SOOO much going on...so little time.

Ok, there is so much that is happening in my life right now that I would love to talk about, but the fact is that I am so stinking busy that I feel like I barely have time to eat lunch or dinner let alone find some time to crank out a post.

Quick thoughts-

• My sister is in from out of town with her two sons and staying with me. Great to see her and the boys.
• This past weekend was non-stop with a surprise party and family reunion on Saturday (all afternoon and into the evening). Sunday was my nephews Baptism and then a family get togther afterwards to celebrate that as well as my nieces birthday. I got home from church, got changed, and then cooked up a HUGE batch of biscuits and gravy (of which there was nothing left of the gravy...). Add to that needing to get birthday gifts, and baptism gifts, and driving my grandmother to and from the surprise party-reunion. Whew....
• Busy season at work started, oh about 2 months earlier than normal and I am up to my eyeballs with accelerated deadlines.
• My ex is still a piece of work (that's why they are ex's right?)
• Andy Card just resigned from the White House (see my poli-blog for that)
• Demonstrators are furious that the country is trying to stop the flooding of illegal immigrants into this country. (see my poli-blog for that also)

There are probably more things that I could list, but once again, I do not have time. Oh well, I should be used to the turmoil in my life. At least I don't have twins.....just a teenager.

Later....

Best day of your life

I was watching city Slickers the other night and at one point in the film, the question is asked "What was the best day of your life?"

So I started thinking about that, and in keeping with the rules laid out in the film, the birth of children doesn't count as that is too easy.

The best day of my life was when I was about 7 or 8 years old. It was a summer day and my Great-Grandfather took me fishing at a place called the "Fisherman's Dude Ranch". It was a big lake in a suburb west and north of Chicago.

The property was fenced off with homes and apartments surrounding it and was along one of the main roads in the town. Besides the big lake which had your normal assortment of panfish, bass and even northern pike, they also had two or three smaller ponds. These ponds were only about 3 feet deep at the most and were stocked with trout, lots of trout, lots of hungry large (8 - 10 lbs was not unusual) trout. You rented a pole and could fish the ponds and pay by the pound for whatever fish you caught.

As a young boy these fish were absolutely huge to me. I remember putting the hook in the water (no bait needed as these fish were perpetually hungry and would nibble at your finger) and within about 3 seconds I had a bite. I pulled the fish out of the water (with help from my great grandfather and a net) and was amazed at how quick I caught this fish and the size. I wanted to do it again. My great-grandfather said that I could 'try' it one more time. So in went the hook and about 15 seconds later out came a fish. I was beside myself with pride.

The man at the counter cleaned and bagged the fish for us to take home. I remember sitting in the front passenger seat of the 1970 Oldsmobile Delta 88, the smell of the new car and the air conditioner, and talking fish tales with my great-grandfather about what I had just caught and the 'ones that got away'.

My Great-Grandfather died 26 years ago, but I will never forget that day almost 35 years ago. When a man took time on a summer day to take his great-grandson fishing.


So, what was the best day of your life? And no you cannot say the birth of your children...it's too easy. Leave a comment and share your story.

The ways people find you

I know that I give the address of this blog to friends and family and they will pass it along. I am also linked on a couple of sites, my best friends personal blog and the other blog that I co-author with him. There may be a few others but those are two right off the top of my head.

I was reading the latest entries by Sarah (as I often do) and she had an entry about word searches that people have done that ended up at her blog. So I decided to see what kind of searches are bringing people to mine.

Here are some of the recent search phrases that have brought people to my door if you will:

• scotts kid
• scott's liquid gold (told ya I was worth my weight in gold..)
• toby keith alien ford commercial
• lola
• i want to do bad things to you
• career builder monkee

Interesting, but I have to work on getting people directed my way with weird words and combo's I will have to think about that. I'll do that while I cook up another batch of 'Bone Suckin Sauce' :-)

Words for search... Shrimp Alfredo Garcia

Today’s random tune from Lola

This is appropriate considering I have been increasingly feeling the need to smell the sea air and walk in the sand…..cabin fever, you betcha….

“Boat Drinks” by Jimmy Buffett

Boat drinks. Boys in the band ordered boat drinks.
Visitors just scored on the home rink.
Everything seems to be wrong.

Lately, newspaper mentioned cheap airfare.
I've got to fly to Saint Somewhere.
I'm close to bodily harm.

Twenty degress and the hockey games on.
Nobody cares; they are way too far gone,
screamin' "Boat drinks," somethin'to keep them all warm.
This morning I shot six holes in my freezer.
I think I got cabin fever.
Somebody sound the alarm.
I'd like to go where the pace of life's slow.
Could you beam me somewhere, Mister Scott?
Any old place here on Earth or in space.
You pick the century and I'll pick the spot.

I know I should be leaving this climate.
I got a verse but can't rhyme it.
I gotta go where it's warm.

Boat drinks.
Waitress, I need two more boat drinks.
Then I'm headin south 'fore my dream shrinks.
I gotta where it's warm.

I gotta go where it's warm.
I gotta go where it's warm.
I gotta go where there ain't any snow,
where there ain't any blow,
'cause my fin sinks so low.
I gotta go where it's warm.


I can smell the ocean already. Fins to the left of me, fins to the right.....

Later.

Watch the lady with peanuts

A bus is taking a group of seniors to a casino in a neighboring state. About an hour into the trip the driver feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns to see an elderly woman standing behind him and she offers him a handful of peanuts. He thanks her, takes the peanuts and eats them.

Over the next half-hour the same woman comes back 5 more times with handfuls of peanuts for the driver.

The sixth time the woman comes up the driver says ‘you and your friends must love peanuts”. The woman says “oh we don’t like peanuts”. The driver asks the woman “why do you buy them?”, to which the woman replies “we like to suck the chocolate off of them!”

Quick thought on driving

This morning I am on the tollway driving to the office. I am moving along with traffic and we are all doing about 65 to 70. Up behind me comes a new Mercedes.

Now, it is nearing the end of the morning rush period and there are a lot of cars still on the road. All 3 lanes are filled with cars staggered as they are by speed, spacing, etc.

We are in the left lane and little 'Ms. Mercedes' begins to tailgate. I tap the brakes to get her to put a little more space between us, which she does for about 10 seconds. So as we continue down the road there is no room to just change lanes and let 'Speed Racerette' zip on by. However as we pass cars in the middle lane she continually moves over to the right to see if she has enough room to jump to the right, pass me and zip in front of me. Well there is not, as I said the lanes are full. But she continues on her mission and at least half a dozen times changes into the middle lane only to immediately come back to the left lane as the left is still moving faster.

Now the entire time she is jumping back and forth there is no signaling the lane change. No she just looks like she is driving on an invisible slalom course.

Eventually we pass a number of cars and I can see that the middle lane opens up ahead. Seeing that this opening exists (and that my exit is coming up in a couple of miles) I decide that I am going to move over to the middle lane and let little miss 'brain surgeon' zip on her way (or at least speed up for 300 feet before she hits more traffic...)

So as I was saying, we pass the cars and the middle lanes opens up. Just as I pass the lead car I begin to change lanes while at the same time using my turn signal to indicate that I am changing lanes. Just as I am simultaneously doing this maneuver the Mercedes has stepped on her accelerator and started to change lanes! (again without signaling her lane change)

At this point I move over to the middle as she jerks back to the left. I have my left hand raised inside the car and waving to signify "you're an idiot, what the hell is your problem?!" (no I am not flipping her the 'bird') She obviously sees this gesture as she slows down a little and proceeds to pass me a little more cautiously.

As she passes I look over. She is in her mid to late 30's, has tunnel vision and is staring straight ahead with a blank look of confusion on her face and a death grip on the steering wheel.

Great, another clueless person who has no business driving as she is obviously scared to death and can't even remove her left hand from the wheel long enough to activate the turn signal. And driving a Mercedes..how do clueless people end up with money and how did this one get a drivers license?? Can you image what her driving will be like when she is in 20 or 30 years?

Eventually we hit the off-ramp and get on the adjoining tollroad. I can see her up ahead still trying to pass other cars, weaving in and out of lanes, cutting over to the off ramp at the last second cutting off other cars and trucks again without signaling a lane change and barely using her brakes.

10 miles later as I am getting off the tollroad I see her. She is two cars in front of me at the stop-light. So in 15 miles she has almost caused at a minimum 5 possible accidents, pissed off probably about 50 other drivers. All this and she winds up 50 feet in front of me.

After the light changes she turns into a business park.

I hope she was late for her meeting.

Karma baby !

Random i-pod tune for the day

Ok, last night was the first time I took Lola to the gym with me and was she inspirational! I normally do about 12 -15 minutes on the eliptical, but with Lola crankin out the tunes before I knew it 26 minutes had flown by. So I hit shuffle for one last tune to get me to an even 30 minutes of sweating and the song stuck with me the rest of the night and was in my head this morning. Enjoy.....

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'Switch' by Will Smith


Mic check, mic check
Yeah here he go
Nah he over here, I heard he got that hot new thang
It's called SWITCH

Let's get it going
(Heeeeeeeey, Heeeeeeeey)
Turn it over and
HIT IT
Turn around now
SWITCH
Turn it over now
HIT IT
Heeeeeeeey

Vibe the vibe a second
It's a club girl
Why you arriving naked
Here that how
The veteran glide the record
But don't download go out and buy the record
(Heeeeeeeey... Heeeeeeeey)
There's something sexy about a girl on the floor
All her friends around her
I mean real clean
I ain't gotta touch or nothin
It ain't like I like it chick on chick or something
I'm just a sucker for a hot track
Gimme a drink and a chick to tell stop that
The dance is a hop and a clap
Flip it round, bring it on back, break it down
NOW SWITCH

(Heeeeeeeey, Heeeeeeeey)
Turn it over and
HIT IT
Turn it around now
SWITCH
(Heeeeeeeey, Heeeeeeeey)
Turn it over and
HIT IT
Ohhh La La La
SWITCH (repeat)

I got a question
I need to ask somebody
Why is it that when ya’ll see me at the party?
Ya’ll be looking like
Ooh He a movie star
He ain't suppose to be out on the floor with everybody
But oooh wait whooa
Ya’ll forgetting when I was amateur spitting
Before the scripts was written
I was the first one in, last one out the club
Bursting in, passing out in the club
Back at it this cat is the wit and the charm
Taking you higher like a syringe hitting your arm
Bringing the fire making you binge
Ring the alarm
Let me see you clap and spin baby
Come on

(Heeeeeeeey, Heeeeeeeey)
Turn it over and
HIT IT
Turn it around now
SWITCH
(Heeeeeeeey, Heeeeeeeey)
Turn it over and
HIT IT
Ohhh La La La
SWITCH (repeat)

Oh, you just gonna stand there, huh
What you too cute to dance or you scared

It ain't really that hard to do
I aint trying to be in love with you
All I wanted was a moment or two
To see if you could do that switcharoo
Shut ya mouth
Get ya crew
The thick body and the red one too
I'll be right hear waiting on you
To see if ya’ll can do that switcharoo
Heeeeeeeey, Heeeeeeeey
That's what I'm talking bout
Do that there ma
That's what I'm talking bout
Do that there ma
That's what I'm talking bout
Do that there ma
That's what I'm talking bout

(Heeeeeeeey, Heeeeeeeey)
Turn it over and
HIT IT
Turn it around now
SWITCH
(Heeeeeeeey, Heeeeeeeey)
Turn it over and
HIT IT
Ohhh La La La
SWITCH (repeat)


Ok, now I am ready to go back to the gym. It's amazing what the right tunes can do for your motivation.

Later.

Some Family Guy for a mid-week break

It's Wednesday and I know that I could use a laugh to break up the work week.

Enjoy.

Chris: Dad, what's the blow-hole for?
Peter: I'll tell you what it's not for son. And when I do, you'll understand why I can never go back to Sea World.


Tom Tucker: Stay tuned for our special investigative report on the clitoris, "Nature's Rubik's Cube".


Lois: Oh, I haven't been on a college campus in years. Eveything seems so different.
Stewie: Really? Perhaps if you laid on your back with your ankles behind your ears that would ring a few bells.

Lola Speaks

You all know who Lola is from my previous post. Today, she officially spoke for the first time....

I hit shuffle on the i-pod and todays song is "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield. I remember summertime, 1981 (yes the song is 25 years old...), driving with all the windows down and this was just one of the tunes crankin out of the Pioneer... oh the memories...

Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield from the album 'Working Class Dog'

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Jessie is a friend
Yeah I know he's been a good friend of mine
But lately something's changed
It ain't hard to define
Jessie's got himself a girl and I want to make her mine

And she's watching him with those eyes
And she's lovin' him with that body,I just know it
And he's holding her in his arms late, late at night

You know I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I wish that I had Jessie's girl
Where can I find a woman like that

I play along with the charade
There doesn't seem to be a reason to change
You know I feel so dirty when they start talking cute
I wanna tell her that I love her but the point is probably moot

'Cause she's watching him with those eyes
And she's lovin' him with that body, I just know it
And he's holding her in his arms late, late at night

You know I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I wish that I had Jessie's girl
Where can I find a woman like that

Like Jessie's girl, I wish that I had Jessie's girl
Where can I find a woman
Where can I find a woman like that

And I'm lookin' in the mirror all the time
Wondering what she don't see in me
I've been funny, I've been cool with the lines
Ain't that the way love's supposed to be

Tell me
Where can I find a woman like that

You know I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I want Jessie's girl
Where can I find a woman like that
Like Jessie's girl
I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I want I want Jessie's girl


Now I am in the mood to hear "I've Done Everything for You".

Thanks a lot Lola, how about some AC/DC next time....

I would like to introduce Lola

She's Black/Chrome, 30 gigabites with video, has 177 songs already loaded onto her and I call her Lola... That's right, I did it, I bought an i-pod.

I have had Lola for a little over 24 hours and I can see why so many people love theirs.

I already learned how to convert wma. files to mp3. Now I need to learn how to download movies and videos.

Lola is pretty cool and I can see her and I spending a lot of time together. More to come......