I didn't get the promotion at work and for some reason I'm bummed about it. You'd think that with all of the talk about my voice over work, the last thing I'd be worried about is a promotion at the office. Most of it does have to do with money but also I was hoping all of the good strokes I was getting from upper management had meant something.

I may be taking it a little more personally than I should considering there were twenty other people up for only three openings. There are bound to be more so I'll simply try again. It just threw me in a little funk that may take a day or two to get through.

If you're seeing all the news about Hurricane Wilma; don;t worry too much. By the time it gets here Monday it should be no more than a nasty rain storm. I can understand people being gun-shy given what we went through last year but it has gone a little overboard.

I seem to be surrounded by Chicken Littles. The worst, of course, is the media. And that's not just the local hacks. CNN is beating the alarm drums like clockwork and making it sound as if the three horses of the apocalypse are bringing this storm into town. And, just like last year, everyone and their brother turns into a meteorologist spouting phrases and technical terms they couldn't spell with gun held to their heads.

I am putting out the call to any readers in the Rhode Island and Massachusetts areas to come to the aid of a displaced swamp yankee and ship me a bootleg supply of newly brewed Narragansett Beer!!!!! This is a local icon which has returned to the shelves. When I turned 18 I had one month when I could legally drink before the drinking age raised to 21. My family was kind enough to make me a birthday cake with a beer can embedded in it with the greeting "Enjoy it while you can!" The beer they used...Gansett!

Please, please, please ship me some!!!!!!!!!!!

While I am very secure in my sexuality, what I refer to as being a “devout heterosexual”, I will admit to a minor twinge of being uncomfortable with my Star Trek desk calendar. It’s a day-to-day calendar where you rip off each day as you go. Today’s if a scene from the original series, “Who Mourns for Adonis”. The calendar is propped up at an angle, looking almost like a framed picture; it almost appears as if I have a picture of a tall, good looking man in a dress sitting on my desk.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

I am now a paid actor!

I left work around noon and jumped in my rented Chevy Cobalt; nice car. It's amazing how much easier it is getting somewhere when you're in a car that actually runs! I stopped for lunch at the Sonic in St. Cloud. I just HAD to. I got up to Orlando about two hours early. I drove around finding the studio and getting the lay of the land' chances are I'll be spending lots of time in this next of the woods in the future.

Hmmm......two hours and time it kill. What ever would I do.....



So I sat in the House of Blues sipping the beer which was doing its job of "greasing the pipes". I had tried going to Universal's City Walk, since it was closer and I had never been there but those cheap bastards wanted $9 for parking. It could wait for another time. I'm sure I got some weird looks as I walked around Downtown Disney practicing my lines. Here was this long haired, bearded guy walking around muttering in a deep, gutteral Britich accent.

I made it to the studio on time just as the director drove up to the building. Five other actors showed up and we all lived the primal law of performing; hurry up and wait. Each actor had to go in to the recording studio and record each of his lines. Each time we did three takes of each line as the director, audio tech and two other students sat in the control room and judged our work. As each of the other actors took their turns I fought fatigue and the comfort of the couch in the lobby doing all I could to stay awake. I guess adrenalin takes you only so far.

Finally I was led into the small closet like studio. I was used to these surroundings from my days in radio but and the door closed behind me I felt a new push from my adrenal gland and a fleeting worry of just how good I was going to be rushed over me. I had never before even come close to suffering from stage fright, but for some reason, this was taking on a whole new dimension.

Was this really going to be a new step towards a new direction in my life?

Was I up to it?

I decided to put that out of my mind and focus on what I was there to do. "Suck it up", as we say in my family.



We ran through all of the lines for my character and I did feel as I was hitting on all cylinders. We even did some "outtakes" which should be hilarious. The director and I agreed that the character should be done with a British accent, but the producer wanted to hear the character with a plain, deep voice. We tried a few lines but the director cut me off saying that I had sold it so well with the accent that anything else just didn't work. He also had me do one other voice part which may or may not get used. Then he allowed me to do some other voices which he was going to forward to me for use in a demo reel for future work. He was also talking about using me for some upcoming projects for the school and the guy who ran the recording studio seemed impressed with my work.

This was so much different that any of my work in radio; even straight commercial work. All that work was either rambling to myself about music and reading off que cards or reading straight from advertising copy. This was acting. I was creating a character. There was a different thought process in place. When I was doing commercials, the emphasis was on getting the wording right and making sure the message of the ad was getting across. This time I was thinking about who I was and what I was doing in the scene. The beauty of this was I had the comic right there beside the script and could easily visualize what the character was doing.

There was one moment when I gave a line a certain read and the director asked me to do it differently. When I explained my motivation behind it, he stopped, looked at the comic and came back in total agreement with my take on the scene.

Damn it, I was creating! That was an unbelievable feeling.

We finished up about 10:30 and I hit the road for home. Fatigue set in again as the road seemed to float a little, so I stopped for a cat nap at one of the rest areas. It was on this ride home that I finally began to realize that I really had become an actor. I had just been paid professionally to do what I had always wanted to do. I've made some calls to AFTRA, the Union for TV and Radio Actors, to check into joining. I will savor the day I can meet up with my pal George Takei and shake hands with him as a colleague as well as a friend.

The target date for the project is the class graduation in December. I will post a link to the film when it is ready. For now it's back to my cubicle and hope for the promotion for which I interviewed a few days ago. At least, I still have that as the tried and true "something to fall back on" my mother always talked about.

Here we are at Scream Fest 2005 with Verne Troyer. We just HAD TO have our picture taken with Mini-me! The whole day was pretty good. It was no Shore Leave, mind you, but a fun way to spend the day.

John wasn't feeling all that well, so I wasn't too sure he'd be joining us even for the day let alone our first weekend in month. He gladly threw himself in the car and the two of us and my friend Jason headed off for the hotel. It was as we were waiting in line that he told us the ROTC story. Forget for a moment that this is probably the best story about my son so far; you should have seen the look in his eyes as he told the story. There was a gleam in his eyes and a shit eating grin on his face as he knew he would now be joining the same league as his father. He told the story perfectly. Inflections and timing were perfect. Somewhere, my father is laughing his ass off.

We walked around the dealers' room wishing I had more money. I had a chance to meet Franklin E. Wales; the author who had approached me about doing an audio book. He is self published so due to financial constraints that is on the back burner for a while. His book, "Booger", is available through Amazon. Give it a read, if you're into horror.

I had to snap a picture of Linda Blair for a friend of mine. She is a little bit of a thing but still a fine looking woman. John is very much into professional wrestling, (Genetics can't sure everything!) so we headed over to get a picture with George "The Animal" Steel. While trying to wade through the masses in walks Verne Troyer. Inspiration hit and I just had to get a photo with him.

I tried just getting away with snapping my own picture but he was the prefect salesman pointing out the photos he had there for autographs. I'm a soft touch, so I shelled out for one of him and Mike Meyers doing their rap song in the last Austin Powers movie. Hence, his sign flashing in out picture.

George Steele is a massive human being. A quiet and gentle person and definitely the performer. As soon as the camera was ready he instantly jumped into character and grabbed my son in a headlock for this photo.

Afterwards, he reached out to shake me hand. His easily wrapped around mine and made it disappear into the giant pad of meat he called a hand.

John and I had the chance to sit a talk some about his commuting for our weekends. He really hates the ride on his own. I tried stressing the fact that there are times when we have to do things we don't like in order to get something worth while. I'm not sure if it worked. I also went through, again, the economics and time factors involved in the commute. I can really understand his point of view. Believe me, I would love to be three minutes down the road from him so he could come and go at a moment's notice. We are going to try to find some possibilities for making things easier before his next visit.

On the way back Jason and I stopped and had dinner at a favorite pizza restaurant of his. His wife is currently mulling over an offer from a hospital in Georgia. I don;t know the official title of her job, but she does sonograms on infants and children. It is very specialized and pays extremely well. If he were to move I would miss him very much. I have known him for almost as long as I've been down here and have been spending lots of time with him recently. I got him his job in my office and he is the one who opened the door of the possibilities with the girl at work. We have a common love of movies and TV. He has a fantastic family espicially his daughter with whom I share a special bond; we have the same birthday. I would miss them all alot.

Change sucks!

My son ROCKS!

Here is a scene from a recent ROTC class in which the instructor is teaching the different military rank and insignia.

He asks the class, "Does any one know what three up and three down means"?

Being MY son he raises his hand and answers, "End of an inning!"

That's my boy!

While he did not come for the entire weekend a friend of mine and I picked him up for the day and went to Screamfest, an annual horror convention. I'll have photos and more details tomorrow.

Tom Green has inspired me. While this may seem like a mutual admiration society between bloggers, I have mentioned his blog once or twice before and I am hooked. Before you go further please read his blog from October 12 entitled "People Who I Think Are Awesome". Follow this link.

Here is my list.

Wil Wheaton is awesome. He has made me laugh and cry. I might not always agree with his politics but he is always a good read.
Marlon Brando is awesome. Jack Lemmon is awesome. I will stop whatever it is I am doing to watch them work.
Freddie Mercury is awesome. Sinatra is awesome. Vivaldi is awesome; mostly because he was a left handed asthmatic just like me.
Weird Al Yankovich is awesome. Tom Arnold is awesome. Sam Kinison is awesome. David Letterman is awesome. Ernie Kovacs is awesome. Robin Williams is awesome. Jonathan Winters is awesome. Tim Conway is awesome. Their minds work on a different plane than the rest of us.
Harry Truman is awesome. Bobby Kennedy is awesome. Those who think they know me probably thought I'd say JFK instead. Jack was cool and all but he had Ted Sorenson. Bobby really felt what he was preaching about and made some of the most moving speeches of all time.
Daws Butler is awesome. Maurice LaMarche is awesome. Ernie Anderson is awesome. Google those names if you don't recognize them.
Wally Schirrah is awesome. Michael Palin is awesome. Jane Goodall is awesome. Anyone who wants to explore gets my vote.
OK. I'll give you one that I have to enter as a personal favorite and it's purely a guilty pleasure category.
My son is awesome.

I GOT IT!!! I GOT IT!!!!

When I got home tonight there was a message from the director of the film for which I auditioned offering me a part in the film!!!!!!!! If I could do back flips, I'd be on my tenth by now!!!!!



I'm going to be Bennes; he's the big rock guy in the background. I originally did him with a very heavy British accent but the director came back and asked me to do it with just my regular voice. I'll see next week which way he has decided to go with it.

I am so psyched!

Recording day is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. I will, as I did with the audition keep notes and try to convey as much of the process as I can. I also hope I can get across the excitement I'm feeling.

I've had radio jobs before and I've been on stage so performing really isn't something foreign to me. But if I had to pick the one dream job; this would be it. As a kid I watched all the cartoons but early on I keyed in on the voices I was hearing. I was probably the only 10 year old who knew who Daws Butler or Mel Blanc were. My fifth grade teacher was always impressed with the dead on Alfred Hitchcock impression I would do to entertain the class. At the same time there was mini-series on PBS about Leonardo DaVinci. While I was fascinated by DaVinci I was also smitten by the voice of the narrator. He is still working some 30 years later and I still get chills when I hear his voice.

And don't even get me started about Ernie Anderson. (He was the voice of the ABC network when "The Love Boat" and "Dynasty" were hot. If you heard the voice, you;' know!) With any luck, I'm finally following in their footsteps.

Let's see where it goes from here!

A day of up and down on the new girl front. Today was her first day back to work from vacation. First thing this morning she came up to me and started a conversation, telling me all about her trip. I don't think I actually heard much of it over the pounding of blood rushing to my head. Needless to say, I took this as a good sign. I wasn't the one sniffing around trying hard not to look pathetic.

Then later in the afternoon, I attempted nailing down a date. I had caught her going out the door early and rushing to meet what sounded like one of a hundred different appointments listed through the weekend. I kept it light and it seems the door is definitely open for this date...just not sure when it's going to happen.

I have consulted with my "sponsor" and think we have a game plan. There is the fine line I have to walk between keeping the interest going and seeming needy.

Damn, I better make sure she never finds this blog!

I think I aced the audition; although getting there was half the fun! But more on that in a minute.

Here is the project for which I auditioned. Runners There had been a steady stream of people all day long. It looked like a pictured any audition; a small waiting room filled with struggling actors muttering lines to themselves over and over again like crazed schizophrenics. I was called in and read a line for three of the characters; Cember, the three-eyed ET-like character, Bennes, the large rock creature and Roka, the turtle looking guy. I was free to do what ever I wanted for the voice as the director said he had no major preconceptions.

I did Cember as Peter Lorre style voice as a cross between the Ugarte character from "Casablanca" and Morocco Mole from the "Secret Squirrel" cartoons while trying hard not to sound like a bad Stimpy impression. I saw smiles on that one so I started off feeling good. Bennes was done as a rip off of Dim from "A Bug's Life" with a definite British accent. I hadn't planned on Roka at first, but the voice finally came to me this morning. Sheldon Leonard. He was a character actor who played lots of gangsters on Tv in the 60's and 70's with a thick New York accent. He was also a very successful TV producer. He is easily remembered as the man who ran Martini's Bar in "It's a Wonderful Life". After throwing George Bailey and Mr. Gower out the mocks them by hitting the cash register over and over saying "Look at me, I'm gibing out wings!". That smart alecky Brooklyn accent seemed perfect for the character.

The director asked me to read the Hamron character with a simple straight voice and to do Bennes without the accent. Since he came back to me with other ideas, to me, says he liked how I worked. I also was able to show I could take direction and was flexible. I got a very good "vibe" from how it went. My friend, Lee, is supposed to see if he can find out early and give me a heads up. Best part is, this may even be a paying job. At this point, as long as it covers a car rental back and forth, I'll be happy. It will be my foot in the door.

And I have a story to go along with it on how I got to the audition....

I now know exactly how far my van will go before the engine gives me trouble. I was stuck having to take the chance with the van because with it being a holiday weekend the two car rental places which will take my debit card are closed. I figured with some babying I would be able to make the trip. The van had other ideas. I took the tip in steps; stopping at two different service areas along the turnpike. When I made it into Kissimmee, a mere 30 minutes from the studios, the fuel injection system gave out and I lost all power. I called upon a friend of mine in the Orlando area who bailed me out by driving me to the studio and back.

Again, I though having sat for almost three hours would have been enough of a rest. Well, the van still had other plans. In the middle of nowhere it died out. I surrendered and called AAA. I left the house at 10:15AM and 14 hours later the tow truck pulled up in front of my trailer. To add insult to injury, we had to change tow drivers due to a change in shift and the other guy has my keys. Luckily, I had a backup set, but I may be out my South of the Border and Sonic Drive In keychains.

A sacrifice for my art!

As I stood in that recording studio I felt at home. It seemed the most normal and natural place for me to be. I remembered how much I loved doing this kind of work. I don't want to jinx this by getting into it too much at this point, but I am hoping this is the first step on getting back on a path I feel I should have been on years ago. From the moment I stepped on the stage at Gorton Junior High School as the front end of a horse named Gladys to the years on the radio, nothing has felt more right.

Sitting in a cubicle again tomorrow at work is going to feel very strange.

John Lennon would have been 65 today.

Listen to one of his songs and imagine what we have missed out on.

Another quiet weekend here in the Garden of Eaton. I'm spending most of the time studying for my audition Monday. I haven't been this nervous in years. While acting is the way I wish my life had gone I've never really been on a real audition. A cattle call for extras more than once, but never a one on one audition.

The mini-series, "The Kennedys of Massachusetts" was filming in Newport and the call went out for extras. I jumped at the opportunity. I went down with a Polaroid "headshot" to fill out some paperwork with about a thousand other wannabe's. Simple procedure; fill out the paperwork, sign something and leave.

When more than a reasonable amount of time had gone by, and I was sure I wasn't going to be called, I got a call from the casting company. A very nice woman was calling to ask me to do something more than simply be an extra in the background. My heart began to beat faster. I was being asked to be Charles Durning's stand in. I would not be on camera but would get to watch Mr. Durning rehearse a scene and then, while he relaxed in his trailer lights and cameras would be set and I would be in his place...his stand in. It paid more money than being an extra so I opted for cash over my moment of "Oh, oh....that was me walking by."

At the time I was probably close to what I weigh now and nothing near my bypass surgery weight, but still "husky". The casting director put this in the most polite phrasing ever.

"Mr. Eaton, we want you to be Mr. Durning's stand in because you.....carry a certain girth."

I agreed to the job just on that.

It was a heady experience being on a real filming set. All the people. All the equipment. The Craft Services!!! And then I was called to "work". Hammersmith Farms was being used as the setting for Bobby Kennedy's wedding; historically inaccurate but OK. As I walked up to the set I was met by Mr. Durning.

"Call me, Charlie," he said holding out his hand.

I was in heaven. I had been a fan of his work for years and now I could call him "Charlie" because we were colleagues. And remember the casting director mentioning a "certain girth"? Well, Charlie had much more girth than I did. They say the camera adds 10 pounds; somehow it had been able to take it off in Charlie's case. He looked much heavier in person. I know, I know; people in glass houses....but, WOW!

I watched intently as Charlie ran through a scene for blocking. He went off to the comfort of his trailer and I recreated his every move for the lighting and camera crews. Time and again until everything was right, then Charlie and the others were brought back and the scene was filmed.

Then came a moment that still haunts me. They were filming a scene with Charlie as Honey Fitz and Steven Weber as John Kennedy in the garden to the back of Hannersmith. This was just outside the porch which had these huge sliding doors with thick lead glass panels.

Filming is a slow and tedious process, so as they went through a shot for the tenth time I leaned back against what I thought was the solid part of the porch. It turned out to be two of the sliding glass panels. As the heavy lead glass and their frames slammed together they made a thunderous clap of thunder. (Well, to my ears that's what it sounded like!)

The first set of eyes I saw make contact with mine were those of the director who's shot I had just ruined. And was it some hack director who had never done a film before? No, of course not. It was Lamont Johnson. This guy uses Emmys as doorstops. Check him out on the Internet Movie Database to see just how sure I was I'd never work in movies again!

Let's hope this foray into acting goes a little better.

The Bull is gone.

Today an auto salvage wrecker came by and hauled away the car which has been there for me for the past five years. Along with it went memories of trips to Washington DC, North Carolina and all points throughout Florida. That van carried me out of the path of the hurricanes last year and was my haven from work for 10 minutes at a whack. And it was bought with inheritance money from my mother. So, it was a good thing I was not here to see it's lifeless hulk being dragged away.

At least I made $25 bucks on the deal. When I first called this salvage yard a week ago they cried over the cost of gasoline and that they couldn't pay me anything at all to haul it away. Since I needed to get rid of it I agreed. When I called them again today to pick it up the guy on the other end asked if they had offered anything for the car.

My momma didn't raise no fool......

"What do you want to give me for it?" I asked innocently.

Which is how I ended up with a check for $25 dollar waiting for me when I got home.

My new van, still yet un-named, is now in its proper parking spot. This car has yet to show its personality or inspire me for a name. I'll let you know when the muse speaks.

"Serenity" ROCKS!

If you watched the TV series or if you have no idea what it is....GO SEE IT. Action, adventure, great effects, great writing. There is so much to like in this flick. I am planning on seeing it again just to see all the little touches I missed the first time around in design and effects. What a fun time at this movies this is. I won't spoil it with giving away some of the surprises except to say that Joss Weedon took some chances few others would.

I also saw "A History of Violence" the same day. The best part of this film was the performances; in particular William Hurt. Hurt pulls off playing a east coast mobster so well you can forget he's from the mid-west somewhere. Ed Harris and Vigo Mortensen are also good but overall the premise was a little overdone and hard to swallow.

I have my first voice over audition coming up next Monday. My friend at the Dave School let me know of an open audition for a student film. I am studying the source material and trying to come up with just the right approach for this. I am torn between choosing a certain character and developing a voice as I would see him or just fold my voice as the director wants. I'll keep notes during the day to give you a detailed report on how the day goes.

Tom Green has got a killer website. His writing style is right up there with Wil Wheaton as he gives you an insight into the world of a borderline celebrity but sprinkles it with enough of his real life to let you in and see the real person underneath. I've been a Green fan since his MTV days with his guerilla style comedy but this site goes beyond that. Give him a try. http://tomgreen.com/blog/blog.html

I have to admit to a guilty pleasure.

I enjoy feeding the birds.

OK....about a week ago I bought a loaf of bread. It wasn't the kind I usually buy to make this killer chicken sandwich of mine. Actually, it's my version of a sandwich from a local restaurant but mine is pretty darned close and loads cheaper, but I digress.....

I got this loaf of bread home and tried in with my killer chicken sandwich and it really sucked. I went to another grocery store and found the bread I wanted but my budget conscious mind could not simply throw away an entire loaf of bread. The sucky bread ruined my sandwich and left such a bad taste in my mouth that I could not imagine using it for anything else. Until I remembered the parking lot at work.

Because of the Florida heat I always park my car beneath the biggest shade tree in the lot. The parking lot is loaded with birds all day long. I'm no expert and couldn't tell one species from another; just a bunch of feathers. So I decided to bring the bread with me and pass it out to the indigent birds. After a couple of days of doing this I found I was enjoying sitting there watching them eat.

I would sit in the car and lower a window (haven't rolled a window down in years thanks to electronics!) and created a blind of sorts. I toss the food out and wait for the buffet line to form. With all of the activity and stress inside the building it is a nice change, even for 10 minutes, to sit and watch a simple creature gather food.

At times it seems as if they even stop, turn and look at me as if to say "Thanks". The greed of a sea gull is unending as they will chase off any other bird to keep as much for themselves as they can. That is until some big ass pigeon (OK, I know a few species by sight) fights them off by pecking at a tail feather or two.

Then the alarm from my cell phone will go off and remind me I have a plethora of geriatrics waiting to yell at me about not getting their medications on time and trying to pronounce the names of their pills like a drunk with a harelip.

A simple break in the day doing a simple thing I learned as a child makes the whole difference in the day. As I walk out to my car sitting under that shade tree I spot a bird or two hiding on a branch and I think I can sense they know it's feeding time and that they are looking forward to my break as much as I am with each step closer I get.

Hey, wait! What's that? There's BIRDSHIT all over my car!!!!!!!!!!!

This is so humiliating. My 14-year-old son is probably smoother with women than I am. I had three different possibilities to break the ice and ask the dreaded “follow up question” today and blew it. She went home early from work before I could talk privately enough. My only consolation is that the odd look on her face every time I saw her was more the illness which made her leave early than it was to do with seeing me.

……or, at least I hope so!

Last night I attended a preview our company sponsored of a show put on by one of the local theatrical groups. One of the stars is a fellow employee. It was a fun evening of 30’s and 40’s swing and jazz. Just before the show one of the high mucky-mucks of our company got up and spoke. He ended up inviting me and about a half dozen others up to the stage as examples of the best our company has to offer. We are what I call “Company Poster Children”. Actually, it was nice to be singled out that way. He went on to talk about how our company does more than just sell medications a diabetic supplies but makes a difference in the lives of our customers. It’s nice to know someone at that level of management gets it.

Now, if my paycheck we affected by such a “title” it would be even nicer!

I have put my name in for a supervisory opening. It has been almost two years since I was actually in a full blown supervisory position. I still have the title and my pay hasn’t changed, it’s just that I have not been responsible for a team of employees; I’ve just been one of the troops. I feel I’m ready for it again and some of the office politics that put me in my present position have changed greatly. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

One step closer.

I made my follow up conversation with the girl at work today and seemed to have pulled it off without looking like too much of a dork. At least I hope so.

I told her that she had missed a great dinner and the in my best self-deprecating mode I said, "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't hallucinating last week when you said you'd like to go out sometime anyway."

She smiled that beautiful smile, the one with her eyes, and said, "Yes".

My biggest worry is that I come off as a mix of stalker and the most needy person on the planet. Does everyone who dates go through this? How the hell do some people do this on a regular basis? I cannot imagine being on the regular dating scene. To have to take these kinds of chances over and over again. As someone who fancies himself an actor, I could find it easier to go through audition after audition over dating. In auditions your ability and talent is raked over the coals and called into question. This is personal!

Speaking of acting.....I wimped out on "Death of a Salesman"; auditons closed tonight and I went nowhere near the theater. Maybe next time.

Quiet weekend. Johnny has stayed home again this weekend. He is preparing for some mega-Sweet 16 party for someone in his ROTC class. They are all wearing their class A's and have rehearsals every Sunday. The time necessary for him to get back there by mass transit would mean his having to get up at 10 AM.

I am torn between letting him have the social interaction with no hassle from me and making a point about the obligation to our relationship. I want him to understand that at times you have to make sacrifices. Maybe it would mean his having to get up early but at times you have to do difficult things to get the important things in life done. His friendships and social life as a teenager are as important as our relationship.

I am, at the very least going to suck it up for the time being but have a conversation about this the next time he is here; which won;t be for another two or three weeks. SO you can look forward to two more weeks of my deep sighing and moaning. Ain't that what you come here for in the first place?

Speaking of which, I am a little over due in commenting on the counter at the bottom of this page. It recently rolled over the 1,000 hit mark. That impressed me. On average 10 people are looking at this blog an a daily basis. Makes me wish I had enough to write about every day.

When I once mentioned that I have a blog to someone they scoffed and said, "The most self indulgent thing on the internet!" Is he right? Do I feel what I am saying has relevance in other peoples' lives? Can my life really be that interesting to people?

I don't deny having a little bit of an ego. But, honestly, I have been writing this as a way of keeping distant friends up to date on what's happening. I write to vent. I write to work out feelings. I write to share. Keeping in mind that my life in no way can really be that interesting, try to write with a slant towards commenting on my own feelings and experiences in the bigger picture. I hope I am successful. I must be doing right since I keep getting hits. I have been surprised by some who have commented and even more by those who privately tell me they are regular readers. I appreciate each of you who stops by here to see what's going on in my crazy little corner of the universe.

Here's to another thousand hits!

Into the fray once more......

I actually got up the nerve to ask a girl out today. OK, so it took two days and someone yelling at me to finally motivate me, but I did it!

OK, so there is this very pretty young lady at work who caught my eye recently and through some investigating by a mutual friend I learned that she, while "having male friends", had no one serious in her life at the moment. This was a vast improvement over my last attempt.

So for the first day I mulled things over and slowly the anxiety began to creep up as I thought about actually asking her out. Then yesterday my investigative friend offered an opportunity. He and his wife invited me to have dinner at his house next Sunday evening. Perfect, I thought; a setting with a group of people and not as stressful for a first date as going out alone. This girl and I really don't know each other more than to pass each other around the office and maybe one or two simple chit chat like conversations. So, we starting at ground zero here.

That gave me all of today to let nervousness and anxiety ramp even higher. I fell back into my 14 year old frame of mind as I made a number of aborted attempts to walk up to her and start the ball rolling. I am surprised my sales director didn't say anything to me. He can look right down the aisle from his office to where I sit and I'm sure he would have noticed how many times I was out of my seat during the day. Bright side is that I got plenty of exercise doing laps around the sales floor.

My investigative friend claims it was only to get me to simply strike up an conversation and that he didn't expect me to actually come out and ask her but he gave me some paperwork to deliver to her "on my way back to my desk". wink - wink I started doing laps again, this time with the paperwork in my hands.

Finally, as I stood next to my desk doing an impersonation of Cameron from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"....

"I'll go..I'll go..I'll go. No."

....my supervisor came walking by.

I turned to her and said, "Call me a wimp!"

"You're a lousy little wimp!" she said with a mixture of bewilderment at the request and pure joy at calling me a lousy little wimp.

That was what I needed; someone other than the little voice inside my head telling me I was being ridiculous. Off I went. Right up to her and handed her the paperwork.

Dang! I hadn't been this close to her in a while. I was right, she is pretty.

I rattled off the bogus business reasons for my stopping by and without catching a breath ( as if I had any oxygen in my body at this point) I slid right into the invite. There was a momentary look of surprise on her face; sort of like when you open the prize at the bottom of a Cracker Jack and it some odd toy you've never seen before and you wonder, "What the hell is that?"

Game over, I thought.

Then she simply said, "Yes."

As we began to talk details of when and where, she remembered she did have something at that time. Undaunted, I offered that we could try some other time, maybe. There was no Cracker Jack look this time, and she dais "Sure".

So, while not completely a "yes" it is still not a "no". There is still some hope left. That was eight hours ago and I think the adrenalin has finally left my system.

More as this develops.

Yesterday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day and my throat still hurts. I made my way "Arrrghhhhh"-ing and "Aye-aye"-ing through the whole day. I even talked with customers on the telephone in the same gravely voice. Either they also knew it was National Talk Like a Pirate Day or they thought I was British!

Well, I've had my new van of a week and I think we have become friends. I have found just the right position for the seat. The air conditioner seems to reach just the right temperature a little faster and it handles easier and easier. I know it's more a matter of me getting more used to the vehicle but I have always felt cars have individual personalities.

Take my very first car, Harlan, for example. Yes, I name my cars. Harlan was much like I was at age 16; sporty, fast and messy. Oh, and energetic. This car was so energetic it actually jumped. I have been informed by my more mechanically inclined friends that a bad transmission made the car physically jump in place more than some metaphysical soul it might have had.

I still tend to believe Harlan had a personality.

My last van, The Bull, was moody; much like any ailing senior citizen. He performed better with praise. All he needed after 40 miles of driving was a nap; after which he would attack the highway like a geriatric racing for the dining hall on Salisbury Steak Night.

I have yet to name this car. I am waiting to see what personality emerges. I am also pondering "geeking my ride". This 1993 GMC Safari is all while. To my Trek fan mind it suspiciously resembles a shuttle craft. All that is missing is some lettering, hull numbers and a Starfleet logo on the back door.

My son will never want to ride in the same car with me again!

Last night I received a very dubious honor at a company party. This quarter's morale boosting theme has been Liberty High School. People brought in their graduation photos and they were plaster all around the buildings. Then the other day we received "school supplies; pens, pencils and rulers all emblazoned with the company logo. All of this culminating in last night's Sock Hop.

People showed up in 50's outfits. There were poodle skirts, capris, leather jackets and two Elvi. (That is the plural of Elvis, isn't it?) Class Superlatives were handed out. Best Dressed, Best Smile, Most Dependable. What a surprise it was when I won Class Clown. Actually, I won that category in all three buildings but they had to give one out to someone in each so I only won for my building.

I may not yet have the promotion I want, but I am being recognized for what I do best!

My son didn't come this weekend and the house seems extra quiet because of it. I know we can switch weekends and all that but I always look forward to our time together so much. I'm sure this will happen more and more as he get deeper into really being a teenager. I can only imagine what I'll be like after he's 18 and no longer "has to" visit.

I am currently mulling over auditioning for a local theater group's production of "Death of a Salesman". Daunting, I know, to choose something like Arthur Miller for a first time on the stage in a long time. I did do a reading theater a few years ago but that was with the script right in front of me. I honestly wonder if I could commit an entire two act play to memory when there are times I wonder why I walked from one room to the other or forget names of friends I've had for years. Can my 40-something brain actually do it?

Yes, Mr. Ego wants to try out for Willy Loman. I realize regional theater can be clique-ish and I've never worked with this particular troupe. I realize it's been 8 years since I was on a stage. I realize it's a big frickin' part. It would certainly be a test of any talent I might have.

Or might not have.

Auditions are next week; I'll let you know.