melog-20101202.log.0

I've had a helluva day. It went something like this:

Dec 2 07:30 uruk kernel: helluvaday daemon: woke up late. overslept.
Dec 2 07:50 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: rushing to my garage so i can speed off to work. noticed flat tire on car.
Dec 2 07:51 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: informed employer i would be late. discussed transportation alternatives with my wife.
Dec 2 07:55 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: doorbell rings. huh? who the hell is ringing my doorbell before 08:00 on a week day?
Dec 2 07:55 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i'm greeted at the door by a crew of workers who are ready to do scheduled foundation work on my house. i knew they'd come this month, but no one told me they would be here TODAY. but, they're here in full force. they offered to reschedule, but i had to request them back in October for them to show up here today. so, do you think i'm gonna reschedule?
Dec 2 08:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: I log on remotely to my office computer and try to get some work done. Ha, ha, ha! stupid fool . . .
Dec 2 08:30 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: the first plumber that messed me over from the last batch job on my rental propety leaves me a message telling me that the city inspector could show up at my house any time today between 09:00 and 13:00.
Dec 2 08:35 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: my *new* plumber calls me and confirms this because he's trying to schedule a new inspection. he finds out an inspector is already scheduled. the plumber is already waiting at my rental property in case the inspector shows up. but i need to be there to unlock the door.
Dec 2 08:38 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: like a mad man, i try to jack my car up and change my flat tire. glad i bought that spare yesterday, or i'd really be up the shit creek without a paddle.
Dec 2 08:50 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i'm asking my nephew when he needs to be at work. he doesn't have to be at work until 15:00. cool. he can babysit the house. i tell the foundation workers that i'll step out, but luckily, my nephew will be here. i expect to be back by 14:00-- about the time they think they'll be finished with their work.
Dec 2 09:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i'm flying down the highway at 90mph to get to my rental property, hoping the inspector hasn't already showed up.
Dec 2 09:05 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: while speeding down the highway, i call my boss and inform him that even though i fixed my flat, i'll be out of pocket unexpectedly. i apologized for the short notice. i'll have to burn another vacation day. at least he's understanding about everything. i'm indebted to him many times over.
Dec 2 09:15 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i arrive at the rental property. my "plumbing crew" that i hired is there. actually, i just hired one guy, but he had two buddies and a brother helping him out.
Dec 2 09:20 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: my plumber whips out a tall "cold one" from his cooler and starts to roast me a little in front of his crew. it's all in fun though. he's just bullshitn'. that's probably NOT the first beer that he's had today. we just sit around and shoot the shit, waiting for the inspector.
Dec 2 10:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: no inspector yet. still shootin' shit.
Dec 2 11:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: no inspector yet. one leaves to get something to eat. when he comes back, the other three leave. he offers me some of his cookies and bologna (no bread, just bologna-- odd). i eat a cookie and explain to him about how this whole plumbing debacle started in the first place. i sent for something to eat by way of the other guys. they bring me back some popeye's chicken cause popeye's is the shiznits.
Dec 2 11:30 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: no inspector. one of the guys leaves. he was really just hanging out, anyway.
Dec 2 12:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: no inspector, yet. another guy leaves. same thing . . . he was really just hanging out.
Dec 2 12:30 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: no inspector, yet. but, an old neigbor pulls up and asks me how i've been. then, proceeds to tell me that my tenant has become a blight in the neighborhood. several nights out of the week, he allegedly has parties so large that you'd think my rental house was a juke joint or club. i have a really big backyard on that property. about 14 cars could be parked back there. the neighbor was saying that my tenant filled up the whole back yard, the driveway, have cars parked all down the street, and visitors often block neighbors out of their own driveways. holy fuck! i had no fuckin' idea! why am i going though all this trouble if i may have to evict this guy in another month?! my neighbor says that he creates so much traffic that you'd think he was running a business or something in a residential zone. not cool at all. she also thinks a lot of illegal activity is going on like gambling (on a large scale, not just a few buddies playing poker)-- and who knows what else.
Dec 2 12:40 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i ask my wife if she can go back to our house, and check on the foundation people. my nephew will need to go to work soon and someone will need to present payment to the foundation workers. she agrees. thank you so much, sweetie!
Dec 2 13:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: no inspector. we call the city because the inspector is overdue. the city tells us to call back if no one shows by 14:00.
Dec 2 13:15 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: now, it's just me and the plumber. the third extra guy left. all of a sudden, this guy starts to remind me so much of my dad. he looks very similar to him. has many of the same mannerisms. the way he drags off his cigarettes, the constant sipping of his beer, the slur in his speech. he even wears a quilted, plaid jacket just like my dad used to wear. he's been telling me off and on all day, "i wanna be like you when i grow up". i kept thinking he was taking digs at me or something. i finally ask him why he keeps saying that. i told him i'd rather be like him, because he reminds me of what i think a man should be (minus the smoking and drinking-- more so the wisdom and know how to seemingly fix anything). i told him about how i admired the way that my dad could do plumbing, auto mechanics, and all sorts of other things. i resented that my dad didn't pass that information down to me. i told him how my dad always said to me, "son, you don't have enough patience for that".
Dec 2 13:20 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: the plumber replied . . . "you know why your daddy told you that? your daddy didn't want you to do that kind of work. he wanted you to aim higher than what he had ever accomplished. that was just his way of telling you that." he seemed so sure that was way-- as if there was some encrypted code that my dad was using, and this elder man before me had the cipher key. almost as if he gives his children the same excuse for the exact same reasons my father gave me excuses. i almost cried, but . . . i held back my tears. maybe my dad meant well for me all this time and i didn't know it. for that moment, i felt like my dad's essence had embodied this man before me, and i had one last, fleeting moment to talk with my father face to face.
Dec 2 13:30 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: the plumber takes time to explain to me that the inspector may not come. he says that he's dealt with a lot of inspectors before. they usually only have a few properties to go to each day. they drive around and spend five minutes at each place. they probably spend most of their time goofing off and not even doing their work. he said that the inspector may just neglect coming out because he's hanging out somewhere that he shouldn't be. great. just great.
Dec 2 13:45 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: no inspector, yet. the plumber gives the city a call. the plumber's brother comes back over to the property where we've been waiting for four hours and 45 minutes, now.
Dec 2 14:20 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: still no inspector, but the plumber comes up to me and says that the inspection passed. what. the. fuck.
Dec 2 14:22 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: he tells me not to argue about it, but to call the city for myself and check. i do-- i call the city. i dial the number myself with my phone and they confirm the address of the rental property. then, they tell me that the inspector came by this morning and passed it.

but no goddamned inspector ever came to my mother fuckin' house.

but, i didn't complain. i'm just happy this damn thing is finally behind me. it's been a long time comin'. it's only 14:20, and it's already been one hellava day!

Dec 2 14:25 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: the plumber takes the pressure gage off of the house and makes the furnace ready for the local gas company. my job is done. i already paid for the work, so i didn't owe anything else. i've got one more plumbing project to do for that house, but that's not worth mentioning in light of all else that has happened.
Dec 2 14:35 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i'm at the bank, trying to get my down payment for the next job i want the plumber to complete at the same property (i only have one rental property. it's not like i'm doing this for a living. i just wanted to move and couldn't sell my house). the ATM is not working at the bank, so i have to go inside or go in the drive through. i go inside. two tellers. one teller is tied up with dealing with the ups man. the other teller is caught up in personal conversation with the customer. really? really?!
Dec 2 15:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i make my way home. my wife stayed at the house and got the kids from school.
Dec 2 15:30 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i tell my wife about our day. she almost cries when i tell her about what the plumber said about my dad blowing me off about learning certain trades. she almost cries, too.
Dec 2 18:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i take the family to pizza inn. i can't even remember what happened between 15:30 and 17:59.
Dec 2 18:44 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: my brother calls from prison. he asks me if i sent that unbelievably large money order to this unknown person yet. WTF. he really wants me to do this. it's the only reason why he called. i feel obligated, but . . . man, that just seems like a really dumb move.
Dec 2 19:00 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i go to the barbershop where my nephew works. he gives me a haircut and manicures my beard and mustache. since i'm a first time customer at that shop, i get a free hot towel treatment, tea tree oil treatment on my scalp, that comes with a hair wash and massage. very refreshing and relaxing-- but a bit awkward. my nephew was massaging my head and face. felt good. just kinda wish it was my wife doing that rather than a guy . . . i dunno . . . just didn't feel quite right somehow. but, i enjoyed it enough to where that wouldn't keep me from getting another one. i think i'll need that at least once a month, if my finances will permit.
Dec 2 20:15 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: head home with the family. they came with me to the barbershop. not quite sure why, but they did. we headed home.
Dec 2 20:45 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i started recording this melog.
Dec 2 22:07 uruk kernel: hellavaday daemon: i'm planning on drinking some crown royal, and reflecting on what a hellava day this has been.

melog-20101202.log

i took some time to get out of the house earlier for some "me" time.

i went to a restaurant and had some boneless buffalo chicken and a draft beer.

i caught up on some reading while waiting on my order. i picked up where i left off in reading neil postman's the end of education.

i'm really starting to dig that book. i've finally made it to part two.

yes, i finally made it past chapter two. :-D

i came home and asked my daughter-- if a (friendly, of course) space alien landed in our back yard, how do you think you would communicate with him or her?

she said she would start speaking "alien language".

"but, how does that go?", I asked. if you don't know the "alien language", then how will you speak it?

she was quiet for a moment. then she asked me how would i do it. i told her that i would discuss my ideas with her later. i encouraged her to think in the meanwhile what she might do in that hypothetical situation.

then, i asked her a second question-- what if you had a new classmate from another country that didn't speak english very well. how would you communicate?

she said that she'd share her things and be really nice to the new classmate.

i thought that was an interesting answer.

i want to get her thinking about how this world is bigger than our house, her school, her neighborhood, and her state and nation. and our planet is like one big spaceship flying through space. and we're not likely to jump ship any time soon. so, we had better be careful what we do while we're on board.


i'm thinking of some other (hopefully) thought provoking questions for both my son and daughter. i hope i can teach them how to learn and how to gain their own education for the purpose of being good citizens of this planet and of this nation. to accomplish this, one must be willing to peruse practical knowledge via the road of trial by error and critical thinking.

i spent time talking with my nephew about money. i told him some of the budgeting and investing ideas i've learned about. i also told him about my mistakes and pitfalls.

he seemed to listen and was very appreciative. he also contributed to the conversation quite a bit.

he seems to really be passionate about being a barber. this isn't just a job for him, i see. he takes this very seriously. he's providing a service that effects the self esteem of many people. grooming in many other apes signifies acceptance, because apes tend to groom their friends for long periods of the day. an ape that isn't well groomed is probably being shunned from the troop.

the naked ape seems to have held on to much of that evolutionary pattern, despite having very little visible hair on the body (when compared to other apes).

well, i should be asleep. and now i shall do just that. i probably have a busy day tomorrow.

let hope it's fruitful.