tao1776

I moved from the summer campground to an old rest home in Providence, RI that was converted into a training center for upcoming "ministers of the Gospel." The Lady's mother signed over permission for her to move there as well. It was here that she met her father for the first time since she was five years old. A career military man, he never paid a dime in child support. Any communication (which was very little) was through letters sent to the grandmother in Ohio who then forwarded them to wherever her son was stationed. Since his estranged daughter was now living out of state and asking about him, he thought it safe to pay a visit. He was tall and sported the traditional military haircut. He brought his wife with him, whom he had met in Germany. She wore a bee hive blonde hairdoo and spoke in guttural german tones. She outweighed him by perhaps fifty pounds. The contrast of his thin tall reserved demeanor and her stiff and bold approach made their relationship interestin...

Our little planet. Look at it. Concentrate! The history, the wars, the life and death of millions known and unknown. Concentrate! Is any activity of value? Fighting and hatred or compassion and love. Does one merit more than the other? Concentrate! Wars and disease are remembered for their destruction. The acts of compassion are remembered in the lives and faces, the names and texts of those as bold as love. Concentrate! Look upon the unseen activity on our little planet.

The late autumn nights allowed the winter snow to invade New England early. I drove my 1969 Impala to several bible study groups held within the homes of my new found friends. 1974 saw the climb of social change and anti war activism begin it's decline into a freefall of empty direction. We were withdrawn from the jungles of south east Asia, Nixon had resigned from the White House. (ironically, Cheney and Rumsfeld received promotions and dug themselves deeper into the political world of intrique and deceit) The bohemian lifestyle and dress was seized upon by the fashion designers and they quickly provided every high school student tie dye and beat up jeans. Long hair, American flags on the backs of dungeree jackets, everything had lost value. Jimi, Jim and Janice were dead. There wasn't a higher purpose invoking the march forward to a better world. More than a dozen high school friends had checked out early in a variety of ways. Working a full time job only to spend it all o...

I've been shaving many years..about 35 years in fact. So you know that I've tried every fad known to man. Last year they came out with the battery sensor Gillette super duper razor. I still wasn't impressed. A straight razor is the best. But Old Spice came out with this disposable.....w/ 4 blades. Lightweight, inexpensive. I am impressed and I get many shaves. I do the face everyday and shave my head every other day...unless I have a date (wink).... You know that I'll never steer you wrong...Try it?

There was a time when I could trust my intuition. When I was in my early thirties, making a go of things, chasing the American Dream, I was over exposed to isocyanates. This spiraled into poor health and disability. During some convalescence and bouts of coughing until blood appeared, my back muscles became quite atrophied. Quite disturbing, considering that I considered my strong back an asset, allowing me to grab a full grown man and lift him high above my head. As my back became weak and spasms grew into sciatica, I took pain medication and alcohol to help me continue through life. During a bout of alcohol and general screwing off during a camping trip, I round house kicked and felt my back muscles pull...taking my breath away. So....I took more pills, drank more alcohol and rode my bike, swam my ass off and raised holy camping hell. The next day I was unable to walk. The next ten days were spent in the hospital. The next year was spent in a back brace and with a cane. The second ye...

Even with my short term memory failing me when I least expect it, one gift that I have not lost is that I never forget a face. Even if I have not seen the person in many years. It has been fun working the new job as everyone comes in to buy from a hardware store. I have changed much over the years. Long hair to shaved. Big beard, short beard, no beard, moustache, to what ever it is I have now. Reddish brown hair and beard to white beard, shaved head....etc....... I have seen some people that I haven't seen in twenty years and they are surprised when I ask them a question that only an insider would know. When they ask me who I am it is fun to see their reaction and surprise. But imagine my surprise when I thought Punk Rock Mommy or perhaps Gem ll (or ll) came walking into the store. http://www.punkrockmommy.blogspot.com/ http://thejuxtapositionofherandihere.blogspot.com/ It couldn't be of course. They say that everyone has a twin or look-a-like out in the world. But what if you ...

I've had a thing for Maureen for some time now. Her whiney voice, humor and cutting edge disection on politics...from each side of the aisle. I know that the red hair helps. I go ga-ga for the red heads. But what draws me the most I think is the unavailability of it all. She seems to need no one. It's what draws me to Coulter as well. Hate her politics, but I also believe that even she doesn't believe half of what she says. It's her schitck. But the man in me wants to bed these two woman something fierce. These strong willed, dominating woman! I like it!!! Turns me on.

"There is an ancient Celtic axiom that says 'Good people drink good beer.' Which is true, then as now. Just look around you in any public barroom and you will quickly see: Bad people drink bad beer. Think about it." -- Hunter S. Thompson Anyone who knows me knows that Guinness Extra Stout is a deep dark ray of sunshine for me. It is a shame that most beer patrons want their beer cold and they want it fast. Everyone has heard about Guinness and the "perfect pint" never really understanding the meaning behind the phrase. The Perfect Pint Here, for your consideration, is one method to attain the perfect pint of Guinness... The first requirement is an imperial pint (20oz) glass. The glass should be clean, dry, and room temperature. In no circumstances use a chilled glass, or one that has not been cleaned properly. NOTE: a properly prepared glass will exhibit excellent ring-sustaining features. Next, make sure the dispensing equipment is in proper working order. ...

We had our first real storm of the season today. It come through real quick but dropped as much as a foot in some areas. I think we fell into the 8" to 10" range. The Buddha sits outside my back door in good weather and bad. He sits unperturbed regardless of what goes on around him. Yes, this is but a statue, a figure, but it is symbolic of what I aspire towards. But, I digress. I wanted to mention the many winters that I have seen and mention some events that I remember well. I remember the snow forts that were built in the neighborhood on each side of the street that made for some memorable wars. I remember a storm that covered my father's car, completely hiding it from view. My straight edge sled that slid down the hill after me when I hit a tree. It came after me backwards and plunged the blade deep into my upper thigh. This hill saw us riding down on car hoods and trunks. It saw my buddy break his leg in two places. I remember staying late at the sandbanks after a d...

Twenty five years ago. Hardly seems possible. The Lady was pregnant for our second who was born on the twenty first. I cried twice that month. Once for a death, once for a birth. Out of the countless Beatles fans, you could catagorize people into two positions. Those that related to Paul, and those that related to John. Paul was clean, fun loving and liked to keep things simple. John was dark, more complex. Whereas Paul talked of "silly little love songs", John wanted rock that inspired change and tackled the problems of love and the hardships of life. John wrote, How Do You Sleep So sgt. pepper took you by surprise You better see right through that mother’s eyes Those freaks was right when they said you was dead The one mistake you made was in your head Ah, how do you sleep? Ah, how do you sleep at night? you live with straights who tell you you was king Jump when your momma tell you anything The only thing you done was yesterday And since you’re gone you’re just another day...

It's amazing how we, as Americans, who have fought so hard against dictatorships, communism and fascism, are now so willingly led towards the soup lines of the Great Depression. The only place where you can be relatively safe is to be in government. "Under Office of Personnel Management rules, Cunningham can keep his congressional pension despite the guilty plea,".....Though convicted of taking over 2.4 million dollars in bribes, his pension is secure. Meanwhile, a booming, successful company like Verizon has announced a pension freeze for some of their employees. Plant closings are all around us. The economy is going to hell. the rich are getting richer. When the heads of the oil companys were brought in to testify before congress regarding price gouging, they were not under oath. They lied. It is common knowledge. It has been proven. It is not perjury because they were not sworn in. We just bend over and take it! My story of going from $00,000 yr to $11 hr. is a dime ...

.....every cloud has a silver lining? .....positive words and phrases .....a spin, a poke, a push to see above what we feel? To be, to be. Be too, are we. The author and finisher, alpha, omega. Beginning to end.

memories accumulate in many forms; tangible, intangible. like an old pair of pants that got lost in a jumble of clothes stuffed into the closet. the day comes where the decision to pare down and donate the excess, long unworn and untouched, and you recall this and that. hey! I was thirty pounds lighter then! I had long hair then. Remember that full beard? On my return to work, the Lady has decided to get the home front back into shape. The mud hall closet; remember how the doors would no longer close due to the excess of boots, coats, and God knows what? The bathroom that had accumulated clutter and a closet to match the mud hall closet. The kitchen cabinets that are jammed full of bowls, pots, pans... We sat in the kitchen last night going through the list of donate and hand me downs. My daughter will benefit from many bowls, baskets, pots and utensils. Her neighbor too. There are many bags going to the donate center. Good, usable stuff. And then there is the stuff we're going to ...