If you haven’t bought my book yet, and I’m not sure why you haven’t, here is some good news. The E-book version will be offered at a reduced price this week. There is a link over there on the right that takes you direct to Amazon and the book.
If you did buy it, please throw up a review, even if it is a bad one.
And if you have bought the book, either in paperback or electronic, thanks. I appreciate it.
And I hear it is Halloween. Here is the all-time classic:
Okay, let’s cover all the complaint-worthy stuff quickly. It is cold, wet, Monday, and I have a follow-up at the eye surgeon this morning which means I will work through my lunch to make up lost time. Deep breath. And the Colts lost again. I swear the team has not had decent defense since sometime in the late 1700s. If they are going to play slow, short guys who cannot defend, they might as well let me suit up for the league minimum. Better yet, pull some random ticket holder from the stands. What better way to boost season ticket sales?
I’m not a Halloween fan. I hate scary movies. I will play you a scary Halloween-like song:
Maybe two:
My wife says I’m stubborn. Maybe it’s true, I’m not going to admit it in any case.
My flowers are stubborn too. Witness this day lily.
This is my view to the west as I grilled a couple of nice ribeyes Thursday evening.
It was 75F.
Fall will return this weekend. It was sure nice this week, though.
It is a Friday at last. I have, believe it or not, worked hard this week. And still I found time to write a few posts with actual content. That my friends, is something that hasn’t happened much around here lately. We both know it to be true.
Guess what, today ain’t gonna be one of those good content days. I’m offering fair warning, YouTube music will be involved. It will be that kind of Friday.
The weather has been warm and nice all week and I’ve experienced it vicariously through the window next to my desk. It is my hope I can sneak out to the patio this afternoon and enjoy a short cigar before fall weather returns tomorrow. We shall see. I know emails were dropping fast and furious over night and last evening, so it depends on what level of unpleasantness I have to deal with when I fire up the computer this morning. How do I know work called all night? My phone sounds an alert with every email, WeChat, and Teams message — very handy and very annoying.
According to the neighborhood decorations and grandgirl’s excitement, Halloween is nearly here. How about some music to fit the season? Besides, it is an awesome tune.
Do you see anything wrong in This article?
...has brought water levels to unprecedented lows*
To summarize, river levels are down. Ancient carvings are visible. If the water has never been this low — unprecedented — then how were the carvings done?
You have to start being a little skeptical about the climate change hyperbole.
* emphasis mine
Here we find ourselves on a beautiful fall Tuesday that feels incredibly like a Thursday. Alas, the weekend is far over the horizon in this work week.
Yesterday was warm and clear, so I threw some burgers on the grill, made up some homemade macaroni salad and baked beans for dinner. It was a nice supper. We are expecting continued warm weather today, so I might grill some chicken or steak. I have to check the freezer.
I am floored by the support for terrorists and proponents of ethnic cleansing in this country. Hamas has stated in no uncertain terms their goal is to eliminate Israel. BLM, the SPLC, academic groups — shame on you. And it is a unfulfilled wish that the Jews in this country will finally see the harm voting Democrat and Liberal has done to Israel and their religion. Too many of God’s Chosen really are sheep. I know, it will not happen.
In writing my semi-crappy novel I wish I’d changed a few things before publishing. There are a couple of typos. I need more contractions. Cappy says so. I do too.
I should have thanked my mom. She shared her love of reading with me. She encouraged me to read. She didn’t complain much when I spent nearly every waking moment until I left for college with my nose stuck in a book.
Did she know I read whatever she was reading after she went to bed at night, even if it was not appropriate for a ten or twelve year old? Likely. She occasionally give me a couple of dollars she could ill-afford to buy a paperback from the rack at Hook’s drugs. She bought me books for Christmas or my birthday. She bought cheap bookshelves to store all of my books in my increasingly crowded bedroom. In short, I owe my mother a debt of gratitude.
Mom died five years ago today. I read the post I wrote after she died. It didn’t do her justice. It made her seem a cold hard woman. My mother was a perfectionist. She expected it of others. Mostly, she expected it of herself, including being a mom. She came pretty close. I mean that in the best way possible.
If I ever write another novel, a doubtful proposition, I will thank my mother.
I miss you mom.
It is Monday, back to work. I groaned as I climbed from bed, not because it is a work day, but because my body hurts. Cleaning, moving furniture, painting, up and down the ladder, stooping, and squatting leaves my muscles sore and my back aching. I need a real work day parked in my office chair to rest up. And since I’m complaining, after a week’s vacation I have hundreds of emails to deal with. It all beats unemployment!
The downstairs is still completely wrecked with toys and furniture piled into the dining room and living room, waiting on the new sectional to be delivered Tuesday. Then we can start on getting everything back in shape, except I’m supposed to travel this week! It hope I can get the TV hooked back up for the wife before I have to go. Otherwise, she is stuck watching the little 36” tv in my office.
I wish I had something more interesting. That’s life on this blog. I’m not sure why you bother.
How about some Sunday music?
The family room and kitchen are all painted. I need to put up the switch and plug covers. We have new blinds I have to mount, replacing the crappy shades that were in the family room. Later today I will clean the carpet. The old couch and chair were hauled away Saturday and the new sectional couch will be delivered on Tuesday. The change is going to be nice. The kitchen was a dark red before, now it and the family room are a light tan or beige. The room is much brighter and since both rooms are now the same color — they are open to each other — the space looks larger.
Then will be the task of hanging pictures and “fighting” with the wife on which is more accurate, her eyeball or my level. In the end she wins, because her satisfaction is more important than the law of gravity.
Later today and continuing through the weekend I will be painting. Or at least I will once the wife decides what color she wants the walls. We are redoing the family room/ kitchen which are open and connected. I’ve been telling her all week to get the paint, that I don’t want to work all night, I’m a morning person, blah, blah, now my voice sounds just like a teacher in a Charlie Brown cartoon...
All of that is a long-winded notice you probably won’t get a post this weekend. You will be okay.
His politics suck, but I dig this tune:
Have a great Friday.
Sherman had it right. When the opposing force is hurt enough, when everything is destroyed, when men are worried about their families, then they lose the will to fight. Do you think we worried about collateral damage when we bombed every German city with a population over 20,000 or when we firebombed Tokyo? Israel should make continued fighting so horrible Hamas cries no mas, or the equivalent in Farsi.
Israel has put up with enough. When you enemy has vowed to destroy you, there is no peace at any price. Hamas has stated they want to destroy the Jews. That isn’t apartheid, it is segregating your enemies. The living conditions of the so-called Palestinians are the equal responsibility of the surrounding Arab states.
This current awful state of affairs lies at the feet of Joe Biden. He gave Iran SIX BILLION DOLLARS. Months later Hamas has hang gliders, rockets, and weapons to wage war. There are no political coincidences.
Is there no one in the Biden administration who noticed the havoc and death wreaked by terrorists crossing Isrseli borders and look south towards our sieve of a Mexican border and wonder just who is coming into our country?
Monday. Weather. Whatever I did over the weekend. Busy. Post done.
Music.
Some of you will get it.
I had a meaningful, thought out, topical post all composed in my head for today’s entry. It was a commentary on an article I read yesterday. Alas, I thought I saved a link but now I cannot find it. I even tried an internet search to no avail. Without the original article my comments are not germane.
So instead of ranting about a racist asshole who can’t see his position on gentrification of his neighborhood is no different than the bigots who railed against black families moving in the house next door in the mid twentieth century, I will complain about a different topic.
The wife and I went to a fall festival yesterday. There were booths of crafts and junk and food trucks and a mass of people. It was crowded. The park surrounding Potter’s Bridge was packed. So of course a significant number of the “look at me, I need attention “ crowd thought their dogs needed to come along. In most cases the dogs were overwhelmed by the press of the crowds and over-stimulated by the event.
Sure your dog likes a walk in the park, but not when there are thousands of people surrounding him. One self-absorbed Karen pushed her dog in a stroller. These are the same jerks that bring their dogs to Lowes and Home Depot, as if your schnauzer could help you choose just the right faucet for that half-bath remodel.
If you are one of those people, just stop. It isn’t necessary.
There was not much of a post this morning, despite rolling out of bed before 5 AM.
What? “Why?” You ask. I wish I knew. So I moseyed downstairs, took my morning meds, and made some coffee. I then retired to the office. I read blogs, read the news, and started work. I am trying to get everything done today.
You see, I’m on vacation next week. I have no idea what we are going to do. As of lunchtime the wife was still trying to decide. Me, I don’t care. I’m always up for a road trip. Maybe you will get posts next week. Maybe you won’t.
I know this, it is a good thing you don’t pay for content around here.
If you bought my book and thought “I can’t believe I paid for that,” then I say you haven’t been paying attention to this blog for the past eighteen years. You had a fair, if subtle, warning on my abilities.
Anyway, I think I have my month end stuff done and I’m nearly caught up on emails.
Here is some Friday music. Enjoy.
I sat on the patio late yesterday afternoon enjoying a short cigar. Leaves fell softly as the sun warmed my face. It was 87 degrees. More than pleasant for early October. I played hooky from work for a quick hour because starting today, fall is here.
Sure, it officially arrived a couple of weeks ago, but the thermometer still insisted it was summer. Today we will see a rainy cool day and then temperatures drop to a more appropriate sixties.
I expect I will complain about raking leaves in the coming weeks. So it goes.
On a completely unrelated note, wouldn’t it be nice for an artist to appear on The Voice and have no tragic death, no illness, no trauma, no bullying in their life? How about a “ I had a great childhood, I love to sing!” The endless “this is for my grandpa who died eight years ago” trope gets old.
Sure, I can put up some music. I’m glad you asked.
This post is about my little book. If you haven’t bought it, You should. If you haven’t read it, I don’t think I will give away any spoilers. I have had a couple of questions about my story, so I will answer them now, before People, or TMZ, or the Today Show get around to seeking interviews.
My wife is alive and well. She is not dead, and I certainly do not wish she was dead.
I have both legs. They work fine. I suppose the 12 weeks I spent in a boot and on crutches had a severe impact on my psyche. I don’t know. Since the beginning chapters were written about a decade ago (and appeared in a similar form) here on the old blog, I don’t think that trauma from a couple of years ago played into the character. It did help me describe the issues getting around one-legged.
I stated right on this blog about a year ago I would call any book I would ever write Suburban Moon, even if it had nothing to do with the novel. I had not even started writing at that point. But I kept my word. And no, the title has nothing to do with the book.
It is not an autobiography. It is fiction, no matter the subtitle. I will simply say “Gertrude Stein” and leave it at that. No, I am not comparing myself to MS Stein, it is merely a nod.
There is a bunch of autobiographical filler. I’m a salesman. I’ve been to most of those places. I have never been to Mt Rushmore nor the Custer Battlefield. I have been to the Buddy Holly crash site. I was once told I should write what I know. Thus the “me” in the book is how I avoided doing a bunch of research or talking about stiff I don’t know about.
I’ve never been to jail. I’ve never been arrested.
I was never bullied in school. That part is made up and that story also also made an appearance here on the blog many years ago.
I don’t drink whiskey, bourbon, nor scotch. I can’t stand the stuff. I had an unfortunate overindulgence way back in high school and developed a learned taste aversion. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I was drunk. It’s been a long time — maybe once in the last twenty years.
If you bought the book, please leave a review at Amazon. The more stars, the better it sells. Go ahead and leave a bad review, I have no illusions, just give me stars and reviews.
Someone called yesterday trying to sell me a casket.
I told them that was the last thing I would ever need.
Monday is here. No complaints about that from me, I’m thankful for my job. I actually like my work. Sunday could have been better. Meaningful baseball is done until April, at least for the Cubs who choked away September in a manner reminiscent of 1969. The Colts staged a mighty comeback after a dismal first half only to fall in overtime.
I went to the doctor for a routine check Friday. He concluded my handful of different meds I’ve been taking for a while isn’t working anymore. My A1c has been steady in spite of increased dosages. So starting Friday night I’m poking insulin in my belly. I guess I was able to hold off injecting insulin for eleven or twelve years. But I’m still not thrilled with it. And the alternative is kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, loss of limbs, death. I guess a little stab in the gut isn’t a big deal.
Have a great Monday.