What Did I Do Before

Well, tonight is American Idol night, except there is no American Idol. So what do I do with myself? What did I do before AI? I can't even remember. It's like dating a girl for awhile and always knowing you're gonna have plans with her on the weekend, then you break up, and suddenly your weekends are free, and you can't remember what you ever did before her. Well, Bo is supposed to be on Regis & Kelly tomorrow, so that's something.

"I don't call up old flames. I I don't have a blackbook. I don't spend all my time in the past. I don't wake up with strangers, cos I don't sleep around. No, I don't believe in love that won't last. But there's a first time for everything..."

There's Something About May

With apologies to Cameron Diaz... I'm starting to get this feeling again. Must be something about this time of year.

19 hours in Nashville
Spent Friday night and most of Saturday in the Music City. Stayed at S&M's (that's Shane and Melody's, btw) Friday night. Slept on what appeared to be Ronald Reagan's future bed when he gets to be about six years old. Fortunately, Kyle turned this hardship into a possible goldmine, by inventing the Hetero Barrier. It also must have been at least 320 degrees Kelvin upstairs (Fahrenheit to Kelvin converter). I was sweatin' like a race horse with a broken leg. (??? Analogy scale rating: 3.5)

Filmed the Centennial High graduation at the Williamson County Ag Center Saturday morning. There was a super hot photographer there, so I chatted with her while the others got the equipment set up. Or, I just said a few words to her and gave her a business card. Whichever. Lunch was Famous Dave's BBQ. Stopped by Old Navy, where I got a pair of jeans and two shirts. Spent the rest of the day downtown. Stopped by Guitar Center, the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, and shot some stick at Buffalo Billiards. It was good to get back up there. It had been nearly four months since I'd been. There for awhile, we were going at least every other weekend. Of course that was back when gas was only like $1.45 a gallon. You remember, way back in 2003?

Got back into town about 8:00 Saturday night. I stopped by the mall to pick up a CD. You know, I really don't see how that mall stays in business. Stopped by the car wash. Got home a little after 9:00. Didn't do a whole lot Sunday. Went to church, did lots of laundry, watched the race, ran about two miles. Unfortunately, I had to work today. After work, hit up the mall and bought some new running shoes. Mom cooked a big supper, so I went over there to eat. And now, I'm here, sitting in my boxers and tshirt, and wearing my new running shoes :-) They're very comfortable. Here's a picture:




I feel kinda like that mythological character with the winged shoes. Who was it... Hermes... Prometheus... Apollo Cree? I dunno.

"It seems I've spent too long only thinking about myself. Now I want to spend my life, just caring 'bout somebody else..."

What does your birthdate mean?

So it seems like I may have done something like this already, long ago somewhere within the vast annals of my blog. Oh well, if so, it's summertime anyway, so we're in reruns like everybody else.

Your Birthdate: February 12

Being born on the 12th day of the month (3 energy) is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life. The energy of 3 allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental. There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, sometimes "couldn't care less" attitude. You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression. Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing. You are energetic and always a good conversationalist. You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too many superficial matters. Your mind is practical and rational despite this tendency to jump about. You are affectionate and loving - but very sensitive. You are subject to rapid ups and downs.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Hmm. Check... check check.. check... check check.. check.. check. That seems to all fit me. Well, except for "possibly singing." lol I enjoy it, however I'm fairly certain I do not excel at it. What do you think?

"Choking on your alibis. But it's just the price I pay. Destiny is calling me. Open up my eager eyes, cos I'm Mister Brightside..."

Car Wash

As a general rule, you can tell how long someone has had their car by the method and frequency that they wash it. Take me, for example. The first few months I had my truck, I would wash it at least once a week. I was sure to use the safest cleaner and the softest, non-abrasive cloth, Armor All on the inside, along with tire cleaner, wheel cleaner, etc. And I'd only rinse it with the natural flow of the hose, never a super-high-powered spray nozzle. Not on my super shiny, Victory Red street rod.

Then, after a little while, I started slacking. I'd only wash it every other week. Then came a day where it really needed washing, but I didn't want to hand wash it, so I took it to the car wash and sprayed it down, cringing at the thought that I might be damaging the resilient, yet precious, clear coat. And finally, after a few more months, it was time for the first trip thru the drive-thru car wash, with those big spinnning, whirling nylon brushes, turning at Mach 2, where you can practically hear the paint being chipped away bit by bit. But after a few times, even that doesn't bother you anymore.

And now? I just hope it rains once in awhile.

Minor Emergency
Yesterday, I was watching Pablo Picasso do his thing (swim, not paint), when I noticed two long streaks along the back wall of his plastic one-gallon aquarium. Upon further investigation, I realized the wall was cracking! It wasn't leaking yet, but I didn't know how much longer it would last. I tried to remain calm, so Pablo wouldn't panic. But I promise he was looking at me like, "Hello! Do you not see those cracks, man? Come on and get me outta here!" I ran to Wal-Mart and purchased another aquarium and got it set up and ready to go for him. Can't let anything happen to my little buddy. I tell you what, now as soon as I turn the light on in my room, he swims to the little corner where I feed him. What a smart boy!

Out of the blue
A girl I dated like in 1994 called the other day. That was interesting. Wow, that's a long time ago. Why do I seem to get along so well with ex-girlfriends? Anyhow, I'm sure glad I'm not still hung up on anyone I dated years ago. That would be a shame, and would probably even get in the way of what could be some very meaningful, long-lasting current relationships. Hmm, that's odd, I don't recall it ever lightning before on a cloudless, sunny day.

Speed Dating
Was talking to a friend of mine the other night who recently went to a Speed Dating thing. She said you had eight minutes to talk to ten different people. She's exchanged emails since with a couple of the guys, but no dates yet. I don't think I could ever do something like that or match.com. Too many freaks. Then I'd be dead and my story would be on City Confidential or something.

In one other bit of good news, I found my Yourself Or Someone Like You CD the other day. I had the case, but had not been able to find the disc for several weeks. And if you know much about CD's, you know that the disc is really the integral part of the disc/jewel case association. So anyway, I listened to that a couple of times thru. That's still their best album to me.

I think I'm headed up to Nashville tomorrow for the day. Don't know what else is going on. Hope everyone has a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!

"And we always say, it would be good to go away someday. But if there's nothing there to make things change, if it's the same for you, I'll just hang, the same for you, I'll always hang..."

Garth and Trisha engaged

Country Singers Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood Engaged

Augh! I'm late on everything.

"She's anything but typical. She's so unpredictable. Oh but even at her worst, it ain't that bad. She's as real as real can be, and she's every fantasy. She's every lover that I've ever had, and she's every lover that I've never had..."

Journal Leads Cops To Murder Suspect

I usually try to keep things light around here, but I just had to share this sad story, just in case you haven't already heard it:

Blogger's Entry Leads Cops To His Killer

And I'm not sure how long they'll keep this online, but here is the victim's xanga journal. It is quite chilling to read the final pages of someone's life. I don't know what else to say.

It's over

Finally, at long last, I can go back to my normal Tuesday night routine of... well, nothing really. Actually, I sorta started getting into House the last couple of weeks, which has become something of a time-slot hit following AI on Tuesdays.

Anyhow, Carrie Underwood is the new American Idol. As I blogged yesterday, I kinda thought she would win. Both of them sang much better tonight, as I'm sure they were more relaxed. It's a little disappointing that Bo didn't win. But, I got to see Jessica Sierra again, so you know, that made my day week month. Sigh. And I thought I'd never see her again. I thought Lindsey and Nikko did pretty well tonight, too. Why did they get voted off so soon again?

I really think Bo did all he could possibly do to win the competition. In the end, he just wasn't as popular as Carrie, for whatever reason. He tore up "Sweet Home Alabama" tonight. I had the TV blasting. I figured he would just do "Freebird", but man, when that music started, I was like, "Aw yeah, dawg. 'Das hot!" I tell you what, he could slide right in and be their lead singer, and they wouldn't miss a beat.

Hope you've enjoyed the reviews. Now I guess I gotta find something else to blog about.

"And I'm so terrified of no one else, but me. And I'm here all the time. I won't go away..."

Always trust your instincts

Kramer: "Don't ever question my instincts, because my instincts are honed!"

I just love it when my instincts are right. I get this feeling that something just isn't quite right, or something is going on that I don't know about. And part of me is thinking, you're crazy, there's no way that is happening, but the bigger part of me knows something isn't right. And come to find out, my instincts were right. ALWAYS trust your instincts. You have them for a reason. They're learned from many life experiences and years of interacting with others. And when they prove to be right, it only makes you trust them more.

Monday-Tuesday rewind
I didn't run Monday because the stupid weather forecast I watched showed Monday all gray and cloudy and rainy, so I figured there was no sense bringing any clothes to change into. Of course, Monday turned out to be sunny and gorgeous. Have I ever shared my thoughts on weather forecasters? Yeah, I probably have. Yesterday, I ran 3 miles after work. It was hot. Cooked dinner last night. My sister came by and we ate and watched American Idol together.

Here's an idea
I think public dressing rooms should be placed at random locations. Many times, I find myself out wanting to go for a run, or maybe someone wants to go play tennis, and while I almost always have some exercise clothes in the truck, I don't always have a place to change clothes. Yes, I could change in the truck, and I have before, even while driving, but that srikes me as not being the absolute safest method. I'm sure many people experience this same problem. That's probably why we, as a nation, are so obese. No place to change.

So, I propose public dressing rooms. There are public restrooms at the park, so why not a dressing room? I'm not changing in the restroom. I would not want anything of mine touching any part of that urine-coated bacteria hotbed. And a shower wouldn't hurt, either, although it would probably get infested and corroded. What are the city leaders doing anyway? Better roads? Better schools? Violent crimes? Pffffft! What we need is a place to change our clothes.

Today's perv news

Camera Found In Eva Tanning Booth

That's only a misdemeanor? Wow. That right there is exactly why I've never been in a tanning booth. Well, that's not the main reason. I'm comfortable with my body. If someone wants to have a gander, I say, enjoy the show. Now I think I'm going to install a reverse peephole in my front door, so that when I come home I can see if anyone is waiting inside to jack me with a sock full of pennnies :-)

"Someone is calling my name from the back of the restaurant. And someone is playing a game in the house that I grew up in. And someone will drive her around, down the same streets that I did..."

Bo v. Carrie

Well, friends and fellow American Idol observers, the end is near, and I'm not just talking about what's left of Paula Abdul's career. The competition is over. The votes will soon be in, and then there will only be a spread-way-too-thin two-hour season finale to go. Here are my thoughts on tonight's performances:

Bo Bice - I thought his first song was off a little, and I don't know really why he would choose that song on the final night of competition. That being said, I thought his second song was the best performance of the night by either contestant. His third song was the same as Carrie's first song, and he outsang her on it. Overall, not as good as last week, but then again, Bo was just about flawless last week.

Carrie Underwood - She went really flat in the middle of the first song. The second song was definitely her best. That's her strong suit, country music and Martina McBride. Still, I didn't think it matched Bo's second song. Her third song, I thought was OK. I had never heard the song, so it's a little difficult when you don't know what it's supposed to sound like. Sometimes during the verses, she sang too soft and I couldn't understand the words. I didn't think she was as "into" the songs feeling-wise as Bo was tonight.

Whether looking at the entire competition, the past few weeks, or just tonight, I think Bo outperformed Carrie. I think the fact that one of their songs was the same, and Bo clearly sang it better, helps him. Still, Carrie has a huge fan base, is nice to look at, and it will be tough to get more votes than her. Still, I think she consistently missed more notes than Bo, song for song, week after week. And stage presence-wise, it's no contest. Bo appears very comfortable on stage, and Carrie looks like a deer in headlights. He also showed a lot of versatility, singing different types of music well. It seems like Bo has basically done nothing but pursue music and a music career for the past several years. It would be nice to see him reap the rewards for all those years. Of course, neither of them are gonna come out of this in bad shape, I'm sure. Either way, I can't believe I got hooked on a reality show for the first time in my life. That being said, I will kinda miss blogging about it each week.

Who should win? Bo, without a doubt.
Who will win? I still have a feeling Carrie will.

"I've always been in love with you. I guess you've always known it's true. You took my love for granted. Why, oh why? The show is over, say goodbye..."

Tie a red ribbon 'round the old shopping cart

Kyle alerted me to this over the weekend. And as the self-proclaimed spokesperson for single people everywhere, I felt it was my duty to blog it:

Wal-Mart Stores Introduce Singles Nights

That kinda reminds me of one of the skits on Whose Line: And we all remember that retail favorite, "Tie a Red Ribbon Round Ye Olde Shopping Carte." So now while you're shopping for groceries, household items, toilet paper, and such, you might also pickup a lifetime companion. Just make sure you scan the barcode to see how expensive she is before you reach the checkout line. Seriously, I don't think it's a bad idea. I've always found Wal-Mart to be a good location to meet women, especially the produce, dairy, frozen foods, and health and beauty sections ;-)

"I remember when you used to be shy. Yeah, once we were so fine, you and I. Now why you gotta make it so hard on me..."

Pablo's eating!!

I haven't blogged about this, but I have been extremely worried about Pablo Picasso. Ever since I've had him, when he would eat, he would get the food in his mouth, look like he was trying to chew it for a few seconds, then spit it back out. Everytime. I even tried switching to the little flakes instead of the Bio-Gold, but he still wouldn't eat. Well, finally, last night I watched him grab a bite of food and chew it and he didn't spit it back out, at least while I was standing there. He ate another piece this morning, so I am feeling much better about my little friend.

Yesterday was Decoration Day at my Mom's family's cemetery. I don't know how common or widespread this tradition is, but every year, people buy new flowers and place on the graves of their loved ones. Then everyone comes to the cemetery on Decoration Day to visit and such. I don't want to say I enjoy visiting the cemetery, but I find it peaceful and maybe even a little therapeutic sometimes. It is a good place for me to clear my head and remember loved ones and think back to when they were alive. Something I think about almost everytime I am there is that my grandmother let me borrow money to pay for prom one year and I never got to pay her back. But what is the lesson here anyway? Spend time with people while you have the chance.

The rest of my weekend was pretty busy. Ran my race Saturday morning, then came home showered and had to be at work at 11:00. Stopped by the Dancers, Inc., recital Saturday night. I don't really remember much about Sleeping Beauty, so it was all new to me. Went to eat afterward at Logan's, where I offered cool names such as Haggai Glenn for Tag's next child. Then Lee, Kyle, and I headed over to the Jazz Factory around midnight to shoot pool. Wow, that is late for me. Roy (aka Marty McFly) is now working security there. I got home a little after 2:00 AM. If only the DeLorean was working, we could've zoomed back a few hours, and I could have been in bed by 9:00 PM. Did laundry and stuff around the house yesterday. Went to Wal-Mart. Finally bought the Killers CD. Just had to see what all the (hot) fuss is about. I went for a short run after church last night.

"So long ago, I don't remember when, that's when they say I lost my only friend. Well they said she died easy of a broken heart disease, as I listened through the cemetery trees..."

Something I ate?

Well, I ran my race yesterday. Finished in 15:57. I placed 31st out of 140 runners in the 2-mile run. Of course, if you take away women pushing strollers and everyone over the age of 75, I probably only beat like five people. I implored a NASCAR restrictor plate strategy, which was to lay back and wait for the big one, then zoom by for a top ten finish. Unfortunately, the big one never occurred. Anyway, the best part of all was that my knee didn't hurt one bit. Considering that fact alone, I was pleased with the run. I didn't wear my knee brace during the race. Perhaps that was doing more damage than good? Hopefully, I can run some longer races in the near future. I really need to find a cute female running partner.

Last night during the dance recital thing, it felt like World War III was going on inside my stomach. Then I started thinking about everything I had eaten up to that point yesterday. It consisted of the following: A slice of watermelon, a hot dog, a turkey and cheese sandwich, a honey bun, three Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies, some corn chips, and some popcorn. No wonder. Geesh.

"Clutching your pillow and writhing in a naked sweat. Hoping somebody someday will do you like I did..."

Movin' on

Tomorrow, a girl I dated for a little over two years will get married. That was the second-longest relationship of my life. (I was with the girl I was engaged to for a little over four years.) Obvious commitment issues and questions aside, it is just a little weird for me.

We started out in a long-distance relationship, about six hours apart. We would drive to see each other as much as possible (part of the reason I have driven my truck over 167,000 miles). Things were really great. We were just too far apart. The worst part about a LDR is that moment when you've been together for a couple of days or whatever and you have to leave, and you know you won't see each other for awhile. It breaks your heart all over again every single time.

Anyhow, after 18 months of that, she transferred schools to be closer to me. Yep, it was serious stuff. For the majority of the relationship, I thought this was it. We got into that comfort zone in a relationship where you just know neither of you wants anyone else. There's seemingly no danger of either one of you leaving. It's just assumed you're gonna be together. It's a wonderful place to be.

Well, somehow what we had always wanted to happen was not as good as we had always thought it would be. Now less than an hour away from each other, we just weren't getting along. Our biggest obstacle had been taken out of our way, but for some reason when things should have been easier than ever, they were harder instead. Long story short, things went wrong, and they never got back again. I blame only myself. Sometimes I think that I was discontent during that time with my own life and it affected our relationship. Sometimes I wonder if on some subconscious level if I was still afraid to completely commit. I honestly don't know. I felt incredibly guilty about the whole thing ending. But she always had this amazing ability to find happiness no matter the situation. So that's what she did. She stayed around here, met her soon-to-be-husband, and I'm extremely happy for her.

That's life, I guess. Things change. People move on. I'm still here.

"I hate summer, winter, fall and spring, red and yellow, purple, blue and green. I hate everything..."

Comfortable shoes

Cheers!
Twelve years ago today (May 20, 1993), the final episode of Cheers aired. It was viewed by an estimated 93 million people. (Isn't that how many miles it is to the sun? Coincidence? I think not.) I can't remember for sure, but I think I watched it with Alison. I was very sad. I was a big Cheers fan. I didn't think I'd ever get over it. However, I had begun watching Seinfeld, and soon, I would grow to love it even more than Cheers. Oddly, that sorta serves as a metaphor for my love life... although I'm not quite sure how. Sounded like a good thing to say. Anyway, if you'll recall near the end of the finale, they are talking about the meaning of life. Cliff says it's comfortable shoes. Norm says it's to find your one true love, whether it's a person, place, or thing. I'm not sure what my point was. Oh well.

Preservation of the species
Found out yesterday that one of my good friends and his wife are expecting their second child. Due in November. It will be their second in fourteen months. Apparently, when we were chasing hotties in high school, I failed to share some vital information with him. I called him to congratulate him yesterday, and he said something about a godfather. My cell signal sorta crackled right at that moment, so I'm not sure exactly what it was. I'm sure it was nothing important.

Run a mile in my shoes
Ran a mile yesterday. Played some tennis. Had dinner at Applebees. This dude next to me starts talking to me and turns out he works for Petty Enterprises. So we start talking NASCAR. I expressed my concerns about the frequent knee-jerk rules changes and the convenient mysterious debris cautions, so I'm sure you'll be seeing some changes soon.

I have a race tomorrow. I think I have decided to run the 2-mile run, because of my knee problems and the gangrene on my foot. I know it's wussy, but I figure it's better to finish the 2 mile than have to stop and take the decrepit runner bus back to the start/finish line in the 10K.

Amy called to tell me about a card game tomorrow night in Arley. lol Wow. Will I drive an hour just for something to do? We shall see.

"Now that I know what I'm trying to find, there's only one place it could be. So I'm lookin' ahead. I've stopped lookin' behind for someone who's lookin' for me..."

Then there were three

Do you realize I just titled this blog entry using only six different letters to make up four words? It was down to the final three on American Idol last night. Each contestant sang three songs, one chosen by the judges, one chosen by music producer Clive Davis, and one of their own choosing. Then they decided to assign two different non-sequential phone numbers to each contestant, while leaving each with only one text messaging number, which probably only served to confuse half the audience. Anyway, on with my rankings...

1. Bo - Before last night, I was thinking to myself, I would not be interested in purchasing CDs from any of the remaining contestants. Bo Bice changed my mind last night. He was just about flawless on his first two selections. When Clive announced he had chosen "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," I was doubtful Bo would fare very well with it. But he nailed it. As good as that was, he stole the show, the entire season, by singing a capella on his second song. After that, Carrie and Vonzell were vying for a distant second. Bo did not appear the least bit nervous, and showed some versatility by singing an Elton John, a Rolling Stones, and a Bad Company song. It was definitely Bo Bice night.

2. Vonzell - She was shaky on the first song, but I thought she improved as the night went on, and built to a nice climax by her third song. She was really in her comfort zone with the last two songs. Simon picked a great song for her. She kinda reminds me of Donna Sommer for some reason. To me, there wasn't much separating Vonzie and Carrie for second. I could have gone either way.

3. Carrie - I thought Carrie sang a lot better last night than she has for the past several weeks. Still, there were some holes. I thought she overdid it a little on the Air Supply song. And she didn't convey the meaning or emotions of the first song at all. And when she sings low, it comes out as a flat almost-growly sound. To wit, the first part of the Shania Twain song last night.

So who will be gone? I think Vonzell will probably get cut, just because no one seems to have the huge fan base that Carrie does. Carrie seems to have the largest number of fans who will vote for her no matter what. I wasn't totally sold on Bo when I first started watching this show. But I am now. He really impressed me last night especially. Talent will have lost out to popularity if he doesn't win.

"And even though the moment passed me by, I still can't turn away. Cos all the dreams you never thought you'd lose got tossed along the way..."

The Beaches of Alabama '05

Figured I'd better blog now, since the Seinfeld Season 4 DVD's come out today and American Idol is on tonight. I'll be watching lots of TV.

We decided to meet at Kyle's parents house, because of the reason, Friday afternoon. I was coming from work, so I was gonna be wearing jeans. He said he was gonna wear shorts. Well, I decided to change into shorts before I left work. So when I arrived, Kyle walked out in jeans. He was like, "I thought you were wearing jeans." I replied, "I thought you were wearing shorts." And on that oh-so-hetero note, we were off.

Left Decatur shortly after 2:30. Arrived in Gulf Shores around 8:30 after about a 45 minute traffic delay in Bham. Turns out there was only one hotel open on the beach in Gulf Shores. It was $182 per night. After Kyle asked for a government or Asian immigrant discount, we were off to Orange Beach. There were three hotels open there on the beach. One of them was full, so we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. $169 a night. Ouch. Now I think I know what the Abu Ghraib prisoners felt like. Our first room smelled like a sewage. However, we did entice two hotties to come in and smell it, so it wasn't a total loss. After they left, we got another room, and for some reason, didn't give them our new room number.

By this time it was about 9:15 on Friday night. I called around to see if I could find a restaurant open. Lambert's had already closed. Hazel's closed at 8:30. What the crap? It's Friday night on the beach. This should let you know how sparse the crowds were. Now, about 3 months ago, while I was watching the SEC men's basketball tournament, they interviewed our governor, Bob "tax-increase-our-beaches-are-back-to-normal" Riley. He gave the impression that everything was open for business. Well, take it from me, it's not. I was wondering why there were so few people on the beach, yet the few hotels and condos were almost full. I realized later that the rooms are mostly taken by workers and construction crews. I also figure that's why the rooms were higher than normal, because the hotels know the construction companies will have to pay whatever they charge.

Anyway, we ended up eating at a new place called Gulf Island Grill Friday night. It was good. The weather was nice the entire weekend. Drove over to Pensacola Saturday morning to check out more storm damage. It appeared to be much more back to normal there. Came back to Foley and ate lunch at Lambert's. We got there right at Noon, and there was no wait at all. So there's another sign of how few people were there. Spent the afternoon on the beach, where we tried unsuccessfully to pick up two girls who unfortunately turned out to be lesbians. At least that's what we told ourselves. The water was fairly rough, so I played in the waves for awhile. The beaches were easily the best part of the trip. They've put a lot more sand out. I guess that was the easiest and quickest part of rebuilding. However, late Saturday, during some ultra-intense frisbee, I stepped on something sharp (a seashell, hypodermic needle, or something) and cut about a two-inch gash in my right foot. When I came to (j/k), Kyle had some plastic gloves on and was administiring some alcohol to the open wound. I was thinking, "Dude, do you know what the crap you're doing?" I knew he wasn't certified in first aid, then I remembered, we did stay at a Holiday Inn Express the night before. So I felt much better then. Or no better at all. You can see a picture of my wound below in the beach pics post. It looked much cooler when it first happened and blood was pouring out.

Had dinner at Hazel's Saturday night. Made sure to get there before 8:30. Hung out at The Track for awhile with all the teenagers and cute single mothers. Or all the mothers who I just imagined were single. Stopped at a couple of souvenir shops. Got up Sunday and went back out to the beach for a bit, packed up, checked out of the hotel, then went to Sea-n-Suds for lunch. Stopped by the outlet mall for just a bit, then headed home.

So, what's open and what's not? Well, if there's a particular restaurant or attraction you have a question about, just ask me and I'll tell you if I know. I would say maybe 30-40% of the beachside condos are open. And like I said, four hotels on the beach are open in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach combined. The Pink Pony Pub and Sea-n-Suds are repaired and open. The Track and Waterville are open. The State Park resort and beaches are completely closed. The Gulf Shores public beach was open, but all the restaurants right in there are closed. The Spot and Fat Tuesdays, if I recall, were a couple of those. And there are cranes and heavy construction equipment almost everywhere along the beach. The Hooters in Gulf Shores is closed, which was really disappointing. The Holiday Inn at Gulf Shores is gone, and the Best Western is heavily damaged. The Flora-Bama is closed, which really put a crimp in our normal late-night freebasing lifestyle. Or had absolutely no effect whatsoever. Once you get off the strip and start back up 59, the majority of those businesses are open. So, my advice? Number one, don't listen to anything Bob Riley says. Number two, I would wait until next year to visit Gulf Shores. If I were going to plan a beach trip, I'd check to see about Destin or Panama City. It's a little sad to see so many places I've hung out at and stayed at closed down or gone completely. It was worth the trip just to see for myself though. And the beach was there. That's all I really go for anyway. I can only imagine what it must have been like eight months ago. But if you're looking for people and night life, definitely go somewhere else, at least this year.

Oh, here is a good article about the beaches and rebuilding which came out Sunday.

"I know you're gonna keep turning away. But I've been there and if I can survive, I can keep you alive. I'm not above going through it again. I'm not above being cool for awhile, if you're cruel to me I'll understand..."

The weirdest thing

The weirdest thing happened this evening. I took about a 90-minute nap and I had a dream. A guy that I grew up with, who I probably haven't seen in at least 10 years, was in the dream. Anyway, I forgot all about it when I woke up. Later, I go to Subway for supper and he is there. The instant I saw him, I remembered that he was in my dream.

What could that possibly mean?

"There ain't nobody who can show you how, to find the surface when you're underground. There ain't no blanket that can hide this cold. There ain't no memory that ever gets old..."

Beach pics

And we're back. I'll blog more tomorrow. For now, here are a few pics from Gulf Shores/Orange Beach '05:


Wish you were here. 


The pink pony... repaired and open for business. 


And the frisbee game was no more :-( Just a little tetanus. Maybe a little gangrene. 


Gov. Bob Riley: "Everything is back to normal. We welcome everybody down to Alabama's beaches." Errr, yeah. Sure. 


I'm not sure why I would have taken this picture. Hmmm. 


If only. What? 


There would normally be lots of people in this shot. 


The view from our room... if you craned your neck around the corner and held on to the balcony with one hand while singing Camptown Races. 

"You can run and you can hide, but I'm not leaving 'less you come with me. We had our problems, but I'm on your side. You're all I need. Please believe in me..."

Frisbees and tankinis

Well, boys and girls, I'm off to the beach! I'm trading in my tennis shoes for some sandals and heading down to Gulf Shores for the weekend. I can't wait feel the warm ocean breeze and bury my feet in the sand. There's always that old familiar feeling when I get there. It's like the ocean is asking me why I've been away for so long. Always feels like comin' home.

I'll leave you with a beach flashback from 3 or 4 years ago. Shane and I were throwing frisbee on the beach, and we were probably about twenty-five yards away from each other. After awhile, I threw it and it started heading directly for this couple who were walking down the beach. It was like the entire thing was happening in slow motion. It was heading directly for them, like a heat-sinking missile and I could tell there was no way it was going to miss them. They didn't see it at all, because they were a good ten to fifteen yards off to the right of Shane. Well, at the last minute it began to sink. The girl was carrying a camera, and it was dangling on a strap from her left hand. Amazingly, the frisbee clipped the camera, knocking it right out of her hand without touching her. Well, my first thought was... lawsuit. But they were cool about it and everything turned out OK. Whew!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'll try and bring back some pictures, and maybe a new girlfriend... or just some pictures. Whichever.


"Take me down to the Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Take me home..."

Deforestation?

I've debated on whether or not to pose this question here, but as usual, posting it has won out over keeping it to myself. The thing is, I have been thinking about shaving my chest, at least for the summer. I've never done it before, so it is a major decision for me. I mean, it's the nineties, right? I know that better than anyone. It's Hammer time!

So I am looking for any opinions you may have on the subject. I am especially interested in the female response. Would you date a guy who shaves his chest? Do you prefer him to shave it? Perhaps you prefer a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Or could you not care less? To shave or not to shave, that is the question. I would like to know what you think. Thanks.

"Now and again, I still hear some old song I don't want to. Is it the same over there where you found your new friends? Sometimes at night I still wake up and feel something missing. Maybe I'll never believe in forever again..."

The Final Four

I think I can sum up tonight's American Idol with one sentence. I came thisclose to ranking Anthony Federov #1! The Utopian Ukrainian brought it home tonight. (I just made that up. Obviously. You know, there aren't that many words that begin with the long U sound. Eunuch, maybe?) Anywho, before Paula Abdul defiles another contestant, let's get on with tonight's rankings:

1. Bo - Apparently, the judges don't like slow songs at all. I'll admit Bo seemed a little laid back on his first song, but hey, it's a laid back tune. He brought it home with "For The Love Of Money." Outstanding performance. I'm not crazy about Travis Tritt, but it's a good match for Bo's voice. He is clearly the most comfortable on the stage and performing, and I said this last week, but again it's like he's not in a competition, he's just out there performing.

2. Anthony - Federov nailed "I'm Already There." I was stunned. His second song was OK, too. I liked both song choices. Again, the judges seemed to not care for slow songs tonight. But this was Anthony's best week yet. His fate may depend on whether people vote on tonight only or overall performance over the duration of the competition.

3. Vonzell - I wonder what was going on with her. Paula pointed out that it had been a rough day for Vonzell. She got herself straightened out for the second song. I think it was one of her best performances. She really seemed to be at home doing that one. I didn't think she did badly on "How Do I Live," either. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible.

4. Carrie - OK, she definitely struggles to sing anything besides country. I hated her first song choice, so it was hard for me to judge that one. The judges seemed to like it. They lapped it up like sweet milk to 3 thirsting kittens. She did at least attempt to show some enthusiasm and personality on that one. I agree with the judges on her second song. It was, as Simon might say, horrendous. The worst performance of the night by far.

So, who will get cut this week? Well, I have no faith that Carrie will be voted off. She's never even been in the bottom group that I can remember. She appears to be the most popular contestant and have the largest fan base, regardless of performance. I think Bo is the only one of the three with even a slight hope of beating her. But, I've been wrong before. Vonzell or Anthony might be gone this week. They just don't seem to have the following that Carrie does.

"We're all looking for love and meaning in our lives. We follow the roads that lead us, to drugs or Jesus..."

Chesney, Zellweger wed

Country Singer Kenny Chesney Marries Actress Renee Zellweger

Wow, I thought Shane was joking when he first told me this. The good news is, that moves me up one position on the most eligible bachelor's list ;-)

"It was over from the start. You completely stole my heart, and now you won't let go. I never even had a chance, you know. You had me from hello..."

Handsome feller

Pablo Picasso makes his first appearance on the internet :-) 

Me & Pablo Picasso

I gotta stop watching Doggie Fizzle Televizzle
Let me preface this by saying I sometimes talk in my head or to myself putting -izzle on the end of various words. Know what I'm sayin'? Well, we ended up having Mother's Day supper last night, and I get up to go to the fridge and pour myself some more sweet tea. There is a yellow pitcher in there, so completely unintentionally, I ask, "Is this the tizzle?" Well, my sister completely lost it. She had just taken a sip of Mountain Dew the instant before I said that, and it was all she could do to keep from spewing it all over the table like Mount Saint Helens. I think it just caught her off guard because I never talk like that around them, or anyone really. Mom, on the other hand, had no idea what in the world I was talking about. Her back was to me, so she was like, "I guess. What is the tizzle?" For me, it was one of those, 'did I just say that out loud' moments? I seem to have those more and more often.

Fish v.2.0 Betta
OK, here's my fish story. I went to buy Mom a Betta Friday night. I got a little one gallon aquarium for it and all the accessories. Well, by Saturday night, I had become attached to the little guy. So I decided to go back Saturday night, get Mom another one, and keep the first one for myself. I named him Pablo Picasso. Why? Because he has no ears. Well, not that are easily visible anyway. And because I wanted him to have a first and a last name. Why should we limit our pets to first names only? Have a dog? Doesn't Rover Higginbotham sound better than just Rover? A cat? Try Whiskers McNeely. It really sets your pets apart, plus you look much smarter to your neighbors when you're out in the yard calling them. Pretty soon, it will catch on and everyone will be doing it, just like eating a candy bar with a fork.

Oh, my other fish story, which I should probably keep to myself but I'll go ahead and tell anyway. I mean, let's face it, any notion you may have once had that I was cool and hip has more than likely been destroyed by now anyway. So I was lying on my bed doing some leg raises, like I'm on my side and I raise one leg up and down about 40 or 50 times. Well, after a little bit, I noticed Pablo Picasso would go crazy as long as my legs were moving. Then whenever I would stop, he would calm down. I wonder what that was about. Maybe he has some sort of depth perception problem or something. Or maybe the motion was just making him nervous or excited. Then I thought maybe some cat burglar had broken in and was coming up behind me and Pablo was trying to warn me, but no, that wasn't it, either.

Misplaced internal organs
I had called Jonathan Friday to try and get up a poker game this weekend. He had some exciting news. He had an appendectomy last Sunday. I guess I need to call my friends more often. Oops. He said his appendix was directly below his belly button rather than on his right side. I found that slightly disturbing. So anyway, he's out of work for awhile, can't do any heavy lifting for six weeks or whatever. He said he wasn't supposed to drive, either. My main prevailing thought was only, "So are you out for poker this week or not?"

The rest of the weekend was mostly uneventful. I enjoyed the first part of the Elvis miniseries thing on CBS last night. Why do I find that stuff so fascinating? It is going to be quite the quandary Tuesday night, if they air that during American Idol. George is gonna be upset! Went running after work Friday. Had dinner at Logan's. After work Saturday, went and played some tennis. Got a good bit of sun this weekend, which is good, I guess.

Celebrity sightings for the weekend...
Terry Bradshaw @ Logan's Friday night
Pam Dawber (Mork & Mindy) and Dennis Miller @ Macaroni Grill Saturday night

Happy Monday. I can't wait to get home and talk to play with Pablo Picasso!

"They said he was the devil, dressed in gold leme, the way he shook his hips up there on the stage. But before that fateful day he left Tennessee, all of them were calling him the king. Things change."

Scary close

Wow, I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but most of this seems pretty accurate.

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who have a split personality - cold as ice on the outside but hot as fire in the heart.

In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.

You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something that will confine you. You are afraid of marriage.

In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

"It's not good for a man to be alone, but a woman needs someone that she can count on. And what I'd give to go back, but the current's just too strong. Love is like the Mississippi. When she's gone, she's gone..."

5-year reunion

That's what it felt like at Applebee's yesterday. Rainbow Brite was up there, then Emily came in, all while we sat with Donna. Tag and Tracy also came in, so it was kinda like an LMV mini-reunion as well. I actually hadn't eaten there in about a month. They have some new menu items, so I tried the paremsan shrimp steak entree. It came out raw, but after they cooked it some more, it was good, and since it took awhile, it was also half price. Some things never change...

"Freeze Frame" came on the Muzak service while we were in there, so I was obviously getting excited. This ensued:
"Oh man, Freeze Frame!"
"Uh huh, but do you know who sings it?"
"J. Geils Band."
"That's right."
"I have the cassette."
"Well, I have the album."
"Oh wow. I think you just trumped me."

We were also talking about Mother's Day gifts. I suggested a lovely Betta fish, with tank and colorful rocks. Apparently, no one else thought that was a good idea. A Betta can provide life and color to an entire room, plus companionship for weeks and months to come.

I went running yesterday. My knee started hurting pretty bad, so I only ran two miles, then walked another. Here's an interesting situation: Two hotties were approaching me on the track. As they passed, they both said, "Hey." For some reason, I was really nervous as they approached, and the best I could muster was an almost below my breath "hey", which probably came out sounding more like a trademark Napoleon Dynamite heavy sigh. Shortly afterward, two slightly obese ladies passed me, and I had no problem saying hey to them. What's up with that?

The Booty called last night. Sounds like things are going well in Virginia. We really need to fly up there to see her this summer. Notice I said fly, and not drive. There's nothing quite like a 12-hour drive in the back of an overheating 1987 Pontiac Sunbird, with knees to chest, feeling like I'm in a Gemini space capsule.

On another random note, my sister and her husband bought a boat this week. So, perhaps I'll be invited to go out on the lake with them at some point. One would hope, at least.

Well, another weekend is upon us! I'm sure it will be filled with excitement... or hold very little excitement. Whichever. I just want to wish all the mothers out there a very Happy Mothers Day Sunday. Be sure to let your Mom know how much you love and appreciate her. I'll leave you today with the immortal words of the great Vanilla Ice... word to ya mothers.

"Now I'm looking at a flashback Sunday, zoom lens feeling just won't disappear. Close up, dark room, sweet talk in my ear..."

Nocturnal Phantasm #505A

Nothing like a little nocturnal phun to kick off your Friday. Last night I dreamed...

I was planning a trip to New York with one of my friends, so I had purchased two plane tickets. Well, I needed a ride to the airport, so I was trying to get Dad to take me, but for some reason, he was in a very ornery mood. He said he had run out of medication, so that's why he was acting that way. Anyway, before I even left for the airport, I called my friend, and he said that he wasn't going. So basically I have wasted money on these two tickets. Anyway, he said even though he said he would go, he never knew that the plans were finalized for sure, even though I told him I would buy the tickets. So he had made other plans. At this point, I decided to call and see if I could get at least a partial refund. They told me they could give me all but sixty dollars back, but I'd have to turn the tickets in before the flight left. It was at this point that I decided to call a female friend of mine to see if she wanted to go. She was up for it, but by this time, we only had 45 minutes to pack and get to the airport, and neither of us were packed. So I went on to the airport to try and get some of my money back. Shortly after I arrived, everyone began to sit down on the floor against the wall in a tornado drill position. Best I could understand, there were four planes landing within seconds of each other, and it was feared that one of them might crash into the airport. Anyway, all of the planes landed safely, except one small plane which rolled up onto its nose as it came to a stop. Then out of nowhere, various-sized projectiles suddenly streaked across the sky and landed in the distance. Everyone was like, "What was that?" Then a voice could be heard saying that it was a third-world country firing back all the bombs and missiles our government had dropped on them over the years. Weird. Why are dreams like that?

"And when you find, you're spending your time wanting for words, but never speak. You tell yourself that the things you need come slow, but inside you just don't know..."

Bloggiversary

Two years ago today, I began blogging, not knowing where it would lead and surely never imagining I would still be at it two years later. Oh well. It all started on my 2MB of alloted AOL webspace. Wow, that's primitive. That's not even old school. That's more like preschool. It's sort of like reading a third grade book report by a young Bill Shakespeare... or nothing at all like that. Hey, that reminds me of possibly the greatest SNL skit of all-time:

"Now, young man, what do you want to do with your life?"
"Actually, Matt, I kinda wanna be a writer."
"Well la-de-freakin-da! We've got ourselves a writer here! Hey, Dad, I can't see real good! Is that Bill Shakespeare over there?"
"Well, actually, Matt, Ellen and I have encouraged Brian in his writing."
"Dad, I wish you could just shut your big yapper!"

Anywho, I guess we're having a bloggiversary party all day today. Woo. Somebody bring the Chumbawamba CD.

Today is also 05/05/05... freaky. And the other night when I laid down, my cell phone read 00:00. I thought, "I must be at the nexus of the space-time continuum."

"I had somebody else once, and she just gave me one try. And second chances these days are so hard to come by..."

O Happy Day!

Scott is gone! Scott is gone! Rejoice, my children! Rejoice!

And if there's any merit to this ABC special tonight, Paula may not be too far behind him. Wow! Scandalous.

"I hope that I won't be that wrong anymore. Maybe I've learned this time. I hope that I'll find what I'm reachin' for, the way that it is in my mind..."

The Fab Five?

Well, it was bound to happen. As you get older, hopefully you get wiser, more mature, and soon you begin to see it. You start to hear yourself saying things he would say, thinking things he would think. You begin to see characteristics of him in yourself. Yes, it has happened. I'm starting to see Simon in me. He is officially now the only sane judge left. I guess before long I'll be wearing pastel colors and cutting my hair like his. Let's get on to the rankings of last night's performances on American Idol. Each of the five contestants sang (parts of) two songs last night. Here's the way I saw it:

1. Bo - For the second week in a row, it wasn't even close. Bo brought it home on both songs. Great song choices. Both were very familiar. He is back in that zone where he no longer looks like he's competing, he is simply performing. I have really only seen him and Constantine do that. If the drug charges don't affect his support, he is clearly the front-runner in my mind.

2. Carrie - There is a huge gap between first and second, much like last week. Didn't care for Carrie's first choice. Why does she pick songs that are so low, where she growls all the way through? Her second song was much better. She still has the personality of a log, and she always looks frightened. I think a lot of people made up their mind early on that she was their favorite and they're going to vote for her no matter what week after week. That being said, she was better than the other three last night.

3. Vonzell - OK, I somehow missed her entire second song. I thought the first song was her worst performance in awhile. The first half was very flat. It wasn't terrible, just not up to par with her last few weeks. She might be in danger tonight. She and Anthony have been in the bottom three more than once, and with Scott's inexplicable continued support, one of those two will probably get cut tonight.

4. Scott - I thought he did pretty well on his first song for a change. The second was typical Scott. The problem is, even when he sings as well as he possibly can, he still doesn't have the talent of the others. It was hilarious when Paula asked him if he knew what "moxie" was. He had no clue. That was great. Scott is kinda like the unpopular fat kid in school that someone nominates for class president or something, and he runs and does his best, not knowing the whole time that everyone is making fun of him and laughing at him. It's cruel, but hey, that's life. Of course, if he wins, I guess he gets the last laugh.

5. Anthony - I thought his two performances were night and day. His first song was maybe the worst performance I've heard on AI since William Hung. I thought he sang very well on his second song, even though I had never heard it. However, he has been in the bottom three so many times, I'm afraid this might be his last week. He has a great story, and I think a lot of people have voted for him based on that. But honestly, based on performances, he and Scott should have been gone weeks ago.

I can't help but think how much better last night's show would have been if Constantine and Jessica had been on there instead of Anthony and Scott. You know what I think? I think the judges may have realized their comments were partly responsible for some of the better contestants being gone, so they pretty much all heaped praise last night on Bo and Carrie. I hope you voted last night. Remember, as Kerry so astutely stated, a vote for anyone is a vote against Scott.

"This is it now. Everybody get down. This is all I can take. This is how a heart breaks. You take a hit now. You feel it break down. Make you stay wide awake. This is how a heart breaks..."

Important. Impending. Impossible?

Important Dates
May 14: Impending beach trip. Awaiting confirmation from Marty McFly. So far, it's myself (aka Steve-O), Lee (aka Pontius), and Kyle (aka Uncle Rico). That will be a fearsome foursome right there. Look out, ladies! Woohoo!

May 17: Seinfeld Season 4 DVDs are released. Two weeks! Ggggghhhhhhh!

May 21: My ex-girlfriend of just over two years gets married. If the Seinfeld DVDs were not coming out four days before, this would probably be my final day on the face of the Earth. Now, it looks as if that will be postponed until my girlfriend of 4+ years gets married. Oh, and this is the date of our local 10K run. So I may actually kill myself anyway, accidentally. What a week!

American Idol Night
Well, it's AI night, and that means I'm cooking something new. On the menu tonight, some sort of chicken and cheese casserole thing. We'll see how it turns out. Wonder what will happen on American Scandal tonight? Will Paula be on uppers or downers? And if she is, did she get them from Bo? Will Scott's ever-puzzling support be affected by the Spike TV special, How To Beat A Domestic Violence Charge, airing in the same time slot? Will Carrie drop out of the competition, announcing that she has signed a deal to become the official Barbie spokesmodel for Mattel? Or will she be disqualified for breaking a little-known AI rule that states one contestant can sing no more than twelve Martina McBride songs in the same season. Will documents surface showing Anthony is a Communist sympathizer and that he actually may know who killed Kennedy? Will Simon finally profess his man-love for Randy? Tune in tonight to find out.

101 Ways To Tell If You're A Loser
#78. If your fiancee skips town less than a week before your wedding, travels across the country, leading to a nationwide search for her, leaving you as a prime suspect for her murder, only to turn herself in once she runs out of money, and you still want to marry her, you might be a loser. Talk about whipped. Wow! That's the kind of stability we're all looking for in a spouse and possible mother of our children.

My weekend
I went running Thursday afternoon, Friday afternoon, and Sunday evening. So I'm sort of getting back on a schedule there. I worked till Noon on Saturday. Shot some pool Saturday night. I was looking like Earl Strickland out there. Well, Earl Strickland at about age 3, to clarify. Went to eat at TGIFriday's. Let me offer you a little tip. If you're thinking about ordering one of their "sizzling" entrees, don't get your hopes too high for the "sizzling" part. You might be disappointed. Oh, they had a security guard there just standing at the door the whole time. It reminded me of the Seinfeld where George sees a security guard standing, so he brings him a rocking chair. At the end of the show, the guard has fallen asleep in the chair and the store is being robbed. Played a little tennis Sunday evening after church. Ate at Ruby Tuesday's. Jean-Paul did a very nice job as our waiter. I hope he doesn't oversleep for his next marathon.

The Impossible?
Had a nice conversation with Dad Sunday:
"Son, are you dating anybody?"
"Nope."
"You need to get out and meet some girls somewhere."
(Great fatherly advice there. Later...)
"Whatever happened to that girl... uhhh..."
"What girl?"
"You know the one that liked you."
"Jessica?"
"Yeah, Jessica. Whatever happened to her?"
"Well, apparently she didn't like me as much as you thought."

I love those kinds of talks...

"Don't know why he says all those things, always shootin' down all your dreams. He oughta know better than that. He oughta be watchin' his back, cos you know, you know, girl I love the shine in your eyes..."

Slow down

One of the sad things about life to me is seeing my parents get older. There is not really one specific event or moment to which I could point. It is more of a gradual thing, I think. One day I just woke up and saw it, and wondered where in the world all the time had gone. My sister and Mom went to Nashville shopping together this past week. I was talking to my sister on the phone that night and she said something which I had thought to myself several times before, "Mom is getting old." I believe my response was something to the effect of, "Yeah, I know."

I know that my parents are not old old. They both turn 55 this year. Then I think about people who have already lost one or both parents, or people who never even knew one or both parents, and I think, "Who am I to be sad?" But I guess we all go thru different situations at different times. I just see differences in my parents now and from ten and fifteen years ago. And I know that is completely natural and to be expected, but it still makes me a little bit sad. When I think about it, it makes me miss family vacations of long ago, Mom and Dad taking me to little league baseball games, playing football or basketball in the backyard. I miss being outside and hearing Mom or Dad call me in for supper with the whole family sitting around the table. I guess that anything you look back on fondly, and then realize it will never be again, makes you a little bit sad.

I suppose that there is a time in life when you are young that you think that things will last forever. Or maybe it is just that you do not yet have a complete concept of time. All you are concerned about is today, and everything that is here today you just take for granted will be here tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on. And when you are young, you do not really have a care in the world to amount to anything. Your parents can seemingly do anything, take care of any problem. They almost seem invincible. Then one day you realize that they are only human, and as they get older, that becomes even clearer. Perhaps it is not just my parents getting older that makes me sad. Perhaps it is more than that. A longing for a past that always seems better now than it seemed way back then.

So what do you do? What do I do? I guess the obvious answer is to spend more time with the ones we love and cherish each moment we have together. We never know when someone we care about will be taken away. I know that is so cliched, but I think it is very good advice.

I remember so many weekend nights my parents would go out to eat or whatever. Many times on the way home, I would sit in the back seat and look out the back window up at the moon and the stars and the clouds. And I would always be a little sad coming home. I would beg for us to go by and see one of my aunts or uncles, just anything so that we could stay out a little longer. For some reason, I never wanted the evening to end.

And now all these years later, I guess I still don't.

"What I'd give to have back all those long afternoons, I wasted being bored. And just half of the freedom and innocence lost, searching hard for something more. There's a price to pay as time moves along. Momma's gettin' old and Dad's already gone..."