Reverend Screaming Rat Bastard

Yeah, I know..it's been a while since my last real post. I'm lazy, what can I say?

Some of you may already know that I've been diagnosed pre-diabetic. This is something I've been on top of for almost a year now. It's not easy, but I'm hanging in there, and managing the high blood pressure too.

Now I've been diagnosed with sleep apnea. No real surprise there. I can snore like a bear with a head cold.  I found this out through a sleep study that one of my doctor's set up for me in a few days.  So to make a long story short, they (the Sleep Study Technicians at a local hospital) hooked my whole body up with sensor wires of all types.


I was hard to get to sleep at first. To get all those sensors to stick, they had to use something akin to axle grease/soft wax...and on my noggin no less! To get it out, I had to scrub it out in the shower provided. The study lasted around 8 hours...a normal sleep interval.

Now, to fix this problem of sleep apnea, I had to go down yesterday to the local Apria Medical Supply and get my CPAP machine. CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure...look it up.  My medical insurance paid for most of this thankfully. So now when I go to bed, I have to wear this contraption so's I can breath without any obstructions...namely, my tongue and my soft palate. The machine's air flow gently pushes my airway open and keeps it that way all night. This way, I can wake up in the morning all refreshed n' shit...and hopefully headache free. Oh did I mention the morning headaches? Yup...there ya go...what a bitch huh?!

So there it is. Trying to get a goon night's sleep isn't what it used to be...but hopefully it won't be so bad this time around.

greenbuildingelements.com/2009/01/25/how-to-design-a-cold-and-moldy-home/#comments

I stole this from a green energy type site.

Punk pioneer and Psychobilly/Goth rocker, Lux Interior of the music group, THE CRAMPS passed away February 4.
I met him at San Diego Comic Con (1994) while he was browsing through boxes of comics. We talked for a few moments, and he was really nice too.
My wife and I are CRAMPS fans. A former b/f of hers used to play with one of the Cramps former bassists, Candy Del Mar before she started playing with the Cramps. Sheesh, the 6 degrees of separation runs very shallow here..!!

2008 ended sadly. Well for starters, it started not-so-great with the death of my dad. Got a little better in the summer with the completion of my back deck. The fall season brought on the election. And then on the 29th of December, my neighbor suffer a severe heart attack while at work and died as a result. Jay was cool guy. A Vietnam veteran. He flew F-4's in the Navy, he was also a hunter and loved to ride around on his motorcycle when ever he got the chance. He was a great guy, and kept an eye on our place when I was at work, making sure Colleen was okay. He and his wife Norma would also keep an eye on the dogs when we were out of town and wouldn't take anything in return. This last weekend, Colleen and I went to his memorial. That was tough, but it was nice to know he had a lot of friends and family who loved him.

Good neighbors are hard to come by. I'll sure miss him.

---

On the work front. They laid off 25 guys. Mainly those who have been there for less than 6 months. The orders have been slowing down because of the economy. Less construction means less doors needed. Duh. Our glazing cell will be moving to a new building in a month (or so). I'll believe it when I see it. We actually had to take one day off just to get more orders in. I don't mind the extra days off, but it'll count in the size of your wallet.

---

Well, that's all I can think of for now. On the lighter side..

Here's a pic of our corgi pup, Angus watching the TV. It's the 2009 Westminster Dog Show. He watches it and "OOFS" at the other doggies. BTW...Angus just had his 1st birthday!!

I was heading off to work and had to stop by my fav food store and saw this. So I whipped out my camera phone and shot some pics. This happened in the Belmar (Lakewood, CO.) WHOLE FOODS parking lot..

Just thought I'd say that before I hit the sack.

Actually..she, meaning Miley Cyrus..ain't dead. But after all the rumors..er..bullshit mills that got started about her alleged death, she might as well crawl into a small space and just.. die.

Oh you didn't hear about that? Yahoo ran it..and then promptly pulled it after the truth got out. Her Wikipedia page had it within moments, and then yanked it as well. How ever, other places like DIGG.com is still running a post from some stupid idiot...

Personally, I could care less about Miley Cyrus and her alter ego, Hanna Montana. But it goes to show you how we all can get caught up in a little false lie.

Oh..here's some crap..PRO and CON....(You decide which is pro..and con..)

digg.com/celebrity/Miley_Cyrus_has_died_1992_2008

urbanlegends.about.com/b/2008/09/06/false-rumors-claim-miley-cyrus-is-dead.htm

What gets me are the idiots who are reading the warnings of HOAX..reading all the stuff saying that it is a HOAX..and still reacting to it like it just happened, and how sad they are that it happened. Some people just don't pay close attention and check their sources.

So..

She ain't dead. There.

I think..

I do however think this is a PR stunt in coordination with hurricane HANNA..!!  How convenient..!!

And I can't wait!!

My bonsai took another big hit this winter. Lost two elms, but I have more elms in training. My ficus' did okay this winter in a heated garage, however, they also stressed out a lot and dropped a lot of their leaves..as stressed out ficus' tend to do. I did also lose my grape bonsai and a couple of other smaller ficus trees as well. So today I took the clippers to my biggest ficus and pruned it back drastically, or what some tree specialists call a "blind reduction". This is when you cut branches back to the trunk. Of course I didn't cut it back that far..but it sure looks like it.  I also defoliated most of this tree as well. The idea here is to promote vigorous growth in leaf, branch and root formation. At least my one and only pine tree is surviving well. Knock wood!

I had to do small repairs to my drip system for my bonsais because I found bite marks and tears made by our new Corgi pup, Angus. He loves to chew and thus took it out my drip system hoses that were down at his level.  I also have to break down and repair my lawn irrigation system. The main manifold of the system had a burst in the copper piping two winters ago because I forgot to purge the system before the cold temps kicked in. Thus,  the copper pipe froze and burst. I did make a cheezy repair to it last year utilizing plastic hose and worm clamps, but the water pressure was too much for the clamps and the plastic hose so it popped off one night and I got up to a flooded area in my back yard. So now I have to go to Home Depot or where ever and get a Bernz-A-Matic kit and the proper copper fitting and repair it right. I've never done this kind of repair before, but between my friends, the Internet and those DIY shows, I think I can pull off the repair without a hitch. I also have to get new sprinkler heads to replace the snapped off ones by my hitting them and beheading them with the lawn mower.

I've also been doing a lot of weed and grass killing...but mostly weeds. I have a 2 gallon sprayer that use with weed killer so's I can resort to chemical warfare to combat the damn weeds. My neighbor  who is a Vietnam War vet jokingly said that he might know a place where to get some Agent Orange to  combat those pesky weeds..but good!! ..and every thing else that's green as well!!

We may have to break down and buy a new swamp cooler since the one we have here is kinda' rusted out on the some of the grills. But I may be able to bandage it and limp it along for another season. At least the water pan's in good condition and free of rust.

My wife and I joined a bowling league with another couple. My average runs around 118 to 125. Though the last two Sundays I didn't do so well because of my right wrist. (barely hitting 100) You see, it donned on me that I broke my wrist 35 years ago when I was 10.  So over the years it would hurt a little here and there but nothing major. 35 years later,  tendonitis and arthritis settle in and now my wrist kills me..and especially after bowling. So I have to grease it up, rub it down, heat it up, stretch it, etc., before game play. Tonight I had a good 3 games!!  I bowled a 185 in the first game...and that's without my handicap!! Of course on the last game of the night and at the 7th frame, I got a cramp in my leg and that put a downer on my lane approach. So my last game was 125 which isn't too bad. And if I remember correctly, my 2nd game tonight was 108...hmmm...

Well'p..I gotta hit the sack.

Merry Memorial Day!!

My wife and I got back from California last Saturday. Dad's memorial went off without a hitch. A lot of my dad's friends showed up. First the Air Force color guard did their flag folding for my dad's flag, and handed it to my mom with a few words, which is how my mom (and dad) wanted it.  My Mom, technically being a minister, procided (sp?) over the memorial service. My mom's a strong woman and since she knew my dad the best, headed up the service. She gave her ulegy, and let others who wanted to say a few words to come on up. A few did which pleased me, and choked me up at the same time. My folks neighbor across the street was also an Air Force veteran, and after he said his few words, saluted my dad's flag which I was holding by then...and I almost lost it.

A simple salute...

(BTW..I won't say my folks neighbors'  and friends' names because I want to protect their privacy and anonymity.)

Here's the blurb in the Riverside County Press-Enterprise
about my dad's death. They misspelled his name.


Here's the obituary..


And here's a photo of him taken in North Carolina near his brother's
(my uncle Russell's) place last year.


I'm gonna miss you Dad...

It's been almost a week now.  I'm still in Riverside staying with my mom. Colleen had to get back to our Colorado home to take care of business and to attend to our dogs after picking them up from the in-laws who watched them while we were here in California.

We're taking it hour by hour, day by day. I'm doing okay with a few crying jags here and there...but that's tapering off. I know I'll have a few more throughout the year  or so.  Something which will remind me of dad will probably set me off, and that will undoubtedly happen too. We all grieve in our own special way. Through the years I hope that my memories of dad will be happy ones (hilarious ones) and less on his death.

Right now, I worry about my mother and how she'll handle this for the rest of her life. My brother and his wife live out here in Riverside, so they will be checking in on mom almost every day. Mom is retired, so she will be home a lot. I haven't been back to Riverside for almost 4 years, and this has opened my eyes that I will need to come back often. I've been out of touch and I can't do that anymore. I've learned that those friends and family you love could quite possibly not be there tomorrow, no matter how far and distant you live from each other.

My dad left a lot of projects now undone, and it'll be my brother and his wife to attend to some of those as need be. My folks were in the process of fixing up the old homestead to eventually sell and then move out Colorado and buy a place to be close to Colleen and I. My mom will now have to rely more my brother and any contractor she hires to do the handy work in fixing the place up.  Also my folks have long since paid for the place so anything they get will be pure equity, and a nice chunk at that. Now with dad gone, Mom will give it a year or so before she decides what it is she really wants to do. For now, she's told me that she wants to learn to live alone, and keep her independence intact. It doesn't make me feel any better, but it is her wish and I must stand by it.

This week, we've had to set up cremation services for my dad's body, and to set up a time and place for his memorial. My dad did say that he wanted his ashes disbursed someplace in Jonesboro, Maine, his place of birth, boyhood home and where he came of age. So we're all planning on a trip back East in fall to do just that. More details as it comes to fruition.

His memorial will be held at the Riverside National Cemetary. Since he is an Air Force veteran, he is entitled to a full service with, yes, a "fallen serviceman" fly-by, 21 gun salute, flag folding and taps. But he stated before that he didn't want that, he just wanted something simple, so we will respect his wishes. And besides, my mother has attended MANY military funerals and all that pomp and circumstance is heart wreching. I know this too attending my grandfather's funeral since he too was a military veteran and there was no dry eye during the whole thing, especially when the lone bugler on the hill blowing taps.

However, they will do the flag folding because I wanted the flag as the oldest son. God, I don't know how I'm going to handle that....

Here's some info for his services if there's anyone close-by:

Where?
Riverside National Cemetary
Van Buren Blvd. and Interstate 215 ajacent to March AFB.
When?
10:16am sharp (That's military for ya..)
Location?
Station 7

So there you go.

Stay tuned..

This is probably my most difficult entry here to date.

Sunday morning, March 16, 2008, my pop was walking to his usual coffee clach with his bunch of cronies at a local McDonald's. He was mostly a healthy man at the age of 74 and liked to take his long sabaticles by taking one of his long walks in the morning  Being as deaf as he was and probably looking down at his feet, he proceded across one of Riverside's busiest streets, and didn't look side to side.  Crossing the street in a "no walking" zone, he was struck by an SUV and was killed instantly. The SUV and it's driver was not at fault since my dad couldn't hear the horn and didn't look both ways. I know this since the driver and his family were all devistated and that they had small children who also witnessed this. We're not blaming anyone, it was just a freak accident.

My wife and I get the word in Colorado 4 hours later. My mom and brother were at the hospital with my dad's body and to talk to the local authorities and coroner . My mom called, talked to Colleen and all she and I could do was cry and sob, etc.  Thus we take a flight back to Riverside so's we can be with our family to grieve and console. 

It's about 24 hours later since we got here and we're calming down, but this, the grieving will probably go on for much of the year. Adding to it, my dad was retired (retired military as well) and leaves behind life insurance policies, etc. So we have a lot of stuff to take care of.

My dad will be cremated and his ashes will be taken to his birth home in Joneboro, Maine.

This is all I write for now.  I don't know how else to gather my thoughts at this time.

Well'p our new pup came home this Saturday!! 

Angus Augustus Norton is now officially part of the family..though two of our older dogs would rather not have to deal with this small bundle of fuzzy energy.  It's funny to watch him run down our cranky chihuahua Rambeau and jump on him trying to get him to play only to watch Rambeau run away growling and snipping. Our big dog Lemon will grouch at him when puppy comes to close to Lemon's toys.  However, our other dog Beez'Lee will play a little with him and will sometimes "momma" him if she feels like it.  I wish Kee-Wee was around cuz she liked the babies and was a highly nurturing momma dog towards them.

BTW...just to remind you if you forgot..he's a corgi. Jes' sayin'..







We're in the process of taping his ears so's they start standing up. It's a painless process...though can be quite bothersome to a puppy who only wants take off these irritating  thing-a-ma-jigs on his ears. But this coming Saturday we'll take them off and cross our fingers that his ears will give us the results we want...otherwise, I'm not going to worry too much about it.

Hmm..we haven't had a puppy since 1995..and that was Lemon! All I have to say is...puppy teeth, still sharp and pointy!!

Other stuff..

I'm still working on the comic. I haven't left it. However, I haven't done a comic book or series in a while and it seems I forgot to do one thing...stock up on art supplies, such as inking pens. I'm out and I haven't gotten over to an art supply store yet..so hopefully this weekend, I'll make a trek to Arron Bros.

Any hoo...here's a sampling of the comic:



I hope to have the first installment done by the end of the month.

TTFN!!

UPDATE: The tape has come off puppy's ears and they are now standing up! Yay!! It actually worked!!

Dave Stevens, creator of the Rocketeer passed away March 10, 2008 from complications of leukemia. I just got word off of Steve Addlesee's Yahoo group. It is a sad day for all who've ever written, drawn, read, or published comic books.  I have a Betty Page print of his that that he personally signed to me..now I just hope I can find it since I haven't seen it since our move from Riverside. :-(

Remember when I mentioned that my wife and I are getting a new doggie? And a Welsh Pembroke Corgi at that? Well here's a pic of the little ball of fluff..!! We've been going over what to name it for at least two months.. even before it was born. And so we finally settled on Angus Augustus Norton. Yes, we don't have kids..and we live vicariously through our dogs...who, by the way, are all spoiled rotten. I think I mentioned that too. Enough of my gibbering, here's a pic:


Fuggin' adorable huh? I think so.

And here's a pic of his brother zonked out on my niece's lap:


I'm tossing my biscuits as I type this!! Ha! Ha!

Right now they're 5 weeks old, so they can't leave the mother at this time. BTW..The sire and the dam are both beautiful animals. Here's a link to the sire: TANK! A DAMN FINE ANIMAL I MUST SAY!! YES, I"M BEING ANIMATED..SHUT UP!! CLICK ON IT!!

And here's a link to the dam, PUNKIN!! CUTE DOGGIE!! ARF!

The last puppies we've had were our Shepard/Healer mix/ball junkie, Lemon-Lime, and perhaps our nervous/shaky-pissy/bitey Chihuahua, Rambeau. I only wish our other "late" chihuahua Kee-Wee was alive today to meet our new pup cuz she loved the babies, and would probably mother them all. I still miss her.

More later..

This is to inform those of you who do use and like my stuff that my contract with CILM  will be terminated effective March 31st. This may mean that my stuff can be gotten (perhaps discounted) until my time expires. Who knows at this point, and I don't want to speculate. My thanks goes out to those who have purchased my art through them. My thanks also goes out to Anthony and the fine folks at CILM for the oppurtunity to bring my art to a new venue.

Until then...

-DLNorton


To all PSP users and groups:

This means for now, that I will not be giving permission to use my stuff freely until further notice. Right now I have to take account of what I have and what I will allow to be used. Until then, just assume that I have not given permission.

I apologize at this time.

Against my better judgement... I'm ...uh, getting back to doing a comic series again.

I'm starting slow nothing that'll kill my brain cells or have me run screaming into the night from fear and anxiety.

I'm collaborating with mauser ..mainly because he's been kicking me in the ass off and on for the last 4 (or so) years to do something...and I think he's finally stumble on to something I can get on board with. However, I'm going to take it easy and not rush anything..well not much anyways.

I won't go into details as to what it will be, but he and I know what it will pertain, and I don't want to spoil it.

So there ya go.

Here's a rough teaser sketch:

That's all I have to say..