The sicilian ladies of the bakery love Halloween..



















They treat me well.
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One,two, ...

Now watch EVERYBODY go drink the cool-aid.

Sheesh.
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Random shytte around town...















Garghh, I can do better....

howzabout random flags..










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Standing at my window the morning after a rainstorm, I noticed a fine dust on it.

I looked closer, and realized it wasnt dust - it was the characteristic pulverized concrete seen all over Manhattan.



8miles away, and a month after....

*sigh*

What is it with me and snotty middle-eastern chicas since Ive moved to Bayonne?

Does snotty eventually overcome cute?

Although, there's not much difference with Jamaican chicas in that respect.

Dont mind me...
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Random thought:

Man. I just realized Ive become too old go into the military. As a recruit.

(Who knows where my selective service card is anyways....)

The recession gets any worse, combat pay is gonna be looking a LOT more attractive to folk.

"There are two kinds of people who take risks.
Pigs and chickens.
They have the kind of attitude towards risk as to a ham and eggs breakfast.
Chickens are interested.
Pigs are committed.
To do anything worthwhile you need a bunch of pigs."

- Jim Clark
Chapter 11: Making Chicken into Pork
The New New Thing

I aint dead yet.

Oink.
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Something Ive been noticing more and more lately...

Young white boys panhandling on the streets. Begging ME for money.

Last night, as I walked home - one came up to me, asking if I could spare a quarter.

Another I saw in Union Square, clean cut with Gap sweatshirt and clean Dockers, had the now obligatory 'Tale of Woe' sign, sitting in front of the McDonalds on 17th and Broadway.

The well dressed folk, instead of looking away as usual, simply stared at him in passing, in what I assume would be, horror and slight disbelief.

I take this trend as an indicator.

I think Im starting to feel for them, because I am no longer thinking "Uh-huh, right. If the roles were reversed, would YOU..."
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Wha' kinda work am I looking for right now?

Something in the printing industry to get some real hands-on skills for what Im trying to do.

Kinda clueless as who to talk to tho. Seems you need to know people...

Heheh. To paraphrase a VERY dirty joke told by PJ O'Rourke...

"Im GONNA get some experience... I NEED to make some money."

Ask me for the joke. :-)

Dispassionate observer in my life dept.

Normally I am not home during the days, as I try not to be idle around the house, even without work.

Today I was. I caught up on some reading, and was patching the britches of a pair of my jeans when I heard a rap on the door...

I opened the door, no one there, but the superintendent had left a legal notice on my doorstep.

County form, giving notice of termination of lease and the date of a hearing.

I noticed my hand shook slightly as I read over the documents, but I was remarkably calm, didnt even notice an elevation in heart-rate.

I put it in with the rest of my papers, and went back to stitching.

My hand was no longer shaking, I noticed.
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Among the books I was reading today, was "The New New Thing". I had read the author's Liars Poker over a decade ago, and wanted to read this. Surprised the library had a copy.

In it there was a passage about the subject, Jim Clark, where it was only when he turned 38 - recently divorced and dismissed from NY Institute of Technology, that he decided he wanted to stop letting life rule him, and to take control of his life.

I feel the same way.

Look where he is now, 20 odd years later.

I dont know what it is about men and their late 30's.. but it seems to be an important point where they seem to reassess who they are and where they wanna go...

Id noticed this among men Id come to know while I was in my early 20's, and swore Id avoid that kinda drama.

Silly me.. :-)
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I know, i know.

Soon. Pretty pictures soon.
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And while we're on the subject:

Why, and who is doing a google search for (spelling changed so as not to get even *more* Timely and Accurate Hits - aka add vowels) .. L*b*n*s* P*rn ??

Heck, Im not even sure how my site pops up with that .. as I couldnt even find it that way.

*scritch of head*
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The Cappy, always up for a little fun (being born in the year of the Horse) - spent all night making costumes for her kids to wear to school. (They were having a Halloween parade thing..)

Dove o' peace and Ninja, I think.

She herself put on a 'princess' hat and walked around town with it on. (Ive learned a long time ago to live and let free spirits live, so I wasnt a Virgo about it..).

As she came out of the school, after dropping them off, she bemoaned the fact that even though the school was making a big thing out of it, few kids actually had costumes on.

I pointed out to her that it wasnt limited to the kids - few adults were doing it up too. For example, few people around town have their usual World Series Yankee regalia on, save for a few caps.

She agreed, and somberly commented that it was all sad.

Being a high-spirited Horse, she stopped dwelling on it after a minute few seconds.

Good for her.
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The Cappy this morning (as I havent seen her in nearly a week):

"Where the HELL have you been??"

Around. Not dead. Just around.
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Nothing happened.. but this line from "Third Rock from the Sun" has me cracking up today ...

".. when the car flew into the air, my life flashed before my eyes, and I discovered I had this RAGING urge to *live*.
When the car landed, I thought '..and HEY, these pants are washable..' "

Heheh. :-)
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Conversations with Ma over the weekend...

Ma: "You look sad."
Me: "Im just tired Ma. Then I get over it when I realize its a long haul, and Im just startin'.."
Ma: "Yeah, but you still need to make some money."
Me, realizing that Im nearing the age when Ma got divorced and had to move 4 kids to another country and start a new life over 20 years ago
Me: "When I turned 30, its like someone took blinders off my eyes, and I went "There's more?????" You, went through all that after my age. It gets HARDER??"
Ma: "I told you that all the time, but you didnt believe me."

She loves Being Right. :-)

The Long Haul.
People throw adulation at the Successful People, but the real heroes are the ones who maintain and achieve over the Long Haul.

And I havent even started yet.

Whoa.

Ma and I rarely see eye to eye, but slowly Im starting to understand.

I owe my parents, big-time.
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Ma: "You need to move back into New York. Your life is too stagnant living out in New Jersey. You realize havent had regular work since you left New York last year??"

(New Yorkers rarely say Staten Island and New York in the same breath. Ergo, I left New York.)

She's right.

Although it was primarily because it is a hellacious task simply finding living space in NY.. Im starting to wonder for what earthly reason Im living on this side of the river.

On a lark, I walked across the Bayonne Bridge from Bayonne to Staten Island. (whooooo... Gah. I was reminded that this is the worlds longest Arch span bridge.. and it is high enough to allow ocean-going super-freighters to go underneath. It is also *high*. Damn, that was a climb.).

I crossed the bridge, walking that mile and a half over to the New York side..

I hopped on a bus to the Staten Island Ferry, then took a train into Brooklyn. All for a buck fifty.

I can go everywhere in New York for a buck fifty.

Why am I in $^#%#@ New Jersey again?
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The real basis for great achievement is daily, humble work within the framework of a profession.
- Jean Renoir

Yar.. your work over the long haul.