This morning I just missed catching the #20. I saw it drive down the street. I caught the #1 instead which was right behind it. The #1 was driven again by the heavy set woman with the ponytail.

It appears that the gray haired man is driving the light rail this morning. He has newspapers up obscuring the view inside of the driver’s car. I wonder if he’s doing something obscene behind the news papered window?

The light rail baby is crying this morning. I wonder if something bad will happen on the train this morning. Then again, perhaps it was mere coincidence the other days when it was fussy and we had to switch trains or take a shuttle bus.

DAY JOB NEWSYesterday, at work I learned that we will be moving to a different area of the building. I’m not too upset about this. My only concern or need is that I be moved to an end cubicle. I feel uncomfortable with two people sitting beside me. The reason for this is that I know that this will result in the two people talking in between me as if I were an inanimate object.

After the meeting, Arvada, the Hobbitt looking woman, came up to me and apologized profusely to me about something. I have no idea what she was apologizing to me about. I even told told her I had no idea what she was talking about. Anyway, whatever it was she seemed really sincere about it. I hope that she feels better about what ever she was apologizing to me about. Sometimes I wonder if she’s stable.

60 MinutesAlso yesterday I watched 60 Minutes. I watched it by chance in a way because a few minutes prior to turning on my rarely used TV set I read an email from one of the adults with Asperger’s Syndrome mail list I belong to that said that Jerry Newport and his wife Mary would be on the show. I have their books but have never seen them on TV before. The two of them Asperger’s Syndrome, like I do. I thought it would be interesting to see two adults with the same disorder I have on TV. I found the show to be kind of condescending. It left out a lot things. They never mentioned that Mary has three grown children from a previous marriage. Then again the show was more about Jerry than Mary.

TODAY’S OUTFITToday, I’m wearing a short sleeved v-neck blue striped shirt, blue jeans, and old decrepit

The above photo is that of the musical group Wilco.

Today, I caught the 1# instead of the #20 because the 20# was a no show. The driver this morning was a heavy set woman who wore a ponytail. Also, today the light rail train is being driven by a woman. I believe it is the same woman who was being trained yesterday. She appears to be flying solo. I see no sign of the old gray haired light rail driver. I hope she doesn’t get us stuck like she did yesterday.

The light rail baby is back again!!! He/She is cranky this morning. I heard it cry a few times. Shortly after it started to cry the light rail driver announced that we would have to catch a shuttle bus at the Warren Road stop. I swear to God that baby is psychic!!! The last time it was cranky we had to switch trains at the North Avenue Stop. Today it’s wearing a very Butch dark blue terry cloth track suit. Maybe it’s a boy after all?

As you can probably tell I did not get the chance to see Wilco last night at the Meyerhoff. Yesterday, it was heavily raining when I left from work. It was raining so hard that I felt hesitant about leaving to go outside. The streets outside my work place looked like rivers. I could barely see anything in front of me. The only thing I could see clearly were sheets of rain. I was soaked to the bone when I finally I got home. I wasn’t in the mood to go back outside for fear of catching a cold.

I hope to hear how Jeff Tweedy and the boys did by reading a review by that guy that has an obsession with music. According to his blog called, Notes - A Music Blog, he went to the concert last night or was scheduled to go. In the mean time I’ll try and catch them on The Conan O’Brien Show tonight.

Today, I’m wearing a green stripped cotton blouse along with stone washed jeans and beige Muppet shoes. I’m topping it off all off with my blue heavy nylon jacket.

This is a quick sketch that I did one morning of the light rail baby. It's not 100% accurate because babies ,like children, tend to move around quiet a bit.

Today, I left out again a little later than usual. I did this because I had to find an umbrella and a jacket. It’s drizzling outside and I hear it’s supposed to pick up later in the day to something much heavier.

I caught the #1 bus instead of my usual #20. The driver kind or reminded me of a younger version of Little Richard. In other words he looked very flamboyant.

This morning the light rail train is being driven by a woman. It looks like she is being trained by the gray haired man who is our usual driver. He is standing up while she is sitting down driving the train. I can’t imagine it would be too difficult to learn to drive a train. All day you just go up and down the same tracks. So far the only bad thing that has happened is that we lost power as were heading underneath the North Avenue bridge. The train came to a screeching halt then the lights went out. She eventually recovered and now were back on our merry little way. I hope that there are not any more mishaps this morning.

In other light rail news, the light rail baby has returned! Yay!!! Right now it’s mother is feeding him/her from a blue cup. I can’t tell what it is. The baby seems to be enjoying it. Ahhh, the little one is pleasant as usual. Today, it’s wearing a blue, gray, and black striped sweater. I suppose it’s a boy. Then again it could be a girl I can recall seeing it dressed in pink a couple of weeks ago. Who knows maybe it will grow up to be a Pat.

I have to admit that I was feeling worried about the upcoming Presidential election. I recently read an article that Michael Moore wrote on his web page. It was very inspiring. I feel a little better now about John Kerry’s prospects. I hope that he kicks butt in the upcoming debate with Bush aka the shrub. Anyway, here’s is what Michael Moore wrote on his web page:

Monday, September 20th, 2004
Put Away Your Hankies...a message from Michael Moore


9/20/04

Dear Friends,

Enough of the handwringing! Enough of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you down? Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner -- IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans are laughing at us. Do you ever see them cry, "Oh, it's all over! We are finished! Bush can't win! Waaaaaa!"

Hell no. It's never over for them until the last ballot is shredded. They are never finished -- they just keeping moving forward like sharks that never sleep, always pushing, pulling, kicking, blocking, lying.

They are relentless and that is why we secretly admire them -- they just simply never, ever give up. Only 30% of the country calls itself "Republican," yet the Republicans own it all -- the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the majority of the governorships. How do you think they've been able to pull that off considering they are a minority? It's because they eat you and me and every other liberal for breakfast and then spend the rest of the day wreaking havoc on the planet.

Look at us -- what a bunch of crybabies. Bush gets a bounce after his convention and you would have thought the Germans had run through Poland again. The Bushies are coming, the Bushies are coming! Yes, they caught Kerry asleep on the Swift Boat thing. Yes, they found the frequency in Dan Rather and ran with it. Suddenly it's like, "THE END IS NEAR! THE SKY IS FALLING!"

No, it is not. If I hear one more person tell me how lousy a candidate Kerry is and how he can't win... Dammit, of COURSE he's a lousy candidate -- he's a Democrat, for heavens sake! That party is so pathetic, they even lose the elections they win! What were you expecting, Bruce Springsteen heading up the ticket? Bruce would make a helluva president, but guys like him don't run -- and neither do you or I. People like Kerry run.

Yes, OF COURSE any of us would have run a better, smarter, kick-ass campaign. Of course we would have smacked each and every one of those phony swifty boaty bastards down. But WE are not running for president -- Kerry is. So quit complaining and work with what we have. Oprah just gave 300 women a... Pontiac! Did you see any of them frowning and moaning and screaming, "Oh God, NOT a friggin' Pontiac!" Of course not, they were happy. The Pontiacs all had four wheels, an engine and a gas pedal. You want more than that, well, I can't help you. I had a Pontiac once and it lasted a good year. And it was a VERY good year.

My friends, it is time for a reality check.

1. The polls are wrong. They are all over the map like diarrhea. On Friday, one poll had Bush 13 points ahead -- and another poll had them both tied. There are three reasons why the polls are b.s.: One, they are polling "likely voters." "Likely" means those who have consistently voted in the past few elections. So that cuts out young people who are voting for the first time and a ton of non-voters who are definitely going to vote in THIS election. Second, they are not polling people who use their cell phone as their primary phone. Again, that means they are not talking to young people. Finally, most of the polls are weighted with too many Republicans, as pollster John Zogby revealed last week. You are being snookered if you believe any of these polls.

2. Kerry has brought in the Clinton A-team. Instead of shunning Clinton (as Gore did), Kerry has decided to not make that mistake.

3. Traveling around the country, as I've been doing, I gotta tell ya, there is a hell of a lot of unrest out there. Much of it is not being captured by the mainstream press. But it is simmering and it is real. Do not let those well-produced Bush rallies of angry white people scare you. Turn off the TV! (Except Jon Stewart and Bill Moyers -- everything else is just a sugar-coated lie).

4. Conventional wisdom says if the election is decided on "9/11" (the fear of terrorism), Bush wins. But if it is decided on the job we are doing in Iraq, then Bush loses. And folks, that "job," you might have noticed, has descended into the third level of a hell we used to call Vietnam. There is no way out. It is a full-blown mess of a quagmire and the body bags will sadly only mount higher. Regardless of what Kerry meant by his original war vote, he ain't the one who sent those kids to their deaths -- and Mr. and Mrs. Middle America knows it. Had Bush bothered to show up when he was in the "service" he might have somewhat of a clue as to how to recognize an immoral war that cannot be "won." All he has delivered to Iraq was that plasticized turkey last Thanksgiving. It is this failure of monumental proportions that is going to cook his goose come this November.

So, do not despair. All is not over. Far from it. The Bush people need you to believe that it is over. They need you to slump back into your easy chair and feel that sick pain in your gut as you contemplate another four years of George W. Bush. They need you to wish we had a candidate who didn't windsurf and who was just as smart as we were when WE knew Bush was lying about WMD and Saddam planning 9/11. It's like Karl Rove is hypnotizing you -- "Kerry voted for the war...Kerry voted for the war...Kerrrrrryyy vooootted fooooor theeee warrrrrrrrrr..."

Yes...Yes...Yesssss....He did! HE DID! No sense in fighting now...what I need is sleep...sleeep...sleeeeeeppppp...

WAKE UP! The majority are with us! More than half of all Americans are pro-choice, want stronger environmental laws, are appalled that assault weapons are back on the street -- and 54% now believe the war is wrong. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CONVINCE THEM OF ANY OF THIS -- YOU JUST HAVE TO GIVE THEM A RAY OF HOPE AND A RIDE TO THE POLLS. CAN YOU DO THAT? WILL YOU DO THAT?

Just for me, please? Buck up. The country is almost back in our hands. Not another negative word until Nov. 3rd! Then you can bitch all you want about how you wish Kerry was still that long-haired kid who once had the courage to stand up for something. Personally, I think that kid is still inside him. Instead of the wailing and gnashing of your teeth, why not hold out a hand to him and help the inner soldier/protester come out and defeat the forces of evil we now so desperately face. Do we have any other choice?

Yours,

Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

I hope that I will be able to get election day off as well as the day after election day. I have already requested those days off but have not heard back from my supervisor. I want to have election day off so that I can go out and encourage friends, neighbors, and family members to go out and vote. I need the next day off because I’ll either be in a very good mood and have been up all night celebrating or in a bad mood contemplating a move to Australia or any other English speaking country not being run by a crooked regime. If it all comes down to that third world country we call Florida, I swear I’m moving out of this country!

Today, I’m wearing stone washed jeans, black canvas shoes, and a gray sweatshirt colored short sleeved Henley shirt.

This morning I left out the house slightly later than usual. I had to catch a cab to the next light rail station to ensure that I would be on time for work. The cab driver I eventually flagged down told me that he saw me often times on the bus stop in th morning. He was a foreigner. I think he might have been from Somali. I say this because I used to work with someone from Somali and his accent sounded similar to that person’s. Despite the morning’s set back I made it to work on time.

This morning while on the light rail train I was drawing as usual. As I was drawing, this man, interrupted me and asked if I would do a sign for his company. He gave a description of what he wanted done. He told me he would pay me $25 for it. I know I’m capable of doing the sign for him. I also know that I’m capable of doing that picture that a woman that works for my company wanted done of her and her sons. I’m just weary that they would not think it was good enough and I would have to make constant changes to it.

I’ve heard millions of nightmare stories from illustrators about their clients constantly saying, “Yeah, it looks good but could you change....” and then you go back and make changes and then they say yet again, “Yeah, it looks good but could you change...” Then before you know it turns into an endless cycle of changes where the project is never completed due to the clients constant change of opinion. I don't know maybe one day I'll grit my teeth and give it a try,..... if the money's right.

Today, I’m wearing a light blue floral print blouse, blue jeans, and my beige Muppet shoes.

Today, I watched the Sean Connery,
Richard Gere flick called
First Knight. After being exposed to the likes of Excalibur and The Mists of Avalon, I wasn’t too impressed. Overall, it was an ok movie just not great.

I also listened to old time radio MP3 files of Suspense and Lights Out while I knitted and crocheted. I’m still working on a nutmeg coloured Afghan (crocheted) and a teal colored sweater (knitted). I’ve been working on those two on and off for about a year and a half. I’m closest to finishing the Afghan.

Right now I’m wearing a cotton short sleeved teal blouse with beige cotton shorts along with beige Muppet shoes.

Today, I mostly sat around and worried if I would get my zines mailed back or if they were all sold at the Baltimore Book Festival. I’m not sure if it would be cool to call up Gary Kachadourian and ask if there were any remainders.

Also today I made a bid on eBay on a Sangean radio which is reputed to be amongst the world’s best radios. Heck, it’s even endorsed by Art Bell. Yes, I know Art Bell is a bit of a kook. His late night talk show is mainly about UFO’s, ghost’s, and government conspiracies. Despite all this , I trust his opinion on radios. Don’t ask me why but I do.... Anyway, the model of Sangean radio I’m looking at has a ferrite antenna which is supposed to be the antennae to have if you want to pull in stations. For all I know this type of antennae might be a common feature on all radios.

Right now, I’m wearing a floral pink pajama short set with red flip flops.

This is photo of actor Shemar Moore. In my opinion he is amongst the best looking men in daytime television. He will be returning in a few months to reprise his role of Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless.

Today, the bus was on time. However, the driver was a heavy set light skinned woman who wore a ponytail. The light rail was on time. It was the same gray haired old man as usual.

This week I mainly tried to listen to soaps on my radio. I’ve noticed that I can get a slight signal if I put my radio on top of my computer monitor and kind of move my seat away from the desk. The whole set up is awkward because if I move too forward I loose the very faint signal. I’m doing all this so that I can listen to The Young and The Restless. I want to do this because Shemar Moore will be returning to the show reprising his Emmy Award winning role of Malcolm Winters. Despite the Emmy to me he’s still one of those actors where it’s best to watch him with the sound turned down.

Today, I’m wearing a purple short sleeved cotton and lycra blend v-neck t-shirt. I’m wearing it with blue jeans and black canvas tennis shoes.

Most Listened To cd’s This Week

The list below is in no particular order. If you have reading this a while then you probably have noticed that the musical stylings of Bobby Darin have a strange hold on me. Right about now, I'm getting kind of tired of the Bobby Darin cd I have. I'm looking into buying a newer Bobby Darin cd that has more hits on it. Anyway back to the list....

Patsy Cline-12 Greatest Hits

Bobby Darin-The Bobby Darin Story

Joy Division-Substance

Prodigy-The Fat of The Land

Today, the bus and light rail were both on time. However, the #20 did not come on time. Instead the #1 bus arrived in it’s place. This is ok because I can take either bus down to the light rail station.

I have to say that the light rail train is unusually crowded this morning. Some gray haired old lady sat next to me. No one usually sits next to me in the morning. After I finish writing this blog I like to take out my sketch book and draw. I can’t draw this morning on account of the little old lady sitting right next to me.

I bought a bunch of old time radio MP3’s to work with me. I listened to them as well as Doctor Who, Big Finish audio’s, over the fall and winter of last year. I did this because I couldn’t get TV stations on the radio in the new building our company moved to last fall. I still can’t get NPR. I haven’t listened to the Marc Steiner Show at work in over a year. I’m thinking maybe I should look into getting a more powerful radio that has a wider reception range if that is at all possible.

Today, I’m wearing a rarely worn black t-shirt that has a bunch of writing on it in slick graphics. It has words like Couture, 76, Glamour, Rock, Girl, Love written on it. I got it on sale a couple of years ago at K-Mart. I’m also wearing blue jeans and black canvas tennis shoes.

Today, I had a scheduled day off. I figured it would be the pagan thing to do. As you may know today is the first day of fall or as we call it Mabon. I didn’t go out and do anything special for Mabon. I just stayed home watched soaps and lit a few candles.

Yesterday, I went over my father’s house to pick up some books I ordered on Amazon.com. The books that arrived were, The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon and Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques For Today’s Artist by Kenneth Leslie. I ordered the latter book because folks on the wetcanvas oil pastel board have been raving about it.

The visit over my father’s house was pleasant. It seems that Little David has moved in and his sister, Alexis has moved out. I’m sure she’ll be back. Every few months she leaves in a huff and threatens to never come back!! I believe her next scheduled time to become angry at the family and vow never to come back will be around January. Also, I’m happy to report that their phone is turned back on! My father believes that the main reason Alexis left is because she can not scrape enough money together to pay for next month’s phone bill. I know how she feels. When I was around her age I was responsible for the cable bill.

I suppose this can be considered an odd tradition in our family. No adult child living at home that has a job in our family pays rent, they just gain responsibility for a utility bill. To the best of my knowledge no one has been brave enough to let their offspring gain full responsibility of the gas and electric bill.

When it was time for me to leave my father’s house he generously paid my cab fare. The cabbie that arrived was an American and very talkative. He wore dread locks and kept going on and on about vegetarian places to eat around town. It seems that it was getting close to his lunch break and he was hungry. He told me about this great vegan restaurant he likes to go to called, The Yabba Pot. By his descriptions alone it made me want to go there and try out the food, even though I’m not a vegan. I am by the way a chubby, vegetarian, semi-dread locked, tree hugging, hippy chick.

Right now I’m wearing a blue flower print night shirt with blue fuzzy slippers.

Today, the bus was on time. However, when it arrived instead of saying #20, the sign read, Out Of Service. The stern looking bus driver was there only she wasn’t wearing her glasses. I should have known right then and there that something would go wrong.

The bus chugged along right until someone got off at the UMAB Medical School stop. When he got off the bus the driver had difficulty closing the doors. This was at around 5:45AM. She tried and tried to get the doors to close but they would not budge. Finally, she gave up and told us that another bus was on the way.

I had to catch my train at 5:50. I was unsure if I could walk all the way down to the light rail stop in under five minutes, but I got off the bus none the less. I was feeling antsy waiting to see if either another bus would come or that she could get the doors to close. I finally gave up and walked down the street with the throng of former bus passengers. Just as I started my walk down the street I noticed that the bus was also going down the street. Would she let us all back on the bus? She did! God/Goddess Bless the stern looking bus driver!!!

So after this little morning adventure I made it to the light rail stop on time! While there I saw the guy who works for the same company. He was having a very animated conversation with some man. I wasn’t sure if he saw me or not. He usually says, “Good morning!”, whenever I see him. Today, instead of saying good morning he said, “What’s up baby!” This was kind of surprising to me personally as no one has ever addressed me as baby before.

The lady who brings the baby was on the train this morning but there was no baby. I guess it’s getting too chilly to bring a baby out in the morning. God, I miss that baby!

Also, this morning we had our usual light rail driver. He’s a gray haired crotchety senior citizen. It seems he’s off every Monday. I guess he must get to keep Johnny Carson hours. Johnny Carson hours is a term I made up for people who work just four days a week. If you’re old enough you can probably recall that during the last years of Johnny Carson’s reign as host of the Tonight Show he worked just four days a week. On Monday nights he had a guest host or ran repeats of previous shows. I aspire to one day have Johnny Carson work weeks.

Yesterday, I painted. I mainly listened to WLG AM while I painted. They play music similar to Music From the Blue Light on Live365 Internet radio. I don’t know what it says about me that I like to paint while listening to Bobby Darin or Frank Sinatra.

Today, I’m wearing blue jeans, ancient Payless tennis shoes and a shirt I like to think of as my infamous pineapple shirt. I think of it that way because I have yet to see another human being sporting a t-shirt with a pineapple on it. The pineapple on the turquoise t-shirt is done in an almost abstract style adorned with rhinestones. It’s ironic in a sense that I would wear this shirt because I’m allergic to pineapples.

This morning the bus and light rail were both on time. We had the stern looking bus driver again. Also there was a different light rail driver this morning. All in all it looks like I’m going to be on time.

Today, since I get off early I plan on spending some time working on my postcard for the Creative Alliance’s mail art show that’s curated by Rev. Paul. I haven’t really painted much last week. I plan on pumping up my painting sessions this week.

Today, I’m wearing a brown shirt, blue jeans, cheap Payless tennis shoes, and a blue knit jersey jacket that has a print design of red, yellow, and turquoise. I’m wearing the jacket because for the first time this week it’s cold outside.

Looks like I will not be going to the Baltimore Book Festival today. Just thinking about going feels me with fear. What if the zine is there but looks horrible next to everyone else’s? Or worse what if I go there but everyone’s angry about what I wrote and draw? Or worse yet, what if it’s not there at all?

So instead of going I watched movies on my dvd player. I watched Camelot, The Mists of Avalon, and The Royal Tenenbaums.

I was really surprised at how much I took to and enjoyed The Mists Of Avalon. If you can recall I read the book in the early part of summer in my King Arthur gotta read it, see it, know it stage.

As expected I loved The Royal Tenenbaums! This isn’t surprising because I really seem to like movies written by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson. As far as I’m concerned the two are comedic geniuses. Yes, I know I’m basing this on just three movies (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums). But damn those were three great movies that made me laugh! I look forward to the next Owen Wilson/Wes Anderson movie.

Today, I’m wearing a purple and blue plaid mini skirt and a light blue t-shirt along with blue flip flops.

Today, I got up very early to go to my local supermarket which I rarely shop at. I left at 7:30AM. I came back at about 8:30AM. While there I was disheartened to find that there were no giant bags of kettle popcorn as there were on previous rare visits. Oh, no! I hope they haven’t stopped selling it!

The rest of the day I worried about whether or not I should go to the Baltimore Book Festival despite the bad weather outside. I wanted to know how my zine looked amongst the other artists book. But then again who knows maybe it looked to amateurish to be up in the tent with the other artists books. Maybe it was hidden underneath the table or trashed. My fear began to feel overwhelming. I decided not to go, but to stay at home curled up in the fetal position.

Today, I’m wearing a pink shirt with a ribbon tie around the neckline, blue jeans and red flip flops.

Today, the bus was on time and not crowded. The driver was again the stern looking woman. The light rail driver did not pull off immediately when he saw me. So it looks like I’m going to be on time.

I couldn’t help myself today. I said, “Hello!”, to that friendly Latino man that I always see on the bus and light rail in the morning. He seems to know every single Latino in Baltimore. I’m sure if he saw Ricky, the guy at work, he would probably know him.

An odd thing that happened on the train was that when I got on it there was this man singing acopella, “People Get Ready”. You know that song that includes the lines, “People get ready, there’s a train a comin’, Don’t need no ticket, you just climb aboard.” I think it was originally done by Curtis Mayfield or maybe the Isley Brothers. Anyway, I found his choice of song ironic. Also, I should note that he had a lovely singing voice.

Today, the lady bought the baby on the light rail train again. Yay! I missed seeing that baby the previous day. He always seems so curious and cheery in the morning as he peers around from his mother’s arms.

You know I’m not quiet sure if it’s a boy or a girl? One day it’s in pink, today it’s wearing a white long sleeve shirt with blue and gold stripes. I don’t think it would be right if I went up to her and ask, “Ms. is that a boy or a girl?” Then again it’s kind of hard to tell when they are that young. He/she doesn’t have a lot of hair yet. Right now it’s just cute and gender less.

Today, I’m wearing an oversized olive green shirt with a yellow flower design across the top, along with blue jeans and black canvas tennis shoes aka the Walmart $3.00 shoes.

Most listened to cd’s this week. Two cd’s that have been held over from last week are, Bobby Darin and That’s Entertainment. Overall, this week I was going for an eclectic mix. My mix included a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta to a French ambient synth-pop duo. Below is the most listened to cd’s at my desk in no particular order.

Phase 4 Stereo:Gilbert and Sullivan:HMS Pinafore,

That’s Entertainment Soundtrack,

They Might Be Giants-Flood,

Bobby Darin-The Bobby Darin Story,

Air-Talkie Walkie

Today, the bus was late. It was so late that it was crowded with people standing up. Also, it was driven by a different driver. This time it was a rail thin light skinned woman.

I also just missed the light rail train. I was running for it. I know that the light rail driver saw me running. I had to run right in front of the train to get to the other side of the street to the train. Instead of opening the doors for me he chimed his bell and kept on truckin’. The evil bastard!!! I’ve seen him wait and open his door for plenty of people who were running for the train. That bastard!!! How come he couldn’t open the door for me!!! So now I have to take the other train which will make me late for work.

Today, I’m wearing a flower print blouse, blue jeans, and black canvas shoes.

Today the bus and light rail were both on time. This morning the bus driver was the same one that we had yesterday! Two days in a row of the stern looking woman. I wonder if she’ll stick around for the rest of the week. The woman who always brings her baby with her doesn’t have the baby with her this morning. I miss that kid...

The train stalled on the bridge leading to North Avenue for the longest time. It made me fear that we would have to encounter another morning train switch. Fortunately, we did not have to swithc trains. I also noticed this morning that the driver was wearing a fluorescent yellow reflective vest like the other driver wore on Monday who instituted the train switch. 6:10AM, the train stalled again a little after the North Avenue train stop. I pray we will not have to switch trains. 6:13AM the train moved it turns out it was waiting for a southbound train to pass. Woo hoo! That was close. I hope that there will not be a lot of delays this morning. I hate it when I leave out on time for work but the bus/train makes me late.

Yesterday, it rained so I was pleased as punch. I got to use my smiley face umbrella! I also finally decided on a background design for one of the paintings I’m working on.

One thing I’d like to do is get tickets to see Wilco. I understand that they will be at the Meyerhoff sometime this fall. I’m not a big time super Wilco fan or anything. I like some of their songs. Also, I figure it would be an interesting thing to do, besides, I doubt that people who are into Wilco would be a particulary angry group.

I missed out on going to the Ani Difranco concert last Saturday out of fear. I kept thinking it would be filled with rowdy drunken butch lesbians who would want to kick my ass. I wanted to go but was afraid....

Today, I’m wearing a blue striped shirt, stoned washed jeans, and black canvas shoes.

Today, the bus was on time. The driver du jour was a woman who had an intense look as she drove the bus. She wore thick black rimmed glasses and had a short no nonsense hairstyle. Also today it seems we have our usual light rail driver.

As it turned out yesterday I was on time. However, I didn’t have enough time to eat breakfast. My stomach was growling throughout the morning. The Baby on the Light Rail Report: This morning she/he is quiet.

Recently, over the weekend I found my self deeply disturbed by a review posted on Amazon.com about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Basically the book is about a 15 year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who solves a mystery. The reviewer lambasted the book saying it was unrealistic. In a sense she/he said that autistic people were all subhuman and incapable of deep thoughts. This made me feel very upset. It was obvious that the reviewer hadn’t a clue about the differences in Asperger’s Syndrome versus classic autism. Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome have normal to high IQ’s, therefore, it wouldn’t be a complete leap of faith that they/we would be capable of reasoning enough to solve mysteries. As to whether or not the mystery is completed in a realistic fashion I do not know as I have not read the book. I have to read it now so that I can refute her claims. I don’t feel it would be right to post a review without reading the book just to call the reviewer a bigot. I posted about the review on several e-mail lists I belong to that are primarily composed of adults with Asperger’s Syndrome. Below is a copy of the evil review:

2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
More Sugar Coated Than The Breakfast Cereals Your Kids Eat, September 11, 2004
Reviewer: Mataja K. (New York) - See all my reviewsI hated this book. However, you may like it if you don't actually know much about autism and you've never lived with an autistic person. As someone who's done both, I find it nauseous becuase it's a growing trend of fictionalizing and heroizing what is a debilitating disease that as of yet has no cure. If you want to dismiss the seriousness of autism, read this book! It gives the protagonist waaaay more logic and order and an extraordinarily higher IQ than most autistic persons have. In essence, this is a "theory of autistics" fiction book, not an actual account and shouldn't be taken as anything more than a way for non-autistic people to pretend that they understand more than we do about the autistic world. The fact is the autistic world doesn't make sense, and they wouldn't be giving you these detailed explanations as if they're Plato or Aristotle or some other philosopher who's just rattling this off the top of their head. For those who choose to read it, remember this is fiction, not fact, and it was not written by someone who is autistic, and however much he knows, the fact is that autism is infinitely more incomprehensible, disturing, and debilitating that this book will let you know.
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On a more upbeat note: My new favorite group of the week is The Secret Machines. I really love that song of theirs that they play on WTMD, Nowhere Again. It sounds absolutely brillaint! I really must find one of their cd’s.

Today, I’m wearing a purple Hanes T-shirt that I was surprised to have found at the bottom of my dresser drawer. I’m wearing it with stone washed jeans and Payless tennis shoes.

Today, I just missed the bus. So I took a cab down to the light rail station instead. I was lucky to have found a cab this early in the morning especially right after a bus went down the street. Usually, they have passengers in them who could not wait for the bus to come. The cab driver was either African or West Indian. He didn't say much. Cab fare was $3.75

At 6:15 while on the northbound light rail train heading for Hunt Valley I was struck with terror when the light rail driver made the announcement for us to leave the train at the North Avenue station and board the train on the right. Argggh!! The dreaded Monday morning train switch! This could only mean one thing I might be late this morning. When we got off the train at North Aveneue there was no other train there except a south bound train heading for Linthicum. Arggh!! A few minutes later the train arrived.

There was a crying baby on the train heading towards Hunt Valley she seemed to have quieted down ever since we got on the new train. I have gotten on the train numerous times with the baby and her mother. She is normally quiet as an angel but not this morning. Hmmm, maybe she knew something was up before we did? Anyway, we boarded the new train at 6:20. Time will only tell if this morning train switch will make me late this morning...

I mailed out my zine on Saturday. I don’t know know why but I’ve been feeling down ever since I dropped it off at the post office. I miss working on it. Also there are still some changes I want to make on it. I hope that Gary Kachadourian receives it today. In case he doesn’t receive it today I sent him an email to let him know it may arrive on Tuesday. I feel it’s best to cover all your bases.

Today I’m wearing jeans, beige Muppet shoes, and a stripped ecru, olive green, and pink shirt.

The bus and light rail were both on time this morning. This time the driver was the anal retentive middle aged woman from a few weeks back.

The one big disappointment this week has been rain. It seemed that forecast after forecast local weathermen were predicting record amounts of rain. The only rain that surfaced was a little bit of drizzle on Wednesday. I love rain and I felt let down that I did not get the chance to experience my favorite type of weather.

Today, I’m wearing a fuchsia top with blue jeans and Payless tennis shoes.

Most Listed To cd’s This Week

This week was short because of Labor Day. Overall, I’ve been listening to a lot of extreme old school music. Of all the cd’s listed Tom Jones is a guilty pleasure. His music is and sound is so campy over the top. His cd is always a go to if I need a quick pick me up. Anyway, here’s the list in no particular order.

Ella Fitzgerald-Best of the Songbooks

That’s Entertainment:The Best of the MGM Musicals-Motion Picture Soundtrack

Louis Armstrong-All Time Greatest Hits

Tom Jones-Best of

Bobby Darin-The Bobby Darin Story

Etta James-20th Century Masters:THe Best of Etta James (Millennium Collection)

Today the bus and light rail were both on time. I had the same bus driver as yesterday. So far this is two days in a row with the same driver. I wonder if she’ll survive long enough to last another day. You know I’m starting to get the feeling that the bus I take in the morning might as well be dubbed the Murphy Brown bus. Remember how on every episode of Murphy Brown she would have a different secretary? Well, every day it seems I have a different bus driver.

All I have to do with my zine is get it printed out at Kinkos. I plan on taking it their either tomorrow or Saturday. The main reason I want to get it printed out then is because I get paid tomorrow and with money I can pay for things like making copies of my zine. I am happy to say that I now have the freedom to do this not only because of pay day but also because I got an email from Gary Kachadourian from the Baltimore Office of Promotions saying that he was willing to extend the due date on artists books. The books are officially due on Monday, September 13, 2004.

Today I’m wearing a beige khaki skirt with a pale blue flower print blouse along with my black Payless shoes. Since I’m wearing a skirt it could mean only one thing, business casual day. I wonder who the visitors are that are coming to our company today?

Since my department rarely sees who is visiting I always imagine that they are like the aliens in that 1983 NBC TV movie called, V. They always describe them as visitors just like they did the aliens in V. So my mind always goes Eeek, when hear I visitors coming!

The above is a painting I recently completed. It's one in a of series of paintings I''m working on. If you can recall a couple of weeks ago I got bored painting females and decided to switch to males. The painting is acrylic on canvas paper.

The bus today was slightly late. It was driven by a driver I had never seen before. The bus driver was a heavy set woman with a blond twa (teeny weeny Afro). When the bus made its way downtown I had to run to catch the train. Also I noticed that there were less people on the light rail stop than usual.

Yesterday, I went to the library. I went to return two books that were due. I was surprised to find that I owed $11 on the books! This was shocking because I returned the books on time. I think the library made a mistake. The books were clearly stamped on the back that they were due on September 7, 2004. They were previously due on September 6, 2004 but I went in and got them renewed on the day that I returned and paid fines for another set of books. I think this is where the mix-up came from.

When I tried to plead my case the librarian told me that they do not keep records of when people check out books. She told me that the only records they keep is when we have fines. I feel that what she told me was bogus. They use a computer when we check out books and return them. Those records are going somewhere. Also didn’t the ultra creepy Bush administration start some kind of an act where they keep tabs on citizens such as the books they take out from the library. I believe it was called the Patriot Act. I never imagined that I would look to the Bush administrations nefarious tactics to help clear me of bogus over due fines.

Today, I’m wearing a white t-shirt that has a black floral design around the neckline. I accidentally scorched one the sleeves with the iron. I hope it’s not too noticeable. Also with the shirt I’m wearing jeans and my usual black shoes.

Today, I’m running late. I caught the train at 6:15. I’m not sure if that will get me to work on time or just a smidge late. Oddly, enough I caught it with some of the usual suspects that I catch the 5:55 train with.

I’m not sure but I think today might be the first day of school for the city. I saw a couple of teens on the morning bus with notebooks. To the best of my memory I can’t recall seeing anyone with notebooks last week.

Today at work I was absolutely stunned beyond belief. I saw a sight I thought I’d never see. A noted cotton twill Dockers pants wearer wearing jeans!! It was simply shocking! There was no mistaking it this time, Arnold, was definitely wearing jeans today. I am simply shocked and flabbergasted!

My Labor Day Weekend

I didn't do much over the Labor Day weekend except watch movies. Lets see, I watched Excalibur (rented from netflix), Rushmore (bought from eBay), The Royal Tennebaums (bought from eBay) and the first half of Camelot (rented from netflix). I still have to finish watching Camelot...

I had planned on reading Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix but the 870 pages in the book made feel apprehensive about approaching it. I wonder if there’s a books on tape edition at the library?

The most exciting thing that happened over the weekend was that I got a postcard from the Guthrie Theatre. I have no idea how I got on the mail list of such a prestigious theatre. Anyway, they are looking for proposals from playwrights on collaborative efforts with non playwrighters. I can’t think of anyone who would be interested in collaborating with me on a play. I don’t know I think I should check the due date again and think of possible collaborators. Again, this is really weird what am I doing getting mail from the Guthrie?

I had a last minute costume er wardrobe change this morning. I was going to wear a brown shirt but decided to wear my black Today Show shirt with blue jeans and black Walmart shoes instead. I was feeling rebellious and punk rock.

Today for the first time I ever I watched Excalibur. It’s a netflix movie that has been hanging around the house since June. I added it to my list during my King Arthur obsession of early summer. Overall, I liked the movie a lot. It was surprising to see Patrick Stewart, Liam Nissan and Gabriel Byrne in tiny supporting roles whilst the stars of the movie went on to have dead end careers except for Helen Mirren.

On Friday I went back to Walmart to pick up my new glasses. The new glasses I have have a bronze colored frame to them. I feel out of place wearing them. I can’t explain it they make me feel tiny. I’m not exactly tall to begin with I’m 5’3 but these glasses make the world I see seem large and me tiny. I also feel kind of dizzy when I put them on like I’m going to pass out. I suppose I’ll get used to them..... eventually. I don’t know maybe the prescriptions too strong.

Also on my second return to the Walmart optometry center I realize that my descriptions were a bit off on the Krist Novoselic-like person. In fact I’m not even sure if he looks like Krist Novoselic anymore.

Anyway, when I arrived on Friday there were more people than usual working in the optometry center. Usually when I go there it’s just this one black guy working there. I imagine he’s a receptionist/assistant/whatever. He kind of reminds me of a much older Michael from Good Times. Well, today he wasn’t there instead there was this big white guy there that I’ve never seen before. Also there was this blonde haired girl and the Krist Novoselic-like guy. The big guy was the one who gave me my glasses. I can’t think of a celebrity look a like for the big guy or the blonde, they both seemed kind of generic looking.

Today, I’m wearing a denim dress with red flip flops.

As expected the last day of the week on the start of a holiday weekend the bus was late complete with a substitute driver. The driver looked very pubescent. It was as if she had gotten her driver’s license yesterday. Also she had the heat turned on in the bus. Oddly, no one complained or even seemed to notice. I guess they were all praying that the kid wouldn’t get into an accident.

Also, yesterday Arnold wore a long sleeved beige shirt along with pants that looked like they could have been jeans. I’m not sure if they were or were not. I didn’t feel it would have been right for me to have spent the day staring at his pants trying to determine if they were denim or his usual blue cotton Docker style slacks. I’m not sure if I’ve written this before but in addition to him rarely donning long sleeve shirts I can not recall ever seeming him in jeans.

Today, I’m wearing a purple top with a lavender crocheted neckline with blue jeans and my Muppet-like beige tennis shoes. I like to think of the shoes as my Muppet shoes because these are the kind of shoes I can imagine a Muppet wearing if you saw their feet.

Top CD’s This Week

Below is a list of the cd’s I’ve listened to the most this week. It’s not in any particular order. As you can probably see this week I’ve been very apathetic as usual about new music.

Blondie-Best of Blondie
Grosse Point Blank Soundtrack
Time Life Modern Rock Collection Mid 90’s
Time/Life Modern Rock Collection C2R
Harry Nilsson-Greatest Hits
Time/Life Ultimate 70’s Collection 1976

Today the bus and light rail were both on time today. So far this week the MTA has been excellent at getting me to work on time. I’m not sure if school has started yet for the city school system. However, in previous years I’ve noticed that when it starts up the MTA service begins to get bad. If school has already started then they’ve done an excellent job no delays what so ever.

Yesterday, after spending several days working on my play and little else I finally started painting again. I’m really happy with how this latest batch of paintings is shaping up.

This evening The Damnwells are playing for free at Mount Vernon Park. I think I may go out to see them. I really like that one song they play on the radio, Kiss Catastrophe off of their Bastards of the Beat cd. They will be playing along with Ben Arnold. The song that they play a lot on the radio of his is called Zig Zag off of his Calico cd. I really like that song. Anyway, I figure I might as well get out to a WTMD concert since I believe this may be the last one of the season for First Thursdays. The first Thursdays in a month in my hometown is when all the art galleries change their displays and invite patrons to visit. I hear it’s a very festive time of the month for local galleries.

In local galleries news I’m sadenned to hear that the Angelfall Studios in Remington will be closing. I’ve never been there before but in previous years they have displayed the posters I did for the Sowebo festival. The main reason I’ve never been to the gallery is that I have no idea where Remington is or how to get there.

Today, I’m wearing a brown short sleeved Henley shirt with blue jeans and the black Walmart shoes.

Today, we got our sometimes usual male bus driver. Needless, to say the bus and light rail were both on time.

It seems that the Republican National Convention has started. I feel reluctant to get a Bush/Cheney sticker to put up in my cubicle. I think I’ll keep my cubicle a liberal version of Fox News’, Fair and Balanced slogan. So thus, my John Kerry sticker, shall remain up with no competition from Bush/Cheney throughout the New York Republican convention. However, if anyone is willing to donate a Bush/Cheney sticker I will put it up in my cubicle.

Recently, at work we learned that the two senior positions in our department will be downgraded to just one. Instead of being called Senior Tech the new position will be entitled Lead Tech.

It should be interesting over the next few weeks watching Mellissa and Richard vie for the position. Of the two Richard has held the position the longest. Mellissa was made a senior a couple of years ago when they split our department. They have long since rejoined us back into one group. Thus they can no longer economically justify two Senior Tech positions for one group.

There are pros and cons to Mellissa and Richard. The only con that Mellissa has is that she has two young children thus she may be out a lot during the year to cover unexpected family emergencies. The only con that Richard has is that he dangerously close to retirement age. The two positives that apply to both of them is that they are reliable and very experienced in the positions they hold. Also did I mention that Richard is African American and Mellissa is white? I would hate to be the one who has to chose between the two.

It should be noted that who ever loses the position will not be booted out of the company. However, their paycheck will be downgraded to that of a lowly run of the mill tech like yours truly.

Today, I’m wearing my favorite v-neck short sleeved purple top. I like it because it’s a stretchy cotton and lycra blend. I’m wearing it with my jeans and new $3 black tennis shoes from Walmart. I think I may go back to Walmart next paycheck and pick more $3 tennis shoes.