Common sense is not all that common

SEATBELTS!

 

I wear them every time I ride in a car...

 

(I was in a roll-over car crash)

 

THIS IS WHAT BUGS ME ABOUT PEOPLE THAT DON'T WEAR THEIR SEATBELTS

 

"I once heard about a guy that attended college with a man that got a speeding ticket from a Cop who read about a girl who had a pizza delivered from this teenager that knew this kid who had a friend in grade school whose older sister worked with a lady whose boss had an artificial leg that was made by this doctor (so he should know) whose Grandfather had a dream about somebody that might have died in a car wreck if they had been wearing a seatbelt, so of course I don't wear seatbelts because they are unsafe"

 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but no one is entitled to their own facts. 

There is the truth and there are lies. 

Black and White. 

No debate.

 

 

Seatbelts save lives

 

People that do not wear their seatbelts are risking their lives.

 

(OH, while I am making absolute statements)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      ALL SMOKERS ARE LITTERBUGS...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 David<~~~~~~~~~~making new friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love St. Louis...

ST. LOUIS TRIVIA!

We consume more barbecue sauce per capita than any other city in the United States here in St. Louis...

The first Lung Cancer operation and the first Lung Transplant were performed in St. Louis...

7-UP was invented in St. Louis...

The Ice Cream Cone and Iced Tea was invented in St. Louis...

The largest collection of mosiac art in the world graces the walls and ceilings at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis...

T. S. Eliot, Maya Angelou, William Gass, Tennessee Williams, and Eugene Field are all from St. Louis...

James Buchanan Eads built the first bridge using steel truss construction here in St. Louis...

St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, Cahokia Mounds, Museum of Westward Expansion, St. Louis Science Center, Missouri History Museum, Grant's Farm; all major attractions and all free here in St. Louis...

Susan Blow founded the first Kindergarten here in St. Louis...

Peanut Butter was invented by George Carver here in St. Louis...

Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, Miles Davis, Albert King, David Sanborn, and Michael McDonald are all from St. Louis...

The Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space capsules were built here in St. Louis...

The World's first skyscraper, the Louis Sullivan's Wainwright Building, was built in 1897 here in St. Louis...

The Nation's first Interstate Highway was constructed here in St. Louis...

John Goodman, Kevin Kline, Scott Bakula, Josephine Baker, Betty Grable, Vincent Price, Buddy Ebsen, Redd Foxx, Shelly Winters, Virgina Mayo, and Marsha Mason are all from St. Louis...

The Nation's tallest man-made monument, The Gateway Arch, is here in St. Louis...

The bread slicer was invented here in St. Louis...

 

And the best part about St. Louis?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~lives in St. Louis!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                           i'm sleepy...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This here's the story 'bout a man named...

Yesterday was a good day.  I have been off work for the past four days and it's been a nice break for me.  Yesterday I woke up early because I wanted to see the lights on my new Vivarium change over from the night time system to the day time system.  I acquired two flying geckos (a male AND a female) I haven't named them yet, I'm thinking about Mr. and Mrs Walenda.  Anyway that's how my day started with the successful transition of my lighting system.  I spent the rest of the morning opening boxes from my move and putting books into piles...Fiction, Bio, Wild West, Supernatural, Graphic Novels, UK, WWII, History, Herps, etc...made a huge mess on my living room floor.  Tiffany picked me up and we went to Johnnie Brocks to look at Harry Potter costumes for my upcoming HP7 Party at work.  Then we drove downtown for the rest of the day.  We planned to park at the Jefferson Memorial Parking Garage as a base for our day's events.  As we pulled up to the automatic ticket dispensing machine at the entrance to the parking garage a Japanese tourist jumped in front of Tiffany and stole our parking ticket.  The gate went up to let us into the Garage but without a ticket we would be charged for the whole day ($10 instead of $6).  Tiff couldn't back up to reset the pressure switch in the floor because of the line of cars behind us.  I was very mad at the Japanese tourist.  So we walked to the Parking Garage exit to explain things to the attendants.  The supervisor gave us a handwritten ticket so that cleared things up.  We left our cooler and padded chairs in the car and hoped the Metro down to Union Station for Dinner.  Union Station is going downhill just like most of the Malls in St. Louis.  There are too many of them and the vacancy rates are 60% and they have a lot of Mom & Pop shops.  We ate at Landry's Seafood and walked the mall.  Tiff bought an eye glass repair kit (she lost her screw), and I bought a mechanical butterfly (I didn't lose my screw).  We rode the Metro back down to the Arch and stood in line to use the restrooms underneath the Arch in the Museum.  I popped into the 'Mercantile Store' to pick up a Phrenology Bust that I had seen but I didn't buy it (after looking at the price I remembered why I didn't buy it during my last visit).  We walked over to the site of the evening's concert to see how many people were already waiting and it was starting to fill up, there was no notices posted about coolers so we walked back to the Parking Garage to get it and our padded seats.  As we arrived back at the concert site they had erected signs stating the rules of the "Celebrate St. Louis" concert series.  Rule #1:  No Coolers.  So Tiff headed down the steps to snag a good seat for us and I hauled the forbidden cooler back to the Parking Garage.  When I got back Tiff had grabbed us some great seats eye level with the stage just a hair off of center (missing the green tent erected to shade the Sound Mixing equipment).  The opening act of the concert was R. Scott Brian (he used to play with Sheryl Crow).  He was pretty good.  I walked around and looked at the concessions area at the concert and every time I passed Tiff I tried to get her attention to wave at her but fate intervened each time.  Emmylou Harris started her concert at 8PM and she was great.  She sang some of her stuff, some of George Strait's stuff, some of the stuff from her 'All The Roadrunning' duets with Mark Knoffler, some of the 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou' stuff, some of Neil Young's stuff, and some Paul Simon's stuff.  It was a great time.  After she finished they had fireworks on the river in front of the Arch.  When we got back to the Parking Garage we discovered that they were letting people just leave without paying so earlier I worried about 4 bucks and I ended up paying nothing at all to park.  We left and headed back to the Apt Complex.  We stopped at Lion's Choice because I had a craving for BBQ (and I'm not even pregnant).  It was a good day.  Tiffany is a great girlfriend...

 

 

                                                           David<~~~~~~~~LUCKY GUY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                           i'm hungry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David<~~~~~~feeding my frogs!

I am SLOWLY putting things away in my new place.  I stopped at two pet shops on the way home from work.  I picked up crickets for "Mustard" (my yellow Tomato Frog) at one, and TWO rat pinkies for "Mr. Grinch" (my albino Chocoan Horned Frog).  I am sitting here on my couch watching Cable.  Shoot me now...

 

 

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)