Thoughts from the Ass End of the Night, Mocktober 2010

It's been a little while since I've blathered online during a bout of insomnia. Reading on the subject has lead to other pursuits, when the wake-up-demon visits around 3:15 in the morning: cleaning, mostly, though folding laundry seems to have found home in that timeslot, as well. Does it help? Some, but not any substantial, quantitative amount. Not anymore than coming in to the living room and dumping brain blatherings out for all you to see.

At least when I get up to do this, it gets some of the thoughts out of my brain, where they can take form on their own, and not bounce around my skull like a roomful of toddlers hyped up on oreos, cherry Flavor Aid and a spoonful of meth.

What's new?

I'm on vacation this week, which is pleasing, and why this little bout of insomnia isn't bothering me much. If I want to sleep until noon, I will. I got up to take a whiz and suddenly I'm lying there in bed, staring at the wall. Not thinking about much, really. Just awake.

Not going far on this vacation. Lack of funds, or more appropriately, funds being needed elsewhere, prevented an extended wandering across the nation. Which I think is the big thing that kept me awake.

2010 was supposed to be a big travel year. I was going to wander toward the north, during the summer, to see baseball games in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, as well as a trip out west to see the Los Angeles/Anaheim area. But, finances fell where they did. I am lucky that I was able to accomplish one of my three baseball trips this year, to get to meet Troy, Matt and Rob out in Corn Country. With that, I get to mark Iowa off of the list of states I'd never been to.

Still. Disappointing, because I do like to travel. But, sometimes you gotta do the big boy thing and pay for tires or schooling or any of life's other various and sundry expenses.

It's made me change how I do a few things. Budgeting a little more. Brownbagging it a little. Cutting out little purchases that don't do me much good in the long run. All good things, I suppose. In the end, it's toward having a little more pocket cash to wander somewhere in the world, especially since the employer seems bent on puckering up tighter than a snare drum when it comes to money.

So, it's a Staycation. Which sucks on the one level. But it's let me get some writing done, and finish a couple projects I'd been wanting to do for a while. The house was re-arranged on Wednesday. No small feat, given the number of books I still own. And this is after a major cull within the last month. Funny part is, in this time of re-evaluating expenses, given the amount of trade credit I wander around with (found $27.68 more, hidden on a bookshelf), I don't think I've paid actual money for a book this year. I just keep trading. I think I've paid actual money for one book this year, Cherie Priest's Dreadnought, but other than that, I've been relying on trade credit.

I've been catching movies. RED was fun. Jackass 3-D is what it is supposed to be, though I can't think of anything that's made me laugh more than watching Ryan Dunn and Steve-O assaulted by a ram, as they try to play a tuba and trumpet, respectively, to calm it. Let Me In is one of the best movies I've seen this year. Creepy. And I finally caught the Expendables at the $2.00 theater, and I liked it a lot, too.

And, while I have this forum, can I just say this: Fellows? Lock the stall door when you're in it, in the men's room. I don't really care if you're standing up to piss, or if you're sitting to shit. Either way, it's not that hard to lock the stall door. I'm a little tired of you barn-raised motherfuckers thinking the public toilet is your prison cell, where you splay your wares for all to see. Lock the stall door. Damn.

Well, I think I've blathered enough. You pigeons have a good day, and we'll catch you on the flip side.