tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51170802024-03-13T00:53:10.854-04:00The Bostonian Abroad''Writing is a holistic approach to defining absurdity, and a direct route to insanity.'' -M.T. GEYER, 1994Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-46297423207483906672024-02-26T16:18:00.002-05:002024-03-01T10:22:21.093-05:00Music, Saxophone, Bass Guitar, and My Third ActToday is a Monday, and I don't want to work. I even asked MS CoPilot how I can get rich without doing anything so that I can stop working, and it chided me, that saucy bot!
Well, since I am forced to work until I retire (hopefully) in 9 years, I will continue to struggle with the fact that I no longer love my job, I do it because I have to, and I would much rather devote myself completely to Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-59031339850152137632024-01-12T14:46:00.003-05:002024-01-12T15:06:59.389-05:00M7's Musical JourneyI almost got fired. Almost canned because I told the truth, was too transparent, and apparently, in describing my department, I made another department look bad (though I said nothing bad about that other department). If I simply describe my department and how we help people, and students can deduce things for themselves, I get in trouble. This came after 7 years of fighting for my program, my Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-3199699875816403282023-09-05T15:21:00.005-04:002024-01-12T13:19:18.575-05:00What the Hell Is THIS Crap?!Let's categorize the latest happenings in 2023:1. February--?? Anaphylaxis. I have had 12 anaphylactic reactions since Februrary of this year. The first one nearly killed me. The second one was almost as bad. The third one was pretty bad as well. Epi Pen saved my life the second 2 events. The ambulance crew saved me that first time. Reason? What reason to cause this? Was it food? No. Was it Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-5261371846727537892023-05-24T16:34:00.004-04:002023-05-24T16:34:54.015-04:00Am I still on this thing?Wow! I am still here! Yikes! Who knows how long?? Maybe 8 more seconds, or maybe 100 more years!!Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-29055035099470366112017-05-10T21:50:00.000-04:002017-05-10T21:50:30.017-04:00Rage against One Machine by Way of Another
Life in middle management has been an oft-times bitter pill to swallow. Increased responsibility, longer hours, and dealing with more headaches--all while not getting a raise in salary ("lateral move," they said)--all contribute to a serious sense of unease, bordering on despair. Suffice't to say that the past year has been more stressful than I have had to deal with in over a decade, and it Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-66764548133359500472016-08-28T21:48:00.001-04:002016-08-28T22:23:42.292-04:00Middle-Aged Man and Dr. Martens: A Love-Hate Story
I first learned about Dr. Martens in 1992, when my friend Matt, who was cool as all get-out, was wearing a pair on campus at the small college I was attending in New Hampshire. The shoes were Docs, the 1460s, kind of shiny, and not the boots. When I got the chance, I had a pair of my own.
Wearing Docs fit in with my developing darker persona in the early-to-mid '90s. I wore mostly black, Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-62279846598974806782016-04-01T23:46:00.000-04:002016-04-01T23:46:17.493-04:00
As I lie here in bed with my dogs, I write this to maintain my active statusand not lose this page. Life has been great! Bike running great! Dogs cute! House tended to. Happiness in new friends.
I am 45, chubby, limping, in pain, working, growing, and eager to continue living life to the best extent possible.Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0Willow Spring, NC 27592, USA35.5648713 -78.66823950000002735.3581993 -78.990963000000022 35.7715433 -78.345516000000032tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-24083205274524885372015-06-20T11:10:00.001-04:002015-06-20T11:10:05.706-04:00Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-1916326445554529832015-01-31T20:27:00.001-05:002015-01-31T20:27:55.570-05:00The Central Contradiction of My Past
I recently discovered my father's brothers and sisters, and this discovery has brought into sharp relief the difficult fact that of my split Catholic/Protestant heritage.
My Dad grew up the son of a Catholic woman, but he hated the Catholic Church. He married my mother, who was a Catholic, and I was baptized a Catholic as a baby. I grew up as a Jehovah's Witness, but I have always identified Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-53756570833453700812014-08-01T20:33:00.002-04:002014-08-01T20:33:59.420-04:00
Now begins the true middle age, the time period when I thicken and huff and puff climbing stairs and feel the creep of time on my very bones, the time when I rail against the loss of virility, and the time when I come to accept my own inevitable exit from existence.
And so I seek to find my comfort, my purpose, and my motivation in this new period where the old attitudes no longer fit, kind of Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-32216978427843221792014-03-29T10:24:00.003-04:002014-03-29T23:15:48.204-04:00Change: Road King to Ultra Classic
I learned a few things owning a 2005 Road King. Here is a list of those things that I have learned in no particular order and with a great deal of divergence along the way because I just don't care to be all organized and shit.
First and foremost, I learned not to have two separate brands of tires on my bike. That was a bad idea. Everyone says it is fine, but I think not. Right after I bought Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-15274825492208886242014-01-10T21:11:00.002-05:002014-01-10T21:11:31.564-05:00Kika
Sometimes I rummage through the past. I pick out the old pieces and think about what hasn't been in . . .
Who I was.
Who I became.
Who I have become.
What I lost.
And I realize I rode for more than the reason I had placed before me.
And I went down.
From my hubris.
My abdication.
Some things that I have felt.
That I have been
Never could change.
And the road that came after was always
Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-22667095904366069332013-12-29T21:14:00.000-05:002013-12-29T21:14:06.011-05:00Duck Dynasty Dude Back on TV: Doesn't Matter!
The Duck Dynasty guy who said being gay was a sin and that it was on a par with beastiality was allowed back on his show. Originally, he was suspended for what he said because it was deemed offensive. People lined up on both sides on this issue, some wanting to protest the man's suspension and other wanting to protest against the man's ever returning to the show.
What it comes down to is hate Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-85127199416371624762013-12-15T21:52:00.000-05:002013-12-15T21:52:05.111-05:00Who Have I Become??
There was a time when I would relish the opportunity to get out on my motorcycle at this time of the year, December, and ride in the cold to prove myself to myself that I am tough or some such ridiculous thing.
For a long time, I thought myself tough, wanted to prove it, and kept myself fit for the purpose of proving myself and being invincible, at least in spirit.
Then I turned forty. My Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-7717556584695375032013-10-31T00:14:00.002-04:002013-10-31T00:14:36.849-04:00RED SOX WIN 8TH WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-47899718128823786892013-09-29T09:18:00.004-04:002013-09-29T09:18:59.169-04:00A Passing Thought
Was listening to songs of old age and loss and realized something, perhaps deep, perhaps obvious. Probably both, which is usually the case:
We are meant to lose. Loss is our refusal to accept that nothing is ours, not even our lives. We lose everything in the end. If we realize and accept that we actually don't have anything anyway, maybe that can free us from the fear of losing. Maybe, knowingMaikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-20488628525923354882013-09-21T12:15:00.000-04:002013-09-21T12:31:03.188-04:00The Emotional Color of Perception
I have an evil twin.
He comes out and takes over my body and mind when I am on 30 milligrams for two days in a row. Yesterday was one of those days.
Today is a 60 day, so I can really see the sharp contrast between the two personalities I currently exhibit.
What is it like to suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)? (And when I say "suffer," I mean that EVERYONE around me suffers as Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-60549964233458486172013-09-16T15:32:00.001-04:002013-09-16T15:32:32.712-04:00Tattoo Bliss
This is my second tattoo. People say that once you get your first tattoo, you get addicted and want more and more. This is not the case with me. I have always wanted more than one, and I think this time in my life is where my tattoo getting shall begin. My rationale is that I am old enough now where I know the difference between whim and serious desire. I also know the ramifications of Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-29597426513902222832013-09-01T20:45:00.001-04:002013-09-08T15:05:31.972-04:00My Next Tattoo
This is the tattoo I got for my broken, stupid leg. It is in Ogham and in Irish and says I will not take shit from evil.
Another tattoo is coming. It is the result of a saga of near quest-like proportions.
You see, I have had to learn the hard way just how fucked up the tattoo profession really is. There are really no standards as to who can set up shop or what a real tattoo artist actually is.Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-69166239034920234142013-07-13T13:03:00.000-04:002013-07-13T13:03:03.799-04:00The Problem of Our Species
Not that anyone cares one iota, but there are some things I am against, and today, I am of a mind to write it down.
First off, I am against organized religion. I know that nothing will ever change in my lifetime, but I believe organized belief systems and the hierarchical structures they create and maintain are detrimental to human society and the planet as a whole. Organized religion is based Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-26412665992308804492013-06-30T09:51:00.001-04:002013-09-01T18:37:50.303-04:00Why I Got a Tattoo
After many years of thinking about getting a tattoo and after many ideas coming and going, I finally made the leap and got a tattoo.
Originally, I wanted a Red Sox tattoo, until my wife at the time pointed out that it would be akin to getting a Coke tattoo. So that idea was out. I also wanted a Harley tattoo, but it would have been even more like Coke, so that was out.
I thought about getting Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-82767375152613662112013-06-08T23:39:00.001-04:002013-06-08T23:45:27.594-04:00A sphere of InfluenceMy sister says that my father's spirit regularly does things to let her know he is there. He turns on the TV, changes the channels, and even starts the washing machine. My sister Sue apparently also experienced a sink suddenly coming on.
I have seen peripheral things, but nothing directly.
The night before my Dad died, I saw the angel in the room. It appeared to my right and when I turned to see Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-69536146443869171572013-05-04T21:02:00.001-04:002013-05-04T21:02:53.181-04:00More IrishnessThe only one who gets it will get it, which explains things. Ba-fucking-oo.
I just wanted to share a thought with the universe. Nothing deep or meaningful.
I don't know who the fuck I am supposed to be.
I can't be who I used to be --for various reasons. Who I was might very likely get me thrown in jail nowadays. Plus, who I was seems to have worsened into some evil asshole anyway, so I can't Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-36919294570580581232013-05-04T20:24:00.001-04:002013-05-04T20:30:23.238-04:00Thomas Carr MattatallHe would probably not want me to do this, but too bad. I'm alive and he's dead.
He was my grandfather. He lived from around 1905 to 1973.
He was born in the Boston area and had siblings that he apparently had to raise because his dad died. When he married my grandmother, Helena "Edna" Francis, he had already basically raised a family and had no interest in having one of his own. My grandmother Maikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117080.post-46234231821849509082013-04-20T22:26:00.002-04:002013-04-20T22:32:26.114-04:00WHEW!
Well, they got the kid. I was glued to the news that whole last day, flipping from HLN, to CNN, to FoxNews, and even to AlJazeera at one point. I was desperate to be there with my people in any way I could reasonably manage.
Finally, I ended up on CNN on the TV, FoxNews on the computer, and the Live Scanner on the computer as well.
The scanner turned out to be the most interesting and revealingMaikelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971972729429236235noreply@blogger.com0