Happy Halloween…bad economy….no potato famine

Halloween can sometimes be tricky. That’s a horrible and non punny introduction.  However, today I was researching treats people may hand out on this sacred day recognizing ghosts, goblins, murderers, the devil, dash in a sprinkle of a child dressed as a nice hobo or perhaps a pirate who kindly pillages and plunders, a broom flying witch (no, I am not referring to my former principal) and a guy dressing up as Steve.  He is my Irish brother.

Sleepy Hallow was about a legend known as “The Headless Horseman”.  My brother, Steve, is about a legend known as Steve.  Legend has it, and I confirmed it earlier this morning, he did something absolutely deplorable and despicable one Halloween evening while living alone in his house 30 some odd years ago.

This is not for the faint of heart, so look away or run away if you are a bit squeamish.  My brother, Steve, is a bit of a health nut.  He enjoys an occasional beer, but candy really isn’t his cup of cavity.  Therefore, while living in his humble rock house, he thought  giving out raw potatoes providing nutrients to children would be far more important than providing candy corn and apples riddled with razor blades.  That part is true.  This next legendary part I’m hoping is true.  One of those raw potatoes went flying and crashing through one of his windows that Halloween night, thus costing him more than a bag of Barber Shop Bubble Gum.  Who knows?  The culprit could possibly have  been one of his younger brothers.

Tonight, I am dressing up as Steve.  That will scare the Halloween out of everyone.  They won’t be getting potatoes, but, much like Steve, they will receive a laugh, a smile, and sadly, a few cavities.

Have a safe evening and enjoy the fun memories of Halloween.  …….(unless you are a boyfriend who doesn’t enjoy watching his girlfriend dressing up as a prostitute).

Game 6

Witnessing great baseball games has been a theme for my baseblogs.  I will keep this short, weird and a bit confusing. Previously, I wrote about a World Series game my father and I watched 23 years ago, not necessarily changing my life, but for one evening, definitely providing a bunch of fun.

Game 6 of the World Series ended last night in the bottom of the 11th inning on a walk off home run by St. Louis Cardinal David Freese.  The St. Louis Cardinals were not the team my wife and I were hoping to win.  As very spiritual people, we were praying for them to lose.  As most common people know, God, Jesus, Bud-ah, Beelzebub, and Mormon Young watch all of these ballgames, even on Sunday.  They were all partying last night because of the fun it provided for so many people.

The home run leads the two teams to game seven of the series and my wife and I are rooting for the Texas Rangers.  My gambling background believes I irritated the Baseball Gods by thinking the Rangers had it won in the 9th inning of the game last night.  To all the gamblers betting on the Rangers that evening, I hold full responsibility for saying, “This game is over”.  I was already eating a bratwurst while celebrating before what I thought was to be the last pitch dictating the outcome of the game.  For St. Louis Cardinal fans…….you’re welcome.

Other than wanting and trying to believe in Sasquatch, UFO’s and other ridiculous supernatural phenomenons, after watching Game 6 of The World Series last night with my wife,I had to question my insanity. During the game, we believed the stars were colliding and weird things were happening.  I guess you could refer to it as a moment of Baseball Clarity.  At the end of the game, my thought was, “Are you World Serious?”  If the well respected Bill Shatner would have been present in our living room, he would have said something profound like, “We have gone where no team has gone before.”  That’s a little dramatic, but for a goofball like me, that’s how goofy I was last night.

For stars colliding, convening, and sometimes convincing, the Cardinals have some strange Karma I don’t want to believe.  It’s much like not wanting to believe in ghosts.  No thank you.  Will you go to some other house?  You scare me.  I’m not betting on the Cardinals to lose because they scare me.  (That, and our stock has decreased significantly over the last couple of days)

Last night’s game was arguably one of the greatest World Series games in history.  Tonight’s game may be anticlimactic.  Who knows?  As a baseball observer for many years, it has been the most interesting and fun post season I’ve ever witnessed.

When I wrote about another wonderful World Series game occurring 23 years ago, the home run hero was wearing the number 23.  Last night’s hero was wearing number 23. Twenty three years ago, Tony Larussa, was the opposing manager to the man crushing the game winning home run, thus crushing the team’s spirits so many years ago.  Tony Larussa is now the manager of The St. Louis Cardinals who is defying many odds and strikes.

I really hope Texas wins tonight, and I think they should, but strange things happen in this wacky world.  My gambling money will remain in my pocket this evening.

By the way, I’ve never bet on baseball.  I just wildly enjoy the sport.  Just ask my wife.

Watch Game 7.

Ben

Cereal :(

So I was sitting around drinking breast milk the other day and I thought to myself, at 24 years old, this may be a bit too old to drink breast milk.  I am a Master Jedi when it comes to doing stupid things.  Allow me to explain.

My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, including her fascinating infant, were in town over last week and we had a magical few days together. Britt’s nephew, who we shall refer to as Ty Bone, a six month old dynamo, became a bit fussy about eating. Ty Bone required a bit of coaxing to finish his breakfast one morning. Remembering the days of my brother, Steve, eating dog food from our mother’s kitchen, I decided to take over, thinking Gerber’s Cream of Wheat couldn’t be that awful. Evidently,when children, which I have none of, see an imbecile eating something, they tend to throw down their arms and eat it too.  Ty Bone needed to eat.  While being a Great Uncle, I showed this beautiful young boy how to eat. After sampling Ty Bones brunch, there was a tang I couldn’t quite identify.  It turns out that “Gerber’s Cream of Wheat” was actually cream of  boob.  I didn’t know mothers placed breast milk in baby food.  As a simpleton, I only thought babies drank the stuff in closed doors, or solitary confinement.

Trish, my sister-in- law, was extremely kind and funny when she said, “Do you know what you just ate?”  I told her I ate some Gerber’s food to persuade your son to eat.  She then told me what additional garnishes were sprinkled in the food.  I then excused myself to the nearest bathroom.

Not only embarrassed, accidentally drinking breast milk for the second time, I felt horrible for Trish’s husband, currently fighting for us overseas, not being the first adult to try it out.  Sorry, Nick.

As a male married with no children, I was forced to further research this important subject.  When I do research, I text, tweet, or rotary dial certain qualified individuals possibly possessing more knowledge about profound subjects.  The responses were astonishing.  I did not know this was a common occurrence for mankind.  I will again change names to protect the disgusting fathers and husbands.

Pat:  Oh yeah, I tried it.  It was a little thick, but I drink whole milk, and her’s is a lot cheaper.

Chris: I need it before I go to sleep at night.  (he is thirty years old)

Ben:  I am going to stick with Lucerne Skim Milk.

Ty Bone:  Just give me a boob and I’m fine.  Don’t give me any of that Gerber crap.

I am so glad I don’t remember my days as an infant.

Pumpkin Police

Sarcasm is a wonderful weapon when it’s used properly upon others.  When it’s tossed back at you with wicked power, it can be equally effective.

I write so I can help pay the rent.  If I wrote to make a ton of money, I don’t think I’d see, hear, or have any contact with earthlings I enjoy……i.e…..relatives, friends, and even an occasionally friendly neighbor.

Britt (AKA…Yoko Gannon) and I recently moved to a new neighborhood, thus befriending and defriending members of the community.  Sir John Ellingson and his wife have welcomed my wife, Britt, and I into this humble neighborhood.  His wife, Megan, and their daughter, Emma (AKA…Peanut) have also made us feel welcome.  They bake us magnificent banana bread, prepare terrific omelets and invite us to their daughter’s dance and ballet classes.  Genuinely, and without any sarcastic tone, they are great people.  John actually irritates me because he is taller, maintains more hair, stays in shape, has a good job, is a great father and is just generally better than me.  He also has a sense of humor and sense of dry wit, making mine sound infantile.

Britt, Megan, John, Emma, Chris, (John’s friend) and I had some appetizers the other night at their house.  John was a bit irritated with me because I don’t update my blog enough.  I tried to explain why my updates aren’t always up to date.  My editor always wishes to read my blogs before sending them to the world.

John is a man who knows I stay at home attempting to write.  He also knows there are times when I just get to take the dogs to the park and prepare dinner for Britter Bear Gannon. One recent day, while suffering from writer’s blockage, I purchased two pumpkins so I could surprise Britt with my carving talents.  Britt happily and proudly described my artistic prowess with the pumpkins to John.  In a needle like fashion, John responded, much like the mayor of West Seattle,….”so Ben just sits at home and carves pumpkins all day”?

I don’t get offended easily.  I get offended really easily.  If I had balls below the waist, it would have been considered a low blow.  Since I don’t have balls below the waist, I merely interpreted it as verbal slander.

John, my new, and perhaps ex friend, works long hours. I wave him goodbye when he leaves for work.   Other than making fun of baseball teams I root for, he supports my writing and motivates me to be a good husband, and eventually and hopefully, some day, a good father.  There will never be another “Peanut”, but maybe someday, Britt and I will have a Cashew.

I shall now provide a picture displaying the 8 working hours, or 8 seconds it took to create these Halloween monuments.  Easter Island, The Pyramids of Egypt, The Sphincter, all close seconds to my master pieces.  These may be the eighth and ninth wonders of the world.  How many wonders of the world exist?  Sorry.  I don’t trust Wikipedia.

Yankees and number 13

I don’t hate anyone.  Personally, I’m just too worried about my wife and myself to have the time to hate people.  I do, however, acquire a lack of respect with certain people and sometimes athletes.  Last night’s game between the Yanks and the Tigers made me sleep well.

There will  be no names mentioned regarding this subject, because quite frankly, the names are not worthy of mentioning.  I will mention numbers.  The number 13 is very important to my wife and me.  Strangely, it represents many wonderful things in our life.  For anyone who knows me, they may understand this statement.

Seeing people fail is never fun.  However, when they wear the number 13 on their back, and have been proven to have taken drugs which makes that person much richer than me, I get a little irritated.  Sadly, my wife and I happily rejoiced when number 13 struck out to end the game.

I am now going to confession, because that was mean.

Baseball enthusiast……..But not a lover of the Yankees

Phones (sell phones)

I shall now write with regard to phones as though you and I are common cave dwellers.  Land lines RULE.  Oh, so you say you don’t know what a Land Line is??  Let me progress.  These are phones which don’t require touch tone anything, don’t necessarily give you poor service (Verizon) and when you actually sit on it, it doesn’t call an ex girlfriend pissing your wife off.  Rotary phones, which once existed, were wonderful.  These were phones allowing  you to make a call when forcefully placing your finger in an obviously circular area rotating it seven times only to reach the presumed innocent recipient.

They were strange phones where,when dialing,  you didn’t hear a rap song or a Jerry Seinfeld tune.  Instead, you received a buzzer dictating whether the said recipient wished to talk to you or not.

Because I love my late Father,  I can’t even get into call waiting.  That was a no no no.

Ben

Swearing (F bombs)

This is a shout out for my dear friend, Dave.  “Hey you, yeah you, F You!”.  Dave and I used to utilize this language when boating on lakes or rivers as high school punks.  Dave was and is a very colorful and extremely intelligent man who always made me laugh and still can.

Growing older,16 or 17,Dave and I recognized that humor didn’t have to be profanity laced.  Tom taught us this value. Dave and I would get a kick out of my brother, Tom, probably during a stint of Lent, using phrases such as, “That guy is a sack of potatoes”, rather than, “What a sack of shit”.  Dave was wonderful because laughter is so medicinal.   He recognized Tom’s sense of humor, and our free summers at the lake were magical.  Tom, in terrific shape, and four years our senior would say funny things such as,  “Listen you pack of cigarettes, stay away from these guys”.  No one wished to mess with my brother, Tom, including Dave and me, but it was pretty cute hearing one of my idols not requiring profanity to be tough.

Dave and I remain great friends, yet sadly, we don’t see or talk with one another as much as I’d enjoy.  When seeing him at our 20 year high school reunion, he did not disappoint.  Selfishly, I thought to myself, “I chose great friends”…..we just chose different paths.

Facebook

Commonly, I have made fun of “FACEBOOK”.  My mother, Margaret, and brother, Glenn, won’t know this term, but everyone else in the civilized world will know what facebook is.  Therefore, I won’t go into further detail.  I will, however, provide this blog as though it were facebook worthy.  There will be quotes from famous authors.  I will talk about my weekend.  I will, once again, mention one of my many brothers who are perhaps making you weary. Additionally, there may be a picture of someone you don’t give a shit about.  Fortunately for you, we don’t have children.  Baseball will, of course, be utilized as a stupid analogy for anything… even if it’s in reference to lobster, neighbors, tic tack toe, or gambling.

Here we go.  Britt, my wife, and Tom, my brother, and I spent a glorious last weekend in Seattle.  We cooked wonderful food, dined at local establishments, attended a ballgame, visited the farmer’s market, walked through Lincoln Park, pissed in the neighbor’s yard, developed resumes, and most importantly, played pinball at a place called Shorty’s.  It isn’t a place for dwarfs, gnomes or midgets, just a cute name for a pinball bar where old school games we used to play at 7 elevens during the late 1970’s go to survive. Isn’t this intriguing?

Some face bookers need to get a lesson from this.  If you cut yourself shaving, no one cares.  If you’re cheating on your wife, no one wants to know.  If your son or daughter is playing a soccer game on any given Saturday, your friends will run for the hills.

Tom provided a wonderful point this last weekend.  He gave me terrific feedback concerning one of my posts.  Brother Tom kindly said, “I like your writing, but did you have any point with the post “Baseball and Couches”?  He was dead on.  Not only did he have a point, but I was embarrassed because I had no point.  Additional embarrassment manifested from the basic fact I wasn’t drunk when I wrote that piece of shit.  At least, that could have been an excuse.

Back to Facebook and points:  Here lies my ultimate point.  John Steinbeck once delivered fabulously simple words in the book, Of Mice and Men.  He articulated, far better than me, an idea which made some sense.   Within the novel, the character known as Crooks, an extremely lonely black stable man stated, “Books ain’t no good”.  People need people. Personally, I’m not a facebook type of guy, but now I understand why it helps just to say something to someone….face to face, e-mail, or Facebook. Even if no one really cares, or they don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, social interaction makes all of us feel a little better.

Keep facebooking