This is my blog. My thoughts, feelings, philosophies, a record of my day-to-day activies, streams of consciousness, etc.

2025-08-01

I never seem to get going up to the campgrounds as soon as I want
I had planned on leaving at about noon, but didn't leave until after one
The aggrevation that comes with 'other people' started when Tom called to ask when I'd be arriving
When it's just me, I'll get there when I get there, and I don't have to worry about being too late or too early
When I got there, Tommy was waiting for me on the picnic table, drinking a beer
He immediately launched into giving me my birthday presents
First was an over-large canopy that he never uses
We set it up, and I had to work my movie screen around it
Then he gave me a camping tent he only used once
I was shopping for a new smaller tent, but I can't say I'd have chosen that one
I set up my french fries cooker
Then went to find Annie's camp site
She had Patty, and cousin Terry with her, and Bryn showed up for a short time
We chatted for a bit, while I drank my strong beers, and cooked fries
I ended up burning a batch, and giving another batch to our neighbors
I got the movie screen working, and played Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
My drunk brain decided to go party hopping
I found a very nice group of campers to chat with
I was looking forward to seeing them on the river

2025-08-02

I woke up with the anxiety that comes with having to coordinate with a group of people
Normally, I'd hop on the first bus and get myself into the water as soon as possible
Now, I'm having to make sure nobody gets left behind
It was a normal bus ride for me, but I was wondering how much my family was panicking having to be packed in with the unwashed masses
We tied our tubes together, and started floating
I was afraid we'd just speed run the river, but we did stop when the river got shallow
The group from last night past by and sang happy birthday to me
I found a rock to stand on and waved as the people went by
Of course people got interested in what I wasn't wearing under my kilt
I flashed my junk at some people
I'd had a few beers in me and hadn't considered the totality of my audience
Somebody got mad because there were some kids around
Luckily he was already floating away down the river
We waited for a while to let him get away from us
Unfortunately, some how, we caught up to him (or he caught up to us?)
My beer laden memories of this time are very hazy
I was standing in a shallow part of the river
I remember somebody getting mad at me
I assumed it was the same guy as before
He stormed towards me
I was bracing myself to get into an arguement and apologize
He came up to me and started lifting my kilt
I was bewildered
Next thing I remember is standing up out of the water
and wondering why there is blood every where
My family told me to get back into my tube and we started floating again
Everybody else was freaking out
I was just trying to figure out what happened
Apparently the guy punched me
and then started punching Tommy
Tommy was better at avoiding the punches than I was
I discovered that I had a hole all the way through my cheek

I was worried about it tearing a gap all the way to my lips
That event completely ruined the rest of my weekend
We speed-ran the rest of the river
I couldn't drink any more
Normally, I'd get out of the river, rinse off the river water with a shower, and take a nap to recharge for more night time fun
This time, I took a shower, then Patti drove me to a nearby hospital
I walked in, showed them the hole in my face, and asked them for some stitches
When they asked what happened, I joked "I fell into somebody's fist"
I was very quickly led into a room and got a bunch of stitches on my cheek and inside my mouth

The doctors had to call the cops, due to me being assaulted
I had to explain to the cops that some guy got mad at me because I flashed my dick
I didn't want to have the guy charged with assault, because then I'd have to admit to my own "crime"
and I really don't want to get on some sex offender list
We're just assuming that the guy is a generally violent asshole and karma will find him eventually
The rest of the night wasn't as much fun as I wanted
We sat around Annie's campsite
I blew out my birthday candles, and got sang at
I couldn't drink any of my beer
Eating was a literal pain, so no potatoes
I started up a movie, but shut it down and went to bed half way through
As I was trying to get to sleep, some girls from the next camp site offered me a s'more
I slept on my non-wounded side

2025-08-03

I didnt sleep well, mostly because of camp ground noises, not my cheek
Tommy had left early in the morning
I slowly and methodically packed EVERYTHING in my car
It was already very full on the way to the campgrounds
but I had to add Tommy's gifts, the tent and canopy, for the trip back
Everythig fit except for the movie screen frame, which I had to strap to the roof
Patti and Annie insisted on taking me shoe shopping
They bought me four pairs of shoes, and threw away my old ones
I got home, tired and hungry
But I forced myself to unpack my car and clean up a bit, instead of procrastinating about it

I keep thinking about the chain of events that led to this shit show of a weekend
I suspected my family would want to throw some party for me
I knew this party would not be what I wanted, and would take me away from my camping weekend
Eighteen months ago, I posted a vague event about where I would be on my birthday
I thought everybody would accept this and leave me alone
But they decided to crash my camping weekend and made me hang out with them
While on the river, if we hadn't stopped at that one spot
If those people hadn't egged me on
If those kids weren't there
If that guy wasn't there
If we hadn't bumped into him again

How I wanted my weekend to go ...
I set up my camp site with movies, and potatoes, and beer
Maybe do some party hopping
I drift down the river, and spend a lot of time on my rock
Shower, nap, more night time fun
People probably wouldn't have found out it was my birthday, but they never do anyway

2025-08-04

Next time I take a weekend off for camping, I am definitely going to take the following monday off to recover
I went to the pharmacy to get my prescription of anti-biotics
I took all of my blankets to the laundromat
I can't open my mouth wide enough to eat solid food
and it's hurting the inside of my mouth
so I'm having to blenderize and drink most of my food
I can't brush my teeth without pulling on my stitches
I'm wearing a covid mask to hide and protect my wound

2025-08-05

Stefanini said they were going to serve breakfast for everybody this morning
I was expecting bacon and eggs
Instead we got a couple boxes of donuts
But I took the opportunity to go into the office, and show everybody my wound
Instead of having the explain why I got punched
I'm telling everybody that I got smacked in the face with a tree branch
Normally, I would have gotten home early-ish on sunday, and done my regular trip to the laundromat, but I got it done today

So, lets talk about hemmorhoids . . .
I got my first one more than ten years ago, and it has flared up a few times since then
I'm not entirely sure what the polyp is, but it seems to be the same bit of flesh that gets swollen every time
I hadn't noticed, but my butthole has been a bit itchy this week
This seems to be a new polyp on the other side of my sphincter, and it isn't as painfully itchy as the other one
Now, I worried that at some point in the future, both polyps are going to swell up at the same time, and I'll be in even more pain than normal

2025-08-06

2025-08-07

With some care, I'm finally eating sandwiches for lunch again

2025-08-08

2025-08-09

2025-08-10

2025-08-11

Work is sending me back to LTP again
I'll be bouncing back and forth between there and MAP

2025-08-12

My car passed 90000 miles today
I'm putting a lot more miles on my car than I'd like

2025-08-13

2025-08-14

2025-08-15

2025-08-16

2025-08-17

2025-08-18

2025-08-19

2025-08-20

2025-08-21

2025-08-22

2025-08-23

2025-08-24

I really wanted to get my sailboat out one last time this summer
I was going to go to the lake no matter the weather
But I decided not to get my hopes up, and then have a not fun day sailing

2025-08-25

2025-08-26

2025-08-27

2025-08-28

2025-08-29

2025-08-30

The temperature has been very weird this summer
It started late with a cold Memorial Day
Then it got super hot, above 90 for most of time
And now it's getting cold much earlier than normal

2025-08-31