– Let’s roll.
– I got off work like 90 minutes earlier than normal this afternoon.
– I’m actually away from the office all this week in a network security class.
– I knew next to nothing about this material when we started on Mon. AM.
– Now I think that I can pass the big test first thing tomorrow morning.
– That was the goal of this training – to pass the big test.
– It’s material that has next to nothing to do with my daily job.
– Next week I go back to the wonderful world of MONEY !
– That’s my real job is all about – the ‘dolla-dolla’.
– Like – you know – like – you know – like – you know – like – you know – like …
– That was my impersonation of a 16-year-old kid talking.
– It’s gonna be a nice and peaceful and relaxing weekend starting tomorrow.
– I’m hosting the 9 AM service again this Sunday morning at Life Pointe Church.
– That means Scripture study on Fri. and compilation and rehearsal on Sat.
– Next weekend I’m embarking on a nice little road trip not too far north.
– The furthest north I’ll drive is the A1A on Fort Pierce Beach.
– I’ll be visiting a large chunk of Florida that I’ve never seen before.
– I’ll also be checking out Lake Okeechobee for the first time ever.
– Less than 3 weeks after that I’ll be flying to Dallas Texas to visit my family.
– My niece is due to enter this world sometime in the next 15 days !
– I want to be known as the ‘lovable’ uncle – not the ‘scary’ uncle.
– Happy Birthday to my lovable sister-in-law who turns 29 this Saturday !
– My little baby brother turns 35 in a little over 2 weeks.
– I’m just about 50 days away from turning 43 (an odd age).
– People that don’t know my age usually think that I’m in my 20s or 30s.
– Of course there are the anomalies.
– Like that lady that thought I was a teenager over in Estero last month.
– Flattery will get you nowhere you cougar !
– Hear Me Now ! I am serious about buying a modern new cell phone !
– I actually watch intently all of the cell phone commercials on TV now.
– My bud Jonathon told me to donate my current cell phone to the Smithsonian.
– I have a Seiko watch that they may also be interested in.
– I like to rock it ‘old school’, but there’s a certain point where it’s just time.
– It’s just time to say ‘good-bye’ to a longtime friend.
– So long 2003-era cell phone that everyone makes fun of.
– Speaking of rockin’ it ‘old school’ I’m rockin’ 1988 on ‘Retro’ this Saturday.
– And don’t forget ‘My Fantastic Journey’ on its new day – Sunday !
– Until then my friends – keep on doin’ your thang.
– Be safe.
– Love all.
Category: Travel
My Tuesday night tradition since 2007 continues now:
I. Numbers That Drive Me Crazy – This next section is for my own personal amusement. This morning I started out with 67,613 miles on my car. That’s about 10,100 miles over the past year – a bit above average for me. I generally average between 7,500 and 8,000 miles of driving in a typical year. It’s been a busy year of driving for me – especially with the Thanksgiving Week trip to and from the Dallas Texas area. As far as gas prices are concerned they were much lower exactly a year ago – over 25% lower – right around $2.199 per gallon. It does appear that as the economy slowly improves the price of oil (and thus gas) will slowly increase – especially as we approach the summer driving months. $3.00 to $3.25 per gallon seems very likely as April rolls into May.
II. Extreme Politics – I know what it’s like to be an extremist on the political spectrum. For the simple fact that I believe in God and unconditional protection of the unborn (that means Pro-Life) I am allegedly a proud member of the extreme right-wing radical contingent of the political spectrum. I am also a registered Republican. The fact of the matter is that one would be rather surprised to find out that I am much closer to being a centrist than an extremist. I actually hold a few strong viewpoints that would have some people out there accuse me of being a liberal. Here’s what I think. The loud and boisterous Hollywood elite are so far to the extreme left-wing of the political sprectrum that I can’t even see them. I think that President Obama appears to be a nice guy – but not a very good President that represents my views or even a majority of this nation’s views. I think that the Tea Party is an awesome movement. They are mainstream America as far as I’m concerned. Those who disagree with their viewpoints have simply hit the easy button by dismissing them as racists, hate mongers, and violence inciters. As a new follower of God over the past 44 months I have removed all hatred from my Life. It’s all about Love. Love thy neighbour. Is that so extreme ? In this turbulent world – perhaps so.
III. Modernization & Restoration – This is a frequently-utilized term where I work. It’s essentially any construction work that’s done on base under $30,000 that serves to modernize or restore a facility. My entire financial management job is based upon that concept. We have meetings throughout the week in which we discuss whether or not a job is M & R or not. Having stated that here at home while I have a few pockets that have recently been remarkably modernized or restored I am for the most part living like it’s 1988. I can best describe my living room as ‘Late-20TH Century Dorm Room Deco’. It’s just the way I like it dude – don’t be a hater. It’s hard to part with what I love. Nevertheless I have a revelation to make. This may shock and awe you to bits and pieces. Here we go. I’m interested in retiring my 2003-era cell phone with a brand new modern one made in 2010. I want one of them ‘3G’ / ‘4G’ deals in which I can surf the web and tweet anywhere with a full ‘QWERTY’ keyboard. I’m ready to upgrade soon. I don’t mind switching carriers either. I’ve been with T-Mobile since before they were T-Mobile. (They were originally Voicestream.) I’m actually thinking of switching to AT&T since I already have their U-Verse (HDTV + Internet). In fact the Motorola Backflip definitely intrigues me. I dig.
Be sure to check out my ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’ up next on the blog.
It’s the flagship weekly series of this blog, and it kicks-off a fresh new week.
I. Longhorn Steakhouse / Olive Garden / Red Lobster – Just a few years ago who would have ever thought that all three of these fine dining establishments would be open for business right here in our historic city of Homestead Florida – and right next to each other ! Here’s a personal progress report of the trio thus far. Working backwards from last opened to first opened – I have not yet made it into Red Lobster. In fact I think it’s been at least 15 years since I’ve set foot in any Red Lobster. I know that I’ll love the food there, but I think that I’ll wait until after the crowds die down a bit. As far as Olive Garden is concerned I’ve been there perhaps a half a dozen times. In my own humble opinion the food is overrated, and the service is consistently subpar. I would rather eat Italian food at either Portofino or Mamma Mia – and I frequently do – far more so than Olive Garden. And that brings us to my new home away from home – Longhorn Steakhouse – where I’m a regular – and I’m welcomed back week after week after week. It’s my Lunchtime getaway. I think I’ve eaten there about 15 to 20 times since they’ve been open (not that I’m actually keeping track of it or anything like that). I’ve never walked away from there unhappy. The food has always been totally awesome dude, and the service has always been very good, excellent, or even outstanding. I ate Lunch there yesterday (Monday), and I’ll be back again next week. I’ll take the 8-ounce Renegade Top Sirloin !
II. Health Care – I know next to nothing about the specifics of the health care debate and subsequent bill that was recently signed into law. I just didn’t really follow it or study it much, and apparently much of America didn’t either. I’d even venture to state that much of the U.S. Congress didn’t study it much as well. All of the Republicans said “NO” to it, and most of the Democrats said “YES” to it. That says a lot right there. I can’t form an opinion on it at this time. I’ll have to wait and see after-the-fact whether or not it was a good bill to sign or not based on how it personally affects me a few years from now. Here’s what I do know. I have excellent health care courtesy of my U.S. Government job. I pay a little over $80 for it every two weeks (about $2,100 per year). I have an active prescription for Lipitor. It costs $25.08 for a 30-day supply. My health care plan allegedly saves me $94.87, so without it I assume I would pay $119.95 for the Lipitor every month. My health care plan allegedly saves me about 79% off the total cost of the Lipitor. I dig that, but will all of those costs remain the same in the future, or will they go up ? Someone has to pay for this trillion-dollar-plus health care bill, and that someone is me and you with jobs.
III. Springfield Massachusetts – As part of my ‘Vacation Of The Month Club’ that I’ve ambitiously instituted – fresh and new for 2010 – I’m proud to announce that my June vacation will be to South Central Mass. I’ll actually be setting foot in two U.S. states for the first time ever – Massachusetts and Connecticut. (I’m flying in to the Hartford area.) But I must be 100% completely honest here. This proposed 5-day trip is work-related, as I will be visiting the operations at Westover Air Reserve Base there – one of our sister bases. It’ll be a lot of fun checking out the surrounding area – especially in June. (I know how cold it gets up there for 6 months out of the year.)
This concludes this weekly edition of the ‘Grab Bag’. “My Fantastic Journey” is making the big move from its longtime successful Wednesday night perch over to Sunday afternoons, so the next time I blog will be on Thursday night when I bring you about 40 ‘Mini Thoughts’. Until then my friends keep on keepin’ on – and – REMEMBER THIS !
May a fascinating new week of blogging begin … NOW !
I. House Of Heroes / Skillet / Toby Mac – Last Friday night I saw my first rock concert in a major sports arena (non church setting) in over 3 years. This was over at the 7,000+ seat Germain Arena in Estero Florida (halfway between Fort Myers and Naples right alongside I-75). I’ve been to a lot of rock concerts over the past 25 years, and this was probably the first one ever in which there was no drinking, smoking, or drug use occurring during the show. It was a fairly young crowd. At nearly 43 I was surely at the upper tier of the demographics observed. Of course just becuase I’m approaching 43 doesn’t mean that I have to act like I’m so. I stood and sang and danced for virtually the entire show – and so did everyone around me. I had to blend in with the young and energetic crowd. House Of Heroes performed 4 songs during their short 15-minute set including two of their big hits from 2008 “Lose Control” and “In The Valley Of The Dying Sun”. Surprisingly they didn’t perform their last two hits “Code Name: Raven” or “Field Of Daggers”. Skillet were up next, and based on the crowd attendance and reaction they were the unofficial headlining act of the show. Their explosive set lasted for a little over an hour, and they churned through over a decade of hard rockin’ hits. Their music was awesomely loud, and their pyrotechnics was impressively bright. The pyro was bigger than your typical WWE show on television ! It was definitely a vivid spectacle that was so fun to experience. Toby Mac was all over the arena for his 1 hour and 20 minute show. There was no pyro for his show – just powerful lyrics, kool melodies, and lots of singing, rapping, and dancing to God Almighty. I knew most of his material – but not all of it – particularly the older stuff. He did however perform “Jesus Freak” from 15 years ago. I knew that dc Talk rocker because of Chasing Victory‘s cover version of it from a few years ago. It was a great 4-hour experience at the arena from start to finish. It was a pleasure to spend it with all of those around me who love Jesus Christ and His hard rockin’ jamz !
II. Naples Florida – After a relaxing night in a nice and peaceful and quiet Estero hotel I spent the next morning into the afternoon playing the role of tourist / future resident in and around Naples. I visited the Naples Pier (and the adjacent beach), the Naples Zoo At Caribbean Gardens, and the Collier County Museum in East Naples. I was particularly impressed with my first ever visit to the museum, as it was far more expansive than I ever imagined. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to visit another Collier County Museum branch right after that – the Museum Of The Everglades – in secluded Everglades City. I had tried to visit that particular museum on a previous visit to Everglades City last October, but it was allegedly closed at the time. This time it was open and nearly packed. It’s always good to see lots of people getting a historical education at the museum. While I took I-75 over to the Naples area on Friday afternoon (to get over there quicker) I took U.S. 41 on the return trip back home on Saturday afternoon. Both coast-to-coast routes have their obvious advantages and disadvantages, and I shall continue to utilize them both on many future visits to the Southwest Florida area.
III. Next Stop – Lake Okeechobee & Florida’s Treasure Coast – In about 3½ weeks I embark on a brand new road trip adventure of a lifetime. I’ve got a detailed itinerary already planned out for bright and early on a Saturday morning through real late on a Sunday night. My trek will take me up to rural Palm Beach County – and all along the entire eastern perimeter of Lake Okeechobee. I don’t believe that I have ever seen the Big Lake ‘O’ before in my lifetime (aside from up above in an airplane). After spending the night at an undisclosed location in Fort Pierce (where Florida’s Turnpike and I-95 come together) I’ll be taking a nice and slow and scenic drive back southbound along the A1A and the U.S. 1 (for the most part) with scheduled pit stops at various tourist attractions in Stuart, Jupiter, and Palm Beach before I attend a LIVE concert at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. It should be a lot of fun visiting a slice of Florida that I’ve never really seen before up close.
Well my friends those are my ‘Grab Bag O’ Thoughts’ on this Tuesday night. I’m headed to Toastmasters in just a little while, so I need to go and get ready for the fun there. Be sure to check out my ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’ in just about 48 hours. Until I blog again (tomorrow night) – REMEMBER THIS !
CountUp 