A 10 by 10 by 10 Box

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

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

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.

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

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!

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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