– It’s time to continue a Thursday night tradition since January 2009.
– It’s time for some spontaneous ‘Mini Thoughts’.
– 3 out of 5 therapists recommend the ‘Mini Thoughts’ over any other thoughts.
– I came home from work today and I immediately weighed myself.
– I thought for sure that I’d hit 180 pounds for the first time since 1988.
– I actually lost a pound-and-a-half and fell below 175 pounds.
– That’s despite the fact of what I did for Lunch today.
– Me and my coworker buddies raised a ruckus at The Big Cheese Of Homestead.
– That joint was jumpin’ !
– Homestead and Florida City is big pimpin’ eatin’ cheese in the ‘hood !
– I selected the whole (foot long) meatball sub.
– That included a trio of ENORMOUS Italian meatballs smothered in mozzarella.
– It was perhaps the tastiest meatball sub that I have eaten in modern history !
– I can’t wait to try those meatballs out on a bed of tender spaghetti.
– I also enjoyed 3 garlic rolls, and the garlic was so heavy and yummy !
– I probably could have eaten a dozen of them – right then and there.
– Lipitor – CHECK !
– I can’t compare The Big Cheese with Mamma Mia Pizza.
– I hope that they both survive and prosper here in the city.
– Want some signs of Autumn here in Florida ?
– How does the upper-50s in the morning sound to you ?
– Well if you want that then travel to Tallahassee next week !
– The upper-60s could reach as far south as the Tampa area.
– I can forecast no better than the lower-70s for inland pockets of our area.
– Just wait a month and then we’ll get in on some of that cool relief as well.
– I’m trying hard to squeeze in a short holiday weekend excursion.
– I’d like to visit the Naples / Fort Myers area for Columbus Day Weekend.
– It would be my first visit over there since Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2008.
– I’d like to check out a rock concert that my friend Casey is putting on.
– It’s Jubilee, Horizons Fall, and Manic Drive.
– Manic Drive headlined that concert of January 20TH 2007 that started it all.
– The next morning I went to church for the first time in over 30 years.
– I hope that I can make it over there.
– Don’t forget that tomorrow night is Disco night here at Studio C.M.D.
– Grab your lava lamps and bring the fondue so that we can kick it like it’s 1979 !
– You won’t regret it pal !
– Until then – check this out !
Category: Holidays
1. Let’s kick-off this week’s edition of the ‘Grab Bag’ with some ‘Breaking News’. This just in to ‘The Major’s Life Blog’ satellite news desk. It appears that I’ll be going on a business trip in about 4 weeks from now. It’ll be my first business trip since the start of March of 2007 when I drove nearly 1,600 miles to and from north of Atlanta Georgia. This time around I’ll be visiting New England for the very first time in my entire life – specifically the Springfield Massachusetts area. It should be nice up there during the middle week of October !
2. I’m not driving to and from Massachusetts, but I will be driving to and from the Dallas Texas area in just about 8 weeks for the Thanksgiving holiday week. That’s a little over 1,400 miles one way, or 2,800 miles round trip. That’s a lot of driving for me considering the fact that I’m averaging a little over 7,500 miles of driving per year over the past couple of years. Over the course of 6 years and 3 months I’ve put just a little over 60,300 miles on my car.
3. Can you believe it ? The Autumnal Equinox is just minutes away. The southward Sun crosses over the Equator at 5:18 PM EDT this afternoon. It continues its southward trek until the 21ST of December as our days continue to get shorter and our nights continue to get longer. Tomorrow – Wednesday September 23RD – is the first full day of Autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere, and the first full day of Spring down under. Incidentally I’ve got new regular blog readers checking in from South America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Welcome aboard !
4. This past Sunday afternoon I indulged in the mother of all MASSIVE meals over at Downtown Homestead‘s very own Mamma Mia Pizza. I enjoyed an ENORMOUS plate of traditional spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were GINORMOUS and plentiful. Just because there’s new competition in the city (The Olive Garden / The Big Cheese) it does not mean that Mamma Mia has disappeared or is inferior in any way. Mamma Mia is still there. It needs your business to stay alive. The food is still scrumptious. Check them out again !
5. My pathetic Washington Redskins barely scraped up a squeaker of a win against the lowly St. Louis Rams this past Sunday afternoon in their home opener. I’m glad that I didn’t see it. This upcoming Sunday afternoon my Redskins take on the lowly Detroit Lions, and La$ Vega$ has them as a 6 to 6.5 point favourite in a low-scoring game. I’ve been calling for the promotion of veteran Todd Collins from backup to starting quarterback since last season, and I’m still calling for the move. Offensive yards does not win games. Points wins games. Let’s do something !
– Let’s get totally spontaneous here.
– I’ll try not to get too controversial.
– I’ve got some ‘Breaking News’ for you !
– I will soon be an Uncle for the first time ever !
– My sister-in-law is about 8 weeks pregnant !
– My nephew’s due date is on or around the 30TH of April in 2010.
– My brother turns 35-years-old 3 days after that.
– That should be the best birthday present ever !
– I hope to be in Allen Texas for his birth.
– I always remember when it’s the 17TH of the month.
– My cat Boots died 28 months ago today on the 17TH of May in 2007.
– For over a dozen years Boots was my best friend in the entire world.
– Boots was the only living creature at the time that truly loved me.
– Today is Constitution Day / Citizenship Day here in the U.S.A.
– If you are confused then check with the United States Constitution.
– If you are still confused then read the Bible.
– In fact start with the Bible – that way there should be no confusion.
– Apparently I can’t go more than a week without having a Carnival cruise booked.
– I just walked off of the Carnival Imagination last Friday morning.
– Tonight or tomorrow night I’m booking my next Carnival cruise.
– I will embark on it in just 149 days on the 13TH of February in 2010.
– It’ll be an 8-day cruise visiting Cozumel MX, Limon Costa Rica, y Colon Panama.
– I’ve never been to Costa Rica or Panama before.
– I’m sailing out of Port Everglades / Fort Lauderdale – another first.
– I’m already getting excited about it.
– Ela: I have a Doctor’s appointment on Monday morning to take my blood.
– They will analyze it to ensure that the Lipitor is doing its job.
– After that I’m checking in to the Cracker Barrel for a MASSIVE Brunch.
– Don’t forget about the weekly Disco party tomorrow night.
– I’ve got arguably the biggest Disco song in pop music history.
– It’s from three brothers out of the U.K.
– Be sure to grab your all-white leisure suit for the occasion.
– You won’t regret it pal.
1. I embarked on my Carnival Imagination cruise at precisely 12:18 PM EDT on Labor Day – Monday September 07TH 2009. It occurred to me as I was arriving at the Port Of Miami that this was the first time in over 6 years that I had embarked on a cruise from there despite going on 5 cruises since then. Since 2004 I’ve embarked on cruises out of Jacksonville, Honolulu, Tampa, Rome Italy, and New Orleans. This was my first cruise out of Miami since Memorial Day Weekend of 2003 when I was last on the Carnival Imagination. The unique footnote here is that I was last at the Port Of Miami less than two years ago in November of 2007 when I disembarked from the Carnival Freedom – the Mediterranean / Transatlantic cruise that originated out of Rome Italy. Nevertheless the Port Of Miami has sure changed a lot since my last embarkation over 6 years ago. They have parking garages there now (instead of only surface parking).
2. The Carnival Imagination is my adopted home cruise ship because it was my very first Carnival cruise ship (exactly 10 years ago this past Labor Day Weekend). It’s also the cruise ship that I’ve been on more than any other (thrice now). As I stepped back on to the Imagination it felt like homecoming at sea for me. It was great to be back with the fun ship that started it all. She’s aged quite well over the past 14 years. A couple of years ago she received a multi-million-dollar renovation, so she looks fresh and new again. If there is an area where she is showing her age it’s the loud engine at times that tends to vibrate some of the decks above it. I got to take a real nice extremely exclusive (there were only 16 of us) and extensive (3½-hour) ‘behind-the-fun’ tour of the non-public areas of the ship during the final full day. It was easily the highlight of the entire cruise !
3. I’ve got to admit it. I ate MASSIVE quantities of food during this cruise – and most of it was real good too. Out of a possible 12 main meals (from Monday Lunch through Friday Breakfast) I enjoyed 11 of them. I missed one meal – Breakfast on Thursday. By that morning I was feeling rather bloated. I may have eaten more food during the course of this 92-hour cruise than during any other 92-hour time-span in modern history, but I also got FAR more exercise during the cruise than I typically do during any given week. It was pretty much walk here – walk there – walk everywhere. Walk up. Walk down. Walk inside. Walk outside. My leg and calf muscles are probably twice as big now than they used to be. The proof is in the weight. I barely gained a couple of pounds since before the cruise.
4. This was my very first cruise in my 18-year cruising history that I did not go with family or friends, I did not meet up with any friends, and I was not part of any organized (or unorganized) group. This cruise was all me. I did my own thing when I felt like it. I slept. I awoke. I showered. I ate. I walked. I shopped. I played. I went to shows. I arrived. I departed. I did it all – at my pace – in my time. The ‘me’ time away from television, radio, computer, Internet, and telephone was truly precious. As much fun as I enjoyed on the fun ship I hope that I get to share the enjoyment with someone else on my next cruise – which will probably be within the next 6 months. If not then I shall do it all over again – all by myself. I use that phrase loosely, for when there’s 3,000+ other cruisers around I’m not really all by myself.
5. Bill W. has his friends that regularly meet as part of the typical daily schedule on the Carnival fun ships. So does Dorothy. But I wondered on this cruise why ‘Friends Of God’ don’t have an organized time and meeting place on the schedule. That would definitely be a meeting that I would have attended. A meet and greet with those fellow cruisers who truly believe in Him. What a concept. I think that I may have to write the Carnival Corporation a letter with such a suggestion. What could be the worst response possible ? No – because an organized religious group would be too controversial at sea ?
6. If the 3½-hour tour of the ship was the highlight of the cruise then the runner-up highlight was the return approach to the Port Of Miami on the final morning. Never before had I seen such a beautiful sight. On all of my previous cruises back to Miami arrival occurred during the wee early morning hours (3 to 5 AM). You basically woke-up early (while it was still dark outside), and you were already sitting still at the Port. It was very impersonal, and it was a rather raw ending to an otherwise wonderful cruise. It was a different story on the final morning of this cruise. At precisely 6 AM the Carnival Imagination actually passed Homestead about 30 miles to the east (at 80.0° west longitude) at about 19 knots per hour (22 MPH). Incidentally the Atlantic Ocean there is roughly 480 feet deep. About an hour later we came in for our final approach past South Beach as I gazed at the beautiful Miami skyline in front of me and the bright sunrise behind me while I tweeted my thoughts. It was the perfect ending to a perfect cruise !
CountUp 