From God to Bumpers

Last night I finished The Shack, the book I told you about - a guy in crisis being reacquainted with God. It was good, not on my top 10 but decent. Next I'm onto Willy Lamb's new one, The Hour I First Believed. I loved his other books so am anxious to read this one. It's about the Columbine tragedy which doesn't necessarily excite me but I'm hoping the characters drive over a depressing topic. I heard John Irving has a new book coming out. He's one of my more favorite authors. I've heard this new one is semi-autobiographical.

What else? Not too much has been going on that's new. Let's see. We refinanced the house to 5%. The lawyer was telling us with the economy and the room the banks have to play with, he could foresee rates going down to 3% - over the next couple of years. That is if the market doesn't get better.

Work has been busy. Enough said.

Bandit's the same crazy, geriatric dog still acting like he's a puppy. He loves his prescription food. But somehow saying, "Bandit it's Urinary SO time!", just doesn't sound right.

I've been back to see the chiropractor. My neck has been bothering me for awhile. He x-rayed my neck and apparently it's curved the wrong way. He said it could be from the trauma of the accident (back in June of 2005) or age. There's a bit of arthritis in spots. So I've been seeing him a couple of times a week. I feel better when I leave.

The weather has been decent the past couple of days. Last Saturday was a wash out but I already told you about that (gas grill cooking).

Oh I finally got the scratch on my bumper fixed. Back at the old apartment, I woke up one morning to find someone had swiped the passenger side back bumper leaving about a five inch scrape. I had been meaning to get it fixed but never got around to it. Finally last Friday I had the detail company come get it at my office. They kept it overnight (had to get a ride home from a co-worker), repaired the bumper and gave me a complete detail. Now it looks brand new again.

Oh well. That's about it. Over and out...

Do You Leave the House in your Lounge Wear?

Sweatpants, t-shirt, baseball cap, slippers and a cup of coffee. This is how I present myself to you this morning. But not when I leave the house.

Someone once told me the sign of giving up on fitness is wearing elastic waist bands. Hopefully my comfy sweats aren't such a sign. For I don't wear them out of the house.

A couple of weeks ago at Stop & Shop there was a girl - probably in her early twenties - that literally looked as if she rolled out of bed, drove herself to the grocery store and began her shopping. Perhaps it was to just pick up a few things. Regardless, slippers (however shoe-like they look), Simpsons' lounge pants, an oversized sweatshirt and hair tucked up under a baseball cap are an ensemble that are not to leave the house. On a Tuesday morning, I have a hard enough time going to the curb to add my empty bottle of water to the recycling bin let alone go out and do my food shopping.

Yesterday during a rash of errands (mind you dressed in jeans and sneakers not lounge wear) we stopped off at the local meat market and picked up two gorgeous pieces of steak. Hours later while I was once again at home and comfy in my sweats, Chris was out in the pouring rain (cooking is his job not mine) ready to spark up the grill. Apparently the propane tank, which we had just filled two weeks ago, was stuck in the off position. I was called out to help (that's my job to fix the things that are broken). No matter how hard we tried to turn the valve, even using a wrench and then even a hammer, it wouldn't move. Luckily we didn't blow-up the house.

With both of us now soaked, Chris gave in and said he would broil the steaks in the oven.

I would have no such thing. "I don't think so! We just spent $25 for steaka and we're going to ruin them in the oven. These HAVE to be grilled."

Per my criterion as stated above, I couldn't go out in my sweats. So at nine o'clock at night, in my favorite pair of cords (the afternoon's jeans were in the wash) we found ourselves in the car to exchange the tank at Stop & Shop's Blue Rhino.

$20 later and soaked to the bone we got back to the house.

Chris with umbrella in hand lit the grill whilst I jumped back into my comfy-clothes, tended to the fireplace and poured myself a glass of wine.

In front of the hearth both of us back in our elastic waistbands and watching an episode of House Hunters on HGTV, we enjoyed our steaks, especially the mushroom risotto and fresh asparagus that complemented it. We had to guard it from Bandit for he was looking to live up to his name.

Suddenly the night became worth all the aggravation.

Cracking Up

Since my health care plan is changing, I'm trying to make the most of my current one. This morning I'm heading out to my chiropractor. He's helped with my neck before and lately it's been bothering me. Not a lot but enough to aggravate me.

I also tried to schedule an appointment for my annual physical but the next available appointment isn't till December. Still with in the current policy's effective date however I was trying to get it earlier in case he needed to run any other tests.

Oh well.

The Barrage Post

I haven't written one of these in awhile. This post is just a barrage of stuff with really no rhyme or reason.

It's Friday. Yes! Yesterday was a great day: My project, that had been delayed for months, finally went into production. (Sigh of relief.) And no major issues! Woo hoo!

This weekend is supposed to be cold and rainy. Fine with me. I ordered a cord of wood and will have a nice bottle of wine and a fire in the fireplace. Maybe work on my book. I made some good progress on it during my vacation. I'll be so relieved when it's done. I keep saying I'm almost there, then I read and get additional ideas or want to rewrite more.

I'm currently reading "The Shack", about a man's re-acquaintance with God. It's not bad. I'm sure you've heard of it. It's been all over the place. New York Times Bestseller etc. Honestly, I like my "Art of Racing in the Rain" better.

My health insurance plan is changing in 2010 and not for the better. I currently have a miniscule co-pay then everything paid at 100%. Now it's going to be no co-pay but something like $1,000 deductible a year before they start paying anything and then they only pay 80% of the total bill. I can't believe it's changing so drastically...from one of the best plans to one of the worst. We're going from Blue Cross to Aetna which isn't the problem so much as the company contributions. I guess it's a sign of the times.

My retirement plan is also changing. This benefit at least for the better. The plan is now going to be managed by Fidelity. Fine by me. More funds to choose from and a much better self-service tool.

What else? OMG...I'm so late. It's 7:15 and I haven't even showered. That's okay. I can be a little late this morning seeing that I was up till almost ten o'clock sending out emails.

Work emails. I can't keep up. I get about 100 a day. There's no way you can effectively keep up with it. Certainly not at 40 hours a week. Ugh!

Well, I should get ready to get ready. Over and out...have a good weekend!

Rick

Topsfield Fair and Then Some

Yesterday I went to the Topsfield Fair. I haven't been in probably ten years; it hasn't changed much. It's good to see that America's oldest agricultural exhibit is still going strong.

The day started off with me dropping my car off for its 75,000 mile check up. Seeing that it had 45,000 miles on it when I bought it in 2006, I guess 30,000 miles in three years is not too bad. The dealership wanted $280 for the check up but since I've had a difficult time scheduling (they're only open during work hours) I opted to take it to the place I bought my tires from. Twenty-three bucks for the same check up! I was quite happy about that. Since my warranty has expired I won't be using the dealership anymore. Also a friend of mine at work told me about this other mechanic she used to bring her Volvo to. I was going to go there but they have limited hours as well.

After dropping my car off, we headed to the Fair. Going the back way we avoided all the traffic and the mud soaked parking lots. We had a great time. Here are some pictures.

Swines a resting (despite H1N1)

This year's largest pumpkin

Can't believe I went on this!

Screamed like a Nellie!

After all that came home and took Bandit for a walk where we bumped into the annual Zombie-walk. Unfortunately, these pictures didn't come out that great.




Finally, the night was topped off, at the local pub for dinner and drinks whilst watching the Bruin's roar back from 3 to nothing to win against the New York Islanders.

Hold On...I Think I Have a Coupon for That

I take great pleasure in saving money.

Coming home from work yesterday, I greeted Bandit and immediately noticed the chill in the air. The house was 59 degrees. Yet I refused to turn on the heat. (Instead Bandit and I went for a walk; besides I think it was warmer outside.)

When I got back, I bundled up in a sweatshirt. I told myself I wouldn't turn on the heat till October. Yet while October has arrived I'm still not ready (maybe tonight).

Lately I've been following the advice of The Coupon Queen (keep your comments to yourself) in my local paper: Buy on sale and with a coupon.

I look forward to clipping coupons from the Sunday paper. I even have a little coupon organizer (that I got a dollar cheaper on eBay than what they wanted on the main web site). I clip it to my carriage as we traipse the aisles. I'm constantly stopping, "Wait, I think I have a coupon for that." Then I pilfer through my organizer.

I'm all excited about today's grocery savings. Here's just a few examples: I got salad dressing, regular $2.99 with a dollar coupon, then doubled from this week's flyer for .99. Two boxes of cereal on sale for $6.00; I had a coupon for $2 off, plus a coupon-doubler bringing it to $1.50 a box! My bill came to over $120 and when the cashier deducted all my coupons I walked out of there paying just over $80. Not bad.

Earlier this week Market Basket had a sale on paper towels and Tide. On my lunch hour I stopped in and bought two 15 packs of Bounty and three 64 oz. Tide HE. Bounty regular $12.99 on sale for $9.99 and I had two dollar off coupons. The Tide regular $14.99 was on sale for $10.99. I had three coupons one of which was two dollars off. Now I've got enough for a good six months.

The other day I got a call from my mortgage broker. Apparently mortgage rates have dropped so I might be refinancing. I can save a half of a percent. Why not? Heck, I don't even need a coupon.

Fall is in the Air

Well I made it through the first full work week since getting back from vacation. Now onto the second. Ugh...the weekend was great though. New England fall weather, which I love, is fast approaching. Yesterday I woke up to the house being a bit chilly - 62 degrees. Yet it's still too early to put the heat on.

Bandit had a his biannual comprehensive exam on Saturday. He did well. He lost 4 pounds since his last visit and, YES, his bladder stones have not returned. Recall the type he had have a tendency to come back. They did a urinalysis and an x-ray and saw no irregularities. So that's a good thing. I bought him a little pumpkin-ball as a treat. While he still needs to be on the prescription food and they could come back at some point, right now he's in good health. Though she said he could still stand to lose a couple more pounds.

Speaking of dogs, I'm reading an excellent book. It's called The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It's narrated by the family dog. If you're a dog lover it's a must. I read three-quarters of it in one sitting. I love books that are both comical and poignant and this one certainly is that.

Well, not much else is new.

Pictures from Mount Desert Island, Maine

Maine was spectacular! We had quite the adventurous, albeit relaxing, week. The best was a 40 minute plan ride over Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island. We took a bi-plane scenic tour. I felt like the Red Baron. I was scared sh*tless yet really enjoyed it. Excellent sites to be had. The island is so beautiful.





The cottage we stayed in was right along the water of Somes Sound, on the Southwest Harbor side . We woke up every morning to deer traipsing through the backyard, lobster boats working in the harbor, sailboats going by and an occasional seal or porpoise swimming about.




We did lots of hiking. Bandit enjoyed the trails. He went on some paths he wasn't supposed to but we didn't realize that till after the fact. He had a ball; note the first picture with his tongue sticking out as he eyes Chris's breakfast (you may have to click it to enlarge).





On another note, today is my forty-third birthday. The plane ride, along with a nice bracelet and dinner this evening are my birthday gifts.

Over and out...

Forced Relaxation

It's nice being on vacation: stuck in a cottage for an entire week with little to do is the ultimate in forced relaxation.

I realized how stressed I can be and constantly multi-tasking on the very first morning as I sat reading the local newspaper. I didn't have to skim articles due to crunched time. Normally, at home, by the time I get back from work and in between dinner and then to bed there's little down time. The other day I said to myself, "I have a whole week to read this newspaper." Who cares if it's old news.

The cottage is beautiful. It was completely renovated in the spring of this year. The views are fantastic! We're right in the middle of Somes sound -- one of the only fjords in the United States.


That's Bandit in the sun which streams in through the windows in the morning. He's having a good time too.

Every morning deer trek along the backyard. They're so cute. Surprisingly Bandit's pretty good with them. He just stares and the deer look back. They're so accustomed to people they're hardly afraid.

Well, more pictures at a later time. Over and out...

Rick

Starting September

Today is September 1st. Wow did that come up fast. Pretty soon I'll be 43! Ugh!

Last year at this time we were getting ready to go to Maine. And wouldn't you know, this year, we're making a similar trek.

This is my last week before vacation. In a few more days I'll be in Bar Harbor. I'm so looking forward to it. We'll be renting a cottage by the ocean. This time Bandit will be joining us as the cottage is pet friendly.

Speaking of Bandit, it's time for his biannual physical. Now that he's geriatric (though he doesn't act it) he needs to get checked out twice a year. I'll schedule that when we get back.

I finally returned my curtain rods and got new ones. (This time with the merchandise.) Now the curtains are up. They're very thick and heavy which will help with heating costs this winter.

On a random note, I lost out on an eBay auction, a vintage 1930s Mickey Mouse postcard. Bummer! Somebody outbid me for a $1. I hate when that happens.

Speaking of Mickey, we're also planning our Disney trip for November. Already booked reservations at the restaurants we want to eat at.

Well enough of my randomness. Just wanted to drop a quick note.

Taking Woodstock

Last night I saw the movie "Taking Woodstock". While it was a little slow in spots it was enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised by the gay subplot. They didn't highlight that in the trailer; at least I don't remember. Being a fan of sixties music and culture and with Woodstock being the pinnacle of the time period, I just had to see it.

The story was a behind-the-scenes look at the event. There was no onstage footage shown. I tend to like stuff that is a bit off the main focus. It was interesting to hear Janis Joplin singing "Cry" faintly in the distance while the main character (manager of the local motel) argued with his parents.

What was even better was I had a coupon for $2.50 off admission. Leave it to me to have a coupon. For $7.75 it was worth the price.

Sans Merchandise

This past weekend we finally bought curtains for the bedroom and master bath. They were the only rooms that didn't have window treatments (aside from blinds). We got a good deal at J.C. Penney and then found some decent rods over at Target.

Sunday night we put up the bathroom curtains but the rods we got for the bedroom were too short. No problem. Being that I work local and am near the malls I said I'd return them during the week, at lunch.

Monday rolls along and I am out for my morning jog, going through my mental list of to-dos. I reminded myself, that before leaving the house to be sure and get the curtain rod slip out of my receipt jar so that I could swing by Target at lunch.

Last minute, running late for work and saying goodbye to Bandit and just before setting the alarm I remembered the receipt.

Several hours later at work there I sit finagling my schedule so that I can run to Target. As is typical someone booked a lunch time meeting with me. "Shit." But then my 11 o'clock freed up. "Well, I can take an early lunch and swing by the Target." By the time I got out of my 10 o'clock and checked a few emails it was 11:15 -- still enough time to run down to the mall, exchange and get back for my noon. (Don't worry...actually eating lunch is saved for the middle of meetings.)

By the time I got out to the car is was 11:20.

I start driving when it hits me. The curtain rods. "Damn!" They're still sitting against the wall by the garage door. "Son of a..." Luckily I realized this before I got to the store. I had to laugh as I had visions of myself with my receipt in hand sans merchandise going up to the cashier: "Your return policy states I must have my receipt. What about the merchandise?"

Still Alive

Just wanted to let you know, I'm still around. Life's been incredibly hectic but hanging in there.

I took these pictures the other day - thought I'd share.



There's really nothing much to report. Just saying hey!

Out for a Walk and Then Some

Here's a smattering of pictures. We took Bandit for a walk through Salem and snapped these photos.

"Please Daddy...I wanna go for a walk!"

Making progress on the reconstruction of the
Old Salem Jail into luxury apartments and a restaurant

The Hawthorne Hotel

The exterior of the Custom House being painted

"Hubba hubba!" Bicyclist giving tourists a ride

The neighbor's house... well, mansion exquisitely
renovated and with all green technology

Our front porch

Back home playing fetch with Bandit

I had to throw this picture into the mix. This was taken later in the day from my cell phone at, of all places, BJ's Warehouse. The guy at the deli counter said they've yet to sell any. With a name like this who would buy it!

What's Going On

Just a quick little what's-going-on:

Over the last two weeks I've done nothing but work and mow the lawn. At least that's how it feels. If I think back at all I've done, the only thing that comes to mind is me being at the office or working from home and me outside tending to the yard. That's pretty much been my summer. Well, except for my camping trip.

I'm on vacation the first week of September. Going back up to Maine. This time to Bar Harbor. We went up there last year around the same time. This year we're renting a cottage on the water. It'll be very nice. And Bandit will be able to join us.

God, I spend a lot of time in Maine.

Oh joy of joys! Today is a jeans day. You don't know how much I love these. No pressed pants and dress shirts. Not that I press my pants or iron my shirts anymore. It takes way too much time. I send them out. But being able to throw on a pair of jeans and a comfortable shirt to go to work is akin to wearing pjs.

Work has been incredibly stressful. I don't want to get into the details. Let's just say I enjoy coming home to my family, my newspaper, a glass of wine and a home cooked meal. If I didn't have that I think I'd crack, besides with nothing to look forward to I'd probably stay at the office.

Anyway, enjoy the weekend! I'll be out in the yard.

The Hermit Island Camping Trip

Last weekend's camping trip to Hermit Island, Maine was a good one. We caught pockets of good weather despite the deluge that occurred Friday morning on our way up. By the time we arrived the rain had stopped yet had left some campers in a jam.


Later that night, as we walked around the camp grounds we spotted a herd of deer grazing in the woods. At first Chris thought it was a couple of Golden Retrievers: "Hey, I thought they didn't allow dogs on the island!" I tried taking pictures but the lighting was terrible. This is the best shot I could get.


Another brush with nature: Sitting around the camp fire after having had a nice warm cup of cocoa a skunk decide to stop by and pay a visit. Four gay guys frozen in terror muttering, "don't move and we'll be fine." Apparently Pepe LePew liked me best as he wandered underneath my chair and licked the rest of the cocoa from my mug. After that it was in the Vanagon for me. (Besides I think I need to change my pants.)

Saturday's weather was gorgeous. We took a long hike and enjoyed Maine's wonderful scenery.





While the campground had hot showers and flush toilets, there were a couple of spots with port-a-potties. This picture didn't come out the best, due to the lighting. I thought the sign was funny.


Camping in a Vanagon beats tent camping any day. Sleeping on the pull out bed was comfortable, warm and dry. If you look close, you can even see the creature comforts of a car vac to clean up any grit from getting in our traveling bedroom.


It was a great weekend with good friends. We're looking forward to doing it again.

Camping VW Style

This weekend I'm going camping. Friends of ours collect Volkswagen Vanagons. (Gay men without children or pets have the strangest of hobbies.) They are letting us borrow one of their buses and the four of us are going to caravan up to Maine and stay in the vans.

The vans actually pretty neat. They are equipped with their own little kitchens and pullout beds. They've put a lot of work into them and restored to mint condition. They picked them up on eBay or Craiglist for next to nothing, low mileage and bought all original equipment to completely gut and refurbish. When visiting one time last year, they had one of the vans' interior, right down to the metal, completely striped. The dashboard was taken out; even the gas and brake pedal caps were off. Denis put every inch of it back together. He's quite talented. (Not only is he a good friend, I also hire him to do projects around my house.)

I'm looking forward to going. Especially now that I can go: Up until yesterday with work projects impeding upon this weekend, it was touch and go but as of now it looks as if I'll be able to make it.

We're going to Hermit Island. I've never been. It'll be a fun, new adventure. The location is perfect. As you may recall, I like to experience various islands of Maine in research for my book. Hermit Island isn't technically an island for there is a spit of land that connects it to the mainland.


Unfortunately the campground does not except dogs so we have a friend housesitting. Bandit's alright with that. He loves Uncle Jeff and besides we're taking Bandit up to Maine in September. We've rented a cottage up in Bar Harbor for the week of Labor Day.

Anyway, over and out...

Vincent Van Gogh

Family Tree of Vincent Van Gogh:

His dizzy aunt ----------------------------------------------- Verti Gogh
The brother who ate prunes------------------------------- Gotta Gogh
The brother who worked at a convenience store ------ Stop N Gogh
The grandfather from Yugoslavia ----------------------------- U Gogh
His magician uncle -------------------------------- Where-diddy Gogh
His Mexican cousin ---------------------------------------- A Mee Gogh
The Mexican cousin's American half-brother ------------ Gring Gogh
The nephew who drove a stage coach --------------- Wells-far Gogh
The constipated uncle ------------------------------------- Can't Gogh
The ballroom dancing aunt -------------------------------- Tang Gogh
The bird lover uncle -------------------------------------- Flamin Gogh
The fruit-loving cousin -------------------------------------- Man Gogh
An aunt who taught positive thinking ------------------ Way-to-Gogh
The little bouncy nephew ----------------------------------- Poe Gogh
A sister who loved disco -------------------------------------- Go Gogh
And his niece who travels the country in an RV --- Winnie Bay Gogh

I saw you smiling . . . there ya Gogh!

Squabbling Neighbors

Last night we attended a meeting at city hall for the board of appeals. A developer is putting up a two-family across the street and wanted a variance. We wanted to make sure everything was done correctly so as not to impede upon the tight parking in the area. All was fine but the real drama wasn't in our appeal but the one we had to sit through before hand.

Neighbors bitching! I don't understand how people can live next to each other with such vehement detest. Move!

This one-lady got up and read a plea to the board about how she's been living in this small house for 20 years - a 600 square foot home. She was denied the right to build onto the property to her right so now she just wanted to build up. I felt bad for her. She couldn't afford to move elsewhere but loved her home. When the floor came open to the public, there were throngs of support until the abutter - some portly bitter woman, got up and lambasted the petitioner because the development would impede her water view and breeze. But instead of sticking to facts she started spouting how the lady was a spinster, had no need for additional space. She didn't have a boyfriend, there's never been children there in 20 years. There was no need for her to expand.

Fortunately the board approved her construction. I was out in the hall afterward and as she was leaving she was crying and thanking her attorney.

Neighborhood dynamics.

How Did It Get to be July 2009 Already?

It's funny. I opened up my old Outlook by accident this morning and was surprised to see the number of emails still sitting in there. The account is defunct from my old ISP with Verizon. Looks like July of 2007 was when I stopped service. That was when I moved into the apartment.

I found an email regarding a real estate transaction from 2006 that had gone bad: Some guy was supposed to buy my house but on the day of the closing, after I had already moved out, his credit somehow lowered and the bank refused the loan one hour before the close. I was devastated! In fact, he still owes me money. Hence the 2007 email. There's an escrowed deposit that back then he refused to sign over to me. What an ass! It still infuriates me to think about it. I wound up slashing the price of the house just to get rid of it. I just sent him an email to see if he's still around. The realtor had forward me an email from the Dominican Republic. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, that's in the past. Thank God!

Also in there was an email confirmation from United to go to North Carolina to see Phyllis. I guess I haven't been down there since August 2007. It's hard to believe how fast time goes by.

On the subject of time going by, the other day I planted flowers on my grandparent's grave. Apparently, I hadn't been since last summer. I had to cut back some shrubbery and clean up some debris from the trees. Everything grew so fast. Also, somehow my grandfather's stone got toppled over. At least it had been put back on top but it was facing the wrong way. I had to spin it around. It weighed a ton! I think the tractor mower they use must have banged into it because the right side of the base was shift up like something hit it.

Long Weekend

This wasn't a long weekend in the since that I had any more time off than normal. It's just that I didn't get much sleep so it felt long.

Friday night I took Phyllis out to the club. I hadn't been in months but was excited to have her in town and wanted to show her a good time. Usually Friday's I'm in bed by 10 - not this weekend. I got home around 2:00 and was then up at 6:00 for Bandit. He's like clockwork, needs to go out and of course have his breakfast. I wound up staying up for there was the yard work and errands to get ready for Saturday night.

Saturday we hosted a cookout, or at least tried to. It was sort of last minute. I tried to coordinate with others who knew Phyllis but a lot of people had plans. While most still came, most, actually all, had already eaten. So after spending a small fortune on food and cooking up a storm, Chris and I ate a hamburger and hot dog and threw out the rest. Nonetheless, others showed up late and stayed till 1 in the morning. It was still a lot of fun but a lot of work.

Exhausted, Sunday I slept in till 7:30. We had breakfast plans with another friend of ours. Chris being on call, had an emergency come in on our way home. I wound up spending three hours on the road traveling with him to his office and then to the patient's home. I napped in the car while he did his thing. When we got home we reheated a few of the hot dogs that didn't get trashed (they were too expensive - from Omaha Steaks...yum!) and tried to make a dent into the vat of potato salad and cole slaw. I think we'll have it till Christmas.

So here I sit a bit droopy eyed but at least went to bed early and got a good night's rest. This morning I have ADT coming to fix the damn alarm system. It goes off in the middle of the night because of a low battery - another reason for baggy eyes. Last night at 1:30, beep, beep, beep! It'll be good to have that damn thing fixed.

How's the cliche go? "No rest for the weary." Anyway, have a good week!

All is Well

So here it is 6 in the morning. It's what Wednesday? Yeah. No, wait a minute it's Thursday. Oh okay that's not so bad. I was gonna say for having Monday off it's seems like an awfully long week. God I can't even keep my head straight.

Phyllis is in town this week. We're going to hit the streets tonight, have dinner and do some catching up. It'll be fun. We haven't seen each other in a long time.

I ordered some stuff from Omaha Steaks. They're sending a bastion of steaks, chicken, etc for $49. I thought it was a good deal and said what the heck. I've heard they were pretty good. It should be here this weekend. Perhaps we'll have a little cookout.

What else is going on? Not too much. This past weekend, I planted some more perennials. Home Depot was having a sale so I picked up a few. I'm really getting into this gardening thing. I never have before. It's a lot of fun to see the progress. My favorites are the Dead Nettles that I planted out front under the Dogwood. They're doing fantastic.

Bandit needs a grooming. I've got to make an appointment for him. He's doing well. Very active for a 7 year old. He was yelling at me this morning because I wasn't getting his breakfast out of the can fast enough. "Geez!" I guess he was hungry.

Anyway, till later...

Lazy Ass!

I woke up at 5:30 this morning. The damn alarm system keeps beeping that the battery is low. It went off around 4:30. I fell back to sleep and then just got up at my usual time. Thank God they're coming to fix it.

Anyway...

I feel like being lazy. I don't know why. I've sort of been lazy for awhile; hence the added 15 pounds that I need to rid.

But(t) that's whole different topic.

This morning I started to unload the dishwasher and petered out when I got to the silverware. I need at least one cup of coffee to empty the dishwasher; I should know better. The little utensil bin is still sitting there on top of the counter. I'll get to it eventually -- quite unlike me.

A worse offense, I also didn't go to bootcamp this week. Monday was my vacation day and while I could have gone into the office and came back I was quite comfortable in bed at 6 am. After all, it was my day off.

And today, while again I should be running around the parking lot, I have an early morning appointment here in town. I hate to have to drive all the way to work (10 minutes) and then come back. I look at it as not burning all that fossil fuel.

Yeah, I guess one could say it's just lazy!

I could at least go out for a jog or do some sit ups here on the living room floor. Oh but I'm comfortable in my sweatpants, cradling my cup of coffee and enjoying the hum of my laptop.

On a more serious note, I am going to do something fitness wise. My pants are getting too tight. I will. I am. I'm in the planning stages of a major come back. I've just got to find the right routine, the right nutrition plan. I'll do it.

For now let me just get another cup of coffee so I can get to the silverware.

Rick's Quote for the Day

Thought I'd share a comment that I put on someone's blog:

"It’s better for our minds to marinate in our good qualities than in what we could be or worse yet “should be” in comparison to others."

Hopefully you'll get a little something out of it.

Happy Post Fourth

Yesterday's weather was beautiful. Finally. We had a cookout celebration and at night attended fireworks. They were quite good.




Not made apparent by my cell phone pics but nonetheless you get the point.

Bandit enjoyed himself. Chris' brother's family stayed over and Bandit finally had someone to continually play fetch with. Though he even tuckered out the five year old. "Your turn Uncle Rick. I'm tired."

Anyway, today's a yard day...just loving the sun!

Celebrating Friday on a Thursday

God I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a week. Today is "my" Friday; I have tomorrow off for Independence Day.

I've been so busy at work I haven't had time to do much of anything these past couple of weeks but the vacation season approaches which means less people in the office, meaning less meetings. In fact, yesterday I had only one meeting. It was like a vacation day for me. I got caught up on all sorts of stuff. Today's schedule is morning-heavy but then I have time this afternoon to finally sort through emails from April and May. (Yesterday I actually got through all of June's.)

This weekend is especially long. I'm taking a vacation day on Monday. Woo hoo! Other than a cookout/birthday celebration on Saturday, I have nothing planned. It's been dreadfully rainy and cloudy here for over a month. If the pattern continues this weekend (which looks like there may be pockets of thunderstorms) I might go see the new exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum - Dutch Seascape paintings. I've heard it's excellent. Otherwise I want to be out enjoying the sun.

This past June has been one of the worst on record. We had 22 cloudy days. 75% of the time it had been crappy! Hopefully July will fair better though so far not so good.

Tonight is Salem's weekly (until the fall) Farmer's Market. Bandit and I walked down last week but got their too late - everything was sold out. They have all sorts of stuff from flowers and vegetables to pottery and lobster. They also had a band playing music. It was a lot of fun. We met a cute little Australian Terrier. She was a pup. Bandit was keen on her. She looked just like a Cairn. I had never seen one before.

Well off to start my Friday.

Losing Michael and Farrah

Upon hearing of Michael Jackson's death, I was reminded of a post I wrote a couple years ago. I talked about how I felt bad for him. I still do.


And on the same day to lose Farrah Fawcett - her situation so sad.


Yesterday was certainly a strange day. I heard about Farrah's last rights being read to her in the morning while I was waiting for my car at the Volvo dealer. During a meeting, while I launched the Internet in the boardroom and MSN flashed up we all let out a sigh as we read the headlines: Farrah Fawcett Dies at 62.

Later that night, while I was catching up on the morning paper and enjoying a glass of wine, Chris was on the computer. "Michael Jackson is dead?" He said questioning the headline. "He should sue people for writing such garbage about him."

I asked which ridiculous RSS feed was he getting that from. "CNN," he said.

I ran over to the computer to read the headlines.

My Life's a Production

It's summer. You'd never know it. It's been raining constantly for almost two weeks. It's cold and cloudy. It feels like I'm back in Seattle.

Yesterday was the annual Cancer Walk. The weather was dismal but we didn't let that stop us. Bandit even joined us. It was only 6.5 miles but by the end he was lagging behind. His usual pulling ahead on his leash just wasn't happening. We came home, showered and then off to what was going to be a cookout but wound up being an indoor birthday/Father's Day celebration.

After a weekend of errands, cancer walks and parties, I finally had nothing to do.

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy my downtime. However, I usually enjoy using it to somehow be productive. I suppose one could say that's counter intuitive. Yet during these time you can find me writing, reading, meditating, working out or even logging into the office -- doing something that is producing output or I feel is bettering myself or my situation. When I'm not doing one of these things I feel lethargic and anxious -- one of the reasons I don't watch a lot of television, unless it's educational or news oriented.

So back to last night...

After feeding Bandit and making lunches, I didn't know what to do with myself. I sat in front of the television to watch 60 minutes. Didn't like it. Started flipping. I felt guilty for sitting on my ass when there's so much stuff I should be doing. Yet I really didn't want to log into the office and catch up on emails. I knew that would just make me more anxious. So I sat. We flipped around the 100 or so television stations we pay $140 a month for and never watch. I found nothing of interest and then went onto the computer but had already read all my emails and caught up on my favorite blogs. There wasn't much else to do. It was then I realized I have a problem in doing nothing. Finally around nine, I went to bed with a book (at least educating myself). I read a couple of pages and then got sleepy.

Several hours later here I am. Now it's off to work to be more productive.

Sometimes I wish I could just slow down.

A Quick Update, Charity and Some Pictures

Using my laptop has become an exercise in frustration.

This morning I tried logging into it to check e-mail and write a post. A half hour later I found myself still struggling to get in there and cursing as it hang up every 5 minutes or so. I was trying to upload pictures but gave up seeing that it would take me around 5 minutes a picture to get them posted.

I've moved to the upstairs computer which is much faster and actually more convenient. Why I still use that hunk of junk from 2002, I'll never know. I've been complaining about it for years but have yet to retire it.

Anyway, now that I've got that out of my system. I thought I just give you a quick update. Things have been so busy I haven't had a lot of time to write.

As we did last year, my company sponsored a home makeover for a family in need. Yesterday I spent the morning digging up a backyard and putting down sod for an 1850s home in need of some sprucing up.

I like doing this charity stuff. It makes me feel good at the end of the day.

As for more charity, this weekend I'm walking, once again, in the Cancer walk. If you'd like to sponsor me you can visit my page at: http://www.firstgiving.com/rickbettencourt. Pretty please!

Okay, so here are the pictures that I was originally trying to upload:

Chris and me in front of our new mansion (okay a Newport mansion)

Boston Pride 2009

Miss Kitty Litter

Loved this mint condition VW Beetle (ca. 1979)

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick

Loved his t-shirt (click to see larger image)...though could spare the tire

Another weapon against us and a reason why I don't like these parades

Why I like these parades

Another reason why I like these parades!

Interesting costume

Another interesting costume

Stop off for an adult beverage before heading home

Eye candy at the bar (a bit out of focus as you can't be too obvious with boys)

Okay, that's enough. Till next time.

Gay Pride

I've posted this picture from Rambling Along in honor of the Gay Pride month.


I like this picture not only for gay flag and beautiful sunset but for the Amerian flag in the background. I find it to be a perfect match.

This Saturday is Boston's Gay Pride. This year I do intend to head into town for the festivities. I don't normally go and haven't been in a few years. It's never really been me. Over the last few years things have changed: Most of New England has recognized gay marriage and homosexuality is beginning to be seen by others for what it is, normal. I'm interested in seeing how normal we've become at these parades.

I don't want to sound like a prude but in years past I've found gay pride parades to be too in your face, over the top. Flashing your gonads and tits in front of the camera just became fodder for conservatives to prove their point against us - a bunch of perverts.

Well, I'm sure they'll still be some of that, which is fine, but we'll see what other more family-oriented activities there are. Anyway, happy Gay Pride!