Hey you, big star, tell me when it's over.

Hey you, big mood, guide me to shelter.
'Cause I'm through
When the two hits the six and it's Summer -

Cloud
Come shove the sun aside
I think god is moving its tongue
There are no crowds in the streets and no sun
in my own Summer

The shade is a tool, a device, a savior
See, I try to look up to the sky
but my eyes burn -

Cloud
Come shove the sun aside.
I think god is moving its tongue...

...So when you fall to the ground
And finally get back to reality
And no one else is around
So tell me how does it feel to be the enemy?

You have a fear of living not me
I will not take anything for granted
Not even the breath I breathe
Makes me feel alive still... I can't describe
What is happening determined to run but...

I'm crawling... I'm crawling down

You cannot define this
There is nothing else like it

The addiction's here, make no mistake
I will not take anything for granted
With every step I take, makes me feel alive
Still I feel the further I go I'm determined to run but...

I'm crawling... I'm crawling down

You cannot define this
There is nothing else like it
You cannot define this
There is nothing else like it

It's how you react, no it's not what you say
you're running from nothing you're running away

You cannot define this
There is nothing else like it, no no
You cannot define this
There is nothing else like it

You...

Cannot define this...

Voices call, they call out my name
They say I'm different, well I'm not the same
You say you want
to be like me
Well boy let me tell you,
you didn't know what I've seen.

I'm minding
my own business.
I ain't doing
nothing wrong
I ain't doing
nothing wrong.

They say the devil
lives in my soul
I promise not to let him
take control

I'm minding
my own business.
I ain't doing
nothing wrong
I ain't doing
nothing wrong.

Shadows follow
so close behind me
I look in the mirror
I don't like what I see.

Oh God, Can't you help me
get out of here?

I feel like I'm living
deep in hell.

I'm minding
my own business
I ain't doing
nothing wrong...

A piece of mail
A letter head
A piece of hair
From a human head
They're sayin' to me
"I should've killed it"
"I should've killed it"
"I should've killed it before"
You're right, you're right
"Kill the body and the head will die"
They're laughin' at me
"I should've learned it"
"I should've learned it"
"I should've learned it before"

-What a day, what a day
If you can look it in the face
And hold your vomit

A wet sneeze and a "no left turn"
A row of teeth and an encouraging word
Beneath a mile of skin
"I should've noticed it"
"I should've noticed it"
"I should've noticed it before"

What a day
What a day
What a day
Don't you touch it

Everyone deserves to be happy...

I cannot grasp the logic behind some of the ways people attempt to be happy, though.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Someone... I don't know who... once said:

"Love is not finding someone to live with; it's finding someone you can't live without..."

No kidding...

worry... and relief...

I worry a lot... far too much about things that are sometimes totally out of my hands. I know it's not good for me, and it will probably be my demise, not unlike my father... but it doesn't stop it from happening.

I'd been pretty worried about something the last couple of days... again, something that I can't really exert any control over without making something rather private known to someone that someone else would rather I not (ambiguous enough for ya? good). I figured that the "powers that be" were going to screw me... they've been doing a good job of it in a lot of ways, recently. However, they've been unusually kind to me in another way... probably without knowing... well, I think that there is a better-than-slight chance that they DO have a clue, at this point... and if they do know, and are showing this kindness to me with any kind of intention, that would make them super-extra cool... Super... Extra... Cool.

Tuesdays... are truly a beautiful thing, to me... and such a relief.

If next week, it would be Monday, or Thursday, or any other day, then so be it... as long as it is one... beautiful day.

Ambiguous enough for you?
Good. :D

Mobile Blogging from here.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Ahh... irony. I love thee.

It's not the funniest thing (it definitely not "Dick in a Box")... but it has its moments.

Sometimes I get bored, online. Not that there's nothing to do, but I just don't want to do them, so much... so, I start randomly browsing around (something that StumbleUpon is absolutely brilliant for)... and sometimes I come upon some great stuff that I'm really interested in... and other times, not so much.

I will openly admit, I am not among Britney Spears' biggest fans... not by a longshot... for any number of reasons... but I come across this random page with a picture of her and a caption underneath reading something like, "Look at that fat belly..." Here is the picture they're referring to (note the title of the picture as well):

There were a bunch of comments talking about how "bad" she looked and how "fat" she was... Okay... wait... are you serious? This is "fat?" This is "bad?" Am I supposed to look at this picture and be repulsed? I've got news for you, out there... this is not "fat." This is probably not even what most medical professionals would consider "overweight." Likewise, they were ragging on over this pic, too:

...talking about her "fat rolls" and "flabby arms." Have these people ever been out in public before and seen an actual fat person? It's a bit confusing. I mean, maybe all the people commenting are anorexic freaks, or something, but I highly doubt that. I'm willing to bet that some of the commentors are likely more than a bit "overweight," themselves.

It just kinda cracks me up, the nerve of people. They take the opportunity to jump at the first sign of perceived "imperfection" and just lambaste the hell out of them (I'm sure I don't need to point out that things like this are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg). Sure, I am as guilty as the next person of it, myself (see some of my rants on the douchebags that are Kanye West, Fred Durst, etc.), but at least I have a leg to stand on when I do...

You understand what I'm getting at, right? Yeah, she's a bit of a freak, anymore... but her problems aren't related to fluctuations in her weight, y'know? And, straight up, she doesn't look remotely "fat" in those pics. In fact, she looks pretty damned good (yes, I know there are some other, more unflattering pictures of her out there (even on that page), but the fact that they were ripping on these pics was just... fucked up). If you want to pick on someone for something so ridiculous as picking up a couple pounds, be prepared to be called an idiot... by (at least) me.

In conclusion, this:

Yeah... a little scary (and probably deserving of a little ribbing)... This:

...is not.

Yikes

For a second... it was snowing.

Don't get me wrong... I love snow... just not quite yet, 'kay?

My Fellow Americans...

Thank you.

Good night.

McCain Snubs Letterman... Then Shows up on CBS News

Last night, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain canceled a planned interview with talk show host David Letterman... telling him in a phone call he was "suspending his Presidential campaign" in order to rush back to Washington to help save the U.S. from economic disaster...

I thought, "Hey, maybe McCain is finally starting to figure out something he needed to figure out a long time ago... that he needs to stop opening his mouth... just stop talking."

Then in the middle of the show, with guest Keith Olberman, he was informed that McCain had not, in fact, rushed back to Washington, but just headed down the street to the CBS News studio to be on the news with Katie Couric, instead... They even cut to him, live in the studio getting his makeup done just prior to his appearance with Couric.

It's probably okay to snub Letterman in a time of true economic crisis... but I don't think it's necessary to lie to him and say you are "rushing back" to Washington when you don't really have the intention of doing so (I'm sure he knew he was doing the news interview)...

Just goes to kind of reinforce my "McCain's boat has sprung a pretty big leak (besides Sarah Palin)" theory...

So, we've been getting some flow from Hurricane Ike here, today... Apparently, some pretty powerful wind... I wouldn't know, I was sleeping. I've always had the knack to sleep through the most violent of storms and such... Maybe that's why I love them, so much... Anyhow, no rain or anything yet, but a big ol' bunch of wind... note:

Yeah... that's a swing set (and not some cheapo one, either... we're talking municipal mega-pipe one)... and that's a GIANT tree limb on top of it... At first, I was just checking for little kid feet and stuff... after I figured out it was all safe... it was kind of humorous... in its awe.

I was sitting in a local family-owned pharmacy Tuesday with my friend Mike, waiting for a prescription... In front of us were a few spinning book racks with all the latest self-help and diet craze books... such as the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet book, herbal birth control and all that good stuff... and of course, the ever-present Merck Manual and "The Pill Book" (those of you from my neck of the woods will find that a bit amusing, I'm sure). I spin one of the rack-thingies and before my eyes comes a book... "What Would Jesus Eat?" I stood there for a second in wonder, unable to figure out if it was maybe a George Carlin book or something legitimately serious. I sat back down and considered it for a moment... What would Jesus eat? Unlike the book, that suggests that he was a vegeterian and all that, I figured if Jesus was around today, he'd probably eat a lot of fast food... I mean c'mon... he's Jesus. He's a busy man. He doesn't have much time to sit around and prepare super-healthy/holy meals... Filet o' Fish on Fridays at McDonalds and stuff, y'know? He's got a lot of people to see. I mean, there's a whole lot more people now than there was a couple thousand years ago... which means a lot more sinners to save and miracles to perform...

This also begged the questions of follow-up books/pamphlets/essays in the series...
"What Would Jesus Wear?" (a hoodie and Berkenstocks? Or a bomber jacket and Way-Farers?)
"What Would Jesus Drive?"
"What Music Would Jesus Listen To?"
and "Would Jesus Tell Al Gore to Shut Up, Already?"

LOL

Well, sending email from my phone to here worked and all... but in the end, I didn't care... I was on "vacation..." and I didn't feel like talking about it while it was happening... and now that it's over, I still don't really feel like talking about it. Don't get me wrong, it was a good vacation... it was frickin' awesome... but there is so much to talk about, it would take forever. So... maybe in a few, I'll start breaking it down and talking about it, little by little, piece by piece, picture by picture and all that... but for now, I'm still taking it all in...

I'm sending this from my phone at work... Trying to figure out if this is going to work properly when I'm on vacation... I guess we shall see.

Mom's "Back Yard"

(The extra pic to the right is apparently an rtsp (real time streming protocol) link so people with mobile phones can view the video, too... which is cool on Google's behalf, don't you think?)

Teacher Sex Scandals

I was just watching CNN and they were talking about teacher sex scandals... The piece involved three teachers arrested in the past few days for having sex with students... you can see it here (I don't know how long they archive video on CNN, so if it disappears, I'm sorry). So, this story brings me to a problem I've had for a few years regarding these types of incidents. Actually, I have a few problems with it all, but I'll get there, eventually... probably.

All I ever see on the news anymore when it comes to "teacher sex scandals" is stories about female teachers having sex with male students. While you certainly can find stories of male teachers getting in trouble for having sex with female students if you do a search (like this one), the vast majority of stories you're going to come across involve female teachers and male students (including a majority of the stories in the aforementioned search)... Is this part of a "disturbing new trend" (as Dr. Phil put it in a recent show), or is it something that's been going on all along and is just now coming to light because people are looking for the "next big thing?" What I mean is that teachers, both male and female, have been acting inappropriately with their students probably since the inception of schools... and when I was a kid, times were different in respect to the perceptions of men and women... at least I honestly think that. Women were perceived as wholesome and men were perceived as, well, not. When you heard about a "teacher sex scandal" when I was younger, it was always about a male teacher... but were there improprieties happening between female teachers and their students? Absolutely.

The CNN piece, at one point, mentions a "double standard" regarding the issue, saying something to the point of, "If this had been a male teacher, he would have been buried under the jail." I found that rather amusing. No, I actually found that to be hilarious... When I was in high school, I can think of at least four different male teachers that had inappropriate relationships with students. Were any of them arrested? Nope. Were any of them fired? Nope. All that happened was one "retired" and the other three were simply shipped out to other school districts (one of which got two girls at my school pregnant before he "disappeared")... where two of them got in trouble for having inappropriate relationships with students... again.

There were also at least three female teachers that I know of that had relationships with male students. One was fired, flat out, and the other two "got away with it" and continued to teach at the school for many more years.

...and these were just the ones that everyone knew about... who knows what else was going on that we didn't hear about through the wonderful social network that is high school (I mean, c'mon... if a girl farted in the basement, three minutes later everyone knew about it in the third floor study hall).

I had an ex that had sex with a teacher... All that came out of it was her getting an STD and him getting off (pardon the pun) clean, despite everyone and their mothers knowing about it.

Now, I will say this... Most of my female teachers growing up were, how you say, old... but there were a few teachers that popped around through my high school years that I would have gladly had inappropriate relationships with... and while I would have known it was wrong, I would have enjoyed the hell out of it.

Yes, male teachers do get arrested today for improprieties with students... you may have to dig quite a bit deeper to find the stories about them, but they're there... but if a female teacher gets busted for it, it's freakin' national news from the start... I can't remember the last time Nancy Grace devoted a show to a male teacher getting caught with one of his students... has she ever?

I guess my point is this... no matter how you slice it, male teacher or female teacher, it's wrong... so how about equal time on the news for the male teachers that get caught? Or at least stop being so uber-dramatic when a female teacher gets caught and making it a national news story, anyway. It's been going on forever, for cryin' out loud. If you think this is some "new trend," you're totally fooling yourself.

George Carlin (1937 - 2008)

I used to love George Carlin when I was younger... I hadn't really gotten into what he had been doing recently, though... It seemed like he went from really funny and insightful to boring and bitter... I dunno, maybe it was just me, but his last few HBO comedy specials just didn't make me laugh hardly at all... which is sad because, as I stated, I really used to love him. I was probably six or seven when I heard a routine about "Fuckin' Jim's Cookies!" I always thought that was the funniest thing on the planet... yes, I know, six or seven year-olds probably shouldn't hear that kind of language, but my parents knew it wasn't going to warp me (too much)... and, of course, my mother still refers to me as, "my son, who cusses like a trucker," whenever she introduces me to someone...

Carlin was also the guy that probably first said something that I get constantly obsessed with... "Where's the blue food?" Yeah, since he said that, some wisenheimer thought blue raspberry would be a good idea... whatever... it's phony blue... they needed something blue and poor raspberries became the sacrifice.

Regardless of how I feel about his later humor (which honestly, I really don't feel much of anything), his humor was amazing... it took a very brave guy to do what he did and say what he said... and it's very sad to see such a legend leave...

Happy Birthday, Little Italian Virtuoso...




I'm right behind ya...

Out front, this morning... ouch.
(note the wicked red sky)

The old man would've turned 70, today (and his brother would've turned 80 tomorrow)... so it's probably proper...

The only time in my life that I ever saw him without a moustache...

...at my age (right) with brother Bill... the fabulous Zuchini Brothers...


...and the fabulous Zuchini Lobsters.