Thursday night, June 12
I was living in a group house in Falls Church, VA, but I'd had about enough of that arrangement; it was time to move out. After all, people's clothes were piled up all over the place; in some cases, they were several feet deep. I wanted a place of my own; an apartment with clean white walls, peace and quiet, and a pool, too.
On moving day I went out for a late afternoon lunch with my brother Andrew. Having accomplished this goal, I told him about another; I was thinking of asking out my coworker, Tracy M. Drew said, "You're crazy. She's engaged!"
*****
I've been thinking about joining a pool here in Nashville, and have looked into some alternatives. The heat's been getting to me.
Tracy M. is a coworker of mine, and she's a really cool person. She got engaged about two weeks ago, and says that my wife and I will be receiving an invitation to join her and her fiance on their happy occasion.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Crash
Monday night, June 9
Comedian Steve Martin owned a big, old red convertible with long tail fins and white trim. It was a beauty, and he cherished it, so he didn't want anyone to fool around with it. One day he drove his girlfriend to the store, leaving the car in the middle of the lane of a crowded parking lot; he'd be right back. He warned his girlfriend to look out for the car, and walked in to buy something. As soon as he did so, she giggled and slid over into the driver's seat. She figured that she'd play a trick on Steve, by driving away from the storefront. She threw the car into reverse, and attempted a three-point turn; in her haste, she whipped the wheel around and slammed into a line of cars: CRUNCH.
*****
Comedian Steve Martin owned a big, old red convertible with long tail fins and white trim. It was a beauty, and he cherished it, so he didn't want anyone to fool around with it. One day he drove his girlfriend to the store, leaving the car in the middle of the lane of a crowded parking lot; he'd be right back. He warned his girlfriend to look out for the car, and walked in to buy something. As soon as he did so, she giggled and slid over into the driver's seat. She figured that she'd play a trick on Steve, by driving away from the storefront. She threw the car into reverse, and attempted a three-point turn; in her haste, she whipped the wheel around and slammed into a line of cars: CRUNCH.
*****
Jumping the Gun / Dark Skies
Sunday night, June 8
Dream 1: Jumping the Gun
I was about to go out on stage to play a concert with the E Street Band. We were all behind the curtain; Bruce was front and center, and I was the last person on the right, with my electric guitar strapped on, and at the ready. Unfortunately, in my eagerness to get started, I jumped through the curtain ahead of time, and began playing the introduction to "Prove It All Night" in my lame, one-string way. Only then did I realize that the rest of the band had not joined me. Feeling incredibly embarrassed, I slunk back behind the curtain, where Bruce and the entire band were staring at me. Not only had I jumped the gun, but I had begun playing a song of my own choosing. Bruce looked at me with a mixture of anger and humor. Instead of yelling at me, he thought for a second, and came up with an idea. He said, "OK, each of you can pick any one of our songs, and we'll play it tonight." I thought to myself, "If I knew he was going to do that, I'd have picked something else!"
Dream 2: Dark Skies
I was living in a townhouse community in Falls Church, Virginia, and I had joined a number of neighbors outside who were looking up at ominous black clouds. Suddenly someone called out, "A Twister!" I said, "I've got to go get my cat!" and ran toward my door.
*****
Dream 1: Jumping the Gun
Off the top of my head, I might request "The Price You Pay," from "The River."
Dream 2: Dark Skies
Back when I lived on Hyson Lane in Falls Church, I found a black and white kitten one time, hanging out in a large bush next to our front steps. I named him "Munchkin," and kept him in the basement for a few days, until a neighbor happened to come by, describing the cat, and asking me if I'd seen him. (Munchkin had no tag when I found him.) I gave him back, of course. I've got some photos of him in one of my photo albums. They've been kept in storage ever since I came to Nashville -- almost 7 years ago now. Hard to believe.
Dream 1: Jumping the Gun
I was about to go out on stage to play a concert with the E Street Band. We were all behind the curtain; Bruce was front and center, and I was the last person on the right, with my electric guitar strapped on, and at the ready. Unfortunately, in my eagerness to get started, I jumped through the curtain ahead of time, and began playing the introduction to "Prove It All Night" in my lame, one-string way. Only then did I realize that the rest of the band had not joined me. Feeling incredibly embarrassed, I slunk back behind the curtain, where Bruce and the entire band were staring at me. Not only had I jumped the gun, but I had begun playing a song of my own choosing. Bruce looked at me with a mixture of anger and humor. Instead of yelling at me, he thought for a second, and came up with an idea. He said, "OK, each of you can pick any one of our songs, and we'll play it tonight." I thought to myself, "If I knew he was going to do that, I'd have picked something else!"
Dream 2: Dark Skies
I was living in a townhouse community in Falls Church, Virginia, and I had joined a number of neighbors outside who were looking up at ominous black clouds. Suddenly someone called out, "A Twister!" I said, "I've got to go get my cat!" and ran toward my door.
*****
Dream 1: Jumping the Gun
Off the top of my head, I might request "The Price You Pay," from "The River."
Dream 2: Dark Skies
Back when I lived on Hyson Lane in Falls Church, I found a black and white kitten one time, hanging out in a large bush next to our front steps. I named him "Munchkin," and kept him in the basement for a few days, until a neighbor happened to come by, describing the cat, and asking me if I'd seen him. (Munchkin had no tag when I found him.) I gave him back, of course. I've got some photos of him in one of my photo albums. They've been kept in storage ever since I came to Nashville -- almost 7 years ago now. Hard to believe.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Way Back When
Wednesday night
I was walking to my apartment with an acquaintance, and was telling him about my past. We crossed a parking lot, and for a time walked only on small concrete dividers between the parking spaces, which had been painted bright yellow. I said, "The only roommate I ever had was Duncan S." He said, "Duncan?! He's been around forever!" I continued, "I used to have lots of friends, but they all got married, moved out to the suburbs, or moved [farther] away..."
*****
Duncan was one of my first roommates, at a townhouse in Falls Church, VA, but I had many more after that. Some were real characters.
Once upon a time, when my friends and I were all still single, there was always someone to call to get together for dinner out, a movie, a game night, etc. I'm glad I'm married, but I do miss those days and those people sometimes.
I was walking to my apartment with an acquaintance, and was telling him about my past. We crossed a parking lot, and for a time walked only on small concrete dividers between the parking spaces, which had been painted bright yellow. I said, "The only roommate I ever had was Duncan S." He said, "Duncan?! He's been around forever!" I continued, "I used to have lots of friends, but they all got married, moved out to the suburbs, or moved [farther] away..."
*****
Duncan was one of my first roommates, at a townhouse in Falls Church, VA, but I had many more after that. Some were real characters.
Once upon a time, when my friends and I were all still single, there was always someone to call to get together for dinner out, a movie, a game night, etc. I'm glad I'm married, but I do miss those days and those people sometimes.
Clean Up Time
Tuesday night
I was cleaning up my boss'es large office, straightening up a glass curio shelf that stood in front of her large desk. The shelf contained many vintage plastic Halloween candy containers and lanterns, in orange and black, dating back to the 1940s or 1950s. Next, I moved behind her desk, and made two neat stacks of her record albums, leaning them against the wall. One stack had a Jackson 5 album in front, the other displayed an LP by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The sound quality of the records wasn't perfect, but the nostalgia more than made up for it. My boss walked in with another manager, and the two women complimented me on the job I was doing, remarking that the place hadn't looked that good in ages. At that point I happened to look out through a window, to an adjacent swimming pool. I saw a cat, standing on his hind legs, balancing on a yellow volley ball, cleverly riding it back and forth, back and forth, between the edge of the pool (to his right) and the edge of the patio (to his left). I called out, "Look At That!" My boss looked outside and smiled, but expressed no surprise. She said, "Oh. He does that alot."
*****
The vintage orange and black Halloween collectibles are mine, as were the albums, once upon a time. I don't have my LPs any more.
I was cleaning up my boss'es large office, straightening up a glass curio shelf that stood in front of her large desk. The shelf contained many vintage plastic Halloween candy containers and lanterns, in orange and black, dating back to the 1940s or 1950s. Next, I moved behind her desk, and made two neat stacks of her record albums, leaning them against the wall. One stack had a Jackson 5 album in front, the other displayed an LP by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The sound quality of the records wasn't perfect, but the nostalgia more than made up for it. My boss walked in with another manager, and the two women complimented me on the job I was doing, remarking that the place hadn't looked that good in ages. At that point I happened to look out through a window, to an adjacent swimming pool. I saw a cat, standing on his hind legs, balancing on a yellow volley ball, cleverly riding it back and forth, back and forth, between the edge of the pool (to his right) and the edge of the patio (to his left). I called out, "Look At That!" My boss looked outside and smiled, but expressed no surprise. She said, "Oh. He does that alot."
*****
The vintage orange and black Halloween collectibles are mine, as were the albums, once upon a time. I don't have my LPs any more.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Try Something Else
Monday night
Sheriff Andy Taylor noticed that his deputy, Barney Fife, was in a rut, so he suggested that Barney take up an extracurricular activity. Barney decided to write stories for the local paper in his spare time. Finally the day arrived when everyone would get to read his first stories in print. Andy and his family gathered around on the porch, and they and Barney each eagerly read their own copies. Soon their expressions changed; Barney was a terrible reporter. His stories were awful. Even Aunt Bee and Opie couldn't believe what they were reading, and rolled their eyes. Worst of all, Barney had talked Andy into being photographed in convict's overalls, complete with serial number, and this picture was splashed on the back page with the headline, "Sheriff Taylor as prisoner." The article was meant to be informative, to explain what it was liked to be a "guest" in the Mayberry jail, but it completely backfired; it made the sheriff look like an idiot.
*****
Barney was never a reporter in any "Griffith" episodes I've seen, but Opie wrote, printed and sold a juicy gossip column about the neighbors in an episode from season five called "Opie's Newspaper." It aired for the first time on March 22, 1965.
Sheriff Andy Taylor noticed that his deputy, Barney Fife, was in a rut, so he suggested that Barney take up an extracurricular activity. Barney decided to write stories for the local paper in his spare time. Finally the day arrived when everyone would get to read his first stories in print. Andy and his family gathered around on the porch, and they and Barney each eagerly read their own copies. Soon their expressions changed; Barney was a terrible reporter. His stories were awful. Even Aunt Bee and Opie couldn't believe what they were reading, and rolled their eyes. Worst of all, Barney had talked Andy into being photographed in convict's overalls, complete with serial number, and this picture was splashed on the back page with the headline, "Sheriff Taylor as prisoner." The article was meant to be informative, to explain what it was liked to be a "guest" in the Mayberry jail, but it completely backfired; it made the sheriff look like an idiot.
*****
Barney was never a reporter in any "Griffith" episodes I've seen, but Opie wrote, printed and sold a juicy gossip column about the neighbors in an episode from season five called "Opie's Newspaper." It aired for the first time on March 22, 1965.
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Enforcer
Sunday night
I had some sort of a management position at a college, and happened to overhear a male graduate student say, in an offhand way, that he had cheated on his final pre-graduation exam. It was my responsibility to lay down the law. I pulled up a chair, faced him in his, and informed him that he had rendered his entire college career null and void. He seemed disgusted, but with me, not his own actions, and said, Give me a break!" He didn't think what he had done was all that serious, or even out of the ordinary. I said, "Hey, I've cheated before, and I've lied to my parents, but you learn [that it's not the thing to do]."
*****
I suppose that I did teach myself to lie when I was young, mainly as a way to avoid getting in trouble, or yelled at, or maybe as a way to avoid hurting others' feelings. It became almost reflexive -- "My report card? Uh, well, they did hand them out, but they didn't give me mine because I have an overdue book at the library, and I don't know where it is." I didn't lie all the time, but developed a bad habit -- again, to avoid being yelled at -- of telling people what they wanted to hear, as opposed to the truth, particularly over the phone. "Have you taken the trash out yet?" Sure I have! This habit was hard to un-learn, and carried over into my work-life, particularly when I had hard-ass bosses that scared me. "That project? Oh, it's just-about done." (I hadn't started it yet.) The "little lie" can become so ingrained, so much of a daily habit, that one doesn't even think of it anymore. I suppose that few guys will truthfully answer when a wife asks, "Do I look fat in this outfit?" but clothing issues aside, I learned that what my wife expects from me, more than anything else, is honesty. That means that I need to tell her the truth even when I know that she won't like it, and that I, in turn, won't like the response. It's still better than the reflexive lie. I suppose that it doesn't make any difference, but I'd like to point out that I would only lie to my wife about the most idiotic things, after procrastinating and not doing the chores that I'd agreed to do. It's not like I was lying about having a harem on the side, or something. Anyway, so that's my screed about lying. I'm sure that I taught myself to lie when I was very young, out of fear. I don't need to fear my spouse. A marriage should be quite the opposite thing entirely. That's a simple thought, but it took me years to learn it.
Now, as for cheating: I suppose that I shouldn't see lying and cheating as two completely separate things, but I do. Right or wrong, I assume that almost everyone lies from time to time, at least to get themselves out of hot water. But to me, cheating has always seemed to be a mark of the truly screwed-up person; particularly adults who cheat. And I'm not talking about cheating in the adultery sense of the word; I'm talking about cheating at board games, and card games; cheating when it really should not matter. I've caught one adult friend, a woman, cheating at Trivial Pursuit -- she turned the card over and whispered the answers to her teammate -- she also made very public bets and refused to pay when she was wrong. I've also known one guy in the 21-year history of our poker tournament who knowingly cheated by staying in match-the-pot games when he didn't have enough money to cover his loss if he had been beaten. (He admitted this later.) He doesn't play with us any more. Again, maybe I shouldn't draw such a distinction between the liar and the cheater, but I truly see the adult cheater as a pathetic person -- one to be pitied but loathed. (Can you pity and loathe someone at the same time? Probably not. OK, just loathed.) My friend Preston often refers to "the sanctity of the game," no matter what we're playing -- Monopoly, tennis, what have you. He jokes about it, but he's serious, too, and I'm on his wavelength. I don't want to play with anyone who needs to win so badly that he or she will do anything in order to make himself or herself look good. To me that's a sign of a deep flaw, and a sign of a person to be avoided. And I worry sometimes, because I catch my nieces and nephews cheating at games every now and then. One claims that her baseball team has 2 outs when she knows full well that they've had 3; another tries to distract people who have landed on his space in Monopoly, and takes wads of other players' cash when they are not looking. My wife thinks that this is a natural byproduct of growing up in a very competitive family of 8 children, and that they will grow out of it. I hope so. It's definitely uncool.
I can't ever remember purposefully cheating at a game. I'm sure that I must have, long ago, but I don't remember. I determined when I was very young that there's no honor and there's fun in winning if you cheat. The fun comes from honest competition. Otherwise, what's the point?
*****
May 2008 Dream Roundup
Family and Friends:
My wife
My father-in-law (he was played by actor Seymour Cassell in "Bad Vacation")
Andrew C.
Barbara S.
Brent L. (sent gifts to Denis G.'s family in "R.I.P.")
Dad C.
Dawn C. (she had made the Xmas stockings in "Bad Christmas")
Denis G.
Eddie M.
Edie S.
Gordon S.
Jarratt S.
Jim B.
Jimmie C.
Linda S.
Mandy H.
Mike K.
Mom C.
Preston W.
Scotty S.
"Sis" (Dad's sister; my aunt)
Stacy L. (sent gifts to Denis G.'s family in "R.I.P.")
Acquaintances & coworkers:
Jason E.
Jennie S.
Jessica M.
Maliha M.
Celebrities:
Bono
Carl Childers (I owned a "Carl suit" in "Christmas with Carl")
Charles Dana Gibson (trees in "Memory Garden" resembled his art)
Frank Sinatra
George Harrision
Harrison Ford
Indiana Jones (that was the movie playing in "Torn")
Julia Roberts
Mick Jagger (I spoke of my friendship with him in "Mentor")
Nat King Cole
The Pretenders
Seymour Cassell (he played my father-in-law in "Bad Vacation")
Ted Cassidy
Tim Burton
The Washington Redskins
Willie Mays
I had some sort of a management position at a college, and happened to overhear a male graduate student say, in an offhand way, that he had cheated on his final pre-graduation exam. It was my responsibility to lay down the law. I pulled up a chair, faced him in his, and informed him that he had rendered his entire college career null and void. He seemed disgusted, but with me, not his own actions, and said, Give me a break!" He didn't think what he had done was all that serious, or even out of the ordinary. I said, "Hey, I've cheated before, and I've lied to my parents, but you learn [that it's not the thing to do]."
*****
I suppose that I did teach myself to lie when I was young, mainly as a way to avoid getting in trouble, or yelled at, or maybe as a way to avoid hurting others' feelings. It became almost reflexive -- "My report card? Uh, well, they did hand them out, but they didn't give me mine because I have an overdue book at the library, and I don't know where it is." I didn't lie all the time, but developed a bad habit -- again, to avoid being yelled at -- of telling people what they wanted to hear, as opposed to the truth, particularly over the phone. "Have you taken the trash out yet?" Sure I have! This habit was hard to un-learn, and carried over into my work-life, particularly when I had hard-ass bosses that scared me. "That project? Oh, it's just-about done." (I hadn't started it yet.) The "little lie" can become so ingrained, so much of a daily habit, that one doesn't even think of it anymore. I suppose that few guys will truthfully answer when a wife asks, "Do I look fat in this outfit?" but clothing issues aside, I learned that what my wife expects from me, more than anything else, is honesty. That means that I need to tell her the truth even when I know that she won't like it, and that I, in turn, won't like the response. It's still better than the reflexive lie. I suppose that it doesn't make any difference, but I'd like to point out that I would only lie to my wife about the most idiotic things, after procrastinating and not doing the chores that I'd agreed to do. It's not like I was lying about having a harem on the side, or something. Anyway, so that's my screed about lying. I'm sure that I taught myself to lie when I was very young, out of fear. I don't need to fear my spouse. A marriage should be quite the opposite thing entirely. That's a simple thought, but it took me years to learn it.
Now, as for cheating: I suppose that I shouldn't see lying and cheating as two completely separate things, but I do. Right or wrong, I assume that almost everyone lies from time to time, at least to get themselves out of hot water. But to me, cheating has always seemed to be a mark of the truly screwed-up person; particularly adults who cheat. And I'm not talking about cheating in the adultery sense of the word; I'm talking about cheating at board games, and card games; cheating when it really should not matter. I've caught one adult friend, a woman, cheating at Trivial Pursuit -- she turned the card over and whispered the answers to her teammate -- she also made very public bets and refused to pay when she was wrong. I've also known one guy in the 21-year history of our poker tournament who knowingly cheated by staying in match-the-pot games when he didn't have enough money to cover his loss if he had been beaten. (He admitted this later.) He doesn't play with us any more. Again, maybe I shouldn't draw such a distinction between the liar and the cheater, but I truly see the adult cheater as a pathetic person -- one to be pitied but loathed. (Can you pity and loathe someone at the same time? Probably not. OK, just loathed.) My friend Preston often refers to "the sanctity of the game," no matter what we're playing -- Monopoly, tennis, what have you. He jokes about it, but he's serious, too, and I'm on his wavelength. I don't want to play with anyone who needs to win so badly that he or she will do anything in order to make himself or herself look good. To me that's a sign of a deep flaw, and a sign of a person to be avoided. And I worry sometimes, because I catch my nieces and nephews cheating at games every now and then. One claims that her baseball team has 2 outs when she knows full well that they've had 3; another tries to distract people who have landed on his space in Monopoly, and takes wads of other players' cash when they are not looking. My wife thinks that this is a natural byproduct of growing up in a very competitive family of 8 children, and that they will grow out of it. I hope so. It's definitely uncool.
I can't ever remember purposefully cheating at a game. I'm sure that I must have, long ago, but I don't remember. I determined when I was very young that there's no honor and there's fun in winning if you cheat. The fun comes from honest competition. Otherwise, what's the point?
*****
May 2008 Dream Roundup
Family and Friends:
My wife
My father-in-law (he was played by actor Seymour Cassell in "Bad Vacation")
Andrew C.
Barbara S.
Brent L. (sent gifts to Denis G.'s family in "R.I.P.")
Dad C.
Dawn C. (she had made the Xmas stockings in "Bad Christmas")
Denis G.
Eddie M.
Edie S.
Gordon S.
Jarratt S.
Jim B.
Jimmie C.
Linda S.
Mandy H.
Mike K.
Mom C.
Preston W.
Scotty S.
"Sis" (Dad's sister; my aunt)
Stacy L. (sent gifts to Denis G.'s family in "R.I.P.")
Acquaintances & coworkers:
Jason E.
Jennie S.
Jessica M.
Maliha M.
Celebrities:
Bono
Carl Childers (I owned a "Carl suit" in "Christmas with Carl")
Charles Dana Gibson (trees in "Memory Garden" resembled his art)
Frank Sinatra
George Harrision
Harrison Ford
Indiana Jones (that was the movie playing in "Torn")
Julia Roberts
Mick Jagger (I spoke of my friendship with him in "Mentor")
Nat King Cole
The Pretenders
Seymour Cassell (he played my father-in-law in "Bad Vacation")
Ted Cassidy
Tim Burton
The Washington Redskins
Willie Mays
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