Headin' North next week

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

Johnnie Slick at it again

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

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

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

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

LINK

Close but no Cigar

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

Pulling for Sergio and DeMarco

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

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

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

And now for something completely different...

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

Lou Dobbs is a turd

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

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

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

Turmoil everywhere

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

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

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

Spending Money

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

More on oil prices

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

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

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

Happy 4th to everyone

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

Purporting?

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

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

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

Funny Friday Story

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

Serious Friday Story

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

Hangover free

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

Saturday Night Trainwreck

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

Snow Patrol

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

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

Three Great Days

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

What a long strange week it's been

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

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

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

70 Years

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

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

Runnin' on Empty

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

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

Alberto on the horizon?

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

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

No wonder....

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

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

Back from Paradise

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

What a Real Beach looks like

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

Solitude

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

Vacation Time

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

Now I'm really lost...

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

Another party with Xan

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

What's the Problem?

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

Gettin' Giddy

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

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

A Little Monday Humor

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

The weekend draws to a close

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

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

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

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

Two Weeks and counting.....

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

Gunther's New Abode

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

Sunfest 2006

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

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

I am the Decider

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

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

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

Like father like son

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

Man found glued to toilet seat

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

3 Days and Counting

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

Missing the Point on Immigration

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

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

Gettin' high in Mexico

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

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

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

More humor about oil

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

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

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

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

Trying to Remember

So I signed up for this "Memory Seminar" today and tomorrow down in Ft. Lauderdale. It is 3 1/2 hours per day and is designed to help you improve your memory, which Cheryl will tell you is terrible. It was a pretty cool day one. I can now recite 20 items and then repeat them in exact order, front and backwards in addition to individually. And how does this relate to real life? Right now I have no idea. I was assured that the real-world application is tomorrow's subject.

It looks like ol' Ricky Williams is out for the 2006 season and could be done for good in the NFL after this FOURTH positive test for drugs. He is eligible to come back in 2007, but he'll be 30 years old and have a total of 12 games playing experience in 3 years...not exactly the type of numbers that excite any NFL team.

And yes, I finally bought my Sunfest tickets yesterday. In years past I have always been excited and fired up about Sunfest weeks before the actual event. This year it has really snuck up on me. While the music blows this year (even worse than last year), I am sure the best will be made out of the situation on the Captain Morgans Barge. Ahoy.

Some perspective on oil prices

First of all, I was wrong. I am surprised that I havent heard from you yet MT... I said not too long ago that $70 per barrel oil and $3 per gallon gas was going to be a thing of the past. Well, we are all wrong occasionally but you should double up here and short some more oil....if prices go back down into the $68 range you'd at least break even.

That aside, gas prices are again high (and they'll be higher in the next few weeks) and it looks like this summer is gonna suck at the pump. Just to give some perspective, though, I wanted to include this link to an interesting chart. It shows the average price for a gallon of gas in various cities throughout the world. Feel happy that you don't live in Europe where all the governments tax the hell out of gasoline. Just a little something to think about when you are complaining about that $60 gas bill this week.

Oh Boy

I might have overdone it last night. Cheryl and I had my parents over for dinner at the Margarita Lounge. A few drinks turned into about a bottle and a half of wine and I am moving a little slow today.

A thought on terrorism...

I was thinking this week about the current situation in the Middle East in regards to Islamic Terrorism. According to most reports, terrorists represent a small portion of the Muslim population in the Middle East. I would agree with this. The goal of most countries (including the US) is to avoid the further spread of these extreme views throughout the world. This also makes sense to me.

The problem is....aren't we making the situation worse by continually airing these people on the evening news? Isn't this exactly what the terrorists want....exposure? Why bother recruiting people when the US media will do the job for you? I think the best way to fight terrorism would be to avoid the huge media blitz that these crazy bastards get whenever they blow up a bus or a truck. Doesn't this seem like common sense?

The Breast Doctor

Above you will find a picture of Philip Winikoff. This guy was arrested yesterday in the Ft. Lauderdale area (about a half hour south of me for you non-Floridians) for sexual assualt while impersonating a doctor. According to the story, he was walking around neighborhoods offering free breast exams to women. The scary thing is that two women actually let this 76 year-old pervert....er.... man into their house to perform a breast exam on them. Some people are really stupid.

After Easter

Life seems to be getting back to "normal" around the Margarita Lounge the last day or two. Princess T departed on Sunday morning for greener pastures taking herself and Bear . The weather is getting hot and it's only mid-April. Easter is over. My new diet has started. Sunfest is around the corner.

It's funny how those 10 extra pounds sneak up on you. Last thing I knew, I was between 170-175 pounds and was in pretty good shape. I looked down at the scale last week (and past my buddha) and saw a big, ugly 183 staring back at me. Time to get back on the treadmill.

You're Fired

As you may know, I can't stand Donald Trump. I just think he's a total dork that happens to have accumulated a bunch of money and a hot wife. Luckliy, this post has nothing to do with Mr. Trump and everything to do with me.

I had the distinct pleasure of firing one of my clients yesterday afternoon. I never thought that anything like that would make me feel so good the day after, but it does. Essentially, the guy was a miserable, cheap, constantly complaining dwarf of a man who thought that I was his bitch and I would keep taking his shit. Well, that all ended yesterday afternoon when I got rid of him. Do I feel bad? HELL NO. He can go deal with someone else who wants to get abused. Life is way too short to deal with grumpy bastards. Good riddance.

Phil beats Tiger

Nothing makes me happier than seeing Tiger Woods lose a major to Phil Mickelson. While it wasn't the down to the wire head to head drama that I would have liked to see, it made me happy. It also cemented my position in the anti-Tiger camp. Now, I don't really hate Tiger Woods or anything. He is obviously one of the best golfers of all time. It's just good to see him lose every now and then. Kind of like rooting against the Yankees...it's just fun!

It's even more fun when Tiger pouts like a 10 year old boy all around the course like he did today. He's a completely different person when he is winning versus losing. And did you see the presentation of the green jacket? Tiger just sat there looking pissed off and then gave a quick "congratulations" and handshake to Phil. It's no secret that Tiger and Phil don't get along very well, but show a little more class and at least look happy. It was the icing on the cake when Tiger had to sit there while Jim Nantz interviwed Phil about his great play on Sunday.

Even though the final round was short on drama, it was big on sportsmanship. It was good to see Phil and Fred Couples having a good time playing together. Nowadays it seems like all we see on TV is robots walking the courses on the PGA Tour...no emotions, no smiles, no interaction....essentially no human element. It was good to see fellow competitors actually congratulate each other and have fun playing a round of golf together. They both made a shit-load of money, so you might as well have fun, right? Tiger should take a lesson from both of these guys in that area.

Wow

I seem to have lost my focus this week. With the National Championship on Monday Night, Sean leaving on Tuesday, Lost on Wednesday, and the Masters starting on Thursday, I seem to have turned my focus and pathetic short-term memory away from the Margarita Lounge. So, here is what's been happenin around here the last week.

Vacation. Cheryl and I have booked a beach house in the Outer Banks of NC for early summer. We are really excited to get away from the world for a week. I'll post a few pictures to "rub it in" once we get closer to the departure date.

Sports. Its looking like a good weekend of golf in Augusta with the top 5 golfers in the world all within striking distance of the lead. I'm still hoping for a Tiger/Phil showdown on the back nine on Sunday and I'd love to see Phil pull it out on the last hole.

Departure. It appears that Princess T will be departing the Margarita Lounge in the near future for other adventures. The dates are still up in the air, but it's looking like the next week or two. We wish her all the best wherever the winding road takes her.

Wine. Yes, we are now officially winos. A few more bottles were drank this week. I realized this morning that it's very hard to empty a wine cellar when you keep buying more wine. We drink two and I buy two (or three) more bottles. Such a problem....

Weekend. Yes, it is finally here. Since we are saving up for vacation, we have decided to lay low for the next couple of weeks and save our pennies. I fell asleep to "Good Night and Good Luck" last night and Thursday Night we watched "Walk the Line". I wasn't really impressed with either movie. I know they were both nominated for Best Picture, but I just couldn't get real excited about either movie. Does anyone else agree with me here or is it the wine taking control?

Another Party in the Books

I wanted to thank everyone who came to the party last night. The senator was the last to depart around 1:30, so we didn't get too out of hand. I wish that the basketball games had been better, but they didn't dampen the spirit of the party. While I'm not hungover this morning, I'm tired after three straight nights of partying like a rock star and I'm moving fairly slow.

Speaking of basketball, it looks like Phyllis was the big winner in the office pool. With UCLA beating LSU, she bacame the proud winner of $140. I finished tied for 11th, which is a nice improvement from 13th place but still really pathetic. My focus now turns to the Masters, which starts on Thursday. Phil is whooping everyone's ass this week and I'm hoping he is in the mix next weekend come Sunday afternoon.

Coasting

In my line of work, month end can be an odd time. When you are short of your monthly goals, things are really crazy and stressful. On the other hand, if you have already reached your goals for the month, things are quiet...you are essentially "coasting" until the next month rolls around. This week I have been coasting and work has been quiet and peaceful in general. Sean flies into Lauderdale this afternoon and I have volunteered for pickup duty. I'm looking forward to having another man in the house...with Cheryl, Tracy, Onyx, Hannah, and Lucy all living at the Margarita Lounge right now, I'm feeling a little out-numbered!

Unbeleivable Madness

In what can only be described as unbeleivable, George Mason beat the mighty UConn this afternoon to make it to the Final Four and destroy everyone's brackets that had UConn winning it all. The game was everything that a crazy March Madness fan like me could ever have wanted...a nailbiter that went to overtime with the big underdog pulling out the upset. After beating UConn, North Carolina, and Michigan State, anything is possible next weekend for the Patriots. Florida, who is famous for choking in the big game, also surpisingly made it through to join LSU and UCLA.

Anyone who is interested in a party is welcome to drop by the Margarita Lounge this Saturday around 6pm to watch the game and eat some burgers and dogs. Big brother Sean (not my brother...Cheryl and Tracy's) is coming down to visit next weekend and drink some beers, so it should be a good time.

These "Civilized" Muslims?

I am having real problems lately believing our country should be involved with anyone in the Middle East. I have tried to steer clear of the news stories, but the more I read them, the more pissed off I become. For those of you who don't know what the hell I am babbling about, here is the executive summary: A muslim man living in Afghanistan leaves the country 16 years ago to be a medical aid worker helping fellow Afghan refugees. While he is out of the country, he converts to Christianity. He comes back to Afghanistan and most people in the country want to kill him because he converted to Christianity.

Now, I understand and respect different cultures and viewpoints, but this story has really disturbed me. These are the types of governments and people we consider "allies"? Are you shitting me? Maybe I am sheltered by living in a country with religious freedom, but how can you consider a culture, a people, or a country "civilized" and look at them equally when they want to kill anything that is different from them? And this guy is one of their fellow countrymen!

I always encourage some competitive banter at the Margarita Lounge, but I just can't see the other side of the argument here. I really hope that some of my intelligent readers out there can give me a rational argument for how this is acceptable behavior, but I just can't see it. Someone........anyone......?

Taking the Plunge

After a few days of debate, I finally decided to get season tickets for the Dolphins yesterday. Pimpbling and I will be cheering from the nosebleed section of Dolphins Stadium starting in September. With Dante on board, it looks like we should be challenging the Patriots for the division title this year.

On another note, I got an email this morning from the long-lost Dr. Assmunch. As only my wife knows who Dr. Munch is, lets just say he is a childhood friend of mine from good old Erie PA. While the Senator isn't actually a Senator, Dr. Munch is indeed a doctor. I guess he is now residing in Birmingham, AL on a fellowship and will be heading back to the great white north in August. Welcome Dr. Munch...your opinions and input are always welcome at the Margarita Lounge.

Some funny stories

Here are two funny stories I found this week when I was surfing the internet. They have been sitting in my in-box for a few days and I figured I would finally post them:

1) Man hits his own car then sues himself

2) Man severs own penis, throws it at officers

Unexpected Visitors

After a long hiatus, the Hickman family showed up at our door yesterday afternoon. They were looking at houses in the area and decided to drop by the Margarita Lounge for a short visit. As is typical with our short visits, it turned into about 5 hours of conversation, some carryout from Carabbas, and three bottles of wine sprinkled with some Scene It and some basketball on the ol' bigscreen. True to their word, Gunther and the Wine Mistress contributed to the draining of my new wine cellar. I actually thought we drank four bottles of wine last night until I woke up and saw it was only three.

Good news for the basketball tournament...I am no longer in the basement. As of this morning I have moved up from the absolutely depressing 14th place to the still incredibly pathetic 13th place in the office pool. I bought a new grill yesterday at Lowe's which I am really excited about firing up. To make it better, they even assembled it for me, so I don't have to spend all day today doing it myself. Cheryl and I caught a Panthers hockey game on Friday Night and did lots of housework and running around yesterday before entertaining last night. As for today, it's shaping up to be a real lazy Sunday....

I seem to have a broken bracket

I had mentioned earlier this week that I was running the office hoops pool. We have 14 people at $10 per head for a total of $140...not bad. I figured that I know a little bit about basketball and I thought my picks were pretty solid...a few upsets sprinkled in with some experienced teams. Well, I suck. Out of 14 people I am currently 14th. At least nobody can claim I cheated.

Dante Culpepper

Holy shit. After a rather depressing end to my work day, I was greeted with the wonderful news that Miami actually has a real quarterback again. Not shitty Jay Fiedler, AJ Feeley, or Gus Frerotte anymore...Mr. Dante Culpepper is now a Dolphin! I was really excited at the end of last season, but I can't tell you how excited I am about this coming year. To get me THIS excited about anything other than March Madness this time of year is quite an accomplishment. As long as they don't also sign TO, I'll be fine.

Dancing Time

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us...tourney time. OK, so maybe the four majors in golf are better overall, but there is no better two week period than the NCAA Basketball Tournament. What other time of the year is it perfectly acceptable to leave work at noon to watch a few games? Don't forget to get your brackets in for your office pool. I've decided to run our office pool for the fourth year in a row and I'm hoping I can actually win this year.

The Wino Couple

I guess that Cheryl and I are developing into quite the wino couple. Yesterday I went to the ABC store and dropped $130 on wine. Last night, Cheryl came home from a wine tasting party with a $150 bill. Good thing I just bought a wine fridge that holds 32 bottles, because we are going to need the storage space. Oh yeah...the fridge was about $300, so our booze-related bill from the last week is now at $580. Throw in the money I spent having some beers with the Catfisherman on Thursday after work and I guess we can round it off at an even $600. Do you think there is a problem here?

Funny stories

I just read a story mentioning a poll taken by Stuff magazine recently. According to the poll, if given the choice to spend the night with Tom Cruise or Saddam Hussein, Americans prefer Saddam. For someone who used to be considered the Sexiest Man Alive, this should be quite a blow. But then again, acting psycho on a regular basis does that.

I also read an article today involving a student in Alaska. During the torch running before the 2002 Winter Olympics, this kid displayed a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" in the hopes of getting on TV. I guess the principal confiscated the banner and suspended the kid. After a long, drawn-out legal process, a court recently said that this banner is covered under free speech and he shouldn't have been suspended. Normally, I could care less about a story like this, but you gotta give Cheech some credit here...that banner is hilarious.

Politicians

While I have backed off on the preaching recently, I still get a kick out of some stories I read on the internet. Funny story of the day revolves around Mrs Hillary Clinton. According to the story, Hillary was unaware of her husband's recent advising of Dubai on how to handle the port situation. Hillary was one of the strongest and most vocal opponents of the deal. Are people really expected to beleive that Hillary had no idea of Bill's close ties to Dubai? Do the Clintons really think we are all that stupid?

Bill Clinton earned $450,000 last year lecturing in Dubai. His presidential library received between $500,000 and $1 Million from officials in Dubai. The UAE contributed $100 Million to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, which Clinton was involved in and it is well known in the Middle East that the UAE is a strong supporter of Clinton. For Hillary to claim she didn't know anything is just ridiculous.

I just think it was kind of funny how this story has been relegated to the back pages of the newspapers. A woman who very well could be the 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidate seems to be getting a free pass on this from our "fair and impartial" media. If something like this would occur to a very influential Republican family, I am sure they would be cut down in the media as liars and bastards. Just an interesting observation....

Catching up on Lost

As some of you know, I have become a big fan of "Lost" over the past month or two. Having picked things up at the start of the second season, I decided on Friday to rent the first season at Blockbuster. So far, I'm through the first six episodes and will probably be through another few tonight. I think I've even converted Cheryl to a fan.

As for Cheryl and I, we have been doing stuff around the house this weekend and drinking a little wine at nights...nothing too crazy. We got some take out from Chilis last night. Surprisingly, everything tasted good, was ready when I showed up, and the order was correct...something that I find increasingly rare in Palm Beach County. We are heading to the Cardinals/Marlins spring training game at 1pm which should be fun. We went to a game last year which was a lot of fun and the plans are to go to a few more games later this month down in Lauderdale.

And thats about it. As you can tell, I have been rather uninspired this week...I guess you could call it writers block or just plain laziness. Hopefully the week ahead will bring some creativity...

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.