Roof Damage

Cheryl took this picture on Wednesday at her office. Wilma tore the roof off part of the building and this was the result.

Nice Try, Wilma

Just a quick post to let everyone know that the Margarita Lounge is OK. We are still out of power, as is about 90% of Palm Beach County. Cheryl's co-worker Jen was kind enough to let us take a warm shower this evening since she just got power back. Needless to say, Wilma was stronger than many people here expected. I will have some pictures posted as soon as we get power back. In general we did OK...I lost about 20 roof tiles, lost a palm tree out front, and have a cracked windshield and some dents in the paint on my Explorer. Still no power at work and we are hoping for a return to "normal" life in the next few days. According to FPL, there are still over 2 million houses and businesses on the east coast without power and all are expected to be restored by the middle of November. More as things develop. Hoping everyone else made it through OK.

Bracing for the worst...

Cheryl, Tracy and I just got back from Grandma's place where we helped her celebrate her 86th birthday. All the plywood is up, the batteries and candles ready and we've settled in for what is destined to be a rough 24 hours. Looking at the computer models and tracks, it looks like Wilma will come ashore tomorrow morning near Naples and head right over us during the day tomorrow. I think it will hit the coast with winds in the 110-115 mph area. With the speed it's moving, we are definitely going to see 75-80 mph winds here and may see gusts up near 100 mph. I am sure we will lose power, hopefully only for a day or two. At least the worst will be during the day tomorrow, opposed to last year when Frances and Jeanne came through at night.

Alexander the Buckeye

Gunther and Xan came over this afternoon for a little football on TV. As you can see, Xan is quite the Buckeye fan and the good news is the Buckeyes whooped Indiana'a ass pretty good today. The Senator should be making his appearance at the Margarita Lounge soon for a little pre-hurricane get-together tonight. It's loking like Wilma is finally heading our way...the plywood goes up tomorrow morning. While I hope we don't lose power, the reality is that we probably will and the Lounge could be silent for a while. I'll keep everyone updated as much as possible.

Get it over with already!

Gunther and I are in the same boat on this beyatch Wilma...just get it over with. First she was coming through on Saturday...then Sunday...now Monday. Some models say it will only be a strong Tropical Storm and others show a Category 3. Talk about frustrating.

This is obviously going to make a difference in whether I board up or not. The weather sucks so bad that I can't even cut the damn grass...I guess I'll just have to sit around all day and watch college football games. Problem is I don't have any beer in the house. I guess I'll have to go to the store today.

Gunther's New Creation

I encourage all of my Margarita Lounge readers interested in the stock market or the economy to read Gunther's new MagneCarte blog. He set it up a few months ago and forgot his password, but I guess he just remembered it, so he's up and running. The address is http://www.frotuss.blogspot.com. Since Gunther and I both work in the same business, I am sure I will post some of my thoughts over there from time to time.

The Cheeseburger Bill

I was very glad to see the House pass the "Cheeseburger Bill" on Wednesday. In case you are not familiar with it, the bill would block lawsuits by people who blame fast-food restaurants for being overweight. Here is the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/20/cheeseburger.bill/index.html

As you can tell, I am 100% behind this bill. Just because someone stuffs their face with Big Macs every day doesn't mean they should be able to sue McDonalds when they get fat. I mean, this isn't rocket science...if you eat shitty food all the time you will get fat. It reminds me of these lawsuits people file against Budweiser after they drink 25 beers and wrap their car around a telephone pole. It wasn't the beer company's fault that you are a dumbass.

People just love to blame others for their problems. And if they can get money for it, look out. Whatever happened to taking responsibility for your actions? I see that the California Democrat Bob Filner disagrees with the bill. If Bob and his buddies had their way, everyone could sue any company at any time for any amount of money and without any reason. Companies would then have to pay outrageous legal bills to deal with the lawsuits. Companies would pass on this expense in the form of higher prices for beer and cheeseburgers...just simple economics. That would suck, because I like beer and cheeseburgers.

WILMA!!!!!

It seems that the only subject on everyone's mind these days in Boynton Beach is Hurricane Wilma. I have just spent the most miserable hour of my life up in my attic. After a good sized tree branch fell on my roof last year during Hurricane Frances, I found a small leak in the roof. It wasn't a big deal and I was able to seal it pretty simply myself. Well, of course it re-appears a few days before Wilma is expected to go right over us. I sealed it again about two hours ago and (of course) it just RAINED. Murphy's Law at it's finest, huh?

In any case, we have begun the waiting game... sitting around, watching the weather stations, filling up the cars with gas, and getting extra water. Luckily I went out last night around 9pm and took care of anything we needed. Being through this drill a few times in the last year makes you very calculating and rational about things. I mean...there isn't anything I can do to change the storm's track, so you do your best to prepare to ride things out. Sure things might get windy...we might lose power...my roof might start leaking. Shit happens...you get through it and you get on with life the best you can.

Unfortunately, there always have to be those people who panic about things four days before they might (or might not) happen. I have one of these "panic" people in my office and she drives me nuts. To protect the innocent, we will call her Phyllis. The storm is 600 miles away and might not even come close to us, but Phyllis thinks that trees are going to fall on her house. She feels the need to cancel her week-long vacation to Georgia on Friday (an area that is considered much safer than South Florida) so she can "make sure nothing happens to the house". Does this make sense to anyone? Let's stay in our house (that will probably lose power) for a few days instead of going on vacation to a beautiful mountain cabin and relax while this thing blows through. That's a pretty simple decision if it were me.

Dig Cindy, Dig!

I think Cindy Sheehan is slowly digging her own grave and nobody could be happier than me. I just saw a story where Cindy was trashing Hillary Clinton about her stance on Iraq. Indeed...today is a good day! Nobody on the right has liked Cindy for months, and now that she has trashed Hillary, nobody on the left likes her either. I'm sure I can find an extra shovel around here to help Cindy dig that hole....

Moonfest

Hi all. Is anyone up for Moonfest (http://www.moonfest.org/BOO.htm) down on Clematis this year? Todd and I are heading there to celebrate his 32nd birthday and Halloween on Saturday, October 29th!! Let me know if you're interested and I'll call you when we make the plans.

Cheryl

Some Flooding Humor

As many of you know, the northeast has had quite a bit of flooding the past two weeks. On Friday, one of the Today Show reporters decided to slightly embellish the true state of affairs in one particular area. The reporter, Michelle Kosinski, was paddling a canoe down a street and telling the story of the terrible flooding when two men walked in between the reporter and the cameraman. What's so funny about that you ask? Well, the water the guys were walking through was about ankle-deep. I guess that Matt Lauer and Katie Couric had problems keeping a straight face and even made a few jokes about the "miracle men" who walked on water. I posted the picture above and have been laughing my ass off for a few minutes. Ah, the wonders of live TV....

More rude people

According to a recent study, Americans are getting more rude. This is something that I have personally noticed over the past 5-10 years. With the world becoming more and more hectic and the need for everyone to know everything about everyone at anytime, manners seem to have gone out the window. Rude kids, rude parents, even rude grandparents seem to be the norm these days, especially here in South Florida.

I had a particularly rude person show up at Barnes and Noble the other night. I decided to run over there for about an hour to relax and see if anything struck me as interesting. Right in the middle of the store was a young kid (maybe 18 years old) on his cell phone. For some reason, he and his buddy decided that talking into their cell phones wasn't good enough, they needed to yell into them. After hanging up, they proceeded to yell a conversation that I could hear at least halfway across the store. I just can't understand why people can't go outside if they want to have a loud conversation on a cell phone. Not necessarily in the grocery store at a bar, but in a book store I would consider it common courtesy. Maybe I am getting too old and crotchety, but shit like that really bothers me. Am I way off base on this or not? I'm interested to see everyone's opinion. Please let me know in the comments section if you can. Below is the link to the story in case you want to read the article. Thanks.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/14/poll.rude.ap/index.html

Ghost town

AG Edwards was like a ghost town today. With a large Jewish population in Palm Beach County and today being Yom Kippur, things were very quiet. I think I only talked to two clients all day, but got a chance to hold Pimpbling's clients hands all day. I did get a chance to have lunch with Mr. Hickman and JC over at Brus and had a colbeer after work with Mr. Golden. Not much new around the Margarita Lounge this week. I am still drooling over my HD, which I have been watching pretty much non-stop since Monday Night....

HD Arrives at the Lounge!

I finally broke down and put in the call to Adelphia yesterday. After waiting for a year and a half, I finally pulled the trigger and got an HD box for my television. The only phrase I can now utter is "Holy Shit!"...thats it. I can't imagine how I ever owned a widescreen for so long without it. All is good with the world. And do you know what the best thing about it is? I got to watch the Yankees get their asses kicked last night in High Definition! I must now return to my shrine....

The Dolphins blow...

Thats really the easiest way to say it. When you turn the ball over 5 times and have 18 penalties, you are bound to lose a game in the NFL. On the other hand, if you do this and you have a chance to win the game in the last few minutes, all isn't lost...there is always next week. The good news is that Cheryl went with me to watch the game today...a first for her. We ended up having a few more beers than scheduled and will probably pay for it tomorrow, but it was a lot of fun and I hope she wants to go next week.

In the same boat today with the Dolphins are John Daly and the Atlanta Braves. JD missed a 3 footer on the 17th hole which would have won him the American Express Championship. He then missed a shorter putt on the second playoff hole to choke it to Tiger. I have nothing against Eldrick, but JD is so much more fun to watch play golf. As for the Braves, they again proved they are a great regular-season team. They were up by five runs with two innings left and blew it. I think they have won the NL East 14 years in a row and only have one World Series title to show for it. In football that might not be so bad, but only 8 teams make the playoffs in baseball. That sucks no matter how you slice it.

Penn State pulls the upset in Happy Valley

I am sure Gunther is crying in his scotch (or wine) tonight and I feel for him. The mightly Buckeyes were just beaten by Penn State in somewhat of a surprise. I don't think many people gave Penn State a chance in this one, even after winning their first five games against "lesser" opponents. To beat a quality team like the Buckeyes will make more beleivers of many people. While not good enough to win the National Championship, I am sure some sports reporters will be kissing Joe Paterno's ass tomorrow and saying how great he is. And hey...the guy is about 150 years old and still coaching in big time college football...more power to him.

Tonight will be absolutely nuts in State College. I haven't been there since my college days, but I can't imagine things have changed that much in 10-12 years. I'm sure they still party like rock stars and puke all over College Ave. Ah...the good old days.

A Quiet Night Out

Cheryl and I decided to go out to a quiet dinner last night at Josie's. With all the day-to-day stresses in the world, it's always enjoyable to have a nice relaxing dinner at a local Italian place...eat pasta, drink wine, and just chill. We followed dinner with a trip to one of my favorite places in the world, Coldstone.

We are on our way to meet Francisco shortly for lunch. Cheryl used to work with him up in Raleigh and we haven't seen him since our wedding two years ago. After that we are heading to Gary and Sue's briefly. We have been throwing around the idea of going to the Lake Worth drive-in tonight with a few people. I have many fond memories of getting drunk at the drive-in growing up. Unfortunately, there are very few of them left these days.

As for sports, tomorrow is (obviously) devoted to the Dolphins game. We've even convinced Cheryl to go to Brus with us to watch the game. It was nice to see the White Sox sweep Boston last night. They are for real this year. And with the way the Yankees are playing, it very well could be the Angels and White Sox in the AL Championship game. My World Series projection is Chicago and St. Louis with the Cardinals pulling it out in 6 games.

My apologies

I have been a little lazy recently and I apologize to my faithful readers. Unlike the Senator, I like to update my blog more often than every two weeks. Work has been good the past month, I just scheduled vacation in the Keys for November, and all is well around the house. Well...we still have a house guest we can't seem to get rid of, but that's another story. The baseball playoffs are underway and we are in the heart of college football season. The Dolphins are actually leading their division, which is really crazy. I had lunch with my mom today, which is always fun. Life is good and I really can't complain too much about things. Sorry...that's it for today. No ranting, no raving, just happy thoughts. Bob Ross would be proud...you all remember Bob Ross:
http://www.hofcraft.com/images/BobRossLogo.GIF

Rain Delay

So, the Marlins won last night in pretty dramatic fashion with a late game rally. The actual game was great, but the 3 hour rain delay kinda sucked. The game was delayed at 6:30 only half way through the first inning. Things didn't resume until 9:30. The good news was that there was no traffic after the game because there was nobody left in the ninth inning. We still didn't get home until about 12:30, which is late for an old man like me.

It's looking like my Indians have choked their way out of the playoffs this year. Unless they win today and Boston loses, they are done and will have to sit it out until next year. The good news is that they seem to be up-and-comers in the AL and will hopefully challenge the White Sox next year for the division title.

Cheryl and I also booked our November vacation to Key West this morning. We haven't been there in two years (since our wedding) and the trip is long over-due. If you are remotely interested, you can check out the website for the guesthouse we are staying at: www.artisthousekeywest.com. I'm already counting the days until departure!

Go Tribe!

It's shaping up to be a big weekend in baseball. My old team the Cleveland Indians have three big games against the White Sox starting tonight. If they can sweep the series, they'll make the playoffs for the first time in about 5 years. This is really exciting considering I was spoiled with the good teams the Indians used to field. For those of you that don't know, I lived in Cleveland from Jan of 1996 through Jan of 2000. These were the years when the Indians always locked up the AL Central by mid September. Since then, my boys have gone into the skid known as "rebuilding" while losing all the great talent they had in those late 90's teams. I've dusted off the old Chief Wahoo hat and will be cheering hard this weekend.

Staying on the subject of baseball, Cheryl and I are going to the Marlins/Braves game tomorrow evening. While I was hoping the game would have playoff implications, it was not meant to be this year for the Marlins. Regardless, I'm looking forward to it. Everyone stay out of trouble this weekend.

The moron is back in the news

My old friend Cindy Sheehan is back in the news. As all you regular readers of the Lounge know, I really dislike this woman. I guess she was arrested today in front of the White House while protesting again....yawn. Above is the picture of her being hauled away. It is indeed a great day! A few things of interest in this story:

1) You need to have a permit to protest in Washington DC and Cindy did not have one. Other places this might not be required, but in Washington it is understandable. Play by the rules if you want to protest...it's that simple. If you are asked to break things up by the police (and this happened three times) and you don't leave, you will be arrested.

2) Climbing the fence outside the White House is a no-no. One of Cindy's friends decided it would be a good idea to do this and the Secret Service got him quickly. Hopefully they gave him a good beat-down and a body cavity search. I don't care who you are...climb the fence at the White House and you are getting your ass kicked.

3) Doesn't Cindy have a job? I have wondered about this for a while and honestly don't know the answer to the question. Some Americans might want to join her in her quest, but us normal people need to WORK. I would think Cindy should concentrate on being a productive member of society and paying taxes like the rest of us. Then she can complain about how the government runs things.

4) Is this woman really the good role model that parents want their kids to look up to? I sure hope not. In addition to having no job and being arrested, she showed her wonderful respect for the law by laughing and smiling about the whole situation. Boy, I sure hope Mikey grows up to be like her!

Happy News

Well, the Dolphins pulled out a win today. All the shit that Ronnie Brown has been getting was put to rest today with a 132 yard effort against Carolina. I hate it when sports reporters (the so-called "experts") write off a rookie after only two games. I'll be laughing in December when Ronnie reaches 1000 yards.

In a related happy story, I finally found a cool website that isn't the same old "doom-and-gloom, count the bodies and tell me how the world sucks" news site. It is called happynews.com and everyone should check it out. If you like body counts and negativity, prepare to be disappointed. If you want something that is a nice change of pace, check it out.

Who's gonna show up?

So, what Dolphins team is going to show up today at 1pm? The team that looked great in week one scoring 34 points against Denver or the jackasses in New York last week that scored 7? Hopefully Nick Saban can right the ship today. Carolina is coming off a big win against New England and I am hoping for the proverbial "letdown" this week. That in combination with a motivated team at home will hopefully translate into a win. Stay tuned...

A little looting fun

Yes, I stole this idea...I admit it. But it was SO funny that I couldn't pass it up. My old buddy Gunther at Frotuss.com posted this today and I have been laughing my ass off for about five minutes. I'm sure that the people over at Heineken are pretty happy about the publicity.

This gentleman seems rather resourceful. He didn't take food, water, or any of the necessities he might need after Katrina flooded his neighborhood...he got the beer. He's going to have bad cottonmouth in the morning after drinking all those beers and no water. I guess the people over at Heineken are right...It's all about the beer.

No way!

Above is the now famous picture of Kate Moss getting ready to do a line. This whole story really amuses me. Yeah...I know this story is a day or two old and I am late to the party...it's just really funny. Everyone is acting like "we had no idea models snorted coke". Yeah, right. The entire industry is full of girls who do it constantly. There is a reason why these girls stay so skinny, people! Saying you are "shocked" by a model blowing lines up her nose is like being "shocked" that kids under 21 drink. Please.

Here we go again

All I can say about Rita is HOLY SHIT. Thats it. Rita's central pressure just dropped to 898 mb, which is the third lowest ever in the Atlantic basin. Lower than Andrew, Lower than Camile, and yes...lower than Katrina. Unless something strange happens in the next few days, the damage could be just as bad as what we saw in New Orleans. With that being said:

1) If you are in the path of the storm...get out. Heroes who try to ride out these types of storms end up dead.

2) If you are a politician...shut your mouth. I'm already hearing rumblings and politicians who want independent investigations as to why the preparations are going smoother for Rita than for Katrina.

3) If you aren't in the path and can help out...do so. Be happy and appreciative that you aren't the one whose house is going to be flattened in three days. Living where I do, I am thankful every day.

A little humor helps

This picture is hilarious. The "to go" comment on the bottom makes it really hilarious. I think the picture sums up the attitude of most people in the Keys very well. As the Keys were the location for my engagement and wedding, it is obviously one of my favorite places on earth.

I hope that everyone takes the mandatory evacuations down there seriously, though since there is noplace to run and hide in the Keys once a hurricane shows up.

Back to Reality

Well, the Dolphins have fallen back to reality this week after getting their asses handed to them by the Jets 17-7. They looked a lot more like the 4-12 team from last year today. Pimpbling and I were pleaseantly surprised to have the company of Gunther for the game. He was a little more fortunate today as his Browns beat Green Bay.

It looks like Rita is now up to 50mph winds and the National Weather Service expects a Category One by tomorrow night. The current track is pointing to the Keys, but any small shift north and we are in the path. Phillipe could turn west and I wouldn't be surprised to see Tropical Storm Stan form later this week right on the heels of Phillipe. Welcome to the peak of hurricane season in South Florida.

Taking a Chad

I think that the word "Nap" needs to be replaced in the dictionary with "Chad". I went out last night with the Senator, Big Daddy, and Chad to watch the college football games. Chad was late as usual because he fell asleep. I have never seen anyone sleep more than Chad does. He sleeps like 12 hours a night and is always taking a nap. Crazy shit.

On another front, it looks like TD 18 is heading our way. This one should be Tropical Storm Rita later today or tonight. Hopefully it will stay south of us and we'll only get some wind and rain on Tuesday.

I'm heading to Brus Room around 3:30 with Pimpbling to see if the Dolphins can follow-up on their win from last week. Living here in South Florida(sometimes knows as New York City South..how YOU doin?) there are usually more Jets fans at the bars than Dolphins fans. And, yes they are usually obnoxious as many New Yorkers are. Hopefully we'll come home with a win.

Prime Catch/ Idiot Watch

Cheryl and I had dinner with my parents last night at Prime Catch here in Boynton. I have only been there three times, but every time the food has been excellent. You would think I'd stay away from seafood places (since I don't like it), but the steaks are so good that I will always make an exception. It's kind of strange being the ONLY person in Florida that dislikes seafood, but I have managed pretty well. Next on my list is what I call "Idiot Watch". I know I promised to retire the Katrina rhetoric, but like boxers I am briefly coming out of retirement.

"George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self from power."

Above is a quote from the wonderfully idiotic Cindy Sheehan (who had her cute little "camp" outside the Presidents ranch this summer). Is this woman insane? Maybe she needs to check into a mental institution. PULL THE TROOPS OUT OF NEW ORLEANS?? Take the troops out who are providing the protection that residents need...great idea Cindy. I guess Cindy hopes that New Orleans can go back to the looting, murder and rapes that were happening 2 weeks ago without the troops there. And people listen to this woman??

Mixing it up a little

I see that we have a little sparring going on in the comments sections. A little friendly boxing is always encouraged at the Margarita Lounge. It seems like we have Gunther and Pimpbling (oh yeah..and me) in one corner and MT in the other. Don't worry MT, the Senator has been pretty slack on his comments (and his blog) recently and I'm sure he will have your back.

As for me, I hit it out of the park today at work. Every now and then you have a day where everything works out and today was that kind of day. With tomorrow being Friday, hopefully I can carry the rally into the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, lots going on for the Florida teams this weekend. Florida/Tennessee, Miami/Clemson and Florida State/Boston College should all be good games on Saturday. Plus, the Dolphins/Jets game on Sunday might be better than we all expected.

Last one on Katrina

In an effort to "move on", this will be my last post mentioning Katrina. The whole "blame game" going on in the media really upsets me and has gotten under my skin the last week. There is a time and a place for analysis and accountability. I just don't believe two weeks after one of the largest disasters in US history is that time.

A few weeks or months from now, Congress will spend lots of taxpayer dollars in the hunt to throw around blame. Our culture always wants instant gratification, we want answers today. We want someone to blame, we want a scapegoat. In this case, there is only one clear-cut "bad guy" out there and she isn't around anymore. Her name is Katrina.

Please stop

And people wonder why I can't stand watching the evening news. Bias is the reason...plain and simple. Oh yeah...it's time for a little pent-up political rage. If I was not an intelligent and resourceful person, I would beleive that George W. Bush is the reincarnation of Satan himself. All I need to do is look at the news anytime there is a problem in the world and would know that it is ALL his fault.

I guess all this finger-pointing about Hurricane Katrina has finally gotten under my skin. I am usually very good at expressing my feelings, but when someone else states something so accurately and so eloquently, I can do nothing but agree. Here is an article from Jack Kelly that I suggest everyone read: Link

Who the hell was that?

Who was that team that beat up the Broncos yesterday at Dolphins Stadium? I couldn't beleive my eyes all afternoon. The Dolphins score 34 points in a game? I have become so used to the Jay Fiedler-led Dolphins scoring 7 or 10 points a game that I was shocked to see points on the board. Now, one game does not make a season, but I was pleasantly surprised by my team's performance and hope that my 8-8 prognostication was an error.

Football

Well, I am sure Gunther is sad this morning after the poor offensive showing the Buckeyes had last night. You gotta put the ball it in the endzone. Don't feel bad pardner (subtle reference to Brent Mustberger), the Canes looked equally shitty last week against Florida State. Actually, Miami looked a lot worse than your beloved Buckeyes. We can now both hang our heads at having a loss early in the year. The good news is that an early loss to a highly ranked team is much better than a loss late in the year or a loss to a crappy team like TCU.

Speaking of losses, the Dolphins open their season today against the Broncos at 1pm. After a stellar 4-12 record in 2004 (with more drama than a high school prom), Nick Saban is hoping to improve a team that really sucked last year. I would consider an 8-8 record this year a success but think they will be more competitive than everyone thinks. It's not like they are going to make the playoffs or anything, but they did manage to beat the Patriots last year.

Arrival of the Piano

Today is a very happy day for Cheryl. This morning around 11am Zeke and I delivered her piano. We almost killed ourselves lifting into the Uhaul van I rented, but we "got 'er done". The rest of my day has been relatively uneventful..an hour working in the yard, some college football on TV, and a few small naps.

As for the golf tournament yesterday, we were the big winners. Our team was 3rd in 2003 and 2nd in 2004, so we were due to win this year. Unfortunately, we didn't win a trophy like the last two years, we won gift certificates to the golf shop. Not that I'm complaining...we had a great time all afternoon and it sure beats working on a Friday afternoon. I was hoping to go out tonight to watch the Ohio State-Texas game, but it seems like most of my friends are out of town. I guess the couch is going to be the location of choice.

Golf, Ophelia, and the Piano

Well, we are close to the end of another week. You gotta love the four day work week, huh? Actually, its going to be a 3 1/2 day work week for me. I am playing in the annual Rotary Club golf outing at Cypress Creek tomorrow with a few co-workers. I'm usually recruited for these events because I am a pretty decent golfer. Unfortunately, the boys might be disappointed tomorrow as I haven't hit a golf ball in about 5 months. Actually, with now Hurricane Ophelia circling a few hundred miles north of us, I hope we don't get wet.

As for this weekend, Cheryl and I will soon be proud owners of a piano. Zeke was looking to get rid of his wife's piano and I offered to buy it off him. Needless to say, Cheryl is very excited. She's already ordered sheets and sheets of piano music. I'm renting a Uhaul van on Saturday morning and hopefully won't break anything...wish me luck.

Blog Comments

I want to thank everyone who comments on the blog on a regular basis. I also want to encourage everyone who does not comment to do so...I'd love to know who is reading and what you think about the stories, my opinions, life, whatever. To comment, just click on the comment link below the story. Once the next page pulls up, click on the "post comment" link to enter your comment.

On the comments section, I have added a word verification feature. All you need to do is type the word that is on the page. This is to avoid all the spam programs out there that have been placing annoying advertisements on the Margarita Lounge. It doesn't effect anyone's ability to post an actual comment....just the crap I don't want. Thanks again to everyone for reading.

Back in the Saddle

I have survived my trip to Pittsburgh and have returned in one piece. It was nice to visit K-Delish and his family for the weekend, but there is nothing like coming home to your own bed. Lots of fun was had and a few beverages were drank on my little trip to the great white north. While 50 degrees at night might be "pleasant" in Pennsylvania, it downright cold for a South Floridian in early September...I was glad to feel the warm blast of humidity when I stepped off the plane last night.

I am also gearing up for the big game tonight. Miami/Florida State kicks off just after 8pm in a college version of Monday Night Football. Go Canes!

Thanks to Cheryl for posting the idiotic comments from Kanye West the other day. I'm amused by all the finger-pointing going on now about the handling of Katrina by the Louisiana government officials. Local and regional disaters have always been the responsibility of the local and state governments with Federal assistance provided. If things weren't done right, the mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana (both Democrats) need to first look at themselves before blaming Bush for things. Lets all remember that there was never this type of problem when Jeb handled the 4 hurricanes Florida had last year. There were also no complaints about how Rudy Guiliani and Governor Pataki handled the aftermath of 9/11 four years ago. Conveniently, all three of them were Republicans. Here's a good link that probably says it better than I do: http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/nl74.html

Kanye West

In my husband's absence tonight, I feel obligated to post this......

On the Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert (LIVE) tonight, Kanye West blurts out "George Bush doesn't care about black people". Way to spread the love and promote giving, dumb ass.

http://www.juiceenewsdaily.com/0605/news/west.html?1125709350109

Headin' North for the Weekend

I will be heading north to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning to visit the great K-Delish for a few days. Hopefully everyone will be able to survive a few days without my babbling. See ya on Monday...everyone have a great Labor Day weekend.

This makes me sick

It's not bad enough that New Orleans and the Gulf Coast have just been destroyed. Thousands of people are homeless or dead and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has the audacity to politicze the situation on his blog. I have read many articles over the years that have really upset me, but this one takes the cake. Essentially, Mr. Kennedy is blaming the Republicans (including Bush and the Mississippi governor) for all the problems in the environment, even throwing in a reference to Katrina at the end.

Now, there is a time and a place for discussions on the environment. There is also a time and a place for politics. This is not one of those times. This is a time to mobilize, organize, save lives, and help people...period. Do you think the people stranded on their rooftops for 3 days want to have a discussion about the effects of global warming? I doubt it. What they need is food, water, and shelter. I would suggest Bobby getting off his high horse and actually doing something to help. If he can't help out, at least send a check. Politics will wait, asshole.

Tomorrow may be worse

As bad as some of the pictures were today from Katrina's landfall, I have a bad feeling that tomorrow's will be much worse. With the first damage assessments starting tomorrow morning, I heard one reporter say that some damage in Southwestern Mississippi is "Andrew-esque". I really hope that he was exagerating. Houses can be rebuilt and cars can be replaced, but life is a precious thing. Similar to my friend Mark over at the Stufftbox, I encourage you to give to the American Red Cross if you can. www.redcross.org

Feelin' Real Lucky

I woke up this morning to something I never expected. Katrina is now a category 5 storm with 175 mph winds. As some of you know, I am a hurricane nut. Living in the potential path of destruction for a few months a year, I keep updated on the paths and statistics of hurricanes as they form and develop. I went to bed last night and Katrina had 115 mph winds. Yes, a category 3 storm, but something that I see at least a few times during the year. Jeanne was a category 3 at impact and that hit about 50 miles north of here last year.

Katrina is completely different. Right now it is much more powerful than Andrew was at landfall and if it hit land today would have the second lowest pressure ever recorded. This is really a terrifying storm. I drove through Homested a few months after Andrew went through in 1992 and it was the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life. If anyone out there has friends/family in the path of this storm you need to call them now to make sure they have evacuated.

Normally I am a light hearted person, but this hurricane makes my skin crawl. I just know that there is some "cowboy" out there in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama who figures he is tough enough to ride it out. Trust me...the pictures from CNN that everyone is going to see on Tuesday morning will not be pretty, no matter where it hits. I feel very lucky that we only got brushed by Katrina when she was a much weaker storm.

All Clear

We got brushed by Katrina but ended up being OK. The Margarita Lounge lost power around 7:30pm and it came back on at 11. The wind is still howling outside, but things should calm down over the next 6-12 hours. Looks like we dodged another bullet. I feel bad for the people southwest of Miami. One area got about 16 inches of rain this afternoon/evening and the weather guy said it was still coming down. Since the storm took a turn to the southwest after landfall, it looks like the gulf coast might get hit with a major hurricane in a few days. It's been a long day around here so I'm heading to bed...

Hurricane Prep

Above is a picture of the current plan of attack if Katrina comes a-knockin. I think the chances are pretty good that we will get some good winds and lose power for a while. As our experiences from last year taught us, always keep plenty of booze on hand for a Tropical Storm or Hurricane. When the lights go out there isn't much else to do but get drunk. Giddie up.

TD 12

Looks like Tropical Depression #12 just formed this afternoon over the Southern Bahamas. With the warm water in the Bahamas, it looks like this baby will strengthen into at least a tropical storm in the next day or so. While it shouldn't be as bad as Frances or Jeanne, we are definitely going to get some heavy rain and wind by the end of the week.

Wireless Surfin'

I have been a lazy ass all day. The extent of my journeys outside the Margarita Lounge has been one trip to Target a few hours ago with Cheryl. The Reese's wrappers, boxes of Hot Tamales and bags of junk food are piling up. Here I sit on the couch, watching golf on the big screen, and typing out a blog entry during the commercials on Cheryls laptop. Cheryl hooked up a wireless network in the house a week or two ago, so I can now surf the web while on the couch. The applications are endless, especially with football season starting soon.

Pinched

What an odd Saturday it's been. I awoke (surprisingly) without a hangover and got outside by 8:30 to cut the grass before the real heat of the day kicked in. Sometime around 9:15, I pinched a nerve in my uper back/shoulder. This is something I have never experienced before today and it's something I hope never to repeat. This shit HURTS! I was completely useless and immobile for about an hour and a half...I just layed on the floor and complained to Cheryl. I finally got to the point where I could halfway function around 11:30. By this afternoon I feel a little better, but I'm still uncomfortable when I move certain directions.

Staying in on Friday Nights...Pinching Nerves in my back...man am I feeling old. Soon I will be driving a Lincoln Towncar, going to early bird dinner at 4:00 and buying Depends. The good news is that we are getting some Sals Pizza for dinner... probably followed by a few glasses of wine. My guess is that by 9pm I will be feeling better one way or another.

Another week done....

Another long work week has ended at the Lounge. I am getting old because I seem to relish staying home and relaxing most Friday Nights. I guess that is supposed to happen once you reach the big 30...right?

It was good to hear from both Gunther and the Senator on the blog. I actually got a chance to have a beer with Mr. Hickman (and the catfisherman) last night after work. It was good to get together and we should do it more often boys.

Many of you may notice that I have not been posting as many political comments recently. Don't worry...I haven't crawled into a hole or anything. I just don't see much out there that fires me up. The one thing that gets a little fire going is this Cindy Sheehan woman. Yeah..that lady in Texas being supported by the "people" over at Air America, Move On and Michael Moore. I can understand (and respect) the grieving mother, but how many grieving mothers have PR directors? Please. The good news is that the wine tastes real good tonight and not much is rocking my boat right about now.

Where art thou??

Where have you been hiding at Gunther? Both you and the Senator seemed to have dropped off the radar screen recently. No comments? No snide remarks? No emails? Nothing. I'm beginning to think I stink or something. In the immortal words of Roger Waters...Is there anybody out there?

Another One for Lefty

I had to come home from work around 10am today to check out the finishing few holes of the PGA. I was glad to see Phil come through for major victory #2. In a world full of golfers who look and act like robots, it's nice to see someone smile when they actually win a tournament. Two years ago, everyone was talking about Phil never living up to his potential. Now he is half way to the career grand-slam and has just as many majors in the last two years as Eldrick. Sure, he is five years older than Tiger, but golfers are competitive well into their 40s these days, so his best days could be ahead.

Monday Finish

It looks like the winner of the PGA won't be crowned until at least 11am tomorrow. Another weather delay ended play today about an hour ago. Phil choked it as usual and was just starting to warm up when things got called. Coverage starts at 10am tomorrow, so it looks like I'll be taking the morning off work. I really hope that Phil gets his head out of his ass and wins.

There's not a whole lot new around the Margarita Lounge. We had some problems with our internet service last week which seems to be fixed. We also hooked up a wireless network in the house a few days ago, but there seems to be some glitches there also...hopefully things will improve this week. I got a chance to see Mom and Dad last night after Cheryl and I went out to dinner. We decided to stop by and have a drink with them. We both had a little too much King Estate last night and have been feeling tired and lazy all day. Not hungover, just kind of run down.

Iran

What is wrong with these knuckleheads over in Iran? These guys make corporate lawyers and used car salesmen look like honest guys. One minute they are going to give up their nuclear ambitions and want to negotiate, and the next they are stomping around beating their chests and gloating in front of the world media and taking seals off their uranium. You know what I think...just drop some bombs on them. There is time for talk and then there is time to just kick someone's ass. This situation falls into category number two.

The Europeans have done their diplomatic thing and they now look really stupid for wasting all this time, money and effort on a lost cause. The good news about all of this is that WE won't have to drop the bombs in Iran...I'm sure that the Israelis will be more than happy to do our dirty work in the name of their National Security. After the upcoming controversial Gaza pullout, they will need something to distract the citizens from the situation. What better opportunity than destroying some Iranian buildings and reactors?

Major #4 on Deck

With much less fanfare than the other three majors, the PGA starts tomorrow morning. Tiger and Vijay appear to be the favorites right now. I have been getting my ass KICKED by Mr. Golden in the ESPN Fantasy Golf tournament and need to pull out a win this week so I don't owe him $40. Wish me luck.

The Breeze sells!!!

Today could be one of the happiest days of our lives...the Breeze has offically departed the Margarita Lounge. There was a car sale at the Boynton Beach Mall this weekend and Cheryl decided that it would be good to park the Breeze right in that area of the parking lot today. Well, about 2pm she got a call that someone wanted to buy it. An hour later the deal was done. The best part was that he paid cash for it. There is no feeling quite like walking around with a stack of $100 bills. In some way it was almost a sad nostalgic moment watching someone else drive the Breeze away and out of our lives, but her time had come.

On a different note, the move to my new office is now complete and I wanted to thank Tracy and Cheryl again for helping me out yesterday. It was a couple hours of manual labor, but the results are impressive and thing look great. I just got home from cleaning things up and think I'll chill tonight. Everyone have a good week.

Not so Dynamite

Cheryl and I rented Napoleon Dynamite last night. I feel as though my IQ went down about 10 points after watching it. It was so bad that I could only watch about half the movie and had to turn it off. It didn't really have much of a plot to it...just a bunch of pathetic people living their lives somewhere in Idaho. I have heard that lots of people thought it was hilarious, but I just didn't get it.

My week of frustration ended yesterday when our new Nokia phones arrived in the mail. My old phone was only two or three years old, but it's amazing what happens with technology in a few short years. We both got new camera phones with T-Mobile for free. They have all kinds of cool features and a color screen..a new thing for me.

I decided to celebrate with my first bottle of French Bourdeaux. It was a 2001 Pemius Bordeaux made up of 60% Merlot, 35% Cab and 5% Cabernet Franc. While it wasn't the best wine I have had, it was pretty good. It was only $10 in the store so I figured I would give it a try. Hey Senator...I haven't heard from you in a while...give me a holla.

Movin' on up.

No, I'm not movin' on up to that deluxe apartment in the sky like George and Weezie. After much consideration I am moving down to hallway at work to the office once possessed by my buddy Gunther over at Frotuss.com. While the office is slightly smaller than my current one, the window to the outside world sealed the deal. Staring at the walls all the time has a way of getting to you. Lots of stuff has been going on around here since my last post, with lots of it being frustrating:

1) Cingular blows. I tried to upgrade my plan yesterday and get some new phones that were advertised as free on the Cingular website. Well, turns out that I couldn't actually get these prices. Plus, the customer service was pathetic. I never thought it would be such a problem to give someone MORE money every month, but I guess it's a real hassle for them. Needless to say, T-Mobile now has some new customers.

2) Best Buy also blows. The on/off button on our monitor broke last night and I figured I would take it to the "Geek Squad" over at Best Buy to fix it. Big mistake. They wanted to send it out for like 12 days, charge me $25 and not promise anything and then charge parts and labor after they figure out what was wrong. The 12 year old I talked to said that it would be "pretty expensive" to fix so we decided to jimmy-rig it with some krazy glue. So far it seems OK. Thanks for the garbage monitor K-Delish!

3) Good to see you posting again Senator. I was wondering what happened to you. While you are misguided, you have the same right I do to post your thoughts.

4) Looks like the peak of hurricane season is finally here. Unfortunately it has been kinda boring recently. Where's the convection??

White Noise

Last night we had Lisa and Layna over for dinner and a few drinks. After they left at 9pm, we (Cheryl, Tracy and I) watched the movie "White Noise". The movie was OK in my opinion. Like many horror movies, there are always holes in the plot line somewhere that makes an intellignet person go, "huh?". In any case, there were a few moments in the movie that scared the shit out of me.

Unfortunately for Tracy, she is the type of person who can't sleep after scary movies and gets pretty freaked out about them. I (of course) took full advantage of this after the movie by rattling the doors, turning the lights on and off, and making every attempt to scare the hell out of her. I guess I am some type of sick person, huh? It was fun though.

I know....

I'm sorry. I have been a lazy ass all week. Work has taken so much out of me this week that by the time I get around to posting something (usually 9 or 10pm) I am totally exhausted and just want to chill on the couch. News flash...looks like the door code is changing again at AG Edwards, which means the axe fell tonight. You heard it first here on the Margarita Lounge. I guess it's just a matter of economics...with five less employees than a year ago, something has to give. You always hate to see someone go, but thats life and business.

I saw the news story about the monsoon in India that dumped 37 inches of rain in a day. That's an absolutely ridiculous amount of rain. I think that Jeanne and Frances each gave us about 6-8 inches of rain last year which was a lot...I'd be swimming down my street if 37 inches fell. I got a chance to speak to K-Delish up in Picksburgh this afternoon. I'm going to visit Labor Day weekend which I am looking forward to. Best of all, tomorrow is Friday! I'm going to Happy Hour to send off one of Cheryl's co-workers who is moving to St. Louis. Saturday we are having Lisa and Layna over for dinner and a few drinks. Everyone have a good weekend.

Much respect

Not that it was a big surprise or anything, but Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France again today for the 7th straight time. I am not a fan of cycling...as a matter of fact I can't even name one other cyclist in the world except Lance Armstrong. But the accomplishment he has achieved in one of the most physically demanding sports out there is absolutely amazing. Winning 7 straight Tours is like one team winning the Super Bowl for seven straight years...it just doesn't happen. While he gets some press and mentions on the sports pages of the world, this could be one of those things that you never see again. Now he gets to go home with Sheryl Crow...lucky bastard!

Another Good Wine

I am a big fan of Zin. A few months back I mentioned the Seghesio Sonoma Zin that Cheryl and I drank that I really enjoyed. Last night we had a bottle of the 2002 Bogle Phantom. We have had Merlot and Zin from Bogle before and I think they are a pretty solid winery. This one isn't a regular Zin but a blend of Petite Sirah and Zinfandel with a small amount of Mourvedre. If you are a red wine fan or a Zin fan, you should try it. It's about $16 at the local ABC store so it won't break your wallet either. Bogle only makes it once a year, so if you want some, you better giddie-up.

Here she is...

Above is the long awaited replacement for Le Breeze. Cheryl is needless to say REALLY excited about it.

Anyone want a Breeze?

With the impending arrival of a new Honda Accord, an era will end at the Margarita Lounge. Gone soon will be the staple of beauty known to grace our driveway. Yes, the Breeze is on the auction block. Anyone want to buy it? Ill give you a real good "Margarita Lounge" discount if you ask nicely.

On an unrelated note, it looks like Daylight Savings time is going to be extended another two months soon. From what I have read, it has passed both houses of Congress and is only waiting for W to sign it. The plan would start Daylight Savings Time in early March (instead of April) and end it in late November (instead of October). Sounds good to me.

The Judge and the Good Reverend

I don't know about you, but I just can't get all fired up about the appointment of a new Supreme Court Justice. I know that certain people REALLY into politics (Senator)will analyze this all different ways in the coming days and weeks, but I just don't care. Sorry to disappoint you Senator.

On another note, I ran into the Good Reverend Frank tonight at Home Depot...my first visit with him in years. For those of you who work (or used to work) with me, you know very well about the Good Reverend and his "ways". I will leave his last name out of this posting. The Good Reverend is a converted man of the cloth who now sells annuities to the elder population of Palm Beach County. In any case, we chatted for about 10 minutes but I had to run and get something for the grill. The Reverend is the same as he always was...full of energy and ready to sell someone an annuity they may (or may not) need.

Yeah Yeah Yeah

So Tiger won the Open. Whoo-hoo. Blowout by 5 shots. No drama, no excitement, no fun. Kind of like him winning the 1997 Masters by 12, the 2000 US Open by 15, and the 2000 Open Championship by 7. I realize that this isn't Tiger's fault, it's the other hacks on the tour who need to step up to the plate and play better. It's just much more exciting when at least two people are fighting it out down the stretch. Lets hope the PGA is closer.

On a different note, I bought 2 boxes of Hot Tamales yesterday...the first one is gone and I'm already into the second one. This is after I ate the entire half pound box I bought on Friday afternoon by Saturday Night. These things are addictive...I feel like a heroin addict looking for a fix.

Car Buying 101

I hate buying cars. I think I'm in the same boat with about 90% of the public on this one...trying to walk the fine line between a fair price and gettin screwed over by a dealer. With the Breeze on her final legs, Cheryl and I went to two Honda dealerships this afternoon looking at new Accords. We are heading to two more tomorrow and hope to make a decision in the next week or two. The good news is that Gary will be assisting us by using his excellent skills in negotiating the final price. Wish us luck. Look for pictures in a few weeks.

The sign has arrived

Cheryl and I ordered a "Margarita Lounge" sign a few weeks ago when we went to Sanibel. We are both happy with the way it turned out. Above is the sign with our model Bear. Oh yeah...I figured out who you were pimpbling...thanks for the hint.

Day One Complete

Day One of the Open is done with Tiger in the lead. Even though there are three days left, Tiger is an excellent front runner and is going to be tough to beat. He is probably the only golfer in the world who leads after one day and could have things locked up. I just hope the tournament is competitive..nobody wants to see him destroy everyone by 8 shots like he did in 2000. I'm happy to see my fellow Margarita drinkers throwing in a few comments out there recently. I'm dying to know who Pimpbling is...whether you are an acquaintance of mine using a clever disguise or a new reader. In either case, welcome to the Lounge..I hope you enjoy.

Don't inconvenience the Terrorist!!!

I have been shaking my head since I saw the nightly news at 6:30. The story I am so befuddled about is the one about interrogating terrorists. Some people are "up in arms" about the way that these POOR terrorists are being treated at Guantanamo. They actually had to deal with such horrific, emotionally scarring situations as:

1) Wearing a bra. I think I wore one on my head in my drunken college days (from what I remember) and every woman in this country wears one every day.
2) Forced to behave like a dog. Any dog deserves to get treated better than these pricks do. Refer to item #1 regarding drunk behavior.
3) Having to dance with another man. Refer to item #1 again here. Not exactly what I would consider "brutal torture".

I understand that we need to be sensitive in certain situations, but isn't this going just a little overboard? Terrorists behead civilians on the internet, fly planes into buildings, and blow up bombs on buses. We take these assholes to Guantanamo Bay, give them three meals a day, and get in trouble when one interrogator yells a little too loud. No wonder we don't get much info out of these guys...they get treated better in our prisons than they do at home.

Dog Days of Summer

As many of you know, I try to update the blog daily if possible. Sometimes it's two days and rarely it drags into three days. It's funny how sometimes the ideas just flow and other times it's like pulling teeth. The last three days have been the "pulling teeth" variety. You know...the summer heat has settled itself in for a few months...people seem to be going on vacation...the news stories (and nothing in general) seems to hold your interest for very long. It's not like I haven't had enough going on recently, it just seems like the motivation isn't there to put it down in writing. How else better to describe this than indeed the Dog Days of Summer. The Open starts at St. Andrews on Thursday morning, so things should improve by the weekend. My bet is on a non-American winner this year.

Just a little wind

Things haven't really changed around here from last night. It looks like Dennis spared Key West the brunt of the bad winds. So...I still have a place to get drunk when I go to Duval Street. We had some good rain and wind come through about 7am, but nothing over about 30 MPH. I think things should die down later tonight and into tomorrow.

Besides that, nothing real exciting going on around here. Besided the bombings in London, I haven't seen anything besides Hurricane Dennis coverage around here for two days. Good news on the sports scene in that the Open Championship (known to us yanks as the British Open) starts on Thursday.

I hope Irish Kevin's will be OK!

It's looking like Hurricane Dennis has his sights set on Key West tonight. The Weather Channel is saying that it will miss to the west, but it looks like it's going to be close. With the way a lot of the houses are built in Key West, I wouldn't be surprised to see some damage down there.

Like most other people in Palm Beach County, we are just hangin out inside tonight watching some TV and relaxing. It's not like we are going to get hit here, but the winds have been picking up tonight and it will still be breezy during the day tomorrow. It looks like Fidel has been getting his ass kicked all afternoon down in Cuba. It's pretty scary to see a storm this strong this early in the year. Hopefully things won't be as busy as last year. More to come tomorrow....stay tuned.

Driving the Kia...

My Explorer's electrical system is on the fritz lately. I took it into the dealership on Saturday after the "door ajar" light came on and all the doors mysteriously started locking and unlocking by themselves. After deciding it wasn't a ghost but probably an electrical problem, I left it in their "good hands". Well, they couldn't figure it out, even saying that they couldn't "re-create the problem". Translation: I am crazy and nothing is wrong. I had the pleasure of driving a great Dodge Neon for a few days.

After Cheryl picked it up yesterday (and it started acting the same way again...just like I told them the first time), they think it's an electrical problem...no shit. I now have the great priviledge of driving a Kia Optima. While nicer than the Neon, it is still quite a step down from my Explorer. Good thing that I just finished having a few colbeers with Mr. Golden and don't really give a shit.

That time of year again

Here comes the heart of hurricane season again....July, August, and September. The Margarita Lounge's roof was slightly damaged by last years hurricanes and I'm hoping not to replace any roof tiles again. In some kind of sick way I think the whole hurricane season is cool. I guess I see it as a great adventure we embark on every year, one where the final outcome is unknown. A deep down primordial man-against-nature struggle. Am I the only one out there that thinks this way? At least it spices up the news for a few months...squeezed right between the latest unworthy child molestor (who should be strung up by his balls and shot) and the never-ending search for one person in Aruba. Thousands of people die every year all across the world of starvation, disease, and natural disasters, but we'll make sure to get to the bottom of that one white girl from America who disappeared.

A Nice Lazy Sunday

Every now and then you need a relaxing day to make you feel normal again and recharge the batteries. Today is that day. I'm heading to Sue and Garys in about an hour for a little family barbeque as well as a good amount of booze I am sure. The only thing I did all day was head down to the pool for a few hours. Unfortunately, the typical South Florida afternoon thunderstorms reared their ugly heads recently and sent me back here. Good to hear from you on the blog Gunther...I was wondering how things were going. Call me this week and we'll go get a beer after work. Everyone have a good holiday weekend.

A little porch drinking

I have been sitting on the back porch for the past 3 hours drinking red wine and chatting with the ladies (Cheryl, Tracy, and Emily). Tracy went to bed about 45 minutes ago and I decided that since we were getting close to finishing the third bottle, it was time for a little time by myself. Not that I don't like chatting with Emily and Cheryl, but after three hours of "girl talk", I was ready for something different. I came into my little cove of creativity and loud music and figured I would relax and see what was going on in blog-ville. Thats one of the cool things about Blogger...I can just click on the "next blog" link in the upper corner and it takes me to a random corner of this large yet often times small world that we all live in.

I was rather disappointed tonight. It seems that every site I came across was either depressing, incredibly geeky, or not in English. Not that the Margarita Lounge is the best thing in the world, but at least I think it's entertaining. You get some politics, some stories, some pictures, some sports, opinions, and lots of fun. Nothing too serious and nothing too focused. If I see another blog devoted to heart disease or someone's dog I might be sick. Well...that might be the wine there, but I think you get the picture.

Beer Goggles?

Princess T after a few Captain and Cokes last night. Thanks for coming over guys...it was fun. Unfortunately, I didn't get to sleep until about 3am, so I'm draggin' a little this morning. Maybe I will post more later today if I get some motivation.

An impromptu party....

It seems that an impromptu party has found itself to the Margarita Lounge tonight. Cheryl, Tracy and I will soon have The Senator and Chad the Pharmacist arriving for an evening of conversation, music, fun and plenty of booze. It always seems like the best parties just "happen" out of the blue, wouldn't you agree? After the week I've had, a nice sioree is always welcome at the Lounge. More details tomorrow if I can remember them.

Turn the Page....

While I am not one to quote songs from Bob Segar, I couldn't think of a more appropriate title for my feelings tonight. It is a dark night at The Margarita Lounge. In life there are always changes that you need to deal with...some are good and some suck. Six months ago I had to say goodbye to a good friend of mine when he moved north to start a new life. That sucked. Tonight I received a phone call that I had been expecting for weeks. It also sucked. As of tomorrow, Mr. Hickman will no longer be employed at A.G. Edwards. While things will not be "official" until tomorrow morning, I figured it wouldn't hurt to mention it to everyone now.

From the bottom of my heart I will miss you Chris. Your office will never be the same without the Quigli Theater viewings of Wall Street. I will miss the witty jokes, the laughs and the "countdown to kickoff" of the Buckeye season. I will miss the infamous notebook of scratchings, stock symbols, and quotes. Most of all I will miss the good times.

Now this is not the end of the world by any means. Mr Hickman will only be five minutes away at another company, but certain changes suck and take time to get used to. We'll all miss you around the office, brother. Make sure to keep in touch.

The Senator Speaks!!!!

The stufftbox is FINALLY up and running. For anyone interested, the address is www.stufftbox.blogspot.com. If you are like me, you ought to add it to your bookmarks. While I tend to disagree with the left-leaning Senator on many issues, he now has his own soapbox to speak from. I look forward to many "pointed" discussions in the future.

Back from Paradise

Everything good must eventually come to an end. Thus ended our great trip to Sanibel. Unfortunately we had to return to the land of bills and work last night. The above picture was from the beach outside the Mucky Duck on Captiva Island on Friday Night. I guess the only good news is that this coming weekend is July 4th, so we get a three day weekend. Hopefully by then I will be back amongst the living. Hope you had fun at Buffett this weekend K-Delish...give the Margarita Lounge fans the scoop.

Chillin til Sunday....

This is the lighthouse on the south end of Sanibel Island. The place we will be staying is about a five minute walk from here. As long as the rain stays away we'll be good. See everyone Sunday.

Vacation Time is Here

And not a day too soon. Cheryl and I will be heading to Sanibel Island on Thursday morning for a few days away from "everyday life". To say that I am excited is the understatement of the year. Princess T will be hanging around the Margarita Lounge solo and watching over things. My apologies to the daily readers as I have been slacking since Friday. Here is what's been happenin since then....

1) Tracy and I have had a few dates with Jamie recently. Jamie is the dude from "8 minute abs". He has kicked my ass a few times in the last week.

2) Had Gary and Sue over along with Lisa and Layna on Saturday Night. We decided to celebrate Fathers Day early. Everyone escaped unscathed with only Gary having a slight hangover on Sunday.

3) Congrats to Michael Campbell for winning the US Open on Sunday. Even though the sports writers claim it was a "shock", it wasn't. Michael Campbell is a solid player with 13 worldwide wins and 6 European tour wins. For the second straight major, Tiger choked down the stretch. At the Masters he was able to get into a playoff and win, but not this time. It seems like the "Tiger on the prowl" line doesn't quite hold the same weight that it did 3-4 years ago.

4) Anyone taking my advice and shorting oil yet? At $60 a barrel it's overpriced.

5) Cheryl and Tracy are watching this stupid Katie Couric thing on TV right now about the "runaway bride". Sounds like she is trying to play the "poor me" bullshit. Some network should put her, Michael Jackson, and Saddam together on a show and see who they can dupe into feeling more sorry for. Pathetic is the first word that comes to mind right about now.

Well, thats about it for tonight. I am going to finish by glass of Merlot and take it easy. I am going to work tomorrow morning for a few hours but I am sure it will be unproductive as always on the day before vacation. Everyone have a good week.

Golf, Oil, and Ann Coulter

Let's start with the US Open, shall we? The most entertaining of the four majors is at it's halfway point with a mere 5 players under par. Retief is going to be tough to beat this weekend, but there is a lot of talent out there behind him. There should be some good drama the next two days at Pinehurst. I am predicting an over par winning score...maybe +1 or +2.

Black gold is again at record high levels. If you would have heeded my advice on March 16th and May 16th (look in the archives) you would have made a tidy profit. The time has come again to short oil contacts. Having just returned from Happy Hour and dinner with Cheryl, I was greeted with the headline on the Drudge Report of "OIL SETS NEW RECORD: $58.60. It will probably go a little higher next week as the major news networks haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet. BUT, once they do (and they will when it hits $60), start shorting oil.

And finally we come to Ann Coulter. Many of my left-leaning friends think that her name is right up there with Satan, but I actually respect Ann Coulter for speaking her mind about how she feels. If you have a free minute, read this article. If you are too busy, this snipet is enough to get the point across:

"American soldiers make do with C-rations. Dinner on an America West flight from New York to Las Vegas consists of one small bag of peanuts. Meanwhile, one recent menu for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo consisted of orange-glazed chicken, fresh fruit crepe, steamed peas and mushrooms, and rice pilaf. Sounds like the sort of thing you'd get at Windows on the World – if it still existed."

Lets all remember kiddies...these people are terrorists, not the poor old lady down the street.

The Big Game starts tomorrow

While the Open Championship (erroneously called the British Open by many of us yanks here in the US) is my favorite major tournament of the year, I would have to say the US Open is the most entertaining. Where else can you watch professional golfers make double bogeys and look like regular hacks? The word from the Golf Channel is that Pinehurst is looking just as tough as Shinnecock Hills was last year. First tee times are tomorrow morning at 7am.

For all you fans of Europe

Has anyone heard this line before? "The United States is going to hell in a handbasket". Or maybe it's "Our civilization is going downhill fast." These lines are usually uttered by an 80 year old senior citizen who yearns for the "good old days" of the past. Just when I start thinking, "Maybe these people are right", I read an article about something in Europe and realize that we are going to be OK. I saw an article today about the Germans wanting to erect portable "love shacks" for the 2006 World Cup so that prostitutes can service clients without offering their "services" in public. For those of you not aware, prostitution is legal in Germany. I guess this wonderful idea is the brainchild of some German politicians. Here is the article if anyone wants to read it. I already feel much better about our "screwed up" country.

The Return of Pink Floyd

I almost shit myself today when I found out that the GREAT Pink Floyd is reuniting. It is only for one night at the Live 8 concert on July 2nd in England, but to see Roger Waters play with Floyd again would be amazing. Does anybody want to fly over with me? Of course you would have to pay for everything as I can't afford it, but to see Floyd with Roger Waters is well worth it. Somebody HELP me!!!

If you didn't realize, I am a big Pink Floyd fan. Even though I didn't start listening to them until about 1992, to say they are one of the greatest bands ever is an understatement...right up there in my book with the original Janes Addiction. There is very little music out there that compares to Pink Floyd's "High Hopes" or Jane's "Three Days" when you are in certain states of mind. I think few would be able to disagree with me on this one. What say you Gunther?

Still Raining....

Is it ever going to stop raining at the Margarita Lounge? For the 11th straight day it has rained and this shit is getting old really fast. Tropical Storm Arlene hasn't helped matters the last day or so. Poor Sue and Gary just came back from a 3 day vacation in Key West where they got rained on. My grass is growing so fast that I have to cut it every three days. Even Pittsburgh is having better weather that we are. Hope you are doing well up there in Steeler Country K-Delish...haven't heard from you in a while. Drop the Margarita Lounge an email sometime and let everyone know whats new.

Not as smart as we thought

Many of you might wonder who this is. If you haven't yet figured it out, it's no other than Mr. John Kerry himself. I was reading this article today and was surprised to see how good looking Bush was in his younger, wilder days. I don't think anyone would ever characterize Kerry as "good looking" in his picture from Yale. If you don't beleive me, just click on the link 2 sentences back. Oh..I can hear you screaming already Senator! Get that blog up and running and you can fire back at me...I'll even give you some free press on the Margarita Lounge.

My point? Oh yes...I did have a point. During the election , most people were led to believe that Kerry was an upper class, intelligent Yale graduate. On the other side, people thought Bush was a low class hick. In actuality, both went to Yale and both had similar(almost identical) grades. I think the funniest stat was that Bush received one "D" during his four years at Yale while Kerry received four. Does it leave any room to wonder why these records weren't released until just recently?

The Arrival of Princess T

Tonight we were blessed with the re-appearance of Princess T and Bear. She will be staying with us until she gets her ass a jobbie-job here in South Florida. And as your "welcome" present to Boynton Beach you get....rain. And more rain. I am so sick of rain...word is that we are in for another week of this garbage. That is all for now...good day.

"Girls Night" roundup

I was forced to vacate the house last night around 8pm so that my wife and some of her girlfriends/co-workers could have a little party at the Margarita Lounge. I am always one for parties, so this presented no problem. I went to City Place and had a good time with the Senator at Brewzzis. We ended up wandering down to Bradleys around 10:30 or 11 before calling it a night around 12:30. With all this damn rain for the last 5 days it was dead at Bradleys and City Place all night. It's looking like by beautiful wife is going to have a beautiful hangover today judging by her current disposition. Looking out the window makes me think that it's shaping up to be another miserable looking day.

The lone point of sunshine should be appearing tomorrow when Cheryl and I are being blessed with the return of Princess T and Bear. Word on the street is that T is moving in with us for a while to see how she likes Florida. It'll be good to see her and hang out. Considering it's the hottest time of year and Hurricane Season is upon us, if you can live here in the summertime you can live anywhere. Plus there are no mudslides and earthquakes here, right T? We are eagerly awaiting your arrival so you can cut my grass.

More garbage in the headlines

In my weekly hunt for news that is silly, funny, or in general "un-newsworthy", I saw two things today that struck me. The first story involves a headline on the CNN website: Community "stunned" as landslide sends homes crashing in Laguna Beach. Doesn't this shit happen every year in California? Something "stunning" would be a large snowstorm in July in Phoenix. I live in Florida, and I wouldn't consider a hurricane "stunning" news. I also wouldn't think that someone living in Kansas is "stunned" by a tornado. Lets see....I built a house directly on a hillside in a state where landslides happen all the time. Hmmmm.....

The other story involves Wachovia. Wachovia apologized today for profiting from slavery 150 years ago. I guess some cities Wachovia does business in are causing a stink and claiming that banks need to disclose any past ties to slavery. Folks, this was 150 YEARS AGO! Not last year, last decade, or even 50 years ago. Don't these cities have more important things to worry about, like improving their school systems? Wachovia didn't even exist 150 years ago. One or two tiny banks that were gobbled up years ago by Wachovia had a tie to slavery profits. Maybe since I work in the financial industry I have a slanted view, but I find this ridiculous. If you wanted to go after any company in the country who had any ties to slavery, I am sure the laundry list would be quite long, especially in the South. And what happens to these companies once they make this list? What is the benefit to anyone by a company disclosing this now? Nothing. Give it a rest.