A trip around the block....

Its 4:24 am




  So you are looking at this and wondering....what the blue blazes is this?

When Lori was in her final stages of her cancer journey,I was the person who administered her medications.
Be it a IV drip,norco,tamoxifen or liquid morphine,I was the one giving it to Lori. I was very faithful to her schedule and when I needed help,her oncology team was extremely supportive in walking me through what I needed and when the time came for hospice,the transition was pretty easy.
   After my lovely wife went to her reward,I was left with what do with the extra meds I had left over..I have blogged about my options,I could turn them into the police or toss them out...or even a flush them down the toilet. Those options were no options,the police really didn't want to have deal with disposal,you can't just toss away heavy narcotics away in the trash and certainly there was no way I was going to flush them.
  So that left me with one idea,to create enough coffee grounds that I could grind/pour the meds into the bowl and then toss them safely out.

  Funny thing happened to my plan,the bowl just kept growing and growing in size as I just kept on making excuses and reasons on why I haven't done this as of yet.
  So you are looking at every and I mean every pot of coffee that I brewed since May 2013. And no,I still haven't tossed away her meds as of yet. I am sure some shrink would have a answer for this...

 Got a knock on my door the other day...it was my neighbor's son who's bike I have been "keeping" ever since he left it outside against his mother's wishes. The parents and I both agreed that the son should write a letter of apology to the mom for disobeying her and leaving his brand new bike unattended to like that.
 This incident happened on 18 June and only yesterday had he come over with the letter. I had suggested to him he should write the letter two days after I had the bike. I told his folks my idea and they liked it a lot.

  But nothing happened so I hired the boys to help me do a project and again suggested a letter would be in order. He said he would and I talked to his mom about it again...but still heard nothing. I was a little confused about why he wasn't writing it,I knew it wasn't because he didn't care or respect his folks...so when he showed up and explained he had been gone two weeks on a camping trip,it made perfect sense. Hard to bring over a letter when you are 1,500 miles away!
   So I gave another mini lecture and gave back his bike and helmet and also put his letter on my fridge as a reminder that I would not see his bike outside again.

I am very down these days,I can feel my sadness and depression closing in around me. The long overnights at my job are ending just in time for me,I am getting beat up by the quiet once my co-workers go home at midnight. We still have people working,its just they are elsewhere in the store and we work alone pretty much after midnight.

  My energy and emotional levels are down,these three months are just the worst in terms of pure memories.
Death,union,birth...all swirling in my heart,far too many times as of late I have come home and just stared at where Lori's hospice bed was at...and going back to the times I sat with her,or giving her a drink,IV drip or a norco (a pain med). I asked a co-worker whose own wife has a very serious case of Trigeminal neuralgia
that he deals with on a daily basis,I asked him "When was the last time you were happy"? A simple question and my answer is as well...the last day I felt happy was the day before Lori's illness was discovered. I have ran the gamut of emotions ever since but truly happy wasn't one. I have been hopeful,thankful,loving,caring,angry,heartbroken, even peaceful in some respects but a wake up happy and go to bed happy day?

  Lori would have been 55 come the 25th of July...I know she would have wanted to travel somewhere fun,maybe a return trip to Washington,D.C. or somewhere south of here. Well,I can't afford nor am I in a mood for that but I can continue to do home improvements as I have been doing this week.
  My buddy Rich came back over today and we caulked the garage,cut away a dead heavy vine,cleaned the gutters and measured out where I am going to have to put in a board. Also went to spray some carpenter bees but ran out of spray so that will have to wait til tomorrow morning when I go get the supplies.
  Half of my basement is now clean and I am ready to tackle the Christmas side and the basement table as well. Of course the cheetah likes to come down and hang out with me while that is happening. He sits in the corner,purrs loudly and meows a few times as well....I believe this is called being supervised.
 
  The weekend of the 4th of July,the crew at work was talking about fireworks and how every year there is always someone careless who does something stupid. Everyone started telling stories about people they either knew or read about who managed to go to the extreme on the 4th.
   Lucky for me,I have never actually known anyone personally who did something that goofy (as I pat the BB still lodged in my jaw). I heard about a neighborhood kid who was hurt when he put firecrackers under a ceramic flowerpot that blew up in his face and when Lori and I lived in Northville,a man who lived not that far away ended blowing 3 fingers off his hand...and the guy in California (where else) who blew off BOTH hands fooling around with fireworks just this past week.

   Every year our local media nationwide always harp on the public to keep it safe and avoid the crippling or even fatal injuries that go along with being careless about handling fireworks. That includes house fires as well as shooting bullets in the air (a Detroit tradition).
  So it was a surprise to hear about a local weatherman for our ABC local station in Detroit,Dave Rexroth,who was in Iowa for the holiday,was seriously injured when a firework either blew up by his face or he was hit in the face by a flying firework. Either way,he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended losing a eye in the accident. He still currently in the hospital where he is having surgery to put in a prosthetic eye and will be off the air until September.
  He is one of the favorite media folks in our area and in that regard,I hope he recovers quickly and is able to resume his duties at Channel 7.



 Found out that I missed the local DVD sale at my Dollar Tree. I stopped by there to pick up some household supplies and checked the small DVD area only to see fresh movies. I poked through them picking up every new title I saw regardless of what it is.
  Since I have a lot of new readers,let me introduce you to what Dollar Tree Theater is. You can click the link or know that Lori and I loved Dollar Tree. About twice a year,the chain will sell DVDs for a buck.  Many are older films you may have heard of,there are a even a few DVD sets of TV series (I picked up the series "Daybreak" at one sale) but most are low budget obscure films that no one saw. Once in a blue moon,you might find a recent release like "Red Light"..it just depends on lucky you are when you stumble across the rare sale.

   I buy every single title I see whether I know it or not,many times I will just put it on for background noise while I putter away. And sometimes I actually sit down and watch it. But my store had been pretty much wiped out so I got only four films...decided to cruise to another store a couple of miles away where I had more luck with finding 7 movies including a Japanese anime film which was a first.
  It was then that I found out just how long it had been since I had actually stopped by as the clerk said the DVDs had come in a month ago and that I was getting the dregs...I sort of guessed that when I saw the Jessica Simpson movie "Blonde Ambition" sitting in the bin and yes,I bought a copy. I wonder if I could get paid for reviewing these old chestnuts.

  I like to extend a invite to all the new folks who have come across the blog to join my Networked Blogs group or via the Google Friend Connect which are on the side of the blog.  Also,please take a minute to explore some of the writers I follow which include my friend Sydney who is a special young lady who writes a raw and personal blog like this one.

Well I guess that is it for now.....again,thanks to everyone who supported my Food Stamp Nation entry and left some great feedback.

If you are on Twitter,please feel free to add me @Jinzo_2400. Love to sweep tweets with you.


Shout Outs

Lisa Adams - Love and light to you.
Rob W. - Thanks for another late night chat...and for sharing. We can do this.
Sue E. - Thanks for the company always...hope you enjoy the Sherlock Holmes series as much as I did.
Barb - Thank you again!
Rich - Finally feel like our repairs are going to make a real difference
Jack - Hope your back feels better soon
Dollar Tree - thanks for the DVD sale,do it again soon!
Monique Parent - stay cool in Vegas
Huron Valley Animal Shelter - for all the hard work the folks there do,you guys rock
To everyone who leaves a comment - you rock as well!!
Debbie R - java!

Did someone mention music?

Its 12:32 am

    Sitting in the den,the cheetah is sitting in the window and listening to the birds chirp outside.
Drinking some iced tea and just waiting to see if the words will flow well enough for a entry.
I am tickled to see that Dollar Tree Theater is starting to gain some traction as far people being amused by the term. Paladin and I slugged our way through a truly God awful film called "Curse of the Wolf" which should have called "Curse of the wasted 90 minutes". Like I posted in on my Facebook page,this movie was so bad even the SyFy Channel rejected it
  But we started watching "Descendent" starring Jeremy London and a young Katherine Heigl (the movie was released in 2003) and it was surprisingly a nice little gem of a tale. Quite unexpected considering the fact the first five films I have watched in this collection have been so bad.



So many things come across in this film...number one being bummed for Jeremy London,who was the best thing going in this. His role as  Ethan Poe,a descendant of Edgar Alan Poe was sad, sympathetic,creepy and driven. Very much like Jeremy himself in real life as a series of bad lifestyle choices have pretty much derailed his once promising career.  Pretty much just like Poe's drinking destroyed his life,a case of life emulating art.
  Katherine's performance was very understated and I liked the fact the director didn't glam her up,she looks very plain and normal which allows the watcher to focus on her acting which is quite good.
Of course the next movie I am going to watch is called "The Fear Chamber",so I suspect I will heading back down to cheesy town.


 
    Had a very unexpected surprise when I came in to work last night. One of my co-workers and I have bonded over the love of good music and he burned me several CDs worth of music. While I can get 19 low budget films for a buck at the Dollar Tree or Wal-Mart,I can't afford 15.99 for a single CD. And since I have blogged about the death of used music stores in my area,I won't recap it again. New music has been extremely rare and since I never listen to commerical radio,I am out of touch with many new bands....which is my friend was amused when I told him I stumbled across Paramore.
  I kept hearing a quirky sounding tune on our overhead radio in the store. I started to listen for it and when I did,I copied down the lyrics and came home and Googled them and up came "Still Into You" by Paramore.
Slide over to YouTube and ta da,I saw the video. What a cool sounding alternative band. Really like Hayley Williams look,spunky without being affected.
  The band has been around since 2003 but the releases have been sort of sparse,only four albums in 11 years is not a very large catalog. Which while of sad for the band,maybe not such a bad thing for a new fan like myself who has belatedly found their music.

While I am listening to Jewel again while I am writing this blog,I am pretty excited to give the new CDs a crank in the Rodger Young during the summer months.
  He asked me about my favorite singers and of course I shared him Barbara and Dave Alvin,whom he wasn't too familiar with. We talked Dave and of course The Blasters,who have just released a new album.
Last night he came into work a bit excited,The Blasters and Dave are touring Detroit and so guess who is going to treat my buddy to two of the very best in American music? It will be my first live music show since I can't remember when. Oh,I have seen a couple of free jazz shows but the last time I saw a show at the club level was Barbara Manning so many years ago.

  It will be a real treat to introduce Dave Alvin to a new pair of ears....as well as The Blasters. Sort of bummed the brothers are not playing together but still,Phil can still bring it a lot better then most anyone...

  Getting geared up for the work around the house,I went and started gathering up the supplies that I will need to get this project going,fresh caulk,new check value for the sump pump,plumbing parts for the bathtub and going to have to replace the faucets in the upstairs,some much has fallen apart while Lori was sick. Its like I am seeing these things for the first time...and now I am ready to try and fix it.

  Working overnights is not so easy for me anymore,when I was younger,it was nothing to wake up at 7:30 am,be to work at 9:00 am,work all day,do a rock show,get home by 3 am and do it again the next day. I am no longer that same guy anymore,I am slowing down a little bit....it takes longer for this beat up soul to recover. I like the shift in terms of the people I work with,my job is so much easier because of the team I have and we work well together. Its funny,when I do interviews for jobs,they always "Do you like working by yourself or with others"? While I am perfectly happy working solo,I enjoy working with a team so much more. A good team gets the work done and done right. Time flies as well....because you are working on a common goal and working to hold your end up.

   

Its one of the strengths of my job,we have a lot of folks who will quickly jump in and help out someone else. Makes it easier to come into work...

Heard some most welcome news from back in San Jose,seems like the SoFA Street Festival is coming back in September. This was a true neighborhood driven event and I got to work on three of them in both planning,set-up and booking bands. The Fair was the brainchild of Fil Maresca and Gary Walker of Club FX and it was a lot of fun with great music,small businesses and tons of folks walking down First Street.
 Well Fil is back and he is once again working very hard to put this event in place.
    I think its going to be more of a real challenge this time due to the fact there are no more clubs in the area...which really helped draw the crowds due to the strong musical line-ups both in the venues and on the main stage.  He does have some heavy firepower still at his disposal in the fact that my former boss Jimmy plus Chris Esparza and Larry Trujillo are still in the live music scene and should help book some strong local and in Jimmy's case,national acts to help headline the music part of it.
 Just hope the city of San Jose is a lot more progressive in working to make this happen with as little trouble as possible.

   Well that is it for now....short and to the point.

If you are on Twitter,follow me @Jinzo_2400


Shout outs

Don Zimmer - a hell of a great Yankee, RI.P.
Valerie - This is your year..
Monique P. - Can't wait for your answers and new website
Fluffy Sisters  - The poster above is so you.....
Josh - Thanks for the toons


Everyone else "Life is a cabaret.......so sing!"


If you had to share your favorite band/singer with someone new,who would it be and why?

Writing Challenge - Day 3

Its 10:08 pm
 
   Day three of the writing challenge is now underway. Thank you all for taking the time to not only drop by but also to leave comments. This is quite fun in that respect as I generally don't get many here.
Cranked up another album by the superb Eric Stuart Band....feels great to have some new music floating through the den.


  The weather was miserable today,started in a heavy fog which gave way to rain and then it started to get really chilly. And to surprise of no one,its going to snow later on tonight. It will probably be enough for a chuckle and then melt away.


  Losing a soulmate can lead to two different roads,either you implode or you endure. You never blossom again,you may have some awesome moments,maybe even find another person to marry/be with but the life you had will never be the same as it was with the person you were chosen to share a life with.
  While I have had my moments of pure darkness,of complete hoplessness during this past year,the drive to stay on my two feet is shaped by leaving a legacy for Lori. While I have started a small gesture every month and look to volunteer,I also keep my heart open for folks like us...either a caregiver or someone who also is battling this monster called cancer. I do it on my own terms,my own limitations. I was blessed to help one man who was very sick last year with getting a item he needed for his house.
 I observe who uses our wheelchairs and electric carts. I look for the telltale mask of a chemo patient. I want to provide them with quick and friendly service. Often the public has no idea of how much effort it takes for a cancer patient,even with a caregiver,to do even the basic of things. You are often feeling the effects of the chemo you are on and just trying to retain some normal day to day life. I lay awake at night thinking of the places we went to,of how the outings got smaller and smaller as Lori's energy slowly waned. The last trip we took to Target and JCP...in the wheelchair,feeling how much weight she had lost,how easy it was to help her sit in the chair.
  These feelings and memories are always with me so when I do see that rare sighting of someone with no hair,of wearing a mask,a wheelchair...I stop what I am doing and go help.

And that is how I met a young lady named Karen today. I saw the mask first and excused myself to my co-worker as I walked over to her. She said she was looking for some light fixtures and asked if I could help. Of course..I looked at her,slightly built,blonde hair and big expressive eyes. She leaned on the cart a little.
As I helped her,I got a fixture that had been buried on the bottom shelf and was dusty. I showed it to her and she out for it. I quietly said "Wait,let me dust it off,you don't to breath that". She said she always nervous around sick people and I said I was very defensive about that myself during the last couple of years. Karen said she had cancer and I said I know. I said I was very protective of my wife when she went through her chemo. She asked me what type of cancer and I told her. She asked if Lori was still alive and I said "Yes,in my heart only" and she understood.

  As we went to look at lights on the other side of the department,Karen said she is advanced,she has colon cancer. The doctors say she is a miracle of life,I said yes,those who love life are often the ones who fight the hardest. Her voice caught as she looked at me and said "Cancer has caused me to lose everyone,my fiance,my family...they have all pulled away from me. I said the truth,cancer patients are often pulled away from from friends and family. Divorces are common as people just don't know how to cope. I said it wasn't her fault...and then I offered my phone number if she needed to talk. I don't why I did that..its not like my heart is all strong but it still whispers in my soul to be service to people who need it and I sensed she needed it. Now will she call? I don't know,maybe not....but its there for her if she needs a ear.

 
  After writing about my crazy DVD watching yesterday,I went and watched another episode of Dollar Tree Theater.

  Yesterday's movie was called "Red Lights",a suspense thriller starring Cillian Murphy,Sigourney Weaver and Robert DeNiro.
Weaver plays Dr. Margaret Matheson,a brilliant but troubled pyschologist and Murphy is her dedicated assistant,physicist Dr. Tom Buckley,who travel the country debunking so called paranormal events and fake faith healers. DeNiro plays a famed psychic who shot up to fame then disappeared 30 years ago after a clash with a skeptic reporter left the man dead......until now. While Buckley wants to investigate Silver's sudden return,Matheson warns him not to tangle with what could be the real deal.

 
  This is the fun part of bargain bin hunting,for every God awful "Super Sonic" you stumble across,you sometimes come across an exciting little gem like this film. I quite liked this and would recommend it even if you have to hunt for it.

So it looks like I am going to be losing this computer. Seems life Microsoft XP is fading away and they are ending support for this OS. They sent us XP users a notice and when you click on "What to Do Next",they straight are telling you that you are going to have to buy a computer if you wish to stay on line. Wow...I mean I know I have a old computer but I thought it was still perking along pretty well...so now I have to come up with the cash for a new machine. For now I will count my blessings I still have my iPad and will start saving my pennies for a new computer.



Glad to see the Yankees beat the Astros last night!I was getting some unwarranted sprack and even got a "pfffft" sent my way after Houston managed to upset the Yankees the first two games. But when my pal John mentioned "sweep",I knew the Yanks had this. Mentioning "sweep" is a taboo in baseball,you never say that word because the moment you do....well you promptly lose as the Astros did last and tonight. While the Yankees won last night and tonight. Pfffft! to you,Denise!
  As you may know,this year marks Derek Jeter's last year as a player. He has played for 20 years and has helped lead the Yankees to 7 World Series,winning five of them. He is the best shortstop to have ever played the game and his career stats are something you normally only see in a video game.
Like Mariano Rivera did last spring,Derek announced his retirement before the season and as part of his last trip around the league,other teams are gifting in honor of his career. That said,what the blue blazes was Houston thinking last night? They gave Derek a nice set of golf clubs but the cowboy hat and pinstripe cowboy boots were a little goofy...no,they were big time goofy. I mean you had weeks to think about this and this was the best you could come up with? A cowboy and pinstripe boots? I just hope Detroit doesn't gift him a car from General Motors!





Well that is day three of my challenge. Thanks for sticking with me so far!

if you are on Twitter,please follow me @Jinzo_2400


shout outs

Kim- I don't know what will happen but thanks for being ready.
Bobby Burke - Thanks for the tip,I will be watching for sure!
Thank you to the wonderful people who commented,it makes writing all that more fun
Microsoft - pfffffft!
Kendra - bear hug
Mike White - Watch out for wolves in Chicago *L*
Eli Cross- Make that giant cricket movie!

The Ides of March

Its 10:35 pm

    Its still winter here in SE Michigan. The cheetah is curled up on our bed,I had him racing back and forth across the house chasing his laser pointer. 
  Been a rugged week here...starting to prepare my taxes and looking at all the receipts from the U of Michigan,CVS and the funeral home has just set me on edge. I have Lori's last W2 from Lane Bryant along with her forms from her disability...everything a sad reminder of what has happened. I remember telling our tax person about the very real possible chance she wouldn't make it til this year. Now I am dragging my feet,getting it organized. I have to call my bank and U of M for receipts and a statement that I didn't get yet. And because I had to break a cardinal rule about not touching a 401k,I will end up owing money I don't have to the IRS. Cancer is a such a long lasting ugly beast. Not only do you have to endure the pain of the loss but far too many people are overwhelmed by the financial burden that comes with becoming a one income household. Some can handle the weight,others can not...you know where I am...
    No one wants to hear this anymore.....so lets move on.

Its now 5:21 pm on 11 March. 

   Decided to come write after somewhat spinning my wheels...its chilly outside and despite have a 50 degree day,our first one of the year,old man winter has decided to go out not with a whimper but a huge bang. Sometime tonight and going into tomorrow,we are going to get one last huge snowstorm that is expected to drop between 6 to 10 inches of snow on the ground. I had just barely started to see my bare driveway when this sudden burst of good news decided to drop in.
   Its not the first time this has happened to us. We had good size storm drop 4-5 inches on us a few years back...the next time,it zoomed up to 55 and in two days,the snow was gone. Not going to happen this time as we have too much snow still on the ground.  But we will hope for the best that the storm dumps as little as possible on us.
  Everyone is ready for spring,even our local journalist Robin,who always seems to perk up at the word "snow". She too,is more then ready for Spring and Summer!
   I have noticed that I am having a hard time going to my den other then to get a fresh book to read. I don't know why this is and I am not happy with it. I guess it comes down to a notion that I don't have a lot to say these days. I know that isn't true but it is how I am feeling. It could be the winter blues I suppose.
  
 Going to take a minute to bring you a wonderful story of the first real Pink Hat mission. As I wrote last entry,I submitted idea for a Suspended Coffee day to mark the 20th of Feb. I invited my group to join me and despite having 12 folks saying they would,the weather and illness pretty much popped the balloon. In fact,I didn't get my mission until after the 20th myself!
  But two wonderful ladies did as well...Coco,my favorite Red Sox fan,bought a homeless fellow a meal at a local eatery. 
  Theresa,with whom we have been friends with for 14 years come this July,also sallied forth on her Pink Hat mission. Theresa was the lady who hired me at my grocery store job. We attended each other's weddings and Theresa also helped me so much last year. She really has a heart of gold and is one of the best champions for animals I know. In fact,she has her own dog grooming business which is doing very well.
   So I wasn't wasn't surprised to see her sign up for the Pink Hat mission. I had asked that those who did the mission to send me a couple of paragraphs describing what it was like to help someone.
This is Theresa's story.

   Well ok, Suspend day didn't turn out like we expected to say the least. I woke up in the morning hoping to make a difference! Could hardly wait to start the day. Got ready, dressed and planned my attack only to get knocked down a bit.
   Went to McDonald's and tried to explain to the kid running the register what I was trying to do. After about 5 minutes of a blank stare I asked to talk to the manager in charge. Sadly the response I got from her wasn't much better. They didn't understand and frankly didn't really care to help.
  So on I went to Tim Horton's down the street, again the same type of response.  I felt a bit defeated but I was going to make this happen somehow, someway! I decided to go to the Value Village (like a St Vincent Depaul) and see if I could help someone in some way. Many people shopping alone and with their families.
    I really didn't know where to start so I walked around looking for a sign of some sort? There was the sign, a woman I had seen around many times, at the grocery store, at the drug store and so on. She smiled at me like she had seen me before also.
  I decided that I was going to tell her about what I was trying to do. She smiled and said that sounded like a great idea and wished that more places did things like that for the people that just needed a bit of help once in awhile. She started to walk away and I said today is the day I want to do it for you. Whatever you have to get today please let me take care of the bill. At first she shrugged her shoulders and then with a smile she looked at me and said "Thank You, that would be so great.If you only knew"
  . I didn't ask anything more I just followed her to the register and took care of it for her. I think it made my day more than it did hers. I will make it something I do more often because it is the right thing to do. Thank you Michael for starting this for me.



All it takes is one small gesture to start something positive. It all starts with us. I have already started the next Pink Hat mission. 
And here it is....

Okay folks,we have another great chance to do something nice for someone. A young lady who helps animals by running a rescue group has discovered she has cancer and its going to be a tough struggle. I know when my Lori was sick,I asked that you send cards of encouragement. It was a wonderful thing seeing the cards come from everywhere. So now we are going to do this for Kathy. All you need to do is send her and her husband a small simple card.

Her address

Kathy Woods.
P.O. Box 7365
Little Rock,Ark 72217

I have 5 folks joining me as well as my Musketeers from my job who are going to send a card to Kathy. I am sending out my card tomorrow. I do know that I will be doing two planned Pink Hat Missions in April,another blood donation and I am not sure of the other event yet. When I figure it out,I will share it here.
  I have a huge favor and I know it may appear self serving but it isn't,I promise. If you are so inclined to write to Kathy,can you please comment on here. I just want to know if I am actually reaching anyone.

Paladin and I also teamed up for a "unofficial" mission this past week. This one meant a lot because Lori and I are huge animal lovers. I have written many times where we either saved a animal,fed them,got them homes or in some cases,a dignified burial.
  I know a artist in Los Angeles who has a pigeon as a pet. She hand raised her bird from a infant and even taught it to fly. She loves her bird and once in a while will post a picture or share a story that involves her pigeon doing something very cute. 
   Of course we all know someone who has owned birds...like a finch,lovebird,parrot or even a raptor. But a domesticated pigeon? I had never heard of anyone doing this. But this young lady has done it.
  So it was alarming to read that her bird had a egg stuck inside and she had no luck in getting it out. Being a pigeon owner,she knows all the tricks to helping her bird in distress but this time was different.
 She was going to need medical help.
I don't know about you,but I don't see a lot of vets advertising pigeon services. Even normal domestic birds,I don't see a lot of vets doing that kind of work. In fact,birds and other critters like ferrets,or turtles or rabbits are called exotics because there really isn't that many calls about them. In fact,in the 15 years that we have owned cats and have taken them in to the vets,I have not seen any other animals other then a dog or cat.
  So finding a vet,even in Los Angeles, to treat a pigeon was going to a longshot and expensive.
My friend found a vet willing to help but the fees quickly rose beyond her means. Her pet needed a digital x-ray and those of you who read about Derek Jeter,know those are very expensive.
When I read her plight,I looked at Paladin and said we need to help on this. We reached out and volunteered to help because we know how much her pet means to our artist friend. 
 Information was exchanged,calls were made and soon her pigeon was getting the help it needed.
As of tonight,the bird is doing well and is on the mend. We hope she will be back in flying shape very soon.

Today was Tax Day...found myself gathering up our paperwork and going to the tax service we have been using for the past 4 years. Our normal taxperson,Jennifer,had moved on to manage her own office downriver. So I got Pat and she was very helpful. We went through things very quickly and she said I was due a refund and I said no...because of my financial straits,I had to break a Suze Orman cardinal rule and use a 401k to live on. 
   So I got nailed and will end up owing Uncle Sam 1,600.00. Its very depressing and when I had to hand over Lori's death certificate...no wonder one ever really feels true closure,the constant reminders are always around you. This marked the last time I will file as a married couple. Just another door closing...

  Enjoyed a nice chat with my close friend (more like a brother) Jimmy last weekend. Jimmy was the MAN at the EDGE when it came to booking shows. We worked and supported each other through some kick ass times. When the EDGE closed a few years after I moved here,Jimmy kept his toe in music business by playing in a few great bands but I know while he loves singing and being on stage,his soul loves booking the show. 
  Over the years he has booked a few shows here and there but nothing really earth shattering until about 3 months ago when he and a good friend,Steve Loveless,got a chance to book a 800 seat all ages theater in Campbell,Calif...its been a total hoot to sit back and watch the master show off though skills that he has never lost. 
  It was no surprise to see his first show completely sell out when he booked legendary guitarist Michael Schenker.



Then last week,another solid outstanding show with Buckcherry that drew a very loud and hungry live music crowd. And while I can't name names,his partner,Stevie Loveless,has booked his first show and all I have to say is two things.....Holy shit,am I jealous of your first show and second,I hope someone bootlegs it for me!! 
   So completely stoked to see good music back in San Jose in a decent sized venue. The Blank Club,Blackbird Cafe and The Caravan are all doing heroic work in getting music pumped back into San Jose but you need a large venue to create the excitement. 
  Staying on the music thread for a welcome change...I finally got my Eric Stuart Band package! Just in time for the warmer weather so I can crank it up a little bit while driving to work and back...thank you so much Eric for the music!


This was the result of helping Eric raise money for his first music video which you can view by clicking the arrow below. This is almost the only new music I have received or listened to in about two years. Those who really know are probably shocked by that but hey....sometimes that is how it goes.

But then again,sometimes you get a wee bit lucky as I was when cruising my local Dollar Tree for Dollar Tree Theater DVDs. While I did strike out there,I found Tim McGraw's "Southern Voice". Pretty happy to see a well known artist at my Dollar Tree! New music is even more rare then DVDs to find there. So while I have laid off my book addiction,seeing small trickles of music and movies is what makes the shopping fun.



As you can tell,this is my first entry this month and its been written over a longish time frame. I have meant to publish this but my computer has had its issues of late. Thanks for sticking with me and sharing your support. 

This last thing.......Paladin and I doing some bonding. He really is a very sweet cat....


Shout-outs

Christine C. - wishing you the news you want to hear about your job.
Loo - fly high 
Jimmy and Steve - Wishing you much success! 
Joan - My thanks to Buddy for the inspiration!
Justin W. - can't wait to see your bullpen staff!
Brad B. - you have a heart of gold.
Denise V. - I hear  chocolate eclair bars are a (sort of) healthy food.
Kim aka Roz - yeah,my house needs a visit.
Monte - Thanks for lifting my spirits,who knew politics could be so warm and fuzzy??
Jim Kelly - Wishing you nothing but good news. You have fought so hard,you deserve peace and health.
Thank you to my Pink Hat squad - Let's make Kathy's week!

 

Ride Along with The Pink Hat.

Its 7:44 pm

dedicated to Gary from my job. Thank you.
 
     Another ice cold night here in SE Michigan. While the snow has stopped,the slight warm-up we have had this week has left our roads and driveways a nightmare to travel on. I have never seen so many local roads completely torn by our winter. The main surface roads are bad enough but the side roads are just awful and dangerous as well.
  Now I know some of you may be asking "Why don't they just plug up the potholes"? Its a fair question but a very easy answer,its too cold! The patch won't work because its too cold and instead of being poured in and expanding to plug the hole,the asphalt would instead cool off very rapidly and just become a rock in the pothole. In fact depending on how it froze,it itself could become a hazard by sticking up and causing flat tires if cars ran over its surface. So we have to wait until the weather warms up in order for repairs to work. But the flip side (isn't there always a flip side) is while we wait,the roads are being eroded more and more each day.
  The traffic on the main roads is very heavy because no one really wants to drive on a torn up road that has huge craters or are just caked with thick ice. My sub's roads are okay but the ice is pretty thick. And because of the heavy snows nationwide,rock salt is extremely scarce. No one has any and when it does hit the stores,its gone the second its unloaded.
  But Tidy Cat should send me a years worth of cat litter as I have been sharing the fact that cat litter is most effective to help your car get traction if you don't have salt to lay down. I have told hundreds of folks about this and given directions to the three pet stores that within 2 miles of my job.

  We got our weather forecast,no more snow in the new week but the temp will be screaming south again to single digit lows. The weirdest thing is about this is despite this being a record setting winter for Michigan,that a third of the country at one time had snow on the ground.
   It was because of the nasty weather and even nastier roads that I wasn't able to complete my Suspended Day until today.

   Just a brief recap....in my informal support group on Facebook I decided to take the 20th of Feb and use it as a day of doing a random act of kindness for someone. I created a event in the group and 11 others signed up to join me. Based on the reactions,I think its much harder to do when its planned or when the shop you are going to do your act of kindness in doesn't support it. Some folks were ill during the weekend and I don't know what happened to the rest. I had hoped to include a brief story and a picture of everyone's act.
Instead its just me....but that is okay because people do have lives and life gets in the way. I mean it took me until today to finally get my butt in gear.
   I was going to do it on Sunday but my Cheryl said the Salvation Army was closed on Sundays. I worked on cleaning my house before I went to my job,it was getting a little dirty. But today was free and clear...after running some errands I came home and got ready. The iPad was charged up and I had the Pink Hat in the car. I admit,I was nervous...I was going to a store intending to approach someone,explain why and who I was doing it for and get a picture of the Hat in action. When you do this on impulse,you just DO,you have no time to think or plan. You help that person out and move on. Planning this was so much different. As noted above,I didn't even know if the Salvation Army would even allow me to take a picture. I just said a prayer and headed on out.

   I got to the store,took a deep breath and went in. I had no plan other then try not to come across as a weirdo. The store wasn't very busy and I browsed the books and music area. I tried to think of what to do and say as I stood there. I found a CD that was only 2 bucks(!!) and slowly made my way to the check out lane.
  It was then I saw a young mother with her two small children shopping. She had a young son and a daughter who were shopping in the grab bag area. The grab area is for kids and it contains small paper bags full of loose toys that they can't sell because they are too small. She had a basket of children's clothes and was waiting for her kids. I took a deep breath and walked over and introduced myself. I explained what I was doing and why I was doing it. She got tears in her eyes and said she had just gone through a divorce and money was very tight. Her kids came over with a grab bag and then the mother started unloaded her basket. I told cashier,who was ringing up my CD,to please include the young lady's items.
  I then asked the cashier if she wouldn't mind taking a picture of me with the Pink Hat. As she was starting to take the picture,the kids also got into the picture as the mother. That was unexpected and soon we had our picture. The young lady was Katie,her son was A.J. and her daughter was Izzy. They all said thank you again and then it was done. I walked out and got into the Rodger Young and headed home.



I don't know what March will bring as far as a volunteer event but I know The Pink Hat will be "out and about" more as the weather warms up.

 What else has been going on? Baseball season started today with squads playing their first games against college teams or within themselves. Maybe the sound of a ball hitting a bat will usher in spring a little more quickly.  I don't know that it will but one can hope.
   Still making my way through Dollar Tree Theater. I finished my latest "instant classic" called "Hyper Sonic".
Wow,where do I even begin with this mess? The script,the cheesy effects so bad even the SyFy Channel would be ashamed to show this on a Saturday night? The gaping plot holes? I posted on my FB about how bad a movie has to be if even Adam Baldwin can't save it. Adam is one of my favorite character actors and he elevates any project he is in with his acting. But even he was in the soup with this bomb. The plot has something do with a world wide air race. Antonio Sabato,Jr.,who once seemed to have a once promising career,plays a jet pilot whose mistake cost several lives in a race years before. Five years later he gets a chance to redeem himself despite the obstacles thrown in way by a shady promoter (Baldwin). The plot is leaky and the CGI looks straight from a Atari 2600 console.


This is the beauty of lucking into a bundle of films like this at the Dollar Tree. I can't imagine how pissed someone would get if they actually bought this mess at the full regular price. But with spending only a buck,its a cheesy enough movie to invite some friends over,pop up some popcorn and start cracking jokes.

 I read that actor Alec Baldwin (yes,he and Adam are related) is going to retire back into private life. Alec,who was accused of making anti-gay comments when he was being assaulted by an over aggressive stalkerazzi which cost him his new show on MSNBC (trust me Alec,you aren't losing anything there other then a paycheck). Continuing a theme from guest blogger Dax Shepard about the incredible loss of privacy and the sense of entitlement we as a society feel about knowing anything and everything about a well known person,I can see why Baldwin is feeling so bitter and defensive. In a column he wrote,he says that he has worked with many wonderful folks in Hollywood who are gay and has had no issues with them. I believe that..its a well known there is a heavy gay population working in Hollywood and if Alec had any real homophobic tendencies,do you think he would have had a long term career in that town? I just feel he was provoked and prodded...and if he did use a slur,it would be no different then anyone using a word or a term in the heat of the moment. Not defending it but put anyone in his shoes and see what happens. I doubt very many of us would stay cool and calm.
  Maybe he just needs to take that step out of the spotlight and into the shadows and raise his new family is peace and quiet.




 As I am close to ending this,I am talking with Don Neilson. Don and I have bonded over the fact we are still madly in love with our wives. Don's wife Amy helped me tremendously when Lori's cancer came despite fighting her own advanced breast cancer. Don posted some lovely pictures of Amy on his FB page and has graciously allowed me to share a picture with you. We both talk about about not wanting to forget our girls.
 Now I am doing my small part because I talk about Amy quite a bit...her courage helped us in the first days of our struggle and I mourn her very much. I will never forget Don reaching out to me last 6 May only two weeks before Lori left. He talked with me for three hours....what makes it so meaningful is the fact Amy died on the 6th May one year before. Its gestures like this,like all the kindness that I still receive today that inspires me to do my random acts of kindness because that is who Lori and I were and am. Amy and Don are the same kind of folks.

 


With tears in my eyes,I will end this for now.

If you are on Twitter,follow me @Jinzo_2400


Shout outs

Don - thank you for the picture.
Cheryl - Thank you for your friendship.
Amy Lange - Thank you for your compassion. Sometimes I think we don't that enough to each other.
Lex and Kelly - Sending warm healing thoughts your way.
Dom and Jerome - Old team all the way.
My political Inner Circle- Now this is getting to be fun but beware the Troll button!
Katie,AJ and Izzy - Thank you for helping me on my Pink Hat mission. I hope things get better.
Gary G. - Thank you for the idea!
Denise,Ivy and Joan - just because you are all wonderful.
Debbie Rochon - Motor City Nightmares? I think that is doable.

The Pink Hat

 Its 5:38 PM

      Sitting in the den...the day has been weird weather wise to say the least. Woke up to heavy snowfall and a sleepy orange and white cat curled in a tight ball. As I started getting my day in order,my friend Deb (aka Rhoda) called. As we talked the snow switched over to a light rain. Up to then,I hadn't heard anyone up and about with a snowblower.  But I then I heard one buzzing pretty close,I thought it was my neighbor Justin clearing his sidewalk but it was my other neighbor,Larry and he cleared half of mine.
  Taking that as a cue,I suited up and went to clear the driveway. We were supposed to get 2-3 inches of fresh snow...on top of the 31.1 inches we got in January, instead we got about 4 inches and it was the heavy snow that is a real bear to shovel. It had to be done so I got to it and about 45 minutes the job was done.
  So some of you may have seen the first pictures of my idea to honor and remember Lori. Before I start the story,please the blog entry about The Pink Hat's origin.


   
 When a loved one dies of a illness like cancer,there are so many things on your plate as a family member,spouse,friend,caretaker or all of the above. I touched upon seeing a video that I filmed of Lori a couple of entries back...I need to revisit the topic for a bit,I hope you won't mind.
  One of the issues that arises when you are losing a loved one is creating a lasting memory. There are many ways to do so,donate time in volunteering,massive amounts of cash to a favorite college or charity,creating a foundation in the person's name. Lot of ideas....but many that come after the fact. Because creating that memory is the last thing you think of when they are still alive. You are in the moment as far as being with them all the way to the end. Now some folks do in fact write journals or leave video journals but the vast,vast majority do not. In our case,we only focused on LIVING because we didn't want to lose a moment of time. This means I only have one video of Lori alive and talk during our last month as well as the one video that was shot during her last week with me.
  I bring this up because a friend is watching one of her friends die of colon cancer and she wants to have a lasting memory. She asked about videotaping and I shared our story. That it never occurred to me to just set up the camera and just talk. Asking a dying person to go on camera and leave a memory is not so easy. Its basically telling the person "You're dead but I want this for myself". It robs the person of peace of mind and in many cases,hope. So may have resigned themselves to their fate and are able to face a camera. I can tell you that Lori and I were not. Sitting here,holding on to her memory,I know now I wish I had more video footage but not at the cost of her peace of mind.
  Since I don't have a lot of videos of Lori and our lives together,I got inspired by a husband whose wife is also very ill with cancer. He went to various places and took pictures of himself wearing a pink tutu. He shared them with his wife and it brought her joy and laughter.
Now while I can't do that for Lori now...but with me taking my Pink Hat,I can show YOU some of the places we went to and the people that meant a lot to us. So this is the genesis behind the Pink Hat. A little goofy? Maybe. But from my heart? Positively!
  And with that....my first adventure with the Pink Hat came with my going to give blood at the American Red Cross. Its been a while since I have been able to donate but deep in the middle of winter when so many folks could use blood? Count me in....so I took my first picture of the Pink Hat and drove to the donation place.


Got checked in and went through the process of getting ready. I snapped this picture while waiting for a table to become open.
  Soon it was my turn and as I climbed onto the table,the nurse asked about the hat. I told her what I was doing and the reason behind it. I asked her if she wouldn't mind taking a picture or two and she was very happy to do it.



My eyes are closed because I was trying to squeeze the roller and trying to ignore the pain in the needle injection area on my arm. This donation stung a bit! Pretty soon I was done and so as I was being unhooked,I thanked the nurse and went to the cookies and juice table for the 15 minute recovery time.
  And that concluded my first activity on my Pink Hat Tour.

Took another big step yesterday as well. I went out to my first real social event since forever. Got invited to my friend Dom's house to watch a replay of the Royal Rumble. A group of guys all chip in snacks,drinks,plates,etc to table while watching the event. I have had a standing invite but other then going to the show three times,have avoided any real social activity.
  I think its still due to the tenderness of what has happened. I still get people asking about what happened and how am I coping. If being broke as hell is a sign of improving,then I guess I can say I'm doing well enough to venture out again.
   Had a fun time....the group and very friendly. Dom has a very sweet but chunky pug who acted more like a cat then dog. He took turns sleeping on everyone and he snores pretty loudly.
  We plan of reuniting for Wrestlemania in April and do it again.




Hopefully the weather will be much nicer then it is now. It was actually raining when we got to Dom's house but 5 hours later we walked out into a heavy sloppy snow. The weather is just creating havoc with our roads as huge potholes are developing on all the major road ways. But since its still snowing and cold,the county really can't fix them and the potholes get bigger every day.




 I finally did a smart thing and canceled my cable TV. I should have done it a long time ago. Truly there is nothing more depressing then the state of cable TV. Its just a barren wasteland of god awful "reality" shows and the movie channels playing the same shitty 20 year old movie. So I pulled the plug on it this week,felt pretty good too.
   Seems like Dollar Tree Theater is a big hit with some readers. Right now I am making my way through a DVD of Sherlock Holmes. A company has included the classic four Basil Rathbone films from the 30's and 40's along with the 39 episodes from a 1954 series that ran for only one year despite good reviews.


I am making my way through the TV series first. As noted,the series came out in 1954 and was a hit with both the public and reviewers. The show was in black and white and very low budget. To save costs,many actors were on the show playing different parts in different episodes. A couple of well known names did guest spots,most noted being Natalie Schafer (who played a murderess!) from "Gilligan's Island" and Michael Gough who played Alfred in the Batman films.



Ronald Howard played Sherlock Holmes. He was the son of famed actor Leslie Howard and had gotten into the acting game a little late. He was 36 when the show debuted. I like his cool portrayal as Holmes,he comes across as totally in control but does shows some chinks in his armor (The Case of the Christmas Pudding) when a convicted killer swears revenge.
   The chemistry among Holmes and his Dr. Watson was excellent. This was because Dr. Watson was



played by H. Marion Crawford,who really wanted to play Dr. Watson in a Holmes project. Early episodes had Watson being a bit of a buffoon but this quickly changed as he developed a habit for disarming the various murderers that Holmes uncovered. By a quick punch or a crack shot,Crawford's Watson held his own very well.
 Of course no Sherlock Holmes series or story can't be complete without the aid of  Scotland Yard's own dogged inspector Lestrade. Now this is where a lot of folks who do Sherlock Holmes mess up...even in the classic film series,they often portray Lestrade is a lesser light or as comedy relief. But Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn't. He had Lestrade as a good cop but never quite understanding how Holmes just knew things so fast.
  This is the only weakness of this series,the Lestrade here is played as a bumbling bit of a fool who Holmes uses for his own self amusement.




Lestrade was portrayed by Scottish actor Archie Duncan. He did a nice job in a pretty thankless role.

What was interesting about this series was that it was filmed entirely in France. Sets were built to resemble London and 221B Baker Street. Several adventures were set in France and Belgium.
I picked this DVD up at Target during Christmas for 4.00,its very much worth the price.

An update on Don from my last entry. A outpouring of love and support rolled in to help Don and his 4 kids. A Good Samaritan paid his DTE bill,warm clothes and food were gathered and most importantly,he got a job. Because of the overwhelming support,they ended up far more items then they needed so they paid it forward in donating the extras to folks in need.

Last week I was just relaxing when Paladin decided to come curl up on my chest. He slept for a few minutes then started to go to town on cleaning his foot. He tugged,licked and tugged some more on his foot trying to get it perfectly clean. I managed to snap some pictures of him and so I thought I share this one on the way out.


 

He certainly is a ham....

Alrighty then....time to wrap this up.....I will be featuring a guest blogger in my next entry. Might even surprise you as to who it is. I read the blog and was so impressed that I asked if I could post it here. Its a interesting topic that I think is pretty near to any parent's heart.

As I am wrapping this up I see that Phillip Seymour Hoffman has died of a heroin overdose. He had been in rehab last year for his addiction but sadly couldn't break away from his urge to shoot up. He was a gifted actor who won a Oscar for "Capote". He was only 46 when he died.






Shout outs

Lon Lopez - Super Bowl and KFC! Good times!
Deb - The Sherlock Holmes review was for you!
Maren- Aren't you glad the game is almost here?
Barb- Thank you for the dinner.
Dax - Thank you and I hope you approve
Dom and Jerome - Thanks so much for Saturday,the Christmas gift was a blast!
Phil Johnson- Bet you never thought I was keeping tabs on your rise.
Christine - Trust me,pizza WILL happen soon!
Oakwood - Can you justify a 4,300.00 bill for a single kidney stone?

Writing to Write (Richard Sherman,Dollar Tree Theater and a Act of Kindness)

Its 9:29 pm

    Bitterly,bitterly cold tonight....this is a killing cold if one was caught unawares outside without the proper protection. I felt it tonight,the 40 yard walk to the Rodger Young was so cold,my hands started hurting in just the 3 minutes it took to walk to it!
 
  My thanks to those of you who read my last blog and offered some kind comments on it. It was not a easy one to write,I can assure you. But I hope it can help someone in the near future. Feel free to share the blog with anyone whom you think may benefit from it.

I don't have a theme tonight other then to write. Some blogs are like that...you just sit in a warm den with a fun orange and white cat attacking your feet,drinking a cuppa tea in a Starbucks mug that was your wife's,listening to the Eric Stuart Band tearing it on iTunes.

But I will start with this story.
 There is a 53 year old man named Don here in Detroit. He is raising four children who are doing very well in school. Sadly,Don is out of work and like so many of us,is struggling badly. His utility bills are so far behind,that they were turned off.
  Don has been reduced to walking throughout his neighborhood in the bitter cold looking for a most unlikely treasure,wood. He goes into abandoned homes and looks for scrap wood that he then carries home. He takes a ax and cuts the wood up,taking care to remove any metal,nails,etc out it. The wood is then used to help keep his family as warm as it can. They heat water in pots and pans that is used for bathing and having clean dishes.
  Don keeps his struggles to himself as he trudges the empty streets looking for that wood,looking to keep the bitter cold at bay for his children's sake. Well someone must have gotten wind of Don's efforts and they contacted our local Fox station,Fox 2 Detroit.
  Andrea Isom,the journalist who does the leading stories on the 11 o'clock news,covered Don's plight a couple of days ago.
 


  The station's Facebook page BLEW up with hundreds and hundreds of people wanting to help. Offers of help,free wood,hot meals,clothes,jobs and cash were posted. Of course the station wasn't ready for that kind of overwhelming support and it took them a day to get a way to get those offers to the family. A stranger stepped up and paid the past DTE bill so the family could have light and heat again. The outpouring of compassion was awesome to see and I hope half of those folks come through with those offers. I would have liked to join that group but I don't have anything I can spare. Don's story hits closer to home closer then I care to admit....but just so thankful that he got such love from a very unlikely place.

   You can read the story on the station's website by clicking on the link.

I am here listening to my iTunes and once again the Eric Stuart Band has popped up into play. The song is "The Land of Might Have Been". Its an incredibly touching song and I can't but help sit here and wonder what might have been .....

One last look, before you go
One last dance, nice and slow
One last drink, before we sink

Into the land of what might have been
The land of what might have been

One last gaze into your eyes
One last chance to say goodbye
One last call, before we fall

Into the land of what might have been
The land of what might have been

I've been thinking 'bout the talks we had
All the dreams we shared and the plans we made
It seems the timing was much more than bad
We were ill-prepared for when they fade away

One last mile before we rest
One last word, we did our best
One last stop before we drop

Into the land of what might have been
The land of what might have been

One last dance in the land of what might have been
You never know what might have been

- Eric Stuart Band

Pretty haunting words to say the least. I was talking about my last blog with a young lady named Devin,who is studying to become a pharmacist. She is leaving in July to attend Belmont University and she was very helpful when Lori was sick and I asked her about different chemotherapy meds. It was a pretty good talk until I started talking about the lost time that happened to us. That is always what makes my heart crack,the one thing I would go and change,to get back that time....what might of been.
  But that isn't going to happen,is it?

I am more then amused by all the fur flying in the wake of the Seahawks beating the 49ers last weekend. Seahawk CB Richard Sherman made a great play on a poorly thrown ball to Michael Crabtree that Sherman knocked away and another Seahawk made a nice pick that sealed the game. Afterwards,Sherman,in the afterglow of winning this game wasn't holding back on how he was feeling. Instantly,the backlash started...while I expect that from Whiner fans (hello Kenny and Greg!) *L*,the rest of country acting like Sherman committed mass murder was beyond stupid.



Calling him a "thug" because he was happy he made a Super Bowl clinching play really does smack of racism. If any of these dumb fucks actually followed football,they would have known Sherman went to college at Stanford University,where he graduated with a 3.9 GPA! That isn't a "thug", that is a hell of a human being who was just showing some human emotion. Just as any of my 49ers friends who have shown if Crabtree would have caught that pass. Fans,you have to be classy in defeat as well as when you win. Admire Sherman as a hell of a player....you don't have to root for him or his team but respect him for the whole of the package,not just for barking a little bit.
  And before you get all huffy about,note that I am not a fan of Stanford or the Seahawks but I do enjoy watching good players play cleanly.

 The weather has been so nasty as of late that Dollar Tree Theater has been getting quite the workout. To those who may be new here,I hunt for cheap DVDs to watch. Our local Dollar Tree,sometimes Target and now sadly,our Blockbuster store which is closing,often sell some pretty obscure films. So I buy them and pop up some Pop Secret and get away for a couple of hours. I have a stack of dollar movies that Paladin and I take turns in choosing what we watch.
  So this past week was spent watching the first 10 episodes of the old TV series called "Renegade" which starred Lorenzo Lamas.The plot was simple,a cop framed for a murder he didn't commit and becoming a bounty hunter. I remember the show but never watched it...


I have to admit,it was a pretty entertaining show once you get by the cheesy music. Lorenzo Lamas was actually decent as Reno Raines,the framed hero. The show was created and produced by Steven Cannell (who brought us the A-Team). It was interesting to see all the bad guys use the same guns that Hannibal Smith and his team used in the earlier A-Team. The plots were a bit generic but it had good action and chemistry between the lead actors was pretty good until the end of the fourth season,Lorenzo and Kathleen Kinmont,who were married in real life,divorced and she left the show.
  Another movie I stumbled upon was a action film called "Cross". I started watching this movie but 10 minutes,I stopped and hit "Director's Commentary" and I was glad I did. This movie was very low budget but made with a lot of heart and effort by Patrick Durham.


The movie aimed for a superhero feel with bright colors and the main hero,Callen,wearing a powerful anicent Celtic cross which gives him superhuman abilities. For a low budget film,this one packs a hell of a lot of star power! Michael Clarke Duncan,Vinnie Jones and Jake Busey join Brian Austin Green in trying to launch a potential series. While I do think it was a noble effort,unless you have a budget for effects,you are doomed to failure and having a weak script really hurts as well. I did enjoy Patrick's commentary and his unique use of one building for most of his set pieces. The script,while weak,was never mocked by the cast and they tried their best with what they got. Durham mentioned many times about making a second film but based on the 3.0 rating on IMDB and the crushingly bad reviews this movie got,I doubt we'll see another Cross. Which is too bad because I think with a decent script and effects,this could have taken off.

    Okay,that is all for now.....I know this was a fluff post for the most part but I just wanted to write something,anything.  Thanks for reading!

If you are on Twitter,look for me at @Jinzo_2400


Shout outs

Amy - I'm trying,I promise. Its just very hard.
Debbie T - Holy crow,fencing! But why not,right?
Calvin Mann - enjoyed the Campbell debate
Patrick Durham - keep trying!
Metro Detroit area - Way to step up in helping that family. It shows what we can do UNITED!
49er fans - Still behind the Steelers!
Devin- Thanks for the talk. Medicine is not for the weak hearted!
Eric Stuart - One hell of a songwriter
Smooth Jon Jones - Michigan at San Jose State,can't wait!