Corona

 The last four years have been filled with one footstep from one turd to another. The next more sloppy than the last .

Corona fits the pattern but again Trump and the coming election gives the opportunity to dream of every possible horror we can look forward to.

Holed up in the house since March, I’ve been going deep into YouTube. 

Numbing myself with videos from everywhere I finally figured out how to save videos to save to watch later.

So now with this queue I could let go of Netflix and go into this list.

The first video I save? Julia Child msking beouf bougiognon. I don’t have the patience organization or will to cook anything with more than two ingredients or three steps but with corona I’ve got the time.

Beouf bourguignon. Too much. 

So I filled my queue with assorted news art and history but also cooking projects.

Typically I’ve been putting these things on my list since March but the first item I made was the end of July .

I picked something simple. Build on success .

I found this link. Milk ramen. What the fuck is that? There were three videos claiming the recipe was amazing. 

I followed the directions And holy fuck! It’s great!

https://youtu.be/4cqUQNyzvP4

Suceess. I love coffee and dessert. A good coffee cake. 

Added 

Shopped for ingredients. 

Honestly, I was nervous during the whole process. Measuring mixing stiring cooking. I felt like I was on a tight rope but that was part of what doing this was for.

Seeing these things through . Done.

Looked good. Smelled ok. Tasted. Decent . Not amazing but I didn’t poison myself. VICTORY!

https://youtu.be/ds0jskRIeRI

Clear ice! Done !

https://youtu.be/n5H2Opjql9g

Next up, meatloaf garlic rosemary mashed potatoes and scones .

The world is not great right now 

Controlling what you can and pick up a win where you can 

Trying to keep things right 

Ohio

The trip started out rough.

I picked up a rental car in town. Genius move. 

At the airport, $500 for a week. In town, $199! Sweet!

I pick up the car and as I'm driving off the lot it smells like a stripper. In the bad way. 

Then under the bad putfume it's smoke. 

Fuck

I'm tired and I just want to get to the hotel .

It's not tooooo bad 

So I tell the agent. Then assure me they will knock some off my bill and it won't be a problem 

The first two days it wasn't 

But I've been. Driving this tin can with all the Windows down and it still smells in the bad way when I open the doors

Ohio . You're not making a good impression.

Cleveland tomorrow 

Columbus. You do good things here .

Waffle House

The Waffle House never disappoints.

My rental isn't ready so two eggs, hash browns and coffee waiting for my car.

Sitting, eating, drinking , I'm hearing the stories of the city.

High school drama, friends coming out of the closet, friends that moved out of the city .

It happens every time. Pretty much at every Waffle House. The staff and the patrons. Comfortable. Authentic. 

There is no pretense here and I love it. 

Every time I shed a skin and let myself slouch.

The show

On my birthday I bought a ticket to see Steely Dan at Caesars. Vegas is really one thing for me, craps but as I'm getting on I'm trying to mix in a few new things so a concert seemed like a good idea 

I didn't realize this was Father's Day weekend . I have no real attachment to Father's Day. One would expect I would, but I don't 

Got to town Friday night and slept until Saturday afternoon. I expectedly did some extra hours at work and they caught up to me. 

No matter . Soft bed and slot machines within walking distance makes everything good 

I planned on riding this weekend . I forgot my helmet and jacket on my birthday but brought it this weekend however 118 this today means I will wait until another day 

I read Steven Wright the comedian was doing shows this weekend so I went yesterday. Standing in line a short man with glasses pulled on my shirt. Normally this would annoy me but Vegas rules allow for some leeway 

"Hey you need tickets?" He asked

Scalped tickets for this show would be fine with me. Orleans or this guy the difference would be minimal .

"I have two in the center. Enjoy"

As I was trying to think of a good offer fur the tickets he put them in my hand and he was gone 

Sweet! The show was great but after the show I went to the table. Three chimes guys and a Chinese pit boss were running it. They yelled and laughter at each other in Chinese and a girl that never rolled before got hot and I made $500. Put me back in the black 

Got up late saw steely Dan and made it to Ellis island for steak.

It's a good Father's Day 

cleaning up and looking back..

From the ages of 10 to about 22, read, wrote, drew, dreamt and vibrated to comic books. The stories gave me a sense of imagination, a method of articulation, a sense of morality and a love of art.

There came a point when I had to walk away. I didn't make enough to support my habit. I didn't have enough time to read the books I was buying and the quality of books coming out was watered down to the point where the search for that amazing art and story was so difficult I was exhausted when I did find them and broke when I did. So I quit.

Occasionally I look back. I will go to a comic book shop and I'm out of place. The culture has evolved.

I still have my collection and now is the time for me to put them away properly. I've put this off for a long time because it meant  looking back and reliving not only the stories but my life at that time. I'm ready for it now.

I put in an order for 500 boards and 500 bags for a stupid amount of money and they came today. I tracked them from UPS the whole way and now like I did when I was 12 everything is out, on the floor.

I'm feeling the paper on my fingers. Carefully slipping the covers into the new bags and sorting titles and artists and heroes. I'm feeling a bit like the 12 year old in a 50 year old carcass.

Its going to take some time. I'm not getting done tonight and as a result I'm pulling some titles out to reread.

I'm reading "The Watchmen" and "The Dark Knight Returns" again so I can see the movies and cartoons.

50 looking back at 12 feels good, but if 12 could have seen through a looking glass to 50, I hope he would have been happy and how things sorted themselves out.

Leaving osaka

Osaka was an unexpected surprise. Every stop has been nice but osaka was familiar and welcoming in a way when I needed it. 

I always say three weeks is too long for me, the difference between twenty one days and eighteen days is negligible.

It's too bad my last memories of this play will be stumbling around the streets hacking phlegm and looking for ramen. 

My train is here. I'll be at the airport in an hour. Kansai was built on a man made island and it's sinking. Gotta see it while it's there.

See you on the other side.

The game

I've been going to dodger games for more than thirty years. Love it. A passion and everyone needs passions.

I saw a baseball game in Korea but it was more like a high school setup. 

My curiousty about the Japanese league had been there but now having the means I wanted to knock it off the list. 

I picked up a general admission, top deck ticket when I got to osaka. I got yo the stadium two hours before game time to see the season opener. 

Doors opened at 4pm and boom, we were in. Crazy. I don't recall so many people going though security and promo handouts with such efficiency. 

Found a good seat on the third base side. Got a chili dog and coke and waited. 

The oregano was a lit different than the LA season opener. In a dome, no fly over obviously. The announcers came on and instructed the ground on how to follow the cheers.

Game started and the music started. A band played in a single section of the outfield for the drsgons. Everyone singing Za song for each player. 

Three outs and the home team Tigers were up and four sections of the outfittild sang waved banners and I shut you not a brass band. Every player, every out. 

I'm not a big fan of all the extraneous shot at dodgrr stadium right now but here I have to admit I starred to get into it. I didn't wave my flsg but I did cheer for a couple of base hits and when the riggers tied the game in the eighth and won it in the tenth on a walk off base hit.

http://youtu.be/gkTJ3r4oh5c

The game was good but the vibe was a little prefab but electric. People were nice and no one left until the end of the post game, it was a show snd so gladI did it. 

During the seventh inning stretch balloons appeared and after the hanshin Tigers home team song they all flew into the air.

http://youtu.be/k-C878_Bzh0

I did catch a cold and I feel like shit now but fuck it, live till you die ...