Another Long Weekend

It looks like this weekend will be four days instead of three for me! The NYSE and NASDAQ both decided to close for the day on January 2nd in respect to the passing of Gerald Ford. It's nice to see that some traditions still endure and that money isn't EVERYTHING.

A Soggy Monday Night Disappointment (with some good off-field entertainment)

It looks like my prediction skills with the Dolphins have reached an all-time low. I was wrong again and the Dolphins lost by 3 points last night in what can only be described as "soggy" conditions. It started raining about 7:30 during the pre-game tailgating activities and didn't really stop until halfway through the 4th quarter. The good news is that I brought a couple ponchos which kept us mostly dry...my feet were soaked and my hands looked like raisins, but outside of that I was ok.

While the game itself wasn't overly exciting, most of the interesting things occurred in the parking lot and the seats. One of our very drunk neighbors during tailgating decided to insult every Jets fan that walked by us on the way into the stadium. While this is a normal and healthy part of tailgating heckling, one guy seemed to take exception with him and we almost had a little Jets vs. Dolphins fight in the parking lot before cooler heads prevailed.

We also had a girl in front of us (a Jets fan of course) who decided to fall backwards over two rows of seats after a touchdown. Usually this isn't a problem and people will catch you. In her case though she had her back to the field and fell DOWN two rows of seats toward the field. Since nobody was in those seats, it was especially funny to watch her pick herself up. I am sure her back is feeling great today...ha ha.

The Christmas Hook-up

My wife totally hooked me up today for Christmas. At 9am I opened a box holding my new iPod! I've spent most of the last few hours playing around with it and transferring some of my tunes from the computer to the iPod. While she went a little over our agreed-upon spending limit, I am glad she did.

As for the family activities, Cheryl and I went to my parents house last night for Christmas Eve. We ate a lot and I drank a lot...it was an entertaining gathering as usual. My niece Layna seems to be getting bigger every few months...she celebrated her 3rd birthday in early December and was tearing around the house as usual. Grandma made some rather dumb comments, also typical as she is now 87 years old...a good reference would be Aunt Bethany from Christmas Vacation if you are a fan of that movie.

As for today, Cheryl has been sleeping all day and I am getting ready to head out to tailgate for the big Monday Night football game against the hated Jets. I have a good feeling about tonight and see us coming out with a W. Unfortunately, it looks like it is going to pour all night. Wish us luck in avoiding the rain drops...

Today

I just heard the words "penile penetration" on the Today Show. At 8am on a Saturday while Cheryl and I were laying in bed. So much for family-oriented Saturday morning television. It all had to do with the Duke Lacrosse story which has always seemed kind of odd to me. Now considering there is no actual evidence of anything, hopefully this whole thing will disappear and I don't have to hear about any more penetrations.

Busy Busy Busy

It must be Christmas time because I am way too damn busy. When I don't even have time to make a post on the Margarita Lounge, you know I'm busy. The good news is that my Christmas shopping is now done and the new computer is up and running. I plan on wrapping things up at work on Wednesday and Thursday so I can take a nice long five day weekend. Hope everyone is having a good holiday season.

Raining Cats and Dogs

I have never in my life seen a day like today. It literally rained from the time I woke up until about 4:30 this afternoon. And not a drizzle...most of the time it was a medium to hard downpour.

As of the 6pm local news, West Palm Beach has received 8.75 inches of rain today. Luckily, here in Boynton we only got about 5 inches. According to the local weather guy, the old record for a 24 hour period was about 3 1/2 inches. Even the hurricanes from the past few years weren't this wet. This just sucks. That is all.

Another one in the books

Cheryl and I want to thank all 22 of you who made it to our big Christmas party on Saturday Night. It was by far the best party we have ever had at the Margarita Lounge. I also want to thank everyone who brought gifts and helped me add to my wine collection. As for the party itself, only at the Margarita Lounge do you need pliers and a screwdriver to open a bottle of Cuban rum brought over by the neighbor. If you were at the party, you are now laughing...if you weren't you are just shaking your head.

In any case, I gave my camera to Ria halfway through the party to take a few pictures. Many of them were......how do I say this nicely......average pictures. This one in particular though, was genius. Cheryl(and Lucy) are sitting down and Kim is talking to Cheryl. Unfortunately, if you look closely at the background of the picture, the Senator has been caught in the act. Click on the picture if you need a bigger version. Indeed a classsic Senator moment!

Eve of the Big Party

With one day left before the big Margarita Lounge Christmas party, final preparations are being made. The next 24 hours is bound to be a blur of shopping and cooking. For those of you who forgot, the time is 6:30pm. I have 15 bottles of red wine, 4 bottles of white and about a case and a half of beer ready to go. Hopefully it will be enough for the 15-20 people we plan on having over. Watch for some funny pictures on Sunday night's post.

Silly Item of the Day

Today I was sitting at my desk and looking out the window (probably daydreaming) when I saw a 75 year-old lady with one of those silly looking bluetooth headsets stuck onto her ear. She wasn't even on the phone, she was just walking around with it on her ear. Am I the only one in the world that finds those things really annoying? You are trying to have a conversation with someone and your eyes keep wandering to that thing stuck on their ear...like it's a mole or something. If you are on the phone I have no problem with it. But just walking around with it on your ear like you are someone really important is just silly. Add to it that she was an old geezer and it seems all the more ridiculous.

The best wine store

Sometime in 2007 there will be a Total Wine store opening across the street from my office here in Boynton Beach. With my well documented love of vino, yesterday I figured I would drive the 30 minutes to the nearest store in Palm Beach Gardens just to check one out before the one here opens. Plus, I have the big Margarita Lounge Christmas party next week and needed some more wine for the party, so I just had to go.

This is the sickest store you have ever seen. Rows and rows and rows of nothing but wine. I am completely hooked. If you like wine and have one of these stores anywhere near your house, go and check it out. While I felt bad cheating on my favorite local wine store (ABC), these guys just blow them away, hands down. When you go to the back of a store and there is an ENTIRE GROCERY STORE AISLE full of Pinot Noir, you are in heaven.

Lucy, The Lizard, and the Party

This is a very exciting weekend at the Margarita Lounge as we have a few things going on:

1. Lucy's first birthday. Actually, her birthday was yesterday, but we decided to celebrate it all weekend. She will be having some steak tonight and I am sure she is excited. While she has been a handful to train, she is really sweet and we can't imagine our lives without her little tail wagging every day.
   
2. The arrival of the Lizard from Raleigh. She flew in yesterday afternoon and is leaving on Sunday afternoon. Since Cheryl and Liz haven't seen each other for a while, I am sure they will be doing the typical woman/woman bonding experience of shopping all day today while I am forced to sit around and watch football. Life is rough...
3. Preparations are beginning for the big Margarita Lounge Christmas Party next week. While we are still technically in the final stages of planning, Cheryl has plenty of lists and things I need to pickup. Number one on the list is beer and wine. I think there is some food on the list but that obviously takes a back seat to the booze.
   

Dude, you're getting a Dell

Ok, so that line is about four years old. And the "dude" was arrested three years ago in New York City for possession of marijuana, quickly ending his 15 minutes of fame. But regardless of these two facts, I am now the proud owner of a new Dell computer. After almost seven years with the old HP (including a few upgrades), we decided that it was time to retire the old veteran...time and technology had finally rendered him inadequate. We have moved up to the modern world of DVD burners, all in one printer/copier/scanners and lightning-fast dual core processors. In the immortal words of K-Delish, "I'm as giddy as a virgin on Easter"...at least I think that's how it went. Let's just say that I am eagerly awaiting delivery next week!

Going different directions

Well, the Hurricanes finally won another football game last night, beating a favored Boston College team at the Orange Bowl. They closed the regular season a pathetic 6-6, their worst record in a LONG time. Larry Coker was fired today, which is a good thing in my opinion. Looks like next year is going to suck also as it will be a "re-building" year.

The Dolphins also won yesterday, but at least they seem to be heading in the right direction. Sure, they are still under .500 but they are on a nice four game win streak and still have an outside chance of getting a wild card. The big game is next week with Jacksonville in town...if we can win that game I'm going to get a lot more excited.

Happy Turkey Day

Before I get too busy with my "honey-do" list, Cheryl and I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. While the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry, and pumpkin pie are important staples of this day, I would encourage you all to take a minute to be thankful for what you have. Remember that the vast majority of people in the world are not as fortunate as we are in this country.

With that being said, go ahead and stuff your face with food and drink lots of wine because you don't have to work on Friday. If you do have to work on Friday I apologize. Remember that this day only comes once a year. And while you are at it, a few good wishes to the Dolphins wouldn't hurt as they play the Lions at 12:30pm.

Movin' On Up

Just like George and Weezie, the Dolphins are slowly "movin' on up" in the standings from "terrible" to "respectable". With another win today over Minnesota, we moved to 4-6. Only one team in the NFL (Baltimore) has a longer winning streak right now. With a short week (we play Detroit on Turkey Day) and some injuries today, getting to 5-6 might be tougher than I thought, but I think we can pull it together. If we can get a W in Detroit and get a win the next week at home against Jacksonville we would move to .500 and at least get within a distant sniff of a wild card. With the way the AFC is shaping up right now, anything is still within the realm of possibility.

Fall

Today's theme seems to be Fall. The air had a nice Fall chill today....very appropriate for college football. Michigan fell to Ohio State. Rutgers falls to Cincinatti tonight. And Mr Hickman had a somewhat funny, although slightly bloody fall at his house this afternoon. While I don't mean to make light of someone else's bad luck, it was really funny when it happened. Here is the executive summary:

I wandered over to Casa de Frotuss today to watch the OSU/Michigan game with Mr Hickman and family. The game was excellent. The company was excellent. Unfortunately, Mr. Hickman had a few too many drinks during the game, so that by the 4th quarter he was hammered and slurring words. While making an attempt to get off the couch, he lost his balance and ended up falling (face first) onto the tile floor. After laughing quite loudly for a few seconds, I realized there was a small trickle of blood just above his left eyebrow. While it was by no means a life-threatening injury, it was something that required a little bit of impromptu medical attention. Ann was quick to help out and we got the situation under control in a few minutes.

Now, it is really not nice to laugh at someone who has just been hurt. But given the situation here, it really was hilarious. If things are a little fuzzy on Sunday, give me a call Gunther and I'll be happy to give you the details. And I hope you heal quickly...

Fins to the Left

Well, the Jimmy Buffett concert has come and gone and I don't really have much of a hangover! Since the show was on a Tuesday night, I guess I decided to behave myself. Cheryl, Jen and I ended up meeting Mark, Tammy, the Senator and a few of their friends in the lawn about 10 minutes before the show started and hung out with them all night. The show was everything that I expected...drunk people, great music, the smell of pot whisping through the air all night.

That got me to thinking about the incredible difference in a concert and a Dolphins game. In both instances there are thousands of people in one place to see a fun event. In both instances there are drunks. But for some reason things are tolerated much more in a concert environment.

At any concerts I've ever been to, the cops just stand there while the smell of weed floats by them. Drunks are stumbling all over the place and they serve beer until the show is over. At the Dolphins game you can get thrown out for doing anything and you can't even get a beer after halftime. That just don't seem right....

PWI and Jimmy Buffett

So, I guess there was a little more downside in PWI. The royalty trusts were hammered again today, this time for no apparent reason whatsoever. Time to double down here and buy more. Just panic selling...usually the last stages of a selloff. These things happen...just buy some more....

Speaking of getting hammered, the long-awaited Jimmy Buffett show is tomorrow night here in West Palm! Cheryl (being the wonderful wife she is) bought us tickets for my birthday. While I have been a huge Buffett fan for years, I am a JB concert virgin. I've taken part of the day off Tuesday for preparation and also took Wednesday morning off for the impending hangover. Wish us luck.

On a Roll

After a pathetic 1-6 start, the Dolphins are on a roll the last two weeks! How you can lose to Houston and Green Bay yet beat Chicago and KC is a mystery to me. Actually, they almost gave this game away too with some rather suspect play calling in the fourth quarter. Luckily, the defense stepped up (us usual) and bailed out the rather ineffective offense.

But a win is a win and we'll take it. If they keep playing like this, they might be able to salvage a 8-8 season. On a high note, Pimpbling and I got cut off on the way out of the parking lot by Wes Welker. If it wasn't him, it was definitely his twin brother. We would also like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Hickman for joining us in tailgating and for letting us use their (much better) seats in the second half. Looks like I'm gonna have to save a few hundred dollars more to upgrade next year.

Caffe Luna Rosa

For any of you locals who haven't had dinner at Caffe Luna Rosa, you are missing out on one of the best restaurants in the area. I took Cheryl there last night to celebrate our anniversary and it was excellent. The location is obviously perfect...directly across A1A from the ocean. But in addition to a great location, the food and atmosphere is perfect for a nice quiet night out. And their wine list is quite impressive with lots of Italian reds.

3 Years

Three years ago today, Cheryl and I each said "I do" and started on our wonderful journey of marriage. Like most marriages, there are ups and downs over the first few years, but we have gotten through all of them together. I want to thank any of you who were there with us in Key West three years ago on the roof of La Concha...it was a day we will both never forget. I feel like the luckiest man on earth today and I want to thank my beautiful wife for the best three years of my life. With the little man less than three months away, we are looking forward to many more happy years to come.

Election 2006

So we got our asses kicked yesterday. So far the Republicans haven't resorted to the same "sore loser" tactics that the Democrats used in the past few elections...lawsuits, complaints about voter fraud and voter intimidation, etc. Either that or the media isn't making a big deal about it because they got who they wanted into office. It really doesn't matter. We just lost and thats the facts....pretty simple actually. Yes...today it sucks...but hey, shit happens. You take responsibility for things and you move on. As for the next two years, I am unsure where things go from here, but I see two options.

1) Revenge. Since the Dems have had their asses kicked around since 1994, they decide it is retribution time. Cue the Halliburton investigations...cue the investigations into the Iraq war plan...cue investigations into Dennis Hastert and Tom Delay...etc, etc, etc. This route takes the country nowhere and gets nothing done but wasting taxpayer money. It also goes against the "time for a change" motto that the Dems got elected on. I hope this isn't the outcome or there will be two more years of nothing getting done and the Dems are going to lose theirs jobs again in 2008.

2) Compromise. While this can be frustrating, it seems the only realistic hope. The two parties don't like each other, this is a given. But like the election, we need to get past it. I know that the senator and mt really want to rub it in, but gloating will only work for about a week or two. I don't know one Republican or Democrat who agrees 100% with every single belief their party holds. Most people lean one way or another. If we can actually get along like adults and solve some problems, the Democrats have a much better chance of retaining what they just got. I wouldn't be too happy about that, but thats life too. Good luck.

Unbelievable

I went to Duffys this afternoon fully expecting the Dolphins to get their asses handed to them by the Bears. But somehow, the team that hasn't been around all year decided to show up today. I am completely dumbfounded how a team can beat the Chicago Bears (the best team in the NFL) but lose to the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers. I guess it's just one of those seasons....

I would be a little more excited if the victory meant something, but it looks like this win is about two weeks too late. Even if the Dolphins ran the table and won all their remaining games (which isn't going to happen with New England, Jacksonville, Indianapoilis and Minnesota on the schedule) there would still be no guarantee that they could even get to the playoffs with the talent in the AFC this year.

Buy Low

So the Canadian Royalty Trusts have been HAMMERED the past two days due to a stupid policy the Canadian government is trying to push through on increasing taxation. Without going into the details, the sell-off has been ridiculously overdone and there is some great bottom-fishing potential here. It looks like the big selling leveled off this afternoon and some buyers even started coming in around 2pm. What does this mean to Joe Q. Investor? Nothing because Joe would never buy a stock when it was down...he would much rather wait, miss the opportunity, and buy it $3-$4 higher than it is now and miss the easy money. Good thing that all you Margarita Lounge readers are not morons and you are out there buying PWI here around 22. Look out for the beeping flatbed because I'm backing up the truck.

If you have no idea what the hell I am talking about, thats OK. I'm just trying to sound smart and throw around a lot of technical jargon. Interpretation: Take a little money out of that savings account that is paying you didly, go to Ameritrade or Etrade and buy a little PWI. Even if it doesn't skyrocket up a few dollars (which it should), it pays a 12% dividend and that aint too shabby while you await the rebound.

Bob stepping down

At the young age of 83, it looks like Bob Barker is finally calling it quits. According to this story, there will be no more "come on downs" after June. For all of us who grew up watching Bob, it is indeed a sad day.

Bat Dog

Yep...I'm one of those sick people who dresses up his dog for Halloween.

A Beautiful Day

After yesterdays rather bah-humbug weather, today has turned into a picture postcard day. Low humidity, about 80 degrees and a nice gentle breeze blowing though the open windows of the Margarita Lounge. I just finished giving Lucy a bath in the back yard. For anyone that has tried to give a dog a bath (especially one who doesn't want one), you know the hell I just went through.

My parents came over last night for my birthday celebratrion/dinner and I had only a minor hangover this morning. A few glasses of Rioja will do that...you would have loved it Scottie....

As for today, I am guaranteeing that the Dolphins don't lose. It's kind of hard to lose when you have a bye week. I've decided to head to Casa de Hickman today to help him root on his Browns. Normally I wouldn't do this, but they are playing the Jets today and I hate the Jets. Rumors are that Pimpbling might make an appearance, so this might turn into a little party after all.

No more political ads!!

OK...I have reached by breaking point. No...I'm not going to run out and start shooting people. I have finally reached the point where I am sick of all political ads. Even the ones that are from "my side" make me want to vomit. You know that feeling you get when a really sleazy used-car salesman is trying to sell you a car? Yep...thats how I feel right now. The more I follow politics, the more I realize that any politician out there would sell his mother for more political power. Vote for whoever you want to because I am now categorized as "uninterested".

So, what else is happening? Yes...Cheryl is still pregnant and she is due the first week in February. Note that Cheryl is the only one pregnant..."we" are not pregnant. That whole "we" thing always bugged both of us as "we" do not both carry the kid. Yes, there are the occasional cravings for ice cream and chocolate, but in general she has been a trooper. Cheryl has been able to feel the little man moving around for about a month, but I have only been able to feel him for about two weeks. Talk about cool!

And my 33rd birthday is coming up next week. Being a Halloween baby is pretty cool growing up, but when you get to be an old bastard like me, it kind of loses its sparkle. Actually, every year it seems to show up quicker and you feel older and older...you are ready for bed at 10pm, even on the weekends...you start seeing wrinkles around your eyes...you start getting fat. Getting old blows.

It keeps getting worse

Just when you think the Dolphins can't get any worse, they do. Yes, today I again viewed the joke of a football team that Miami is now calling the Dolphins. Since Kris was out in Texas and couldn't make it, I took Cheryl's friend Jen with me. We did some tailgating with a bunch of cheeseheads...sweated out asses off in the 90 degree heat...hung out with Paco and Taco. And the result was the same...a big, ugly loss to a team that we should have beat. I have spent the rest of the afternoon vomiting.

What was I thinking?

Well, I was wrong. Not that being wrong is all that abnormal for me, but I really thought the Dolphins could pull one out this week. As usual they fumbled, dropped passes and threw interceptions. Maybe it was that huge glass of Chianti I drank last night after dinner that pushed me to make such a bold and utterly stupid prediction. At least I only lost $20 on the game (in addition to my pride). It looks like the Dolphins have entered the losers realm of the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Lions....there's always next year, right?

Day of the Dog

What seemed like a rather boring day of football ended up being a big day for the underdogs. Indiana beats Iowa. Vandy beats Georgia. Auburn beats Florida. And the Detroit Tigers are going to the World Series. Must be something in the air this weekend.

With that said I am making a guarantee for tomorrow. I am going to guarantee a Dolphins victory over the Jets. I may be crazy and I will probably lose my $20 bet to Mr. Brill, but I have the feeling that a victory is in the cards. Go Fins!

The Office Slob strikes again

For everyone who works in an office, there is the office slob. This person is usually a man in his 40s or 50s who has essentially given up on life. He is the type of man who would wear sweatpants into the office if he was allowed. He is significantly overweight. He burps, eats loudly, steals other people's food out of the fridge, and never tucks in his shirt. He has the personality of a telephone book. We have one of these men in our office. He was hired about a year ago and he fits the bill perfectly. To protect the innocent we will call him Peter.

Now in addition to being a slob, Peter is also a dumbass. This is a VERY dangerous combination as you will now see. Today Peter decided to wash out a used gas can in the break room sink. Yes...I did type that correctly. He washed out a one-gallon GAS CAN next to the fridge in the middle of our KITCHEN at work. Do you have any idea how bad something like this stinks up an office? In addition to the smell, I can't imagine the local fire marshall would consider that a safe place to work.

I can understand occasional absent-mindedness....we all have these moments. Forgetting the dry cleaning...forgetting where you were going...typing sexual IMs to a 16 year-old Congressional page. But what type of a moron does something like this? I have been hard-pressed to think of anything quite this stupid.....

Cardinal Nation

I have always heard that St. Louis is a great baseball city. But after spending three days there during the NLDS, I found out that this is incorrect...the world "great" does not do justice to these crazy people. They are insane. Insane in a good way, but insane none the less. The highlight of our weekend had to be Paddy-Os on Sunday Night after the Cardinals clinched the series. After fighting upsteam against thousands of screaming fans to even get to the place, the atmosphere we found was much more a college football pre-game tailgate than a baseball game.

People screaming....dancing...chugging beers...you name it. We were lucky to have about 12 people in our group and everyone had a blast. The funny thing was that it was a Sunday Night. I can't even imagine how crazy it would have been on a Friday or Saturday Night.

Yeah, I went to a few of the sessions we had for our conference, but I spent a little too much time at a few of the other local watering holes. It was a long trip back yesterday but the memories were well worth a few hangovers. Maybe Pimpbling will even update his blog after what seems like forever. It's not like there is a lack of subjects from the weekend.

Head West Young Man

So, I'm heading to St. Louis for the weekend for our National sales conference. Normally these events are pretty boring, but this year should be an exception because:

1) There are some pretty good college football games on Saturday afternoon to watch.
2) The Cardinals have a home playoff game on Saturday and maybe another on Sunday. Since my hotel is directly across the street from the stadium, the city should be crazy.
3) The Dolphins play the Patriots on Sunday and there are plenty of sports bars in St. Louis.

What about this conference, you ask? You've got to have your priorities people....

Humiliation

Looks like the Dolphins are in lots of trouble. Losing to Pittsburgh was tough, but they did win the Super Bowl last year. Losing to Buffalo was harder to take. Losing to the Houston Texans is downright humiliating and embarassing. And now we have to play New England and the Jets on the road in back-to-back weeks. If we can't win at least one of these two games we are screwed. At least LOST starts on Wednesday Night!

Random Thoughts

There have been a few interesting things happening lately in the world. Here is my take on what I've been seeing on TV and the internet:

1) TO tries to commit suicide? Or does he? Who gives a shit. He makes a lot of money. And painkillers don't depress you...they make you feel really good. ESPN wasted the first 10 minutes of SportsCenter with this crappy story. Don't give him attention and the situation will go away.

2) Speaking of attention, this rule should also be applied to terrorists. Why do we continue to give these morons the pulpit they want to air their messages? We fuel the fire ourselves. Leave it off the news and focus on other things. There are other things going on in the world.

3) According to some conspiracy theorists out there, lower oil prices are a big plot by the Republicans to try and get re-elected. This one is really funny. I guess that W and his buddies now have oil prices rigged and the whole supply-and-demand thing that our economy is based on has disappeared. This is even more silly if you realize what it would take to pull something of this size off. Maybe MT.net has a theory on this one...Mark? On to the good news....

4) The third season of LOST starts next Wednesday at 9pm. I am SO addicted to this show, as Pimpbling can tell you. Is anyone else out there hooked on this show or am I just a dork?

......And the most important news item this week is.....

5) Mary Carey is running for governor of California again! Mary is a porn star who ran for governor a few years ago when Ahnold won. She actually finished 10th out of 135 cantidates, which isn't bad. This is without a doubt the best story of the week...only in America can this happen. Click here for the official site...it has to be seen to be beleived!

Lord Byron passes

The name Byron Nelson doesn't mean a whole lot to you unless you are a die-hard golf fan like me. He played in an era decades before Tiger Woods and 300 yard drives. He was widely respected as one of the great gentlemen to ever play the game of golf. He won 5 majors including two Masters, two PGAs and a US Open. But he will probably be remembered most for 1945...the year that he won 11 tournaments in a row and 18 for the year. While Tiger could someday tie or even break this record, it will always be Byron Nelson's first.

Blast from the past

I was just looking through the contents of my hard drive and came across this picture. I am sure that most of you saw this a few years ago, but it made me laugh my ass off for a while. If you can't read the words, just double-click on the picture and it will zoom in.

An Ugly, Hot Win

OK...the Dolphins are not a good team right now. They can't seem to run the ball...Dante can't seem to make consistent decisions...the secondary is really young. We sweated our asses off all day...I think I remember the scoreboard saying the heat index was about 100 degrees. But a win is a win and I will take it. Unfortunately, our buddies Paco and Taco in the row in front of us didn't show today, so it was rather quiet in Section 449. Must have been the heat. Even the annoying lady across the aisle was rather subdued today...she seemed to quickly give up on the "D" and the white picket fence by the end of the first quarter. Must have been the heat. Did I mention it was hot? Ugh. With a little luck, maybe the Dolphins can beat the Texans next week and even things up at 2-2. Lets all keep our fingers crossed.

Gameday Again!

A week after witnessing a thrashing at the hands of Buffalo, Pimpbling and I are heading south in hopes that today's game is better. It sure better be, because if the Dolphins can't beat Tennessee this week and Houston next week (two of the worst teams in the NFL), they are doomed to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year. The good news is that I am optimistic and think we will win by two touchdowns today. Ok, maybe that's a little too optimistic given the performance of the past two weeks, but you gotta start somewhere. And yes...I am still pissed about the game last night. Why does Notre Dame always pull that crap at the end of games?

Time to wash my pants

I think I just shit myself. Cheryl is in bed and I am watching the end of the Michigan State/ Notre Dame game on the couch surfing the internet on her laptop. I've had a big smile on my face ever since I turned the game on just after halftime. It looked like Michigan State was well in control and on their way to certain victory. Notre Dame just picked off a pass and ran it in for a touchdown to go ahead by 3. Did I mention that I really hate Notre Dame? AAAAHHHH!

Life Aint that Bad

Is life really that bad right now? I keep hearing (and reading) about how bad the government is...about how bad the economy is...how prices are going up on everything...bla bla bla. Maybe I'm living in a fantasy world, but I just don't see it. Oil prices (and thus gasoline prices) are coming down. The economy and the stock market have been good for the last four years. Hurricane season has been real quiet this year (so far). Even the Republicans are looking better for the mid-term elections. And everyone now hates Hugo Chavez. Cool.

A Big O-fer this weekend

What a disappointing weekend...my record was a shitty 0-3. First, the Hurricanes get their doors blown off by Louisville 31-7. That sucked. Then my tickets to see Hootie get lost at UPS. That sucked. And then I had to sit through the Dolphins 16-6 loss yesterday from Section 449. That also sucked. After a weekend like that, you actually look forward to going back to work. And to top it all off...the Hootie tickets showed up on my doorstep this morning. Ugh....

So much for Hootie

Well, the tickets never arrived and Pimpbling and I are now Hootie-less. I have no idea what the hell happened to the tickets...maybe Joel marked them as "Overnight" instead of "Saturday Delivery". Well...it's raining anyway so I will consider it for the best.

At least I got to sit at home and watch the Hurricanes get DESTROYED by Louisville 31-7. Man was that fun. Maybe I should have gone to the concert and stood there with a lightning rod in my hands...that might be more fun than the trouncing I witnessed. It's too bad because Miami used to be a team with a potential to win the National Title every year...now they are a joke.

Well, not all was lost today. At least I got to see Notre Dame get dumptrucked by Michigan. There are few things in this world that excites me more than seeing Notre Dame lose...kind of like watching the Yankees lose a baseball game...it never gets old.

Hootie and lots of football

It's shaping up to be a real busy weekend around the Margarita Lounge. In addition to the excellent college games today and the Dolphins home opener tomorrow, I was able to score a few tickets to see Hootie and the Blowfish and Better Than Ezra tonight at the Sound Advice Ampitheater in West Palm Beach. And who is gonna argue with free tickets, huh? I have always been a fan of Better Than Ezra and I saw them live once when I lived in Cleveland back in 1998 or 1999. Hootie I have never seen, but I have heard they put on a pretty good show.

New Picture of Lucy

With all the talk of the little man arriving in February, I haven't posted much about our other baby Lucy. She is doing great, up to about 32 pounds, and is a lot of fun. She's about 9 months old now and we don't expect her to get a whole lot bigger from here. Here is a picture I took a few minutes ago in the back yard. She was deep in concentration trying to figure out how to get that bird on the neighbor's roof.

It's a boy!

After months of waiting, guessing, and friendly wagers within the family, today was the big day. The news came around 2:30pm and we are both really excited to be expecting a bouncing baby boy in early February. Cheryl has immediately been ordered to increase her viewing of the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and all sporting events on TV.

Inappropriate Radio Ads

What's happened to radio advertisements recently? I have noticed quite a few rather crude radio spots in the last six months, mostly having to do with sexual problems. The one I heard today on the way home from work was about Premature Ejaculation. I could understand the Viagra ads. Those ads were always fairly vague...you knew what they were about, but they weren't necessarily in your face about it. This new generation of ads has completely removed any hints of subtlety and class. I just can't imagine having to explain to your 5 year-old what Premature Ejaculation is. I am looking for some feedback on the following two questions. If you are reading this, please let me know your opinion:

1) Am I right here or am I being a little too anal about this?
2) Do these ads run anywhere outside of South Florida or are they isolated to our little corner of the country?

As usual, all opinions are respected and welcomed.

Five Years Later

So here we all sit five years removed from the events of September 11, 2001. I can guarantee that the images and feelings of that day will be one of the most vivid of my entire life. I can remember walking in the back door at work and seeing the black smoke on CNBC just after the first plane hit. I can remember the chills that ran through my body as I watched the second plane hit. And I can remember the utter helplessness I felt when both towers went down. That whole day was such a surreal experience it still seems like a dream five years later. I am sure that everyone reading this could recite in detail where they were the morning of September 11. It was a time before Afghanistan and before Iraq. A time before Hurricane Katrina. A time before color-coded alert levels and a time you didn't have to take your shoes off at the airport.

As is the American way, we always have to blame someone. Bill Clinton is to blame. George Bush is to blame. The CIA is to blame. The FBI is to blame. This in indeed a shame. Why? Because Bill Clinton didn't do it. George Bush didn't do it. And the CIA and FBI certainly didn't do it. Let's all remember that. September 11th should be remembered as a tragic and sad moment, yes. But it should also be remembered for heroism. And it should be remembered for courage.

So, the next time you are reflecting on September 11th and want to point the finger at someone here at home, stop. Beacuse Clinton and Bush didn't fly the planes. The planes were flow by cowardly terrorists who don't like us. Lets all remember that they are the enemy here.

Competitive Banter

Now that's what I'm looking for! If anyone is interested in some lively and fun debate, feel free to paruse and post a comment on "Free Speech" I posted yesterday. That is the wonderful thing about living where we do...we can all disagree without shooting and killing each other like they do in the Middle East. It's good to hear from you MT...it's been a while.

Free Speech

The last time I checked, we live in a country that provides us all free speech. In the United States you are free to express yourself however you like, even if you are full of shit or completely lying. Remembering this, I am really having a hard time seeing why the Democrats and their almighty and unquestioned god Slick Willy Clinton are getting bent out of shape about this 9/11 miniseries starting tomorrow night. Even if this miniseries is completely false and full of lies, if ABC wants to run it, they can do that as a broadcaster. If Michael Moore can do "Fahrenheit 911" and a guy in England can do a movie about assasinating George W. Bush, someone has the right to run a miniseries with a slightly critical opinion of Slick Willy. Actually, I think it is funny that Bill Clinton is upset about someone not being truthful..."I did not have sexual relations with that woman".

Cheryl and I were watching the 11:00 news last night and even the guy running for Senate in Florida (Ron Klein..who is a democrat) sees no problem with it. I guess Ron is one of the few democrats that thinks free expression is still OK.

Gas getting cheaper

Good news for all you people sick of paying high prices at the pump. Oil prices seem to be heading back down, going under the important support level of $68 per barrel this week. While gas prices actually started down a week or two ago, look for more to come as there is typically a two to three week lag between oil prices and at-the-pump gas prices. Let's not get too excited...the days of $1 per gallon gas is gone, but I am much happier paying $45 to fill up the Explorer versus $60. And with the summer vacation/driving season now over, I'd look for some stability in the $2.00 to $2.50 a gallon area.

What Hurricane?

So the Canes suck. I know...I'm about two days late on this but it has taken me that long to get over the depression. Here's the best way to describe things...if it looks like shit.......and if it smells like shit....... it probably IS shit. Shit is really the best word I can think of to describe the absolutely pathetic showing that the Hurricane offense had on Monday Night against Florida State. Actually, things haven't been right on the offensive side of the ball for two years, but I figured it would eventually improve. I was incorrect. Don't get me wrong...the defense looked great, but ya gotta put the ball in the endzone to win. Hopefully the Dolphins offense looks better tomorrow night in Pittsburgh.

A Sad Day in Croc Land

It looks like Steve Irwin, known worldwide as the "Crocodile Hunter" has died. I guess he was stung by a Stingray while filming a documemntary in Australia within the last 24 hours.

Ah...Labor Day Weekend

I was just doing my typical Saturday Morning surfing, listening to some Pink Floyd when I came across Mr Hickman's post on Frotuss.com. While I could make my own attempt at a similar beautiful piece of writing, why bother when the master has said it so eloquently? Indeed, football season is upon us...the college season has already started and the big game is Monday Night when my Canes take on Bobby and the Seminoles. The Dolphins kick off the NFL season on Thursday Night against the Steelers. Life is good.

Speaking of Pink Floyd, I created a great mix last night for anyone like me that has a large library of Floyd on their computer or IPod. Some you may be familiar with, but a few (especially High Hopes and Lost for Words) are a little more obscure. You can title the playlist "Margarita Lounge Mellow Floyd" if you are so inclined. Enjoy.

1) Us and Them
2) Learning to Fly
3) On the Turning Away
4) High Hopes
5) Lost for Words
6) Comfortably Numb
7) Hey You
8) Wish You Were Here

Weak

Well, Ernesto was pretty weak. As you can tell, we didn't lose power last night. Puting up the plywood was a waste of time as I just took it back down this morning. Hey...at least I got some exercise, right? Not even one branch to pick up this morning and hardly any rain...just the occasional wind gust. Cheryl had to go to work today and I am going to head into the office myself soon just so I don't sit around here all day bored. Sorry...maybe some more exciting tales will come along in the next two months.

Ernesto tonight

It looks like Senor Ernesto will be raining on us later tonight and tomorrow morning. I guess we are also going to see some Tropical Storm winds around 50 mph. Whoppee...Wilma's winds were over 100 and Frances and Jeanne were both about 75 mph 'round these parts. Not that I'm complaining, but it's tough to get real excited about things. I made a half-ass attempt at puting up some plywood, but I just don't think we are even going to need it as this will be mostly a rain event. I'm hoping we don't lose power this time and I hope the Dolphins don't cancel the last pre-season game Thursday Night. Since I don't have to work tomorrow, I'm gonna crack that bottle of Chardonnay I just put in the fridge.

Oh Boy....

As you can tell by my last post, I have been following Tropical Storm (and now Hurricane) Ernesto pretty closely the past few days. The track was showing landfall around New Orleans two days ago, so I wasn't too worried. Yesterday the track was showing landfall in the Florida Panhandle..still not that close to us in southeast Florida. Now, the track is showing landfall around Tampa with a rather interesting right-hand turn. Looks like I had better find those batteries and stock up on the water just in case..things are getting a little too close for comfort.

Ernesto strengthening....

It looks like Tropical Storm Ernesto is going to be the first hurricane of the season. While it's only a weak tropical storm now, most of the forecasts I see have it entering the Gulf of Mexico and strengthening into a Category 2 or 3 storm by early next week. The track shows it missing Florida, but you never know with these things.

RIP to the Chief

I had the pleasure of having a few colbeers last night with Mr Golden...otherwise known on the Margarita Lounge as the Catfisherman. A sad bit of news this week in that Keith had to put his longtime companion Osceola to sleep. While I hadn't seen the ol' chief in a while, I guess his condition had gotten worse over the past few months and it was the most humane thing to do. While he didn't show it last night, I am sure Keith is bummed out about it and my sympathies go out to him . We'll all miss you chief...

Cheryl feeling better

After a long bout with morning sickness, Cheryl appears to be coming out of it. Today was the fourth day in a row that she didn't get sick...that's a winning streak in my book. She is still tired by this time of day and is usually in bed around nine, but dry heaves every morning has got to suck. Luckily, I have been able to keep her distracted with some well placed flowers, backrubs, and footrubs.

Boring

Let me start by congratulating Tiger on whooping everyone's ass (as expected) in the PGA this weekend. That being said, it was the most boring and disappointing major I have watched in a long time. So boring that I only watched about three of the last nine holes this afternoon. This is almost unheard of for me as I am a huge golf fan. I know that Tiger is one of the greatest of all time, but who gets excited about watching a blowout? How much fun is a baseball game when it's 12-0 in the 9th inning? How engrossing is a 42-7 football game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter? I sure hope that some of these overpaid, comfortable millionaires on the PGA Tour can find some game. If not, it's going to be a pretty boring 15 years as a golf fan.

Sunday Morning

So, I'm sitting here hanging out with Lucy this morning. I just fed her and Onyx so they wouldn't wake up Cheryl with their crying for breakfast. Lucy is lying next to me on the floor in the office and Onyx is already curled up asleep in the front bedroom. I had the distinct pleasure of enjoying an excellent dinner at home last night with my beautiful wife. I had a Filet and some pasta along with two glasses of Pinot...enough wine to feel it but not enough to be anywhere near drunk. Cheryl had some pasta with shrimp and scallops. We just sat around all night and talked, listened to some classical music and enjoyed each other's company. It was a nice relaxing change of pace and something that we don't do enough these days. Actually, I don't think many people slow down and do that type of thing these days....it seems like we are all so wrapped up in getting everything done that we rarely sit and smell the roses. I would strongly suggest doing it every so often if you can. Turn off the cell phones, lock the doors, send the kids somewhere if you can. It just might help you maintain your sanity in this crazy world we live in.

Tiger, Phil, and the PGA

Tomorrow morning starts the last of golf's four majors, the PGA Championship. While it is cool to have Tiger and Phil in the same group on Thursday and Friday, I don't see any competition there. Tiger is playing the best he has in years, winning his last two tournaments including the British Open. Phil is playing like a hack ever since he blew up on the 72nd hole of the US Open, even missing the cut last week at The International. As much as I don't like to see Tiger win all the time, he is definitely the favorite this weekend.

The PGA signals the end of the real golfing season, unless it's a Ryder Cup year. And since the Ryder Cup is in September this year, I get another month of excitement that will fade right when football season is getting rolling. Speaking of things rolling along...hurricane season has been quiet so far. Kind of scary considering how active it's been in South Florida the last two summers.....

Football Season is here

Finally! After many months of waiting, football is back. Yeah...preseason football blows, but it's better than no football at all. Pimpbling and I went to the Dolphins game on Saturday Night and got to check out our seats for the season. We are in section 449 (yep, thats the cheap seats) but the seats are actually pretty good. As expected, there is a little of everything in section 449...a little espanol being spoken in front of us...a dumbass right behind us...some hoochie a few rows up...everything you would expect at an NFL football game in South Florida. The last preseason game is on August 31st against the Rams and then it's all business.

The fun of travelling

Has the air travel experience really gone downhill in the last 10 years or is it just me? As many of you know, Cheryl and I got back from Erie on Monday Night and our entire travel experience was full of silly/pathetic/miserable people. Now, I have never had a problem with travelling. You get to the airport, spend a few hours on a plane, and you get somewhere halfway across the country. No problem. Sure the security checkpoints suck, people don't know how to use the automated check-in machines, and there are delays from time-to-time, but no big problem. As you can tell, this is my disclaimer that everything seems to require these days. Here are a few of our experiences from the trip...I hope everyone can empathize with me:

1) A guy at the Palm Beach airport who took off his shoes and was removing toejam in front of us while waiting to board the plane.

2) A fat middle-aged guy who told a teenage kid that he couldn't save seats for his mother while waiting to board the plane. I guess children saving seats for their parents is not allowed in the world of dickhead-ville.

3) The annoying couple with the small child who insisted on turning up the portable DVD player so that everyone on the plane could hear it. When the flight attendant asked where that loud noise was coming from, they turned it down until the attendant left...then turned it back up.

4) The rather cute girl who walked by my seat on her way to the lavatory. About five minutes later (with me now waiting to use the bathroom), she opened the door and I was hit in the face with the odor of a fresh dump. Girl was no longer cute.

5) The rude old couple on the flight from Buffalo to DC who didn't like their seats. The old guy told the lady sitting next to them that "they were going to have her sit in the middle". The lady told them to take a hike, which was really funny and was accompanied by a mini temper-tantrum from the old lady. The couple was (of course) on our connecting flight to Palm Beach.

6) The father behind us who repeatedly let his young child kick our seat for two straight hours from DC to Palm Beach. Actually, the kid didn't kick the whole time. When the kicking stopped, the yelling started. I hope that we have a much better behaved kid than this little mongrel.

The OFFICIAL Big Announcement

I realize that most of you regular Margarita Loungers out there know this already, but Cheryl is pregnant! We found out on the day we left for the Outer Banks in late May but have just recently told everyone. To say that we are excited is really an understatement. The due date for our little drinking buddy is early February and time is already flying along. I tend to be long-winded at times, but this one pretty much speaks for itself. We are looking forward to joining K-Daddy and Gunther in the joys of parenthood. Hopefully you guys can help out with some good advice from time-to-time.

Off to Erie

As I mentioned last week, Cheryl and I are heading to Erie for a couple of days. It looks like Tropical Storm Chris has diminished overnight and should only be a minimal threat to South Florida if at all. That's good news beacuse I have had this vision in my head for the last day where we arrive home on Monday Night to a pile of rubble from a Category 4 or 5 storm with Onyx just sitting there on the rubble pile wanting to be fed. Everyone have a good weekend.

Leave the cats alone

Here is an interesting story about the six-toed cats at the Hemingway House in Key West. I guess the USDA is having a fit about all the cats running around down at Ernie's old place in Key West. Supposedly, the USDA wants the place to have an Animal Welfare License because there are so many cats.

Give me a break. Doesn't the USDA have more important things to do than bother a bunch of cats chillin' in Key West? Being a veteran of many Key West trips myself, I beleive that any type of "normal" rules should not apply to anything down there. I mean...this is the place that hosts Fantasy Fest every year for god's sake. Plus, the kitty picture I posted from our wedding in 2003 is cute.....so leave 'em alone.

Headin' North next week

Cheryl and I are heading to Pennsylvania next week for a few days of fun in good ol' Erie. The good news is that it will be August...one of the two months it is OK to visit without freezing your ass off. The other good month is July. I am actually looking forward to it as I haven't been back for a while. We are going to see Cheryl's family, some friends, and attend the Fairview High School Class of 1991 class reunion. Yep...the 15 year reunion. The more I look back at the year 1991, the older I feel. It sure seems a LONG time ago, doesn't it?

Johnnie Slick at it again

John Kerry is funny. He must also think that we are all REALLY stupid. Ol' Johnnie Slick was recently quoted saying that if he were President now, the recent problems in the Middle East wouldn't have happened. That's good to know.

NEWS FLASH........this just in.........if John Kerry would have been elected as President, Hurricane Katrina would never have happened. We are also being told that world hunger would no longer exist and that the cure for cancer would have been discovered.

Maybe I could use this line of thought in my business! Mr and Mrs Potential Client, if you would have had me watching over your portfolio the last few years, you would have never, ever had a month where your account went down in value. If I was watching over your accounts, you would have doubled your money in the past two years.

I, on the other hand prefer to tell the truth and be honest with people. Shame on me!

LINK

Close but no Cigar

I really thought that Chris DeMarco had a chance most of the day today, but Tiger pulled it out at the end. Sergio gassed it as usual in the final round...I should have known better that to root for him. At least Tiger didn't blow everyone away by five or six shots down the stretch. That makes 11 major titles at age 30...well on pace to go past Jack in the next 5-10 years.

Pulling for Sergio and DeMarco

I know that everyone loves Tiger and yes...he is leading after 3 rounds. Yes, he has never lost a major when leading after 3 rounds. And yes, he already has 10 majors so there is plenty of experience there. It's just that you gotta pull for the underdog every now and then. My two horses today are Sergio Garcia and Chris DeMarco. Both are great players and both are due to win a major...DeMarco in particular.

Major condolences go out to PimpBling on the new car. I guess he was tagged by one of the famous South Florida shitty drivers on Friday afternoon. It's not bad enough that someone backs out of a parking spot right into your car, but when it's a brand spanking new Dodge Charger SRT it really sucks.

And major thanks go out to Mr. and Mrs. Hickman for their hospitality last night at Cafe Frotuss. The dessert was great and it was good to see Leslie again. I'm sure that Cheryl will be much happier today as she doesn't have to take care of a hung-over moron who drank about two bottles of wine.

And now for something completely different...

I've been so wrapped up with work, politics, and house stuff that I just realized the Open Championship starts tomorrow! You would think I was living under a rock or something. It looks like the course is burned out and hard, which I think is great (note above picture). We golfing folk are way too spoiled in the United States with all our nice soft, lush, green golf courses. I'd much rather watch the best players in the world try to stop a ball on the concrete greens at Royal Liverpool. And I predict a non-American hoisting the Claret Jug this year.

Lou Dobbs is a turd

I used to respect Lou Dobbs, but his weekly "commentary" that cnn.com rams down everyones throats on Wednesdays front page has become more and more annoying and opinionated over the past months. This weeks edition seems to take the cake by saying the United States is stupid and that we are basically to blame for everything in the Middle East. Lou used to be a middle-of-the road guy that I respected, but I think the years in front of the camera has warped him. I just don't see how today's commentary in any way could be categorized as "news". It should be filed under "piece of shit" by CNN or maybe the editorial section, but it sure as hell isn't news.

I know...I'm back on politics and I apologize to my non-political readers, but I couldn't let this one slide. If you are going to bitch and complain about how things are in the world, at least come up with a few solutions or ideas to solve these problems. Don't just complain so you can hear yourself complain. Here is the article:

www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/18/dobbs.july19/index.html

Turmoil everywhere

What a week it has been. The train bombings in India...the problems in the Middle East...the stock market getting killed. In general things haven't been too positive this week. While I am not too worried about the stock market (translation: it's time to buy, which I personally did yesterday) and India, I am particularly worried about the Middle East. This could turn into something much worse very quickly.

I can't say I am an expert on the Middle East, but I can say that I have read enough about the history of the region to consider myself knowledgable. The Gaza situation with the kidnapped soldier was bad, but Israel going into Lebanon is a completely different thing. Going into Lebanon just ratchets things up another level. While everyone hopes for peace in the area, it just isn't going to happen anytime soon. I lean toward the Israeli side as I feel they at least make an effort to be peaceful most of the time. They aren't bombing buses full of civilians, firing rockets every day into Palestinian cities and encouraging the death of Palestinians. But there are always two sides to every story and Hamas and Hizbollah have their side too, including continued Jewish settlement of Palestinian lands in the West Bank...something Isreal years ago promised not to do.

As with everything, do your own research. Don't be a zombie and take the standard national news story as gospel. You have to remember that every story you see from a US newspaper is going to be pro-Israeli. Just some perspective....

Spending Money

I somehow feel that I am single handedly driving the South Florida economy. Over the last month I have paid off the loan on my truck ($1100), bought a new washer and dryer for the house ($750), had my oak trees trimmed ($400), bought some new shelves for the "ballroom" ($300), and paid my first 2006 Florida summer electricity bill ($160). Actually I was happy the FPL bill was only $160...normally they are closer to $200. I've definitely removed some things from my "to do" list, but this is downright silly. Rumor has it that there might be some more big expenses on the horizon. Time to start working harder I guess. In addition to the weather recently (will it ever stop raining?), I get the distinct pleasure of fulfilling my civic responsibilities at jury duty next week. Whoo-hoo...when it rains it pours, huh?

More on oil prices

I really am working with the wrong clients. Instead of dealing with these old, crabby South Floridians who complain about a monthly statement being down $100, I need to be dealing with these rich Saudi Arabian guys in the Middle East. You've got to beleive that someone out there is somehow involved in manipulation of oil prices, and who better than me to place their big trades?

It seems like the rhetoric in the Middle East works in a certain pattern. Someone in Iran calls the Saudis and they buy oil contracts in their offshore accounts. Iran then stomps their feet and makes a big deal about nuclear research and Israel and cutting off oil supplies.....oil prices rise and the Saudis make money by selling. Iran then calls the Saudis and tells them to short oil. All of a sudden, Iran says that they have talked to European negotiators and the talkes were "productive"...oil prices fall and the Saudis make money.

Not possible you say? I say "bullshit" to that. Here in the US this is difficult to do as there are lots of checks and balances, regulations on insider transactions, etc. But in less developed and less-regulated areas of the world this could and probably does happen regularly. I just want to whore myself out and do the trades. Money is money right? It might as well be me making the cash.

Happy 4th to everyone

I hope that everyone has a great 4th of July. As for me, the only thing of substance I plan on doing today is a little painting. As expected, Lucy and Onyx woke me up this morning right at 7am. Who needs an alarm clock when you live at the Margarita Lounge...the animals wake you up to feed them breakfast. Since then (of course) they have both been silent while I can't go back to bed by this point. Lots of interesting stories out there today, but nothing I have the energy to go into. Today's two most important things are the Germany/Italy World Cup game at 2:30 and the possible shuttle launch also around 2:30. Everyone have a good day.

Purporting?

What is it with this term? Everytime an audio tape shows up from Osama, the media uses this word religiously. How many times have you read this line in a news story in the past few years:

"A tape purported to be from Osama bin Laden surfaced today saying bla bla bla."

When did this word become the hip thing for journalists? And while we are on the subject, what is it with the audio tapes? You would think that a guy who is purported (ha ha) to be the great leader of terror in the world could do a little better than a little crappy audio tape. Get with the program Osama...anyone who is anyone has their own website. They even let me have one, which is funny. You can record your little diddies on a camera phone these days and give it to one of your boys to run on Al Jazeera. I can see it now...a dude with a long gray beard sitting in a dark cave in the middle of nowhere with a battery powered tape recorder. Not exactly the type of guy I would be following.

Funny Friday Story

Pimpbling emailed this to me at work. If you want a good laugh, click HERE to check out a Dodge ad that never ran. I guess it was too suggestive or inappropriate, but I don't see anything wrong with it. Actually, if this ad would have been run during the Super Bowl, it would have been #1 on everyone's list of best ad.

Serious Friday Story

Remember that story back in May published by the USA Today claiming that Verizon, Bellsouth and AT&T were giving the NSA tons of phone records in some "secret cover up" type of thing? Well, it looks like the story is essentially bullshit. It's funny how big that story was, and how much media coverage it got. It was all you could read about for a week. What about today's retraction/ correction by the USA Today? Nowhere to be found in the news. Makes you wonder, huh? Here is the LINK to the story in case you want to read it.

Hangover free

After feeling like garbage all day yesterday, I'm back to normal today. I've actually felt good all day. I can't figure out if I actually feel good or if I just feel so much better than yesterday that I interpret it as good. Either way I'll take it. Luckily, little escapades like Saturday Night (which years ago used to be a normal thing) now tend to happen every few years. No wine for me this week.

Saturday Night Trainwreck

I had the distinct pleasure of hanging out with Gunther and Xan last night. We chatted and drank a bottle of wine. We watched Live 8 and drank a bottle of wine. We listened to some music and drank a bottle of wine. After three bottles of wine I decided to pilot my Explorer home. Yeah, I know...really stupid. Luckily, I made it back safely. Unfortunately, today has been one of the worst days of my life. I wasn't even able to get out of bed until 3pm and even now, at 9:30 I feel shitty.....just less shitty than I felt at 9am.

Snow Patrol

I guess deep down in my heart I have a special spot for British/Irish bands. As some of you know, I absolutely love Pink Floyd. I would also consider myself a fan of Oasis, early U2 and early Radiohead. That brings me to Snow Patrol. The first song I heard from them was "Run" off their last album "Final Straw" last summer. It was an amazing song...one that just grabs you and holds your attention immediately. It's really hard to explain without hearing the song, but I was hooked.

I just bought their newest release this week called "Eyes Open" and it is also amazing. They seem to walk the line somewhere in the area between Coldplay, Blur and Radiohead. If you go to their website you can hear one minute samples of all the songs on the new CD. It will take you about three minutes to realize they write great songs. Here's the site: www.snowpatrol.com

Three Great Days

If you are a sports fan like me, the last three days has been amazing. With all the drama at the US Open on Sunday, the Stanley Cup clincher on Monday, and the Heat victory last night, I think I have been on sports-overload recently. Actually, I guess you could throw in the US Soccer team's World Cup game on Saturday if you want to make it four days. And the Dolphins first pre-season game is less than two months away. Life is good right about now.

What a long strange week it's been

Do you ever have one of those weeks where everything seems a little off? Not necessarily a shitty week, but you just don't feel right? Yep..that was how this week went. I couldn't seem to find any solid sleep all week even though I usually am out five minutes after my head hits the pillow. I got next to nothing accomplished at work. Tiger missed the cut at the US Open (which I can't say I am unhappy about) and the Heat pulled out of their funk to even the Finals at 2 apiece. Just an odd week in general.

Pattymelt arrived on Thursday Night at the Margarita Lounge. She went shopping with Cheryl all day yesterday and we are heading to my parents house tomorrow for Fathers Day. Depending on my mood, I might head to Casa de Hickman today to see Mr. Frotuss and swim in his pool. The US plays Italy today in the World Cup. Sure, I would love to see them win and I know they are fired up after being called out by the coach, but it's the World Cup. We are Americans, which means we suck at soccer and thats just the way it is. We like football, baseball, and basketball. I gave them about a 30% chance of winning.

And then we come back to Tiger. I am so happy that he missed the cut. As a lifelong fan of golf (and yes...there was golf prior to Tiger Woods), I am glad that NBC won't be clogging up the play of the leaders with coverage of Tiger. Has anyone else noticed this odd coverage phenomenon? Even if Tiger Woods is 15 shots off the lead with 2 holes to play, he is all they will cover. It's like the actual leaders of the tournament don't even exist. Sure, if Tiger is within a few shots of the lead...give him the coverage, but if he isn't even in the hunt, forget it. Actually, now that I think about it, this opens the door for NBC to do something different. Instead of covering Tiger all day today, maybe they can have a big two hour-long show on the details of how Tiger missed the cut. That would be great.

70 Years

I usually try not to insert "work stuff" into the Margarita Lounge, but I felt this was a good place to make an exception. I had an appointment with a couple today who are clients of mine. Mr. is 95 and Mrs. is 92 and they are going to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary next week. I thought 50 was a long time, but 70...damn. Good luck to the happy couple.

On an unrelated note, I still feel shitty. I don't know what it is, but I've been in this funk all week. I haven't been able to sleep at night, which is really strange for me. Must have been all the partying with the Senator last weekend that caught up to me. Usually I would be excited as hell as the US Open starts tomorrow, but the energy just hasn't been there. My apologies to everyone for being a lame ass this week but things will improve.

Runnin' on Empty

With Cheryl out of town for a few days, I decided to go out on Saturday Night and do a little partying with the Senator. After four hours of sleep, I was awakened by Lucy's barking for food on Sunday morning. I actually got some things done on Sunday, but I went to Boston's last night with my Dad and had a few more cold ones. Big mistake. I feel like a zombie right now. It's 630 and I'm already contemplating going to bed. Ugh...this sucks.

Actually, its been a pretty crappy day all around. It's cloudy for the third straight day courtesy of our friend Alberto....the US World Cup team got their asses kicked today.... ol' Ben Roethlisberger tried to kill himself on a motorcycle. Bah Humbug...I'm going to bed.

Alberto on the horizon?

Yes, it's hurricane season again in South Florida and it looks like the first tropical storm of the year will be developing in the next day or two near western Cuba. The experts have been watching the area all week but there has been too much wind shear for development. Unfortunately for us, the winds are calming down and they expect a storm or depression to form later today.

This sucks for me. Not because of the storm...I love tropical weather and follow it like a crazy man. It sucks because I will have to listen to all the local panic-people who will be going nuts the minute this thing becomes a Tropical Depression. Actually, Cheryl is heading to Miami today for her World Conference and I am sure there are people that are coming in from out of town who are going to be panicking too. Plus the Heat game is in Miami on Tuesday Night, so it looks like an interesting few days 'round these parts. Early prediction from the Margarita Lounge: Chill out. We'll probably get some rain and a little wind, but life will not end soon. Have a few cold ones this weekend and relax..it's summer time.

No wonder....

Pimpbling and I have finally found out while all these old people in Florida are so damn grumpy and miserable all the time....they watch WAY too much CNN. Think about it. If you had nothing to do all day but watch the news, you would have a rather warped sense of reality. You would think that the only thing going on in the world right now is identity theft, murder, and rape. You would think that Iran is about to drop the bomb on us. You would beleive that worldwide ocean levels were going to rise 10 feet in the next day or two. And you would beleive that the economy and the stock market suck and all corporations are out to screw you. That about covers it. This is exactly how you would feel if all you did was watch what the national news tells you every day.

Now, we all have problems and I don't disagree with that. We all get cut off driving to work one day and we all eat a shitty meal at a local restaurant from time to time. But really...life isn't that bad. There are murders, rapes and identity theft happening every day, but the other 99% of us are getting by OK. Iran is a nuisance, but the world isn't going to end tomorrow in a big mushroom cloud. Sea levels rise and fall over time but Florida isn't going to disappear in the next 10 years. The stock market goes up and down...always has and always will. Even after the recent sell-off, we are still up about 45% in the last three years and that ain't bad people. And yes, Ken Lay of Enron is a dirtbag, but there are a lot of people out there who work hard every day and don't screw anyone over. Have a Margarita and chill.

Back from Paradise

Mondays normally suck. Mondays after vacation really suck. I have included a few pictures from our trip last week to Emerald Isle, NC. Here is a picture from the beach of the house we rented, which was about a half-wedge from the ocean. Now you know why coming back home sucks so bad.

What a Real Beach looks like

I always hear people brag about the beaches here in Florida...I might have even been one of these people as of last week. All my opinions have changed. The beach isn't about high-rise condos and $20 Million dollar houses with big pools and palm trees. THIS is what a beach is supposed to look like...a wide stretch of sand, dunes, wood decks. I took this one morning around 7am. I think the picture pretty much speaks for itself.

Solitude

After the Memorial Day weekend wrapped up, things cleared out on the beach nicely. Not that it was ever packed, but it's nice to have nobody on the beach when you want to relax.

Vacation Time

Yep, that time has arrived. Cheryl and I will be on vacation in the Outer Banks until June 4th, so no postings until we get back. Above is a picture from the back deck of the beachhouse we are renting for the week....I am sure much wine will be drank on that porch. Everyone have a good Memorial Day weekend.

Now I'm really lost...

Since early this year, I have become obsessed with the series LOST on ABC. With the season finale last night, they left us all hanging again as to what's going on. I guess the cause of the plane crash was explained, but who really are "the others"? What happens to Jack, Kate, and Sawyer? What happened to Sayid, Locke and Eko? What was with that foot of the statue on the beach? And what was the deal during the last two minutes with those scientists calling Desmond's ex-girlfriend on the phone? I just hate waiting months to get an answer.

Another party with Xan

The Hickman's visited the Margarita Lounge last night for some dinner and a few bottles of wine. Xan the man behaved himself like a perfect gentleman (as usual). I wish I could say that Lucy did the same. For some reason, our cute little puppy turned into a little barking shithead last night. Good news is that she is back to normal this morning and behaving herself. I put a new picture below for anyone who wants an update on ol' puppy-breath.

What's the Problem?

I think this picture speaks for itself. Lucy has been a little terror recently, but I guess that's to be expected as she is a puppy. When we got her she was 6 pounds and now she's about 20. Even though she can be a pain in the ass and refuses to sleep past 6:30am, we really love her and are happy we got her.

Gettin' Giddy

I apologize for my laziness this week...I haven't really been that busy, just a lazy ass. My mind is elsewhere as vacation is less than a week away and I am getting as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning. I find myself looking out the window and daydreaming about the Outer Banks and an entire week away from the world.....

Back to reality....Early congrats go out to the K-Daddy who is getting married in the not-so-distant future. Actually, I'm not sure if I should even be mentioning it, but it's out there now, and since he lives in Pittsburgh I'm not too worried about him kicking my ass from 1200 miles away. I guess Kris and Jen will have an official ceremony sometime after the birth of the young K-Dog. A word to the wise Mr. Douglas...after all that we have been through together, if we are not invited to the ceremony, YOU WILL BE GETTING YOUR ASS KICKED by both of us.

A Little Monday Humor

While I am sure this picture has been doctored, it is really hilarious. Since Mondays pretty much suck for everyone, I figured the comic relief might help. If you can't read it, double-click on the image for a bigger version. Thanks to my mom for forwarding it to me.

The weekend draws to a close

Sundays are always a conflict to me. On one hand, I usually get my "stuff" done on Saturdays so Sundays tend to be more relaxing. On the other hand I have to go back to work tomorrow which sucks. So, what did I do so far this weekend?

Friday Night I took my mom out for Mother's Day. Sure, it was two days early, but today is going to be crazy, so I figured I would save the hassle. We went to the Rustic Cellar in Boca for a glass of wine. I had a Willakenzie and she had a Byron...both Pinot Noir and both quite tasty. I was very impressed with their wine list as well as the ambiance of the place. We went next door to Coal Mine Pizza for their amazing pizza before calling it a night.

As for yesterday, Cheryl had to work most of the day, so I got a chance to do some work around the house. After Cheryl got home we ordered some takeout from Sals and had a few glasses of wine. At 10:00 we decided to watch "A History of Violence"...a big mistake. I am sure we have all fallen into the trap we did last night. That movie with the really cool preview that looks interesting but ends up a dud. Yep...that was this one. Don't waste an hour and forty minutes of your life on it. Even Ed Harris couldn't save it from sucking, and I really like Ed Harris.

As for today, I am thinking of dropping by the new Hickman residence.....

Two Weeks and counting.....

Two weeks from today, we will be heading out on our long-awaited vacation to the Outer Banks. To say I am getting giddy is quite an understatement. An entire week on the ocean with no phone calls, no computers, no stock market watching...it's going to be great.

Gunther's New Abode

A big "congrats" goes out to Gunther, Wine Mistress, and Xan the wee man on the move back to Boynton Beach. While I haven't actually talked to Gunther since the closing (which was supposed to be yesterday afternoon), I assume everything went smooth since there was mention on Frotuss about it. The Hickman's will now be living less than a mile from the Margarita Lounge. While this could be detrimental to the contents of my wine cellar, it will be good to have another person my age in Boynton to hang out with.

Sunfest 2006

Even though Sunfest isn't officially over until tonight, I am done for another year. A couple of beers were drank along the way and much fun was had. While this year didn't involve any late night partying or nearly as much drama as last year (thankfully), I think I had a better time this year. If you haven't yet read "I am the Decider" below, make sure you start there.

I had the distinct pleasure of having lunch with Gunther yesterday at Duffy's. He had the wee man with him, but Xan slept the entire time. After that, around 3pm Cheryl and I went down to Sunfest and looked around at all the vendors. Unfortunately, nothing we saw made the cut. We ended up spending about 3 1/2 hours drinking beer and listening to music with Mark, Chad, Steve and Diana. We finally made the call at about 8pm that we should head closer to home. Aren't we good, responsible people? We picked up a pizza from Sals and closed things down pretty early...Cheryl was asleep by 11 and me by 12. It's looking like that was the right decision as there isn't a hangover to be found in the house today.

I am the Decider

The Senator was in rare form last night. In what has become tradition for the Margarita Lounge dwellers, we attend the fireworks on Friday at Sunfest and consumed large amounts of beer while floating on one of Captain Morgan's three barges. For some reason, the Senator decided at about 11:00 that he was the decider(pronounced de-side-er in case you are brain dead like me after a night of drinking).

I think the Senator was referring to George Bush's comments recently about being the decider on something, but that really isn't the point here. He proceeded to tell us and everyone around us that he was the decider, often times feeling the need to yell it out loud. It was one of those things that is really hard to describe in words yet it is the type of thing you will probably remember for the rest of your life. It is one of those things you laugh at the next morning when you are laying in bed with your wife reflecting on the fun you had the previous night.

It was good to see Enrique again..it seems like it has been years since we enjoyed a beer together brother. I'm sure he ended up with one of his random ladies last night or maybe ended up with "old reliable" if he couldn't close a deal. I know that we all had a great time and hopefully nobody is too hungover today because we need to repeat it in about six or seven hours.

Like father like son

It seems like Patrick Kennedy has decided to join his father Teddy in further destroying the Kennedy name through booze and drugs. While the details are still sketchy, Patrick will enter rehab soon to deal with his issues. Way to go Patrick!

Man found glued to toilet seat

Finally, some funny news....I really thought this stuff had gone the way of the dinosaurs. I guess a worker found a man glued to the toilet seat in the men's room at WalMart recently. Unfortunately, the story is lacking in any details (like city, state, name of the person, etc). I figured that this might cheer up anyone with those mid-week blues. Here's the small and uninformative story.

3 Days and Counting

Sorry about that political rant below, but you all knew I couldn't miss out on that subject. On a much less serious note, Sunfest is set to begin on Thursday afternoon. While it really snuck up on me this year, I can say that I am looking forward to having a few drinks on the Captain Morgan's barge with some friends I haven't seen in a while. I'll miss ya this year K-Daddy....no drinkin pardner to get hammered up with. Life is rough.

Missing the Point on Immigration

I think that the media is missing the point with all this Immigration stuff. The people we are talking about here are ILLEGAL immigrants. We aren't talking about the people who went through the legal immigration process and earned their way in. We are talking about people who are living here ILLEGALLY. I keep hearing the phrase "everyone should be treated equally" and I completely agree with this phrase. Everyone should be subject to the same rules...thus the definition of the word EQUAL. Beacuse you are a certain national origin, religion or sexual orientation does not mean you are better than everyone else and can live by a separate set of rules.

Let me put it another way. If a large bunch of drug smugglers, child molestors or terrorists lived in this country illegally, you sure as shit better beleive that our government officials would be falling all over themselves to throw them out quickly. If you live here illegally you are already breaking the rules. Why penalize the people who are doing things the right way?

Gettin' high in Mexico

In what I would call a "shocking" turn of fortunes for college spring breakers, Mexico is set to decriminalize the possession of marijuana, cocaine, ecstacy, and even heroin as long as it is for personal use. I don't know what amount is considered "personal use", but it is designed to allow the police to chase the "big dogs" and stop worrying about the small drugs busts.

Surprisingly, I am against this. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the decriminalization of pot. I think it would be really cool to be able to smoke a joint legally on the beach in Cancun. Ecstacy and coke is interesting, but I still have no problem with that. The problem I have is with heroin. I never experimented with heroin in my life, so I have zero first hand experience, but from what I have read and seen, it is the worst thing out there.

With all the news recently on oil prices and terrorism, this story may get buried in the news and probably won't get the attention it normally would. You can say you heard it at the Margarita Lounge first...I might have even scooped Frotuss!

More humor about oil

I was reading a few articles late this afternoon at work and felt that I ought to share them with you, my loyal readers. After checking them all out, I can say that I am more confused than ever. Here are the three articles.

1) Hypocritical Politicians. With all the bitching and moaning in Washington about high gas prices, you would think politicians all drive hybrids. Incorrect. Many of our "leaders" drive gas-guzzling Suburbans. Article.

2) Uncle Ted. You would think that Teddy Kennedy, Mr. Liberal himself, would be all for alternative power sources. A great idea like a wind farm in his back yard, right? Wrong. I guess Teddy wants to talk about it, but doesn't want it in his backyard. Article.

3) The suppliers weigh in. This is really funny when you add it as a third story. According to the Oil Minister from Qatar, oil prices would drop $15 per barrel if the politicians would just shut up about oil supplies. Funny stuff. Article.