Author: DmentD
Ancient History.
Well, hell… I thought all evidence of me in the prehistoric “PB” era (Pre Beard) had been eradicated by my minions and the cleansing effects of Katrina.
Guess not.
So, before these pictures are used against me as some unsavory method of blackmail, I’ve decided to post them for the public record — because nobody is better at making a fool out of you than yourself.
My long-time friend Hitch dug these up (thanks a lot, man… like I needed a reminder of my larval stage of existence, and how old I’m getting these days) and posted them to Facebook, but since I vehemently refuse to drink that particular flavor of Kool-Aid, he emailed them to me so that I could swoon lightheadedly and have a good laugh.
The first three pictures seem to be from a costume-like event… let’s call it Halloween, because my crusty memory refuses to call up the actual facts. In this first picture, you see a young, clean-shaven me on the left… apparently laughing forward through the years at the decrepit me looking at this picture now, as if to to say “holy crap, look at all that gray hair, you furry freak!” To my right is MiltiMix, with his long-lost full head of hair. We’re both considerably thinner than we are now… in fact, EVERYONE is thinner in these pictures than they are now.
Ah, here we get a better picture of the outfit… my ever-present (at the time) round flip-up sunglasses and pea coat — I was a frequent Army Surplus customer in those years — no less than three mock weapons, and a pair of handcuffs. Jeebus, I’ve never been that skinny since. That’s Hitch in the red robes and hockey mask. He was one of the very few people who helped keep my very violent temper in check in those days… as tall as I was, he had me by almost half-a-head and 50+ pounds, and it took a big guy like that to keep me from being an idiot. Mostly.
Gah! Who let that ugly broad in here?! Wait… that’s no broad, that’s Michigan’s favorite son, James the I/O Master. Not much of an improvement, mind you.
The cheesy mustache era! May it go back to the grave, never to terrorize the good people of Earth ever again. That’s Hitch on the left (sans mask and robes), Susan on the right, and me second from the right (sorry dude, second from the left, but my brain ejected your name and replaced it with Cowboy Mouth lyrics about 10 years ago).
And one last throwback to the CM era. *hangs head in shame* I think I overcompensate now by only shaving every other week or so.
To you, my unsuspecting readers, there is only one response to these pictures…
… and one last sentiment to impart from an old fart like me …
Happy Happy Birthday Baby!
Today is the birthday of my sweet wonderful girl, who I love so much. My life has changed — so much for the better — since you’ve chosen to share it with me. I hope this year, and years to come, bring you as much joy (if not more) than you’ve brought to mine. I hope to be instrumental in that joy.
I hope you enjoyed the fireworks yesterday, my love. I arranged for the entire country to celebrate the eve of your birthday as a special treat for you. It worked out so well, I might just do it again next year. *grins*
Whatchoo Looking At?
This seems to have been the week for being watched by dogs. Not in the “furtive glance then look away ’cause hey there’s a squirrel!” kind of way, but in the “I’ve got my eye on you boyo, so watch your step” way.
The first was a pair of pooches in a truck at the post office. There they were, sitting like humans — butt flat on the seat, leaning back — and calmly watching me walk back to my truck. Their heads swiveled in unison to follow me, like a pair of sunflowers tracking the path of the sun. Not once did they stir, not once did they bark, not once did they blink, not once did they take their eyes off me until I had pulled away and entered traffic. It was an eerie ghost twins in The Shining moment.
The second was a big ‘ol boy with his head out the window at a stoplight. The light had just turned red, and we were going to be there for a few minutes. This fellah’ sat there with his mug stuck out, and just watched me. Nothing on the face of this earth could pull his attention away from me — not a cat, not another human in another car, not the other dog in the car with him that was methodically gnawing his hind leg off. He even barked at me for having the audacity of pulling away from him when the light changed.
Homework.
We’ve finally scratched two projects off our “house to-do” list. One of them has been underway since the house was bought over a year ago — the kitchen cabinets. Slowly, but surely they’ve undergone a transformation: the old dated doors and hardware were removed, the cabinets were painted on the inside with a nice goldenrod color, and the cabinets faces were stained and sealed a nice dark walnut. Within the last few months I built new doors, stained and sealed them, and installed them. The upper cabinets have reeded glass in them, and the lower cabinets have solid panels painted to match the interior of the cabinets themselves. Add in some modern (and not painted-over *grrr*) hinges and handles, and you’ve got a clean, modern-looking set of cabinets that add to the beauty of the kitchen, rather than detracting from it.
Another project that was looming was the demolition of about 30′ of fence that the previous occupant had added on, but which was over the property line (and along its run, veered further and further onto the neighbor’s property). I was informed last year by the owner of the neighboring property that while I didn’t have to do anything about it right now, that one day she was either going to sell her place, or she was gonna die and her kids were gonna sell it, and that the new owners would want that fence dealt with… so I should be warned, and maybe take care of it when I could.
A few weeks back, a for-sale sign went up, and I knew my time had run out. So, I demolished the “new” run of fence back to where it was tacked on to the original fence, and added a gate — which wasn’t there before, and was a source of my ever-burning ire. The project only took two days (in the dry, blistering over-100 degree heat… which made it feel like a week!), and I was able to put in galvanized posts, rather than wood, to support the gate. All told, it looks damned good, and I thank my brothers for teaching me everything I know about fence/gate/deck building, as that knowledge came in mighty handy. I even made the panel to the side of the gate removable, just in case I needed to get something wider than 4′ through.
Butterfly Book Cake.
We Done Gone To The Chapel….
I’m a married man.
I’m blissfully wed to a woman that I have been head-over-heels in love with for the better part of two years, and whom I am thrilled beyond mortal words to be able to share my life with.
And because I’m a lazy bastard who doesn’t want to recreate the wheel, I’m sending you over to Sweets’ site to read the details and see the pictures. *grins* She’s done an excellent job of it, and by law I’m now entitled to half the credit for the post.
Video Amusement.
In leiu of anything of substance, I give you the accumulation of more valueless internet fluff. Entertaining fluff, at the least.
The Slap Chop/Rap Chop remix:
The JetLev water-propelled jetpack:
Stand By Me – Playing for Change: Peace Through Music
Trailers for The Hunt For Gollum (click-through for the trailers), an unauthorized 45-minute fan-film set in the Lord of the Rings universe. The story was inspired by an appendix to Lord of the Rings, in which Tolkien explains “what Aragorn and Gollum got up to before the trilogy began.” The whole thing is being produced for £3000.
All You Texan Voters…
Most people I know have already been told about this, however, there is a bill trying to be passed to allow baking businesses from home in Texas. Obviously Sweets and I are very eager for this to be passed.
Tonight this bill made it from the Public Health Committee to the Calendars Committee. There is a call out now to inundate and overwhelm the Chair and members of the Calendars committee (and for the record Representative Lois W. Kolkhorst is one of the committee members actively, vehemently trying to oppose this — she’s a ball breaker — do what you will with that bit of information), with phone calls requesting that HB 3282 be put on the calendar immediately for floor debate and vote. It must be out of committee by May 11 or it will die. There are 7,000 bills filed this session, we must be BIGGER and LOUDER than all the others to get pushed to the front of the pack.
Please, please, please call them, it all helps, we want this to be passed.