Friday funny

Beardy boy

Healthcare

Sad but true.

Just because

Weekend update

On Sat I was due to work, and although I had no appointments for the day, I was expected in the office to help with phone coverage.  Fortunately it was slow and we had more than enough people to handle the office so I ducked out for about 1.5 hours so Spouse & I could go to the gay car club's annual car show.  The weather was perfect for it. 

Many of the vehicles we'd seen before at past car shows, but I did note 3 beautiful additions to share:

This is a gorgeous 1955 (I think) Chevrolet Bel Air station wagon, in sea foam green with an ivory roof.  Such a beautiful car!

This is a mid-to-late 50s DeSoto Firedome convertible.  Love the powder pink and ivory color combo!  Its difficult to read in this photo but the license plate reads BEBUTCH.

This is a 1959 Pontiac Bonneville.  Notice how the up-sweeping rear fins are similar to those on my 1959 Cadillac.  Same goes for the wrap around windshield.

That evening we met Steven & Thad, Bob, and Joe P for dinner at 1776 Steakhouse, a high-end steak restaurant, to celebrate Steven's birthday and Steven & Thad's anniversary.  I had the same thing I've had several other times, the filet mignon trio. I absolutely love it! After dinner we had celebratory cake.

Then I went to the Blue Moon to perform in the Legends shows.  I was Neil Diamond and sang "Cracklin' Rosie", "I Am I Said", "Sweet Caroline", and "Brother Love's Travelin' Salvation Show". Our part-time neighbors Mark & Norman were there for the show, and Steven & Thad and Spouse showed up just before the finale song.  After I changed into my civilian clothes we walked over to Cooter Brown's where a big group of guys from the Bear Weekend had congregated.  We had a drink, chatted with friends and met some new friends.  The weather was dreamy outside so it was a great night to be "out on the town".

Sun was the complete opposite of Sat.  The weather was rainy/stormy and Spouse didn't feel like going to breakfast, which we do nearly every Sun.  So we stayed home, had coffee and left over cake, and watched several episodes of "Shameless".  We literally didn't do a single constructive thing all day.  Then about 5:30 we met Steven & Thad at a diner for an easy/cheap dinner, then back home for more "Shameless".

Homecoming

Happy Homecoming Day, Walter!

On this date 4 years ago we brought Walter home to join our family.  While some refer to this as an adoption day or 'gotcha' day, I prefer the term homecoming day.  Indeed, Walter is home forever.

Walter's 1st day at home, age 2 months. Shortly after this photo was taken he peed on my shirt.

Walter learns where to go pee pee from his big brother Marvin.

Walter giving Joe P some kisses, Halloween 2014, 3 months old.

Sleeping on Daddy's shoulder.

Enjoying the back porch, about 1 year old.

One ear up, one ear down, waiting for a treat.

Sleeping in the crook of my leg.

Selfie with Daddy.

Bath time.

Nap time.

Walter & Marvin on Papa's lap.

Beardy boy

Homophobia

Just because

Binge-worthy

While flipping around looking for something to watch recently, I stumbled upon an episode of 'Shameless'.  Two guys were passionately hugging and kissing each other, so I was like "Whoa... what's THIS show about?"  

I kept watching for a few minutes and in the next scene I recognized actor William H Macy.  I seemed to remember him being nominated (and possibly winning) some award for his role in 'Shameless'.  Since there's very little to watch these days I decided I'd watch the show starting from the beginning.  I figured I'd binge-watch a handful of episodes, little did I know the show has 8 seasons, starting back in 2011.  We didn't have Showtime until a little over a year ago so I had no knowledge of it back when it started.

In a nutshell William H Macy plays a raging alcoholic and drug user whose life consists of drinking himself unconcious and scheming to get money.  He has 6 children ranging in age from 21 years to 21 months old, who basically take care of paying the bills, feeding each other, and keeping the home together with lots of odd jobs, some legal, some not-so-much.  Their mother ran away shortly after the 21 month old was born.  Having little-to-no parental direction or discipline, the 6 kids are no strangers to drinking beer and smoking cigarettes and joints.  But despite their unconventional childhood, their family bond is strong.

While my synopsis may sound depressing, the show is full of twists and turns and unexpected intersections.  Not the least of which is a neighbor named Sheila, played by the genius actress Joan Cusack, who has agoraphobia and hasn't left the house in 5 years.  Also, in the 1st episode 17 year old Lip (short for Philip) discovers his 15 year old brother Ian is gay and has been having sex with his married boss who owns/runs the convenience store where Ian works.

The 1st night I binge-watched 4 episodes.  The 2nd night I binge-watched 6 episodes.  The 3rd night I gave Spouse a quick review of the characters and he watched the last 2 episodes of season 1 with me. We're currently nearing the end of season 2.

Its a really interesting show, and I enjoy how the writers make the characters good enough that you route for them and want them to succeed, but keep them 'human' by also showing their faults and mistakes.  And as a bonus, there's a fair amount of shirtless, good-looking men in the series, including a couple full-frontal nudity scenes.

If you're looking for a long, enduring series to watch, I recommend 'Shameless'.  If you don't have Showtime, at least some (maybe all) of it is available on Netflix too.

Pet peeve

Beardy boy

Remembering

Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a day that changed America and the world forever.  Since that time we've come to learn that terrorists can strike from outside the country as they did in 2001, but also from inside the country.  Native-born Americans have terrorized our country too many times to count.  Sadly its something we're becoming used to hearing in the news.

Since Spouse & I lived 6 miles from the Pentagon, our experiences on 9/11/01 are etched in our brains.  We'll never forget what happened nor those who assisted others that day.  Below is a re-posting of that day from my perspective.

Spouse & I lived in Arlington VA, the same town where the Pentagon is located.  Our home was exactly 6 miles from it, and we passed it every time we got on the highway.  I had been laid off for about 2 weeks and Spouse decided to take the day off "because it was so pretty outside" and spend a few hours with this sister.  Indeed, it was a beautiful September day: sunny, warm but not hot, and low humidity.  Spouse left in my BMW 325i convertible with the top down and I sat down in front of the computer to do my daily job search.

Probably a 1/2 hour later Spouse returned and yelled up the stairs to me "A plane crashed into the World Trade Center and another one crashed into the Pentagon!"  Of course I thought this was some incredible story he'd concocted to explain why he'd returned to the house, when in reality he'd probably just forgotten his wallet or something.

"What did you forget - your wallet?" I replied, sarcastically.

"No, I'm serious!  Come here!" he said with real urgency.  I immediately came downstairs and joined him in the TV room where he'd turned on the local news.  It wasn't some fantastical story he'd fabricated.  It was real.  We sat on the sofa for what seemed like days, trying to figure out what had happened.  It didn't take that long before it was clear the plane crashes weren't "accidents".  By then news of the 2nd tower being hit and the plane crash in PA was filtering in.

"I can't believe this is happening" I said, truly frightened for the 1st time in my life.  "What's next?  How will we know when its over?  Maybe we should get in the car and drive as far away (to the West) as we can" I offered.  But it was too late for that.  News reports were already showing road closures and gridlocked traffic.

Many people who work in the metro DC area ride the metro system to and from work, like my Aunt Mary, Spouse's brother, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law.  But while the metro system was still operational, most people were afraid to use it, wondering if it might be the next target.  No one liked the idea of possibly being trapped or crushed in one of the many underground tunnels.

Cell phone service was spotty with the cell towers being overloaded with attempted calls.  But we eventually received calls from my Aunt Mary, Spouse's brother and sister-in-law.  They were going to walk from their offices to a landmark in Arlington where I would pick them up.  We were unable to coordinate this with Spouse's brother-in-law who'd already begun walking.

As I drove out of our neighborhood I began hearing sirens and seeing the flashing lights of police cars.  Officers were setting up roadblocks on the main roads that would take me to the agreed upon pick-up location.  Several times I had to make an unscheduled turn, drive through a residential neighborhood, cut through a business parking lot, and even drive across a lawn and off a curb when I got trapped.  I was literally trying to beat the officers from closing me out of the area I needed to get to.  A trip that would normally take 10 minutes took me nearly an hour, but I eventually got to the rendezvous point and picked up our family.  Spouse's brother-n-law actually walked all the way to our house (more than 6 miles) where his wife (Spouse's sister) was waiting for him.

We remained glued to the TV for several days, hoping to hear answers.  All commercial air traffic was suspended for 5 days (I believe) so it was rather eerie for us to hear fighter jets occasionally pass over our home.  Spouse's mother was in Italy and due to return home that day.  Her vacation was extended not by desire, but by necessity.

In the days and weeks following the horrible tragedy there was a strengthening of America.  For a while there were no Democrats or Republicans; just Americans.  There were no rich or poor; just people grieving losses.

Each year on this date I'm always a little worried another terror attack will occur on the anniversary.  Fortunately its not happened, although many other terror attacks have occurred since then on other, seemingly unrelated dates.  Its become clear to me that terror will never end unless there's a worldwide commitment to peace and understanding.

Just because

Tour

Yesterday I had the pleasure of touring a new animal rescue/rehab center in our county.  It was open to the public.

The facility used to be a no-kill shelter that went bankrupt nearly 5 years ago and was abandoned since then.  The Brandywine Valley SPCA which operates our local animal shelter purchased the facility at auction a few months ago and plans to open it as a rescue/rehab facility.

Dogs and cats picked up as strays, surrendered by owners, or rescued from natural disasters and hoarding environments usually end up at shelters for adoption. But some of these animals need medical attention, nutrition therapy, and behavioral modification to become adoptable.  This process can takes several weeks to several months.  So that's what this new rescue/rehab center will be used for; to bring these animals back to healthy, adoptable pets which will then be adopted from the regular shelter.  It will not be an adoption center nor will it be open to the public, so this was pretty much the only opportunity to get a look at it in person.

Here's a photo of the facility as well as an aerial shot.

Its quite a distinctive-looking building.  But since it was designed to be a shelter, the tour guide said they really don't need to do any retrofitting of the building to accommodate their use of it.

There's even a central courtyard which will likely become a play or training area.

The interior is kind of industrial looking, with exposed HVAC ducts and concrete floors.

These siblings were present for the tour, although the facility is not yet operating.  They were so cute and friendly I wanted to take all 3 home with me.

Then there was this adorable Chihuahua mix named Johnny Pickles.  He'd recently been adopted from the main shelter.  I wanted to take him home too.

This rescue/rehab facility plans to partner with other shelters to accept animals from outside the local area (other states, etc) when there is a special need like hurricanes, floods, and extreme hoarding environments to help get them healthy and adoptable.  This facility should be able to do what many regular shelters can't, so I am really excited its located near me, and plan to donate to its success.

The Brandywine Valley SPCA still needs to raise more funds to bring the formerly abandoned building back to operational condition and support their other activities related to this, so if you feel inclined to donate CLICK HERE.  For larger donations you can even name areas of the facility after a beloved pet or person!

Dishwasher

So Wed night I went to run the dishwasher and it wouldn't turn on.

It has a touch pad that usually lights up when you make wash/rinse/dry selections and press the start button.  But Wed night nothing lit up and the dishwasher wouldn't work.  This dishwasher is about 13 years old but its a high-end brand so I was definitely interested in getting it repaired rather than replaced.

1st thing yesterday morning I called the appliance repair company.  Unfortunately, the receptionist said the 1st available appointment was next Tues.  If I wanted an "emergency" call they could guarantee me an appointment the same day.  The regular service visit fee is $85; the "emergency" service visit fee is $185.  

I thought about it quickly.  If it were the fridge or the stove, I'd go with the "emergency" call since we

can't go 5 days without either of those.  I can hand wash a few dishes to save $100, so I accepted the Tues service call.  The receptionist then said if there was a cancellation she'd call me.  Then I emptied the dishwasher and washed its contents by hand.

About 4 hours later I got a call from the actual repairman saying he was going to a call close to my house, and if I was going to be home, he'd stop there afterward.  I readily agreed to be home (it was my day off and I was almost done running errands) and waited for him to arrive.  I joked to myself that I'd hand washed all those dishes when I could have just procrastinated and washed them in the dishwasher later that day.  However, the repairman discovered the main computer board had gone out, and that's not something he had in stock. He'd have to order one which would come in some time next week.  So the hand washing of the dishes wasn't in vain after all.

Beardy boy

Hunger

Fortunately I did both.  My Spouse is very handsome AND can cook.

Just because

Labor Day

How will YOU be spending the day?