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Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– For the first time ever I’ve got 2 systems connected to the ‘Net simultaneously.
– I bought a ‘Wireless-N USB 2.0 Adapter‘ for my antique laptop.
– That’s the laptop that was my main system before I bought my new desktop.
– It’s so old that wireless technology was a mere option when it was new.
– Now I can access the Internet whereever there’s Wi-Fi.
– OK so I’m about 5 years behind the times here – at least I arrived.
– This suddenly rejuvenated laptop is going on a long road trip with me !
– Next Thursday night at this time I’ll be on vacation.
– I’m actually working for about 5 hours next Thursday morning.
– After that I’m off for the rest of the month.
– I return back to work to celebrate my 22ND anniversary at the air base.
– I’ve got an early departure time to hit the road next Friday morning.
– I’ve got about 825 miles to cover on the first day of my road trip.
– I can’t wait to get out on that open road.
– Late this morning I ventured over to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s for Lunch.
– I rarely eat cheeseburgers nowadays, but when I do Beef’s is the place.
– They also serve up some mightly tasty buffalo wings !
– Pretty much everything that I’ve ordered there was hot and delicious.
– Well the cold air from the north is advecting our area as I type this.
– Once the skies clear out our temperatures will tumble rapidly.
– I’m forecasting a low of 56° for Homestead from 6 AM to 7 AM on Friday.
– But wind chills will actually be closer to 50° !
– Tomorrow (Friday) we will struggle to reach 75°.
– It’ll be another chilly morning on Saturday.
– I can’t wait until I can walk around my neighbourhood in it !
– That’s right – I’m doin’ a ‘Walk-A-Thon’ on Saturday morning.
– This Saturday night on the ‘Retro’ I’ve got a funky Neil Sedaka from 1975.
– But first before that we’re gonna do the “Jungle Boogie” at the ‘Disco Party’.
– Be sure not to miss those weekend shenanigans.
– Those are my ‘Mini Thoughts’ for this Thursday night.
– I thank you for checking them out, and I’ll see ya back here tomorrow.
– In the meantime – REMEMBER THIS !

Chris At The Beach

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Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

1.  Today was a very tough day at work for me and my co-workers in my building at the air base. We received the unsettling news shortly after 7 AM that one of our own was down on the street (SW 288TH St. – just down the road from the base) in very bad shape after being t-boned by a car and thrown off of his motorcycle. Word came in a short while later that he had died as a result of his injuries. Our building was in mourning for much of the day, and one of the  Base Chaplains spent much of the day with us. The guy that we lost was well liked by all, and I considered him as one of my favourite people to talk to and hang out with during the course of any given work day. Yesterday afternoon I spent the last 10 minutes of my work day doing just that – talking, hanging out, and laughing with him – not knowing that it would be the last time that I would ever be able to do that. God – Please bless Kevin up in Heaven, and take care of my buddy. I know that he’s in a much better place now that he’s with You. Thank You Kevin for being a good man – and for being my friend.

2.  This was actually the 2ND death in our base’s extended work family in the span of roughly 36 hours. The pilot who lost his life on Sunday night when his private plane crashed into the Everglades near I-75 was also one of our own. He was a Lieutenant Colonel / Deputy Commander on the base, and I used to work with him back in the mid-1990s when he was a Captain. He left work on Sunday night, went to Tamiami Airport, and took off in his plane to fly back home to North Central Florida. He never made it. He was 49.

3.  Yesterday was Day 7 of my severe cold that was born at work exactly one week ago today, and I still had a noticeable trace of the leftovers of the cold via sporadic sinus pressure and drainage issues. I’m not yet ready to officially declare my cold to be completely done and over with because I just now blew my nose quite thoroughly, and a lot of excess leftover snottage came out and my nose made some funny drainage sounds during the process. I do wish to thank my friends Airborne, Zicam, and Cold-EEZE for their great efforts to make me feel just a little bit better during the peak of the severe cold.

4.  I never knew that my all-time favourite take-out Chinese Food restaurant actually has the biggest, boldest, and bestest chicken wings in town – but they do. I deviated from my regular Lunch on Monday, as I ordered a pint of won ton soup, an order of 4 chicken wings, and an egg roll. These chicken wings were GINORMOUS. They were hot, juicy, and tasty. I highly recommend them. I must warn you though that these are your standard fried chicken wings – no sauce – no seasoning – but if that’s all that you want – and you want them BIG – then go and get you some at Shanghai over at the Waterstone Plaza in Homestead.

5.  Get ready for cooler and dryer air to sweep through America’s Riviera early this Thursday morning. Our coolest morning should actually be Friday with actual air temperatures bottoming out in the upper-50s and wind chills in the mid-50s. Friday should be sunny, crisp, cool, and dry with temperatures getting no higher than the mid-70s. It should be a little bit warmer on Saturday, Sunday, and beyond, but no rain is expected after tomorrow (Wednesday).

Be sure to check back here in about 48 hours for my weekly ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’ in bullet statements of 15 words or less.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day here in the U.S.A. Never forget all of those brave men and women who have served and who are currently serving our country and defending democracy and freedom during wartime.

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Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

1.  This was originally going to be a quick tweet from me, but then I decided to upgrade it to a full-blown ‘Grab Bag O’ Thought’. This happened on the way home from work this afternoon on Speedway Boulevard (Miami-Dade County’s SW 137TH Avenue in Homestead). One slow-moving vehicle (in this case a ‘soccer-mom minivan’) can disrupt the normal flow of traffic on a single stretch of roadway for miles affecting dozens of motorists. I generally drive on the slow side. Typically out of every 10 vehicles on the road today 8 will pass me at any given time, and I will pass 2 of them. When I make note of a slow-moving vehicle then it must really be a slow-moving vehicle. These drivers are generally oblivious to the rush hour world around them. Just because you’re driving real slow does not necessarily mean that you’re driving real safe. It usually means that you’re being distracted while driving. Oh yeah – get out of the left lane !

2.  Speaking of my car by chance this past Saturday morning I checked out that brand new car wash that recently opened up on Useless-One caddy-corner to The Big Cheese. I was their only customer at the time, and I got my car washed on the outside and cleaned and dressed on the inside. They took their time and did it right. My 6½-year-old car looks nearly sparkling new now on the inside. The ultimate results far exceeded my overall expectations. I plan to be a regular customer of them in the future. After I return home from my upcoming road trip I’ll be going back there for a wash and wax !

3.  It’s Election Day here in Homestead, and I’m so glad that I’ve already voted via absentee ballot. I do it that way in lieu of being insulted at the voting precinct (inside and outside). It’s just so much more civil voting in the privacy of my own living room. On this day we’ve got the incumbant Mayor who’s a loose cannon, says what’s on her mind, and publicly degrades people along the way who she doesn’t agree with. Running against her for the job is a guy with a lot of experience in Homestead politics who’s (allegedly) got a short temper and gets into street fights with citizens (allegedly). I hesitantly voted for one of these candidates – not really for the person but really more as a vote against the other person.

4.  Last Tuesday night in the ‘Grab Bag’ I mentioned the fact that I picked up several of 8 colds in 12 months from November 2007 to November 2008 at Starbucks. Once I stopped going there I stopped getting colds. This past weekend I went back there to pick up a package of VIA Ready Brew (instant coffee). I did so because it’s the most delicious instant coffee that I’ve ever tasted in my entire life. Fast forward to this afternoon, and I believe that I now have my first genuine cold in about a year. In defense of Starbucks though I don’t believe that I picked up this cold from there. I think I got the nasty germs earlier today from either Publix or our base gymnasium. I’ll be able to confirm the mere existence of this cold as soon as later tonight or tomorrow morning – especially if it gets worse.

5.  Get ready for more seasonal (normal) temperatures around these parts of the free nation starting on Thursday and continuing through the weekend. Expect mid-afternoon high temperatures right around the 80°F mark and early-morning low temperatures deep down into the lower-60s with wind chills into the upper-50s. The humidity will be low, and the winds will be brisk and cool. Later in November I’m forecasting a major continental shift in the weather pattern (induced by El Niño) that will surge much colder air deep into Florida.

Be sure to check out my ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’ in a mere 48 hours or less, and until then stay up-to-date with what I’m thinking and doing via my Twitter account.

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Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– Let’s get spontaneous.
– Let’s be extreme.
– Only 56 more hours until Daylight Saving Time ends and Standard Time begins.
– I’m lookin’ forward to that.
– I’ll appreciate the hint of daylight on my way to work shortly after 6 AM.
– I wish we stayed on Standard Time all year long.
– It was another meeting-filled Thursday at work.
– I was in our conference room for about 3 hours of various meetings.
– It’s sort of like the boardroom on “The Apprentice“.
– I dig it because I never get fired.
– If you adore the hot and humid weather then this is your last gasp to enjoy it.
– More normal temperatures return next week with a series of cold fronts.
– I’m also expecting a major cooldown in about 2 to 3 weeks.
– I hinted about that on my Twitter account last night.
– Are you ready for an unusually chilly and wet winter season ?
– December, January, and February could be ridiculous around these parts !
– I’m lookin’ forward to much lower electric bills this winter.
– They typically average as much as 60% lower than during the summer months.
– I’m hoping to kickstart ‘The Major’s Walk-A-Thon’ on Saturday December 05TH.
– That’s where I walk around my neighbourhood early on Saturday mornings.
– I pray for my neighbours, enjoy God’s creations around me, and get healthy.
– Those are 3 things that I never did prior to the start of this fantastic journey.
– 3 weeks from tomorrow morning my long road trip to and from Texas begins.
– I plan to start packing up my car with odds and ends to take with me soon.
– The best part of it all is that I can bring whatever I feel like bringing.
– There is no charge for my luggage, and there is no weight limit.
– Sat. is Halloween for those of you that care enough to send the very best.
– I’ve got a special double feature for you here on the big scary blog.
– First in the morning it’s a special ‘Halloween Morning Shenanigans’.
– Then at night on ‘Retro’ we’re gonna do “The Monster Mash”.
– But before that tomorrow night is Disco night.
– I’ve got the # 1 smash in the U.S. the day Jimmy Carter became President.
– Be sure to check that out, and enjoy your upcoming weekend !
– Be safe, and turn around – don’t drown.