"Ain't no cure for the summertime blues..."

Well, so here we are. It's a zillion degrees outside, the rain has stopped falling, the ground is beginning to harden, and the air conditioner runs non-stop all day long. I hate summer in Arkansas! My mom was bragging about how it was 50º there the other night. FIFTY! And here we're stuck with hot, humid nights and hotter, nasty humid days. Damn summers.

The kids will soon settle in with Leslie and I. The girl has been busy with this function and that function, but she's finally settling down, and she'll be moving in for at least the summer in a couple of days. As for the boy...what can I say? He has been somewhat of a disappointment from afar, but when I get him here, 1-on-1, it's amazing how grown up he really is. I had a conversation with him the other night that I never in a million years imagined having with him. Not only did it open doors for both of us, it helped develop a bond that we've been missing for a very long time. I guess divorce and distance will do that...but that doesn't mean I have to like it. My kids are my life, and I will do anything to see to it that they are happy. So far, I'm accomplishing that goal. We'll see how things pan out after summer is over.

Ahh, current events. Where shall I begin? How is it that some mutant freak like Michael Jackson can get off on ALL counts? Can money really buy that kind of verdict? Fame? Jealousy? What was it? He CERTAINLY isn't INNOCENT! The real criminals there are the parents. What kind of asinine judgement did they use to allow their pre-teen children to spend the night with a questionable creep like Jackson? Was it just a chance for them to say "My kid is Michael Jackson's personal ass bitch"? Good God...had it been MY kids, they would never find the pieces. He would disappear without a trace, and nobody would miss him. But I digress...

The situation in Aruba is sad. Here a girl with very little street smarts goes running off with someone she thought was a 'buddy', and has likely paid with her life. And what's worse is, the suspects are one by one being cleared. I guess if we ever wanted to commit a murder, we know where to go.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I see it. I welcome your questions and comments...or your silence. Read all you want...I'll type more! So, until next time...

Summer has arrived

It has now gotten into June, and with June comes the typical Arkansas summer things--drought, hot, humidity, heat, sunburn, ungodly heat, swimming pools, heatstroke, etc. Have I mentioned how much I hate an Arkansas summer? I long for the days when there is snow on the ground in April, and then again by October! Cody, Wyoming would be such a place, and that is where I will end up sometime around the year 2012. I will fulfill my duties to my children, but then it's off to the wild, wild west. No more are the dry counties, the ignorant drivers, the moronic bible thumpers and the unrelenting hot summers. Wyoming has "hot" summers, but they're brief, and interrupted by bouts of rain and cooler weather. I can live with that.

Many people have inquired about how things are with the kids. Well, they're out of school. That's about all I can say. My daughter is in Washington, DC, on some kind of educational trip with kids from the surrounding area. She comes back next week, only to ship off once again to band camp for a week. After that, she'll be nestled in with us here in Little Rock for the duration of the summer--until we get moved. As for the boy...well, what can I say? He'll have his ass in summer school to gain the education he failed to achieve over the past 9 months. Apparently he has a mental block against Algebra II, so he gets to see it again over the summer. But not to fear...he'll be crashing here with us over the summer, too. There is a trip to Indiana, several hundred trips to Wild River Country, and a couple trips to Branson (Silver Dollar City) that will be somehow managed in amongst the already chaotic life we live. It's going to be a very interesting and fast-paced summer for all of us. I still have to try to get started on building the house, closing on the land, and selling this place! ACK!

OK, enough of that. It's hot outside, and I have to get the lawn mower serviced before I cut the grass this evening. After that, it's a 2-hour stroll through the Hillcrest/Heights neighborhoods with my lovely bride. She has begun to shed pounds like it's going out of style, and it's time I fell in place with her. I will have 40 pounds off by August come hell or high water, as my 20th class reunion will take place the last week of August. I can't show up with my steroid-induced bloat showing, so I have begun a wellness/fitness plan that includes lots of methylcellulose and water, multivitamins, and plenty of Subway sammiches and US Pizza salads. Combine that with an every-other-day 2 hour walk through the neighborhood, and the pounds should start coming off pretty quickly. Combine depression, a deep-seated love of chocolate and a bout with steroids, and you have yours truly resembling a pincushion. I'm not near the point I was at the last time I went on a fitness plan (about 3 years ago), but I don't want to get to that point, either! My goal, you ask? 230 pounds. My current weight? I would say 265, but that varies depending on how much water I drink. Gads, I drink a gallon a day...I'm expecting gills to sprout any day.

That's it for now. I noticed that I'm falling behind in the updates, but I guess that's what comes with the job and the lifestyle I have chosen. I suppose it could be much worse...but I'm always one to try to see the glass as half-full. So, stay in the air conditioning, have a cold beer, and have a great summer! Until next time...