I'm OK!

Hey there!

Just thought I'd check in with you all and let you know that I'm still around. I just read up on all y'all's comments on here, and I'm touched y'all was getting worried. Thank you.

Now, I'm ok. I wasn't murdered in an alley, run over by the city bus or slain by a vindictive ex-lover. I have not been imprisoned after burning down the UO or locked in a padded cell in the psychiatric ward for losing my marbles.

Nor is my absence on account of the good things in life. I have not taken a demanding job that has left me unable to find the time to blog, nor did I meet Kate Hudson at the local bar and refuse to leave her alone - I didn't even meet an average chick who won't let me alone.

But I am OK, and I miss you all. I miss blogging, and I just thought it would be fair to step in and let you know that I'm still alive and kickin'...

...and that I will return.

It may be a week - two weeks - or worst case scenario a month... but I will return!

BTW... If you all wanna go ahead and post the PFC's... leave a comment here letting me know where to find it (link would be a good idea), so that I can read when I return.

Sincerely,
R.E.H. (aka Ramblin' Madman)

Wordzzle / Next Week Preview

After missing out last week, I am back to play the Wordzzle challenge again. This is a fun little word-game that is hosted by the very talented Raven over at Views from Raven's Nest. Head on over to her place to check out the rules of this little game, and find out who else played!

A lot of fun and interesting little stories usually come up during the Wordzzle play, so I recommend going around reading those (they are usually much shorter than the PFC stories).

Lets take a look at the normal 10-word challenge: cocker spaniel, penultimate, fetters, warranty, tarmac, quartz, paparazzi, apple sauce, earsplitting, lackadaisical

And this is the story I came up with:

The paparazzi was there to capture the moment of Adam Sanderman's mental breakdown. His lackadaisical approach during the punultimate race to win this years edition of American Idol was front page news on virtually all of the entertainment magazines.

"You're putting fetters on your own chances to win this thing", was one famous line from one of the judges. Up until the final stages of the show, everyone thought Adam Sanderman would win with ease.

His Quartz watch had stopped working. Not that big of a deal. Get your warranty out and go get it fixed. It became much more of a deal than Sanderman would have ever expected. It's one thing to not focus one hundred percent on winning a competition - a whole other thing not to focus while you're driving a car.

Before he knew what had happened, he had flattened an old lady's cocker spaniel to the tarmac of the road. In shock, he quickly exited the vehicle to the earsplitting screams of the old lady, and saw a mass that reminded him of apple sauce under the wheels. He snapped. A blubbering mass of incoherent mumblings, he fell to his knees and started to cry.

The paparazzi was there to capture that moment, and the front page of Celebrity Report sported a graphic picture of Adam on his knees crying, behind him an old lady screaming with her hands held out. A close-up picture of the dead dog was inserted, and the caption read:

AMERICAN IDOL'S ADAM SANDERMAN CRUSHED

What is the world coming to?

Ok... I know. I broke one of the golden rules of writing with this one - and I'm sorry about that. I read in a book on writing once that you should never kill a dog if you want to get the sympathy of a reader. Dogs are man's best friend and all - but I have to go with whatever story line pops up in my head from these words. I hope I didn't offend anyone ;)

Then, there is the mini 5-word challenge: spinach, interwoven, compromise, tennis, intangible

Again... I went for the single sentence approach with this one:

There is no compromise to the intangible rule that success as a tennis player is interwoven with eating spinach.

There you have it. My Wordzzle contribution of the week!

Tomorrow is Funday Sunday, and we'll see what I'll have in store for you then. On Mondays of late I have been running my new 7 Deadly Sins series, but will bump the next sin up until Wednesday or Thursday, as I will give you the pictures for next months Picture Fiction Challenge on Monday, and Tuesday's as you all know is reserved for the Weekly Words Challenge. One of those days next week, I am going to go old-style R.E.H. and tell you a little bit about my current situation.

Looks like it will be a busy blogging week ahead!

Don't forget to read up on my PFC story, in case you missed it!

Nothingness Ramblings

Now... I didn't have anything to say today, really. So I wasn't going to post anything... really.

Then, I thought to myself, when you have nothing to say - what do you do?

You ramble!

Ramble on about nothing and anything, and find out what comes out of your fingertips and onto the keyboard. It is interesting, in it's own way, to see some text devolop on screen while you are barely aware of what you are writing, and where this is headed... so bare with me - this might be a strange and uninteresting read.

KEYS: I'm gonna have to go back to my old/sorta current job tomorrow and hand in the keys that I still carry. They called me the other day and wanted me to bring them in, after which I told them I do not give my keys away until I sign the papers that say I've done so... if some other moron loses the keys, I'm not going to be held responsible. So, that'll be done tomorrow - then there is only two more weeks that the place will pay me, so I better get my ass out of this chair and start looking seriously for some jobs.

THE GYM: Still going there as much as I can - just got home after a third straight day. Did some work on my back and the triceps today... my legs are still hurting from Tuesday's session. I had been neglecting the legs for a while, and sort of decided to work them extra hard - to get back on track with them... boy did I suffer yesterday for that one! Love it!

RANDOMNESS: Did you all know that I have a thing for randomness? Well, I may have created a little something that most people are going to think is outrageously nuts - but I enjoy it immensely. See... I dabble a little in computer programming... well - that's pretty much a lie. I have a piece of software which makes a little computer programming so easy a five year old could almost make their own games. A lot of drag and drop functions, but you can use code to make more complex stuff - and this is what I dabble in.

Ok, ok, already! What is this crazy thing you have done?

I have made a little program which randomizes a weekly menu for me. Yes, a weekly menu of what I shall serve myself for dinner each day. I can easily add all my leftovers stashed in the freezer (and I have a lot of food in there - I always make 3-4 servings, eat one and freeze the rest). I can also add into the mix some new recipes that I want to try out, a bunch of dinners that I often make... then - at the click of a button, a menu pops up, and I go with it for the entire week. Not only does it save me from thinking about what I should eat each day, it also makes sure that I eat those leftovers in the freezer.

I started this little project this week.

I am pretty sure this makes me the only person on the planet who has a randomized weekly menu...

And you guys thought I had an ounce of sanity? No, sir. I'm as looney as they come!

And... at risk of sounding conceited or pompous - well, I've been given yet another award. My favorite little Single Girl in the City bestowed me with the "Gratitude with an Attitude" Award... how sweet is that?

Now, I'm going to pass this baby along - but I'll get back to you on that one, because today I'm not really functioning as well as I like to when deciding who gets an award and who doesn't (this time). So keep your eyes peeled for when I announce the "winners" of this particular one.

In the meantime - if you haven't checked her out (I sure have!). Go visit Single In The City and marvel in her fun posts, and her wonderful persona. She's well worth a visit... or even a little bit of a stalking - just don't scare her... because then I'll have to come after you, and it's not going to be pretty... LOL!

BLOGGING: I haven't been the best of bloggie friend of late. I'm not able to make my rounds to you all and comment like I used to. Part of that is that I've been spending more time out of the house (shocking, eh?), at the gym and out with some of my friends. Part of that is lack of inspiration for blogging of late. I'm sure I'll get back to my usual self in that respect soon enough. Just, you know, if you don't see me at your place for a couple of days or so - it doesn't mean I don't love you anymore.

I still love y'all!

PFC: Oh! Almost forgot! It's about time I remind you all of the Picture Fiction Challenge! It is due next Wednesday... the 16th! I hope you all are finishing up, or touching up, your contributions! It looks like it will be an interesting one this month!

Better Than Butter

To begin with... I'll offer my sincere apologies to Tink of Pickled Beef, and everyone else who expected a little WWC play from me yesterday.

I was going to take my camera out yesterday morning and get some pics, but my head was blank. Couldn't come up with a damn thing that was either Rough or Smooth - one of those days when the brain cells have obviously decided that "today is a good day for closing down shop". On top of that, I wasn't home last night to even put up an apologetic post. I will hopefully make up for this terrible behavior next week - and I'll even try to come up with some shots for ROUGH and SMOOTH. Next week, I promise to be back in the action, when we play with the words CLOSE-UP and BACKGROUND.

I am such a pathetic loser!

Yet, I've been handed a couple more awards, and I thought I'd announce them today (how do you like that combo for today's post?).

First up, Jo of Whatever... spent some 8 hours or so in the kitchen, carefully sculpting a chunk of butter into the shape of a heart, and set up some beautiful lighting to take a picture of it. Then she ran it through some photoshopping to add the words "BETTER THAN BUTTER", and handed out this beautiful award to some people. She also explained why she thought we deserved this awesome award:

"REH is a bundle of complex goodies--romanticism, grit, domesticity, creativity that often leans towards the dark, a personality that inspires laughter, loyalty, empathy. It's very special the way these contrasts come together in him & make sense. He shares his life courageously, and isn't afraid to dig deeper."

I loved those words... I think I may have choked up a little there, reading that! Thanks Jo! I am honored!

Then, Freakazojd over at Freakazojd's Palace also decided to bestow me with the coveted E! for Excellent award. That makes it a total of three times I've been awarded this one - and you all should know, by now, that my lucky number is 3! That's just fantastic!

Take a look over at the sidebar to see my Trophy Case, where these awards are now proudly presented for the world to see.

Still Hung Over Ramblings

Yeah, I'm still alive... barely ;)

No, don't worry. Nothing serious - I just suffered the worst hang-over in the history of [recent] times yesterday. That's why you didn't get any "Funday Sunday" from me.

Let me give you a break-down of yesterday's events... Woke up at around noon with a mean headache, feeling like I've been run over by - not one truck, but a whole caravan of trucks. Crawled out of bed and sat down in front of the computer looking for something to post for "Funday Sunday"... Nothing was funny - not even remotely funny.

Popped a movie into the DVD and crashed into the couch meaning to watch the film. Lasted for all of 30 minutes before I realized I could not enjoy the movie at all. Stopped the DVD and crawled back into bed and tossed and turned, massaging my head - pretty sure it was going to explode soon enough.

Now, I'm not one to take any form of pills the day after, but yesterday I pulled myself back out of bed, popped a couple of aspirin, and slipped back under the covers. 45 minutes later I fell back into blissful sleep. Woke up again at 8:30PM, after which I proceeded to crash out in that couch again finishing the movie I'd started... Silent Hill, by the way - which I had yet to see. Good enough, but I'd expected more from it... or maybe I couldn't fully appreciate it in my current state.

Flipped some channels after that, and then went to sleep around 1AM again.

How does that sound for an exciting Sunday?

I'm not much of a drinker... I rarely drink, but Saturday night I downed about 15 beers - which is twice as much as I'd normally do when I drink... Never again! (Ever heard that one before?)

Anyway... that'll teach me to have some "Funday Sunday" post prepared before I go out on some Saturday shenanigans again.

The Ireland trip is up in the balance at the moment. Seems the two single ladies who we were going to travel with are a little... uhm... unflexible. I really didn't like the way the trip was scheduled. It would consist mostly of riding a bus through Europe, meaning we'd only get about three days in Ireland. So, me and my friend suggested we book a flight, and spend 7 days in Ireland, with a rental car so we could go around checking out some of the beautiful sights. End result was a much cheaper alternative which offered more quality time.

The ladies were not happy, it turns out. They actually looked forward to the bus rides. Ok... we're still discussing the matter - but it's now more likely me and him put something else together. We'll see what happens.

Still a little under the weather today - so I'll leave you all with another song on my playlist. Another Finnish based band for you that you may or may not have heard of. They're called Stratovarius and make some really good music. Couldn't find my favorite song "Infinity" on that playlist thing (irritating... so many songs I've thought of posting can't be found on that thing - does anyone know if you can add your own mp3's to that thing somehow?). Anyway - I decided on "Destiny", which is another one of those rather long songs in which a lot "goes on". I love the intro... gives me goosbumps. As with all music I listen to:

Crank it up!

Twelve Little Bullets

• I've got nothing lately. Nothing to blog about, nothing to say. So I present twelve little bullets today with little things that come to mind. I sure hope that my blogging inspiration returns quickly.
• The first week of freedom/unemployment has not been spent wisely. Ok, I kind of intended to do nothing this first week, but I didn't really take advantage of nothingness either. Starting next week I'll have to get busy trying to figure out what's next...
• Coffee shop girl seems to be no more. Been there twice this week, and she wasn't there. Well, no loss really. I think one of the reasons I was a little hot for her is that she physically reminded me of The One. They had similar looks, although no one would confuse one for the other. She didn't appear too bright, which would've been a turn off after a while.
• The One's birthday was yesterday. And I missed it! What is wrong with me? Sent her birthday wishes today, and a virtual birthday cake on Facebook... was that the right thing to do? I'm not even sure I should put myself in a situation where heartbreak is the likely outcome... I haven't kept myself updated on her where abouts or what she's up to over there (in Asia)... I'm not sure I want to know too much.
• I need a casual relationship. Nothing serious... just some random hot chick to have some fun with and not put that Rubicon Heart of mine at risk. I am certainly not ready to deal with heartbreak at this time... I guess coffee girl would have been a decent choice, right? But, what if the girl for some reason was to really fall for me? It would have to be a mutual decision that we are not exclusive...
• There is this girl who works (out) at the gym I frequent. She's a short one (I have a thing for short girls... not too short, though) with a body to die for. She works out really hard, and I almost want to tell her not to overdo it - her body is simply perfect, but the way she goes at it lifting weights she may be on her way to becoming a little too muscular for my tastes. Right now she is - oh My God! I think my chances are slim, to say the least...
• I've noticed I've started to gain weight again... I've been eating too much of the good stuff, and not enough fibre. I have to watch it so I don't become fat again. I found a picture the other day that will serve as a good reminder of what I used to look like. I should make that my desktop background so I don't forget...
• I've still not made a decision on the Ireland trip. I really want to go, but I'm not so sure I can afford it. I mean - the money is there if I want to spend it, but I can't quite decide whether I should save it so I can move back across the pond sooner. I could still relocate, but it would be postponed to a later date... although - no date has been set. I've pretty much decided it will happen though.
• Single In The City gave me this award a few days ago. The One In A Million Friend award. That's so sweet of her, and it touches my heart. You, my dear friend, are truly one in a million yourself. I don't think this award was meant to be passed on, as it was hers to give - so I'll just keep this one for myself! Thanks, Sweetie!
  
• Because of my lack of blogging inspiration of late, I have put up a poll on the site, where you can vote for a blog topic that I should do. There are a couple of things I've been meaning to write, but the time hasn't seemed to be right. So, vote on what you want to read about... I'm not even sure any of them are that interesting.
• The Picture Fiction Challenge is due next week. Wednesday March 19th. I've still not written my own, and I hope I will find the inspiration to do it. I'll put something together either way, but it would be nice if there was some quality to it, right? I hope you all are ready to play!
• Finally. I'm giving you some music to listen to. I've chosen White Lion's "When The Children Cry", because that song speaks to my mindset these last few days. Yes, I've been feeling a little down, a little depressed. This is one of those ballads that really washes over you and makes you almost want to cry. It certainly is one of the best ballads of all time, in my opinion.

Blog Maintenance / MLB.TV

Well, I'm just popping in here today to give you a quickie post today.

I took the opportunity today to do a little "behind the scenes" work on my blog, and if you look at the sidebar you will notice a couple of things.

First off. I did that poll on whether or not I should create a Picture Fiction Archive, and the result spoke a clear language indeed. 18 people voted. 15 of those wanted the archives while 3 couldn't care less. No one said they didn't want an archive. So today I added the "archives" link to the sidebar under the PFC logo picture. All future PFC stories will be collected on that post (which for now hopefully appears below this one).

Second. I updated my blogroll, since that has fallen way behind. I've started reading so many new excellent blogs lately, and I've not taken the time to honor them by adding them to my blogroll. This has now been fixed, and you should now all be included there. If I missed you, let me know and I'll fix it ASAP!

Third little thing. I've been contemplating doing more "music" posts to share my excellent taste in music with you all (yes, I do consider myself lucky enough to have a very refined taste in music). But, while making many boring posts speaking of how freakin' great a particular artist, group or song is would be boring in itself, I came up with this little idea.

I added a "playlist" to the sidebar. You will find that there is only one song available today - and that is Savatage's "Morphine Child". What I aim to do here is add a new song every now and then, mention it in that days blog post, and if you want to you can take the opportunity to listen to the new song. The playlist will grow, but as I get (say) 30 songs or so on there, I will probably start taking the oldest one's out - unless I decide to repost them. Feel free to offer your opinions on the music I've chosen for you at any time.

I chose that song today because Savatage is one of my all-time favorite bands, and that song is one (of so many) of their best songs. Taken off their latest album, and quite possibly (sadly) their last album. It's a 10 minute masterpiece which during it's second half is absolutely mindblowing.

Give it an ear, will ya?

MLB.TV! Yes, I decided to pay for a yearly subscription to the MLB.TV today. Grapefruit league started the other day, and I saw that MLB.TV would show quite a few of these games. I couldn't live any longer without some baseball, so I decided to sign up right now and get the best of pre-season training.

Today, the Braves were playing the Dodgers and I was particularly looking forward to seeing Jair Jurrjens in action. He was slated to start the game, and is a young prospect that was acquired in the Edgar Renteria trade at the start of the off-season.

Jurrjens had a couple of good innings, although a little shaky in the middle of the first when he issued a walk and allowed the Dodgers a one run lead. I still think this guy can be something special. Buddy Carlyle got the win, and was very impressive in the two innings he pitched. He sure showed more than I expect from him, which is a good thing.

The offense was looking good. Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira are going to be a lethal 3-4 punch in the middle of the order, and quite a few opposing teams are going to have some problems facing up to these two guys. Jeff Francour will likely bat behind them, and he looks like he will continue to improve his game... so the middle of the line-up is looking really good.

Only thing I wasn't too happy about - and judging anything from just one pre-season game is futile anyway - was Brandon Jones. Now, I have been of the opinion that he and Matt Diaz should platoon in left field, just like Diaz and Willie Harris did last season. But, after Brandon missed a routine fly ball, and didn't even seem to hustle after the ball after he dropped it, made me think he might benefit from at least beginning the season in Triple A ball.

Sadly, Andruw Jones was not included in the Dodgers line-up. I was kind of looking forward to seeing him play (even if it would have been in the wrong jersey).

Anyway... I've got plenty of good baseball ahead of me. Now I can barely wait for the regular season to begin.

The Braves really are going to win it this year!

"3rd" - January 2008 / 100th Post!

So, it’s that time of the month again. No – not THAT time of the month – I’m a dude and don’t have to suffer through PMS and all (unless you count not getting any… which is bothersome enough).

No. The time of month I’m talking about is when I present my monthly recap feature, which goes by the name of “3rd”, as it is posted on the 3rd of each month. This feature takes a look at all the comments I’ve received over the last month, and I give out the Commenter of the Month award to the person who commented most frequently. I also review search terms that brought people to my site.

And… of course – there is the Monthly Commenter story, in which I use a single sentence from all of your blogs and create a fictional story including them all.

I gotta tell you. This month the story was unbelievably hard to put together. I collected all the sentences, and couldn’t see any connections anywhere! It was unreal.

Also. Today is Sunday – and that usually means “Funday Sunday”, but I’ve scrapped that one this week as I think the monthly feature has priority over a weekly feature. “Funday Sunday” will be back on schedule next week though.

And while were at it... this is a celebratory post. Yep – this is the 100th blog post over here at Ramblings of a Madman, and isn’t it neat to celebrate that with the monthly recap? Sweet.

So Happy 100, dear blog. Lets hope for hundreds and hundreds more wonderful posts in the months and years to come!

Well, what are we waiting for? Lets get started.

ONE: COMMENTER OF THE MONTH

For the second straight month, Tequila Mockingbird picks up the coveted Commenter of the Month award. Thanks for stalking me (I’ll let you know when I alert the authorities, and get a restraining order). She commented a good 37 times to win this award. Lakota Princess (30) and Leighann (28) put up a fight, and finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Below, is a list of ALL commenters during the month of January 2008.

WINNER: Tequila Mockingbird (37)
2nd Place: Lakota Princess (30)
3rd Place: Leighann (28)

26: Jay, Jill
24: Karen, TT
23: Fiwa, Jay Cam, Samantha K
22: Dana
20: Sparkling Red
18: Jo
17: Jen
16: Alli, Emmeline
13: Kell, Real Live Lesbian
12: Butterfly Girl, Newt
11: Beautifully Profound, G-Man, Joel, RockDog
9: Casdok, Guilty Secret, Loving Annie, Preposterous Ponderings, Tink
8: Aunt Jackie
7: ~Angela~, Cardiogirl
6: Liv

Couldn't make it on moving day:

5: Backpacker Momma, Farmer's Wife, Lightning Bug's Butt, Mary P. Jones, Pookie Sixx
4: Elle, Ginni Dee, Odd Facts
3: Freakazojd
2: Blogget Jones, ETK, Flutter, HoosierGirl5, Melissa, MerriMerri, Tookie Tail

1: BrazleBridge, CresceNet, Dianne, Gawilli, Jahooni, Knight, Maggie, Nanette, Penelope Anne, Random Musings Of My Life, Still Single, Storyteller

Thank you all for your comments, and making this place a fun place to be!

TWO: KEYWORDS OF THE MONTH

Time to take a look at the search terms that were used on Google and other search engines that brought people to my blog.

Top Searches: "utube eddie murphy merry new year sound"
I posted the clip with Eddie Murphy saying “Merry New Year”, from the film “Trading Places” and that really sent a few Google searchers my way. Seems I am not the only one who is a big fan of that clip – and of course the New Year’s Eve celebrations would make others think of it and want to see it, I guess. Quite a number of variations of this search appeared during the first days of January.

Funny Searches:
“making out with cousin”, “making out with my little nice or cousin” – make out sessions with members of your own family is still a popular search term that gives me some page hits. I am starting to find this quite disturbing. I DID NOT make out with my cousin, dammit!

“making-out when he's drunk” – Better… but – what do you want to know?

“girl shoves a can of pepsi up ass”, “pepsi bottle up the ass”, “pepsi enema” and “pepsi glass bottle old man” – Is there a popular fetish that I’ve never been introduced to regarding Pepsi bottles and anal insertions? Yeah, I did post that news story about the poor old man who got a bottle shoved up his ass during a robbery…

“airplane wet between legs” – Uhm… ok ;)

“big girls bedwetter” – Another weird fetish, perhaps? But, how were they directed to my blog? I have never written about bedwetters, nor do I recall having mentioned Big Girls…

“guilty of losing my virginity” – You will be sentenced accordingly!

“how could a 13 year old to make 200$ in one day” – Wish I knew the answer to this when I was thirteen. He was probably desperate as his parents refused to buy him that new Playstation!

“stories huge schlong” – Hehe… read the Rubicon!

And my personal favorite of the month!
“why did the mad man throw the toilet bowl out of the plane?”

Random Interesting Search:
“blog 13 year old airplane fondle” – Did this person actually search for my blog? I did the letter to 13 year old me, and I did that story of when I fondled a stranger on the airplane… but, whoever made this search, and came across my blog didn’t stay around – so I guess there is some other blogger out there who likes to feel up unsuspecting women on airplanes (at the age of 13?).


THREE: COMMENTER STORY OF THE MONTH

Those of you who remember this thing from last month will notice that I changed the rules a little. Because of the growing popularity of my blog, I found that a minimum of 3 comments really added to the total of sentences to use, and would make writing the story extremely difficult (it is difficult enough as it is. So I upped the minimum comments to 6 – sorry about that if you missed the cut because of it).

Monthly Commenter Story
The monthly commenter story is a fictional story that I will write and post on the 3rd of each month. This story is composed of all the people who have left at least six comments on my blog over the past month. Credit goes to RockDog for inspiring this idea.

RULES (may change slightly each month):
Every person who have commented on my blog at least 6 times during the past month will be included in a fictional story, written by yours truly - R.E.H.

I will go to these people's blogs and copy a single sentence from their final post of the month. It will always be the 9th sentence of that post. If the post has fewer than 9 sentences, I will use sentence number 6, if fewer than that - sentence number 3. If the post were to have less than three sentences – I will take the sentence from the second last post of the month.

The Commenter of the Month will have sentences from the last 3 posts included in my story.

Runner-Up and Third Placed commenters will have sentences from their last 2 posts of the month included.

Once I've collected all your sentences, these will be incorporated into a fictional story.

Sentences MUST be used as dialogue "out of the mouth" of that blogger, and I am not allowed to add other dialogue to that character in the story.

Every sentence MUST be used in the story. I can not skip using one, just because I can't find a good use for it.

Sentences MUST be used completely unedited, except if sentence breaking parenthesis is used, in which case I reserve the right to remove the parenthesis.

Names of the blogger will be linked to their blogs (only where dialogue follows).

If a blogger does not wish to feature in these stories from now on, they must tell me so in a comment, and I will exclude them from my story.

DISCLAIMER:
The events taking place in this story has no resemblance to reality in any form. The actions that fellow bloggers undertake in this story is in no way a reflection of their true selves. The only "real" deal here is that what the blogger says in this story, is what they have written on their blog... but it may be put way out of context of its original meaning.

Put shortly... this is for fun! I have no intention of hurting anyone's feelings, or making them out to be something they are not!

********** THE STORY **********

MOVING DAY

The blogging community is a very friendly place indeed, and this was demonstrated on the day that Tequila Mockingbird was moving in to a new apartment. That was the day that we all got together and helped her move all of her stuff.

Tequila Mockingbird explained the situation as she called me on the phone.

Tequila Mockingbird: "At the same time my situation changed, The Novice was going to be moving out of the apartment he and Landon shared, so I offered to take the room."

The thing was… she had to move, like, right away. So I picked up the phone and started calling everyone to ask them to help out with the big move. I would explain it to them:

R.E.H.: “Hi, Guilty Secret. Tequila Mockingbird is moving to a new place, and she needs help moving her stuff right away. You want to come over and help us all out?”

Guilty Secret: “Ok, cool.”

And, that was what just about everyone said. I was surprised at how genuinely interested everyone seemed in helping out. I didn’t even have to bribe anyone into coming.

Casdok and Aunt Jackie were among the first to arrive at the scene and they decided to catch up a little on the past weeks events.

Casdok: "So how has your week been?!"

Aunt Jackie: "I've been stressing a bit over worrying about not being at work to take care of my usual responsibilities."

At the same time, RockDog arrived.

R.E.H.: “Hey, man. Thanks for coming over to help us out.”

RockDog: "With so many cases being diagnosed each day you just never know who you might be helping."

R.E.H.: “ Uhm… I’m not sure I underst-“

Leighann: "Tell me you are fucking joking...."

I am interrupted by Leighann’s voice, and turn around trying to find out what she’s going all crazy over. I follow her gaze and see a man in a banana suit strolling down the street. He’s singing some old 50’s rock’n’roll song. I couldn’t quite recognize the song, because he had changed the lyrics so that the song was all about bananas. It was the weirdest sight, as the sun was on the horizon and the tower next to us seemed to glow as the man in the banana suit walked by it. While the rest of us are staring at the man in the suit, Joel seems to be much more interested in the glowing tower.

Joel: "The tower doesn't emit light, it is a camera trick."

R.E.H.: “What? Yeah… but check out the dude in the suit!”

Tequila Mockingbird lets us all in on a little secret. Apparently she had donned a banana suit at one time and walked the streets singing old songs too – that had happened during a particularly drunken night.

Tequila Mockingbird: "Eventually that wasn’t as funny, and I had been hobbling for close to a block now."

Then a giant moving van splashes through a puddle of water and comes to a halt right where we were all standing. The driver’s side door opens and Jay comes out of the van. It was time to get started moving the furniture. Just to avoid any confusion I tell everyone:

R.E.H.: “Ok. Jay’s doing the driving today, and I don’t wanna hear anyone complaining”

Jay: "So, if you have problems with motion sickness or anything like that, you’ve been warned."

I started looking around to see if everyone was here.

R.E.H.: “Alright. Are we missing anyone?”

Loving Annie: "Flyinfox, Pookie Sixx, Ron and TK Kerouac (9 times !)"

R.E.H.: “Nine times?”

Yeah, apparently they had gracefully bowed out the last nine times moving help was required.

R.E.H.: “Ok… anyone else?”

Tink: "Babe and Cristinky"

R.E.H.: “Babe and Cristinky? That’s you, isn’t it? I mean… never mind. Okay everyone – lets get to work!”

We all started walking toward Tequila Mockingbirds apartment to start moving stuff and cleaning the place up. Jay Cam walks up to me, still hung up on what we had just witnessed a minute ago.

Jay Cam: "That guy in the banana costume was indeed pretty creepy."

R.E.H.: “Yeah, he was. Really creepy, in fact. But, we got to get busy if we want to be done here before nightfall.”

As we came upstairs, we started handing out jobs for us all to do. Tequila Mockingbird insisted that Cardiogirl take care of her bedlinen, and she wants them washed and nicely folded too.

Cardiogirl: "So this means at least six days out of seven I have to wash sheets."

Then, Cardiogirl walks over to the linen closet and starts pulling all the sheets out. Tequila Mockingbird calls Leighann over, asking her to be in charge of the phone, as there may be someone calling for a guy, and it was of the utmost importance that a message be taken.

Leighann: "So since these phone calls come in during the day (mostly) and he's at work, I say: "This is his wife, can I help you?""

Leighann has obviously understood her mission perfectly, and so she sits down on a chair next to the telephone and keeps staring at it with determination – waiting for the thing to start ringing.

After Tequila Mockingbird has finished giving the orders, and everyone is ready to start moving her stuff, Dana walks up to me, and whispers to me with a smirk on her face.

Dana: "She likes to let people think that she is one tough cookie, but she's just a wad of Double-Bubble."

R.E.H.: “Oh, be nice to her now. You know how stressful it is to be moving.”

We all start doing our jobs and things are going very smoothly and the apartment is cleaned out pretty fast. Jo is panting heavily as she carries a large box full of books.

R.E.H.: “Did you get all the books in there?”, I ask. Jo nods, to let me know that she thinks she’s got them all. Then Fiwa comes running after her with a large book in her hands.

Fiwa: "Plus this:"

She puts the book, which has a picture of a chair on the front page, into the box. Jo looks fascinated as she sees the book.

Jo: "I also got a book of 1,000 chairs."

Emmeline walks by carrying an armchair. She, too, notices the book, which seems to be an item of great interest to anyone who sees it.

Emmeline: "There are about six or seven pages in the beginning, however, that are actually novel-like, and it is actually a pretty good read."

TT walks by and hears the conversation.

TT: "Thought provoking, yes?"

Just as I was about to tell them all to forget about the book and get back to work, Lakota Princess walks by with a box full of dildos. All of us guys stop what we’re doing. G-Man, Jay, Jay Cam, Joel, RockDog and I all watch it with unbelieving eyes.

R.E.H.: “Wow! Looks like you’re all set for Valentines Day, Lakota”.

The others start laughing at my exceptionally funny joke.

Lakota Princess: "Guys, V-day was invented by you for you."

Lakota looks over to Tequila Mockingbird.

Lakota Princess: "By the way, I ignored all the vibes that had "mini" and "slimline" and "petite" in the name."

Tequila Mockingbird gives her the thumbs up, to let her know that that is ok – she doesn’t want those anyway. At the same time, Karen sneaks up to me looking like a kid trying to reach in to the cookie jar without being noticed. She’s got an emergency check in her hand.

Karen: "Folded in the emergency check, I found a 20 dollar bill."

R.E.H.: “Come on now, Karen. That’s Tequila Mockingbird’s money. Give it to me.”

She looks a little embarrassed, and reluctantly hands me the $20 bill. I pocket it in my jeans… Hey! I put this all together, I deserve the 20 dollars, don’t I? Besides, she’s not going to notice they’re gone – I hope…

So, after some hard and efficient work from all of us, everything had been removed from the old apartment. We were all standing there, as Tequila Mockingbird inspected to make sure that everything was done.

R.E.H.: “Ok, so you guys took everything downstairs, and the place is cleaned up, right?”

Liv: “Well, the kids rooms are clean except for the fact that one or more cats has decided to urinate in D's room, and Peep's ongoing potty training involves her relatively high level of enjoyment in wiping poopy fingers in the carpet.”

Good. With all that taken care of, I decided we all deserved something to eat. And I suggested we all go to the new restaurant further down the street. I explained that it was a religiously themed restaurant, and they served food in the name of God.

R.E.H.: “I hope that’s alright with you all”

Tequila Mockingbird: "Unless those religious preferences include sacrificing babies or not washing their hands after using the bathroom, there is no excuse."

And, after that comment – no one dared suggesting eating at any other place. It was settled – Religious Beliefs Diner was where we would go for a bite to eat.

R.E.H.: “Ok, that’s decided then. Good work, y’all. You did really well.” I notice Beautifully Profound nearly passed out, sitting on the floor – profusely sweating and panting heavily.

R.E.H.: “You alright?”

Beautifully Profound: "A blubbering wreck accompanied by boughts of panic attacks."

R.E.H.: “Some food will get your energy right back. You’ll be good as new.”

Just as we are about to leave, Newt comes running down the street waving her arms around to get our attention. I realized that she’d not been with us all day, and so I asked her where she’d been. She explained how she got caught up in traffic and couldn’t get onto Main Street.

Newt: "Ok, so, finally someone pulled in and I went in with her"

R.E.H.: “Well, good thing. You’re just in time for lunch”

We all piled into the moving van and Jay drove us the two blocks down the street where we went inside to order our meals. They immediately served us some bread and wine at the tables, and I ordered lamb for us all to eat. We started talking about the joys of blogging. Kell spoke of how much she appreciated our encouraging comments on her blog, and how that helps sometimes.

Kell: "Thank you for the support and understanding."

Jen: "I am thankful you share these bits of your lives in this blogosphere of ours."

R.E.H.: “That’s what blogging is all about. We write what’s in our heart, and we lift each others spirits through commenting on each others blogs. Blogging is a lot of fun, as long as we don’t have to do too many of those boring old meme’s.”

Butterfly Girl puts on her best mockery voice.

Butterfly Girl: "Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.", and then she rolls her eyes at the ceiling.

R.E.H.: “Exactly. How stupid is that? I mean, is there anything more annoying?”

Alli: "People that let their lawns get out of control."

Then, the waiter arrives at the table and sets down plates of lamb for us all. I am shocked, as I notice that the lamb served does not appear to have been properly skinned, leaving large tufts of fur on the sides of my lamb chop. I poke at the thing with my fork, disgusted.

R.E.H.: “Uhm… can I really eat this thing?”

Preposterous Ponderings: "You'd be coughing up hairballs for a fucking week!"

She looks down at her own plate, and notices that hers looks the same. All of our lamb chops seem to be covered with fur. Real Live Lesbian does not appear happy at all.

Real Live Lesbian: "I mean, how do I let that work?"

She stands up and starts collecting all of our plates to take them out to the kitchen and let them know there’s no way we’re eating this. Demanding other food – which is edible. As she reaches for Jill’s plate she waves her off, and Jill carves a piece of the lamb and puts a forkful into her mouth.

R.E.H.: “Gee, Jill! I can’t believe you actually want to eat that. That’s just not real!”

Jill: "And my reality might not be the same as you, as we don't live all in the same country and in the same situation!"

R.E.H.: “Alright, alright. If you want to eat that – go ahead.”

As we were waiting for Real Live Lesbian to return with new food that didn’t have fur on it I was talking to Samantha K. as she was telling me about a wedding she was going to with her UPS man.

R.E.H.: “Sounds like you two will have a lot of fun. And, you get to try out a wedding environment without being the girl in focus.”

Samantha K: "Or I could be a psychotic overthinking girl and say "Hey, I'm going to read way too much into this and imagine that he's testing me to see how I respond to all the lovey-dovey, frosting covered schmaltz...and party mints"."

And, when new food arrived, and we all dug into our plates, we were all very pleased to discover that it was the tastiest lamb we had all ever had. Little did we know that the chefs back in the kitchen had done nothing more than carve the sides of the lamb chops to remove the furry bits, before taking the very same plates back out to our tables. But, then – who cares? It was indeed the best lamb I have ever had in my life.

While we ate, we talked about moving, and Sparkling Red was reminiscing about the time she had to move after her divorce.

Sparkling Red: "But first we had to figure out what to do about the house we had bought with his mother."

R.E.H.: “Yeah, that’s a difficult thing to do. I wouldn’t even know what this whole process would involve, and where to start.”

G-Man speaks up while chewing a large piece of meat.

G-Man: "Part of this process was me giving them my insurance information."

R.E.H.: “Really? You have to give them that information too?”

He nods and continues to chew his food with tremendous appetite.

After lunch, things went very smoothly and we were able to carry all of Tequila Mockingbirds stuff up into her new apartment without much trouble, being full of energy from the delicious lamb chops. I thanked everyone for coming over to help out, and we all agreed that whenever any one of us need help moving, we’ll all be there to lend a hand.

R.E.H.: “Ok. Thank you all for doing this. Now you can go home and get a good night’s sleep. I’m sure you’re all exhausted and sleep will come easily tonight”.

We said our goodbyes, and when I came home I crashed into bed and I was sound asleep long before midnight. At 3AM I was awakened by the sound of the telephone. It was ~Angela~ who was calling. She was all excited, and told me she was moving to a new place, and that we should all come over to help her move her stuff… Right Now! She was so excited about it, and said she had had so much fun today, and couldn’t wait to do it all again.

R.E.H.: “I know we said we’d come right over whenever someone needed us, but please understand, ~Angela~, that we’ve all been working really hard today, and right now – all I want is some sleep!”

~Angela~: "But I can't sleep."

I let out a sigh of despair and exhaustion. As tired as I was… I knew – a promise is a promise, so I say:

R.E.H.: “Alright, alright. Let me get the others. We’ll be right over!”

Kid R.E.H.

How could the kids back in school pick on me? Bully me? Look at that kid on that picture there - that's me. I was a cute kid, dammit? Wasn't I? Wonder what happened to all that potential beauty over the years...

Well, I will probably regret this post. Sorry guys - nice meeting you all, but after this I will likely go in hiding for the next ten or so years.

I'm KIDDING! ... I think.

It was RockDog and Jay who inspired me to do this. They have both posted pictures from the good old 80's, and I wanted to do the same. I wanted to show you how much of a Heavy Metal dude I was - so I dug into the old photo albums (mostly just bundles of old photographs held together by rubber bands... I need to take the time to organize all those pictures at some time) and found that I hardly had a single picture of me from those wonderful days. We never took pictures at parties or anywhere else for that matter.

There is this one of me butt naked in the shower, but I will not post that one for all of you to see. Settle for this description - it was the day after a big drunken party. I crawled into the shower to freshen up, and forgot to lock the door. All of a sudden, the shower curtain is whipped aside, as I'm standing there lathering shampoo into my hair, and my buddies took a full body picture of me... I do look shocked in that picture, let me tell you.

And, that is one picture you will never see ;)

Anyway. Looking through all those pictures I found myself on a journey down memory lane, and I loved the sights that were to be seen. So - I get this stupid idea that I will offer you all a little bit of me as a kid... first - then I might show you the progress of me growing up.

Hey! Preposterous Ponderings! This is your first chance to see me - fully un-obscured... although it was almost 30 years ago (there's another thought that scares the hell out of me).

That first one up there is from the school yearbook, when I was about 7 or 8 or 9... don't remember which year - and I don't feel like digging up those old books to see which year it was either.

Below, is a selection of pics for your enjoyment. I will comment on each below the pic.

This is me on the balcony of my childhood home. I'm drinking lemonade from a straw, and it appears to be a nice summer's day. I remember that table which was hung over the side of the balcony. My mother always had a lot of flowers out there.

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Here I am, proudly showing off my collection of Smurfs. This must be an early picture of my collecting them, because I know for a fact that I had about three times as many as you can see in this shot. It always reminds me of the time me and my cousin fought with plastic bags filled with Smurfs... swinging them at eachother. I was clocked in the head pretty good once, I recall.

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Alli asked me if I had any weird nicknames when I took questions, and I told you all about the Farmer Boy name I got at school. It was on account of a cap I wore, which I thought was cool... well, guess what? I found a pic of me wearing that particular cap. The suffering that thing caused me ;)

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And, here I am opening my presents on my 11th birthday. I got that cool black transistor radio with a cassette deck that I so badly wanted. Boy was I going to play some Kiss on that thing. Back in those days Kiss ruled the world. I wish I'd had a picture of me wearing my moms high heel boots and various jewelry performing Kiss songs to my mom and her man. That would've been a hoot!

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Well... there you have it. R.E.H. as a kid.

As a side-note. Thank you all for the support and advice on my previous post. Yes, I do feel a little down and blue right now. But, I've decided to be supportive of her decision, and try my best to be the best friend that I can be.

We went to the gym today, again. And, I feel I did a good job. We talked about her trip - she told me of her fear of flying, and I offered to go with her to hold her hand, in what turned out to be a successful little joke. I will miss her a lot. But, if I am to live in the moment - I will let this moment wash over me and I will enjoy seeing how happy she is. Because, when she's happy - that smile of hers is ever present. And, that smile of hers will always make me feel good.

Now, if you'll excuse me - I've got some packing to do. Judge for yourselves if this is to follow her in her adventure, or if I'm just seeking out that perfect hiding place ;)

Reader Readers Read...

The last few days during my blogging adventures, I've frequently come across discussions about the Google Reader. There seems to be a common concern about the use and the users of this particular service, and I thought I'd take the opportunity today to express my own concern to the people who may or may not be reading my blog by way of Google Reader.

Google Reader is a great service. One I use myself, and which has made my blog-stalking all that much easier. But, I - like others - worry that many people are not using it in the correct way. So let's have a look at that today, shall we?

First of all. The Google Reader is there to keep all your favorite blogs at one easy access location, from where you can see whether or not a blog has been updated, and where you can read it... aha! That's were things are going terribly wrong.

You do NOT read the blog post from Google Reader itself!

You click on the post title link. This will bring the related article up in a new pop-up window. Or even better - you click on the blog name link (which is what I do). This will bring up the blog site in all it's glory in a new window... allowing you to see the post the way it was meant to be seen!

Why is it so important that you read the post from the correct web site and not within Google Reader?

1. Google Reader does not update any edits you made after posting. This means that you will be stuck with humongous spelling errors, wrong information, and messed up formatting - all things we may have missed as we hit "Publish Post", and have later corrected so that you get the best possible blogging experience.

2. Google Reader does not keep the formatting and page coloring that has been selected by the blogger, and as such you do not see the post the author intended for it to be seen.

3. You cannot comment on the post from Google Reader, and you all should know how much we love to read your comments. It is, after all, what makes a blog tic!

So, what I really want to tell you all is this:

Google Reader readers read my blog at my blog, and not in the Reader, dear reader!

Reflecting on "Rubicon Heart"

I had meant to post this yesterday, but I've been working really hard the last few days, and trying to go to the gym after work. This has resulted in me leaving for work at 8 AM and returning home after 10PM the last 3 days. Add to that reading up on some of your blogs out there, posting the WWC on Tuesday... well, I've simply not had the time to sit down and write this thing.

Well... the good thing is that I've really had some time to reflect on the whole thing.

Like I mentioned in the WWC post, after I had clicked the "PUBLISH POST" button to fast forward what I had written into the blogosphere, where you all could read it, I got a little frightened. I think that is just one of many words that could describe how I felt. Frightened, nervous, panicked, terrified, worried and... and Fucking Great!

I didn't quite know how you people would react to it, so sitting there - waiting for comments to start appearing was a very anxious time. Then, I saw you people giving me positive feedback and kind words... and I started to think it really was the right decision.

Again... Thank You all very much for commenting on that one (and all other posts too of course).

I think I need to explain once more. Although I did say so in that Introduction, I think it does require a small reminder.

The "Rubicon Heart" story is not going to be about that part of my life. It will focus on my love life only, and the reason I started it off like that was because I believe many of the decisions I have made in my relationships are direct results of this life I've had.

So... while the opening installment was very dark and depressive - not all of "Rubicon Heart" is going to be like that. Some parts will even be quite comical (believe me, I've had some strange girlfriends in my days).

Another thing that I thought I might mention is that the introduction was very personal, and written with me being a very real and present person - like a letter. This is because it was meant very much as an introduction to any novel. The actual "Rubicon Heart" story, will be written a little more with a fictional prose to it - a story-telling mode. This is because I believe I should actually try to step outside of myself and have a look at what happened from... sort of... an out-of-body-experience perspective (isn't that one of the strangest explanations you ever heard?)

What do you people think of that? (Not that it matters much - I'll write it as I want to anyway, but still nice to know)

Finally, I want to not only thank you for your concern and support. I found that many of you commented on my writing style, and that the read was compelling and moving and gripping. That means a lot to me too. Because, as I have mentioned here before - not only do I want to pour my heart onto my blog, I also want you The Readers to be entertained while reading what I've written.

Some of you even hinted at this being published. Those are big words, and I very much appreciate them - however, I would rather this thing stay hidden here on this blog where only my blog-friends will read it. If it were to be published, I don't think I'd be entirely comfortable with it.

I will probably post new installments on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. It all depends on how much time I have, and what my mood tells me to do. I scrapped the idea of having any form of deadline, as I thought it was in the best interest of the story that it be developed in its own time.

The next installment (can't leave you without an appetizer, can I?) will tell the story of when I met whom I've been referring to as My First Love. I think for story telling purposes I will give her an actual name in the story (though not her real name, of course).

Apart from this - everything will continue as usual here on Ramblings of a Madman - with a dark sense of humor and whatever else interesting I come up with to post.

Thank You all for tuning in!

WWC / Missed Photo Op

So it's time to play the WWC again. As you all know by know the soon-to-be-wed Tink of Pickled Beef is the missus who chooses a couple of words each week for us to interpret and take pictures of for this fun-filled event.

She chose a couple of interesting words for us this week, and they were STRANGE and BLACK.

I was just out walking with The One, and I saw the most amazing opportunity to shoot a picture that would have represented BLACK, but I didn't have the camera with me...

Out by the river, the ice and snow had started to melt away, and cracked open. It created a fantastic view of white ice and snow, very reminiscent of pictures and film I have seen from the Antarctic. In STRANGE patterns (I just now realized it could have represented that word too) BLACK water ran through it. When will I learn to ALWAYS take my camera with me. One never knows when the perfect photo op comes along.

Yes, I was out walking with The One again. It's the new thing apparently - to go out walking together. We'd been to the gym first, and she suggested we walk on Thursday. I couldn't then, I told her, and she suggested we go for a walk after gym. I can't help it... but I love this girl so much.

After posting the first installment of "Rubicon Heart" yesterday, I felt a rush of anxiety and fear overwhelm me. My insides were screaming at me "you revealed too much! People are going to think you are totally nuts now? They don't want to read that load of self absorbed pity".

Your comments since have told me otherwise. Thank You all for those kind words. It really makes me feel a lot more comfortable and confident of continuing the story for you. I will reflect more on this in a post tomorrow, once I let the whole experience settle in my mind...

On to the pictures you're all waiting for:

Trolls are pretty STRANGE don't you think?

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David Lynch makes wonderfully STRANGE movies

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A rather STRANGE BLACK warrior

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I drink my coffee BLACK

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Well... that does it for this week. We'll be back again playing next week. The words for next week will be SOFT and SQUARE.

PS. I'll be checking out all your pictures tomorrow... I'm all out of time today.

WWC / End Of The 6

Welcome, my friends... to the year of 2008, and to the very first edition of the Weekly Words Challenge of the year. I'm sure we'll be seeing and posting many wondrous pictures as the year goes on.

If it wasn't for the church-romancing homebloy, Tink of Pickled Beef this would not have been as much fun as it is. She is the one to provide the words for us to play with, and the words she chose for this week were PATTERN and BROWN.

For a couple of weeks, I've not been complaining about the quality of my images, but this week I will revisit this particular bad habit... What? With all the holidays and consuming of alcoholic beverages, I've just not been quite the man I usually am. So, I'm sorry to say I didn't get the wonderful pictures you guys expect from me. I'll be sure to provide better quality pictures next time around.

So... the wonderful 6 days I had off from work ends as of today. Tomorrow I will have to drag my sorry butt back to work, and I can already feel the anxiety attack swoon me. It is like the idea of going to work has wrapped itself around my throat and is slowly applying the pressure, choking me like boa constrictor with an attitude. It won't be long now, before that feeling escalates and it will just wring my neck like a turkey on Thanksgiving.

Two days into the New Year... and I still haven't found another job... 364 days left to find one, or I'll be prepped for the stuffing.

I hereby present to you... my abysmal contribution to this weeks WWC:

The PATTERN on the edges of my hallway carpet.

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A BROWN bear on a stick

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Me on the first day of the New Year in a BROWN sweater.

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Clothes I bought that are mostly BROWN

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Well, there you have it. That's what I got for you this week. The words for next week will be STRANGE and BLACK - I can see potential for good pics come next week!

Tomorrow you will find a new "feature" here on Ramblings Of A Madman. It is a monthly feature that I have decided upon, that I hope you people will enjoy. So, do return tomorrow for that one!

Come... take a ride with me.

There are still available seats. The doors are open, so hop on in and join me on this journey. Be sure you fasten your seat-belts. Once I put the keys into the ignition and rev the engine there will be no turning back. I will back out of the parking lot and then we'll be full speed ahead, pedal to the metal. This will be a fast and furious ride, and if you have the stomach for it, you are welcome to tag along.

Are you ready? Ready to take a ride with me? I'm the driver here, and I don't appreciate backseat drivers. I will choose which roads we travel, and I will decide when to stop for a bite to eat or take a leak along the side of the road. If you're car sick, you better stick your head out the window as far as humanly possible, because I will not tolerate any vomit on my precious car. If you need to break wind - better pop your ass way out the window too, because I don't need the vile smell of your farting.

If you come along - this is where we're going:

We're taking a ride down Highway 2008. A cross-country journey to see everything that we will pass by as we drive through the nights and days of the year ahead of us. I'm sure it will not be a disappointing trip to take - and the more of you who wish to join me... the merrier!

While I have no idea what we will encounter during this ride, there are a few pit-stops that I've already decided on... so this is what you can expect if you come along.

This blog - Ramblings Of A Madman - will (hopefully) continue to grow - both in terms of content and popularity. New things will happen here, as I develop a better understanding of what I myself want to get out of doing this blogging business. I do hope you all will stick around and see what happens in this part of Blogtown.

The Rubicon Heart story is going to be introduced and finalized during this year. It will be an opportunity to get to know me better, and understand my previous ramblings about The One, and why I cannot let her go.

A new feature has already been decided upon. A monthly feature that will be presented here on the 3rd of each month. I chose the 3rd because #3 is my lucky number - and it gives me a couple of days to compile this thing after the end of a month... you'll see in a couple of days what this little tidbit is all about. Your guess is a pretty good one if you're thinking it's got something to do with some sort of a month recap.

The Weekly Words Challenge and Funday Sunday are events that will continue for the foreseeable future. I have no intention of giving either one of these up. Speaking of which - there will be no WWC today, as I found that we have until tomorrow this week to post that. Tink is a very smart girl - I think she knew I'd be too darn hung over today to fiddle around with the camera! Pics will be posted tomorrow, though.

Lots of other things will happen here over the course of the New Year, but what that is I know no more than you people do. Fate and chance will be contributing factors to decide what will be posted on Ramblings Of A Madman during 2008.

So, sit back and enjoy the ride! Thanks for coming with me.

BTW... You guys are paying for gas, right?

PS. I've updated the blogroll as well. Sorry, but Google Reader makes me forget all about it! I hope I didn't miss anyone this time!

Funday Sunday: "Merry New Year"

This is a classic scene from the 80's movie "Trading Places" with Eddie Murphy, Dan Ackroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis. One of my all time favorite comedies.

Note: Sound is very low in this clip, and I couldn't find a better one on YouTube, so crank it up and enjoy the laugh.

So, the year of 2007 is rapidly approaching the end. Last years New Year's resolutions were all successfully annihilated long before the half way point of the year. I'll be a good boy and give my resolutions this year as well, and for the first time that will happen in the form of a blog. Maybe that'll help me stick to my "new agenda". That post will be available for your reading pleasure tomorrow.

I have not abandoned my Big Project... the "Rubicon Heart" story, in case you're wondering why it hasn't been posted yet. I just haven't had the energy/inspiration/time to write anything on that the last couple of weeks. Shortly after the new year, I promise it will be headed to a blog near you.

Also, I got to play a couple of Hold'Em tournaments yesterday. A final chance at poker in 2007 brought 10 of us together, seated around a poker table for eight. I did ok... second place in the first tournament, while I crashed out at the 6th spot in the second round. My beloved pair of 10's failed me for the first time ever in my home games (I have only once before lost with a pocket pair of 10's, and that happened at a casino in the very first hand of the tournament... thank God for re-buys). I play my pocket 10's as fiercely as I'd play pocket Aces - even more so, because of my genuine belief a third ten will be laid out on the table... it's quite amazing how often I draw three-of-a-kind playing that hand. Never got all four of them, though - that is reserved for pocket 4's, for some reason. I've had four-of-a-kind with 4's four times... see a pattern there?

Have a Happy New Year, everyone!

To the guys: "Cheeeeeeers!"

To the girls: *pouting lips for a New Year's kiss*

PS. Come back tomorrow for my New Year's resolution post!