Chasing Paper

This Weekend

2008-08-19T13:38:00.001-05:00

As many of you may know, the 3-Day --60 Mile walk to help find a cure for breast cancer is this weekend. Now I have asked you all for money on countless occasions and some of you did donate and I thank you. But I am writing to day to ask that if you live on the east side step out of your door and cheer us on.

Do Something Bold!

2008-07-15T13:13:00.000-05:00

3-Day Party

2008-04-30T10:36:00.002-05:00

On May 15th from 7 PM to 12 AM the Bodacious Tah-Tahs will have an awesome event to raise funds to help find a cure for breast cancer.

The event will be held at BG's Old World at 661 E. 185th in Euclid, OH. We are having karaoke, drink deals and a truck load of bawdy games with fabulous prizes available. We are also doing a 50/50 raffle and of course we will accept all donations at the door.

If you're not into making donations that's cool too just please stop out and bring all your friends.

2008-03-13T14:28:00.002-05:00

Voting

2008-03-04T12:17:00.001-05:00

The Iowa Basis Skills type of voting is ridiculous. Who came up with this nonsense? If people couldn’t figure out poke a whole in paper how are they supposed to handle fill in a circle? I can’t believe this is more efficient than previous formats.
I don’t believe that the electronic voting was too difficult for our esteemed state voting officials to get right. How can American Idol handle millions of votes cast by phone call and text message two days in a row for weeks on end and get it right and these idiots in Columbus can’t get it done a few time s a year?
Shameful.

Give Until It Hurts

2008-02-19T11:55:00.002-05:00

http://08.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/ClevelandEvent?pg=personal&fr_id=1183&fr_id=1183&px=1300843

Above is a link to my Breast Cancer Three Day site so you can make a donation. Iknow what you're thinking, "Didn't I give some money to this guy last year?" The answer is maybe. A lot of my friends did donate. And thanks so much to all of you who did. To those who didn't, now is your chance to catch up.

The reason I am doing this again is that women still die from breast cancer.

I think that is as good a reason as I can come up with. This cancer can have such an effect on a person or family and I can help find a cure by walking around Cleveland for three days. Last year we raise over 2 million dollars in Cleveland alone.

I think you have to ask yourslef, "Do I know a woman who I would not want to have breast cancer?" If you answered yes than you should donate a fat wad of cash to my fund raisng campaign. If you answered no, then you should donate anyway.

Think of it this way, the sooner I raise the required $2200.00 the less you will have to hear me ask you for money and that will make everyone happy.

Also, be on the look out for invites to the Bodacius Tah-Tahs fund raising parties. Ask anyone who came last year. They were a great fun for a great cause.

Update

2008-02-04T14:27:00.000-05:00

Someone mentioned that I was neligent in updating with photos of the Younger. So here is one. He was in action about to eat a Ritz. He does love crackers.

In unrelated news, the Republicans are still full of shit. I think that sums up my opinion on them for those who don't care for my ranting.

Here is another picture of the Younger. You will notice he is involved with another Ritz. You should also notice that he chews with his mouth closed and had his other had ready to catch any crums. What a good boy he is.

In unrealed news, the Browns are now sending Anderson and Winslow to the Pro Bowl. What a great year for not makingthe playoffs. For those of you who poo pooed them in pre-season well, I don't know what to say. I am sure you had valid reasons.

Things are going well for the family. the Mrs is still enjoying her new job and I am finding career satisfaction again. Goodey for me.

A letter from Tony

2008-01-08T08:51:00.001-05:00

Dear Friend,
This Friday, you can join thousands of people across the country in marking a sad anniversary with an act of hope.
The first prisoners arrived at the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, 2002. Guantánamo quickly became an international embarrassment. It has made a mockery of our laws and values for six long years. We won’t allow seven; this is the year we are going to end the national disgrace
Nationwide, the ACLU has set January 11th as a day of protest, declaring that it’s long past time that we put an end to illegality and close down Guantánamo. The ACLU and organizations across the country are asking people of conscience to wear orange to protest Guantánamo. I hope you will consider standing in solidarity by wearing orange on Friday as well.
Guantánamo is a reminder that fundamental values of justice and fairness can sometimes be violated by the very government entrusted with upholding them. That’s why we hope you will get involved in one of the following ways:
Pledge to stand up for American ideals and values. Sign the Pledge. And ask your friends to get involved.
Throughout this week, there will be events across the country- protests, prayer vigils, marches, and more - to bring focus to the injustices being perpetrated at Guantánamo.
Check out the materials we have available online: you can print out a poster and fact sheet, download a blog badge and get a toolkit with tools and tips on how to get further involved on January 11th.
We’re running online ads on over 100 blogs to raise awareness and ignite further activism in new audiences. If you have a blog, please consider downloading and posting a badge, and blog about closing Guantánamo this week. Let us know about your blog and we’ll keep you on the inside track with updates, interviews and additional resources.Guantánamo has become a stain on our nation’s honor. That is why it is so important you join the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are demanding the closure of the prison at Guantánamo on January 11th.
Thank you for standing with people of conscience to demand the US government close Guantánamo once and for all.
Thank you,
Anthony D. RomeroExecutive Director ACLU
P.S. There is so much more we can do to spread the word and encourage others to join in this protest. Check here for more ways to get involved.

Happy Old Year

2007-12-27T11:58:00.001-05:00

http://buffalobeast.com/122/50mostloathsome2007.html

I thouhght this was funny

2007-12-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

http://www.break.com/index/best-penalty-of-the-year.html

English

2007-11-29T16:02:00.000-05:00

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kanhave one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where! more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou;" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas. If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.

Racism at a rib shack

2007-11-16T09:18:00.000-05:00

http://www.woio.com/Global/story.asp?S=7336452

Watch the video on Cleveland's jake news station. It is hard to believe that this goes on in Ohio in 2007.

Good Day

2007-11-15T16:02:00.000-05:00

I got an email from an old friend I haven't talk with in five years today and I was so happy I had to write it here. I also got an email from an old friend that I was not so happy to get. That one felt like I had been found by Columbia House and had finish my one year commitment to by 10 CDs.

I am not typically a catch up kind of person. In my younger days I would suffer through and wish for out. As I grew older and people I used to know would get in touch I would say hello and walk away without a second look and I like this method.

So for me to have someone I thought was gone and was fine with that get in touch and have me happy about it is a neat feeling.

I wonder if I have some emotional disconnect that enables me to close off people I used to know and in a lot of cases cared for without much thought. I am actually pretty sure that I do do this very thing and have relied on it so I don't end up a weepy person longing for days gone by because usually when a relationship ends there are hurt feelings.

I don't have hurt feelings in this case and look forward to reconnecting. Now I am off to let Beau Bridges out. The Mrs. and the Younger are going to 4 year old's Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.

Perseption is Fact

2007-11-08T16:49:00.000-05:00

A Pittsburgh Joke:
Two boys are playing hockey on a pond in Bethel Park when one is suddenly attacked by a rabid Rottweiler. Thinking quickly, the other boy takes his stick and shoves it under the dog?s collar and twists, breaking the dog's neck and saving his friend. A reporter who was strolling by sees the incident. "Penguins Fan Saves Friend From Vicious Animal", he starts writing in his notebook. "But I'm not a Penguins fan," the little hero replied. "Sorry, since we are in Pittsburgh I just assumed you were," said the reporter and he starts writing again. "Steelers Fan Rescues Friend From Horrific Attack.""I'm not a Steelers fan either," the boy said. "Oh, I assumed everyone in Pittsburgh was either for the Penguins or the Steelers. What team do you root for?" the reporter asked. "I'm a Browns fan," the child said.The reporter starts a new sheet in his notebook and writes, "Little Bastard From Ohio Kills Beloved Family Pet."

Meet Me in St. Louis

2007-11-07T16:41:00.000-05:00

I went to St. Louis, MO for work this past weekend. It was a good trip as much as can be expected for spending the weekend walking back and forth and up and down all over parking garages at a busy mall.
I didn't get to see to much of the city beyond the job site and the airport. This is usually the case when I travel for work. I know there is an arch to look at and they barbecue, but other than that I don't know what I would have looked at anyway.
I traveled with the PE we use. He is in his declining years and this trip was holding up from his wintering in Arizona so he wasn't too much fun. The hotel was nice except the air was so dry I left feeling like a Pringle. They charged 11 bucks for the breakfast buffet and although it did offer a make-it- yourself waffle station, I think $11 for breakfast is too much.
We had dinner at a seafood place that was OK. The shrimp cocktail was over boiled and came out a touch softer than I prefer but what do you want for seafood in MO? As the restaurant had ambiance and named rooms they charged hotel prices for the drinks which I find rude, especially when the bartender puts on a hockey game during dinner.
We had a new Pontiac Grand Prix. It was a generic car that left no impression on me.
The air travel was fine I guess. As the PE thinks himself a real traveling expert he had us gate check out bags. As I always just check by bags at desk I never paid attention to the fact that you can't travel with shampoo or shaving cream. I had to throw away these items under the stern eye of some old lady work for the TSA. I know she was just doing her part for national security, but I don't see how my mouthwash was a threat and I still don't think she needed back up.
It was nice to come home and see the Mrs and the Younger.

Gay Wizard

2007-10-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

So, I just read that Dumbledoor was gay and wanted to beat Kristen to the punch. I had never given sexuality a thought while reading the (or listening to) the books. In my mind the people were largely without sex.

I don't think it matters much that he was written gay because it is fiction and nobody knew he was gay until the author said he was and how surprised should people be? I think it would have been a more interesting idea to out him in the first book and then see how popular the series became.

Hanky Panky

2007-10-12T09:23:00.000-05:00

Last night MDB and I went to the House of Blues to listen to Henry Rollins. Thanks for the tickets. I was a touch apprehensive as I was not that familiar with Mr. Rollins other than his show on IFC and there he always seems angry.
He was in fact quite engaging and I enjoyed the show very much. Afterwords we had hot dogs with sour kraut, cole slaw and chili that I can taste still taste.

A Surge in Idiocy

2007-09-14T10:25:00.001-05:00

I did not listen to Bush on the TV last night. I already knew what he would say and that it would be bullshit. I saved myself the aggravation and enjoyed the company of friends and family.

The point of the title here is this. The in troops will lower the violence in Iraq. It is the same logic that more police on the freeway will lessen the inclination to speed. Nobody wants to get caught when up to their nasty business.

But where I find the real idiocy is that at the same time we are told the surge is working we are told that troops are coming home. How can it be that the surge has fixed the problems in Iraq? Has the addition of several thousand troops to the area erased generations of turmoil between the factions and the fractions of factions and now everyone will just get along? I doubt it.

I think I have mentioned it before, but I am mad at the people who voted for this dolt, especially a second time, for what common sense should have told them would be a mistake. He is a man of limited imagination and runs at a deficit in honor. He is a smear on the good name, such as it was, of the United States and sullies our futures in the world.

I am reminded of stories of ancient Rome, where idiots and incompetents were placed in high position solely on their name, much to the ruin of the as then greatest empire the world had known. It is sad in deed for us all.

I Like It

2007-09-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

Bonfiglioli, Kyril.

He wrote a series (three in all) about a British fellow who has some neat adventures.
I recommend them all.

Post # 111

2007-09-07T07:53:00.000-05:00

I have been busy and lazy at the same time. I finished the 3-day a few weeks ago. thanks to everyone who came out in support of the event. Oh yeah, it was just the Mrs., the Younger and the Beav.

It was a great time by and large. I do sincerely thank those who donated and/or came to the event at FAT's. I would think to do this next year but fund raising was like pulling teeth because I am not good at asking for money and a lot of the people I asked are not good at giving it.

I hate to be bitter and force what is important to me on the people I know, actually I don't mind forcing my will at all. What I do dislike is when my will is rebuffed when all I ask for is a few bucks; and to save boobs. Who doesn't like boobs? What if you or someone you know gets breast cancer and the doctor tells you we were only $50 away from a cure? Then wouldn't you feel like a huge piece of shit? I mean it wasn't like I was asking people to help me move I was asking them to write a check.

I think what really hurts is that I think I am a pretty good friend. I don't recall a time when I have refused to help any of my friends out whenever they ask, except when the Macs moved but I had my reasons. I do recognise that my priorities have changed with the addition of the Younger and the Mrs. and I are more focused on home than anywhere else, but it felt like I had been abandoned my people who I have known since I was a boy.

But I digress...

I took a week off work after the walk to let my feet heal and have been lazy since. I will get back to a routine similar to the one I had to keep the fat off my belly.

The Younger celebrated his 2nd birthday last weekend. We had a small party with family that was more fun than I thought it would have been. Giant Eagle's steak burgers at the butcher counter are good. Also Spaten's Oktoberfest is available at the Legacy Village Giant Eagle and it is damn fine.

Sunday is the 1st home game and is against the Steelers. We will be at the muni lot around 6 AM. Stop by with beer and food if you are cool. It is only $15 per car and we have color TV in the lot.

Party Invite

2007-07-23T14:43:00.000-05:00

As you are all aware, I am participating in the 3-Day, 60 mile walk for Breast Cancer this August. As you may also know I have to raise funds for this cause.
You being the people that I know I am forced to ask you to help out. But, I offer you a fun time and a great spaghetti dinner in return for you $15.00 donation. For those of you who have already given, thank you so much, but I still expect to see you on July 28th between noon and 9 PM at Frank and Tony's on Second Street in downtown Willoughby.
For those of you who have not given yet, this is a great opportunity to help a great cause and a hell of a guy.
If you are unable to make it to the event, as always you can make a donation online at:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=202302&lis=1&kntae202302=F332D69896954BA8AC3BA960E6302A8B&supId=168613333
Other wise, give me a call at 216-291-3676 and we can set up a time to get you your tickets or they will be available a the door.

Hammy Hammy Hammy

2007-07-18T15:46:00.000-05:00

I recall a time in my youth, at the Maple Festival in Chardon, where a man on a PA would call out, "HAM, HAM, HAM." The cry went out hour after hour enticing passers by to stop and get a ham sandwich. Imagine my disappointment when I stepped up to place order, a small boy brought in close with the promise of ham and then finding out that it was not chip chopped ham.

I have always liked chip chopped ham with Kraft singles and Miracle Whip on white bread. If it comes with a side of Frito's I would grin from ear to ear. I think it is one of the best comfort foods ever. It is salty and tangy and the favor is just so incredibly simple.

To this day, when I get special moments alone, I like to eat them with my shirt off, laid out on the couch. As I have aged I have included a plate in the mix but for years I would eat them straight off the arm of the couch and leave crumbs on the sofa and on my tummy.

I am off to get a hair cut.

Political Satire

2007-07-12T16:21:00.001-05:00

I got this in an email from my aunt and thought it was fun. I make no claim that the quotes' accreditations are accurate. Enjoy or not, I do not care.

1) Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself.- Mark Twain

2) I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is Like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.- Winston Churchill

3) A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.- George Bernard Shaw

4) Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner .- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

5) Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.- Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

6) Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to boys.- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

7) Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

8) Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.- Ronald Reagan (1986)

9) I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.- Will Rogers

10) If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free.- P.J. O'Rourke

11) In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.- Voltaire (1764)

12) Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.- Pericles (430 B.C)

13) No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.- Mark Twain (1866)

14) Talk is cheap... except when Congress does it.- Unknown

15) The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.- Winston Churchill

16) What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.- Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

17) A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
- Thomas Jefferson

Beware the Black Widow.

2007-07-03T15:48:00.000-05:00

The "Black Widow" is reborn and like a fiery Phoenix will again rule the road ways. Or at least will be operated at tailgate functions by well schooled and experienced pilots capable of handling this mad bitch gone wild. Mostly it will be drunken thirty-somethings but that has no romance in it.
I am very much looking forward to minutes of glee speeding down the Muni-lot in excess of five miles per hour. Weeeee!

If the horse is dead, why do I keep beating it?

2007-06-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know if the title means anything, it just sounded good to me. I have been busy with work lately which is good. I haven't gotten a promotion, which I think I should have gotten but I am patient but only so. I don't know for sure how to ask for the promotion and I fear rejection as I don't know what I would do following. Would I stay on and feel like a punk or try to move on into something new that may be worse?

Sometimes I think (actually I know for sure) that I should be doing something else. What it is I am not clear on. This makes doing it even more difficult. I think I need a public access show where I can talk and then people will see it and hear it and then I will be famous and have a late night show in syndication where I do the same thing. I think the show would be part interview, part topical and part drunken auto and home repair tips. Now with that in place all I need are the production means and methods and a (some) loyal sidekick/co-host (s) to be the strait man/woman (men/women) in the routine(s) ( I like to put things in parenthesis). I think I need to get this idea in the works and stop boring myself.

I do like my job and I do have a future here if I want it, but is this what I want? Does this complete me? Is this the example I want to give to the Younger? That it is OK do stick with a job or career that is just OK instead of trying something that you are pretty sure is what you want? I doubt it. Or maybe I am only fun at parties and have delusional ideas about myself and my potential. Hell, maybe I am not even fun at parties and should be happy just to have a job that doesn't involve french fries.

I do like those Lays chips with the sea salt. Those are some damned fine chips. I am also a fan of the Tostito's multi-grain chips too. Those are good, but different than the potato chips I mentioned.

I got a kick ass grill for Father's Day. I am happy to have it. Being a grill owner makes me feel like a real dad. Now all I need is an apron with a funny saying on it. So far I made chicken, pork chops and hot dogs. I think Brats are on the menu for tonight.

Saturday the Mrs. and I are going to the "Celebrity" Soul Food Cook-Off. It is sponsored by the nonprofit she works for. I think this may be the year for Harry Boomer's meatballs.

3-Day Party

2007-06-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

The 3-Day Party has been rescheduled to July 28, 2007 form 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM. We will still be at Frank & Tony's on 2nd Street in historic downtown Willoughby, Ohio.

There will be food and drink specials and wonderful door prizes and fun fun fun. There may me be a small cover that will be donated to our team's (the Bodacious Tah Tahs) fund to help support breast cancer research.

If we get our act together we may have cool shirts you could purchase that will have some sort of quasi sexy logo or something having to do with boobs but it's OK because it helps breast cancer.

If you would like more information about the charity check out the Save Boobs Here link on this page. You can also make donations there if you can't attend this kick ass party.

Walk On

2007-06-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

I walked 24 miles this weekend. 13 on Saturday in Rocky River w/ Steph and 10 in Willoughby Hills w/ Nicki and Courtney.

They are some of the other Bodacious Tah-Tahs that I am walking with for the 3-Day Breast Cancer walk in August.

Today my legs feel like overly tight springs but it is worth it so when I have to do 3 days of 20 miles/day I won't have to punk out and take the van ride of shame to the medical tent.

I know I have mentioned it here and in person to many of you, but part of my commitment, beyond walking my ass off, is to raise $2200.00. To date I have $940.00 and am fast approaching the deadline. If you have already made your tax deductible donation on my behalf, thank you; for those of you who have not, please do.

Just a reminder, we will be having a kick-ass party at Frank and Tony's in historic downtown Willoughby. We have not picked a date yet, but it will NOT be July 21st. At the party there will be food and drinks with part of the proceeds helping our team out. We will also be selling T-shirts and what not so if you like you can get something more than a warm feeling for your donation.

In other news, the Cavs are going to the NBA finals for the 1st time. I think this is good for the city and therefore is good for me.

Two Words for You

2007-05-29T15:57:00.000-05:00

One time a drunk girl said to my friend John for MI, "I got two words for you. GO TO HELL!" John and I, also drunk at the time, oddly enough laughed out loud at the girl making matters all the more irate and making us laugh more.

But those aren't the two words that prompted my posting. The two words on my mind are Air Supply. That's right. Those odd looking singers from down under that made smarmy love songs in the 70's and 80's. I recently downloaded their greatest hits to my itunes and I am loving me some Air Supply. They could really turn a phrase and make you feel to love, or love lost, in every song.

What happened to love songs about love? Now all we get is sexy dirty talk from people who wouldn't know love if it gave them a reach around. I wish I had been looking for love or had been in love when this Air Supply stuff was on the AM radio 24/7; to see them pop love song out on Solid Gold with Rex Smith would have been the most. I could have slow danced without rubbing my dork on my lady fair's bottom and showing wood in front of our contemporaries before we'd sneak off to get in on without protection or a worry beyond what penicillin could fix.

It makes you wonder if we really have come so far. In our hurry to advance it seems we have regressed to our ancient self rutting about showing our attractions and availability with inflamed organs exposed so any willing partner would know at first glance.

So yeah, I got two words, Air Supply.

Update II: Aligators on Parade

2007-05-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

Hey thanks all for your comments on post # 100. It was a big moment for me and I am glad you could share it with me.

So to bring you up to speed with the goings on in my house...

In an effort to hasten the Younger's development we have skipped right on past potty training and other early child development practices and are teaching him to drive.

Here he is after doing the curves on MLK in the Mrs' Saab car. He was doing fine until a load of the aged and infirm in a Buick Station Wagon doing 15 in the 35. He was doing 103 so he just blew past when the filth showed up and he got pinched.

In this photo the Younger was back from some extreme 4x4 driving in my truck. I don't know where he was but it took 4 trips trough the wash to get the mud off the roof. There was also dead rabbit in stuck in the wheel well and I didn't want to know anymore.

This weekend we are off the my mother's for hot dogs and family visiting. Happy Memorial Day to you all.

Post Number 100

2007-05-21T13:38:00.000-05:00

Wow. 100 posts for me.

I just did a recap of my friends adventure with an online music store and the grief he has gone through to get a deserved refund. I too have had my more than fare share of discussions and feuds with customer "service" representatives in the last year. My gripes were related to our purchase of new appliances that have shortly after delivery, quit working. I was told by several employees that I was locked into the service they provided and if I didn't like it to go screw. Both times have required multiple days at home waiting on service techs and their 8 hour appointment windows. The last time I did get a new appliance delivered and I felt vindicated.

The point here though is not that I won or that my friend may win. The point is we were customers who had problems and were not given appropriate service. What ever happened to the customer always being right? I mean if a restaurant gave crap service, you would complain and it would be taken care of on the spot with an apology from the manager. Over the phone or online you get a case of the ass from some disembodied ninny reading a script who is always unable to offer the help you request or anything close to what you request.

An 8 hour appointment for a faulty installation should not be acceptable. And then, then to miss the appointment altogether? If you order a pizza, a fucking pizza, and were told it would be on your door in 30 minutes and it wasn't it would be free. If you ordered peperoni and it showed up with sausage it would be free. These dicks installed a dryer incorrectly and could have burned down my house and I had to take 3 days off work and make countless phone calls to get my 2 month old dryer replaced. Even then It was me reminding them that the dryer in place may be a fire hazard and that if my house was damaged because of their lack of action I would be pleased as punch as long as nobody was hurt.

I bought something for the Younger from Walmart.com. It showed up past the promised delivery date and was damaged. I could take it back to a local Walmart but would have to eat the shipping. When I asked why I am being held responsible for shipping a damaged product the idiot at the customer "service" desk told me that because Walmart.com and Walmart are not the same store she really couldn't help me. The good people at the Walmart.com customer "service" hot line offered for me to ship the item back to them, then they would refund the return shipping to me in 4 to 6 weeks. Again no reasonable answer to why I should want to pay to have a defective item shipped to me could be offered.

I have had it with these rude and awful people and their inability to actually help anybody. Especially when the help required to save a customer is right in front of them. The customer it telling them what they want to make things better and usually it is to return or replace the crap they sent in a timely manner with as little inconvenience to the customer. Why is this so freaking hard to figure out?

Because of the poor service I no longer shop at Sears, HH Greg or Walmart. I tell people all the time how crap the service was and how rude the people were and how awful the in home service was. I mention it to people on several occasions whenever the subject comes up to be sure that people know how bad my experiences were and hope that they too join me in my boycott. I hope they do. I hope people continue to stop shopping at Sears, HH Greg and Walmart and I hope that me telling my true stories of customer service hell convinces them not to shop at these places. I hope that my efforts help lead to a revitalized the customer service industry so we can all enjoy shopping, knowing in advance that if we buy something we don't want we won't have to fight to get it returned.

Event

2007-05-16T08:23:00.000-05:00

Hello all,
As you may know I am going to be walking 60 miles over three days in August to help support breast cancer research. As part of this walk, as is the case with most charities, I am asked to get donations from friends, family, and strangers. To those of you who have already donated, thank you very much. To those of you who have not, here is your opportunity.

My team, the Bodacious Tah-Tahs, if throwing a kick-ass party at Frank and Tony's Bar in historic Downtown Willoughby and you are all invited. The owner of the bar is donating the space and a portion of the proceeds.

As an added benefit you will get a chance to see me in my natural surrounding although I will be cooking and serving drinks instead of eating and drinking. There will be contests and fun for all. They have a full menu and bar and now the place is smoke free.

The time is July 21st from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
The location is 2nd Street downtown Willoughby.

Please mark your calenders and show up and have fun while supporting a good cause and a good guy, me.

If you want to learn more about the 3-Day walk or make a donation check out my special 3-day web site at:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=202302&lis=1&kntae202302=F332D69896954BA8AC3BA960E6302A8B&supId=168613333

My Left Foot

2007-05-14T14:57:00.000-05:00

My left foot feels fine after my 10 mile walk . I went with our team captain to Chapin's Forrest this past Saturday and we strolled along for a 3 hour walk in the woods. It was actually kind of fun to hike about avoiding huge piles of horse manure and looking at owls and deer and what not.

So far the walking part of my 3-day is going well. The fund raising, as I expected, is harder for me. I am not big on asking for help from people and certainly not from strangers. I am not too worried yet as I still have about 2.5 months to get the rest of the money in, but I would just as soon have it in and done.

In other news, Mother's Day was yesterday and that was nice. I cut the grass and used my new 18 volt rechargeable weed eater/edger and the yard looks pretty good. I did this after Mrs. got breakfast in bed and cards a gift. She seemed like she liked it but she might have just been being polite.

I called my mother and grandmother too. My grandmother is in a home these days as she is old and in poor shape. It is hard to talk to someone in a home, but I guess that is a cop out as it is harder to be in a home.

I feel bad for her and wish she was still in good health and happy to be alive. I am scared she will die soon and I will miss her. Not that we've hung out much over the last years, but it is a comfort to know she was there. I think there are far too few people in the world that love you and the loss of one leaves deep and permanent scars. For me, it makes me want to pull away from other people and the person facing impending doom. I think it is a defence mechanism to protect my fragile inner self. I have used this defence on several occasions of similar and different circumstances and have usually regretted doing so after the fact, but try as I may, it seems more natural for me to be this way than to engage my fears and pains and adapt to the situation.

The Younger is growing like a well manicured and healthy lawn. I know the more typical saying references a weed but I think weeds are negative and refuse to make a allegory out if weed and my son. He repeats about everything he hears so that's fun in the car. One night at dinner he went into a rousing version of "Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band that had the Mrs. and I rolling on the floor laughing our colletive asses off. I know I could have used some instant message short hand but that is for children and whores and I am neither.

Welcome to Me

2007-05-07T09:15:00.000-05:00

I am have been ill the last few days and did not care for it at all. I am feeling better now and need to get back on my kick ass training regime. I am surprised how easy the training part has been, and that I actually (a part for the blisters, shin splints & strained hammys) enjoy it very much. The harder part is begging people for support.

I am still trying to get donations for my 3-day walk to help fight breast cancer. For those of you who have already donated I offer heart-felt thanks. For those of you who plan to, go ahead and do it lest you forget. You can do it electronically on my web site for the 3-day:
http://www.the3day.org/cleveland07/mrbebout?faf=1&e=992623937

Or you can send a check made out to Breast Cancer 3-Day. If this option works better for you, email me and I will get you my address. I have some form that has to accompany the check so it goes toward my total.

If you aren’t all into saving women and helping find cures for breast cancer, then do it for the tax deduction. Do it for America.

Post for Post's Sake

2007-04-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

I do not post and you do not read. I used to post almost daily and then, I had other things to do. Not that if you do post everyday I am judging you, just, it's not for me.

I have continued my training for my heroic 60 mile walk to help find a cure for breast cancer. This takes up a fair amount of my off time and some of my on time as I am usually a touch sore. An added benifit is that my skinny pants are now my just right pants and my fat guy pants are too large to consider wearing outside of yard work. If I ate better I think I would notice even more changes in my alreayd hot bod.

I am finding the fund raising to be least on my list as I am not a fan of pestering folks to lend monetary support to a good cause if they don't want to and I am not of the constitution to hit up strangers as many of you may know I do not typically get on well with new people. Again if you read this and want to, please donate on my behalf.

I have joined a team chalked full of twenty-something chicks and I think we are going to have a fund raising event at Frank and Tony's Bar in Willoughby sometime in the next several weeks. i hope you could all attend and get pissed on the way east side. If you are wondering, the name of our team is, and I had no say in this, The Bodacious Tah-Tahs. Our team leader is my boss's gal pal and and so far the rest of the team are her friends that I don't know. This may be problematic for me as I don't usually get on well with new people, so if anyone wants to join our team, and want to walk 60 miles and raise cash, feel free.

Help Me Save Boobs (and people)

2007-03-16T09:11:00.000-05:00

If you are reading this you know me or know of me so I will not use the form letter many of you may have already recieved. I signed up to do the Breast Cancer 3-day walk and to raise money to help in medical research and what not.

Now some may wonder why I decided to do this, and quietly so do I. I don't have some defining moment in my life that was affected by breast cancer although I know and have known people who have suffered and died from breast cancer. I think for me, I just wanted to do something good for other people.

I have made an decision to try to be an above average person, to make a mark beyond my work-a-day life and this seems like an honorable cause to get behind. This is something I can tell my son about as an example of how people should operate.

60 miles in three days in August with a truck load of emotional women will be quite a test for me as I am not particularly fond of heat walking or emotions, but nowhere near the tests a lot of the people and their families have gone through.

So please, Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support The Breast Cancer 3-Day. You can give a little or a lot, or if you really get yiped up and in a fit of super altruism you could sign up too.

For the Record: The Return

2007-02-09T14:41:00.000-05:00

I had a moment here and wanted to post a few thoughts. [Note to reader: If you are reading my thoughts you must have a moment or two as well. Thanks For stopping.]

I have a split in my left hand middle finger finger nail and have had for about two years. I should have it looked at by a medical professional. [Note to reader: I most likely will not have it looked at unless the nail splits all the way back in which case I will blame a yet to be named source for my misfortune as is customary in my nation.]

I have started working out at the gym with some frequency and so far have enjoyed the results. [Note to reader: As is the case whenever enjoy something I have decided it is the right thing to do and will, without provocation, try to influence others to follow suit.]

I read where the Republicans in the House are all yiped up about the jet the new Speaker is using to make her cross country trips. They are saying that it is too expensive and creates too much pollution. [Note to reader: Too expensive and creates too much pollution is the cornerstone of Republican philosophy.]

Anna Nicole Smith died at 39 years old. At this time I do not know how she died and am not too broken up over her passing. I am a gasp that she has gotten more press in her passing than did the God Father of Soul, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, James Brown.[Note to reader: Ours is not to judge how this woman lived her life and if you are, shame on you.]

For Audient

2007-02-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

Porcupine Tree is adding work to a Yoko Ono retrospective.

Picture of Cheese: Reloaded

2007-01-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

I have located several pictures of cheese. I don't even know which cheese is which in most cases. And do you want to know the funniest part? I don't care. I don't care if its cheddar or Swiss or what ever. I just love the see pictures of cheese.

I see some white-ish cheese here and some has blue-green moldy stuff and it looks good enough to eat.

There also some orange-yellow cheese and some with holes and some even wrapped up in waxed paper and tied with a string. Now you don't see that everyday.

Here are a whole bunch of bunched up cheeses. It hearkens me back to my time in Europe where the people will eat cheese that has sat out all day in the heat.

These are some more recognizable cheeses. I think there is even string cheese pictured. How neat.

This is the First Picture of Cheese. It is two slices of Swiss. How lovely. The Swiss people will plain old leave their cheese out so be careful if you are in Switzerland and someone offers you some cheese, believe you me

So now we say so long to pictures of cheese and I think that we are all a little better off for having seen them. Thank you

Picture of Cheese: The Reckoning

2007-01-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

In honor of my birthday I offer this Picture of Cheese:

Or, I would have if I was able to find the photo. What goes on here? I have in my possesion, or did, a choice photo of some cheese that I feel needs to be shared with my reading public. Damn! Damn! Damn!

So instead I show "Man on Scooter: Ruch Hour on Mayfield". He was doing about 1 MPH while cutting off a line of automobiles 10 deep. I was 5th back and happy as a clam.

Speaking of auotomobiles, here we see " 45 in a 65 and Hell Bent for Leather and Rust" I think this says everything that can be said.

Finally I present, "I Can't Drive 35 on MLK at 5:00 PM on a Tuesday in September". You may notice that this is a Buick and you can just make out the blue tag hanging from the rearview mirror.

Heart Burn

2007-01-04T16:34:00.000-05:00

I have heart burn and am not happy about it. I think it was the juevos racheros from Jalapeno Loco, but I am not going to swear to it at this point. Thankfully my office has a bottle of the Extra Strength Smooth Dissolve Tums in the cupboard.

In addition, I got a package delivered to work because I am sure someone will be here for the UPS guy. Everyone gets all excited and wants to know what I got. I think I won't tell them and be all secretive. I won't tell you people either to give you a touch of mystery in your day.

Damn heart burn. The Mrs thinks I should get a check up at the doctor's to stave off esophageal cancer. She is, as is mostly the case, probably right. I also need to get my eyes checked as I am on the second to last pair of contacts. I have made my 6 month supply last for like three years, so I am over due.

Speaking of over due, I need to renew some library items. I won't say what I have out, or how over due it is. Now you are all wondering, "What does he have out? How over due is it?" Keep wondering.

I love the power I have over you at this point. You may even be wondering if I really have heart burn at all.

Happy New Year

2006-12-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

I am just saying Happy New Year now, so when I forget later you can't give me grief.
Also, best wishes to the family of James Brown.

Picture of Cheese

2006-12-06T16:53:00.000-05:00

This was going to be a picture of cheese but the photo would not upload.

So, I decided to try and upload some funny cars I photographed while driving. Here again the photos will not come along as requested. They may just want to take more time than I am willing to allow so it is your loss as they were all great and interesting pictures. Maybe some other time.

Server is Down

2006-12-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

Our server is down. It is much like having a sub in the 3rd grade. I would be better off at home as I am doing very little, as everything I could be doing would require being on the server.

Such is my burden.

We missed KRS10's birthday part last weekend. Happy 30th!! We wanted to go, but both grandmothers had Christmas parties to attend and were unavailable. It seems like all had a good time.

We went to a baby shower for Powers and Brandy. Actually the Mrs and the Younger went to the shower. I went with Powers to play pool. It was such a macho thing to do that while playing pool I had a burger and drank draft light beer. Sometimes I like to be a dude.

Here is a funny story. On Thanksgiving I called to talk to my mother and sister and wish them well. When I was done talking with my sister she said something nice in salutation and I said, "thank you". I did not think about it much, but the Mrs and the sister of Mrs were a gasp. I guess I should have reciprocated in kind and that, "thank you" was not a good way to end a call. Who knew?

I am often times confounded by the relationship I have with my family. Not the Mrs and the Younger, but my mom and sister and those types. I mean I do love them in my own way, and wish them nothing but the best, and generally I care for them. I just have some blockage that keeps me from getting all emotional about them. And the further away on the family tree, the less trouble I have noting the blockage to the point where I am not too concerned about them. I have a truck load of cousins and aunts and so on that I just can't make room for in my limited circle of caring.

I don't wish them ill, nor I am overly rude to them when I am guilted into seeing them at some function or another, but in large I am not interested in seeing them at all. I don't care what they are doing, and I don't want them to care about me.

I think this must have something to do with my childhood. I wish I figure out a way to sue my 1st grade teacher for this but don't have any reason to blame Mrs Bibler, so I will go on as before dreading the next time I have to see these people.

Weekend In Review Again

2006-11-20T15:15:00.000-05:00

Blogger Beta still stinks....
As do the Browns. The Bucs won and I am as happy as I think is reasonable for a person who has not had too much interest in OSU sports.
The Mrs and I worked in the yard Saturday and I got a kick ass blower/vac. I am the luckiest fellow in town.

Blogger In Beta Sucks

2006-11-17T08:16:00.000-05:00

I do not like this new Blogger in Beta and see no reason for the switch. They must have known it was going to suck becuase they have made it so you can't switch back to the previous version that worked so well.
I have two main gripes:
1. I have to log in to Blogger each and ever time I want to check a blog or post a comment as for some reason my PC no longer finds the required cookie.
2.This aggravation is doubled as people who have not switched do not seem to be included in the new Google accounts. As I no longer have my old blogger account I can't post comments.

Why is it the technology-minded people are quick to accept things that are no where near fully flushed out and once the rest of the people finally figure out how to work with the bugs, the technos change things to a new thing with new problems that have to be re-figured. I point to the mobile phone which if you looked at it does not work. No system in place has a phone that always works. We have all dropped calls and had voice mail show up three days later and so on. But while these issues are still in place, now we have phones that can shoot video. The video is grainy and nearly unwatchable but has been added to the phone. WTF.

Pork

2006-11-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

The Mrs. made my favorite breaded and fried pork chops last night. They were the greatest then and this morning in sandwich form.
The Younger will have some broiled chops tonight and I will have the rest of the breaded and fried. There is no reason to start him this early down this road and besides, this way I won't have to share.
previous to the pork I had a couple Great Lakes Chirstmas Ales at Malarkey's in Willoughby. I am not usually a fan of Great Lakes beer, but in this case they were good.
All in all, it was a good night.

What's Happening?

2006-11-13T16:37:00.000-05:00

Not too much here. I swithced to the new blogger. What a pain in the ass. I am not a fan of change for changes sake and this is what this seems to be.
My eyes hurt. I think it is time I look into some laser surgery on my eyeballs. I am too sick of glasses and contacts and my perscriptions are both out of date.
I am in a smart-looking wool sweater. It itches like crazy. I wonder how people started wearing wool. I can see being the first guy, but how did he convince his fellows that a nice itchy wool shirt was in order? That guy must have been fun at office parties. He was probably the same guy that started eating sea urchins or balls.
It is kind of crazy to think how far people have come in such a short time, and sad to see how far we have left to go.
I am going to go home soon and eat left overs with my family. That will be cool.

Post Number Hooray II

2006-10-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

I don't have anything to say but didn't want to be lowered on the Audient list. The Brwons stink at football playing but we had a good time in the muni-lot.
Powers found us all the fixings for some good Brats from the kind people there. We feasted like drunk men a parking lot.

Where Am I ?

2006-10-10T13:07:00.000-05:00

I can't see my blog. I think this must have something to do with my outspoken dislike of the president.

Breathe Right

2006-10-09T07:45:00.000-05:00

Sometimes people need to clear the air as it were so they can see what is in front of them. I am no different.

My last post was the direct responce to soupy fog and blurred vision. Not to say the picture was completely out of focus, just that without layers of built up anger about, I am not feeling as aggrieved.

Which brings me to something completly different.

When you write something, you have to assume it will be read. From a note to your spouse to pick up the dry cleaning to the next great American novel, which will most likey be about an unfulfilled life in suburbia.

The thing to keep in mind is that writing, unlike a conversation, leaves considerable room for interpretation. It is the responsibility of the author to be clear as to communicate what they mean and the reader to be sure they understand what was written in the absence of the author's clarity. A foggy message is not good writing and it is not clever.

The problem of being unclear can be limited by author in knowing who they write for. This is the same for any type of communication. This is why people who use jargon specific to an occupation in conversation with poepl outside the occupation always sound confusing.

Realization

2006-10-06T13:44:00.000-05:00

Sometimes people will piss you off on accident. Like while driving when someone pulls out in front of you and goes slowly for no reason. This makes you mad, but ultimatley you can get over it because you are sure they didn't mean to piss you off. If you mentioned it to them they might say they were sorry which also helps you move past the anger.

Then there are times when people do things that can only be reasoned to be delibratly designed to upset you. Like being consistanly rude to you or the ones you love without apology or explanation even after notification of the offense.

When this happens you have choices. You can either just assume that the person has poor manners or low self control and accept them for themselves. But really what is the benefit in that?

But if the condition continues, say for ten years or so off and on, I think it has become clear that the person just doesn't care for you. That they don't like you and or aggresivly tryin gto show you this. If this is your conclusion your only real option is cut things off. Life is too short and happiness too fleeting to waste time trying to make nice with someone who is not nice to you.

In my life I have had to discontinue realationships with friends and others because I no longer felt they were actually my friend or other. This is not usually an easy thing to do and is made all the more difficult with history, shared experience, friends in common, but when it needs to be done, it needs to be.

I am sad to think that I may have found myself in this situation where someone I thought was my friend is not and I don't think I can or should make any further effort to be involved with them. I am sad about this indeed.

Blow Me

2006-09-28T15:17:00.000-05:00

I feel the winds of change blowing and I do not refer to the Scorpions' song. As I get older and more involved I have less time and inclination for certain nouns and I am finding that I am OK with that.
I find that change is easier when you do not fight it, much like falling down stairs. Ususally, once you start you can do little to stop and are better served by going limp and preparing for the landing.
Also, please check out the Keith Oberman editorial about the bush and fox "news". It made me feel enpowered and happy, and a little bit mad that it took this long for someone to say what he said. Olbermann blasts Bush and Fox News

Nothing to Report

2006-09-25T11:41:00.000-05:00

I have nothing to report. Have you got anything to report? If so, report it.

Peanuts

2006-09-20T10:08:00.000-05:00

We just found out that the Younger is allergic to peanuts. It is sad as I thought he'd eat nothing but PB&J. Now he can only have J. Who the hell wants a jelly sandwich? I think the only thing sadder than a jelly sandwich is a butter sandwich.
I make the best PB &J sandwiches in the history of them. Now I will have to eat them all myself while he looks at me with sad eyes and some bullshit jelly sandwich.
It is also scary that he die from a peanut. I suppose anyone could, choking or some misguided peanut gun, but just eating one? It is very scary to think of your child as fragile. It is daunting to think how aware the Mrs and I need to be without being "those" parents that rasied "that" kid.
"Those" parents that send a note with the kid when he goes to a friends house. "That" kid who warns his friends parents of his peanut allergy in the same breath that he says "How do you do?"

Once Again

2006-09-08T13:02:00.000-05:00

In a Senate report that came out today, no relationship was found, of any type, between Saddam's Iraq and al-queda. The Bush has said time and again that there was and used it as one of the reasons for the war. When does this dude have to say he is sorry for screwing the country? How long will he be allowed to go on sending people to be killed for no reason? How many times are he and his goones going to lie to us before we can say e-fucking-nough?
His actions are crimnal and nothing is done about it. He should be put on trial for murder as he has taken actions that have lead to the deaths of thousands of people.
I say it is time that he reaps what he has sown. He and his pack should be ousted post haste and replaced with a can of mushroom soup. I know wha tyou may be thinking, " How can a can of mushroom soup run the country?" I don't think a can of soup, mushroom or otherwise, couls actually run the government, but I am sure that a can of soup could not send people to be killed.

Update

2006-09-07T06:56:00.000-05:00

I was on vacation and didn't think to stop the fun and fill you all in. Let's just say the Bebouts know how to party.
We started on Monday with awell overdue landscaping party and finished with a picnic at MDB. (Again he has nice parties and we enjoyed being there. It is nice sometimes to see you friends in the light of day without the haze of booze. You get a much clearer idea of what your friends really look like.)
In between we lazed about, played dress up with Beau Bridges and prepared our joint for the Younger's 1st birdthday party. ( Thanks to everyone who sent cards and well wishes. I am sure in his own way the Younger got a lot out of it, I know it ment a lot to the Mrs. and I.)
We had grandparents and a couple aunts an uncle a cousin over and the Younger smashed cake all over. He walked around the house and climbed the stairs enough to wear both grandmothers out.
We both had some car trouble which defeated us from piching up the rest of our basement furniture from the in-laws, but it also saved us from having to carry it and risk another injury the Mrs.
Speaking of, we celebrated our third anniversary last night. It was much like every other wonderful day except this time I ordered the pizza. Mrs. Bebout is everything I could have ever wished for and I love her very much. She is a great wife and mother and a great person too.

On Sangria

2006-08-24T06:56:00.000-05:00

My buddy MDB posted a recipe for Sangria, and it sounds delightful.
I offer my recipe for a gin and tonic.
Start with a glass 3/4 full of ice. The size of the glass (or cup depending on location) is not too important but I do not encourage anything larger than 12 oz. myself as the drink will get warm and the flavour will suffer.
Pour the gin in the glass until half full.
Top off with tonic.
Sqeeze fresh lime juice, deposit lime reminders into glass.
Stir.
Enjoy
Some will brag for a particular brand of gin. I like Beefeater, but that's me. I think Bombay Safire is too much. Paramount is no where near enough. you should stay with call brands but you don't need to go too far.
A vodka tonic is a fine drink when the gin is gone. Vodka is best served with ice in a small glass with a lime (see above for instructions) or an olive. On this I encourage you to try Kettle One.
Absolute is for college girls and mixed drinks. Grey Goose is good but not, in my opinion, worth the cost. Titos I have had with mixers and enjoyed but can not speak to it on its own.
If all else fails, try champagne. The champagne of beers that is.

For the Record

2006-08-11T07:26:00.000-05:00

I am not a lazy blogger.
CSH may or may not have had poop in his drive. He sends mixed signals.
Big Jim is staying where he was. In this case no activity seems to be a bold move.
The Younger is great he has two teeth and took a few steps on his own last night.
The Mrs. is doing well. She also walked last night, with Beau Bridges. A little less exciting than the Younger's walk, but I am all for pointing the good out.
I laye don the sofa and watch Fallen. I was bored the whole time, but watch anyway.
Ouw washer is fixed after a month of being broken and three service calls to Sears. The washer was a month old when this started and Sears service was awful. I would not buy any home appliance from Sears again, even if I had to pay more to get it from another place.
Big doings at W 130th and Gaurdian tonight. Come early, stay late.
Peace. I'm out.

This is Odd

2006-08-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

At my office we are offered no end of cold, and warm, drinks. With the heat, I like a cold bottle of water, which we have in spades. But as of late I have come across four or five bottles where the "safety" ring comes off with the cap on the first opening. The first couple of times I threw the questionable bottle, contents and all, into the trash.

NOTE: I do not throw away beverages into the trash can at home as I am the one to pull the bag out and then have to clean up the garbage soup that leaks onto the floor much to Beau Bridges' pleasure. At work I do it as a quiet protest against the cleaning people who fail to mop the mens room for weeks at a time leaving the pee drippings to build up on the floor.

I decided the bottles would safe enough and just drink the water now. I have not noticed any side effects other than a spastic collin which is not too enjoyable, but the water, it calls to me to be consumed.

English Garden

2006-07-25T11:28:00.000-05:00

I never promised you an English Garden. I think you can take that as a positive as and English Garden looks quite a bit like a field of weeds.
You can hope that your neighbor does not install one, unless you like weeds, or if your yard is browned out from bugs and you don't want to fix it right away. An English Garden next door will make your yard look nicer than it would on its own.
Off to Olive Garden with the ladies from the office for endless salad, bread sticks, and gossip.

Rain Rain Go Away

2006-07-20T15:08:00.000-05:00

We had a rain of biblical proportion a few minutes ago. It lasted for all of 3 minutes and then dry.
I am often times shocked at how small a thing a person really is.

Did you know this?

2006-07-20T12:08:00.000-05:00

The mosquito forecast for South Euclid is limited to moderate over the next 48 hours.

For the Record

2006-07-19T14:41:00.000-05:00

It is 82 degrees in Cleveland with winds NNE at 12 mph. Now you know.

Also this

2006-07-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

I went to golf outing on Monday. It rained like crazy. I saw one foursome turing their crt into an arc.
Anyways... After the golf they have a dinner and prizes. One prize went to Chuck Roast. the MC annouced the name several times without response until I yelled out "Chuck Roast? I think that might be a joke." After that everyone laughed. Oh what fun. The MC looked put upon and was not at all happy that someone would make a joke of the closest to the pin award.
Chuck Roast in deed.

Post Number Hooray

2006-07-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

I love the Red Stripe commercials. I think they are fun and make me want to go to the beach and drink ice cold beer.
In all truthfullness I need little prompting to want to go to the beach and drink cold beer.
It has been a dream of mine to move to a beach town and become a town character. I want to walk around with my shirt open and wave to visitors. I want to sneak into the backgrounds of vacation photos and give the world the thumbs up one family at a time.
I want to be asked advise in the townie bars and spout off on issues of politics and religion to strangers, while in short and an open shirt at the beach. I have tried it in Ohio for a decade and find it not to be as fun as I think it will be in warmer weather.
I want to be a vacation from the seasons.
I want the option to visit the snow in case warm gets old.
I wish I could retire.

Burp

2006-06-29T15:36:00.000-05:00

I have heart burn from my Chipotle pulled pork w/ guacamole burrito. It burns.
The chick what buys snacks for our office got a bucket of animal crackers. Animal crackers are not crackers at all, but bad cookies. The Mrs. is a fan bad cookies like lorna dune and hits with frosting. The Mrs. also likes good cookies. I tell you no cookie is safe in our house.
I wonder if the animal cracker gave me the heart burn. I should take a Rolaid or some baking soda in warm water.
I know my grandpa always had heart burn. He burped a lot and alway took a Rolaid. I have had heart burn regularly since high shcool. I take Zantac quite a bit. I don't know how he could put up with constant heart burn with only Rolaids to help. He was a lot tougher than I am I guess.
The warm water with baking soda is on the box. It works well if you have gas pain. I have had gas pains that made my teeth hurt. I can see how people confuse a gas for a heart attack because it hurts like hell. After my firend Ralbert had a heart attack I was convinced that I was haivng one too until I burped and felt better. Then I thought I had had one, but was just so tough that I pulled through on my own and Ralbert was a whimp for going to the hospital.
Then, I had another burp and just kind of moved on in my mind about gas and heart attacks.
But this heart burn is a pain in the neck. Literally. I am off for over the counter medicine. I think there is the new Tums in the kitchen at work. That should do the trick for now.

Sad Day In Deed

2006-06-26T10:50:00.000-05:00

It has been our, the Mrs. and I, plessure to open our new house up on Friday nights to our friends. And by house I mean the garage and the guest bathroom.
This past Firday we had some old friends come by and some new friends too. We had margatitas a plenty and although I was, and am still, in pain from a bad back and two bad teeth, I think it was a good time overall.
The bad time, however, has left a bad taste in my mouth that has nothing to do with the infection in my molars. I am conflicted to report on what went on. I myself have been known to get rowdy with drink, but I think I must say something here.
The fact is that our guests, and not all to be sure, took actions at our house that were rude and disrepectful to my family. As a result, we wil no longer be inviting people over. It is sad because one of my greatest hopes was that our house would be a place where our friends could come and have fun. But this hope, in the space of one evening, has been squashed.
Not only have these actions ruined my good time but have also put into question how I feel about people. Why would people be so disrespecful? Why would they think what they did would be OK especially after I made it very clear that it was not fucking OK? This is our home and I don't care if people see things differently. I am not inclined to be accomodating to others views in general on things have only a passing interest in.
For the people who came by and did not piss in my, or my neighbor's yard I am sorry and thanks for coming by. For those who did, I am sad. I would not do the same at your house, especially after you had made it good and fucking god damed clear that it would not be OK.

Moving On Up

2006-06-21T07:05:00.000-05:00

NOTE: I am posting so as to be relocated to a better position on the best list on the interweb.

IN EXPLANATION:
I am a fan of politics but I am not a fan of current events as a course of study. While I was in college I was often amused by my fellow students who would rattle off a laundry list of names and figures with the idea that they had learned something. I suppose ifyou consider politics a science, this may be the case.
I was more interested in the why something happened or will or may, and not so much about the data. I must admit I always figured I'd have somene else to check my figures and spelling and what not. It was the point that was of importance.
So, I do not pretend to know all the names of all the players in any current happening, and I am fine with that, as long as someone does.

THE MEAT:
So, anyway... The military in Iraq managed to kill one of the leaders of the opposition. Reports came out like cock roaches with the lights off that the military had struck a massive blow and the end was in sight. This went on for nearly one full week before the news and evidently the administration realized that like our own system, one person does not the system make.
Really? I am agasp. You mean to say that this is not one person versus the US/West/Capitalism?

THE RANT:
I have to say that if you thought that the death of one person would make a significant change to this cluster fuck, you should quit thinking as you are not good at it.
This is a fight over root beliefs. The only only only only way to make this better is to make every effort possible to reach some common ground. To not always act like the empire making shit fucks they think we are. To not make bold racist claims and take bold racisit actions at home and abroad. OH MY GOD!! We are so fucking screwed.
I have said it before, and as repitition is one of my favorite retorical tools, I will say it again, Anyone who voted for Bush, especially the second time, is a moron. You share in the deaths of everyone that has been killed in this bullshit "war" and you should either vote as I tell you, or not vote at all as it is obvious that you are incapable of making good decisions.

THE WARM AND FUZZY:
None today.

WTF

2006-06-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

I got a new PC at work, where I post. Included with this new unit is increased security and a general screw to my prior settings. This being said, I can longer run spell check on blogger, nor can I write in word and transfer the stuff here.
So deal with the misspellings or read something else. I also want to know how to track the number of people who come through and I know there is way, I just don't know the way. Such is my life.
Anyway...
Things are going well in las casa de Bebout. The Mrs is looking for a more fulfilling situation for 9 to 5. Her off hours are perfect, and I should know. The Younger continues to grow and learn new things. He is a tressure and I am happy everyday b/c of him. My job is similar to most peoples as I feel overworked and underpaid. I think of finding a new job, but fear change to a new situation that will end up the same as where I am now. I mean things could clow up here and I am positioned to grow with. I could go somewhere else and lay stagnite for years until I die of a stroke.
All things considered our governemnt and admin. are for shit. A note to the Repubs and conservs in the room: When ever the Bush mentions a civil or social issue, it is b/c he is fucking up something that is actually important. Your ability to join in with his red scare of the day is proof of your small minded follow the leader mind set. A shame really.
I know that may be harsh, to say people aren't too bright b/c of their political leanings, but come on. You people voted for this dude twice. You knew what you were getting and still chose him on the gorunds of gay weddings. You have done a disservice to your fellow citizen.
And speaking of citizens... when did this matter so much. People have been rushing the border since there was a border. The whole thing reminds me of the a Nazi ploy used pre WWII. They would point out all the bad things in Germany and then point to the Jews. They call this scape goating. It is a way to avoid the real problem. It is a bait and switch, a flim flam, a scam. Everyone who thinks this is a current top issue needs not vote for you are a moron.
I am aware that there are economic factors in play on both sides, but I think they are the free under coating on an as is 72 Gremlinsale, in that they just don't matter when you look at the whole car. If the tires, engine, transmission, body, brakes, exhaust, etc are is disrepair, protecting the already rsuted under body helps nothing.
I have greatly decreased my intake of cold and wonderful Diet Coke. I was a pack a day guy for years. I am down to only one or tow while I'm out now. It is a rough row to hoe, but I find that soda water with a lime or lemon helps. I have tried iced tea when things get stressful but I like to keep that down too.
Well I am off to Costco for bulk items. I love it there.

The Younger Returns

2006-05-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photos of the younger for you people to look at.

He is 8 months or so here. He doesn't like the flash so when he sees the red light that proceeds the flash, he squints up.

He got a kick-ass hat from Grandmama for Easter. It's a little big still, but I think he can pull it off.

He also got a sweater vest from the Mrs. He looked smart and all the ladies liked his groove.

This is the crew chillin'. The Younger is decked out in his Judo suit with red socks and he is about to get rough with Beau Bridges for moving in on his Mommy. It all worked out though and he decided to go to sleep instead.

Club Soda

2006-05-10T17:21:00.000-05:00

I stopped at home mid day and let Beau Bridges out for a pee and a poop. He seemed happy about it. I grabbed a club soda, as I am want to do, and went back to work.
In brief, to catch up on the whole brake thing... Mulinax Mayfield inspected the truck and decided that the guy in Wickliffe lied and replaced my brakes and fixed my parking brake too. I was not charged. I think that the guy did not lie entirely because why would you replace good parts. I think maybe they never replaced what they said they did a year ago. Either way, I got new brakes and no more clunk in the ass end of my truck. It was a rare occasion when I won what was right from the man. Or not, as I already paid for the shit a year ago.

Mrs B and I were sick all weekend. No Activia needed. We failed to reach our goal of unpacking and installing screens in favor of staying in bed and sleeping in between dashes to the WC. The Younger was a champ and played quietly all weekend. Beau Bridges was good too.

The Daily Show is the best thing on television. Steven Colbert deserves mad props for slamming the Bush while the Bush was like 6 feet away. He is a stone cold dude. Rock on Colbert. I know Colbert is not longer on the Daily Show, but who can stay up until midnight? Anyway, The Daily Show is still better. Its the show Bill Marr wishes he could make.

Tomorrow I have to attend a seminar on asphalt paving. I am overjoyed. I am also getting a haircut.

My back is killing me. Probably from laying in bed too long but there was nothing for it. Woe to me.

What is the rule on undershirts and open necks? I wear them in the winter out of need to fight the cold. But in the summer they make me too hot. Also, I was told that the gays on Bravo don't like it and I am not going to wear a V-neck and a tank top is silly.

Dig This Bullshit

2006-05-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

I have a keen truck. I use it everyday for work and play. I rely on my truck. This being said, I am in the habit of taking care of it. Yesterday while on my way home from visiting my Mom in the hospital I noted a grinding noise coming from the underparts. I stopped at the 1st repair shop, Mulinax Ford in Wickliffe, OH. I filled out the folio and dropped my keys.

Note to reader: I had service including rear brake replacement inclusive of rotor refacing and caliper lube etc as was as replacement of rear axel seals and lube in June of o5 at the Mulinax on Mayfield.

I got a call from the shop at 7:30 AM explained what I noted and told them to figure out what was wrong. They called back at 9AM and said I needed...that's right....rear brakes and axel seals.

I spent the next several hours on the phone in a state of controlled anger and frustration. Neither shop is willing to say, they are wrong in their findings or the work they did was inadequate.

Now I have to take the truck to Mayfield for further investigation and another dose of "not my fault".

Update

2006-04-27T15:54:00.000-05:00

We moved. Thanks for the help you people. For those of you who did not help, you were not asked, but did offer and thanks for that.
Moving sucks ass. We are going to have a get together soon, when the weather is better at night so you don't have to be inside making a mess of things.
I like being a home owner so far. I did the wash in my shorts at 11:00 PM. I felt free.
Beau Bridges likes the back yard but is confused by the three floors he can roam.
The Younger doesn't seem to notice anything has changed. As long as the milk flows he stays happy.
The Mrs. has a stuffy nose and snored all night long.
I think we are going to have dinner in tonight. Too much fast food over the last several days have left me feeling you know, not so fresh. I need the fancy yogurt that makes you have a BM.

Stolen From Tam

2006-03-29T08:31:00.000-05:00

I thought you would all like to know me this much more and what better way than one of these interweb poles? So, read and learn a little bit about me, Mr. Bebout.

Taken a picture naked? No. I don't like to have my picture taken to begin with. There are some bath time photos my mom took of me in the early 70's, but I didn't think they were of the nature this question was concerned with.

Made out with a member of the same sex? No. I did kiss Powers on New Years Eve. It was dry and closed mouth but his date was concerned. I thought it was funny as hell b/c the next year he got a kiss from a tranny at a gay bar at midnight. So the real question is why was he at a gay bar on NYE?

Danced in front of your mirror? Yes. My moves take practice damn it.

Told a lie? Yes. Alright no I have never lied. Oops now I have lied again. Or have I?

Gotten in a car with people you just met? Yes. It was called a cop car and I had no choice in the matter at that point.

Been in a fist fight? Yes. It has been some time and I did not like it very much.

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? Yes. I have hated so many and they have all loved me.

Been arrested? Yes. It was BS, although I was guilty as charged, it was still BS.

Left your house without telling your parents? Yes. I am grown now and have my own house. For a time I did call mom in the morning before work, but she tired of it and asked me to stop.

Ditched school to do something more fun? Yes. I do not think I was in attendance one full day of my senior year. I also went ot Kent and was under the impression that classes were optional.

Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? Yes. Hey, I got bills.

Seen someone die? No.

Kissed a picture? Yes. Not in a sexy way.

Slept in until 3? Yes. I worked 3rd shift.

Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? Yes. I did work for Summer's Eve and it was in the script.

Played dress up? Yes. Sometime a man just wants to feel pretty.

Fallen asleep at work/school? Work,Yes School, Yes. I worked 3rd shift and thought classes were optional. I was not always the stand up guy I am today.

Felt an earthquake? Yes. I was in 7th grade math class and saw the wall crack. It was not as exciting as in the movies.

Touched a snake? Yes. With my shoe to stomp on it.

Ran a red light? Yes. On accident, I thought it was a stop sign.

Had detention? Yes. See previous comments about ditching.

Been in a car accident? Yes. "I love front wheel drive. Just look how it holds the road." We have never forgiven Rosey Palm.

Pole danced? Yes. but just for money while I worked my way through college.

Been lost? Yes. But then I met Mrs. Bebout.

Sang karaoke? Yes. "How's everybody doin' tonight?"

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes .

Laughed until something you were drinking/eating came out your nose? Yes. To much liquid has shot ourt my nose during a laugh to recall them all. I do however recall in great detail the chuncks of half chewed onion rings. Things were not as funny after that.

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes. See comments about cloud watching

Kissed in the rain? Yes. Spring time in Ohio does not leave enough dry days to be choosey. I gots to get mine you know.

Sang in the shower? Yes. Like my dance, I must practice my song.

Got your tongue stuck to a pole? No. I don't give a dman how many times they show that crap movie with Messy Marvin, I never fell for it.

Ever gone to school partially naked? No. Although one time, before it was cool to do so, I bent forward and half my ass popped out of my Lee Riders much to my shagrin.

Sat on a roof top? Yes. I even sang "Up on the Roof" on a roof top.

Played chicken? Yes. No with a train like Cowboy Troy, and I don't know for a fact that the other guy was playing.

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? No. Who wears ALL their clothes at once?

Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? Yes. Strippers are very friendly ladies.

Broken a bone? Yes. Mixing bowl + index finger = pain.

Mooned/flashed someone? Mooned,Yes. Flashed, Yes. I am driven to give my fans what they want.

Forgotten someone's name? Yes. But I can't recall who that was.

Slept naked? Yes. Some of my best memories are of being naked in bed.

Blacked out from drinking? No. I have gotten very sleepy and quite quickly, to say the truth, but... I wouldn't call it a "blackout".

Played a prank on someone? Yes. "Kelly Rippa" bitches.

Felt like killing someone? No. I am too cute for prison.

Made a parent cry? Yes. And then asked if she wanted me to give her something to cry about.

Cried over someone? Yes.

Had sex more than 5 times in one day? Yes. Does this mean onl patrner sex? Anyways.. Um Oh yeah I am aking between the sheets. 5 times everyday. Before noon. If I am sleepy.

Had/Have a dog? ? Had, Yes
Been in a band? No
Drank 25 sodas in a day? No
Shot a gun? Yes

Did you Know?

2006-03-25T18:34:00.000-05:00

I know a guy named Don. His real first name begins with L so he goes by L Don for important stuff. So when he meets people they ask what the L is for and then they know his secret. He would be better to shit can the L and move on.

In conversation it is rude to use industry jargon unless all in attendence work in the same industry and already know the jargon.

If you have a bag of dog poop in your hand it is more polite not to shake hands with someone than to.

If you are not fresh do not hug someone you do not sleep with.

If you have a crappy pen, don't offer it to someone in need. Pretend you didn't notice they needed a pen and keep on your way.

Sometimes when people say they don't want anything they mean it and you should shut up and move on to another topic. If you don't have another topic, keep quiet.

Moving On Up

2006-03-19T14:08:00.000-05:00

Since I graduated high school in 1991, including trips to college dorms, I have moved 15 times. That comes out to once a year, but there were a few moves in quick order that have benefited me greatly.

The 16th move is coming in the very near future. This one will be the last for quite some time, 5 to 7 years if all goes well. Mrs. Bebout, the Younger, Beau Bridges and I are moving to our very own house. I won't put the location down as I don't want you all to know where I live.

There are mixed emotions about buying a house. It is fuck load of money let me tell you that. Also, you have to take care of. So far, if the yard looks like ass, I just blame it on the landlord. Now I have to blame Mrs, Bebout and we all know that she is not one to do yard work so that leaves the Younger. As he can't move too much on his own power for right now I doubt none but the dimmest of you will believe that it was his job to cut the grass and pick up dog shit.

So now I have to be the yard work guy. I have to cut the grass after work on Tuesdays and pick up sticks and whatever else comes along. I already pick up the poop, mostly. (In my opinion if you choose to cut grass professionally, stepping in dog poop becomes an everyday risk and not a tragedy)

There are more ups to this though. No more people living upstairs who flush the crapper while I am in the shower so as to ruin every morning. No more unauthorized trash in my can to take to the curb or leave to stink. No more mystery disappearance of lady things from the laundry room. No more 3 AM dice games in the apartment below. No more regulation about cooking outside the kitchen. No more strangers in the back hall asking about Steve. No more smell of curry from down the hall.

But the best part is that for the first time in a long long time, I have a place that I can call home. I have had some nice apartments and they have been OK for a year or so, and I stayed back at my mom's for a time or two as situations forced, but I have never felt at home.

Our new house , we picked out. We saw it and felt like it was right for us. I can my son growing up there and bounding around the yard with Beau Bridges. I can see friends and family over for summer parties in the backyard with grilled meat and canned beer and pasta salad. I can me putting campaign signs in the yard. I can see Christmas Trees and Easter Egg Hunts at my house.

Too Much Beer and Cabbage?

2006-03-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

This may be old, but I just saw it and laughed out loud. So, close the door and turn the speakers up a touch...

Click to watch: Farting Preacher 5 (a)

More Funny Mother

2006-03-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

Things to do at Wal-Mart while your spouse/partner/kids/parents...is (are) taking their sweet time:
1. Get 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people’s carts when they aren't looking. 2. Set all the alarm clocks in House wares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. Make a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the rest rooms.
4. Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in house wares..... and see what happens.
5. Go to the Service Desk and ask to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.
6. Move a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. Set up a tent in the camping department and tell other shoppers you'll invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.
8. When a clerk asks if they can help you, begin to cry and ask 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
9. Look right into the security camera; use it as a mirror, and pick your nose.
10. While handling guns in the hunting department, ask the clerk if he knows where the anti-depressants are.
11. Dart around the store suspiciously, loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.
12. In the auto department, practice your "Madonna look" using different size funnels.
13. Hide in a clothing rack and when people browse through, say "PICK ME!"
14. When an announcement comes over the loud speaker, assume the fetal position and scream "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"
(And; last, but not least!)
15. Go into a fitting room and shut the door and wait a while; and, then, yell, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

Further Reflections

2006-02-28T14:03:00.000-05:00

Well I can look forward to telling people they were asses. That should get me by for a while.
I think the odd thing is that we all, except for Mrs. Bebout, and maybe Aliasgrace get all corned, or have gotten all corned a lot.
What does this say about us? Perhaps we should study other social groups and their drinking habits to determine is we are too drunk or not.

I think drinking as self medication id done a lot. If it done on purpose is another question. Perhaps if you are drinking to ease your pains and you know that is why you are drinking, perhaps help should be sought.
I have mostly been of the opinion that I am alright. In fact I am fond of myself and think I have a keen grasp on things. I have drank after a stressful day, oh yes I have. But I am one to drink for the fun of it.
I think, and this may be an excuse, I am guzzler. I do sip anything. I will wait for coffee to cool down so I can gulp it back and move on to another cup. I do the same with food. I throw it back as soon as it hits the plate and don't stop until the plate is empty.
Perhaps I have issue with portion control and ingestion rate. I mean I am older now and am no longer unaffected by the after effects of a bender. To the point that I don't care for it at all.
This is quite an adventure I have started on. I hope it turns out well.
I think the hardest part of questioning my relationship with booze is that the alternative to drinking too much is not drinking at all, or least the AA says so. I don't think I want to not have a drink. I don't know how that works. It sounds horrible not to have drink at all ever.
Can't I learn moderation? Am I incapable of self control? I think the idea of saying I will never drink again and knowing that I would makes me not want to try not to. I don't want the stress of failing. If I never try not to, then I can't fail. It worked for smoking. I loved to smoke. I LOVED IT> But I hated hacking up lung burgers and all sorts of things enough so the I tried to not have a smoke, with the idea that if I really wanted one, I would have one. It has now been over 5 years without a puff.
But for me that has been easy. I still have thoughts and cravings, but nothing too severe. Smoking was a personal thing. I smoked alone. I smoked for myself and quit for myself.
I am still evolved with my social group without smoking. But how can you do this and not drink? Why would you want to? Is the alternative to moderation hanging out with the door-to-door Christians? I mean the culture of drinking is my culture. How can be me and not want to drink Guinness on St. Pat's? What fun is tailgating without cheap canned beer? How can I interact at work functions without vodka on the rocks?
So maybe the answer is I need to get shit in order and find a balance.

Applied to Rejection

2006-02-27T15:16:00.001-05:00

I have been what some might call a drinker for more than half my life. I have been good and drunk countless times. For years and years, I would not attempt to drive drunk. And in recent years I have always felt guilty of doing it.
I have heard people say not to drive drunk. I could not figure out how to get drunk somewhere and make it home. It never occurred to me not to get drunk.
I am not one to drink alone, and I don't crave booze, and I have never been one to drink everyday. I have on occasion had a drink with dinner or one after work. Mostly though, once I start I have to finish in a drunken mess.
It is quite a thing to think about not drinking. Drinking is my social activity. It is what I do with my friends or at special occasions. The problem I have is that all too often it is what I do to excess.
I don't know if can say that I will not drink anymore ever. I have never really tried not to drink. I mean it is just something I do, like eating chipped chop ham or driving too fast or any numer of things that make up me. I am a drinker.
But when is booze applied to rejection so many times that I have know that I am not a good drinker. I am not responsible as a drinker.
So for right now maybe I get on the wagon( or off as the case may be, I can never keep which one is dry and which wet) until I can handle my shit. Maybe I can have tomato juice at parties and sit quietly in the corner. I mean "I was drunk" covers a lot of the asshole comments I have made. Minus some High Life I have nothing but me to blame for being rude.

Um, Excuse Me.

2006-02-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

I used to repo home furnishings in the lower economic regions of Akron, OH. I used to bang on PJ doors on Saturday mornings at 7 AM and demand the return of people's washers and dryers and what not. I have removed computers and bedroom sets from homes of obvious gang activity. I did this and at no time did I ever feel scared for my life. I felt nervous and uncomfortable all the time, but that may have been because the work hurt my soul.
I say this in point of reference. I am not one to get skittish in odd and potentially dangerous situations. Until today.
I was evaluating a building on W 14th in the Tremont area. I have been to this site several times in the last few weeks and have noted the high number of homeless people wandering about. I am liberal Democrat but still don't care for beggars and the like. I make a pitied exception for the metal ill who have ended up on the streets, but in large I am not overly sympathetic to the drug addled homeless.
I had been working for about 3 hours this morning and had walked around the building a time or two. I had noted the collection of empty Wild Irish Rose bottles and the collection of cardboard and rags. I knew homeless people were about. As I turned the corner into the back lot of the building I had an awkward feeling that I was not alone. I looked around the corner of a dumpster and saw a shabby looking fellow having a poop. I don't know if he saw me and do not care. I turned on my heel and walked away, back toward the main street. I tried to compose myself and continued to work. I was focused on some damaged and displaced stone near the roofline of the building when out of nowhere another homeless man was right next to me asking how tall he was. I was undone. I was tongue tied and down right scared. I walked straight to my truck, got in, and left.
Looking back I was probably not in any danger. The sneaking guy, not the pooper, was a little old man with very rotted teeth. But who is to know what his intention was? I was oblivious to his presence before he was close enough to smell. I was freaked out. And then the idea that I could have stepped in man poop; it was just to damned much.

My Mother Thinks She's Funny

2006-02-23T11:11:00.000-05:00

My Mother is sweet and kindly Grandma now. She is soft spoken and has been known to crochet a blanket or two. She drives a Buick for crying out loud. So imagine my shock when I read this....

THE NURSING HOME POLICE

Ethel was a bit of a demon in her wheelchair, and loved to charge around the nursing home, taking corners on one wheel and getting up to maximum speed on the long corridors. Because the poor woman was one sandwich short of a picnic, the other residents tolerated her, and some of them actually joined in.

One day Ethel was speeding up one corridor when a door opened and Kooky Clarence stepped out with his arm outstretched. "STOP!," he shouted in a firm voice. "Have you got a license for that thing?" Ethel fished around in her handbag and pulled out a Kit Kat wrapper and held it up to him. OK" he said, and away Ethel sped down the hall.

As she took the corner near the TV lounge on one wheel, Weird Harold popped out in front of her and shouted "STOP! Have you got proof of insurance?" Ethel dug into her handbag, pulled out a drink coaster and held it up to him. Harold nodded and said "Carry on, ma'am."

As Ethel neared the final corridor before the front door, Crazy Craig stepped out in front of her, stark naked, holding his "you-know- what" in his hand. Oh, good grief,Ã” yelled Ethel, Ã“Not the breathalyzer test again!"

Seriously?

2006-02-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

I was sent a link to this story by a Repub co-worker. I don't know if it all fact, but it read like the truth to me.

Cheney's Canned Kill, and Other Hunting Excesses of the Bush Administration

By Wayne Pacelle
Vice President Dick Cheney went pheasant shooting in Pennsylvania in December 2003, but unlike most of his fellow hunters across America, he didn't have to spend hours or even days tramping the fields and hedgerows in hopes of bagging a brace of birds for the dinner table.
Upon his arrival at the exclusive Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier Township, gamekeepers released 500 pen-raised pheasants from nets for the benefit of him and his party. In a blaze of gunfire, the group—which included legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), along with major fundraisers for Republican candidates—killed at least 417 of the birds. According to one gamekeeper who spoke to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cheney was credited with shooting more than 70 of the pen-reared fowl.
After lunch, the group shot flocks of mallard ducks, also reared in pens and shot like so many live skeet. There's been no report on the number of mallards the hunting party killed, but it's likely that hundreds fell.
Rolling Rock is an exclusive private club for the wealthy with a world-class golf course and a closed membership list. It is also a "canned hunting" operation—a place where fee-paying hunters blast away at released animals, whether birds or mammals, who often have no reasonable chance to escape. Most are "no kill, no pay" operations where patrons only shells out funds for the animals they kill.
Bird-shooting operations offer pheasants, quail, partridges, and mallard ducks, often dizzying the birds and planting them in front of hunters or tossing them from towers toward waiting shotguns. There are, perhaps, more than 3,000 such operations in the United States, according to outdoor writer Ted Williams.
For canned hunts involving mammals, hunters can shoot animals native to given continents—everything from Addax to Zebra—within the confines of a fenced area, assuring the animals have no opportunity to escape. Time magazine estimates that 2,000 facilities offer native or exotic mammals for shooting within fenced enclosures.
The HSUS worked hard to expose Cheney's shooting spree, and we were fortunate in persuading The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Dallas Morning News, and other media outlets to cover the events of that day and our subsequent criticism.
Our criticism is simple to understand: Farm-raised pheasants are about as wary as urban pigeons and shooting them is nothing more than live target practice, especially when they are released from a hill in front of 10 gunners hidden below in blinds—as Cheney and his party were. Such hunting makes a mockery of basic principles of fair play and humane treatment, and the vice president should not associate himself with such conduct.
The private excesses of Cheney are bad enough, and worthy of The HSUS's rebuke. But it's the public policy excesses that are of even greater concern to me. Cheney's hunting trip strikes me as emblematic of the Bush Administration's callousness towards the earth's animals.
The administration's most outrageous proposal is its plan to allow trophy hunters to shoot endangered species in other countries and import the trophies and hides into the United States. The administration first floated the proposal a few months ago, with formal proposals subsequently published in the Federal Register, and President Bush is expected to make a final decision soon on the plan, which originated with his U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For 30 years, the Endangered Species Act has provided critical protections for species near extinction in the United States. The act also protects species in foreign nations, by barring pet traders, circuses, trophy hunters, and others from importing live or dead endangered species. While we can't prevent the shooting or capture of endangered species overseas, we can prevent imports—thus eliminating the incentive for American hunters and others to shoot or trap the animals in the first place.
But with this plan the administration is seeking to punch gaping holes in the prohibitions, under the assumption that generating revenue through the sale of hunting licenses will aid on-the-ground conservation in foreign lands.
The plan is transparent on its face. It's not aimed to help species, but to aid special interests who want to profit from the exploitation of wildlife. No group is more centrally involved in this miserable plan than Safari Club International, the world's leading trophy hunting organization and an entity with close ties to the Bush Administration.
The 40,000 member organization of rich trophy collectors has doled out close to $600,000 in campaign contributions among GOP candidates in the past six years. President Bush appointed a former top lobbyist of the Safari Club to be the deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—again, the very agency promoting the plan to allow the selling off of endangered species to private interests.
The HSUS is not a pro-hunting organization. That said, we view certain types of hunting as worse than others. It crosses any reasonable line to support the shooting of some of the rarest and most endangered animals in the world. And it is beyond the pale to advocate for or participate in the shooting of animals in canned hunts—for birds or mammals.
President Bush met with leaders of 19 hunting organizations on December 12. While we expect him to endorse certain forms of hunting, he should in no way countenance the shooting of endangered species or the hunting of captive or pen-reared animals. If that's where these hunting groups want to lead him, he needs to resist their entreaties. He needs to stand up to these special interest groups and draw a bright line between certain types of hunting conduct.
Americans don't support this nonsense, and the president shouldn't either.

The Dick and the Gun

2006-02-15T18:01:00.000-05:00

Our VP shot someone. I posted part of this on Stephanie's blog and wanted to put it here too:

The GOP spin doctors have been trying to blame the guy who got shot. What with all their He didn't announce he was there bullshit.
When you're hunting you are supposed to be quiet. I think more likely he did announce he was there and the Dicker shot him for messing up hi quail hunting.
Then they tried to say the sun was behind him and the Dicker couldn't see him.
So if this is the case, and I am no hunter, it sounds to me like the Dicker had no idea where his buddy was when he shot. So you have to ask why did he shoot? He knew how many were in the party and he knew one was missing. As far as I can tell, with this information, the Dicker did not have a safe shooting situation. I think it shows indifference and negligence and that he should, at the very least be forbidden form every touching a firearm again as he has proven that he is not able to do properly.

In addition, he should be put out of the NRA as the worst example of effective gun and hunter safety training. I don't know Dick's position with the NRA and the gun lobby, but I guess as a fat cat Repub asshole he has to be deep in it. I guess so deep he thought he had to shoot his way out.

I mean he shot a guy. Bill shot an intern in the mouth and she was working the trigger and look at all the trouble he got in. I bet Dick walks away without so much as having to pay the hospital bills.
Maybe this is just sour grapes, but come on. He shot someone. IF shot someone I would be in jail, or at least investigated regardless of the extent of the damage.
And his defense, "the sun was in my eyes"? And we let this pass? Where is the the uproar? Why is it that the only people in the media involved in this story are just making jokes about it, like he did no more than throw up raw fish on the guy. HE SHOT SOMEONE!!! It was with a real gun and everything and the guy was wounded and had a heart attack. The idiot shot someone under suspicious circumstance. One OTOH most powerful people in the world shot someone and it is not being looked into because of his the sun was in my eye defense.

From my Mother

2006-02-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

My Mom has long sent me emails from her contemporaries that she finds funny, Usually they have a conservative/Republican leaning and I have to send back how awful the email was and how she should not fall into the idea that defending civil rights, like the 10 commandments in Federal Court, or the One nation under God, is harming America.
She also voted for the real George Bush and Bob Dole.
However, she was able to see this other Bush for what he is and sent me this email.

After numerous rounds of "We don't even know if Osama is still alive", Osama himself decided to send George Bush a letter in his own handwriting to let him know he was still in the game. Bush opened the letter and it appeared to contain a single line of Coded message: 370H-SSV-0773H. Bush was baffled, so he E-mailed it to Condoleezza Rice. Condi and her aides had not a clue either, so they sent it to the FBI. No one could solve it at the FBI so it went to the CIA, then to NASA. Eventually they asked Britain's MI-6 for help.Within a minute MI-6 cabled the White House with this reply. "Tell the President he's holding the message upside down."

Whole Foods

2006-02-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

I went to a seminar this week about “green building”. It was cosponsored by some natural/whole foods vegetarian restaurant. They had some whole grain muffins and organically grown fruit smoothies and coffee in the morning. Theses things were flavorless and reminded me of food I would send back.

For lunch the offered sandwiches and salads and cookies with fancy-dan drinks and sodas. And this is where things went all manner of wrong. First, as Mrs. Bebout says, “Sandwiches are for children.” Making matters worse, the three choices, veggie wrap, tofu-turkey, or mock tuna, failed to resemble any sandwich, and I have had my share, that anyone could possibly recognize as a sandwich. The veggie wraps went fast as they were not trying to be anything but veggies. The tofu-turkey was next on the lease repulsive list. It looked like layers of butter between tow rough cut cedar shakes. The mock tuna, well… honestly mock tuna? It was beans and mustard with mayo all glopped together with some sprouts on top.

The “restaurateur” introduced lunch by explaining that although he offered foods nobody really eats we should give it a try. By the way, I have found that is usually does not pay off to trust business owners who wear tie-dyed shirts.

As is said, the veggie wraps went quickly. They were gone within the first 2 minutes of lunch leaving platters full of tofu-turkey and mock tuna. I tried the tofu-turkey. It tasted like, well, like tofu disguised as smoked turkey covered in nondairy butter. (not to be confused with margarine) The dinner salad with organic dressing was alright. How can you screw up lettuce, tomato & carrot? The pasta salad reminded me of lawn clippings with the pound or so of all natural dill shaved all over the place. The Moroccan Rice with pine nuts and raisins was OK. The cookies had no sugar. I choose peanut butter. It was like the all natural kind from the grocery store, but without the peanut flavor.

Because I feeling adventurous; and because my final impression of the food was not yet sealed, I decided to try the mock tuna. It was like beans with mustard and mayo and not at all like tuna. Calling it mock tuna was a disservice to mock tuna everywhere. By the way the mayo was made without eggs. Mayo, as we know is made, in polite society from oil eggs and vinegar. What was used in place of eggs is a mystery to me.

Soon after lunch I noted odd occurrences in the seminar. In the space of 45 minutes, nearly every participant left the conference room one or two at a time. They all scurried with the tell tale pinch and look of shame that could only be on thing. Diarrhea.
I thought how lucky for me that I did not have to scuttle off to the men’s room with a case of the poods. I thought this for nearly 1 and ½ hours after lunch. Then I noted gurgling in my lowers. I felt flushed and sweaty. Then I was no longer the master of my own bowels. They had fallen victim to the mock tuna. It was a sad day in deed.

I am on a rip today

2006-02-09T10:34:00.000-05:00

An additional comment from another blog that I wanted to be sure got out there in case the blog did not want to upset people that I don't care about upsetting.

Absence and distance can make the heart grow fonder, as is the case with Mr. Bacher, who we all miss and are happy to see when he comes about, if fate allows. But it also plays the role of a blessed division for those we are just as happy not to see, like you Jessica.

Get over Me?

2006-02-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

These were comments I posted on James' Blog. I am agasp with the indifference young people display as our government runs rough shot over our civil rights and historic freedoms. I am agasp with our government's unwillingness to dissent and stand up for the people and the people's devil-may-care attitude about the whole thing.

It is even more that as we loose small things, like free travel between Canada and the US, we don't put a stop to it.

We were attacked because of our freedom and now we are saying if you don't attack us again we will give up our freedom. The terrorists have won.

I am not apposed to passports, and the cost is what it is. I am apposed to needing them to cross into Canada. For the longest time it was the longest friendliest border in the world.Furthermore, get over yourself.The US has in the recent past made every effort to increase the openness in our half of the world, granted with varied results. By now making new stringent requirements for individuals to pass from Mexico to the US to Canada, we are undermining, though not completely, any improvements made in our relationships at the cost of the US's manufacturing base.Get over yourself? In deed. It has nothing to with me as a person, but me as a citizen and an involved one, thank you very much, in the direction our nation is taking under this administration.Get over my self? If I was any less over myself I would not care about the federal government requiring a federal ID to pass through borders that were once open.It is not a matter of a me being whiney, and I don't care for your implication. I think people who see the quiet reduction in our freedoms and don't say foul should get, at the least, with themselves andthe stand up for themselves.

A Message from Italy

2006-01-31T08:16:00.000-05:00

This was sent to me from my friend in Italy and I thouhgt it was right on in a groovey kind of way.

Strive not to be a person like such, "In whose eyes whatever is unusual is wrong; whose ears detect in each protest against bigotry-that parent of crime-an insult to piety, that regent of God on earth. I would suggest to such doubters certain obvious distinctions; I would remind them of certain simple truths.Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last. To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee, is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns. These things and deeds are diametrically opposed: they are as distinct as is vice from virtue. Men too often confound them: they should not be confounded; appearance should not be mistaken for truth; narrow human doctrines, that only tend to elate and magnify a few, should not be substituted for the world-redeeming creed of Christ. There is-I repeat it-a difference; and it is a good, and not a bad action to mark broadly and clearly the line of separation between them. The world may not like to see these ideas dissevered, for it has been accustomed to blend them; finding it convenient to make external show pass for sterling worth- to let whitewashed walls vouch for clean shrines. It may hate him who dares to scrutinize and expose, to raise the gilding and show base metal under it, to penetrate the sepulchre and reveal charnal relics; but hate as it will, it is indebted to him."

Lunch with Guba

2006-01-27T15:47:00.000-05:00

I was out and about today working. I had to verify drawings for an upcoming project. As I new the drawings I had were not correct, I took Guba with me. He is our CAD guy. After the working, we went to Appleby for lunch.
As Guba had not been to one in years, he took forever to read the menu. The waitress and waitress in training came back twice before he was ready to order. He got a cheeseburger and fries.
What's up with that. You can order a cheeseburger and fries in like a minute. You don't even need the menu. Everyone sells cheeseburger and fries.
He did say it was a damn fine cheeseburger and fires and he looked happy.
I had their version of a club grill. It had BBQ sauce on it. It was greasy and good. The lettuce and tomato were being used beyond their usefulness and I scraped them onto the plate in protest. I showed them!
I also had club soda with a lime. I got a refill, as I am a guzzler and in the new glass was a new lime. All too often when you get a drink with a lime in it, when the drink is refilled a new lime is not included. Who wants the lime in only the 1st glass?

As I mentioned there was a waitress in training at the place. She was in her early twenties, normal looks, you know whatever. The issue I had was that while all the other servers were well kept, she was not. Her slacks were too big and she wore them with a sag. Her shirt was also too large and half untucked. Then she rolled up the sleeves to reveal some bad ink. No one else was all undone and here she was. The manager waled by her a dozen times, her trainer was with her the whole time and no one said boo about her sloppy appearance. What's more she wouldn't say a word to us. I don't know if I would talk to Guba if I didn't have to, but I digress. She was stand-offish and I do not approve.

During lunch Guba thought a good conversation would be about his plans to get divorced. I thought not and was quiet as he went on . Maybe that's why the waitress in training would talk?
So for the whole of lunch, on and on about his crappy wife and blah blah blah. Then as we're leaving he mentions that he has been taking college classes on the interweb. For the record, that would be better lunch talk.

Well, I am off to collect Beau Bridges. I am going to an awards thing for work tonight. It was not cleared with Mrs. Bebout

Oh Me!

2006-01-23T15:04:00.000-05:00

As some of you may know, I am a huge fan of the drunk call. I usually call to invite others out to enjoy being drunk with me. Mostly, it works out that I end up going home sooner than later as most of my friends are on to me and know I have had enough. But I still call to share in the fun.
This Friday past, I enjoyed dog watching with Chad and drinking Shiner Bock. It was supposed to be a few after work but that didn't work out and I ended up out until midnight. Earlier in the evening I tried to call a load of friends to no avail. Most didn't answer or were MIA. I am used to it and still had fun. Beau Bridges played like a dog on a mission and it was great fun to watch him investigate Chad's underground hall of horrors ala Scooby Doo.
On my way home, as I talked with The Blazer-Noscals I got into a shouting matching with a couple. I decided the best thing to do was to play cat and mouse. They sped up , so did I. It was very tense for a bout 500 yards when my turn came up and I went home.
During the course of my phone calls, I learned sad news about one of my dear friends. I felt like a real shit heal because I did not know before and wanted to say things to know that I cared and that would ease the pain. As nothing does that too well, and I am no good and that kind of talk, I guess it would not have made much difference in the big picture, but well, you know.

First Date

2006-01-16T17:52:00.000-05:00

Mrs Bebout and I left the Younger at home in the watchful care of Beau Bridges and went off to the movies. It was our first "date" since last summer and boy oh boy were we excited.
We decided to see the Harry Potter movie because we thought it would be good.
Much in the same way as leaving your small child in the care of the family dog, seeing the newest Harry Potter movie was a mistake.
First, you would think that after five years of making these movies, the lead actors would learn a little something about, hmm, acting. They are as bad as they were on their first day, but now they are to old to play off as cute little kids.
Second, the acting is so poor that they did away with most of the dialogue and character development that is usually found in a movie. The whole thing felt like a preview for the actual movie.
Third, the theatre was cold. This is not the films fault, but it didn't help us enjoy things.

Now I am sure certain loyal readers of my blog will take issue with my thoughts on the picture, an so be it. It will make for a fun time for all as they try to defend this turd of a movie.

It must be stated that I "read" the book this movie was based on an thought it was the best of the first 5. What a let down.

33 and Rising

2006-01-11T17:55:00.000-05:00

I am now 33 and a day. I had a good time on my birthday. I invited slew of folks out for a toddy, and one showed up even though he was swamped at work. We proceeded to enjoy too many beers and the smell of the sewer that wafted up every so often. The bar owner tried to help the smell with incense, but then it was the smell of sewer and flowers. It was awful, and there were other places to go, but we stayed.
Had we moved along to fresher surrounding, there would be no gripe to make, so it is better that we stayed put.
Today at work was not so fun though. When I was younger I could swill brews for hours into the night and still pop up in the morning fresh as a flower. Now, not so much. I am still, these many hours past, not feeling great. I tell myself that it is not age but a lack of practice that has slower my recovery. But I know that is only partly true. I am not bitter or overly affected by my age, or the passing of years, but is it so much to ask that I still be able drink buckets of draft beer without having to pay for the next day?
On a note more in keeping with my disdain for the bureaucracy that is the Ohio BMV, I will proceed with the telling of my plate renewal.
I received a notice to have my truck e-checked. I thought it odd having only just e-checked the truck 13 months prior, and knowing that the e-check is done every two years. I called the e-check help line and was told that I did not require an e-check and to have a nice day.
With this information I went off to the BMV office on my ay to work, where it took the clerk 30 minutes to tell me the computer network was down and she could not help at that time.
It took 30 minutes because, honestly I have no idea why it took 30 minutes.

**** I try to become a kinder, gentler, Dave on my birthday and left the BMV with my temper in check, although h I was well aware of it.

Toward the end of the day I called the BMV to ensure the network was up and running and went out to renew my plates. Upon arrival I was informed that my e-check was not valid and I would need to have it done before renewing my plates.

*** At this point I decided to put my kinder self on hold and proceeded to Gave the poor clerk the business.

I offered the staff, who came to help the embattled clerk, my opinion of their communication with the e-check people. This got me nowhere so I moved to the Socratic method. I asked how the how often a car was to be e-checked and was told 2 years. I then asked why I my truck was so special to need an e-check every year. The answer is that although we only need e-check every other year, the e-check is only valid for 365 days. I was now 30 days (+ -) past due.

So I saw my efforts would avail me not and decided to go ahead with my driver's license renewal, since I was there. A bit of advice, don't have you ID photo taken while fuming over the policies of the BMV. You will end up looking like a convict.

So today, I went to the e-check location prepared to pay my $19.50 and repeat the process. I arrived, the "dude" checks my VIN and scans a doodad and that was it. No more tail pipe revving and what not, Just a simple scan, much like a grocery store checkout. It still took a good 10 minutes for reason, at any rate.
The "lady" then gave me the new e-check documents and I was on my way. Without paying. Is the e-check free now days? If so, shit can the whole thing.

The Season has Passed

2006-01-03T11:52:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is now behind us. It was Mr Bebout the Younger's first. He got a lot of gifts from grandparents and well wishers alike. He did not take notice of any of them as he is a small baby. But thanks to everyone, regardless of his appreciation.

This time of year has, until recently not been that much fun for me. It usually reminds me of all the horrible Christmas I spent as a youth. From Christmas dinner in the car at a Dairy Mart parking lot the first year my dad was in the nursing home because none of our relatives thought to invite us over or see about our well being. Not to mention that our family was broke and we didn't really do too many gifts. Things climaxed when my dad died 5 days before Christmas. I spent it with JimBob and his family because my mom was on vacation in California.

So from this feted root I grew a poison Christmas tree and would become very put upon about Christmas. Today I read Tam's blog about her Grandfather passing away form a disease similar to the one my dad had and I was flushed with memories of all my bad Christmas times and realized that for the first time I did not have resentment and pain and anger over the holidays. I was not filled with a joy about the Younger's first, but I I have believe that he helped me to at least not be sad.

Ah, work

2005-12-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

My typical work week is at least 50 hours long.. So it has been quite odd these last few weeks where things have slowed considerably. What with the end of the Ohio construction season and still before our evaluation work begins, we here spend a lot of time cleaning up projects and what not, but not too much. Add to this our paid holiday time with all these short weeks, and I have been kind of bored at work.
I was so bored, that on Tuesday I left work early, with my boss, to have a few drinks. It was his birthday after all. After a few brews at FaT's, I called some friends who live near my home. The first person was all, " I have law stuff to do so piss off". The second people were all, " Sure Mr Bebout, we would love to meet you for a cocktail or two". And so we did. It was a great time. We had a nice conversation and ran into a life insurance saleman we all know and love.
Then we all went home.
Mrs Bebout was not too pleased with me because I was out of mind on the beer. I was not too pleased to have to go to work in the morning and climb ladders in Oberlin. But I did and that was fine. I did almost perish trying to ease myself back into the roof hatch all hung over and stiff from not enough sleep, but as I am here now, it is safe to say I made it just fine.
The rest of the week I have done not too much work, but the bulk of the staff has not so much as come into the office so I feel OK.

How Interesting

2005-12-27T10:37:00.000-05:00

I have seen quite a few phots of my son, riding motor bikes, as a Jedi, an so on. It is quite funny. I laugh everytime.

The End is Near

2005-12-21T16:28:00.000-05:00

The end of 2005 is near and so much has happened. The biggest addition was my new sweater. It is wool and brown and has a zipper. Also Mr Huber is whimping out and leaving Ohio for a great opportunity in New Mexico. I never see him these days since he is allergic to travel and I don't go to Jefferson too much, but it was nice to know where he was.

Also Mr Bebout the Younger moved in. He require a fair amount of attention and is not much good at minding after himself. This has me and the Mrs at home most nights. It's not too bad as he is not one to talk your ear off and he always leaves me the last slice of pizza.

With the holidays upon us it gives me a new focus on things. Mr Huber is having his annual Christmas Day party with crap gifts and what not and invites for New Years Eve are coming. Because the Younger doesn't like parties too much and does not travel too well, we will miss a lot of the parties we, or at least I, loved.

It is an odd feeling to know that you have moved on to a different stage of your life. I am thrilled the the Younger is there. I mean splitting rent three ways is better than two. I think this is a case of wanting to have my cake and eat it too. I don't understand why this is something people say. I mean if you had cake, wouldn't you eat it? What else is cake good for? It's not like it will keep for too long so you may as well eat the cake.
Anyway, it is hard for me because I do so love to be the center of attention. I crave it. It is hard to be the center when you are not around the people whose attention you can have, or if the show of Mr Bebout the younger is there. I can't compete with him. He's all helpless and cute. All I have is loud and bossy with opinions and jokes.

Woe to me.

As Requested

2005-12-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

We went to a kickin' party at Krs-10 and Ralbert's. We had to leave early b/c of Little Joey Lawrence and his booger covered hands at day care, but I digress. Mrs. Blazer requested a few photos of Mr Bebout the Younger and so here he is. By the way, if you (whoever you are) get some ideas about going crazy and photo shopping Mr. Bebout the Younger into your sick and depraved life, Think again. I saw an informational film on this very subject and am now prepared to take action if this case comes to pass.

My Well List

2005-12-01T17:52:00.000-05:00

In life, I have found, a few things that always make me happy.
Old people in holding hands makes me smile.
Baby farts are funny.
When people fall down in the practice of being cool makes me laugh. I will laugh a lot and loudly. I like fresh Wonder Bread with chip chopped ham and Miracle Whip with Kraft cheese.
I am in my glory when I am the first to drive on snow covered road.
I like writing with a sharp pencil.
I like the taste of uncooked pancake batter.
I like the shock when you expect cola and get root beer.
I am a huge fan of a new razor.
I like bubble wrap popping.
I love floppy puppy ears (attached to a living and healthy puppy you sicko).
A new jar of peanut butter in a joy.
Jumping on hotel beds is quite a bit of fun.
Nothing says " I am having fun" like whistling a tune.

Sick list

2005-11-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

I tell you all, I am sick and tired of people. I am sick of people on the left right and middle. I am sick of closed minded know-nothings and open minded know-it-alls and everyone in between. I am sick of white walls and tan carpet and red doors and orange siding. I am sick of old farms turned into half million dollar houses stacked one on top of another and all looking the same. I am sick of government housing that looks like Beirut after the Israelis left. I am sick of stores that don't carry pants in long sizes for big guys. I am sick of $100.00 blue jeans and the people that wear them. I am sick of gay men telling women what's hot. I am sick of seeing men portrayed a oafish slobs on TV. I am sick of people telling other people what a marriage is or is not. I am sick of gay white men acting like ghetto-fabulous black women. I am sick of bad advice from good people. I am sick of major league sports and all the money. I am sick of the TSA and search of my shoes. I am sick of bird flue and the scare you shitless method of governing we have allowed ourselves, no not allowed, chosen to be involved with and the people who bitch about at bars and on talk radio. I am sick Alex Trebec without his lip hair. I am sick of mandatory bike helmets and seat belts. I am sick of no driver check up for the aged. I am sick of turning without the signal. I am sick of cell phones that don't work. I am sick of grocery store flyers in my mailbox. I am sick of gum on the sidewalk and piss on the toilet seat. I am sick of catering to the lowest common denominator.

But I am very happy to be here and allowed to belch forth my sick list, and oh yeah,

I am sick of writing on my blog.