Tales of the Summer

So where have I been for the past three months?

Well like most Americans, I haven't gone far - because gas is so damn expensive. So I did what most people did this summer - vacationed in their backyard. Granted, I have no backyard so the Charles River and Crane's Beach had to do. It was a big disappointment after all the plans I had for this summer. But that's life, and it could have been worse.


Things began to unravel right after my birthday at the end of June. As many of my friends will attest to, I tend to use my birthday as an excuse to go on one of my binges and have as much fun as I can. This year was no different as I celebrated for 3 days and needed another 2 days to recover. By the time I dragged myself back to work after a few days off, things began to get unravel.


At work, the Gang of Five decided to deal with the slow down in business by cutting bonuses and halting most OT, a big chunk of change in my pay check.


With the family, the law finally caught up to my brother, Guy-Y, who has managed to avoid being thrown in jail all these years despite his many Run-In's with the local authorities. Naturally Mama2tone is upset, but I can't help thinking - yeah I feel bad, too, but you know what, you wanna be a wiseguy - then be ready to pay the price when you get caught.


As for my friends, Obamakin spent most of the summer down South (asshole), LordVadar obsessed about the falling economy (and his shrinking bank account, I would assume), Flippa officially moved back to Boston and had trouble with housing (Boston is not cheap honey) and I learned the KMan was back on the pipe (shame - shame for doing that shit at your age).


The results of all this - along with the fact I was stuck in Boston all summer, was stress and a warning from my doctor to clean up my act. This was at the beginning of September. Since then, I've attempted to right the ship but some habits die hard - like my penchants for stirring up trouble at work and enjoying my weekends.


But all in all, I feel better as Fall comes to New England. As the leaves begin to change, I've chosen to undergo some changes myself. I've decided to use a different tact at work (play their game and beat them at it) and tried to be more empathetic with my family and friends (not always easy given the group I have to work with). Also, Obamakin has returned, which has made things better. It wasn't until he was gone for most of the summer that I realized something. I actually missed the mutha fucka. Welcome home, friend, it's been a long summer! I've missed you!