At work: Today was incredibly slow, so slow infact we pulled out Dale's black and purple wizard Furby(you know the toy that everyone was killing for three or four holiday seasons ago.. Dale found his last summer for $4 at a thrift store) and tried to use it as an oracle to decide future store policies and purchasing decisions. The weather was so nice and business so dull that we took our little furry friend outside on our deck to sing and answer our queries. Great reactions from lunch time street crowd as Wiz-Furby did his thing..its little wizard's cap is da shit! Wiz/Furby!!Wiz/Furby!!Wiz/Furby!!

Morning coffee at the usual place, reading John Buscema's obituary in the Times while Annie Lennox asks if I'd lie to her, then Tom Petty tells me he doesn't want me around no more. No refills, I really like Ann and Tom but I get the hint, I'm out of here.

Uggg.. the Stillers have lost. The whole city will be numb and depressed for about a week. Started the morning trying to get through the excellent 9-11 compilations by DC and Dark Horse at the Coffee joint. Kept being interrupted by street native Mr T who wanted to talk about his his various conspiracy and Atlantis theories. It was ok though, talking to the T is always fun and the 9-11 parts I got through were excellent. Late January in the burg and people are walking around in t-shirts and shorts...waughhh... I want to make a snowman!

Quote of the day keeping with the theme: "He doesn't need a doctor.. he's fucking Polish!(Dale remarking on the genetic sturdiness of those of eastern european stock)

At work: Attack of the Mutants! High quotient of nutties out buying stuff. Bought a small stack of old 70's comics from some morlocks today mostly because they were books I read as a kid. Morlock quote: We didn't know you were here but we found you on the intermenet(yes that's right, intermenet). Lucky us, our sorryass abandoned site brings them to us, god bless the "intermenet". Late day encounter with know it all, short, musclebound, anti-semite fuck looking for chess set. Why do I suffer these people? When I saw that his t-shirt had the word "testosterone" on it I should have realized gears were missing.

Boss sprung for Pierogi lunch for troops on all fronts. Potato, cheese and potato, sauerkraut, sauerkraut and kielbasi, cottage cheese, cheese potato and jalapenos(jalapenos?) all backed up by Haluski(cabbage and noodles) and Galupki(cabbage rolls). Oh, and the pierogi(s)? were soaked in butter and onions. Everyone stuffed, everyone happy, any diet resolutions tossed to the side today. The ladies from Pierogi Shack(converted gas station into polish food take out) out did themselves and have been swamped with orders because of upcoming Stillers playoff parties. We have to do this again in a few weeks, absolutely incredible.

Todays work quote(made by accounting firm salesperson):We're family based.....even though it(the flyer) says "internet".
Tomorrow: Pierogi!

little work: Dwarven engineers dote over teenage grrl assistants while the tomb takes shape. Metal staff plots pierogi lunch for the tribe on thursday. Husker Du and "Die Meistersinger" peacefully coexist on our musical menu. Snow is all melted and that.

The cast of weird continues: While getting caffeine snacks for Heavy Gear participates at the annex I run into the Crazy tall long bearded guy at the Coffee stop. The same strangent who almost ran me over at 1:00A.M. last night was getting the day old bagel hook up from the boyz. Giant bag of a few dozen or so bagels is gently placed into the rogue shopping buggy, fuel for the Midnight races. No cream available for Richard's decaf, owner of the shopping cart holds door open for me as I walk out. The street is covered with snow.

Trying to find lost notes for post, walking back late at night on sidewalk.. I hear the rattle of a shopping cart behind me.. I don't want to look back, I know its something insane.. walk faster. Rattle continues stronger...faster..I walk faster..it rattles faster..damn its going to pass me..damn..then it does. I knew it! Crazy looking tall long bearded old man pushing metal shopping cart full of garbage and noticeable milk carton races past me and rockets up the street. I can't find my notes anywhere.

At Work again: Balin's Tomb is still pink..Master of the annex requisitions new improved palette for the customer base. Art comtemplates weekend escape to Cleveland to see Dirtbomb at the Ballroom. During mail call the rekkid agents are glued to the screen watching 98 OZZFest at Starlake, I watch with them for a bit. More processing of product..field a cheer-up call..successful..who orders all this shit! Card trade of rare elf for determined goblins. Dale swoons Warhol museum intern..she escapes. New spiderman front piece looks snazzy and a vast improvement over what was there before!

At Work: Started with book processing which leads into coffee break with bagels and Argentinian bread pudding. Lots more processing..Howard Stern with super over the top Letterman as guest on the radio..its always a guilty laugh with Howard. Later at the game board Balin's Tomb is being worked on for store demo soon..Foo Fighters and Queen's Flash Gordon movie music are being played alot for quick energy. Pink insulation foam core everywhere, the price of creativity. The rekkid agents are selling the hell out of the "Dragons" and other choice numbers. Much talk about the upcoming "Stillers" game between the sports sages. Evening musical cap of the Overture from "William Tell" on QED by National Symphony Orchestra followed by more Queen Flash Gordan. Close out, everyone leaves so we can do this tomorrow.

The two things of note today: A street artist who I never have seen before came in and wanted to sell us a small water color he did of our building. I hesitated at first but he was weirdly nice and said he spent last sunday afternoon doing it out in the cold. The more I looked at it the more I liked it and he seemed like the real deal. He wanted 5 bucks, I gave him a 10 spot. He was thrilled to have coffee $. Money well spent for both of us. I guess if I was a whiz kid I could have a picture of this up here, but I'm not whiz enough yet, so maybe later. Thing two, coworker coaxed me try a vanilla peep Valentine heart. Its nice to know that the people who gave us peeps to begin with have decided to branch into other holidays..now thats confectionery vision!

It could have wiped out France! Despite not really liking CNN I tend to watch it a lot, today they spent 10 seconds talking about an asteroid that was only sited in december and could have packed a real whallop if it hit. But it didn't and the anchor person kept on smiling and went on to the next story.

Today I was attacked by a common household spice. On lunch break I stopped a the local Indian supply shop to pick up some paprika that I thought would jazz up the chicken I was going to cook. In addition to the small red can of "Rajah" paprika I also picked up some somosas, potato cakes and a hot pepper thing. Chicken, fun Indian food, what could go wrong? Chicken in the pan, I was ready to add the "Rajah", I pulled the tab on the can and it instantaneously blew up like a paprika bomb. I was red powdered chest up. I guess this really isn't such a big deal but I never had a seasoning treat me so rudely. What trespass did I do to offend the paprika gods? After that excitement lunch was good but that hot pepper thing kicked my ass, I can't remember the last time I ate something so freakin hot, I couldn't even finish it.

If I were a work of art, I would be Piet Mondrian's Composition A. I am rigidly organised and regimented, although my cold and unapproachable exterior hides a clever way of thinking and a rebellious and innovative nature. A lot of people don't understand me, but I can still affect them on an emotional level. Which work of art would you be? The Art Test

I'm not so sure about the organised and cold part, but I could live with being this piece of art..

Really too nice for December 5th here, temp probably in the mid 70's all day long. No need for jackets just wear the t-shirts. Last year at this time I think we were freezing to death. This won't last long, and boy we will pay come Jan/Feb. Burr..I can feel it already.

Today a co-worker took me aside and said he wanted to talk in private about something before noon. It sounded somewhat ominous so I broke away as soon as I got a chance to see what was up. No one else around he walks to the back room and brings back a Tupperware container full of Kluski(Polish noodles). His mother had made the noodles for him this morning and he knew that I would react very favorable to getting some. I sneaked him some Golabki(Cabbage rolls) about a month ago, also mom made. Why the secrecy? We are probably the only ones who like this stuff and there isn't enough to go around anyway. So for now its a clandestine eastern European lunch club. That's right, the CEELC is closed to us cabbage kids or anyone else who can at least bring some kielbasa or Mrs T's Pierogies to the table.

You send the boy to college and he first wants to study engineering, fine, thats great. Two years later he switches to the theology dept instead, I don't care, I talked to the wife and whatever makes him happy. We don't see him for a semester and then we start getting crazy postcards from Pakistan. Next thing you know we see our boy on CNN fighting for the Taliban, kids these days, I don't understand he was such a nice quite boy----just my take on the 20 year old American fighting for the Taliban as seen on CNN. It just gets stranger and stranger.

The old lady grabbed tight to my jacket sleeve telling me she needed my help to cross because of her bad eyesight. She seemed to come out of nowhere. I told to hold on and we'll cross when it's safe. Being a busy street at noon downtown it took awhile, she turned to me and said, "your real patient..I wish I could be that patient". I just laughed real hard and she started to laugh too. Walking away I admired the Christmas circus theme windows of the large department store trying hard for good holiday sales.