Family Time

Two days ago I witnessed a woman accompanied by whom I presumed to be her daughter.  They were walking around the restaurant we were eating lunch at checking all the ash-trays outside for cigarette butts that could be further enjoyed.

I thought to myself, "Hey, at least she's spending time with her daughter."

Edit - It is worth mentioning that the daughter was no more than 5 years of age.

Memorial Day

Memory usually doesn't play into my Memorial Day weekend.

Not that I  don't think back on those I've lost and those who've fought for my freedom, but rather that I get so drunk that I don't remember what I'm doing.

Gloom

Dark and stormy day out there.

Hold on to your hopes and hats.

Mid flows into Late

My adolescence is only fossilized prehistoric remains in the museums of my mind.

My early-twenties are a blur of tests and intoxication settled on the dusty writing degree hanging in my den.

My mid-twenties saw a stabilization of sorts; solid cash flow, multi-continental vacations, and a larger overarching concern for my own physical well being as well as the mental wellness of those I surround myself with.

Today I emerge from yet another chrysalis and enter my late-twenties.  Already the winds of change turn at the pages of my life's story with each gust.  Hopefully, like most books, this one gets better near the end.

The rough within the diamond

Today has got everything going for it, all planned out and primed to achieve a leisurely taste of accomplishment.

I can't put my finger on it, but something feels amiss.  I don't fully trust this perfect day.

No problem, only solutions.

The problem is not how a person with Deuteranopia (Color Blindness) will handle a system of wire categorization that is based heavily upon color coding, but rather a solution exists somewhere inside it as to how hard this person is willing to compensate and adapt to overcome.

Not wrong, not right.

A beautiful sunny Monday afternoon in Missoula saw me sifting through shelves of home-renovation and DIY self help books at the ever informative and wonderful Book Exchange.

My prey was anything and everything pertaining to electrical codes.

Rarely do predators land their target prey on the first hunt.

I did go home with a score, and I'm fairly certain that it was not the right choice in books, but I'm also keen to the fact that they were definitely not the wrong choice in books.

The Complete Guide to Wiring doesn't have an over abundance of coding to it, but has turned on a few light bulbs to an area I have had no practical experience in.  Halfway through it, and I'm already eager to install some THHN/THWN wire through some EMT conduit.  Finishing the book this weekend will probably see me taking a trip to the hardware store for a self-administered exam to repair two antique and non-functioning lamps that Melissa and I have been lugging around with us the past few years.

Codes for Homeowners is the second of my purchases, and feels a little more daunting than the first, but it has been too long since I got any sort of good mental exercise.  There really only appears to be 25 percent of this book that would be put to practical use, but I don't think my life will suffer having access to plumbing, building, and mechanical codes in addition to electrical.

Experiment

Setting out to discover whether or not a young dog can be taught old tricks.

Water over my head.

Oceanic blue sky,
sees a lone cloud roll across.

Playful it wanders.

Self kneading and alone,
East through sunshine to West.

As if triggered by the emptiness,
the cloud dynamically shrinks.

Leaving only the blue.

The white is there,
but also is not.

Rock Creek Retreat

Well, i survived my bachelor party.

All other details removed until remembered.

Shotgun wielding blowup doll has me worried.

To Chad

Its May 1st, time to get the grass seed out.
All this ice and snow is making the ground soft for the digging.