Saturday October 09TH 2010
Volume 3 / Number 5 / Edition 102
I lived in the Great U.K. for 2 years and 1 week from November 1985 to November 1987. It was a wonderful (and quite memorable) time during my young life. I remember distinct details of those two years more than any other two year period in my life. There are many great memories – as well as a bunch of not so great memories. One of my best friends back then is now my longest-running friend. We still keep in touch with each other after more than 24 years even though it’s been nearly 23 years since we last saw each other. I wish I still had contact with my other friends back then, but I did some things that I’m really not too proud of. I was young and immature at the time (like we all were). It resulted in the end of friendships that should have continued on through the years. The past can’t be changed. History can’t be rewritten. I can only move forward into the future, and do the right things at the right times.
Thank You my friends for those two wonderful years of working, living, and playing in that foreign country that we once called home. Thank You for those 17 music concerts that we enjoyed together in London, Oxford, and Birmingham. Thank You for partying with me. Good Times indeed.
Happy Columbus Day Weekend ! Let’s BLAST-OFF this weekend !
WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
Well the cooler temperatures and the lower humidity arrived with a vengeance just as soon as October arrived a week ago, and it’s been no fluke. The South Florida dry season has officially begun – a few weeks earlier than normal. Lately we’ve been struggling to get in to the 80s in the afternoons, and we’re dropping well into the 60s early in the mornings with wind chills into the 50s at times. It’s our coolest weather in about 6 months, and it feels so good ! I must get out and enjoy this scrumptious Chamber Of Commerce weather. Last weekend I quietly kicked-off my ‘Cultural, Historical, & Economical Stimulus Tour’ for the Winter of 2011 with visits to Homestead Bayfront Park and Biscayne National Park. This weekend my fun-in-the-sun plans include the upper Florida Keys and Monkey Jungle. Between now and next April I’ll also plan to spend some quality time at Zoo Miami, Jungle Island, Miami Beach, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Stuart, Naples, Fort Myers, Sanibel Island, Jacksonville, Panama City Beach, much of the NW Florida panhandle, Dallas Texas, The Bahamas, The U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Have fun will travel !
BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD: Chili’s – For the 2ND time in 6 weeks the Quesadilla Explosion Salad wins the coveted award. If you’ve got a hearty appetitite for nutritious vegetable goodness then check out this masterpiece. It’s got grilled chicken with cheese, corn relish, cilantro, tortilla strips, and citrus-balsamic dressing – served with cheese quesadillas. I dig.
THOSE CRAZY CRAZY CATS:
Some day – maybe 5 or 10 or 15 years from now – I may be a cat owner again. It’s because of these lovable shenanigans from my feline friends:
BLATANT PROMOTION: Tomorrow night on my ‘Saturday Night Retro’ I’m flashing back 23½ years ago to the Spring of 1987 – back when I was a young resident of the British Isles. I’ll take a glimpse at what I was doing back then during my final memorable months as a teenager. After that I’m bring blogging back to Sundays ! That’s right – it’s the 4TH season premiere of ‘The Major’s Walk-A-Thon’. This year I’ve set a reasonable goal to walk a marathon – not all at once – but combined between now and April. I’m looking to walk 26.2 miles above and beyond my normal everyday walking. That’s an average of about 3.75 miles per month from October to April. In the fine tradition that is ‘The Major’s Walk-A-Thon’ I’ll blog about my walking adventures, and I’ll track my progress towards the goal. Don’t forget that you can follow me on Twitter in-between all of the weekend blog posts. Have yourself a safe and fun holiday weekend my friends.
Saturday October 02ND 2010
Volume 3 / Number 4 / Edition 101
Let’s take a ride back 14½ years ago to the Spring of 1996. Back then I was not quite 29-years-old and living in the same home that I’m living in now and working at the same place that I’m working at now. In fact I was sitting at my computer (a different more primitive one back then) and working from the same home computer workstation that I’m working at now. All of the furniture here in my living room is the same furniture that I had back then. The more things change over the years – the more things stay the same.
Back during the Spring of 1996 my Mom, Dad, 21-year-old brother Danny, and our two cats Fluffy and Barney (born in the 1980s) were still living up in the Washington D.C. area. They were living in our McLean Virginia house that we moved in to back in November of 1980 when I was 13 and my brother was 5. Later that year (in November of 1996) everyone would move down to Jacksonville Florida. I got to visit the old house (built in the 1950s) one last time in May of 1996 when I drove up for a visit. I didn’t really know at the time that it would be my last visit. The move down to Jacksonville just 5 months later was a bit on the low-key side. My family lived in that house for 16 years – the longest tenure for any one home. I only lived in that house for 4½ out of those 16 years until I began my USAF career. Now I’ve been living in my current home for over 15 years. It’s hard to believe that I moved in to this place back when I was in my late-20s, and now I’m in my mid-40s. There’s a lot of history of me in this home of mine. Back in 1996 a young black cat by the name of Boots was loaded with energy – running all over the place and loving me. Today I have a little memorial set up for him at the edge of one of my living room couches where he enjoyed relaxing. This home of mine is indeed ‘Retro’.
On the radio back during the Spring of 1996 me and my brother listened to this song as we drove southbound on I-95 in Virginia en route to Kings Dominion to spend a fun May day at the park in the chill, fog, and drizzle. My brother won free tickets to the park by winning a radio contest on the rock station DC-101. Here’s Spacehog – “In The Meantime”:
Happy First Day Of October Of 2010 ! Let’s BLAST-OFF this weekend !
WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
Well Tropical Depression # 16 / Tropical Storm Nicole has come and gone. It’s a tropical system that my weather models accurately visualized some 9 days in advance. Early on they depicted a Category 1 or 2 Hurricane over or just off the coast of South Florida, but then they quickly backed-off on that scenario and simply brought a Tropical Storm over us. In actuality we didn’t receive any Tropical Storm force winds at all, as they were displaced some 250 miles east of the center of the storm. Here in Homestead we received about 5½ inches of rain. I forecasted 6 inches. Portions of the Upper Florida Keys actually received over a FOOT of rain ! For those of you who don’t live in South Florida we can handle 6, 9, and even 12 inches of rain in a single day or two. It creates a short-term nuisance, but then it drains away. We’re tough like that. We’re also very green right now after a very hot and dry Summer. Come and check us out during this upcoming Winter season once you start to shiver up north. We’ll be open for business. Our beaches never close.
BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD: Shiver’s BBQ – BBQ Beef Brisket, French Fries, Collard Greens, Garlic Bread, Sweet Iced Tea. I truly believe that this is the best BBQ joint that you’ll find anywhere here in deep South Miami-Dade County Florida. They’ve been in business since the 1950s, and I believe that they’ve been at the same location ever since then – at the SE corner of U.S. 1 and SW 280TH Street in Naranja Lakes. Good service. Good food.
THE FORTUNE COOKIE MESSAGE OF THE WEEK CLUB:
– It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.
THOSE CRAZY CRAZY CATS: Here’s a homemade video featuring two cats – one on the left that’s normal – and one on the right that’s a lunatic. The one on the right marches to his own beat. He’s got no cares and no worries. He the life of the party. The one on the left (who remarkably looks very much like my own legendary cat from the 1980s and 1990s – ‘Fluffy’) is just chillaxin’, but after awhile he feels the need to get away – far away – from that crazy cat. Enjoy:
BLATANT PROMOTION:
Tomorrow night here on the blog it’s the 101ST edition of my continuing saga that is the ‘Saturday Night Retro’. I’ll be flashing back 14½ years ago to the Spring of 1996. The more things change – the more they stay the same. I’ll also feature one of the greatest rock songs ever made – and a big hit back during that memorable era in my life. In the meantime don’t forget that you can follow me on Twitter to see what’s on my mind. Have a wonderful weekend my friends. I hope to see you out and about !
CountUp 