Random thoughts

Dragon Mood? -- clearing out too many rattling-around thoughts

I haven't posted for over a week because I'VE BEEN BUSY.

Here's some things rattling around in my brain:

• I'm settling into my new schedule. I started this past Monday on a regular 8-to-5 work schedule, although for me it's more like 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. I'm hoping to work four nine-hour days with a short Friday so I can get outta the Motor City before the traffic gets hellacious.
• I'm discovering that I'm a bit sad at ordering my life around the alarm clock -- again. Yecch, I don't like alarm clocks. And ... I had a surprising revelation. The days are getting shorter. Being on second shift, I really wasn't noticing it. In the mornings, I was sleeping. At sunset, I was working in a windowless room, staring at a computer monitor. I simply wasn't dialed in on it. Now, back on days, I'm VERY aware of it. Another reason to be just a little bit sad. Good-bye, Summer. (heavy sigh) Hell-o, Winter.
  
• I am really struggling with a modeling problem at work. It's occupying way too much of my available brain area and locking out other more pleasant, silly thoughts.
• S and I did manage to get away this past weekend to celebrate our twenty years together. (See my previous post.) One of the images that I keep seeing in my head is while we were sitting in my car at the Stoney Lake beach parking lot. Lake Michigan was wild and wooly-looking with big waves, frothy whitecaps and the most beautiful blue-green color (lots of sand kicked up in the water). S and I remembered playing in water like that, in one of our past summer sojourns at Lake Michigan. Just not at the END OF OCTOBURRRR!
• We visited Claybanks Pottery, one of our favorite destinations over on the west side of the state. We bought each other a mug to honor our anniversary, mine which is sitting in front of me here as I write, full of warming hot green tea.
• Yesterday, I called my dad to wish him a Happy Birthday. He is now 78. I'm embarassed to say that I haven't seen him for two years. I call him and Evelyn almost every Sunday evening (as I drive down to the pied-a-terre). I wish we could be closer. I do miss seeing him.
  
• I'm feeling a bit anxious about my upcoming visit with my regular doctor. Heaven only knows what news may await me. I suspect I've put on a few pounds with my unorthodox schedule of the past ten weeks and what impact that has had on my cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin levels remains to be seen.
• Trusting that things will work out, I booked S and I for a week in St. Pete's Beach in mid-February. I also reserved airline tickets to get us down there. It's not exactly money that we have laying around, as you may well imagine ... but dammit, we need to have some fun in our lives. I loved staying at this funky little beach motel. According to the young lady who helped me with our reservation, the unit we're staying in this year (#3) is "2000% BETTER" than last winter's unit. Not funky, but actually NICE. I can't wait!
• S continues to have too much trauma-drama with her mother ... this time over pictures. I'm trying to stay out of it, be a sympathetic listening ear when I can, but I can tell you this: I don't like it. S and I have been having numerous conversations about her trying to reduce the amount of "negative energy" in her life, because it has a direct correlation to her health. And her health is the worst it's been in the twenty-three years that I've known her. This ongoing thing with Sally is LOADED with negative energy. Yeeccch!
• And finally, on a more pleasant note, I'm looking forward to us watching S's grandbaby, Preston, this weekend. He is now nineteen months old and just the sweetest baby you'd ever want to spend a few days chasing. As S and I say frequently to each other, "He's such a HAPPY baby!" He's also SUCH A BOY! He loves to push buttons on things. To that end, I bought him a baby "cellphone" that has a keypad, makes sounds and lights up too! He LOVES it. He walks around the house, pushing the buttons and offering up the cellphone for us to talk too. "Can you hear me NOW?"
• I'm posting this at 5 in the morning. Earlier, I couldn't sleep. Now, I'm tired. I'm going back to bed.
  

20-year anniversary

Dragon Mood? -- dragonly reflective

Today is S and my 20-year anniversary. Can you believe it? I hardly can.

We count the beginning of our time together when she and I were still both married, had husbands and were not 'looking' to leave our marriages. Or were we? One of the metaphors or similes that I've used over these years to describe my feelings for S is simply this: connecting with her was like going from watching black-and-white TV to color television. A whole new world. And once you experience color, who wants to go back to black-and-white?

I never could have imagined my life going this way. Never. S and I come from very different backgrounds, both socio-economically and relationally. Even today, in my head, it doesn't make sense to me that we are together. But you know what? -- in matters of the heart, your head doesn't always get to be the driver. In this case, I let my heart drive and made my big, over-inflated commonsensical head get in the backseat.

I love S. I absolutely LOVE her. Why I love her sometimes is as maddening a question for me as her behavior -- maddening. I've told her in my less kind moments that she is like a burr under my saddle; you are here, you are annoying and dammit, why can't I get rid of you? But obviously, after 20 years, I have no desire nor inclination to get rid of S. Here's where my head gets all twisted up in its analysis: even though sometimes I want to push S away, in my heart I never want her to leave and I will go through all kinds of crazy-making efforts to keep her close. Ask her; she'll tell you. And now, come to think of it, she's described that very dynamic, saying that she feels pushed away and pulled close by me all the time.

I think it's called EMOTIONAL INTIMACY.

Thank God that S has got her own crazy reasons for being in this relationship because I need her, I want her and I love her.

Twenty years. Wow! It's a long time. And it's a blink of the eye. I hope that I get to have the privilege of another twenty years with S. That would truly be a gift.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

Black Monday

More people got the axe today -- thankfully, I wasn't one of them.

Our little second-shift group went from eight, down to five, and now down to three.  And, as of next Monday, there will be no more second shift.  We three survivors are moving to the day shift ... and Chris and I are definitely the folks with the least seniority.  If the work tapers off, runs out or we simply don't measure up, we'll get the boot too.

Scary days here in the Motor City.   Don't take your job for granted.  I, for one, am not. 

Thank goodness for the simple joys of the Tigers.

Chortling AND Laughing Dragon

Dragon Mood? -- jazzed up and laughing, even WITHOUT coffee!

Look what I found! I've had this site bookmarked for ages ... and just happened to visit it today.



Please look around and note the colors you're seeing on this blog page.

For all you doubting Harrys out there, this Dragon is LAUGHING at you!

Quote for the Day

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
US poet (1874 - 1963)

Fiery, relaxing Sunday

Dragon Mood? -- dragons LOVE fire!

Sunday morning was my morning to sleep in. Lina and I postponed our dragon-y bonfire two nights in a row due to tiredness. Sunday morning was our last chance.

I woke up sometime around 9. One of my first thoughts was, "I bet Caroline is already up, thinking about starting that fire." Then I heard a noise outside that I didn't recognize. I got up out of bed and looked out the window. There she was, already dressed, standing at the woodpile, selecting various pieces of wood.

I dressed quickly and headed out to the kitchen to make some coffee.

Caroline had the fire going already, in the firepit on the lower deck. I scouted up some more small pieces of wood while she tended the fire.

Happy dragons! Happy bonfire.

We sat around the fire for at least three hours. Mostly we burned wild cherry wood (a.k.a. chokecherry), but there were two or three pieces of oak and hickory that burned slow and hot. Oh, the scent of burning wood was wonderful!

More to come ....

Socializing Saturday

Dragon Mood? -- a slightly hungover, draggin' dragon

Saturday was alllll about S, Lina and me socializing.

We went over to J & J's in the early afternoon, with Dakota Suzita as our fourth (and canine) female. Crabby Yellow Dog we left at home.

We spent a glorious couple of hours out on J & J's pontoon, enjoying the midday sun, the nice cold beers (I drank water -- mostly) and the pleasant camaraderie of our friends. We talked about this and that in our meandering conversations and though we didn't solve any of the world's persistent problems, IT WAS FUN!

Around 4 o'clock, the sun was noticeably lower in the sky, the temperature started to cool and Captain J announced it was time to go in -- she had to go to the bathroom.

We said our goodbyes to J & J, took Dakota back to the house, picked up more beer for our next social engagement and headed over to Matt & Sarah's house.

Wow! -- talk about a beehive of activity. There were probably five guys along with Matt up on the roof, repairing the sub-surface on the back of the house and shingling on the front. They all had that slightly dazed look of guys workin' their butts off on an activity they're not exactly used to; tired, sore and ready for quittin' time. But they persevered while they had daylight and even then some.

S and Caroline and I wandered around the house, greeting all the different family members and exchanging hugs. Caroline got to see Madison Hope for the first time. The baby was all decked out in a sweet little print frock with a onesie underneath. Like all newborn babies, she slept, got hungry, got fed, peed, pooped, repeat. Unlike other babies (that I've experienced), this little gal likes to stre-e-e-etch those long, thin legs of hers O-U-T and flex her ankles too. I've never seen a baby do that like Madison does.

We hung around for several hours, holding the baby, watching the MSU-U of M debacle of a football game (U of M won, 31-13) and the glorious, joyous winning game of the Tigers/Yankees post-season series. The Tigers beat them, 8-3, I think it was. That was really fun to watch.

We headed home, tuckered out from all the fresh air and the extended socializing.

Friday & Drinkin' Dragons

Dragon Mood? -- excited and work-fatigued

Late Thursday night (actually early Friday morning) I arrived back home amongst the pine trees about fifteen minutes after Lina. It was a nice change of pace for me to arrive home with the lights on, the house opened up and my sweet little girl's smiling face awaiting me.

Dakota and Cisco had their few moments of reacquainting, circling one another, trying to get a good sniff of the other's butt. Dogs are so funny. But come to think of it -- they probably think or believe (in whatever canine form that may take) that we greet one another in odd ways too.

After not enough sleep, we got up, made coffee, did our ritual mid-morning leisurely chat, dressed and headed into town. First stop: El Azteco, for a snappy pitcher of margaritas and a Mexican lunch. I had enchiladas suizas while Lina had the infamous topopo salad. TOE-PO-PO salad. It's as funny to say as it looks; a veritable mountain of iceberg lettuce with happy little green peas, and other accoutrements mounded in there for a Mexican(?) salad. Go over to Wild Wend for most likely a spot-on description and a killer photo to boot.

Lina had several local shops she wanted to visit for Spartan paraphernalia. We also hit Campbell's Smoke Shop for some Upmann cigarillos and several see-gars that Carolina picked out.

Then it was on to Beggar's Banquet to relax, kill some time and have a drink. Or three. Well, truth be told, I had three ... three dirty martinis, each with three stuffed olives in them, because I wanted happy olives, partying with one another, in a jovial mood as I prepared to devour them. So ... let me see ... that makes nine stuffed olives I gorged on, at least 12 ounces of pure-D-alcohol (even though alcohol doesn't begin with a 'D') and at least two hours of talking, laughing, shooting pictures of anything and anyone that happened within range. But just to make myself sound a little (more) better, a little less alcoholic, a little less SNOCKERED ... Caroline had FOUR martinis, one whole martooni MORE than me! Sheesh! What a lush!

From there, our dear Taurean guardian angel, Joanne, swooped in, picked us up and delivered us to ELHS for their Homecoming parade ... where Jeanne was the grandest Grand Marshall (GM) you could ever hope to put your drunken eyeballs on. She looked cute in the school colors, her nephew's old high school varsity jacket and Mardi Gras beads hanging around her neck. She was excited and elated and cute.

S rolled in from Motown and I gave her a long, snockered hug, glad to see her and glad for her to join in the frivolity and fun. We watched all seven minutes of the parade and then headed off to another bar for more -- what else? -- drinking.

Suffice to say that when we finally rolled into the house around ten, I was still quite inebriated, even more tired than inebriated and beginning to feel the effects of overindulging myself with all that liquor. Holy cow! I managed to watch several innings of Friday night's game between the Tigers and the Yankees (Hurray, Tigers!) and even Bill Maher's Real Time at 11:00. (Recalled with smugness and sanctimony) Caroline had, by that time, passed out on the futon -- lightweight that she is.

S was still going strong. What a woman!

And that was Friday, the first day Lina was here.

antsy, antsy

Whew! It's Thursday evening, I'm at work and I'm ready to not be at work.

I interviewed for another job today. It's with an aviation-related company, here in the Motor City. I thought the interview went reasonably well, but honestly, I have no earthly clue as to whether I'll ever hear from them again or not. As to how I feel about the possibility of working there, I don't yet know. I'm a slow processor, you see.

But slow processing is not the reason I'm feeling antsy. The reason I'm feeling antsy is because Lina is ON THE ROAD as I write, wending her wenchy wild Wendish self home ... to the place where I am NOT as of yet, because I am still at work. ArrrghhH! I'm really looking forward to seeing her!

I have managed to accrue three extra hours which will enable me to leave tonight at 11. I'll run to the pied-a-terre, pick up my stuff and the pooch, give S a sweet good-night kiss (she's staying tonight to go to work in the morning), and heading back to the OTHER house, to our home in the pine trees.

I'm feeling antsy when I really could be kicking back, enjoying the end of my work week and relish seeing Lina in just a few short hours. The antsy-ness is a substitute for lack of sleep, fatigue and leftover anxiety from the interview this morning, I guess. Nothing that a cold beer probably wouldn't relieve in a few short minutes.

After Lina and I drink our ritual thank-God-you've-arrived-safely beer, we'll give each other a long, warm dragony hug ... and then I will be comatose. Instantly.

...

...when gas prices become a NEWS BULLETIN!

The Detroit Free Press has a front page article on their website about record low gas prices. It's labeled as a NEWS BULLETIN.

Two Speedway service stations in Flint are offering gasoline for $1.99.

They are among the first gas stations to post sub-$2-a-gallon gas prices in metro Detroit in more than a year [my emphasis], according to AAA Michigan ... The average price for gasoline in Michigan, which has declined for eight straight weeks, is now $2.16 a gallon. Today's prices are 75 cents lower than they were this time last year. Nationally, gas prices are still averaging $2.30.

If this all isn't politically motivated, I'll be a monkey's uncle!

My prediction: Within six weeks of November's election, gas prices will head straight back up.