FN Shenanigans!

Death By Mistress Is Ready!

2011-11-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Howdy Folks! Look over there ---------------------->>
It's a button for you to purchase my book on LuLu.com!
All you need to do is click it, and it'll put my book into your cart on the site.
Simple!
Easy Peasy, quick and greasy! ;)

Death By Mistress update

2011-09-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I'm going to finish my book ("Death By Mistress") by the end of this month, and research some sites to publish it on. It's a lofty goal (for me anyways), as it's been a very long time since I started this little project. It's exciting for me, as it will be another accomplishment for me, when I desperately need some things to go right for me in my life.
The 'book' started as a blog entry, oh so long ago, and it transformed into what it is today. It has personal references in it and those that knew me when I was writing it, know who and where they are in the story line.
One of the reasons I've taken so long to finish this thing is that it is, to me, a very dark portrayal of a mob killer. It takes me time to get into the mood to write about this character, even though he's not really supposed to be the central character in the story.

The characters name is Reginald Inago Pennini, or R.I.P. (or just Rip, as people call him in the tale). I've been told that I wrote his character extremely well considering I have no formal psychological schooling. I used my own experiences of observation and people skills to form the character. This isn't to say that I'm a killer or want to be a killer, but I believe there's a part of me in every character I write about, just as actors says that there's a part of them in every character they portray.

Hopefully, this book will be a success. To me, it will become my success, only once I've finished it. Anything that happens after that will be icing on my proverbial cake.
So, wish me luck. I can't wait to get it published!

My Continuing Saga

2011-06-03T09:47:00.001-07:00

My Continuing Saga

(June 3, 2011)

The people,

that purposefully extract themselves from my life,

always think they're doing the right thing.

Some think it sacrifice,

others think it better for them,

still others think it better for me.

To these people,

I say this:

Despite your self sacrifice,

Despite your selfish acts,

Despite my failures,

My victories,

Despite my loss,

My adversities,

My gains,

You can count on one thing.

I will continue becoming

The person I am,

Without you.

I’m sad that you won’t be a part,

Of my continuing saga,

But also,

I’m comforted by one fact.

I know I’m in your thoughts,

As you are in mine.

To Survive

2011-01-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

TO SURVIVE
1-9-11

The last 4 and a half months,
are a blur to me.
I've delved back into the darkness,
and survived.
I saw my self morph into that person,
I didn't like,
again.
It happens so quickly,
I realize now,
If I let it.
I let it,
and,
am in recovery once again.
Stopping isn't hard.
It's the changes to your body,
and your mind,
that are hard.
The dreams,
The raw emotion,
The restlessness,
The longing,
The pins and needles,
The inability to focus.
Moving on is the path,
I have to take,
If I am to survive,
in this wilderness,
That I've created for myself.
People ask me if I'll do it again.
I don't know,
I say.
People ask me why I've stopped.
The not so simple answer,
I reply,
is,
To Survive.

Thinking About It and The Post Office

2010-12-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

Thinking About It

12-19-2010

I’ve been thinking about this life.

It feels as though I’m stagnant.

Though life continues on around me,

I feel alone,

stuck in this holding position,

Until something happens.

Am I a conduit,

For the chaos that swirls around me?

Or, a conduit,

For the life that swirls around it?

I try to be the nicest person I can be,

Some see me wrestling with that,

With the chaos inside me.

Some would call it personal demons,

Some would call it drama,

Some would call it regrets.

I call it,

Self.

I’m just me.

Not above reproach,

Not above mistakes,

Not above regret,

Nor Forgiveness.

I’m ready for it to happen,

It will happen soon,

I can feel it.

Yea,

I’ve been thinking about this life,

I’ve been thinking about it.

*****

So, I was at the post office the other day, and being the person I am, found an opportunity to both make someone smile and have some fun.

The clerk called me up to his freshly opened station, with a pile of pink blank address labels on the side of the counter.

He shoots a glance at them, then asks his co-worker next to him, "What are these?" (someone had obviously put them there and he was wondering why)

The co-worker says, "I don't know."

The clerk looked at me, and I pointed at them and said, "Those are pink address labels.", and then chuckled.

The co-worker started laughing and the guy shot poison at both of us, then looked back at me and said snidely, "Thanks."

I continued to chuckle, and we finished the transaction.

Now, I understand that I made the guy feel dumb. But, when presented with an opportunity to help someone laugh, I try not to lose it. Perhaps next time, that clerk will think about what he's asking, instead of giving me an opportunity. (HAHAHAHAHA!)

*****

Thought for the day:

:The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings."
-- Okakura Kakuzo

To Become Whole

2010-05-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

TO BECOME WHOLE

5-16-10

When someone enters my life,
with such resounding wonder,
I take note immediately.
I question why they're there,
Why I'm there,
Surely there must to be a reason.
Is it to fill part of the void,
That has been there,
For so long now?
Or to be the one,
To fill part of the others?
Perhaps,
It's to share the void,
So that both can start,
To become whole again.
It's hard not for them to become,
My desire,
My thought filled everything.
I just must remember,
It's not all about me.
Patience is with me,
Though it may become,
The hardest thing,
I've ever had to do.
I'm a man waiting,
To share myself,
So that we may become whole.

******

Quote for the day:

"Peace is like a drug, for which I strive to immerse myself in constantly." - - - me.

Poetry on Monday! 4-26-10

2010-04-26T10:05:00.001-07:00

“THE END OF THE LINE”
(4-26-2010)

Sometimes you meet people,
Who seem to be your reward,
At what you think and hope,
May be the end of a period in your life,
When you’ve struggled so hard,
Just to survive.
The mental fortitude it takes,
To continue on,
Can build walls,
That are so hard to tear down,
To let people in.
You don’t know what’s in store for you,
That’s a high in itself,
And Simultaneously,
A fear of strickening proportions,
That can seek to destroy that reward.
I suppose it’s a balancing act,
With you on the platform ,
On one end of the tight rope,
Your reward of friendship on the other.
Take a deep breath,
Be at peace,
And step off into your fears.
Your reward awaits,
Not at the end of the line,
But the beginning.

*****
Quote for the day:

You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. -- John Wooden

Dumb Revisited

2010-04-15T09:30:00.001-07:00

Over at my buddy Mikes house the other day, we sat around smoking a stog and reminiscing about stupid things we've done over the years. Well, it's confession day and here are some you may not have known about. By the way, no one else needs to confess my stupidity, lol, mums the word unless I talk about it first!

1. We were racing home from work back in the mid 80's, he in his plymouth, and me in the pop's 72' cadillac. Going over 100 mph on highway 99 towards Atwater. after I passed him at about 110, my right front tire blew. SECONDS of terror ensued. LOL. Mike rounded the bend and went through a large cloud of smoke and thought I had crashed. Luckily I had just coasted to the side of the road where he stopped and gave me a ride home. Yea, we tied in the race.

2. We used to get into the drive-in in merced near where the old Farmer's insurance building was when we were working at the theaters back in the 80's (same time frame as #1). We'd get our friends in. All they had to do was pay the fee of a six pack of beer each to the cashier. After a night of drinking at their, we'd grab a bottle of tequila and bottle of orange juice and make our way to the coast to watch the sun rise in Santa Cruz or Carmel or Monterey.

3. In 8th grade or some time close to that, I clearly remember peeing on an electric fence somewhere in Winton. Yea, it left a mark.

4. I remember one night when I was very young, I was in my pj's sitting on the couch watching a mesmerizing television show. When my pop told me to go to bed, I turned to him and stuck my tongue out at him. He jumped the coffee table, grabbed me by the arm and flung me over the coffee table into a heap onto the ground. Of course, I went bed. Whimpering. Never stuck my tongue out at him or my mom again.

5. The old separating finger trick was shown to me by some older kid at St Mary's School in North Carolina back between kindergarten and 2nd grade. I was totally amazed! lol, I should show that kid the rubber band trick!

Anyways, there are others, that I may share at a later date, that were way more stupid and some even kind of funny. I have some appliances to move here shortly.
Reminisce today! Remember how dumb you used to be. It's a HOOT! lol

*****

Quote for the day:

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night." -- Charles M. Schulz, Charlie Brown in "Peanuts"

The Daily Fray

2010-03-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

I enjoy watching "Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew".
It's an emotional show that reminds me of my daily battle with my addiction of alcohol.
After watching the last show of the season today, I was glad to see that it has a continuation of watching these people struggle with their addiction (Sober House with Dr Drew).
It's interesting to be reminded, that people, no matter how famous, or how rich they are, are still just people struggling to survive and overcome their own self destructive decisions.
I've thought a lot lately about why I stay sober. Discussing it with my friends helps out alot actually.
Foremost, I stay sober for myself. One of the reasons for that is that I can be quite stubborn at times. I'm stubborn in that if I take a drink today, that erases all of those days prior to this day ( if I drink), that I've been sober. I really don't want to start over on day one again. I've started over in so many regards in my life in the last ten years. I look back and realize all the things I've lost and done because of alcohol. Starting over in that regard could make me have to start over in so many other things. It's just not an option for me. That reminder helps me to say no to the urge every day.

It really is true that you can't help someone who doesn't want it. We addicts will make many excuses to continue our addictions. It only takes one really good one to make someone stop, if only for a while to reflect upon what they're doing to themselves and those around them. I wish I could have helped my pop to see that. He was so proud of me and my sobriety. He told me that alot, even while holding a beer in his hands. I don't think he had the strength to stop drinking after losing his wife and his brother within such a short time. It surely took its toll on him.

I have other periphery reasons for my sobriety, but I see it as a selfish thing that I have to do for me. (I chuckle as I write this) One of those reasons is just something as simple as distraction. I give myself something to do other than drink. School has been GREEEEAAAAT for that! It gives me so much more to think about than going down to the liquor store and buying my favorite bottle of Scotch.
I'm reminded of a 5 for fighting song, (that band you hear playing right now). Somebody save me.
I think addicts ultimately have to save themselves. Some, need to be reminded of why they need to become sober and can say those reminding them have saved them. I say those people that have become sober from an addiction, "Give yourself some credit!" You (and I) have reached a point where our resolve and strength and courage have transformed us into someone that we scarce remember... ourselves. To be myself. THAT is the true reason for my sobriety.
Let the Daily Fray Continue!

*****
Quote for the day:

"If there's anything unsettling to the stomach, it's watching actors on television talk about their personal lives." -- Marlon Brando

Use enough Dynamite there Butch?

2010-02-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I just have to share some music.
I was humming this song to myself today for some reason.
Joni was thinking it was Chim Chiminey, so I had to hear it all.
Such a great movie! (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
I remember watching it with my folks.
Perhaps it was this movie that my Pop created his famous line, "Oh look, he fell off of his horsey!".
It's funny the things we remember.
God Love him.
Mom's Shrumps and saying "jess" for yes.
Yea, I miss them.
Still hits me occasionally, the mourning.
Don't know if it will ever end, or if I care that it doesn't.
All I know is, there love was complete.
I hope it comes to me one day and that I'm not asleep at the helm when it does.
Until such a time, I'll use a enough dynamite to keep me moving along in the right direction.
Dubah dubah dubah daaaaaah daaaaa dubbadaaaaaaah (sing it!)

*****

Quote for the day:

"You can't turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again." -- Bonnie Prudden

Poetry at Midnight!

2010-01-12T00:48:00.000-08:00

A Haiku:

Middle of the Night,
I've Lost who I used to be,
Someone send a Map!

lol, that was interesting.
It's fun to just write and see what comes out sometimes.

*****

Quote for the day:

"The main dangers in this life are the people who want to change everything - or nothing." -- Nancy Astor

Let the Fresh Cream Begin!

2010-01-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

A new year is upon us!
Did everyone resolve to do something with their life?

I promised myself, that I'd complete the edit and re-write of my book, and then try to get it published. That would be exciting!! I really want to finish it, so that I can get another book out of my head that's been nagging me to get out.
Of course, I made the usual promise to get into shape, eat right, blah, blah, blah.

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for Creme Fraiche (I guess that means 'fresh cream' in french, which is funny because its not fresh cream, it's basically soured cream) and it turned out really good!
It's such a simple recipe and a delicious alternative to store bought sour cream.

All you need is 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, and 2 tablespoons of cultured buttermilk.
Pour the cream into a clean glass jar (use the dishwasher to sterilize it).
Pop it in the microwave and heat it only enough to take the chill off. maybe 30 seconds.
You don't want it hot, as it will kill the buttermilk cultures.
After you've warmed the cream to about room temperature, pour in the buttermilk.
Cover it and set it in a warm place for about 12 hours (or up to 24 hours).
It will thicken up as it sits there. Don't worry about it, it's safe! The cultures in the buttermilk will protect it. Stir it up about every 6 hours or so as it sits out at room temperature.
After it has mostly thickened, pop it into the refrigerator for another 12 hours or so.
VOILA! You've got creme fraiche! Use it in anything you would normally use sour cream. It's a healthier, lighter, tastier alternative! Thicken sauces with it. Whip it and top some fresh fruit! It supposedly doesn't break or curdle when you add it to sauces. Haven't tried it yet, except on some spanish rice (yes, it was delicious), but I will!
It's good for up to ten days in the refrigerator, but I doubt it'll last that long once you've tried it.

My British friend tells me I should bottle it and sell it, because you can't find the stuff around here. I say, make it yer effin self! lol

What else is going on.... hmmm.
Oh, School starts soon! That'll be nice to be able to concentrate on things a little better this semester. I was pretty distracted last semester (which sucked big time) and got a 'B' in one of my classes. (GASP!)
Actually, I was pretty disappointed in myself for that. I shall endeavor not to let that happen again. At least I got A's in the other two classes, so I'm happy with that as I'm trying to bring my GPA up. We shall see my friends!

I've decided that I'm tired of alot of things. Physically tired. Sleep deprivation and the events of the past few years have taken their toll on me. It's definitely not easy to watch your parents die. The stress of being in the house while trying to clean it to prepare it for things just didn't give me time to grieve appropriately. Now that I have the time to do so, a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. But, I can't just stop and smell the nectar and do nothing. Life just isn't letting me. Which is fine I guess. At least I have my sobriety, an accomplishment that I hardly think about, but I should. If only to remind me that I can do things and to keep moving forward.
Little steps will lead to bigger ones. I'll be running before I know it. I better get some new shoes.

*****

Quote for the day:

"When there's snow on the ground, I like to pretend I'm walking on clouds." -- Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata, Animal Crossing: Wild World, 2005

A 10 by 10 by 10 Box

2009-11-20T00:08:00.000-08:00

Here I sit,

The last night I will stay here,

Wanting to make them proud,

Wanting to be strong,

As they were.

I miss them so much,

As I will miss the life they made here,

For myself,

And for my Brothers and sister.

A new life I contemplate,

One without them,

For me to lean on them,

For them to lean on me.

For now,

As I'm forced to move on and detach,

I'll take life one day at a time,

Putting what I can save,

Of their life and mine,

In a ten,

By ten,

By ten box,

Filled with their memories.

A Lil Poem about a Man and a Boy

2009-10-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

A Boy and a Man
(11-11-03)

There was a boy,
Once upon a time,
Living in a mans body.
He was struggling to get out,
To show himself to all,
Growing up a part of history.
The man struggled too,
To keep the child in,
Not wanting to show him.
Two people as one,
The young and the not so old,
Trying to deny each other.
Focus on the now,
No, focus on the future,
The argument never ends.
Hey, it’s playtime,
No time for play, I have to work,
Where has all that time gone?
There will come a time,
When the two will come to terms,
And accept the fact that they are both each other.
Then perhaps the man can show the boy,
And the boy can show the man,
Just what life is all about.

*****

Quote for the day:

"You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth." -- Evan Esar

Zuppa Di Pasta E Prezzemolo

2009-09-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Wondering what that title is aren't ya.
Well, it's the name of an italian soup.
" A Pasta and Parsley Soup" to be exact!
I just tried it today for lunch, and Oh....MY...GOSH it was delicious!
Simple, quick, and delicious. My kinda meal!

Here's the recipe! ENJOY!

"Zuppa Di Pasta E Prezzemolo" (parsley soup)

2 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 Medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 Medium sized Red Potatoes, finely cubed
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian Parsley
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 tsp dried Thyme
3/4 cup dried string pasta (broken up) or a small soup pasta of your choice
2 Quarts of chicken stock or broth (I used better than bullion paste and water)
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to Taste
3/4 Cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (or Asiago)

In a heavy FN pot, over medium heat, heat the butter and oil together. Add the FN onion and cook for a couple minutes, or until soft (don't brown it). Add the potatoes, half the parsley, the bay leaf, thyme, and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the pasta and cook per directions until al dente. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste, then add salt and pepper, if needed. (I added about 8 twists of my pepper mill)
Just before serving in hot bowls, stir in 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Serve with the remaining parsley and cheese at the table and let your guests add to their taste. Serves 4 to 6.

Finished mine in a little over 10 minutes for everything!
Goooo for it! Make some!

*****

Quote for the day:

"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul." -- Marilyn Monroe

He'll Put His Heart Out There.

2009-09-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

A man with a broken heart,
Sits alone.
Letting himself feel safe,
Putting his heart on the line,
Is the kind of man he is.
He believes it's always worth it,
Even if he's not rewarded in kind.
He wonders why he's not the chosen one,
Those involved have to live with that fact.
It's the mornings,
Nectar with the one he's loved,
Such a simple pleasure,
Torn asunder by actions, not words.
It means a lot to be in her life,
If only he could be her friend,
When seeing her with another.
He'll heal what's been torn,
Putting his heart on the line again in time.
He'll be the man he's become,
Because he likes that man.
He can live with that.
He'll still put his heart out there,
For the simple reason,
The rewards await.

*****

Quote for the day: (I totally agree with it)

"Walking is man's best medicine." -- Hippocrates

Some Days

2009-09-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Some days I don't want to wake up.
Some days I miss people.
Some days I'm depressed.
Some days I want to see the ocean.
Some days I can't think straight.
Some days I can write really well.
Some days I am so pent up.
Some days I read a lot.
Some days I want a lover.
Some days I want to be alone.
Some days I love the sun.
Some days I love the rain.
Some days I love the wind.
Some days I dream of winning the lottery.
Some days I'm overwhelmed.
Some days I'm so happy I could burst.
Some days I don't know what to do.
Some days I see my reflection and don't know who I am.
Some days I persist even though I have no reason to.
Some days I resist.
Some days I write poetry.
Some days are yesterday.
Some days are tomorrow.
But Today, is what I have right now.

*****

Tomorrow I celebrate my 300th day of sobriety.
I need a drink. LOL

*****

Quote for the day:

"When life seems chaotic, you don't need people giving you easy answers or cheap promises. There might not be any answers to your problems. What you need is a safe place where you can bounce with people who have taken some bad hops of their own." -- Real Live Preacher, RealLivePreacher.com Weblog, August 12, 2003

The Last RV Adventure!

2009-08-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

A 53 hour cross country trip in my pop's RV later, I got home just in time to work, then go to my first class of the Fall Semester. All in all, the trip which relinquished me of my command of one of my father's possessions and put it into my oldest brothers hands, was a dang good one.

We had absolutely zero problems with the RV. It did its job wonderfully taking us from CA to FLA. We did have one little scare with an electrical fire smell that we got a wiff of, so we stopped and checked everything out and that was the last we smelt of it. That was in Texas as I recall...in the rain. I had a wonderful visit with my sis in law and my niece Julia. That was such a good time. I really need to get back for a longer visit with everyone soon.
So, here's some pics from the trip. It was a good thing.

Here's Miss Jules and I at a GREAT tapas place. That food was SO delicious!!

Silouhettes are fun....(did I FN spell that right?)

Goin across the MISSISSIPPI River! WOOP!

I won this lil guy at a gas station/rest stop we stopped at. Not bad for 50 cents!
And I FN forgot him in the RV....I'll have to have my brother ship it to me.

First stop we made at a rest stop in arizona. I didn't have to go that bad...

I took this luminary smile out the back window of the RV the night we left. COOL huh!

Chewin on these Cigars by Drew Estates was almost as good as smokin them!

So, that's about it for the pics.

I took one minute of video in each state we drove through, but I reeeeeallly don't want to upload all that and have to change the music player and all that, so I spose I'll just keep those to myself.

It's all just video of the road in front of me as I was driving. I know, SEXCITING stuff! Blah.

Got a 95% on my first online Quiz in macro-Econ. I'm mad at myself cause I missed one.

I'll have to pay more attention whilst I'm reading....

That's about all goin in (that I can share), so, everyone have a wonderful weekend!

*****

Quotes for the day:

"When you helped somebody, right away you were responsible for that person. And things always followed for which you were never prepared. " -- Martha Brooks, True Confessions of a Heartless Girl

"What's another word for Thesaurus?" -- Steven Wright

On the Road to Tranquility

2009-08-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

It might be the adventurer in me. Whenever I'm out driving around in a new place, I seem to wake up early. I'm restless. I want to go explore the area to see what's out there. To see who's out there. It's quite simple really. I like to look and to watch. I've called myself a morphologist. A studier of shapes and forms. I'm a student of human nature, which is why I love reading Shakespeare so much. If I had an Indian name, I think I'd like "One who watches".
HA! That would be "OWW" as an acronym.
There are times when I yearn for company and times when I can't stand the thought of being alone. Other times, I cherish my solitude. It's always a time to reflect and silently think about what I can make of my life. What I've made of my life. Who I am. Who I'd like to be. Peace, it seems, is just out of reach, like the proverbial carrot leading the horse. I'm not one to take defeat lightly and I'll keep striving for that carrot dangling in front of me that I call peace. Peace within me. Peace with others in my life. Peace with who I've become.
Sometimes I feel a glimpse of it, like sitting in a Safeway parking lot, in the doorway of my Pop's RV, smoking a fine cigar and enjoying a Venti Mocha from the Starbucks behind me at 7:00 in the morning.
I hope my folks are proud of me. There's so many things I wish I could tell them. I'll try to earn the life they've bestowed upon me, in my journey to find tranquility.

The view from my hotel near Safeway... lol

You think You've got a sunburn? My nephew Chris got a little burnt on his feet. Aloe Vera Chris!

*****
Quotes for the day:

"The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of. " -- Blaise Pascal

"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open." -- John Barrymore

It's Official...

2009-08-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

I had to get some reading glasses yesterday to read my 99 cent "How to win at Texas Hold'em" book.

DAMMIT!

Although age catches up with me, I'll endeavor to NEVER act my age. ;)

*****

Quote for the day:

People who say you're just as old as you feel are all wrong, fortunately. -- Russell Baker

Poetry on Monday

2009-08-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

Through Peripheral Vision

A sextuplet of years or more,
I've lived in a kind of limbo.
Waiting for the inevitable to happen,
Watching as life crept by,
As lives came to their end.
Reverting back to the teenager I once was,
Has not been a pretty sight.
Differences apparent,
Knowing what they were,
Not changing them.
Friends kept in contact,
I don't know why,
I'm glad they did.
Change has come,
Gladly,
I reckon I wasn't really ready for it.
I'm paying a sort of pennance,
Am I?
All I know is,
With God's blessing,
I need to get moving,
So Life doesn't pass me by.
I have to stop watching it,
Through peripheral vision.

*****

Quote for the day:

"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere. " -- Agnes Repplier

July and an Air Museum

2009-07-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful July I've had!
I got to have my friends stay for the Independence Day Holiday, they made it safely back to Seattle, I shared some spectacular time with my son, I've shared time with family, we finished the main building and guard shack at the Air Museum, and I've cleaned up the junk around the house and yard.
Yard sale here we come! WOOP WOOP!
So, heres some random pics from the month...

The Castle Air Museum Main Building, Finally finished! WOOHOO!

Ok, so this one isn't from this month, but it's special. Momma likes to sit on the arm rest next to me on the deck and put her paw on my lap while we're relaxing.

Leyen DROVE! and didn't even kill us!

My stalwart companion overseeing all that is ours.

The other day it was so hot, Momma let me wet her!

J got me a SEXCELLENT birthday present! WOOP!

Had fun at Bubba Gumps in Monterey with Leyen. This is part of a Bucket of Boat Trash...

I took a moment to reflect at a beach near Monterey...

Some spices I saw in a lil shop...

Look! Proof Leyen can work! OMG!!!

The new pool table! Ready for a tournament anyone? :)

*****

Quotes for the day:

"You have no control over what the other guy does. You only have control over what you do. " -- A. J. Kitt

"Walking isn't a lost art: one must, by some means, get to the garage. " -- Evan Esar

"Oh, what a dear ravishing thing is the beginning of an Amour! " -- Aphra Behn

A July Haiku

2009-07-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Forty Three I am,
This big house is so empty,
Peace I need to find.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks!
Some adjustment will soon be necessary along with all the other adjusting I'm doing.
Apparently my life is changing. Go figure!

Independence Day 2009

2009-07-04T08:04:00.001-07:00

This day seems to mean a bit more to me this year than any previous year. Although I've shared this day with others when I was on my own, this will be the first year without either of my parents, meaning I'm truly independent.
They will both be in my thoughts this day (and always).
It's been so hard going through this house day after day seeing everything that was my life. I think my sister got a taste of it when she visited yesterday. I'm sure she'll cry when she goes through the box of things I put together for her. I did when I was putting it together. I will again.
I'll be surrounded by my friends today, and for that I'm happy.
I miss you mom and pop. This day is dedicated to you.

If anyone wants to stop by the house today, please, feel free.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
Go with God.

*****

Quote of the day:

"Hey come watch this with me. You gotta see this. I recorded it for you on the Tivo." -- G. R. Brown

"Those are called Shrumps, not shrimp." -- J. R. Brown

SEE-ATTLE

2009-07-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Yea!I helped Chris, Liz, and Jim move to Seattle this past weekend and got to have an adventure!Here are some pics in no particular order...

Mark's Favorite spot to reflect, at sunset

Into Seattle we go!

Along the road in Oregon. Pretty state.

We shall dub him, "The Drooler".

I went for a walk early in the morning after we stayed the night in a hotel on the way up. Snapped this picture and then I started looking for the guy.

Ugly state. Yes, CA.

I only smoked when I got nervous drivin that big arse truck!

Hey look! That's mount Shasta in the background!

At Marks fav spot again.

The Space Needle!

On their new porch at the apartment.

Pikes Place Chowder!

DAMN that was goooood!

The gang eatin chowder.

Here's some random quotes from the adventure...(paraphrased)

"So he called him Da-a-a-a-a-d." (goat joke)

Leyen, "Get in da pooopah"

Random guy at gas station, "Can I bum a cigarette?"
(we hand him a camel crush) "Oh 18 year old chicks ask me to crush these all the time cause they're not strong enough to do it."
D-Bob, "Tell them to use their thighs."

While watching Super Bad...
Jim, "Leyen this is good. You're gettin a good start on your college career here by watching this."
Chris (while brushing his teeth), "Yea, when you get to your first class, find the biggest jock and feed him your nut sack. Smooth sailing from there."
Liz makes a gagging sound as she laughs and almost swallows her toothpaste. "GOD man, that was disgusting, I almost swallowed that!"
Jim, "WOW, you don't here that come from her lips very often!"

Background: I shared a drew carrey audio with J a few months back. It was called "101 Big dick jokes" and you can find it on youtube if you so choose. Anyhoot, ever since, she and I have been bantering back and forth about it. Here are the ones from the trip via text....

Me, "My dick is so big, they had to close down the space needle because it put it to shame."
She, "My dick is so big, it has it's own atmosphere."
Me, "My dick is so big, you have to use light speed to get from one end to the other."
She,"My dick is so big, Micheal Jackson used it as a stage for ALL of his concerts around the world. Low maintenance, no breaking down."
Me, "My dick is so big, I had to use the moving van to bring it up here to Seattle."
She, "My dick is so big, I couldn't go with you because the moving van isn't big enough FOR MY DICK."
Me, "Yea, I had to lay mine on the top as well... And if I got sexcited, I had to find a tunnel."
She,"My dick is so big, people honk when they drive through all 4 lanes in my pee hole."Me, "My dick is so big, so there."She, "My dick is so big, I had to buy 3 California King size beds. 1 for me and 2 for my dick!"
Me, "My dick is so big, you can use the veins as a life size road map to get from Seattle to Atwater."

Hope you enjoyed those. they cracked me up just readin em. LOL

ahem.

ok..on to the quotes! WOOP

*****

Quotes for the day:

"Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world. " -- Annie Lennox

"My dick is so big, it's in the next room making us drinks." -- Drew Carrey

10 Minutes of Peace

2009-06-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share 10 minutes and 24 seconds of peace with you.
Turn up your volume, close your eyes, and listen to George Winstons Masterful fingers tickle the ivory.
Enjoy!

*****

Quote for the day:

"Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined. " -- Johnny Carson

WOW! It's been a while!

2009-06-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, it's been way too long since I posted anything! I've been neglecting my duty to myself to write about things that are FN!

I hope you're not sexpecting anything too spectacular.

Where to begin...

Loss.

Freddie, my pops cat that had the tumor in his ear, was attacked by a siberian huskie a few days ago. The dog pulled him right out from under a car and did too much damage before I could get there. Freddie passed away in my lap shortly thereafter. It was so awful. I cried my eyes out. I knew that Freddie was going to pass soon, but I didn't want it to be that way. It wasn't fair. He and the other kitties gave so much joy to my folks lives. Both my brother and sister told me that he was with pop now, and I agree with that. It was a very emotional few days. My brother suggested that I was feeling what pop might have felt, as there was no one to mourn Freddie. I agree with him. Leyen was a trooper throughout the whole ordeal. I'm glad he was here. It seems he's been here for all the loss, right along side me. I've made sure he's ok and talked about things, but I need to do it again. I've thought only of myself and my bro's and sister and not much about him. So, I need to correct that. Enough on loss...

I can't wait for classes to start again. I'm looking forward to them! It'll will be a welcome respite from all this time to actually think. LOL, that probably didn't sound right, but so fn what. It's my blog I can say what I want. ;)

I'm purchasing a pool table! Now, I just need to make room for it. THAT will be the chore. Renting a dumpster to get rid of all the junk in the garage so I can move stuff in there for the yard sale. That should clear the room out that I want to put the table. I can't wait to get in 'stroke' again by practicing a little bit everyday. Perhaps I'll get back into the tournament scene. We'll see.

A lot of my friends have heard me speak of opening a pool hall, and that's still a dream of mine. I've decided that it will be my retirement business. So, I need to get working hard on the other thing I'm working on at the moment so I can realize my dream of being a pool hall owner.

What do you think of the name "Stick It Billiards"? (heh)

I'd like to apologize to Joni for being so out of it with regards to the new biz. She's been so good about not buggin me about it and I owe her a huge hug for it. THANKS J!

How about that new President! Anyone else think he's doing a mostly mediocre job? I realllly don't agree with his fiscal policies and I reallly don't want socialized health care. I think Obama is so blinded with power, he's going to bring himself down. It's only a matter of time. Heck, we might be going to war with North Korea soon. I think it's the grand scheme of the axis of evil. They've got Kim Jong Illll doing their dirty work for them to start things while we're hurting economically. I'd be nervous if I was living in Hawaii. Heck, I'm nervous living on the west coast. Get your fall out gear ready. Perhaps a survival kit wouldn't be a bad investment right now....

The pool was clean! Note I said 'was'. There's a field behind the house. Guess what just got disced yesterday. Yep. Dirt flyin all over the place and into the pool. Good thing I've got Leyen here to vacuum the pool for the next month! WOOP WOOP! Anyways, the pools feeling pretty good the last few hot days. It's nice.

Cheers to continuing my journey!

ok, enough catch up. Let's do Quotes!

*****

Quotes for the day:

"It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations. " -- Sir Winston Churchill, My Early Life, 1930

"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot. " -- D. H. Lawrence

"Delusions of grandeur make me feel a lot better about myself. " -- Jane Wagner

"Choose your pleasures for yourself, and do not let them be imposed upon you. " -- Lord Chesterfield

Random Pics & Other Shenanigans!

2009-06-01T01:23:00.000-07:00

Well, my 200th day of sobriety has passed into the annals of history!
It's been tough at times. I celebrated by making some beans and rice and polish sausages, and had a few friends over to help eat it all. I thought the beans were pretty bland, but they were all gracious and said they were delicious. See what kinda friends I have! They're all pretty awesome. I'm blessed to have them all in my life.
I've taken a few random pics and have had a couple sent to me. Heeeerrrrre we go!

I don't know why I like the front of this house, I just do. Perhaps it's the rock-work, or the the awesome tall front arched door. I dunno. It's awesome though.

I was sitting on my deck a couple nights ago and I lit a small fire in a tin coffee can.
Me by the firelight.

Ms Annette being my kinda dorkette! LOL

My Bro Jeff sent me this. One of his co-workers sent it to him and he shared!

This, my friends, is That 1 Guy and his magic pipe. He puts on a super sexcellent show, so if you hear he's playing near you, definitely go check him out. He has a website, if you're interested, google him. You can find his playdates there...

My NEW nectar pot! It's an electric percolator and it makes nectar sooooo well, I actually drink it black sometimes! Yes, I said BLACK! Everyone knows I don't drink my nectar without vanilla creamer or some such other dairy product. Yes, it's just THAT GOOD! WOOP!

My Bro Markus Erectus sent this to me the other night on my cell phone. He takes awesome pics like this all the time up there in WA and sends them to me. I really appreciate him sharing his moments in time with me. He's an inspiration!

Well, there you have this installment of Random pics. I hope you liked them!

If you have a random pic you'd like to share that you have some connection to, please send it to me! It's fun!

On to the quote for the day. Since I missed a couple weeks, I'm catching up with multiple quotes. Enjoy!

*****

Quote for the day:

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. " -- Bill Cosby

"Once in a while you have to take a break and visit yourself. " -- Audrey Giorgi

"The purpose of life is to fight maturity. " -- Dick Werthimer

"Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything." -- Frank Dane

FINALLY!

2009-05-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

I'm back on line after two effin weeks! (I was so pissed off they gave me a $50 visa gift card so I would continue using their service.)
I was seriously goin through withdrawals!
WHEW!
School is done for the semester. YES!
I barely eeked out an A for Business Law, and I think I got well over a 100% in Accounting.
We'll see, I haven't had the accounting verified yet.
I had a request for an end of semester haiku, so here it is !

I am so done now,
The semester is Finished!
Let Summer begin!

I'm a glutton for punishment it seems.
I already signed up for my fall classes. Took another business class (not law), another accounting class, and a macro-econ class online.
We'll see how that fares. I'm hoping I get my financial aid again. That was sweet!

Had a cool couple of weeks without the internet....
have a few pics to share and other things, but not today.
So, on with the quotes!

*****

Quotes for the day:

"Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes. " -- Edgard Varese

"A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B. " -- Fats Domino

"I trust that everything happens for a reason, even when we're not wise enough to see it. " -- Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine

Casa De Blog Post

2009-05-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

Yes! Finally made it to the beach last weekend!

Not quite the peaceful trip I needed, but the beach is always wonderful nonetheless!

YES, we stopped by the ever so famous Casa De Fruta. It was totally casa de sexciting.

Wanna see pics?

I know ya do.

We stopped at Casa De Fruta on the way there and on the way back. Here are pics in no particular order, cause this effin site is weird when doing pics....

Casa de Greeting sign:

Casa de Me in front of Casa de Fountain:

Casa de Fish sign with the missing head:

Casa de Haunted Effin Tunnel!

Casa De Friends:

Casa de Ice Cream! (and casa de Joni)

Casa de umbrella Hole:

THE COAST! WOOP WOOP!

Casa de Krag.

Casa de cool tree:

MORE COAST! WOOP WOOP!

Casa de Tunnel in Monterey where I made everyone start honkin their horns:

Casa de Bird:

Casa de sunset:

Casa de New Armor I got at Casa de Craft Fair!

Plenty more pics to put up, but I didn't want to belabour the process...

We all had a pretty good effin time! It was a wonderful day.

Apparently I made everyone's day when I munched it in the sand while racing Miss Ashlynn.

That's where my knee slid in the sand as I was munchin. I was totally just letting her win. lol ;)

I'm looking forward to another trip very soon. Can't wait!

*****

Quote for the day: (maybe two)

"The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend." -- Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters, 1999

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back. " -- Arthur Rubinstein

The Stained Project!

2009-05-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

The stained deck from the last entry... Much better picture!

WOOP WOOP!

Anyhoot, thar she blows!
The big rock in the center is my FN foot rest....

Other news:
We started the Castle Air Museum today. Got it all pressure washed. We're praising God for the use of their lift over there. It definitely FN helped!
Pictures to come... :)

*****

Quote for the day:

"Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you." -- Wally 'Famous' Amos

A little Project

2009-05-05T12:59:00.001-07:00

Well, the deck back by the pool in the backyard has had some delapidation to it for quite a while. I tried to get pop to help me with it, but he never had the gumption, so we didn't get to it.
He actually was talking about tearing it all up and taking the pool out.
Well, I've always wanted to put a deck in the front of the house where we had some dirt and a few plants. The other day, I yanked a plant out and cleaned it up and made a nice little area to sit and smoke my cigars and watch the neighborhood go by.
Here's what it looked like! (yes, I made the chairs about 12 years ago and they're still working)

I got a wild hair and decided to take the good wood from the top of the deck out back since the wood underneath supporting it was all rotted and I positioned it in the little area and VOILA!
A deck where I've been wanting to put one for sooooo long! YAY!

It looks good for only taking about 45 minutes to do with the materials on hand.
Today I stained it and the chairs. It looks awesome!
I took a pic but it was too dark. I'll take one in the morning when the suns on it to show ya'll.
Anyways, I like it. It got some of my pent up energy out and I've improved the look of the front of the house.
YAY me!

*****

Quote for the day:

"Cheerfulness, it would appear, is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within, as on the state of things without and around us. " -- Charlotte Bronte

Happy Birthday Pop

2009-05-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Happy 71st Birthday Pop!

I'm having a dinner tonight in your honor.

I wish you could be here.

*****

Quote of the day:

"If only we all could live up to the greatness of some few men, the world would be a better place." --- 1 FN HandyMan

Peace and Accounting Tests

2009-04-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

Some of that mental acuity has returned! YEEEEEHAW!
I aced the accounting test I took on Tuesday night.
GO FN! GO FN! GO FN!

A Thursday haiku as a celebration?

I effin aced it!
I rocked that accounting test!
You wanna be me?

LOL, ok so my acuity hasn't totally returned...
That's ok.
Peace is somewhere out there.
And, it's waiting just for me.
In the mean time, Peace be with you my friends.
Smile.
It breaks up the monotony of your face....
;)

*****

Quote for the day: (maybe two)

"Character - the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life - is the source from which self respect springs. " -- Joan Didion, "Slouching Towards Bethlehem"

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. " -- Albert Einstein

Random Pics Day!

2009-04-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start a new feature here on my blog!
YAY!
I'm calling it random pics day.
If you're out and about and you see something funny, interesting, beautiful, (or whatever), snap a photo with your phone or camera, and send it to me with a note telling me where you were at the time.
I may not post all of them, but I will definitely post the most interesting ones I find and/or receive!
So, here's the first installment...

Outside my buddy Mark's house in Washington!

I just LOVE BEDHEAD! I miss my hair sometimes... lol (thanks Ashlynne)

Look! They made a sign just for ME at Walmart! (thanks J!)

OMG! The tree is coming back already. . . .

Steve and I after the funeral service for Pop.

Leyen, Steve, and I.

So, there you have it... Randomness. . . . .

Send me pics!!

*****

Quote for the day:

"It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.' " -- Sam Levenson

Moving Right Along

2009-04-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Well, one room down, the rest of the effin house to go! WOOP WOOP!
I cleaned out the library of all non-essentials and now I have room to put the myriad of books hanging around the house. If anyone is interested in Readers Digest condensed books, feel free to get a hold of me. I have tons for sale and/or donation.
The cleaning is slow going as I have to look at each piece of paper and every item to see if they're of value or it needs to go in the circular file after being shredded.
Remember that mental acuity I talked about that I had?
Poof. Gone.
I'm sure it'll come back. I've just been a bit overwhelmed the last few weeks.
I brought the momma cat in today for the first time since pops passing. I'm sure she wanted to see what was up and what was going on. I love cats, but I'm very allergic to them and suffered through it when the folks were alive because they brought so much joy to their lives. But, now the cats are outside cats. Sorry cats!
Anyways, I brought momma in to let her look around. After a couple of minutes, I picked her up and walked her around the house to show her that pop wasn't here and that the house was in the process of change. Yea, I cried. Maybe it was more for me than it was for her. I don't know.
So, what's new you ask?
Weeeeellllll, I've volunteered to help paint the Castle Air Museum buildings! WOOP WOOP!
I thought pop would have liked that, and I just need to help them out. We already have gotten 40 gallons of paint donated from Sherwin Williams. WOOP WOOP again! It should be a fun time. No stress, just peaceful work.
I thank God for the peace he's brought to me over the last couple of years, and especially over the last 166 days. I'll keep counting them for he and I.
School is moving along. I'm taking my last customer service academy class for this semester next saturday. YES! Those sat classes have been getting in the way of beach time. Two sat's from now, look for me at the coast. Maybe I'll get there before then.

I'll leave you with a joke I used on my business law test recently. It was used to illustrate void contracts:

Arty the hit man is hired by Wilbur to murder his wife because he knows she’s having an affair with another man. Arty and Wilbur have been friends for a very long time and Arty tells Wilbur he’ll do the deed for just $1.
The neighbor hears this and calls the police and tells them of the impending murderous contract. Arty gets to the Wilbur Family business, the grocery store, and knocks on the office door. The wife answers and he chokes her to death. Just as she falls to the ground, the lover appears. He doesn’t want to get caught, so he chokes the lover to death as well. Just then, the police arrive, and haul Arty off to jail. The headline in the paper the next day reads “Arty chokes two for a dollar at Wilbur’s Grocery.” (Contracts for unlawful acts are automatically void.)

Hope you have a great week!

*****

Quote for the day:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. " -- Steve Jobs

A Day to say Good Bye

2009-04-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

The man went to a funeral today.
It was a somber affair that touched his heart like no other.
His parents were gone from this material earth.
As the dirt hit the coffin after leaving his hand, he knew this to be true.

He would remember them always, and cherish every moment and every breath he drew with them the last years of their lives. He felt blessed to be able to share that with them.

He would remember good times and bad, lessons taught and received, holidays and the usual days.

He would remember their service to our country, and the comraderie that was the benefit of it.

But, most of all, he would remember them as the pillars of his strength and character and generosity that he had come to know and love and cherish. He would strive to complete their legacy, and earn the fruitful life he had been so blessed to be born into.

Yes, the man will miss his pop as he already misses his ma.

He will fill the void with the expanding memories of both his old life and his new.

Mom, Pop, thanks for everything you've ever done for our family, but most of all, thanks for the memories.

*****

Quote for the day:

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one." -- James A. Froude

Thank you all

2009-04-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to express my heartfelt appreciation and humble thanks to all who have shared their kind words, prayers, and thoughts regarding the passing of my Pop (on here and elsewhere). It has really meant a lot to me. I have the most awesome friends and family imaginable!
I hope I can be there for all of them in times of need as all of you have been here for me.
I'm doing ok. Still dealing with things as you can imagine.
I celebrated 150 days of sobriety over the weekend, and am still continuing despite the recent events. Everyone else got to take a shot for me this weekend. (wink)

The viewing and funeral services are in Atwater at Ivers & Alcorn on Winton Way. Thursday, the viewing will be from 4 pm - 8 pm. The funeral service will be on Friday at 10 am.

Thanks again for all the support. You guys rock.

*****

Quote for the day:

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelations 3:20

What now?

2009-04-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

Gerald Robert Brown Sr.

Born - May 1st, 1938

Passed - April 9th, 2009

Sorry Pop, I wish had done more...

Spring Showers.

2009-04-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

NO, it's not time for my annual shower....

WOOHOO! It's SPRINNNNNG BREEEEEAAAAAKKKK!
I have no class for two weeks!
Ok, I didn't have much class anyhoot, but now its ALL gone for a spring break.
What to do?
I certainly am not going to Mexico...
Oh Oh, I know!
I'll go to DELHI!
No, not India. Del-hi, California.
There's a camp ground there next to the river. I have completely forgotten the name though.
Ok, Eff that. I'm goin to the coast somewhere. Preferably Half Moon Bay or some such area.
Sea Cliff Beach is a normal spot to go. Clean, gorgeous, scenic.
Yep. The Coast.
I'll have to pass by Casa De Fruta on the way, unless I go to Half Moon Bay via the route to San Francisco.
BEACH HERE I COME!
I'll take a pic and share of course.

Let's see....what else is happening...
Oh, we're waiting to finish the AAA building. It's been called on account of the rain. Have you ever painted something, and then it rained, and then you come back to see what you've painted, and the rain has washed it away? It's very vexing. So, we painters try to avoid that. Costs too much. We're pretty much done with the entire bottom portion of the building (meaning anything not on the roof). So, go check er out. Give us a thumbs up as you drive by. Say to yourself (or whoever's in the car with you), "Hey! 1 FN HandyMan Painted that building!"
You know you wanna. Just do it. You'll feel better.
OH....MY....GOSH!
Must...
Have...
NECTAR!
(GASP)
(cough-ity cough cough)
Wait here. I'm gettin some nectar..
...
...
...
...
REJOICE! I HAVE RETURNED!
Ahhhhh...NECTAR!
With blackcherry somethin or another creamer.

I had a dream last night.
Yea, go figure, ME having a dream! Hmmpfff.
Anyhoot, it reminded me of when I was painting the RiteAid in Merced. It was my first commercial painting job, and quite the experience. (No, I didn't use sexperience when a buncha guys were in involved lol)
This one guy layin the floor down was a total grouch, and kinda scary. Just his humbug attitude. You know the type. Well, Mike and I were rolling out plastic and then covering the gandola's so we could paint the ceiling and not get paint all over everything. Well, our method was one of us would roll the large roll of plastic over to the other about 25 feet away and then that person would cut it and so on. Well, Mike being a hefty hefty hefty kinda guy, sends me over the plastic roll when I'm not looking. It rolls PAST me, under the temporary wall we had put up, and onto the floor where Mr Grouchy had just finished putting glue down. It didn't just go a couple feet into the glue. It went allll the way into the CENTER of the effin glue, about another 25 feet.
(Yea Mike had really flung that effin roll...)
well, I come out from under the plastic wall and see what had happened, and I had to laugh.
Then Mr grouchy stands up with a look of disgust on his face. So, I of course, stopped laughin.
He gingerly walks out to the roll of plastic and begins pulling it up off of the glue (and through some miracle, it all came up without tearing!). He winds it up in his hands, walks over to me, and hands it to me. I still had a smirk on my face and had to blurt out a giggle. "Sorry bout that." I said. He says,"Yea." and giggles back cause I was just burstin at the seems to crack up and I know he could tell. So, I go back to the other side of the clear plastic wall we had erected and Mike and I burst out in laughter like the wall is ten feet thick and no one could hear us in our little enclave. It was so effin funny at the time!!
So, here's to Mr Grouchy and the effin glue floor!
CHEERS Mr Grouchy, where ever you are!

*****

Quote for the day:

"I was so naive as a kid I used to sneak behind the barn and do nothing. " -- Johnny Carson

and another...

"Laughter is by definition healthy. " -- Doris Lessing

Market Thoughts

2009-04-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

The man pushed the shopping cart through the market, silently listening to the squeek of the bad tire. He contemplated the peace in his life, the wonder at feeling new again. His friends and family still intact.
A sale on pasta caught his eye. One pound for ninety-nine cents. He tossed a few boxes into his cart, next to the block of cheese he had just chosen.
He paid no attention to the other people in the store, other than how close they were to his proximity. He could tell which were at peace and which were not. The stress on their face, the wrinkles etched so deep, and the tension in their body as they walked by him, could all be felt. He almost didn't even have to look at them as they passed by to feel their turmoil.
He wondered what was going on in their lives. He wondered whether things would work out for them.
His mind wandered.
He wondered what she was doing at that very moment.
Was she burning some lunch?
He chuckled at the thought.
He almost runs into a stack of ice chests. Looks around to see if anyone noticed. Good. No one did. What would they have done if they had seen? He really didn't care.
He felt that empty spot just then. The one that has been there so long, it is a part of him as if something were actually there.
An acquaintance passes by and says, "Hello.", but doesn't stop. The man "howdys" back. He doesn't stop either. He's not in the mood for company. Alone suits him at the moment.
He opens the refrigerator door and retrieves some creamer for his coffee in the morning. He places it next to the cheese in the basket.
The rest of the visit to the market becomes a blur, as his mind wanders backward and forward through time. He revisits places with her. He attends plays. He visits Stonehenge.
He pays almost silently for his goods.
His minds shifts back to the present as he saunters through the large sliding doors, back into the sun and the peacefulness that fills him with its warmth.
It's a good day.

*****

Quote for the day:

"I have you and even if we never meet or ever see each other, we have left our thumbprints in the thick, moist clay of each other's lives. " -- Hugh Elliott, Standing Room Only weblog, May 6, 2003

A Friday Haiku and other Ramblings

2009-04-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

A Friday Business Law take home test Haiku:

I must do this test,
Doing it with a chest cold,
Phlegm on my paper.

So yea, I got this nasty chest cold.

I think since I stopped pickling myself I'm more susceptible to getting sick. This past winter I was sick more than any other in a long long time.

This one has got to be from all the spraying we did on that AAA building and all that rubber in the air. Yea, we're spraying what's basically a rubber paint onto the building called Elastomeric. It's designed to cover the building like a skin and if a crack appears in the stucco, it just stretches so that you can't see it. Weird concept, but it makes buildings look pretty for $40 a gallon. YIKES! (as one Marsupial would say...)

I was over at J's the other day (had to have been more than a week ago) sitting in her kitchen and she walked over and turned me into an Easter Bunny.

I was SO amused. (no, really, I was)

EASTER BUNNIES UNITE!

Anyone else pissed off about how things are going down with our government. We need to vote everysingle one of those suckers out of office. All the finger pointing and blame and no one is taking any of the blame themselves for signing all this mess into law in the last 30 years.

The 912 project. Go check it out.

I want to go to Greece! (yes, I'm chatting with Dimi Mou as I'm writing this lol)

I seriously need to get a passport or whatever they call the FN thing.

Scuse me whilst I blow my runny effin nose. (HONNNNK)

Ok. I'm better now.

Where was I?

Oh yea. Bananas! I love them things. I think I like them cold right out of the frig. That's weird isn't it. I also love to freeze a can of pineapple chunks, then let them thaw just a teensy bit so when I eat them they're all nice and slushy. SO good. A perfectly SEXCELLENT spring or summer treat.

You know you wanna try it.

*****

Quote for the day:

"I was the kid next door's imaginary friend. " -- Emo Phillips

Poetry on Tuesday 3-31-09

2009-03-31T05:59:00.000-07:00

Here we are. It's Tuesday and I've written no prose for a LONG time.
Take a half hour today and write yourself something. Anything.
My poetry style is my own. I've tried to make it that way.
I hope you enjoy it. I know I enjoy writing. Have a GREAT day!

RIDE THE WINGS

When you've reached the place you thought you'd never be,
When someone's frost,
Holds your mind it's prisoner,
When time grinds to a halt,
Because you have too,
When substance grips you,
Like the jaws of life,
You think it won't ever let go.
When you can't go any lower,
When you think you just can't take any more,
Remember a few things.
It took you a while to get there,
It will take a while to climb back out.
It won't be easy returning to yourself.
Who said life was easy?
He gave you the tools you need.
They're all there within you.
Take small steps,
Begin with the leap into yourself,
Ask yourself who you want to be,
Strive to find your answers,
Kick and scratch if you have to,
Fight for the life you deserve.
As you Ride the wings of his design,

Into the stars that are your future,

All of a sudden,
You'll be suprised with what you've done.

*****

Quote for the day:

"A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down." -- Robert Benchley

A walk about

2009-03-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

I went for a long walk today so I wouldn't get stiff from workin so hard this week!

Whoopdeedoo I'm sure you're saying to yourself.

Well, my buns of steel are formin cause of climbing up and down ladders all day long. I'll be able to crush a walnut with my butt cheeks soon enough...

So anyways, I got dressed for walking (see pic below)

Yea, I know! SEXY!
Erin wanted me to send her a pic, so I took one outside the video store on my way home...

Sexuberating, I know. It was a fun lil walk!
Such is the life of a FN HandyMan.

I'm off again tomorrow so maybe I'll have an itch to write something.
C'mon back. I dare ya!

*****

Quote for the day:

"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three." -- Alice Kahn

Ahhh...Silence.

2009-03-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

Cell phone Video,

It's so inconspicuous,

It's my new feature

Gotta love a haiku introducing a cell phone video. I was impressed by the quality for such a small device. So simple yet so ummm....weird. Yea, there wasn't much to hear on that video, but so what. Silence is golden. (I bet if you turned your speakers up WAY loud you could hear the rain that I heard...)

Pause the music so you can hear better, then listen!

*****

Quote for the day:

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." -- Edgar Allan Poe, "Eleonora"

"Last night somebody broke into my apartment and replaced everything with exact duplicates... When I pointed it out to my roommate, he said, 'Do I know you?' " -- Steven Wright

A 90% TAX????

2009-03-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe what congress is about to do and I'm extremely pissed.
AIG employees received a bonus from bailout money that CONGRESS approved and had a chance to deny the use of and now wants to tax them 90% of the bonus because they eff'ed up in the first place.
Where is our new president and our Congress taking us?
Taxing a specific group of people seems pretty unconstitutional to me.
One representative even called for the people receiving the bonuses to commit hari kari (suicide).
MY GOD!
That man should be removed from office immediately!
I don't know about you, but I'm voting to remove EVERY single incumbent in office the next several rounds of elections. I want my country back, and that's the only way I can show them that they work for me.
In Merced, they're using tax payer dollars to build a effin DOG PARK. In these times, why don't they spend that money on ANYthing else that will help the morale of the residents here instead of trying to please the dog population of our fine county capital. What the HELL are they thinking?

What happened to our principles?
What happened to our morals?
What happened to our common sense? (Which apparently isn't so common anymore.)
I didn't vote for our new president and vice president. (DUH! As if you couldn't tell that)
I find it hilarious that liberals are lining up to purchase fire arms in this country!
This is what happens when you get your cake and it eats you too.
We're gonna get exactly what 52% of the country voted for.
It's really very scary.
Well, I want my country back, and I'm going to do everything I can to get it back.
VOTE.
Remove Nancy Pelosi.
Remove Dianne Feinstein.
REMOVE ANYONE from OFFICE that has voted repeatedly to eff up this country and its founding principles. Remind them that THEY WORK FOR US!
You want to see what our country can end up like?
Just look at the liberal "values" that have shaped California's economic, political, and social landscape.
We're in the shitter here! California is a great model for where liberalism is taking us.
Keep it up politicians.
A revolution is coming....
And I want to be part of it.

CLICK HERE FOR THE 912 PROJECT!

Let there be D-Frost!

2009-03-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

I made some D-Frost for Miss Liz the other day for her birthday bash.
Wondering what D-Frost is aren't you?
Well, we all used to drink Yukon Jack Permafrost Schnapps (100 proof peppermint schnapps with a hint of cinnamon) when we were partying, and we can't purchase it anymore around here. It was the BEST schnapps in the world in my opinion.
We were joking about it a while back and I spewed forth the idea to make some at home just to sexperiment with it.
D-Frost is the result.
After researching on the internet and couple of trials (drat, I had to drink all of the failed results!), I came up with a recipe. Apparently I did an ok job, as everyone that's tried it has liked it. First off, if you make this stuff, leave it in the freezer overnight before you have any, and keep it there. It would go great over ice cream by the way....
So, here's how you make some D-Frost:

1) Get yourself a 1.75 liter bottle of ANY type of vodka you wish. Cheap is ok, you're gonna add flavor.
2) Get yourself whatever flavor of Extract (a 1 oz bottle) you wish to add to your schnapps. I use peppermint extract, you could use vanilla, lemon, etc...use your imagination, the sky's the limit!
3) You'll need one cup of sugar. Don't skimp and try to use some other low cal sweetener. It won't turn out and you'd be doing your D-Frost a disservice.
4) Pour off about one cup of the vodka out of the 1.75 liter bottle. Drink it if you wanna, but in my opinion, drinking straight vodka is for alcoholics only.
5) Take off the air diffuser from the top of the bottle if there is one, and using a funnel, pour the sugar into the bottle.
6) Leaving the funnel in the bottle, pour 1/2 of the bottle of your extract into said bottle.
7) Take the funnel out, replace the cap of the bottle, and shake like there's no tomorrow. If you get tired, rest. Duh. Continue shaking and resting, until all of the sugar is dissolved.
8) Let it rest in a dark cupboard for 24 hours and shake it when you think about it.
9) Do the right thing, and place your new bottle of Schnapps into the freezer for later imbibation. (I think I just made up a new word). Leave it in there for at least an overnight stay before you taste it.
10) Feel free to vary this recipe! Use more or less extract depending upon your taste, and more or less sugar depending upon your taste. If you wish to use some type of fresh herb or citrus, you can do that, but the infusion process takes about 6 weeks or more, then you have to strain it and strain it again. In my opinion, this could be a major waste of your time, but, I like results fast. So, do what you want. I don't care.
11) By the way, you can color your schnapps with any color of food coloring you want (I made purple schnapps for Miss Liz because it was her favorite color by adding 4 drops of red food coloring and 2 drops of blue food coloring). Just drip the lil drops into the bottle and shake it until it's perty.

There you have it. Now you can make your own D-Frost! I hope you try it and let me know your results. I was thinking that a Lime Schnapps would be pretty excellent, maybe using some frozen concentrated lime-ade stuff. Just something to think about....

Have a wonderful Hump Day Ya'll!

*****

Quote for the day:

"There are always good things coming to you. All you need do is be patient." -- 1 FN HandyMan

"The time to stop talking is when the other person nods his head affirmatively but says nothing. " -- Henry S. Haskins

Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow

2009-03-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

I've been having an interesting few days since last Thursday.
I went to the underground shooting range here in town with a couple of my good friends. We had a blast (pun intended)!
Well, while I was reloading and walking back to where I was blasting away, my ear plug popped out of my ear and I didn't notice it, and a gun went off very near to me. Scared the livin be-jesus outta me! My right ear hasn't been working very well since.
Now, I'm not blaming anyone except myself, so don't get that idea. It was no ones fault.
So anyhoot, I've been having a difficult time with the last 5 days because my hearing in that ear has been VERY distracting. Cause it's not working very well. It's getting better every day, but for a while there it concerned me. I think God wanted me to appreciate what I had and was trying to teach me a lesson about empathizing with folks.
Every noise has been amplified in that ear, but it sounds like a cracking speaker inside a tin can.
It's taken 90% of my concentration just to hear things right and by the end of the day, I'm just so mentally exhausted I just haven't been up to snuff. Even when there was silence, my ear was still making me hear static. It definitely has affected my studying. I enjoy silence when I'm trying to read and concentrate, and with my ear sounding like an AM radio that's going in and out of tune, it's been difficult for me to adjust. The thing is, I haven't been able to adjust. I think it would've been easier if my ear had stopped working all together rather than this FN static and whine crap. The most interesting was trying to hear in a class full of talking people in my conflict management course on Saturday morning. I had to cover my ear and everyone thought I was autistic or something cause I had my finger in my ear most of the class. Did you get a mental picture of that? Cause I just did and laughed at myself. HA!
So, it's been an interesting week and if you're wondering why I haven't posted much, that's why. It's been tough to concentrate. (Hilarious to me because of my mental acuity post the day before...LOL)
MENTAL yes. Acute, not since Thursday.
I LOVE it when life throws me a curveball!
OH NO! I just thought, "How's it going to sound when I go to see the ocean?"
I'll just have to put a big shell up to my ear and pretend I guess.

HAPPY Saint Patrick's Day Ya'll!! I'm not wearing green today just to see how many times I can get pinched. Then, when I tell them that my eyes are green, I can pinch them back and say, I'm ALWAYS wearing green! ;)

The music isn't really music today, but it cracked me up so much I had to use it!

*****

Quotes for the day:

"How hard it is, sometimes, to trust the evidence of one's senses! How reluctantly the mind consents to reality. " -- Norman Douglas

"You can either hold yourself up to the unrealistic standards of others, or ignore them and concentrate on being happy with yourself as you are. " -- Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content webcomic, #352, 05-04-05

A Wednesday Mornin Ramble

2009-03-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

YAY! It's Wednesday!

What?
You're not yaying?
Well, YAY Dammit!

It's the FN middle of the week!

We allll know what that means!

Ok. Maybe not.

Hump Day.
Middle of the week.
The Zenith.
It's all down hill from here.
It's ALMOST FRIDAY!

Not that Fridays mean much to someone not working, but hey, Fridays can be fun too, even if it's just another day to me.

How about a Wednesday Haiku?? (the 5,7,5 syllable poem)

Walking all alone,
I spied a hot chick! oh yea,
It had been fried up.

Yea, Yea. My haiku writing skills aren't what they used to be. Blah! (as my friend Emily says)
It's almost time for a beach trip. I need some serenity. I need some salt air. I need some sun!
I know someone that will go on a spur of the moment too! WOOP WOOP!

I use the phrase "It's not the destination, it's the way you get there that's the adventure."

That SO rings true most of the time. I enjoy the adventure you can have just by driving somewhere like the coast. Have you ever seen Pea Soup Anderson's in Santa Nella?
You can't miss it if you drive through Santa Nella. There's only one effin road!
Here. Check this pic out.

THAT my friends is the best place to get a bowl of split pea soup EVER.If you don't believe me, adventure yourself right on over there and try it out. If you like pea soup, you won't be disappointed.

Let's see....where else can you stop off on the way to the coast?

There's Dinosaur point!!

Yes, I've been there. No, I didn't see one FN dinosaur. False advertising methinks.

Everyone's heard of Casa De Fruta right? If you have and never stopped there for wine tasting, shopped the fresh fruit stand, rode the casa de train, or seen the Casa De Duck, you really have NOT LIVED. They just started having the NOR CAL Ren Fair there a few years back. It's in Sept and Oct I think. Really cool stuff. Take a lot of $5 bills for that cause everything costs $5. No sales tax. They didn't have any back then. (better take sales tax money just in case though). Nothing like a weekend of cleavage and prose! Thou shouldst "WOOP WOOP!" right about now...

You KNOW you wanna click on those links and check out those sites. Go ahead. Click. I DARE ya.

Adventure!

I'll just post a Quote or four for the day (with cliff notes by me) whilst you're busy clicking.

I'm thinking Broccoli Beef stir fry for lunch...now THAT's adventure! MMM MMM MMM

Oh, one more thing. If you have something to say, use the COMMENT clicky thingy under the quotes!

Oh wait...one more thing. If you've never seen my 30 days of Bed Head project, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the blog and check'er out! :)

*****

Quote for the day:

"No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately. " -- Michel de Montaigne (This is SO me. I say stupid stuff just to make people laugh!)

"Use your imagination not to scare yourself to death but to inspire yourself to life. " -- Adele Brookman (Can we use it to scare other people to death?)

"If you don't run your own life, somebody else will. " -- John Atkinson

(Anyone else fallen into that particular trap?)

"The best mirror is an old friend." -- George Herbert, 1651

(BFF's...ya gotta love em!)

Saturdays are for Shakespeare!

2009-03-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

I had a GREAT day today!
I woke up way too early for my own good, but that's ok.
Other folks were up too, so I had virtual company.
I really was dreading my class today.
It was on Conflict Management. I've been to at least three of those things and they ALWAYS have role playing during them. I was totally not in the mood to role play this morning.
To my delight, the instructor was so animated, HE did all the role playing.
SEXCELLENT I SAY! I'm even looking forward to next weekends class. (go figure)
He let us know that he is an actor and will soon be a character in Merced's Shakespeare Fest coming up in August. I will SO be there!
They're going to be performing "Love's Labour's Lost", a play by Shakespeare that's actually not too mainstream.
It will be August 8th, 9th, 15th, and 16th, 2009 at Applegate Park in Merced. It's totally FREE and you all should go watch it if you're here and are interested in that kind of thing.
I'll be there with bells on.
None of my corn has come up yet. I think it was too cold when I planted it. Good thing I have another half of a packet left to play with. HA!
I added some green onions to the garden, so now I have those, oregano, sweet basil, cherry tomatoes, chives, strawberries, corn, ginger, and some kinda flowers that I found in the office when I was cleaning it up. Cant wait to just walk outside and pick a basil leaf and a cherry tomato and just pop it into my mouth and enjoy it. With a strawberry for dessert!

My quote for the day today is one of shakespears insults. I hope you use it and confound your friends when they get on your nerves! (don't worry, it's not too mean, lol )

*****

Quote for the day:

"Hath thou a word, or wit, or impudence, that yet can do thee office?" -- Shakespeare, "Measure for Measure" 5.1.362-63

Dreams, Acuity, and Focus

2009-03-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

I had a dream.
No, I'm not Martin Luther King resurrected.
I had a dream last night. A good dream!
No need to bore you with the details.
What I did realize from it though, was that my mental acuity has returned. My focus is sharpening. My wit is still as dull as a butter knife going through frozen margarine! Hey, no one's perfect.
Really though, for a long time now, it's been fuzzy goings. Since I quit the theater business in 2003, my focus just really hasn't been there. I had no idea what I wanted to do, who I wanted to do it with, or when I was going to do anything. I think I was going through a kind of puberty again. (No my voice didn't change, although I can still sing like Marilyn Monroe.)
God wanted me to experience things from a different perspective I think, and I sure have. Either he wanted me to realize my potential or wanted me to realize how I was wasting my potential. My self confidence and esteem seem to have started growing in me again.
It's...
about...
effin...
TIME!
I'm alive again. Let's keep it that way. (talking to my other personalities and those living inside me through my experiences) Alive and Kickin, indeed! (scroll down the music list)
The next time I see you, make sure I share some energy with you. Do the double hand-hand shake, send it across the room, or make sure eye contact happens. Energy is here, and it shall be shared!

OK.
I officially have 3 books in my head at the moment. I need to get them out as it's getting cluttered in there. All three are from very vivid dreams I had and remember most of. Interesting process there. I lllllllike it!
Now, I just need to find the time and the mood to rewrite and edit my existing novel, "Death by Mistress". It's just such a difficult thing for me to get in the mood to write as it's such a dark genre and I'm 1 FN happy Handy Man. Perhaps, I'll just let it go for a while and continue with my positivity, and start putting into writing those words that are so eagerly awaiting their exit from my ever so be-cluttered imaginary system. There's one that I'm really excited to start writing on, one that HAS to come out that has been stuck in my head for about 8 years now, and another that is still being written. The exciting one is going to be first, and the first chapter is forming in my head as I type. It's not that I can multi-task mind you. I'm a man after all. But, I CAN think of things one at a time, and my mind continually comes back to it when it's not thinking of or focused on something else. I WILL be a published author. Nothing will stop that.
If I seem to be day dreaming at times, now you know why. Just let it pass, and know that something wonderful is going to come from it.

*****

Quotes for the day:

"Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul." -- Rebecca West

"Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius. " -- Comte de Buffon

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

"With a stop light, green means 'go' and yellow means 'slow down'. With a banana, however, it is quite the opposite. Yellow means 'go', green means 'whoa, slow down', and red means 'where the heck did you get that banana?' " -- Mitch Hedberg

Picnic Table Anyone?

2009-02-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

The newest project under the belt, a Family sized picnic table! (complete with booster seat for the little kiddies)
Amazing what you can do with the right tools. Too bad I didn't have them! But, I persevered and adapted and overcame like the FN HandyMan that I am! WOOP!
Here tis!

I still need to sand it, but J and I completed it and rounded all the corners off!
YAY US!
It only took about 6.5 hours to this point. (That whole thing about not having the right tool slowed me down a tad.)
It was totally a fun project though, and NOTHING human is going to break THAT table!
BBQ anyone?

*****

Quote for the day:

"Nothing shocks me. I'm a scientist." ----- Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in 1942

The Simplest of Times, The Toughest of Times

2009-02-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, things happen to people that you can't help them with.
It really sucks at these times, because, if you love your friends and family, it's difficult to feel so helpless. I'm just the type of person that I try to help no matter what. If someone is going to bring me into their circle and confide in me and trust me, I want to be there for them to do what ever they need me for.
Going through tough times is never easy for the person actually living through it.
Being on the fringes of these times can be trying, but I find it's a blessing that I can be there and help to support, prop up, give advice, etc.... to my friends in need of such things.
I passed my first 100 days without any alcohol a couple of days ago.
I'm so grateful that I have such supportive friends and family around me to help me through it.
Funny thing is my eyesight is going. It's getting difficult to read things that people try to show me right up in my face. I just can't focus fast enough. Here I thought it was just the alcohol. LOL
It seems I'm at that age where things start falling apart. (sigh)
I don't feeeel old, so I'm not old.
I still act like a big nerd and I actually enjoy it. It helps people to laugh.
I'm sure it's annoying at times, but those times are surely outweighed by the warm fuzzy feeling my friends BETTER GET when I'm around. ;)
Anyways...
I made a BIG batch of my Spice of Life if anyone is interested. I'm sending some out this week for those of you that are waiting on it. Look for it in your snailmail box.

I planted some Black Pine seeds this week. I'm going to try my hand at Bonsai trees and they're the ones that came in the nice kit my bro got me for Christmas. I can't wait to watch them transform. Very slowly. Yes, I'm a gardening nerd too. Live with it! I have to.

That is all.

*****

Quote for the day:

"Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of - for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. " -- Socrates

Lunch Anyone?

2009-02-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Wondering what I was going to have for lunch, I shopped the frig and found some carrots and a bit of onion.
Hmmm....
What can I whip up with that?

Here's what I came up with:

D’s Cream of FN Carrot Soup

4 large carrots – chopped coarsely
¼ cup chopped onion
1 tbsp minced gahlic
1 tbsp buttah
1/3 cup cream or vitamin D milk
1 tsp D’s Spice of Life
1 Chicken bullion cube
Chopped flat parsley (for garnish, cut as much as you want)
water
salt
pepper
Stick Blender, boat motor, or other submersible blade that spins around and fits in a sauce pan.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the buttah over medium heat, stir in gahlic, heat for 30 seconds. Dump in the carrots and onion. Pour in enough water (took me about 2 cups) to just be barely below covering the carrots. Add bullion cube and the spice of life.
Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil, then lower heat back to low, cover and cook until the carrots are very tender, probably about 15 minutes.
Take off the heat. Grab your boat motor and puree the carrots until very smooth. Add the cream. Mix that with your boat motor since you still have it out. Return to medium heat for another 2 minutes or so and don’t let it out of your sight. Stir it a lot so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Taste it and add any salt and pepper as needed.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

MMM MMM Goooood!

My son just called me and he introduced a game to his coach that I made up involving a frisbee that Leyen and I used to play.

They're actually presenting it to the athletic commission for the school to use it in their curriculum! WAY cool!

*****

Quote for the day:

"To err is human--and to blame it on a computer is even more so. " -- Robert Orben

There wasn't a Effin Pot of Gold

2009-02-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

Saw this yesterday on the way home from work in the rain!
God's work is amazing!

*****

Quote for the day:

"I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places." -- Henny Youngman

Saint Cupids Day Remembrance

2009-02-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

A St. Cupid's Day Haiku:

Yes it was the norm,
Saint Cupids Day Remembered
Just another day.

Aren't haiku's fun!
Ok. Maybe not THAT fun.
As I stated in my haiku, St. Cupid's Day is just another day to me any more.
My ex-GF is in the flower business and she is pretty much against any kind of celebratory function of any romantic holiday or holiday in general. (One of the reasons she's an ex now I've now figured out...negativity just doesn't fit me). Not that I thought that there should be one single day in every 365 day span that a man woo's a woman of his choosing and decides to woo said woman because of a marketing ploy by the greetings card industry (incidently there's a 50% chance that it was thought up by a woman). Anyhoot, I don't buy into that particular ploy. When I have a significant other, she'll get woo'ed all year long at differing times in hopes that she will get the fact that she's on my mind ALL the time, not just one day out of the year. Heard a phrase recently: "You're only on my mind once a day, every day. The entire 24 hours." That pretty much sums things up for me.
So, not only was St Cupid's day just another day for the simple reason that I don't have a significant other at the moment, it's just a normal day for me anyways.
A Good example of said woo'ing is that same ex-GF's birthday one year. She didn't just have a birthday on that day! Oh no! She had 7 days worth of birthday with her actual birthday being the pinacle. Chaucer couldn't have done any better I tell ya! It sure got me laid though.

I heard a story on the radio the other day about a man who was looking for some extra cash to spend on his wife on valentines day. So, he made reservations at 10 or so swanky restaurants for Cupids day. Then, he sold said reservations to his work chums who hadn't thought so well in advance and made a cool $200 on the deal. Smart man! Apparently he used the money to sign he and his wife up for a cooking class which was to be held on Cupid's day. Maybe he wasn't so smart...

I'm sure everyone has a horror story about St Cupids day and I'm not any different in that respect. One Cupid's day, oh so long ago, I bought flowers for a nice young lady (cause I was young too). I showed up on her doorstep and she opened the door, shook my hand, and said, "Just friends! Thanks!" and closed the door in my face.
I knocked on the door again, and when she opened the door, I threw the flowers at her and said, "Yea. Just friends. Have a nice effin day." Of course, the word effin wasn't around back then, so I used the usual expletive beginning with an F, a K in the middle, and ending with a G. What's so funny about that particular chick was, she showed up at the movie theater I worked at afterwards, and asked to watch a movie. Needless to say, she didn't have any money, so she couldn't afford the ticket. It was too bad really, she was hot. I guess she just wasn't in to me because I looked like Beaker from the muppets at the time. (shut it Joni!)
Ahhh, ain't love grand!
I just recently used the remainder of a bottle of Polo my first love gave me. She loved that scent so much! It still smelled wonderful after over 20 years. Yes. It was a big bottle. I wore it when we saw each other again after the same period of time. One wonders if the other noticed. Ah well...

There you have it.
Another wonderful Saint Cupid's day goes down in the annals of History for 1 FN Handyman.
Just... like... every... other day... I survive. ;)

*****

Quote for the Day:

"That best portion of a good man's life,
His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love."
-- William Wordsworth

Ready for some FN Culture? (and split pea soup too)

2009-02-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

This song has been playing in my head for a couple of days now, and I finally figured out what the heck it was!
So I'm sharing.
Get over it!
Enjoy the classical original version of Edvard Griegs "In the Hall of the Mountain King"!
Turn it up. You might even like it.

Here's lunch today too:

D’s FN Split Pea Soup

1 lb of split peas, picked over for stones and washed (You pick the color)
1 onion chopped however you like it
3 celery stalks chopped however you like it
3 carrots. Yes, chop them however you like it
1 tbsp of minced gahlic
3 tbsp of D’s spice of life
6 rashers of bacon, chopped
2 tbsp chicken better’n bullion paste
8 cups of water (filter it if’n ya wanna)

1) In a large soup pot, cook the bacon until it’s crispy.
2) Toss in the onion, carrots, and celery and sautee it for a couple of minutes.
3) Add the gahlic and sautee for about 30 sexonds.
4) Add the water, bullion paste, My spice of life, and the peas.
5) Heat to boiling over medium heat, lower heat and cover with lid cocked simmering for 45 minutes.
6) Duh. Eat it!

*****

Quote for the day:

"Suddenly, a mist fell from my eyes, and I knew the way I had to take." --- Edvard Grieg

LET THERE BE FN PLANTS!

2009-02-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

This here, is what ya call baby cherry tomato plants....5 days after planting.
Yea, I'm THAT good. HA!
Course, there should be TEN effin plants there instead of 4, but hey, I can't make dead seeds grow. (effin seeds!)

On to other things... how about the first 25 things that come to mind? Hmmm.

1) I went to Carla's memorial service yesterday. Funerals suck and that's all I have to say about that.
2) I did however get to go see my momma while I was at the cemetary, so that was good.
3) YAY! It's raining today.
4) Walked 3.5 miles yesterday. Felt good.
5) My NECTAR of the GODS today is paired with Vanilla creamer. MMM MMM Good!
6) I can't wait to eat cherry tomato's! The last time I had them growing, I was getting a basket of tomatos every 3 days or so. It was GREAT!
7) I wonder who I'll put as my friend of the week next week... Hmmm.
8) If you pronounce "shrimp" as "shrumps" you'll have my heart forever. My mom used to say that.
9) I'm patiently awaiting my corn to emerge from their slumber. I planted 10 seeds. We'll see what happens.
10) No, I haven't planted any in my neighbors yard yet, but if you've a keen eye and mind to walk behind Merced College, you might just see something sprouting in a few days. ;)
11) I'm wondering what I'm going to do for my research paper in my business law class.
12) I've been chatting with my Friend Erin in FLA more lately. She's so fun!
13) The beach is calling me.
14) Wonder Twin Powers Activate! Form of...an ice stake for those effin mater plants that are gonna get so huge!
15) I'm blessed to have such good friends!
16) Just remembered a joke my mom used to tell about the mating call of a clam. (it's visual, maybe I'll video it and post it later...)
17) I found out yesterday that when my new cell phone gets low on battery power, it doesn't effin receive texts and I can only call emergency numbers. Go figure!
18) I'm looking forward to looking forward. Things can only get better.
19) Food. What am I gonna make today? I'm not awake enough to think about that yet.
20) Yes, the beach is calling me.
21) Did my taxes last night. I need to mail them today. I'm actually getting money back. I think Obama's gonna make me a millionaire. I mean cmon, that's why everyone (52%) voted for him right? He's also gonna pay my rent, fill my tank with gas, blow up my tires, and make us a socialist nation! YeeHaw!
22) I think a stimulus package should include condoms for everyone, cause we're sure gonna get eff'ed by it.
23) I wonder if a sailboat would fit in the pool.
24) Random thoughts are SO much fun!
25) Today's grapple for the day (on my computer monitor) is: Attend a lecture. Comment on what you heard to at least one other person, and relish the exchange of ideas.

(PS...the song today is from an album entitled "Hang on Little Tomato" by Pink Martini.)
*****

Quote for the day:

"The great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter a chance to do something stupid. " -- Art Spander

A Refresher

2009-02-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Howdy Ya'll! Welcome back!
Just a refresher about the little blog here...

1) Please feel free to comment! If you do comment, you can be anonymous for a while, but please leave your name in the body of the comment at some point, so I eventually know who's commenting. I enjoy responding to comments, so comment away! You don't need an account to do so, by the way. Just click on the little comment link under the entry you're viewing, and a window will pop up. Fill in your comment (with your name if you don't have a gmail account), then scroll down and click the bubble entitled "Anonymous". Then click the button marked "Publish Your Comment".

2) If you'd like to be added to my notification list, just email me at the address at the top of the page and let me know. I'd be happy to add you. Just think, you can get official FN spam in your email box a few times a week! Whoopee!

3) About the music that's playing; Whenever I post a new entry, I choose a song to correspond to it in some way. It may be eccentrically corresponding, but hey, I'm a nerd. SO? (and No, I didn't change the song for this entry because I like that last song so much. It's uplifting, what can I say?)

4) If there's a topic you'd like me to tackle, in either poem or writing form, email me. You may just see a post on it later.

5) If you'd like to be added to my friend of the week section, email me a photo of yourself, and I'll write something nice to make us both feel good. You'll SO get sexposure for a week on my blog! (Whoopee again!)

6) This number left intentionally blank.

7) Don't you hate when businesses do that?

8) Smile! You look (and feel) better with it on.

*****

I just found out a couple of friends of mine passed away recently from their obit's in the paper.
They have found their way to God. Rest in Peace my friends.

Carla Hackett - Born 8-4-1964, Passed 1-22-09. 42 years young.

Ed Airosa - Born 7-18-1936, Passed 1-29-09. 72 years young.

*****

Quote for the day:

"Forgive many things in others; nothing in yourself." -- Ausonius

Let There Be Sticks

2009-02-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Wondering what I did with all that wood from the Effin Tree?

Take a gander...

JOY! Some staves and some firewood.
My life is SO exciting! lol

*****

Quote for the day:

"I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals. I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants. "
-- A. Whitney Brown

Sweet and Sour FN Pork!

2009-01-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'd have taken a picture of this recipe to show you what it looks like, but it didn't last long enough...

D’s Sweet and Sour FN Pork

1 lb Pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Bell Pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces (you pick the color)
1 Onion, yes, cut it into 1 inch pieces
2 Carrots sliced diagonallly
2 Celery stalks sliced diagonally
1 can Pineapple chunks (20 oz I think)
¼ cup Rice Vinegar
¼ cup Water
1 tsp Salt
¼ cup Light Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Minced Gahlic
1 tbsp Minced Ginger (or Mary Ann if you got her)
3 tbsp Corn Starch

In a pot on medium heat, add the pork, bell pepper, onion, carrot, and celery. Drain the juice from the pineapple and put the pineapple in the frig for later.
In a bowl, add the juice from the can of pineapple, vinegar, water, salt, brown sugar, Sriracha, fish sauce, gahlic, ginger, and corn starch. Whisk well.
Add sauce mixture to the pot with the pork and veggies.
Mix well, and turn the heat down to between warm and low.
Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally, for a couple of hours until the meat is tender.
Add the pineapple and continue cooking for at least another half hour. If it’s too juicy, mix another tbsp to a couple tbsp of water, add a little bit at a time to the pot and stir until it’s boiling and thickens to your desire.Serve it over white rice. Or ummm, serve it over brown rice. Heck, serve it over pasta if you want. I really don’t care.

*****

Update on the greenhouse renovation... Before:

After Cleaning:

After cleaning and putting shtuff back in:

*****

Quote for the day:

"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn. " -- Gore Vidal

It seems I'm in Poetic Mode

2009-01-28T16:26:00.001-08:00

Although I wrote this more than 12 months ago, it still rings true. Perhaps others can find some solace in its essence.

REDEMPTION
12-4-2007

The reality of growing old,
Is one that haunts our thoughts.
We change our age,
Ignore our ailments,
Sit back,
And watch,
As others pass on to grace.
Funerals,
Don’t get so hard to attend.
Distance forms,
Between ourselves,
And the ones we love.
We can blame it on our work,
Or our absentmindedness,
Or some addiction,
And continue the walk of our choosing.
Soon you find yourself,
In that place of dread.
Loneliness abounds,
Fear strikes us,
Reality lands upon our head.
How can I go back?
The answer is simplicity itself.
Me.
I had the mind to follow this path.
I have the mind to turn around,
To follow it back.
It may get ugly on the way,
But Redemption,
Is not for the light of heart.
My mind won’t be haunted for long.

*****

Quote for the Day:

"I'm thirty years old, but I read at the thirty-four-year-old level." -- Dana Carvey

Practical Joke Time, FN Style

2009-01-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Now is the PERFECT time for a practical joke of this type...
Go to the store and buy yourself one of those little envelopes of Corn seeds.
Go ahead...
Go buy some. I'll wait.
(whistle whistle)
Ok.
Do you have the seeds? Good!
Now, go for a walk, and be sure to take your little packet of seeds and a screw driver.
As you stroll about your neighborhood, look for those lawns that are neglected or not cut very often.
When you find one, stab said lawn with your screwdriver about an inch deep, insert a corn kernel into the hole, then step on it. If you're a ninja, you can do this in one fluid motion and no one will be the wiser. If you're not a ninja, drop a can or a bottle of water and act like you're picking it up or something.
If your neighbor is REALLY annoying, do this along the entire front of his/her lawn, depositing said kernels at a rate of 5 or so per day (about a foot apart) as you go for your leisurely stroll.
In about 60 days, the entire lawn (and house behind it) will be blocked by a nice row of corn stalks about 7 feet tall.
If you keep track of where you have deposited the kernels, you can watch and chuckle as you take your walks, and feed a family all at the same time.
Have fun with this! You could even use differing seeds. Any plant that is tall and hard to miss would be great. Sunflowers spring to mind...
Anyways, spread the laughter, and feel free to do this at my house. I LOVE corn.

*****

Quote for the day:

"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh. " -- W. H. Auden

I know I live in Cowtown USA but C'MON!

2009-01-24T23:12:00.001-08:00

Joni and I found this on our long walk today!

A sign for our times...

*****

Quote for the Day:

"To my embarrassment I was born in bed with a lady." -- Wilson Mizner

The Moment May Be Fleeting

2009-01-23T21:19:00.000-08:00

I saw her in the bookstore today.
It was if I had stepped back,
A score of years or more.
Those same big blues,
Examining me,
Through my walls,
To the center of my still heart.
I found myself looking,
At a book of Blacksmithing,
How befuddled was my mind.
The urge to call her,
Struck me like a wrecking ball.
Not drinking and smoking,
Are easy in contrast,
To the stark reality,
That I could very well destroy,
What she may already have,
Her Happiness,
If I choose to please myself,
In a moment of weakness,
To upset her life so.
I take comfort in,
Her thoughts of me every day,
I hope the smile that parts her lips,
Lingers there during those moments.
If one day,
When again I've proven to myself my worth,
We should cross our paths,
The moment may be fleeting,
But the memories and Love,
Will last a lifetime.

*****

Quote for the day:

"Wrestling with memories is more exhausting than it really should be." --- D-Bob the Wise

Do Something Positive

2009-01-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get depressed.
So!
Everyone gets depressed.
I think.
Well, anyways, when I get depressed, I just try to take my mind off of things by doing something positive.
Not necessarily something positive for myself, but something that helps me to feel better about myself or my situation.
It may be something as simple as giving a friend or family member a hug, helping someone to laugh when they're down, cleaning up a room or the yard, well....you get the idea.
I do something to keep me going. At times this can be the most difficult thing to accomplish!
Like, what if no one's around to hug, or everything is clean, or it's raining outside?
What to do?
Since I don't drink or smoke anymore, I can't do those things.
oooh...I know! FOOD!
Wait. If I eat whatever makes me feel comfy, I'll blow up like a sumo wrestler on steroids and then I'll be more depressed cause I'd have to wear one of those sumo underwear thingy's.
(YIKES what a visual!)
But, I CAN have a comfort DRINK! WOOP WOOP!
Yes, I can have tea.
Tea reminds me of several things actually. Things that remind me of good times when I was a teenager and with my friends making sweet tea as we played games. It reminds me of when I was young and used to drink the "spiced tea" we had in our cupboard. (I'll have to find that recipe. I believe it involves instant tea, tang, cinnamon, and sugar...)
Tea reminds me of the Boston Tea Party.
Ok. Not so much that. I mean, what a waste of good tea.
I'm sure the mackerels loved it though.
Speaking of mackerels, I made some HUSHPuppies last night that were superiorally sexcellent.
Yea, those were effin fattening. SO WHAT. I ain't depressed right now, and they went well with my left overs.

Tangent.

Going back to school has so far been an interesting experience.
It was a HUGE reminder that my long arse legs make it sextremely difficult to become comfortable in those tiny itty bitty effin desks. I think they make the backs of those things out of titanium alloy just so they'll make my back become dented.
However, The accounting class is interesting, and I'm sure I'll get an A in it. The professor almost makes it impossible to fail. He gives a 10% extra credit possibility from all the points possible, which, if you have any smarts whatsoever, makes you raise your grade by at the minimum one letter. If you're stupid and you don't do the extra credit, I have no sympathy for you.
*whispers* Sometimes, I see stupid people.

End Tangent.

So, the moral of todays FN blog entry is this:
When you're feeling down, Give someone a hug. Share your energy and you'd be suprised just how much energy you get back in return. Someone told me if you give of yourself freely, you'll get back 30, 60, or 100 times what you've given. Of course, that's not why you give, it's just your reward for bein FN cool. Go do something positive. It'll make me feel better.

and check this out...I WANT one of these: Clickity Click Clickaroo Right Here

*****
Quotes for the day: (yea there's quite a few today)

"Throw out an alarming alarm clock. If the ring is loud and strident, you're waking up to instant stress. You shouldn't be bullied out of bed, just reminded that it's time to start your day." -- Sharon Gold

"It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him." -- Abraham Lincoln

"Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there." -- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. " -- Henry David Thoreau

The Effin Tree

2009-01-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

So....
Umm....
The effin tree is finally all cut back!
Only took me 4 months.
Ok, wait. I took a month and a half off cause it was too cold and my digits don't work in the cold.
Before yesterday, here's what it looked like after most of the leaves had finally fallen off of it.

Cut most of it off and took a break...and took a pic. lol

There was a LOT of wood on that effin tree!

And the final product after trimming all the nubs off like we wanted them.

DANG that was a big project.

But, look at all the wood I have for staves, canes, and walking sticks!

WOOP WOOP!

*****

Quote for the Day:

"Don't worry if you're a kleptomaniac, you can always take something for it. " -- Unknown

There's 3 in line...FN open another one

2009-01-15T22:29:00.000-08:00

I consider myself a patient man.
Waiting.
We all hate it.
If you like waiting, you're FN dingy.
I can wait without getting angry most of the time.
That whole thing with the "more than 3 people in line and we'll open another register" thing was a GREAT idea. Whom ever started it was a genius.
It's really too bad every customer service organization doesn't use that simple creed.
Disney has a great philosophy with regards to lines. There's absolutely nothing they can do to speed lines up because their rides and attractions can only move so fast. So what do they do?
They sell you something. But what they sell you isn't really tangible. They sell you "customer service" by keeping you busy with your eyes. They ALWAYS give you something to occupy your thoughts as you stand in line for hours just to ride a 30 second ride. now THAT is FN genius.
Did you know that at Disney land, they control the speed of the music playing while you're walking around the park? If they see the crowds moving along to slowly, they speed up the music and people walk faster. If they notice sales are slow, they slow down the music so you'll slow down and browse the shops more.
NO EFFIN WAY!
Yes way! I learned it indirectly from the Disney Institute when I was working in theaters.
Anyhoot...back to the topic...waiting.
I wrote a poem once about waiting. It was actually a challenge that someone had wrought upon me. A lady had challenged me to write something romantic and she would send me her picture. (Yes, I was on a dating site, and no we weren't talking about nudie pics...Drat.)
Needless to say, I won the challenge.
Didn't matter that the lady fell outta da ugly tree, hittin every limb on the way down.
What mattered was, I wrote a cool poem. Which, is one of my favorites to this day.
Yea, Yea. Here it is:

Waiting

Through the mists of Avalon,
I saw her.
Like an Angel,
Her whisper warmed my soul.
Her eyes pierced my heart,
And broke down the walls protecting it.
I knew she was the one,
For whom I'd been waiting.
A single kiss she bestowed upon me,
Delicate,
Sensual,
Just for me.
And then she was gone,
Like a leaf in the wind.
Leaving behind,
A man,
Waiting,
Again.

So ummm....what else is there to say?

Is that phrase "Good things Effin come to those who wait" a lesson in futility?

According to my poem, it could mean that.

It could also mean, the person you're with may not necessarily be the best person for you.

That kinda diminishes the romance a bit though.

DRAT!

Maybe it means; Quit effin waiting and open your own register!

It's a good thing I'm 1 FN patient man.

*****

Quote for the day:

"Patience is a virtue best left to those that are sedated." --- D.L. Brown

Chalkboards and Other Things

2009-01-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

Goooooood Morrrrrrning EARTH! :)

Yes, my twin has had me working diligently on another lil thing.
I never knew there was actual paint to paint a chalkboard into being, but yes, there is.

Thanks J for learnin me somethin new! I'm so blessed to know her!

Anyhoot, a bit of sanding, a bit of chalkboard paint, a bit of sawing, a bit of painting, and there ya go! A Chalkboard for the Bestest Day care ever!!

This FN Handyman is getting quite a repertoir of things under his ummm...Gut.

Pretty FN cool if ya ask me. Go ahead, ask me. I dare ya! :P

Looks like our next project will be a sand box that we can add a roof to later. WOOOP! Gotta love sannnnnd boxes. I can't wait to make a sand hut. (I'm not good enough to make a FN castle so shut it.)

Other notes and shenanigans:

I still haven't cleaned my car out, but I have to today cause I'm takin a buddy to a dentist appointment cause he's gonna get drugged and won't be able to drive. Lucky him.

Went and finished my apps for financial aid and signed up for my classes and two of them were already closed. The nice lady at the admissions counter told me to email the instructor for the online course and to just show up at the other one as there wasn't an instructor's name yet in the schedule. (it said "staff") So, um lady...what if I don't get into that class or the other class? Will I have no class?

The things I ponder are stupendous.

The pool is in it's nasty stage for the winter. It's just not worth it to keep it full of chemicals and clean. Too much wind, cold, and weather to bother with it. It ain't like I'd go swimmin right now anyhoot. This cold is kickin my arse. I have no energy. What's up with that? I take my vitamins and everything! Guess I'm just gettin ol...nope...i'm not gonna say it. I'm still young dammit!

The nectar is exceptionally good this morning! I have no idea why, as I made it as I usually make it. Maybe it was that sneeze when I was filling the nectar pot with water....hmmmm. (harf)

Last night I was so bored that I baked something. AND IT DIDN'T BURN! OMG! We all know me and baking. Heck, I baked a pizza the other day and it came out crispy. FN Pizza. (it was yummy anyways). But back to the UNBURNT baking thing. I made a nectar cake with streusel topping that had pecans and canned pears in it. (YES I said CANNED) It's FN good! Even pop liked it. So what if I didn't make it until like eleven oclock at night. That's probably why I didn't burn it. I wasn't awake enough to pay attention to what I was doing. Needless to say...here it is for your drooling pleasure:

Ok, so it's not THAT yummy lookin. Whateva. It's still FN tasty.

Been working on a few more walking staves. They're coming along nicely.

And for now,

Must...

Have...

NECTAR! (choke)

*****

Quote for the day:

"We turn not older with years, but newer every day." -- Emily Dickinson

An exerpt from the Life

2009-01-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

This being an exerpt from the life of a FN HandyMan.

From the NEW Testament of DBob...1:69-70

And the LORD said unto Darren, you shall take macaroni, and then you shall take cheese.
You shall pair them together in a vessel made for such things, and with them you shall add much goodness. The resulting sustenance shall last for days and feed multitudes.
And, Darren did as he was commanded.

Interesting isn't it?
So I made some FN Mac & Cheese. The Lord commanded me!

First, I cooked one pound of macaroni and let it sit in the sink in a collander to drain.
Then I cut up four slices of Bacon and fried them in the same large pot I cooked the macaroni in(No, I didn't drain the fat but you can if'n ya wanna).
After it was nice and crispy, (over low heat) I added one can of cream of chicken soup, with one half can of water, and one tablespoon of my spice of life. I stirred it up with a whisk til it was nice and creamy, then I added about two cups of shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese, and continued stirring until that was nice and creamy.
Unto this, I did add the cooked macaroni, and stirred yet again, until all was coated with said bacon/cheese mixture.
AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING!

Such is the life of a FN HandyMan when he's cooking. :)

*****

Quote for the day:

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." -- J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 1997

Friend Appreciation

2009-01-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

Howdy Ya'll!
I was pondering a lil Friend Appreciation sexion where my pic is to the right there...
Does anyone care if I put their pic up on here?
I'm going to put one up a week I think...
If you don't want me to add your pic, just let me know, otherwise, it's goin up at some point!
Not much goin on today...here's my list not necessarily done in this order:
Pray to God and thank him for my friends and my day.
Wait on my financial aid app to go through for classes.
Gotta paint (prime first then paint) a frame for a chalkboard.
Charge a battery for a car.
Do three loads of laundry.
Drink lotsa nectar.
Possibly go to dinner with my buddy JT in from San Diego.
Drink lotsa Tea. (cause it's better'n me drinkin lotsa alcohol)
ummm...what else?
oh!
Fold said Laundry.
Clean my Car out.
Text a buncha Texts.
Kick my Computer in the Throat.
Maybe go to the 99 cent store.
Eat a Pickle.
ok...that's all I can think of.
oh wait! One more!
Say DRAT at least once today.

What's on your list?

*****

Quote for the day:

"Whatever you are by nature, keep to it; never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for and you will succeed. " -- Sydney Smith

and OMG this one was good too:

"We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves. " -- Eric Hoffer

Yet Another Fun Project

2009-01-07T23:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, another project has been etched in the annals of history.

I had help with this one though! (Thanks Joni!)

We started off with some wood...and cut and sanded and cut and routed and cut and and...ok I can't think of any more ands, so here's the effin pics...

So we got those shapes and them thar shelves...

Then we FN painted em!

Theeeeeeeeeeeeeen, we put em together on the wall...and VOILA!

A FN TREE BOOKSHELF!

ok...so all I did was the shelves...Joni did all the rest, so she's been demoted to the FN handy Aprincess position. Ha! (she didn't wanna be called an apprentice)
Yet another job well done by yours truly (with a lotta help).
We Rock.
and the kids in the day care love it.
So there.
Anybody got any projects for me?

*****

Quote for the day:

"We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done." -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

ALIENS ARE COMING!

2009-01-06T08:34:00.001-08:00

ok.
I woke up but didn't wake up and was out making some NECTAR of the GODS this morning when allofasudden (yes that's one word) this strange effin humming noise began in my ear.
and it got louder.....and Louder....and LOUder....and LOUDER!
I freaked and was still wakin up and thought aliens were landing in the back yard!
Turns out it was just a fn loud arse street sweeper going really fn slow past the house.
Of course it went around my car and didn't clean the leaves all around it.
Duh.
Technology sucks sometimes....
Specially when street sweepers masquerade as an Alien invasion.

Thus this sexcellent Haiku:

Coffee made this morn,
And alien invasion,
Woke me FN UP!

Keep smilin today...it breaks up the monotony of your face. (thanks Mike lol)

*****
Quote for the day:

"I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. " -- Noel Coward

A New Year, An Old Life

2009-01-04T05:17:00.000-08:00

The new year has begun.

Ode to joy.

Did you make a NY's Resolution?

I've decided this year not to even bother.

I'll take what life throws at me and still kick and scream.

I mean, why wait til a new year begins to change your life?

I did that 53 days ago, so HA! (stopped smoking AND drinking)

Goin back to school this semester at the local JC too.

Guess I should get on that. It's only been 16 years.

I stopped going when my son was born....time to get back there and finish a degree or something!

I only have 4 classes to go to get my AA in English, but I think I'll begin classes for an AA in Small Business Management and then see what goes on from there. Can't hurt!

Oh, I got the staves done, and I'm happy to say that everyone thought they turned out awesome! I thought so too...they were a lot of work. I still have more to make, but now I can do them at my own speed instead of being rushed.

Here's a lil video of them:

If you're interested, shoot me an email and we can discuss price now that my prototypes are out of the way...They'll only get better from here!

Speaking of prices, I still have some of my Spice of Life if anyones interested. Just made a new batch actually! WOOP!

Here's what you get for $7 plus shipping costs:

That's about 7 ounces of deeeeeelicious spices that go great on ANYthing! (Even your finger lol)
Again, shoot me an email if interested in my Spice of Life!

That's about it for the new year update. I hope all is going well in your neck of the woods! :)

*****

Quote for the day:

"All of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." -- Dale Carnegie

And another one on similiar lines:

"You cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand? " -- Robert Louis Stevenson

FN NEW YEAR HAM SPREAD!

2008-12-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

HAPPY FN NEW YEAR My Friends! :)

Now, I know you're looking for some Hors Deuvres to make for all your friends to come over and play tonight, and I know you wanna FN Recipe for one. So....Here ya go!
My FN Ham Spread!

FN HAM SPREAD

1 1/2 cups ground cooked ham (FN left over from the Holidays)
1/8 cup minced onion
1/8 cup minced celery
1/8 cup minced dill pickle
1 minced pickled Jalapeno pepper (Yea! FN put it in!)
1 teaspoon Gahlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper (NO FN salt. ham's salty enough)
1 tbsp Yellow mustard
4 tbsp Mayonnaise

1. Grind the ham in a food processor. If ya don't have a food processor, go FN buy one. You need it.
2. take all ingredients and put them in their own separate lil bowls like the chefs do on tv.
3. Then get a bigger bowl and chill it in the frig overnight.
4. Skip steps 2 and 3 and just get out a bowl big enough to mix all the ingredients in.
5. Put all ingredients in said bowl.
6. Mix like a FN Human stand mixer.
7. Enjoy on crackers, celery, or even a FN sammich.
8. who cares how much it makes. It's FN good.
9. I'm just thinking of things to write cause I want a list of 10.
10. HAPPY FN NEW YEAR YA'LL!

TADA!

*****

Quote for the Day:

"Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. " -- Og Mandino

I don't Bake...I Burn

2008-12-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

Yea, so....when I cook on a stove top or even sometimes roast in the oven, I make deeeeelicious food.

My curse is baking things. Like cookies and such. I totally burn them, no matter what I do. I could blame it on the oven. I could blame it on the altitude (sha!). I could even blame it on the ingredients. But, no matter WHERE I am or what I'm baking, if it's dessertish, it's toast.

Good example?

Ok.

Here's my friend's baking prowess with which I helped (meaning I watched).

Yummy! Like 4 or 5 different types of cookies, all made from scratch.

Here's mine...

Looks tasty right?

Store bought, in the frig sextion, ready to bake lil squares. All I had to do was follow the instructions. Yea, I followed em. Then I added like 1 minute at a time cause it wasn't even brown after the maximum cookie baking time on the FN instructions.

FINALLY it looked done, so I took it out. VOILA! looks like in the picture.

After only adding SIX fn minutes.

Take one bite, it crumbles into dust.

FN cookies.

I'll just buy em already fn burnt from now on and save me the trouble.

*****

Quote for the Day:

"They certainly give very strange names to diseases." -- Plato

A Very Merry Christmas to You!

2008-12-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

During this Christmas season,
Though the Blues may come,
Though the money ran out,
Though the family may fight,
or the Food may not turn out,
You have but to remember,
The Reason of the Season.
Have faith that you are loved.
The Blues will turn to Joy,
The Money will return,
The Family will make up,
And The Food will still burn,
If I'm trying to bake.
A Very Merry Christmas to you,
My Friends and Family!
Above All,
Remember to Live,
Remember to Laugh,
and Remember to Love.

Josephine Ruth Brown
Oct 10, 1938 - Dec 26, 2007

God Bless you Mom!

*****

Quote for the day:

"Shared laughter creates a bond of friendships. When people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, teacher and pupils, worker and boss. They become a single group of human beings. " -- W. Lee Grant

Noggin Joggin!

2008-12-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

Try this sometime....
Give yourself 3.5 minutes to write a poem and see what comes out of your noggin.
This was my Noggin Joggin for the day... lol (and no, I never said ALL my effin poems were good so :P )

Ode to this CA Weather...

Oh this California weather peaks,
This Global Warming,
It surely Does Reek.
My pool froze over,
Just the other day,
As if I was in Iceland,
Some city by a bay.
What the HECK!
I didst decry,
All the while,
Mine nasal passages,
They did die.
My Nose Runneth over,
My lungs they did sneeze,
My toes went blue all over,
They surely did freeze.
It never rains in California!
HA! They were oh so wrong,
Eff those dang Liberals who wrote that song!
Give me back my warmth,
Oh Great God in the Sky,
I can’t rhyme with warmth,
So I’ll just say Bye Bye.

yea yea. it sucked...
so what?
:)
I get to go pick up my son at the airport tonight! YAY!

Have a great weekend everyone!

*****

Quote for the day:

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. " -- Robert Frost

Another Project in the Books

2008-12-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, I completed a small project commissioned by a good friend of mine!

WOOP WOOP!

She asked me to make her a children's picnic table for her daycare business and even had the plans. How could I say no to THAT kinda fun!

She knew I needed something to do and I knew she needed the table so we got to work....

She made the tea whilst I made the table and VOILA!

A kid-sized pic-a-nic table!!

The kids were SO happy and proud of their little table! It made me feel good that they loved it and my friend loved it. Heck, I'm still grinnin from it!

It was a fun little project. If anyone is interested you can Clickety click clickaroo

RIGHT HERE!

for the website with the plans...

What a fun and fairly quick project! Thanks for the fun J!

*****

Quote for the day:

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Two-fer today!:

"Never feel self-pity, the most destructive emotion there is. How awful to be caught up in the terrible squirrel cage of self." -- Millicent Fenwick

Caption This! 12-16-08

2008-12-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

YAY! It's that time again....

What comes to your mind first when you view the pic below? Hmmmm??? Commmmmennnnnntttttt! :)

*****

Quote for the day: (ok more like a question for the day...)

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" -- Dr. Robert Schuller

Dream Interpreters R Us

2008-12-12T06:17:00.000-08:00

After yesterdays post, I was curious as to what flying means in your dream.
So, being the nerd that I am, I googled "Dream interpretation" and found a website (Link is below).
This is what it told me about flying in your dreams:

Flying dreams fall under a category of dreams where you become aware that you are dreaming, known as lucid dreaming. Many dreamers have described the ability to fly in their dreams as an exhilarating, joyful, and liberating experience.
If you are flying with ease and enjoying the scene and landscape below, then it suggests that you are on top of a situation. You have risen above something. It may also mean that you have gained a different perspective on things. Flying dreams and the ability to control your flight is representative of your own personal sense of power.
Having difficulties staying in flight indicates a lack of power in controlling your own circumstances. You may be struggling to stay aloft and stay on course. Things like power lines, trees, or mountains may further obstruct your flight. These barriers represent a particular obstacle or person who is standing in your way in your waking life.
You need to identify who or what is hindering you from moving forward.If you are feeling fear when you are flying or that you feel that you are flying too high, then it suggests that you are afraid of challenges and of success.In reality, we do not have the ability to fly. Thus such dreams may represent that which is beyond our physical limitations.
In your mind, you can be anybody and do anything. Another way of interpreting flying dreams is that these dreams symbolize your strong mind and will. You feel undefeatable and nobody can tell you what you cannot do and accomplish. Undoubtedly these dreams leave you a great sense of freedom.

Pretty interesting huh!!
I favorited that website instantly.
I'll be back there today checking out what last nights dream meant. It was ummm....weird to say the least.
Going down to the local community college today to get my transcripts and see what I actually need to finish my Associate in Arts Degree. I'm pretty sure I only need a few classes, and I want to make sure I take the right ones. I may re-take a class or two as well. But, I need that FN transcript to make sure. YAY! Fiellllld Triiiiiip!

Oh, here's the link to that website if you're interested:

CLICKETY CLICK CLICKEROO RIGHT HERE!

*****

Quote for the day:

"Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary. " -- Robert Louis Stevenson

*foot note: Where was RLS during our last election???

Book-Scape

2008-12-11T10:58:00.001-08:00

Everyone's had a dream that they didn't want to wake up from, whether it was sexual, inspiring, or just a really great adventure. I had a dream that I didn't want to wake up from this morning. No, I didn't wake up with morning wood, (lol) but it was an inspiring really great adventure.
These types of dreams, when I have them, are usually book material. And, this dream was no exception to that rule that may be uniquely mine. (I know it's not, and people that are born on the same day as me usually have strange dreams as well.)
Without getting into the details of the dream, it had to do with "energies" again. This strange compulsion I have with internal energy is almost annoying. If it wasn't so fascinating to me, I may have stopped talking about it already. (Ha Ha!)
In this dream, I got to fly again. I've said before that I fly alot in my dreams. I haven't for quite a while, so this was a treat for me. I haven't dreamt of flying for months. Perhaps, only when I'm at peace with myself or surroundings do I dream that. Hmmm, something for me to think about more. By the way, in the dreams, it's not flying in an airplane or a some contraption, it's me flying all by my lonesome, like some kind of power or gift. I'm sure most of us have been asked the question, "If you could have a super power and could choose, what would it be?".
DUH! Mine would be the power of flight.
No, it's not one of the greatest super powers, but hey, that's my pick. Yea, I'm a nerd. So what?
If they ever make some kind of technology that lets us fly around by ourselves, I am SO there getting one. Scientists... HURRY UP ALREADY!
Hey, that would solve our energy problems regarding cars. A family could just fly their way to their vacation. Ya know, tether the kids to the parents so they don't fly off by themselves.
Men could just unzip and pee on a forest or something if they had to...or ummmm they could make outhouses in mid-air. (Ok that was dumb, outhouses don't have a bottom to them and the pee would just fall to the earth anyways lol)
Tannnngent.
Anyhoot, I had a great dream that I didn't want to wake up from this morning and I wish I could share, but I like to keep these to myself. If I dream it again, then I really know that it's novel material. And, this particular one, would be of great interest to some people. I'll have to talk to one of my BFF's about it just to get it off my chest (so to speak). Methinks I'll start one of those dream journals someday. I've got one sitting right here on my desk. It could easily be used as such. I even have a pen! WOOHOO!
Had any good dreams lately?

*****

Staff update:
I've stripped, sanded, sanded again, wiped, stained, and stained again the majority (all but two) of the staves (ok, I'm gonna spell it staffs from now on...) that I'm making for Christmas. The staining and clear coating process takes several days, as each coat needs to dry well before another coat is applied. Between the staining and clear coating the staffs get another light sanding to knock off anything that has risen in the grain from the staining process. I've completed 6 staffs now, with the last 5 to be completed soon. WOOHOO! It's been a fun project. I'm happy about the results. I started a new one yesterday, scraping it down to the bare wood. I think that's the hardest part of the whole process. Time consuming it is, but such an important part of it. I'll post a video of the completed staffs after I've finished them all....

*****
Quote for the day:

"If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory. There seems something more speakingly incomprehensible in the powers, the failures, the inequalities of memory, than in any other of our intelligences. The memory is sometimes so retentive, so serviceable, so obedient; at others, so bewildered and so weak; and at others again, so tyrannic, so beyond control! We are, to be sure, a miracle every way; but our powers of recollecting and of forgetting do seem peculiarly past finding out." -- Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

and another just cause:

"The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy." -- Florence Shinn

Dec 7th 1941, a date which will live in Infamy!

2008-12-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

The following is the now famous Pearl Harbor speech delivered to a joint session of Congress by President Roosevelt, 67 years ago today, the day following the attack upon our country by the nation of Japan which entered us into World War II. NEVER FORGET the sacrifice of our nation and our military.

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

*****

Here is the Audio of that very same speech...

*****

Quote for the Day:

"I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions." -- Augusten Burroughs, Magical Thinking

OMG my SON is SIXTEEN TODAY!

2008-12-04T11:55:00.001-08:00

Yes, it's true. Leyen is the big 1...6...today.
UGH! I'm gettin old.
and I need more nectar....so I video'ed me goin to get it for ya. LOL
I'm a dork. SO WHAT!
I can live with it...
Yes. This video is dark. I have a FN cheap video camera. Go Figure.

*****

Quote for the day:

"I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty. " -- George Burns

What is "NORMAL" Anyways?

2008-12-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

I was having a conversation with a friend last night about “normal”.
We came to the conclusion rather quickly that there IS no normal anymore.
“Normal” is only what you have experienced.
It’s totally different for every single person. Even in a family situation, there may be some correlations with other family members, but normal for one child or one adult is and can be something extremely different. Normal for the Father is (or should be) going to work and providing for the family. The mother, keeping the house, or the second income, etc. Anyways, you get my drift.
So, normal could be being socially accepted or politically correct. I say eff those. Do what you want within the realms of civility and the law.
Wear your hat crooked if that’s normal for you. (no don't, that's what I do, you can't be normal like me.)
I suppose the word “Individual” could now be interposed with “Normal”, because since it’s different for everyone, we could use it instead.
You’re “normal” is your identity. Fit into it. Shape it. Be who you are. If someone doesn’t like you for it, Eff em! Of course, this doesn’t give you license to be uncivil and a total asshole. Well, I suppose it does, if you want to be “Normally” without friends. That would be on you.
ASSHOLES UNITE!
Ok. Tangent there.
So, back to being norrrrrmal.
Oh, wait, that’s Individual for me isn’t it.
HA! HA!
Here’s the challenge for the day.
Don’t say “normal”. Instead, say “individual”.
I wonder what kinds of comments you’ll get…

*****

Quote for the day:

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." -- Samuel Johnson, (attributed; also attributed to Ann Landers)

Caption This!! 11-30-08

2008-11-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hey ya'll!

Here's a fun lil game I call "Caption This!"

See that lil picture down there?

The idea is for you to put a caption on the photo (in the comment section).

Whatever comes to mind'll be wonderful I'm sure!

Funny, Sad, nonchallant! They ALL work!

So...here ya go...CAPTION THIS!

*****

Quote for the Day:

"To die is nothing; but it is terrible not to live. " -- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

Teachers Don't Think Of Themselves

2008-11-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

I’ve mentioned before that I have some very strange dreams.
Last night, I not only had a strange dream, but I had one that’s been making me think.
Go figure!
I was working in a movie theater again. I wasn’t the Manager, I was the manager’s assistant. (That’s the strange part to me)
I was busy doing weekly chores that one does in that business, and the District Manager showed up. Apparently I was working in the theater he was based in. After a while, my chores led me past a meeting he was holding and I overheard him saying there were openings he was looking to fill in theaters in his district.
Later, I asked him about the openings.
He told me that no, there weren’t any openings.
We both knew that he was not telling the truth.
So I said, “Let’s be honest with each other. Do you not want me holding a Management position again?”
His reply was “No.”
I stood there waiting for an explanation with a stupid look on my face.
He stated plainly, “Teachers don’t think of themselves.”
I heard what he had said, but didn’t absorb it right away.
He continued, “I see a shift in you in the right direction. But you’re not there yet.” He smiled, put a hand on my shoulder, then walked away to continue his work. (what’s funny was I bothered him in the middle of him ‘testing’ a video game…)
I walked back to my desk, at the top of a dusty hill where a friend (I assume) pulled up in their truck. I sat down with a smile on my face, and then I awoke.
I woke with the same smile on my face, in the same profound thought as I had been in the dream before I woke up. And, I’ve been thinking about it since.
The depth of that single sentence, coming from a man I’ve looked up to for years, is still hitting me in ways I never expected.
“Teachers don’t think of themselves.”
This isn’t just talking about academic teachers. Teachers can be found in so many other positions and professions if you think about it.
Heck, Parent are teachers. They’re the most important ones in my mind.
As I woke up this morning, thinking in wonder at the small revelation I had just had,
I thought to myself, “Thank you God (for that wisdom you’ve bestowed upon me)”.
I’ve thanked God several times since then.
Now, I’m not here to preach, but I may be here to teach.
My thoughts have wandered to things I’ve done, and the motivation for which I did them.
Sometimes, I’ve done things in the name of something else, when all I was really doing them for was because of the way it made Me feel or because of feelings I was having that I had to cope with.
Quite a different sized revelation to me.
I’m sure I’ll continue to think about the phrase that came to me in my dreams last night, delivered by the entity I look up to.
Only good can come out of it.

*****

Quote for the day:

"If you don't risk anything you risk even more." -- Erica Jong

*****

Update on the tree...

Let's Try This Video Thingy

2008-11-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

YAY! My first video upload ever!

yea so I look stupid...so what... lol

Anyone know of a good free movie editor??

******

Quote for the day:

"Character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose. " -- Evan Esar

Healing Personified

2008-11-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

I just saw an article on a local news station about a phenomenon called Reiki (pronounced ray-key).
It's interesting how this subject keeps coming up and being brought to my attention. (or maybe I'm just noticing it more because it interests me.)
Here's the clinical definition of Reiki:

"Reiki is the Japanese word for Universal Life Force Energy. It is an ancient, natural energy healing art that balances energy in the body and promotes health on all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. “Rei” means universal, higher power. “Ki” is the life force energy that is flowing through everything that is alive. Ki is similar to Qi (chi) in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Prana in Hinduism, and the Holy Spirit in Christianity. However, Reiki is not a religion or belief system. Reiki is simply a healing force that follows the Universal Laws of spiritual consciousness and unconditional love. It is a powerful tool for healing and balance. " - from the Transformational Healing website (email me if you'd like a link)

So basically, this has to do with what I've been blogging about lately.
Energy!!
This energy, however, is channeled through you, instead of using your own energy, you're using the energy around you to help people heal. From what I've read so far, this healing doesn't cure diseases, but can help ease pain and such. I'll definitely be doing more research on the subject.
This is getting weird. LOL
Why does this subject keep coming up??
I suppose I'm searching for some meaning to it all. That's a good thing. Nothing wrong with learning something new.
I'll continue to let you know what I find out about this totally interesting phenomenon (to me anyways).
What do you think? Are there such energies, in, and around us?
I'm interested enough to believe that there 'could' be.
I mean, what if there IS some energy we can tap into to help others and ourselves!
That would be amazing and life altering for everyone.
Yep, definitely have to look into this more....

*****

Quote for the day:

"You are young, my son, and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters. " -- Plato, Dialogues, Theatetus

Honor is Still Among Us

2008-11-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

I just read an article about J.P. Hayes, a pro golfer, who disqualified himself because of a small error while he was playing in a tournament.
here's the link if you want to read it:

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/J-P-Hayes-is-as-honest-as-we-like-to-think-we-a?urn=golf,123304

The gist of the article is that this guy told on himself regarding a rule he broke while playing a round of golf in the tournament. Nobody would have noticed the error, but he did the honorable thing after he noticed what he had done.
I think that's cool. Now it may be a minor thing to a guy that's made 7 million dollars through out his sports career, but nonetheless, he did the right thing.
Would I do the same?
I can say yes. I'd rather be able to sleep at night, than play or do something dishonorably.
I wonder if I've passed this kind of ethic on to my son, and whether he knows if I'm that type of man.
It's an interesting topic.
If only our politicians were as honorable...
Good Job J.P.!

*****

Quote for the day:

"The purpose of life is to fight maturity." -- Dick Werthimer

Who I am to Become

2008-11-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

Who I Am To Become

11-19-08

Finding myself
To be someone I’ve become,
A disappointing revelation,
That shook my soul,
Thanks to the one
Who helped me realize.
I’m sorry,
She’s no longer in my life.
I’ll regret that for a long time.
Yet, It’s time to be again,
The person I used to be.
The happy man,
The working man,
The sane man,
The responsible man,
The parental man,
The friend,
The giver,
The caring man,
The man I used to be.
Let the man,
Show him self,
That it’s possible.
I think I’m going to like the man,
Who I am to become.

******

Quote for the day:

"Go to your bosom; Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know." -- William Shakespeare, 'Measure for Measure'

Joke for the day:

Q: Why do Scotsmen wear kilts?

A: Because the sound of zippers scare the sheep away.

Protons, Electrons, and Neutrons

2008-11-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

Have you ever worked with someone that was happy ALL the time? (annoying aren't they...)
I mean, I’d rather work with someone that was positive and upbeat all the time rather than someone not those things. They create a wonderful atmosphere, conducive to working in a positive manner. You can draw off of this energy and become energized yourself (because they're actually sharing it). It’s actually quite enjoyable once you think about it.
On the flip side however, is that person that comes in with a negative attitude ALL the time. They suck. Literally! They suck the energy right out of you. Sometimes you can even feel the FN leaches draining your energy right out from your chest. They too affect everyone around them, in a negative way. It’s like they get a kick out of it sometimes too. You know why right? It’s because they’re leaching everyone’s energy and getting a kind of “high” off of it. Only, it doesn’t last long because it was stolen instead of given, and when all that energy wears off, it’s like trying to stop a habit.
Energy is strange that way. It’s almost as if the universe is saying “Hey. Share your energy and you get rewarded, steal your energy and you get the DT’s.”
Then we have those folks that are either taking and giving their energy, usually at the same time, or they don’t do either. They could be devoid of energy. Sometimes I think I get like this. It’s a detachment from your feelings, kind of like when you’re at a funeral or ummm…a wedding (lol). You just build this shell around you and don’t let anyone take or give their energy to you. You just want to get through the day.
So I suppose you could categorize people into those three broad categories when it has to do with the energy I was speaking of in my “Handshake” entry.
I believe it’s a choice to be these types of people. Mind over matter.
If you believe that you get the choice every day to get up out of bed and have a great day, then more than likely you’ll have a good day. I think that’s a healthy mindset to choose everyday. If you choose to have a bad day, for whatever reason, you’re going to have a bad day.
I say, choose to be a Proton instead of an Electron or a Neutron.
If you can’t get up on the right side of the bed everyday, then put that side against the wall so you have to get up on the positive side of life and annoy all the Neutrons and Electrons with how positive you are!

****

Quote for the day:

"Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it." -- Henry David Thoreau

NERDS UNITE!

2008-11-16T09:31:00.000-08:00

Remember me telling you that I was a nerd?

Here's a good example....I actually LOVE this clock! LOL

Happy Sunday Everyone!

*****

Quote for the day:

"If you do not wish to be prone to anger, do not feed the habit; give it nothing which may tend to its increase. " -- Epictetus

A project and a Half!

2008-11-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

We have a huge tree in our front yard.

I think it's a fruitless Mulberry.

Every year, we usually trim all the new growth off (from the prior year) and cut the thing down to the huge nubs before or near Halloween.

Last year, we didn't get to it for various reasons, but this year, it's a huge undertaking.

I've been working on it every few days for the last couple weeks and here's several of the nubs I've cut back.

Here's how many I have left.... Needless to say, I've only accomplished about 30% of the entire tree. So, I have all this wood laying around, and I decided to do something with it....
What you say?
Lemme see...long straight sticks....Hmmmm.
Yea, ok. I decided to make Staves. Walking sticks. Plural of Staff.
Why?
Duh!
Cause I want to!

Here's the pile of sticks I've collected for staff making...

And some I've trimmed already...

So I have this pile of trimmed mostly straight sticks.

I figured I need them to dry out so that I can sand them, stain them, and lacquer them. But I had to take off the bark first.

I stripped ten limbs today and have them drying in my bathroom with a space heater to speed up the process...

FUN, FUN!
After they dry well, I'm going to go get several different shades of stain and stain them up, then probably a spray finish....
Ahhhh (sigh)....the things a FN HandyMan'll do to occupy his spare time!

******

Quote for the day:

"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal." -- Albert Camus

and another one just cause:

"Drink, Sir, is a great provoker of three things, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, it provokes, and unprovokes: it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore, much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes him, and it mars him; it sets him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him, and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and not stand to: in conclusion, equivocates him in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him." -----Shakespeare, Macbeth, 2.3.26-37

An old poem revised

2008-11-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

The Call

A battle every day.
Helps me sleep.
Cures my hurt.
Used to make my friends laugh.
Costs me my paycheck.
Smoke a cigarette.
I do things I would never do.
Say things I would never say.
Tell Jokes for days.
Fall down.
Struggle to stand up.
Ignore the world.
Walk into doors.
Put up walls.
Get sick.
Life goes on hold.
Drown my sorrow.
Try to forget.
All for the Call,
Of Alcohol.

*****
Today's Quote:

"Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices." -- Benjamin Franklin

Do you know?

2008-11-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

Why that Kenny Rogers song is on my play list?

It's cause my mom's fav artist was he.

I miss her.

God Bless you Momma!

Don't Judge a Cover by It's Book

2008-11-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

Have you ever known someone that is just a peaceful person?
That’s what I strive to be.
I mean, c’mon! I’m a Lover not a fighter!
But, that doesn’t mean that if I’m pressed, I won’t fight back.
A simple example of this is when I was living with my girlfriend at the time.
She always had thought that because I’m not a violent man that I couldn’t take care of myself in a scrap. One time, she wanted to wrestle (playfully). So, we were rolling on the bed for at least a half hour, wrestling. She got SO mad at me because she couldn’t pin me!
She tried and tried and tried, but she couldn’t do it. She had it in her head that I was peaceful and that there was no way that she couldn’t possibly not win.
She got a lesson in balance, pins, holds, and slips that night. LOL, GOD I was having fun!
She finally got so mad, she broke a nail on me and that ended it.
The respect she gave me afterwards though, was quite interesting. She looked at me in a different light I guess. Not in a bad way, in a good way, and I noticed.
I suppose my point of this diatribe is that one shouldn’t always judge someone just because of beliefs and philosophies. Just because someone uses their mind instead of their physical attributes, doesn’t make that person any less of a person.
I was a nerd in high school and was treated like one. Hell, I still AM a nerd! Just ask anyone that knows me…
I’m a lover, not a fighter. But, when pressed, I WILL fight back. With a ferocity! If I’m going to fight, I’m going to fight to win.
In the meantime, I’ll continue my search for inner and outer peace, and try to be a bright spot in my friends lives.
Love.
Laugh.
Live.

The three L’s of an FN Handyman!

Peace!

*********

Quote for the day:

"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. " -- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Handshake

2008-11-10T10:19:00.001-08:00

I'm pretty sure everyone has shaken someone's hand before. We're such a civilized country (harf!).
What exactly is a handshake, or perhaps a better question would be, What should a handshake be?

I believe it can be so much more than a greeting, an agreement binder, or a simple action that can oft times be so overlooked.
I'll tell you when I had this revelation.
I went to a bbq at a friends house several years ago. I met a young asian woman there who shook my hand. As she did so, she used both hands to grasp my hand, and held on for more than I was used to at the time.
I'm wasn't sure exactly at the time it happened, whether it was the warmth with which she completed the shake, the smile on her face, the look in her eyes, the calming sound of her voice, or a combination of all of those, but I'm quite sure now what exactly happened.
She shared her energy with me!
Whether you believe in karma, aura, soul, or whatever, I believe one CAN share their energy with others, just by a touch. Sometimes just being in close proximity to someone who is adept at sharing their energy can be enough for them to share.
It only makes sense. The human brain is ran on energy. Our thoughts are electrical impulses bouncing around between synapses. We should be able to share this "electricity" with our humanity.
Once I figured out what she had done, I started shaking hands like that.
I may not do it every time, but I do try to be conscious about it.
I suppose I don't necessarily want to share my energy with everyone, but when I'm feeling good about a situation, you'll get the double hand-handshake from me.
Try this if you want...
Hold your hands out in front of you. Close your eyes, and mentally picture the energy inside your chest. Then, take a deep breath and as you exhale slowly, picture that energy flowing from your chest to both of your hands. Concentrate on it. Keep repeating this for at least 30 seconds.
The first time I did this, my hands started to tingle. It was quite amazing really.
If you continue to practice that little exercise, I believe, you'll be on the road to sharing energy.
Now, why share your energy through a handshake?
The reason, I believe, is all of those reasons I stated at the beginning of this entry, and a much more profound one. To remind you that we as humans are all in this together. Humanity is just that, one race. The Human Race.
DUH!
"They" say that you can share your energy with other life forms as well. Try sharing your energy with an ailing plant. Just do that little exercise, while you're touching the plant. Do it once a day (make sure the FN plant is watered) and I'm willing to bet the plant will be replenished.
Share your energy while your cooking. Best of all, share your energy when making love.

The next time you shake someones hand, try grasping as you normally would, then use your other hand to cover the rest of your shakee's hand. Share some energy. I bet they'll remember you for it.

**********

Other notes for today...

The meatballs yesterday were FAN-FN-TASTIC! I hope you try them!

If you'd like to leave a comment, and you don't want to sign up for an account and use the "anonymous" thingy...please leave your name in the comment. I'd love to know who's commenting. If you don't want to and really want to be anonymous, that's ok too! :)

Here's a quote for the day:

"I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. That's deep enough. What do you want, an adorable pancreas? " -- Jean Kerr

FN ASIAN MEATBALLS

2008-11-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

I'm going over to a good friends today for football after church and I'm bringing some sexcellent meatballs for all of us to enjoy...here's the FN recipe!

FN MEATBALLS with ASIAN BBQ SAUCE

4 tbsp Brown Sugar
4 tbsp Rice Vinegar
4 tbsp Sriracha Sauce (asian chili sauce)
The juice Of Two FN Oranges (you can use some zest too if'n ya wanna)
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
3 tbsp minced Gahlic

1- 2 lb bag of those frozen FN Meatballs ya get at the FN grocery store
1.5 tbsp Corn Starch mixed with water to dissolve it

Mix all the ingredients except the meatballs in a jar, or bowl, or whatever you FN wanna.
Then open the meatball bag and pour them BBQ sauce in there, seal it, and let them marinate over night in the refrigerator to defrost.
Take them suckers out the next day and put them in a crock pot or a stock pot, and let them slow cook for a couple hours until heated thoroughly FN through.
Then, drain the juice into a sauce pan, mix in the corn starch mixture, and bring just to a boil so that it thickens up. Pour back onto the FN meatballs for a savory gravy!
Serve this over rice, egg noodles, smashed potatoes, or whatever your FN heart desires!

Serves a bunch a FN people. Takes some FN time, but it's worth it.

ok....now I'm gonna finish enjoying my NECTAR of the GODS!
Ya'll have a wonderful FN Sunday!

WELCOME MY FRIENDS!

2008-11-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

HOWDY FOLKS!

It's me! 1 FN HandyMan! (aka Darren)

Welcome to my new blog, "FN SHENANIGANS!" where you will find all things that are FN in my life!

Make yourself at home, leave a message, tell a joke, enjoy what you may read, or hear, or see.

I'll have many different things on here as I build my little FN world on Blogger. You may find pictures to comment on, poetry, recipes (with my FN touch of course lol), Political commentary, rants, raves, jokes, Handyman tips, and pretty much anything I feel like adding.

I hope you like it, and I'll be writing again very soon.

I'm not sure if there's a notification thing on here to let you know if I've posted a new blog, but feel free to drop me a line at dudemovie@gmail.com and ask me to add you to my email notification list!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have an FN DAY! :)