The Never Ending Day…

Have you ever had one of those days that you thought would never end? I had one today. It seems like I have been up for days. 11:30pm is about to arrive so my day is winding down. I got up too early for starters. I am listening to light classical music on music choice while Maggie grooms herself on the couch before going to bed. It is chilly in here, but I don’t want to turn up the heat before going to bed, So here I sit with a heavy jacket on in front of the den computer.

Charlie showed up with breakfast at ten this morning. McDonald’s completely screwed up our order. Maggie and I got egg McMuffins and I got a gigantic sweet tea to drink. I dearly missed my usual diet Coke. Beggars can’t be choosers, though.

I’ve had two sets of Logitech Z523 speakers to fail. I had another set fail this morning and I was so deflated and disappointed computer parts wise. I am having to use my monitor’s built in speakers on those two computers. Lackluster sound at best with no bass whatsoever. I don’t think I will be buying any Logitech speakers from now on. They make great mice and keyboards, but their speakers suck. I might try a set of Cyber Acoustic’s speakers next.

I just wanted a simple chicken sandwich tonight without Charlie making a special trip to McDonald’s to get it.

“Now, I don’t mind making an extra trip,” Charlie told me over the phone calling to see what I wanted.

“Just get me the KFC crunchy chicken sandwich $5 fillup meal,” I told him which was a mouthful of words.

I also got a chocolate chip cookie and some of those well done potato wedges KFC sells. They weren’t half bad. 

I waited until 7:30pm before telling Maggie Charlie and Papa were coming. She only had to hold vigil for an hour in the window. Here they came pulling up near my house about 8:30pm. Charlie parked way down almost in front of my neighbor’s house. I walked out to greet them while Maggie barked behind the screen door.

“Hell, why did you park way down here?” dad asked Charlie.

“Cause I can’t drive worth a shit, John!” Charlie exclaimed.

I couldn’t help but chuckle and welcomed them inside.

A Visit Extraordinaire…

I was sitting at this computer when Maggie started whining jubilantly. That could only mean one of three things – that Charlie, Tracy, or my father had arrived. It was Charlie and he was a sight for sore eyes.

“What are you two doing?” Charlie said as he handed me a McDonald’s bag. “You said you liked those chicken sandwiches the other night so I went and got two more for you and Maggie.”

“Well, thank you!” I exclaimed excitedly.

Charlie wanted to see all my many Christmas gifts. I invited him into the back bedroom to show him all the clothes I got.

“I liked the two shirts you got me,” I told Charlie. “They are so soft. They feel like silk.”

“I thought they would make good sleeping shirts thus the short sleeves,” Charlie replied.

Then I took the cover off the side of the computer and showed Charlie my main gift – my Vega 64 video card.

“I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, but it sounds wonderful,” Charlie told me laughing.

Charlie didn’t stay long.

“Eat your chicken sandwiches while they are still hot,” Charlie said as he was heading out the front door.

Maggie gave him a good sendoff then she was ready to eat. She has become to associate Charlie with food these days. I pulled off the dill pickles and put her sandwich on the floor. I blinked and it was gone. Maggie had wolfed it down.

Cold, Dark, and Dreary…

We have been beseeched with the worst weather lately. It will soon have rained for a whole week. They say we shall see the sun again on Friday – when all of this gloom clears out.

Breakfast Unannounced…

Charlie goes to McDonald’s every single day to get Horsefly his morning biscuit. Well, I was sound asleep in the bed at eight dreaming about model trains when there was a very loud knock on the door. I was startled awake and thought these better not be missionaries. I pulled these creaky old bones out of the bed to go answer the door. Maggie was already at the door wagging her tail and barking.

“I got you two bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits,” Charlie said. “I know they are your favorite. I also got you the biggest diet Coke they sell.”

I chuckled sleepily and thanked Charlie very much.

“I am in a hurry to feed Horsefly and get on the road to work,” Charlie told me. “Love you and I will see you later.”

Isn’t Charlie just awesome? What a special friend to have even though he is sabotaging my diet unwittingly. Maggie and I ate our biscuits and I relished the diet Coke as I sat at my computer and tried to get woken up.

Charlie will then go home and tear up Horsefly’s biscuit in tiny pieces so he will not get choked. He then has an hour commute to and from work.

Marital Bliss…

I drove over to Charlie’s new house this afternoon to see what was going on. There is always something interesting going on at Charlie’s house. He had a carpenter installing new kitchen cabinets today. They were gorgeous.

“I am getting a new glass black top stove after this,” Charlie told me. ”Just like yours, Andrew.”

“I don’t know how we are going to afford it,” Charlie’s frugal wife said looking at me.

I chuckled and Charlie jeered and mocked Janice playfully.

Janice needed something from Charlie’s other house, the house by my father’s, so we set off on a mission.

“Get you two diet Cokes out of the fridge before we go,” Charlie, the feeder, told me.

“You know?” I said to Charlie. “My grandmother always said everybody needed to be married at least once for the lessons about life it teaches you.”

Charlie laughed and agreed. It certainly was true for my ex-wife and I. It will teach you temperance quickly.

I happily obliged about the diet Cokes. They were ice cold, crisp, and delicious. We got in Charlie’s Caprica and away we went. I sat in the running car while Charlie brought out a big box of various things and put them on the backseat. I should have gotten out and helped him.

“You hungry?” Charlie asked as he got back in the car. “Let’s run down to McDonald’s and get us a big Big Mac.”

We got Janice and the carpenter something to eat as well after a phone call to see what they wanted. I headed home to eat my extra value meal thanking Charlie so much for lunch. The smell of that McDonald’s food about drove Maggie crazy. There was some serious begging going on and a pout when she didn’t get enough. 

Bonus Round...

"Shit!" Charlie said. "They messed up the order this morning. You and Horsefly are getting bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits."

Charlie told me goodbye and I shut the door. I then hollered out, "YES!" and pumped my fists in the air. Maggie had a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit herself which she relished.

It was time to savor my Diet Coke while I browsed my favorite internet websites. It tasted so good this morning. I cued up some Zero 7 in Groove and got to browsing.

As I sit here, I see the carpenter bees are busy working on and fighting over choice spots on my roof awning. The azaleas are also blooming giving them a food source.

Papa also called to see what I am up to.

"Andrew things," I replied. "Computer centric."

He sounded so glad to be home. He said he was fixing to get in the shower and start his day.

McDonald's Outdid Themselves this Morning...

I've eaten a heluva LOT of sausage biscuits since Charlie has been bringing Sunday morning breakfast these past few years. Today's McDonald's sausage biscuits were exceptionally superb -- better than any in memory. They were delivered hot and flavorful -- the sausage rich with just a hint of greasiness.

Charlie was all business this morning. He was a man on a mission and the mission was to deliver as many sausage biscuits to his friends as he could in the shortest amount of time possible. Horsefly was at home waiting for his breakfast. Charlie said this morning that Horsefly had started to eat buttery grits for breakfast as well.

Sometimes it is the Little Things...

...toot, toot, toot your own little horn...

I finally got Charlie's Blu-Ray player working yesterday. I hooked it up to my television at home and things were working fine which stymied me. Why wasn't it working when it is connected to Charlie's television?

If you've known me for a long time then you know I often harp about trying the simplest things first when it comes to computers and electronics. Is it plugged in? Did you push play? Is the LED light red when it should be green meaning is it turned on? I realized last night that Charlie and I weren't turning the Blu-Ray player on when it was hooked up at Charlie's house. Duh!

...these things come with a manual for a purpose...

Charlie was so excited that I fixed it that he brought the Magster and I breakfast this morning which which was three bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits. I would've been just fine getting a couple of Coca-Colas as I did last night. He has just left and is headed for work in Dadeville. Maggie has had her biscuit and is down for the count -- beginning the sleep of ages.

Johnny Otis Returns From Vacation...

My father just called me this morning and said he would be home a little after lunch. It is about a 5 hour drive to the Gulf of Mexico and Fort Walton from here. He said they had a grand time and for that I was thankful. Dad toiled away in that pharmacy for 47 years (about the time mom and dad were married) and it is now his turn to play and have some fun.

Halt! Stop the Presses!

Lopez and crew started to manicure my yard just after eight this morning. First, they starting out manicuring my shrubbery. I dressed and walked out to talk to my Guatemalan landscaping crew while Maggie sat in the window and watched. I've talked to Lopez about this before. I was still half asleep when they got started going good.

"Lopez? I love the job you do, but y'all can't start working in my yard so early in the morning. It is going to piss off my neighbors royally." I told him. "You need to come around lunch or later."

I don't think Lopez comprehended a thing I said as he nodded his head yes. I let them go ahead and finish with the job they were currently doing. They were spreading pine straw and mulch in and around my shrubbery which pleased me very much. It is when they crank up their commercial grade lawn mowers that things get completely too loud and raucous. They sound like turbines spooling up.

When the McDonald's Biscuit Man Comes a'Calling...

Soon, Charlie will be here with our usual breakfast of sausage biscuits. He said last night that we are going to clean my bathroom this morning after he used it.

"It won't take us just a minute to clean up your bathroom," Charlie told me enthusiastically. "We are going to clean one room each day until we finish. Let's surprise the hell out of your father this week. He will be back Thursday."

I reluctantly said, "Okay." The peer pressure mounting.

"Let me clean the bathroom tomorrow morning and we will get started with the rest sometime tomorrow as well," I furthered in my conversation with Charlie.

Did Our Charlie Abandon Us?

Every car that rode by the house this morning, Maggie would fly through our home to land on the couch and look out the window. Charlie was running rather late and is was worrying the MagDawg. Charlie finally came slowly pulling up to the curb in dad's truck around 10 AM. Maggie put on a fine show despite not being very familiar with the Ford.

"Did Jimmy James show up yesterday?" Charlie asked me at he handed the Magster's and my breakfast. "He said he would be here yesterday."

"I haven't seen him yet," I replied to Charlie rather despondently.

"That son of a bitch," Charlie replied. "I am going to jerk a knot in his head."

I was super happy when I realized we had bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits this morning. I am nursing a giant Coca-Cola as I write this as well.

And He Wonders Where I Get it From...

I've learned to turn my TV off when it is about time for my father to arrive.  My father is completely addicted to the television. Then, I have his attention and we can carry on a normal conversation.

I forgot tonight and my father zeroed in on the TV like Big Boy on Hiroshima and was asking me questions about what was on. I call most TV "Cops and Robbers" as so many countless shows revolve around murder, crime, and the penal system.

"It is all social manipulation and conditioning," I told my father and he chuckled and said that's the paranoid side of my schizophrenia talking.

As my father was leaving, he asked me about how I felt about mom.

"It gets easier as each day passes by," I told him. "I keep thinking she will call soon and see how I and the Magster are doing."

"At least, she didn't have a long protracted illness in the nursing home or the hospital," my father told me to soften the blow. "Let's count our blessings."

We proceeded to take my medications as another Klonopin fell out of my father's hand and went rolling across the floor. We did manage to find it by my entertainment center. Whew!

This Intrigued Me...

I am a super Big Mac fan and I have been claiming for years that the Big Mac keeps getting smaller and smaller as the price increases. I am getting me a Grand Mac tomorrow and we will see how it tastes. How many calories do you think that burger is going to entail?