Entropy and Dustbunnies

now that i'm done traveling for my leather titles, i decided that was time to clean my apartment; i mean really get crazy-thorough which included going room by room and spending a day on each room moving forniture to shampoo the carpets, i spent two hours scrubbing the kitchen floor; when i was done with the bathroom it smelled like a hospital; i washed window blinds in the bathtub...

but i guess i can't keep my apartment clean to save my life-- the junk mail builds up; dishes piled up while i was concentrating on other power-cleaning; i never did have the laundry-fest that i so desperately need... i even started a couple leatherwork projects and i have yet to clean up after myself on those.

okay, scraps of leather on the living room floor are a far cry from something as bad as moldy dishes under the couch (which i did NOT have before i started my power cleaning, i'm just using it as an extreme example...)

i just can't fathom why not making a mess is SO HARD... and now i'll be working on my Hallowe'en costume as well, and i probably WON'T clean up my leather mess first even though i'm done with what i was working on (sword belt with pistol hook, and a shoulder strap for my smaller shine box...)

and as my cat knocks stuff down behind me as he climbs and explores i realize that it doesn't help that i have two very zany and active cats that will forever contribute to the chaos that is my apartment...

When smoke gets in your eyes

even though nicotene is a stimulant, smoking can actually calm a person down. it's because the smoker is putting so much "thought" into the act of breathing, kinda like yoga. seriously, like yoga.

of course in the long run, yoga is better for you than smoking.

the best part about smoking is all of the accessories-- shiny lighters, fancy cigarette cases, hand-rolled cigarettes. And give me a Black Russian over a Marlboro any day... Cloves are a special treat, too. when i started my leather title traveling, i took up smoking again and i would pretty much just smoke at events. now that i'm done with the title circuit, i still smoke some, but i can go days or weeks without touching a cigarette, smoke a pack in a night, and go weeks again without one.

lately i've been getting into pipe smoking. it's smells nicer, is more "dignified", cheaper than cigarettes, satisfies the oral fixation, conversation piece at bars (the few bars that will let you smoke a pipe). AND IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ACCESSORIES.

i have a Meerschaum pipe carved with a lion's face on it. i have wooden cess pieces that i use as pipe tamps. i currently have three flavors of tobacco. i keep all of it in a tin box. i also have a LONG stem clay pipe. the long stem helps keep the smoke cooler.

i've had a couple pipe smoking dreams in the last week. the earlier one was a pipe smoking party (essentially) and the dream included actual people in my life. LOTS of fancy smoking gear.

last night's dream i was at a real bar here in Milwaukee (one that DOESN'T allow pipe smoking, ironically) and the bartender gave me a pipe to smoke that was filled with what looked more like a mixed greens salad than anything else. kinda tasted minty. and NO it wasn't pot. the pipe didn't have a stem and it strongly resembled a tree stump. you kinda just put it near your mouth (there was no stem, remember?) and inhaled.

Uhle's, a tobacco shop downtown has a couple flavors that i want to try; one is the House Blend flavored with vanilla and maple. they have another blend with chocolate. i've been meaning to stop up there. i might still do that today, but i'll have to do it soon. right now, i don't even have pants on. got out of the shower and had myself a pipeful of Prince Albert vanilla in my longstem clay pipe.

Alternate Reality

i just saw a commercial for a Special Edition of the movie Titanic with three extra hours of bonus features and an alternate ending...

"Alternate ending"? what, the HMS Titanic DOESN'T SINK?

Like the Weather

i am actually one of those people that has aches and pains when the weather changes, and gosh it makes me feel old. it's from an injury that i got back in 1992, and it has been bothering me ever since, but i was just thinking about it today because my foot is aching today...

back in 1992 we went out the night before New Year's Eve to go see a band called Wild Kingdom (they were basically an institution here in Milwaukee at the time) and by the end of the night my foot was pretty sore, but i didn't think about it too much.

the next day when i woke up, i got out of bed and FELL OVER from the pain in my foot...

i crawled to the bathroom by basically sliding along on my side pulling myself across the living room by pulling on the couch.

it took me all day to manage to put weight on my foot to be able to stand and walk, and i used a "cane" (broomstick) for several weeks to get around town. i didn't have insurance, i couldn't afford to go to the doctor. i just dealt with the pain and didn't think too much of it.

i later found out (years later) that i BROKE my foot. it aches when it gets cold or damp out. my right foot is significantly larger than my left-- i bought a pair of army cold weather boots. the left boot fits perfect but the right boot (these boots are rubber and felt, not leather, so there is no give to them) the right boot does not fit. i went to a surplus store and tried on boots... the next size larger is WAY too big for my left foot but fits my right foot perfect... so i have to wear a 5R ("regular") on my left foot and a 5W (wide) on my right. luckily i found two pairs for cheap enough to make it affordable to buy two pairs to fit my goofy feet...

i just don't know what to do with the other two boots...

boys and girls

You Are 60% Boyish and 40% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

What's in a name?

In Germany, boy babies must be given boy names and girl babies must be given girl names; it's the law. Gener-ambiguous names my st be qualified with a hyphenated name or middle name that clarifies the child's gender. IT'S THE LAW.

i am watching "Run Lola, Run" ("Lola Rennt" auf Deutsch) and since i'm only listening and not really watching, i thought that i would try listening with the English language track.

i lasted about 30 seconds. hell no.

"Das Boot" was done very well, but i won't watch this with the English. Franke Potente speaks English, so they shoudl have at least had her speak her own part...

die Tasche, die Tasche, DIE TASCHE....

PS: Manni looks a bit like the only boyfriend i have ever had. My boyfriend did actually spend his first four years or so of life in Germany...