Spring is for sitting on the front porch and napping with your friend.
Switch.
Some of my readers have noticed that the “Made On A Mac” badge in the right-hand corner has been replaced with a “Made On Ubuntu” flag. It’s true, and I may have mentioned it before, but I have moved off of my beloved PowerBook G4 onto my HP Pavilion laptop full time. There’s a couple of reasons for this, the primary being that I had this beautiful laptop that we had purchased last fall for school that I wasn’t using. It was just sort of sitting there on the other desk, occasionally being used for school work. I couldn’t post my homework to my online classes using it, because Windows Vista isn’t compatible with the industry standard “Blackboard” software (for online classes) used by thousands of college.
The other thing that has been sort of bugging me about Apple, aside from the delay of their latest version of OS X, Leopard, is their advertising campaign. The “Hi, I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” ads have been on for a year or two. They’re starting to get on my nerves because I’m finding them somewhat hypocritical. Apple makes fun of the fact that Microsoft delayed Vista for five years and then delays Leopard six months. Apple’s latest ad makes fun of the trial software installed on Windows computers, which I find exceedingly annoying as well, however, Earl and I have had to remove trial software from our new Macs. Plus the guy that plays the Mac is getting entirely too greasy for my tastes. I like my Macs to look clean cut.
As a former commercial copy writer for both television and radio, I always worked under the thought that the best commercial is the ad that points out the positives of a product instead of harping on the negatives of your competition. At the very least, don’t harp on your competitor for doing something and then doing the exact same thing.
So I wiped out the hard drives on my new HP and installed Ubuntu Linux. The setup survived the acid test of the 12-hour ride in the car yesterday, with several stops in wi-fi spots.
I’ve made the switch. To Linux.
Mall Me.
I’m sitting in another Thruway service area using their wi-fi. I’m taking a little break from my ride, and yes, it’s the same ride I started around noon today.
One of the cool things about technology is that even though we are separated by nearly a thousand miles, Earl and I are able to keep in touch no matter where we are. For example, I needed to send him an important text message after a particular experience.
I got myself one of those 20 minutes massages. In the middle of the mall. With people watching.
I figured I was in a mall where no one would know me and if they laughed and pointed or whatever they wouldn’t know whom they were laughing or pointing at so I plunked down $22 plus tip and got myself a 20 minute massage.
It felt wonderful. I still feel wonderful.
I told the masseuse to not hold back and the older gentleman certainly didn’t. He pushed, prodded, kneaded and punched until I felt like a loaf of bread ready for the oven. I didn’t giggle like the Pillsbury Dough Boy though. My muscles were a little sore from working out but now they feel great. I must have set a trend because when I got to the booth the four chairs were empty. When I left, there was a line waiting.
I’m going to do it again in a strange city! Soon!
Out For A Drive.
I am currently sitting in a service area along the New York State Thruway, the self proclaimed “Main Street” of The Empire State. Always keeping up with the times, the Thruway has installed free wi-fi service in each of their service areas along the world’s longest toll road. This is the first time that I’ve used it.
In an effort to be money conscious, I packed a lunch for my little ride with the intent of eating and surfing at a stop along my drive. It’s still sitting on the kitchen counter. I’m sure it’ll be delicious tomorrow. So I’m eating a veggie wrap from a local sandwich chain called “Mr. Subb”. The second “b” denotes that this place is hip. My wrap has an extra “p” on the end, because it was made Pretty darn quick.
There is a person behind the counter at the McDonalds that is snapping their gum incessantly. I am very tempted to walk up to the counter and slap them right across the face but I suppose that would be rude. It would probably be ruder than the snapping of the gum, though many would agree that snapping gum like some sort of cow is pretty rude in itself. Now that I think about it, cows don’t really snap gum, they just chew their cud and they do it quietly.
I’m not sure where I’m headed on this ride today. I’m out enjoying the weather, picking up tubes for my bike tires and just clearing the cobwebs from my head so I’m ready to go for my last final exam on Thursday. Earl is out of town until tomorrow night. I plan on studying the majority of the day tomorrow and hope to sit in the sun while doing so.
Today I’ll just enjoy being a loner in an Acura on the Thruway.
Dandelions.
I’ve always been a fan of dandelions. While it seems that everyone I talk to wants to eliminate them from their picture perfect yards, I don’t think a lawn is complete unless it’s dotted with dandelions.
They’re a natural part of spring!
Testing.
This morning I was up bright and early to drive Earl to the airport. He is spending the next couple of days in Indianapolis on business. I get to hold down the fort for the next couple of days. Perhaps I should focus on studying for my final exam scheduled for Thursday.
You’d think that after 11 years of living with a partner that is an intermittent jetsetter that this sort of thing would be standard operating procedure, but I still feel like I’m punched in the gut when I see him head into the airport. I guess I am just a romantic at heart. I don’t know how couples that deal with this more frequently do it so eloquently.
Feeling a little woozy from our weekend of partying, I decided to stop at Panera before hopping on the Thruway and heading home. I have not been at this Panera before, it’s in the more afluent suburban village of Fayetteville. There are a lot of guys with computers using the wi-fi and drinking bottles of water. This is my first non-Mac experience at Panera, as I am using my newer HP laptop running Ubuntu Linux. Getting connected to the wi-fi network here was a flawless experience. I can’t believe it was easier to accomplish with Linux that it is with Mac OS X! This makes me very happy. I don’t know how these people can run around with Microsoft Windows, it’s just too much work.
Memories.
Today was “Family Day” in that Earl and I went up to my Dad’s house to spend the afternoon with my dad and stepmom and my sister and her boyfriend. The weather was beautiful so we ate out on the back porch, catching each other up on our current events and reminiscing about the old days. The more wine and beer that was consumed, the livelier the conversation got.
After dinner we headed over to my grandparent’s house, which is across the street from my dad’s house. My grandfather passed a couple of years ago and the house has been sitting empty for the past year or so, on the market, waiting for it’s opportunity to become a home for a new family. I have to admit it’s hard to see your grandparent’s house in that state. It’s weird to walk into the kitchen and not smell something baking in the kitchen.
There are still a few odds and ends left in the house, including the thousands of slides my grandfather took over the past several decades. I have officially inherited all the slides, which I intend on scanning in for digital safekeeping and sharing. Before my grandmother’s death in 1996, my grandparents would travel the country two months out of the year (in February and in September). They usually limited their travels to the U.S. and Canada and embarked on the journey by automobile whenever possible. Talk about the blueprint for Earl and my travel habits! My grandfather was an avid amateur photographer and enjoyed taking slides to share at the holiday gatherings. My grandmother was scrapbooking way before it was en vogue. There are a ton of albums with newspaper clippings which documenting major, minor and mundane events in the little town that I grew up in. In addition, my grandmother also took a bunch of photos, which were all neatly organized in photo albums.
Tonight I snagged a few of the photo albums (temporarily) so that I could scan in the photos. My sister and I were the lucky grandchildren in that we lived next door, and later across the street, from my grandparents. So we are in quite a few photos.
Needless to say, happy tears were flowing before long.
One of the most beautiful things I noticed about the photos is that no matter the circumstance, the timeframe or the location, my grandparents are holding hands when in a ‘posed’ photo together. They were married just shy of 60 years when my grandmother passed on. They always looked happy. And surprisingly, the visited many of the same locations that Earl and I have visited on our adventures. Earl remarked, “So that’s where you get it from.”
Here’s a couple of photos I’ve already scanned in.
The first is from June 1973. My sister and I are playing on the doghouse my father had built for his German Shepherd. This was either from before the dog arrived or after he moved in with the farmer down the street after being asked to leave due to incessant barking.
This photo is from fall 1973. I believe this is from my first day of kindergarten. My mom and my sister joined me while I waited for the bus on the front porch. I really love this picture. My mom has a look of pride in her face that made me tear up when I saw this photo today.
This photo is marked September 1974. I believe this is my first motorcycle ride with my father on his 1969 BSA. I seem to recall that there were minor hysterics because Dad thought I was ready to ride when others that the contrary. I also remember being really excited about riding on the back of the motorcycle.
I thank the Universe for blessing me with such a wonderful childhood.
Covering.
Earl and I are just getting back from a Saturday night out on the town. We hadn’t been to the one gay bar here in a long while so we thought we’d go out and see what it’s all about.
There’s not much to talk about. The place was dead.
Back through much of the 1990s there was a *fabulous* DJ at “That Place” that was known for keeping the bar moving. The place was always packed on the weekend and the dance floor was populated with half-naked, sweaty people moving around like a big swarm of flesh.
Tonight you could have shot a cannon off in the place and not hit anyone with the ball.
I did notice a few people that I haven’t seen in a decade or so. One in particular is a man named “Chuck” (not his real name). He’s an attractive enough in a preppy accounting sort of way. Like many of us, his hair has thinned out considerably in the past ten years. Lots of men in this position opt to buzz their hair or shave their head completely bald. I find this to be quite attractive.
Unfortunately, he went in another direction. He opted to go the Hair Club for Men route.
Oy.
While I believe that everyone has the right to do what they need to do to feel good about themselves, I must say that I don’t understand the hair piece thing. I just don’t get it. Do people nuzzle their nose into their hair and say “Gee, your synthetic fibers smell terrific?”
I don’t know what these hair enhancements are made of, aside from those spray cans of Rust-Oleum like paint, but even if they’re made of real hair they don’t seem to be doing a satisfactory job of looking like the real deal. Perhaps it’s the glorious technicolor used to make it look “real”.
I say when you’re faced with hair loss just buzz it all off and go naked.
Party Weekend.
It seems this weekend is all about partying for us in our merry little home, so I’ll share a music video to keep this party moving.
Have fun!
OMG, for some reason I just remembered what I would announce at the end of the night when I was a club DJ. “Drive safely getting home, ride safely when you get home.”
Such wit.
O.k., one more.
Green, Green Grass of Home.
Today Earl was so sweet. He had a gift delivered to the house. I love it when he gives me presents.
Especially when it’s our old riding lawn mower!
I have not seen this lawn mower since the summer of 2004. After spending hours on it summer after summer, we decided that we would enlist the aid of a lawn service when we moved into the new house. So we let the guys at Earl’s plant borrow the lawn mower so they could tidy up around their property. With the return of my beloved friend, memories of mowing acres and acres of grass at our old home came flooding back like nobody’s business.
When Earl and I discussed my return to school and worked out the finances, we decided that the lawn service would obviously have to go. This created two issues in our home. First of all, we’d have to get the lawn mower back and actually start using it but more importantly, we’d no longer have a weekly dose of eye candy when hot lawn men came shirtless and did their business around the lawn for a little while. It’s amazing what landscapers can do to perk up landowners.
Normally I’d wait until mid June to start mowing the lawn, because after all, that’s when it’s perfect for making hay but I decided to get wild this year and start mowing the lawn right away. After all, the neighbor to our right (the original owners of our house) started mowing today and I was feeling competitive. I don’t know if this is something that happens when men get older but now I actually care about what the lawn looks like and whether it’s at the same height as the neighbor’s lawn. In the old days I wouldn’t think about cutting lawn until I could no longer see the cat standing in the middle of it.
So now I have a new way to spend an hour or two on Friday afternoons. I’ll be mowing the lawn. Maybe I’ll get wild and do it shirtless, just to perk up the old blood.
