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This fella takes the art of Juggling to a whole new level. Now that I’m past my youthful stage of clubbing, bars & parties… this kind of show might be an ideal evening of entertainment. Of course, I’ve always wanted to actually go out and see the Phantom of the Opera production. Does this sound “Cheesy” to you? Wendy and I used to talk about this BC (Before Children). We would check the schedule to see when the play was coming to a place within driving distance. Our fantasy was to get some tickets, reserve one of those fancy Hotel suites with an in-room Jacuzzi, bring a couple bottles of champagne, and have a “Just me and you” evening. Then along came the children and it’s looking more and more like by the time they are grown and we are again free, this kind of evening might involve Metamucil and Depends undergarments. Such is life.

A true story which happened the other night. I’m at my store it’s just a few minutes until closing time. It has been quite the routine night, nothing out of the usual. I’ve announced the closing on the intercom and I’m ushering the last of the customers from the store. The doors are locked and I take a quick walk across the front lobby looking down each aisle to make sure everyone has gone. It’s been a long day, I want to go home!

I notice that there are still two young girls in the store… maybe 18 or 19 years old. One of them is wearing pajama bottoms, what’s up with that? Is it now fashionable to coordinate pajama bottoms with a blouse and hit the town? Anyhoo, they are just having a good old time shopping away, chatting it up. I get on the intercom again and announce the store is closed, and ask politely to please make final selections and bring them to the front checkout. Do they heed my request? Absolutely not, I can still hear them back there “Hee-Hawing” as if they don’t have a care in the world. I wait a couple more minutes and decide I need to go see what they are doing. I head up into the office and I can see them through the security mirror. They are really pissing me off because not only are they making me stay late, they are making a mess. Just picking stuff up, looking at it, and tossing it to the floor, taking hosiery out of the package & leaving them to dangle on the rack.

About now, my blood is starting to boil and I’m contemplating whether I should just turn the lights off and tell them they have to go and then I notice the Pajama idiot kneel down on the floor and do the classic “look both ways” and sure enough, she starts loading her purse with stuff. Now I’m way past boiling blood and into a full eruption! I run down the stairs and walk straight up to them and looked her dead in the eyes…

Mike: “Give me the Stuff”.

Pajama Idiot: “What stuff”?

Mike: “Stop being stupid, I saw you”.

Pajama Idiot: “Saw me what”?

Mike: “I don’t have time for this crap, open your purse”.

Pajama Idiot: “Ok, I’ll give you the stuff back”.

(At this point, she empties all the stuff she stole onto the floor)

Mike: “Now both of you get out of my store. Don’t ever come back. If I catch you again, I’ll send you out of here in hand-cuffs, understand”?

Pajama Idiot: (Looks up to the ceiling) “yeah… Man, ya’ll got some serious surveillance in here, I thought I was pretty slick about that”.

Mike: “Yeah, slicker than snot on a doorknob, only two people in the store 15 minutes after it closed knowing the whole crew is watching for you to LEAVE so they can go home. Now GET OUT”!

Wendy is a very light sleeper. She hears every noise so the house has to be perfectly tranquil and calm for her to get to sleep. I on the other hand could fall asleep in the middle of a raucous party and be dead to the world, doesn’t bother me at all.

The other night my dog CheeWee was having a bad time and was up at 2am having a “Hack-Attack”. Wendy finally grew tired of it and relocated her sleeping quarters to the couch and left the dog in the room with me to hack away. The next morning Wendy and I awoke at around 7am, steeped our cups of double chai tea, and had just settled in to check email when Timothy came into the office and asked… “Where is Mark? I can’t find him, he’s not in his bed or your bed”.

I looked over to Wendy and said… “Yes, where is Markie? He’s usually the first one up”! So we ‘re out of our chairs and searching the house. We checked the beds, we checked the couch & bathrooms. About now, panic starts to set in. Where the *!@*# is my 6 yr old child? We double check the beds and start opening closets, looking in corners. By now, our hearts are doing the Conga and both Wendy and I start yelling his name… MARK!!! WHERE ARE YOU??? MARKIE??? Terrible, horrible thoughts start to creep into my mind. Did he wonder out of the house in the middle of the night? Is he in the woods? Did some pervert sneak in and take him?

I’m seconds away from picking up the phone to dial 911 when Wendy finds him wedged between the couch cushions. He had snuck there in the middle of the night to be with his mommy and somehow slithered on down into the crevice between the seat and back cushions. He was snoozing away, we could barely see him!

To any parent out there who has not experienced a brief or extended moment where your child is unaccounted for: All I can tell you is that there are no words in the English Language of which I’m aware that can adequately describe the feeling of mass panic that ensues.

The Fence got put in around the pool the other day and I must say that we are very pleased with the look of it. It’s actually a maintenance free aluminum but does it not have the appearance of the more expensive stuff? Last night we drained the pool and today the final inspection cleared and they cleaned the muck from it and filled it back up. The filter is actually running! Won’t be long now!

So I turn on the television the other day and there is this show dedicated to three Playboy Playmates who are living at Hugh Heffner’s mansion. They spend their days romping around the estate in the lap of luxury waiting with giddy anticipation for their turn with the 80 year old tycoon. America cheers!! You go “Hef”! Such a “Stud-Muffin”! even at that ripe old age.

I’m working the remote control again and come across a documentary about a Mormon guy in Utah who has three wives. Everyone seems quite content with their arrangement. They are well spoken, educated, discreet and modest. America thumbs their nose! “Bigamy” how disgusting! Laws are enacted to deter such perversion.

Tired of the tube, I grab an old magazine and there’s the Guess Jeans Model Anna Nicole Smith who married a Texas oil man old enough to be her Great Grandfather. He shortly “kicks the bucket” and she’s in Court with his family fighting over the Millions. America scorns her! What a “Gold Digging Strumpet”!

I’m back to the news and apparently, a twenty seven year old “Supermodel School Teacher” is arrested for having sex with a 13 year old student. She goes to jail for 6 months, upon release, she contacts the youngster on the Internet & Sends him provocative pictures and videos. The female half of America is appalled! Lock her up and throw away the key. The male half of America is wanting to have an award ceremony for the boy and present him with a medal!

Can anyone other than me spot the double standards here?

I lived in Southern Arizona for the best part of my first 20 years. While I can now say that I much prefer the East Coast with the four seasons & lush greenery, pictures like this bring back some fond memories. The desert has a beauty all its own and one learns to appreciate this in its absence. Each and every day the sun sets and paints a spectacular view across the sky. Since there is very little humidity in the air, one can see much greater distances with crisp clarity. Perhaps my most vivid memory of the desert is the Monsoon season. For just a month or two of each year, small yet powerful storms sweep across the land. What makes these events so unique is being able to see them from a distance. One can actually see the rain falling 20+ miles away. Bolts of lightning spider from the thunderhead while the torrent of rain can be seen dropping from the clouds like windswept wisps against the horizon. All the while, the storm creeps closer, the air around you chills & takes on a clean renewed smell. Yes, I do miss that. Maybe I’ll go back one day, but just for a visit!

If you’re wondering why stupid people still walk amongst us, it’s because individuals such as the one holding this sign continue to pollute the gene pool.

Now and then I will get such a person at my store. In fact, the other day, such a lady presented herself. When we stock shelves, we often will put a full unopened carton on the bottom, and an open box on the top from which customers can grab individual sales. In this particular instance, the open box on the top had sold out so our “rocket scientist” grabs the entire box from below and attempts to argue the case with our cashier that she should get a BOX of 36 Snicker Bars for 65 cents because that is what the sign said.

I wonder if these people are actually so ignorant as to think they are going to get 3 dozen candy bars for under a dollar or are they trying to bully their way to the “deal of the century”? In any event, I’m thinking we need to keep a “Stupid-Stick” behind the counter to beat these people with!

My wonderful Sister gave these as a present to Wendy & I for Easter. These things are for wealthy folks! Wendy and I are accustomed to Hershey’s, maybe Whitman’s at best! Suffice to say, we have been excited to give them a try. I mean, we’re in our late twenties and tonight was the first time we’ve ever indulged in these “critters”. Just opening the box was a breathtaking experience! Look at all the gold foil and pretty wrapping. The chocolates themselves were more attractive than Angelina Jolie in a … umm, never mind!

So we sampled a few each and I must say there were very good! But were they good enough? I actually have no clue as to how much they cost, I’m just assuming they were expensive. Perhaps my palette isn’t sophisticated enough to truly appreciate the finer things in life as of yet. I’m the type of dude who is perfectly content with Rice-A-Roni & Taquitos for dinner whereas my Sister’s ideal supper might run along the lines of a rare salmon pan seared with an exquisite wine sauce.

Thank you Sis for thinking of Wendy and me on Easter. I do love you and we shall finish the Godiva’s but when they are gone, I’m thinking we’ll just stick to M&M’s + MilkyWays until our taste buds “grow up”.

I’d like to point out that I’ve added a new area to Mshepherd.com for photographs. On the top menu what used to be archives is now photos. Currently, only a flash slideshow is there which shows a series of photographs over the last several years of our house being constructed from the ground up along with all of the “improvements” we have made.

I plan to add many more picture series there over time. I Hope you enjoy!

I just pulled the photos from my camera’s memory card and thought I’d share a few pix we snapped during our Easter Dinner. The family went to a nice Restaurant in Gettysburg, PA. After eating, we all “Bunny Hopped” to the local Dairy Queen for a treat. Here they are…

Photographic evidence that Wendy got “hammered”.

Mark & Timothy sharing a “Brother Moment”.

My Father Isaac, the “Patriarch” of the family.

My Sister and her Son Derek (My Nephew).

Me, Sis, Mom, Dad (not a very good pix).

Erick in a rare moment allowing his photo to be taken.

Mark attempting to shove the entire cone down.

My side of the family again with Sister’s hubby in background.