August 20, 2003

My calve muscle is messed up. I am almost limping. It was another ten hours of tedious bullshit at work with the tedium only being interrupted by annoying phone calls from assholes and morons (not you). I came home to a dark hot apartment and painted. Laurie picked out a color for the dining room called either Invisible Blue or Blue Imagination. It was the hardest color I have ever painted with as far as seeing it on the wall goes. It is very light but not light like white where you can see it. I am now blind from painting. Also, to make matters even more fun, it was hotter than hell in the apartment and the one cat would not stop howling and following me. (One day I am going to write a book about my love affair with cats entitled: “I Really Love Cats. No, Really. I Really Love Cats. I Love the Smell. I Love the Howling. I Love there Being Cat Toys and Those Plastic Rings from Milk Jugs Everywhere. I Love the Hair. I Love Litter. I Guess I Just Love Cats. No, Really, I Really Love Cats.”) I listened to the new Guided by Voices while I painted. It was OK but I am afraid that my bad mood is causing me to not love it as much as I should or could. In fact, only one tune (track 6) really jumped out as memorable after a couple of listens. Now, I am listening to “Heartbreaker” by Free and trying to forget the fact that I am still as mad as hell.

posted by Thea at 9:45 PM

August 19, 2003

I actually sat there for about a minute trying to figure out a way out of running tonight. Like there was no way that I could get my George W. Bush four 5Ks a week in if I did not run tonight. Not with the schedule I have this week. Going tonight was the only way that I could them all in. But I sat there for about a minute, not wanting to run and trying to figure a way out of it. I was 2.75 miles in when the pain in my right foot and calf started getting serious. I felt a couple of twinges – like something was going to snap. So I stopped and walked the rest of the way. It hurts but I think I might have let up before I did some serious damage. It would be ironic (I think) if I pulled my right calf muscle the week of my wedding Anniversary considering I was crippled on my wedding day because my nerves would not let me stop running on a pulled calf muscle. I don’t have such bad nerves anymore. I can stop running when the pain is about to get serious. I was climbing on a ladder painting before I ran. That might have done it. Or maybe my right foot is all thrashed out from yesterday’s gig. Who knows? Now I am going to have to pay attention to this.

posted by Thea at 10:59 PM

August 17, 2003

BLOG. Weekend Edition.

Thursday. I was on the fortieth floor of Key Center. Reading old documents scanned into the computer. Then typing into the computer what they say. I noticed that the air conditioner – one of those hanging from the ceiling units that they install to keep rooms filled with computer equipment cooler – cut out and then went back on in a matter of seconds. And then everybody’s equipment froze up. And then the power went out. At first we thought it was just the two computer rooms but then we found out it was the whole building. I sat there for a couple of minutes and then looked out the window at all of the other buildings with apparently no lights. No fear. I did not really feel dread or anything. But if I was going to have one of those worried moments that come with working in a tall building, that would have been it. They shut down the office pretty fast. I found my former secretary and made sure that she was OK. We walked down the stairs. There was a women right in front of us in the stairwell that made me start thinking of “The Poseidon Adventure”. My former secretary knew to use the line about how Shelly Winters used to be a swimming champion when we were safe on the ground. I waited with my former secretary for her husband. Then took the bus home. What did we do with no power? Ate some chicken so it would not go bad. Walked around. Lit candles. Listened to how quiet it was. Listened to the radio. Thought that it was not so bad. Had a restless night’s sleep because of the heat.

Friday. It was 7:15 a.m. when the power came back on in Lakewood, OH. I called into to work and heard the voice mail that said the mayor was asking people not to come into work until noon. And then I heard the voice mail from the woman who is the leader of this project that I am over working on who said to come it at normal time. That her and the IT department were working all night to get the computers up and running. What? What motivates people to get really involved with the office? For me, the office is a place to go to make money to do stuff that I actually want to do – outside of the office. Work is what gets in the way of me living my life. It is a necessary evil. It is what I do to pay the bills. Then, on the other hand, there are these people that are really into work. Like really into it. Like Baby Fea is into drinking coffee into it. That is seriously fucked up. I mean, I understand the whole wanting to do a good job for the sake of itself thing. I get it. That is why I don’t sleep anymore than I do on the job. But when work motivates you to get in the grills of others. And force them to do things that they don’t want to do – like working – then there is a problem. I took a shower in anger. I got ready for work – mad. I cursed this woman a blue streak. I was preparing to give her the “Job/Career” speech (as in pointing out the difference in the two). I called my voice mail right before I left home. There was another voice mail from her, very disappointed sounding, saying that the project was going to comply with the mayor’s wishes and not start until noon. She sounded bummed. I was pumped. I ran. I drank an ass load of un-boiled water. I did laundry. Then the power went out again as I was leaving for the office, allowing me the opportunity to mock the fear of those around me, since I was filled with verasmo from the run. Work sucked. Work was everybody telling the same stories over and over again about what they did with no power. I know. You bought water and batteries. I heard that one before. I went home. I have no idea what I did after that. I know I went out with my friend Dave. I know we got to the Grog Shop and it had no power. I know we went to Little Matty Bumpo’s new warehouse to see walls being constructed.

Saturday. I bought some drumheads. I bought some stuff to use on the apartment. I worked on the drums. I worked on the apartment. I listened to the Sonics. I heard the songs that the Velvet Underground ripped off the Sonics. I said to myself that I want to rip off the Sonics too. I went to see Smokin’ Steve and Associates at Pat’s in the Flats. I talked to Baby Fea on the patio. It was the first time in a long time that I was reminded that she was not just this person that I do a radio show with or this person that I talk to while I am at work when I don’t want to think about work but would rather (“rather” said in the Baby Fea affected accent) listen to accounts days of full activity and commentary regarding the television. Wait a minute. Baby Fea is really my old friend Thea. Hey! (“hey” said like a gay horse) Do you remember when we used to be friends? I am normally amused by the Baby Fea stick. I will admit, sometimes I say to myself: All that stick. Is the stick ever going to end? What’s with all that stick? Is there anything beyond the stick? Yes there is. I got some stick free Thea last night and it was pretty cool. Still some affected accents to remind me of the stick but basically stick free. It really was like hanging out with an old friend after many years of not hanging out.

Today. I feel like I have a lot to do today. Of course, I don’t really feel like doing anything. I am going to run. Literally. Then practice. sleepykid opens up for the Dreadful Yawns and the Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Grog Shop tomorrow. Then work on the apartment. Then think about the book (AKA the Smokin’ Steve Story) that I am starting on Tuesday. Then dread work. That’s it. As of Sunday morning, WCSB, home of the Assholier than Thou Good Times Happy Friends Monday Morning Radio Show, is off the air. If we are not on the radio tomorrow, don’t listen.

posted by Thea at 9:20 AM