The Cycle of Life

It sure has been an up and down couple of weeks for me emotionally. The wonder of Zach's birth and the ensuing happiness has been amazing and is second to none. Yet with the good comes the bad as two of my best client's wives have died of cancer in the past week. Talk about a roller coaster. Credit to Scottie G for the title...it just seemed to fit...

The Big Game

So, I guess some big football game is being played at Dolphin Stadium this weekend? Has anyone heard about this? Hmm....

Must be Tax Time

I just bought Turbo Tax last weekend...I thought this picture was appropriate. Actually, I have to give credit where credit is due...Cheryl took the picture.

Halo

After two months of sporadic play (interrupted by the holidays and the small life-changing experience of Zach's birth), I finally beat the PC version of Halo this morning! Since Halo 2 doesn't come out on PC until Halo 3 comes out on Xbox 360, I will have to wait until later this year to continue my quest with the Master Chief. Yes, I am a dork...

My Arch-nemesis...Mr. White Sweater

Cheryl and I went out to dinner last night and everything was great. Excellent company, excellent food and excellent conversation are second-to-none in my book. We had some wine, some steak and life was good. There was a small side story, though that I thought everyone would like. This by no means dampered my evening with Cheryl and I don't want anyone to think that is the case. But I did meet my new arch-nemesis last night...and his name is Mr. White Sweater Man. Here is how it went:

We arrive at Fifth Avenue Grill about 8pm to an hour and a half wait. No problem...we head to the bar for some wine. The bar is packed and we are forced to stand in a corner of the bar. Five minutes after we get there, a big group of annoying people show up next to us..one member of the group being a gray-haired gentleman (probably in his 50's) wearing a white sweater. Mr. White Sweater decides he needs to stand about one inch away from me. He bumps me...he elbows me...he again bumps me. Never does an apology come out of his mouth.

So...Cheryl and I decide to move about six feet away from this group so I no longer need to deal with MWS (abbreviations are much easier). Five minutes later, MWS is again behind me bumping and elbowing me. But this time he feels the need to put his arm around every man in his group and tell them how much he loves them. The bumping and elbowing continue.

Finally, two seats open at the bar and we quickly grab the seats. All is good now, right? Nope. MWS is now directly next to me at the bar and I can barely squeeze in next to him. Ten minutes pass and MWS finally leaves his position next to me...I am getting excited now. This excitement lasts about 10 seconds before I feel another big bump in the back...now the group is taking pictures in the bar directly behind me. No longer does just MWS bump me, two or three other people fighting to be in the picture are also bumping into me. I finally speak up and tell them to please stop it. OK...maybe I didn't word it quite that nicely..but that was the jist of it. Shortly thereafter, MWS's group is seated on the opposite side of the restaurant and he is gone. I can finally breathe again!

Cheryl and I are seated shortly after this at 9pm and whose table are we next to? You guessed it...Mr. White Sweater Man's table! He is the devil....

Out on the Town

With Pattymelt on babysitting duty, Cheryl and I are heading out tonight for our first dinner as parents. With the hectic schedules we have been keeping (and the lack of sleep), we are really looking forward to a nice, quiet dinner at Fifth Avenue Grill in Delray. The good news is that my drinking buddy is back from a nine-month hiatus...I'll bet that first glass of Pinot is going to taste REALLY good. Good Day.

All wrapped up

I know that I am slightly biased, but he sure is a good looking dude, isn't he?

Workin' Hard

Notice anything odd with this picture? Yep, that's the little man on the desk.

Chillin' on the Couch

One Week

Well, we have survived the first week being new parents without any major problems. Lots of things happened this week and we are still not getting much sleep, but life is good around the Margarita Lounge. Outside of the Z man, the Dolphins got a new coach this week, oil prices are lower, and Pattymelt is due to arrive tonight for 9 days. It will be nice to have someone else around the house to help out. And since Cheryl is one of four kids, Patty definitely has some useful experience that we will heed.

In Cam We Trust

It looks like the Dolphins finally made their long-awaited decision tonight on jackass Saban's replacement. The big winner is Cam Cameron, who is the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. While he wouldn't be my first choice(Jim Mora), he was my second, so that's not bad. He is an offensive guy(good because our offense blows), has NFL experience with a good team (unlike jackass) and is young...45 years old. The only negative is that his only head coaching experience was with Indiana and he sucked. But that was quite a long time ago. And it's sure better than picking Mike Shula, Chan Gailey or Dom Capers. I give the decision a 8.5 out of 10.

Thank you

I wanted to say "thank you" to everyone for the well-wishes and gifts over the past two days. From flowers to food to balloons to clothes, you all helped make the arrival of Zach all the more special for us. Now...if I can get this no sleep thing down I'll be fine. Any veterans have some suggestions for a wide-eyed rookie?

Pictures of Zach

Click on the pictures for a bigger view.

THE BIG DAY ARRIVES!!

Last night at 10:16pm, Zachary Glenn Pollock was born at Boca Raton Community Hospital. He was 6 pounds 9 ounces and 20 inches long. Both Cheryl and Zach are doing fine and (hopefully) finally resting at the hospital by now. I just ran back to the house for a few hours of sleep before heading back in the morning. Cheryl was absolutely amazing and I will try to give everyone some details in the next week when I get the time. For those lucky people like me who have experienced the miracle of birth, it is tough to put into words what a life changing experience it is. I also don't think I have ever felt as exhausted as I do right now, but it was all worth it...we have an absolutely beautiful son that we love very much. According to everyone who has seen him in the past day, he looks just like me. I disagree as he is much better looking than I am. I will be posting some pictures this week once I can get this damn Kodak software working right.

Wow

That is all I can say this morning. I knew that the Gators had a chance at winning last night if they played well enough, but 41-14? That was an old-fashioned ass-kicking if I have ever seen one. It kind of reminded me of the 2001 Rose Bowl when Miami ran circles around Nebraska and made them look like a high-school team. All you need to do it look at this game and the Boise State/ Oklahoma game to know why college football is more exciting than the NFL. So much for those "SEC speed is over-rated" comments I have heard for the past few weeks.

DO NOT put any person in this washer

I have always laughed at the stupid warnings companies are forced to put on products due to stupid people doing stupid things. Items such as "do not drink ammonia" or "do not use razor blades near infants" always make me laugh. I guess the good people of Detroit have taken this a step further, actually sponsoring a yearly contest focusing on the dumbest warning. If you'd like a good laugh, here is the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/06/wacky.warnings.ap/index.html

More relief at the gas pump on the way!

It's looking like $2 per gallon gas at the pump might become a reality in the next few weeks. Oil closed today right around $55.50/bbl which breaks a very important technical support level at $56.10. That means that prices should be headed lower in the near term. We are heading for the $50 level in 2007 just like I said mt! Sure, it took a little longer than I expected, but we will be there in the next few months. I'm sure the Dems will want to take credit for this one...

You could be an asshole if....

Your name is Nick Saban. I have been stewing over this all day and couldn't wait to get home to write about it. Yes, Nick Saban left the Dolphins today to go back to the SEC and coach Alabama. This I don't fault him for. The guy was an average NFL coach at best and is probably better in college. He had a division (AFC East) that is pretty solid, realized he was in way over his head, and isn't very good at dealing with hard times. The fact of the matter is he just didn't get it done.

The problem I have with the whole situation is his ability to look you right in the eye and blatantly lie through his teeth. When you say over and over to the fans that you WILL BE the Dolphins coach in 2007, people believe you. When you tell the fans that you are NOT going to Alabama over and over, we believe you. When you go to these great lengths to prove you are a "team man" and then turn around and leave for Alabama, you are a 100% grade A prime asshole in my book. And the word "disappointed" isn't even close...the words "pissed off" and "furious" are more appropriate.

And what about some of these assistant coaches you brought with you to Miami? The guys that you promised a great five years to? The guys that moved their families to South Florida to follow you? What about these guys? Sure, some of them might move to Alabama with you or stay on with the Dolphins...but not all of them. What do you say to these guys? You didn't even have the balls to tell them to their faces...you told them all over the speakerphone this morning.

In summary, yes I am pissed off and angry. And I think I am justified in this. I hope Alabama goes 0-12 for the next 3 years and you get your ass fired. By the way...did I tell you that you are an asshole yet? Oh yeah...I covered that already...

Wouldn't it be nice...

I was just reading an article online about Gerald Ford. The article was talking about how he refused to talk in public about his personal religious beliefs. In this day and age, I found that idea a rather refreshing one. Wouldn't it be nice if people kept more to themselves instead of feeling the need to jam themselves down everyone else's throats? Think of how nice it would be if there wasn't that loudmouthed guy on the cell phone. I don't care if you are gay and want to tell everyone else. And I sure as hell don't care what your religious beliefs are, because they are probably 100% different from mine. Just a thought at the beginning of a new year...

A Crazy Day in Sports

Normally, New Years Day is known for football and hangovers. This year was no different with the great Boise State/ Oklahoma game last night. I (of course) fell asleep halfway through the 2nd half and missed it all....good thing there are Sportscenter highlights or I'd be screwed. In addition to all the great bowl games yesterday, there was Bobby Knight winning number 880, an NFL player being killed in a drive-by shooting, and the relentless talk here in South Florida about Nick Saban leaving to go coach Alabama. I'm glad I have today off to recover...

Happy New Year

On behalf of all four (and soon to be five) residents of the Margarita Lounge, Happy New Year! Cheryl and I were really lame last night and stayed in. Jen came over for a great dinner of Filet, Crab Legs, and Sweet Potatoes but she left before midnight. Cheryl and I were both asleep by 12:15. I told you we were lame old farts!

As for the New Year, this is going to be a rather interesting one for us. Cheryl is due in about four weeks and the final preparations are quickly coming to an end. The nursery is all set up and we are just waiting for the contractions to start. We are both really excited about the arrival of the little man and I will let everyone know the details (and provide some pictures) as soon as possible after the big moment.