Down On Ferry Farm

I was naturally nervous before my date this evening. I had my doubts and now I wonder if my expectations were too low. My last date the conversation was stilted, it was generally uncomfortable, and the conversation did not come easy. I did not see any attraction to her even though she seemed like a very nice young lady. The same cannot be said of tonight’s date. It was wonderful, easy and flowing. Any silence that occurred was nothing but comfortable. I could easily see myself with this woman for many nights to come. Of course, it would be a huge overstatement to say she’s “the one” but – wow – it could not have gone any better if I scripted it. I was early to the restaurant. We were only supposed to have drinks but we were both hungry, so we ordered dinner. The conversation came easy as well as the smiles and laughs. We had quite a bit in common and much to discuss. I was early. I waited at the table. I watched as the hostess brought several women to their tables “is that her?” I’d as...

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been in a slump with the ladies… a pretty major slump. Brought on by DubDub and her teasing me with her presence and my own wuss-itude while sitting at a bar just staring at beautiful women, I did the only thing I know to do: hire a dating service. So that’s what I did. I’m not going to name them here because I don’t want to advertise for them at this point. If they are a rousing success you might hear about it from me. They called me on a Thursday (I had inquired about their services in the past) and asked if I was still available. My ‘advisor’ wanted to meet with me and see if she couldn’t match me with someone as soon as possible – she suggested we meet that night. I drove to their office and met with my advisor for about half an hour (kind of quick, I thought). We sat and talked in this very small office and she asked questions about what I like and what I was looking for in a woman. I explained all the usual surface material and wondered when we were g...

I don’t know what made me think of this, but I thought I’d mention my Uncle Jimmy. Everyone has that ‘crazy’ uncle, or the “pull my finger” uncle – well this is my silly uncle. He was good with his hands and was always building or fixing something. He could make just about anything out of wood. He was always collecting bicycle parts and putting them together for kids in his neighborhood that couldn’t afford them. The parents would arrive at his house insisting to pay for the bikes but he always turned them down. I had a pair of shoes that I ran into the ground. They were so worn out that my toes were sticking out the front of them. I was getting ready to throw them in the garbage when he asked, “Hey, how much you want for those?” in his silly way. I asked what he wanted them for. He needed some throwaway shoes that he could paint in. He tried them on and they fit. If you want to get a mental image of Uncle Jimmy, just picture Bert Larhs only taller and thinner. He had that big broad sm...

I’m sure you’re asking yourself: Why hasn’t he had a blog entry in a while. Oh, he rambled on about music and what-not but not a whole lot lately. I’ll tell you why. The hottest part of the summer my air conditioner broke down. I woke up in the morning like I had just gotten off a water park ride. I didn’t feel much like turning the computer on let alone writing in this blog. I got the air conditioning replaced and all is well in that world. Then work picked up. I worked 12-hour days all Labor Day weekend (yes, I’m aware of the irony) and long days Monday through Wednesday of the following week. I wasn’t sleeping well any of those nights. My boss gave me Thursday and Friday off but ended up calling me in on Friday and, again, ended up working a long day. That’s not an excuse – it’s my reason. I want to tell you what’s going on in my world. I want to explain why I am the way I am. I want you to understand why women cringe when they see me coming toward them, even when I don’t understand...

I have finally reconciled with “The Gods” of music. I broke down and signed up for iTunes and will begin paying for the music I download. Actually, it paid off instantly. I had been looking for a song for quite some time through, uh.. ‘other’ channels and had not found it. I figured “what could it hurt – I’ll look and see if it’s on iTunes”. It was there. I was amazed. More than that I was sold. So I started thumbing through my wish list of songs I was looking for. I found all but one. With that one, though, I don’t know the title of it. I have resisted doing this for so long because I felt like the music industry owed me for 2 reasons: a) I have over-paid for music for years now, and b) for putting out such crappy music for a long time and expecting us to continue buying it. And then the music industry cried foul and thought the Internet was to blame for lower music sales. No, you idiots – it was because people were going back and downloading all the GOOD music you’ve been overchargin...

It hit me at some point while I was looking through my music collection that several artists had the same song title – “Save Me”. I explore each one here: Jem – I don’t know a lot about this artist but I heard this version on “Grey’s Anatomy”. The music they select for the show hits the mark about 90% of the time (in my estimation) and this song was one of those times. I don’t remember the scene that was going on while the music was playing but I remember trying to look for it afterwards. Luckily, this is one of those shows that is not shy about advertising what music is playing during the episodes – in fact they list the songs on their website. I like the bouncy, reggae feel it has. It has overtones of seriousness and playfulness all at the same time. Seriously! p.s. – did not know what Jem looked like until I went searching for the picture. Wow! Doubly impressed. Dave Matthews – For some reason, Dave Matthews put out a solo album called “Some Devil” a few years back. To my ear, it ...

First, let me catch you up on happenings. I finally got my new air conditioning installed and up and running (well, I didn’t, but you know what I mean…) I came home on a Friday to find my house on the cold side. “Okay” I thought to myself “maybe I’m just not used to it and the temperature will even out”. A 3am, when I couldn’t turn off the air at the thermostat, I had to kill the new system at the electric panel. It was SO cold. The thermostat said it was 60 degrees on it’s way to 67. HA! If it was anything it was 40 degrees in my house. I could almost see my breath. So I called the company that installed it and they sent a technician. He was at my house for 3 hours. The thermostat that was installed was so new he didn’t know how to work it correctly. He ended up installing one that he knew would work – and it did before he left. He said that someone would be out on Monday to fix the real one. So, thankfully, they were out on Monday and the problem has been resolved. My house is now a ...

You know, I feel sorry for Beth. She’s dating (or married to) a HUGE ass. For purposes of this story, I’m going to assume she’s dating “JJ”. I’m sitting in this restaurant, staring out the window, minding my own business when I see this couple drive up and get out of their car. The guy looks like your typical ‘yay-hoo’ (as my dad used to say). He’s wearing the oversized, baggy shorts with the white sneakers and the a-frame t-shirt (known as a “wife-beater”). He’s got the trucker hat that is slightly askew on his head. Beth is very pretty (you’ll understand how I know both their names shortly). She’s wearing a very nice short skirt and chic top. She’s young and, if I had to guess, would say she works at a clothing store at the local mall. She has long, dark, perfectly manicured hair. When she gets out of the car, she is talking on the cell phone. When JJ gets out of the car, it’s like he’s a clown at the circus. He dances around wildly and is flailing his arms like he’s on fire. Beth is...

The title says it all.

I haven’t written in a little while, so I figured I’d catch you up on what was going on. It’s been the usual up and down ride. First, the bad news: today I was blamed for something I was told to do. I was the ‘face’ of the project so I took the brunt of the firestorm. Let’s just say these people can get really hateful. I’m hoping that this will help with leverage later on in my career. Now for the good news: I had my annual review and got a nice little raise. Later in the week we had our division meeting and I was recognized for all my hard work of late. Yea! More later.

Every Sunday morning I watch CBS’s “Sunday Morning” news program (it’s TiVo’d if I’m still sleeping). This morning’s episode dealt with the upcoming July 4th holiday. A lot of it centered around elements of the holiday itself – marching men in tri-cornered hats, fife-and-drum sets, kids holding sparklers as parades went by and scores of people waving flags. And then they got me. It opened with a shot of Faneuil Hall in Boston, MA. I didn’t think anything of it as I watched a stream of immigrants file up the main aisle and take their seats. It wasn’t until the speaker said “everyone, please rise” that I started to tear up a little. There were 396 people not born on this soil who were willing to raise their right hand and swear allegiance to this country. And they got me. These people weren’t worried about what is wrong with this country; they were most concerned about what is right. They were well aware of the war in two countries and the tension with other nations our country endures. ...

I used to think those biorhythm charts were bunk but I think about that when I have a great Monday and a terrible Wednesday. You remember biorhythms, right? Basically, you put in your birthday and then find today’s date. It shows a scale of Physical, Emotional and Intellectual well-being. I don’t know, maybe they are bunk. I was at home Saturday and just got ensconced with my dinner. The phone rings. I have to break out of my little mold to answer the phone. It was my sister “Hey, where are you?” “Home”, I say. “What are you doing?” she asks. “Eating dinner,” I reply. “Oh”, she starts “when you’re done with dinner, how’d you like to have a drink with your nieces and nephews – and your sister?” We had a really nice time sitting around drinking and laughing. It’s kind of strange that my nieces and nephews are old enough to drink. I barely feel like I’m old enough to drink. My sister tells me, at some point, that a few people from the family are going to breakfast next morning. I love me ...

Well, I had a wonderful time down in Florida. I was at a conference at a huge venue with a lot of other people. A good time was had by most and if you didn’t have a good time it was your own damn fault. When I got back on Friday, I didn’t want anyone at work to know. I sent a quick e-mail to one of the guys I work with to let HIM know that I was back and I was sure he wouldn’t tell anyone else. I get a call from him about an hour later basically saying the world was falling down around him. He needed some help and called me to get it. I ended up spending a good part of Friday and now the better part of Saturday in the office taking care of the issue. Don’t get me wrong; there are others in the office as well, all taking on their own part of the overall problem. It’s tiring but a good learning opportunity – which is what I could say about the conference I went to. I must have walked about 3 or 4 miles a day going from session to session. I talked to a lot of vendors and learned a LOT ab...

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While I was off for Memorial Day, I went to a part of town I don’t normally go. I ate food at a fast-food place to which I was unfamiliar. I drove down streets in which I was sure to get lost. I waved at neighbors who were unfamiliar to me. I needed to go to a place where nobody knows me. Then I realized, as I pulled up into my driveway afterward, that nobody knows me here at home. I wave at my neighbors but I don’t really know them. After yet another rejection, I was feeling a little melancholy. I drove around trying to find myself and my place in this world. I looked all around but couldn’t find myself anywhere. I guess that means I’m lost. Why is this so difficult? It looks so easy for others and even easier on TV (Yes, I know that TV is not reality). It is at this moment that I tell myself that I’ll be single for the rest of my life. Whatever dreams of a relationship I had were gone. Of course my all time favorite rationalization “I’m done with women”. Lately my brain has been all ...

I don’t want to get too excited about my date last night with my new “lady-friend”. She is a lovely person, we had a good time (I thought), but I just don’t know what she’s thinking. Here’s how things went: A few hours before we were scheduled to meet, I got a text message from her. She just wanted to make sure she was reaching the right person. We went back-and-forth, trading messages and our excitement for the evening. She asked that I meet her out front of the restaurant so she didn’t have to walk in alone. My response: “Of course”. I got to the restaurant a few minutes before our scheduled time (I like to be early) and waited only a minute or two before she arrived. I sent her a message as I sat in the Adirondack chair asking where she was. Her response: “pulling into a parking place now”. I looked up to see about 3 cars making their way into parking spaces. She got a spot right up front – in a very NEW looking Jaguar. We walked in and found there was about a 20 minute wait so we i...

Several years ago I had tickets to see The Dave Matthews Band live at one of the local amphitheaters. I was so excited to go I could hardly stand it. I spent the weeks and days leading up to it monitoring the reports from the road on his website. Fans from each show were sharing the line-up of songs and it appeared he had a pretty good set going. I had bought two tickets because DubDub and I were still dating and she was a Dave Matthews fan as well. The first sign of things going wrong: she called and said she wasn’t going to be able to make it because one of her kids was sick (this is on the DAY of the show). The fact that she wasn’t going to be there took a huge amount of wind out of my sails but I carry on and go to the show. Then I’m driving to the show and traffic is ALL KINDS of backed up. Apparently, the show is sold out. It would have usually taken me 30 minutes or so to get to the venue – I was still sitting my car an hour and a half later. I kept thinking I was going to miss ...

Tonight, I couldn’t take it any longer. The planes had been flying overhead and I couldn’t stand it so I took a drive. You see, I live very near a Naval Air Station where the planes take off and land. About 60 percent of the time, it’s a quiet little neighborhood but when “the air wing comes in” it’s almost unbearable. Tonight was just too much and I had to get away. I was trying to watch TV and it seemed that whenever a joke went off a plane was flying overhead. It’s okay when I can read the close captioning but not all shows provide this service so it gets a little old hearing the build-up of a joke and then not fully hearing the punch line. So I took a drive. I originally went out looking for either ice cream or beer. I figured I’d just go someplace quiet and eat my ice cream or drink my beer. Turns out neither one happened – I just drove. I pull up next to this little silver car (at least it looked silver in the dim light) and – naturally – I look over at whoever is sitting in the ...

I used to live my life on a pretty even keel. On a 1 to 10 scale I usually hovered right around a 5. I might go as low as a 4 and high as a 6 – but not much more. Now I seem to be feeling the highs and lows much more clearly. The jury is still out as to whether I like it or not. The highs are really good but the lows are excruciating. I don’t like the lows. The low times come when I expect something quickly. As I’ve gotten older I have lost my patience. I don’t understand why. I’m sitting there waiting for something to be done, waiting to pick up a prescription, and the woman tells me it’s going to be 35 minutes. “For 20 pills?” I’m thinking to myself. The highs are really good. I love that feeling of getting my swagger back, a bit of confidence, my head held high and almost strutting around like I own the place. So my 1 to 10 scale usually runs between a 3 and an 8 now. I have expanded my horizons. It’s a lot like stroking a bruise on your arm that’s healing – there’s a bit of pain an...

Personal space is kind of a weird thing – you don’t really notice it until someone encroaches upon it. Here recently I’ve had a couple of people get a little close while standing in line. So I’m in line the other day when this older black man is standing behind me. I only noticed him because he kept casually bumping into me. I don’t think there was any malice or intent in it, but I had to turn away a couple of times to give him the hint that what he was doing was bothering me. I ended up almost encroaching on someone else in front of me to ‘get away’ from this guy. I moved up quicker than I should have and – darn it – he moved up again. So here I am wedged in between two people I don’t even know. Then yesterday I was standing in line at a fast food place for lunch. I didn’t really notice the guy behind me until he started breathing on me. You read that right. He was a little taller than me with salt-and-pepper hair and a really big mustache. I’m standing there, minding my own business,...