We Missed The Boat (or Vice Versa)

My best friend Paul and I decided to spend the day on the Casino Ship that sails out of Lynn Harbor. In typical Paul & Scotty bad luck fashion, the ship's trip was cancelled today only after I took a vacation day to go on it. We drove to Lynn and boarded along with everyone else, waiting to get out to sea so the gambling could start, and before we could even eat anything from the buffet, the captain announced "generator problems" and we were asked to de-board. I knew "generator problems" meant "terrorist threat". Okay maybe I'm paranoiod. We didn't waste the day though. We hopped in the car and headed to Connecticut! We just can't wait to spend our hard earned money. What followed was a Seinfeld episode (as usual when we get together, complete with missed exits on the highway, handicapped lunch lines and dice flying off the tables. I broke even which is a win in my book. Paul may have even come out ahead. Of course he got the benefit of listening to me talk for 2 hours on the way down and another 2 hours back. I learned a few things on the trip as our discussion ran the gamut from gambling to God to kids to pets and everything inbetween. And neither of us were bored. Now that's what friends are for.

Moving Day

We're moving again. For the seventh or eighth time. Although we've been in the same house for seventeen years. Every so often we pack up and move each room into another room. The dining room becomes a bedroom, the bedroom a den, the den a laundry room, the bedroom an office and so on and so on. It's great to clean and paint and make a new start every so often. It's a lot of work, but it sure beats the hassle of selling the house and uprooting everything time and time again. Someday we'll move for the last time, and I have a feeling it will be right here where we are now.

Gone Fishin'

It took me a month to get back here, but I'll make it worth the wait. My family spent the afternoon at a barbecue at our friend Jeanne's house. The weather was awesome, blue blue sky and big white puffy clouds. Ideal. Dinner was great, barbucued chicken, rice and green beans with Jeanne's specialty dessert Coconut Cake. Delicious.
Fishing at the pond was terrific. Max's friend Alex caught a 12" large mouth bass, I caught a small bass, and Jeanne was the winner with a 14" 7lb. large mouth bass. Jeanne was so excited as it was the biggest fish she ever caught. We had lots of fun. Jeanne's neighbor, nine year old Aris, came over to give me some fishing tips. She's a great fisherman and her advice really helps. I don't know why everyone in the world doesn't fish at sunset on a pond somewhere. It would solve a lot of the world's problems.

Away and Back Again

Priscilla and I went away for the weekend to New Hampshire. Joe stayed with Max for us. Since Joe is so trustworthy, we hardly worried at all. We went to see the new Harry Potter which was okay, not as great as the reviews make it out to be, but still very entertaining. We went to a homeowners cocktail party at Waterville Estates. Great hors d'ouevres but a sucky band. All in all it was a very relaxing weekend. Our drive home was topped off by seeing an ice cream truck crashed into the guard rail on Rte. 93 south on our way home. It was on fire. I called 911 to report it. The weekend is over and now we are watching John From Cincinatti on HBO trying to make some sense of it all. Five episodes in and I don't know if I like it or not. I keep coming back to it on Sunday nights, though. It's no Sopranos, but us TV junkies have to take what we can get.

Fourth of July, 2007

The fourth of July has changed quite a bit since I was young. It was hotter then. There were more firecrackers. We got up early to stand in line at the public school to get a free Hoodsie cup ice-cream and a wooden spoon. I couldn't eat with a wooden spoon without wrapping the handle in plastic because I didn't like the touch. And the wooden sensation from the spoon on my tongue wasn't the best sensation in the world but I could tolerate it to taste the chocolate-vanilla mix of processed ice-cream that I stood in line so early for. Some kids got in line for second helpings. Others asked for two or three for their absent siblings or their dogs. Then it was on to the parade. Balloons, pop-guns and my favorite, a monkey on a stick. I got one every year. The parade was long with band after band and clowns and floats of doll carriages and flowers, war veterans and politicians, shriners and fire-eaters. The sound of the big bass drums echoed in my stomach giving me an uneasy sensation, the horns blaring loudly as the brass section passed and faded in the distance. The Revolutionary tribute soldiers shooting their blank muskets in the air always stopped directly in front of us as we seeked shelter behind our parents and blocked our ears before the blast. There were always balloons being launched prematurley into the blue sky. Afterwards, the crowd filed home carrying their chairs and armloads of cheap toys destined to not last inot the afternoon.
After a few stops along the way we made it to my aunts house overlooking the hospital hill. Weeping willows for shade, family cooking, kids running around, music and festivities all afternoon into the night when in the distance we would see the foreworks and my mother would tell the story of how she was still in the hospital on the fourth of July after I was born, and she could see the fireworks from the window in her room, wishing she was with her family at the cookout on the hill.

Ship Of Fools

Cilla took me on the casino boat out of Lynn Harbor. We had a few slot hits at the end of the day so we broke even. We may take our money to the CT. casinos in the morning. We met an interesting couple in the ship's dining room who sat with us while we ate and waited to reach international waters.

Tomorrow is my birthday. Happy Birthday to me. My favorite birthday quote is by Laurie Anderson: "You were born. And now you're here. So Happy Birthday." Sheer genius.

If This Is Thursday, I Must Have Missed Wednesday

Oh that's right, I spent Wednesday working all day then going to the wake of the captain of my bowling league's mother in Everett, grabbing a bite to eat with Joe and then coming home to Cilla's gift of a huge-ass air-conditioner that will cool off the entire downstairs. Getting home at 9pm and finishing installation by 11 pm was a pain but it was worth it. Tomorrow I'm taking a vacation day to make up for the last one when didn't make it to the casino boat. We'll see what tomorrow brings. The heat wave is just about over. Max's Xbox returned from its second time out for repair. Hopefully it will work for longer than a month this time.

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

How fitting this movie title pops into my mind. I haven't seen it since I was a kid at the Park Theatre in Everett, but that's another story. The movie was about a whirlwind tour of Europe, fourteen countries in seven days or some such nonsense. I'm on that whirlwind tour now, only it's my life I'm visiting. My last post here was on Monday, June 18th. I turn around and it's Tuesday, June 26th. And everything in between is a blur. Stop the world, I want to get off.

Another New Day

Another veil is lifted and we get to start anew. Everyday we have the luxury of beginning again. Wipe the slate clean. Start fresh. We all have the power to make each day what we want it to be. I'm starting my new day tomorrow.

I need to come up with a story for next week's Independent column. I am so sick of the town politics crap and overrides and undercuts. I guess I'll wait and see how tomorrow's election turns out and I can write about that.

Sunday Out Of The Mountains

Father's Day has come and gone. I really liked my gifts: a Talking Heads concert DVD and a tomato plant. I hope to harvest some tomatoes this year and get even more plants next year if it works out. Our family trip to New Hampshire was realxing and quiet. Dreamgirls (the movie) left a lot to be desired. I guess it's time to turn in for the night and listen to the Drudge Report while I fall asleep...I want to face Monday rested and ready, although with this pre-summer heat I'm not sure how much sleep I'll get as I have not had time to install the A/C yet for this year.

Saturday In The Mountains

Tonight's posting is from the White Mountains, which goes to show you even on a weekend getaway, you can still stay connected. We brought the dog with us which we thought would be a pain but it worked out well. This summer should be a good one.

True Value

I had forgotten the value of a friend. A true friend. A friend who wants nothing but to be with you. To talk. To laugh. To end the day on a lighter note. To compare notes on life. To remember the good times of the past and to talk about good times to come in the future. After one beer with a friend I remember it all.

Global Cooling

It was cold today, for mid-June. Really cold and raw, misty and 60°, brrrrrrr. My twelve year old son practiced his golf game on the front lawn with plastic wiffle ball golf balls. I watered the garden hoping the cold water wouldn't harm the flowers. I have to trim the giant fire-bush in the front yard soon. I couldn't reach Joe on his phone but I told him before he left for Connecticut that he had to have the car back by 5pm tomorrow.

Baron Von Bloggenstein

I submitted an article today to Barstool Sports, a newspaper/web site that publishes a strange mix of categories, but I thought my stuff could fit into its format. The web site said they are not taking new submissions for stories but I found an email address from when they were taking submissions, so I sent my article anyway. Instead of a positive response, I got a return to sender email bounce-back. I've asked some people at work to bring in a hard copy of the newspaper so I can find another email address to send my stuff to, hopefully with better results.

Joe borrowed my car to take Jess back to Connecticut. He'll be back Thursday. I know he's careful with the car but the old anxiety still kicks in every once in a while. I'll feel better when he's home safe.

Thursday I'm having dinner with Paul who I haven't seen for a few months. We always have a good time catching up on old times.

Now that I've found time to blog here every night, I need to find a way to incorporate art into my daily routine.

Monday Monday

The new week has begun and already I'm exhausted. The anti-climactic ending to the Soprano's on HBO is now being debated in the media. Fraud or genius? You decide. I think the producers stole a page from Seinfeld and created a finale about nothing. But as I hear about all the hidden symbolism being debated, I want to watch the episode again. In any event, it has given me an ending for my article about the death of television. Stay tuned.

Sunday Night

I tried to make it through The Sopranos final episode without falling asleep. It was so slow I nodded off several times. But at least I made it back here to break my five night curse. Monday morning will be here in the blink of an eye. I hope the dog doesn't wake me up for his 3 AM walk. I'd like to sleep through one night of my life.

Saturday Morning

This blog thing is more addictive than I thought. I'm beginning to like it, even.
I'm taking a break inbetween writing my newspaper column, so I thought I would...well...write!
It's different writing blog, no pressure of the grammatical or spelling variety. Heck, do the thoughts here even have to make sense? Anyway, I've done my civic blogging duty for the day so I guess it's back to work...well...writing!

PS: Paris Hilton now has my sympathy. I agree with her return to jail and I hope she learns her lesson, but it's sad when someone is dragged out of court screaming for their mother and crying like that. Just goes to show no one is above the law, except maybe Steven Segal. Wasn't that one of his movie titles? I think so.

Take Me To The River

Our day on the casino boat did not happen. Instead Priscilla and I drove to Twin Rivers Casino in Lincoln, RI. After an hour drive, the casino was mediocre. We had a good time but not good enough to rush back anytime soon. The food court left something to be desired, so I got a coffee and jelly stick at Dunkin' Donuts to eat on the way home. The jelly stick had no jelly in it. That about summed up our whole experience for the day. At home after dinner, my back is spasming out so I'm back on Ibuprofin. This had better be a passing muscle pull or I'm going to be spending a lot of time typing. Thank God National Bingo NIght is on television tonight so I don't have to think. Tomorrow is Saturday so I can sleep until 7:00 am. Something tells me I'm going to be busy...

Cruise To Nowhere

Tomorrow we were supposed to take my parents for a trip on the casino boat out of Lynn Harbor. Joe is going to take care of Max (or vice-versa). My mother isn't feeling well so the boat trip has been posponed, but since Cilla and I have the day off, we are going to go somewhere for the day. But Max had his braces put on today for the first time so he is in a little bit of pain. Or is it because he knows we are off work tomorrow and he's trying to get out of going to school? We'll see how he is tomorrow. It really is hard to make plans around here.
Joe's girlfriend Jess is visiting for a couple of days. It's always nice to see her. She fits in very well with the family and most of all she can put up with Joe. He's still recovering from his back surgery.
So as usual there is a lot going on here. It's nights like this that bad television serves it purpose (but I have to say Pirate Master is one of the worst shows I've ever seen. I can't follow it at all). All the more reason to continue to write.

Top Chef

Dinner tonight was grilled outside. Linguisa, Knockwurst, Baked Beans, and a Garden Salad. My son, Joseph (20), is recovering from minor back surgery, so it's nice having him around (even if he acts likes an ass). That's just his way. I'm trying to catch a rerun of this morning's Howard Stern show to hear the full interview with Eli Roth (Hollywood director of some great horror films). I just wrote out checks for my bills this week and I don't like the way this economy is heading.

Day One

Welcome to my blog. I'm here only after a narrow escape from the television. I was almost sucked in to America's Got Talent.
David Hasslehoff, Sharon Osborne, some English guy and Jerry Springer...and a plethora of untalented Gong-Show rejects. It was enough to drive me out of the living room and upstairs to this screen. At least here, I control the vertical. I control the horizontal. I can take things to the outer limits. Wow. Even in cyberspace there is no escape from television's grip. Anyway, come back soon so I can see how many nights in a row I can actually blog here. (I'm guessing five)