What The...?

Bleeding red and gold...

It is still one week away, but I am already going over my game plans for the perfect guacamole dip and chili recipe. Superbowl Sunday is a week away, and I've already found a way to football geek up:Arena Football. Today I went to the local franchise's open house so that I could meet the (few) signed players for the new season, get tickets for a scrimmage next month, as well as a couple of complementary local semi-pro hockey tickets.

All I had to do was buy a couple of season tickets...

Really, while it isn't exactly the NFL, the NFL isn't exactly arena football either. By that, I mean that you get to MEET the players, shake their hands, and talk football with the coaches FACE TO FACE. All for a couple of hundred dollars. That and be willing to be labeled as a football nerd by your family and friends. A small price to pay.

'Night

P.S. The red and gold are the colors of the San Francisco 49ers.

Hibernation time...

Over the past few days I have managed some productive spurts, and even managed things like writing and cleaning, I am afraid I am becoming a bit of a "sleepaholic."

For instance, today I woke up at, well lets say late, just in case my wife is reading this. I had oddles and oddles of sleep, but at about nine o'clock this evening I felt myself dropping off like Nancy Poloski at the State of the Union address.

What does this mean?

Well, according to the missus, I have an "apple" body. It's true! I've looked.

The next thing to do might be getting a hold of those New Years resolutions that have slipped through my fingers and try speeding up the ol' metabolism. Then I might be able to get by on my days off with less than twelve hours of sleep.

oopps!

On that note...

'Night

It's begining to look a lot like CHristmas...

                                                                   

Remember, if you give up all the holidays that you hold dear, then the terrorists really do win.

'Night

How much is that doggie in the window? Any takers???

There's this magic about puppies. The way they cock their heads to one side. The way they gaze into your eyes. The way they snuggle up close and make it almost impossible not to speak to them in incoherent baby-talk.

And then, PROJECTILE VOMITING!!!!!

The most nauseating, putrid stuff ever. And as you sit there, repulsed and stupefied, they look at you calmly and serenely, without a care in the world.

And after putting them out, cleaning up, washing up, and wondering if you can trade him in for a bird, you let them back in, and they are so delightfully trusting and cute, you think that everything is good in the world, and you forgive them.

But the cycle just begins all over again...

Sorry, but that kind of day. A late one, with too much work, and not enough productivity.

'Night

The medicinal properties of espresso...

Today I left work two hours early. That alone is worthy of a blog entry. The reason I left was to go to an author's book signing, which I was over forty minutes late. Since there were only about ten people in attendance, I was addressed by the author as I found a seat in this small, intimate setting.

I won't mention him by name, since the turn out was rather small. On the other hand, it was on a weekday, at one o'clock in the afternoon in San Francisco. I had to drive about forty minutes to a BART station (under construction) where it took another forty minutes to get from Dublin, California to San Francisco. If you don't know BART, think NY Subway, or Chicago EL, or even Paris Metro.

No matter how many times I ride it, I love it.

Of course, I am a small time boy.

I also got to talk to an author who's work I respect, got a book I already owned inscribed to me, as well as getting his latest book signed, and hung out for a half hour in San Francisco's Mission district sipping espresso.

Not bad for a work day.

'Night

Situation RED...

How do you freak out those around you?

How do you immediately set those who are close to you on edge?

How do you put your loved ones in a state of BLIND PANIC!?!?!?!

Fall asleep during the day.

My wife and kids were away today, in my wife's case, gone for a couple of days. Since my present schedule requires my to get up before most respectable paperboys, I decided to go home at about two o'clock in the afternoon and grab some sleep.

I didn't clear this with the media.

At about six thirty, my stepson, who shall remain Joe, opened my door to announce that he was leaving.

Uh...

And that there was no one else in the house.

Um...

And that I would be BY MYSELF!!

All of these things I am mostly in favor of, but he had a look of distress on his face. Like it was just unnatural to sleep during the day, or perhaps I should be cleaning the house or something like that.

So after calming his fears, and fixing dinner, I thought I would catch up on the ol' blog and read for a while before I go back to sleep.

'Night (really)

Holding pattern...

I managed to get one of my workers take my shift today at the alfalfa factory, so I have the day off today. Nothing but reading, writing, football, and taking down the ol' Christmas tree today.

Sounds wonderful.

'Night

At Nine PM I shut down...

For the last few nights, I've gone to bed at about eight o'clock with the intention of listening to Law and Order, reading a Brian Wiprud mystery (or comedy, if you prefer), and generally decompressing from the day. It's a nice little routine I have, in theory, because I am a family man, and generally, the dishes and laundry wait for no man.

These last few days, however, have been planned to have me at my boring little goal, book in hand, when I have been in interrupted by phone calls.

The first was from an employee of mine, who called and then went on for about ten minutes explaining to me her rationalization for calling at that time and why she thought I wouldn't mind. I didn't, but the actual reason for her calling only took one minute.

The other was a computer company that made an appointment with me to call the day before, but decided that because the weather was bad, they would call some time the following day.

They have a history of doing this. They have also called at random afternoons wanting to know if now was a good time to deal with our customer service problem.

Professional life in America seems to resemble a friend with a drinking problem; you never know when or why they'll call. Or won't.

'Night

P.S. If you look at the time this posts, you'll find time waits for no Brian Wiprud novel.

You are what you don't eat...

The other day my youngest asked me if we could make a "taco soup" recipe with the main ingredient being ground beef. She specifically asked for that because she and her brother were "going vegetarian," as she says.

In a car ride to the grocery store, my little vegan-to-be remarked how she thought that cows, as well as pigs and chickens, suffered too much, and it was inhuman what we did to them.

Leather shoes, belts, and purses were different all together. I didn't ask too many questions, because I didn't want to put too much of a damper on her good intentions, but her argument for finner accessories was that the cow was all ready dead, so it seemed like a waste not to use the leather-to-be.

Armed with that explanation, we went to the market and got a pound of lean, good-bye beef, and had the last batch of taco soup that night, the last day of non-vegetarianism.

And celebrated our breakthrough with hamburgers a few days later. ;)

'Night

After all this time...

The muscles that control typing are starting to atropp@#%$R&F...

Well, they aren't doing all that well.

As mentioned in another, equally ignored weblog, my desktop computer recently crapped out, and I was forced to go onto its hard drive and take off everything that I wanted to keep.

In my quest to make my wife proud, I also backed the files up on the Internet. (Hi honey)

In doing so, I found all the files, stories, plots, novels, and minutia that have been floating on my hard drive for the last five years plus!

While for most people, including myself, this is hardly a pleasant scenario, but after looking through the guts of the hard drive, I found a pleasant Truth: there was a great many things that I found that I liked.

Even more that I didn't hate.

And very few that I didn't see some value in.

In short, I found a lot of things to pursue, and a lot of inspiration to get writing. So I am officially back.

'Night