Random

There is a downside to scaling back on social media and pretty much 86'ing all news sites:  I miss any fun, funny or weird stories that I might expound upon here.

My 'nonsense' quotient for this blog is almost nil at this point. I'm a-gonna find a way to fix this.

It is easier to write about that stuff sometimes. 

Short of that...........

The image is of our leaf pick-up, which just happened yesterday! Well after my "melt down' last week. Maybe it was a "melt up".

I love that they didn't even bother to scrape them on one side of the street for collection - it was a free-for-all for the cars and school buses. 

I am hoping that the disappearance of piles will make dog walks quicker. Hounds just love love love all the smells they have. Shep had to make stops at each one - and then leave his own scent. Honestly, by pile 8 he was shooting blanks, but didn't seem to notice. 

And as you can see, snow has made it's appearance. 

We lucked out with slightly more than a dusting. 10 miles east of us got 24". 10 miles east of there is up in the 40" range. 

It's also cold. But it's not. Not really.  The mercury says 30-32, but it feels like single digits. It cuts me to my core. Morty says I feel it more since I'm not as fast as I was more lean.  There might be some truth to that. 

I ran on Thanksgiving, but don't really have plans to do it again just yet. PT has not cleared me - and I'm still waiting to get a gait analysis. I'd like to do that sooner than later, just so I can plan my 2025 race plans. In my grey matter, I have some of them mapped out, but training would start at the end of January. So......tick tick tick. 

PT is fine, but I am at a loss with some of it. I'm not sure how balancing on a foam bar and throwing a ball at a tilted trampoline and catching the ricocheting ball - 25 times! - and not falling off the foam bar is helping my stress fracture. 

Hopefully there is a method to their madness and not just keeping me busy and billing me for it. 

Ok. It's bed time. 

Song by: Gary Numan

Skies the Limit

I have decided on the days the Muses (or something like them) have fled for the hills (or wherever they may go), instead of saying "I have nothing today", I'll just post semi-salacious picture or videos of men. 

Perhaps with some context or something. Perhaps not.  Today is a 'yes'. 

The below keeps popping up in my IG feed. There hasn't been a time I haven't stopped to watch it. Honestly, I don't know who is more shameless, the flight attendants or the person (I'm assuming a guy) filming them. 

Both are adorbs. But eyebrow raise gets me each and every time. It's always a 'suggested' feed. I don't even subscribe to or follow the site. Clearly, they're trying to get me to, with these two. 

Song by: Fleetwood Mac

America

It was a weird 4th. 

"Patriot" and "Patriotic" have taken on different meanings in the last 6-7 years, and even in the best of times, I wasn't considered either.  I'm certainly not even a fringe king of guy right now.  There is nowhere in 'love of country' in which I fit currently. 

But oddly, it's a little more than that, this 4th. 

In normal times. whatever that means - days before, day of, and days after there are always hours and hours of fireworks. Even when it's light outside.  Not so this year.  It's been as silent as a Helen Keller Fourth of July party. 

Yesterday, when we were out and about, no one else was. And nothing was open.  Well, Taco Bell and Arby's, but I don't have much a death wish. 

In the past, it was nearly impossible to identify fireworks from gunshots.  Now, it's sad to say, that I have no problems figuring out which is which. Again, not an issue this year, unless you're in Highland Park, IL, I suppose. Unfortunately, those folks now know which is which. 

I'll be controversial here.   I don't want anyone do die by guns. Let alone mass shootings. But this is now on us. Gun laws relaxed (thanks SCOTUS!), NRA doing what they do, Proud Boys being "patriots". That a mass shooting happened at an Independence Day parade?  PRICELESS. 

Local, State and Federal morons officials won't see the irony in it - which is a shame, but on this day of "being free", maybe someone will see that is not the case. Quite the opposite. But gun lovers freedoms seemingly outweigh anyone else's.  Why is that? 

Ohio has relaxed their fireworks and gun laws. The only thing they've tightened is Susie's uterus.  So, unless you're killing her unborn with an M80 or AR-15 - apparently, you can do anything you want. 

.....except go to Arby's. 

Song by: Simon & Garfunkle

Happy Ending

It's cold here all of the sudden. Thursday I was walking at lunch with blue skies and and low 60s.....in November. Today we never got out of the 30s and it was snowing. 

I can't really complain. We made it until mid November before it got chilly. 

Other November changes - to which I alluded yesterday - I have someone replacing me in my former job. One of them. Well, one job. It's now former. When I took my "new" job 18 months ago, I ended up keeping my other too. 

On paper, it is two full time jobs and one salary. In reality, it is one full time job, and one shitty coverage of another, to which I couldn't provide enough time and attention. Still with one salary though. 

This last week, I tried to on-board him while doing my full-time job. The latter suffered, as I really do need to get him up and running on the other one.............and to kind of extricate myself from the role. I know it will take weeks to do that, but there there's light at the end of the tunnel. 

I also alluded to in my 12 of 12 about a new foot place. 

Yes, I was drinking. And yes, I went across to see if I could make an appointment for sometime over this weekend. But.I wasn't drunk. 

Yesterday was my appointment. The new place is smaller, lower keyed than the usual one I had been using. And they are WAY nicer. And about the same price. So, I think I've officially found a new pedicure palace. 

Yes, you get a drink with this service, but I didn't take it, as I had a 10:00 appointment. Next time it's at 16:00, so I can start easing my way into drinking into the happy hour, dinnertime and beyond hours. 

My new nail / foot technician was nice. She asked some questions to generate some convo, but nothing where it was annoying of that either of were, or needed to be, chatty. Best of all were no massage chairs. 

Other places use those and maybe it is just me but they are SO uncomfortable. Granted, I've never had a massage, but I don't believe they movements those chairs make mimic what a human person would do. And I know for a fact the chair won't give me a happy ending.  

Probably. 

Song by: Joe Jackson

Make the World Go Away

I'm kind of sick of the world these days.  Most all of it. 

BLOTUS, still making the news.  Weak ass Pappy Joe.  Weaker ass Pelosi. Non-existent Schumer - Chuck and Amy. Rittenfuckhead. Rittenfuckhead's super fucked up judge. I'll add in Will Ferrell too, and some series or movie with Ryan Reynolds I'll never ever ever watch. Ever. 

I mean, the chances of me seeing E.T. or Grease for the first time before that thing - whatever might called -  seems higher. 

Oh - and Will Smith as the father of the Williams' sisters.    {YAWN}

I suppose the funding for the Williams' father's gardener movie fell through. Better luck next time for that Oscar bait, George Lopez. 

You can add in all the anti-vaxxer to this shit list too. 

It's all been just so draining lately. There is either more of it, or my tolerance is down to nil.  I suppose it is not necessarily and either / or situation. 

I guess if I had to prioritize it from worst to less worse, Will Smith probably still makes the top.......or is it the bottom?  (i'm guessing the latter!).  I've never seen a guy try so hard for an Oscar.  ....and for a character no one (and I do mean NO ONE) has been clamouring to see........ not even Serena or Venus. 

Oh - I'm back in a cranky mood.  Can you tell? 

Song by: Raul Malo, Paul Gambill & Northern Sinfonia

Tiger

I'm just saying - if I were Tiger Woods and had to be stuck playing golf with David Spade, I'd probably run my car off the road, crash, tumble down an embankment and have emergency surgery just to ensure it wouldn't be stuck with him ever again. 

I mean, the last time Woods crashed his car, Spade probably wasn't involved (I said "probably") but at least this time, his (now ex) wife probably wasn't beating the wrecked car (and driver?) with a golf club. 

I said "probably". 

Oh - if you haven't figured it out, I had zilch to write about today. 

I might have been better just to post that. But I didn't. 

On another note, whatever did happen to Paula Cole. I guess I have a wiki search coming my way. 

Song by: Paula Cole

Out of Time

This is not how I intended to start out the month.

It is pushing 22:00 and I totally forgot to write a thing. Nothing.

Somewhere in the back of my noggin, I assumed we'd see a movie this weekend and I could post it here, but that did not happen. One decent movie currently out - and it isn't Angry Birds 2 !!  But when it came down to it, we opted to rather spend the time with family and the dog.

Saturday we did take in part of the Cleveland Air Show.  I mean, we didn't pay.  We went to a nearby park with so many others and just kind of hung out and waited for the flybys. These are things that still just thrill me to no end.

Better yet, the roar doesn't bother Shep at all, so he was a champ about it for 2 of the 3 days.

We also had dinner with my cousin and his wife, which was great. We don't do that enough. We will need to change that.

Hope all of you had a great holiday weekend, or just weekend - should your country not be the U.S. .



Song by: the Rolling Stones

Chinese Democracy

I pretty much have nothing.

The lotto losing thing has me in a funk. I really needed that $759 million.

Life has been work and...well ...work. And 05:00 dog walks.

I would think that the police officers who patrol the 'hood at that time of morning would eventually stop to say 'hi'. Usually I get the searchlight shone on me, as I'm a common criminal casing the houses whilst carrying a light-up dog leash......and a dog.

My goal on these walks is to avoid skunks.  They are seemingly plentiful now. I can guarantee three per a.m. walk. Oddly, our evening walks used to be fraught with squirrels.  I am now on a four day streak of not one squirrel sited. Poor Shep stops and looks up at every tree just to check. He's not been rewarded.

------------------------------------------

In other new...........I took a stupid-ass Facebook thingy. It's not really a quiz.  They look at your profile pic and determine your ethnicity.

Didn't they do a great job?

They at least got one right...............but not the percentage. Not even close.

However - - and it's too bad Birdie is dead, as she would mock me for not smiling in pictures. I would have to (re)explain it because it makes me look Asian.   ....and now I'm 24% Han Chinese.....whatever that is....and I'm not even smiling. So I've data now to back up that statement.

They need to improve their facial recognition software.

I don't usually work for the weekend.......but I am glad this week is over. I'm hoping we have fun weekend plans.......but they seem to be up in the air........................Meredity!



Song by: Guns N Roses

April Fool

April Fools falls today, but I have nothing deceiving or even funny to share with you. Isn't that sad? Though I've never been a great practical joker. I don't even play my music in the sun.

I got nothing.

So, the joke is on you.

It's been one of those weeks. Lots of work. Some mom stuff. ....and well, that's about it. My life isn't all that exciting, is it?

I promise I'll get it together here. Possibly soon.

Possibly.



Song by: Patti Smith

Save the Country

In a realistic world, Carlene Carter is known four things - and possibly in this order:

A. Being the daughter of June Carter (who she is eerily looking more and more like every day). 

B. Being the temporary wife of Nick Lowe.

C. (coming up below in this post) 

D. Making her own music.

Carter still makes music, but she's almost never made hits. Some of her things were critically received but very little has commercially done so. I can only truly think of two song of hers - "Every Little Thing" and "I Fell in Love". 

I won't say she had a bigger starring role in Lowe's "Cruel to be Kind" video, but there were clips of their real wedding along with fake clips made for the video itself. 

Still, she was a June Carter-Cash's daughter, though her father was Carl Smith....and not so oddly Carlene didn't use "Smith" as her last name, not when you could be part of the Carter Family. Still Carlene was what was probably known as a "spitfire" in country-music circles. 

On her early '80s disks, she used British musicians - Lowe, Dave Edmunds, members of Squeeze, other than Nashville types, though to be fair, Rockpile and such did quite a bit of Rockabilly and often had more soul than some of those in Music City. 

I'm sure she rocked Nashville's world (not in a good way) back when it was a bit more stodgy when she was quoted as saying:  "I put the cunt in country". 

She wishes. 

I haven't really thought of Carter in years............until Sunday whilst at Homo Depot. 

Somehow this slipped through the Ohio BMV. 

Both 710 and I hoped to see the owner / driver, but alas we did not. 

Song by: Rosanne Cash   (Carlene Carter's step-sister)

Start to Melt

Just a few items to chat about today - no big post, per se.

First off - a few folks have asked about Buddy. There is good and fair news.

The fair is: no one stepped up who wanted to take her directly off my mother's hands. That was disappointing to me, but I get it too.

So in the meantime, my mother filled out a Rescue Village application. They called her on Tuesday and Buddy went in for an 'evaluation' on Wednesday.

Naturally, they loved her. Who wouldn't??

They said she'd be on the website in three days. First she'd get spayed and microchipped, then get put up on their website.

The one thing they asked my mother was if they could change her name. My mother didn't quite say 'no', but stressed that she came if called by her name.

So yesterday, I checked the site and sure enough, there was Buddy, but renamed Bunny. I totally get that - stresses the female aspect and close enough to the original name where Buddy wouldn't be too much the wiser. And let's face it, the family choosing her will probably change the name anywhere.

But there was no picture of Buddy, but all the stats were there.

I looked back 5-6 hours later to see if they got a picture up and they did not. Because she was already off the site. She had already been adopted!!!!

So that was the good news. On the market for like 4 hours and she snagged a new home!!!! SCORE. I will miss her. And my mother will too, more than she realizes.

---------

In other news.....we've had a sort of thaw. Thankfully.

Mind you - the tons of snow we have gotten still remains in most places.  However, it's the ice build-up that is problematic.

In the last week, we've had lots of sunshine that has melted snow on the room, making it drip down into the icicles you see. But worse those icicles have begun to melt and refreeze on our walkway.

I can live with the mailman slipping and splitting his skull open on that treacherous walkway, but the bigger problem is Petey when he goes out to do his bidness. Even with his low center of gravity, it is a major slipfest.

So yesterday, I went out with an icebreaker and started to get to work on that.

I didn't get very far. Maybe one-third of the walk.

In some places, the ice is pushing 2" thick. It'll take a few more days to get through it, but alas, we are slated to go from 43 to 21 today. So I have to make hay while the sun shines.

The problem is the actual ice breaking. It's hard word and it doesn't hurt, but after 30 minutes, I found what it is like to have nerve damage. For hours I couldn''t quite grasp things like a spoon or pick up a carrot or use my iPhone. It wasn't painful - it was full on-set weakness.

710 said I couldn't have another malady this week. Between my elbow and my jalapeno incident, I was not allowed  - or at the very least it had to be on rolling week schedule.

I gave up and we dropped a ton of salt on the problem. Hopefully today we can finish clearing before the temps drop........again.

..................

Oh, and I'm drunk, so I apologize for the ramblings and typos.

More on the drunk part later.  Probably.




Song by:  Peter Bjorn and John

Walking in my Shoes

You know how my blog is sub-titled 'stuff & nonsense'?

It used to be a lot more like that, and I should probably get back to that more often.

As it is, today is a travel day.  I'm off to Boise. Oddly, I haven't been there since August, so it's time.  I mean - I have a fully punched card at Aspen Leaf Frozen Yogurt - so don't think I'm not going to cash it in.

Ruckiry (not Jon's boss), it's almost right next door to the Pie Hole.  That should be good for one dinner.  Oh yes, I maintain a healthy lifestyle while on the road.

Since I worked for 13 hours yesterday, there is no formulated post, which is disconcerting for only being the second day of the month.  But my friend, Jeremy, sent me this and I just laughed - so no reason not share it with all.

Song by:  Depeche Mode

All Kinds of Stuff

I have no post per se today. So I can just post random stuff. Stuff that isn't big enough for an individual post.

Oh hell - call it what it is:  filler.

After our movie the other day, we found (damn those ads on the movie screen before the film!) a new old fashioned ice cream parlour. Sweet Moses.

No, there are no religious implications here - the founder of Cleveland was.....ta da, Moses Cleveland.  So no burning bush or parting of the sea stuff.

But don't eat a full brownie fudge sundae for dinner - no good can come of it.

Let's see - Sunday yoga was tough. I knew it would be when I saw the instructor in an orthopedic boot. I knew she was going to have something to prove - and she did. Everything was on fast forward. She'd be on the third position before you had a chance to get into the first. And no, this was not just me. I was happy to have the class end.

After yoga was lunch with my cousins, some of their kids and some family friends.  Mind you, I'm pushing 50, but I kind of thought it funny that we were at the "kids's table". There was an older faction who sat together and then us 40 somethings - and their kids. I'm not sure I can grow-up if I try.

And then there is a Petey story from yesterday morning. Well, Petey is in it - but not a story about him really.

It's been raining on and off here this weekend. We need it, so I'm not complaining.

Yesterday, I was doing our morning walk and not only was the sidewalk flooded due to the rain, but these people had let their sprinklers run too, completely making a humungo puddle that we had to walk around. So what do I do?  I cut through their tree lawn, which was also saturated.

Wet muddy ground.  One determined dog pulling. One Blobby face down in the mud - glasses flying off his face.

If you ever wondered if the dog would come back and rescue me or go get help - fear not.  He turned around once, looked at me and tried to trot off.

Man's best friend.  Pffft.

It's all ok. It was a shower day anyways - and it was 06:20.  Unless someone was standing at their window, no one saw.



Song by: the Cure

Last Night

My little plan of going out three nights in a row was a bust.

I am no longer a man in my 20s. Or even my 30s. Hell, I'm not even a man in my early 40s.

With the work week over and our temperatures dropping from the high 50s back to winter coat weather, I wasn't prepared to go out after my day was over. Frick, I didn't even bring a coat to work, as I was unaware that it was slated to get colder. ....and oy, the wind. Always with the wind. My office windows creaked all day long. Gusts of 40 mph.

I was happy to come home, change into sweats and do almost nothing. Veg. There is something to be said for it. Yeah, on the surface it seems like a waste of time, but in its own way, it can be kind of therapeutic. Kind of.

I'm actually (yes, posting this the night before) sitting around watching an Arcade Fire concert on cable. Since winning the Grammy for Album of the Year, there is a lot of blogger buzz about 'who are they'? Hipster title be damned, I'll take them over the shittylicious Lady Gaga song. Absolutely horrid.


(my nephew thought this was pretty funny - and I'd agree.)

But browsing the Billboard charts, as I am apt to do, their win didn't really translate into a huge sales bump for them - going from 80 to 52. A decent jump, but nothing you'd expect for that "award". Mumford & Sons and the Beibs got bigger bumps from their performances. I'm somewhat grateful I've never heard a Justin Beiber song, but I did enjoy M&S's performance.

Ok, now I'm just babbling. Time to wrap this up and go to bed so I can get up and possibly workout. Yes, I'm actually considering skipping the gym tomorrow. Somedays you just gotta veg - and work. I have a lot of work to do. On a weekend.

Blech.


Song by: Lush

Thunderball

I'll be honest, I didn't know what to do with the little tidbit my cousin, David, provided me when it came to a story on Andrew Christian underwear.

I still don't know where I'm going with this as I begin to write.

Was it fortuitous that Tony also happened to blog about it the other day? I feel like I'm behind the....ummm...curve....to even know about this underwear line - considering David isn't gay (not that one has to be to wear undergarments, or appreciate the article) and Tony doesn't normally like to wear designer briefs, or so he has mentioned.

Unlike Tony, I'm not on mailing lists for this kind of stuff (praise be!). I guess that is why I keep David around. He provides me all the info I need on Jeggings and underwear.

I get the appeal for the less fortunately endowed, but these briefs boast to add around 2 inches to a guy's frontal measurement.

Sure that might be good for picking someone up, but one would guess that someone is bound to be disappointed once the belts hit the floor. They're not heading back to one or the other's apartment based on your sparkling personality or renowned wit. Trust me on this.

Going based purely on myth, David wondered why the white and black ones were the same size. Don't judge - he was only joking. His second observation (which was actually my first), was the mohel.

His workmanship seems a bit shoddy here. Is the concept that these undies fit the bris and non-bris crowd? Even those with the Cabriolet cut?

I suppose I'll stick with whatever they sell at Kohl's or Filene's Basement.


Song by: Tom Jones

Private Dancer

I was trying to think of something clever and funny to say regarding this image I took a few weeks ago - like what is erotic about a pole?

Then I started playing all of your would-be responses in my head that would show up in the comment section and thought better of it.

I only know from dancing around the kitchen while making dinner, but I don't know much from pole dancing, other than "ladies" with c-sections do it at four o'clock in the afternoon for singles and watered down drinks. ...and by singles, I don't mean unmarried men.

I love how some places try to sell these thar poles as "exercise" equipment, because all the "ladies" purchasing them are striving for the body of a stripper. Is this really the gold-standard now?

Anyways, it's just a kit. It is the equivalent of a treadmill. You can set it up, but if you don't use it, you only drape your clothes over it. Well, not so much on a pole because.....well..........you can't.

It also doesn't help you get your GED or help you get over your daddy issues either.



Song by: Tina Turner

Killing with Kindness

I miss the days of living on campus (or near one) where you get to see little left of center things that just make up college life.

I like the would be liberal-bent of a campus that lets you at least pretend your ideals are achievable, even though you're striving for a job that pays more than the rent, all your beer and vinyl. You say you'd rather be helping the under-served, when in reality you're just becoming a corporate tool.

But there are days I'd really like the chuck it all and go do good....or pretend-good. Like this guy. I think it's a guy. I assume it is. No woman would really live in this thing - would they?



I don't really know what his objectives are, or how he's measuring success or an ROI. I don't know what is operational or expense budgets are. I have not seen a prospectus or business plan or any quarterly updates on how this kindness has spread, or not.

Let's not even talk about his productivity and how close he is to achieving that One Million goal mark. I mean - what is the strategic plan here?

I've lost my way, I fear. That's how I feel some days....like today...and yesterday.....and last week.

Maybe it would be nice to travel in a bus, campus to campus and spread the word of good deeds and that there is more to life than making your mortgage and car payments.

Of course, it would have to come with medical, dental and vision.....


Song by: Tears for Fears