Sunday, September 08, 2013

September 2013


Please note: I have been sick with the flu/cold/hay fever since last Thursday and didn’t really do much or felt like writing. Some events may be missing or out of sequence...



Welcome to the Month of September-
I am not feeling well today but managed to do stretches, lifted weights, yoga, ran up and down the hill carrying 5lbs in each hand, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for five minutes.



Monday 02-
Feeling mighty sick and just stayed in bed watching reruns of “Elementary”; all of them. I did manage to do a little tiny bit of cleaning.



Tuesday 03- cloudy, hot, humid, yucky.
I am feeling worse today, staying in bed under the covers. Did a little reading but my head hurts.
Now that I finished all “Elementary”, I watched “Terminator 2 the Directors cut! Ha, there were some scenes in it I’ve never seen before.



Wednesday 04- lots of thunderstorms around, we even got a little rain here at my house.
I got tired of just lying in bed and did my stretches, lifted weights, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for two minutes.
Still sick but not any worse than yesterday. Seems like everyday I was progressively getting worse, so I must be getting better!



Thursday 05- temps into the high 90s with clouds and humidity.
I did my stretches.
I am feeling a little better but decided to just stay in bed all day.














Friday 06- storm of the century, well this century anyways, came through here!
I’m feeling better today and did my stretches, lifted weights, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for two minutes.
I was working on updating the Copper Mountain Mesa Website when I noticed that the room grew dark with shadows from what was a nice sunny day. I stepped outside to see this big storm cell coming right down the middle of Winters Road headed my way.
I took to videoing the storm. All I’ll say here is that it was was very bad; lots of rain, hail, lightning and thunder. We were hit by two storm cells which came minutes after another; when I thought the worse was over the next one hit! I had what seemed a river flowing around and through my property. While videoing, I slipped, fell, got wet, and got plummeted with hail!
Kelly called after the first storm cell passed to tell me she had gone outside earlier to close the hood of her car (we keep them open so rats don’t make nests in our cars and eat the wires) when a big gust of wind knocked her to the muddy ground. She was being carried away by the wind and water that was flowing past like a river by her car. She grabbed hold of a creosote bush and held on until there was a break in the wind. Soaked and muddied she quickly got up and ran for the car and safety. There she sat feeling content to wait the storm out, until something like a tornado came along and lifted her and the car onto two wheels; she thought it was going to flip over. A lull in the storm finally came and she made her way back to her house, but not before glancing back over her shoulder to notice one of her tires was now flat. Once inside she locked herself in her bedroom with her dogs and cats.
I lost my inverter that runs my to all my AC electronics and refrigerator when a new stream decided to run through the battery room; I connected a spare inverter I have on hand for emergencies, but it’s only powerful enough to run my computers and not the refrigerator. I will try to fix the inverter tomorrow, but I’ll have to eat all the cold food in there before it goes bad. This was one bad storm! It will take some time for me to clean and shovel up all the mud and sand which has buried most of my shop and battery room.




Saturday 07- it has been cloudy all day with some rain here and there.
Not feeling very well again; thing it has to do with the storm yesterday and me running around videoing the storm and trying to keep everything together and above water.
I finally finished updating the Copper Mountain Mesa that I had begun yesterday before the storm hit and posted the videos I took there. I will try to post them in this journal.
The food in the refrigerator is still cold probably thanks to all the frozen water bottles I keep in there. Unfortunately I’ll have to get rid of the frozen catfish I got from Chris because it has already thawed out and I really don’t feel like eating fish right now; five pounds of fish anyways.
I took the inverter off the wall and set it out in what sunshine we had to dry out. I think I’ll have to get a new one because when I turned it sideways muddy water ran out.




***** Stuff I Wrote this Week******



In our youth we did learn and understood, we tried to bring change, but no one listened. As we grew older we've gotten more experience in living, but in the process have grown hard and rigid; we have forgotten what it was to be young... at least some haven’t forgotten <3 span="">



It is amazing to me how much people can do with so little and what little people do who have so much.



I look upon hospitals as a places to die or go bankrupt or both...



Maybe having one's world torn apart is what some people need. To remind them of what’s important, that there’s other things besides greed.
That they are more than just the material objects of which they own, that clutter their world, blinds their thoughts, presses them down, and keeps them from moving on.
Go beyond your comfort zone to find a different path, which leads to a fulfilling life, one of love and trust not greed.
To shed these worried burdens, braced on feeble backs, broken by modern society's crush to own you, sell you, consume you, and then dispose of you for all of what you lack.



I am not aware of any sharp pains to self discovery; enfold your being into its unlimited vastness and accept...  Enjoy the Moment, enjoy life and the awe and splendor that surrounds your consciousness.



******



Sunday 08- overcast and dreary...
I’m feeling somewhat better and did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for two minutes.
I worked trying to fix the inverter but even after thoroughly drying it out it kept blowing fuses, so basically it is toast and I’ll have to buy a new one.
I called Family and Friends or those who would talk to me.
I talked to my teenhood friend and Army buddy Doug Dorney... it was mighty good to reconnect after so many years. Thank you Joy for getting us back in touch!
I drove my scooter to collect my mail on Lear Ave. My T-shirt for the 2013 Perseid Meteor Shower was in the mailbox, Yay!
I just found out that the power supply brick that plugs into AC and then into my Chromebook laptop does Not like the cheap 300 watt square wave power inverter I had as a spare which I hooked up and to run my laptops until I could get a replacement. Well the 300 watt inverter charged and ran everything (except the refrigerator)  just fine, even my Sony Vaio e-Series laptop, but not the Chromebook! I thought it very strange, so I started up my Honda generator which is pure sine wave and the green light went on in the power brick and the led lit up on the Chromebook! Go figure, the Chromebook would run on one square wave inverter but not another! While my generator was running I ran my refrigerator for three hours and cooled everything down a bit.



Monday 09- overcast and flunky.
I did my stretches.
I went for a short walk around the property and took a video of the storm damage. This storm was the worst I've ever seen since I've been out here in 1997. Footpaths I’ve made over the years which survived other storms are now all washed away or covered with a foot of mud or more. Storm cells can bring havoc to one small area and leave others not more than a mile away untouched. This storm came right down Winters Road! The whole landscape has changed! I'll be digging mud and drying out for weeks to come.
I ordered a new inverter from Inverters R-US online and it will be delivered on the 11th.
I watched the first half of “Das Boot” the German version with subtitles... I like this better than the English one.



Tuesday 10- a few clouds at times with temps into the high 80s.
I’m exercising light today and did my stretches, yoga, lifted weights, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for two minutes.
I finished watching the rest of “Das Boot”; 3.5 hours for the whole movie. Best darn submarine movie ever made!



Wednesday 11- a very nice day with temps in the low 90s.
I’m feeling much better today and did my stretches.
UPS came today with my new inverter to replace the one damaged by the storm and a new Nexus 4 cell phone I ordered last week at a big discount. I hooked up the inverter and had power to run all my electronics and even the refrigerator.
The refrigerator had gotten pretty ripe with mold from sitting that long without being run and I ended up cleaning it all out and cleaned the kitchen while I was at it. I found a bunch of corroded holes inside the refrigerator I’ll need to patch up before I can really run it.
I called my brother Kevin to wish him a happy birthday.
I am watching a few episodes of season 1 of “Fringe”; I kinda forgotten a few things about the show and I see one of the Observers pop into a scene every once in awhile.



Thursday 12- warming up into the mid 90s.
I did my stretches.
I picked Kelly up at 1pm to drive her down to Palm Desert for her Doctor’s appointment at 2:45. We made a fast stop at the pet store to get special food for her sick cat, and we still arrived at the Doctor’s 15 minutes early. We waited in the office for an hour and a half until they called her name. The hard chairs we had to sit wasn’t making the wait any pleasanter; we didn’t get out of there until almost 5pm. We then went to the Denny’s down there for burgers and fries. We were both mighty hungry because this was suppose to be a quick appointment and the two of us didn’t have a breakfast knowing we’d pig out later, but not this later.
We got to Vons around 7pm and didn’t get out of there until 9:30, now I ain’t saying anything but I had all my stuff I wanted in less than half an hour.
We stopped off at Sonic Burger for their hot dog special; we were still hungry. Git gas next door at the Arco.
I dropped Kelly off at WalMart and I went to get epoxy patch for my refrigerator at Home Depot, but they were closed at 10pm... So was the Service desk at WalMart where Kelly was going to get a money order for her rent. So after shopping at WalMart, where I decided to just get a tube of Liquid Nails for the patch, we went to Circle K to get her money order and then to the Post Office to send out our mail. We didn’t get to her house until somewheres around midnight. I helped her carry in her groceries. She gave me a half done crossword puzzle to do as she put away her groceries. I must say that I only have done crossword puzzles when I was in grade school and never felt the need to do them afterward, but I really got into this. We stayed up working on three others until we had completed them all. I can see now how working these can help me with my writings; my mind just wants to solve everything.



Friday 13- very nice day with the temps in the mid 90s.
I did my stretches.
I mostly kicked back to recover from all I did yesterday and got a full 8 hours sleep.
I watched a few more episodes of season 1 of “Fringe”.



Saturday 14- it is getting hotter now with the temps going into the low 100s, quite a difference from the past week after the storm hit our area.
I did my stretches.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
I called Family and Friends.
Kelly called to say the water pump on her swamp cooler had died with sparks and bolts of electrical currents zipping around. She has pets that don’t do well in this heat and I took the one out of my swamp cooler I wasn’t using now and replaced her burnt out one with it. I stayed over there for a short time after yapping, and then went back home to do some chores around the house; mostly cleanup from the storm.
I watched a few more episodes of season 1 of “Fringe”; it’s kinda cool watching these old episodes again after a couple of years.




***** Stuff I Wrote this Week******



There is wonder in a heart so kind, words that flow with awe, this love of mine. She beckons me afar with sweet promise of intense affection, for this my love sets my heart afire. To sail my craft through currents of raging seas, to find that port where my love waits for me.



Go to bed my sleepy one and have those pleasant dreams of childhood wonders that'll lift your spirits aloft and bring songbirds to serenade the new day when you arise with the morning Sun....
And let the troubles of the world, politics and religion slip away into the nether realms of darkness and settle into the abyss where they belong!


******



Sunday 15- temps in the high 90s.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half with 1.5lbs around each wrists.
I went for my evening walk with my backpack.
I wrote a note to my “Dead” Friends telling them I would be off FaceBook for a while working on projects... of course I meant Dear Friends... a typo or was it that I was thinking of my childhood friend who I recently found out over a FaceBook post had passed away more than twenty years ago. The reason I am writing and sharing this is my friend was one of the kindest and gentlest persons I knew at the time. I want to try and pass on how a person such as he can change when circumstances fall beyond one’s ability to cope; war does this.
My friend was another casualty of the Vietnam War; a slow death of drinking rot of memories he had told me of. I wish there was something I could have done at the time when I last seen him, or should I say last heard his voice from behind a sleazy hotel bedroom door in downtown Torrance. I knew he had problems, serious drinking problems to wash away the bloody visions that he saw during an ambush of his platoon; he seen too much. He seen enough for any one person to handle and instead of finding help from his friends he found it in a bottle. I had come by to knock on that door for the past few days, I knew he was inside because I could hear movement and see shadows from the small open vent type window above the door, but he still wouldn’t answer. One day he finally answered after my persistent knocking. His last words to me were not very pleasant, but basically he screamed them out through the closed door of his hotel room for me not to bother him again in so many harsh words. This saddened me for I had tried a few times to help, to listen, to be a friend and speak of the good times we had when we were kids, but he had changed, he had hardened, the Army and the War had seen to that. After this last exchange I left him and his mean spirited voice behind that door, that door he used as a barrier, a blockade between two worlds. I never went back, never to contact him again; this upsets me now.



Monday 16- temps into the low 100s
I did my stretches, lifted weights, yoga, ran up and down the hill carrying 5lbs in each hand, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for five minutes.
I started work on book 2 of “Rainbow at the End of Tomorrow”. I should find a subtitle instead of calling it book 2... I almost completed editing chapter one.
I did my stretches, lifted 10lb dumbbells and went for my evening walk with my backpack.
I continued working on chapter one.
I did my stretches, lifted 20lb dumbbells, and went for a night run.
I finished editing chapter one.
I watched a couple of episodes of “Fringe”.



Tuesday 17- windy with temps in the high 90s.
I did my stretches, deep knee bends and jumping jacks.
I completed editing chapters 2 through 4 on the second book of “Rainbow at the End of Tomorrow”...
I watched the last episode of season one of “Fringe”.



Wednesday 18- cooler today with temps in the high 80s.
I slept a full 8 hours again and got a late start on the day.
I did my stretches, lifted weights, yoga and did the core trainer.
I called my friend Doug Dorney and had a nice chat with him. We talked mostly about our friend Jay.
I needed to do a little cleaning of the living room; actually need to do a lot but I only did a little.  
Jimmy called and we jawed for a spell. Seems like he bought the Spanish Rosetta Stone course about the same time I did a few weeks ago; what a coincidence!
I began editing chapter five.
I finished chapter five, began and finished chapter 6.
I watched season two episodes 1 and 2 of “Fringe” as a treat :)


Thursday 19- highs back up to the low 100s.
I did my stretches, deep knee bends and jumping jacks, and ran a mile and a half with 1.5lbs around each wrists.
I worked most of the day on chapters 7 and 8 getting them edited.
Linda S. called to say that the community cleanup scheduled for Saturday has been called off because of funding. All the work we put in to get the word out was all for not. I volunteered to stand out in front of the center on Saturday at noon to relieve Peggy and Linda to tell folks who come by with trash the cleanup is canceled. I called folks who I called before about the cleanup to tell them it was now a no go.
I updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.
Went over to Mac’s house at 11pm to help him and his son Dennis move his Harley up onto a rack so he can work on it. Then we pushed another Harley that caught fire



Friday 20- a very nice and lovely day.
I did my stretches, lifted weights, yoga, ran up and down the hill carrying 5lbs in each hand, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for five minutes.
All I did was work on book two and found out I had left chapter 9 and 10 undone with not much more than an outline and a few paragraphs to go on. I had to write the two chapters and will finish them up on Sunday.
I cooked up my rice and chili bean special for potluck. I won’t be having the time to do it in the morning.



Saturday 21- high winds started blowing in the afternoon.
I did my stretches.
I arrived at the community center to relieve Peggy and Linda who were there at 8am telling everyone who showed up for the Community Cleanup that it was canceled. I found Roger Smith there instead who came half an hour early. We sat around together yapping and I told him he might as well leave at 2pm because I had to stay here until 4pm for potluck which we rescheduled for the cleanup this weekend instead of our usual last Saturday of the month one.
At Potluck we had about fifteen folks showing up.
Dorothy Jacobsen presented us with her broccoli cheese casserole with cornbread. Dyane Carroll made this wonderful Coca Cola cake and tasty Salmon patties. Cal Mayers came by with his fruit tray. Mary and Chris Koval made up a Caesars taco salad, along with Chris’s special pasta cheese casserole, and chocolicious cake. Chris Jonas made his world famous macaroni salad. Tim Azi brought his appetite. And I my  rice and chili bean special. Again we all got mighty stuffed on the food and took a bunch home that was leftover.    



***** Stuff I Wrote this Week******



The Autumnal Equinox is that special time of year, when day and night become equal, and all of nature’s creatures know the harsh summer’s Sun gives way to the cool lovely Autumn colors of yellow, purple and brown. Leaves that had once adorned and danced among the trees, will now gently drift and tumble to the ground where mushrooms sprout and hedgehogs play....



Aye the world is filled with wonder, and good people make it that way! Friends, alive and dead, drift across our minds, like fairy dust tossed against the breeze. Say you will remember me, say you won't forget, for we are one, and together all, be on a mystical journey, to islands in the sun.



My Dead Friends (I really meant Dear Friends)
I must take leave of FaceBook for a few weeks to finish a few projects that are wanting my full attention.
I have two books left in my Sci-Fi trilogy "Rainbow at the End of Tomorrow" to edit and finish.
I am also thinking of putting together a book of poems I have written, that many of you suggested I do.
Like before I'll be checking in once in a while making sure you're all behaving
You can leave me messages in FB Chat which I shall be checking now and again.
Please know this: you are all my friends, the old and the new, the ones from my childhood's past to the new I have met here on FaceBook.
I love you all dearly!
Bob

******



Sunday 22- temps into the 90s with a strong breeze later in the day.
I did my stretches.
I found out that the Copper Mountain Mesa website has been hacked and I worked on fixing this problem most of the afternoon. I deleted all of the HTML off the server and reloaded the index file back on. I’ll have to reload all the HTML files on later.
I continue to edit book two. I really wish I could’ve written it correctly the first time, but that’s not how I write... when I get in the moment I let the words flow from my mind to my fingers, to the keyboard and don’t worry about structure or spelling at the time; the main thing is to get these analog thoughts out of my head and digitally into my computer.




Monday 23- it is really cooling down with temps into the mid 80s.
I did my stretches, lifted weights, yoga, ran up and down the hill carrying 5lbs in each hand, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for five minutes.
I went right to work on editing book two.
UPS delivered the T-Mobile SIM prepaid card for my Nexus 4 cell phone.
I did my stretches, lifted 10lb dumbbells and went for my evening walk with my backpack.
I continued to edit my book.
I did my stretches, lifted 20lb dumbbells, and went for a night run.
I watched a couple of episodes of “Fringe”.




Tuesday 24- a very nice day.
I had a nightmare and woke up 3 hours after I went to sleep. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I decided to just wake up, have breakfast and drink some coffee. I did this and I was back to sleep in two hours!
I woke up around noon and did my stretches.
I went to town to get papers from Nancy from CERT so I can get my fingerprinting done for free at the police station; I guess you have to pay if you don’t get arrested unless you’re a CERT member.
I went to Sonic and had a burger. Then onto WalMart to get some supplies. I’ll be taking Kelly to town tomorrow; I would’ve taken her today but didn’t get ahold of her in time for her to go with me.
I went to work editing book two.




Wednesday 25- cooler and windy all day.
I did my stretches.
I picked Kelly up to take her shopping. We stopped at the pet store and then filled up her 5Gal propane tank. We had lunch/dinner at Carrow’s Restaurant that was unforgettable! It was a two meals for $20 deal and we chose the prime rib, this included garlic bread or corn bread, soup or salad and a dessert we can split; all I can say was it was the best meal I have had at a restaurant in many years.
We spent about two hours at Vons and two hours at WalMart shopping. We got back to Kelly’s just before midnight to unload her groceries. I made it back home at twelve thirty; a very tired man.




Thursday 26- still windy!
I did my stretches.
I was kinda burnt out from all that shopping from yesterday all I wanted to do was lie down, kick back, edit my book and that’s exactly what I did.
I also spent a little time on FaceBook.




Friday 27- not as windy as the last two day but cooler.
I did my stretches and ran a mile and a half with 1.5lbs around each wrists.
I worked on Book 2 the whole darn day.
My friend Bonnie; the greatest artist in the whole world finished the new cover to book one of “Rainbow at the End of Tomorrow” and we changed the old one over to use on book 3 “The Dolphin Queen”; things are coming together.




Saturday 28- high winds started blowing in the afternoon.
I did my stretches, called family and friends, and worked on editing book two the rest of the day. I also updated the Copper Mountain Mesa Website and sent out the Newsletter.




***** Stuff I Wrote this Week******


This is the new cover for Book One of "Rainbow at the End of Tomorrow" created by a very accomplished artist; my Good Friend Bonnie Bell!
The previous cover will be used on the third book of the series called "The Dolphin Queen" which seemed more appropriate to us. I still have to come up with a title for the second book that I'm editing right now... Bonnie will make the cover to that one too :)




Soaking in a hot tub of water... strawberry incense fills the air... candles burn but cast dim shadows, upon the lovely maiden there. She sleeps in a world of dazzling dreams, where her fears lie naked before her, upon the realms of twilight, between what was given but not taken, beyond hash pain she be spared, for her love has fallen afar...




Lost in a vastness of nothingness, floating, drifting, tumbling through space and time... alone. I now know, can really feel, what emptiness is without you.



A quest, a journey, a desire to seek truth and beauty, sets us free to soar aloft on the tips of angel wings, begins first with a dream.




A clutter room? You don't have one? It's a room, a closet or a drawer where you leave little odds and ends of your life all for yourself to cherish and hold, a secret place where you stash all these memories of times gone past and revisit them from time to time to remember those and them you love and befriend...

******


Sunday 29- temps into the 90s.
I did my stretches, jumping jacks and deep knee bends.
Sherry dropped by to say howdy.
Worked on book...


Monday 30- 90s
I did my stretches, lifted weights, ran a mile and a half with 1.5lbs around each wrists, core trainer, and punched the heavybag for five minutes.

Worked on the book!

Goodbye to you September :)