If I Only

Looked 26, I'd be happy.

You Act Like You Are 26 Years Old

You are a twenty-something at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

For Your Love - The Yardbirds

One of my most favorite songs.

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manifold

manifold man·i·fold [man-uh-fohld]

adjective

1. of many kinds; numerous and varied: manifold duties.
2. having numerous different parts, elements, features, forms, etc.: a manifold program for social reform.
3. using, functioning with, or operating several similar or identical devices at the same time.
4. (of paper business forms) made up of a number of sheets interleaved with carbon paper.
5. being such or so designated for many reasons: a manifold enemy.

noun

6. something having many different parts or features.
7. a copy or facsimile, as of something written, such as is made by manifolding.
8. any thin, inexpensive paper for making carbon copies on a typewriter.
9. Machinery . a chamber having several outlets through which a liquid or gas is distributed or gathered.
10. Philosophy . (in Kantian epistemology) the totality of discrete items of experience as presented to the mind; the constituents of a sensory experience.

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I'm familiar with the use of the word as "many", but the first thing that comes to mind is the exhaust manifold on a car. The exhaust manifold taught me a couple of lessons, one being it's always best to let an engine cool down before working on it and two, that I didn't like working on cars, hot engine or cold.

When I worked on drilling rigs, I used to know a guy who would bring out one of those TV dinners in an aluminum tray and put it on one of the huge diesel engine's manifolds when he got out there; after a few hours, it would be piping hot and he'd enjoy a warm meal on a cold winter's night while the rest of us choked down our baloney sandwiches.

I told my wife (now ex) about it and she bought me a few dinners to put on the manifold, but those old TV dinners really didn't taste very good and I told her not to bother.  I was surprised when she packed me a lunch with a casserole in one of those small loaf pans.  I put it on the manifold when I got out there and sure 'nuff, it was hot when I was ready to eat and it was delicious.  She was pleased when I got home and told her how good it was and how jealous my hands were that I had such a great lunch.  She then started putting in two pans into my lunch, telling me I should share with the guys who worked for me and I did;  usually one was more than I could eat, so I had enough to share with at least one other guy.

My favorite was her broccoli, cheese and rice and she'd usually pack another one - meat loaf, Mexican casserole, sometimes lasagna.  I'd wash out the pans before I brought them home as so to save her from having to scrub out baked on food. 

One day, however, we got busy shortly after I got out there and I didn't get to eat.  I was so tired at the end of the shift, I forgot to retrieve my meal.  That evening my ex asked me where the pans were and I slapped my forehead and told her I had forgotten them and I bet they were still on the manifold.  The next day (with sandwiches in my lunch pail) I got out there and saw one of the pans in my locker, empty, except it hadn't been cleaned.  I got busy again and forgot about the other one.  When shift change came around, one of the guys relieving us said he had found it and eaten it. "Tell yer old lady thanks!"  I told him the least he could have done was taken a water hose to it. When I got home, my ex opened up my lunch box and found it and asked where the other was and I had to plead forgetfulness again.

That didn't make her mood any better, nor did her having to try to scrub out the pan.  With a few choice words, she gave up and chunked the thing into the trash.  "Might as well throw the other one away, too." she scolded me.

I got baloney sandwiches until she bought some more pans.  I think she took her time buying them, too, just to teach me a lesson.

Well, I didn't remember the other pan the next day and it wasn't until the rig move when I discovered the forgotten pan.  I figured it might stink, but as I peeled away the aluminum foil I found nothing but a hard-as-a-rock slab of casserole, petrified by several days of baking on the hot manifold.  I thought I might be able to salvage the pan, but even with a hammer and chisel I couldn't get the remains out of the pan.

I've got another story about hot meals on a drilling rig, but I'll wait a day or two to post it.  I'm sure I've bored you enough with THIS one!

Fooled Around And Fell In Love - Elvin Bishop

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I learned something about this song on the YouTube comments (a first, I think!); Bishop didn't sing it, but instead it was Mickey Thomas, a backup singer in his band. Thomas was later invited to be a part of Jefferson Starship. source

I Don't Think So

I think it means a black umbrella is the only kind I've ever had that stood up to the fierce Panhandle wind. I had a little red umbrella once; I kept it in the glove box and used it exactly one time during an afternoon thunderstorm to get from my car to the house without getting wet.

I reckon it was in Oklahoma by supper time.

Your Black Umbrella Says You're Powerful

When faced with adversity, you respond with authority. You don't let problems faze you. You are naturally powerful and commanding. People look to you to take charge. You are elegant and classy. You know how to always say and do the right thing. While you stand out, you also fit it. You thrive in a variety of situations. On a rainy day: you carry on as normal - a little bad weather isn't going to get in your way!

The Umbrella Test

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

The Note

Several years ago, my favorite neighbor was stricken with Alzheimer's Disease.  The once funny and personable friend of mine was now paranoid and delusional and it broke my heart to see him that way.

One night I heard a commotion on the porch and opened the door to see him standing there in his bath robe.  "What's up?" I asked him.  "My wife is trying to kill me!" he said.  I assured him she loved him and would do no such thing and led him back across the street to his home.  By that time, his wife had noticed he had gone missing and met me at the door.  Relieved, she thanked me and against his protests, took him back inside.

I had no sooner got back home when I heard some yelling "Help me!  HELP ME!!! She's going to kill me!"  I rushed back across the street to see if I could help and saw him running along the side of their house.  I helped his wife get him back under control and that's when she told me she had hidden his guns, afraid that he would hurt himself or someone else.  He couldn't find his guns, so that was the reason he thought she was going to kill him.

My neighbor's daughter was there, too, and she thanked me for my help and I told her that's what friends and neighbors were for and to call me if they ever had any more trouble.  She said she didn't have my number and I told her it was published.  She said her phone was unlisted and started to tell it to me but I told her I wasn't good at remembering numbers and I'd get it from her another time or from her mother.

The next day I found a sticky note on my screen door with a nice little message and her phone number.  I stuck it up on the bulletin board by my phone and didn't give it another thought.

My neighbor passed away shortly after that night.  I still miss him, especially on the 4th when we'd pop firecrackers and set off bottle rockets and act innocent when the police cars slowly drove by.   We used to sit on his porch and drink beer, talk politics and the world's problems and what we'd do to fix them. My favorite times with him were watching the meteor showers; he had never done that (as a planned activity) and it was so much fun to be with him and watch the fireballs as they streaked across the sky.  The first time we watched a shower, we saw one so close that we could see the smoke trail and heard it as it made a noise like tearing a bed sheet.   That had him hooked and he was always game to sit out and watch a summertime meteor shower.

It was several months later when I had my girlfriend over and she asked to use the phone.  I told her to help herself and after she was through she turned to me and asked "What is this?" in a hurt and suspicious tone, pointing to a piece of paper on my bulletin board.

It was the note.  I had to do some quick explaining and I guess my explanation was so detailed and specific she believed me.  Still, I didn't blame her because the note read:

"Thanks for last night.  If you need anything, call me. Love, Teresa." with her phone number.

Yep, I'd have wondered about that, too.