More stuff to write about -

More Teeth stuff - I did not finish and I have to upload a Pix.

I watched a wild show about Poland and The Jews (as the guy put it). I need to read about that stuff. I don't know anything about my history. I would like to.

Art and being happy.

Teeth - You gots um good or you gots um bad. No?

Teeth - You have good ones or you have bad ones. Maybe I didn't brush as much as I think I did when I was a little one. Anyway - I have bad teeth. I am getting older and they are not getting better. I actually think I have been lucky up till now. For a long while I did not have any insurance and I did not go to the dentist for years. And years.

When I got the job with the insurance I still did not go for years. Fuck! I was paying for it. What was I thinking? I was thinking 'my teeth don't hurt' and all is fine.

When I was younger my dad would take me to a dentist that would drill without Novocain. What the fuck was my dad thinking? I was faking? I want to know what it would have cost with the Novocain. What WAS he thinking? I don't remember $ being that tight. FUCK - I would never do that to my son. I can't figure it out. Make me tough? That is what I am thinking.

When I was in the MC - during boot camp they ripped out 2 real perfect mollers ( back teeth). They just gave me needles and then got pliers. He was yanking and pulling. It was not too bad but I know my head was moving back and forth as he was trying to get the healthy tooth out. Again I tell you, there was no pain. I think that is when my ideas of dentists changed.

Keeping a cat alive and happy

We have a cat the is very special. They all are but Princess is very sensitive and human like. (I think she is.) Last night we picked her up after getting big $USD done in teeth work.

We would do any thing for Princess but it was a lot of $.

Getting Older

I don't care that much about getting older. I do watch my gut and I look better without the grey. But over all I think getting older is not that bad. Yet.

Anyway - I work with a girl that is 7 years younger. It does not seen like that much but it is. It is in music years. 2 Months ago she heard a song that she really liked. It was the first time she ever heard it. It was 'Do you feel like we do?' by Peter Frampton. She is going on a trip and I thought I would get 'Frampton Comes Alive' for her for the the plane ride. I went into the music store and asked if they had Frampton Comes Alive. The guy asked me who the artist was. I was not a Peter Frampton fan but he was famous. No?

I just sort of polled the last so many people passing by my desk. The closest I got to someone knowing who he was , was "I think I have heard of him". I am going to take it as a music thing. Led Zeps first Album was in 69 as was Sabbaths.

Lunch/Rat

(I ate lunch right next to a big dead rat. I did not see it till I was just about done eating. The woman sitting next to me outside saw it first, sort of screamed, then i screamed. -Then we finished eating our lunch. She was saying that we really must be mature because we were more focused on finishing eating then the rat. Although she did cover it up with a cardboard tray.)

Getting Physical in the Basement

"Getting physical these days is not doing bottle of what ever curls. It is not about smoking your wacky weed. It is about discipline! Discipline I say." "Hey you. Space boy." "Yes You!" "Sit up and Pay Attension!".
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I cut down on the crazy life style. It was not crazy just unhealthy. Now I am working out. Recently I have seen single brain cells poppin' out an ear when I was shaving. That is a sign that they are building up. That is a sign that they are building up at a rate that they were not used to. It is so congested in there some are just jumping, taking off, calling it quits.

I have a section in the basement that I sectioned off from Lisa, the cats and the world. I had it blocked off so good one time Lisa knocked on something and said "Can Jim come out to play". Initially it was going to be my music room, and in the future it still could be, but the cats kept barfing all over the floor. Then It looked like shit. where the cats don't go. I would not go into the basement if it was not for my little workout space. I have the nice old big desk, the small TV, and the beams overhead. (not because it is I tried to fix it up but I think it is going to end up the basement workout looking workout room.

IKEA -

This place is smart! They have a long loading area with enough spaces so you never have to look for a spot to pull in and it is right next to the parking area. It has always worked smooth. A big problem that I noticed while watching 3 collage students load up a car is that when you are in there shopping you get that bookstore haze. It causes you to not think about how much you can fit into your little car. We did not stay to watch the finishing of the car loading but I knew that 3rd tall guy was getting very worried about where he was going to sit.

They have enough kid play areas. You don't even notice them.

They have a great cafeteria with good food and it is very cheap. I was joking that I would make the trip just for the food. It is, really good.

All of the furnature is cheap and nice and good quality. We ran out of places dto put furnature yet we still go there. We are rich Americans. Out with the old New stuff and in with the new New stuff.

Flowers in Love Park / Photoshop / Book Store

I wonder if all Barnes & Nobel Book stores are the same. There is one in Jenkintown that is huge and comfortable. As soon as you walk in there is a fog that slowly enters the brain. There is no running in for something. There is a Starbucks in there man!

Anyway, I went there for a Photoshop 7 for dummies kind of book. I did not find anything. I did but it was not for 7 and not perfect. I spent $70 anyway. There were a few days I went crazy on half.com and eBay looking for a book. Well I just got another one in the mail. I think I am up to 7 books now. They all look like real good books. There is probably some real good stuff in 'um. I guess.

Pizza

I am recommending a new pizza place . Vince's on Grant Ave by Bustleton Ave. Lisa Fran and I ate there last night. Their menu is Pizza, Strombolli and soda. That is all. No fries, no salad, no mozzarella sticks. That is a bold statement. Crunchy bottom, Sauce on top. It is one of those rare pizza's that is just as good cold as it is hot. I will take a photo next time. (above is the great Tony's Pizza)

This brings me to another issue I must get off my chest. Pizza can be special and it should be special. Lisa and I were at 2nd between Market and Chestnut. We stopped for slices at a new place there. Funking worst pizza I have had. It is hard to even say that. I have made pizza with white bread that was better. You have to really try to make it bad for me to say - PIZZA BAD - . If your going to own a pizza shop you should care about your pizza. They could have made the sauce unique and the rest bad and I would have accepted it. They could have perfected the crust and made it thin and crunchy. They could have mixed different kind of cheeses for their own unique combo. THey COuld have topped it with jelly beans. No - the whole pizza sucked and it just came out of the oven and we were hungry. If you are between Market and Chestnut on 2nd don't get pizza there. You can spit on their building for me if you care to.

What Movie? Pizza in a Cup

Tomatozz

Man, Do we have tomatoes. (I will post photos of ours soon.)
Lisa plants strawberries and up come tomatoes. Lisa plants cucumbers and up come tomatoes. That is how it seems. We have enough to get sick of them and enough to keep giving them away. For break fast we have tomato and cheese sandwiches. Lunch it is tomato soup. Dinner it is fried tomatoes. The other options are Tomato, cheese and bacon bits sandwiches. Slices of tomato. Oh, and there is our favorite tomato with a side of tomato. They are real good eating and I am not complaining.

(Peanutbutter,Tomato, Mayo on Rye?)

Next year I think we should grow things that we can cook with when we do cook. Garlic, onion, spinich, lettus, shrimp.

This Past Weekend - August 5-6-7- 2005

I had a good weekend. My big goal was to get to The Italian Market to take pictures. I did. I did not take a lot of good pictures but I got a feel . I want to go back down. I really do need to take a Photography class. I dont' know what I am doing but I like it anyway.

South Philly feels good.

Hockey Rules!!

I love hockey. It is my favorite sport. While it was on strike here in the US the past year, I did not miss it as much as I thought I would. I think because the Eagles did so good this past season and getting Terrel Owens with his talent, gave us the sports/men's soap opera. I rarely listen to music radio. It is the same songs over and over. I do listen to WXPN - they have all this unique,unpop eclectic, singer song writer music. And our collage radio station has some great Jazz.

Anyway - Hockey was on strike because of $. There are way to many teams, the players are getting paid way to much money, some cities have more $ then others. There is a lot more to it but I am not Mr. Hockey. So what they did was put a Cap on how much a team can spend. I think it tries to even teams out. The games will be not be blow outs. Also, there are a bunch of new rules about the lines and overtime and...? who knows what else. I am a bit worried they will Change it so much that players will have to relearn how to play the game. I am glad we have Hitchcock as a coach.

When I was into hockey when I was younger, players stayed on the same team for a long while. It was a team. Now there are so many trades you don't even know who is on your team. BUT - I know who is on our team now! Peter Forsberg! No matter what happens it is going to be a fun season to watch.

Why?

1) We missed hockey
2) New rules
3) Forsberg and our rookies from the Phantoms
4) Terien Hatcher - (Glad he is on our team.)(I don't like him)
5) See if Priemo keeps up his role as cap-a-tin.
6) It is possible that Laclair can go to NY with Lindros.
7) The goalie issue is always fun.

Wings at 30th Street Station

This statue is so cool. I can't get a good shot of it. I will keep trying. I had to take a side shot because in the morning the sun is shining from his back and into my face and camera. I also want to get rid of the back ground or set up the shot better.

Cliff Clavin - Explaining the Buffalo Theory

One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went:

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this....A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members." "In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

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You know you are an achoholic when you call liquer: your "happy happy unevil joy joy juice".

WE MUST KEEP respending and rebuying everything.

I am thinking about all the things that we keep spending money on to keep everything upgraded. A few off the top of my head are:

Records, 8 Tracks, Cassettes, CDs, MP3s

Computers – We have had 3 or 4 in the past 8 years. I remember buying our top of the line 56k modem. And do you remember 3.5s? Zip drives? I think my wife is on her 4th Palm. Funny how none of the old cables and connectors work and how she can not beam me anything onto her old palm that she had given me.

We lease cars now and computer and printers.

What do I have that is old that I will not get rid of and works great because it is old?
I have 2 pair of shoes that are great. I will never find the same ones in a new version. I think I like 2 pair out of every 8 that I buy. Shoes are hard. You don’t know till you give them a good test.

Old cars and old guitars.

Food Carts

Food Carts
In Philly we have a lot of food carts on the street during breakfast and lunch. You can usually get a good deal and find some good food. I could dig owning my own truck or cart. I wonder why everyone sells the same shit. For breakfast it is egg sandwiches on a Kaiser roll with cheese bacon or sausage, and sometimes scrapple or ham. For lunch it is hoagies, cheesesteaks, hot dogs, and various sandwiches. Everyone has the same crap. Man that breakfast stuff is a serious health danger even if you do not have it very often. All that cholesterol clogging up your veins while you just sit at your computer for 10 hours stressing. Yes there are a few fruit stands out there but they are next to the carts that are frying up the bacon. That bacon can be a rough one to pass by.

Hmmmm - what would my cart have? Lisa, what would we sell?
Gizzmos
Okra and tomatoes
Limas?
Vegie Chili
Soups –
Pre-made burritos that are wrapped in tin foil kept somewhere warm.
Spaghetti Sandwiches
Hmmmmm

Coffee, Booze & Glue

"I picked a bad week to quite sniffing glue" - What movie?

I stopped drinking booze. It has been 47 min already. I think I am doing wonderful. I have thought about buying a pint of vodka 31 times but I didn't. I am stronger then that.

I am joking. I did quit but it has been over 2 weeks.

I want to talk coffee. I do feel bad about helping Starbucks take over the world but I do love their coffee and I know I can always get a fix when ever I need one. They are almost on every other block in the big cities. It is coffee not hard drugs. I do wonder about the headaches my wife and her mom get when they don't have their fill of coffee. Me? I just don't get in a situation where I can't get one if I need it. The flask of coffee and the caffeine pills that I carry with me at all times do make me feel at ease. They are 'Just incase'.

I am not a Starbucks kind of guy. I am not one of them J Crew people. I am not anything like the couple in 'Best of Show'. Dig? I like my coffee with a bit of sugar and a bit of milk. The milk is not mandatory and I could do with out the sugar if I had to. It has to have a kick, put hair on your chest, open your eyes so you look like Marty Feldman. I think coffee should taste like coffee not a desert. I was sick of hearing everyone ordering Chi this and Chi that. I will try almost anything once. My wife has started to order them so one day I ask for a taste. She says I will not like it. Chi is a fuckin' gay Christmas tree drink. Yeah - I'll do my thing you do yours.
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