The rabbit didn't make it

It is official. Mercedes is pregnant with Malcolm's children.

Their affair was brief. It lasted about a week and a half, which is pretty long by online standards. In this brief but passionate affair, there were two incidents of coupling.

Well, the results will be here around Christmas and weaned by Valentine's Day.

Mercedes is a Golden Retriever and Malcolm is a purebred Boxer. Therefore, the pups will be Box Retrievers or a ReBox or eight.

Need something to put in your loved ones Valentines stockings ?

Welcome to someone else's Monday

Tammy had an odd phone call while at the grocery. It went like this:

Caller: Is this Tammy S ?

Tammy: Yes, it is.

Caller: Are you the mother of Sabrina M?

Tammy: I have a daughter named Sierra.

Caller: Oh, yes. It does say Sierra. This is Waffle house calling. We need information to insure that Sierra gets paid for the orientation she is going through right now.

Tammy: Sierra is going through orientation now?

Caller: Yes, and we want to make sure she gets paid for it.

Tammy: Sierra is about a foot and a half away from me at Kroger

Caller: She isn't at orientation?

Tammy: Not so much.

Caller: Oh my. Did no one call you this past week to tell her that she has the job and to be at orientation today?

Tammy: No.

Caller: Oh. Well, she has the job and we need her to be at orientation on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

Tammy: OK, thanks.

I certainly hope they are better at making waffles than they are at making phone calls.

We did it

Six nights in a row, we karaoked. I don't want to sing again .. Until .. Tomorrow morning in church. Can ya tell that I love to sing?

We hadn't planned on going to Todd's tonight, but friends begged us to go. So, we relented after much arm twisting. OK, a little arm twisting. OK, they just asked. We are such easy marks, lol.

So, it is finally home, cut the apple pie from Thanksgiving, eat a piece, and go to bed. Ah, sweet blessed sleep. I hear ya calling me.

Nite all.

Better Nate than Lever

Sorry I missed blogging last night. Yes, we did do the karaoke thing for the 5th night in a row. We had fun. It was crowded but not overly crowded. Several guys wanted to take Tammy home. One girl wanted to take us both home. Alas, we do not share.

I didn't get to blog last night cuz Tammy had other ideas when we got home. Those ideas didn't involve a computer at all. So, we walked the dogs, got Carol to bed, and off we went to the bedroom. Ah, the joys and noises of no kids being home.

Tonight is the monthly meeting of another internet group to which we belong. We will be at Chinoe Pub in the private back room. They have karaoke there as well. After the meeting, we will spill out into the main bar and sing a tune or two, making it nearly a full week of karaoke. The last nearly full week of karaoke, I hope.

OMG .. Another night of singing

Four nights of karaoke (so far) this week. Tammy says we are gonna OD. We are searching the web for a 12 step program to ease us off of the karaoke teat.

There was a weird incident tonight. I sang (yeah .. like that's weird) "Brokenheartsville" by Joe Nichols. For my second choice, I decided to do "Cats in the cradle" by Harry Chapin. I made out the slip and turned it in. When I got up to sing the second song, it wasn't the song I had intended to put in. I had written down the wrong number. Instead of "Cradle", I was doing "Cold one coming on" by Montgomery/Gentry. So, I did that one. When I was finished, I kissed Tammy (one of my favorite after singing activities), and made my way to the bathroom to dispose of some of my water (All I drink at the bar). There was a guy behind me asking where the bathrooms were. I pointed it out to him and went on in. Inside, he told me that I did a good job on the song and told me he was Troy's cousin. Troy would be Troy Gentry of Montgomery/Gentry.

It was just weird that I would mistakenly write down the wrong number and end up singing a song sang by the cousin of one of the bar patrons. Anyway, that was how my night went. Tammy did great singing as well. Someone told her that she had the voice of an angel, and, oh yeah, your husband sings good too. She got tickled cuz she usually gets it the other way around. I keep telling her that she is the singer in the family.

Thanksgiving

The day has arrived.

I Thes 5.18
"In every thing give thanks"
Hab 3.17-18
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

In these times, it might be hard to be thankful for the things going on around us. God tells us, through His Word, that we are to be a thankful people. We look around ourselves and find us in a terrible war in Iraq, the economy is still staggering, and we are still under threat from terrorist. It seems there would be little for which to be thankful.
If you read the Word in Thessalonians, He tells us to give thanks in everything. He doesn't tell us to be thankful for everything. I am not thankful that we are in a war. I am not thankful that my arthritis is getting worse. I am not thankful to have been off work most of the year. He didn't tell me that I was supposed to be. I am thankful for the meals I have had. I am thankful for the health I do have. I am thankful for the roof over my head. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for brothers and sisters that love me, for Mom and Dad, for a wonderful wife, great kids, and grandchildren.
Draw in the wanderings of your minds for this moment. See the world closer to your home. See the blessings close to the house. For those, be thankful. Be thankful, that in everything happening in this world, you have love, and caring around you.
Have a great Thanksgiving.

One more night !!

Here it is. Thanksgiving morning. We just got in. We took Carol (Tammy's mom) out to karaoke with us tonight. This is the third night this week that we have karaoked. Can we say, junkies ?

We had a blast. I bellowed with the best of 'em. There was a lady there that does private karaoke parties. She wants me to come back Friday night and do a few songs just for her. Friday night is our usual singing night anyway, so I am sure we will be there. One of them she wants me to do is 'the river' by Garth Brooks. I think I can do that. I'll start practicing tomorrow, or tonight, as the case may be.

Bitten by the writing bug .. Or written by the biting bug

Then I Loved You

Before I knew who I was, I wanted you.
Before I became the man you would love, I was searching.
The twin journeys of finding me and finding you,
Have brought us to this place.
Here, in this place, my heart rejoices.
Here, my soul takes flight.
Here, the vestiges of my past do not encroach.
We are not the book upon which nothing is written,
But we are the pure whiteness of a page of freshly fallen snow.
In pages passed, the past is written,
Emblazoned in bold and flourishing strokes.
There, the past shall remain.
It is covered in a field of new.
Though the wind may lick at the pages,
The weight of change prevents reprisal.
Before I became, you were hidden away in my heart.
The idea of you has always been.
You were the treasure buried beneath my bravado.
You were the dream I feared to dream.
You were the possibility
For which I was willing to risk all.
Even before I knew you, I knew you.
I loved you, and then I knew you.
I knew you, and then I loved you.

Ron
November 23, 2004

World leaders

This is hilarious ..

Tammy and I took a "which world leader are you" quiz ?

The results were startling. We took a 45 question quiz to give them a more accurate sampling to determine with which leader we most identified. I was more like Abraham Lincoln in thinking and personality. Tammy, my heart and soul, the one that shares my love and sleeping space, was more identified with Saddam Hussein. We were rolling over the results.

Tammy said that I was like the man that saved a divided nation and she was like the man that would destroy the whole world.

Here is the link .. Take the test .. Share your results ..

Famous Leader Test

Half Of The Moon

Half of the moon came visiting tonight
Reflecting light through the rolling clouds
Bluing the sky as best it could
The ebbing glow defining the darkness beside
The clouds offered no comfort
For the missing part
The chill of the night air
Exemplifies that deep ache inside

Sometimes only half of me is here
Reflecting that light of love
My heart searches for you
When you are not at my side
Just out of sight for the time
My heart peers into the blackness
Created by the necessary departing
Of where my heartbeats reside

Time and need have taken you
To another place, near or far
Though still a part
Still my forever bride
The darkness and the ache
Serve to deeply remind
You will ever in my soul, hide
Always within my heart, abide.

My brother, half of the moon
Came visiting tonight.

Ron
November 21, 2004

Sunday Morning

We didn't make it to church this morning. Tammy is still in bed. I can't bring myself to wake her continually. She has had so much pain with her wrist in the last 3 days that she hasn't really slept much. She sleeps very lightly when she is in pain. Her body is too tense to fall into a deep satisfying sleep. She puts on the good face for everyone around. She will tell them that it hurts if they ask, but only those of us close and watching really know just how much pain she is enduring. She is a strong woman. She is a stubborn one as well. I am not always sure which is carrying her at any given moment, but it is usually one of those two.

Turning in my office chair, seated at the computer, I can see her in the bed. She is still for the moment. That is a good thing. It is an effort to keep that happening. I have to keep the big lummox out of the room and off of the bed. He just loves playing and doesn't understand that sometimes playing isn't what has to happen. For now, he is on the floor behind me chewing noisily on his bone. That makes it easy to track him. When it gets quiet, I have to start looking for him.

I am thinking this needs to be a 'keep Tammy in the bed' day. Not that it will actually happen, but it is worth the effort.

Oh, there was no karaoke last night at the reception. Tammy and I did manage to sing, albeit quietly. The wedding couple were doing the first dance thing. It was to the song, "When I say I do" by Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black. As they played the tape or CD, Tammy and I sang along where we were, to each other. A lady sitting nearby, told me, "you go, boy". She told us that we sounded good together and that we should sing together more often. Tammy told her that we actually do sing together a lot. She was impressed. Another day, another fan (laughing).

We will see how the rest of the day goes in my Herculean task of keeping Tammy in bed. If you do not hear from me for a few days, just wish me the best.

Saturday night and what else but ......

Here it is, another Saturday night and what could we be doing tonight?

Actually, we are going to the wedding reception of one of the roomies in the chatroom. When Teresa sent the invitation, she made a strong point to tell us that there would be karaoke there. It was like saying, "I know you don't like me well enough to come, but we will have singing too." I am sure I am just overreading that statement. It just isn't any secret that Tammy and I love to sing. Up until a couple weeks ago we were doing 4 nights a week. We have slowed down for several reasons.
First, it takes too much time away from the kids. Not that we spend an exorbitant amount of time with them, but we are always accessible.
Second, we aren't as young as we used to be.
Third, even doing something you love can get old if you do it too much.

Tonight we will venture to the thriving metropolis (satire) of Frankfort. It is the capital of Kentucky. It exemplifies the 'podunkness' of Kentucky. More corruption and rednecks per square mile than anywhere else in the state. Yes, there are more densely redneck populated areas and there are more corrupt areas, but none with the redneck/corruption ratio to match that of Frankfort, KY.

We will return later with a song in our heart and, no doubt, manure on our shoes.

The Pain Is Silent

I walked away without a word
I spoke as we drove
The words came and went
To wherever words are want to go
It wells up inside me
Until I want to scream
But no matter how I open my mouth
The pain is silent

I sit and look at the paper
Mocking me with its blankness
Perhaps here the pain will speak
Still it holds its peace
There is anger and fear
They both vie for a voice
Frustration is ready to speak
Still, pain is silent

This mime of my pain
Collects pains long ignored
It courses behind my words
It will not speak directly
It prods frustration to lash out
It goads fear to grip my heart
It pulls at the hasp on angers cage
The pain itself remains silent

It makes long of short things
It makes strong of weak things
It makes present of past things
It wants to share the honed edge
It wants to destroy
It wants to steal
It wants to kill
The pain must remain silent

This is a young pain
Racing in its inexperience
It will learn in time
The usage of words
This pain will become resolve
It will lend itself to determination
On that day in its time
This pain will be silent no more

Ron
November 19, 2004

Unbelievable

Monster ThickBurger

At a time when all its competitors are scrambling for the lower calorie, lower carb, lower fat type foods, Hardees has done the inconceivable. They have BEEFED up their menu with this addition. The Monster Thick Burger is 1,420 calories with 107 grams of fat. It contains two one-third pound Angus beef burgers, four slices of bacon, three slices of cheese, and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun. Can we say "Heart Attack to go"?

Wonder if it has hit the Lexington Market yet?

Reviving an oldie

I was recently reading my old AOL Journal that I had before finding blogspot. There were some interesting things there. Below is the original launching article for that journal .. Hope you enjoy

Thongs

I was riding around a few nights ago with the wife (taking home another stranded friend of the kids .. They can always find ways to the house .. But .. ya know) when the conversation turned to the subject of thongs. I noted that I just didn't get the whole thong sensation. She proceeded to tell me just how 'comfy' they are and how that men (myself included) seem to like them a lot.

Well, I told her that I didn't need to understand everything that I enjoyed. I was still perplexed. However, about the whole comfort thing. YEAH, yank a rope up between my butt cheeks and let me walk around all day and talk about how comfy it is .. NOT !!!We had thongs back when I was in grade school. They were called WEDGIES. I can never recall ever turning to the twerp that just yanked my underwear up over my shoulders and saying, "Thanks. You wouldn't believe how 'comfy' that is. Can you meet me here tomorrow at the same time to firmly implant my underwear into my crack again? I just can't quite get it just right when I try it at home."

So .. You ladies can keep wearing yer butt floss, and we will keep enjoying .. perplexed .. but enjoying

The Council without a sense of humor!

Or "It's all fun and games until someone gets an eye put out. Then it is just fun!"

OK, it was bad enough that the city in the heart of tobacco country passed a smoking ban by vote of the council without giving the citizenry a voice in the vote. Now, the city, via the offices of the mayor and city council, have threatened to file a complaint against a local radio station for an 'on the air' joke during a time slot known for it's jokes and humor.

Morning DJ's, Twitch, Mary Jane, and Kyle, were suspended the day after they aired that the city had banned smoking in cars. The story aired on Nov. 10th. The DJ's were suspended the next day and back on the air the following day. The owner of the station was to publicly apologize to the city at the city council meeting, offer a report that the story was a hoax, and give $1000 to charity.

The city said it received 875 calls because of the story, disrupting normal telephone traffic. OK, so the nail filing of city clerks had to be halted. Big deal. Get over it, Lexington mayor and city council. The 'report' was given during a comedy part of the stations morning crew.

Let's face reality. The council passed a bad ban. This bad ban was spurred on by a council member that owns several Applebee's restaurants. Smokers sit at the table longer. The move was not based on anyone's health concerns save the concerns of the health of his bank account. It wasn't the right thing to do for the right reasons. Before you begin to wonder, No, I do not smoke and I do not support the smoking ban. Over 15 candidates that ran for council in the just passed elections stated that they would vote to amend the smoking ban if elected. It is clearly a hot topic.

It is ludicrous to hold the owner to making a public apology, or issuing a formal letter incriminating himself (I am sure to be used later against him should it ever be necessary), or 'give' $1000 to charity. The mayors office and the city council have set themselves up as judge, jury, and executioner. Once again denying the citizenry (at least those that might have sat on a jury) a voice in the matter.

This is my voice in the matter.

Another smashing Tuesday night

It has been a mostly good day.

While online today (AOHell) and in a chatroom, I saw a screenname that captured my eye. It gave me cause to ponder. It started my mind a churning. The screenname was to the effect that the 'pain is silent'. Tammy saw it as well and her mind was working overtime. Eventually, we both scribbled words down.

Tammy let me read hers this evening and it was brilliantly done. It was filled with the pain of her childhood. Every line was full and yet beautiful. Do I sound like a proud hubby or what? It is true, though. She tells me when I sing that she will be honest with me about how I do, cuz music is important to her. Writing is important to me. I will be honest about writing. I might be tactful, but I will be honest.

There is one line at the end that is great. She says I can include it here. It is 'the sound of innocence shattered is deafeningly still.. '. I will share mine with ya later when I mold it into something cohesive.

This evening was Chelsea's first after school concert. It was great. Chelsea and her classmate did great. The new music teacher is a bit strange, but that seems to be a good thing in this case. My only question concerns why music teachers seem to pick songs that, while showcasing the singing skills of the students, are also boring those same students to death.

It is .. well .. was .. Tuesday. You know what that means. Karaoke !Tammy did some new stuff. She did 'Nothing compares', written by Prince, sang by Sinead O'Connor. She did 'Summer lovin' and 'Paradise by the dashboard lights' in a duet with our friend Todd. She did 'Jolene' by Dolly Parton. Then she did 'Sweet Dreams' by the Eurythmics. I did 'Never been to Spain', by Three Dog Night, 'The Love Song' by Jeff Bates, 'How do you like me now?" by Toby Keith, and finished the night with an a cappella version of 'You had me from hello' by Kenny Chesney. That's right, you heard it here, A cappella Karaoke.

The evening had it's down spots and one of them was a major bummer, but we will go on. Life is going to throw curves at you simply because it is life and they are part of the package. A good friend once told me that 'trials will make you better or bitter'. I choose to be better.

Oh my Lord, a Monday without incident !

It wasn't a perfect Monday by any means, but it was calamity free. It started, if you count past midnight last night, rather painfully. My right wrist was aching terribly. Here is just a brief history lesson. I was a senior in High School (yes, ancient history), and in Gym class. We were working on tumbling, which I loved. One of the regular goof off's was goofing off as usual. He caused me to lose my balance in a chest stand. I went to hit him in the shoulder. As I swung, he turned. I made contact before I tightened up my hand. It broke a bone in my wrist, unbeknownst to me. I found out many years later during a visit to a chiropractor that the 'luna' bone was missing in my right wrist. This causes my wrist to ache greatly at times. This morning was one of those times.

It was aching enough that I could not sleep. Therefore, I stayed up until 4 AM. When I did drag my hiney to bed at 4, I was still wide awake. I talked to Tammy for about 20 minutes or better. Finally, I tried to sleep, tossing and turning most of the rest of the night. I vaguely remember the alarm at 7 AM to get the kids up. Then I remember Tammy coming back to bed and I slept until about 9AM.

Karla called me at some point in the morning about her Dad needing someone to do some electric work for him. Tammy and I went to check it out on our way out to the post office to get more stamps. We came back home and Tammy took the kids to the grocery and thrift store while I looked up material prices and figured a bid for the electrical work.

Soon it was time to gather children from schools and then we tried to decide how we were gonna fix the pork tenderloin for supper. After a quick check online and finding nothing appealing, I went to the kitchen to see what was available to cook with it. I decided that I was going to cube the sliced pork tenderloin, and cook it in the Wok with minced garlic, habanero sauce, and roasted garlic oil. When the pork was cooked well enough, I added diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and olive oil, and a can of condensed tomato soup. Tammy prepared rice. When it was all finished, I mixed it all together. The kids devoured it.

Evening was slow and uneventful for the most part. Tammy touched up her roots. Mr. Gray was trying to get into the house. She stopped him dead. It is about 11:30 now and I don't think I will be doing the 4 AM thing again tonight.

Sweet dreams all.

Waving good-bye

It was so sweet to wave good-bye as we drove away.

Yesterday, they came. Three of the four grandkids came to visit Papaw and Tammy. They came to spend the night.

Chris (5) has to talk all the time or he will just explode. He will ask you a question and repeat it 3 times before you have a chance to answer it. He has a high level of curiosity which causes him to think he needs to pick up and examine everything. Of course, the fact that his momma spoils him doesn't help either. I know he knows the word 'no', and he knows what it means, but he isn't real keen on the applications of the word. It is the most often used word around him.

Kody (just turned 4) is delightful. He is calmer than Chris. That isn't to say that he can't be a mischievous imp when he wants to be. He can follow the example of Chris sometimes with the questions.

Kyleigh-bug (2) is a sweetie. She was scared of Malcolm at first. She cried whenever he came near. It is kinda understandable. She weighs about 25 pounds (guessing) and he weighs about 80 pounds. Standing flat footed on the ground, his face is even with hers. He is pretty intimidating to a kid. Add to that all the noises that he makes and the teeth, and you have one scary creature. By this morning though, he could get close and she didn't cry. She learned to say, "no, Malcolm," quite well.

They ate supper with us, watched movies, and played outside with the kids. This morning we got them up and dressed and took them to Sunday School with us. Chris went back to a class eventually (when he heard there were cookies involved). Kody would not be daunted by the cookie report. He was staying with papaw no matter what. Kyleigh stayed with us as well. After the morning service, Kody counted his birthday pennies and got a present from the church.

Then came the good part. We headed the Bravada out 27, towards Nicholasville. It was time to wave good-bye to the grandkids. Don't get me wrong. I love 'em. All I can say is that the good Lord knew what he was doing when he gave us a desire to have children in our youth. Truth be known though, I would rather worry about a 6 year old in the first grade than my 17 year old out there driving on the streets. However, life is about loving someone enough to worry.

Home for a short stop and then there are things to deliver and places to go and people to see.

Folded Dreams

Light of years, you stood time and again
Watching the stars that shimmered in the night
You oft wondered about their blinking
As if, the night were winking
Perhaps someone up there noticed
The little girl with the biggest dreams

Abruptly, reality would fly
On wings of blackest night
Spread across the evening sky
Hiding the glitter of the night
Hiding the big dreamer
From eyes that watched and winked

Reluctantly, the dreams were folded
Delicately but deliberately
Folded on lines well practiced
The dreams were returned
To the place where they lived
Somewhere between the mind and the heart

Each night you waited
Darkness would drown the fire
Quiet would overtake the sharp words
From that secret place they would come
Never contented to stay hidden long
Folded dreams

Hurriedly out of one situation
Changing rooms but not realities
Real still wore the blackest wings
Hidden often from the stars
Some dreams rose to actuality
While others stayed behind

Late, but soon enough
Desperation became strength
Strength became resolve
Resolve became reality
And the dark winged tormenter
Was pierced by a thousand stars

The little girl inside
Stands and looks at the shimmering stars
Wondering about their blinking
As if, the night is winking
Someone up there is noticing
The little girl with the biggest dreams

Ron Simpson, Jr.
November 14, 2004

Out with friends

Last night was a fun night. We went to Todd's (big surprise, eh ?) for karaoke. It was great to see the 'gang' there. Jess was there. Cynthia showed up, even tho she wasn't feeling well. Tommy Lee was there when we got there with a date, Monica. Nice to meet Monica. Mary and John came in and hung with us. The place was not very full when we got there but filled up quickly.

Of course, the highlight of the night was when Russ came to join us. Russ is one of those straight shooting, good ole boy, kinda guys. He is a jock, in as much as he used to play football, but he is much more. We met Russ when he was bouncing at the 11th Frame lounge. His sense of humor and all around personality attracted us. He was fun to be with. We invited Russ to join us at a bar to watch some UK football when we first got to know him. He came and has been a friend since. That was several years ago. He was in our wedding. Needless to say, it is always a good thing to see Russ. Here's a shout out to ya, Russ. We love ya, dude.

Russ and I had a lotta fun last night 'tormenting' Tommy Lee. Now, Tommy Lee was trying to impress Monica, this being a first date and all. So, we told her about all of us being cellmates at LaGrange prison. We informed her about Tommy's small member. At one point, Tommy was singing, we tried to talk her into flashing him. She declined because of the number of people in the bar. She did go up and get behind him and grope him a bit, causing Tommy to stutter in the song. We did, eventually, tell her that Tommy was a nice guy, and though she could probably do better, she wouldn't find anyone better there at the bar. What are friends for ?

We decided to call it an evening around 11:30 and made our way through the police all over town and came home. The house was still standing. We consider that a good thing.

Tammy was disappointed that I wasn't a bit hungry, as she was jonesing for the coconut creme pie that we picked up earlier. It was baked by a 91 year old Christian widow. Her pies are legendary. Many many many moons ago, I dated her granddaughter. When she (the granny) and her husband lived in Paris, I would go get them and bring them to Lexington for church, when they were not feeling up to driving. He passed several years ago. She only quit driving a couple years ago. She is a pretty awesome lady and a good friend. We might crack open that pie today.

Three of my four grandkids are coming sometime today and spending the night. They will be going to church with us in the morning and then we will take them home. All I can say about that is, "What was I thinking?" Just kidding, maybe.

Anyway, I'll be back later to fill ya in on the details and maybe post a picture of the fun.

Tammy and Malcolm, the dog she hates

Ava 

Transvestite Donovan 

Dude 

Tuesday night singing

Well, tonight was an interesting night. We made our usual visit to Todd's Karaoke for one of our singing fixes. Tammy and I are both addicted to music. While we were outside for Tammy to smoke and for me to breathe (Funny how we do both in the same place), The owner Todd came out to get his camera out of his car. It seems, based on a few phone calls, that Richard Gere was in town and was looking for a quiet out of the way place to relax and have a few drinks. Let me tell ya, for those that don't know, Todd's is a quaint place. Quaint being a polite persons way of saying 'little hole in the wall'. It seemed unreasonable that any star would go out of their way to find it, although, one of the Backstreet Boys has been there a time or two.

A bit later a cab pulls up, while we were outside again (sometimes we are outside to escape some of the more horrendous singers), and a small party of 3 comes to Todds. In this party of 3 is one guy that could be a distant cousin of Richard Gere's. If Gere had grown a couple inches and had his face stretched, this could have been him. The eyes were wrong. The smile was wrong. It was funny that he would try to pass himself off as Gere. I guess to the less informed he might have been able to pull it off, but Tammy is a huge Gere fan. She wasn't buying it.

We went on with our evening as usual. I had sang 3 times already before they arrived and the next song I had in was "Seven Bridges Road" by the Eagles. I did a good job with it. The guy that was with the fake Gere went crazy. He says he is the pilot that has flown in the generic Gere. He goes on and on with Tammy about how I have one of the best voices he has ever heard. I thank him politely.

The next song I do is "Cold one coming on" by Montgomery Gentry. Once again the pilot, Angela, and the imitation Gere are all claps and whistles. Again, Kevin (the pilot) corners Tammy and insists that she formally introduce us. He meets me and tells me I have an "incredible voice" and "that I should be singing professionally". He wants to know if I would mind if he dropped my name around people that could do something about that. Of course, I told him I didn't mind. All the while, in the back of my head is this little voice saying, "Yeah, Right !"

It does turn out that he is a pilot. The girl that was with them works at BlueGrass Field. How the fake Gere works into the picture I have no clue or interest. Tammy told him that I had met and been asked to sing for the guitar player for John Michael Montgomery. He claims that he has flown JMM.

We will see what we will see.

I finished the night with "Keeper of the stars" by Tracy Byrd and a duet with my favorite singer, Tammy. We did "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley and Allison Krause.

Jack wants out

Jack Kevorkian has petitioned for early release from prison based on the fact that he has health problems which include high blood pressure, arthritis, and a hernia. I am sure no one needs reminding that he is there for 2nd degree murder. He publicly, after being cited and warned numerous times, assisted a patient with Lou Gerhigs disease in committing suicide. He video taped this and it was shown on national television.

He broke the law. Whether you agree with the law or not doesn't really matter. He broke the law. He not only broke the law but he rubbed the law's nose in it when he video taped it and allowed it to be aired nationally. It were as if he was saying, "Here is what I think of you and your laws."

Now, from behind bars, after serving 5½ years of his 10 to 25 year sentence, he is requesting that his sentence be commuted. He further agrees to not kill anyone else if he is released. Russ Marlan, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections, said the department had not yet received Kevorkian's request. But he said medical commutations are normally granted only for inmates expected to live a year or less. ''We have plenty of prisoners that have cataracts and arthritis, but that doesn't mean they should be granted a commutation,'' Marlan said. ''They're only granted for offenders that have little chance of surviving very much longer.''

I have a solution. Hey Jack. Commit suicide. It was such a good idea when you were doing it to others. Just buddy up to the guy that handles the lethal injections and see if he can't slip ya some suicide drugs. C'mon Jack. It can't be that difficult. You used to help others do it all the time.

The scary part of this is that there was a poll online about whether or not one thought that Jack should be released early. Of the 41,278 that took the poll, 72% voted that he should be released early. Hey, does Manson get a vote ?

Baretta, a TV cop from the 80's, used to say, "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

12 Truths .. sorta

Got this in my email .. thought I would share (my thoughts)

Subject: Twelve Truths

12. Life is sexually transmitted.
(and I am in the mood to transmit .. got yer receiver ready ?)

11. Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

(OK .. and the most boring)

10. Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich!

(Nuff said !!)

9. Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

(Weeks ?? I have family I havent seen for years since showing them the WWW)

8. Some people are like Slinkies.....not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

(Can we have a stairway party ?)

7. Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

(Yeah .. what she said !!)

6 Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

5. All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

(Raz-a-fraz-a-braz-a-racking weather !!)

4. Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents?

(It is a fence thing and which side you happen to be on)

3. In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

(Up my dosage !! I see stupid people. They don't know they are stupid)

2. Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.

AND THE # 1 THOUGHT FOR 2004:

Many terrorists come to America legally and hang around on expired visas (some for as long as 10-15 years). Now take Blockbuster, for example. You're two days late with a video rental and those people are all over you. I think we should put Blockbuster in charge of US immigration.

(Welcome to Blockbuster movie rental and immigration service. How may we assist you today ?)

raz a fraz a braz a racker

finally .. or maybe

It seems as if my computer or my AOL or my blog have been at a disagreeable state for the last little bit. I haven't been able to bring up the 'create a post' page and therefore unable to create a post. This post may or may not make it to the blog depending on the temperamentally of the three principal components.

The last thing I was able to post was the cat poop post.

Several things have happened since then. Friday happened. Saturday happened. Sunday is currently happening. I'll try to catch ya up if you are interested.

PublishAmerica sent me an Email telling me 'they have decided to give "Journey Into Darkness" the chance it deserves'. They sent a contract for me to read, modify, negotiate, or sign. They talked about the stigma of self publishing in a prior email. I am trying to ascertain if this is correct or not.
The consideration is this: To self publish will cost me around $1500. If I self publish, my royalties are at 30%. The self publishing house that I have been talking to has told me that the book would most likely sell in the $15 to $20 range. This would make my royalties $4.50 to $6 per book (if it sold for the low end of $15). If it sells 10,000 copies, my royalties minus the original investment would be $43,500. The royalties continue at 30% regardless of the number sold. This would be $4.50 per book sold.
If I go the PA route, the royalties will be 8% on the first 2000 and then 10% of the next 8000. This will mean royalties of $14,400 on the first 10,000 books. After 10,000 books, the royalties go up to 12.5%. This would be $1.875 per book sold.
The rub is that if there is such a stigma to the self published books. Will I sell less books than if I go with PublishAmerica. How will it affect the book sales?

I have been tossing these ideas around in my head for the last few days. I am still no closer to coming to a decision than I was.

No No, I want the good poop

If you really want to know where to get the good shit, I can tell you, but you have to act fast. It is in my bathroom, to the right of the toilet (of course .. depending on your direction to the toilet), and on the floor. There you will find a long gray colored plastic pan type box. It is called a litter box.

It seems that instead of the goose that lays the golden egg, I have the cat that lays the good shit. Just about every day, one of these mutts is going in there and getting Dudes crap and bringing it into the living room to eat it. I can just hear them talking amongst themselves. "Man, this is some good shit."

So, don't be fooled by cheap imitations. Don't be swayed by less expensive brands. Hold out for the genuine. Don't take anything except the real deal. The real Dudes shit.

Election day

Today we voted. I have been voting since I was 18 years old. I think of it as my duty. It is a priviledge and honor to be able to do so. For the minute that I was in that voting booth, I held as much power in my hand as did George Bush or John Kerry. Both of them, in the booth, possessed only one thing. They each had one single vote.
Today was the first time that Chris voted. He turned 18 in July. It was exciting to watch him exercise his right for the first time.

Then comes the waiting ..

Monday Monday

Here we are. We have managed to make it to another Monday.

Today was a slow day. I put in a few job apps and rested. I managed to give Malcolm a bath. He is great to give a bath. He just stands there while ya soak, suds, and rinse him.
The cold is waning but the battle has left me tired today. It has interrupted my sleep patterns. I cough through the night and therefore do not really rest. I laid down this afternoon for a bit. Tammy won't cooperate. She won't wake me in an hour.

We went to the grocery to get onions, red peppers, and green peppers. I decided to cook supper tonight and needed those things for the beef broccoli stir fry. Tammy has been on a sugar fit lately. She was jonesing on the Halloween candy being all on sale. She did manage to settle on just two full sized chocolate bars.
I love cooking. Tammy is a great cook and it is so easy to let her cook. She loves it as well. When we were at the grocery last week, roast was on sale. We bought two. Tammy fixed one as a roast. I specifically got the second with the intent to cook the beef broccoli. Tonight was that night.

It turned out great.

I did get smarter. Instead of standing to do all the things I needed to do to prep the ingredients, I pulled the stool over and sat. Standing kills my back.

This evening I had a flash of brilliance. Tammy and I went to the movies. We went to the discount movies. So, for $3 we got to spend 110 minutes in a dark room without kids. It was grand. We saw "the Village". It was an interesting movie. We liked it.

Tomorrow .. Election Day .. WaaaaaHoooooo