Serving Suggestion for Leftover Turkey Wings.

Juice in the Joint

I just saw on the news at lunch time that O.J. Simpson is changing his address. That's right, folks. He will be living in public housing in the state of Nevada for the next 8-33 years, depending on time off for good behavior. Of course, the man is 61 now so it's unlike he will make it for 33 years, regardless of how he acts. The judge just kept reading off charges and sentences and his face just kept falling lower and lower. I don't think that he realizes yet that he is really going to jail. I think he thinks he will get out on appeal and the judge will let him wander around free until his appeal comes up. I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. Sorry, O.J. This time the glove did fit, they did not acquit so in a cell, you will finally sit. Buh-bye.

Sound Financial Advice

Civics 101

I am in Houston this week, working on my MILs house and getting a little rest after Las Vegas. My wife and I both voted by mail so that is all taken care of. I saw a news story on the tube yesterday on some high school kids who all showed up at school in McCain t-shirts. Nothing wrong with that except on the back was the slogan, "Obama loves Osama-BFFs". The school officials made them change clothes to avoid trouble. They talked to one of the girls wearing the shirt who said (no kidding), "I think that it is just wrong that someone who wasn't even born here can run for president". I'm so glad she got all the facts before making a decision AND that she is so familiar with the Constitution. Idiot.

Winners

Just as I am about to give up on the current generation coming out of high school, something happens that gives me hope. Last week, the students at Aledo High School in Aledo, TX ( a small town just west of Fort Worth) elected 18 year-old Kristen Pass as their homecoming queen. This is remarkable in that Kristen has Down's syndrome. Instead of going for the most popular or most attractive, these kids embraced the true spirit of inclusion and diversity, giving this young lady the thrill of her life. She has not removed her crown since. Here is a link to the story and video (I think): http://www.newsnet5.com/education/17723704/detail.html

Three cheers for Aledo. They are not all rednecks, after all.

Here's a little meme from Skylar's Dad that is kinda fun. You have to have something to say about each one word topic:

1. Clothes - usually and always at work, unless it is Naked Friday.

2. Furniture - mostly Early Marriage although we have been married 37 years.

3. Sweet - Dark chocolate in any form.

4. City - San Antonio, TX. I have been to many cities around the world but many of my happiest moments were in San Antone.

5. Drink - Casual drink is Fat Tire Amber Ale from the New Belgian Brewery in Fort Collins, CO but for serious drinking, either Grey Goose vodka and tonic or Woodford Reserve bourbon with a splash of water.

6. Music - Almost anything. Don't like punk much as it is too angry.

7. TV Series - For network, "The West Wing". For cable, "The Sopranos".

8. Film - "The Maltese Falcon" hands down.

9. Pastries - Starbuck's apple fritters. Yummy.

10. Coffee - Wait a minute, let me check the label on my IV. OK, Kroger Sumatran Blend. All of the flavor at a reasonable price.

No taggees - just do it if it feels good.

Love, Death and Vegas

I was in Las Vegas last week for a seminar at the Mirage. I hammered the casino for around $300. I'm surprised I wasn't banned but I guess they were feeling merciful. Anyway, I told myself before I went that, if I won enough money for a ticket to the Circ du Soleil show at the Mirage, "Love", I would go so I did win enough and I went.

This show is based on the music of The Beatles and has more dancing that true circus acts. It is truly spectacular, though. The opening actually made me cry a bit because it brought back so many memories of the time when The Beatles first came to the US. So much has happened in my life since then, most of it good but, by all means, not all of it. If you are a Beatles fan and get to Vegas, you should see this show. Take some cash, though, because the good seats are $150.

Flying back into Denver, we hit some very bad weather. I was listening to Air Traffic Control, which you can do on United, and they were constantly warning pilots of wind shear on the two runways that were in use. I have encountered turbulence before but nothing like this. Our pilot had to abort two approaches because of last minute wind shear. I was almost certain that the plane was going in the ground on the second one. The pilot decided to go to Colorado Springs instead but ATC talked him out it, saying that the front had moved off to the east. As we made our third approach, it was still very rough and I quit praying for a safe landing and just asked God to take care of my family. We did land safely, though. It took about twenty minutes for my hands to quit shaking from the adrenaline rush. After I calmed down, I got mad. The FAA should have suspended airport operations until that weather moved off. It didn't take very long for the front to move out and the brief suspension would have saved a lot of frayed nerves, as I am sure that we were not the only plane having problems.

I will be flying again next week to Indianapolis. I hope I don't have a similar experience or I may have to look into a seat on the Grayhound on my next trip.

Hurricane Ike

I got back from Houston late last week. It was a huge mess down there. Some 750,000 folks are still without power and many are without water. Galveston is worse, of course, but, somehow, I almost think it is better to have your home totally destroyed that to try to keep living in a house with no services. It was very hot and humid but the air dried out a bit on Wednesday and that cooled things off. Many of the traffic signals are still out but people are generally driving very courteously, treating every intersection as a four-way stop sign.

My MILs house was not damaged but a neighbors large oak tree fell over onto her driveway and took the power, phone and cable lines with it as well as the pole they were attached to. Her power is not back on yet and neither is my SILs or my surviving BILs. My daughter was lucky in that she only lost power briefly. I spent most of my time down there getting some generators set up at my MILs house so they could at least have some light and run some fans. We set up two 5700 watt gennys that run for about 10 hours on 5 gallons of gas. One runs while the other rests. Wal-Mart has dropped their prices for all grades of gasoline in response to the storm, which really means a lot to those people down there. They are also keeping plenty of ice on hand at all of their stores.

They still do not know how many people died in the storm. They just let people back on Galveston Island last Wednesday. The people on the west end of the island are just allowed to look and leave as that end of the island was pretty well completely destroyed since the sea wall does not stretch down there. They know there are probably bodies in the rubble but no one has time to search for them right now. One rather poignant story concerned a 74 year old man who refused to evacuate the island as he was fearful that looters would steal everything he had. As the storm grew worse, he finally understood that his house was going to be destroyed and got in his pickup truck to try to escape. His last communication was a cell phone call to some friends on the mainland, saying that his truck was floating and he had lost control. They found his body behind the wheel after the storm. Sad but I am afraid that there will be many more.

Kafka Would be Proud

Last Thursday, my wife called me while I was travelling to Minnesota to tell me that her little brother, who was 52, had been killed in a car wreck in Kuwait. He worked for an oil field service company there. Her older brother lives in Houston and was trying to get the details of how the remains would be repatriated when the hurricane came through and knocked out his power. We were able to find out that his company will pay for shipping the body. The catch is that Kuwait is an Islamic country and they do not do embalming there, nobody, no how, becuase, under Islamic law, the body must be buried within 24 hours. Because of all the paperwork, his body will not be shipped to Houston until this Friday or Saturday. It will be in a sealed metal coffin, thank God, and will have to be buried immediately.

Now the catch is that, with all of the rain, etc., they may not be able to dig a grave without it filling with water. So there will be further delays. There are no plans for any type of graveside service but there will be a funeral Mass. However, my wife's family don't want to have that until his wife and daughter get to the US. She is Filipino and not a US citizen so the State Department has to issue her a travel visa but first they have to determine that she doesn't have a nuclear weapon in her underwear or something so who knows how long it will take for her to get here. Also, she cannot go back to Kuwait since she is no longer a dependent of a foreign worker there. My wife and her mother are on their way to Houston now but have decided to stop and stay with her sister in Fort Worth since there is no power at my MILs house in Houston. All the rest of the family that lives outside Houston are waiting with one foot out the door since we don't know when the service will be. What a mess.

Ray was a very troubled man. He got divorced some years ago and hated the US goverment becuase the judge gave his ex-wife so much. He was pretty well estranged from the rest of the family who didn't even know he had remarried. Estranged or not, blood is blood and they want to take care of him. It's just too bad that such a "perfect storm" of events had to prevent them from taking care of business on a timely basis.

For my wife, on the occasion of our 37th anniversary. It's still there, babe.

Diversity

The corporate giant that I work for has annual sexual harassment awareness training for all employees annually. Last year, the managers had mandatory diversity training also. As a part of that training, we watched a video that was made in 1968 about a teached from Iowa that taught her class an important lesson about discrimination. I was very affected by this video and felt that it was a highly effective teaching tool. By some miracle, I just found the video on Google. I have not embedded it as it is somewhat long, almost an hour, but here is a link if you would like to watch it:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6189991712636113875

The looks on these kids faces when they find out what discrimination feels like says it all.

Obama

OK, first let me say that I am still glad that I stayed away from Invesco Field. Hot, crowded, people whining about it being hot and crowded, etc. At the same time, I wish I could have been in that crowd and felt what those people are feeling. I was too young to vote when JFK was elected but I was involved as my mother was very heavily involved in his campaign. I still have her invitation to his inaurgural ball in my souvenirs. I remember the excitement that people felt about that election, that this time, it was not about a couple of stodgy hacks slogging it out.

That is the way I feel now. I watched Obama's speech from beginning to end. I agree that he made an awful lot of promises that he is going to have an awful lot of trouble keeping. Still, the exitement is there, especially after 8 years of watching Bush murder the English language while acting like such a buffoon that Idi Amin would look dignified standing next to him. Maybe Obama can do it. Maybe these are more than campaign promises. Maybe we really can. I would like nothing more than to ditch my political pessimism and believe that a politician really gets it and will truly try to make a positive change. Time will tell but time may be running out.

Democratic National Convention

The Democrats are coming to Denver next week. We have thousands of folks lined up to protest something, be it war, peace, killing fur-bearing animals, whatever. What the Democrats have to do with any of these things, I am not sure, but protests must be held. I am going to stay out of town in New York most of the week to avoid the hullabaloo.

I have nothing against the Democrats. I am sort of apolitical. I vote for the person whom I think will best represent me, regardless of political party, which I think most people do these days. I don't think that the US will come to an end regardless of who is elected.

I do know one thing: when all of these delegates fly into Denver, one thing they are bound to see as they leave the airport is a big. BLUE statue of a stallion with lighted red eyes. It cost us in excess of $1 million. All it needs to be the world's tackiest sculpture is a flashing neon penis. It simply screams, "Hi, folks, welcome to Hicksville". The delegates will know that, for all of Denver's claims to be a cosmopolitan, hip town, it is still full of rubes. Have fun, Democrats, and don't forget to spend lots of cash. We need the money for that neon penis upgrade.

George at the Olympics

Indianapolis

So, here I am in Indianapolis, home of the turncoat Baltimore Colts and the greatest spectacle in racing, Danika Patrick's legs. It is actually a pretty nice place. I could live here. Close in to downtown, there are some fantastic older homes on large lots that I would love to have.

I got a chance to run down south of here and meet up with my buddy, Jodi aka Hoosier Girl. It's always fun to meet bloggers in person and she was no exception. We had a great conversation (nothing sexy-lol). It was a real pleasure and I hope to have another opportunity to visit with her.

Back to Denver this afternoon. Turbulence forcast for the entire US is light to moderate at most altitudes so I will get the airport early and down a pint of Jack Daniels to get ready to fly. That way, I will only puke in my seatmate's lap instead of runnning up and down the aisle screaming and trying to break into the cockpit. See you on the ground.

Brad Pitt just sent me this picture and wants to know what the hell is going on. Hey, Brad, you either got it or you don't. (Thanks to Sans Pantaloons).

Here's the skyline of my home town, Houston, TX for Teri's collection. I tried to get one of Lubbock but the building was just torn down.

Flying Down a Bumpy Sky

I don't know if anyone but me flies a lot but it seems like there is a lot more turbulence than there used to be. I blame it on Al Gore. If he hadn't clued us in on all this global warming stuff, we probably would not have noticed. I am usually in the first 10 rows of coach if I am on United since I have status with them. Believe it or not, the ride is different in different parts of the plane. In First Class and the first part of coach, it's usually not too bouncy. However, when you are in the next-to-last row of a Southwest 737, you can feel like you are on an iron trampoline. I actually got bruises a couple of weeks ago coming into Denver. Now, because of the air flow over the mountains, it is never smooth coming into Denver but it's usually tolerable. This time, I was ready to start clawing at the exit. I don't get airsick but I sure get sick of moderate turbulence. I have never been in what they call severe turbulence and hope I never do. Logically, I know that it is not dangerous and that it would take a team of Godzillas to tear the wings off a commercial jet. However, it is sometimes hard to remember that when you are being flung side to side like a chew toy in a pit bull's mouth. I'm going to try my best to fly in the early morning before things heat up since it looks like there is not going to be any respite from thunderstorm season this year. I'm off to San Antonio this week where I will probably run into the remains of Hurrican Dolly. See you on the ground.

Remembering Mark

On Tuesday, July 8, a man I worked closely with, Mark Elgin, was returning to Denver from a business trip. As he was exiting the plane, he fell very ill and paramedics were called to treat him. While the paramedics were working on Mark, he suffered a pulmonary embolism and died immediately. He could not be revived. Mark was 44 years old.

Mark was originally from the Philadelphia area and was a huge Eagles fan. I went to the Super Bowl party at his home three years ago when the Eagles played New England. He was a generous person who gave of his time freely. He was very much a family man who was very close to his wife and two children, a daughter 14 and a son 11. He will be missed by all of us.

If you have a moment this weekend, say a little prayer for Mark and his wife, Vickie, and children, Lucia and Nick. As you can imagine, this sudden, unexpected death has been a huge shock for them. I wish them peace and healing. I know that it won't come easy. Thank you.

Tagged

OK, I've been tagged by the hottest mom in Alabama, Midleah, so, out of my deep admiration for her, I will respond:

1. 8 things I have a passion for

My wife
My children
My country
My freedom
My job
Good food
Good beer
The Rocky Mountains

2. 8 things to do before I die

Travel to Northern Scotland
Go whale watching
Take an Alaskan cruise
Get a clean shot at Osama bin Laden
See my youngest son cured of bipolar disorder
Retire
Personally meet as many of my blogger friends as possible
Have Angelina Jolie beg me for sex

3. 8 things I say a lot

"How much?!!"
"Bonehead"
"I love you"
"Ouch" (say this more and more, the older I get)
"Shit"
"Goddam dog"
"Never happen"
"That was not a career-enhancing decision"

4. 8 books I have read recently

Duma Key
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Playing for Pizza
An Innocent Man
The Gold Coast
The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover
King Rat

5. 8 movies I have seen 8 times

The Maltese Falcon
A Night at the Opera
Blade Runner
StarWars IV: ANew Hope
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
Jaws

I am not a tagger so I will skip # 6 but feel free to participate, if the spirit moves you.

Dominos

OK, so we got the whole floor thing going on. Monday everning, I step out front to enjoy the last of the sunset and hear a hissing sound. I go around to the side of the house and find that my sprinkler system control valve is spraying water. Just a little though, so no big deal. I will call the landscaper in the AM, thinks I. So morning comes and I head down to the basement to drink my morning coffee and fool around on our auxilary computer (shhh-we are hijacking someone's unsecured wireless network). What do I find but a puddle of water under the hot water heater. It is leaking. One more contractor to call. I did get both the landscaper and the plumber out to the house yesterday and got everything fixed (new hot water heater-yikes). So I take my shower this morning and find that the shower will not turn off. We have a single water knob control which I hate and it hits a hard block at about the 1/4 On position. So the plumber, whose kids I am putting through Harvard, is on his way again. As our old friend Roseanne Rosannadanna says, "It's always something". I think in my next life, I will just rent a double wide mobile home.

I'm Floored

As some of you are aware, I am getting new floors in my house on the ground floor. This move is necessary as the "premium" carpet installed by the homebuilder had the staying power of your average Kleenex. Besides, my wife, LuckyLou, wants hardwoods so hardwoods it will be. I'm kinda looking forward to it myself as I grew up with hardwood floors. So, after much negotiation, the craftsman started work today. We had to move all the furniture out of the ground floor as, apparently, they cannot have one workman hold a couch up in the air while another one hammers boards under it. Who knew?

We are actually getting a combination of hardwood (living and dining rooms) and porcelain tile (kitchen and den). The tile work will go pretty fast, I'm told, but the wood takes longer as it has to be stained, sanded then stained again. We're talking solid oak here, When it comes to floors, LuckyLou don't screw around. Anyway. we are currently without internet service at the house, a fact that makes me itch all over and jump from foot to foot until I can get to work at a reasonable hour to get online. So, if you don't hear from me, I'm not mad, I'm just disabled for a bit (well, I might be mad but I try not to be churlish about it). I will bore you to tears with pics of my fine new floors when the workmen leave and I recover from the surgery to remove the arm and leg that it is costing me.

In other news, Pope Bendict has asked that all parishes be prepared to offer the Tridentine (Latin) mass. President Bush later said at a press conference that he was not even aware that Trident and Dentyne had merged and "that Pope feller was pretty danged sharp". Sigh.

Painter/Saint

Just when I decide that there are no real good guys left, I read something like this:

This is fantastic! There is hope for us after all.

http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/hancockportraits_070702/

Happy Father's Day

Happy day to all you dads out there. Relax, mow the lawn next week. Drink beer, watch sports and belch a lot. You (we) deserve it.

There is no sound more joyful than the laughter of a child. Enjoy.

For Ellie, on losing her friend, Dakota. Find peace.

Remember

At Arlington National Cemetary, 320,000 veterans lie at peace. Do not think of them in the abstract. They were sons, husbands, fathers, daughters, wives and mothers. For each stone marker, somewhere, there is a broken heart and lost dreams. These men and women gave everything they had and would ever have to guarantee that those remaining behind would remain free.

There are names that I recognize on these markers and those in other national cemetaries - Vic Driscoll, lifeguard and athlete, among the first to fall in Vietnam; Mike McAinich, classmate and fellow Scot, also killed in Vietnam; my great-uncle, Garland Baldwin, gassed in WWI, the war to end all wars; Ed Chittenden, who survived the Bataan death march in WWII.

As we celebrate the beginning of summer, we should stop and remember those who fell and pray for those who are still at risk in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let the dead rest in peace, their job well done. And let the living come home soon, to live out their dreams.

Well, as it turned out, I do have a little down time today. This place is nowhere near Mouseland. It is directly adjacent to Universal Studios Islands of Mystery, etc. I can see the rides and stuff out my hotel window but the building is well enough insulated that I can't hear the screams.

The tiny bit of child that is still alive in me wants to rush over there and ride everything I see. I don't really like roller coasters or anything that takes you high and drops you fast but I can't help but feel a little wistful as I think of days of yore when I would kill to go someplace like that. Getting older has it privledges but it can be a bitch, too. I hope all of you with younger children can take them someplace like this before they get too old to be seen with Mom and Dad. I know that it costs an arm and a leg but I think that the memories may be worth it.

Land of Many Mice

Well, I am off to Orlando tomorrow for a trade convention. It will be hectic so I don't know if I will have time to post while I'm there. It's at the Universal Royal Pacific Hotel, which sounds pretty swanky. I like the city of Orlando. The downtown area has a section of little shops and restaurants done in bright tropical colors that is pretty cool. I can leave the tourist areas, though. The whole place smells like mice to me, with Mickey lurking on every corner. Which reminds me of a joke:

Mickey Mouse filed for divorce from Minnie Mouse. When they went to court, the judge asked Mickey and his attorney to approach the bench. "Mr. Mouse," the judge said, "It says here that you want to divorce your wife because she is crazy. Is that correct?"

"Oh, no, your honor," replied Mickey. " I want to divorce her because she's fucking Goofy".

Have a great week.

I guess I've gone long enough without posting some new pics of my great-grandaughter so here are some.

Happy Mother's Day

Yes, I know it's a Hallmark holiday but we should have a special day to be especially nice to our moms and our spouses that are mothers to our children. The day is a bit bittersweet to me as my mother passed away May 21. 1999. I think about her a lot during this month as we were very close. We were really good friends as well as relatives. I pray for her soul every Sunday at Mass and will do so again tomorrow although I am certain she is in a better place/

Anyway, I will be grilling some USDA Prime New York strips that cost me a bit with big baked pototos and a good salad, celebrating the day with my wife and MIL. I hope you all have a great day

What Next?

Once upon a time, in the business world, there were meetings. In these meetings, many people got into a room. mouthed platitudes such as "We must think outside the box" and "We must act synergistly". Then they went forth from the meeting, charged up and ready to make the world safe for surety bonds or whatever it is that the company dealt with.

Then, a wise man thought, "These meetings cost money. We have to bring in many people from many locations, reserve rooms at the Red Roof Inn and let them biggie size their meals at McDonalds. There must be a better way". And, thus, the conference call was invented. Now many people stayed at their desk and listened to the same platitudes while they surfed for porn on their work computer and then hung up, ready to make the world safe for whatever.

Now the next bold step has been taken: the webinar. Not only can we listen to someone read a Powerpoint presentation, we can actually watch them turn the pages on our computer and actually read the words, "We must think outside the box". Unfortunately, we can't surf for porn while this is going on but, if we have an office, we can close the door and practice our putting.

This post comes about as I look at my calendar for next week and see that I have one conference call on Monday, two on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, a webinar on Thursday and another two conference calls on Friday. If this keeps up, I will soon be able to out-putt Tiger Woods. Either that or I will have the best porn collection in the office.

Is Nothing Sacred?

So now it comes out that Barbara Walters had an affair 3o years ago with then-Senator Edward Brooke from Massachusetts.

1. BFD
2. I thought she was a virgin.
3. When I think of hot mamas, having a big fling, Baba Wawa is pretty far down the list.

Moving On

Well, here I am in Oklahoma City today. At least, I think I am still in Oklahoma City. The way the wind is blowing outside, I may be in Iowa by now. I haven't seen any corn as high as an elephant's eye but the locals insist that it exists.

I went by the monument that is outside the Murrah Federal Center to those who died as a result of Timothy McVeigh's bombing. It is very serene and peaceful. So many children were killed in that attack. I can still see the news photo of the fireman carrying an injured baby that died in his arms. McVeigh got exactly what he deserved.

I go home tomorrow and get to stay for a whole week. Hurray!

Dave is Where?

Well. Kansas City, that's where, at the lovely Embassy Suites. No, no, not the Embassy Suites on 43rd Street. It is closed for repairs after a visit from some robots from the planet Nebraska. No, I am at the one in Overland Park, which is south of KC, proper (if KC is indeed proper). Nice day today, a little cool but sunny and breezy. I am about to go 4 or 5 pounds of Jack Stack's delicious barbeque. If you ever get over there, get the burnt ends. It doesn't sound appetizing but it is.

That's it. See you at my next destination.

For dads with daughters everywhere.

Where in the World is that Fat Bastard, Dave?

Well. kiddies, today Dave is in New Orleans, LA. The historic Wyndham Whitney Hotel downtown on Poydras Street has kindly put me up in a very nice junior suite. The hotel is only a few blocks from the French Quarter, a place I stay away from as I know that I would show up on the internet flashing my boobs for beads. Oh, wait, Mardi Gras is over. Well, it's still not a good place to be, for a dignified, aged person like myself.

Instead, I walked the four blocks to Harrah's Casino and, over the course of the evening, hammered them for $1,018.75. Not bad for an amateur.

It is now 11:00pm and the weather forecast is dark, with continued dark until morning when there will be light unless God has decided to wind up this whole experiment and go bowling. See you when I get back to less dark and humid climes.

Deportee




With all the debate about illegal immigration, we sometimes forget they are people. However you feel about the subject, let Woody Guthrie's 1930s song speak to you.

Fire

For those of you unfamiliar with Colorado, it is dry here. Not Arizona or Nevada dry but pretty damn dry all the same. Also, there are thousands of acres of very dead pine trees here thanks to a one inch long bug called the pine bark beetle. Pretty well all the pine forests in Colorado will be destroyed by this bug over time and there is nothing we can do about it.

Put lots of dead trees together with really dry and what do you get? Yep, fire. We have had more red flag fire weather warnings in the last two weeks than in all the years I have lived here put together. Fortunately, the area where I live has very few trees as it is a fairly newly developed subdivision but the smoke can get pretty bad sometimes. I hope that it rains like hell sometime real soon or the whole state might burn up.

This Just In....

After picking up Pope Benedict XVI at the airport, George Bush first asked where Mrs. Pope was. After being reminded that Catholic priests do not marry, the Prez quipped, " Wow, I bet you got one strong right hand-har har".

Later. the Pope asked if things were going well in Iraq. Georgie answered, " Hey, does the Pope wear a tall hat? Oh, wait, you're him."

And so it goes

Here's a dandy little video for all of you that think you remember the '60s. Or maybe you just watched them on TV.

As promised, here is a picture of Giselle and her mom. That mouth is already looking for a nipple.

Here is Giselle at age 4 days. She is a hairy little beastie, too. I can hardly wait to see her again.

Giselle

My 18 year-old grandson called me at around 4:00pm CST today. I am on the road as usual (in Louisiana this time) and he calls me now and then so I can remind him as to when I will return so he can tell the hookers to go home and get rid of the empty wine bottles. This time, though, he said," I just called to tell you that you are a great grandfather". I said, "Well, thanks, dude. You are pretty cool also." "No", he replied, " you are a great-grandfather. My sister had her baby this morning" I forgot about that impending event.

She arrived a few days early by c-section as she was a breach baby. Her name is Giselle. She is 6 pounds + and 19 inches long ( or tall-whatever). As luck would have it, I was planning to go down to Texas tomorrow for some vacation time and my wife is already there with her mom. So we are going over to San Antonio for a couple of days and meet the young lady.

It's very hard for me to believe that I am a great-grandfather. I'm only 60 but my oldest son couldn't keep his equipment in check and wound up as a father at age 17. He did the right thing, though, and took a hand in raising my grand-daughter and eventually married her mother, although they later divorced.

Anyway, I am pretty tickled and will post some pics as soon as I get some. Welcome to the world, Giselle. I'm looking forward to spoiling you rotten.

Factoid

I read today that, in roughly 5 billion years, the Andromeda galaxy will collide with our Milky Way.

Just another damn thing to worry about.

Absolutely my favorite Far Side cartoon.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, too.

Kelly Clarkson feat. Reba - Because Of You Music Video
Uploaded by kellyelement
For Kim's friend and relative and others like them. Rescue yourself before it's too late.

I love me some slide guitar. Gwyn Ashton - "Faded Memory"

All of the ingredients for a fine Arkansas weddin'. You supply the first cousin;they supply everything else. BYOA (Bring your own ammunition). Hot dang!!!

HURRAY!! My 2008 DoodleCat Calendar came in the mail today. Now I understand how Steve Martin felt when the new phone books came out.

Now you can just sit there and seethe with jealousy and envy OR you can get your own with twelve months of pictures of the lovely DoodleCat in a variety of provocative poses (so what if January is shot-you still got the picture). Just look to your left. See those links? Click on the one for my buddy, Two Can Anne. Look for the link to order your own calendar (it says 2007 but you will see it is for 2008 when you get to the site). Order now. Times a wastin'.

Dr. Phil

I've been sitting around today,working on the computer and listening to the TV in the other room. I have now heard the ad about 4 times for The Dr. Phil Show where the good doc has promised to tell all breathlessly waiting 'Mericans the REAL truth about his interview with Britney. I am so happy that this crackpot has finally revealed his true self - a media whore with all of the professional ethics of your average pimp. Hey, Doc. ARE YOU STEW-PID??

Fast Payday Loans

Yeah, right.

Blatantly stolen from Teri:

Let's start a band:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RandomThe first article title is the name of your band.

2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Here's mine:



German Skeleton Results of 2006 presents "That would be No".

Next time you get bored with your exercise routine, give this one a try. Rudolf Nureyev - "Le Corsaire".

Oh, Boy, A Contest!

In response to a challenge from Jodie at Tres Bizarre, I borrowed this picture from her blog. My caption: " I told my plastic surgeon that, every time I pull this hair, my face does this".

Tagged, I am

That special person, Kim tagged me for no good reason, as did that intrepid toro muncher, Sushiboy. The rules are:

Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okey-dokey, let's see:

1. Like SK, I won the award for best juvenile actor for my potrayal of Billy in "Season in the Sun" with the Vagabond Players of Houston, TX. The year was 1956. I was 9. I still have the statue.
Thus was my 15 minutes.

2. I served in the Army National Guard in the 71st Airborne Battalion. To this day, I would still rather jump out of the plane rather than land, a fact that really pisses off flight attendents.

3. My great to the third power grandfather (paternal) signed the Texas Declaration of Independance, which really pissed off a whole bunch of Mexicans. Do you see a theme here?

4. My great to the fourth power grandfather(paternal) fought in the Revolutionary War which pissed off enough Brits that they captured him and held him prisoner in Quebec until the war was over. I guess my family just generally pisses people off.

5. I met George W. Bush in Texas when he was running for Congress. When I think that I had the chance to tell him to try selling life insurance instead of politics, it keeps me awake at night.

6. I saw Janis Joplin in concert two weeks before she died. When I heard the news, I cried.

7. Gray Goose vodka is the only French product I allow in the house. And I allow a lot of it.

Sorry, every blogger I feel comfortable tagging has already been tagged. So deal with it.

Ok, Hoosiergirl has now been tagged. My oversight.

A Portrait in Disappointment

This guy probably planned his whole weekend around the video, too.

Happy New Year

The new year snuck in around my house, as usual. We watched the ball drop on Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve (poor Dick-such a travesty) and shared the first kiss of the new year for the 36th time. I always hope that the new year will be better, while realizing that January 1 is really just another day.

I picked up the newspaper this morning. 5 people killed, four of them children and 5 injured by a drunk driver hitting their mini-van head-onwhile driving the wrong way down a highway in Ohio.

The drunk suffered an injured jaw.

Same shit, different year.