"Why can't we be friends?"

I'll be back soon. In the meantime enjoy these pictures of G-man attacking me and my...ahem...daring escape.

This is what happens when good kids go bad.

He is serious now....

...about to attack. This is when my fight instinct kicks in....

....and I scream like a little girl to confuse him. I think it worked.

I have successfully diffused the situation.

I live to see another day.

"I've been down so goddamn long that it looks like up to me."

Not a lot of exciting news to report on this end. I finished the Harry Potter series last Saturday and am currently half-way through "Animal Farm". I should have finished the book already, but I don't feel like reading right now. In fact, I don't feel like doing much of anything.

The job search is not going so good. Either I am under-qualified, or lacking the experience, or unwilling to take the job. I got an offer from a distant family member to work in a metal plating facility. It's not what I want to do with my life. The money is equal to what I am making right now (peanuts) but the job is highly unfavorable. I would run an automated line that dips various metal objects in a series of giant vats of cleaning solutions and finally in liquid aluminum, Teflon, or whatever else. Among the chemicals used in the process are cyanide and other lethal agents. The factory stunk and was loud. Yeah, no thanks.

I have found one job to apply to since then; that was over a week and a half ago and I still haven't heard from them, which is a little odd because I have plenty of experience and seem to be an ideal candidate for the job. Oh well.

It's impossible to do what I really want and make money at it. Playing music and writing actually involves doing these things and marketing my skills. One, when I do find a few minutes to actually achieve any writing or recording I am too depressed to write or play. It's hard for me to make the time because I feel that if I don't spend every waking minute with G-man I am being a neglectful father or that I am sticking the burden of raising him solely on Pixie. Two, I am not, nor have I ever been, the kind of person to market myself, which is kind of important in achieving the things I want to do. I am not anti-social but I have zero confidence and almost no self-esteem, so who would want to listen to or read my crap?

So I can't do what I want — which depresses me — and I have to work I job I don't care for (more like can't stand) anymore to pay the bills— which compounds the depression.

I am not having a good time and am finding myself struggling to not become depressed and drink and smoke heavily. I am becoming increasingly irritable which makes me feel like shit because I lash out at people who don't deserve to be treated poorly.

Meanwhile it seems that everyone around me is doing great; getting promotions, raises, bonuses, so on and so forth. I am happy for them but am asking "When is it going to be my turn to have something good (financially or job-related) happen?" I know I am blessed with a great son and wonderful wife, but why can't I find a good job doing something that I love? 'When lord, when's gonna be my time?'

Fuck. I feel so flustered, I don't even know what to complain about. Enough of my whining though, who wants to read that shit? I certainly don't want to write it, but I have to have some outlet, right?

The last thing I want is a bunch of people telling me to stay positive and all that jazz. I don't want your sympathy. How about finding me a job.



Did I mention G-man took a small unassisted step the other day? He is amazing! I have mixed emotions about this event. On one hand I think it's great that he will be walking soon. It's so exciting to watch him grow; discovering his surroundings and new abilities everyday. On the other hand I am not ready for him to grow up, nor is the house completely child-proof. Time to go the the hardware store, get some deer fencing and build him a cage.

"Love, Love, Love...."

Happy February 14th!

From JQ, Pixie and G-man

"Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair..."

Anybody recognize this person?







Give up?





I found this in a box of memorabilia yesterday when Pixie and I were cleaning the basement.

The year was 1996 and I was seventeen.

This is the picture for my registration/identification card for my senior year in High school. I woke up late that day and rushed to the school to get my class schedule, locker assignment, and my picture taken.

Aren't I handsome? I look like an extra from the Lucas County Correctional Facility's production of "Hair". Ah, to be young and free again. Free of a worries, free of responsibility, free of a good barber.

Believe it or not, I had my head shaved up to the top so that if you were to somehow manage to get my mop to stand up straight I would have had an awesome mohawk.

I have very thick, unruly hair and it took a lot of work to get my hair that long and not become an afro. Have you ever seen a skinny white kid with an afro? Yeah, not pretty.

I sometimes pine to grow my hair long again. Then I think of how awkward and goofy I looked in the process of growing my hair long and that desire is squelched.

So these days I sport a very tight haircut. If it starts to get to fuzzy, Pixie tells me I look like a Q-tip.


What did you look like in high school? Are you willing to share your senior picture? Does a nerdy ghost of past haunt you as well?

"Dance your cares away, work is for another day...."

"....let the Fraggles play, down at Fraggle Rock."

Don't worry it will be in your head all day now.

We went to the library on Monday to check out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment of the series. I finished book six on Sunday and am 300 pages into the seventh already. It seems a little fast, but the books are an easy read and hard to put down.

So this will be the third book out of ten for the year. At this rate I will be done with all ten by the end of April. Maybe I should expand the perimeters of said goal to a hefty twenty books. On the other hand ten will be easy to accomplish and boost my self-esteem. Anything over ten will be gravy....mmmm, gravy.

Anyway, I walked past the library's collection of children DVDs, instantly spotting the complete first season of Fraggle Rock.

I LOVE FRAGGLE ROCK!

I used to watch the show all the time when I was younger (like in my early twenties). Gobo, Red, Wembley, Boober, the Doozers, Doc and Sprocket...They were all my friends....my only friends (sniffle).

We popped in the DVD as soon as we got home. G-man loved the Fraggles too! We have so much in common. Whats not to love I say? They are Muppets, they dance and sing goofy songs, and each episode has a positive moral, or social message. Remember when TV used to be like that?

So we are making our way through the 24 episodes of the complete first season. Each song they sing fills my heart with joy. Each post card from Uncle Traveling Matt that Gobo retrieves from "outer space" takes me back to my youth. It really is a great show and I am glad that G-man is able to experience the magic that is Fraggle Rock.

Does anybody else remember Fraggle Rock? If so, which Fraggle do you most relate to, and why? I expect at least one paragraph with specific examples from episodes that back up your choice. Don't forget to cite your sources.

"The baddest man in the whole damn town...."

What, you think you are tougher than me? Well, how many five year olds can you stomp at once?

28


Yeah, I'm a badass!

Okay, there is something weird with the above link. To see how many quinquennial punks you could wipe out click here.

"Butterfly in the sky, I can fly twice as high...."

I finished reading my first two books last week; Friday, I believe. Well, I say two books but it really only counted as one book.

The George Harrison Biography, I Me Mine, was different than I imagined. The beginning of the book was a brief biography written by Derek Taylor, smatterings of George’s words mixed-up in between. It was an interesting approach, but I felt somewhat jipped that George did not write the whole thing. George must have been too busy taking drugs, racing cars and playing music to write his own autobiography.

I can honestly say that I would have hired someone to write my book as well. But that is only because I am lazy, not because I have too many activities that demand my attention.

The whole Biography was only about two hundred pages or so long. I was reminded of Gonzo journalism. Taylor’s colloquialisms and writing style was very seventies-ish, and slightly verbose. Though in the end, I felt I had a better insight into the man who was the Dark horse.

The second half of the book was George’s song lyrics. Since this book was published in 1978 there were a lot of great songs he had not even recorded yet. The many songs that were in the book were accompanied by small quips, quotes, remembrances and reasons why he wrote those songs. That was very, dare I say, enlightening and entertaining.

I recommend I, Me, Mine to any Beatles fan, or George Harrison-a-holic (like myself) who pines for the inner knowledge of their favorite pop icons.

My second read was the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix. This was an outstanding read! Rowling has really honed her craft in this book. Her story arc, character development, character relations, intricate plot line, word usage, point of view, voice and attitude, etc.....I mean everything, was just great!

I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant when I first started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcery’s Stone. The book was written for children and, well, read like it was written for children. I was not very impressed. Don’t get me wrong, the story itself was brilliant, but the way she crafted her story was asi-asi.

Each book has gotten progressively better, with number five being the best so far. She has ascended her story into the throws of semi-serious literature with Order of the Phoenix.
I am going to save my plot synopsis because I have to be the last person on earth to have read this series. You all know what happens. However, for all you Hardcore Harry fans, I will entertain any further discussion in my comments or via e-mail.

That being said, my second of ten books is going to be—drum roll please— Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I am going to count this as one whole book, seeing as how the line between children's literature and adult literature has been crossed as definitely as Grawp is tall.

In all honesty, I have already started the book and am two hundred odd pages into the story. Pixie and I are reading this one together, so I have to wait until she gets home tonight to read any more. Hurry honey, hurry!