Sunrise

The real trick, sometimes, is to evade the periperal view of the shore you are on and concentrate on the shore you cannot see.

'True North'
Jim Harrison

AAAARGH!

Wowsers&shit! What a fun day in the neighborhood!

I have an interview with new client program on Wednesday. Hopefully it will turn out ok.

With out overly explaining.... I work for a huge mother of a company...... last year's revenue was about $3BB. In the past, when a client left I was rather immediately placed within a new program. In this economy....... I am suddenly needing to compete with 50 other associates for ten open spots. It is all just a little stressfull. But the up side, if I grab onto the new program, I could be looking at an extra $14K in bonus structure.... or more.

The down side..... I may have to revert to my past occupation as a Lake Winnebago pirate.... stealing picnic baskets and beer coolers from unsuspecting pleasure boaters.

oooooh, rape! Plunder! Booty! Picnic baskets! Perhaps there ain't NO downside, Matey!!!!

HMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

oooooops & shit

ok. Had me a little meeting with the business manager. The project I have worked on&off&on for the last 7 years has pulled the plug. Jan 31. With out going into a lotta details, I worked small marketing programs, with very specific goals, for Fortune 100 and 500 companies. I would usually work as a senior on multiple programs, multiple clients.

Well, boy&howdy, there are no new programs and I have until the end of the month to get hired on by one of the existing programs or it is unemployment for the beer meister.

Motherfukka Bush!!!

I just might not be posting as much. Or, after the end o the month, more often.

ob la dee, ob la dah.

Boy, itza good thing I still have some left over beans!!!!

Beans, Movies and a bit of tea

Ok. All this holiday stuff is over. Whew! I gracefully returned my presents and picked out what I really wanted. Max gets me a coffee maker every year even though the one he gave me two years ago is perfectly fine. And he does know that at home I usually drink tea, not coffee. I think he does it to piss me off. So I took it back and picked up a copy of........

... a great flick from a couple of years ago that is still fantastic. Really a whole bunch better than having a second coffee maker. For a dude like me, a second coffee maker is akin to having a third testicle when the first two don't get used a whole lot. Anyways..............

The New Years Eve thingee doesn't do much for me. It is safer and more fun to stay home and get together with friends a different time. So I spent New Year's Eve day whipping up a batch of pork&beans.

Nope. Not the stupid canned stuff. I get out the slow cooker, soak up some butter beans, white beans, pintos & round up some smoked ham hocks, bacon, molasses, garlic, onions, brown sugar..... then add all my super-double secret herbs and spices and do my stuff!! But you need a beer, or two or three, before you smoke the herb and add the spices and I was very fortunate to have a friend drop off some bottles of a nice Christmas Ale from the Belgians at the Huyghe Brewery.

... an extremely nice blond ale about 10% alcohol. So I have beer, beans, books and movies.....and one of my all time favorites....

"Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand."
Boy, that movie had it all! Newman and a supporting cast that beats all supporting casts! And some of the best lines ever!

"Nah - calling it your job don't make it right, Boss."

I think that knowing there will never be another Paul Newman flick was one of the sadder moments of 2008.

Cool Hand Luke also gave me a touch-stone line that I think about everytime I think of my divorce.....

"What we've got here is... failure to communicate."

...... and a little song that I used to hum alot in high school...

I don't care if it rains of freezes
'Long as I got my Plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car.
Through my trials and tribulations
And my travels through the nations
With my Plastic Jesus I'll go far.
You can buy a Sweet Madonna
Dressed in rhinestones sitting on a
Pedestal of abalone shell
Goin' ninety, I'm not wary
'Cause I've got my Virgin Mary
Guaranteeing I won't go to Hell

No, I don't care if it rains or freezes
Long as I have my plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
But I think he'll have to go
His magnet ruins my radio
And if we have a wreck he'll leave a scar

Happy Newsy Year!

Happy New year

I am out of the office until next year...... I am having a pool party tomorrow night. You are all invited. Bring your own towel and six pack!!!

Max's Room

Max loves movies. He has turned into one of those movie freaks that can quote whole dialogues from different flicks. And he is disturbingly accurate. I think it is a disease or the result of acute malnurishment from a steady diet of pizza, Burger King and Molson ale.

So this Christmas I feed his addiction with some classic films that I loved when I was his age.

One was "Harold and Maude." Which blew his mind. (what little is left after a diet of pizza, Burger King&Beer). And also sent him out to get some early Cat Stevens. Which is currently being played non-stop in his car, his apartment...... and now in my head.

Miles from nowhere

Not a soul in sight

Oh yeah, but it's alright

I have my freedom

I can make my own rules

Oh yeah, the ones that I choose

Lord my body has been a good friend

But I won't need it when I reach the end

Miles from nowhere

Guess I'll take my time

Oh yeah, to reach there.

.... which sent me back in time..... to younger days and the folks I knew and the music and movies I loved then. To a girl I loved then.

In the quiet silent seconds

I turned off the light switch

And I came down to meet you in the half light the moon left

While a cluster of night jars sang some songs out of tune

A mantle of bright light shone down from a room

Come down in time I still hear her say

So clear in my ear like it was today

Come down in time was the message she gave

Come down in time and I'll meet you half way

Well I don't know if I should have heard her as yet

But a true love like hers is a hard love to get

And I've walked most all the way and I ain't heard her call

And I'm getting to thinking if she's coming at all

Come down in time I still hear her say

So clear in my ear like it was today

Come down in time was the message she gave

Come down in time and I'll meet you half way

There are women and women and some hold you tight

While some leave you counting the stars in the night

Nostalgia is good. In correct doses.

All in all, better than a diet of pizza, Burger King &Beer.

Well, the beer is still good.

I gotza snow for Christmas. And a buncha other days,too! The 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 26th then the temp rose to 40 on the 27th and rained, drizzled, sleeted, iced, glazed. On the 28th we received another 5 inches. Shit, this place sucks!! And the REALLY bad weather doesn't usually show up until after New Years. Slop, Slush, puddles.

So I had all of last week off for the holiday. Not really off. Max got his car stuck out in the country when he went snowshoeing. Monday morning pulling him out. I told him, last fall, that he really needed two new front tires, but the rear ones were practically new. His mother decided to get them for him, a Christmas present. But she ordered FOUR and the wrong size! Tuesday spent getting refund and ordering correct tires. Wednesday spent driving in near blizzard to visit my Mom and Sister's family. Two and a half hour drive took almost four hours. Thursday drive back ..... in another near blizzard. Friday spent three hours pulling Max's car out of ex-wife's driveway/yard. I am still not certain how he managed to do that. Cleared off Ex's drive and we had a nice cup of tea discussing the Children and their most assuredly bright and glorius future, and why Max only needed two tires. She said she would not charge me for the tea and I promised not to bill her for snow clearance. Civility is good at years end.

Saturday the temps hit 40, a far cry from the previous Saturday when the wind chills were -28, but it rained heavily and turned the city into a massive skating rink around sunset. Yesterday there was a fresh coat of 5 inches of snow ontop of the ice. Dude calls me up at 7am offering me two Packer tickets at $20 each. Funny guy. A total of $40 to drive an hour and a half to Green Bay and watch the Packers play the Lions? I have great friends..... they break me up.

But Christmas did have a good side. The kids gave me a bunch of old Paul Newman movies. Miriam gave me a real nice cactus for my collection. I think I will just 'sit-in' over the next weekend and watch old movies..... or just watch the cactus grow. More fun that shoveling snow!