Blasted new year. No, not emphasis on the "occasion" that is celebrated but just the fact that it is new. 2004 left so much undone or overdone. Kinda like I always make eggs. Either runny or rubbery but never really just right. And if eggs are protein (and other good stuff the consistency of snot and such) and akin to meat (come with me on this) which I typically like medium rare to rare then it should be just fine for them to be runny. My typical response to the "How would you like that done?" question is, "Warm blood on the plate. . ." So, again, if the year past was like an episode of making eggs then it figures that there would still be the sense of it turning out "not quite right."

Let me recap the highlights:

1) Nothing
2) ummm, still nothing
3) Green Day with daughter
4) . . .
5) several damn good rounds of golf
6) living in a shithole
7) recurring bouts of self-loathing, doubt, and misery
8) saw steve arnold for 24 hours

See what I mean?

This year has been a sort of slow disaster. Let me recap the lowlights:

1) January-media spotlight
2) subpoenas
3) witness
4) employees from hell
5) all good ideas down in flames
6) let the mad yo-yoing of marriage begin in the spring
7) being the stuff of public rumor
8) plague of locusts
9) sale of house, division of family
10) extra 15 to 20 lbs.

See what I mean? This list could actually go to one-hundred but that would get rather maudlin.
Not that I am unhappy. Just feel like the year was lived with only an 1/8 of a tank running my engine and I was climbing hills the whole way with no gas station in sight.

At least I have a few freinds who give a minor shit about what is happening in my world. Probably safest to speculate that the fuutre will hold about just the same amount of interaction bewteen these folks--my friends--and I. Not really alot of synergy there. Really just wonder why. . . the orbits of our particular moons seem to connect only once every 75 years or whatever atronomical (versus astrlogical) claptrap can be found therein.

This is not a self-pity bullshit rant. It is a bland reflection. Bland like the idea that nutrasweet can cause cancer or that smoking is bad for you. Played out.

Tattoo convention ths weekend. Check it out: www.tattoosbyrick.com

6, 7, 8, 9 January 2005ONEIDA BINGO & CASINO PRESENTSReturn of Ricks 11th International Tattoo conventionGreen Bay, Wisconsin USAOneida Bingo & Casino/Radisson Hotel & Conference Center ComplexRadisson Hotel 800-333-3333 or 920-494-7300Across from Austin Straubel AirportSkin Illustrations IncTattoos By Rick 920-499-7425834 S Military Ave; Green Bay, WI 54304 www.tattoosbyrick.com

Maybe see brad, mike,hoss,diane. Very good.