"OOOUUUCCCHHHHHH!!!!....................."

Good Morning;

One last bit of "Twisted Trivia" to end the Year 2009:

Do you know why we tend to drink so much on New Years,(in the Judeo-Christian culture), particularly the guys?

Part of it is post-partum birth trauma/race memory/muscle memory. Do you realize that New Years Day is 8 days after the birth of Jesus? And what happens to a Jewish male baby on the eighth day after birth?........

Can you say Bris Milah boys and girls....(or Brit Milah)....Go ahead GOOGLE it, I'll wait.....

Okay ladies stop grinning in sadistic glee, and guys you can let go and stop cringing now, it's already done.

Yup, New Years day....celebrating the work of the Moyhel...on Your Saviour.

(Oy Vey, did you hear, he saved all the 'clippings', sewed them together, and now has a wallet that turns into a briefcase when you stroke it....ROTFLMAO!!!!)

{with thanks..or blame..lol...to Neil for the inspiration for this silliness}

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hey...put down that knife....Rabbi, youv'e had too much to drink, you're hands are shaking.......oops...OOPS...whattya mean OOPS!!

2009---2010

Good Morning;

So I had an hour to kill before I have to be at Jenn's....lucky you!...lol.

I forgot to mention the little bit of strangeness on Tuesday night after Allan dropped me off at the gas station. I left there to head to the shed and saw that the door was open, and that there were still cars on the parking lot...(Tuesday night is the only night it is used)...and across the street sitting in another parking lot doing paperwork (or eating a doughnut), and doing whatever cops seem to do for the half hour before shifts end or start..is..a cop. I could enter the shed without being seen...I just could not approach that area within the "cone of blindness"! (Except possibly if I was to verrrrry carefully and verrrry slowly walk along a verrrrry narrow line that kept me out of his line of sight....like dinosaur raptors y'know....), but I wasn't in the mood to hum the Mission Impossible theme song so I jsu walked to the library and dropped a book in the night return and wandered the long way back to the gas station and after killing a few minutes there went around the back way, and then back to the gas station, for 30 minutes until he left. Nothing was distubed inside, so it was just the wind and coincidence.

Last night was a good deal warmer, and getting dressed this morning and rolling and folding and bagging my bedding was much less of an ordeal. Some mornings my fingers are some numb by the time I finish I cannot manipulate the laces to tie my shoes....(and my boots have these big fat 'beginner laces' in them too.....lol!).

So I am heading over to Jenn's to petsit and Rachel is coming over a little later to spend the night also. We are going to watch the ball drop and go out and bang pots and pans at midnight...if I can wake her if she falls asleep..lol. Jenn's apt. bldg.is in an angled arrangement that has somewhat of a sheltered courtyard facing the patio door, so hopefully we will be safe from stray bullets....(NOT!!!...lol!...this is Baltimore home to ghetto mentality, guns, garbage and government grift and graft!!!!!, there is usually at least one gunshot wound from stary bullets fired into the air on any given holiday that celebrates with noise and fireworks.).

If I can find a couple of dollars I will get a bottle of cheap bubbly, or a half pint of vodka or gin and a bottle of soda...lol, I can't afford a "good" wine so I'm going for effect...and I'M NOT DRIVING!

If you are, please be safe, I have a pretty small base of loyal readers, and I would hate to lose any of you.

Time is up, and I do not know if I can get back on.

To all...

have a safe and happy New Years Eve, and a prosperous and joyful 2010.

I thank you all for a great year, the ups and the downs.

Gratefully....Dave

"Free Frigedare"

Good Afternoon;

I thought the 'Cold' war was over!

I guess my side lost.......from the amount of frost on the INSIDE of the shed last night!

At least the breakfast sandwiches and pastries I got from the Starbucks will stay good, the cakes and sweets may be a little stale, but through the 'magic of microwaves'......lol.

I had a good day yesterday. Got enough meds so I will not be stressed at all over New Years, and while Monkee is away with her family in Vegas, for the first vacation she has had in decades. I am really happy for her, she has been trying so hard for so long to kick this effin' dope, and she has finally been able to put it down long enough to allow the 'bupe' to begin to do it's job. I am praying for her, and if you are the type of person who can pray for a random stranger, or a friend of a friend, please do so also. Thanks. She has been a good and true friend and supported me and helped me in many ways while I struggled and succeeded, while she was still in the grips herself.

I stopped in the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library for the first time in 30 years or more. I Went to the movies last night after the Starbucks closed with my 'new BFF' Allan, whose new love is away on a cruise with family, he's like a lost puppy....lol. He treated me to the $3.00 movies at Belair Rd. where we saw "Old Dogs", this is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, I literally laughed for the whole movie. Rent if you can, it's a blast.

The most interesting and relevant part of my day was the meeting and conversation I had with Phil Jacobs, publisher of the Baltimore Jewish Times. Two hours passed as if it were 15 minutes. We talked and he asked about my story, and in a somewhat disjointed and convoluted way I told him about myself. If he does decide to write a story, we are going to have to meet again though, to make some sense out of my ramblings, and to check on dates...I was for some reason unable to get things in their proper order, transposing wedding dates and birthdays, etc. He asked if I would meet with their photographer at some point and I said "sure, why not", I just hope they don't hold me responsible when the lens cracks...lol.

It was nice talking to some one in my age range, of the 'class' with which I try to associate myself, (economic and residential differences aside), who knows or knows of some of the people I knew way back when, or their older brothers or sisters. A very easy man to talk to.

He asked if he could give me some cash to put minutes on my phone, so as to contact me if needed, and I accepted, happily.

If nothing else comes of this, whether an article, or some help or intervention in getting assistance, or even direct help in getting off the street, I am glad to have had the opportunity to convey one simple message. He asked me what one thing to would like to tell people, if I had a forum.

The thing I chose to let people know was...

We on the streets desire Dignity above all else.

We exist, like it or not, and pretending not to see us changes nothing.

You need not give anything more than eye contact.

A nod, a smile, a simple 'Good morning'.

Acknowledgement of our mutual humanity!

I am going to the coffee shop now for the first cup of the day and some food.

I am going to petsit with Rachel again at Jenn's for New Years, so I may or may not be in here tomorrow morning.

If I do not get back, I wish everyone a Happy and Safe New Years Eve. And remember,

"Moderation In ALL Things, Including Moderation!"

EXCEPT....drinking and driving!

I was going to review the past year of the blog, but I've gotta get out of here, it's getting crazy crowded.

Oh yeah, yesterday, in the Tuesday Dec. 29th edition of the Baltimore Sunpaper on the second page, there is an article on the city clearing out the last..(ha ha..wink wink..nod nod) enclave of homeless folks under the JFX..(that is the Jones Falls Expressway, aka I-83...for all the non BaltiMorons)..between Madison and Read Sts. in the Mt. Vernon area...(hmmmm......nah, nothing to do with all those rich yuppies and preppies). Some of the comments made by a few of the folks interviewed regarding the city shelters, and independence and self reliance echo what I have been saying....

"SO IT'S NOT JUST ME!!!"....(the preceding capitalized blast is being sent out to the crude and ignorant person who has been making the insulting and vulgar comments, over and over, calling me, among other things, racist, elitist, and anti-semitic..[huh?.....lol.]....first, genius, if you don't like what you read...stop coming back!, and second, if I have not published one of your crude diatribes yet, what makes you think I ever will? If you have some thing to say...lose the profanity and insults).

I'm out of here.................Dave

"SSSHHHHHH!!!..........No Talking!........"

Good Morning;

I am at the Main Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore City, right across the street from The Basilica Of The Assumption, home to many of the Catholic homeless services in the city, I guess that makes me both Urban and Suburban 'residentially challenged', now that I am at one of the favorite cold weather hangouts of many of the street people in Baltimore.....LOL.

I am only here because I had to go to Monkee's early this morning, and it was more convenient to travel here than to go back out to Pikesville, since I have to go to Mt. Washington to the coffee shop for 2 meetings today.

One of those is with the publisher of the Jewish Times, who was introduced to this blog by his editor, and my very good friend Neil. Who knows what will come from this, a new friend, a story, some contacts, and maybe a little 'inside help' to getting some assistance?

I stopped by my daughter Jenn's yesterday to wash clothes and shower, and spend some time with her without the kids, (they were at her Mom's..my first 'ex'...lol). Istopped at the Starbucks after and ran into Allan, and we talked until close, when Jenn stopped by after her meeting and gave me a ride back to Pikesville. It was cold as hell last night but I laid out the blanket so as to make myself into a taco and I stayed nice and warm as one..(with hot salsa!!), until the evil prostate monster forced me out into the cold....lol.

I am on the 'short term' computer, so that means there is no chair, and my back and feet are hurting, I may be back later................Dave

"Home On The (st)Range........Or.........Be It Ever So Crumble(d)........."

Good morning;

So...back in the shed again last night, [and if there is any question whether or not I am totally effin' nuts, the fact that it was a kind of relief to be back in there has got to answer it in the affirmative!]

Except for the fact that it has no heat, no electricity, leaks like a sieve..(or a top secret Congressional investigation), no plumbing or facilities, all season flow-through ventilation..(whether desired or not), and I'm basically trespassing and trying to slip in and out unnoticed...it does have it's charms.......LOL!

As great as it was/is to stay at Jenn's, there is still an underlying tension, even when they are not there,....

(and even with my head 18 inches from the parking lot and 6 feet from the street, the shed is STILL quieter than Jenn's apt., between the upstairs neighbor's 'Surround Sound' system when he is watching a movie..[with the ultra low bass kicker on]while playing with the dogs, who need their claws trimmed, on uncarpeted wood floors,...and the next door neighbor's kids Rasta-thug-gansta-Reggae at full volume and full bass and accordingly FULL DISTORTION!!!,..........{that is one thing I cannot and will never understand....why push a device beyond the speaker capacity just for volume, if it all turns to static..WHAT'S THE F*CKING POINT!!!...ride the bus or more so the subway and the light rail, or just walk the streets, and every wanna be moron with a cell phone that plays music sounds like they are walking around shaking a tin can full of gravel,with a 1960's era and quality transistor radio inside of it, playing a continuous loop of someone gargling!!!}..........(oops, Another tangent...lol)..........shaking things off the wall, as soon as their parents leave the house.),....

It is not MY place, and no matter how comfortable I can make myself, it never will be.

As crappy as the shed is...and don't get me wrong, I've seen and LIVED in much worse...it is still in essence...mine. Weird, huh, how important a little, even a very little bit of independence and freedom can be.

Gotta go.........Dave

"All I Wanted For Christmas Was My Two Front Teeth.........A Root Canal, 2 Surgical Extractions, Some Partial Bridgework, And A Few Cavities Filled.."

Good Afternoon;

But Santa does not have his DDS!!!..LOL

I hope everyone had a lovely and safe Christmas...(or 'Chinese&Movie Day' as it is known in the Jewish community.....LOL)...Rachel had a blast on Xmas Eve aftenoon and evening with Edward and Devin as the wise old aunt with her nephew and niece, (who are all of 9 months and 4 years younger...lol). They all left for Midnight Mass and we had the rest of the night and the Xmas day together with the cats and the (freshly washed and strawberry scented....lol) dog. It was nice to be woken up at 5:00 am. in the morning by my daughter wanting to crawl in bed and cuddle up...hell it was awesome just to sleep..(or at least attempt to sleep, stupid muscle memory!)..in a real bed!!..LOL!

I am very grateful to Jenn and her husband Tom for the chance to spend time alone with Rachel just doing 'Daddy' things around the house. I am also thankful for the many, (and suddenly appearing), nights inside over the past 2 and 1/2 weeks, especially in light of the recent blizzard and the heavy rains of the past few days. I am moved by their renewed trust and confidence shown by allowing me access and use of the apartment and possession of the keys for the time. I am truly touched by the redeveloping..(if he doesn't drive me insane first)..relationship with my grandson, (and his with Rachel), and the newly developing relationship with my sweet, smart..(too smart...lol), funny, and darling grandaughter Devin. [I've been asked if I regret not having a son..(or one that carries on my family name anyway)..wellllll, I'm kinda partial to daughters and grand daughters...{don't tell Ed, he's ready to take me out as it is for letting him get to know the word "NO!!!"...up close and personal!....lol.....and I STILL spoil the hell out of him...LOL}.....you can imagine how wrapped around Rachel's and Devin's...(and Jenn if she wanted to do so...lol)...fingers I am and will be as they get older....LOL!!!

I stopped by the shed on the way here this afternoon, it is still standing and appears unmolested and reasonably dry, I flipped and swapped layers of cardbord mattress, that was it. Iam back in there for the next 4 nights an back at Jenn's to petsit.maybe with Rachel again.. on New Years.

time's up........Dave

"Things That Go 'BUMP' In The Morning..................."

Good Afternoon;

So I am just laying there in the shed trying to get up the courage to crawl out of the bag and put on my jeans and boots, which have been sitting in the sub freezing air all night when I hear the gate in the fence outside..(which I have been using to slip into the shed through the carport side, so as to leave the snow in the parking clear and untracked....hey, any anonymity helps avoid snoops, which means my sleeping bag and blanket are safer and left alone...as am I)..being scraped over the snow, and noises and voices. I freeze, both literally and figuratively, and hear some unknown clicking and clacking going on and then the voices fade into silence. When I get dressed and packed up and the bag and blanket rolled and put into their bags and stashed in the corner, I slip out of the shed and wedge the door shut and notice some battery chargers for a couple of portable drills or saws plugged into the outlet on that runs down from the security lights on the wall of the building to which the shed is associated,(not directly attached, there is a carport area, and space where the HVAC unit stands that shares a roof with the shed). I did not see anyone around when I slipped out, but when I passed by on my way back from the Giant 20 minutes later I noticed a trailer parked across the lot from the shed and footsteps through the virgin snow. The door was still shut and the foot prints seemed to not go up to it, but it is still nerve wracking, wondering what I will find tonight. Especially in light of what happened just about a year ago, when I came back to the garage to find it boarded up. That is when I moved into my backup spot..'Le Maison Masonite'!.....lol. We shall see tonight what, if anything, is up. Of course it figures that I have only $4.00 to my name, so a motel room is not in the picture tonight.

It is a typical end of the month with a holiday in the last week of it, meds for 2 days, $1.05 in Foodstamps, and $4.00 in cash. At least I got to give Rachel gifts this time, and Edward and Devin got coloring books too, it's not much but the best I could do financially, and they all three are getting loads of crap from their other grandparents, and Rachel's mother. Between the snow and the cold and the junkies and dope fiends taking over the one corner where I really feel both safe and comfortable..(which is a relative term on the streets of Baltimore, considering my experiences with cops and robbers!)..and spending the two best days for panhandling with Rachel....money wise, it's gonna be a long, cold, lonely, depressing week from Christmas to the day after New Years, when I MAY??? be getting some cash.

And more snow and/or ice forecast to boot. Have I let you know my opinion of the climate between November and March?.....Well in a word:

COLD WEATHER SUCKS!!!!

(okay, 3 words...picky picky picky....LOL)

In other news, Jenn gave me $10.00 for my phone last night, which a good portion has been used up by being put on hold when I called to try to get some information from my doctor's office. It took almost 20 phone calls to finally get through, so I really did not want to hang up, so I was between a rock and a hard place.....as usual. I am going to go watch the grandkids while the dog gets a bath today, then tomorrow Rachel and I get to dogsit a clean dog...LOL!

I had an e-mail from the publisher of the Jewish Times,(where my friend Neil is Editor), and he wants to meet and talk to me, that's pretty cool, so we are meeting on Monday at....Three (3) guesses...and the first Two (2) don't count....LOL.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday, be it Christmas, Chanukah, the Islamic New Year, the Druidic, Wiccan, or Pagan Solstice Celebration, or their Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, et. al. equivalent.

And as for all us the Faithful God Fearing Anti Religioists out there...

"HAPPY FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US"

The Library is closed Xmas Eve and Xmas, closes early on Saturday, and opens late on Sunday, so I may not be back until Monday...then again, I may be back tonight....you know that goes with me......LOL.

Well see you later, unless Grandma and I get run over by a reindeer, or this being Pikesville, I get run over by Grandma. I fell on some 'black ice' this morning, and twisted my knee, and I am afraid to take off my boot right now. Pain is no fun!

Oh by the way, I hear that Santa is coming "strapped" to Baltimore this year, in case he runs into Sheila Dixon......LOL.

Oh...Oh....politically incorrect......LOL!!!!

........................Dave

"So Long......And Thanks For All The Fish..........."

Good Evening;

I don't know if I may have mentioned this before....but......COLD WEATHER SUCKS!!!!!......and that goes double for snow!

Thirty six separate visitors to the site here since the blizzard began on Friday night (at 10:28 pm as I was getting off the train at Reisterstown Plaza Station), and numerous repeats, and 0..(that is Zero) comments, 0..(again, Zero) e-mails, and 3 phone calls Saturday in the middle of the storm, asking if I was okay.

Well I would not have been able to reply by computer anyway, since the libraries were closed, as were the Starbucks, and luckily ("and grateful I am", as Yoda would state it....lol), my daughter Jenn had called me and invited over for the day, and she does not have a computer at this time either. I told her I would call her when I crawled out of the sleeping bag, which ended up being about Noon, and went over there around 2:30 pm. after finally getting a bus and a train, and wading through some poorly planned piles of plowed snow....

(GO MTA!!!.....the idea is supposed to be ACCESSIBILITY!!!.......LOL!)

They offered me the recliner and I stayed the night and showered and did laundry and played with the grandkids. After watching the conditions, on TV...(Cable AND I got to play with the remote!!!....lol), of all the side roads and sidewalks stil snow covered, and the limited bus service and large number of places of business that stayed closed on Sunday, they said I may as well stay over that night too. So I hung out with Jenn and the kid's again today..(Tom had to work in Fall's Church Virginia, and spent half the morning stuck in traffic sending texts...), and showered again..because I could...lol!, and finally left this evening and caught the 6:45 pm bus to the library. I have not even been past the shed yet to see if the door was blown open and if snow has filled it up. When I left in the middle of the snow storm on Saturday, I had woken up to piles of snow that had drifted and sifted in during the night, one about 18 inches from my face, and others in the cracks in the walls and caught up in the insulation. There was one large pile about 2 feet beyond where my pallet ends, that came in hole that formed when the waterlogged insulation must have given way. I hope that none of it has melted, so I can just sweep it down to the other end of the shed, where it leaks anyway. I can stay warm, IF I can stay dry. Allan is here and has time to kill after the library closes before he has to be anywhere so we are probably going to sit and talk for a while, and if the shed is too f*cked up, I'll get him to drop me..???....somewhere?? Oh and he is one of the people who called to check on me, (twice!), the last but NOT least one being Janis, who left me a nice and compassionate voicemail offering shelter and succor if situations became too dire or extreme.

(Janis..I left you a voice mail...if you did not get it, I said.....I have exactly one minute left on my phone, so I can see who calls, so I cannot answer, but I will call back if I recognize the phone number, when I get to a pay phone or can access someone elses phone.....and I am deeply touched and moved by your kindness....).

I have tentative plans to dog sit and cat sit with Rachel over Jenn's on Thursday and Friday, and have a daddy and daughter sleepover, while they all go up to Tom's mom's house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

(Yeah I know...Chanukah with one and Christmas with the other...don't ask...LOL)

Well it is closing time now, .........later...Dave

"All Over The 'Whether' Map................................."

Good Afternoon;

Okay I am back for the next round today.

I want to thank Sherry for her kind words and comment on my Dec. 7th post, {"You Like Me..........You Really......(ETC)"}.

[Sherry,Maybe one day I'll be in Chicago, and send you an e-mail....but not anytime soon, or as long as the words "Lake Effect Snow" are still a seasonal possibility.......LOL!]

P.S.,.................Cold Weather Sucks!!!, have I mentioned that before?

There is snow forecast for this evening and Saturday, and Saturday night all the way through to Sunday around daybreak....Simply Effin' Loverly!

Of course the library closes early today and tomorrow..(if it opens at all, this may be a 'REAL' snow fall...at least for Baltimore....lol.....4 to 8 inches, high temps in the looowwww 30's). The Giant is a madhouse, a winter storm alert on a Friday, Oy Vez Iz Mir, it's a Bubby Bashing Shopping Cart Demolition Derby!!!...........LOL!

The past week....

I left here Tuesday ready to kill and went to the Starbucks, chilling out on the bus ride thankfully, and just kicked back.

Wednesday, absolutely nothing interesting happened, the same running theme of not wanting to get out of the warm sleeping bag and get dressed in the cold and then have to head out to the street. The same feeling Thursday morning and today, and the damn intermittent problem with the circulation and lack of feeling and coldness in the right foot.

On Thursday I went to TARGET and spent all the money I had budgeted for Rachel's Chanukah's presents without leaving the Dollar Racks in the front of the store, from socks to hair ornaments to jewelry, to crafts to toys...ALL 'Disney Princess' items!, (Her favorites!), plus I had already had some stuffed animals and a sketch pad. I went for Quantity of Gifts, a lot of small things that she can open and use over a period of time, and remember me if I am not there just then. We decided that instead of any one big thing, we would spread it out over the year and 'GO places and DO things', experiences rather than possessions.

Her mother and grandparents have given her the bigger things and rather than try to compete in a battle I could not win, I changed the direction.

I was over her house, (the 'ex'es'), and cannot see how two intelligent adults can choose to live in such squalor and deny the reality of the situation, and impose such conditions on a child, when all it would take is the simple process of..."pick it up when it falls on the floor"... I fear that Rachel will be affected in all her future endeavors by what she is being exposed to through negligence, laziness, incompetency, and Untreated ADD!!..(her mother's), and denial. I'm done apologizing for slovenliness by saying she is 'overwhelmed'. In the 4 places she has lived, the only time there was any order or sanitation or hygiene, was when I was there. I live cleaner on the streets!!

Sorry, it was either that or explode!

I am heading out to the coffee shop for a while, hoping the snow holds off 'til late, so I can get to Monkee's after she gets off work. I want to travel as little as possible tomorrow.

I found out the Starbucks is open til 6:00 pm. Xmas Eve, and 'til 4:00 pm. Xmas Day, I guess it's gonna be a lot of 'Subway Surfing' all night next weekend.

I may try to get out to the corner and get some cash from now, up to and including next weekend. If I can get a spot from the junkies, I could make some money. I have not been out for a month or so, I have not been feeling up to it on the cold days, and trying to be frugal to an extent, without being miserly and denying myself the little pleasures I take from food or the occasional drink, and the major ones that involve going out with Rachel.

"contentment between agonies is the elixir

of existence"--Charles Bukowski --"Never"

After I get my meds for a few days, (I hope through the holidays, but it looks like only the next 5 days), and put $10.00 on my phone, (currently a necessity not a luxury, with the recent applications and contacts I am awaiting answers from), I'll have about $3.00 on my Independence card, and $10.00 in cash.....it looks like more than a maybe, unless I get some Chanukah or Christmas gifts in cash.

I have been doing a little writing and (a lot of composing in my head) of poetry recently.

It is either feast or famine for me as an author of poems. It looks as if you all may be treated to an "all you can eat" smorgasbord soon.....lol

(You may want to emulate the ancient Romans and get the old Vomitorium ready...LOL!!!)

So, am I rambling today or what?...LOL!

We just hit 3500 vistitors to this little exercise in exorcism.....Whooo Hooo!!

Speaking of which, since you have been reading for the past year's content for free, and returning for more! How about a small donation to the......

D.A.V.E.* Fund?

*--Delighfully Amusing & Very Entertaining--

.....everybody else seems to be charging for access to information and entertainment to day, the least I can do is ASK for a voluntary contribution.....

No Advertising, No Pop-ups, No Subscriptions, No Fees, No Dues, No charge

vs.

No Home

Yeah, I'm asking. I could use some cash, or a place to stay.

If you want to help, send me an e-mail... d_funkwriter@hotmail.com ..or write to the address to the left...or if you have my phone number call me..(new phone--same number).

{I could really use somewhere 'inside' to be tonight and tomorrow!}

If you don't, or can't...well you're still welcome here, and still invited to write to say hello,

(except for the cluless and self righteous, who will be deleted without being read....you know who you are, those whose comments and crude responses never get published anyway, yeah you, moron!), I really enjoy the contact.

Okay it's almost 3:00 pm., and looking awfully gray and gloomy outside, so I am out of here to get some really, really late breakfast and coffee.

Anybody want a house guest for the weekend?....LOL(?)

later................Dave

"Deja Stu(pid)..................."

Good Afternoon;

Hi, I'm back, and so are my Followers! Hello and Welcome Katie, whether or no Google fixed the problem or your signing on to be a Follower kickstarted the widget...it is now working.

I was in here on Tuesday and about to sign on and write something, when I had to get up and leave because right next to me, and exhibiting the total lack of manners and sense of entitlement typical of the breed , were the same loud and foul mouthed young females that I encountered the other day. It was either leave of kill someone...and they have just sat down next to me again....

Later............Dave

"The Best Laid Schemes O' Mice An' Men Gang Aft A-Gley............................."

Good Morning;

It is very sunny and bright today, no wind, and chilly but not uncomfortable...and most importantly.....there is nothing falling from the sky!

The rain yesterday was a pain in the ass! When I left the shed on Saturday I was planning on a dry day so I wore the sneakers, of course when my son-in-law Tom dropped me off at the Starbucks on Sunday afternoon it was raining so hard that we had to wait 10 minutes for it to slow down enough to get out of the car. He pulled up close to the curb because the gutter was like the the Mississippi River..(with a breached levee)! The only problem was that the sidewalk in that particular spot had shifted and sunk about 4 inches, and of course the resulting puddle was camouflaged with a fine film of dust and pine needles so that it looked solid....well you know the rest of the story....LOL. 'One small step for a man, One giant splash for mankind'!

It was a fitting follow up to Saturday evening's shattered plans. If you remember, when I signed off I was on my way to pick up Rachel to go to Jenn's for 'Breakfast For Dinner' with the grand kids. After missing one bus, walking up the Reisterstown Rd. and having the next bus fly by in the fast lane without slowing, much less stopping, having to catch the route that forced us to have to walk across the parking lot and through the mall and then across Home Depot's lot, where we were almost hit..LITERALLY!!..by a tow truck travelling at at least 50 mph...Across A Parking Lot!, while we were in a marked crosswalk, leaning on the air horn without slowing, on the contrary, the dumb bast*rd was accelerating!...(this is not the first incidence I have witnessed and/or experienced with these shiny all black with neon green lettering tow trucks......I am now going on the offensive, these f*ckers are going down, one way or another.).....scaring Rachel and causing this older woman with a walker to stumble and trip. I caught her before she hit the ground, and some other bystanders helped her and were calling the police so we split, being that we were almost across from Jenn's and that I avoid City cops on principle....lol!

At this point the phone rings and it is Jenn, saying plans have changed, and "can I watch Edward while she takes Devin to the Emergency Room at Sinai?". Well after the reflexive automatic "Yes, of course!" I asked what had happened. She had slipped and fallen forward and bashed her chin on the edge of the small square parsons table that she had been standing and coloring at. We got there a few minutes later and Devin was actually pretty happy, and the bleeding had stopped, but there was a 3/4 inch long 'divot' in her chin, just deep and wide enough that it ended up needing 3 stitches to close it up and avoid a nasty scar...(like mine..lol). Her friend Shannon took them to the hospital, because Tom was on his way out the door to work, and it was Rachel and Edward and I, the stinky dog and the 2 cats..(who were out of their 'prescription cat food'..(don't even ask...lol).. and therefore extremely friendly and attentive to anything that looked edible. Ed told me he wanted a "honey and jelly sandwich" for dinner and Rachel wanted chicken nuggets and McCain 'smiley face fries'...(getting these two to agree on the same choice is sometimes like mediating the Arab-Israeli mishegas...LOL!). So I put Rachel's food in the oven and grab the jelly and the bread and start looking for the 'honey', all the while trying to convince Edward to eat either peanut butter and jelly, or peanut butter and honey, (to get some protein in him). I'm searching the pantry and all the cabinets looking for the 'honey' and having no luck finding it, when Ed goes to the pantry pulls out a jar, sets it on the counter and says, "Here is the 'Honey'!". I turn and look and it is A JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER!!...which, on "PLANET EDWARD!!!!" is known as 'honey'....after the urge to strangle him passed I could not stop laughing, which became contagious, even though the kids had no idea what they were laughing at..(one of the benefits of childhood...lol).

Jenn got back around 8:30 pm. and Devin was wide awake and ready to play, none the worse for wear and tear. Rachel's mother picked her up around 9:20 pm. and I sat with Jenn and the kids until we got them to bed...(an hour process minimum with Edward....but, I'm Pop-Pop Dave not Daddy, so duct taping him to the bed is not an option if Jenn is the A-I-C..[Adult In Control]...LOL!). After we finally got them settled in and watching their video, Jenn and I sat and talked and watched TV as she wrapped Xmas presents. I was going to get one of 2 buses (11:30 pm./12:30 am.) back up to Pikesville, but Jenn said she or Tom would run me up when he got back from his DJ job. He was asked to work later...(the party must have been rockin'....lol), and finally got home after 2:00 am. I was putting my shoes on and getting ready to leave when he came out of the bedroom from talking to Jenn and told me to just spend the night on the couch.

Now this may sound like a little thing to you, but this is an extremely big event in my re-connection and re-development of relations with my daughter and her family I was and am still very moved and grateful, not so much for the offer but for what it pertains to.

When we all finally got up, (I was up and down until I switched to the recliner, and of course shortly after I get settled Edward gets up to go and pee and on his way back to bed does a double take and has to check me out. After which I assured him 'Yes it is ME!' and he went back to sleep. Around 10:00 am. he gets up and comes over and says, (take a deep breath).."it's morning get up what are you doing here can I have some paper to color on and can we watch a DVD I have church today where is Rachel"...(inhale)...LOL! Jenn ended up cooking pancakes and bacon and sausage for everyone, (I had already made a pot of coffee and had downed half of it), and because it was so dark and gray and nasty wet outside, all that sugar, starch, fat and cholesterol were actually a 'good thing' for the mental health and emotional well being.........(lol).

After everything 'settled' Tom dropped me off at Starbucks in Mt. Washington, and I hung out there until 6:30 pm. or so, when I took the train and the bus to Monkee's. The rain had stopped and my shoe was dried out pretty much. It was still early when I left there so I ended up riding the Metrotrain up and down from Johns Hopkins to Owings Mills and back 4 times reading my latest novel.."The Chase' by 'Clive Cussler, and book of poems by Charles Bukowski, published posthumously recently. I hit the gas station about 10:30 pm. and watched a little football and played my $2.00 on Keno for a dozen or so games..(and ended up breaking even).. then went in to the shed. I had to rearrange and relayer my cardboard mattress due to some new leakage..(there was an extreme amount of rain in a very short time, which tends to cause some new places to leak, some only for that storm, and occasionally a new permanent leak).

>>>Procrastination Alert<<<

I have to get to JAI Medical and find out about my status, my right foot and leg were 'strange' again, kind of numb/cold/tingly, and it was not THAT cold last night, and I was wrapped reasonably well.

So it is time for coffee and food now. I am going to Mt. Washington and I guess I'll see Jenn there tonight also before her meeting, and get a ride after.

See you later.........Dave

"The Doctor Is 'IN'..............OR........'And How Does That Make You Feel?'......."

Good Afternoon;

I never got a chance to get back online yesterday, I went over to my daughter Jenn's house to visit with the grandkids and shower and wash clothes, and by the time I left that afternoon it was too late to make it back to the libtray before closing time. So I went to the Starbucks...(big surprize, right....lol). Allan stopped by and I again acted as a "BFF"...lol.....or his own personal
"PSYCHO"-therapist,...lol...as he both 'gushed and griped' about his new love and their continuing soap opera...."Falling In Love After 55....OR....Sex With a Senior Discount".....ROTFLMAO!! But seriously, it is really very sweet and charming, and I am a bit jealous of them.

I was uncomfortably cold on Thursday night, with the combination of low, low temperature and wind chill and the continuing deterioration of the 'Tar Paper Palace'. But the weird thing is that it was only my right foot!, I guess the poor circulation and high blood pressure and edema and the fact that I must have been laying on a pressure point or nerve nexus all contributed to my foot feeling so cold it 'burned'. The rest of me was toasty warm and I was actually sweating at one point...(except for the very tip of my nose, which I decided to let freeze in exchange for fresh air, .....asphyxiation is not one of my favorite pastimes, besides the fact that the atmosphere under the covers, [this was BEFORE the shower remember...lol], was, shall we say, a wee bit 'aromatic'.....lol).

Last night was chilly, but not as cold, and I made sure that my shoelaces were looser during the day, and that I got up and moved more and tried to sit less on the edge of the chair all day, to keep circulation moving, and I was much more comfortable. (The fact that I put $2.00 on the Keno and left with $15.00 helped too...LOL!)

I am taking the bus and picking up Rachel as soon as I soon as I am done here at the library, and we are going to see Jenn and Edward and Devin for "Breakfast for Dinner" tonight, always a childhood favorite. I'm picking her up and we are busing and walking because it is "too much'' for the 'ex' to drop her off in the cold and then have to pick her up again tonight. Oh, that 10 yard walk all the way to the car, and then the 7 minute drive to take Rachel to her sister's house, and the drive back and then that 10 yard walk back to the couch......and then to have to do it over again at 9:00 pm.!!! Yeah Right, but on a below freezing day, in sleet and snow, on a Shabbas or a holiday, she'll get up and drag her out to some 'frummie' function????......don't get me started on this...I am out of here.

If I am still in Pikesville tomorrow at 1:00 pm. I'll be back here at the library...if not.....see you Monday

...................Dave

"...'ICE'-Breaking News......COLD WEATHER SUCKS.........!!!!!!!!!!!....."

Film at 11:00!!!!!

"Do It Yourself Brain Surgery....For Dummies............."

Good Morning;

So I get a call at 9:30 am. yesterday morning and it is the 'ex; wanting to know if I am at the Starbucks yet, because she and Rachel are at the Falls Road Animal Hospital dropping off one of the cats and were going to stop by, well....I was still in the bag getting up the courage to unzip, crawl uot and put on the ice cold jeans that I had forgotten to lay out underneath me to stay warm....lol. I told her to call back when she was on the way back out from the house to do her shopping and I would meet them at the library or the Giant. I finally got myself together and the sleeping bag and the mat, and the blankets all rolled up and bagged up...(this is EVERY morning and EVERY night, it is getting to be a real pain), and I was in the Giant getting my coffee and breakfast when the phone rang...I am at the register checking out and they are in the produce section...(she never has been very good at following simple suggestions/directions)..so I never made it to the library. Rachel and I got dropped off at the Starbucks and spent a couple hours together, just hanging out and also going over to th Whole Foods and trying all the free samples. (On a good day, you can get a balanced meal there just from the feebies....lol).

After her mother picked her up, I just hung out for a while reading, until Allan showed up next to me while I was looking at the cheeses at the Whole Foods, and scared the heck out of me....lol. We caught up on the past week and a half or so. He is still dealing with a skin graft that will not heal properly on his foot and has pretty much been inside and off his feet. Having a friend with a health problem makes one more conscious of one's own vulnerability, reading about all the illness and injury in the paper can only touch one on an abstract level, no matter how awful it is. Hearing the blow by blow reports of the trials and tribulations of Allan, or Jenn's family and their hassles with MRSA, and the parts that they take in stride, that freak me out, made me understand some of the reactions I get, when I tell some folks about my medical issues, and they are amazed by what I just look at as day to day annoyances. We each have our own perspective on what is TOO much to deal with, and what is just a part of, though be it an annoying one, of life.

I am out of here for now, heading for coffee and something to eat at Mt. Washington...

.......................later,, Dave

" There's A Fungus Among Us.............................OR...........................................'Ankylosaurus Ouch'.............."

Good Afternoon;

This is going to be a brief post because it is really nice outside and I want to enjoy it as much as I can....the forecast looks like Hell...(yes Hell is cold and frozen over....read your Dante, particularly The Inferno,.....you're back, good. The lowest level of Hell? A lake of Ice, right, with Satan, trapped for eternity, frozen in the center?....told ya so!.......LOL),....rain, snow and freezing rain, then sleet, then up to 3 inches of rain, then HIGH!! temps barely above freezing, with lows in the high teens, for 2 days, then it warms up...SO IT CAN SNOW AND SLEET AGAIN!!!

Cold Weather Sucks!!!

Anyway, I have boots that are wearable and waterproof, (well water-resistant is more accurate...lol), and reasonably comfortable when I get the laces snug/slack in their proper order. I made the mistake of pulling them too tight at the top eyelets, around the ankles, and between the chafing and my unconscious scratching of a patch of rough and scaly skin caused by the athlete's foot, (Which is really hard to keep under control, much less cure, when living on the streets. This is a widespread problem among the homeless, as is the nail fungus, both of which I am trying to treat with the anti-fungal creams I have, but when washing your feet a few times a day is damn near impossible, even fighting it to a stalemate is a huge effort.), I now have a half dollar size patch of raw, open wound on my right ankle. Today I am wearing fresh, (thanks Anne!...lol), white socks, (my last clean pair), and a heavy layer of Clotrimazole cream, and my sneakers. I am taking advantage of the dry ground while I can, and hoping I get in the shed before the slop starts tonight.

(Trivia:-)

(....The quick and easy way to treat athlete's foot fungus is the Army/Prison method, "pee on your feet in the shower", it stops the itch and burning, and slows and/or halts the growth of the fungus....)

[This is also an emergency treatment for a bad Jellyfish sting]

...Just goes disprove the old adage...

"It's Better To Be Pissed OFF Than Pissed ON!".....ROTFLMAO.

{Golden Shower aficionados are classed under 'Recreational', rather than 'Medicinal' usage, and will be found with the 'Write Your Name In The Snow' groupies in another discussion...LOL!!}

Okay...see you later,..............Dave

"....'You Like Me, You Really Like Me'..(With Acknowledgement/Apologies To Sally Fields And Her Oscar Acceptance Speech For 'Places In The Heart')..."

Good Afternoon;

It's bright and sunny, cold but not bitterly so, it is actually colder in the shed due to the fact that it is still in the shadow of the office building, than outside. I crawled out of the bag about 10:15 am. and went to the Giant for my morning ablutions. I purchased a small tomato and some 'in-store braised' brisket, a hot cup of fresh ground and freshly brewed coffee, (from a machine!!, it is as good as..[ or dare I blaspheme....BETTER THAN...] Starbucks!), and a pint of OJ,..(I have a craving for Vitamin C right now)... To put myself in 'the Spirit of the Holidays' I tossed a handful of coin into the Salvation Army bell ringer's bucket, and to put 'the Spirit of the Holidays' in me, went to the liquor store and added some low, (low..low..low..) budget Russian anti-freeze to my coffee.

I am still waiting for the 'ex' to call and drive by the library so I can give her this Polar Bear shaped and decorated frosted cookie that I have for Rachel, but as she was leaving to go out 'in a few minutes'...an hour ago!.., and has not called yet, who knows if it will happen. My Bad!!., she just called, she got tied up at the post office.....LOL

Wow, I was looking at the traffic on the blog, (Thank you all!), and one of the referrals has been from a Tumblr blog called "AND SO IT GOES...", written by..

About the author:

I'm Sherry. Currently studying abroad in Nantes, France.

A student at Northwestern University.

Taiwanese.

I'm a lover of cats, tea and sleep.

(see, and move your cursor to and click on the link in red below).

..... And so it goes... .....

I went to check it out and she had posted a link to MY blog and this comment....

"I actually genuinely enjoy reading his blog. And it makes me want to meet him."

As I said..WOW!, what a boost to both my ego and self esteem!

(Hell, I'm ready to fall in love, sight unseen, with a total stranger on those two sentences...LOL!...[Yeah, Yeah, we all know I have loneliness issues...lighten up, it was a joke.....] {or was it?...hee..hee..hee..!!} .... [But then again, Michelle (Mlle) and I became lifelong friends and soul mates due to the simple statement.."You intrigue me, Dave....."!]..... Such is the curse of the incurable romantic.....and irrepressible optimist..(LOL).

To return the favor, here is her link, (above in red )it is both a fun and interesting read. It seems we share a similar sense of humor, irony, and outlook..... I guess it's true what they say;

Great Minds Think Alike!...........LOL!

And Sherry, the feeling is mutual, (I remember your comment from last April about my 'International Audience'....lol!), my e-mail is on the header of the blog, when you get back from France, if you can arrange to travel back to Chicago by way of Baltimore...write me. Even if it is only a layover at the airport, the Light Rail runs right up into the International terminal....and I...'have bus pass...will travel'.....lol. (And don't take the above TOO seriously.....unless of course....you want to....lol.)

Sunday at the Mt. Washington Starbucks was a mob scene in the afternoon when I FINALLY got there, (it was 'Idiot Day At The MTA', all day and night, only the most incompetent and ignorant drivers seemed to be working, covering all the bases from racism to apathy, and when they decided to actually drive the buses, and trains, the schedules seemed to be mere suggestions), there was no table free, and the only seat available to share was with this gentleman at the small round table in the middle of the store, right in the path of every shopper with an overload of bags, (as was the back of my head!!!...LOL). But serendipity was at work also, I had almost 2 hours of wonderful and varied conversation with an intelligent and articulate and most importantly..Interesting new acquaintance. We covered the field from music and music technology, to social services and my situation, to politics in Baltimore..and on and on. It was what a coffee shop/meeting place atmosphere should be. The guy is involved in the recording industry and also with a locally produced FREE!!!!! Internet radio station featuring local independent and new musicians and groups, Umbrella Radio. Check it out at:

http://www.umbrellaradio.org/

Almost 63 hours of continuous indie music, 24 hours before a repeated song.

And it is a NON-PROFIT!!! Check it out and donate if you can.

And Thank You, John for a great addition to my day.

I am meeting Jenn this afternoon at the food store, she is going to trade some cash for food and help my liquid assets improve. She has an anniversary to go to at 10:00 pm, so she is not going to her home group in Mt. Washington this evening. I'll get a ride to the train and spend a couple hours at the coffee shop after we shop I guess, since I have pretty much killed all afternoon her at the library and I want to get out.

I am signing off for now, I'll see you tomorrow, unless some other witty or pithy comment surfaces while there are computers open...lol.

later........Dave

"....'A Boot To The Head!'......OR....(SLAP)...'I Coulda Had A Size 8'........"

Good Afternoon;

I was so depressed last night...

thinking about the economy, health care, government

health insurance, the wars, global warming, my savings, Social Security, credit card debt.....

I called the Suicide Hotline.

I got a freaking call center in Pakistan.

I told them I was suicidal. They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck!....

Yeah, so it's not 'PC'...it's funny....ROTFLMAO!

I got this in a forward from Alfredo, remember the gentleman from New Jersey who lost his phone in Baltimore's Inner Harbor this past spring, and I FedExed it back to him...Thanks amigo, I needed the laugh!!

So, I have a pair of boots on now, (actually size 10 & 1/2....lol), they are the ones I stopped wearing at the start of the warm weather because they made my feet sweat. They were in better shape than I remembered, only beginning to show cracks in the creases of the uppers, and moderately worn on the outside of the heels, so I tend to roll when I walk, like a half drunk sailor who has just made landfall.

They should keep my feet fairly dry. They have to be better than the sneakers with the mesh over the front portion.....and I could have been wearing them yesterday....duhhh!....lol!

I stayed in the sleeping bag until 12:45 pm. this afternoon. It was warm and toasty, and I had nowhere I had to be, and it's a pain to get anywhere I can sit,...I am somewhat depressed for real and have no motivation or ambition and don't want to move and get more depressed and want to move even less..etc....etc...etc..in a downward spiral...and then I have to pee and I HAVE to get up...., and ..."Ohh Baby, It's Cold Outside...".

I repeat..I miss the Pikesville Starbucks!!!

I am headed to the Starbucks for coffee now, the machine in the Giant was broken and I need my caffeine fix. I am still living on turkey sandwiches, because all of you had enough on Thanksgiving and are not buying them so they are being marked out and forwarded to me...lol. I cannot wait until tomorrow, if I get my FoodStamps, I'm gonna get some bloody BEEF!!!...lol.

Gotta go........later..........Dave

"Lead, FOLLOW, Or Get Out Of The Way............"

Good Afternoon again;

For some reason, the "Followers" gadget is not showing up on the sidebar of my blog, is this just me or has it dissappeared when everyone else logs in also?

I am still able to access the Followers for my "Dashboard" option though. so you are all still there.

And welcome to "Rob68" who just signed on as Follower Number 8.

See ya.............Dave

I just stepped outside for a minute, I think it's time to get new shoes, all the snow just melted into the 'ventilating mesh'....isn't that kinda like some sort of 'reverse osmosis' or something....lol.

I think I'll wait to change my socks until after I get somewhere I'm going to sit and vegetate for awhile. ...D

"Winter Wonderland My Ass!!!!!!!!!!.............."

Good Afternoon;

The snow has started in earnest now, and is sticking to everything..especially me as I walked the two blocks to the library from the Giant..(where all the 'Baltimorons' are buying out all the stocks of milk, bread ,and toilet paper). By the time I get to the coffee shop from the bus stop I'll look like Frosty the Friggin' Snowman! I really miss the Pikesville Starbucks on days like this, and days of heavy rain. 30 yards beats the hell out of 2 bus trips and a short, (but long enough to get soaked), walk.

Last night was a blast at the Aquarium with the kids..and they were two generations of mine..lol. Rachel was as polite and as well behaved as always, and was happy to spend some time looking at each exhibit. Edward is 9 months younger and of a different personality, his attention span is shorter and he is 'strong willed' to put it nicely, and when he was in one of his contrary moods...well, the sharks very nearly had a special snack...LOL! But on the whole he was good. Devin alternated between cranky and crying, sleeping and heading off in the opposite direction of everybody else...lol! It's surprising how fast an 18 month old can move while 'broken field running' between adults legs...lol. The crowds were very reasonably sized and there was time to linger at the exhibits. The kids liked the rays and sharks best, followed by whatever was the next weirdest fish they saw. The Jellyfish exhibit was a big hit, as were the poison dart frogs, and the 'gators'..(Actually Caimans, but you tell a 5 year old that....lol).

We stopped at the Mickey D's on the way back to the Metro and had dinner, Devin woke up when the french fries arrived, and I swear she ate most of mine and Jenn's large sized orders.

Rachel's mother picked us up and dropped me off at the Giant about 9:45 pm. and I hit the gas station and tried my luck at the Keno for the first time in a good while...I lost $2.00... and then I went and lay down, I forgot to charge my light source, so the battery died after I read about a paragraph, so I just lay there thinking for a couple hours.

I helped my son-in-law Tom move some of his tools out of the vehicle and his DJ equipment into it, and I am reminded today why I can no longer do the labor and lifting work I once did, something popped in my back and I paid it no mind at the time, but after walking so much last night, carrying the dead weight of a sleeping baby in my arms..(another thing which I am out of practice of doing...Thank God.....LOL).. and sleeping on the cold hard ground...(well, not that cold, with the blanket and bag, but cold enough compared to a bed)...my back is a mess. I do not want to overdo the 'bupe' for the painkiller effectiveness, and I have no more Flexeril..(mild muscle relaxers)..maybe I'll take a MIDOL, the weather has me PMSing anyway...LOL!

I am heading out to the coffee shop now, if anyone wants to brave the 'Bawlmer Snush', come on out!

Later.........................Dave

"Fleas And Flurries In the Forecast......"

Good Afternoon;

I'm at Rachel's house just killing time until we leave to head over to Jenn's for dinner and then heading down to the Aquarium.

I just watched the weather forecast for tomorrow...simply effin' loverly! A mix of snow and rain turning to snow accumulating up tp 2 inches, then turning to rain again, with freezing temps. later that night. Cold weather sux!! Even when I had a place to live, it still sucked!!..lol.

Rachel is covered with flea bites because the cats and the house.(the 'ex'es') became infested. she is being treated with Calomine lotion, and they are spraying and washing everything, from bedding to stuffed animals. I told them that the only real way to attack the problem is to bomb the whole damn house, but they are going to do that as a last resort. It is the only effective way to do it, but it takes actual concentrated effort. Of course no one is going to listen to me and my experiences of dozens of cats over the past 50 some years. So after every other attempt eventually results in needless expenditures of time and money, most likely the bombing will happen, at the expense of Rachel's health and comfort. At the moment I am impotent in regards to leverage, unless I am forced to unleash the 'big guns', but the reverberations would be too severe and too out of proportion, though I am getting real frustrated with the level of cleanliness and safety which my daughter is forced to live at...(in?). I really don not want to have to call CPS, and the Health Dept. nad the Board of Education, and a couple other places just to get some action, and then have to deal with the inevitable fallout that will occur.

(Though one of the most memorable and weirdly romantic moments in my life revolved around fleas, a 2:00 am. trip to WalMart for flea spray, and one of my daughter's name sakes!!!!...Ahhh LOVE!!!.........ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!))

I hope to have some good news next week in the way of progress towards getting on a reasonable waiting list for a room...knock on wood.

Well we are getting ready to leave for Jenn's now. I'll see you tomorrow, after I trudge through the slop, with a report of our excursion.

Later,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Dave

"Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy......OR..........'Hey, You Kids Stop Picking On Those Killer Sharks!!"........."

Good Evening;

Sorry about this morning's post, and the abrupt cessation of the same. I had to leave before I committed an act of 'justifiable homicide/euthanasia'. The abuse and the vile evilness emanating from these two fine examples of Baltimore's female thug culture, the 'me generation' meets the 'babies mama to the power of 3' set.

I went to my daughter Jenn's house and showeed and washed a load of clothes and had lunch with her and Edward and Devin (the grandkids). Them Ed and I took the train downtown to the Inner Harbor and purchased tickets to 'Friday After Five' at the Aquarium, 4 for $32.00..(vs. $80.00)!!! That is going to be one of my holiday gifts to them and Rachel, who is going with us also. Sharks and the Rianforest and JELLYFISH!! it's gonna be so cool!!

Edward is as smart as Rachel but in a different manner, he also is a 'little adult' at times though. He is also more 'in your face' than Rachel...and hardheaded!!, if ghe gets an idea set in his mind, (such as his current belief that "Family" starts and ends with ONLY the people who live in your home with you..LOL)...don't try to argue...you cannot win...lol! It should be a fun evening. Rachel is excited as is Edward. Jenn and I are swinging between anticipation...and sheer terror at the thought of these two taking the place over...LOL!

I left the Starbucks last night at about 7:55 pm. and headed to Monkee's house to get meds for the next 15 (fifteen!!) days at least, and of course the rain started as I hit the road, and every train and bus was in no way coordinated with the other, there or back. By the time I got back to Pikesville I was literally steaming, giving off a mist, because the temperature must have went up a good 10 or 12 degrees, and I was 'moist...' to say the least...lol. I had to do some emergency repairs to the 'Little House On the Parking Lot' as my shack is known....lol. The walls in some places have been reduced to the paper faced and backed insulation between the studs, the outer shell being rotted, eroded or just plain bashed in at many places. Then it started to pour again, and the rain water overflowed the gutter nearby and was rushing past about 10 inches away from my head..(outside and slightly below though)..it was kinda neat and kinda scary.

Okay the lights are being turned out, either the librarians are trying to convey a message, I'm going blind, or Mr. Sulu leaned on the POWER OFF button for the view screen again..."captain, Captain..all Ze lightz haf Gone owet!!"

...never mind it's an old comedy bit.....'Star Dreck'

Later..........Dave

"What A Way To Start The Day.............."

Good Morning;

So I am sitting here at the computer flanked on both sides by two foul mouthed ghetto bitches who not only have no manners, shouting at the top of their lungs across the room, but every third word is f*ck. One of them had her bag sprawled across my computer desk over the keyboard and when I moved it she starts screaming, "whuh chew dooin wit mah bag". The other starts shouting about my white ass. The Future of black america????

"One Ringy Dingy, Two Ringy Dingy...Is This The Party To Whom I Am Speaking.........."

Good Morning;

So I got a bit of cash this morning and bought a Top-Up card for my new phone and went on line here to use it. I found out that I CAN!! swap my old phone number to the new phone, AND the $8.36 balance I had too. DUHHHH!!! I should have went online earlier instead of relying on second hand information. Now my account has been switched to my new phone and credited with the money...the only problem is I cannot get the phone to activate now, and the HELP number is a stupid 'virtual adviser' with a list of questions that do not relate to my problem! Friggin' computers!...LOL. So I sent an e-mail to the service desk, and now I wait.

Next stop is to pick up my monthly bus pass, then for some coffee and food at Mt. Washington, then swing past Monkee's tonight to pay my past due bill and to pick up fresh meds for the next week or two. I may run past the Aquarium to see if I can pick up tickets in advance. It looks as if I will not be able to spend my monthly night in a rented room this month, with laundry and the need to pick up a fairly decent flashlight or lantern, among other things. I also have to plan on some way to trade some grocery credit for cash, after the 7th, to get Rachel some Chanukah gifts, and Christmas gifts for Edward and Devin.

Okayyyy, while I was logging back in for this session I got a reply from Virgin Mobile...from an automated response system...AHHHRRGGGG!! They will be looking at my problem within '24 hours' and will get back to me...and please don'rt reply back to this e-mail address as it is a friggin' robot!!!!

This weekend is a $1.00 special appreciation price at the Aquarium on Saturday and Sunday, I think that the trade off between the $1.00 admission madhouse and the incredibly crowded conditions, and the savings on Friday comes down in favor of spending the extra dollars to be able to simply move about, and miss out on the screaming ghetto atmosphere of the 'dollar days'. What is the point of saving money if you cannot enjoy the exhibits?

I have to express my gratitude to Mary, and Patrick, and Megan, and Ashley, and Veronique, and Molly, and Josh, and Rachel, and the rest of the crew at Starbucks for helping to carry me through the past week and a half with their kindness and courtesy in diverting the mark outs my way instead of to the garbage can. And Megan gave me a real nice compliment the other day, she said I was..."NOT Creepy"!!...(hey, you had to be there and here it in context...lol),..it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.....LOL!!

it looks as if the rain has started..again, and for the next 2 days.

Well it is supposed to clear up on Friday, but get cold also. It is good that Jenn lives 2 blocks from the Metro, and that the Aquarium is only 4 blocks from the other station/stop.

I am starting to get real ticked off at this phone service, it still says network unavailable..the whole point of doing it online was quicker activation. I'm going to look up a bricks and mortar site now...see you later tonight... or tomorrow.

(or at the coffee shop)...........Dave

"Jack Frost Roasting On An Open Fire........And Who the Hell Is Nipping At My Chestnuts?!?!....................."

Good Morning;

Cold weather sucks! Even though it is not that cold yet my hands and fingers have started to hurt. And of course the feet are always an issue. It's partly genetic poor circulation and partly my own damn fault for a few decades of jamming needles in my arms..(and legs). You reap what you sow.

I am still having a hard time crawling out of the sleeping bag in the morning, once I get up to pee that last time just near dawn I either fall back asleep or kind of lay there in a half trance, dream like state until the back and bladder force me up, which has been about 10:30 am. One of the reasons is that the last time the weather was cold, the Pikesville Starbucks was still open, 30 yards away, and a warm, dry, and out of the elements setting with a bathroom and hot and cold running coffee was only seconds away. Now I have to get on from one to three buses and travel (and wait) at least 20 minutes. (I can always go to the Giant or the gas station for the facilities if needs be, but that just adds another stop before I can sit inside somewhere). That little thatched shack of palm fronds on the beach is looking better and better.....lol, maybe!

Hey Rich...Thanks!!! I put that blanket you gave me to good use last night and on Friday night when it was so windy. I'll be back up to Owings Mills sometime soon.

At the Starbucks yesterday, Jenn and I met up for a while before her meeting and she gave me ride back to Pikesville afterwards. We puttered around the Giant for a while as she did her shopping and have tentative plans, (dependent on my getting some cash tomorrow), to take Rachel and Edward to the National Aquarium in Baltimore on Friday. (It's "Fridays After 5:00"..half price). That should be a fun trip, 3 generations of us, both my daughters (27 & 5-3/4) and my grandson (4-1/2), I can imagine some of the expressions as I try to explain who's who....LOL!

It will be like Abbot and Costello doing "Who's On First?"!

I found out Rachel is over her grandmother's..(not my side of the family), while her mother (the 'ex') is in Chicago, of course she never bothered to tell me this before the holiday, or to answer her phone until Sunday night, but this is typical and in line with past history.

I hope to see her on Wednesday for a while.

On Sunday I tried to hit the corner for a while, but the junkies have pretty much taken over and ruined it, I was on the 'slow side' and made a whole $3.00 in an hour. As I was about to leave my son-in-law Tom and my grandson Edward drove by on the way back form church. I folded up my sign and went over and we talked through a couple light changes...(traffic was that slow...lol). I went back up to the coffee shop with enough for bus fare and coffee for Monday and Today and Tomorrow. I stopped by the gas station before I lay down and watched the 4th Quarter and the OT of the Ravens-Steelers game...I don't know what the rest of the game was like, but what I saw was a blast.

I'm out of here for now, I've got a bag of bagels and pastries for my meal today, and a cheese sandwich and a 0.67cent package of 'chopped, pressed, and formed' lunchmeat to put on it. It may be mystery meat, but it's protein, (and cat really doesn't taste that bad if you put enough mayo on it).................LOL. Is it any wonder I am so svelte?

Time for coffee...........later......Dave