worked 17 of the last 18 days [oof!]. I have today off, but then right back to work...they (der stalager) used my last vacation day when I took a sick day (weeks ago). I could have broken that vacation day in half and used it to have 2 weekends off, but nope. they went and burned it for me. turns out, Mark (work bud) had a vacation scheduled for the same week, and got a 'sick day' instead. oops! peeps get us mixed up all the time. you'd be surprised how many people call me Mark, and he; Brian. oh well.

Brian (room mate/bob sled repair man) busts out the snow blower and chains it to the front porch, perched and ready for that first snow storm *fart*

weather permitting, we're (Mark and I) supposed to go golfing tonight.

last night I rent 'World War Z' (Brad Pitt zombie flick?!) to go with my sixer of 'two hearted ale' (Bell's brewing co.). cool movie! the night before was 'Zombie land'. I guess I'm in a zombie kind of mood this weekend. must be all the overtime...

currently, I'm ready to hit the store to return some beer bottle empties (Squabber drinks a lot of beer!), and maybe hit McD's for breakfast

hey, what?! I didn't widen the borders...?!

the good news is, we get the green light on having this Sunday off (and possibly Saturday, if our numbers are up to snuff), but the bad news is (rumor has it) that we'll prob'ly work all the rest of the Saturday's 'til the end of the year *hrmph!* will peeps slow down a bit on buying Dodge Rams...please?! I guess I can try and be happy about having at least a one day weekend from now 'til then. playing catch up on my credit card and making extra car payments aren't a bad thing.

oh crap! Brian's (room mate/Mongolian lama blacksmith) mom's (the cool hippy lady that lives a couple doors down) cat (nicknamed: Hershey love) died today. he was almost as old as Rosie. he was one of the coolest chocolatey cats ever! now he's in little mammal heaven laying on a puffy cloud comparing notes with Rosie (and Lucy) about their silly earthly owners ("owners" sounds too cold, how about "parents"?). damn it! it's always so sad when a critter passes. why can't they live to be 65? oh well...such is life. it's a sad day. she (Brian's mom) was cool enough to come over and give me a hug when Rosie died. I'll have to return the favor tomorrow. meanwhile I'll pour another forty on the curb...

even though I got an email saying my work pants were on back order for a good 'nother month, I see they've charged my card for one of the four pair, so I'd imagine that UPS shipment that's scheduled for today is a pair of pants [world wide pants?], which, is good, 'cause I've been washing the same pair daily, being they're my most comfy, and all...

worked both Saturday unt Sunday (drag!), and was surprised to not hear a movie (or peroxide blondie moaning sexually) from Brian's (room mate/truculent bipedal nomad) room when I got home (which either or both are always common on Friday and Saturday nights...not that I have a cup to my ear at their door, it's always broadcast pretty loudly). then again Sunday he's usually up and around early dog sitting, while blondie works. neither scenario happened. come to find out, he had one of his migraines, that was apparently so bad, he was throwing up and had to go to the emergency room. long story, longer; work the whole weekend or vomiting migraines? I guess I got the better deal after-all.

this morning I wake up, being rather loud, horsin' around with Squabber, when I look out the front window and see Brian's Ford Exploder still in the drive (oops! shhhh!), then I read a note he left in the kitchen that he took the school bus (another of many nick names I have for my shrimpy truck) to work being his doesn't wanna start. he'll prob'ly leave 15 cents worth of gas in it, being more Dutch than I am. the last time I reminded him about putting gas in it, he said "oh yeah, that's what I was gonna do", followed by not making any attempt to do it, or re-reimburse me. room mates. you can't live with 'em and you just can't shoot 'em (yet).

last night, I drink 3 punkin beers and watch a goofy movie on Netflix called 'movie 43' which was beyond odd. it had a huge cast of big name stars, but seemed rather low budget and quirky, at best. Netflix is king for B-movie badness

start of a new work week. back to bed for a power-nap 'til second shift arrives...

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...I get a UPS tracking notice via email for a package that weighs 1.9 lbs, yet, I have no idea what it could be?! my work pants are still on back-order (according to the site I ordered them from), and I don't recall ordering anything else (besides underwear, and some golf cart straps which have arrived since). estimated delivery date is this coming Tuesday. it doesn't appear to be a phishing scam, 'cause it's not askin' for any additional info....I like me a good mystery [news at 11].

11:15 pm. driving home from McDonald's (after having a chocolate chip frappe with work bud Mark, after work got out), I'm heading east on 32rd street with the top down, and as I'm approaching 96nd st I see a gigantic shooting star that appears to fizzle out just before hitting the horizon line. I almost expected a large after shock, or mushroom cloud, but it didn't happen. it's hard to judge how far away it was, but it was the biggest atmospheric scar I've ever witnessed. I guess I'll have to google Michigan meteorite and see what comes up. it was awesome! it was one of those 'right place at the right time' moments...

I still have no idea how to post a picture on this site....? little help Deeds.

tonight (via the stalag) we learn that we may have to work both Saturday and Sunday (DOH!). I used to bitch about 1 day weekends, looks like we're blowin' right thru 'em bofe. we did put up some good numbers tonight, so maybe...just maybe, if we have a couple more good nights, ah who am I kiddin', we're workin' [news at 11].

speakin' of work, our team has a grumpy old guy (k, he's younger than me, but looks 15 years older, due to he has no teef. yeah, he's one that when his jaws are clenched it looks like the bottom of his chin touches his nose. if you were to give him a corn cob pipe, he'd be the perfect Popeye impersonator), wore his new dentures today. good gawd! he didn't even look like himself. they were even making him talk different. you could tell they were hurtin' him. to big and too bright. you could tell he was a little self conscious about 'em (where I'd be more self conscious not having teefus.
anyway, there's nothing exciting going on at work, so why not make it pick on George day?

a couple beers tonight, much like last night, then some 'late night with Craig Ferguson' (the more I watch him, the more he rehashes old jokes, but he's still a hoot!)

*fart*

couple things to note about that 18 holes played last Saturday. there was gunfire for hours (lots of it!) coming from the neighboring lot. I likened it to my days with the frozen squid bucket platoon being pinned down by cross fire in the village of PooPoo Platter at the dung hi delta (what?). it wasn't until we got to the 14rd hole, did we notice exactly where the shots were fired. it looked like a couple of rednecks with their car parked into the woods, trunk open firing toward a couple of mannequins. it was a seriously loud gun! we moved on quickly...and why the hell don't they use the shooting range just 300 yards down the road?! fockin' hillbillies!

also, I went thru the last of my Tees (breaking every one whilst teeing off), and the rest of my golf balls. I use recycled golf balls which come in all colors, which isn't the best when you lose said ball in leaves of all colors. if you didn't stay on the fairway, you lost your ball in a sea of fruitloop tree leaves. I bought a new supply of both tees and balls yesterday. meanwhile, Brian says he's gonna set up another Tee time for this Saturday. alright. I guess he doesn't mind playing someone who is 112.35 (numbers completely pulled out of my ass calculator) times worse than he.

woke up this morning 'round 9:30. hit McD's for a steaky beagle thingey mit un blackened coffee, then hit the driving range. I need a lot more practice before I can become Tiger . maybe I'll take an hour power-nap before heading off to work *plan!*

bought the movie 'Pacific Rim' (via Vudu) for Friday night's flick, to go with that sixer of stout. what a lovely piece of eye candy that movie is!! wow! that would have been a great one to see at an IMAX theater. the story itself was pretty predictable and ok. it's sort of transformers meets Godzilla, but I'm tellin' ya, it's at least worth a rent for the cg animation and cinematography alone. if you dig lots of action, monsters, and gigantic robot fights, this is the one!

last night, I hung out again, watching 'Peep show' (now on season 7 via Netflix) to go with a sixer of 'Monkey Kingdom' (New Holland brew), after doing about $100 in grocery shopping. before that Brian (room mate/sponge diver) and I hit the golf course for 18 holes. it was a good time other than that down pour we had 'round the 2th hole. the rain was short lived, and the rest of the day was golden.

gotta run out (currently) and get me hair chopped, and maybe grab me some breakfast...

I had a good 20 minutes before I had to be to work today, so I pull into the second hand store that I saw a couple of golf bag pull carts sittin' out front a couple weeks ago, that I assumed were long gone. I ask the lady behind the counter and she pointed me to 'em. for the price of renting one one time at the golf course, I bought me one. $2.50 (Dutch guy's kinda price!). yay! I'm that much closer to becoming TiGer *fart*

stop off to my favorite beer store on the way home, but I'm mighty cautious (still being somewhat of a sicko) to drink more than (say) two...

still waiting on those mail order work pants. USCAV.COM has always taken their sweet time (but it's worth it!). usually stuff goes on back order for whatever reason...maybe they put my order in to a pant company somewhere in the Honduras who make the pants for $.45 a piece, then turn around and sell them to me for $44. that's prob'ly it . meanwhile, I popped a button on the button fly of my old work pants tonight, so they best hurry *fart*

the President's cup starts today [PGA]. a four day slug fest four ball tourney betwixt USA unt the rest of the world. I'm sure they're showing reruns of today's event as I type. I best go see how we did on day 1. *cracks first beer...*

alright I was a bit too optimistic within my last post as to where I'm at with my cold. I had to take many o' break, to blow the 40 lbs of mucus from my skull. miserable afternoon. but again, I survived it. one day closer to being sick free, so I can smile about that.

the companies summer picnic is next weekend. it happens just before our shift. I'm thinkin' I'll make it in early, grab some free grub before our shift starts (pending we work that day). if we don't work, then Brian (room mate/Gorgonzola maker) set up a tee time for us to do some cart golf around 1:40pm (and skip the picnic all together). here's hopin' we don't work. it's hard to imagine that they'd make us work on the day of the picnic, but it certainly wouldn't shock me. *fingers crossed*

yay! I get my payment [from the Kid] to pay back the payment I made on the 1st payment of his car payment (what?). I had to open the envelope carefully so as not to stab the live weasels inside with my envelope opener (haha!! nice touch Kid!)...sadly, I have no idea if the Kid can still read my nothingness (since the change from Xanga to WordPress). if so, please leave a 'howdy' in the comments.

some purple sicky liquid, then sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

yesterday was one of the toughest days I've had in a long time, going to work still hackin' and snottin'...but I got thru it, and this morning I feel a bunch better (not 100%, but a ton less icky). lots of sleep, lots of water, coolin' it on the beer, lots more sleep, a couple boxes of Kleenex, along with lots MORE sleep have helped the healing process along...

October is the month that we have the opportunity to change our benefits package at work. one benefit is to sign up for a thing called 'be well for life', take a health screen and save $40 a month on your health insurance. one only needs to use the login and password they were given upon employment to access this sign-up. I'll have to go thru my important papers safe to find this. I need to go thru it anyway, it's getting overstuffed. I need to clean out what isn't so important anymore. it's a big task, but saving $40 a month will be worth it.

Brian (room mate/toboggan enthusiast) gets ready for work (as I type). he asks me how I'm doing with my cold? "better...thanks". he then asked if I prayed to Gawd for my results? him knowing I'm an atheist, but pushes his beliefs on me often. "oh yeah, Gawd. uh huh." I honestly can't tell if he's being sincere? he almost comes across sounding like he's mocking his own religion while he plays this game. what ever. maybe it's therapeutic for him to play it?

anyway. back to more sleep, to kick the rest of this cold gone

what and where is that huge vacuum sound coming from, I ask myself, before remembering it's the farmer who owns these fields that surround the trailer park, out harvesting his crops during the night time. the pooperdog and I discovered this during past years walks in the fall. he's got a giant rack of lights atop his combine. don't farmers ever sleep?

Sunday, watch the Lions squish da Bears, played a round of 9 with Mark (work bud) and smoked him at his own game. then huge power-nap to try and quell this cold, speaking of which, that stinger of a throat I had a day, or two ago (see last entry), has blossomed into huge cold, producing plenty o' snottage. I took today off from work using one of 4 sick days left for the year. here's hopin' tonight's rest will help bring an end to this crap *fingers crossed*

what else? slept most of today away, once again, trying to snub this crappy cold.

wake up this morning with a stinger of a sore throat. I gargle with some boiling salt water to take away that sand burr feel...ok, so the water wasn't boiling, but it adds some color to an other wise dull story.

Brian (room mate/waffle aficionado) does it again, he plays in 2 softball games Thursday night and is in the doctors office Friday morning for shots in his knees...will the guy ever slow down? prob'ly not. in all fairness, he prob'ly asks the same thing about my beer drinking .

we're told pretty late in the week that we have to work Saturday (what else is new?), and whilst talking to the little bunny girl (who is what? cute like a little bunny! and working overtime on 2rd), she asks if our shift has to work Sunday too? what?! I haven't heard, but maybe. she then says 3th shift does. fock! maybe I don't even have a 0ne day weekend (?!?!). I guess I'll find out today. that would bite hard! I look forward to the driving range and feetball. now, maybe not. we'll cross that bridge when sun goes down [mixed metaphor]

a couple more hours of sleep, then Brian wants to hit the driving range before I go to work. sounds like a plan! he starts a golf tourney tomorrow, followed by more shots with long needles to the knees. I just sit back and shake my head at it all, while pounding another beer

I didn't catch the Kid's latest facebook message 'til today. he wanted to know my address so he could send me some cabbage for that race red Fusion I (we) just bought. I didn't mean to ignore ya, I've been pooperdoggin' it lately. the coupon book is as good as in the mail today...

I'm still waitin' on that work pants order to come in. meanwhile, I bought some anti-chafe style underwear (also for work) that are the bomb. never in my life would I have purchased a couple pair of underwear for over $30 (a piece), but after reading the reviews, of which I now totally get, they are the best at protecting parts from that god awful chafe one gets. money well spent! and if you're wondering the brand name? Saxx (heheh! shyeah!...ok, I just lost both of my readers. COME BACK!).

we find out today if we get a whole weekend or not *crosses fingers*. we also have a plant meeting an hour before work. it's not a mandatory meeting, but an easy overtime hour, so why not? sit and drink their free coffee while listening to them blather on about stuff and junk.

"If I hit it right it's a slice, if I hit it left it's a hook, and if I hit it straight it's a MIRACLE!" -unknown

...just one of 16 pages of 'golf quotes' I printed off, to bring to work. something to read during breaks, just for fun. I was looking for a particular quote from Ray Ramano. it may be within these pages. [paraphrased] "golf is like a puppy, you nurture it, it grows, you love it, then ultimately it leads to something tragic"

I was asked yesterday (at der stalager) if I wanna be line support on 2nd shift (that's one above 'route runner' and one below 'supervisor'). it looks like a total pain in the ass. it'll mean working longer hours, and dealing with bigger problems. I'd say yes in a heart beat if the place was managed (at all), but will prob'ly decline. I either need to be content at being a route runner (production handler), or find a job where peeps are accountable...I stop off at my favorite beer store after work yesterday. the girl behind the counter recognized my welding sleeves and correctly identified where I work. she then goes on to telling me her boyfriends story about the place. it's as tragic and familiar as all the other stories I've heard about it. does anyone have good stories about the place. I haven't heard any. I really need to look for a better place to work (I know. I've said it a hundred times...).

currently eating oatmeal, typing in me bland blahg, doing some laundry, and about to get ready for work.

my one day weekend was chalked with mucho driving range (once at around noon and again around 6), football (go Lions!), beerses, power-naps and netflix. it was a most relaxing day! I spend the first driving range stint with Brian (room mate/ukelele historian). at first I do fine, but the more he tries to coach me, I get progressively worse. it was still a good time, I just enjoyed it all better, when I went by myself the second time (because Mark -work bud- said it was too cold to go with. come on! 65 degrees is TOO COLD?! amazing.) ...I was able to incorporate some of the things he taught me. looser grip, keeping a straighter club face, slower back swing, etc.. it's a fascinating game! I hope to keep practicing thru-out the winter months and be Tiger by spring [plan! *fart*]

8 hour work day...nothing to write about, other than it was most uneventful. here's hopin' we don't work this weekend, but again, we won't know until prob'ly Friday.

a couple o' beers after work, some late night TV, some late late night TV, then off to write this fascinating piece of nothing. sleep is on it's way. g'nite then.

one day weekend...last night, I had me a 4 pack of 'raspberry Mabaeus (sp?)' beer (Founder's brew, Grand Rabbits) and watched a silly ass movie with David Cross in it (aren't most David Cross movies pretty good? I think so). I already forget the name of the flick, but it was about petty squabblings at a couples dinner during a nuclear disaster. it was an excellent movie (dammit! what's it called...?!)

ordered another set of 4 (2 olive drab and 2 midnight navy) army pants from uscav.com. every year or so (for years now), I replace the old with a set of new, when the old set show signs of wear and tear. I've used them forever at work, being the most comfortable pants around. *yawn*

I sure do miss the pooperdog walks. I torture myself a lot looking at Allegan county's humane society page for another barefoot walking friend, but decide that Squab' is liking more attention lately (he used to be sort of hands off, but is warming up to being the center of attention). maybe I'll get serious about another dog next spring...

why do I crave oatmeal? ...why not

it's not a biggey working Saturday's, but you know half the reason why is because we have sand baggers on our line who intentionally slow it all down (we're only as fast as the slowest guy), so they can drag us all into overtime...and the line itself is completely junking out. Maintenance seems to bandaid everything adding more headaches to the operators. it's nothing new. problems add up, and almost nothing gets solved. it's always been a train wreck. what's worse is we used to get hollered at for machine downtime (that we didn't cause), now it's just the norm. the place has been poorly managed from the start, but I can't complain about the hours anymore

ok, I've told you about my re-acquaintance with late night TV, specifically Conan O'brien? I forgot how completely hilarious 'the late late show with Craig Ferguson' was. it's now my new favorite! also 'Comedy Bang Bang' episodes ,and 'Peep Show' (via Netflix) are the common watch whilst staying up late unt consuming a brewsky (or 3).

Brian (room mate/cheese slayer) wants to hit the driving range tomorrow afternoon. also, Mark (work bud, soon to be 3th shifter) wants to golf the front nine here at the golf course down the street. sounds like an excellent day chalked with golfage . here's hopin' the weather stays agreeable.

gotta get ready to make some overtime bucks...

alright, let's start out with an apology to the Kid...sorry dude! I sounded kinda two faced within different textual media. I prob'ly sounded like it's all good that you can get me back whenever you want, on my phone texts, then here (see last entry), I make it sound a bit more urgent, making you feel bad over something you had little control over. then to top it off, I give you another 'no worries' text when you tell me you'll clear up the problem right away. all you have to do is even the three out and you'll get a better message. sort of; 2/3rds I got ya covered, and 1/3nd AAAAAAGH! again, sorry! tomorrows my payday, and things are back to normal...

wow! the landscape at work is changing quickly! it looks like Mark (work bud from 2th shift) is moving onto 3st, making me the next in line for route runner (production handler) on 2rd, full time. also, a couple 3 other peeps on 3nd are jumping into new positions, and our 2rd shift line support wants to fall back onto 1rd shift. it's all a big swirling shark-nado. anyway. sleep!

checking my mailbox the other day, I get a thick envelope from a bank in Tennessee..."what the hell is this?". I open it up and it's a car payment coupon book. WHAT?! then it dawns on me, I guess I'm the proud owner of a 2010 Ford Fusion. I assumed the dealership that the Kid works at would have set it up so he gets the book, etc. what else am I assuming, that will or won't take place, that'll bite me in the ass later. damn, I didn't sign up for this. oh well, I let the Kid know. I'm sure he'll send money soon (right? right!). meanwhile, I set up an auto bill pay within my online banking and I now have about $3 to live on for the next week [nominated for 'guilt trip sentence of the year' award ]. I knew I'd feel the pangs of co-signing, but didn't figure it would be right off the bat. some advice to the Kid...you mentioned you'd like to make double payments to pay the thing off earlier. my suggestion is you make single payments until you get good and adjusted to your new budget. it may take as long as a good year (or longer) to feel comfortable making multiple payments. unless you're makin' some big bucks, a double car payment could mean not enough money left for food and rent. it's better to roll slow and steady than to live on the edge of financial crash and burn. anyway, we'll iron this out as we go...no worries.

t'was a good 3day weekend overall, a bit cloudy and coldish, but that's what September brings.

visited the Kid (he was in town for a funeral) by zooming over to Mr Burger (in Grand Rabbits), meeting up with him and his grand parents (moms side). grampa bought all of us breakfast, then we (the Kid and I) split from there, getting completely lost trying to find a Dairy Queen ('cause what goes best after eggs and bacon...?). we drove around downtown 'cause I guess Artprize is approaching, then went to the big mall on the north side of town. it's good to see the Kid again!

and now, I gotta get ready for work...blah!

hit the driving range yesterday morning, after a doing a number 2 at McDonald's (no, not that, I ordered a number 2 with a black coffee...and no, it didn't taste like shit ).

I hit a few second hand stores to look for another coat hook thinger (something you screw into the wall that has, say, 4 hooks, to hook winter type stuff onto), and a pull cart for my golf bag. I didn't have any luck, but it's fun shopping the local goodwill and what-not. just because.

it was a nice fall like day all day. cool, breezy, and in the 60's. I'm thinkin' it won't be long now 'til the fruit loop trees turn color...

I'm doing a quick entry during the halftime report (Lions v. Cardinals. Lions winning so far, by a touchdown). the game should be starting back up soon. gotta reload my punkin' beer and head back...

alright, I tried for a two-fer. if you take a day off before or after a weekend, you don't have to work that weekend. I take Monday off, because the Kid's in town. assuring me those three days off...turns out we didn't have to work Saturday anyway, but the other two shifts do. and if none of that makes sense, it doesn't matter 'cause I got the next three days off! [wow! what a confusing start to a bland blahg entry]

still learning this new xanga/wordpress dashboard format thinger. it's not as user friendly as the old, seems I gotta learn me some HTML in order to make emoticons, change colors, fonts, etc., and it lacks a lot of the warmth the old site had, like "footprints" (where you could see who visits your page, and when), and I don't see a way to "subscribe" to others. I can't even find a way to 'search' for others. it's definitely different. here's hopin' once I figure it all out, they don't go and change to yet another format

man, I was beat down tired by the end of last night's shift. I'm thinkin' it's because I've had me some beerses during some of those weeknights. I truly gotta slow down. even 3 beers affects my mood some 12 hours later. 2nth shift is a lot easier to be that booze hound, especially now that we're on an 8 hour shift. the good news is I'm getting reacquainted with the Conan O'brien show.

[...] Brian (room mate/ squid boy) is doing something in the kitchen that's pretty loud. it sounds like he's tearing up the carpet. I best investigate...

although I've sounded a bit smitten over the little bunny girl during the past couple entries [good gawd, she's the cutest creature in the galaxy!], I'm simply practicing flirting (...or 'creepy old guy-ing'?), in case I ever do want to think about starting to date, which, to me, sounds like an awful bother, being it requires getting dressed up, spending money I don't have, pretending to be awesome and trendy, and wondering where it'll all end, when instead, I can just be me, drink some beers, play some PS3, watch some "Breaking Bad", and enjoy being a bad golfer who likes to watch the Lions maybe have another dismal season...ROCK ON!! it's good to be a hermit! *fart*

PS; and if you're wondering, I didn't write the above paragraph because of any type of rejection (yet)...it's merely a long standing notion that I've always had, that I had to revisit and reclaim

PSS; ...also, the smiley face emoticon is the only emoticon (at this point) that I can generate, so if you read something sad, or indifferent, followed by the smiley face, you now know why

it's as if she (the little bunny girl...see entry from 9-8) wants me to fock with her new water bottle, the way she leaves it on the machine during her off hours. should I paint another 'I [heart] u'? or maybe a "made u look!" on the bottom. she came in 4 hours early, so I wasn't able to. she jumps on the assembly line (as she often does) right in front of me. that's when I told her of my plan. she quick checks the bottom, asking "did you?". "nah, I didn't expect you to be in until later, but I was gonna". each hour we all rotate to the next spot, me rotating into where she just had been, I go to put my water bottle on top of the machine, and look what I find. her bottle is still there. I quick find a paint pen, draw a fast 'I [heart] u', then bring it over to her, hoping she won't notice until I'm gone. she'll prob'ly think back and wonder when I had the time to write it? or, she'll break that bottle too, and throw it into the same landfill of despair and broken hearts . she's so cute!

sixer of Bell's Brown Ale last night, to wind down.

I buy me a 9 pack of foam rubber golf balls, so I can practice my chip shots inside the wood-panel submarine, while I watch that ever addicting golf channel on the tube. I took the time this morning to wash my golf clubs. you'd be surprised how much dirt and crap accumulates on clubs when you're last outing started with about 7 beers . GOLF is my newest addiction. I don't wanna rehab from it, just yet

gotta shower and get ready for work...

Sunday morning, hit McDonald's for a breakfast combo that I didn't even order (they get it wrong more times than not). get my haircut, pretty much just cutting the sides, leaving the top a bit longer, being it'll be cold here soon, and I don't like to wear hats, then I hit the store for some groceries and buy me a small bag of foam rubber golf balls (to practice indoors with...Squabber likes chasin' 'em around too). have a potpie for lunch, then watch the Lions beat up the Vikings, just like I said they would *snirt*

after the game, I get a text from Mark (work bud) about hitting the driving range 'round 5:30. "only if you can pick me up first, I've been drinkin' football and watchin' beer all day". he stops by, we hit the range. This is the first time I've ever hit golf balls under the influence. I'm much less uptight, and a ton more relaxed (maybe too relaxed. next time I'll have about 4 less before hand). it was fun! we're losing about 3 minutes of daylight per day, otherwise we would have hit the links.

I've been on the top end of my weight scale lately (180 lbs), so I've been cutting out the extras (soda, fries, etc), eat more oatmeal (quick oats), plus I'm incorporating a set of 10 up dogs/down dogs before and after work (for stretching sake as well). it's not much, but it's already got me to lose a good 10 lbs over the week.

anywho, shower, eat some leftover roast chicken, then hit the rack.

the 'cute like a little bunny girl' from 3th shift worked 4 hours onto our shift last night. I prob'ly mentioned her before, she's a single 30 something mom with a kindergartener, who is a smokin' hotty (I like to call her 'bunny girl' to keep it not so creepy, being an old guy, and what-not). I notice she has a different water bottle than she usually brings in, I asked her had she ever noticed the "I love you" paint penned on the bottom of her old one? that was from me...just being a dork. she said no, then went on to explain that the old one broke while reaching for it off from the machine. I added; "so it ended up in the landfill of despair and broken hearts?" (paraphrased) "...yeah"; she says back. I thought it was a cute moment. we talked about how hard it would be to get back into the dating scene. I was close to askin' her out, but then she started explaining how she wants a guy to spend lots of money on her, and when I asked her what she thought about things I liked (golf, dogs, football, etc), she'd reply "boring, no, hate it, etc." [quick summery: cutest girl on the planet who is bored of everything, and needs to be showered with money=big turn off. oh well. someone will find that attractive, somehow]. anyway, it makes the hours pass quicker when you've got a cutey to talk with...no matter how bored she may be with the conversation

one day weekend. gotta shower, shave, get me a hair cut, watch me some feetball (da Lions play da Vikings today! I say kick mini-soda's ass! *snirt!*

last night's beer of choice: Paleooza (new holland brew). I stopped by my favorite beer store on the way home and picked me up a 4 pack, then flipped channels between an NFL game and a show called "airplane repo"...cool show about, you got it, playing cards underwater (what?! no!). long story; longer: good beer!

so, Brian (room mate/ fart knocker), after proclaiming to forever retire from soft ball last year, due to his knees needing to be replaced (but says the surgeon says he's too young and active to have them replaced, so he gets cortisone shots instead), and surgery on his hands, goes and buys more bats, and a fancy monogrammed bat bag this year. joining not only his work team, but also back with his old team...I explain all this, 'cause he always comes home crippled and misses the next day of work. he's here today after last nights game, doing the laundry at way too early in the morning, waking me up. oh well. everyone needs a hobby, and I guess if it's worth all the pain, that's all the better. I like golf. it's hard on the mind, but easy on the joints, and it's a fun way to ruin a nice walk in the park. anyway. food, get ready for work, etc.

good news, not only does Squab like the tuna primavera (from the variety pack that I thought I'd have to give most of away), but he digs the chicken primavera too [shweet!].

and yesterday, I acted all that "resistance to change" kinda guy about this new website. I've found things out since, that make it a bit cooler than I thunk.

I keep thinkin' something big happened between the old and the new, but I can't put my finger on it (cue: ween). nope, it wasn't the guy asking me if I wanted it "for here or to go?" while ordering at the BK drive thru (which I'm still laughing about...oh, and if you wondered, I said "for here, please") [still looking for emoticons on the new site]. it's not about the Kid's new (used) car, I think I wrote about that. I'll get back to ya when I recall (it's on the tip of me brain. too many beerses warshed the event away).

reading up some more on the new site, it seems I prob'ly can't find my sister's and my Kid's boyfriends page because they weren't a premium member, or had their site for over 5 years (of whom had the luxury of keeping their same URL). so, I think, they're still floating around out there, I just gotta find 'em and re-attach.

anyway. I gotta find me somethin' to eat, maybe do some laundry, and get ready to go to work. damn! it's already Wednesday! I love Mondayless weeks! (watch us have to work Saturday because of it) :p

the site is back up, yet I can't access my sisters page, or my Kid's boyfriend's page...did they not make the cut, for some weird reason? maybe they don't have it all up and running just yet?

anyway, it's set up differently (as far as settings, and what-not). it may take a bit of a learning curve to understand, but I'll get there.

now, onto what happened while the site was down. mostly slacked hard, drank too much beer over the holiday weekend, washed and waxed my shrimpy batmobile, Brian grilled some brats on Monday night (labor day), hit the driving range for a spell. what else? power-napped. ummmm, that's about it.

wow! it feels good to spew verbal nothingness again. I was jonesin' a bit while the site was down.

ok, I already see a problem, that may take me some time to fix...I wrote and saved this entry at 11:22 pm, and the post recorded it as being posted at 3:22 am. oh well. minor glitches are a gimme when things get changed...

also, I don't see where I can change fonts, or the color of my words and background. small things I guess I'll accidentally figure out along the way [looking for emoticons to put after this sentence, but seeing none to be had] *fart*

[later] I figured out how to change the time stamp, but looking thru a ton of my older posts reveals that they dropped a lot of pictures that I had originally posted. dammit! I like my old Xanga better.

Squabber McCheese's bowl of dry food has been full for awhile, and he acts like he's hungry, so yesterday I bought some moist food.  turkey primavera (sp?)...he didn't touch that either.  again, tonight, he's rubbing around on my ankles like he's hungry, and there's the two bowls of dry and a bowl of moist sitting right there, not being eaten.  alright, well I bought one of those variety packs, so maybe he'll like the tuna primavera?  yup! he's scarfin' it down good! "Fancy Feast Elegant medleys; tuna premivera".  there. now I'll remember the name next time I need to make a shopping list.  I'll give the other flavors to the cool hippy lady.  her cat's will eat anything (or so she says).

looks like the paperwork went thru for the Kid's car, now I need to send a pic of my license and a stool sample to verify that I'm a real human, i guess? (yeah, no stool sample; that part was just for fun).  oh and worse case scenerio Kid, let me know if you need help before the bank takes it back. I'll see what I can do to help. we don't want both of our credit to hit the crapper (wow!  stool sample and crapper in the same paragraph).

otherwise, nothin' new under the sun...looks like we may have a 3 day holiday weekend comin' up, but won't know for sure until they tally our numbers tomorrow *crosses fingers*

ok, now we're gettin' somewhere. I assumed the salesperson (of the Kid's car) was a lady named Saquoya, being she was the one who contacted me via email to begin with...today, I finally get a message (too late for me to respond to, having had to get ready to go to work) from the person who had set it all up. turns out the paperwork that he had sent me wants me to put a signature on the "buyer" line (aren't I the "co-buyer" or "co-signer"?) if I sign the "buyer" line, won't that mean that the title would have my name on it, making it hard for the Kid to insure and what-not?...I'll call on it tomorrow and see if I can straighten all this out.  I may have to send it all back and have them re-write it, so I'm not the "buyer".  I don't need to buy another car, I just wanna co-sign for it. (ok, you get the idea). did I mention I hate filling out forms?

Thursday, Mark (work bud) needed a ride to pick up his car from the shop (it needed a new water pump), and for my trouble, he buys me some fajitas (mmmms!).  turns out they could have been the last fajitas I ever ate, when I took a bite too big to swallow. it was the weirdest sensation, because I could breath, I could swallow, and I could talk, but the food was just stuck. I didn't panic, 'cause that would've made things real bad. instead I ended up punching my throat sending the food back up (here's hoping your not eating whilst reading this). I was able to contain the contents, re-chew and re-swallow it. it was rather embarrassing.  it's been since I was a kid since I pulled this goofball act. it was just a reminder that no matter how good the food tastes, I better take the time to chew it first.

Sunday (my only day off) Brian (room mate/fungicidal maniac) asks if I could help him for a half an hour? shit! I tell him "as long as it doesn't have anything to do with cars, I'm in".  turned out, it had to do with cars.  he wanted help going to the junkyard and hauling out a passenger door he needed for his Ford Exploder.  ok, but let's make it quick, I wanna see the last round of the Fed-Ex cup playoffs.  it didn't take long. we even had time to take off the old and put on the replacement before the first tee off. (Adam Scott won.  Tiger almost made the putt for the final playoff, but just missed).  afterward, I meet Mark (work bud) at Winding Creek for the front nine...it was fun!  nice night (other than a little windy).  we even finished all 9 before it got dark [awesome!].

we worked again last Saturday.  here's hopin' we have next Saturday off (being a holiday weekend, and all).  I drank me a four pack of "Brother Benjamin IPA brewed with honey" last night (10.1% by volume).  holy crappage! that's some wicked strong India Pale Ale!!  I play me some 'Battlefield 3' (I think it's called...free download for PS3 network members).  awesome game! I'm coolin' it tonight on the beerses, and going to bed early, so I can figure out this car paperwork tomorrow morning sans a hangover.

let's see, what else...nope. nuthin'. bye.

I haven't heard from the Kid, since I filled out them forms Monday night, as to whether I was of any help in buying his new (used) car....afterwards, I get a call from them the next day as to what car on the lot I was interested in.  no, I was filling it all out to become a CO-signer.  she said she didn't put two and two together, and said she'll pass it on to her manager. k.

kinda overdid it on the beer drinkin' after work Monday, so last night, I went to bed early, drinking nothin' but water (sometimes I like to surprise my liver).  this morning I did some quick shopping for work lunch food, then had me some roasted chicken unt tator salad for breakfast.  now, I gotta get ready to go to the stalag  work.

alright, that's out of the way...I hate filling out forms, but it wasn't as bad as I thunk. I was asked to co-sign for a loan (which goes against everything I stand for, but know the Kid will do me right...right? right.) for a car, that sounds like a hell of a deal!  it's not cool to loan/co-sign on anything for anyone, especially to relatives, but what the hell, I only gots me one kid, and he's been way cool in the past about buying his own cars and paying for his own college, and  what-not. he's a good kid! (HI Kid!).  having said all that, here's hopin' I even qualify to be a co-signer, being I have me a goodly sized car payment already.  my credit is good, so let's hope for the best...and I think this will be a good way for him to build better credit (guard it with your life...it'll help you along the way!) I hope this isn't too personal to share.  nah, we all need help once in awhile, right?  yarp!

"In each life, a little squank must fall. But this is balanced out by bouts of groove-chicken-ness." -Hoohah

wise words indeed!

I wake up to a gigantic crash coming from the kitchen.  I jump up and ask if everything's alright? Brian says it was Squabber.  seems whenever Brian shakes the little kitty treat container, Squab' will come runnin' from anywhere within the wood-panel submarine. it just so happened that the six empty beer bottles (i had dranken the night before) where in the direct path of the sprinting feline.  after making sure the cat wasn't dripping redness,  I said "Squab always did like bowling on Sundays", looking over to see if he got a strike (nope, he left the 7, 10).  since I was awake, I completed my mission to buy and install a new car battery, and along the way, remembered that one of my headlights was burnt out in my shrimpy truck, buying/installing them too. then, it was a day filled mostly with slack, drinkin' a sixer of punkin beers (after hiding my car keys from myself) and watching the last rounds of the Solheim Cup (basically the women's version of the PGA's Ryder Cup).  USA lost [again].  yesterday was pretty much a warsh, since I had to work (I know! the first weekend work in a month...let's hope that doesn't escalate). I guess, the extra cabbage will help a bit, come lot rent time (which is coming up here soon).

it feels good having both vehicles in running order.  Brian's mom (the cool hippy lady next door) has a new room mate, so I gotta quick find a new home for my truck. I was storing it in her driveway...Brian makes the suggestion of putting cars three wide in the two wide style driveway.  alright. so the wheels hang over into the grass a little on both sides, but I think this will work. but, it kinda now looks like a used car lot. oh well. It'll work for now, until a better plan is concocted.

Mark (work bud) tells me that he doesn't wanna hit the links Sunday, while we were talking at work, yet he texts me, on Sunday, asking if I want to play .  I completely missed his text during a good power-nap....next time.

alright, the apocalypse should be here soon.  we have a meeting at the stalag, which was completely out of the blue, letting us know that we're to be getting bonuses from now on.  first, it's 8 hour days with weekends, now bonuses?! our first 2 bonus pay-outs will be in November ($250 for May/June/July quarter, and an amount to be determined for August/September/October...).  wow! I guess I gotta stop calling it the stalag if they're not gonna keep treating us like prisoners anymore.  the place has really shaped up over this past 6 months. now, a bunch of peeps came to rely on the huge amount of OT we used to do, but I'm diggin' every day that goes by that's not a 10 or 12 hour work day. let's see how long this all lasts

I see Mittens today at work. I knew it was a day that I'd see her, so I bring her a bunch of Rosie's stuff (a blanket, her winter coat, some left-over flea stuff, etc..). she has a couple 3 dogs of her own, maybe she can use some of this stuff that I'm just storing...I guess it's a way to let go. I miss her a ton! she was a good dawg! ...alright, I gotta write about something else, before I start crying.

my car still sits in the drive mit a dead battery.  maybe I'll get my shit together and replace that battery here soonly. I'll mark it on my calender, to be fixed in the month of 'Soonly'.  I check out youtube vids to see how to yank that front quarter panel off to get at the damn thing...it looks easier than ever with the right tools.  the vid says it takes a good 20 minutes to complete the project, which means it'll take me an hour and a half.  it should be fun [or not?]

 work posts their summer picnic to be held in October.  isn't that a bit late in the year for a summer picnic?!  maybe not. we'll see.

let's see.  what else. nuthin'! should get me some sleep...maybe one more beer first

after I get a text from Mark (work bud) to meet him at the clubhouse (Sunday night), I jump in my dune buggy (mit Rosie pooper clubs) only to have a completely dead battery.  then, I grab the clubs and head to the shrimpy truck, throw the clubs in the back, only to irritate a flock (umm) of bees.  dammit! after brushing many of them off (happy, at this point, that I put a loose sweater on), I jump in and make it down to the clubhouse on time.  we play the yellow course (the golf course has 3-9 holers; the yellow, the blue, and the white).  by the time we got to the 8th hole, it was amazingly dark.  I lose two balls in the darkness before giving up.  the sprinklers were going full blast as we were walking back.  the clubhouse, at this point was closed (I guess they trusted I'd give the rental pull cart back...and I did). it was fun, but next time we'll have to start an hour earlier.  this is the second time I've played this golf course, and still haven't completed a full 9 holes.

have you ever worked with someone who always argues about completely unreasonable things?  we have a guy, we'll call him George ('cause that's his name) who is that guy.  his reasoning is completely skewed about everything under the sun.  I caught him arguing with the boss about how he should be able to do nothing for the last half hour of the day...I thought he was joking, but then he really lays into him with his warped reasoning.  he's beyond arrogant, and of course, everything he says and does is upright and correct in his eyes.  today, the assembly line went down, and most everyone just stood around.  there's a ton of stuff to be done, from cleaning up, to restocking the line, and/or jumping on a sub-station and build motors we desperately need, so we can continue to make parts when the line goes back up.  I jumped on a sub, and after watching every one else (sans Mark, who was taking out the recyclables) stand around and do nothing, I started hollering at 'em. now, I'm not the boss, I get that, but since the boss isn't around, the children had to be reminded that they're still getting paid.  anyway. George starts ripping into me for a good 1/2 hour about "what will 3nd shift build if we build all the motors?", along with every other lame brain rant he could think of.   I just stopped hollering and did my thing.  reminding myself that I'm not the boss.  anyway. long story, longer; we ran out of motors, just as I was trying to convey to them that would happen if they didn't help on sub-stations.  I let him have it when we ran out...he comes back with a lame excuse after wondering why I was hollering at him. one day he'll get a damn clue, meanwhile he'll keep screwin' off like he owns the place I told him I don't even wanna talk to him anymore. he's bad news.  this isn't the first encounter I've had with this guy. my day's are so much more pleasant when he works the other end of the line, so that's what I'll have to attempt to do. he's not worth getting an ulcer over. I just wish half these peeps that stand around and work hard at doing nothing could see the value of everyone pulling their own weight. I can only hope that one day we'll get a supervisor with a spine (shyeah! whatever.)

yet another weekend off...that makes 4 (I think?) in a row.  I told Mark (work bud) earlier in the week, that if we had another weekend off, I'd go to church with him (jokingly indicating that there is a Gawd). he agrees, but wants to stand far enough away, so as not to get hit by the same bolt of lightning that does me in.

many hours spent watching the last PGA major of the year.  Tiger and Michelson (no. 1 and 2 in the world) aren't even in the running, they're so far down the leader board. Jason Dufner, Adam Scott, and Jim Furyk are currently leading (after the 3th round), but that could easily all change with today's round.  it's pretty fun!  a little weird at the same time, because I really ought to be out there in the nice weather swinging clubs instead of watching.... I get Mark's (same work bud) text too late.  he wanted to golf Saturday night, instead of Sunday (as we agreed during work). oh well. I'll catch up with him next weekend, if he doesn't wanna golf tonight.

otherwise, slack, power-naps, revisit Crysis (Playstation 3), watch more golf, and more episodes of "it's always sunny in Philadelphia" (season one, starting from the first episode on Netflix)...it's a damn hoot of a show!  Boston Market for lunch (3 piece dark, with creamed spinach and sweet 'tators for sides. mmmmmmmms!).  damn, now I'm hungry...best go make me some oatmeal

I just woke up to the sound of a toilet seat slamming.  that guy will never learn.  room mates, what can ya do?

earlier today, Brian hollers at yet another Verizon manager over the very product he telecommunicates on, trying to get yet another phone replaced or repaired. it's becoming a running joke. I guess if you want the biggest head aches, send a huge amount of money toward a two year contract deal with a company that thrives on giving you the best half-assed service and product.  meanwhile, I'm on my third tracphone (within the past 8 plus years) and maybe only had to deal with them once (maybe twice).

the name of the golf course is 'the links at rolling meadows' (texting the wrong person to find out...hi deeds!). it's an all par 3, nine holer here in town, that starts out with a bang!  a huge pond betwixt you and the flag, with a condo along the right side. we both gave many balls to the golf god, just trying to find land, hollering "practice swing" as their water seeking projectiles (you guessed it) sought water. each hole has a pond or a swamp, but it was only the first that almost made both of us want to take up bowling instead.  it was fun! the weather was most pleasant, my swing (accidentally) found a couple three excellent (mostly lucky)  shots overall. he, being the guy who's been golfing for a good 15 years, actually lost more balls in the lakes than I did (I had to feel good about something, being he mostly kicked my ass score wise). he wanted to make the last hole interesting, so he wagered a buck on it. I won that hole (another small victory to boost my confidence)!  I feel a lot less tense with each game. I've got a LONG way to go, to beat Tiger, but I'll keep practicing....  I told him, next time, we'll have to wager a buck on every hole.  I'm up for losing a bunch of money.

I got a couple things (besides that round of fun) done this weekend. got my hair cut, I had a stair well to cut in half (for my future back door stair way project), hooked up my new dryer after a good couple of runs to the hardware store for the right gas line adapter, hooked up my neighbors dryer (yep, my old dryer for the new neighbor across the street). it was kind of funny. the new neighbor lady's parents were there too, and the mom, prob'ly in her seventies, was playing the way domineering part, jumping in, getting in the way, speaking frantic Japanese (?), helping Brian's mom and I haul the thing into the trailer. I just backed off and let her take charge.  it only took a couple of minutes, once in place, to hook up the gas, the vent, and plug it in. let's see, otherwise, I mostly slacked, and watched Tiger win the latest PGA tourney, drank some coldey's and found a couple bad movies on Netflix. Brian grills up some brats and what-not Sunday afternoon. Brian's mom makes some deviled eggs for the meal (good gawd, how I do love me some deviled eggs!). it was a relaxing weekend!

that's about it. the news not worth reporting, from the wood-panel submarine, for the first weekend in August...now, back to bed.

Brian (room mate/ soft ball champion) throws me rent ($150 of it) on Thursday, I deposit it quickly, before he asks for any of it back (as he has in the past), and then another $60 on Friday, of which I'll deposit tomorrow, right after I get my haircut.  my new dryer came in, but just before the delivery guys came, Brian's mom asks what I'm doin' with the old dryer.  I tell her I'm having the delivery guys pick it up.  she asks if it works? then tells me a story of the poor Asian lady who just bought the place across the street from her.  seems she has an overtly controlling husband that she's trying to escape from, and currently has a warsher, but no dryer. I call the delivery guys and ask if they pick up the old as part of the sale, or do they just pick it up to get it out of the way for the new? and if the latter, is it possible I can keep the old for the neighbor lady without breaching the deal?  they were more than cool with that, in fact, they helped move the old dryer from my house to hers [thank you Best Buy delivery guys!!]. tomorrow, I'll hook up the gas, and vent hose, and see how the new dryer works.

Mark (work bud) wants to hit the links on Sunday.  it ought to be better than groove-chicken! he tells me of a golf course here in town that has all par 3 holes.  I thought ALL golf courses had "regulation" 3, 4, and 5 par holes...who knew??

yet another 2 day weekend off from the stalag (that makes, what? 3-2 day weekends in a row off)...it's like a damn dream!  I haven't had this much time off since...who knows when?

wait, WHAT?! now the xanga contribution page says $48 (some) thousand of $50k (instead of $60...) with one month (instead of one day) to go.  ok. I guess we're fine then, if they're willing to bend the parameters.

crappy cold wants to hang on, although, taking yesterday off as a sick day, getting tons of sleep, and hitting the purple liquid, have helped quell it a ton. I'll be bringing a Kleenex box with me to work tonight...

creative financing has me with about a dollar left in checking 'til Friday.  it'd help immensely if Brian would cough up (pun?) his rent.  'til then, I'm pretty used to squeekin' by.  I'm still adjusting to 40 hour/week pay checks, but living in near poverty has always been my second best friend.  get'r done.

crappy mid-summer cold!  dammit!  I thought colds were meant to be had during the winter time.

I'm a bit sad.  2 days left 'til the xanga contribution deadline and there's a good 14 grand left to meet their goal.  will this all just vanish if the goal isn't met?  I like it here.  oh well, nothing lasts forever. I'm still a bit miffed that my journal from my space caved (2006...the year I went into detail about my drunk driving, Bambi Mittens, and boat factory stuff), and  vanished into thin air.  I wasn't able to back any of it up either.  it's not like anyone else misses it, but for me, those were journal worthy times.  again...nothing lasts forever.  I better say goodbye, just in case.

good bye (I'll letcha know where I'm goin' next...somehow.  I still have both of my readers emails).

alright, well, Best Buy gave me a hell of a deal on my latest clothes washer purchase, so why not? and after much research, I was ready to spend the big bucks on the matching dryer that came with it... then Best Buy offers (during some goofy "Black Friday Sale" [mid summer version] a good $250 off a dryer that is higher end than the one I was looking at....along with an 18 month interest free payment plan, and tax free, with free installation, plus free take away of the old dryer, etc...) I couldn't pass it up, being my old piece of shite was taking more than an hour to dry clothes mitt. they'll be here next Friday to install it...it has a steam feature, that most dryers don't have...I'll let you know how that turns out [news at 11]

relief comes, this week, in the form of the weather coolin' down.  those fans at work aren't acting like blast furnaces anymore.  I'm still production handler (of whom, doesn't get to enjoy a fan, unless I'm giving a bathroom break, or jumping on a sub-station). it's a lot of running around making sure no one runs out of material.  it's a bigger juggling act than it looks.  on the assembly line, it's usually my elbow and shoulder that bother me (old age and wear and tear using crappy screw guns, etc.),  now it's my feet from all the runnin',  but at least, it's only 8 hours a day! yep, we're [somehow?] still on 8's and seeing real weekends!  my bank account has a tighter belt on it, but I get to enjoy this thing called life outside of the stalag.

doesn't look like rain this morning.  maybe I ought to practice my swing at the driving range? *plan*

how many days left 'til Xanga's impending collapse? 6! oh well. nothing lasts forever, 'cept death, taxes, and sometimes heartburn.

Sunday night, Mark (work bud) invites me (via text) to meet him at the driving range. after hitting a couple buckets of balls, he says his Tee time is here, and invites me to shoot the first nine with him.  it's been a good 25 (+/-) years since I've stepped foot onto a golf course.  I was a bit nervous, but said 0K.  it was very relaxing! neither one of us kept score, but I did beat him on a couple holes (keeping score in my head on the holes I was beating him on. he's been playing for some 15 years now...).  it starts raining by the time we get to the 7rd hole, then it dawns on me; "didn't you leave the top down on your car?" (him, also being a proud owner of a Pontiac drop top).  "oh shit!". we called it a day and drove the cart back to the parking lot.  it hadn't rained hard, so no evident damage. the game itself was a blast!  I gotta get out there more often!

just made some hambooger helper (for work lunches). now I gotta hit the shower, do the shave thang, and get ready for another stint at the stalag...

11 days left and 16 more grand to reach their goal [looking at Xanga's contribution page to save the site. see link in last entry].  I don't know if it's worth me entering any bland words...will the site be vaporized in 11 days?

we got out of work early yesterday, making my wish for "more Under-time" come true.  a 36.5 hour week sounds just about the exact amount of time I wanna bake in that prison camp of an oven.  anyway, because we got out early, my Friday night beerses started flowing sooner, and before you know it, I had a good gut full.  today, I've been nursing that sharp stone in my head almost all damn day, doing nothing but watching the Open Championship (round 3 of the PGA major) half thru my eyelids. I did get off my ass a couple times to do the barefoot peroxide blondie's dog walk, but that was about it.  it was a good day, filled with slack and many power-naps.  I thought I was too professionally ranked of an alky to get those hangovers.  I haven't had one in a sharp stone-age.

CRASH!! 'puter takes a good dump whilst I'm in the midst of typing my Xanga nothingness.  seems Xanga needs help!  I hit their relaunch page(somehow accidentally), showing me there's only 13 more days before the site closes unless they come up with another 19 grand in funding (to which they'll switch it all over to WordPress, continuing to run as per normal)!  yikes!  good news is anyone who doesn't want their stuff lost in the vaporous vacuum of doom can have their stuff backed up, to be downloaded onto their 'puter before said impending collapse (the back-up/contribution link is on this page). the sad news is, I may have to find another blog spot to jot down my nothingness and hope that they don't turn to dust.  I was hopin' that $100 "lifetime" membership would last a bit longer.  we'll see.

good advice from Hooey (see comment on last entry) on how to handle someone who's facing financial ruin. I guess, before I just hand him the phone number to the Credit Counselor that I used, I should -next time he asks- go over what they had to offer. they didn't expect much from me, just a total lifestyle makeover. simple things like 'separating' needs from 'wants'.  freeing up money by getting rid of "luxuries" (temporarily, until one gets back on his feet), which includes cable TV, restaurants, buy 'no name' brand food, etc.  then they sit you down (45 minutes via the phone) and get real personal about your income, every bill, every expense, seeing if they can free up even more money.  by the time your done, you think their out of their damn mind, it'll never work, but sticking to their format, without fail, for a good 5 year plan, as hard as it was, worked!  and on their end, they called the credit card peeps and got all my cards down to %3 interest (instead of the %19...whatever they were at the time). things he can actually do himself putting forth the effort, saving another $40 a month fee. and again, having followed their plan, without fail, saved my credit rating from hitting the dumpster too (being I started the plan before I went belly up) ...or, I could just hand him the number and hope he takes the bait.

wicked weird dreams last night. claustrophobic, and scared of hieghts-ish. some nights, I'll have good dreams, others; wicked weird. oh well.  I wonder sometimes if it's just the position I sleep in.  who knows? anyway. here's hopin' that today's the last work day.  we find out tonight if we have a whole weekend, or just a half.*crosses fingers for whole*

I run into Mittens again (Rosie's past owner) at the stalag. I think I mentioned she has a job where she visits different bidnesses and waters their plants.  she was watering the break room plants when I walked in.  this time she sat down with me, and chewed my ear off about her boyfriend's kids and dismal relatives and what-not.  she then hits me with "I miss being your friend...", then looks at the calender on her smart phone and says "let's see, today's the 16th, I'm here every other week, so I'll see you on the 30th". it was a friendly enough 1/2 hour chat, but I'll be damned if I open that door to let her step on my [granite] heart again (if that's where she thinks she's headin').  *prob'ly jumping to the wrong conclusion...or famous last words of an old love sick fool.  you choose*

also, my work bud Mark has been down lately.  migraine headaches, depression, debt problems, car problems, he hates the stalag, you name it.  he tells me the other day that he's always on the edge of crying. then, just after saying that, he starts gettin' choked up.  I'm not sure how to help him?  he wonders what his "purpose" is in life?  I tell him my take on "purpose", being an atheist, and all.  "we're just here, there is no 'purpose', we're born, we work, we pay taxes, and die...", but in the middle of my (what, at the moment, suddenly seemed like a cold take on life) rant, I noticed I wasn't being of any help. maybe someone of christian persuasion can give him a better answer.  then Saul sat down with us, we changed the subject to dogs...he has been a bit more upbeat now that I've swapped work spots with him, but man,  that spiraling downward vibe is hard to deal with. my usual answer to one of his downer moments is "I wish I could help...but I don't know how".  to which he usually doesn't respond.  I hate seeing someone in such a rut!  life is a struggle for everyone, but when one let's their emotions hopelessly drag themselves into the depths, into that perpetual dark cloud funk, it's bad.   to end on a lighter note, we're told we may have another 2 day weekend off.  I invite Mark to play golf Saturday.  that seemed to cheer him up a tiny bit.  he's better at golf than I am, but I'll kick his ass