Pod Person Looking for Love

My neighbor is quite a character. His name is Podreberac but he goes by "pod" (very fitting).

Pod is a Vietnam vet. He makes sure everyone knows that and still wears his army gear most of the time...chamo pants, the hat, & patches. He often asks me to sew patches onto various shirts for him. I usually comply. His hair is thinning & he has the most fluffy mustache I have ever seen. He walks around the neighborhood with a gait that is like a combination of resignation and determination. Pod is basically homeless...he lives on the front porch of my neighbor's house surrounded by stacks of boxes and blankets hung from the ceiling for privacy and/or warmth. The porch is enclosed, but not heated so the winters get pretty chilly for him. He's been there at least 5 years.

Pod is...well, let's say chemically dependant. He drinks his beers in the alley between our houses in the bushes because the people who let him crash on their porch will kick him out if they catch him drinking. He is unemployed and lives off food stamps and whatever other aid he gets from the government. He is quite the pill-popper, too. He always is willing to share his valium, xanax, morphine, flexoril and other goodies, of which I do not partake (well...the occasional valium is nice...).

I feel bad for Pod...he is lonely and lost. He proclaims his love for me on a regular basis. He really is a nice guy but I have no attraction to him whatsoever. He has no problem, however, with telling me how beautiful I am and that he loves me, constantly complimenting my hair and all. "You're so purty!" Sometimes it kind of makes me squirm, but it's become obvious over the years that he means no harm. He does the same with my next door neighbor, Paula, and it visibly makes her squirm which can be quite amusing.

Pod came over last night when we were grilling burgers on the patio. He brought a package of hot dogs and a six pack. When we came inside to eat our burgers and retire for the night, Pod remained on the patio, grilling his dogs on the white-hot burger dripped coals and drinking his Natural Light. I looked outside at one point to see him having a lively conversation with himself. Soon after, around dusk, the dogs and Pod were gone.

Life goes on in the neighborhood. Pod is on watch, and all is peaceful...except when he is over there blowing things up with his "homemade dynamite." Now THAT is another story entirely.

Tattoo of the Day

This one is spiffy, but I really could do without all of the crap around it. Just the compass alone would be much classier, I think. Very nicely done...good shadowing effects and I like the blending colors on the background wheel.

Linker Backfire

I was blog jumping the other day...something I spend way too much time doing at work. I found a blog that was filled with wonderful writing...sensitive and with rare depth. It belonged to a seemingly very intelligent and creative woman and I enjoyed reading it very much. So, as I often do, I added her to my link list of "interesting people...". I add blogs to this list that I like to read and that I think like-minded people might be interested in as well - kind of my own personal blogroll.

I commented on one of her beautiful posts and she, in turn, came to visit my blog. She was "flattered" when she found a link to her site on my page, but it seems that it made her very uncomfortable as well. She didn't want others finding her blog and spying on her private thoughts and tribulations when she didn't know them (paraphrased - don't remember exactly how she put it). I apologized for making her uncomfortable and offered to remove the link if she wanted me to. She did not respond.

Apparently, this person has some serious troubles going on in her life indicated by yesterday's post regarding her world crashing down around her..no details. I clicked the link to go back today and see if she had responded/check on her and discovered that she deleted her entire blog. What a shame...

I am sure that my link was not the only reason for her decision. I guess my question is...did I violate some code of blogger ethics?

If she wanted her blog to be personal, I guess she should not have chosen to make it public.

Tattoo of the Day

Tattoo du Jour

I'm really diggin' this du jour thing today...not sure what is up with that but it reminds me that I should tell my blog a little about the time I spent in Europe. I lived in France twice - once in a little town in the Alps very near Courchevel - the most wonderful ski resort in France (in my opinion). The second time, I lived in Paris in the 4th arrondissement. I lived on the Ile St. Louis which is literally a little island in the middle of the Seine.

I digress...

Today, I bring you this lovely piece of skin art:

Lovely, eh? A little celebration of the Scottish Celtic heritage. Nice.

Merde du Jour

Well...the shit flinging is in full force over at Andy Kaufman's blog. According to snopes.com, it is a hoax. They are basing this on the existence of a grave and death certificate, however. Will we ever know? I guess time will tell.

Andy Kaufman Lives!....?

Rumor has it that legendary comic Andy Kaufman is alive and well and that his death in 1984 was a hoax.

Andy has his own blog that he's started up. Per the author of the blog, Andy is "Sorry about faking my death. I always knew my biggest supporters would play along until it was the right time for me to return. Yesterday, being the 20th anniversary, was a long enough time to go away. No one has ever gone away that long before. I've been documenting my adventures for the last twenty years in journals and will be posting some of the best stories from here. Mostly though, I've just been practicing transcendental meditation throughout various parts of the world while working odd jobs and keeping a low profile...It's good to be back."

Of course, there is much speculation as to whether this character is really Andy or not. He is said to have undergone DNA testing to prove that he is, indeed, the real Andy and that friends and family will vouch for him...he certainly was wacky (did I just use the word WACKY?) enough to do something like this. I wouldn't put it past him at all.

News Story

If it really is him...well...I say "Welcome Back, Andy!"

Stick in the Mud

Sorry for being such a buzz-kill yesterday. I was just down down down...it is so tough to maintain "quality" friendships when everyone is so busy.

Talked to a few friends yesterday afternoon about the situation and it turns out that they were stewing in their own juices about the same damn thing! So, we promised each other that we would make more of an effort to get together and hang out - do "friendly" things together instead of wallowing in self-pity in our hidey holes. Fire up the barby baby!!!

Anyway...big news coming, but will have to wait a little bit until I have time to tap it all out.

TODAY IS A NEW DAY. Life goes on and it is looking more interesting than ever.

Why am I Doing This?

What is the purpose of this blog? Why do I come here and spew out little bits of my soul? I guess it's in the hopes of finding someone who is interested...someone who cares. I am surrounded by people and have never felt so alone.

In college, I had tons of friends. They were there all of the time...I often wanted them to get the hell away from me so I could have some peace! There was only one that I never wanted to go away and he has since left me far behind. The real world after school is harsh and cruel. I have acclimated, but it is amazing that I survived those first few years. There should be a required class in college about the harsh reality of life after you graduate.

My three "best" friends are no longer fitting into that "best" category.

One got crazy-messed-up in methamphetamine and dropped out of life. She got busted, went through jail and treatment (all of which I stood by her side, visited her, brought her things she needed...) and now she is clean. She is no longer my friend because her treatment taught her that she can not associate with any of her old friends. I bump into her at the grocery store - she cries, hugs me, tells me she loves and misses me and then I don't see or hear from her for another year.

The second threw a wonderful party for me to celebrate a milestone in my life and then dropped me like a hot potato. After calling her repeatedly & not reaching her. I e-mailed her to ask her "what's up?" and she replied that she would no longer be my friend because she "decided to change the direction of her life." That direction doesn't include me. Maybe she thought I didn't appreciate the party? I have no idea why and I am still bewildered and lost when I think about it.

The third is still my friend, but I feel more like her stalker than a friend. She always seems happy to see or hear from me, but she never calls or comes by. She works two jobs and has an ill child that takes up much of her time. On the other hand, however, I know she has time for friends because she is often "out with friends" when I call according to her husband. The friendship has become too one-sided and I am finding myself no longer willing to pursue it. This one hurts bad because she's been my friend since we were 4 years old.

I have a few other friends. They work, they have families, and they "don't have time to socialize." The rest are just friendly aquaintances.

Friendships are like house plants - if you don't nurture and care for them, they will die. I feel like that withered, dying house plant. I have called, stopped by, bought cards & birthday gifts because I remembered, commented, e-mailed, invited...nothing comes back in return. I just can't do it any more.

I guess I came here to see if I could make some connections. Some people started visiting and commenting...they don't come any more. Maybe I am just pathetic and boring. Maybe I should have left the comments thing off to avoid the sting of seeing that there are no comments (meaning no one cares). My reach outward is starting to feel like flailing in emptyness.

I won't be calling them any more...at least for a while. Will they even miss me? I doubt it.

Tattoo of the Day

Ok...today's tatt is something along the lines of what I am thinking about getting...



I think I would pick a different color scheme, however...more purples, blues and greens and less teal. Then, there is the difficult decision regarding where to put it...

Tattoo of the Day

Having a problem from time to time with short attention span, I am already bored with the whole "word of the day" thing. So, taking my fascination with tattoos into consideration, I bring you the tattoo of the day:



This lovely work of skin-art belongs to Corey Taylor (a.k.a. lead singer of Slipknot). I think it's pretty damn cool. Wow...and that must have hurt.

Boo Hoo, Woe is Me

Don't you just hate it when you have those days when you are just too damn busy to blog? Yep...busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest today.

WAY TO GO RUPERT!

I am a big fan of Rupert Boneham. He is tough, he is honest, he is funny, he cares about people and he is just a damn cool guy!

Rupert sums it up well in his own words:
"The reason that I wanted to come back for SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS was not the million dollars. It was not the money at all. It was to finish my adventure, to finish my journey that I had started in SURVIVOR: PEARL ISLANDS and had not truly finished. I started a journey inside myself of self-awareness, of self-improvement, of realization of who I truly am.

I walk away from SURVIVOR: ALL-STARS knowing I played the game with honor, I played it against the best of the best, I didn't play conniver, and I made it to the Final Four. I walk away feeling very good about my game. "

I voted for Rupert in America's Tribal Council to win the second million. The choice was easy for me as I feel he deserves it more than any of the others. I am so happy that he got it!

Good for you, Rupert! You are a gem. We need more people in this world like Rupert.

Outrage

I saw a video this morning. In this video, a young American Jewish man - Nick Berg is sitting in a chair. He states his name, where he is from and the names of his family. The video then cuts to him sitting on the floor, hands and feet bound, in front of five Muslim men who have their faces hidden (cowards). The one in the middle reads in arabic from several papers...obviously their "statement" regarding what they are about to do and why. Nick can only sit, looking terrified. I really hope that he had no idea what they were about to do. When the reading is done, a voice, seemingly from off camera, screams in arabic sounding like a battle cry. They push Nick down to the floor as the reader pulls a large knife out. He proceeds to saw at Nick's neck as he screams in agony. The others hold him down. When the obviously difficult task of completely severing his head is finished and the screaming has stopped, the monster holds Nick's head up in front of the camera like a hunter proudly displays his kill.



The urge to vomit has now passed, but it took a while. Now, the anger sets in.

This was supposedly done to "restore the dignity" of the prisoners that were abused in the photos that have fueled the anger of the Muslim world. But you know what? Those people will live! Yes, they were mistreated and shamed, but they have their heads still attached!!!

Why are we spending billions of dollars to help these people!? Why??? This man was there to help them rebuild their country. I say that all Americans and other people who are there to help should leave immediately. I say that the military personnel who are there fighting these futile battles, getting nowhere, wasting our resources and traumatizing their families should be pulled OUT! All of them. Fuck "finishing the job." They don't want us there. It is high time that they all get the hell out and let them deal with their own problems. Let Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his henchmen take care of things and spend Saddam's money on the "rebuilding."

I realize that not all of the Muslims and people of Iraq are evil. If I didn't realize this, I would say that the entire place should be blown to smithereens. But there are good people there. But I really do believe that it is time to leave them all on their own. Perhaps the good people there should get out, too.

And WHY are we apologizing for some of the things Americans have done to the prisoners there, when they pale in comparison to some of the things they have done to our people? I realize that soldiers have killed may of their people, but what about the civilian contractors that they burned, hung from a bridge and beat with poles? What about Nick Berg? WHERE IS OUR FUCKING APOLOGY????????? We will not get one. Why does it seem, more and more, that we are at the mercy of these people?

I am so angry and frustrated over this situation - this "war on terror." I hadn't commented on here about any of this yet, but I can no longer contain my outrage. It just won't stop and it has got to. When and how will this end?

Cruel Shoes

I hate shoes. I really do. If I could, I would go barefoot all of the time.

Women's shoes are just horrible. They pinch and rub, sqeeze in all of the wrong places and slip in others. They normally don't have ANY damn tread and I am convinced that they were designed by the Nazis as torture devices (along with panty hose)!

I really think I have men's feet...they are a size 11w in womens (that would be a 9 in men's), which is HUGE. These babies are WIDE - it is really hard for me to find shoes that fit right and don't cause me serious agony the first several times I wear them.

So, today I go shopping on my lunch hour. I stop by the shoe dept. thinking maybe I'll get lucky. I browse and browse the women's section and don't find squat. So I saunter over to the mens hoping to find something that might work that doesn't look too masculine when voila! Like a beacon of light, they nearly jump off of the shelf at me. Perfect for summer! Dressed up flip-flops with nice cushy soles. I slip them on and the fit perfectly - and the price cannot be beat! Huzzah!

So I joyfully buy my new foot-friends and go on my merry way. I decide, upon returning to work, that I shall wear them for the remainder of the afternoon, so I slip them on and head for the door.

All of the sudden...what the hell? What is that freaking noise? Oh, bloody hell, it's my new shoes!!! They make a kind of sucking/farting noise when I walk. The soles literally create a suction against the bottom of my feet and then suck/fart as the seal breaks. Fabulous.

Now, as I walk around the office sucking/farting, I think to myself "so what!? They are comfortable, damn it!"

Hopefully, they won't keep doing this...

Word of the Day

Today's word is Postmodern
Pronunciation: "pOs(t)-'mä-d&rn, ÷-'mä-d(&-)r&n
Function: adjective
The late 20th-century tendency (in art, thought, and society) to distrust objectivity, authority, universality, and moral and ideological absolutes. Postmodern artists tend to mix styles, cultures, techniques, and high and low forms of art." In its most general sense, describes the blurring and breakdown of established canons (rules, standards), categories, distinctions, and boundaries.

Word of the Day

Today's word is Abhorrent
Adjective
1. Offensive to the mind; "an abhorrent deed"; "the obscene massacre at Wounded Knee"; "morally repugnant customs"; "repulsive behavior"; "the most repulsive character in recent novels".
Synonyms: detestable (adj), obscene (adj), repugnant (adj), repulsive (adj).

The reason behind today's choice is here.

Sometimes this world just makes me want to crawl under a huge rock and never come out.

Which Ancient Egyptian Diety are You?

I am the most worshipped goddess in all of Egypt.
I am a great protector, a mother type.
People appeal to me for guidance and
direction. I fight for what I love, and
rarely take no for an answer. I am Isis.


Which Ancient Egyptian Diety are you?
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Word of the Day

Today's word is callipygian
\cal-uh-PEE-jee-uhn\, adj.
* Of, pertaining to, or having well-shaped or finely developed buttocks. [OED]
Origin: Greek "kallos" (beauty) + "puge" (buttocks).

**giggle**

Word of the Day

Today's word is egregious
\E*gre"gious\ (?; 277), a. [L. egregius; lit., separated or chosen from the herd, i. e., distinguished, excellent; e out + grex, gregis, herd. See Gregarious.] Surpassing; extraordinary; distinguished (in a bad sense); -- formerly used with words importing a good quality, but now joined with words having a bad sense; as, an egregious rascal; an egregious ass; an egregious mistake.

Ug!

check out my lunch over on my bitching blog
Just NASTY!

Word of the Day

Today's word is Expostulate
\Ex*pos"tu*late\ (?; 135), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Expostulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Expostulating.] [L. expostulatus, p. p. of expostulare to demand vehemently; ex out + postulare to ask, require. See Postulate.] To reason earnestly with a person on some impropriety of his conduct, representing the wrong he has done or intends, and urging him to make redress or to desist; to remonstrate

Word of the Day

Today's word is Etymology
The word etymology is derived from the Greek etumos which means real or true. The ending ology suggests the study/science of something, as in biology or geology. And that is the etymology of etymology. It is the study of the origins of words; how they evolved.