A while a way but still here

While it's been a while since I have written anything I always come back here to catch up on my friends' blogs. It's funny because I usually check them on my Nintendo Wii Internet channel. I sit check my weather on the wii and then check if any updates have been posted. I even bought a wireless keyboard and, like right now, am writing my blog from the comfort of my living room and on my Teli.

As far as updates go, been staying busy figuring life as always open to the possibilities of the day. I am getting ready for a move into a cottage by a lake and plan to take advantage of the scenery to write and pensively ponder what I want for my life.

I recently just returned from a trip to Baltimore. It was a whirldwind that took me from chicago to atlanta and then to Baltimore to spend quality time with my friend SMK III and to attend the wedding of my friend S to his wife J. What an amazing time to be with family and what a blast to meet so many new people. Our wedding table was named "anything goes" and we decided to name ourselves the Misfits because we were 'that' table. The one that has everyone who doesn't know eachother--those from various walks of life. What a blast to make new friends while also enjoying bottle after bottle of wine :)

The baltimore trip also lent itself to a mini excursion to visit the Ace of Cakes shop and even though I wasn't able to enter or meet anyone it was a kickass time. I might have dumpster 'dove' to see if there was anything to bring back...I ended up with a flyer from their recycling.

It's funny because as I noticed the surveillance camera I remember saying, "maybe we'll end up on his show...or on COPS"

Life is good and 2010 will be a good year....which reminds me...

Thanks to all who celebrated my bday vie electronic device or in person...you have no idea how wonderful you made me feel. I'm a lucky dude for sure!!!

Later friends

Where have I been? Where are you? The melancholic ramblings of a mad boy living in a mad world

I have been living life.

Toiling in daylight and moonlight.
Traveling by car, by train, by plane, by horse,
By dream, by goal.

Exploring water and exploring land,

Inhaling and exhaling--breathing.

Running to the light and lying in the darkness just living in that place that brings solace to my soul.

Where mountains are but hills, and pain is but a snowflake melting as it lands on warm and ardent skin.

Where I can fall in love and just as quickly stumble on its cure.

For "there" I am king...yet "there" no longer in my head belongs but rather here in life where my heart beats.

For even in my slumber my heart it beats and pleads and waits

for its request to reach my soul.

The heart's request is truth which shall true bliss to me consort

My heart it beats, a count down of an untimely and expected end; and end which will no longer be easily relinquished.

What I fear matters no longer.
What I lack matters even less.

My faults are plenty; my restitution undeniable

What I risk is worth all...

For in the end I'm living life...full life...

exposed, unblocked, raw

and free.

No longer drugged by the wrath of Morpheus, my eyes awake they are to life

and I'm alive...alive I am...and alive I shall be...

I'm alive for the first time to life

My life

A Building Weekend and the unveiling

This past weekend I drove to good old Batteyland where I spent a great time drinking and grilling, chatting, hanging out with toddlers on their play ground, and playing with power tools.

Even though the --rain a few minutes-stop a few minutes--weather slowed us down, we made use of our time wisely.

Here is a step-by-step (anyone watch the show by that name with Suzanne Sommers?) of what went down:

Crazy to think that all of this starts with a pie in the sky idea. This was my robo-cart. I think I pictured it flying around the house. I cropped this picture, but there were other crazy ideas of other projects that I will possibly build.

From the pie in the sky to an actual material sketch. This is my final sketch of what my cart/stand would need. I drew this and then we headed to Menards for the materials. I kinda put it together in my head as we looked at various materials at the store and Battey really helped me make a choice.



Here are the materials along with the tools that were used. Altogether, I spent about $40 bucks.



I then cut and sanded the wood which I measured exactly but did not take into account how much the blade would take off. Later Battey and I recut it and sanded it again. I will definitely remember that one for next time.

After taking a very long break because of the rain, we finally managed to cut the square opening on the top and, thanks to a power nail gun, nailed this sucker together. I ended up taking this home to finish the rest.



Once home, I put the rest of it together including the shelf/magazine holder dowels. I even decorated the tabletop by adding holes that also serve as vents for when I put my labtop on my table because I hate how my labtop gets very warm on various non-vented surfaces.




After adding a little varnish all I had to do was wait for it to dry. And as far as injuries...not many. At Battey's, his saw horse was a bit sharp on the bottom and I got a little cut on my thumb. At home, I got a sliver stuck in my finger, but no biggie...just tweezed it right out.


After about 16 hours of dry time, here is my table/night stand/labtop cart in all its splendor. Sure there may be little mistakes here and there, but they add character to my little project.

From idea to it's creation, this was a fun and awesome project. It was great to build and it was even better to do it while hanging at the Battey's.



Here you'll see the various things you can put on the cart: The books, the magazine stand which is also a shelf, the top with the removable indented tile for keys and pocket change, the table top design which also serves as ventilation for my labtop, its wheels for mobility, and its hanging clips for various knick-knacks.

All in all, it turned out better than expected and now I will be building even more crazy things in the future!

Stay Tuned...

Spring ramblings

The gloomy and rainy part of spring ensues, but it doesn't stop me from getting out to take pictures. I have been determined to capture this tree that I pass from time to time on an old and bumpy road fraught with great memories. I love its branches and its organic splendor-not man made, no chemical tamperings, and still a work of art. To me this tree represents wisdom only gained from life itself. Despite the rains, winds, and snows of life. the tree stands tall; aging gracefully while also patiently awaiting for the warmth and the full force of spring to come alive.

They say a picture is worth 1000 words which is good because I've only written a few hundred. I leave you with more of my photo-inspired ramblings:

These eyes cry much like the early rains of spring
heavy; earth drenching; sodden tears

However full -never in vain- for like spring rains,

They bring about rebirth to my soul.

Divine Mercy Sunday

So today, despite the rain and cold, I awoke in very joyful spirits. I headed to Mass and realized it was Divine Mercy Sunday and it was great to hear the priest's words of mercy.

In my life, I am assuaged in knowing that God loves us and that His steadfast, saving, and secure love is for all: from the holiest Saint to the most wretched sinner (I'm somewhere in there).

While I'm striving hard to reach saint status, I'm definitely not there yet, but am content and thankful in knowing that Jesus has been and continues to be my "light when I dwell in darkness." Maybe that is why on this gloomy day, I felt so joyful, because more and more I come to realize that the Lord is no accountant.

If you have ever taken an accounting course (and I have...maybe later we'll discuss the 9 steps of the accounting cycle) or even just balanced your checkbook, you quickly learn that everything must balance out. Your debits must always equal your credits. There is no room for less or even more; all is quid pro quo.

However, God is no accountant and if you let Him, and I'm still working on that, His credits pour out like the tickets that pour out from the game machines at Dave and Buster's or Chucky Cheese...just way better!

~*~

On a side note I will say that besides going to Mass today my ramblings were also inpired by George Harrison's hippy dippy song "My Sweet Lord" which I listened to in the car on my way home.

'YouTube' it for a listen.

"I'm Lizzing...ha ha ha...LI*ZZ*ING!"

"Hey Dummy" if you don't already know, I am enamored with the show 30 rock on NBC. Their episode titled, "Apollo, Apollo" was definitely one of the best ones. Not only did I almost pee my pants in laughter (fitting for the show's neologism meaning to laugh and whiz at the same time), but Jack's task to find what made him puke with joy also kept me laughing. Muppets, space, lizzing, jacking, a hard of hearing woman, a call girl named Bishou, and the real Batman, what more can you ask for? Oh yeah, Dennis makes a comeback with one of my favorite lines.

Please, if you haven't, check out the episode on the NBC website or on Hulu. Here are a few favorite quotes. Just looking at them makes me giggle, chortle, and Lizz with joy.

1. Dennis' "Hello, dummy," and his new business plan.

2. "I'm Lizzing!" (Funny when Liz said it and funnier with Tracy)

3. Liz's imitation of Jenna and the reason for the British accent.

4. "What is this, Horseville? Cause I'm surrounded by naysayers!"

5. Kenneth's Sesame-o-vision

6. "Aw, guys, come on, I ate in there!"

7. "Oh my god, you puked! Why wouldn't you warn me?! I was staring at your mouth!" (This one is my favorite. I even had a friend imitate it for me so that I could laugh without going online.)

8. "Is that Billy Jean King?"

Finally, I will say that I miss seeing Dr. Spaceman (phonetically, Spichemen) I love it because only Tracy calls him Dr. Spaceman...this would have been a good episode in which to include him.

Such joy this show brings to me.

~*~

"I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me to be the most civilized music in the world."

-Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004)

Spring foward...it's about time!

Yes, it's about time Spring showed it's head...I don't think I can take another gloomy day. It's crazy how much I have missed warmer,sunny weather. I went outside and did a quick jog in a country trail (really, the forest preserve) I have also been reading up and getting ready for planting season. Last year I started a bit late and still had plenty of harvest (yes, I'm Amish on the inside, that's why I minored in German...Ummspringe!). This year I'm going to try my hand at corn (how hard can it be it has been grown for a long time). I love sweet corn, but it also grows tall and creates a barrier between annoying neighbors. Other great vegetables to grow: tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, sweet peas (my niece calls them candy...yes, they're that sweet), Zuchinni (which last year they mixed with the pumpkins and grew super big), green beans, and some newbies like the corn.

Things that didn't grow so well, beets, broccolli, lettuce, carrots which I will try again, but will check out my Park Seed company for better, stronger seeds or maybe just a different variety of these vegetables. If you have a little bit of land available, energy, and time...I reccommend you grow yourself a garden. It's fun. Even if you only grow one or two things...give it a go.

The picture above makes me smile alot and has opened my eyes to the fact that I have always wanted a farm. So, even though I want to move to Chicago and live the city life...that will last for a bit and then I will have a farm. Animals, trees, a tractor (one faster than Battey's), and a barn with chickens, cows, pigs, goats, horses, and maybe even weird animals here and there (I've always wanted a skunk [with it's smelly sac removed] {ha, sac}. This could be a sign that spring has gotten to my head, but I want a farm either way.

So, I have become a retired old man and have decided that saturday evening Mass with my fellow old people is my new favorite. I go and it's relaxing and enjoyable. In college, for a while, we did have a Saturday evening mass, and even then, it was a favorite of mine. It's great because I actually travel about 20 minutes to a different town, then I go to Mass, and then to the coffee shop near the square to read and stuff. This time, I headed a bit farther and went to Barnes & Noble for some book time. Yes, I was there until it closed and this old man had a blast.

My new obsession is the CD I bought last night by Katie Herzig. If you like great folksy songs sung by a beautiful voice...give her a go. I was at the book store and one of her songs was on there and I had to have it. Apple Tree is her new CD and it was very fitting for spring and all the good things it is bringing with it.