Lady Faisan

Just got off the phone with deadparrot and he has brought _amaranthe_ home now and "back in the bosom" of her family. (You know how they are up the hills) She is tired but resting in her own bed for which I'm sure she is entirely grateful. He says she looks quite fetching in her TED hose. Well, now everyone is going to want a pair.

_amaranthe_ is trying to catch up on sleep. She says they kept waking her up last night. Apparently her BP remains lower than they'd like it to be but it looks like she'll be discharged Thursday sometime. She sounded sleepy but in good spirits.

For all of you waiting for the news on _amaranthe_ , she is resting comfortably in her room.  Just up from recovery.  Her latest vitals were 117/82 for a BP with a pulse of 84.   Oxygen at 2-3 L per NC.  Minor delay in recovery with her BP dropping a bit but she bounced back.  deadparrot is with her, standing guard.  Actually, he's waiting for them to bring him up a recliner (cold beer would be nice).

Three glasses of Merlot and I'm ready to spill my guts to any sucker willing to listen. I'm about to be released from a fucked up jub in 4 weeks time... have good prospects on the horizon...got a great house...and you'd think I couldn't ask for more... but you'd be wrong. No love...ya hear.. I am not getting any lovin' and it's colored everything...shit...oh yeah... friends are great. Couldn't live without my Wiwiff... local friends are fun to go out with...but there is something missing...and try finding it. It ain't on the internet... at least not for me... at least not yet... let's talk about Chris...cute as can be, sweet, tender-hearted...but where is he? In Memphis... aw crap... let's talk about Dave...oh lord...maybe I'll have to be content just looking at him...but no, wait.. that's bullshit...God made me a sexual being. I feel certain he'll put someone in my path but I don't think I've found him yet...shit, I'm rambling...hahahawell, I have been drinking.

Now I know why some of these 70's bands won't go away. They still rock. Jackson Browne gave a straightforward and not very exciting performance. But Tom Petty was amazing. Since I don't listen to classic rock, it's been ages since I've heard most of these songs. I'd forgotten how many great songs the Heartbreakers have recorded. There are two originals left with him... names that will be familiar to you. Mike Campbell on guitar and Benmont Tench on keyboards. They played for two solid hours and rocked the house. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. Plus, the amphitheatre was great and the weather was wonderful. The beer and bathroom lines were pretty bad but overall, I would make the trip again for a good show.

I love Saturday... I've already spent too much time on line amusing myself with the ads from Yahoo Personals and Match.com. I wish I had a recent photo to put up. The only ones I have are false adverstising. Although, Wiwiff, you will be glad to know that I have decided to let my hair grown again. Not really long... just longer. I have been making good progress with Atkins although I finally got on the scale this morning and wish I hadn't. I KNOW I've lost weight. I can tell it my how I look and feel and how my clothes are fitting. But the shock of what the scale read is disheartening. I will not weigh myself again for at least another month.
My new neighbor, Rob, really loves to talk. So far I know that his daughter's name is Vivian (who the hell names a kid Vivian?) and she is two. She is the product of a relationship (not marriage) with a woman named Val who is 32 and an English major (still??). They dated two months before she got pregnant (sucker!)and they moved in together. Lasted about one year. I didn't bother to tell him my theory on living together...the damage is already done. He's just quit his job as a dispatcher to drive/deliver for Airborne. He'll be making less money and may need a roommate. So, now you know all I know about him. He knows next to nothing about me. I have decided that since he likes to chat I will let him and just listen. He seems like he has a lot to unload. And now, I'm off to do whatever. Just read a really good review of Signs and since I love Mel and Joaquin Phoenix (see him in Quills, please)I would like to see it. Maybe Rob may want to take in a movie. I'll ask him. The answer will probably take him about 15 minutes. (one thing he may never know is that I was once wildly in love with a guy named Rob)

I finally have a neighbor on my "north" side. That house has been vacant for 2 years since little Ms. Pollard broke her hip and had to move to an assisted living facility. They finally convinced her to sell. His name is Robert and he's good friends with another guy named Jeff who lives down the block. Jeff is supposed to help him fix up this place and, if Jeff's house is any indication, it oughta be lookin' fine really soon. It's going to be weird having a neighbor after so long. He told me the realtor said the place had only been vacant 6 months. I had to roll my eyes. I offered him a cold beer and incense... He seems nice enough... early 30's, tall, thin and since he's friends with Jeff... probably gay. We'd actually met a couple weeks earlier and when I talked to him last night he called me "Nola". Aww shit...don't even get me started on that one.

I'd heard about the movie American History X since it'd come out but never saw it until tonight. One of my favorite actors, Ed Norton (Fight Club, The Score)plays a Venice Beach skin head who serves time for killing two guys. His prison sentence changes his distorted outlook on life and when he gets out he tries to stop his younger brother from going down the same path. It was an excellent movie...very real and very scarey.
Other stuff... I saw A Beautiful Mind a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the movie. I knew there was so much more to the story than the movie could tell so I got the book and just finished it. Now, I'm a bit confused by the movie since most of what they showed never really happened. The way they dramatized his illness was entertaining with that Ed Harris character but the reality was so, so sad. I literally cried thinking about his incredible intellect trapped and out of his control. So much time wasted...oy..see the movie or read the book. Both worthwhile although the book is more so.

Well, I had to go to LJ to read about the early morning visit...wow, really creepy... do you have your dad's shotgun up there now. As unlikely as it would be that he could have found you...if he's been lurking about Royston looking for you...jeez! If he has been monitoring the comings and goings of the house then he knows that you are alone during the day. Luckily there's no way he could get anywhere near the house without Casey giving the warning bark! Be careful honey...I hope you can find out more now that the sheriff is involved.

So far this birthday is top shelf all the way. First, a fantastic package of Amaranthe products. Then I get to see the show Stomp today. Great venue at the Beau Rivage... no bad seats at all. The show was great fun and very entertaining. In the parking lot on the way out we ran into w of the Stomp boys and got them to autograph our programs. Very inspiring. I think someone should do a show called "Chomp" with old folks making music with their false teeth.

It's been so busy getting ready for phase I of the move to B'ham. Nothing but conference calls and training, training, training. But by the end of next week it'll all be worth it, I hope. Meanwhile I have some fun stuff to look forward to this weekend. A party Saturday night and my friends are taking me to see "Stomp" at the Beau Rivage casino on Sunday for my birthday. One of the brightest moments of the week was learning that Lilith had a job interview and she's requested prayers. No problem...

Robin and I had gotten to the bar about 10:30. It was unusual for Robin and I to do anything together on the weekends unless it was at one of the bars she hung out in. The ones in North Syracuse where they played the same stuff you heard on the radio. Foreigner, Judas Priest, Molly Hatchet. You know. The same shit they play on "classic rock" stations nowadays. But this was the early 80's and if she was hanging out with me then we were going to listen to band that did covers of The Jam, The Police, The Damned or maybe some kick ass oldie like "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell and the Drells. Dance till you dropped music. She was agreeable. She'd just broken up with her peanut-butter mustached boyfriend since high school and she wanted to ride her face around. The guys I hung around loved the new face even if it was sporting a blond version of a Pat Benetar do. You know how guys are. Fresh meat. Robin had a very slight build and could pull off tight jeans very well. That night she wore a mesh top with no bra. I was a little annoyed at that. Seemed a little desperate showing all the goodies up front but I didn't say anything. Ducky and Paul noticed right away. These two pop-stars played drums and guitar, respectvely for a local band called 1.4.5. They were true hounds. I had been on and off with Paul for a while. We were friendly and I wasn't sure whether we were on or off tonight but it was too early to tell. I introduced Ducky to Robin and I knew they'd each take it from there. Paul asked if I'd be sticking around and to be perfectly honest I wasn't sure I wanted to. At least not for him. I knew he had been with a lot of girls who did the local music scene and hated feeling like a notch on the old bedpost, but I was. He was just trolling, I thought so I changed the subject. Ducky came bouncing over and said he just loved Robin cause he loved girls who looked like 14 year old boys. Huh? I wasn't quite sure what to make of that comment but years later the words "latent homosexuality" would come to mind. "Oh yeah" he said "me and Paul love girls with no hips and tiny titties". Oh, goody, I thought feeling quite Rubenesque. Mind you, I might have weighed 135 lbs. at the time.
The music was playing. I forget the band but we danced and drank. I probably took some speed. I usually did for the long haul. I lost track of Robin and starting talking with another local scene-maker, Penny. Penny kept a watchful eye on Ducky. They'd consumated her crush about a year ago and he never looked back. She, however, was consumed. It was painful to watch so I asked her if she wanted to dance. Around closing time Robin told me she had met someone and would get a ride home. I looked over to see some guy I sort of recognized and told her to be careful. Call me tomorrow, etc. I found Paul slumped over at a table and he was completely wasted. I asked Penny if she wanted to help me get Paul home. She didn't look quite right and as I followed her gaze I saw Ducky leaving with a very pretty blonde. "C'mon, let's be angels of mercy and get him out of here." The way we had to handle his 6 foot frame would leave some bruises for him to ponder the next day but we did the job. We got him to his apartment and in bed and voila! Suddenly he was coherent. "You girls aren't going to leave me here are you?" Oh, Christ... he wanted one of us to stay over and I could tell he really didn't care which one it was. "Please, you can't leave me... look I've got a hard on now." Suddenly he was quiet then after some commotion I realized that he'd crawled to his bathroom in the dark and thrown up. "We can't leave him like this." Penny said. She had that whine in her voice that told me we'd be here much longer than I wanted to stay. "He's fine, let's go" I told her. "Let me just help him back to bed" she pleaded. She took off his pants and shirt. She washed his face and then I distinctly heard moaning. She was kissing him. He had just thrown up and she was kissing him. Then I heard him ask her for a blow job. I sat in his living room which was dark except for the street lights showing through the window. I couldn't see in the bedroom but I knew she was doing it because she was very quiet and he was not. I was so pissed I wanted to just leave her there. "Penny, for chrissakes! Do you know how long it takes a drunk guy to come?" I walked into his kitchen and opened the frig. I helped myself to some Molsen Red. He must've been to Canada recently and good for me. "Penny!" I shouted. "I'm going to be in the car and I'm leaving in 10 minutes." Her reply was muffled. I got in my car, lit a cigarette and listened to Drums and Wires on tape. A few minutes later Penny came out and got in the car. I didn't know what to say so I just kept quiet. She finally said she was sorry but that she felt so sorry for him she just wanted to "put him out of his misery". "Then you should have shot him" I told her. I dropped her back off at the bar to get her car and went home. The next day she came by and brought me a six pack of St. Paulie Girl and a couple of hits of speed. She said she was sorry and hoped I wasn't mad at her since Paul and I had been with each other until recently. I told her I thought they both acted pretty pathetic but whatever... I didn't care. "You hungry?" she asked. "Starving. I feel like breakfast" I told her. And just like that, I grabbed my jacket and we were gone.

The reading material I bought earlier this month is already finished so today we took a trip to the library. That's where I found out that Sean enjoys books on tape. We got a collection of Peter Straub stories and went to Walgreens to get an inexpensive personal tape player. He's really been enjoying those. Meanwhile... I prefer reading to listening so I ended up with A Beautiful Mind. I just saw the movie and, while I enjoyed it very much, I knew there must be so much more to Nash's life. I also got a new book by one of my favorite authors, Susan Isaacs. Also got a quick read thriller called Tell No One and then, a classic. The Stranger by Albert Camus. I read it in high school and could not appreciate the writing at the time. I thought I'd give it another go. This is all in anticipation that Sean will be going to his dad's for 6 weeks very soon. Having control of the remote again is about the only good thing about that. And with all the good books around who needs TV anyway. I'm gonna miss him so much.

I don't know which is more impressive. This movie or the fact that Tom Cruise's last two movies (this one and Vanilla Sky)keep establishing him as such a good actor. I disliked him for so long and did a 180 with Interview. As for the movie...the trailers have basically told the tale of PreCrime and the eradication of murder. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say that the futuristic vision is so well incorporated that it does not distract from the story. And the story is a good one. I had such empathy for Cruise's character... he really gets fucked and the road to his enlightenment is torturous. Go see it.

It was one of those days that if the phone just quit ringing I could have gotten some work done. Then national is calling wanting reports for their FDA inspection. Boy, are they getting roasted up there. Well, it won't be my concern soon enough. I can't wait for that day. As much as it concerns me...I'm still looking forward to 2/15/03. I'll feel like a huge weight has been lifted....
Any who... Sir Paul is 60 and I've been listening to a BBC radio special. Makes me want to watch A Hard Day's Night now but I don't have it...ah, well.

Why are people cheering John Gotti's funeral procession calling this man a "hero"? Crying for this Mafia crime boss as if they were related or something and talking about what a great guy he was? One idiotic bystander was quoted as saying that he was a hero cause he never cheated on his wife and made the neighborhood safe. I seriously doubt the former and can't applaud the latter because of just "how" he would have made his neighborhood safe. And this coming from people who experienced so many true life heroes recently that using the same term to describe Gotti is simply insulting.

Just when you think you're getting out of the woods... unexpected financial blows... having to buy a new satellite receiver and pay for a service call just to find out they can't fix the old one... car tags due ($250!). Another reason I miss the Subaru. But, at least the house is cool once again and Sean can watch his precious Samurai Jack, Invader Zim and Sponge Bob. Rented Monster's Ball last night and now that Sean is out of the house I do believe I'll pop it in. Black Hawk Down for tonight after mass. I do love going to 5:30 mass on Saturday so I can spend Sunday AM with coffee and the paper. Speaking of which, I read where the bishops went back on the de-frocking thing with a semi-valid reason. Defrocking takes a long, long time...and still could be done on a case by case basis. So, these guys will still technically be priests but can't perform priestly duties. I dunno about that...lawyers can be disbarred and doctor's can lose their license...isn't being a priest also a vocation? I say "trow da bums out!" (And prosecute 'em!)

I nearly cried when I read the news from the National Bishop's Conference. Bishop Gregory's comments were the strongest words yet expressed by the Catholic church and he is saying zero tolerance with immediate de-frocking of pedophilic priests. I think that should go for the bishops who sent these pervs from parish to parish. I had to ask my mother if she remembered priests at Sacred Heart being accused of anything like that. She said she was never aware of any. Fr. Marconi, Fr. Schmidt, Fr. Tran, Fr. Connelly. We were always disgusted to see Mrs. Giordano flirting with Fr. Connelly. They'd smoke cigarettes together outside before mass. It was probably more jealousy cause Fr. Connelly was cute and had a true Irish brogue. I don't think there was anything going on but at least it would have been between adults. I hope I never see anyone I went to grammar school with showing up on TV claiming to be molested. None of this has done anything to shake my faith..."we suffer at the hand of man, not the hand of God"

Here are the TOP TEN reasons I know that SOMEONE has given me the Mal Occhio:

10. It's over 90 degrees

9. It's over 90 degrees and my AC crapped out on Tuesday

8. The AC guys can't make it over till Thursday

7. I had to spend $$ for two fucking fans!

6. The satellite receiver ain't been receivin' since Sunday

5. The satellite guy can't come till Thursday

4. I probably need to buy a new receiver cause the warranty on this one has expired.

3. My most valuable staff person has been offered another job which she'll most likely take beginning 7/15.

2. I'll probably end up workin weekends beginning 7/21

1. I have a splitting headache!

Just back from our Orlando vacation and I swear I will never go back in the summer again. It was great but waiting in those lines for up to an hour made an ogre out of me. We rode the Spiderman ride 3 times, water rapids twice, Men In Black twice. I had to ride the big roller coasters ALONE. Ah, their loss. The Incredible Hulk was great as were the Dueling Dragons, although shorter. Makes me want to go back to Six Flags as soon as the weather cools (hear that, Lilith and March?) Now I'm waiting for the $%&*# mailman to show up so I can get my check and get some stuff done. Grrrr....