11/18/05 Friday
It is 9:58 in the cold morning and I am just now getting to this journal. I looked at yesterdays entry to see what I did. Right now I am trying to remember the rest of the day. You may have noticed that many of my entries don’t finish out the day. There are several reasons for this. On top of the list is that when Cherie comes home I forget all about journaling and enjoy being with her. Plus that is when we are doing things like fixing dinner and watching TV. We or at least I watch too much TV as it is. Real time waster that seldom offers something other than escaping into something that is not reality. I think it can be compared to wandering off into a drug haze that makes you feel good and then is gone. I know that is an extreme example but you get the idea.

It is a half hour later and I am watching Dr. Phil. After the previous discourse on the evils of television I had better justify this by saying that Dr. Phil is an intelligent show that I get allot out of. It gives me a greater ability to understand the issues of others and how to help them. It also helps me as I’m still working on my social skills that had been lost or damaged with the brain injury.
Right now he has a mother and her two daughters on. The mom is real upfront, loud, vulgar, and opinionated. As I listened to her talk with the F you’s and things bleeped out I found her conversation to be normal to me. The culture I am from find this to be normal conversation, just a way to talk and relate. We have no problem telling some one “kiss my ass”. I kind of liked this lady because if nothing else she is honest and says what she thinks. I watched and realized how this affected most of the audience and have to wonder if I affect others the same way. I really don’t cuss like that unless I am with friends who just talk that way.
I would love to see a church open on the east side that has a preacher who cussed. “Why?” you might ask. Think about it. Missionaries learn the language of the people they are going to minister to so those people can understand the message. Why shouldn’t a preacher speak in a way those of us in the “Lower” echelons of society speak.

It is 11:12 now. I turned off the TV after the Dr. Phil show before I could see what was on next and become a TV zombie again. You know the TV is like the full moon to a werewolf, it just stops us Zombies in our tracks.
I better tell of this morning before it vanishes. I met Jeff for our Friday breakfast tradition. It is always good to meet with him, nice to have a friend. We talked of things in our lives and didn’t get into Bible stuff though I did ask him how the home group was doing. He told me that many there were new and let me know about a few things happening with some of those we knew. Jim has a new job and Doug and his wife’s business was still operated out of their home. As Jeff told me these things I felt a sadness that Cherie and I were no longer in touch with them. We had both forayed out to find friends and become a part of a group and thought we would find it at church. Instead we got a soft kick in the ass out the door. Hey they disguised it to make them not look bad so they won’t feel bad.
After that I picked up Cherie’s check and went to Kroger to pick up some milk for Fred. I checked out through the do it yourself isle and headed to the Post Office to mail the large envelop with the letter and picture for Mee Maw. I went up to the counter and gave the envelope to the lady saying “I want to mail this”. She weighed it and said “sixty cents”. I reached for my wallet and said “Shit”. She looked at me so I explained that I didn’t have my wallet. She told me I could just put two stamps on it and that would be fine so I took off.
I was thinking I had left the wallet at home when I headed out to meet Jeff so wasn’t to worried though I kept trying to remember. Right when I was getting close to the apartment I remembered that I had to have my wallet because I had to get it out at Kroger. “Damn, I left it at Kroger” I thought and made a U turn on Heatherdowns giving it the gas as I rushed back to Kroger. I am thinking about what was in it, what do I have to replace, calling the bank about the debit credit card, and everything else. I drive faster and faster, hoping to get there before someone finds it but knowing the odds were stacked against me. I’m beating myself for getting distracted and forgetting. Pissed at this brain injury that contributes to this. Then I check myself. I know that getting upset changes nothing. What will be will be so why get all upset?
I got to Kroger and rushed in. I went straight to the checkout I had used and asked an employee if she had seen a wallet. She said they had found it right after I left and it was at the front desk or whatever you call the area where they take returns and cash checks. I was glad to hear that and when I got the wallet all of the $8.00 I had
was still there. I remember when that was more money than I had in my name.
Cherie came home to pick up her check and deposit it. It was a quick five minutes and we laughed and loved and I told her to be careful going back to work. We may go to the VFW fish fry on the East Side where Bernie is. Will play that by ear.
It is 26 or so degrees outside. We turned the heat on for the first time this year last night. Cherie turned it off this morning and it remains off. I just dress warm keeping on the insulated shirt I wore when I went out this morning. I guess the days of me lounging around naked cause I’m too lazy to get dressed are gone for a while. I might have to put another pair of socks on or my shoes cause the feet are cold.
Well I just poured some dishwater and was getting ready to clean up the kitchen when guess what. Fred called and wants to go get a new heater for Barb and a turkey for her also. I’m more than happy to do that cause she needs this especially for Thanksgiving.

3:59 PM. I am back. Made it alive. That was fun. Not really. Everyone was on the road, this is a precursor to the mayhem we will see after Thanksgiving when the Christmas idiot disease begins to run rampant. I took Fred first to Wal-Mart where I helped him pick out a room heater. I talked him into getting a nice unit with remote control that blew air instead of the oil radiator thing like he bought Barb last time. I figure if it didn’t last then it won’t be any better now.
Then we went to Aldi’s so Fred could get a turkey. I got to hand it to the old guy, he goes through all the ads with his monster lighted and magnifying reader and finds the best deal, or at least a good one. I grabbed one of the last two left and we were done there.
Instead of going straight over to Barb’s I told Fred we needed to go home first so I could assemble the heater. “Fred, Barb can’t put things together and you’ve seen what those yo yo’s around her can do” I argued and he agreed. Back at the house I unpacked the heater and put it together. It is really nice and I think I will talk to Cherie about getting one.
(Actually the odds are I won’t remember to talk to her about it but that’s why I have this journal. When she comes home and asks me what I did all day I just tell her to read the journal, especially on the days I am slow.)
Anyway I got it together and after Fred called her we went to Barb’s. Barb was waiting and I carried the turkey and heater in. I showed her how to operate the heater and gave her the remote control. She will have to play with it a while to figure it out. Fred joked that she would lose the remote and sure enough she already did. Fred just called and asked if I had accidentally brought it home. I laughed and said “Nah Fred, I don’t have it. That didn’t take long did it?”. He chuckled at that and I told him the remote was somewhere in Barb’s place, she would just have to find it.
Now that I am back home I guess I should pour out the cold dishwater and start that over again. I wonder if the dishes will get washed this time.

It is now 8:22. We just got back from the Outback steakhouse. It was ok but I can’t say much more than that. We are tired so will call it a day. Cherie has to work this weekend. Good night