THE BEATDOWN THAT WAS 2005

Paycheck to paycheck...cut off notices hung on the door...power actually cut on two occasions. On the verge of giving up and shining it on. Dump it all and become a train jumping drag rat.
On the other hand, I'm struggling, we're struggling, but thanks to a friend, I'm learning a trade and earning a check and getting by.
I can cry like a bitch about my misfortune or be thankful for the fortune I've got...and you know what? I can bitch like the best of them, and I think I do here. Another thing I'm thankful for...this venue, to write about this hand I've been dealt.
But what's more important is the gifts I've been given over the last year.
The list is too long to count, but high on it is the unending love and support of Annabelle...my shining light. We get so wrapped up in the day to day bullshit I miss my chance to say how much she means to me...so I'm saying it here. My son and his wife gave me a gift, my grandson...and as much as I was conflicted about it, I look at that little guy and it makes me feel all warm inside...family, you know?
I do this crazy rotation with the dogs, they ride with me to the store to trade off scratch tickets and get a walk in between the store and home. it's a simple thing, but they love me more than they did before I started doing this with them, and it shows at night when we sleep...cuddles from dogs rock. They pile around me like I'm an energy source or something, and with the exception of claws in the ribs, neck and face , I don't mind it at all.
So maybe 2005 wasn't so bad after all...*
Unless you get into all the political shit that went down...and I won't. You guys know ALL about what happened in 05 and so do I. That's where the beatdown comes into play.
Here's to a better time in about 48 hours...
"I can swim"..."Hey Kyle! Whose this??? "Two words...first word starts with a "J" and envision this guy nailed to a cross...next word starts with an "L"...think about the cold blooded critters we caught on the greenbelt...anybody else care to wager?
* We're still here after all.