Reflection on Christmas Eve

So it is the day before christmas. We aren't going to be home tomorrow. I don't exactly know how to handle it, well I should say, I didn't know how to handle it. You can't look at something like this and say 'oh its the first time I won't...*fill in the blank*' You need to look at it like this: 'This is the start of something new. Sure I won't be home, but I get to start doing *fill in the blank* here.'

For instance: I get to spend Christmas with Andrea. We are starting a new life down here in Wichita, and it will be great. We don't have to worry about running to each others house and having three meals on Christmas. Yeah, it was fun the first couple of years. But we did it for seven years in a row. Between that and Thanksgiving, we could easily put on five to seven pounds each day respectivly. Now? Now we have a cornish game hen for Thanksgiving with stuffing and potatoes. Just enough for the two of us. Tomorrow night? Are we having turkey? No. Are we having ham? No. Are we having turkey ham? No. We are cooking steaks. That is right, STEAKS! Cheap strip steaks. That could be a new holiday tradition right there. Steak for Chirstmas dinner!

Yes, we are both going to miss being with our families tomorrow, you really can't lie about that. But this was much eaiser, plus I couldn't get time off of work. I'm telling ya, moving away has it's advantages. You can do whatever you want and start a new tradition.

Life soundtrack: a la Trace

So my friend Trace put this idea of a life soundtrack up on his blog and I decided I would borrow (because steal sounds so mean) that idea and do this myself.

Opening Credits: Mad World by Gary Jules (known to many from the movie Donnie Darko)

Waking Up: Without a Face by Rage Against the Machine

First Day at School: Leaving of Liverpool by The Pub Runners

Falling In Love: The Rover by Led Zeppelin

Breaking Up: Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley (with Alison Krauss)

Prom: Sleep Now in the Fire by Rage Against the Machine

Life's OK: Ozone Baby by Led Zeppelin

First Meeting of Trusty Sidekick: The Fool on the Hill by The Beatles

Breakdown: Jen Doesn't Like Me Anymore by Less Than Jake

Driving: She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy by Kenny Chesney

Flashback: Black Math by The White Stripes

Getting Back Together: L.A. Woman by The Doors

Wedding: Folsome Prison Blues by Johnny Cash

Sex Scene: Takers and Users by The Business

Birth of Child: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n Roses

Personal Theme Song: The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band

Life Long Nemesis’ Theme Song: Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner by Fall Out Boy

Dream Sequence: Flowers on the Wall by The Statler Brothers

Final Battle: (Ghost) Riders In The Sky by Johnny Cash

Death Scene: Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin

Funeral Song: Know Your Enemy by Rage Against the Machine

Dance Sequence: Marie's Wedding/Loch Lomond by Blackthorn

End Credits: Ruby Tuesday by The Rolling Stones

So there you have it. The soundtrack of Michael Litzner's life. Now go out and by the album to support your local starving artists.

A new year...and a new me??

Okay, so I have decided that at the start of next year (that is right, January first) I am going to shave my beard. I think this all got planted in my head when we had some district managers visit our store. While one of them was talking with the deli people, we got talking about shaving because Travis had shaved that morning. And then one of our executives said, 'I wonder what Mike would look like without the beard.' And it is going to stay shaven for the entire year. Why? Just for something different. This is a huge difference. The last time I shaved was when I first came down here to visit Andrea before I went back to work on Mackinac Island for the second year...so April 2005. So it'll be about twenty-one months. And in that time frame, I had three (yes THREE) different styles. The well loved chops. I had several women comment on them on the Island. One of which told me that they were sexy (she then ran to catch up with her husband and two kids). I also had one woman say "That is a man after my own heart" on the way to ferry. That completly threw me off, but it was a great inside joke that summer between Trace, Katie, Steph, and I.

I sported a full beard from October until April when I went to...
The full mutton chop. Even more fun which turned more heads when I wasn't at Cowtown. I liked this look, and so did people I worked with at Cowtown and Target. I have one woman I work with at Target who started calling me 'Sideburns'. Totally cool, and she still calls me that even though I have grown back the full beard.

So after I finished up work at Cowtown at the end of October, I went back to sporting...
Yes, back to the boring full beard. Now I just look like a well educated college graduate who works at Target. Ho-hum. But yeah, I'm shaving January first.

A toast...to the old watering hole.

So after a very stressful day at work yesterday (ranging from someone calling to complain about the steaks they purchased being to salty [for fucks sake, she bought chuck steak...a four dollar steak and expected a t-bone] , to running out of some high demand ham [not my fault, I ordered twelve cases but they didn't get shipped. I am PISSED about that] , to running close to out of turkeys before thanksgiving is here [we sold the last butterball turkey this morning]) I decided the best way to end the day was with a nice warm glass of whiskey. Now some people may see that as a 'problem' me going home and drinking. I don't see it as a 'problem', it's a damned solution. duh...

At any rate, I had set it down on the coaster next to the computer not really thinking about it, until I picked it up, took a sip and set it back down. Here is what I found.
Pretty neat photo. And the glass, well it is one of those nice little tumblers the Grand Hotel has that has 'Mackinac' on them. I have no idea how I got a hold of it...that one or the other seven I have. No idea at all.

The end

The interpretive season has come to a close. So now I have a job just five days a week, thankfully. Seven days just killed me. So now I can have a social life. So that's fun. That also means I go from rocking some sweet chops...





...to sporting just a regular old beard.
And it only took ten days to grow it back out. How fun. One can never really argue with facial hair for the sake of ones job. Especially when they were as sweet as the full on mutton chops a la Ambrose Burnsides and many many others from the 1800s. I think that everyone who is capable of growing a full beard should try out the mutton chops for a couple of months. You will not believe the looks that you get.

A couple of good halloween jokes

Here is something fun and hopefully will get you my dead reader to laugh or perhaps smile a bit.

-Why did the cannibal get expelled from school?

~Because he was buttering up his teacher.



-A skeleton walks into a bar and orders a beer and a mop.


See, you are smiling.

Oh well

Baby steps, baby steps...and all next year, the Tigers can claim to be the SECOND best team in baseball. Errors were very very very very very very very very very costly during the world series. It happens. Baseball is a game of streaks.

Game one tonight

The first game of the World Series between the Tigers and the Cardinals starts in just over an hour. The two teams have met before in the world series. The Tigers won in seven games back in 1968 and the Cards won in 1934 also in a seven game series.

I am hoping that this series goes five games in favor of Detroit (obviously) just so they can celebrate in Detroit if they do win. That city would go absolutly bonkers if that happens. I'll be cheering and supporting them on from down here this year and every year I will be alive. That is a sign of a true fan, always support even during the down years. None of this bandwagon jumping on and off bullshit that you see in sports.

Who's house?

The Tigers' house! That's right, the Detroit Tigers are going to the WORLD SERIES! That is right, the WORLD SERIES! They just won the American Leauge Series on a walk-off home run by Magglio. He was fucking money during this game. He had two home runs, one one run homer and the three run walk off home run.

I'm so excited. Now the Detroit Tigers bandwagon is pretty full. I just have one question for all of those fans who finally decided to cheer for them, where were you to support them when they were losing one hundred plus games a year? I tell you what, you weren't on the bandwagon then. Back then, I could stretch out on the bandwagon and not hit anyone. Shame on all of you for jumping on this year and for turning your backs on them in the years past.

Tragic day for baseball

Today: Cory Lidle, pitcher for the New York Yankees was killed when the plane he was flying crashed into a New York high rise. He and one other person were killed, no other people were injured. Lidle was quoted eariler in the year saying that he had found a new love; flying. Unfortunately, he leaves behind a wife and child.

The best day ever??

Well, maybe not the best day ever, but pretty fuckin' close. First off, the Tigers BEAT DOWN the Yankees 8-3 today and advanced to the American Leauge Championship series. Now, the majority of the sports analizers were saying how the Yankees had the best one through nine batting order ever. They however, failed to count on the Tigers pitching staff shuting them down. If you take away the one bad inning that Nate Robertson had in the first game (in which he allowed five runs), the most runs the Yankees scored in an inning against the pitching staff during this series was two runs. TWO RUNS! Hows that for lights out pitching. Fuckin' Yankees. Always overappreciated and overpaid.

Secondly, I got news that I was getting my promotion at Taget that I was hoping for. Now granted, I won't start my training until Novemeber when I get back there full time, but I will be heading in that direction before hand (and hopefully I will start getting my team lead pay :o)).

Now, I am enjoying a nice big glass of whiskey before bed.

today is finally ending

I am just about ready to put a cap on my 16 (thats right kids, sixteen) hour day. My boss gave me last Sunday off so I could work today at OCM. Well, he failed to tell me I would be working at 8:30 in the a.m. I left the apartment at 8:00, worked until 2:45 post meridian. Then I drove the twenty minute commute that just flies by these days, got dressed for Target and worked there until 11:00. All in all, I worked fifteen ungodly long hours. Well, technically, fourteen and a half, I got a lunch break at Target. But I was on my feet all day long and I am ready to get to bed.

On a much lighter, and happier note. The Tigers won their game tonight against that evil empire known as the New York Yankees. They lead their best of five series two games to one. They need to just one more win to advance and face the Oakland Athletics. And to think, tons of people counted them out when they lost the first game. Shame on all you nay sayers and haters.

Long awaited weekend

I couldn't be happier that the weekend is finally here (well, almost). I have to work tonight, but then tomorrow, I am off to Butler, MO to play some base ball. Butler is celebrating the 150th birthday of the town's founding. So we are heading up there to show them how the boys from Wichita play old school vintage base ball.

That is going to be fun, but not as fun as Sunday. Sunday, I am going to do NOTHING! This is my first day off since we came back from Michigan...which was in August. I can't wait. A lazy day is just what I need.

Work has really slowed down as of late. The fall does that to these kinds of museums. However, it has led to some fun. I realized that I really didn't have any photos of work or me at work. So I brought Andrea's digital camera to work on Wednsday and took some shots.

A self portrait, with the help of a mirror.














Closing time at the saloon.












The back bar in the saloon. Oh yeah, that bar is original to 1871!

I was thinking.....Yeah, I know....Oh shit

As I was watching bits and pieces of the football game tonight (the New Orleans Saints vs. the Atlanta Falcons), everyone and their pets were making a big deal about this game being in New Orleans and it being the first game in the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina struck the New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico area. I couldn't help but think to myself, yeah, people can't stop the weather from devastating buildings and breaking dams and levees and whatnot. But the one thing that was really pissing me off basically, was that they kept talking about how so many people died and lost loved ones, etc. etc.

These people can't blame the government for this loss of life, even though they want to. These people were told that this hurricane was going to basically destroy parts of Louisiana, especially New Orleans. They want to say how the government was slow to help them get to safety and how they didn't care for the people of N.O., you saw it all on the television. But I seem to remember there being tons of reports of how people were told that they should leave...It was in their best interests. But they were stubborn and they were going to do the whole 'wait it out' thing.

Okay people, you live in a city that is below sea level. What the hell did they think was going to happen when the rains and winds came crashing down on them? Did they think it would just skip right over them and go inland. Sorry people of New Orleans who wanted to be tough and wait out the storm, you get no sympathy from me. I am just a heartless man who cares not for stupidity of the masses.

Cancel my suscription to the ressurection

So yesterday at work, I had an interesting (to say the least) conversation with a nice gentleman from Texas. First off, I was sitting in the trader's cabin and he came over so I just started to talk with him (per the norm.) and he said 'My wife was concerned that you guys would have outhouses out here trying to be really really historical and she was excited to see that you had normal toilets'. That was hilarious, I never had anyone think that before, I got a kick out of it. So, I continue to talk to this couple after the woman shows up, relieved, and go on to take them to the Munger House.

So they are walking through the house and the man sees the bible sitting on the table. You know, families had 'bible time' at night right before they went to bed...okay, maybe not, or maybe...we just don't know. Anyway, this guy reads this passage out loud about salvation and ressurection and blah blah blah. And then he looks at me and says 'Do you believe that?'. I looked at him and just said, 'No, not really'. I'm not that much of a religious person anymore, I don't go to chuch (mainly because I work on Sundays) and just, don't find it necassary anymore. There are enough zealous religious people in Wichita alone to cover my laziness to get up and go to church. So after they are done we walk out and the wife walks on but the guy starts talking to me.

'So what is your name?'
'Mike'
'Mike, Michael. I have a friend named Michael.'
At this point I was waiting for him to ask me if I was named after Michael the Archangel, but it didn't happen.
'Oh, that's nice.'
'Mike, at this point, me being older and having seen some of the world, I feel like I should tell you that you should really invest some time into that book that is on that table in that house.'
I just zoned out right around this point, I'm not gonna lie to you.

Our conversation ended on an akward feeling and I just walked away for fear of his health because I felt I would have snapped if he tried to tell me I should go to church to be saved and this that and the other thing.

It really ruined the rest of my day, I'll be honest. It was about forty five minutes until we closed, but it just pissed me off. Who does this guy think he is trying to get me to think like him?

It has been decided.

So, first the good news...Cowtown will remain open next year. The board grew some balls and stood up to both the city and county (both of whom wanted to close it for a year). Now, the somewhat bad news: it won't be open the same hours or the same time frame next year. It'll only be open four days a week; Friday through Monday. Also, the museum will be open only June through October (as opposed to April through October). The board, after deciding this, chose to reveal that the main idea of their proposal for next year will be a focus on historical restoration to the buildings, the collection, and the board walk.

So, with that said...the interpretive staff, the way it looks now, won't get close to forty hours in a week. Unless, they are used to help with some sort of restoration things next year. I probably won't go back to work there, which really disappoints me in the fact that this is what I went to school for, and because the museum can't get the money from either the city or county (both have their hands in on this museum), I have been forced to look elsewhere for work. The good part is, tomorrow, I am going to look into a 'team lead' postion at Target. Basically, a departmental manager. More money, forty hours guarenteed, possible medical benefits (not really sure)...can't really argue with that. And with all three of my bosses telling me I should put my name in the hat, really makes me confident that they see me as a reliable worked. Yeah me.

Work has really slowed down at OCM. Family trips are done for the year, vacationers have returned home for their own jobs, and summer childrens groups are done. However, this has brought forth the real hardcore museum people. The people that go to museums to GO to them. Not to see gunfights, horses being ridden around, and skits being played out. These people make my job wonderful. They make me smile when they walk away and they make the time that I talk with them go by so fast, it is enjoyable.

The fate of the museum is still in limbo...

So, if anyone just read the newspaper or watched the news, they would think that Old Cowtown Museum is in complete shambles and is ready to be shut down. And the board thought the exact same thing mainly because with the exception of two (of 24...honestly, what the fuck does OCM need twenty four people on the board for?) board members, none of them have really made an appearance out on the grounds. So they get some suggestions from John D'Angelo amongst them all was shutting OCM down for 12-18 months. What D'Angelo didn't really think about is that OCM is closed for five months, and work can be done on the buildings for those five months, and also while we are open (it is really starting to slow down out there...prime oppertunity to work on stuff.)

With that said: if anyone reading this is in the Wichita area on Saturday the 9th, at 7:30 in the morning a group of people are getting together to work on some buildings. So come on out if you want to help out the museum. Volunteering is good for the soul. And if you are kicking around the idea, I got two words for ya: come on

The media (I'm not naming names *coughWichitaEaglecough* has almost nailed down the coffin lid on the museum but some public outcry has pryed some of the nails out.

Thankfully I'm not a horseshoe, or a hand grenade

I almost got stuck in the mud on Mulberry Road today. So if I were a horseshoe, or a hand grenade (or a large cattle for that matter.) I think I would have gotten stuck. I thought I could make it through the first spot of mud and water...opps. So I had to rock the Jeep back and forth and almost overheat the engine (I would have been in real deep shit if that had happened) trying to get out. After I got out of the mud (it took close to ten minutes) I had to shut it down for a while and called Andrea and she just yelled at me and told me not to break the Jeep. Luckily I didn't and it is alright, I think...it seemed that way on the drive home. :o) However, it was fun irrelavent to the fact that I almost lost my Jeep.

On a lighter note...I got softly rearended today after work (it just wasn't my day to be in a car!). I was stopped waiting for a car two cars in front of me to turn left and then I see in my rearview mirror a lady coming up quickly and then she slammed on the breaks in time to hit me and break both of her headlights and denting a part of her hood. The 'damage' to my Jeep...a small scratch on the bumper...hehe.

I got shot!

Fear not constant reader, I am not dead, or in the hospital. In fact, I am not even injured. I got shot at work. That's right, we have gunfights and I was at the wrong end of a double barrell 12 gauge shotgun yesterday. Safe to say, I prefer to be on the other end handing out the punishment, but it was fun to 'die' for the enjoyment of our visitors.

Speaking of visitors and work, it is looking quite grim for Cowtown Museum. Our board of trustees is having an open meeting on Monday after work to talk about it. I'm thinking it will be very tense and very long, but I'm going. The rumors are flying more than shit in the monkey pen at the zoo. Some people say we're closing before the end of the season, others say we're closing for a year starting at the end of the season, and others are saying someone is going to come swooping in and save Cowtown. Personaly, standing back and looking at the situation, I think they'll close it down for a year. Sad to say, but Wichita is not going to come out and support the museum. People that come out say that they want us to stay open, however, they aren't in the majority. And as we all know, the majority wins. The majority wants to be entertained by rides and flashing lights and 'fun times'. They don't want to walk around a museum and learn something on their vacation. GOD FORBID!

A quick poem

The only way to know
that you are alive
is to stand in the rain
and smile.

home boys, home

We're going home tomorrow! We'll be home for near ten days...It will be a great break from work and from Kansas. Nothing to do but drink and fish and visit with friends and family and drink and fish and drink and drink and drink...

Why I do what I do

Today was one of those days when I realized....hey, I love what I do. No, I'm not drunk and not currently on any kind of drugs while I am typing this, and I know I've bitched about my boss and every little thing that is wrong at the museum to many people, BUT I thought about it today and came up with a thought: 'I don't care about them, just my job.' With that thought, along with a bunch of people who were really interested in everything I talked to them about, it made me glad I have a job like I do. For gods sake, I met a family of four who were touring four different living histories places in Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa...and that was their family vacation, how cool was that! And the kids were really interested and asked a ton of great questions.

It pays to have patience with a job like this because burn out is really easy. I've dealt with it for three years, and it should be something I am accustomed to, but this year has been really difficult. Maybe it is because I haven't had people that I live with that I can vent about work and they know exactly what I'm talking about. Plus it doesn't help that four people that I started out the season with have quit, with only one of them getting a job very similar but with better pay. But even with better paying job available, if you have a job you like wouldn't you stick around until the end of the season because of loyalty you feel towards your current job? There in lies the problem, some of the bosses we have either don't have a clue what is going on (for example: The DIRECTOR of the museum) or they just simply abuse the power they have. Three people who have worked with the farm manager have quit just this year because the guy abuses the hell out of his job and works the hell out of the guys and doesn't really do much work himself.

But if I just block all that out and go about my business and do what I like to do, I'll be fine. It doesn't really help that when all the interpreters get together all we do is complain about work, totally negative attitude to have in a job that allows you to sit outside most days.

So let me tell you about my day.

In actuallity, we are going to go back to yesterday, Friday the 23rd. I go to work at 3:30 and I see my boss pulling everything, EVERYTHING, off the shelf. And as I walk towards him, I look down the aisle and I see everything off the shelf and people in red and khaki pulling it all off the shelf. So I go up to Eric and ask what the fuck was going on (well, not like that). It just so happens that our refridgeration system for our meat and dairy coolers basically broke and everything had to be thrown out. So I set to helping pull everything off the shelf, and start cleaning...I didn't have anything else to do! Then finally at 6:30ish, the coolers cooled down enough to put product back on the shelf. It took me three hours to put out what we had...and it didn't even fill everything, it was just the hamburger, steaks, chicken, and pork. So my boss asked me if I could work this morning, and let me tell you about my day today...

12:00am (midnight): Fall asleep
4:00am: Alarm goes off, snooze gets hit.
4:10am: Alarm goes off again, and gets turned off
5:00am: Get to work
5:00-8:00am: Purge the back freezers (thankfully they didn't go off line)
8:00am: Leave Target
8:15am: Cook breakfast, watch SportCenter
9:00am: Leave for Cow Town
9:30am-5:00pm: Work at Cow Town
5:00pm: Leave Cow Town
5:30pm: Get home
5:30-present: Sit in front of computer half asleep because there isn't anything on TV


...so how was your day?

tired and red

I have had a day to recover from a long weekend and I am still very tired. I had a blast on our float trip this weekend. Now, you may be asking yourself 'Mike, what is a float trip?' And I'll tell you. It is sitting in a canoe with a bunch of people you know, drinking and paddling on occasion. It was great, however, it was tiring. We left Wichita about 5:30 Thursday afternoon, drove until 1:00 in the morning when we got to our campsite. We woke up six and a half hours later, broke camp and headed to the outfitter where we picked up our canoes and we headed to the river. There, we packed for two days on the river full of drinking, sun, drinking, camping along the river, drinking, paddling, drinking...I think you get the point. I got a little sunburnt on the tops of my legs and on my shoulders, but it was worth it. The first picture on this post was taken on the second day on the river...Andrea took it. She also took the picture of Marc and Kim...they were doing a dance/dry hump along the river when we stopped. And she also took this picture of me right before we left on the first morning, it was 8:00 in the morning...and yes, that is a flask, and yes it is full of alcohol, Makers Mark to be exact.

so tired!

We got back from being up in Grand Island Nebraska tonight. I played three games of 1860s base ball with the base ball club from Wichita. I had a blast, the weather coroporated, I didn't hurt myself (other than really really sore muscles), and we won two of the three games we played. I played 3rd base all three games, a switch from playing short stop in little leauge. Andrea, Kim, and Marc came up with me as well. They watched some of the games I played, but they mostly walked around and did other stuff. Andrea got some pictures with her digital camera, so I was happy with it.

busy couple of weekends

The next two weekends are well deserved for me. First, I am heading up to Nebraska this weekend to play some 1860s base ball. I can't wait. We're playing three games, it is suppose to be nice and sunny out, and I got Andrea and Marc and Kim to tag along. And on the way back, we are stopping to see a huge ball of twine. I don't know why, Kim just wanted to.

Then next weekend we are going with a group of people on a float trip. Just to simply explain what it is...camping, drinking, and floating down a river. Can it get any better than that? PLUS (that's right, there is a plus) it is only 54 days until we are going home. Excellent.

Jam session and base ball and other stuff

Work has produced two networking outlets for me, both of which are just plain fun. The first I stumbled across last weekend and it involves music. I learned that a coffee shop here in Wichita, Java Nation, has weekly Irish jam sessions on Monday nights. When I was told this, I was expecting five or six people to be hanging out, but in actuallity, there was close to thirty people there. I was a taken aback a little bit, but they were very open and I got to just jump right in. However, I didn't know many of the songs that they were playing, but I guess when you play a rytheme instrument, you don't really need to see the music.

The other new outlet is baseball. On the 3rd and 4th of June, there is a vintage base ball tournement up in Nebraska and I talked with the president of our base ball club and he told me I was more than welcome to go up and play that weekend with them...so I am going to be making the trek up there to play some 1860s base ball. I am trying to convince Andrea and a couple of our friends to come up with me, but if they can't it's no real big deal, I just thought it would be fun to have some people watch me do what I like to do.

Have you ever gone to get your oil changed and it ended up costing you about $150? Oh, it has, doesn't that suck? So I go to get my oil changed last week and the guy checks my coolant in the car and lo and behold, the temperature is a lot hotter than it should be. So he tells me that in about 45 minutes, he could replace the temperature gauge and it would only cost around 125 dollars. I had the time, so I said sure. So it worked out and my car isn't going to explode anymore, well for the time being....it keeps making a rattling noise and the guy told me I should have it looked at. I have just been considering getting a new car, but that is going to be muy muy expensive.

And one more thing...as I am reading my latest book, The Civil War Chronicle, I have started to read more and more about General William T. Sherman. The guy that kicked the shit out of Georgia as he marched from Atlanta to the Atlantic Ocean in an attempt to get part of the Confederate Army to surrender. Most people know who I am talking about...Andrea won't, but most people will. Anyway, there was this picture of him in the book and he just looks like one mean mother fucker...
Doesn't he?? Doesn't he look like some mean son of a bitch you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley?

sunset

Here are a couple of pictures that I took off of our balcony. The sunsets, when everything goes right, can be quite wonderful, but not as awesome as the ones on Brevort Lake. The photo on top is my favorite, and one of my favorites that I have taken down here.




Other than that, my first day off since April 13th is right around the corner. On the 19th of May, we are going to enjoy a day at Riverfest here in Wichita and that night REO Speedwagon is playing a concert...I cannot wait.

Random thoughts

I have posted many photos on Flickr. So enjoy, but you can't post any comments unless you have signed up with Flickr or if you have a Yahoo account, they're Fascist like that. So, you know check it out, because if you don't the politicians win...wait, shouldn't that be terrorist...if you don't the terrorist win. Something like that, its all one in the same...damn the Man.

Home towns

Why is that people always want to get out of their home town? Think about it...go back to high school and I know that everyone has the same thought, "I cannot wait to get the hell out of here!" Is it because we are all in our rebellion stage wanting to get away from the iron fist of our parents or is it because that is what we grow up hearing. TV shows, movies....themes about leaving a home town and never coming back.

After reminiscing about your past, doesn't it make you want to go home? We go off to college or off to a job somewhere and once in a while, we think about living at home. Or telling stories about your high school days and how great it was living in a little town. Why is it that we want to go away only to later on yearn to go back?

no better way

I have found that in my profession (yes, profession) it takes a lot of dedication. Learning a bunch of facts to facinate people, learn a new skill to show visitors, or just learn to (SWEETNESS, Stairway to Heaven just came on...I love Led Zeppelin) talk to a large group of people. To completly immerse yourself into a time that has long since passed, it takes a big heart and tons of love. For me, I have found the best way to dedicate myself is to look the part, even if it means pissing off family or finacee. What could I be talking about? It is simple.
Going from this...a nice full beard....


to this...the General Ambrose Burnside look. and yes, it really pissed Andrea off. But that is okay, she'll get over it. And I'm sure that when my family sees it, they'll just shake their heads, except Chuck, he'll get a kick out of it. All of my co-workers love it.

We shall see

Time has come to find out what having two jobs is all about. Starting next week, I will be working seven days a week. I can already see some of the benefits: more money, keeping a job for the winter time. I can also see the down sides: Working seven days a week...thats about it really. Oh, and no days off, quite right.

So yeah, things are going well. I love hearing all these rumors surrounding OCM. Lots of people think that it is going to close, or that we don't have any money, or that we are moving. As far as I know, OCM isn't closing, this year anyways. They don't want to move because they would have to move close to twenty buildings, one of which is still original to 1868 (doesn't sound like much, but it is still cool to see it.). Never had to deal with these rumors at MSHP because it was such an established state park (the first in the state! [second national park until it was converted to a state park in 1895...]) The only thing they had to worry about was it's budget getting cut, and that wasn't going to happen because it is such a large organization...it can pull lots of strings. It should be an interesting summer amongst all these fun fun fun rumors.

first day done

My first day at OCM is offically over. Things I learned today: I still got what it takes to interprut! I just wish I could do so in a fort, something I am familiar with, but this will work. Another thing I learned today: A site like OCM can be very boring. After about 1:00 in the afternoon, I maybe talked to twenty people. But that did give me an oppertunity to learn some things from my co-workers, so there was a positive side to that. I work tomorrow all by myself, and I don't have a whole lot to do, so it might go slowly, but we're only open from noon to five, so five hours can go by quickly...I can sit around for five hours, and get paid to do it.

fashion tips for today

Today at work I learned two important facts:
1.) If you are going to wear white sweat pants, please don't wear dark colored underwear.

2.) If you are going to wear a gray tee shirt, gray sweatpants, and a gray hooded zip up jacket, please use different tints of the color gray. Oh, and don't tuck your shirt in. Or be smart and change it up a bit and wear more than one color.

tomorrow, tomorrow...wait, is that spelled correctly?

I start my new job tomorrow...I dislike that word...I can never spell it right.

Something to look forward to

As we get into the rut of daily life, you must realized that if you do not have something to look forward to, you will just start to wear down and eventually get burnt out. Don't let that happen, no one likes to see someone just go to work, then come home and be all....blah about life.

This past weekend, Andrea and I booked our flight home for the summer. We are going to be spending about ten days at home, and I can't wait. One nice thing is that it will be a break from Kansas, you know, we'll get to see trees and water. Another nice thing, is that I'll be able to go over to Mackinac Island and spend some time with my friends. AND I'll be able to go up to the Fort and play up there for a day. I just hope that it'll be nice out, and if it isn't oh well, I'll still do it. I'll be able to spend time at the lake and at the cabin, and I'll see all my relatives and that'll just make everyone so happy. I cannot wait to go home.

and I was like 'Hells yeah'

I got a new job! I'll be an interpreter at Old Cowtown museum. A reconstruction of an old cow town, duh. This is a great step up from Target, but I'm still going to work there a couple days a week. The plan is to work full time at cowtown (it is open from 1 April until 31 October) and then when it closes, work at Target full time until cowtown opens again. That way, I'll be employed twelve months out of the year. Good god, can you believe it, twelve whole months! I don't know what I'll do with myself.

After I got the call, I was thinking to myself, cool...and it wasn't until I was on my way to the library to pick up a book that my boss recommended that I started to really smile and laugh out loud and do a Chuck dance (don't ask, it can't be explained, but it is really funny. Andrea doesn't like it, and that is what makes it more fun to do). I still can't stop smiling about it, I am so happy. I just hope that it'll be a fun job. It isn't as big of an organization as MSHP, but that is okay, but it does seem a little bit like a tourist trap, just the way it is set up and I hope that it isn't what it seems like, because that would suck. Just as long as it isn't to FARBie, I'll be okay.

AND they have a vintage base ball team! How rockin' is that? That would totally kick ass if I could play some olde style base ball (it was two words back in the day).

The sobriety for lent is going well. There have been a couple days when I have come home from work and thought, damn, I need a drink...oh wait, I can't. So I have a pop instead...not exactly the same, but oh well.

Damn, I'm as giddy as a virgin on prom night, I'm gonna go roll a couple of games at the bowling alley.

so thats whats wrong with kids today

I have determinded, in my short time at Target, what is wrong with kids today. They are spoiled...spoiled rotten. Think about it, whenever you acted up in public, maybe it was just me and my brother, but whenever we acted up we were threatened with violence. Usually just a spanking, you know the norm. But anyway, kids seem to be getting off light nowadays. A lot of parents, that I hear, just threaten to take away snacks. The most common threat is 'Alright, no cookies when we get home.'

You can do nothing but shake your head. Maybe we got that threat when we were kids, but you don't remember those. Or maybe, parents today beat their kids, but they do it at home so no one will see and call the cops. But back in the day, I have memories of getting spanked in the grocery store, the mall, random stores...the list goes on and on. But my parents didn't have to worry about people calling the cops on them, that just wasn't done.

I just don't get it. If I ever have kids, they are getting weekly spankings until they are bigger than me....it'll keep them in line.

What was in the package?

Looking at the huge packages and all the air/bubble wrap, you would think that there was a small foreign sports car inside, but in actuallity located inside was nothing more than....
Martini glasses!

soccer what?

Whoever coined the term 'soccer mom' obviously has never been to Kansas. There is a soccer tournament of 150 teams going on this weekend and the soccer complex is right down the road from the Super Target. I worked all day today and I did not see a hot soccer mom. I saw lots of not so hot soccer moms, who were kinda bitchy now that I think about it...

Oh, and if you like pictures, and want to see some of Wichita, check out my other blog. I get my pictures back on the 7th, so it'll be a couple of days before I get that one going.

Wichita On Film

Why oh why?

Today was the day of dumb people at work. It just seemed like some people forgot to insert their brains this morning.

First story:
Call comes over the walkie for meat department. So I pick it up, dial the number and a lady comes on and the following conversation took place (I shit you not.) "Is it okay for me to eat some chicken that I bought at your store if it has been in the fridge since Monday?" "Well, is it cooked?" "Yes." "Then it should be fine." "You're sure?" "As long as it was cooked and it wasn't left out on the counter, it should be fine." "Okay then, thank you." "You are welcome...*hangs up phone* dumb bitch (under my breath)." Later on, my mind continued on: Seriously, what the fuck kind of question was that? No, you better throw it away and come spend more of your money here. Just test it out on your kids, if they are fine, go ahead and eat it.

Second story:
I found out why the gym teacher never wanted kids to have shoes that scuffed up the floor. You know, leave those streaks of black on the floor. As I was walking back towards the dairy aisle, I spot out of the corner of my eye a child with his mom. They are walking down one of the frozen food aisle and the kid is kicking at the floor and leaving this GREAT line of black scuffs in his wake. The little motherfucker! Come on Mom, yell at him (oh wait, the kid looks like he has never been told 'no' before in his life). If your mom wasn't around, so help me I would throw you in the cardboard compactor. And then, my thought about the word no is confirmed when I hear the mother say the following: "Come on Jersey." Once again, I shit you now with this stuff. The parents named this little son of a bitch Jersey. I'm just assuming that is where this little bastard was conceived. I would defiantly think about hating my parents for the rest of my life if I had a name like that.

Third story (more of just a conversation):
"Do you work here?"
No, I killed a worker, threw away the body, and decided to walk around with these clothes on "Yes, can I help you find something?"
"Do you carry dried, canned beef?"
Oh you mean beef jerky? "Canned beef?" Jesus CHRIST "Yeah, it'll be in aisle four." You know, the aisle with the sign that says CANNED MEAT on it.


Bastards; all of them.



And a quick side note: Once again for Lent, I have decided to give up all alcohol. 40 days without a drop of booze, and I am going to be more strick on myself this year about it. Not even going to have a drink on Sunday. So we'll see how it goes, 2 days down.

time for new blood

The minute that the Olympics allowed professional players to participate in sports like hockey and basketball, everyone in this country was thrilled. It was especially spured on by the "Dream Team" in 1992 at the summer games in Barcelona. The United States basketball team ripped through the competition on their way to a gold medal. However, in the years since, the rest of the world has caught up while the United States has not progressed at all, or at least that is what it seems like. The United States basketball team got beat down in Greece in 2004, the United States (and Canadian) hockey team just got beat like a little bitch, and everyone is standing around pointing fingers. The US hockey team had 23 men on their team, 23 NHL players (three of whom, Doug Weight, Brian Rolston, and John Graham I watched when they played college hockey at Lake Superior State University), and a record of 1-4-1. 'They make this storm, and stand outside and when it rains, they yell shit it's raining!' (That is from Cold Mountain, its not a direct quote, but pretty damn close).

The point is, everyone was happy when the thought of having pros in the Olympics, but now that the rest of the world has caught up with the US, we bitch and moan about it. Mike Madino was quoted as saying 'it's time for new blood.' after the US men's hockey team got ousted by the Finnish team 4-3 in the first round of the medal round. He is right, we need to get rid of all the egos and the pros and get back to having college kids playing for the country, not for their names. The egos were more present within the men's basketball team in Greece when they were a disappointment to the jerseys that they were wearing. Didn't any of these guys see 'Miracle'? You play for the name on the front, not the name on the back.

Listen up you whiny rich bitches, in four years, when the Olympics roll around again, and you are asked to play, don't. You don't deserve it.

Just another day

So the other day at work I was out getting carts. And the wind was blowing and it was fucking cold because there are no damn trees in this state. This state sucks just because there are barely any trees to stop the wind, or even to slow down the wind....so if you weigh less than one hundred pounds and aren't paying any attention, you could get blown away by some random gust. So it is best to keep weights around your ankles just in case.

So, back to my story, pushing carts. As I was getting some strays for some reason, my mind went back to my childhood and ice fishing. I don't know why, it just happened. So it just started coming to me in this great vivid image. And now for a special treat, a quick little short story (the first one I've written since last summer, kind of depressing if you think about it.) It is more of a narrative essay, but whatever.

Ice Fishing

The wind blew something fierce against the black canvas. The constant hum of the portable propane heater slows the time. As I sit on a white plastic five gallon bucket my mind is blank as I stare down the hole carved through three feet of ice. The contents of my bucket, with a green top with a hole cut in it, the glory of the day; a seven inch yellow perch. Still flopping around as it tries in vain to breath while the air, ironically, is suffocating it. Amongst his fellow species in the hellacious environment of the white death trap, the perch slows his flopping around and eventually stops. The silence returns and it's only companion is the heaters hum.

Outside, the wind stops howling for only a short period of time before it picks up again. The short amount of silence is eerie, like a calm before a storm. You know that something is coming, but the silence gives you a false sense of comfort. Needing a break, I reel in my line and stand up to recirculate the blood back to my legs. The shanty which I have claimed as my own for the day has a floor made of pine and the walls and ceiling are made of black canvas. Held together by nothing more than a metal pipe skeleton and nails, it is hardly comfortable, but it is a nice escape from the world outside. A world where mother nature has made any man willing to stand outside her bitch by blowing an air cold enough to make a penguin shiver.

The floor has two holes drilled into the bottom. One hole is to fish aggressively in. Using a wiggler meant to attract smaller fish like perch. The second hole that is drilled is used for the bigger fish. The bait on the end of the line is a minnow, used in the hopes that a walleye or whitefish comes by. The constant movement of the minnow on the hook attracts the perch as well, until they see the wiggler. The water is only twelve feet and with the enclosed environment, the bottom is visible. Then they gather around as a committee, appearing to discuss what to do with it. One swims forward, a smaller one; no, Goddammit, not you, let the bigger one go for it. He takes the bait and starts to swim. motherfucker. The line is reeled in and the fish, just about three inches and isn't worth the trouble. Now the process starts all over, waiting for the fish to gather around again in their committee. With the hope that the big fish takes the bait this time.

With no watch, it is hard to know what time has passed. Until a tapping comes from outside, must be lunch time. Both lines are reeled up and slowly the zipper holding back the invasive world is brought up. My eyes need to adjust to the light outside, light not allowed inside my black sanctuary. The back of the Dodge Dakota is lowered and we sit on the back eating our sandwiches, ham and cheese. Quickly, the rations are devoured and we return to our dark, warm worlds to act as gods amongst the fish. Killing the unfortunate ones curious enough to not only ask, 'What is that?' but to also swallow it. Death by food.

St. Patrick's Day SEASON? and my bodhran

Just saw a great Guiness commercial. You know the two olde school drawn guys with the huge mustaches? The two that are running around yelling 'Brilliant!' yeah, you know the guys. So, I just saw the latest commerical and they were talking about St. Patrick's Day season...SEASON! It's not just a day of drunken debauchery, it is now season...sweet.

And here is a picture of my bodhran. What the fucks a bodhran? It's an Irish hand drum that I learned to play at Fort Mackinac the past two summers. My friend Katie took a trip to Ireland for a couple of weeks and she brought this back for me as a Christmas present. I love it! The design on it is just plain brilliant (get it, that word connects the two paragraphs together).

Bode Miller

*Steps onto soapbox*

Okay, people in the media and all over the United States have been complaining about Bode Miller. Just real quick, he is an American skiier who is participating in the olymic games which are going on right now. Close to a month ago, he was doing an interview in which he was saying that he liked to ski 'wasted' and the media jumped on him like lions on an injured gazelle. And just as soon as that calmed down, he was quoted in Rolling Stone saying that athletes know how to get around drug testing and he threw in the names Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong. Once again, people wanted his head on a spike. Come on now people, look at Barry Bonds...the man has used 'performance enhancing substances'. Lance Armstrong...now that is iffy. People don't want to believe that because he is this great pillar of strength, what with the having one testicle and all (which is his secret to winning all those Tour de France races...he only had one testicle...it cut down on the weight and the dicomfort level. He clearly had an advantage against the other racers who were crushing TWO not one testicle on that long bike ride.).

Now the last time I checked, we lived in the united states, in which we were free to say whatever we damn well pleased (within reason...you know, no talking about killing the president and all that jazz.). Who cares if Bode Miller spoke his mind and said that he has skiied drunk before or that he ripped Bonds and Armstrong (he isn't the first)? Just because he is outspoken does not give the media to call for his head. The best part is that Miller isn't sorry for what he said, well he did apologize for the drunk skiiing thing, but it wasn't whole hearted. Kudos to him for sticking to his guns. I stand beside Bode Miller and enjoy the fact that he doesn't care what people think about him. He knows who he is and he doesn't give two shits what other sports people think about him.

Okay, I'm done...you can have your soapbox back born again Christians, didn't mean to take it from you for so long...don't hate me.

DAY OFF!

A day off means watching a movie (Gladiator, Russell Crowe was my inspiration for a beard), sitting around in my pyjamas, ordering some books off of Amazon, and maybe cleaning out the dishwasher (maybe)...and that is about it. Hell yeah.

One week down...

So I have basically finished my first full week of working at Target. And so far, its great (granted its not like working at the Fort like the past two summers [NOTHING could ever beat that job]). I am working in the meat department and occasionally in the dairy department. It doesn't even feel like I'm at Target, it feels more like a grocery store. I am handling more meat than your mom did in the back seat of her high school boyfriend's car. The guys I work with are really great and have an awesome sense of humor, so it makes the day go by real quick. I usually start at 7:00 in the morning, which might sound bad to some, but if you think about it, its great because that means I am done with work at 3:30 in the afternoon. The other shift I would work is from 2:00 to 10:00 at night. I don't know if I'll be able to handle that one....all the real work of getting the meat out on the floor is done in the morning, so I don't know exactly what I would do at night at work. I do, however, get to find out next week, so we'll see.

In my vast experience working at Target, I have clumped the shoppers into three categories...
Category One:
The early shoppers

• Usually mothers in their thirties or forties (always have a cup of coffee from the Starbucks with them)
  
• Usually have their kids (or grandkids) with them
• Usually in a sweatsuit with matching pants and jackets (Lots of mother penguins [for anyone who knows what that is about.])
• Some soccer moms (Never have 'just out of bed hair', Make-up is always done)
• Old people (think your grandparents)
  

Category Two:
Middle of the day shoppers

• Moms who have just picked up their kids from school
  
• College kids who have just woken up from the party last night
• College kids who just got out of class
• High schoolers who are running errands for their parents
• Old people (think your grandparents)

Category Three:
Late afternoon shoppers

• People just getting out of work (great for skirt watching patrol)
  
• People needing a quick idea for dinner
• People who didn't plan ahead for dinner and need to buy one
• Husbands and wives who need to get out of the house and away from the kids
• Husbands being drug to the store by their wives
• Wives who couldn't drag their husbands away from the game on TV (and get sexily dressed up to go to grocery shopping just to spite their husbands)
• Submissive husbands who were told to go shopping
• Old people (think your grandparents)

That about wraps up the kinds of people that I have seen and met so far at work...its fun so far, and hopefully it'll continue. Now, I need to get out of these damn work clothes...they smell of meat.

its better than a kick to the head...cause that might hurt

So I didn't get that job with the museum..a dream job if you will. Well, I decided to bite the bullet and went and applied for a job at Target. Not thinking anything of it, I went up there in a pair of jeans, a tee shirt, and had a bandana on my head. So I finish filling out the application and then they tell me, hang on a second...We'll get someone up here to interview you. 'What the hell!' is my thought...I look like some college bum the way I'm dressed but whatever. So I talk to one person, Julie, and she asks the usual questions, and then says 'Why don't you go have a seat back out by guest services and we'll get someone to do a second interview'....great, another person to look at me and think I'm a bum. Anyway, so I go through with this second interview, and then the guy, Ben (he seemed like a weasly kind of guy that you don't like), says the exact same thing and so I go back and sit and wait for another 'interview' and eventually I end up with a job. So take that dream job...HA...oh wait, shit.... lets check the score: Dream Job: 1, Mike: zero. Dammit. Oh well, I got a job, so that is all that really matters, well, that and money, money matters. Which is good, because that is what I'm going to be making, finally...

So the plan that I formulated in my head, while I was in one of three interviews mind you, was that I'll just work at Target for a year or a year and a half, and then go back to school and get my MA and then try to find a real world job, you know, one where I'll use my tens of thousands of dollars worth of college tuition money for. Maybe I'll teach...scary thought. I don't think I could go through a PhD program...that would be killer. I don't think I could write a thesis of about 400 pages.

I called home and my mom and dad were all excited about it so they can finally stop bitching at me to get a job. And on a happier note about the family, my mom and dad and Chuck are planning on coming down here at the end of February, which is cool. I'll show them around the exciting metropolis of Wichita (right....) But it'll be good to see them.

oh wait, there it is.

HAHA! I complain enough, and I get whats coming to me. Got my FOAD email from Cow Town eariler today...bastards.

Is no news good news?

I've been waiting for more than a week to hear back from Old Cow Town on the museum educator position, and I've been thinking...is it good that I haven't heard from them? On the one hand, that means that they haven't hired anyone, or on the other hand they have hired someone and they are just to fucking lazy to send out a FOAD letter. Thats Fuck Off And Die for those of you who have yet to get one, and trust me, you'll get them unless you are supre uber awesome and if you are good for you. No phone calls or emails saying "oh, the hiring process is going to take place at such and such a date." No, "We're sorry, we've hired someone who was more quailified than you, but thanks anyways, and if you would like, we'll kick you in the ass on the way out." It is just irratating, and to top it off, the parents are on my case. I love em, obviously, but good god, BACK OFF You'll know when I get a job, its not like I'm going to keep it a secret.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go apply for job at Target....fucking Target (but at least it isn't Wal-Mart)

Way to drop the ball Minute Men

Okay, has everyone heard about this Minute Man project that some gun-toting yahoos out west are doing. "Protecting" our border with Mexico by using force and carrying around semi-automatic weapons? These "new heroes" of the U.S. dropped the ball on this one though...A huge tunnel was discovered on the 25th of this month and is used by drug running gangs. The U.S. border patrol found the tunnel and told the Mexican government about it and they found where the tunnel came up on their side (It went from Tijuana all the way to Otay [a town near San Diego!]) It is about 85 feet under ground and runs close to 2400 feet (or over half a mile, it depends on who you talk to.) Our government says it is 2400 feet, the Mexican government says its close to a half a mile. This isn't just some dirt tunnel that guys crawl around on their hands and knees, there is lighting, ventilation, and to top it off, there were still drugs in the tunnel! The government nabbed over two tons of Mary Jane (Thats a lot of hooch!)
How do you miss something like this? How do you miss random guys walking into a shed with digging tools and disappearing for hours on end and then coming back up with wheelbarrels full of dirt?
The main point is, it was not the gun crazy minute men who found this, it was both our and mexican government agents. The guys being paid our tax dollars are doing their jobs, and the crazy members of the NRA who are trying to scare Mexican refugees into staying in their country did not. The government needs to step in and put a stop to these guys.

So this is what it has come down to...

I have decided instead of allowing any more of my precious time to slip away while I wait (patiently I might add, I've tried to contact them by phone and e-mail) for the people to call me back about the museum educator position, that I am going to fill out an application for graduate school tomorrow. Sure, I could fill it out tonight, but that would not give me anything to do tomorrow...this way, I have something to look forward to. Graduate school here I come...hopefully, if you'll accept me, I swear I am a better student than what my grades show. It was just that one semester when I was addicted to...oh wait, I've already said to much...Shit...

The Wings and The Captain

Just finished watching my first Red Wings game of the new year. Yes, it sucks royally the fact that I'm down in Wichita, a place that doesn't broadcast many hockey game. But thankfuly, the Wings were playing the Colorado Avalanche, so we got the game. The Wings won 4-3. A great game. No major fights though, and I was expecting some the way the first period was going, but alas, Claude Lemouix was not playing for Colorado (He was the guy that basically started the big Wings-Avalanche rivalry when he checked Kris Draper from behind and nearly ended Darper's career)...in fact, I don't think he is in the league any more. Anyway, great game and it was my first chance to see The Captain play this season. That's right Steve Yzerman (The Captain [capital T capital C]) was on the ice. It was good to see him skate. He isn't as productive as he once was, but still the man is 40 years old and to be playing against twenty year olds...that is an amazing feat. The man is a god, that is all there is to it. Anyone who wants to argue about it, you know where to find me.


I enjoy this picture greatly. I got it off of Yahoo's website the day after the Wings played the New York Rangers. The Wings players were crashing the net and their goalie gathered up the puck.

Honestly, what the hell?

So we went out for Andrea's birthday before we left for home for christmas. We were in Emmersen Biggens and this guy walked in with this great sweater vest. I saw him out of the corner of my eye and then just had to look (kind of like a car wreck, admit it, you slow down and look.) And yup I saw this...
Now, after I saw this guy, I looked at Tom and he had this goofy grin on his face and I asked him, "Did you see...?" and that was all I got out before he said
"Yup."
"Oh that's great." added Amber.
"What?" questioned Jason.
"Turn around and look at the guy in the corner with the sweater vest." Amber answered.
"Jesus Christ, thats awesome." Jason said.
And the sad thing is, he wasn't some college guy trying to be cool and different by wear that sweater vest. I don't know why, but I just had to get a picture of it. It was truly uglier than the picutre shows. And to make the picutre all that much better, it looks like he is scratching his butt, but in actuallity, I think he was putting his wallet away.

the best hour on television?

I believe that the best hour of televison takes place on Cartoon Network from 11:00 pm to 12:00am (eastern standard time). The first half hour is The Boondocks. It is an animated show about two African American brothers living with their grandfather. One brother is moral and the other is immoral. Situations take place that you wouldn't think about and that makes it hilarious. The one draw back, if you are of a fragial mind, is that they take have a great time with the freedom of speech. They do use the 'n' word a lot, but if you don't mind that, this is a show you may be interested in.
And the other show only runs for about fifteen minutes. It is Robot Chicken. Created by Seth Green and some other guy. Just stop clay animations about random stuff. Quite humorous. So I guess its only 45 minutes. So, the best 45 minutes on television? should be the title of the entry, oh well.

The mind burns with anger.

So, the other day, my friend Trace came online and I read his profile in which he had the following statement: Marriage is a human right not a heterosexual privilege. At first, my thoughts were, yeah! Support everyone no matter what. However, as it goes, my mind has been brooding over this statement. Who in their right minds would not support this. Who would hate their fellow man (or woman, but for all intensive purposes, I am going to use the word "man" in terms of human beings, please don't get uberoffended anyone, and if you do PISS OFF! These are my thoughts.) so much as to deny them the right to be happy. Oh, right, I forgot. (fucking republicans...I can handle so much politics before I just want to smack any person who brings it up.) I'll admit it, I don't know a whole hell of a lot about politics, but the one thing I do know is that they meddle too much in the world of others "for the greater good" whatever the fuck that means. It's like Sen. Joe McCarthy back in the 50s with his Communist witch hunt. I don't necessarily understand what the big deal with. Paranoia? Was he scared that a communist in this country would talk to someone and then BOOM! change someone into a commy (or is it commie? '-ie' looks more proper)? Last I checked, even back in the 50s, people loved money and communism wasn't all about that. The same holds true today with homosexuality. Just because you talk to someone who lives that 'alternate lifestyle' doesn't mean that you will become a homosexual. Your fellow man is your fellow man. If you don't like the thoughts of homosexuality and the marriages of homosexuals, if you think that it is a sin against God (that thought process just pisses me off to no end.) You can come visit me and I will punch you right in your fucking mouth. Now normally, I don't usually get this riled up over issues, but there are some days when you realize that you need to stop being a fence sitter and pick a side. If you don't like it, fuck off and kiss my ass.

Pictures from Wichita and another from the summer

Here are a couple of pictures from when I was down in Wichita in April before moving to the Island for another summer of work and fun (a lot of fun). One day, Andrea's brother (Adam) and I walked around downtown and found something really fun and interesting. Bronze (I think, some sort of metal at any rate) statues all over the place. Just random scenes. There is one that is a cow with some birds around it just hanging out. I don't get, but then again, I was never really the art type. It is just something that I have never really seen, but then again, I haven't been in too many downtowns of bigger cities to see if they have stuff like this.

This statue we found, obviously, is of an older woman (I would assume a mother, but it could very well be an older sister or possibly aunt.) and a child with the older woman pointing up towards the sky. From my point of view, she is actually pointing towards the top of a large office building, but still...

The situation on the right is a diner. I love diners...there is just something quiet and Rockwellian about them. Something that says "This is America" something that makes you feel good inside about it. The woman behind the counter is your stereotypical looking waitress. It reminded me of the Lincoln Diner Car (I think that is what it was called) in Gettysburg, PA. There were two waitresses and of course they were older and had bags under their eyes, wrinkles all over the place, and had the voices of women who have smoked packs of cheap cigarettes a day since they were in their teens. I just couldn't resist sitting down and having Adam take the picture. I'm sure I wasn't the first, nor will I be the last to do this with the statues, but it is a lot of fun.

And this last picture is from this summer taken at Patrick Sinclair's Irish Pub. (Ahhh, I can almost see Holly and Stephaine's delighted faces as we walk in all set to spend lots of money and give then exorbanent tips and I can hear Doug and Jerry tuning up for another great night.) This was taken on the night of the staff reunion (note the name tags) Trace, Brent, and I (Sorry for covering up your face Brent) are up singing. I do believe it is "More Beer". Brought to us by the one, the only, the sexy and hairy Spaniard: that's right ladies, I'm refering to Trace Dominguez! Jerry got the biggest kick out of that song. I think he also got a bigger kick out of seeing us up there drunk off our asses singing it with no care for pitch or harmony. I swear, we sounded great when we were sober and at work. If you live or are ever in Michigan and you see an advertisment for the Pub Runners (Jerry Belanger and Doug Berkshire) for the love of all things holy GO!!! They are great entertainers and a pair of great guys. And if they have a tip jar out, don't be stingy.

the most promising yet and a beautiful spot

Last week I applied for a job, that's right, a REAL job! It is the museum educator position at Old Cow Town museum. This is the most promising oppertunity since I have moved down to Wichita all the way back in October (the time really has flown by). I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The one thing that really gets my hopes up is that this job was on the market when I was down here in late April, so that means they didn't hire anyone and that also means that no one who was qualified applied for it. Very interesting...

And here is something that I borrowed from Geoff Woodcox. A couple pictures of the Upper Gun platform at Fort Mackinac. In the picture on the left there are two buildings, the Post Hospital (two storied building) and the Hospital Steward's Quarters. And the island across from the upper gun platform is Round Island (in the picture below). Uninhabited except for animals. Actually part of the national forest.

Who do I look like?

This is a fun little website that I was shown which compares a picture of your face to who you most closely resemble. Interesting, isn't it? Now that your brain has been working on who you think you look like, try it out.


Using this picture (taken in 2004) I resemble the following the closest:

Dennis Hopper 54%
Tom Cruise (a la The Last Samurai) 53%
Steven Spielberg 53%
Claude Simon (Nobel Laureate in Literature in 1985) 52%
Walter Mondale (Damn politicians) 51%
Cary Grant (Don't worry, I don't see it either) 48%
and from the other gender: Gillian Anderson 46% (Which rocks because she is hot)

and just for kicks, there is this picture taken in 2005:

Bertolt Brecht (German poet) 57%
Felix Klein (German mathematician) 56%
Dan Simmons (author) 54%
Karl Marx 48% (HA!)

Here is the link:

http://www.myheritage.com/FP/Company/tryFaceRecognition.php?s=1&u=g0&lang=EN

You have to make a login name and all that junk, just a quick heads up if you dont like doing that sort of thing.

home again

Back home in Wichita after a great visit to Michigan (my true home...I miss snow). Andrea and I drove up in two days starting on the 22nd, and we drove back down in two days starting on the 2nd of january. It was a nice trip and it was GREAT to see some people that I hadn't seen in a long time (some as long as an entire year). And on top of that, I got to see more than five inches of snow! It was warm the entire time I was home, so a lot of it melted away, which was disappointing, but nonetheless it was great. I got to see my nephew for the first time since I moved down to Kansas. Dear lord he has gotten really big. He is almost crawling...the next time I see him, he might even be walking and talking! He was starting to get his first couple of teeth in, so some days he was a little cranky. All in all it was a nice time home and away from warm weather (It was 62 degrees last night when we got back here.)
On our road trip, I realized one important thing...I hate Missouri. The "show-me-state" should be renamed the "show-me-how-to-get-the-fuck-out-of-here-state" It was really boring, Illinois was just as boring, but we were only in the state for about an hour and a half.
And now that we are back home, all we have to do is unpack all the stuff that is cluttering our living room.