College must have been so long ago now that I had forgotten the joys of working on/at something until 5 in the morning only to get up again at 7 to take care of another task.  Ah, those were the good old days that I was fortunate enough to relive a bit this week.  Somewhat troubling is that I think part of me must have missed it because I kind of enjoyed doing it again.

My thoughts for the week  . . .

• Random thought #1 – Apparently starting your own business entity means that you also signed up for a constant stream of junk mail trying to sell you a little of everything under the sun.  I wish they would save some trees and leave me alone.
• Random thought #2 – Knowing that there has to be a patron base to warrant a business staying open 24 hours is not enough to make a somewhat full parking lot at close to 5 in the morning seem normal.  Of course, me being awake and driving around at 5 in the morning is not that normal either.
• Random thought #3 – Sometimes I wonder if my dog is actually watching the television or if he is just staring off into space.  Then again, I think that The Wife often wonders the same about me.
• Random thought #4 – Taking a nap during the day is far more difficult when you are actually trying to take one.  If I am trying to read something that I really need to get through, however, there are no issues falling asleep for a while.
• Random thought #5 – I have been sitting in a room with a television displaying a show on/about mushrooms for about 30 minutes now.  The strange part is how I don’t really like mushrooms and all that time went by before I remembered and turned the channel.

Random photo of the week.

Cheers!

Though not close to being as eagerly anticipated in my house as NFL Sundays, I really do look forward to watching the final round of major golf tournaments.  After watching for about an hour I really have the itch to go out and play a round.  Then I remember how awful I am and the craving passes.  Maybe I should start practicing.

And for this week. . . .

• Random thought #1 – Does the person who yells “Get in the hole!” after a tee shot on a 489 yard par 4 hole really think it has a chance of going in?  After hearing the voice of a kid yell the same while watching golf this weekend I feel something must be done.  Perhaps either a shot in the shins with a 4 iron or getting buried up to your head in a bunker is a good place to start with a punishment.  We can’t have children picking up this moronic behavior.
• Random thought #2 – How am I supposed to halve a recipe that has an odd number of eggs in it?  If only for that reason I think all recipes with eggs should have an even number of them.
• Random thought #3 – I have difficulties watching a certain (very popular) morning show because I become irrationally enraged by seeing the large crowd of people who had nothing better to do on their vacation but to get up before dawn and wait outside to scream at a weatherman.
• Random thought #4 – I need to find a way for one of those HGTV people to choose my house for a backyard redesign/makeover.  After Mother Nature was nice enough to wash away half of my lawn I think it is only fair to have that good fortune.  I guess I need to start shopping at the right home improvement stores.
• Random thought #5 – Just to clarify, when you walk past a large group of people waiting outside a building only to find that the door is indeed locked because the place is not open yet, you look like an idiot.  We are not waiting outside in the 95 degree heat for fun.

Random photo of the week.

Cheers!

I could not fall asleep last night and when I did, I did not sleep well or for long.  There has to be something that is stressing me out and making me toss and turn.  Maybe getting a few of these thoughts off my chest will make me feel better?

So for this week . . .

• Random thought #1 – It seems that the expectation going into a week should be that the weekdays will be sunny and beautiful and the weekends will be rainy and miserable.  If I start with that assumption there will be much less disappointment come Saturday afternoon.  I should have learned this lesson long ago.
• Random thought #2 – I think I have said this before, but the air conditioner never breaks in the middle of a workday (when we could call for repair) during September when the weather is cooling off.  It always quits working on a Saturday evening during July or August so we can fully enjoy the heat of summer.
• Random thought #3 – I have no issues with people working when they are feeling a bit under the weather.  It takes quite a lot for me to even consider calling in sick (when I was working in an office anyway).  However, if your job is to talk on television and you have a sore throat that makes it painful for us to listen to you I would politely suggest that you stay at home.  That or at least reduce the number of stories you read until you sound better.
• Random thought #4 – We all agree that money is pretty dirty stuff, but why is it not common to think the same about library books.  Sure George caught hell for taking a book into the bathroom while shopping in the bookstore, but no one is around to stop that from happening at home.  I am just saying.
• Random thought #5 – There is NFL action on television tonight.  I don’t care that it is preseason and the starters will play one series at best – I am going to watch the whole damn game and will enjoy every minute of it.  There is no way that it could be more boring than watching game whatever we are at now of the baseball season.

Random photo of the week.

Cheers!

If anyone (for whatever reason) is looking to get beer into their breakfast routine I would suggest the cake that The Wife made for my site anniversary earlier this week.  It is quite good and goes really well with your morning coffee on the weekends.  A fine way to start the day indeed.

Now then . . .

Random thought #1 – Putting aside the fact that a baseball player was hurt doing the whole shaving cream pie in the face celebration during the television interview thing as a reason to stop doing it, I have another simpler one.  It is boring and played out.  Someone needs to come up with something new and perhaps I will put some thought into coming up with that something.

Random thought #2 – When there is mystery water on the floor in the morning and I have looked into all of the obvious possibilities without determining the origin I am only left with the cats to blame.  Sure that may not actually be the reason, but it allows me to close the file on the incident in my mind.

Random thought #3 – There is nothing quite as fun as dealing with various departments within the same state government structure.  For example, I am sent my paperwork from department A and told to mail it to department B that is pretty much across the street from department A.  Then department B will make a copy of it, take my money, and send me a copy so I may then return that copy to department A that is, of course, up  the street from department B.  Did you follow that?  The long and short of it is that a month is lost simply passing papers through the mail.

Random thought #4 – It seems that the effort to structure a 17 year deal for a 27 year old hockey player (which basically gives him a cookie as payment in the last few years of the deal) could be better used elsewhere.  Perhaps start by putting together a deal that will not be rejected by the league.

Random thought #5 – So I watched a show on most extreme airports to see what ten places I never want to fly to in the future.  I do not want my airports to be extreme.  I would prefer that the runways at my destinations be much more spacious than necessary rather than have them be challenging for the pilots to deal with.

Random photo of the week

Cheers!

It is really, really hot today.  By that I mean you go from comfortable to completely drenched in sweat after about five minutes doing anything outside.  I can’t imagine how miserable it is for our dogs, but at least they (and I) have the pool to float around in to help cool them (us) down.

Moving on . . .

Random thought #1 – I recently overheard someone explaining how to (properly) cook a pancake to someone else (at a table nearby).  I remember that mostly because I was shocked that the information was not common knowledge.  I don’t claim that my pancakes turn out perfectly, but it is really not a difficult process.

Random thought #2 – There is something that I continuously notice that we have all definitely seen and most of us have been a part of.  It amazes me the amount of people that will wait in a line at a grocery store for a free sample of (let’s say) two slices of dried banana.  Some people don’t know what they are even waiting in line for.  I hate to wait in line for anything, so I am forced to go elsewhere for my dried fruit needs.

Random thought #3 – Can someone claim to be “down to earth” when their writing uses obscure references that come across as pretentious and snooty to the majority of people (including myself)?  I would lean toward no.  I have no issue with those people, but just don’t claim to be something that you are clearly not.

Random thought #4 – When is a homerun actually an out?  Apparently after a team hits 10 homeruns in slow-pitch softball, every one thereafter is counted as an out.  What kind of rule punishes you for performing well?! Damn you ESPN for filling my brain with such information!

Random thought #5 – So I am preparing to eat my pancakes and the waitress points out the syrup options by saying (something like) “This one is molasses, that one is honey, and the one over there is maple flavored.”  My brain immediately responds (internally) “maple flavored” what?  Is it maple syrup or not?  Not liking that description I stuck with the honey for my entire meal, which turned out to be quite nice.

Random picture of the week.

Cheers!

If I have not already mentioned it before, I would like to emphasize how much I enjoy having golf to watch with my morning coffee on the weekends.  If only for that reason The Open Championship moves to the top of the list of my favorite tournaments.

Enough of that . . .

Random thought #1 – I am sorry (though just a little bit), but the kids in the outfield at the MLB home run derby are just awful!  Shouldn’t they have to demonstrate that they can catch a fly ball or at least get in front of a grounder before being allowed out there?  I was waiting for one of them to get hit in the face with the ball.

Random thought #2 – I hate when I am eating something crunchy (say potato chips) and I have to turn up the television quite a lot just to hear what I am watching.

Random thought #3 – Realizing that this is a Florida issue, why does the weather report always say that it will be in the low 90s but feel like it is in the low 100s?  I would prefer it be something like “It will be in the low 90s, but you might want to bring a light jacket with you.”  That would be nice to hear now and again.

Random thought #4 – Where exactly are the four corners of the world?  All this time I thought the planet was round(ish) and did not have corners, but maybe I have been mislead.

Random thought #5 – There are many subspecies of man that I notice while attending very boring seminars.  I say man because women have more than enough sense not to act like this.  Here are a few examples of those who make the sessions last longer than they need to:

• There is always a guy that thinks he knows more than the presenter and wants to make sure that everyone else in the room thinks so as well so he never raises his hands and just interjects freely.  It would be nice if he use some restraint because very often his point is covered two slides later.
• There is also often the “I want to make sure to tell a story regardless of its relevance to the current conversation/topic guy.”  This one usually leaves me in a fog for a few moments while I try to figure out what just happened.

Random picture of the week.

Cheers!

As always, traveling provides me some moments of complete confusion along the way.  However, when away from home I am even worse about writing those things down as they happen.  The rundown below is what I was able to remember after a nice cup of coffee this morning.

So for this travel heavy week I have . . .

Random thought #1 – Sleeping on planes never really works out well for me, even when it is an overnight flight.  Usually that means I am somewhat worthless for a good portion of the next day.  With that said, I felt terrible for the woman who had a crying baby on her lap (a few seats away from us) for what seemed to be the entire red eye flight back from the west coast.  There was definitely no sleep for her.

Random thought #2 – In general I really dislike waiting in lines, but especially when I don’t know why I am waiting so long.  All I ask is a little update on why I haven’t moved in fifteen minutes.

Random thought #3 – In a similar (yet completely different) way as casinos, airports are a very fascinating place to sit back and watch people do what they do.  If I sit at the airport in Vegas I could get both environments wrapped into one.

Random thought #4 – How do you know when it would be a good idea to move to a city?  More specifically, how many times do you have to visit a city and enjoy your time there before moving there seems like the correct choice.  You always have fun when on vacation, but maybe when you go to the same place multiple times and miss it afterward it may mean something more.

Random thought #5 – Sort of on that train of thought, the possibility that our house is trying to send a message to us is growing stronger.  Each time we both leave for more than a few days we return to something broken or not operating properly.  So from that I can only gather that either the house wants us to sell it and move away or that it wants to punish us for leaving it alone.

Random picture of the week

Proost!

Today is somewhat different than the typical Sunday since the list that you are about to read really is not one of random thoughts at all.  These are not thoughts that just bubbled up this week.  The pressure relief valve on my brain was about to be worked if I did not finally address these issues to make myself feel better.

Before moving on to my little rants, I must say that I am never one to tell people what they should eat or drink.  I simply pass along my opinions, whether they are of use or interest is up to the reader.  I will always encourage people to step out of their beer and food comfort zones and try new things, but that is really as far as I go.  This post is simply to air what is my disgust/confusion about the marketing geniuses working for those big domestic breweries to make these funny commercials of theirs.  You can even make a game of “Guess That Commercial” out of this.

I am starting to feel better already . . .

Not-So-Random thought #1 – I have yet to meet a person who would willingly pay money for a food or drink item that they did not think tasted good.  Who out there does not care about taste?!  Continuing to see an entire ad campaign based on a concept as stupid as that makes me want to vomit.  That is my rant without even mentioning that the product they are schilling is not exactly bursting with flavor itself.

Not-So-Random thought #2 – Taking a different approach than I did in #1, I will ignore for a moment the ridiculous premise behind this next commercial to just ask  a simple question.  Has any female appreciating man in the history of the universe chosen any single beer (light or otherwise) over an attractive woman?

Not-So-Random thought #3 – So passing up a 64 calorie bottle of faint yellow sparkling water for bottle of 95 calorie club soda with slightly more flavor means you have to exercise in the middle of the party like a complete ass?  I have friends that as hard as they would kick my ass for drinking a 95 calorie beer, it would only be a limp wristed slap in comparison to what they would do if I told them a 95 calorie beer was too heavy for me.

Not-So-Random thought #4 – Lance, you burn about 4 million calories per day training.  It will not hurt you to drink an actual beer now and then.  You get plenty of water during your workouts.  Carry on.

Not-So-Random thought #5 – Since when did drinking light beer become the “manly” thing to do?  There is no problem with drinking light beer, but don’t give me this garbage about how doing so makes a guy more masculine and attractive.  In case I am wrong I will keep my ears open at the bar for the next lady that says “Hey check out that one over there drinking the light domestic beer.”

I feel much better now . . . thank you.

Random picture of the week

Happy Fourth of July!

There has been a fairly consistent theme in my language of choice for the signoff of my posts in the last few weeks.  It is pretty clear what World Cup game I was watching while writing them.  Well maybe the exact match is not obvious, but at least one of the teams that played in that game is.

And for this week I have . . .

Random thought #1 – Though I watch soccer fairly often (even when the World Cup is not on the main stage), there is much I have to learn about the subtleties.  One point of confusion (noticed while watching the World Cup) is why the backup goalies are wearing their gloves as they sit on the bench?  I have been told that they are not difficult to put on (like say boxing gloves) so I don’t quite understand.  Is it for superstition or for warmth in this case?

Random thought #2 – Those pleasant smelling candles can be fairly expensive so it frustrates me to watch when they only burn a hole down the center of the candle.  It seems like we pay for a lot of extra wax and smelly whatever that is not being used or perhaps is not necessary.

Random thought #3 – Twice recently the USPS delivered packages to our house that turned out to have damaged goods inside.  Not slightly damaged, but destroyed.  Something more than an accidental drop had to occur for them to arrive in the condition they did.

Random thought #4 – I would like to not believe the 100 plus degree readings I see when driving around about town in the last week.  With the (typically) warmer months yet to come I don’t want to think that it will get even hotter.

Random thought #5 – Every time we have friends move away to other cities we get the itch to do so ourselves.  It usually fades a bit as the weeks go by, but with an upcoming trip to one of our favorite US cities I think the itch will get much worse this time.

Random picture of the week.

Prost!

There was another random thought that I was going to include today, but I am starting to think it deserves an entire post dedicated to it.  There are certain commercials out there on television that are making me increasingly angry each time I see or hear them, so I plan to wait until I am completely incensed before I put it all into writing.

Now onto my thoughts for this week . . .

Random thought #1 – As a big time sports fan I cannot put into words the awesomeness of having two major events happening in different time zones that are convenient for my television watching purposes.  I love having a little World Cup action to accompany my morning coffee and some US Open coverage to watch in prime time with a beer or two.

Random thought #2 – Why is everyone who has ever been on a reality television show always referred to as a “reality TV star?”  I really don’t watch any reality television shows, but I have to think that they can’t all be “stars.”  Some of them have to be the people you simply put up with so you can be entertained by the interesting ones.

Random thought #3 – Though I have become used to it for the most part after living in Florida for so long, I still do not understand why I can be sitting outside getting rained on while it is still bright and sunny out.

Random thought #4 – Of course I strongly support the teams that represent our I am very passionate about the other teams that I cheer on regularly, but I have never been in a situation where I have cried over part of a game.  So to the guy who was shown crying after the US men’s soccer team scored the tying goal against Slovenia I would like to let you know that countless millions of people saw you crying over a soccer goal you sissy!country and

Random thought #5 – There was a time when I thought that my dogs were pathetic for not going outside for a bathroom break when it was raining (even a little bit).  After I realized that I wouldn’t want to do that either I could no longer blame them.  Now I think I am the pathetic one who stands in the rain with them until they go.

Yes it hailed here the other day.

Saude!

Sometimes it simply takes the combination of duct tape and residual light headedness from sealing floors all day to come up with a solution for your pool cleaning desires.  Never underestimate the usefulness of the silver stuff in underwater applications!

Now onto my thoughts for this week . . .

Random thought #1 – The World Cup is irresistibly addictive for me.  During the Olympics (Summer or Winter) I will really only pay attention to a few events here and there and most of those involve the United States.  For the World Cup it does not matter who is playing, the television stays on even with the white noise of those vuvuzelas during this one.

Random thought #2 – The first one leads into the second one as I was reminded of how witty sports headlines make me chuckle.  I feel bad for Mr. Green but headlines like “Hand of Clod” and “Stars and Tripe” are just priceless.  If only I could write just those headlines for a living.   

Random thought #3 – Recently a gigantic cross was constructed at a church near our house that we drive by all of the time.  That certainly is not unusual, but the fact that it is actually a cell tower shaped like a cross is.  It is nice to know that good cell phone reception is a priority for everyone.

Random thought #4 – It is funny/interesting how something that you have lived with in your house for years becomes a priority to change in an instant when you have a weekend free from other obligations.  Not sure if that means we should be making more weekend plans or not.

Random thought #5 – After an unnecessarily long hiatus, it felt incredibly good to fire up the grill again and put it to use.  There is no good reason for me not to use it more often than I do.

Random picture of the week.

Gesondheid!

Have I mentioned that it is hot here?  The whole change to the hot (and rainy) season really snuck up on me and I am just not used to it yet.  Fortunately any combination of a pool, air conditioning, and cold beer can make it all quite tolerable.  So guess what I am headed off to do?

For this week . . .

Random thought #1 – I noticed a limo the other day where the driver was clearly wearing a Hawaiian style shirt.  Now maybe that makes some sense in Florida but it seems to me that if that is what your driver is wearing, you are not exactly going anywhere that fancy.  In my mind that all contradicts the (typical) purpose of renting a limo in the first place.  Then again, maybe no one was actually in the back of the car.

Random thought #2 – Enough with the insanely intense rain storms already!  A good chunk of the back yard has basically washed away and I have no idea what to do about it.  It also makes it difficult to do anything about it when it rains every day, so I am just asking for a bit of a break (maybe a week) so that I can do some damage control.

Random thought #3 – As much as I do like sitting at the bar on a good old barstool, there is something about an environment with nice leather couch and a place to put your feet up that makes drinking a good beer even more sweet.

Random thought #4 – I will try to make this as clear and simple as possible.  The rules of the road apply inside a grocery store as well!  Walk down the right side of the aisle and don’t park your shopping cart in the middle of an intersection so you can inconvenience everyone while you finish your cell phone conversation.  Some of us like to get in and out of the store as fast as possible.

Random thought #5 – Last for today is really not much of a random thought at all.  I would like to welcome Emily and Ian to our (extended) neighborhood and thank them for allowing me to enjoy some really awesome beers with them as a reward for interrupting their unpacking efforts.  It is not every day that you can sample some Cigar City Campeadors (Fergus Mor Ale followed by some Rurik Ale) and I am very grateful for that opportunity.

Random picture of the week.

Cheers!

Looking over my list for the week it seems that I was angry for a good portion of it, but that is not the case (save for the first one).  Actually the process of writing down these irritable items seems to be pretty therapeutic and allows me to move on without the thought lingering (again save for the first one).  A long weekend with family and friends certainly helps too! 

For this week . . .

Random thought #1 – Sometimes I wonder what it would take to get me really, really angry.  Then when I hear of a guy here in the area that put his dog in a crate, covered it with a blanket, and sat the crate out by the curb to be picked up with the trash I find a good example.  The fact that this dog had also been hit by a car about a month earlier and had not been given any treatment might make you understand why I became completely enraged.

Random thought #2 – There is simply nothing like a hovering helicopter (over what turned out to be a car accident) and an open window to pull you out of bed in the morning way before you intended for your feet to hit the floor.   

Random thought #3 – So my cable company seems to think that it is acceptable to call me every single day and not leave a message.  Last time this happened they were trying to pitch me their phone service that I would have already if I wanted it.  This behavior is what happens when there is no cable competition in the area that you live in.

Random thought #4 – I have a suspicion that this thought has made the list before, but it continues to frustrate me so it makes the cut again.  Turn on your headlights when it is raining!  Why is that such a difficult concept?  It rains here so hard sometimes that the highest wiper setting cannot keep your windshield free from water and the only thing you can really see is lights on other cars.  How neglecting to have your lights on in that situation is not ticketed, I don’t know.

Random thought #5 – Have you ever seen two grocery stores across the street from each other and they are the same chain?  I saw that this week and I just don’t get it.  I know there must be a good explanation, but it was like a bizarro world.  Then again I see a certain chain of coffee shops seemingly every half mile.

Cheers!

Since I wasted my time watching the entire second half of the Magic game last night, I am going to keep this intro short in an effort to get some of my weekend back.  Of course I could have turned the channel, but I am one who will watch to the bitter end.  That is one habit that is hard to break for me. 

For today I bring you . . .

Random thought #1 – To me wearing a shirt that is a reference to the (comedy) show you are going to see is the same as wearing a shirt with the band’s name on it to their concert.  I see it as a faux pas and that is why I did not do that this week.  Anyone with me on that?

Random thought #2 – Bottling my home brewed beer is still not high on my list of fun activities, but when I am enjoying one of my beers on a Sunday afternoon it makes the effort seem more than worthwhile.   

Random thought #3 – The equation to tired and sleepy dogs goes something like this.  Putting leashes and leader on plus a short car ride plus a walk through a festival plus a car ride back plus a dip in the pool to cool off equals P.T.F.O. dogs for the rest of the day.  Sure there are other ways to get the same result but I know for sure that this one works.

Random thought #4 – This declaration is long overdue, but caramelized onions are now on the list of foods that can/will make anything better.  Actually I suppose since cheese was the only item on it before, I can just now refer to it as an official list.

Random thought #5 – There are great struggles for me in maintaining attention long enough to do any serious reading, but doing so by the pool with occasional leaps into the water seems to work really well.  I would love for the beach to be the location of choice, but our back yard is much closer than the ocean.

No wearing a Pleepleus shirt to the show for me.

Cheers!