Pain or Pleasure?

When is pain not pain?

Everyone knows about pain that hurts--Almost all pain hurts, and sometimes horribly. I am no stranger to that, but in addition to your "standard" pain, I sometimes get pains that feel strangely good.

How is this possible?

How can it be pain if it feels good? Pain should feel good or it wouldn't be pain, right? I spent a long time puzzling over this yesterday at work, and I still have trouble relating it in words. People have trouble with units of measure when it comes to right or wrong, black or white, pain or pleasure, and many other similar opposites. Without one, we would find it impossible to accurately describe or measure the other.

So how is it that I have pains that border on pleasure?

They're always the same kind of pain--A kind of dull throb deep inside--Possibly bone deep. I almost always get them in my feet or legs when I get them, but sometimes hands. I don't know when I first noticed these things, but I do remember getting them when I worked at a desk job at Boeing. If they were at the "right" intensity, the aches felt strangely relaxing. If the intensity was just slightly increased, it gave me "restless leg" where no matter what I did I couldn't get comfortable and couldn't stop shuffling myself around. When that happened, it was very, very irritating. The throbbing ache was very random and had no correlation with heartbeat or anything. I think those events back then usually signaled the onset of another herpes breakout as I recall. Those breakouts usually manifested themselves in quite a variety of ways before they actually happened. The internal dull throb was one of them.

Here's the closest I can get to setting up a scenario that people may have experienced in their past: You hit your hand (not finger) with a hammer, hard enough that it really hurts. Everything stops--You drop you tool of destruction and hold onto your injured hand with a grimace on your face. After a few seconds, the pain subsides, and there is a small window where the pain actually becomes a warm feeling that sort of floods the area. You sigh and pick up the hammer and resume your work, left with a throbbing reminder to be more careful. It's that short-lived area between "warmness" and throbbing that I'm talking about. I've had the same thing happen when I bang my knee real hard or something similar. While cussing with a grimace on your face and rubbing the injured knee, the warm/dull throb transition occurs and feels strangely good for a short time.
The feeling I've just described is what I'm experiencing now, only it lasts and lasts. Remember I talked a few days ago about popping my left ankle going down the stairs? All day yesterday while I was at work (I was standing or leaning all day, running the press) it was happening. There were just a few times where it throbbed slightly past the "pleasure point" and made me jump or shuffle my weight, but for the most part it was nonstop all day. Even now as I write, it's sending its happy little throbbing feeling to the receptors in my unusual brain.

Hey, maybe my receptor is off and needs to be calibrated! Well to tell you the truth, I don't want it to be calibrated. It affords me enough of an input to tell me to favor my ankle, but yet it gives me a sort of reward for putting up with it.

Is that twisted or what?

There's Something About Horses...

... That I've never liked. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but there's something that has always scared me about them. Maybe it's their size, maybe it's their teeth, and maybe it's the fact that they don't go where you aim them. I dunno. But now I have another reason.

For some reason cousin Melinda has been on my mind lately, so the instant I got home from work I picked up the phone and called her. It rang enough times to get the phone message, but I hung up. I've never really been big on leaving phone messages so I usually avoid it, but right after I hung up I told myself I should have anyway.

I was sitting at my computer later in the evening chatting on Yahoo with my special friend Rhon, and I hear a "poit" computer kind of sound. I check my open windows, and there's my Gmail chat blinking, and it's cousin Melinda! Must be a mind link there...

Well, on Saturday when I was out having so much fun being naked in the sun all day, she was thrown from her horse. Hard. She's okay, all things considered, but she suffered a concussion and broke her back in 4 places. She was riding him at her house and her trainer was nearby fortunately. She said something to the effect that he bucked once to the right which cause her to lean sharply to the left, then he bucked hard to the left, effectively hammering her to the ground. She said she was out cold for 6 minutes. This was plainly a case where she was lucky to be wearing her helmet. Evidently her trainer had a brain fart though, and didn't call 911, but instead drove her to the ER in her pickup truck. Oh well... It worked out this time I guess, but that wasn't very smart. She's back home, but she has to spend 90 days in a back brace. She said her back is actually not too bad, it's her head that's giving her the grief.

I don't know what breed Melinda's horse Stevie is, but he's huge. I don't know anything about horses, but even I have to acknowledge that he's a fine looking horse. I also don't know how old he is, but he's relatively young. I'm thinking somewhere around 8 or 10 years old. She also has another horse that she got right after she moved to where she is now, but I don't know much about him. (I admit--I'm totally horse stupid.) I think she got him mostly for companionship for Stevie.

She has been totally smitten by horses her whole life. Almost everything in her life has revolved around her love for horses. She has had many mishaps, but not like this one.

She told me last night that Stevie goes. She said, "It's a sign from the universe" that she is pushing her luck and that next time she may not be so lucky. I know for a fact that a decision like that for her was probably not unlike someone telling a mother that she needs to get rid of one of her children.

I love Melinda dearly and I know I speak for all of the people that know her when I say I would hate like hell to lose her for any reason. I'm so glad that she skirted disaster.

Her words: "I guess I'll switch to golf."

Another Good Day in a Great Weekend

Yep, although yesterday was not even as close to being as good as the Nudestock event, it was still a good day.

After getting up in the morning and still wearing the same "pool hair" I went to bed with (see my previous post), I spent a little time at the mirror, surveying the damage. Hmm... Not too bad. You know how sunburn takes a little while to show up fully. People are like bacon--They continue to cook for a while after you take them off the fire. Anyway, I look sorta reddish all over, but really not burned any worse than I had previously thought.

Yesterday was the annual end of summer family party hosted by my sister Jackie and her husband Gary over in Port Orchard. I wanted to take something (even though she always says not to) so I browsed around the web for a good appetizer to make--An easy one of course. I settled on stuffed cherry tomatoes. I altered the recipe, but it ended up being cream cheese, crumbled bacon, green onions, and grated Parmesan. They came out pretty good actually. In my opinion, much better than had they used the mayo that the recipe originally called out for instead of the cream cheese I used. They would've been even better had I not practically burned half the bacon... It also showed me that I need to pick up a good melonballer. I didn't have one and used a metal 1/2 teaspoon measure instead.

I threw the appetizer and my beer into the truck and went over to pick Sarah up. She was all ready to go, so after a quick stop for gas, we were off. For a change, traffic was very good going all the way over, and it's very possibly the first time we ever got there early. As per Sarah's prediction just before we got there, nobody was there yet except my parents.

Not much to report about the party itself. The weather was hot so we all just hung around drinking stuff like people always do when it's hot. I had the privilege of not having to worry about my drinking this time because I brought a designated driver with me. The attendance to the function was my sister Denise and her family, and my brother Denis and his family. Denis, his wife Kim, and their daughter Cassie all showed up on their two Harleys, so they were dressed a little warmer than they probably wanted to be. Sarah and I both brought swimsuits, but neither of us ended up in Jackie's pool.

Sarah drove home without any problems. As usual, she was apprehensive about driving the truck (it's so big!) but she did well. I offered her lots of good-natured coaching (without being a pain in the ass) about things like following distance, why certain lanes might be better under certain situations, etc. You keep drilling, and even if only 10% takes, it's something learned.

All in all it was a good day and a great weekend. Now I want to go back to the nudist park.

The Nudestock Report!

One word just about covers it. Wow.

I've never been to any kind of nudist place of any kind before, so I didn't quite know what to expect. I seldom wear clothes at home, but that's home--How would I feel in a nudist club?

I read all the rules online at their website (see my links section) so I knew not to take my camera. I wouldn't have taken any person's picture, but I really would have liked to take pictures of overall things. I took a big blanket, pillow, a cooler full of beer, water, and food, and of course, sunscreen. The weather forecast for the area was mid to upper 80's for the event.

The road is a twisty, rutted dirt road that winds upward from the main road for a few miles. I rounded the last curve and there it was in it's obvious glory. An open gate manned by an older gentleman wearing glasses, brown socks, and shoes. Wait a minute--Brown socks!? He was directing visitors to park alongside the road just inside the gate and then to the little welcome office to get checked in. (Funny thing--I never saw another person wearing socks... Maybe that was his individualism.) Anyway, I had to fill out a basic form with the usual personal information, and then hand that to the lady along with my photo id so she could check the national database for sex offenders and other serious convictions. The couple just ahead of me was comprised of a female regular member and a male first timer. The visitor's office/gate area was pretty much the last place I saw anyone dressed.

After I got back out and into my car, a guy (there were lots of staff members helping) walked in front of me and led me a short distance to a parking spot. They were expecting a big crowd and were parking people very carefully. I arrived there at about 10:30, with the first music act scheduled to start at 11:00, so I was plenty early enough to get in with no troubles. (In retrospect, the whole mood of the place was such that I doubt if there were ever any troubles.) When I got parked, I instantly undressed. I was slightly nervous, but it was waning more and more with every second I was there. I gathered my stuff and walked down to the lawn sunning area where the bandstand was set up at the North (I think it was North) end.

Of course, you don't stare, but as a first timer, you can't help but drink it all in. There were ugly people, beautiful people and everything in between. I saw the ages range from toddlers all the way up through the 80's or so. There were bellies, sagging parts, cellulite, and every conceivable thing you can think of that makes us all unique. There were tattoos, nipple jewelry, waist chains, and an occasional person with a thin scarf or similar tied around their waist. There were people with no pubic hair, too much pubic hair, gray pubic hair... You name it. It was so great. I was there for hardly any time at all when I basically felt like I had been there my whole life. I felt like I had arrived. After a while, you actually find yourself looking up at someone's face when they walk by. It's a weird thing to describe. I loved it!

They have a big, standard-sized rectangular swimming pool with the standard graduating depths and a water slide at the middle depth, 2 large hot tubs, and a huge (way bigger than the standard one) shallow pool for floating or kids' water play. The sun area is sloped and grassy, and is plenty big enough for a lot of people to use at any one time without even coming close to crowding. The best way to take a look at their facilities is to check out the 3 pages of pictures they have HERE.

The music was great, and that just helped to make my day. After all, that was half the reason I went in the first place! (Maybe not exactly half...)

The first band, Big Woody and the Clam Diggers, was the sort of band you would find playing in a local bar. Pretty good stuff, all covers from songs we all know and love. The gal that sang had quite a set of pipes on her... She did a pretty good Janis Joplin. Both she and the bass player were nude during their whole set.

The second was a one-man show that is a national recording artist who is big on the jazz scene--Michael Powers. He was phenomenal. I'm pretty sure he has a band with him at big concerts, but for this one he used all sorts of cool foot-operated recorders and electronic things to do his back up sounds and tracks. Like for example, he would start the bass and drum beat going into his electronic recorder, then switch to his electronic guitar while the bass and drums continued. He made that thing do saxophones, trumpets... You name it. Very, very talented man and great jazz. At one point he made some comment about starting a conga line, and before you know it, all the nude dancers in front were in a long snaking line, and all of a sudden people from everywhere started running up there to join in the line. As it started snaking all through the crowd's blankets on the lawn, I got "pulled up" off mine to join in. By the time it was at its fullest, I'd say there were a hundred people in it, all nude. Picture that!

I didn't know what to expect when Nick Vigarino came out as I had never heard of him before. I was blown away. This guy played guitar like I had never heard before. Rock, blues, finger picking, slide... It was all there and was fantastic. For his last song, he came out into the front of the stage area into the middle of the dancers while he was playing (obviously he was on wireless.) He started using objects people had as a guitar slide on the song he was playing while his band continued onstage. (By the way, he was fully nude at the time too.) He used a bottle of beer, a hula hoop, and even a clam shovel (a prop from the first band). He was really great. I understand that he plays there every year which clinches my going back next year for sure.

The last act was The Mary McPage Band. Very good vocalist, doing rocking bluesy singing similar to Melissa Etheridge, Janis, and so many others. The band was no slouch either--The guitarist was fantastic. They also had a nude bass player.

By the time the music stopped at 6pm, I had a minor (fortunately!) sunburn on my left waist area from having faced the bandstand too long without rotating around. I had run out of beer a couple hours earlier too, so that needed a slight adjustment for next time. I had been in the pool a few times, noticing right off the bat how cool it was to hoist myself up out of the water and not have to tug a swimsuit back up. I bought myself a Nudestock 2006 t-shirt to flaunt in public places too. It's a pretty nice design. I wandered around a lot, looking at things that were for sale at one of the vendors that were there. I believe there were only 5 vendors. There was also a guy there that was doing hotdogs and burgers from some place in Tacoma I believe. Obviously they weren't free. When I left there and walked by on the way to my car, all of the grills (there are quite a few) were covered with freshly laid out THICK steaks. Wow.

They made an announcement at the end that they had a little over 600 people there, and that 100 of them were first-timers. That's quite a turnout.

Let me tell you, it was a sad, sad thing having to put clothes back on to leave, but I will be going back.

A Day of Nakedness

Yes, that is what today is. I'm a little nervous having never been to a nudist place before, but I'm also excited at the same time. I hate the terms nudist camp and nudist colony. Both of them seem like prisons for whackos. Is that what society thinks of us? Possibly... I'll call it a nudist resort. Yeah, that has a nice ring to it. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it. I love outdoor concerts (any concerts actually) and to be able to add nudism to it is just too cool.

I did a little shopping on the way home from work yesterday, partly in preparation for today. I hit up Walmart and bought a soft cooler that's a decent size. I needed something big enough to put a bunch of beverages in, but still had room for some food as well. This one was only 10 bucks and also has a removable hard plastic liner in it, which is good when you want to fill it full of ice like I'm going to do. I also bought a case of bottled water to supplement the beer I'm taking. Another stop over at the toiletries aisle (can you tell I had a mental shopping list?) netted me a bottle of SPF 15 sunblock (I didn't really want to go for the SPF 30... I hope I didn't screw up) and a bottle of hand lotion (unrelated). When I stopped by the electronics section to buy myself some new rechargeable camera batteries (which I did get... 2 packs of 4 each for only 7.25 each) I also ended up buying a present for Sarah: A nice TI graphing calculator. She is a smart one, and her school workload is still containing some pretty heavy duty math classes.

I stopped by their house on the way home, and as I was going down their street I saw Teresa in her car behind me. I slowed in front of their house to let her go by me and into the driveway. When I drove into the back, I saw Sarah was out in her pool cleaning it which is a good thing. This is one of the last good weekends of summer left, so she needs to get her use out of it. I went up to her and said, "Here, I decided that since you are twice as smart as me and mom that you needed a good calculator for school." She really liked it, saying how much she needed one. Well of course she needed one, and at over a hundred bucks, you know Teresa would never buy her one.

T had just come from Costco, and one of the things she had bought was a giant "take and bake" pizza. She asked me if I wanted to stay and have pizza with them, but to be honest I just couldn't wait to get home and strip. I was hot standing there in 80+ sun... And I also knew that she had no beer. I also had pizza for lunch at work to help celebrate a coworker's last day on the job. I told them both I was going to Nudestock today and that I wasn't sure how that was going to be, but that I thought it should be pretty cool. Although she didn't say anything other than "huh..." (as in, 'how bout that') I know it will give her something to talk about.

I didn't have much to post yesterday morning, so I spent my coffee time installing more software. The computer is humming along effortlessly. It hasn't burped once since I set it up. I guess I'll go ahead and hook the hard drive from the old one into it now and slide all the files I want over to this one. Although the programs things get reinstalled new and most of my important files are backed up, there are still a lot of things on the other drive that I want and need, like mp3's and such.

I decided that I would stop limiting myself to just black and white clip art on my posts... There are just so many cool things to use. I'm coming out of the dark ages. Hey, that could be symbolic of my day today as well... How about that!

A Vote for Single-Floor Homes

I've lived here since February and I travel the stairs what seems like a thousand times a day. There have been a few close calls, but so far I haven't taken a tumble like they do in movies.

Yet.

I had one episode where I misjudged a step near the center landing and when down hard against the railing on the far side. There have been many times where a foot slips off a step as I'm going up, but not enough to bring me down. I seldom have any lights on in the stairwell for the simple fact that I'm always naked (there's a window near there), and that sure doesn't help matters any. Just a few minutes ago I had another stairs incident to put in the report, only this one involved my second cup of morning coffee. I missed the very first step after rounding the corner to start of the stairs, causing me to stumble and slosh (fortunately not spill) my coffee on the carpeted steps. I believe it's my first actual spill on the carpet since I've lived here. What pissed me off is that when I was trying to swab up the spill, I sloshed more. I finally sighed, put the coffee cup down, and went into the kitchen to get a wet rag to do the job right.

Yesterday I was coming down the stairs and heard (and felt) a pop in my left ankle. My left ankle make popping noise all the time going down stairs, but this time it was a little different. All day yesterday I had a dull throb in my ankle from it. Same today, and slipping on the lower step didn't help any either...

I don't know if I mentioned or not, but after Sarah and I went through all my movies this weekend, I sat down at the computer and ordered up a few of them from the King County library to replace some of the inferior ones that we each wanted copies of. Monday I got an email saying I had two of them ready for pickup (I think I requested about 12 of them). I decided I'd wait because chances are there would be more in the next day or so. Yesterday morning I had another email from them saying two more were in. Okay, now it's worth stopping in for, so I hit them on the way home from work. Surprise! Not four movies, but nine! Jeez. So I started in on archiving them. I like to "re-author" them to take only the movie and leave all the previews and special features behind. That way when you put a movie in, it goes right to it and starts playing. Movie menus can be such a pain in the ass to navigate sometimes. Don't even get me started on the frustration of previews you have to flip through.

Well, just about time to get some clothes on (sigh) and go to work. I hope my ankle eases up a bit.

Upgrades of the Computer Kind

I bought a computer from a guy on Craigslist a couple of months ago. I spent good money on it, knowing that I was getting some decent internal components. I'm the type that would much rather buy a "Frankenstein" computer made with quality internals from different manufacturers rather than a name brand like Compaq or HP or Dell.

Like any used computer, there is always the learning of it's personality. Sure, they have what I call a personality. You know, how long certain things take, the things that flash across the screen during boot up... You know, lots of little things that you slowly incorporate into your comfort level. Since day one I was impressed with its speed--It's almost 3 times faster than my old trusty computer. But also since day one, it's been plagued by random lockups and freezes. I played with it a lot, swapping components as I could. I borrowed memory from a friend to try to see if that was the problem. Nope. Every time I would try something and fail, I would get pissed and put it in the corner. Then when enough time passed and I felt like giving it another try, I would plug it in and try something else.

It's looking like I finally won.

I unplugged an "add-on" cheapie sound card that was installed and it seems to have cured my problem. It's hard to say for sure. Because I recently bought a new hard drive and installed that at the same time, it could have even been the existing hard drive that was in it. I kind of suspect that a little too. At any rate, I'm up and in the process of reloading all my goodies.

Speed... You can never get enough!

To Post or Not to Post...

It can be a quandary.

On one hand, I can just ramble on about every little thing. On the other hand, I can wait until I have a newsworthy event or amazing deep epiphany of some kind. I'm reminded of the old Cheech and Chong episode: "The first day of my summer vacation: I woke up. I got dressed. Then I went downtown... To look for a job. Then I hung out in front of the drugstore. The second day of my summer vacation: etc. etc. etc."

I could have a little blurb here about another of the many things that piss me off, like the brand new loaf of bread I opened up this morning that is short--So short my lunch meat had to be folded to fit. You know, you can check out bread after bread, and you still get something wrong. Either a short (heightwise) loaf, a loaf with a big hole through the bread in the middle somewhere where you can't see it until you get into it, or one with a teeny hole in the bag you didn't notice that causes your bread to lose freshness. See? I could go on and on about bitchy shit, but what's the point of that? Pick a subject and I'll bet I can find a rant about it.

Or how about the delightful meal I prepared for dinner last night? Mundane topic for sure, but more "positive." I could go on about the little fillets of Tilapia that I lovingly breaded and pan fried to a perfect golden crust, to be accompanied by a side of green beans and potatoes. Oh, and don't forget that huge Caesar salad... Yeah, it was the kind from the "kit" but I added (again, lovingly) freshly diced tomatoes. (Vine-ripened if it matters.)

Or I could completely jump track and mention the neighbor across the back fence that somehow doesn't believe in curtains, but instead has three strategically-placed pieces of styrofoam stood up against the window. They don't cover much. Although she's a big woman, I have to admit I look from time to time. Hey, it's all good. Besides, it's kind of hard not to when you're up on a tall second floor and looking down. Maybe she likes being watched? Who knows. I just know I have my own version of "The Ugly Naked Guy" that they always used to talk about on Friends, and I think it's kinda cool.

Anyway... See what I mean? There's just never anything to write about... ;-)

Back to Work

Yesterday was so relaxing... Albeit a bit on the hot side.

After I got up I spent a little time on the King County Library website and ordered up a few movies, aiming to replace some of the bad copies I have. As of this morning's email, there are already two of them ready for pick up. I think I'll wait a day or two though just in case there are more added.

I was actually wearing clothes for a little while right before noon. Yes I know... It's so unlike me, but you can't shop nude unless you live in Cap d' Agde in France. I got dressed and went to St. Vincent de Paul down the street to look for a good sunning blanket of some kind. I ended up buying two of them--A coarse weave Mexican style blanket, and a "quilt-look" twin size comforter. I felt that I had to try em both out considering they were only $3.50 each. I didn't use the Mexican one yet, but the comforter actually worked out very well. Nice and big, and a smooth layer of cotton against the skin. I ended up laying out in the sun for a couple hours, rotating a quarter turn every now and then. I had to take a couple breaks to chug a giant glass of water though... It was pretty damn hot. I guess it also counted as wearing clothing too, even though it was only bikini underwear again. After all, I can't change my tanline now, can I?

Off and on throughout the day I caught glimpses of the new neighbor that's moving in across the lawn in the next building. That's the place formerly occupied by the Russian family that I lovingly (not) referred to as "The Neighbors From Hell". It looks to be a single guy in his 40's, but it's still too soon to tell. There's still a solid week before it's even the first of the month, so it could be just the male of the household bringing a few items to get the move started.

I'm seriously considering going to Nudestock this weekend. I don't know what to expect, but if I love nudism, and I love live music, why the hell not? The funny thing is that I'm not uncomfortable being naked... But I'm not at ease with the "white ass" I'll be wearing like a beacon. I'm sure there will be LOTS of white asses, but I'd feel better if I actually knew for sure. It's hosted by a nudist camp near me here, called Fraternity Snoqualmie. It's funny though, that now that it's almost at the end of summer. I wonder why I didn't think of going there before? I guess I needed an event like Nudestock to motivate me.

I wonder if I can wash my car while I'm there?

Lazy Mode

Yes, I'm feeling like I'm in lazy mode today.

Sarah and I ended up on the Harley yesterday at about noon, and by the end of the day ended up with 75 miles on it. The weather was fantastic, so I was just in my t-shirt all day. The idea was to head to Seattle by way of any roads other than freeways, only because they're so boring and noisy.

We made our first stop at Downtown Harley in Tukwila, which is where my sister used to work as the service manager. They have a great lunch every Saturday, and it's always great quality stuff. Yesterday they had cheeseburgers, Johnsonville brats, chips, salad, drinks... Whichever you wanted. Always free or throw something into the donation can if you like.

From there we wound our way through the heart of Boeing country in South Seattle, on through downtown and Pioneer Square. As we followed the road next to the water, we could see the HUGE turnout for Seattle's Hempfest which is going on all weekend. Although I was temped, we didn't stop. Not something I feel like Sarah needs to experience, even though it's supposed to be a "non-smoking" event. We continued to Ballard and ended up at Archie McPhee's, the home of some of the weirdest shit you'll ever find in a store. It's just a fun place to wander around in. I bought myself one of those cans that you turn upside down and it makes a cow mooing sound. I wanted to take it to work so I would have something to do when someone jokingly accuses me of "milking it" when I'm sitting at my desk doing paperwork. Sarah ended up buying a little 90-degree periscope thing... Basically a mirror inside of a little plastic viewer.

From there we ended up winding our way through town, all the while in my mind I was trying to pick the best routes for scenery and to minimize stop-and-go traffic. We went all the way south alongside Lake Union to Renton, where we stopped at Fry's Electronics and I bought myself another computer hard drive (cheap!).

From there we went directly home where I dropped her off at her place. I sat there talking with Teresa just long enough for the bike to be slightly cooled down, and when I started it and went to take off, it popped and died and fell over. Jeez... I hadn't done that since the day I first brought it home. Anyway, when that happens it doesn't fall all the way over anyway--I only goes as far down as the engine guards allow, which is about a 30-degree angle to the ground. Still, it's heavy (and embarrassing)!

I was tired when I got home, that's for sure. Teresa gave me a pork roast to take with me because she cooked two of them, so I had a good dinner when I got home. At bedtime I ended up outside on the patio, still fully nude, lying on the warm concrete. I lay there for almost an hour enjoying the cool air and staring up at the stars. I didn't see any shooting stars, but did see what appeared to be 3 satellites at different times.

My lower back is still a bit sore this morning. It must be all the stopping and starting while supporting a passenger that I'm not used to. It takes more out of you than you think. I think I'll just veg out today and eventually lie out in the sun some as well.

Ka Ching!

I was just about to leave work early yesterday to make a special delivery to a customer on my way home, and for payment they were going to clock me out at my usual time (which meant a 15-minute freebie). The only thing is the fact that it's payday, which means one of the LaCroix brothers have to bring me my paycheck before I leave. Phil (the owner) brought it out to me, then says, "Rick, come over here... I need to talk to you for a minute."

Uh oh.

Or so I thought anyway. Turns out, he gave me a buck and a half raise!. That's not bad... 5 raises in just over 4 years... And usually they're just a dollar. Another thing that's cool is the fact that I have never had to ask for any of them. Well that made me happy all right. The hard part is not having anyone to tell it to.

I went over and picked Sarah up last night, and already had stopped at Papa Murphy's (our local take & bake shop) for a giant pizza. We gathered ALL of the movies they had over there and put them into a big box for us to go through later. On the way home, I stopped at a grocery store for some beer and let her pick out a breakfast cereal she liked as well.

As soon as we got here and put the pizza in the oven, we took all the movies out and started going through them. In no time it seemed like the pizza was done, so we stopped and picked out one to watch. By the time it was over, it was starting to look like we'd never get anywhere with our "project" of dividing them up. We sat down and jumped into it again. We managed to make good headway, but still... Almost 500 movies... Whew. We ended up with more "stacks" than we thought we'd have: Pure shit (nobody wanted), Sarah's specials (Disney type movies), movies I wanted that they didn't, movies they wanted that I didn't, movies both of us wanted that needed to be copied... Wow. There were also so many of them that we had never seen yet and didn't know whether we wanted them or not.

Sarah is still sleeping right now. It's been so long since I've had to dress when I got up that I'm finding it very hard. I almost went out of my bedroom naked without thinking about it right off the bat... Not that it mattered if she was still in bed. Still, it's tough...

She's not going to stay the whole weekend. She and Teresa are planning on going somewhere fairly early (which to them probably means around 9 or 10 o'clock) for some more school shopping, so she'll come by and pick Sarah up then I guess. I'd like to hear how her 30-year reunion of sorts went last night, and to see whether or not she was enticed into attending the bigger bash tonight or not. Neither she or Sarah are very outgoing if they don't know people.

I was thinking about taking Sarah up to Seattle on the Harley and bumming around today, but I'll have to wait and see what kind of schedules we're both on. If nothing else, I want to make it up to Fry's Electronics to pick up a new hard drive for the computer.

The sun is up and it's looking like a hell of a nice day!

Woohoo, It's Friday!

But unfortunately it's only Friday morning. I feel much better about it being Friday when I'm walking to my car at work this afternoon at 2:30.

I never did go out for any of the "Taco Thursday" events yesterday. The more I thought about it, the more I decided it really didn't make sense much to me. I think the reason they do these sort of promos is because nobody ever wants to go out on Thursday night.

I finished up my vac pac project with the Foodsaver and it went real well. I had to be careful pulling the individual pieces of chicken breast apart from the Handi Wrap because they were frozen, but they vacuumed much, much easier after being frozen first. It's nice to be able to just open the freezer and grab one or two servings of something and throw it in the fridge to defrost without having to come home later to a puddle of nasty stuff oozing out of it and dripping all over in the fridge.

I went over to Sarah and Teresa's house later on to give T her child support check, and Sarah kept me there by showing me clips from her Will Ferrell dvd. T said she got a call from a school friend the other day and told her that her high school reunion was taking place this weekend and asked if she was going. Well, she's never been an outgoing person, and she said she hardly knew anyone at school even back then, but she is going to go to their "freebie" Friday night event at some bar somewhere. The gals are picking her up tonight at 6 or so. She said she had no interest in paying $35 for the more formal Saturday night dinner. She really has trouble shelling out the tiniest amount of money... Especially something like a dinner. She knows she could just eat at McDonalds or something and save $30. (Insert eye roll here.)

Sarah is going to stay over tonight, so I won't be able to be my usual nudie self. Oh well. It's about time--She hasn't stayed over since right after I moved in back in February. We more or less decided last weekend at the concert that she would this weekend, but with Teresa being out all evening, it makes sense anyway. I told her to gather up all of the movies and we'll go through them and start dividing them up. That may take a while beings that there is almost 500 of them. The main objective is to make three piles: the "me only" pile, the "them only" pile, and a pile that both of us want to own the movie, in which case they need to be copied. It should be fun. Sarah likes doing projects like that. I guess we'll throw a pizza into the mix too. I've got some laundry to do too... I hope I don't embarrass myself too much when she comes over. At least my house is always clean--Both bathrooms were just done last weekend too. Actually, now that I think about it I have nothing at all to worry about because my place is like a hundred times cleaner then theirs is at any given time anyway.

But having to wear clothes all the time... I hope the neighbor lady across the back fence isn't too disappointed.

Morning Coffee Time Again

I don't have much to report today.

I was pleasantly surprised to get a visit on Yahoo last night from an old friend! Cheryl, if you're reading this, I've missed you an awful lot and I'm glad to hear that you're doing better. I'm still hoping for a nice chat fest in person and a chance to catch up on things my dear.

Yesterday was a very busy day at work, but it was mostly paperwork related. The press had to sit idle while I caught up (or tried to anyway) on my other duties. I like it because I get to interact with people up in the front of the building instead of being "locked" in the noise room at the back corner of the shop. That's more my style.

I hit one of the local discount grocery stores yesterday on the way home and dropped about $70 on a pile of much needed food goods. One of the things I bought was a giant pack of chicken breasts. I was in the mood for chicken the other day and remembered that I had a bag full of them in the freezer that my mom gave me for a house warming gift (along with other groceries). Evidently I remembered too late, because they were SO freezer burnt... I was surprised because they were in a store-bought resealable freezer bag. I guess it must've had a hole in it.

I have a Foodsaver that I've had for years and years. It's one of the few kitchen things that I "claimed" when I moved out of Teresa's house. She never used it anyway, and I'm just the kind of anal, organized person to use it. Last time I tried sealing chicken, I had a lot of trouble with it. I was trying to seal them while they were still fresh, and it kept getting to about the 95% point and then all of a sudden would suck juices up the bag and not want to seal right. This time I separated all the chicken breasts out (trimming them a bit as I saw fit to) onto pieces of plastic wrap and made two stacks of them in the freezer. Tonight when I get home I'll put them into Foodsaver vac pack bags. That is, if I can get them apart. It should work...

Today is Thursday, so that means that in the "biker" world, it's Taco Thursday. I think I need to go out and hit up a different place today. The place I've went to the last couple times is not bad as far as establishments go, but their beer is way overpriced and their tacos are just ordinary and boring. Maybe they're all that way. At least they do have live music most of the time. I'm not sure where to go, so I think the thing to do is to just get on my scoot and ride around for a while, and stop at a place that has lots of bikes outside. That seems like a pretty sure thing to me.

If nothing else, I'll get a ride in, right?

The Finality of Divorce Draws Closer...

Could it be that the end (or beginning as I like to say) is near?

I stopped in yesterday after work and perused and signed all the divorce papers. I spent about an hour reading through all the legalese and signed my life away. No wait... I signed my marriage away--That's quite a difference! Teresa will be signing all of hers on Friday, at which time it all goes before the court for the final seal of approval or whatever.

You know how more and more places, cities, and counties require you to attend a quick "pre-marriage" counseling session? Usually it's with a "holy man" of some kind. Funny though--I think a better pre-marriage thing would be to introduce people to the process of divorce before marriage. That way they can see how that meager fee and those one or two pieces of paper you have to sign when you get married could turn into a mountain of paperwork, expense, red tape, entanglements, and arguing. I think it would make people think long and hard about whether it's true love and compatability or not.

I'm very lucky in my divorce (as far as divorces go). We have seldom argued about anything during the splitting process. I'm sure we'll have our little spats here and there when it comes to who's going to pay for what or how much when it comes to various expenses related to Sarah. We're still getting along fine too. I called Teresa after I got home and told her how to find the lawyer's new address and we talked about a few fees and things. It's going well.

I don't know if I should have a party or what when my divorce is final. It just seems so uneventful. As far as I was concerned, the fact that I was out and living on my own was the cause for a party back in February. I seriously considered it, but for various reasons I nixed the idea. Not the least of which was the fact that I had hardly any furniture then. Also, I have to consider who I'm inviting because many of my friends are also her friends. When I think about it though, it's really a moot point, because I wouldn't bad mouth Teresa nor would I allow anyone else to do it. I don't know... I'll have to think about the possibility of a party.

Easy Come, Easy Go

It seems to be the way of the world at work.

The kid that I've been training at work for so long didn't come in yesterday. The word is that he went to work someplace else. It's too bad, because he was a sharp. That means I'll be back in there running the press most days again in addition to the other duties they've given me.

I guess that's the "Catch-22" in this type of work--If someone is pretty sharp, what are they doing working there? Most of the guys that wander in to work there are very low-class people on the social ladder. Guys that have drinking problems, can't ever get to work on time, cars that hardly run... You name it. And you know what? They will never get on top. It's like a neighbor or mine used to say, "Poor people have poor ways."

I got an email from Teresa last night while I was sitting here, and she asked me if there should be any smell of gas out in front of the house where the meter is when it's being used, etc. I wrote back and told her no, of course not. Well, a little while later Sarah called and told me the gas man had just left. He didn't find a gas leak, but he smelled something too and looked around a bit. He found a dead opossum in the basement window well right there near the gas meter. In a twisted way, it's kinda funny...

The non-funny angle of that is the fact that it may have been poisoned. I told her to call animal control to come pick it up and tell them that fact. In recent weeks, one of Teresa and Sarah's cats came down very sick, but did pull through. The next door neighbor's cat was not so lucky. If someone around there is poisoning animals, someone needs to do something about it.

She also told me that divorce papers were ready to sign, so I'll pop by the lawyer's office on the way home from work. Man, it's been a long time since we started this process... This is good news!

Traffic in the Great Northwest

Last night I was on the way home from Melinda's on the Harley and I had to wonder, "Why are so many people out here this time of night, and where are they going?" I've lived in this area all my life, and it's seldom as bad as it was yesterday.

I ended up doing some laundry and hitting a couple stores before going, so I didn't get out quite as soon as I would have liked, so I opted for the freeway instead of the back roads to make up some time. For most of the way it was fine--I was able to maintain a steady 75 almost all the way. Then at one point the northbound traffic came to a crawl. All three lanes looked like a 20 mph bumper-to-bumper event that stretched at least 20 miles. There was never any reason for it... No accidents, no cop with someone pulled over--No nothing. Southbound was still hauling ass though, and that's all I cared about. But all good things got to come to an end, right? I got within 20 miles of her exit and the traffic totally stopped. I was fortunate enough to be almost to an exit, so I didn't have to struggle too long before getting off the freeway. During that time, a cop came blasting up the median on the left side of the stopped traffic blaring his siren, so I knew it was something serious up ahead. I ended up backtracking on a rural road for about 12 miles to catch an intersecting road I wanted, and eventually got to her house, but it took almost an hour longer than usual.

It was her husband Danny's birthday, so I wanted to stop in with a token (gag?) gift. I ended up getting him a talking bottle opener like I have a few of. This one was from The Family Guy TV show (which I almost kept for myself as I didn't have that one). Those things are getting harder to find. I had to hit Spencer Gifts in a mall, and even then all they had was one of them on clearance.

Because it was a nice hot day, I wore my favorite summer attire: My overalls. She gave me that knowing look when she saw them, having been enlightened last summer as to the fact that it's all I'm wearing whenever I have them on. I did take other clothing of course... I wore my leather jacket and had chaps and stuff in my saddlebags to wear on the way home when it was cooler. I also took flipflops to wear in place of my boots while I was visiting. A few of their really nice neighbors were also there, so it was a good visit. Although her daughter and son-in-law were there when I got there, they left shortly thereafter.

I'm not sure what time it was when I left, but the sun was low in the sky. I was doing pretty well until I hit the same traffic (and in the same place) on the way home that I noticed on my way down. It was pretty much 15-25 mph for at least a half hour before it slowly (and I mean slowly) got up to about 55-60 again. I ended up finally getting home at almost 10:30.

Not exactly my favorite ending to a weekend.

The Concert Report

The Endfest concert that Sarah and I attended last night was great, but there were a few things that could've been better. The first thing is that while we got there in plenty of time before the music started (say, 30 minutes or so), we didn't get there in time to get an Endfest 15 t-shirt. They ran out while we were in line. To make matters worse, they were all over being worn or carried by concert-goers... As if to rub it in our faces. We also stopped by all 3 of the merchandise stands to get a t-shirt for Sarah from one of her favorite bands and they were all out of them.

Another thing I didn't do correctly was bring a few extra articles of clothing. You'd think I would've learned from last year... Actually, I did learn a little from last year, and brought a light jacket, but I really would've liked to have long pants and maybe shoes and socks instead of the sandals I was wearing. It gets a little chilly when the sun drops.

Some things were out of our hands though. For example, two of the bands that were originally scheduled to play did not. One of them we knew about--It was posted on their website and was replaced by another band (neither of us liked their performance... It was horrible), but one of them that we each wanted to see cancelled. Some guy with a megaphone was going up and down the entrance line announcing that last minute change. Jeez... What else?

Now for the good:

The weather was perfect, and stayed in the upper 70's all day long. The smaller stage that was running the first 5 bands had some really great stuff, and we got to be within 30 or 40 feet of them. That was good entertainment being that close to them.
The headline act at the end of the night from 9pm to almost 10:45 was the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I like their stuff okay and so does Sarah, but neither of us were that keen on them when we went to the concert. We went for a few of the other bands really. I must say though... We were both blown away. Those guys are fantastic musicians! I have seen a lot of concerts in my life, but I have never seen anyone hammer a bass guitar like that guy can. That was truly the most amazing bass playing I have ever seen, and he was showcased a lot in their songs with solos and the like. The guitar and drums were no exception--The whole band had perfect stage presence, perfect sound, and great song choices. It was truly phenomenal. Then to top it off, during their show, we saw 2 shooting stars (at different times of course) and watched a huge yellow moon rise over the hill just to the left of the stage.

Our final good thing was that we left during their encore and was able to get out of there with NO traffic troubles whatsoever. It was cool.

Sarah didn't want to stay over at the house, so I took her home after. They had just gotten home the night before from being away at friends' over near Spokane for almost two weeks, so she wanted her own bed. She said she'd stay next weekend though.

All in all, it was a good night. What few pictures I took are up on my website. You can always click the link to My Hidden Page over on the right here ---> then click the Pictures link in the menu, but for speed, I'll link them for you right here:

Our EndFest pictures

I think I'll be hopping on the Harley and riding south to cousin Melinda's house today. It's her husband's birthday today, and it's been a while since I've been there anyway. That ought to be a good way to spend a sunny Sunday.

The Saturday Morning Report

It's always good to wake up on a Saturday.

My favorite thing about a weekend is the fact that I don't set the alarm when I go to bed. I don't care if I get up at the same time or not... It's just that little thing that you didn't have to set the alarm. It's a good feeling. As a matter of fact, I know that there have been times that I smiled "out loud" when I went to bed and looked at the clock before closing my eyes.

Today is shaping up to be a cool day for August. Temps are only low to mid 70's for today, but that's a good thing this time. Sarah and I are having one of our favorite father/daughter things today. It's called Endfest, and it takes place right outside of Auburn here at the White River Amphitheater. There will be 9 bands on two stages. It will be fun. Why Endfest? It's sponsored by a local radio station called 107.7 The End. With both of us being lovers of alternative music (yeah, I planted that seed in her music taste... I admit) the big outdoor concert today is something we both enjoy.

Although it would seem right that Sarah would stay over afterwards, I doubt if she will want to. She has never been very big on staying overnight at anyone's house. No matter how close of a friend it is, I can remember that most of the times started to say over at someone's house, she would call her mom who then drove over and brought her home so she could sleep in her own bed. It's no biggie to me really, as she and her mom live so close by. It'll be her choice. I'm well equipped here, having bought two new beds when I moved in here, but you know how it is--Nothing is "personal" when you stay at someone else's place. No posters, knick-knacks, or other assorted junk to make you feel like it's your place.

Jeez, here it is--August--And it was almost chilly enough to have to put some clothing on when I got up this morning.

Almost.

Tweezers, Modems, and Harleys

Say what? Tweezers?!

I work in a business that continuously plagues some of us with the tiniest of metal slivers--The ones that are so small that you're lucky to even see them, let alone get them out. Some time ago I borrowed a little tweezer from a coworker and was floored by the precision and quality of it. And it came in a cute little leatherette pouch thingy to keep it in too. He didn't know where it was bought at because it was given to him by a family member. Anyway, I finally did a web search and after some digging, found it. It's made by La Cross, and it turns out that it's available in any Walgreens Drugs. I stopped on the way to work yesterday morning and bought 3 of em. They were on sale at only 2.99 each, so now I've got one at work, one in the bathroom, and one in the garage.
Here's a link to em: The Killer Tweezers

Since my cable internet was installed a month or two ago, I've been experiencing constant problems. Sometimes the connection would reset, sometimes the modem would reset... I could be on Yahoo chatting and it was like I instantly logged out and back in again. It was frustrating. It really pissed me off when I couldn't pirate any software or music because it wouldn't stay connected long enough to download the list of things to pick from to even download. I spent some time talking to a techie on the phone a few days ago, and he suggested I try one of Comcast's rented modems for a day or two and see if that cures it. Well, it turns out that Circuit City had a new Motorola on sale, and it was only $40 after rebate. I did a little web checking and found that it offered significant improvements over the old Motorola I've been using for over 5 years, so even if it didn't cure the problem, it would be a good upgrade.
I stopped on the way home and bought it, and when I got home and plugged it in. Not only is my connection twice as fast as before, the problem is gone. No more disconnects! Now the only problem I have is the damn rebate things (there are two $20 rebates to send in)... And good ol' Circuit City has receipts that are like a foot long, making it very hard for the average consumer to make the necessary copy to send in. I usually scan it split it into two pieces and print it, but this time I'll go ahead and take it to work and try it. I hate rebates.

I took the Harley out for a ride last night, and went to a bike-friendly tavern about 25 miles out of town. It's a nice enough place, and they have "Taco Thursday" every week to entice people to go. It was a great ride, but the weather was only about 70 degrees, which is cool for August, so the turnout was low. I'd say around 100 or so were there when I left. I only stayed for a couple beers. The only other time I've ever been there was 3 weeks ago, and that day was hot, and there were at least 200 bikes if not more than that. I had the tacos that first time too, but decided that they were very boring and generic, even if you did get to make em yourself.

I think I'll ride the hawg to work today... That will make it a good day when work ends, no matter how the actual day goes.

Big Brother is Watching You

I understand that it's inevitable that more and more things are going to put people under the watchful eye of our "leaders" and government officials--It's pretty much inevitable just based on population and the need for regulation. But what's got me pissed off is the latest thing:

Traffic cameras.

Don't get me wrong--I am all for regulating and putting a stop to people running red lights. Here in my little town of Auburn, it's pretty rampant. It seems like this town has turned into a "transition" town, which means that everyone that drives here seems to be on the way to somewhere else. In this town, it is very common to see sometimes 2 or 3 cars speed through a red light.

The problem I have with traffic cameras is mainly the fact that I was taught (as many people were) that when you're making a left turn (unless you're on a red arrow signal) you pull out into the intersection and patiently wait your turn to go. That way, when traffic is thick and you may not get an opportunity to complete your turn during the green cycle, you will still get to make your turn when the opposing traffic stops for their yellow or red light. This insures that one car will always make it through the left turn cycle. Everyone I talk to was taught to do that, and it has nothing to do with "running" lights.

Traffic cameras don't see it that way. If your vehicle moves during a red light cycle, for whatever reason, you get a ticket.

I don't have a problem with people getting tickets that deserve them. People that stomp the gas pedal to the floor when a light turns yellow, or people that coast through right turns--Those are justifiable. I just don't like the "automatic" aspect of it: Flash, mail, and pay up.

The other problem I have with the traffic cameras is the slow but sure removal of the human element. Are humans reviewing all of these pictures? Are they reviewing any of them? We all know how good scanning software is these days... There are programs that can scan virtually anything automatically. I doubt if any humans ever look at these camera footages unless a challenge is issued.

What can we do about it? I'm not sure. Because I'm a proactive person instead of a reactive one, I'm trying to eliminate the problem before it becomes a problem. I'm considering buying a product called Photoblocker. It's a spray on stuff like clear spray paint. Here's a recent article on it from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A222-2004Jul20.html

Part of me considers the product a scam though... I'm naturally leery of any product that costs $30 or so that is clear to the naked eye. I mean really... Is it real or is it just clear spray paint? We will never know.

It can't hurt...

Boy I Love a Good Deal

Doesn't everyone?

I went into Top Foods the other day to renew my Valtrex prescription. Sometimes I have my empty bottle with me and sometimes not. This time I didn't. The gal knows me by name when I show up, and always greets me with a smile, and this time was no exception. She jotted down my last name and the prescription that I was refilling and I wandered around the store for a few minutes. I came back and made the usual small talk, paid my $20 copay and left.

When I got home I opened the bag up and noticed that the pill bottle was a little bigger than usual, but didn't think much of it. After all, they're always giving me different bottle styles. I looked at the label and the quantity was crossed out and a note was written on it that said, "We owe you 30". I looked at the quantity they gave me and discovered that I had 60 instead of the usual 30 (I take one per day). Cool, a two-for-one sale! See, a little over a year ago my employer's health insurance cut back their prescriptions from 90 days max at one time to only 30. Evidently, when they filled my prescription this time they saw old info in my file or something. I wonder how they're going to handle the 30 they owe me when I go back in two months and show them the note on the pill bottle label?

I don't want to get into a rant about drug prices, but if I had to pay for my own Valtrex, I'd probably be doing without. According to the label, 60 pills that I received would have cost me $554.29. (insert GASP here) Talk about bleeding people dry...

The twisted thing about these kind of deals is that they are relative. They are only a good deal because you're used to them being so much worse. It's sort of hitting yourself in the head with a hammer just because it feels so good when you stop. Actually, our gas prices are a good example. Nowadays we feel good when we get gas under $3 a gallon. A couple years back we would've laughed someone out of the room if they had told us of the impending gas prices.

Anyway, it's always good to bleed a little less than you're used to bleeding...

Ah, my favorite time of day

Coffee time.

Unlike most Seattle area people, I'm not a coffee fanatic. As a matter-of-fact, I just drink plain ol' coffee machine coffee--MJB I think it is, and I don't care who knows.

No, my favorite time of day is coffee time because I can sit here and wake up at my own speed while enjoying a couple of cups of coffee at my leisure. Of course, based on my usual attire, I am very careful with spillage, although I do wear a robe in the cooler months.
Most people are missing out on a great way to start their day. They get up in the morning and allow themselves just enough time to get their shit together and rush out the door to go to work. Their day gets off to a start by rushing around and racing the clock.

Not me.

I get up at 4am every weekday morning so I have plenty of time to say hello to the day. That gives me time to make something for lunch and still have a full hour to sit and peruse the web, or just be lost in my thoughts. By the time I leave for work at 5:30, I'm awake, clear-headed, and ready to face another day of entertaining my coworkers.

Am I stupid to get up a full hour before I really have to? Hell no... I think more people should do it.

Why don't you try it?

What makes a nudist anyway?

I hate clothes.

I don't recall always being that way, but it seems like the older I got, the more I resented having to wear them.

Obviously there are times when clothes have their place. I'm not talking about "society-dictated" places ( i.e. "public" ), I'm talking climate. People should wear some item of clothing if they're cold and it makes them more comfortable.

Depending on the temperature, the instant I get home the clothes come off. You know what though? I love being outdoors nude. There's something about being out in the sun on a breezy day that makes you feel alive. It turns all the little hairs that cover your body into little receptors of sensory input.

I know I really should join a nudist community to take full advantage of what the warmer months have to offer here in Washington, but for some reason I feel odd about it. On one hand you're in a nice, safe place where you can feel natural and enjoy yourself, but on the other hand, it's like you're in hiding. It's almost a zoo mentality, and I'm not a fan of zoo's.

I go up into the woods to be nude on occasion. A very large percentage of this state is heavily forested, and I'll go up to a secluded area in the mountains sometimes and just wander around like nature boy all day. I'll spend the afternoon enjoying the sun on my body, the sounds of birds, the blowing breezes, and the fantastic smells that make up the forests. A bonus is when I find a great spot for a swim too.

You know what I really want to do? I want to be able to go outside in the nude and wash my car. Is that too much to ask? It seems so perfectly natural to be able to do something like that without having to worry about getting your clothes wet.

Society doesn't think people should be nudies.

Welcome to my dusty, middle-aged corner of the world.

Hello.

Yes, as you may have guessed, my name is Rick. You may be wondering why I call this part V, right? Or maybe wondering what the hell happened to parts I through IV perhaps?

Here's the way I look at my life at this point:

Part I - Childhood (18 years worth)
Part II - The Military Years (6 years worth)
Part III - The Solo Years (7 years worth)
Part IV - The Marriage Years (19 of them)
Part V - The Divorce

A quick overview of who I am:

I'm the oldest of five kids, and both of my parents were only children. That means I have no aunts or uncles. I have a daughter from my marriage who is fifteen as of this writing, and I also have a son and granddaughter in Los Angeles. Funny thing there... My son is 27, but until April of 2005 I had no idea he even existed. He is the product of a liaison I had with the wife of a coworker while I was stationed in Italy in 1977. It's a long story and I'm not going to get into that, but he's a great kid, and he and his beautiful wife have produced a very beautiful daughter, who is my first grandchild.

My wife and I split up at the end of January of this year, and I'm not bitter. Nope... As a matter of fact, my ex and I get along better now than we have in years. It was a good thing we did. It took us a long time to actually begin the process though, as each of us was waiting for the other to make the first move. She and my daughter only live 10 blocks from me here so I see them often and everyone gets along great.

Why am I starting a blog? I have no idea other than the fact that I'm a frustrated writer of sorts, and enjoy penning my words on occasion. I used to have a blog online that had over 280 entries in it, and it chronicled my midlife crisis. I deleted it finally when I no longer had negative thoughts to jot down.

You may find that I have many diverse things running through my head from time to time, or I may not like the way it's going and decide to delete the whole thing and walk away from it.

Time will tell.