The Second Season

The Washington Capitals (3) will face the NY Rangers (6) in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Bring it! I missed hockey while in Madrid. It's just not an ice hockey kind of town. Must be the 95F heat.

I am reading American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett. It's about a town in Wink, New Mexico. A woman inherits a house from her mother (whose been dead 30 years) and tries to go claim it. However, it turns out that Wink is not on any map. When she finally finds her way there, life seems unreal in some way. And there's something else that lives there that isn't human. Or normal. 160 pages in and it's pretty mysterious and bizarre. No one remembers her mother from 30 years ago, yet they all had to be living there because it seems as if no one ever leaves. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Today- put the screens in the screen house and listen to the Mets try to salvage at least one game against the Phillies.

Shades of Yellow

More sunshine! It was like 67F today. Perfect weather. Mum worked in the flower beds and I took out the glass panels and hosed the screen house down. I cleaned the bottom panel of the BBQ as well, where all the fat and seasonings fall. That will cut down on grease fires. Bring on the outdoor season!

April will be soon closed for an eleven month makeover

The weather has been great and i've been piddling in the garden, cleaning up after a brutal winter. Soon i'll have to give the grill a good cleaning before summer. It gets constant use and the fat builds up

Next month i'll be opening the pool. 

The Mets are losing 4 - 0 to Philly in the bottom of the 8th. Bummer. Gee pitched well and then had a bad inning. Oh well. The pitching has been good this year, so far. 

Weekend! Yee ha!

Scenes from the Garden

Had a few more interviews today. Same as it ever was. 

Here's some shots of tulips from the yard today; 

The strawberries and lettuce are already in the ground. 

It's been beautiful and in the 60's. It actually is a true spring. In Madrid, we often had a few cool days and then the days became brutal. By July and August, it's brutal at night as well. Sell your soul for 60F weather, you would. But New England is a very different climate, and I've enjoyed it. Still, after 6 feet of snow this winter, I am happy it is done. After living in Northern VA and then Madrid for the last 14 years, I am not used to the cold nor the snow. 

In the fullness of time,
A garden to nurture and protect
(It's a measure of a life) 
_ Rush 

Just a little green...

Life keeps on moving. Had a few interviews today with another mañana. 

The Mets are trying to beat the Dodgers in the 10th. All they need is a sacrifice fly to win it. Just a long fly ball.... Valdespin at bat. Bases loaded. A walk-off grand slam! Me encanta béisbol!!!

And the Amazings pull out a squeaker! That was awesome. 

Spring is doing its thing. The dogwoods are in full bloom. They are gorgeous, exploding in white. 

And me? I keep moving along with life and spring and the job hunt. Which is just fine. 

Past, Present and Future

April 23rd. Pat O'Neill's Bday. I still remember him so clearly. It was a different era of our lives. It seems like a different lifetime. But Kev and Smith and I are still good friends. Like brothers, the both of them are to me. The four of us lived togther in an FU townhouse in 1988 - 1989. That was 25 years ago. NONE of us were even 25 yet. I was 20.

Back to the Present; the Mets have been a pleasant surprise. Mel, Jan and I had a great time at Citifield on Sunday to see them play the Nationals. It was a great game.

And the Washington Caps have won the Southeast Division and will be the 3rd seed in the playoffs. Luckily for all of us, that division is going the way of the dodo next year. The league will be in 4 divisions, possibly with new names.  A divison with the Caps, Carolina and two FLA teams was always an idiotic idea. Washington will go back to being in a divison with the NY and PA teams, the way they were when I first moved to DC. The former Southest Div. will send two teams each to one of the new Eastern divisions.

So there you have it; the past, present and future.

To Serve Man...

 "Mr. Chambers, don't get on that (alien) ship! The rest of the book To Serve Man, it's... it's a COOKBOOK!"
-The Twilight Zone, To Serve Man, 1962

I have my first interview to be a server mañana in Bridgeport at a Mexican restaurant. Then off to New Haven for another one. 

It's a brave new world. And somehow, I'm the guest star.

And tonight's the Washington Capitals can punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win over Winnipeg.

Back to the Motherland

Later today i shall get in the Toyota and boogie down to Jersey to see Mel and Jan. Then mañana we'll head to the Nats/Mets game. Woo hoo! Then i'll drive back to CT in the evening. 

Oh baseball, how i missed ye! And it's always great to see my twisted sisters. 

Don't F*@k with Bean Town

The Chowderheads and the FBI got the two Boston Marathon bombers. Kick ass job everybody! Boston was locked down for the day and a police officer died, but they got them. Surprisingly, they got the younger brother alive. 

So let me tell you how it will play out; they'll interogate him, and find out why they did it. Then he'll be tried and executed. It's going to be a media zoo. But the dead deserve justice. The injured deserve justice. Boston deserves justice. 

And gratefully, Boston can go back to being Boston.

Back in the Land of Baseball

Oh baseball, how i missed ye. 

The Mets are playing a double-header in Colorado. Yesterday's game was canceled because Denver got 8 inches of snow. They will probably be snowed out mañana as well. It's like watching people play baseball in snow globe. 

Mets dropped the 1st game. They are up 8 - 6 in the 6th in the second game. It's been 2 games in horrible conditions and it's been a war. Me encanta beisbol! 

Although playing it in the snow is a bit f*%ked.

Patriots Day

A very sad scene of bloodied people and missing limbs in Boston. Horrible. I don't have anything else to say. What the hell can you say to a thing like that? My thoughts go out to all those affected by this senseless tragedy.

Healthy or insane

Someone finds salvation in everyone, another only pain
Someone tries to hide himself, down inside himself he prays
Someone swears his true love until the end of time
Another runs away, separate or united, healthy or insane

And to be yourself is all that you can do
-Audioslave

Sending out CV's. Fun, fun, fun. Saw the Adults play at Proud Mary's in Newtown with Smith on Friday. It was a great show. 

New Flaming Lips album mañana - yeah!

Sunday Night

i am listening to Julie Slick's first album. She is also in Adrian Belew's band and she is a monster bassist. The album is extremely progressive and weird. I love it! 


I walked 3.5 miles today and i feel it in my entire old body.

open your eyes

Spring is starting to take hold. Here's a pic from the cherry blossoms down in DC. Our Forsythia in CT bloomed this week. Nature is opening its eyes after a long cold winter. I've already kayaked once and played hockey with Colin and Kevin. I plan to kayak again this week. It's good to be out and about. Then next weekend it's down to the Motherland; New Jersey. I'll see Mel and Jan and we'll see the Nationals come in to play Los Mets. I haven't see a Nats game yet this year. But the Mets are off to a good start and that is fun.

This is this

Looking for jobs... about as much fun as having the flu. Oh well. It is what it is.

Stanley, you see this? This is this.
-Robert DeNiro The Deer Hunter

I am expanding my search to nationwide. Wherever, however, whatever.  I was contacted the other day by a recruiter about a technical writing job with a company that looks very progressive. It's in Madison, Wisconsin and would require my moving there. Wherever, however, whatever. 

YES or NO

Saw YES last night at the Beacon Theater - they were awesome. It was Pete, Kevin, Paul, Mark and I. Great show! It's great to see the old prog rock geezers jam out.  And old friends.        

Otherwise, things progress in normal ways. Same as it ever was. Goodnight and have a pleasant mañana.

enough rope

I can hardly bring myself to send out CVs today after being laid off 2 weeks ago. I am at the end of my rope. It was a horrible situation there and the director made it very clear she didn't like me. However, that's not much consolation at this point. 

But it's time to shake off the depression and get my CV out there again like I did last week and the week before. 

we have all been here before
we have all been here before
-CSNY

Here Again

Sorry i've been away so long. It's been crazy. But repatriation is always a difficult process. I doubt i could survive it a third time. Hence forth, if i leave the USA again, i'd have to leave for good. But for right now, my focus is CT  but you never know what ten or fifteen years may bring. But for the past 8 months, it's been great to be home.