[ * 11 March to 18 June - 2004 * ]

[ * 19 June - 16 September - 2004 * ]

** CLICK thumbnails for larger image, which open in new browser window for convenience

* J A N U A R Y *

13 January 2004 / Tuesday - Hang in there another day or so -- I have not been very inspired lately!

16 January 2004 / Friday - It is now 4 degrees outside, with wind chills of -14 -- now let me see, what has happened since New Years?

I had a dumb upper respiratory infection for a couple weeks -- was totally miserable -- some details in last years YES -- I am basically over it, except for a sniffle every now and then, and my eyes actually cry when I am out in the cold, but that has always happened.

My study before the Holidays was the same as usual -- 2 desks facing each other, covered with stuff, and my ever handy bulletin board on the adjacent wall -- this is the same cork board which I have had since my teen years, and some of the things attached to it have been on there just as long! -- -- A couple gifts from years past sit on the narrow window ledge, as does the Kardas coat of arms which Evelio made for me -- on the right my science fair exhibitor thingy is still where it was in my teen years! The temperature monitor shows the study and kitchen temperatures, the kitchen is always lower -- the computer printouts under the Santa are my Beanie and toy inventories dated 1998 -- they have not been updated since then, sort of officially announcing the end of the Beanie craze! On my birthday the wall was filled with Christmas cards -- -- and on a shelf above my computer desk I had my icon of Saint Nicholas and a couple kewl glass sculptures of a snowman and an ice skating penguin staring down at me -- -- I may get together a page dedicated to my favorite animals, the walrus, hedgehog and my latest addition, the penguin, which is sort of related to the Linux computer operating system-- problem is, some of the examples are in a display case in my study in Tenerife and those pics will have to wait.

On the Monday, the5th, a cold and rainy day, I had a dentist appointment to remove the couple teeth I still have left, and stayed up the night before to wrap a pile of eBay stuff to send out to my happy winners after some delay due to my cold, hoping to get to the post office before the dentist -- I started out at noon, and near the post office, at the entrance of a school for the deaf, some idiot two cars in front of me stopped and started backing up to the entrance of the school -- the car in front of me also backed up and stopped -- I immediately applied the breaks and, due to the wet road conditions, simply slid and hit the car in front from the rear -- NO windshield glass broken on either car -- I popped his trunk and bent his rear fender -- he works for the NJ Department of the Treasury and was driving a state car -- my front fender, grill, front end and lights were damaged, and the left front wheel was rubbing against something, but both cars were in working condition, mine less than the other one -- after spending at least a rainy, cold hour with the police and their report, coughing and shivering all the time, I managed to get to the post office to mail the stuff. I had already missed the dentist appointment and called later that day to reschedule for the 26th. I had not been in an accident for many years and was amazed that this should have happened -- the car that backed up simply drove into the school property and disappeared -- and I do not see them even mentioned on the police report. So there is a court date scheduled for next month and I have absolutely no clue as to what to expect.

The next day, Tuesday, 6 January, I went to my old place in west Trenton to check out the Festiva, which I would have to use when the Jeep went for repairs -- I had not used it since I got the Jeep -- Bernar was home all week, which was a surprise, and he looked at the Jeep and kicked it a couple times to get the front wheel from rubbing against the whatever. I used the kewl battery starter thingy I have to start the Festiva, but 2 tires were flat and the car was dirty from sitting under the trees all those months, so I used a portable inflator plugged into my battery starter to inflate the tires -- apparently the rear right wheel was locked, probably due to the brake pads having rusted to the whatever they are attached to -- I would have to return the next day to get the thing running. I then took the Jeep to the place not far from the apartment to get an estimate for the insurance company, which they just happen to be an authorized repair center for! I left it there and walked the cold, blustery 10 frigid minutes back home.

On Wednesday I called Bernar and asked if he could pick me up to get the Festiva -- I was sort of surprised to find that he would, in a couple hours. We first stopped at the Jeep repair place so I could retrieve the handicapped placard from the windshield -- it was almost darkish when we arrived in West Trenton, and I drove the Festiva, back wheel still locked, up to the side of the house to wash it -- my hands were frozen when I finished! I asked him what I could do to get the wheel unstuck -- he suggested the same thing I thought of, that all-around agent, WD-40 -- so I sprayed the rear wheel on the underside with the stuff, drove the car to the back paved driveway and ran it back and forth a couple times, and it was released! Menos mal! Now a return to the apartment to warm up and back to bed, which I have seen a lot of lately due to my cold. The days between then and my birthday, the 14th, were spent inside trying to keep warm, with not a lot of activity. I did get a new battery for the Festiva to replace the one that was probably at least 6 years old -- another $87 to subtract from my always dwindling finances!

Devi still seems sort of strange -- it is just old age, I guess, and I let her out of the kitchen and give her a plate of food all for herself in the bathroom -- -- where she also has a litter box -- she does have quite an appetite, and purrrrrrs happily when I pick her up in my study -- she likes sleeping in a large box that I keep my shredded paper in, and occasionally she is on my lap or computer table finding a comfy spot to snooze.

On Thursday, 14 January, my birthday, it snowed and everything was covered with a couple inches of fluffy white stuff -- I got two packages -- one sent Priority and postmarked 23 December from Alaska, from Eloise -- -- a kewl long sleeve Alaska shirt, a Tok (Alaska) decal and a neato small vial of gold flakes from the Alaska gold fields! The other was from Marion in Florida -- -- a cute alligator pencil holder and a colorful Sealife Spinner, which is now happily spinning away above the air purifier in my study, where the Christmas cards are hanging! I also received over two dozen email greetings from as far away as Horacio, in Tenerife, which was kewl, and very appreciated -- Thanks, everyone, for remembering!

As you can see, the Festiva is now parked beside the apartment with sale signs on it in English and Spanish -- -- it is nice to have as a spare, but since I rarely use it, it is sort of stupid to have to keep paying the insurance, although if and when it is gone I will miss that fabulous car which has served me well over the years! I have it at $450, which the guy at the garage said is a good price for a car to get one around in.

I also got a somewhat surprise call from the repair shop -- my Jeep was done! So I walked through the snow to pick it up -- I had them do 2 extra things on it for me -- replace 2 pieces of side stripping that were missing, simply because I like things as they should be -- and to replace the inside heating/cooling fan, which stopped working over a year ago, which makes the car overly hot inside when the weather is warm, and excessively frigid when it is cold out. The accident repairs cost the insurance company over $1,600, with a $100 deductible which I had to pay, so my total cost came to $315, including the extra stuff.

Yesterday, the 15th, I went through the snow in the Jeep to Sam'm Club -- the roads were sort of OK-- I needed paper towels and cat litter, and when I got to the bakery section, this almost 7 pound butter cream iced birthday cake kept screaming at me to take it home with me -- -- so I did! No words or anything on it, but why bother -- I don't like having to eat words!

I then casually stopped at the nearby Borders and found, reduced, the DVDs that I had been searching for, Firefly -- -- a kewl science fiction TV series, which may or may not be renewed -- so that was my own personal birthday gift, and is added to the pile of DVDs I got for Christmas -- now all I have to do is find the time to watch them all! I recently discovered that I can hook my laptop up to a TV monitor, but need the cable, so when I do see the movies they will be excitingly large enough, with TV sound, to make them extra interesting! They are also kewl on my TiBook, but it is only a relatively smallish screen and I have to use the earphones to capture the sound as loud as I like it.

Oh, yes, and I needed a 1994 pocket agenda/diary, which I usually get weeks sooner, so I stopped off at a mall and nobody had any -- until I was about to leave, totally dismayed, and I noticed a smallish place that had all kinds of calendars at $4 each, so as a last resort I went in -- they had a single copy of exactly what I was looking for, in leather, and it was originally priced at $14 but it was only $3!! When I got home I tried to remember everything that happened since the year began and wrote the stuff in my new book! That is the only way I can ever sort of keep track of things.

In summing up, it has been a somewhat mixed start to the new year -- I still do not have the back taxes, but have to do something really fast in the coming days or the city will auction the 2 properties right from under me!

Oh, yes squared -- I added my latest recipe to my Crock Pot page -- Christmas Leg of Faux Reindeer -- check it out -- it was really yummy, what I could eat of it!

19 January 2004 / Monday - It is the early afternoon and only 28 degrees outside -- everything is covered with ice! I wanted to take the Jeep to buy some food, but almost slipped on the ice -- so forget about it!

Horacio sent me a really kewl pic of the Queen Mary 2 docked at the port in Tenerife on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic to Fort Lauderdale, Florida from Southampton, UK -- -- it is the largest ocean liner ever built, and seems hormongous! -- -- Please do not ask me why I am not in Tenerife enjoying myself and the always warmish temperature! WAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Before I forget it, there are now only about 2 large slices of my birthday cake left! And I did not leave even crumbs for the cats! It did not fit in the fridge, so I put it in the entrance stairway, which is not heated and gets at least as cold as the refrigerator!

24 January 2004 / Saturday - I have never met more dipshits than I have in the past week or so! For some reason, several peeps have called and come over to look at my two properties -- and the Festiva -- ALL foreigners! A dude from the Dominican Republic to look at the place across the street -- one from Haiti to look at the shop -- a couple from Colombia and the Dominican Republic to check out the car -- they would be sending it to their country -- one did not like the stick shift, and the other complained there was no air conditioning, and naturally they all want it cheaper! If I did not buy the new battery for it about a week ago I might think of selling the Festiva for $400, but I paid $87 for the freekin battery, installed, and am NOT giving a perfectly good car away -- I was lucky to have it when the Jeep was in the shop, and it still runs extremely well. If I could clean out the garages here, I would keep it safely stashed in the garage -- it had been sitting in West Trenton, and Bernar mentions every so often that it is taking up room!

Dipshit #1 -- Luis, from the Dominican Republic looked at the place across the street, twice -- liked it a lot, naturally! Knows I am ONLY selling it via a simple transfer of title -- NO realtors, NO commissions, NO lawyers (except mine to draw up the 2 pages of the title transfer -- which I could do myself, but he has been doing this for me when I got the places and sold two others, and he is kewl. So Luis calls me just about every day -- we went over everything that he calls about, at length -- does the heating work? He was freekin in the place twice, once with a pal, and KNOWS it works! Will I take everything out -- he knows I shall take what I want and leave the rest, which is normal.

Then comes Mega Dipshit #2 -- Fred, from Haiti -- went through the shop and apartment twice, once bringing a pal who was constantly on his cell phone (which has a built in camera -- he had to show me some nude female pics his pals sent him on the phone -- it also gets short email messages! OK, he is kewl -- I guess). Fred was seemingly very enthused about the place -- what a deal I was giving him, and nobody ever treated him so nice in such an important matter, plus loads of other shit, bla bla bla! He had to mention how neat I treated him, a black man -- oh, come on already -- I treat everybody nice -- unless they are complete ass holes -- and rarely ever look at skin color! Anyway, he said he would be back with a minimal deposit, and after a couple hours he retured with 5k -- we signed my simply contract, witnessed by his ever-cell phoning pal -- I gave them both a bottle of vintage wine to take with them -- my usual attention to little personal details!

I start calculating how much of the moola I would have to spend on back taxes, which would leave me just about nothing! Anyway, the next day I went to City Hall and paid about 2/3 of my back taxes with what I had in the bank -- and still owe quite a bit -- I discovered that a bank and some company had already bought the tax liens, but my payment paid off the liens, which was kewl. Anyway, Fred returns that night -- surprise -- he says that his hypothetical wife and his lawyer did not like my way of doing things, and he never mentioned it to his theoretical wife before he decided to go ahead with the deal -- and he wants his money back! Luckily I did not spend any of it, and as he waited at the door in the freezing cold, I went up, got his fuckin' money, and returned it to him -- he started with, well, who knows if he might still want it later on, bla bla bla -- and I told him, in my usual undiplomatic way, If you do not have the balls to decide something for yourself, then completely forget about it -- I did not want to see him again, and simply shut the door while he kept rattling on with his never-ending bullshit! It later occured to me that I should have taken $100 out of the 5k for all the hours of my time I spent with him, plus the two bottles of wine! If there is a next time, I shall do it differently!

Surprise #2 -- he called last night -- says he talked it over with his ever hypothetical wife and she told him OK -- I find it very strange that he only wanted the transfer in HIS name when I asked if his wife's name should be on the contract -- he continued to feed me crap about how wonderful a person I am, bla bla bla -- and that he would be over on Monday with the deposit again -- I told him quite clearly that this time if he changes his mind, he can also forget about the entire deposit! I HATE FLAKES -- and although his enthusiasm to buy the place seemed real enough, at this point in time he is just another of the flakes who I always seem to find somehow! I SEEM TO BE A FLAKE MAGNET this year -- maybe it has to do with the Chinese Year of The Monkey -- in any case, it is way too much monkey business for me already! Maybe if I never pick up the phone and become totally reclusive, it might help?

Oh, how lovely -- it is snowing again, and this weekend we are supposed to get another couple inches! It is 12 degrees out, and the temperatures do not seem to go above freezing, so the snow and ice from my birthday are still out there!

The door bell just rang -- a youngish dude, Francisco, from Costa Rica wants to look at the Festiva -- he likes it -- pulles out $450, I get the title paper, give him an extra key -- the car somehow goes to Costa Rica on Monday, as does he, but he returns next month -- I gave him a bottle of wine as an added attraction. DAMN! I love that car and miss it already! One less insurance to pay, which is kewl. It is now almost 11h and it is still 12 degrees outside! I hope the hell he doesn't come back and want a refund for some reason! GAWD! Another phone call asking about the Festiva -- did I sell it too cheap? Oh, yes, and I gave the guy an alarm system that I got for the Festiva at Sam's Club a long time ago -- he said he knows how to install it.

GAWD! Somebody else rang the bell -- this is my third YES update today! Who was it this time? Luis! (Dipshit #1) I specifically told him to call me BEFORE he might come over again! OK, that pal is with him again -- they come upstairs, and pal starts talking -- now he says he represents Luis as his real estate agent and gives me his card! huhhhhhh?? I did not contract a real estate agency to sell the place for me -- matter of fact 10 years ago I did contract that same agency, Weidel, to sell the same place, and that was when I was living in it and it looked a LOT better inside and out than it does now! They did not do shit -- not a single person to even look at the place in over 6 months, so I did not renew the contract. Now this overfed realty dude thinks he is going to weasel his way into a strictly private deal?? As soon as he gave me his card, I quite forcefully TOLD HIM TO LEAVE! And he kept blabbering away about his standard percentage (there is NO standard percentage commission -- it is always negotiable, even though around here it tends to be about 3%), how he can assure that Luis gets a loan, yada yada yada! I almost had to shove the fat pig down the stairs and out the door, and he kept yapping all the way out! Luis did not quite know what to say, as if the realtor would let him anyway -- his "pal" assumed that he was in charge of any deal, and I, several times, told him to get lost! These guys are like vultures -- on his business card he has -- Weidel Million Dollar Club 2003 -- well, it did not impress me in the least -- he dresses like a slob (unlike the ostentaceous photo on his business card, in which he wears a suit and tie) and drives a jalopy -- so much for his million dollar sales record! He did look over my short, nine brief paragraph, contract and said that 40 days was not enough to remove all of my things -- which Marion, in Florida, also told me -- without any outside help, it could take me forever to move, and I sure as hell am not going to pay somebody to do it for me! I sort of feel sorry for Luis -- he really does not have a clue and was just looking for outside orientation of some kind -- well, he got it, but from a weasel!

I have bought and sold several properties over the last 40 years, both in Europe and here in the USA, and they were only handshake deals -- a simple personal verbal or very brief written contract, money often in monthly payments, from one human hand to another, NO intermediaries, NO commissions, NO bullshit -- money in the paw, NO mortgages, NO interest, just basically an eventual transfer of ownership, which is what I am also trying to do now -- the realtors do not like it, the lawyers do not like it, and I do not give a flying fuck what they like or dislike -- to me it is the same conceptual thing as selling a bag of potato chips -- I sell the chips, if you have the money, you can buy and eat the chips! End of story! Fatso kept repeating that I do not really want to sell the place -- he could NOT be more wrong, but after dickering about the price, as any potential buyer always seems to (with one notable exception, the house I had on Lamberton Street, across from the new Baseball stadium -- the lady looked at my completely restored Victorian home, was absolutely thrilled with it, asked me what I wanted for it, and on the spot, said OK and wrote me out a check -- no discount for the grapes in the back that I had eaten that season, or the fewer sheets on the roll of toilet tissue that would be there when she moved in!), I think it is MY turn to dictate HOW the transaction will be handled, not them. At this rate I shall never sell the damn two properties, which also means that I will not have to kill myself getting all of the stuff I want out of them and then finding a new place to put it all and live -- which probably means that I am stuck here in what is billed as the 5th hotest real estate market in the USA until I croak! Incidently, I am really an easy going, trusting person -- but you should have seen me really go off on that realtor dude IN SPANISH -- I really thoroughly enjoyed the practice -- I usually only speak Spanish with the cats! And YES, I am definitely anti-establishment -- this means that simpler is always better, as long as people know what they are getting into and agree to the terms -- there is NO need for excessive administrative or commercial interference, which only enriches some so-called professional who may or may not be a member of some million dollar club, and adds cost to whatever -- a 3% commission of my reduced selling price of 55k = $1,650, which could mean updating my computer, getting a decent scanner, paying my utilitity bills for about half a year, or perhaps paying about 3 quarters on my excessive property taxes -- and I should unwillingly just give it to somebody else for some service I did not even ask for or really need? Am I being naive, un-American or what?

28 January 2004 / Wednesday - It snowed again! Lucky us! Last night I put an old electric puppy warmer thing in the cat box in the kitchen, where the temperature falls a lot at night, and all the kittys are huddled near the warmer -- not a big surprise!

OK, so let me update the Mega Dipshit #2 saga -- Fred called me Monday to say he was on his way with the agreed on deposit and he sounded upbeat -- this time he shows up with a new pal, the relatively quiet type, who he introduced as his backer. So backer tells me that he would have to get a bank mortgage and that he does not like my contract -- I mentioned that the entire thing with Fred was sort of weird and keeps getting stranger, and, totally tactlessly, said that even the wife thing was extremely unusual -- at which Fred started fumbling with his wallet, when I told him that it had occurred to me to ask to see a photo of his wife, but told him not to bother at this point -- maybe I should have called his bluff? I also mentioned that he was very lucky that I gave him his original deposit back without deducting for my time and bottles of wine.

At this point the backer chimes in that he has the deposit in his pocket, in cash, and he could bring me the balance in $CASH$ the next day for the place -- no mortgages and no extra paperwork and all -- the slight new detail was, he now quoted an amount that was 30k BELOW what Fred agreed to! I assume that he thought my eyes would light up and I would be thrilled to death with his cheapass proposal?? Well, my eyes did light up, literally, and I asked them both to leave! Maybe I missed it, but is there a best-selling book on the New York Times Best Seller List titled, How To Impress Real Estate Sellers and Save Piles of Money?? This is becoming really annoying already.

That same day I faxed my real estate lawyer a copy of my simple contract, asking his advice -- I would have driven there, but the roads were treacherous with all the snow and ice -- he already does know how I like to do things -- I received a reply within the hour -- in part, he wrote, Depending on how badly you want to sell the place, you might consider that things would move a lot faster if you used the standard documents. NO SHIT SHERLOCK! Lawyers always like standard documents, and I can get them at any office supply store. Hey, I have had the places for well over 20 years, I bought them basically on a handshake, and YES, I would like to be free of them to go on to other simpler and more interesting things and not have all the enormous expense associated with them, but perhaps the badly part is not bad enough, yet? Who knows -- maybe I will change my conditions of sale, somewhat, if there is another interested buyer, and see how it progresses from there -- it certainly cannot be any worse than the experience with these creeps. I have always been able to adjust to changing circumstances in the past and have never been totally inflexable -- and in the end, it always worked out somehow.

* F E B U A R Y *

1 February 2004 / Sunday - It is still cold here -- it may have stimulated me to start a new web page on penguins -- -- the cute little critters. I have a lot more pinguino pics to take yet, so check back every so often.

The SuperBowl is over -- not that I would have watched it if I had a TV, but it seems that the real highlight of the game was not the win by the Patriots, but a certain musical duo that caused quite a stir -- here are some links, and, with any luck, they may still be there a couple days from now -- link1 -- link2 -- link3 -- movie -- but just in case the links are taken down, here are two screen shots I found -- screen1 -- screen2 -- hey, and the music on that movie clip was good too!

Oh, yes, and I do not want to leave my female readers without their thrill of the SuperBowl -- it was a somewhat different way to advertise an online investment link -- do only unsightly overweight males streak across a field with tens of thousands of sports fans watching? Why not Michael Jackson or Timberlake? -- screen3 -- he was tackled by that football player, who apparently was more athletic than the streaker -- some peeps really get carried away with their stunts! -- screen4

4 February 2004 / Wednesday - Last night, as we had a weird thunder storm, I crawled into bed early, like before 23h -- I was very tired and have not gone to bed that early in years! So as I get the pillow organized I discovered that they were wet -- how weird, the two cats in the bedroom have never done anything like that before. OK, so I scream at them and they hid under the bed -- I then do the best I can with wet pillows, and after a short while feel something dripping on my head -- hmmmmmm, so I turn on the light and look at the ceiling -- it was leaking! HOLY SHIT! I paid through the nose a couple years ago to have a rubber roof put on, and they are supposed to last forever. Early this morning I called Antonio, the guy who did the downspout across the street, and he finally arrived about 17h to see what the problem was. I put my work boots on and climbed the ladder after him, a lot slower, though! I had not been up to the edge of the roof since the guy who did the roof started working on it, and that must have been some 8 years ago. Matter of fact, I was proud of myself for even attempting the 2 story climb! At the top, he and his pal gave me a hand to actually get onto the roof -- good thing --it might have taken me another 10 minutes to do it on my own!

Well, SURPRISE! The damn roofer only did the back part the roof and not the front, which is basically the same large size! And the rubber he put up was not totally heated before laying, so raised parts and cracks are appearing in the poorly done rubber on the back part -- all the front is still asphalt, and the layers that were attached to the sides of the walls have totally peeled away, exposing even the wood of the fuckin roof right at the wall line! I heard he died last year -- good thing -- I would have gone over there and killed the bastard!

No wonder the paint is falling off the ceiling in my study more or less in a straight line, and also in the bathroom -- the MFSOABin water is getting into the ceiling and following studs! DUH!

When I go up to the roof again, I hope to bring my camera and take a couple shots of the area just to show that I actually risked my freekin life to do what I always did years ago!

So now I have two options -- patch the exposed sides and cracks with rubber, or have the entire front part of the roof redone -- the estimate for the former is $900, and for the entire job, $2000 -- I would prefer getting the entire job done instead of just fixer-uppers -- problem is, as usual, I do not have a spare cent to my name! I could delay paying all my dumbass credit cards for a month or two, but then they tack on a $35 late fee -- and I still have 2 months of electricity and gas to pay, as well as a pile of back taxes on this place! This morning my brother suggested that I file for bankruptsy, which I have thought about for a couple years already, but I did not want to go that route -- plus the laywer would charge God knows what -- I have to do something and really fast, though!

Oh, yes, today I took another Jeep full of stuff to the hospital thrift shop, including the last of the comic books -- they had some of the others sitting on a table for $1 each, but the lady said that nobody is buying them -- she is the same one who was really excited about them BEFORE I brought the first batch, saying that the comic collector peeps would go wild over them!

8 February 2004 / Sunday - did you ever wonder how to do it? For an illustrated how-to guide, check out my new report about GETTING HIGH

Oh, YES, and before I forget -- either TigerGirl is just getting fat and globular or she is pregnant -- -- I guess I shall find out in the next week or so!

15 February 2004 / Sunday - Monday, the 9th I finally went to te dentist to get my remaining 3 teeth and 3 stumps removed from my lower jaw -- the appointment was for 15h, I got there earlier and had to wait until after 16h to get parked in the doc's cubicle -- the process of actual removal took less than 4 minutes, but my face and lips were so swollen afterwards I went to bed and when I got up a few hours later at least I could drink something and feel the cup! Eatig is somewhat more difficult, but the old upper partial plate helps a lot. Although they suggested waiting 4-6 weeks to get a reevaluation, I made an appointment for the 26th to hopefully speed up the process of getting something to be able to eat with!

Wednesday, the 11th, I called Allstate insurance to see what they have been doing with any claims the guy I hit may have given them -- they did not have a clue, and had no idea of even who I hit, had not been contacted by him, and I was transferred to about 5 different peeps, each supposedly taking down all the details -- I finally had to FAX one of their New Jersey offices the papers I had related to the accident (which they themselves should have had weeks ago!) -- they were great at quickly getting my Jeep back in working order and better than it was before the accident, but somehow their claims office seemed just a tad lax at getting the other data, which was sort of important because I had to appear in court later that afternoon about the traffic ticket!

So I found the sort of distant traffic court in Ewing Township, ahead of the 17:30 hearing -- the jolly, always smiling lady in front said I should have called them since I was pleading not guilty to the careless driving charges checked off on the ticket -- no, she could not do anything to change it then and there and arrange for a new hearing, I would have to call them on Friday, since they were closed the next day -- I asked what holiday it was, and she smiled and said she had no idea, she only knows they have the day off! (incidently, it was Lincoln's Birthday, but very few places closed for the occasion since the following Monday was the national holiday, President's Day!)

On Thursday the 12th I received a totally surprise package from Annette in Michigan, a belated birthday gift -- WOWSERS! What a box, chock filled with neato stuff -- 3 pair of winter outdoor socks, long johns (top and bottom), a pair of warm Perry Ellis black corderoy sweat pants, an insulated dark gray Columbia fleece sports jacket, and a package of some to-die-for Creamy Caramel Cups, which I had never even seen before at Sam's Club -- most of them are gobbled up at this writing! Thanks, Annette -- it was one of the few bright spots in my not that positive last couple weeks!

Friday, the 13th I called the Ewing court clerk's office at least a dozen times from 9h to 15h when they close, but always got a recorded message saying that she was not at her desk and that changing to an innocent plea requires that she answer the phone! So much for municipal services that work! I guess she must get paid for doing something or other?

All that day, Tiger Girl was acting sort of strange -- more vocal and snuggly than usual -- I felt her stomach and it was not really hard, as I usually note when they are a day or more to giving birth -- I could feel at least one or two spots which could be potential kittens, though. Yakshini kept hissing at her, so I removed the female Siamese from the bedroom and gave her the roam of the rest of the place, including my study, where she always wants to be on top of me and my desk, so I sometimes close the study door so I can do something on the puter, such as write this. Also, Yakshini has been heated up for the last couple weeks already -- Siamese can be that way -- I do not allow the male Sphynx with her because I do not want to have yet another batch of mixed kittens, as cute and cuddley as they always are, even though I always found homes for them through a friend.

I put a box with towel in the bottom about a week ago so that she could get used to it when the kittens arrived, but she refused to stay in it, always crawling under the bed covers, which seems normal for my cats -- I went in to check on her every so often -- then at 16:30h I found her just laying, relaxing in the litter box, somethng she never did before, so I picked her up to put her back on the bed -- SURPRISE! Apparently she thought that any action from her rear parts means that she had to use the litter box! Still attached, and sort of coated with litter was a single kitten, along with the placenta! He seemed somewhat larger than a usual teensy Sphynx newborn. In the over 35 years of breeding cats this had never happened before -- so I carefully picked her and the kitty up onto a towel on the bed -- cut the umbilical cord and discarded the leftovers, which, had she done this on the bed or in a box, she would have eaten -- the poor dark grayish kitten had litter particles all over it, so I got some gauze and washed what I could off. I really doubt that it could have even eaten in the state it was in, so I opened a can of cat formula and gave it a little -- after that it made its first squeeks and seemed to find mommy's fur covered teets easily enough, somehow. I thought of using a hair clipper to remove some of the hair covering her teets, but if the kitty can find what he is looking for, why bother.

I put the box on the bed, put her and her baby in it, and she seems content being there now. She seems to know basically what to do at this point, washing her baby and keeping it warm, but sometimes the poor kitty seems almost crushed by her relatively hormongous furry body. I checked out the baby but cannot tell if it is male or female -- I suspish it is male -- -- a seemingly solid medium-dark grayish color, what might be called blue, I guess -- at this point he seems well enough, despite his birthing ordeal -- top of head almost hairless, and with a somewhat fine fuzz on his body, in places slightly curly -- it will be a couple weeks before it shows just what kind of cat it might become, more of a Sphynx or just a mixed short hair variety -- the cold of this winter season would tend to produce more hair, as it always does with most of my Sphynx. What amazes me is that she only had a single kitten -- this has happened very rarely with my other cat's litters, and it is highly unlikely that she will have more from this breeding attempt, at this point. I am also sort of surprised that she even had any kittens because she was not particularly friendly with Kamiel, the male Sphynx, when she was with him. So with just a single kitty it threw all of Mendelevian genetic theory out the window! One in four kittys might have been Sphynx, but with only one, who knows what it will grow to be (if he survives). I attempted to allow Yakshini back in the bedroom to keep Tiger Girl company, but she still hisses at her -- she wishes it were her baby and is just probably jealous -- they got along together very well until now -- when the young one is a week or two older, she may get over her hissing and just settle back down -- maybe.

Oh, yes, and Antonio has not been back to put the cap on the chimney yet -- not a real problem, though, since it has not had a cover since I owned the place -- he will eventually get it there, I assume.

21 February 2004 / Saturday - Last Saturday I went to the garages to get something and found that some twit had left 4 heavy wooden pallets leaning against my small patio fence -- if I had a fire place I might have been able to use them, but ... I simply threw them into the street -- -- since they were not mine and I wanted nothing to do with them -- two days later I piled them across the street where the tobacco wholesaler usually has his trash -- they were probably his anyway -- and they are still sitting there!

Yakshini continues in heat and is inaguantable! When I allow her in my study she just jumps on the table and starts squirming all over the place and grunting sweetly -- in this pic the flash went off as she looked more or less normal -- -- and a split second later she had her feet in the air and was screeching -- maybe if I plug her tail in the FireWire port she might calm down?

The weather has been slightly warmer, but the nights are still frigid -- matter of fact I am almost shivering here at my computer table! Within the next few days I hope to put some flashing on the garage eves to stop the rain water from always flowing over, then prime and paint the entire garage again -- I also have to cut and replace two panels of the door -- no sweat! I already have the materials.

Next week, on Ash Wednesday, is the premiere of The Passion Of The Christ, the Mel Gibson movie that is causing such polemics, mostly, apparently, by those who have not even seen the advance showings! Yesterday I had a sudden flash of insight and called my brother asking him is he knew of a midnight preview at a movie theatre near him, and I would invite him and his entire clan to see it with me -- I really hate going to the movies by myself because then I cannot discuss it with anybody! I was not even sure there would be a midnight show -- he said the nearest movie is a half hour away -- not a major problem, since it takes me about 2 hours to get to his place anyway and I would not find the extra 30 minutes an unsurmountable task. BUT the next day he has an appointment for a spinal tap to attempt to find out why he has been getting weak spells over the last year or so -- several other tests suggested no obvious medical cause. So that meant that I might have to make other arrangements if I wanted to see the flick -- I called a place slightly south of me at the entrance of Trenton and they do not have a midnight preview -- I very rarely go to the movies -- the last two times were for midnight previews of the last two Star Wars movies, and at the same movie house I called.

What I find somewhat unusual is 1] that anyone would produce a major motion picture with such a deeply religious, violence filled and potentially provocative theme as is the last few hours of the life of Christ, 2] having textually authentic dialogue in Aramaic and Latin (with subtitles -- when I read subtitles I miss some of the freekin action on the screen!), and 3] that it should be hawked by certain evangelical Christian religious groups in such a blatently commercial way -- -- but then again, if such organizations did not promote such an independently produced Biblical film, who would? Disney? Sony? I doubt it!

I received the above folder in the mail -- the only thing FREE in it, or so it says, are some Passion Booklets (see page 2 for details) -- so on page 2 the details say that you get 100 small booklets free IF you order 1000 printed 5.5 x 8.5" cards (basically large index cards!) to send to your generous flock, costing $299 -- and if your church donations allow it, there are packages ranging from $1,395 to $3,295 which include numerous paper stock items, cards and booklets -- oye, they even offer large horizontal and vertical vinyl banners to hang all over the neighborhood! But, hey, I guess if He were crucified today they would have stalls selling t-shirts, key rings, drippingly patriotic flags, photos of the local public officials, nail and thorn souveniers, regional food, the money changers would be ready to accept foreign currency (and maybe even PayPal!) and the bars would be packed by rednecks watching it all on wide screen TV while some half naked gal shimmies up and down a pole on a stage! I sure as hell hope that Gibson makes some money from this historically accurate film epic, which I sort of suspish will be the case. I cannot wait to see the comments after its public release -- some analysts already suggest it may be the end of his career.

It is a sort of kewl way to kick off the pre-Easter season, Lent, though, and should remind us all, believers and non-believers alike, that Easter does not just mean a new holiday outfit, bunnies and colored eggs -- the latter two being pagan symbols of rebirth. The Passion was a real event, forever recorded in written history -- and remains the only basis for Catholicism, or Christianity, if you prefer that non-denominational nomenclature, an artifact of long past ego-fueled dogmatic splits from the ONE TRUE CHURCH founded by Christ, as humanly imperfect as it may be, or appear by some to be. AMEN.

Oh, yes, I got another interesting thing in the mail yesterday -- a large flat envelope -- DO NOT BEND! PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO ENCLOSED -- holy shit, I was breathless, my heart started pounding, I gasped for air! What an honor! So I carefully opened the thang and there it was -- the absolutely best color photo of Laura and George Bush that I have ever seen! He almost looks normal -- and what delightful mild smiles they both have -- she seems to be holding him up by the back of his belt, while his right hand is probably on her butt, thus that coy Mona Lisa smile??

But the surprise did not end there -- below the pic was a computer personalized message from our fearless leader himself -- at this point I could hardly hold back my emotions -- -- I laughed so hard I thought I was going to fall out of my chair! I then discovered that I had an early commitment -- so he is committing me to some nut house? I cannot wait -- it might be loads more fun than my hermit-like life over the last couple years! -- and I am a grassroots leader -- does he smoke the roots too -- did he inhale? The entire shebang then presents a laser-printed pair of signatures -- kewlio! Maybe I can get a buck or two for it on eBay? But wait, I can easily read Laura Bush -- beautiful penmanship, incidently-- but whose signature is Gju Bl?? It has been said that GW does not read even newspapers, but I do not recall anyone mentioning that he cannot write his own name -- nah, I am way too unpatriotic to even hint at such a thing!

Accompanying this absolutely stunning photo on good grade glossy computer stock was a two page letter/form, not even having a Crane's watermark, asking for a donation to Bush-Cheney '04, Inc. -- are they in the corporate business of buying the White House? Oh, I forgot, they did that about 4 years ago too -- did not his brother, Chad, help a little at the time -- I think it is a great way to promote the family values they always yap about when they they think it is useful, nicht wahr?

OK, all kidding aside, yesterday afternoon I rushed to Morrisville to the Dollar Store to pick out a fitting sumptuous gold washed wood frame for my new highly collectible personalized political artifact -- now I have to decide where to stand or hang it -- if any of my readers has a suggestion in this regard, please do not hesitate to email me. If I hang it in the kitchen it would probably get greasy and slippery -- it could constantly distract me above my computer desk in the study -- there is little room in the bathroom, and it could possibly obstruct my movements in that room -- I sleep poorly enough as it is to want to have it hanging in the bedroom. Since I may have to replace a cinder block or two on the garages, maybe I could seal it in a neato time capsule -- boy, oh boy, do I wish I could see the unbelieving excitement on the faces of those who might rediscover this gem 50 years from now!

What I might like to know is why I got one -- did everybody else in inner city Trenton get one too? When I registered to vote for the last election I did so as an Independent -- just to keep my options open -- I never thought they would be this open! Actually I sort of think it would be terrible if the old saying, like father, like son would be true -- if GW only has one term in office as his Dad did, who knows what a different president would be like! He could be a lot worse! They all promise the Moon and stars, but just try to drag it out of them somehow! Politics these days is about the same anywhere, with any office holder -- virtually meaningless sound bytes which may change slightly depending on the captive audience -- yet, somehow, things do tend to get better over time, somehow, despite who is in office and how they got there -- time, and more time -- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz -- maybe when we (or your grandchildren) wake up, things might have changed for the better?

25 February 2004 / Wednesday - On the 23rd I visited my brother at his old place in Glassboro -- the one he wants to sell -- he is still sorting through things to keep and get rid of -- he looks and apparently feels way better than he did the last time I saw him, and I wonder how his spinal tap turned out.

Although I did not mention it in my last report, when my brother told me they could not go with me to see The Passion, when I got back to Trenton I got 3 tickets for todays 22:30h show at the movie at the south end of Trenton, mentioned above -- -- I then called Bernar to invite him to come with me, and I would even invite him to dinner at the diner we always used to go to -- Evelio and I also went there a lot-- that seems like ages ago! Interesting he called me just now, 19:30h, and he apparently will come over to pick me up in about an hour, I guess. The third ticket I can give to someone waiting in line, since I know of no one else to ask. We shall see what happens.

26 February 2004 / Thursday - I jusr got back -- 0:58h -- Bernar had viel parmejon or however it is spelled, and I had a wonderful scallop dinner, which I love and have not had in a couple years, with soup, salad, and 2 glasses of red wine, he had beer -- we arrived at the movies about 9 minutes before starting time -- what amazed me was the virtually empty parking lot! The last two midnight previews of Star Wars movies I saw at the same place had NO parking spaces anywhere to be seen! Oh, well, maybe they walked here -- I told the girl at the desk that I had 1 ticket left over because I could not get anybody else to come with me, so she returned my $8, which was a complete surprise. OK, so we find our way to screen 8 -- walk in -- HOLY SHIT, there were only about 20 people in the entire seating area which would hold several hundred -- it was virtually empty! When seating myself I turned around and loudly said to those in the back, THIS IS IT?? Where is everybody? Nobody wants salvation these days?

Bernar sort of told me to shut up -- a few minutes went by, the usual dumb announcements and a trailer for some movie that will appear during the summer -- it was the name of some town, and it had to do with speed boat racing -- cannot remember the name -- then it started --

the scene was almost that which I painted when I was about 11 years old or so, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, which I gave to my favorite aunt, Aunt Anna, who had it framed (it was one of those paint-by-numbers kits -- I will not go through the entire film, but a few comments might be useful -- the subtitles were not like the old small distracting ones in the 60s in Europe, but then again the screen size has gotten way larger than they were in the old days -- the music was great, not overpowering -- I found myself leaning over to Bernar a few times and saying what the next biblical text line would be -- there were a couple details that I did not immediately recall but they came back to me when I viewed them -- the Jew who they forced to help Christ carry the cross -- that Jesus was brought out/presented to the crowds by Pilote more than once -- the filming was fabulously done, and the costumes and ambience was excellent --

I had no idea that Herod wore a wig or looked sort of like Ultra-Violet in drag! Caiphas was a pompous totally obnoxious ass trying to control and maintain his own power. Pilate was fed up with being stuck in a distant Roman outpost and having to contend with the local Jews or Palestinians or whatever you want to call them -- and his Ecce Homo was almost inaudible over the zelaous screams of the crowd instigated by the Sanhedran, just as in the videos of the anti-American crap in various parts of the world today is orchestrated by those against USA policy (or lack thereof), or the head scarf thing in France -- they all seemed to have their political power agendas to worry about instead of concentrating on TRUTH, so they took the route of least resistence in solving logistical problems -- nothing has really changed anywhere in the world since then (probably since prehistoric times!), and as I mentioned above, if the same thing would occur today there would be t-shirts, ad infinitum being sold to the bystanders! I did not think that the flogging and other scenes were overly violent nor exagerated, the same with the Roman guards and their jeers and actions (in the last few years we all have seen that and more on videotaped scenes from around the world, and even in the good old USA!) -- the devil seemed the only fleeting male homoerotic imagery in the film, even thougb a couple reviews I read said there seemed to be an obsession with them, even in the part of Jesus -- actually I though his brother, John, was more of a stud and we saw much less of his body!

I did not notice that the way Jewish concepts were presented would incite anti-semitism, as many critics have stated -- I do not think that I ever went to a movie AFTER having read the book, and found this flick VERY faithful to the Biblical text, which I was familiar enough with to remember most passages word for word. I heard nobody crying in the seats way behind me, and I did not shed a tear -- I do not think the movie would have converted anyone, but it DOES help to vividly illustrate the written accounts of the last hours of the historical personage which was Jesus, a little of his social milleau and something of the politics of the place and period in history. The flashbacks were kewl -- especially that of Jesus' triumphant wlecoming entrance into Jerulalem only a couple days before. I personally thought that the ending was a tad underdeveloped except to those who were somewhat familiar with the historical accounts. It did not present that door-to-door missionary / Hari Krisha / religious booklet selling form of obnoxious zealot proslytism which I find intrusive and always unwelcome -- if anything, it mentally activates, emotionally moves and spiritually enriches, rather than forcing its nonsolicited beliefs upon the viewer.

Bernar and I waited until the end of the credits to see where it was filmed -- Italy and somewhere else -- we were the last to leave the theatre and basically talked about the above on fhe way back to my apartment, after which he went straight home because he works tomorrow -- he did not even want to see Tiger Girl's baby!

Summing it up -- I am glad I went, and all those negative critics I have been reading for weeks already, many of them have their heads up their analytical asses! Although I do not think it will get any Academy Awards, it is an absolutely brilliant milestone in cinematography, done in a way that few others would even think of attempting it -- Gibson has balls and should be acclaimed for bucking the mindless cinematic trends of the last 20 years or more -- movies should not just be box office smash economic hits as virtual entertainment escapism from reality, past or present, but should also perhaps teach something, like the travelling morality plays of yore -- maybe if more pictures had some old fashioned ethical story line, entertaining in its own way, patently filled with that buzz word, family values, instead of the lust, perversions, greed and wonton violence which one sees even on TV and in the streets, the younger generations might not become immune to negativity, pain and suffering, and might be instilled with / inspired by some positive social values -- and just might make ideal citizens or even a great leader some day within a more positive society. Unfortunately I will not experience it in my lifetime!

* M A R C H *

9 March 2004 / Tuesday - I may not have mentioned it above, but the new kitten always seemed to breathe sort of weird -- it appeared very rapid, for some reason -- -- this pic was taken about 2 weeks ago -- she was a plump little gal, I think, and sort of liked getting picked up and crawling in my hand -- yesterday night when I went to bed I found her croaked in the box she was in with TigerGirl -- she died around midnight. I suspish that her birth in the litter box was the cause, having probably breathed in the dust and perhaps swallowed some of it. Death is always unpleasant, and in this case it sets back my breeding ideas another few months, at least. [sniff...]

I got my tax data to the accountant down the street, the same guy who has done it for many years -- was early this year for the first time in ages! On 2 March I woke up and there were no lights in the apartment -- I checked the mains in the basement and nothing worked -- called PSE&G and they said they shut it off because I did not pay the bill! So I asked them did they get the other two payments that I sent the same day -- YES -- OK, stupids, then why would I not pay the third one? (there are two meters on this place) DUH! Although I very rarely have things lost in the mail, apparently that check never arrived, nor was it cashed -- so they said to do an online payment and they would turn it on asap -- not a real problem, so I paid online and waited until the Sun went down for them to come over to turn it back on! Little glitches that make life interesting!

OK, so over about a two week period, two dudes, Luis and Jose, from Puerto Rico, who live in north New Jersey, came to look at my place across the street -- they liked it, even though it needs a lot of work, mostly cosmetic -- they liked my simple contract and signed it, but they got their own lawyer anyway -- naturally their lawyer wanted to do things the standard way, and slowed things down quite a bit. He wanted a survey done -- HOLY SHIT! The house has sat on the same piece of property for about 100 years -- it has not moved an inch -- so the survey cost the dudes $565 -- he wanted a title search, which is sort of normal -- I actually went twice in the last 5 months to the Recorder's Office and did my own title searches and it cost me nothing -- his cost, plus title insurance was $602.30 -- the advice they did not really want nor follow from their lawyer cost them $625, and we have to add to that half my property lawyer's fee, which was in my own contract! It also cost him $70 for a Recording Fee, which he could have done himself, and a $50 Notice of Settlement fee from his lawyer, which really amounted to a local phone call! Why do you think I am anti-establishment / anti-capitalism?? The lawyers do not do any of the paperwork, their paralegals do it for them -- they just get in their cars to go to a closing, the mileage, gas and time they deduct from their income taxes as business expenses, and just sit back and collect the fees! Oh, well, I tried to tell them, but they wanted their own guy for advice -- and paid through the nose for it!

OK, so closing was this morning -- half the balance in cash US$, and the other half in two cashier's checks, essentially bearer instruments, which, in theory, are as good as money in the hand. When I walked into my lawyer's office I greeted my buyers with a warm hand shake and spoke in Spanish -- their old lawyer got up and attempted to give me his hand and I just said hello, no hand shake. Maybe I was gross, but do not give a flying fuck! Anyway, after signing all the papers and all, I started counting the money and my lawyer said we could go across the street to his bank and they would use their machine to count it faster, so off we went in the rain -- what the hell, it would have taken me a while to do it myself, so why not. The bank manager was a very pleasant lady I knew from years ago at a branch I used to like to go to (it has closed since then, and the bank was taken over twice in the last couple years!) -- instead of a machine she counted it by hand, but way faster than I could have. Everything in order and I invited Jose and Luis to breakfast/lunch at the nearby small eatery -- I had not had anything to eat yet, and it was already past noon -- off we went.

-- I had never been to this place before, but the food was yummy -- when the bill arrived, Luis insisted on paying it -- he also left a couple slices of his pizza -- I took it with me and I had it for lunch the next day, and I rarely have lunch. They wanted to come over to see the shop and basement, which they did not look at before, but I wanted to go to the bank to get rid of the checks, so they decided to meet me back at my place. I went to my bank and wanted the 2 cashier's checks deposited as cash -- they refused! They could only be cashed at the bank they were issued from, or so they said -- OK, I was not going to stand there for hours discussing/screaming about what these checks are supposed to be, so I headed off to find one of the banks -- each check was made out to a different bank -- found one some distance from there -- the manager said he could not cash it because they were cash poor, what ever the fuck that means! The branch was in a poor, run down neighborhood, so maybe that was the reason. I asked him to call another branch to see if they could cash it for me, and he said the other check was for a bank that only has branches in the New York area -- oh, well, so much for bearer instruments! It took me at least 20 minutes to find the other branch he called, and after about another 20 minute wait, they did cash one of the checks for me. I then had to try to find my way back to my bank, which I eventually did -- the actual cash went into my account as cash, while the 2nd check would be probably deposited the next day (which really means within 48 hours, at least!). I headed back to the apartment at about 14h, and naturally, Luis and Jose did not wait for me. Interestingly, I wore a tie for probably the first time in at least 4 years -- -- and it was like a return to the good old days -- I like seeing myself in a tie! OK, so half the sale proceeds will go to -- paying off two of my remaining credit cards (after which I will still have 4 left!) -- the 1k I still owe on the roofing job (which Antonio has not yet finished entirely -- he still has the chimney cap to put on, and it has been a month already since he almost finished!) -- 1k on each of my 4 remaining credit cards this month -- finally pay Marion in Florida what I owe her for what she advanced me for my Paris/Tenerife trip over two years ago -- the current taxes due on the place I just sold and the one I am living in -- both are back due at this point. The other half will be in reserve for trying to find a new place to stash all my personal property (although an option is to try to stuff it all where I am living now), which might turn out to be a new residence if and when anybody comes along to buy where I am living now -- there are NO prospects for buyers at this point, although I do get at least 2 calls a week about it. I have until 4 May to totally vacate the property I sold and hand the new owners the keys -- which was in my own contract, naturally -- so now my headaches begin again! I simply need a sort of large place with garage/s and perhaps a smallish yard -- and it has to be cheap! I do not mind fixing a new place up, as long as it is more or less easily fixable. And it can be anywhere, I am not very particular -- I would prefer NOT using a realtor -- a person to person sale would probably work out better for various reasons. That is how I have always done it, anyway. Since I do not have anybody to help me move anything, that, in itself, is going to be another hormongous problem for me -- even if I am able to move most of my goodies to the first floor and basement where I am living now.

I may start a new YES page for my next update because this one has gotten way too long to load quickly -- it just took 70.632 seconds to load for me using my dial up modem!

Countdown to St. Patricks Day

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