Tuesday, June 30, 2009
We Wuz Robbed!
Monday, June 29, 2009
A Dark Music Monday...
Sometimes my mind wanders. It wanders a lot. I've been working on my novel, and it's going well, although it's turning rather dark. The whole premise was rather dark to be honest, but it's turning darker than I thought it would. This song pretty much sums up the story I've written so far, and IF I ever get it published, and IF it gets made into a movie, I'd really like this song to be included in it's soundtrack...
The lyrics are so damn powerful...
"...Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide
At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed up world
Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river..."
Those lyrics just hit home for me, especially at this point in my life. And fit in with the main character in the book. Even though I'm where I want to be in my life right at this moment, I still look back with disgust at some of the decisions I've made, things I've done, bridges I've burned... But in all they've been a huge learning experience to me, lessons I'll not soon forget, but that doesn't stop the bitterness from creeping in.
The thing I'm the most bitter about when I look back on my life is, once upon a time, I was voted "Class Clown". I loved to laugh, and to make people laugh. At one point it was suggested to me to become a Stand up Comedian. I loved to have people laugh around me, especially if I was the brunt of the joke, because if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?
So comes the bitterness... Life, and it's events I've been through or seen have sucked all the humor out of my every day life. I've forgotten how to laugh, or even smile anymore. My entire essence, my life, has been sucked out of me by people whom I thought I could trust, lovers who never, not ever once gave one thought about really getting to know the real me... Listening, really listening to me, and not just hearing words and putting their own spin on how it should be or how I should fit into their over-simplified and childish view of the world, or how the real world really is...
Even my writing, this blog and my book, were taken away from me for a time. The only real pleasure I had in my life anymore. My Father has been gone over 17 years, my mother a little over 4... All of my family is hundreds of miles from me. I'm here alone. And the very last vestige of my personality, my essence which was my humor, has been stripped from me.
Sure, I love my job. But at the end of the day, where does that leave me? Sure, I have good friends here... But, you know, no one to actually share what little joy I have left. I vent my spleen here from time to time... I'm really trying to get my humor back... I put on a good front in public, to my friends here, but yet again, at the end of the day, I'm left feeling hollow and empty.
So this is a good song for me today.
Video pinched from YouTube
Lyrics Copyright 1994 David Gilmour & Polly Samson
Maudlin diatribe Copyright 2009 Thomas J Wolfenden
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Super-duper ultra-secret!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Didn't I...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Smoke Nazis
Tell you what, Denis Leary was right. You can have all the warning labels you want. Have a black pack and call them tumors and we'll still smoke them!
It's legislation of morality. Someone else is shoving there morality down my throat once again. It didn't work in the 1920's & 30's with Prohibition and it's not going to work now.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Music Monday!
Saint Of Me @ Yahoo! Video
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Who says there's no God?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
If you've got to ask what's in it...
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Today's LAT crossword...
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday LAT crossword...
These boots were made for walkin'
At some point they looked like this, but since about 85% of my job is walking I get a lot of miles out of my footwear and it won't take long for them to resemble the previous photo. I have to tell you, they're the most comfortable pair of boots I've ever had the pleasure to wear. After only about two days of "break-in", they feel like high-end sneakers and you feel like you're walking on air.
Today I'm retiring my old boots and will start the break-in process of the new ones. I've still got another pair still in the box, brand new I got last year. I'm amassing Red Wing boots like Amelda Marcos. In a few months I'll get another voucher for another pair of boots. Happiness in well -made footwear! Being ex-infantry I really do appreciate good shoes!
Life is good.
Photos & meaningless drivel Copyright 2009 Thomas J Wolfenden
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
All Hail The God~King!
I thought he was going to fix everything? He promised that the unemployment rate wouldn't go past 8% if we spent all this money in the "Stimulus Bill"...
What the fuck, over?
The national unemployment rate is now almost 10%.
Did you know that more money has been spent by the US in the last six months than it cost to fight WWI, WWII, Korea and Viet Nam?
Remember the late 1970's with Jimmy Carter?
Hold on tight people and get ready for 21% interest rates again!
Video pinched from YouTube, diatribe Copyright 2009 Thomas J Wolfenden
Monday, June 08, 2009
Hmmm... A nice Vindaloo & Curry
Smells like Vindaloo & curry... I wonder what part of "Do Not Touch Wires, 900 Volts, 25,000 watts" this guys din't understand in Sanskrit?
Not for the sqeamish...
Nothing much to write about today. I'm not feeling all that great and I'm going to bed early.
Video pinched from Ebaums World.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Don't try this at home!
There is a spiffy pliers function, but since this was way in the back I knew I wouldn't be able to do much with that...
So I did the next best thing... There's a pretty cool rough side/fine side file...
Hmmm, sez I. Methinks I know what I'll do!
I went to the bathroom, and looking in the mirror I slowly and gently filed the rough edges off of the remaining filling and jagged edges of the remaining enamel, saving my tongue from further injury.
Problem solved!
RT's Home Dentistry!
I'll have to get it fixed soon, but since My COBRA is going to cost me over $600 a month, I'll deal with it until I get back to work at the end of August when my health & dental kick back in.
Photos & insane commentary Copyright 2009 Thomas J Wolfenden
Saturday, June 06, 2009
I've got my hands full with this one...
As you can see, the bar had been framed out, electricity wired and water plumbed in, but that's all. It's been sitting like this for over five years. Here's where it gets difficult. One thing is I was told that there was beer coolers, TV's, an ice maker and the rest of the materials to finish the bar right in the building. Well, guess what. None of that crap was found on my search.
Second thing is they've been using the room for storage for years, and there's no place else to put this shit. Tables, chairs, supplies for the kitchen all thrown in the room Helter Skelter.
Another thing I brought up at the meeting was the need for a dumpster. They won't spend the money for that either. On guy suggested that we'd just take the bar trash to his house and put it out with his garbage like they've been doing for so long and I laughed at that. They have no idea how much garbage a bar will produce.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
A new T-Shirt
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Brothers In The Night
This is my first~ever attempt at making a video with MS Moviemaker. I spent most of the day Monday putting it together with a few personal photos and mostly pictures I pinched from the interweb. I even figured out how to post it on YouTube and then embed it here. I'm proud of myself!
The song is "Brothers In The Night" by Ray Kennedy. If you've ever seen the movie "Uncommon Valor" with Gene Hackman you'll remember it was used in the closing credits. As the song was never released as a single I played hell trying to find it.
Anyway, I'm going to put another video together for Saturday, 6 June, to commemorate the Normandy Invasion using the same song.
Please let me know what you think!
"Brothers in the Night" Copyright 1983 Ray Kennedy
Pictures pinched from the Interweb
Other senseless drivel copyright 2009 Thomas J Wolfenden
Monday, June 01, 2009
Happy B-Day Robin!
Now that's a grill! even though it's gas, it's on hell of a grill! I prefer charcoal, but this is one testosterone~laden grill if I don't say so myself!
Robin, the Birthday Girl! She's been a really good friend since I've moved here... She's one of the bartenders at the Tiki, and like all the staff there, she's made me feel like family since I'm alone with no family here. Happy B-Day sweetie!