Wrist hurt cleaning. (CLEANING?!? Shut up, he explained)

This grey and cloudy Sunday morning, I’m listening to Andrea Boccelli because I’m a sentimental and romantic old fool. If you know what that means, you know what that means; if you don’t, then I can’t explain.

I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last night with about 1,000 teenagers out on dates. First, let me say this is one grandparent who thinks it would be inappropriate for my little grandkids to go to this movie because it’s just that scary and dark. I jumped in my seat at least twice and that’s pretty good for “gotcha” movies. Although I’ve read all the books and seen all the movies, it bothered me that this is not a stand-alone movie. You have to know the “backstory” to enjoy this movie. If you’ve just dropped onto earth on your galactic travels and don’t know about the Harry Potter phenomena, you’d be lost as hell. For that matter, the British accents left me scratching my head a time or two — wtf? wha’d he just say? Huh? — and the fact that the story line requires whispered conspiratorial conversations makes the matters worse, imho. The movie’s special effects are, well, wizard. I’m sure that there are young readers out there who are outraged that not every single bit of the book is deeply explored in the movie, but the cuts didn’t bother me much and it was too long a book to expect anything else. Besides, I’m more accustomed to seeing my favorite books butchered by the film remake. That was one of the things we loved about Lord of the Rings — that it stayed pretty true to the books as well as it could be done. I’m still a little hacked off about the complete cut of anything about Tom Bombadill, but that’s fat that’s been chewed thoroughly.

Just finished a lengthy IM with MB in Memphis. She’s such a wonderful woman and I care so very much for her and about her. Earlier this week, at Sue Moss Sullivan’s art show house party, I just had to call MB and tell her about the highly textured work. She would love that stuff. MB says she’s too busy moving into her new house and getting ready for a family Thanksgiving there to do much in the way of creative work, but she also said she has her loom set up in a sunny nook in the up stairs and that image melts my heart. We “chatted” about this and that, but the topics seemed less important than the connection, if you know what I mean. Anyway, love ya, MB.

Speaking of a former, I’m not just single again, but without any love interests at all. Not even anyone I’ve picked out as a “next ex”. I was journaling today about my love life and it seems that a bunch of things have conspired to make me give up some of my adolescent behaviors. Quel Catastrophe! Imagine John Long grown up. No. It’s too much. John, not smoking? Exercising? Eating right? Cooking for himself? No. No. No. It couldn’t be! Don’t you all realize that I should be drowning in self pity, self loathing and substance abuse? Could it be that my adolescent angst has finally run its course? No. No. No. I resist this with every fibre of my being. I’m still the oppositional kid with too much smarts for his emotionally stunted heart and a mouth full of acid sass. What would I be like if I grew up? What would that look like? How would it feel and smell and taste and sound like? Will I have to give up the Miata for a hybrid? Nah. Surely not. Nevermind.

The voices in my head intervened here and I have to stop and come back to this. The idea of growing up and stopping smoking … well, it’s just too much for me to handle this early in the day.

Just noticed that i didn’t blog yesterday. sorry about that.

The floor fight in the House of Representatives over a resolution to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq caught my attention. The most junior member of the House said of 34-year-incumbent Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa) that “cowards cut and run. Marines don’t” and the Democrat side of the aisle erupted into British style chanting and yelling for more than 10 minutes, highlighted by Rep. Ford charging across the partisan divide pointing finger first and being restrained by the Dem Party leadership. Murtha is a retired Marine colonel, widely regarded as a hawk and well respected as chairman of the defense spending subcommittee of the appropriations committee. He’s also a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient and veteran of both Korea and Vietnam. Dick Cheney tried his line about politicians losing their backbone and Murtha threw Cheney’s five deferrments and “other priorities” biography right back in his face. Kerry said he would not allow Murtha to be “swift boated.”

Here’s the latest from Peace House:

TUESDAY VIGILS CONTINUE
5 pm, in front of BackDoor CoffeeHouse
at Classen Blvd and NW 34th Street

SATURDAY VIGILS BEGIN – NOON to 1 pm
Permits have been obtained for weekly Anti-War Vigils on
Saturdays, Noon to 1 pm, Pennsylvania Ave at the Northwest Highway
Gather just before Noon on the northwest corner of the
intersection. DO NOT PARK in the business lot right there, but park
in the next two lots to the north.
LARGE READABLE SIGNS WILL BE THERE.

Permits for Saturdays secured
by The Peace House
Nathaniel Batchelder, Director
www.peacehouseok.org

Permits for Tuesdays secured
by the Impeach Bush Rally
Lisa Ghiariani & Tara Feuerborn
http://antiwarfair.com (NO WWW)

Went to Sue Moss Sullivan’s annual house party last night and the art was gorgeous! Everything was so textural and three dimensional. I loved it. I like so many of the things so much, I was moved to call MB in Memphis and left a message about how much she would have loved the weavings and “quilty” broaches and other items. I really really wanted a scarf bought by Dr. Pelovski (sp?) and have my eye on a Ron Ferrell small piece of a moon and fish that was on the porch that I hope survives Christmas when I have a little spare change for art (this year’s art budget was long ago spent on a J Don Cooke that stands in my entryway).

The personal “news” of the Paseo-Red Cup crowd was pretty depressing. Bamboo Mike is now in hospice. Kat with a K’s mother has serious medical issues. Tall Ed, with whom I’ve lately had “issues”, is diagnosed with a cancer. Button’s grandmother is in hospice and her mother has lost her job. I can’t express my gratitude for my good health and the good health of my septuagenarian mother and I pray for the succor of my friends.

On a lighter note, I received from JohnX a DVD of a 2:45 minute film clip he cut together from our film shoot at the Huge Ass Cross on I-35 in Edmond. Unfortunately, I can’t link or upload it for your viewing pleasure for two — yes, count ‘em, 2 — very good reasons. First, I don’t know how to do that stuff yet and plan a trip to Stillwater to consult the webmaster to resolve that. Second, and most important, is that John X laid a Fleetwood Mac track over the film and we don’t own those rights. Damn intellectual property law anyway.

I almost forgot another bit of news that caught my attention in the national press. A former press aide to Tom DeLay has been indicted in a kickback scheme involving Texas Indian tribal casinos, a former high flying GOP lobbyist and U.S. Rep. Ney (R-Ohio), who’s allegedly been taking bribes. Were it not for the Iraq War, this would be the top scandal of Bush’s second term. I don’t have the words to express my contempt for the hypocricy of the Republican Party.

They say we have a 20 percent chance of rain and/or snow tonight. SNOW?!?!!! Fuck.

Last night, The Gary, Mrs. Oz and I watched a movie, “Yes”, that I understand was also shown at the Wednesday Paseo dinner and movie night in my absence (I had to be in court in Shawnee early Thursday and couldn’t host). What a wonderful hidden gem of a film, all done with the dialogue in poetry but seamlessly and almost unnoticeable. The topics included western culture versus Islamic culture, being and nothingness, male-female relationships, abortion/right-to-life, racial stereotyping, mother-daughter relationships and more. Totally engrossing film beautifully shot with an Aldomovar-like attention to lovely colors in both foreground and background. Button made a cameo appearance, just long enough to deliver some pastry for our enjoyment before returning to her jewelry chores. The Oz himself is in Quartz Mountain Lodge for a seminar and won’t return until Sunday.

Dinner last night was at Lido and SuzArt showed off a huge bump on her arm where she’d received a flu shot. She felt like crap — DUH! — and went home early, missing Sue Moss Sullivan and “Yes”. Also missing the later festivities was BKMDANO, as usual.

If I think of anything else, I’ll just blog more later. Right now, I need to get out of the house and get started on my weekend household duties — dry cleaners, bank, pharmacy, grocery, dishes and laundry. You know the drill.

I suppose I have lived in interesting times. Like Dickens’ character, I do not yet know whether I will be the hero or the villain of my own life, nor do I yet know whether it’s a curse to live in such times. In a way, it reminds me of the Chinese “Warring States” Epoch some hundreds of years ago before the Empire was restored. I was born right after World War II, on the precipice of the Korean War; I grew up with the war raging in Vietnam. I watched us go to war again in the Gulf War and now, the Gulf War sequel and the so-called War on Terrorism, a never-ending war of 1984 nightmarish dimension.

My lifetime has been “interesting” as well due to the fabulous advances in technology and medicine. I think the beginnings of space travel, the virtual evolution of mankind by means of computer enhancement and the eradication of smallpox are all signal events.

So, how important are the events of my own little life on that scale? I can’t even complain at this very moment that anything’s broken, bleeding or in jail.

I had a flat today.

Tuesday was a horrible day in court, but today was terrific.

Blahblahblogblah!!!!

I’ve looked back over the blog for the past month and I’m doing a lot of bitching and moaning. I don’t experience life that way. No, really, I don’t. Mostly, I’m a pretty happy camper and more often than not, I can maintain some perspective. How important is this going to be 5 years from now? In a thousand?

I’ve now blamed crankiness on both the dark of the moon and the full moon. That’s half a month I’ve been cranky. I have the fear that I’m just turning into one of those old bachelor curmudgeons. Kinda like The Gary with silver hair. (Just kidding, old boy.)

I hope you guys can also have some perspective on what I write. I do bitch and moan. However, I also go to movies, go to art shows, work with Oz and JohnX on the movie, write and read my stories at the Red Cup, and pursue a rather active social life as well as a profession. I’m actually enthusiastic about life and try to live it fully and exuberantly.

Tonight is not my night out. It’s Noveau Beaujolais est arrive night at the local bars/restaurants and a recovering alcoholic like me needs to know his limits.

Pray for peace. Love greatly and unwisely. Laugh as much as you can whenever you can. Speak the truth fearlessly. Sleep well.

Dearest: I’m in Kuwait. Can’t say where or for how long. Apparently I can buy a
pre-paid sim card for my cell phone, which seems to be the popular thing to do.
I’ll look at the prices and decide then. I don’t think it will matter in terms
of what Sprint charges you to recieve the call.

I have a 20 minute limit on the internet. It’s raining and cold. Billy Rasy took
me on a goose chase this AM looking for coffee (got soaked), even tho there’s
free coffee in the DFAC. He’s nuts. You-know-who instructed me not to do PT,
again. About caused my eyeballs to pop out. I cut myself shaving last night and
joked to the CSM that I better not let anyone see the cut – might not be allowed
to shave anymore. I got a good laugh. I awoke at 430AM and ran anyway. Felt
extra rewarding. He didn’t even get out of his fartsack until 730. Of all the
things to have to sneak.

Anyway, I’m good. Artillery in the background makes me wish I were doing that.
Give my love to the kids and let the family know. All for now. Love, J

Oh, how my heart aches for this fine young man and his family because they’re mine. There are 150,000 Americans in Iraq with no clue about when they will get to leave. So many little children at home missing their fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and parents scared to death for their all too grown up children. I’m NOT trying to be political, I’m just trying to say that every day I call up Google news with my heart in my throat. I’m ashamed that when I hear three marines have been killed, I’m relieved that it wasn’t “my” soldier. I pray for peace.

Got this over the internet from a friend and it sounds right to me, so I pass it along. Posting this information does NOT mean anyone who reads this has any kind of attorney client relationship with me. If any part of this is wrong, tough luck.

ATTORNEY’S ADVICE—–NO CHARGE

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put “PHOTO ID REQUIRED.”

3. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the “For” line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check-processing channels will not have access to it.

4. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks, (DUH!). You can add it if it is necessary. However, if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Also carry a photocopy of your passport when traveling either here or abroad. We have all heard horror stories about fraud that is committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

6. When you check out of a hotel that uses cards for! keys (and they all seem to do that now), do not turn the “keys” in. Take them with you and destroy them. Those little cards have on them all of the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers and expiration dates. Someone with a card reader, or employee of the hotel, can access all that information with no problem whatsoever.

Unfortunately, as an attorney, I have first hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer and received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online. Here is some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. The key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). However, here is what is perhaps most important of all (I never even thought to do this.)

3. Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves’ purchases,! none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet and contents being stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
3.) TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

Last night’s windstorm woke me up repeatedly, banging one thing or another against the north windows of my bedroom. I have to be in court today and I needed a good night’s sleep, darn it. Even worse, the north wind brought freezing weather and my Miata’s top is tightly up. I hate that. I was perfectly OK with 70 degree weather and sunshine, thank you very much.

I’ll go to a grip and grin at Untitled this evening at 5-7 p.m., a “thank you” reception for those of us who Marcy volunteered for the Holocaust memorial event held there last month.

For those who notice the entry from yesterday is abbreviated today, mea culpa. I’ve told you all that there would be times between now and Christmas when I offered to tear off heads and shit down necks and I’ve told you why. I’m not even quit yet, but cutting down to ultralights and cutting my consumption to half is already withdrawal territory, apparently. That, plus the fact that I’m an emotional midget and hardly a grown up at all.

The “news” has bored me the last couple of days, so no political screeds.

Other than that, hurt my wrist again last night somehow and I’m soldiering through again.