The Big Green Chair

Ok, I don't want my blog to turn into a furniture forum and I don't want anybody to think I have a furniture fetish (which I probably do) but there is another key piece of furniture in my garage; the Big Green Chair. It's nearly as spectacular as the my Big Red Couch and comparably storied.

The Big Green Chair came from an estate sale in Airport Heights 5, 6 or 7 years ago. I don't remember if it came at the old house or at the new house but it came because it's kewl. The Big Green Chair (and Ottoman) can only be described as lounge; green naugahyde with gold and white speckles and slashes. It kinda looks like metalic bird poop. But it is total loungecore complete with cigarette burns.

In musing on the Big Green Chair it probably came the summer we moved into the new house because we found it at an estate sale with a stuffed chair with ottoman that Jamie wanted to use in the baby's room (we hadn't named Madeleine yet because we didn't know what sex she would be). They wanted $120 for each of the chairs but I was in full-on garage sale mode and offered $120 for the pair and they took it so the chairs and ottomen (is that the correct plural of ottoman) came home with us.

The Big Green Chair was in the computer room for several years, then in the family room, pretty much always collecting crap. I guess having too much furniture lends itself to some of it ending up as storage. In the latest redesign of the garage layout (the evolution of my garage layout is another story for another time) has placed My Big Red Couch in the corner (still covered with camping gear but due to be exhumed by the popular demand of at least one blog visitor) and the Big Green Chair (and Ottoman) nearby. I created a lounge area, although the competing interests of the garage have kept it from being an exclusively lounge area (the camping gear, the rack of motorcycle clothing, the mini motorcycles [both gas and electric ] and the neverending shit storm piled on the amazing disapearing/reapearing table). I will put "Cleaning up the garage lounge" on my to do list :-D

As cluttered as the garage lounge has become I have managed to keep the Big Green Chair free of clutter (with the exception of the occasional motorcycle jacket, helmet and gloves) and when Madeleine kicked me out of the living room yesterday afternoon for playing my Ukulele too loud I headed for my default location, the garage. I threw on the spotlight, put my feet up on the Ottoman and took center stage on the Big Green Chair. Jumpin' Jim's 60's Uke-in arrived in the mail Friday (or was it Thursday) so I spent about 20 minutes strummin' and singin'. I know, I know, you all have this image of me as Mr. Metal and I am working on a few Ukulele arrangements of some metal classics but pretty much my alltime favorite song ever is Girl From Ipanema. I love that song and there is a Uke arrangement in the Uke-in book so I strummed and sang that one several times.

I'm telling you, I was a few umbrella drinks short of paradise.

Pastime

Map for 55.65.-160.-140
Everybody has to have a hobby. Lately mine has been the nearly obsessive compulsive hourly refresh of the local Earthquake data :-D Life just isn't any fun unless you know what's shakin' in your hood, Yo!

What's shakin', baby! 

Waste of Money - Waste of Time

eBay. Amazon.com. Half.com. This is where my money goes. This is what I waste my money on that I have wasted my time working for. Waste. Affluenza. Good grief.

eBay favorites: motorcycles (BMW, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, Honda), trains (Alaska, Beer Can, E-Z track), gadgets (Garmin GPS, Compaq iPaq) and Ukulele. They are all a waste of time and money.

Are they?

Motorcycles. I spend a lot of time on two wheels. I have spent a lot of money on motorcycles. Categorically the money has gone to bike payments, insurance, gas and accessories, most likely in that order.

Trains. I HAVE wasted a lot of money in this category but I haven't bought any train stuff in at least six months. There are a few things that I want but I don't have either time or space to do anything with trains until probably sometime mid-winter.

Gadgets. I haven't wasted any money on this category lately but I have traditionally wasted money here. I should probably delete these categories because of non-use (as in I don't need anything from either of them).

Ukulele. This is probably the category where I have gotten the most bang for my buck. Both of my Ukulele's have come from eBay. My beginner Uke (which I got for $20 plus shipping) and my Pineapple Flea (which I got for $40 less than retail including shipping). I like my tiny little guitars. I play almost every day and this winter when I cannot ride I will probably play more. I don't have a need for any more Ukuleles (at the moment) but I will probably buy some more music books (Jumpin' Jim's are the best).

Amazon.com and Half.com. Books mostly. I browse other stuff but used books are what I have gotten lately and of the half dozen books I have gotten in the last six months I have read two of them.

Time and money; money and time. I need to focus; re-focus. It's the same thing over and over.

I am easily distracted by shiny objects! 

Ten Things I Hate About Mondays

1) Getting out of bed. That is definately the worst part.
2) Waking up before the alarm goes off and either staring at the clock or keeping my eyes closed and ticking off the seconds to the alarm in my head.
3) Brushing my teeth. Actually, I don't hate brushing my teeth, it just sucks on Mondays.
4) Getting dressed in the dark. This wasn't so bad two months ago when it was still light at 5am but with the sun not stirring until nearly 6:30 it sucks. It's always a surprise, call it my own personal gameshow, to get to work and see what I ended up wearing. Huh, I thought this shirt was red :-/
5) Kicking / bumping into things in the dark. It's my bedroom damnit, who moved all this stuff around when I was sleeping?
6) The squeeky floor. I need to rip up all the carpet and throw down some screws.
7) Opening the front door. The hinges squeek (and need to be fixed). The trim doesn't fit right and rubs the door (and needs to be fixed). The bells. The BELLS!!!
8) Getting my stuff together (in the dark). Why can't I plan ahead and get my stuff together before I go to bed? Huh? WHY?
9) My keys. Where are my keys? Oh yeah, my keys to the radio station are in my motorcycle jacket pocket, at home, hanging by the door. DAMNIT.

Somebody's got a serious case of the Mondays! 
10) There is no ten. I have only nine. I hate that about Mondays, not being able to come up with a tenth thing I hate about them.

Technology

I went to lunch at Carrs. I got food and cash. That still freaks me out. Slide the card, get you stuff and cash.

So one of my goals for today is to leave work early and sneak in to see Alien vs. Predator before the crowds. It probably won't work, there probably will be crowds anyway but I did purchase my ticket online. That freaks me out too. Leave your credit card # and print your ticket.

If the post office would deliver the movie to my desk I would never have to leave (and I am sure there are services to do that as well).

Technology, ain't it a bitch.

Ukulele Song

I have a ukulele. It' a silly little instrument but I love it. It makes me happy. I have written a song (musically speaking) but I still don't have any words. I couldn't sleep so I came downstairs to strum and write. I think I've got the words. I will write them here so I don't lose them.

I went to Hawaii, and fell in love, with the ukulele, and I wanted to buy one, from Hilo Hattie, but I chickend out.
I bought a little, ukulele, off of eBay, it makes me happy, I hope you like my, ukulele too.
When you see a ukukele, do you think of Tiny Tim? You know, I really hate that guy. Don't think of Tiny Tim, think of me playing for you.
So when you see me, play my ukulele, don't laugh at me, laugh with me, I hope you like my, ukulele too.

When I was younger, I wanted a guitar, I couldn't handle it, it had to many string, so I bought myself, a little ukulele.
My ukulele, is kinda silly, it is so tiny, when I hold it, but I love my, little ukulele.
Im no Van Halen, or James Taylor, or Elvis, I'm just a wild and crazy guy, well, I'm no Steve Martin but this isn't exactly a banjo either.
So when you see me, play my ukulele, don't laugh at me, laugh with me, I hope you love my, ukulele too

I know, I know, don't quit my day job(s) anytime soon. I will have to record this and post it so you can get the FULL EFFECT.

The picture is the ukulele of my dreams...


Someday it will be mine! 

Great Friends

Great friends are those that you know will be with you forever. Tad & JJ came to visit today. They just left. They weren't here long and we probably won't see them for six to eight months but we won't lose a minute.
Mmmmmm friends! 
Biker friends. Those are the only friends I have like that.