Bolivar's Blog

I Have Been Tal-Tagged!

2008-06-10T19:02:00.003-05:00

The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

Ten years ago, I was married to a cold heartless lady, working too damn much at Kroger (and graveyard shift, at that), and approaching the old age of 30. Basically, aside from music collecting and guitar playing, the only things I looked forward to at this point was bowling every Friday and church every Sunday. Yeah, I lived a very exciting life.

2. What are 5 (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?

1. Finish paying the dreaded bills
2. Soak in the jacuzzi
3. Put a post in my too-long-neglected blog
4. Try to attempt to clean & organize my music room
5. Transfer some LPs to CDs

Yeah, on #5, there is an interesting story behind that one. JLo's mother works at a restaurant in Hot Springs that has new ownership. The new owners have a 16-year-old daughter that is really getting interested in classic rock and folk music. JLo's mother told her that she needs to speak to Bolivar - he's got it all. So, the last time I was in Hot Springs (Memorial Day weekend), this young lady & I got together & talked shop for about an hour. She told me the artists that she was looking for: Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, just to name a few. But then she mentioned a band called the Pentangle... I had to ask her if she was really 16! I told her that I have friends my age that have never heard of that band! I told her I have all of the albums the Pentangle did on the Reprise label, and her face completely lit up! I told her that I have no problem burning those for her. That's what I am doing as I do this post.

3. 5 snacks I enjoy:

1. M & M peanut candies (sorry, Tal)
2. Bud Light
3. "Miami Vice" - one part strawberry daquiri, one part pina colada, 100% yum!
4. Fried peach pie a la mode from Couch's BBQ in Jonesboro
5. More Bud Light

I know, #5 was wrong! But I have always said that everyone needs something to believe in... so I believe that I will have another beer!!

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Buy the rights to the Beatles catalog away from Ms. Michael Jackson (or whoever has it this week)
2. Get myself out of debt (won't take much)
3. Put the money in the bank & live off the interest
4. Build me a nice but not extravagant house out in the middle of nowhere (preferably in the Ozarks), and also build me a nice recording studio next to the house
5. Buy me a copy of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak" on vinyl

5. Places I have lived:

1. Wichita Falls, TX (1968-1975)
2. Beaumont, TX (Jan. 1976 - June 1976)
3. St. Louis, MO (June 1976 - Feb. 1977, Sept. 1977 - Dec. 1979)
4. Dallas, TX (Feb. 1977 - Aug. 1977)
5. Houston, TX (Dec. 1979 - May 1981)
6. Newport, AR (May 1981 - May 1986)
7. Jonesboro, AR (May 1986 - July 2001)
8. Little Rock, AR (July 2001 - Nov. 2001)
9. Hot Springs, AR (Nov. 2001 - July 2007)
10. Cordova, TN (July 2007 - present)

Whew! 10 places I have lived in. Wow!!

6. Jobs I have had:

1. Mowing Yards!!! (1979 - hmm... does this ever end?)
2. H & R Block (2 months in 1984 - made enough money to buy a new guitar and amplifier - I still have that guitar: my old trusty Peavey T-60 guitar!)
3. Revco Drugs (Aug. 1984 - Dec. 1985) - Yes, for a year and a half, I sold drugs. And I have no regrets about it.
4. Sonic Drive-In (Dec. 1985 - May 1986) - I must have really been on drugs, because I quit Revco for this??? I partied my last day there - I couldn't wait to graduate & get out of Newport.
5. Bonanza (May 1986 - April 1988) - At first, I really enjoyed this job & I made a lot of friends (most enduring friendship: Talmadge Q. Gleck). Towards the end, I couldn't wait to quit this job as well. The people I liked had moved on to bigger and better things, so it was time for me to do the same.
6. Sears (April 1988-May 1988) - Great when I first started, but it's hard to live on $50 a week. But it got me through my final exams... and a heartbreak.
7. Dominos Pizza (May 1988-July 1988) - Oh, the stories I could tell. I lost count how many times I delivered pizza when young ladies wearing nightgowns would open the door... good times, good times. Unfortunately, the wear & tear on my Chevette was too much.
8. Autumn Inn (July 1988-Dec. 1988) - I loved this job, even though it was a graveyard shift job. But I would get off at 8 a.m. Friday morning & not return until 10 p.m. Monday night. Yes, I had weekends off! Unfortunately, I had a confrontation with a guest, which led to my dismissal, one week before final exams.
9. Snak-Pak (Dec. 1988-Feb. 1989) - The absolute bottom of the barrel. The day I got the axe was a turning point for me (the manager wanted to hire a friend - she was told that she had to let go of someone first - guess who.).
10. Kroger (Mar. 1989 - present) - It's hard to believe that I am going on 20 years with this company. I have had my share of good and bad times with Kroger, but I really wouldn't trade it in on anything. Since taking my new position, I have gotten my name out there quite a bit. Some of the bigwigs in Cincinnati have begun to notice. The next step? Who knows! But I am enjoying the ride.

So there you have it. I am supposed to tag 5 people, but most of the people I know have already done this survey. So, I am tagging Nettiemac, Seraphim, and Candidly Caroline. You all are up next.

Sayonara - till next time.

- Bolivar

Embarassing Moments (part 1)

2008-02-09T09:22:00.000-06:00

This post is for Kate, Katie, Susan, and Sue... as well as all of my friends in cyberland...

I posted a comment in K, K, S, & S's blog about an incident that involved the New Kids on the Block. Let me start by saying that it did not involve them directly - I have never like the NKOTB, but Marky Mark did earn a measure of my respect when he switched from wannabe-rapper to an actually pretty decent actor - the 1997 movie "Boogie Nights" is one of the best movies of the decade, and it was Burt Reynolds' best movie since "Smokey and the Bandit", 20 years earlier.

Anyway, here is what happened on that fateful night back in September of 1989...

Friday, September 15, 1989. I was living in Jonesboro, Arkansas. I had just bought a car, but I didn't have insurance for it yet, so it stayed at my parents' house. I walked everywhere for about 10 months. At around 9 p.m. that night, I walked the three miles from my trailer to work. I came on at 10 and started working. At around 12:30 in the morning, I get a phone call from my aunt who told me that my mother was in town. I was puzzled, so I asked why. Here's why...

My mother drove the 55 miles from her house to Jonesboro to camp out at the local record store for NKOTB tickets for my sister. The local record store was called "Hot Dogs" (ah, Talmadge, the memories!!). There was a parking lot full of cars that night. Wonder why...

Anyway, my aunt asked me what time I got off in the morning, and I told her about 7 a.m. Then my aunt told me that my mother needs to see me, so I told her that I would be there for a few minutes, just to chat, and then go home. Then my aunt told me that my mother might need my help in getting these tickets. I said no way - people know me in this town, and I have a reputation to protect!

Little did I know that my boss was eavesdropping on another line. He, and the rest of the longtime Kroger associates in that store, will never let me live this incident down. And this was nearly 19 years ago.

Anyway, I left Kroger at 4 a.m. for lunch. I walked to Larry's Restaurant (ah, Talmadge, the memories!!) to get a couple of to-go cups of coffee. I then walked to Hot Dogs and chatted with my mother for about 30 minutes before I had to go back to work. I told her that I would see her in a few hours, but she was on her own with the tickets. I told her this was her fault, and that she had no one to blame but herself for this!

Now, what was her fault? A few hours previously, at the high school football game, she told her friends that she was going to Jonesboro after the game to camp out for NKOTB tickets. That opened the floodgates - next thing, mothers and their daughters were coming to her with $20 bills wanting her to get a ticket here, two tickets there, and so on. And my mother, being the nice and sweet & totally unselfish person that she was (I miss you, mom) - she couldn't say no. When it was all said and done, she had to buy 36 tickets at $21 a pop.

Not to mention that Ticketmaster had put up a new policy - you can only buy six tickets at a time. So, my mother had recruited my aunt, my two cousins, and a friend of my aunt's. That left one slot open...

Back to work, and the word had spread like wildfire - Bolivar is camping out to get NKOTB tickets! I said no way!! I am not doing this! Stop it!!!!!

I got off work at 7 a.m., and I walked to Hot Dogs to meet up with my mother. She is still putting the bite on me to help out with the tickets, and I am still not wavering! But I was enjoying the company - here I was, 21 years old at that point, surrounded by a ton of teenage girls. And yet, I couldn't help but think that they were all - every single one of them - obsessed with the New Kids. Yes I know - I was 21, they were around 14-16 - highly illegal, I know. I was born with a brain, by the way! But then I ran into a few of my female friends from ASU, and they asked what in the hell was I doing here. I knew I was in trouble until I told them that I was not getting tickets - my mother was here & I wanted to spend some time with her.

But then, when everything seemed to be in control, I lose it real quick. My mother had discovered one of the oldest tricks in the book, and she had the nerve to use it on me...

AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE.

I was waiting for my mother to turn into Marlon Brando - she did. Briefly. But enough for me to cave in.

Here's what happened. About 30 minutes before tickets went on sale, my mother pulls me aside, and she asks me a question:

"Bolivar, have you gotten the new Neil Young album that just came out this week?"

I told her don't even think about it - I am not falling for this trap! Don't you dare!!

"I believe the name of the new album is called "Freedom". Is that right?"

Yes, mother, you are correct. What are you getting at here?

"Bolivar, I heard it's Neil's best album in 10 years..."

Yes, mother, I heard that too...

"I heard "Rockin' in the Free World" on the radio the other day... killer song..."

Yes, mother, I heard the song, and it rocks. What are you getting at?

"And I know that you are a big Neil Young fan... do you have it?"

I haven't gotten it yet, but I have every intention of getting it when I get paid this Thursday.

"I will make you a deal..."

Oh boy, here we go, I knew this was coming. OK, mother, give it to me, I'm ready...

"If you help me get these tickets, I will buy that new Neil Young album for you, and I will also buy you breakfast at Shoney's after we get the tickets."

Can you do better than this?

"Oh, and any future concert that you want to go to - I will buy two tickets for you and a friend."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I caved in - I told my mother that I would help her out.

So, at 10 a.m., tickets went on sale, and I stood in line behind my mother. When it came my turn, I told Mike that I want six tickets. He gave me the strangest look. I told him that these are not for me - he said yeah, right. I also told him that if anyone asks, you never saw me here. He told me that he's telling everyone. Guess what? He did! To this day, my family, friends, and former co-workers at the Kroger in Jonesboro, Arkansas will not let me live down this incident.

My mother bought me the new Neil Young album and breakfast at Shoney's that day before she took me back to my trailer. We had a good talk about my education and about my new car purchase. It was a good visit.

I waited until 1992 to cash in on the tickets - my mother bought two tickets for me to see Eric Clapton at the Pyramid in Memphis. A young lady named Susan and I went to that show, and it was awesome. It was the first tour for Clapton since his son died tragically, and when he performed "Tears in Heaven", I had never seen so many Bic lighters, including mine, go off at one time. It was a very special moment.

My mother passed away in 1996 after a three-year battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. She lived her life the way she wanted to up to the very end. If she had stayed around 45 more minutes, she would have passed away on my 28th birthday. Shortly before she passed on, we reminisced about all the good times and all the crazy times that the two of us have had. I could tell, even in her bedridden state, that she was all smiles. You can bet that the NKOTB episode was brought up. I miss my mother everyday & wish she was still here.

That's it for this one - more to come.

I love you, mom...

Stolen from Nettiemac who Stole it from Kate/Susan who stole it from Melissa who stole it from Drew who stole it from...

2007-12-31T15:09:00.000-06:00

Why don't we recap the best of 2007? OK, here we go...

Best Album: There were two albums that really caught my attention in 2007. First was "Raising Sand" from Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. Neither performer could do wrong in my eyes. The next one was "Systematic Chaos" from Dream Theater. The best heavy album of the year - these guys are probably the closest thing to Yes that we have nowadays, except that they are a lot heavier than Yes ever were. Dream Theater may be more experimental than Yes ever was - I'm just waiting for DT to put out their own "Tales from Topographic Oceans" (they came close with 2002's "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence"). Runners-up: Rush's "Snakes and Ladders", which was their best album since 1989's "Presto", and the Pat Metheny/Brad Mehldau "Quartet" album. Brad, and especially Pat, could do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.

Best Non-Fiction: Phil Lesh, "Searching for the Sound". A fascinating look at the history of the Grateful Dead, from that band's awesome bass player. I know, this came out in 2006, and Andy Summers (Police) autobiography came out in 2007, but I haven't read it yet.

Best TV Series: It's not a new one, but it's better now than what it was then: "Nip/Tuck". Very strange series, so it's right up my alley.

Best Fiction: I haven't read a fiction story in eons! Someone give me some good ones, please!

Best Kids Music: Give me a break!!

Best Movie: I went to see "August Rush" on Dec. 14. This is such an awesome movie - I would very highly recommend this movie to any music fan.

Best Sign of the Apocalypse: Tom Cruise is still making movies. No one has ever accused Tom of being a good actor.

Best Comeback of the Year: I have to give it up to the Washington Redskins. First, they lose Sean Taylor, who was really coming into his own this season, in a terrible shooting. Then the "double time-out" call against Buffalo that cost them the game. Then they lose their starting quarterback, presumably for the season. They hit rock bottom & could have given up. What a December they had! Todd Collins has thrown 5 TD passes and no interceptions in the last 4 games. Clinton Portis is rapidly becoming a leader for his team. That defense has been nothing short of amazing. And most importantly, they won the last 4 games of the season to make the playoffs. Their road doesn't get easier: they go to Seattle next weekend. Then on to Dallas if they win. And you know what? I would not count the Skins out by any means. The 2008 version of Cinderella? Stay tuned.

Best Old TV show you are just getting into: I really don't have one, but I do have an old TV show that I was into years ago that I have gotten back into: "Twin Peaks". When I was dating Penny in 1990, that used to be a Saturday night ritual for us in her dorm room. We loved that show. Historical fact: 14 years ago today, I rented "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" on VHS. My then-girlfriend (now ex-wife) came over to my apartment & watched this movie. By the time the movie was over, I had gotten sick. Turns out that I had gotten the flu while the movie was on! Oops!

Best Grocery Store: Kind of a no-brainer, don't you think? I love Kroger, and March 6 will make 19 years of employment with that company.

Best (Summer) Vacation: I really didn't have a summer vacation, but the one I had this past spring was awesome - JLo and I went to South Padre Island (see previous post).

Proudest Accomplishments This Year: My promotion from Co-Manager in a store to Assistant Systems Developer in the division office. The last half of 2007 has been the best time I have had in over 10 years.

Goals for Next Year: I only have one. I plan to drop at least 50 pounds. It wouldn't hurt if I drop 75. I plan on doing this by changing my diet, eating less, and working out as often as I can.

Most Exciting Sports Moment of the Year: Arkansas stopping LSU's two-point conversion in the third overtime to beat LSU, 52-50. I was cheering in my office.

Saddest Moment of the Year: In many ways, leaving Hot Springs. I had encountered the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows in the nearly six years that I lived in that town. To a certain extent, I do miss that town, but there are certain people that I will not miss (guess who).

Happiest Moment of the Year: In many ways, leaving Hot Springs. I closed a very painful chapter in my life and opened up a new one. So far, it has been absolutely wonderful, and I love it here in Memphis. I am closer to my aunt & cousin, not to mention rekindling a lot of old friendships from my friends in Jonesboro (I am only one hour away).

We could have an early entry into the best album of 2008: Radiohead's new one comes out on New Years' Day. I can't wait.

OK, that's it for this one. Feel free to discuss, and leave comments with your thoughts. I would love to hear them.

Dan Fogelberg: August 13, 1951 - December 16, 2007. R.I.P.

2007-12-17T20:16:00.000-06:00

I get home from work, and I check through e-mails and other stuff, when I stumbled upon Talmadge's blog, and my jaw dropped.

Dan Fogelberg died yesterday of prostate cancer. He was 56 years old.

I have been a huge fan of Fogelberg for a very long time. I have been fortunate to see him twice in concert - and one of those shows featured him, an acoustic guitar, and a piano - and that was it. It totally blew me away. The second time I saw him was in 1995 with my ex-wife. Ironically, I proposed to my ex-wife that weekend. Her favorite Fogelberg song was "Run for the Roses". Strangely enough, that's one I can take or leave.

In his box set, he told of a time where after "Twin Sons..." was finished, he headed for Europe because he feared that the album was heading for disaster. When he came back to the states, he had a hit record on his hands! I remember when I went to see him in 1995, he introduced "Old Tennessee" as one that "goes back many years... if you're old enough to remember this song, you probably have a babysitter tonight." The audience got the biggest kick out of that one.

I have every album the man has put out, and I love them all, but I must single one particular album out: 1981's The Innocent Age. I found that this album held so many meanings for me as I was pushing 30, and now that I am just a few months from turning 40, that meaning has now intensified. If you think about it, the album is a loosely conceptual album about getting older, and so many of those songs leave a haunting effect - and the song that the album closes with, "Ghosts", left a haunting image on me that I still can't shake, 26 years after its release.

I agree with Talmadge - the man did put out quite a bit of sappy material. But less talented people would kill for his songwriting abilities - sappy or otherwise. When the man rocked out, he could rock with the best of them. And the resume of who he has played with & produced reads like a California rock "Who's Who": the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat, Emmylou, CSN, I could go on. In this age of computerized crap & all beats with no imagination, Fogelberg's stuff, for me, sounds like a breath of fresh air.

In 1994, my ex-wife bought a copy of the sheet music of his Greatest Hits album. I was so excited when I learned how to play "Longer" and "Leader of the Band", note for note, on my acoustic guitar. Since then, I have managed to learn, either on guitar or piano, the rest of that sheet music. But strangely enough, as you will see, some of my favorite Fogelberg songs weren't the hits.

So, without further adieu, here are my 15 favorite Fogelberg songs, in no order:

1. "Ever On" (The Wild Places, 1990)

This closes out what was, hands down, his best album of the 90s. To me, it is a fitting farewell for this man.

2. "Ghosts" (The Innocent Age, 1981)

Still haunts me to this day.

3. "Windows and Walls" (Windows and Walls, 1984)

The Innocent Age was about getting older; this song is about already reaching that age and wondering what's left. Beautiful melody.

4. "Old Tennessee" (Captured Angel, 1975)

Not just because my new home state is in the title. Great song.

5. "Song from Half Mountain" (Souveniers, 1974)

Fogelberg solo - absolute killer song.

6. "The River" (Home Free, 1972)

Another haunting melody and lyric from his first album.

7. "As the Raven Flies" (Souveniers, 1974)

I agree with Tal - my favorite track from this album, and one unjustly ignored.

8. "Tullamore Dew/Phoenix" (Phoenix, 1979)

Kicks this album off with a bang. Over 8 minutes long and all awesome.

9. "Hearts and Crafts" (Portrait: The Music of Dan Fogelberg 1972-1997, 1997)

This B-side of "Same Old Lang Syne" featuring the Chieftains, and is one of his best songs.

10. "Nexus" (The Innocent Age, 1981)

Very atmospheric song - kicks off this album with a bang as well.

11. "The Innocent Age" (The Innocent Age, 1981)

Could be his best melody and lyric - capturing the simplicity of his heroes in the Buffalo Springfield.

12. "Road Beneath My Wheels" (Live - Greetings from the West, 1991)

A blues song with Fogelberg on bottleneck guitar? This totally rocks!

13. "Seeing You Again" (Exiles, 1987)

This song brings back a ton of memories for this one particular lady that I let go of. Seeing her again was very hard for me, but was inevitable - she was one of my sister's best friends. In retrospect, I wished I had never let her go. I would even go as far as to say that I should have married her instead of who I actually married.

14. "The Reach" (The Innocent Age, 1981)

Very unjustly ignored - one of his most atmospheric and ethereal recordings.

15. "Scarecrow's Dream" (Nether Lands, 1977)

I had to throw in a curve ball, but this is a beautiful song.

Farewell, Mr. Fogelberg. And many thanks for the memories, and for all of the great music that has touched my heart and left a lasting mark on my life.

--Bolivar

Back in the High Life Again...

2007-12-15T16:05:00.000-06:00

For those of you who have been wondering what I have been doing since my last post back in July - here is a recap of sorts. For all souls who have been concerned about me, let it be known that the concern is greatly appreciated. I'm concerned about myself too!!

Anyway, I started in my new position on July 16. My new boss is a pretty cool person who has shown me the ropes and has been a constant source of encouragement and support ever since I came to Tennessee. The people I work with in my department are pretty cool as well. I have a lot on my plate with this new position, but one of the key things I do are Out-of-Stock audits. I did a store in Memphis & showed my audit to the co-manager who told me that I am not making friends very fast around here. My boss HOWLED when I told him that. He thought it was so funny, he brought it up at a meeting with some Cincinnati corporate bigwigs when they came down. Anyway, I told this person that I have a job to do, and that I am only trying to help, not hurt. I think this co-manager got the message.

With some minor exceptions, I work Monday - Friday. There have been a couple of rare exceptions when a store has had an issue on a Saturday or Sunday, and I go to that store to resolve it, and then I go about my business. I absolutely love my new job - I haven't been this happy at Kroger in a long time.

So, getting used to the new job wasn't a problem. Finding a house that I like turned out to be a nightmare. My real estate agent showed me about 30 houses in Southaven, Olive Branch, Bartlett, and Cordova before I finally found one that I liked. It amazes me how people could care less about houses. I have asked many times, how in the world could people live in a house that looks like that. Anyway, I narrowed my search down to two houses - one in Cordova and one in Bartlett - that I could see myself in. The one in Bartlett was around 1600 square feet that had a huge game room and a fourth bedroom. It was an older home (built in 1977) that needed cosmetic work done on it (mainly paint and new carpet), but it was a decent house. The one in Cordova was about 1450 square feet, but was only 2 years old and in immaculate condition. It also has a jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom (which is big, by the way). I bought the Cordova house. The house is a little smaller than the house I had in Hot Springs, but that's OK. It's just me and JLo that are here...

OK, I now hear you saying, "JLo"? JLo wanted to come with me, and I wanted her to be with me. We are now living together - and I can hear some Christians out there reviling me as I type this. The living arrangement has been a constant struggle. JLo brought all of her stuff with her, and it freaked me out when I saw items in my new home that I had never seen before. We have argued more that we ever have. It's just part of the new adjustment. The first night after the movers brought our stuff was a bad night. It was like a maze just trying to get to the kitchen. I never realized that we had so much stuff. At first, thoughts of me making a terrible mistake with this house crossed my mind, but cooler heads prevailed, and we sat down and had a long talk. Basically, I suggested that we have a major garage sale in the near future - we have too much junk that we don't use, so why do we need it? Fortunately, JLo agreed with me. Unfortunately, we haven't had the garage sale yet! We may do a Christmas garage sale next weekend - weather pending, of course.

I have rekindled old friendships with some of my Jonesboro friends that I haven't seen in a while, and I have gotten e-mails from an old friend of mine from high school as of late. I have seen my ex-brother-in-law and ex-sister-in-law a couple of times. And I even called my ex-wife a couple of times because I needed a couple of favors. The electric bill was in her name, and I needed her signature on release of title. Surprisingly, my ex-wife was very co-operative with me on this. On the day that I closed on my Hot Springs house, I called my ex-wife to thank her for her help. She congratulated me on my promotion, and she told me that she knew that I worked very hard for it. I told her one major perk of the new job, and she thought I would say not having to deal with customers. I told her these three words: "OFF EVERY SUNDAY". She said, "Wow". Then I thanked her and told her that my work in Hot Springs is now officially over. She told me good luck. I haven't spoken to her since, although I heard from a reliable source that she was furious when she found out how much I made from selling my house. I bought the house in Hot Springs for $78,000 in 2001 and sold it for $110,000 in 2007. I pocketed around $28,000 from the sale, which I used to pay off credit card bills & used for down payment on the new home. Pretty cool, huh?

What irritates me now is that I am still unpacking JUNK! But that's OK. JLo loves it here - she managed to transfer from the Kirklands in HS to the Kirklands in Memphis. I have taken her to restaurants that she has never heard of (like the Spaghetti Warehouse in downtown Memphis), and we spent a wonderful evening not too long ago on Beale Street. She really seems to enjoy it here, which is more than what I could say for my ex-wife when we moved to Hot Springs.

As for me, I absolutely love it here. I have been needing to get out of Hot Springs since 2005, and it finally happened for me. There is so much to do in Memphis, and so many places to go. What is just as nice is that Tunica is about 45 minutes from here, and Nashville is about 3 hours from here, should I go there for a weekend. JLo and I have talked about doing that sometime next year.

Speaking of vacations, your humble servant has never been on a cruise before in his life. In 2008, I go on two of them. JLo and I will be taking a cruise from Galveston, Texas, to Cozumel, the week after Valentine's Day. I also won a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau in the Bahamas, which we will be going on sometime next summer. I am excited, and I can hardly wait.

Speaking of vacations, you already know about the South Padre Island vacation. My second week vacation was spent in Hot Springs - JLo's sister MLo flew from Washington state to Little Rock. Since that vacation, MLo has left her loser husband and is now in Hot Springs until something better comes along. I spent my third week vacation in Dallas, but I was only there for three days, and I was only there for the Dream Theater concert (their new album, "Systematic Chaos", is one of the best albums released in 2007). My fourth week vacation was spent resting and unpacking. I found out that I qualified for a fifth week vacation back in March of 2007 that I didn't know about. I will take that vacation after the holidays, and I will be resting, I'm sure.

As far as concerts, in 2007, I have seen the Who, Little Feat (twice), Dream Theater, Delbert McClinton, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I attended the 2nd annual Feat Fest in Eureka Springs back in September, and the only bad thing about this one is that it started raining during the Feat Jam. I ended up leaving my guitar in the car because I am picky about playing in the rain. Still, Spacely and I had a wonderful time, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we will do this again next year.

Yesterday, JLo and I celebrated three years of dating by going out. We went to On the Border for dinner (we went to On the Border on our first date), and then we went to the late show. If you haven't seen "August Rush", I swear, you need to see this movie. It was such a good movie - the music scenes in this movie are breath-taking. Awesome movie. Do not miss this one.

Now that I have an internet connect, more posts coming from me!! I know - how could you stand the wait?

Until next time... take care.

And Merry Christmas.

- Bolivar

One Particular Song That Stands Out Above the Rest

2007-07-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

This may be one of the strangest postings I have ever done. Bear with me on this.

Have you ever had just one particular song that stood head & shoulders above the rest? The one song that you heard whenever you went through, or are going through, a major life-changing event? I have one particular song...

"Awaken", by Yes, from the Going for the One album, back in 1977.

This wonderful song, which clocks in at almost 16 minutes (keep in mind: this is "Yes"!), ironic or not, has been blaring out of either my home stereo system, or my car stereo system, during times in my life where a major change has taken place. Here are a few examples:

1. May 26, 1985 - I had this song on cassette, and this was playing in my old Sparkomatic car stereo system in my 1980 Chevy Chevette. I was driving from Newport to Jonesboro, on my way to begin a new chapter in my life. Three days earlier, I had graduated from Newport High School, and I got a call that morning from Bonanza Steakhouse saying that they had a position open and wanted to put my name on it. I accepted the job, and there began two years of coming home & smelling like the deli bar. What this song meant to me at that particular time was that there will be storms, there will be tense times, but everything will come to a better ending.

2. Beginning of 1989. Definitely the third worst year in my life (don't worry - the other two years will be mentioned in this post). I had a car wreck to begin the year, and I wound up on foot for 10 months. I was living in a $100/month trailer that inspired Jeff Foxworthy to begin his redneck routine (listen to Jeff's description of the first singles apartment on the "You Might Be a Redneck" album - it fits my trailer perfectly). Then I got fired from the "Snak Pak" because the manager wanted to hire one of her buddies, but was told to let go of someone first. Since she and I NEVER got along, guess who was released. That cassette with "Awaken" on it got me through some very tough times. At the end of the year, I had another, much better job with a much better company (18 years and counting). I had another set of wheels. I just didn't have a girlfriend, but that's OK!

3. June 20, 1996. Two days before my wedding. I had a late night dinner with an old friend of mine at Shoneys Restaurant. Then I went for a drive. I drove and drove and drove. Thoughts going back and forth through my head. Should I marry this lady? Should I run? Will I be a good husband? Will I be a good father? So many thoughts running through my head. And yet again, "Awaken" was playing from my tape deck in my then-brand-new Chevy Corsica. Of course, I now realize that I should have never married that woman!

4. July 8, 2001. Driving from Jonesboro to Memphis. Reason? I had just been accepted into Kroger's Store Management Development Training Program. This was a bold new step for me. How would I do? Did I make the right decision doing this? Will I be successful? By this time, I had a new Oldsmobile Intrigue, and I had the live version of "Awaken", from the Keys to Ascension CD. Still made a huge impact on me, and I decided that whatever I did, I would just be myself. Must have worked pretty well, seeing how I just got a new promotion.

5. The week of Oct. 10 to Oct. 16, 2004. My wife leaves a note on my computer desk, stating that our marriage is over. My whole world crashed. The bottom had fallen, or so I thought. My wife had taken my son away from me, and she was seven months pregnant at the time. And once again, "Awaken" made another huge impact on me. But I couldn't see at that time how I would recover from this blow. Unfortunately, it only got worse...

6. March 5, 2005. I am in my Intrigue, on my way to Dallas to visit my father. About 29 hours ago, I received a phone call from the lab stating that I was not the father of either of my kids. I had just started my vacation, and I wasn't sure where I would go. If the tests came back stating that I was the father, I would have taken my kids and went to Jonesboro to visit grandparents. If they weren't my kids, then I was going solo to Dallas. During the six hours I drove to my father's ranch, I felt like I was a defeated man. I had failed as a husband, and I had failed as a father. And I felt like I had failed as a person. I was 36 years old at that time, and it was the only time in my life that I considered suicide to be not just an option, but THE option. This one song helped me go through so many stressful times, and you can bet that this was blaring from my car stereo.

7. July 15, 2007. About 24 hours from now. Leaving Hot Springs to begin a new, exciting, and scary time of my life. I have just gotten promoted, and I begin my new job at 8:00 a.m. Monday morning. You can bet your bottom dollar that this will be playing in my Jeep Liberty car stereo. I am a lot more calm, and more confident in myself than I have been in many years. I am excited, and I still think that this is only just the beginning.

So there you have it. One great song that Jon Anderson and Steve Howe wrote many moons ago could make a huge impact in my life. Who would have thought it?

But I can't just leave it at that one song. So many songs have had impact in my life: anything from All Things Must Pass, "Hollow Years" by Dream Theater, any great Van Morrison song (which means about 90% of his output), any great Moody Blues song (which means about 90% of their output), "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd, "Winning" by Santana, "Jailbreak" by Thin Lizzy (rock on, Tal!) - there are a lot of classical, jazz, new age, country, gospel, and even (God forbid!) some rap songs (thank you, Run D.M.C.) that have such a huge impact on me. Music is such an all-powerful force! It supports any mood, any emotion that I am looking for. Is it any wonder why I love it so much?

Anyway, that does it for this post. Keep rockin', and pray for me as I tackle this new challenge!

Bolivar "When's the new Yes album coming out?" Shagnasty

Vacation #1: April 8 - 14

2007-06-28T22:52:00.000-05:00

Since I am in a somewhat reflective mood, let's talk about what has been happening in my life, so far, in 2007. I work TOO DAMN MUCH!! That's the bottom line! However, in saying that, there have been some high points this year.

First off was seeing one of my all-time favorite bands at Alltel Arena in Little Rock - I saw THE WHO! Musically speaking, those guys can still play, and Zac Starkey is the closest thing the Who has gotten to remotely replacing Keith Moon. They played a lot of the classics, but there were so many songs that were left out: "I Can See for Miles", "Squeeze Box", "Magic Bus", & "Long Live Rock", just to name a few. But what shocked me the most? Brace yourself for this:

They played nothing, and I mean NOTHING, from "Quadrophenia"! You would think maybe "5:15", or "Love, Reign O'er Me", or "I'm One", but NOOOOOOOOO! How shocking is that?

Anyway, on April 8, I finally started my first weeks' vacation. On Easter Sunday, I spent some time over at JLo parents' house. When we got home, we had no idea how late it was - it was after 10:00 p.m. We still had to pack for our trip, and we also had to finalize hotel arrangements. We then got up Monday morning & drove all day to South Padre Island, Texas. We got there after midnight, and we slept until around 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. We got up and saw the sights, did some shopping, and spent the end of the afternoon doing some dolphin watching. It was so much fun. We also had one rule on this trip: we would strictly eat at places that we have never eaten at. No McDonalds, no Sonic, no Burger King - not even a Chili's or an Applebee's. We ate entirely too much while we were on vacation, but it didn't matter - we had a lot of fun.

On Thursday, we left the Island heading for Austin. We saw a HUGE outlet mall in San Marcos, and we drove around there, looking for places that caught our eye. I saw a Rockport place, & I told JLo that we are definitely stopping there. I bought two pairs of Rockport work shoes for $85. I was so happy, because I can not get Rockports in either Hot Springs or Little Rock. Amazing, huh? I found the number of Miss Caroline, she of "Candidly Caroline" notoriety, and I almost started to call & see if she wanted to join us for lunch, but I held off on it. Maybe next time...

On Friday, we checked out of our hotel room & went to a huge music place in Austin - Waterloo Records. Unfortunately, they didn't have that many records left, but they had a ton of CDs - I bought about $200 worth. Then we went to a place called "The Salt Lick" in Driftwood. JLo had seen something on the Rachael Ray show about it, so we thought we would try it out. The bottom line: this is the best BBQ I have ever eaten. Up until then, I always thought Memphis had the best BBQ, and Memphis is still one of the best, but this BBQ we had totally blew us away. Peeled off of the bone - melt in your mouth - oh, man - this was so good. When we come back to the area, we are stopping there again. Awesome BBQ - the best.

Anyway, on to Dallas, and Forever Young Records. I first went to this place back in 1990, but did not return until 2002. So much had changed in those 12 years. They had gotten BIGGER! I spent about $500 when I went in 2002 - I only spent about $200 this time, but got some really cool stuff - Herbie Hancock, Al Kooper, Elton John, just to name a few. I made it there just in time, because it was really storming outside. When the storms flew over, we discovered that 5 tornados had touched down in the Fort Worth area. They just missed us - thank God! Anyway, it was almost 10:00 p.m. when we left, and I knew we would be pushing it heading back to Hot Springs. I decided that I would drive until I couldn't drive anymore. We stopped at Sulphur Springs, Texas, and spent the night at a hotel there.

We got up Saturday morning, had breakfast, & headed home, but we stopped at a Best Buy in Texarkana, & I bought the new Sly and the Family Stone boxed set before doing that. We got home about 4 p.m. We weren't home 30 minutes before Spacely called & said that he was in Hot Springs & wanted to meet us at Jason's for dinner. We did that, then I went to Kroger to check next week's schedule, & then we went home & went to bed. I think we were in bed at 9 o'clock that night - we were so tired!!

This was the first vacation JLo and I had ever taken together, and we had so much fun. Truth be known, I don't think I had as much fun on any vacation my ex-wife and I took. My ex-wife certainly wasn't considerate. Here is a good example: when we were driving to South Padre Island, JLo saw that I was tiring out pretty quick. We went to a town (don't remember the town), and we stopped at a Supercenter because JLo wanted to get a few things. We pulled in, I started to get out of the car, and JLo tells me to stay in the car & take a power nap while she was in Wal-Mart. She was there for 30 minutes, and I took a nap. When she came back to the car, I was rested up pretty well. I helped so much. My ex-wife would have NEVER done that for me.

We have talked about vacation plans for 2008, and right now, the front runner seems to be Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Nettiemac, what do you think? Good choice?

That does it for this post. More to come - wow!! This is 2 posts in one day! Especially since I haven't put in a post since February! Strange...

Later, Bolivar

I am such a terrible blogger...

2007-06-28T13:21:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!! I am such a terrible blogger! OK, I know it's been February since I put in my last post. It has been really crazy, but I have the biggest news to drop on the world. Here goes -

I had stated in my last post that I didn't get a promotion for either store I applied for. Since then, I had been applying for stores and for positions within the Kroger Company. My life changed this past Friday, June 22, at around 9:30 a.m.

I accepted a position to work in the Information Systems & Services department at the Kroger Division Office in Memphis, TN. I will be a Technology Field Representative. My job consists of a lot of items, but the main items I will be doing will be going to stores & fixing their computer problems; I will also help implement to the stores new computer programs that come through. This is a huge opportunity for me, and a lot of people have went to the plate for me, including store managers, zone managers, merchandisers, and other bigwigs. I am not about to let them down.

One thing that is so great about this new position is that I will have off every Sunday, and only work on occasional Saturdays. Ever since I was old enough to work a job, I have never liked working on Sundays. That doesn't mean that I won't do it - I just have never liked it. I am so excited about starting this new position - I can't wait to get started.

Notice the date I accepted this position - June 22. Talmadge knows where I am going with this - in case no one else does, June 22 would have marked the 11-year wedding anniversary of me and my ex-wife. June 22, as of 2007, takes on a whole new meaning. A better one, I might add.

I got a pretty nice raise and the opportunity for a bigger bonus with this new position. What's more important is that I am leaving Hot Springs. Friends and family have been telling me that I need to leave this town, and that I've been needing to leave for about 3 years now. I would have left in 2005 if I had lost the house in the divorce. But I managed to keep the house, so I decided to stay. When I look back on my almost 6 years in Hot Springs, it will go like this - I have had the highest of the highs, and the lowest of the lows since I have been here. Of course, the lowest will be the divorce and everything that went with that, but I have met a lot of wonderful people in this town, and I have been to a lot of really great places in Hot Springs. I will miss this town tremendously, and I will miss places like "Rocky's Corner", where JLo and I have eaten on a weekly basis for about a year and a half now. If you ever go to Hot Springs, and you love Chicago-style pizza, eat at Rocky's - I swear you will not be disappointed.

Of course, with the promotion and everything, things are looking up, but there is something that I have to consider - JLo. She is scared about my promotion. We have talked about everything, and we have tried to cover all of the angles with this move. I told her that she is making a bigger commitment than I am. The only commitment I have made is the new job, but I have been with Kroger for 18 years, so everyone close to me knows that I am committed to Kroger. But JLo faces the possibility of leaving her family and her friends and going to a town that she knows absolutely nothing about. I know Memphis very well - I made trips there about once a month for about 13 years, and I have stayed in hotels there. I know Graceland and Beale Street very well. Also, she has never been away from her family, so this will be a first for her. The one thing that sticks in the back of my mind is this - the last time I took a young lady 3-4 hours away from her home - do we need to go any further on this? I think we all know what happened there.

If JLo goes with me, fine. If she chooses not to go, that's OK too. If we split, I will have nothing but good things to say about her. She has a really big heart, and she has stood beside me through some really tough times in my life. I would look back with very fond memories - something I can't say about my ex-wife. As far as my ex-wife is concerned - remember, what you reap, you sow. She has always wanted to get back closer to her home. And now, I am, and she isn't. Remember what I have said before - she had the world and everything that went with it, and now she has settled for second-best. Good luck.

I do have two more posts I will do today - my vacations. Should make for interesting reading - I hope.

Before I end this post, I am deeply heartbroken and saddened by the events that occured concerning one of my all-time favorite wrestlers - Chris Benoit. I was watching WWE Monday Night Raw and saw that he had passed on. My jaw immediately hit the ground. Chris was one of the most intense wrestlers I had ever seen - he was absolutely incredible. His in-ring work was awesome. I remember when he was part of the legendary "Four Horsemen" with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, and the late Brian Pillman. They were a bunch of tough guys. Then he arrived in WWE with the Radicals - Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn. They were also a tough bunch. I remember watching in awe as Benoit became only the second man to enter the "Royal Rumble" at #1 and be the last man standing. And then, watching him beat Shawn Michaels and Triple H at Wrestlemania XX to finally become world's champion. I loved watching Benoit wrestle because he always pushed the envelope and he was so intense. Unfortunately, his legacy is totally clouded because, supposedly, he strangled his wife and smothered his son before he took his own life. Whether he had serious issues, or he had a problem with steroids, or whatever - the bottom line is this: three people are now dead. And no amount of investigation will change that. If Chris actually did this, then he should be judged by God on his actions, and I have no doubt that he will be. If someone else did this, then they will be judged somewhere down the line. May not be today, may not be tomorrow, but rest assured that they will be judged by God. If Chris did this, it hurts me and a lot of fans because we had always thought that nothing could break this man. How wrong we were, and are. It's a real shame.

Future posts to come - I promise!!

Bolivar

No Promotion...

2007-02-25T20:30:00.000-06:00

"When you're down is when you find yourself"
David Gilmour, "Take a Breath", 2006.

As you can tell from the title of this post, I didn't get either promotion. Two people with more experience than I got the stores, and I personally called them to congratulate them. I have a new boss - she is female, and she is African-American. So far, it has been a wonderful working relationship - she expects input from me on so many things, and she even demands input from me. She is definitely one of those people who gives me the green light to make decisions on what is best for the store. I worried about it at first, but so many of my fears evaporated after the first day I worked with her. There was one incident that occured not too long ago that proved to me that she would take my side.

I got chewed out on Valentine's Day from one of the corporate bigwigs because I made, in their eyes, a very serious mistake.

I hired a felon.

I immediately had to terminate his employment. Fifteen years ago, this person did time in jail for burgulary. This person and I spoke about it, and I told him as long as I got no calls from the corporate office, everything was OK. I never got the call. I don't know if my former boss got the call; he never told me. I got the impression from working with this felon that he wanted to put the past behind him. He was slow at stocking shelves, but he was always giving 100%. And he always showed up for work, even on off-nights to see if he was needed.

I was concerned for my job. I seriously thought that I would be fired. My new boss told me that she did the same thing at a previous store she worked at, and she just got chewed out for about 2 minutes, and then it was forgotten. She and I talked quite a bit that day, and she helped to calm my nerves.

Needless to say, I have been working very hard to try to impress my new boss. She will be the one who decides whether I am ready for the next step.

Anyway, I finally got a weekend off! I have done much of nothing - I have gotten a lot of rest the last two days. Good thing - we have inventory on March 21, and then Easter on April 8. On the week after Easter, I will take my first vacation of 2007. Lord knows that I will be ready.

Right now, I am typing this up and listening to David Gilmour's 2006 masterpiece, "On an Island". Excellent CD from start to finish. "A Pocketful of Stones" is one of my most favorite songs, as well as the aforementioned "Take a Breath".

JLo and I have seen two new movies as of late: we saw "Music and Lyrics" on Valentine's Day, and we saw "Because I Said So" earlier today at the afternoon matinee show. "Music and Lyrics" is great, although I still can't picture Hugh Grant as an '80s sensation. "Because I Said So" was hilarious - I am such a huge fan of Diane Keaton. I swear, she just gets better with each passing year. The Tenacious D movie "The Pick of Destiny" comes out Tuesday. I can't wait.

As far as the Kroger situation, I will put my name in the hat for future store openings, no matter where they may be...

I Am Officially at a Crossroads

2007-01-26T05:20:00.000-06:00

Everything had been moving right along, pretty much in place, when the impossible happened yesterday.

My store manager announced his resignation.

My now-former boss had been in pretty bad health for at least the last six months. He saw a doctor back in December, and the tests officially came back about two weeks ago. He has high EVERYTHING. High cholesterol (sp?), high blood pressure, very high risk for a heart attack. On top of all of this, his grandmother just passed away. When he came to work yesterday, he called the district manager and told him that he would take the early retirement package. I came to work about 10:30 yesterday morning (I wasn't scheduled until noon, but I got called in), he pulled myself and all department heads upstairs, and he made the announcement.

I was in a total state of shock. I still haven't fully recovered from it. I wonder if he made the right decision. I wonder if he could have taken a leave of absence - maybe a month, maybe two months - to get it together.

All I know, right now, is that I will not have a day off for at least the next two weeks. So much for my New Years' Resolution.

I am putting my hat in for the Morrilton position. I will probably put my name in the hat for the store I am currently in. Hopefully, something will pan out from all of this.

Hopefully.

Why Am I So Restless?

2007-01-24T06:09:00.000-06:00

Good question!!

Here it is, about 6:15 in the morning. I've been awake since 5:30 a.m. I had the CD alarm clock set to wake me up to the sounds of track 1 of "Led Zeppelin III" (that would be "Immigrant Song", folks), but I have been tossing and turning all night long. I could not get comfortable to save my life. I could not turn off my body to get some sleep. I think I may have some reasons why:

1. JLo made Mexican food last night. She made tortillas from scratch, and I had some chicken burritos as well as some chips & rotel, as well as a couple of beers. I love JLo's cooking - she can really cook - but Mexican food, for all that I love, does a number on my stomach. I took two Tums at about 1:30 in the morning, but I still couldn't get rid of the pain. And I really haven't got time for the pain (apologies to Carly Simon).

2. My store has a sanitation audit this coming Friday. We're looking pretty good, but I want my store to be dead-letter perfect come Friday morning. The audit was supposed to be Thursday, but my district manager postponed it for one day. I was afraid that I would have to work on Friday (I'm supposed to be off), but my boss told me to continue to work my schedule as planned. That's one good thing. But I will have a full plate ahead of me these next two days.

3. A store manager position has come open in Morrilton, Arkansas. I'm seriously thinking about putting my name in the hat for that store. I need to do some further research before putting my name in the hat for that job. I am also hearing rumors that the store manager in Batesville will soon be retiring, and that the store manager in Newport may be re-located to the Batesville store. If the store manager position for Newport becomes open, I will definitely put my name in the hat for that job. I lived in Newport for 5 years and still know a lot of the people that live in that town. That store has definite potential, mainly because they have no real competition, and also because the Wal-Mart that is in Newport is NOT A SUPERCENTER!!

Alas, if I put my name in the hat, and my name gets called, there is a serious problem that I will have to consider: what will happen between JLo and I? Will she be keen enough to leave her parents to be with me? Will the distance between us have some serious repercussions? Everyone that has known me for a long time knows that I don't do long-distance relationships. I have had a terrible history of long distance relationships. They just never seem to work with me. Some of the greatest ladies I have been with, from Candy in Wisconsin to Janet in Hoxie (Talmadge, I'm sure you remember her) to Dana in Conway - all long distance, all ended the same way. The distance thing again.

I know that, for quite a while, Talmadge and Seraphim had a long distance relationship. They have now been married six glorious years (Happy Anniversary, by the way!). And they are just as crazy about each other now as they were the first time I saw them together (I think it was in 1999 - I've known Talmadge for almost 21 years now - do you think our friendship can buy liquor now? Legally?).

I guess that if I really want to be with JLo, I will have to do whatever it takes. Even if it means long trips on off-days.

But I guess that the main reason I am so restless is that I am already having Spring Fever, even though it is nearing the end of January. There is this feeling I get from time to time that I want to completely change myself and my surroundings. But to What?? Sometimes I get this feeling that I want to sell my house, sell everything but the music (gotta have my music), pack it all up and just... go. Where would I go? Sometimes I have this feeling that I want to leave and leave no forwarding address (well, except for the Gleck clan and to Nettiemac). Completely start over.

Unfortunately, there are such matters as a house payment, a car payment, bills, and a debt to pay off, so I can't leave the Real World just yet.

Before I end this post, I must send a shout out to my father's second cousin, a man by the name of Bill Ritter. He just recently became governor of Colorado, and my father is supposed to send me pictures of the inauguration and of the ball. Congrats, Gov. Ritter!! Can we get you to run against Hillary? Just kidding!

Until next time - take care.

--Bolivar "Sleeping don't come very easy in a straight white vest" Shagnasty

Out 2006, In 2007 (or, Out of the Blue and Into the Black)

2007-01-22T15:23:00.000-06:00

Hello, my fellow compadres!! It has been a while since I put a post in, and I had been thinking about where to begin. Since this is a first post of a new year, I thought about recapping 2006 and going into 2007.

Basically, all I did in 2006 was work. There were some fun times, though. On Valentine's Day, my divorce became finalized. I have not spoken to my ex-wife since my grandmother passed away in June. My ex told her sister, who then told me at the visitation, that my ex would have been at the visitation if it weren't for the distance. I really hope my ex realized that, around my family, she is not a welcome party. At the end of March, my ex and her sister came to the house to get the rest of her stuff that would not fit in the SUV. My ex's new husband was a no-show, supposedly because he is afraid of me and what I would do. I probably would have laughed at him, even maybe took pity on him, but he didn't show and I think we're all better off.

I took my first weeks' vacation in April, and all I did was hang around the house and got some much needed R & R. I bought a season pass for Magic Springs, but didn't get a chance to use it until July. It was the first chance to use the (relatively) new Crystal Falls water park, and it was a lot of fun. I saw three concerts at Magic Springs this past year: Foreigner, Kansas, and Rick Springfield, and they all were pretty cool.

I took my second weeks' vacation at the end of July to the beginning of August, and I went to Texas after spending a couple of days with JLo (more about her later). Had a wonderful birthday with my cousins Chris & Lisa, their spouses, and their kids. Went on to Wichita Falls to visit another cousin and my aunt & uncle. My other cousin Ang has such a big heart, and my uncle J is a cut-up of the first order who never ceases to make me laugh when I am down. My aunt, though, had no problem letting me know how much of a failure I am in her eyes, and she proceeded to put down my own mother, who has been gone since 1996. My aunt needs to realize that, if you don't know the facts, why is your mouth open? Why comment on something you obviously know nothing about? My aunt and I have not spoken since then.

Then I went to see my father, and the first question he asks is have I gotten re-married yet. He tells me that I should leave Arkansas & come to Texas, hook up with Princess A and get married and all that. I have nothing against the Princess - she is a really sweet young lady - but she and I have absolutely nothing in common, and I do not mean that in a bad way. We are two totally different people. But marriage? I made that mistake once. You know the old saying: "First time - shame on them. Second time - shame on me." Anyway, in conversations I have with my father and my stepmother, the first thing they ask me is if I have gotten re-married. Needless to say, I don't speak to them too much.

I took my last two weeks vacation together in the last two weeks of September. This was something I had wanted to do for about 5 years now - take two weeks together. This was one of the best vacations I had ever taken. It started on Friday, September 15, when my sister and my two nephews came up for a football game. We all had a great time. On the 16th, Spacely and I went to the Little Feat concert (see "How I Survived the Feat Fest"), and on the 19th, I left for Florida to see another cousin, K.K., her husband and their two girls. On the 21st, we went to Carabella Beach, about an hour from Tallahassee, and got so sunburnt - Oh, my God, that was terrible!! But it was so fun!! I discovered "Vinyl Fever" in Tallahassee & bought some cool CDs by Loudon Wainwright, Robert Wyatt, Peter Gabriel, & the Smithereens, just to name a few. On the 22nd, I left for Savannah, Georgia, to visit the Glecks. Nettiemac came down later, and we all had a good time, even though we didn't do a damn thing aside from watching movies & chatting with each other (one thing I learned: when Nettiemac starts rolling, I pity the fool that gets her stopped! Oh man, she could talk all day!) On Monday the 25th, I went to downtown Savannah, and went on the Riverfront to buy some souveniers for friends. I also went to a couple of music places & bought some jazz stuff (the Complete Miles Davis on Prestige - so cool!). I also bought the long OOP CD Moby Grape "Vintage" compilation. On the 26th, I headed back for Hot Springs, and on the 29th, I went to Fayetteville to visit yet another cousin, Amber Lynn. All we did was hang out and have a good time. I got home late on Sunday, October 1, and returned to work on the 3rd. It was a most excellent vacation, and to K.K.'s husband: I will let you know when I will return so we can do some deep sea fishing. That would be so cool. To Nettiemac and the Glecks: karaoke next time. To Amber Lynn & K.K.: thanks for letting me into your home and for being so hospitable. You both are cousins by blood, but friends by choice. God bless you both.

October rolls around, and unfortunately, so did my 20-year class reunion. It was the weekend of the 13th & 14th, but because I had inventory on the 16th, I could not make it. Plans are already being made for the 25-year reunion. Hopefully I will be able to attend. I did discover a band that I became very interested in: Dream Theater. I remember hearing "Pull Me Under" and "Take the Time" on the radio back in 1992-93, but did not know much about them. I bought a CD at Hastings called "Scenes From a Memory", from 1999, for $3.99. What a killer CD! Since then, I have bought several Dream Theater CDs, and I love them all. If you are not familiar with Dream Theater, envision heavy metal meets Yes, and you'll get a good idea of what they sound like. Really cool band.

Being in the retail business, you can just about imagine the Holidays being treacherous, and 2006 was no exception. It was flat-out crazy. I went from Dec. 17 to Jan. 5 without a day off. Even on Christmas Day, I had to go to the store for about 30 minutes to check refridgeration, among other things. But there were some good times mixed in: I celebrated my $1500 a year raise by buying a couple of new boxed sets from the Bee Gees and the complete solo works of Robert Plant. I went to Alltel Arena in Little Rock for the first time when the Trans-Siberian Orchestra played on Dec. 21. JLo and I had a lot of fun that evening - it was the best light show I had ever seen, and musically, it ranks in my top 5 as one of the best concerts I have ever seen. I bought JLo a car CD player for Christmas, and I had a really good Christmas this year, which was surprising, considering that I had no idea as to what I would be doing for Christmas.

Which brings us to 2007. My New Years' Resolution is: "Less Kroger, more Bolivar". Unfortunately, that hasn't panned out too well yet, although I did take a 4-day weekend after the first of the year and went to Jonesboro for a couple of days, and spent an afternoon in Memphis. But I did get a lot of rest during that time, which is what I sorely needed.

Another resolution - more entries on this blog!! Just because I can not vent about my ex-wife anymore doesn't mean that I don't have anything interesting!

Oh, by the way, talk about karma coming around... On the first Sunday of December, I was driving down Central when I noticed that the lights were out and no cars on the Fazolis parking lot (my ex-wife is the manager of Fazolis, in case you have forgotten). I assumed they closed early because of the Christmas party, so I didn't think too much about that. Two days later, JLo and I were driving down Central when we noticed that there were no lights on and the Fazolis parking lot was empty. I thought that this was real strange. Anyway, we went on to Radio Shack to do some browsing, and then we left heading for Rockie's Pizza. We got next to the Fazolis building when I told JLo that I gotta see this. JLo said sure. When we pulled in the restaurant, the window had the following message: "PERMANENTLY CLOSED. We thank you for your patronage." I about freaked out when I saw that. I called Talmadge & told him the news. The word I hear is that my ex-wife is now unemployed, and she and her new husband are struggling severely to make ends meet. Oh well - too bad, so sad. I have told her before that she had the world and everything that went with it when she was with me, and instead, she ended up settling. She settled for second-best. More power to her, I guess.

Until next time - take care.

--Bolivar "God, I will be 39 this year" Shagnasty

How 'bout Dem Hawgs!!

2006-11-08T06:39:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday evening, after the Arkansas Razorbacks beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 26-20, I called my good friend Nettiemac from my cell phone and uttered these words:

"Yeah, we won, but it sure wasn't pretty..."

Nevertheless, this past Monday, I had a chicken dinner in honor of Nettiemac - sorry, sweetheart.

Hey, if South Carolina had beaten the Hogs, she would have had a ham sandwich in my honor - I know she would have!

Anyway, I still can't get over the fact that the Hogs are 8-1 this season. Sure, we got creamed by USC the first game of the season, but the game, at least for three quarters, was closer than I had expected. After that, we beat Utah State, Vandy, and Alabama in games that definitely were not pretty (it took 2 OT to knock off Alabama - and in all fairness, Bama gave us that game - yes, I said it).

But the turning point was beating then #2 Auburn 27-10. I had to work that day, and I freaked when I saw the final score, especially knowing that Auburn had owned us the last three years. We then beat SE Missouri St., Ole Miss, and LA-Monroe easily before the South Carolina game. We have Tennessee, Miss. St., and LSU remaining, and the Hogs are taking none of those opponents lightly. One plus is that Eric Ainge, the starting QB for Tennessee, injured his ankle against LSU and is not expected to play against the Hogs. Miss. St. got their first road SEC victory in 5 years against Bama this past weekend. LSU has always given Arkansas fits, but that game may not matter anyway. How, you may ask? If we beat Tennessee and Miss. St., we will clinch the SEC-West and play Florida in the SEC Championship Game (Florida clinched this past weekend when they beat Vandy and LSU beat Tennessee). Unbelievable!

As for the other big Arkansas team, the ASU Indians? Right now, they are 5-4 this season, but they have a 2-game losing streak going on in which they have been shut out both games. Losing a conference game two weeks ago hurt - to return to the New Orleans Bowl this season, the Indians will need to win their last three games - all conference games, I might add - starting with Troy Not-State University this Saturday. Last year, the Indians beat Froy, 9-3, in a game that definitely was not pretty. If Troy beats the Indians, Troy could put themselves in a position to go to the New Orleans Bowl. I can hear the sound of my buddy Talmadge vomiting at this very moment.

As for the Hogs, two questions were asked of me by some of my co-workers before the season started. One, would the Hogs make it to a bowl game this season? I said yes, they would, but it would not be a major bowl game. Second, would the Hogs be playing in the SEC Championship game? I flat-out said no, they wouldn't - the Hogs don't have what it takes to beat Auburn, Tennessee, or LSU. Well, they've already beaten Auburn - Tennessee and LSU awaits. If the Hogs run the table, and they beat Florida in the SEC Championship game, they will get a BCS bowl bid. What was virtually impossible after getting smoked by USC the first game could become a reality.

But, yet another question was asked of me not too long ago - why are the Hogs 8-1 this season? All the hype surrounding Mitch Mustain and Darren McFadden and Felix Jones being the core of the offense is OK, but make no mistake with this statement: The Hogs are 8-1 because of their defense. The last time I saw a Razorback team unveil a defense this good was in 2001, and the Hogs went to the Cotton Bowl that year. I have been saying for the past two seasons that the defensive secondary needed a lot of work done. I was very impressed with what I saw this past Saturday evening from that secondary. That defense may have given up two touchdowns, but South Carolina had to work for those touchdowns. When SC put Blake Mitchell in the game, the Hogs continued playing man-to-man defense, and Blake burned the Hogs. However, the last defensive play the Hogs had, the Hogs switched to a zone defense - and Blake was picked off and that sealed the deal for the Hogs. It was a good game.

As for my friend Nettiemac, eternal SC fan, the road to a bowl game is full of potholes from here on out. SC has to go to the Swamp this weekend to take on the Gators, and don't think for one second that the Gators have forgotten what SC did to them last year. The Gators will be looking for chicken soup this Saturday. However, this should cheer Nettiemac up: Maryland 13, Clemson 12. I thought that would make you feel better!

Until next time...

WHOOOOOOO! PIG SOOOOEY! RAZORBACKS!!

How I Survived the "Feat Fest", or "Feats Don't Fail Me Now"

2006-09-18T01:55:00.000-05:00

"...and if you give me weed, whites, and wine / and you show me a sign / I'll be willin' / to be movin'..."

That line was sung by 1,000 Little Feat fans at the auditorium in Eureka Springs this past Saturday night (9/16). (By the way, the song is called "Willin'", written by Lowell George in 1970 - must give credit where credit is due...)

The 1st annual Little Feat "Feat Fest" was this past weekend. Dr. John, who was most famous for "Right Place, Wrong Time", performed Friday night, and unfortunately, I was not able to attend that one. I was told that I missed a hell of a show. Little Feat performed Saturday night, and it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen, and I have been to a LOT of concerts! I had seen the Feat before at Wildwood Auditorium back in 2003, and a buddy of mine who I will call Mr. Spacely (because he looks like the cartoon character from the Jetsons) & I had backstage passes. We got to meet and mingle with all seven members of the band. I got some really good pictures with all seven members, and they all took turns at signing my Little Feat box set, "Hotcakes and Outtakes". I refuse to part with that one - that box set will stay with me forever. They were very fan-friendly that evening, and I got a good picture of Bill Payne, Paul Barrere, Kenny Gradney, and the Wildwood organizer clowning around. I will never forget that night as long as I live.

Fast forward to 2006. The Feat Fest at Eureka Springs. Why Eureka Springs, you may ask? Well, guitarist/mandolinist Fred Tackett is from Eureka Springs. Whoever did the publicity for this show did one hell of a job. My biggest regret of the weekend? From 3 - 5 p.m. at Basin Park, they had a Feat Jam, and anyone with an instrument was invited to join in. Fred Tackett sat in, and the jam was pretty cool. My regret is that I didn't bring my guitar. They did a jam on "Good Lovin'", "The Weight", and "I Know You Rider", and I know all those songs on guitar! I would have fit right in! Oh well - I will remember this come next year...

Anyway, there were so many Feat songs missing from the set that I would have loved to hear live - "Tripe Face Boogie", "Day at the Dog Races", "Time Loves a Hero", "Down on the Farm", just to name a few. But the ones they did play - whew! These guys (and gal - must not forget Shaun Murphy) smoked! They really cook live, and if you don't believe me, run to the nearest music store and buy the live album "Waiting for Columbus", from 1978. This is one of the best live albums ever released, period. I think they are even better now than they were then, and that is no disrespect toward the late Lowell George. The Feat would not be where they are if it weren't for him.

After the concert, bassist Kenny Gradney, drummer Richie Hayward, and Fred Tackett came to the lobby to mingle with the fans. I walked up to Kenny and told him that his past was coming back to haunt him, and I showed him a picture of me and him from 2003. He told me that he sees that I am still wearing that same shirt! I never realized that, and then he signed my picture & took another one with me. Same with Richie, and the same with Fred. Fred was also a wonderful storyteller as well - he explaned how Jimi Hendrix crashed on his couch at one time! I thought, WOW! That was just too cool.

Unfortunately, they did not stay long. They had to be in New Mexico this evening! I know Shaun Murphy had to be tired. One of the Feat's crew members told me that Shaun was in New York on the Letterman show on Thursday with Bob Seger, and then had to catch a quick flight from there to Memphis to perform her heart out with the Feat for their next show. She is such a versatile singer - just as comfortable with country, blues, and jazz as she is with rock. And she can belt out a mean blues too! She did a killer version of Bob Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" that would have made Janis Joplin proud - Shaun is the closest thing to Janis that we have. That's right - put a fork in Melissa Etheridge, she's DONE. Melissa does not even come close to Shaun's (or Janis's) intensity.

I know that Little Feat is one of America's greatest and best-loved bands - why are they not in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame? We live in a world that has U2 getting in the first year of their eligibility, and yet the Feat is still not in. What gives?

But I can not end this post without saying something about Eureka Springs. This is one great town - everyone is so friendly and polite. Spacely had never been to Eureka Springs, and I hadn't been since 1985. The history of this town is pretty fascinating. I may come back for a vacation in 2007. I'll definitely come back for the second Feat Fest!

What a hell of a way to begin a vacation! More on the vacation in a future post...

Bolivar

The rumors of my demise are obviously premature...

2006-07-14T09:59:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, people have been asking, "Bolivar, where in the hell have you been? You haven't put in a post since March!"

It has been one hell of a busy time since March. Some days I don't know whether I'm coming or going.

The bottom line is this: WORK, WORK, WORK. I have worked a lot of 6-day weeks and even a couple 7-day weeks since I returned from vacation in the beginning of April. There have been a lot of changes and some new policies and even a new contract with the UFCW (United Food & Commercial Workers), and a lot of my employees are having a hard time getting adjusted to them. We even have a few people who flat-out refuse to go along with these changes, so naturally, this is a problem. I remember going to a meeting in Little Rock where several big-wigs showed up, and they told us that they were going to try to eliminate a lot of the paperwork to spend more time with customers. I swear, I have at least twice as much paperwork now as I did two years ago!

I like a lot of my employees, and from a personal standpoint, I think they are wonderful people. But professionally, the one thing I hear most out of my employees is "I, I, I... me, me, me". There is no way a business can, or will, succeed with a philosophy like that.

Other than having a pretty good vacation, nothing real spectacular happened in April. Most of what I did during my vacation was sit on the couch, drink beer, and watch Jerry Springer. I did spend a couple of days with my grandmother in Jonesboro, and we had a wonderful time. JLo and I got together with friends to see the "Wrestlemania" pay-per-view, and we had a good time there too. I bought a Magic Springs pass that I will finally use tomorrow (more on that later).

As far as May, I had a total of three days off that month. One of those days just happened to be Mother's Day, and JLo and I went to Jonesboro to spend the day with my grandmother and my aunt. This was the first time JLo got to meet anyone in my family, and it went very well. My grandmother told me that JLo said more to her in the first 30 minutes than my ex-wife had in 10 years! I could see a bond being formed between those two. Alas, it was short-lived - more on that later.

I managed to squeeze in another day off in June, making that a total of 4 days. Some big-wigs manage to come to the store during this time - after all, it was contract time. And it seems like whatever I try to do for the company, it's never enough, or it's never good enough for them. So, my attitude is that I am going to work to the best of my ability, and if they choose to fire me, that's fine. With my experience, and my connections, I can guarantee you that I will not be unemployed long. I can also guarantee that in two days, if I do not have a job, I will have at least one interview set up.

Anyway, June moves along uneventfully, until the end of the month. On June 30, I lost my grandmother to heart disease at the age of 81. There will be a future post about her.

That pretty much takes us to the current time. I am looking forward to tomorrow. My sister and her husband and their two boys are coming to Hot Springs, and I will finally use my Magic Springs pass! I know we will have a wonderful time. They will probably leave early, but I plan on staying for the concert. One of my favorite bands is playing - Foreigner! And on 7/22, Kansas is coming to Magic Springs. But the big story here is that on Sept. 3, my sister & I are coming to Magic Springs to see... Rick Springfield! Yes, the good doctor is coming to Magic Springs! OK, let's get one thing straight here: I am not a fan of Rick Springfield, even though I still think that "Jessie's Girl" is a classic pop song. I'm just looking forward to spending some time with my younger sister. She lives only 45 miles away, but she's probably busier than I am, so we don't get to see each other that often. But I am looking forward to Sept. 3. Tal and Sera, care to join us?

OK, let's talk about new music purchases! I bought Neil Young's new CD, "Living With War", and it's pretty good, even though I don't think that he'll ever top "After the Gold Rush", "Rust Never Sleeps", "Ragged Glory", or "Harvest Moon". But that's a tough task for anyone - in my opinion, "Harvest Moon" is the best CD that came out in the 1990's. So far, I think that the best album that has come out this year is Tool's new one, "10,000 Days". That's one band I would love to see live. I am thinking about getting David Gilmour's new one. I know Talmadge has that one - how about some feedback, bro?

As far as concerts, Magic Springs has an OK list this season, but the big talk has been Mr. and Mrs. Faith Hill - oops, I mean Tim McGraw and Faith Hill coming to Alltel Arena in Little Rock. JLo was invited by a friend to attend this concert. I told her to have a good time - try to, anyway. Tickets are $85 a piece - where do I sign up! In all fairness, I did pay $85 a ticket to see Yes in Dallas in 2002. But Yes's worst stuff is better than Tim and Faith's best stuff! I know that Tim and Faith have a lot of fans, and more power to them. But Tim does absolutely nothing for me, and Faith has been on my bad list since she desecrated "Piece of My Heart" back in 1993 (I swore, Janis Joplin was spinning in her grave). Sure, a lot of country music I like - who would have thought that Johnny Cash would have the #1 album this week? And I have no problem with real-life couples singing duets together. But as far as real-life couples that sing country music together, people can keep Tim and Faith - give me George Jones and Tammy Wynette any day. Or give me Johnny and June Carter Cash.

Well, that's about it for this one. Like a said, a post on the loss of my grandmother is forthcoming. Keep on rolling along.

Bolivar "I actually prefer Ashford & Simpson" Shagnasty

Where Did March Go?

2006-03-25T13:15:00.000-06:00

Good question!

Well, let's see... Since my last post, things have been really busy. It seems that all I do is work! I am off today - as a matter of fact, I started my vacation yesterday. I am off for 12 days! I don't know where I will go, but I do know where I won't be at!

I also have been real restless. I haven't been able to sleep well at all. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have achieved closure with my ex-wife, and "What's the next step?" I think it is the excitement (and truth be told, fear) of being officially single again.

Believe it or not, I have spoken to my ex-wife quite a bit here lately. She has gotten remarried (no surprise). Still shows no remorse for her actions (no surprise). Told me I could keep the map on the wall (HUGE surprise!). She meets me at Kroger to get her stuff out of my SUV into her SUV. And yesterday, she and her sister came to the house to get all the big stuff that won't go in the SUV. My ex's sister gave me her husband's new e-mail address & wants me to send an e-mail. What for? I really think we have nothing to talk about. What would be said? I won't verbally bash my ex because I know that it will get back to her family.

Anyway, my ex and I had a 15-minute convo this past Wednesday. She told me that she and her sister was coming on Friday morning. I told her that I will have backup. She asked why. I told her that:
1. I don't trust you, and
2. After all that you put me through, do you actually think that I would believe a single word you say?
She said no. I also asked her if this guy was "the One". She just grinned & smiled and said yes. I said, "Hmm - I believe that about 12 years ago, you said those same exact words about... ME!" She said, "Well, yeah." I asked if her new husband was coming, & my ex said that he is scared to death to step foot on my property!

I have some words about that! The first and only word that comes to my mind is "chickenshit". If this guy was any kind of man at all, he would have been there with my ex. He would have accepted responsibility for his actions, but since he didn't do that with his son three years ago... Anyway, this man is no man, in my opinion. I would not have inflicted any harm on him. I would have given him two pieces of advice:
1. Take good care of those kids, and
2. I sure hope that you have been taking notes.

Seriously, for those of you that have been keeping tabs with my blog, couldn't you see this happening again? My ex loves no one but herself, and to think, she accused me of being selfish? Give me a break!!

As far as that cold, spineless, heartless, two-faced, backstabbing little bi#*h & her chickensh*t husband - the only thing left to say is: good luck to you both. I think they are perfect for each other. Both people obviously have no morals, both are in it for themselves, and both people obviously cannot accept responsibility for their actions. After my ex's actions of the last 18 months, I constantly think what did I ever see in her in the first place. Was I on drugs back in 1993? I must have been, because people on pure air don't make decisions like that! I feel most sorry for the kids. Having to live in a household where it is acceptable practice to lie & cheat to the ones you love. I am scared to death of those kids. I hope they turn out all right.

As for me, I am OK. I had visitors earlier this month in the form of Talmadge & Seraphim Gleck. The only bad thing about their visit is that I wish I had more time to spend with them. I had to work just about the whole time they were here. I really enjoyed their visit. The first night they were here, they and me and JLo (more about her in a future post) went to Rod's Pizza Cellar & watched "Walk the Line" on DVD (great movie, Reese Witherspoon deserved the best actress award). The second night we went to McClard's BBQ, & the third night, we went to JLo's house for dinner with her colorful family (as Tal puts it). A splendid time was had by all...

I thought that the Glecks would pay my ex a visit while they were here. They didn't, & it's just as well. I asked my ex if they paid her a visit, & she asked why would they pay her a visit. I said that the Glecks would probably put in their two cents as well. She said that our situation was none of their business.

Let me take this moment to mention how that last statement offended me. You know, friends are very hard to come by. Some are here today, gone tomorrow. Some you lose contact with. Some you have a severe falling out with. Talmadge and I do not always agree on everything. We have our differences. He has ways of doing things, & I have my way of doing things. Neither of them are wrong, neither of them are right. They are just... different. Having a friend who will support you is one thing. Having a friend who has stuck by your side for 20 years is a totally different thing. We may not always agree on everything, but when I'm down, he's down. When he's down, I'm down. We're like brothers, except that we picked each other. There is no blood relation between us. His totally fantastic wife, Seraphim, is the same way. Liking her because she is Tal's wife is one thing. Liking her because she is just a great caring person (and also Tal's wife) is, once again, a totally different thing. For my ex to say that our situation was none of their business was a slap in the face. Tal & Sera, as far as I'm concerned, ARE my family, and they can make it their business if they want to. My ex needs to realize that she does not want to tangle with either one of these people.

I bought a new guitar - an Ovation 6-string acoustic guitar. Get this - regular price: $1800. On sale at Guitar Center for $879. Plays and sounds awesome. Thank God for bonuses!!

Until next time, take care. A post on my vacation will follow shortly...

Freedom, part 2: It is now officially... over

2006-02-21T10:27:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006, at 10:15 a.m., my attorney called me to tell me the following words: "Your divorce is now final." I know that you, my faithful reader, is now thinking two things: 1). It's about time, and 2). How did this happen so quickly? Well, as soon as I turned the property description in to my attorney, and as soon as my ex's attorney drew up the "Ouit Claim" deed on the house, everything simply fell in to place. On Feb. 9, my attorney called me at work to take a look at the papers that had just arrived at her office. I went to her office on my lunch break to look at these. Everything I wanted was on those papers. My ex signed the house totally over to me. My ex forfeited her share of my 401k. She also took responsibility of 75% of our joint credit card debt. And she agreed to pay my attorney's fees as well as hers. I was a little upset that she still wants the map of the world we have framed on our wall, but if giving that up means a finalized divorce, she can have that damn map - I can always get another one. Probably nicer, too. So, I signed the papers. And my lawyer called me on the 16th to say that it bacame official on the 14th of February. And you know what? This just might be the greatest Valentine's Day present I think I have ever gotten. I can now officially go on with the rest of my life. It is now over.

For Your Viewing (Dis)pleasure...

2006-01-28T02:46:00.000-06:00

Here it is, another Friday evening, at home. I am closing in on almost 16 months being separated from my wife with no end in sight. I spoke with her last Saturday evening at around midnight. I was shocked that she returned my call. I got a statement of benefits from Aetna Insurance, where I have dental insurance from. I tell you what - let's start from the beginning...

During the Christmas holidays, I got a call from the dentist about my ex's upcoming dental appointment. I spoke to the ex about the appointment, & she told me she knew nothing about it. So, last Saturday, when Aetna's statement came in, it stated that on 1/2, the ex gets her teeth cleaned & has a couple of x-rays taken. On 1/9 she gets two wisdom teeth pulled & has two cavities filled. I was furious. I called the ex, & she told me to give her the bill when it comes in & she'll take care of it. I said damn right you will! But that's not the point! She continues to use my insurance, knowing that I can not take her or the kids off of it until the divorce is final. I told her to quit mooching off of me and quit mooching off of my insurance!

Is it any wonder that I have trust issues with any person that I come in contact with?

Anyway, I faxed a copy of the property description to my ex's lawyer. Hopefully we can get this show on the road. After 16 months... it's about time.

I worked every day this week, & I got off work at around 10:30 this evening & went home (I had no plans - no woman in their right mind would want to be seen with me!). I turned on the TV to the WB, & watched a two-hour program called "Confessions Live!". This was hilarious - freaks calling in to this show & spilling their guts in more ways than one. I heard confessions about sleeping with the sister's fiance, confessions about sleeping with the girlfriend's mother, and so on. The host is a real smart-ass, but I like him because he is straight up & to the point. Hot models occasionally co-host the show. It's good for a laugh.

Ditto for "Blind Date". Desperate people in desperate times. It made me think about the few blind dates that I went on. They were actually pretty fun, but I have gone out on a few blind dates when I was single many years ago that left a lasting impression on me - namely, to RUN LIKE HELL!! I never thought that I would say this, but the greatest blind date I ever went on was with a girl named Dana. It was in 1991. I was 23, Dana was 20. I was a junior at Arkansas State University, she was a sophomore at UCA. Both of us were mathematics majors. Dana was very insecure about her looks & her weight. Of all people in the world to fix us up - my sister! The first time I saw Dana in Conway, I thought she was drop dead gorgeous!! We went out & had so much fun. It started a 6-month relationship where we would see each other every other weekend. However, since it is three hours from Jonesboro to Conway, and since both of us had jobs along with our studies, it became more difficult to maintain the relationship. It was a mutual split. I spoke to her last when I started seeing the young lady that I would eventually marry (and now am in a very bitter divorce battle with), & we haven't spoken to each other since. No matter where my travels take me, I will always have very fond memories of Dana. I hope she can say the same about me.

Up to this point, it was an OK if uneventful evening. The next show that came on was a show called "Cheaters". Right from the get-go, I figured my evening would crash after watching this show. As you can tell from the title, it was a reality show about people cheating on their significant others. I felt a very uncomfortable feeling throughout the show. I almost felt as if I was on that show. Strange as it may seem, I couldn't turn away from the show, but I felt a numbing feeling inside while that show was on.

I wondered what would happen if I had used the "Cheaters" angle to confront my ex. I still think she wouldn't have spoken. She would have just walked away, leaving me to wonder what I did wrong.

That has been the big thing for me - sure, it has been well-documented WHAT she has done. But a lot of us would like to find out WHY she did it. She has shown no remorse, and she has no regrets for her actions. Was I really this bad? I thought I was doing everything possible to be the best husband & father that I could. What was I doing wrong? I know that I have friends telling me that it wasn't my fault & that I am better off without her, but really, am I? The man she has hooked up with works in a factory, & that's all he knows how to do. The fact that they have kept their affair a secret from me since 2002 - I never realized that any one person could be so cold & so cruel. But nevertheless, they have a family between them, and I am flying solo.

I can't help but think of all the dreams we had between me and my ex. We had dreams & aspirations for the future. I always thought that we would have each other. All the plans that we had made, just the two of us. We went to the Bahamas for our 5-year anniversary, & we had intended on going on a cruise for our 10-year anniversary. Yeah, right, like that will ever happen now. But back then, if nothing else, we shared the love of travel & the love of audio/video equipment, according to my ex.

I thought that things would get better once everything settled down. Those dreams I had are now turning into nightmares. I swear, I have at least one nightmare a week about my ex. What gives? And when will this ever end?

And what will happen once I get back on the dating scene? I had always said that I had enjoyed myself when I was single, but God I hope I never have to go through that again. Well, guess what... Anyway, how much has things changed since 1993? I had always tried to be a perfect gentleman while on a date - opening the car door for my date, taking her coat off, pulling her chair out in a nice restaurant, giving her flowers, giving her a back massage, a shoulder massage, a foot massage... do those rules apply anymore? And what really does a lady look for in a guy that she is interested in? Money, security, stability, a nice car... just what do they look for? And with me just a few months away from turning 38, how slim are my chances? Would I be better off just to hang it up & tell myself that I had my chance & totally blew it?

Anyway, nothing on TV after that, so I turned on my stereo & played one of my favorite albums of all time: Talking Heads' "Remain in Light". I had two of my favorite things for supper - hot dogs & cold beer. I have mellowed out a little.

Oh, one final note - I saw my father-in-law the day after Christmas. My grandmother & I went to Couch's BBQ in Jonesboro (the greatest BBQ, I should add) for breakfast, & I saw my father-in-law sitting with someone talking. I didn't say a word to him, he didn't say a word to me, & I think that we were all better off. I am just thankful that my aunt wasn't there - I know she would have had a few choice words.

That's all, folks - see you on the flip side. "Bolivar's Blog" is brought to you every chance possible by Stiggy Theater. See a movie a Stiggy Theater - you'll be glad you did, I think.

Bolivar

With a Nod to Talmadge... July 30, 1977, revisited

2006-01-10T22:08:00.000-06:00

I have the greatest friends! In Talmadge Gleck's last post, he went down the list of the top-40 of the week of July 30, 1977. I will give my feedback to that list here shortly, but I had to stop and reflect on that time in history...

At that time, I was one day away from turning 9 years old (July 31 is my birthday). I was having the greatest summer of my life. I have had summers before I had to grow up and get a job where there were certain moments that I will forever remember, but the summer of 1977 will stand above and beyond the rest as the best summer of my life. I was living in an apartment complex in Irving, Texas, about one mile from Texas Stadium. The days were hot, & I spent them with my friends playing baseball. We had a swimming pool in my complex, and I spent every day that summer there, when I wasn't playing ball. I had my first crush on an older lady (she was 19 years old & attending SMU; she thought I was soooooo cute - she thought of me as her little brother). I also had my first kiss with a girl who was my age. We were riding our bicycles when we stopped, and all of a sudden, she just grabbed me & kissed me - right on the lips! And what did I do? Was I offended? Well, I grabbed her & kissed her right back! Talk about banging my nose into adolesence! My first crush & my first kiss - in the same summer! Good times, good times...

But there was one other time that summer that stood out in my memory. When the report cards came out at the beginning of the summer, I had made straight As. As a result, my mother bought an LP that I had wanted - the first Wild Cherry LP. I played that album a lot that summer. However, shortly after that, my father weeded out a bunch of his old LPs, & he divided them between me and my sister (I wound up taking all of them because my sister didn't like her stack). He had some killer stuff, LPs that still grace my collection some 30 years later: Cream's "Disraeli Gears", the Music Machine LP with "Talk Talk", the Standells' LP with "Dirty Water", the Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl" LP, the first Hendrix LP, & the Who's "Tommy" LP. What's more, for my birthday that year, I got three more LPs to add to my collection: Peter Frampton's "I'm in You", Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic", and, unfortunately, Barry Manilow's "Live" LP (that last one courtesy of my MOTHER). The strange thing about the Manilow LP, even though it had a lot of crap on it, it also had him doing a medley of commercials he had written, & it was actually pretty funny. It also had his first recording of "It's Just Another New Years' Eve", which was a staple of the New Years' Rockin' Eve show for many years. And before we slam Manilow too hard, remember that he produced the first two Bette Midler LPs - and I LOVE Bette!

This was also the first summer I grew attached to the radio. I felt that pop music was at a peak during this time. Even though it seemed like the Eagles & Fleetwood Mac were all we heard that summer, I certainly wasn't complaining. There were a lot of good songs during this time. So, without further adieu, here is the top-40 list for the week of July 30, 1977, with my rubbish comments - take them for what they are worth. Discussion to follow...

40. "Float On" - The Floaters

I vaguely remember this one, & I remember it being OK.

39. "Christine Sixteen" - KISS

I might as well say it now - KISS is the most overrated rock band in history. KISS was forbidden by my mother as well, but, at one time, I owned the "Double Platinum" LP. That LP contains all the KISS you ever need. Totally useless band.

38. "Slide" - Slave

I had forgotten about this one - how dare me! Killer song, killer groove.

37. "Strawberry Letter 23" - Brothers Johnson

Another one I had forgotten about! This is also pretty cool.

36. "Slow Dancin' (Swayin' to the Music)" - Johnny Rivers

Real light groove, along with Johnny's vocals - far from the "Go-Go" days, but I have always liked this song.

35. "Way Down" - Elvis Presley

August 16 was a sad day at my house. My mother cranked up Elvis all day long. Even though this is not my favorite Elvis song by any means, Elvis will always remain "The King".

34. "Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard" - Cat Stevens

I'm sorry - Cat Stevens is the most overrated singer/songwriter of all time. I could care less about his vendetta with Salman Rushdie. Cat made only one great song - "Morning Has Broken". I should note that the guy playing piano (and the solo) on that song goes by the name of Rick Wakeman. Shortly after the "Broken" session, he would give up session work to join a little band called Yes - one of my all-time favorite bands.

33. "Ariel" - Dean Friedman

I agree with Tal - this song sucked. 30 years hasn't changed that.

32. "On and On" - Stephen Bishop

This is an OK song, but I still feel that Stephen should have had an Academy Award nomination for his performance (albeit brief) in "Kentucky Fried Movie". His performance brought tears to my eyes - it was so good! Actually, it was hilarious!

31. "Black Betty" - Ram Jam

What a killer song! My ex-wife didn't believe me when I told her that I used to have a copy of this on a 45. When she first heard it in 2002, she thought that it was a new song. That just goes to show how STUPID my ex-wife is. I could care less if the cold, spineless, heartless, two-faced, backstabbing b*tch likes this song - I still love it anyway. So there.

30. "Got to Give It Up (part 1)" - Marvin Gaye

Not my favorite Marvin Gaye song, but still a good song nonetheless. It's funny that Tal would mention about the Here, My Dear album. Yes, the royalties from that album went to Marvin's ex-wife (who was Berry Gordy's sister Anna). Ironically speaking, that LP was Marvin's worst selling LP of all time. Just desserts, my friends. And let's get one thing straight right now - the royalties from my next album will not go to my ex-wife. And I will write whatever I want! And she can't stop me!! She will not get royalties from my 8-minute opus to Nettiemac!

29. "Smoke From a Distant Fire" - Sanford-Townsend Band

Cool song - good memories from that summer.

28. "Rocky (Gonna Fly Now)" - Bill Conti

I could care less about this song, but I must admit - I loved the first Rocky movie, even though they ran it into the ground pretty quick. And Talmadge, it isn't Sly Stallone you have to worry about. Sly doesn't do a roundhouse kick like Chuck Norris can. Sly is allowed to stay around because Chuck Norris allows Sly to stay around. If Apollo Creed's punches aren't enough to knock Sly out, a roundhouse kick from Chuck Norris can.

27. "How Much Love?" - Leo Sayer

Not my favorite Leo Sayer song (you have to fast-forward to 1981 for that one), but it is OK.

26. "Telephone Line" - ELO

I will get flack from Tal & Nettie for this, but I LOVE this song. And the album it's from, A New World Record, is ELO's best album by a mile and a half. I prefer "Livin' Thing" & "Do Ya", but I have always loved this song. One of my favorites on this list.

25. "Give a Little Bit" - Supertramp

Another of my faves on this list. And the album it's from, Even in the Quietest Moments, is a classic as far as I'm concerned. No bad songs on the LP, and the title track is a killer.

24. "Telephone Man" - Meri Wilson

I have this and "Peter the Meter Reader" on a couple of Dr. Demento collections. I love both.

23. "It's Sad to Belong" - England Dan and John Ford Coley

The Peter and Gordon of the 1970s insofar as they are totally irrelevant. And forgotten. And rightly so.

22. "Don't Stop" - Fleetwood Mac

Oh boy, I may get in trouble for this... OK, I loved this song & the Rumours album when it came out. I still can not find it in myself to put this album down. However, in the 1980s, I became aware with the rest of their catalog. The early stuff with Peter Green, their middle period with Bob Welch... and you know what? I prefer that over Lindsey and Stevie! "Oh Well" with Peter Green is a bitter song. "Station Man", from Kiln House, is a very underrated song. I prefer "Hypnotized", "Future Games", & the original version of "Sentimental Lady" over this. I'm sorry.

21. "Jet Airliner" - The Steve Miller Band

How's this for early sampling? Compare the opening notes of this song to Cream's "Crossroads". I still love this song anyway. Three cheers for the "funky sh*t"!

20. "Barracuda" - Heart

Oh man!! I love, love, love this song. I don't care who they stole it from! Annie Wilson could sing me the yellow pages & I would buy it. And the future Mrs. Cameron Crowe was pretty sexy too. Early Heart remains my favorite, and 1980's Bebe Le Strange, in my opinion, is Heart's "Led Zeppelin 4".

19. "Handy Man" - James Taylor

You gotta love that voice - very distinctive. The moment he sings, you know who he is. This isn't my favorite James Taylor song by any means, but this is still good.

18. "You're My World" - Helen Reddy

From "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar" to "You're My World"? Give me a break.

17. "Just a Song Before I Go" - CSN

To answer Nettie - yes, "Dark Star" is on the CSN album, and it is my favorite track on the LP. However, I love the "story" behind this song. A limo came to pick Graham Nash up to take to the airport. The limo driver told Graham, "We've got about 15 minutes to get to the airport; I bet you can't write a song in that amount of time." Guess what? This is the result, as told by David Crosby on the CSN boxed set. Cool story, cool song. I love it.

16. "Angel in Your Arms" - Hot

Haven't heard this one in many years, but I remember it being OK - better than #15.

15. "Undercover Angel" - Alan O'Day

Proof positive that there were too many angels on this list. Where are the devils? Oops, I forgot - "Devil Woman" was in 1976. Sorry!

14. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - ABBA

Talmadge, please forgive me for this, OK? I love this song. OK, they made some pretty crummy studio albums. However, in 1982, they put out an album called The Singles - The First Ten Years. Believe it or not, Rolling Stone magazine gave that album 5 stars back in 1982. In my humble opinion, it deserved 5 stars. They made some classic pop songs, & this is one of my favorites.

13. "Easy" - The Commodores

I like this song, despite the fact that it would lead to "Three Times a Lady" and "Sail On". But once again, I apologize - Lionel Richie took the funk out of this band. Give me "Brick House" over this 99 times out of 100.

12. "You Made Me Believe in Magic" - The Bay City Rollers

And this song nearly killed all the magic for me in 1977. Pathetic.

11. "You and Me" - Alice Cooper

Alice's bid to become Barry Manilow. And it worked. Give me a break.

10. "Whatcha Gonna Do" - Pablo Cruise

Great, great song. Pablo Cruise was a breath of fresh air for pop music in the 70s. It's a shame they are all but forgotten.

9. "Higher and Higher" - Rita Coolidge

Got a ton of airplay in 1977. I prefer Jackie Wilson's version, but this is OK.

8. "Margaritaville" - Jimmy Buffett

What can be said about this song that hasn't already been said? Timeless music that has only improved as the years go by. I can see myself, Talmadge, Seraphim, & Nettiemac in our 80s, out on our swings, still looking for that lost shaker of salt. And still singing this song, drinking margaritas, & living the rest of our lives in total peace. What a cool thought!

7. "Do You Wanna Make Love" - Peter McCann

"... or do you just wanna fool around?" Isn't that the same thing, Peter? Crummy song, although I had the 45 at one time. What was the flip side to this song? A song Peter wrote called "Right Time of the Night", that Jennifer Warnes turned into a big hit in 1977. That one was far better than this one.

6. "Best of My Love" - The Emotions

I agree with Nettie - anything Earth, Wind, & Fire had a hand in, I will take anyday. Soul music & funk music still lives!

5. "Da Doo Ron Ron" - Shaun Cassidy

I despise this song with a passion. I must make note of the original performing family, the Cowsills, who I prefer by a wide margin. Barry Cowsill was one of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. He was identified by his dental records this past weekend. A very sad tragedy - RIP, Barry.

4. "My Heart Belongs to Me" - Barbra Streisand

Thank God this song doesn't! Egad!

3. "Looks Like We Made It" - Barry Manilow

Inspired "Hari Kari for Barry" by Billy and the Boingers (with Bill the Cat on "lead tongue").

2. "I'm in You" - Peter Frampton

Very fond summer 1977 memories. Loved this song, loved this album. It's a plain shame (no pun intended) that Peter would kill his career in 1978 by making the boneheaded career decision of all time: to become an actor. That movie he did, Sgt. Peppers, killed the careers of so many great talents. Peter has yet to recover. The Bee Gees never did. And speaking of the Bee Gees...

1. "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" - Andy Gibb

I prefer the Bee Gees, but I have to say this: I liked this song, and it was Andy's best song by a mile and a half.

So there it is - there will be a pop quiz on this. I hope you all were paying attention.

Bolivar "Forward Into the Past!" Shagnasty

HOOK 'EM HORNS!! HOOK 'EM HORNS!!

2006-01-05T02:38:00.000-06:00

Whoo-hoo!!!

In a post back in November, I had said that I was looking forward to the USC-Texas showdown for the national title. I had also said that if Vince Young didn't win the Heisman, someone was napping.

And on January 4, 2006 - TEXAS WINS!! TEXAS WINS!! HOOOOLLLLLYYYYYY COW!!

That Rose Bowl game, in which Texas won, 41-38, was one of the most amazing games I had ever seen. And I almost lost hope when USC took a 38-26 lead with 6 minutes remaining. Vince Young took all of two minutes to move Texas down the field to score again. With 4 minutes left, Texas was down, 38-33. Plenty of time, I thought - now what we need is a hell of a defensive stand. Easier said than done, because, up to that point, all 4 USC possessions in the second half resulted in touchdowns.

With two minutes left, I got my wish when Texas stopped USC on fourth and two. Two minutes remaining on the clock, and two timeouts left - and Vince Young on the field - what better odds could you ask for? Vince moves the ball down the field, and then comes fourth and 5 at the 8-yard line with 0:23 remaining. As I expected, no one was open, so Young takes it to the house himself. When he started running, I slowly & softly went, "touchdown, touchdown" and then yelled out, "YES!!!" Oh man, what a rush!!

I had seen, either on TV or in person, many exciting games in my 37 years on Earth, but I don't remember one as exciting as that. Even when USC got the ball back with 0:19 left, I said that I wasn't going to rest until I saw 0:00 on the clock. When the clock ran out, USC was about 15 yards - one good completion - away from field goal range. I would not have counted USC out by any means.

Matt Leinher finished with 365 yards passing, 1 TD and 1 INT. The Heisman winner, Reggie Bush, had 82 yards rushing (1 TD) and 95 yards receiving, but had the boneheaded play of the game with the funble on the lateral in the second quarter that woke up Texas. Still, a solid if unspectacular evening.

Vince Young? How is this: 267 yards passing, 199 yards rushing, 3 TDs. The 467 yards total offense totally shattered the Rose Bowl record for most yards by one person. Now the next question - will Vince enter the NFL draft & get picked by Houston (ironically speaking, his hometown)? Stay tuned.

Like I said, that may have been the most exciting game I had ever seen. I rank that with Doug Flutie's hail mary pass when he played for Boston College against Miami that beat Miami 47-45. The Super Bowl between St. Louis & Tennessee when the Titans came a yard and a half short when time ran out. The playoff game when Buffalo came from a 35-7 deficit to beat Houston in OT, 41-38, in the playoffs. Any comeback that the original comeback kid, Roger Staubach, may have generated in the 1970s.

And speaking of comebacks, I was at Salsa's Mexican restaurant Monday evening having some good Mexican food with friends when we were watching the Sugar Bowl, pitting West Virginia against Georgia. Well, being a SEC fan, I was all for Georgia. Georgia put up one hell of a fight, and they never quit. They were down at one point, 28-0, but came from behind and almost won the game - they lost, 38-35. That was one hell of a game.

I had also said in a previous post that I was rooting for any SEC team that was in bowl games. Six teams from the SEC played, and the SEC's record was 3-3. LSU won huge over Miami in a game that wasn't even that close. Alabama beat Texas Tech on a last second field goal. Florida beat Iowa impressively. I already talked about how close Georgia was to pulling off a huge comeback. Wisconsin upset Auburn - I don't even think Auburn showed up. Yeah, I'll give Wisconsin credit - they are a tough team. But I thought Auburn was better.

But I have to ask Nettiemac - why did South Carolina lose to Missouri?? Especially after leading Missouri at one point, 21-0? I was so upset at that! But it only goes to show that no lead is safe if you make mistakes (Missouri's first touchdown was an interception return) and if your defense can't get the job done. Still, I am proud of the SEC teams that played in Bowl Games.

But the Texas victory is something I will savor for a long time. So, congratulations to Mack Brown, Vince Young, and the Texas Longhorns - 2005 NCAA National Champions!

Hook 'em Horns!!

Bolivar "OK, let me catch my breath" Shagnasty

The NFL playoffs are set

2006-01-02T10:54:00.000-06:00

...and here is Bolivar with his predictions!

Yesterday was the first time in history that I can remember rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. It was real simple - if Philly knocked off Washington, and Dallas beat St. Louis, then Dallas is in the playoffs. Well, it didn't work out like that - Washington beat Philly, 31-20, and St. Louis beat Dallas, 20-10. The big question is, will Bill Parcells step down as the Cowboys' coach? Will Andy Reid get fired as the Eagles' coach? One year ago, the Eagles were in the Super Bowl - this year they finished 6-10. Not to mention all the controversy surrounding Terrell Owens & Donovan McNabb this year.

I know one thing - Minnesota wasted no time in getting rid of Mike Tice. Talk about controversy this season! Minnesota made one hell of a run towards the last half of the season, but a 9-7 record does not get into the playoffs (which is real strange, considering that, last season, they were 8-8 & got into the playoffs).

How about the Houston Texans? They fired Don Capers this morning, but I wondered how many people in Houston cheered when San Francisco kicked the winning field goal in OT yesterday. Yes, Houston lost, but they also won. They won first pick in the NFL draft next year. Reggie Bush, say hello to your new team.

Other milestones - Dick Vermeil's farewell to football after KC crushed Cincinnati yesterday, Jerome Bettis's possible last game in Pittsburgh, Doug Flutie's last game (loved that drop kick yesterday!), and is Brett Favre calling it quits? Vermeil is one of the greatest coaches of all time, "The Bus" one of the greatest running backs of all time, Flutie's passion for the game cannot be overstated, & Brett - say it isn't so! I would love to see Brett come back & take Green Bay to the playoffs just one more time. Yes, Brett had a rough year, but all of the greats have had tough times at one time or another. Yes, Brett has done it all - NFL MVP, all-Pro quarterback, a Super Bowl ring - but I would love to see Brett do it just one more time. Even if all he does is get them in the playoffs, and then retires after being eliminated in the first round - I am satisfied. Please do not go out this way, Brett.

OK - Bolivar's playoff predictions!!

Jacksonville @ New England

Jacksonville finished 12-4, which is surprising knowing that Byron Leftwich is out for the season. But when you look at how soft their schedule was toward the end of the season - it is not surprising that they made the playoffs. Still, Leftwich is the most underrated QB in the NFL, & his presence is missed. New England, on the other hand, despite losing yesterday with the second-string players in, has won 4 of their last 5 games, and are very tough to beat at home. Bolivar's prediction: New England 24, Jacksonville 10.

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati

This will be the third time these two teams have met this season. Pittsburgh has playoff experience on their side. Even though Pittsburgh's defense struggled a little bit yesterday, they still have what it takes to get it done. Cincinnati's defense has struggled the last half of the season, & the defense didn't even show up yesterday. Their defense has given up an average of 31 points over the last six games - a terrible statistic. The offense has been great - Carson Palmer has definitely earned his paycheck this year - and Cincinnati deserves to be in the playoffs. That's not enough... Pittsburgh 34, Cincinnati 21.

Washington @ Tampa Bay

Tampa has not been in the playoffs since they won the Super Bowl in 2002. Washington has not been in since 1999. Congrats to both teams. There is a lot of bad blood surrounding this game - Tampa beat Washington, 36-35, a few weeks ago due to a very controversial call by an official. Washington has not lost since. Tampa struggled against New Orleans yesterday. Washington stuck with the game plan & beat Philly yesterday. Both teams have sound, solid defenses, and both will be on display next Sunday. Washington, as I have pointed out, has won 5 games in a row. Next Sunday will be 6. Upset Special #1: Washington 24, Tampa Bay 21.

Carolina @ NY Giants

Around the middle of the season, I predicted a Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl, after the Giants destroyed Washington 37-0. But the Giants have been so inconsistent after that impressive victory. Carolina, on the other hand, is running on all cylinders after crushing Atlanta yesterday. Yes, the Giants are impressive on both sides of the ball - Eli Manning has earned his spot, & Tiki Barber is having a career year. Michael Strahan is the role model for what a defensive leader should be. But Carolina is rolling, and next Sunday will be no different... Upset Special #2: Carolina 21, NY Giants 17.

OK, some words about the top seeds:

Indianapolis - The Colts are the team to beat in the playoffs. Even if New England knocks off Jacksonville this Sunday, NE will have to go to Indy this time instead of the other way around. NE has struggled against Indy in Indy (case in point: Indy 40, NE 21 in Week 12, in a game that wasn't even that close). Pittsburgh was beaten soundly by Indy four weeks ago on Monday Night Football. Indy has crushed Denver two years in a row in the playoffs, with Indy scoring an average of 45 points in those two contests. The past problem the Colts have had - namely, a lack of a good defense - has been solved this year. The only team that can beat Indy, in my opinion, is Indy.

Denver - What a season Denver has had! Do not count Jake Plummer out for MVP consideration. The only team that stands in Denver's way is Indy. I look for those two teams to play in the AFC Championship Game, and even though Denver will come up short, it will be a much better contest than the above-mentioned games. Do not count Denver out by any means.

Seattle - This is Seattle's year. Solid on both sides of the ball. The only team I see that could cause problems for Seattle is Carolina. I still see Seattle making their very first appearance in a Super Bowl.

Chicago - This statement should surprise no one: Chicago is in because of their defense. Their offense is one of the worst, if not the worst, in the NFL. Keep in mind that the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl a few years back with defense. But defense will not be enough against Carolina or Washington, two teams that have solid defenses of their own. Look for Chicago to get eliminated in the second round if they don't get an offense going in the next two weeks.

I can't end this without something for the teams that got left out in the cold: Kansas City (10-6) had the toughest schedule in the NFL this year. I am surprised they finished as well as they did. San Diego (9-7) should be proof that a football game lasts 60 minutes: in 5 of the 7 losses they had, they had the lead in the fourth quarter & couldn't hold on. Dallas (9-7) could not win in the clutch this year. I predicted that losing to Washington in Week 2 would come back to haunt them... need I say more? Minnesota (9-7), despite all obstacles, made one hell of a run towards the playoffs, even without Randy Moss & Dante Culpepper. And Miami (9-7)! For all practical purposes, they were eliminated from playoff contention 6 weeks ago when they were 3-7. What a hell of a six weeks they had! They finished with a winning record & big-time momentum on their side for next season.

Hey Nettiemac - I know you are a fan of the NFL. Care to put any wagers on the playoffs?

In the words of Bobby Darin, "That's All..."

Bolivar "NFL overdosed" Shagnasty

Stolen from Nettiemac (part 2)

2005-12-28T23:04:00.000-06:00

I warned you all...

Sorry, Nettiemac - could you ever forgive me?

4 jobs you've had in your life...

Kroger (17 years), Bonanza (2 years), Revco Drugs (1 year), Autumn Inn (6 months).
"I woke up. Then I went downtown. To look for a job. Then I hung out in front of the drugstore."

4 movies you could watch over and over...

"The Blues Brothers", "This is Spinal Tap", "Airplane", "High Fidelity"

4 places you've lived...

1. Wichita Falls, TX (birthplace, over 7 years)
2. Newport, AR (5 years)
3. Jonesboro, AR (15 years)
4. Hot Springs, AR (4 years)

4 TV shows you love to watch...

"Whose Line Is It, Anyway?", "That '70s Show", "Friends", "WWE Monday Night Raw" (yeah, I know, I am a sick man, but Cheech & Chong could never develop "Let's Make a Dope Deal" into a game show)

4 websites you visit daily...

1. Yahoo (for mail)
2. Blogger (for friends)
3. eBay (for collectibles)
4. Kroger (for my future)

4 of your favorite foods...

pizza, BBQ, chicken, & spaghetti (as long as it is not from Fazolis - obvious reasons)

4 places you'd rather be...

1. Coronado Beach in San Diego
2. Cayman Islands
3. Rincon, GA
4. Liberty, SC

4 albums you can't live without...

yeah, right. Out of approximately 2000 titles, I have to narrow them to 4? OK, here goes:
1. "Grace" - Jeff Buckley
2. "Every Picture Tells a Story" - Rod Stewart
3. "Disraeli Gears" - Cream
4. "90125" - Yes

Thanks, Nettie - this was fun!

Stolen From Nettiemac (part 1)

2005-12-28T22:15:00.000-06:00

Sorry, Nettie, sweetheart, but I stole this from you.

10 years ago I was...

Getting promoted to assistant grocery manager, a job I held all of 5 months before getting promoted to grocery manager.

5 years ago I was...

Getting ready for the New Year, & waiting for a phone call from Human Resources to see if I would be accepted into the store management training program. I was also counting down the days until the wedding of the century (read: Tal & Sera's wedding).

One year ago I was...

In very deep sorrow, knowing that my soon-to-be-ex-wife just gave birth to who I thought was my daughter. And I was banned from the delivery room. A cop was on standby just in case I showed up.

Yesterday I was...

Working. And wishing I was doing something else.

5 snacks I enjoy the most...

1. Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies
2. Doritos nacho cheese tortilla chips
3. M & Ms with peanuts - the only one that matters
4. Reese's peanut butter cups
5. Bud Light (does this qualify as a snack?)

5 songs I know all the words to...

...do I have to answer this one? OK, here goes:
1. PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC / Wild Cherry
2. DUST IN THE WIND / Kansas
3. TALK TALK / The Music Machine
4. HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN / The Animals
5. BLACKBIRD / The Beatles

why these 5? Well, Wild Cherry's first album was the first rock album I ever owned, & the other 4 I have played on stage before. In 1979, at the age of 11, I played "Blackbird" on stage at a Holiday Inn for a guitar recital. It was my second guitar recital, but first with a vocal. Scared sh*tless would be an understatement, but it came off really well. I still play "Blackbird" to this day.

5 things I would do with a billion dollars...

1. Buy the rights to the Beatles catalog.
2. Buy a mansion with a huge room either in the basement or to the side of the house to put a recording studio in.
3. Help out my family any way I could. I would also put my nephews through college.
4. Buy a great big mansion for Tal & Sera, & buy Nettiemac anything she wants.
5. Drive to Fazolis & show off my newfound wealth to my ex-wife & go like this: "Na-na-na-na-boo-boo! You can't have some! Ha, Ha, Ha!"

5 places ideal for running away to...

1. Coronado Beach in San Diego
2. the Ozarks in NW Arkansas - the only good thing about this state!
3. Niagara Falls, Canada
4. Rincon, GA
5. Liberty, SC

5 items you'll never see me wear...

1. Suspenders - never again!
2. Bell-bottoms - never again!
3. Cowboy hats - never again!
4. a wedding ring - never again!
5. makeup - I wore makeup once for my junior play in high school, but I was young & needed the money...

5 best TV shows...

1. College football on Saturdays
2. NFL on Sundays
3. NASCAR, but only when football is not in season
4. "Friends"
5. "That '70s Show"

5 biggest joys in life...

1. my friends - I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have would go through every circle of hell with me, as I would for them.
2. my music collection. That's one thing that never lets me down, & it supports any mood I want.
3. my nephews. I have enjoyed watching these two kids growing into young boys. I am looking forward to seeing them grow into young men.
4. my faith. I have never claimed to be a religious person - more spiritual than anything. In this day & age, one would be foolish not to believe in God. My faith & my convictions have pulled me through many a crisis.
5. my job. When I first started working for Kroger, I swore that I would be there 6 months. I am almost at the 17-year mark. The pay is really good, but the benefits & the insurance package is tough to beat. The fact that Kroger has been around since 1883 helps, too.

5 favorite toys...

1. My Gibson "Flying V" guitar
2. My Casio keyboard
3. my Roland digital 8-track recording studio
4. my stereo system
5. my computer

Thanks, Nettie - part 2 to come. You all have been warned.

In the Face of Adversity...

2005-12-20T02:16:00.000-06:00

...how about something inspirational?

After Chicago stomped all over Atlanta Sunday evening, Sportscenter came on. Since I had to work all day Sunday, I had to catch up on the NFL scores. Let's see... Indy FINALLY loses, the Cowboys get stomped, Atlanta gets stomped, Houston FINALLY wins their second game, Minnesota loses for the first time in 7 games, and so on.

Then there was a story about Tulane University women's basketball team playing in New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina back last August. There wasn't a lot of people in the arena, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in enthusiasm. I do not remember who they played, but Tulane won, 72-60, in what appeared to be a good contest. After the game, Tulane's coach expressed how happy she was to be home in front of the home crowd, but it was a Tulane player that got my attention. This player's enthusiasm was contagious! She expressed that it was good to be home, playing at home, playing in front of hometown people, and getting a victory over a tough team. She was just so happy to be home.

After that report, cueing back to the ESPN studio, sportscaster Stuart Scott stated this: "If you can't cheer for that, you do not have a pulse." Amen, brother. I actually got misty-eyed when he said that.

It is just a reminder that the best way to deal with adversity is to tackle it head-on. This year has been full of adversity, but everything is heading towards a resolution - some takes longer than others! It is also a reminder that no matter how rough my life seems to be, there are people who are in worse shape than I am in. I hired an enthusiastic New Orleans native who needed work & money. I knew that he wouldn't be with us long, but he worked very hard. He was very upset to leave us, and we were upset to lose him, but I felt proud knowing that I made a difference, albeit a small one, in his life just by letting him work for us. He worked very hard, & was a godsend for us during sanitation inspection time. I got a call from him not too long ago saying that he was home trying to put it all back together again, but he said that he would never forget what we did for him. He told me that he is definitely coming to Hot Springs for vacation next summer. I told him to look me up & we'll just chill out together. I can't wait.

It also makes me think, especially during this time of year, that (at least I hope) I have made a difference in someone's life. I wonder sometimes, but then I think of all the friends I have made over the years. One I have had for almost 20 years. Another one I have had for 15 years. Another one I have had for 5 years. The young lady I picked as my dance partner in the senior play when no one else would. The same young lady I danced with at my senior prom when no one else asked to dance. Another young lady named Seraphim who married my friend Talmadge & who is every bit as important to me as Tal. Another young lady I met 5 years ago at Tal & Sera's wedding who, especially as of late, keeps me going with her wonderfulness & thoughtfulness.

That is one thing that keeps me going - knowing that somehow, somewhere, & someway, I feel like I have made an impact on someone's life. "It's a Wonderful Life" has always been one of my favorite movies, and the final scene rings true for me. My ex-wife could never own what I have.

Coming up soon, my New Year's Resolutions! This may be a long post...

Later, and keep "Going for the One"...

Bolivar "Rock On, Tulane" Shagnasty

Will It Ever End??

2005-12-16T23:32:00.000-06:00

Who knows? I am convinced of something - here goes:

"Born under a bad sign / I've been down since I began to crawl / if it wasn't for bad luck / I wouldn't have no luck at all..."

(apologies to William Bell, Booker T. Jones, and, of course, Cream)

I FINALLY contacted my lawyer today. I actually asked her if I would get my Christmas present this year: a finalized divorce. She told me not likely. Great - just what I needed - let's drag this on further, why don't we. Seems like there are a couple of glitches in the paperwork. Not to mention that my ex needs to fill out a "Quit Claim" deed. So I called my ex & let her know that we need these things taken care of ASAP.

I called her cell phone at about 6:30 this evening & asked if she had gotten in contact with her lawyer. She said that they were out. Something about the secretary was sick. Ask me if I care. I told her that if the deed was not done & personally sent to my lawyer on Monday, then on Tuesday I will call Arkansas BCBS & file insurance fraud charges against her. She asked me what in the hell was I talking about. I told her. I am shocked that her lawyer didn't tell her that this could actually happen. She tried to backpedal her way out of it. I told her that it's too late. It's real simple - give me what I want, & I will not file insurance fraud charges against her. My patience has run out (gee, after 15 months... what do you think?). I am tired of playing her game.

I may also search for a new lawyer. I paid all this money, and for what? This marriage should have been dissolved, oh, probably March or April of this year. And now, I am looking at still being married to this heartless, two-faced, backstabbing ______ (fill in whatever word you want) into 2006. What in the HELL is going on? I want some friggin' answers!

That being said, while I was on the phone to my ex, I felt my blood pressure rising. My co-workers saw it after I got off the phone. My face had turned so beet red. I felt it in my entire body. My family has a history of high blood pressure. I wonder if I am being affected now. I do know that this is the last thing I need.

I do feel a little better now. My Christmas tree lights are on. I have apple cinnamon candles burning all over the house. I have Clannad blaring from the stereo. I am in the zone, baby!

This is just a tough time for me now. Things are so much different this year during this time. At least, in 2004, I still had who I thought was my son, who spent the night with me every other night. I took him to his first Christmas parade. The temperatures were dropping, & yet he & I snuggled together with our coats & mittens & scarves on. I watched in amazement as he was amazed himself with the firetrucks & the marching bands. All the cool floats passing by, & of course, Santa Claus. I watched my son point at all these things with wonder & amazement. Needless to say, when we got to the car & I strapped him in, I turned on the engine, cranked up the heater, & he was out cold in seconds! That was one of so many nights with the boy that I will never forget. It hurts me to know that he will suffer the most from what his mother has done. I look for him to seek me out. I hope he does. I would welcome him with open arms, even though I know I will have to answer for what I had to do: let him go... I just hope that he will understand what choices I had in this matter. I felt it was the best for everyone, even though it wasn't best for me. I hope he knows that, even though I had to let him go, I loved him so much. He was my boy, after all. He was my son. And the paternity results that came in on March 4 changed that. I will always love him, no matter what happens between myself and his mother. I hope he knows that.

And now here we come - Christmas 2005. No family members surrounding me. This house feels totally empty. I have no idea what the future holds. I know that this house will have only myself in it come Dec. 25. My family is all scattered out with their own lives that they lead. This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. I find myself trying to rush to 2006 and skipping Christmas altogether. I might as well be working, but we are closed on 12/25. So, I told my boss that I would close on Christmas Eve & open early the day after Christmas. It's just as well...

We make jokes about this time of the year & all the crazy Christmas songs that go non-stop from the day after Thanksgiving up to Christmas Day, but I had always enjoyed this time of year. It is supposed to be a time for family & for fellowship. A time for blowing the diets & letting it all hang out. A time for kids to marvel at their new toys. A time for grown men to eat too much & then pass out on their chairs.

It's really hard to work up any enthusiasm for the holiday season this year. But I'm trying. Just bear with me.

To my family - I love you all very much. I know that you all have plans with your loved ones this season, & I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

To my co-workers - your efforts & your thoughts & weird senses of humor are some things I treasure very much. Even though we clash from time to time, I am more than honored to have all of you on my and my boss' team.

To my closest friends - and especially Talmadge, Seraphim, & Nettiemac - you all keep me up and going when I would just as soon quit and give up. Your friendship means so much to me - I couldn't put a monetary value on how much you all mean to me. I just want you to know that I love you all, and to the three people mentioned above - expect a visit from me sometime in 2006. Get with me & let me know when a good time is to visit you all. I can't wait.

I hope everyone reading this has a wonderful Christmas.

Bolivar "just a little patience..." Shagnasty

How I Spent My Last Vacation of 2005...

2005-12-14T00:02:00.000-06:00

As you can tell from the title, this is about how I spent my vacation last week. So, to quote Greg Lake, "from the beginning..."

On the first day of my vacation, I woke up. Then I went downtown. To look for a job. Then I hung out in front of the drugstore. On the second day of my vacation, I woke up. Then I went downtown. To look for a job. Then I hung out in front of the drugstore. On the third day of my vacation, I woke up. Then I went downtown. To look for a job. Then I got a job. Keeping people from hanging out in front of the drugstore. On the fourth day of my vacation...

(insert Sister Mary Elephant here... OK, everyone together now... SSSSSSSHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTT UUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!! thank you.)

OK, on the serious side, I had a lot of fun on my vacation. Last Saturday evening (12/3), I went with my 1st Assembly of God friends to the Fish Net restaurant on Lake DeGray, & then went to see the Christmas lights at Iron Mountain. A lot of houseboats had their Christmas lights up, & it was pretty cool. And no one shoe-polished my car this time!!! On Sunday (12/4), I went to Rod's Pizza Cellar for lunch, & then I spent the rest of the day playing the part of the couch potato. Watched football all day. Got up briefly for beer, and that was it. Killer day! On Monday (12/5), I met a friend of mine that I burned a ton of Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, & Tangerine Dream CDs for, and went to a sushi restaurant for lunch. This was my very first sushi experience, and you know what? It wasn't near as bad as I thought! I did meet my buddy Smitty & the gang at Rockie's for pizza, beer, & Monday Night Football. The Seattle Seahawks made one hell of a statement, totally pounding Philadelphia 42-0. On Tuesday (12/6), I spent the biggest part of the day doing yardwork. I raked all the leaves out of my yard, only to see leaves cover it up again no more than 24 hours later. I went to Colton's for dinner that evening, watch a movie, then called it a night.

On Wednesday (12/7), I put up Christmas lights on my house - first time I have ever put up Christmas lights since I reached adulthood. I also put up my Christmas tree - that was something else. I went through crates of stuff looking for ornaments to use, & I found one crate that had my ex-wife's wedding dress in it. I was so tempted to throw it out, but I held off on it. Hell, she'll probably wear it again when she goes down the aisle with the Ultimate Hot Springs Redneck. It will amaze me if she chooses to wear white for this wedding, but hey, she wore white at ours (when she gets married again, this will be her second... third... FOURTH time down the aisle. Liz Taylor, watch out - you have competition.). I also found a picture that made me very sad. It was a picture of me & my ex in happier times - Christmas 1994. She is sitting in a recliner, I am sitting on the floor. She leans over me, & we are holding hands. Both of us seemed very happy at the time, wearing matching sweaters that my wonderful grandmother got us. What happened?

Anyway, on Thursday (12/8), I tried to contact an old friend of mine, but had no luck. I tried to contact an old classmate of mine who was in charge of the 10-year class reunion, mainly because I figured that she would be in charge of the next major classmate function - yes, my friends, your humble servant typing this post has his 20-YEAR CLASS REUNION in 2006!! OH MY GOD!! Has it been this long? Moving on, I went to Memphis to seek out some vinyl. The record stores in Memphis are drying up big time. I did get some Clannad, John McLaughlin/Mahavishnu Orchestra, Ravi Shankar, and a rare LP by Peter Baumann, who used to play for Tangerine Dream. However, to sum up, those stores are drying up pretty quick. The selections leave a lot to be desired.

On Friday (12/9), I spent the morning packing my bags & paying the dreaded bills. I left at about 2 p.m. heading for Dallas. Brought a few CDs with me, especially Eric Burdon & the Animals (I especially cranked up "Sky Pilot"), Cheap Trick ("Voices" is one of my favorite CT songs), Enya's new one (could be her best...), Phish (the "Billy Breathes" CD is absolutely essential, as is their last one, "Undermind"), Sixpence None the Richer (laugh if you must, but their last CD, "Divine Discontent", is their best CD), & the great, great Captain Beefheart ("Trout Mask Replica" is that rare CD where it must be heard as a whole & not for individual cuts, of which there are 28 of them). I really enjoy how the Liberty handles the road - real sweet! I stopped in Greenville, Texas to fill up my gas tank, & I also went to Hastings, where I bought 2 more CDs - one by John McLaughlin & Al Dimeola, and one by Motorhead (isn't it strange how diverse my musical tastes are?). I made it to my father's ranch by about 10 p.m. Then I drove to Grandbury to see an old friend of mine (Princess A) & had dinner with her.

Saturday (12/10), I watched football with my father & met the Princess for dinner again. Watched as Reggie Bush wins the Heisman trophy. I still wished Vince Young had gotten it, but Reggie deserved it - he has been a dominant force all year long. So, congrats to Reggie. However, I was deeply saddened to hear of Richard Pryor's passing. Pryor's comedy brought me out of many a bad mood - you couldn't be sad listening to Pryor. I remember how happy I was the day his boxed set of his complete Warner Bros. recordings came out - I went & bought it immediately. The man made me laugh, he made me cry, & he made me think. His movies with Gene Wilder, especially "Silver Streak" & "Stir Crazy", are classics. He handled setbacks, self-inflicted they probably were, with humor & class. On his boxed set, there is a disc of leftover material & some new material, including a hilarious take on his multiple sclerosis. His "MS" ranks with his "Heart Attacks" as some of the funniest material I have ever heard. Richard will be tremendously missed, and when I return to Jonesboro, I will find my old buddy B.C., & we will have one hell of a toast to the funniest man I have ever heard - Richard Pryor. Farewell...

On Sunday (12/11), I got up & went to church with my dad & my stepmother, had lunch at Chili's in Grandbury with my stepsister, her husband, & their kids, and started on the long journey home, but not before I made my usual scenic route - Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie. Oh man! I bought some more McLaughlin as well as a bunch of Richard Thompson stuff. I passed on a Beau Brummels' boxed set that I may go back after (Beau Brummels' "Laugh Laugh" peaked at #15 back in 1964). I was looking for the new Allan Sherman boxed set, but they didn't have it, & it is only available via the Rhino Handmade label on the Internet. I may have to look up that website for it. I got home at about 10 p.m. & let everyone know that I was home.

On Monday (12/12), I watched TV most of the day, listened to my new stuff, went to Rockie's for the usual, & went to bed. It was a good way to rest up for my return to work, especially since I probably won't have another day off until Christmas Day. Bummer.

It was a pretty good vacation overall. However, since I had to take my vacation this late in the year, I did some thinking about my vacations for next year (I get 4 weeks paid). Since I have been with Kroger (March of 2006 makes it 17 years), I have never taken two weeks at one time. I may do it next year. Now - where do I want to go? South Padre Island, Texas? Coronado Beach in San Diego? Tallahasee, Florida to visit my cousin & her kids? The Carolinas to visit Nettiemac? Georgia to see the Glecks? Wow - since I will soon be a single man again, the list is endless. As usual, I am open to ideas.

Happy birthday to my sister, Kimbus Ambus, who turned 34 on the 3rd of December. Happy birthday, sis - I'll see you soon.

Love to all my family & friends. Take care.

Bolivar "Vacation, all I ever wanted..." Shagnasty

Time Finally Runs Out on the Hogs...

2005-11-27T10:19:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! As noted, time has finally run out on the Hogs' season. That means that all of my Kroger employees have to go back to wearing Kroger uniforms on Saturdays! Sorry! But hey, the NFL playoffs are around the horizon, & I will let my employees wear NFL gear on the weekends when the playoffs start. See? I'm not as cold-hearted as some of you think I am!

Anyway, the Hogs finish the season 4-7, 2-6 in the conference. The most frustrating stat about the Hogs this year is that the last three conference losses were by a combined 9 points - 4 to SC, 3 to Georgia, 2 to LSU. We lost by 4 to Vandy, 11 to Alabama, 17 to Auburn, but in the latter three games, we had leads in those games & could not hold on to them. The Hogs could have easily been 10-1 & playing in the SEC Championship game. As it is, LSU & Georgia play for the SEC Championship. I believe the winner of that game heads to the Sugar Bowl.

LSU has been a strange one this year. They come in 10-1, their one loss to a team that they should have beaten. They were up by 21 to Tennessee, but Tennessee came out of nowhere & beat LSU in overtime, 30-27. Not to mention that they almost had another meltdown this past Friday against the Hogs. They led at one point, 19-3, but the Hogs came out of nowhere & almost played spoiler. LSU won, 19-17, & it definitely was not pretty. There were two teams that had major meltdowns as the season progressed - Alabama & Georgia. Both teams started out 8-0 before falling apart. Alabama lost to LSU in OT & got creamed by Auburn. Georgia lost two in a row after D.J. Shockley got injured against the Hogs. It almost made me wonder who wants the SEC Championship bad enough to take it.

The most inconsistent team in the SEC this season? My vote is for Vanderbilt. Vandy gets their first road SEC victory in four years this season against the Hogs, then loses to a division II team (Middle Tenn. St.), then takes Florida to the limit (Florida beat Vandy in 2OT)? What is up with that?

The biggest, most welcome surprise in the SEC? My vote goes to South Carolina. After the embarrassment of the fourth-quarter incident in last years' Clemson game, and after Lou Holtz retiring, I thought that teams would walk all over SC this season. Wrong. Steve Spurrier is back on top this season, SC got very huge victories over Tennessee and Florida this year (I especially loved seeing SC beat Florida), and SC is heading to a bowl game, which was the #1 goal of Spurrier this season. Also, beating Florida this season was HUGE for recruiting. I personally think that the tide is turning, & in future seasons, SC is going to be the standard-bearer for the SEC.

Although, and this question is directed to my friend nettiemac, why did SC lose to Clemson this year?? I know it really pains you to hear that question! Oh well - I'll give credit where credit is due: Clemson is tough. But SC still should have beaten them.

Biggest meltdown this season? DUH! Tennessee. They started the season ranked in the top 5, then collapsed right from the beginning. They lost to SC for the very first time in history in Knoxville, then lose to Vandy, got creamed by Notre Dame, the list is endless. Dishonorable mention: the Arkansas Razorbacks. After losing to Vandy the second game of the season, I told myself that the season is already over. 2-6 in the SEC, 4-7 overall - need I say more?

At least this season, the national title picture is very clear. USC and Texas are the two best teams in the NCAA. OK, so Texas did struggle a little against Texas A&M this past Friday, but this is a rivalry in which records do not matter. Those two teams will ALWAYS play each other tough. Think of Dallas & Washington in the NFL. Everytime they collide, it is always a good game. Texas vs. Texas A&M is no exception. However, as much as I would love to see my Longhorns bring home a national championship, I believe USC is too tough. I don't think it will be an embarrassment like what USC did to Oklahoma last year. I think this game will be much closer. But I still think USC will make it two in a row. Nevertheless, I will be cheering for the Longhorns! Hook 'em Horns!!

I will also cheer for the SEC teams playing in bowl games this season: LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, & Florida will all represent the SEC in bowl games. Go SEC!!

More to come later...

Bolivar "Have I gone football mad here?" Shagnasty

A Weekend of Reflection...

2005-11-23T22:49:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, I was very fortunate to have a 4-day weekend. I was off Friday, Saturday, Sunday, & Monday. The strange thing is that I only requested Sunday off to go to Jonesboro to see my aunt & my grandmother. And yet, my boss was nice enough to extend it for me. How cool was that?

So, this past Friday, I went to a "singles" function with the singles group at 1st Assembly of God in Hot Springs. A friend of mine goes there, & she was nice enough to invite me. There were about 10 of us that showed up, & we decided to go bowling. We went to Fiesta Lanes in HS Village, & I embarrassed everyone there - we bowled 2 games, & my first game was a 223. It was the best game I had bowled since 1999. My second was OK, but not as good as the first one - my second game was a 166. We then decided to go to O'Briens for some really good pizza & an even better chat. The ones that were left at 2 a.m. went to I-Hop for some coffee. It was a real fun night that ended on a bad note - when we went back to the church, all the cars on the parking lot (there were 5) had gotten shoe-polished. Since I had just bought my new car, I was not amused. Fortunately, the stuff came off easily. I told my aunt about this, & she told me to lighten up! Can you believe that? I'm sorry - that is one of my pet peeves. And, correct me if I am wrong, but in America, don't we call that "vandalism"? And, correct me once again if I am wrong, but isn't vandalism still illegal?? Just checking.

Anyway, on Saturday, I took the Liberty for the first real road trip - about a three-and-a-half drive from HS to Jonesboro. I got to Jonesboro about 8 in the evening, & drove around for a little while. I spent the night with my aunt & my grandmother, & we woke up & went to church Sunday morning. We went to Colton's after church, & I drove by the church that my ex-wife & I used to go to. My in-laws' cars were there. I felt a real sinking feeling. Anyway, I told my aunt & my grandmother that, on one Sunday, we should walk in my old church & see my in-laws. Just go in and sit down & enjoy the sermon. I know, for a fact, that this would piss my in-laws off, as well as anyone else who is close to them. If that happens, then we have achieved our goals! My aunt & my grandmother LOVED this idea. As soon as the divorce is final, on one Sunday morning, this will become a reality. My aunt has also told me to call her on the day the divorce is final. I asked why, & she told me that she will give my ex's parents a little piece of her mind. A few months ago, they spread rumors about me being an alcoholic (which is definitely not true), and the rumors got back to my aunt. She is very pissed off, understandably so. So, to the parents of my soon-to-be-ex, I have one word of advice when you see my aunt: RUN.

As soon as I left my aunt's house, I drove around Jonesboro for a little while before leaving town. There are so many memories connected with that town. I drove by certain places that hold deep meanings for me. I drove by my in-laws' house, but I didn't stop. I drove by places that I lived in - that terrible trailer, the townhouse where my ex and I had so many wonderful memories (and where I confessed my love for my ex), the first house that we bought together, the second house that we bought together, all the places we ate at (Perkins, Dixie Cafe, the China Garden, just to name a few), and so on. I remember those places and the times we spent & the activities that we had done. I had remembered them with fondness. And then I remembered all the sh*t that my ex has put me through over the last 14 months. It made all the fond memories seem cheap and worthless. It is really sad.

I did cheer myself up somewhat by going to Hastings & buying some used CDs. Here is what I got:

1. Queensryche: "Empire" (remastered)

Yeah, I know, hair band, but these guys rocked back in the late 80s/early 90s. "Jet City Woman" is a cool song, in my opinion.

2. Tom Waits: "Bone Machine"

Yeah, I know, no voice is better than Waits' voice, but he wrote some killer songs. "Earth Died Screaming", with special guest Les Claypool (Primus), is one of Waits' best songs.

3. Richard Thompson: "You? Me? Us?"

This was a really good find, since this is now out-of-print. As far as I'm concerned, I rank Thompson with Dylan, Neil Young, & Van Morrison as the best singer/songwriters of all time. This may not be his best one (that vote goes to 1982's "Shoot Out the Lights" & 1999's "Mock Tudor"), but it is still pretty damn good.

4. Gordon Lightfoot: "Gord's Gold, Vol. 2"

Worth owning if only for "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", one of the best story-songs ever written.

5. Tim Buckley: "The Dream Belongs to Me: Rare & Unreleased 1968/1973"

I am a Buckley fan - Tim and Jeff. Great songwriters & performers who left us way too soon. And say what you will - Jeff Buckley's "Grace" is in my top 5 list as far as best CDs released in the 1990s. Take it or leave it...

I slept in on Monday. Paid my cable bill & went to Rockie's Corner for Monday Night Football. Great game, even though the Vikings beat the Packers on a last-second field goal, 20-17. Ate way too much pizza, drank way too much beer, but I had a hell of a time with some good friends, despite the Packers losing. Anyway, we are looking forward to next Monday night - the undefeated Colts vs. the Steelers. I am making a prediction: the Colts will not be undefeated after next Monday night. The Steelers will beat the Colts. The Colts will look at this loss as a wake-up call, & will dominate in the playoffs. Only time will tell, to quote John Wetton.

All in all, a good weekend, & a message to me that I do have issues that I have to deal with, thanks to my ex-wife. First and foremost is trust. Will I be able to trust another woman again? Only time will tell... Will I be able to open myself up to another woman again? Only time will tell... Will I be able to fall in love with another woman again? Only time will tell... One thing I do know is that, as I said in my profile, not all women are like my ex-wife. I know that there is someone who thinks the world of me & that could fall for me. But at one time, my ex-wife did. And when the one person you want to be with the rest of your life betrays you, what is left? I did learn something from my ex-wife, though. She always spoke of walls she built around herself. I had no idea what she was talking about back then. I do now. It's just another issue I have to deal with - who is capable of tearing down these walls I have built around me? I have certain friends that I don't need walls for - Talmadge & Seraphim are very dear to my heart. But everyone else... good luck.

Is it worth still dealing with this? I still have nightmares, at least once a week, about my ex. I thought that my life would be more peaceful, more calm. I think that I am getting a rude wake-up call. I know that time heals all wounds, but a lot of time will be invested in this. I have never been a person I want someone to pity - I am just expressing a feeling. I never want anyone to feel sorry for me - I am just expressing a feeling. But what I have been through, and still going through - this is just wrong. No one - and I mean no one - should ever go through this. So, if you are, remember - you have a kindred spirit in Hot Springs.

Until next time, my bloggers, take care.

Bolivar "Actually, time wounds all heels" Shagnasty

Freedom, part 1: Baby, You Can Drive My Car

2005-11-11T23:27:00.000-06:00

Hello there ladies & gentlemen / hello there ladies & gents / are you ready to rock / are you ready to rock?

Freedom - what a word! Notice "part 1" - more to come.

However, let's do part 1. This past Friday (11/4), I took a game piece to Riser Ford in Hot Springs. The game piece stated that if two numbers matched, I won. So, I won $5 on a game piece at Riser, & while I was there, I went to look at some cars. This really cool guy named Joe saw me looking, & he asked if I needed assistance. I told him that I was interested in getting another car, & I had a $2000 trade-in voucher from Riser that I had gotten in the mail.

Before I go any further, I should go into a little history about my last car. It was a 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue that I had bought on July 31, 2000, which was my 32nd birthday. I had just gotten the Corsica paid off, but my ex-wife insisted that, if I get sent to management training, I need a newer car. So, I bought the Intrigue, & for quite a while, it was a nice car. In the six months between the time I left for management school & the time I finally got the ex in Hot Springs, I easily put about 15,000 miles on the car. I had just about gotten it paid off when, in February of this year, I lose the transmission. I had to get the transmission rebuilt, which cost about $2500, then in September, I had a wreck. I got the car out of the shop three weeks ago, but it just didn't feel the same. Then, last Friday evening (11/4), I ran out of gas about a quarter of a mile from my house, & the trip odometer said that I had only put 200 miles between fill-ups on my car. Let's see - 200 miles on a 15 gallon tank - it averages about 13 miles a gallon. I took that as a sign. It's time for a newer car.

So, after speaking with Joe & collecting the $5, I went back to work. After work, I went back on the car lot & looked some more before heading home.

I went in earlier than usual last Saturday (11/5), because I had needed to take an extended lunch break. I went back to Riser. I test-drove a Ford Mustang for starters. It was OK, but I remembered my ex-sister-in-law having major problems with her Mustang. I also test drove an Explorer - no, thank you. I tested out a Toyota Tacoma - it was OK, but I felt that the price was a little steep considering that it already had 30,000 miles on it. So I passed on that.

Then, I saw a burnt orange Jeep Liberty SUV. It was a 2002 model with 30,000 miles on it. Joe then asked me what kind of car payments was I interested in. I told him that I wanted somewhere in the $350 a month range. He then directed me to a 2005 Liberty with only 9,000 miles on it. He persuaded me to test-drive that one. He also told me that if I liked it, he would talk to his boss & see what he could do. Anyway, I tested it & fell in love with it. I then told him let's see about a deal. He then had a meeting with his boss, & then he came back to me with the offer. He told me that he tried to talk him to $350/month, but the best he could do was $372/month. I told him let's deal.

So, now, I am the new owner of a 2005 white Jeep Liberty SUV. And I love it. It is really a sharp ride. And 5 more years of payments are under way! Whoopie!!

Well, that's it for this one. More to come...

Good night now ladies & gentlemen / good night now ladies & gents / it's the end of the show / now it's time to go...

Bolivar "Liberty" Shagnasty

Razorback Stew

2005-11-04T10:32:00.000-06:00

Football season is in full swing. And if you live in Arkansas, that means Razorback Football!! And if you've read this far, you are probably sobbing.

On Saturday, November 5, Arkansas plays South Carolina. So much is riding on this game. For South Carolina, who comes in 5-3, all they need is one more win to become bowl eligible. For Arkansas, it means a bright light in a pretty depressing season; we are 2-5 so far, and we have not won a conference game this year. Arkansas needs to win out against SC, then against Ole Miss, then Miss. St., then must travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU, to become bowl eligible at 6-5. So what are the Hogs' odds? You'd have an easier time getting Dan Quayle elected president than for the Hogs to win out.

SC comes in on a high note, coming off one of the greatest victories that football program has ever had, beating Tennesee in Knoxville for the very first time last week, 16-15. Keep in mind that after Arkansas, their road gets tougher, but beating Arkansas makes them bowl eligible. So, SC will be coming in with a purpose.

For me, and I am a Razorback fan, the Hogs season ended for me after the second game of the season, when Vanderbilt beat the Hogs 28-24. It was Vandy's first road SEC victory in four years, and it came at the expense of the Hogs. I knew USC would tear us apart, and they did, 70-17. Since then, we beat N. Texas, but lost to Alabama, Auburn, & Georgia. In all fairness, we were in those three games, played tough, but we couldn't close the deal.

To a certain extent, we did play spoiler against Georgia. Starting Bulldog quarterback D. J. Shockley injured his knee against the Hogs & did not play last week against Florida. They needed him - Florida beat Georgia 14-10. Shockley is the most underrated QB in the NCAA, & his leadership on the field was sorely missed last week. Had he been healthy, I believe Georgia would still be undefeated. As it is, Georgia needs to win out to get to the SEC championship game against Alabama (can you believe they are 8-0?).

Even though I am a Razorback fan, I am an even bigger fan of the Texas Longhorns! We are on course for a USC-Texas showdown for the national title. And my pick for Heisman? Texas QB Vince Young. Someone is napping if he doesn't win.

As for SC, Steve Spurrier said at the beginning of the season that the goal was getting to a bowl game. Well, Steve, you are one victory away.

I know Nettiemac is reading this, & being from SC, I know she will probably have some input. Here is my final score prediction: South Carolina 24, Arkansas 14.

Sorry, Hogs. Just can't work up the confidence this season. However, a lot of freshmen are getting playing time this season. Hope for the future? We'll see.

Later...

Bolivar "Hook 'em Horns!!" Shagnasty

Scary Halloweens

2005-11-04T02:18:00.000-06:00

Hello!! I hope everyone had a great Halloween. It was everything I expected it to be in Hot Springs. How I spent my Halloween...

Let's see - I woke up about 10 a.m. (didn't get home until 2:30 that morning), went to deposit my check at the bank, & had lunch at Ryan's Cafe. During this time, it clouds up & starts raining heavy. Good thing - my yard desperately needed it! I went to Kroger & chatted with my boss for a few minutes before buying some "marked down" Halloween candy. I bought 5 bags of candy, then went home. I prepared for the kids to come over, & I also did some house cleaning before they came by. Most importantly, I musically set the mood for Halloween. Aah, the sweet, smooth, soothing sounds of... OZZY! BLACK SABBATH! SLAYER! ARTHUR BROWN! Aah, yes. I also put on the edited version of "Tubular Bells" (of course, everyone knows this from "The Exorcist").

However, I stumbled upon another CD that I had forgotten about. All it said was "Halloween Mix" on it. I popped the CD in, and first song was "Paint It Black" by the Stones. Then it had the original version of "I Put a Spell on You" by Screaming Jay Hawkins. It also had the theme from "Psycho", which still scares me 25 years after first viewing the movie as a pre-teen (oh, let's get one thing clear right now: the original Hitchcock version of "Psycho" was scary; the remake in the late 90s was just plain stupid). It had some songs that I had never heard before, & after playing the CD, along with candles burning in the house & rain continuing to fall outside, I just felt a real eerie feeling. Things are not what they seem... In trance comes close to describing the feeling. Put into perspective every twist my life has taken in the last year, & it was pretty scary.

I tried to remember who burned this CD for me, & it hit me - one of my ex-workers burned this for me about 2 years ago. So, Sean, thanks for the CD, & extra kudos to you for putting Tom Waits' "Earth Died Screaming" on the CD (Waits is pretty cool, shot voice and all).

Kids came to the house, & I handed out lots of candy. There was one cool part about the kids - there were 8 kids at the front door at one time - four teenagers & four pre-teens. The music was blaring from the stereo. "Psycho" music was playing. I got all the kids silent for just a second. I told them, "Listen..." When it got real silent, those sharp violins played (you know the part where Janet Leigh gets stabbed... yeah, that part). I thought 8 kids were going to wet their costumes! Yes, I know, I am a sick man...

After the kids went to their respective houses, I made dinner & watched "Final Destination 2" on USA network. No, this movie was not about Arkansas, so don't even ask!

Anyway, "I Put a Spell on You" is another song that needs a killer karaoke treatment. I'll do it & dedicate it to my friend Nettiemac! Kudos to you, sweets!!

Dat's it for dis one! More to come...

~Bolivar "I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you..." Shagnasty

Ode to Nettiemac

2005-10-25T22:59:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I read from my friends, the Glecks, about an experience they had aboard a casino ship with their friend, the ever-wonderful nettiemac. It involved nettiemac doing a karaoke duet, pretty much against her will, with some drunk pathetic loser, just to get the poor guy to shut the hell up. What a trooper!!

However, the more I thought about it, I thought back to my first karaoke experience. It was in 2001, at my ex-wife's Christmas party at her place of employment. Well, being not just musically-inclined, but a musician myself (not professionally), & knowing that all of my ex-wife's employees knew it, they hounded on me to take the mike from the guy who was doing a terrible impression of Britney Spears. Finally, I took the stage, & managed to get the crowd to sing the chorus to Roger Miller's "King of the Road". Then, I did "Can't Help Falling in Love", Elvis impression and all, & the crowd went crazy! I chose to do one more & dedicated it to my wife: Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" (my ex loves that song, and it is, by far, my least favorite Clapton song). A good time was had by all - and we all were SOBER!! None of us drank that night (that's what I got for living in a dry county). How strange was that?

Since then, I have had a couple of karaoke experiences, courtesy of my family at the annual reunions (and alcohol definitely factored into that), but none as memorable as that first one with my ex.

OK - with all due respect to the wonderfully talented Nettiemac, humor me on this...

I got to thinking about something - one song that needs karaoke'd is "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"! I'm sure it has already been done, just not right. It really needs a good karaoke treatment. It needs to be done right, with the Phil Rizzuto play-by-play and everything. There is just one problem - I need someone to be the Ellen Foley to my Meat Loaf. Someone who, strangely enough, knows the words like I do.

What do you say, Nettiemac? Are you up for it?

That's it for this one. Later...

Bolivar "Karaoke King" Shagnasty

2005-10-22T09:18:00.000-05:00

Our D-I-V-O-R-C-E becomes fi - wait a second!!

(With apologies to the late Tammy Wynette...)

I went to my lawyer's office yesterday to look at and sign the papers that my soon-to-be-ex-wife hand delivered to my lawyer's office. Everything looked good; everything looked legit. I saw the list of personal items that the ex wanted - I'm still upset that she wants the map of the world that we have framed on the wall, but that's fine. If she wants it bad enough, she can have it - I can always get another one.

I am also a little upset at the fact that I should have to pay my attorney's fees, since the ex got me into this mess (hey, I wasn't the one who was unfaithful & had two kids by another man), but the ex says I get to keep the house & my 401k plan intact. If I can keep those two items, I'll pay my attorney.

However, a glitch occurred when I read the papers yesterday. Nothing - and I mean nothing - was mentioned about my 401k in the paperwork. My lawyer also noticed this, & I told my lawyer that I refuse to sign the papers until info about my 401k is added. Everything else looked good, & I could have easily signed the papers, but I do not like surprises. My ex is just the type of person who would come out later & say that she wants a part of my 401k.

A lesson for anyone that ever has to go through this (and I hope you never do): DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING.

The ex calls me at work about 4 p.m., & she is very upset. I told her no problem - just get her attorney to add the page on Monday. She then told me that we should have been divorced today, that she hoped we could have been divorced today. She also told me that her parents are coming to town next weekend, & she was hoping to marry a guy who shall, in my eyes, be forever known as the Ultimate Hot Springs Redneck (UHSR). She wanted her parents to be in attendance for the wedding (they'll be the only ones there). And now they will have to wait a little longer. I said, in my best imitative New York voice, "Gee, kid, you're breaking my heart."

It may be crazy, but I told my ex that I wanted to cover all the bases & leave no stone unturned. That's why I didn't sign the papers yesterday. I also know that when I do sign the papers, that's it - it's all over. I can't wait for it to be over, but there will always be that thought of "what might have been..."

What hurts me the most is that I did nothing wrong. If I had beat my wife, if I had put her down every day, if I was the one who was having an affair, I would say to myself that I deserve everything that I am getting now. What I will be accused of, by my family & my closest friends, is trying to make the marriage work. I will be accused of being loyal, faithful, & devoted to my soon-to-be-ex-wife. Anyone who says different, including my ex & her family, just doesn't know the facts.

My ex says she hates talking to me now because it seems that I am always in a bad mood. Let's get one thing straight, my soon-to-be-ex: moods have nothing to do with it. At one time, you were the best friend I ever had. I would have went through every circle of hell & back again with you. I was lucky - I felt that I had married my best friend. So, at one time, you were my best friend - now, you are my worst enemy. You have to deal with that title & everything that goes with it. Basically, what it boils down to is that I can care less about you. I'm looking out for good ol' Bolivar now.

As far as their wedding, whenever it is, instead of marching down the aisle to the typical wedding song, I have the perfect song they should march down to. I think it also describes their future together: "Hell Awaits" by Slayer from 1984. Good luck, guys.

Anyway, for whoever reads this junk, I need some input. I am putting together a compilation CD together. I am calling it the BDM - Bolivar's Divorce Mix. Here are the songs I have on my list so far:
1. "Jailbreak" - Thin Lizzy (a lot of history behind this one - ask Tal)
2. "Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd (my father's favorite song)
3. "I'm Free" - The Who
4. "Freedom" - Jimi Hendrix
5. "Back in the High Life" - Steve Winwood
6. "Key to the Highway" - Derek & the Dominoes
7. "Fly Like an Eagle" - Steve Miller Band
8. "Love Stinks" - J. Geils Band
9. "Your Time is Gonna Come" - Led Zeppelin

Can you sense a theme here? I would love some more input on this.

Gotta go - work calls. Bolivar Shagnasty... good day!

2005-10-10T10:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Intro to Bolivar, or Bolivar 101, or How I Finally Succumbed to following my friends & creating my blog!

Welcome to Bolivar's Blog.

Bolivar is one of the many nicknames I have, courtesy of my father some 30+ years ago. I am pretty sure that some of those nicknames are unprintable! I think, if you are a family member or a close friend reading this, it's not hard to figure out who I am.

"If you want to find out what's behind these cold eyes / You just have to claw your way through this disguise" - Pink Floyd, 1979

I will be using this blog from time to time to share my opinions, my thoughts, my hopes, my dreams. The topics run the gamut from movies to music to sports to personal views on life, liberty, & the pursuit of more money.

I am sure, from time to time, some people will be upset by what I have to say. I am sure arguments will be started. That's OK. Just remember, everyone is different. I think I am smart enough to know that what works for a lot of people does not work for me; likewise, what works for me may not work for a lot of people. I'm cool with that. The term is "differences". It's the differences between people that makes all of us unique & original. I like that. It's also called "learning". It makes me think sometimes, "Wow! I didn't know that!!"

I welcome feedback, especially from the Gleck family - Talmadge, Seraphim, & Tiger. Actually, I expect feedback from you three!!

Ending for now - Jerry Springer is on. Hey, I need a good laugh sometimes!!

Happy Birthday, John Winston Lennon, who would have been 65 yesterday. You are missed a lot.

G'day, eh?

~Bolivar Shagnasty, 10/10/05