John Adams

“Popularity was never my mistress, nor was I ever or shall I ever be a popular man … But one thing I know: a man must be sensible of the errors of the people and upon his guard against them and must run the risk of their displeasure sometimes or he will never do them any good in the long run.”

-- John Adams

[Source: Ron Chernow, “Alexander Hamilton”]

Wednesday Morning

It is still raining this morning, not as hard but quite steadily.

The cats have not been too bad these past couple of rains. None of them are yowling all night. Of course, they will be inside for at least another couple of nights, so it may get worse.

Weather

I have been comfortable enough in shorts this morning, but I find myself wondering if the day if going to get warmer, or is it going to actually get cooler. I may have to grab those sweatpants, after all.

Little Victories

Alright! The trash man put our bin down with the lid closed. I do not have to run out in the rain to take care of it. Rock and roll, baby, rock and roll!

Dean Martin

Mr. Tosches digs deep into the history of Dino’s family, on the emigration from Italy to the hard working milltowns in the heart of America, to a humble, hardworking life. It was not all that his father had hoped for, but as his own father had told him long ago, “Dream in one hand, shit in the other, and see which hand is filled.”

[Source: Nick Tosches, “Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams” (p. 11)]

Microwave Oven

Today got a little botched up for me. The fallout from the microwave oven breaking down on us last night. We were lucky enough that the BX was willing to let us simply switch out for a new oven, but that also meant that I would be spending a good part of the day helping Pop take the oven there and getting the new one in play. I got some Kentucky Fried Chicken out of it, though. But you know how I feel about being knocked off my daily routine. It stresses me out and I feel like my day is ruined.

Sweatjacket

And now I break out the sweatjacket. I forgot what it looked like. I threw out my old ones last year and got a new one. I kind of liked the old red one and yellow one, kind of cottony. This one is a slippery, shimmery thing, but it does have a hood and it works.

* * *

Whoa, I just noticed that this jacket still has the price tag dangling on it. I thought I might have two new ones, because I am sure I did some walking last winter (before my foot started bothering me) with a new jacket, and I am sure it did not still have a tag swinging about on it.

The Diceman

Andrew Dice clay has a book out, and we have an excerpt on the dishy episode with Nora Dunn and "Saturday Night Live" back in the 90s, which he says snowballed into wrecking his motion-picture debut and whacked his career.

( Read more... )

The Phones

Providence favors me with a big break. Pop apparently felt like fiddling with his phones, and as a consequence, he left out the instruction manual. I had looked for it before without any luck. I think I got a handle on adjusting the volume of the ringer. Pop enjoyed having the technological advantage on me, setting the volume at maximum levels, knowing that I couldn't do anything about it. But those days are over. I just wish he didn't see me as the enemy, but I guess it doesn't help that I just live off him and bring no money in on my own.