just got back from PCL's company picnic. talk about a yawner. it seems that you gotta get drunk at every one of their functions to even have a good time anymore. the fun level is so underwhelming...
as usual, it was at Heritage Square, which is becoming more and more of a ghost town. more than half of the places are shuttered and the ones that are open are really sad shops that don't offer anything unique; you may as well head over to the card shop at the mall or one of the many Korean-owned souvenir shops downtown.
as we were leaving, we both came to the conclusion that they need to put the picnic in a different location - it is getting so long in the tooth. granted, it's very nice that they pay for activity wristbands that include the go karts, paddleboats, and even unlimited miniature golf, but that's the thing, once everyone gorges on the spread, they're gone. the limbo contest, tacky hawaiian shirt, and hula hoop contest just don't excite anyone. either they need to change locations and/or have better activities. the free beer and steaks just don't cut it for us anymore ;)
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Friday, July 29, 2005
buzzzzzz...
that's what. i got a real pleasant buzz going on in my brain. James and I ended going to the Bull & Bush. It's an English style pub that is known for its great ribs and excellent beer brewed in house. Although it has been around for about 35 years now, I've only been goin' there for about 10 ;)
Anyway, we got there right before happy hour ended...meaning we were still able to get house pints for $2.50 and half-price apps...yay! so we got a couple IPAs (India Pale Ales), nachos, and wings.
about 20 minutes later, our server came by to clear plates and check on us. turns out that between 6 and 7 PM on fridays, the beer is free...no way! WAY! so he tried their hefeweizen and i got an ESB (Extra Special Bitter). James is partial to german style beers - army guy who served a two year stint there. whenever we're in a place that offers one, he's gotta try it out. as for me, i like the floral headiness of IPAs and the slightly bitter finish of ESBs...not to mention the higher alcoholic content of both - usually in the 6-8% range. don't get me wrong, i'm no beer snob like the wine guys in 'Sideways.' i'll drink most beer if it's free and will partake in Budweiser pitchers with the guys when we go out for wings...BUT if there's better beer to be had, then i'm gonna order it. Man can only drink so much cheap beer that's just gonna make you take repeated trips to the urinal ;)
while we were on our second round, we caught the U.S. Pro Eating Championships on one of their many TVs. what a spectacle! i'm sure many of you may have witnessed the highlights of the annual hot dog eating contests during the July 4th holiday. ever since the little Japanese guy (Takeru Kobayashi) started dominating this competition a few years ago, there's always a highlight reel of his winning performance...we're talking about eating up to 54 hot dogs and bun in 12 minutes!
well, i had read about a local guy who was eliminated in the first round of the championships. apparently, eating fried mozzarella cheese sticks is not his forté. what we watched tonight was a spaghetti eating round. people, we are talking about how many pounds of spaghetti and sauce you can force down in a period of fourteen minutes. we witnessed the world champ hot wings eater (a teeny 105 lb. lady) wolf down ten pounds in the allotted time. we were in awe until we saw Mr. Kobayashi stroll in (like a champion prizefighter). not surprisingly, he was the number one seed. and he freakin' demolished his competition (who watched in total awe). the guy ate 13.8 lbs. of spaghetti in 14 minutes!!! OMG! i'm positive i could do maybe five pounds...but 13.8 pounds is sure death and/or glycemic seizure. and i outweigh the guy by 50 lbs.!!!
seeing that free beer hour was coming to an end, our third round was a couple house ambers. i cannot believe that we were able to hang out for a couple hours, get free beer, eat cheap apps, and watch some kee-razy gluttony for $13 (plus a $9 tip).
friday gatherings at the B&B has some serious potential...
Anyway, we got there right before happy hour ended...meaning we were still able to get house pints for $2.50 and half-price apps...yay! so we got a couple IPAs (India Pale Ales), nachos, and wings.
about 20 minutes later, our server came by to clear plates and check on us. turns out that between 6 and 7 PM on fridays, the beer is free...no way! WAY! so he tried their hefeweizen and i got an ESB (Extra Special Bitter). James is partial to german style beers - army guy who served a two year stint there. whenever we're in a place that offers one, he's gotta try it out. as for me, i like the floral headiness of IPAs and the slightly bitter finish of ESBs...not to mention the higher alcoholic content of both - usually in the 6-8% range. don't get me wrong, i'm no beer snob like the wine guys in 'Sideways.' i'll drink most beer if it's free and will partake in Budweiser pitchers with the guys when we go out for wings...BUT if there's better beer to be had, then i'm gonna order it. Man can only drink so much cheap beer that's just gonna make you take repeated trips to the urinal ;)
while we were on our second round, we caught the U.S. Pro Eating Championships on one of their many TVs. what a spectacle! i'm sure many of you may have witnessed the highlights of the annual hot dog eating contests during the July 4th holiday. ever since the little Japanese guy (Takeru Kobayashi) started dominating this competition a few years ago, there's always a highlight reel of his winning performance...we're talking about eating up to 54 hot dogs and bun in 12 minutes!
well, i had read about a local guy who was eliminated in the first round of the championships. apparently, eating fried mozzarella cheese sticks is not his forté. what we watched tonight was a spaghetti eating round. people, we are talking about how many pounds of spaghetti and sauce you can force down in a period of fourteen minutes. we witnessed the world champ hot wings eater (a teeny 105 lb. lady) wolf down ten pounds in the allotted time. we were in awe until we saw Mr. Kobayashi stroll in (like a champion prizefighter). not surprisingly, he was the number one seed. and he freakin' demolished his competition (who watched in total awe). the guy ate 13.8 lbs. of spaghetti in 14 minutes!!! OMG! i'm positive i could do maybe five pounds...but 13.8 pounds is sure death and/or glycemic seizure. and i outweigh the guy by 50 lbs.!!!
seeing that free beer hour was coming to an end, our third round was a couple house ambers. i cannot believe that we were able to hang out for a couple hours, get free beer, eat cheap apps, and watch some kee-razy gluttony for $13 (plus a $9 tip).
friday gatherings at the B&B has some serious potential...
argh...
what is up with the tag board? is it just mine...or has it totally gone kaput in the last couple weeks. ah well.
just got a message from Cindi, wanting to get together next week before her summer of freedom comes to another shoddy end. well, i know that my summer is only highlighted by the things i do with that lady ;)
got a few more minutes before my friend, James, drops by. we're gonna grab a bite to eat and a couple brews. whenever he's in town (usually on business), we try to hang out a couple times.
just got a message from Cindi, wanting to get together next week before her summer of freedom comes to another shoddy end. well, i know that my summer is only highlighted by the things i do with that lady ;)
got a few more minutes before my friend, James, drops by. we're gonna grab a bite to eat and a couple brews. whenever he's in town (usually on business), we try to hang out a couple times.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
hot as hellllll...
but we're gonna be in a cool cinema to see this movie that Cindi so graciously offered a sneak preview pass (for). we've promised to meet her at 7:00 at Chez Artiste (crappy seats but good popcorn and better parking than the other two Landmark Theaters).
meanwhile, i have an appointment with the kinesiologist in less than an hour. i'm not sure if he can help my eye, but i'm sure my lower back (and mebbe my swollen right big toe) will be feeling better for the movie.
ugh...who ordered this record heat anyway? 'course, i'll be crying about the first snow come September ;)
meanwhile, i have an appointment with the kinesiologist in less than an hour. i'm not sure if he can help my eye, but i'm sure my lower back (and mebbe my swollen right big toe) will be feeling better for the movie.
ugh...who ordered this record heat anyway? 'course, i'll be crying about the first snow come September ;)
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
freakin' hot...
out there. staying put in the basement is a good alternative to absolutely frying outside. i know Water World will be jam packed today. no thanks. unless necessary, i don't go outside when it's above 95 degrees - digging in eastern Nevada with 115 degree temps cured me of that.
speaking of weather, we've been trying to get updates from our friend in Cancun. seems Hurricane Emily wreaked more havoc south of there, in places like PDC, Tulum, and Cozumel. that's good because we still want to visit her in September, if not sooner. Worryfreevacations.com is offering a $192 fare to Cancun provided you leave 8/10 and come back on the 20th. a fare like that is really something to consider because usual fares to Cancun are in the $425-$600 range.
we so want to go to Mexico right now. i've been thinking of my favorite taco place in Villahermosa...sigh. i could easily go for a dozen tacos al pastor and a bowl of goat soup. chase that down with a couple horchatas and i'm blissful. seriously, it's enough to make you forget about the 90+ degrees/percent humidity.
unfortunately, going to Villahermosa involves an 8-10 hour (sometimes 12) bus ride from either Mexico City or Cancun - kinda equidistant from both. a couple weeks ago, we went to dinner with our friend, Regina, who is pondering a trip with us. that would be cool. if we could just buy an open jaw ticket (i.e., Denver to Mexico City and returning from Cancun) for eight days, that might be enough. we'd probably zip her around the main sights (Metropolitan Cathedral, Bellas Artes (kinda like the Mexico City Center for Performing Arts), and maybe the Nat'l Institute of Anthropology and History. we'd eat at our favorite place, Cafe El Reloj, and do some shopping at the San Juan Market for some jewelry or at Ciudadela for everything else.
and that's just the first day ;)
the second day would probably be spent up at Teotihuacan, about an hour north of the city. it was once a huge city that had 200 thousand people about 1800 years ago. the world's third largest pyramid, The Temple of the Sun, lies smack dab in the ruins. it's about 200' high and 750' along the sides...imagine a pyramid that covers roughly the area of fifteen football fields.
maybe a half day up there and the other half in the southern part of Mexico City, namely the Coyoacan and San Angel neighborhoods. these are more affluent environs where it's quieter and really laid back. we could go to the Frida Kahlo Museum and maybe the Trotsky Museum, where you can see the room in which he was murdered with an icepick to the neck.
ooo...gruesome. of course, still not as scary as Frida Kahlo's trolley/bus accident that she was in when she was 18...and she lived. we're talking about a post that slammed into her, leaving her with a broken spine, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, and 11 fractures in her right leg. In addition, her right foot was dislocated and crushed. and the post? it entered through her side and came out of her vagi..
yeah. tell me that don't hurt. wouldn't you wish for death?
luckily, accident aside, we'd check out the beautiful house that she shared with her ever cheating husband, Diego Rivera. it's definitely a great place to escape the noise and pollution of downtown Mexico City.
the third day? hmmm. good question. i'll get back to you.
soon. i promise.
speaking of weather, we've been trying to get updates from our friend in Cancun. seems Hurricane Emily wreaked more havoc south of there, in places like PDC, Tulum, and Cozumel. that's good because we still want to visit her in September, if not sooner. Worryfreevacations.com is offering a $192 fare to Cancun provided you leave 8/10 and come back on the 20th. a fare like that is really something to consider because usual fares to Cancun are in the $425-$600 range.
we so want to go to Mexico right now. i've been thinking of my favorite taco place in Villahermosa...sigh. i could easily go for a dozen tacos al pastor and a bowl of goat soup. chase that down with a couple horchatas and i'm blissful. seriously, it's enough to make you forget about the 90+ degrees/percent humidity.
unfortunately, going to Villahermosa involves an 8-10 hour (sometimes 12) bus ride from either Mexico City or Cancun - kinda equidistant from both. a couple weeks ago, we went to dinner with our friend, Regina, who is pondering a trip with us. that would be cool. if we could just buy an open jaw ticket (i.e., Denver to Mexico City and returning from Cancun) for eight days, that might be enough. we'd probably zip her around the main sights (Metropolitan Cathedral, Bellas Artes (kinda like the Mexico City Center for Performing Arts), and maybe the Nat'l Institute of Anthropology and History. we'd eat at our favorite place, Cafe El Reloj, and do some shopping at the San Juan Market for some jewelry or at Ciudadela for everything else.
and that's just the first day ;)
the second day would probably be spent up at Teotihuacan, about an hour north of the city. it was once a huge city that had 200 thousand people about 1800 years ago. the world's third largest pyramid, The Temple of the Sun, lies smack dab in the ruins. it's about 200' high and 750' along the sides...imagine a pyramid that covers roughly the area of fifteen football fields.
maybe a half day up there and the other half in the southern part of Mexico City, namely the Coyoacan and San Angel neighborhoods. these are more affluent environs where it's quieter and really laid back. we could go to the Frida Kahlo Museum and maybe the Trotsky Museum, where you can see the room in which he was murdered with an icepick to the neck.
ooo...gruesome. of course, still not as scary as Frida Kahlo's trolley/bus accident that she was in when she was 18...and she lived. we're talking about a post that slammed into her, leaving her with a broken spine, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, and 11 fractures in her right leg. In addition, her right foot was dislocated and crushed. and the post? it entered through her side and came out of her vagi..
yeah. tell me that don't hurt. wouldn't you wish for death?
luckily, accident aside, we'd check out the beautiful house that she shared with her ever cheating husband, Diego Rivera. it's definitely a great place to escape the noise and pollution of downtown Mexico City.
the third day? hmmm. good question. i'll get back to you.
soon. i promise.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
recent news...
went to the retinal specialist yesterday and he was quite happy with the progress of the eye. when i first went to see him at the end of May, i couldn't even see two fingers in front of my face, let alone the big 'E' on the wall. and with my eye test yesterday, i could even make out the letters on the 20/40 line...even though it's harder to see in lower light conditions.
so...it is getting better...just not as fast as i want it to happen ;)
this coming monday (25th), i have one last visit with the corneal specialist before he leaves his practice; i don't know if he's moving or retiring. anyway, he's been really cool because he knows i'm uninsured and has been billing me the medicaid rate, which is about 40% less. if i continue to go to his office (w/ the replacement ophthamologist) i hope the rate won't change. if that doesn't happen, i guess i'll make the retinal specialist my ophthamologist. i like his upbeat attitude and enthusiasm. i was glad when he offered to take me on as a regular patient yesterday; it kinda took a load off my shoulders.
and since we're on the subject of yesterday, i'll let you in on our new grill caper. ya see we went to Home Depot on saturday to check out their grills. prior to the eye problems, we had considered a couple grills at Target. there were a couple really nice Brinkmann and Thermos (which is what we have) that were sturdy and affordable - $179 - $259. unfortunately, if you didn't get them by the end of june, you were out of luck. seems that they only have them in stock till the 3rd of July...yet keep them out on display even through the end of the month. makes a ton o' sense, eh?
so we found a Char Broil grill at the Depot for $199...w/ free assembly! nothing like putting something together yerself and totally screwing it up. all we had to do was go last night and pick the thing up.
i know the moon isn't quite full, but we sure had full moon happenings. it all started with trying to claim it. we saw it in front of the service desk, with someone else's name on it...and ours on a cheaper model. no problem. the guy just tore off both labels and we were on our merry way.
not so.
we recruited my brother-in-law to help us with it. he has a truck and is stronger than me. that's where we went wrong...asking him. he had brought along his best friend because we were all gonna go to Rack 'Em and shoot a little pool/snooker. his friend had cracked the right side of the plastic counter part as he lifted it into the bed of the truck. and instead of apologizing, he agonized and strode off a couple yards and lit up a cig. hello?!? ya just fucked up our grill. you could at least apologize...nut!
no problem. lois and in-law take it back in and actually get them to build us another. in-law comes back out and says that he'll help us get in a couple days, when it's finished...and leaves with friend...who doesn't even feel sheepish. we're supposed to meet at the pool hall when i drop off lois.
well, i'm waiting out there on the bench when lois comes out and asks if they've gone. yeah. turns out that they weren't going to build another. rather, they were willing to give us a display model, which was even better...if we had the truck. okay...right before we were gonna claim it, i noticed that the ignition switch was missing from the model. no go. so we just asked the guy if we could take the good counter piece off the display and replace the cracked one on our model. done.
i thought about making the guys come back and help us with it, but we were pretty much at the 'fuck it all' point and just rented one of Home Depot's big trucks instead for $20. at first, the guy who was renting it to us was a bit leery because of the time constraint - they were closing in an hour - and wondering if little 'ol lois could drive the thing. we neglected to tell him that both of us weren't quite 100% with our vision...heh. he smiled when lois told him that she had worked for a major construction company for many years and can drive a flatbed ;)
it took us about 30 minutes total to load it, take it and take out some good brush in the alley (since we drive tiny hondas) before rolling it into the backyard, and return the truck. by the time we got home, it was 10:00 and i was still seething a bit at the guys. i always have given my bro-in-law the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his strange ADD/ADHD ways. i know that he's a really good guy...but he self-medicates...and doesn't always follow through (which is Lois' worst pet peeve). but he messed up yesterday! the plan was to pick me up at 6:15 so we could get it...NOT call me numerous times to say you're running late and to eventually just ask me to meet you at Home Depot at 8:00, with goony friend in tow. had we known that, why would we go to the trouble of asking you to help us? we coulda had the damn grill in the house long before 7:00...sheeyit.
so, i was itching to go to the pool hall and stomp their asses in straight, 8-ball, 9-ball, cutthroat, snooker - you name it. i was a bit steamed to say the least. wouldn't ya know it...they weren't there when i showed...no messages on my phone either.
i hope he shows up today to pick it up...what dumbshits.
oh yeah, i wonder if there are no coincidences because as we were leaving (after dropping off the rental), we were approached by a lady who needed something. usually, that's a sign of a panhandler who is stranded in our case (i swear, you wouldn't believe how many times that has happened to us in parking lots at gas stations, major department stores, malls...it's like we have some huge neon 'sucker' sign on our foreheads). for once, that wasn't the case. this lady needed a jump and had cables - we were happy to oblige. for all we know, had not all that grill fiasco come together, that lady might still be at Home Depot on Colorado Blvd. ;)
ya think?
so...it is getting better...just not as fast as i want it to happen ;)
this coming monday (25th), i have one last visit with the corneal specialist before he leaves his practice; i don't know if he's moving or retiring. anyway, he's been really cool because he knows i'm uninsured and has been billing me the medicaid rate, which is about 40% less. if i continue to go to his office (w/ the replacement ophthamologist) i hope the rate won't change. if that doesn't happen, i guess i'll make the retinal specialist my ophthamologist. i like his upbeat attitude and enthusiasm. i was glad when he offered to take me on as a regular patient yesterday; it kinda took a load off my shoulders.
and since we're on the subject of yesterday, i'll let you in on our new grill caper. ya see we went to Home Depot on saturday to check out their grills. prior to the eye problems, we had considered a couple grills at Target. there were a couple really nice Brinkmann and Thermos (which is what we have) that were sturdy and affordable - $179 - $259. unfortunately, if you didn't get them by the end of june, you were out of luck. seems that they only have them in stock till the 3rd of July...yet keep them out on display even through the end of the month. makes a ton o' sense, eh?
so we found a Char Broil grill at the Depot for $199...w/ free assembly! nothing like putting something together yerself and totally screwing it up. all we had to do was go last night and pick the thing up.
i know the moon isn't quite full, but we sure had full moon happenings. it all started with trying to claim it. we saw it in front of the service desk, with someone else's name on it...and ours on a cheaper model. no problem. the guy just tore off both labels and we were on our merry way.
not so.
we recruited my brother-in-law to help us with it. he has a truck and is stronger than me. that's where we went wrong...asking him. he had brought along his best friend because we were all gonna go to Rack 'Em and shoot a little pool/snooker. his friend had cracked the right side of the plastic counter part as he lifted it into the bed of the truck. and instead of apologizing, he agonized and strode off a couple yards and lit up a cig. hello?!? ya just fucked up our grill. you could at least apologize...nut!
no problem. lois and in-law take it back in and actually get them to build us another. in-law comes back out and says that he'll help us get in a couple days, when it's finished...and leaves with friend...who doesn't even feel sheepish. we're supposed to meet at the pool hall when i drop off lois.
well, i'm waiting out there on the bench when lois comes out and asks if they've gone. yeah. turns out that they weren't going to build another. rather, they were willing to give us a display model, which was even better...if we had the truck. okay...right before we were gonna claim it, i noticed that the ignition switch was missing from the model. no go. so we just asked the guy if we could take the good counter piece off the display and replace the cracked one on our model. done.
i thought about making the guys come back and help us with it, but we were pretty much at the 'fuck it all' point and just rented one of Home Depot's big trucks instead for $20. at first, the guy who was renting it to us was a bit leery because of the time constraint - they were closing in an hour - and wondering if little 'ol lois could drive the thing. we neglected to tell him that both of us weren't quite 100% with our vision...heh. he smiled when lois told him that she had worked for a major construction company for many years and can drive a flatbed ;)
it took us about 30 minutes total to load it, take it and take out some good brush in the alley (since we drive tiny hondas) before rolling it into the backyard, and return the truck. by the time we got home, it was 10:00 and i was still seething a bit at the guys. i always have given my bro-in-law the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his strange ADD/ADHD ways. i know that he's a really good guy...but he self-medicates...and doesn't always follow through (which is Lois' worst pet peeve). but he messed up yesterday! the plan was to pick me up at 6:15 so we could get it...NOT call me numerous times to say you're running late and to eventually just ask me to meet you at Home Depot at 8:00, with goony friend in tow. had we known that, why would we go to the trouble of asking you to help us? we coulda had the damn grill in the house long before 7:00...sheeyit.
so, i was itching to go to the pool hall and stomp their asses in straight, 8-ball, 9-ball, cutthroat, snooker - you name it. i was a bit steamed to say the least. wouldn't ya know it...they weren't there when i showed...no messages on my phone either.
i hope he shows up today to pick it up...what dumbshits.
oh yeah, i wonder if there are no coincidences because as we were leaving (after dropping off the rental), we were approached by a lady who needed something. usually, that's a sign of a panhandler who is stranded in our case (i swear, you wouldn't believe how many times that has happened to us in parking lots at gas stations, major department stores, malls...it's like we have some huge neon 'sucker' sign on our foreheads). for once, that wasn't the case. this lady needed a jump and had cables - we were happy to oblige. for all we know, had not all that grill fiasco come together, that lady might still be at Home Depot on Colorado Blvd. ;)
ya think?
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
bits and pieces...
okay you guys, i decided to do a more complete update on the past month. however, i've gone back to certain dates and put up a post. so the majority of the posts will be right after June 12th.
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