A close friend former infantry he is 53 we have known each other probably 28 out of my 32 years as union freight hauler we rode Preston 151 and red star express into the ground as they went out business. He is a widower, we went thru benning like a year apart back in the 1980’s he is 53 I’m 52. Our sons love this mom and pop restaurant they do a buffet on Saturdays all day.

So my friend text and I told him we will be at the buffet around 1700, he replied cool I’ll meet you there . So after we eat it’s desert time and my friend hits the banana pudding with our boys.

And I watch him as he finished he’s licking his spoon clean I mentioned oh my definitely former infantry soldier you can always go and get more joking with him. Great guy trying to figure out life after his beautiful wife passed , I love him he is a true friend. But I found humor in him licking the last of the banana pudding off his spoon. It just reminded me of dudes in my rifle platoons sucking the cheese or meal out of the pack of MRE shit maybe I did it also.

I’m a dumb ass I love choppers I recently had a Harley rocker. Sold it bought a used Tacoma extended cab I needed a truck haul fire wood and I like 4 wheel drive winter weather . So a guy I work with is going thru divorce and is strapped for cash , so I got a decent price on this fury nice bike.

Customed out with after market pipes and bars. So we went to transfer the title today and my wife saw me grabbing my carhart body suit face hood . Your not gonna ride it home why don’t you haul it on the trailer, I said it’s only nine miles I’ll be ok. I was a idiot to think I’d be ok going nine miles in 29 degree weather , it’s parked in garage waiting for spring.

Dad I have idea for the Mexican Strat , both boys are up,as our one son has to go today with his aunt to visit his biological father. So as I sat and listened to the ideas,

The first idea is for the Mexican Strat awesome guitar as is stock but yes I agree my child we can improve on it.

Dad - we can rebuild it make it better like Steve austin the six million dollar man.


The boys - Huh what is a six million dollar man dad and who is Steve austin.

Dad - never mind guys let me hear what you got as I watch the keurig do its thing.

My child - grabs his phone and shows me these Seymour Duncan’s 69 pickups now dad we go to our guy who builds and winds custom pickups. and we have him build us a set with pots and wiring.

Dad - Hold on and I go to our work room and rummage around looking ( years ago a luthier/mom and pop music store went under because of evil guitar center and I bought a lot of pickups strings pots caps pennies on the dollar ) I found what I was looking for in a baggie labeled yup re issue 65 grey bottoms Strat single coils.

Child - awesome dad period wiring when do you wanna start on the mexi Strat.

Dad - lets let the sun rise first ok son shine

He came to us in foster care and as of November this year adoption was final. The foster program was my wife’s idea in 2015 and we enrolled in program went through background checks and training.

Biologically we have three grown daughters and a late in life son who was a surprise both boys are fourteen and when our one son was born , I was 38 that night in November of 2004 when he was born and I was on cloud nine. And there went my plans of 30 years and out take my pension as teamster truck driver. As we have college for these two guys as we did with our girls.

I have to get mister up around 0400 as he has a long ride to visit his father who is incarcerated. I fell asleep around 1800 woke up wide awake 0100 had my alarm set for 0400. Anyway I have young mister squared away ,his dress slacks and shirt is ironed with creases. amazing what I took away from army infantry I can do wonders with a can of starch and a iron.

A haircut yesterday and went to the bank to get out money for vending machines for the visiting room. As parents we love our children deeply I cannot imagine being separated from them for any length of time. At times I look at our son and think he will be 29 years old fifteen years when his biological father is released. We do what we can do he is loved all of our children and two grandsons are loved.

My beautiful wife of thirty two and half years and our two 14 year old sons on lap top. Oh they are trying to work dad over this morning in showing me pictures of Great Pyrenees shepherd mixed puppies available now. Our anniversary is not until June 7th, they have three furry boys available as we prefer male dogs.

Maybe we could go and look next Friday huh dad look my ass we never go and just look. My wife look at this face dear I know now stop oh they are terrible.

Here at teb guitar institute all lessons and chow are free. We really dived into it and hit the books on Saturday well the fretboard Du guitarist.

We tuned to DADGAD and we’re on our way, we have until March to get this note for note chord for chord it is the spring concert I think and a graded project for eight grade guitar class. No vocals only guitar the other song will either be since I been loving you or the lemon song as well.

It will be our one son and two of his friends as the teacher assigned them as a group. I’m gonna go because all four groups will be jamming covers and concert is free. And I’ll be dragging in well I have to find out if I can take in some tube heads and cabinets as the guitar class just uses solid state amps. I know I’m crazy on tube heads my wife says I’m a helicopter parent always hovering over our children I said dear this is a graded project she smiled at me.

A trip to the vets for his yearly check up. I grabbed the leashes as our golden retriever had check up as well. Oh the joy we’re going for a ride bouncing around we love rides man. We pulled up in front of the vet office and the boog knew he could smell it oh no man. The golden got out ok but not boog , every time we go it’s the same a son pushing him and man pulling him and we’re laughing.

Boog is like the scene from apocalypse now where chef and martin sheen go and collect mangos, and they run into the tiger and chef is screaming never get off the boat man that’s the boog. So we finally get inside and here my brave boog is walking with his tail between his legs head down looking so sad.

We sit down and he buries his muzzle into my ribs so I can rub his ears and head. But great news both furry boys got clean bill of health our golden retriever is ten and boog is eight and he is down from 100 to 88 pounds no boog the vet is not turning us into peta because you lost 12 pounds.


After we left on the way home boog was licking my ear as I drove thanks man, you had my back at that quacks Office wag wag, And I rub his head as I drive I always have your back boog.

Their collecting unemployment in talking to them. They will miss a mortgage payment she has received her first unemployment pay he has not. They got two pick up loads firewood off me for their wood stove as they also burn oil like we do. Take what you need on firewood no charge ,will help you load it and unload the boys and the young couple and dad. But I’ll get all three of our stoves cooking hot with blowers , and then shut oil heat off just so it heats hot water and not the house.

A young couple trying to start out in life both veterans of air force I like them because they are decent kids. Their just at this moment caught up in massive amounts of king magat and gop fuckery and they don’t need it nobody needs this stupid shit.

I find humor here at teb guitar institute. Our motto here at Guitar university is we never charge and will feed you. Today the fellas from our sons eight grade guitar class will be coming around and a new guy , it seems the setup I done other day on his friends epiphone Les Paul was talk of guitar class. And our son said to this other boy hey come over and jam bring your prs se 245 my dad will make it play like butter.

So I’m hanging out my guitar set up shingle. And dad we are trying to learn Kashmir for a project in guitar class our son told me, so today will be in DADGAD tuning for quite awhile, and I’m making a huge batch of potatoe and Swiss cheese and ham soup for snow storm.

No bragging five months eating this pill daily for my disease. One bender maybe three weeks into it, my doctor asked yesterday do you think your ready to give it a try without it I said no. Monthly blood test my liver function is cool I guess they have to check it on this medicine. In my job as union teamster I work nights maybe 12 hours on a turn and AA meetings never worked for me.

What works is this naltrexone or revia it says on bottle. I do not know how it works let me say this twice this week I thought about stopping to have a few but I went straight home I wasn’t obsessing thinking about beer. I told doc let’s just keep on this medicine it works I have peace. So I’m putting this out in case it may help others who suffer.