The End?

Today marks the end....

The end of my weekend, the end of March, the end of the long hiatus from the MLB season, and the end of CBS's hit show for the past nine years, How I Met Your Mother.

My weekend went pretty well, in that I refused to do anything that had anything to do with what I would consider "work."  No house work, no going to work, no calling work, no nothing. Yesterday it snowed. Today it was sunny and 60, and absolutely gorgeous.  Gotta love the Mid-West weather, huh?  I got me a nice little treat today, watched the Detroit Tigers game, and listened to the Pittsburgh Pirates game. I went for a walk.  Or as I like to call I went on the sewer walk today. It's a good distance down a hill and back up and around again but the route smells SO bad you bring it home with you. Then I had a nice dinner and capped it off with CBS Mondays, which means the finale of How I Met Your Mother.

Honestly, I loved the finale.  I felt cheated with the almost ending, but I loved how the final scene went down. Some things didn't really make sense, but I think it was only my expectations that brought it down. Was it predictable? Probably. But it was everything I should have wanted it to be. More on it later when this isn't so new and it won't be a spoiler for anybody who reads this and might have missed it.

I think this weekend was relaxing enough to get back to the swing of things tomorrow. It's exciting to have a week of working my regular shift for the most part. I think I have one early day, but it's only an hour.

I'm just sitting here watching "All Dogs Go To Heaven" and trying to remember watching it as a kid. It's kind of funny because it's reminding me a lot of "An American Tail" and the kid Ann Marie is a little baby Snow White.

I am very distracted by the movie now. But as always, I will see you tomorrow.

Have You Ever?

Have you ever:

- Felt like your life was probably somebody else's social experiment?
- Been to Opening Day for your local or favorite baseball team?
- Listened to Christmas Music on March 30th?
- Considered a day to be an Epic Fail even when you had no intentions?

To kind of piggy-back off yesterday's post, I'd like to see where I can go considering the first question I posed.  (All the questions where to hopefully put a spark in the air and maybe an idea would take off, but - much like trying to light peanut butter on fire - it's slow rolling).

I wonder what it would be like to feel like somebody's social experiment. Be it somebody you know, love, hate, don't know, or maybe even God Himself. I don't really know that I want to know.  But the good thing about it, I guess, is that you would never actually have to be held accountable for anything.  To be part of an experiment means that all things that happen were planned out, right?  A carefully prepared experiment would be in order if it were to be for social purposes? Consider a previous post of mine, the poem entitled "The Bird In the Bathroom Vent" under that microscope. Sure, maybe I just wanted to see how long you've been reading my blogs, but I think part of it is for me to show that I just saw this connection as well, and instead of writing a new poem (because we all know how painful it is for me to say "I wrote a new poem"), I
can revert to something that maybe I was trying to say before but can say a little better (or a little choppier) now.

I'd like to think that if there is some social experiment going on that I can mess with the evidence enough that one could only prove that random events can happen and nobody can conform to any particular lifestyle.  Everyone is who they are, and nobody else. Why would they want to be somebody else, who would want them to be, and if they were, they wouldn't be them. If we spend too much time thinking about what society wants from us, we're probably going to miss the big picture: What do WE want from us? Bottom line: whoever we have in our lives are people we choose. Whether or not they are good choices are left to be discovered.  That's why we have free will.  But the people that we choose also chose us, or at least we hope they do, or you might end up hitch-hiking home from a prom you didn't want to attend.

Also, I'd like to take a moment to thank those of you who've been stopping by lately. It's about half way to Easter now and I've ....ROUGHLY... been able to blog every day or account for every day with some sort of posting.  Lately it has been tough -- for example, Friday, when I got out of work, came home and napped, went back to work with time to do a little gaming on Facebook, went back to work, came home, collapsed in the chair for the U of M game, then was in bed by 9:30.  But I'm human.

Tomorrow is Opening Day for most baseball teams.  Somebody played tonight, but I was too busy ...listening to Christmas music... to turn that on.  It has been some sort of "epic fail" today, even though I intended to do absolutely nothing all day.  Here's hoping I can watch some good baseball tomorrow. Gonna have to get some baseball themed snacks while I'm out tomorrow. If I do my shopping / errands early enough, I can be home in time for the games I want to watch...which probably all start at 1:05.

Oh yes, I did  (when you get it)

Toxic

First and foremost, I'd like to point out how I feel like I'm cheating on the Red Wings being so excited the Columbus Blue Jackets picked up 2 points tonight. But I feel like the Red Wings and Blue Jackets can both pick up a wild card spot and I would be totally content with that. Unfortunately I think #1 and #2 in the Eastern Conference are Boston and Pittsburgh. We'll see how that goes. But I will be very happy if they both make it, or if either makes it really. I think Columbus is really proving themselves this year as a fierce contender in the Eastern Conference. Proud of the Mid-West boys.

Now I'd like to set the mood, if I may, for the next part of this blog. I come bearing Vanilla Fudge.

Yesterday while doing my daily duties at work, I was in the van. The song I only really know as "The Armageddon Song" came on the radio.  It brought back a flood of memories that essentially just infuriated me:  SENIOR PROM.

The first memory was not so horrible. I had the opportunity to dance with the guy who had competed for and won a prestigious title that may or may not have had any real significance outside of the competition itself.  I believe part of it was a fund raiser. I could be wrong.  I remember carrying around a denture cup I won as a prize in some crazy game in Spanish II.  Maybe I was just being weird? I wonder how off topic I can make this paragraph.  Bottom line: it was the best part of Prom, but it wasn't really all that spectacular -- he had essentially been ditched by his date, and I had decided he should not miss the last dance of prom on account of one of the most toxic people I know.

Then I got to thinking about how I was essentially bribed to go to Prom by said toxic person by an offer to punch another toxic person in my life [still waiting on that one] and also with a date she found who I agreed to on the understanding that it would at least create socializing opportunities. Well, the date backed out after I bought a dress, which was upsetting on account of I hate dresses and didn't even want to go to Prom. Anyways, Obladi Oblada Life Goes On, right?

Then I got to thinking about how I got a ride from "toxic person number two" to Prom and was never informed that she had no intention of bringing me home before she and her friends went on to their post-prom activities. I don't think I was upset for not being invited, but I would have loved to know I needed to make arrangements to get myself home. Lucky for me, the guy I danced with managed to squeeze me in his vehicle full of people before he did his post-prom thing.

I don't think the food was all that great for as long as we had to wait for it.  I want to say it was hands down the more miserable "You HAVE to go! It will be so FUN!" things I've ever attended.

But the reason I bring all this up is because I have recently tried to find myself to be in the company of people that DON'T treat me like the two toxic people unnamed above did. I very recently just gave up on them ... Twelve years after Prom. And they haven't changed, and I haven't changed.  But sometimes you just get caught up in something out of routine and it's all you've ever known.  I'm not going to lie, I'm having a hard time out here meeting people and socializing.  But I feel like I have been so screwed up so many bad choices in friends that i don't want to even try anymore. I don't know.  It's a rough thing.  Especially when you realize that there are only a handful of friends worth coming back to visit or getting in touch with when you're home.  And then there's family, and friends that don't live in your home-town. People that you would love to visit but haven't had the brains or wits to do it.

But I'm trying. I'm not good at meeting people, getting out, or making friends. Nor do I know where to find "nice people who are fun to hang out with" (who preferably can stand to watch a little hockey, baseball, or football).  One time last year during the Penguins Playoff Run I considered joining a group of people who appeared to be my age at a table at the bar I was at just for the sake of meeting people. I chickened out. But I think I am going to promise myself that if I see that group again this year I am going to try to BE more social. I guess the worst thing they could do is laugh at me and tell me to go somewhere else.

...Right?

March 28

March 28 completely didn't exist for me. Sure, there was a Friday, March 28, 2014, [I actually typed Thursday, and yes that day would NOT have really existed] but I actually had an entire day of doing the same thing twice.  As such, the whole day was combined of either working or sleeping, and when time and legality allowed, the two combined. More on that tonight.

You'll Sarcastically Thank Me Later

...this is the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends....

[this blog, however, is not such a song and will be more exciting in the future, but today is very busy, with slight attempts at relaxation as well]

... Some people started singin' it not knowing what it was. And they'll continue singing it forever just because...

Lemonade

A common saying in life is "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

That reminds me of some very very bad lemonade I drank today, [lemon lemonade, for all of you Home Improvement fans out there] but there were two considerations as I choked down the entire cup of it: 1) it was Crystal Light. 2) It was made by a resident and I am in full support of his independence in preparing this lemonade, and I was NOT going to be the one to tell him it was horrible.

And I had this concept of making lemonade out of lemons earlier this week (apparently it was just yesterday, but it feels like it was ages ago) when I decided that I am going to continue listening to Christmas music until it stops snowing and starts acting like Spring outside. And I feel like during Lent it doesn't really hurt to listen to Christmas music sparingly anyways, especially to emphasize the importance of what I consider the "Polar Opposite of Christmas."  I figure Birth and Death are polar opposites, so Christ's birth and death would be the polar opposite holidays. Not to mention they are book ends to Christianity as we know it. And we can't celebrate one without recognizing the other in the process. I have been focused a lot lately on the tune "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel."  I feel like it is in some ways a transitional song between Christmas and Easter. I wonder how thought provoking, emotional, and fitting it might be during an Easter Drama during the scene of putting Jesus on the cross if the music was "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel. And Ransom Captive Israel. That mourns in lowly exile here. Until the Son of God appear.  Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel. Shall Come to thee oh, Israel!"   Or, maybe that's why I stay away from Stage Productions? I don't know.  It seems awesome in my head.  But case in point, I'm not ashamed to be ringing in Easter with Christmas carols. Or Memorial Day. Or the Fourth of July.  Or Labor Day. Or Columbus Day, and so forth.

Today I woke up with the concept of "making lemons out of lemonade."

How often do you suppose we do that?  Or am I the only one who's going to admit to that.  Not all lemonade is GOOD lemonade, but you don't know if it's good or bad unless you try it. And how many bad lemonades have we ripped apart, back into lemons, analyzing every aspect. How could I have made this better, how could I have done this differently, why did such and such happen or so and so do this? We can't just enjoy even the sweetest things at times.  We always want to know why _____?

I don't know, it's just something on my mind today.  No matter what "making lemons out of lemonade" means to us, it's still something to grapple with, I think.  It could be repressing something that you just can't address or let go of.  But we know what will happen. Those lemons will just rot and fester, and I can't imagine anything more sour than a rotted lemon. It doesn't make it any easier to let go though.

Ironic Enough?

For whatever reason, my instincts have been telling me all day that I should try something amusing today. I don't really know why, but lately I have been toying with the idea of tweaking / updating the song "Ironic" by Alanis Morrisette. I do not necessarily mean to satirize or plagiarize on her work, but merely publicly brainstorm how the song might work in the current day and age.

Is it Still Ironic?
based on music by Alanis Morrissette.

An old man turned 98
He learned to Skype and died the next day
It's a rufie in your hard lemonade
It's turning on Breaking Bad two minutes too late.
And isn't it ironic... don't you think?

Orrrrrr.... maybe I'll just crap out after the first verse.  I guess the point is that I tried, right?  And that since that has been stuck in my head pretty close to all day, I had to put it someplace.  It still got the creative juices moving a little bit.  And what more can you ask for?

Plus, now you're going to have Alanis Morrisette stuck in your head, so you're welcome, and thanks for stopping by!