We braved the elements last night to attend the annual Circle of Hope ceremony. Every year we go and create a luminary to honor a loved one. It’s actually a really nice event, and all the money generated is used to help folks in need due to a catastrophic medical occurrence. The final two images are the light up reindeers I installed out in front a week ago. Looks like they’ve had some tiny visitors check them out.
Author: Markman
Bully Schoolpit
When I was little and going to school, I was what you would call tiny. I was shorter than all the other kids and that sometimes made me the scapegoat of their jokes and teasing. I can remember in kindergarten, there was this kid, Basil was his name, and he would always push me up against the fence and cause me grief. At first I complained to my mom and not my teachers, because that’s not what you do (at least back in those times you didn’t), plus I was super shy and unassertive in myself. Eventually, though I’m not sure how, I figured out that maybe cracking a joke, or being self-deprecating, seemed to lessen the blows. It’s then I figured out, at that early age, that humor could be a useful tool to me.
Around that time the town had decided to close to school that I was going to and so I had to go to another school, a little further away but not really and that’s where I met Keith. Keith was another bully. I didn’t know why then that they focused on me. Now I now it’s probably because they felt powerless in their own homes and such but back when I was in first grade I had no concept of that. I just knew that they were really being a pain. Keith was more malicious than Basil and my humor didn’t really seem to work on him all that much. I lucked out in this case due to another kid in class, who I remember was into the Boy Scouts, his name was Chris, and he stood up for me – when no one else in class did. In fact, he took it upon himself to sort of be my bodyguard. I’m not sure why he did this, but was glad he did. I learned later that he had an older brother who was special needs so maybe that played into it. I sometimes wonder what happened to Chris. He was always looking out for me, even up through high school. I tried looking for him a while back but came up empty. I had heard he had fallen on some hard times though so I hope he came through alright. I would easily return the favor if I could.
I’ll never forget what he did for me.
Speaking of high school, it was more of the same, although by this time I pretty much had my routine down, and there were other nerdier kids than me that were easier targets. Again, there was this one kid on the first day of probably being a freshmen that would give me a hard time. Actually made me move to a different table than the one I had originally chosen, but I ended up hanging out with kids that were more in my clique eventually and it was all good. I don’t remember that particular kids name but I do recall he had been held back more than once. Sort of like he’d been in High School for seven years already (I’m exaggerating, but it probably was something like that). Looking back now, I feel pity for the kid – probably had a rough time of it all. But like I said, back then, you had to look out for yourself. Some of the kids in my clique had come to call me “Cookies” because they thought I was so small that when I went to the counter to get a cookie, the lady would have to reach across the front of the counter and look down to see what was going on down there (me). Of course, this was a gross exaggeration – I could reach the counter just fine, but I learned to roll with it and just laugh it off. I’m not sure if I found it hurtful at the time. It was more of a playful teasing than a biting remark, but those things do stick with you. Thankfully I think I’ve learned to look past those events, although who knows, maybe deep down there’s still some insecurities. We all have them, right?
I hear it’s not like that there nowadays. I even learned when I visited the old stomping grounds last year as they were knocking down the old place to build a new state-of-the-art school, that they have a mediation room, where if two kids have a problem with each other, they go to this room, with an arbiter or some such, and work out the problem! Come a long way since fist fighting after school in the parking lot. Luckily I never got into any of those. I had learned to keep my nose clean and use humor to get me out of scrapes. Now I’m not saying I was a laugh a minute comedian, or class clown, but I had used self-deprecating humor enough to know how to navigate through life at that time. I’m proud of myself that that little 5 year old kid that I was had learned and used that lesson to help himself, and on his own.
Winter Wonderland
I guess there could be some advantages to winter. Scenes like the shot above, fewer bugs. Hmmm, that’s all I can think of. Go figure.
Makes me go “Hmmm…”
I’ve been compiling a list of things that make me wonder. These are just mental observations that I’ve made over time (long time readers may remember some of them from before) and I figured I’d share them, put them all together and see if anyone else feels the same way. I’ll keep adding to this list as I think of more things that make me ponder. Feel free to comment to add your own or if you think I’m just whack nuts!
Have you ever noticed you can turn any movie into a Broadway production just by adding an exclamation point on the end? Hustlers! The Breakfast Club! Kramer vs. Kramer!
While watching Wheel of Fortune one evening, I noticed something. Vanna doesn’t appear to be necessary anymore since the letters are electronic now and no spinning of tiles is needed, so why is she still there? She still taps the letters to show them but when contestants solve the puzzle all letters appear without her touching them. Wasteful!
Why does it seem that the thicker a woman’s eyebrows are, the more they want to be in control?
Why is it that flies seem to have no problem flying into a door of the house that was opened for a second, but can’t seem to fly out of the house the same way? Even if you make it as simple as possible they seem to not choose the most obvious path. WHY NOT??
If I got a tattoo of a Rorschach inkblot, then when people ask me what it is, I could say it’s whatever you see it is? Surprised those kind of tats aren’t more popular? I guess because tats are representative of the person wearing it and not the person looking at it. HAH!
Things that all people can agree on: Pizza and Music. I’ve never heard of anyone saying they don’t like pizza or music. Like, whoever said “I hate music”? No such thing. Hmm, maybe if we could tie into that which make us all connect on that level we’d all get along better.
If the show “Hoarders” was in 3D it would be awesome. Just saying. Maybe VR too. Also, maybe it’s the cynicism in me, but wouldn’t it be really easy for the cleaned up place to get trashed again over time? Wonder if that’s why I never see episodes of updates on the folks that were helped out?
Why is it called Planet Earth when it’s mostly water? Planet Water just doesn’t have the same ring to it though. Planet Hydro? Planet Etche Two Oh.
When do oldies stop being oldies? Like, when you put on an oldies station and they play music from the 50s, well, when does that stop getting played and then it’d be music from a different decade? If it does, what do you call the previous oldies then? Older oldies? Also, no one ever plays ragtime anywhere, anymore, except maybe in some old saloon in a movie. Talk about a musical genre that went belly up.
I remember awaking from a dream that I had insomnia and couldn’t sleep. In the dream! While I’m really sleeping! That was whack. Who does that? What could it mean??
Why do I always mix up the following in my mind?
- Judas Priest and Iron Maiden
- Gwyneth Paltrow and Lisa Kudrow
- What “on the wagon” and “off the wagon” means.
Overdoing It and Goat Love
What the hell happened to my right forearm? Woke up this morning with it feeling really sore. I suspect it had to do with the shoveling from two days ago, but I usually feel the effects of activity such as that the next day, not two days after! Must be a part of getting older? Also, strange that that’s the only part of my body that’s sore, everything else appears fine to me. Must have twisted it in some way while I was doing it is the only thing I can think of. I think I might have to actually ice it, or place something warm on it, as I prefer that better.
Lately I like to post a photo to go along with the blog posts. I don’t really have any at the moment to reflect the status of my arm (it’s not swollen or anything), so I’m transitioning to an enjoyable pic of Bean and Buckley from the sanctuary! They have interesting stories, as do all the animals there.
Bean came to the farm at two weeks old. He was rescued from slaughter. He needed to be bottle fed when he first came. He is a mischievous little boy, liking to chew on visitor’s shoe laces. Bean doesn’t seem to realize he is a goat. He is being socialized with the other goats nowadays as before he was actually living in the owner’s house. He probably thought he was either a human or possibly a dog for a while.
Buckley, as a baby, was rescued from slaughter too. He was cared for and when his rescuer could no longer care for him as he got older, he was brought to the farm. He is very attached to the volunteers, following them around, and visitors too – especially if he senses a snack around! I find he can be a little pushy. He’s been known to butt me and others at times, but not in a malicious way. Those horns are killer! It’s just the goat way. He and Bean, as can be seen in the photo, have become good companions.
I consider these two to be rather handsome goats! I’ve grown to have a fondness for goats in general now. Growing up in the city, I didn’t have many opportunities to hang out with animals like this, and I find them to very soulful animals.
Nubble Light
Love visiting Nubble Light. I must have literally have taken hundreds of photos of it. This is one of them.
First Snow
After waking up early and shoveling out over at Earth-1, I decided to head into the office. I was kind of expecting the snowfall to be worse but I didn’t think it was all that bad. I actually have some stuff I could get done so maybe things are looking up a little bit. My plan was to go in around 10 but I actually ended up finishing up earlier than I though and got in around 9. Keep sending me the light, people!
I never really liked winter. I hate snow now. Back when I was little, maybe it was fun to play in it. Maybe. But nowadays, forget it. Between shoveling, scraping, slipping on ice, getting frozen, taking longer to do anything.. real f’in pain. Do any of you like winter? I mean, it’s scenic when it first falls and all. I’m done with it now though. And it’s only just begun!
Not Snow Ready
So not ready for the first snow to fall today. Heard conflicting reports, lots of snow, then not so much. I swear the better the meteorological technology gets, the worse the weather predicting.
However, one thing to get my mind off of the snow, at least for a little bit, is going to see the new Tom Hanks movie with friends this afternoon. Will update later with more. Update: The movie was pretty good, not what I was expecting. Not so much about Fred as it was about this reporter who has to interview him. Interesting take.
The Puzzle
The puzzle of my being has pieces missing here and there. Some were lost long ago, some more recently, and some pieces never fit, no matter how hard or what direction I try to connect them. And I did try to fit them, as best I could anyway. But some things will never fit, no matter how hard you try to force it to. And sometimes when I think I have it together, only a few spots left to go, some unknown hand comes down and drops the puzzle to the floor and the pieces scatter all about. And it’s then that I realize, I need to pick up the pieces that I can… and start again.
Black Friday
Started the day off by driving to my mom’s this morning. She had to bring one of her cats in for a nail trim, and her cats are rather large and heavy, so I obliged to help her take them. That went pretty well and quick, although while I was there I saw a little dog patient who looked like he broke his leg. I could actually see his bone poking out through the skin. Gross! Hopefully he’ll get fixed up real quick – poor thing.
We had a great day yesterday. We cooked for my mom and sister and I think they had fun. I had a pretty good time, talking, eating, playing the man cave games, etc.
This afternoon we were meeting a friend and her kids at the sanctuary and then out for lunch to celebrate her belated birthday. That was also a lot of fun, I think the kids really enjoyed it and as you can see from above, I made a new friend! I even went ahead and picked up a chicken on my own and handed it around to them. Might not sound like much, but this city boy has gotten a little more country apparently. They actually like to be held and you can feel their little hearts beating when you do. It’s a pretty wild feeling.
In other news, I’ve started to create a jukebox database finally to keep track of all the records we have, whether they are in rotation, and the condition of each disc. Something I should have done long ago, of course as usual the data entry is the worst part, but it’s got to be done!
Happy Thanksgiving!
What am I thankful for? It’s pretty simple really.
Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love. May you all have a wonderful time this Thanksgiving, with friends and family. Enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Happy National Jukebox Day
I know I’ve posted this before but it being National Jukebox Day and all I just had to get it up again. Yes, we will most likely be using this tonight as we prepare for the gathering tomorrow. We need to create some kind of database to keep track of all the records we have and their condition. It would be good to get a census of what he have versus what we’d like to get in there, and could help with rotating the songs in and out. I’ve written the story about how we got this machine before so I won’t rehash that here. Needless to say it’s a great conversation piece and we love it – even if the technology is so mechanical and freakin’ heavy! Moving this thing is a beast!
Made a quick visit to the market this morning, mostly getting some different fruits and veggies, planning on making some kind of cute looking turkey things out of them, much like we made the vegetable skeleton for Halloween a while back. Naturally I’ll be doing all the prep work on that. If it comes out well I’ll take a pic and share it with everyone. Sometimes those things can come out hit or miss, but either way I’ll be eating it anyway. Good to get those things already as the store although wasn’t too crazy, it will probably get worse as the day progresses in terms of activity.
I went ahead and put up the light-up reindeer on the front lawn this morning. I’ll have to consult with LD as to my placement of them but I’m pleased to report that they all move and light up still. Always a challenge trying to figure out the placement and the electrical outlets. Since it’s kinda warm today I figure it’d be good to get them up and out of the basement. I didn’t put them up last year but since we’re having guests tomorrow thought it would be nice to show the setup. Definitely getting into the holiday spirit early this year. Does this mean the tree will come down before February ala last year? Probably not! While I was out there I scared “Squibbs” the squirrel away from his ‘mealtime.’
I was going to work a half day today but lately since losing the contract I was on I haven’t been all that busy so I decided to take the day. Just as well too, it’s amazing how much one can actually get done when you don’t have to spend most of your nine to five someplace else. More updates as the day progresses perhaps, stay tuned…
Strutting My Stuff
I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I saw that Mass Audubon decided to use one of my photos for their Strut Your Stuff article about wild turkeys! I was going to save this one for reposting here actually on Thanksgiving, but here it is a bit early. The story behind this photo is pretty simple. LD and I were driving through Westwood when along the road on someone’s property LD spotted a bunch of turkeys walking around. Believe it or not, this is how a lot of my shots actually happen. So she stopped, I got out, tried to find a good spot real quick, and snapped a few and this was one of them that I thought was the best of the bunch. Just a spontaneous shot that came out pretty well I think. So, I am the cameraman but she’s the director a lot of times!
Beacon Hill
Here’s a shot down some alley I found a while back in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood – pretty swank. Beacon Hill is predominantly residential, known for old colonial brick row houses with “beautiful doors, decorative iron work, brick sidewalks, narrow streets, and gas lamps”. As the name implies, it is a hill, so if you’re going to walk it prepare to walk up and down some steep hills in places.
Been another low key couple of days – just getting ready for the turkey day and all. In fact, we went to the grocery store last night and it was pretty busy, but we got most of the things that will be needed. Got caught up on a lot of the shows we like to watch – a bunch of them are going on fall hiatus (inane) so there’s that. Million Little Things – drama so over the top it’s ridiculous, SVU – actually pretty good this season I think compared to the last few, the usual Datelines and 2020. I’ve tried watching a couple episodes of Watchmen on HBO but it strikes me as really strange. Maybe I missed it but it seems like it only tangentially touches on the graphic novel that started it all, taking place 34 years after the events of the DC limited series within the same alternate reality. Not what I was expecting.
Anyways, back to Thanksgiving, we’re just going to be having my mom over and maybe my sister if she’s around. My sister’s never really been much family oriented, so she might be out with her latest flavor of the week. Same story over and over, different day. We’ll see – she’s invited anyway.
We’re starting to get the itch to get a new felines, to replace the ones who have left us for the rainbow bridge. LD’s been looking at one particular cat who has cardiomyopathy, as a kindred spirit perhaps and deserving of love just the same. That might be kind of tough though, we’ll see.
Update: We put the tree up already! While putting it up we discovered that very few of the lights worked so we had to make trip down to home depot to get some new ones, but now it looks great! I think this is the earliest we’ve ever put up the tree, but what better time than the present?
Dreary Days (Daze)
It’s been a pretty dreary week here in Boston. Just drizzly on and off for days, sort of mirroring feelings of late. Not a deluge but little pellets on and off enough to annoy oneself. I figure things have got to turn better eventually, and in truth, some things already have – so things aren’t as bleak or dramatic as I might make it seem. I’ve been having more anxious dreams as of late too, enough to wake me up in the middle of the night with a faster heart rate, but I calm myself down right after. Just have to take it slow, after all.
“Expect to have hope rekindled. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.”
Sarah Ban Breathnach
I always did love that quote. So I’ll keep on reading and believing in it. It’s true. Just have to keep hanging in there, right? And if anyone wants to send along some good thoughts and mojo, that would also be appreciated as well!
Low Key Sunday
Went to the Sanctuary today. Goats hung out with us which was fun. Sadly, the cat we had thoughts of adopting from there was adopted by someone else a few days ago. Maybe it’s for the best at this time though.
Afterwards hit up visit to Trader Joe’s in Foxborough (by where the Pats play) to get some groceries for the week. We’ve already cooked up some mushroom pizzas, ricotta bake, and some mustard glazed chicken.
What else? Watched the end of the Celtics game, flipping between that and Law & Order reruns on We TV. A typical low-key Sunday.
The above picture is one I took along Commonwealth Avenue in Boston a little while back. I always found the look of these two buildings rather cool. Come to find out, the “sisters” have an interesting back story! I still learn something new everyday!
What a Week
Not the greatest week this week, but things appear to be looking up! Between spending a few days at the hospital visiting, losing an important piece of jewelry, and just being a stress bag all around. But like I said – things are looking up – found the jewelry this morning (my brain is just mush these days), and back home getting back to normalcy. Still have some worries – work sucks, and some major dental work most likely coming up again but c’est la vie.
Some gametime for fun that’s keeping me occupied at times:
- Neon Dash – a platformer where you have to control a block over obstacles.
- Just one chance – haven’t beaten this one yet. Thing is with this you only get one chance – if you die, you have to wait 24 hours to try again.
- Conveyor mayhem – a puzzle game where you move crates onto their targets. Took me a few to beat all 22 levels.
- Crazy Dungeon – not too hard, move your guy around the board but don’t get caught by the nasties.
- Huggernaut – grapple around to beat the levels.
Other minor things – updated to site to WP 5.3. Seems to have gone well, although I notice the photo captions aren’t centered? Strange. Update: Never mind, appears to actually be that way – there’s some CSS code that fixes it temporally which I’ve used on the last few posts. One of somewhat related note, I’ve had this domain since 2001 – today is the anniversary of when hatchetation.com first went live! It’s all grown up now. You can catch up some older versions of the site through snapshots in time at the Wayback Machine. I wish I could find the even earlier versions back from Geocities but I think it’s on some zipdisk that I can no longer read.
Going to roast some carrots this afternoon to bring over to some friends tonight who are hosting a get together, should be fun. Speaking of fun, check out this video of a fully restored first coin operated jukebox. Must be priceless! It doesn’t play records – it plays Edison cylinder rolls!
Chicky Mama
Yup. Went to the Sanctuary today for a little bit again. I happened upon this scene of a mother chicken tending to her chicks. I find it interesting that they are so different looking color wise. We also hung with a cat named Grayson, where there could be the possibility that we could have him, if we so wanted. He’s very sweet. We’ll see about logistics moving forward to see if it’s a real possibility. Then I had to get back for a work meeting that took and hour and a half.
Wequassett Morning
Day 2 at the W. Yesterday we had lunch in Sandwich on the way down (one of our usual spots by the Canal). Soon enough we got to the place and checked in, had supper at a place called Pate’s that we like and they came through. The line was out the door upon opening – we never seen it so busy in the summer! Delicious meal, then we headed back and relaxed for the rest of the night.
Today after a restful night, we got room service which was nice. Hadn’t done that in a long time. Afterwards we went for a walk along the spit. Soon enough it was time to go. We didn’t head home right away though – we tried to hit some little library’s to see if we could score any good reading material. Came up empty this time, although I did find a book entitled Why Men Love Bitches. Senseless drivel? We hit a couple of beaches – they are pretty empty this time of year, but there’s something nice about the silence. We visited the wildlife area on South Chatham too but didn’t catch anything spectacular sadly. Of course we had to hit the Chocolate Sparrow for a quick lunch and some delicious drinks.
Although I had a good time I still feel bummed about a few other things going on. Hoping for the best, I know I’ll get through them. I also got a feeling that I’ve got a mad case of Seasonal Affective Disorder! This getting dark early sh*t sucks,
Wequassett
Spending the night down at Wequassett. More later…
Reflections: Autumn Day
The day was filled with visits to doctors. Just trying to get a handle on what ails us. Hopefully the path ahead will be more promising than it has been lately. Anyways, the bulk of the day was just dealing with those appointments and then just chilling round the house after it was all said and done.
I also took some time to rake up and bag some more fallen leaves. Mostly from the front, but I don’t get every single little leaf – I think leaving some around is good for the critters and environment (that’s what I’ve read anyway) – just dealing with the majority of them, plus more will just fall anyway. I also cleared out the clogged sewer drain out front. You think the next door neighbors could do it at least once in 10 years? Jeezus . Also went ahead and finally pulled out all the wild tomato plants that had been growing around. That was starting to get a bit unwieldy and plus would never eat them anyway.
What else? Rotated a couple of records in the jukebox – every now and then need a change of pace. I have toyed with the idea of starting a collection of old jukeboxes but that’s not really feasible due to cost and storage, and they’re all heavy as hell – some of those old Wurlitzers and Seaburgs really are beauties. Just a fantasy.
The above shot is from a place in Braintree called Sunset Lake. I just happened to catch it at the right moment for the shot. I especially like the gazebo in the background.
10 Reasons
That Girl, you know the one:
- The one that makes you better, makes your friends jealous and your parents scared.
- That knows who she is, who she was, but hasn’t planned out who she’ll become.
- That challenges you, tests you, competes with you, all while standing by your side.
- That can cheer you up with only a phone call or a smile, and that’s intriguing but never impossible to figure out.
- That knows what she likes, but is still learning what she loves.
- That isn’t afraid of commitment, but holds onto her individuality.
- That doesn’t feel she has to say she loves you, only prove it.
- Whose sense of adventure is never lost, even if its just during a trip to the grocery store.
- That sees a little humor in everything, and points it out even when it isn’t PC.
- That just fits and you know feels right without even trying.
You know, that Girl.
I’m glad I finally found her.
Testing PHP 7.2
Just upgraded the PHP version on the site – this is only a test for myself to make sure nothing broke. So far seems legit. Main benefits are its faster processing and better security – the usual stuff. In my spare time I’ve been watching how to repair jukeboxes of all things. i believe I can change the needle, adjust the tome arm, and some other various fixes, should they ever be needed! There’s just something cool about watching the mechanisms do their things – I don;t know – maybe I’m just old school. Here’s another pic from the cemetery from last week before more rain and wind really made them bare.
An Extra Hour Adds a Lot
This shot of the lighthouse at Castle Hill in Newport, RI was from a getaway we had a few years ago. I’m putting it up now because I’ve planned another getaway coming up! It’s my usual appreciation getaway that I plan every year although this year it had to be postponed a couple of months due to other factors. This new one will be in a new location that I’ve never been so I’m looking forward to see how it all pans out.
Late this afternoon we went and saw Motherless Brooklyn, a movie starring and directed by Edward Norton – it was pretty good, and featured some big name actors like William DeFoe, Alec Baldwin, and Bruce Willis among others. I’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for a detective story and like some 1950s New York film noir. I had seen the previews and it looked interesting so I said let’s give it a go.
Earlier in the day we had created three dishes as part of lunch/dinner for tonight and also food-prep for the week (the usual routine):
- Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash
- Baked Scallops with a Parmesan crust; and
- Turkey Spaghetti Squash Bake in peppers
The last one was to recreate with a different middle than the mac&cheese we went with last year around this time:
This morning I went to Home Depot to buy some more leaf bags and later raked up some more leaves. Good day to do some work around the house actually. Also been measuring the downstairs windows because we’re going with the same kinds of blinds that we have upstairs now – the Cordless Cellular Shades that are all the rage now. The windows down here are a lot larger so it’s more expensive but it’ll be worth it.
It’s not all fun and games though. Turning back the clock has made this day seem much longer which is great – but getting dark early is a bummer. I worry about LD, my mom, and a bunch of other things too as well these days.