Wednesday, November 20, 2002

Ah...well, another day of peace and serenity for the unemployed.

I joke about this now, but check back with me in two months and I'm sure to be in a mild panic. Tonight I sit before my computer screen, sipping my Yerba Mate and reflecting on my day...

I awoke rested and happy, having felt the stress of five years slowly leaving my body over the past twelve days. My first disappointment today was learning that I missed YET ANOTHER Leonid meteor shower! THEY say this one was the biggest and best (how do they know that?) for at least the next one hundred years. Oh joy.

I began the task of working on my middle room today. Boring you say? Ah, but you've never seen my middle room! Rarely, if ever, has anyone seen the middle room (please refer to the July 22nd posting of "A single man's rules for cleaning house.... " rule number nine) in it's "true" form. I know my limits and I have a very real capability of biting off more than I can chew, so I paced myself.

I worked on one corner of the middle room, spreading items about the house in "piles" separating said items categorically. This made for a more spread out mess akin to spreading a pat of butter over the expanse of a submarine roll. The pat of butter in-and-of-itself appears substantial until it is spread over the expanse of the larger roll. Results: Items were categorized, corner was revealed, walking room was created and now the whole house looks messy instead of that one little corner of my middle room. *sigh*

Two of the three kittens are now placed. One went to a woman in the next town, another to Charlie Brown's little red headed girl up the road. I have decided (on a daily basis) to keep the little tiger as a companion for Zippy. This decision is subject to change at any moment. I need to get these guys - Zippy and "Zooey" - on my time schedule though and I'm not exactly sure how to accomplish that, except to constantly WAKE THEM UP during the daytime. This evening I'm making a trip into the living room at least every hour to investigate a CRASHING noise.

Well, as of Monday I began an exercise routine of walking. I set out Monday and walked up to the main road and across the street. This distant neighborhood was like a history lesson. The adjoining side roads and names on the mailboxes matched. Three main characters abounded, some whose housing dating back into the seventeen hundreds. The descendants are all still in the same area and I slowly began to put together names of locals in town that I know personally with the names of the roads and mailboxes I passed during my stroll. One thing I learned quickly here in New England....be careful what you say about someone because you are probably talking to a relative of theirs.

It was a peaceful walk, not a person in sight and very little traffic at 12:30 p.m. I felt just a tad guilty (only a tad) for being out and about, enjoying myself and the outdoors while others were working. I picked up some roadside trash, a good habit my ex-wife taught me when we first moved here nineteen years ago. A broken Budweiser bottle, a Skoal chewing tobacco container, a flattened grape soda can, an empty cigarette pack.....suddenly dawning on me that every item of trash represented something that Americans stuff into their mouth and not one of them with any real nutritional value. What a healthy race of people we are breeding.

Well, the nightly news is over and I'm developing the bad habit of staying up later and later. Zippy has that worn-out look about her tonight as if to say, "Why didn't you give this kitten away?" as Zooey hangs from her neck in playful banter. I'm off to bed. Tomorrow is a new day with some light snow on the horizon...a nifty thing to awaken to, wrapped in my flannel sheets.

-Jeeem-

Monday, November 18, 2002



Musingbanner










I credit the idea for the banner above to: Zebulon Mysterioso

Thanks Chris!

-Jeeem-
Wintry Mix


There's about three inches of snow on the ground and it's been raining/icing/sleeting/snowing all day. The weather report calls it "WINTRY MIX" and I love being out in it! Yeah, a bit nuts I suppose, but I've never professed to be normal in any way. Stubborn fool that I am, I had called the plowguy from up north and he never returned my call. So I said, "Screw him," and decided to put him out of business by shoveling my driveway this winter. So, here I am, sitting at the computer with water dripping from my nose, earlobes and chin, shivering while I get warm and go out there for round two.

That'll show him.

I'm such a genius.

-Jeeem-

Saturday, November 16, 2002

FBI Warns of 'Spectacular Attacks'


I just got back from a shopping run...not one of my favorite things to do in this world. So, I've got everything put away and so I sit down to put in a little computer time, munching on hot wasabi peas and what do I see on the news front?

"SPECTACULAR ATTACKS"

Staring me in the face, from the computer screen.

It seems there is a new threat now. Bin Laden, (the heroin kingpin) and his Al-Qaida network, are supposedly threatening to unleash a "spectacular" terrorist attack intended to damage the U.S. economy and inflict large-scale casualties. The White House said Americans should remain vigilant, although it left the alert status unchanged.

Just ignore those "BORING" attacks or those "EVERYDAY" attacks and only focus on the "SPECTACULAR" ones. Is there such a thing as a NON-SPECTACULAR attack? Hey, inquiring minds want to know!

Kinda reminds me of the Forth of July.

You're sitting there, watching the explosions in the sky and rating them. Ever do that? We did as kids. "Oooooh! Ahhhhhh! Good one! Ahhhhh..SPECTACULAR!" Well, all kidding aside, I don't think there is anything "Spectacular" about an attack.

Unless of course it's unleashed upon some miserable terrorist bastards.

-Jeeem-

Friday, November 15, 2002

Call for Condom Testers Swamped by Offers


LONDON (Reuters) - An appeal for British students to volunteer to rigorously road test condoms and be paid 100 pounds ($158) a term into the bargain has been overwhelmed by applicants, manufacturer Condomi said Friday. Within a week of the appeal for sexually-active men and women to come forward, the firm had received 10,000 applications and is combing the list selecting 100 who will get lucky.

The winners will be required to perform what the firm called "rigorous pleasure tests" on its entire range and fill in a detailed questionnaire on their reactions. "The response has been phenomenal," marketing manager Victoria Wells said. "It is quite surprising how much detail some people go into when answering intimate questions."

......I'm telling ya, those British are a randy bunch! Why is it ya never see contests like that in the U.S.?

Don't answer that Chris!

-Jeeem-
Nothing good on NextBlog tonight. Just boring, political, golf-themed, preppy-techno, pseudo-intellectual, Korean, twinkie-esque, Lotte Custard fueled doo-doo is all. Guess I'll have to give the NextBlog button a rest for a day or so. Is anyone else picking up those blogs from Israel and the Netherlands? Interesting.

God it's nice to be HOME ALONE. I love my home. For those that have been asking, my so-called retirement is coming along nicely. I await my final checks and my study review course in the mail. Meanwhile, the house is getting a good cleaning and I've been staying close to home, saving on petrol. I'll be putting my nose to the grindstone soon enough.

My honey is coming over tomorrow and I can't wait. Suppose I'll have to shower and shave if I can remember how it's done. I don't look half bad with a beard! I must smell, but I can't tell over the fumes from the catbox.

I need some more talent.

-Jeeem-

Wednesday, November 13, 2002

For the Love of GOD!



REDWOOD CITY, CA—Video-game developer Pixxel Arts announced Monday that it will delay the release of Beltway Sniper: Silent Strike out of respect for the victims of the recent D.C.-area shootings. Based on the sniper attacks linked to suspects John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, Beltway Sniper: Silent Strike was slated to hit store shelves Nov. 15. Last Friday, however, Pixxel top brass made the decision to postpone the game's release until March 2003. It was said by the Pixxel Arts president, Davis Conway, that a percentage of the profits from sales of Beltway Sniper would be donated to the victims' families.

This is sick. REALLY sick. I wonder what THEIR families think of their new product?

-Jeeem-

Eminem a.k.a. Slim Shady


All that name brings to mind is Enema and I think this kid needs a good one. Rap isn't my thing and I could care less about some hooded, tattooed gringo singing ghetto grunge from Detroit, but one can hardly miss the promo's on this kid lately. He's made it BIG in the movie world and they say his new movie has netted $5.4 million so far.

Eminem or "Enema" whichever you prefer, was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III and is also known as Slim Shady. He is a white, foul-mouthed rapper from Detroit. I recently saw him on MTV, undergoing an interview and without even knowing who he was, I wanted to knock his freakin' head in, just listening to him. He's nothing but a punk who THINKS he knows it all and puts on this embarrassing tough air about himself, which is only gonna buy him some pain down the road.

But hey....to each his own, right? Besides, I predict this stupid punks fame will be his demise. We'll read about either drug abuse, jail or a drive by shooting, to end his pathetic existence. When you flaunt your toughness, you usually aren't tough to begin with and there will always be somebody out there to try and knock you off your pedestal.

Good riddance Enema!

FLUSH!

-Jeeem-

Thursday, November 07, 2002

I HAVE WATER!!!


Oh my GOD!

I have water! Real, wet, RUNNING water!

Do you have ANY idea what that is like? Well of course you do. Why? Because you are spoiled. You had running water all along....and you aren't humble like me! Me.... with a NEW appreciation for turning a spigot and getting water or pushing down the lever and flushing the toilet.

What's it been now? Three months? Four months?

I won't have to go to the river again. I won't have to freeze while breaking the ice to fill my buckets. I won't have to heat water on the stove every morning and pour it into a bucket in my shower to pour over my head with a sauce pan.

Holy Jesus this is rich!

I think I'll go wash my dishes just to celebrate.

Karma's gonna get all of you for having water when I didn't....

Seriously.

-Jeeem-

Wednesday, November 06, 2002

Wet Kitty's are FUN!



















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As you all know, I've been out of well water for a while. So consequently, I've got buckets of river water sitting inside my home, keeping them out of the freezing outdoor air. Well, tonight my buckets of water were discovered by one of the most curious kittens of the litter, which is fast approaching the eight week age mark. This one decided she would climb up and peer into the bucket. Well, she made it....but that wasn't enough. She pulled herself up onto the edge and teetered there for a minute or so before falling into the bucket.

Yeah, I know....you're thinking I've got the cruel shoes on. No, I was watching her...I wouldn't have let her drown. I was teaching her a lesson.

-DON'T CLIMB INTO THE BUCKET OF LIFE UNLESS YOU'RE WILLING TO GET WET-

It's a good thing I never had children.

-Jeeem-

Monday, November 04, 2002

Alright, alright.....

What am I going to do?

Despite popular belief that I am going to be found frozen to the side of the road somewhere, bearded and homeless, I do have a plan. I am cashing in my retirement package for the state and buying into a review course to renew my nursing license. Being unemployed will free me up to finish the course in record time, probably four months, which will give me my much needed break and allow me to refocus.

Aside from my constant ranting and ravings against money versus self-respect or freedom, the above action will more than double my salary. Poor me, right? Well, I do need to get an artesian well installed and finish up some things in the house before I sell the damn place and move. Yes, that is a plan too. My short-term goals, if they pan out, will lead to some long-term goals of selling the house and moving up north, possibly getting a nice, cushy supervisory nursing job in the future and freeing myself up to travel the rest of Asia and beyond.

I'm on a mission from God

-Jeeem-

Sunday, November 03, 2002

IT'S ALL WHAT YOU WANT...


Thanks to all of you who have written me or called me, expressing your concern over my recent decision to quit my job. Especially those of you who have expressed concern over the fact that I have nothing lined up to replace my current job. I can only hope you will try and understand and accept me for who I am.

I try not to judge others, but I still do. It's none of my business and especially none of my business if those "others" don't ask for my opinion. I do; however, give my opinion, whether those "others" like it or not, when their decisions screw with my life. Otherwise, I basically believe we are all products of our own experiences in life and our decisions are based on our value systems and our moral beliefs. I cannot see another person's perspective if I have not walked in their shoes.

Within the last three months or so, the love of my life and I heard a person say the following, powerful statement which we both found to be true:

"There are those in life who...."

1) Make things happen.

2) Stand around and wait for things to happen.

3) End up saying, "What the fuck happened?"

I would like to believe that I practice number one. I am ready to leave my place of work. I learned things there. Staying there would only mean for me that I had, "Settled" for less in life. I'm moving on. The fact that I have nothing lined up, to make cash, is really not a big deal in my life. In another person's perspective....one who has not lived my life, it might strike them as a stupid decision. Their opinion.

Walk in another person's shoes for a while before you judge them or try to force your values and morals down their throat.

Once, a long time ago, while working with a man who had a tenth grade education and had not obtained his G.E.D., I chided him for choosing a career that was far beneath his obvious intelligence and suggested he get back into school. I rambled on and on about ways to finish up his G.E.D. (high school equivalence exam) and enter college so he could gain a higher position than he was in at the time I was working with him.

He tolerated me and eventually told me, "Jim, I am happy digging ditches. I enjoy it."

Point taken. I learned a lot that day. I learned that just because I felt he was making all the wrong decisions in life, didn't necessarily mean he was. I was trying to shove my value system up his butt and he wouldn't have a part in it.

Good for him.

I will soon possess three college degrees. Those degrees are not what taught me what I know to survive. I rely less on those degrees than I do my common sense in life. I feel sorry for those people who stand around and wait for things to happen or end up saying, "What the fuck happened?" But, if that is what floats their boat, then more power to them.

My serenity in life is more important to me than a job. I know people who are miserable in their jobs, or their life, or their relationships and sometimes in all three and do nothing about it. They live in a rut...in my opinion. Everyone else can usually see it, except for the ones immersed knee deep in it.

At the recent conference / training I was forced to attend, I did go away with one learned tool.....this tool was presented as such:

Look at the following list:

* Money
* No legal problems
* Job
* Good Health
* Freedom
* Self-Respect
* Family
* Religion / Spirituality
* Good Friends
* Drinking or Using Drugs

Now, as you can probably see, this is geared, a tiny bit, to offenders in a court-ordered program. But, humor me.....

First, pick three from the list above that you would GIVE UP. I mean TOTALLY GIVE UP. Three of them. Go ahead....pick.

Finished? Pretty easy right? Maybe not, for some of you. I hope you picked carefully.

Now, pick three more.

Yep, three more. That is a TOTAL of six things you would totally GIVE UP if you had to. Pick carefully.

Now pick three more and circle the ONE ITEM you could never give up. Nine things you would totally give up and one that you would hang onto until the bitter end. This exercise will tell you a lot about yourself. You might think everybody would pick the same items as you do, but you are wrong. Some might give up "Family" before they would give up freedom. Some might give up self-respect before they would give up money. Everybody is different, based on their own value systems.

Get my point?

Towards the end of the check off, I struggled between self-respect and freedom. That's me. That's who I am. Trust that I will make the right decisions for myself, in my life and you will be my good (and true) friend.

-Jeeem-


















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-Jeeem-





SHIT.

I MISSED HALLOWEEN!

WANT SOME CANDY LITTLE GIRL?

HEH, HEH.....

-Jeeem-




 
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