I'm gettin' this one in early.

I've already been up for several hours as I do have a busy day ahead of me. Last night I had to sign back into google. I didn't find that unusual as that happened to me before. However last night after typing in my password a screen popped up asking me for my phone number as a way to get my password if I forgot it or if my account got hijacked. "Take this blog to Cuba!" They promised not to call or send me any messages. I didn't do it. I don't trust them. What's to stop them from selling phone numbers? They didn't promise that? Many companies do that. How do you think you get all those annoying phone calls from entities that you have never had any contact with. Stores do this. I'm not biting. Remember how Spaces was always "improving" things and making it more difficult to maneuver around and cluttering everything up. Then suddenly the blog section was eliminated. Why? Maybe because they weren't making any money from the blogs. I have no proof of any of this. I'm just wondering. They have my email address. Now they want my phone number. Why don't they just ask for my bank account number? Shades of those shifty people at Spaces. You always have to be aware of the sharks in the water.

As April 1st approaches so does a snow storm. It appears that where I am, about 5 or 6 miles from the coast we will just get rain or perhaps a coating of 1 to 2 inches of snow. An area 30 miles northwest will get 6-12 inches. Hmmm...I remember April 1st 1997 we got a 24 hour 36 inch blizzard. Wouldn't it be fun to relive that day again? No. It would not be fun. There are still some piles of snow in parking lots around the area though they are now ugly blackened heaps. I was in Boston on March 17th and it was a beautiful day around 70 degrees. What I found humorous was seeing people in t-shirts and some all bundled up like Nanook of the north with their furry hoods up. They looked like they were peeking out of a bears butt. 

Ok I have lots to do so for now...
I'm outta here.

Remember me?

Yeah it's been a while since I've been here. It's been a grueling two weeks for me. Work and home. Work and home. Odd shifts. Truthfully I just didn't have the energy to write anything or really to do anything. Today I am finally off. I haven't done much though there is much to do. I have been eating a lot though. Basically I have used the day to decompress. I also have the feeling that I won't finish this tonight. I have made two other attempts to write over the last two weeks but my heart wasn't in it. I don't want to give the impression that I am in a bad place. I'm fine. I'm just tired mentally and physically.

A friend of mine emailed me a story he found on the web. It seems that a policy officer stopped a man for speeding. Looking in the car he noticed a leafy substance on the floor of the car. Long story short he was arrested. The guy arrested was also suspected in trafficking crack cocaine. A further search of the guy revealed that he had 28 grams of the stuff up his butt. Now there's an enviable job. Anyway this was the resulting  headline.
Spartanburg Police: Crack Found In Man's Buttocks.

I have a question concerning two possibly four words. Is it a lot or alot? Is it anyway or any way? Or is it both ways?

On today's (Monday) local news I heard what possibly could be something disturbing. Traces of radiation from Japan have reached Massachusetts. According to local officials it's just trace. Still it does make you wonder. Japan is on the other side of the world from me and yet it has been detected here. Now I'm not in a panic mode nor is anybody else but it does make you wonder. Where I live I am between two nuclear power plants. One in Plymouth Ma. and one in Seabrook New Hampshire. I don't think we have any major fault lines around here though I'm sure there are some. It does make you think. Japan is a highly advanced technological power and the third largest economy in the world and yet they went ahead and built power plants on literally shaky ground. I am sure they will eventually solve the problem but it does make you think.

I finished the the two loaves of Italian bread that I bought in the North End of Boston a couple of weeks ago. Boy they were fabulous. Also on that St. Patrick's I bought a chocolate mousse cannoli. I know that sounds a bit strange, buying a cannoli on St. Patrick's Day but when you go to Quincy Market/Fanieul Hall the very Italian North End is a 10 minute walk. Besides, if you're in Boston you have to go there. It's where Paul Revere left on his ride. It's the very start of this country. I get goosebumps every time I go there. Besides the multitude of restaurants there are the pastry shops. I had to have a cannoli. It was wonderful. It took me two tries to eat it all as it was a big cannoli about 6" long. OK. Quiet down. I can hear you all snickering out there.

Well I guess that's enough for no It's Tuesday morning and I'm off to work. See you about 5 or 6 tonight.

I'm outta here.

When this little trip into Boston was planned I gave no thought to St. Patricks Day. It's not a big deal to me being Italian yet it served to color the day with a greenish tint. The weather was most cooperative with a cloudless sky and temperatures in the low 60's. It was kind of amusing seeing some people in t-shirts and others with overcoats with hoods or hats. Clearly these are people who don't listen to weather reports or are just complete morons. Another amusing thing was listening to one particular radio station this morning. They gave the forecast for yesterday which was quite rainy.

The original plan was to go to one of the two Cheers bars in town. We went to the one at Quincy Market. The only part of the bar that was like the one on the show was the bar itself. The other one was the original one used for the exterior shots. Quincy Market was bustling. Total tourist trap to be sure but still a fun place. Yes I took pictures. What I did was upload them to the Pic Place. The place where I uploaded photos when we were all on Spaces. I'll put a couple up here and the link to the album over there. Aparently the photo album section is not going away. Uploading was not without it's problems as several times there was a a glitch with adding a caption. Some things never change. Here's the link. Please let me know if you can access the photo album. https://cid-f30b5cd64eb2dafe.photos.live.com/browse.aspx/St%20Patricks%20Day%202011

I had lunch at Cheers. At first I was going to have something from the menu but seeing it was St. Patricks Day I decided to have corned beef and cabbage. The meal was tasty but it wasn't as good as my Italian mother used to make. All washed down with a mug of Sam Adams lager, natch! After walking about  Quincy Market we made our way to Columbus park on the harbor. It's a lovely spot that would have been lovelier had things been in bloom but it's still only March 17th. After that we made our way to the North End. The North end was bustling with people. A trip ti the North End would not be complete without a visit to one of the many pastry shops there. There are a zillion restaurants there but a meal will have to saved for another time.

So there I was looking like a tourist, complete with camera in my own hometown. Well almost my hometown as I live 5 miles north of Boston. I did the touristy thing by buying a mug at cheers. I was amazed that they only cost $6.00. In the North End I had to stop at a pastry shop. I bought two loaves of real Italian bread (real crust, not a wimpy, mushy crust like most store bough "Italian bread") and a chocolate mousse cannoli. Below is a picture of my booty.

So that was my day on St. Patricks day. I hope the link to my photo album works.

OK it's late on Thursday night. Tomorrow I'm back to work. Really 3 days off is not enough. In May I'm planning to head back to Martha's Vineyard. I can't wait. It's before the tourist season and the last time I went, in late September, it turned out to be a most relaxing time. Nighty night

I'm outta here.

I'm told it's Wednesday.

Ti's a cold rainy day. Wednesday I'm led to understand. I am enjoying the luxury of three days off in a row after a screwy schedule of a 6 in the morning start followed by an 11:30 a.m. start and then repeating it again. Yesterday I went to a skin doctor because something called a keloid suddenly appeared near my left cheek. I went to my primary doctor who asked me if I had injured myself or cut myself in that area. Aside from nicks from shaving, which have happened all over the place on my face  (No charge for the rhyme.) I have not suffered any facial lacerations. In any event a keloid is basically scar tissue. It's harmless but he recomended that I just leave it. No thanks. Who wants to have a barnacle on their face. So he gave me a referral to a skin doctor. Long story short the skin doc basically said it was nothing to worry about but I still wanted it removed. So he froze it and it should fall off in a few more days. The doctor said the rest of my skin looked good though it was a little uncomfortable to have to strip down in front of another man. Of course I would have preferred a woman doctor unless she broke into fits of laughter. 

Let's see what else is going on in my mundane life. I bought a set of tires for my car. I don't think I would have passed inspection with the tires I had. This puts into question buying a new car in June. I will need new front brakes soon as well. So I think I will postpone buying a new car for another year. Besides my car is still running top notch and still looks good for a car that's 13 years old. By good I mean it's in good shape. The design is odd. It's a 1998 Ford Taurus. The front appears to be a cross between a classic Jaguar and a flounder. Still it was a good choice by me as it has been quite reliable. It runs quietly and it's comfortable. I do have my choices set for a new car. I'll just wait another year.

Tomorrow is St. Patricks Day. A pretty big deal in Boston. Normally I do nothing to celebrate St. Patricks Day. After all I'm Italian, but as it turns out I had made plans with friends to go into Boston and go to Cheers without any thought to the holiday. A supposed replica of the bar in the television show. Not the bar that you see exterior shots of on the show, though I could go there. It's not a replica on the inside. In fact it's rather small. It's real name is the Bull and Finch Pub.

I will be going to the one located at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market Place. A tourist trap to be sure. The photo on the left is the shot you see on TV IS not mine. The two below are.



Fanueil Hall where talk of revolution started in 1742.



  Quincy Market. This Greek looking building is rather long and full of places to eat and blow money on souveneers. The Cheers replica bar is somewhere on the left of this building along with many other restaurants and shops. Anyway it's supposed to be a beautiful day with temperatures near 60 so we will be walking around after we have lunch at the bar. I'm sure we'll have a few pops, and by pops I don't mean soda pop. By the way for some reason around Boston we don't call soda "pop". We call it tonic. I have no idea why, but then we do talk different around here. I've had a couple of request to hear me talk and you may get your wish soon. I don't think I have a very heavy Boston accent. In fact I fight against it but every once in a while a "watah" (water) slips out. I was on my best behavior when I was in California but if I slipped up it seemed to delight those around me to no end. Anyway it looks to be a fun day.

In more mundane news, while my car was being fitted with new rubber shoes, I went around to the front of the store, BJ's Warehouse, a regonal store that carries almost everything, I searched for some Wranglers and a belt. I could not find a pair with a 32 inch waist and a belt of the same measurements. Shirts were mostly large and extra large. Man are we fat!

And on that corpulent note I will end this blog. Yes I will be taking my camera tomorrow. I have not taken any pictures since the snowstorms a couple of months ago. All streets and sidewalks are clear of the stuff but there are still small mountains in parking lots. OK I got a pizza in the oven and it's calling my name.

I'm outta here. 

Happy Birthday Michiko !

A few thoughts

I am not a religious person. I will state that up front. To my way of thinking organized religion and God are two different things. That is just MY opinion. Just the fact that there are so many religions makes me question the point and the reason for their very existance. Still I have no problem with people who are faithfull to their particular religion. Live and let live is my motto. I chose to live by the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Then you have that Baptist Church. This small vicious group of hate filled gasbags hides behind the First Amendment to spread hate. I'm afraid that's the price that we in the U.S. pay for living under our form of government. So says the Supreme court, minus one justice. I do find it curious that the word God can't be mentioned in public schools yet it's alright for these hate mongers to protest in public at the funerals of people who gave their lives to protect the right of free speech, using the word God to spread their venom. Not to mention their views everything else. They supposedly rely on their interpetation of the bible as the basis for all the hate. Even though I am not a bible scholar, not even close, there are many valuable lesson to be learned from it. As far as I'm concerned the bible is open to interpetation  but I don't think it teaches the kind of things that these people are saying. The first bible wasn't printed until sometime in the mid 1400's. Assembled from ancient manuscripts and stories handed down word of mouth over the centuries the door is wide open as to what exactly is fact and what is symbolic. These people will use a literal translation of certain writings put into print for the first time some 600 years ago, to spew hate towards just about anybody. Apparently they are the only people on the face of the Earth that have the way, the truth and the light. You have to wonder why. What do they gain? I guess they do it because they can. They will be demonstrating locally here in Cambridge Ma. in about a week. This should be interesting because there are few places that are as liberal as Massachusetts, something I'm not always pleased with, and there are few cities that are as liberal as Cambridge in the country. This is some sort of anti gay demonstration. I wonder how this will play out?

It is a quiet Sunday as I write this. The temperatures are in the low 50's and it's overcast. The rain that Carole had will be making it's way up here tonight and into tomorrow. I don't care. I will be working all day. Perhaps it will put a big dent on the remaining snow which on my street still extends out some four feet into the street in places. There are still large mountains of snow in parking lots and parks where snow has been dumped. It's dirty and ugly. One of my pet peeves is people who don't clean their cars and trucks of snow. Two days ago in nearby New Hampshire a large hunk of ice flew off the top of a truck and smashed the windsheild of a car severely injuring the driver. I think I menetioned this before but it really bothers me as it has happened to me, nothing serious, but still potentially dangerous. These are the times I wish I had some method of revenge on these dimwitted twerps. Perhaps machine guns or maybe a rocket launcher. OK that's a bit extreme. Maybe just a good old fashion punch in the mouth ala John Wayne. My other pet peeve is people who don't use their directional signals (or as we call them the blinkers) when they make a turn 

Well I've gone on long enough. I just spent two hours on the phone with my dear friend in California. She tells me that things are not going well out there, for her and the state in general. Well at least they have the sun. Then I spent another hour and a half writing this. Blogs are never easy for. Well now I'm done. As always I thank you folks for looking in on me. And now...
I'm outta here.

Just an awful day

Yes Monday was a long and tedious day. I won't go into the reasons except to say that we are having a problem with two feuding part timers and people aren't showing for their shifts. This resulted in a prolonged shift for me. So after an 11 and a half hour day I pulled in my driveway at around 10 pm. I have to say that I went in to the day knowing that the possibility of working an extra long day was very real so I had resigned myself to the reality. The customers did provide a few chuckles though. My favorite? A very embarassed woman who wanted cracked pepper turkey breast. Unfortunately much to her embarassment she asked for "cracked turkey pecker". She apologised and I told her it was ok because I myself have been the author of a few mangled words and sentences. Still there were grins all around.

I was hungry when I got home. Eating before going to bed is not recomended but I hadn't eaten since 3:30 in the afternoon. After a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk I went to bed. I put the TV on and soon was fast asleep. I dreamt  of my all time fantasy woman. Sophia Loren. No it wasn't one of those dreams (Damn!"). Instead it turned out that Sophia was a friend of the family. She was just visiting my parents. I asked Sophia if she would pose for a picture with me so I could brag about it on my blog. She said, "Of course!" Let me just say that in reality at 75 or whatever her age is, she is still a godess. I'll eat a peanut butter sandwhich every night if I can dream about Sophia. Ah the power of the peanut!

So where does that leave me today? Well for one thing I am finally off from work after a six day stretch. I hope to take some time off in about a month. I can use it. Today is a beautiful day with temperatures approaching 50. Despite the warmer weather and rain there are still four foot piles of snow on my street and around the area. Still the weather is slowly but surely changing. I feel the urge for traveling again. I would like to head to Martha's Vineyard again, before or after the tourists get there. It is a magical place. It's like being far away from home on an island, which it is, yet not that far away that I can't be there in three hours by car and ferry. The price of gas will surely dictate when and if I go anywhere. It's funny when the price of a barrel of oil goes up you imeadiately see it reflected at the pump. Yesterday the price of a barrel dropped a bit yet you won't see it reflected at the pump. The oil companies have a great effect on the economy. Once the price of fuel goes up it affects everything from food to dry goods. I have no sympathy for these massive companies. They can take their commercials showing how they care and how they are investing in the future. Oh yeah they're doing it for us. What a bunch of crap!

Well I don't think I'll rant anymore. It's a beautiful day and though I really don't feel like doing anything at all. I do have to run a couple of errands. When I come back I will look in and see what's going on in my little cyber sphere. Right now it seems like a huge effort just to get myself ready to go out into the world but you gotta do what you gotta do. 

Adios muchachos. I have no idea if I spelled that right. The spell check seems to think it's ok. I suspect that for some reason it's not working right now. Spelling has never been one of my strong suits.  
I'm outta here.