American youth

I'm scared. Scared that these young people today are the future of America. I know this is so cliche. I'm at Subway, getting a sandwich. It's an easy job right? I mean if you aren't the manager, just build a sandwich, smile and thank the customer. I order something extra simple, veggie with everything, no onions or jalapeño peppers. Between these two young men they managed to forget about 18 times what I had, and what I didn't want. The speed at which they worked was deplorable too. I think it's ADD, honestly. I think they have spent so much of their lives being feed massive amounts of entertainment at such high speed that they can't quiet their brains long enough to focus on anything. Actual conversation; me: "Lettuce and tomatoes", he puts them on tentatively, "pickles and cucumbers", he puts on the pickles, "sorry" he says. Me: "cucumbers as well", as he finishes "spinach and banana peppers" I get three extra spinach leaves, him: "and what was the other?" me: "banana peppers". he gets them, "olives please and regular mustard" he looks confused and his hands stop moving, me: "olives?" him: "oh yes" me: "and mustard" (I'm trying not to speak slowly, just give him less information at one time) then I screw up "salt and pepper and vinegar only please" Three things at once! I guess I asked for this next move. He gets the salt and pepper right (it's all in one container), but goes for the oil. me: "vinegar please" he pauses, me: "vinegar", him: "oh yes". I wish I could say this was an isolated incident, or just a service problem at this on location, but it's pretty typical.

What are we to do?

My new years resolution

Many of us feel the need to make changes with the new year. I just want to improve upon the things I already know work for me but I don't do with frequency. Exercise is one, (like up to 45% of Americans) really sticking to my budget is in there somewhere, cooking at home more is another.

Someone brings back copies of Rachel Ray's cooking magazine into work and I thumb through them at lunch sometimes. I find her gianormous, plasticy smile a bit off-putting (though I admit in the context of her FHM spread I like her smile and I now I can't keep from wondering how many olive would fit in her huge mouth)...(Google it, you'll see what I mean) that said, once I open her culinary circular I find the information pretty palatable. I'm going to attempt making eggplant pizzas this weekend, and a potato breakfast pie, both from her publication. I'll post something to let you all know how it went. I'm also going to go for a couple of runs to make up for all the simple starches and sour cream I will be consuming in these recipes. That should get me two notches toward my resolution goals.

Insomnia

okay! I don't remember having insomnia before. but I'm experiencing something that must be it or a lot like it and it sucks. i have not been able to sleep for the last three nights properly at all and there is no reason for it. I've exercised during the days, ate well, been stimulated. yet when I lay down, I just lay there. there's all sorts of crap in my head and non of it is sleep. then if I do drift off I just keep waking up, I look at the clock hoping that it's 7:30am and that I've just had many wonderful hours of sleep but usually only 20 minutes or so has passed.

so I get up and do stuff. have something to eat. watch crap on my computer like the funniest parts of "Fletch". see that the word of the day is "paranymph" (very useful word that I plan to use whenever I speak of weddings). i try music. i try thinking about things. I try not thinking about things. okay, all this talk is making me sleepy, lets see if something happens.....

When bad Karaoke goes good

Wait a second? what does that title say? is karaoke ever good? Well yes, at times it can be.
Such as last night. I attended a fund raiser event for SOSSA http://www.sossainfo.org that was hosted at a Karaoke joint, VoiceBox. This is the second time I have done Karaoke here and I have to say it's a wonderful experience. This isn't Karaoke in a smoky corner of a bar with strangers booing you, it's private rooms with enough room for up to about ten of your friends. What was particularly great about last nights event was traveling from room to room and getting to drop in on different songs, solos and group singing, and experiencing the vibes that each was creating. I highly recommend this forum for events, or even just a night out with a few friends.

as if the last year didn't exist

hello reader,
It's almost as if the last year didn't exist at all. Here it is May 26, 2009 when my last entry was May 21, 2008. How do I sum up a year? umm....
I probably can't all in one blog, mostly because my memory is now faulty, now that I'm an old man I mean. I remember a few highlights:
Moving Stephanie and then me over memorial day and the first weeks in June.
stifling hot family reunion last, July I think it was, in Parks Nebraska.
Trick or Treating as a fortune teller in October of course.
exploding turkey for thanksgiving, well the pan exploded.
visiting my family in Arizona, that must have been right at the first of the year.
a snowed-in Christmas in Portland.
February in Mexico with Stephanie, Steve, and Brenda.
some March birthday fun.
April nothing happened, oh except I moved again. :)
May it's finally warm!

Got to get more religious about this blog thing....

The blog to end all blogs

I was thinking the other day "I sure wish I had a place to write my ideas, something that I could access from anywhere, that people could read if they wished, where I could come back in the future and see what I was thinking." "Something like a.. a.. blog sort of thing." Funny how you can forget....

Dear reader,
I'm sorry that I have been away so long. I've had many adventures in the year and 84 days since I last wrote. Many of my adventures I hope to document here. Many of them are simply to personal or racy to write about in a public forum (but ask me in person, I will probably still share).

So for the immediate future expect to see stories of technology, of war against the machine, of humorous child rearing events, of the oddities of dating, of my conceived notions of misfortune, of third hand stories that I have read or heard, of recommended food, shoes, or best places to buy bagels. There may on occasion be a tale full of great exaggeration or sarcasm I will try to preface such exaggerated or sarcastic statements with a disclaimer of some sort that I am occasionally prone to let my emotions cloud my reality.
happy reading!
-jeremy-

still alone. but not

yeah, that's a confusing title, I know. I'm trying to get moved into a new place that is all mine. All mine. I'm ready to be selfish. I want my own space that is mine only. No more sharing space (except with the kids of course) no more sharing the bathroom, or kitchen, no more sharing an entrance. I want my own door. No more being generous, I'm selfish now. I want things, I get them. That simple. Let me tell you reader, it's still really great to be alone, except missing my boys. I liked it after a week and I still do. I just need more alone. so I move.

Being alone.

I've really started to get use to the idea of being alone. When it was brand new (being alone) I was just sad, all I could think was "I don't like being alone!" all sad and pathetic like. It's only been a week now that I have been totally on my own, and other than wishing my kids were alone with me, I really like the option of being alone now. I'm sure your thinking "a week Jeremy, what could you possibly know in a week?" Well doubting Thomas, I know that after a week I feel a whole lot better then I have in years of being "not alone". Being "not alone" was pain, it was confusion, it was some of the worse "not alone" times of my life! Now I just do what I know is right for me and I don't have to think about how it affects the person that I was "not alone" with. That is a very good feeling.

Got change?

Change is inevitable, like getting sock fuzz between your toes. You can fight it all you want; wear synthetics, eat less fuzz producing fruit, only walk on your heels, but it's still going to happen. My new strategy to incorporate any changes in my life is to start by having a nervous break down for a few days (or a week, whatever it takes) complain to anyone that will listen, sleep a lot more than necessary, eat junk food, and generally make myself really miserable and depressed. Then I'll act as though I've accept all the changes as a normality for my new life style and that I was just going through some massive metamorphosis and have now ascended to a new level of spiritual and mental enlightenment. I'll talk about my new found faith at the airport, hand out pamphlets and donate time to a useless charity (there is no such thing, don't be offended). I'll follow up by writing letters to anyone responsible for the changes that are affecting me and thank them for helping me obtain a new level of existence. Somewhere in here I will grow weary of the facade and start living like I did before the change, just with the change. Everything will be back to normal. Excuse me while I start the cycle, my brand of toothpicks has just been discontinued. : )

did your mother ever tell you?

If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all? I don't think mine did, but I'm in a sour mood and I suspect that every idea I have right now will have negative undertones. I started to write this whole segment on "days I could skip", I wrote about personal pain and discomfort, about failures and my own stupidity, about times I had been wronged. Then I realized that I was my own therapy. In recounting all the bad things that had happened to me, today doesn't look so bad. I guess it's true what they say "the elderly, though slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose". Happy Friday everyone.