Just a Quick Grocery Day Note…

Dad was very overjoyed I got those Marie Callendar’s meals.  I got 14 meals tonight which will give me two a day to eat.

“You can’t cook, clean up, and do all of that,” he told me with very little faith in my cooking and cleaning abilities. “I was thoroughly glad you got those meals.”

The total came to $79 dollars which made me wince, but my father didn’t flinch.

I also got five gallons of diet tea instead of four as I would always run out by the end of the week.

“You didn’t spend too much,” my father said assuaging my worries as we walked to our cars. “I think you did good tonight with what you got. You got a lot of food for your dollar.”

My two diet destroying splurges were four king sized Hershey’s milk chocolate bars. They were on sale for .99 cents each. Boy, am I going to relish those.  I have a sweet tooth that can’t be denied.  I also got some Hostess chocolate cupcakes as well – an old childhood weakness of mine.

Photo Credit:   http://abcnews.go.com/Business/supermarkets-introduce-personalized-pricing/story?id=21010246

The Well Traveled Andrew…

My injection of Risperdal Consta was at 9am this morning.  Dad woke me up at 1am last night with a phone call to remind me.  He had almost forgotten as well.  The injection went without a hitch and I feel better today – more of my old self. It was just a little painful.

My nurse, Adia, was super nice as always bless her sweet little heart.  She is such a very pretty lady.  She was telling me that my mother had taught her in school and that she had graduated high school with my sister. 

“I’m a Lanett girl born and bred,” she told me with a warm smile.

Mom was waiting on me when I arrived home. She had let herself in with her key. She was bragging on me about how clean my house was.  Especially the bathroom.   I had to take her to the Books-a-Million in Auburn.  It was fixing to get very stormy so I told her we had to hurry lest we get caught in a mess.  We also got me a game time card for Warcraft at Best Buy which now gives me 4 months of game play.  My first free month is almost over.

Our last stop was Sonic for chocolate shakes.  I threw caution to the wind and we both got two large chocolate shakes and sat in the parking lot drinking them. Mom and I are both supposed to be on a diet.  The shakes were completely divine.

I then heard thunder in the distance and we quickly got on the road aka the interstate.  We just narrowly escaped a big storm as we sped up the highway at a careless 80 mph.  Mom’s car may just be a lowly Honda Civic, but that car will scoot. It began to sprinkle as soon as I pulled up in front of my house and gave the reigns to my mother. 

My injection makes me very drowsy the day I get it and I crashed in the bed for many hours.  I woke up and it was 6:30pm tonight. Le sigh!  I hope I fall sleep at my usual 11pm time.

Now, we have to go buy groceries.  Dad will probably be here around 8:30pm for that endeavor.  It is going to be a Marie Callender’s and bologna sandwich themed night tonight. I’m tired of cooking and cleaning up after it to be honest.

Mr. Early Arrives to Our Surprise…

I was laying on the bed giving Maggie some affection and attention when there was a loud knock on the front door.  I looked at the clock and it read 8:20pm.  I thought it was someone wanting to cut my grass before dark fell.  It was my father and Maggie didn’t even get a chance to perform her usual revelry.  She was caught off guard.

“Let’s go grocery shopping tomorrow night,” dad said after we sat down on my couch. “I want to go home early.  I barely made it through work today.”

I was fine with that.  I didn’t much want to go through that whole rigmarole myself tonight.  The worst part of buying groceries for me is unloading them when I get home and putting them away.

“I am getting in my recliner with a cold diet Coke and watching what your mother calls the Hitler channel,” dad told me as he handed me my crazy meds. 

I chuckled as I gulped down all 12 pills in one swallow.  The Hitler channel or History channel as it is more commonly called will put my mother to sleep on the couch.  I personally enjoy seeing shows about the Luftwaffe – the German air force.  

So, I’ve got some water beginning to warm on the stove and we are going to have some condensed chicken noodle soup and garlicky breadsticks for supper.  Maggie’s now out in the backyard venting her vicious frustrations for the evening.  Something or someone has got her knickers in a complete twist.

To the Bookstore We Go…

Mom just called me and wants me to take her to the bookstore in Auburn tomorrow.  I look forward to spending some quality time with the Matriarch of the family and it will be like old times.  We are leaving at 10am.  I am also getting another 3 month game time card for WarCraft.  She is trying to get up enough books to last until my father arrives back home from driving one of my brother’s car from San Diego she said.  My father leaves Thursday.

I Really Like Her, But…

I am chatting with this sweet Southern lady on Facebook.  She lives in LaGrange just 25 minutes away from me.  We’ve had some really good chats and are getting to know each other, but the relationship is progressing painfully slow.  My mother taught her in school and has fond memories of her – that she was a good student.  The only warning signs are that she is 42 and still lives with her parents.  She has also been married 3 times.  I am willing to overlook all of that as I’ve had a failed marriage as well and am coddled by my parents also.  I guess she is waiting for me to ask her out.  I really want to lose another 10 pounds before we meet.  I sent her a picture of myself today taken in my bathroom mirror and she said I looked very handsome.  Oh, I am really just not good at this sort of thing at all.  It gets my social anxieties all in a twist.

I Think I Spotted Another Jackalope the Other Day!

  The Jackalope (Lepus-temperamentalus) is one of the rarest animals in the world. A cross between an extinct pygmy-deer and a species of killer-rabbit, they are extremely shy unless approached.   Known by the ancients as "deerbunnies", it wasn't until the early 1960's that the modern more fearsome "jackalope" name was adopted.
    It is written that you can extract a Jackalope's milk as it sleeps belly up at night. The milk is believed to be medicinal and can be used for a variety of afflictions. The truth is these creatures are aggressive and unpredictable, and should not be provoked for any reason!
   The government wants you to believe they aren't real, but there are many who believe. The evidence is mounting!

Can You Believe this is Marie Calendar’s?

The is what I had for brunch.  This meal didn’t look very appetizing in it’s original packaging so I plated it up, and boy did it make a difference.  It is breaded chicken tenderloins, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, and green beans.  It tasted pretty decent as well despite being in my freezer for months.

Tonight is grocery night.  All I have left from last week is a 12 pack of Ramen noodles.  I think I am just going to get Marie Calendars meals instead of trying to cook this week.  Cleaning up the kitchen gets old and my dish washer is broken.  It leaks all onto my kitchen floor.

Vulgar, My Father Was…

Well, heir Charlie and mien father have just left after bringing medications and food.  KFC was out of chicken (how does KFC run out of chicken?) so they brought me a Whopper, gigantic Coke, and fries instead.  That’s what mom always gets anyway so they didn’t have to go out of their way.   I’m not a big Whopper fan, but beggars can’t be choosers as the old saying goes. It sure looks sloppy to the right there ------>  They also skimped me on the fries. 

Maggie put on a grand show of affection like no other tonight she was so glad to see the dynamic duo.  I was glad to see them as well.  It was getting close to 9pm and I thought they would never show. Charlie and dad had been trimming Charlie’s shrubbery all afternoon.

Dad was being vulgar tonight, and Charlie said he was about to go throw up in my trashcan.  Dad loves to do that to Charlie. Dad was talking about a woman’s anatomy.

“You had two kids,” he told Charlie. “You had to be ‘getting it on’ to make them.”

“Shut up John now dammit!” Charlie rebuked disgusted

Maggie was hungry and was wondering if we would get around to her very own ritual.  Charlie gave her a big bowl of kibble while I filled her big ceramic bowl with fresh water.  Maggie was starving and ate all her food in a hurry.  I put some more in the bowl in case she got hungry again overnight. 

Happy Birthday Dearest Maggie!

If my memory serves me correctly, today was the day my father brought Maggie home to me seven years ago.  He had been walking out at the rest area on the interstate.  He heard whimpering coming from a trashcan he was passing.  He looked inside and there was a puppy someone had thrown away into the trash.  He picked her out of the trashcan and brought her to me.  She could fit in my father’s hand.  Mom named her Maggie as she traditionally names all our pets.  Maggie was anemic being eaten alive with fleas and needed to be inoculated and spayed.  We had her out at the Veterinarian the next day were they diligently worked to get all the fleas off.  She has been a wonderful little companion to me over these years. I always say that Maggie was the best thing my father has ever done for me and Charlie will say it, too. 

The Biscuit Bringer Has Come and Gone…

Charlie has come and gone for our Sunday morning biscuit ritual.  In the sack he gave me were two sausage and egg biscuits, some packets of mustard, and a hash brown.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Charlie said as Maggie barked over joyously.  “I love you, too, Maggie!”

I didn’t know he was here until I heard Maggie squeal and start barking.

I was just looking online and each sausage and egg biscuit has a whopping 510 calories. Ouch!  The hashbrown has a much more reasonable 150 calories. That makes this breakfast over a 1000 calories.  Looks like I won’t be eating lunch or supper tonight.

It has Been a Stormy Day Today…

More storms rolling in from the west…

There are Country Cooks in the Kitchen Tonight…

The potato salad was a special request from me for my father.  Mom also put lots of peppery and spicy hot sauce on my turnip greens just like I like it, fiery hot.  We have company in town – one of my father’s cousins and her son are staying over waiting for a flight to Denver.  Atlanta’s airport is just 45 minutes from my parent’s house.  She said she wanted a “down home” cooked meal and my father delivered.  I was thankful the pork tenderloin wasn’t the marinated in peppercorns kind.  It was just marinated in garlic and a light brine.

 

 

 

 

Dessert was red velvet cake with a butter nut cream icing.  Charlie’s sister, Polly, made it.

Poor Wonky Me!

I woke up at 6:45am with an awful headache.  I never get headaches, but this one was a bugger. I felt like I had a night out drinking and was sobering up.   I took three Excedrin which have caffeine in them and soon went back to bed after playing WarCraft for an hour.  I chalked it up to a caffeine deficiency headache. 

11pm rolled around and I was still laying in the bed as Maggie groomed herself noisily next to me – a lot of grunts and snorting going on as she digged at her cooties.  I begrudgingly got up and put on some clothes.  Luckily, my headache was mostly gone, but I was still feeling a little wonky. 

I headed straight to the kitchen as soon as I had gotten woke up good.  My beloved cold pizza awaited me in a box.  I tell you and I am not exaggerating that Johnny’s pizza has to be some of the best pizza in the South.  I felt much better with something on my stomach although it was terrible for my diet.  Sometimes, you just have to revel in defeat and not victory.  I have lost 5 pounds to my credit.

I then called mom to see if she would put out my Helen to-go plates along with my sodas.  The drive to my parent’s house was quick and painless – no traffic to contend with.  I greedily grabbed my armful of drinks and containers of food, and then headed home. Helen had cooked fried pork cutlets, spinach and sliced boiled eggs,  cut lake green beans, deviled eggs, cornbread, and yellow corn niblets.  As you can see, it is not very photogenic, but it tasted delicious.

Photo credit:  http://www.everywherefare.com/kotlet-schabowy-polish-breaded-pork-cutlets/

This Cracked Me Up! This Guy Knows No Shame…

Celebrate LGBT Equality

by Kevin Barbieux  aka “The Homeless Guy”

Today's Supreme Court decision to allow LGBT people to marry in the United States is a major move forward in the social acceptance of all people who have historically been marginalized by society.  Celebrate this historic day by sending a donation to thehomelessguy@gmail.com via PayPal

Pipe and Christina…

Pipe, my parent’s house was built in 1929.  My bedroom growing up was the old servant’s quarters in the basement.  It is a really unique house and has a lot of character. 

Christina,  I so wish to help mom, but I don’t know how to go about it.  My father is such a hardheaded fellow and would not allow me to intervene. Do you have any suggestions on how to go about this?  I would appreciate your insight.

It’s All Uncommonly Good Around Here…

I thought my father would never ever arrive tonight.  He didn’t arrive until almost 10:30pm.  I hesitated to call his cellphone as he says I keep up with him like my mother does.  When he arrived, he was in an uncommonly good mood due to pizza and beer.

“You’re not much one to drink beer,” I told him amused.

“I had me some cold Coronas with my pizza,” he replied. “Ole!”

I laughed wholeheartedly.   I shouldn’t have, but my father’s mood was contagious.  He was being silly.

Dad had also brought me a big pizza box of leftover New York Style pizza from Johnny’s in downtown West Point. I was very, very grateful for this gift.  Johnny’s has excellent pizza – expensive and very delicious.  I am going to save it for breakfast in the morning.

We took my many medications and then dad wanted me to look up the Queen’s state visit to Germany on my iPad.  He is obsessed with the British Monarchy. To be honest, I am pretty smitten with them myself.  I pulled up the official webpage of the British Monarchy and he must’ve read it for ten minutes while Maggie vied for his attention.

We finally fed and watered a grateful Maggie and he was on his way.

“Love you, son!” he said walking down the front steps of my house.

Now it is time for the nitty gritty.  Do I stay up late playing WarCraft, or do I join Maggie in the bed?  Both endeavors would be enjoyable.

Coincidences of the Grateful Kind…

I drove over to my parent’s house to get my sodas a moment ago.  Mom didn’t leave my sodas out on the porch like she usually does which was very odd.  The whole situation was strange because the garage door to dad’s BMW was up.  I walked through the garage and climbed the steps to the second story of the house.

“Mom?” I said very loudly as I walked down the hall towards my mother’s bedroom.

“I’m in here,” mom said weakly from the front living room.

I could barely hear her.  I opened the door to the front living room and mom had fallen to the floor.  I rushed over to her and helped her get up.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “Do you have any broken bones?”

“My knee is bleeding,” mom told me, “but I think I am okay.  If you didn’t come along to help me up then I would’ve been in a mess.”

I stayed for a few moments to make sure my mother was okay.  She was walking fine in a few moments after getting up.  We bandaged her knee and then I reluctantly headed back home. 

“Helen will be here soon,” mom said. “I will be fine.  I will call you when Helen has your supper plate ready.”

Fire in the Manor…

Mom called me at 7am this morning.  I moaned as I was abruptly awakened by the raucous din of the phone and I walked out of my bedroom to answer it which resides in my hall. Maggie jumped off the bed and followed me.  She gets excited when the phone rings for some reason.

“I just turned on the light switch to my room and fire shot out from it,” she said urgently. “What should I do?”

Luckily, mom didn’t get burned.

“Go wake up dad!” I told her in an excitable manner. “It could burn down the house!”

I called mom back a moment ago and they have an electrician there now to fix the problem.

“He’s also going to fix our doorbell which has never worked right,” mom told me. “I am sitting in the dark because the power is off.”

“Is today Thursday?” my mother then asked over her cellphone.

“It is Friday morning, mom,” I told her flabbergasted. “Helen comes to fix dinner at noon.”

“What is Helen cooking?” she asked.

“All I know is that we are having fried pork cutlets and whole kernel corn,” I replied.

With that said, mom and I got off the phone.  I then immediately called mom back to remind her that her hair dresser’s appointment is at 1pm.  She thanked me profusely.

Photo credit:   http://www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/208728129

Hah!!!

Unfortunately, You Get What You Pay For…

Rita said…

I am interested in the Dell computer that your dad purchased recently. Is it a desktop or a laptop? Can you tell me a little about it? For someone who does lots of word processing, photographs, etc., do you think it would be worth it? I am interested in where he purchased it and if I might be able to buy it locally in Denver.

Rita, this is what my father bought:  Dell $299.99 desktop.   He bought it from Dell online and had it shipped to his house.  I haven’t used it so I couldn’t really say how good of a computer it is.  My father seems happy with it.  Most times, though, you get what you pay for when it comes to computers. 

My big beef with this computer is that it only has 4 GB of memory.  I would, at least, upgrade it to 8 GB of memory.  I would also upgrade the 500 GB hard drive to at least 1 terabyte.  The processor is also dubious.  They say a four core processor comes with it, but they don’t say what type.  I would, at least, get a quad core i5 processor. 

McGruff is Back!

“I thought you didn’t work here anymore,” I told McGruff relieved when it was my turn to get checked out.

Fred’s was hopping busy today.  I had to wait ten minutes in line in order to get checked out and they had two registers open for business.

“I never left.  You must’ve just missed me,” she said.

I placed a small box of Fred’s brand 24 pack Benadryl on the counter and she scanned it.

“It will be $2.60 honey,” she replied as I readied to swipe my debit card.

“The price sticker on the shelf says $1.85,” I told her. “That price must be wrong.”

She told me to walk back to the pharmaceuticals aisle and show her the price after she got the manager to void out the sale.

“You’re right,” she said. “The scanned price is wrong.”

She rung me up again and the price was a much more manageable $2.05.  I told her I was glad to see her and had missed her.  You could almost see her grumpy old heart melt.

Photo Credit:    http://www.nerdwallet.com/dealfinder/black-friday/freds-super-dollar

May You Yawn in Peace…

I was starving when I woke up this morning at 6:45am.  I stood in the kitchen peering into my refrigerator trying to decide what to eat.  My sweet tooth was giving me a very hard time so I ate two Activia yogurts.  After eating, I stood on the scales in my bathroom and I have lost another two pounds.  Mom said she could already tell I’ve lost some weight. 

“You’re losing your weight in your midsection,” she told me yesterday. “You were almost getting a beer belly.”

Dieting is hard as you feel deprived and hungry all the time. 

The house was very eerily quiet this morning.  Maggie hadn’t stirred yet so I went to seek her out.  She was still curled up on the bed asleep.  It was cool and dark in my bedroom with a temperature of 77 degrees – perfect for a morning of sleeping in.  My biological clock told me otherwise, though. 

Scathing Rebukes…

An old friend of mine wrote publically on my Facebook page about the Lori fiasco in a complete about face.  She tried to say the past 15 years of my writings were all a lie – that George and Ferret were a figment of my imagination. It was completely over the top and melodramatic to the extreme.

“You could be some 80 year old lady with a cat and not a 43 year old man with a dog,” she said.

I certainly didn’t appreciate her posting all that in a public place where my family could read it.  She should have taken it to my email or my blog comments.  I sadly had to unfriend her. 

If George and the gang weren’t real then I would still be writing about them to this day.  Those were the days I was getting over 2000 readers a day and making over $200 dollars a month with my Google Adsense ads.  One month I made $260. It was the pinnacle of my blog. Why would I quit writing about them if they were fictional? Why would I give up all the money I was making and let my blog fall into relative obscurity? I assure you 95% of what is on this blog is real. That whole Lori deal was a terrible and misguided decision on my part to bring in newer readers, and boy did it backfire.  Things almost spiraled out of control and I apologize sincerely to all of you who have remained loyal to me.

The Tendrils of Time…

“Do you think I am like my mother?” my father sincerely asked me tonight as we sat on the couch.

Dad’s deceased mother is very heavily revered within our family.  I dare say to the lofty heights of a Mother Teresa.

“Very much so,” I replied willingly. “You put your grandchildren first and lavish them with love and affection.”

Dad handed me my handful of nightly crazy meds and I gulped them all down with a big swig of Sprite Zero.

“You did great with the kids today,” dad told me. “Charlie said you were going to be alright and I am beginning to believe him.”

I smiled as dad handed me two more Clonazepam and a Coureg – both for anxiety.

Dad left to go buy his household’s groceries.  I made sure to tell him that Maggie needed more kibble.  I escaped into my computer room with Maggie following right behind me for my nightly rituals.  Maggie jumped up on the bed and made herself comfortable.  My medications will take effect at 10:45pm.

Photo credit:    https://goodtimestories.wordpress.com/tag/mother-teresas-home-for-children/

The Tide Ebbs and Flows…

I had one of my good days today – a day in which I could be social and join in on all the family activities.  Dad had to babysit my niece and nephew again and implored me to come and help entertain.  A fear years ago, this would have struck severe fear into the heart of this old reclusive soul.  I took my iPad and we spent a good hour looking at clips from all the Star Wars movies I had downloaded onto it.

The kids and I then walked down into downtown West Point and got a waffle cone of ice cream.  We were all unanimous in that we picked rocky road chocolate as our ice cream of choice.

The kids marveled as we stepped into Georgia just a few feet down from my parent’s house. 

“You mean this line is Georgia?” my little nephew Grant asked.

“You are now in Georgia,” I replied.

Grant straddled the line and proudly said, “I am in Georgia and Alabama at the same time!”

It’s just like men to be always drawing lines in the sand.  Everything is dibbled up into parcels and parts – race and creed.

This morning, I had put some center cut pork chops in a dish to marinade them in Worcestershire sauce all day.  I grilled them on my little hibachi grill after the storms passed this evening.  I gave in and gave Maggie a pork chop and it was country come to town.   I also cooked a big batch of my mother’s beef lo mien to freeze for leaner times.  Like I’ve said in the past, it is either feast or famine around here many weeks.  

Photo credit:   http://www.scottcochrane.com/index.php/2015/01/22/the-power-of-drawing-a-leadership-line-in-the-sand/

Andrew's Christmas Dreams…

Why in the World Do You Need Two Heads of Cabbage?

They are for my mother’s beef lo mien recipe.  I am making it twice this week thus the need for two heads of cabbage.  The cabbage takes forever to wilt, though, so you have to be patient with this recipe.

 

Adding an animated radar to your blog...

Some Things on the Grocery List…

• Two heads of cabbage
• 2 pounds of lean ground chuck
• Two canisters of La Choy chow mien noodles
• One large bottle of Kikkoman's Soy Sauce
• Bananas and Ambrosia Apples
• Two packages of cooked white rice (Uncle Ben’s)
• 4 gallons of Milo’s diet tea with Splenda
• One twelve pack of Ramen noodles (emergency rations)
• 8 pack of Hershey’s milk chocolate bars (Just kidding; I wish!)

 

Things I Need to Do For My Blog Friends…

I need to get Helen’s macaroni and cheese recipe and get it on the blog. I would like to get her meatloaf recipe as well.  I also need to show Amelia how to put a radar animated GIF on her webpage or blog. (thinking of making a how to video for this)

The Four Way Disaster Waiting to Happen…

There are these two streets below my parent’s house that are pretty dangerous.  People are always ignoring the stop signs and blowing straight through the intersection.  I’ve almost gotten hit a few times myself.  I now always stop and look both ways before entering the intersection even though I have the right of way.  Well, it finally happened – a big car crash where someone ran the stop sign and hit this guy in a Ford truck.  The truck was totaled after ending up hitting a telephone pole in the driver’s efforts to miss the oncoming car.

I gawked a little bit, but then headed on to my parent’s house to get my sodas this morning.  My sweet Helen was already sitting on the porch puffing on a Newport when I arrived. She was early for work. I didn’t dawdle, though, eager to get home and get my sodas in the freezer to get them cold fast. 

Charlie did something very kind last night. He’s always doing kind things for me. He bakes chocolate pies every few weeks and he brought me two slices late last night. They are his specialty. It must’ve been 10pm when he arrived not long after my father had left. It thrilled Maggie to death to see him. I hadn’t eaten much all day and decided it would be okay to eat them despite my being on a diet.  I have a terrible sweet tooth and Charlie’s pies are just scrumptious.   Charlie then left to take some more chocolate pie to his sister Polly who lives a few blocks over from me. Charlie is the embodiment of altruism and more people should follow his lead including me.

Photo credit:  http://healthyrecipesblogs.com/2011/12/20/chocolate-pie-chocolate-pie-crust/

James Horner, Film Composer for 'Titanic' and 'Braveheart,' Dies in Plane Crash…

James Horner, the consummate film composer known for his heart-tugging scores for Field of Dreams, Braveheart and Titanic, for which he won two Academy Awards, died Monday in a plane crash near Santa Barbara. He was 61.

This is so very sad for me.  He was one of my favorite composers along with John Williams who composed the Star Wars theme.  I was listening to the Avatar soundtrack just last night.  Rumor has it that he was working on the Avatar 2 soundtrack at his death. 

This is Charlie…

To quell any confusion about my father’s photo being Charlie, I bring you Charlie and Maggie.

Sleepy Boy Says Hi…

Well, I managed to sleep the day away.  I woke up initially at 4:30am and went back to bed at 11am and then went back to bed at 3pm and slept until 8pm.  I pretty much wasted my day sleeping.  I certainly feel good tonight and well rested, but will I sleep when 11pm rolls around?  Today is an example on how I can easily get on a stay up all night schedule which is the bane of my existence. 

Now it is time for the waiting game on when my father will bring my meds.  Charlie and dad are currently over at the river house looking at all the new windows that were installed according to my mother.  That river house has been a project of love for my father.  He says he has wanted that house ever since he saw it for the first time years ago.  He made an offer and they accepted and the rest was history.

I did get to see my sister’s kids around lunch.  We used dad’s iPad to watch cartoons and to visit Nickelodeon which had some online games you could play. I also brought over my Nintendo GameCube so they could play it some.  I had a SpongeBob Square Pants party game they enjoyed – ya gotta love SpongeBob.  Dad was overjoyed that I kept them entertained while he fixed the midday meal.  I did get a piece of my parent’s chocolate cake and it was delicious.  Mom and dad bitched, moaned and argued through the whole process, but the cake turned out great. 

I almost forgot, but tonight is grocery night. It just immediately dawned on me.  I am making my mother’s beef lo mien this week I have decided.  I will also once again get that Milo’s diet tea.  I’ve already lost three pounds on my new diet.  Let’s keep that weight coming off!  I want to get down to 175 by the end of the summer.

No Groceries Tonight…

Dad just left. We decided not to get groceries tonight much to his chagrin.  I just didn’t feel like going through that rigmarole tonight, although I had to endure a ton of peer pressure from my father.

“Your mother is going to have a fit,” he said as his foremost worry. “She’ll ask me a hundred questions about why you didn’t go.”

I have plenty of Ramen noodle soup to get me through tomorrow night.  I might feel like I am back in college.

Me Playing World of WarCraft…

My Hopes Were Almost Hopelessly Dashed…

I called my father about the weather around 8pm.  I was also surreptitiously trying to find out how far along they were with the Sunday Night Chicken ritual.  My hopes were dashed when I heard my nephew talking in the background.  They were still in Alex City.  My heart sunk low as I hung up the phone.  It is an hour drive back from my sister’s house and it would probably be 10pm before dad and Charlie arrived with my medications.

I sat back down at the computer for awhile and Maggie then started to squeal and bark that a family member was here.  To my complete surprise and shock, it was Charlie with my medications and my grilled chicken dinner.

“I called your daddy and told him that was too long for you to have to wait,” Charlie said. “And I took upon myself to do the medication ritual and to go get your Sunday meal.”

I thanked Charlie extremely profusely over and over.  I was elated.  I was having a pity party when he arrived.  What a wonderful sound that Maggie made signaling the cavalry was here.

Charlie can’t come without cleaning.  I had already took out all my trash bags to the road so Charlie wouldn’t have to do that tonight.  Charlie still found things to do.  He swept my laundry room floor and we found my backdoor key that had been missing for months, and then he cleaned my glass stove top with some polish they recommend.  He was surprised I had the polish. I can thank mom for that as she got me some fearing I was going to scratch my stove.

There were a few more heartfelt hugs and Maggie got her lot of mucho attention.  Soon, Charlie was on his way to take Horsefly his evening dinner of chicken fingers.

Photo Credit:  http://qa.kfc.com/about/news/2013/061713.asp

Happy Father’s Day…

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful father. I couldn't have achieved what I have in life without his help and guidance.

Dad just called me and I told him Happy Father’s Day.  He wanted to tell me how proud he was of me for what I’ve accomplished these past few years. It made me feel like a million bucks I tell ya.  He’s not much one for praise – especially not for me.

“Ten years ago, you would be drunk somewhere and wouldn’t even know it was father’s day,” he told me.

I got him a funny card and some of his favorite cologne.

My parents are headed to my sister’s house for father’s day.  I told dad not to forget to bring me back a piece of that chocolate cake!

The Sunday Morning Arrival of Charlie…

Yes, today is biscuit day and I am especially hungry.  I almost thought of cancelling biscuit day for me since I am on a diet and Maggie no longer gets a biscuit.  Those biscuits are so calorie loaded.  Well, I decided I can treat myself once a week.  I am especially keen on getting that giant Coca-Cola without ice.  The only time I get caffeine these days is once a week now with Charlie’s Coke he brings me.  He asked me a few weeks ago if I would like orange juice or a soda, and I said soda.

This morning I have been working on getting all four of my computer monitors hooked up to my computers and working.  Both computers now have extended desktops.  Dad calls this my command center in my computer room. My brother calls it the bunker. I need to do more neatening and straightening, though.  It is kind of in a mess at the moment with wires and cords running everywhere.   That’s where zip ties come in handy. 

The Charles Meister Has Left the Premises…

Charlie gave me a big hug this morning as I told him happy father’s day.  Maggie was going nuts to see him so Charlie stepped inside to pet her.

“You know you are like my second father,” I told him.

“What do you want for supper?” Charlie then asked.

“Just get me whatever is easiest on you,” I replied.

“Charlie?” I then asked as he walked to his car. “Get me the grilled chicken and a diet Coke instead of sweet tea.”

Charlie replied that he could already tell that I’ve lost a few pounds.  My scales show it as well.

Throwing Up My Hands in Huge Relief and Defeat…

You all were right about giving Maggie so much people food.  It was inadvertently making her sick.  After over a week of no people food, her allergies and fungal skin condition have completely cleared up.  I deserve a very big I told you so. I also need to say thank you! Now, I am going to go feed and water Maggie for the night.  Maggie has her rituals as well.  She will then get on the bed and wait until eleven when I go to sleep.

The Devil is in the Icing!

Mom and dad are making a chocolate cake tonight.  It is a collaborative effort.  Mom used to could make the most wonderful cakes, but she has fallen out of practice.  Dad just called me and told me to drive over and take my medications which is very unusual.

“We may be up to midnight making this cake,” he said over the phone. “You better come and get your medications now.”

It was music to these ears.  I jump at a chance to take them early.

When I arrived shortly, they already had the layers cooked and they looked deliciously moist, chocolaty and soft – like velvet.  Dad was slowly stirring a chocolate concoction on the stove in a big pan.

“This is supposed to be chocolate cake icing,” he said to me with a goodhearted jeer. “But it is not thickening.”

Mom just called me and said it was starting to glisten so that was a good sign.

If only my grandmother were here, she would make it look easy.  She must’ve made a hundred chocolate cakes in her time.   Mom was busy looking at other chocolate icing recipes they could try if that one didn’t work.

Dad had also cooked supper which I got a big plate of his delicious food that mom had prepared for me.  He had cooked a pork tenderloin, a vegetable medley, a tangy wax bean salad, onion and rice pilaf, and homemade biscuits. 

Photo credit:   http://www.sparkyhub.com/30-delicious-chocolate-cake-pictures-you-love/

Let Thou Eyeballs Roll Out of Thy Head…

“You have been wearing your glasses all week,” mom said to me today. “Why aren’t you wearing your contacts?”

Mom spends about $165 dollars a month on my disposable contacts. I am supposed to change them after a few day’s use.  I am not supposed to sleep in them. They come in these two large boxes segregated in left and right.                                                 

“I’ve been bad about sleeping in them and I almost got an eye infection.  My left eye started to hurt and turned red,” I replied honestly to my mother. “It scared me and I took out the contacts and started wearing my glasses.  The infection cleared up.”

Well, mom has called me four times about those contacts today wondering if she needs to buy me more.  Dad laughed and laughed, and had warned me this would happen if she saw me with my glasses on for an extended time.

“You should’ve known it was going to throw up red flags for her,” he told me.  “It set off her OCD!”

I finally just told my mother not to order anymore – that I would just wear my glasses.  That seemed to calm her down and the calls have stopped.

Dad got the OCD treatment from my mother as well earlier in the week.  She’s always having accidents and has traditionally had a irritable bowel.  She’s also had a hundred procedures and tests and they can’t find anything wrong with her.  Dad told her to try that Activia yogurt to see if it helps.  Dad eats one every day.  Well, mom went out and bought 20 containers of the yogurt.  My father was flabbergasted.  He told my mother they were going to expire before she could eat them all.  I told him to give some to me.  I would eat them.  So, I came home today with six Activias along with todays sodas and Helen to-go plates.

Amen to the Medication Ritual…

Mom called me a moment ago.

“I told your daddy he needs to bring your medications – that it is almost past ten.  He left about ten minutes ago after I finished badgering him about it.”

Mom was certainly being bold this evening. I would soon find out why.

Dad pulled up in front of my house as mom and I got off the phone.   Mom was very manic tonight and couldn’t get her words out fast enough.  She managed to tell me all about a book she was reading on the Third Reich in that short amount of time.  I told her to take a deep breath and slow down.

I then looked at Maggie who was sitting on the couch and said, “Papas coming!”

Maggie emitted a long, slow mournful whine and then my father knocked on my door.  Maggie started to bark loudly and jubilantly as I opened the door.  Maggie’s exuberance for my father’s arrival never gets old. She’s a loyal little companion who loves her family to the utmost.

A Might Bit Chilly…

I threw caution to the wind last night and turned  the air conditioning down to a chilly 73 degrees.  It sure made for some good sleeping and Maggie enjoyed it as well. I was warm under my covers. I am now wearing a jacket it is so cool in my house.  I am freezing and chattering my teeth.  The temperature is slowly warming up, though, and the air conditioning will cycle again at 79 degrees.  I’ll be warm by then and ready for it.  It is already 92 degrees outside according to my wireless weather station.  The sensor is in the shade on the porch. The barometer on it is showing that it will rain today hopefully.

I just called mom and asked what Helen was cooking today.  She was half asleep.  We are having cube steak and gravy, the ubiquitous and ever present creamed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and I believe mom said Southern style sticky rice.  I will have my starches covered after that meal. We will also have the also ubiquitous pan of cornbread.  I miss Helen’s Bisquick biscuits, but my father doesn’t like them and he is the boss dog around here – alpha male that he is.

Helen Arrives…

I was just over getting my sodas for the day this last hour.  Helen was walking with a cane today saying her legs were hurting her.  Helen’s legs are elephantine in size.  She greeted my father and I as she slowly walked up the back steps to the deck.  She asked me what I wanted her to cook and you all know the answer: Meat loaf and Macaroni and cheese.  Dad was sitting on the porch during all of this and was listening in as we stood in the kitchen.

“We’ll have that next week,” he said. “I want cube steak and gravy today.”

Helen got some money out of her envelope in the kitchen drawer and headed to the grocery store with a list of ingredients my father wrote. I offered to go get them for Helen, but my father frowned and I then shut up before I got in any trouble.  Dad said I wouldn’t know the right things and ingredients to get.  We were out of some staples and Helen would know we brands my father likes.  Oh ye of little faith I mused.

“Go work on your shrubbery,” my father then told me grinning. “You have a baby pecan tree growing up through your hydrangeas and that mimosa Lopez cut down is making a comeback.”

Dad was soaking wet with sweat and had mud all over his t-shirt.  He had been trimming his hedges before it got too hot.

I deplore yard work. Hate it! I told my father I might work on it some late this evening, but I wasn’t making any promises. It’s hard to believe that in one part of my life I was trying to make a living mowing lawns.

The Long Journey Home…

My brother and his family will return back to the Valley in two weeks.  It is going to be so good having them back in our lives again.  Dad is flying out to San Diego to help my brother drive his two cars back to Alabama.  I don’t envy him of that task, but it is a marvel my father can still do such things at his age.   He will be 70 in August.  I offered to help drive, but my father wants me to stay here and look after my mother.   My brother and his family will be living in one of Charlie’s spare houses until the house they are building is completed. 

What would you do?

Last hour, I was standing out in the middle of my yard filming the dark skies, lightning and thunder of our looming and approaching storm.  I saw something red in the corner of my screen and it was a black man slowly walking up my street.  We have a lot of foot traffic on my avenue most days and it keeps Maggie busy.  As he got closer to me, I said, “It is fixing to get rough weather wise, man.  You need to get some shelter.”

“Can you give me a ride over by the projects?” he asked after I broke the ice.

That is just a mile from my house so I agreed.

“Let me get my car key, but we need to hurry!” I replied.

He told me his name was Cameron and that he hoped to have a car soon – that he was looking at some to buy.   I dropped him off close to a friend’s house and he thanked me profusely.

“You be alright for a white guy,” he said.

He shut the door and I drove home just moments before the skies opened up upon us. 

Dad called me about the weather. One of the few topics we share in common, and I told him what I did and he said I was stupid to do that – that man could've had a gun and robbed me or hijacked my car.  Can you be too careful in this day and age?  I was just treating the guy how I would want to be treated.  Oh well, all's well that ends well.

A lone lightning bug just waiting for dusk to arrive…

I hope he doesn't get all washed up with the storms we have on the way.

Gonna be a long and interesting stormy night here in East Bama…

The storms should start to die down after sunset, though.

Late to wake…

I sleepily awoke to Maggie slumbering by my side and snoring softly.  My blinds and the curtains were drawn so it was deceptively dark in my bedroom.  It was also so wonderfully cool inside my house as well belying the eighty degrees it is in here now.  I looked at the alarm clock above my bed and it read 11am very much to my surprise.  Maggie and I had slept for 12 whole hours.  I guess I needed it.  I certainly do feel better today and I hope I don’t jinx myself by saying that.

Roll thunder roll…

I am very keen on the weather this afternoon hoping for some summer popup storms in our area.  We have a forty percent chance of thunderstorms here, but I do believe that is just the weather service being conservative.  The radar is getting active this early in the day.  There is already some rain popping up in our county. 

Oh my!  I just heard it thunder to the northwest of us as I was writing this!!!!  A big storm has formed over Lafayette, Alabama.

Update 3:20pm:  My weather radio just went off and they have issued a severe thunderstorm warning for my county.  Bring it on!

Awesome Facebook friends…

I wouldn’t visit Facebook if it were not for my friend Billie P.  She keeps me informed and entertained.  We are uncannily alike in so many ways.  We seem to have the same belief systems and outlook on life.  Thank you Billie for giving me something to look forward to everyday.  I love ya, bunches!

Chores that must be done…

I clean and straighten one room in my house a day during the week health willing.  I just tackled my bathroom and my father will be tickled pink.  He used my bathroom yesterday and said it needed some attention.  He said my sink was dirty from shaving and there were pee stains on my toilet from me not hitting the mark.  Don’t you just love the oversight?  I am fixing to go mop the floor in a moment and then I will have a happy Papa tonight during the medication ritual.

When you are desperate for a meatloaf sandwich you do this…

Post medication silliness…

Turbulent Indigo…

I just haven’t felt very well since my injection on Tuesday.  I wonder sometimes if it is administered inadvertently incorrectly. It gets into my blood stream through a vein and is absorbed too quickly thus negating its effects. It is supposed to be injected deep into my gluteal muscle.  I never did get that hour of euphoria I always enjoy and that was a warning sign. 

I just called my father and asked if we could take my medications early today and he said he would be over at my house in 30 to 45 minutes.  What a relief and such a huge surprise!  I expected him to balk, but he pulled through for me on this one.  I also expected to have to drive to my parent’s house to take them. I don’t need to be driving today as distracted as I am with my ailing and turbulent mind.

Update: 

My father has just left at 4:15pm and we completed the medication ritual and Maggie’s ritual.  Let’s hope these medications help and I am a jolly old happy soul in about an hour instead of a miserable old wretch of a human being.  I already feel extremely relieved and more relaxed.  I know it is psychosomatic, but it sure feels better.  Usually, I have to go through an ordeal to get my medications early.

I’m an 11 to 7 type of guy…

One of the hardest transitions I’ve ever faced in recent memory was going from sleeping in the day to sleeping at night again.  I won’t make that same mistake twice. Thankfully, 10:50pm rolled around last night and I couldn’t stay awake any longer.  I crawled into my now cool covers and the next thing I remember was waking this morning at 7am to Maggie snoring by my side close against my chest which I just adore. 

It was chilly in my house this morning with me having turned the air down to 76 degrees last night.  Breakfast was a small bowl of spaghetti and meat sauce as I watched the morning express on HLN.  I always marvel at what I call talking heads and the social and behavioral engineering on these shows and what they display as the news.  Of all the newsworthy things in the world, they tend to talk about what is trending in American society and on the internet.   I could care less if Bruce Jenner is transgender now or the fact that white lady was masquerading as a black person.  It has no relevance to my life. I want to hear about the Indian veterans on hunger strike fighting for their pensions from the government on the other side of the globe or the state of Iraq that we left in shambles and civil war. 

Dad I were talking last night about jobs.  I very often misguidedly want to go back to work.  We both agreed I could never work a job if I was having an afternoon like I did yesterday.  I was a mental basket case by the time he arrived with my medications.  What if that happened when I was working the second shift at Fred’s?  I would be paralyzed by fear and paranoia – delusions of the sordid kind.  I am lucky my house and car are paid for thanks to my father.  My only real bills are my credit card, food, fast internet, and my household utilities which I very frugally use.  All my prescriptions are wholly covered by Medicare part D.   This allows my father to save up some money in my account for incidentals and emergencies like getting dental work.

That said, I long for independence and yet I am scared of it at the same time.  It’s a catch-22.  Dad said to give him two more years of progress and addiction free behavior and he will put everything in my name and turn over the finances to me.   Can I handle it?   How far will I grow emotionally and mentally in two years?  I take solace in the fact that if I am having trouble, I always have my father to help me get back on track. He is truly a financial wizard.

Mummified bishop is a unique time capsule from the 17th century…

From a press release from Lunds Universitet...

The mummified remains of Peder Winstrup are one of the best-preserved human bodies from the 1600s. Preliminary investigations reveal a sensational find: the internal organs are still in place.

“We can now observe that Winstrup’s mummy is one of the best-preserved bodies from Europe in the 1600s, with an information potential well in line with that offered by Ötzi the ice man or Egyptian mummies. His remains constitute a unique archive of medical history on the living conditions and health of people living in the 1600s”, says Per Karsten, director of the Historical Museum at Lund University.

https://www.tudorsociety.com/mummified-bishop-is-a-unique-time-capsule-from-the-17th-century/

Peace of Mind Becomes a Reality…

Dad arrived at nine and administered my medications. He was exhausted tonight and sat down with a sigh and then a loud exhale.  He said he wanted to sit on my comfortable couch for an hour before going home. He hadn’t sat down all day filling prescriptions.  Let’s hope my mother didn’t have a 100 hard to answer questions and dilemmas for him when he exited the garage.

“Turn your air conditioning down. It is hot in here!” he then told me scoldingly.

I am already feeling much better mentally at half past the hour. I think it is mostly psychosomatic, though – relief that the medication ritual is over and done with.  I saved two carbonated Sprite Zeros to drink with my medications so they would “release” faster, or at least I think it helps.  By ten, I should be feeling much, much better.  I can see myself going to bed at a decent time around 11pm tonight.

Photo credit:   http://thedaobums.com/topic/34165-zen-gardens-and-how-they-make-me-feel/

I Know Y’all Don’t Believe Me, But…

By this time of day, 24 hours from my last dosages of psych meds, I am struggling as my medications wane from the medication ritual the night before which was at 7pm.  I feel panicky and uneasy right now waiting on mom to bring my Mexican dinner.  My mind is racing at 100mph. I hate to think of crossing the yard and the social interaction involved.  I know I will have a pained look on my face and mom will ask me what’s wrong. I will probably pour my heart out to her and worry her.  She, of all people, understands me.

My father had to work all day today so thankfully that means he will be here a little earlier around 8:45pm tonight.  The pharmacy closes at 7pm.  He will call me on the drive to my house to make sure I am up and going as I have been known to conch out in the interim of his arrival.  I look forward to getting that call knowing help is on the way.  In a few hours, I will be able to rest and relax for another day.

Photo credit: http://www.cafepress.com/+health-schizophrenia+gifts

Sitting On the Fence…

By now, you’ve probably noticed an extra windows icon in your system tray if you run Windows 7,8,8.1.  With it you can reserve your free copy of Windows 10 which will be deployed at the end of July.

I’m normally an early adopter as far as computer technology and software go, but I am having second thoughts about upgrading to Windows 10.   I was a sucker and went for Windows 8 which was a disaster for Microsoft (they tried to fix things with Windows 8.1).  I hated it and reinstalled Windows 7 on all my computers except one.  It was so non intuitive to use.  I also hated the dumbed down interface fit for tablets.  I missed the elegant aero interface of Windows 7.

Will you be upgrading and what are you thoughts if you feel so inclined?  I’m sitting on the fence for this one this go around.  I also don’t like it is downloaded in the background and then installs.  I want an actual physical disc in case I want to reinstall the operating system again at some point in the future.

Obtuse and Confounding Warcraft Quests…

I got a quest today where I was supposed to bring back 6 stolen rams stolen by trolls for a Dwarf ram breeder and herder.   He told me to whistle nearby to cause them to return to their pin when I accepted the quest.  I couldn’t figure out how to whistle to those rams for the life of me.  I had to get on a Warcraft forum to find the answer.  You had to emote a whistle or type /whistle in the command/dialogue prompt to get them to return.  How would anybody new to the game know how to do that?  

Well, I am now up to level 10 and will soon transition to the next area for characters of my level.  So far, the game seems a little unbalanced to me.  I haven’t found any real adversity in my foes and I have yet had to heal even once. My companion grizzly bear seems to take all the punishment and does the heavy hitting for me.  I just stand from a distance and shoot my musket.

Why Do Things Slip Up On Me?

Dad called me bright and early at eight this morning and said my injection was today.  Luckily, I was already up and going and had just had a hot shower.  It was like a jolt to my system as I wasn’t expecting it. I had to be at Kamath Medical at nine.  It also explains why I was having such a rough afternoon yesterday – not able to concentrate and feeling just plain bad, irritated and agitated.  I drove to the pharmacy to get the injection and then to Kamath Medical were, thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long at all.  My gorgeous nurse, Adia, gave me my shot and I was on my way with a new appointment card.  I dropped the appointment card off to my father and headed home hoping that I will feel better today.  I am waiting for that moment of euphoria I get just a few hours after my injection.  I love feeling abnormal in a good way, thus my struggle with addictions over all these years.

New Diet…

I determinedly started a new diet yesterday.  I have gained twenty pounds since this time last year and all my clothes are tight.  I was aghast when my nurse weighed me during my last visit to get my injection.  Last night, during shopping, I got Milo’s diet tea sweetened with Splenda instead of my usual regular Milo’s sweet tea.  I was drinking four gallons of that sweet tea a week and I hope the diet tea will make a big difference calorie wise.  I also didn’t get any of my breakfast foods which were where a large amount of where my calories ingested come from.  I am just going to forego breakfast for awhile and see how I do. 

Dad and I got caught by Jermaine again last night.  He talked both our heads off.  I remember him saying he swam one hundred laps at the pool yesterday.  There is no way Jermaine swam a hundred laps as big and overweight as he is.

“He’s just like a pest,” my father told me callously with a chuckle as we escaped to go check out.

I chuckled as well.   Jermaine can be pretty aggravating.  He seems to shop on Monday nights like dad and I do. 

I did manage to get batteries for my digital camera.  Usually, I get caught up in food shopping and forget.  My total shopping expenditures were $61 dollars last night since I didn’t buy all my breakfast foods.  For once, my father was worried I didn’t spend enough instead of being elated.

Well, let’s go get some ground chuck browning and get a pot of spaghetti meat sauce simmering.  Lunch is just around the corner.

Photo credit: http://www.diyhomethings.com/15-breakfast-choices-that-you-should-say-no-to/

Crack Dealers and Rechargeable Batteries?

I walked into Fred’s this afternoon and immediately waved to a clerk named Tricia I knew.  I walked over to her to ask her where the rechargeable batteries are.  She was dressed neatly with a Fred’s smock and a smiley face button and nametag pinned to her chest for her flair.

“We quit carrying them,” she said, apologizing. “People kept stealing them.”

“Why were they stealing batteries?”  I honestly enquired. 

“The rumor is the thieves were trading them in for crack cocaine.”

“What would a crack dealer do with all those boosted batteries?” I asked, now amused.

She just shrugged her shoulders with no further answer. 

I walked down the medication aisle to see the price on my old arch nemesis, Benadryl.  I then left without buying anything foregoing my usual calorific cashews and mixed nuts.

Somehow, I don’t believe the batteries were being traded in for crack.  The batteries are expensive at $9.99 for a pack of four.  They were probably exchanging them at other dollar stores or Wal-Mart for cash.  We have a glut of dollar stores in the area and all it takes is one lazy or gullible cashier and you have some spare cash.

Kroger has the Energizer rechargeable batteries I need and I will get them tonight as we buy groceries.

A Morning Bath Courtesy of Maggie…

I was very abruptly woken at 7am when I realized Maggie was determinedly licking my forehead and hair.   I giggled like a little school girl and pushed Maggie away as I told her to quit.  I had one hell of a cowlick above my forehead. My hair was wet enough were I immediately took a hot shower to get out all that yucky dog saliva.  I read somewhere the other day online how pet owners who live alongside their pets share their pet’s “biome” or bacterial diversity. 

I then got dressed and ambled into the kitchen as Maggie got off the bed and happily followed me.  I just didn’t feel like cooking this morning so I warmed up a big bowl of leftover spaghetti and meat sauce which was quite delicious I might add.   I sat at the kitchen table while I read some blogs and websites on my iPad and ate my “breakfast”.  Maggie got a fresh bowl of kibble put on the floor by my side which she daintily devoured.  Maggie begged a little, but I think she is finally getting the hint.  No more people food!

My only plans for the day are to get some more Energizer rechargeable batteries for my digital camera,  fill up my car with gas, and buy groceries tonight.  The last time I put gas in my car was the week before my father left for his two week trip to Europe.  That shows you how little I drive.  I am definitely a homebody these days – just my daily 5 mile drive to get my sodas and an occasional trip to Fred’s Super Dollar Store.  

Good Words Bring Warm Hearts and Healthier Minds…

The phone rang and I picked it up and answered it.  I expected my mother as she calls me all the time.  It was my father.  Dad rarely calls me except for like official things like injections and psychiatrist appointments.  I always have to call him for chit chat so this was intriguing. 

“Charlie told me you called him the other day and thanked him for your haircut,” my father said. “You said it was the best haircut he had ever given you and it tickled him to death.”

I wasn’t feeling well mentally today and these words made me feel a lot better.   Charlie told my father I do better now than I have in years.

“Give me about two more years and I am going to put everything in your name and give you full control over all your money,” dad told me. “I agree with Charlie that you are doing better than you ever have.”

My father is not one for idle praise so this meant a whole helluva lot to me – for him to just call me out of the blue and tell me all of that.

“Charlie and I will be over shortly and you can take your medications and feel better,” dad said in closing. “What do you want for supper?”

“Just some KFC, or whatever is easiest for you and Charlie to get,” I replied.

World of Warcraft Happenings…

I am thoroughly enjoying the game so far.  For the longest time, maybe years, I couldn’t play games due to my mental illness.  I couldn’t stay interested very long nor could I concentrate on them.  I always kept one computer up to date gaming wise hoping I may play again some day.  That day is today and the previous few months.

I am playing a Dwarf Hunter named Helmsbeard with a big bear as my pet and companion.  Today, I fly to Ironforge on a Gnome flying machine and begin a new set of quests.  I am currently at level 5 and so is my bear companion.  I am excited to meet new players and possibly join a clan or guild.

I am also playing on a role playing server where you have to stay in character.  “Aye, a cold wind doth blow this eve!”  When it is talk like a dwarf day like talk like a pirate day, I will be ready.