What’s that I Hear on the Roof???

It started to rain and rain very hard after midnight.  It sounded like pebbles bouncing off the roof. I went up to the front to poke my head out the front door to make sure is wasn’t hail.  I was glad to be somewhere safe and relatively dry and warm.  George and I had a great time Saturday on our stereo buying trip even though the eye candy wasn’t what George was expecting. 

“There nothing but seniors walking around the damn mall this morning,” George said glumly of his eye candy. “I was hoping for young girls with tight firm asses.”

I told George he was just a dirty old man.  Apparently, senior women use the sheltered mall to walk on days with abhorrent weather.

It took almost three hours to get my stereo installed as I had surmised.  The guy at Jimmy’s called me late in the afternoon and George and I walked back up busy highway 29 to get my car. 

“Your stereo sounds incredible,” George said as we were driving back to the Valley. 

I had the biggest grin on my face as I popped a disc in my CD player and ripped it to MP3 to the unit’s hard drive. 

George and I then went and ate supper at Jim Bob’s chicken fingers.  A fantastic if calorie filled meal as always.  I noticed today for the fist time that my pants felt tight in my waist .  My P-Doc says I need to gain until around 180 pounds.  I still have a few more to go, but then comes the hardest part.  Maintenance. 

The Nano Arrives…

I hadn’t paid much attention to the iPod Nano.  I associated the size with being about the same as the fidelity of the sound.  Small.  A customer came in late last night wanting to know how to use it.  I told them they need to download iTunes and that would allow them to add songs.  I marveled at how little the thing was and that it would have made a great mp3 wristwatch,  I looked on the web and someone had already stolen my idea. 

Today is Grocery Day…

And mom was fretting obsessively last night about my groceries. Mom, dad, and I were on our way to get a hamburger and fries yesterday evening. . 

“Your not getting enough nutrition,” mom said vehemently with a grimace on her face.

“I am trying to gain weight,” I replied with a snarl to mom exasperated.

“I’m staying out of this!” dad said as we drove to McDonald’s for our burgers.  

Last week, I had ordered four bags of assorted candy and mom only bought me two.  It left me low on groceries which I am hoping my disability would pay for. Mom and I came to the compromise that she would buy me lots of deli cold cuts and cheeses with the money normally allocated to junk food and candy.  I wasn’t happy, but mom was and sometimes you’ve just got to let the women in your life to be right.

A Frosty January Morn…

Everything was covered in thick layers of frost this morning. It looked like a winter wonderland.  I cranked my frost covered car and walked back inside to let it warm up. Not a morning I would elect to be pushing in shopping carts.    George seems to be taking it all in stride, though.  He hasn’t complained about the cold for several days now.  George told me yesterday that Mrs. Florene went and bought him some thermal underwear and that it made all the difference in the world. 

Jimmy’s Car Stereo…

“Let me go with you!” George said pleadingly as I was heading to my now warm car after work this morning. “We can eat at Jim Bob’s chicken fingers.”

“You sure?” I asked. “It might take two or three hours to install my stereo.”

“We can walk down to the mall and hangout all afternoon,” George told me.

George and I both need to get out of the house more often was what I thought at George’s enthusiasm of getting to go out of town for something as pedestrian as getting a car stereo installed. 

I’ve been meaning to get a new car stereo installed in my CR-V since it is my daily driver.  One front speaker intermittently goes out and the CD player tends to skip often.  It also doesn’t help my wallet that I have been obsessed and smitten with music lately.  If I was going to buy a stereo then I needed to get it done before my disability runs out. 

A New Do…

“Let me see your hair again,” dad said enthusiastically last night after he dropped by after work. 

I took off my Boston terrier baseball cap and showed dad my hair.

“Wonderful,” dad said excitedly. “You look like a new man!”

I kind of shyly smiled at all the attention. 

Charlie soon stopped by as well seeing dad’s car parked outside.

“We are sensitive tonight,” Charlie told my father and I of Horsefly. “Don’t mention the names of retail establishments or we will have to go.  And certainly don’t mention the bowling alley.”

Dad had also brought me some biscuits he finds at a store in LaGrange. 

“They taste as close as you can get to homemade biscuits.”

Oh, don’t mind me.  I just got out of the bed to buy this chicken…

I was standing in a register line in the Piggly Wiggly last night buying some milk and cereal.  I looked down at the lady’s feet standing in front of me.  She had her fuzzy bedroom slippers on.  I had to choke back a laugh.  It wasn’t the first time I have seen this happen, or I would shocked.  It must not be a cultural or social faux pas as in it is for certain groups of people. 

A Working Man’s Day is Finally Done…

I’ve  been trying to make it a point to not browse the Internet at work during idle times.  I was trying to be more ethical. Last night I succumbed to the power of the mighty Internet once again.  Those quiet early morning moments at work can be terribly slow and the Internet passes the time. Last night, I downloaded Paula Cole’s latest Album Ithaca and was once again enthralled by one of my favorite artists besides Joni Mitchell.  I must have listened to  certain songs dozens of times. 

Let the Bed Envelope Me…

“Tell me what you want and I will go get it,” I told George this morning about breakfast as I was getting ready to leave for home.

“Just get me two egg McMuffins,” George told me after great thought.

I ran and got the food and brought it back to a very welcoming George. 

I was then heading home to strip myself of my clothes, get in the bed and go to sleep. I had my bag of breakfast biscuits for me and the dogs and 1-liter of Coke to drink.   Within minutes I was asleep on the bed curled up in my covers after we all ate our breakfast. 

About 10am there was a knock on the door.  The second knock was ever louder and with much more impatience.

“Barber on wheels,” Charlie finally said sticking his head in the door after unlocking it with his key.

So, I sat and let Charlie cut my hair. 

“I was just cutting Horsefly’s and decided to cut yours as well,” Charlie told me. 

I have this extreme fear of the closeness and intimacy involved with going to a real Barber.  Charlie has been cutting my hair for years now and does a damn good job.  I always say if Cheryl  lived near me then I would feel comfortable with letting her cut my hair.  I imagine it being a pleasant experience as we talked of computers, laptops. and iPhones. 

“You hungry?” Charlie asked ever the feeder as he shaved my neck. “Let me go get you something to eat.”

I was about awake now and probably wasn’t going back to bed.  I asked Charlie to bring me some Arby’s as he got Horsefly’s Kentucky Fried Chicken.  He was happy to oblige.

“I am getting you the big ass roast beef sandwich,” he said with a loud laugh. 

So that is how my day has been so far.  I’m hoping the folks at work will notice and recognize my new haircut.  I was looking pretty shabby for a few weeks there.

Yo Ho Ho, It’s Shoplifting Guy…

I don’t have any proof so far that this guy is shoplifting so I treat him with the same kindness as any other customer.  He wanted to talk about computer technology last night after surveying my department for new items for sale.

“So you build your own computers?” he asked as he propped up on one arm at the register’s counter.

“You can save a lot of money that way,” I told him. “I probably saved a $1000 dollars if I bought a comparable computer from Dell.”

“Did you go to school to learn how to do this?” he asked.

“You can,” I replied. “But a lot of it is just common sense and reading a few owner’s manuals.”

“Where do you buy your parts?” he then asked. “I don’t know of a store around here that sells computer parts.”

“Off the Internet,” I replied. “Newegg.com is the best place.”

He said he would check that out when he got home. 

What happened to you for two months?

It is kind of hard to explain and I know that’s why my blog readership is almost cut in half.  I will refrain from calling it a mental illness in lieu of calling it a severe case of melancholy.  I basically just gave up on life and everything.  Everything thing seemed so toilsome and tiresome – this struggle we all deal with as we go through in life.  I knew it was just a matter of time before I would get better.  It always happens that way, but I didn’t imagine it would take two months to find the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Cutting Down on my Ice Cream…

“I am just going to get you one carton of ice cream instead of four when I buy your groceries,” mom told me yesterday afternoon on grocery day.

“Why?” I asked sheepishly.

“I am worried you are going to get diabetes,” mom replied. 

I smiled.  Mom keeps forgetting that I work and can just drive to the Piggly Wiggly to buy more ice cream.  She means well, though.  I would much rather have a mom that cared than one who didn’t.

It was a quiet night last night both at work and at home…

When I left the house last night for work, Maggie was on the den’s floor digging at the myriad of cooties she seems to have.  Caramel was on the back of the couch looking out for any cats or other nefarious creatures. 

“Night girls!” I said as I left and locked the door.  “Sausage bicu9ts in the morning.  Hold the fort down!”

DUI Checkpoint…

On the way to work last night I got caught in a DUI checkpoint.

“Sir?” the female officer asked. “Can I see your license and registration?”

I watched as she walked to her car and called in all my information.  Now, there was a time in my lackadaisical approach to life that I wouldn’t have had all the items need to pass this checkpoint.  My responsibility quotient has gone up incredibly as my age has increased.  I always keep my license in the car along along with proof of insurance. 

The Toil Never Ends :-)…

“Can you come in at eleven?” my supervisor asked over the phone late last night as I had settled into my computer center chair for an evening of music discovery with all the iTunes gift cards I received for Christmas.

“I will be there at eleven,” I told him. “Let me get a shower and a shave.”

He about fell over himself telling me how thankful he was.  I actually felt sorry for him he sounded so pitiful on the phone.  It is not often that I have had to work my night off. 

Work was pretty routine.  I’ve been trying not to browse the Internet at work, but I let last night be an exception. I did my “to-do” list for my supervisor and spent lots of time browsing the web and browsing iTunes.  I have almost come to the conclusion that Google is so commercialized that it is about useless.  Dad remarked on this fact the other evening as well.

Friends Make the Nightshift Better…

“Don’t you ever get off?” I asked Jim smiling vigorously as he walked up with his lunch to be rung up.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing,” Jim said as he shook my hand firmly with a smile. “That guy that usually works for you is not very friendly.”

No political talk last night much to my benefit.  Jim was reminiscing about when albums were vinyl platters you played music with.  I guess we were both showing our age last night.  I still have a huge box of heavy metal albums in my basement from the eighties and high school. 

The Love of my iPad Only Deepens…

It just so easy to plop down on the couch and browse the Internet as I watch TV.  Dad said he has fallen in a similar browsing habit with his iPad.  He says mom will have to ask him something three times before he will pay attention.  I laughed imagining my mother’s aggravation.  She can be so impetuous.  “Johnny?  Johnny! Johnny!!!”

They say the iPad can multitask, but it is rudimentary at best.  Like if you want to listen to an MP3 and browse the Web at the same time.  You really can’t run two applications at the same time. 

Andrew???

I pulled in our new McDonald’s drive thru to order my sausage biscuits this morning. 

“Andrew???” the lady at the window said very loudly.

“Anne?” I asked hoping that was the right name.

“I haven’t seen you in years!” she exclaimed.

We went through the pleasantries of asking about each other’s family.  I was still having memory troubles about her and tried my best to seem knowledgeable about who she was.  I was an awkward moment until my memory grew refreshed after decades of no contact with this friend from High School. She kept asking about my brother who was her age and couldn’t believe he was a doctor in the Navy now.  I told  her to thank my father for that.  I don’t think my brother would have ever made it through the Navy if it wasn’t for my father’s coercions.  

May Looms Ever Closer….

This May will be the first month in over a decade that I will no longer receive disability.  I won’t lie and say I am not scared.  Can my health hold up to get past such a huge and monumental hurdle? I would have never thought I could make it as far as I have to be even more candid about my predicament. 

Two 2 Go…

The past two days, Mrs. Florene has sent me an extra large cup of McDonald's coffee via George. I was telling her earlier in the week how cold they keep the store.  Jim says they keep it colder as perishable items stay fresher long.  Well, I have quickly grown enamored by that big cup of coffee every morning.  It is such a nice hand and tummy warmer after a frigid night spent in electronics. 

Not One of my Nicer Experiences at Work…

“When you take the cap off, is there a little red light in there?” I asked a male customer last night.

“Yes! Yes!” he replied excitedly and we walked over to the cable aisle to fix him up.

“If this is the wrong cable, can I come back and swap it?” he then asked me as I was ringing him up.

“Yes,” I told him as I handed him his receipt and told him to keep that receipt to bring it back. Customer service would have to handle the return, though. 

I was never so glad to get that customer out of the door as it was one of the more aggravating customers I had  in weeks.  He had no clue whatsoever and I wish he had read his owner’s manual.  I was leery  for the rest of the night that he would come back and pester me another hour or two.  Luckily, it must have been the right cable because I didn’t see him for the rest of the night.

On a Similar Vein of Thought…

“Just be glad you don’t have to work with the public,” I told Jim on his lunch break around 3am last night

“I will get people who ask me if I work here,” Jim said chuckling.  “I always point them in the right direction.”

“Well, I don’t think I could stand to explain all our cellular service plans continuously like they do on day shift,” I told Jim.

Till We Meet Again…

I was pulling in mom and dad’s back driveway as Helen was pulling in the front this morning.

“Just getting my cokes,” I told Helen as we walked up the back steps and she opened the door with her key.  Dad had left for work already and mom was sound asleep.  Helen got busy cooking mom’s breakfast as I went down to the basement to get my drinks. 

“What’s for breakfast?” I asked as I could already see Helen kneading some biscuit dough.

“I am cooking your momma biscuits, bacon, and scrambled eggs,” she told me. “Stay and eat breakfast with us!”

“I’ve got a big bag of sausage biscuits in the car for me and the dogs,” I told her. 

Mom walked into the kitchen just then to ask Helen the same thing I just asked her.  I gave her a hug and told her good morning.  I was soon on my way home listening to a Kenny Rankin CD and looking forward to eating my breakfast and going to bed. 

Procrastination Is a Bad Thing in the Annals of Martha…

Well, I was procrastinating getting that rabies information off to Shelby,  Alabama.  Mom came over last night to get the paperwork to mail it off.  Dad was driving her since it was after dark.

“This is  going  to get interesting quick," my father warned me portending things.

Dad had to go make copies of both Caramel’s and Maggie’s rabies vaccination certificates.  And then mom was supposed to mail them off after putting on a stamp at the Post Office. 

“Guess what?" dad said after they had been gone about an hour. “Your mother stuck all that paperwork in the mail without a return address and no stamp. “

“Oh no!!!” I exclaimed. 

“I hope they don’t came and take Maggie and Caramel away,” dad told me.

“Well, as soon as the Post Office opens, I am going to sit down there to get that envelope back.” my mother told us.

Mom was down there as soon as the Post Office opened and yes, she got all the paperwork back and promptly mailed again.   This will be just another  Pharmacy tale that dad loves to share about his interesting wife.

Me, Music, and George…

“What are you listening to this week?” George asked me as I was getting off of work. 

“I am listening to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream,” I replied back. “It's got some surprisingly good music to be an album catering to teenage girls. “

George mainly listens to that little Gospel station in  town, but will surprise me in what he will listen to at times. I told George to look for some Kenny Rankin albums on iTunes and that he would like them as well.

She said the Wrong Thing...

"Does your father ever work?" my great aunt asked me yesterday morning. “He’s always going to ballgames and eating out every time I see him.”

Dad heard her ask me that as he was walking into the room and boy, was he pissed.

"She has never worked a day in her life!" dad growled to me in protest in the car on the drive home. "I pay for all her medicines and the upkeep on her house!"

I just stayed quiet and let dad vent.

Dad stopped by later that night so we could go get a hamburger together. He was still perturbed by what she said.

"And I thought your mother's family was crazy!!!"

Rabies Control stopped by the house yesterday as well. They wanted written proof that Caramel and Maggie had their rabies vaccinations. The fellow gave me an addressed envelope to send in copies of the paperwork. Just one more bit of busy work to do this morning before I can go to bed.

The Republic of Moolah…

Jim and I got in a good natured argument at work last  night on his lunch break.  Jim said America was a democracy.  I argued that we were a constitutional republic and that there was a very big difference.  He told me I was splitting hairs.  I was right though or I pretty vehemently thought I was right.  I didn’t back down from my argument. 

The rest of the night was pretty slow.  I was glad to be back at work after a weekend off.  I have my eyes on a few more techo-toys I want to buy next.  I am definitely getting a new iPhone 4 when they begin using Verizon as a cellular provider as well.   The competition has got to be good for the consumer.

Monday’s Are One of the Best Days…

“What do you want for grocery day?” mom just asked me over the phone.

“Try two different cereals,” I told her. “I am not picky.”

“What else?” mom asked.

“Get me some Vienna sausages as well,” I replied.

“I don’t see how you and your father eat those things,” mom told me in disgust. “They are made of the things in a pig that no one wants to eat!”

I laughed good heartedly and told mom I loved them.   

“Do you still want your 4 quarts of ice cream?” mom asked.

“Of course,” I replied. “I can’t wait to have a bowl of ice cream as soon as you leave!”

I would hate to get on the scales and weigh myself these days.  I would probably faint in shock.  At least, my clothes are still fitting me fine. 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

He is a She…

“George has got his drug test Monday,” Mrs. Florene told me. “Has he seemed to act okay to you?”

“He seems fine” I replied. “My old supervisor is ecstatic with the job George is doing. “

“He just came in from walking a long time the other night and his eyes looked weird,” Mrs. Florene said.

“I am sure it was nothing,” I replied trying to assuage Mrs. Florene’s worries.  “What is his parole officer like?”

“He is a she actually,” Mrs. Florene told me. “She does double duty as a court appointed lawyer and the parole officer for the town. 

“Ah, a small town,” I remarked in my mind. “The resources are scarce. “

I assured Mrs. Florene nothing was wrong as I could easily tell if George has been taking something. 

A, B, G, or N?

“A, B, G, or N?” Dad asked me yesterday standing in front of the wireless routers at my place of employment.

“N is the latest wireless standard that will work with your iPad,” I told my father. “It also has the highest signal strength and longest reach.”

Yes, Charlie bought dad an iPad yesterday.  I felt odd being at work in the middle of the day afraid they would put me to work.  I still hadn't slept for the day. 

Dad and I headed home to get his wireless Internet access set up at their house.

“You don’t need the manual to do this?” dad asked.

“Oh, I’ve set up dozens of routers,” I replied. 

I then told dad to pick up his iPad and turn it on and it would automatically ask him to join his home network, 

“That is just so neat,” dad said smiling as Google popped up on the screen.

“Now, I won’t have to fight your mother for internet access,” dad said facetiously with a furious grin. 

“Oh, I know,” I facetiously replied.  “You have to fight her all the time to get on Wikipedia.“

Yes, we were being very bad yesterday morning.  Mom still shows little interest in getting on the Internet. 

George Longs for Tropical Climates…

Nothing really interesting happened at work last night.  My “to do” list from my supervisor was sparsely filled with mostly busywork.  The last few hours of work were spent looking for useful apps for my iPad.  I was so glad when seven rolled around this morning and I was heading home.

“You know?” George asked me as we were walking to my car in a frigid temperature below the twenties. “Black people weren’t built for these kinds of climates.  This brown skin is made for hot climates and protecting us from the sun.”

George can always consistently make me grin. 

“Think of your freedom and that nice paycheck you will get for persevering,” I  replied back to George in encouragement.  

On the way to McDonald’s, I stopped to fill up my car and experienced one of the coldest, most biting winds I could remember.  I didn’t envy George of having to work out in this weather.  

A Techno Packed Father…

Dad shocked me a few years ago when he got a cellular phone.  Dad has always been technically illiterate.  He shocked once again a few weeks ago when he figured out how to connect his phone via Bluetooth to his BMW X5. That way he would talk hands free as dad has a very bad habit of talking on the phone while driving. 

Lately, dad has been fascinated with my iPad.  Dad showed me a Youtube video of The King’s Speech last night – a movie he is keenly interested in seeing.  I watched as he adeptly used my iPad to find and then show me the video. 

This morning dad called me.

“What’s the deal with this 3G and the iPad?” dad asked me. 

“It means you can connect with a cellular connection and get internet access practically anywhere in the US,” I replied.

“Would you get it?” dad asked me.

“I would if I could afford it,” I told him. “Are you thinking about getting an iPad?”

“I’m thinking about it,” dad replied.

I will not be surprised if dad comes by here tonight to help him unpack his new iPad.  He has come a long way from the pre-cellular days. 

Getting Back into the Good Graces of my Canine Companions…

Mister Shoplifter was back at it again last night.  I carefully watched as he very stealthily checked the video cabinet to see if it was locked.

“Do you have Call of Duty: Special Ops?” Mr. Shoplifter asked me before leaving.

“We’ve got one copy left,” I replied about one of hottest sellers in video game history.

I can’t honestly confirm he is shoplifting, but his behavior is certainly odd. Of all the places to shoplift in town, I wouldn’t pick Walmart as an avenue to do such a thing.  The place is wall to wall surveillance cameras. 

Maggie the Impetuous Pup…

Maggie literally pouted with me all day yesterday when our ice storm caused McDonalds to not be served yesterday morning.  Maggie was at my front door this morning with Caramel not far behind as they got their sausage biscuits this morning.    I have never seen Maggie’s tail wag more lively. 

Let the Sparrows Take Flight…

I was out of work like a bullet from a gun this morning.  I reached my car and there was an inch of ice coating everything. I had to use my driver’s license just to scrape the ice off my windows and mirrors.  “Just get me home sweetheart,” I told my CR-V as I got in the car and cranked it up.  The Civic got left at home last night.  My CR.V has all-wheel drive.  The most dangerous part of the drive home was the bridge over the interstate.  I got sideways one time and I think I lost one of  my nine lives.  The city was already spreading sand on the bridge.

When I arrived home, the dogs were so disappointed that I didn’t have their sausage biscuits.   I then called mom to make sure she picked me up to go get groceries today.  Mom can’t drive on a good day, and especially not on ice.  I told her I would do all the driving for today.

I think the college football championship is tonight.  I doubt I will even watch it.  I have no desire to watch a gladiator sport for the evening.   The game will set the tone and demeanor of my brother and father for a few weeks depending on whether Auburn wins or loses. 

I think the worst part of the ice storm is over for us.  I was elated to have power when I arrived home.  Especially, to have Internet service.  In my all or nothing fashion, I am either using the Internet all the time, or not at all.  Do any of you think I will ever learn moderation?  It does have a direct influence on my capricious behavior.  

And Away He Goes…

Dad leaves today to fly out to go see the National Championship football game featuring Auburn and Oregon. I don’t even know where it’s at to show you how connected I am.  It is probably the most important football game of dad’s and my brother’s life.  

“Doesn’t your father ever get tired?” mom asked me this morning after I drove over to get my sodas for the day after work.

“He’s like the Energizer bunny,” I replied. “He never quits.”

Dad made me weigh while I was over there and I have gained 3 more pounds and for this he was elated. 

“Charlie will be taking care of you while I am gone,” dad said as I stood in the den by the gas heater on the wall.  I was trying to get my hands warm before I left to drive home. 

“What are we going to go if we get snowed in while your at the game?” mom asked dad and he rolled his eyes and blew loudly at our impending snow/ice storm.

“The dogs and I are coming over here!” I told mom. “I wouldn’t have any heat at all if the power goes out.”

BBQ Heaven….

Helen cooked BBQ chicken on the grill yesterday.  I ate a whole half a chicken and still wanted more. I found out later in the day the reason Helen was so surly was that she wasn’t ironing dad’s shirts very well.  Dad said she gets in too much of a hurry and rushes things.  Helen also cooked baked potatoes and corn on the cob.  It was a delicious meal.

“You’ve got to get Helen to grill out more often,” I told my father. 

I Don’t Want to be a Workaholic.  It just happens…

I finally have a day off and I am doing nothing today, but watch the weather.  The temperature is sitting at 32 degrees with gorgeously sunny skies.  It certainly doesn’t look like a storm is on the way.

I certainly hope Charlie brings one of those giant roast beef sandwiches like he brought after Christmas.  I would be in hog heaven for that to happen.

Winter Storm on the Way…

The odds of us getting a major winter storm this weekend are looking better and better as Sunday looms ever closer. If you've known me for long than you know how excited this makes me.  I’ve already gone to fill my car up with gas. I’d love to be a fly on the wall taking in the deluge of people buying milk, bread, and toilet paper.

Don’t Get Too Close…

Helen was in a surly mood when I was getting my sodas for the day.  I tried to find out what was wrong by prodding her.  I certainly hop it is not something I have done to hurt her feelings.

Putting On My Social Hat…

I woke up at seven yesterday after about seven hours of really fitful sleep.  The first thing I did was grab a soda out of the fridge and turn on my phones.  I then sat on the couch watching the news as I called mom.

“You want to go get our ice cream?” I asked her.

“Let me get dressed and you can pick me up under the portico,” she replied.

The ladies at Fred’s Dollar Store were glad to see us.  We hadn’t done this little ritual since before the holidays.  Mom ate about two or three spoonful's of chocolate ice cream and gave me the rest of the pint.

As we were driving up Cherry drive to take mom home, my cellphone rang.

“Answer it,” I told mom. “I don’t like to talk on my cellphone and drive.”

It was dad.  Mom handed me the phone and I pulled to the side of the road. 

“I found out today your ex-wife got married again and quickly divorced,” dad told me gossiping like little old ladies.

“Poor Rachel,” I thought. “She would date the first guy who gave her the least bit of attention.”

Within weeks of us divorcing she was having a fling with the copier repair guy at the library and had also signed up for all the online dating websites.  She somehow just couldn't feel complete without a man in her life. 

Well, that made me feel sad for Rachel for the rest of the night at work.  I actually want her to be okay and to have a normal life.  I am not bitter about our divorce at all thinking it was one of the better things that happened to me when all will be said and done. 

Work was pretty interesting, though.  They kept me on my feet last night.  I managed to sell one of the biggest LCD televisions we have in the store.  The fellow said he couldn’t sleep and just came in to browse.  Imagine my good fortune when he pulled out his credit card and told me he wanted the Sharp model we were looking at. 

It was 34 degrees and raining as I walked out of the store this morning to my car.  “Damn,” I muttered. “Two degrees and it would be snowing.”

The dogs have had their sausage biscuits and hashbrowns and are already in the bed.  I can hear Maggie scratching as I type this doing our normal routine of getting ready for bed.  I am heading that way myself soon as well. 

IPad, You Pad, We All Do the iPad….

Well, I downloaded Blogpress for my iPad. I was trying not to pay the $2.99 price tag hoping something free would be offered soon.  I still can’t get used to the onscreen keypad.  I make tons of mistakes trying to blog with my iPad.   I will just save it for emergencies if my main computer goes down.

I am finding myself reading all my blogs on my iPad, though.  Every night, before work, I sit on the sofa and catch up on all the bloggers that wrote during the day.  The resolution of the iPad’s screen is so fantastic – much easier to read than the 32 inch monitor connected to my main computer.  Photos are also beautiful that they seem to jump off the screen at you.  

The Dynamic Duo…

It has taken a family effort to keep mom on her diet.  Dad and Charlie stopped by last night so dad could eat some fries and a hamburger from Wendy’s.  He was in hiding. 

“I didn’t want to upset your mother,” Dad told me. “She would obsess over getting a hamburger if I ate it at home.”

Charlie was also obsessed about the 600 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets I got from my aunt for Christmas.

“What’s the difference between normal cotton sheets and Egyptian cotton sheets?” Charlie asked me.

I had to look it up on my iPad as we sat on my couch.

“Egyptian cotton is a much fluffier strand and softer as well,” I replied back to Charlie.

“He’ll have some of those sheets before the week is over,” dad told me smiling. “It is all he’s been talking about.“ 

Say No to Meth…

I had a note last night from my supervisor not to sell certain pharmaceutical items in bulk.  Apparently, meth heads have been buying gas line antifreeze and some pharmaceuticals to make methamphetamines.  My only interesting visitor last night was from the man who I fear is shoplifting as every time I look up he’s watching what I am doing.  I keep looking for those RFID tags thinking he is taking them off and walking out with the merchandise.  It is actually a fun little game that I enjoy playing – kind of like cops and robbers as you would play as a kid.

More High Strangeness…

My father has not been very affectionate to me for years and years.  Lately, he’s been telling me “I love  you, son” just out of the blue and it catches me off-guard every time.  Have I finally garnered some respect from him after years of disdain?  It certainly seems like it and it feels good. It has a taken a lot of hard work and determination to finally getting treated as a man and adult for a change. “I love you, too” I will tell dad as it catches me so off guard I don’t know what to say back. 

Arriving on a Jet plane…

I went this afternoon after a long nap to pick my parents up from the airport.  They had a great time, but are exhausted.  I don’t envy dad going gangbusters all weekend traveling on the holidays and having to get back to the old nine to five which is the pharmacy.  Atlanta’s airport is the busiest airport in America and it was easily living up to it reputation this afternoon.  I was glad to get mom and dad in the car and back on the interstate headed south. 

Charlie is Like Me, We Can’t Do Anything Small…

“What’s is in the sack?” I asked Charlie who came roaring in with Horsefly in tow this morning. 
“I got you two gallons of Blue Bell ice cream at Kroger,” Charlie replied.
Ah, a man of my own heart.  Charlie loves ice cream, too, and we both had a bowl waiting on Horsefly to finish the toilet inspection.  I have just a slight infatuation with ice cream at the moment.  Mom has tuned into this new obsession and his been feeding my habit.  I could be addiction to a thousand more worse things right? Bueller?

More Consistency in the New Year….

That’s is my only resolution this year is to be more consistent with my blog writing efforts. I have a tendency to be very capricious in my actions just like “The Homeless Guy” and want to change that habit of mine.  I thought it was better than some of the other resolutions I could make such as gaining more weight. It certainly is much more obtainable. 

The Traditional New Years Day Meal…

It is a Southern tradition to eat a pork tenderloin, turnip greens and black eyed peas on New Year’s Day.  The more greens and peas you eat, the richer you will be in the New Year is how the old custom goes. I had two invites.  One to Mrs. Florene’s hours and one to Charlie's house.  It was a hard decision to make.  Mrs. Florene and Charlie's wife are both wonderful cooks.   I decided to eat lunch with Mrs. Florene and George and to eat dessert at Charlie’s house later in the evening. Charlie’s wife is baking a chocolate pie.

The Workday Seems to Never Be Done…

I was very glad to get off this morning.   I have really wracked up the overtime in these past few weeks.  Last night, I helped set up a new 3D TV display and was interested in what is being touted as the new big thing in television and movies.   All it did was give me a headache and eyestrain.  

“Who would want to sit around with those glasses on for hours?” I asked Jim, m y friend from the grocery department.

“When they can do it without the glasses then call me back,” I also told Jim.