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Don't worry! It's a Good Thing. Not a Bad Thing...

It is happening again. I am cycling mentally. For the past few months, I've been going to bed at 4 am and sleeping to 4 or 5 pm in the afternoon. Today, I am up and wide awake at noon.

Let's hope this means I am moving towards a more diurnal existence. The sunshine feels fine and wonderful shining through my window onto my face. 3 am in the morning was beginning to depress me. Amazingly, I feel fine right now after only five hours of sleep.

I am also keeping a keen ear out for my Guatemalan yard care extraordinaire Lopez Landscaping who usually come by my house on Tuesday Afternoons. I want them to spread pine straw in my flower beds. They always keep a few bales of it on their trailer. Last week, they trimmed my shrubbery and trees and it looks very nice.

The day just gets busier and busier. The meter reader must be in the neighborhood as Maggie has barked up a storm all morning -- vicious, snarling barks. She's a little dog that wears big dog pants. She will bark like this until the meter reader has moved on to another neighborhood.

Hey Sourpuss! Here's a Lemon Meringue Pie!

It finally happened. Lightning can strike the same place twice. It was like rolling the dice and getting snake eyes. Kroger finally had Edward's lemon meringue pies in stock and they were on sale for $4.99. I was overly overjoyed. I've been waiting for months for this to happen. I got two pies and I am going to thaw one and keep the other in the freezer.

Come to find out that Kroger is under new management. The cashier gave us an earful about the previous manager who she said was a layabout.

"He just sat in his office and talked on the phone all day," the cashier told us.

Dad followed me around the store tonight much to my benefit as you shall see. This is something he rarely does as he is a bad influence on our budget. I called him Andrew's little helper and he laughed and patted me on my back.

"Well, you didn't get enough groceries last week and you ended up hungry by Friday," my father said. "I don't want you to go hungry."

He would look in my cart every so often and tell me that's not enough and we would continue our shopping efforts. I was like a kid in a candy store. It was quite like shopping with Charlie. I wanted mainly sandwich fixings and dad encouraged me to get quite a few Marie Calender's meals and all other assorted amounts of things.

"This is getting expensive," I told my father rather worriedly as we were wrapping things up and heading up front to the cashier.

We did end up spending $114 when I average around $65 dollars. I happily loaded up my car and headed home to unload once again. Maggie supervised as I carried bag after bag inside and put them on my kitchen counters and then filed them away in my kitchen cabinets.

Three Chocolate Chip Cookies for Me! Whee!

Papa and Charlie have just left and stepped out the door. I have never seen Maggie put on a show for them like she did tonight. She's still got some puppy in her just yet after all these years.

"You get three cookies tonight, Andrew," Charlie told me with a smile. "We never eat them anyway."

You better bet I was thrilled.

Dad and I settled into the couch to dole out medications while Maggie continued to put on a big show for us on the rug.

"Look at her go!" dad said laughing as Maggie playfully teased us and barked.

"I think she is just a little bit excited about y'all's arrival," I replied feeling much warmth in my heart. "She's sat snugly on the couch cushion in the window for two hours waiting on you all. I made the mistake of telling her Charlie and Papa are coming hours ago."

"Andrew, your house looks so clean and it smells wonderful," Charlie told me from the kitchen which made me beam with pride.

Charlie set my four Pepsi's and my pot pie on top of my entertainment center along with three KFC cookies.

"Maggie's got fresh food and water as well," I told Charlie beating him to the punch.

What did Charlie do? The house was clean so he started to clean my fridge and my freezer. Dad rolled his eyes at me as Charlie went rummaging through my refrigerator.

"Damn, I wanted to go eat my chicken before it got cold," my father whispered to me looking completely disgruntled.

On the Agenda For Tomorrow's Grocery Shopping...

Due to some reader's helpful urging, I am going to endeavor to get some tomato soup and the fixings to make grilled cheese. That photo has my stomach grumbling it looks so delicious. I am thinking of getting some of that Mrs. Grissom's pimento cheese spread and having grilled pimento cheese sandwiches to accompany the soup.

First Frost...

We should get our first frost tonight and it is very early. I was just talking to dad on the phone about it. We usually get it around the 16th of November on average.

"Charlie and I should be arriving early tonight," he told me bolstering my hopes greatly. "We'll get you the pot pie $5 fill-up instead of the chicken strips."

"I about can't chew those strips," I told him to be honest.

I asked my father how we can have a frost with it only getting down to 35° degrees.

"I should know that, but I will find out before we get there tonight," he said.

"You are mister internet guru. Get on the web and look it up," he then told me.

"Now, the last time I got the pot pie fill-up, I didn't get my cookie," I told my father. "I think Charlie ate it with his terrible sweettooth."

My father started to chuckle.

"I will tell him to leave your cookie alone and not to eat it," dad said still chuckling.

Currently? I am taking a break from busily cleaning the house and doing all my laundry. I want things to look nice when Charlie and my father arrive tonight. This is not one of my more "natural" things to do. I was just busily taking out the trash hoping to lessen what Charlie has to accomplish. I also cleaned my stove-top which looked like a disaster area.

Notes From the Medication Chronicles -- The Lure of Risperdal and Klonopin Spurs Me Onward...

"I've got one of those church fundraiser barbecue chicken plates for you," my father told me over the phone late this afternoon. "We'll take your medications as well when you come over."

Luckily, I was up and going after sleeping all day and I told my father so. I think I got in the bed at 4 am and I slept till around 4 pm in the afternoon.

It was pouring down rain outside and downright miserably cold outside this evening. I donned my warmest and most weatherproof jacket and headed out the door. Maggie, surprisingly, gave me one of her sendoffs in this terrible and foul weather. She ran out in the backyard barking loudly to pave the way for me to Papa's house.

Of course, my father was watching football flicking between the different games like my brother would do. Auburn didn't play this weekend having an off date. I didn't stay long as this gets on my nerves.

"Dad?" I asked before leaving, "Can I also have some roast beef and tuna from the pantry? I don't have much food left from last Monday."

"Sure," he said. "Just don't take all I've got."

I got one bottle of A1 sauce to eat with the can of Libby's roast beef. I also got one can of tuna which will just absolutely drive Maggie crazy when I open it. We'll make some tuna salad for the half of loaf of bread I bought last Monday.

Hot Southern Comfort...

I sat down at my kitchen table to a big bowl of soup last evening. Firstly, I crumbled three large slices of fresh and warm cornbread into it and I then added several large spicy dollops of Louisiana style hot sauce. That first bite was as good as the last. I felt bloated when I was finished succumbing to gluttony.

"Your soup was wonderful," I told my father in a phone call after I had eaten.

"Did you like it?" my father asked. "You have to thank Charlie's wife for that recipe."

"It made the canned soups I bought this week taste paltry in comparison," I told him.

Dad is still a source of consternation for me with regards to my internet connection speed. He refused to call and drive out to WOW! yesterday despite my pleading.

"Today is my day off," he told me bluntly with a harumpff.

This has been going on since Thursday before last -- the day of my injection. If nothing happens Monday, then I am opening up a new internet 500 account and will just give him my monthly bill. There is always more than one way to skin a cat as the old saying goes.

Musically Minded...

I am busy in these wee hours of the morning tonight trying to get all 140 Gigabytes of my music collection in FLAC format. FLAC stands for "free lossless audio codec". The audio quality is vastly superior to the MP3 format. I realize now what a gargantuan task this is going to be and it may take days to accomplish. To my credit, I've already got 70 Gigabytes of my mp3s replaced.

Could Someone Come and Revive Me As Well?

Papa was exceptionally late tonight for the medication ritual. Maggie had grown tired of looking out of the window and curled up in the recliner since I was in the computer room.

Oh, I had an eye out for my father. I was on my seldom used computer in the corner of the computer room. I had an eagle's eye view of the main road and the street leading to my house to see when he pulled up.

Finally, a set of car lights pulled up to the curb and I hollered to Maggie that Papa was here. She squealed with glee and got so excited. She didn't see him yesterday. That's the only real drawback to me getting my medications in the afternoon is that Maggie doesn't get to see Papa. She now sees him only on the two days he works.

"I had CPR training after the store closed," my father said stepping through the threshold of my home. "Sorry I am so late."

A call would be nice, dontcha think?

Dad also had on his agenda to change the air filter of my heating and cooling unit. Charlie bought it and gave it to him. He put in the new filter in and then couldn't get the air grate to close.

"Well, goddamn," he muttered frustrated and tired as he stood up looking perplexed.

"Let me do it," I told him. "I am good at this kind of stuff."

It took me a second, but I had the grate back on and clasped.

"Well shit, you made that look easy," he told me patting me on the back.

"We are going to have soup and cornbread tomorrow afternoon and you can take your crazy meds as you call them," my father told me as he was leaving.

I wrung my hands in anticipation and told him I loved him and goodnight.

Notes From the Medication Chronicles -- Soup is Served in Heaven...

Let me say first that taking my medications in the afternoon has been superbly beneficial for me. The early afternoons and late evenings are primetime in my life. My father seems to be happy with the arrangement as well.

****************

The phone rang twice meaning my father was calling and wanted me to call him back. I had just crawled out of the bed at 5 pm and was a little groggy.

"Come over and take your meds," my father said when I called him back.

Dad's house smelled wonderful when I walked through the back door. He was cooking homemade vegetable beef soup -- one of my favorite meals of his. This was fitting for what I called the first day of winter. It was 59° degrees outside.

"I'll bring you some soup tomorrow along with a fresh pan of cornbread and some crackers," he told me. "I am fixing to add the macaroni in a moment."

My father loved the Mrs. Grissom's pimento cheese I bought him. He was eating some with some crackers as I sat next to him in the den.

"It's got a bite to it," he said very pleasingly.

"Yeah, Its got a little jalapeno pepper in it that gives it that bite," I replied. "I am going to buy you the chicken salad next week. It will remind you of your own chicken salad."

I Thought This Was Hilarious...

Notes From the Medication Chronicles -- Let's All Be Civic Minded...

It turned 7 pm and the greyhounds were out of the gate meaning my father was off of work and hurrying through the Valley to get home. It wouldn't be long until my father pulled up in front of my house with meds, cigarettes, and Cokes. It had been over 24 hours since my last dosage of meds and I was feeling it tonight -- my heart just pounding in my chest.

"You and Charlie are just running the shit out of my new car," I jokingly told my father after he pulled up in front of my house tonight.

Dad laughed and laughed as he walked across my yard.

"I am going to tell Charlie you said that!" dad exclaimed. "He'll die laughing!"

Now, my father's car is in the shop as well. Charlie's car was in the shop the last previous two weeks. Both of them have been using mom's Honda Civic for the past few weeks.

"Next week it should be in your hands," my father promised me. "I want to get it aligned and balanced before I give it to you."

"Get me a wash and a wax as well," I told dad. "I will pay for it."

I greedily took my meds and leaned back relaxed in my recliner like a junky who had just shot up his heroin. They would take an hour to soak in, but my mind already felt at ease. I call it the placebo effect. My pounding heart soon quieted to a murmur.

Kroger Tales -- An Eerie Quiet and Calm Greeted Us...

You could've heard a pin drop in Kroger tonight. Dad remarked to me that we had gone at the most opportune time. Not a soul was in sight except for a handful of employees. My father and I both got carts and started to do our shopping.

"I am baking Louise's chocolate pie tomorrow," my father said as we passed each other by the frozen foods aisle.

I am hooked on a brand of pimento cheese called Mrs. Grissom's. I bought an extra container of the delicious spread tonight to give to my father so he could try it.

"It tastes just like homemade," I told him enthusiasically. "The pimento cheese sandwiches taste even better if you butter the bread and toast them until golden and toasty brown. The cheese gets all gooey and scrumptious."

This week was a soup week for me. I bought a lot of canned Campbell's and Progresso soup and I will pay more for the expensive soups as well. The comparison and disparity to the cheap soups is notable. I have just got finished eating some Campbell's crab and corn chowder and it was quite delicious.

"You were judicious with your shopping tonight so thank you," My father said of my $72 dollar total cost.

I also smelled alcohol on my father's breath tonight as well. It makes him much more affectionate than he normally would be. He wasn't drunk by any means, but I am sure he had a good buzz going.

Delectable and Delicious...

I've got to get Papa's pork chop and rice recipe on the blog.

"Come get your meds and your supper," my father said calling me around 6 pm.

I hurriedly got in my car and headed over with much anticipation. The pork chops were wonderful, but I had qualms about taking my medications on such a full stomach. It always seems to reduce their efficacy to me. Sometimes you just have to flirt with disaster and complacency. My father went to a lot of trouble to put supper on the table tonight.

"When are we going to see about my internet?" I asked him cautiously.

"We will go at the end of the week," he replied from the kitchen.

I didn't argue or cajole him into going sooner, but the suspense is killing me.

Pork Chops and Rice Equals Manna From Heaven...

Those of you with better memories than mine might remember I bought my groceries last Sunday night instead of our usual Monday. I found myself without food this afternoon and ravenously hungry so I called my father with the hopes of him fixing me a delicious sandwich. He can fix a mean roasted turkey on wheat. Food always tastes better when someone else fixes it as well.

"I'm not at home, Chuck," he said which disappointed me deeply. "Let me run by the grocery store and we will have your favorite dish, pork chops and saffron rice for supper."

Oh, my stomach grumbled something terribly at the prospect of pork chops and rice. I can eat my weight in the stuff.

"It won't take long to cook," my father said on a hope and a prayer and then we turned our conversation to the weather.

"Only a high of 61° degrees Wednesday," I told him. "I'm actually ready for warm coats and flannel lined blue jeans."

"It is about time that fall arrived," my father replied. "We got a good soaking rain last night."

"Well, let me get busy and I will call you in about an hour to come over," dad said. "We will take your medications as well."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," I said and we got off the phone.

One thing I have noticed lately is my father is calling me "babe" recently. He often ends a sentence talking to me with babe. I don't know where that is coming from, but it is interesting. "Ah yeah, babe," as Emeril Legasse of Food Network fame would say.

Two Cookies Are Infinitesimally Better Than One...

The chuck-wagon aka Charlie's Caprica pulled up to the curb around 8:00 pm. Maggie was in the backyard and came flying inside to greet them. Charlie and Papa were running ahead of schedule tonight much to Maggie's and my glee. Sometimes they can be 9 pm or later with our meals.

"I gave you Horsefly's cookie as he won't eat it," Charlie told me. "It's in your KFC box."

I thanked him profusely and patted him on the back as we headed towards my front door.

"What did Y'all get me to eat?" I asked my father and Charlie.

"We got you the chicken strips $5 fill-up," my father told me.

I was sorely disappointed and was hoping for the pot pie fill-up. I should have called Charlie and told him. Best laid plans and all of that.

All Charlie had to do tonight was take out one trash bag. He gathered up all my empty milk cartons off the top of the fridge. Man, can I drink me some milk.

My father had also cooked an egg custard pie this afternoon and brought me a slice. Ah, it was heavenly and I called him after they had left to tell him how delicious it was and he ate up the accolades.

You Can Just Smoke Your Little Heart Out...

I was sitting in the den curled up in my recliner thinking that this pasta salad I made and was eating wasn't very good when a horn blew. The Caprica was back in action. It was the Charles Meister. Maggie went nuts and I hurried to open the door to help him carry everything inside.

"I just went over to your daddy's and got your stuff and brought it to you," Charlie said. "Your daddy was sitting up in his pajamas with his finger up his ass and not answering his goddamn phone!"

I laughed and welcomed Charlie inside.

"Oh, you brought me a large Coke from McDonald's!" I exclaimed very excitably.

"Here are your medications," Charlie said as he handed me a Ziploc bag full of the good stuff.

"I also brought your diet Cokes and two packs of cigarettes. You can just smoke your little heart out today," Charlie told me.

"Let's get Maggie some food and water."

I felt like Christmas had arrived.

"I am bringing you two of your favorite sandwiches around nine on the way back from Horsefly's movie," Charlie told me. "That will give you something to look forward to."

I didn't know how to thank Charlie for all of this. Charlie had literally saved my day.

A Love-able and Hug-able Charlie...

"Andrew? How are you?" Charlie asked me when I picked up the phone and said hello.

It was so nice to hear Charlie's chipper voice and he sounded in a stellar mood. This was in response to a message I had left on Charlie's phone about 15 minutes earlier about my medications. I was hoping Charlie was bringing them after lunch around two as usual for a Saturday.

"Your father has gone to a memorial service and he said he is bringing your medications afterward," Charlie said. "The Auburn game doesn't start until 7:30 pm."

"I always feel so out of the loop, Charlie. Nobody tells me anything," I replied. "I am always the last to know what's going on."

"I've got your father on the ball about your new car," Charlie then said changing the subject. "I got your oil changed and new windshield wipers put on. Your daddy is going to take it to West Point Tire and Auto to get the front end aligned and the tires balanced. Hopefully, soon, it will be yours."

"Thank you so much, Charlie. I don't know what I would do without you."

"I love you and you call me if you need anything else," Charlie then said in closing.

Notes From the Medication Chronicles -- 3800 Miles of Glory...

"I'm home. Come get your meds," my father said after one ring.

I was anxious to see him and held the phone near and dear while I waited for him to arrive home. It rang and I immediately answered.

"Can I add a hundred dollars of my own money for Christmas?" I asked my father upon arriving at his house.

"Well, at least say hello," he told me exasperated.

Dad carried on some about it but told me that would be fine. Now, I can rest in peace and not worry about it. I can get all the items I need.

"You are just like your mother. Impetuous," he said. "Christmas is months away."

Dad was in a really jovial mood and we laughed and laughed as we talked about Charlie and my mother. Then, Charlie called (speaking of the devil) and dad put me on the phone with him.

"I have put 3800 miles on your damn car (mom's car) in the past week!" Charlie said laughing after I jokingly complained about it the other day.

"Charlie, you can drive my car anytime," I told him laughing and acquiescing.

As I was leaving, dad was standing on the back porch in his pajamas hollering for his "pussy" to come inside. I was also excited to get home and install my new DVD rewriter that had arrived today from Newegg. I was beginning to think Matt and my father didn't order it.

Breaking Dawn...

I set my alarm clock early this morning to wake me up at 1 pm. I was in the bed by 6 am. I'm cycling fast again and I hope by forcing myself to stay up and about I will be able to sleep at least by 12 pm tonight. I had cycled as far as staying up all night and sleeping all day again. Depression sets in as I feel I am the only soul in this whole wide world awake. I'm bleary-eyed as I sit in front of this computer, but I will survive. Sleep deprivation is such a harsh experience leaving you feeling wasted.

Shop Till You Drop!

I was just talking to my father on the phone. He is down in Auburn revamping his wardrobe. He said he also wanted to stop by the Honda dealership and look at some new Accord sedans. He's been alluding to this for days.

"Get me a size 38 belt, please," I told him. "Every time I stand up my blue jeans and shorts drop to my ankles."

Dad laughed at my wardrobe failure and told me he would.

Then there was that awkward, gut-wrenching silence on the phone that I am so noted for. Moments which seemed like an hour passed as the tension grew.

"Do you want your medications when I get home?" my father then asked breaking the silence as I sighed with relief.

"Please, sir!" I replied happily.

"I will call you when I get home," my father said. "It is going to be awhile, though. Late afternoon."

"I want my diet Cokes more than anything," I told him. "I have an unquenchable thirst today for some reason and a few shots of caffeine will keep me awake."

"Medications, Cokes, and Cigarettes. We will fix you up," dad said and then we got off the phone.

I Think I Have Found My Perfect Christmas!

I think I've found my perfect Christmas this year. This speaker system was $399.99 last Christmas so it was out of my reach and well beyond my means. It is now down to $299.99 well within my means. I am also ordering two sets of speaker stands for my rear and side satellite speakers. 

Logitech Z906 500 Watt 5.1 Surround Speakers

• THX certified 5.1 speakers 500 watts RMS
• 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS decoding
• Long-Throw 165 Watt Subwoofer
• Wireless Remote

Duncan Sheik - She Runs Away (Video)...My Current Music Obsession...

I miss the 90's music scene. Such good tunes.

Someone Stuck a Stick in My Hornet's Nest...

It is not often I get mad at my father these days. We rarely have anything to argue about except maybe groceries and my spending habits. My father certainly pissed me off last night, though.

"Dad?" I asked my father upon him answering the phone. "Can I get the account code and call WOW! to change my internet and cable over?"

Dad was laughing as he told me he wasn't going to dare give me the code. I was just going to have to be happy with the internet I currently had for the moment. I growled that it was my money we were spending.

"You just quit worrying about all of that. I will call you in the morning to wake you up for your injection," he told me as he got off the phone.

If I were completely dastardly devious, I could open a new internet account in my name for this address with a new code and have them send my father the bill.

Notes From the Medication Chronicles -- The Medication Express...

I had only been up for thirty minutes when the phone loudly rang at 4 pm. Maggie ran into the computer room to see who it was. I was tying my shoes sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Are you coming to get your medications this afternoon? I've got Mike the plumber coming," my father asked and said.

Mike (plumber extraordinaire) was installing a new garbage disposal under the sink.

"Let me throw some warmer clothes on and I will be right over," I told him very sleepily.

It was a bone-chilling 70° degrees outside.

At one time, asking for my medications in the late afternoon was a bad thing. Off limits. My father would frown upon doing so. Now? I think Papa is just glad he doesn't have to drive all the way to my house in the dark to give them to me around 9 pm or 10 pm. We've become accustomed to this new ritual.

This doesn't stop Maggie from getting in the window and looking out for Papa, though. When it gets around 7 pm, she gets on the back of the couch to look out the window. I told my father that if he gets out and about to stop by and see the Magster for a minute or two.

"It will just thrill her soul," I told my father warmly.

Winter is Certainly On the Way...

"It's hot as hell in here!" my father said as he walked into my house tonight. "You must've turned the heat on. There was a blast of heat when I opened your front door."

"I've got the heat on and I am still chilly," I told him as I shivered when I said it.

I also had on a hoodie and warm pants to chase away the chill to no avail.

"How was your day, Chuck?" my father then asked as he sat on my couch and started to dispense mucho medications.

"I can feel my medications waning. I've quite frankly felt a tad bit crazy today," I replied with a chuckle. "You can tell it is almost time for my injection."

Dad chuckled a little bit as well and told me we all feel a little crazy sometimes.

"You're keeping your kitchen clean," dad then said as we walked through to go get Maggie's ritual completed.

"I never know when Charlie is going to show up," I told my father matter-of-factly. "Charlie says I am lazy about such matters and I want to prove him wrong."

We both then laughed.

Dad was so tired tonight. He didn't get home until 11 pm from Alexander City last night and he had to work all day. I couldn't do what he does and I am half his age. As we were performing Maggie's ritual, my father was just standing there hapless as I got her fresh water from the sink in the kitchen.

"Are you going to give Maggie some food?" I asked carefully.

"Oh shit!" dad said laughing. "I need to go home and get in the bed."

This Blog Sucks!

I got told that today. I've come to the conclusion from my last post that this blog is banal and boring as hell. I don't know what to write about other than computers and my milquetoast life. I learned my lesson from my last blog about writing fast and loose about fictional characters in my life trying to make things more interesting. Who wants to read about my spaghetti sauce recipe, my sleeping habits, and when my next injection is due?

Experimental Cooking...

Last night I tried something completely different with my spaghetti and meat sauce. Normally, I would let the meat sauce simmer for several hours, but I didn't want to wait that long. I was hungry.

I browned the ground beef fully and then just added the Ragu Traditional pasta sauce and hoped for the best. I then went about boiling my noodles and added them to the sauce when they were done in ten minutes.

The spaghetti wasn't half bad. Definitely palatable to say the least. I've had several more bowls of spaghetti and it has grown on me. That makes that recipe so much easier. I wouldn't be surprised if most people who buy that Ragu sauce do the same thing as I do.

The Great Truce...

I seem to have a truce with my mental illness as far as my sleep goes these days. I sleep from 3 am to 3 pm. About 12 hours. This way, I am up in the afternoons and get some daylight hours thrown in the mix that helps with my circadian rhythms. I do think the sunlight helps as far as my doldrums are concerned when I sleep the days away. Soon, when the time changes, I will have even less daylight hour to contend with.

Injection Time!

I just called my father at work to tell him my injection was this Thursday. I can already feel the medication waning.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "It seems like we got it last week,"

"Just look at your next appointment card in your wallet," I told him.

He said I was right and thanked me for reminding him as he had completely forgotten. He said he was going to go ahead and fill the prescription and put it back in the fridge. That way, I won't have to wait Thursday morning. I can grab it and run which is my preferred method of getting my injection.

Let's Go From 30 Mbps to 500 Mbps...

"I only want basic, basic cable," I told my father last night. "I rarely watch the television anyway. If I get the Weather Channel, then I am happy."

"I can't understand why your monthly bill is $160 dollars and you have such a paltry internet connection," my father replied.

"Something is obviously amiss," I replied hopeful for a change. "I do get all the high definition channels and that could be the reason. I never watch them, though."

My father hates conversing with the cable company over the phone so we are going to have to drive out to their office in the boondocks and talk to them in person. He is on a name to name basis with the receptionist as she was a customer of his pharmacy for years.

I got online and looked at some of the cable and internet plans and 500 Mbps internet (their fastest) combined with basic cable was $79.99 with a two-year agreement. Dad seemed to be grateful to save so much of my money with such a plan and said we will look into it on Wednesday when we drive out there.

Me? I am excited, hopeful, and giddy with glee. My new upload speed will be faster than my current download speed to put things into perspective.

The Malcontent Shoppers...

"What you spent for that ground chuck you bought was ridiculous," my father irritably told me as we walked out of Kroger. "I have a good mind for us to start shopping at Givorn's across the river."

Dad seemed to have this rain cloud hanging over his head tonight.

"Givorn's is also locally owned," I said as I added my two cents to the conversation. "Valerie Givorns graduated from high school with me."

I have no clue about meat prices and what is cheap and what is expensive. I rarely buy it unless I am making my spaghetti and meat sauce like I am this week. Two big packs of ground chuck were about $20 dollars tonight.

"Kroger is also always sold out of the things you want and Givorn's would have it," dad said as I started to load my car with groceries.

They didn't have any of my pies tonight, Vienna sausages, and Blue Plate mayonnaise. I had to buy Hellmann's mayonnaise which I grumbled about. It has a "twang" to it that disagrees with me.

"But do they stay open late?" I then asked my father.

"I think they close at 10 pm." my father replied eyeing my groceries closely. "And you also didn't get any of your Marie Callender meals as well."

"I am making enough spaghetti to last me six days," I explained to my father in my defense.

Dad told me he loved me as I finished up putting the last bag of groceries in my car. He told me he would see me sometime tomorrow before he headed to Alexander City for my nephews sporting event.

Living Without KFC...

Charlie and my father were running way late for our Sunday evening fast food routine, but I got a big surprise. Charlie and my father decided to go to Zaxby's tonight. I got a hot wings and chicken tender combo platter. The wings really weren't all that hot, but they were delicious none-the-less. I love my wings fiery hot. The only mar on the meal was that the celery looked like it had been around the block a few times.

Groceries on Sunday Night? A First in Years?

"Do you think you can go tonight to buy your groceries?" my father asked with great trepidation.

It was a bombshell for me. I had little time to get mentally ready for this.  I stood there for a moment looking kind of stymied and thought about it. I was over at my father's house getting my medications.

"Well, I guess I can," I replied rather apprehensively.

I can be like Horsefly and don't like my routines or norms mixed up too much.

"The only other option is early tomorrow afternoon," my father told me. "I have to go to a sporting event for your nephew and I won't be back till very late."

"We'll go tonight," I said acquiescing, "Are you and Charlie still bringing supper?"

"Yes, we are," dad said. "Expect us about seven."

"Be sure to get me the pot pie $5 dollar fill-up," I replied after last weeks chicken strips fiasco.

Tit for tat, I used this opportunity to tell my father that my internet connection is really slow -- 3 Megabit per second slow when it should be 10 Megabits per second fast.

"Will you call them next week?" I asked. "I don't have the 4 digit code to access the account."

Dad looked a little aggravated, but he said he would call next week for me.

Riding On the Cusp of Fall...

Fall finally arrives overnight and we should expect some thunderstorms with it. A line of storms is already forming to our northwest. Our high tomorrow should only be around 70° degrees where it has been 85° degrees every day.

I just called dad and told him and he was excited as I was. We can expect temperatures in the forties at night which will feel almost like winter here. This should provoke the leaves on the trees to start turning colors now after a few nights of chilly weather. 

"It has been so hot. It is time for it to cool down," my father told me and agreed with me.

"It is supposed to get down to 47° degrees tomorrow night," I told my father. "That is going to feel like winter to us."

"Wear a coat when we go buy your groceries," he said.

We hung up the phone both happy and excited about the changes coming.

The Church of the Holy Pigskin...

Auburn lost this afternoon and that means tears were dripping from my father's and brother's eyes, the disciples, as the last minute of the game counted down to zero. I am sure they held out all hopes Auburn could pull a rabbit out of their hats on the last play. My father and brother will both be surly and irritable for the next few days so I shall be careful around them. I dare not call my father right now or lest he will snap at me and hurt my feelings.

Notes From the Medication Chronicles - Big Macs, Charlie, and Crazy Meds...

Mom's car pulled up out front. I hadn't been long out of the bed. I scratched my head till Charlie came stepping out of the car. It seems Charlie's Caprica is on the fritz and he is borrowing mom's Civic from my father.

"Andrew!" Charlie jubilantly exclaimed. "I've got medications and McDonald's."

It was no sweeter sight than I had ever seen. Bless you, Ethos and bless you, Charlie!

Charlie laid my medications and food on top of my entertainment center to take and eat at my own leisure and got to cleaning my kitchen. I didn't protest this time. I needed some help.

"How are you, Andrew?" Charlie asked as he broke down cardboard coke containers that had accumulated on top of my fridge.

"I'm fine," I told Charlie. "What's wrong with the Caprica?"

"The timing belt broke," Charlie said which is a major cost to fix and he's lucky if he doesn't have broken valves. "It seems my car is not very well built. I want another Chevy HHR."

Charlie got over 350,000 miles out of his last Chevrolet HHR. Dad would joke that if he ever turned it off then it may not crank again.

"You could get mom's car and dad could buy me a new 2017 Honda Fit!" I told Charlie whimsically.

Charlie laughed as if I were living in some fantasy land. The base Honda Fit costs $16,000.

"Call me if you need me!" Charlie said as he hobbled to the trashcan with three bags of trash. "Love you!"

Notes From the Medication Chronicles - The Sandwich...

Dad called me earlier to see if I wanted a chicken salad sandwich from the deli downtown.

"Sure!" I replied overly eagerly. "I would love a sandwich."

I especially adore chicken salad sandwiches and always have.

"We'll take your medications while you are over here," my father told me.

That was nice. A deli sandwich and crazy meds would be really nice.

Well, I waited for about an hour and dad still hadn't called. I was beginning to worry and my stomach was grumbling something fierce.

The phone finally rang and my father told me to head on over to his house to eat and get medicated. It is not normal for me to eat before medications by the way. This was an exception to my rule. Their effects are immediate and heightened on am empty stomach.

"I got caught on the phone with my cousin Johnny in San Francisco," dad said. "He'll get his feelings hurt if you tell him you've got to go."

Medications 2   Andrew 0

On the cusp of last night's night missing medications, Dad dropped my pills as he was handing them to me this afternoon. We scurried around on the floor looking for them and amazingly found them all.

"Count them to make sure they are all there," he said.

"Is this an omen that I'm not supposed to be taking these medications?" I told my father jokingly.

"You better not say that!" my father exclaimed laughing.

Notes From the Medication Chronicles - Condition Crisis...

I sat in my recliner tonight eagerly awaiting my medications as Maggie and dad sat on my couch. Dad was about to give me my medications when he realized he must've dropped the ziplock bag he had put them in. They weren't in my sack of diet Cokes. We got two of my flashlights and went searching through my front yard and then started searching through my father's car. They had fallen on the ground by the driver's side of his Honda. You have never seen my father so relieved. He abhorred the prospect of having to drive over to his house to get more and bring them back. He was ready to call it a day after a long day's work.

Hardee's Parting Shot at KFC...

Hey, it even comes with a cookie as well!

Radar Abstract Art Nuveau...

There is beauty everywhere!

Breathe In Deeply...

I woke up this morning just glad to be alive. Do you ever get that feeling? I am sleeping well. My mental illness is dormant for the moment and my medications are working. Maggie's well and okay. I have a decent car and a house that are paid for. My father's and my relationship could never be better. Now, if I could just convince my brother and sister to take a more active role in my life then things would be just dandy. Dad jokes with me all the time about getting another wife, but I am happily single for the moment. I am also not taking for granted today about how very precious life is.

The Case of the Curmudeous DVD Rewriter...

My main computer was acting up this morning. I actually enjoy troubleshooting these kinds of computer problems. It sounded like a jet taking off as if all the fans were on full. I also couldn't back up a system image to a writable DVD. It turns out my DVD rewriter is history and was making all that racket. I've had it for about ten years so it was time for retirement. I borrowed it from a Dell computer dad bought for me eons ago to show you its age.

"Dad? Can Matt order me a new DVD drive?" I asked my father as he is at work today. "Mine quit working this morning."

My father was overjoyed when I told him it would only be $20 dollars with .99 cents shipping. DVD rewriters are dirt cheap right now for some reason and these are quality brands like Asus and Pioneer.

"Email Matt what you need," he told me sounding thankful. "I thought you were going to tell me it was $200!"

Notes From the Medication Chronicles...

It was almost dark when my father called me to come and take my medications. I grumbled a little bit but headed over. My brother and family had just left after a visit. I told my father that I would have liked to see them as well.

"I just didn't think about it," he told me apologizing.

My brother left in the BMW leaving his electric Tesla in dad's driveway. You just know I had to inspect it and take it for a ride out Spring road.

"Don't you dare wreck it!" dad said standing up on the deck and watching the proceedings. "That car costs more than your house!"

I could only own such a car in my wildest dreams. The acceleration was explosive and the torque curve was flat meaning it was continuous from the moment you hit the acceleration peddle to the moment you reached 85 mph. I was having a grand time always having a penchant for fast cars.

"Come on in and take your medications," dad said from the deck when I had returned to his house. "You've had your fun."

"Here pussy, pussy, pussy, pussy!" Dad then hollered from the top of his lungs above on the deck and Samantha came running across the driveway, up the deck, and inside.

I laughed and told my father that the neighbors have just got to love that. It was time for us all to settle down for the night. Samantha got her nightly nibbles. I took my meds and then headed on home as my father was watching Jeopardy. I hate driving at night, but it was a short drive and I made it home fine.

The Mother Hen Dotes Over Her Chicks...

Gotta Be Cambodia!

"Where are you?" I asked my father. "It sounds like you're in a fishbowl."

"I am at the river house watching the water," he replied with a loud echo. "It is really high after all that rain we've gotten recently."

"Do you think we could take my medications this afternoon?" I asked shamelessly as if it were a commercial plug.

"Give me an hour," my father said. "And I will be back at the house. Sure, we can take your meds."

"Do you think it is going to flood?" I then asked.

"We're not in the floodplain," he said as he always does.

I have bugged and bugged him about joining that National Flood Insurance program from the government. I wonder if he ever did?

Everything is Fine in J-Ville...

"How are you?" dad asked calling me a moment ago.

I had a moment of hesitation there about answering. Could it be Tuleana? Egad! It turns out my father was busy at work saying they've already filled over 250 prescriptions for the day.

"I'm fine," I replied. "What's wrong?"

"You just have taken your medications in the early afternoon for the past five days and I was wondering how you were holding out as it is getting later," my father said.

Used to my father wouldn't give a flying flip about how I was feeling. We've gotten so much closer over these past few years.

"I feel fine," I told him graciously. "You know me and mental illness. I can change like the weather. That was nice getting those crazy meds so early, though. It made for some pleasant afternoons."

"I will try to be early tonight. Expect me around eight," dad told me. "I was just worried about you."

"Well, that will be wonderful," I thankfully told my father. "I will be so glad when you get here and Maggie will adore seeing you as well!"

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?

I just downloaded Paula Cole's new album of re-imagined ballads from the 1930's and it is wonderful. It has a jazz feel which was so typical for that era. I just got finished with the album and I am going to listen again and see if it grows on me some more.

It may jog your memory more as she wrote and sang a song called Where have all the cowboys gone? which made a meteoric rise to popularity in 1996.

My favorite album of her's was her first album called Harbinger. It was full of angst and dark tones that suit me fine. I love that song called Saturn Girl.

Oh, I Love Me Some Fanta Strawberry...

Tonight was just a run-of-the-mill grocery night. It still astounds my father that I can get so many groceries for $70. That was the total for the night. I also did get me some Cheez-it grooves which were on sale and I am hoping they have the texture of your traditional cheese straws served at weddings everywhere.

Dad talked on his cell phone as he walked around the store as I shopped. He was embroiled in a conversation with my brother-in-law. This always seems rude to me for some reason.

Oh, you're so sweet! My sweets tonight were one Edwards key lime pie, two big boxes of Little Debbie honey buns, and some unfrosted strawberry Pop-tarts.

"Get your journal writing sodas," my father then told me when we were about to check out.

Crucially, I had forgotten them and Papa came to the rescue. Papa's alright, you know? At least, he is these days. We used to be like oil and water. Now, we are more like salt and pepper.

The only thing I forgot tonight was batteries for my home theater remote control. Last week, I managed to get fresh and backup batteries for all my flashlights.

Cheez-it...

My grandmother loved a box of Cheez-its. I would bring her a box when I visited her in the old folk's home. Dad and I were talking about it a moment ago and now I am obsessed with getting a box of Cheez-its tonight as well. I just wish they weren't so expensive. It really cuts into my budget. You don't get any cheesier than Cheez-its.

"You look nice today," my father told me as I initially walked into his den.

I had just gotten out of the shower and put on some nicer than usual clothes fresh out of the dryer.

"I got all duded up as my great aunt Annie Mae would say," I told my father.

I was just over to get my medications. Dad and I have found that it is easier for me to get them earlier in the evening and then we will meet each other at Kroger for my grocery shopping. It works out very well for me and makes shopping easier. It can seem like such a laborious task sometimes (I sound like my mother).

CRASH! BAM! BOOM!

My weather radio abruptly woke me up late last night about 3 am and said we were under a severe thunderstorm warning. "What?" I mentioned to myself in disbelief. The weather was calm, clear and tranquil when I fell asleep.

Well, this weather was much, much more dangerous than any we got from Tropical Storm Nate. It lightninged and thundered so close to me at one point that the thunder vibrated my bed. I got out of the bed to check the radar and it was lit up like a Christmas tree. I then got back in the bed deliriously sleepy and listened to nature roar outside my windows for the longest time until I fell asleep again. Luckily, the power never went out.

"It came out of the gulf," dad said when I called him this morning. "I got up and got to watching the weather channel."

"It caught me completely by surprise and I am very weather aware," I told him. "My bed was vibrating the storm was so violent."

"Does it scare Maggie?" dad then asked with an amused tone to his voice. "I think I've heard you say she is oblivious to storms."

"Oh no," I replied with a chuckle. "She was sleeping at my feet and I think they only time she woke up was to see why I was getting out of the bed. Pedestrians walking down the street are much more alarm worthy to Maggie."

Music From the Hearts of Space...

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy! One of my favorite late night programs on National Public Radio is Music from the Hearts of Space. Imagine my joy when I found it for download.  It is only episodes 1 - 799, but I think that will give me plenty to listen to. It was over a 100-gigabyte download and will finish in a few minutes. I started it last night before bed. Where to start? Shall I listen to episode one and start from the beginning?

No Charlie Tonight...

CHICKEN MURDERER!

Charlie's oldest son was in town from Atlanta, so my father took over our Sunday night fast food tradition. It is a shame because I spent about an hour cleaning and the kitchen was sparkling and imbued with a shine. My trash can out at the road is full as well. Charlie, I had hoped, would have nothing to do and would lavish praise upon me.

"Well, I am proud of you as well," my father said putting in his two cents worth.

I was also hoping for another pot pie, but I got chicken strips instead. The pot pie last week was delicious. Scrumptious is a better word. My father is just not good at remembering those kinds of details. I was hungry anyway and ate it all none the less. Maggie got her chicken strip as well.

The Bellows of the Earth...

"Charlie, I didn't expect you out in this weather," I said as a gust of wind blew Charlie's hair wildly which he fought off with his hand.

"Well Hell," Charlie nonchalantly replied. "That's what windshield wipers are for."

I just had to laugh. Charlie is more dependable than the postal service.

So far, we are getting gusts up to 35 miles an hour and the rain is torrential. The power keeps blinking on and off throwing my computers into complete disarray.

Well, I just saw George drive by headed to the Waffle House for an early lunch. I can't be that bad or all these folks are crazy.

I just called my weather obsessed father and asked him if he would be out in this...

"Oh, hell no!" he exclaimed. "My pussy and I are staying put."

How To Navigate a Car in a Raging Downpour...

I was just sitting in my darkened den looking out the window. The roar of the rain hitting my roof is almost deafening. I wouldn't believe it if with my own eyes if I didn't see car after car come driving down the road in this watery mess. They are all headed to the ethnic neighborhood to the north of us. Somethings just don't stop for nothing.

Will Charlie bring biscuits in the morning? That is the question. Charlie tends to be aloof about the weather and he may just attempt it. If he can't make it, then this is the first time we've ever missed Sunday morning biscuits out of all these years of this pleasing ritual.