Writing challenge Day 2

Its 4:25 pm

    Looking outside at a cool rainy day here in my neck of the woods. Got some iced coffee going and the Eric Stuart Band on my old CD player. The cheetah is sleeping downstairs on his thick beige blanket,he can curl up and sleep with the best of them.
  Day two of my writing challenge....and here we go....


I no longer have cable TV,I just couldn't afford it anymore....in fact,I no longer have any TV in my house. The readers who have been with me know that I have content watching cheap DVDs from Dollar Tree or from Blockbuster. My friend Rich,who has been a stalwart friend and is making a big move to Arizona,noted how large of a pile I had by my TV. A lot of these I have had for a very long time but with Lori and I being so active,I rarely opened the DVDs I got...well except for the first season of Person of Interest and the complete Dogfight series.

 When I shopped the Blockbuster,I always got 4 movies (for 20.00) and I divided them up to two that I could watch...like a action,suspense or horror movie and two dramas/comedies that we could watch together. But as often as not I might get a few movies but they stayed downstairs,the ones I would get for me...and I never or rarely watch them. Once Lori's illness started to progress,that ended as we watched whatever she wanted or tolerated.

   I like looking for these movies but just as the old CD music stores have gone,so has the video store. The last of the 300 Blockbusters closed shop in January,including one that was a half mile from my house. Target and Wal-Mart have filled in the hole somewhat even if the selection is somewhat limited as far as price goes.
This is what I liked about Blockbuster,you could get a decent,not great,but decent selection...
One of the films I picked up was "Legion" which I enjoyed very much. It was fast paced,good premise and a great cast. One of the young actors was a young man named Lucas Black. I had only briefly seen the name because he did the third Fast and Furious film which got a lot of hype because Vin Diesel shows up in Japan to race Lucas at the end.
  I thought Lucas was pretty good in Legion,I haven't see FF: Tokyo Drift yet. But what I did see,I thought was cool.

   So now while I don't have TV,I do have internet and a iPad and while it takes a week to catch up,I can still watch the three shows I like,POI, NCIS and CSI.(and as late.Agents of Shield,now that it has found its footing).
  I had read that CBS was going to try and spin-off another NCIS show. It tried last year but the pilot was pretty blah so the network passed on it. But with NCIS and NCIS:LA doing so well,they decided to try again with setting up a branch in New Orleans. The only name I heard attached was Scott Bakula,who is a well known face and name. So when the episode became available on my iPad,I watched it.

  Imagine my surprise to see Lucas Black as one of potential cast. Hadn't seen him in anything since "Legion" so it was good to see him back at work. While I thought the pilot was pretty NCIS by the numbers,I do see that the chemistry among the cast is pretty solid. CCH Pounder,who also a real treat to watch ,plays the New Orleans ME. I saw her do this crazy ass episode of the remake of the The Outer Limits a few years back and she also did the voice for a character named Amanda Waller on the "Justice League Unlimited" recently.

  While both NCIS,which has lost a lot of its mojo this year with loss of Ziva David and rarely Director Leon Vance, and NCIS:LA have both been renewed for next year,its still too to say if the new show will get the green light or will be just a good two part episode. I am hoping that it makes it,its good to talented actors get work.

  Saw there was another shooting at Fort Hood,Texas involving a active duty soldier,Ivan Lopez. Lopez,who suffered from mental illness,shot and killed 3 people and wounded 16 more before taking his life. He had joined the Army is 2008,was married and had a young child. He had been checked out by a Army shrink who determined that he was no threat to others or himself. He served in Iraq as a truck driver and saw no combat.
  
   The latest mass shooting is once again showcasing at how fast we tend to mourn,wring our hands,ask God why did this happen,etc,etc. But nothing gets done....20 families shattered by the sudden and fatal actions by a normal appearing guy who just snapped and before anyone could stop him...wrecked havoc. What will change because of the second straight mass shooting at Fort Hood? Nothing. Some tightened security perhaps but overall,nothing. And thats a damn shame,isn't it?

  Spring is here and as the weather gets warmer,one of my favorite things at my job is coming back...volunteer events! Last year we had a slew of events,six to be exact and I was able to do four of them,including three with two very nice guys,Justin and Darryl. I call us the Musketeers because we did so many events together as a team. This year Justin is our event captain which means he looks for projects that my work can help with. So when I saw the first event go up..well,the three of us along with a few others have signed up. We are going to helped a Army veteran who was injured in Iraq and is pretty weak,fix her home.
We will be getting support from a sister store plus a group called Christmas in Action. We will have three days to get this house in tip-top shape and ready for this soldier who bravely served this country...

 I like to thank my friend Cheryl and her husband Jerry. They have really be so gracious with their time this past year. Cheryl has helped me so much in trying to stay balanced and on a even keel. This is very important to have good friends like this...Cheryl for helping and Jerry for supporting her. But it doesn't surprise me,both have been involved the church activities for many years now. Its amazing how far a little grace can take you. Of course I am STILL waiting to see the completed Me-109 model kit I helped pick out for Jerry's birthday a few years back...thank you for letting me use your coupon yesterday for my new shoes,saving 12 dollars is pretty big for me these days!


Lastly....I like to acknowledge the passing of a very talented musician,supporter and friend,Van Cephus,who passed away about two weeks ago. I met Van on Facebook where we had a common bond of social issues and music. While we never met,he too,often encouraged me during last year and mourned with me in the loss of my Lori. It wasn't until recently I really learned just how damn GOOD the man was on keyboards,playing with some of the biggest names in Motown's storied history. I had just started to talk music with Van when he passed away. I am terribly sorry I didn't reach out a little sooner to him...he needed friends like I have in my Inner Circle. I am blessed in that way....truly. But please know Van,your kindness was always noted and never taken for granted.


Shout outs


Sophie,Alana,Angelica and Susan- Thank you for the kind comments
Deb Garfalo - Happy Birthday
John and Denise- No sweep!! Not to the Lastros!
Mike White - to car crashes!
To anyone new who is reading this for the first time,thank you!