MISERABLE WEATHER

My father & Uncle Frankie went to a game yesterday. It started at 1:00. It was because of a cancellation of a previous game they were supposed to attend. They're going to go to another game tomorrow too. Uncle Frankie hung around for a while after the game. Mary Anne called yesterday. I suppose it was about all the latest gossip from New York. I read some more of "The Possessed" last night & this morning. Fortunately I've been getting very close to the end. Last night I also listened to a part of the "Carmelite Dialogues" CD I have. It's a famous opera by Poulenc. I didn't bother to watch "Burn Notice" last night but I made sure I recorded it. I was quite careful to keep track of it so I could be positive that it worked out. The weather today is quite dismal. It's been pouring out for most of the day. We shall have to settle for a dreary Friday dance. Lately I have been quite conscientious about playing my guitar. Each day I try to set aside quite a lot of time for practice although the self discipline has been getting me quite crazy.

RAINY NIGHT

I mistakenly thought there was a meeting at O.L. Mt. Carmel last night. I appeared to have gotten my Wednesdays all mixed up. On the way home I made sure I took advantage by stopping at a local Turkey Hill for gas. It's been going up lately. I just noticed on a website dedicated to Beatle George that August 1 has been designated George Harrison day in the Dark Horse's native Liverpool. There's a really nice big concert tribute to him over there. Last night there was yet another major rainstorm in the area. Lately there are always bulletins on TV about flooding in the local counties. My father says West Pittston was completely flooded. Last night I read some more of the encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" & played my guitar for a while. I didn't see Uncle Frankie yesterday. As far as I know he may have shown up when I wasn't around. My parents went food shopping & plum forgot to get coffee.

MEETING TONIGHT

The sky is very cloudy so far today. It's been raining. Last night I watched "E.T.: The Extra_Terrestrial". It's the early 1980's movie. As far as I know it seems to have been sort of the basis for the idea for a favorite TV show of mine, "ALF". Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Erica Eleniak, Drew Barrymore & Peter Coyote were in it. Last night I also listened to my Eubie Blake CD for a while. He's another one whose music makes me feel as if I've gotten stranded in a silent movie. I ate more of the Chinese trail mix yesterday. I played my guitar last night. "After Midnight" & "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton are getting a little easier to handle lately. Tonight there's a meeting at O.L. Mt. Carmel in Pittston. A couple of weeks ago we met at the Victory Pig & miniature golf course. This week's just a normal meeting. So far we don't have very many people in our group. With a little more advertising, though, that may change eventually. The leader has been hearing from interested people.

WARM SPELL

Uncle Frankie came over for a while yesterday for just a typical visit. I finished my bag of that spicy Chinese trail mix yesterday & started another one. It tastes quite good in a bizarre distinctive way. Last night I listened to one of my Mozart CD's for a little while. I also listened to a Scott Joplin CD. Joplin's songs always remind me of what it most feel like to have to be stranded in a silent movie. When I was a kid in high school, Marvin Hamlisch recorded a version of "The Entertainer" for the movie, "The Sting". In keeping with my habit lately, I played my guitar & read a lot yesterday. The weather's been awfully warm lately. At least the air conditioning in my car has been working fairly well so far. A lot of people complain about heat but I can't get enough of it.

FRAN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

It was quite a rainy weekend. Lately there seems to be at least a rainstorm each day. As usual I made sure I spent a lot of time reading "The Possessed" & playing my guitar. So far, Fr. Marchetti seems to be doing quite a good job of things over at O.L. Sorrows & St. Joseph's. The new weekday schedule starts this week. As usual I got nudged into lectoring yesterday at 10:00. Yesterday my parents & I went to Uncle Frankie's for Fran's birthday party. Her real birthday's not until next Sunday, the same day as Elaine's. A splendid time was had by one & all with quite a whole lot of the requisite living in the past to show for it. It was too fattening though. They most certainly seem to have quite a thing for those really fancy olives. Mary Anne called last night. She & Bridget went to see Robin, & Mark's daughters, for a while.

RAINSTORM ALL NIGHT

I'm not on the schedule to do any lectoring this weekend. My turn's not until next weekend. I'm pretty sure it's Sunday at 10:00. Because it's Mary's turn today, not Cheryl's I shall most probably not have to be bothered with covering for her. Oddly yesterday afternoon I didn't end up drinking an coffee. I came quite close to making tea though. I haven't drunk tea regularly in very many years unfortunately. I especially like it with sugar & honey. Last night I broke open my Beatle book yet again & played some of my very favorites of theirs. Uncle Frankie showed up for a while yesterday. He & my parents went shopping for a few hours. Maybe he didn't go with them. All I know is he left at the same time they did. I read more of "The Possessed" yesterday. Seven hundred pages can be very time consuming.

PLAYING GUITAR

Uncle Frankie came over for a while yesterday. As far as I know that's the first time he's shown up since the weekend. Fran called too, just in time for him to talk to her. Her birthday is on August 2 & there's supposed to be a party for her this coming Sunday. Uncle Frankie wants to make a pineapple cake for her. It rained a little for a while yesterday. It was only a slight storm though. Last night I tried recording "Burn Notice" again. I made a mistake though & most of it didn't come out. I've done that a few times before too. Yesterday & this morning I read a lot more of "The Possessed". It's always been one of my favorites. I got a nice letter from Grace in Lindenhurst yesterday. She sent me some very nice pictures of Daren & family. Daren's birthday was July 21. Of course I made sure I played my guitar yesterday. My old Ovation, although I got it around twenty years ago, still sounds mighty good. Today we must do quite a rousing Friday dance. Nicky's birthday was four days ago, so we shall say happy birthday to her. She lives in Italy. I assume she's a cousin of mine because we have the same last name.

EWTN

There was a visiting priest at St. Joseph's this morning. Our new pastor must not have been available. Yesterday for supper I ate pork chops & apple sauce. That's quite a traditional Brady Bunch meal. I read more of "The Possessed". It was very controversial when it was first written. Like all Dostoevsky's works it deals with things like religion & politics & the meaning of life in general. Last night I made one of my quite regular attempts to get through to Fr. Mitchell Pacwa on EWTN to ask a question on his weekly talk show. There was a Benedictine priest on the show talking about Gregorian chant. I got through & asked a question. I practiced my guitar yesterday too. "Oh! Darling" has always been a very favorite of mine so I practiced it for a while. The mailman showed up later than usual yesterday. He was somebody other than the regular guy in my neighborhood. Whenever somebody covers for the usual guy, there's trouble because he's never on time. I didn't get anything interesting anyway.

GOT GAS

Uncle Frankie's been a little ill since Sunday night so we haven't seen him lately. His sinuses were giving him trouble lately. Maybe they've kicked in again on him. I made sure I read some more of "The Possessed" yesterday. It goes by fairly fast for such a big intense book. I'm also consistently practicing all those old Beatle songs. "P.S. I Love You" & especially "Do You Want to Know A Secret" are getting easier each day lately. I went for gas & the paper this morning at the Unimart over on Shoemaker Avenue in West Wyoming. Gas there is the least expensive in the area these days. It was only $2.39.9 per gallon. Today we have to wish a rousing happy birthday to Agnes in Newfoundland, Canada. I've never seen her in person but because of the internet, I know she's out there somewhere. KrissyKrissyKrissy recently hurt her foot. Hope all goes well for her.

NICE FEAST

The library was crowded yesterday so I got kicked out early. I went to Barnes & Noble for a while. There was nothing interesting going on over there. It was just an average day. It was also the fortieth anniversary of man's very first steps on the moon. I can still remember that day even now, even though I was only nine years old at the time. I saw Woody Allen's "Match Point" yesterday. I've always been quite interested in Allen's movies. They consistently appeal to my very offbeat side. On Saturday & Sunday I made sure I went over to St. Anthony of Padua in Exeter, to their annual feast. My parents, Uncle Frankie, Fran & Lisa, & Gino & Michelle went on Sunday. There was quite a lot of eating & gambling for one & all. I even got some beer too. This year I didn't win anything though. I'm still playing "Do You Want to Know A Secret?" every day on the guitar. It's easy to play but hard to remember the exact chords for it. Today would have been Daren's birthday. Unfortunately she died around four years ago. I'm still reading "The Possessed". It gets even more interesting each time I read it.