Saturday Night

Just wondering if anyone else could have had a better night than I did last Saturday night. I had babysitting duty 'cause Sunday was my baby's 21st birthday, and they wanted to go out Saturday night to "celebrate?" it. So I went over to watch over the little Princess Emma. The boys were already asleep, as was the plan. That was the only bummer...that I didn't get to play with my little buddies. It seemed a little weird, me being over there and not playing with them...and I kind of felt guilty for whatever strange reason. But hanging out with my little Princess Emma was so great!

We talked most of the night. Of course, she's only 7 weeks old so she did most of the talking. I have no idea what she was talking about, but she told me story after story! The facial expressions...the occasional arms flailing...I knew she really meant it! Whatever it was!

She ate just a little bit, not as much as I thought she would. She pooped 4 times, which is about par for the course for her, I guess. She was even telling me stories when I changed her. In the 3 some-odd hours I was there with her, she fussed about 20 seconds. Four or five times, for about four or five seconds apiece. The last time was when she finally finished the bottle I was feeding her, and I took it out of her mouth. Oh, now that pissed her off!! She cried long enough for me to put her on my shoulder and stand up to go warm her up another bottle. By the time the bottle was warm, about 2 minutes, she was out for the count! Apparently she like it when G-Paw rubs her back!

I was thinking that at some point she would go to sleep, and that I could take a short nap since I had to work Sunday. Nothing doing! Mom and Dad got home shortly after she finally did, so shortly after that I was finding my way back home. It made for a rough day Sunday, but it was so worth it. If I could be so tired every Sunday to spend that kind of time with my Little Princess...YES! It was the best Saturday night I can remember having!

Sorry I missed it

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I woke up this morning to find I missed what, by all accounts, sounds like one of the most electric and heart warming nights in the game of baseball. Josh Hamilton hit 28 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. Some of those were over 500 ft. Damn it! I missed it! Oh well, I guess I would still have rather been doing what I was doing...visiting my baby and holding my little Princess Emma.

The last time such a display was put on was in 2005, when Bobby Abreu hit 24 in the first round. Oddly, when that happened I was again with Briana. I was listening on the radio while on the way back from OCU, when we had to do the orientation before Briana's freshman year there. Of course, what I remember most about that was the fact that Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez made a run at the finals. But that was Comerica Park in Detroit. Not Yankee Stadium. And Abreu was an established young power hitter.

Josh Hamilton has been the feel good story of the year, not just in baseball, but in all of sports. His comeback from drug and alcohol addiction has been well chronicled. But for him do do what he did last night, and to do it at Yankee Stadium in it's last year...wow! Way to go Josh! I'm sorry I missed it!

NP rules!

I just finished watching this video, for the umpteen hundredth time, and there is no doubt...Neil Peart is the greatest percussionist ever. I grew up in the days when it was a known fact...Buddy Rich was the King of Drums. I always loved it when he would come on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Or those rare occasions when "The Midnight Special" or "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" would play a clip of him ripping those drums! I loved Buddy Rich as a kid!

But no matter what the "purist" jazz people, or the 90's Headbangers, or even the Kieth Moon or John Bonham fans will say, Neil Peart is the greatest ever. Hands down. He can tear apart his "Rush drumkit", the one with 50 some-odd pieces...it's actually two very large kits put together, an acoustic kit and an electronic kit. Or, just give him a basic 7 to 10 piece kit and he'll rule on that as well! Ok, he's not the greatest jazz drummer, or the greatest "heavy metal" drummer (if you choose to call that drumming). But nobody has ever been so good at so many different styles of drumming. How he can construct a 5 minute drum solo, and incorporate so many styles...everything from jazz drumming to rock drumming, and even African drumming, it's amazing. I've seen him in concert at least 20 times, and every time his solo comes around I still can't believe what I'm seeing! He makes it look so easy...he's so smooth. I hate to use the word effortless because I know he puts great effort into his work. But I could only wish to be able to do what I do as well as he does what he does, and make it seem so effortless, so smooth! I might be as famous as him, I guess.

Just had to say. Over 30 yrs ago his bandmate, Geddy Lee, started calling him "the professor on the drumkit". It was fitting back then. Now, he's so much better! So what would that make him now? The god of drumming? Works for me!

Tonight, I did a good deed. So why do I feel like an idiot?

Tonight I really did do something nice for a complete stranger. So why do I feel like a complete fool?

It all started when I was about to wrap up for the day. The guy I've been doing this job for is a contractor I've known for 10 yrs. It was late, I guess..about 7pm. He insisted that I come have dinner...his treat. We went to a local Italian restaurant. It was good. Well, a free meal is always good in my opinion! But the food was good, and we had a great conversation. Like I said, I've known him for 10 yrs, but in the last week, I've really begun to feel he's become a friend. It was a nice dinner. When we left, he had a flat tire. Luckily, there was a Pep Boys just down the street. We pulled the tire off and walked it down there. He decided that instead of just getting a replacement for the flat that he would pay for a new set. Just get the flat replaced tonight, then he made arrangements to come back tomorrow and get the other 3 tires replaced. Ok..cool. When we first walked up with the flat, there was a woman standing there outside, waiting to be taken care of. She obviously needed a new tire, I could tell, since she had the "space saver" spare on her car.

I was appalled when the guy came out and got my friends wheel, to put the new tire on, while she was still waiting to be taken care of. Sorry...I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but that was bullcrap. And I let the guy know it. She was there before us. Just because my friend was spending more money was no excuse. I let him have it. When he used the excuse of "well, I just do what I'm told", I went inside and let the manager have it. She was REALLY unhappy with me! But I was right, and I knew it, and so did everyone else.

We did end up getting out of there before the woman I tried to help, but before we left they came out, took her bad tire off and were in the process of replacing it. So why do I feel like an idiot? Because, after I "went off", I went back outside where she was waiting. We had a nice conversation while I was waiting for my friend to get his new tire. While we were talking, I knew my friend was going to ask the question...did you get her number? Nothing against him, but it's just so typical. And, of course when we left, that's the first thing he said. I laughed, and told him I knew he would ask me that. I was just trying to do the right thing. But after we got the wheel put on, got back to his office, and I was headed home I thought...why didn't I get her number? She was obviously single. She was around my age, I would guess. And she was quite pretty...slim, long blond hair, pretty eyes, and a great rear end!

So, again...why do I feel like an idiot? Because maybe I am. So many times I have not recognized that very opportunity until later. Twice in my life it wasn't later. Lord knows that I'm not looking for a relationship! But I wasn't looking for one when I met my ex-wife. And regardless of how it ended up, I'm glad I took that chance. And my only other love...again, it ended in "failure", but I took the chance and I'm damned glad for it. So, I must be an idiot for not being able to see those opportunies until it's too late! Oh, well...it's the story of my life!

love stinks

Each emotional injury
Leaves behind its mark
Sometimes they come tumbling out
Like shadows in the dark
I get this feeling...


Sorry for the emotional outburst. It was a very bad day, so I hope any who read this will understand. Love is the greatest thing we have. It's the only real reason for us to endure what life hands us sometimes. But it really stinks when you lose something you love.
This morning, I was cleaning the kitchen. Of course, first on that list was doing the dishes. I hadn't seen Kitty in a couple of days, but that hasn't been unusual the last few months. He used to always want to be wherever I was at, but the last few months it hasn't been the case. I was worried, at first, when his habit changed...but everything seemed ok, so I didn't think there was a problem. He was usually in Briana's room, so I figured he was just getting older, and that his habits were changing. Then, I opened the cabinet door under the sink this morning....and there he was. I knew as soon as I saw him there...he was gone.
I know he was "just an animal", but my heart immediately sank into it's darkest depths. He was Briana's cat, but in all reality...he has been "my kitty" for so many years. All I could do at first was sit down and cry. Since Briana left home, first to go to college, and now to start her new life...he has been my only comfort. I aways knew, no matter how good or bad my day went, Kitty would be there, hollering at me when he wanted love. Oh God, how I'm going to miss him!
I've had pets before. And as is due course, they've all passed. And it always hurt. But nothing like this. I don't know why. Maybe it's because of the way Briana brought him home, against my wishes. Or because of how we thought we had lost him that very first night. Or how I was so concerned about him a year later that I drove straight through from Minneapolis to Ft Worth, because he didn't do well while we were gone that week.
Maybe it's because of how horrified I felt two years ago when I found him in lying in the kitchen floor, near death, because of the food I had always been feeding him. And how, when he was in the hospital, I would stop by to see him every morning before work, and every evening after work. Or how he purred when he saw me when I came to see him.
No, it's really because for the last 8 years he has been a major part of my life. Something I could always look forward to coming home for. No matter how bad my day might have gone, I always knew he would be there. And now he's gone. I'll get past it, like I always have. But it surely hurts right now!

Where's my Thing?

I think I've lost my Thing! I've been trying all night to find it. But it's nowhere to be found. It sucks because I really need it tonight. Or, at least, want it very badly! I've looked everywhere I can think of...to no avail. I haven't seen it the last couple of days. Maybe that's why I lost it. I don't always play with it, even when it's right there. But when I know it's there, I know I can grab it and do what I want with it whenever I get the urge. But I guess I forgot about it the last few days and it went somewhere else.
I was told many years ago to just "Leave that Thing Alone!" And for many, many years I did. But in the last couple of years, and especially the last couple of months, I've had so much fun with it. It hasn't always ended up good, but it's always been really enjoyable playing around with it.
What's this Thing I'm missing tonight? The ability to be creative. I just don't have it right now, as much as I want it. Oh, well...maybe It'll come back soon!