This,That, and a Splash of Beer

Here are a bunch of random thoughts ...

Went to the doctor this morning. Found out I have a pinched nerve at my L5, but he thinks my back woes can be treated with muscle relaxers and stretching exercises. I did manage to lose two pounds (though I don't know how) since my last visit, further postponing his threats to send me next door to his large-knuckled friend for a prostate exam.

My wife has never come across a volunteer list that she wasn't compelled to sign either my name or hers. She teaches at a Catholic school and our boys attend the same school. Each fall they have a Halloween carnival and this year my lovely wife is in charge of the Mexican cafe. That in itself is ironic since she is blond-haired blue-eyed, doesn't know a lick of Spanish, and hates to cook. So what is she doing ow, spending hours and hours roasting chili peppers, burning the tips of her fingers making Gordita shells, and accompanying a translator to an all Mexican store to buy several hundred pounds of masa. Wish I knew how to add those fancy little squiggly Spanish accents to words. And you can bet she'll find plenty of tasks for me to do as well.

I've kindly told her to stop volunteering for everything but it is unlikely that she will listen.

My oldest son, a first grader, has been getting in trouble for talking at school. Guess this one is my fault. I never had a report card in my life in which I didn't get a check mark in the box that said failure to refrain form unnecessary talking. I always though it was necessary but my teachers seemed to disagree.

Sunday I'm off to glorious Norman, Oklahoma for another round of Postal training. Oh Boy! But it's only a week this time so I'll manage. More than that and I commence twitching to get back to The Lone Star State. Do you know they consider Shiner Bock, a Texas made beer, to be an import? And they only sell three-two beer in Oklahoma. Oh, you can go to a liquor store and get full strength beer, but you have to buy it hot because they only sell the weak stuff already chilled. Further proof Oklahoma is indeed a third world country. I understand why states with a higher altitude sell watered down beer, but why Oklahoma. The state isn't exactly known for it's towering mountainous peaks.

My first grade son started another years worth of tap and ballet class this week. Click here to read about his first dance recital last spring and for my take on my son being the only boy amongst seventy some odd girl dancer. He also has his first flag football games this weekend and my four year old has his first ever soccer games. We'll be busy, so it might be late Sunday before I post the next edition of Tales of the Yellow Flag.

My wife watched this show on BBC America every night called Coupling. This week I started watching with her and gotta say it is hilarious. Some great witty dialogue. I'm guessing the show itself is a few years old and these are all reruns but they are new to me.

I've managed to write almost five thousand words in the last two days. A lot of it is the usual rough-draft crap, but it's progress none the less.

My New Orleans Saints are killing me. They have looked horrible so far and I have nicknamed their starting left tackle (an OU Sooner graduate I might add) Ole, since he plays more like a bullfighter than a blocker. Hope he doesn't read this since he is still a giant of a man. And Jamaal Brown, if you do read this just act like that guy in front of you is me. Take your anger out on him and do not come looking for me.

My favorite living author, Richard Russo has a new book coming out next Tuesday called The Bridge of Sighs. That title alone has me pumped. I can hardly wait. i am more eager to read it than I was book seven of the Harry Potter series. Hopefully I will not be disappointed this time however. Richard Russo is most known for his Pulitzer Prize winning Empire Falls and if you only know that work from the HBO mini series do yourself a favor and read the novel. It is much better but I'll warn you the prologue is tough to get through, though worth it in the end. And my favorite novel of Mr. Russo's is The Risk Pool which is slated to be made into a movie by Tom Hanks.

Also found out that my recently sold short story titled, The Simplest of Sounds will be available online sometime in November on the Underground Voices website. I'll let you guys know when. But just to let you know the piece is dark and a far cry from my humorous tone here on the blog. However all of y'all will have the opportunity to read writing from me that for a change is not full of typos, and poorly edited sentences. I actually spent some time composing that short story and it is one of my personal favorites among all the things I have penned.

Well I've rambled on and bored y'all enough, but as usual I'm going to pander for comments. I want each of you to list the last piece of fiction you finished reading. I don't care if it was thirty minutes ago or thirty years ago when some evil English teacher assigned the book in class. Then I want you to say whether you liked it or not and if you are really adventurous tell me why.

LAter on, I'll post my most recent read, and opinion, in the comments.