It's Open Week!

Once a year the wonderful tournament known as the US Open rolls around. This is the one tournament every year where professional golfers end up looking like a hack from the local muni course. And I love it. What else could be more exciting than watching Tiger, Phil, or Vijay make an 8 on a par 4? Ah yes...the long rough...the tight fairways...the fast greens...has it been a year already?

This years Open holds a special meaning for me as it's being held at Oakmont, about two hours from where I grew up. I was fortunate enough to attend the 1994 US Open the last time it was at Oakmont (the year Ernie Els won his first major) and I was incredibly impressed by the golf course. Oakmont is known for having the fastest greens in the country...no joke. These things are just ridiculous and I'm looking forward to the carnage. They have also removed over 5000 tress from the property, turning the course from a tree-lined to its original links design. While the Oakmont crowd isn't going to get any awards on Arbor Day, it is a very cool and ballsy change.

Word has it that Mr. Kris Douglas has procured some tickets for Friday's round. Enjoy the experience chief. I'll fly up for the next one at Oakmont...I promise.

The Big Merger

Unless you have been living in a hole the last two weeks, you should know that Wachovia Securities and A.G. Edwards will be merging later this year. I guess I have lots of mixed emotions about it. First of all, it is really sad to see a company with such a rich tradition and excellent reputation disappear. A.G. Edwards has been around for 120 years and until recently was always run by a member of the Edwards family. The first non-family member to run the company was Bob Bagby, who took over in 2001. While Bob was very adamant to the employees about our desire to stay an independent company, it seems that behind the scenes he was pulling a Nick Saban on all of us, preparing the company to be bought. While I and a majority of the AG Edwards advisors hope he rots in hell for destroying our nice company, I guess there are some positives to being the second largest brokerage firm in the US.

So, I have decided to stop bitching and whining about it, as I have most of the last 10 days. I had a very good lunch conversation yesterday with Mr. Hickman that gave me some different perspective on the subject. I also had another good conversation with Joel Brookman around 4pm yesterday that have led me to be more positive. I mean...what can I really do at this point? I could complain about how unfair it is...how "big business" is ruining the small companies...bla bla bla. But what would this really accomplish? The deal is done and the changes are going to take place regardless of my view on the subject. I might as well be positive and look on the bright side. I can't control what happens day-to-day in the stock market so why is this any different? Life goes on and I guess I need to be positive about the bright future ahead.

I would however like to take a five minute break from that bright future one day to hold Bob Bagby's head underwater. Five minutes is all it would take and I think I would feel much better...

Zach's Baptism

The little man got baptized yesterday. I just HAD to post this picture of Z in his little white tux. And yes...that is a little bit of hair that is starting to show up on his head!

Phillip Wellman

If you are a big fan of baseball, you need to check out this clip. It's not a walk-off homer or a guy getting beaned by an overly aggressive pitcher. It is a clip of one of the funniest things ever in baseball...the manager blow-up. This must have happened recently, but this guy (named Phillip Wellman) takes things to a whole new level. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUcFWPgB8oY

An Eventful Two Weeks

Wow...what a long two weeks it has been around here. Last week, Cheryl had to go to Toledo/ Erie with Zach to attend a funeral. They got back on Tuesday and I then left for Orlando on Thursday and Friday. Saturday and Sunday were full of running around and entertaining and we have finally had a relaxing day today to chill. Unfortunately, it all starts back up on Friday when the out-of-townners arrive for Zach's baptism on Saturday at 12:30. My apologies for not giving everyone updates, but I am sure you all all understand. I have included two pictures from the Orlando trip for your entertainment.

The Bugs

Don't ever let people tell you that the bugs in central Florida "aren't that bad" this time of year. Here is the front of my truck on the way home from Orlando on Friday afternoon. Talk about nasty.

The Mail Bin

This is a picture of the mail bin I hit on the way to Orlando with Kris on Thursday morning. Nothing wakes you up at 6:45am like a mail bin blowing across the road and under the front of your Explorer. The good news was that there was no damage, just a nasty burnt plastic smell.

Don't be a joiner!

I was just watching a hilarious video on Scottie G's blog that was done recently by Penn and Teller. It really speaks volumes about the way we are as people and how ridiculous the whole "save the planet" thing can be when you look at it in a certain light. His link is under "Scottie G" in my links area. Or if you are just plain lazy, here is the link:

http://scottgreenough.wordpress.com/scott/index.php

Never a Dull Moment

This was the scene out the back door of our office today. What is that big plume of black smoke you ask? Well, it's a car on fire in the parking lot. After everything was extinguished by the Fire Department, we found out it was an Expedition that had an engine fire. The front half of the car was pretty charred. Unfortunately, the guy with the Saturn parked in the next spot also had a mess on his hands. I guess the right side of his car was essentially melted. Talk about a shitty day

Lindsay Lohan Part Deux

I guess the guys over at The Superficial agree with me on the Lindsay Lohan thing. It's funny how similar our posts are about this same subject. Below is the link to the story.

http://thesuperficial.com/2007/05/lindsay_lohan_tops_maxims_hot.php

Lindsay Lohan?

I think the people over at Maxim magazine need to get their heads examined by a professional. Either that or they need to put down the crackpipe and beer goggles. I found out today that Lindsay Lohan was just named #1 on their "Hot 100" list for 2007. Yes...I said LINDSAY LOHAN. I have been laughing my ass off for about six straight hours. Lindsay Lohan isn't even the hottest woman in our local trailerpark, much less the world. My dog and cat are better looking than her. She actually beat out women like Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson on this list. I don't know guys, but anyone out there with a subscription better not renew it....

Sunfest Pictures

Here are a few pictures we took yesterday at Sunfest. I went down on Thursday Night and it was really lame. Saturday was fun, but I wasn't there for long and didn't take the camera. Sunday we decided to take Z down for his first Sunfest. As you can see, he obviously drank too much! What follows are a few of the "interesting" people we saw on Sunday. You can click on the pictures to get a larger version (if you dare) Enjoy!

Air Guitar Guy

This dude stood in front of us for about 10 minutes playing the air guitar to "Sweet Home Alabama". Please note the mullett and the mesh shirt from the 80s.

Whoa!

Rule number 352...don't go out of the house wearing something like this. Never....Ever. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch a front view without arising some suspicions, but it wasn't pretty...

Rockin the boat

This is just so wrong on so many levels. This dude should NEVER have taken off his shirt. How sick do you think these two people sitting in front of are getting? This guy was completely shameless and thought he was the man. If you look real carefully on the left side of this picture, you will see the woman from earlier. Maybe she was checkin' him out?

Sock lady

This lady was Cheryl's favorite. You just gotta love the socks. This lady was straight outta the 80s with the big hair and tattoos.

The Grumpy Mechanic

I couldn't resist sharing this picture of an obviously thrilled Todd at 7am this morning. After a night of partying at Sunfest, he had the pleasure of helping me out with a flat tire bright & early today. The picture speaks for itself - I see no need to explain how fun it was :)

It's that time of year again....

Sunfest has finally arrived! After 12 months of waiting, one of my favorite four-day stretches is finally here. Zach will be making his first Sunfest appearance this year and I am sure he is excited. Gone are the days of partying like a rock star until all hours of the morning, but the more I think about it, the more I don't really miss those days. This year will be a little more low-key. I am planning on meeting up with the Senator tomorrow night for a few beverages on the Captain Morgan's barge. While I am taking Friday off, I will be back on Saturday with Cheryl and the wee-man to peruse the art work and partake in some more cold beverages. Sunday is still up in the air, but it's looking like it may indeed be the day of rest, but things can always change. In the immortal words of the Senator from Sunfest 2006, "I am the decider".

The Draft

Well, the first Cam Cameron NFL draft is done and I would say the results are mixed. I am not a big fan of Ted Ginn as I don't think his speed advantage is the same on the NFL level. It's one thing when you run by a cornerback from Penn State or Wisconsin...it's quite another to run by an NFL cornerback. I think he will be an immediate impact guy as a kick returner (like Devin Hester was for Chicago this year), but I think his big impact as a receiver may be less immediate. I really hope that I am wrong on this one, but I think they could have done a better job with the first round pick.

As for the other picks, they definitely got some people they needed (a few lineman, a QB, a punter, a running back), but it seems like there are a lot of guys who could go either way. I guess that's the way the draft is though. The good news is that they got a lot of picks (10) so hopefully a few will shake out and become contributors to the team in the next year or two.

Someone is excited!

It looks like someone is excited for the arrival of Aunt Dawn this afternoon!

Did you say .47?

Today I came across a funny article while wasting time and surfing the internet at work...at least I thought it was funny in my own sick and twisted way. I guess a woman in Washington blew a .47 on the breathalizer after getting into an accident while DRIVING. Are you kidding me? DRIVING!!! I blew a .23 when I got my DUI in 2000 and let me tell you from personal experience...I was hammered, slurring my words, and talking shit to the police officer. I can't even imagine being twice as drunk as that and driving...I can't even imagine still being alive at that point. Here is the article if you don't believe me:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8OJCQ000&show_article=1&catnum=0

Daycare begins

Tomorrow is Zach's big day...his #1 at daycare. I think Cheryl and I are both a little nervous about it, but we decided that there will be lots of positives. I'm sure it is going to be hard to actually leave him there and go to work, so I have been nominated as the "drop off" person for the morning. The good news is that I am less than 5 minutes from his daycare facility, so I can drop by whenever I want to see him. Wish us luck!

Hail in South Florida??

Here is a picture I took around 5pm on my front sidewalk. Yep...it's hail. I know it's hard to believe that hail can be falling from the sky on April 10th in Florida when it's 75 degrees outside, but it happened. I have lived in Palm Beach County for over 7 years and have seen lots of odd weather events, but this one is a first for me.

The Don Imus Spectacle

This thing is getting almost as bad as the Anna Nicole Smith brouhaha. It's not like the guy dropped the n-bomb or anything. He called a bunch of female basketball players "nappy-headed hoes". I've watched the video clip and nowhere in those words do I see "racially charged comments" that are being broadly reported by the media. Sure, it might not have been a nice thing to say, but there are plenty of worse things on lots of CDs, in lots of books, and in lots of movies these days. I am not by any means a fan of Don Imus, but this is just plain ridiculous...leave it alone.

Zach is the big winner!

No, not my Zach. Although it's pretty cool that my son has the same name as the 2007 Masters champion. Zach Johnson is the man of the day with a sweet final round of 69, beating Tiger and two other players by two shots. The news stories I have read all say that Zach Johnson was an "unexpected" winner or that he wasn't an accomplished player. I tend to disagree. Sure, he wasn't a Reteif Goosen, Vijay Singh, or Phil Mickelson, but he has been a very consistent player on the tour for the past two years. Unfortunately, many of the "expert" golf writers out there don't know anything about the game...if Tiger doesn't win it is considered an upset. Zach Johnson has been on the tour for four years, he won the BellSouth in 2004, was in the top 40 on the money list the last two years, and was a member of the US Ryder Cup team last year...not too bad in my book. It's good to see a regular guy win a major for a change...

The Pattymelt has arrived

Pattymelt arrived at the Margarita Lounge yesterday afternoon to swoon over her new grandson. She is here for a week to help us out with Zach while Cheryl goes back to work. It's amazing how fast 12 weeks can fly by. As for Easter, we are all heading over to my parents around 3pm today for the big family dinner. Good thing my dad is also a golfer because the final round of the Masters should be wrapping up around 6pm and there is NO way I would miss it. I am pulling for Stuart Appleby but wouldn't mind seeing someone like Vaughn Taylor, Zach Johnson or even Justin Rose win...anyone but Tiger would be excellent. As a golf fan, you just get tired of hearing of "Tiger on the prowl" and "Tiger hunting the field" and all the other crap that sports reporters write about him. Sure, he is one of the greatest of all-time, but you have to give someone else a chance every now and then. What fun is it if Tiger wins everything?

Must be Easter Time!

I just had to post one of these pictures. ..here is one from last weekend with Zach in his "Easter outfit".

Time to Speak up

It has been a while since I have done an overblown rant about something, and today I finally have reached my breaking point on Global Warming. According to Al Gore and the "global warming panic-mongers", sea levels will rise 20 feet in the next 100 years and we are all gonna die unless we go back to the horse and buggy and repent. Ok...I'm being a little dramatic here, but you get the point. People need to calm the hell down and relax for a while. Sure, we all are concerned about the environment and I am no exception, but every day that I read news stories on the internet, something else is caused by global warming.

In January, everyone in the northeast was saying how mild a winter it was and BOOM...there are the news stories about how a two month warm period is caused by global warming. Funny how those stories have disappeared now that winter kicked everyone's ass in that area of the country. Lucky for you (my great Margarita Lounge readers) , I have done some homework on this subject recently and I don't see that big a deal. According to the data I looked at there has been a warming of the planet since the mid 1970s..there is no disputing this. But there was also a cooling of the planet from the 1940s though the mid 1970s...a period where there was plenty of CO2 emissions. In my opinion, basing dire conclusions on merely 30 years of data seems rather odd. If I would have followed this type of reasoning in 1999, the NASDAQ would now be at 25,000. If I would have followed this type of reasoning in 2002, the stock market would now be at 0 and we would all be living in a third world country. For those of you who don't get the stock market reference, here is the easiest way to explain the analogy. We are currently making dire predictions based on 30 years of data...30 years of data on a planet that is approximately 4.5 billion years old.

If you still think I am talking out of my ass, I offer two great articles run in 1974 and 1975 by Time and Newsweek. Please check them out below and try not to laugh too hard!

Time Article

Newsweek Article

Your New Branch Manager is...

Yes folks...it is official. Kris Douglas is now again gainfully employed. For some reason, a bank in Pittsburgh decided they wanted this guy to manage one of their branches. I just can't imagine handing the plumber (this was from Halloween 2004) the keys to the vault, but then again...he was always a good bullshitter. Good luck K-Daddy...try not to get arrested or involved in any money-laundering schemes.

Tons of Chalk

How much more boring and predictable can this tournament be? No Cinderella stories this year. As of tonight, the remaining eight teams are comprised of four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds and one #3 seed. This is about as odd as me not drinking wine on a Friday Night..which is also the case tonight. Weird things are going on....

Scared yet?

And now on the "serious" side...here is today's winner for "parent of the year"...a wonderful photo of a child with a Hamas headband and a suicide bomber's vest. Does anyone wonder why this stuff is never shown on the news here in the US? I sure do. We keep trying to be "politically correct" and not offend anyone, but this type of shit just scares the hell out of me.

Hooray for a Protest

I am usually not a big fan of protests run by far-left wing whackos from San Francisco. In this case I will make an exception....

The Ghetto Leprechaun

Any of you who want to laugh your ass off need to head on over to frotuss.com and check out the story about the Ghetto Leprechaun. Once you check it out, here is a "remix" for some more laughter courtesy of Mr. Hickman.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDmEGebskXk&NR

Cats are dumb...

For anyone that owns a cat, you realize that they will climb into any empty box that is laying around the house. Onyx is no exception to the rule. But you'd think that she wouldn't climb into a box that was half her size. Well...she is a dumbass and here is the proof.

An apology is in order

Recently I complained about my favorite show Lost moving very slow recently. I need to now apologize for this as the last two weeks have been great shows. My apologies to all my fellow Lost fans for straying off the path...I am now back on the straight-and-narrow and repentant.

Hangin with "The Boys"

The good news is that I don't feel terrible today. I don't feel great by any means, but I feel a hell of a lot better than I expected. I even got a chance to do the yard work today..which was about 2 weeks past due. Here is a picture of Zach and I hanging out with Scott and Ryan on the back porch last night. A good time was had by all...

A Three Bottle Night

I am going to feel so shitty tomorrow morning! This is the damage after we had Scott and Robin over tonight. They are down here in Sunny Florida from New Joisey for about a week and we decided to host them for some steaks, rice, veggies, and lots of wine. Years ago (pre-Zach) this used to be no problem, but nowadays it is a little harder to do.

More on Hoops

So everyone now knows that I am a big NCAA hoops fan...that's a given. And every year for the past five years I run the office pool where everyone throws in $10 and the winner takes all. This year will be no different as I will be passing out the sheets on Monday morning. But this year I am thinking of doing something a little more for the hardcore fans and/or gamblers that I know. Call it excellent customer service (or maybe stupidity), but I was thinking of doing a separate pool that costs at least $25 or $30 to get in. This will weed out the non-fans and give everyone a little more money to win. It would also allow me to include people who are not co-workers. Anyone interested?

Here comes the Madness

Ah yes...next week March Madness begins and all will be right with the world. There is no better sporting event than the NCAA Basketball tourney. Sure, the Super Bowl is big and can be exciting. But nothing beats the weeks of excitement, upsets and buzzer-beaters that the annual college hoops tourney brings. As usual, Thursday and Friday afternoon will involve very little work and some quality time spent at Bru's Room downing some cold beers and watching for the early round upsets. Let the games begin!

"Lost" or "24"???

As some of you know, I am a big fan of Lost. Unfortunately, I think the show has kind of "lost it's way" recently as I find myself asking more questions and getting less answers. I know the big mystery is the intention of the writers, but after a while you start to get frustrated that things are moving too slow.

Luckily, Cheryl and I became fans of 24 last season. 24 is the polar opposite of Lost in that things are always flying by and evolving by the week. Sure, it isn't as "deep" as Lost, but for some people that is your thing.

So..here is the question...which show is better? I realize that both shows are complete bullshit in their own right, but what does everyone think? I've had precious few comments recently at the Margarita Lounge, so speak up and let me know your opinion....

Bill O'Reilly and the ACLU guy

Love him or hate him, everyone has an opinion of Bill O'Reilly. I personally enjoy his show when I get the rare free time to watch it. I don't agree with him on everything, but he has some good points. I am also becoming a huge fan of Glenn Beck (Pimpbling's boy), but that is something all together separate.

My point here is that I just read Bill O'Reilly's current column (March 1st) and I thought it would be an interesting read for any of you who have kids. I think one year ago I would have ignored this story, but having an innocent little 10 pound (yes he is getting chunk-alicious) infant in my house I have become a lot more sensitive to anything involving kids. I am interested to see if any of my leftward-leaning friends have the guts to defend this ACLU guy. Here is the link:

http://www.billoreilly.com/currentarticle

Blood on the screen

About 5 years ago, it was a common situation to have blood on your screen. This was 2002 and we were in the middle of one of the worst sell-offs in modern stock market history. Every day was more miserable than the last and life sucked on Wall Street. On our quote screens at work, a stock that is up for the day is shown in green and a stock that is down is shown in red. Thus on really bad days, the screen was literally full of red...blood on the screen. Luckily for me and for investors around the world, these types of days have been rare since October 2002.

Today was a very bad flashback to those depressing days of 2001 and 2002. We were down 415 points on the Dow. I almost shit myself around 3pm when the market tanked 125 points in about 30 seconds. Something like that really scares the hell out of you, even if you are a professional who watches the markets all day. Even when it is a technical glitch like this one ended up being, it really can freak you out.

We just got our asses taken out behind the woodshed today folks...pure and simple. Sometimes its best to not ask questions, take your medicine and move on to the next day...

How fast they grow

Zach came home from the hospital at just over 6 pounds and he is already somewhere between 9 and 10. When everyone told me to take lots of pictures, they sure were right. The little dude's newborn clothes aren't gonna fit soon and the 0-3 month ones are next on deck. Unbelievable!

Payback time

As payback for locking up Onyx, I am convinced that Zach decided to be a real pain in the ass last night and keep both Cheryl and I up all night with his rather poor attitude. Somehow Onyx and Zach must have decided on payback for my actions of last night (see "I am sick" below if you haven't read it yet)...it is a conspiracy!

But it gets better.... At approx. 6:15 am, Onyx started her morning routine (about an hour earlier than normal) by sitting outside our bedroom door meowing and demanding to be fed. I put her in the garage. When I got up at 7:30 and finally fed her, she proceeded to vomit all the food back up on the floor in front of me. Coincidence? I think not. The moral of today's story is that the kitty rules the house and don't piss her off.

I am sick

I just decided to throw Onyx and Lucy together into Lucy's cage for a few minutes. Considering the cage is only about 3 feet by 2 feet and they don't like each other, this is really fun!

Enough! Please!

I know I mentioned this recently, but I am SO sick of hearing about Anna Nicole Smith. All this crap is going down less than an hour from the Margarita Lounge and I could vomit every time the media wastes MORE time on it. To use the term "circus" is really the biggest understatement of the year.

On another note, all three residents of the Lounge are doing great. Zach is behaving himself for the most part and is six weeks old on Saturday. He has already gained a few pounds and has a new nickname...Meatball.

More pictures of Zach

Here is a link for any of you who want to see more pictures of the Z man:

zachpollock.shutterfly.com

Some perspective on Iraq

I was slacking at work yesterday afternoon and decided I would do a little research on the Iraq war as well as other wars/conflicts since World War 2. As things stand now, we have been in Iraq for about 4 years and the total death toll is about 3100 US troops. Before I go any further, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea here. I am NOT trying to trivialize the deaths of US soldiers in any way and I am NOT trying to be offensive or indicate that lives are not important. I just wanted everyone to know the actual facts and numbers that we are talking about in Iraq.

Here is the LINK where I got the numbers. The summary looks like this:

World War II (5 years) 405,000 total deaths
Korea(3 years) 54,000 total deaths
Vietnam(11 years) 90,000 total deaths
Iraq(4 years) 3,100 total deaths

So..the next time you hear someone out there say how bad Iraq is and how many Americans are dying, remember these numbers. I think these numbers show how good a job the military does in protecting lives. World War 2 averaged 81,000 deaths per year and Iraq averages 775. Deaths in wars are inevitable and nobody likes wars, but to label Iraq "unprecedented" or "the worst war ever" or any of the other crap I keep hearing in the media is just wrong. End of sermon.

Random Thoughts

I know that I have been a slacker the last few weeks with hardly any posts...my apologies. With Zach now in the house I just don't seem to have the huge amounts of free time I used to. A few observations from the last week:

1) Anna Nicole Smith threw a 7 at the craps table. I did not steal that from you Mr. Hickman...it's a long standing documented Catfisherman comment. I keep hearing about Anna every single time I turn on the TV, but I really could care less about it. Now that I think about it, nobody I know seems to give a shit about it, but it's still out there on every station. Hmmm...

2) The big deal with North Korea seems to be getting no attention on the news, which is rather surprising. I guess snowstorms, Barack Obama and Anna Nicole Smith are more important than a landmark nuclear deal with a dangerous and oppressive dictatorial regime. Sure, the North Koreans could ignore the deal like they did in the 90s, but we should at least give it some news coverage.

3) After last week's episode of LOST, it looked like some of the big mysteries of the island were going to be solved. Last nights episode completely destroyed that and threw the entire world into a state of chaos again. Can any of my LOST co-conspirators explain to me what the HELL was happening in that episode last night??!!??

4) What happened to you K-Daddy? No calls... no emails...no love for your old Florida pals? Drop me a line cause I know something's going on up there in Picksburgh....

Jeremiah Johnson

Last night I was watching Zach for a few hours while Cheryl was getting some sleep. I decided that I had seen "Waterworld" enough times and the College Basketball on ESPN was pretty boring. Enter "Jeremiah Johnson". Since it was playing in the 10:30-1:00 am time slot, I figured I would broaden my horizons and check it out. Has anyone seen this rather "interesting" movie? Although it wasn't very good, it was like driving past a car wreck....I just couldn't look away.

It was made in 1972 and starred Robert Redford. Old Bob Redford was a guy who moved out west to be a mountain man and the movie was all about his experiences in the Rockies. About 75% of the movie had no dialogue whatsoever...it was Robert Redford wandering the mountains fighting and killing indians. He ended up getting married to an indian woman who spoke no English, so the small amounts of dialogue was all subtitled. It was also interspersed with music that was considered "creepy" at the time but is rather cheesy 35 years later. I guess the best way to describe it was a cross between "Planet of the Apes" and the movie "Lost" starring Tom Hanks. Maybe it would be better under frotification...

Happy Birthday Bear!!

Today is Hannah Bear's birthday. You can't deny it - this pup certainly has one sexy mug :)

Happy Birthday Hannah from all of us at the Margarita Lounge!!

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday in South Florida and it's looking like a cloudy, rather crappy day. I know the NFL loves to have the Super Bowl in warm weather cities (or domes) due to the chance of nice weather, but today it doesn't look like it's gonna work out. Since we are about 45 minutes from the stadium, things aren't real crazy around here. But then again I live in "god's waiting room" where the average age is about 100. Down in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami I am sure the festivities are already underway and people are gettin' lit up.

As for the game, I am unsure about any bold predictions. If the good Bears team shows up it should be a close game. But if the bad team shows up (the one that the Dolphins crushed 31-13), it's gonna be an Indy ass-kickin. I think Peyton is going to have a good game and get the monkey off his back...I'll take Indy by 10 points.

Guess who doesn't like wine?

This is quite an odd thing to happen around the Margarita Lounge...everyone likes wine here, right? Not quite. It seems as though Zach doesn't. Now, before you go accusing me of going off the deep end and being a terrible parent, relax...we didn't feed Zach any wine directly. Cheryl and I went out to dinner last Saturday Night (see "Mr. White Sweater" entry below). Cheryl had a glass of wine at dinner and Zach was up all night screaming after we got back and she fed him. We weren't sure if it was the food or the wine at the time. Yesterday was Cheryl's birthday, so she had another glass of wine. The exact same thing happened last night....he was up all night crying. Maybe I'll have her try beer or mixed drinks...he's bound to like something, right?

The Cycle of Life

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

The Big Game

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

Must be Tax Time

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

Halo

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

My Arch-nemesis...Mr. White Sweater

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

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

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

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

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

Out on the Town

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

All wrapped up

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

Workin' Hard

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

Chillin' on the Couch

One Week

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

In Cam We Trust

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

Thank you

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

Pictures of Zach

Click on the pictures for a bigger view.

THE BIG DAY ARRIVES!!

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

Wow

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

DO NOT put any person in this washer

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

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

More relief at the gas pump on the way!

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

You could be an asshole if....

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

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

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

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

Wouldn't it be nice...

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

A Crazy Day in Sports

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

Happy New Year

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

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

Another Long Weekend

It looks like this weekend will be four days instead of three for me! The NYSE and NASDAQ both decided to close for the day on January 2nd in respect to the passing of Gerald Ford. It's nice to see that some traditions still endure and that money isn't EVERYTHING.

A Soggy Monday Night Disappointment (with some good off-field entertainment)

It looks like my prediction skills with the Dolphins have reached an all-time low. I was wrong again and the Dolphins lost by 3 points last night in what can only be described as "soggy" conditions. It started raining about 7:30 during the pre-game tailgating activities and didn't really stop until halfway through the 4th quarter. The good news is that I brought a couple ponchos which kept us mostly dry...my feet were soaked and my hands looked like raisins, but outside of that I was ok.

While the game itself wasn't overly exciting, most of the interesting things occurred in the parking lot and the seats. One of our very drunk neighbors during tailgating decided to insult every Jets fan that walked by us on the way into the stadium. While this is a normal and healthy part of tailgating heckling, one guy seemed to take exception with him and we almost had a little Jets vs. Dolphins fight in the parking lot before cooler heads prevailed.

We also had a girl in front of us (a Jets fan of course) who decided to fall backwards over two rows of seats after a touchdown. Usually this isn't a problem and people will catch you. In her case though she had her back to the field and fell DOWN two rows of seats toward the field. Since nobody was in those seats, it was especially funny to watch her pick herself up. I am sure her back is feeling great today...ha ha.

The Christmas Hook-up

My wife totally hooked me up today for Christmas. At 9am I opened a box holding my new iPod! I've spent most of the last few hours playing around with it and transferring some of my tunes from the computer to the iPod. While she went a little over our agreed-upon spending limit, I am glad she did.

As for the family activities, Cheryl and I went to my parents house last night for Christmas Eve. We ate a lot and I drank a lot...it was an entertaining gathering as usual. My niece Layna seems to be getting bigger every few months...she celebrated her 3rd birthday in early December and was tearing around the house as usual. Grandma made some rather dumb comments, also typical as she is now 87 years old...a good reference would be Aunt Bethany from Christmas Vacation if you are a fan of that movie.

As for today, Cheryl has been sleeping all day and I am getting ready to head out to tailgate for the big Monday Night football game against the hated Jets. I have a good feeling about tonight and see us coming out with a W. Unfortunately, it looks like it is going to pour all night. Wish us luck in avoiding the rain drops...

Today

I just heard the words "penile penetration" on the Today Show. At 8am on a Saturday while Cheryl and I were laying in bed. So much for family-oriented Saturday morning television. It all had to do with the Duke Lacrosse story which has always seemed kind of odd to me. Now considering there is no actual evidence of anything, hopefully this whole thing will disappear and I don't have to hear about any more penetrations.

Busy Busy Busy

It must be Christmas time because I am way too damn busy. When I don't even have time to make a post on the Margarita Lounge, you know I'm busy. The good news is that my Christmas shopping is now done and the new computer is up and running. I plan on wrapping things up at work on Wednesday and Thursday so I can take a nice long five day weekend. Hope everyone is having a good holiday season.

Raining Cats and Dogs

I have never in my life seen a day like today. It literally rained from the time I woke up until about 4:30 this afternoon. And not a drizzle...most of the time it was a medium to hard downpour.

As of the 6pm local news, West Palm Beach has received 8.75 inches of rain today. Luckily, here in Boynton we only got about 5 inches. According to the local weather guy, the old record for a 24 hour period was about 3 1/2 inches. Even the hurricanes from the past few years weren't this wet. This just sucks. That is all.

Another one in the books

Cheryl and I want to thank all 22 of you who made it to our big Christmas party on Saturday Night. It was by far the best party we have ever had at the Margarita Lounge. I also want to thank everyone who brought gifts and helped me add to my wine collection. As for the party itself, only at the Margarita Lounge do you need pliers and a screwdriver to open a bottle of Cuban rum brought over by the neighbor. If you were at the party, you are now laughing...if you weren't you are just shaking your head.

In any case, I gave my camera to Ria halfway through the party to take a few pictures. Many of them were......how do I say this nicely......average pictures. This one in particular though, was genius. Cheryl(and Lucy) are sitting down and Kim is talking to Cheryl. Unfortunately, if you look closely at the background of the picture, the Senator has been caught in the act. Click on the picture if you need a bigger version. Indeed a classsic Senator moment!

Eve of the Big Party

With one day left before the big Margarita Lounge Christmas party, final preparations are being made. The next 24 hours is bound to be a blur of shopping and cooking. For those of you who forgot, the time is 6:30pm. I have 15 bottles of red wine, 4 bottles of white and about a case and a half of beer ready to go. Hopefully it will be enough for the 15-20 people we plan on having over. Watch for some funny pictures on Sunday night's post.

Silly Item of the Day

Today I was sitting at my desk and looking out the window (probably daydreaming) when I saw a 75 year-old lady with one of those silly looking bluetooth headsets stuck onto her ear. She wasn't even on the phone, she was just walking around with it on her ear. Am I the only one in the world that finds those things really annoying? You are trying to have a conversation with someone and your eyes keep wandering to that thing stuck on their ear...like it's a mole or something. If you are on the phone I have no problem with it. But just walking around with it on your ear like you are someone really important is just silly. Add to it that she was an old geezer and it seems all the more ridiculous.

The best wine store

Sometime in 2007 there will be a Total Wine store opening across the street from my office here in Boynton Beach. With my well documented love of vino, yesterday I figured I would drive the 30 minutes to the nearest store in Palm Beach Gardens just to check one out before the one here opens. Plus, I have the big Margarita Lounge Christmas party next week and needed some more wine for the party, so I just had to go.

This is the sickest store you have ever seen. Rows and rows and rows of nothing but wine. I am completely hooked. If you like wine and have one of these stores anywhere near your house, go and check it out. While I felt bad cheating on my favorite local wine store (ABC), these guys just blow them away, hands down. When you go to the back of a store and there is an ENTIRE GROCERY STORE AISLE full of Pinot Noir, you are in heaven.

Lucy, The Lizard, and the Party

This is a very exciting weekend at the Margarita Lounge as we have a few things going on:

1. Lucy's first birthday. Actually, her birthday was yesterday, but we decided to celebrate it all weekend. She will be having some steak tonight and I am sure she is excited. While she has been a handful to train, she is really sweet and we can't imagine our lives without her little tail wagging every day.
   
2. The arrival of the Lizard from Raleigh. She flew in yesterday afternoon and is leaving on Sunday afternoon. Since Cheryl and Liz haven't seen each other for a while, I am sure they will be doing the typical woman/woman bonding experience of shopping all day today while I am forced to sit around and watch football. Life is rough...
3. Preparations are beginning for the big Margarita Lounge Christmas Party next week. While we are still technically in the final stages of planning, Cheryl has plenty of lists and things I need to pickup. Number one on the list is beer and wine. I think there is some food on the list but that obviously takes a back seat to the booze.
   

Dude, you're getting a Dell

Ok, so that line is about four years old. And the "dude" was arrested three years ago in New York City for possession of marijuana, quickly ending his 15 minutes of fame. But regardless of these two facts, I am now the proud owner of a new Dell computer. After almost seven years with the old HP (including a few upgrades), we decided that it was time to retire the old veteran...time and technology had finally rendered him inadequate. We have moved up to the modern world of DVD burners, all in one printer/copier/scanners and lightning-fast dual core processors. In the immortal words of K-Delish, "I'm as giddy as a virgin on Easter"...at least I think that's how it went. Let's just say that I am eagerly awaiting delivery next week!

Going different directions

Well, the Hurricanes finally won another football game last night, beating a favored Boston College team at the Orange Bowl. They closed the regular season a pathetic 6-6, their worst record in a LONG time. Larry Coker was fired today, which is a good thing in my opinion. Looks like next year is going to suck also as it will be a "re-building" year.

The Dolphins also won yesterday, but at least they seem to be heading in the right direction. Sure, they are still under .500 but they are on a nice four game win streak and still have an outside chance of getting a wild card. The big game is next week with Jacksonville in town...if we can win that game I'm going to get a lot more excited.

Happy Turkey Day

Before I get too busy with my "honey-do" list, Cheryl and I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. While the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry, and pumpkin pie are important staples of this day, I would encourage you all to take a minute to be thankful for what you have. Remember that the vast majority of people in the world are not as fortunate as we are in this country.

With that being said, go ahead and stuff your face with food and drink lots of wine because you don't have to work on Friday. If you do have to work on Friday I apologize. Remember that this day only comes once a year. And while you are at it, a few good wishes to the Dolphins wouldn't hurt as they play the Lions at 12:30pm.

Movin' On Up

Just like George and Weezie, the Dolphins are slowly "movin' on up" in the standings from "terrible" to "respectable". With another win today over Minnesota, we moved to 4-6. Only one team in the NFL (Baltimore) has a longer winning streak right now. With a short week (we play Detroit on Turkey Day) and some injuries today, getting to 5-6 might be tougher than I thought, but I think we can pull it together. If we can get a W in Detroit and get a win the next week at home against Jacksonville we would move to .500 and at least get within a distant sniff of a wild card. With the way the AFC is shaping up right now, anything is still within the realm of possibility.

Fall

Today's theme seems to be Fall. The air had a nice Fall chill today....very appropriate for college football. Michigan fell to Ohio State. Rutgers falls to Cincinatti tonight. And Mr Hickman had a somewhat funny, although slightly bloody fall at his house this afternoon. While I don't mean to make light of someone else's bad luck, it was really funny when it happened. Here is the executive summary:

I wandered over to Casa de Frotuss today to watch the OSU/Michigan game with Mr Hickman and family. The game was excellent. The company was excellent. Unfortunately, Mr. Hickman had a few too many drinks during the game, so that by the 4th quarter he was hammered and slurring words. While making an attempt to get off the couch, he lost his balance and ended up falling (face first) onto the tile floor. After laughing quite loudly for a few seconds, I realized there was a small trickle of blood just above his left eyebrow. While it was by no means a life-threatening injury, it was something that required a little bit of impromptu medical attention. Ann was quick to help out and we got the situation under control in a few minutes.

Now, it is really not nice to laugh at someone who has just been hurt. But given the situation here, it really was hilarious. If things are a little fuzzy on Sunday, give me a call Gunther and I'll be happy to give you the details. And I hope you heal quickly...

Fins to the Left

Well, the Jimmy Buffett concert has come and gone and I don't really have much of a hangover! Since the show was on a Tuesday night, I guess I decided to behave myself. Cheryl, Jen and I ended up meeting Mark, Tammy, the Senator and a few of their friends in the lawn about 10 minutes before the show started and hung out with them all night. The show was everything that I expected...drunk people, great music, the smell of pot whisping through the air all night.

That got me to thinking about the incredible difference in a concert and a Dolphins game. In both instances there are thousands of people in one place to see a fun event. In both instances there are drunks. But for some reason things are tolerated much more in a concert environment.

At any concerts I've ever been to, the cops just stand there while the smell of weed floats by them. Drunks are stumbling all over the place and they serve beer until the show is over. At the Dolphins game you can get thrown out for doing anything and you can't even get a beer after halftime. That just don't seem right....

PWI and Jimmy Buffett

So, I guess there was a little more downside in PWI. The royalty trusts were hammered again today, this time for no apparent reason whatsoever. Time to double down here and buy more. Just panic selling...usually the last stages of a selloff. These things happen...just buy some more....

Speaking of getting hammered, the long-awaited Jimmy Buffett show is tomorrow night here in West Palm! Cheryl (being the wonderful wife she is) bought us tickets for my birthday. While I have been a huge Buffett fan for years, I am a JB concert virgin. I've taken part of the day off Tuesday for preparation and also took Wednesday morning off for the impending hangover. Wish us luck.

On a Roll

After a pathetic 1-6 start, the Dolphins are on a roll the last two weeks! How you can lose to Houston and Green Bay yet beat Chicago and KC is a mystery to me. Actually, they almost gave this game away too with some rather suspect play calling in the fourth quarter. Luckily, the defense stepped up (us usual) and bailed out the rather ineffective offense.

But a win is a win and we'll take it. If they keep playing like this, they might be able to salvage a 8-8 season. On a high note, Pimpbling and I got cut off on the way out of the parking lot by Wes Welker. If it wasn't him, it was definitely his twin brother. We would also like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Hickman for joining us in tailgating and for letting us use their (much better) seats in the second half. Looks like I'm gonna have to save a few hundred dollars more to upgrade next year.

Caffe Luna Rosa

For any of you locals who haven't had dinner at Caffe Luna Rosa, you are missing out on one of the best restaurants in the area. I took Cheryl there last night to celebrate our anniversary and it was excellent. The location is obviously perfect...directly across A1A from the ocean. But in addition to a great location, the food and atmosphere is perfect for a nice quiet night out. And their wine list is quite impressive with lots of Italian reds.

3 Years

Three years ago today, Cheryl and I each said "I do" and started on our wonderful journey of marriage. Like most marriages, there are ups and downs over the first few years, but we have gotten through all of them together. I want to thank any of you who were there with us in Key West three years ago on the roof of La Concha...it was a day we will both never forget. I feel like the luckiest man on earth today and I want to thank my beautiful wife for the best three years of my life. With the little man less than three months away, we are looking forward to many more happy years to come.

Election 2006

So we got our asses kicked yesterday. So far the Republicans haven't resorted to the same "sore loser" tactics that the Democrats used in the past few elections...lawsuits, complaints about voter fraud and voter intimidation, etc. Either that or the media isn't making a big deal about it because they got who they wanted into office. It really doesn't matter. We just lost and thats the facts....pretty simple actually. Yes...today it sucks...but hey, shit happens. You take responsibility for things and you move on. As for the next two years, I am unsure where things go from here, but I see two options.

1) Revenge. Since the Dems have had their asses kicked around since 1994, they decide it is retribution time. Cue the Halliburton investigations...cue the investigations into the Iraq war plan...cue investigations into Dennis Hastert and Tom Delay...etc, etc, etc. This route takes the country nowhere and gets nothing done but wasting taxpayer money. It also goes against the "time for a change" motto that the Dems got elected on. I hope this isn't the outcome or there will be two more years of nothing getting done and the Dems are going to lose theirs jobs again in 2008.

2) Compromise. While this can be frustrating, it seems the only realistic hope. The two parties don't like each other, this is a given. But like the election, we need to get past it. I know that the senator and mt really want to rub it in, but gloating will only work for about a week or two. I don't know one Republican or Democrat who agrees 100% with every single belief their party holds. Most people lean one way or another. If we can actually get along like adults and solve some problems, the Democrats have a much better chance of retaining what they just got. I wouldn't be too happy about that, but thats life too. Good luck.

Unbelievable

I went to Duffys this afternoon fully expecting the Dolphins to get their asses handed to them by the Bears. But somehow, the team that hasn't been around all year decided to show up today. I am completely dumbfounded how a team can beat the Chicago Bears (the best team in the NFL) but lose to the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers. I guess it's just one of those seasons....

I would be a little more excited if the victory meant something, but it looks like this win is about two weeks too late. Even if the Dolphins ran the table and won all their remaining games (which isn't going to happen with New England, Jacksonville, Indianapoilis and Minnesota on the schedule) there would still be no guarantee that they could even get to the playoffs with the talent in the AFC this year.

Buy Low

So the Canadian Royalty Trusts have been HAMMERED the past two days due to a stupid policy the Canadian government is trying to push through on increasing taxation. Without going into the details, the sell-off has been ridiculously overdone and there is some great bottom-fishing potential here. It looks like the big selling leveled off this afternoon and some buyers even started coming in around 2pm. What does this mean to Joe Q. Investor? Nothing because Joe would never buy a stock when it was down...he would much rather wait, miss the opportunity, and buy it $3-$4 higher than it is now and miss the easy money. Good thing that all you Margarita Lounge readers are not morons and you are out there buying PWI here around 22. Look out for the beeping flatbed because I'm backing up the truck.

If you have no idea what the hell I am talking about, thats OK. I'm just trying to sound smart and throw around a lot of technical jargon. Interpretation: Take a little money out of that savings account that is paying you didly, go to Ameritrade or Etrade and buy a little PWI. Even if it doesn't skyrocket up a few dollars (which it should), it pays a 12% dividend and that aint too shabby while you await the rebound.