Schemers…

A definition of the word Schemer: a deviser of plots and plans, especially secret or cunning ones intended to cause damage or harm.
This is an interesting breed of a person, one I wish you never have to experience in life. There is a whole menagerie of schemers in the world. You have the “pity me” the “switch and bate” the out right “stealers” the “get a heads” I could go on and on.
I’ve worked with and have employed them, went to school with, dated, lived with, caught on the street and online, mostly ran from them. The schemer that gets me the most is the one that pretends to care or be your friend to get full advantage of someone else.
I remember in school the one girl that always seem to befriend the straight A student in each class (no, that never was me) How ever I did have one that wanted me to help her on her homework and projects in payment of pizza and beer.
My Pops is the king of smoozing and scheming to get clients, I’ve seen him go out and play a round of golf just to run into “old Joe” who just so happens has a condo plan going up or wants a complex drawn, I guess that’s business.
Politicians are keen on the smoozing, a friend of mine works for one, for 5 years out of the six years of their employer’s term she’s treated like garbage but when election time rolls in look out all is good. (Can’t say who this is but I’ve rapped about this before).
I’ve had people be nice to me to get close to someone I know, hence this rant today. When I was younger my older brother Luke was being followed a by a girl, Luke only having his head stuck under a set of dumbbells never noticed her, so she struck a friendship with me. She would come over to do homework or a movie or play a game of pool, what ever and the first thing she would ask “Where is Luke?” Her head constantly bobbing and weaving looking for him, I was crushed.
Now it’s come to my attention that it’s happened again but in reverse order. No, not someone was befriending Luke to chum around me but once again someone befriending me to go after Jacks. (Ok, do I smell?)
I write my blog, as you know, as a journal of my travels and tribulations of my life. I don’t blog hate shit, or falsehoods and rarely do I use a name unless it’s approved. When I think of something funny or that really pisses me off I babble about it here. But Shay, what you have done and said and the vile acts you have pulled is way beyond comprehension. I’ve e-mailed you to stop your banter comments and received words only a drunken sailor would spew from you. Let’s not make this a war of words because you know I can easily slay you.
What’s done is done, they only want peace as do I, and he isn’t bothering you nor has he ever. Take a step off the fantasy bus and get into the real world a while. He is happy just like life is and that’s dandy for the rest of us too why not you?
Why am I commenting on here? Well A: this is MY blog and B: she keeps clicking that “Contact me” button. In which I rarely respond to unless its here.

Humorous side of life…

Last week I had a power house of a head ache, because of the change in the weather. I slept most of Saturday which recharged my batteries; believe it or not it helps to just veg out for a day, something I’ve not done in months.
Some of you asked me if I still go to my Gs to eat, of course! Hardly miss a Sunday, in fact it’s less of the “eat and run” situation now. Jacks is too far away to indulge and Lori is willing to stay as long as Mom and I do. So I eat then nap, then work on whatever projects PG has for me to do, taking the trail down to the barn, and hop the fence and I’m home.
Lori is full of cheer rah-rah these days, once again being the cheerleader for her little schools’ football/basketball /volleyball teams. Mom says she out in the yard doing flips and whooping and hollering with the other little girls in her squad. Being 9 I’m surprised she has a major crush on a boy on the football team, he is huge to be 11! A big old linebacker, when I was that age I was considered a big guy but he is whopper big. I tease her and ask if he has his own bench in the gym, its not that he’s fat he is a big guy, his dad is large as well. I said he likes her for her cookies she makes, (every weekend) and then received the poke in the arm over it. “Leave my Todd alone mister”. Todd….she doesn’t want me to go there.
Speaking of cooking, I believe Jacks has entered into the culinary arts and not a school for architecture. Practically every weekend he speaks of a new Sunday dinner he created via the help of Jess. Its great he is learning to cook, God knows he needs to learn without burning the house down and gaining back a few pounds wouldn’t hurt him. They are doing quite well; “She’s the first person I talk to in the morning and the last at night”. I told him the other night he might as well be married to her; they spend every waking moment with each other. He just laughed at me and said “Leave my Jess alone mister”. Nah, he really didn’t say that, he just laughed and agreed!

Another down

It’s Friday and very quiet in the office at the moment. I let everyone off, why? Because I just wanted to let everyone off, this means I have to man the phones and the customers that come in the office. The guys in the field are working, they have due date projects that are not completed, and the ladies accomplished theirs yesterday. Besides around three today I plan on closing shop and us going out to Hooters to have wings and beer.
Maybe that’s what makes us a happy group that we all work together and go for one goal and reap the rewards in the end i.e. a three day weekend along with being paid for it to boot or a hot wing.
Living on my own now I’ve had some “get to know me time” learning about who I am and where I want to go. Oh, don’t worry, I’ve been extra busy so it’s not like there was much down time or ponderings. Maybe at the end of the day, when everything is quiet just reflecting on how my life is going and wondering what may come. (Sometimes I feel like the only person on the planet that does this).
Mom and I talk a bit more; I’ve been more vocal on a lot of issues, usually more so when I write, at least that’s what Amy says.
Nothing really banging around in my head, well there is: I don’t like how I treated my Pops on that last day home, yes he is an idiot but he is my Pops. Ever have that bad feeling when you see someone, lets say with a bad attitude and you think to yourself “I’m never going to get in that position or be like them” Well, you never know, maybe it’s a flaw in me to look at someone and worry that I might turn out with a trait in them I don’t like. I don’t want his temper.
I’m not looking for the “Oh Mark you did right in wanting to hit that crazy fool” believe it or not Mike Tyson, hitting isn’t the solution to everything. Whatever it is, my mind is churning that’s making me think things out and spatter them on this blog.
I need a good Jacks or Lori story to get me rolling, maybe this weekend I can poke at them and get one.

:/

Baggy pants are a waste of material
I’m not too proud of all my acts
High prices of gas bug me
I’m not always happy with my work
Girls that cackle to get attention
The way I feel about others
Dead silences on the phone annoy me
The way I feel about myself
I hate saying goodbye
Pretending not to feel guilty
People in my business
Being labeled as something I’m not
Thoughts of eating a tomato
Being pushed in different directions
Wanting to give up
Slow songs that make me sleepy
Wanting to hit someone
No rainy days

Read between the lines, you can either chose the silly route or how I feel. Or feel this whole post is nothing but babbles.

The real Friday

Well, it’s a lazy day here now, just like its supposed to be, I was hanging about hoping to meet up with my Online chat buddy but that seems for not, Amy has been calling in crazy times so I haven’t been able to catch her, things will settle down soon enough. I yapped with Jacks, correction, Jacks and I text one another, he is bored in class and all hyped up for getting another raise. I really believe to be in the wrong profession but congrats to him! He loves to draw those houses and is currently learning about landscaping at least I can give him pointers there.
Lori and I had a nice phone conversation last night, she wants to see a movie with me, Right! Me and five of her best friends I can hear it now and then and spend the night party at the house, maybe next weekend, and this weekend is for me to break the house in properly and give the neighbors and idea of what just moved in.
Ok not that bad but I do plan on inviting some people over since the weather is semi nice cook out and watch the game, I’ve missed that so much and it’s needed. We are buying spare ribs and BBQ and what ever meat someone else drags in to cook and have an all out good time. Of course the neighbors are welcomed to join in too!
Mom and I spoke Tuesday night for a brief few minutes, she said whatever Pops and I discussed must have struck a chord with him, he asks what he can do to correct the current situation. I say nothing but who am I? She seems more at ease right now, possibly because he isn’t being a jerk around the house and focusing more on her. Which is all good, let’s hope it keeps up.

Made it!

So last Friday rolled in like a lion, I’ve been packing all my belongings the majority of the week and poking them away in my newly built detached garage. This whole time having to dodge the old man now and then, he would look in my boxes to see if there was taking an item that wasn’t mine
The garage is the last area I pulled my belongings from, that’s where the fun started. Just as I was taking down my Bow Flex Pops drove into the garage, I kept on working and ignored him. He stood there for a minute grabbed his briefcase and walked into the house. “Whew, good no smart ass remarks”.
About fifteen minutes later running face to face with him, he pushed me up against the wall and insisted that he look in the back of my truck, I invited him to look. He found nothing of his in there, then continued to dismantle the Bow Flex, when he grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around, “Give me Jacks phone number, I know he has my scales, I want them now!” standing there with a smirk on my face and flipped the wrench in my hand as if to let him know “I’m not afraid to use this” on him as well. Then pulled my shoulder from out of his grip and said that he might want to check his office that Jacks didn’t have anything of his, didn’t want anything of his and could care less if he did have anything of his. This reply infuriated him so he resolved to poke me in the chest accusing me of turning Jacks against him that Lori wouldn’t cuddle with him anymore because I said Daddy was mean.
Each jab made me angrier and with each one I would see or hear some stupid ass act he might have pulled on me or Jacks in the past. After the tenth or eleventh poke I swished his finger away and let him have it, I placed the head of the wrench in his chest and pushed with a smile on my face. I informed him I’m no longer living under “His roof” that this kind of torment was unacceptable, that his delusional acts of stupidity were going to stop. The next time he laid a hand on me he would find himself on the floor, no matter what. Then I chose to use some language he would understand and explained to him why Jacks wants nothing to do with him and how his own daughter is repulsed by the sight of him.
After I told him how I felt about him, how he needed to grow up and learn some of the values he gave us, everyone in the family thinks he’s off his rocker. How his own father feels like he needs to be put into a Nut House. How his mother was so sad because she didn’t know where she had gone wrong with him. He was an insult and embarrassment to every male on the planet and we were all ashamed of him. That if he was so afraid of us leaving him behind that pushing us out the door with evil acts was an odd way to keep us around.
I can’t believe when I was younger I wanted to be just like him, was so proud to have him as my Dad, if felt to trust him with my feelings and dreams and aspirations in life. Now all I see is an envious old man, someone that’s afraid to see his children go farther in life than he.
He stood there in awe, said nothing to me just looking. I could tell I hurt him with my words and possibly the wrench in his chest. I didn’t move, nor blink, only staring straight into his eyes. After a good five minutes he walked out of the garage and into his office, I continued to load up the truck with the last of my items. Called a few friends to go out to dinner with and tried to forget the look on his face. Walked into the house and said my goodbyes to Mom and Lori and that I loved them…….that is where I stand now.

Episodes

As I said last week – if you are interested- that I would update on the issues at home of me moving.
Personally I’m not a person to want to get the last word or the last lick in on a fight. Usually saying my piece or throwing a punch and going on my way, there is no need for constant battles. Nor is there need for drama to be created in your life for no good reason. If I’m wrong then prove it to me and I will be on my way, let’s be adults and carry on with our lives.
So, having said that let me digress a bit here with a back story of my Pops, some of you know him or know of him from this blog. He grew up with older brothers that all liked to pick on him which provided him to be a fighter, not to mention he’s half Spanish and they do have a good temper. He was taught to be a good guy, hence the reason why my Mom fell for him, I don’t think she would go for a jerk on purpose. In his defense he was taught to be “all boy/man” meaning to stand your ground don’t let anyone push you around and take responsibility for your actions.
When the 3 of us boys came along, not counting Matthew who didn’t live over a year, he felt that we three needed to learn how to be men. Not only that but gentlemen as well, we are to treat women with respect, love and understanding, there is no excuse not to. We aren’t to be pushed around or let anyone insult us, play hard and play to win. It was as if we were in the army with him at times, but he also let our Mom instill a soft side to us as well, say, in showing our emotions and creativity.
When we were growing up all the other kids wanted a Pops like ours, he built tree forts and games and go karts with us. He played paint ball and coached little league and did the grill outs and beach parties like a champ. When we hit out teens he became a little sterner with us, I think it was because he didn’t want to become a grandfather before he hit his forties.
Then my Mom has several rounds of sickness, that I believe threw him for a loop, he became shut off from the world in one sense. He did evil things in desperation at the time we thought we might lose her. Some I don’t like to think about because it still makes my blood boil.
He also was starting his own firm, which I do know how it is to start your own business, how stressful it is. One minute you’re flying high and the next you lost a huge client. Still none of these are excuses for the atrocious acts he’s pulled.
So with all that babble above we hit the current time of last Friday night….. it didn’t go well…..

Friday!

We made it! I say “we” because it irks me at times when the conversation is always one sided, “I” this and that. I had super long conversations with an old friend today, she was all about how she didn’t feel well, how her job was going and her family life, not once did she ask about me…. I wanted to tell her about the house!
Well “I” moved the vast majority of my worldly possessions to the garage in the last two days. Not that had enough to fill the garage, but one side is pretty well cluttered plus room for my bike. In the house there is my bedroom suite, some bathroom essentials and kitchen ware and two TVs. That’s enough to keep me going until the garage is sorted and cleaned.
Since my days of college I’ve collected a few odds and ends that do need to be chunked out to the garbage. During the cooler weather and weekends I plan on working on that.
When I walk in the house it echoes from the tile or hard wood and my boots, everyone that knows me, knows I clump when I walk as well. Still no living room furniture to be placed and knock down the noise levels a bit.
Lori and I are going to look for her bedroom furniture this weekend, nothing frilly due to the fact she won’t be the only one sleeping in the room. It’s the guest bedroom; in her mind she thinks it’s hers only. She can have it if she decides to spend the night instead of hanging out at Gs or if Mom and Pops decide to kiss and make up and travel she has a place to lay her head.
The other bedroom is going to be my office for a while, I think Mom and G are looking for the dining room and kitchen tables; my only concern is the living room. Tonight will be my first night there, the cable and internet are set to go as well as the electrical and water, all I need to add is me.
Did I do as I said and lay into Pops? Tune in next week and find out!

Tuesday’s child….

I do have far to go, not sure if I am a Tuesdays’ child although, oh of course I could use one of those handy dandy “What day were you born on” web pages but I’m too lazy. Hopefully this weekend I can move in a few items into the new house, nothing major yet because I still have some things to do around.
The garage is set and I plan on filling that up first with everything that needs to be moved in. Then in a slow drawn out process move each item I want into the house and discard what is no longer needed.
Lori spent most the day with me; she’s out of school this week with fall break. We went on a pumpkin hunt, since she is so confident I will have hundreds of trick or treaters this year. Which included the decorations and of course candy, yes we are early and yes the candy will be gone before the 31st, that’s how it works right?
Chatted a while with Luke some last night, one kid is a monkey and the other they don’t know yet. Kyle jumps from Batman to Superman, I say let him be a combo of the two. Kyle has a little girlfriend now in his class, they sit and pretend not to like each other but manage to play during the outside time. The teacher called to let Luke and Julie know about his antics during the day. What she doesn’t know is they go to Sunday school together as well.
Pop blew a gasket Sunday night, something about work and Jacks grabbed one of his tools and he needed. Jacks didn’t take any of Pops drafting tools, he just wanted to rant, after an hour or so of throwing out four letter words and all of us ignoring him he finally shut up. Mom has been speaking to the preacher once more about him wanting him to do more counseling. It’s a waste in my opinion but I won’t hold anyone back.
Michelle and Trace have invited me to dinner Friday night; I haven’t had the chance to see them since they have returned from the honeymoon.

2 Weeks

That’s how much longer it should take me to be able to start moving out. Am I happy? YES! This means moving away from the idiot or as Jess and I like to call him “ASSHOLE” yes in all caps.
For the last week, he has been rambling around the house making life miserable. I think it’s all because he knows it’s almost time for me to fly the coup. He rants about the yard, the TV or that I’m not in school, if I leave the news paper out of order, my clothes or boots. I work outside for a living, not pushing a scale and pen around so I sweat, get mucky and grimy, which means my clothes do as well. I don’t ask him to do my laundry; if he hadn’t drawn the house he’d not know where that damn room was! He complains that it’s in the laundry room and wants it out. Well, soon old man you will be getting your wish.
Yesterday, he was in an lather because Jacks sent him a thank you card for his birthday present, anyone else would be grateful for the acknowledgment “Generic card, the stupid brat!” he ripped it to shreds and insisted on calling to low rate him on the phone. Hey, I got one and so did Mom and G and PG and Lori, we thought it was very sweet of him to think to do. Lori giggled because Jacks drew some cartoon guy in hers; each of ours had some special note inside. Ok, maybe his didn’t but what does he expect? He pushed Jacks and continues to harass him, with insults and threats.
He tried to bribe Mom with a new car, she drives it of course but she’s still angry with him and told him the garage apartment would serve his purposes very well. Mom is in shock over his attitude and I catch them in heated battles often. She is confused as I about his actions.
Lori still won’t be in the same room as he; she scowls when he comes home and gives him dirty looks. She tells G that he is a mean man and he doesn’t love her Jacks and Mark like he should.
My PG at times says he wishes he was 30 years younger to pin him against the wall and tell him a thing or two. Now that would be a site to see, I made the offer to pin him and he could do the talking.
A few summers we visited his parents in Florida, his father is nothing like him. He is kind and considerate, like my Pops was in earlier days. His mom is funny, she likes to sew and do crafts, loves e-bay and reading my blog –waves to grandma- during my visit I tried to get to the root of why only my Pops out of 5 boys would be like this, I still don’t see why.
Well old man, soon enough I will be gone, you will only have Lori to scowl at you and Mom, just as you wanted it. The first thing I plan on doing is having a “Getting away from the asshole” party and then invite Jacks to paint my dining room wall.