Tone Parsons

I’ve decided I need a new hobby.

I don’t really play much on the computer any more (that only took about 20 years to get old for me), and I’m looking for something new to do.

So… I’m thinking of buying a guitar.

Now I’m not going to jump into the abyss that is music head first… that stuff is expensive!  Instead, I’m opting for the safe and sane approach: buy something that’s good (but not great) and see how I like it.  Worst case scenario… I’m out a couple of hundred dollars.

I was thinking of getting an acoustic guitar until I found out that I can get an electric for the same price.  Not only is the cool factor higher, I can wear headphones and spare my family the agony of listening to me torture the instrument (creating that coveted “cat in heat” sound).

I found it in a package deal online for $199 (that’s for the guitar, a crappy amp, crappy bag, cables, shoulder strap, and instructional videos).  Not a bad deal.

I might order it this week.

Ok… I’m a little late on this, as the New Year came upon us a couple of days ago… but I’ve got a good excuse!

I forgot to post.

And now that we have that entirely honest answer, it’s time to roll forward. New Years is so two days ago… we mustn’t dwell on the past.

Today was interesting at the bus stop. Picture if you will, our hero (that’s me, just in case you weren’t paying attention) is standing there by the curb, smoking cigarettes and trying to look cool. Enter from the left, the villain of todays story: a clean cut young man in a suit with an orange shirt and matching tie.

Orange Tie Guy: “Good morning, how are you today?”

Me: (thinks to himslef, “Oh shit… what now?” but gives a nod of the head) “Good morning”

Orange Tie Guy: “It’s nice out this morning, isn’t it?”

Me: “Yeah… it’s not too bad… it’s gotta be at least 45°”

Orange Tie Guy: “Yes, it is nice. Have you found Jesus Christ in your heart?”

And thus began a 15 minute circus of pain I like to call “Jesus on a cattle prod”. He made some reference to Orson Wells at one point (I could have sworn he said that Orson Wells WAS Jesus), asked if I’d like his magazine (Um…. no), and then offered to read some scriptures to me. It was at that point that I pulled out my only defensive weapon and let him have both barrels at point blank range:

Me: “I’m Roman Catholic”

I could see the horror in his eyes. He thought he could save me until that point. He politely excused himself and then quickly scurried off to find his next victim.

Technically, I didn’t lie. I was raised as a Roman Catholic, but after years of recovery, I’m feeling much better now (once you shed the dogma and buckets of guilt, you feel light as a feather). And yes… before you ask, that answer will always, ALWAYS make people who attempt to save you go away. It’s instant “You need to find Jesus” repellent.

They have absolutely no counter for it.

Since my wife had her accident last week, I’ve been doing the mass transit gig (she needs my car for her job).

Going to work in the morning is a breeze. My wife drops me off at the downtown plaza in the morning (where the buses all hang out), I get on my bus, and it drops me off right in front of my work. Coming home, on the other hand, is a different story. I have two issues with the evening ride:

1. The bus that picks me up from work arrives downtown 2 minutes after my connecting bus leaves the plaza (giving me a 28 minute layover).
2. The bus I take to get to my house is the same bus that goes to the Gospel Mission (the homeless shelter).

So… I’m surrounded by interesting characters at the plaza, and interesting smells on the ride home. I’m also now very aware of how many people with mental ailments live in my town. It’s a little shocking.

But I’m not complaining. I honestly don’t mind riding the bus, and it’s only for a couple of weeks. It does get me pretty close to my house (about 5 blocks from my front door) and it beats the hell out of walking. Plus, it only costs me $2 a day to travel to Liberty Lake (the town I work in) and back. I can’t drive my car for that cheap (motorcycle maybe, but car… no).

Other news: I have been assured from an OMG SUPER SECRET reliable source that Eve (of grumpyoldwoman.net fame) is going to make a glorious return to the intrawebs next month. I eagerly await her witty banter! We’ve missed you, babe!

Christmas at Casa de Tone was good this year.

The kids seemed more than pleased with what came under the tree (those little bastards have gotten expensive as they’ve gotten older), and my wife was happy with the diamond “Journey” necklace that Santa delivered. Me… I’m totally thrilled with the JVC surround sound system that we got each other.

Christmas dinner as amazingly good. The turkey and stuffing were pure perfection!

My sister and brother-in-law came over for games and such. My sister brought her famous hot buttered rum mix (which tastes sooooo good, but is horribly bad for you). Here’s the recipe (to the best of my memory):

• 1/2 gallon of ice cream (the cheap kind they sell in a box)
• 1 pound of butter, (softened to room temperature)
• 1 pound of powdered sugar
• 1 pound of brown sugar (light brown)
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

In a large plastic container (with a lid), slow melt the ice cream until it’s very soft, add the softened butter to ice cream. Add brown sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg slowly while mixing until everything is thoroughly blended. Chill the mix in the refrigerator until it’s ready to be served.

To serve: Boil some water. Fill a mug about 1/4 the way with butter rum mix, add a shot or two of dark spiced rum (I like Meyer’s), and fill with hot water. Stir until the rum mix is dissolved (it will be foamy on top).Enjoy in large quantities.

You can also prepare this without the rum for kids or people who don’t drink. It’s still very, VERY tasty (my kids love it!)

After consuming a few of the coveted hot buttered rum beverages, we played a DVD video trivia game that my sister brought over. It was all ’80’s trivia, some read from cards, others from the DVD (they show you a video clip and then you have to guess either the band name or the song title). I’m a huge 80’s fan and this was still very challenging for me.

Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling so hot (damn you, hot buttered rum mix!!), so we just kicked back and took it easy. I napped a lot and we watched the Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest movie. If you haven’t seen this yet, I’ll not spoil it for you, but I will say the following: the special effects are very, VERY good, and it totally sets you up for at least one more movie.

And that’s about it for the big holiday wrap-up. How was your Christmas?