I Suppose I Could Be Called a Knot-Head Again.

It has been a very eventful morning and it is only 11:25. I woke-up at 01:56 and tried to go back to sleep for about three hours. I decided, after being unsuccessful in that sleeping endeavor, to get up. I heard some stirring so I took my daily meds and came downstairs and saw Cha Cha having her morning coffee. She had to go into the office a bit earlier than usual today for some meeting she was facilitating or being part of or something. I planted some cilantro in the backyard and our a-hole dog Jeff dug it up about ten minutes later when my back was turned so I had to deal with him and replant it. I wanted to get the lawn mowed early because it is supposed to rain this afternoon. Like a good neighbor Mattfarm is there I waited until 08:00 before firing-up the lawnmower. I got the lawn mowed within an hour, put everything away and found a bit of garbage in the garage that I had missed earlier and took it to the curb in time for the trash man. Then I let Jeff back outside so he could promptly dig the cilantro up again. His punishment this time was a bit more severe than the first time. I then showered and got sort-of dressed and came back downstairs to start a load of laundry and clean the kitchen. I think it was about 10:30 at that point. I went into the kitchen and the next thing I knew I woke-up on my face on the floor with a headache. I did not think to look at a clock. I apparently passed-out and smacked my head on either the counter or the floor and now I have a headache and a bump on my forehead about three inches above my right eyebrow. Matt fell down and broke his crown. It is almost 12:30 now and I still have a headache and 2 lumps on my head but I will be fine. "How many lumps do you want?" "Oh, two or three." I wish I could figure out was triggers these episodes so I could control them. I will figure it out and beat this thing eventually.This only the second time that I have passed-out that I am aware of though I have had many other spells. I hope Jill doesn't read or hear about this before she gets home from work because she will worry. I like to write it here and put these things in my calendar so, when I go back to the doctor, I will have them time-stamped to tell him about. I cannot trust my memory alone any longer.

Okay, on to something else.

Jill and I are really getting excited about or trip in August. We both look at sites of the places we are going getting ideas of what to see while we are there. I am really happy that we are going to Heidelberg so I can finally see where I was born. I don't know what that should be exciting but it is. I am guessing it will a let-down because I am building it up so big in my deteriorating mind. I am also glad that we are going to Paris because that has been a place that Jill has always wanted to visit. I find it odd and amusing that, without me losing my mind, we would not be going on this trip. We will have to take lots of photos and videos so I will be able to re-experience it for the first time over-and-over again. I still cannot believe we got the trip that we did. I have always believed in karma and maybe this is karma at work?

Mother's Day is a couple days away. We are taking my mom (and my kids' mom) to breakfast. We were smart and we have a reservation. I do not think it is a unique idea to go to breakfast on Mother's Day so I am thinking it may be crowded.

Now it is 13:02. I have been doing some housework between paragraphs. Fabio will be home in a few minutes and we will probably go get some lunch. I am not getting out of the car so we will have to do a drive-thru or I will order something for delivery or carry-out. I have a pretty bad headache now. I also really tired but I am afraid to sleep being here alone in case I am concussed. When we get back from lunch I think I will take a chance and nap. If napping is the way I was meant to go so be it. It won't spark a very good epitaph.

Okay, it is now 14:13 because I just cleaned the kitchen because I was unable to do it before when I intended to. I am going to end this now and maybe take a nap before Fabio goes to work so he can make sure I am either awake or snoring. Thanks a lot for stopping by and letting me time-line and time-stamp my newest injury. I need to put it on my phone calendar - ARGH! Enjoy the rest of your NON-RAINING day. TTTT (probably)...MITM (out) TA!

Are There Blackberries in The Black Forest

I slept a little longer than usual today. I slept all the way to 03:16. Even though I wake-up so early every day I do not take naps during the day. I take ZzzQuil once in awhile at night in hopes that it will help me sleep later but it only helps me fall asleep. So, I may stop taking that. I don't have a problem with falling asleep since I stay pretty busy all day long. The sleep study in a couple of weeks, I am fairly certain, will bear sleepy fruit. I am concerned that my body or what is left of my mind enjoys getting up early for some reason. Maybe I am still on German time from my birth; wouldn't that be odd? If so, maybe I need to move back to Deutschland. It is 07:24 here now and 14:24 in Germany. Since they are seven hours ahead I woke-up at 10:16 which is acceptable. Maybe I just need to defect when we stop there on the cruise. I am hoping that the sleep study will also cure memory loss though I am not real hopeful in that area though, if I am wrong, I will forget all about it. However, sleeping better may help me remember or, at least, slow-down the impending dementia and beyond.

Today Cha Cha and I are going to the place where we met some of the very best friends and important people still in our lives (including each other). And, because of those people we met many more of the most important people in our lives. I would list them but I am afraid I would leave some out so I won't. They know who they are. Of course, Cha Cha is number one for me and, without meeting her, we wouldn't have our kids presumably. I don't think many people will be offended if I mention her. We are headed to Waubonsee Community College to visit a counselor to set Fabio's classes for the Fall semester. I am not surprised that he is going there as he is pretty much a home-body. It is also a lot less-expensive to get your gen-ed courses out of the way before knowing if college is even the way you want to go. And, just like I did while in school, he can continue to work at his current job. There is some talk that he may go to colleges at the same time. I will save that discussion for if, and when, it occurs.

Howard and Shortcake looked a lot different on Love American Style

I really don't feel very creative or motivated to write today for some reason. I feel motivated to take a nap and it is only 08:50. That is not a good start to the day.

I rode with Fabio to his work yesterday (the supermarket near our home) and filled my backpack with ingredients for dinner and walked home. I found a chicken recipe on Pinterest and it turned-out great. It was quick and easy and delicious. Plus asparagus on the side. Everyone loved it. I also made blackberry shortcakes. They were good too but I can see why strawberry is the fruit of choice for shortcakes. Ha, shortcakes made me think of Joanie Cunningham. Sure, that kind of crap I can remember. Yesterday was the heaviest backpack I have carried in my effort to be more European (not to be confused with Europoopin). The milk and two large bottles of Pellegrino added greatly to the weight.

I have Saving Private Ryan on in the background.I would say this is one of the best war films of all time. It is weird to think in a couple months we will be near Omaha Beach in Normandy. I am starting to make a list of places in France and Germany... where I think I might like to see. I do not believe I will have time to see them all. The Czech Republic and Luxembourg will be easier. I bet Omaha Beach just looks like a beach now with houses and such there.

Does The Black Forest have white trees?

Wow, it's 10:36 now. I had to go outside and take one of the downspouts apart and clean it out. Ironically, it is the one furthest away from our trees. Fabio was lying in the hammock the other day and looked up and pointed to one of our trees and said, "I think that is the tallest tree in the subdivision." Then he pointed to the one next to it and said, "I think that is the second tallest tree in the subdivision." I think he is correct. The four trees in our backyard are slowly turning white too. They had always had the usual brown bark but, starting at the top and working down, they are turning white. We love the white ones and Cha Cha had always said that she wanted white trees and, since she is so good to the Earth Mother Nature is granting her wish. i think they may be Maples or Birch but I am not sure about that kind of stuff and, if I did know, I forgot. This forgetful thing is so much less pressure; I wish I had never had a good memory but then I would not know what I was losing. Better have had and lost than .ever having had at all they say. THEY know everything.

I have to get dressed now. Yes, I was up on a ladder snaking out and taking apart downspouts and gutters in my pajamas. I am rehearsing for everyone watching me in my pajamas when I have my sleep study. Enjoy the nice weather today (that is me assuming you have nice weather where you are). Thank you so much for being here again today. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Way Back Wednesday of Throwback Thursday Eve?

One of the great things about losing my mind, more specifically my memory, is that I can watch movies that I have seen before and not remember that I had, supposedly and allegedly, seen them. Fabio drove me to see the new film Avengers: Age of Ultron movie. He had seen it but wanted to see it in IMAX so, we went to Batavia. I think he wanted me to go because I knew how to get there (unless I forgot before we got there) and I would pay. Someone had recorded the first Avengers movie here on the television so I watched it while I folded clothes and cleaned the kitchen. When Fabio got home from school I told him that I watched the first movie and said that I wanted to be up-to-speed before we watch the new one because I hadn't seen the first one. He said, "what are you talking about? You took me to see it." I do not remember that at all but it does not seem like he is messing with me. The movie was okay and, from what he said, I had the same opinion the first time. He said that I had said it needed more Hulk hitting people. The new one is much better but, in fairness, we did see it in 3-D and IMAX. And, Hulk still needed to hit more people. I heard there is a good film called It's a Wonderful Life. Maybe I will watch that one again and see what all the hoopla is about.

I woke up at 03:02 Monday, 03:06 yesterday and today I was awake at 03:10. At least it is getting later and later. The people working at my sleep study next week are going to get to go home early that shift. I imagine I will not be the only one having a sleep study that night but, if I am, the staff can take naps after I leave on my insurance company's dime. I imagine it will cost a lot more than a dime though.

Every morning, since it is quiet in the world then, I hear at least one frog in our back yard chirping. I say chirping because it is not like a bullfrog croak but more like crickets. It is easier to hear in the early morning, right at dawn, because the rest of the world is not making any noise yet. Then, when everybody is about there business at school or at work or wherever everybody goes while I am trapped, I hear the frogs croaking again. It is a very pleasant and hypnotic sound.

Happy Way-Back Wednesday Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Today I am going to work on getting the new mixing board integrated into the podcast. It is ironic (not sure if it is true irony or just unfortunate) that we haven't done a show during the time when we actually have a lot to talk about - mainly our medical issues. Once I get the thing up properly and working I will have to take a video or a picture of everything so I can have a fall-back on how to get it hooked-up every time.

So now there is Way-back Wednesday on Facebook? I was okay with Throwback Thursday but every day is going to be a blast-from-the-past. Isn't everything in photographs, by nature and physics, in the past? What's next? Send back Sunday, Many Days Ago Monday, Time Travel Tuesday, Way-back Wednesday (apparently in place), Throwback Thursday (already in place), Forgotten Friday and Seems Like Old Times Saturday. Even those last five sentences are in the past now. But, if you read them again are they in the future again and they cannot qualify to in the past? I guess they are good for people who are memory-challenged and, as one of the newer member and self-appointed spokesperson, we do appreciate it but why do these days all have to get there own marketing-style names?

All of my favorite sports teams are doing well right now. The Chicago Blackhawks, The Chicago Bulls and The St. Louis Cardinals are all doing well. Maybe that is fate and destiny's ways of giving me a good mental send-off.

My hometown of sorts

Yesterday they finally asked for our passport information for our cruise. I am so excited for the cruise. I have wanted to go back to Heidelberg, Germany since I left shortly after my birth. Is our hometown where we live currently or where we came from? I think the word "home" implies where we live right? Or is that our housetown? I cannot believe that we got one of only two Explorer Suites on the ship. Jill had mentioned something to the travel agent about me having "medical issues" and we are trying to get some bucket list stuff done. I think he thinks that I am dying instead of just my brain dying so he tried really hard to get us something great. He got us almost everything we wanted for less money than we thought we would pay. And, other than the staff, we will most assuredly be the youngest people on the ship. That means, if we have a Titanic situation, they will probably get us on the lifeboats first because we are still "young" and have children who still need us. Or, they will have me help get people to the lifeboats and go down with the ship, either way is fine with me.

Time to get onto my duties around the house and, hopefully, getting the podcast going again.. Thank you for reading my babbling. Have a great day. Supposedly, will be nice in these here parts. It sure is overcast and a bit chilly right now though. The weather, just like anything, is what we make of it. Thankfully, I like most forms of weather. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Lawnbots - More Than Meets the Eye

The one I saw was like the second one from the left

Yesterday, after I finished mulching the front yard and pea graveling a very small section in the backyard, I decided that I needed to go over to Walgreen's because both Cha Cha and I both needed medicine refills. So, I went to the garage to put air in the back tire of my bicycle. It would not take air so I threw my empty backpack on my back (it is right in the name of the product) and headed east. I arrived at the store and filled my backpack with eight rolls of toilet paper and four prescriptions (after paying for them, of course). I also got a small bag of cashews that I ate on my hike back.

On my way back from Walgreen's I saw something that I found very amusing. I had heard about these but had never seen one. It was not a UFO though it looked like one except for the F part - it was not flying. I saw one of those lawnbot things mowing a lawn. In case you are not familiar, a lawnbot mows your lawn while you make dinner or take a nap or write a blog or whatever else you would rather do than mow the lawn. From what I understand you just enter the GPS (global positioning system) coordinates of the areas you want mowed and away this thing goes. The one I saw was not going in straight lines like you and I might so it probably wasn't as efficient as a human but who cares? It is mowing the lawn for you - who cares how long it takes. It doesn't get tired and it doesn't have a game to watch. From the looks of it I believe it was rechargeable not gas powered. I wrote down the address if you want to go back and gawk at this thing next week.

After my lawn-mower gawking  and fantasizing I continued my trek west and stopped at the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner. We already had potatoes so I figured mashed potatoes, gravy and meatloaf would be great for dinner so I got three pounds of ground turkey (always get extra meat because meatloaf sandwiched the next day are an awesome lunch), a jar of gravy because it is better than what I would make, a jar of giardiniera and veggies. All of the ingredients did not fit into the backpack so I had to carry a bag of meat. urns out that eight rolls of toilet paper take up a lot of room. I invented the easiest meatloaf ever which is the reason for the giardiniera. I take three pounds of meat and mix in an entire jar of giardiniera - it is the best, moistest meatloaf you will ever have. You do need to watch and drain the excess juices once in awhile while it cooks. I don't imagine I am the first person to do this but I had never seen it so I can say I invented it. I cooked it at 350 degrees for about 90 minutes.

As I approached the house I got the mail. We received our property tax bill yesterday and it is just about the same as last year which is good and bad. It is good in that it did not go up but it is bad in that it did not go down. When I saw the $6,600 last year I thought it was high and now it is $6,600 again this year. I am not sure what the numbers after the second six were last year and, since I cannot remember that and I am too lazy to pull the taxes out from last year, I will assume they are the same. I guarantee they are within $99 of one another. They steal our black dirt to sell to some other developers or fill bags for Lowe's and Home Depot and Menard's... to sell back to us and than rape us in taxes anyway. I think, when both kids are gone, we are just going to get a small townhouse on water somewhere and either sell this monstrosity or rent it out. We like this house and it worked well when there were four of us her but we are ingrowing it. Is ingrowing the opposing of outgrowing?

This morning I renewed my At Bat subscription on my phone. If you have a favorite baseball team and you don't live in the broadcast area it is awesome. Many know that I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan as I do not try to hide it. I love that the Rams are the NFL football team in St. Louis now because it grew tiresome having to distinguish which Cardinals team I was a fan of. The Cards have won seven games in a row now. Anyway, At Bat allows you to listen to the local broadcast of any MLB team. It is only $19.99 per year which I find reasonable. It's fun listening to people like Vin Scully broadcast The Dodgers and Bob Uecker call The Brewers games and all of the former players I remember growing up call their various games.

I used to work with one of these two guys (not Uecker)

Man, with all of the free plugs I give in the blog every day I should start getting some kind of residuals. I wonder if there is something like that. I bet there is. I would not want to be dictated by money to write what somebody else wants me to write though. I do see, on television shows and in movies, that advertisers are having to get more clever with their product placements and such. It sure took them long enough to figure that out. I suppose with everybody DVR'ing (digital video recording) shows now they have to place products in the shows a lot more. The best at this is The Amazing Race with that Travelosity gnome and the Fitbit. Maybe Cha Cha and I will get Fitbits before our European cruise? See, it works on the simple-minded like me!

I am so happy that it has rained the last couple of days. The sod and the grass patch that I put down over the weekend look like they are really enjoying the moisture. And, I got all of the mulching done yesterday morning and the traipsing across town done before the rain began.

I have to get some more things done around the house. I fixed an electrical issue this morning and I am, as always, doing laundry. I have to do my other daily job of cleaning the kitchen (specifically the dishes) too. I have to get it all done before 14:00 so Fabio can drive us to watch the new Avengers movie in 3-D. He has already seen the movie but wants to see it on 3-D. I think he asked me because he doesn't know ho to get to that theater and he wants me to pay. Thank you for stopping-by. I appreciate you a great deal and continue writing because I feel like you are depending on me and that I think the writing is great therapy plus, if I forget things, I always have a place to come back and check my time-stamped writing. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Getting Back to Nature

I cannot afford to lose any more pieces to my puzzle

Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you!

Please do not be insulted if I do not answer an email you send me. I am getting lots of emails saying they are from my Facebook friends but, before I open them, I check the return email address and they are spams trying to sell products. Beware!

So, it turns out that the Center For Disease Control (the CDC) says smoking hookah is not as safe as Jill and I had been lead to believe it was; we will probably not be doing that again. We can't have anything nice! I guess I need to finally break-down and start smoking the ganja. It seems like they are really pushing for mentical medical marijuana to be legalized here in Illinois and, me having my current issues, I am almost certain to qualify. So, I will wait because, for the most part (more than 50% anyway), I am a rule-follower. Yesterday I had three whatevers (spells, mini-seizures...). I have been able to stop whatever I am doing and control them with my mind and my breathing. I am convinced that, had I not taught myself to harness these things I would have gotten worse and passed-out again. Maybe the doctor putting life-limitations on me was a wise decision. Those neurologist and their showing-off. Cha Cha says I should call the neurologist and she is usually right about these sorts of things so I may do that today. I am forgetting things more-and-more but they are still fairly inconsequential things. Maybe this is just my mind doing a little spring cleaning.

Cha Cha and I did a lot of yard work this weekend. I dug a lot of  trenches around the flower beds in the front. Cha Cha calls it edging but it is really trenching or digging moats. I planted some sod in an area where Cha Cha was trying to do a mini patio extension.  I was really angered by having to buy black dirt for beneath the sod. If you dig down just a few inches into the black dirt in the yard it is all clay. I know that I have complained about it here before and, I know I will complain about it again, BUT I hate the fact that they stripped all of the black dirt from our yards when they built our homes. There is still a huge mountain of black dirt near the back of our subdivision that dump trucks and bombers occasionally come and load-up. I would have gone back an stole my own dirt back had I had a pick-up truck. Am I the only one who feels bad about moving worms from their homes and families when I did up grass and sod? I put human qualities and traits on just about every living creature and many inanimate objects. That is sad since they are probably a lot nicer than we are.

This is the robin nesting in our fence

So, instead of hookah-ing Saturday night now that we know it will kill us, we worked in the yard all morning Sunday and then went birding in Oregon at Lowden State Park. Lowden State Park is the home, as many of you from the MIDDLEwest are aware, of the 50 foot tall statue of Chief Blackhawk of the Sauk Tribe (native American tribe). He was born in Sauk, Illinois. He was also known as Black Sparrow Hawk. This statue is a tribute to all Native Americans. We did not see too many birds but we heard quite a few. We saw geese, no big surprise and we saw the usual robins, sparrows... The one big surprise was we did see three pelicans standing on a mini island of rocks just below the damn dam. We have a baby robin in a nest on the side of our house in the fence and a baby dove in a nest above the front porch so we could have just stayed home and seen almost as many birds. We thought we were guaranteed to see a Blackhawk (the Chief) but we didn't even get to see him even though we were standing at his feet. He was wrapped in a green shroud getting repaired or a haircut or something. It looked like a giant green port-a-potty or a changing booth at a clothing store. Whatever he was doing he did not come out. Maybe he was voting?

Chief Blackhawk if all his splendor and glory

On the way there and on the way back we drove thought the area that was hit by the big tornadoes a month or so ago. As we approached we saw a huge fire which was higher than our two-story home. It was a huge pile of trees and other things that were thrown to the ground by the twisters. I cannot imagine the horror for these poor people. There were some homes and farms about only a quarter mile away and the people who lived there must have been out-of-their minds with fear. You can see the exact path the tornado tool as it headed northeast destroying everything it its path. It really makes me feel like an idiot complaining about small things. Fortunately, the injuries and fatalities (one) were very low given the devastation. When I see this and think of that guy who was looting after the fact I hope there is a special place in Hades for him.

Alright, it isn't raining right now so I think I am going to start unloading and spreading mulch. If it starts raining I will continue mulching because I want to get that job done. I will have to be careful if it does rain because the mulch is being "installed" on the other side of the moat though I am a pretty good swimmer as I recall. Thank you for stopping-by today. I hope it is a nice day where you are. Ha, just as I types that the sun peaked through the clouds. That is another word that doesn't seem correct - peaked. Poked means something else/ No wonder they say that English is one of the most difficult languages to learn. Okay, enough. Have a great day and I will blog at you again tomorrow. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Why? Having Fun?

Last night Cha Cha and I lived like hippies for the night. First we went to Tapa La Luna for tapas and then we went to the Tangier Hookah Lounge. It was a fun relaxing night. Tapa La Luna was very busy but there was a parking spot right on Lincoln Highway literally in front of the door. Cha Cha is not a very good parallel parker but, with the Fiat, she can almost always just pull in. As we walked in they asked if we had a reservation and we said we did not. Then they must have recognized us because the lady said, "boy are you lucky, we have a table right now." Lucky? Come-on baby, it's okay to admit that you recognize us and know we are good tippers. While we were sitting eating, a tall dude walked in with round sunglasses, a dye-dyed smock-looking shirt, one of those flat hats with with a bill and bell-bottom corduroys. I said the Cha Cha, "are we in a punk version of Laugh-In?" Sock it to me baby! I wasn't making fun; I LOVE when people express their individuality when it doesn't infringe on other people. Besides you don;t dress like that and not want to be noticed. Cha Cha said he looked like Howard Stern incognito. He was sitting LITERALLY right behind me (we were back-to-back) and I listened and he did not have Howard Stern's pipes. What would Howard Stern be doing in Dekalb, IL anyway? Do one of his daughters go to Northern Illinois University maybe?

After dinner we decided to go try the hookah lounge. There are two hookah places (that I know of) in our town. The one that has been around the longest is next to McDonald's in a strip mall area. That did not appeal to me at all so I never tried it though I have been curious. Curiosity killed the Matt - that will probably be a true statement one day and I think it would be funny if that were on my tombstone. I just now told Cha Cha that is what I want on my tombstone but now it is in published in writing so you can make sure she does it. I asked her if she'd do it and she giggled and said, "I don't know." We all know what that means. It's like when our moms told us "we'll see." So anyway, back to the hookah lounge - we decided to go to the Tangier and give it a shot and my chauffeur drove me there with my directions. I had seen it several months back while at work. It is in a building that used to house a State Farm Insurance. Just walking up to the building was weird; it was like a fun house. It looks really tall when you drive by but, when you get up to it, you can almost touch the roof (even for a MIDDLE-height 5'9" fella like me). Inside it seems regularly proportioned. So, the very nice young fellow explained to us how it worked and we decided to give it a shot. We could sit out in the main room or get our own private room with a door and our own television and control of everything. We chose the Fantasia Room. When I checked-in on Facebook I saw that two guys that I had coached in baseball had checked-in there too. Boy, that made me feel old. Cha Cha and I had a very relaxing, fun time. They have a sound bar on their television that will pick up your personal devises (some kids call it WiFi) so I played the Coldplay Pandora station. I think we may get a sound-bar for the house. They had food there too and they gave us some free but we had just had dinner so we didn't eat much. Just enough to be polite. I think we may go back to do some more hookah tonight if you're looking for something to do with two hip, hip cats.

Last night I slept really well and I remembered a dream. They say that we dream every night but don't always remember them. I rarely remember my dreams. I dreamt that I was in a house full of children. They had light brown skin and dark hair like maybe Asian or Middle-Eastern children. It seemed to have been my task to keep these youngsters entertained and calm while a war was going on outside. Soldiers (apparently whatever our side was) would come through with crates of weapons and ammunition and such and the children would become agitated when the men (presumably their fathers) would go outside to fight. I felt happy that I was calming the children but stressed with the surroundings. Then I slept all the way until 0634. I do not think I woke-up one time throughout the night. I have not slept for more than five hours in a row since I cannot even remember. Weirder still - Cha Cha drempt about the being in a war zone ("end of days" she called it). "Everyone was distraught and there was chaos everywhere," she said. Strange that we would have similar dreams when I never even dream.

I think I started to have another of my spells again this morning. That is three in two days. I was able to control it through my breathing but it bothers me that I may be having seizures again. Whatever happens happens. Jill said "wouldn't it be great if we found that hookah cured what was wrong with both of us?" Yes, that would be great. Then we could get a hookah pipe and insurance would pay for it. I know it sure did make us both relaxed. If we go back we are gonna try a different "flavor." They have what seems to be hundreds to choose from.

There is a squirrel in one of the trees outside of the Tiki Room and Jeff is going crazy. And, to make it worse, the squirrel is throwing peanut shells at him from the tree. It is hilarious. Remember I told you (and posted the photo) about the baby owl and the ducklings in the pond in our subdivision? Cha Cha says that there is a nest full of baby robins on the side of our garage above the downspout. I know there was a nest there but didn't know there were baby robins in there. We will probably add a new feeder over there so she doesn't have to come all the way to the feeder on the other side of the Tiki Room. I think Cha Cha and I may go birding tomorrow.We need to get in good walking shape for our trip. Losing my mind seems to have been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. The Scarecrow never really knew how lucky he had it.

I am thinking something along these lines so we can play Quarters or the Bozo Bucket Game

It is only eight hours until the Kentucky Derby begins and I am not even close to having my hat bonnet ready. I am picking Carpe Diem to win but I would just bet him across the board to be safe if I were you. He is a colt so he is uncastrated; that's a big deal to us fellas and we usually perform better because of this.

Am going to get dressed now and head outside to help Cha Cha in the yard. I think we will head to Lowe's or Menard's because that is a big part of "working in the yard" to her. I am just the big, dumb lunkhead muscle but I am okay with that. At least I am aware of my purpose in life. The world needs lunkheads too. I hope you are having the nice weather that is already here in my small part of the MIDDLEwest this morning. Thank you for spending part of your weekend with me. Maybe we will see you at the hookah lounge tonight or wherever we decide to go birding tomorrow. Ta Ta until the next time I "see" you...MITM (out) TA!

May Day, May Day, May Day the Blog is Done

Hello Matt

Am I the only one who is disturbed that Google and Facebook are putting together montages and video sequences for us? Is this 2001: A Space Odyssey stuff? Which is Hal 9000 Google or Facebook? Yesterday I got one that showed photos of Cha Cha and I together for our anniversary. This is the first one I have received but I have seen some on other people's pages on their birthdays. It is up to us whether we share it with the world or not. I chose not so I am probably on some list with Facebook and Google now.

Dinner last night was fun. We ate at the ROX City Grill inside the Hotel Baker where we had our wedding reception 27 years ago last night. I am not sure how the leap years equate into that but, for me, it's easier just to use the date. I think that is the accepted way to calculate anniversaries and birthdays and such. I had my first steak in about three years last night. I had given up red meat in hopes to get healthier but, now that I am on my final mental countdown, I just want to do the the things I enjoy. Of course, I still have to do many things that I don't like to do or don't want to do too. We all have to do things we don't like to do and that cannot change completely no MATTer what. The steak was great. I ordered it "blue cheese crusted" and, when the steak arrived, I learned that just meant with blue cheese sprinkled on top. I could have done that. I pictured "encrusted" meaning that the cheese was cooked with the steak at the end to make it like a crunchy blue cheese crust. It was good and it came with mashed potatoes and white asparagus. After dinner we walked through all of the places in the hotel where our wedding reception occupied. It was nice to eat there because, on our wedding night, we didn't get to eat. We were just signing autographs and hugging and dancing and glad-handing. I think we finally had room service when we got to Pheasant Run where we spent that night.

People always say that if you haven't eaten red meat for awhile you will have digestive issues when you introduce it again. I have had no problem with any of that with the burger and, so far, no problems with the steak. I am still going to limit the red meat but I am going to eat it from time-to-time. That being said, Cha Cha and I may start something called the The Whole 30 Book diet. The book is published by the company that Cha Cha works for. Supposedly, this is the diet that Bill Clinton was on when he lost all of his weight. I guess that will wreck the meat thing for at least 30 days huh? We all know what we should do. It is no secret.

Today is May Day (the first day of May). I guess for us northern hemispherers today traditionally signifies that Spring is here. Just as planned, it is a beautiful MIDDLEwestern northern hemisphere beautiful day. It is also known as International Workers' Day by Socialists to commemorate the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago in 1886. Kind of like what is going on in Baltimore right now (very loosely). May Day is celebrated all over the world (the Spring one not the massacre one). Mayday is also known as an international distress call for a life-threatening situation. I remember hearing it all the time in war movies when I was a kid. We used to say it when we were playing army around the neighborhood. We would follow the procedure of saying it properly too - "Mayday. Mayday, Mayday." Then we would say something like "I am going down" to signify our plane had been hit and we going to crash. Using Mayday as a distress was originated from the French word "m'aidez" which means "help me." Making a false distress call in the United States is very serious (a federal offense) so I am glad we did not do it on radios as kids.

Showtime and Starz are free this weekend. I scrolled through the entire weekend to see what I should set-up to record to watch and the only two things I saw that I would consider watching I have already seen. I liked Parenthood and Lee Daniels' The Butler both a great deal and recommend them both if you haven't seen them.

I am sorry that I am blogging so late. I had a lot to do today. I had to clear a patch of the backyard that need sod installed. I know installed isn't the correct word but I think it sounds funnier. So I cleared that area and had my chauffeur drive me to the metropolis of Kaneville and bought eight rolls of sod. I cleaned and polished the stairs and banister going upstairs and polished those. I cleaned the kitchen and did some laundry like I do every single day of my life on those two. I know I was driven to Menard's to see if they had sod but, for the life of me, I cannot remember what I bought. I will think about it and let you know before the end of the blog. Nurse Diesel Cha Cha forces me to remember things that I cannot all the time. (insert four minutes of silence while I think). Oh yeah, I bought "S" hooks for the hammock. I really am forgetful of many things these days for good reason I am told. Oh yeah, I also bought black dirt at Menard's. My brain works - just not as fast as before. There goes my King of Trivia crown.

I am just a stupid sod

I am sad to say that I had two mild "spells" today. With the second one I was worried that I was going to pass-out but the first one was just a little tingling (rumbly in my tumbly and the backs of my legs going to sleep). I did not pass-out and I did not leave my mind as I have described before but I think I was close. I am glad that I keep busy most all of the time because I think I would get really depressed if I had to much time to think. I would rather think about how much the project I am working on stinks rather than think about other things that I will not mention but, even "not mentioning" it makes me think about it. Honestly, I think I have a pretty good outlook considering. I am happy that I am usually a positive guy or I mayday have issues.

I have more things to get done and it's already 16:22 so I had better wrap-up. I should try to do the blog in one sitting rather than doing part in the morning and finishing it in the afternoon because it gets a bit lengthy this way. I guess you can read it the same way I write it (in shifts). Thank you for stopping by and giving me a reason to take my feeble mind off of things for a bit. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!