I've been 40 for a week now. It's really not that much different except for getting used to saying it. Duncan's sister, who coincidentally shares the same birthday, has been here for the last week. Mostly hanging out with Duncan while I worked, they did go to Toronto for a couple of days.

I also got a summons for jury duty in a couple of weeks. They don't give you much lead time. I was pretty discouraged at first but I found out my employer pays me for my time so I don't mind it so much anymore. I've been called for jury duty before but it only lasted one day and I just sat around for the whole day until they decided they didn't need us and it only lasted a day. This summons says I have to be in for the whole week. New York does pay $40 as opposed to North Carolina paying $12. They may pay more these days. Today, I plan on planting some grass outside and hoping the weather will cooperate and not wash it away. It was so pretty last year, now it looks like crap.

It's May 1st if that hasn't sunk in. It hasn't here, that's for sure.

...one last thought since I haven't updated in a while to mention it. I know American Idol sucked last week but I can't believe Constantine was voted off and Scott wasn't even in the bottom three. What the hell is going on?

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Talking to my dad one on one in person, he's OK for the most part. I usually concentrate on his physical ability, or his loss of it for the most part. On the phone, I listen to his words and listen to him repeat himself and ask the same questions over again. He tells great stories from a long time ago, something he's never done before, and tells what's been happening this week. Sometimes he just says it a few times. We were talking last weekend and he asked me if Duncan was getting ready to retire. I said no, he's nowhere near that old. He's only 43. He said, "You're older than him?" "No, I just turned 40." Then he asked how old my brother is. I told him and we went on talking about other normal things. It was quite bizarre.

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Sometimes, I have to listen to some Cyndi Lauper.
Sometimes, I have to post a picture of Cyndi Lauper.
Sometimes, she bops.

She bop-he bop-a-we bop
I bop-you bop-a-they bop
be bop-be bop-a-lu-she bop...

...oo-oo-she-do-she bop-she bop

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A couple of nights this week, Duncan had to work late and I had already gone to bed by the time he came in. Both times, he said I sat up, went "What? What? What?" (or something similar)...He said go back to bed and I said something totally irrelevant and plopped back down. I don't remember either occasion.

Yesterday, I finally had the opportunity to do some yard work. Got some flowers planted and the yard mowed and it just seemed to make a difference in my whole attitude. It has really yet to warm up this year except for a few days in April but yesterday, was bright and sunny. Today is chilly but the rest of the week looks good.

I called my mom this morning for Mother's Day and all is well down there. She mentioned it's been cool there this spring too. I'm sure that means 70 or so. One of the things I miss most about the south are the balmy spring and summer nights. Even if it gets to 80 during the day here, the evenings cool down quite a bit. Today it's 56. I need sun.

I love you Mom.

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These are "The Butlers". They accompany various family members on trips to other family members houses. They've been all over the country and are presently presiding at our house. The object is to stash them in someone's house or other possessions before you leave without them knowing. They started out as a crappy Christmas present which then tagged along with Duncan to Salt Lake City. Since then, they've been everywhere. Their twins are forever sitting with Duncan's mom but these two remain in travel from place to place. Duncan's sister stashed them under Duncan's pillow before she left and he didn't find them until a week later. She thinks she's safe for a while. Think again Missy!

I got a promotion/raise at work Friday. I'm in a pretty good mood.

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I'm almost embarrassed to say, but I'm watching Leave It To Beaver. Beaver said something bad in school (probably bologna or something) and got a note sent home. I remember when I was a kid, one of the calls my folks got from a teacher was the day Ms. Wells handed out one of her lame ass assignments and I looked at her as she handed it to me and said, "Oh shit". She was one of the worst teachers I ever had. Her and Mr. Cloer that is. She would run these dumb ass worksheets off on the copier and hand them out and that was what we worked on for the period. They were about as challenging and rewarding as eating dirt. I wonder if she still teaches. I wonder if she was ever fired. When I think of teacher's like her, I think of the good teachers, too. Here's to you Ms. McRorie and Mr. Curry.

It's not 10:00 yet, but I'm considering going to bed. Many hours at work this week and I am tired.

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Last week was inventory week so I worked a lot of hours, hence the lack of updates, so give you this one

Mecklenburg County added sexual orientation to Mecklenburg's non-discrimination policy last week and of course, Bill James always makes things like this interesting.

"A man's backside or rear end is not for another man's private parts."

"God decrees that sodomites who are unrepentant go to hell."

When Bill James' was first elected in the 1990's with the "gang of five", all which are gone except for him, I just thought he was just a man full of hate and anger. After all these years, I'm beginning to wonder if he has some sort of mental disability or was the recipient of some sort of abuse at some point in his life. I wonder if he's ever had one gay friend in his life. I wonder if he did, if his outlook would change. I can't really imagine a gay person wanting to be his friend. More...

We finally ordered our kitchen cabinet doors last week so after several months of having no doors, our kitchen is finally getting closer to being finished. I'm also in the process of painting the outside steps after last winter took such a hard toll on them.

Favorite commercial of the week: Lady and guy are out on lake or pond or something when the boat starts leaking. The lady pulls out her tampon and stuffs it in the hole. It expands and the boat stops leaking. (The first time I've typed or wrote the word tampon.)

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I was doing a little shopping today when this guy told me he liked my shirt. I had on my LIVE shirt so we talked about the band a little. We went to see them at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte in 1999 and it turns out this guy was there too. He didn't live there, he was just visiting and here he is in Albany, NY in 2005. In 1983 or 1984, me and some friends went to see The Police in Greensboro, NC. Fifteen years later, I met Duncan. It turns out he was also at the same concert. Both concerts rocked.

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So I see The Back Street Boys are back. Their new song "Incomplete" is OK I guess, but most importantly, Kevin Richardson is still hot. Oh how I had a crush...

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The car I grew up with. Man it was old then and we referred to it as the white trash. I remember taking beach trips in it when it was 90 degrees, no seat belts, vinyl seats, metal dash and steering wheel going 75 MPH with the windows down on a two lane country road. It actually looks pretty cool now. I think one of my cousins has it or something now.

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31 May 2005

This was actually an entry I planned for yesterday, Memorial Day, but I've been having trouble with my hosting company over the past several days so here it is today. A few months ago, my mom gave me this book of about a hundred pictures she found of my dad's Navy days. She even included all the pictures that included other women and girlfriends. I've never seen my dad's first wife that he met in the Navy, but I'm thinking the chick in the first picture in the forth row is probably her. The second picture with the paddles is the initiation that you had to go through the first time you crossed the equator. If you were an officer, your ass was seriously grass. I have know idea what's going on in the other pictures. I guess when your out on the water for so long back then, you'd do anything to entertain yourselves. Here's to all the veterans and people serving now where ever they may be. (One day late) May I not have to spend the rest of the day figuring out the problems with my web host.

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