But not caught up. I am really enjoying this time away from blogging, not that I don’t miss you all, but not having that added pressure to post (among all the other stuff) has been quite calming. When I do get back into the swing I will have a shit load of pictures. Here is one I took while on the phone with my dad, enjoy.

I have a few more things to do for other people that I have committed to but haven’t found the time to accomplish. (like scanning photographs for a friend, update a website, and help another person with their computer.) I have found a groove that is progressively allowing me some free time during the week so I’d hope to be back to a more regular posting schedule soon.

Thanks for checking in.

It is my fondest wish that today be all about you. I hope that your time at work is pleasant and home this evening is relaxing and enjoyable. I hope that the day is all that you would have hoped it to be. Since this is the first time you will be turning 39 I hope that every time you turn 39 after this one you will feel as young or even better!

I love you with all my heart!

Your Husband

… But I took this last night on my way up to bed and thought it was kind cool so I had to share.

I am a bit overwhelmed and have not had a chance to comment on your blogs, I have read some, but with school I have little time and there are so many of you good bloggers for me to read. I did want to pop in and explain that I may be going underground for a while save for a sparse post or comment here and there.

A thought …

I had to laugh this morning as I was checking my email. I was selecting the one or two spam that get through to be deleted when I noticed that my penis enlargement spams are really “junk” mail.

The “plus” part is that I am off to the National Zoo today with Booba and her preschool class. Sure beats workin’. I will try not losing another kid there. I lost one kid I was chaperoning last time, but I fond her after a little while so it was all good. Happy Tuesday.

The words for this week are:

Closeup and Background

If you haven’t joined the fun, go here for details.

For larger size presentation click here.

g-♂

Thanks to Dan, and Mackey for the memes and the fabulous Jo for the award. First the award.

Thank you Jo for honoring me (and the other bloggers that you sent this to) with the very first “Better Then Butter” award. Jo totally rocks and quite the refreshing bundle of sunshine with a twist of freak. Truly a nice person who has mad skills with a camera and in the kitchen. She is funny and smart and just the right amount of off the wall. Totally an upbeat read, she is one of my favorite new blogging buddies. Thank you again Jo.

Since there were no rules on passing it, I’d like to forward it later this week once I can get my blogroll more up to date.

Meme #1 comes from the illustrious Dan. (Or is that lust-trious?)

Page 123
The Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 (or more) pages.
The American Democracy (eighth edition)

2. Open the book to page 123 and find the 5th sentence.
“However, the issue of punishment is primarily a political one as opposed to a judicial one. ”

3. Post the next 3 sentences.
“The pressure for harsher sentences has come mainly from elected officials rather than from judges. Being ‘tough on crime’ is a popular political stance, and blah blah blah, Congress limiting judges blah blah blah. AS a result the number of federal and state prisoners has more than doubled since 1990.”

Ok I started paraphrasing, sue me. :)

4. Tag 5 people.
Ok you know my views on tagging, feel free to flip open a book, but I’d make it more exciting than a text book.

If I were a month I would be: October

If I were a day of the week I would be: Friday

If I were a time of day I would be: 12:00

If I were a planet I would be: Jupiter (gas giant ;)

If I were a animal I would be: a dog

If I were a direction I would be: East

If I were a liquid I would be: Water

If I were a flower/plant I would be: venus fly trap

If I were a kind of weather I would be: Sunny

If I were a musical instrument I would be: trumpet

If I were an emotion I would be: horny, is that an emotion or more a state of being?

If I were a color I would be: Blue

If I were a sound I would be: Laughter

If I were a car I would be: Land rover

If I were a song I would be: “The wheels on the bus”

If I were a food I would be: Coffee

If I were a taste I would be: Salty

If I were a scent I would be: A fart (according to my lovely wife ;)

If I were a word I would be: Centered

If I were a facial expression I would be: Wide eyed.

If I were a cartoon character I would be: Peter Griffin

If I were a number I would be: 69

I hope you all are having a good Monday.

This has been such a busy week. The past two days I have been in a meeting and actually felt like I was adding something to the process. Add to that my GOVT-170 class which has reading and answers due Sunday and family and social obligations and I am one tuckered dude. Today is supposed to be a day of rest but I have to;

go to the dump/recycling center (Thanks again delivery chuckle heads.)

This is the line at the dump (Not too bad for a Saturday)

go to PDQ’s school carnival, (looks like someone didn’t get cotton candy)

The girlies had fun.

and each girls’ soccer game.

We all came away with sunburn.

I need a drink.

Continued …

WARNING. Sexually explicit content dealing with abuse.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. There are groups out there that help victims and help educate the public with regard to sexual abuse. RAINN is one, please feel free to make a donation using the badge on the left.

Sadly what happened to me and my sister and Betsy was not to be my last encounter with that kind of sexual abuse. A few years after Betsy moved so did we, my parents divorced and my mom and two sisters moved to the other side of town. We tried to keep in touch with our old neighbors, but soon we had new friends to play with on a regular basis and out only interaction with the old neighbors was semi regularly and at school.

One morning one of my new friends and I were walking to the bus stop, taking a path that led from our apartments behind one of the churches and to our stop on the corner. As we came down the hill we heard someone crying. I saw a blond girl on the corner of the building bawling. As we approached I was able to recognize her as my older sisters friend Kathy. (I played with their younger brother and my younger sister played with their younger sister).

Kathy’s parents has divorced many years before. That was my first experience with that, in fact Mrs. S had left for parts unknown, leaving the kids in the care of the father and his mother.

Now here she was crying, far from home. When I spoke her name she stiffened and tried to pretend she wasn’t crying. I tried to ask what was wrong and she said “Nothing.” We talked for a little while and slowly she came to admit that she was sexually assaulted. I was horrified and angry, I inquired more and suggested calling the cops. I forget exactly how the conversation went, but I do know how it ended. I can still hear her words clearly “Not from your FATHER!” (indicating that it was him that assaulted her.)

I was taken aback. I knew her father, he was a little creepy, but I thought that was from the booze. What about Christine, the younger sister? Holy crap, I really just didn’t know what to do for her or about her situation.

The bus came. I had to go, she urged me to go.

Some time after that she too moved away, to Washington state where I learned her mother had ended up too. The rest of the family stayed in that small upstate NY town. Over the next few years I developed a bit of a crush on Christine, it wasn’t until high school (after I moved again to live with my dad) that she indicated that she liked me too. I wish I had kept in closer touch, to the best of my knowledge she was never abused.

Next week will be the last of the abuse posts, but I will continue to solicit donations to RAINN each Friday in April.

Isn’t it purdy?

We replaced the bed in the basement guest/play/studio room with this. We really liked it and spent a little extra to get an air mattress for it, anyone want to come and visit ;)

I was a little pissed however. I spent all day Wednesday cleaning up the basement (not pictured here) and organizing my photo stuff, moving beds around and making room for stuff from the garage. I busted a hump all day, save for the two GH3 songs I got to play before getting PDQ off the bus.

Meet my little friend “Chuck”

Our delivery window for said sofa bed was 2-5p, and when do you suppose they came? 4:55. I told them this was going to be easy, all they needed to do was carry the cartons around back, and poof in through the back door.

A fine plan but stupid delivery dude #1 (SDD#1) said “I don’t know if it is going to fit through that door.” (A French patio door) and “The box is the true width of the sofa.” and “We are not allowed to take it out of the box until it is in.”

My reply, I have a tape measure. The door 28 inches. the box, 33 inches.

“It wont fit down the stairs, it’s too long.trust me.” and “But if you sign a waiver saying any damage is your fault then we can try.”, and “That wood is from China you don’t want to mess it up.” and “for another $225 we can disassemble it and reassemble it.”

My response was “I’ll take the door apart.”

Then they said that they only had 15 minutes at each stop so they couldn’t wait for me to get the door apart. They could take the sofa back and I could pick out a smaller one, or I could sign off on damages, or do the disassembly options.

I’ll take the door apart.

They were not sure what to do exactly, I told them to just leave it, and that I’d take care of it. I tried to get the door apart and was having some difficulty. I then opened the box, and measured the the actual sofa back. 27.5 inches. Fuckers.

So with very little difficulty (save having to run upstairs then back around to the back to get to the other side so I could push) I got both pieces in. I assembled the legs and put on the air mattress, I gathered up all the cardboard and plastic left over crap and shoved it in the garage (so I could go to the recycle center Sat.)

I paid $200.00 for delivery, I believe I will be asking for at least half of it back.

Plus my neighbors told me that the delivery guys were driving really fast up out street. Assholes.

Today I have been on one looooong meeting. (hence the late post and why no comments from me today.)

Hope your day was better.

… to yesterday’s post …. I added the pictures :)

The words for this week are:

Smooth and Rough

If you haven’t joined the fun, go here for details.

For larger size presentation click here.

g-♂