Humid, pain, and sleepless. The trinity of my life.

Well, my damn back's gone out again. It hurts like hell. Don't know what I did this time, just got up the other morning and wham. So I'm walking around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, holding onto walls and shuffling. It hurts to much to lie down for long, so there goes what little sleep I was getting. I have dragged a chair into my bedroom though since I have an AC in there and it's too dang humid to be away from the AC. You know the type, not hot just sticky.

My Babushka comes home tomarrow night, and on Saturday were off to Six Flags in Mass. I so hope my backs better or this is going to be one hell of a trip. The thing is I'm not a huge fan of rides, but I love the games and the food. I could also use the exercise of walking aound. If I can just survive the crowds. Damn phobia.

I got to see BM&Family on Monday. They just got a new kitten (as if the didn't have enough little things running around the house) and it's adorable. Of course they are all adorable, I'm staring to think it's a requirement of being part of thier family. Maybe that's why they like me to visit occasionally, so they have at least one scary looking person in the house. For a family that loves Halloween and monsters and zombies and vampires and just about anything horror related they sure are a cute group.

Still trying to get the money together for the Tux for Midgets wedding. Still afraid by their choice to put a wookie in a monkey suit, but it could be worse. The best man's nickname is Fireplug and they have him wearing a red suit. Wonder if they planned that all along? I'd call him adorable too, but he'd bite my ankles in protest.

Well, time to take more pain medicine. Off to the kitchen I hobble......

Alone again, naturally

My little Babushka has gone on vacation for the next week. She won't be back till Thursday. It's funny, so much of my life is wrapped up in spending time iwth her that I honestly don't know what I'm going to do for this week. It's not that we actually do much when we're togetther, it's just the fact of being together. She's gone to Atlantic City with the family that she babysits for.

What doesn't help is that I've been a wee bit depressed lately and not spending time with many of my friends. It's not that I don't wnat to see them, I just can't seem to get up the energy to go visit. It's like part of me just wants to sleep all the time. Not that I do sleep much, I just lie there staring at the ceiling. Add int he lack of money for gas and I have a bad feeling that this next week will consist of me just sitting around the house doing nothing.

Movies

You know whats one of the hardest things in life to do? Try listing your top 5 movies. Just when you think your done another one pops up, then another and another, next your expanding the list to ten, but then some more step in. There have just been far too many really good movies over the years. For instance my list would read like:

1. Princess Bride
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back
4. Jaws
5. wait a moment... how can I not include the other 2 first Star wars movies? Or what about Lord of the Rings, they just blew me away. Then theres the first 2 Alien films.How about Pirates of the Carribean? Heck I can watch Green Mile over and over again. Then there's 13th Warrior. What about Alfred Hitchcock classics like the Birds, Rear Mirror, or Psycho? Maybe some other Steven Kings. What about George Romero's Zombie films, I LOVE those! Then there's Beauty and the Beast... Crap! I totally forgot about Disney movies...do they count? Or what about Wallace and Gromit or some of the Pixar films (even the shorts like For the Birds?)? Oh man, I almost forgot to name Dark Crystal... but maybe that just a kid film. Then should I include the comidies like Caddyshack or Airplane or Johnny Dangerously or Animal House? Maybe Strange Brew? Musicals like Chicago or Phantom of the Opera? What about Batman Begins? Perhaps...
Well you see what happens. Thats not even including the guilty pleasures we all have (For me it would be Rocky Horror Picture Show, or maybe the Chase, or Jurassic Park, or Caveman, or House on Haunted Hill, or Oliver Twist, or ...heck even this list is too long.). I just can't cut some of these out. I could spend days watching them.

So what about you, can you do what i can't? Could you list just 5 without wanting to come back and change it? Just 5 movies that you see above the rest (forgot to mention Godfather actually. Or maybe Full Metal Jacket. Oh hell... Stripes!). So many greats to choose from, maybe you even have favorites that no one else would think of. Can you do it?


(Don't even get me started on a music list either!)

Days go by

Another sleepless night ahead. I ended up getting about 3 hours last night. I figure at some point I'm just going to fall over, an oh how I'm looking forward to that.
Went to the Peabody Museum today. Not a bad place, a little small perhaps. But I so love the Dinosaurs. They have a Brontosaurus skeleton that just makes you feel so tiny (I refuse to accept the scientific communities orders to abandon the name Brontosaurus in favor of Apatasaurus). They also have a T-rex skull that (if it wasn't encased in glass) Babushka could climb into. Yes the museum has a lot of other stuff, but in the end it's the dinos that stick with us all (well, maybe also the egyption stuff. Mummies rock). Whether it's a stegasaurus or a triceratops, the dinosaurs just capture our imaginations so strong.
I love Hallmark.com. They not only allow you to send free e-cards, but they let you know when someone has viewed thier card. This is great when your send a card to someone who never responds to your e-mails because you know if they read the card. A sneaky little way to make sure they get your message. Especially when that message is "I miss you".
Hmmm.... I'm hungry. Maybe I'll see if I can remember how to poach an egg.

Times flies whether you're having fun or not

It occured to me tonight that I have passed the 2 year mark of this blog. When I started it on June 13, 2004 I didn't think I'd even keep it up. I only started it so I could comment on a friend of mine's blog (Statichead, who now doesn't blog anymore). At the time I was still getting over the breakup with the Demon and this of course took up quite a lot of my early posting. I didn't get my first commenter who I didn't know outside of blogging until October that year, first Joy stumbled upon me (There was also Ed, but he left blog shortly after), then I came across Mooker. Both are still around here sometimes today.
As the time has passed I have met many wonderful people here in blogland. Some have come and gone, some are still around. But all have helped to make this life a better place to live. (Well, maybe not the religious nut who for a while kept commenting about how I was damned).

All in all I'm very glad that I decided to stick it out.

Bookless

While checking out the blog of my newest commenter Lisa I realized I haven't had anything new to read in a while and it's making me fidgity. One of the side effects of being unemployed and broke is that I can't afford to buy books. Yah, I know I could check out the library, but the local libraries around here don't carry much in the way of new horror, my reading of choice. I hate to admit it but I'm somewhat picky about what I'll read. Add in that I'm a fast reader and I have a tendency to go through new books so quick that I end up waiting quite some time between books. But that's differant than just not being able to buy a book if I want to.
Of the writers I frequent the 2 tops would be H.P.Lovecraft (Who I got my Blog name from) and Stephen King. I have to date read everything published by Stephen, and quite an array of books published by and about Lovecraft. As I have mentioned before Lovecraft is kind of unique in writing. He set up a circle of writers who used his story ideas that has continued to this day interusing ideas and charectors and locals. It's fun having a writer using another writers charectors and continue on with thier stories, and while there may be others who have done it I'd be hard pressed to name them, much less find one that has lasted as long as the Lovecraft circle has (Since the 1920's actually) and still continues to produce good stories and new books. I'll read Dean Koontz and old Clive Barker (at some point Clive seemed to have broken away from his horror roots). I like certain books by Anne Rice: Interview, Lestate, Ramses, and Memnoch are my personal favorites from her. I have dabbed in John Saul, James Hebert, Alfred Hitchcock, Peter Straub, and many others.
Not that I only read Horror. Another big one by me is Terry Pratchett, who writes a series called Discworld that are sort of fantasy/humor books. Also I will always have a soft spot for Garfield, Get Fuzzy, Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County, Dilbert, Far Side, and many other News Paper Funnies. I'll read books by Tim Allen, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, and other comedians who have gone from stand-up to paperback. I love Have a Nice Day by Mick Foley. The Ring trilogy, as well as the prequel the Hobbit, has been a favorite since I was little. I even like some adventure in the form of Clive Cussler books. Then there's Agatha Christie, Micheal Chrichton, Gregory Macdonald, the Arthurian Legends, Sir ArthurConan Doyle. Then theres the classics like Mary Shelly, Bram Stroker, Mark Twain.

Ok, so maybe I'm not always all that picky.

As for non-fiction, well I'll do books on Cryptozoology, I avoid biographys, and other than that I'll grab something if it catches my eye.
And of course there is my ever expanding comic collection ( I think I still do the comics just because it gives me something new to read every week, helping to alliviate the pain of waiting months between books sometimes).
Needless to say reading is a huge part of my life (along with Music, without which I'd be lost). Having to go this long with nothing new to read is maddening. I can and often will re-read books, whats the point of owning a book if your only going to read it once then sit it on a shelf after that? But sometimes I just need a new story to explore.
See reading to me is an escape. For a little while my mind can dwell somewhere else and forget about the day to day problems and worries. I need that now more than ever. Seems like I don't sleep anymore because I can't get my mind to shut down for the day. There's just too much for it to pick at.
Crap.
Well, maybe I will go check out the library. Even if I can't find something new maybe I can find something I don't own and so haven't read in a while.

So what are your favorite books? Any suggestions to read (I avoid Romance, most Sci-fi, am picky about Fantasy. But I'm also open minded so if it's good I'll at least give it a running chance) would be welcome.

Ups and Downs: The rollercoaster never ends

Well lets take a look at the past few days.
My friend Kells Bells got into a car accident with her 3 year old son Smileboy in the car. He's alright, but her back is worse than ever. I stayed with them during everything, and little Smileboy proved once again that kids have a very simple grasp of life when at one point while we were playing trains to keep him occupied he turned to me and just said in a sad voice "My Mom got hurt" then went back to playing. Almost broke my heart to hear him say that in his sad little voice.
Of course I went to Midgets stag the other night. No you sick fiends, there were no strippers (Amazonias orders, although she has her Shower tom. and I don't think Midget made the same stipulation for her so who knows whats going to go on there), but there was a lot of alchohol. Midget was quite inebriated, as were several of the others there. (Rule of thumb, when someone tells you six times in a row that it's not just the Alchohol talking, it means it's the alchohol talking). I stayed sober (had too long a drive ahead to go home to get drunk). BaldGod was there as well, and it was nice to see his old evil face. We sat outside and talked about old times and told stories, as well as listened to drunk people make fun of each other in that special "if we were sober someone would get pissed, but since we're all drunk then to hell with it" way. We even had a bush jumping contest. It's funny though, I think back to when Midget first planned on getting married and it was such a differant crowd then. So many of the people that I was sure would be there have faded into the past and now arn't. Time changes the face of our lives in such a way as sometimes it takes something big to notice all the small differances.
My poor Cuz Gundamschlong managed to get a job and lose it on the first day. That so sucks. They say they overhired. I think I'd just cry (or shoot someone). But after all he's been through it's just more background noise for him. He's a strong stubborn SOB, just like most of the men in the family, and I have faith he'll pull through all the crap with flying colors and a sarcastic remark.
Also found out that one of my Cuz's is having a child. She and her hubby announced it to everyone just a few days ago, of course I found out a few days early since she needed a drive to the doctors one day. Always love being one up on everyone else. Now we just have to convince them not to name the child after anyone in the Hubby's family, which bears such great names as Jebidiah. The horror.
Unfortunatly my Mom still isn't doing too good with the loss of my Aunt. She was tired today and was sitting out on the deck and without thinking about it called my Aunts old number. Of course this put her in a horrible mood for the rest of the day. You try your best, but sometimes nothing helps the pain.
Also got news that my sweet little Roe Roe has finally been approved to adopt a child. She can't have any due to surgery and her and her hubby, Guitarman, have been trying to adopt for about 2 years now. Still waiting on details but one is definatly on the way.
My 2 newest favorite songs are both country, one by Toby Keith called "Nights I can't remember, Friends I'll never forget" Which mirrors my collage years, and another by Rodney Atkins called "If your going through Hell (Don't slow down)" which gives some good advice. Glad some of you liked the lyrics to "Ships that don't come in" a few posts ago. I so love the words to that. I have been downloading on my sisters computer, which is cable, and it's so much faster than mine. Can also find such rare gems as Spinal Tap and Cher doing "Just Begin Again", the Five Blobs doing "Beware the Blob", "Chloe Dancer" by Mother Love Bone, "Beautiful Lies" Sung by Sweethearts of the Rodeo, as well as "Kitchen" by the Lemonheads. Add in lots of old Metallica, some Jimmy Hendrix (was so glad to get "Wait Till Tomarrow"), Jethro Tull, Phil Collins, and just loads of other songs and I'm a happy man right now surrounded by music.
Of course when I tried to come on the comp today it told me my last payment bounced and if I didn't pay I'd be off the internet, thankfully Babushka came to my rescue and is covering the cost for me this month. I so need to get a job soon. Think it's time to break down and go to a Temp agency.
So peace for now and I'll try and comment on some blogs now.

Brain Freeze

It's funny, I can't think of anything to blog about right now. I wanted to post something, but not a single thing is popping in to my head for a new post. Hmmm...
Maybe I'll try again later.

Joe Diffie says it best "Ships that don't come in"

I could tell he'd had a tough life

By the way he sat and stared

And me, I'd come to push and shove

So I pulled up a chair.

We talked of roads untraveled

We talked of love untrue

Of strings that come unraveled

We were kings and kindred fools

.

And just when I'd hit bottom

That old man raised his glass

And said at least we had our chances

There's those who never have.

.

So here's to all the soldiers

Who have ever died in vain

The insane locked up in themselves

The homeless down on Main

To those who stand on empty shores

And spit against the wind

And those who wait forever

For ships that don't come in.

.

He said it's only life's illusions

That bring us to this bar

To pick up these old crutches

And compare each other's scars

'Cuz the things we're calling heartache

Hell, they're hardly worth our time

We bitch about a dollar

When there's those without a dime.

.

And as he ordered one last round

He said I guess we can't complain

God made life a gamble

And we're still in the game.

.

So here's to all the soldiers

Who have ever died in vain

The insane locked up in themselves

The homeless down on Main

To those who stand on empty shores

And spit against the wind

And those who wait forever

.

For ships that don't come in...