USMB Coffee Shop IV

[gallantwarrior]

What do you think of this cover of the Simon and Garfunkel classic The Sound of Silence? I might like this version a little better.

The visuals definitely add to the narrative although lyrically it isn't much different from the original. I guess my generation was left to our own devices to imagine the visual representation of the lyrics. Good rendition, though.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Establishing a routine is the problem. Once it's established I'm fine, but having to change and establish a new one, that I'm terrible with.

I have four kids. My schedule changes a lot.

You are one busy mama! I have one adult son.

I have 2 adult sons...I had the last one at 40 years old...

Wow! I have the one. I'm 37, and he just turned 21, and I think I'm good with having more.

Makin' me feel old here...my oldest granddaughter just turned 14, that means the daughter will be 34 this year? Where did the time go?

 

[gallantwarrior]

GW, I don't have a prob with butchering chickens and whatnot. I wouldn't get attached to all the farm animals if I knew they were going to be food eventually. I'd love to have chickens again, but its a pain in the ass keeping their cages clean.

They are messy, probably why my buddy prefers I not keep them here. That, and they are noisy. Still, nest fresh eggs and free-range chicken...mmmm, mmmm, GOOD!

 

[gallantwarrior]

Sheesh, I go do something else after posting and come back to find I've somehow stirred up controversy!

No, I haven't redone any of my carvings in quite a long time. I don't care if it's talked about, and I did bring it up. I have had quite a few things cut into me, by myself and sometimes others, over the years. I never really had money for a tattoo, and while at times it was a purely aesthetic thing, I did plenty of cutting as a way to impose physical pain over emotional. I did say it jokingly; I've bled a lot from doing that, as well as the occasional at-home medical treatment (I once cut a wart off the inside of my finger and OMG did that thing bleed!) .)

Eaglewings and Dhara, thank you both for your concerns. I appreciate the sentiment, but although I'm not exactly well-adjusted and emotionally healthy, I'm good enough at this point.

I have this knot on my knuckle. Don't know what it is. Saw doc yesterday for my monthly checkup and told him I wanted to take my exacto knife to it cuz it bugged me and he said no..let him get a needle and poke around. I said just slice that sucker on the side and see what it is and he did...but nothing was there except blood. With both of our heads peering at my hand, we came to the conclusion to leave it alone because it might be something connected to a tendon. He patted it dry then bandaged it and off I went. It was kinda funny, that visit. Confering with each other over my dripping hand.

I've been developing knots at the firs joint of some of my fingers. They are not painful and xrays show no indication of arthritic involvement. Last week, while visiting my chiropractor for some other problem, he noted that I had Heberdens nodes. Aha! He told me they are age-related and there isn't much I can do about them.

 

[gallantwarrior]

That's really me in my avie.
I live in a town.
In a state.
In the USA.

Oops. I said too much.

Y'all lighten up. Lets talk...hm....what shall we talk about since our guns are checked at the door?

CHICKENS!!! Anyone have chickens or thinking of getting chickens? Nothing tastes better than a fresh still warm egg!

Me! Me! Once I get settled in Willow, will have chickens.

 

[Gracie]

Inlaws got here about 2 hours ago. Fixing dinner now. I will be in and out. MrG will be on my pc tonight cuz sister in law will be in his room on his pc. Me, I will be watching tv. Unless I can figure out her tablet and can find the password for the WIFI. But I think I will more than likely have my pc until around midnight...then MrG will take over and go play his games.

Not sure about chickens now. I want to find a mini camp trailer. Ol Dark Fury has an interesting thread about being snowbirds and I have always wanted to do that. Been looking for RVs for some time now but that thread just got me more motivated.

 

[Nosmo King]

The West Virginia county right across the Ohio River was once what folks called "wide open". That's not a reference common to places out west with expansive skies and 'don't fence me in' attitudes. In my story, "wide open" means more like an east coast reference. Like the New Jersey Tony Soprano and his crew ran. Gambling, prostituton, extortion were the enterprises tolerated in Hancock County. You may have heard of the Youngstown starter? It was basically a couple sticks of TNT wired to the engine. Scores were settled with devices like that.

There is a small bush league horse racing track in Hancock County. Waterford Park held thoroughbred racing, stale popcorn, guys in shiny suits and a brace of off track bookies. My Aunt Ruth and her husband, Uncle Jerry operated a bar and grill located right across Route 2 from the track.

Aunt Ruth was my maternal grandmother's sister. She was only seven or eight years older than my Mom and was more of a big sister to her than an aunt. Ruthie, as she was known, always had a new Cadillac and a diamond ring big enough to have sunk the Titanic if there were no icebergs available. Ruthie would cruise the highways of the Tri-State area in her Caddy while singing with great gusto. She would crank up the car radio and keep time by thumping that diamond ring on the steering wheel. She was a great fan of the pop music playing in the mid sixties. "Dizzy! I'm so dizzy my head is spinning. Like a whirlpool it never ends!" Ruthie was happy, boisterous and consistently flat.

On Sundays, we would visit Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jerry at their home out front of the bar. My cousins Dennis and Marcy were six or seven years older than me and big influences. I wanted Dennis' dirt bike and I wanted Marcy. They would take me and my brother back across the parking lot to the bar. Dennis would open the door and we would go into the dark, DARK bar. The smell of stale beer and disinfectant rushed up my nose and took control. So I'm now out two of my five senses. My eyes took forever to adjust to the dark windowless bar until the glare of the neon Budweiser sign proved that color still existed. The flat beer aroma stained my sinuses until a whiff of a freshly lit Pall Mall in the corner of Dennis' lip tok over.

He had a jar of quarters stashed behind the bar and dropped three of them into the juke box. "Go ahead! Fire it up!" Dennis said. My brother ran over to the Wurlitzer and started pushing buttons. Marcy nodded toward a door behind the bar and beckoned me. In a flash, I followed her to the back room where banks of slot machines stood ready for me to drop quarters and pull handles. The wheels spun and came up all BARS!

Then the music from the juke box blared from the speakers up by the ceiling. " Dizzy! I'm so dizzy my head is spinning!"

 

[Gracie]

I changed my mind again. I want chickens. No travel trailer, lol.

 

[saveliberty]

I changed my mind again. I want chickens. No travel trailer, lol.

Maybe buy a trailer you can sell chicken sandwiches out of?

 

[Nosmo King]

Last night I told a friend of mine about my realization that I might be out of touch with popular culture because I could not recognize the faces on the covers of the tabloid papers arrayed at the grocery store checkout lines. He told me an even more dire story.

He was watching the 1982 movie Poltergeist with his 14 year old son. My friend had to explain to his son why the television set went to static after playing the National Anthem. His son did not understand why a TV station would go off the air!

What a world we live in.

 

[saveliberty]

All is not lost, some trucks still have crank windows.

 

[Montrovant]

Last night I told a friend of mine about my realization that I might be out of touch with popular culture because I could not recognize the faces on the covers of the tabloid papers arrayed at the grocery store checkout lines. He told me an even more dire story.

He was watching the 1982 movie Poltergeist with his 14 year old son. My friend had to explain to his son why the television set went to static after playing the National Anthem. His son did not understand why a TV station would go off the air!

What a world we live in.

I wonder how they did it in the remake?

 

[Ringel05]

Today started off bad but didn't end up that way, a good thing. First thing we got up early to head up to Fort Stanton NM to check it out, about a 3 hour drive. Didn't get enough sleep so I was a little cranky anyway, well we got to Alamogordo stopped for a potty brake then decided we'd have lunch in Ruidoso..... Getting out of the car my good cane fell out from beside the seat and rolled under the car, the wife looked and told me it was in the middle, I would have to back up...... As I backed up the cane decided to roll some more...... right under the drivers side tire...... I just about lose it...... snapped in half........ On the way out of Alamogordo we stopped to fill the gas tank and grab a couple of sodas, damn! Left my wallet at home....... Tried her card, denied, went in tried it there, denied, paid for the sodas and gas with cash, wiped out my cash stash..... Now I'm furious and we're fighting.....
Decide to go home but before we do I stop to have a cigarette and try and calm down. As I'm doing that it occurs to me what probably happened so I call the number on the card..... it was a replacement..... 5 minutes later it's activated. Okay, it's starting to get better. Now it's been a half hour and by now most places are serving lunch so we get lunch then finally head up the mountains. Quick stop in Ruidoso, two wrong turns (bad signage) then we finally make it to Fort Stanton.
The Fort though needing some work is pretty well kept up, two living historians doing 1850s Army, one in the "visitor center" and one in a recently restored barracks. Of course the living historians and I chat at length, the wife finds a book she likes and all too soon we have to head home. Finally get home, fed the cats, heat up some leftover Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry I made a few days ago and a couple of hours later the wife lays down and is currently sound asleep.

 

[Ringel05]

Oh yeah, the other day the wife had another preliminary phone interview that involves her (still active) clearance, another promising possibility. They have openings in DC, Las Vegas and....... Albuquerque........

 

[Foxfyre]

Oh yeah, the other day the wife had another preliminary phone interview that involves her (still active) clearance, another promising possibility. They have openings in DC, Las Vegas and....... Albuquerque........

Do you want to go back to DC? I would rather live in Albuquerque than Las Vegas or DC, but then I'm a bit prejudiced.

 

[Foxfyre]

All is not lost, some trucks still have crank windows.

My Subaru has crank windows.

 

[Dhara]

Oh yeah, the other day the wife had another preliminary phone interview that involves her (still active) clearance, another promising possibility. They have openings in DC, Las Vegas and....... Albuquerque........

Do you want to go back to DC? I would rather live in Albuquerque than Las Vegas or DC, but then I'm a bit prejudiced.

New Mexico truly is the "Land of Enchantment".

 

[Montrovant]

All is not lost, some trucks still have crank windows.

My Subaru has crank windows.

I remember my father telling a story about my sister (who is a bit less than half my age) not knowing how to open the window when she got in a car with crank windows.

 

[Foxfyre]

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys.

And we're still keeping vigil for

Harper (Save's granddaughter),
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
TK, and TK's grandma,
Spoonie, Ringel, 007, Hombre, Sheila, Alan, & GW's sore backs,
Sherry’s Mom,
Becki and Becki’s hubby,
Noomi’s Auntie Marj,
The Ringels in difficult transition,
Mrs. BBD's knee,
Mrs. O and SFCOllie and Colonel,
GW's daughter, her friend Sachendra, and Sachendra's husband Bob and son Gary.
Noomi!!!
Ringel for wellness, rest, healing, and extra strength,
Nosmo's mom,
Foxfyre's sore back and painful shoulder,
Mrs. Ringel's knee,
Pogo's brother,
Ernie's stop smoking project,
Chris's new job,
GW's new job,
Gracie's fur friend Karma,
Mr. Kat
For every happiness for Sherry and WQ,
All of us and those we care about who are looking for work,

And the light is left on for Againsheila, Alan, Noomi, and all the others who we miss and hope to return.

 

[Ringel05]

Oh yeah, the other day the wife had another preliminary phone interview that involves her (still active) clearance, another promising possibility. They have openings in DC, Las Vegas and....... Albuquerque........

Do you want to go back to DC? I would rather live in Albuquerque than Las Vegas or DC, but then I'm a bit prejudiced.

No, we DO NOT want to go back to DC. She told them we would prefer Albuquerque and if not there then Las Vegas.