Don't inconvenience the Terrorist!!!

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

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

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

Dog Days of Summer

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

Just a little wind

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

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

I hope Irish Kevin's will be OK!

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

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

Driving the Kia...

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

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

That time of year again

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

A Nice Lazy Sunday

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

A little porch drinking

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

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

Beer Goggles?

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

An impromptu party....

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

Turn the Page....

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

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

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

The Senator Speaks!!!!

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

Back from Paradise

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

Chillin til Sunday....

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

Vacation Time is Here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Golf, Oil, and Ann Coulter

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

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

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

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

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

The Big Game starts tomorrow

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

For all you fans of Europe

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

The Return of Pink Floyd

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

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

Still Raining....

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