carl's place

Up Early on a Sunday, Again

2008-04-13T04:31:00.004-04:00

This is usual for me, since I've never really liked sleeping late. I've never really been able to sleep late. Susan is still out,and I can hear her snoring while I type. We had a good week.

We met each other 3 years ago, last Thursday, so this past Thursday went out for dinner. We chose pretty ritzy seafood place, one that requires a jacket and tie, and we had fun dressing up. I have a black suit I like, with a silver-gray shirt and a black silk tie, and I thought I looked pretty sharp until I saw Susan. She wore a brown dress, that looked simple, but wasn't. It had an inner strapless sheath that clung, but still hid, and outer translucent layer that covered without covering, and she'd let her hair down. It's almost waist length, big, red, and frizzy, and she usually keeps in a braid or a bun, or even a braided bun. She wore her contacts instead of her glasses, and she has the most amazing light brown eyes... She was beautiful that night, even more beautiful that when we met.

I called the restaurant in ahead of time, to order dinner and desert in advance. She was pretty impressed when I gave the maitre'd my name, and our table was already set, and dinner arrived just as we sat down. We were in a little alcove near the side of the dining room, with a fishtank on either side of us. It was a good effect, I think. And now that I've gotten all mushy.....

I'm gonna go make French toast. I make some great french toast. The secret is to use a sourdough bread, cut in thick slices, and to add cinnamon, nutmeg and milk to the eggs. I'm up very early enough, so I'll go buy the bread at a bakery I know, while it's still warm. This'll be a good day for breakfast.

Waking up Early

2008-04-06T04:51:00.003-04:00

I'm up early today, which isn't unusual for me, it might have something to do with the sleep problems I've mentioned here before, but anyway, what of it? So I'm up early, and doing some blogging.

It's cool and rainy today, but Susan and I are planning on taking our roller blades out to a park and skating around anyway. I think we'll take a picnic lunch, too. I'm sure we'll be able to find a gazebo or some other fairly dry place to eat.

Kingsford is rubbing my feet, and trying to pounce on them. He's a charcoal gray tabby kitten that Sue fell in love with about a month ago. For some reason, he's taken more of a liking to me than to her. She's not amused.

On my last post, I talked about Iraq. I think most Americans have something to say about that; it's an issue that has hit most of us pretty closely.

I think today I'll talk about candidates. The primaries have done their job, and narrowed a wide field down to three. The Republicans are pretty much closing ranks around John McCain, even though some of them have to close their noses to do it. I rather respect McCain; he's got a reputation for straight talking, which is refreshing in a politician, and he's definitely shown his loyalty to the country.

The Democrats are beating themselves up over Obama and Clinton. I'll admit; I was partial to Bill Richardson or John Edwards as the primary season began, but I really don't know who I'll vote for now. I don't like Clinton. I lost all respect for her when she didn't divorce Bill. With all of the ~~infidelity~~ cheating that came out about that man, you'd think anyone with an ounce of self-respect would have left him.

Obama strikes me as an empty suit. What has he said? He's for change. He's for unity. He's for progress. Very nice; now maybe he could put together some actual policy statements?

I'm 26 years old. I turned 18 in 1999, and voted for Gore and Kerry. Possibly, I'm a knee-jerk Democrat. But I don't trust either front runner right now, from the party I would gravitate to, and I'm thinking I'll just hold my nose and vote McCain. He's a (gag) trickle down economics man, but he's told us the truth about Iraq, and his views are easy to figure out. Unlike Obama, he doesn't vote "present" in the Senate.

Are those the best reasons to make a choice? I don't know. But I do know that sitting out an election negates one's right to bitch about it afterwards, so....

And that's what happens when I wake up early. I'm going to go make some French toast, and have breakfast in bed with my lovely fiancee. It's a beautiful day.

My Thinking About Iraq

2008-04-03T07:16:00.002-04:00

Iraq is a hot button issue in American politics these days. Judging by the Presidential candidates, there are two main view:

That of Clinton and Obama, that the US forces need to get the heck out, and that right fast;
and that of McCain, that the US forces are in for a long hard slog.

My thought is this:

Going there 5 years ago was the wrong thing to do. It was the wrong war, at the wrong time. Bush squandered all sorts of world-wide goodwill and good feelings that accrued to the US after 9/11, and fouled up a perfectly good coalition that was fighting in Afghanistan, and he did because Saddam was a bad man who'd made his daddy look bad.

How mature of our President. And we re-elected that bonehead.

Personally, I think that the US would be far better off today, and I said this in 2003, if the Bush Administration had sent 1/2 of the Iraq resources in men, material, and money to Afghanistan and actually did the job he said the US would do there. You know, the nation building, and all that. Maybe then the current Afghan government would rule more than Kabul.

Do I think that Iraq should have been ignored? Well, no actually, I don't. But I do think that Bush could have gotten the Brits, and the Aussies, and the UN, and the whole world to go along with immeasurably tightening the sanctions on Iraq: the no-fly zones, the trade sanctions, etc, and forced his way in, without a major war, to find out the truth about the WMDs.

Instead, he swallowed Saddam's bluff, and invaded. Now we can see what's going on.

So now the US is in Iraq, and the question is, do we stay or do we go? Hard choice. Bush says it's better to fight "the terrorists" over there than over here, and I agree, but what are we doing to secure the borders? The TSA is joke, the border with Mexico is wide open, and there's nothing anyone is doing about it.

So what do we do? Do we leave Iraq? Well, that will tell the terrorists that they've won, and I'm pretty sure they'll just find a way to hit the US again, because they know that the US won't stay in the fight for the full 10 rounds. And for now, they won't stop fighting in Iraq because they know that even if the US does stay, the Iraqi government is weak, and, in the eyes of Iraqis, illegitimate. Check out this article for details.

I think that Moqtada al-Sadr just proved last week that, despite the "surge," the insurgent forces really control the pace of violence in Iraq. It's a scary thought. What did all those US troops go there for?

Well, they did do some good. When the buildup started last year, combined with more aggressive counterinsurgency tactics, they forced (relative) quiet on the country. The Iraqi al-Qaida guys were mostly beaten, and the al-Sadr militias backed away from the fight. But now that the US troops are starting to scale back down, here come the al-Sadr guys to fight. And they've just shown that the Iraqi Prime Minister, al-Maliki, is really just the mayor of Baghdad.

So what's the answer? We've just been given notice that whenever the US forces leave, "the terrorists" that Bush is so scared of are going to take over, with bloodshed. It's clear that the Iraqi government which Bush has tried so hard to promote can't stand on its own, and its equally clear that most Americans don't want to spend 100 years holding it up.

So can we set the wayback machine to 2003, now, Sherman?

Well, I'm Back!

2008-04-01T07:53:00.003-04:00

At last!

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, a lot has gone on in my life since then. Susan and I did Christmas with my family, and we all managed to get some good cheer going even so soon after my brother's suicide..... The next day, my mom, my sister, and I divvied up my brother's ashes. I kept my share in a small wooden box on my bookshelf for a while, but more on that later.

After Christmas, Susan and I drove down to Sarasota, Forida to visit her grandparents. OK, so the weather sucked for driving, but it was good to get away, and I has a surprise for her after that visit. While we were down there, we got to stand on the beach at sunset and I tossed my brother's ashes into the Gulf of Mexico. Goodbye, bro. We'll miss you. It was a sad moment.

But I've digressed... There's a bigger point to make:

On the way back north, we stopped at Disney in Orlando. Susan didn't know this, but I'd bought us a reservation back in September. We had three days and nights there, and on the first night, having dinner at Cinderella's castle, I gave her the ring she's always wanted, and asked her to marry me.

She said "yes."

And there was much rejoicing.

So we've spent a lot of the last few weeks working out details, or trying to, anyway. She wants to get married "under a chuppah," (that's the Jewish ceremony), and by a rabbi, but she doesn't know a rabbi who performs interfaith marriages. Actually, she does, but he's not her rabbi. It would be easier if I'd convert (she won't, she's already said), but I won't do that; I don't believe it, I'm too much of an agnostic humanist, and converting religions just to get married even if you don't believe in it seems like rank intellectual hypocrisy to me. Susan agrees with me on that one, but it still is making things harder.

So.... We can't get the ceremony planned and set, her parents are less than thrilled, and that's where things are. If we can't work out these issues within a year, we'll go to the courthouse and take care of it there. Metaphorically, anyway; I have a friend who's family friend is a district court magistrate, so we'll really bring the courthouse to us, but what's the difference? A wedding's a wedding.

What else....? Remember when I said I took the position with the ad firm, as head copywriter, while their head copywriter was on maternity leave? Well, she came back, and got promoted, so I'm officially keeping her old job. It's nice. The economy sucks right now, so no raises, but hey, I'm still doing all right.

Susan got promoted her job, too. She's now a shift supervisor at the call center.

And we got a cat.

And all of that is life, isn't it?

Ruminations

2007-12-19T04:09:00.000-05:00

It's far to early in the morning, I woke up almost an hour ago, and I can't get back to sleep. I've put by briefcase (OK, backpack) together for work, but I don't have to leave for another 3 hours or so. And you can only read the newspaper so many times, can't you?

I don't think that this has anything to do with my brother; it's just that bit of insomnia I get sometimes. I don't like sleeping pills, and I can't drink warm milk (I hate milk), so I just deal with it. I'll sleep well tomorrow, if past patterns mean anything.

So now I'm on the computer, updating my comments and doing a little bit of blogging. Susan and I went out to see "The Mist" on Sunday, and man, that was one freaky movie. Almost as good as the story. I won't give a spoiler, but the ending was pretty horrific, even though you could see it coming from a mile away.

I think I'll go make pancakes. Y'all have probably noticed this, but a lot of my blog features whatever I'm cooking. I like to cook. And Susan likes to eat what I cook. If we're still slim at 35, I'll be shocked.

Breathing Again

2007-12-13T16:08:00.000-05:00

Susan told me that we're going out for dinner tonight. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, she said, we're going out.

I think she's trying to get me to feel less miserable, and I appreciate it, but it's freezing-ass cold out, and they're expecting snow for the weekend. I'd rather stay in. If I have to go out, I'm just gonna stock up on hot chocolate, and maybe a little Bailey's to go with it, and perhaps a few good salmon fillets, and that's it. It's winter, and we'll spend the nights in. Besides, I really don't feel like going out lately.... Anyway, we've got a good apartment for getting cozy on a cold night. It's an older building, with steam heat, and did I ever mention that it has a fireplace?

She and I will have to discuss 'stay in' versus 'go out,' preferably in front of the fireplace, with mugs of hot chocolate, while the honey-poached salmon is cooking.

I took the day off of work today, and tomorrow too, so I could finish clearing out my brother's stuff over at my sister's place. His old basement room looks bland now, with no personality left to it. I guess it goes back to being the guest room.

And remember that I said he left behind some credit card bills? Well, Visa's being a dick about it, and we have to pay up. My sister, my parents, and I are just splitting it up and covering it. It's easier than arguing with them. My share comes to $417.

I really hate credit cards. When they were invented, in the 1950s, they must have had a sort of cachet: "I don't have the money now, but these people have it for me!" Nowadays, the requirements to get a credit card have been reduced down to pretty much just a pulse. Even a chronically semi-employed, semi-homeless drudge like my brother had a $1200 credit account, and he was even over the limit on it!

Well, I'm don't feel like heading off on a rant right now, that's probably related to why I don't feel like going out tonight, too, so I'll just get the salmon started. It'll help convince Susan to stay in.

G'night!

Cleaning Up

2007-12-10T01:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went over to my sister's place, and the two of us cleaned out my brother's stuff. The clothing went to a thrift store, the 50 bucks in cash and change went to a food bank, and everything else had to be sorted and distributed. It was a sad task.

For the few years, since his divorce, he'd been living in our sister's basement, and when you live somewhere for a few years, you tend to accumulate stuff. My brother was no exception. And, of course, there was all of his stuff from before his life turned to crap.

Some of the mementos we set aside for his daughter. She's a bit angry right now, and I don't know if she'll ever want them, but when she gets older, I think she'll appreciate it. This pile includes things like his old signet ring, his wedding ring that I can't believe he kept, his high school and college diplomas, his old trumpet, various keepsakes and souvenirs he'd collected over the years, and a small album of photos of Dana, as a baby, with my brother, or as she went through school. He was a non-custodial parent, which probably doesn't sound as bad it must have been, but he kept those pictures, and he kept them updated. We kept the album for her, too.

My sister took a couple of his old sweatshirts. I took some books and a chess set. There really wasn't much else. Most of the books went to a used book store, and after that we just had to clean up the mess, wash the dirty laundry, throw away the junk mail, and sort out the bills.

Some of those, we'll be able to pay from what's left of his bank account: cell phone and his share of my sister's utilities. The credit card bills ($1200! Who the f*** gave that nimrod $1200 worth of credit cards!) I'm not sure what we'll do with. I guess we'll contact the card issuers, and let them know that the debtor is deceased, with no estate. A bad write-off, I guess.

I wonder if he hoped that his life would be worth more than that?

Anyway, it's very late on Sunday night, or very early on Monday morning, depending on your point of view, and I have to go to work in the morning. Susan's awake, and she's calling me. She's been a rock through all of this, and really helped me, and my sister, and our parents to get through it. She took the calls from the police, and drove us to the county morgue to "identify the body," and them got my brother's car out of impound and contacted a funeral home. My mom wants me to marry her.

I'm gonna go now. I'll blog more later.

A Difficult Month

2007-11-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted lately. That's not actually an apology, it's really just that I'm sorry I haven't posted. This blog is my vent, and I've needed one....

To tie up the loose ends from my last post, Susan and I worked things out. And I'm avoiding the whisky sours.

And to explain why I've needed a vent, on Friday, October 26, my older brother committed suicide. Let's just say that it wasn't the best Thanksgiving this year. I hope that you all had a much better holiday than my family did.

I've mentioned my brother here before. He's kind of the black sheep in the family. He's divorced, unemployed and can't seem to keep a job, living in our sister's basement. We probably should have seen that he's clinically depressed, and tried to do something, but what could we do? We helped him search job listings, and we helped maintain visitation rights with his daughter, and we kept him off the street. And I'm still talking about him in the present tense.

Anyway, that night, he drove out to his old high school, parked behind the football field, and took 17 vicodin with a pint of vodka. We called the police on Saturday afternoon, were told that a missing person report can't be filed until the person is missing for 48 hours, and some kids found him on Sunday. The police respond a little quicker when there's a body involved.

His daughter stayed with me and Susan through the funeral, and for a few weeks after, and then went back to her mom. I went back to work on the 10th. It's crazy, how things are just normal now.

I've never understood suicide, and I never will, and I miss my brother. I just wish I'd been a little nicer to the lug when I had the chance. And my sister wishes she'd kept the medicine cabinet locked, but that's whole other story. It's not her fault.

I'll try to get back to regular blogging as soon as I can. President Bush and Sec of State Rice are well on their way to making complete jackasses out of themselves at Annapolis this week, when they start licking the boots of every Arab diplomat they can get to show up, so there should be plenty of material if I want to get political.

Or maybe I'll tell stories about my brother.

And Seven Whisky Sours Later...

2007-10-22T10:15:00.000-04:00

So I'm breaking a rule, and writing from work. I don't normally do this, but I really don't want to talk about this with Susan around.

Doesn't sound good, does it? Well, it goes with the headache I had yesterday. Here's what happened:

Saturday night, Susan and I went out with her old college friend, Kara, and her husband, Craig. I don't know why I agreed to it. Maybe because Susan was driving. She and Kara stayed sober. Me and Craig each drank alone. It was quite the group dynamic.

Now, I don't like either Kara or Craig, and the combination of the two is even worse. I understand why Susan wants to stand by her friend (they've known each other for 5 years), but honestly, I have never in my life seen two people less suited for each other.

You see, Kara's not too bright. She's married to the guy who knocked her up in her senior of college, and she's working at a low-level phone call center job with lousy pay and no future, and her husband treats her like a piece of meat. About two years ago, they bought a house, and then he went out of state to a graduate program. Leaving her with a toddler and new house, and all of the daycare bills. I will grant that he did take care of the mortgage for her.

But still, those two are painful to watch, and it's even more painful to watch Susan banter with her about all the fun things they did in college, and to see how poor Kara has nothing left in her life but stories of the glory days. And Susan just feeds into it.

That lasted through my first 3 whisky sours, and then we left the bar to go to dinner. We went to a seafood place that's not my favorite, but they have a good bar, and we ordered dinner. And then the night got seriously bad.

After watching Craig knock down every one of Kara's jokes, and remind her how he'd gotten a post-grad degree just to get the promotion at his work (he's in finance; I don't know the details), and then remind her how the house decisions are his, my sixth whisky sour took advantage of his bathroom trip to ask Kara why she stays with him.

I have never seen Susan look quite so angry. Kara just stared at her plate. When Craig came back, there wasn't much conversation. "Whisky sour number seven, please, and no, I'm not driving. I might be walking home."

When Susan and I got home, there was a conversation. I won't go into the details, but I slept on the couch that night. And last night.

So, did I insult Kara, and Susan, as badly as she says I did? Is it insulting to speak the truth? Or is this just another of those cases where the truth is in the eye of the beholder?

Something Funny

2007-10-20T16:01:00.000-04:00

I love good parodies. I was websurfing the other day, and found something I wanted to share. It's a site full of good movie parodies, called How it Should have Ended.

Of course, most of their videos are available on YouTube (really, what isn't?), so I'll post my favorite: The common sense, alternate ending to Star Wars:

And that's all. Doesn't it just fit the characters, though?

I'm outta here now. Susan and I have a double date with an old friend of hers, and I might need a few extra whisky sours to get through it. I can't stand this particular friend, but sometimes that doesn't matter, and you just have to put up with people you don't like.

I think that our ability to hold off on strangling those who definitely deserve it is the glue that holds society together.

Cheap Dating 101

2007-10-16T08:56:00.000-04:00

So over the weekend, Susan and I went out on a cheap date. This is something we try to do regularly, just because. We're lucky that we have a good income, and can afford flashy restaurants and expensive nightclubs, but we also like to see how much fun we can have without actually spending much money, too.

So we went to Ann Arbor, to the U of M Exhibit Museum of Natural History. It's a small museum, but I think it's a good one, if you like fossils, geology, and taxidermy. You don't see too many large wildlife collections stuffed and mounted anymore, like the Exhibit Museum has. It's a display style that went out with the 19th Century.

The Hall of Evolution has some spectacular dinosaurs, including a velociraptor. They also have quite a few mastodon skeletons and trackways. Those last were found in Michigan, so let's here it for the home team!

All in all, it was a fun day. We drove out together, wandered through the museum hand in hand, and then went out to dinner. "Cheap dating" comes in because the museum doesn't charge admission. Rather, they have a donation bin in the front entryway, although they have been increasing their "suggested donation" over the years....

Dinner was at Seva, a vegetarian restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor. I had a humungous burrito. Susan had a squash. Everything was delicious. We decided not to count dinner as part of the Cheap Date, because we wanted to acutally keep it a cheap date.

And that was that. I wanted to include maps of where these places are, but Blogger isn't letting me post pictures. Blah. Maybe later.

The New Job

2007-10-13T17:03:00.000-04:00

I haven't gotten online in a while (how's that for obvious!), but I'm back. Mostly, I just haven't had the time to blog; the new job has taken a big chunk out of my schedule, and, honestly, Susan takes most of what's left. Fortunately, I like them both.

I'm working at an ad agency now, as the head of the copywriting department. Most of our clients are in the auto industry or the computer industry, and I get to write and edit (or read and edit what my two junior colleagues have written) press releases, newspaper clippings, industry white papers, magazine "special advertising secion" inserts, and sometimes even radio scripts. I actually leave the radio commercials to Leah, since I suck at that sort of thing. I tend to take the white papers and ad inserts for myself.

I've never been a department head before, and it's sort of fun, having flunkies. I don't call 'em that, and they've both been at the company longer than me, although I freelanced for the firm over the last couple of years, and watched both of them arrive. They're good at what they do, and I respect them. Mostly I just divvy up the work load, hand out assignments, and spend a lot of time editing. Or in meetings, like the rest of the department heads.

Anyway, this lil blog isn't about my work, it's about my life, mostly. So....

What to say? I get up, I go to work, I come home. Evenings, Susan and I complain about our work, weekends we go out on cheap dates around town. It's getting colder, so we're starting to stay in more. Our apartment has a fireplace, and we both like hot chocolate. At the end of the month, we're going cross-state for a few days, to visit one of my old college friends and her husband, but we're not sure exactly when. It'll depend on when their baby comes. It should be a good weekend.

And what else.... Susan's mom keeps bugging us to get married. She doesn't say much to me (one of the few things that she and I agree on is our deep, intense, and mutual dislike), but Susan tells me about their ... conversations on the subject. It isn't pretty. Good thing I chose Susan, and not her mother, hey?

I once thought about spending a lot of time blogging news, but really, the news is just depressing. My life might not be that exciting, but at least it's real, and it doesn't get you crying in your coffee when read about it. Still, there is a story I saw that I want to mention:

I don't know if you (what you? I don't even know if I get that many readers!) follow anything about the Arab-Israeli issues, but Susan is Jewish, and so it's become sort of important to me. I never really looked into this too closely before I met her, but I always felt that the Palestinians got a raw deal all around, from everyone. That, and the Israelis didn't really look like they were ever trying to get out of the Palestinians' lives.

I'm starting to change my mind about things.

In the last few years, we saw the Palestinians reject an offer from Israel to help them build a state, and launch what can only be called a terrorist war. They elected more terrorists to run their internal affairs, and when Israel pulled its army and people out of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians increased the terrorism from that territory. Now the USA is trying to get both sides to conference next month.

I'm not sure I see the point to it, because of this:

First, you can read here about Syria refusing to attend the conference:

Syrian President Bashar Assad all but ruled out his country's participation in a U.S.-sponsored international peace conference on the Middle East, suggesting in an interview published Thursday that the meeting has no chance for success. [my emphasis]

And, you can read here about the Iranians calling on all Muslims not simply boycott the conference:

Iran's supreme leader called on Muslim countries to boycott a U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference, saying Saturday that the international meeting would hurt the Palestinians.

Now, maybe I'm naive, but it seems to me that having someone around to mediate between parties who can't even talk to each other would only be a good thing.... And that peace, or at least a cessation of violence, would benefit the Palestinians.... And that Syria is blind, since negotiations between Israel, and Egypt and Jordan produced viable peace agreements....

So is it just me, or is the Syrian action looking like an excuse for continued conflict, and the Iranian action looking like a religious provocation?

Well, on that note, I'm going to leave you now. It's something to think about, though, isn't it?

And one more thing: If you read this, and you're an Arab, or an Israeli, or a Muslim, or a Jew, or a Zionist, or a Palestinian, let me know what you think. That's what comments are for, right?

Never Forget, Never Forgive

2007-09-11T10:18:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in a month, and now it's September 11.

Really, there has been so much posted about this, published in the newspapers, shown on TV.... What can I add? It was a terrible day, and we can never forget it.

I don't know about you all, but I won't forgive it, either.

Starting Fresh

2007-08-13T07:23:00.000-04:00

Well, I am off to start the new jobby-job today. I'll be the number-2 person in the copy writing department of a marketing firm. I've worked with them before, as a freelancer, so I should be able to fit right in.

The alarm clock woke me up just fine. I think it woke the dead, too. Fortunately, the apartment below us is empty right now, and the folks next door smoke a lot of weed, so the noise shouldn't be a problem for the immediate future.

Susan made breakfast this morning (omlettes, and really good ones), and we ate out on the balcony. It's a great way to start a day, if you can. Now she's gone to work and I'm putting off doing the dishes. I've got be out the door by 8, so there's still a little time.

And that's all; there isn't any more.

Stuff

2007-08-07T14:10:00.000-04:00

I've been away from the blog for a few days, obviously, so what's been happening?

Susan's move-in is complete, with no further "mishaps," and I have finished my last-ever freelance assignment. Yesterday, I officially accepted the jobby-job. I start next Monday. It's been a while since I had a nine-to-five.

To celebrate, Susan bought me an alarm clock. One of those old-fashioned kinds, with the bells on top, and no snooze button. If that doesn't get me up, I know someone who's foot probably will....

Anway, on to bloggy stuff.

I found an interesting blog while surfing around, called Independence Lost. It's got sort of an interesting premise; tries to be neither right nor left, and tried to talk about ways in which "We, the People" can re-assert our independence from a government that is, at best, non-responsive, and at worst, failing us badly.

Here is a very good post from there, about the city of Detroit. Read it all; it's an eye-opener.

A Nice Day

2007-08-04T21:02:00.000-04:00

Last night's dinner was a success. She loved the salmon. I can't say how much she loved it, because this is a family-safe blog.

We spent most of the afternoon at a park near our place, with a picnic lunch and a six-pack of icy cold Rolling Rock. I'm not a big beer fan, and I'm definitely not a big cheap beer fan, but there just isn't much better than sitting under a big oak on a hot day, with your head in your girlfriend's lap, sharing an icy cold Rolling Rock.

Later, we walked over to the adjacent high school baseball fields, and fed the leftover bread to the geese that were wandering around there. At first, they tried to run away, but when they realized we had food, they started chasing us. I never really thought about it before, but Canada geese are pretty darn big.

We talked a lot. Mostly about the future. She's planning to enter an MSW program next year, and I'm going to call and accept the jobby-job on Monday. Our lease here is for two years, so who knows, maybe it'll be worth buying a house then if we're still together. She didn't like that 'if.' She said, "We'll be together, always."

I kind of like that idea. It's nice to be in love.

I'm Speechless

2007-08-03T07:17:00.000-04:00

Well, Susan's in. She's been in since Wednesday. But we're not really settled yet.

Yesterday morning, she told me that I snore. Well, she rolls and kicks. I'm not sure that the double bed we have will be big enough.

But that's really just a small problem, and easy to deal with, compared to other issues. You see, last night, she wet the bed.

That was my first reaction, too.

So there we were, cleaning up at 2:30 in the morning. Fortunately, the apartment has a washer and dryer in it. I ran the laundry and scrubbed the mattress while she took a shower.

You know, I thought that I was ready for just about any surprise, living with someone for the first time, but that one caught me completely off guard.

Susan was pretty broken up about it. She started crying when she got out of the shower and saw the mattress. I don't think she believed me when I told her that everything would be OK, because she wanted to talk about it.

If there is anything I have learned in my time on God's green earth, it's that if the girl wants to talk about something, and she's crying, you need to listen. And let her cry on your shoulder. It doesn't matter if it's 3 o'clock in the morning, and your 24 year old girlfriend just wet the bed and wants to talk about that, you just listen.

And if she wants to go on and talk about the whole history of her bladder problems, in excruciating detail, and how she wet the bed until she was sixteen, and she's sorry that she didn't warn you before moving in but it hadn't happened in years, you have to listen to that, too.

And if she keeps going, and tells you all about the times she wet her pants in her junior and senior years of high school, and even peed in her car once last fall because she just couldn't get home from work in time, you even have to listen to that.

And you have to tell her that it really will be OK, and you're not upset, and it doesn't really change anything (because it doesn't, really; she's still Susan, just a little damper). And make sure to tell her how much you love her.

When she left for work a few minutes ago, she told me that she'll understand if I don't want her to come back. I told her that was silly. As soon as the stores open, I'm going out to buy some roses for the table, and some salmon fillets. She doesn't know it yet, but we're having her favorite honey-mustard salmon tonight. Because she's Susan, and deserves the best.

Unpacking

2007-08-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

Susan's at work, and I am still unpacking her stuff.

I took some time today to make some updates on the blog here. I changed the template to make editing easier, and I added some links to people who's blogs I've been reading.

And I'll try to post somethings substantial soon. Don't know what, but I'm sure something will come to mind.

And I'm really thinking of taking that copywriter position; I just talked to the lady whose place I'll be filling, and she told me the actual salary that they want to offer me. It's more than I expected, plus a good health plan. I have to tell them on Monday, so I still have time to think, though.

Moving In

2007-08-01T13:16:00.000-04:00

We're moving all of Susan's stuff in today. Oh, the joy. Honestly, I don't know where we're going to put all of her books; I'll probably have to go to Target or Meijers later tonight, and pick up some more bookshelves. And then put 'em together.

I thought I was done with that when I moved.

And I don't think that this apartment has enough closets for all of her clothes. We've been together for over two years now, and she's moving in clothes that I've never seen before. What's up with that?

Good thing she doesn't read blogs, isn't it?

Still, things are shaping up nicely. A little while ago, she made her cucumber, feta, and raspberry vinagrette sandwiches for lunch, so it seems there are definite perks to living together.

In the meantime, she's gone back to her place, to bring another load of stuff, and while she's out, I'm supposed to unpack as much of the last load as I can. You'd be amazed at how much just plain stuff will fit into a Ford Focus hatchback....

It's My Life

2007-07-31T06:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I haven't posted in a while, and a lot has been going on, so what to tell first?

Susan will be moving in tomorrow. We spent the weekend getting her stuff into the place, and rearranging things (my life), and buying new sheets. We also bought a little table to put out on the balcony. It's only a two-story building, so it's not like there's a great view, but hey, what can go wrong with breakfast out on the balcony?

Honestly, we've been discussing this for a while, and we both want it, but the thought of living with someone (even her!) is putting some serious butterflies in my belly.

I could be nerves from something else, though. I got a job offer, from a company that I freelanced with last year. They want me to take over for their senior copywriter while she's on maternity leave, and they've hinted that they'll keep me when she comes back.

This actually makes me more nervous than living with my girlfriend. I've been freelancing for 3 years now; the last "jobby-job" I had was back in college, at the bookstore. I don't know how I'll do, keeping to a regular schedule, and trekking to an office every day.

Still, it'll be a regular paycheck, with tax withholdings. No more figuring the taxes myself, and paying the whole nut to Social Security (which won't be there for me anyway). I've got another week to make the decision, which is good. I'm thinking of taking it, as soon as I wrap up the project I'm working on now.

And didn't I once say that I wouldn't let this blog be about my work? Ha ha, I guess I lied about that....

How about I talk about some news, then? I read this on Yahoo:

Police discovered the body of a second South Korean hostage slain by the Taliban in central Afghanistan while the group threatened Tuesday to kill more hostages if their demands were not met by Wednesday, the latest of several deadlines.

You know, does anyone else but me think that this just makes the Taliban look like a bunch of medieval barbarians? They seem to be dragging this out to put pressure on the Afghan government, but the Afghans aren't releasing the prisoners. The only people feeling pressured are the South Koreans, who want their people back, but they have no leverage with the Afghan government. So it looks like the Taliban are going to kill 23 people for nothing, except a PR disaster.

What really gets me, though, is this, at the end of the article:

On Sunday, Karzai and other Afghan officials tried to shame the Taliban into releasing the female captives by appealing to a tradition of cultural hospitality and chivalry. They called the kidnapping of women "un-Islamic."

First, the Taliban are holding and killing hostages. They seem to have no shame. And second, and again, this could just be me, if the kidnapping of women is "un-Islamic," does that mean that the kidnapping of men is OK?

These are some seriously screwed up folks in Afghanistan....

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Work I Go

2007-07-18T09:26:00.000-04:00

I'm just posting a quick piece here, before I head off to work.

I'm pretty happy about it; I mentioned in my last post that I'm a freelance marketing writer, and I just got a big job in. I'll be spending the next couple of days at the client's office, getting details and documents, and taking notes, and then it's back home to write it up.

Last night, I went out with Susan's competition. That's really just our little joke. I took my 12 year old niece to get some ice cream. We went to Coldstone. It's not as good as the Penn State dairy outlet, but it is pretty good.

And what does a 26 year old guy do with a 12 year old? We talked about my brother, of course! She's been coming to me for advice for the last couple of years.... I'm 11 years younger than my brother, and 5 years younger than our sister, so Dana (my neice) just kind of gravitated to me because we were the closest in age, and I wasn't her father.

Her father, my brother, is a bum. He's been divorced for 3 years, and unemployed for 2, and he's living at my sister's house. The divorce hit him hard, but he never really tried to find work after he lost his job. Last month, he spent a couple of days in jail over unpaid child support.

These are the kind of things Dana wanted to talk about, over chocolate milkshakes. When I have kids, I think I'll be ready for the teenage years.

I'd post more, but I gotta run. The client is expecting me at 11.

A Busy Week

2007-07-17T08:32:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted in a week, but it's been a busy week.

I'm a freelance marketing writer, and I just landed a big project. This'll show ya, Mom! I don't really want to give details, because I don't want this blog to become all about work, but I really am pretty excited about this.

I moved into a new apartment at the beginning of the month, and my new table was finally delivered. Yay! No more eating Chinese take-out on the couch... My girlfriend is thrilled.

And speaking of my girlfriend, she wants to move in with me, now that I am no longer encumbered by roommates. I can't deny that a double income and a single domicile will make us both far more comfortable, but I also have to say that I was sort of looking forward to having my own bachelor pad for a while....

Still, I don't think I'll tell her 'no.' I know that she'll see this a step towards marriage, and while I'm not ready for that yet, I can't think of anyone else I'd ever consider.

In other words, she'll be moving in when her lease is up, in two weeks.

Sounds Like a Fun Trip

2007-07-12T02:40:00.000-04:00

I've always liked flying. A friend of mine has private pilot's license, and has taken me up a few times in a small plane. It's truly an amazing experience; very very different from commercial airliners.

This guy, however, took flying to a whole new level:

Last weekend, Kent Couch settled down in his lawn chair with some snacks — and a parachute. Attached to his lawn chair were 105 large helium balloons.

That just sounds like the coolest thing. Dangerous, yeah, but can you imagine the thrill?

And for an example of the low-tech nature of the enterprise:

With instruments to measure his altitude and speed, a global positioning system device in his pocket, and about four plastic bags holding five gallons of water each to act as ballast — he could turn a spigot, release water and rise — Couch headed into the Oregon sky....

...he used a BB gun to pop the balloons, but he went into a rapid descent and eventually parachuted to safety.

I don't think I would ever try it, but I would have loved to see it!

Relief at Last!

2007-07-10T03:37:00.000-04:00

I'm getting the clavicle brace off today. Oh joy!

I've never broken a bone before, and honestly, I really don't want to break another one again.

And in the news today, it looks like even the Bush Administration admits that their Iraq policy is failing:

A progress report on Iraq will conclude that the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad has not met any of its targets for political, economic and other reforms, speeding up the Bush administration's reckoning on what to do next...

So here's my question: Who the hell do we vote for next year? I haven't seen a really good candidate yet. The Dems are on the way to nominating Hillary, or Obama, but I don't think that American voters are ready to send a woman or a black man to the White House; I'm not saying this to be racist, just realistic.

And the Republicans are fielding two types of candidates right now: idiots like Ron Paul, or folks like McCain or Giuliani, who simply aren't appealing to Republicans.

Looks like a fun election cycle coming up....

In Case You're Interested

2007-07-08T09:58:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in a while, because I broke my collarbone and wrist.

Oh, joy.

And how did this happen, you might ask?

Well, I was on that mountain bike, swerved to avoid an oncoming car just three blocks from home! hit the curb, and did a faceplant on the pavement. I think I'll stick to driving to work. It's far less dangerous.

I'll be back soon, I promise...

My Own Two Bits

2007-05-30T05:16:00.000-04:00

Gas prices keep going up, so I figured it's time to help do something about it.

I bought a mountain bike. From now on, weather permitting, I'll be biking to work each day.

I used to love biking when I was in high school; I'd forgotten how much fun it can be.

Sorry I'm Late...

2007-05-29T09:50:00.000-04:00

I didn't get a chance to post anything over the holiday weekend, but in honor of Memorial Day, I wanted to get the flag out. This one is the US Navy's jack:And this was the flag flown at Fort Sumter: The "Grand Union" flag was the first official flag of the Thirteen Colonies, taken as a group:And that's it for today's walk down the history of US flags...

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend, and don't foret to thank a vet!

My First Post

2007-05-21T08:07:00.000-04:00

This is my first post, on my new blog.
I'll be coming back periodically, to talk about stuff: maybe current events, maybe tell jokes, or maybe share funny things I get in my email.
I'll try to post about once a week.
Hopefully, someone will read this, and be amused.
Talk to you later, I am off to go blog surfing, and see what I can find.