ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE

Well, well, well. This update (a real one) is a long time in coming. I am, for the most part, in what my friend Zak would call "a state of gasted flabber" at everything that's happened since my last non-superficial entry. Good and bad things have gone on, and many in-between things, too. I almost balk at having to write about the bad things because (a) I'm weary with talking and thinking about them, much less writing; (b) except for a few insanely expensive car repairs, they're mostly work related ; (c) I'm tired of my job and, besides, they have all kinds of rules, rules, rules about divulging company secrets on one's blog; (d) the place is full of sycophantic little shills who would gladly sell me out to get in the good graces of the right people and (d) anybody - and I mean anybody - could be reading this and plotting. That last bit sounds paranoid, I know, but due to recent happenings on a neighboring blog, I'm inclined to think that it isn't so far fetched. Besides, my blog is linked on myspace and that's a whole different world of voyeurs, stalkers, and dastardly co-workers slobbering like dogs, hungry for something tasty here at Magical Missives.

But you know ...

The missives are protected by a fierce guardian and his host of winsome witches, nefarious confidantes, and blood-thirsty cyber pirates. So fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

I should mention that a number of very positive things have happened to me, as well, since the last time I actually expressed myself on my own blog (which is, afterall, a public forum, so why bitch?).

Yes, I've had some good times along with the bad, and it's often easy to forget the fun stuff in the face of such work-related defamation, degradation, and downright villainy as that which has befallen many of my co-workers and good friends, but amazingly, not me... until some jackass at work reads this. Anyway, there were massive firings for bullshit reasons and that's all I have to say right now. I was depressed for a week and now I hate my job. I'll be taking a position elsewhere and going back to school once this Harry Potter thing is over. There's more to life (and a helluva a lot more to me) than the diddly squat world of retail.

Anyway, I still look forward to the Harry event and I won't let a few Grinches spoil my roast beast. It'll be fun or I'll bloody MAKE it fun. Mark my words.

Speaking of fun: a few weeks ago Charlie the Purdue math major came down to visit us. He showed up at Aunt Sally's weekly Thursday-dinner-and-a-mystery party. He has gone a little gray, but he is still full of sass. It was good to see him again. I made everyone pose for photos with my digital camera (me birthday present - me precioussss!), including a circa 1968 rock band-style POV photo of Joel, Charlie, and Chris (at right). Very much like Cream or The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Aunt Sally had bought a new potting bench, being that she's such an avid gardener, and I got a shot of her posing proudly with her new acquistion.
(see below...)

A fun time was had by all, and Charlie really revved up his bawdy (for a mathematcian) sense of humor for us. Sally got a group photo of all of her boys posed in the back yard near her new potting bench. And Charlie couldn't resist doing something naughty as the camera clicked and flashed. (See below.)


A few nights later, we all met up again at Enormous John Junkill's & Suzi's place for a night of lunacy, pizza eating, wine swilling, and board games. Charlie floored his competitive gas pedal for a game of Operation (the Homer Simpson version) and something called Sorry, which really brought out the killer instinct in this normally mild mannered man of numbers. He used every rotten, stinking, dirty, smelly tactic there is just to reign supreme in the meaningless microcosm of board game competition.

And this man is almost a doctor.

It gives one hope in a way.

Not long after that, Borders was visited by a host of emperial stormtroopers (from Star Wars). They came to us courtesy of Denise (a Star Wars fanatic/co-worker who knows people) for a booksigning by Aaron Allston whose latest release in the Jedi vein is currently on the best seller list. It was really quite something: a group of stormtroopers stomping around the bookstore. The only time I'm inspired to feel a similiar emotion at work is when my boss comes out of her office. Seriously, though, the guys were fun, especially when they put on aprons and started serving customers in the cafe. Shortly afterwards, they were all fired.
















On another bright note: I have made some excellent new friends! I can't begin to tell you, dear readers, how much I love and admire two young women (regular Borders customers) known as Lori and Kelly (sisters) who have won my heart for the following reasons:

-They have closets full of costumes - up to and including suits of armor. And they have all the swords and shields to go with them. Not to mention a huge guillotine in their backyard (oh, their chagrinned neighbors!).

-I understand a gallows is in the works.

-They are in love with all the Monty Python, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Lord of the Rings, A Clockwork Orange, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Harry Potter schtick.

-They make movies. They have their own production company called Flying Pig Productions and they recently made something called Monty Python's Macbeth (which I intend to review in a later blog entry). It features a horde of nubile young women wearing itchy beards and moustaches (some of which aren't crooked), killing each other with swords and guillotines, and generally giving Macbeth the Monty Python treatment ala femme.

-They are going to make a movie based on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and yours truly has managed to land the role of The Player (a part made famous by Richard Dreyfuss, himself). I think my infamy as Gilderoy helped me here.

-They are always game for dressing up as pirates, as witches, in scrubs, or as any odd assortment of unusual characters ... God bless them.

-And they have been HERE:

That's enough reason to love and admire anyone! Lori is going to play Hermione at our Harry Potter party. Kelly might be Gilderoy's assistant (possibly Ginny Weasley). I'm sure there will be many pictures.

Also fun:

I had dinner with Lisa (the quirky cutie from Barnes and Noble who used to drive me to distraction while I drove off the road, or into trees and buildings). Those days are over, but after a long hiatus, we're re-establishing our bond. We ate gobs and gobs of fish and hush puppies at the Rockfish Seafood Grill, then we went for a long walk at Bob Woodruff Park. We took a trail into the woods and it started getting dark. Spiders galore blocked our path, ominous and grotesque in the beam of a flashlight. We had a time, fighting our way through Mirkwood, emerging once again into the park, and then strolling around the lake. Fireworks exploded at some distant locale and we imagined it to be a faraway battle.

That was a fun night. Below is a picture of Lisa and me at the Rio Grande Gorge circa 2002.

And, just a few days ago, a group of us got together to help Zak (confidante Insanius) and Chris (confidante Firechild, not Sally's son) pack up their mountain (nay, their mountain range of belongings), so they could move away to the lovely - and too far off - state of Washington. I really enjoyed myself, because it meant I got to spend much of the day hanging out with Jordan. Amanda was sweet and kept bringing water to Jordan and me, and cautioning us to lift with our legs. She'll make a great mother. If she weren't pregnant she probably would have out-moved and out-worked us all. Zak was highly entertaining, as always, and managed to act like a jolly old nut even as he was sweating and working. We always used to ask Chris, "Is he like that all the time?" And she would smile and answer: "Yes, yes he is. All the time." And would you believe that one of the people who helped us (one of Chris' best friends) has lived right next door to me ever since I have been at my current residence? Her dad is a cool guy who brews beer, and apparently, she has been pals with Firechild for ages. Insert your own small world cliche here.

Before they left, I took a picture of our merry band of movers posed on Chris and Zak's back porch. They always had an amazing back porch. It overlooks a babbling creek and a small forest. I have long imagined it as some Elvish balcony at Rivendell.

So long, amigos.