Lest you were wondering

I think I announced earlier that son Lil Bro and his lovely wife Sistah are expecting a baby, thus going to make me a grandfather again. (My only other grandchild is Kiddo, Prof's son who is now 15.) This is very exciting news, especially since according to the latest ultrasound photos, I am going to have a granddaughter! The kids informed me that her name is Kinsey Faye, and we are referring to her as Kinsey already. Up until now we have called her "Bump" or "Little Bit."
Now that everything seems more real, I am ready to get the cradle that Lil Bro had as a child down from the garage attic, dust it off, and get it into the living room. I told the kids that if they want to go out in the evening, I am the man who can babysit, and will make that my first priority.
A new life coming into this world. How wonderful! My only regret is that Tilly didn't live long enough to see this little one. But I know she is watching out for Sistah and the baby from somewhere out there. I have to believe that this is God's way of telling us all that things will be okay for us all in the future. After the year we have had, we can look forward to this exciting time, and know that God is good, all the time!

Ridin' the Rails

I have just returned from a trip to Texas on Amtrak. Though it was a very long journey, let me say, that if you have the chance to ride the rails, and are not in a hurry, do it. At least once!

I departed from a small station in northern Indiana, and railed into Union Station in Chicago. I didn't know anything about train travel. (The last time I rode on the train was a long time ago. I was maybe 10.) I stepped off the train in Chicago and immediately had to walk what seemed miles to the terminal for Amtrak. I did not have a bag on wheels, so I toted this heavy duffle over one shoulder while carrying a cooler and a carry-on bag in my hands.(the first purchase I made in Texas was a new piece of luggage with wheels!)
One nice thing about traveling by train, and being over 62, I got to board first. I found a good aisle seat, stashed my bags and got comfy and also acquainted with the people around me. Riding the rails was fun. The crew on the way to Texas was a good crew, very congenial, and fun to be around. The guy running the bar in the lounge car was a riot. I met several friendly people, and yes, I actually talked, and in some cases, even struck up conversations around me. It is easy to get a conversation started when you are traveling, because you have that in common with the people around you. Prof and Lil Bro both told me to not be shy and at least talk to people.

We were very late getting into Dallas, my destination, but we found out a few things about Amtrak that none of us knew. Amtrak leases the railroad space from Union Pacific Railroads. Part of the leasing agreement is that Amtrak has to give right-of-way to all freight trains. This means that we had to pull 0ver on sidings and let freight trains pass, or if there was double tracks, we slowed way down because of the closeness of the railcars and the sway of them. We could actually bump, but we were the ones always slowing or stopping. Which made us late. Then only 12 miles out of Dallas, we sat for almost 2 hours because Union Pacific was doing track work. But, all in all the trip down there was fun. I had motion sickness the second day out, so I didn't eat, which probably made it worse rather than better. I got some drammine for the trip home, and that stuff really works.
The trip home was even longer. I was disappointed in the train I was on. It wasn't very clean and the crew was fussier. Our car attendant, Morgana, was a real witch. She acted like she didn't like her job, didn't want to be there, and that everything she did for us was a real effort. She was not helpful at all, and when someone complained that it was too cold in the car, she did something to the heaters, and it got up over 90 in there. Finally after complaining to her about it without results, one of the passengers went to the conductor, complained about Morgana and her attitude and the heat, and he made it right.
We were over 6 hours late getting into Chicago on the return trip, making scads of people miss their connections. Amtrak offered to put us up in motels, pay us cash for meals and cab fares and get us going the next day. I just wanted to go home. Fortunately, there is a train that leaves Chicago at 10 PM nightly heading for NYC, and it stops at my station where Lil Bro was to pick me up. The nice lady at the Amtrak info center got me on it. Yeah rah! You go girl!
Not being a seasoned traveler like so many, I was nervous. I have not traveled anywhere for a long time, so I was lost when it came to finding out what I needed to know. The nicest thing was that the young man in the seat next to mine sensed how nervous I was, so when we got into the station, he took it upon himself to make sure I found someone to help me, then helped me find my gate and even found my train and departure time. Then he shook my hand, wished me well and disappeared to go his own way. I didn't even get his name, but I will never forget him. A young person helping an older, confused, tired adult. Living proof that there really are angels walking among us.
I arrived at my little Indiana station at the same time Lil Bro did. Perfect timing. I had a good time while I was gone, fodder for another blog, but was glad to get home. My shower and bed felt really good!

Another Movie

Tonight I watched "American Gangster" starring my very favorite Densel Washington, and Russell Crowe. It was okay. It was nice to see Crowe play a nice guy for a change. I hated his guts in "3:10 to Yuma." I don't like seeing Washington playing a thug. It's just out of character for him. The role of his mom was played by veteran actress Ruby Dee. What a gal. Still has that spark. This movie is worth watching, but allow lots of time. I didn't look at the jacket info to see how long it was, but it seemed VERY long. Might be good entertainment for a rainy Sunday afternoon.
JE

You Must See It!!!!

I just finished watching "August Rush!" It has to be the very best movie I have seen in a very long time. I usually don't review or even past judgement on a movie, but this one is "the best." Watch it!
JE

Recording, and recording, and recording.....

Today, my mixed quartet had their first ever recording sesson. We have been asked to perform for a very large group of professional educations from all around Area 52. We have to submit a demo recording to the committee who plan this event, so today was our first attempt at making a CD.
Now, our quartet has been together for seven year. We have performed all over the northern part of our state, and are pretty well known. But, we have never recorded.
So, we gathered, and each had our own mike, like ususal. Only this time we weren't singing to an audience. The first time through, I was so loud, I drowned out the rest of the group. My mike was too hot, I held it too close to my mouth, the sound man was puzzled with the play back, so we attempted it again. This time through, the bass was too loud, and so was the alto. So, we decided to switch to different miking system. So, Wednesday night at 9:00, we are having another go at it. This was not a professional studio, but we did have professional equipment and a semi pro running it for us. We were recording in our church's multipurpose activity center. It is new, has wonder acoustics, and a great sound system. It was an interesting experience. I have a new respect for singers who spend hours recording, and now know why sometimes it takes months to get a record(CD) out of the production room.
Fortunately, our bass knows two people on the committee for this group, so I guess we're in, even if our recording isn't too wonderful. I think they just want proof that we're not some "fly-by-night group.
Between now and Wednesday, I have to learn the words and music to four songs. Guess I'd better get busy.
JE

This and That

• For those of you who live in warmer climates....goodie for you. It's still colder than blue blazes here in Area 52.
• My diet was going great, but my scales seem to be stuck on 212 for some reason.
• I have my tickets purchased to head for Texas to visit my bro over spring break. I am going by Amtrak this time...not Grayhound. I think I would stay home if that was the only choice I had.
• I still don't have all my Christmas decorations put away. They are gathered by the back door, but the weather hasn't been good enough for me to want to spend the time trapsing back and forth to the garage to put them away.
• We only have about 12 weeks of school left.
• One of my former students, a guy who finally quit school at 16, ended up in reform school for a while, stopped by and shoveled me out the other day.
• My new grandbaby inutero is progressing nicely and is beginning to round out his mommie's tummy.
• My son finally gave up his second job. He has complained about it for years. I'm proud of him.
• Prof and Kiddo seem to be surviving out there in the middleofnowheremontana. Glad it's them and not me in those "way negative" wind chills.
• It's been 5 months and counting since losing Tilly, and I am still surviving. Damn I miss her!

Peace and love...

JE

Winter Blues or Blahs

God, it's cold. It has snowed off and on all the live long day. A while ago I looked out across the parking lot and it was snowing to beat the band. Now, the evening sun is out, and the snowfall looks all shades of blue. And everything looks so clean and pristine. But, it's still cold. I used to love winter, but I have come to loathe it now. I can't seem to get warm and stay warm. The only time I am truly warm is under my electric blanket turned up on 4 or 5. I get home from work, fix myself some supper and I just don't want to get back out and do anything else.
I am so looking forward to spring. I have a kazillion things I want to do outside. I am going to tear out some bushes, cut down two trees and strip the lattice off my porch. I want new flowers, and am going to move some of my perinnials into different locations. I plan all of this, but probably won't do it all. I do this every year when I get blue and the winter doldrums set in.
My students are tired of winter. They're tired of being cooped up inside and want for warmer weather, too. I think all of our minds are effected by the weather. The people I teach with are tired of the snow, slush, and cold, too.
As the days lengthen, I am encouraged that winter can't last much longer, and that spring has to be just around the corner. I am ready. I even heard the song of a cardinal the other day. I couldn't spot him, but I could hear him. I am hopeful. 2008 has to be a good year.
Peace...
JE

Lists! Lists! Lists! Will they ever stop?

Here's another list. They are fun and make it easier to get to know fellow bloggers. Some of this stuff you probably already know, but you might learn one new thing about me. Here goes!

Favorite Disney Movie:the original “Parent Trap” or “Swiss Family Robinson.

”Favorite smoothie flavor:I only make my own: Mango juice, frozen mixed fruit, Exotic Fruit sangria.

Favorite work of art:Diego Valezquez’s style is fantastic. Remmington’s western paintings are wonderful. I visited an art museum in Ft. Worth that had many of his original works. They are a sight to behold.

Dream Vacation:I would like to be able to spend as much time as I wanted in Key West walking on the warm sand and watching the sunsets. Also, I want to see the upper Rockie Mts. Sometime. Maybe possible this summer. Key West is only a dream!

Favorite historical character:Robin Hood…He was my kind of guy. Robbing from the rich was wrong, but because he helped out the poor, I can forgive him for that. He got the good looking woman in the end, too.

Favorite food:Steak, sweet potatoes, Peg’s “belly stickers.”

Favorite pie:Wick's Sugar Cream Pie, or dutch apple

Favorite flower:Just plain old lilacs

Left or right?write righty, do everything else lefty.

Bottom or top?If this means sex, I’ll take either, depends on the mood. I LOVE both, if memory serves me correctly.

Biggest frustrations:Lack of money when things are tight and not being able to help my kids out when they need it the most.

Any happy moment(s):Not lately, but I did chuckle watching “Will and Grace” the other night. I love a good joke, and hearing my kids at school actually learning something is sheer joy. Oh, and you should see my daughter-in-law since she found out she is expecting. Radiant!

Do you take vitamins?Yes, when I remember to do so.

Most frustrating technical equipment:The damn remote that goes with my new vcr/dvd player. I have better luck just doing it by hand. I sometimes trip the breaker when I use my electric skillet and the microwave at the same time. Of course, there’s always this damn computer which is a POS.

Where do you put spare change?I have an antique “Whitman’s Sampler” tin that is way old, and I don’t know where it came from, about half full of pennies. The rest is spent right out of my pocket.

Favorite song right now:I still love “Just to feel your love” by Garth Brooks from the “Hope Floats” soundtrack. And probably my all time fav is “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Especially the version from “Mr. Holland’s Opus.”

Last stupid thing you did:Well, I went out for dinner with three good looking, much younger, women, two of them single, let them talk me into too much to drink, and probably said stuff that made me look like an old man trying to be young. What the “F__K” was I thinking!


Who/ What is on your wall calendar?In the laundry room I have a scenic calander from my friend Lynn’s insurance office. At school I have whatever calander Pepsi Cola gave each room.


What are you doing this weekend?Today we have no school, due to “midwinter break” so I am having lunch with my friend Cheryl. Tonight I am going out to dinner with my friends Lynn and Karen. Tomorrow I plan a trip to Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Starbuck’s and a stop at either Steve and Barrys, or Old Navy (whoever has the best sales.) Sunday, I will go to church, and the rest of the day I had better do the household crap that accumulates while I am out having fun. No school on Monday either, so I forsee sleeping in and doing whatever comes along.


Most unusual gift?A hand carved diamond willow walking stick in the carving style of the Absarokee tribe. I love it and use it often during this crappy weather we have been having. This was a Christmas gift from Prof who wanted me to have something typical of Montana. Little did she know how much I would use it.


Alcoholic beverage:Like Prof, the best one is a free one, but I especially like Sam Adams Dark Lager, Coors Silver Bullet, Cutty Sark on the rocks with a lemon twist, and a good margarita on the rocks, with salted rim.


Favorite blog to read:Of course, my fav is Babble from Babbler, that goes without saying, but I like many. I miss Redneck Nerdboy and his humor. All in favor of him starting to write again, raise their hands!


Favorite article of clothing:Oh wow! Do I even have a favorite. Well, yeah, and I guess it’s a long sleeved navy blue tee shirt from WalMart. It has been worn and washed so many times that the neck band is frayed and it isn’t navy anymore but sort of a mottled blueish yuck color…but it goes good on a day off teamed with my favorite old faded baggy jeans from Dollar General. Yes, I do have nicer jeans, these are just my favorites. Isn’t that what the header said “favorite”.


Song you're listening to right now:No music on, no noise on, just the clatter of my PC keyboard and the sound of heat rushing through the furnace ducts. Maybe the fridge is running, too.


Interesting thing that happened to you today:Not a damn thing. Only been up an hour or so. Oh I did take a shower and put on clean clothes.


Speeding ticket?Never…knock on wood.

Guilty pleasure:Chocolate. I should cut back on the intake…going to be very hard, but did you know chocolate has masses of caffeine? I did, but I didn’t care.


What's one thing you wish you could do (talent/ hobby) that you can't?Play a sport. I have always been so very non-jock. I always envied my brother the classic “could play every sport, and did” athlete. I can play pool fairly well, or used to be able to.


Last movie watched in a theater:Charlie Wilson's War or National Treasure 2... Prof and I saw these at Christmas but I cannot remember the order we watched...

Last email received:From my cousin Rita who works for the FBI.

Last kiss:It involved 5 Hershey thingys given to me by my boss, Bev, at transit.


Who did you see in concert last:Way,way back, Tilly and I went to see the “Oakridge Boys.”

Favorite Color:RED

Cell phone:Yes- a trackphone, which reminds me, I am about out of minutes. Gotta stop at Walgreen’s and buy a 60 minute card.

Coffee:HELL YES! I have switched to DeCaf after the first cup of regular, but I still love the taste. I am searching for the perfect DeCaf beans to use in my grinder. This doesn’t mean that I am going to order DeCaf when I go to Starbucks. None of that “sissy” shit there. I want the real thing.

Just a Quick Ramdon Thought!

Ya know, you know you are getting up there when your "favorites" list contains the web sites to both local funeral homes. And you check them regularly. OMG! I've got to get out more!
Peace...
JE

And are you all as tired of Hilary and Obama as I am? Good grief, Charlie Brown. Enough is enough!

Very Sir Lord James the Assiduous of Tempting St Mary

Yep! This is my Royal title, according to the whomever! Right now, I don't think even St. Mary would be very tempted, however, she did marry a much older gent if memory serves me correctly. So maybe there is still hope for me.
Peace.....
JE

Weather, whether we like it or not!

After a few days respite from the deep freeze, with temps in the 40's, it's getting cold again. When I left my second job at 6 pm tonight, it was 42 degrees. And it was sprinkling kind of a half-assed rain. I went immediately to my church for a meeting. At 7:30, it was 36F and raining, thunder, lightening and the whole bit. Now, at 10:22 pm it is 20 degrees and snowing it's ass off out there. I can feel the house cooling down. The wind speed is about 50 mph and the temp is expected to drop even more until a +9F is reached by morning.
Professor called and was lamenting that it is VERY cold in Montana with temps not even reaching 0F today. How do those people stand -43F or lower? I cannot imagine it. I hate it when it's this cold. I cannot even think about living like that. Yet they do it everyday and don't think a thing about it. Tomorrow morning, we will probably have at least a 2 hour delay at school. Montanians don't ever miss school because of the cold. They did send the bus riding kids home early today because the diesel fuel on the busses gels when it gets that cold.
On the other hand, I talked to my brother in TX last night. Their weather is like my spring. In the 50's and 60's. My sister in law and her cousin went skiing in Colorado. I asked my brother why he didn't go along. His answer: "It's too effing cold." I invited him here to Area 52...same response.
You know, the older I get and the closer to retirement age I get, the better living in Fort Worth, TX sounds. I loved that town. I could live there in a heartbeat.
What was the point of this blog? Just a point made about weather, whether we like it or not, it's a way of life no matter where we live.
Peace...
JE

Another Confound List!

Say The First Thing(s) That Comes To Mind When You Hear:

..snow?:shovel

..rain?:leaks in the roof

.tornado?:wind

..summer love?:Jennifer ONeill

..Jon?:Elton

..Mike?:erphone

..Shea?:butter

..banana?:splits

..dizzy?:circles

..Laura?:Ingalls Wilder

..Juan?:Valdez

...car?:I wanna new one

..white?:Christmas

..peppermint?:Starbucks White Peppermint Mocha

..New Found Glory?:Retirement???

..placebo?:Coors Light longneck and dark chocolate

..orange juice?:heartburn

..candid camera?:my daughter-in-law and her new camera

..sister?:don’t have one, but a fine sister-in-law comes to mind

..brother?:great guy

..hate?:I'm having to deal with this right now!

..school?:job

..President?:Can we ever find a worthy candidate?

..football?:Colts and Packers forever!

..rap?:worst music (noise) ever

..pop?:corn

..rock?: and roll forever

..punk?:a few of my students

..sex?:whatiszat?

..death?: rather not even think about it right now!

..baby?: I'm gonna be a grandpa again

..duuude?:an expression I even use once in a while

..the end?:of what?

Household Chores

Since living alone, I have discovered that there are a few household chores that I HATE. They are as follows:

• Folding laundry. What a waste of time. I don't mind hanging the stuff that needs to be hung on hangers, but I hate folding towels and underclothes. Why not leave them in the baskets and just use out of there. What a novel idea. From now on, no folded skivvies for me.
• Buying groceries. I hate this job. I don't know one brand from another, so I buy what ever is on sale. I hate putting them away when I get them home. But I like to cook and eat, so I guess buying the raw materials is necessary.
• Emptying the dishwasher. This rates right up there with root canals. Again, what a waste. Why put the dishes back in the cupboard when I am just going to remove them and use them again. So, I usually use out of it, and stack the dirty dishes until I get a sink full, then I empty what is left in the dishwasher, and fill it. Works for me.

Today I actually got out the iron and ironing board and pressed 3 shirts. I also got out the sewing machine and am going to attempt to shorten a pair of pants. Don't know how that will go, but surely, with the instruction book in hand and a good pair of scissors, it hadn't ought to be too difficult.

I am learning. It is possible to teach an "old dog new tricks."

JE

Reading

With all the flap by fellow bloggers about what they are reading, I decided to share what I am reading. I am not going to start a literary blog, but I will just tell ya all what I have just read and what I thought about it.



Since January 1, I have read two novels.

#1. Patriot Acts by Greg Rucka. This is a "series" noel about Atticus Kodiak. Atticus is usually a robust, active jock-type character who is a bodyguard. In this novel, I detected a lot of whining and sniveling by Atticus. Now, this is just my opinion, but I have read better Rucka novels. Once in a while, an author writes because he needs cash. I wonder if this was the case. The storyline was boring, and slow moving. I read it, but I didn't especially like it. But, I am a Rucka fan, so I persisted.



#2. Shoot Him If He Runs by Stuart Woods. This was an excellent read. Again, it was a "series" novel. Stone Barrington, one of my favorite characters, was sent to a remote island, run by a Prime Minister, who was more like a dictator, to find a murderer. It was loaded with action, political overtones, and excitment. The political overtones, turned into the main action, going all the way to the White House. It ended well. I look forward to another visit with Stone in the near future.



JE

NFL

I am not particularly a fan of the NFL, but today with our COLTS playing the CHARGERS, I am watching. I have only one thing to say:

Go COLTS!

Peace...
JE

In My Room

The words to this old Beach Boys song keep coming back to me, echoing how I feel at this very moment.

There's a world
where I can go and
tell my secrets to
In my room, in my room

In this world
I lock out all my
worries and my fears
In my room, in my room

Do my dreaming
and my scheming
Lie awake and pray
Do my crying
and my sighing
Laugh at yesterday

Now its dark
and I'm alone
But I won't be afraid
In my room, in my room
In my room, in my room
In my room, in my room.

Why is it that, even though I now have the entire house to myself, I am the most comfortable in "my room." It's small, very nondescript, has only two windows, neither of which have any kind of a view, has rather ugly carpet on the floor, and needs paint on the walls. Still, when I am in there, I feel like I can hide away from all the ugliness in my life. I can bury myself in sorrow, and no one can hear me, I can immerse myself in a good book, stretched out on my bed, or I can sleep. I do a lot of sleeping! Probably too much. But when the world seems to be closing in on me, and becomes more than I think I can handle, I want to be in my room. There, I am away from the things that frighten me the most. There I feel safe.
Peace...
JE

Random Thoughts of a Ranting Mind

A good friend sent this to me today:

Birds of a feather flock together and crap on your car.

When I'm feeling down, I like to whistle. It makes the neighbor's dog run to the end of his chain and gag himself.

A penny saved is a government oversight.

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at theright time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

He who hesitates is probably right.

Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are ' XL.'

If you think there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.

There's always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it.For example I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt.

Did you ever notice: When you put the 2 words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells 'Theirs.'

Peace

JE

Hey, I Can Cook

Tonight I was hungry. I could either go out and eat alone, or stay home and cook something and ...eat alone. I pulled a chicken breast out of the freezer and put it to thaw. When I was ready to cook, I got out the old faux G Foreman grill we have had for years. I plopped that chicken breast on it, set the timer for 15 minutes and slammed the lid down.
While that was cooking, I cut up a sweet onion and set it to sauteing in EVOO, added a little salt, a touch of garlic, and some cinnamon. When the onion started to turn transparent, I added a splash of chicken broth and a quarter cup of Mike's Hard Berry Wine cooler. I also added a handful of raisins and some dried cranberrys. I turned down the heat and let this cook down.
When the chicken breast was done, I poured the onion mixture over the top.
For dessert, I cut up a banana, added some pineapple tidbits, topped it all off with cinnamon/sugar mix. I finished off the rest of the bottle of Mike's Hard Berry with the meal.
This was good. Just had to share. Try it...you might like it.
Peace...
JE

The New Part-Time Job

Okay, Okay, Okay! I must be nuckin' futs! I cannot do this. This is so different from anything I have ever done, so far removed from the classroom and I felt like a total dumbass! I have never seen so many Excel screens in one place with so many numbers and names on them. The guy training me was super understanding, but negotiated around the different screens like a pro. Of course he is a pro, and he wrote the program I am using. He did all of this while answering two lines on a telephone, taking calls, setting up appointments, and dispatching drivers all over the place. Wow!
Now, one good thing I did find out is that I will answer very few phone calls, and do little if any dispatching. My job will be to prep the route sheets for tomorrow's drivers, make sure they have all the information they need, and have them printed out and in order of "appearance."
It was a lot to learn and absorb in one day. Tomorrow my trainer wants me to work the phones some, and book appointments, and still do all the Excel stuff. He said he would stand right there if I need him. I probably won't sleep a wink tonight!!!
When the day was over, Trainer Bob said "you did an excellent job today. I knew you would, or I wouldn't have recommended you for the job." So I guess all was not lost!
I am tired, hungry and sleepy.
Peace...
JE

In With the New

In prep for starting my new second job tomorrow, I took down the Christmas tree today. Had a Dr. appointment, did some shopping and went to church this evening. I am wandering into a land of Computers in this new part time job. It will be a challenge for someone who is so computer illiterate. But I am up for the task. I just realized that tomorrow and Friday I have to be up by 6:15 am at the latest to be to work by 7:00. This sucks. On my full time job, I don't have to be in the school until 7:35. But my new PT boss wants me to work 7-4 tomorrow and Friday for the ojt training. Then on Monday, I will start at 4 and work until 6-6:30 each evening. Shouldn't be too bad once I learn the ropes. I will be in an office by myself each evening, so it should be relatively quiet. Anything to help pay the bills right now.



Wish me luck!



Peace...



JE

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To all (or should I say,"both" ) of my readers: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What a way to end a visit! Yesterday morning, Prof and Kiddo were reacing the clock to get everything packed and ready to go. On a whim, Prof picked up the phone and called the Chicago Metra System to make sure we had the times right for catching the Southshore commuter from Northern Area 52 to Chicago. Guess what??? We had been looking at the wrong schedule!!! Oh shit! We had missed the first train. Recall, it is 86 miles from our house to the Southshore depot. We had been looking at the weekend/holiday schedule, BUT, Chi/Metra wasn't running that schedule on New Years Eve. It was running it's regular schedule. So, we had missed the first train, and the next one would put Prof and Kiddo into Chicago an hour after their Amtrak train had left Union Station. (Damn the time difference!)
So, Prof called Amtrak to see if she could change her tickets. Bear in mind here, that she had changed tickets on the way here, and it had cost her a bundle, no thanks to a ticket agent who misquoted her $25.00 change fee instead of the real $127.50 fee. She had to borrow the difference from her friend there in the station who had brought them there. So, did we really want to trust this new agent yesterday who said she could change tickets and go today for $26.00? Prof didn't have the money to change them if we got there and they had made another mistake, and neither did I. So our other option was to make a rush trip to Chicago. I have never driven to Chicago. In fact, it has been at least 44 years since I have even been to Chicago. (College field trip during a Historical Geology class), but I was brave enough to try it, if Little Bro and Sistah were up for the ride, so I would have company coming back. They agreed.
We piled all luggage, and people into my ol' minivan and away we went, googled directions in hand. It was a beautiful sunny day in Area 52. Spirits were high, and all was well. The closer we got to Chitown, the foggier it got, but it was still okay. Prof sat in front and navigated with the printed directions. We stopped for a "rest" stop before entering the Toll Road, and I bought a Chicagoland map. We consulted it frequently, and lo and behold in a while, I was pulling up in front of Union Station without a blip or a dent. I think Prof was a little frazzled by my abrupt lane changes, but I used my signal properly and just went with the flow of traffic, even if we were all driving 70 in a 55 mph zone. (But I digress)
Parking in downtown Chicago, in front of Union Station is at a premium or non-existent, so we swung into a no parking zone for a few minutes, unloaded all stuff, kissed, cried, laughed, and said our goodbyes. It was quick and that was probably good for us all. Lil Bro, Sistah, and I then got back into ye ol" mini and took off, this time with Sistah in front to navigate. Ten minutes later we were heading back out of Chitown, retracing out route in reverse. Prof called on her cell and wanted to let us know that they had found their train, it was running on time, and wondered how Dad's nerves were holding out. I did Good! Yeah, rah , Me! Sistah had only visited Chicago once, and was enjoying taking pics out the car window of everything we saw. It was cool. When we hit the Toll Road again, we decided to go back across the top of our state to South Bend. Seem that Lil Bro and Sistah had found some shops on the internet that they wanted to visit. So we did. We found these shops, they did some shopping, and then we started home. When we got out of the city, we decided to stop at a Mickey D's and get a sandwich. Do you know that sometimes a greasy old burger from MacDonalds tastes pretty good. After a filling, unhealthy, supper we loaded back into the vehicle and trekked home.
I was invited to friends for a New Year's party, so I quickly showered, shaved and dressed and took off again. I spent the entire rest of the evening with good friends, ate again, and generally had a blast. I was home and in bed by 1:00 am.
It is now 1:00 pm, I am still in my sweats, coffee in hand, and am sitting here typing this blog, watching it blow and snow! It is a bittersweet time, but I am full of hope. I just know that 2008 will bring great things to me and mine.
I know this how? Because Lil Bro and Sistah are going to HAVE A BABY!!!!!
Ahhhhhh! Life just might be good after all.

Peace to all...
JE

Onward and Upward

Golly! Time has sped by. I have to take Prof and Kiddo to the train station tomorrow morning. We have had a blast while they were here. I so hate to see them leave, but I know that they have to go back to MT. It will be a long stretch until I travel there. Probably in June. But thanks to email and Ma Bell, we will keep in touch.
We've laughed, cried, watch numerous movies both on TV and in the theater, and have eaten until I don't think I can hold any more.
2008 has to be better. I am looking forward to some good times with friends, Lil Bro and Sistah, doing some traveling, and of course singing. Because of the innumerable bills left by Tilly's death, I am being forced to take a second job to makes ends meet, but I will survive that, too. Besides, it will give me something to do to shorten the evenings. That will be good. Too much time alone is NOT a good thing for me.
Happy New Year to all of you!
Peace and joy...
JE

Under the guise of Honesty

Some people feel that they have to say what is on their minds, no matter what. People like this really piss me off. My former mother-in-law is one of these people. She has always been the type of person that says what she thinks, under the guise of " I'm just being honest." Well, on Christmas she went too far. She attacked one of my children. She really lambasted said child for being rude. First of all, said child is a mature adult. Secondly, said child was not being rude. Well, I came "unglued" lost my cool and told my former, and I mean former, MIL off. She was being hurtful, and typically a real bitch. Then I left. I said that I did not need to be there, and left. I WILL NOT go back. If she shows up at my door, which is typical of the woman, I will either not answer the door, or I will tell her she can come in , only if she keeps her snide remarks and hurtful comments to herself. If she cannot agree to this compromise, she can go to hell! She treated her only child like shit for 59 years, and she got by with it, but she will not hurt me anymore. I have had enough hurt this year.
Gee, I feel better!

Peace!

JE

Hurrying

OMG!

Prof and Kiddo called and are arriving two days earlier than I expected. I am excited. I have a kazillion things that I need to do, one of which certainly isn't wasting time blogging, but "what can I say!" I planned on cleaning and readying the house so Prof wouldn't think either #1. Dad can't take care of himself, or #2. Dad is a slob! So, I am hustling my buns off to get some things done. They are arriving tomorrow evening and I can hardly wait. I still have to buy groceries, and Prof warned me that Kiddo is a "hearty" eater, so I guess a supply of food is in order. None, no wait, I have one present wrapped. Oh, gosh! Well, shit, I guess everything will work out. Gotta run!



Peace and Joy,

JE

Deck the Halls

Only two more days and school will be out!!!!! I know I shouldn't be so excited, but the thought of having two weeks off and not having to deal with prepubescent teenager's attitudes sounds glorious to me right now. So much so, that I even went out tonight and bought some more lights. Really, WalMart had a sale, so I stocked up for next year. I came home and when I pulled in the garage I spied another tree up on a shelf. I decided that I knew just where it would look the nicest, so I took it in the house, put a string of my new lights on it and fit it into just the right place.
I put a grapevine tree on my porch that I made years ago and has been in the cellar for years. The other night I noticed that it wasn't burning, the perimeter lights were out and the ceiling fan, which I keep running 24/7/365 to keep the porch dry, wasn't running. I reset the breaker, but about 10 minutes later, out again. So I started unplugging stuff and discovered that the plug on the fan was shot and kept tripping the breaker. So, now the fan is off and everything else is staying on.
I decided tonight that I was done Christmas shopping. Everyone I buy for has enough except Lil Bro. I have bought him some neat stuff, but all necessary. I want to get him something cool that he wouldn't expect. But I don't know what. He buys everything he needs/wants and hasn't given me a list. So, either cash or a gift card seems like a good idea.
I have stuff to stuff socks with. I have gift wrap, ribbon tape and scissors. I hate to wrap, but I like to see the finished product, so I will get at it later on in the week. Tomorrow night I have been invited to dine at the local Elks Lodge, and stay for their Christmas Party. A group I used to sing with is entertaining, and they want me to come back and sing with them just for this gig. The assured me that we would be singing stuff I already knew, so I agreed. I know they want me to rejoin the group, but I am just not ready to do that yet.
Today, I was sorta offered a part-time job working from 4 to 6 every afternoon Mon thru Fri. No weekends. With the glut of bills from Tilly's illness and so on, I could use the extra cash. I will know more in a couple of weeks. It wouldn't start until after the first of the year. Might be good to have that to do. We'll see.
So, I am about ready. The halls are decked. I will probably not quit decking until the very last minute. Prof said she was going to cook me some good stuff while she was home.. and I have a couple of recipes that I am going to try out while she and Kiddo are here. We plan to meet friends, eat, drink and be merry. I have another Christmas party to go to after Christmas. So it looks like things will be busy around here.

Peace and joy!

Jim

Christmas will be Different This Year

It wasn't possible for the gang to gather to decorate for Christmas this year. With Prof and Kiddo 1300 miles away, Lil Bro and Sistah working, and of course a dear one missing, it just wasn't in the cards. So, I did what needed to be done. Sorta!

I did put up a tree. It wasn't the huge family tree with all the memories and nostalgia attached. My heart just wasn't there. But I did put up the 7 ft. chrystal and white tree. It is beautiful. I also put out some of the nativity collection, the Father Christmas collection, and some of the water globes. I have carolers on the piano, wreaths on the doors and some greenery swagged around my front door.

As a special tribute to Tilly, I did put up her favorite tree. It is a 3 ft. blue spruce that goes in our bedroom. It has pink lights on it, and is decorated in its entirity in a music motif. It's beautiful. It seems even more beautiful this year. It seems to have an aura! I wonder why! One interesting thing about this tree this year is that Friday afternoon when I got home from school, I went into the bedroom to change out of the sweater into a sweatshirt and plugged in the "music tree." Later that evening, when I got ready for bed, I noticed that it wasn't on. I checked the lights, they wouldn't come back on, I switched them to another plug-in. Still nothing. So, on Saturday, I searched for new pink lights. I found a string, took them home, took every decoration off the tree, restrung the new lights on, and redecorated the entire tree again. It has a new aura. I think it is even more beautiful than before.

As far as cooking, I don't know how to make all the kid's favorite dishes that their mum used to make. I don't know how to make the fancy hot dogs in pineapple, the sour cream coffee cake, the bacon and egg cassarole, or the mulled cider. So Christmas will be different.

Prof and Kiddo are coming home. But, they won't arrive until about 9:30 Christmas Eve. That is the night we always go to Tilly's parents, so that will have to be rescheduled. But that's okay. If I had my way, I would not go there. Too painful memory wise this year. But they want the grands there, and are gracious enough to include me, so we will go sometime. We will just have to decide when.

Little Bro has to work until 6 pm on Christmas Day, so if everything goes as planned, Prof Kiddo and I are going to the movies that afternoon. If Sistah doesn't have plans, she will go along, I hope. After all, I don't want to interfer with her plans with her side of the family.

I guess, with all the changes, I am just glad that we will all be together. It will be wonderful to see Prof and Kiddo. It will be wonderful having all my "chicks" come home to roost. I know the time will go fast. I know it will be strange, but we will keep it light, not too sentimental, and we will survive.

Stole this from Professor.
110. My middle name is: It's either Richard or Alfred. I get called both. I'll never tell!
109. I was born: in a barn in Area 52, Indiana, or at least that what my dad always thought.
108. I am really: a young guy in an old body.
107. My phone is: ablack, Durabrand with huge numerals and large print caller ID.
106. My eye color : green
105. My favorite colors are: red and black
104. My ring size is: 10
103. My height is: 5 foot 9
102. I am allergic to: Some medicines,milk, and hard work.
101. I was born on: Mother's Day, 1945!
100. I am annoyed by: Almost everything teenagers say and do, today. Not everyday.
99. Last book you read?Patriot Acts by Greg Rucka
98. My bed is: A brand new Serta Perfect Sleeper Twin Size. I love it!
97. One thing you hate about yourself: Low self-esteem.
96. My favorite holiday is: Used to be Christmas, but now I'm not sure.
95. The perfect kiss is: Non-existant.
94. The last CD I bought was: Building a Bridge by Signature Sound
93. Are you living at home? Yepper, but thinking of selling out.
92. Are your parents divorced? No they were married happily for over 27 years when Dad died.
91. What did you do yesterday? Went to work, attended a Special Ed. meeting, went to two cemeteries to decorate graves for Christmas, ate out, came home and watched "Must Love Dogs." Went to bed.
Do you believe in…
90. Love at first sight?Yepper. It happened to me.
89. Luck? Nope. Mine has been all bad, so I don't believe in it anymore.
88. Fate? Nope: Fate is a cruel taskmaster.
87. Yourself?Not any more. I've let too many people down.
86. Aliens?Maybe.
85. Heaven? Yep
84. Hell? Yes, and I believe that we make our own hell on earth with our actions.
83. Ghosts?Nope.
82. Horoscopes? Oh come on. Do people really believe that shit?
81. Soulmates?Phooey!
Which is Better?
80. Hugs or Kisses?Hugs.
79. Drunk or High? Drunk
78. Phone or Online?online
77. Red heads or Black hair?Black
76. Blondes or Brunettes?brunettes
75. Hot or cold?cold
74. Summer or winter?winter
73. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate, hands down.
72. Night or Day?Day, nights are too long and lonely!
71. Oranges or Apples?Apples made into pie.
70. Curly or Straight hair?Bald
Here’s What I Think About…
69. Abortion: I am pro-choice, but I don't think it should be used as a form of birth control.
68. Backstabbers: I often wonder why they are what they are.
67. Parents: I miss mine. It's the hardest and most rewarding job a person ever has.
When did you last…
66. Hug someone? Sunday at church
65. Kiss someone? Been too damn long!
64. See someone? See someone? I see people all day long.

63. Cry in front of someone? Today

Miscellaneous:
62. Who is the ditsiest person you know? Twin girls that I had as students. They are seniors now. HELP!
61. Who makes you laugh the most?: I don't laugh much right now. But probably Lauri G.
60. The last movie you saw in theaters?Damn, I really don’t remember.
59. What I don’t understand is: why bad things happen to good people.

58. The most unsatisfactory answer I’ve ever received is: I ain't doin' this shit! ( Student meant homework)
57. Something I really miss about my home: The lake our house was build on.
56. The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: Christmas break.
55. The thing that I’m not looking forward to is: Spending a lot of time alone.
54. Tomorrow: I will get up and face another day.
53. Today:I have choir and quartet practice.
52. Next Summer:I might take a trip to Montana to visit Prof and Kiddo.
51. This Weekend:…a chance to visit old friends.
50. People call me: to check up on my state of being!
49. The most difficult thing to do is…exist from day to day right now.
48. I have gotten a speeding ticket…not yet!
47. The first person I talked to today was…Red, at work
46. First time I had a crush: Rita who taught me to rollerskate. She was 12, I was 11.
45. The one person from whom I can’t hide things: Noone, I am too transparent.
44. Last time someone said what you were thinking:Yesterday in the Special Ed meeting.
43. Right now I am talking to: this infernal computer I have on loan from a friend.
42. What is your dream job?Teaching English to a bunch of students who actually "get it."
41. First job? Mower of yards.
40. I want most: security
39. I wish: I could relive part of my life over again.
38. The worst sound in the world is: sometimes, no sound at all.
37. The person that makes me cry the most: myself.
36. Best sound in the world: Sincere laughter
35. Person[s] who makes you happy: Prof, Kiddo, Lil Bro, Sistah, GBQ
34. Cats or dogs? Neither, but if someone offered me a free, spayed, housebroken Kees, I would probably cave.
33. Didn’t want to be…Alone this early in life.
32. Which Golden Girl would you be?Dorothy: I'm a classic smartass at heart.
31. MySpace or Facebook:Just give me a book.
30. Mexican food or Chinese?Mexican
29. My favorite piece of clothing: An old, black National Wildlife Federation sweatshirt with a wolf on it.
28. My favorite color(s): Didn’t I already answer this? They’re still red and black..
27. Last time I cried: Did this one already too!
26. My friends are…precious gifts that I cherish.
25. My computer is…a piece of shit!
24. Last person at whom I got mad:I don't get mad. It wastes to much time and energy. I do get peeved sometimes.
23. Person on whom I secretly crush: Angie Harmon
22. Favorite Song:Right now? "What a Savior" by Signature Sound
21. Paper or plastic?Paper
20. The all-time best movie(s) I’ve seen? Dances With Wolves, An American President, Murphy's Romance, When Harry Met Sally.
19. The all-time best feeling in the world: A chocolate high boosted with Killian's Red.
18. Favorite scent: New mown hay, and/or cinnamon candles.
17. What color is your hairbrush? I'm bald, what the hell do I need with a hairbrush.
16. Favorite shoes: newest brown loafers.
15. I lose all respect for: people who…don’t try
14. Color of your room?white, but I just bought new "sand beige" paint for it.
13. TV channels you watch: CBS, TLC, Food Network, and(ouch!) QVC
12. Best feature: my smile
11. Worst habit: whistling under my breath.
10. The worst pain I was ever in was: heartbreaking, gut-wrenching sorrow.
9. Best memory: Our vacations to Ludington, MI
8. Favorite TV show: Jeopardy and/or Numb3rs.
7. My favorite celebrity couple is: Liz and Dick. Now there was a "celebrity couple."
6. Favorite stuffed animal: My old brown saw dust stuffed teddy bear. I was a post WW2 baby. That's all they had.
5. My weakness is: Sweaters
4. What I like about the opposite sex is: Just about everything (esp. Boobs and Butts, sorry kids).
3. Who broke your heart? my 1st grade teacher, when she married someone else.
2. One thing that makes me feel great is: being able to get up in the morning.
1. One person that you wish you could see right now? All of my children.

My "A" List

After a previous blog, and in my own defense from you "readaholics," I decided that I needed to make an "A" list of my favorite books. When I sat down and tried to create that list, I see that I have really weird taste in reading material. I like all kinds. Remember that when you read this list, that as a former English teacher, (short lived as that career choice was) and an Language Arts scholar and literature lover, that my list may not be up to the standards of some of you more choosy readers. This list is different from a former list of "meaningful" books in a earlier blog. A book doesn't have to be a favorite to be meaningful. At least not to me





1. The Last of the Breed by Louis L'Amour

2. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel

3. The Mammoth Hunters by Jean Auel

4. The Valley of the Horses by Jean Auel

5. The Shelters of Stone by Jean Auel

6. Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks

7. Fine Things by Danielle Steele

8. Christy by Katherine Marshall

9. A Stranger is Watching by Mary Higgins Clark

10. The Complete Works of Robert Frost

Additionally:

Everything written by James Patterson

The Alphabet series by Sue Grafton A thru S

The "Bennie Harper" series by Earlene Fowler

The "Spencer" and "Jesse Stone" series by Robert Parker

Stuart Woods is a terrific author but has a real "holier than thou" attitude. But I read his stuff anyway!

The "Caulder" series by Janet Dailey

The "J.P. Beaumont" and "Joanna Brady" series by J.A. Jance


Most of John Grisham's stuff. Some is just to graphic for me.


I could go on and on. Face it, I just like to read. When I graduated from college, I vowed that I didn't want to read for knowledge any more. I still read educational material and some scientific journals, tho not very often since I am out of the labs of industry now. I try to keep up on current events and what is going on in the education field, but I especially like to read for fun.


Grace...
JE

Bitch Session

I had to buy a new hot water heater right before Christmas. I haven't gotten the bill yet, but it will be sizeable, I'm sure. I also had to buy two new tires for my car. Where does it stop. When do I get to have some good luck?
Last night I actually resorted to a 6 pack of Killian's Irish Red. And some "Beer Nuts." That was for supper. By six o'clock I was out on the couch. I missed Jeopardy. There was nothing on TV except watching Marie Osmond and her cheesy smile as she romped around on that dancing show. I won't watch the finale tonight. I don't give a shit.
I woke up at 2:37 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. So I finally got up and messed around on the computer. I played Solitare until my eyes became glazed over.
I spent the day in the company of idiots! I swear that at our school, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. And then there are the kids. I have a new student who just got out of reform school, is big enough to beat a bear with a switch, and can't find his way out of a paper bag. Today was his second day at our school, and he slept in and made it to 4th period. He is on probation, and also a behavior plan. Scary!
Tonight I did the laundry and ate a peanut butter sandwich. Cooking for one sucks! I hate doing dishes, the dishwasher is full of clean ones that need to be put away, and I also hate doing that.
On a more positive note, (fancy that) I do have my Christmas decorations up, and the house cleaned. Looks damn good! So all is not lost. I had friends in on Sunday evening, and we had such a good time, they said they wanted to come back!
I have received 2 Christmas cards. Both from single females. ("Pa, the pickers are here!") NOT INTERESTED! But I suppose I should be happy that they cared enough to "send the very best."
Okay, so life goes on. I will make it. Quit bitchin' and get on with it! Some days I hate my attitude.

Grace...

JE

Always a lover of reading, I found this to be interesting and somewhat amazing. It's always interesting to see what other people read. I ganked this from Professor who stole it from Tense Teacher. Prof. is probably ashamed to see what her "ol man" reads, or doesn't read!

Bold the ones you've read. Italicize the ones you want to read. Leave blank the ones that you aren't interested in.
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)-I cannot stand his writing style!
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)-I"ve read all of hers!
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible-well not all of it in order, but most of it.
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones's Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)-this was the hardest book I ever tried to read
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

I guess I don't read the "good stuff" according to Tense Teacher. But I like what I read, even if it doesn't make Oprah's book list. I will take reading for enjoyment, be it romance or murder and suspense over some of the above mentioned list. To each his own.

Late Breaking News!

Flash!!! I have to have a new hot water heater. It is being installed as we speak. Drat. Merry Christmas to me.

If you haven't seen "Hairspray" and "Freedom Writers," this weekend is a good time to RUSH to your local video store and rent them. They are both fabulous movies. Be prepared to both laugh your buns off at one and cry through parts of the other.

It snowed last night. The pile of leaves along my tree lawn had a skift of snow on them this morning.

I am crashing today just doing what I feel like doing when I feel like doing it. I have some more decorating that I want to do, but I am not in the mood to tackle it today. I might even take a nap.

Grace...

JE

Thanksgiving

I had an unusual Thanksgiving Day. The first one alone (without Tilly) which made it unususal. Then there is the fact that I jumped in the shower and had only "warm" water. I showered quickly, got dressed in old jeans and a sweat shirt and headed down into the dungeon (better known as the cellar) to check out the hot water heater. The pilot light had gone out. To get to the mechanics of the HWH, one has to climb over the furnace cold air return intake hose, crawl on hands and knees under duct work through cob webs and damp whatever, around a corner, and practically stand on ones head to view the burner and pilot light area. I did all that, which gets harder every time I have to do it. I relit the pilot light. Oh, I forgot to mention that I tromped down the steps in boots and then discovered I had forgotten a flashlight. The "trouble light" I keep down there had a blown bulb, but, being the pioneer I am, I scrounged around through the crap that is down there and found an old lamp which still had a bulb in it. It worked so I was in business. When I finally got the pilot light relit, the HWH wouldn't come on. Upon further inspection, I discovered moisture in the burner. I have no idea how to dry out a gas burner, so I thought "to heck with it" and came back up stairs and called the repair man. I got his wife, who is not a nice person, ask anyone (but her) and I explained my trouble. I also said that I could get by until Friday as I didn't want Phil to have to get out on Thanksgiving. That made her a little happier. I heated a tea kettle (yes I do know how to boil water) and heated enough water to shave. I sliced my bread, put the cheese spread in a pretty bowl, spread the sliced bread around it in an attractive array, covered it with foil and left for the day.
I had a great time visiting with cousins and eating a vast amount of food. I don't think I have ever seen such a vast array of desserts on one table, either. But I did use SOME restraint there. I had a piece of pecan pie and a piece of pumpkin roll. We had the typical dinner, but thank goodness, no green bean cassarole. Yeah rah!! After the dinner, I watched NFL until I fell asleep sitting up in an antique reed bottomed chair. My cousin and I did get a good visit in while others played "Balderdash."
Outside, the wind blew and the snow swirled. The horses in the barnyard frolicked like they were still colts. It was a typical Area 52 Thanksgiving.
I came home close to dark, and decided to put up a Christmas tree. I dug out a small tree, and the decorations to go on it. I was putting on the last of the ornaments when Lil Bro and Sistah stopped by. They stayed for a couple of hours. We visited. When they left, I fell asleep watching a movie on DVD that I had rented, so today I am going to rewatch it. I can't shower until I have hot water. So I am in my flannel pants, oversized sweatshirt and am going to drink coffee and watch the movie and veg out. Then, when I have hot water, I have scads of laundry and some dishes to do.
Ah, life is not so bad!

Everyone have a safe and fun weekend!

Grace...

JE

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

I was in a dither about what I should take to my cousin's house on Thanksgiving Day. I don't do fancy, so I considered baking a pan of brownies from a mix. But Professor said that there would probably be enough sweets, and besides I have severely cut back on sweets, and especially chocolate. She suggested that I take "green bean casarole." my response: BLECH! So after much forethought, I baked a loaf of my world famous beer bread. It is cooling on the baking rack as I speak. I also mixed up a cheese spread to put on it. Now, the big decision is what to serve it on. Tilly had all kinds of fancy stuff like plates and bowls, so I just have to pick one that is appropriate. This getting ready for Thanksgiving is hard work.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Grace...
JE

Having a Brother

Y'know, having a brother like mine is a privilege. For a guy who used to boss me around, torment the hell out of me, straight punch me on the shoulder, and defend me to the end, he turned out to be one hell of a nice guy. Bro was just here for 5 days. When my friends found out he was coming, they asked me what the heck we were going to do, I said,"we're going to scratch where it itches, belch, fart, drink a lot of beer, and watch dirty movies." Well, we did the first four, but NO dirty movies. But we did visit. A lot! We had a chance to really have some good discussions about memories from home. We got out Mom's detailed notebook about the family tree, along with a geneology study by a cousin of ours. We discussed Dad, who has been gone almost 40 years now, and recalled fond memories. Even some not-so-fond memories.
Bro listened to me whine about living alone. He offered some sage advice, (after all he is older than me) and basically was a good listener and a shoulder to cry on. He was amazed by my cooking ability (so was I) and if it was horrible, managed to keep a straight face, and didn't gag!
We laughed a lot. We cried some. We ate a lot, visited old friends, and just spent lots of quality time together. It was wonderful. I hated to see him go home. I can hardly wait until spring break from school, because I plan on going to Texas for a visit. He's going to retire! Amazing! It seems like only yesterday that he was bossing me around, straight punching me in the shoulder. But he is still defending me. He told me he was so proud of me. That made all the difference! I am proud of him, too. He is my rock! You go, big guy!!!
JE

I"ve Come to Realize:

I'm having a hard time blogging every day so I ganked this from Professor again:

I've Come to realize.

1. I've come to realize my late wife was one in a million. I probably didn’t tell her often enough.

2. I've come to realize I talk: to much, about the stupidist stuff, with my hands and my heart.

3. I've come to realize I love: My home.It’s my haven.

4. I've come to realize I have: No appreciable cooking skills. Cooking for one SUCKS!

5. I've come to realize I lost: The best friend I ever had.

6. I've come to realize I hate it when: people pretend to be your friends for 30 years and then suddenly ignore you.

7. I've come to realize marriage: isn't for me, anymore, ever!

8. I've come to realize that, somewhere, someone is thinking: “now why don’t he write!”

9. I've come to realize I'll always be: chubby, bald, older and always refusing to grow up completely.

10. I've come to realize I have a crush on: the person who invented microfibre sheets. Wow!

11. I've come to realize that the last time I truly cried was: Smelling “Wind Song” perfume.

12. I've come to realize my cell phone is a waste of good money. Getting rid of it when the min. run out.

13. I've come to realize that when I wake up in the morning: Oh my God, it’s morning! Thank you.

14. I've come to realize that before I go to sleep at night: I need to sleep more, read less.

15. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking about: How much I have to do before my brother gets here.

16. I've come to realize that babies are: Grandchildren that grow up way too fast.

.17. I've come to realize I get on other people's nerves sometimes.

18. I've come to realize that today: Is the first day of the rest of my life.

19: I've come to realize that tonight: I have a shit load of cleaning and laundry to do.

20. I've come to realize that tomorrow: I will still have a shit load of cleaning and laundry to do.

21. I've come to realize I really want: Prof and Kiddo and Bro and Sistah here for Christmas.

OOOOOOOPPPPPSSSSSS!

OOPS! I was suppose to tag people in my last blog. Since I know that Prof tagged a good deal of people, I will only tag Sistah! If you don't blog anymore, here's a chance to begin anew.

Grace!

JE

Book Lovers...Unite!

Hey y'all, I didn't get home from out-of-state in time for a Saturday blog. Here's my Sunday blog, thanks to a tag from the Prof.


The Protocol: Answer 5 questions. Tag 5 book lovers.The Questions:
1.How many books do you own?
2. What was the last book you read?
3. What was the last book you purchased?
4. What five books are most meaningful to you?
5. What is your most obscure favorite book?

1. How many books do you own? Though I am an avid reader (166+ books this year so far) and I love books as much as Prof and Sistah, I am not a book saver. At this date, probably 100 or so. I give my books to either Prof, Sistah, or take them to our local senior center.

2. What was the last book you read? The last book I read was "Follow the River" by James A. Thom. Historical biography...not the greatest, but very interesting.

3. What was the last book you purchased? Tilly always bought our books. We were probably Amazon.com's best customer. I think the last one she bought was "Tumbling Blocks" by Earlene Fowler. Great mystery read! I guess I will have to start buying my own. Though a friend is leaving for Florida in a week for the winter, and gave me and mine her $340.00 credit at a used book store nearby, and told us to "enjoy and spend as much as we want." Eat your hearts out, y'all. I actually bought a craft book the other day on cardmaking. Does that count?

4. What 5 books are the most meaningful to you? I loved "Message in a Bottle." It was just romantic, tho tragic. "Gathering Blue", a novella I just read for school, touched my heart and soul. "Saving Grace" by Barbara Delinsky was a book that told about saving the sanity of an aged mother. It was touching and very much in keeping with the problems faced by the children of aging parents. "Fine Things" by Danielle Steele, touched my very being. It's the best one Steele ever wrote. In fact, I won't even read her any more. She has gotten so "dark." I still hold "The Bears of Blue River" close to my heart. It was an early teen book I read in 6th grade. I found my copy recently and I want to reread it, then I want my kids (my own) to read it. It's just GOOD.

5. What is your most obscure favorite book? " The Last of the Breed" by Louis L'Amour is a great read. It's a modern-day account of an Air Force pilot downed in Russia and his attempted escape. If a book can keep the reader "on the edge of his seat" this one should be at the top of any reader's action and suspense list.

My advice to y'all is to read...read...READ!

Grace!

JE

What is there about "Dances With Wolves?"

Earlier I was talking via phone to the Professor, and I said that I was having a hard time blogging every day. She mentioned blogging about a favorite movie. So here is mine.

To date, I have watched "Dances With Wolves" 23 times. I love this movie. I know, it's good, but 23 times? Thats something like 69 hours and 5 minutes, if I did the math correctly, which is questionable itself. But I LIKE it!

First, it has a fabulous cast. Costner is at his best ever. Mary McDonnell as "Stands With a Fist" is wonderful, if you can only get past the fact that she never combed her hair. Robert Pastorelli of "Murphy Brown" fame is great as the crude, belching and farting muleskinner "Timmons." His line, "now why don't he write" is priceless. I think the casting of the Lakota was done with forethought and revealed a wealth of Native American talent. Graham Greene is fantastic as "Kicking Bird" as is Rodney Grant as "Wind in His Hair." Tantoo Cardinal and Floyd Crow Westerman round out the superb cast.

Secondly, the music is wonderful. Being a musician of sorts, I am always interested in the music scores of movies. The music in "Dances" is a thing of beauty. It is haunting, as well as memorable. Maybe that is what makes it so haunting. I have learned to play the "theme" song on the piano, and it moves with a great deal of grace.

I love the scenery. I have always wanted to go to the west. I know that Prof lives relatively near to where some of this movie was shot, and I will get the chance to see that kind of territory.

Mostly, I like the story. I am a history buff, especially the opening of the west. I abhor the way the white man took the land from the Native Americans and I think those people really got the shaft. That is fodder for a whole other blog sometime. This movie shows the gentleness of the Indians, how they lived and loved. They had a close bond of family within their villages. This impresses me. Their struggle just to maintain their way of life was a hard one and the scrifices they made were inumerable. It also showed that they fought among themselves, tribe vs. tribe, for land, and their way of life. Just like the Civil War happening in the East at the same time. Though I appreciate the use of the authentic Lakota language throughout the movie, I tired of the subtitles at first. Now, of course I understand the language by reading the "subs" enough times, that they don't bother me anymore. (I didn't like the subtitles in Tora! Tora! Tora!, either.

Probably my favorite part of the movie is the buffalo hunt. It was so intriguing. How they made it all happen is a wonder in itself. They had "man made" buffalo, called articulated buffalo (made of wire and fake fur) on tracks and runners depicting the buffalo that were shot. They even had trained buffalo that were brought in for the close-ups. No animals were hurt. Amazing! I have read the whole book about the making of the movie, as well as watched all the special effect clips and outtakes. It was a work of art!

All in all, this movie has about everything. It has history, love, hate, war, excitement, and a good story to tie it all together. Even as I write this, I am watching it once again for the 24th time. There are probably better ways to spend 181 minutes, but for me, this is good.

Grace!

JE

Today's Boring Blog

Well, today was the pits of heck! I didn't want to get up in the first place. Of course, I never want to get up so this morning was no exception. But of course, if I want to keep my job, I have to show up. So, I went to work anyway. All went as usual until lunch. I eat lunch alone in the teacher's lounge because we have staggered lunch and no one else eats then. While I was sitting there eating, I just had a grief attack. It hit me like a ton of brick. I sniffed and snotted around for a while, got over the worst part and went back to work. The rest of the day progressed slowly, and I left. I picked up my friend Curley and we went to WalMart. She told me she was going to get me out of my funk, and we laughed as we shopped. Her hubby, a good guy, was deer hunting and didn't want to go to WalMart. He was literally deer hunting. He hit one last night, but it took off. It was so close to dark that he tracked it until he lost the light, so he went back out tonight after work to see if he could find it.
One of the fellows at work who I am close to brought me home made cinnamon rolls that his wife had baked just this morning. I thought that was pretty cool. This is the same guy who brought me chicken and noodles one Saturday afternoon. He and his wife are my kids age, but they are watching out for me. He checks on me about every day and is so kind. It's nice to know that there are people out there that really care.
Now that I write this all down, and have whined, I have to admit that all in all, it really wasn't as bad a day as I thought it was. I had time to spend with a friend, had someone show they cared about me, and just now as I was typing this, Lil Bro and Sistah called and want me to go to eat Asian with them. What more can a fellow ask for?

Grace!
JE

My Wednesday Blog

It's Wednesday already. Hump day is almost over. Only two more days until the weekend. I am going out of state to visit friends, so it ought to be fun.
In order to blog, I have some random thoughts to share.

• Why do toilets in the Northern Hemisphere swirl clockwise when flushed, when my friend from "down under" says theirs swirls counter-clockwise?
• Have you ever noticed that the elsatic always goes out of the legs on skivvies before the waist goes?
• Middle school age girls have a lot of attitude!
• Even though fall and cold is here, the grass still grows. Damn it!
• In Area 52 we pay property taxes. They always come due when one needs the money for Christmas shopping.
• Flannel sheets and flannel pajamas are not compatible.
• There isn't a color that goes well with mauve. What is "mauve" exactly?
• Just because a teacher has taught for almost 3 decades, does that give he or she the license to never change teaching methods?
• Sometimes it is just better to keep my mouth shut.
• I heard the other day that e mails are out of style. Every one is texting now. Just what is texting. Is that what is causing us to be a nation of non-spellers?
• Sometimes you find out that your friends, really aren't your friends, and that hurts, even at my age.

Well, this was an effort in futility, but I at least got in a blog today. I will do better tomorrow.

Grace to all

JE

National Blogger Month???? Blog Every Day???

Are you people nuckin' futs? Up until recently I thought I led a reasonably interesting life, but even then, I would not have enough to blog about every day.
But, since we are, according to the Professor, suppose to blog every day, I can tell you that I HATE IT GETTING DARK SO DAMN EARLY!!! As if living alone isn't bad enough, now that we have ended Daylight Savings Time here in Area 52, the nights are really L O N G! Hell, at 8:30 last night, I thought it was time to go to bed. This, combined with the fact that TV this season SUCKS, makes ol' JE quite pissed. My friends at school tell me that I need to "get a life." I am not ready for a "life" like they're talking about. No where in the near or distant future will I be. And one can only walk around WalMart and Kroger's so much before the wait-help start getting suspicious!
So, I guess I will read a book, do some laundry and clean another room.
Oh, one highlight: my bro from TX is coming to Area 52 on business next week, and he is going to spend the biggest share of 4 days with me. That will be a blast! We can act like we used to when we were still kids and no one will be the wiser. We can belch and fart without wives making crass remarks, stay up and drink beer and watch stupid movies on the telly. Sounds like fun to me.

Grace to all!

JE

All Saints Day

In the United Methodist Church, as in a lot of other church denominations, the first Sunday in November is the time when we remember with reverence all of the members of our church who have passed away in the last year. That was such this morning.
At an appropriate time in our service, the lay leader of our congregation stepped forward and as he read from the list of names, one at a time, another member of our church rang a bell. As the names were read, family, friends, and any other person there who felt that the named person had somehow touched their lives, was asked to stand during the tolling of the bell, then they sat down before the next name was read. When my wife's name was read, I stood, but so did the rest of the congregation. What an honor to her. I was so deeply moved by this act of caring and love, that I just wanted to share it with you all. Not to be morbid, but rather, to be joyful!

Grace to you all!

JE

Movies, meme, and more

It’s been years since I have been to a theater to see a movie. It was just too hard for Tilly to get in and out. The last time we went, she took her scooter and we sat in the handicap section. I sat in the seat right next to her, we held hands and shared buttery popcorn. I can’t tell you what movie we saw, but we had a great time.

I got tagged by the Prof, or I wouldn’t be doing this. But you young readers can always use an old fart’s opinion.

Popcorn or Candy? I like both. If I am going to spend the big bucks to get into a theater, I want the whole enchalada. Junior Mints, JuJu’s and Popcorn, with a Large drink.

Name a movie you’ve been meaning to see forever. I sometimes want to see all the James Bond movies.

Steal one costume from a movie for your wardrobe. Rhett Butler had a real flair for the clothes. Of course Cheech and Chong did too.

Your favorite film franchise is…I liked the Rambo movies. Indiana Jones movies were good, too.

Invite five movie characters over for dinner. Who are they? Why’d you invite them? What do you feed them?
1. Maggie the Cat (on a Hot Tin Roof) the original. Liz was so hot in that movie. Lots of boob and her voice was so sexy.
2. Rhett Butler just cause he had class.
3. Shemanitutonka Owashi because he was who he was and why he was.
4. Rambo. Table manners probably weren’t for shit,but he was my hero.
5. Melanie Wilkes. She was a lady, had a lot of class, and would keep Rambo from drinking out of the finger bowls. Oh, and I would serve grilled salmon with mango salsa, brown rice, and asparagus. And a light raisin tart with a brandy sauce (on the side.)

What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cell phones in the movie theater? Met outside the theater by the irate rest of the crowd and made to run a gauntlet of stomping on their text messaging fingers. Then destroy their cell phones.

Choose a female bodyguard: Bridget Nielson. Have you ever seen the bicepts on that ugly broad?

What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen in a movie? Silence of the Lambs totally freaked me out.

Your favorite genre (excluding “comedy” and “drama” ): I like screwball comedies like Cheech and Chong, Raising Arizona and Animal House or Porky’s. I also like Dances With Wolves, An American President, Witness, Sleepless in Seatle, and Field of Dreams. So you can see I really don’t have a favorite genre. I also liked Coyote Ugly. So if has “tits and ass” it’s not all bad.

You are given the power to greenlight movies at a major studio for one year. I like movies that make you think a little, (ignore what I said about Cheech and Chong) but are still entertaining. I like some romance but not where the couples are sucking the faces off each other. I like suggestion of sex, but close the door, or at least turn the lights off. I want to see Kevin Costner and Julia Roberts together in a romantic comedy with a happy ending. I want to see Michael Douglas and Anne Archer together again. I long for the days of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, who, even tho their personal lives were a mess, really lit up the silver screen with their talent. If you have never seen “The Sandpipers” rent it some time. Good flix and a fantastically sexy music score.

Bonnie or Clyde? I thought this movie sucked. Those two were really insane It’s hard to believe that the sick f--ks really existed..

Well there it is . My 2 cents worth of trivia. For what it’s worth. But it was fun.
JE

Leave the Driving to Them!!! Are You Kidding???

Recently I had the misfortune or privilege to travel by Greyhound from Dallas TX to Area 52, which is located somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line and south of Detroit. Bear in mind that I have never traveled by bus before, but because of circumstances of low financial resources at the time, it seemed like a good idea.

Well, I arrived at the Dallas Greyhound bus station an hour before departure as instructed. I expected that my luggage would be scanned or something since it seemed so important to be there early. WRONG! They weighed my suitcase. That's all. Then I was told to go stand in line at gate 1. So off we went. Oh, did I mention that my brother was standing beside me all this time? We got in a line, that wasn't marked, but after asking someone ahead of us who could actually see what gate it was, we determined that we were in the right line at the right gate.

When they called my bus, big brother and I slowly progressed towards gate 1. Then across the tarmac to where the big blue and white chariot was parked. After a few hugs and well wishes, and tears, I must admit, I boarded the bus. No assigned seats! After all this wasn't American Airways, so I progressed down the aisle looking for an empty seat. Finally, about midway back, I found an empty one. I asked the guy in the seat by the window if "this seat was taken." He said,"it is now." So I sat. Soon we started rolling. The first thing I noticed was that the seats on a bus are "one size fits most." The thing was just as wide as I was. No wiggle room. The armrest between passengers cut into my left side, but it was lightly padded, so I could live with that if I didn't put the armrest towards the aisle in place. Well, I settled in and tried to relax. It was interesting to look around and see the diverse cultural backgrounds of the people on board. No small children except for the cute little girl (whom I found out later was only 2) and a great deal of women traveling alone. There didn't seem to be many people traveling together. I tried talking to the guy next to me, but got a lot of "yeps" and "nopes" so I finally gave up. He spent most of his time on the bus talking on his cell phone.

We stopped in every little berg and town in the northern part of Texas. Sometimes we weren't allowed to get off, sometimes we were. I didn't move out of my seat until we made a 45 minute stop at a convenience store/gas station. I had to use the facilities, and from what I had heard about the bathroom on the bus, I opted to go inside the station. That wasn't too much better, but I had to go!

At one stop, this young gal, about 7 months pregnant and toting the little gal mentioned above, got on . Now this gal had all their worldly goods in Target bags. No luggage to stash under the bus. My heart went out to her, traveling alone, but she had everything she seemed to need to make their trip comfortable. I only heard that little gal cry one time clear to Memphis. I commented to the mom on how well behaved the little one was. That's when I learned she was only 2.

Memphis! Bright lights, bars and lots of ads for Graceland. We pulled in on time. Were told to collect a boarding pass as we got off the bus so we could retain our seats. We had a 30 minute stop there. I made my way into the station and headed for the head. Then I bought a candy bar and found a seat near the right gate for reentry. I didn't want to get left behind. Here, let me let you in on a secret. Greyhound buses are kept pretty clean. This is surprising seeing how every bus I was on was filled to the total capacity of 57 passengers. BUT, the bus stations in every location are in the seediest, most run down parts of town. They are filthy, and their restrooms are the dirtiest I have ever been in. Men definately have the advantage of standing up. We were called back to board, and then we waited, and waited, and waited. The gal with the 2 year old finally got back on the bus, and griped and complained about how she was treated by the new driver when she tried to board. Then we waited and waited some more. After about 35 minutes, a gentleman in a shirt and tie boarded and asked the gal and her 2 year old to bring their belongings and come with him. They did as asked, and we never saw them again. The new driver, a little gal, I swear I wonder how she saw over the steering wheel, got on with another Greyhound employee. I think he was her bodyguard!! Monique was our new driver. She announced that since we were about 40 minutes behind schedule, that our trip from Memphis to Nashville would be "expressed" and there would be no stops. That gal really put the pedal to the metal and we booked it right down the Interstate. Only thing wrong was that Monique and her bodyguard (who turned out to be a luggage handler riding home to Nashville) never shut up. They carried on about the gal who got put off the bus. It seems that, from what I could gather from the conversation, that she had gotten hold of a boarding pass and had no ticket and had "freeloaded" from somewhere in Texas to Memphis. When she tried to get back on in Memphis, the driver, Monique asked to see her ticket. She said she lost it. Then proceded to cuss and rant and rave at the driver. The driver refused to let her board, and when she called for help, gal slipped by and boarded anyway. What a mess. But, did we have to hear a replay for 4 friggin' hours? By this time, the guy beside me had gotten off, and another guy was sitting there. He happened to be going the same way I was, so we sorta teamed up and became friends. His name was Pete, and he was headed to Area 52 to visit his daughters, who lived there with an ex wife. He had never traveled Greyhound either, and was a bit nervous about transfers and so on. I assured him that we could make it if we worked at it together, so he relaxed and we visited some. He said that the express trip to Nashville was the fastest that we had traveled all day. He had been on there all day, too. We arrived in Nashville 4 minutes ahead of schedule, thanks to Monique's heavy but safe foot on the gas.

In Nashville, another seedy station like in Memphis, (who designs these things, anyway). This time we had to transfer to another bus. So, we disembarked and grabbed our luggage as it was set out of the bowels of the underbus. At least, I did. Pete's suitcase was nowhere to be found. We looked all over, but it wasn't there. He seemed to take it in stride, said it would surely show up eventually, so we reboarded, this time after all the other people who had already been on this bus had boarded. New seats. Two rows from the back. Right outside the restroom door. How convenient! Now I could be privvy to the privvy. The seats we were in previously had lots of leg room because we were in the middle of the bus right across the aisle from the emergency door. Just for the record, if you can sit there, there's lots of leg room. Otherwise, just hope that the person in front of you is careful when lowering his seat back, or you will have no kneecaps left. Next stop: Louisville, KY. There were some truckers across the aisle from me who were riding to pick up new "rigs" and they talked non stop for hours. Loudly! Not really being rude, but to be heard over the tire noise and exhaust of the bus. Pete and I had now been in transit for about 16 hours and were trying to get some sleep. Not going to happen!

Louisville is another seedy station in another seedy part of town. Do you see a theme erupting here? A 45 minute layover and then off again. Nothing of any consequence happened there, but I was really tired and still wishing that the motor mouths across the aisle would just "shut the f--k up." Only 3 hours to Area 52 and then I would board another bus for the last 50 miles home. We arrived at the next seedy station at 6:45 am, only 23 hours since boarding in Dallas. I staggered into the station, luggage in tow, only to find that I had a 2 and 3/4 hour layover. I coffeed up, grabbed a seat in front of a big screen t.v. tuned to "Hour of Power." How fitting, after all it was Sunday morning.

Finally, they called our bus and Pete and I once again boarded the dreaded beast. We had our pick of seats, there were only 20 people going our way. It was a beautiful morning and watching the sun rise in the east was great. I was almost home. Do you know that it takes over 2 hours for Greyhound to travel 55 miles? Of course, we had to stop in another town before my stop, and the passengers had 15 minutes to smoke. No rest rooms, but a place to smoke outside the bus.

At long last, we arrived at my stop. When we stopped, I shook hands with Pete, wished him well, and grabbed my carry-on and began to head down the steps of the bus. I was looking to see if Lil Bro and Sistah were there to pick me up and low and behold, I missed the last step of the bus and dumped my ass onto the tarmac. My carry-on went flying, I went ass over appetite, and skinned my left knee, wrenched my shoulder, and severely bruised my ego. Not one soul came to my rescue, not even the driver of the bus. I grabbed my luggage, and hobbled to a picnic table where I proceded to pick the stones out of my knee cap and salve my ego a bit. In about 5 minutes, my kids arrived. I hugged them both, threw my suitcases in the trunk of their car and we booked it out of there. They treated me to a meal at Cracker Barrel on the way home. What a treat. Good food, good company. At last, my feet on Area 52 soil! Next time, Amtrak...here I come!