Cahoots?

  

ca·hoots (kə-hūts')
pl.n. Informal.
Questionable collaboration; secret partnership:

I can't help but think the sudden drop in oil/gas prices has something to do with the mid-term elections approaching in 5 weeks. Demand is still high, the pipeline in Alaska is still broken, yet prices "suddenly" drop.

Nobody can convince me that this administration isn't in cahoots with the oil industry. I will bet anyone that as soon as election day passes, prices will rise.

The other day someone said that something was so hot "they could fry an egg on it." Why do people always reference the frying of an egg to express how hot something is???? It does not take much heat to fry ann egg......I think we should start a new phrase.

The regular season in baseball ends on Sunday. My weeknights won't be the same. Sure the playoffs start next week, but those games are intense! There will definitely be sleep deprivation the next few weeks during the playoffs. The games start at 8:20 and usually don't end until midnight. Then you are so fired up, you can't sleep. A very good chance for an all NY World Series this year...should be interesting!

Fillet O'Fish

  

I don't "dine" all too often at fast food restaurants. Once every three months or so, I will get a craving for a Taco Bell taco, McDonald's fries, or a Whopper. Not the healthiest choices in the world, but not too harmful if you don't eat them too often.

While in NYC on Saturday, I saw a poster at a bus stop advertising the "Fillet O'Fish" sandwich at McDonald's. I always knew they sold this particular sandwich but it was on Saturday that it dawned on me..."who is eating these fillet o' fish sandwiches?"

I mean, if I want fish, I'll go to a seafood restaurant or I will cook it myself. But, McDonald's for fish? The poster went on to boast about how fresh this fish is...fresh? Are they sending a couple of employees out each morning before the store opens with rods, reels, and bait? God only knows what is in their tartar sauce......

I also find that these "fast food pizza" places are getting waaaaaay too creative thinking up these new types of pizza. The latest..Lasagna Pizza at Pizza Hut. What fat fuck is thinking up these ideas? Like lasagna or pizza isn't bad enough on their own...let's incorporate the two. Stuffed crust pizza, upside down pizza, you name it.

I'll stick to regular pizza, fish from a fish market, and an occasional McDonald's french fry.....

Monday Exhaustion

Shouldn't you be rested and ready to go on a Monday? I am absolutely exhausted today! But, I had a great weekend.

Friday Night I went for my run after work in the middle of a wind storm. It was one of the toughest runs in a long time, but I got through it. When I got home T-Unit was arriving at my house. I showered up and me and her went for a nice dinner down the street at a "family style" Italian place. It was nice to eat "real" food for the first time in a couple of weeks. After dinner we watched the rest of the Yankee game and just hung out at my house with Brucey Boy.

Saturday I woke up early and ran a couple of errands. Sugar V picked me up around 10:15am and we went to his house to begin our little NYC adventure. When we arrived his wife Nebraska Girl and KW, the very nice young lady Sugar V works with were waiting for us. We walked over to the train station and caught the train to NYC. As usual our conversations were hilarious, complete with tons of insults...all in good fun of course. When we arrived in NYC's Penn Station, we caught a Subway downtown to the South Street Seaport. We had plans to the the "Bodies" Exhibit down there. We stopped off for lunch at a little outdoor restaurant before proceeding to the exhibit.

Sugar V and I were a little leary of this exhibit. We weren't sure how it was going to be. It was actually very fascinating. After the exhibit which took us about 90 minutes, we walked through Chinatown, to Little Italy where the Feast of San Gennaro was being held. It was so crowded and stuffy, so we decided to hop a Subway to Brooklyn, the Sugar V's old lesbian neighborhood for some window shopping/shopping/eating/drinking.

Park Slope was very nice. We had a great dinner and found a little spot for drinks where we sat for a few hours. About 11 Kettle One and orange juices later, I found myself BEHIND the bar with the bartenders serving shots. We had a blast.

The train ride home was humorous as well. We got back to Sugar V's place around 2am where he cooked up some pasta with his world famous sauce. It was a scene straight out of Goodfellas, eating a pasta meal at 3am. Around 3:45 KW left and Sugar V dropped me at home.

I was all set to sleep in, but the dogs woke me up at 8am wanting to go out. I could not fall back to sleep. I got up and showered and got my day started. At noon I picked T-Unit up and we met her brother and his girlfriend for lunch, then we saw Jackass 2. It was pretty humorous. After the movie we headed to my house and crashed watching a movie.

It was great hanging out with Sugar and Nebraska..and of course KW. I hope we have another little adventure soon. How was your weekend?

The Snooze Button

  

I have a very accurate and reliable "internal" clock. Each morning, I wake up 15 minutes before I have to automatically, without an alarm. My body just knows it is time to wake up. Even on weekends, when I can usually sleep a bit later, I will wake up very close to the time I decide the night before. It is pretty strange. It has never failed me, ever...so it is kind of great in a way.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against anyone who relies on an alarm clock each morning, I think that is the norm. What annoys the shit out of me is people who use the snooze button for an hour. I think it is pointless.

It is especially bothersome if you are dating/sleeping with someone who relies on that alarm clock and uses that snooze button. Especially if you don't have to be up first. They just hit that button every five minutes for an hour and you just want to snap.

What I don't get is how someone can fall back to sleep KNOWING that alarm will be buzzing in five minutes. I mean, seriously, if I wake up to pee within a half hour of the time I have to be up...I can't fall back to sleep.

I guess my annoying habit is sleeping with the TV on all night.....with the volume off. The flickering light of the TV soothes and helps me fall asleep. I like waking up and turning up the volume to listen/watch the news. I like to know what's going on in the world/in New York before I leave the house.

What's your take on the snooze button?

Catching Up

  

Hello bloggers. I've been MIA for a few days. Now that cooler weather is approaching, I'll be writing quite a bit more.

So, here's what I've been up to.......since we last "chatted."

RUNNING- I am back to a full running schedule. 16 miles since Saturday. I am sore! It's amazing what a little time off can do in the pain department. I hadn't run regularly since July, so a couple of months off was enough. I am feeling great. That combined with a "diet" is making me feel amazing.

ABOUT THAT DIET- I haven't had sweets in FOUR days. For those of you who know me, you know that sugar is my crack. I seriously have had headaches, the shakes, a dizziness since Friday when I had my last sugary treat. Once I get past this first week I should be fine. All I have eaten since Saturday are veggies, fruits, cereals, nuts, grilled chicken, rice cakes, and a TON of water. It's amazing how fast pounds drop off in just a couple of days!

WRITING- Just not on here. I am working on some stand-up material. Now that Sugar V's busy travel schedule is over, I am going to bring him in on the creativity. I am seriously thinking about going to an amateur night and seeing what I can do!

By the way, the John Lennon movie was amazing and so was the dinner in the city. Although I couldn't eat what I really wanted because of my "diet" I still love that place! The company wasn't so bad either. ;) I can't wait for the Strawberry Fields vigil on 12/8.

This weekend, I am headed back into the city with Sugar V, Nebraska girl, and a "mystery" girl that Sugar V knows from work. It's always fun meeting someone new, hey you never know......

I am still waiting for Joe Torre to stop resting players and for the Yankees to just clinch the division already. Clinch it now so you have TWO weeks to rest your stars and get your rotation in order for the playoffs!!!! I am beyond frustrated. I am pretty sure I can get my hands on playoff tickets, I can't wait!!!!!

Random observation.....I saw a girl on a pay phone this weekend. A fuckin' pay phone! Who uses pay phones? Who carries coin? Strange indeed.

My dog Bruce will eat anything. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, whatever I eat he has to taste. I love that dog so much. He is someone who never lets you down......

What's new with all of you?

Finally! A Good Movie on the Horizon!

  

It's been a while since I was excited about a movie opening up. Lately, I've seen trailer after trailer for movies that haven't really captured my interest. Friday night, a movie about John Lennon (The US vs John Lennon) opens up in NYC and Los Angeles. (It opens for everyone else in a week). For those of you who know me, you know what a huge John Lennon/Beatles fan I am. I love John's solo work as much as his work with the Beatles. What I liked even more about John was his politics, his passion, and the way he made us challenge ourselves by "imagining."

The movie portrays a time in our country's history that is hauntingly familiar to what is going on right now. A country divided by it's leadership, by war, by religion, a struggle for civil rights, and a host of other social and political issues. It focuses on how our government tried to stop him from speaking out. (sounds a lot like our current state of affairs).

We are looking forward to venturing into NYC in the early evening on Saturday, having a fabulous meal in my favorite restaurant (Becco) and then heading to the show. I am sure it will be a perfect late summer/early fall evening. I'll have the review next week. I usually only go to "Strawberry Fields" on the anniversary of John's death, but a cool crisp night might make the walk very tempting on Saturday.

Oh, yeah "Jackass 2" opens up the following weekend, you know I will be there, that stuff cracks me up! That will open on Long Island, I wouldn't venture into NYC for "Jackass!"

What Have We Learned?

The NYC I will always remember... 

Five years has passed. Some say it does not feel like five years, it seems like yesterday. I suppose it depends on your perspective. For me, a lot has happened personally since 9/11/01 and so much has happened in the world. In many ways it seems longer than five years ago.

Today is definitely a day of reflection. Thoughts of those who perished and thoughts of those who sacrificed for others. It also should be a day of reflecting on what we learned and lessons that maybe we did not learn.

No matter what you may believe happened five years ago today, the government's version of events or other versions, we know people lost their lives and our way of life has dramatically changed since that crystal clear day in 2001.

I don't feel we as a nation have really learned all that much. Two months or so after the event, people who were not directly affected by the tragedy went on with life as usual. Our government, little by little, stripped us of our freedoms while we all sat by and watched. The person "responsible" for the attacks is still at large, the Taliban is making a major comeback in Afghanistan, while much of our resources are being spent in Iraq. Our dependency on foreign oil has not diminished, nor have any major steps been taken to lessen that dependency. 87% of the cargo that comes into our ports is not inspected, while only 34 airports in the United States have the proper explosive detection machines. $350 billion has been spent in Iraq, while almost 2700 of our troops have died there. A new breeding ground for terrorists has been created there. Our country still blindly supports Israel no matter what actions they take.

If we want to properly honor those who perished five years ago today, then we need to stop having blind faith in the flag and in our leaders and push for change. Why not start 2 months from now, on election day? The House is up for election and so are many Senate seats. Get out and vote and start the process of change. Stop driving gas guzzling SUV's with "Support our Troops" magnets on them. Want to support the troops? Vote for new leadership and get them home! Want to be patriotic and wave the flag? Great, do it, but do it knowing we are the best country we can be, don't do it because the government or the media jam patriotism down our throats.

For me, five years of the status quo is enough. I want to honor these fallen Americans both here on 9/11 and abroad in battle by making changes in this country. Changes that are in the best interests of we, the people. The people who get up every day and make this country what it is.

Held Captive

  

So, what do you make of this girl held captive for the last 8.5 years? Natascha Kampusch, now 18, had been held captive since she was 10 years old. That has to suck in so many ways. Think of all the things you miss during those years. The thing I don't understand is that the dude who held her captive would bring her out to stores and stuff. Why wouldn't she scream or run like hell? I don't get it.

Age 10-18 would have been a tough age to be held captive, but at my age it would be kind of a vacation. Not having to go to work each day, bonus right there. I suppose it depends on who's holding me hostage. If it was Jessica Alba, I don't need to go back into society, just hold me prisoner until I die. If it was some dude having his way with me.....you know I'd find a way out.

So, here are some things I would NOT miss if I were held captive for 8 years:

Going to work. A niiiiice 8 year vacation is in order!
Paying bills. Let the kidnapper pay them!
No fighting over the remote, the dude with the gun always wins that battle!
Deciding what to wear. I imagine my choices would be limited.
Driving. I'd have a personal chauffer....the kidnapper.
The tough choice of what to make for dinner.
Shaving. I think the ZZ Top look is hot.

Those are just a few of the things I would not miss.....

I'll Have a Screwdriver!

I heard the funniest story this weekend. A friend of mine's father was in Omaha, Nebraska about 30 years ago for a wedding. He and the rest of the wedding party went out the night before the wedding to drink at a bar in Omaha. They go up to the bartender and order their drinks. My friend's father says "I'll have a screwdriver." So the bartender says "You want what...a screwdriver????" My friend's father says "YES! A Screwdriver!" The bartender says, "Are you sure?????" My friend's father says "Of course I am sure!!!" So the bartender leaves the bar area for about 45 seconds and comes back with a phillips head screwdriver and hands it to my friend's father!!!!!!!! My friend's father says, "A screwdriver is Vodka and Orange Juice!!!" The bartender says, "We don't have any Orange Juice, would you like some Ne-Hi Orange Soda???"

Hahahahahahahaha crazy people out there........