Watertown, NY, USA . "Public Square" (vintage, date unknown) but the monument is honoring veterans of the American Civil War so the date of the image is late 1800s

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

i feel like i've been drug through a knothole backwards, this day was a pip, i did manage to get most of the way caught back to eben but dang i'm exhausted.....feel bad after work, usually just do my grocery shopping on the way home, but came home took a shower and felt much better so went out and got it done.....have taken it easy tonight, sat out for a while, beautiful evening if a bit cool,
tomorrow is the concert in the park and fireworks, don't think i'll go but i can see the fireworks good from my front yard, i live just down from the park....

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

it's been a strange day weatherwise, it started out sunny and cool, then quite warm, then clouded over and rained, and now the sunny is out but a bit on the cool side....
on one of my trips to the warehouse today i had a doe and her fawn cross in front of me from the river side of water st to the ticket on the farside of the road, really nice doe and cute as a button fawn....eventhough i live in a city of 35,000 or so i think we probably share it with several 100 white tail deer......
work was a monster and i am way behind, will have to really put it in gear tomorrow.....

Monday, June 28, 2004

(trollie hops in.....trollie's hopping mad.....well not really but just peeved......trollie's per peeve #56748....)
i really get irritated when somebody i don't really know.....ie...a contact person for a vendor or a salesperson calls me dear, or honey or some other form of endearment......particularly a business contact over the phone....i mean how unprofessional can you get.....i'm tempted to say...no i'm not....i'm a dirt, rotten, miserable sob....and i really am insulted that your messin' with my image....heck i don't really like to be called such names by a S.O.........much less by some one i don't really know

Sunday, June 27, 2004

it's late, and i'm tired(so what's new seems like i only blog when i'm tired), so this will be short (probably)
not a bad day, not a good day, just a day, hectic as usual but i feel ok, a bit bored with my own company but then i really don't feel like making an effort to get out, i'm just too old to start over again, and right now just don't want to spend the emotion necessary to try, will eventually change my mind i'm sure but right now......bored isn't bad....
i have 3 very irritated cats, very jumpy, it's the beginning of fireworks season, and the loud noises probably scares a couple of their nine lives right out of them, the worst will be thursday as the site is probably less then a half mile as the crow flies from the house, maybe i'll invest in little ear plugs, much consoling will be necessary

Saturday, June 26, 2004

i laundered money today, literally, not figuratively, while moving a load from the washer to the dryer i heard something jingle and reached into a pocket and not only found change but a wet, clean dollar bill, i must learn to check the pockets before i put cloth in the washer
actually got out of work quicker then i thought i would, i'm sitting here trying to figure out what i forgot to do.....although i did get a call from work tonight but didn't need to go in, a question i could answer over the phone, we have a 24/6 operation and sometimes 24/7, and unfortunately i can get called anytime day or night.....such is the price of fame (hehe)
have had an uneventful day if you discount the fact that i smoked up the house pretty good, something i had in the oven ran over...oops....
but feel relaxed and good tonight.......but tired....nite all

Friday, June 25, 2004

talk about the day starting off bad, awoke this morning to a strange humming sound, rolled over to see what time it was 7:32, and the low strange hum was what was left of the alarm clock's alarm, apparently it had given up the ghost, well sprint to work. got there just in time and the day went down hill from there, both out bounds were already there but the transfer hadn't moved, later in the day i got a load i wasn't expecting, apparently the supplier had got the schedule wrong, and at least a dozen other things that really had me jumping, worst is i didn't get within 100 miles of even looking at inventory so tomorrow will probably end up a half day at least....
but have had a nice night so far, very low brow dinner, burger,fries,and onion rings....i have discovered the broiler and have gone nuts (well i guess most would say i've always been nuts)
now to the alarm clock part two, have you tried to buy an alarm clock recently...i was looking for a simple electric ( ie plug in ) alarm clock....the simplest one ( relatively speaking) i could find i swear you need a PhD in astro-physics to figure out, the dang thing has a go to sleep mode that plays outdoor sounds....i'm about as new age as a raptor...sheesshhhh!!!!!, and 3 different alarms, bells, chimes and something call cathedral....i'm half expecting a performance by the Mormon tabernacle choir.....all i wanted was a simple alarm clock....nuts

Thursday, June 24, 2004

i've been getting a large number of search engine hits lately, just really weird ones, you'd think that people would learn to use a search engine, they don't use "" or +'s, and so the engine if it finds the words anyway in the site, in any order you get a hit, let's face it, after blogging for well over a year and a half and 100's on entries i've used most of the standard words and some of the more obscure words in the english language at one time or another, really i think there are a whole heck of a lot of people out there that would benefit from "search engines for dummies"
had the afternoon off and spent a good deal of it slaving over a hot stove, made my pot of stew/soup/boiled dinner for the week, what i cook is kind of a hybrid of the afore mentioned, taking a bit from each....as usual forgot to add something but it came out okay, no two are ever the same.....

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

i feel good tonight, arthritis is not very bad, and really have had a relatively easy day, despite the fact that i had to stay a little late, did some grocery shopping and have just taken it easy all evening, i need to mow but the grass is still a little wet so i think i'll wait until tomorrow....
i almost clipped a guy with the car going over to the warehouse during the day, he just step off the sidewalk into the street and never looked until he heard my brakes, it wasn't really close but it was fortunate that i was paying attention...

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

if it's one thing i hate it doing the same basic thing over and over again, we've been working on a quote for an overseas load which needs for the sake of cost to fill the container, using all of the usable space, well they've changed container size and contents and how much a % of each about 3 times a day it seems and i think i've re-figured the load space at least 10 times....i hope they finally have made up their minds, and the best part is that i've got some consolidation coming to add to the load and no one can tell me what cube it will take up so, i've had to make a SWAG and leave a little extra space(DEFINITION: SWAG...scientific wild ass guess.....)
was a very rainy, damp day, really struggled with the arthritis today...but it's a bit nicer tonight, humidity is still quite high...had a good rehearsal and i actually feel pretty good right now but have been a bit of a loose cannon tonight, can concentrate very long on anything....

Monday, June 21, 2004

i woke up this morning feeling physically better then yesterday, but not much, toyed with the idea of calling in and taking the whole day but had things i knew needed to be done, so worked a half day, have just relaxed this afternoon and earlier evening, watched the movie the rock...twice...hadn't seen it start to finish...not in my top ten or even twenty but did keep my attention...
think i'll turn in early tonight, feel better but wrung out

Sunday, June 20, 2004

NP: elgar's enigma variations, the 10th variation, the nimrod is probably one of my 2 or 3 favorite pieces of music, it helps lighten the dark mood i've been in of late, although i must admit that except for the physical discomfort i've been in today, this weekend has been one of the best in the last several months, i am turning the corner i think, or at least i feel like i can at least see the corner..........
actually got out of church this morning before 12:30 which is something of a recent record, it seems that as we added things to the service we subtract nothing, and it makes for a long morning, i have to be there at 9 for a rehearsal and then teach sunday school, i really enjoy it but i do get tired, it was quite cold last night and i awoke this morning with my arthritis really kicking up, and was very uncomfortable by the time service was over,
went to my daughters for lunch and that was a bit weird, her in-laws were there, late, and a young baby who isn't well, sad, but it makes for a stressful time, that really i wasn't prepared for, left as soon as it would be seen as rude and came home and watched the US Open, and the american chopper marathon, i really love remotes.....
went to service tonight but left early, i've sat way too much in chairs that aren't really well designed today and was very uncomfortable, and still am.....i'm about to take a warm, make that hot bath and hope i get loosened up enough to get some sleep, i don't have an out bound scheduled for tomorrow, so if i don't feel any better tomorrow morning i may just dump the day and take it off.....
had some eggplant roasted in the oven with cheese, and a helping of my soup/stew for soup so i'm at least well fed....i would think that except for maybe tomatoes or cucumbers, eggplant is my favorite vegetable....just confirms my status as very strange....

Saturday, June 19, 2004

i'm in one of the moods again, i didn't eat lunch until almost 3 PM, ok i did have a sandwich at noon, but i'm hungry now and nothing is appealing, and i hate to eat automatically...i took a ride to the mall and walked for awhile and got some soft pretzels which i love and even those really didn't excite......just another meal eaten alone....that's really the only thing about living alone that i hate...eating alone....i'm cool with the rest....even prefer it....but eating alone is a drag.....
work went okay this morning, got outa there in two hours, played a little blogshares, and went out to do a little grocery shopping and eat lunch, but after i got the food stuffs i was looking for , just cam home and made a sandwich...
the last couple of weeks i've been cooking saturday afternoon for sunday meals.....sunday is usually very hectic and i just don't feel like cooking, and besides i usually make a fairly big pot of stuff so i have some quick meals the rest of the week, actually i won't have had to do it today, because i got an invite for dinner tomorrow at my daughters for fathers day...
what i tend to make is kind of a cross between a boiled dinner and soup.....there is always cabbage, onion and pasta/noodles in the mix and the rest varies according to what i have laying around or what i feel like throwing in, i had a couple of links of chorizos and was looking for some boiling beef but they didn't have what i was looking for so bought some hot italian sausage, those went in the pot, a few red skin potatoes as well, and decided to add a can of tomato paste this time, just salt,pepper,basil and a bit of nutmeg...putting nutmeg in tomato based soups/stews is an old tradition in my family and it adds a taste i like....but it just throw stuff in to test and then simmer it until very thing is on the verge of falling apart.....used red cabbage this time, usually use green but was looking for a small head of cabbage and all the green they had was way too big...besides the red gives the dish some color...
one of the things that bugs me about cooking for one, particularly from scratch is that it's had to find stuff in small enough sizes/packages....seems like the opinion is that if you cook from the raw ingredients, your cooking for an army....they should have singles only grocery stores, with sizes and packaging for the single......besides it would give me another place to try to pick up chicks.....

Friday, June 18, 2004

what a fitting 5 day to the work week ( i can't say the end because i still have to put in a few hours tomorrow) but friday was a matched set with the rest of the week, hectic, messed up and just very frustrating......but i survived with no really damage...have a few odds and ends to clean up tomorrow so probably am looking and 3 hours and maybe the whole morning, on the bright side i will get over time for it for a change because i took no time off during the week, i think part of the difficulty of the week is that it's the first time in weeks that i didn't take at least part of the day off, still have 23+ vacation days to use up, but will try to take a couple weeks in a row here at some point....another hot humid day....and again didn't sleep well last night, woke before 6 and couldn't get back to sleep....i guess i just have to adjust to 6 hours a night because that's all i seem to be able to get lately.....have some yard work to do but just don't feel like it tonight....will tackle it tomorrow......assuming i get out of work and feel okay......nothing major.....
blogshares is starting to irritate me again, i took about a week off at the beginning of may and it's starting to annoy me again, well not the game itself but the way some choose to play it..i could respond in kind, i have had ample provocation but that's just isn't my style.....

Thursday, June 17, 2004

i think there is a conspiracy to separate me from what shreads of my sanity that i still possess, it seems that lately everything that is occurring is just out to get me, well not really but today has just about drove me off my rocker, not one big thing, just a bunch of things ganging up.......and remember just because your paranoid doesn't mean they are not actually out to get you.....
i deal best with an ordered life, and the only order i've had recently is "disorder".....i reminded of the old gag about "look up things could get worse, so i looked up and they did"......i guess it's really not that bad, normal really, but i would like to have a smooth, boring day from time to time......
busy at work, have not gotten to take anytime this week, stopped after work, did my banking, got some gas, actually cheaper then the last time if $2.11+/ gallon can be called cheaper, made a white pizza for supper, quickly becoming a favorite meal,usually make it once or twice a week, although i got to be nuts (see above, they've done it) to put on the oven on a hot humid night like tonight...think i'll take a cold shower and maybe grab a beverage....

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

the hectic week continues, had to hand load a 20' container today, well actually i don't do the loading i've a crew that loads but i drive the lift and supervise, well this one almost didn't all fit, really stressful, fighting for every inch of space to get the load on, and a dented container makes it fun,
did my grocery shopping tonight, but had left the list home and tried to recreate it and of course left something off, not a big deal but it irritates me anyways...
as i was walking into the store meet my daughter on the way out, had a nice chat, the store is right on her way home from work, she commutes about 45 miles one way to work everyday, and the store is like 2 minutes from where i work....
i really think i'm headed around the bend, it's a hot humid night, but i was in the mood for coffee so i'm sitting here drinking my coffee, sweating my_____ off.....

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

rained like crazy last night, thunder, lightening, really poured, awoke early, stiff as a board and totally out of it, worked the first 4 hours in a daze....frustrating day....just nothing went quite the way it should....
stopped to get some bread, bought a loaf of garlic bread, popped it in the oven and heated up the last of the stew, ended up eating the entire loaf, obviously i'm not on a low carb diet....in fact although i'm probably 20 pounds over what i should be, i really don't care.....
really had a great rehearsal tonight...and feel pretty good right now, think i'll go to bed early...nite all

Monday, June 14, 2004

had a wild morning at work and it looks like the whole week will be crazy.....it's been a bit up and down the last few weeks but this one looks like a beaut....
cut the lawn tonight picked up a few things for yard, but really took it easy...
really not much to say to see yah

Sunday, June 13, 2004

it's a Sunday evening and as per usual i am worn out, the day has been very busy and basically a blur.....really can't tell you what i've done because it's all in a haze....well that's not entirely true but it's my story and i'm stickin' to it....
it's been a nice day except it rained cats and dogs for about a half an hour and as luck would have it that is when i had to be driving somewhere, really hard driving rain, but is nice now....my sit out for a while but then again that would me that i'd have to get up and i'm comfortable right here.....

Saturday, June 12, 2004

spent a couple of hours at work this morning, nothing major , just a few minor problems......spent the rest of the day just hanging out......really didn't have the desire to do anything else...
made a pot of stoup for supper, no i didn't misspell a word, i made one up,
DEFINITION: Stoup, a cross between stew and soup, to much broth to be stew(no gravy)but way too much fixings to be soup....beef,cabbage,onion,turnip,and egg noodles.....all simmered for about 2 and a half hours.....anyway i got a big pot of it and i'll probably be eating on it for weeks but i really enjoy it ....
was really a nice day but has turned humid this evening, got cold enough last night that we had just a very light frost....
just got done watching "pulp fiction" on IFC.....have never seen the movie...very strange......it was very well done...very well acted but.....very strange.....

Friday, June 11, 2004

lord, what a morning, fridays always seem to be crazy anyways and i did notice that the clown car was parked out front this morning but even at that...had a bunch of things that i needed to get done, would have had a fairly busy morning just with that and then the fun started, i got a call that an order needed to ship that had just been finished over night, which meant that it was probably split between the two warehouses as the transfer hadn't moved yet, so i had to find out what was where, get the transfer stripped to get out what ever was there, had a fax from RDC ( read the founder of the company ) which required my attention and then i get a call that the company is on there way to pick up the load, got that all handled walked back into the main plant and found i had an inbound (which i wasn't expecting to monday(and needed to be unloaded at the other house)), well when all that was done it was past 1 PM before i got to lunch....afternoon slowed a little but i'm worn out tonight.....and that's not counting the two silo loads that came in during the morning or the half dozen phone calls from people who need an answer right now......

Thursday, June 10, 2004

it is quite nice tonight, it's still warm but the humidity has dropped considerably so it should be comfortable sleeping, was not last night, awoke several times, just not a great night to sleep, did some house cleaning tonight, or rather this afternoon, i'm not very good at it, but if i hadn't taken care of it today i probably would have had to hire a backhoe.....nite all
i think i'm going around the bend, that my elevator is stuck between floors, i ran out to a grocery store, just to get something different for supper, not the one i usually shop at, which is very convenient, now they have nice produce but it's definitely of the "see spot run" variety, this other place which is cross town has more of a selection, well trollie loves eggplant, and they had some small eggplant that are white and purple strips, i love the small young eggplant, little veals if you will, well i got home, sliced it, put a little olive oil, salt pepper, put them in the oven for a bit and then finished them with a bit of mozzarella cheese, let the cheese melt and get all crusty, but here's the part about me wondering about myself, as i was taking the finished dish out of the oven, i realized that i had forgot to put the minced garlic on them, i'm so crazy for garlic that i've thought about putting it on candy bars ( well maybe not that bad).....but it was good anyhow....even if i am getting forgetful....

Wednesday, June 9, 2004

i think that we all have a list of things that people do that just tick us off, not major things, but just little things that get under our skin and make our blood boil, well today must have been national tick the trollie off day, particularly this morning, i swear that everyone had the list of those things that really irritate me and were taking turns doing things off the list....i basically managed to keep myself in check but it wasn't because i was ticked off...on top of that it was another hot humid day, clouded over early evening and rained cats and dogs for a while, but it didn't cut the humidity, because it's back to hot and humid this evening....
followed my usual routine and went grocery shopping tonight, i am if nothing a creature of habit...i like a simple life...a simple schedule.....the few on fore seen events the better.....yah i know boring, now mind you i rarely get that...but that's what i prefer...too hot to sleep.....think i'll grab a beverage and take a cool bath and see if i can get some shuteye

Tuesday, June 8, 2004

it was a hot,humid day today, which is not terribly common to this area, and i was suffering a little, work went okay, and so did rehearsal....really not in a mood to write a book....think i'll grab a beverage and sit in the yard and cool off for a while.....

Monday, June 7, 2004

i had just gotten out of the bathtub (which was extremely fortunate) and the tub was draining, from the bedroom i hear, a slide, bump, and splash.....there are very few things more pitiful then a wet cat....this one likes to sit on the edge of the tub and drink the hot water, (no accounting for taste) and apparently slip and ended up in the tub......have her dry off but i doubt her eyes will quit spinning for hours......
this was a wasted day, i worked half a day, it was all screwed up, took half day off, had a bunch of things i needed to do, things that i've put off doing, and really need to get done, nothing major, just minor things and you betcha i didn't do a one.....no desire, no direction.....nada.....
i just didn't have the energy...

Sunday, June 6, 2004

probably got the best night sleep i've had in a long time last night, but awoke early and just couldn't get back to sleep, my sleep is all messed up and has been for the last couple of years, i think part of it is just getting old....
typical busy sunday morning but have just relaxed the rest of the day and feel pretty good, sat out for a while this evening and just enjoyed the cool evening air,
i live in a residencial area on the southside, and there are at this moment a lot of young kids in the neighborhood but the street i live on is used as a shortcut by a lot of people and they come flying through here way over the speed limit, but not an area the is patrolled heavily by the city police, one of these days i fear some one is going to get hit....
think i'll turn in early, i am getting tired and need the rest....

Saturday, June 5, 2004

i am very tired tonight, good day, spent the late afternoon, early evening with a few of the guys from the old neighborhood, some i haven't seen in probably 15 years.....we going to try to get together at least once more this summer and hopefully a few more can make it, it's funny how your memory can be selective, remembering somethings and forgetting others...
made a white pizza for supper, and watched the belmont stakes, two years in a row with a possible triple crown winner and two years in a row nada....
set out in the yard for awhile just before sunset, cool and relaxing, discovered i had missed the front valence on the chair, rats oh well, have another chair i should paint so will finish the first one when i paint the second....
i've said it before and i will undoubtedly say it again, that dang job of mine is fly paper...went in for what i thought would be about an hour, and it took me 2+, had what originally looked like a major screw up on inventory, but really turned out to be almost no problem at all, we divide some of the products between two inventory locations, in the computer, in reality they are in the same location, and the problem was not with total but with location, easily fixed, but not quickly fixed...
i actually painted a chair today and got more paint on the chair then i did on myself, for me a small victory...i freely admit to being a total loser with a paint brush in my hand.....but wanted to set out a lawn chair and it badly needed a coat of paint, i had thought about just buying a new one and avoiding the horror i feel about using a paint brush but my cheapness got the better of me.....
going out this afternoon and evening to a get together of the boys from the old neighborhood....looking forward to seeing them but really don't think i'll stay too long.....sundays are just to busy for me to stay out to late.....

Friday, June 4, 2004

really nice day, warm, sunny, and i got the afternoon off, usually thursday is payday and i usually try to take the afternoon off if i can, do my banking and run errands, but couldn't get yesterday off which worked out because with the monday holiday today was payday, had intended to play golf but needed an oil change and by the time i got everything done, just didn't feel like playing...just haven't had the usual desire to play this year......
stop and got some breaded minced shrimp to fix for supper, and aggie my cat took two off my plate and ate them breading and all, cat has the strangest eating habits i've ever seen in a cat, she also likes french fried potatoes....
have to work briefly tomorrow and then do some yard work, have a get together to go to tomorrow afternoon, which i'm now looking forward to with mixed emotions,
have things i really should be doing around the house tonight, don't need to be done right no, but eventually, and just have no desire to do them...tired and no drive tonight....
almost forgot trollie pet peeve #276....woman in front of me in the drive thru banking, gets her money from the box and then sits there for 3 or 4 minutes doing heaven knows what.....trollie runs off to sharpen double bit axe

Thursday, June 3, 2004

quite a nice day, a tad on the cool side but sunny and nice, i cut the grass tonight, probably could have waited but it was dry for a change, every other time i've cut it this year it's been damp and i really hadn't gotten an "even" cut on the lawn...looks good...was going to put out the lawn chair(s) but they need to be painted....i've got paint but not sandpaper or proper brush....so will probably wait until the weekend or next week...i may also not bother as more often then not i sit on the stoop....or i may just pick up something new....just will let whim decided....
work went okay today and stopped for groceries on the way home....had runout of greens and tomatoes, made a nice salad,some breaded haddock, and some fries...really nice meal....i've discovered the broiler lately, and really like fries cooked that way...
oh if you'd like to take a look have added a few poems to the poetry blog....link is over on the right there....i don't write that often...but will write a lot sometimes when i do....it's not really a fickle muse....but more like i forget sometimes i can write poetry.....
i was talking last night about the flat day on blogshares and today have made a ton of BS$......but that is the way the idea market goes sometimes....if you've never checked out the game you can find it here

Wednesday, June 2, 2004

(DISCLAIMER:no cats were hurt during the following scene from the sitcom "Trollie's Cats")
have you every tried to make your bed when you have an 18 Lbs. cat that insists on helping. if not do not try it unless you have been first properly instructed. my cat aggie will come running and plop herself in the middle of the bed as i'm trying to spread out the sheet and blankets, which results in a bed with a purring, furry lump right in the middle, and if left unaided she will stay there for hours, which makes it even more fun when one of the other cats decides to jump up on the bed, it's a battle worthy of the WWE. tonight i had washed the sheets, if you never tried putting a fitted sheet on a bed with a cat helper don't your sanity is worth more then that.....fortunately i haven't had my sanity for years so i have nothing to lose......
very strange day, many weird emotions, got an email from one of the guys that grew up in the same neighborhood where we moved to when the family moved to watertown some 38 years ago, the old gang is getting together for a little shindig saturday, now i was a bit older, they were mostly about my brother's age but they want to get together and play some wiffleball, which we played a lot of way back when, now this should be a scream because most of them are in their late 40's or early fifties and i'm 56, i hope they have an emt standing by, but haven't seen most of these guys in probably 15 years so should be fun......even if all i do is watch and laugh my arse off at them.....
oh i've joined a new list,Blogrank, if you feel so inclined there is a link over in the links on the right "vote for our site".....now i'm not about to beg for your vote ....but pleeessee!!!!!!!! vote for my blog (/trollie acting pathetic)
very weird day on blogshares, i've been using a particular tactic for the last couple of weeks that has been super productive, well today for the first time it ain't working....every gain is offset by an almost equal loss and i'm hanging suspended as it were at the same net worth......hope it's just a fluke.....

Tuesday, June 1, 2004

well it's been a weird day, with yesterday off i can't quite get it through my head that today is tuesday,i'm not sure i actually woke up this morning, i mean i did manage to drag myself out of bed but i really don't think i woke up until this afternoon, the morning is very foggy in my mind....
really neat rehearsal tonight, we are working some of the teens into the group and they are really picking up the music very quickly...gives it a different sound, but i think better.....
i was up way too late last night and then had cats that got way to lonely during the night, now don't get me wrong, i love my cats, but not a furry little face waking me up at 3 AM because they need love.....sheeeshhhh!!!!!!