Weak

Well, Ernesto was pretty weak. As you can tell, we didn't lose power last night. Puting up the plywood was a waste of time as I just took it back down this morning. Hey...at least I got some exercise, right? Not even one branch to pick up this morning and hardly any rain...just the occasional wind gust. Cheryl had to go to work today and I am going to head into the office myself soon just so I don't sit around here all day bored. Sorry...maybe some more exciting tales will come along in the next two months.

Ernesto tonight

It looks like Senor Ernesto will be raining on us later tonight and tomorrow morning. I guess we are also going to see some Tropical Storm winds around 50 mph. Whoppee...Wilma's winds were over 100 and Frances and Jeanne were both about 75 mph 'round these parts. Not that I'm complaining, but it's tough to get real excited about things. I made a half-ass attempt at puting up some plywood, but I just don't think we are even going to need it as this will be mostly a rain event. I'm hoping we don't lose power this time and I hope the Dolphins don't cancel the last pre-season game Thursday Night. Since I don't have to work tomorrow, I'm gonna crack that bottle of Chardonnay I just put in the fridge.

Oh Boy....

As you can tell by my last post, I have been following Tropical Storm (and now Hurricane) Ernesto pretty closely the past few days. The track was showing landfall around New Orleans two days ago, so I wasn't too worried. Yesterday the track was showing landfall in the Florida Panhandle..still not that close to us in southeast Florida. Now, the track is showing landfall around Tampa with a rather interesting right-hand turn. Looks like I had better find those batteries and stock up on the water just in case..things are getting a little too close for comfort.

Ernesto strengthening....

It looks like Tropical Storm Ernesto is going to be the first hurricane of the season. While it's only a weak tropical storm now, most of the forecasts I see have it entering the Gulf of Mexico and strengthening into a Category 2 or 3 storm by early next week. The track shows it missing Florida, but you never know with these things.

RIP to the Chief

I had the pleasure of having a few colbeers last night with Mr Golden...otherwise known on the Margarita Lounge as the Catfisherman. A sad bit of news this week in that Keith had to put his longtime companion Osceola to sleep. While I hadn't seen the ol' chief in a while, I guess his condition had gotten worse over the past few months and it was the most humane thing to do. While he didn't show it last night, I am sure Keith is bummed out about it and my sympathies go out to him . We'll all miss you chief...

Cheryl feeling better

After a long bout with morning sickness, Cheryl appears to be coming out of it. Today was the fourth day in a row that she didn't get sick...that's a winning streak in my book. She is still tired by this time of day and is usually in bed around nine, but dry heaves every morning has got to suck. Luckily, I have been able to keep her distracted with some well placed flowers, backrubs, and footrubs.

Boring

Let me start by congratulating Tiger on whooping everyone's ass (as expected) in the PGA this weekend. That being said, it was the most boring and disappointing major I have watched in a long time. So boring that I only watched about three of the last nine holes this afternoon. This is almost unheard of for me as I am a huge golf fan. I know that Tiger is one of the greatest of all time, but who gets excited about watching a blowout? How much fun is a baseball game when it's 12-0 in the 9th inning? How engrossing is a 42-7 football game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter? I sure hope that some of these overpaid, comfortable millionaires on the PGA Tour can find some game. If not, it's going to be a pretty boring 15 years as a golf fan.

Sunday Morning

So, I'm sitting here hanging out with Lucy this morning. I just fed her and Onyx so they wouldn't wake up Cheryl with their crying for breakfast. Lucy is lying next to me on the floor in the office and Onyx is already curled up asleep in the front bedroom. I had the distinct pleasure of enjoying an excellent dinner at home last night with my beautiful wife. I had a Filet and some pasta along with two glasses of Pinot...enough wine to feel it but not enough to be anywhere near drunk. Cheryl had some pasta with shrimp and scallops. We just sat around all night and talked, listened to some classical music and enjoyed each other's company. It was a nice relaxing change of pace and something that we don't do enough these days. Actually, I don't think many people slow down and do that type of thing these days....it seems like we are all so wrapped up in getting everything done that we rarely sit and smell the roses. I would strongly suggest doing it every so often if you can. Turn off the cell phones, lock the doors, send the kids somewhere if you can. It just might help you maintain your sanity in this crazy world we live in.

Tiger, Phil, and the PGA

Tomorrow morning starts the last of golf's four majors, the PGA Championship. While it is cool to have Tiger and Phil in the same group on Thursday and Friday, I don't see any competition there. Tiger is playing the best he has in years, winning his last two tournaments including the British Open. Phil is playing like a hack ever since he blew up on the 72nd hole of the US Open, even missing the cut last week at The International. As much as I don't like to see Tiger win all the time, he is definitely the favorite this weekend.

The PGA signals the end of the real golfing season, unless it's a Ryder Cup year. And since the Ryder Cup is in September this year, I get another month of excitement that will fade right when football season is getting rolling. Speaking of things rolling along...hurricane season has been quiet so far. Kind of scary considering how active it's been in South Florida the last two summers.....

Football Season is here

Finally! After many months of waiting, football is back. Yeah...preseason football blows, but it's better than no football at all. Pimpbling and I went to the Dolphins game on Saturday Night and got to check out our seats for the season. We are in section 449 (yep, thats the cheap seats) but the seats are actually pretty good. As expected, there is a little of everything in section 449...a little espanol being spoken in front of us...a dumbass right behind us...some hoochie a few rows up...everything you would expect at an NFL football game in South Florida. The last preseason game is on August 31st against the Rams and then it's all business.

The fun of travelling

Has the air travel experience really gone downhill in the last 10 years or is it just me? As many of you know, Cheryl and I got back from Erie on Monday Night and our entire travel experience was full of silly/pathetic/miserable people. Now, I have never had a problem with travelling. You get to the airport, spend a few hours on a plane, and you get somewhere halfway across the country. No problem. Sure the security checkpoints suck, people don't know how to use the automated check-in machines, and there are delays from time-to-time, but no big problem. As you can tell, this is my disclaimer that everything seems to require these days. Here are a few of our experiences from the trip...I hope everyone can empathize with me:

1) A guy at the Palm Beach airport who took off his shoes and was removing toejam in front of us while waiting to board the plane.

2) A fat middle-aged guy who told a teenage kid that he couldn't save seats for his mother while waiting to board the plane. I guess children saving seats for their parents is not allowed in the world of dickhead-ville.

3) The annoying couple with the small child who insisted on turning up the portable DVD player so that everyone on the plane could hear it. When the flight attendant asked where that loud noise was coming from, they turned it down until the attendant left...then turned it back up.

4) The rather cute girl who walked by my seat on her way to the lavatory. About five minutes later (with me now waiting to use the bathroom), she opened the door and I was hit in the face with the odor of a fresh dump. Girl was no longer cute.

5) The rude old couple on the flight from Buffalo to DC who didn't like their seats. The old guy told the lady sitting next to them that "they were going to have her sit in the middle". The lady told them to take a hike, which was really funny and was accompanied by a mini temper-tantrum from the old lady. The couple was (of course) on our connecting flight to Palm Beach.

6) The father behind us who repeatedly let his young child kick our seat for two straight hours from DC to Palm Beach. Actually, the kid didn't kick the whole time. When the kicking stopped, the yelling started. I hope that we have a much better behaved kid than this little mongrel.

The OFFICIAL Big Announcement

I realize that most of you regular Margarita Loungers out there know this already, but Cheryl is pregnant! We found out on the day we left for the Outer Banks in late May but have just recently told everyone. To say that we are excited is really an understatement. The due date for our little drinking buddy is early February and time is already flying along. I tend to be long-winded at times, but this one pretty much speaks for itself. We are looking forward to joining K-Daddy and Gunther in the joys of parenthood. Hopefully you guys can help out with some good advice from time-to-time.

Off to Erie

As I mentioned last week, Cheryl and I are heading to Erie for a couple of days. It looks like Tropical Storm Chris has diminished overnight and should only be a minimal threat to South Florida if at all. That's good news beacuse I have had this vision in my head for the last day where we arrive home on Monday Night to a pile of rubble from a Category 4 or 5 storm with Onyx just sitting there on the rubble pile wanting to be fed. Everyone have a good weekend.

Leave the cats alone

Here is an interesting story about the six-toed cats at the Hemingway House in Key West. I guess the USDA is having a fit about all the cats running around down at Ernie's old place in Key West. Supposedly, the USDA wants the place to have an Animal Welfare License because there are so many cats.

Give me a break. Doesn't the USDA have more important things to do than bother a bunch of cats chillin' in Key West? Being a veteran of many Key West trips myself, I beleive that any type of "normal" rules should not apply to anything down there. I mean...this is the place that hosts Fantasy Fest every year for god's sake. Plus, the kitty picture I posted from our wedding in 2003 is cute.....so leave 'em alone.

Headin' North next week

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

Johnnie Slick at it again

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

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

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

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

LINK

Close but no Cigar

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

Pulling for Sergio and DeMarco

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

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

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

And now for something completely different...

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

Lou Dobbs is a turd

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

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

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