"Laptop Letdown........................... Medical Madness............................. Disney Delights ........"

Good Morning;

Well....I'm back at the library again for an unknown period of time. After I posted Monday's blog from Jenn's I went to the Starbucks as usual and turned on the laptop and waited for it to boot up, and waited, and waited. It was in a loop and would not. Greeeaattttt!!!! After turning it off and on, letting it sit, re-seating the hard drive and all the other things I could think of, I called Erik of Pikesville PC, (http://www.pikesvillepc.com/), who had donated it to me and made arrangements to drop it off to him that evening on the way to the Giant with Jenn on our normal Monday night excursion. I really got used to having the convenience and 24/7 access the laptop brought me.........I hope my poor baby can be fixed, and that is something simple.......siiiiiigh. :.-(

In other news, I saw the Neurologist yesterday for consultation and evaluation and have to go back for the EMG, (Electromyography), test on March 3rd. I see Dr. Harrison tomorrow to discuss the results of the Sonogram/Ultrasound from Monday regarding the gallbladder, I am still waiting for an appointment/referral on some sort of test regarding the spleen, and I MAY start some sort of physical therapy on Valentines day, Monday the 14th. I need to see what happens tomorrow, and then call the hematologist too, because of the abdominal pains, and whether they would contraindicate any specific PT exercises or motions. I don't know what is planned as yet, but anything that compresses the stomach and chest is not going to happen, it hurts bad enough within the normal, such as it is, range of motion I now have!!

I'm on my way back to Jenn's to perform my catbox duty in exchange for spending last night, (I was very sore and the temp. was projected to drop to 13 degrees and yesterday was the continuation of Monday nights bad luck, I had put my clean jeans and sweatshirt in a bag to take over to Jenn's and put on after my shower.....but when I got off the bus at her house, I realized they were still in the shed, with no time to go and get them, I had to take a roll of waterproof medical tape and do a quick and dirty job of 'single guy sewing' by taping the rips in the jeans on the inside of the pants leg and the waistband, it works but it's not going to hold up to a washing.....lol....they actually look like the $50.00 designer "Pre-Ripped" jeans that people with more money than sense buy.....lol), then shower, grab some lunch and head over to the Starbucks. Rachel's mom is dropping her off around 5:00 pm. and we are taking the Light Rail down to the First Mariner Arena to see 'Disney On Ice'-"Princess Wishes".

Gotta run now, and by the way.....

"COLD WEATHER SUCKS!!!!"

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

Sonogram Day......Is It A Boy Or a Girl....LOL!!..."

Good Afternoon;

I'm back at Jenn's to pick up my bags and HAVE MY COFFEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

I was forbidden to eat or drink after Midnight, except for at least 32 ounces of water an hour before my Ultrasound of the Gallbladder and Biliary Tract....full bladder mandatory!

During the test I glanced at the screen and saw the technician shaking her head and mumbling something 'boulders', and 'enough gravel to fill an aquarium'.

Great......just what I needed to hear, and she kept pressing on my bladder...oy!

Well, I'll tell you after the tests I gave AlkaSeltzer's "plop plop fizz fizz" a new meaning!.....LOL!

I' ll be trying to keep an eye on Devin while Jenn takes a nap if I can, but she's in one of her 'shy', (HA!), moods and keeps running back to the bedroom.

I'm filling out the questionnaire for the Neurologist appointment tomorrow, another damn novella length form! I really should get something printed up that I can just attach to the letterhead, I've answered the same questions so many times. A sort of medical resume or curriculum vitae......lol. And the release forms and liability notices that all the damn malpractice lawyer have made neccessary. If a doctor even farts in the same room, some people go running for an attorney to try to get money from a 'suit case' as it is called on the streets. The first time I heard people on the bus comparing their 'suit cases', and the best places to get one, I thought they were talking about luggage!..........LOL!

Okay, back to my autobiography. I'm heading over to the coffeeshop next, I may be back online from there.

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

"Cheese Head For A Day!!..................."

Good Evening;

Well I'm at Jenn's about to have a last bite to eat because I cannot eat after Midnight and until after the Ultrasound tomorrow morning.

It was a very tiring day because of the lack of sleep last night. I woke up at 8:00 am and had to go to the Giant to use the bathroom and while I was out I stopped at the gas station and cashed my Scratch-Off ticket. I then went back to sleep on and off until close to 2:30 pm. when I went to the Giant bought some food to cook here at Jenn's, and then stopped at the library until closing at 5:00 pm, when I jumped on the bus to the apartment. I played with the grand kids for a while and then watched Green Bay take out Pittsburgh. I gotta say though.... had my doubts and worries at times but I kept faith with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. They pulled it off in the end 31-25!

I'll be back tomorrow after the visit to American Radiology,

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

" When Irish Eyes Are Smilin' ............... It's A Lottery Lullaby......."

Good Morning;

Talk about "Luck 'O The Irish".....(and I AM a McVey on my mother's side)....It was 2:30 am and I had just shut down the laptop and was about to try to get some sleep...but.... my gut is aching a bit and after Tuesday night's feces fiasco I'm not taking any chanced yet, so I took an Immodium AND walked over to the gas station. After I came out of the restroom, (don't ask, just do not even ask!), I went over to say hello and the big Latino guy with the Escalade who is always in there playing Racetrax, Keno, or Scratch-Offs. They were both scratching away like mad on tickets. The Md. State Lottery shuts down at approximately 1:45 am. but Dan will pay the select few regulars, and big spenders an small winners out of the lottery drawer and enter the serial numbers when the terminals come online around 5:30 am., a common practice in a lot of places. I looked and saw how many loose $1.00 bills I had in my wallet, (I was in earlier playing Keno and Scratch-Offs bought with the payout from a Keno ticket I had picked up off the table, scanned and cashed...plus...it still had games on it! Some people are so stupid, Rule # 1 of gambling-- "Never Play Or Bet A Game You Don't Fully Understand!!!"!

I ended up playing Keno & Scratch-Offs for an hour before I came in the shed the first time...for free!), and bought a $2.00 Scratch-Off called "GOT LUCK?", because it is one of the most recent additions in he store's selection of 40 or so Scratch-Offs. Also....because it was green and was the only $2.00 card they had out.....lol. On this ticket there are 8 chances to win and a Top Prize of $10,000.00. To play one must match any or all of the 8 icons in the " Your Symbols" area with either or both of the icons in the "Lucky Symbols" area. Symbols such as a Star, Treasure Chest, Vault, Leprechaun, Bundle of Cash, etc., with the prize amount below each symbol. The 2 "Lucky Symbols" revealed on my card were......'Vault' & 'Chest'. As I began to scratch the silver coating covering the symbols in the

"Your...(meaning my......lol.)...Symbols" area there first appeared......a 'Vault'.....then another 'Vault'....then yet another 'Vault'......and then..... a "Chest"....then a "Cash"....and a "Star"....and a "Leprechaun".....and last but not least.........a second "Chest"! Best of all........under each "Vault" and "Chest" was the prize amount(s)..........................................................................

........$20.00...&...$20.00...&...$20.00...&...$20.00...&...$20.00!!!! Cumulative!!!!

It adds up to $100.00 I thought, while wondering if I was reading everything correctly!

I looked and I read the instructions again, and a third time and took it over to Daniel, (knowing he did not have enough cash out to cash it then), and asked him to tell me what he saw, and he grinned as only an African can grin and said in his accented but precise English, "David, You have won One Hundred Dollars!".

Well, I hightailed it back to the shed pretty damn fast, my hot little hand squeezing that poor Scratch-Off in a Death Grip!.....lol! One of the reasons I was so unsure of the validity of the ticket was because, Contrary to what I wrote the other day, the 'Letter Code' on the ticket reads-- "F, W, F " ???? Which has me wondering-- "W.T.F." ?????.........LOL!!!

First thing I do when I get out of the bag tomorrow, or rather today as it is 4:50 am. right now is cash that puppy in!

I've got to logoff now because I want all the electrical equipment shut off and unplugged, (HA......All!....it's just the laptop and the lantern....lol), due to the sudden proliferation of Methane gas in the immediate area......LM-A-O!!

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

"Startled By A Starling..........or..........Stick 'Em JAYS!!!.........."

Good Evening;

So I opened the shed door and heard a 'skritching' kind of noise and though it was just the door rubbing on some pieces of plastic strapping and some vines that have grown through the wall behind the door. I walked up to get the lantern and turn it on and something explodes out of the upper corner by the ceiling and ricochets past my head, coming to rest by the opposite end of the shack near the door.

As I turned on the lantern I saw feathers floating to the ground.....Another damn bird!...lol! Turns out it is Stevie The Stupid Starling who must have said "Hey look! Here's a hole barely big enough for me to squeeze my body through, ripping off some feathers in the process on the jagged splinters that will prevent me from exiting the same way.....hmmmmm, oh what the hell, why not!" as he forced his way into the shed.

Well..... this is the dumbest bird I have ever seen! I turned off the lantern and opened the door the whole way so it presented the largest area of light, and stepped outside and stood "vewy, vewy qwiet, as if I was hunting wabbits!" Nothing. But inside I hear a furious fluttering and flapping and scratching...and when I looked inside there was Stevie The Stupid Starling trying to get back out the way he got in, totally ignoring the wide open doorway to freedom! At this point I'm ready to go in and set up for bed so I attempt to assist in his escape and extrication. I stood to one side and gently tossed some wadded up napkins to his flank and to the rear, between him and the hole, so as to activate his 'fight or flight' instincts in the logical direction....no such luck. WHAM, thunk, WHAM, thunk! From one side wall to the next, then back to the hole. Okay, so now I go outside and stuff a piece of paper in the hole to block out the light....banging on the shed wall to 'scare him straight'......out the open door. This time he heads into the corner, the dark corner, where the shed gets about 10 inches wider and starts to get his speckled ass settled and tucks his head under his wing to go to sleep!

And right now someone is tromping through the snow towards the shed...be back soon.

Okay, I turned off the lantern and closed the laptop and listened. When I heard the person walking away, I waited a few minutes and peaked out the door. It looks like another guy went under the carport and took a leak and walked back out to the street... way to go genius, all the places with no snow around....and you choose this one! And you just walked past" the gas station....with a rest room.

Well screw that!!!! I'm not waking up to bird sh*t all over the place! Ask anyone who has had to deal with them....like the folks over in Grasonville, on Kent Island had a while ago. I tried to toss a towel over him and then carry him out and set him free, but the corner was too tight and high. I then said "PETA be damned!" and tied a rag to a forked stick, (imagine a lacrosse stick), and went after him. Either I was going to shoo him out, chanting, 'fly to the liiight and be freeeee!'.....or I was going to fulfil my lifelong unrequited fantasy of making a 'scoop, cradle.......throw, and..........score!' as a Johns Hopkins University, Varsity Lacrosse Blue Jay breaking the tie and winning the NCAA Championship over arch rival the University Of Maryland (College Park) Terrapins...aka......'The Terps'! AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!!!!.... {Sorry, I got a little carried away there......LMAO!!!}. It ended up being a little of both......call it an 'assist'....lol...., I flushed him out and gave him a little boost in acceleration, (like a JATO....HA!), and he only bounced once off the floor, sideswiped the wall AND hit the open door on his way out under his own steam.....and Good Riddance!

Damn it must have dropped 10 or 12 degrees in the past 15 minutes or so, a huge gust of wind came by and rattled the shed, and now the wind is blowing steadily with frequent gusts. My fingers on my right hand are starting to get cold and 'burn', so I'M OUTTA HERE!

Thee left hand is not so bad, I'm holding the laptop and it's under the battery area.....lol.

Later.........Dave

"No Coffee!!!!?????.......No Quarter!!!!!!!!!!!!!............"

Good Afternoon;

So.......the day started out just like the weather, pissy.

Although I went to sleep pretty early, the first time, at about 10:30 pm., I woke up an hour and a half later stiff and sore and achy and with a runny nose. I took a couple of the Industrial strength Ibuprofen the doctor gave me and an OTC antihistamine and it was dreamsville all the way up until 7:30 am. when the gentle nudges of the prostate gave way to urgent thumpings and ultimatums. It was pouring at this time and I lay back down for an hour until I went over to the Giant at a fast walk to use the facilities. Then it was back out in a grumpier mood because the coffee machine was broken AND the tap water was too damn cool to even make instant, and I wanted the warm as much as the caffeine, so back inside the shed in the steady drizzle where I said the hell with it, I have nowhere to be, and nothing to do until Monday when I see the Radiology folks again. It had warmed up enough in the night that it made for good sleeping conditions, (at least temperature and bedding-wise......the pain in the left abdomen and lower left hip/buttocks, (wow.....I actually got to use hat word in it's proper anatomic connotation in a sentence for once......lol), area has been screwing with my sleeping position, and the right abdomen to a lesser extent. And the funny thing is....I'm more comfortable on the cardboard on the ground in the shed than any couch or bed I've slept in or on in recent memory! (Speaking of 'memory', I'd really like to try out one of those "Memory Foam Mattresses" one day....or night....lol.)

I eventually got up around 11:30 am. and went over to the Giant in the fog/light rain to use the facilities.....again!, (but not the same as Tuesday nights need!), and took some extra time to wash my face.......didn't help....still pissy. I grabbed a couple rolls and some turkey that was on sale, (and a banana and a tomato and an orange to try to add some vitamins and potassium), for lunch at the coffeeshop later. I called the 'ex' and told her I wanted to see Rachel to day and to find some way to make it happen, I was in no mood for feeble excuses like the past week and a half had produced! Between the weather, and the remaining piles of snow pushed up onto the walkways by the plows, and the ignorant bus driver who saw me, looked right at me and stared at me as he pulled off, (from a dead stop!!!), almost hitting me as I crossed the street, and the slowness of the subway and the light rail.......it took me almost 2 hours to get here today. I am glad I did not have to speak to anyone before I got to the counter and Hannah had my coffee ready! I would have snarled and snapped enough to make a wolverine think twice about crossing my path..lol!

About 4:00 pm. or so Rachel walked in and my day turned 180 degrees in a nanosecond! We spent the next hour and a half or so looking and playing with her new camera, and when her mother left with that her new mini Rapunzel doll from the movie "Tangled" I had for her. After a Kids Hot Chocolate and a package of brown sugar cinnamon PopTarts we spent about 45 minutes playing one of the game Erik put on my laptop, a PopCap game called 'Bookworm Adventures Deluxe', a word/learning game that was great fun for both of us. These PopCap games, at least the ones I have seen so far have fantastic graphics!

Now I'm winding down, about to eat dinner and start packing up afterwards to get the buses back to the shed. SundayI am heading over to Jenn's at some point to shower and watch the Superbowl, unless someone wants some company....call me/e-mail me....the game starts so late and the trains stop running so early I can't get to Annamarie's this year, and get back to Jenn's where I am spending the night because of the doctors appointments Monday, without spending half the night traveling on and waiting for buses in neighborhoods that I really don't want to, be and have no business being in, at ungodly hours.

Anyway, unless I get a bug up my ass on the way back to Pikesville and get back online tonight from the shed...........see you tomorrow, as I'm figuring out where I'll be watching Green Bay beat Pittsburgh! (Even the Starbucks closes too early to see the Game, and I don't have the resources to go to a bar........though if I found someone with wheels.....?????

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

"Flying Low.......Slow...........And Close To The Ground............."

Good Afternoon;

Nothing very exciting to speak of today. All the ill effects of Tuesday's miserable night seem to have vanished, except for the soreness in my thigh muscles. Just imagine sitting on the porcelain throne.......half a dozen times in the course of a night for an extended period each time.........now imagine it without the throne.

Yeah.....maybe if you're a yoga master it's not that big a deal, but MY tired old legs ache & feel like two bags of dead mice.....lol.

I also found out the hard way that the chairs and desks at the Fed/Ex Kinkos are not properly mated for using a laptop. My right shoulder was way out of whack when I left there yesterday from sitting too low and typing in an awkward position......very strange.

I stopped in at the Giant about 9:30 am. and now I'm at Jenn's to shower and wash clothes, and maybe take a nap while they are out to the B & O Museum and then out to Monkton to Tom's mom's. At some point, probably just for they get home I'll take off and depending on how late it is head either over to the coffee shop or back to the shed to sleep. A very quiet day, with a minimum of mass transit......works for me.

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

"Finders Keepers.......... & .................. Printing Party....................."

Good Afternoon;

So I'm sitting here in the FedEx/Kinkos-Office in Pikesville after printing off a couple more copies of Talespinner, my little book of poetry. I also tried an experiment to reduce the size by spinning the text 90 degrees and getting two copies out of 8 1/2 by 11 inch letter size paper. The guy here at the store had to play with it for so long, (which was fine with me because I went into the restroom and washed up and stripped down to the skin changed clothes), and keep dialing in different settings on the computer driven copier behind the counter that he ended up giving me the copy. Which was also fine because not only was the print too small for my liking on some of the poems....I also found out the hard way that you cannot cut 20 sheet of paper and 2 pieces of card stock on a rotary paper cutter when they are already stacked and stapled.....lol. So I have the 2 new full size copies I need, my original full size master, (which I still want to scan into my computer and/or flash drive), and two 4" x 5 & 1/2" really rough looking copies to lend or give away. Plus I've been in here nice and warm puttering on the laptop answering mail, etc.

Which is a good thing because Jenn just e-mailed me that I had snail mail at her apt., (which is my mailing address now), from Jai, I asked her to open it, and it is my referral for an Ultrasound of the gallbladder on the 7th at 9:45 am. and then a consultation with Dr. Harrison on the 10th at 2:30 pm. I also asked her about coming by to wash clothes and shower at some point over the weekend. After the night I had on Tuesday, even after I have stripped down twice and took a pretty decent 'helmet bath' in the restrooms both here and at Starbucks, a full goose gonzo shower will feel great.

One of the reasons I am here playing with the copier is that the Lottery Gods were in a good mood last night. I stopped in at the gas station to play the usual $2.00 that I spend on my Keno numbers when I can spare it occasionally. This time I followed my regular routine of picking the ticket before I went into the restroom, and on the ledge where the play slips and pencils are were som scratched off scrach-offs. I ALWAYS check them before tossing them in the can because there are a lot of stupid and impatient people out there who either cannot add, and do not know they have a winner on those type of games, do not read the instructions fully and do not know they have a winner, do not fully scratch off ALL the silver coatingand do not know theyhave a winner, or look too quickly and not carefully enough at all the numbers to match to "Your Numbers" on the card, (sometimes there are 20 or more numbers to scratch off and between 2 and 10 numbers to match them to, each with different prize po$$ibilitie$). There were abunch of $2.00 and $3.00 tickets that were losers.......AND a $10.00 scratch-off with the silver scratched off in a half-ass manner I examined the lower cost tickets carefully and discarded them, (these are the ones I have found the most of uncashed), and skimmed over the $10.00 card.....and then took my time and scanned it closely, and one of the numbers, 59 to be exact if anyone cares.....LOL!, was half scratched and the prize amount was unscratched, (and just FYI, on each scratchoff there are 3 letters scattered around the 'playing field' under the silver, NOT in any order, that will tell you if it is a winner or not....i.e. an O, N, E; a T,W,O; a T,H,R; an F,I,V; a T,E,N;...all obvious, and a T,W,F=$25.00,....etc. so if you know what to look for, you don't even have to play the game or match the numbers or whatever), so I looked at the ticket saw an F, an F, and an I and knew I had a winning scratch-off, but could not remember whether it was $50.00 or $15.00, so I scratched off the rest and found the $15.00 prize symbolunder the #59. (FYI again....F,T,Y should be $50.00....ummmm unless it's F,F,Y.....lol!), I stuck it in my pocket and went into the restroom......and came out to a $2.00 winner on the Keno too........LOL! I reinvested the $2.00 for 2 more games,and repeated that pattern for another 6 games, win one/lose one, until I lost both games. I still walked out $13.00 ahead on a 'gimme' though ;-)

I'm about to head over to the Giant and grab something to eat, and I think I'm going to shoot for something fairly healthy since I just finished talking to my friend and former next door neighbor Dvora who was just in here dropping off some work to be copied, about our and our parents and siblings health and diet and genetic traits and old age and eating habits, etc.....a little guilt, a little conscience jiggling, a little inspiration.....Oy Vey!!!..lol.

Of course the First thing I'm going to do is get an IV line of coffee started before I go into total system shutdown!

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

Homeless man burns to death on Long Island as he escapes from brutal ice storm - NYPOST.com

Good Afternoon;

What a scary and horrible way to die.

Homeless man burns to death on Long Island as he escapes from brutal ice storm - NYPOST.com

This is why I have never used candles, or a hibachi, or Sterno in the shed.

I'm scared to death of fire, having seen someone go that way, begging me to shoot him. While the day to day memories may have faded......the dreams are as vivid and terrifying as ever.

No one deserves to die that way.

(Well no average person,

but that is a whole 'nother can of worms which I'm not about to open here and now.)

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

"A Nasty, Nasty Post........About...........A Nasty, Nasty Night................"

Good Afternoon;

Well I can honestly state that last night was the worst night I've had since being on the streets. The weather WAS a major contributing factor but not the cold for a change.

Just A Friendly Warning:

If you are easily 'grossed out', have delicate sensibilities, or if the nastier elements of normal human bodily functions disturb you....just take my word for it that it was a shitty night, literally

and, READ NO FARTHER!

I told you about the bug I picked up from Devin, and which I thought had run it's course. I found out too late and too many cups of coffee later that it had not. As I was leaving the Starbucks last night I had a sudden and unforeseen need to use the commode.....immediately! Afterwards, fearing the worst, I took the last dose of one of my meds that has an almost instant side effect of slowing drastically or stopping intestinal motility. This would normally do the trick and leave me unworried and confidant until I was able to pick up more as scheduled the next morning. I stopped at the gas station, just to be sure, as it had started to rain fairly heavily, and because of the untrammeled 6-10 inch deep snow field and the unshoveled and now iced over snowy sidewalks, the piled up snow left by the plows blocking the 'short cut' to the gas station lot and the narrow and slick lanes on Reisterstown Rd. I would be forced to walk on all combined to make a quick, urgent, and sudden trip to the facilities there a total impossibility.

After I finished in the restroom, I again felt that I would have no problems or issues that could not wait until morning. I looked up at the Keno screen and saw my numbers come up on the game board....it figures the ONE time I vary my routine and don't buy a ticket first........lol......Not!)

I was in the bag and reading by 10:30 pm., and except for somewhat cold fingers holding the book, warm and comfortable.....all things considered, (i.e. back and gall bladder). I went to sleep, (the first time), about 11:15 pm. and woke up just before Midnight with pain and pressure and a desperate need to use a toilet.....

OKAY...Again, you can stop here, if you don't want the details.

I realized that I could not take a chance on bending over and putting the boots on.....or else! I slipped my feet into the old, old sneakers I use as slippers and resigned myself to soaking and freezing my feet as I slipped and stumbled through the snow to the gas station. When I opened the door and saw and felt the freezing rain that was pouring down I knew I would never be able to negotiate the parking lots, street, and sidewalk and make it in time. Just effin' lovely! I grabbed a plastic bag, (tall 15 gallon kitchen size), that I use to (or USED TO.....lol), keep my sleeping clothes in and lined a corrugated plastic crate/tub/bucket, (similar to those used in mail rooms....the taller ones, not the long low ones), and squatted, just barely in time. Luckily I am always well supplied with paper towels or napkins. Afterwards I tied up the bag and flung it as far as I could across the unused portion of the parking lot, to be dealt with and properly disposed of when the snow melts. This happened 3 damn more times, with the same methodology, each time with me thinking it was the last. And not be crude, but damn this stuff smelled sickly....it was just wrong! I've changed enough diapers and had to deal with my own diarrhea after the abdominal surgery and bowel resection to know..........if it happens again this afternoon, I'm heading to JAI or the ER!

Finally about 5:30am. I awoke with enough time and no urgency and went over to the gas station wearing the boots in a less strident rain and with the capability to deal with the snow/slush/ice with out rushing.

I was hoping to find a package of Immodium among all the other single dose OTCs there....HA!......everything But!

I went back and lay down and dozed until just after 8:00 am. when I dressed and went over to the Giant, bought some Immodium and took it and went into the bathroom and washed off. I then caught the bus/train/bus down to Monkee's, where I barely made it up her stairs as I again suddenly, with no warning at all!!, had to explode. Another dose of Immodium and my 'bupe' at about 10:30 am. has held back the 'sh*tstorm' all day....so far. I took the bus and the train over to the coffee shop where I have been sipping the same cup of coffee for 4 hours, (occasionally warmed up a bit), and drinking water to re-hydrate. I am getting very hungry and am now considering what will be safest to eat.

Anybody who has any romantic notions of the 'free and easy life', or the 'lure of the open road' or has not considered what the flip side of things like the Renaissance Faire, or the Wild West Days, or the First 'Tea Party', or arrrgghhh .... Pirates of the Caribbean, or a Safari to 'Darkest Africa', or exploring the Amazon, or basically any pre-Industrial Revolution society, (and even many Post!), should know that things like 'Chamber Pots', 'corn cobs', 'banana leaves' are not really that much fun! (Not to mention food poisoning, dysentery, and intestinal viruses)

As I can readily attest to!..................LOL!

Well if I haven't driven you away, I'll see you back here soon.......lol.

It may not be pretty, but I try to keep it honest.

For all the time I've spent out here I've really been pretty lucky because of my own

desire for cleanliness and precautions against and disgust with, living in filth......plus my (probably anile) dislike of foul odors.....including and not limited to urine, feces, vomit, stale alcohol, and cigarette stink.

(Smoke if you want, I really don't care about all the health and social reasons......just don't do it near me, I hate the smoke and the smell, and whether you know it or not....even when you are done....you and your clothes and hair and breath still stink!.....In case some of you wonder why I always try to stay 'upwind'....................LOL!)

That's part of the reason I avoid spending any length of time with most other homeless people.......or shelters.

Anyway.....................Later,

Dave

Groundhog Day 2011: Punxsutawney Phil Sees No Shadow

Good Afternoon;

According to he link below, it will be an early spring;

Groundhog Day 2011: Punxsutawney Phil Sees No Shadow

BUT!!---With a win/loss record of 40/60---I'm kicking it upstairs for some help!

Dear---

God, or Supreme Being, or Great Spirit, or Cosmic Muffin,

or Mass Hallucination, or String Theory/Quantum Mechanics/Chaos Theory,

or Ultra Advanced And Mischievous Time And/Or Space Travelers Seeing How Far They Can Take A Practical Joke Before Becoming Bored And Using The Earth As A Galactic Billiard Ball, or Dolphins Using Humanity For The Fish...(#42)......or,

Whatever!!!!!............

Pleeeeeeeease let this year be part of Phil's 40% correct category!!!!!

Because, As You Well Know:

COLD WEATHER SUCKS!!!!

(and the snow, slush, ice, sleet, and freezing rain bite the big one too!)

Thank You;

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

Crime Scenes: Missing teen remains mystery for police - baltimoresun.com

Good Evening;

Crime Scenes: Missing teen remains mystery for police - baltimoresun.com

The young girl in the story at the link above, (and from the title), was staying at the next building over from my daughter Jenn and her family.

Unlike many cases in which the victim is white and well off, the detectives of the Baltimore City Police Department are having trouble in getting some if not most of the National media organizations to take notice or devote any time to the mysterious disappearance of Phylicia Barnes. You can imagine the fears and frustrations of parents, relatives, friends, AND the detectives busting their asses on this case. With absolutely no clues in the month since her going missing the case is at a standstill.

I do not know the people involved, though I have met her father as he went door to door to each and every apartment in the complex handing out a flyer to each resident.

As a father I know this is every parents worst nightmare, a child disappearing with foul play suspected....but the not knowing must be just as devastating .

Take a minute, click the link, read the story, look at the photo, pass it on.

You never know, you or someone you know may have seen SOMETHING that may help.

One thing I AM aware of is that Phylicia, in this cellphone photo looks like a hundred other pretty young women, but it is better to be wrong and a case of mistaken identity, than to be right and have ignored a possible safe resolution of this situation. It could one day be your daughter, sister, niece, or friend.

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

"Snow Guts...........Snow Glory............."

Good Evening;

Well I'm just sitting here at the coffee shop, staying dry and keeping warm and wondering what the huge winter storm ravaging a third (or more!), of the country is going to do to Baltimore. Most forecasts I saw last night and earlier today before I left Jenn's had it skimming the northern and western edge of Maryland and leaving a 'warm' pocket bringing only rain and a slight, late night and early morning spritzing of sleet/freezing rain. The lower Mid-Atlantic and Southeast looks to be in the storm gods' favor this time out.

I'm back at the shed later tonight after 24 hours at Jenn's. It was Edward's 6th birthday today and his school was closed, (after first only being 2 hours late), so he was of mixed emotions, wanting to have his party with classmates and share the cookies Jenn baked last night. He enjoyed the extra attention he got with me being there though, (and Jenn enjoyed the little bit of extra freedom to read the book she has fallen into.....lol, notice I said 'freedom' not 'peace and quiet'.....I did the best I could..........LOL!). I have been the recipient of Devin's gift of a 24-48 hour intestinal visitor of the bacterial/viral variety,

(which did not kick in full bore until AFTER I had had my little fling of creativity in the kitchen, [Tri-Color Rotini with Garlic Alfredo Sauce with Shrimp & Diced Tomatoes w/Garlic and Onions......{a wee bit too sweet, I did not know until afterwards that the Giant brand tomatoes had sugar added}.....plus I oven broiled 2 'Pork Butt Shoulder Steaks'....OR....'Pork Shoulder Butt Steaks'......{they had been labeled both ways at the Giant; and isn't it a contradiction either way....I mean, is it part of the shoulder or part of the.....???????..LOL!!!!!}......], but BEFORE I got a chance to enjoy the fruits of my labor while fresh off the stove or out of the oven!),

and it was a good thing Jenn called me, because it was a good time to be near the bathroom.....lol. Think Napalm and battery acid......and 20 grit sandpaper on a roll, and you'll have a feel for my night.....very sound sleep was NOT a viable option! And then the neighbor, who happens to be one of the maintenance men at the complex, started in with the bass turned up high at 6:00 am. Whether his little run in with Tom about parking spaces and snow shoveled in front of the truck had anything to do with it I don't know, but a noise complaint to the police was also not a viable option.

In any case I'm extremely tired and I have to be up early tomorrow to get down the Hopkins area to pick up meds....which is the main reason for my concern about the temperature & type and amount and rate, of precipitation in the early AM.

I got the 250 minutes on my SafeLink phone today, and (fingers crossed), I'll get my little bit of monthly cash tomorrow, of which most will go to meds, a monthly bus pass, and $10.00 to keep my Virgin Mobile phone active, plus I'll be able to have some money in my pocket for Rachel when we go to Disney on Ice next Wednesday...I better check the longterm forecast because last year when we went, she did not get out of Jenn's for days, (a month for me!)....lol., and I just saw that the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus is coming in March....2 0f our 3 ongoing traditions.....it snowed the morning after that last year too....lol.

Okay, that's it for now, Dave from Whole Foods is here on his break,

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

"Winter Whine.........Bus Bitching.............&.........2 for 11..........."

Good Afternoon;

So last night after I left the coffee shop I headed back to the shed for the first time since it snowed on Wednesday, having spent the past 4 nights at Jenn's. I got there about 9:30 pm. after slogging through the piled up snow from the plows covering the sidewalks on Reisterstown Rd....or walking in the street which was becoming slick with a layer of glare ice....not fun....(And let me insert my daily bitch about the MTA here= The driver of the #27 bus which I caught at Mt. Washington loop purposely pulled forward past the semi-cleared space at the bus shelter and forced me to climb over and through the piled snow to enter the bus.....and then gave ME a dirty look.......these assholes need a comeuppance! He then almost lost control of the bus as he made a too fast left turn off of Cross Country Blvd., which was not the only time the bus lost traction due to glare ice and too high a speed! As I looked at his badge to get the number on the way off the bus he pulled his coat over it to hide it. There really ought to be a Federal investigation into the stae of the MTA and it's violations of traffic and safety laws....the City of Baltimore and the Stae of Maryland are sure not about to......HEY Baltimore Sunpapers.....You want a REAL story!!!???)...There was an expanse of snow unmarked and untraveled except for one set of footsteps where somebody walked across the parking lot and under the carport to take a pee on the wall of the shed.....I'm glad it's winter!...I tried as much as possible to stay in those footsteps, both to avoid leaving a fresh trail and for ease of travel and so as not to get snow up my pants legs and into the boots, but this guy must have been part giraffe judging by the length of his stride!.....lol!

It was a mildly uncomfortable night, between insomnia, too much coffee earlier, and chilled feet because I kept kicking off the covers. For some reason I was twisting and turning and getting the sleeping bag all knotted up. I was tired from the weird sleep patterns at Jenn's and ended up drifting in and out all morning until about 11:00 am. when Jenn called asking if I could watch the kids this afternoon and early evening while they went to a viewing at a funeral home. I said "yes , of course......can I turn it into an all nighter?" She said she had to check with Tom, but it should be no problem. I may go over to the Starbucks when she goes to her HG tonight, just to give Tom some time with the kids and stay out of the way. (It's a fairly small apartment and seems to have movable walls and a decreasing square footage directly proportionate to the number of hours spent there and the amount of people inside.)

from Friday night the 21st through tonight I will have spent only 2 nights in the shed, Tuesday the 25th and last night the 30th out of 11 nights. Sometimes I get real lucky and blessed, for which I am very grateful.

I am here at the library computer for the first time in a while since I got the Laptop from Erik, (www.Pikesvillepc.com ), because I needed to return and check out books and kill and hour before heading over to Jenn's. Which I seem to just about have done right about.......tick-tick-tick-tick......now!.........LOL!

I may be back with more from Jenn's,

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

"Help Mr. Wizard................"

Good Afternoon;

Well it's good to see the sun again and the tropical 40 degree temps. are a delight.

I'm been here at the coffee shop for the past hour arriving from Jenn's via the train and the train just before Noon. It was a stress filed morning over there with no one but Ed getting enough sleep last night. Devin woke up at 3:00 am. and I could not comfort her so she ended up in bed with Jenn and Tom, (who had gotten in about 12:30 am from a DJ gig), waking them up and interrupting the rest of their night. (It's amazing how a 3 year and 2 cats old girl can take over a whole queen size bed, leaving no room for 2 adult humans...lol.). It took me an hour to get back to sleep and at 5:00 am. the ghetto f*ck upstairs lets out his 2 yappy dogs to skitter back and forth all over the uncarpeted wood floor of the apartment before putting them out on the balcony to bark continuously for the next hour, the noise and worse the out of phase echoes waking everyone in all the buildings forming the square surrounding the courtyard and causing all the other dogs in all the other apartments...including the stinking and stupid waste of oxygen masquerading as a dog that Jen has to bark madly in response. Just about the time I was ready to start defrosting the ground beef in Jenn's freezer and root around in the closet with all the Mr. YUK stickers for the quickest acting pest control chemicals the idiot brought the little bastards inside to a chorus of threats, imprecations, and varying intimations regarding his parentage, personal habits, and sexual proclivities from some of the neighbors.

Never falling back into REM sleep I was up and in the bathroom shortly afterwards, coming out to find Devin strapped into her high chair with a banana and a breakfast bar, and Jenn's door closing.....and latching. By 8:00 am. Ed was up and in good spirits, for a change.......as he was the only one who slept through the whole night!....lol! By 10:00 I was pacing up to leave, Devin was back in full meltdown mode, Jenn and Tom were headed for an episode of Jerry Springer or Dr. Phil, and Edward was clueless and happy, and bouncing all over.

Yeah......Twizzle Twazzle Twuzzle Twome.....Time For This One to Go Home!!....(or Starbucks.................which is the nearest thing to living room, dining room and den for me.............lol.)

Anyway....here I am. I'm about to call the 'ex' and see if she can drop Rachel off for a few hours to spend some time with me and have lunch or a snack.

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

"I LOVE Little Children........................ Properly Cooked!!!....."

Good Evening;

Well I've been at Jenn's since Wednesday night and I'm again spending the night in exchange for 'time served'..(watching the kids........lol).

Tomorrow morning I'm heading out because....it's time.

As the old saying by Benjamin Franklin goes......:

"After 3 days, fish and house guests start to smell"

I have absolutely nothing to comment, whine about, or pontificate on tonight,

My world has been revolving around the grand monsters pretty much these last few days, in pendulum swings between laughter at their antics.......and grabbing for the duct tape, (the ULTIMATE child care accessory!......LOL!).

I'll be 'back in the world' tomorrow.....

Later.....Dave

"V.A. Offers Excuses Rather Than Expedited Assistance........."

Good Evening;

Here is a link to a FoxNews video on the red tape holding up vouchers for homeless veterans.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4502174/red-tape-keeps-veterans-homeless/

Later........Dave

"Slush Puppies.........Or........................... Let Sleeping Dogs....................."

Good Evening;

Well.....I'm sitting here watching 'Modern Marvels', .....(strike that....'The ODESSA File".......which I just started re-reading the other day.....Hmmmmmm?....), playing on the computer, and reading bits of "Grandmothers Whisper"......while occasionally telling Ed to be quiet and watch his DVD or shut up and go to sleep. Yup, another night at Jenn's. I went out this morning and took the Metro subway downtown to the First Mariner Arena to get opening night tickets, (2 for 1, two middle concourse seats for $25.00 first night only), to Disney On Ice-Princess Wishes for Rachel and I on Feb. 9th. Along with the Circus and the Md. State Fair it has become a continuing tradition that began with Jenn and has moved on to Rachel. A bit of continuity and connection between father and daughter & sister and sister that always seems to transcend any and all other issues, at least for those few hours. When I got back to Jenn's and was preparing to pack up she asked if I minded watching the kids this evening while she and Tom had a 'Dinner and a Movie' date....with the usual compensation. After trudging through the slop and the slush outside.....it was a no brainer.....lol.

Pop-pop was tired and had had enough crap and needed some peace, so the kids went to bed at 8:oo pm. with permission to watch 2 DVDs, Devin was out 15 minutes into 'Dr. Suess's Horton Hears A Who', and I don't think Edward will last much more than 30 minutes into his second choice, 'Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone'.......if I'm lucky

.I'm only able to read a bit of my friend Inette Miller's book at a time, so as to be able to savor and contemplate her words and ponder their multi-level and many faceted depths. A fascinating and powerful journey in which I can find many points of connection and understanding.....going both ways.

I went to sleep about 1:30 am. last night and woke up at 4:00 am., put on my boots...(no pants mind you....just boots.....lol)...and went into the bathroom, I remember thinking, "Oh no, I am so late!" I woke up on the can about 40 minutes later and went back to lay down on the couch, mystified at why I was in the bathroom....lol! I could not get back to sleep until after 8:00 am., just in time to be woken up by Tom banging out the door.

I'm tired and I'll be back later....

.......Dave

"SnowDazed.................."

Good Evening;

So I've been here at Jenn's all day and I'm on the couch again tonight.Tom took Edward out to Monkton to his mom's to shovel her house out and it was Devin and I most of the day living 'La Vida Loca ala La Nina Tres Annos'.....lol.

If I have to watch another episode of 'Strawberry Shortcake'.....or worse........'Ruby and Max'.......and where the hell are those little rabbits parents!?!

She is getting pretty damn proficient at left clicking the mouse on the pbs.kids website, next thing you know she'll have her own blog....lol.

The libraries were closed and the side roads are still crappy, so there was no real reason to go out. I'm here until tomorrow midday at least and there is not much to say...so....

Later........Dave

"Snowbound,...........'sNo Boots..................'sNo Worries......."

Good Evening;

Well.....plans changed quite a bit since I signed off earlier today. I ended up hanging around in the Giant for about 2 & 1/2 hours; 1/2 an hour puttering and shopping, close to 45 minutes in line because the place was a friggin' zoo, and the rest of the time talking with my friend Mike who works in the meat department as he wrapped and put out ALL the rest of the meats and poultry. Everything in the meat locker that was not frozen is on the shelves, and what is left in the freezer is the stuff that doesn't sell quickly anytime at all.

As I was getting ready to leave and head out the bus Jenn called inviting me to spend the night because the weather was getting worse, which was a surprise to me because when I went into the Giant it had just begun to rain slightly. When I walked out......there was at least 3 new inches on the roadways which were clear when I came in,

(and now the Weather Channel said snow was falling at the rate of 2 inches an hour, with 4 or more hours left before slackening off and ending.

9:14 at night and rush hour traffic is still on the roads and at a standstill in places.),

and when I stepped outside it was almost a white-out!

I waited about 15 minutes for a bus and was covered white with snow....hell even the pockets of my coat were filling up, and I could barely see because the snow was blowing horizontally in my face as I looked up the road for the bus....and I was hiding around a corner of a building OUT of the wind!

I had just walked out of Reisterstown Road Plaza, (the short cut and direct path through the mall saves close to 3/8 of a mile of walking), when Jenn called again asking if I had left the Giant yet, because tom had forgotten the Texas Toast Garlic Bread to go with the spaghetti and meatballs she made. I told her I would go into the other Giant here and pick up a box. So it was back through the mall hoping it would not close up in the meantime, as it was almost dead then. Surprisingly this Giant, (known as the Ghetto Giant to Pikesville's Gucci Giant...lol), was only unreasonably crowded not insanely crowded like Pikesville. But the customers and staff made up the difference and the visit was just as unpleasant! There is a large Russian community here & a Hispanic one also, who conveniently are unable to read or speak English when it suits them, such as when the checkout lines are crowded and they slip into the '15 item or less' "Express"....HAH!!!....lines.

So it was another 20 minute wait...with one item! The mall was still open and I went through there and across the Home Depot lot, where I again looked like a Yeti by the time I got to Jenn's.

I'm showered and fed, and the grandmonster's are in bed...(and I think I figured out Jenn's ulterior motive....I seriously doubt that Edward will have school tomorrow, and Jenn now has live in entertainment and diversions that will let her get her desired but rarely achieved, 12 to 15 hours of sleep......HA!......lmao!

I'm watching the branches of the trees droop lower and lower from the weight of this wet, heavy snowfall, and SNAP, there goes one of the pine trees breaking now, I just hope that we don't lose power like all those folks around and in D.C., close to 200,000 at this time. The good thing about being here is not so much a place to sleep tonight, the temps. being in the 'comfort zone' for my sleeping bag and blanket 'combo wrap',.....lol.....,but not having to slog through the snow and slush as soon as I get up tomorrow just to get to someplace to be. I am very grateful for that, and not having to dress in the cold.

One thing I am not happy about is the snow interfering with plans to see Rachel, and not being able to get around and finding a pair of better boots at a price I can afford, and then going to return the others at Target. They don't seem to be leaking, at the moment at least, if push comes to shove maybe I can spray or spread some sort of silicone sealer that will remain flexible over the cracks in the skin and just wear them until they die a natural death...or I have an extra $60.00.

I'm outta here for a while, 'Two And A Half Men' is on...and no ever accused me of being PC in my humor choices....lol!

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

P.S. Thanks Kate, I'll look into it. I'll have to see how simple the install is too.

(I also realized that Blogger/Google added a Stats tab in it's latest makeover that has an 'All time' category. Though I have doubts as to it's accuracy, there are at least 2 hits that I am aware of from countries that Sitemeter listed that the Blogger/Google does not...?)