almost felt good to shovel snow again, almost...

we got a couple of inches of snow overnight, along with some wind. the firefighter that lives on our street comes by and cleans off the driveways and sidewalks. he usually does that in the morning. the wind didn't stop until this afternoon, when something called the sun came out. so, before that thing called the sun went back down, i shoveled the driveway and got the trash out. it felt good to get some cold air into the lungs and work up a little bit of a sweat. and thankfully, i didn't slip and fall on my ass.

but, mom and i decided we didn't want to fuck around with the ice and cold tonight, so we're not going to the Dayton Flyers basketball game. i imagine if it wasn't on tv, we would be going though.

i was interested to see how Manchester United would play today. when they got up 2-0 on Newcastle, i was thinking things were going to be good. silly me. when a great goal from Wayne Rooney (his second of the game) put them up 3-2, i was thinking they would win. silly me. sure, a 3-3 draw on the road is better than a loss to yet another team fighting relegation, but it certainly doesn't feel good. this is quickly turning into another season of what could have been.

Monday Night Raw was decent last night up until the main event. i enjoyed Kalisto winning the US title and the ongoing war between Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose. but, they buried Roman Reigns once again by showing that he couldn't beat Kevin Owens as easily as the average fan thinks he could. by the end of the match, Roman was getting booed and Kevin was getting cheers. now, if they are planning on putting the title on KO, i'm all for it, but i highly doubt that's happening. and then to have Brock Lesnar come out and destroy everyone, including the champion, it was just too fucking obvious to make much sense. what could have been a really good show ends up feeling mediocre because of a shitty main event. thankfully, the Stone Cold Podcast with my favorite wrestler of all-time, Ric Flair, was really good. i love those old stories of him and Dusty Rhodes. that was on the WWE Network.

the New York Rangers did something last night they hadn't done all season. they came from behind in the third period and actually won for a change. a HUGE 2-1 victory over Boston that will hopefully get the ball rolling in the right direction once again.

enjoy some music kids:

and now some of this and that:

if that really is the final picture of David Bowie, that might make me happy for years to come. as one person wrote today, his death was like his life, a work of art.

instead of watching the State of the Union tonight i will be watching the Dayton Flyers take on Davidson. this is a must win game for Dayton after that last loss to a shitty LaSalle team. plus, since they are at home, they really need to win.

i ordered myself a webcam last night off of Amazon.com. after cashing in some codes and whatnot, i got a $100 camera for a little more than $6. it should be here around my birthday. hopefully it works well enough that i can start doing more videos and maybe even get my lazy ass on Skype.

it is supposed to get down to the single digits tonight, so i'm very interested to see how the furnace runs tonight.

that's all for me today. i hope this finds everyone warm and realizing they still have time to send me a birthday gift.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Stevie Ray Vaughn - Life by the Drop
Exitmusic - The Cold
The Band - When I Paint My Masterpiece

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." - Jack London

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

a rainy Saturday morning

i damn near turned the furnace on last night. i woke up this morning and it was 45 degrees outside. nothing like a cold bathroom floor to wake you the fuck up on a Saturday morning. i'm glad i didn't turn it on as it is supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow. perfect timing to get everyone sick.

NJPW was excellent last night. 2 very good tag team matches.

i think i went to bed pretty early (at least for me) last night. and i think it was one of those rare nights that i found a spot, got comfortable, and was out for more than 5 hours. that sleep should come in handy today as there is a ton of shit i want to watch.

first, time for some music:

watch that Joe Bonamassa video above on YouTube and in the description of the video there is a link to a FREE album with 11 songs spanning Joe's career. of course i downloaded it and it is AMAZING.

now, some of this and that:

the New York Yankees play a doubleheader today in Baltimore. i have no clue if the games will be played, given the weather. if they do get the games in, the Yankees only need 1 win and they will host the wild card game on Tuesday.

Ohio State plays at Indiana this afternoon. this will be a test for them, as on the road in the Big Ten always is. i doubt this will be a game they can put away by halftime. but, i would love for them to have a comfortable lead going into the 4th so it's not a possible, oh shit, here comes an upset game.

tonight on the DVR will be American Sniper, ROH and Saturday Night Live. i think NBC is also showing a Saturday Night Live documentary, i'll record that as well. i'll be watching the WWE event from Madison Square Garden tonight on the WWE Network. it looks like it should be really good.

i did a few things outside before the rain started this morning. just as i was coming in from the garage i could hear mom say oh shit, the squad is coming. i looked out the window as both of us thought the paramedics were going to my uncle's house. she got on the phone but thankfully the paramedics were going to the house next door to my uncle. it didn't look like anything serious. mom then wondered if this is what it's like at my sister's condo as she also lives around a bunch of old people. i said no, the only people my sister sees is the coroner. nothing like some dark humor to start off the day.

i figure since it's going to rain all day long, i'll be in my chair all day long, hoping my back and body don't hurt too much. there's plenty of college football and soccer from Europe to keep me busy until tonight.

i hope that everyone has a great Saturday. hopefully the weather is better where you are. i'll be on here tomorrow in the morning before Manchester United takes on Arsenal.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Morphine -  You Look Like Rain
Joe Bonamassa - One of These Days
Seether - Broken
David Ramirez - Fake Plastic Trees
The String Cheese Incident - Betray the Dark

"I wanted to play saxophone, but all I could get were a few squeaks." - Stevie Ray Vaughn

and your pro wrestling video of the day:

one of my last visits to the farm

got up this morning and felt like hell. it was raining on and off all night. my right ankle felt like it was broken in about 50 places. but, the past few weeks have really sharpened my pain tolerance. i'm not exactly sure how i'm walking, but i am. after mom and i went to McDonald's for breakfast (probably not the best choice) we went to the farm. i spent almost 18 years out there, trying to build a habitat good for animals, plants, insects, humans, etc. while driving up the lane, the fuckers that bought the farm in the auction (but technically don't own it yet) have taken it upon themselves to make the farm look the way they want it to. all the fencing is gone. all the cats are gone. the trees that were my cousin's father's trees from California are gone. there's these huge piles of wood and trash all over the place. i told mom it's a damn good thing i took the gasoline a few weeks ago or there would already be a few bonfires going on the farm. i put air in the tires of my truck. i'm hoping it goes for something north of $50 in the upcoming auction. we had to break down a few shelving units that we want to use in the garage of the new house. after a few hours, it was more or less time to go. if i don't have to be at the upcoming auction (mom will be out of town), today is probably the last day i will be at the farm. it was sad to see all those damn trees knocked down. the pastures were mowed, which is the first time they were touched in a decade. i kept them high so animals could hunt in them or hide in them while being hunted. i have no clue what the new owners are going to do with the place. i'm pretty sure i won't like it regardless. most of this afternoon i've been thinking of what happened to the cats. my gut tells me they are dead. and not like they were out and about and got caught my another animal dead. like they were caught and killed and dumped somewhere. if i had any guilt in my body, this would be where it would be killing me. but i don't. part of the asshole gene i suppose. just a few more weeks and all of this will be over.

i did watch most of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductions last night. it was cool to see Joan Jett play. hard to believe Green Day has been around that long. plus, i loved the induction of Stevie Ray Vaughn. between him and Lou Reed, the tears of nostalgia were flowing last night.

the Stanley Cup Final is set. Chicago vs. Tampa Bay. sadly, my dream final has always been Chicago vs. New York Rangers. what could have been.

ROH last night was so damn good i watched it again this afternoon. the buildup between Jay Lethal and Jay Briscoe has been excellent. i can't wait to see that match.

the weather has cooled down a bit today. of course, it took a day or two of rain to have that happen.

time for a music break:

the New York Yankees got some great relief pitching last night and a few clutch hits to win 5-3. they go for the split this afternoon.

after the game, i'll probably go right to watching the WWE Network. i am really looking forward to the Elimination Chamber matches tonight. hopefully, Kevin Owens will destroy John Cena. plus, the two chamber matches for the titles tonight should be amazing. hopefully i'll have plenty of videos to share tomorrow.

so on the DVR tonight will be Nurse Jackie, Happyish, Penny Dreadful, Silicon Valley, Veep and Last Week Tonight. i figure i'll watch a few after the wrestling and then catch up with the rest either Monday morning or afternoon.

while going through some shit last night, mom came across a thank you note sent to both of us back in 1981. it came from one of the hostages that was in the Iran hostage crisis back in 1979/1980. as you might imagine, i wasn't the normal 4 or 5 year old. being able to read at 2, i was fully aware of current events by the age of 4. hell, by 8 i was reading at a college level. not sure where i'm going to keep this letter, but it will find a place somewhere in this house.

that's all for me today. i hope everyone is having a great weekend. hopefully the sun is out where you are.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Hank Williams III - Whiskey, Weed, & Women
Jeremy Pinnell - The Way Country Sounds
Joe Bonamassa - Different Shades of Blue
Benjamin Booker - Wicked Waters
John Prine - Jesus the Missing Years

"I exist as I am, that is enough." - Walt Whitman

and your pro wrestling video of the day:

not what i was hoping for...

last night left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth.

the New York Rangers had so many damn turnovers in their own end last night that it looked like 9 of the 10 guys on the ice were playing for the Penguins. a well deserved 5-2 loss. they play in Toronto tonight. i'm not really expecting anything better.

Ohio State lost 40-35 in a pretty entertaining game, if you were lucky enough to not be an Ohio State fan since birth. and what pissed me off the most were the stupid mental mistakes by seniors. simply unacceptable. if most of the defensive coaches aren't fired by the end of today i'm going to be even more livid. i haven't seen an Ohio State defense play so bad in my entire fucking life. on the good side, that was the last college football game i'll give a shit about for a few months.

i haven't been too pleased with the updated weather reports i've seen. the most dire model has us getting a foot of snow tomorrow and then spending the next 48 hours below zero. as i told my mother, that's akin to mother nature taking a shit down my throat. it's pretty warm (all things considered) today. i saw all the cats when i fed them earlier. if i can say the same thing by Wednesday i'll be shocked.

today is a pretty busy sports day. i did watch a good portion of that Sweden vs. Russia game in the World Juniors. always nice to see a game end in a brawl. i wasn't surprised that Sweden won. they seem to have the Russians number as of late. i'll try to catch a good portion of Canada vs. Finland later as well.

the Dayton Flyers play down at Ole Miss tonight. i'd love to see them get a victory but a close loss wouldn't shock me.

the New Orleans Saints play at the Eagles tonight. i'd love to see them get their first outdoor playoff win in franchise history. i'm bracing myself for the usual disappointment as something always bounces wrong for them in outdoor games. but i'd really love if they could shut the world up and win tonight. that would be one sweet victory beer.

other than all that and some more college basketball, i'll be watching ROH late tonight. i believe SNL is a rerun. i might check out some of Austin City Limits tonight as well.

i'm really hoping that i can get out to feed the cats tomorrow before the snow starts. especially if we're getting a damn foot of snow. i've already done the things i usually do on Sunday today. i only want to have to go out once tomorrow . and i have my tomorrow all planned if that goes my way. a mix of laundry, playoff football, and Manchester United playing in the FA Cup. i'm also old enough to know nothing truly ever goes as planned.

i'll be on here tomorrow sometime. probably bitching about something.

be well. peace and chicken grease.

music:

Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble - Blues at Sunrise
The Civil Wars - Live at Eddie's Attic
fun. - Before Shane Went to Bangkok: fun. Live in the USA

"You grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself." - Ethel Barrymore

update: Finland beat Canada 5-1, which made me chuckle. Sweden vs. Finland for gold tomorrow at the World Juniors. Canada vs. Russia for bronze for the second straight year.

Saturday Night Live is a best of the season tonight, so i'll check that out.

the latest weather report has the snow arriving at 3 am. so, no chance of me getting up before that to feed the cats. sadly, the snow looks to be ending at 5 am Monday morning. 10 inches or more. lovely. and then the coldest temps since i was a senior in high school, 1994.

not a happy camper

so i settled in to watch Manchester United play this afternoon in the Ukraine in Champions League group play when the breaking news came on. Wayne Rooney was ill (then later reported to be injured, who the fuck knows what the truth is) and not available for today. so, i was prepared for the worst. they had the lead at halftime 1-0, but were lucky at best to have that. then, they decided to play the second half by just sitting back and trying to defend. you probably know how this story ends... 1-1. they are extremely lucky to get a point. they didn't deserve it. what i loved about Sir Alex's Manchester United teams was they always went forward. sure, it kept the other team in the game as well, but it was always entertaining. sadly, those days are fucking gone. perhaps they play better this weekend against the worst team (so far) in the premier league. or, this fucking nightmare continues.

at least my fantasy hockey team got off to a good start last night.

The Voice was pretty good last night. i find it funny that every 4 chair turn at the end of the night goes to Adam. creative editing i imagine. i guess next week will be the final picks for teams. then the show will pick up the pace.

after a new episode of Duck Dynasty, i will be getting ready for the season finale of The Bridge. my hopes are set pretty damn high for this one. i really hope it leaves me begging for more or scratching my head trying to figure out the questions left unanswered. sure, i'm setting myself up for disappointment... i'm 37 and live with my mother, you think i don't understand disappointment.

sometime either before or after all this, i need to work in a shower.

my cat Michael Jackson is still alive. it dragged itself underneath the summer kitchen today. my best guess is it went under there to die. i suppose i will know in the next few days.

i was a little stunned when i saw the news about Tom Clancy. and then i thought about all the writers that were secretly celebrating, hoping that maybe they would get a chance now to sell some books. dog eat dog world out here my friends.

that's all for today. the New York Rangers play their first game of the season tomorrow. i might be a little edgy tomorrow. just a little.

music:

The Lone Bellow - The Lone Bellow
Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - Live at Carnegie Hall
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms

"Success will ruin your life." - Tom Clancy (April 12, 1947 - October 1, 2013)

better than i expected

i woke up at 6 this morning, expecting the worse. when i went to sleep, they figured the storms would be getting here right around 6. i guess my body clock has an alarm set for disaster. amazingly, the storms, just like everything else that enters this state, pretty much died out when it got to the state line. just a steady rain so far this morning. good for the crops. much better than the inch of rain we got in a little over 10 minutes yesterday. my only fear is once this rain passes, we are expected to have a lull. during that lull it is supposed to get very hot and muggy. that's not good. as long as what fires up this afternoon is nothing like the end of world shit they got yesterday in Oklahoma... when the guy from the Weather Channel said he saw his life pass in front of his eyes, as much as it was fascinating television, it was spooky as all fuck. the knot in my stomach has died down a bit. i've still got all my shit together, just in case...

a big thank you to the muse for some good words last night. it is an absolute pleasure to have you back in my life.

the Yankees got some great pitching last night from CC (first win in over a month, 10 K's no BB) and just enough offense to win 4-1. a much needed victory to put the world back on its axis. not sure how much of tonight's game i'll watch (i'm assuming it's going to be a black-out here) but i would love to see them start winning again. just a game out of first.

i believe later this morning i'll be going with my mother up to Columbus to drop some stuff off to my sister. hopefully we can get there and back during the lull.

and if the storms don't knock out the power or the DIRECTV, i'll be bouncing between playoff hockey and playoff basketball this evening. i'm hoping for some entertaining games to take my mind off of everything for at least a few hours.

i did watch Chicharito score 2 goals last night for Mexico. that was about the only thing that took my attention away from the Yankees and the Weather Channel.

if you want to see what a storm chaser vehicle looks like when it gets hit by a tornado, go here http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/tornado-hunt-team-takes-direct-hit-tornado-20130531

that's all for this morning. i really hope to not have to write anything until tomorrow.

music today:

Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble - Blues At Sunrise
Old Crow Medicine Show - O.C.M.S.

"It's often just enough to be with someone. I don't need to touch them. Not even talk. A feeling passes between you both. You're not alone." - Marilyn Monroe

behind the curtains

a poet once told me that other poets enjoy my work because i write about things that no one else would ever touch. like embarrassing situations, bathroom horror stories, etc. etc. with that in mind, i figure this blog shouldn't be any different. so now, welcome behind the curtains...

woke up at 7 this morning. fed the cats and birds. i did get to see my cat Rita Dove's two new kittens. they poked their heads out from the box they are in. hopefully there are only 2. took a massive shit afterwards. this is where i want you to keep in mind i have a bad back. watched a little of the Dan Patrick Show and decided i would head into town to get the mail and maybe some breakfast.

went to the post office, hoping to find a letter i've been waiting for, which of course wasn't there. i did get a nice letter from my old friend Michelle Aiello. you can find her site at indigozine.com. shop around and help her out. then headed to McDonald's for a little breakfast. picked up the paper at the end of my lane and then back to the house.

of course McDonald's got my order wrong. but, what they gave me cost 60 cents more than what i paid for. ha, ha, i'm thinking. i'm winning. this is what i get for fucking thinking.

cut to 30 minutes later and me racing to the bathroom with diarrhea. most of it made the bowl. after getting cleaned up and bemoaning my life, i now had an unexpected load of laundry to do. got that started, put on some clean clothes and waited. amazingly, i didn't have to shit again right away. WHEW!

after my laundry was done, i got the 7 poems i wrote yesterday to type up. halfway through the process, i had to shit again. no mess this time. this was like trying to fit boulders through a strainer. here's the part of the story where you should know i bleed easy.

got the poems finally typed up and got a phone call from my friend in California. she's trying to get herself off the drugs various doctors over the years have mind fucked her with. needless to say the phone calls are a little interesting.

now a check of email, various surveys to fill out (this is how i make my feeble living for the most part. most of them don't pay cash, so i take the amazon.com gift codes instead. might as well get something i can use.) and then onto my blog.

for anyone who thought i had it made, fuck you.... and you're welcome for the visuals

the Yankees thankfully won't lose today as they are off. thanks to riveraveblues.com for reminding me that any season the Yankees have had a 6 1/2 game lead in the division they have won it (the lead that was 10 a few weeks ago is now down to 3) and the last time they were swept in Chicago they won the World Series (2009). it doesn't make it any better, but this isn't my first rodeo. i didn't become a Yankee fan in the late 90's. i've been with them since the early 80's. just the normal bumps in the road during the dog days. doesn't mean i'll bitch any less or quieter though. just sayin'...

and for a blast of the past, enjoy this poem social anxiety disorder

music today:

Etta James - The Best Of
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa - Don't Explain
Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble - Blues At Sunrise
The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker

"Chaos is rejecting all you have learned, chaos is being yourself." - Emile M. Cioran