the last day of my weekend can seem slightly productive. It sounds like they are going to meet the members of the rock group RUSH in this episode. That is kind of weird since I heard, just a few days ago, that RUSH has decided to retire and quit the music business though no official statement has been made. But, guitarist Alex Lifeson made implications to the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail to that effect a few four days ago. The band had been together in one form or another since 1968.

I feel like I need to continue with the Canadian theme and write about other things north of the border. I have been to Canada three or four times and I love everything about it. The people could not be nicer. I never intended to make this all about the neighbors that live in North America's attic but here I am. I feel like I need to balance the blog now and talk about Mexico. I am sad about the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) controversy. The people who were part of this program over the past are now facing, potentially, being sent to the countries that they may have never even been to before. Some of these people are children who were born here to parents who came here because of DACA. They have never even been to any other countries. This is, in my humble and liberal opinion, the worst and saddest part of this Presidential administration's agenda. I am not a religious person by any stretch of the imagination but I know that this is not Christian. I have been to church in my life and I remember many words that touched me like, "suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not for such is the kingdom of God..." I may be off on some of that because I am very rusty on this part of history. Basically, as I see it, children are innocent and should not be turned way from love and safety and security. I would give my life to save even one single child. I am prepared to do that if ever a situation that requires that act occurs.

Today is Fabio's 21st birthday. He is a very nice young man and I am very proud of him as I am of Splenda. I like to believe that Jill and I have put them on paths of generosity and caring and love but, I know that they have made many choices for themselves throughout their lives that has actually put them on these paths. I could not be more proud of the kinds of people that they have both become. After that last paragraph and thinking about child citizens (some who are adults now) that may have to be sent to countries that they have never even known I get very sad.

 I sure am happy that early people thought to write things down 

I am going to end now and get a few more things done around the house before my work weeks begins again tomorrow, After work I have to run Cha Cha to the airport so she can go somewhere for work. I am sad to day that I cannot remember where she is going. I am happy, sometimes, that she does not read the blog. My memory only seems to hold so many things at a time these days and I have to pick and choose what to save and what to purge. She is very important to me and tomorrow I will know where she is going and when to pick her up. I am so happy that someone invented writing instruments and figured-out that trees could be turned into paper. The phones and computers are handy too. Thank you for stopping by. I am not sure that I will blog again tomorrow with the limo run to O'Hare but I will be back again soon. Thanks for stopping by - TTTT...MITM (out)!

Government Shut-Down? I Hadn't Noticed!

While not being able to sleep last night I turned-on Netflix and watched a movie called Walt Before Mickey. It is the story about how Walt Disney got his start. It was not a biography-type of film even though it was a biography about Walt's start. I did not know that he was from Chicago. I grew-up on Disney movies so I loved this. When we were young my mom used to take my brother and I and our cousins Carrie and Michelle to see all of the new Disney movies in the theater. If the film is true to real life Walt Disney was juts as good of a man that most of us believed. I can really only speak for myself on this issue I suppose but on The Wonderful World of Disney every week on our televisions back in the day he introduced many of the shows and he, as I believed then and now, was a very kind and caring man. Of course, being a very nosy and investigative person, there were rumors that he was anti-Semitic and racist. It is said that he even attended meetings of a Nazi organization called the German American Bund (bund translates to federation). There are other things that further lead to his racism and anti-Semitic sentiments. I find this difficult to believe since Mickey Mouse was black. I do not wish to believe he was prejudice. But, if it is so, my wishes don't change anything. One other thing I found while researching Walt was that the last words that he ever wrote were "Kurt Russell" on a piece of paper. Nobody ever knew why he wrote Kurt Russell's name. Kurt Russell was even asked and he had no idea though Russell had just signed a lengthy contract with the Walt Disney Company. I think one of the great reasons to write is that it makes me want to investigate other things to add color (not Technicolor) to my writings. Am I thirsty for knowledge, nosy or both? Yes, yes and yes!

That reminds me that I did not tell you that my mom is out of the hospital and back at her nursing home place. I am really happy for this and I am hoping that she will be able to cope here and not go back to the hospital again.

Saturday, at work, I was having lots of issues with my breathing and weird feelings/auras. I hope that it is just the cold symptoms that I have been dealing with and nothing more serious to come. I have had auras off-and-on for a few years now and I can sort of control them now. Maybe my new found ability to remember my dreams (while sleeping) comes from this too? I am happy that I have the auras because it allows me time to control them with my breathing so they don't turn into something serious. I  am really happy that Jill and I went to the Buddhist Temple and learned the technique. It comes in handy for many thngs.

Why don't we see shooting stars like we did back in the day when I was a kid?

It is Monday morning now and Jeff and I are back from his yearly veterinarian visit. They said that the rabies vaccination would make him tired and they were correct. As soon as we got home he wen upstairs and went to sleep. He also got his heart-worm pills for the year. One thing that surprised me was that Blue Buffalo dog food, that we had been told by the vet was the best for dogs because there were no fillers and additives..., was bought-out by another company and now there are many additives that can make dogs sick... She gave me a list of foods that are good for dogs (for now anyway). The bill for the visit was over $300. And, since I took him to Kane County for his check-up I couldn't even get his rabies tag. I have some voucher/paper that we can take to the animal control place and get the county tag for our county. I am sure that will cost even more. Since Jeff is a helper dog and a herder (he is a really fantastic herder being a border collie and all) he should be able to get health insurance and get a break on all of these things. Is there dog health insurance? For proof of some of his herding you can go to Jeff Helser's Facebook page. He has a hard time with Twitter given the lack of opposable thumbs.

They'll get just as much done being closed-down

Hey, how about the government shut-down? They are not unprecedented in the U.S, and A. and this one did not surprise me. Reagan had three shut-downs, George H.W. Bush had one, Clinton had two, Obama had one... I am not sure of others but I imagine these aren't the only ones that we have had. I am sure Trump will have the best and biggest and most productive... shutdown in American history. 

Jeff is back down here and wanting to go outside. With the cold weather snapping the backyard is very muddy and there are small lakes gathering. I can have him go outside through the garage and, by doing that, a great deal of the mud will be off of his paws before he gets back in the house. We do not have any carpeting on the main floor of the house and the hardwood is much easier to clean. If he goes upstairs, however, we have a much different story. I guess I could block off the stairs. Maybe we should get one of those baby gates for days like these.

21 years ago today

I'll be right back to wrap this up but the microwave is telling me that lunch is ready and the clothes drier is telling that the clothes need to be folded. The clothes are now folded and I am letting the food cool a bit before I eat it. Jill and I took Noah out for dinner last night but today is his actual 21st birthday so I will send a text and see if he want to go to Buffalo Wild Wings or Eduardo's or someplace for his actual birthday. Hey, he can even have a been or a margarita if he wants now. Time goes so fast. I bet he won;t want to go because he dislikes to be the center of attention.

I am going to finish now and eat my lunch. Thank you for slowing down for a few minutes and stop here. I have tomorrow off of work too so I believe writing again tomorrow is in the cards. TTTT...MITM (out)!

Some Milestones Ahead

I am tired and lazy today so there will be no proofreading again today. Thank you for your patience and understanding and remember, whenever I make a typo or an error... I am doing it to make you feel better about yourself!

I knew it has been awhile since I blogged last but I did not realize it had been a week ago today. I intend to blog more but so many things depend upon our attentions every single day don't they? It is already 16:38 and I have gotten quite a bit done. Since the weather has finally changed a bit, warmer for the moment, I washed the JEEP today. This morning I did the dishes first thing and then I started the laundry and then Fabio (Noah) came over to do his laundry and Cha Cha and I took him to lunch. A lot of things centered around water today it seems. Tomorrow is his 21st birthday and he has a couple of classes tomorrow and I am taking Jeff to the veterinarian in Geneva. Being Sunday Jill is home so it worked-out well. It's hard to believe that our youngest is 21 years old. And then on February 5th it will be Splenda's 26th birthday. Every year at this time I cannot help but think that our children were both born right around 9 months after Cha Cha and my wedding anniversary comes around. Our 30th anniversary will be April 30th and we are still trying to decide where to go for the big 30. I have to have my choices for my vacation date selections for the year to my bosses on Wednesday. I am not sure exactly how many days I have but I know that I have, at least, two weeks and three days and then whatever I did not use from last year. We are having a birthday party / family get-together thingy for both kids adults next weekend. It was supposed to be just for Noah's 21st but he does not like to be the center of attention (kinda hard not to be when you're 6'6" tall) so we melded the celebrations together. We are going to The Safe House in Chicago. It should be a good time. I hope I remember the password to get into the place. It's rough being a spy with a fading memory but I always have my note pad and a pen with me.

When Noah was over we used the 4Runner to take the old couch over to The Goodwill. It has been in the garage for a few weeks (since we got the new couch) and we were happy to get it out of the garage. I thought we would have to hitch-up the trailer but I always try the laziest of the options first and this time it paid-off. Usually, using this method, makes me have to do two different things but the trailer would be a pain to get out of it's storage place in the yard. The couch stuck a bit out of the back of the Toyota but Fabio kept a hand on it and I drove slowly with the hazard lights flashing in the fog. The Goodwill is pretty close.

I finally got the mailer back from DirecTV and they do not want their boxes back they just wanted me to mail them back the programming cards from the converters or receivers or boxes or whatever they call them. So, I mailed back the cards and we are now supposed to find someplace that recycles this sort of equipment. If anybody needs a box or two and/or a remote or two or three or four let me know and you are welcome to them. Obviously, you will need your own DirecTV access cards as ours were sent back. I see a place online where I can send/mail the boxes but am I really going to do that? I am big on recycling and saving the planet but I am going to find some place local. I will figure it out. We are a ROKU house now.

I worked yesterday and it seems like it was so long ago. Maybe because I have done quite a bit since then? When you get a lot done it seems, sometimes, like a longer time than it actually was. And, I was lying in bed last night watching a few shows on Netflix (ROKU) and I looked at the clock and it was 2 AM. I bet I sleep really well tonight. If you want some Netflix suggestions of things to watch let me know and I will suggest some things that I have enjoyed. Disclaimer - our interests may be different so there is no guarantee that we will like the same things. I do like a very wide variety/range of things though so I bet some you would enjoy.

My skin has been very dry lately. I have been putting lotion on my legs and arms quite a bit and, for the first time ever, I have been putting hand lotion in my left nostril. Is that kind of like picking my nose? I try really hard not to pick my nose but I believe that we are meant to pick our noses. Didn't you ever wonder why your fingers are the perfect size and circumference to fit up there? And they are too big to go in too deeply and touch your brain or the backs of your eyeballs or something damaging.

I am heading to areas that I don't really feel like pursuing so I will quit for today. I will try to find time to write again tomorrow after Jeff's veterinarian check-up. I hope you have a great Sunday night and a start to your week in the morning. Thanks you so much for stopping by. TTTT (probably)...MITM (out) zzzzzzzzzz!

Ground Control to Major Blog!

If there are more mistakes in today's blog that usual I am going to blame the space bar. My space bar is sticking (off-and-on) but I am going ride this computer until it dies in battle. I have a guy working on it right now.

My weekend is underway and, so far (meaning 12:40), I have done little to help mankind or even mattkind. I believe I am still on the verge of being sick and I still will not get the flu shot. People at work got that shot and they got sick. If I am gonna be sick it is going to be on my body's terms and not on my mind's bad decision's terms. My body can kick my mind's butt. What would be the butt of the brain? I suppose that would be the occipital lobe or maybe the cerebellum?

Tomorrow Jill is going Chicago tomorrow as she is going to work out of her Evanston office again ad she doesn't want to fight the morning commute traffic again so she is going to a hotel. I have been invited to go along and, since I do not have to go back to work until Wednesday I am seriously considering taking her up on that proposition. We can get Fabio to stay here and take care of Jeff. He will also be closer to his work (not by much).

I believe I have saved more that one so I have done my part

I have been watching Schindler's List off-and-on for the past three days. It is an amazing movie (and a better book) though it takes me on a sad roller coaster ride every time I watch and/or read it. I think I have seen it more than ten times (three times in the theater I believe) and I have the DVD and it is now on Netflix. I watch it for as long as I can take it and then I pause it and pick-it up again when I feel ready. For some reason it is effecting me even more than it had any of the previous times I have watched and read it. Is it because I am older? Is it because I am equating it (to a much lesser degree, of course) to what is going on with our current political climate and trying to remove people who have lived in this nation for many, many years? I have always seen things from a caring pair of eyes and felt things though a loving heart but now I am older and even more of a sensitive person I believe. I have never had a racist or prejudice bone or nerve in my body but maybe my MIDDLE-aged eyes are feeding my heart and feeling in a different manner now. I believe that is because I have always had friends from diverse religious backgrounds and ethnic make-ups and sexual orientations and philosophical backgrounds... I could not imagine disliking someone just because of their beliefs or the color of their skin or the way they talk or for any reason like that.  I know exactly what is going to happen in this movie but I still need to take a break and do some chores (laundry and dishes and blogging are my break this time) and get back to it when I can. Is part of it that I was born in Germany, and mainly Germanic and Irish in my heritage? I know that there have been atrocities between humans throughout the entire world from the moment that me slithered from the primordial soup (or ooze if you prefer). Or, maybe it was the Big Bang? I wish we would all receive out genetic backups and learn that we are all the same in different percentages of each thing. I do not foresee racism or sexism or any negative "ism" being completely done within my lifetime but I do hope that my descendants will see a day that people come together as on human race. All we can do is expose our feeling and beliefs on to our children and hope they know what is right in their hears and minds. After that, they can work on cheetahs and gazelles and such getting along with one another like they did in the Noah's Ark fables / stories.

I sure didn't plan on writing much of what I have typed so far but my fingers work faster than my mind these days so, I guess, my fingers are the bosses now. I better listen because I only have one mind but ten fingers. The mind is out-numbered and ill-equipped for that fight.

I will be right back because my clothes have just rang-out that they are ready to be launched to the dryer... Sorry that took so long I did not realize that there were clothes in the dryer that I would have to fold too.

It is 14:02 and I am still in my pajamas. I have done quite a bit around the house (inside the house) and I am already ready for bed. Weekends were not made for Michelob they are made so I could stay in my pajamas until I wake-up the next day and have a reason to get out of my pajamas. Does Anheiser-Busch still use the "weekends were made for Michelob" commercial anymore? I don't watch many commercials these days. This one has Charlie and one of his Angels in it.

I just now learned that The Post is playing in town now. I really want to see that movie. I heard that The White House recently requested a copy be sent to them. The film was in very limited release just a few weeks ago and maybe today we will go see it. Most of my adult life has been writing for various newspapers and magazines and a stupid blog... Jill and I even met working at our college newspaper where she worked in the entertainment / features department and I was the News Editor. I would bet that we will see that movie this afternoon.

FINALLY!

I am going to wrap-up now. I will probably blog again tomorrow whether again from Mattgarita Island or The City with Big Shoulders / The Windy City / Chi-Town / The City That Works / The Second City... It makes sense that a place like Chicago would have so many aliases since Scarface Al Capone was from there. I hope you have a great rest of your Sunday (It really feels like a Monday to me). TTTT (most likely)...MITM (out) TA!

WASABI?

It is 16:33 and, happily, I am home from work. When I left for work at 05:22 this morning it was 50 degrees Fahrenheit and dry and then, when I left work at about 16:10 to come home, it was 30 degrees Fahrenheit and raining. What is going on? Could it possibly be climate change issues? No, this cannot possibly be global warming.

The weekly regular cast of characters on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

Cha Cha is going to see a live taping of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me in Chicago tonight with Andy's mom. Andy is Splenda's boyfriend and roommate. Should I be alarmed that she is spending so much to time in the big city while I am driving to Walgreen's to pick up her medicines? The only reason I mentioned the picking-up her medicines is that the lady in the drive-up there called me "hon." SO at CVS I am sweetheart and at Walgreen's I am hon. Are these pharmacists using to many of their own products?

I winder who the special guest will be on the show that Jill is going to tonight. The time that she and I went it was some schmo that we never heard of before. Tonight it will probably be someone like Tom Hanks or Barack Obama or some huge star. I hope it is and that she has wonderful stories to tell. I will be sleeping with a dog and taking the garbage to the curb in the rain (or icy snow by the time I get to it). Spoiler Alert - I already took the recycling roller-thingy to the curb. I am proud that we have that one full every week. Whether or not they really recycle it is a mystery but they, at least, make me thing I am helping the planet.

I watched To Kill a Mockingbird last night, as advertised, and I liked it as much this time as the last twenty-or-so times that I had seen it. I was nosy and wondered what the three kids, who played the children in movie, went on to do after this movie. John Megna, who played Dill, went on to do lots of acting and died in 1995 with complications from AIDS. He was the half-brother of Connie Stevens, brother-in-law to Bobby Fisher and related to all the Fishers, including Princess Leia (Carrie). Mary Badham, who played Scout, did some acting after Mockingbird but not much, She lost the "Best Supporting Actress" award for her role in Mockingbird to Patty Duke for The Miracle Worker. Phillip Alford, who played Jem, also did a lot of television acting through the 60's and 70's. I did much more research on that than I had intended to. I believe, according to my shoddy research, that Badham and Alford are both still alive.

I am going to take a break and rustle-up some grub for dinner. It is also garbage day tomorrow so I have to get that together and to the curb too. I want to do that tonight so I don't have to walk down the, most likely, ice-covered driveway in the morning. Thanks a lot Al Gore!

I ended-up having a chicken sandwich with: light mayo, horseradish and some white cheese. Not quite as good as last night's sushi. I think I like wasabi more than I like horseradish. Imaging if I mixed those now.

I think I am done blogging for tonight. It is only 18:17 and I am ready for bed. I like my job but some days it really wears me out. I suppose that is a good thing. I am earning my money and I sleep like a baby. Though I am ready for bed I will wait until, at least, 18:00. TTTT (probably). Maybe even earlier if the house gets covered in ice and I cannot get out,. Stay warm...MITM (out) TA!

Now I Blog Me Down to Sleep

WARNING - I am going to proofread today's blog even less than I usually do so please be patient with my tired hunting eyes and weary pecking fingers on the keyboard.

I am home from work and Jill went to her Evanston office today and is spending the night at Chloe (Splenda) and Andy's place in Chicago tonight so I can blog a little bit. I could anyway but I like to talk with her when she is here because Jill is a remarkable woman.

On the way home from work I stopped and picked-up some groceries for my lunches and then I got some sushi for dinner (I love sushi) and then I went and picked up a prescription and then came home. The lady at the pharmacy called me "sweetheart." Was I being sexually harasses or was she just being nice? I am a nice guy and I do have a caring and gentle heart so I am assuming she was picking up on that and she could tell I have a sweet heart. While driving home I heard on the radio that one of the men who was up on stage receiving an award for his work in The Disaster Artist, and was wearing a "time's up" pin on his tuxedo lapel, is being called-out (on Twitter) for sexual misconduct by actress Violet Paley and filmmaker Sarah Tither-Kaplan. I have been a fan of James Franco since he was in Freaks and Geeks in 1999. Maybe time is up? Actress Ally tweeted (and then later removed the message that he was "why I left the film/TV business." I always liked her too and, as I see it, she has absolutely no reason to lie about this. Here is a video clip of Franco on The Late Show if you are interested in knowing Franco's defense - it is quite interesting. You can also watch it (and more) free on You Tube if you prefer. Having a strong wife and a strong daughter this behavior outrages me knowing that things like this still occur. At least the issues are being addressed but it is sad that these cavemen (not meaning any persons in particular - rather the behavior) are behaving this way. I guess you can tell that I am very passionate about this kind of thing.

Michael Douglas, who I have liked since The Streets of San Francisco (beginning in 1972) when I was a wee (that is not urination foreshadowing) lad, is denying sexual harassment claims before they break loose. You can easily find stories about that just about anywhere on the interweb too. I don;t want to make the whole blog about deviants in Hollyweird.

I thinks peeing on an ad changes your life immediately, doesn't it?

I heard a few things on the radio, that I found intriguing, on the way to work this morning" apparently IKEA has come out with a print ad that, if you pee (urinate) on it and you are pregnant, the advertisement will reveal a special price for you on cribs. So, basically, it is a pregnancy test and a coupon all in one. I know IKEA is a Swedish company but they really are progressive aren't they? Even for the Swedes. 

The other curious thing I heard on the radio kinda creeped me out. I am sure you remember that I wrote about The Police song "Every Breath You Take" that I wrote about yesterday (if not you can just scroll down for yesterdays ranting). That song was playing on the radio while I drove to work. Do radio stations read my blog? I want to just type a weird song and see if it pops it's tunes up tomorrow. How about the really old song "One-eyed, One-horned Flying Purple People Eater?" I would really freak out if that song played tomorrow. I don't even know why that song popped into my head. I don't think I have heard that song for about 40+ years, If it shows-up in your life tomorrow please let me know. I will not lie about it playing within my earshot - I will tell you one way or another the next time I write. Maybe we can control the cosmos together.

Okay, I am going to get my jammies on and watch "To Kill a Mockingbird" on Netflix now. That is one of the best books written and best films ever made in my opinion.Harper Lee was a fabulous writer. I am sleepy and I may fall asleep while it plays but, man, what a great film that is. I can always start when I fall asleep tomorrow after work.

I will be right back I have to mop Jeff's muddy paw prints from the floor (I know I was happier when the ground was frozen and covered with snow) and feed the squirrels and the birds. I feed them the night before because I am usually running-around trying to remember everything in the morning - this makes one less thing to have to try to remember.

Thank you, so very much, for stopping by and giving this old frustrated writer a place to write. I think about you often while I write. I really do appreciate you so very much. TTTT(probably)...MITM (out) TA!

Our Planet Needs Our Support!

While I was visiting my mom yesterday the weather decided to cooperate (meaning getting above the freezing mark) so, when I got home, I could easily shovel-away the muck (the artist formerly known as ice) that was still on the driveway. I was wearing my dress pants, Italian shoes and trench coat so I must have looked like a dolt. Better to look doltish than be doltish. A dolt would have shoveled better while his hands and feet were freezing off and had it done already. I was playing the global warming card.

Jill and I have been talking about global warming a lot over the past few weeks and we have agreed that the name should be changed so people might not use the argument that, "if there's global warming why isn't it warmer?" Global warming simply is the planet having tremendous mood swings or temper tantrums for us treating her so poorly for so long. Coincidentally, Pope Francis came out yesterday and said that "global warming is consequence of human activity." I am not a religious person but I have liked almost every Pope that I can recall. They are great thinkers with big hearts and they care about all living beings. What would the Pope have to gain by making something like this up with our President tweeting things like: "In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year's Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old GLOBAL WARMING that our Country, but not other counties, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!" Maybe we should simply call it Drastic Climate Change? Or how about the good old Greenhouse Effect?

I wrote those previous two paragraph last night and now it is this morning. This cold/flu that my body is trying to fight is still lingering. All of the "so called" experts are saying this is going to be a terrible flu season this winter and the strain that is coming is going to be terrible. I can still get a free flu shot at work but I think it is ridiculous to put the flu in my body. I have only had a flu shot once in my life and, if my old memory serves, that is the year that I was the sickest in my life. I remember not being able to get out of bed and my mother-in-law staying with me during the day so she could call the mortician if needed. Happily, for me at least, I did not die that day back in the early 1990's. It's already 11:36 and I am still in my pajamas. Unless, when Jill gets home from work and wants to go out for dinner, I am already ready for bed. I probably will need to go to the store anyway and get stuff for my lunches for work this week. DO you think Hugh Hefner went to the grocery store in his pajamas? If so, I am sure he wore a robe. What am I saying? I doubt that Hugh Hefner ever even saw the inside of a supermarket.

The only known photo of Hef and I together

I suppose it is nice that North and South Korea are speaking again. It is awkward when neighbors do not get along. I watched a bit on the news of the delegates from North and South Korea walking into a boardroom-looking place and every one of them was dressed almost exactly the same. I suppose the one nice thing that the newest Presidential administration has done is to get long-time enemies to come together to talk. Maybe that will end-up becoming a bad thing with the whole nuclear capabilities thing?

Now people are talking about Oprah Winfrey running for President in 2020. She is saying that she will not run for President but 2020 is a few years away and a lot of things can happen in two years. I have never really been a big Oprah fan but I now she does a lot of good things for an awful lot of people. And, with that in mind considering of the person she would probably be running against, she would have my vote. That is predicated, however, on who she is running against. I will have a couple of years to consider my options.

Today I think I am going to begin reading the book that Chloe and Andy gave me for Christmas  - Lincoln by Gore Vidal. I find it curious, for some reason, that Vidal's name is larger than Lincoln's on the cover. Vidal was a very smart man and I am a big fan of Lincoln's so, win-win. I think I have to be a fan of Abe since I live in Illinois - "the land of Lincoln." I see Honest Abe's face almost every day because people don't take the time to pick-up pennies that they drop. I am happy to pick them up. "Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck." Not only does it make me wealthier but I get some stretching at the same time. For most of my life I have considered to be pretty lucky and now it all makes cents!

I keep getting distracted so I should probably wrap this up and get some things done around here. That third load of laundry isn't going to start itself. It is back to work tomorrow so I am unsure whether I will write tomorrow or not. I hope you have a fabulous rest of today and until I blog again. As always, I thank you for stopping in and I wish you nice weather until then. That goes especially to the people on the right and left coasts of The U.S and A. TTT?...MITM (out) TA!

Mark Me Down For #METOO!

Video records? Man, I am old!

Today I am blogging just to hear myself type and pretend someone might be listening. It is already 16:08 and I am just getting around to blogging because I have had a pretty full day. I started the day by driving to visit with my mom (and dad because he was up there too) in the hospital in La Grange (Illinois). She was taken there from the nursing home that she is staying in because she had a urinary tract infection, pneumonia and a few other things. She now weighs just a bit over 80 pounds. She was, apparently, having a problem swallowing food and she was collecting it in her throat/esophageal airway. Every time I hear the words "esophageal airway" I think of the television show Emergency from the mid to late 1970's. She is doing okay but, though I did not talk this way to my dad, I believe her body and organs are slowly shutting down. It made me sad just typing that last sentence. I will be surprised if she will make it to 2019. I am usually wrong about many things and I hope I am continuing that streak now.

A lot of the time I was there she was talking to people that weren't there and answering questions that weren't being asked. When I got there my dad asked her, do you know who this is?" She responded, "of course, it's Chloe (my wonderful daughter)." I was flattered. One of the previous times I saw her she said that I was "Rick." My Uncle Rick is her brother. I have to say that Uncle Rick and Chloe are both wonderful human beings and I feel very complimented to be thought of, by her, in that same way. I hope I can live up to that level.

While my mom slept off-and-on my dad talked about many things; one of the things that we spoke about was politics. We are magnetic polar opposites on most political things. We managed to find a common ground and we both agree that politicians, by and large, do not care about us (the constituents - the "We" in "We The People"). Though I am his son we have many different backgrounds and have each seen many historical things differently as we both have muddled our ways to where we are today. Just because people disagree does not mean that they cannot be close. Mostly, I guess that is why people just talk about the weather sometimes?

One thing that cracked me up (and I kept a poker face on this one) was how he would talk about "what way did you come?" He talked about different ways to get there many times. I told him that I just programmed it into the JEEP and she told me. I often use that because she knows the traffic problems and such ahead and will reroute me. I wish I could remember which comic did that bit. A little help here?

One more day off of work before it's back to the grind. I enjoy my job so I don't mind so much.

 Black is my second favorite color (the presence of all colors) 

Last night The Golden Globe Awards were held in Beverly Hills - "swimming pools, movie stars". They are the awards that let the Hollywood Foreign Press Association decide who we should love the most. I did not watch it as I find award shows pretty stupid. These people that much of the world adores get more praise for doing their jobs. Why can't we have awards shows for who is the best plumber or the best dress maker...? I watched the news this morning (on Roku) and I was impressed that all (all that I saw) of the attendees wore black to show their support for the  #METOO! (that is a link) movement to condemn sexual harassment and the like in Hollywood (and every other workplace). There was some talk that none of the male award winners mentioned the Me Too movement while they were on the stage. I did not know that until today because I did not watch the show but I would have said something but I did not and never will receive one of those stupid statues that really mean nothing. Firefighters and hospital workers and trash collectors and mail carriers and you and I are the real heroes. People who fight the daily grind deserve the accolades.

Oddly (to me anyway), Every Breath You Take by The Police (click the song title if you wanna listen) just came on Pandora. The song, according to Gordon Matthew Sumner (Sting), is about an obsessive stalker. I know people who used that as their wedding song because it does sound like a love song. It is a fantastic song but, in it's real context, it is also very disturbing. Sting has said, "I think it's a nasty little song, really rather evil. It's about jealousy and surveillance and ownership." The Police are (or is) my favorite band of all time. So, you can mark that on your Matt Fun Facts Bingo Cards if you have that.

I am going to end now and I will have more time to think of something worth-while to write tomorrow or, I could just write a hodge podge of the usual blogging stuff. Thank you for coming by. I hope to see you here again tomorrow/ TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Llanfairpwllgyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch - not a typo!

It is Sunday and my three-day weekend is underway. I really do like having three-day weekends. I have been so tired after work every day this past week so I did not blog. I have been fighting-off a cold so I would come home and get a few things done and then just go to bed. I was still sleeping (seemingly) the same amount of time but I would wake-up and still feel tired. Hopefully, three days without being surrounded by other people with colds and flues and the the like.

The train stop in Llanfairpwllgyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Jill and I are still trying to figure out where to go for our thirtieth anniversary. I just added a new place to the list of possibilities for our trip - Llanfairpwllgyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on the island of Anglesey near Northern Wales. The name of the town is Welsh word (yes, one word) that means "St.Mary's Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel near a Rapid Whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the Red Cave." I want to get one of those stupid kitschy vacation shirts that reads, "I went on a vacation to Llanfairpwllgyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and all I got was this dumb T-shirt." I bet a shirt like that would start at sizes of XXXL and go only larger simply so the letters would all fit. Maybe they could write the name all the way around the shirt but then I'd have to twirl-around all the time so people could read it.The English language alphabet has far fewer letters.

We are finally taking the Christmas decorations down today. We're not the last ones in our neighborhood.

The house is not Roku-ready. I am happy that all of the news is available. Most of the shows that we have watched before we got off of that one grid and jumped onto another. There are also many things that we didn't watch before that we watch now. I would say that I make better (and less) show choices. I was always upset that DirecTv had (and still does as far as I know) so many stations/channels that I never watch and, I believe, that not very many people watched/watch/watched either. Who watches: GEM Shopping Network, Liquidation Channel, Viceland, QVC, Velocity, Jewelry Network, EVINE, Sale, UP, AXS TV...? I could keep going for about three or four more paragraphs but I think I make my point. Their advertisement campaigns talk about all of the channels they offer but, I bet, the average television-watcher watches only about 20 of the hundreds of channels that they are paying for. Ala cart is a much more efficient and non-predatory I believe. Remember, I have a Bachelors' Degree in Radio-Television and an Associates' Degree in Communications/Journalism so I am a faux-expert in this arena. Allegedly.

I am going to end because I am feeling kind weird and I am going to lie down for a bit (our longer if I feel like it). Thanks for stopping in. I will probably write again tomorrow regardless of how I feel. TTTT (probably)...MITM (out) TA!

Edinburgh - Need I Blog More?

Yesterday was the 164th anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation (the actual Executive Order was issued on January first). That was a big deal and I cannot imagine what kind of a country this would have become had President Lincoln not signed that Executive Order. It was an easy decision to free the slaves but I think Honest Abe knew it would cause great conflict (as it did). He was looking out for the greater good of humankind.

I think one of my favorite names of cities/towns/municipalities to say is Edinburgh. I am not sure why that popped into my head. Sometimes, things just pop into there and they flow to my fingertips would like to go to Scotland for some reason. I would like to go just about anywhere. I love to travel; I have been doing it most of my life in one way or another and I hope to never stop moving forward and travelling. I just learned that Scotland has their own Stonehenge. It is called the Standing Stones of Callanish in the Outer Hebrides. It was contructed in 3000 B.C.. It predates England's Stonehenge by about 2000 years. They are claimed to be the oldest rocks in the world. No wonder William Wallace was so upset - plagiarism or standingstoneism.

The moon last night was a very bright full moon but it did not seem that different than any other full moon. I will check again tonight to see if the moon is brighter and larger as the predictors and spewing. I think all of this hubbub about super moons is just misdirection from something else.

I wrote those last three paragraphs yesterday and, oddly, I just heard the word "Edinburgh" again just now. Coincidence? Fate? Prediction? I will go with coincidence but I prefer fate and prediction. Sean Connery is from Edinburgh - maybe I am gonna be the next James Bond? Very highly unlikely. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is from there. Alexander Graham Bell, J.K. Rowling, Charles Darwin, Tony Blair... all from Edinburgh. Maybe Jill and I should go to Scotland for our 30th?

I have to take a break now and cut some window trim for Cha Cha. I will be back as soon as I am able.

I followed "U.S. Senator Al Franken" on Twitter and I just received a tweet that read the page is now called "Former U.S. Senator Al Franken." I am a bit sad but proud that he did the proper thing. Unlike several other people who have not admitted wrong-doing.

We have been talking about it for some time now and we finally did it; I just called DirecTv and we are no longer customers (effective at midnight tonight or, tomorrow morning to be precise). Of course, the guy I spoke with tried to talk me out of cancelling. He also offered some $60 savings. Why don't they offer those things to active customers (he asked rhetorically)? If you have DirecTv and wish to keep it call them and say you want to discontinue the service and see if you can save yourself $60.. You are paying too much per month, it seems, if you are paying full-price. We are all suckers. We are getting two more ROKU devices for the other two televisions and can watch everything we want to see for far less from here-on-out. We are keeping HBO GO and just paying that much lower price. Welcome to the new age of television watching.

If you have a 8th-grade boy's sense of humor, as I do, check-out season 1: episode 1 of American Vandal on Netflix. I am almost finished watching it and I have laughed out loud at least 15 times so far. It is total nonsense but I cannot wait to see what episode 2 may bring. Seriously? Episode 2 is starting now and it is just a continuation of episode 1 - is this entire season all about this one story? Did I get sucked-in? I will continue to watch because I like it but I am such an easy mark. Here is a youtube clip of the show if you're interested.

I should probably stop now and see if they have that new tire on the 4Runner yet. I also have to fold the clothes that are just about finished drying in the drier. It is back to work tomorrow and I will try to blog when I get home. I hope we are busier tomorrow that we were on Saturday because I like to work a full day and get paid. I do like working four hour 10-hour days rather than five eight-hour days. TTTT (probably) MITM out...TA! Wow, what amazing timing - they just called about the 4Runner and it will be ready at 4:30 (two new rear tires/mounted for $400 - seems fair to me) TA again!