The Book of Hours

METEOR THAT HITS RUSSIA AND INJURES HUNDREDS

There's only seconds of your life
That really count for anything
All the rest is killing time
Waiting for a train

Come the revelation brother
I was sitting by myself
The last thing I was looking for
Came and left

The sea still rolled, no mountain fell
The sun still rose, the moon as well
I was undone, some kind of free
The day you sent your spirit to me
-Big Country

Big News of 2013

* Super Bowl makes a triumphant return to New Orleans. And then the power goes out.

* The tragic Patriot's Day bombing and the ensuing manhunt that shut Boston down.

*The House votes 46 times to repeal The Affordable Healthcare Act. And who says the GOP is retroactive?

*China moon rover lands on moon (yet another example of being late to the party.)

*Typhoon Haiyan destroys the Phillipines.

*Fancisco Garzon Amo, driver of a Spanish train that derailed and killed 79 people, is charged with negligent homicide for going well over the 80-kph speed limit.

*The city of Detroit files for bankruptcy.

*Pope Frank, the first Jesuit, is elected he Pope.

*Maggie Thatcher dies at 87. Psychic housewife from Long Island says that Ronald Reagan's soul is now finally at peace. 

*Best seller Tom Clancy dies. US Armed forces blow up lots of things in his honor, fostering the continued economic recovery.

*I got back into sales < thusly damning my soul for all eternity, or at least until Oprah can comes to a deal to buy Heaven >.

* The Seattle Seahawks go 13 - 3 and clinch home field throughout the NFC playoffs. The road to the Meadowlands goes through Seattle. 

And the days go by...

A carved oak table,
Tells a tale
Of times when kings and queens sipped wine from goblets gold,
And the brave would lead their ladies from out of the room
to arbours cool.
-Genesis

Good-bye 2013! Hello, 2014! What will you bring us? 

We never know that, do we?

I have mañana and Wed. off. Hooray! I have no plans for New Year's except hanging out with Mully, the cat. I'm looking forward to it.

See ya

The greatest thing about blogging is that you can ask yourself,  Do I really have something to contribute? 

And when the answer is no, you can just say see ya! 

X Marks the Spot

Once again, merry Xmas. 

We had a lovely time down at Mel and Jan's house in Jersey. They really hooked me up with some nice work clothes  (a.k.a. - my gay apparel.) Mel barbecued a turkey. It was great. 

Then back to work. Blah, blah, blah. It's always the same there.

I was reading the NY Times today and they had pictures of the major events of 2013. It was mostly depressing as hell. 

I wish the press was more positive. Like this blog.

Xmas

Happy Xmas to all of ye. Have fun with your love ones. And since this was pagan festival co-opted by the Catholic Church, don't forget to get your pagan on!

From www.simpletoremember.com

 Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25.  During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the weeklong celebration.  The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.”  Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week.  At the festival’s conclusion, December 25^th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.

So on that note, Merry Xmas!

A. B. E.

Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground
-Talking Heads

13:34

A.B.E = Always be Editing. 

It's a never-ending story. A carousel ride I can't get off of. A black hole. 

Well, it could be worse. I could be in Hell. Or at work. Same difference.

I am reading The Other Lands (Part Two of the Acacia Trilogy,) by David Anthony Durham, which is amazing.  It's fantasy and he was first a historian, so he gets it. I read the first part about 18 months ago. Each book is about 700 pages. Damn! But it is on par with George R. R. Martin's A song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones.)   

17:13

The snow is melting. It's been like Narnia for the last week. It should all be melted by Sunday. Editing is progressing along. But just like winter in Narnia, it seems eternal.

Pagan

It was 17 F last night while i shoveled. That's 8.3 degrees C below freezing. WTF? 

I woke up at 4 AM with all sorts of pockets of muscles hurting. The snow was very light, but i think that it was more about it being -8 C.

Otherwise, Xmas grows closer. I don't dislike Xmas, but i'm not a huge fan. I much prefer to view it from the pagan perspective; after Dec. 25th, all of the days will be longer.

Hooray!!!!

Requiem for a Scream

Enough with the snow! Called out of work today. There was no way to get there. 

Winter is Coming

 abominable |əˈbäm(ə)nəbəl|
adjectivecausing moral revulsion: the uprising was suppressed with abominable cruelty.• very bad or unpleasant: a cup of abominable tea.

yeti |ˈyetē, ˈyātē|nouna large hairy creature resembling a human or bear, said to live in the highest part of the Himalayas.
from the New Oxford American Dictionary

I have shoveled 3 times already and it's snowing again. I work from 5-10pm today, if i can get there. Winters in New England are  abominable.

The Final Cut, #7

It's snowing. Not heavy yet, but it's coming. Mum and I can Watch Seattle at home this mañana when they play the New York Football Giants. Yeah! 

I'm about 25% of the way through edit #7 of The Spanish Exile, the new book I've been writing for the past 7 f%#king years. Oy!

I'm not a fan of editing. I much prefer the writing. It's about 87,000 words, which should be about 350 pages, which is a fine length, although it might get a little bigger as there are some scenes I need to add.

Time to get back to it.

Another Day

It's a new day and my urge to kill the people who put my sister-outlaw through this is slowly diminishing, but only slightly. But we will figure this thing out. Oh, how i long for the wild west. I would have been so at home back then. 

"Really? You're f^%king with my family? Then f^&k you, you %4&*()%%%#@@! son of a *&^%$#@!!! We duel mañana, with swords. May the person who's not an a$$hole win!" 

I fenced for three years, so i know my way around a sword.

Like Edith and Archie sang, those were the days.

The Manhattan Project

Imagine a man where it all began
A scientist pacing the floor
In each nation, always eager to explore
To build the best big stick
To turn the winning trick
But this was something more...
-Rush, Manhattan Project

Health care in the United States; it's an oxymoron. It's also moronic. 

The Affordable Health Care Act will help 50,000,000 people get healthcare, myself included. So why are so many people against it? Why have there been so many lies about it? This is something Presidents from both parties have been trying to get done for 100 years, starting with Teddy Roosevelt.

I was denied healthcare 2x in October. When I finally called the CT hotline, I found out that they cannot deny anyone healthcare starting in 2014, and that I will be able to get insurance as of Jan 1. Otherwise, because of the skull fracture I had in 2009, I would be denied coverage. 

My European friends find this ridiculous. In their countries, healthcare is a right, not a capitalistic enterprise. 

My sister-in-law was supposed to have back surgery on Wednesday. It was to take 7 hours, involve 5 doctors and entail incisions on both her front and back. She has a non-malignant tumor that is pressing on discs. On Monday, less than 48 hours before the procedure was supposed to take place, my sister's insurance denied certain hardware that would guarantee that at least one of the discs would disintegrate and that my sister-in-law would need another surgery. That can best be defined as madness.

On Monday, one of the lead doctors had a peer-to-peer call with the insurance company. The peer, was not a peer. He was not a neurologist. He wasn't even a surgeon. His decision denied my sister-in-law the surgery she needed. She had prepped mentally and physically (giving up cigarettes.) This had been three years in the making and Samsung (who is self-insured) blew up the whole thing with less than 24 hours. 

It seems, it would be easier to learn how split an atom than to get a needed (but very expensive) operation in the United States. Speaking of which, at this moment, I'd much like to give North Korea that enriched Uranium they have been longing for. Luckily, I do not have a line on any (the NSA may stand down now.)

The decision is being appealed and they still have the option of a lawsuit for pain and suffering. She will get this operation, and the insurance will pay for it, come Hell or global warming. It's just ridiculous what my sister and sister-in-law have had to go through. 

In 2000, the WHO ranked the United States 39th in world. Obamacare? Hell yes! In 2014, we are the last developed country to get affordable health care. 

Between the Lines

I sold them my heart
I sold them my soul
I gave everything I had
Ah, but they couldnt break my spirit
My dignity fought back,
Fightback
-Genesis, Driving the Last Spike

No work today. 

When i'm there, the building is cold and there's no leads to talk to. It's futile. Kind like a fish with feet.

I am watching PHI vs. DET, playing in a blizzard. It's refreshing to see someone who works in conditions worse than i do at Hubba Hubba Hot Tubs.

1915

Top: German troops with portable flamethrowers
Bottom: A British Trench in France

Yesterday, would have been Nana's 98th Birthday. Wow. I remember I got her a card in the 90's that said Born in 1915. When you opened it up, at the top of the list was; WW1 escalates. I was like, "holy shit!"

She was one of a kind. I made Manhattans, her favorite drink, and Mum and I toasted her. I miss her. As I got older and she she started to tell me about carzy things her and Pop did when they were younger, I thought; "Wow. I'm not adopted."

That British trench looks a lot like my cubicle at work, at least as far as morale goes. I have an 8 hour shift mañana. That's going to seem like a lifetime.

Normal, part two

No, nothing's normal. That was just a dream I had after watching the Seahawks DISMANTLE the Saints, 34 - 7. Seattle dominated the sports news yesterday, not surprisingly.

Phones are lethal weapons
Someone called the call center yesterday, because they ahd received a missed call from us. He was in mid-western, someplace. 

"Hot tubs?"
"Yes, did you request some information from us, maybe on our website?"
"We don't even do no computers here!"
I thanked him and ended the call. 

You're an elegant mess
-John Wesley

Normal

Maybe things are starting to finally get normal. I'm not even sure what normal means anymore. Perchance, i never have. 

Saw a lot of friends at a Fairfield U party tonight in Norwalk at Mark and Debbie's house. It was very fun. It was nice to be with my intellectual equals for a change (As opposed to Hubba Hubba Hot Tubs.) The food was amazing! They had people serving stuff on platters; finger food like quiche, chicken on a stick and mini beef Wellingtons! It was awesome. Gracias Mark and Debbie!

tonight's the night

Tonight's the night
-Neil Young

Tonight's the Night - Live Rust


Well, after an eon of procrastination and excuses, I am rewriting BUYING NEW SOUL with the goal of self-publishing in 2014, come global frying or the next ice age, both of which would suck. But before the grid is destroyed, you'll be able to buy my fucking novel on Amazon.com. I started this morning. It's a daunting task. But Kurt Vonnegut is my shepherd. I fear no even though I walk in the shadow of the MTV generation. 

Struggling down the slope 
There's not much hope 
I begin to try to ride the scree 
But the rocks are tumbling all around me 

If I want John alive 
I've got to ditch my fear, take a dive 
While I've still got my drive to survive 

Evel Knievel, you got nothing on me 

Here I go

-Riding the Scree, Genesis

Spanksgiving

I made my first Thanksgiving Day dinner, ever.  Mel and Jan came up. I barbecued filet mignon, yams and snow crab legs. Mum steamed the lobster tails and made a salad. Mel and Jan made a bean casserole and corn bread. They also brought some great chianti. It was awesome.

I worked this morning. It was dead as road kill. Now, no work til Monday. 

It's cold! It was like 22F today. That's insane.

indentured servitude

some of you are going to die
martyrs, of course 
for the freedom
I shall provide
-Genesis, The Knife

Another bad day at work. The managers were especially nasty for the holiday. They were belligerant and surly. Happy Thanksgiving Charlie Brown!

When I lead the charge, there will be redemption. But I promise not to bugger a dead turkey from behind like this kid.

...Except global warming

It's 11F with the wind chill. That's -4C for all of the Europeans. Freakin' cold! 

No Seahawks football today. They have a bye.

But the Giants have a big game (like'em.) And the Pats have a big game (hate'em.) And the Jets have a big game (indifferent.)

I have a lot to do today;

1. laundry
2. place order at Big Y for Spanksgiving
3. vacuum
4. send out at least 5 CVs

I wish i was one of those penguins. All the krill you can eat and not a care in the world. Except global warming.

Playlist:

Julie Slick - Terroir

David Bowie - Scary Monsters

Djam Karet - The Devouring

Levin Minnemann Rudess

The Kills - Blood Presssures

Lou Reed - New York

Led Zeppelin II

King Crimson - Live in Cap D' Agde, 1982

Rush - The Clockwork Angels Tour

Incompetence and Indifference

The Backstreet by ahmedsyd

             

Every day I walk into work, there's a new rule. A new edict. It's a nightmare. They are so incompetant, across the board, that's it's actually awe-inspiring. They are the Sigma Six of doing things half-assed.

Adrian Belew - Incompetence and Indifference

THREE MINUTE WARNING

The other day they sent out an email, saying that if we clocked in any earlier than 3 minutes before our shift, we would be deducted 1/2 point. I dont' even know what the point system means. Is this prep school? Am I in the navy? 

Two days later, they said we have to be there early for a 9am shift to have a meeting. But we can't punch in yet. I finally asked if I could punch in early but they not pay me til 9. I was told no, that I should come in early and then run back down the stairs to punch in. There is a three minute window where we are allowed to punch in or we are considered late. My reply was "Bite my shiny metal ass!!!"

Then I found out that $65 was taken out of my check, pre-tax. When I called, the head of HR said he had overpaid a few of us because he ran the clocked hours from Sat. to Sat. instead of Sunday (he's a genius,) and then forgot to tell me or send an email. 

Lastly, I  had three appointments that sat last week and two were sales and they were both exercise spas, totaling somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000. And that's 75% sales rate. What did I see in comission? $19, BEFORE TAXES!

Lawdy, lawdy. I needs me a new job, i say. Yessum i do.

We now have a security guard that sits in a car in the parking lot. That's new. It's probably because they are afraid someone will burn the place down to the ground.

Seriously, I wouldn't waste a good match on that place. 

IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS

My job is to set appointments for a hot tub company. Lets call them Hubba Hubba Hot Tubs. In all my life, in all the places i've ever worked or consulted, it's the worst run place i have ever seen. Considering I used to work in Washington DC, that's really saying something. 

They've cut our comission to nothing, they've laid off every department but marketing (our parent company can make the hot tubs and doing billing, etc.,) they've cut advertising down to the width of a credit card, yet we've hired 7 new tele-marketers in the last month. It's insane. Our new leads last for 20 minutes and then we talk to no one for the next 7 hours. Yet we are not aloud to read, do crosswords puzzles or anything. I was reprimanded for doodling. I kid you not. I once spent 8 hours in a Jamaican jail cell and they had less rules than this. Purgatory has nothing on this place. 8 hours seem like an eon. The ice age went by faster.  I need to find another job. 

IN THE BEGINNING...

2006. I was going through a nasty divorce where the paternity of a child was in question. The love of my life had gone insane and I needed to get out. On a whim, I left everything and went to Madrid, Spain. I took a TESOL course and became an English teacher. I lived there for 6 years. I made friends, fell in love, had great students, and generally got on with life. 

THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN

In 2008,  the global economy almost collapsed. People lost their life savings. Places like Greece and Spain drifted into economic and social chaos. The very worst apocalyptic scenarios were averted, but just barely, and the world is never going to be the same in our, nor our chidren's, lifetimes.

Spain, suffered 27% unemployment (NOTE TO SELF: Never let 33% of your jobs be in the construction sector.) Jobs and social mobility dried up like it was the Sahara. So with mixed emotions, I left the life I had built for myself in Madrid and returned to Connecticut, to live with my Mum and try to restablish something akin to a normal life in the USA. 

Good fucking luck with that! The US has changed too, never to be the same again. The 1% rule the roost and the other other 99% of us fight for the scraps that are thrown out in the backyard. But at least it's a Christian nation!

So, a year removed from my self-imposed Spanish Exile, I find myself repatriated in the country of my birth. And how do I feel? Well, it's been great to reconnect with my Mum, and my sister and her wife, and my friends. But other than that?

I feel like a fish with feet.


PHOTO: Alone by the Sea - by Un-Original-ish