Shut up and read

I just stopped by to marvel at my own blog. I guess it is sort of like taping myself masturbating. It seemed like a good idea, it felt good when I did it, but now, in retrospect, I am both ashamed and disgusted in myself. What kind of freak am I?

If you are reading this it means you are either a Yankee fan or Howard Stern devotee who has no idea how to use Google. Your stupidity is my gain I suppose. But really, who, if anyone, benefits from this blog? Pen pal-less prisoners?

Most of the folks who blogged with me back in the day have disappeared (or at least won't return my calls). I miss this format. It allows me to write more, be honest more, and take risks. I am on Facebook, for sure, but I am beginning to really sour on the need to edit myself, deal with argumentative people, and read your post about missing Grampy who died 11-years ago and had such a profound impact on your pitiful life. That said, I love an audience and I am too lazy and inconsistent to build one here. I love to write for writings sake, but when it comes right down to it, I am an extrovert and need those personal relationships. Love me, please.

We moved recently and one of our new neighbors, who I have yet to formally meet, told my seven year old son who came to her house trick-or-treating that he and my other kids need to learn to be quiet. I found this out a few days afterwards when my son matter-of-factly shared with me the story.

What the fuck, old lady? You have a problem with my kids, come to me or the Mrs. I suppose if we were established neighbors/friends and you wished to correct my child's behavior, I would be okay. I mean, I am not one of those parents who thinks my kids can do no wrong. That said, I am not sure what they have done wrong. Do they play out front and play chase and laugh and even scream (during daytime hours)? Likely. Do I think they are exceeding 100 decibels, shitting on her lawn, or swearing or dry humping a girl/boyfriend in their view. Not likely.

What should I do about this old crank? I feel like I should approach her and introduce myself. Tell her that I understand she has a problem with my kids and that if she feels she is being inconvenienced, she should come to me or Mrs. Lange. This way, I put her on the spot and secondly, I can then judge if she has a case or not. Who knows, maybe my kids really are true sumbitches. But instead of getting totally defensive, I feel like I should be the judge before I should be the enforcer. We love the neighborhood, but if I have to explain to my kids the idea that there are old kooks in the world and they should be laughed at and ignored, I will. It is not generally my way, (nor is filming myself whacking it, BTW), but sometimes you have to adapt to the circumstances. I would like my kids to always be respectful, but I also want them to learn how to exercise good judgement. Some folks may not deserve our respect.

Thanks for stopping by.

Artie