December 23, 2007

Home...

... again, home again, jiggety jig. Home again, home again, to be a fat pig.

Home. Travel? Smooth. With the exception of my ride to the airport being passed out, the day went well. Got into O'Hare just in time to buy my ticket and hop on the bus. On the road within ten minutes.

First thing I had once I got to Beloit? An eggnog shake. From Culvers. Two things that California lacks. Oh... the McD's has a shake that they call an eggnog shake (if you can even find one that serves 'em), but they ain't like here. Culvers? Nearest one is in Phoenix. It's damn criminal that they've not moved to Fresno, yet.

Back to the eggnog shake phenomenon... I asked around, and was told that they used to serve them, many years ago. Now? As a Hispanic friend of mine told me, "Find the whiteys, you'll find your shakes. You'll have to head into the mountains. Ain't no brown man gonna drink that shit, so you won't find it down here." Sooooo... I'm thinking that come St. Patty's day, should I want a shamrock shake, I'm going to have to find a damn leprechaun...

How can you have Christmas without eggnog shakes?

December 15, 2007

Clickin' My Boots

Next week, at this time, I will either be in Beloit, Wisconsin, or standing/sitting/crouching in an airport due to weather conditions. Hopefully, it's the former.

Home for a week. 'Twill be cool...

Most time is going to be spent with family. However, one day, Contagion, and I have to go to Hooter's. And Carlyle Brewing company. And Fritz's.

Another day, and I'm shooting for Thursday, the 27th, I'd like to hit Klas. If you're in the area, and would like to hook up, drop a comment. I'd like to get down there for supper.

Friday, I'd like to put in a double shift at Fritz's. Gotta spend some time with the pallies, you know.

I know I'll be seeing a few of ya, I just don't know when... but we'll figure it out.

Gott, it'll be good to be home...

December 10, 2007

Out and About

After spending last weekend stranded in my apartment, I had to get out and away, even if it was against my better judgment to take the car on a long drive without a good test drive first. So on Saturday, I drove up to the Bay area, and met up with Mark, of "Knockin on the Golden Door." Had a blast

Car ran fine (thank Gott), and after a three and half hour drive, I arrived at Casa de Knockin. It wasn't rockin', so I bothered to knock, and got a loud laugh in reply. Next thing I knew, the door is thrown open, and there's Mark with a huge grin on his face. He introduced me to his wife, we visited for a bit, and then we headed out to San Francisco.

I'd never been to the city before, so we had tons of things to see, but little time to do much of it. Especially since we were going to hit the four o'clock tour to Alcatraz. After a lunch at Mel's Drive In, we headed on down to Fisherman's Wharf, where I learned about time keeping in SF.

Seems that time and distance are measured in ways that aren't common elsewhere. For instance: looking for pier 33, we were pointed in a southeastern direction, and told to go "ten minutes past the Christmas tree." WTF??? A glance at my companions told me that this was not really common there, either.

Alcatraz was very cool. I'd have loved to have spent more time there, snooping about, but since we were the last tour of the day, we had only so much time. I plan on going back, and spending some serious time there, though not in confines.

There's talk of Alcatraz being haunted, and that was of great interest to me. Especially one of the "hole" cells. Eyes have been seen, and voices heard in the darkness of the cell. It's been said that an inmate was killed by something spectral, too. I wanted to check it out.

As we toured around, some of the hole cells were open. These things were kept dark, with the lights rarely on. On the audio tour, one inmate described keeping himself busy by removing a button from his clothes, dropping it on the floor, and searching in the dark until he found it. Once he found it, he would drop it again and repeat the process.

Anyway, as I entered one of the cells, I had an experience. I walked in, with the lights from outside barely cutting the darkness, when I felt a smothering sensation. The air was putrid, and I could barely breathe. I didn't see any eyes, however. But I was dealing with the ghosts of someone's lunch. Someone had decided to drop ass in the cell just before I got in there. They about killed me dead...

The following day, Mark and I ran down to Ft. Point, underneath the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Another place that I'll check out again. I want to know more about it's history...

Mark and his wife were very gracious hosts, letting me crash in their guest bedroom, instead of making me stay out in the garage. And that's despite the posts about me and my slight snore. Oh... and also despite leaving a comment at Mark's, once, telling of the burning and itching sensation I deal with. (A joke folks. Just a joke. It doesn't really itch...) I'm looking forward to heading up there again, as well as returning the favor in the spring.

A trip to Yosemite is in the cards...

November 25, 2007

CTG

Yesterday, I was able to hook up with a fellow blogger... Caltech Girl. Hooters was chosen as the rendezvous point.

Before you go thinking that I dragged her and her husband into the place, I must mention that she suggested it. (Praise be to Gott!) I was thinking of bringing it up, but they were already in the vicinity with the newest member of their family, so it worked out just fine. She did mention Red Robin, but that was after the Hooters suggestion... I just couldn't get my gears changed.

Anyway, it was great being able to visit with her. I'd met her last year, but I didn't get to visit with her too much, so to be able to sit down and visit with her and her husband over a meal was nice. And unlike my last get together with bloggers, I remember this visit!

Looking forward to next time!

November 17, 2007

Escape

Trying to save money to head home for the holidays, I've not done much around here. A couple of meals out and that's about it. Those chances to get out are appreciated.

Last weekend, I was able to set out on a trek to faraway lands, to a den of iniquity... Vegas, baby. There, I managed to catch AW before she left on a jet plane. She wasn't sure when she'd be back again.

Also got to hook up with Matty O'Blackfive, which is always a good time. Great guy who doesn't really say too much and drinks even less. Heh. No. It's true. Or not.

Additionally, I had the privilege and honor to meet Chuck, and Jack and Jill Army. Unfortunately, while it was truly an honor to meet these fine folks, I'm not sure the feeling is mutual.

See... I don't clearly remember too much of the evening.

I should have taken a warning from the sip of bourbon and coke that AW made me take. It was actually bourbon, with a hint of coke for flavor. Took my breath away.

They say that your true personality shows when you've been drinking. Well, hopefully I was seen as a big, dumb kid who was happy to get out and hook up with folks from "home" (and in the process, overdid it), rather than Douchey McMassengil...

This weekend? I was planning on hooking up with Mark, of Knockin On the Golden Door, but, due to the alcohol induced haze in which I entered the week, I didn't realize until wednesday, that this was the weekend. I didn't get all of my chores done, despite my rushing about, the last two days, so I ended up runnin short on time.

Sometime in December, I'll fix that... count on it, Mark.

September 09, 2007

Home

HAHAHAH! I've got internet... finally!!! I've not been totally without, as I've stolen bandwidth when I've had the chance, but whoever I stole from seemed to be on top of things... they kept shutting me down. I guess I deserved it, but it still makes them assholes. In my book. Up to a point. Well... not necessarily.

So I'm here, sitting in Fresno. For the most part, settled in, though there are quite a few boxes piled up. As a famous procrastinator once said, "I'll take care of it later." The job is going so-so. Hey, it's a job... it's not supposed to be a damn party. A fact that I've forgotten in my two years away from the ranks of the zombies employed. Yes, I worked for my aunt, but it's not quite the same. That was a personal thing.

Packing up for this move, the best description is "clusterfuck." Seriously.

Long ago, I had to move an uncle. When we got to his apartment, we discovered that not a damn thing had been packed. Nothing. Dirty dishes still in the sink. Laundry clean but not put away. I vowed that I would never, EVER, put anyone through the same thing. While not nearly the same, it felt just as fucked up to me.

Thanks be to the gods that I had Jerry and Tammi, as well as my Ma and sis come out to help. Not to mention my bro hauling off my bike. You guys all rule. I don't really know what you rule, but you do, nonetheless.

The trip out here was relatively uneventful. As my aunt describes it, "sitting, eating, sitting, eating, sitting, eating, sleeping." There was some pretty awesome scenery, and I did take pics, but they are on my laptop, and will be uploaded at a later date. I tried to take some video while I was driving, but that came out about as well as... constipation.

Again, once we arrived, we headed for Yosemite. Got a few pics from there, as well, but they are also on the laptop. 'Twas the first time there for my aunt, and she almost sounded like she had a serious problem with all of the "Oh"s she kept yelling. I got a book of day hikes in Yosemite... now all I need is an annual pass, and a book for the Sequoias and Kings Canyon.

Anyway... just letting you folks know that I'm here and looking forward to getting back in touch with you all.

Peace out, peeps.

July 09, 2007

Ogmeet

Friday morning text message: "I is in ur citi, chasin ur midgets. w00t!" That's how the weekend began, and it only got worse better from there.

Drunks.
Uniboob.
Beer.
Calf formula.
The ugliest Hooter's girl. EVER. Bearded even.
Beer.
5,000... no, 500... nah... I mean, 500,000 NASCAR fans.
Drunks.
Jesus Damn Fishin'.
Smegma.

Ogfest in just a few words. What a frickin' blast.

Thanks to Og and Tammi for trying to disguise a birthday party as a blogmeet, and to all of those who came. To the meet, that is. Harvey and TNT, Contagion and Ktreva, Oddy, Leslie, Teresa, Shoe, Jon, Grau, Bloodspite, 'Neck, Biloxi, and Thunderdaddy: Thanks again. You guys rock. Even if you are a bunch of assholes.

Those of you who couldn't make it, know that you were missed. Not to mention, total losers. :)

I'd go into greater details, but I've got an appointment at Fritz's... I'll try to post later.

June 06, 2007

Lookin' Good

While yesterday tore me down pretty good, I had a couple of good days to kick the week off. With any luck, the week should end in much the same way.

Sunday, I went to the Rockford Airfest, with a couple of friends, and watched a pretty cool airshow, capped off by the Blue Angels. While there, I ran into Raging Mom and Old Sarge, as well as Contagion and Ktreva, and Clone. Contagion's got some great pics.

Monday, I hitched a ride up to Janesville... with the Bane of Navigation. Once we finally arrived, I took care of a few errands, and waited at Kutter's while she went about her recon. She only got lost three times, so I didn't end up waiting for nearly as long as I thought it would be, before she picked me up, and we went to Red Robin to meet up with Richmond and her mother, and Harvey. Harvey's lovely wife, TNT, was unable to make it... she says. Work, she says. Only have so much time for lunch, she says. I don't think she likes me too much. Heheheh.... Anyway, it was a great visit, though it was too short.

You know... hanging around bloggers is a pretty cool thing. You can't help but feel better about yourself. Hell, being seen with them really can make you look good. Many of the women are babes, and most of these folks are gottdamned smart. Intelligent, even. Intelligence by association.

'Course, there are those that just make you look smart in comparison, too.

My good friend Zonker, for instance.

He may have some problems, but Z-man is one of the best folks you can hang around.

Except for when he shits himself.

*Pic blatantly stolen and used without permission from the Reverend Samuel Moore

April 21, 2007

Journey Home

Eight days gone from Florida, five days home... it's been great. Though, I am missing my family down there. And judging by the amount of crap that I've gotten done since being home (and there's plenty more to do), I may even be missing the ridiculous hours I worked. But probably not. All insanity aside, it are good to be home.

A week ago today, I was down at the shop for the last time, leaving notes and making sure that I was leaving everything ready, framed by frantically trying to get my taxes finished. (I'd discovered that my state taxes did not need to be postmarked by the 17th, but received by the 16th. Yep. Express Mail.) Today? Taking a break from the tasks I've assigned myself, jamming on some tunes, spazzing because I can't find my Devil Driver or History of Elmore James discs, and trying to visit a few folks' blogs (which is miserable on dial up). Right now, I'm listening to Buzz Osbourne and Fantomas play an incredibly heavy version of the theme for Rosemary's Baby... damn, it's so much better than hearing the daily doses of Van Morrison or Dylan. Or Joplin. And that's not Scott Joplin.

Other than having to cut it short, it was a good trip home. I mentioned being able to hook up with AW's husband, and the following evening I did manage to hook up with Zonker... as well as Denny, Elisson, Richard, and RSM. Sissy, whose idea it was for us all to meet at The Five Seasons, was not able to make it... headache. (If I only had a dime ...) There was the usual minimal consuming of fermented beverages, and bullshitting. Always a good crowd to hook up with, I fear it may be too long before I'm able to do it again. I'm glad as hell that they were able to come out and play...

Monday saw me stopping by Eric's place to pick up the three Smith sisters. I was able to visit for awhile, but not nearly as long as I would have liked, and then had to head out, Jerry's place being the goal for the day. I will say, the three girls seemed to be a bit reluctant to leave Eric. They were worried that I wouldn't oil them up the same way he did. Many thanks to my bro for keeping them whilst I was gone.

That evening, I did make it to Jerry's. By then, the car had settled down a bit. I don't know if that's a bad sign, or good. Either way, she's going to see the doctor this coming week.

Anyway, I crashed at Jerry's that night, and the following morning, we ran over to his folks' house for breakfast. Very nice folks, his father is a real character... plenty of stories. His mother was pretty quiet, but that's because I think it's pretty much impossible to get a word in edgewise when he's wound up. I enjoyed the visit. If you get the chance, you've got to visit Jerry and his family. I don't think he'll ever suffer beal with all of that blogfodder...

Tuesday, I rolled into Stillman at 3, unpacked the car, and was seated in Fritz's by 3:15. I'd planned on staying for only a couple of hours, but eight hours later, I'd decided that that just wasn't going to be possible.

Ah... home, sweet home.

December 20, 2006

Home

Just a quick update...

Made it home safely, and relatively soundly. I spent most of the day with my ma, picked up a friend's truck to use for the week, visited my sis, stopped by Tammi's for supper, and then dropped in to Fritz's for a couple of beers. And that was pretty much the day. Hell, I only lasted about fifteen minutes at Fritz's... I was frickin' beat down. Getting up so damn early after not much sleep takes it out of ya.

Got home and was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. After all, it's been awhile. But I've got to admit that deep down, I was kinda dreading the sleep, or rather, some of the "visitors" that may be looking forward to having me home.

When I first moved in to this place back in 2000, there was alot of activity, but after a while, it kind of settled down to just the footsteps walking through the room, and, occasionally, the music. The loud banging that was very frequent seemed to stop, and I hadn't had the nice icy hand placed upon me since that Christmas morn. Come Christmas time, things do pick up... and it was those thoughts that were running through my skull as I hopped into bed, so I turned on the bedside fan to drown out any noises.

When I turned out the light, the clock said five after eleven, and I must have dropped off into the sleep of the dead, because it was only a short time later that the loud pounding began. I was totally disoriented, and I looked around the room slowly. Twenty after eleven, the clock said. The banging got louder, more insistent. I looked towards the back of the house, and the kitchen was glowing in light. WTF???

I got up and staggered over to my weapons stache, only to remember that they are elsewhere. The banging stopped, and the light started to fade, when I heard a radio... a cop's radio. I ran to the back door to find one of Ogle county's finest peering into a window on the garage. I opened the door and stepped outside to find out what the hell was going on.

Turns out, my neighbours had noticed the pickup truck backed into my driveway, and called the cops just to check. They knew I was in Florida, and, as they told the cop, I "drive a little green car" and not a large truck. I explained that I had flown home for Christmas, and had borrowed a friend's truck to use while I was home... all cool.

The adrenaline rush kept me up for nearly an hour... plenty of time to reflect on life in a very small town.

I've really missed being here...

November 26, 2006

Sticks

Just got back from meeting another blogger, this time Sticks, of From Chaos to Serendipity. She was in the area, so we met up at a local Cracker Barrel. Nice to spend the afternoon with a good looking woman.

Unfortunately, we only had time to visit over lunch, but it was a very nice visit. And, as always, now I've got a voice and a face to put with the blog.

'Twas a pleasure meeting you, Sticks. We'll have to do it again.

October 17, 2006

A Weekend

The weekend... holy mother of gott. What a frickin' blast.

I made a run to hook up with a bunch of folks to celebrate the birthday of Eric, king of the Straight White World. New faces, familiar faces... good faces all. Met Cal Tech Girl, of Not Exactly Rocket Science, Big Stupid Tommy, Ken, bodyguard of Jimbo, SWMBO, the beautious wife of Elisson, and Dax Montana. Got to see The Velocidude, Mighty Yabu, Recondo32 and Georgia, again... this time under much better circumstances than our original meeting. Saw fellow Bad Example family members, Bou and her sis, Mo, Sissy, Teresa, and blog bro, Johnny-Oh. Also caught Denny, Elisson, 'Neck, Zonker, RSM, and J, a friend of Eric's... met at previous meets, and damn good guys. Hell... it was a great group of folks, period. A fine crew of Birthday singers. Though, RSM did evacuate early. Again. RSM... sneaky premature evacuator ninja.

We feasted upon great authentic illegal Mexican chow, drank much beer, and got to know each other better. There was singing, burning, and hard times given to all. Even rumors of inappropriate touching. And that was only the first night.

Saturday saw an excellent breakfast, more drinking, and some very kickass ribs done up by the birthday tyke himself. There was cake, rockets, more singing and guitfiddle playing, fire, chocolate vodka, drunken phone calls and four men with balls of iron who weren't afraid to sleep out in Eric's backyard. Zonker almost made it but he had one of them there hotel rooms. He bolted right around 4:00 am. Big chicken.

Sunday mornin' saw a shovel playing reville, and a breakfast cooked for us by Elisson and SWMBO, with Ken and Jimbo frying up some Taylor ham. An excellent send off meal. Unfortunately, that was the end. Wish it could have went on for a hell of a lot longer.

I'll try to give you some more info on everybody, later, but I want to thank Eric and his very tolerant and lovely bride for putting up with us all. You guys truly rock.

August 25, 2006

Forget It

I'd been hoping to make the trek north to Helen, GA, to hook up with a bunch of reprobates, and to watch Zonker get his ass kicked referee, if needed, the battle between Zonker and Shoe.

That is not meant to be. "They" have decided to make peace, depriving us of the final showdown. I, for one, will not be going, now. I feel ripped off.

Okay, actually, after I heard about the meet and started to try and make plans, my cousin went and set his wedding day for that very weekend. While I'd love to hang out with my friends, and meet some more, I feel that I should be home for my cuz.

My cousin, the one down here, is paying for me to fly home for the weekend. It's not free, however... I have to drive my aunt's new car back for her. Rough. The damn thing even has air conditioning... something I'm not used to having in a car. Should be a piece of cake.

I wish like hell that I could be there with those who are attending the "Yellin' in Helen, but hey... I'm going home, short time that it do be.

July 19, 2006

Here

Safe and sound in Apollo Beach. It's nice and cool here, believe it or not. Well, cool compared to back home.

Regular posting should resume. Sometime. Hopefully, soon. I think.

I guess it just depends on what you consider "regular."

July 18, 2006

Rolling

Car be healthy. Me be on the road.

Catch ya in a couple of days.

July 16, 2006

Ogmeet

Well, I got back from Ogmeet 2006 in fairly decent working order. My liver is a little angry, but I've been good to it for awhile now... I say unto mine liver, "Waaa, verily, waaa." What a baby...

Click the extended entry to read about it.

Got down to Chicago early Friday, and met up with a couple of friends in downtown. We hit a few pubs, had some great chow, and many brewskis. A very great way to start the weekend, hanging with friends. I'm glad it worked out that we could all meet up.

Original plans had been to hook up with Leslie and some other bloggers after we finished up down there. Good intentions, best laid plans... didn't quite work out that way. Zonker, Tammi, Leslie, and I did manage to meet, but I missed some of the other bloggers... some of whom would not be there the following evening. My loss, I know, but it was still a great time.

Saturday was another exhibition of "good intentions, best laid plains," in that I was hoping to run back downtown and hit a couple of museums... I wasn't too clear on the laws and regs, so I had passed up the shoot that Og had planned. When I finally rousted my personal self, I had pretty much shot my chances of making it downtown and back before chow, so Zonker and I ran out to get an early start on the beer drinking. At least the afternoon wasn't wasted.

That night, Zonker, Tammi, and I ran down to Klas Restaurant to meet up with the rest of the bloggers. Leslie was there, as was jimmyb, of The Conservative UAW Guy, and Mark, of Windypundit... two gents that I didn't get to visit with as much as I'd have liked. I'd been hoping to hook up with jimmyb and help him to dispose of some Sam Adams and scotch, but he had to leave early, and we left way too late. Another time, jimmy. It wasn't long before the Great and Powerful Og walked in, with his poofta commentor, "Dude." After a short time, Biloxi, of The Republic of Biloxi, joined us, thus completing the blogroll of diners. After the ritual sacrifice, we settled down for a kick ass meal.

If you're in the Chicago area, and want a good Czech meal, Klas Restaurant will deliver. Great service, and great chow. No... that's EXCELLENT chow. And plenty of it. The place has a history to it, as they've been around since 1922. They'll give you a tour around the place, if you wish it. Very Old World.

I'm not sure how long we were at the table, but we were there for a long time, visiting, laughing, and spreading the usual bullshit. Lights were being turned off, and Leslie had to leave (as she wasn't feeling too well), so we started making our way to Klas' bar. By the time we got there, Mark and Jimmy also had to leave, so the remaining six of us settled in at the bar. Many stories were told, and we were all laughing our asses off, and those of us that drink, did. A lot.

I ended up being the liquor disposal... Dude had a large snifter of cognac that I had to finish, and since Zonker was driving, I had to assist him in the riddance of his beers, too. It's a very tough job, but it's all part of being a nice guy. Thank me for me.

The bar was promoting a future art and music show, so Dude gave us a sample of some of his artwork. Very impressive, to say the least. The colors really stood out from each other, yet seemed to mesh seemlessly. Some folks thought it stunk, but I was wishing that I had taken a picture of it. I think Zonker may have managed to get a shot...

Shortly, Biloxi and Dude (who is a direct descendant of the great Barfolomew Hurley... no, not related to Elizabeth) had to leave. Tammi, Zonker, Og, and I closed the bar down. A very good time.

I will say that it wasn't so nice later in the day. My drive home sucked. Bad. Heat and hangovers do not mix. But I've said that before. You'd think that I'd learn...

Anyway, the whole weekend rocked. It was great seeing Leslie, Og, and Zonker again, and getting to meet jimmyb, Mark, Dude, and Biloxi. Again, I wish I'd gotten to meet some of the others that had been there on Friday night, but that's the way it worked out. Hopefully, we'll be doing this again, and I'll be able to meet them then.

Thanks go out to Leslie and Og for putting in their time and efforts to make this thing work. And Leslie was sick, and still meeting people. Good woman, she be.

Again, if you ever get the chance to meet up with bloggers, DO IT!!! You'll be glad you did.

July 14, 2006

Out Again...

Heading out to Chi-town on this day.

Catch ya all on Sunday!

July 11, 2006

Travels

I'm not sure, but I'd lay money that last week was a meeting of the Southeastern US Pork Producers. There were pigs everywhere! You couldn’t go more than 5 miles without catching a whiff of bacon. As I was driving along, I kept having quotes from a certain duo running through my head.

Stoner: Hey, your honor, man!
Lawyer whispers: No, no... the judge is over there.
Stoner: Hmphk... oh yeah. Hey, your honor, man. Now dig, man. Like I know a lot of cats, man, call you a pig, man. You know what I mean, man? Nah, really man. But I ain't like that man, dig man? Cuz I dig pigs, man.

from "Trippin' in Court," by Cheech and Chong

Pedro: Hey, hey, man! Lookit... there's the cops man... hey, ask them if they'll give us a push.
Man: Alright... hey! HEY!!! Can you pigs give us a push?!?!?
Pedro: Hey, man... don't say that!
Man: Oh far out, man, they're turning around...
Pedro: I know… (starts crying)

from "The Continuing Adventures Of Pedro De Pacas And Man," by Cheech and Chong

It wasn't really the best week to be putting some serious miles on the car, but, fortunately, I made out much better than some folks did. Heheheh... the Party Boys' "The Case of the Red Arrow" provided me with another couple of quotes to add. Thank Gott that I didn't get my chance to visit with an Officer Friendly ... I'd have been grinning as I imagined Yabu Party saying, "The Fuzz? Fuck a bunch of Fuzz..," and Denny Party showing his support; "You are a monumental dumbass..." Ah, good times...

After a quick trip up to Savannah, I headed over to Pensacola. There, I was to meet up with Tree Hugging Sister from Coalition of the Swilling. I had some extra time, so I got a chance to hook up with Bou, and to meet the rest of her family. I'd already met her hubby and the three boys, as well as her sister Morrigan, but I'd never gotten to meet The Great Omnipotent One (her father), Hubba (a very appropriate nickname for her mother), or her brother Toluca Nole. Great people, all of them, and I wish that I had a bit longer to visit with them... seemed like I had just gotten there, and I was leaving. I hope that I can get the chance to visit with them again.

Racing back to the hotel, I called THS and let her know that I was on my way... we were thinking that we'd be stuck waiting for a table at McGuire's Pub. I hadn't been back to my room for very long when the phone rang, and there they were, THS and her hubby, Major Dad. After a couple of quick handshakes, and a big hug from THS, we were on our way to McGuire's, where their son, Ebola, had already secured a table. After a short sermon from the kindly kooks across the street, we made our way in to some kickass food and beer.

McGuire's itself was a blast. A little different, but a lot of fun. If I lived anywhere near there, that would be one of my hangouts. But the pub wasn't all that I enjoyed that night. It was great to be able to visit with some fellow bloggers and Marines. Hell... Marines, bloggers... that right there is almost a guarantee of a good time! ;) We visited for awhile, had plenty of McGuire's stout (oh yeah, we drank a toast to numbing minds with two years of Drunken Wisdom), and swapped stories... some of my favorites being THS's great a-driving abilities. That's "assistant driver," if you missed that. Heheheh... poor Major Dad. Seriously, it was great to meet them. I wish like hell that I could have gotten up early enough the next morning to head over to their place for breakfast. (Major Dad is reported to make an EXCELLENT breakfast.) Alas, I needed to hit the road again...

That day, I met up with Zonker, RSM, and Denny in a Greek restaurant near Atlanta. Topics of conversation bounced all over the place; from Acidman's funeral, to lesbian cat sisters. Softball, to horny lemurs. Crazy womens, to uncommonly beautiful women. Speaking of beautiful women, we even made a call to another blogger who had asked me to drunk dial her and let her speak to everyone.

Unfortunately, Denny and RSM had to leave, so that left Zonker and myself to drink beer; a fate that we bravely accepted. We headed into the Mellow Mushroom and tore up their Boddington's supply while attempting to play darts. Heheh... ugly. That's all I can say about our dart throwing prowess. Okay... one more thing... non-existent. One of the locals challenged us, and I think he was truly whelmed.

I'm not sure who's idea it was, but we decided that it would be best for everyone if we just stayed out 'til the bar closed... 3 am. It was four or a little after by the time I hit the rack. I was up by eight so that I could head out to Eric Party's straight white abode in the hills of Tennessee. Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap. I was hurting for sleep. Thank gott that a stop at Ronnie Mac's took away the little bit of the hangover I was feeling. That drive would have sucked, and it was only a couple of hours!

I got to Eric's place around noon thirty or so, where I was once again able to view the rare SWG in its natural habitat. Beers were had, scotch was sipped... or swilled... and we set about living the unbearably torturous life that is Eric's. Truly, a weaker man than he would perish in the wilds at his place... thank Gott I'm not a weaker man. Heh...

We did hunt for spiders, to no avail, and then I sat on the patio contemplating the hammock on the back edges of the wilderness. I would have climbed in, but it is a serious trek across the county to make it to the back of his yard. Who knows what critters lurk in the yard between the patio and the hammock? I wasn't willing to make another trip to the Etowah emergency room.

I may have helped to create a monster while there. While kicking back on the patio, it was discovered that the wireless reaches with minimal signal loss. All he needs is a laptop, and Eric will be able to live blog the wilds from the patio. "... that seven legged mutant spider has returned, children... jumping from the table to my knee, and back again... just as long as he stays away from my plate, all is cool... I have just returned from building myself another bacon sammidge... you can never have too much bacon... well shit, rubberneckers... it appears I'm going to be running into town... pulling a knife may work on V-man, but it's not the best idea when dealing with a spider... especially when he's hopped onto your leg... word... there is alot of blood... heheheh .... reminds me of a story ... "

After a breakfast of bacon sandwiches, and fortified with a bag of beef jerky, a nanner, a coke, and a chewy granola bar (which I’m supposed to write a review on), I left Eric's, and headed straight on home. It took eleven hours even... great time. The traffic moved along very well. I probably could have cut out a half hour if I didn't stop to view the mountains. I had debated stopping by Jerry's place, but I didn't think he'd be back from Oklahoma, yet. Heheh... within just a couple of minutes of going past the exit to his place, he called. He had just gotten into the airport there in Indie. Ah, well... we should be hooking up this week.

If you look over to the "We've Shared A Flask" column, you'll see some new names. Bad Bad Juju, Catfish, Coalition of the Swilling, Dizzy Girl, Lee Ann's View, Mom Is Nutz, Shadowscope, and Velociman are all folks I've met on this last road trip. Some were met under less than desirable circumstances, and some were meetings set up far in advance. I got drunk with some of them, and I didn't get to visit with others nearly as much as I'd have liked… a couple were just a quick meeting. All are good peeps, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them all a little bit better.

I know I say it every time I write about meeting fellow bloggers, but if you ever get the chance to meet with them, DO IT! A lot of these folks are family... the family you like.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are sane… just that you’ll like them.

June 12, 2006

Hook Ups

Woke up this morning to a tornado warning, as well as the expected tropical storm warning. Cool. The tornado warning isn’t a first, but the TS warning sure as hell is. Wait one… it’s now changed to a hurricane warning. A definite first. Another first encountered this weekend: my first snake. Not ever, but here in Florida. I was coming across King’s Highway, and there in the other lane, was a snake flying across the road. The damn thing was long… I’d guess it was about five – five and a half feet long. And the funny thing was, I had my window down when I saw it. Well, I felt myself jumping to the side. And I thought my fear was waning. Heheheh…

Well, as I mentioned earlier, it's been a pretty good week. Got to hook up with some bloggers, got the inventory finished (now we've got to get all the prices), and for the next couple of days, we'll be able to work out of the house. Gravy... we'll be busy as hell, but it'll be decent. I hope.

Last Sunday I was able to hook up with Carmen and Tammi at Tammi's Cuz's house. Had a great SUPPER, and a great visit... it was good seeing them all again, and good seeing someone from home. If I end up staying down here for an extended time, I'll be there to bug them often. Guaranteed...

Monday night, I made my way up to Orlando to hook up with RSM, who, along with Zonker and Eric, has been sowing to seeds for some interesting google searches here on my site. I met him at the Animal Kingdom Lodge of Disney... very cool place. Unfortunately, while they did have some wildlife, there were no predators, so we did not get to observe any kills... a real bummer. We grabbed SUPPER at Jiko's, where I also checked out a Moroccan beer... Casa Lager, and RSM had a South African cider...Savanna Dry Cider.

The beer wasn't too bad, but it's not something that I would go out of my way to get. The first sip was kinda crisp, but it had a taste that reminded me of a rind... however, once you get further into to the bottle, that taste dissipates. Reading the reviews, it could probably be attributed to the head. It's worth trying, but not if you expect a kick ass brew. RSM did let me try some of his cider, and that was great... I ended up getting a bottle for dessert. Dry, as it says in the title, and not too sweet, it was very crisp and just plain old fashioned good. A person could do some serious damage to themselves, drinking this stuff!

We grabbed some Yuenglings, and headed up to an outside balcony, where we caught up, and watched the lightshow from an approaching storm. Unfortunately, our visit was cut short because I had to head back here to Apollo Beach. It's always good to hang out with RSM, and I wish I could have been there a bit longer...

Thursday, I ran down to Bradenton, where I met up with Tammi. Against my better judgement, I let her drive over to Bradenton Beach, where we arrived safely, and almost soundly. There, I got to meet Lee Ann and her husband. What a great couple... we had a great time visiting and laughing. And laughing. What a frickin' blast. Lee Ann is a total sweetheart who loves to laugh, and that's a good thing... 'cuz her husband is frickin' hilarious.

After an excellent SUPPER, we ran over to their place so that Tammi and I could see their dog, Boo Hahn. Heheheh... that's a cool dog. She hardly left my side once we got there. I think Tammi got a little jealous... We stayed for a short time (much too short), and then had to bolt.

These two are great peeps, and I'm glad as hell to have finally met them. Again, if down here for an extended period of time, they can count on me getting ahold of them. Seriously... they're awesome folks. They don't make'em much better...

Friday saw me heading south after work… on my way to the house of Bou.

Saturday saw me as the guinea pig for another new Bou recipe… applesauce muffins. Last time, it was blueberry muffins. I think she does this because she knows that, good or bad, they will be eaten. The rate of consumption may vary between the two, but I’ll eat them. BTW, they were both excellent. I’m thinking that bad chow isn’t to be found in her house.

We went out to Lion Country Safari with the boys, where “poop” (and that’s not “People Order Our Patties”) was the most sought after thing. Son #2 was taking pictures, and a shot of a pooping animal was golden. The boys were also keeping an eye peeled for bloody sand in the lion’s area… that could have been due to Bou’s husband and I stretching truths just a bit. Heheheh… if she doesn’t tell it, I will, but you’ll probably have to wait awhile.

When we got back, VW and her husband were there. We had a great SUPPER, and I was finally able to visit with her. Last time, I think we spoke maybe three sentences.

Sunday, I hung out for a bit before heading home. Hell, it felt like I was leaving home to go home. Weird. But all good things come to an end, and I’m back here, now, watching the rain pouring down on the canal out back. And watching the water level rise…

Thanks to all of you who hooked up with me… it was greatly appreciated, and I had a blast. And again, for those of you who haven’t ever met a fellow blogger, if you get the chance, do it.

Until next time,

T1G

May 31, 2006

Update

Holy Wow... I'm busy as hell, believe it or not. Even worked on Monday. Sad, but it needs to be done.

Got to have supper with my cousin and her family, last night. Heheheh... that was cool. It was the first time that her little girl has seen me, and she was busting me up. As soon as I walked in the door, she looks at me, points, grins, and takes off running, calling, "Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, that... he's... your brother... who is he? Your brother is here!" So now I am again Uncle Joe. It's cool..

Supper was excellent, as was the company, and of course, they spent some time trying to talk me into making my stay here permanent. I couldn't hear much of what they were saying because of the roar of the sweat waterfall running off of me, but they said I'll get used to it. Then they insisted that if I didn't always wear the boots and jeans, I'd be much more comfortable. It gets a little strange when your own family is trying to talk you out of your jeans...

Don't know how long this is going to take, but we are making steady progress. Hopefully, we'll be able to get this thing running soon.

Hope to keep you informed, but just in case, I've asked a few folks if they would stop by and break bread with you guys.

Enjoy the company... that's what it's all about.

May 28, 2006

Here

Well, I'm here. I'll say nothing more about the heat. Besides, "I'm dying," of course. But that's it.

Still no blogging peeps hung with, but I did hook up with a cousin who's going to Gainesville. Much beer was consumed, and then we drank some more. Not a very good idea when you have to get on the road, and you are up 'til four drinking. I felt like crap the next day... and I'm talking "too serious vegan, eating bushels of nuts and berries and other fibre" explosive diarrhea... elephant diarrhea. Yeah, that crappy.

But I'm here in Apollo Beach now, and I'm looking at the work needing to be done. I'm fully confident that I can get it done... but I'm still a little worried. My uncle was a brilliant man, and these are some damn big shoes to fill. Hopefully, I can find a lot of newspapers to take up some of that room.

Blogging is going to be me posting, and then, if I'm lucky, reading elsewhere. I won't have much time at all. If you email, I'll try my best to get back to you. It may take a little while, though. I appreciate you checkin' in on me. Don't forget the questions for the interview at Basil's, and the map, I'm the map, I'm the map... oops, sorry.

Oh, and don't even think about dropping me out of the judges' slot for Middle Aged Bill.

And one final thing: You know how I mentioned Murphy's Law? Yep, Friday afternoon someone called for me to come in for testing... in Janesville, Wisconsin. I'm in touch, don't worry.

Peace out...

May 26, 2006

Hot

So I'm sitting here, at a rest area along the I-75 dragway, listening to the quiet sizzling of meat, enjoying the aroma of frying bacon, and pondering the sanity of a madman who volunteers to help family, without consideration of his own life. It is approximately 129.4 degrees Farenheit here in Georgia, and I am steadily melting away. There is a puddle, of either sweat or grease drippings, rapidly growing on the cement griddle beneath me. And this is only purgatory... hell lies a mere sixty miles to the south. Again, how wise was this?

I don't know how long I'll be down there, but Murphy's law dictates that within minutes of my arrival, I will receive calls and emails from jobs that I applied to back home, or in Arkansas. It's going to happen. I only hope that it waits until my aunt and I can get the business up and running, and sold. We'll see.

This has been an uneventful trip, so far, with the only exciting bit being the storms I ran into as I left home. Rain was dumping so hard and fast, that the front of my car disappeared... not an exaggeration. Kinda freaked me out. No hook ups with bloggers, yet, though I was hoping to hook up with Ogre and, later, Zonker. Unfortunately, it was not to be. There will be another time... unless I fry away to nothing while I'm down here. In the meantime, I gotta say, it kinda sucks... travelling and not getting to meet with peeps.

Gotta get rolling again...

May 25, 2006

Onward

I've arrived at the home of the sinful gnats... only to rest and move on towards the weaver of webs. About 8 hours away...

Posting may suffer over the next couple of days, so here's a reminder: someday, I will be interviewed by Basil, but you can start asking me questions now.

And if you haven't already done so, mark yourself on my map... and I'll even say, "Please... damnit!"

May 24, 2006

The Ride

There's just something about a roller coaster that I enjoy. Hell, I love'em, as you could probably tell. Perhaps it's the adrenalin rush, or maybe knowing that you faced a fear and walked away relatively unscathed. It's similar to cresting a hill, and spying a perfectly straight stretch of road layed out before you. You roll on the gas, lean over the tanks of the bike, and fly... or try. My bike only hits 115... quick enough for the rush, I suppose. Also quick enough to decapitate you, should the windshield decide to let go. I don't do it often...

With roller coasters and sprints, it's just a short piece of time. Sure anything can happen, and you know that. It's part of the appeal. On the roller coaster, you know that chances are very slim that something will occur... the rails are set, and you're guided, no matter how it may feel at the time. Sprinting down a backroad is a bit of a risk, but unless you've no mind, you've already taken note of potential dangers, and you only ride the stretch that you can see. No heading into the unseen, unless it's at a safe speed. Leastways, that's how I am about it.

Funny that a person who likes that kind of rush, and brief encounters with uncertainty, is so damn wary of change. Thing is, on life's roller coaster, there's no way to know that the rails are continuous, or if they just drop off into nothing. Deep down, I know everything is going to be cool. But there sure are a lot of doubts trying to upset that.

Oh well, time to buckle in.

May 02, 2006

Blown Star State Meet

I'm sitting here shaking... not sure if it's from being tired, near death experiences, or just a bad case of blogmeet DTs. Well, I guess that line is a bit redundant. I mean, if you've ever been to a blogmeet, you know that being tired and close to death are just part of the package. It gives one something to blog about at a later date... right? Anyway, this meet was one for the books.

Tammi and I managed to arrive in the Austin area around 9:30 Friday morning. And this was after a few lengthy stops, once it was realized that we would arrive long before check in time. We made pretty good time, leaving Thursday, at around 1:30 pm. Not too shabby...

The first two folks that got there, shortly after we arrived, were Brother Redneck and Shoe. The four of us headed out to lunch, and met Dash at a little Tex-Mex place. Though the food may have affected me later, I've got to say that it was kick ass. An excellent choice.

Now, I've met Redneck before. That's a good guy, right there, and it was great seeing him again. But this was my first time meeting Shoe or Dash. Both were very cool, and I was glad to spend some time with them without having to share them with others. Shoe's a kick ass woman, and Dash is just a hell of a guy... if I were anywhere close to them, they'd probably get sick of me wanting to hang out with them...

Shoe took off to pick up another load of bloggers (Shoe's Shortbus Shuttle Service), and Dash had to head back to work to finish up a few things before the weekend got to rolling, so Tammi, 'Neck, and I ran back to the hotel, only to discover that the tavern was closed. They wouldn't open until two. Hmmmm.... while were were in deliberation on our options, Marcus and his shirt came walking up. Marcus isn't quite local, but he does know his way around Austin, so we figured we'd run downtown to hit some of the bars there.

Let me say this about the man; he is a living, breathing, human GPS. His navigation techniques are different (very), but effective... eventually. Finding your way around Austin by referring to the location of your exes... brilliant.

Anyway, once things finally looked right, we found downtown, only to discover that the bars there, or at least the one's we were interested in, didn't open until three!!! By now, it was almost two, so we headed back to the hotel, and the tavern there. Thankfully, it was finally open.

We got ourselves some drinks, and started visiting, and giving each other shit about things said or done during the Great Sixth Street search. I walked out into the hallway, where I ran into Acidman, the Confabulator, Jimbo and his loverly daughter, TJ, and ... I'm thinking there was someone else. (By this point, I was fried... I'm totally sorry if I've forgotten someone.) Shortly after, Denny arrived, followed by the Straight White Brotha, Oddybobo, Omnibus Driver, Bashar... er... Zonker, Nancy and Pup, El Capitan, Walrilla, and Elisson... things were off to a fine start. Unfortunately, that was where my day ended...

There was a large group of bloggers that got together at The Salt Lick, a local BBQ joint. Me? Not with them. I planned on meeting up with them later, but that never came about. Nerves, no sleep, bad food... what ever it was, I ended up sick. I'm talking "er than a dog" type sick. I missed meeting up with some folks that I had been looking forward to hooking up with, and some folks that I really thought might be interesting to visit with. I have really been looking forward to meeting up with Christina, and while I did get to meet her later, I missed her mother. I hear she was a riot... everyone loved her.

Come Saturday morning, I was feeling somewhat better, and after watching some of the races on the river, I headed down for breakfast with Bou, Tammi, and Oddy. When we got back to the hotel, we headed on up to the sixth floor deck, where we met with everyone else.

It was a good day, spent doing what bloggers do best... bullshitting with each other, and drinking to keep themselves "hydrated." Yeah. That's it. Jimbo, Acidman, and Denny, with Eric and myself occasionally joining in, played guitars and sang. TJ and Omnibus Driver singing along. (TJ even did a duet with her dad... I remember hearing someone say that they bet that family get togethers were a blast in the Jimbo family.) And I couldn't help but crack up when Acidman came out with kazoos, jew's harps, and some percussion instruments that looked like eggs, and sounded like maraccas. 'Twas a blast.

Come suppertime, we dissipated into the river's breeze, only to return to our rooftop haven after a visit to the SRV memorial along the river. There, we finished the night, and, for some of us, the meet.

I got to hang with some cool kids, and I'll try to acquaint you with them a bit. (Hey, I know everyone else is doing it, but it's my blog... I can do it, too.) I'm not exactly a social giant, but it was cool to be able to meet, and visit, with most of those there. Those I did not spend time with, please forgive me, and I'll try to fix that at another meet. I may be friendly, but I ain't exactly outgoing...

First, I'd like to thank Shoe, El Capitan, Christina, and Beth (of whom I did not have the pleasure of meeting) for your time and efforts that you put into this. You don't know how much it was appreciated.

Anyways, on to the meet and greet with the degenerates...

Acidman: One of the first bloggers that I read, Rob's come along distance, personally, in the past few months. This was the first time I've got a chance to meet Rob, and unfortunately, that's about all I did aside from playing guitar with the trio of Denny, Jimbo, and him. I had been looking forward to meeting him for awhile, and I kept thinking that I'd get a chance to visit with him "later," which never came... totally my fault. I will rectify that soon...

Bou: My blogsis. I've been lucky enough to visit with her a few times now. A beautiful woman who has been a hit at any meet she's been at, she claims that she's introverted. Oooookaaaay... ;)

Christina: Finally. I've met her. A great woman, who is just incredible... looks and personality are both covered by that description. I've been wanting to meet her for a long while now, and I wasn't disappointed, in the least. Thank you for coming back on Saturday night, Chrissy. I'm damn glad to have met you, and am looking forward to seeing you guys again... hopefully, soon.

Confabulator: While I sat in on a couple of his conversations, I didn't really get to visit with him. I listened as others spoke with him. The guy is a talker, and he had no problem keeping an audience. Definitely, one of those I want to see again.

Dash: My first time meeting him, but I already felt like I knew Dash. I was glad to have gotten a chance to visit with him, but I wish I could have visited a bit more. Again, he's just a cool dude...

Denny: The only time I've seen Denny grouchy, is when his infamous trolls beg for a tongue lashing. At both meets I've been to with him, his laughter has rang throughout. The guy also plays a great guitar, and sings some pretty damn funny songs. It's a privilege to know him.

El Capitan: The guy likes flame jobs on his vehicles, but not the classic flames of the fifties. No. This guy doesn't mess around with that fake shit... I got to visit with him a bit on Saturday evening. A hell of a nice guy, who I look forward to visiting with again.

Elisson: Kinda funny guy. Except for that "Bob Saget" shit (I may explain later)... that just wasn't funny at all. Okay, I'M LYING. One of the suprises of the meet, I knew that he had a great sense of humour, but, DAMN! He had me laughing my ass off! It was an honour and privilege to have met him...

Eric: What can I say, other than that this guy is like a brother. He and I have hooked up a few times now... each time an adventure. He and Knine had a story rolling, on the last night, that I thought was going to kill the bloggers listening. (Elisson looked like he was fighting with bladder control, he was laughing so hard...)

Jimbo: This was my second meet with Jimbo, and they've both been a blast. Joisey Jim... if you don't love him, there's something wrong with you. He's good peeps. I'm glad that I brought my guitar to play along with him.

Kelley: On Saturday, I got to meet and visit with "the mouth of the got-damn south." Not for long, unfortunately, but at least I got to meet her. Something tells me that it's hard to keep up with this woman, but it'd be a blast trying. She's a looker, too... If she weren't married, she'd have a drunken Yankee chasing after her.

Knine: I've got to be honest and say that I hadn't read him before meeting him, but he quickly made his presence known, and seemed to fit right in. I got to visit with him for a bit, but I missed he and Eric's collaboration. He took some ribbing, but it's obvious that he's a hell of a good sport. We'll meet again.

Livey: I met her on Saturday, and was greeted with a big hug. The woman is a ball of energy, bouncing all over the place. Jimbo said it best, "a human fire cracker." She had me simultaneously grinning and cringing... (I ain't used to having someone grab my ass! ) She's up der in da nort woods, and I've got a standing invitation to get some venison or bear.

Marcus: On the patio, there be "Cool." That's Marcus. In addition to being a GPS, he's a laid back guy. Kinda quiet, but he seems to be in the middle of all the shit going on. Methinks "instigator" is a title he likes. That, and loud shirts... heheheheh.

Nancy: Another new one to me, I only met Nancy. She seemed like a hell of a nice woman, and was able to fit right in. I feel bad about not getting to know her a little better. My apologies, Nancy.

Oddybobo: Only the second time meeting her, it was again one of those "I've known her forever" deals. I ended up stomping the hell out of her foot, but she still loves me. She's a sweetie. To repeat what I've said about her before, she's one of those people you always want to be around.

Omnibus Driver: I first met her at the local meet in January, and I enjoyed visiting with her very much. This time around, I didn't visit with her as much I'd have liked, but we will be getting together at Fritz's sometime soon. A hell of a person, you'll know exactly where you stand with her. I'm really looking forward to our Fritz's get together... Oh, and she harmonized rather well when singing with Jimbo.

Redneck: Again, only the second meeting, but it feels like you're hooking up with an old friend. (Not that 'Neck's old...) A good dude, with a quick wit, he'll have you laughing your ass off if you talk to him too long. Beware.

Shoe: A first time meeting, I loved this woman right from the start. I mean, you've gotta love someone who quotes Spongebob cartoons. (There were a couple of us doing that...) She put a lot of time and effort into this... Thanks, Shoe, and I'm looking forward to getting to know you even better. You really do rock.

Tammi: She's getting to be a regular sight at these blogmeet things. This one, she was again a hit, what with her attempted murder stories and all. Originally not going, things worked out that she was able to make it. I think that everyone there was glad it worked out that way.

T1G: I'm not talking to him, nor he to me. What a bastard.

Twisty: Also known as "TJ, Daughter of Jim." This girl is a frickin' riot. Beautiful describes it all... voice, looks, and personality. Jimbo's got a right to be proud as hell. She had most of the ladies in stitches, at one point or another. Hell, she had us ALL in stitches... I'll be looking forward to seeing her at other meets.

Walrilla: A fellow member of the "Quiet Observer's Club," I did not visit one on one with him. Again, that's something I regret. I do know that everyone likes him... seems like a really good guy. He doesn't seem to be affected by sunlight, even when placed directly in it's devastating glow.

Zonker: Pure and simple... Z-man rules. He truly do.

The folks listed above will be going on my "We've Shared A Flask" roll, probably sometime tomorrow. Make sure you check them all out... I guarantee that you will like most, if not ALL, of them. Some damn good peeps, and I'm looking forward to meeting with them again. The sooner, the better.

Damn, that was fun...

April 10, 2006

A Tip

So how does one stay awake while on the road, when overly tired? Well, Altoids, gum, and tunes. (And, just between you and me, because some folks get a little worked up over it, Jolt cola.) Seriously. It works. Especially listening to the cool, cordial, croonings of Tommy Araya and the gentlemen of Slayer (new album rumored to be coming out in June... YESSSS!!!), and the smooth swinging syncopations of that masked nonet, Slipknot. High volumes are a plus...

Oh, hey... that reminds me. Since Harvey explained to us why he blogs, and provided us with a picture of himself (see below the fold), I've had a certain song going through my head, over and over... and over. While driving, I heard a different version, one I had forgotten about, but I think it fits the little freak better than the original. What think you?

April 02, 2006

Thor, Donar, Taranis... and T1G

Well, that was a kickass drive...

For the most part, last night was fairly clear, but the last two hours were driving through some serious storms. I love that shit... although going through it in a car certainly is a little lacking. Being outside during it all leaves a feeling of "sharing it with the gods." Sitting inside is like, "ooooh.... pretty."

Those who were long before us, they worshipped many gods, lightning and/or thunder being one of them. Right or wrong, it doesn't matter. When you are out in the storm, you see just where they got their beliefs. And, as I told Eric the last time I was down there, you can see the gods themselves. Of course, that could be the absinthe...

When I was stationed in Lejeune, we occasionally made trips on long liberties that could have been considered "out of bounds..." we drove to a buddy's house in Texas. 21 hour trip, it was. One of my favorite parts of the drive was a stretch through Louisiana... it always seemed to storm when we went through, and we always went through at night. There were some spectacular light shows, especially when you were outside, riding in the back of the pickup, looking up. You never got wet, because of the speed of the truck forcing the rain over top of you.

There were times when you actually could see their faces up there, cheeks flushed as they bellowed in rage, long arms of lightning reaching down to destroy the little pissants who'd failed to give the proper respect. I'd watch as they took turns visiting their wrath upon the Earth. Occasionally, one would take another's turn, and the rage would temporarily be moved skyward. But being as gods can't die, they'd turn their attentions back to man. I did not envy the bastards who had so enraged them.

When I rode down to Eric's last year, I went through some very serious stuff. High winds, lightning to either side, and thunder with each flash... it was that close. After I had to stop in one area, because of a wreck, one of the EMT's told me that they had just had a tornado go through. Talk about sweet. Oh, and the best part... I was on the bike. Not the first time I've ridden like that, but probably the most memorable one... but it won't be the last, either.

And just last month, when I was on my tour of the south, I got to witness some seriously pissed off gods. Heheheh... at one point, I even caught myself muttering, "I haven't done anything. I'm glad they ain't pissed at me..." Coming out of Memphis and heading towards Birmingham did indeed look ugly. I'm thinking that Montgomery is where the action was at, but all along 78, there was evidence that they had recently been through there, as well. Signs bent and broken, all along the "future I - 22 corridor." The faces could again be seen...

Last night, when I got down here, I stood outside, on top of the hill, and watched... the lightning within arms' grasp. And as I watched, I remembered one of the dieties from the Louisiana skies, who had looked down at me lying in the bed of that truck, winked, and said, "Watch how it's done, boy," as he knocked the top off of one of the trees along the interstate. I think the bastard was here, too, taunting me... keeping the bolts just out of my reach.

I can't wait to get ahold of one o' dem... I'll show them how it's done.

March 24, 2006

On Tour, Pt 3

Alright, here's the long awaited conclusion to my wanderings across the south. I know I promised it to you a couple of days ago, but I lied. Not intentionally, but a lie it was nonetheless... forgive me, and I'll buy you a beer when we next meet.

So, I took off from RSM's place, and headed up the backroads to everyone's favourite lad, Linear Achromatic Dude. I got there in time for us to head to town and grab a bowl of chili and sammidges. Then we headed back to the house to kick back, drink, and solve the world's problems. We also got in a healthy dose of John Prine, Eric got a couple of calls from good looking females... who were looking for me, and I was soundly whooped in a couple of games of pool. Heheh.. I did win one game... on a scratch. No mind... it was a damn good time.

Conversation drifted from Sabu the Elephant Boy, to the origins of yoga, to quantum physics. Well, to be honest, Eric's lovely wife Fiona is the one who was talking about the quantum physics, or trying to... between all of the bosons, gravitons, photons, muons, and gluons, the two apes of the group started giving her a bit of crap. Now there's a patient woman. The lad did very well there...

We ordered a pizza, drank a bit more, and ended up discussing movies. More specifically, musicals. Even more specifically, Fiona and I discussed musicals, while Eric rolled around on the floor laughing about how "gay" we were for knowing that stuff. Heheheh... it was pretty damn funny. The three of us stayed up late laughing, drinking and just having a good time visiting.

Next morning, Eric fixed some scrambled eggs for breakfast, which we promptly devoured while discussing puking in boot camp. A typical get together of Marines... After weighing the possibilities of stopping in NC to visit another Marine and a new father, I reluctantly decided to head on out, hoping to make it home that day.

Not to be so. As I made my way up through Kentucky, I was drifting off, catching many z's when I shouldn't be. I stopped at a rest stop and took a short nap, but that was of no help. So, I slept my way through Lexington, and snoozed towards Louisville... straight into the setting sun. (Once I start squinting, I'm done.) Didn't think I was going to make it, but once I did, I made the turn towards Indianapolis. Jerry, from Back Home Again, had offered to let me use his place as a stop, for either a nap, or if needed, to crash for the eve.

By the time I got up in his neck of the woods, my eyes were fried... I knew I wouldn't be able to finish the four hour trip home. So we ran into town, grabbed some supper from a little catfish joint, and went back to his little house out in the middle of the Indiana nowhere.

Jerry had been at the Howl on the Prowl, but was only able to meet everyone at the LBC. I got to visit with him a little then, but it was nice to visit with him for much longer. We sat up visiting until I started nodding off, then I hit the hay. Heheheh... he said that within two minutes of the door to his guest room closing, I was snoring. I don't know... I barely remember heading off to bed.

The following morning, I was treated to a piece of homemade cherry pie while he had to run, then when he returned, we grabbed lunch. We were able to visit a bit more before I headed out towards home...

I want to thank everyone of you who opened up your homes, or made time to welcome me. You all made for a great trip, and I wish it could have lasted longer.

When I first started out numbing folks' minds with my drivel, I hadn't thought that I would ever get out to meet any of those I read, or who read me. Hell, I kinda wanted to meet some of them, but never did I imagine that I would. After the first get together last March, I was hooked. There are some damn fine people on the blogosphere, and I wanted to meet as many as I could. And this from one of the biggest introverts you'll ever meet. (Don't believe me? Ask the fine folks at Fritz's... I hardly spoke to anyone for about four years, before I got comfortable enough to open up.)

See, reading blogs is like getting to know folks, a little at a time. Sure, there are some that are totally full of shit, but you can recognize them after a bit. And you still may want to meet them. But most folks I've read on a regular basis, I really want to meet. I've gottent to see bits of their family life, some of their struggles and triumphs, their sense of humor. They don't share it all, but they do offer up a bit of themselves everytime they post or comment. Some of these folks become family to you... hell, some of those I got together with on this trip are just like kin. And those that aren't, are like my closest friends and neighbours. When you finally meet them, you feel like you've already know them for years. 'Tis a very cool thing.

Yeah, in the past year, I've met many of you, and enjoyed the visit, and getting to know you better. There are many more that I would like to, and will, meet in the near future... hopefully, next month will see that happen. In the meantime, I'll be getting to know some of you folks, post by post, comment by comment.

Looking forward to meeting you!

March 20, 2006

On Tour, Pt 2

Last Saturday, after breakfast with VW and Bou, and their crews, I made my way up to Apollo Beach. It was a pretty trying drive... I turned off of the Florida Turnpike, which is a great road for snoozing, at Yeehaw Junction. Highway 60 takes you across Florida from there.

I'm not sure what this stretch of highway is called, or if it even has a nickname. If it hasn't, I've got one for it: Tard's Dragway. Seriously.

The speed limit for most of it was 60 mph... a speed never seen in the no passing zones. Try 45 to 50. Of course, you may think that because I was in a hurry, I'm stretching it a bit. That's fine, but you're wrong. Traffic would slow, I'd start yelling (and I wasn't the only one), and we'd speed up to a slow creep. You prayed for the passing lanes to open up.

Once you hit them, however, the only thing missing from an actual drag strip was the "tree." Well, okay, the water box, too. Anyway, as you entered the passing lanes, traffic sped up to an impressive 95 - 100, with the idiot who was slowing everyone else down leading the charge. Cars flying, lane changes every few seconds, brake lights flashing... vehicles lurching everywhere. And in the end, maybe one vehicle was able to pass, with the rest of us slowing back down to below the speed limit. I kid you not. It's very obvious that NASCAR started down there... position is a valuable thing, and no one wants to lose it. Finally, I was able to reach my uncle's place, wide awake, teeth clenched, and thankful that I keep my hair short. I'd have easily been bald, otherwise.

There, it was a very informal thing, but just as my uncle would have wished. His favourite tunes playing on the stereo, with a photo album on display, and a couple videos of him at the dragstrip. (He had a little Monza with an engine that he had built himself powering it... on one of the videos, he was consistently running under 9.4, with a 9.25 his quickest.) Another uncle was the only other member of our side of the family to make it, and we sat and visited for hours. Many beers were drained, a few shots done in memory, as the stories of Uncle Russ were told. A few tears, lots of laughs, and then we headed out to the beach to watch the sun set over his favourite island, Beer Can, where his ashes had been spread the day before. It was pretty powerful...

After a few monster hugs (I thought my cousin was going to break my neck at one point) and a bit of deliberation about staying, I made my way across the bay, and over to visit Tammi's niece, Carmen. Heheheh... you should have seen her face when I walked in... They had been telling her that she might have a suprise visitor drop by for her birthday, but she had no clue. While it wasn't quite the look I'd have if Jennifer Aniston or Selma Hayek dropped by, watching her face change from "WTF?" to "Oh, my, gott!" when I was introduced, was hysterical.

These were good folks, and I had a blast visiting and drinking with them. Heheheh... one of my favourite repeated quotes of the evening: "I think I'm going to puke... who wants to do another shot?" Carmen has a laugh that just doesn't quit, and I don't think that there were more than a couple of minutes when she wasn't smiling from ear to ear. They called Tammi, and she listened in as they gave each other crap, as well as her. We played a few games of Spoons, and Bullshit, which I lost... look, I'm not a bullshitter, how am I supposed to win at a game of lying? After cards, and a couple shot offers more, we all hit the rack (not together), and they were blessed as my snoring lulled them to sleep.

Come morning, Tammi's cuz made a big breakfast, and I left... would have been great to visit more with these great folks, but I needed to make it towards home. Today's destination and blogger, or bloggers? Atlanta, to hopefully hook up with Zonker, and maybe RSM, both of whom I'd spent a lot of time visiting with last fall in Tennessee. These gents are like brothers... not to me, but probably someone. Heheheh... just kidding. I would have liked to hook up with some others, like Denny, or to even meet new, like Elisson, but because this was so impromptu, I kept it simple. I was only going to be around long enough for supper...

I got to Zonker's in pretty decent time, and had a Guinness while visiting with him. Meahwhile, RSM was working his way down from the mountains, and we hooked up at a Chinese restaurant. The food at this place was great, as was the company... when you could hear them. When we first got our table, RSM asked to have us moved, as we were right under a speaker, and Zonker is the only one good at reading lips. We picked a fairly quiet table, where things remained that way for a few minutes more. Then, we got a party of folks from the Voice Immodulation Institute sitting next to us, and the evening was filled with laughter, phone calls, and voices trying to get their point across, over the inferior voices. All the while, the three of us are communicating by making faces and waving arms and hands. Even though it was louder than hell, we still had a good visit. I think.

I parted ways with Zonker, and headed back with RSM to his place. I'm definitely planning on heading back down that way again... both to Zonker's, and RSM. I kinda felt bad that I didn't get to visit more with Z-man, but I will another time.

RSM has been lifting since I first met him... it kinda shows, but it's effects are very obvious. When I got up to his place in the mountains of Georgia, it was very evident. For his cabin, and the plot of land upon which it rests, have been wrested from Gott. I don't know if the Big Man keeps coming down on a regular basis to reclaim it, or not, but obviously RSM walks away the victor everytime. Anyway, we grabbed a couple of beers, and headed outside to enjoy the quiet, and the nocturnal wanderings of the hills' animal residents. A kickass end to a long day of driving... The following morn, I took a short tour of where he works, then we headed out to catch breakfast. I thanked him for his hospitality, promised that I would one day return the favor, and headed on out, towards Tennessee.

Much like I've gotta run for chow, now... Hopefully, I'll finish this up later on, but if not, for sure by tomorrow!