He asks how Iam doing, I say fine.  I am still having the vivid dreams, but they are still on the pretty cool side of crazy, so I am not that concerned about them.  They bad ones haven’t happened yet, but I know that they are out there and still coming.  You know the ones I am talking about, the dreams where you wake up screaming, with your heart pounding out of your chest, and you being absolutely certain that the world is ending.

But so far, so good with not having any of those dreams.

We got around to talking about my shoulder that has been bothering me since this summer.  I can lift laterally to the front, but not to the back, or to the side without pain.  A lot of pain.  So the Dr. takes hold of my arm and does the classic “does this hurt” stuff, and of course it does.  A LOT!!!!  He asks if I have ever had a cortisone shot, to which I answer not now, and not ever.  He laughs and says, “Yeah they hurt like hell.”

I like a Dr. who isn’t going to tell you bullshit.

Anyhoooooooo.  I am going for physical therapy on my arm now.  All of those words above to tell you that.  And The Princess tells me that she can do my PT for me as she had to do similar exercises for a waterpolo injury.

Helpful people abound.

L8R

Our Leaf Nazi had a particular trait.  She liked her driveway, and walkways to be completely cleaned of any debris.  Sweeping was her compulsion.  Constant sweeping.  Morning and evening.  And one of our trees loved making her crazy.

yes, I said one of our trees loved making her crazy.  Now, we humans anthropomorphize everything.  We do it with our pets, some of us do it with plants, you get the idea.  I swear that this tree had it in for our Leaf Nazi.  Why?  Because this particular tree would hold onto its leaves way past when all the rest of the trees on the block had dumped theirs.  This tree has been here since the house was built back in the early 50’s.  It has been around the block, so to speak.  I don’t know why the tree did what it did with its leaves, but I do know that it would drop some leaves each day.  The Leaf Nazi would come out of her house, grumbling all the way.  She would then sweep them off of the drive and go back into the house.  And the next day, the tree would drop some more.

I think that the tree is missing the Leaf Nazi becuase today I was out raking the lawn where “raking the lawn” means I was running the mower over the leaves so that I could empty the bag on the compost pile.  And the tree has 90% of its leaves still on.  Waiting.  Waiting for the Leaf Nazi.

Who no longer lives next door.

Crazy.

More decorations to dig out and put up.  The time changed back an hour.  Which really messes me up this time of year.  I don’t have much trouble in the springing forward part, but this falling back really takes its toll.  I think because of all the darkness.  You get up in the dark, go to work in the dark, and then come home in the dark.  Dark, dark, dark.

Growing up, holidays took on a different feel.  I grew up in a good sized family.  2 Aunts, and 2 Uncles.  A smattering of cousins tossed in for good measure.  And that was just on my Dad’s side.  My Mom had 10 Brothers and Sisters, but we didn’t see them as much as they lived on the Detroit side of Michigan.  And we can’t remember my Grandparents.  Earl and Vida lived on a farm outside of the small town I grew up in.  Not a huge farm, but to me it was the greatest place there was.  And holiday dinners with my Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and cousins were wonderful.  Great food, people who loved you, and a warm house.  Gathered around the TV, or playing games in the dining room.  Taking naps on the floor listening to the adults talk.  Voices of people who loved one another. 

Those were good times.

I was taking part in a meeting of my management staff at a restaurant/giftshop/bakery/tourist trap.  The building was a converted house and as it turned out it had more than a few surprises and many levels.

The meeting was being chaired by an executive in my company.  I can’t remember what it was we were there for, though I do know that at some point we were going to be breaking out and touring the building for some reason.  There was another group of people who were sitting next to our group who got into a verbal conflict with our meeting chair.  I got up and walked away, ending up in the Bakery area talking to an employee of the Bakery about how they made donuts.  She showed me that they used a power drill to mix their donut dough.  And then we ended up in the attic that was full of furniture.  Antique furniture along with a discussion of the economy of the area and how bad it was that people were trying to support themselves by selling their possessions.

From there I ended up in the basement, that wasn’t the bottom layer of this house either as I remember looking down a flight of stairs seeing yet a lower level to the basement that I was in.  Regardless, the area I was in at that time was the restaurant.  And there were dogs every where.  I mean every where.  I sat down in a recliner and a dog  jumped on to my lap and would not get off. 

And then I woke up. 

Tell me that that isn’t wacked out.

L8R.

But my goal here is not to inspect and discuss finances.  My goal here is to show you the way not to be an asshat as you are shopping.  This should be an easy task, but some of you out there are making it a tad difficult.

Some tips.  If you run into friends in the stores, don’t stop in the middle of the aisle to talk about your lives.  Move out of the freaking way.  There are people who are trying to get by.  Kids helping you shop are cute.  When everyone has the time to stand and watch your precious one pick your grocery selections, but at holiday time no one has the time to do this.  Get moving, will you?  If you see someone working in an aisle, such as filling the shelves, don’t try to get as close to them as you possibly can.  They will be standing up at some point in time and need a modicum of room to do so.  If you are sitting in their back pocket when they do stand you will get moved.  And if you do, don’t get all pissy about it,  you shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

We keep talking about this, but even though it isn’t necessary to dress for shopping it would be nice if you left your ugly pajama bottoms at home.  Along with those ugly slippers. 

Just a few tips, I know that there will be more as we go. 

L8R.

And then there is the aspect of having our laptop baptized.

Either way, it has been a struggle for me to sit here and not just play FarmVille on FaceCrack.  I want to tell you stuff.  I want to tell you what it was like to watch my youngest daughter get ready for her first Homecoming dance.  The twinge I felt knowing that I never got to see my eldest getting ready for hers.  Or that I never got to see my sons leaving for theirs.

I want to tell you about the beer that I am making, and the new process that I am using.  I want to tell you about the batch that I muffed and bottled too early, and now I don’t know what it is going to taste like.

I want to tell you about the holiday beers that I have planned, and am really excited about brewing for Christmas, and New Years.

But I think that I have some corn that needs harvesting right now.

Namaste.

Don’t believe it.  It doesn’t.

L8R

I am typing this on a lap top that was recommended to me by the friend of a friend.  I got it at a steal.  The friend and his friend are technological wizards.  Veritable genius’s of the highest sort when it comes to computers and such.  Both are highly trained and when I need something, if one can’t do it the other can.

I have a friend who is a genius when it comes to cars.  Anything that moves, to be honest.   The reason that I am able to drive a 15 year old vehicle is because he keeps it running for me.  And without screwing me over on the price.  He tells me what the truck needs, and then takes care of it.  Sometimes he has worked for a case of my homebrew.  This guy is the one I am going to set up in his own garage when I hit the lotto.  He will be my personal mechanic in his own business.

I have a friend who can work on stereo’s, and home entertainment systems.  He is also the one who has introduced me to the world of cigars.  Much to MLW’s displeasure.

I have a friend who works on my lawnmower when it needs TLC.  Or to be honest, when I muck it up so badly I need to have someone who knows what they are doing fix it.  He, again, tells me what it needs, fixes it and doesn’t charge me an arm and a leg.

I have a friend who brews beer like I do.  He and I share recipes, and talk about what went right and trouble shoot what went wrong.

I have a friend, who I met through MLW, who was a professional musician.  The Princess’ biological Father  used to beat up Brett Michaels when he was known as Bret Sychak.

I am rich beyond belief when it comes to the people I can call friend.  And I need to remind myself of this on those days when I am bitching and moaning about not having enough money.  Because money ain’t all it is cracked up to be.

L8R

Basically the site is based around college, and post-college aged folks and the drunken, crazed texts that they send to one another.  The subjects range from rating men and women, talking about their conquests, talking about their lives, and the such.  It is like a train wreck.  And I can’t stop going to the site every day and reading the latest episodes.

Mind you, I am thinking to myself all the while that I sincerely hope that my youngest son is not getting himself involved in any of these shenanigans.  Though, I do know that he probably is.  The child is way too much like me not to.  And I am also thinking, that I just don’t remember college being that way when I was attending.  Of course we didn’t have cell phones back in the dark ages.  We would have had to chisel our thoughts onto stone tablets and then drop them off at our friends caves.  Way too cumbersome, if you ask me.  Maybe that is why we had so many parties, because we didn’t have a convenient method of communication.  Had nothing to do with the copious amounts of alcohol and drugs that were consumed.

At least that is what I hear, as I didn’t do anything like that when I was going to college.

That I remember, anyway.

L8r

Went and refilled my Sertralin this morning.  Amazing how taking your meds on a regular basis takes care of a large part of the angst in your life.  I am finding it harder to write now that I am taking it also.  Guess to be an artist you have to struggle with your demons just a bit more than what I am doing now.

Any hooo….  making leftovers for dinner, and a couple of beers afterwards.  Life is pretty good right now.

namaste.