VERY BITTER COLD DAYS

Yesterday the weather was miserable & today it's most certainly no better so far. There's rain & dampness galore & it's a bitter icy cold. There was no ice on my windows the past two mornings though. Last night's game, as far as I can tell, most certainly seemed to have gone well. It was the big important one, from what I've been told. I most certainly could never have spent all night last night out in that kind of weather. Lately I've been pigging out on nuts & m&m_ish candy in a trail mix kind of thing. Foods such as those can be quite seriously addictive for me, unfortunately. I went on a binge like that with peanuts & popcorn a few months ago. Fortunately, I can count on an out_of sight, out_of_mind kind of thing. Once the junk food's all gone, I'm quite capable of doing without it. Now that we're headed for the middle of November, I have a few cousins' birthdays coming up. Scott & Keeren in Buffalo, & Java in Florida. Yesterday I watched a few seventies sitcoms. The kid who played Stever Urkel on "Family Matters" was on an episode of "The Jeffersons". I saw a couple of really good episodes of "I Love Lucy" too. Tomorrow morning, I have to lector at 10:00 a.m. Mass. That's never very hard for me.

HAPPY FRIDAY CHA CHA CHA

Happy Friday. Let us dance. Last night I got a really nice call from Bernadette M., an old high school classmate of mine. I forgot to ask her, but I suppose she either works at St. John's now or does volunteer work there as an alumna because the call came from the school. She asked if I knew for sure whether I intend to attend our big reunion in a few weeks. Unfortunately, because of my jury duty_who knows how long it will last & what it may entail?_I was forced to give her a very definite maybe. Of the people in my class Bernadette was one of the ones I never even got a chance to meet back in those days. Last night's conversation was quite literally the very first time we ever even spoke to each other. Of course, our friend Uncle Frankie made sure he made his inevitable appearance last night, junk food in tow. He's our fattening kinfolk. I'm still reading like crazy. I have to watch my step or I'll get headaches from it. I see the Democrats have won like crazy the recent elections. That's not even the least bit surprising considering that the current Republican incumbents, especially in Washington, D.C., are all giving the country away to O.P.E.C. & the war. Unfortunately, the Democrats are equally determined to destroy us with sexual aberrancy & reverse discrimination. It appears that the Culture of Death is ambidextrous. It's been getting progressively colder & colder lately. Tonight's big football came_Fran's even going too_will be quite an exercise in hypothermia.

COLDER BY THE DAY

Lately my life's been one big source of annoying things. A couple of days ago, my tire, as usual, needed more air. Yesterday I got my notice that I'm supposed to report to Scranton bright & early on the morning of Monday, the nineteenth for jury duty_oh, for joy, for joy! In New York, I always seemed to have been able to bluff my way out of jury duty. Once, a few years ago, I showed up but by the end of the day I ended up getting kicked out anyway. I've still been reading quite voraciously. That always keeps me from getting intellectually stale. Yesterday I read a few more chapters of that Proust biography & started Tolstoy's "War & Peace". My Myspace site has been coming along so far, so well. Oddly enough, I've been in touch with everybody except the kinfolk on it. Of course, it's where I take advantage of my interest in the Fab Four. I see, according to a few papers I noticed this morning in Unimart, that Beatle Paul has a new girlfriend. I shall have to start keeping track of his escapades & those of that troublemaker he's married to. Linda drove fans crazy but at least she never insulted him.

ICY COLD

The weather this morning has been exceptionally cold so far, but There was no ice on the windows. Gas prices have gone through the roof. I just paid $3.09.9 a gallon on Shoemaker Ave. at the Unimart. Nobody cares about the little buckaroo. Uncle Frankie showed up yesterday when I wasn't around. Mary Anne even called. All in her family seems to be going quite well so far. My Myspace page is finally getting some mileage on it, other than the tacky junk mail everybody always gets anway. I'm trying to get a groovy site rolling. Yesterday was "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." day on TCM. There were movies & episodes of the class 60's TV show with Napoleon Solo, Illya Kuryakin & Alexander Waverly. Unfortunately I didn't end up watching any of the shows yesterday but I've always really enjoyed all that old sixties espionage style. Back then, that type of show was considered quite groovy. Now, Robert Vaughn does commercials for a law firm around here. Some idiot on a cell phone is rambling on driving people crazy & being very disruptive. That doesn't usually happen around here but sometimes the occasional creep is allowed to get away with it.

ELECTION DAY

Today's Election Day. As soon as I got here I made sure I voted. I'm getting to be quite an old pro, by now, at voting in Pa. elections. The woman I spoke to told me to follow Howard, who's one of my Holy Name Society connections. I just gave her my name & address, signed the form & followed Howard. The people who have to stay outside are going crazy because of the cold weather. Of course, one of the major disadvantages of election time is that the phone rings absolutely constantly. There's a non_stop barrage of campaign calls. I absolutely despise the phone so it truly rankles on my nerves. I'm absolutely apolitical so I go crazy thinking of whom I should have to vote for. My Newblog friends seem to have moved over to Myspace. Hey Tequilashot, check these characters out. You could compare notes about me. By now, everybody on the internet knows me by one alias or another. Yesterday I went, as usual on Mondays, to the Little Flower novena in Wilkes_Barre. The traffic was an absolute nightmare on the way home. At least I have no trouble getting around over there lately but the congestion during rush hour is an absolute nightmare. It was all slow & frustrating.

REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER

Today in 1605, was a great day for anti_Catholics, because it was Guy Fawkes day aka Bonfire Night. John Lennon alluded to it in his 1970 song "Remember" from "The Plastic Ono Band" album. Saturday was a very busy day for one & all. My parents really enjoyed Dotty's birthday party. I had a very good time at Jim Lancelotti's Carmelite gift sale too. It started at 11:30 & lasted until around 5:30. The most annoying part was unpacking & re_packing all the stuff. The residents over there are quite an affable bunch of characters. I was the only one available, besides him, to stick around all day. Anne couldn't make it. Only a few other ladies got there. Dana was too busy. All went very well. Saturday night Fran called & invited my parents & me to breakfast with her & Uncle Frankie at a really nice local restaurant. It's the same one we went to with Mike, Terri & their family a while ago. Of course, I went away quite full & happy. I knew we'd inevitably have to get together with them sooner or later because it was the first weekend of the month. It's been getting cold lately. The autumn colors, groovy as they are, are finally sinking in. One of the Carmelite ladies commented on Saturday about how odd it is that we still see roses in November. I can't stand it that it gets so dark so early now since the time change. This part of the year has always struck me as so painfully morbid. Brianne just sent some especially groovy pictures of Kiernan. Aunt Shannon & Uncle Seanie_me_buy are having a good time with him. Yesterday before we left, I watched part of the Beatle movie, "HELP!" It's from my favorite Beatle era. It's the one where they tamed a stray tiger by singing "Ode to Joy" in b minor from Beethoven's ninth symphony. That's always worked for me whenever I've tried to bluff my way past a tiger.

CARMELITE SALE

Today's the big sale the Carmelites from Middletown, N.Y. are having at the Little Flwer Manor in Wilkes_Barre. It starts at 11:30. Unfortunately, I didn't know it started that late. I got there at around 8:15 & found out from the receptionist at the desk. My parents are leaving later to go to Dotty's party. It starts early in the afternoon. My father & Uncle Frankie went to the big game last night. Their team won. The only catch was that my father fell & got sort of hurt but not drastically. I just found out from the Seattle Times that the grand jury returned an indictment in a grey whale killing. In a country where people consider abortion & euthanasia to be rights, we're going crazy over a bunch of whales?! Yesterday I watched Reba McEntire's TV show. Kelly Clarkson played a really pretty, bubbly lunatic who always bounces of the walls. In other words, Kelly Clarkson played Kelly Clarkson. I don't usually watch currently famous TV shows, but that's one of the ones I can handle. All the characters have insanely odd first names: Brock, Van, Reba & Cheyenne aren't really names in any legitimate sense of the concept. They're like those soap opera names that have, unfortunately, become so popular lately. Happy birthday to Steve in far_away California. I haven't gotten a chance to see him since we were kids, but it still nice to keep in touch. Alas, we must bid a totally fond ttfn to daylight savings time starting tomorrow.

NICE BUT COLD

Today, so far, has been rather a nice day, fog free, but a little cold. There was ice on my windows but I could handle it. Tomorrow is Steve's birthday. That's Cathleen's brother, not my brother_in_law. The birthday boy Steve lives in California. Tomorrow will be a very busy day for one & all. Dotty's party starts early in the afternoon. She lives in Lindenhurst but it will be in Pa. The Carmelite fund raiser will be going on most probably from early in the morning. I always seem to have a pretty good time at those things. I have to stop & get gas between now & then. I'm not looking forward to the insanely high prices. Gas around here these days is close to three dollars a gallon just for regular. In New York, by now, things must be absolutely obscene. To cheer up for a while, though, we can always do a right hearty Friday dance. Cathleen & I, in honor of Steve's birthday, are now rambling on about death, time, etc. Aren't those quite the thrilling subjects to tackle? I'm still reading those books quite voraciously. I think I get many of my headaches from reading too much though. My eating habits aren't all that much to brag about either, to my chagrin. I think I'd better wise up & start eating at least something in the morning to avoid all the aggravation.

NEW MONTH

Well, I can see that it's getting closer toward the really dreary part of the year. Autumn is finally kicking in on our local leaves with all those groovy colors slowly making their inevitable appearance. For some reason, there were hardly any Trick_or_Treaters yesterday, which, alas, leaves a bit of candy for me to continue pigging out on. When I was a kid, Halloween was all hyperactive & sloppy. On Saturday morning, the third, the Carmelites will be having a religious goods sale on the grounds of the Little Flower Manor. That's the day my parents are supposed to show up at the surprise eighty fifth birthday party Dotty's granddaughter Kelly is planning for her. Dotty's one of our Lindenhurst connections. Everybody's time will be spoken for this weekend. I woke up with a headache in the middle of the night again. It must be because of all the candy & reading. That Marcel Proust is enough to get anybody worked up. As always I took a headache pill & it went away fast. Uncle Frankie, of course, made sure he showed up for a while yesterday.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Michael & Terry's daughter, Tara, delivered Tyler David, weighing in at a whopping nine lbs., one oz. yesterday at exactly 8:00 p.m. The kid has no hair but he's very healthy. Congratulations to our very young New Jersey grandparents. We wish a very happy birthday to Jim in California, & Earl in (maybe?) Puerto Rico. I haven't gotten a chance to see Earl since we were kids in our early teens. Up until around my twelfth birthday I lived in Queens. He was a really good friend of mine over there. Upon moving to Lindenhurst, I met Jim, whose sister, Cathleen, started the now legendary Friday dance. Last night, Aunt Lauren & Doug came over with the three kids. Michelle was working. Benjamin, the youngest of the brood, was dressed in his fireman's suit for Halloween. Of course, Uncle Frankie showed up yesterday, fully equipped with a seriously fattening Russian candy bar. As usual, this morning was ultra hyper foggy & bitter icy cold, only to get much better later in the day. The mountains, unlike our valley, have very nice autumn foliage, will all the colors associated with the fall season. I'm still reading that book about Marcel Proust. I have two novels of his, but unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to reading either of them entirely. I tried reading "Remembrance of Things Past" quite a while ago & somehow got only halfway through it & never finished the rest. It's now known more commonly ast "In Search of Lost Time." I have a copy of "Jean Santeuil" too but I've never read it either.