Someone Had a Night Off to My Dismay...

"Where is Mrs. Camille?" I asked the lumberingly tall and impeccably dressed black fellow who was checking me out.

"She's got the night off," he told me blithely as he continued to ring up my groceries.

You could tell I looked and felt crestfallen. She has gotten to be my buddy -- always so glad to see me. She always goes extra gracious miles and beyond for me when I shop at the Pig. The manager last night was a stern looking older black lady who probably wouldn't have given me the time of the day.

"You forgot your mayonnaise," dad urgently said behind me as if in a panic. "I'll run and go get it. I want to get me some bananas, too!"

The cashier continued to ring me up. I had told my father to be sure and remind me. We can't have grilled chicken breast sandwiches without mayonnaise for my special sauce. My George Foreman grill is going to get some good use tonight. I am going to soak the chicken breasts in a light brine for an hour and then grill them up and serve them on some hoagie rolls.

Earlier, it was 9 PM when my father called me and told me he was ready to go. I had begun to sweat so to speak in that the Pig closes at 10 PM. I hurried to the grocery store and got started shopping with my father following shortly behind me. He helped me pick out my frozen meals for the weekend.

"How is this Stouffer's lasagna?" he asked.

"Look at the price for that little box," I told my father.

It was $4.25 for that little frozen meal. Too rich for my blood. We ended up getting some Marie Callendar meals that were on sale for $2 dollars and some change.

I evoked my Auschwitz Mantra last night in that if I was a concentration camp victim, I would just love to wait for so long to then get some nutritious food to eat. I shouldn't really complain. My father is good to me and loves me. I lack for nothing. He can just be a pain in the ass at times.

The Pig On a Friday Night...

BAM!!!!

"Now, we've got to get back to buying groceries on Monday nights," dad told me over the phone with an admonishing tone. "We need to get back on schedule."

It has been a week since I last bought groceries. I am meeting my father at the Piggly Wiggly to get just enough food to get me by until Monday. I am buying mainly breakfast foods tonight. I told my father I would spend around $60 dollars and he didn't balk.

"Do you want to meet me at 7 PM?" I asked, ready to go. "I'll go ahead and get started."

"That's too early for me," my father replied. "I have to watch Jeopardy. I will call you when I am ready."

Well, that pissed me off royally. Am I just supposed to sit over here until he makes some nebulous call?

"How about eight?" I then asked trying to get a definite time.

"I'll call you," my father said and he got off the phone.

I have a good mind just to head on over there, debit my groceries, and then head home and unload. That would blow Old Fuss and Feathers out of the water. Yes, I do think that's what I am going to do.

"But you need a moderator and you might buy a case of beer."

POPPYCOCKS!!!!

Good Morning Vietnam!

We're not doing so well here at Andrew's Casa this morning. We're just barely functioning. I just saw Maggie start down the hall from the bedroom. She leaned up against the wall to steady herself and stayed there for ten minutes like she was trying to decide what to do next. I couldn't help but chuckle loudly.

Hell, I don't even want a cigarette I am so sleepy and that is usually the first thing I do when I wake up and that is to light up. My sore neck woke me up this morning. I can't look left without a ton of pain.

I haven't even turned my omnipresent music on which is very uncharacteristic of me. I think I will listen to Rickie Lee Jones' first album to start the day off. I've got a flac recording of that album that is just exquisite to the ears.

George got a big surprise this morning when he walked out to his car and it wouldn't crank! I heard the characteristic staccato chatter, chatter, chatter, of an electricity-starved solenoid and starter motor. I will get out later and help him get it started. I've got a nice and long set of jumper cables thanks to dear Martha. Mom believed in being prepared for emergencies. You just can't crank a car 12 times in a day for a few minutes every day and hope the battery holds up. George and I had a long conversation yesterday while I was working on my car. He's a really good guy. Just a little rough around the edges.

What a Rigmarole...

My car's turn signal lamp went out. I was afraid I was going to get a ticket. I've been driving it for like a week with it burned out. I found a video on YouTube that showed me how to replace it. I saved the video and drove down to AutoZone to get a new bulb which was just $6.99. That didn't take but for a few minutes. I got home and got the tools I needed, a prybar and a large screwdriver, and then I headed outside.

You have to go through the splash guard in the wheel well to get to my turn signal lamp. It was the most convoluted thing I've ever seen and poor design work on Honda's part. I pulled it away carefully popping the rivets. I pulled out the bulb assembly and changed the bulb. I then did everything in reverse. The splash guard was a bugger to get back in place and secured, though. I should have just taken it to the shop, but I didn't know when I could get my father to go with me. He hasn't been very reliable these days when it concerns me and my needs. At least, all it cost me was $6.99 and some elbow grease.

It's A Low Down Dirty Shame...

I don't know what to really say about the school shooting yesterday. I do know that there is not enough adequate mental health care in America. We can all thank Reagan for that when he closed all the mental hospitals. I am one of the lucky mentally ill few that got disability and Medicare and I now have my doctor's visits and medications paid for. My medications cost almost $17,000 last year. If this guy would have gotten some therapy, a psychiatrist, and some medications, maybe all of that wouldn't have happened. There's got to be some kind of safety net put in place for these kinds of people who would commit such acts of horror. Getting expelled from school due to disciplinary reasons is a very sure sign that something is not quite right. Not too many kids get expelled from school.

We Welcome Surf and Turf...

I will never say my father can't surprise me at times. Dad had been out to lunch with a colleague at Red Lobster. I was sitting at my computer when I saw him pull up in front of the house. I walked out to his car to greet him.

"Here's you a to-go box of two lobster tails and a steak," he said in a hurry. "Eat them while they are still hot. I am in a hurry to go watch Dr. Phil."

I laughed at the Dr. Phil part and then thanked my father profusely. I think Dr. Phil is a know-it-all blowhard who takes advantage of other people's problems. Dad watches when he can on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

"Love you bunches," he said as he was climbing back into his car and sped off.

He has a DVR and I don't know why he doesn't use it. I've shown him several times how to record a show.

On the Diet Coke Front...

I've had a miserably splitting headache and I know it is from lack of caffeine. I have drunk six diet Cokes a day for years and years. I decided today that I am only going to have two a day for awhile and that's it. Moderation is the key and my father agreed. Dad's worried I am trying to cut out too many addictions and will get myself into a mental mess.

A Song For You! A Song I Love...

Maggie's Arch Nemesis Arrived...

There is one thing that gets Maggie's panties in a twist more than any other thing. It is the meter reader. All our meters, except the water meter, are on the back of my house within the fence. Maggie wasn't brave today and it tickled me. She stood at the dog door with her head stuck out and barked viciously for about 30 minutes. A big smile formed on my face and I started to laugh at Maggie's timidness. The meter reader exited out of the fence on the other side of the house and Maggie tore out the dog door viciously barking with new found courage. Usually, Maggie is trying to nip at his heels as he brandishes a big stick and fights her off. I usually try to shut the dog door, but he is on foot and I don't hear the gate open in time.

I Missed the Early Worm...

Maggie and I both woke much later than usual at 9:30 AM this morning. We were in the bed around 8 PM last night so we got lots of good sleep. Sleep is such a wonderful thing if you are prone to insomnia like me. I have felt really blessed these past two weeks to be getting a good night's sleep.

I scrambled some eggs and made cheese toast this morning. Mrs. Camille's words echoed in my mind of her astonishment about how many eggs I buy a week. Dad will roll his eyes and say my cholesterol is probably higher than hell.

I then got on Facebook to see what everyone was up to this morning and overnight. I am dabbling in it again, but it can be overwhelming for someone as sensitive as me. I no longer write about my personal life on Facebook. I save that for my blog where I have a smidgen of anonymity. I do immensely enjoy all the model railroading pages on Facebook, though, and can spend an hour looking at them.

Addictions Be Gone...

I am wearily tired of being addicted to things.

• For a few weeks, I was addicted to over the counter flu remedy. I would drink two little cups every morning and get a buzz. I cut that out over a week ago. 
• I was addicted to Diet Cokes and I have now gone two days without them. 
• Dad was giving me six Benadryl every night for anxiety. I was supposed to only take two every few hours, but I would take all six after my father left and would get a nice buzz. It was my idea and we have now cut them down to two a night taking one less a week. Two more weeks and I will be off of Benadryl. The withdrawal has been pretty hard to bear for such a seemingly innocuous drug. 
• I also smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and now I am down to one.

Progress, but not perfect.

Comment Replies...

Blogger glittermom said...

Are you still drinking all those gallons of milk you would buy with your groceries.

Andrew Replies...

Yes, I do Glittermom. I have two and a quarter gallons left since last Friday when I bought groceries. I mainly eat it with my frosted flakes cereal. I buy a giant bag of Malt-O-Meal frosted flakes every week.

A Slight Interrogation...

"So, what's this about you not drinking Cokes anymore?" my father asked as I sat in the recliner next to him this afternoon.

"I can still have a Coke every now and then," I told him. "I just can't have six at one time. I can't seem to moderate my consumption. I drink Diet Cokes like I used to drink beer."

"I will still get my two sugary sodas at grocery time as a treat," I added as well.

"Well, at least you are being honest and talking about it," my father replied as he handed me my pack of cigarettes for the day.

"Would you truly drink all six at once?" he then asked with a wince.

"All six, back to back, like a man possessed."

"Well, no wonder you were feeling sick!" dad exclaimed with a hearty chuckle. "I drink my one Diet Coke in the morning with breakfast and I might have one more in the afternoon watching television."

We Shall Have the Smokes, But No More Cokes...

I couldn't put a finger on why I was feeling so off lately. I had read recently that aspartame breaks down into formaldahyde which is also used as embalming fluid. I drank three diet Cokes this morning in quick succession and realized that was why I was feeling badly. I felt much better after I began to drink cold water out of the fridge which is my mainstay. I am going to have to give them up and that will just shock my father when I tell him. He will think something's bad wrong with my thinking processes.

A Song that Always Touches My Heart...

Let Them Eat Chicken...

You know Putin is laughing his ass off that they got that buffoon in the oval office. Divide and conquer as the old saying goes. It certainly has polarized our country.

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

"I hope that's hookers and beer in the back seat and not our Horsefly," I told Charlie as he sat in his car gathering my and Maggie's supper.

Dad and Charlie had just pulled up in front of my house with Sunday night fried chicken. Charlie burst out laughing. Horsefly mimicked Charlie's laugh heartily like an automaton.

"You look like hookers and beer," my father said chuckling as he escaped the passenger's side of Charlie's Caprica.

Dad had remembered my Cokes and smokes for which I was so very relieved and happy. He can be a tad bit forgetful at times. I had three cigarettes left and was starting to sweat in nervousness.

"I didn't do so well cleaning wise this week," I told our Charlie sounding sorrowful. "I haven't felt well mentally this afternoon."

Maggie was busy following Horsefly as he paced from room to room turning the lights on and off. My toilet got flushed a quite a few times as well. Horsefly's language skills continue to deteriorate. His conversations to himself were a jumble of staccato words I could barely make out.

Charlie had the kitchen clean and the trash gathered in a matter of minutes.

"It wasn't bad at all," Charlie told me walking back into the den carrying one gigantic trash bag.

That was my father's cue to get up and leave after being fixated with the television.

"Love you Jon-Tom," Charlie told me with his pet name for me and they were gone.

Maggie and I have a pact. I get a few bites of our chicken pot pie and I give her the rest. It is currently cooling on the kitchen counter.

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese...

The phone rang twice and I called my father back a moment ago. I've been up since seven reinstalling Windows 10 on one of my more troublesome computers. It turned out to be the memory management on the motherboard. I'll break it to my father that I need to order another motherboard from Newegg tonight or tomorrow. Boy, is he going to grumble.

"Charlie's on the way," he said in the middle of a coughing fit. "I told him we wanted bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits this morning. I am tired of sausage biscuits."

It sounded like my father was coughing up a lung. He still has had long-term lingering effects from that terrible flu. I escaped relatively unscathed.

"I was tired of sausage biscuits as well," I told my father feeling a breath of fresh air. "But I wouldn't dare tell Charlie that."

"Maggie?" I said loudly from the den. "Charlie is on the way!"

Maggie flew off the bed and got in the window on the back of the couch to hold vigil until Charlie's arrival. I am now sitting at my computer in the computer room with a birdseye view of the street in front of my house. I am ready to tell Maggie that Charlie is here when he arrives. I hope she puts on a good and grand show of affection for Charlie. She hasn't had many visitors this week.

We Have One Deliriously Happy Dog Here...

Well, Maggie would have put on a parade if it were in her power. She had a fit at Charlie's arrival. I haven't seen her this happy in weeks.

"Well, bless your heart darlin'," Charlie said to her over her fervent and affectionate barking. "I love you, too!"

She's settled down some and is eating her breakfast. I think she was as overjoyed at bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits as my father and I were. I am so happy at her joy.

A Song For You!

Use the Code, Father...

The phone rang several times very early this morning and I didn't answer out of fear. Finally, the phone rang twice and quit. I called my father back.

"You're a hard man to get in touch with," my father told me sounding exasperated.

"You know the code," I told him scoldingly. "You had my heart pounding at the earlier calls. I didn't know what to do."

He wanted to know if I slept well last night and to see if I am enjoying having food in the house. Dad was also very kind last night and brought me my Cokes and smokes which I forgot to get earlier in the day yesterday. There was a surprise knock on my door last night which caught Maggie and I both off guard.  Usually, Maggie goes totally gangbusters at my father's arrival, but she was sound asleep on the bed and looked dazed. She stood at the front door without even a whimper or a bark.

"Maggie and I had canned flaky Pillsbury biscuits, bacon and scrambled cheese eggs for breakfast this morning," I told him excitedly. "You know how we love breakfast and breakfast foods."

"Can I come and sit in mom's car for a moment?" I then asked my father changing the subject. "I want to covet!"

My father laughed loudly.

"Hell, you can take it for a drive," my father told me. "It hasn't been cranked in over a month. Blow the cobwebs out of the engine."

Mom's car just lingers and languishes in the garage and has for over a year.

I hurried over to my father's house and quickly drove mom's car out Spring road and back. It is such a nice car. It is in pristine condition for a 2008 Honda Civic with only 48,000 miles on the clock. It did have only 44,000 miles on it, but Charlie drove the shit out of it for two weeks when his Caprica was having trouble. We all laughed when I jokingly told Charlie he was driving the shit out of my car.

"I am going to get on the ball about that car in the next two weeks and get it in your name," my father told me upon my return. "I've decided we are going to give your car to J.W."

J.W. is my father's yardman and still drives a threadbare 1976 Chevrolet pickup. I thought that was an awesome idea on my father's part. I fully and wholeheartedly endorsed his plan and will just have to buy a new computer some other time. I was going to sell my car for $2500 dollars and build a new Threadripper processor based computer.

LOL!

Comment Replies...

Blogger PipeTobacco said...
Sir:

Take a photo of you with your goatee!!!! I bet it looks good on you.

PipeTobacco

Andrew Replies...

Pipe, it is still in the birthing stages and sort of scraggly. I will post a picture when it fills out some more.

Strike While the Iron is Hot...

I inexplicably got in the mood to grocery shop this afternoon. I didn't want to wait until tonight with the onset of the cold and all the rain that is on the way. I wanted to get it over with. I was also terribly sleepy and needed something to do to keep me awake. I knew if I took a nap, I wouldn't sleep tonight.

"Are you available?" I delicately asked Old Fuss and Feathers over the phone.

"Yeah," he said warily. "Why?"

"Let's go to the Pig and get my groceries," I told him. "Leave fifteen minutes behind me and I will be ready to go when you get there."

"Sounds good to me," my father replied chirpily with an upbeat tone to his voice.

"I am dying for a cold glass of milk and some warm honey buns," I told him as we got off the phone.

It didn't take me but 15 minutes to shop. Mrs. Camille was ringing up my groceries when my father walked into the grocery store. He slid the debit card to my account in the credit card receptacle and we were ready to go.

"See ya next week!" I told Mrs. Camille as she wished me well and told me to stay dry.

I was frivolous tonight and got a key lime pie and a lemon meringue pie. One, that I haven't decided yet, is going in the freezer for a rainy day. Both taste so good. I also got my Maggie a six-pack of Vienna sausages and she has just scarfed down two cans. She has mainly just had dog food this week and hasn't had many treats and I am sure she was overjoyed.

The Hunter, Charlie, and Papa...

The phone rang several times this afternoon and I was hesitant to answer it. My father rarely if ever calls me from work.

"Hello?" I answered as I threw caution to the wind.

"Come and get your Cokes and smokes," Old Fuss and Feathers said. "I got off of work early."

I told my father I am having trouble with anxiety today and wouldn't be able to make it to the grocery store this afternoon as he intended. He said that was fine and he would get me up some good stuff from his pantry to eat.

"The guy that leases my timberland to go deer and turkey hunting is taking Charlie and me out to eat," my father said. "We are going to eat steaks at the Hunter's Pub at the Columbus crossroads."

The Hunter's Pub has one of the best porterhouse steaks I have ever eaten.

Dad was going to make Janice's beef stroganoff for supper, but the change of plans made him give me all the ingredients and he wrote down the recipe. I also got a fresh loaf of honey wheat bread and some cold cuts dad had in the fridge.

"That ought to get you by until tomorrow," my father told me. "We are going to have to go grocery shopping for you tomorrow, though."

Knocked My Feet Right Out From Under Me...

My injection didn't hit me until 2 PM and boy did it do a number on me. I felt flustered, the room began to spin, and my heart started to pound in my chest. I like to feel abnormal in a good way, but this was just too much to bear. Maggie and I laid down on the bed and it took two hours to pass -- the feeling of my injection that is. It has happened before, but never has it been this intense.

Comment Replies...

Blogger Sharyn Bellah said...
(And would it be possible for you to give me "read only" status on 4th Avenue Blues?)

Andrew Replied...
Most of those posts are incorporated into this blog. A few years after 2010 are missing as blogger gives me an error when I try to upload them. 

It is good to have you commenting again and it was even grander that you are alive and well. I am not ignoring your comments. Just a little overwhelmed that's all. You hit the ground running as far as commenting on my journal. 

Another Two Week Lease On Sanity...

I was especially nervous, anxious and skittish this morning. You could tell it was time for my injection. "Please let things go smoothly," I prayed to myself about my injection as I warily pulled out of my driveway and headed down busy highway 29 to the pharmacy.

I arrived at the pharmacy and the door was locked. I moaned as all the employees were running late. A dreaded and much-feared setback. Dad finally showed up holding a McDonald's bag and his senior coffee and quickly got to work filling my prescription as the other employees came trickling in. Old Fuss and Feathers was my lifesaver this morning.

I had just sat down in the lobby after signing in when Rebecca opened the door to the examining rooms and welcomed me back with a wonderful smile. Things were looking up. She is always so prompt and doesn't make me linger in the lobby.

"Are you okay?" Rebecca asked. "You seem agitated."

"I feel like I am going to have one of my classic and notorious anxiety attacks," I told her mournfully as I squirmed in my seat.

"Let's give you your injection and get you home," Rebecca replied as she began hurriedly putting together my dose of Risperdal Consta.

We dispensed with the small talk this morning.

I didn't dawdle at the pharmacy when I gave my father my next appointment card. I quickly grabbed two Snickers bars and two cherry Cokes and began to head for the door.

"Shave off that goatee," Old Fuss and Feathers told me with a frown. "It makes you look like your evil twin."

"You've been watching too much Star Trek," I told him with a chuckle and I skedaddled out of there arriving home safe and sound.

My dear Maggie was looking out the window for my return.

My injection will hit me in about an hour. I will feel a fleeting moment of euphoria and then I will get really drowsy. I am so happy to be home safe and sound despite a nail-biting and nerve-wracking morning.

Not My Usual Modus Operandi...

"Are you hungry?" I asked Maggie about an hour ago.

She knows that word well and licked her lips in excitement. My stomach was grumbling something fierce as well. I am unfortunately out of eggs, cheese and bacon. I drove down to McDonald's and got us a couple of egg McMuffins, an orange juice for me, and some hash browns. Maggie gobbled her's up like it was her last meal and then she wanted mine. Dog logic.

Does the Early Bird Actually Get the Worm?

I was in the bed at 6 PM and deeply asleep within minutes. I couldn't stay up any longer. It was like a time warp when my father knocked on the door at 8:30 PM with Cokes and smokes. It was his first full day of work in over two weeks. He is still congested and coughing, though.

"You are out of it," Old Fuss and Feathers said very worriedly, "Have you been taking something?"

I laughed half-heartedly in complete dismay.

"You always expect the worse out of me!" I told my father scoldingly. "I was just in a very deep sleep when you knocked on the door."

Dad said I was acting drunkenly.

Maggie came ambling into the den and collapsed on my hardwood floor with a grunt and a sigh. Usually, she is going gangbusters at my father's arrival. She was muted last night in her demeanor and response.

"Even Maggie's been taking something!" my father exclaimed with laughter.

Maggie was deep asleep as well relishing the time with me in the bed I explained.

My father wanted to see my medications and smell my breath. He said it would give him peace of mind. I took my nightly dose of two 1 mg Klonopin and a Coreg before I retired to the bed. Nothing was amiss. My father was afraid I had taken a bunch of my Klonopin which would have given a similar response. This kind of scrutiny gets old sometimes. I am 45 years of age.

Did I Hear Thunder?

The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was to check the weather. Yes, we have a vigorous line of storms moving in. If you have read me any length of time, then you know how much this excites me.  They should roll through about 9 AM and then it is supposed to rain the rest of the day.

A Song for You!

Achy and Creaky Bones...

I'm getting old. I will be 46 years old this coming April. I woke up again with an extremely sore and stiff neck. I am using a much stiffer and supportive pillow (a pillow Charlie bought for me) and it helps immensely, but it is still not perfect. I know I need to go to the doctor, but I dread waiting in those lobbies for a visit. It always piques my anxiety. My time is valuable, too!

Groceries Were a No Go...

I waved off grocery buying again last night.

"Whatever you want to do," Old Fuss and Feathers told me last night surprisingly.

He was busy watching Jeopardy at the time. I thought he would deride me and try and coerce me into going. I said we will go Wednesday night. Dad insists on going around 9 PM which is almost too late for me. I was just dead tired and exhausted when 7 PM rolled around last night and I went to bed after calling my father. I went fast asleep in an instance and slept another 9 or 10 hours overnight. It was wonderful.

Now Where Did that Darn Dog Go?

I couldn't find the Magster this morning. I looked in every room and finally found her laying in the most unlikely place. In the kitchen on the cold kitchen floor. I laughed and chuckled. She was waiting for me to start breakfast. I toasted some leftover biscuits, fixed a pot of cheese grits, and fried the last of my bacon. My grits were especially creamy, cheesy, and buttery this morning -- wholesome stick to your ribs kind of food.

A Song for You!

Of Earworms and Clean Kitchens...

I had the nastiest earworm yesterday. It was Christopher Crosses Sailing. I sang the lyrics over and over in my head ad nauseum all day.

♫ Just a dream and the wind to carry me and soon I will be free. ♫ 

You've Been Usurped, Dear Charlie...

Charlie stepped into my house last night holding a giant black trash bag. He was ready for some serious cleaning action, but I had beaten him to the punch. I had spent a good thirty minutes cleaning the kitchen and carrying out all my trash before they arrived with our Sunday evening meal.

"Watch this!" I said to my father with a big grin.

"I have nothing to do," Charlie said walking back into the den looking like a lost puppy where Maggie, dad, and I were sitting on the couch. "I gave Maggie some fresh water and washed the few dishes in the sink, Andrew."

Old Fuss and Feathers looked at me and said, "Good for you!"

Someone Please Feed this Hungry Dog...

The poor Magster was so hungry for something other than dog food last night. She was begging me something pitifully. The smell of that pot pie Charlie brought me was driving her crazy. I let my KFC pot pie cool some and then I put it on a paper plate. I placed it on the floor and Maggie scarfed it down in true dog fashion. I got in the kitchen and made me some more tuna fish salad for my supper.

And Let There Be Breakfast...

Maggie was overjoyed when the smell of frying bacon began to waft into the den. I scrambled the last five of my eggs and made a pot of buttery grits. Yes, I am back to a more normal and diurnal existence. Yesterday, I woke up at 4 AM and I woke up at 5:30 AM this morning getting a full nine hours of sleep overnight. It is so wonderful let me tell you.

Eyelids Like Lead...

Miracles do happen! After Charlie left yesterday evening, I went and laid down on the bed with my clothes still on. I was just going to take a quick power nap. I was so sleepy and it was a wonderful feeling. When you have insomnia, you never feel sleepy. You just feel doggone tired all the time. Maggie hopped up onto the bed and she was asleep within ten minutes. Myself on the bed is sheer bliss for my Maggie. Her rhythmic breathing was a wonderful serenade and I was soon fast asleep as well. I woke up this morning at 4 AM feeling my oats. I had slept for eleven wonderful hours. The only thing that kept me from sleeping longer is that the house had grown very cold and I woke up shivering. I got up to turn up the heat and then got captivated by my computer and my music.

Charlie will be along with sausage biscuits and that wonderful Coke in a little while. He usually shows up between 9 AM and 10 AM. It is pouring rain here this morning so the weather might make him a little later.

A Song for You!

Hot or Cold -- Hungry Bellies Don't Mind...

It is always so good to see my special friend Charlie. Charlie brought me another Zaxby's chicken tender and hot wings combo platter on his way back from taking Horsefly to the movies yesterday evening.

"I am afraid it has grown quite cold," Charlie told me rolling his eyes. "Horsefly stayed in Zaxby's restroom for thirty minutes. I thought he would never come out."

"What was he doing?" I asked curiously amused.

"Oh hell, I don't know," Charlie replied.

I chuckled softly and smiled. Maggie was sitting on the couch next to Charlie and she kept licking her lips from the smell of that chicken tender platter. Maggie and I were just glad to get it.

"It is going to be raining in the morning," I told the ever weather clueless Charlie. "The weather is supposed to be nasty, wet, and cold."

"Horsefly has to have his sausage biscuit so you and Maggie are getting one, too!" Charlie told me.

"How did you get over the flu so quick?" Charlie then asked me. "I am still coughing and sniffling."

"Dad says all the nicotine I am imbibing from habitual smoking killed the virus," I replied with a laugh.

Charlie burst out into laughter as well.

Comment Replies...

Blogger glittermom said...

Did your dads WOW guy ever show up this past week?

Andrew Replies...

Glittermom, I haven't heard a peep out of Darrell the WOW! guy or my father. I've just given up all hopes of getting a faster internet service and have quit asking about it. I will just have to be content with 30 Mbps internet. I've had my hopes dashed so many times it is ridiculous. I wish Mom was alive and then I would have 500 Mbps internet back in November when all of this started.

This Morning's Fiery Sunrise...

Chock Full of Computer Bliss...

If I had lots of money to blow, I would get four of these ASUS Geforce video cards and link them in SLI (sequential link interface). The price reflects the total for four video cards. I would be in computer gaming heaven.  Sheer bliss. All games would be able to be played in 4K ultra high resolution. The lowly Radeon RX480 video card I currently have cost $350 dollars in juxtaposition, but she holds her own with an 8 GB frame buffer and the much vaunted "Polaris" graphics processing unit. .  

A Vignette in Darkness...

fine examples of Egyptian mummified cats

I arrived at my father's house late yesterday evening and the back door was open. "Well, this is inviting," I thought to myself. I made my way through the kitchen and my father was in the den sitting in his chair with his pajamas on.

"Why do you have it so dark in here?" I asked him intrigued.

I was also intrigued that his omnipresent television wasn't on.

"Shhh," my father replied softly. "My pussy is asleep on my lap."

A big grin formed on my face and I chuckled softly as I commandeered the recliner next to my father's.

I had to bring my medications which my father studied them to make sure I hadn't missed any dosages and that I am taking them as prescribed.

"I take the morning dosage at around 8 PM to 9 PM and the main dosage at midnight," I told him and he grumbled a little bit.

Yes, I am an animal, too!

I am still stuck in a nocturnal existence

"I never thought you could do it, but you seem to be handling your medications responsibly," he told me.

"I don't want to be crazy," I told my father sincerely, "My life falls into disarray without some help."

Speaking of cats, dad and I spoke for awhile about Egyptian dignitaries who would be entombed with their mummified cats. I had read an article about it in Archeology Today along with a fascinating article on whale fossils and their evolution.

I stood up to leave as it was now twilight outside and I dreaded driving home in the dark.

"Love you," my father said. "And don't forget your Cokes and smokes on the kitchen counter."

Damn, I Love this Dog...

Maggie sporting her fu manchu...

I tell my father all the time that the best thing he has ever done for me is to bring Maggie into my life. I will never forget the day he brought that little flea-ridden puppy home. He found her whimpering in a trash can. She's my little shadow and the love of my life. Sorry ladies and gents, but a dog is a man's best friend.

Maggie's wherever I am. If I am laying down, then she is on the bed. If I am eating, she is staring at me intently for a morsel. If I am sitting in the den, she is on the back of the couch looking out for nefarious pedestrians. She loves it when I go outside into the backyard. She immediately starts barking and has to clear the way for me and make it safe. Right now, she is laying behind me as I sit at this computer.

On a funny note, one aspect of Maggie's life that is not shared with me is potty visits. She is incredibly secretive about that. She's lived with me for eight years and I can count on one hand how many times I've seen her potty.

Back in the Land of the Living...

I feel much, much better today. My only complaint is that it is hard to fall asleep if you are coughing every minute. I feel asleep for about three hours this morning and woke up coughing. I've got that bleary eyed feeling you get from a lack of sleep. I fell back asleep again and then the phone rang. Sigh. I got up and parked my butt in front of this computer. I am waiting on Old Fuss and Feathers to get off of work so I can drive over and get my Cokes and smokes. Ah, an ice cold diet Coke would be wonderful right now.