I need to start playing the lottery or gambling. Otherwise how else will I be able to quickly amass a fortune that will allow me to retire tomorrow? It’s not that I hate my job, I actually like it for the most part. I just prefer not working. I guess it’s between winning the lottery, continuing to work as usual or become a hobo. I read somewhere that in the song that I feel describes me and my nature best, Whitesnake’s Here I go Again, the line, “Like a drifter I was born to walk alone,” was originally written using the word hobo for drifter. This was quickly changed because when sung, it sounded like, “Like a homo I was born to walk alone…” I can see this not going down well with their core group of fans.

I have a morning meeting so I am not rushing around trying to catch my train. Instead I am leisurely taking my time until I am late and have to rush around like a maniac to drive to my morning appointment. At least I am consistent.

My guitar playing is really getting so much better. I am finding that I am memorizing the finger positions so much easier this time than last time. I think the reason is I was more concerned with looking like Judy Collins than playing like Judy Collins. I have E minor, G natural and A down pretty good. Rob says I need another chord or two and I can start playing the Moody Blues song Nights in White Satin! I just gotta practice– practice makes perfect. I told Rob he had better watch out because I might surpass his guitar playing skills. Can you believe he laughed at me?

“Don’t get cocky, kid!”

Recently discovered the Sartorialist’s blog. I love the photos he posts. Some of the fashion is a little iffy in my book yet more often than not, I like it regardless. In fact, his Web site has me thinking of my own sense of style which seems to have gone missing. There was a time when I shopped every weekend. Although, I was always on the look out for bargains rather than the perfect outfit. I think my closet is perfect evidence of this. Except, yesterday I CLEANED IT OUT! I got rid of three trash bags filled with clothes. There were a lot of items that I tossed (not really, they are going to my mom to look through and then to my Aunt Helen and/or my Cousin Laura who will pick and choose and then eventually the castoffs will be sent to the Salvation Army) that I wore just over the past few weeks but I am tired and need to get some new stuff. I think that’s the problem being in your thirties. There are still some nice pieces of clothes in the wardrobe except they are slightly dated or slightly too young. If I am no longer shopping at the Gap then why am I still wearing items that I bought there 4 years ago? So I cleaned out. Now I need to get myself over to a store that sells clothes that work for me– of late, it’s been Ann Taylor Loft even though it’s not quite me, it’s close enough.

This afternoon I grabbed my Charles Hix book, Dressing Right, off my bookshelf and flipped through it with Rob. We had been talking about Queer Eye for the Straight Guy earlier and this book seemed to complement that earlier discussion.
“Why are we looking at gay erotica?” Robert asked me.
“This isn’t gay erotica! This is male fashion! This is going to give you ideas of outfits to wear”
“That man is wearing a raccoon coat without anything underneath it.”
“That’s not true, he’s also wearing a bow tie”
The book didn’t provide much fashion fodder for Rob. I guess it really was just gay erotica.

I am sitting outside on my back patio, surfing the web, listening to Os Mutantes on Rhapsody and feeling quite lovely. Last night Rob and I barbecued and his two friends, Steve and Karen joined us. It’s amazing how good chicken tastes once it’s been marinated. That’s an issue Rob and I have had in the past. We get back from work and we are so ravenous that we just cook the chicken without soaking it. And then we wonder why it doesn’t taste all that great. Last night, I got a good head start. As Rob watched the Kentucky Derby, I placed the chicken breasts into a plastic bag and poured Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce into the bag, massaged it a little bit and placed it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Amazing how something so simple can make such a big difference. At any rate, Steve and Karen came over and we grilled the chicken and burgers and I made margaritas. It was really quite nice. Must do this more often. Must do this more often and invite MY friends!

So I have once again picked up the guitar. It took me a good two weeks or so of writing that one entry in which I stated that I would start practicing again to start practicing again. Of course, I practiced the one chord I thought I remembered incorrectly for about a week. I showed Rob this morning and he corrected it and he showed me a second chord. I am doing pretty well. I think I have them. I just really need to keep practicing. It’s a little boring when you only know two chords. If I could only learn another chord and then I would be able to start my own band.

Rather than sitting out here in the sun, I should be cleaning out my garage. It’s in such sad shape. So much crap that simply needs to be tossed. The thing is, I don’t know if the garbage men will accept any of it. I should just sit it out on the corner and if they don’t take it, then I can just haul it back and come up with a Plan B.

Driving home from work yesterday, I noticed the trees have leaves. I know it wasn’t an overnight phenomenon but it finally hit me that winter is behind us. I am beyond happy that it’s going to be warmer.

When you are an XM subscriber, you can listen online as well as in your car. Normally I listen to Rhapsody at home but I’ve been in a bit of a rut, listening to the same songs over and over again. Not much different than when I played my music on a record player, I had the same 5 or so albums out and I would just shuffle through them again and again. This morning, I decided to try something new and I opened up the XM online radio player. What I found is in addition to the regular stations, they have special online only stations. The one I am currently listening to is a complete and utter LuxuriaMusic knock-off. This doesn’t bother me one bit. Of late, whenever I log into LuxuriaMusic, I find they have some monotone DJ yapping away, making stupid jokes and only now and then playing music. This XM station, entitled On the Rocks, is great- no DJ and lots of weird music. I can’t figure out why its not on the regular list.

Beefs with the XM Online player:
1. I only have 8 preset channels– I NEED MORE!
2. You have a tie in with Napster, why not Rhapsody?
That’s it– very nearly perfect it is.

Discovered the most delicious item at HMart on Saturday. It’s called Coconut Jam. It reminds me of the creamed Chestnut spread my parents brought back from Italy: Hero Fruttissima Crema di Marroni alla Vanillina. Another comparison could be Dulce de Leche. Oh my gosh it is so yummy and for breakast today I spread it over my toasted and buttered bagel and somehow my butt fit through the train door as I boarded this morning.

Suddenly I am reminded of a haiku Audra and I wrote for the Rosemont Literary magazine, The Thorn, back in 1995.

I love mayonnaise
Oh so white, soft and creamy
Spread it on my bread

I hate to admit this but our haiku was rejected, as were these others that we wrote:

The clowns are coming
Coming to take me away
In their little car

Night life in Berlin
Erotik Kino, 5 marks
We want student rates!

I wish to be frank,
Charlie, Peter or Bobby
Penis Envy, YEAH!

We were told the poems were too sexual. I think they were the ones with the dirty minds.

Yesterday, Robert took me to the racetrack and we bet on the ponies! My very first race netted me 2.50! Not bad! It was fun except for the large amount of smoke permeating the building. I would definitely go back but only if the weather is warmer and we can stay outside. Since that was a first experience for me, I took Robert to Hmart for a first experience for him. He was pretty impressed with the crazy food stuff. We bought a load of food for dinner. On our way back to the Donnavilla, we stopped at Styer’s. When Robert was a little boy, his mother would take him to Styer’s after church, provided he was a good boy, and buy him a cherry turnover. Because he was so well behaved at the race track and HMart, I said we could go to Styers and get cherry turnovers. We ate them this morning for breakfast and they were very good. The dinner we made with the HMart food was very yummy. Grilled salmon and steamed dumplings and rice and oriental eggplant. After dinner I FINALLY watched the entire movie, The Thin Man. Oh my gosh, what a terrific movie! If anyone intends to watch it, may I make a suggestion? Watch it with the subtitles turned on. The dialog just whizzes by that you’ll miss most of it unless you have the subtitles on. I wonder if life ever really was like that? Evening gowns at noon, drinks throughout the day, elaborate dinner parties to expose the murderer. Not a bad way to live. This afternoon Rob and I went to the park and walked our butts off. We came back and immediately fell asleep. He eventually woke up and went back to the farm. I am only 1/2 awake, trying to get my wash done and my bedroom cleaned. It feels earlier than what the clock is reading. Almost 8:00. Probably due to my nap. I have so much to do– why can’t I extract myself from the boob tube to do any of it?

Ricky Nelson covered Smokie’s Lay Back in the Arms of Someone!

This might be sacrilegious to say, but I prefer Chris Norman’s version. I also found versions by Juice Newton and Savoy Brown. Oddly enough, according to Wikipedia, the lead singer of Savoy Brown also sports a slightly longer Emo page boy like Chris Norman sported, uh, before his perm. 🙂

Now that spring is here and the ground is thawing, my father installed Cocoa’s grave stone. Doesn’t it look nice?

What you don’t see is that on either side is Little Lily’s stone and Kiwi’s stone (Kiwi died before I started blogging so no link to her).

The Commerce Bank Amphitheater posted its summer event schedule. Here are the ones that look interesting to me:

• Tequila Sunrise (Tribute to The Eagles) – Wednesday, 06/20/2007 – Free
• Bad Medicine (Bon Jovi Tribute) – Wednesday, 06/27/2007 – Free
• Fabulous Greaseband – Wednesday, 07/11/2007 – Free
• Still Surfin’ (Beach Boys Tribute) – Wednesday, 07/18/2007 – Free
• Draw The Line (Aerosmith Tribute) – Wednesday, 08/01/2007 – Free
• Boris Garcia with appearance by Paul Green School of Rock-Bucks County – Wednesday, 08/29/2007 – Free
• Australian Bee Gee’s Show – Monday, 09/10/2007 – Free

My one question is why aren’t The Rivers performing?