I'm hosting my parents this weekend...

David & Tiff at the Rehersal Dinner...

Flower Girl...  (those are my feet on the left)

Dana and Mark...

I think my Brother is in TROUBLE!

The Wedding Cake, the seashells are white chocolate (yummy!)

 

 

 

My folks are visiting me this weekend.  They took Mam-ma's furniture down to her new place in Florida & then visited my brother Mark and his new Wife Dana in Atlanta.  I have them Friday night and all day Saturday, they leave for TX on Sunday morning.  Mark sent his Wedding Photos with them and I have loaded them onto my laptop and they are displayed at the topof this page.  I am waiting for them to mosey on over here from their Hotel room (lazy layabouts slept in).  Tiff gets off at noon and we all are going to Kimswick to eat a late lunch and stroll around the Antique Shops.  We will prolly hit a Museum or the Botanical Gardens later on this evening...

 

                   DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~tour guide

 

 

 

I'm all moved into my new Apartment!

NEWSFLASHNEWSFLASHNEWSFLASHNEWSFLASHNEWSFLASHNEWSFLASHNEWSFLASHNEWSFLASHNEWSFLASHNEWS

 

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~in my new Apartment!

 

                                      (BARNES & NOBLE HAS JUST GIVEN ME AN ADDITIONAL 170 SHARES OF RESTRICTED STOCK, WITH A VALUE OF ABOUT 1,000 BUCKS!)

 

Last Saturday we held a Poetry Slam in my Store!

     We invited all the kids from surrounding School Districts to submit a poem in our Poetry Contest held in honor of Poetry Month.  We had 25 semi-finalists and only 3 didn't show up to read their poems in front of Friends/Family and B&N Customers and Booksellers.  Ryan's poem didn't win according to the panel of Judges, but he's my favorite by far...

 

THE LITTLE OLD LADY

 

The little old lady

Who lived with a door,

She had no house

She had no floor.

 

LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR RYAN!

::applause::  ::applause::  ::applause::

 

David<~~~~supporter of the Arts

 

 

 

 

Moving in...

Howdy Faithful Readers,

I am sitting in my new APT on a step stool typing this entry onto my laptop.  My GF and I had a blast at my Brother's Wedding down in the Redneck Riviera.  My only negative feedback is that I wish GM would install turn signals on the vehicles in Mississippi and Alabama, it sure would make driving in the South much easier.  I am in the process of hanging all my art, I'd take a picture but someone (and I won't name names but his initials are David Smith) dropped my camera and broked it.  Things are looking pretty good for ol' Dave right about...................NOW!

 

 

                               David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Moving Fool!

 

 

 

I have signed a lease!

I've got no strings...

     I will get the keys to my NEW APT on May 1st!  David<~~~a little excited!  I have been running my poor Girlfriend all over town looking at end tables (I need two).  I'm also about to frame all of my artwork that I have been putting off getting done.  AND I leave for my Brother's Wedding in AL a week from today.  David<~~~a busy boy!  AND I got a HUGE bonus in my yearly evaluation.  AND my store is doing great!  Oh I know it's been a long time since High School, so here's a neat link to find out if you are still a COOL person...

 

                            http://www.elks590.org/main/cooltest.htm

 

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I knew it would all turn around!

 

 

I had a blast at the BLUE's game!

 

(David talking to his father as Tiff takes a pic on her cell phone)

 

Tiff had tickets to the Maritz Box Seats (We took a private elevator up to our private room).

 

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SUCH a nerd!

 

 

 

New skirmish in my running battle with Dobb's Tire!

I JUST SPENT $250 ON FOUR BRAND NEW TIRES FOR MY CAR!  POW!  BAM!  TAKE THAT DOBBS TIRE!

 

::making my hand into an imaginary gun and pretending to shoot at the idiots at Dobbs::

 

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Feudin' with the Dobbs Clan

 

(on a nicer note, Tiff got tickets to the Maritz Box Seats for the Blues game tomorrow night!)

I stopped at Mickey Dee's on the way home from work!

 

 

 

IF LOVING McDONALD'S RE-HY ONIONS IS WRONG...

 

                           David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~doesn't wanna be right!

 

 

 

"If I was a Rich Man..."

Opened the mail after work today and found a letter from my Corporate Office.  A quarter of my restricted stock will vest at the end of this month. 

                                            David<~~~~about to be a little bit richer!

Now all I need to do is find out how many stocks they gave me in the first place and I'm set!  LOL

 

 

 

               (why does the theme song from the TV Show "The Jeffersons" keep running thru my head?)

 

 

I HOLD HER CLOSE

I HOLD HER CLOSE

 

She smiles at me

I smile back

I move towards her

she steps into my arms

I wrap myself around her

pressing her near

finding different ways

to embrace her

I hold her close

I breath in her scent

I close my eyes and smile

because she makes me happy

and the world revolves

and the sun shines

and I hold her close

 

David Austin Smith Feb 2007

 

 

(PANTS UPDATE:  I bought two new pairs of pants yesterday...38 inch waist)

It was a VERY nice time...

We walked the entire Mall, ate at Tony Roma's, I bought chocolate candy and we saw "MUSIC & LYRICS"...

 

It was a very enjoyable evening!

 

I went to sleep at 9pm, woke up at Midnight and watched a movie, now I can't get back to sleep and I have to be up at 6am to get to work on time...

 

I really like Tiffany, she makes me happy.

 

                                 (it's nice to look forward to spending time with someone again)

 

                  She reminds me of wind chimes..........I bought her some spring flowers today...............::grins::

 

 

(no new pants but I did buy a new belt!)

 

 

 

I have a date!

I am getting ready to head out to the STL Mills Mall for the evening.  You never know, I might have a pretty girl on my arm as I stroll...

 

                                        David<~~~~~~~~~~~~needs to buy some new pants

I have my Forest Elf back

My ASM told my Head Cashier to bring the Forest Elf back because she knew it was bugging me.  It has several new tears and bad folds now and the support brace in the back is broken.  I took it out of my office where it reappeared and now have it in the back seat of my car.  I'm going to try and fix it and see if it will still "stand up" like it's supposed to.  I know they didn't take it to hurt my feelings. And I have been told by someone who is important to me who was at the party that they were just having fun.  But it does bug me.  It feels to me like when the idiots I used to hang around with in Mahattan KS (an awful town to live in BTW) took my baseball cap and set it on fire.  Different people, different time...

 

                                               David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~trying to let it go

 

 

 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

MY SEE-THRU HEART OF CLAY (for Tiffany)

A man of grey,
lives in the world today,
and he holds a secret.
 
He keeps it close,
safe near it's host,
his see-thru heart of clay.

Fired in the furnace,
polished and burnished,
with it's bright red coat of glaze.

If you hold it up right,
and peer thru the light,
the world seems almost ok.

Happy and carefree,
or so it seems to be,
till you notice the fray.

The missing pieces,
the fracture increases,
and it gives the repairs away.

He didn't hold on tight,
and it wasn't always right,
and sometimes it had it's way.

Leaping too soon,
his heart carried the tune,
and jumped to unhearing women.

He saw his love discarded,
unheard and disregarded,
much to his heart's dismay.

He winced at the sound,
of it breaking on the ground,
his see-thru heart of clay.

He knew what to do.
and reached for the jar of glue,
to mend it once again. 

He griped it tight,
it set thru the night,
and it almost seemed ok.

He tries to use more care,
a perfect heart it seems is rare,
and his has seen some changes. 

He's kept it on his sleeve,
not as safe as you'd believe,
and sometimes it got broken.

He's kept it locked away,
his see-thru heart of clay,
and it strained at the treatment.

Wishing to be free,
wanting the world to see,
the colors that it reflected.

He holds it up high,
so the light catches the eye,
revealing all his inner feelings.

All the fears and the worries,
all the love and the stories,
everything that he has to give.

You see I am the man of grey,
that lives in the world today,
and I hold a secret.

I have something here,
a treasure that I hold dear,
wouldn't you like to see it?

I'll reveal it to you this one time,
so you can hear it's shining rhyme,
this is what I have to show you.

My secret heart.
My imperfect heart.
My see-thru heart of clay.

(by David Austin Smith)

 

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a lucky guy!

 

 

She makes me smile!

It's funny how something as simple as a conversation can affect your mood.  I'm talking with Tiffany on the phone at this very moment, and she makes me happy...

 

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SMILING!

 

My "Forest Elf" is on vacation

I have a "Forest Elf" stand up that I keep folded up underneath my desk at work.  It was part of a promotion in my "Children's Dept", and I keep meaning to take it home with me.  It's sat under there for a long time and I forgot about it.  The other day I noticed it was missing and I thought "Great, someone threw it away".  I called my ASM and asked her where it went and she sheepishly told me that my Head Cashier has it with her on her Honeymoon and is going to set it up in various places and take pictures like the "Forest Elf" is on vacation.  Great.  Now I have to act surprised when it arrives back in my Office and they present me with the pictures.  I'd have rathered it never left underneath my desk..

 

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~not so good at stuff like this

 

 

ANATOMY OF A DIVORCE PROCEEDING...

I Sleep in.  Get up and eat a Ham sammich with fresh fried chips (that I bought at the new Schnucks).  Watch some TV.  Tumble some clothes.  Wash some David.  Get dressed.  Worry about the location of the Divorce Proceedings.  Call the phone number on the notice.  Get an "AWAY" message.  Find my leather folder (it has my initials on it).  Put all my documents into the folder.  Call my ex-Wife for clairifacation.  She's already left.  I think I know where I'm going.  I bring a book to read while in the Courtroom.  Drive to Clayton.  Pass a building called "The Family Court Building".  Worry about the location of the Divorce Proceedings.  Try to call the phone number on the notice.  Accidently redials my ex-Wife.  Hang up embarassed.  Call the phone number on the notice.  Get an "AWAY" message.  Head to the COURTS Building in Clayton anyway.  Think to myself, "Don't forget to leave your pocketknife in the car" [The COURTS Building has metal detectors].  Put $2.00 in coins in the meter.  Walk to the COURTS Building.  Talk to the Deputy to find out if I'm in the correct building.  I am.  Empty out my pockets to go thru the metal detector.  Discover that I have forgotten to leave my pocketknife in my car.  Walk back to my car.  Leave my pocketknife in the car.  Walk to the COURTS Building.  Go thru the metal detector.  Take two escalators up to the 2nd Floor.  Find the correct Court Room.  I am early.  Enter the Court Room to find the Court Official is already speaking to the assembled petitioneers.  Sit down hastily so as to not interrupt her speech.  End up sitting directly behind my ex-Wife and her twin sister.  It puts them in a tizzy.  They whisper.  A lot.  I turn off my cell phone so it won't interrupt the Judge when he is speaking.  I read.  The Court Official has some questions about our paperwork.  We leave to meet in a small room at the back of the Court Room.  We answer her questions.  We are ready to go.  The Judge is explaining the procedures.  The Judge calls the petitioneers.  My ex-Wife's twin sister's cell phone rings and it interrupts the Judge when he is speaking.  The Ballif gestures for her to leave the Court Room.  She leaves.  I listen to the Judge speaking.  My ex-Wife's twin returns.  The Judge calls us up third.  The Judge asks my ex-Wife all the questions that are on the petition.  She answers "Yes" to them all.  The Judge asks me a lot of questions.  I answer "Yes Sir" to them all.  The Judge thanks us.  I am Divorced.  Walk out of the Court Room.  Drink at the water fountain.  Follow my ex-Wife and her twin down two escalators.  They stop outside in the freezing cold to huddle together and smoke.  I walk past and onto my car.  Get into my car and drive home.  I call all my Friends and Family and tell them the good news.  A song is bubbling in my heart.  And I smile...

 

David<~~~~~~~a single man again!

 

                        (to celebrate I fry two pork steaks, and have them with white gravy, toast and corn)

 

I couldn't wait any longer

::sigh::

I close my eyes and let her voice wash over me, roll my head like I'm in water, so smooth, and so comforting.  A sad thought, a soft word. I ride the wave that is her voice, the rhythm propels me along towards the horizon and she makes me happy... 

 

For those of you that know and love her, and for those of you that have never met her, I'd like to introduce...

 

Ms Nina Simone

 

"Like a flower waiting to bloom, like a light bulb in a dark room, I'm here waiting for you to come on home and turn me on.  Whoo.  Turn me on.  Whoo.  Turn me on.  Whoo.  Whoo.  The high-fi is waiting for the new tune, and my glass is waiting for some fresh ice cubes.  I'm just sitting here waiting for you to come home and turn me on.  Whoo.  Turn me on.  Whoo.  Turn me on.  Whoo.  Turn me on.  Turn me on.  Turn me on."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Today at work, I popped off the "A", "S", and "D" keys on the keyboard, rearranged them, and popped them back into place.  My Office PC keyboard now reads..."DAS")

 

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ornery (but I'm smiling)

 

                                      (and that's gotta count for something)

The Night Before

It's almost over.  1:30pm tomorrow in the Court House.  I was going to get my suit cleaned but I changed my mind.  Suits are for making good impressions.  Sitting in a waiting room with my soon to be ex-Wife warrents slacks and a polo.  I'll be pleasant, it's how I am.  But on the inside...

 

 

David<~~~~~~~Laughing!

 

 

 

 

 

(Originally I put "Laughing" then changed it to "Smiling" then changed it back to "Laughing", I didn't want to seem flip or mean, but I don't care, it's how I feel, I will be laughing, and it will feel GOOD.  I deserve some laughter after what I have been through...DAS)

 

 

Just spent a couple of hrs going thru old entries on my journal...

poem for today

 

the day is short

the day is long

my time is now

my time is gone

I see before me

I see behind

I'm out of chances

I'm out of time

I turn to see it

I turn away

I look tomorrow

I look today

to find my love

to find my heart

it's time to quit

it's time to start

so say hello

or say goodbye

I'll never quit

I'll always try

 

( this is an old poem I forgot about earlier in my Journal... ::shakes it out to air:: )

 

                 David<~~~~~~~~~sentimental

::dancing with Nina::

Is is possible to fall in love with a woman you never met?  Never laid eyes on?  Even if she died in 2003?  Nina Simone really speaks to me.  Tonight I looked her up, she's black, and I have never seen a more beautiful woman.  I'm just now coming to appreciate what she accomplished during her life.  I am happily listening to Ms Simone at this very moment...

"I walked the lonely streets, I watch the people passing by, I used to smile and say hello, guess I was just a happy girl, and you happened, this feeling that possesses me, I just can't believe myself, I guess it all just had to be, I used to have a brain, I used to think of many things, I used to watch the falling rain, and listen to the sweet birds sing, and you happened, this feeling that posseses me, I just can't believe myself, I guess it all just had to be, every single word you hear now, it's coming right from my heart, this heart of mine, I've never felt like this before, a love like yours, so young and fine, now as I try to forget you, it doesn't work out anyway, cause I lost you such a long time ago, but in my eyes you'll always stay, and you happened, this feeling that possesses me, I just can't believe myself, I guess it all just had to be..."  NINA SIMONE

 

 

                          David<~~~~~~~~~dancing with Nina

 

 

Talking to a pretty girl...

Did I mention that I'm talking to a pretty girl?

 

David<~~~~~~~~~grinning like a loon

 

 

fleeting...

THIS I KNOW:  No matter how far you fall, no matter what has gone on before it is all fleeting.  In one single moment...a sound carried on the wind, a smell that brings back childhood memories, the taste of a new exotic dish, the smile of a pretty girl that is trying to get your attention; in one single moment, it is all forgotten...

 

 

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~likes smiling

 

 

 

::the sound of wind chimes::

     Today at work I had a visit from my boss, first of two days and it went very well.  I leave work and scoot on home and as I get out of my car I stop and listen.  I swear I can hear it.  I walk over to my mailbox and open it.  Inside is the normal amount of mail, mostly bills for Ray, but the very last is one for me.  It's from the Court and I smile.  I take my treasure and walk up the drive grinning like a fool.  Inside I open the letter and I have a court date on Feb. 6th for the Final Divorce Proceedings.  I can't describe the amount of noise that I make, but after galloping around my house for a bit I stop in my kitchen and become very still... the sound of wind chimes fills my heart with joy.  If you stop and listen real carefully, you can hear me smiling even now.  I have my whole life ahead of me...

 

 

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a happy man