Author: fifteenkey (Page 72 of 95)

Some 10,000 ran, walked and wheeled the Falmouth Road Race yesterday, but I was not one of them, in spite of the goal I set for myself 135 days ago.

I’ve let myself slide the last six weeks or so. Physically, anyway. I haven’t been to the gym and in spite of the increased amount of yard work, I haven’t replaced the calorie burn or the endorphin producing rush I enjoyed there.

I do have a reorganization plan, but I think I’ll keep it to myself because setting a goal in a public forum and then miserably failing to even come close to it kinda sucks.

Today was one of the best days I’ve ever experienced. Exactly one month from September 11th, the weather was glorious with a hint of my favorite season just ahead. I launched a new sales program that was received with great enthusiasm. I spent some time working with Barb and her boss on some important stuff for next week. I picked up Kyle and we had dinner at Megan’s Deangelos shop before going for a long walk and an ice cream. The recently skidding Sox are up 8-0. Kyle is watching “Harry Potter – The Chamber of Secrets” on TV and very content. I am tapping keys and thinking about where to take this.

It hasn’t been such a great day for everyone. Megan went to the wake of her 17 year old classmate who died during surgery to repair an imperfect heart. Megan said her friends 19 year old brother was a mess and that another brother couldn’t be home for the wake. He’s in Iraq.

Fifty year ago this very night, on August 11, 1956, a drunken Jackson Pollock drove his Oldsmobile convertible into a tree, killing himself and a female friend who wasn’t his wife. That couldn’t have been a very good day.

It was around this time exactly five years ago I drove out to Williamstown, MA to see an Impressionist show at the Clark Art Institute. It’s time for another trip. There’s a Pollock show at the Williams College Museum of Art and an interesting looking exhibit of Impressionism and Early Modern Paintings at the Clark.

That’ll be a good day.

I can’t believe pal Jeff didn’t jump on this report about how AOL let out 21 million search queries of more than 650,000 of its users. The article cites a few of the more bizarre personal search histories exposed and proves without a doubt: there are some shiny scary people out there.

So…what’s your search history look like? Would you want your family and friends to know how much of a freak you are? Would you want them to know about your obsessive David Hasselhoff or Olsen Twins searches? No, I didn’t think so.

How about old flames or spouses? Searched them? I’ll admit. I have. Never found much. What I have not searched are things like “free angry stuff to send to an ex lover,” like some loser in the AOL data did.

Anyway, a look at my recent history turns up these exciting searches:

• Dell PowerEdge 1800
• Honda Civic v. Toyota Corolla
• Lexus ES350
• SQL Server 2000 datasheet
• Idylwilde Farm
• Pink Floyd Pig
• rolling stones halifax tickets
• Mary Poppins Broadway
• Decordova museum
• Sean Patrick’s
• Griffin RoadTrip nextag
• ExxonMobil profits
• Powell Stone & Gravel
• XML Integration

What I also find interesting are the search terms that return my blog as a result. Here are the current top searches that bring people here:

• I wish that I’d sailed the darkened seas
• Caiaphas the Elder
• Human Destiny by Lecomte du Nouy review comments
• Trombone Player Wanted Marcus Buckingham
• curb your enthusiasm cheryl and larry’s vows
• fidelity 401k lava lamp
• hank III overrated
• marrying your soulmate
• rock star penis molds
• rockstar penis cast
• rockstar penis molds
• ryan adams wonderwall
• wakefield merchants baseball

Clearly, the penis mold is a big draw and more scary evidence about who’s out there. Ever wonder who might be “Googling” you?

Yesterday was a bit of a trip down Memory Lane. To start, Kyle and I visited the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA. We immediately hit the StairMaster, climbing through five floors of contemporary works, including Joe Johnson’s vivid color photographs of NYC apartments, Anna Hepler’s two and three dimension geometric designs, and Jen Simms’ fascinating Slices of Life.

It was also a gorgeous day for a stroll around the sculpture park or just to lay in the grass thinking… Also, it’s just not every day you get to see a giant pink pig. In fact, the last time I saw one was in 1977 at a Pink Floyd concert at Boston Garden. Well, I think I recall seeing a giant pink pig…

Driving with Kyle included a constant “audio deathmatch” for control of the airwaves. Yesterday’s battle was between the Scud Mountain Boys and a reading of “Peter Pan” Kyle has on cassette. I pulled a few strings (and rank) so Joe Pernice and the boys prevailed, but only after negotiating air rights away to JM Barrie’s retelling for the ride home. I did notice Kyle’s head kind of bobbing along to the music, but I zipped my lip for fear of reigniting the battle for Captain Hook’s honor.

We exited Route 2 West after the enticing sign for the delicious Idylwilde Farms in Acton. We sampled a few things and marveled at the selection of produce, cheeses and breads, and then got back on the road for a leisurely drive through the rural route of 111. I’d traveled that road many times in years past, having worked for NEC in various corporate incarnations at their building in Boxborough. As we turned in I saw the new commercial identity of Cisco Systems. The duck pond is still there, but given the vacancy I witnessed, I don’t think Cisco has the same affinity for decorative fowl that the Japanese tenants had. The rear parking lot is larger, but faded from years of sun and invaded by green upshoots seeking it. The main pathway from the parking lot to the old employee entrance is now a little narrower, giving ground to the now mature shrubs surrounding the pond. Kyle remembered the place and said, “You used to take me here, Dad.” Yep, but that was a long time ago. Everything sure looks older when looked at directly, and not in the distorted rear view.

I looked for the softball field. The last time I played anything organized with a bat and a ball was there. It remains, along with a beach volleyball court and a sign that warns employees of Cisco’s “intent not to award Worker’s Compensation for injuries sustained participating in non-work related activities.”

Back on 111, then off, we slowly made our way through the winding back roads of Harvard, MA and back to 111 again until we could see that last lone farmhouse on the right just before Route 2. I recall there were usually horses there and lights of the season always would warm a cold passerby on dark afternoon commutes.

When I came out of my lazy summer daydream, I heard the voices of Peter Pan and Kyle as Captain Hook. The road ahead was bright.

Kyle twisted my arm last night to take him to his favorite restaurant, Sean Patrick’s. My son is a bit of a celebrity there as he gets lots of attention from both the Maitre D’ (Sean’s dad) and the cute little blonde hostess. He chats them up about Jaws, Harry Potter and Julie Andrews… his favorite things, while enjoying their Crispy Shrimp appetizer and the Chicken Francese. For me, last night it was a Tenderloin and Roasted Red Pepper Gourmet Pizza. I could eat only ½ of the small pie, maybe because I chased it with 2 specialty margaritas. “Dulcinea’s Dream” was a perfect toast to a gorgeous summer day. I keyed the ingredients into my Treo and will attempt a home-brew when the opportunity arises:

Dulcinea’s Dream
Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila
Malibu Coconut Rum
Cointreau
Lime Juice
Pineapple Juice
Sour Mix

After one of his chats with the hostess, this conversation took place:

“Dad, I want to get a girlfriend someday.”
“Yeah, me too man.”
“Do you think I’ll have a girlfriend someday?”
“Of course you will, my boy.”

Someday Kyle will make some lucky woman very happy. After all, as was so true for the Tom Hanks character in “Forrest Gump,” Kyle knows what love is.

1. “Drink ‘n Heil” – Mel Gibson had a little too much truth serum and spewed racist commentary about Jews to a Jewish cop in Malibu. Oops. I find it sickening how FOX is jumping to his defense as if the Road Warrior’s vile diatribe was some conspiracy of the left. If Ted Kennedy had slurred those things after a bender on the Vineyard they would be all over him…
2. When Tour de France, um “winner” Floyd Landis peed in a cup after making up 8 minutes climbing the Alps during the 17th stage, synthetic testosterone showed up. So, unless he produces the fake testicle that produced the fake hormone, he’s going to be stripped of his title.
3. Israel and Hezbollah continue to amplify the brutality on each other. President Bush is “happy with the progress being made.” See item 5 below.
4. In a huge disgrace to this country, the US Senate defeated legislation that would have raised the hourly minimum wage to $7.25 from $5.15 over three years.
5. Ho hum… Fanned by spiking crude-oil prices, ExxonMobil reported a QUARTERLY PROFIT of $10.36B. That’s 10,360,000,000.00, much of it paid for by the poor who can’t get a raise to their minimum wage.
6. It looks like Apple got caught with its hands in the stock options cookie jar and will have to restate earnings going back “years.”

Fortunately the news isn’t all bad…

This blog is not the only place my personal history is being recorded. I’ve been using Quicken since New Years Day 2000 and there are lots of stories in that database… Gasoline for $24.05 on the 3rd of January was my first recorded expense. Since that day, I’ve visited 480 more times and contributed $12,160.72 in revenue to Big Oil. I guess that pales in comparison to other categories, including almost $20,000 on vacations, $30,110 dining and $169,583 in Child Support. Oh, and let’s not forget the associated $6,172 to my friends in the Legal profession. OK, that’s pissing me off. Let’s move on to more fun categories.

Included in the $2344.75 paid to Ticketmaster.com are the following entries which really speak for themselves:

12/17/2001 Meg/Kyle Beauty & the Beast – Broadway
12/31/2001 Bruins-Leafs w/ Jeff
04/23/2002 Lenny Kravitz-Pink @ Tweeter
05/10/2002 John Hiatt @ Cape Cod Melody Tent
04/15/2003 John Hiatt @ Cape Cod Melody Tent
05/11/2003 @NY Yankees v. Angels 5/15/03
05/23/2003 Mom birthday – Cher
09/11/2003 Bruce @ Shea! Megan
09/24/2003 Stomp! Megan
03/28/2004 Prince w/Jeff
02/20/2005 Green Day
02/21/2005 Lion King NY 2/26 Megan/Kyle/Malrou
03/19/2005 Celts-Dallas 3 tix gift Corey/Ryan/Mike

Then there’s the cake spent on dining with various women over the six years. Here are transactions from just 3 restaurants. I want to protect both the innocent and the not, so I’ve swapped real names for clever code names.

11/04/2000 Cafe Amore Dulcinea
03/31/2001 Papa Razzi M1
06/22/2001 Cafe Amore Goldilocks
01/30/2003 Papa Razzi M2
04/10/2003 Crossroads Blondie
08/27/2003 Papa Razzi Blondie
01/23/2004 Crossroads Blondie
04/08/2004 Crossroads Blondie
04/24/2004 Crossroads M2
08/06/2004 Cafe Amore M3
08/21/2004 Cafe Amore M4
09/23/2004 Crossroads Blondie
10/21/2004 Crossroads Goldilocks
12/10/2004 Crossroads Goldilocks
05/01/2005 Papa Razzi Golf Chick

The “M’s” were those I met through online dating services and the others not. It was a bit of a joke, and likely only funny to me, but I kidded Goldilocks that I could identify every penny I ever spent while with her and that the corresponding ROI calculation was really quite simple. By the way, it was $913.89. Not that I was counting, of course.

Finally, there are those little entries that just bring back a tsunami like wave of memory I hope never leaves me…

We were in NYC celebrating Megan’s 16th birthday and had just walked back to the Grand Hyatt after seeing “The Lion King” on Broadway. As we arrived, Kyle announced he was hungry and asked if he could get some pizza. “Dude, we’re in New York City. We can get anything we want.” All tuckered out from a day of shopping, dining and theatre going, Megan and her pal Mallory headed up to bed, while my boy and I ventured onto the darkened streets of the cement jungle in search of a slice of life and another Quicken entry.

As we approach the all important trading deadline, I’m looking at my roster to determine needs and possible bargaining chips. Let’s look at my current roster…

Jessica – A one time rising-star who some believe may have burned out, but the club still believes a strong career can be resurrected. Currently toiling in the minors working her way back up to the big club, she’s taking it one day at a time and the good Lord willing, she’ll win more than she loses.

Megan – Incredibly smart, beautiful, empathetic, witty and boundlessly creative. A true five-tool player. Unfortunately, in spite of her youth and limitless potential, her salary demands may be too rich for most other teams… She’s staying put.

Kyle – Displaying equal talent for humor and singing, this kid is the real deal. He’d be a great addition to any team and would improve the chemistry of even the sourest of clubhouses. Forget it, though. He’s untouchable.

Leo – Sure, on some days, teammates wish he’d get dealt for a bag of old baseballs, but they keep him around, probably because he picks up a lot of tabs. Most of the time they roll their eyes and pass it off as “just Leo being Leo.”

So, there it is. It doesn’t look like we’ll make any moves, but we’ll keep looking for more of what every team is looking for. What’s that cliché? You can never have enough love and understanding.

This week I received an email from a reader who wrote that she avoided this and possible death or injury because she delayed leaving her house to check if I’d written. I thought I’d have something to write about that, but I just don’t.

It did get me thinking about comments I’ve received in the 15 months since I began sharing my life with complete strangers on the Internet. The comments are funny and interesting, and I thank you all for visiting and for taking the time to share your own… um, stuff. I’ve categorized them for your reading enjoyment…

Encouragement
Welcome to the world of narcissism, my friend.
It struck me how good my life is that the thing that stuck with me about my day was laughter.
Whoa! check out that ‘stache!
I always look forward to finding out what’s on your mind.
Reading this brought back so many summer memories; “when everyday was Saturday” – love that.
I love you dad. Happy birthday.
Rave on, baby! Always rave on!
I think the only joke that did not work-out had something to do with egg salad. Otherwise, you are a hoot.
Your audience is, indeed, broader than you thought. For example, all 13 of my personalities read your blog.
Signed,
Jeff
Jim
Bob
Rick
John
Dan
David
Matthew
James
Steven
Andrew
Christopher
Josh

Something said by one person that reminds me of another…
It is what I like to call, “intellectual laziness.”

Challenge
You still need to top ‘the Mary Cassett of Meatballs’

Fun Facts
There is a woman in Chicago that has an art collection of rock star’s penis molds. She has hundreds, from Hendrix to Jon Langford. Interesting…
What you may find ironic is that Rodin originally named this masterpiece, “The Poet”.
My boys have lost their mojo, and they have to find it.
For the record, the toilet incident did not occur at the Four Seasons, it happened at a restaurant called “The District.”
The presence of ants has absolutely nothing to do with one’s obsessions or talents in regard to keeping a clean kitchen. They’re just part of life.
…backhair and cellulite, but she has a great personality!

Philosophy
What if Jeff was the normal one and everyone else was insane?
…and we put our assumptions aside, based on our past experiences. Basically, we truly evolve and have an open mind about the possibility that ‘this time’, the outcome might be different.

Opinions
Clearly there were no questions about your ability to predict volume of possessions or time estimates when moving from an apartment.
OK so this site is nice, your heads a tad screwed up but hey – I know where you live – no really I do .
I would have said ‘conflicted’ more than ‘heads a tad screwed up’.
Weeding suits you.
Dad- I think that you should really write about your fruit salad.
I can’t see Hallmark getting in on this…
That picture looks pornographic!
When I read some of these articles, I can’t help but think- doth protest too much

Advice
Please be careful when buying enlargement penis pill.

Questions desperate for answers
Hey, wasn’t that homeless girl in a full body cast?
Are you crazy?
So did the levee hold and the cat land on its feet again?
Ever?

Praise
The 90’s were cool hanging out with you and Jeff. Listening to music, going to shows and laughing with you guys was the best “therapy” for me at that time. I owe it to Tar Hut, the music that you guys turned me on to and your acceptance. Thank you so much Leo!!
Thanks for the memories…
That was a fun post to read….nice.
Thank you for yet another wonderful read………

Not Praise
Holy smokes! That’s the guy from Twisted Sister!!!!

Requests
Please do not let me be in a bar with Leo and have a Yankee player punch a Red Sox fan.
I read over your blog, and i found it inquisitive, you may find My Blog interesting. My blog is just about my day to day life, as a park ranger.
I’d like to have your permission to include that photo in the documentary.

Lame Excuses
So, I digress slightly from the assignment, but at this point Leo expects that of me.

This blogging thing isn’t easy while trying to have a life and watch TV. My soccer Jones has not retreated, and I find myself watching replays of five year old English Premier League games on the Fox Soccer Channel at 2am. Anyway, I don’t spend all my time watching the human version of foosball. In fact, over the past week, I’ve delved into philosophy, self-awareness and string theory. Yeah, I’ve been busy.

“Philosophy as a Guide to Happiness” is a six part series hosted by and based on a book by Alain de Botton. He’s like an Aussie or something. It’s been playing on PBS-HD and explores subjects associated with the philosophers Seneca, Epicurus, Schopenhauer, Socrates, Nietzsche and Montaigne.

The segment featuring Epicurus (341-271 B.C.) was on happiness, so I really tried to pay attention. For those of you playing at home, Epicurus cites the following three keys to happiness:

1. Friends
2. Freedom
3. An Examined Life

No wonder I’m miserable. I suck at number one, won’t truly realize #2 for a few more years, and am obsessed with number 3. According to Socrates though, I’m on to something with #3. One day while out with the boys having a few cold ones after a soccer game, ol’ “Soccer-tees” (Yeah, that’s how the game got it’s name…) quipped, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” It’s no wonder he was known as “the funny one” among philosophers. Well, for his “B.C.” generation anyway. Years later he would be left in the humor dustbin of history by that knee-slapper, Friedrich Nietzsche.

So, the examined life… A guy I work with is on a crusade to use the philosophy of Marcus Buckingham as the genesis of employee development. He gave me the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths and the DVD series, Trombone Player Wanted.

Last week I read the book and took the Clifton Strengthsfinder, the Gallup Organization’s talent assessment tool. I’ll get into this more on my pay per view site, but for you freeloaders, all I’ll reveal is that my five most dominant themes of talent are Strategic, Intellection, Developer, Relator, and Adaptability. Hey, what about sensitive?

Finally, The Elegant Universe is a series on PBS’s Nova. In the episode, A Theory of Everything? string theory is um, explained. As the theory goes, everything in existence is comprised of sub-microscopic vibrating strings, and the math required to prove it requires 11 dimensions. That would be eight more that the three we live in… Up/Down, Forward/Back, Side/Side.

I wish I had a clever little line to tie this mess all together, but I don’t. Oh, the title of this post… It was a spoof ad in the Epicurus show. It was amazing when they showed advertisements pushing various products by using the 3 Epicurean themes of happiness above. Beer ads featuring happy, engaging friends. Car ads shot in beautiful open and free spaces. A whiskey ad centered on a contemplative, middle aged man in a study holding a glass in an easy chair. The tagline could well have read, “Drink Before You Think.”