While I was having my disgraceful mini-meltdown last week, I kept telling Toney, “I just want things to be normal again. I crave normalcy…” And I think that was the root of the problem.
I was working a lot of hours, Toney took a temporary job at Borders (did I tell you guys about that?), and the boys are always off doing a million different things. After school started a few weeks ago, I never saw anyone. Almost literally. Toney was even working every Saturday night at the bookstore. And Saturdays are what my entire work weeks are pointed toward.
Everything was screwed up, and I might as well have been in Portland, Oregon or Dallas, Texas, or whatever. I communicated with Toney via text message, and talked to the boys on the phone before they went to bed every night.
Plus, I was exhausted and always get depressed when I’m tired.
But things are getting better. Borders is officially closed (I felt guilty for screaming “Close already!!” about a bookstore), and I’m not going to be working as much overtime because Toney is back at her regular job. I can eeeease back on it a little bit. Augusts are always tough on us, but the remnants of August 2011 are almost washed out of our system. We survived another one, somehow.
In fact, this past Saturday provided the normalcy I was craving. I worked in the morning (7 a.m. — an ungodly hour of the day) but was home by noon. We had lunch, and I fell asleep in a chair. And when I finally regained consciousness, and shook the cobwebs from my head, Toney asked if I wanted to go to the farmers market with her.
We bought a bunch of imperfect but delicious fruits and vegetables, and I enjoyed an amazing apple while driving. In fact, I’m experiencing apple nostalgia just thinking about it… It tasted like apples from when I was a kid. I love the farmers market for some reason, always have.
After we dropped off the food, we decided to go the state park for a walk. It felt like fall outside, and we needed to be in the middle of it. Fall is my favorite time of year, and Toney’s too.
While walking, we talked about a lot of things, and I could feel the tension evaporating. All the panic and anxiety I’d been living with was pretty much gone by the end of our stroll around the lake. We decided some things that alleviate a lot of our self-created pressure. Toney reminded me that we can’t control everything, and I’m embarrassed that it required a reminder.
Yeah, just a simple walk ‘n’ talk — something that was impossibly out of reach for the past several weeks — works miracles sometimes.
We told the boys they needed to stay home in the evening, to cut down on the chaos — and give me an opportunity to, you know, spend some time with them. The older one was a little irritated, but didn’t put up too much of an argument.
Toney and I cracked open a seasonal microbrew (I’ve been enjoying the golden elixir in extreme moderation over the past few weeks), and I sat down and watched Damnation Alley with the boys. I first saw it in a theater when I was fourteen, and hoped they’d get a similar kick out of it. It’s a big ol’ cheesy post-apocalyptic science fiction flick, featuring flesh-stripping cockroaches, and Jan-Michael Vincent riding a motorcycle between giant, mutated scorpions.
They loved it, and we had a blast watching it. We had a running commentary throughout, and it was a lot of fun.
After a good dinner, Toney and I watched three episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, off the DVR. We finally got the Big Ass Television fixed (after what, two months?), and have some catching-up to do. Good stuff.
Yeah, it was close to a perfect day. And it required very little money to accomplish. Just some free time, and all of us being home without bitching and complaining and feeling down in the dumps… A positive attitude, and a little togetherness, and I feel roughly a million times better.
What about you? What did you do this weekend? I hope it was as pleasant as ours. Tell us about it in the comments.
And I’ll be back tomorrow. Oh… I know I owe some of you t-shirts and books, and I promise to get everything caught-up during the upcoming weekend (which starts on Thursday). Thanks for bearing with me. I know it’s difficult sometimes…
Have a great day, boys and girls!
Now playing in the bunker
Treat yourself to something cool at Amazon.
I murdered squirrels this weekend.
How many did you get? Reds or Grays?
Just two grays. We hunted the morning, but ended up chopping firewood. I used my new, tiny little Marlin Papoose. It is a tack driver.
There is just too many leaves, the DNR started the season a month early.
Great fun though.
Only 10 days ’till bow season!
You shoot squirrels with a bow? You must be a hell of a shot.
I got two deer last deer season but I had to throw them back…I couldn’t get them in the boat.
You guys should try hunting hummingbirds. I picked off three this morning with my BB gun. Can’t use a shotgun, I found, because there’s nothing left.
Of course not silly, I hunt bows. I got a nice compound and a re-curve last year with my howitzer.
Good Afternoon Surf Reporters…..
My weekend was typical; worked Saturday, then drank my face off. Woke Sunday late, watched the Steelers game, drank my face off.
Oh, and I ate something at one point too. It’s all a bit hazy.
You took a walk? And talked about your feelings?
Homo.
See.. I thought that was endearing. Jeff rarely shares this side of himself. The fact that he was all bunched up over lack of family connection added a whole to layer to the man.
Good for you, Jeff! I am glad Tony does that for you.
For years I read this site and had no idea he had children.
YAY! He will soon send my book!
I know I was late in purchasing a hard-copy of the book, but I wanted a signed one and unemployment prevented me from ordering it earlier. When he offered it up again a month ago I decided to oblige myself regardless of circumstance. I know it will be worth it. Will offer up my favorite parts on the OTHER site, as requested.
Endearing and cheaper than a Corvette!
Welcome back Jeff. We missed you.
Yeah, some normalcy would be great.
I’m working three! jobs right now, so Thursday to Saturday sucks.
Thursday and Firday is 8-1:30 at job one, 2-11 at Job 2.
Saturday is 0700-1930 (7a-730p if you like).
Thats 44 hours in 3 days, not a minute of overtime.
Sunday I basically melted down with a cold, slept 10 hours, woke up for a while, went back to bed for about 5 hours, got up for 6 and slept until the alarm went off at 6.
Next weekend will be better though, I’m not working Saturday,
You’re in the medicine field, yes? I don’t get why we push people in the medical field so hard when even the smallest mistake can have dire consequences…
Are all three jobs similar?
I’m an RN, yes. The jobs are actually pretty different, which is one of the cool things about this line of work.
M-F I’m mostly wound care and hyperbarics. Usually wound care, but if there’s a critically ill patient I do go in the chamber. I’m also on-call for the chamber most nights.
Th-F 2-11P I’m a clinical instructor supervising 7 student nurses on a med/surg floor.
And about every other weekend I work in Neuro-Trauma intensive care at a rather busy innercity trauma hospital.
Surprisingly, I feel less fatigued than when I was working 40-50 hours in ICU alone.
We push hard, I think, for a bunch of reasons. First is business, because it’s less expensive to be slightly understaffed and pay overtime and hire what amounts to temps than it is to have full rosteres of people.
Also, when stuff happens and we’re all busy we have to be able to make good decisions even when we’re tired. Play like you practice, right?
Last, we work as a team when patients are starting to go bad, so there’s always a back-up. Even the docs nowdays listen to opinions and ideas from up and down the chain of command and are smart enough to recognize a good idea wherever it comes from.
I’d say surprisingly few mistakes are just because someone was tired.
That Bengals game was a heart breaker.
Friday we laid low and had some decent pizza.
Saturday we had thai food, I cleaned a bit, went to the bar for a minute, went to a new burger joint which was excellent but 23 bucks for 2 drinks, 2 burgers, and 2 orders of fries! Then to another bar to meet a friend and watch the Sooners, then home to watch some of the Cowboys which was rain delayed until next year or so.
Sunday I watched the Bengals at a local gastropub (what a stupid name) then had shoe leather steaks for dinner then watched bad tv.
Good times.
And Jeff, glad to have you back.
We did the farmer’s market thing too. The tomatoes, garlic and herbs we bought were baked off in some olive oil that became a sauce for later in the day with potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas still in the pods (de podded for cooking), onions and chicken. All but the chicken and oil was bought at the farmers market. We shopped local. We were smiled at by some nice people. The house smelled wonderful.
Yes I’ve changed my position on vegetables – they no longer need to take it up the ass. Yes, I am a classy guy.
I have not seen any wasps since we were treated a few days ago. Best $124 I ever spent as we tried the foam a good 3 or 4 times and they just hid until it dissipated. My version of Billy wasn’t ask awesome but he did a good job. I put a sign out front made of cardboard that said “WASPS” since I didn’t want some little girl guide or paper boy to get stung…. I wonder how my Muslim friend across the road felt about me putting up a sign about white anglo saxon protistants…. ? not a protistant… not even sure if I’m a saxon…
I did do a little work this weekend and it actually was productive – I solved a technical challenge I was having with excel – it was a fist pumping kind of resolution too….
I went to Blockbuster while out shopping – everything is 40% off and it’s in its death throes… the store look like male patterned baldness with all the empty shelves in the middle. It’s sad to me… BB had been part of our life for about 20 years I guess. I picked up a few but not as many as you would think now that we have movie channels and a PVR on the satelite. We have about 400 DVDs but already have over 100 movies on PVR. I have movies I haven’t watched from the DVD and many I haven’t from the PVR… If I stop sleeping I might get through them all.
I’m only 49 but for some reason “Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House” makes me smile and somehow the idea of watching that old of a movie after having digitally recorded it from a satelite down link to later play it back on a plasma TV is deliciously ironic.
Today hurts just to move. The arthritis in my shoulders is a bitch and none of the usual meds are helping… It’s cold and damp outside so that’s usually the trigger. Just like wasps, arthritis serves no purpose… Wasps and arthritis can take it up the ass. HARD.
Jeff – good to here your period is over. The flow from this one must have been quite heavy given the funk you were in.
Told you I was a classy guy.
I worked all weekend as well. Friday night in liquor store- didn’t get shot. And 2 tweve hour grocery store days. Back to the real job today. No normalcy, ever.
The farmer’s market here charges twice as much as the grocery stores. I only go to them to tell them that.
The state parks here charge you to walk in them.
My meltdown is crawling at a slow burn. When it peaks, it will be front page news.
AWG – we noticed that about the beaches in your fair country… I think if they must charge – it should be by the pound after a certain point. Say anything over 236 (I weigh 235) for guys and over (not goin’ there) for the girls.
Agreed. Or maybe charge per lack of material to cover said heft. Thongs and two piece band aid suits seem to be the costume of choice for the over 300 club AND the over 70 year old club here. I don’t EVER go to the beach anymore.
They used to have a nude beach on Lido here, and when I first moved here, that seemed tantalizing. One trip there, and the above mentioned were all I saw there. Never went again.
I went to a farmstand on Sunday! Got some endive and radishes and the farmstand lady told us we could each take an apple. I grabbed a Macintosh and felt very autumnal. Beloved took a gala. I didn’t try it yet but they smell heavenly. But I have to say, when I was making my apple selection, I kept looking over my shoulder expecting some semi-toothless “Deliverance” character to aim a shotgun at me and accuse me of “thieving”.
I was in an area where some of the locals think “Deliverance” was a love story…
So, you spent time with your family and you feel better. I WISH I had said something about making family time a priority.
I did two things this weekend.
1. I found out the old Harley can still motor along at 100mph quite nicely. But me, not so much. Literally, body parts start a-flapping at 60mph.
2. I incorporated Obama’s economic policies into my retirement planning. I’ve changed my retirement housing needs to “urn”.
Didn’t do a damned thing this weekend, although I discovered a wild turkey has been spending nights roosted on our balcony.
After seeing today’s bunker cam, I am considering changing my “name” to Pumpo the Clown. Incidentally, these machines appear to still be available: http://www.ezvending.net/ypb2000.html
Seems legit…
Went on a bike run Saturday. Perfect day to ride. Sunday was the Steeler game. So the world stops for me for those 3 hrs.
Just returned from my LAST drill with the National Guard! It just doesn’t get any better than that.
Excellent! And THANK YOU for your commitment.
Sidney…
I echo madz’s sentiment…thanks for your service.
jtb
Here Here!! Thank You Sid.
It was an honor to serve, but I’m sure in the hell glad it’s over. Thanks for the thanks!
Thank You, Sidney.
Feels good doesn’t it.
Good to hear Jeff.
Friday evening was the usual with the addition of a bonfire at the neighbors.
Saturday was a Fall Festival at the local state park and then back to a friends for a disappointing Buckeye football game in the Ineligi-bowl. The weather was nothing short of awesome.
Sunday watched the Browns win and the Bengalies lose.
We spent the weekend at a horror convention in the Baltimore area, selling out-of-print movies. It was a good time catching up with friends and meeting tons of celebrities. We are currently trying to make our part-time gig a full-time thing, so we are trying to hit just about every convention we can this year. It’s a lot of work, but it sure beats my “real” job.
That sounds like such a fantastic, unique weekend. Let me know if you’re headed to New York!
Thanks!
We’ll be kinda close to NYC for two shows at the end of October…
The weekend of Oct. 21 we will be in Asbury Park for three days for a Zombie Walk/Undead Festival.
and October 28-30 we will be in Parsippany, NJ for the Chiller Theatre Expo.
OMG…That is TOO FUN!! How bout the Pittsburgh area?
Parsippany is closer to me but Asbury is FUN.
Of course, October 20 I am conducting an all da event that starts around 3:30 AM. by )ctober 21, I WILL be the freaking walkin dead.
@bikerchick
I think we may be going to a Comic Book/Toy show in Monroeville during the first weekend of December. Even if we aren’t vending there, we’ll probably go for a day or so to check out the competition.
I went to Emerald to frolic with the gee gees.
jtb
jtb,
What is a “gee gee”? And, is it a hard “G” like Gut or a soft “g” as in George?
Took my new girfriend to the Pens practice along with my 6 year old Grandson on Sat.Great time. Made chili (with beans!) and watched them Stillers on Sunday.
Fancy work dinner on Friday night – good food, company and drink. I had lamb chops and John had Filet with crab cakes along with a bunch of fancy appetizers and shit like that and…score: Bombay Sapphire instead of my home brand.
Saturday loaded up husband and son and visited my dad for a couple of hours. Drove home, had some Fat Tires and Sweetwaters and watched College Football ad nauseam–I might’ve napped off a few times.
Sunday–totally lazy day finished with grilling the best burgers of my cooking career. Nary a harsh word spoken over the three days. Life is good, sometimes.
So, it seems as though the Surf Report is no longer consider funny.
It’s not blocked by my local government office due to “humor/jokes” anymore.
Oh, well fuck’em. The perils of Jeff’s life still crack me up..
We went to the local apple orchard this past weekend. They make pies and other goodness from scratch. You can watch them pick the apples (or pick them yourself), make pie crust from a pile of powder, and watch them mix sugar and fruit for filling.
The entire process is done on propery. Their pies are infuckingcredible.
I’ve eaten nothing but hot apple pie with a spoonful of whipped cream for three days now. I should be out of pie by Tuesday night.
i will be upset.
Found out Friday that my wife is a Goddamned liar. We were watching “house hunters” and I made a little bet with her. I thought they’d pick house 3, and if I was right I could do anything I wanted with her. They picked house 3 but when it came time for her to pay up she called me “sick” and “weird” and “perverted”, then she rolled over and went to bed.
Saturday morning I went to a DUI class and had to take a piss test in front of a guy with a fucking belly button piercing. I know, it’s my fault, but it wasn’t a conventional DUI. I was sitting in my car at a rental property that me and my bud had painted up a bit. Of course we drank many beers. The power wasn’t on in the house and it was hot as hell. So we went and sat in my truck so we could run the AC while we finished off our beers. Some whore neighbor called the police on us. I blew a .16 – lame. The cop was going on and on about how that was TWICE the legal limit, but I have to say, what they consider drunk and what I consider drunk are two different animals.
Sunday we went for a walk at this little mountaintop park that has a lake and an and old log cabin and a covered bridge. When we started across the bridge I lost sight of my 1.5 year old son (there are recent pictures of him on facebook if you please) and I heard a duck going insane. When I got to the foot of the bridge my son was walking up the bank of the small lake with a duck. He had it by its neck and was just swinging it around as he walked. I’ll go to my grave wondering how in the hell he managed to catch a fucking duck by the neck. When he heard me yelling he slung it into the water and walked slowly towards me as if nothing had happened. As far as I know the duck is fine.
Glad to hear that things are back to normal for Jeff. This weather, my God, I’m lovin it.
Welcome back, Jeff!
Sounds like a lot of autumnal fun for a number of the Reporters. The highlight of my weekend was attempting to mow the lawn, during which the mower broke. At least there was fantastic weather.
.
I did what I always do on a Saturday in the fall.
I drove from New Orleans to Clemson SC to watch the Tigers tear up on Auburn. Yes I am a southern redneck girl, I LOVE college football!!
I sometimes think I just live for college football season.
Is it Saturday yet????
All three of my recently discovered sisters called me after that. They live in Seneca, which is about 7 miles from the stadium. Clemson looks good this year. They usually do, until the later half of the season and they get upset by Joes College, or someone insignificant. Keeping fingers crossed.
AWG…it was one of the best games I’e ever seen.
Didn’t know your sisters moved to Seneca, my daughter got her under grad from Clemson.
You are definatly right about getting the big head and screwing up a season. It will be interesting to see what they do this week against FSU.
Game day in in Morgantown Saturday so that should be an interesting match up too.
These are sisters I didn’t know I had until 4 years ago, when I found out who my real Dad was (at age 46).
I like that area up there, but Seneca is a little too “middle of nowhere” for me. Anderson seems like a decent place that I might like to live one day.
Hmmm, sounds very familiar. I had a similar experience that I found out about at 38. We’ll have to exchange war stories someday.
Seneca is VERY middle of nowhere, Anderson….I think I’d pass, Greenville is VERY nice though. If you look at my FB friends list we have a classmate that lives in Greenville that I think owns a car dealership.
Anyway, I’m headed back to Clemson this weekend for football!!
My weekend was just a back to work thing. Had a foot long needle shoved into my chest for a liver biopsy on Thursday, flew back to Nome and was working a swing shift at the ol’ weather station Friday afternoon.
Phentonal is a GREAT drug…but it wears off fast. After the biopsy, I had to lat on my stomach for 2 hours, Man, it really sucked until the nurse put some oxycodone into the tube in my arm.
Be aware, however, if you are a guy…that your loving and caring wife just may be in the recovery room. The nurse asked me, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the pain. I quipped, “You need to revise the scale for men, how about: if you are watching TV with your wife, how would you rate the pain between House Hunters and America’s Got Talent,” II told the nurse, my pain level is somewhere around “Next Top Model.” The nurse started laughing, then I turned my head and saw that my wife was there in the room. “How long have you been in here,” I asked? To which she replied, “Oooooh, long enough!”
It’s cool that you have a sense of humor whilst in such pain and discomfort. Hope you get good news.
Just an FYI, it’s fentanyl.
Spent friday night at a local street fair with the missus…she froze her butt off, but I was nice and comfy in the cool air. Woke up Saturday for “brunch”, then went to a wedding outside where during the vows, my dad and a bunch of my friends cracked beers open. Classy group of folks. Sunday did the whole “brunch” thing again, and then spent the day at a gun show. Pretty good weekend.
On Friday night we had the closing on our mortgage refinance. No payment until the end of Oct, and a refund check for the 2 months we’ve paid since the process started. That makes me very, very happy. My husband and daughter camped out in the back yard that night. Our tent does not leak we found out. It rained quite a bit.
On Saturday my husband and I went to a Foo Fighters concert. They played for 3 hours. It got over at midnight. I am so glad we went, but I’m getting too old for that shit.
Sunday we went to a park and had a picnic with some friends. All in all a good weekend.
yer never too old to rock n roll jera…even if it was the foo fighters 😉
I actually had a weekend away from family. Went to Phillip Island to watch the V8 Supercars Race, stayed at a mates beach house, had a spit roast and drank copious amounts of beer…..how’s it feel not knowing what the fuck I’m talking about instead of the other way round?!!!!
What’s so hard to understand, ditched the wife and kids, went to a motor car race, crashed at a bud’s house, grilled some meat and slammed a bunch of brewskies!
Am I the only one who read this update and felt like I’d just watched a commercial for a male enhancement drug…or tamons, or douche? Hello?
buck Out