Veterans' Day

My grandfather.

A hero and a man among men.
When seeking a role model for how to be
the truest of gentlemen,
I look only to him.

I thank him for his service, his guidance, and his love.

Bukowski Night

I write the blog because the fantasy is that one day I write for a living and stop punching a clock for a living.

When was the fantasy's seed planted? A long time ago. I was wandering about an old bookstore that didn't survive downtown Nashville's resurgence as a tourist destination. I couldn't have been but nineteen or twenty years old and already I was dealing with more than I was ready for in life. At the front end of one aisle of that old bookstore was a title of a book that caught my eye. It was called Women. I had never heard of its author, Charles Bukowski, but I liked the title and I liked what I read from skimming a few pages.

I bought that book that day, and from that night to this day Bukowski has been the man I always go to when I need to read the best. In Waffle House diners and in workplace locker rooms, I have settled myself down by reading his poems and his novels and his short stories.

Tonight, the kids are sleeping well and my wife has turned in for the night. It is only me and my bulldog occupying the main room and I am finally watching a wonderful documentary on the man called Bukowski: Born Into This. The bulldog is chewing on a blanket. I'll have to get after her for that, but I'll give her a minute or so of fun first.

I've got mine.

A Day of Leisure

They stayed home from daycare today. One had a fever and the other wasn't feeling too well either. Of course, there is an upside to this: Pajamas all day long.

"Love u. Miss u."

Oh, how the timing of that text message was perfect. It came from my wife while I was at work. It was just a random and sweet little reminder of her love for me.

Except that I was also experiencing another little random encounter at the time. I was standing in my hotel lobby talking with one of my coworkers when in walked R. This was the woman I had dated before Paige and I had gotten back together and decided to get married. R. was now married as well and had brought in her newborn baby for some of our mutual friends to see. (She used to work here, too.)

So while politely catching up with an old girlfriend and exchanging niceties, I received that little text message from my beautiful wife, "Love u. Miss u." Women really can sense these things, can't they? I was quick to text back. Finding no need for lengthy and profound eloquence, I replied simply, "U 2." And I smiled for our shared love.

A Good Read

Waiter Rant on Dignity

The Triplets of Belleville

Good news. Nashville Public Library is screening the wonderful film, The Triplets of Belleville.

When: Nov. 8, Thurs. 6:15 p.m.

Where: Main branch (downtown location)

For more information call 862-5852.

Nice Amendment You've Got There, Tennessee

I didn't vote so I can't complain, right? Bite me. I wanted to vote but procrastinated on getting a new card since I moved back into Davidson County. No excuses there. I just dropped the ball on that one.

That said, I wasn't really very passionate about either one of our candidates for Senate. I would have voted for Ford Jr. but that would only have been me voting the party line. The thing that has me blogging is that right now, with 50% of the polls reporting, 930,660 (or 81%) of the voters have voted YES for the amendment to ban same-sex marriages. I won't dare argue someone's moral beliefs on that matter. I'm still young and I am far from wise, but it just seems like such a mean thing to vote for. I am a straight man and I have several gay friends who are feeling yet another slap in the face from society.

Whatever your religious beliefs, let's just approach this from a strictly legal standpoint. Let's just think about people and their rights. This is about hospital visitation if a loved one is sick or dying. This YES vote is about denying certain humans basic rights that the rest of us take for granted. Is it just the word marriage that scares people so much? What if it's just called something else? I know I need to do my homework on this before going on and on about it. I'm sure it's more complex than I know. It just makes me mad to read about so many people voting so passionately about something that really doesn't affect them at all.

I see amendments like these and think that it's just a ploy by one party to get people to the polls ("Don't have an opinion about taxes? How about gays?"). But then, in a tight race where Corker is currently winning with 53% and the amendment winning by over 80%, that tells me that a lot of Ford voters are voting YES, too. (Or does that mean that a lot of YES voters aren't casting a vote for the senate at all?)

I'm still learning, I guess.

Come Back, Britney

So you filed for divorce from Mr. Federline. Whatever. Now will you get that career going again and put out a damn album? It's been three years since you made me a fan with great songs, "Toxic," "Outrageous," and "Early Mornin'." Since then, you've released a greatest hits collection and a CD of remixes. I don't count them.

It's not like you disappeared. You stayed in the news for reasons completely unrelated to music. Please, get with the right producer and make that kickass comeback album I know you have in you.

Question About My iPod

I have some great WRVU shows saved on my computer. I should be able to add them to my iPod, right?

How do I do that?

Dean Baquet Fired

I suppose everyone saw this coming. Still, it was nice to see this editor and his publisher, Jeffrey M. Johnson (fired last month), refuse orders to cut staff at The Los Angeles Times.

I imagine that he will be remembered as something of a hero by hard working newsroom staffs across the country.
Editor Is Forced Out at Los Angeles Times

Pre-school Political Ad

Sleeping Through My Civic Duty

I'd vote but I just don't know who's running. If only the candidates would spend some money on advertising or something.

They don't write...they don't call...

The Recurring Dreams Are Getting My Attention

I'm always at work and I am always dissatisfied with something that I have just been told to do. Last night's dream had me getting off work at midnight and being told that I had to come back in at 5 A.M. the following morning for a double shift (5 A.M. to midnight). I protested but relented and was on my way out the door when the most familiar part of the dream occurred. I fainted and fell to the floor only to immediately recover and continue about my day.

This dream happens about once a week or so. Always with the fainting and always with the quick recovery and on with my day. In last night's dream, I also found a quicker route home from work. My dreams seriously need new writers.

The Beach is Calling

I'm lucky to have the peace and serenity that inspires this post. I type in the soft darkness and consume some beers while I contemplate where I've been, where I am, and where I am going. I listen to the waves of the beautiful and powerful ocean crashing just off in the distance. Hearing the gentle rhythm of Earth's water doing what it has been doing for so many millions of years is exactly what the doctor ordered. It brings to me a very important sense of perspective to this life of mine. My struggles are silly and my fights are quite unnecessary. It's all water and sand, molecules and atoms, crashing around and just trying to fit in.

Wait. I'm in my living room in my Nashville, Tennessee apartment and the sound that I hear is actually just the dishwasher running its cycle. It's cleaning my children's sippy cups and other assorted dishes and glasses. Still, it's very relaxing.

I should do the dishes after midnight more often.

Girl at Play