1 Timothy, chapter 5:23: Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

Who am I to argue with the Good Book?

After years of conservatives bashing the media for "being Liberal" (as if that were a crime/sin, there finally appears to be a backlash. What the hey? I always thought diversity for Fox News was for Conservative Republicans, Moderate Republicians and Liberal(???) Republicians. Like the philosophy in the deep south (Mississippi anyway) when I was in Junior College (1969-1970) was that all "us white folks" were conservatives: Conservative Conservatives, Moderate Conservatives or Liberal Conservatives but Conservatives all! (I was in the Liberal branch of the local Young Republicians. I have since repented...)

We arrived at the chosen lunch spot - a place called "Mother's" on 2nd street in Portland - and went in to see if any of our party had already arrived. The matre'd (a fine fellow who might have liked women) told us that there were no reservations in our name. We told him that we were supposed to have a large table ready for us at noon. He said "no". So, we went outside to start waiting for the rest of our party.

We were supposed to have lunch at noon and had arrived at 11:30 am. About 11:50, my brother Jim, wife and both kids showed up. He wondered why our table wasn't ready. Jeff and #2 daughter showed up almost immediately and then my Mother and youngest brother arrived. It turned out the matre'd had us down for a 12:30 lunch; somehow, it hadn't occurred to him to check for a lunch over an hour away.

There were no inside tables and I mentioned that I'd seen an outdoor table around the corner. Jim got a gleam in his eyes and went into to speak with the matre'd. Two minutes later, we were being seated at this spot. It was an outdoor table. The surprising thing is how busy it was in the surrounding area. We remember Portland from the late 1970s, when it was dead on Sundays. This Portland was as busy as our hometown on a weekday!

We had a completely pleasant lunch; my fears about it going to SHITe were, as usually, paranoi unfounded in reality. (This ignores the family dinners, years ago, when my worst fears completely underestimated how ghastely a family dinner could become. We paranoids are made not born!

It was a delight to visit with my brothers and their families and I sincerely regreted not being able to spend more time with them...

After this broke up, we went for a walk in Portland and ended up buying about $109 worth of books at Powells. It was worth it.

When we were almost to our car, I noticed a used book store that was selling Playboy magazines. My youngest brother was born in November 1965 so I went in to see if they had that magazine. They did and I bought it.

It was only after we got home that I found out that the center piece model was covered in a thin gauze dress that covered hir breasts to the extent that she was nearly "street legal". Her hand covered her pubic (not to be confused with public) hair. The other pictures in this "photo spread" were of her fully clothed. I felt ripped off and even though this issued was published nearly 40 years ago, I think I'll write an aggreviated letter to Playboy. Perhaps they have pictures of a less modest nature?

So, I extole anyone reading this to write dear.playboy@playboy.com and demand that they publish photos of young lady suitable for the 21st century!

This is my second attempt at this note as my father-in-law's computer disappeared the first version.

In a few minutes, I'm taking my family to a restraunt in downtown Portland for lunch. (I haven't lived in Portland since 1980 so I'm not looking forward to the drive or to finding parking spots.) We're going to have lunch with my Mother (alway worth doing), my brother Jim, his wife and one or two of his kids, brother Jeff and his #2 (younger) daughter and my youngest brother Charlie. Jim is very outspoken and doesn't seem to worry to much whose feelings get trampled; his wife is more diplomatic and the kids don't say much. Jeff is the diplomat expect when he gets upset with me and then he can be quite bitchy (I still haven't forgotten the response I got about 8 years ago after writing me a note to the effect that I didn't want to see the family drift apart like out father and his brothers did. My dear brother's reply was basically a statement of disownment.) Jeff is bringing daughter #2 with him as daughter #1 has this "fear of flying". So, she stays home and her Momma watches her; could the fact that Jeff's wife has probably never liked us have anything to do with this???

I had hoped to see Jeff with the hopes that we could mend the fences; I didn't expect him to be in town at the same time we were. When I found out that Jeff and a daughter were going to be in town, I was quite shocked. At first, I thought it could be he wanted to visit my family. It turned out to be a coincidence...

Charlie is fine but you never know what his real agenda is...

There is a lovely French word that means "a group held together by mutual antangisms" and this would have to describe my family live (until I left home at age 16. That is, my father kicked me out of the house emotionally speakking althought I didn't really leave until I was 18 and went off to college and then the miliary. People bitched about being onboard a US Navy (CVA-59) ship but I found it a safer environment that being at home.

Well, we're going to have lunch at a seafood restraunt. It will be nice seeing Jeff's #2 daughter. She is about 14 now; the last time I saw her, she was 1.5 years old. We were on her families' back porch. She wrapped her left fist around my right index finger and took me for a walk around the house. I had not expected to ever see her before my Mother's funeral (many years in the future, God Willing!) and then expected to never see my brother and family ever again. (As it turned out, we thought that Jeff was distancing himself from Charlie and me. It turns out that he has distanced himself from Jim as well. We don't have a clue what we did or didn't do that causes this. Communications has to be a two way street and letters/emails/phone calls have to be answered...)

I will be on my best behavour for lunch and afterwards, my family and I will go to Powell's Books and West Burnside and get some buying books therapy! It will be worth it!

I just wrote a long note and my father-in-laws frigging computer just disappeared it!

I had a psycotic moment last night and went off on my wife for something she had not done. I can be such a complete  moronic a$$hole sometimes. (I think it something I learned from me father. Of course, he would probably disagree...)