the 75th week

hug me, blakey!

Monday. Ana's on vacation, so I did Food Prep all week. I worked 7:30-3:00, had a manager meeting with Brandon, and spent the afternoon cleaning around the house. We've gotta get it looking clean, as realtors will be tramping through here soon enough. Monday Night took place at the Loth House, with Ethan showing our house tomorrow afternoon, and we wanted to keep it clean and smelling good. John, Brandy, Ams, Amos, Isaac, Andy, Blake & I crowded the TV to watch The Walking Dead, and we dined on cheez-its, combos, and some of Brandy's kick-ass brown sugar glazed almonds. And we had a variety of autumnal beers, courtesy John and Andy.

Tuesday. I worked 7:30-3:00. James is working at the 21C Restaurant and Hotel now, and we have Frank from 1215 to replace him. A good trade. Work was slow, and I went to The Anchor to do some reading before jetting over to Hyde Park to see Mo before all the Thanksgiving festivities. She cooked me a dinner of turkey and potatoes and gave me a bag of delicious cookies to take home with me. I think she's trying to fatten me up. 

Wednesday. Work was incredibly slow, as expected. It was a decent last day before an extended weekend of traveling and dining. Amos grabbed some growlers of Scottish Ale from Rock Bottom, and our skeleton crew all but had them polished off by the tail-end of the lunch rush. Half the rush I was in the back drinking beer and singing aloud to Old Crow Medicine Show. If only every day could be like that... Amos and I played some MW3 after work, and then I hurried north to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner with Mom, Dad, Ams & Josh. Mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, macaroni & cheese, stuffing, baked turkey and rolls. Mom & Dad visited Antietam this past weekend, asked if I'd ever heard of it. My eyes went global. "Did you walk the sunken road?!" My dad said they did. Am I jealous? It was only the bloodiest day of battle in American military history. 

Thanksgiving. I woke 'round 9:00. Blake and I hung out for a bit, and I went over to Amos' to play video games and to eat Thanksgiving leftovers from last night's meal. The evening was spent in New Carlisle with Dad's side of the family, and we enjoyed yet another amazing feast. "You two live to the beat of your own drums," Mom told Ams and me. We're sorta like the oddballs in the family. Matthew and Megan are both married; Megan already has two girls, Cate who's talkin' and Grace who's walkin', and Shelby's pregnant with a boy. Addison's engaged to a girl named Mandy. There were days when seeing the flourishing life and love of others made my heart bend in jealousy; but, for the most part, those days are over. Every now and then there's an inkling of that feeling, almost like an echo that hasn't quite faded. Call it wisdom, maturity, cynicism, what-have-you, but I prefer it this way. 

Black Friday. I got home late last night; Blake texted me, said he was over at the Loth House with Amos, John and Brandy. I was too tired, and low on gas, so I just went to bed. I woke to a cold morning, the warmth of the last few days being blown away by a cold front. Most of the day was spent hanging with Blake: watching TV, playing video games, even a trip to The Anchor (I got coffee and free toast). The evening was spent at the Loth House playing video games with Amos, John, and John's friend Josh and his wife.

Saturday. Blake, Amos, and Isaac crashed my time at The Anchor, but I didn't mind one bit. It was pretty great. I rushed up to Dayton to get my early Christmas present: four new tires, an oil change, and an alignment for my beat-up Celica. "You could get historical plates on that car!" Uncle Bill quipped; to which I replied, "I always drive classics, but not the kind, like you want." All day was spent with Mom's side of the family watching football, playing trivia games, eating $100 worth of Marion's Pizza, and drinking lots and lots of beer. This was Kennedy's first Thanksgiving, being only six months old, and she loved the dogs. I was home by 10:00, and Blake and I rounded out the night with some NBA Jam before I promptly passed out.

Sunday. Another cold, bleak, dreary day. My Anchor time was spent reading a new book, American Colonies. After running some errands and enjoying some McDonald's breakfast, I spent the afternoon inside and out of the cold. Ams came over once she woke up 'round noon, and Blake joined us around 4:00. The rest of the day was spent much like yesterday: video games and watching TV. A chill end to a busy week.

crashin' the anchor

My Anchor time has been crashed by Blake, Isaac, and Amos.
I don't mind. It gives me time to blow and wink. Amos likes that.

My original goal was to be done with my study of the French & Indian War before the beginning of December, to focus on grad school essays and such. However, I've got caught up in studying colonial American history prior to 1754, and I've been doing lots of study in the realm of English history, since the development of the colonies and the currents in English history of the time are integrally connected. The English Civil War, Restoration of 1660, and the Glorious Revolution of 1688 are fascinating. Equally intriguing is the development of slavery in the south, most notably in South Carolina, where the same type of slavery in the West Indies was replicated. I used to believe that slavery in the south was pretty much the same all across the board, but slavery differentiated in its practice and custom from colony to colony. Slavery in Virginia, for example, was much milder than slavery in the deep south. 

Isaac is sitting across from me in his Praha hoodie.

He's smoking an unlit cigarette, which is... Wait, no, it's lit now.

I'm really looking forward to Mo getting back from Michigan. I haven't seen her in close to a week, or at least it feels like it, and I'll be honest: this little koala heart is quite warm towards the girl. She's super cool, super fun to hang out with, mature, doing something with her life, and for some unknown reason she finds herself irrevocably drawn to me. That itself should be a red flag?

Mom & Dad went to Maryland this past weekend, and they visited Antietam. You've no idea the jealousy that flooded my veins. My top desired battlefields to visit include Gettysburg (for a second time), Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville (where Stonewall Jackson bit a bullet from his own Confederate pickets; his immune system was ravaged and he died of pneumonia). Perhaps next year I'll have (a) a decent enough car and (b) enough money to visit one or two of them? That's a happy thought.

waiting for blakey

you should see this movie

Thanksgiving celebrations have been gut-busting; I woke so bloated this morning. It's been well worth it, however. Thursday night I celebrated with Mom, Dad, Ams, and her boyfriend Josh. Thanksgiving afternoon I took a heaping plate of leftovers to Amos', and we played MW3, watched "The Office: Season 3", and stuffed ourselves. More stuffing happened later that night up in New Carlisle. Blake and I went to The Anchor this morning, but I stuck with coffee (and some free wheat toast). I was decidedly against eating anything substantial today, but Dusmesh has been nagging at my little heart for some time now. I may just have to break down and go get some. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving dinner with Mom's side of the family: we're just ordering a shit ton of pizza and drinking lots and lots of beer.

I have a substantial number of posts in the mental queue, but have yet to write them.

In time, in time...

My Christmas list is wholly comprised of things I need for my car: three new tires, new windshield wiper blades, new brake and left turn signal lights, an oil change. Winter's coming, who knows what it'll be like, and the last thing I need is a repeat of the Jeep incident back in 2006 that left me stranded without a car for nearly nine months. That takes priority over a PS3 with the new Call of Duty, and it takes precedence even over the build-up of my own "colonial history" library (that excites no one except me).

On our drive home last night, we were passing the Great Miami and I turned to Ams and told her "a little something about the war" (to put it in her words). Ohio's rather rich with history, more-so than I ever thought, and I told her about the French raid at Pickawillany in the 1700s, one of the catalysts for the French & Indian War, near modern-day Piqua, where a bunch of English fur traders and some Ohio Indians were butchered. The chieftain was torn limb-from-limb and cannibalized piecemeal. And this happened so close to our house!

On the subject of history, when Blake and I were at The Anchor this morning, we talked a bit about the "original" Thanksgiving. You know, the whole Plymouth Rock thing. The white settlers were quite fragile, having been ravaged by a variety of diseases that wiped out the majority of the colonists, and they were out hunting for food, firing their guns, and the nearby Indians heard them. Thinking they were preparing to attack them, as settlers tended to do, 90 of the Indians and their head chieftain gathered their war toys and prepared to counter-attack. Upon discovering that the settlers were simply hunting, they decided to form a sort of friendly alliance, and they had a big meal with all sorts of meats (deer, turkey, fish) to seal the deal. The Indians weren't too fearful of the colonists, but being engaged in constant war with their Indian neighbors, the Indians knew a peace between them and the settlers opened up trade for guns to be used against their Indian enemies. The settlers weren't too keen on the savages at all, their friendliness a mere charade; and it wasn't long before the settlers confirmed the Indians' fears and went about systematically murdering them. But that was the cycle of early colonial life in America. Funny enough, in Jamestown, 1622, Indians showed up with what looked to be their own invitation for a similar celebratory festival, but instead they slaughtered everyone they could find. 

Blake and I are going to go into the basement together.

We're going to try and organize a few things.

Step by Step, we're getting ready to move outta here.

from The Anchor

The internet's back up and running!
The Anchor went wire-less (and not in the good way) for a solid week.
But not it's alive and kicking.

There's a girl who comes here a lot, her name's Ana, she introduced herself to me some time ago. She asked what I did when I came here, and I told her I read, I write, I research. She said she's writing a novel. I didn't tell her that I'd written several, some of which sold very well. I don't really wear that on my sleeve, and I don't go around telling people about my accomplishments in that arena. Most people who know me have no idea that I've written zombie novels, or any sort of fiction. And I prefer it that way. Ana read me the first couple paragraphs of her book: she's a damned good writer, and if she keeps the pace up, it'll be a damned good read.

My "Anchor Studies" centered on the African chattel slavery in colonial America.

It's fucked up. Proper fucked up.

I saw the movie "Lincoln," by Steven Spielberg. It was damned good, albeit a bit misleading. Of course there will always be a slant when it comes to the study of history, and none more-so than with the study of the Emancipation Proclamation and the subsequent 13th constitutional amendment. Lincoln's acts to destroy slavery can be read in a variety of lights: some historians believe that his underlying motivation was political rather than moral in nature, that in the midst of Civil War he wished to bring European support to the Union rather than to the slave-holding South. Spielberg's movie seemed to take the route that the legislation was born out of Lincoln's conscience and desire to see no man enslaved. As with history in general, interpretation is key. What's interesting (and certainly not in Spielberg's movie) was Lincoln's support of a bill years prior to the Emancipation Proclamation that would make outlawing slavery constitutionally illegal. Interesting, is it not?

Tomorrow is my last day of work before Thanksgiving.

600 Vine will be shutting down for Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

If tomorrow goes like last year, work will be excruciatingly slow. To remedy this, we managers have decided to get a couple growlers and to treat ourselves and our employees to more than a few drinks. Drinking on the job is definitely a perk at T.M. Tiffany is even having her husband drop her off so she doesn't have to worry about driving home inebriated. 

Tomorrow night, Mom, Dad, Ams and I are having a "private family" Thanksgiving.

Thursday night is Thanksgiving with Dad's side of the family in New Carlisle.

And Friday night is Thanksgiving with Mom's side in Dayton.

Three consecutive gut-busting dinners.

"I'll be so bloated this weekend," I told Tiffany.

I've gained more than a few pounds. Time to curb that.

It's 6:50 and I'm going home.

Good night.

the 73rd week

these took up most of my saturday

Monday. I worked 6:30-2:30 and went to The Anchor after work. Brandon and Jake came over for a bit, and when they left they were replaced by Amos and Brandy. Mo came over, too, and we made Doritos nachos with Velveeta, provolone, pepperonis and banana peppers (per Ams' request). Mo brought pumpkin liquor, and we mixed it with cheap Russian vodka. We crowded Blake's room and watched The Walking Dead. People started filtering out, and Mo, Isaac and I watched "Drunk History."

Tuesday. I worked 6:30-2:30 and finally got all my Worker's Comp from the incident in July of '11 finalized. I went to The Anchor for a while, and I finally got my FAFSA filled out for Grad School next year. The evening was spent hanging with Amos & Clover and playing MW3. 

Wednesday. Mandy K. surprised me at work. I was shocked and overjoyed to see her. A nice surprise, tit for tat. I took an extended break to catch up with her, and after work I met up with her at C.C.U. and she came back to my place, and we spent some more time catching up before she jetted downtown to grab dinner with an old friend. I spent the evening watching duck documentaries with John at the Loth House, and later in the evening Brandy, Ams, and Amos joined us, and we played video games and messed around with Clover till 'bout midnight. Isaac is crashing with Blake and me for a bit: he got robbed outside his apartment in Cheviot, and though he got away, the dicks may be looking for some payback.

Thursday. I worked 7:30-3:00, and Mandy K came in to see me one last time before continuing her journey westward. I packed for the weekend, and Mo, Ams and I got Skyline for dinner. The three of us hung out for a while back at the house, and I jetted north (after a pit-stop by the Loth House) to watch Mom & Dad's house and to take care of Sky for the weekend. The first time back home in months.

Friday. My Friday off went as follows: breakfast burritos from Mcdonald's, shopping at 1/2 Price, a trip to the library, reading about colonial New England at the Centerville Starbucks, dicking around with Sky, and watching movies: all the X-Men movies, plus Battlefield Los Angeles. Dinner was some damned good baked chicken paired with D.L.M. pine club pasta and gourmet olives stuffed with feta, bleu cheese, and almonds.

Saturday. I spent the morning watching Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto", and I went to Starbucks to read up on the colonial south. Mo came up, and we got dinner at Gyro Palace--their lamb gyros make me go weak in the knees--and saw the movie "Lincoln." We couldn't make the first show because it was all sold out. And why? Because the theater decided to give "Lincoln" one screen while the new Twilight movie got four. Ridiculous, it really is.

Sunday. Breakfast was pan-fried bacon, eggs sunny side up, and brick pancakes (I really fucked them up). Before heading home (or, rather, to The Anchor), I gave Sky a bath, but accidentally used food nutrients instead of dog shampoo, and so she's all oily. "Classic mix-up," I told Mom. After The Anchor I picked up some Rally's for dinner, and I spent the evening watching Psych and hanging out with Blake and Isaac.

the 74th week

the olive bar of my dreams

Monday. Yesterday was Veteran's Day, but most people took today off work, so we were damned slow. And Tammy brought us all a book to read! I went to The Anchor after work, and then Amos, Brandon, and Jake came over to participate in Tammy's present. Isaac joined us before Brandon and Jake left. Mo came over, and Brandy brought cheese, and we made Doritos nachos with velvetta, provolone, and pepperonis and bell peppers (per Ams' request). Mo brought pumpkin liquor, and we mixed it with cheap Russian vodka. We crowded Blake's room and watched The Walking Dead. People filtered out, and Mo, Isaac & I watched "Drunk History."

Tuesday. I worked 6:30-2:30, finally got my Worker's Comp figured out, and got some new books in the mail. I went to The Anchor and then hurried home to get my FAFSA filled out. The evening was spent at Amos' playing MW3 and wrestling with Clover.

Wednesday. Mandy K. surprised me at work, on the hunt for coffee. I was shocked and overjoyed to see her. A nice surprise, tit for tat! I took an extended break to catch up with her, and after work I met up with her at C.C.U. and we went back to my place and hung out for a while. It was great to catch up, and she had to leave too soon. Ams came over for a bit, and then she and Brandy went to an orchestra downtown. I spent the evening hanging out with John at the Loth House, and Brandy, Ams, and Amos joined us around midnight. Isaac is crashing with Blake and me for a bit: he got robbed outside his apartment in Cheviot, and though he got away, the dicks may be looking for some retribution.

Thursday. I worked 7:30-3:00, and Mandy K. came in one last time to see me before heading to Indianapolis for the Missionary Convention. I packed for the weekend in Dayton and Mo came over to see me for a bit. We got dinner at Skyline Chili with Ams, and then back at my place I asked her to be my girlfriend and she said Yes. I ran by the Loth House to pick up some goodies from Amos and then jetted up to Dayton: haven't been home in close to two months!

Friday. My Friday off work and house-sitting at my parents was spent as follows: breakfast from McDonald's, shopping at 1/2 Price, a trip to the library, dickin' around with Skyler, and watching movies: all the X-Men movies plus Battlefield L.A. I baked some damned good chicken for dinner and paired it with D.L.M. pine club pasta and gourmet olives stuffed with feta, bleu cheese, and almonds.

Saturday. I woke early and got coffee from the Centerville S'Bux, enjoyed some breakfast burritos, and watched Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto". I went back to Starbucks to do some reading with an iced soy caramel macchiato. Mo got here around 4:00, and we got dinner at Gyro Palace and saw the movie "Lincoln." We cuddled on the sofa, drank some beer, and I fell asleep as she scratched my head and talked genetics. "You're like a pup," she said.

Sunday. Breakfast consisted of pan-fried bacon, eggs sunny side up, and brick pancakes (I really fucked them up). I gave Sky a bath but accidentally used food nutrients instead of dog shampoo, and now she's all oily. "Classic mix-up," I told Mom. After The Anchor back in Cincinnati, I picked up some Rally's for dinner and spent the evening watching Psych and hanging out with Blake & Isaac. 

a 45-minute post

It's Thursday afternoon, 3:53 PM. 
I don't know how that's relevant.
Especially when you can just read the post's tag.

Isaac had a gun pulled on him Tuesday night. He stepped outside to smoke a quick cigarette, and six guys in masks emerged from the shadows and pulled a gun on him. Isaac stood there smoking his cigarette, rolled his eyes. They demanded his car keys, and he handed them over to them. Then they handed them back, told him he had do drive them somewhere. He said they could take his car, but he wasn't going to drive them anywhere. The masked man in the gun asked, "Do you want to get shot?" to which Isaac replied, "Do you want to shoot me?" They forced him into his apartment, and as they were ascending the steps, Isaac shouted for his roommate to call the cops. The thugs panicked, tossed him around a bit in the stairwell, took his phone and cigarettes and dashed out of there. The police showed up, searched the area, rounded up three suspects. The cops took him to Wal-Greens where the suspects were waiting to be identified, but Isaac couldn't identify them: these men weren't wearing masks, but they had been during the jump. 

"Not to sound racist," I said, "but were they black?"

Isaac laughed. "They all were. Except for one."

It was a question not of stereotypes but demographic probabilities.

Equally feasible was the gang being all white.

(there's a lot of white trash in Cheviot)

On Wednesday I got a text from the Wisconsinite: "Watcha doin?"'

Working, of course, I told her. She knows I work all mornings.

She said, "I NEED coffee! Can you help?!"

I told her that if she was downtown she certainly could.

I said it in a teasing manner, of course she was in 15 hours away.

I go on break, sit in the office for a bit, then get a text: "Is this Mumford & Sons?"

I could hear it over Pandora. Philip Phillips, the American Idol guy.

I almost texted her, "No, it's Philip Phillips," then it hit me.

I ducked out of the office and into the cafe, gave a look around.

And there she was!

It was so good to see her, to catch up. It really made my day. She stopped into see me on Thursday as well, before heading off to the Missionary Convention. I hadn't seen her in, geez, a year and a month, and didn't expect to see her for another year at the least. And thinking about it today, it really does confirm that she's a true friend. Not that I ever doubted it, of course. But there are friends you grow apart from and don't talk to anymore, and then you just fade out of each other's lives, and the friendship can be interpreted as circumstantial. But then there are friends you don't see for a year, or two years, or more, and they make the effort to see you face-to-face, to hear your voice, to find out how you're doing with genuine interest. Those are the best kinds of friendships, and I have few of them. Thankfully there are those, like Mandy K., who--despite the distance--will always love me, and never forget me; and when our paths cross again, there's reunion, a rekindling. Two such friends will be here in December, Rob and Mandy, and I look forward to seeing both of them SO much.

Now, regarding Philip Phillips.

He has a new song, I don't know the name, but it's pretty good.

I like it. Even John admitted the same, albeit sheepishly.

And the song really does have a Mumford & Sons feel to it.

I looked it up: it's called "Home." 

the 72nd week

Monday. Work. Was. Chaos. If there was ever a skeleton crew, today was it (that's for you, Ams). Ana called off because she was sick, so being the only other person trained to do her job, I had to switch to doing Food Prep. But that left a vacuum behind the counter that only Tiffany could fill. We were supposed to go to Serv Safe later this week, but since Tiffany lost a day of baking, that's been pushed back. End result: I've got Wednesday off work since all the shifts were filled anticipating our absence. Adding to the cluster-fuck was the US Foods order not getting to the store until 10:30 (four hours late), ad thus we had to unload the order amidst the lunch rush. I was thankful to get off work (albeit late), and I went to The Anchor before spending the night in watching Eastbound & Down and The Walking Dead with the usual crew: John and Brandy, Amos, Isaac, Andy, Blake, Ams and me. And Blayne, too. I keep forgetting he's there, he's so damned quiet.

Election Day. I worked 6:30-2:30, and then Ams joined me for my daily Anchor trip. She went out to dinner with Josh and I spent the evening hanging out with Mo. We got Rally's for dinner, and then Ams came over and we all watched the election unfolding. Obama won it, albeit by a hair. 

Wednesday. Sapping the day for all its worth, I did all those things I said I would do: two trips to The Anchor, Dusmesh and MW3 with Amos, and watching "Gattica" with Mo. (I didn't end up getting to hang out with Brandy). Also of note: started the application for Grad School. "Master of Arts in American History." 

Thursday. Work was a decent hop, and after a trip to The Anchor I hit up downtown for Date Night with Blake. We grabbed dinner and beers at Rock Bottom, cruised up to T.M. for drinks, and then saw the Damien Jurado show in the basement of the Taft Theater. The show was pretty great. Mo was there with some of her friends, funny how friend groups connect sometimes. At least her friends have good tastes: from what I hear, Damien stole the show. 

Friday. After work I jetted to The Anchor to do some reading before kicking off the weekend with Wendy's for dinner and an unofficial Tazza Mia party at the Loth House. Brandon, Sarah, and Jake showed up. Emily couldn't make it. Mo tagged along with me. John and Brandy were there, of course, and Amos, too. We played some drinking games and made Amos run the train. He was pretty much set for the night after that. Blake and Andy showed up, and of course with Andy's presence things got out of control. Brandy subdued us with coloring books and word puzzles. Just like we're children. Josh and Isaac came over, and as the evening wore on my body wore out, so I returned home to spend some time unwinding with Blake and Mo before going to bed. 

Saturday. I slept in and then joined up with Amos for lunch at Dusmesh. We spent the afternoon playing MW3, and Blake came to join us and we hiked over to The Anchor. I drank coffee and they had dinner. The rest of my evening was spent back at the Loth House. John and Brandy came home after a day of tire and grocery shopping, so we dined on Doritos and donuts and watched football and played NBA Jam. Andy came over and drank some moonshine, so after two shots he was pretty messed up. I got tired early and headed out around 10:00. Home by 10:30 (Clifton traffic was a mess) and in bed by 11:00. That's how I do it. 

Sunday. I went to The Anchor when I woke up, ran some errands, and enjoyed City Barbecue with Blake, Andy, and Ams. Barbecue, it turns out, is a native american invention: the natives of the Caribbean were the first to really perfect it. The afternoon was spent watching football, and I went to The Anchor yet again before rounding out the night with crackers, cottage cheese, and reading. High living right here.

one last sloth...

It's 10:35 and I promised myself no bedtime until 11:00.
So I've got 25 minutes to wind down.
And I'm going to do it here.

The house is quiet, except for City of Colour coming through my IPOD. Blake's over at the Loth House, and I'm not sure what time he'll be back. This weekend's been so crazily busy, so hectic, but it's been good. Tomorrow I'm hoping to spend the evening doing absolutely nothing: after a trip to The Anchor and lunch at City BBQ, I'm hoping to spend a considerable amount of time consolidating notes I've been taking regarding colonization of the Americas in the 17th century. Monday gives birth to what will undoubtedly be another week full of its little surprises and chaos, but at least it's a short one for me: this next weekend I'll be in Dayton, watching the house and keeping Sky company while Mom & Dad go to a race or go on vacation, I'm not really sure which. The time away from the city should be therapeutic: doubtless there will be many trips to Starbucks, perhaps a rendezvous with Tyler, and I'm looking forward to turning on the fireplace and letting the living room get toasty while I lose myself in a book.

Twenty minutes to go.

We'll get through it, we really will. 

You will, too.

So sorry about all the sloths as of late. I've been on a "sloth binge", if you will, but the time for purging has come. Or, at least, it's come for this blog: I'm vowing no more sloths, at least for a while, and thus I'm tabling a series of posts cataloging the cutest baby sloth videos on Youtube. 

Wait. No.

You have to watch this one:

(it's a yawning baby sloth!)

So. Damned. Adorable.
Okay, done with the sloths. Promise.
Also, it's 11:00.
Because I got lost in some City and Colour.
Good night.

can't get enough of this guy

I saw my first baby sloth video earlier this week.

And it's pretty much changed my life.

Sloths are officially one of my favorite animals.

So. Damned. Cute.

Okay, tabling sloths for the moment.

It's Friday evening and I'm at (you guessed it!) The Anchor. This week's been rough with Anchor visits this week: every single day that kid yelling "Hi" has been here. Blake knows how awful it is. And so does Ams, since she went to The Anchor with me one day this week. "God, he's so annoying." It's true. But I've developed a solution: earphones. Whenever he's here, I just strike up Itunes. Yesterday was Local Natives. Today the kid isn't here, maybe run over by a car or something (this is Covington), so I haven't had the need to listen to anything.

I hope I don't come across as heartless.

I don't wish him to be run over by a car or anything.

He's a cute kid, so long as he doesn't talk.

Blake and I went on a date last night: beer and food at Rock Bottom (Blake didn't finish his beer, he couldn't handle it) and caramel apple ciders from T.M. ("It's so nice having free coffee whenever I'm downtown, even if the place is closed." Being Asst. Store Manager has its privileges). We sipped our ciders on a romantic walk through the maze at Fountain Square, and we went into the basement of the Taft Theater (the Ball Room, they call it) for a wondrous solo show by Damien Jurado. His "Greatest Hits" tour (if there is such a thing): a collection of songs from Maraqopa as well as, at least, "Ohio" and "Sheets." Also, Damien is pretty hilarious. Mo was there with some of her friends, so she scuttled over beside me and we watched Jurado rock it out. The sound system was better than what we had at The Basement in Nashville, though Damien seemed to be irritated with it. Also, he said he loves playing in Ohio (a recurring theme with artists, I've found) because we Ohioans seem to take his music at a more personal level. "I write a song in the four walls of my bedroom," he said, "and it comes to Ohio and becomes meaningful." 

Tonight should be pretty great: Mo and I are getting dinner and then heading over to the Loth House for an evening hanging out with the Tazza Mia mates. Brandon and Sarah will definitely be there, maybe Jake, maybe Emily. It's 5:14 and I should probably be heading out of here (want to get in a quick shower before tonight's festivities), but I leave you with this (and, no, it's not related to sloths):

Economics is definitely not my thing.

I've been trying to wrap my head around mercantilism for the past couple days.

It's the economic thought lying behind Britain's unsavory treatment of her colonies.

I know the gist of it quite well, but I want to really know it so the pieces fall together.

That's the best part about history: putting together the puzzle.

My goal for this weekend: "come to terms" with mercantilism. 

This weekend's going to fly by.

Yeah, that was pretty anticlimactic. So, fine, here's a picture of not-your-ordinary sloth. A prehistoric sloth, to be exact, which sported a height three times that of a full-grown adult human. To put it to scale here (farthest on the right):

This begs the question,
"Why the hell is Sid so small in the movie Ice Age?!"

THE SLOTHS ARE COMING

11/7/12

smug bastard

Due to a mix-up at work, I had today off (trust me, don't ask; Blake can tell you why). I haven't had a day off in the middle of the week since I worked at Starbucks. Though there was that one time I threw my back out while lifting a little tub of dressing... Regardless, I've been sapping today for all its worth.

I stayed up till 2:30 AM last night!

I went to The Anchor this morning!

Amos and I did Dusmesh buffet for lunch, then played some MW3!

I went to The Anchor again!

And that's where I am now, with two more things on the agenda:

   (1) Hanging out with Brandy Rae Galloway!

   (2) Hanging out with Mo! And maybe watching Gattaca!

        (it's about genetics)

I'm sorry if all the exclamation marks come off as obnoxious!!!

Ams, Mo and I watched the election unfold last night. We turned on the space heater and bundled up in my bed and spread my laptop out on the pillow. State by state we watched the electoral college roll in its votes. Romney had the map covered with red, but his lack of attention to the swing states in the final days lost him the big ones, not least Ohio, where the race was neck in neck. By 11:30 Obama was declared the winner of the electoral college (though popular vote put Romney in the lead, though a full popular vote count gave Obama just under a three million lead). Come morning, of course, Facebook was ripe with all that silly banter, people moving to Canada, the world burning down, the usual. I'd like to think that if the world crumbles it won't be because of the American president but because of December 21, 2012. The Mayans seem to have their finger on a trigger of some sort...

Tomorrow should be excellent: I work 7:30-3:00, and then Blake, Andy, Ams, and I (and maybe Amos) are going to the Damien Jurado show at the Taft Theater. The set list for his previous shows on this tour looks phenomenal: the whole Maraqopa album, plus Sheets, Ohio, and Arkansas. And at least some of us will be getting dinner (and perhaps drinks) at Rock Bottom Brewery prior to the show. My little "information exchange" with Blake worked out quite well. 

election day '12

Sid the Sloth says,
"I am soooo ripped right now."

the 71st week

Clover, the Loth House's new addition

Monday. James & I opened, and after work I went to The Anchor to do some reading before gathering back at the house for the usual Monday Night shenanigans. We watched The Walking Dead, this episode focusing on Michonne, Andrea, and the reemergence of Merle and the introduction to The Governor. I have a feeling the two groups will meet soon, and it won't be the sort of meeting you like. John, Brandy & Blayne headed out, and the rest of us cooped up in Blake's room and watched the "horror" movie Wrong Turn. You know, 'cause Halloween's Wednesday. Hurricane Sandy's bearing down on the east coast at the moment. Manhattan's cut off and much of downtown New York City is flooded. Mass exoduses inland. It's crazy.

Tuesday. The temperature plummeted overnight and I found my car caked with ice come morning. Gah, I hope this winter isn't brutal. Another winter like the last one, which felt like a harsh autumn most of the time, wouldn't be bad. I worked 6:30-2:30 and went to The Anchor. Fusian Sushi finally opened next door to T.M., and I treated myself to an eel roll while watching "30 Rock." Mo came over for a while. She did homework and I watched a documentary on prehistoric reptiles predating the dinosaurs.  The night was so cold and rainy, I cranked up my space heater and put on pajamas by 8:00 and spent the rest of the evening indoors. 

Halloween. I didn't go in until 11:00, to do inventory with Brandon after the close, and so I slept in and then went to The Anchor to read about the various British campaigns of 1755 in the as-yet-undeclared French & American War. I dressed up as a Starbucks employee for work--wearing the required shirt and pants, though not shoes (because my only black shoes have holes in them), and I donned the classic green apron. My apron is with Carly or Jessica, or was close to a year ago; so Tiffany brought her husband's old apron for me to wear. There's a pic of it posted on Halloween. Brandon & I stayed late to do some detail cleaning, and then I picked up some Chipotle--two dollar burritos if you were in costume!--and made the cold, wet, dark drive home to find the house empty: Blakey at work and Andy had apparently spent the day moving his stuff out. Damn. The Claypole House withers, and I'll be there in its last days. We're going to have one more big-ass party before we move out. We have to, it'd be improper not to have one. I wanted to spend the evening watching "30 Rock," but our internet went out again (it's a recurring, and frustrating, theme, the kind of frustration that makes you curse). Ams came over after work, and we huddled in my room and talked for a while.

Thursday. I worked 7:30-3:00 doing F.P. Our salad bar cooler was tripped last night so I had to recreate the salad bar from scratch. Add onto this the food order not arriving until 10:30 and the usual craziness, and it was a frustrating day. I love being expected to both set up a salad bar in its entirety and run a shift, all while being short-staffed and facing obstacle after obstacle. It gets frustrating, indeed, but a bright spot to the day: last month's sales were the best in Tazza Mia history, all thanks to the fantastic team we've got at 600. After work I went to The Anchor and read up on the French & Indian War, and then I grabbed Wendy's for dinner and hiked over to the Loth House for an evening of video games and grilled chicken with John, Brandy, and Amos.

Friday. Sarah and I opened together, and Jake was sick so we were down a person, lunch was unusually busy, and I was so ready to get out, even if it was an hour later than usual. I forewent going to The Anchor to move all my stuff from upstairs into the "A Room" (first Amos had it, then Jessie had it for a bit, and then Amos had it again before giving it up to Ams who gave it up to Andy. And now I, Anthony, am in it). After a fiasco with the bed-frame (it's European, that's why I had trouble with it) and a solid hour or two I had my room essentially put together. Blake and I met up with Mo at The Anchor, and then we all headed back to the house to find Isaac half-drunk on the front porch. We let him in and an evening of vodka shots, kraken rum, and witches' brew spiced wine. Cook it in a cauldron and it's that much better. We watched Youtube videos about baby sloths and learned the gangnam style dance, which somehow led to me waddling around like a penguin with my eyes rolled up into the back of my head so that I looked possessed.

Saturday. Gas station coffee in the dreary early morning took the edge off from last night's antics, and Amos and I dined at Dusmesh and then returned to his place to play some MW3 and hang out with John. I spent the afternoon cleaning around the house and putting some finishing touches on the room. Blake and I went to The Anchor for a hot minute, and then Ams came over to the house and we watched "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter." Mo and I went over to Brandon's loft on Walnut for an evening of Jameson Irish whiskey, la Harmonia hermosa, and some of Brandon's AMAZING "grandma-recipe" apple dumplings. Seriously: OMG.

Sunday. McDonald's for breakfast and a subsequent nap were to be had before Ams came over. We hung out for a good while, just catching up and watching Youtube videos. I went to The Anchor to do some reading, and then I went to the Loth House for an evening of Call of Duty, football, and Magic Hat beers. They got a new dog, Clover, a pit bull and boxer mutt, whose ears were cut off early to make her look menacing. End result: she looks damned cute. It's close to 11:30 now. I've showered, had my night cap cigarette, and I'm perched up in bed with the space heater going and a cup of chamomile tea bedside. I'm thinking next week will be good: the Damien Jurado show Thursday and (hopefully) the movie Lincoln sometime this weekend. 

Good night, World.

a 68 minute post

I'm sitting across from Blake at The Anchor. We're drinking coffee and on our computers, and I can't tear my eyes from his phoenix tattoo. The meaning behind it is that he had a childhood bird that died in a house fire. There's a kid behind us who won't stop saying "Hi!" And then people say Hi back and he gets excited and starts yelling, "Hi! Hi! Hi! HI!", and the people just keep saying Hi back and I'm wondering why they're encouraging this. 

Election Day is Tuesday.

It'll be interesting to see who wins the election.

Each day it seems Obama and Romney are neck & neck.

I think I'm going to watch it unfold Tuesday night.

Maybe order Dusmesh or something.

The skies are dark and murky, scattered rains that fall with little pace. The grass withers and the trees stand naked, the last leaves quivering and fragile, a hare's breath to break them. Cold November Rains. I think that'd be a good book title. Hmm, what American Revolution battles were fought in November? There's the fall of Fort Washington during the battle of New York and Tarleton's victory against the Carolina partisans in the Battle of Blackstock Farm. 

Banastre Tarleton at Cowpens (not Blackstock's Farm)

The kid's still saying Hi.

Some people are laughing.

I don't know why, it's not really that funny.

And his parents seem to think this is socially acceptable?

Andy moved out this week, and Blake and I only have a month or two before we pack up and ship out. We're looking at a couple places in Norwood. The house is definitely quieter now, and I spend most evenings alone (since Blake works). I don't mind it: I enjoy quiet evenings by the space heater, sipping hot tea and reading early American colonial history. It's just that those days of Summer 2011 are so far gone. Those were amazing days with a house full of people: Rob & Mandy, Blake, Amos, me and Ams. And a constant train of people in and out, most notably John and Brandy, Isaac, and Andy (all of whom I still talk to). Rob & Mandy are in Portland, Tony & Jessie are in Illinois, Amos is in Over the Rhine and Ams is with Chris & Sarah and Andy's back home... I miss those House Days, the crazy parties we'd have, the constant antics. I was a different person back then, in so many ways. But we're all in a constant state of flux, myself most of all it seems.

The waitress, Linda, just came by and refilled our coffee.

I know many of the waitresses by name.

I'm friends with one of them on Facebook.

"Everyone who works here looks like they've had such hard lives," Blake quipped.

Hi. Hi. Hi. Hot damn, kid.

I've been lost in history as of late. I've been going over colonial American history, paying special attention to the native American role in the development of North America. It's fascinating, it really is. I may start throwing together some essays on various subjects. It's a facet of writing that really serves to hammer in the information. When you're forced to regurgitate what you've been reading, things make a lot more sense, and you're able to see the interconnections of various events. I've been looking into getting my Master's degree in History, the thing is figuring out how that's any more practical of just walking around with a B.S. in Biblical Studies. I've got a couple universities of interest, I'm going to call a couple next week to get some questions answered. The main question, of course: "How can I get a better job with this degree?"

Sloths are officially one of my favorite animals.

And baby pandas, especially when they're going down slides.

Oh, and monkeys who ride baby pigs.

But the most bad-ass of all is the bald eagle.

Videos to come. 

Blake & I are going to the Damien Jurado show at Taft Theater this week. Thursday evening. I'm pretty stoked about it. I'll probably go downtown early, grab dinner at Rock Bottom, some coffee from T.M. (they'll be closed, but that's never stopped me before), and then make our way to the Theater. Or something like that. Or none of that. Really, I should talk to Blake about it and hammer out the details. I could do that now, he's sitting across from me... Maybe in the car? I'll forget. 

Blake, if I've forgotten to ask, what do you think of that idea?

I have Rock Bottom gift cards. 

And I could pay tip and cover some of your food.

Let me know.

K bye.

a new month dawns

"You know what's crazy?" Tiffany said. "Thanksgiving is only three weeks away."
Yeah. That's pretty crazy.

Hurricane Sandy's beaten the East Coast to death. I looked at pictures of the destruction today. It's unimaginable. New York City thought itself immune to these weather freak-shows, but the drowning of Manhattan seems to have put an end to such thinking. With the storm over, and the cold seeping in, Romney and Obama have resumed their antics, going at it with renewed vigor. Election Day is less than a week away. 

Today I wondered what it'd be like if there were another American Civil War.

Where would the new battles be fought? How would they be fought?

It's an interesting story idea. Not one I wish to write.

But I damned well hope someone will. 

Life has been complicated as of late. There are lots of things to report, but I'm so tentative to do so. I used to be public about everything on this blog, but that's changing. Even the weekly recaps leave a lot out. Some things are just better kept private, or at least concealed only to those directly involved. All this to say I find myself conflicted as to what to do in at least one more area of life (not knowing what to do seems to be a recurrent theme in this koala life of mine). I'm praying for wisdom and trying not to let clouded thinking affect my judgments.

Lately I've been getting lost in history. When I was in high school I owned so many history books, but I got rid of them at 1/2 Price because I believed that to be a good Christian I could only read theology. Such legalistic thinking has been, and may continue to be, the Death of Me. My foolish antics thus deprived myself of a vast library that I wish I could recollect. But I've got more books on those subjects, different ones I haven't yet read, and I've been slowly plowing through them. I've been studying, as of late, the French and Indian War. It's fascinating, it really is, part of the first truly world war (and launched largely by Washington's own misfortunes). It's nice to be getting back into history, the stories, the events, the way history echoes into the current day. Everything can be relevant, in some way, shape, or form; and discovering the relevant of cryptic, half-buried events only makes the studying that more exciting. 

Yes, I just called studying exciting.

I miss school, and hope to remedy that soon.