Ten Thoughts to Ponder

Recieved via Arove

Number 10 Life is sexually transmitted.

Number 9 Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Number 8 Men have two emotions : Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich .

Number 7 Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

Number 6 Some people are like a Slinky... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.

Number 5 Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.

Number 4 All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

Number 3 Why does a slight tax increase cost you $800.00, and a substantial tax cut saves you
$30.00?

Number 2 In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

And The Number 1 Thought Life is like a jar of Jalapeno peppers--what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.

- - - and as someone recently said to me : "Don't worry about old age, it doesn't last long."

Meet Jerel, a sometimes neighbor of ours

Perhaps you already have, if you've been up to Goth/Angel land lately, especially on weekends.

He's a very vivid person, loves going on camera. I have quite a few videos of him on Youtube and posted at multiply.

This is Jerel at his best... as intense and raw and real as can be.

Consequentially, I'm obligated to note that...

This video is rated "R" due to VERY coarse language and references to sexuality and drug use. It is NOT suitable for minors or the easily offended.

Right Mike... this means you!

If those topics offend you, you're best off not watching either.



Jerel is most often to be found sleeping in the portapotty outside my building, or hoarding his finds outside Snark's.


He likes my dogs, he's nice to me, he's willing to go on camera, that's all I can ask of anyone. I've been known to bring him a hot cup of home made espresso, socks and alcohol wipes for his feet, etc. Anyone who treats my dogs well and treats me like a human gets the same back from me. I let Killian and Hilde decide who I befriend.


I am always honored when people like Jerel or Diane (who's usually down on Glenlake and also in my of my videos) chose to share their lives with me.

People is people... period... what ever their life circumstances

And now... the featured presentation. It runs a bit long, 15 minutes. I had planned to chop it up but... Tess has been even sicker than normal lately, so, I just clipped out the scenes where he showed me his prison ID card (on principle, I don't put images or video of IDs, credit cards, etc. on the web).

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Great news! Snark and Catie are in the GLBTQ papers, & the best book on sex and disability has been reissued!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

For Catie, Snark, and Dean- my favorite Shakespeare quotation and a fun video to test the waters

If anyone wants to see Snark's 10th anniversary pix with Catie at the Anvil, click here.

First of all, Catie- your concern is appreciated and well founded. It is easy to get caught in a feedback loop when things are rough, and when you're down you often don't feel like you have the energy to break out of the loop.

This is precisely why I expressed my concerns about the biochemical and psychological effects of continued excessive use of alcohol. Not to be "preachy," not to rub it in, but because... in all senses, I've been there, and I hate to see others suffering as I and so many dear ones to me have suffered.

• My next oldest brother- 11 years my senior- was arrested for his first alcohol related offense when I was 5... right before my eyes. (He'd smashed his car into a bridge abutment, and led a parade of 6+ squad cars from there to my home. He stopped the car and was cuffed right below my bedroom window.)
  
• 15 years later, he was convicted of a felony committed while both drunk and high, and spent 10 years hard time.
• As a pastor, I knew many colleagues who self medicated, to the great detriment of their marriages and their parishes.
• Of course, I was also often called upon to help those affected by alcohol related problems.
• This was especially so during my year as a trauma chaplain, where I ministered to the people who had injured themselves and others while intoxicated, to the innocent victims, and to the families and survivors of both.
• And now more recently in my nursing studies having taken advanced psychology and biology, I have a much deeper understanding of what's behind it than I ever did.
• Most importantly- I had my own troubles, and thanks to the love and help of others, they're behind me now. In raising concerns and offering help, I was simply following the great adage of Christ and tradition of AA in doing unto others as you would have or have had done unto you.

NOT that I'm an AA zealot... someone characterized my message as "don't drink"- that's terribly inaccurate! My message is- if you drink too much too often, it really mucks you up, and you should do something about it! For feck's sake, I'm GERMAN, my people call beer "liquid bread," and my family's hometown in Michigan is tremendously proud that 1) They never gave the prohibitionist party a single vote, and 2) The two biggest fines imposed on any single bars were imposed there.

Back to your concerns Catie. There's a reason you don't know much about the happier things in our lives- I'm too busy living them to blog about them. Plus, Tess and I are 12+ years married, but still as newlyweds. The camera isn't rolling during those times!

But I really would like you to get to know Tess. She's at her best in the mornings, we live 1/2 block from the Anvil, so sometime if you'd like to drop by, let me know! I think you have access to my email... if not, Snark does.

You are very right to encourage me to accentuate the good experiences and positive things in life, which is precisely why I'm inclined to go dormant here till things shake out. I have this gut feeling that the dynamic has changed, and not for the better. I stopped posting much beyond videos and cute puppy pictures on my Multiply blog when Tess and I took turns for the worse because the atmosphere there tended to be more juvenile... people carping about stupid things like specific choices of words, fonts, etc. Someone was always looking to pick a fight, or to prove that he could more accurately hit a given spot on the wall with his stream of urine than the next guy. PaN was a haven from that, so I kept posting my "Kierkegaard x Buckley x Lewis Black" stuff here for a while, till I got so sick I wasn't even turning on the computer for days at a time. I started feeling better last week, resumed posting while still eschewing posting or commenting on controversial matters.

I don't know what's going on now, but its not been good for me since the fecal matter hit the spinning blades, and methinks a bit more febreze and lysol are in order still. There's more that I don't know or understand than I do, and that's fine- I can on occasion let other people deal with issues without my being involved, but this uncertainty feeds heavily into my hesitance to jump back in. I'm trying to look before I leap... I'm seeking jack ... so no jumping!

Tess is still as sick as ever, I have a month's worth of classes to make up on, a number of requests for further instructional videos about my rug craft... I don't have the resources to deal with unnecessary pathos. I'll help anyone who needs or wants help, but blog drama... zum teufel! Life's way too short, and I've better and far more important things to do.

Now, to test the waters to see if I'm wrong about that, and this place is gemütlich
again... here's a video dedicated to Dean, keeping in mind my favorite quotation from the Bard... because it fits me so well! *grin*

Much Ado About Nothing: "O that he were here to write me down an ass! But masters, remember that I am an ass: though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass." Act 4, Scene 2, lines 80-83

Die Toten Hosen - Zehn Kleine Jägermeister

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So... if/when gemütlichkeit [warm conviviality] returns, so shall I- the reaction to this post and video should be telling on that count.. Else, I'll be busy studying, doing things off camera with Tess, and making my rugs. My videos get posted to Veoh, Youtube, and my multiply site- listig.multiply.com

A View from the Sidelines/NEW RULES

Those who know and love me will attest to the fact that my life has been a little.......insane? lately. After my car engine blew up last Friday, my life got a bit more insane. That said, it appears I missed the drama that transpired as well. Having spoken to all parties involved, I am willing to offer my opinions and comments to be either read or scrolled past.

Snark - you were correct in feeling that Gunga's post to RG was rude and insensitive. Regardless of how much was consumed prior to the post, a next day recall would have been appropriate. However, having spoken to GD, I can understand that he was loathe to go back and review the carnage the next day to possibly remove the post and clean up some of the carnage. Regardless of whether or not you return to the blog, you will forever remain in my heart and, while I am working, will become a part of my new Friday night routine.

Gunga - NEW RULE: NO blogging post yeager meister induced semi comas. Deal? We have all been there and drunk dialed, drunk emailed and yes, drunk posted. Having spoken to you Friday in person, I can attest to the fact that you were truly sorry and upset when you finally came to and viewed the havoc you had imposed on the blog. I, for one, have forgiven you already and hope that others will forgive as well. Go forth and sin no more.

RG - You were right to feel upset that GD jumped down your throat and the fact it was in an alcohol induced haze did not make it right. However, I got the sermon part of don't drink the first time you said it and didn't need it repeated in subsequent posts/comments. You are an amazing human being and like myself, are probably too smart for your own good. You have an amazing mind and a truly noble sense of humanity, but you tend to get long winded and preachy. Very preachy. I speak for noone but myself when I say the font thing is a bit annoying, but I choose to follow Howard Stern's advice, if you don't like it, don't read it or move past it. As with any long post, I tend to scroll past those that don't interest me and that includes rants by GD as well. We would all do well to follow the rule that less is more. As we discussed Friday, you really do need to get someone positive into your daily routine. I fear you slipping into the dark side and that is not good for anyone. I LOVE the puppies and can't wait to meet the wife. I really do like you and have no intention of letting you go from my life either.

RM - Dude, we gotta chat. Having completed three years of law school with Matthew Hale, I have to say that some, if not most, of what you post is disturbing at best. I have two teenaged boys myself and they have lots of friends. What I see, when I read what you write, is a very unhappy teenager full of angst and issues. You need someone to listen and guide you in a positive direction. I am not your mother and this is none of my business, but this is what I feel.

As for the other posters, I have nothing more to say. I apologize for this taking longer then I anticipated to get posted, but I was extremely productive yesterday. I find that having a reason to get up every morning is very motivating towards the better use of your "down time".

Pictures from Just Catie's birthday party at Gino's

Slideshow

Thumbnails- click for full sized

No text this time

Except... those of you who were there and heard me talk about Tess and her migraines, William F. Buckley Jr., etc- ... you know now why I use fonts and colors... I use those to try to convey the same complex intonation and other verbal gymnastics I use when speaking... to give my written text the same "color" and intensity I have when speaking *grin*

Happy Birthday Catie,
it was great to meet you
fun to be with the others!

The secret world of Snark

An affectionate but playful video tribute to a beautiful person and a beautiful city- Chicago. This is by permission of Snark himself... I don't generally post videos identifying specific people or where they domicile. This is Chicago's far north-side Edgewater neighborhood and the hidden gem Berger Park at sunrise. Notice especially the frozen lake, and the umbrella I found for my rugs! (I've already cleaned it... see my rug blog for updates on its being worked into a rug.)

High res Veoh version

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Lower res Youtube (better for slower connections)

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OK, that's enough from me for a while. I have a Bio exam next week, several rugs I want to finish, Tess is nearly hospital sick, and... its time for someone else to post!

My next artistic endeavor will be a slideshow of poignant stills taken in alleyways. If you WANT to see them here, leave a comment to that effect. Else, I'll just put them at my multiply blog. I'm not engaging it or keeping up with comments, but I tend to put my more artistic and personal videos and pictures there.

Snark... how could you?! *grin*

When I walk my dogs, I'm always on the lookout for things destined for landfills for which we might have use. Usually its clothing, old bed sheets, etc., for me to use in rugs, but sometimes...

I expanded my search radius a bit today and crossed the street over to the Snarky side of Granville.

This hat was sitting on a dumpster outside Chez Snark.

Snark oh snark... how could you part with such an item?

I'll bring it to the Anvil Friday so you can be reunited with this splendid bit of haberdashery.

(Tess, jennet that she is, was trying to get me to wear it to Spanish class today, but class got canceled.)

The welder's helmet under it was one I bought for a Halloween costume years ago where I wanted to be walking Dada. It was probably my favorite costume of all time! Here's a picture of us from then... many years and pounds and gray hairs ago. The belly dancer outfit Tess has on is the real deal, I ordered it from Turkey for her, and she does bellydance. ... Sadly, it doesn't fit her anymore, but I used it win first prize at a costume contest a year ago.

More news about the Granville Girls... Snark's clownmobile, Rug Goth (yours truly) did get published

They did print my letter about the rugs in today's Home and Garden section of the Trib. Strangely though... not every edition has it. The ones at Jewel did not, the ones at Granville Food and no-longer-liquors did, so I just about bought them out. You can read it here: I've already gotten one sweet comment on my rug blog (toothbrushrugs.blogspot.com) about the story. Its really rather a dream come true for me... I love this craft, I love taking trash and recycling into something useful and lovely. And I have to admit... you can take the preacher out of the pulpit... (or leave it willingly and with relish as I did) but the spirit and drive to spread the word... some word... remain.

Then as I was parking after shopping and my first day of my final nursing prereq, Snark drove by in what appeared to be a Chevette, but they haven't made those since the 70s, right? So inquiring minds want to know... how many clowns can it hold, *grin*