...on the end...

...or is it the beginning?

so the bastard hasn't put up in a couple few. and i realize that i haven't. so now i am. one gets caught up in the business of complaining about the business and i forgot to tell you that business has concluded. the january issue has gone to the four winds and all that haunts me is that one spread that i can never take back now (the things some people will do to a magazine to avoid a make good*). and that removed a great deal of my burden. the daily is gone as well. the ad guys owe the bastard some alcohol. this however will never give me back the vacation time i lost this year but in essence, that's my own fault anyway. holiday shopping is done despite my trip to the mouth of hell and back again (didn't someone write a book called that?).

so, needless to say, while i'm at the end, i am at the beginning. i can begin enjoying the holiday season. the bastard bestowed booze upon all who took the time to bail his ass out these last few weeks and now i can get on with the holiday.

came home. thing 2 was looking out her open door shouting into her phone so i turned around to close the door downstairs mostly to give her the opportunity to close the door and save her the trouble of tipping me off that she's an awful person. she tolerates my presence in this building and i know it. but, a thing i've learned about mean people is that they think that they are fooling someone with fake pleasantries while they skewer you behind closed doors (we have thin walls thing 2) but, it's the holidays. my gift to her is the ability to keep up the pretense.

opened the mail and got a card from uncle acid (as well as from numerous others) and enclosed were two pictures of my grandparents from april of 1943. i took pause and got a little misty. i was an awful grandson and i miss them. thanks uncle. i appreciate it. merry christmas.

—the bastard

* a "make good" is when the magazine screws up an ad placement and we have to pay for it or we just have to run it again for free next time.