Archive for the General Category

On listening to your vehicle

Posted in General on November 1, 2011 by jdoublep

Though it talks to me quite regularly, I rarely listen to my vehicle. Loud music (growing ever more loud to compensate for my ever dwindling hearing), chattering children, podcasts, lectures, audiobooks, and rapping to an audience of one altogether obstruct my ability to listen to what my vehicle tells me. But last night, on the way home from trick-or-treating, the kids cold passed out in their carseats and I turned down the bass-heavy tunes on the radio. My ears adjusted and I heard my vehicle speak.

A windy whistle calling me to adventure here and there. An occassional and seemingly arthritic groan from the suspension system. A squeak, a tap, a scrape – stop. A scraping sound when I brake? Not every time I brake. Every three or four brakes. There. Nope. Nope. Nope. Scraaaaaaappppe. That ain’t right.

That’s my vehicle telling me something I need to hear but don’t want to. Probably something I should have heard many moons ago had I just turned things down a bit and listened. How long has that been happening? How long can I go without having it looked at? How much will it cost to fix?

Should’ve listened more often.

Yo, Dode

Posted in General on September 20, 2011 by jdoublep

I still think about you every day.
Yesterday, the first thing the kids wanted to show me when I walked through the door was a game they invented using some toys. You had to flip some coins, each toy had a power (like the “Blaze of Doom”), some had “force shield” powers. It was pretty advanced. You’d have been amused and proud.
We got to spend Friday evening with your wife and son. I took him around T-Rex and we made friends with some fishes. He’s cute, inquisitive, and every day I see more and more of the best of you and Jes come through him. I’m glad they’re close by.
I miss you.
Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson keep writing shitty Dune books. If there is anyway you can talk to Frank and have him ask them to stop it, that’d be swell for those of us still here suffering through.
A lot seems the same but it’s not the same without you around.

Way Back Whensday

Posted in Blessed Ear Candy, General on May 18, 2011 by jdoublep

What we were listening to…

5 years ago

10 years ago

20 years ago (jam. 20-year-old jam? damn. jam.)

We are living in the future

Posted in General on March 10, 2011 by jdoublep

I just wanted to remind you.

Things I liked this year and some things I didn’t like this year

Posted in General on December 30, 2010 by jdoublep

So instead of posting my usual end-of-year favorite songs I will just direct you here as most of their picks line up with mine and I see no need to repeat good work. I will add that I really liked the album Danzig put out this year.

So, yeah, up thar’s the music that I liked this year.

For film, I liked Winter’s Bone and Toy Story 3 and The Girl Who Played with Fire and I didn’t really see a lot of new movies. I did not like Daybreakers. And Avatar was a joke. (Wasn’t it? No. He was serious?)

I really liked a lot of dumb shit on Facebook this year. I expect that trend to continue into 2011.

I super duper liked my wife and kids this year. Amazing people, those wife and kids.

I liked my Nook so much this year, I can hardly verbalize it. It is by far my most favorite gadget since my Walkman. The thing has reignited my love of reading and made it much easier to tote around 1,000 page books, of which I’ve read 6 since getting nooked in July.

I really liked Tank 7 this year, which surprised me because the first time I had it I simply thought it was so-so. Not so-so.

I liked getting some stories published. That was unexpected and nice.

I didn’t really like how much I had to work at work doing work.

I liked that I got to marry two people who I love and respect and who are going to have a great life together.

I liked Dominion and its expansions a shite-ton this year. By far, the game I played the mostest. (Dominion and beer at my place a couple times a month slowly becoming a regular thang if you’re interested.)

I liked sitting in on some of Craig’s English classes this year. It made me proud to watch him wax poetic on short fiction. I also liked that he rebuilt our porch and had a son. Quite likable that.

I didn’t like that I didn’t get to ride my bike much or see many concerts.

All things considered, however, I liked 2010. I liked writing and typing the numbers two zero one zero. I liked saying “twenty-ten”. I liked coloring in the zeros when I saw 2010 in print and I had a pen handy.

I am now going to eat some jalapeño Cheetos and listen to OutKast.

Happy 35th, Dode

Posted in General on April 1, 2010 by jdoublep

The weather is nice today.

Windy, too windy for disc golf, but a great day for mtb’ing.

I don’t have any Guinness to celebrate.

I’m too sick to drink today anyway.

Sadly, that’s not an April Fool’s joke.

I miss you more as I continue to move through this.

Love,
j

2010 Photo-A-Day, 1/9

Posted in 2010 Photo-A-Day, General on January 9, 2010 by jdoublep

bling

Magic

Dode,

Posted in General on September 21, 2009 by jdoublep

I’m broken, man.
I’m broken and you’re gone.
Not away. You’ve been away for a while now.
You’re gone and though it’s realer than real, I don’t know what to make of it and I sure as shit don’t want to be writing this.
I have trouble breathing if I think about it too much and my face starts to look like my son’s when he’s throwing a fit.
But I can’t help thinking about it, Doug, because you’re such a part of me.
You can’t not be in my heart and thoughts because most of the worthwhile shit I think about is followed by: “Dode would appreciate this.”
Now you’re gone. And I’m real fucking broken.
And all these tears and weird sounds coming out of me won’t change it.
And I don’t want you to be dead, Doug.
We were supposed to grow old together.
We were supposed to grow old together and teach our kids how to beat each other at chess.
We were supposed to grow old together and go on family camping trips.
We were supposed to grow old together.
Even if you never moved back to KC, we were supposed to grow old together.
I don’t want to celebrate the life you had.
I lived the past 16 years of it with you, some years nearly every day and I don’t want to celebrate that.
I’m glad you got to live your dream and if you had to die I’m glad it was doing something you loved. But I know about that.
I know what happened, both good and bad.
You’re a part of me, Doug, and I don’t want you to be dead yet.
We’ve got so much still to do.
I haven’t even really talked with you since Eric’s wedding.
And I wanted to call you last week to tell you about the D&D character Roman rolled up with me (Barbarian Dwarf with an eye patch) and tell you how excited I was you guys were thinking about moving back and tell you about HEALTH and see if you still had all our OTE cards and
I’m glad D got to talk with you.
I’ll help take care of Jes and Liam, Doug.
I’m sorry I didn’t spend more time with you when you were in town.
I’m so sorry.
You died. You fucking died.
I just finished a play and I wanted you to read it. It sucks but I know you would read it and tell me why.
Sarah’s been going through all of our photos of you. And goddamn we have a lot of them. I don’t really want to look at them. Not yet.
I went to bed last night trying to remember everything about you I could. And it had me doubled over in pain.
Ry told me he called your voicemail so he could hear you talking.
And these words aren’t doing anything so I’ll probably go have a smoke.
We’re all so sad, Doug.
Sad and broken.

goodbye

goodbye

goodbye

goodbye

Way Back Whensday

Posted in Blessed Ear Candy, General on September 16, 2009 by jdoublep

What we were listening to

5 years ago

10 years ago

20 years ago (whatever you want, it’s all right with me…with holly robinson even)

Wowsa…two more anniversaries this week

Posted in General on August 21, 2009 by jdoublep

The 5-year anniversary of my foray into bloggery (note: these older posts are imports from another platform so there’re some formatting fooleries…)

And, more importantly, this Sunday my parents celebrate their 35th year of funky matrimony. :)

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