Leelanau Whippersnapper

Finally, I’ve had a reasonably relaxing weekend.  Of course tomorrow I head back in to hell for what will likely turn into a 6 day work week.  We begin a major re-set in my department tomorrow morning, there is a ton of work to be done and only 1 week to do it.  I’m going to have to be a cheerleader most of the week and that is indeed exhausting work.

Today I packed up the dog and headed out to the lake.  The sun has been out for the past few days, something exceedingly rare this time of year and I figured I would take advantage of it today by bringing my camera along.  I ended up going down to a beach I had not been to in quite some time.  It was further south than I usually go but still on Good Harbor Bay, just down the road further.  It was quite nice.  There were a few people out today but because of the Super Bowl and my complete lack of interest in sports, it was pretty quiet overall.  Gavin was able to run around off the leash for a while and I spent some time trying to capture a few good pictures.  I’ve uploaded a new gallery at leelanauphotography.com, just click the picture below to check it out.

The folks are off to Iowa for about 6 weeks tomorrow morning.  They’ve decided to spend some time away from here this winter since it’s easy to get really stir crazy this time of year.  We still have a good 3 months of shitty weather before spring starts to hit, I really hate this time of year up here.  Luckily, my job keeps me quite busy so it’s hard for me to care much.  Mom and Dad will be staying with Sarah, Brian and Christopher and I’ll be interested to hear how that all works out.  I love my folks to death but given the choice, I would not choose to have them live with me for any extended amount of time.  I’m pretty sure my folks would say the same about me. Our family dynamics are a bit much to tolerate day in and day out.  And, at my age, and their age, that’s the way it should be.  Christopher will be spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa for 6 weeks, and, that’s the way THAT should be too!  He’s a lucky kid, even if the only words he can say are “doggie” and “LOOK”.  We’ll see if Grandpa can teach him a few words during his stay.

I have made a new purchase since my last entry in this blog.  Last week, I broke down and bought a Wii so that I too could join the ranks of 30 something’s who are sick of being out of shape but who don’t want to join a gym.  I have always enjoyed video games even though I suck at them and I like the concept of being more involved in them rather than just sitting on a couch with a controller.  The Wii promises to at least get me off my ass for a little bit each day.  Eventually I’ll buy the Wii balance board and Wii Fit Plus game so that I can actually start getting in shape.  Sadly, they are sold out nearly all over the country and it’s going to be several weeks before they get back in stock.  Oh well, I’ll be busy enough at work.

Bonus time at work is fast approaching.  Profit Sharing checks are handed out Feb. 16th and my Managers bonus is due in mid March.  Crazy thing about my job is that I make more in the first 3 months of the year than I do the next 8 months of regular work just because of bonuses.  It’s nice to get big fat checks but it’s also dangerous because it’s easy to just go out and spend it.  If I had this job at any other time in my life, I’d be broke all the time but fortunately I’ve learned how to manage my money in much healthier ways so I’ll be able to save what is necessary but I’ll also be able to go out and get a few toys to play with.  This year I am buying a keyboard and I’ll write more about that when the time comes.  So for now, enjoy the new gallery.

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Ripped from another blog:

Young Chuck moved to Texas and bought a donkey from a farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day the farmer drove up and said, ‘Sorry Chuck, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.’

Chuck replied, ‘Well, then just give me my money back.’

The farmer said, ‘Can’t do that. I went and spent it already.’

Chuck said, ‘OK, then, just bring me the dead donkey.’

The farmer asked, ‘What ya gonna do with a dead donkey?’

Chuck said, ‘I’m going to raffle him off.’

The farmer said ‘You can’t raffle off a dead donkey!’

Chuck said, ‘Sure I can. Watch me. I just won’t tell anybody he’s dead.’

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, ‘What happened with that dead donkey?’

Chuck said, ‘I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898.00.’

The farmer said, ‘Didn’t anyone complain?’

Chuck said, ‘Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.’

Chuck now works for JP Morgan.

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Once again, I have higher ambitions than my body will allow me.  I’ve not had the time or the energy lately to write in my blog here but the winds are changing.  It’s now mid-August and traffic at the store is starting to slow down a bit.  The past few weeks have been pretty crazy with the last big rush of tourists heading north for the end of their summer vacations, the camp grounds are full, the beaches are packed and the traffic is horrible.  This has been a different summer for me.  It’s not been a bad one, it just feels like we never really had a summer up here.  It’s been cold, wet,  and people’s attitudes reflect an attitude of having missed something this year.  Maybe it’s the economy or maybe it’s just the weather but people have been awfully moody this summer, myself included.

Jirar was up here for a couple days this week and despite our continuing friendship, it’s somewhat difficult to see him leave each time he comes to visit.  I’m reminded that I’ve not done much to improve my social life in any substantial way, sure I’ve got friends I can hang out with but it’s not the same as having a spouse there to push you in the right directions.  I have to remind myself that I don’t have to be in a hurry to find someone else, that I can indeed be perfectly content by myself for a while.  I’ve got plenty of good things going for me not the least of which is a hugely supportive family both immediate and extended who have my back when I need it.

I did find out this past week that I am not going to be in a position to buy my condo that I am renting.  I’d need to come up with about 40K as a down payment to make it possible and I just don’t see that happening.  On a brighter note, my landlord did agree to extend my lease for another 12 months but after that I will have to find another place to live next summer.  This condo has been a great place for me.  The size is great, the location is perfect, and the cost of living here is right within a good range.  There are really very few good places to rent up here.  The houses for rent in town are really nothing but trash, obviously rentals that have been worn down by negligent landlords who don’t give a shit about the property.  The apartment complexes are nice but most don’t allow pets and to buy a home up here I have to either cut back on the toys that I enjoy and that keep me entertained, or I have to settle for a property that would end up needing a lot of work.  I’m really just over the money pit stage.  I don’t have time for it.  I have a list of criteria that I require for housing and I’ve found that it’s hard to find things that fit up here in the northwoods, even though the things I want should be common….around here they just aren’t.

Anyhow, now it’s time for bed.  Tomorrow I work in the morning and then hopefully, as long as the store is slow, I can get out of there by noon and get out to the cottage with Gavin to spend some time on the lake.

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I decided to do a little movie marathon this weekend and watch all 3 of the Back To The Future movies.  I remember going to see all of those in the theater.  You don’t see movies like that much any more.  Sure, there is Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia but Spielberg isn’t churning out the epic flicks like he used to.  Anyhow, I enjoyed them then, and I enjoy them now.  It would be fun to be able to travel through time.

This is Memorial Day weekend and it is PACKED up in the northwoods.  It was a little chilly today (low 60’s) but that didn’t stop people from enjoying the sun.  There were tons of boats on Lake Leelanau today and of course everyone was up at the lake today.  I played with Gavin for a good 2 hours letting him chase the ball into the lake and retrieve it (his favorite thing to do in the world).  We then went over to Lake Michigan and played on the beach for a while.  It was nice to get away.  Tomorrow I head back to work.

Anyhow, here is a new picture.  Do you ever wonder what it would be like if we humans had to do this when we got wet?  Don’t have much else to write about tonight.  Time to go watch that 3rd Back to the Future movie!!

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Today was my day off and it was a pretty good day.  Jirar decided to wake me up at 7:30 this morning with a phone call but no big deal, I had slept most of the afternoon on Wednesday anyhow and getting up early would get me an early start on my adventures for the day.  Gavin was all sorts of excited today as I loaded him into the car and headed out to Leelanau for a day in the ‘county’.  I first made a stop at the cottage, played ball with Gavin for a bit and then loaded him back up and drove over to Pyramid Point for an early spring hike.  I timed it just right too.  The sun was out, the sky was blue and the water was an amazing turquoise today.  I’ve uploaded a new gallery to leelanauphotography.com and I’ve posted a new picture below for you.  Just click on the picture to get to the gallery.  I’m looking forward to spring this year.  Last fall I started getting into the habit of going on long hikes in the woods (especially when the colors were out).  I plan to continue that this spring and summer by finding new trails to hike in Leelanau that I’ve not done before.  Gavin and I both need the exercise and I’ve been quite lax about taking pictures this winter.  I need to catch up.

Big news coming out of Iowa on Friday.  No, Sarah and Brian are not expecting another baby (???–haha).  The Iowa Supreme Court is expected to issue it’s ruling on Same Sex Marriage in that state.  Not much has been said about this case except that initially things were going in favor of ruling their Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.  If Iowa were to legalize SSM, it would be the first mid-western state to do so and the 4th state in the country to do so.  I’m not getting my hopes up however it would be nice to know that even amidst the miles of corn fields, there are at least a few people who get it.  If they rule in favor of SSM, you can expect all hell to break lose, the dead will rise, the sky will fall, and the Earth will cease to exist….at least that’s what the fundies have predicted.  If they rule against it, it will simply be another setback that we will have to overcome.

In related news, the Vermont legislature has passed a gay marriage bill that will legalize gay marriage in Vermont.  You’ll recall that Vermont was the first state in the country to pass a comprehensive “in all but name” bill to give gays and lesbians all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of marriage but just not called marriage nearly 10 years ago.  The current bill moves their domestic partner program to marriage in what is logically the next step.  There is of course an issue here as well.  While this would be the fist legislature in the country to pass this sort of thing through the legislature (meaning this is not a court ordered change but a legislative change), the Governor has threatened to veto the bill.  The State House needed 99 votes to pass a veto-proof bill.  They got 95 votes.  The big question is whether or not the Governor will actually veto the bill or if he will realize that by doing so he is on the wrong side of history.  We should know the answer soon.

Not much else going on up here in the northwoods.  Easter is approaching quickly as I witnessed a bunny shitting in my garden this morning.  He’s apparently been living under my house…something I’ll have to correct rather soon.  Gavin chased him out of the yard this morning, sadly, he didn’t kill it.  Work is going well but the days are getting longer.  We are switching hours again starting on Sunday so we will be open now until 10pm at night which means I’ve just added 5 hours to my already long week.  We’ve entered a vacation black out period as well.  I get my regular days off but I can’t take any vacation days now until the end of May.  Oh well, that is what I signed up for I guess.

Anyhow, enjoy the picture below that was taken today.

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There is one thing I just do not like about living in northern Michigan, well, make that Michigan in general.  This place reminds you in nasty ways that it’s still the middle of fucking winter here and it will be until May!  Another foot of snow fell up here today in the northwoods.  Pretty quickly too.  When I went to bed last night, this mess was supposed to fall south and east of here.  Well the storm changed directions and dumped a shit ton of snow on us all day today and tonight and another 5″ again expected tomorrow.  12-18″ of snow in 48 hours is a bit much for any rational person to deal with on a regular basis but yet, somehow we all manage to live here without going nuts.  Oh well, summers do make up for it but I could really do without this sort of thing.

Found a video on the net tonight I thought I would post.  I got this from a web site called wimp.com although this clip is all over youtube too.  You should check that web site out if you have high speed Internet (and are not at work).  Its a REALLY random collection of videos from around the Internet, many of them really funny, some of them really random, and some of them even educational.  This reminds me of my old cat Pooh who used to sit in the window and do this to birds.

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Well, all those years I should have been listening to my mother…”BRUSH YOUR TEETH YOUNG MAN, THEY’LL FALL OUT ONE OF THESE DAYS”, I’ve heard from her on more than one occasion.  I’ve spent the better part of two days now with co-workers asking me where my banjo is.  I fit right in with the locals up here in the north woods, I’ve got a big hole in my smile.

I’ve always had 1 rotten tooth in my mouth (some would say more) and yesterday it came to a nasty death in the gooey Carmel of a granola bar.  Those of you that know me, this was the crooked one right in front that you could always see when I smile.  No pain, no trauma, it just had one bite too many and now it’s sitting in the cup holder in my car.  Nothing motivates you faster to take action than watching your subordinates snicker as you attempt to help customers while drooling out of the side of your mouth.  It’s been quite amusing actually and it’s a tooth that needed to be fixed anyhow.  I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get it patched up with a fake one that might give me a better smile and at least a decent shot of being able to brush it well.  Biggest concern is going to be what my insurance covers and what it doesn’t.  At this point in time I have absolutely no idea since this will be the first time I’ve used the dental insurance that I get through work.  This could be a real nightmare for me if it ends up costing me hundreds (or thousands) of dollars out of pocket.  Sorry folks, don’t have it…can’t get it…maybe I’ll just learn some new tricks and join the circus.  Partials are not cheap, neither are implants or veneers for that matter.  It’s not far fetched to note that good teeth tend to be found on people with either good insurance (which I’m not sure I have), or disposable income (which I know I don’t have).  We’ll see how it works out.

Certainly an interesting New Year for me.  I don’t remember much of this one and not for the reasons you might think.  I came down with something on New Year’s eve and ended up leaving work early with a fever of 102 degrees and rising.  Even a cold shower when I got home was pointless.  I don’t know what it was but I fell asleep at 4PM and didn’t wake up again until 8am the next day.  Fortunately by that point, I had sweat out most of whatever it was and the fever had subsided.  Today I feel better but am still quite cold even though this condo is like an oven right now.  No stomach issues but that’s likely because I didn’t eat anything for a good 36 hours.  Haven’t had any problems today so far.  Crazy way to start the New Year.

So I have a couple resolutions this year which (like everyone else) I won’t keep fully.

1 – To try and write at least 3-4 times a week in this blog even if it’s just to post a picture or some other random thing.  If nothing else, it keeps those who know me and rarely have a chance to see me informed about my life.

2 – To discover and then actually enjoy a new sort of cocktail – Cosmo’s are so cliche and cranberry juice gives me heartburn.  It’s time to move on.  I finally learned to quit buying cheap vodka, maybe this year I can learn how to mix a good drink with that $40 bottle.

3 – To work with Gavin extensively this year to finally get him properly socialized and trained.  He is an extremely intelligent dog however now at 6 years old he’s no longer a puppy and I can’t blame some of is poorer behavior on young blood.  If he is to survive in my household, he must be able to do more than sit and shake and he must be able to control his tongue.  He needs (and wants) a job, I intend to give him one somehow.

4 – To spend a bit more time this coming summer exploring in places other than Leelanau.  I’d like to make a trip up to the Big Mac this summer and perhaps take a long weekend in the Upper Peninsula near Pictured Rocks to take Photographs.  I finally have 2 weeks paid vacation this year, I am going to go and do some of the things I’ve not been able to do in a very long time.

5 – Finally, I resolve to continue taking care of myself both mentally and physically.  I need to lose some weight and I need to move on from 2008 and re-establish some longer term goals for my career and possible future relationships.  This one will take time but if 2008 was a low for me, than I have no other option than to go UP.

There you are, 5 resolutions for 2009.  Hope everyone had a great New Year, looking forward to living it up in 2009!

I got a kick out of the comic below.  This is how it is in retail.  People think the earth revolves around them and they are the fucking sun!  I have always said that there are 2 jobs that EVERY person on earth should have for at least 6 months sometime in their lives.  The first is working in a restaurant, because it’s really important NOT to bite the hand of those who feed you.  Chances are VERY high that if you get shitty service at a restaurant, you DESERVE it.  The second is retail because if we were not there to help you, you’d be dead by now perhaps having taken off your left and right leg trying to figure out how to operate that new table saw you bought without bothering to ask us first how to use it properly.  How would you feel if you were treated with disrespect over and over again not because of something you did but just because you happened to offer your assistance?  You can not be  a properly socialized person unless you have worked in some sort of service related field.

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I’m thinking Gavin needs some lovin…or some running, or both.  This has been a tough week for him.  He had a great time at Mom and Dad’s house while I was in Wisconsin but in addition to me being gone out of state for 2 days, I’ve also put in an additional 48 hours at work this week (bringing the weekly total to 64.5 hours worked this week).  I came home today looking forward to relaxing but when I came in I found a Tupperware container on the floor and all my Christmas Cookies GONE!  About a week ago, Mom and I made Christmas cookies and she sent me home with about 2 dozen frosted sugar cookies.  Gavin managed to scarf down at least 10 of them….I suspect within 5 minutes too.  Anyhow, no sickness from him (he has an iron stomach) but dam, I wanted to cookie tonight!!  Oh well, he does these naughty things from time to time when I don’t give him enough attention.  I can’t say I blame him, I suppose I’d do something to get my caretakers attention too if I was being left alone for long periods of time on a daily basis.  He’ll get over it (in fact I’m sure he already has since dog’s only live in the present) and I’ll take him out to the cottage on Tuesday and let him play.

We are approaching the end of the year at work and all in all, it’s been a good year for me.  Despite the massive turn down in the economy, my company continues to grow (13 new stores will open next year in 6 states) and our competitors continue to slide into the shitter (layoffs and store closings all over the country forecast for Home Desperate and Lowe(s) Life).  That bodes well for my career and it speaks well for my company, that we are able to continue growing even with the economic crisis in full swing.  I guess I played my cards right deciding to grow with them.  That said, today was without a doubt one of the SLOWEST Saturday’s I can remember in a very long time.  Sales sucked, and the shoppers weren’t much better.  There are a LOT of people out of work up here, many of the people in the store are there just for something to do at this point.  I suppose you can only sit around and do nothing for so long before you start going crazy.  Nobody is buying anything, “just looking” they all tell me.  I hope to God things improve in the months ahead.  Traverse City is already a SLOW town, I’m going to go crazy if things don’t pick up pace….I need that rush, that constant activity to keep my head on.  Without it, I get depressed.

Well I’m off to bed now, I’ve got some catch up to do.

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I’ve had a reasonably relaxing weekend off from work and now I’m mentally preparing for what is going to be a crazy week at work.  This week I make the annual pilgrimage to Wisconsin to gain new knowledge from our suppliers and vendors.  I don’t suspect I’ll learn too much new since the same people show up from year to year however it will be a nice break from the increasingly hostile shoppers at home.  This holiday season can’t end soon enough.  I hate saying that because I know what’s next (3 to 4 months of the slowest time of the year) but each year seems to get worse and worse when it comes to general consumer greed, arrogance, and just plain foolishness.  Oh well, it’s a living.

Everyone is now fully decorated for Christmas.  I went to Aunt Nancy’s tonight with Mom and Dad and we helped her decorate her tree.  Gavin came along for the pizza.  He’s going to have a different week as well.  He will be staying with Mom and Dad overnight on Wednesday without me.  I know he likes staying out at the cottage, he does have a tendency though to plop right down on the couch which is something my folks aren’t used to.  They just need to remember to cover it so his hair doesnt get everywhere.  Speaking of the cottage, I thought I would post this great picture of the cat from hell.  She does not like me and usually has come choice words for me.

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Today will be the last time I write about my cats KD and Pooh.  A long time friend of the family has come forward and offered to adopt Pooh as a barn cat, KD on the other hand will likely find a different fate in the hands of my veterinarian.  As you all know this has been a long time coming.  About a month ago I reached the decision that the cats could no longer remain in this house.  Nothing I had tried to fix their problems was successful and their issues were continuing to get worse as time went on.  Couple that with the fact that since I moved in here, cats were not and were never supposed to be permitted in this condo.  I’ve kept them in hopes that I could resolve their problems successfully and they could live here with me without destroying the place.  That has not turned out to be the case and I must do the right thing and the most humane thing with each of them.  Pooh will leave on Thursday to join 3 other cats, 2 calves (yes, baby cows) and a couple of dogs at Lucy’s farm here in Traverse City.  With multiple families living on the farm and lots of kids, Pooh will be well taken care of, will have lots of food and attention, and will finally get to play outside which is something he has been dying to do since my former roommate introduced him to the outdoors against my wishes last year.  I don’t yet know what KD’s fate will be but I will be consulting with my vet on Thursday to learn what my options are for her.  She is sick again and while she is not losing weight, she is urinating everywhere.  I suspect she has another bladder infection which I am told can be a chronic illness in cats and quite often an irreversible condition.  Regardless of the outcomes for both, each cat has lived a long life.  Jirar and I adopted them when we first began our relationship.  KD was just a kitten under a year old and Pooh was about 3 years old.  That makes them today about 9 and 12 years old which by many standards is old for a cats since most don’t live longer than 15 years to begin with.  I’m sad to see them both go, they have been wonderful companions, lap cats, and guard cats.  They are the first pets I obtained in my adult life and they certainly won’ t be the last to be sure.  Anyhow, they will be missed.

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