A Look Back

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I'm scheduled for a vasectomy on Saturday morning. Never done that before. I also went hunting for deer twice. Shot a doe on the first day. On the second day I learned more than I needed to know about the best way to dress a squirrel and stuff it with sausage for a SuperBowl halftime treat.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I can't remember.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My blog sister, R, gave birth to bouncing baby B, with some help from H. We're not close per se, but I know she reads this from time to time and I couldn't be happier for their family. A good friend from high school, Bryan and his wife Missy adopted a little girl this year.

4. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A creative outlet. I left improv for the most part last year. Maybe I should finally do a radio pilot. Hey, there's a resolution!

5. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
November 4. Big election. You might have remembered some of it.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The garage sale and the gazebo.

7. What was your biggest failure?
The gazebo. The gutter.

8. What was the best thing you bought?
Netflix has been pretty cool. The new lawnmower rocks.

9. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The wife, the kids.

10. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Anyone who continued to spread rumors as truth before, during and after the election. Especially after many were disproven. Both candidates. George W. Bush for continuing to block his people from answering questions on the record.

11. Where did most of your money go?
Home and Car Loans.

12. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Thanksgiving. My kids being in the same school again.

13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier. Same weight. Richer.

A Look Back

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I'm scheduled for a vasectomy on Saturday morning. Never done that before. I also went hunting for deer twice. Shot a doe on the first day. On the second day I learned more than I needed to know about the best way to dress a squirrel and stuff it with sausage for a SuperBowl halftime treat.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I can't remember.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My blog sister, R, gave birth to bouncing baby B, with some help from H. We're not close per se, but I know she reads this from time to time and I couldn't be happier for their family. A good friend from high school, Bryan and his wife Missy adopted a little girl this year.

4. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A creative outlet. I left improv for the most part last year. Maybe I should finally do a radio pilot. Hey, there's a resolution!

5. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
November 4. Big election. You might have remembered some of it.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The garage sale and the gazebo.

7. What was your biggest failure?
The gazebo. The gutter.

8. What was the best thing you bought?
Netflix has been pretty cool. The new lawnmower rocks.

9. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The wife, the kids.

10. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Anyone who continued to spread rumors as truth before, during and after the election. Especially after many were disproven. Both candidates. George W. Bush for continuing to block his people from answering questions on the record.

11. Where did most of your money go?
Home and Car Loans.

12. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Thanksgiving. My kids being in the same school again.

13. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier. Same weight. Richer.

The Final Postdown

I'm putting the kibosh on Galoot's Hoot Page and all the other damned blogs I started. Time to focus on one blog and one blog only. If you'd like to know what's up with what's going down with me, you can find out at:

The Occasional Truth

Later.

Cut Your Hair

There is no delicate way of sharing this.

I was dropping a deuce this morning, when PGirl walked into the bathroom. She stood before me, hands cupped, holding several hanks of hair that resembled a Tribble that hadn't made it through the transporter. She said nothing.

"What is that?", I asked.

"PGirl Jr.'s hair.", she replied.

I looked at the hair again.

"Did it fall out?", I said, fearing that my princess was terminally ill.

"No. She cut it.", she said.

Hearing this, I wasn't exactly relieved as this could mean my daughter was deeply, psychologically scarred.

We're still not sure why the girl did this to herself. For the time being, I'll chalk it up to experimentation. I've had a few hair mishaps myself:

1. In grade school, I cut some hair off of my bangs, just before class pictures.
   
2. Out of 30 or so boys in my graduating class, 27 had some form of mullet going on for their senior pictures. I was in the majority group here.
3. One Halloween in Florida, about 10 years ago, I was preparing to go to bed. In my jack-o-lantern were several tea candles. I decided to pour water in to extinguish them. Before the flame went away, it shot up through the top of the pumpkin shell and burned off some of the hair where a widow's peak would be. If I had a widow's peak.
4. In the early nineties I grew my hair out longer than I'd ever before. When parted in the middle, it kind of looked like Bruce McCullough's wig in this video. The only folks, who had haircuts like this were 14 year old skatepunks and some lesbians.
5. I shaved my ankles one year because getting them taped for basketball was getting to be a pain.
6. I shaved my legs once in the shower, just because I could. I had a few nicks here and there, but it also uncovered scars I'd forgotten about.
7. The summer before college saw me attempt my first moustache. It was a Chevron. This survived through an Olan Mills family portrait and my first I.D. card at Central Methodist College.
8. The Chevron reappeared in 1994 during summer break, 1995 during summer stock and in 1996 during my first professional acting job - also in the summer!
9. The Chevron's cousin - the Horseshoe, showed up for some acting gigs here in Jamestown, including Helen Keller's pop in the miracle worker and Buffalo Bill. Also appearing throughout adulthood were the Goatee and Moustache and the Chin Strip and Moustache.
   
10. I cannot grow a full beard.
11. My beard and moustache come out red.
12. The soul patch or "flavor" have also grown on my face.
13. Don't you dare laugh at this post.

"...a Cosby sweater!"

I inadvertently discovered part of my Father's Day gift when cleaning in the garage yesterday. I didn't unearth anything, rather I found that something was missing and likely being worked on. More on that next week.

If you are stumped on what to get Dad this Sunday, here is someting to consider:



Yes, Dr. William H. Cosby Junior, E.D.Dddddddd is auctioning off some of the iconic sweaters here.

Ya see.....

Mate, Mates, Mistake, Lake

Part 3 - Flannery's Pub

PGirl and I ate here last August when we checked out Alamo Drafthouse's "A Christmas Story" screening. We convinced Social and Viking to go, walked across the street from the hotel and dined.

The food was Irish and Irish-American. PGirl had a grilled cheese sandwich (with tomatos and bacon) while I had a Turkey Pastrami. We both had potato cheese soup. Social ordered mussels. We all had a good mix of drinks. Social and I had Guiness blends. He went with a Black and Tan, I had a Black and Gold. PGirl had a shandy. I don't remember what Viking ate or drank. No elicit photo shoots from this leg of the excursion, I'm afraid.

Next: Part 4 - Girl Drink Drunk or How The Kids In The Hall Delivered The Goods, Mr. Social Saved A Dragonfly and Galoot Almost Followed A Somewhat Famous Musician Into A Starbucks Bathroom

Top Chef Loses Me

Massive spoilers at Media Del Arte.

Me and My Mate And My Mates At The Mistake By The Lake

PGirl, The Viking, Mr. Social and I hopped in the man-i-van and headed out to Cleveland last Saturday. After a quick stop in Erie, PA for some cheap gas, chips and soda we made the short trek in under 3 hours.

1st Stop - Museum of Contemporary Art
Here, in a somewhat deserted parking lot, PreppyGirl hopped out to visit a fellow B.O.M. (Box Office Manager), Social and Viking admired some surrounding architecture, and I exchanged 17 paintings with a Chinese man. I kid you not. I was returning the paintings to our last gallery's resident, who is a professor in nearby Youngstown. We must have looked interesting.

2nd Stop - Marriott Residence Inn
We reserved a two bedroom, two bathroom suite downtown. Old hotel. Nice hotel. Old, nice hotel with an extra little room. Viking took advantage of it first by fluffing Mr. Social's pillow.


I used the room next in an ill-fated attempt to not use our toilets in order to "go green".



Finally, Mr. Social impressed us with his best reenactment of Marilyn Monroe in "Seven Year Itch".

For some unknown reason, PGirl declined to pose for a pic.

Coming Soon! 3rd Stop - Flannery's Pub

Make Them Laugh

A tribute to some of Christopher Guest's creations at Media Del Arte.