Back Into The Swing Of Things

Look here at Jive To The Monkey later today for the next installment in the short story "Same River Twice." I'll have it up sometime mid-afternoon for all of you Monkey Maniacs.

Hope your weekend was good. I enjoyed mine for the most part. I don't typically use this blog as a diary or confessional-type of place, and I'm cognizant of the fact that literally any weird stranger can hop on a blog (oh, but not that any of you blog viewers, and particularly the commenters, are weird strangers. Weird, yes, but not really strangers. More like an e-Posse). Because of this I seldom mention my kids on this blog -- I have three wonderful little boys that I have partial custody of, with my ex-wife.

Anyway, Father's Day is typically a hard day for me (along with Thanksgiving and Christmas) because the realization that I can't be with them all the time is stronger on such a day. I'd had them over this past weekend, but it was tough, as it always is to a lesser extent, to take them back yesterday evening and drop them off with my ex, her guy, and their twin babies. It kind of put me in a funk for the rest of the evening. At least, though, I got to partake in a "No Direction Home" party with some friends. We finished up what we'd started a couple weeks ago, this time watching the second of two discs in the Scorcese-directed DVD documentary of Bob Dylan's early performing years, "No Direction Home." We had pizza too, which of course is always a good thing. So that was better than staying home and moping by myself, though I probably wasn't that great a conversationalist at the party.

Oh, and kudos go out to Mr. Tom Branch. He has now confessed to being the characters "Butterfinger" and "Milli" last week in the comment section of this blog. Good one Tom. You weren't fooling me on "Milli" although it took me a while to realize which person was doing it (your movie comment was a giveaway) but I had no idea who Butterfinger was. If I hadn't already named you a Monkey Maniac of the Day, I'd give you the award again. In fact, go ahead and take it.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages -- Tom Branch is the first two-time winner of the prestigious Monkey Maniac Of The Day award. I like to reward and encourage interesting blog comments, so hat's off to you, Dr. Tom.

And ya'll come back later for the next installment of "Same River Twice," to see what happens when Marshall performs with the Ohio River Boys at the Upper Room Hallelujah Apostolic Heavenly Fire Holiness Last Days Tabernacle.