I guess we can start with New Year's Day. I was recovering from a hangover from one very wild New Year's Eve. I drank a lot, heard some stories that were way out there, and ended up doing coke with a gay guy in a bar bathroom. Not my proudest moment, but I can say I did it. The very next week, I stopped drinking. I still haven't had a drop of alcohol since, and I'm not sure if I miss it. Most notable answer, is that I don't, but I've had thoughts about drinking again, but only so I could get out and meet people again. The urge hasn't been all that great though.
In February two things happened (no, I'm not going to go month by month). The first was that I got incredibly ill. I'm pretty sure that I had walking pneumonia, and I felt like death twice chilled. It took me quite some time to get over that. While all the recovering was going on, I did something really stupid and blew out my ear lobe. I tried to go too big too fast and I paid the price. I decided the best course of action was to remove the taper that I had shoved through and ripped my ear open with. When I did that and waited for it to heal, I didn't realize that it healed too well. the hole that was there, that was a full 7/8ths of an inch big, was no longer. It had closed completely up. That is something that is supposed to be impossible, but when I'm involved with something stupid, the impossible happens.
Some time in the spring to early summer, I tried my luck at online dating again. I was well on my way to having a date, and she read this blog and decided that she no longer wanted to meet me, so the date was cancelled. That was a first for me. I was, for lack of a better term, dumped before we even went on the first date. I found it kind of funny, and still do. There was also a little pride there, that something I wrote could create a reaction like that. In some ways, I took it as a compliment.
I got through that with no problem, and I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I had started making videos. I had already done a couple of them by that point, but the passion didn't really erupt until a few months later. I found that I really love making them. The creative process involved with the technical aspect is very appealing to me. It brings a great deal of joy to my life, even though nobody watches them. Well, I shouldn't say nobody. A few people watch them. I don't expect to get a million subscribers or anything like that, but it would be nice to have a thousand people watch one of my videos in a short period of time. That would go a long way to my goal of being able to monetize the channel and then start donating half of the money made to a charity. It's been a goal since day 1 of doing these videos, and it still holds true today. I will be fully open with how much money I make on the channel, so that way you will know exactly how much should go to a charitable contribution. I still have the plan that you will help decide the charity each time I donate as well. I want to do some good with it, not only in spreading a little joy with the video, but being able to spread the funds to those in need as well.
Who could forget when one of my dearest friends was nearly wrenched from this plain of existence. It's a night I will never forget. August 17th of 2017. I was relaxing watching TV when I got a call, but it wasn't her on the phone, it was an EMT telling me that she was in a very bad motorcycle accident. I rushed to Orlando and the hospital as soon as I could. It took me a little over an hour, and then I waited, and I waited, and I waited. I kept gettin updates from people that had had some kind of contact with her, and that is how I found out, that I needed some secret information to get in the Trauma Unit. Once I passed along that info I got in to see her, and it wasn't a pretty sight. She was patched somewhat back together, but you could see the carnage surrounding her. Blood was spattered on the sheets and bandages, Her bag and things were sliced to ribbons, and she was so high on pain killers, it was a shock that she even knew who I was. I talked to so many people that I didn't know that night, trying to give them proper updates and letting them know that she was out of the woods, but hadn't full cleared the meadow yet. I stayed with her that whole night, until 5:30 in the morning. It was a long, lonely and reflective drive home. The first thing I wanted to do that next day, was make a video on the bike talking a bit about it. As you know now, she is doing quite well, and recovering ahead of schedule, but she still has a long way to go, to get back to what you would call, normal.
That was a rough month for me, and her for that matter. In a very short span of maybe 6 weeks, we had both lost one each of our dogs, and then she was in the hospital for just under a month. I believe it was three weeks in total time she spent there. While all that was going on, I was on the search for a new canine friend, and I found one in Morty. You all know Morty by now. He has brought a bright spot of love into my world that was gone when Lily left. I had a dream about her the other day. She was right here in the house. It felt incredibly real, but then I woke up, and Morty was there to comfort me.
Since then. life has been quiet. I've put all my focus into Saki, Morty, and video making, as well as fixing up the Lounge. Saki's Lounge is coming along nicely. Slowly, but nicely. I did get in there yesterday and clear out a ton of the area on one side. I got a couple of pictures for you to see.
Unfortunately, I don't have a before picture, so that you can compare, but if you look in that fist photo up there. See that throw rug on the righthand side, that the stool is sitting on. Before I moved all the stuff out, only about 3 inches of that rug was exposed, and the stool could not sit except two legs on it. Now as you can see, the whole thing sits on it, with a little room to spare. I still got a bunch of stuff to do before it will all be completed, but that is a big start. I plan to get rid of those selves on the lefthand side eventually, that will free up another foot or so fo room. Once those are cleared out, I can get that motorcycle lift that I've been wanting. There will finally be room for it. I do have one last thing I've been working on for the workbench. I have made some risers for it, so that it will lift about an inch and a half off the ground. That will allow me to tuck that stool under the workbench a little when it is not in use. Not a ton of room, but every inch counts in this. I did film the making of the risers, but I have a little more footage to get, and then I have to go through everything to see if I have enough good stuff for a video on the whole thing. I'll get there rest of it tomorrow, when I put the risers in place, and lift the workbench. I'll get started on the editing tomorrow, and see if I can get a video out of it. If so, I'm hoping to have it up tomorrow evening. If you know the channel, you will see it there. If you don't know it, just search Counterfeit Squirrel on YouTube. I'm too lazy to create link to it right now. Yes I know it's not that hard, but, ok I have no excuse, I'm just not doing it..
Speaking of videos, I'm planning on doing the late night ride video tomorrow night. I have no idea what it's going to be, or what it's going to look like, but I'm doing it tomorrow, and hoping that it somehow comes together. It's going to be a bit chilly, so I'll probably break out the leather jacket for this ride. My goal is to be able to show you this area at night. I just hope the camera can pick up some good footage in the dark, and I'm pretty sure there are going to be some areas that I go to, that have no lights what so ever, so this should be real fun.
I'm also planning on doing a New Year's sunrise video, but that won't happen until Monday morning. I'm hoping to put that all together and have it up by late afternoon on New Year's Day. It should easy enough to do. Since I'm not drinking, there is no need to stay up and celebrate the New Year, so I'll go to sleep early, and wake up and get out to the beach before sunrise, and do a little time-lapse magic with the sun. I've done it before, but I have more tricks up my sleeve now, so it should come out quite a bit better. I'll let you be the judge of all that.
I have one last thing to talk about, and then I will let you go in peace. This isn't about me though, it's about a friend of mine. He just put an album out, and If you could go check it out, and maybe buy it, it will be a fantastic thing. The music isn't your everyday pop music. It's a bit out there, but it has a good beat and rhythm to it. He has it available in two forms right now, but one is very limited. You can buy a digital download of t for $7, or you can by a limited edition vinyl version of it. The vinyl is limited to 500 copies, and then it is gone. The vinyl version is $15, and you get unlimited streaming of it with the Bandcamp app, and a digital download of it. More bang for the buck right there. Just follow this link: thenightbench.com and check it out. You have to do a little clicking from there, to get to the right page, but that link will get you started. Once you are on the album page, there is a player for you to sample the album by streaming. If you like it, give it a buy. If not, then pass it on to someone who might like it. It would mean a great deal to me if you just checked it out. He is a friend, but his wife is one of my very best friends, so I know it would mean a great deal to her as well.
Ok, after that shameless plug, it is time to say goodnight. Keep an eye out for a video tomorrow on the YouTube channel, oh hell, if you follow me on Instagram I'll have a promo video up there with a link in my bio, so you will surely know when it is available for your visual perusing. Peace in and goodnight.
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