I want to do more updates on this web site. (What else is new?) If I spent a little less time with my fantasy baseball leagues I might have the time. There is so much time between updates that when I get around to writing something I've already forgotten how to post it. Craig has been in Europe for most of the summer. I usually need him to point out why things on this web site aren't working they way I think they're supposed to. With him gone I didn't even bother. The other problem is that I had a fever for seven weeks and that really sucked. Now that I don't have a fever I'm really thankful just to be feeling good. Even on days that aren't so good it feels good just not to have a fever. If I have to do something that sucks I don't care so much anymore. At least I feel good. I'm kicking ass! (I wrote this a week ago, since then I haven't been kicking so much ass. The days have been a little less productive.)
For the first time I started selling stuff on ebay and it's nice to see people still want old Probe stuff. My seller name is theprobeguy if you want to check it out. I have some Probe #5's and #6's. For years I didn't have any extras myself. I didn't hide them to sell at a higher price now. I bought back the #6's at full price and the #5's were in a small box of returns that I assumed were #7's. I didn't open it until I ran out of #7's and saw they were 5's. Now it's #7's that I don't have.
I'm also selling the Screeching Weasel picture disc. I have a small stack of them that I saved so I could sell them for a higher price on ebay now. When they came out I sold them for $4ppd and I had ads in MRR and Flipside, but I only got about 20 orders. The rest of the pressing of 2000 sold for $7 or 8.50 ppd through the interpunk web site. That was a clear sign to me that the punk scene had changed and I was dated. Anyway, now it's going for $19.50ppd. I sent out the first two today and I packed them up with a Hickey CD, Probe #8, all the 7"s I have that never sold and a bunch of other stuff. Hope they like it.
Speaking of old Probes, I was looking at my copy of Probe #1 last night for some highlights I can post here on the web. There are plenty, but they involve typing a bunch of stuff. I may do a little at a time. The first story here is from a time in Chico when we drove up there for an Aaron Muentz Experience show (that was the name of my friends' band -one of those jokes that just stuck). After the show we went looking for parties and found more than a few. Unfortunately, I went to the party house of the local JC football team. At the time I had shaved off my mullet so I had a bald-head with long braids in back. This was before Nirvana and everything so I was quickly identified as a freak and made an example of. I'm not going to re-type the whole blow by blow story, but they made a completely unnecessary scene of throwing me out of the house. And I'll pick it up from there… oh yeah, there's a running theme through Probe #1 about what a "really cool guy" I am. FROM PROBE #1:
There is nothing wrong with walking away from a fight but this was a serious affront to my manliness and for me to just walk away from such a confrontation would have been a detriment to my really cool guy appeal. So after they pushed me out the front door I finished my near empty beer and then took the full one in my other hand and threw it through their front window. Amidst the sounds of crashing glass and screams of surprise I heard a guy yell, "That fucking Idiot!! I'll fucking kill him!!! And they all came running out of the house after me. After about 5 seconds I realized I was too drunk to outrun them so I cut threw a side-yard, jumped through a few backyards (this was back when I was still somewhat athletic), and ducked into some bushes. I could hear them all around me shouting. They were out of their minds with anger. Some got in cars and were driving around. Four of the angriest ones found JD, grabbed him by the neck and asked who I was. He said my name was Jerrod Hensen. They said I was "gonna fucking die man!!" In the meantime I saw a house with an open front door and some mellow longhaired dudes inside. I told them what had happened and they told me I could hang out and have some pizza with them and until things cooled off. After a while one of them led me back to my truck. He knew where it was because he heard the band playing earlier. I offered him $10 (I didn't have a five on me.) for his hospitality, but he wouldn't take it. The band had already packed up their equipment. They were waiting. Someone said, "Now I see why you named your band after this guy." Which was funny, but I was glad to hear it because it meant my cool guy status was still intact. Obviously my actions had been interpreted as a bold move in a difficult situation and not an act of immature cowardice. Mike drove the four hours back to Pleasanton. When we arrived it was daylight…

and it goes on from there. I talk about going to my five-year high school reunion the next night. On the bottom of the page was a before and after picture of my haircut. "My really cool haircut. Braids and photos by Sarah Hill."

That was when I was 23 years old.

I turn 36 in a couple of minutes. It's not a traumatic event for me. I'm already sort of living in the 40 zone, lifestyle wise. At least I hope I'll still be doing the same dumb shit I do now when I'm in my 40's. Tonight I suggested to Keri that we go check out the Half Moon Bay Brewery sometime. I told her about the patio fire pits with an ocean view. She asked me if I checked the web site to see if it was okay to bring Lydia. I said, "I want to go and drink 7 or 8 beers. That's not somewhere to bring Lydia." Then I complained, "We never do anything anymore!" However, I think a better statement would have been, "We never do anything on weeknights anymore." The weekends have been pretty good. Then I have softball on Mondays. However, delivering pizza on weeknights has put a wrench in my schedule. If Keri has to stay home alone with Lydia on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday then there's no way I'm going to check out an A's game or a punk show on Tuesday. So next week I quit. This will be about the 7th or 8th time I quit working at Garlex Pizza (since 1986). This time I don't think I'm going to miss it either.
About 10 minutes ago I had a whole train of thought of where this thing was going but I'm halfway through my 4th IPA now. I don't normally drink on Tuesday nights, but tomorrow we are going to Ribs, all you can eat, and I don't want to think about drinking when I'm eating all I can. I figured I'd do the drinking tonight instead. I can spend days thinking about how great it would be to sit down and drink a bunch of beers (preferably good beers in pint glasses), but as soon as I do I lose the spirit to drink for a few days. From this point on I'm just going to type the best I can. Grammar and stuff like that… forget it. At this point I'm hunching over the keyboard. Craig is brushing his teeth, getting ready for bed, he won't be able to help me post this. I roto tilled the backyard today. Then I shoveled a bunch of dirt. I guess I'm ready to sod. As it turns out it's best to put in new lawn in September so I guess we're lucky that the fever prevented me from getting it in earlier. Craig just told me happy birthday and brought out three specialty beers. One I haven't had. They are warm otherwise I might have one now.
Lydia is fantastic. About two months ago I was telling her daycare lady that she learns most of the things I teach her, but triangles and squares have been tough for her. She has an easy time putting circles in the circle hole, but tries to jam the squares and triangles in the holes. So her daycare lady, Phyllis, shakes her head and laughs, tells me that stuff is too advance for her age. BUT THEN three days later Lydia learns how to do it!! I was putting squares and triangle in different piles and trying to show her the difference, but ultimately she just started learning it on her own. It was pretty crazy. Sometimes she blows my mind and other times I'm like. "You should know how to do that. What's your problem?" Tonight she blew our mind when she was looking at a picture of Bill and Brad in a photo album of our wedding. She said, "Bill!" and we said. "Very good!" She hung out with Bill a lot this weekend so we weren't surprised. Then she pointed at Brad and said "Brad." She hasn't seen Brad in two months. On the other hand she pointed at Keri and said "Mommy". Pointed at me and said "Daddy" and pointed at herself and said "Lydia" about ten different times tonight. It's cute, but after a while what's her point? Another thing is colors. She never points out colors. I always tell her what color things are, but she doesn't seem to care. We were picking up Chinese food today and she was quiet and observant for about 5 minutes then all of the sudden she started screaming with joy about the fish tank. I said. "SHHHHH" but I knew she didn't understand I wanted her to be quiet. I had to take her outside while we waited. Later, tonight, we were outside and I tried to explain to her not to go out in the street without holding my hand. Instead, she tried to run out into the street any chance she had, laughing loudly as she did. I pointed out the cars trying to get her to understand the danger. Instead she started pointing out passing cars back to me. Then she wanted to play inside our car, for some reason she loves this. She always wants out of the house so she can play outside, but once she's in the car she won't leave. I usually try to play the radio. Tonight I tried listening to the A's game. However, she ALWAYS turns the volume all the way up. Whether it's music or whatever, she NEVER turns the volume down. She always turns it all the way up. She was doing this 8 or nine months ago, before she was a year old, when I tried to take her to the park and play some CDs. Instead of playing in the park. She wanted in the car, and she'd turn the volume all the way up on the radio. I'd turn it down and she'd immediately turn it all the way up, laughing at her new found power to make so much noise.
Sad thing this morning, Lydia was watching Blues Clues and during one of the songs Keri started singing along. Lydia slapped her arm and said, "Don't!" We always thought she liked us singing along. At least this may mean she's not tone deaf. It's sad enough that I'm the one teaching her to dance and play drums. THAT REMINDS ME. The movie, Chicago, NOT THE MOVIE OF THE YEAR. I think people were so surprised that some actors have a little bit of talent that they got carried away. It was a silly movie. Lydia seemed to really like it though. I think she understand now that the jumping up and down thing that dad has been teaching her isn't really dancing. She even wanted me to replay the last dance scene for her.

MAN, I'm drinking Malt Liquor -and not doing so well, my eyes are half open. I have to pee. I'm fucking old. I remember I used to buy six packs of Old English in the big cans, that was my beverage of choice only about six years ago. Now I'm practically a beer snob.
My hands are getting warm and numbish. I shouldn't think too much now. Yeah, I'm done for. Let me try to say something inteligent: … nope couldn't.

I'm not an underachiever; I'm just incompetent.

I want to make a T-shirt that says that. It would be perfect for me.
YEAH,Plau. Okay goodnight, I'm nodding off more than I'm typing. Funny though, I perked right up at the thought of quitting. I think I'm still awake enough to watch some Tivo and drink the rest of this beer. See ya later.