NO JOY HERE TODAY!!!

If it’s not one thing its another.  I have always believed especially with I do that this job goes in wavelengths..sometimes things are up sometimes things not so good.  Lately though, things have been on the downslope.  I swear to christmas everything that gets passed down to me and I put out to the troops is met with some sort of groan or eye roll or something.  Today was a few things,  seems at though the Navy in its  infinite wisdom has run out of money for the qtr for TA…well i put that out and you would have thought the end of the world has come.  The working hours being changed on Friday, seemed to be a dispostion of epic proportions.  Then on top of all that crap,  AS wants to go upstairs to 2M because she feels a break is needed, to wit CP gave a flat out NO…and Magilla thinks its due to the tension between AS and Valley Stream…it just never ends.  I didnt even mention the pay issues some of my guys are having…Ay, Dios mio!”  is all I can say.  One can only hope that Feb I can go work somewhere else…with my luck it will be another place with more drama…….just a quick THERE IS NO HAPPINESS thought….

Opening up the theatre today was a real task for me today.  And as I suppose like everyone else does I was reflecting on this weekend.  I drove 900 miles between Friday morning and Sunday Afternoon, for a little rest and relaxation away from the daily grind of the MARCC and the Ranch.  But I gotta say those miles were worth the trip.  Anytime I drive up north there are a few things that are a must.  A few slices at  Umbertos is always a must !!! Yeeeaah buddy.   A Vincents meal is of  course mandatory as well…..followed by a cannoli mmmmm…of course I am a little sad that the cannoli shell at vincents has been substituted by a waffle shell…thats total BS……While I was up there I had an occasion to stop by the NHP  Gladiator Homecoming game..they of course lost 34-10 to Elmont.  A few things struck me though….I thought I was going to see a team that was dramatically demographically changed and No that was not the case…the other is how small the players actually looked.  Almost as if there is no weight program, going on their.  There looked like very little effort was being put forth on behalf of NHP…the thing that came to mind the most was how UNINSPIRED they looked.  But to me that goes directly to who is in charge of inspiring their team. ….Now more then ever..I think Coach Dolan should get the BOOT……on a good note the floats looked terrific and they were clearly the highpoint of this years homecoming celebration

TEAM TINY!!!

Great concept

Another great job!!

………..I did get to see my brothers and talk some story over a few beers…that is always a fun thing to do……..I gotta say I love to drive their is something very calming about it……So now I am back on the ranch and things today went okay with Penelope…..just a quick  traveling thought.

Love the Old Movies!!

One of the things that makes reading for me so enjoyable is sometimes the characters I put a face too.  For example I am reading IN HARMS WAY its about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the story to me is told better if I can place an actors face or even someone I know to the character in the book.  So I got to to thinking about how when I read someones blog I almost always try to place a face to the person I am reading about.  So here are some of the faces and names I place on some of the blogs that I read.

Do You Do That At Home  -  Linda Lavin, the character she played in Alice.

What I got So Far   – Another tough one but some reason Bradley Whitford , the West Wing character always comes to mind.

Talon  -  Sigourney Weaver

The Naked Soul  – Reminds of an Air Force Recruiter that looked alot like Stephen King….

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly  -  Reba McIntyre

B Schooled – Christine Lahti

The Darc Knyt Speaks -  Since I dont know anyone name Dane,  I always imagine the character in West Wing that took over as President when President Bartlett stepped down he was played by John Goodman.

Grumpy Old Man – This was a tough one but Hal Holbrook always comes to mind, the mean character in Men Of Honor.

Blunt Delivery  – Sandra Bullock with a british accent.

Pen of Passion – M Knight Shamalyan, dont know why, I dont know this person and have no idea what race they are….but thats the person that I first thought of the first time I read there blog.

Other blogs the people post a pic of themselves so I dont need to put a face to the story….

So there is my list…just a quick reading thought

Inside the Theatre!!

Well As I sit here waiting for the afternoon showing some thoughts seem to occupy my mind today.

It’s been a long past couple of days for me.  I flew to North Dakota to pick up my friends car, so she would not have to leave her kids to do so.   She is going through a tough time, so I figured I would pitch in and help if I could.  So the plan was to fly to ND, pick up her car and drive it back here to the Mid Atlantic.  While I mainly did it to her help her out,  I will say that the time off was much needed on my behalf.  So in the last few days I have been able to decompress and sort out some issues I am having in my life…I made some observations and came to some conclusions….

North Dakota  -   While I can see how some people enjoy the country life, that place is as secluded as I have ever seen.  I saw homes that were just surrounded by land as far as the eye can see.  Living on the ranch is great but the animals will not answer you if they are the only ones you are talking too.   The fog on sunday morning was like nothing I have ever seen, I think that’s where stephen king got his idea for THE MIST.   From Bismarck (STARTING POINT) to the border it was one little house on the prairie to the next.

So then we keep driving and we run into the great state of:

Minnesota -  Well more of the same, lots of farm land and low and behold and major metropolis called Minneapolis..looked alot like any other city.

So Sunday nite was my first stop and It landed me in

Madison, Wisconsin   -   Beautiful city with lots of Packer Fans,  although It did have a blemish that I will not soon forget.  After I was checked in, I went across to the parking lot to a restaurant called PERKINS.  Real cozy place and the food was good.   There was this older person sitting in the next booth that HAD NO BUSINESS BEING THERE.  She was sick and hacking up and making the kind of  noisess that absolutely ruin your dinner, not too mention she was most definetely too sick to be in public like that..plus she blew her nose a few times…..some PEOPLE HAVE NO SENSE……..

So the next day Monday,  I was moving right along and low and behold I stopped in:

Chicago, Illinois -  This was only a lunch stop but Illinois has the coolest service areas that they called and OASIS…they are service areas that go over the road and look like a bridge that contain stores…there is an overpass that you can look at the oncoming traffic and the one I stopped at..had the coolest view of chicago.

Going to MinneapolisChicago OverpassChicago

Chicago Overpass

Chicago

So we keep moving down the road and make our second layover for the night at:

Youngstown, Ohio-  Now while i was driving I figured maybe I would stop at the NFL Hall of Fame, but it turns out that Canton was 65 miles in the wrong direction so i scrapped that plan…I will get there eventually….Had a really good burger at the bar and grill next door and was going to watch the Packer-Viking game but was tired so that plan was scrapped as well….Ohio is a nice enough place it seems like…..but it wasnt Canton……

So Tuesday gets here….car delivery day……uneventful day drove from Ohio to homeplate..and delivered the car to my friend so hopefully it will help her out……

I used my time wisely i think,  I have some issues that I am trying to figure out…about why some things upset me and how I should approach some other things.  I know I worked out an issue about me getting sick.  For the longest time, I was curious about why my.   So I asked and I think he answered me in a strange way well have to see.   But I did take a break in ND and just sat and watched the world go by for a little while and just let some things that have been bothering me go.  I get misty eyed when i think about all the shit that I have done in my life, so this was my chance to just apologize to myself and figure out a way to move forward…I think I did that…So thats my road trip story….Just a quick traveling thought…..

Days of Winning Teams!!

The theatre is cranking well,  The yankees have locked up the east and Big Blue has cruised to a 3-0 start.  Besides some stress cracks I have from work issues, things should be good with me.  However as I perused the local sports pages I noticed  the NHP Gladiators are once again off to a 1-2 start.  What’s disappointing is that they have not only lost they have gotten their asses handed to them.  46-0 to Garden City and 41-0 to MacArthur, as I see it you lose that bad you are not even trying.  As a fan of the game, I think the sports teams are partly responsible to the fans to put a team on the field that can compete and if they cannot someone needs to find a head coach that can.   I know I said it last season Coach Dolan just cannot seem to fire up his team enough to get excited about winning…least thats how I see it…just a quick FIRE COACH DOLAN thought

  YES THIS WHAT I NEED RIGHT NOW!!!

Peace !!!

I THINK MY CREW AT WORK IS TRYING TO KILL ME !!!…I know they are not, just the issues that have come up in the last week or so are just causing me serious stress cracks…I feel like a machine that is working but there are little energy leaks here and there.  They are probably the most talented and hardest working crew I have ever had the pleasure of supervising, but geez louise if they cannot create issues.  If it is not,  He said-she said I dont like this persons stuff then its baby mama drama.  One of my guys is also going through a life changing personal crisis, and I am trying to help them out as well.  I need to take a quick vacation and get refocused, but I dont know anyone in the places I would like to go……The Moon would be perfect,  but I will settle for some place out west.   Its funny cause after going through more serious things then work issues its the work issues that are causing the most stress.  I really like my crew and think the world of them but geez I wish they would just put me out my misery already. HAHAH….Just a quick stressful thought.

Spic and Span Clean !!!

…One of the many sayings in the Navy (AND ONE THAT MOST PEOPLE HATE) is the word Field Day.  It means to clean a room from top to bottom, and while Sailors take pride in their surroundings field days usually coincide with another daily tradition LIBERTY.   So today when I opened the theatre I decided maybe it was time to do some cleaning of my own.  I cleaned out the widgets and thingamajigs,  I wiped down the counters and tightened up the blogroll.  To me, sometimes a good cleansing is what straightens things up.  When we distance ourselves from the old machinery and dustbunnies we can often get a new perspective on an old space.  Yes siree this cleaner space is free of boringness and those pain in the ass dustbunnies who never do anything unless you get rid of them all on your own….Just a quick cleaner theatre thought…

Now let me take a second just to double check, I have posted about my favorite places to eat and my favorite movie scenes of all time.  I love to read it’s one of those things that let’s me take a mental break from the world.  I usually read that same time everyday and usually sit in the same place when I do.  For me, reading is like watching a little movie,   I imagine what the characters might look like and match them up with someone I know or some famous actor that would play them on tv or in the movies.  I have even guessed right a few times when the book was made into a movie, on who played the main character of the book.  Hmm beat that….So here are my 10 Favorite books of all time in no certain order

Tuesday with Morrie   by Mitch Albom   – Outstanding read about life’s lessons.                                                                           

About Alice by Calvin Trillon  -  Great read about love and life

Audacity Of Hope by Barack Obama  – Not very well written but a great story about overcoming adversity

Night by Elie Wiesel  -  Was written in the 50’s and it absolutely blew me away….probably my favorite…

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak  -  The reason I love to read.  First book I ever read by myself..was  maybe 5 or so.

Descent into Darkness by Edward Raymer -  One of the best WWII books I have ever read.

The Five People You Meet Heaven  by Mitch Albom  – Great story about redemption, fate and forgiveness.

A Civil Action  by Jonathan Herr -   Another great story about life and greed.

MacBeth  By Shakespeare   -   A MUST READ FOR ALL.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch – Bravest guy I have ever even read about.

Just a quick read a book thought….

I think Kanye West is a jackass and I am glad the President thinks so!!!

You Know this is Funny!!!!

Well there is  12 0′clock matinee showing of  Citizen Kane and If I dont put out the broccoli and marshmallows early the crowd will be very upset…just a quick funny thought…

Sometimes a curious place!!!

Life always seems to go in wavelengths i.e. ups and downs.   One of my friends that I work with is going through a personal crisis and everyone at work is trying to help her through it.  I feel really sad for her and wish there was something that I could do besides cut her grass or pull up a carpet, but somethings you just have  to be there to help.  She seems to be doing okay for now, she is a brave person and her courage is admirable.  On a building front,  a new CPO checked in and is going to be running the division…DAM That was my job!!!!!….SKC seems like a nice enough guy, he commented that he is retiring in 2 yrs and looking forward to it…….On another CPO note, my mentor and friend SKC H is retiring tomorow, and I cant help but think that the Navy will really be losing a great Sailor.  She was someone that was there for me when I was sick and it really meant alot to Penelope and myself.   Things are moving along are at work, my crew works really hard and they are alot of fun to work around.   I did however get some bad news about a fellow First Class from his coworkers about the duty section that I will unfortunately have to take for action….dam this is going to stink….Just waiting for the Wavelength to take an upswing and stay there for a while….just a quick work thought

Sports Update -  Garden City 46  Gladiators O  – Looks like this season is going to be more of the same!!!

…Well it was decided today at the morning production meeting in a rather unanimous once around the table vote that Mr Mills’ Blog would be the 2009 Zeus Gazette Blog of the Year.  The poll the Gazette posted made it a rather easy decision to make.  Mr Mills kvetching about the young people today and all their faults make it one of the most interesting blog reads of the day. 

Well Due to Budget Constraints,  upcoming Vacations and God Damned lack of fresh fruit and vegetables around here the Gazette must decide who will be it’s God Damned Blog of the Year!!!..just a quick voting thought…

Aahhh Peace!!

Every now and then Penelope and I have the conversation about where we want to eventually move to and settle down.  Most of the time I start the conversation and to be fair, I tend to be wishy washy about where I would like to live.  Somedays I want to live here somedays I want to live their or the other place.  There is however one common theme with my choice of home, in that I would like a little more land and have some seclusion from neighbors.  Now I am not talking about a small cabin in the rocky mountains, but certainly an acre or two with my nearest neighbor a football field or so  away would be great.  Penelopes’ argument is one that the seclusion is too quiet and what about if someone wants to do harm to us living in the sticks breeds that she says.  I myself dont discount that argument, but flood lights, dogs and shotguns are usually a great deterrent to most folks lurking around.  Penelope grew up in the city  and likes the close knit community i.e. Neighbor right there.  I can see that and it does make sense,  but I just think the older you get the more peace and quiet you have and need.  For me, real peace and serenity is living a quiet life with my penelope away from the hussle and bussle of the city, sitting on the porch and talking about what if we were filthy rich what would we do…..Thankfully we dont have to make a moving decsion now and can put it off for the time being….just a quick life thought…

Looks Like a Great Goal!!

Another Great Goal!!

This time last year, I wrote about making and achieving goals in this life.  I had planned on cycling 2,000 miles, well that didn’t exactly catch on they way I had hoped.  Yeah I still ride the bike and enjoy it but just not enough to go crazy about it.  Lately I have been thinking about some things I would like to do, and why.  Getting a tattoo was a goal and for those that know me,  they all like the tatto i got recently woo hoo.  It’s not easy to plan what you want to do or achieve and have a good reason to do it.  But I can say that their are a few things that are starting to peak my interest.   The easier things to achieve are things like  go skydiving one more time (DID IT IN HAWAII).  I told Penelope that I was thinking I might want to plan and train to climb Mt Mckinley in 18 months to 2 years.  Penelope thinks its because its what a typical Cancer survivor would do, but me its something more.  What do you want to look back on and how do you want to feel about things that you have accomplished in your life…..just a quick goal tending thought.