Happy Thanksgiving!

To my family, especially my lovely Wife and offspring,
To friends I've known, who've stuck by me through thick and thin,
To friends I've yet to meet,
To all who've shown me and mine every kindness,
To our brave service men and women defending our republic,
To the God without whom nothing would've been, or would ever be, possible,

Thank you!

Weekly Chuckle

Yeah, I know it's been awhile. Deal with it. Hope you both enjoy this.

Little Golden Books That Never Made It

1. You Are Different and That's Bad
2. The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables
3. Dad's New Wife Robert
4. Fun four-letter Words to Know and Share
5. Hammers, Screwdrivers and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book
6. The Kids' Guide to Hitchhiking
7. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence
8. Some Kittens Can Fly
9. Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia
10. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
11. Strangers Have the Best Candy
12. Whining, Kicking and Crying to Get Your Way
13. You Were an Accident
14. Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will
15. Pop! Goes The Hamster...And Other Great Microwave Games
16. Eggs, Toilet Paper, and Your School
17. Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things

And last but not least:

18. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry

I'm a Bad Blogger.

I'm a bad blogger: I don't write (writer's block sucks), and I visit other blogs and don't comment (just don't know what to say).

I suck.

But I'll leave you with this to ponder: If a bear farts in the woods, and no one's around, does it still smell like sh*t, old fish and berries?

Yesterday. . .

Yesterday, I officially left the Clan (no, not the "Klan". Grow the hell up.).
This isn't anything that just happened "all of a sudden", either. I'd been planning on leaving since the petty, stupid, and completely blown-out-of-proportion BULLSHIT that occured at the beginning of the 'vous season. I just found it much easier to do yesterday.

At the first event of the season, some admittedly stupid crap took place. Now, I'm well known for STOOPID crap, but no one *seemed* to take lasting offence at what I did. I'd feel so badly about being too drunk, too stupid et al., that I'd appologize profusely and sincerly, to be told, "It's OK, don't worry about it."

That's what friends do: they like you despite yourself.

I won't get into specifics, but I will say that NO BODY ELSE seemed to have a problem with what happened (as stupid and unthinking as it was) except for a self-appointed *babysitter* who couldn't (A) mind her own business, or (B) come to me and ask "what's going on here?", at which point all would have been explained.

But no; there were *games* to be played, there were rumors to spread, people to humiliate.

Well, I'm through with the bullshit games, and I refuse to play. That's what one person in particular wants - for me to play *the Game*. After getting a hateful e-mail (about something else, unrelated to the Clan), I printed it out, sent the page back via another party, making it clear that "it wasn't worth my time and effort to reply" and blocked the address. I'm NOT. PLAYING. THE GAME. ANYMORE!!! You play it as much as you fucking want to, I'm not playing.

The thing that really hurts, is that I don't know who to go to to explain my side of everything. All my friends are hearing just one side of half the story. Does it matter? Do they recognize what kind of "person" it is that's telling them this one-sided crap and taking it with huge blocks of salt? Or do they say I don't want to hear it?

Why do I care?

Because there are still those in the Clan, and out, that I consider friends, and they are some the few people that I actually care about what they think of me, people who don't see me as a tool to use, only to throw me away when I'm no longer useful.

If that's how you see me, as some kind of selfish, assholish, uncaring TOOL, then Fuck. You.

And that's all I'll say about that.

That's It For Me.

Today seems like the right time to announce this.

As of now, on this 3rd day of November, in the year of our Lord 2005, I am official leaving Clan Chattan.

I won't get into specifics, because anything I say can and would be used against me in the court of public opinion.

I can honestly say, though, that it was fun guys. You were there when I learned the bodhran, you encouraged me in my singing (sometimes at knife point), and I wouldn't trade the time I spent with all of you for anything.

Virtue, I still want my clothes and drum back.
Maelduin, I'm so sorry about your Dad's passing. You're in my thoughts and prayers. +

Take it easy, guys, and hopefully I'll still see you at events.

Slainte.