New Neighbor

I am getting a new neighbor. My old neighbor moved away and I think she got married or something. I went on vacation and when I got back she was gone. I was working on my computer and I noticed a new woman in the apartment next door. She was cleaning and getting ready to move in. My man antennae was up and I had to stop and look out the window to satisfy my male curiosity. It is strange how I can sense a new woman in the neighborhood. It like sensing rain or just knowing something is going on but not knowing just what it is. I wonder if women have this same sense when a new man is around? Something inside me just awakens. Then there is the excitement and expectations of that first meeting. I almost ran out and introduced myself but I was right in the middle of a paragraph and I had to finish it first. It was too late by then and she was gone. I have to write shorter sentences in the future. I like this feeling. She is kind of pretty too. I am short and look 9 or 10 months with child. I am beginning to work out but maybe she will see me as a safe fat guy. That would be OK. I just want to be a friendly neighbor for now. Plus she looks young enough to be my daughter. Come to think of it all the women I noticed lately seem young enough to be my daughter. What is up with that? Where are all the women my age anyway? Are all women over 50 in hiding or do they notice me and really do hide? Whatever. I dream of getting a bigger apartment. The first thing I will get is a cat. The women will have to wait. Nice to be friendly though and being friendly is what I am looking forward to with my new neighbor. Who knows maybe she likes to cook and I'll get a free meal now and then. Now that is something to look forward to.

Blocked Ears

I ride a motorcycle. The wind blows thru my hair and I do not get earaches. I ride in a convertible and I do not get blocked ears. I ride with my window down in my Chevy Blazer and now I cannot hear. Why? What in the rides is different that caused my ears to get shut down?

I went to the Doc and he gave me medicine to help but I am pretty much deaf. I noticed I am calmer for some reason. Is it because I cannot hear traffic noises or children screaming or other audible distractions that occur when I have normal hearing? Does this mean that deaf people are more mellow than people that can hear?

I was with a friend the other day and he was working on a car. He had problems and was cursing the car, the tools and anything else he could curse when things went badly for him. I could not really hear him and I kind of liked it because I did not feed off his anger. It felt kind of good. I had coffee with him and his wife later on and they had an argument but I just sat there and enjoyed the coffee because I could hardly hear what was going on. I really enjoyed their company that day.

It has been kind of hot and I have a loud air conditioner. With these blocked ears I can hardly hear the air conditioner noises and I am sleeping better and am enjoying the cooler apartment more.

So in a way, my failure to put the windows up in the car and getting blocked ears turned out not to be so bad. So sometimes when bad things happen they can turn out pretty good!

Novena

Summer time I get a little lazy writing. I have been fishing in that boat I wrote about.

Anyway.

Summer time is also Novena time. Where I live there is a church, Basilica, that has a 10 day Novena. For those of you who do not know what a Novena is let me explain.

It is mostly to give old people that are close to death something to do for the next 10 days. If they survive the 10 days, they get to pray and get right with God so they can get to heaven safely. A novena usually has a Saint that is good at getting one into heaven and grants a few miracles. Although praying for the miracle of winning the lottery or winning at the local casino is not recommended but still people pray to win.

Some of the activities at the novena is of course praying and going to church. Then there are the dinners the church provides, the bus trip to get to the novena and there are candles to light and religious articles to buy. The nuns even make special bread and sell it. You get to go to confession, talk to a priest and tell him your sins and stuff, and meet a lot of other old people that have the same ailments and socialization is a big part of the novena.

The priests practice all year round doing their sermons and only the best priests get to win the honor of being the preacher for those special novena days. Usually the jokes they have are pretty good that they incorporate into their sermons. Then at the end of the novena you get the special blessing of the Saint the novena is about.

The novena is held outside, during good weather, and the little children have fun rolling around in the grass and eating Popsicles they get from the food stands.

So there it is, for 10 days you can eat, get fresh air and make arrangements to get into heaven. Parking is plentiful and you can buy a brick, put your name on it and be part of the holy walkway to get to the novena. It's fun to find your brick and show your friends too just where your brick on the walkway is.