the only thing in a house that works is the owner...

so i bought this house. it was a foreclosure and needed some work. not the amount of work that some of the foreclosures i looked at needed, mostly cosmetic stuff. you know patch the walls and paint, clean up the yard and it'll be great!

well, that's what i thought at least. i could make a whole list of things the place needs, at least things that I want to do. for the first couple weeks i pressured myself to do as much as i could, and i did a lot. i would be here till 10:30 or so working on things after work and do it all over again the next day. i must have worked and worked on this place 50-60 hours a week for the first few weeks, and it was time well spent. i also blew through about $1600 without even thinking about it.

now i realize the only schedule i have is my own, and i am taking it a little easier, not to mention out of extra cash. i need to do things, fix the roof, but it will all happen in time. the one thing i won't do is let myself get sucked into the 15 year renovation plan like my father.

one thing i will fix is the central air. it konked out today and that really sucks. it's friggin hot.



i did get to see my dads today. i say "dads" because i have my paternal father and my step father. my mom has been re-married 18 years now, so larry has had a big part in my life. the obligatory trip to eddie's grill for footlongs, ice cream and people watching. it was a great time, then to lakeshore park to look at the classic cars.

i've decided i need to buy a toy, and think i'll move on an old MG i found that I could get for a steal.

fishing and a hangover

friday was the annual fishing and drinking company trip. it's for the guys in the office. i was welcomed into the group by this trip, I think. the VP of the company made me pay the first bar tab on my new company credit card and the receipt mysteriously dissapeared. hope I don't get stuck with that one. it was around $200 before tip, so $240 ish out the door.

man, the VIP guys could learn a thing or two about drinking fom the TA crew. it was nothing to rack up a $350 bill in about four hours at FAT's

anyway, traveling 10 miles out into lake erie at 6:45 a.m. after putting on a 9 hour drunk is not a wise thing. if you want a sure bet, catch me the next time i do this and take me up on the twenty spot i slapped on the table while proclaiming "i won't puke tomorrow!'

yak time was marked at 7:52 a.m. the second was about an hour later. grape gatorade keeps it's color in your gut for at elast an hour.

thank god the fishing boat had a canopy as i napped under it for about two hours.

and being the new guy in the company, they made me wear women's clothes in the hotel bar. i didn't mind, it made for good pictures.

not sure if i'll go on the trip next year, if i do, i won't drink near as much, or at all.

yeah, right.

shopping and closet/dresser cleaning

so after work i decided to go get a few things. i stopped at the house, changed my clothes and headed out.

btw, nice thing about the new job is "after work" means around 5:00 p.m.

i headed to kohl's cause i saw their flyer in sunday's paper and decided i should swing by.

i went to the one at westgate mall. well, it was the westgate mall, not it's overturned concrete and a sign saying they'll open in '07 iwth 60 new stores. no shit they'll be new stores, there are no fucking stores at all now, cept kohl's, whichis where i went.

in my mind was the mission of a couple new shirts, and low! the discount rack had 'em at $7.00, not bad! then i saw some slacks (slacks is a great word) and thought i could use a new pair.

those that know me know i like to thrift shop. that being said, it justifies the comment Gomezfive made when he helped me move, somehting about me BEING the thrift store what with all the clothes i have (had). albeit second hand clothes.


need an alkeyhall refill, hold-on... outta pinot noir, gotta switch to bud light with a dash o morton's; good living...


after i found the 7 doller shirt rack, i spied me some pants (pants, also a fun word). i thought I oughtta try-em on, so i did. I am happy to report that i can fit into a size smaller now. so i grabbed me 2 pair o slacks (at a paultry 18.99 each!) then i thought about belts. most of my belts have been frayin and old so i got two belts, also on sale. then i thought about shoes and up the escalator i went to the sketchers lane. three pair later i wandered back down and grabbed me a pair of shorts. well of course i needed some new socks, so a i got a three pack.

i walk out $255 poorer, but i now own 3 new shirts, 2 new pants, 2 new belts, 2 pair shoes and 1 pair sandals, 1 pair shorts and 3 pair socks. thats 14 items at an average of $18 each, not bad. more than i woulda spent at unique thrift, but hey i got me some phat duds!

on the way home i stopped at big bird (aka Giant Eagle) and got me a $12 porter house steak and a $10 bottle of wine, pinot noir (thanks to Pheaton Pete, i now love pinot noir), cooked it up (the steak), and shazam, i'm a 'lil tipsy after downing the bottle.

well, i couldn't come home with allm them new threads and conciously shove em all into my closet and dresser; so i sorted some things out.

ok i purged, really...

i bagged four pair of shorts, two long sleeve t's, two sweat-shirts, a couple sweaters, two pair of jeans, a pair of cords, a pair of flannel pj pants, a pair of dress pants, 7 dress shirts (they were all funky in some way, but still, 7 SHIRTS!!), two ties, two suits (SUITS!!!), four pair of chinos, two pair of gaberdine slacks (i love the word slacks!) three belts, five t-shirts and a pair of shoes. I AM TOSSING A WHOLE FUCKING WARDROBE!! that just means i had too many clothes...

it felt good. it'll feel better when i shove the bagged shit in a goodwill thingy.

now it's after 10, and i'm tired. night all!!

good meeting

i went to my first "community meeting" tonight. it was a pretty good meeting. there were a lot of people from the ward there, but only me and a neighbor from this neighborhood. the "officials" that were there were our ward 19 council person Ms. Donna Brady. Also there was 1st district police commander, a local sargeant and leiutenant and a sargeant that works under the city police chief.

when it came time for me to comment i related the story about driving home a few weeks ago when i had to stop in the road as to not hit a drug dealer while he was making sale. when i got to the house, i called the police and after being transefered to the 1st district, the lady i spoke with was only able to inform me that "it's gonna be a long summer." when i finished with my comment, the commander's face was beet red. he told me more than once how inappropriate a response that was.

i know the cops are busy, i know the resources aren't there to hire all the police that the general public think we need, i wish i knew what a better answer was.

the commander talked about resurecting the bicylce patrols, that they are going to use them in pairs this summer in the parks and the pools, that 1st district is ahead of the others. it's a start.

an older gentleman asked what would happen if "one of these 150lb. dumbasses walked in front of my 3500lb. car and i couldn't stop?" the commander replied that he should call his insurance company. it got a good laugh.

they also talked about arrests made and the progress in fighting the drug trade. i'm a little torn inside on the drug issue. i don't agree with marijuana being illegal. i think the energies that are used to "combat" mairjuana could be used elsewhere. saying that, should crack be legal? the schemantics of the argument are so fine, it's hard to pin down definitves.

after the meeting i talked with one of the sargeants and asked if i could do anything. i offered to take pictures of the dealers while they were making transactions, that i could start keeping track of who is who and their patterns. i said i have a second floor window with a good view ofthe park and that i'd be happy to sit for a while and see what i could see. he asked if i would mind a vice officer using my hose to sit and watch for a while, i said no problem and gave him my number. we'll see what happens.

i asked about my hand gun, he asked if it was registered and i said i thought it was. i explained the process in which i bought it and he said to call him next week and stop by the station, that he'd check it out and make sure i was then get me registered in the city. i have a right to have it in my home, so why not make sure it's legit?

i talked to the council lady a bit and she told me she knew me, and knew that i bought ms. walker's house. i was surprised that she knew, but i guess that just affirms what the neighbors have said, that the lady was crazy, and that the council lady is in touch with her ward. i mentioned hearing something about the lady walking outside with a gun, and the council lady said "oh yes, that's how we got her, she went into the yard after children with a gun." i mentioned the insane writtings on the wall, and ms. brady said she wasn't surprised. gerat, i bought the crazy ladies house.

Ms. Brady also invited me to a political meeting after she asked if I was a democrat or not. sould be fun. i wan;t to get involved in my community, that's part of being a homeowner, right?

i hope i can do something. i want to do something.

Sleepless

I've been lying in bed for over an hour, and no luck, can't fall asleep. it seems I just think and think and think. try as I might, I can't shut my mind off.

So i got up and here I am posting to this thing. this is my second blog. i pulled the first one down because I hated getting crap becasue I wrote my thoughts and they upset some people. in retrospect, shame on me for sucumbing to their feelings and not being honest and writting what I wanted.

i miss the days of working at the arts center and havig pitchers of bud light with phil and tim at lou's. man could we put down the beer. i feel bad because at that time brenda was living with me and i think i spent more time working and drinking and at the arts center than anything. it wasn't fair to her.

i haven't been fair to many women in my life, i wish i had the words to say how sorry i am for all the hurt i've caused. i really don't know the root of it.

the new job is good, but it is contributing to my sleeplessness. most of the things i lie in bed and think about are work things. maybe i should start having a glass of red wine or two before bed, the anti-oxidents can't be bad either. that and ten tablespoons a week of tomatoe sauce. this bud light will have to do for now.

i'm not sure if i should like to my blog on my website, www.knobenterprises.com

why the hell not?