THE END OF THE YEAR RANT...OR..FOK IT, YOU DEAL WITH IT.

Comedian, Lewis Black says, "We should just plan for things...you know how you get all excited in planning for an event. You plan for the party, all the guests, the the balloons, the food, the dancing. Everything. Then the day comes and it's not as big a thing as you thought...in other words, the party sucked. But the planning was fun. So let's just plan..and when the day comes, forget it."

Not a bad idea, eh? We plan for everything and then when the time comes, we just do whatever it is we were going to do and screw the party. Hey, we had fun planning, didn't we?

OK..So It's just me. But let's think about this, This year is coming to an end, and we are starting a new one, how? BY DROPPING THE BALL.
Pardon me, but Dropping the ball. Isn't that a euphemism for screwing up.
See, we plan for a Happy New Year, and we screwed the pooch to begin with. Who's freaking idea was this. Really!
You make all these "resolutions" to do all the things you're not going to do, you know you're not, but you do em anyway...WHY? Because other people are doing em..again, WHY?
BECAUSE THEY DROPPED THE BALL...LAST YEAR. Last year, they fucked up, so you have to atone for it this year, by making all these stupid resolutions to make yourself feel better for dropping the ball on all the goofy things you promised yourself last year..
Ya know what, if no one can handle that you didn't reach or complete that personal goal that was set...Fok em, let em deal with it...You planned to do it..you just didn't get around to do it, because life got in the way..it ALWAYS gets in the way..sometimes, you actually do achieve those personal goals, no matter how little of mediocre they are, but you do...and sometimes you don't...but it's nobody's business but yours.

So have fun planning doing what you're going to do....and when the day comes and its not what you expected...hey, ya had fun planning it...and that's all that matters, you had fun.

Fok it, let em deal with the rest.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


OK, I would be remiss if I didn't say anything about this.
We lost a President this week...Gerald Ford, 1913-2006 The 38Th President of the United States. I'm a bit saddened by this as I am a child of the 70's remember vividly the turmoil of the Watergate scandal and how then Vice-President Ford had stepped up to take office of the President, as stipulated in the 25 amendment. By far, he was the only Republican that I liked, I think because he truly believed that he could do good. He put aside politics to try and heal a nation scared by internal political strife. Plus he did a spot on the Simpson's..now that was cool.

Gerald R.Ford...He Really believed in the office of the Presidency.
_______________________________________________________________________


Happy New Year People...See ya in 2007.

Repair, replace...Redeux...

Well, figuring that I have the time, now is just as good as any to replace the screen and screen door that my two semi-moose's saw fit to destroy.
So I break out the handy dandy tape measure I've had for well over 25 years(the only good thing that came from my first job) and set to measuring the screen door and the screen.

As any good Do-it-yourselfer would do, I write down the measurements...and promptly forget the paper on my desk.
Luckily, the wife is here to remind me..and I go back into the house and get the paper...and my tape measure...and off we go to that bastion of home repair and god of commerce....



Yeah..the place to go, where you can find almost everything but someone to help you...well almost. Today we got lucky...there was one poor soul stuck putting stuff away, so we trapped him and forced the info out of him...After five seconds of inane questions..you know; "Young man who worketh here at the Home Depot...where might we, the lowly consumer, find that which we may keep the bugs and pets out of our domicile?...Pray, please disclose this information, before I am forced to club you about the face and ears..."
(At which point I produced a wicked looking club, complete with spikes!).
The hapless fool, taking one look at my club with its wicked looking spikes, was about to protest, when my wife said, "Just point in the general direction and keep your hands close to your body..and you'll be fine.."

The fool believed her...

He pointed...I thanked him...smacked him on the head for doubting I would..and off we went.

Five isles and six unconscious workers later...we found our prize...an aluminum screen door, and a bonus..a pet guard! Oh happy day. Let's see those little bastards break through this...

Then a problem...NO SCREENS! I couldn't believe it...not a one in sight! I was about to go back and trounce that little dweeb within an inch of his sorry life, when wifey pointed out, they sold kits...What? Kits? WHAT THE FOK WAS THIS? Is this madness?
I have no problem putting a kit together, but these dweebs didn't even have the right size...OH NO! THE GODS WERE MOCKING ME!

Out came the club....down went the sales people...

all counted..42 by the time we hit the check out counter....
left the check out clerk alive.

Someone had to take the money...self-check was down.


Tomorrow I have to call Lowes and order the other screen...and they better have it..or else...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!



I love parody.

What I bought myself for Christmas...

Well, it's that time of year..the day is here...for ribbons and bows to be ripped from packages neatly wrapped...wrapped with care...taped and folded...here and there...oh the horror, the horror...packages strewn about...It's Christmas day, after all..oh hell, let em shout.

Well, I bought all the gifts that I needed to buy. Wrapped em and bowed em and tagged em and placed em..
So what did I buy myself for Christmas...Myself I say, because every year I do a little something for me. I do this because, well, you see one year I received for Christmas a pair of socks, a t-shirt, and gloves. That was it. Now, hey, I got gifts but that's not the thing...See, I come from a family of seven kids, and all were working at the time, and I managed, on my minimum wage job salary, to get everyone something...nieces and nephews included....and all I got was a pair of socks, from my sister...( I bought her a coat..), a T-shirt with a screen print of Buckwheat on it, from my brother..(bought him a radio..), and my Mom bought me the gloves, because I worked at night and my hands were cold..(I bought her a gold heart...I still have those gloves..).
When my Mother asked me what I got for Christmas...I told her I had a good one..not wanting to start anything. She asked again..I told her I liked the gloves...she said that was it? I told her what else I got, and she could not believe it. Everyone was loaded with stuff...and I was there with my T-shirt, socks, and gloves...

After that, I swore that no matter what, I was going to buy myself something that I wanted every Christmas...even if it was a little thing...just something for me. See, it was the principal. I was able to take care of everyone...but somehow, I was an afterthought. And its always been that way...But it's cool.
Like I said, now, because I can...What I bought myself was a Silver Surfer #6


And a Silver Surfer #9


I'm a Comic collector...I've been trying to get these issues for sometime, and the opportunity was right. So, Merry Christmas to Me...
And Merry Christmas to all of you out there who read my nonsensical rants and whatnot's..especially, Annie of the Blur...Jonzz, Poohbear and anyone else who comes along...

Happy holidays, and The end of the year rant is coming....


See ya soon.

Peace.

LOOKS ARE SO DECEIVING...
Yeah, look at em...these are the faces of innocence. But behind those furry muzzles lie the seeds of destruction!



This is what's left of my window screen...



It is in total ruin! It's in TWO PIECES! CHEWED! TORN! RIPPED TO SHREDS!
This would be expected from Puppies! But six year old dogs?! No!
Oh, and the screen door...They ripped it completely. Its hanging like a curtain.
AGGGGGGHHH!

How did all this come about? Well its like this...I take the car to get serviced.
Figure I get in there early, get all my stuff done, good to go.
I utilize good ol' map quest. figure I'll be there early...what happens, IT'S THE WRONG DEALERSHIP. Of course. Just so happens there are TWO Autoplex's in my area.
So, I jump on the freeway, get to the right one...still early, get the car set up..
get some coffee, a cherry fritter, watch the TODAY show...I'm good.
Get the car done, comes out less than I expected, Yea! me.
Drive home
I walk into the house..."hey boys! Daddy's home...WHAT HELL IS THIS?!"



Yes, I find this...crumpled mass of destructed aluminum and screen wire mesh on the patio floor....under the screen door, no less.
They killed it...The rat bastards!
OH GOD I cannot begin to explain how angry I was....then disappointed. I had totally thought I had brought them passed this, and now they revert to this destructive behaviour....
And before you say.."Wolfie, you didn't hit them!?"
No...I didn't hit them...but they did get the squirt bottle treatment...They don't like the squirt bottle..they know they did wrong when the squirt bottle comes out.
Well, I still had to replace the pendant..So I put the screen door back in place, put the screen inside and told them "I'LL BE BACK!"
----------------------------------------------------

So many Sears...Not a lot of Sense...


This is one of the Gifts I'm getting my wife for ye old festive season...sorry for the picture quality, but I took it from the catalog. It's a Jade elephant with a ruby eye and gold accents, and a gold chain. Well, we all know, the chain was broken. So I go to Sears...turns out it's a Sears "essentials". They don't have a Jewelry department...So I go 8 miles to the next Sears...They have a Jewelry department...ok, we're cooking with gas.
I explain to the woman behind the counter what happened. Show her the section of chain that's broken...the receipt...She says.."So what do you want to do?"

Wolfie "Well, I was told, by your representative on the phone, that I could get it replaced, or refunded at my local Sears...You are my local Sears.."
Sales Lady.."Oh."
At this point, patience has left Wolfie..and the simmer switch has been turned on...

Sales Lady.."Well let me see what I can do.." She takes the pendant.
Comes back, tells me that she doesn't have any "utility chains" (these are chains that they use to replace broken chains...just for situations like this). Says she has a chain, but in White Gold.
She Serious...
White Gold...I say....The pendant is Jade, with a ruby eye, and GOLD ACCENTS...YELLOW GOLD accents. Would that look right to you? I ask her...
Sales Lady.."Well, I wouldn't wear it..but I'm not you..."
hmmm...

Can you just see the boil...

Sales Lady.."You know, you can buy a chain and put it on this...then get this chain repaired..."

OK..THAT'S IT!

Wolfie.."OK..You want me to buy a chain, to replace a broken chain, that I did not break, that was shipped to me broken, and get it repaired all at my expense...? ARE YOU INSANE? This is not acceptable. You're policy as stated on the slip I have here says that you can replace or refund...now get me someone who is going to do this and do it NOW!
READ THE SLIP!"

Needless to say, a manager came down, replaced the chain with a YELLOW GOLD chain...and all was good.

Buy a foking chain...OY!

The Other Shoe Dropped..And It Went BOOM!


Yeah...I'm having a good day..got my medical issues in order, still waiting on the EBAY thing to clear up, but everything's going hunky dory...I run my errands, come home, package from Sears is at the door. Cool! Wife's Christmas present is here!
Take it in...open it up...check it out..its rattling..not good.
See, its this Jade Elephant pendant on a gold chain. Really neat, has gold accents and a ruby eye. Well I see the Elephant, but no chain.

HMMMMM...Strange.

Closer inspection to the back of the card, shows the chain..IN TWO PIECES!

Wolfie's not a happy camper...Call Sears...I have to go in and have the chain replaced. So now I know what I have to do tomorrow..get car serviced, take gift to Sears, get chain replaced..I love ordering online...NOT!
-------------------------------------------------------------

So, after all of this, the Wife calls...how's it going, how was your day...Guess what work told me??

Uh oh....

Now, in the final two days before she is to come to Arizona for good...She gets a call...Seems they have to Announce her position..the job that she is taking in Arizona, just in case there are any employees that are slotted for displacement or some shit like that...Basically, the same shit they did to her...the reason we moved here in the first Fucking place!

WHAT! Are they insane?! We just bought a house! And now they are telling you this...NOW!

No..No! This is not going to happen. I Refuse to let their petty bullshit play with our future.
Well first off..She told them to go Fok themselves (YEA! FOR MRS.WOLFIE!) Then she said, that she was already told that this was a "done deal" end of discussion.

But what really got her goat, her soon to be ex-boss comes out of her office and says:

ex-boss, "Well, I guess if they give that position to someone else, then I guess your screwed..you'd be out of a job.."

like the bitch was gloating.

That was when the wife hit the ceiling...To quote Popeye.."That's all I can stands..and I can't stands no more!"

Wife told them to either fix this shit, or she was going to her doctor..and say she was stressed out and would request a 45 day stress leave (our doctor likes her..he'd do it..)
Well boss lady was flustered..."You wouldn't do that????"

Wifey, "Try me!"

Wife called the Philly branch...discussed this with them..after calling her soon to be boss here in Arizona, who was pissed as well....Philly said they would fix it.

Here's the kicker...

They tell her.."Don't tell your husband.."

HAHAHAHAHAH! They don't fix this fok-up, I'm going into the hills to commune with my ancestors and then come down looking for some blood.


Damn Government Workers...

EBAY...ESCHMAY...

As any of you that have read my profile know, I have a hobby...That's collecting comics....and lots of us collectors do business on that bastion of e-commerce known as EBAY...Well, as I have an account with them and have for a few years, I decided to go and enter my new email and home addresses..respectively.

Check this out...I go on ebay..figure I'd change my email addy...I do so..it ask for my CC, assuring me that I will not be charged, this is only for "Verification". Ok...I enter the number...

I get redirected saying it cannot go to that webpage...

so I try again...and again...
after a few tries....like 13....I say screw it, I was able to change my home addy so I'll just go later...

earlier this evening, I'm paying some bills...decide to check my cc balance...Lo and behold there is a pending charge for 13.00! WTF!

I haven't used that card since before moving to AZ...So I check to see who's the charge on...and guess who it is????

Yup...EBAY!

THE FOKING RAT BASTARDS!

So, I go to ebay and send them the following:

[color=red]I tried to submit a new email today. for some reason, your site requested my Credit Card number...The note specifically stated that I would not..that the Card would not be Charged, and yet today I find charges to my Card for a total of 13.00! What gives? if this is how you subsidize your site I will close my account and take my business elsewhere! I want an answer Gentlemen, and I want it NOW!
As it is I was not able to change my email and I was charged a dollar for every time that I was re-directed to the site?? This is ridiculas...
Either credit my card or cancel my account. I will not do business this way.[/color]

it's very simple..I get my money..or I they lose a customer and get reported for fraud...

I don't care if its 13.00 or 130.00 or $.13 Don't try to rip me

-------------------------------------------------------------------

As if the day wasn't going well enough..I get a call from the Wife...tells me she lost her cell phone...Thinks she dropped it in the parking lot when she got her coffee this morning....

DAMN!

Ok..Wolfie's on the case..Call to Verizon...blah blah blah...New Phone on the way...Wife calls back, tell her it will be overnighted to where she's at now (sisters house) just make sure someone is there to sign for it..ok..
Then I get another call this afternoon...Wife again..Sister found the phone..
(AGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
It was in the front yard, by the lemon tree...Sorry...can't we stop the new one??
No. It's being OVERNIGHTED....
So, now she has two...Merry Friggin' Christmas...

Then....day gets better...
Pharmacy calls..."Mr.Wolfie, Your medication will not be ready today...Your dumbass doctor has yet to call back...we faxed them twice..you need to call..."
It's 5 pm.

My doctor closes up shop 4pm California time...THANKS FOR CALLING ME NOW!

and you wonder why I talk about booze so much, Annie???


HO! HO! FOKING HO!

28 Miles to Piss in a Cup....

But this time, it's FOR REAL...

I GOT A JOB...That's right. Finally, after moving to this new state, searching the ad's...Posting the Resume, and taking all those Goddamn tests...Wolfie got a job!

But I digress....I had gone to this Staffing agency, filled out their paper work, taken their tests (damn tests again..ARGH!!!!) and was told that someone would be calling me with the specifics about a position that was a direct hire on 19Th and DEERBORNE (this is important, now). I get home, get an email with more tests (AGH!!!!)..do the tests with the exception of one that would not upload into my computer...AND I TRIED SIX TIMES!!!! so I sent the results back to the agency...explaining what happened with the one that would not upload. Also, explaining that I did not have the address to the job site...all I had was two streets, 19Th and DEERBORNE ( remember this now)...
So me, being the resourceful Wolfie that I am, map quested what I had and lo and behold I find that there is no 19Th and DEERBORNE! Oh, there is a 19Th Street...but there was no DEERBORNE (again..remember). So needless to say, I'm a bit peeved...no..I'm Pissed!

My weekend was OK...wife comes, goes...Monday comes, I decide to call the staffing agency, talk to a woman there, explain about the program that wouldn't upload, and that no one ever called with the address for the job..oh and by the way, there is no DEERBORNE...
Shanna the Staffing Agent.."It's Deer field.."
Wolfie.."What?"
Shanna the Staffing Agent..."The street...it's Deerfield...19Th and Deer field.."
Wolfie.."I was told DEERBORNE...Great..That explains why map quest didn't have anything.." YES, I was being facetious...
Shanna the Staffing Agent.."I'm very sorry Mr.Wolfie, I can set you up with another interview..."
So I get set up with another interview...Then I get called from this Pharmaceutical Company...they got my resume from Monster...they would like to set up an interview.
At this point, I don't care, I need a job. So I go, and I'm there...FOR TWO AND A HALF HOURS! And what do I get????

We'll be making our decision by Monday the 18Th....

Yeah, heard that before...

So, I drive home...and I'm feeling like crap BTW.

I go to sleep.....

I was going to sleep in that morning...I get a phone call.

Robin from The Pharmacy Company " Good Morning Mr.Wolfie...Blah blah blah, Robin from blah blah ..."

Wolfie.."Yes, I remember...good to hear from you..Blah blah nice nice..(mind you its a stretch for me to be nice in the morning..)"

Robin from The Pharmacy Company..."Mr.Wolfie, we have made our decision and would like to offer you a position with the company...blah blah blah..you have the job.."

WOLFIE SO HAPPY!

So I go down to the site, fill out my final paper work...and get my paper work for my "Drug test"...They give me a map..I utilize handy dandy map quest..and the closest one is 28 miles away from me...WHAT!..28 mile just to pee in a cup!

So I go...35 minutes in traffic, and arrive there to wait another hour again, just to pee in a cup.
Only to find out that there is a lab about five miles from my house...GREAT! IT WASN'T ON THE LIST!

I don't care...
I GOT A JOB...
I am a Patient Care Advocate..man is that a misnomer...hahahaha!

this ought to be good fuel for future rants.

Well, the soup wasn't cutting it....

I tried...I really did, but the soup wasn't doing it...So those of you who are faint of heart, look away...Those of you who are Vegitarians...BAH!...I have here, and introduce to you the one...the only....


Wolfie Burger!

its very tasty, and I believe the best thing for a head cold...Why? you ask...Well, I'll tell you. First of all, it's not beef. I know, I know.."BOO! Wolfie..that's not a burger" you say...but it is..its a turkey burger. See the original Wolfie burger was made from Ostrich meat...but I didn't have any...So I got the next best thing..Turkey..There's a reason for this, I'll get to that in a minute....But back to the WB...See, what you need is some ground turkey meat, a palm full of seasoned Italian bread crumbs, a dash of olive oil, Mrs.dash seasoning, Cayenne pepper, and A-1 bold and spicy steak sauce.

The Cayenne pepper is the key. It's what opens the sinuses.

You get a mixing bowl, mix in the meat, bread crumbs, oil and Mrs. Dash...Mix them all into a nice patty...and then toss it in a pan....then add the pepper..one side, then the other...after five minutes of searing, pour on the A-1 (to taste), let it cook...then flip, and pour sauce on the other side.

Burger should take about ten to fifteen minutes to get medium well...but you make it the way ya want.

The Wolfie Burger is the best..top it with your own fixings...Today I just used a little mayo, Swiss cheese and more A-1...it was HEAVEN! That and a Big glass of OJ..I'm feeling pretty good. I'll have soup tomorrow.

Oh and the meat thing..what can I say..doctors.

For Pooh...And those of you who...

This is a strange little place, not really quite little. It's not on any map, and you won't find it it Frommer's. If you ask the Government, the Military or people like that, they'll say it doesn't exist. But ask anyone who's interested in the the Strange, the unusual or the just plain weird and they'll tell you,Area 51 is real, as real as Vegas is to a gambler.

So what goes on there? What indeed. Did they hide secrets of the extraterrestrial kind, things that others might find. Are there aliens there? Not the ones that the news heads blurb about jumping the borders day in and day out, but the ones that cross the borders of time and space. In ships that defy logic, with objects that confound the imagination. And drive men to do the almost unspeakable to cover the secrets from the rest of us.

There are those among us, that would go to the greatest of lengths to see just what is hidden behind the bunkers, the hangers, the doors, under the floors. Is curiosity or a driving need...some would say its a drive to succeed.

But there is a dark side to that place, because they will shoot all that trespass. Why? Why hide the secrets? We'll probably never know, because Area 51 is no longer where it used to be. See, as with all things secret in nature, when things got too hot, they packed up ship and sailed on to another port.....docked in another site.

So Pooh, you see, Area 51 is still that what it was always set out to be, a mystery for you...a mystery for me.

Andy Warhol did it with one can....

I'm showing four. I was kinda pissed off today...well, lately I've been a little ticked off a many times, but today really got to me. See, I had an appointment for this job interview, and the job paid $18.00 an hour, so I was going in to really impress, tie and all...Now, last night, I was feeling totally blah, so I tried to sleep(yeah, that happened..not). Got up at six a.m. because I was supposed to have another interview with a company through this Temp agency I signed up with, But they never called me with the correct address! So no interview.

Day starting off perfect, so far.

So, it comes time for my afternoon interview...I go, The place turns out to be the local unemployment office. I go in, me dressed up...everyone dressed in everyday garb...go to the desk, give my name and reason for being there. Woman looks at me like I'm speaking a third world tongue.

Day hits that perfect spot...

She has no idea, what the hell I'm talking about, who I'm talking about...says fill out a card, someone will call my name.

It hits me right about fifteen minutes later, that I'm wasting my time there...So I leave. Drive back home, pissed! Get home, change clothes...go out back with the dogs and then call the temp agency...To let them know that I did not receive the information that I should have, and is this how its supposed to work?
They appologized, and set me up with the same company for Friday.

Fine and dandy...I'm still pissed. And feeling pretty lousy to boot. Then I remember the soup.
So I hop in the Wolfie mobile (yes, I actually call it that...) and drive to the store. Walking through the isle's, I spot the cans of Campbells soup, and that famous pic of Andy's comes to mind...A freakin can of soup. This clown with the lousy white hair took a picture of a can of Campbells Soup, and made millions...I just want some with a sandwich.

Go figure...

I have another interview tomorrow...and yeah, I bought the soup..

Anyway ya spell it...I could use it right about now...

Don't know if it's a cold, or just the a case of the Blah's...but I'm not feeling up to par. And it really sucks, too...I have two interviews in the morning..really need the job (as my regular readers have know from my past bitchings..er..bloggings...), and I have to get up early too...oy.

What sucks even more, I did what I didn't want to do, I signed up with a temp agency.
Why? I don't know...I answered an ad for a direct hire, seems the company was going through a temp agency....Thing is, the damn agency was supposed to call me back after I had my interview with them on Friday...well, had the interview, which BTW, took forever and damn day, and did they call me? NO! The rat bastards...

But they did send me some nice assessment tests to do online...some of which would not download onto my computer...so I send them a nice email, letting them know this, and that the rep who was to call, never did...and, that they also forgot to give me the exact address for the interview...See, I'd like to know that I actually have an interview, instead of just showing up and have them say.."I'm sorry, we have nothing for Mr.Wolfie" Won't I look the fool.

Feeling like I feel right now, I think I'd be a little ticked off...know what I mean.
Guess watching "Kingdom of Heaven" right about now, isn't a good idea...huh?...
hey, whats a little medieval violence if not to soothe the nerves...eh..

Back to the soup...

Yeah, I should have gone out and got some...don't know what it is, maybe its missing the wife, maybe its all this hassling with the jobs...maybe its the weather changing.
I just feel yucky...and that's my Official term. I feel worse than Charlie Brown getting the push off from the little Red Haired Girl at dance time...

Guess its just a funk...I don't know...if I was a drinking man, I'd say, nothing a couple of shots of vodka can't help...but I'm not a drinking man.
So I guess its a jigger of Orange Juice....hmmm..but that soup sounds sooo good. Maybe I'll stop and grab some fixings tomorrow.....

Its 12:30 am my time...and I'm wide awake...that really sucks.

where's my Benedryl....

WE ALL GET EM....

Well, most of us do...I just got my first one today..well we, my wife and I...it's from her ex-boss...a very nice one. Got me thinking about that multi-billion dollar industry that takes flight at this time of year, what I like to call "The Silly Season". No, I'm not making light of a certain someones birth...Those of you who are religious, don't send the hate mail....I call it that because people tend to get mega silly at this time of year.

What with all the sales, and mad dashes to get those presents out, the cards..the wrapping, the trees, dressing uncle Jack up as Santy...Poor uncle Jack...Ya know the poor schlub just wants to crawl into that bottle of Jim Beam ya got him for Xmas Cheer, and as soon as you put them kids to sleep, that's exactly what he's gonna do...along with dad, brother and the rest of anyone else who'll join him.

Yeah...The silly season...People going nuts to get that better parking space...fuck it, let em have it. No sense in getting shot for a few feet of walking distance, eh what...That Lady wants the last size 6 dress in red, let her have it..even though you know she's two sizes too big to get into it..and will be returning it Friday..You'll get it half off anyway. Yes, just say Merry Christmas...smile, and wave...though in your heart of hearts you're screaming.."take it ya stupid cow...we both know you're not a SIX...MORE LIKE A SIXTEEN!"

Then slog back to that lousy parking spot...pass that clown that just had to have the good one that he cut you off to get it....drive home through the traffic, the fingers, the horns, the glares, the vacant stares....and into the house, with Uncle Jack, happily Blitzed and snoozing in the corner...with the dog drinking JB from the dog dish....wrap the last minute gifts...go through the mail, and see that...That card, from the friend you haven't seen in years...the cousin you thought dropped off the face of the earth....Aunt Marie....Grandma...Your son...Your daughter...Or..that someone you thought didn't care.
And then its Christmas....


Till the dog throws up on the rug...and you contemplate covering it up with Jacks new coat...


Merry Christmas...

Out of the Dark...


Guess what this is...?



Back to that in a minute.
I'm tired. Tired of all the crap I've been putting up with the last few days. So I'm getting away from that. Some of you (Annie) have wondered what the hell that thing is that is next to my face in my picture....That is my Faux pipe.

I made this



one afternoon while I was bored and watching "Dances with Wolves". The bowl has a skull face carved into it and the pipe is just decorated as best I could without cutting my fingers to pieces. I have yet to color it...I don't know, it just looks cool to me, this way...and seeing as I don't smoke, I use it when contemplating things...like what to write next on my blog...or what comment to leave elsewhere...

I have other hobbies, but that one works most for me.


Now, with the silly season upon us, I know that there are those of us that are thinking..."Why?" Well, because. We need this, people...I don't care who you are, where you are, or why the fuck you are alone, find someone, anyone...a friend, an acquaintance, a co-worker...anybody...a freaking body..but don't be alone this year. Please, even if its on the net...the web, or back and forth on this blog...for your own damn sanity...Don't be alone this time of year...it ain't cool, it ain't right...and Wolfie will bite if he finds out you were.

Really, no one needs to be alone this time of year, and there are too many damn people in the world for us to be.

I've come to the realization, that no matter what...I'm going to succeed in this damn world. Somewhere, somehow...just haven't figured it out yet...but I will.
And I want you all to be there...someway.

Peace.

oh yeah..the pic in the dark....thats me.

flash didn't work.

Now ya know, YA JUST KNOW SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, IS FUCKING WITH YOUR HEAD....


How?

When you apply for a position...they send you paperwork to fill out...and then, out of the blue, you get this in your email:


We regret to inform you that the Tech 4.Customer Service position located in our Tempe office for which you applied has been cancelled. We encourage you to apply for other positions


COME ON! You have got to be kidding me? They just Cancelled the freaking position?
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!
Someone help a brother out here...
I got nothing against Wal-Mart..but I'm not ready to throw in the towel and take the easy route..
I've got 13 years of customer service experience, damn it....These bastards have not beaten me...

I'm the Wolf...and the prey has just come into sight...

Riding higher than a kite one day, Shot down in flames the next......

Yes...so close, tossed within reach, only to be taken away like so much candy from the proverbial baby.
Yesterday, You passed the test Wolfie, you did very well, quite well, in fact. Come on back, sit in on a some calls...Tomorrow you'll have your formal interview, fill out your paperwork...training starts on Monday...BLAH BLAH BLAH FUCKING BLAH!

So I go today...Well lets start this off right...

Welcome to Great Wide Empty...



I started off to my "Formal Interview" all Spiffy...shirt, tie..nice slacks..driving through this ...What I call the Great wide empty...mind you, they are building, but its taking forever...

Going along, I hit, you guessed it...Traffic...










OK, I slog through that...miss a few of the local rubber necks as they stop to partake of the state's pass time...Wreck Viewing....narrowly miss getting hit by a few of said rubber neckers, and then make it to my interview, early too...as requested, BTW, to fill out the blah blah paperwork.
So here goes Wolfie...all spiffy, mind you...smile at the receptionist, smile at the representative who said I did "So well on the test"....fill out the paperwork...and....

INTERVIEW.


Interviewer: "WAH WAH WAH...Blah...Techie..techie..blah blah..Customer Service good...Technical skills...light...."

hm mm....


Wolfie..." I understand with the training that it would be comprehensive enough to walk a customer through a basic setup..."

Interviewer..."BLAH BLAH...Technical Skills...Blah blah..light, very light....OK thank you for coming in...we still have a few more candidates to see, if we don't call you by Friday, give us a call, back."....

In other words...SEE YA!


Wolfie..."Thank you for seeing me...Goodbye."

Inner Wolfie..."KISS MY ASS YOU BASTARD! I know what Don't call us we'll call you means!"

So, I left...drove home....mad. Very angry mind you. Drove home...got home, looked at my DVD player, the one that for some reason was giving me sound and no picture...and fixed it.
All the while cursing out the job I didn't get...my dogs looked at me like I was nuts.

So it's back to square one..Though, I thought the training they were going to give was to support my light tech skills..Silly me....Whatever...

I am the Wolf..and what is a wolf if not a hunter.

The hunt continues.

I GOT A JOB!!!!

I guess being pissed off worked in my favor today....I woke up early, couldn't help it, didn't sleep much. Showered, feed the boys, got about a gulp or two of coffee, got dressed, drove the 30 miles to the site, and took their damn test ( yeah another damn test!). Did I study for it...a little, I went to the class they offered on Saturday, which by the way was the Evelyn Wood Speed reading version of teaching, barely gave a person time to write any notes let alone absorb material...Yet...I took the test, And.....

I PAST THE FUCKER!

You're damn right! Who da man? Who da man? WOLFIE's Da MAN! DAMNIT! I not only passed, I was told that I did EXTREMELY WELL on it....YEAH BUDDY!

If I didn't need the damn job, I'd have told them...thank you..goodbye...
but things being what they are, Wolfie needs the money, damnit...

So, now I'm back to the ranks of the employed. No more late nights, no more fun...now I'm back to traffic, drudgery, the Grind...the...

WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!

Oh yeah, mortgage....


Never mind..

The moment of clarity is gone....I'm back.


Yea me...I got a job...

can I go back to bed now???

A dark house, wind, and a squeaking tree....



well, it's me again...another weekend come and gone and I'm here alone. Sucks.
I have an interview in the morning..I'm not sleepy...I have to be up early....
wife left for the week..long story, she's in California for another two weeks...Why? because the weenies she works for can't do diddly squat without her...because they haven't hired anyone to replace her on the odd chance that she'll change her mind and move back! This is what her sister and aunt are thinking too...

GET IT THROUGH YOUR MIND PEOPLE!

WE AIN'T COMING BACK! WE BOUGHT A FREAKING HOME....ARIZONA IS HOME NOW!

Woflie shouldn't blog when Wolfie is mad....

nite folks...

When is Cold, Too Cold???

I find it most interesting, that I move to the desert, and I forgot how cold it could get at night...

Last night, it got down to 31 degrees....Now I know, to some of you that might not seem cold, but to this ex-Californian, IT'S FREAKING FREEZING! I woke in the morning, checked on ol' Bruno and he's nestled in this tent (yes, tent. I'll get to that later...), in all the blankets, and his doggie bed, just about buried in them...His water troth looked a bit odd. I touched it, it was frozen over! A quarter inch of ice completely covered the entire surface of the troth.

So much for the warmth of the desert.

So is it Global Warming? Are we moving further from the sun? Is it El Nino?

No....It's freaking winter. And it's here. It's here early, This is a show of force. The shape of things to come. So bundle up friends, get the long johns, the wood for the fire, stoke up the furnace and get ready to make snow angels. If last night was an example, it looks like we're in for some cold nights.

Hopefully you have a snuggle partner. And warm blankets.

If you don't....Find one. At least get the blankets. And some hot chocolate. That's always good.

Oh, and Bruno's tent...Well, it's like this. Bruno has this thing about being locked up, basically he doesn't like it. See, when we first moved here, I thought he would like the garage.

Nope.

He would have nothing to do with it...Thank god for steel core doors.

See, we bought him a dog house once. He walked in, stood up and the roof came up.

The dog is all legs....

So, we bought him a tent..It's similar to the one he has..actually he had one just like this, but he put it through the ringer.

I'll put pics his new one up soon.

but see, he likes it, it gives him the room he needs to move. He likes to be outside. But I'm sorry, it was just too damn cold, so tonight, its me, Bear(who by the way is the inside spoiled brat of the bunch) and Bruno....tonight at least...tomorrow its supposed to warm up...to 50*...He likes the outside...I have to keep the door open just a bit...I'm such a sucker for these mutts.

What can I say, their my boys....

Pssst.....Midnight...we're breaking out...pass it on...

We have a friend in need

a friend indeed

she's stuck you see

this friend in need

She's stuck in the well

The well of all wells

The well of conundrums.

See she's a creative soul

this friend indeed

is one who can write from the heart

and fill our souls with joy

and mirth

of daily exploits

from her life, her work

but see now she's down

she's plopped in a rut

because her spirit is stunting

oh my, she's taken to grunting

and hiding in bathrooms, with green towels for backdrops

and sock monkeys for companions

whatever shall we do

whatever shall we do....

Psst, pass it on, we'll go over the wall at midnight!

We'll break her out, we will

by hook or by crook....We'll bring back that spirit

or die trying...

We'll, maybe we can offer up Pooh as a sacrifice....

While the rest of us run...

But Annie will be free, oh yes, she'll be free

To write once again...

And I won't have to do this anymore...

Won't you all be happy....

I know I will...

The End....

For Annie... my friend.

TWO LOUSY QUESTIONS!

Yeah, that was all...Two lousy freaking questions. I went for a job interview, which was not necessarily an interview, but in fact a test. A test that I had to pass with a 75 or better...Now mind you, I studied for this...I studied all damn weekend. Did I pass? NO! I missed it by two lousy questions...TWO FUCKING QUESTIONS! ARGH!

Last week, I had an interview with a corporation that called me...They called ME! I go in...take their TEST, and what happens...I miss it..BY TWO FUCKING POINTS!

Ya know, I'm really beginning to hate that damn number. Two lousy points. I was qualified, I was well qualified, but if you don't pass the exam...well sorry bud, that's just the way the fucking ball bounces..And ya know what they told me? oh, this is the kicker...they said, "I hate to see qualified people walk out the door..." BECAUSE OF TWO FREAKIN' POINTS! Do YOU SEE THE PROBLEM?! There's no middle ground! Come on...you have someone that's qualified, but he's fucked because he's two points off...BE REAL!

Man I was pissed that day....

There is a bright spot...The people at the place I went to today must have noticed something, they offered me the opportunity to come back on Saturday, and re-test. I pass, I get the job....simple as that .

Yeah...simple.

Two fucking points....two.

sheesh!

A Brief Word About This......

A friend of mine that happens to live in a community that was voted as one of the "Safest neighborhoods to raise a family" just had his car "Tagged" last night. Now, why, would someone want to do this to someones car, is beyond me....It infuriates me, it is beyond all reason...and it just plain pisses me off! If you have a beef with someone, DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON THEIR GODDAMN CAR! BE A FUCKING MAN AND COME UP TO THEIR FACE!

Most recently, my friend has told me of the rash of car break ins in his neighborhood...and just lately, he said he had found an XM Satellite radio, dumped in his bushes. He turned it in to the Police, and I can't help but wonder if this may be the reason behind the recent tagging incident.

But still, this is a most cowardly thing to do...my buddy is over six feet tall, and not accustomed to being violent, but was very angry at this incident, because there was nothing to provoke it, and he thought he left this kind of stupidity in California....As I told him, assholes are everywhere....

Compared to my old neighborhood, my new neighborhood is as quiet as a cemetery, no cars racing by in the middle of the night...no wacky neighbor fighting with her boyfriend at 2a.m.,

No Crazy Cat lady (THANK YOU GREAT SPIRIT!)....But this is not going to stop me from being cautious. No way. As a weapons collector, a student of history, ancient warfare, and an owner of two big dogs...I am in no way letting my guard down. This is my house, and protection is always job one.

Like an L.A.P.D. Officer told my mother once, after someone tried to break in to our home, when I was a kid...."Anything on that side of the door(indicating the outside of the house) is theirs..Once they cross the threshold, Their ass is yours"

I take that to heart...

__________________

What does a 130+lb dog do to cool off????

why, he goes swimming, of course.

Yes, that's Bruno's pool. He now feels at home...if I'd brought the pool man, the damn dog would have been ecstatic. He listened to the damn pool man more than he would me. But he's happy, and no longer moping...so I'm cool with it. And what about Bear????

That's as close as Bear will get to the pool....so he usually gets splashed...lol!

And just today......

Driving to the bank, a woman cuts an illegal U-turn in front of me. Then, from the right hand lane, decides to change lanes...INTO MY PASSENGER SIDE!

I hit the horn, she looks at me like I'm annoying her. HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE A BIG WHITE CAR!

So, me being the conscientious driver that I am, gave her the Universal symbol showing her that she was Number 1 in my book.....

I reiterate: THESE PEOPLE CANNOT DRIVE!

Caution! This Vehicle Stops Frequently!

I do believe, after having my introduction to Arizona's infamous traffic, that this should be the states new motto.

Don't get me wrong, I love my adopted home state...I even got my new Arizona drivers license, which by the way is good till the year 2026...but THESE PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE IN TRAFFIC!

I know, they aren't used to the sudden influx of all the newbies coming to town...But get with it! Things change, ya either go with the flow, or you fall behind and get trampled by the crowd.

I mean, people will literally STOP! Right in the middle of the freeway to watch some poor shlub who happened to get a flat. Come on, is it really that freaking interesting that you have to risk getting a Honda shoved up your ass that you just had to come to a halt and watch?

As a vet of the L.A. Traffic scene, I can tell you, do that on the 10, the 118, the 405, the 605, the 5 freeways...and you my friend are history. Here, that concept has yet to sink in.

And it's not just on the Freeways, it's on the streets, the parking lots....I mean damn! I was driving in the parking lot of Wal-mart, going in the right driveway, mind you...this woman decides she wanted to come out the wrong way...and then proceed to look at me like I lost my mind! Then, this guy in a truck is driving up a the wrong isle in the parking lot...looking for that perfect spot, I guess, and the backs in to a spot...all the while nearly hitting me. I just don't get it...But here's the kicker, Their cars. Their freaking cars are spotless! Not one goddamn dent!

With the exception of the clowns that wreck on the freeways, that is...

I'm almost terrified to start driving regular on the freeways, these guys are nuts.

But I drove the freeways in L.A. I can drive anywhere. Well, with the except with my sister in law....She's freaking insane.

Greetings From Goodyear....Arizona that is...

Hello folks! How's it going...well it's me...Same ol' Wolf, different den. and this is a pic of my town...not sure exactly where it is, but I'm going to find it...I've found a few places, so far...like Wal-mart Super centers! DAMN! They're all over the place...but I'll get back to that.

Well, we finally moved in...and now the unpacking begins, ugh..It's quite a task, really, boxes here...I have to make room for the fridge to be delivered in the morning. The POD people (yeah yeah I know...pun intended) are picking up the pod in the morning. Funny, they dropped the damn thing off at 6:30 in the morning on Saturday the 11Th, but they can't pick it up till 10am?

I hope the fridge and dryer don't get here before them...Oy!

But I'm happy...its really nice, the weather has been totally mild. mid-70's to mid 80's, the dogs are still adjusting, but doing fine.

Now get this...No sooner do I get here, but I get not one...not two...but three job offers! One guy called me Friday while we were unpacking some items...I was a bit wary at first, because we were getting phone calls all day long from solicitors, and wrong numbers, apparently the guy that had the number before us forgot to tell his friends and family....

Well, the guy gives me the info to apply for the job, and I did so, except the job id number he gave me was incorrect...it was in San Antonio, Texas! Another Oy!

So the pod comes on Saturday.....I start to unload at 7 am...have to get the TV out, the Direct TV guy is going to be here by noon....then a phone call, its the Direct TV guy, "Hey, we're ahead of schedule, mind if we show up early? we can be there in a half hour" its 8:30 am.

Sure...come on down...my buddy hasn't shown to help me yet...the TV weighs a ton...its just me and the wife...not a problem...OY!

So the with the help of my wife, I unload the TV...my back still hurts....and we get it set up with ten minutes to spare...the Direct TV guy comes and goes....I HAVE TV! YEA!....only to find out..Ed Bradley died...Who's Ed Bradley? Only, in my humble opinion, the most respected and influential news reporter in the media . The only reporter of color to ever have his own major news show, Twice! At a time when that was unheard of...WHY? Because he was that good...Because he was that cool...When you saw Ed Bradley report the news, you didn't see a Black Man report the news...You saw a MAN report the news...a perspective that was unbiased and unyielding...Goodbye Ed.

Yeah...so my buddy shows up about 12 noon...we unload the rest of the Pod...and then its Pizza time. We chill, watch some TV, laugh, and settle in....

Today, the wife and I had coffee and a light breakfast, then she headed back to Cali...remember, she still has to work out there for a month and a half..she got there about 5:30 pm...so this week its me and the boys....and the unpacking...but its me and the boys unpacking in our house...

That has a nice sound...

Our house...and actually at the end of our street...

A Cluttered Living Room.....

A Fridge-less Kitchen...For now

Goodbye California....

I've been a resident of California for 45 years....I was born in Los Angeles, raised in Boyle Heights, in the projects....we lived there for 15 years, my parents raised seven kids in gang infested neighborhoods, on one salary....I attended the Utah Street Elementary School, where I was kicked out of preschool...for kicking the teacher...she tried to get me to eat some nasty cheese (long story..). I went to Hollenbeck Jr high...I had a crush on Diana Montenegro..she was the cutest thing..didn't know I existed..but I didn't care..., spent half a semester at Roosevelt High School, where I experienced my first seance... now that was a trip.

My folks bought a house, and finally moved us out of the city, to the

THE SUBURBS!

In 1976, we moved to La Puente, California...A nice little burg in the San Gabriel Valley...It gets cold in the winter, hot in the summer, but it was a house. With a yard...I spent the rest of my High school years at Basset High School ...Rah Rah...I don't think they've won a football game since their inception...upon graduation I attended and spent two years at Mt.San Antonio College...Damn that was a fun time. I dated, fell in love..fell out of love...fell in love...got drunk...found a job...quit a job...fell in love again...got dumped...moved out of my folks house...shared a house with a friend from high school, who was going through a divorce....got a new job...fell in love again...moved into my own place....lost a job...flipped a car...lost a job...got a new job....got dumped, again....moved back home...got drunk some more....thought about moving to Alaska...got a new job, IN L.A.! Went to a club...Saw these Green Eyes....GOT MARRIED....had a seizure...lost a job...lost a drivers license....lost a car......spent 11 years trying to fix THAT problem....fixed it...got dogs.....Got my license back....got a new car.....got a new job....lost my mom...:( .....lost a job....Got a new Job....left a job.....got a new house.....leaving CALIFORNIA...going to ARIZONA...

DAMN, Ain't that a kick in the head.

I think of all the people I've met, known, liked, loved, hated, fought with, and lost....and I think to myself..."I haven't even scratched the surface of life..." I'm only 45. In the grand scheme of things, that's not very old. My mom and dad were my age when they bought their first home...I think a bit older..but not much. As I sit here on the eve of my last night on the net in California, I'm taken aback at all the shit that I've been through in my life so far...and I wonder..Damn, There is still a lot more to come. But good, bad or indifferent, I'm meeting that head on, with the woman I married, and those two hairy children of mine by our sides....Because this is our life. This is what we chose, our path....Whatever comes, we'll meet like we've met everything else that's been thrown at us so far...

Together.

This will be my last journal entry from California....

Goodbye California...It's been real....It's been fun...and yeah,

it's been real fun.

A Question answered......

Ya know..I know a guy...never mind..
Betrayal is a bitch. Show me someone who's never been or suffered through it, and I'll show you the one person on the planet with no friends.
I've been betrayed by friends and family alike, and the one thing that I've found, is that its going to happen again, and again...no matter what you do, nor how many safe guards you place around you. It's human nature. We can't help being jerks. Its who we are. We try to be cool,and for the most part it works, and life is good. But, there are the times, and they will come, that even if they don't want to, or know that they are doing it, or even know that they are and just don't give a rat's ass, they will betray us...Be they friend, or the closest of loved one...They will cause us pain. Forgive, that's up to you, and the amount of pain that was caused...But forget, never. I have never forgotten a betrayal. How do you forget a trust that was tossed aside?
How?

You don't..you can't..
Sucks to be human sometimes..doesn't it...

You have to be reasonable, sensible. See things from the other persons point of view....BULLSHIT! They fucking hurt me, Damn it! I want revenge...I want heads on a platter! I want a pound of frigging flesh...I want my justice. Frontier justice!

They say, "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the lord"....Well, I'm just gonna help him out a bit..eh.

All well and good...but we are civilized beings. We can't extract that pound of flesh now can we?

No, we can't. We must deal with each one on a civil basis. Someone betrays your trust, do you beat the snot out of them? No...you let them know they've hurt you. They've taken that which you've entrusted to them, a very sacred thing....YOUR FEELINGS...And they stomped on it. They kicked it to the curb like so much trash and you're not going to forget that.

You may forgive it, but you will not...forget it...ever.

How do you?

you can place it behind you, and move on, but it will always be there. I don't care how much you claim that you have forgotten it...It will always be there. Every time you see that person, it will be there.

How do you forgive?

Confront them, let them know, and move on...

Sucks to be human sometimes...doesn't it.

Things that go BUMP! in the night....Part II

Well, it proved to be a most interesting night...for me at least.

I did see something. For the most part, there were plenty of floating particles which could be explained away as dust...or flashlight beams from the night's hosts. But, in one room, Room 401, there was no one there and as I watched..at about 10:28 pm, I saw a floating orb of pale white go across the room...it was so strange...it wasn't light, because it did not bend the way light bends on an object. This just went across....Then, something kept playing with the camera. At 11:18 pm, the angles changed, ever so slightly....but they kept moving at a more of a slant. I reported this ..they had a way of doing so...if they did anything about it, I don't know.

I was talking to a friend online, and she was watching the same thing, she noticed the orb and the change in angle, as well...so I have a witness! HAH!...Though she'll probably never fess up..that's OK..I know what I saw.

Reminds me of a something that happened here...shortly after the passing of my mother in law...one night my sister in law noticed something strange that in the room her mother slept in.

by the bed, there in the carpet, were the imprint of two feet. Like shoe imprints. They were too small to be mine, or hers and slightly larger than my wife's. I got a pair of my mother in laws bedroom slippers..and placed one beside the imprints...perfect match. These slippers had been boxed since my mother in laws passing.....

weird, huh?

Laters.....

AS I'm writing this, I'm checking out the "GHOST HUNTER'S LIVE CAM" At the Stanley Hotel this Halloween night...MAN! So far I've seen Two Floating Orbs in two different rooms! I'm freaking out....What a way to spend a Halloween! I have personally been experienced to some freaky stuff in my 45 years on this blue marble, but man, this is really freaky. I just wish I had somebody here to share it with...Wife is asleep, my buddy is not answering his phone...DAMN IT!...

This is soooo cool....I'll finish this when the night is over...see ya when I see ya...



Maybe....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOLKS!

Unfortunately, being that everything is packed, I won't be doing much this year, so you all have a safe, and happy trick or treat trek this time out...not too much candy in one night...

And remember...Not everything that goes BUMP! in the night, is just the house settling......BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Down the road a piece.....

That used to be a favorite saying of my wife's father..

Where ya going Don?...He'd tell em "Down the Road apiece..." Of course that meant somewhere totally different. We never know where we're going, really, do we?

If you'd have asked me 16 years ago, "Rich...are you buying a house?" I'd most likely would have said, "Yeah, right...I'm not THAT responsible..." then would have laughed it off and went back to the party.

Now, here I am, married and eleven days away from moving into my own freaking home...It's still unbelievable. Hell, sixteen years ago I was a heartbeat away from packing my bags, dropping out of my then life, and moving to Alaska. I'd had enough here. Here being California. I figured it couldn't be any worse, and I had a friend that could get me a job on the pipeline...Then one night, I went with a buddy to a place called "SHOUT!" and when I walked in, I saw this woman with these unbelievably beautiful green eyes...well, lets just say I forgot about Alaska, and four months later I proposed. A year later we were married.

It's been a while...we've had some hard times. We don't have any kids...not for lack of trying, just never happened...Then an 11 year stretch with a disability that I don't want to go into...lets just say it had me doing the house husband bit...a lost license...some lost loved ones...and now here we are. I finally got my license back, I got back into the workforce, and now we are doing something that we should have done 14 years ago....Buy that damn house.

So yeah, me, the wife, and the boys...

are getting ready to make the big move to Goodyear, Arizona. We got a nice little place that's big enough for us...just us. My only heartache, is that I wish that my mother could have lived long enough to see the place...Somehow, I know that she is...but its not the same. Your boy has a place of his own now mom...I know its somewhere farther than California, but you know me, I always have to be the one who breaks the mold...

Where we going?

Home.

Keeping in the Halloween vein, I thought I'd write a little of what I know about this subject...The dead, well, actually the Living dead. That's right folks, Zombies! The walking, snacking, eat your relatives cause they don't give a rat's ass, they're dead, re-animated corpses.

Now I know there have been numerous movies, comics, and books written about these walk bags of worm infested used to be family and friends, but Max Brooks writes a very tongue in cheek guide to staying alive when it comes to dealing with the walking brain eaters.

Now your classic living dead, according to George Romero(father of the genre, in my book), were re-animated due to some accident of radiation by a satellite that fell to earth. Seems the recently deceased woke up and they woke up hungry. Well hey, stands to reason. They been cooling their heels in a box for a few hours, I'd be hungry too...can't say much for their choice of entries, personally, I'd go for a pizza but that's just me. Anyhow, with Romero's walking dead, ya have to destroy the brain. Kill the brain, kill the monster. Simple.

Others took it to the extreme..basically, the damn things were already dead..what's going to kill something that's already dead? So you burn em, bash em, electrocute em, just blow the crap out of em...I've seen just about every sort of "Zombie" movie there is, and it all comes down to the same conclusion...Kill the brain, kill the monster. So the head has to go.

But could you? Could you destroy the re-animated corpse of a loved one? A wife, husband, son, daughter, brother, sister, friend?

A moral question...when do they stop being the loved one, and become the enemy?

Personally, I'd say the minute they try to make you the blue plate special. As hard as it may be, Survival is the question here. You have to ask yourself...Self, do I live, or lay down and die? Horribly.

As much as I would hate myself, I'm not suicidal. I'd choose life.

I pose the question to all....Would you choose life/survival...or the alternative?

Decide.

" Even a man who say's his prayer's at night,

and is pure of heart...

May become a Wolf, when the wolfs bane blooms

and the autumn moon is bright..."

Yeah, that little diddy was made up for Universals "The Wolf Man" staring Lon Chaney Jr. as the fateful Lawrence Talbot who get bit by a wolf( Bela-Dracula-Lugosi) while trying to save a girl in the Myst shrouded woods.

A werewolf (also lycanthrope or wolf man) in folklore and mythology is a person who shape shifts into a wolf, either purposely, by using magic, or after being placed under a curse. The medieval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury associated the transformation with the appearance of the full moon, but this concept was rarely associated with the werewolf until the idea was picked up by modern fiction writers. Most modern fiction agrees that a werewolf can be killed if shot by a silver bullet, although this was not a feature of folk legends. Werewolves are sometimes held to become vampires after death.

This is the definition according to Wiki....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf

I was watching this today, and got to thinking...What does this have to say about us all? In the literal sense of the word, it's saying that no matter what, all men are dogs...Hell, we knew that already. But, if you look deeper into the phrase, it's saying that no matter how good we try to think we are, all men are capable of despicable deeds. That we, like the beast of legend and myth, can do to others that which we thought of ourselves wholly incapable of doing. All we need is a push.

Say, for instance, a full moon.

so many films, books, myths, legends, stories and so on have been written about a man becoming a beast. France has a legend, The beast of Le Gavan, a Wolf so huge, that it terrorized the country side for years. Finally Brought down by a Silver bullet used by a Knight.

There have been tales of men believing themselves to be wolves...the affliction is called "Lycanthropy" This is documented as a very true and mental illness.

Unfortunately, this caused superstitious locals to put a major dent in the wolf population, and also maligned the wolves reputation, as a vicious killer.

Why am I writing about this? Well, cause it's almost Halloween for one...also, because when it comes to movie monsters, I have a soft spot for ol' Fur-face.

Wolfies Top Five Werewolf associated movie picks

#1- Wolfen -Albert Finny, Diana Vinnora, and the late Gregory Hines...Excellent movie not exactly Werewolves, but very creepy, and gets you where it needs to...A+

#2- An American Werewolf in London - David Naughton, Jenny Augutter....Probably one of the best man to beast transformation scenes ever in picture history, without CGI....The movie is a hoot!

#3- The Wolf Man- Lon Chaney Jr. , Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Claude Raines, Maria Ouspenskaya, Bela Lugosi- the Original Universal classic...see this one with popcorn!

#4- Gingersnaps- Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle...Two sisters, an outpost in the Canadian wilderness, and a pack of werewolves...OH MY!

#5- The Company of Wolves- Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Sarah Patterson...Several Twisted re-telling of the Little Red Riding Hood story get a gory wolf and werewolf spin in this 1985 horror jaunt. Its creepy, and very very well done...

A favorite mention goes out to an original movie that was on the Sci-fi network, Called 'Dog Soldiers" About an English special forces team on a Scottish isle, with a pack of Werewolves...This one was pretty good..if you can find it on DVD, get it.

Enjoy...