Cutoff Times

I am not one to call people late, especially on a weeknight because I go to sleep relatively early on work nights. But often I hear people complaining about receiving calls at their homes late, past "the cut-off time".


It's past the cut-off time!!!!!!!!! 

Now, unless you tell people what your cut-off time is, how the fuck is someone supposed to know? Obviously if you call someone at 3am, it's past anyone's cut-off time except those who work for fuckin' NORAD. But seriously, some people's cut-off time is 9pm, some people's are 10pm, some people's are later. How is this cut-off time determined and how is someone supposed to know when your cut-off time is? You call someone at like 9:15pm feeling that you are well within cut-off time range and you get an attitude and they say they don't like calls past 9, well, how are you supposed to know this? Also, is there a grace period? Like up to 10 minutes after the cut-off time?

There should be a space in your cell or home phone to put someone's cut-off time. As you scroll through your phone for the name and go to dial, it should remind you that you are attempting a call past the cut-off time. Ok, I am being silly, but how does one know or determine someone's cut-off time? Do kids equal like an 8pm cut-off? Does the person getting up at 4am to farm, determine a 9pm cut-off?

I wonder if cut-off times have to be on the half hour or the hour. Can you have a 9:45 cut-off? How about a 10:10? I am officially making mine 10:17pm.

What's your cut-off time and how do you make others aware of it? Has anyone ever called you past your cut-off and pissed you off? Have you ever gotten attitude for calling past another's cutoff time? I am very curious about this.

Thursday Already?

Wow, this is the longest I have gone without blogging since I started this silly thing a year and a half ago. I've been out of it. I feel like the Sugar V with a blog every 5th day or so.

So, partying all last weekend and not resting ran me down. I caught a bad cold combined with some allergies.....throw in a total of about 10 hours sleep all last weekend and it's a recipe for illness. I am back at about 80-85% today, gearing up for the big holiday weekend.

Tomorrow is one of, maybe THE favorite day of the year for me, Memorial Day Friday. The kickoff to my favorite season and time of the year, summer. I can just feel it in the air, it's unlike any time of the year. Long Beach is buzzing with people and traffic. The lifeguard chairs are in place, and everyone is ready to enjoy what will hopefully be an amazing and memorable summer.

Tomorrow is a day to roll down the car windows and blast your favorite "feel good" tunes. It's a day to think about the good times ahead and a day to look back on the long winter that has passed and laugh.

Perhaps what I enjoy most about summer is not "thinking" so much. During the winter you are trapped indoors and you tend to think too much, dwell on too many things, and analyze everything. That's not the case in the summer. There is so much to do to keep you occupied, that you don't have the time or the energy to dwell, you just live life, work and play hard, and soak it all up. Time does go fast and so will this summer. My advice, make the most of each day and night this summer. Come September, you'll be glad you got the most out of the next 3 amazing months. So each night this summer, do something special. Take a walk, a jog, have a picnic, star gaze, take the dog for an extra long walk, sleep outside one night, have sex outside, sit up until the sun rises one weekend night, just mix it up and take it all in. Winters are long, summers are short, so make the most of it!!!!

Still Alive!

Hey! I am still alive, been battling allergies/cold and a ton of work at work! I will be sure to hop back on the blog wagon tonight!

Recovery

Recovering from a LONG and TIRING Weekend! Details later.........

Beer Olympics and a Full Weekend Agenda

  

The Olympics are coming to Long Beach this Saturday Night, the beer Olympics. Our neighbors came by Thursday Night and invited all of us to participate in the beer Olympics they are holding on Saturday. This is how it works:

You have to pick a country to "represent." The country you pick has to be one you have no ties to, one that your ancestors did not come from.

You have to dress in some sort of attire that represents your country of choice.

There will be an Olympic Torch and a relay for the opening ceremonies in the street.

The "games" will be drinking games.

Sounds like a blast. Tiny A and I will be representing Japan. Linda and "Patty" will be representing Australia. Should be fun.

Friday Night is our first "official" BBQ at the new house. We have a bunch of people coming and it should be a crazy night, especially since Sugar V will be coming. We are expecting about 10 people. Booze will be flowing and food will be cooking. Add loud music and some games and we'll have a great time. "Scotty" my alter ego will be out in force.

Sunday is Tiny A's nephew's Christening. It is an all day affair and I am looking forward to meeting her family and the little guy. Tiny A has been looking forward to this for months. We'll be sure to post some pics of how nice we look all dressed up.

So, CMACAPALOOZA 4 is coming up on July 8th and I want to do a "theme" this year. I am mulling over some ideas.....and I would LOVE to hear yours. If yours is chosen, we'll have to make sure we get you here to participate.......

Product Testimonials

  

As I was flipping around my 800 cable channels looking for something entertaining to watch with no luck, I passed by that "Tempur-Pedic" mattress commercial. It's some Swedish mattress that supposedly the person next to you can jump up and down on and you won't feel the movement. I say bullshit.

The commercial shows some woman placing a full wine glass on the bed and jumping up and down next to it and it not spilling. I find a couple of things wrong with this test.

1) The woman was like 80lbs. Put a fat bitch in that bed and you'll feel her rolling around that bed snacking all night and getting up to raid the fridge.

2) Test it with rough sex, not jumping. Put a wine glass in the bed and start banging. If it does not spill, then maybe I will buy the mattress.

3) It says NASA developed this material. Should I be impressed? The same NASA who blew up 2 Space Shuttles and the same NASA who lost billion dollar Mars "rovers" in craters on Mars? You have to do better than that.

4) The testimonials were from these douche bags from some trailer park. I don't give a shit what Mary McGraw from Bumblefuck Arkansas thinks about the mattress. Perhaps she should feed her 100 kids and get her teeth fixed before she buys a Tempur-Pedic mattress.

Mattresses in general need to be bought in person, in my opinion. 1-800-MATTRESS and places like that are stupid....who buys a mattress without testing it out first?

What infomercial or TV commercial for a product irritates you?

Brought To You By........

  

Have you noticed that there is a corporate sponsor for EVERYTHING now? In the sports world, everything is corporate sponsored. I was watching a bit of the Yankee game tonight on television. The pre-game show was sponsored by Budweiser, the starting lineups were brought to us by Ricoh printers, the scouting report by Geico insurance, there is a Gillette player of the game, a Sprint call to the bullpen when a pitching change is made, etc. It is overkill! Not to mention the dozens of billboards and electronic signs at the ballpark. Not sure about you, but a "Sprint call to the bullpen" isn't going to get me to switch my cell phone service to Sprint, nor am I going to dump my Grey Goose Vodka to buy Budweiser because the pre-game show is sponsored by Bud.

Many times there is NO correlation between the advertising and the event taking place. What does GEICO insurance have to do with a scouting report? Gillette shaving cream with the player of the game? I don't get it. I would be a marketing whiz....only I would go the celebrity route. Here are my ideas:

The Buddy Holly flying school
The Paris Hilton School for the gifted
The Roseanne Barr diet center
The Michael Jackson day care center
The Harry Chapin driving school
The Moby hair replacement center
The Britney Spears parenting school
The Ike Turner shelter for abused women
The Naomi Campbell boxing school
The Steve Garvey planned parenthood clinic
The Ray Charles shooting range
The Mike Tyson speech therapy center
The Dick Cheney hunting school
The Magic Johnson health center
The Christopher Reeve school of dance
The Barry Bonds "Juicer"
The OJ Simpson kitchen knife collection
Billy Joel's non-alcoholic brew
The Mama Cass Honey Baked Ham Company
Angelina Jolie adoption center
Tom "Cruise Convertibles" furniture collection
The Jeffery Dahmer mini refrigerator
The Joey Buttafuoco after school activities program
The George Bush School of public speaking

Let's hear some of yours!

Something NOT On The Menu

  

About seven years ago, I was working for a technology firm very similar to the one I currently work for. It was 1999 and everyone was in fear of a Y2K disaster. Back in late 1999, overtime was unlimited and we would all work 18 hour days to meet our customers' needs and to stock our personal bank accounts.

Each night, the owner of our company would buy us all dinner in appreciation for all of our hard work and dedication. Some nights there were 30 of us and our dinner bill would be over $500. Some nights we would get Chinese, some nights pizza, some nights Greek, depending on our mood. One night in particular, we ordered Italian from one of our favorite Italian restaurants nearby, Mama Theresa's. They knew us well in there and many of them spoke Italian. This particular night I went to pick up the meal. On my way out the door, Greg, our service manager yelled over to me..."Charlie, don't forget my bochini with ham!!!" Now, I never heard of a bochini, but I knew what a BOCCONCINI was...but I thought maybe it was something new.

Rich and I got to Mama Theresa's and picked up the order. We rifled through the 6 shopping bags full of food to make sure nothing was forgotten. I noticed Greg's "bochini with ham" was missing...so I called out "Where is the bochini with ham??????" Well, the ENTIRE crew running the front counter just stopped, like something out of a movie. They just stared at me and just starting laughing until they were crying. I did not understand what was so funny. One of the Italian guys pulled me aside and said "Do you know what you just asked for?????" I said "No, what??????" He said "A blow-job with ham!!!!" Well, despite being totally embarrassed, I started laughing so hard......damn I thought to myself, I knew it was BOCCONCINI, not bochini!!!!

Needless to say, a blow-job with ham was not on the menu that night, I took the BOCCONCINI with ham and the rest of the food back to work and we all got a great laugh over dinner.

Weekend Wrap-Up

  

The weekend was over in a flash! It always goes by quickly when you have a full weekend planned! It started after work on Friday. My new neighbors invited my roomie Linda and I to their birthday bash. We had a "pre-game" celebration next door, complete with champagne and other booze. Then we walked over to "The Inn" for the party. Here is a picture of the crew.

  

Karen (left) and Tara (right) will keep you laughing all night. They are definitely party girls who know how to have fun. I am sure they will provide us all with some interesting stories and pictures this summer.

  

Saturday, the beautiful Tiny A and I hopped the subway to Yankee Stadium and enjoyed our first game together. Despite a rainy forecast, the weather turned out to be great! The Yankees won 4-3 in a very exciting game.

  

Here I am in my Yankees gear on the subway. I was so happy the sun was shining and that I was about to have an amazing day with Tiny A. At this point I was starving and all I talked about were hot dogs, pretzels, and cracker jacks.

  

The clouds stayed away and the sun was shining on us and our beloved Yankees! Despite a little nippy breeze, it was a picture perfect day.

  

High fashion hits the Bronx! Tiny A models her Yankee Cap given out on cap day! Isn't she adorable?

  

We laughed all day, especially on the car ride home when we were stuck in traffic and I saw a guy picking his nose. This dude was wrist deep and picking. He then rolled it up and threw it. So, when we were next to his car like 2 minutes later, I motioned to him like I was picking my nose with both fingers. He was pissed! Tiny A and I were rolling!

  

Finally, a pic of yours truly taken by Tiny A at the stadium. Although it was a bit cool, I feel like summer is here already!

On Sunday, my brother and I took my mom out for a nice dinner. She warned me not to take any pics of her and put it on here, so I didn't. I don't want to get my ass whooped by my mom at my age..... I hope all the moms out there had a great day on Sunday! I hope all of you, moms or not, had a great weekend! I'll be back tomorrow with some comedy.

TGIF...........Indeed!

  

Not sure if Barry Bonds tied Babe Ruth's 714 home run record last night because I had a migraine and was asleep early, but I tied "the babe" today with my 714th posting!

Anyway, I am glad it is Friday! It's been a long and interesting week. Tonight I have a party to attend with the folks next door, tomorrow, a Yankee game with Tiny Amester, followed by a much needed ALONE night with Tiny A. Although we love you all, there will be no friends, family, roomies, dogs, or anyone, just me and Tiny Amester tomorrow and tomorrow night. Sunday is Mother's Day and I will be spending it with her.

So yesterday, I was listening to Elton John's "Anthology" on the way to work. His very early work brings back such great childhood memories. When "Tiny Dancer" was on, I couldn't help but change the words to "Tiny Amester." I got a big kick out of it and so did Christina who I carpooled with.

I am very exhausted today. I am looking forward to some relaxation this weekend. All my errands are done, laundry is done, just some good times this weekend. I hope you all have a great time as well!

"Hold me closer tiny amester
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
you had a busy day today"

Things Mom Would Never Say

Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday. I hope you all take Mom out and celebrate. Most of our Mothers probably have said the same types of things as we were all growing up. All Moms have those standard expressions, sayings, and advice that they speak about. Today, I am coming up with things you'll never hear a Mom say. Feel free to add yours!

"Have a great prom night son, be sure to knock that chick up"
"Can I borrow one of your porn dvd's?"
"There isn't enough laundry in this basket, please add more!"
"Can I get a sip of that 40 ounce?"
"Let's skip church and hit the adult store"
"Your Dad and I have 3-somes all the time"
"The milkman, the mailman, and the plumber all wore me out today"
"Be home by 3am!!!"
(to daughter) "Don't wear any underwear under your skirt, I never do"
"yes operator I'd like to order 'Girls Gone Wild' for my son's 6th birthday"
"Limit it to 4 parties while me and dad are away this week, ok?"
"Have a great day at school, don't forget your beer!"
"C'mon kids, chocolate for dinner tonight!"
"Ok, who hid my vibrator?????"
"I lost my virginity at 10"
"Your dad and I banged on our 1st date"

Hahahaha, have a great Thursday!!!!

Trash Talkin'

  

As you all know, I am not a huge public bathroom fan. I avoid them as much as I can. Unfortunately, when you spend 9 hours at the office, you have to pee at least once or twice throughout the day, so I am forced to use the bathroom there. The bathrooms at my office are single occupancy. There are 2 mens rooms and 2 ladies rooms. The mens room on my side of the building is usually pretty clean and it is pretty spacious for a single occupancy bathroom.

Each day after I pee, I wash my hands, then dry them with paper towels, then I use the paper towel to shut the water off and to open the door. I then toss the paper towel in the bathroom garbage pail next to the toilet. Each day, I notice an article of trash that does not belong in a bathroom pail, usually a food wrapper. Today, there was a Twix wrapper on top of all the garbage. Who is eating a Twix on the toilet? The other day, there was a snack sized Cheetos bag in the pail, last week a Doritos bag, and a granola bar wrapper. Who is eating on the bowl? I find that to be quite nasty. Haven't they ever heard the expression "Don't shit where you eat." Or in the case "Don't eat where you shit." I am baffled by this. I suppose I'd get really alarmed if I saw a pizza box or a McDonald's bag in that pail, but it's just a matter of time. By summer, I am sure I'll see paper plates, place mats, and a soda machine in there. I just don't understand people.......

Should the "Show Go On?"

  

I grew up on classic rock. It was a big part of my childhood and I still get nostalgic when I hear many of the bands and songs from the 70's. Each band back then had a distinctive sound, a distinctive style, and a distinctive lead singer.

In many cases, the lead singer was the person who defined the band. Their unique voice and persona really "was" the band. When we think of Queen, we automatically think of Freddy Mercury. When we think of the Doors we think of Jim Morrison, Journey..Steve Perry, and Styx...Dennis DeYoung.

As a huge music fan, nothing annoys me more than when a lead singer dies or when a band "breaks up" and they try to "replace" the lead singer with someone new. It never is the same. Queen is currently touring with Bad Company's lead man Paul Rodgers. Although Rodgers was great in his own band, he is no Freddy Mercury. Bands should just pack it in when a legend passes on or leaves. Certain lead singers define a band. Although I felt David Lee Roth "was" Van Halen, they were able to reinvent themselves with Sammy Hagar. Van Halen was the exception rather than the rule.

I say go out on top, the way we all remember you and spare us the reality shows trying to find a new lead singer or someone second or third rate. I'll stick to my cds and my memories when it comes to the classic bands. No imitation will do.

You Want This Party Started Right?

  

I witnessed an amazing athletic feat Friday Night. I did not watch the NHL playoffs, the NBA playoffs, or go to a MLB game. It was something more amazing.

One strong, accurate right arm reared back and launched a projectile over the playing field. The ball soared majestically through the air cutting through the wind like a hot knife through butter. Nerves of spectators tensed up, and there was a respective holding of breath as the ball came closer to its target.

Splash, Score!

The ball landed in the target, the crowd erupted, high-fives were exchanged. There was chest pounding, yelling, taunting and maybe a little beer-induced celebratory dance - or maybe it was a stumble.

These days with the sun out longer, the shirts are coming off and so are the tops of massive amounts of 30-packs for beer-pong. Beer-pong may, in fact, be the greatest beer-related creation since the birth of funneling - because if you’re like me, no matter how much you suck, you’re always a winner.

I am an avid Shaq hater. Back in the day, I used to always bash Shaq for his free throw-shooting shortcomings. But now I can sympathize with the big Aristotle. Throwing a tennis ball into a basketball hoop is about the same as throwing a Ping-Pong ball into a plastic brew-filled cup - something I wasn't too good at Friday Night.

My roommate reinforced my self-criticism of beer-pong skills.

“Charlie, you fucking suck,” Linda affirmed during our last beer-drinking endeavor.

Or do I?

This is one game I actually don't mind losing. Some people like to win out of competitiveness, bragging rights, or so they can avoid becoming inebriated.

Me? I don’t give a crap.

I swear, it’s really part of my elaborate, selfish conspiracy to rob people of their beers. It’s by far the most effective means of soaking up some sun and getting more bang for your buck by taking your friend's brewskies. It’s simple: Just throw the game. I am the Shoeless Joe Jackson of beer pong.

So go grab a couple of 30-packs and set up those beer-pong tables for a sloppy old time.

As for my beer-pong deficiencies, perhaps one of these days I will try to earn a bit of respectability at the table. For now, I’ll just apologize for waking up my neighbors if they hear that incessant Ping-Pong ball hitting the table while I practice my beer-pong stroke till the wee hours of the morning.

Or maybe I’ll just get plastered enough to think that my shots are going in the cup, when, in all reality, I’m just incapacitated on my living room floor flicking peanuts at the dogs.

Yeah, I’ll do that instead. In beer pong, everyone's a winner.

Friday Night started out relatively quiet. Tiny A, Linda and I, sitting in the sun room with Coronas and snacks while the dogs ran amuck. As the sun started to set, the music got turned up and the drinking got heavier, not to mention the light up disco ball. Linda pulled the beer pong table out of the attic and I walked over to the deli for a 12 pack, then another, and we got started. After receiving an ass-kicking from her, we decided to say hi to the new neighbors next door who moved in earlier on Friday. We knocked on the door and found seven 20-something year old girls and a couple of guys partying in the living room. Next thing we know, they are all in our front yard playing beer pong with us. Welcome to the "hood" we said and they were just as happy to have "cool" neighbors as we were. It turns out only two of the girls live there and the rest are buddies from the neighborhood. We have already been invited to all their summer shenanigans, and them to ours.

So many funny weekend stories to tell, like the birth of Scotty, the white pig, and a host of others. I'll have more tomorrow!!!!

MY "Stairway To Heaven"

  

After dinner, I took a stroll up the block to the beach and snapped a few photos. I thought I'd share them with you. These are the stairs I will be climbing quite often in the weeks to come. A stairway to heaven indeed.


  

Once I get over the stairs, here is the view I will have and the view that will represent the summer of 2006. Hey, where's my cooler and radio?


  

So peaceful and tranquil. Just an amazing night.

Tonight is Cinco De Mayo, Tiny A, Linda, Sugar V and Mrs. Sugar will be on the town celebrating many things. C-Mac and Linda's new home, Cinco De Mayo, Tiny A and C-Mac, great friends like Sugar V, it should be a fun evening. This weekend, I also get back into the full swing of running. I will be training hard core come Saturday!

What's on your weekend agenda??? Whatever it is, enjoy!

The Buck Stops....Where?

  

"US president Harry S. Truman's use of the slogan "the buck stops here" in speeches, and on a sign on his desk, derives from the adoption of the phrase "passing the buck" as a metaphor for avoiding responsibility."

No other place on earth has more "buck passing" than the office or one's place of employment. Right? I think 8 out of every 10 employees try to do as little work as possible. They do whatever it takes to get it off their desk and onto someone else's.

Do any of you have people at work who basically live at the office but never seem to get anything done? I don't get it.

I love the people who walk around the office who try to give the impression that they are "swamped" with work. Their acting skills are so poor it's almost comical. When I get shit to do, I do it, end of story. I don't drag it out to try to make myself look busy. The minute I get something I do it. Some people have mastered the art of taking 2 hours worth of work and turning it into 8. Here are some of their tricks to looking busy:

1) They always pretend to look annoyed or stressed. This gives the average person they pass the impression they are grinding it out and are overwhelmed.
2) They always carry papers everywhere they go. They always have to seem like they are on a mission, like those papers are urgent. A person with no documents looks like they are heading to the cafeteria, a newspaper means the bathroom.
3) Wiping the brow. That's one of my favorites. they wipe their brow or their head like they are just so exhausted or drained from the "onslaught" of work.
4) Deep breaths or sighs. They breathe in deep to emphasize the physical and emotional toll that "ton of work" is having on them.
5) They seem glued to their computers. They are really playing video games, doing their banking, or some other personal stuff, but it gives the impression they are busy.
6) The messy desk. A clean desk is a sign of not having enough work. They spread papers all over the desk and guest chairs to make it look like they are overwhelmed.
7) They bring binders and papers home. Those binders could be lunch menus, but it gives the impression they are slaving at home too and that they are just too busy to finish it all.
8) They always let their voice mail pick up. This gives the impression they are swamped and can't even take a call. They then call back 20 minutes later explaining how busy they are and they say sorry for missing the call.
9) They appear to work late. They stay until the minute the boss leaves and fly the coop. They probably just read magazines or surf the net to look busy and kill time until the boss leaves.
10) They stack books, manuals, and catalogs all over their office to give that busy effect.

The office, quite a place.

Settling In, Down "West"

  

I am back people! Four days of unpacking and setting up, and I am finally done!!!!!

I have missed my writing and all of you out there in blogland. I figured I would write about my new home today as well as the uniqueness of Long Beach's "west end" where I now live.

First, the house. A 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom home. But not your typical 3-bedroom 1-bath home, this is very unique. When you walk in the front door there is a huge sun room that we turned into our lounge/cafe. We set up the bar, a beautiful antique table with chairs, and lots of beach decor in there. It is an amazing room to sit in and read, to eat, to have a drink, or to just chat and relax in.

Next is the living room. As you leave the sun room and pass through two glass "french" doors, a large living room with a vaulted 16' ceiling awaits. The room is decorated in a nautical theme and has an amazing brick fireplace, huge ceiling fan, grayish blue carpeting, and two dogs that have made great friends over the last few days, Brucey boy and Sampson.

Past the living room is the kitchen. From the living room, there is a HUGE rectangular cut-out in the wall which looks into the kitchen. Along that cut-out is a long counter where bar stools sit on the living room side of the counter. The kitchen is cozy and nice.

Above the kitchen is a HUGE attic with ample storage space which we took full advantage of this weekend. We already have a ton of stuff out there.

My room is cozy. I went with a green/beige color scheme in there. Tiny A and I picked out new bedding a couple of weeks ago and Tiny A bought me a great print for the wall on Saturday. Bruce is no longer allowed on my bed, so he is adjusting to sleeping in his, for a change. My room has a nice bookshelf, my TV, my grandpa's chair, a small wood nightstand, and of course, my laptop!

Our computer room has a futon, a TV, a huge dresser, and a closet for storage. It is furnished with L's decor. She has her soccer memories hanging on the wall. L was a member of the 1991 and 1995 U.S. World Cup soccer teams and won the world cup on that 1991 team. She has her jersey framed and signed by the entire team including Mia Hamm, who I am sure you all know. L is very interesting and has shared many of her stories of her world cup days and the many places she has traveled. I am confident that her and I will be friends for years to come.

The dogs have a fenced yard to roam around in all day. They love running around the house from front to back and chasing each other. They also love howling at everyone who passes the house. It is good to see them outside and enjoying themselves.

I have not driven my car since Saturday, yet I have not longed for anything. So many places are within walking distance including over 15 bars, more than 20 restaurants, delis, supermarkets, liquor stores, dry cleaners, and everything else you could possibly need. It has the "city" feel, yet we are 100 yards from the ocean. Bruce loves his walks through town where everyone approaches him and gives him attention. I will love the weekend morning strolls for bagels, the paper, and juice. Yesterday, I strolled over to the fresh seafood market for some shrimp to bbq for dinner. Tiny A, L, and I had a bbq feast of chicken, shrimp, baked potato, and corn on the cob, all cooked on the grill. Throw in a salad and 3 bottles of red wine, and we had quite a meal in the sun room last night.

Friday Night is May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, and every bar here has a big night planned, and we plan on hitting many of them. We are hoping Mr. and Mrs. Sugar V will join us. Summer does not start until June 21st, but for us, it started this weekend. A great house, a great roomie, a great girlfriend, great friends, and we can't forget the great doggies! Throw in some great food, a stocked bar, and the beach 100 yards away, do I need anything else?