Getting Up Early Is Good?

This take is shaped by how I didn't and don't have to report super early to my jobs this weekend, so even when I was waking up "late," I probably had enough sleep where I could roll out of my bed and immediately head out.  That's what I have done and that's what I like doing.  But lately I've been going to sleep earlier in the night.  Did that this and yesterday morning, which meant and means that I didn't/don't have to dash out of the house.

You know what?  I don't mind it.  I had things I had to do, though they're not pressing, and I had time to do it both mornings.  It was nice to shower and shave and water the plants and even do this thing for Mother when she texted this morning and asked me to call her so she can explain this thing she wanted me to do for her.  And I have the time to do them, unrushed.  This is a new feeling for me.  And it feels good.

Now, I always want to get to work first thing because I don't have as much energy as I will once I fully wake up.  I am worried that being up three hours before work will mean I will get tired once I get to work today.  But for now my stress is low, I know I shouldn't be late for work, and I will hope I have a good day.  My mind is relatively clear and relaxed.  This may go sideways on me, and I might sing a different tune tonight.  But right now, I'm good, and it might be because I got up when and how I got up.

I Got More Hats!

So before I went off to my gig yesterday/Saturday, I brought two hats: One to represent the company I was working for in the afternoon, and one to represent my alma mater, whose Game I would be watching from our bar if I went there straight from the stadium.

Well, they asexually reproduced, because I came home with four.  I was given another hat from the company.  And on my way to the bar, I saw a Twins cap on a walk button stand.  It's a yacht rock-themed captain's hat, and this was for a giveaway that I believe was from a Game two Weeks ago.  So it looks like someone who went to that Game wore it yesterday/Saturday and dropped it and didn't bother to pick it up or something, so someone else picked it up and put it on the stand in case the owner wanted to retrieve it.  Instead, I stole it.  Now, it's been worn already, so I don't look forward to absorbing another man's head sweat.  But it was unclaimed, it's free, and now it's mine, as is the other three I brought home with me!

Worried About When To Eat Pizza From Where

I'm taking the optimistic and lazy way of living through life right now and assuming my folks in fact will not come home.  And instead of doing chores, I've been looking at the Internet and thinking about when I should eat pizza, and from where.

This was all prompted when, at work yesterday/Friday, I was given this e-mail/coupon because it's my half-birthday.  It's at Green Mill, a chain of pizza restaurants I haven't been to in at least a decade.  I get a free order of garlic breadsticks if I buy some other food item.  Trick is I have to use it by the 22nd, or is it the 21st, can't tell.

Meanwhile I have a hankering for Pizza Hut.  Thought about eating from there for the season premiere of Monday Night Football this Monday.  I kind of need to, too; my points will expire if I don't buy from them after six months.  I just checked, and six months is next week.

Well, might as well have pizzas for the next two Mondays, since I can see MNF on ABC/Channel 5 for the next three Mondays.  So it's Pizza Hut this upcoming Monday, then Green Mill the following Monday.  And yes, this is how I spent a large part of tonight.

Maybe They're ... Not Coming Home?

I blog posted about not wanting to directly talk with my parents because I don't want to hear from them that they're coming home, but it's been about a week since I last spoke with them, and frankly, that is kind of weird.  I'm a chickenshit, but even this period of incommunicado was getting ridiculous.

Still, I took a baby step after my long day at work last/Thursday night.  No mail came that I needed to alert Mother about, but I looked at an e-mail on her e-mail account that she paid for the trash bill at an amount lower than what was stated on the bill I got and told her.  I was concerned that there was a reason she didn't pay the amount I thought she needed to pay, but as I've done the past week or so, I only texted her.  I thought she would call.  Well, Father called back on his cellphone, and he started off by giving me the number of a roofer who was willing to come by the house and inspect and give an estimate for replacing the roof.  He really wants me to call him, then take a day off to let his guy go all over the top of our house.  Well, if you're coming home, why can't Father do that?

Father then got Mother on his phone.  She got my text; she put in that amount on purpose after haggling with the trash service.  Nothing else she said rocked my world for the worse.  In fact, she said that they might be planning a trip.  After coming back here?  Before?  Instead??  I got the feeling, then and there, that my parents might not be coming back home after all, even though Mother said as early as August that they would.  I didn't press her on this issue because I don't want to jinx anything.  But if they're going to be away from home for upwards of a calendar year ... well, that just means the ultimate state of freedom for me, isn't it?

Ironically, though, this makes me believe that I should visit them.  They have things here they might need if they are taking a long trip out of the country.  Besides, and don't tell them this, I kind of miss them.  And I don't my hanging out with them so long as they're away from all my stuff that I've strewn around the house.  I should start making plans to fly to see them, risk of getting kidnapped by the government be damned. ...

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -4).  I'm not wowed by any team that played this Week, but I cannot overlook the U. "footballers" annihilating Colorado College Sunday afternoon at Robbie Stadium by a 5-0 score.  The team finishes 4-1-1 in non-conference action, so it's Big Ten foe after foe now till the end of the conference tournament.  They host Iowa tonight/Thursday night, then travel to play at Penn St. Sunday afternoon.

#-2: Gopher football (NEW SEASON!!).  Despite them crushing only a second-Division team, I can draw hopeful signs of their 59-7 immolation of Eastern Illinois at Huntington Bank Thursday ... foremost among them being that they rightfully kicked ass over an inferior program.  Not too long ago, you could see the Gophers struggling with a team like the Panthers.  I want to believe that this professional performance means we will see some smarts from the U. gridiron footballers throughout the season.

Mississippi St. comes to town Saturday.  If I weren't working the Game, I would go see it.  I am always intrigued when a BcS school that's not from the B1G play in the Twin Cities.  I mean, when would be the next time you see a school that you see on TV so often play up here?  For the record, this is the first time the U. has hosted an SEC team since Vanderbilt in the '59 season.  That's 67 Years, or two-thirds of a Century, ago.  The Gophs are a slight favorite.  If you have a chance to watch in person, go.

#-3: United FC (Last Week: -1).  So the bottom now drops out, and as it has happened so often, it's the pro teams bringing up the rear.  Have to tell you that the fanbases for both the Loons and the Twins are dejected.  But whereas the Twins' fanbase has rapidly lapsed into resignation (see below), the fanbase for MNUFC has reached apoplexy.  And it may be because I'm in the bubble of this since I'm a season ticket-holder, but people are mad.  This feels as toxic as the following of a college football team -- or, come to think about it, any other soccer team in the world.

Yeah, they lost both their Matches this Week.  You would think by some social media braying (some coming from people I know) that they lost at Portland and home to Dallas 10-0.  No, they were one-Goal defeats.  Furthermore, on Saturday, the Timbers were up 3-0 after just 26 Minutes, but United FC came back to score three of their own over the course of 18 Minutes in the Second Half.  Yes, Portland scored another two to put that Game away, but Tomas Chancalay scored in Second Half Injury Time to make it a 5-4 result.  Last/Wednesday night, despite their offensive ineptitude, Kelvin Yeboah equalized in the Second Half before the Hoops got the Match-winner in the 84th.

Man, I'm not making my argument that the Loons don't suck that bad, huh?  (Also, I admit that I gave my season ticket for last night's Game to my friend because I really, really wanted to see Jungle ... and I made the right choice.)  I'm saying that a one-Goal defeat, by its very definition, isn't the hopeless rout many disbelievers lament.  This is soccer, for God's sake -- a Goal can be scored by an Own Goal or a dumb deflection.  That happens in either Match and MNUFC gains at least one point.  Also, not for nothing, they've battled back to tie in both Matches.  That has to count for something.  Well, it doesn't count in the standings, whereby they are now out of the playoff picture.  But one Win and they take back a postseason slot.  They have a chance to do that Saturday ... but they have to visit red-hot St. Louis.  Well, they play much better on the road.

#-4: Twins (Last Week: -3).  Despite actually winning two Games this screening Week, I am putting the Twinks below the Looooooooooooons because winning only the middle Game of both series they played is the final nail in the coffin for the squad's playoff hopes.  This was the time to try and get back in the postseason race because they were facing Division rivals the White Sox and Detroit.  But they have now fallen 4 1/2 Games back of Cleveland for ALWC3, and they still have to beat back four other clubs between them and the Guardians.  Different sides of the Twinks let them down -- either it was no offense or shitty pitching or the Bullpen's lack of a killer instinct, the organization's weaknesses took turns in sinking the Twinks for 2026.

Home to Cleveland for a trio starting tomorrow/Friday, then they host the Yankees for three beginning on Monday.

(Another) Busy Weekend

It's rare that I will be working both a Gophers and a Vikings game on the same weekend.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I've ever done that before.  But I will be doing that this weekend.  That's cool, and dare I say, I am proud.  It's a sign that I'm wanted and people think I'm still doing a good job.

Both games are on the same network, so I wonder if the company, or at least someone back at world headquarters, know that I'm working two games for them back-to-back.  They should ... shouldn't they?  Well, if they don't, can't think that would matter.

Anyhow, it's cool that I'm doing this.  And I don't take it for granted that these opportunities (setting aside the timing that I'm working two games on the same weekend) are going to be around forever.  That means my weekend will be quite busy, but I'm not wishing for the alternative.

Bad Driver: 160 ZYG (blackout)

Saw you coming and thought, "Will this asshole catch me before I peel off to Cleveland?"  I was hoping not, so I went onto the lane you were on, but goddammit, you had places to go, you man of intrigue with your dilapidated sedan, and 70 was not fast enough.  I see you get in front of me a little too close, motherfucker.  But hey, were you going to the Fair?  Has a stripper you've seen for over two decades finally given you two HJs?  I'll believe my life's better than yours.  Prick.

I've been fantasizing over Dian Parkinson for a long time -- you know, that Barker's Beauty from the OG The Price Is Right, the real, real hot one.  I say this even though another of the Barker's Beauties, Janice Pennington is a Playboy Playmate, and she is gorgeous as well.  But whereas Pennington posed before TPIR, Parkinson posed after -- twice.  First time, in 1991, she flashed her tits.  In 1993, however, she surrendered the pink and finally showed her pussy, too!!!  I had fantasized about Parkinson the most, so seeing her in her birthday suit twice was a dream come true.  I saw her two spreads just now and pleasured myself.

She's 81 now, and definitely doesn't look how she did when on TV or in Playboy.  I don't care; if she is still of sound mind, and if she said yes, I would be honored, blessed even, to lay pipe into her.  That would be so, so nice!

No, I Don't Want To Know When

It's been over a week since I spoke to my parents.  And when I say that, I mean literally speak to them.  Since then I have been in contact with them, through text.  I usually do that, and only do that, when there is a letter regarding an issue with one of their properties for which Mother needs some idea of what's going on, and telling her just won't cut it.

But over the past week bills have been sent.  Usually I just get on the phone and tell Mother that, hey, this bill came in and it's for such-and-such an amount.  I also tell her about checks that have come in, but when the latest one came over a week ago ... well, I just texted her that it's here.  And she was fine with it.  Then, a couple bills came and I figured this is something Mother needs to know about, so I texted her to call me, but I didn't hear from her the rest of the evening.  OK, this is unusual.  And I didn't want to wait to call after work the next day, so I texted her the nature and amount of these two bills at work the next day, and she said she would take care of it.  Not going to lie, I am in a texting mood now, so the bills that have come in since I have only told her through text.

Yes, it's easier.  But I have to admit that the real reason I am now texting her is that I don't want to hear her tell me that they're coming home.  They should be coming home by now.  And don't get me wrong.  When I say "should," I don't mean that it's the right thing to do, or it's preferable.  I mean that they've been gone over half a year, and they say they would be coming back, so logic would dictate they would mean what they say and be back.  Now, they usually summer here in Minnesota, and they didn't do that.  Mother later said they'd return in August, and obviously that's not the case.  They have said they want to come back to look at the mail that's accumulated, or to start working on a new roof, or figuring out what to do with the minivan, or to see that the trash is now being picked up.  But they're not here -- at least not yet.

Still, I have had this creeping fear that, as time marches forward, the inevitable end of me having the whole house to myself has to come.  Surely, they would be making a decision now that it's Labor Day ... even though, and I may be pointing this out to myself in order to give myself hope, generally this is the time of the year my parents leave Minnesota.  And hey, maybe they realized they just want to stay out there, and that there is no reason to come back since everything is hunky dory, and it is hunky dory here right now.  But I feel like I'm tied to a conveyor belt with my legs spread open with a laser beam ready to zap my genitals, like that scene in Goldfinger.  If/When they tell me, I have so much shit I need to do -- pack up all my things (and I am visually overwhelmed with all the packing I'll have to do ... my goodness it's a lot), take them to storage, and clean, clean, clean.  I don't have the time to do that, I don't have the energy to do that, and I frankly don't have the will to do that.  So I don't talk to Mother nowadays because being incommunicado with her lets me leave all my stuff out where I want.  And that is a ... don't want to say a fiction, but a situation I've created in order to make me feel good about myself.  As long as she doesn't tell me they're returning, I get to live how I feel.  So I don't talk to her because that way, she can't tell me anything.

You know, this is something I would talk to my psychiatrist about.  God, I could use someone to talk to about my anxiety right now.

Got a call a few hours ago that my psychotherapist, whom I had seen for upwards of a decade, is in hospice.  The Parkinson's finally got to him, goddammit.  His secretary called me; she said his wife told her he has a few days at most, and he will not be taking visitors.  But she will do her best to call me again when, well, it happens.  I hope I will be able to go to his memorial service.

I feel bad I have been going on with my life and temporarily forgetting what is happening to him in the hours since I heard the news.  Life -- it never ends well.