It all makes perfect sense now.......

For years, I've felt like something was off with me. And now I know the cause of my being out of sorts........

Who could imagine a world where ONLY Big Bird could see the Suffalupagus,......

Who could imagine a world where ANYBODY living in a trash can on a city street could be justifiably Grouchy,...

Who could imagine a world where two grown (closeted?) men could live in a downstairs apartment on an city street in NY and occasionally get on each other's nerves,...

I am a 39 Year-old Victim of Sesame Street,....

I am emotionally scarred by the experience,....

Jesus,.... we all really need to get over ourselves,.... It's friggin' Sesame Street for crying out loud.

I love old Marx Brothers movies, and cringe at some of the old 'Happy Negro' song & dance scenes in them,... but would rail against their being removed from those movies.

Revisionist history will bite us all in the ass at some point.

*gets off soap-box*

sage advice

yesterday, someone told me "all you gotta do is lower your standards, find some woman to move in with ya and 1/2 your bills are taken care of!"
sad part is, they were serious.

just another rant

I've worked at the same company for 11 years now, and never once (along with others that have worked there for longer) received a raise based on merit.
The raises I have received started out as "department" or "positional bumps", but not soon after, the lessor employees will receive a wage increase to "keep up with the times", thus in effect negating my "wage bonus".

Well, it has happened again.
The company president, in the name of "remaining competitive for employees", has bumped the starting wage up another 30 cents. Of course in the onset, this is dispersed amongst the entire shop (which incidentally consists of only 30 workers).

Now for the downside. Insurance is going up as well.
He didn't really explain it very well, and most of us are able to read between the lines though he doesn't give us that credit, but with the rising costs of medical care, we are being increased by almost 110% payments.
So, in a nutshell, while my weekly take home has increased by a mere $8, my weekly health payment is increasing by nearly $32.

Being a single parent with only one income (having not acquired a mate) is becoming increasingly hard.
While I want to be able to provide a decent lifestyle not only for myself but my children when they stay with me, I'm beginning to wonder how much longer I will be able to.
To add insult to injury (on a personal level), my younger son informed me that while his mother and stepfather recently had to get rid of their German Shepard (for allegedly biting a neighbor lady), they just yesterday "bought" (simply because I don't think she has the moral tenacity to "adopt") a pure bred Schnauzer and a cat.

Must be nice to have four incomes while the day struggles to stay ahead of the game.

I'm close to going off on a rant here but I will restrain myself.

HOW DOES HE GET AWAY WITH IT?!

For years, one question has bothered me to the point of sheer madness:are the people of Metropolis just plain dumb?

Clark Kent was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton.
Upon learning of it's certain demise, Jor-El sent little Kal-El to Earth so he would be spared and perhaps live out a fulfilling existance.

Learning he had special abilities under the power of a yellow sun, Clark soon began honing his skills in an effort to fight injustices of the world and protect the Earth from all who would harm it under the mantel of "Superman".

Of course, he had to continue to blend in with the "natives", thus continuing his secret identity of "Clark Kent".

Now, for other super hero's, keeping an identity secret is not a problem.
Their costume usually includes some sort of mask, hood, or cowl, thus concealing from the rest of the world who they really are.
This is very effective in protecting not only themselves from harm, but loved ones and co-workers alike.
But not Clark.

His secret identity simply consists of a pair of glasses, and slouching a bit.

Allow me to demonstrate:



Ok, so, can you tell that it is actually I in both pictures?
Does the addition of a pair of glasses distract you from the possibility that I could in fact be the Man of Steel?
(ok, so, actually I'm Batman. But for the purpose of this blog, I have donned a different personae to prove my point).

There are either two possibilities: Either the citizens of Clark's home town are all morons, or, in sending little Kal-El to Earth, Jor-El secretly sent along small pathogens altering Earthlings perception of the obvious.

I'm sure this subject will continue to confound those who pursue it.
But for now, I must remain diligent in my quest to find out just what is at work here:stupidity or germs.

weird-ass dream

It takes place in a parking lot/alley surrounded by tall buildings.
There's like ten or twelve musicians: half bass players, half guitarists including Brian May. And Paul Williams is the singer. (I know:Mr. "Old fashioned love song" singing "We are the Champions" is a little bit of a stretch, but it's my dream.).
Of course, we all have stacks. And with the surrounding buildings, the sound is freakin' incredible!
So we're jamming on everything under the sun, until Paul suggests this 'little ditty', "Nothing but a Good time", which oddly no one knows. (btw:C.C. is in rehab or something, because he's not there).
So I start the opening riff and everyone starts filtering in.
Pretty soon we're filling the area with what sounds like a Poison rock opera.
It's phenomenal.

And, of course, on the ending note, my allergies take over and I wake up.
fukkerbitch.

I wonder what the meaning of THAT dream is?

Iowa= the new Seattle

It has rained here for the past seven days in a row!

What I did on my summer vacation..........

This is the second time in something like 15 years that I've taken a "real vacation".
Two years ago, and again this year I went to my uncle's home with my boys and mom,
(Dad couldn't coordinate his days off with mine, but we're hoping for next year!).

Again this year, my aunt and uncle along with their son (my cousin) were able to come up from Texas. This year though, Blair had a traveling companion of his own:his fiancée. (she really is a terrific gal. he's one lucky guy!)

It was great seeing family again, after a long hiatus.
Another reason we were going down was to bring back a riding lawn tractor my uncle was giving to my mom.

The trip down wasn't too bad, as it's only about a four-and-a-half drive, and there's ALWAYS something interesting to see.

I've enjoyed going to my uncle's, as it's out in the country, but doesn't feel like it's in the country.
Sure, he's got his own fishing pond, and a butt-load of acres, but this is no farm house.
He's worked long and hard to accomplish what he has, and I'm proud to have him as my "wealthy uncle".

The best part of the trip is just seeing everyone again.
Until two years ago, I hadn't seen my Texan relatives in about 18 years, and only a few years less for my Missouri clan.
To see how my cousins have grown is just mind blowing, (my uncle's wife pointed out one evening after dinner, that I held the distinction of being the "eldest cousin". I'm not sure how I feel about that!).

And now that the youngest of all of the cousins is getting married, it just seems like yesterday I saw this little bugger in diapers. Well, in actuality, the last time I'd seen him he was in them.

I look forward to the future, being able to reconnect to family, and watching the family grow.

OCC Invades North Iowa

Today, I took the boys up to see a creation of the boys from "American Chopper" and got some shots .

The Teutuls were hired to create a chopper that runs on E85.
This creation is touring North Iowa promoting the use of the ethanol blended fuel.

It seems that an episode of "American Chopper" this fall will showcase the build of this bike.
For more info on the bike, click here.

and so it continues........

Maybe it's just the season, but I'm feeling more and more lonely.

I try so hard to actually get out and do things (I wanted to go to a few local bands over the past week, but just didn't make it), but I've never been good at going places by myself, let alone introducing myself to new people.

I think I've got this preconceived notion that being 38, I have to ACT 38, whatever the hell that means.
I realize that my maturity level is about what it was about 10 years ago. I just don't feel I've grown up any.

Back by popular demand

you did what? to your what?!

Well, I finally did it.
After what seemed like almost a year, I'm finally dying my goatee blue.

Why?
Why not?

I've always lived "outside the norm", from being a small child with long-ass hair, learning to play the banjo (it's cool dammit!), getting my ears pierced as a freshman in High School, (I got a lot of flack from the upperclassmen).

Maybe it's part of my middle-aged crisis.
Maybe I'm just bored.

No matter what the reason:I am me.

COME on moms

I know some of you will say "come on now:move on already!".
But every know and then, something comes acrossed my radar that reminds me of the constant battle that I endure with the mother of my children.
The following, is such and instant.
And once again, thank you for enduring my rant.

I was watching the news this evening and saw a story that tore me in two.
It was about an American Soldier returning from his latest tour of duty, and how he surprised his 6 year old son.

The boy was at school, when his father walked in, wearing his desert cammies, and said "hey bud".
The little boy immeditately bolted from his chair, dashed acrossed the classroom, and jumped into his daddies open arms.

The commentator stated that it took the little boy several minutes to stop crying and introduced his father to the class, who had been writing the soldier letters while he served in Iraq.

My first reaction was how heart warming of a scene this was.
A little boys reunion with his father who had been away for almost a year fighting in a war.

My second reaction was that of how the mothers of divorced families tend to treat the father when children are involved.

In our society, a boy and his fathers bond seems traditionally sacred, for lack of a better term.
It's our 'duty' as well as our honor to pass down knowledge to our sons in hopes of helping them grow into a man.

Many times, however, a mother will do what she can to deter, downplay, or even replace that role of a father to his child.

COME ON!
GROW UP WOMEN!

Not all men are bad dads.
There are those of us who do the best we can with what not only society deals us (archaic laws concerning parental rights), but with what you deal us.

You want to manipulate, deligate, regulate, and sometimes even dissapate the relationship that we try to continue with our children after you decide to "change things up".

So, the next time you want to be a dominating b*tch and keep a child from having the type of relationship with their father that the CHILD deserves, remember that scene of a little boy being surprised by his DADDY, who came to his classroom, and get over yourself.

Let me be the first to say.....

Prince f*cking rocks!

I've been a fan since almost the beginning, and after seeing his SuperBowl half time performance, all I can say is that he's still got it!

"THAT'S MY BOY"

I'm so excited, i just had to share.

My 11 year old son is on the sixth grade basketball team this year.
Standing only 4'2", he is the shortest on not only his own team, but a majority of the teams they play.

They've played several games over the past few weeks, with the final tournement being held March 3rd.

At today's game, my little guy got a rebound and shot to score two points!

Way to go Aus!

Thirty days?!

Either things are changing and I've been out of the loop too long, or some thing's goin on in the dating world.

Recently, I've come to know about two or three couples (in their mid 20's), that are "taking things to the next level" rather quickly, in my opinion.

One couple, within a mere few months are already planning their wedding.
She has a two year old daughter, the father lives several states away, and it's rumoured that she is merely "competing" with a school-hood friend.

The other couples have been dating not quite so long, and are already moving in together.

Did I miss a memo or something?
Is it standard practice in this day and age for young people to rush right into situations that the rest of us pretty much know won't last very long?

Now, it's one thing for two people to share a house or apartment to save on living costs, but to date someone not long enough to know if they like to fart in bed and then all of a sudden co-habitat?

The sad part is that in my small circle of things, one friend is married, three have found girlfriends in the past month or so, and one is just a male whore. (you know who you are!).
To go along with the sadness of this, is that they make a big deal about my being single, or at least having not shared a bed in some time.

Come on guys:sure, I can be happy that you guys have met your other halves in a reasonably short period of time from each other. But can't you understand that it's YOU guys that have the problem of my 'celibacy' and not me?

I was with a shrew of a woman for longer than I like to admit who continues to f*ck with me.
I simply choose to remain single for the fact that if my ex is creating these 'fun' situations for me, why would I want to expose a gal to that as well?
Sure, it'd give new meaning to "share the joy".

And as far as not just going out and bedding every woman I meet, (and no, I'm not lowering my standards JUST go get a piece), where's the joy in that? It's just not my style.

So, enjoy your relationships that you've found.
I really hope they last.
;)

Cullinary aid request!!!

I am appealing to the masses of the blogger world to assist me in a very important task:coming up with menus for single serve meals!

I've been single for several years, am not a very good cook, and am growing tired of the whole "mac&cheese" meals.

SO, if anyone who peruses this blog would happen to contribute meal ideas for single servings, I would greatly appreciate it!
And so will my children (as I would grow to be a better 'chef', they would benefit from my cullinary growth).

Thank you in advance!

It's ok........I'm still here........

For those of you in my fan base, (both of you), I'm here to let you know that I'm still around.

You see, I'm just not a very good writer. (Haven't we visited this before?)
Over the last month or so, I've had several good topics I could have written about. However, after composing a couple of sentences, I wouldn't know where to go next.
I'd either just get writers' block, or my mind would be on the latest fiasco my ex-wife was creating.

Therein lies the other problem to my writing:my topics will invariably cover some kind of rant about my ex-wife. And why? Because it seems that no matter how hard I try to ignore it and move on, she constantly bombards me with stupidity, selfishness, or just downright meanness.

It's hard to have a life, when your ex seems to have it for you.

For example, I currently bring home $200 a week. This is after my child support and mortgage are taken care of.
While it's hard enough living on that kind of income, (i.e. having any kind of social life, maintaining ones homestead, or having any type of hobby), recently the ex has informed me that both boys will be getting braces.

Now, I'm not against the idea. However, it's come to my attention that my older boy (almost 12) doesn't really need them, according to the dentist. However, the orthodontist says that he would benefit from having them.
Well of COURSE he could benefit from them. YOU(ortho) are a good salesmen and have convinced my ex-wife to get me to spend more money than I have available.

Now, our younger son WILL benefit from them. Currently, he is a little 'Bucky-Beaver'. And when I confront the ex about getting them for one child, her response was, and I quote,"I'm not going to get (child) braces and not (other child). That's just rude!".

Now, some of you can say "just don't pay for them".
Right.
It was hard enough standing up to my ex when she wasn't my ex.
She is all about the control, and not bending, which is exactly what happened to our relationship.

ANYway, most recently, I gave up 4 hours of my weekend time with my kids so they could go to their cousins b-day party.
In understanding the situation, their cousins live a few hours away, and see them only occasionally.
BUT, I was asked about their attending only that morning, and was told it'd only be two hours. PLUS, I could keep the boys two hours longer on Sunday before returning them.
Ok. Fine. Whatever.

They were picked up around 5:30 p. and returned FOUR hours later. Not two. Four.
Twice as much as two hours. Get the point? Let's move on.

Sunday comes around, and she leaves a rather loud message on the machine announcing that she has obtained the elusive Nintendo Wii. (my younger son was sleeping downstairs and I'm surprised her wailing over the phone didn't wake him up).

So great. Now the boys have a reason NOT to want to spend a few extra hours with dear ole dad.
Of course, I can't say 'no' to their excitement and take them back at the regular time.

But come on! She had to have known this is the kind of response she'd get.
"Fuck him out of four hours, and get the boys hopped up on coming home early!".

I am not exagerrating when I say she is the MOTHER of self-sidedness.

So, why am I pissy all the time?
Why can I not get out a decent blog?
How am I supposed to compete with her household having four game consoles, trips to Disney World, cruises, train rides, ect. when I can't even get my kids name brand clothes, not to mention clothes at all?

But............I digress..................