Hadda wasted youth try to break into my car last night.
About 3:30 I heard something in my driveway. I looked out the window to see a white do rag bobbing up and down.
My Azorean homie was trying to get the my car door open. I yelled out the window. No response.
I went down stairs as Mrs. M called 911 and went into the back yard. Manny (his real name) just kept banging on the door of the car. He stayed three until the police came and grabbed him.
Manny was looking for a girl named Ariel who, I guess, he thought was in my car.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
I am a technology moran.
The internet police here a Deathnic have cracked down again and taken away our ability to stream audio and video. Don't care about the video but I can't stand my office being so quiet. I sit in the center of the building. No windows, and a lot of electrical interference. Over the air radio is useless.
I brought in a couple fairly good radios a Grundig 300 mini radio and a Realistic DX-390 both were unable to receive anything but the local frequency abusers. Undeterred I decided that I'd try satellite radio and iPod to keep the music and news flowing.
Friday afternoon I went to Circuit City to pick up a Sirius radio, Nano and a dock that worked with both. Circuit City was staffed by idiots and didn't have the receiver and had no idea what the iPods cost. I went down the road to Best Buy and picked up everything I wanted (at the same price CC offered after mail-in rebates).
Once home I decided to play with the iPod first. No go. Our G5 cannot handle the awesome technology of the base model new Nano. Tonight I will be buying a new operating system for Mrs. M. I'm a bit pissed that the 'puter will not handle the latest iTunes and iPod.
The radio works great in the office though. I had a few signal losses but found a better place for the antenna and am having fun with the radio.
I brought in a couple fairly good radios a Grundig 300 mini radio and a Realistic DX-390 both were unable to receive anything but the local frequency abusers. Undeterred I decided that I'd try satellite radio and iPod to keep the music and news flowing.
Friday afternoon I went to Circuit City to pick up a Sirius radio, Nano and a dock that worked with both. Circuit City was staffed by idiots and didn't have the receiver and had no idea what the iPods cost. I went down the road to Best Buy and picked up everything I wanted (at the same price CC offered after mail-in rebates).
Once home I decided to play with the iPod first. No go. Our G5 cannot handle the awesome technology of the base model new Nano. Tonight I will be buying a new operating system for Mrs. M. I'm a bit pissed that the 'puter will not handle the latest iTunes and iPod.
The radio works great in the office though. I had a few signal losses but found a better place for the antenna and am having fun with the radio.
Friday, September 21, 2007
The Big E
Me and Mrs. M are off to the Eastern States Exposition Saturday.
Not sure why I want to go. Might be fun. Last time I went Otter Creek was set up in the VT building. I enjoyed that.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Oklahoma is OK
We had a great time on Oklahoma.
Dad picked us up at the airport in Tulsa and had a whole greeting committee with him. Friends of his from their neighborhood in Florida came out to OK for his birthday party. The snowbirds weren’t in FL yet so Jan and Joe motored down from London, Ontario and Bev cam in from Peoria. Quite a minivan full.
From the airport we went to Okmulgee to see the Creek Tribal House. Dad dropped us off and went to the Creek government center to register his car but his insurance info wasn’t up to date. He eventually got it sorted out and picked us back up after lunch. It was then back to the government center so Dad and I could get new tribal ID cards. Very need. The new ones are photo ID.
We went to Bristow, Dad’s hometown, for a tour and a vanilla malted. Out of town we followed a good bit of old US Rt. 66 to Sapulpa.
Dad showed us thing and told stories that were new to my stepmother and me. Having an audience brought out a lot of information.
The party on Saturday was a bit of a family reunion. Some of the Bruce family, who my cousin met by chance on a Mexican cruise, came in from Arkansas. Most of my first cousins were there. All of my father’s surviving siblings were there. Dad was thrilled. He says he’s embarrassed by the attention but he still loved seeing so much of the family together.
It was pretty emotional for me. My cousin remodeled the family homestead and did a great job. Not too Okie tacky. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever make it out to OK ever again. I spent a couple of weeks at my grandparents’ every summer as a kid but have only been back twice in the last 21 years.
The food was fantastic. I ate things I haven’t had in 20 or more years. Gramma’s strawberry pie, chicken and noodles, fried okra…
Mrs. M even had a good time. My family loved her and she adapted well to the clan. She even enjoyed going to my cousin’s peewee football game. She’s even amenable to going out again for a longer stay.
Dad picked us up at the airport in Tulsa and had a whole greeting committee with him. Friends of his from their neighborhood in Florida came out to OK for his birthday party. The snowbirds weren’t in FL yet so Jan and Joe motored down from London, Ontario and Bev cam in from Peoria. Quite a minivan full.
From the airport we went to Okmulgee to see the Creek Tribal House. Dad dropped us off and went to the Creek government center to register his car but his insurance info wasn’t up to date. He eventually got it sorted out and picked us back up after lunch. It was then back to the government center so Dad and I could get new tribal ID cards. Very need. The new ones are photo ID.
We went to Bristow, Dad’s hometown, for a tour and a vanilla malted. Out of town we followed a good bit of old US Rt. 66 to Sapulpa.
Dad showed us thing and told stories that were new to my stepmother and me. Having an audience brought out a lot of information.
The party on Saturday was a bit of a family reunion. Some of the Bruce family, who my cousin met by chance on a Mexican cruise, came in from Arkansas. Most of my first cousins were there. All of my father’s surviving siblings were there. Dad was thrilled. He says he’s embarrassed by the attention but he still loved seeing so much of the family together.
It was pretty emotional for me. My cousin remodeled the family homestead and did a great job. Not too Okie tacky. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever make it out to OK ever again. I spent a couple of weeks at my grandparents’ every summer as a kid but have only been back twice in the last 21 years.
The food was fantastic. I ate things I haven’t had in 20 or more years. Gramma’s strawberry pie, chicken and noodles, fried okra…
Mrs. M even had a good time. My family loved her and she adapted well to the clan. She even enjoyed going to my cousin’s peewee football game. She’s even amenable to going out again for a longer stay.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Heading West
The missus and me are taking off for Oklahoma tomorrow.
My dad turned 80 yesterday and the party is Saturday in Bristow, OK, his hometown.
http://www.visitbristowok.com/
My cousin Donny just remodeled his house, once my grandparent’s house, and the party is a both a housewarming and birthday party.
I haven’t been out of the northeast in over 2 years and haven’t been to Oklahoma for about 10 years. When I was a kid we’d spend at least two weeks every summer at my grandparent’s farm. It wasn’t much of a farm. My grandfather was retired and they only had a few dozen head of cattle at any time but is sure was country. The house was actually about 15 miles from Bristow but that was the nearest town of any size. The only shopping you did was on Saturday when everybody “went to town” to shop, gossip, shoot pool and drink beer. (We’d sneak Grandpa over to the pool hall praying the Grandma didn’t find us.)
Bristow, like many western small towns, has been killed by Wal-Mart. That and cable television. It is almost a suburban town now or at least it was last time I was there. I am interested to see what it’s like now.
We will be staying with the mayor of Kellyville Saturday night. Kellyville is a town of about 1000 people, very poor, very rural. The mayor is my cousin Randy, Donny’s oldest brother.
I haven’t seen some of my cousins since 1986. I went out to visit before taking off to England to study. I was 21, skinny (bike racer skinny), with a Flock of Seagulls blond ‘do. My cousins for the most part had all had kids, divorces, addictions, heartbreaks and lives. I was a punk college kid but still accepted like I was when we were kids. The cousin from back east. They always took an interest in me and made me welcome. Despite growing up in New England and going to prep school and college (a different world from my family’s) I always felt at home in Oklahoma.
Randy visited my dad in Massachusetts last year and we had he and his wife over for a cookout. It was an interesting group, me & Mrs. M., my dad and stepmother, my Lancashire born and raised in laws, my best mate Gary and his wife and Randy and his wife Gleneva (her twin sister is Geneva). What a great night we had. I am really looking forward to seeing the family and introducing Mrs. M.
To look at us (me) you wouldn’t guess it but we are Muscogee. No really. I have a tribal roll number, am eligible for tribal health care, elections, housing assistance, welfare the whole lot. My grandmother was 50% Muscogee (Creek) and went to Indian school as a girl.
My first cousins and I are the last generation of our family to qualify for full tribal benefits. Most of my cousins live in or have lived in tribe subsidized housing and go to the Indian clinic for medical services. I never really identified as a Muscogee it was not a part of growing up in Rhode Island but being an Indian, even a “white Indian” is a real part of most my family members lives. My dad wants Mrs. M to see what it’s about so we are going here Friday afternoon: http://www.fivetribes.org/
It should be an interesting trip.
My dad turned 80 yesterday and the party is Saturday in Bristow, OK, his hometown.
http://www.visitbristowok.com/
My cousin Donny just remodeled his house, once my grandparent’s house, and the party is a both a housewarming and birthday party.
I haven’t been out of the northeast in over 2 years and haven’t been to Oklahoma for about 10 years. When I was a kid we’d spend at least two weeks every summer at my grandparent’s farm. It wasn’t much of a farm. My grandfather was retired and they only had a few dozen head of cattle at any time but is sure was country. The house was actually about 15 miles from Bristow but that was the nearest town of any size. The only shopping you did was on Saturday when everybody “went to town” to shop, gossip, shoot pool and drink beer. (We’d sneak Grandpa over to the pool hall praying the Grandma didn’t find us.)
Bristow, like many western small towns, has been killed by Wal-Mart. That and cable television. It is almost a suburban town now or at least it was last time I was there. I am interested to see what it’s like now.
We will be staying with the mayor of Kellyville Saturday night. Kellyville is a town of about 1000 people, very poor, very rural. The mayor is my cousin Randy, Donny’s oldest brother.
I haven’t seen some of my cousins since 1986. I went out to visit before taking off to England to study. I was 21, skinny (bike racer skinny), with a Flock of Seagulls blond ‘do. My cousins for the most part had all had kids, divorces, addictions, heartbreaks and lives. I was a punk college kid but still accepted like I was when we were kids. The cousin from back east. They always took an interest in me and made me welcome. Despite growing up in New England and going to prep school and college (a different world from my family’s) I always felt at home in Oklahoma.
Randy visited my dad in Massachusetts last year and we had he and his wife over for a cookout. It was an interesting group, me & Mrs. M., my dad and stepmother, my Lancashire born and raised in laws, my best mate Gary and his wife and Randy and his wife Gleneva (her twin sister is Geneva). What a great night we had. I am really looking forward to seeing the family and introducing Mrs. M.
To look at us (me) you wouldn’t guess it but we are Muscogee. No really. I have a tribal roll number, am eligible for tribal health care, elections, housing assistance, welfare the whole lot. My grandmother was 50% Muscogee (Creek) and went to Indian school as a girl.
My first cousins and I are the last generation of our family to qualify for full tribal benefits. Most of my cousins live in or have lived in tribe subsidized housing and go to the Indian clinic for medical services. I never really identified as a Muscogee it was not a part of growing up in Rhode Island but being an Indian, even a “white Indian” is a real part of most my family members lives. My dad wants Mrs. M to see what it’s about so we are going here Friday afternoon: http://www.fivetribes.org/
It should be an interesting trip.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
1/4 Mile Match Sprint
So, I flipped onto ESPN2 this morning just in time to see local guido and drag racer Bob Tasker da terd stage with the eighth placed driver Marty Nothstein. Yep, THAT Marty Nothstein.
Tasca is second in the NHRA T/A Funnycar standing and Marty is eighth. Who knew?
Tasca is second in the NHRA T/A Funnycar standing and Marty is eighth. Who knew?
Friday, September 07, 2007
Touchy Phreds
OK. I am a bad guy for commenting, after yet another serious crash on a club ride, that some of us could use to work on NOT FALLING OFF.
Why do these middle aged phreds think they are good riders just because they can occasionally get through a 30 mile ride without ending up under a pickup.
I see all these people, death grip on the bars, elbows locked, wobbling down the road and veering into traffic. When I say something I am accused of slandering people. I am accused of not knowing what I am talking about. These people have been riding less than 5 years!
At the risk of riling Solobuddy, what ever happend to the the good old days when people would pay attetion to their riding not just dump money on it?
Effin A. As a kid I'd ride with Ted (smart like tractor) Lewendowski, Mike Rounds, Dave Kellogg, Ted Furtado, Doug Poole, Dixon Wilde, on a Sunday and I'd pay attention to what they told me. Now when you tell a person that you are passing you are "showing them up" on their Personal Journey.
I'm gonna put the bike away for a while and go play with my guns.
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