Last wienie roast of the year

Fall is in mid-swing, it's getting cold, and snow is right around the corner.



















My neighbors and I took the time to have the last cook-out of the year. There is something inherently relaxing about staring into a campfire, watching the coals change colors and the flames flicker in the night.



This guy must not have liked the menu, because he didn't stay long.

Article Debunked

I printed out the Rolling Stone article to show my dad. We enjoy discussing politics, with him on the Republican side (evil empire) and me on the Democratic side (brave alliance). I wanted to show him how untrustworthy Ohio gubenatorial candidate Ken Blackwell is. My father dismissed the article, saying that if those things really happened, why wasn't it in all the newspapers?

Well, that question bothered me, so I wrote to the Cleveland Plain Dealer reader's representative, Ted Diadium, and asked him that question. He pointed me to an article he wrote way back in the beginning of June that debunked the Rolling Stone article.

My faith is once more restored in our election system, even with it's flaws.

Can this really happen in America?

I often read /.. Recently, they posted an article linking to a Rolling Stone article written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on whether or not the GoP stole the 2004 election.

Can this really happen in America? My political bent is towards the Democratic Party, mainly because I'm proudly part of a Union workforce. However, I still would like to think that whomever is running this country, or running for office in this country would have a high degree of ethics and morality. Have our elected offices become a farce?

First Coat

When one doesn't feel like doing a job, one can always sub-contract it out! I hired my niece to help me paint the garage.





























I was very impressed with how steady she worked. She painted for the entire 8 hours we agreed upon with a short break for lunch, and she did high quality work. I'm quite pleased with the end result. I've still got to put another coat of primer on, then a coat of enamel. Three sides are done, but I hadn't cleaned off the back of the garage in time to paint.

It was nice to get a visit from my sister and my other niece too. My sister read under the trees while my niece watched DVD's on her portable DVD player. THAT was an amazing device...Great color, crisp picture, and clear sound on something a 10 year old carries around. We are a rich country indeed.

Wasting Time

Sometimes I feel that I waste too much time. I call it relaxing, and I have a low stress level because of it, but I'm not getting the things done around the house that I planned on.

I do dishes and laundry, and the occassional clean up when needed, but I spent many hours watching movies or otherwise having fun this weekend instead of working on the garage, which needs painting, or working on the inside of the house, which needs a ton of work. At least I bought the paint and brushes yesterday. I really need to decrease my 'laying around daydreaming" time.

I guess I really need a swift kick in the ass to get me moving. The funny thing is, at work, I'm a machine, working steady most of the time, but when I get home, I don't feel like doing anything. I don't get it.

Senses

Yesterday was a dreary, rainy day. Not too cold, but chilly. Drizzle. A nice day to travel, or stay indoors. Pensive.

I went to my parent's house, but they weren't home. I took a nap on their couch, holding one of the Free Kittens advertised by the sign at the driveway. I had forgotten how soft a kitten is. Kitteny-soft. She purred, and I drifted off to slee....

Friday night, we had a cookout. Neighbors, we sat in the dark, illuminated by firelight, and listened. I was asked if they were cicadas, crickets, katydids, or some other insect. I replied that I knew, unequivocably, that they were bugs. I didn't think they were cicadas, because I remember that distinctive summer sound only in the afternoon. I tried to immitate the sound, starting off low and quiet, then raising both decibels and octaves. Patty laughed. She told me that she assuredly had never heard that sound before.

I cracked open a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream. Poured over ice, the Bailey's was the perfect after dinner liquer. I'd sip some into my mouth, and let it sit there, bathing my tongue. It was cold and sweet, with a hint of bite. "Music by moonlight"

I love the smells one incurs on a motorcycle ride. Diesel fumes of the gear-climbing Peterbuilt, and the stinky incompletely burned gasoline fumes of the 15 year old beater sedan crowd the rare whiff of perfume from a red convertable. The smell of water, hidden by trees, or hills, waiting to be discovered and identified as a stream, or farm-pond. A corn field. Fresh mowed hay. There's the dairy farm. Now the restaurant, advertising home-cooking, makes me salivate and want bacon for breakfast. I think I'll stop here.


"Look at the clouds...what color are they?", Vermeer asks. "White. No. No, they're not white.", Griet answers. "Yellow. Blue...and gray. They are the colors of the clouds."

Sight is my favorite sense. As a child, I'd watch ants and grasshoppers, army men and hotwheels, clear skies, and lightning. As an adult, I watch conduit and cables, womens' behinds and sailboats, sunrises and sunsets. Halfdome and Diamonhead, Navy jets at full afterburner, calves being born, a crack deal, the Pacific ocean, I-71, a woman waking, dust and dirt, paint drying, movies, paintings, drawings, nature, tv and a computer. What could have been. What could be. Life, both real and imagined.

I'm thankful for my senses.

Stumpus the 3 legged dog

I'm thankful for how happy Stumpus makes me, and how happy he is to see me. He's getting old, and I dread the day when he won't come hobbling over to see me.

Meeting Molly

Molly is 2 months old. I'm 43. She's around 10 lbs. I'm 20 times that weight. I'm used to moving heavy electrical switch-gear. My hands are strong from bending copper cables one and a half inches thick into tight places, just making them fit. Today I moved energized 15,000 volt cables out of my way so I could route new cables for tomorrow's job. I feel I could accomplish any task I put my mind to. I'm a big, construction worker, dammit! How come Molly scares the hell out of me?

I thought I had her beat. We had dinner Thursday night, but while we were eating, so was she. I sat next to her waitress (my sister), while she was fed the most nourishing meal for a newborn, while in the privacy of her own tent. I heard her. I saw her. I waved at her. I said hi. Then I left.

Yesterday she was inducted into her parent's church in a ceremony that I missed. In her honor, we had a cook-out and volleyball. It was really a meet-and-greet though. We all had fun, enjoyed the food, played ball, laughed at each other (I took pictures!) then settled in the living room to watch the two teenage boys control their pixels to slash pixel swords at other pixels, while listening to the teenage girls laugh at the pictures, and the boys. Once the kitten pooped on me, I figured it was time to go.

I had almost made it! I had my coat on, and my sunglasses. Keys in hand, I was in the kitchen, headed for the door, when I heard the spine-chilling words: "Shawn, I don't have a picture of you holding Molly." I froze. I was caught. She had bested me. The only thing to do was to make the best of it. I did what I do best in high-pressure, nerve-wracking situations...I winged it. I took hold of her like a football, cradled like Walter Peyton, and gingerly stepped over the mass of legs on the floor (again, like Walter Peyton) to the couch, where I was able to sit down with a sigh, knowing that even if I did fumble the Molly, she wouldn't fall far.

I even warmed up a bit. We played Supergirl! She loves to "fly" on her stomach. I pretened to let loose Supergirl's most heinous weapons, projectile vomiting, on the 3 teenage girls, the 2 teenage boys, Molly's mother, my cousin, and anyone else in the room. Then we settled down for some pictures. I know Molly looked good. I hope I did too.

Counting Blessings

I read an article in the recent issue of Money Magazine regarding money and happiness. While having more money does bring more happiness, it's only up to a point, right around $50,000 annually. The article also explains how buying things, such as a new car, only provides happiness for a short time. Then it offers some suggestions on how to increase your happiness without increasing your paycheck.

One of their suggestions is to count your blessings once a week, so I'd like to take some time each Sunday morning, before I get started on whatever I've planned for the day, and count my blessings for the week.

First, and foremost, I'm thankful that my sister and her husband, both doing second tours in Iraq, are safe and sound.

I'm thankful for having good friends to talk about frustrations (like last week's speeding ticket), which diminishes my anger. I also enjoy hearing of the success my friends are enjoying in their home, or work lives, and I listen to their frustrations.

I really enjoy my job. I feel that I've got one of the best jobs, and I work for the best electrical contractor in Cleveland. As a union electrician, I make a fair wage, so my basic needs are met, and I have some money left over for a few beers with the boys after work, or to buy a couple of DVD's once in awhile. As a craftsman, I take great pride in my work, and every day I drive to work, I see buildings that I helped to build.

I've got really good neighbors. They are kind, and generous people.

My foreman let's me do my job the best I can, and he listens to my ideas, choosing the good ones, and explaining why the bad ones won't work, but not in a degrading manner.

There's more that I'm thankful for, but this is the first Sunday of doing this, so I could be here all day typing.

The pick-up artist...not

The other day, I was walking around the hospital with my work partner and our foreman. We were going from building to building, taking our locks off switchgear, so that it could be energized again. As we walked down the street, I caught sight of an attractive young woman across the road. She was walking at a brisk pace, and with a gait that made her breasts bounce under her white blouse. She was quite alluring. I elbowed my partner to share the sight, and he said "I'm way ahead of you, Carter". She quickly passed out of view as we continued to the next building.

Ten minutes, and three locks later, we were returning to the main hospital building, and I saw the same woman approaching us. As she drew closer, I could see that she was very attractive, and I thought I'd say something witty. "You must have walked around the block, because we saw you on the other street earlier." was rewared with a dismissive snort as she passed me.

The three of us walked about 10 paces, when my partner dropped the hammer, "Damn, Carter, no wonder you can't get a woman, if that's your idea of a pick-up line".

After work beer

I stopped off at my favorite watering hole after work tonight. I was (am) in a pretty good mood. Well there was a fella playing some electronic gambling game, that was for real money. He had put in a ten dollar bill, and had worked it up to over 300 bucks. He was very excited, bragging, etc. Over the course of evening, while I sipped my Bud Lights (plural), I saw him go up and down, dropping as low as 200, then back up to 300 again. Finally, I ordered some food, and I checked up on him again, and he was at 100. I suggested that he set a lower limit, and he said that it was set at 50, that he'd quit if he got there. Next time I looked, he was at 23 cents. He went to the ATM to get some more money. I saw him put in at least 40 dollars, and again, I saw he was up to $50, but did he quit and take the money? Nope. He ended up finishing with 43 cents, angry, and quiet.

So they say slot machines won't have a negative impact in Ohio....

How many times do we need to vote this down?

Family Dinner

My sister, her husband, and their baby girl, Molly came up from Florida to visit. We had a nice meal at Red Robin, met the other side of the family, and laughed and joked the entire time.

Me at work

Two pictures of me at work, in Cleveland

Whining about a speeding ticket

Last Sunday morning, around 11:00 am, I got pulled over for speeding. The officer told me I was doing 75 in a 65 zone, but he wrote the ticket for 75 in a 60. The worst thing is that he's with NOPD! My own hometown! Don't I pay enough taxes to the city? I can see generating revenue by tickets from outside the city, but not someone who lives here. Oh well. Next time the F.O.P. comes calling asking for donations, I'll say I donated to the city instead.

Second Post

Now I'll upload a picture from my computer, to see how it looks. This is my 2006 Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster.

First Post

I thought I'd start off easy, play with the settings, templates, etc, and get a feel for blogger.com