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