Good Bye 2008

It's 6:30pm New Years Eve(ning) and I have showered and put on my pajamas. I am enjoying a cup of cinnamon coffee with my Christmas lights blazing and the iPod streaming on shuffle. I'd say I'm in full celebratory mode at this point.

As I review the year of 2008 I can honestly say it is the year in which I have shed the most tears. Only once were they tears of joy when Barack Obama swept the Presidential race, a pivotal change to this nation. I can also say that standing in line for over two hours to vote early and seeing/hearing Obama speak downtown at a voter rally were the highlights of my year.

Other than those two aforementioned events, this year sucked ass. Between personal and professional losses, it's a wonder I am still here.

The most unexpected and devastating loss was that of Dr. J, an avid contributor to the West Five Two. She was an amazing person. I respected her and looked up to her as a role model, and I enjoyed her friendship. I could always count on her to meet me at the Parkview for the annual reggae brunch or to see Lost State of Franklin. And she would surely cause me great laughter at any event.

The second loss came when Raja left this earth. In March her fate was sealed with the diagnosis of kidney failure. I did everything I could to make her comfortable during her last months, and I'm proud to say I did a damn good job with her. We were both strong until the very end. I put her first before anything else, making sure she was happy. It was a selfless and compassionate act that took a great amount of patience that I didn't think I had in me. I suppose that is what unconditional love feels like.

I can go on for days about my professional life, but I will not. I will say that through 2008 I have learned that incompetence rules. The dumber you are, the poorer judgement you have, and the higher your inability to effectively communicate will get you further in life than you would expect. Perfect examples include, George Dubya Bush and Sarah Palin, amongst millions of other people in charge. Now, what will I do with this new found knowledge you ask? I will take it with me when I leave the Cleve and implement it in my next place of employment. I will do my job half-assed, give two flying fucks about being productive and/or efficient, ignore emails and voice mails, make impulsive decisions with the least amount of judgement as possible, give two shits in the wind regarding any and all safety procedures, take an ample amount of days off, plead ignorance at every opportunity all the while keeping a bright and sunny disposition, and make my way into administration within a year of employment.

It's official.....I have turned into Debbie Downer....WAH WAH!!!! I usually like to give a title or theme to the upcoming year, but not this year, 2009, it's just a different year. I am looking forward to a trip to Hawaii in February, otherwise I'm going to take it one day at a time.

Change gonna come,
Medusa J

The Faithfully Departed......

Oh what a sad sad day. I awoke this morning to find Raja in a peacefully still pose on her pillow in the kitchen. I knew right away she was gone. I have to say I am glad she died at home, and it wasn't a traumatic experience for her or me. She was by far the best dog I have ever had. Her bark was infectious and her ass was offensive, but we loved her nonetheless. Her mellow demeanor brought a balance into my life, just when I needed it. She was so tolerant of black dog, and so forgiving after their spats. I made her happy and she sure did make me happy too.

I posted a couple of my favorite recent pictures of her. This one was taken in the early spring, shortly after she was diagnosed with kidney failure. She was always so patient, and let me do whatever I wanted, whether it was making her pose for a shot like this, or using her for a pillow.

We went for a long drive this summer and I grabbed this shot of her. One of her favorite things was riding in the Jeep with her face in the wind and some doggie ice cream to cool her down. I ran some errands Tuesday night and something told me to take the dogs with me. I'm glad I did, she was so excited to be in the backseat just tagging along while i went from store to store & place to place.

This last picture is the most recent, taken just two weeks ago. You couldn't tell she was sick if you didn't know. However, she was very ill. The vet told me eight months ago it would only be a few months.....she lasted much longer than we expected. There were no signs of distress, she continued to eat and drink all the way up until the end. She had her dinner last night, some biscuits, her medicine & peanut butter. The three of us snuggled on the couch most of the night watching TV. I took them out & went to bed just like any other night.....

Having a dog(s) is one of the most amazing experiences in the world. Sure they are a lot of work, but it's well worth it. They are unconditionally loving and infinitely loyal. They are there for you consistently, regardless of what kind of day you had. They are always happy to see you, never judgemental, and keep you warm in the winter months. I will never forget Rajy, but I will miss her dearly.

MJ

Yes We Can!!!!!!

As promised, pictures from the Obama rally yesterday. I've never seen so many people in downtown Cleveland, it was awesome in every sense of the word. You could feel the energy and excitement in the air and see it in the faces of everyone in attendance. Piddy and I biked down around 2pm and found the masses already lined up from Lakeside to Prospect and from East 9th to at least East 12th, and everywhere in between. We scrapped waiting in line and found a piece of curb on St. Clair right outside the Marriott. Here is the diva that was holding two spots for his girlfriends that never showed.

Ah, anything to make a buck. Christie's Cabaret truck made several rounds throughout the duration of the rally. Classic.
Old hippie guy yelling about the 40 building embassy that Bush built in Baghdad that is full of Marines and now posing as a target, just like the one in Lebanon a few years ago.
This was our initial view when we rolled up. Glad to see every cop in Cleveland was working last night. If there was ever a time to get away with a crime outside of downtown, it was last night. You would have been in the clear.
Poor kid was bored to death. He had his portable dvd player, lots of snacks, and some really cool parents for bringing him downtown, but he was not hearing it!!! Eventually more families with kids showed up and he had someone to play with.



Veteran carrying a peace flag.
Piddy showing love for Obama. He was a trooper for sticking out the chilly/rainy weather, all while craving a fat hotdog from the street vendor that he never got. Probably not a bad thing.
Ah, the first (of many I'm sure) Browns fan to get arrested for acting like a douche bag. Too bad they suck ass and lost the game......again!!!!!!
Here's the old ass dude that whispered a prayer. We could totally see the podium from where we were until it got dark. Then all we could see were two spotlights, good thing there was a screen near by.

The crowd continues to grow......and grow......and grow.

Keeping an eye on the crowd.......
More snipers.......
I wonder what he's sees up there?????? The end of Palin's career???? You betcha!

And "The Boss" makes his appearance. He laid down five or six songs, and repeatedly chanted "Yes We Can" and "We're at a crossroads." His voice is as raspy as I remember from my childhood days, need I remind everyone he's a fellow Jerz? Of course not.

And the moment we had all been waiting for......the Obama family makes their appearance on stage with Bruce!!!!!!

And here he is, the man of the hour addressing the people of Cleveland.......
The first African American to make it this far in the run for the highest office of the land.....
The next President of the United States of America.....Senator Barack Obama!!!!!!!!!!
I have never been this excited over politics. I waited in line for over 2 hours on Saturday to vote, and I didn't mind at all. I am so proud of Senator Obama that I could cry. I heard today that his grandmother passed away late Sunday night, and I shed a tear. If only she could have held on for a while longer, she would see her grandson become the first African American President. Perhaps she left because she already knows it's in the bag.

In less than 24 hours there will be a new President. I am filled with excitement yet nervous for the outcome. May this be a landslide so we can say goodbye to those idiot Mavericks.

Peace out,
MJ

Halloween 08

Another Halloween to be followed by the most historical presidential election of our nation. What could be better? I know, a party at Taj's place!!! Here he is sporting half of Hanz/Franz and quite ready to "pump you up!!"

Don't mess with Rosanne Rosannadanna and Palin. Saks Fifth Ave has nothing on Unique Fulton and Lorain.

Classy guy in a classy costume!!!! This was one of my favorites of the night. He was sporting a molestache/goatee early on, but it fell off at this point. Great job Assad!!!!

Rosanne Rosannadanna early in the night. You can see another Palin in the background, not nearly as good as the one pictured aboved. She lacked props/creativity.

And these would be the props/creativity I spoke of in aforementioned statment. Partying with all the Joe Six Packs of Cleveland is where the "whackjob" Sarah Palin was last night.

Looks like the devil in Silk got a hold of Palin's gun and wolf cub. Piddy couldn't keep it together when he saw the poor cub.

Stewie and E.T. I might add the E.T. costume was handmade back in the day. Mad props to the neighbors.

One of three Mary Catherine Gallaghers in the crowd. Dum Dums were the highlighted treat of the evening.

Ooops, Trig is about to hit the floor.

Did I have a good time? You betcha. More photos and videos to come post Obama rally tomorrow.

MJ

Voter Rally

I attended a voter rally show at the Beachland last evening. It was free, a suggested $5 donation at the door and I got me some Obama pins. Some local bands, including Carlos Jones & Kristine Jackson played. The headliner was Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul, & Mary. The guy is ancient and has been protesting equal rights, peace, love, and happiness since the 60's. When I first heard he was headlining I laughed. But I gotta say it was pretty fucking cool. Here he is jamming out.

He busted out some classic protest songs including "Blowing In The Wind" in which the entire crowd sang along to. He also shared stories of the protests he attended during the civil rights movement, as well as bringing the US troops home from Vietnam. And speaking of the crowd, full of old ass hippies, young folks like myself, and some teenagers drug along by there hippie parents. Hopefully someday those kids will look back and realize their parents were pretty fucking cool for bringing them out for a rally like this one.

Of course, this was not to endorse any certain party/candidate, but it was pretty clear the entire crowd was/is pulling for Obama. Peter shared that he has not been this excited about politics in 40 years. Dennis Kucinich even made a cameo, sang a little ditty or two, spoke to the crowd and encouraged everyone to vote for Obama.

I ran out of space on my digi, but the ex mayor of Cleveland, Jane Campbell, was also there. She got up to speak and encourage everyone to get out and vote as well as continue the grassroots movements on the ground to get people out. She had a few drinks, perhaps gin & tonics, before getting up there too.

I was most excited when Peter busted out "Puff The Magic Dragon" as the old hippie next to me shouted in my face, "this song is about acid and marijuana" and I replied, "yeah, I know." Then she said, "No it isn't......heheheheh......okay, yeah it is," and she danced off into the distance. Classic.

And now some videos....








OBAMA for Pres!!!!!
MJ

Come on now, seriously???

This America, could potentially be our next President should McCain kick it while in office. Seriously.....



MJ

Food For Thought

Sarah Palin Knows Foreign Policy
Look how close Alaska is to Russia!

Sarah Palin Knows Education
She's been to 6 colleges in 6 years!

Sarah Palin Knows Executive Decisions
Having run a state with a population the size of Anaheim, CA for less than two years.

Sarah Palin Knows Government Waste
She collected 27 million dollars in earmarks while mayor of a 9000 person town in Alaska.

Sarah Palin Knows Scams
And paid herself thousands of dollars to work at home.

Sarah Palin Knows State Business
And apparently so do her children, to the tune of a $50K+ travel and expenses tab picked up by the taxpayers.

Sarah Palin NOW knows Abstinence Only education doesn't work.
But she STILL thinks it's the only sex education your children should learn.

Sarah Palin Knows Sexism
It's sexist when it's applied to her, but its not when it's applied to Hillary.

Sarah Palin Knows Creationism
And wants to teach it to your children as an equally plausible alternative to the theory of evolution.

Sarah Palin Knows Books
And wants to ban the ones she doesn't like from your local library.

Sarah Palin Knows Rape and Incest
And believes the victims should be forced to bear the child.

Sarah Palin Knows Welfare
Alaska receives more money from the Federal Government than any other state of the Union.

Sarah Palin Knows Country First
But she believes in Alaska First and supports a group that wants to secede from the Union.

Sarah Palin Knows George Bush
And wants to continue his policies for 4, 8? 12? 16? more years.

Sarah Palin is a 72-year-old heartbeat and five-time face cancer survivor away from the Presidency.



Think about that when you go to the polls.

Vote Obama,
Medusa J

Mullets Mullets Everywhere

Okay, so I think Knotty Dee has far surpassed my mullet hunting skills. Check these mint mullets she's found on Oahu!!!

Studying hard!!


Picking up trash and taking a hot second to watch the game!!

MJ

Four

The number four is symbolic in many ways.

4 is my favorite number.
4 months ago was Lego's last blog entry.
4 hours I spent painting today.
4 hours it will take my dreads to dry this evening.
4 months from today will be a new year.
4 days of fighter jets flying over my house driving me nuts.
4 days until J-Ho's birthday.
4 days in the work week due to the holiday.
4 AM is the time I went to bed this morning.
4 months I've spent scraping/patching/sanding/priming/painting my house.
4 multiplied by 2 is the number of years I've spent in Cleveland.
4 multiplied by one thousand is the amount of money I dumped into my house this spring/summer to never get back.

And the final number 4 in today's Four blog............
4 years sober for Medusa Jones.


And now I leave you all w/ a random Four from the pod;

1. Jedi Mind Tricks by Immortal Technique from a mixed IT disc. Conscious hip-hop just the way I like it.

2. Erotica by Madonna from Bedtime Stories. Wow, this is going back, have you seen her lately? Scary.

3. Harmonica Rockin' by Muddy Waters from some pirated shit. As the name suggests.

4. Future Shock by Curtis Mayfield from The Very Best Of.... You da man Curtis.

Peace out,
Medusa J

Ingenutiy Fest 2008

The night started out w/ a trip to Phnom Penh for dinner, then off to downtown for Ingenuity Fest 2008. We attempted to park in the garage at Statler Arms, but it was full minus the reserved spots for residents. Stupid Texas got us all jacked up on the second floor, but Taj maneuvered back to ground level to let the teenager in the booth know there were no more spots. She totally hooked us up w/ a front "Reserved" spot after saying, "How long y'all gonna be here?" Lucky for us, we did not get towed.
Technology, Art, Music, all combined, right here in CLEVELAND!! "It's ingenious," says our "local Grammy Award winner," Angelin Chang after finishing her performance. Great on piano, just keep the microphone far, far away from her, especially if on a schedule!!!

A wager had been laid down at the beginning of the night. J-Ho suggested we pick the number of mullets we would see. My guess was three, she went conservative with one. The prize would be either a cup of fee at Gypsy or a dessert of choice at Dairy D. The hunt was on, and I quickly spotted number one enjoying the sounds of Mifune (my new favorite local band).

Number two was spotted leaving the exhibit with the very large horns. This picture does not do justice of the rats nest on top of her head. I had to chase her all the way to the Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake stand to capture this shot. She fast!!

While making our way through vendors and laughing at old hippies jigging to the music, we came across a tent of "Free stuff."

We then found ourselves in a warehouse with Fair Trade vendors that do not believe in air conditioning. J-Ho passed out from heat exhaustion not to mention the transvestite wearing a dress and sporting a mustache that exited the building.

All in all it was a fun night. Only two mullets were sighted, making it a draw. Perhaps the next local event will hold more success. Let's make it a double or nothing wager J-Ho. Lucky for us, the car was not towed and we made it back to the O.C. safely, until Taj gave J-Ho a mini-heart attack by attempting to turn right in front of oncoming traffic. It was a large Ford pick-up truck w/ a big burly man driving it, he shouted something like "do it" per J-Ho, but I was thinking more like, "Idiot," it was difficult to understand him. Perhaps he was the third mullet I was searching for, but it was dark and he whizzed past.

Peace,
MJ

Cry Baby

I love this picture! Here is a 20 year old man child that was just convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the New Year's Eve beating of Shaker Heights. He and five of his thug friends beat a man nearly to death, however, the man survived, happens to be a lawyer, and identified all six men, including this idiot. Man child claims he was caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and got mixed up with the wrong crowd and that he ran away as soon as the beating began. Well, the lawyer man was not deemed WRONG when in the courtroom he was able to give blow by blow details of the beating, and was certain this man was included. Aw, who's a tough guy now? Pussy. He'll be 45 years old when he gets out, I hope that's enough time for him to think about what a disgrace to society he is, and how lucky he is that the jury acquitted him of attempted murder and carrying a firearm while committing the crime. Let the inmates have their way with this young man. Talk about the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong crowd, hold tight to that soap....

MJ

Images

Ah, to be in my bedroom with the window a/c blasting after a three hour cleaning frenzy. Very relaxed now & the house is in tip-top shape, whew. I have a few pictures to share with those faithful bloggers that are still reading but not posting anything. Please enjoy.

Pictured below is the first of many Hawaiian mullets hunted by Knotty Dee. This child mullet ala Waikiki beach can be seen trying to escape the cruel abuse by his native parents. He's just about to bust into a sprint while looking over his shoulder to make sure the coast is clear. At first glance I thought this was a midget, so I had to contact Knotty Dee to make sure this was in fact a child, she testified that it was, I trust her judgement and mullet hunting skills.



This next shot is just pure enjoyment on my part. I never was and never will be a fan of Starbucks. The fee sucks and they are just another corporate monger. So long shitty fee.



One Love,
MJ

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July all. I don't have a whole lot going on today, going to mow the grass, pull some weeds, etc. Possibly throw down a little BBQ later this afternoon/early evening. I found this picture online the other day and of course I laughed. This is "Chip" with Senator McCain when he was visiting Ohio not long ago. Rock the mullet Chip & DON'T vote Republican for the love of Pete!!! I can tell by Chip's shirt that he is a real patriot. I bet his house will be blazing with fireworks throughout the day w/ the grand finale happening tonight as one of his kids blows their hand off. More cole slaw anyone??




MJ

To Dr. J

A picture is worth a thousand words....

Dr. J, gone but never to be forgotten.

MJ

Socks

Where do socks go? How do they go from foot, to dirty clothes pile on floor or in hamper, to washer, to dryer, to vanished? Is there a small sock monster that lives inside my dryer who thrives on eating just one sock form a pair? Or is all the lint I remove just a shredded sock? Is there a consipiracy out to make me insane through stealing my socks while in the dyer? Why and where? I just don't understand.

MJ

Life Lessons

I spent 8 hours scraping the crackshack today, and I am pleased to say that it is nearly finished. I just need a taller ladder for the front, otherwise, it's done! Two friends came by to lend a hand, and Mahlik from down the street pitched in. He saw me outside last weekend and asked if he could help me, so I told him next time he saw me outside working to stop by. He did, and eagerly jumped in, weeded the final side of the shack, picked up a scraper and went to town.

He was a hard little worker at the ripe old age of 12. He was also very polite, used please and thank-you like no other inner city kid I know. I fed him some pizza, gave him some soda, two chocolate cookies and five bones for his work. He was happy and full when he left here. He put in a good hour and a half of work in between breaks (he's a tad obese for his age).

Hopefully the three adults that were also working instilled some good values in this young man. We talked with him, gave him some advice about school and his future, and hopefully set a good example for him. Perhaps he will take something positive away from this experience and carry it w/ him for life.

I spent most of my evening on the couch just relaxing after all the work. Knotty Dee is driving cross country, so we exchanged some texts/IM's, while Wah Wah Willie cooked up some nachos in VA.

I myself learned a few lessons too. Those I shall keep to myself, for somethings are better left unsaid.

Peace,
MJ

Nice Run