20060321 :::
 

Big Al came in today. He needed a bit of cash, so I cashed a cheque for him (with instructions not to deposit until next week, of course). Was happy to do it. Big Al's a big old hippy, who trekked his way all around the world & somehow wound up here. He grew up in small-town America, volunteered to go to Vietnam, somehow damaged his leg (he still cannot walk very far) & was declared 4-F. After that, he spent a couple of decades roaming before finally settling here. He's actually been here longer than me. Anyway, Big Al's telling me about his visit with his son--his son just finished his 2nd (& supposedly last) tour of duty in Iraq. Al's very proud of him: "Don't tell me you can't both oppose the war & support the troops" he growls out. His son was a medic, & had it a bit rough in the field: he just got off of anti-depressents & is still in counseling. Al feels a bit of remorse that he didn't get to do his time, but his son made him feel better about missing out on the 'Nam. Some things are just too big to grab at once.

On a lighter note, we have this Italian postman--jokey, affable, & until recently intensely lonely. He was as regular as a geyser, & just the most sensible of men. However, he has met himself a widow with some unconventional ideas, & he's turned into the Marquis de Sade. Our regular daily chats are no longer about motorcyle repairing & have ventured into the esoteric. It's not that I'm not happy for him, just haven't figured out how to tell him in a nice way that I don't need so much detail. He started telling my girl Friday all about his new love & their recreations when I was out last week, & she got nauseous (she said). He's a handsome man, in very good shape for his age (late 50s), & has been threatened by jealous husbands before...not actually because he did anything, but because they knew his wives enjoyed chatting with him.

It's a cold, dreary day here. Cancelled all outdoor operations for today.

::: at 13:50

20060320 :::
 

Rusty finally got a computer up & running for my mom, so we made the 65-mile trek down to the Sandhills to deliver & set up everything for her. Now I’ll be able to send her things over the Internet just like I do with everyone else. Plus, since my brother & his wife finally got around to procreating, she can receive updates & pictures from them (they live in England, & as Mom’s had some health problems lately, she hasn’t been able to go over & visit them). Mom may have been dragged kicking & screaming into the 21st Century, but she’s finally arrived. Rusty designed something simple so that Mom--not a computer geek by any means--could understand & be able to use it. I wanted him to work on it rather than letting her get one from some salesman somewhere, as he could specifically put it what she wanted & not have to deal with those things she didn’t care for—or couldn’t work. He didn’t install a dvd drive, because if Momma wants to watch a movie, she’s got a dvd player already. Same with streaming video—she has a name for that already: television. She basically just wanted internet &, as she put it, the ability “to look stuff up.” We threw in some Adobe, about a hundred books or so on pdf format & Microsoft reader, MS Office, & Windows 2000. She was very excited, & very appreciative to Rusty (who managed to get through an entire day without swearing, out of respect for Mom it seems). Artemis & Achilles tagged along, too: Artemis helped Mom with the set up of the computer, then turned her attention to her new music player & various tv programs. Achilles roamed around the estate; Mom lives in the country, in an old manor house. Achilles has always been more self-absorbed that way, & as he gets older he seems to need to be away from the family more. The woods around Mom’s are safe enough, & the few predators that are around there, he knows how to deal with. He used to take the dogs with him when he was younger, but now he doesn’t even want them around when he goes on his long walks. Luckily for the dogs, Artemis takes them everywhere she goes—even, sometimes, to the latrine.

Before we came down, was talking with Jordan back at the ranch: she had a real whirlwind romance, lasting about a week. Literally. Last Friday she had introduced me to this guy, Matt, & she described him as her “mySpace guy.” Apparently, she met him there. They were all smiles then. Now, he’s too “clingy,” doesn’t respect her feelings. & last night when she was hugging him to say goodnight, he grabbed her butt before he left. That seemed to be the final straw for her. Although she does sort of set herself up for failure (IMHO) by setting impossibly high standards for guys. She confided in me that her real feelings are for this guy named Eddie (I met him—briefly) who is on an extended bicycle trip, is about 30, & has (apparently) no fixed residence & no job. He just bikes. Eddie does write her lovely letters & sends her well, interesting, presents (sacred incense to Our Lady from Tijuana). So on the one hand, she’s got a guy crazy for her just across the street that she “doesn’t connect with,” & she’s got a potential soulmate that she connects with “on a spiritual level” who’s currently in Idaho & will be somewhere else as soon as he gets on his bike. For most, this is not a real dilemma, but for her it is. At least she’s a little self-conscious of this tendency she has, & knows it may be a way to self-destruct any real potential by staking your happiness on an illusionary outcome. Self-awareness doesn’t mean she’ll make the right choice, though.

Rusty’s developed another safe house that the Czech & the Decorator can use. He’s swept it clean of all [whatever] so that they can do whatever they do without fear of spying (they are a little paranoid, but just because you are doesn’t mean that they’re NOT not out to get you). The one thing the house lacked was electricity. He was using a generator to power their state of the art electronics while fighting the setting of the sun by using flashlights & cigarette lighters for illumination (for some reason, they couldn’t hook up the lights to the generator…one would think that would be elementary for these geniuses). They were almost like farmers, trying to wrap up everything before “can’t see.” They seem to be under some restrictive time frame; when it comes to Rusty & his projects, I don’t ask. He’s always been good about telling me just what I need to know & sparing me the details of what I’d rather not know. They can perform all their operations right in front of me, as I don’t really understand what they’re doing. They speak in their own sort of jargon, so at least they can communicate with each other. The house itself is a nice old pre-WWII model, with hardwood floors & high ceilings. They always seem to choose older places as a base. Not sure how long they will have use of it. I’m assuming that the Czech & the Decorator will actually stay there, as that seems to be the pattern. Perhaps the Cowboy will join them, although I hear he’s otherwise employed currently.

Artemis, after exhausting the possibilities of the music & tv, turned eventually to the boy next door—an earnest, smiling little urchin named Newt. Newt lives in an area where there are not many of his own age or grade, so it’s always a treat for him when Artemis visits. Newt resides just outside Mom’s grounds, & his father sometimes helps Mom out around the place (he’s very good with motors & mechanical gadgets). A few years ago when especially heavy snowfall cut off Mom from the rest of the world, Newt’s family was very good about checking up on Mom & making sure she was okay. Newt has an older brother, but perhaps he’s getting too old to play with children, as I haven’t seen him on recent visits.

Artemis went out with the one dog we had brought down & she returned with both dog & Newt in tow. Newt has a perpetually smiling moon-shaped face & a perpetually empty belly. Artemis fixed them both sausages, & they happily noshed on them as they played with the dog & then with various board games as it got colder.

Mom & I discussed the beach cottage some. With Spring coming up soon, we were talking about heading there sometime soon, but it looks like it will be after Easter before we, or one of us, gets down. The cottage is still winterized. I’ve always found the place useful for relaxing & retooling & recharging my batteries. Sometimes it’s better to be there with others; other times, alone is best. In the end though, just being there, whether with yourself or with a bunch, is great fun. Guess it’s been years since I’ve been there by myself…my brother used to go there alone a lot, before he got married, but he hasn’t returned to the place since he moved to England. Actually, I’m not sure if he’s been there since he got married there.

Made it back to the ranch without incident. This looks like it will be a busy week.

::: at 12:33

20060315 :::
 

My friend Jim stopped by the shop at lunch today...to chat, drink some coffee, watch the World Baseball Classic. Jim's got his PhD in History but currently has no position: his lady Tish has a job working on an historical dig in the area, which is why Jim's here. He informed me today though that Tish's about finished with the dig, & he's been getting offers from various universities, & one offer in Florida he's thinking about accepting. The last year's been kind of tough for him, but I've never heard him complain. On the contrary, Jim's most gracious, & I really enjoy our chats together, as few of my acquaintance want to talk in depth about history. His unintended sabbatical has been a real boon for Rusty (my right hand man) & me, as we were frankly starved for such intelligent conversation before Jim showed up (although Rusty does have his tech friends with whom to talk).

Jim's hoping to get Rusty to one sporting event before leaving. Rusty's so anti-sport that this should be quite interesting (Rusty once told me he'd need a lobotomy before attending a basketball game). There's an outdoor sporting venue just a road trip away, & seeing's how Rusty smokes like a coal-fed train, that's probably our only option. Jim says there's this very unique bookstore there also, so we'll be able to check that out before the match, & that may be the bait to draw Rusty.

So it looks like another of my mates is hitting the road. How much longer will I be around? All ready been here longer than anywhere else. Artemis & Achilles seem to like the area.

::: at 05:16

20060314 :::
 

As the song goes, “looks like we’re in for stormy weather.” Literally & figuratively.

Am seeking an annulment from my marriage, & it’s hit a bit of a snag: I need to find 3 witnesses who knew us both before & after the wedding, & we moved shortly after we wed & didn’t keep up with many of our old cronies. It’s gotten so bad I’ve resorted to using my old mother-in-law as a witness. The Duchess has graciously agreed. Actually, think she’ll be a pretty good witness, as she felt the marriage was flawed from the start. I have only one other person in mind &, if he won’t agree to be a witness, this could really hold things up. One would think that with my past history of drug & alcohol usage that this would be an easier case for the tribunal: you see, the way this works, it doesn't really matter what happened AFTER the marriage, just before. The marriage must be flawed from the start. I actually totally cleaned up my act after the marriage. Guess my timing was good.

Had a lovely walk this afternoon with Artemis, Achilles, & one of our dogs. It was a most lovely afternoon here. Played a little hookey this afternoon but, as it was so nice outside (& it's supposed to be not so nice tomorrow), I figured that was all right. Artemis got a 31 on her math test (her teacher had sort of prepped me for the worst), & she asked me not to faint or have a heart attack or something before she even showed it to me. I’ve told her that she would be on the honor roll if she could just do something about that math grade. Thought that her class was doing the Lenten reconciliation this Wednesday, but she said they did them last week. A week ago, we all attended a reconciliation service where Achilles & I did our obligatory duty, although it was less obligatory for me, as I really needed to be there, anyway. Not so sure about him. Although, he DID spend more than twice as much time with his priest as I did with mine. So I don't know.

Friday night attended fish dinner with the Novitiate at the Church, as both Artemis & Achilles were visiting friends. Every Lent, our parish prepares fish dinners on 2 Friday nights. He informed me then that he would spend some of the summer working for me, & I was pleased to hear it, as he is both a fine man & a fine worker. He’s going to be teaching our CCD class of 8th graders this coming Wednesday all by himself (well…I’ll be observing) & we’ll see how that goes. I'm trying to groom him to handle his own class; last year, he tried teaching the 5th graders & that didn't go so well (I ought to know--Artemis was in his class). He may not be ready for next year either, but he should be fine after that. He just needs to learn how not to let the kids intimidate him & take over his class. Last week, he was away, so I tapped an RCIA girl, April, to fill in for him. She explained to the class how she was converting from the Baptist denomination. BB asked her if the Baptists were disciples of John the Baptist. I got a kick out of that! The kids all thought she was great, & asked her to come back. She is very good with children, & is currently interviewing for a position working with children in New York State for a year. Will see her Tuesday night & ask her how things went.

Been trying to catch part of the World Baseball Classic, & I’ve found myself getting quite interested in the games & their outcomes. This is an idea whose time has come, & I hope it catches on like the Soccer World Cup or the Cricket World Cup.

Mom had a biopsy done last week: it was non-cancerous, or maybe pre-cancerous, but she was so wiped out by the affair that she was tired & drained. At least she doesn’t have melanoma; Dad died from it.

I need to go. Somewhere.

::: at 05:33

20060313 :::
 

This Lent is proving to be especially difficult. This morning, whilst praying the Rosary in front of the Pieta shrine in our church, I had to stop during the 4th Mystery. Just couldn't go on. I felt dizzy, like vertigo, felt nauseous & my back seemed about to go out on me. Just got up & left.

This has happened before, in other Lenten periods. I was well rested: fell asleep in front of the tv last night, then laid down in bed for another 8 1/2 hours, but woke up feeling drained & with a headache. It's been like this since Ash Wednesday, this physical tiredness combined with a general spiritual tiredness. I was talking to the candidate I'm sponsering, & he's starting to feel his enthusiasm wane. Must somehow get through it.

::: at 15:19