Monday Finish

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

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

Iran

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

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

Major #4 on Deck

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

The Breeze sells!!!

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

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

Not so Dynamite

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

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

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

Movin' on up.

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

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

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

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

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

White Noise

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

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

I know....

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

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

Much respect

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

Another Good Wine

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

Here she is...

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

Anyone want a Breeze?

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

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

The Judge and the Good Reverend

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

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

Yeah Yeah Yeah

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

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

Car Buying 101

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

The sign has arrived

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

Day One Complete

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

Don't inconvenience the Terrorist!!!

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

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

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

Dog Days of Summer

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

Just a little wind

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

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