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."