Really Drunk

I just saw this article and it made me think about the good ol' days. I guess this fella in Arizona had a .345 alcohol level recently. Trust me on this one...you need to be REALLY hammered to have a .345. I blew a nice .21 about 5 years ago and I was pretty damn wasted. Good thing the guy's 5 year-old daughter called 911 or he'd probably be dead by now.

Inspiration on the couch

So, Cheryl, Tracy and I are sitting on the couch tonight watching the NBC Nightly News. In typical news fashion, they start out with a negative story about the port situation, which is no big surprise. Then they move onto a negative story about Iraq and the conflict between the Sunnis and the Shiites. In the story, NBC is showing one of these Islamic clerics during a "The US is to blame" rally that seems to be the trendy thing these days. I just think it's hilarious how all these news networks love to give air time to radicals who want to kill Americans but anything remotely patriotic is either ignored or relegated to the end of the newscast. In any case...back to my point here. Right in the middle of showing this rally, Cheryl blurts out a great one-liner. "I wish his turban would fall off".

Do you know how it feels when someone catches you completely off guard with something? That's how I felt at that particular moment. As I laughed my ass off, I began to think. Why doesn't this happen more? How are these turbans afixed to one's head anyway? To they clip onto your hair or what? Do these guys have long hair underneath or are they bald? What if it's windy outside? I feel like Jack Handy....let's call it today's "deep thought". Pleae share with me everyone's opinions on this. I am sure that Gunther has some good ones...

Mardi Gras and Streaking

Actually, these are two separate subjects, although they could be one and the same knowing what happens at Mardi Gras. I have seen a few news stories recently about the smaller than normal Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans this year. As usual, some people have a problem with it. Isn't that always the case, though? Someone always has to have a problem with something. These people went through one of the worst natural disaters in US History and have been trying to put their lives back together for months. After going through all that shit, I think they deserve to relax for a while, blow off some steam, and get drunk. Drink up, New Orleans...the Margarita Lounge has your back.

I also saw a story today about a streaker running across the ice at the Bronze Medal game for curling at the Olympics today. In case you don't know, curling is that funny game where the participants slide the big rocks down the ice while two teammates with brooms sweep the ice in front of the rock. After a lengthy search for a better picture of the streaker, this was all I could find. I guess the media doesn't encourage showing men running around in public naked...not that anyone would really want to see that. I personally think that streaking is hilarious and should happen more. Even K-Daddy did some streaking at the original Margarita Lounge years ago. The problem is that these streakers are almost always out of shape dudes. Why can't some good looking women get caught streaking? Just some food for thought....

A True Hoops Hero

Above is a picture of Jason McElwain, who is a senior at Athena High School in New York. For those of you who saw the great highlights on Sportscenter this morning, you know where I am going. For the rest of you (even if you are not sports fans), please read on.

Last Wednesday Night, Jason scored 20 points on "Senior Night", which was his high school's final home basketball game of the season. Before that night, Jason had never played a single minute of high-school basketball. Jason was actually the student trainer for the team. During his three years at Athena, Jason had not missed a single game or a practice with the team. Due to his dedication, the head coach told him he could suit up for the team's last game.

With four minutes left in the game, Jason got the call. In those four minutes, Jason proceeded to step up and make six three-pointers. This is a pretty amazing accomplishment for anyone who regularly plays basketball. It's unbeleivable when you realize that Jason is autistic.

Rarely do I get choked up on anything, but this one did it for me. In today's society of multi-millionaire, complaining professional athletes, it is good to know that an amazing and couageous young man can steal the spotlight, even if only for a short while. The Margarita Lounge sends all our heartfelt congratulations on a job well done Jason.


http://www.rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=35044&rnews_story_type=18&category=10

Getting bored...

I'll admit it...I am bored. Not bored with life or anything like that, but bored with politics. I was going to post a picture of a large-breasted woman with a pink "I'm so bored with you" shirt on, but I thought the chimp fit better. I know that Senator Stufft and Senator Trent Lott (otherwise known as K-Daddy) will be disappointed, but I am worn out. I am tired of the bipartisan bickering and finger pointing on both sides of the aisle. I know I have mentioned taking the Margarita Lounge in a different direction recently and I think I have finally convinced myself to "turn that page".

So, that being said...Spring Training starts next week, the Masters in only about 6 weeks out, Ricky is back on the frotuss, and March Madness starts in only a few weeks. I am going to be running another pool this year, so let me know who is interested. I'm going to do it the same as last year with a $10 entry and winner takes all. I used to limit things to my co-workers and spouses, but figured I would open things up to everyone this year. More people means more money to the winner and I am due to win something.

Oh yeah...here is the link to the large-breasted woman if anyone is interested: link

Everything is Fixed

My apologies to anyone who tried to post a comment recently and couldn't. Somehow I changed the settings and blocked people from posting comments. I am indeed a dumbass. But you all knew that already.

Valentine's Day

While the rest of the world fights the crowds to dine out on Valentine's Day, Cheryl and I have decided to stay home and have a nice quiet dinner at home. Actually, we decided to have our "dinner out" last Friday at Prime Catch, which was amazing as usual.

I'm really glad that we didn't go out because today has been one of those days. We all have them...days when nothing seems to go our way. My day started at about 5:50am when Lucy decided to start her daily whining to go out and poo. I sat up in bed, rubbed my eyes a few times, and reached across the nightstand for a quick drink of water. I proceeded to immediately knock this entire glass of water (of course full) onto the floor, the table, my slippers, etc. After cleaning things up, I threw on a sweatshirt (and the now wet slippers) to take Lucy out. Once outside, I realize that I forgot my pants. So, there I stand in the back yard on the coldest morning of the year in just my boxers and a sweatshirt. It gets better. After Lucy does her business, we both came in and I sit on the carpet to play with my beautiful 10 week old puppy. It is at this point that I notice the brown stain on the carpet that came off my slipper. What is this stain, you ask? Of course...it's poo. Not the one Lucy just deposited on the grass, but another poo that was hidden somewhere in the yard.

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture by now. Luckily, I made it through the day without yelling at anyone and without losing any clients or friends. Only three more work days until the weekend....

Brrrr

It is going to be damn cold tonight at the Margarita Lounge. According to the weather reports, we should be in the mid-to-upper 30s tonight and tomorrow night in Palm Beach County. I guess I shouldn't be complaining...it's not like we are going to get all that snow that the Northeast is getting about now.

I actually just realized that I hadn't updated the blog since Tuesday and I am ashamed. I'm always that prick who gives my friends a hard time about not posting for a week and here I go doing just that. Well...it has been a busy weekend so at least I have an excuse. Cheryl and I had an excellent dinner on Friday Night at Prime Catch here in Boynton. I had a Filet and she had some Chilean Sea Bass. As usual, it was perfect. On Saturday I got a chance to catch up with a few old friends for lunch at Bradleys. I has been years since I saw some of them (or maybe it just feels like years), but it was good to catch up. I always enjoy seeing where everyone's life has headed in the years since we were all swinging single party hoppers trying the best to destroy our livers. Cheryl and I headed to Casa de Pearce last night for a little birthday party for Mark. I still feel too young to be attending my co-workers 50th birthday parties, but I guess I will be there myself soon enough.

As for today, I am wondering where the hours have gone. Between the grocery shopping, errand running and making dinner, the day has turned into night already. Lucy is running around the house as any 10-week old puppy does, chasing Onyx and biting everyone who gets in her way. I'll try to post another picture of her this week.

Overdue political rant on the cartoons

Recently I made a decision to become a little more diversified with the subject matter of the Margarita Lounge. I have decided to try and put a little less politics in and a little more of everything else. Below is a link to Joe Scarborough's website and you can read it if you feel like a good political rant. I would write my opinion but after seeing Joe's summary of it, I feel he expresses it much better than I can. By posting his comments, it also allows me to post something without "technically" going back on my word to cut down the politics. In any case, Joe is the man and I agree with his opinion here.

Muslim Extremists Shows Hypocrisy

The Margarita Lounge is 1

As I mentioned earlier this week, the Margarita Lounge blog is celebrating it's one year anniversary. I sure wish that I was in a more celebratory mood but I have been in bed since last night with the flu. Cheryl has been getting better the last day or two as I seem to be getting worse. We were supposed to go to my parents house tonight for a belated birthday party for Cheryl, but those plans have been scrapped. Even the two Super Bowl parties I was planning on attending tomorrow are not looking too good right now.

The Black Widow strikes again

I have been sitting here surfing the internet looking for something interesting to share with all of you. In my attempt to be more happy and diversified, I have decided to avoid some of the stories now making their rounds in the media that really got me fired up. After all, nobody probably cares anyway. So, tonight we will not be firing off on the head of the NAACP who said that Republicans are Nazis. We will not be discussing the now infamous cartoons of Muhammad, and we will NOT be talking about the now senile Jimmy Carter who claims that we need to give poor old Hamas a chance. Tonight we will be talking about Sonja Thomas...pictured above.

Many of you have heard of Kobayashi, the skinny Japanese guy who regularly eats 50 hot dogs every summer at the Nathans hot dog eating festival at Coney Island. The guy weighs about 150 pounds and this year he won again by eating 49 hot dogs (and buns) in 12 minutes. Yes, that is a correct number...I said 49 hot dogs. Actually, he is slacking off because a year or two ago he ate 53. The great thing about Kobayashi is that he out-eats these big 300 and 400 pound guys, which makes me laugh.

That brings us back to ol' Sonja. Sonja is known in the world of competitive eating as the Black Widow. I'm not kidding here...there is an actual federation called the International Federation of Competitive Eating out there. Now, Sonja is no slouch. She actually finished second this year to Kobayashi at Coney by downing 37 hot dogs. The above picture was taken yesterday, when Sonja won a competition by downing 26 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes. This seems like an amazing feat to me, but when you realize that Sonja only weighs about 100 pounds, it's even more impressive. Congrats to Sonja on her win. In case you want to see some really SICK records, here is the link to the IFOCE records page showing the current world records. Try not to puke.

Sick

All those damn snowbirds seem to bring the flu to South Florida every year around this time. Unfortunately, this year the Margarita Lounge has been hit with it. I seem to be fighting it off better than Cheryl, but even I don't feel 100%. Cheryl has been in bed all week...this really sucks considering that yesterday was her birthday. The only thing we can figure was the bowling alley on Saturday Night. With all the kids and old people hanging around and everyone touching everyone else's balls, I guess we got it passed on to us. That coupled with a little too much booze must have softened up the ol' immune system.

I hope that everyone else feels better than we do. For all of you that are interested in Lucy, she is doing a great job pissing all over our carpet. With the exception of her little "accidents", she has been great and is fitting in fine with Bear and Onyx. I have been so busy/sick/tired recently that I just remembered the Super Bowl is only four days away. Go Stillers. Bring K-Daddy (otherwise known as Sen. Trent Lott) home a title, boys!

Lucy Arrives at the Lounge

Here she is. I would say how cute she is but I think the picture says it all.

A Busy Weekend

We just took Scottie to the airport in Lauderdale and are going to be slowly winding down the weekend at the Margarita Lounge. I am so surprised to not be hungover today or yesterday morning after the partying we did the last two nights. I had about 6 beers on Friday Night followed by 2 beers and a bottle of wine last night with no ill-effects. I guess I'm beginning to re-establish the long-lost tolerance that I used to have.

I was sad to see Scott leave today, but I think he had a good time. Besides partying he got to do a little shopping, some bowling (yes, we went bowling on Saturday Night), and plenty of Playstation 2 over the weekend. I realized last night that I really suck at bowling. We played two games and I was dead last out of five people in game #1...even Cheryl whooped my ass. I think I rolled about a 60. The good news was that for game #2 I was third out of five and rolled a 130. I guess it took a few beers to warm me up.

Also yesterday, Cheryl and I fell in love with a very cute puppy that we have adopted named Lucy. Cheryl is picking her up tomorrow morning and I am sure there will be some pictures posted tomorrow. She is absolutely adorable, is about 8 weeks old and is a Hound/Lab mix. Stay tuned!

Opinions Wanted

I have been reflecting on the Margarita Lounge recently as I approach my one-year anniversary and I am looking for some opinions from you, my readers. I have noticed that more of my writings recently have become political. I am by no means an expert in politics and I never have claimed to be...I am just another peron out there with his own opinion on things. I also realize that there is much more to life than just politics.

That being said, I was considering reducing my political rantings and ravings. I was hoping to become a little more creative and a little less serious at the Margarita Lounge in the next year. Lets face it, there are lots of problems in the world. But there are also good things out there and people don't need to constantly read about negative things and complaints I have.

Please let me know everyone's opinion on this new direction. If you think things are good as they are, tell me. If you think I should lighten up a little, let me know that as well. Everyone's opinion is welcome. Thanks.

Hell Freezes Over

In what can only be described as "unbeleivable", Hamas won the Palestinian elections held yesterday. I can't say it was a surprise to me that they had a good showing, but to actually win a majority of the parliamentary seats is obsolutely terrifying. Above you can see the great roll models these people are to the local kids. I can see the conversation here...you too can grow up to be a suicide bomber and kill innocent civilians. What a great goal to have in life.

Needless to say, leaders throughout the world are just as terrified as I am right about now. If you are Israel, it's gonna be tough to work on a peace plan with a group of people who want to kill you. Could you imagine how good relations would be with your next-door neighbor if his goal was to kill you? Not exactly what I would call "healthy". Obviously there are lots of problems in the Middle East (with both sides to blame in many cases), but this just seems to add fuel to the fire that seemed to be dying down a little.

Another out-of-towner

The Margarita Lounge is currently in full preparation mode for the impending arrival of the great Scottie G on Friday afternoon. Actually, I have never called Scott by that name and probably never will, but it sounds alot better that just "Scott". It's been about a year and many things have changed since then, but I am really looking forward to seeing him. I'm sure that there will be some time spent in front of the TV playing "Resident Evil 4" and probably a few drinks consumed over his two days and nights at the Margarita Lounge. I think I am more excited about no longer being the only man in the house. With Cheryl and Princess T running around here in addition to Bear and Onyx (both ladies) , I am hopelessly outnumbered.

Blood Pressure Alert

Normally, Sunday mornings at the Margarita Lounge are reserved for quiet relaxation and recovery from hangovers. Today is a little different in that my blood is already boiling over some more stupid comments from the once respected Harry Bellefonte. I guess Mr. Bellefonte is now comparing the Department of Homeland Security to the Nazi Gestapo. The scary thing is that he was applauded during a speech he gave yesterday. I'll admit that the government doesn't always get things right and often has to re-do things a few times to get it correct. But to compare the Dept of Homeland Security to the Gestapo really pisses me off.

Now, for those of you in need of a history lesson, the Gestapo was a branch of the German police under Hitler. The Gestapo was essentially in charge of rounding up Jews and other peoples considered "undesirable" by the Nazis. Once these "undesirables" were found, they were either killed immediately or sent to concentration camps.

The people at the Department of Homeland Security protect US Citizens like you and me (and yes you, Mr. Bellefonte) from threats to the country, be it domestic or foreign. To compare the two is a real insult to those employees of the DHS, people like me who are educated and actually use our brains to think, and to anyone Jewish living in the United States. Just because you don't like the President or his policies, don't insult an entire department of the government and compare them to monsters. That department is made up of normal people like you and me who work hard every day to put food on the table and protect you. By spitting in their faces, you show your true colors Mr. Bellefonte. You also show how little class you have, you prick.

Stop the Pain

We got killed today in the market. No simple way around that one...there was red all over the board today. Those damn oil prices are going to be the death of me. $68 a barrel for oil is not only too high, but absolutely insane. Why does oil keep climbing? Because of Iran? No...the United States doesn't import one drop of oil from Iran. I guess it's the old fear-mongers raging about a recession and how everything sucks. I prefer to look at things in the positive. Oil will eventually come down to a more reasonable level. It may not be today, but it will happen. Maybe I was just a month or two early to the party in calling the mid $50s. Go short oil again here...words to the wise. As for me, I will be having some beverages tonight.

A Slight Over-Reaction

It seems that my post from last night was a little off-base. Oh, don't get me wrong...we are still getting the shaft. The good news is that the shaft isn't that big and my ass will eventually heal. One of the small pieces of information I got last night was a little off base. Due to that little tidbit of info, I went off. It appears I was a little over-dramatic and I apologize. Oh well..we all make our mistakes and have to accept responsibility for them.

On an unrelated note, I was fortunate enough to have a few colbeers with Mr Golden tonight after work and even got to see the long lost Timmy. Timmy is an old friend of the catfisherman from my long-lost single days about five years ago. Actually, I think K-Daddy is the only one that even knows who he is. In any case..we got to catch up for a while before he had to take off and it was good to see him.

Congrats to K-Daddy

Big congrats to Mr. Douglas today on joining us working class, tax-paying stiffs. As of Monday, K-Daddy will be gainfully employed in the great city of Picksburgh. We at the Margarita Lounge send our luck and love to you chief. Daddy is going to have lots of diapers to buy soon.

Gettin the Shaft

I have been sitting here for about 15 minutes debating on whether to write about this subject...yes....no...yes...no. I finally settled on yes. Not because I want to complain, but because I try to be as honest as possible and like to call it like I see it. That being said, it appears that us working class stiffs at AG Edwards are scheduled to get the shaft soon from our employer. I have always loved working for Edwards and have never really had a bad thing to say about them. For being a large Wall Street firm, they have always gone out of their way to make the company feel like one big family. Unfortunately, things seem to have been changing the last two years. Gone is the big family company and it's replacement is the money hungry, bottom-line focused company I see today. It seems that the company that once prided itself on being different and open to all investors and any size account is heading down the same road as the others out there. Just chase those big accounts and don't worry about the "small stuff".

From what I understand, the meeting we have scheduled tomorrow morning is to break the news to us. I would hate to be in my branch manager's shoes tonight having to sleep on this one. He is only the messenger here, but I know that things will not be pretty at about 9am tomorrow. According to my "sources", he has to tell all of us tomorrow that a) our pay is getting cut and b) the clients are going to pay more to do business with us. Now, that is a simplification, but I am sure nobody cares to hear all the small details. Sounds like the new policy is: "We are going to charge the clients more and going to stick it in the employees asses all at the same time." It really is sad. All I know is this isn't the same company that Ben Edwards ran six years ago.

Dumbass

I am indeed a dumbass. While moving two of my sprinklers on Monday afternoon, I cut right through the cable line coming into the house. Thus, I was unable to post an entry last night about what a knucklehead Ray Nagin is. I am sure this is old news now, but his comments yesterday about New Orleans returning to a "chocolate" town was really bullshit. Even though 60% of the residents of the Big Easy are black, that doesn't mean you insult or exclude the other 40% of people living there. Good thing he isn't a white guy or he would be getting all kinds of shit in the media.

Speaking of white guys, I see that fat Teddy Kennedy is quiting the all-male club that he is a member of. Typical politician. When election time comes they are all "resolute" and "stand strong", but when someone challenges them on something, they cave in and run and try to distance themselves from it. If you want to hang out with the boys and talk about women, drink scotch and smoke stogies, you have that right in this country. It's called having a backbone, Teddy and you ought to get one. Stand up for what you beleive in, man!

Better than working

Usually around this time on a Monday I am heading out the door to work. Since I have the day off, I decided to get my ass out of bed and actually get some things done around the house. I have to say that I much prefer going to Home Depot at 8:30 am versus going into work. I can go to Home Depot with shorts and a t-shirt on, which I don't think my boss (or my clients) would really think is very professional. Unfortunately I can't pay the bills working at Home Depot, so AG Edwards wins in the long run.

I suck

Good thing I pick stocks and not footall games. If I were a professional gambler, I would be broke right now. I end the weekend 1-3 with the Pittsburgh and Carolina upsets today. K-Daddy(the former K-Delish) was glad that his beloved Stilers pulled it out after The Bus pulled an Earnest Byner-type move at the end of the game. Hopefully I will do better next week. At least I can't lose three games next week since there are only two.

For all of those interested, Cheryl has survived her hangover and is back amongst the living. All it took was some TBS movies in bed, McDonalds and some Chocolate Ice Cream. Thanks to Pimpbling and Gunther for your concern.

Hangover free (for me that is)

I was very well behaved last night at Pimpbling's little party. I had two glasses of wine, maybe two and a half, but who's counting right? It also looks like I am 1-1 on the football games with the Denver win last night. Hopefully I can pull out the weekend 3-1 with Indy and Da Bears today. I was actually happy to see the Patriots lose last night...it's time to give another team a chance to win it all. I mean, Belicheck is a great coach and Brady is a great quarterback, but you can't say that either is REALLY exciting to watch. Looks like new blood this year, which is good in my book.

As I mentioned, I am hangover free today, but Cheryl is far from it. It appears that she went a little overboard last night with her new favorite drink, the beyatch. For those of you not aware of it, the beyatch is vodka, grapefruit juice, and a little Sprite. I'm sure it has a different name in reality, but beyatch is pretty fun to say. I see her in bed most of the day, which means I can sit around and watch football, drink a few beers, and play some Resident Evil 4 on the ol' Playstation. It doesn't get any better than that.

Another Long Weekend

Another three-day weekend is upon us. I know that most people don't get off for MLK Day on Monday, but I am one of those fortunate few. Cheryl and I are getting ready to run out the door for lunch at Brus with Scott and Robin. Follow that up with some housework this afternoon and a little party at Mr. Pimpbling's place tonight and that amounts to a busy day in my book. Hopefully there will be some good stories from tonight and I hope I don't get drunk and make an ass out of myself. Four big games this weekend in the NFL. My picks are Seattle, Tom Brady, Peyton and Da Bears.

Iran (Part 2)

On August 10th, I posted a little ditty about Iran and how those greasy little weasels can't be trusted. And you thought Slick Willy Clinton was a liar? These guys make Willy look like a saint. The Iranians have been yanking the world's chain for the last two years, delaying and trying to buy time. They continue to say that their intentions are to develop nuclear reactors for energy, not for bombs. Are we really expected to beleive this? Iran sits on top of one of the largest oil deposits on earth, and they need energy? Bullshit. Iran is run by a guy who recently said that Israel should be "wiped off the map" and said that he hoped for Ariel Sharon's death after his recent stroke. And we shouldn't be concerned about this? Even our friends the British, along with our now long-lost friends the French and Germans did their collective best over the last two years to find a "diplomatic" way around this little nuclear problem. Now they look like a bunch of jackasses for making the effort.

I originally thought that the Israelis might have to do the dirty work here, but with the international community lining up behind each other on this one, it looks like the support is there for some type of action. It seems as though the time for talk is behind us on this one. If I'm an "evil war-mongering Republican" for that one, so be it. Let the missles and bombs fly.

I love it when I'm right

Just a little gloating. As you know, the Dow went over 11,000 on Monday and closed over 11,000 the last three days. Good news for you stock market watchers. All we need to do is get oil back down and we'll be rollin'. I'd love to see one of those pre-bubble 20% pops in 2006. Hoping everyone is doing well...I have had a few crazy stressful days at work and haven't had the energy to post the last few nights.

It's looking like a pretty busy weekend coming up. Scott and Robin are going to be in town on Friday for the weekend. With Robin at 6 months it will probably be their last trip until post-baby. I'm loking forward to catching up with them. Also, rumor has it that Pimpbling is having another little soiree at his place on Saturday Night, which I am sure will be fun.

We hit 11,000 next week!

It looks like the Dow closed the week only about 40 points off the psychological barrier of 11,000. With the Nasdaq and S&P already breaking thier multi-year highs, it is just a matter of time before the Dow follows suit and goes over 11,000 for good. 2006 is shaping up to be a good year in the market so go buy those large cap growth stocks. With oil prices coming back down into the 50s (which is going to happen soon), the Fed about done raising interest rates, and a cooling housing market...all that money has to go somewhere. The stock market is going to be that place in 2006.

On a completely unrelated note, it's cold at the Margarita Lounge this morning! I think the overnight low was 41 degrees and tonight is expected to be in the upper 30s. I actually turned the heat on this morning when the teperature in the house fell to 71. I know that you northerners out there are laughing you asses off at me right now, but for someone who is used to weather between 50 and 90 degrees all year, 40 is cold!

My Perfect World

Farbeit for me to gloat about things, but my "perfect world" came to fruition last night just after midnight. In one of the best football games I have EVER seen, Vince Young and the Longhorns beat the mighty USC Trojans in a high scoring, close game that was decided in the last 30 seconds. So much for Mack Brown who just can't win that "big game". It was also good to see Vince Young get the credit he deserves for being the best college quarterback in the country.

The only negative I saw last night was the lack of class that Matt Leinart showed after he got beat in his own back yard. I thought his opinion that USC was still "the best team" was completely inappropriate. It reminded me of Larry Coker refusing an interview after Ohio State beat the Canes in the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago. And I'm a huge Canes fan! In any case, the game is one that I will never forget. I even got Cheryl to stay up late and watch the end with me. Now that's an accomplishment.

Big Game Wednesday

I apologize for my slack-ness the last few days. I have been caught up in the end of the college bowl season. I was real glad to see JoePa pull one out last night and I sure hope that tonight's game is as good as advertised. A big USC blowout would really suck. In my perfect world, it would be a real close, high scoring game that was decided late in the 4th quarter with Texas pulling the upset. I've kind of got that "upset is in the air" feeling tonight...maybe I should have taken Texas and the points. Lots of similarities between tonight and the Ohio State/Miami game a few years ago when the Buckeyes pulled the upset. Well...gotta run...it's kickoff time. I promise I will be better the closer the weekend gets.

Ringing in the New Year

As you can tell from the state of Pimpbling and Cheryl, there was some drinkin' done at the Margarita Lounge New Years Party last night. No, Pimpbling didn't run off with my wife. Our problem last night was that all of the "definites" showed up and none of the "maybes" did. Thus, we had enough food and booze for about 15 people and there were only 7. I tried my best to drink as much beer as possible, but Pimpbling and I couldn't drink all the beer in the cooler ourselves! Then Chad showed up with another 18 pack. So I now have over a case of cold beer sitting in my cooler and tons of appetizers in the fridge. Good thing that football is on all day today.

Good News and Bad News

The bad news first. The Canes sucked ass last night. Talk about not showing up for the game, they didn't even get off the bus at the stadium. To say I am disappointed about them getting their asses kicked by 37 points is an understatement. Actually, I think I should blame it on George Bush, as that seems to be the way you do things the last few years if you don't get your way. I'm sure that some liberal left winger out there will find some type of conspiracy theory about how the big bad government and the "evil Bush administration" is to blame for the big loss last night. I prefer to not point fingers and whine and just tell it like it is...they got their asses kicked by a better team. Sorry about that...you know I couldn't write a story without at least a hint of politics!

The good news is that today is New Years Eve, which means it's party time. The 2nd Annual Margarita Lounge New Years bash is set to start in about 12 hours. We are expecting a little higher turnout than last year and I am looking forward to it. Plenty of alcohol will be flowing and I am sure there will be some good stories to tell tomorrow...I will make sure to keep everyone updated.

Some interesting reading

I was checking out one of my favorite sites, worldtribune.com, when I came upon this article. As everyone is doing the "Best of 2005" stuff on TV, I thought I would get in the act. The article brings up some good points about the mainstream media. Here is the link: http://media.nationalreview.com/085155.asp

On a roll

I feel like I've been on a roll lately...five posts in six days is pretty impressive for me. I guess Christmas was an inspiration. Back on the "news of the day" subject, I came up with a few more interesting things on my cruise around the internet tonight:

1) A naked man was arrested today in Eustis, FL. I guess this dude was walking around with his boxers around his ankles yelling at people and claiming he was Satan. Why does this type of shit always happen in Florida? People down here are weird. I wish there was some video footage of this, because it would be hilarious to see. Actually, I shouldn't judge people because I've done some pretty stupid things when I've been drunk.

2) Judge throws out restraining order against Letterman. I apologize for the poaching of your thunder Pimpbling, but that crazy lady who claimed David Letterman was secretly communicating with her in New Mexico on his show was really funny. Actually...if they locked up this woman in the same cell as the guy who thinks he's Satan, I would pay whatever the pay-per-view provider wanted to see that meeting of the minds.

3) Linda Ronstadt is still performing! Yes, this is an inside joke that only one person will get, but aint that great! After all these years she's still out there. Actually, she is performing at the Kravitz center in January and I know someone who could get you tickets if necessary. Only $85 each...what a deal! I would rather pay $85 to watch the two aforementioned nutballs in the jail cell.

4) The historical importance of William Jefferson Clinton's penis. Yes, this dude will NOT go away. I guess textbook providers are debating how to correctly note this in the newest history books. I say call a spade a spade. He was only the second President in US history to be impeached by the House. Let's also remember that he was impeached for lying to a Grand Jury and for Obstruction of Justice. Even if you don't like W, you gotta admit it's good to know that he isn't getting blow jobs in the Oval Office by slutty interns.

The Day After....

Well, I feel MUCH better today than I anticipated. While the party at Mom and Dad's place was fun, everyone managed to keep themselves under contol and the hangovers should be minor. As for Christmas, I made out like a thief in a jewelry store. Clothes, Video Games, DVDs, Books, Gift Certificates, Cash. You name it and I got it this year. They were all great gifts, but the big surprise was last night when my wonderful and loving wife rolled out the new Mountain Bike. Talk about a hook-up, huh? I think I looked pretty silly just staring at it for a while, but I eventually picked my mouth up off the ground and thanked her. I hope that everyone had as good a Christmas as I did...your drunk or funny stories are always welcome in the comments section.

Ho Ho Ho

I awoke from my wine-induced coma this morning around 7:30 am and crawled out of bed knowing perfectly well that I will be in the same situation again tomorrow morning. Actually, I will probably feel worse. As some of you know, a typical family get-together at my parents house is full of booze, fun, and usually a few hangovers. We depart for the original Margarita Lounge around 2:30pm. SIDEBAR: The term "Margarita Lounge" was originally coined when Cheryl moved to Florida and lived at my parents house while they were out of town for the summer. Thus, we officially live at the Margarita Lounge 4, but who's counting.

I just love Christmas Day in Florida. For those like Princes T who are now enjoying their first Florida Christmas, they often feel a little off-kilter the first year. But it grows on you after a while. While many are content and happy to bundle up in their sweaters and socks and stare out the window at the snow, I have moved past that nostalgic stuff. I guess 26 years of cold winters does that to you. Every Christmas I get to open up the windows and feel the warm sunshine and gentle breezes. If I feel like it, I can walk down the street and sit by the pool for a while. Or I can do nothing all day...which sounds like the plan right now. Merry Christmas everyone and don't forget about the New Years party at the Lounge!

Thoughts on Christmas Eve....

It is Christmas Eve and my thoughts have turned away from the day-to-day grind of the stock market, interest rates, and oil prices to the happiness associated with the best holiday of the year. Alas, I still occasionally watch the news and see more ridiculous things out there. Here are some of my random thoughts the last few days:

1) Spying is supposed to be secret. That's why it's known as SPYING. It is not something that should be in the mainstream news media nor should it be something that Joe Q. Taxpayer needs to know. As I have said in the past, there is no reason that everyone in the country needs to know every single detail about every single thing happening at any time. It's just ridiculous. Does a guy who lives on the street need to know the small details of the most recent board meeting at Microsoft? No. I guess my point here is that spying is done in the interests of National Security, and while some people seem to think that National Security is something to laugh and belittle, the government takes it seriously (as they should). Let it be.

2) On a lighter note, don't go anywhere near any Mall today if you can avoid it. If you are a procrastinator, prepare for the worst day of your life. I work directly in front of the Boynton Beach Mall and it has been a mad house for the last week. Also be on the lookout for crazy old people and impatient men in large SUVs or pickup trucks. Obviously, the rules of the road do not apply to these people and they are free to cut you off or make the turn made famous in Palm Beach County...the right hand turn from the left hand lane.

3) Drink plenty of fluids over the next few days. I am heeding my own advice here and began drinking a bottle of my new favorite wine last night. With everyone off on Monday, this weekend presents a great chance to have a three-day bender and to justify it with a holiday! Talk about the best of both worlds! For anyone interested in a reasonably priced red wine, try the 2003 Terrazas Malbec from Argentina. And it's only about $10 a bottle which is even better.

4) On a serious note, everyone have a great Christmas. Like everyone else, I get excited and fired up all the time about certain issues or ideas. Certain things upset us during the year. We all disagree with each other from time-to-time, argue, or are not kind to one another. I would encourage everyone to give your day-to-day complaining a break for a few days and enjoy the good feelings of the holiday. Christmas only comes once a year and it is indeed a very special time. Enjoy it.

Damn!

Didn't win the lottery last night so I still need to go to work today. One lucky bastard won last night and is going to have one hell of a great Christmas with their $46 Million.

Mr. Golden lives!

I got a chance to catch up with the great catfisherman himself last night over at Brus. I arrived at 4:30pm to Keith and the Steve Miller Band downing shots and beers. Mr Golden was in his typical work attire of flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt. For those of you who do not know Mr Golden or Mr. Miller, these guys are the stuff of legend. These two gentlemen are one of the rare breed of man who parties at 40 years old like he is a 25 year-old rock star on his first world tour. Most people tell you good stories about partying and you follow it up with a quick "bullshit". These boys are the real deal...trips to Vegas, strippers, binges for days, no sleep, waking up in a town you have never been to...that type of stuff. While I would love to repeat some of the stories, my simple blog would do them no justice.

In any case, it was good to see both of them and live in someone else's world for a few hours. It was even better when Mr. Miller threw down a hunnie on his way out the door for the tab. Maybe that's why I feel so shitty today. Either that or I'm catching that damn cold going around our office. Well, after I win the $46 Million Florida Lottery tonight all will be better...

Winding down...

Things seem to be slowly winding down for the year around the Margarita Lounge. The work year is almost over, the Christmas shopping is done, the holiday parties are about over, and the football season has only two more weeks left.

As for me, I've had a pretty draining weekend. Friday Night I got to see Chad and the Senator for a while while Cheryl hung out with her two sisters. Saturday was a day full of doing nothing at all. I finally got off my ass around 3pm and took a shower. The office Christmas Party (screw political correctness) was in Lake Worth from 5:30-7:30. Most people, including my wife, left the Bizarre Cafe pretty wasted. We proceeded on to Two George's for a while and I ended up shuttin-er-down back here at the Margarita Lounge around 1am after being told by Dawn how much of a skirt I was and how she could drink anyone under the table. Years ago this type of talk used to fire me up. Nowadays I laugh at it because I am no longer out to prove anything. I can bet I felt better this morning though!

In any case, Pimpbling departed around 9:30 this morning after crashing on the famous "70's couch". I give him a lot of credit for realizing his drunkedness last night and not arguing like K-Delish used to. I was once again impressed with the Dophins, who pulled out another close game today. Unfortunately, they are now mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. That's OK...as I have been saying for the past few weeks,,,they are going to be a contender starting next year...MARK MY WORDS NOW! Cheryl and I wrapped up the weekend with our annual trip to Pompano Beach to see grandma and the Pompano Boat Parade. While some of my cousins attended who are real pains in the ass, John was there. John is the only one of the three cousins from the "other side" of the family who I can tolerate. We haven't seen him in a while and he at least made things more fun. Actually, he lives out in the acreage pretty close to you Pimpbling...you guys ought to hang out...he just bought a new Saleen Mustang which you would love.

So, here I sit at 9:30 ready to go to bed. Actually, I'm really impressed I was able to ramble this long without falling asleep. I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas (like I said before...screw the "Happy Holidays" stuff...I celebrate Christmas at the Margarita Lounge!) and a Happy New Year. Don't forget about the party on New Years Eve!

Pathetic Cindy

Just when you thought you heard the last of my old buddy Cindy Sheehan, she has re-surfaced in Spain. I guess she recenly led an anti-war "rally" in Spain where a whopping 100 people showed up. I could get more people together for a free lunch seminar in Palm Beach County! According to the story I read, Cindy indicated that Iraq, in her opinion, is worse than Vietnam. Hmmm, lets think about that. In Vietnam there were approx. 58,000 US war dead. Iraq...about 2,300. In Vietnam the country ended up in communist control. Iraq just had it's third free election in a one year period. Obviously Cindy has run away to Europe in the hopes that someone will still listen to her.

The Big Surprise

Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag, so I might as well tell everyone. My longtime friend Kris, otherwise known and referred to as K-Delish, is going to be a daddy. Gone now are the crazy drunken nights of fun and partying and he can now look forward to changing diapers every day. Everyone at the Margarita Lounge wishes him, Jen, and little K-Delish(or K-Delishess) all the best.

Happiness, Frustration, and a big surprise!

What an interesting two days it has been. In general, things have been pretty positive. Busy, but positive. The market seems to be holding above 10,700 which is good news for the bulls like me who see the Dow breaking 11,000 by the middle of January. I have some new clients and accounts coming aboard this week, which us always good.

Yet, no matter how good things look, there is always that pesky cloud that shows up every now and then. My clouds are EOI and EOS. Why have these two funds (along with all the other equity option funds out there) been hammered the last two days? There is no fundamental reason and I have been scratching my head since Monday morning. Not even my illustrious research department can help out on things...I just got some lame blurb about year-end tax-loss selling. I'm going to chalk it up to a market "conundrum" and suggest backing up the truck. That's the secret that all you market watchers need to realize. If you are a buyer when nobody else likes the stock, you are going to win quite a few of those bets in the long run. That's why the big boys make money and the little guys don't...a simple matter of having the balls to pull the trigger when it feels wrong to do so.

As for the "big surprise", it sure was a BIG one today. Unfortunately for all you readers, I have sworn an oath of secrecy until a later date. Don't you HATE it when someone does that to you? Soon enough, grasshopper....soon enough. Lets just say that one of my friends recently had a life changing experience. Stay tuned for the details....

Gotta love Honest Abe...

One of our greatest presidents speaking out from the grave. Thanks to Pimpbling for this one.

A Little Christmas Humor

Cheryl emailed this to me today. It may take a while to load or you may have to refresh it, but trust me....it's worth it in the end. Here's the link: www.wimp.com/pissedchristmas/

Three in a Row

It's looking more and more like the Dolphins have turned the corner. While it is probably too late for this year, it gets me excited for the next couple of years. With three quality wins this season over Denver, Carolina, and San Diego, they prove that they can hang with the big boys. Pimpbling came over to root 'em on with me and actually just left a few minutes ago on his trip back to the homestead.

Speaking of Pimpbling, he had a small get-together last night at his place and I want to thank him for the great hospitality. I have never been out to the Acreage, but I came away really impressed with the area and his house in particular. To see houses in South Florida on an acre of land (that are not huge, overdone mansions) is really refeshing. My neighborhood (where the houses are on top of one another) is no comparison to the quiet and isolation out there. Pimpbling...you need to have more parties out there because it kicks ass. It's not like there isn't enough wine in the house!

Besides that, the weekend was filled with some Christmas shopping, some wrapping of said gifts, and a little relaxation around the house. With the office Christmas party coming up this Saturday and the impeding arrival of Dawn later this week (the third Soderberg sister), it should be a fun few weeks leading up to Christmas.

A Better Day

I am so glad that I couldn't post last night. For some reason (whether it's the Blogger site, the internet or my computer I have no idea) I couldn't post anything last night. I guess that was a good thing because I was in a pretty foul mood. Three crappy days at the office spinning my wheels and making no money does that to you. The good news is that today was much better.

Since I haven't done this in a while, I figured I would point out a few stories in the news recently that caught my attention:

1) Saddam missed his trial yesterday. File this #1 on the "who really gives a shit" list. I mean, am I really supposed to get excited about this? Since when did Saddam become a celebrity worthy of all this attention?

2) That dude shot on the plane in Miami. I'm sure the ACLU is going to have fun with this one, saying how his rights were infringed on and how mean and insensitive the police are. If you are acting crazy on a plane, saying you have a bomb in your bag, refusing to give up this bag, and then refuse to listen to the police telling you they will shoot, you deserve to be shot. Maybe I'm not "sensitive" enough to people with bipolar disorders, but I call a spade a spade. Maybe it's George Bush's fault! The air marshalls did the right thing.

3) Phony Mall Santa Drops his pants. Now THATS a news story worth reading!! I guess a guy dressed up in a Santa suit dropped his drawers in front of a bunch of teens at a New Hampshire Mall the other day. I guess he did it more than once before he was finally arrested. Now, wouldn't you rather read something like that? I am sick......

Links...finally!

I don't know how it happened, but all of a sudden I have links on the right side of the Margarita Lounge! I have been trying to figure it out for a while, and I think I finally got it! Feel free to check out some of my friends and some of my favorite sites. I'm sure that I will add some more links as I discover them.

A Nice Rally for a Win

For the first time all year, the Dolphins have won two games in a row! After three quarters of absolutely terrible football, Gus went down and ol' Sage Rosenfels stepped in to guide the big 4th quarter come-from-behind rally. My neighbors probably think I'm nuts for all the screaming coming out of the house over the past half hour. I could really see this game as a turning point for the year and a sign of positive things to come through the end of the season. Are the Dolphins going to win their division? No...let's not get carried away here. But with a strong finish, I can see them pulling out an 8-8 record, which would be one hell of an accomplishment for Nick Saban after the way the team has played all year.

Sorry for the lack of updates since Wednesday, but my mind has been on Christmas. I spent all day yesterday doing things around the house, getting the Christmas tree, putting up the outside lights, etc. Today involved a trip to visit my niece for her 2nd birthday and gift shopping for a few hours. Surprisingly, the 2nd half of the Dolphins game was the only football I have watched all weekend.

Today is also Princess T's 30th birthday. She has been at Sanibel Island since Friday and we are expecting her home soon. I guess she over-did it on Friday night and was pretty hungover all day yesterday. Hopefully she is feeling better today since we are planning on having a big dinner and celebration tonight.

Pimpbling Speaks!!

Just a quick note to my readers that Mr. Pimpbling himself has started a blog. The address is: http://blingpimp.blogspot.com/. I encourage everyone to let the big pimp know you found him. For those of you who are completely clueless as to who this mysterious "pimpbling" guy is, he is a co-worker of mine who sees eye-to-eye with me on many things. We regularly complain to each other about clients and the crazy business we are both involved in.

Cheryl is scheduled to come home tonight from a 2 day trip to Virginia Beach on work. I have to say that I have missed her. Besides that, not much new. I'm sorry...there is one more thing. The Senator is FINALLY back on his soapbox after 2 months of slacking. In case anyone forgot, the address is: http://www.stufftbox.blogspot.com/. Iit looks like the Senator really was saving up his energy for the big release. I hope his head didn't explode after he wrote the most recent posting. Good Day.

PARTY ANNOUNCEMENT

In all my excitement about the coming holiday season, I nearly forgot that New Years is also only a month or so away. That being said, I would like to announce the 2nd Annual Margarita Lounge New Years Party. We are thinking of startng around 8 or 9pm and I'll let everyone know the details as we develop them. If you are a regular reader of the blog, consider yourself invited.

4 Weeks and Counting

The Christmas music is in the air and as I look at the calendar, I realize it's only 4 weeks until the big day. The Margarita Lounge already has the holiday music in the air as Cheryl and Princess T are both Christmas nuts. My family has never made a real big deal about Christmas, but to both of them, Christmas is the biggest and happiest time of the year. While this was confusing and strange to me the past few years, I am beginning to get into the swing of it this year.

While the Christmas spirit is in my head now, I sure wish the Dolphins could find some cheer and actually win a football game. Last weekend in Key West my boys got destroyed by Cleveland in a 22-0 romp. In addition, my Canes blew any outside chance of making it into the BCS Championship game by losing to Georgia Tech. Talk about a bah-humbug, huh?

I'm dreading going into work tomorrow. Not beacuse I anticipate bad things or stress...it's just the fact that I haven't worked an entire day in over a week and getting back in the swing of things after vacation is always tough. When you are used to drinking wine every night and sleeping until 8 or 9am and you then have to start getting up again at 6am, it's gonna suck.

Back from Paradise

Cheryl and I slowly rolled the Explorer into the driveway around 2:30 this afternoon after our nice four and a half day vacation to the Keys. As usual, the trip was a memorable one. I took the above picture yesterday at the Bahia Honda State Park, which is about 30 miles outside of Key West. The picture shows the only remaining portion of Flagler's original railroad to Key West. We stopped there yesterday afternoon and it really is a beautiful park.

In general, our trip was a little more "touristy" than normal. We spent an hour or so in the Key West Cemetary, which was really cool. We also rented bikes and tooled around the island, checking out the Southernmost Point and the Truman Annex. For those of you who have spent time in Key West with me, yes I got drunk. Actually I think I was drunk every night I was down there. We met some interesting people at the Smallest Bar in Key West, one of our hangouts that makes us feel like locals. Below I have posted a few pictures we took. Gobble Goble Gobble tomorrow...heading to Gary and Sue's tomorrow for Turkey Day. Hoping everyone has a good one.

Sorry Gunther...

I just had to post this one. We ran into a guy who was a fellow parton at the Smallest Bar in Key West on Sunday Night. I wish I could remember his name, but it really isn't important. The bartender was a guy named Sully who worked summers at the Beer Barrel at Put-In-Bay west of Cleveland and we all had a good laugh when this guy walked in with this shirt on.

Cemetary

I guess Mrs. Roberts was sick after all, huh?

Sunset Pier

For any of you who have been to the Sunset Pier next to Mallory Square, this is what it looks like after Wilma kicked it's ass in October.

The Kid from Brooklyn

Ok...I am going on vacation, but I just had to post this. The big catfisherman forwarded this to me today and I have been laughing my ass off for a while. Cheryl wasn't as entertained as I was. Here's the link: http://media.putfile.com/A-Brooklyn-Solution-To-Terrorism

You gotta be kidding me

As many of you know, Cheryl and I are heading to Key West tomorrow morning for our much-needed respite from the real world. I have been concerned all week watching the Western Caribbean and the remnants of TD #27. Right on schedule, Tropical Storm Gamma developed this afternoon with a projected track right over Key West on Monday afternoon. I guess we'll just have to hunker down at the bed and breakfast with some cold beers. Gamma aint gonna ruin my vacation! See everyone after Thanksgiving.

Random thoughts on the market

I was just inspired by my buddy Gunther over at MagneCarte. He wrote a good entry today that everyone should read if they get a chance. It has indeed been a strange market the last few weeks. The Dow is up near 52 week highs, yet the only thing that has rallied much is the financials. Oil is now under $60 on its way back to $50 and closed-end funds are getting hammered as the market goes up. For leveraged funds, this would make sense, but for equity option funds it sure as hell doesn't.

Even though I work in the financial services industry, I am not in the practice of making specific recommendations on this blog. This one just seems too good to pass up.... NFJ at 21.50 is an absolute steal here. Once it bounces back to 23 people will want to buy it, but I am smarter than they are. I'll buy it here when nobody likes it and hold it and it's 9.7% dividend. It's not like this is a junk bond from GM or a mortgage REIT thats going to cut it's dividend soon. Buy it in an IRA, reinvest the dividends and just leave it alone...even if the price goes nowhere you are going to get almost 10% a year to wait. Even big brother initiated coverage recently and is on the bandwagon. Back up the truck!

The CMAs and Brokeback Mountain

So, I'm sitting here watching the CMA awards tonight. I was unimpressed with the way things started out, but things seem to be improving. I preferred it in Nashville where it really should be. It just seems out of place in NYC.

In any case, watching this reminded me of a story I was reading recently about a new movie coming out in the next month or two called "Brokeback Mountain". I guess it's a cowboy movie staring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal set in the 1960s. So, whats the big deal about a cowboy movie? I guess the cowboys are both gay, so this is supposed to be some big deal to "Middle America". I don't see why it's that big of a deal, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I was just searching Google and every review I saw rated it as excellent. Might have to check it out.

Only one more week

One week from now I will be en route to Key West on a much needed vacation. As you can assume by my lazy lack of posts this week, it was a pretty busy week. Finally got my windshield fixed from Wilma, but the treadmill broke. Had a busy few days on Thurday and Friday, but didn't make much money. Just one of those odd weeks I guess. At least the market is doing better and my client statements should look better in November than they have the last two months. It's funny being a financial advisor because you NEVER hear from your clients when they are making money, but they all call when there is a bad month or two wanting to know "whats wrong". It can be quite maddening if you let it get to you. A word of advice to everyone out there who invests in the stock market...sometimes it goes down. Like life, every day/week/year isn't always perfect. If you can't deal with it, buy FDIC insured CDs and get your 4% return per year. I'll average 8-10% and be happy.

Sorry about that....had some pent-up rage about this week. Pimpbling and Gunther know what I'm talking about here, right gentlemen? Outside of that, I am planning on having a relaxing weekend...watching some football and doing some yard work. I'm also going to Brian's daughter Isabella's baptism tomorrow. She is almost a year old and I still haven't seen her....I think it's time.

Two Years

On this night two years ago, Cheryl and I were married on the roof of the La Concha Hotel in Key West. For those of you who attended that wonderful night, I thank you for being there and hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did. It was indeed a special night for us...so special in fact that there was a lunar eclipse. Some of you may not remember that due to the alcohol, but trust me...it was really cool.

While the dates didn't work out exactly right this year, we are making out return trip to Key West on November 19th for three nights followed by one night in Key Colony Beach on the return trip. I am looking forward to doing nothing all day and hanging out again at a few of my favorite places: Irish Kevin's, Rick's Tree Bar, and Hogs Breath.

TO outta here

In what could be the greatest move in NFL history, the Eagles told TO to kiss their ass today and suspended him for an additional 3 games. After the suspension, the team plans to de-activate him for the remainder of the season. I know that I mentioned this in yesterday's post, but I couldn't be happier. When a guy is complaining at the beginning of the NFL season about making ONLY $7 Million this year, it's really hard to feel bad for him when he shoots his mouth off and gets punked by his own team. An "A" for the Eagles for having the balls to do what other teams won't.

On a completely separate note, oil prices dipped under $60 today on their way back to $50. I realize there is more demand from China, but $60 and $70 oil prices are just not sustainable for a long period of time. Good thing I listened to the Chevron CEO about a month ago when he said exactly that. We'll be back between $50-$55 after Jan 1. I am off to play "God of War"...Scott was kind enough to buy it for me for my birthday and I'm already addicted.

Nobody's perfect

Well, it looks like Michael Vick was a much more able adversary than his younger brother Marcus was last night. I end the weekend 1-1 with the Dolphins 7 point loss today. Congrats to the Falcons on the win and it's back to the grind tomorrow.

The Big Win

Ah yes....that great feeling. The feeling that you were right when all the sports writers and reporters were terribly wrong. Yes folks, the Canes pulled off the big upset last night as I prognosticated in yesterday's post. And they didn't just beat VA Tech, they destroyed them. I could rant on about how overlooked and underrated the Canes are, but I'll let the game last night do the talking.

Congrats to Scottie up in Raleigh. His Wolfpack again proved to be Bobby Bowden's achilles heel by beating Florida State yesterday. Sounds like he had a good day yesterday...I just got an email that he went sky-diving in addition to the big win.

Shifting to the NFL, I see that TO was suspended indefinitely by the Eagles yesterday. I am so happy to see this happen...he really has zero class in my book. And that brings us to the Dolphins today. The Dolphins get a chance at Mike Vick today when they take the field at 1pm to play the Falcons. Could the Miami teams go 2-0 against the Vicks this weekend? I'm not quite as confident in the Dolphins as I am with the Canes, but I'm feeling lucky today...take the Dolphins plus the two points. Seems like the sucker bet, but they seem to play better at home.

Big Game Saturday!

Well, the big day has finally arrived! At 7:45 tonight by beloved Canes go up against the hated VA Tech Hokies. I am already excited and it's still 12 hours till kickoff. Since we have had our asses kicked the last two years and all the critics say that Marcus Vick is the "X factor", I am taking the Canes in the upset. Our time has come to ruin their National Title hopes. If we can pull out a win tonight and get some help from USC, Texas and Alabama, we could still be playing for the title come January. Stranger things have happened......

Breaking out the Champagne

Congrats go out today to Pricess T who started her new job this morning. I wish I could give lots of details, but I just found out this morning myself. It seems that the Princess was being quiet about the job offer and sprung it on us this morning. We all wish her the best as she re-joins the ranks of us working class tax-paying stiffs.

Those Damn Oil Companies

I've seen lots of news stories recently about these "damn oil companies" who are making all this money. This is another example of stupid reporting that flies in the face of everything our country stands for. Oil prices (per barrel) have been higher in the last year than they have ever been in history so it stands to reason the oil companies will make more money.

I guess I just don't get the whole argument about this being bad. Profitable companies make money and create shareholder wealth for grandma and grandpa. They also create jobs for people like you and me and enable us to purchase inexpensive goods and services. Sure, gas is more expensive than it was two years ago, but it's still cheaper to go to the local BP station than to explore, transport, and refine it yourself. When the tech market was going crazy in the late 90s, the computer companies were making shitloads of money and you never heard about those "greedy, evil computer guys", did you? Why is it that oil companies and drug companies are now seen as the big bad wolf? The last time I checked, making lots of money wasn't a crime.

Rush Hour Madness

It took me 25 minutes to get home from work today. Some people may wonder why this is a big deal as they have longer commute times. The problem is that they don't live 2 miles from work. Word to the wise people of Palm Beach County in these strange post-Wilma days...don't go anywhere near the Mall between 4 and 6pm.

In other "items of interest", looks like the Stilers pulled one out last night on Monday Night Fotball. Congrats to the non-posting Margarita Lounge deserter K-Delish. Where you been K?

Touchdown Jesus

It's very rare that I have a story of "local boy does good". Coming from Erie, PA means that you are usually way off the map. I was pleasantly surprised today to find out that a guy from Erie who is an old friend of the Senator just published his first book. His name is Scott Eden and he now lives in Chicago. While the name rings a bell, I can't say that I remember him personally. Here is a link to Barnes and Noble in case anyone is a Notre Dame/ College Football fan: Link

Back to Normal?

On a typical Sunday Night, by thoughts are filled with dread of going back to work on Monday. Thoughts on why weekends aren't three days long and how weekends are never long enough. This week things are a little different. After four days without power and the mild chaos of trying to navigate without traffic lights, power, or gas, I am ready for the return of anything "normal".

From what I can guess, it's going to be at least a month before all the traffic lights are operational. Last year it was mostly about fixing the broken lights. This year the lights are completely gone or smashed to pieces. The grocery stores are just starting to get the perishables back in stock and the gas lines are dwindling as more stations get their power back. Hey...the Dolphins even won today...things are looking up!

Now, all I have to do is get used to sunset an hour earlier and the fact that I turn 32 tomorrow. For all of you that didn't know...yes I was a Halloween baby!

Wilma Pictures

Below you will find some pictures from Wilma. I took 40 pictures and these were the ones that made the cut. The Margarita Lounge got power back about 8pm on Thursday Night but internet just came up a few hours ago. As of today there are still over a million people in South Florida without power, but things are slowly becoming a little more "normal" and work will start on Monday as scheduled. If you click on the pictures, you should be able to see a larger view.

Front View

The front of the Margarita Lounge post-Wilma. Needless the say the Palm tree isn't going to make it. Since the eye passed directly over us, there was a strange, almost unsettling calm for about 45 minutes before the backside hammered us.

Front View 2

A closer view of the front. The branches were a bitch to cut up, but Tracy and Cheryl were very helpful. Thanks to both of them for pitching in all week to help me out.

Tile Shower

This is my neighbor's driveway after the storm. If you can't make them out, those are broken roof tiles all over the place. Unfortunately, my truck and Tracy's car were parked in that driveway and we both have cracked windshields and scratches to our paint.

Tree Troubles

This is a picture from another of my neighbors. Good thing the tree fell sideways and not onto the house.

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!