Chihuahua for "Let's Go Hawks!"

SUNDAY May 24

Ugly-ass Hawks game. They didn’t even win most of the fights near the end of that misadventure. I managed to golf a bunch. Alex walked with me for a few holes and reminded me not to be sad about the Hawks. His buddy Luke came over and I did a shitload of yard work. Kind of understand the Old Man more now that I do shit in a yard. It’s peaceful work. It’s a world that you can control.


MONDAY May 25

Kim and Alex split town I re-worked ending of MOI (got rid of some of the weird Hubble shit and it felt like the right thing to do). Worked on new song…last song for Kish (?) - - Natchez


TUESDAY May 26

Getting used to the new digs @ hhe. NO ROCK CUZ OD IS GETTING A SUNBURN IN MANCHESTER…we may be changing the name of the band to Manchester Sunburn in honor of Joe being sunburned in a town where people go to hang themselves in the rain. The boy had his first game with the DK Park District Scrappers tonight. They only got an inning or so in but Alex hit kid pitching. Believe me, that is not easy. Kids in the Pinto League bounce a majority of their pitches or throw ‘em over the batters head. The kid for the other team was throwing strikes and Alex reached out and got a good poke on one. Good boy.


WED May 27

Hawks season ends in an overtime thriller/heartbreaker. It’s not a total heartbreaker to a Johnny Come Lately like yours truly, but man when the Wings got the OT goal it was stunning. The Detroit fans were going nuts. The boy and I just sat for a minute on the couch in silence. The best moment of the game was Kaner’s goal to time in the 3rd. Alex and I were jumping around and Cookie barked her head off. I’m sure it was Chihuahua for “Let’s Go Hawks!”


THURSDAY May 28

Guitar lessons and getting the kids’ summer schedule going…re-reworked the end of MOI and I think I’m on the right track.


FRIDAY May 29

Property taxes taken care of….golfed 7 holes and then family movie night. We got in two episodes of the Next Generation…or should I say Alex and I did. Mom was pooped from Brooks’ Track and Field Day.


SATURDAY May 30

Bills, bills, bills. Sorry for Corky but excited about Castro coming to the SOX. Finally, a catcher who will rule for the people! And, even though I called him a stupid g-Bushy look-alike, I am getting geeked up about the possibility of Roy Oswalt coming to the SOX. Depending on what they have to give up it could work out great. I love the way the SOX operate, not wanting to dump that extra money and guarantee the last year of the Pussy Peavy deal but trying to generate interest around the team. Part of that thing is public relations, and honestly, some of the Oswalt talk might be PR too, but Kenny is still putting his ass on the line and will pull the trigger on a deal if the other side doesn’t blink. More on this later.

From Memphis to Mobile, From Natchez to St. Joe

We Can Always Get away is a fine song but listening to it along side all the other “finished” or almost finished tracks (I guess that’s why I used the suspicion quotes) - - but out of all the stuff we’ve done for Kish it is the weakest thing and it is in a part of the record where we can least afford a weak track.

Presumably that’s everywhere in a 10 song record or any record…

What was I talking about?

Oh, so here’s what might replace it.

More later

We Can Always Get Away might resurface on Small Town Famous. We will see


Natchez

Saturday morning at the DFR
You and I still fighting who and…
Where we are

Huffin’ and puffin’
And calling you out
Don’t believe it was me that called you

Huffin’ and puffin’
And calling you out
Don’t believe it was me that called you
To come on down

Huffin’ and puffin’
And talking out loud
Can’t believe it was me who called you
King of the proud

I’m gonna fly
Right over you
I’m gonna fly
Right over you
I’m gonna fly
From Memphis to Mobile
I’m gonna fly
From Natchez to St. Joe
I’m gonna fly
Right over you
From Memphis to Mobile
From Natchez to St. Joe
From Memphis to Mobile

Much Love for This Life May 17 to May 23

As I spend my writing time pounding out the last draft of the last sections of MOI, the blog might be a sort of weekly wrap up for awhile…

No great loss right?


SUDAY MAY 17

Alex’s Holy Communion and it was great to see Cousin Mike & his crew, our parents, Old Dog & Steener, John & Janine, the family Swaff along with all the other well-wishers @ our place. There are some cool pics of the boy dressed like a killer on the fb page and I may try to bring them over here at some point.


MONDAY MAY 18

Found out that the rpr dept may be moving as early as the end of this week which could also mean as late as later this year. Guitar lessons and took Alex to get his special gift from mom and I celebrating yesterday’s important event.


TUESDAY MAY 19

D & I went to LnL and knocked out Two for the Stoned. I redid the main vocal and there may be one part I want to revisit in light of how exciting Dev’s guitar makes the end of that song. I don’t think my vocal intensity matches it. More on this later. JH kept us informed on the Hawks overtime while D & I were cloistered away in Larry’s basement. NOT THAT YOU SICK BASTARDS!


WED MAY 20

After Tuesday’s big meeting at work and late night in Elgin I decided to play hooky and spent most of Wednesday golfing at Prairie Pines and South Pointe. Went to Alex’s school for the Author’s Tea and watched the boy participate in the Reader’s Theater. He also read his story, The Diver to me and I was sufficiently blown away. Maybe he is the real writer in the family.


THURSDAY MAY 21

More training for our new repair guy was postponed. He went over and ran shipping for the day. Looks like we will be moving out of the SB room on Friday. Alex and I went golfing together and life doesn’t get better than that.



FRIDAY MAY 22

Goodbye Baron DeKalb. My days of relying on the wisdom imparted by the mural of our town’s namesake are over. Shane, Heather & I moved into our new room. I think I will at least be able to get enough sun to stave off lack-of-sun-depression (not an accepted diagnosis).


SATURDAY MAY 23

Bills, helped my mom with her computer, golfed, cut grass, kicked back on the sun filled deck and had a beer with the dog, then took Alex to the Cougars game, saw a fireworks display yielding a fire serious enough to delay running the bases after the game. Once the fire was under control the boy and I ran the bases and got home super late. There was one point during the rock ‘n roll fireworks show when I put my arm around the boy. He said, “These bombs are so loud they are drowning out Led Zeppelin!” It was at that moment that I felt life was good and sufficiently mine. Great week.

Falcon and the Shit Hawk

Ok Michael Vick. You've paid your debt to society. Just remember, Cookie is watching you like a shit hawk.

...a shit hawk

The Land of Blood Everything

Long day. Managed to cut part of the yard and even moved the trampoline to take care of the mess under that damned thing. Golfed nine holes and the wind helped me. I could over swing at will and manage to get knocked back on the course.

Helped Kim buy a bunch of stuff for Alex’s 1st Holy Communion get together tomorrow…we are thrilled for our child. This is just another way he is becoming like us.

- A flesh eater and a blood drinker

Met the coach for Alex’s new baseball team. Coach Dennis and Finn even stopped by to say “Hey.” Alex says he’s like Joe Crede now that he’s playing for another team.

They better not play Air Supply during his first AB or someone is gonna be all out of love with a foot up their ass.

Sorry.

In honor of the upcoming Pinto League season and as a salute to the Old Dog as he prepares for his trip to the land of blood everything…let’s all enjoy this.

Hell Hath No Fury

...like a bunch of lawyers scorned

In these crazy times actually got some good news at work.

Spring Sing last night. The cruelty shared with one Mr. JH via text message helped me diffuse some of the cuteness. I am a sick bastard and that’s that.

I guess folks didn’t need the internet to figure that out.

I want to tell the world at large to leave Karl Rove alone and allow him to slink into history’s dustbin with his “the math”…Sad thing really. Piss off a bunch of lawyers and what to you get? Litigation up the ass. So imaginative legal beagles. PuhLease.

That’s about as original as the plan my friend and Karl and I cooked up during the whole Blago argle bargle

…or was it a foooferaugh?

Who am I crappin? I’m glad we ate the peaches we intended to whip at the Governor’s Mansion.

English 2 English

No rock practice but I worked on my golf game and cranked out another MOI final draft page.

There were two reasons we did not have practice. Dev had a shitload of work…and my boy needed help working on his reading comprehension. We read a story about a surprise birthday brunch, read and answered the questions together. We went out and played X-Men and he threw 20 good pitches to the old man.

Tonight is 1st Communion retreat at Newman (I gotta bring 2 bags of ice) and Thursday is Spring Sing at Brooks (I gotta find my ticket for that thing)

Booked Larry’s for more D overdubs next Tuesday. No way we can do a regular practice because OD will be packing up and getting ready to hop the pond by the 19th.

Hope he packs his English to English Dictionary.

Mother's Day After

Thanks and much love to the Family Swaff for hosting the 1st Annual Mother’s Day Wiffleball Game. Finn, Alex and I kicked the moms’ asses! Sorry ladies…

Work seemed like it lasted 5 fucking minutes today. Jeez Mondays can be busy. Guess that is a good thing.

Is it wrong that I hope the WhiteSOX play just below .500 up to the trade deadline this summer? I cheer for them every game, I don’t sit there and want them to lose tonight against Cleveland…but if the cumulative effect of games from the first ½ of the 2009 season leads them to be sellers rather than buyers, let’s say I won’t be sad.

Am I a bad fan? Probably. On the bright side, I’ve been called worse things.

Golfed 5 holes and took out my frustrations for breaking my 3 hole punch.

Saturday Alex, Cookie and I spread out on the couches in the living room and stayed up late for Hawks/Canucks Game 5. Will we receive a special dispensation from Mom for Game 6? We will see.

Weak Week

This is a lame attempt at playing catch-up for its own sake.

Wha?

Why?

Monday was dentist day for daddy and let’s just say it is the first of many to come. My mouth is more of a problem than most people think. Now that’s amazing.

Tuesday Chris, OD and I put together most of Three to Get Money and I can’t wait to let Dev loose all over the beginning of that song. Did that sound dirty? I don’t care.

Wed I took a half day for more MOI research, IDKIB research and golf. I was a little sick too and actually plopped on the boy’s bed and hung out w/ Cookie for awhile. Is it possible someone as simple as me needs rest from the vicissitudes of life?

It is possible.

More guitar students on Thursday, family movie night on Friday…helping my mom with her computer early Saturday then Nigerian dinner and early Mother’s Day Celebration with Kim and her P’s late Saturday afternoon.

Phew.

Dr. Boomstick

…or, how I stopped worrying and learned to love my hook.

Three years of trying to hit the ball right down the center of the fairway have been a waste of my fucking time. That’s bad because my time is useless as it is. But anytime I make the slightest mistake with my swing the ball hooks left.

If there is anything about me that is worth a damn….I can only make a mistake so many times before I say (usually out loud) “Fuck this. I ain’t doing this shit again.”

I tried a lot of stuff…leaving the driver in the bag, spiking the tee higher or lower, doing all sorts of weird swishy stuff with my hips and my arms (not as bad as Barkley’s swing but bad enough)

But beginning with my 2nd round on Saturday (Kim and Alex were in the OF so I had tons of free fucking time) I brought out the driver and swung that stick as hard as I could…aiming it at the right side of the course.

Sure I hooked, but the hook landed right in the middle of the fairway and with distance. It worked on every long hole I played Sat. Played another 9 on Sunday and similar results on the long holes. Played three long ones tonight and no disasters. Cranked as hard as I could and never lost a ball.

I plan to try my new approach to some strange courses soon enough but for now I am pretty happy.

Watching the mad, weird genius Zak Greinke work his whack-ass madness against my beloved SOX.

I wish that bastard would go off the meds. Boy he’s good.

What Champions Do

#56 after a tough start settles down and faces some of the toughest bats in the league. Scottie Podz, getting in the head of a dumbass Ranger hurler who balks, awarding him 2nd – setting the stage for the game winning run - - - - and Gentleman Jermaine Dye, older and wiser with enough heard and hustle to track down a ball that seemed destined to drop in for a hit.

I don’t know why I’m surprised these SOX continue to give it their all night in and night out…after all, that is what champions do.