Routine

Boy, I can't recall a time in my life when things have felt more routine. The weeks seem to be rushing by from spring toward the summer and while I get a few things done every week between eating and sleeping there's nothing out of the ordinary going on. I guess that's a good thing, actually, it means there are no car accidents to report or broken limbs on the mend so...

On the plus side I'm getting in lots of guitar practice lately, jamming around with my once and future bandmate, Jimmy, and a drummer of his acquaintance. The downside is that my lack of 'proper' technique- I once proposed 'monkey grip' as the name of a band I was in and that's kinda how I grab the neck of the guitar! -and practice, practice, practice has led to some serious hand cramping. An old woodworking mishap sliced open my left thumb and forefinger, mmm, must have been 1982, I believe it damaged a nerve because after not too much playing that hand goes all numb and tingly, kinda like a charlie horse of the hand. At least it's a pretty good excuse- along with my spotty playing habits -for never becoming a virtuoso on the instrument. But I blame non-musical genes more than anything. Some people just have 'it', my tin ear makes every note and chord a struggle. Fun, but a struggle nonetheless. There are just too many tewelve-year-olds on YouTube who make it look effortless!

Aside from those once-or-twice-weekly asides playing (what can only loosely be termed) music, the highlight of most weeks is Saturday night's schedule of re-run TV. I've even invented a mnemonic so I can recall what's on and when:

MINYHO MOCO GRL

Which is pronounced more or less like it looks, 'miney-ho mo-ko girl'. Looks like a big long vanity plate, stands for CSI:Miami, CSI:NY, House, Monk, Cold Case, Gray's Anatomy and Lost.

While marathon sessions of back-to-back DVD screenings have taken up more than a few of my Saturdays: Wild, Wild West, UFO, Star Trek, Superman, The Big Valley -this stretch of 'couching' is my wife's habit more than my own. I'll watch between computerizing- checking an email box, loading some photos for the Yahoo group, watching my auction items wind down -or crafting something- casting or painting a doll head, for example -until the big draw which is the midnight episode of Lost. A show I'd never watched first run but got drawn into watching late night when there was nothing else to sit and stare at. As I'm sure has been commented upon by many a TV pundit, it's an aptly titled series because after watching it for months I'm still pretty much clueless as to the exact nature of events and timelines. Predict what ultimately might become of these characters? Fuggeddaboutit! So as its network run winds down I'm trying to avoid 'spoilers' and wondering if the re-run schedule will include the last season's episodes or if I'm going to have to break down and buy it on DVD to see how it all turns out!

Ahhhh, now there's some exciting 'life stuff' to write about... "What are you watchin' on broadcast TV on Saturday nights?" Scintillating! Breathtaking! >gasp, pant<

Ohhhh, brudder! What's next?!? Bingo???