07.31.05 Got my Butt Out!

Well, I finally got my butt out to kayak. I got up late (8 am - unheard of for me). My oldest son was up, reading. I've gone kayaking with my 5 yr old a few times this year, but not with Dylan. I asked him if he wanted to go out and he gave an enthusiastic 'Yes". I was a little shocked, so I threw on clothes and we took off.











(I wasn't kidding when I said I threw clothes on. Yikes, what an outfit!)
We did the whole length of the lake (.85 miles) and back. This was Dylan's first time out this year, he really improved his technique. We had a blast. It was a good bonding experience.











When we got back, we saw some guy who had a racing 'skull'. It's like a water-skeeter, with a long, thin hull and two oars. He also lives right off the lake. It was interesting to talk to him and learn more about his boat. They are very unstable because they are so thin, but you can kick butt with them because they are so sleek. His personal best time is 18 minutes, mine is 28 minutes. It did feel great to get out even though it was rather late and the sun was getting real hot. So, that was my day pretty much. This is weird to write all of this down and have people visit and comment. I enjoy it, not every day is an exciting one, but it's another day!

07.30.05 What's the Story

Morning Glory












Here are some peas and tomatoes.
I hope to do a little gardening today, weeding and harvesting. It's real nice out, not too humid and about 80 degrees. I hope to tally the ice cream results this weekend and hopefully post them on Sunday.

07.28.05 Taking the easy Way Out

Ok, I'm 'working' from home today and tomorrow, so I need to really work. I'm taking the easy way out with the Blog today.

1- What is your favorite Brand of Ice Cream?
2- What are your favorite flavors - limit 2

The winner gets a free cone!

Random Acts of Kindness

* I now realize that I had a post with the same heading. One bad thing about chemo is 'chemo brain'. I can remember someone's name that I met 30 years ago, but I couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast and one night I forgot how to spell one of kids name.
-at least I think he was my kid, he's still hanging around the house.

I seem to be on a new trend. I have been trying to practice RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) on a weekly basis if not more. They seem to be tied in with my chemo days too. Today, I paid for a woman's bus fare. I asked if she would mind if I paid for her (she may have thought I said do you want to get laid ~ha-ha) and she looked surprised and said 'sure' (maybe she meant the other thing?). I said that I try to something nice for someone that I don't know. A Random Acts of Kindness if you will. I didn't even engage her in conversation (which means I didn't make her talk to me). She tapped me on my shoulder when she was leaving the bus and she told me that I really made her day. That made mine too. The cost? 15 seconds of my time, the desire and courage to ask her (being that I look like I'd been beaten with cactus) and $2. Another time I was in the city, I tried to buy a cop breakfast, but they declined. Last week, I saw some hikers that were hiking the Appalacian trail and I stopped and got them some bottles of cold water. I've also bought cookies for a co-worker because she seemed to be having a rough day. I think her daughters had her up early and there is some guy at work that is always bothering her. Another time on my way to Gilda's, I bought a homeless man a sandwich and a water. I also always will give up my seat on a bus or subway to a woman. It amazes me how many times I see these young healthy looking young men (in their 20's) who do not offer their seat to a woman. It really annoys me. I want to grab them by their shirt collars, and punk slap the shit out of them, and then I want to take my knee and drive it right into their.. But I regress. And last week, the same day I gave the hikers some water, I stopped at McDonalds (I know, gross) and noticed that there was one of those little souped up, low ridin, spoilerladen, hot paintjobbin, cars that many of the young folk are driving these days. And you know what? He was parked right in front of McDonalds, taking up two parking spots apparently so no one would touch his precious little stupid car. So, being the mature, caring, RAK kind of guy I've become, when I came out with my cheese burger and fries, I proceeded to drive my car right behind his, open my cheese burger, remove a pickle (with ketchup) and gently fling it onto his back window. I wish I had my camera with me. The landing was perfect, the pale green complimented his purple car....
Oh, where was I?
Ah yes, Random Acts of Kindness.
I try to do them all of the time.
I love to see how people react, they don't expect it.

Mean People Suck!
(and so do people who take up 2 parking spaces)

07.27.05 HOT!

It's going to be another scorcher today in NY. I am, unfortunatly, in the city today. I do like coming in for the most part. It's a great place to visit, with loads of interesting people to watch. The thing I hate the most, however, is that almost everything outdoors smells like urine. Sometimes I wish I was 'hard of smelling' but alas, I have the keen sense of smell of a bloodhound. It's also a drag in elevators. Did you know that elevators smell different to REAL short people. I will hopefully get out of here by 1 pm and maybe home by 3 pm or so. Then, time to hit the pool and then the computer.
My boss, who I shall call 'Paul', is a rather hip guy who has been very supportive of me with dealing with my 'health issues' that have risen over the past year and a half. Some people who I work with, think that he's a geeky, star wars loving, techno-nurd. And I think 'she' thinks that I am too. Humph, some people ;-) But anyway, he was nice enough to let me work from home for the next few days, so that will be a treat. Not just because I can sit at the computer in my underware (I do that at work anyway - I just happen to have pants over them!), but I'll be able to work at my own pace and take a swim break whenever I wish. Plus, my 'office' for lack of a more descriptive word, is in the subterainian part of our house (the basement) and it is much cooler there. So hopefully I will be able to be productive and finish this mini-project I am working on.

07.26.05 Now for something completely different

Most nights, I love to take a swim after dark. One night last week, I was able to see 4 satellites pass overhead. Sunday night, while I was floating in the pool, I kept staring into the sky. It's amazing how your eyes adjust and the longer you are out there, the more stars you can see. Well I finally got to see what I was hoping to see all along. A shooting star! It was so cool. It took up about 1/3 of the visible sky and it seemed to be directly over me. It was great to be alive....

Love him, or hate him - he's amazing!

He is one fucking
amazing survivor!

07.24.05 The Moron behind us

We live in a nice community in NY State, about 50 miles north of NYC. It's relatively quite, except for an occasional barking dog, or songbirds that wake me up sometimes instead of the buzzing of my alarm clock. The house behind us had abeen a rental for about a year, and the renters had 5 (yes 5) Mastiffs that they were doing something with, what it was, I didn't know. the dogs barked but they seemed to try to take resonable care of them. Well, those people left and the man who owned the house, his son moved in. The first thing he did was to block up a 'cut through' that all of the neigborhood kids used for many years. This moron just hammered up two pieces of fencing that he had with no concern what-so-ever for how it looked to us, and he also nailed it to his neighbors fence without his permission. I went out and noticed that he had about 2 inches of 'screw' hanging through the fence and was a danger to our kids, so I went out there and broke them off with a hammer. He yells to me 'what are ya doin?'. I said 'I'm taking these screws off of my side of the fence'. (thought bubble - you fucking moronic asshole) Then this asshole (he's been upgraded from moron to asshole) also has 2 big friggin dogs that bark all of the time. They had escaped on a few occations when I was not home and were wandering the area. I wound up nailing wood at the bottom of his stupid fence to keep his dopey dogs out of my yard. He has since constructed a very small cage, 8x8, that he keeps his dogs in all day while he is out being a rocket scientist or whatever. So now the dogs bark even more. Then, the other night, he comes home and starts to take a hose to his dogs telling them to shut up. I wanted so bad to take the hose and stick it up his dopey, moronic asshole and give it 'full throttle'. This morning, while having our peaceful cup of coffee on our patio, the moron starts up his chainsaw at 9 a.m. sharp, and proceeds to cut something with it.
Ah...the peace and quiet of country living....

Go Canada!

Canada wins dumbest government at World Stupidity Awards; Bush wins one award.
MONTREAL (CP) - The Canadian government secured a surprise win Friday, beating out such luminaries as Iran, North Korea and the United States, for the dumbest government of the year at the World Stupidity Awards....

....U.S. President George W. Bush may not have led the dumbest government, but he was honoured with the award for the Stupidest Statement of the Year after telling a news conference: "They never stop thinking of ways of harming America, and neither do we."

taken from http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20050723/ca_pr_on_en/laughs_stupidity_awards

07.22.05 Which is the Best?