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Annoyances Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

21 months ago I set sail on my longest cruise vacation ever – a two-week Mediterranean / TransAtlantic Carnival cruise from Rome Italy to Miami Florida. The cruise embarked on the central west coast of Italy at the port of Civitavecchia (west of Rome). It then proceeded up the coast to the northwestern port of Livorno (west of Florence y Pisa).

Hailing from Livorno Italy here’s famed Italian deejay Mario Piu with his 1999 / 2000 European techno smash entitled “Communication (Somebody Answer The Phone)”. Its unique riff is actually based on the interference onto electronic equipment that’s caused by ringing cell phones nearby.

I tend to think that one of the most annoying sounds in the entire world is a ringing cell phone. I embark on my next Carnival cruise in just 44 days. I can’t wait to get away from everyone else’s cell phone !

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Driving History Home Life Movies Music Radio Television Travel

Saturday Night Retro

Back during the Spring of 1996 I visited my Mom, Dad, Brother, and two cats in the Washington D.C. area for the final time. (About 6 months later that year they all moved southward to Jacksonville Florida.) It marked the end of a 27-year  homestead (1969-1996) within the D.C. area for my family (55 years for my Dad going back to his birth).

During that final visit my Brother and I drove down I-95 early one chilly foggy drizzly morning to spend the day at Kings Dominion. We had free tickets to the amusement park because my brother won a prize package on DC-101 (heritage rock radio station) related to the world premiere of the first “Mission: Impossible” movie that was a week or two away.

This song in history – although it reminds my brother of a particularly bad relationship with a former girlfriend at the time – reminds me of those good times that we shared when we went on that short road trip for a day to have some fun.

Here’s the MTV award-winning music video for “Glycerine” from Bush. It’s one of my favourite songs of all-time:

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Animals Blogging Career Food God History Home Music Travel

Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– It’s that time of the week again.
– It’s that time where I post whatever comes across my mind in this moment.
– Brace yourself, as the waters could get rather choppy.
– Today was another hectic day at work, and I loved virtually every minute of it.
– I had very little spare time today, as it was all nonstop action and excitement.
– Tomorrow I’m taking a half a day off.
– I’ve got an appointment with my longtime plumber in the afternoon.
– The’re coming over to replace my kitchen sink garbage disposal.
– It totally stopped working several months ago.
– It lasted for over 10 years.
– They will also bring my non-working guest toilet back to life.
– I’ve had the water shut off to it for most of the past decade or so.
– It used to randomly flush all by itself – day and night.
– It was running up my water bills.
– Whatever it costs I want it fixed so that I can actually use it.
– I’ve been eating a lot of bran muffins lately from Publix.
– That last statement has nothing to do with the need for a second toilet.
– One of these days my home will be so presentable I can invite guests over !
– I’m not quite there yet.
– I need an ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’.
– I’ve lived here in this home for over 14 years – and it looks the part.
– Let me just get this on the official record Your Honour.
– I love cats, as they are God’s Creation.
– Fluffy, Barney, and Boots were part of my life from 1983 to 2007.
– Oh yeah – and that mangy yellow cat that lived under my car at the dorm.
– I’m currently retired indefinitely as a cat owner.
– I have no further plans to own any further cats.
– If I took in every cat that’s been offered to me since Boots died then …
– … my home would look like Ernest Hemingway’s home in Key West.
– For a few years Boots was my only real friend in the world.
– Boots was visibly dying a slow death during his last few years with me.
– Boots waited until God rescued and saved me before finally passing on.
– The death of Boots symbolized the death of my previous life.
– God replaced Boots with a new Life for me.
– I now have plenty of actual human being friends – courtesy of God.
– Taking in another cat would be like going in reverse in my Life.
– I remember the past, but I’m not going back to it.
– Well these ‘Mini Thoughts’ suddenly got deeply serious this week.
– I didn’t really mean for that to happen.
– That’s how raw and spontaneous these ‘Mini Thoughts’ can get.
– I warned you.
– Tomorrow night I’m throwing a Disco party here on the blog.
– We’re goin’ to the Copa – Copacabana – the hottest spot north of Havana.
– Grab your leisure suit and let’s go !
– You won’t regret it pal.

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Career Commerce Food Holidays Television Travel

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

1.  I hosted some out-of-town visitors today at work. They are essentially my counterparts at a higher Headquarters level. It was a lot of fun hanging out with them and discussing how we do business here at Homestead (ARB). We also went out to Lunch at Homestead‘s very own LongHorn SteakHouse. YUM !

2.  Just as I predicted would happen once the Olive Garden next door opened for business there were not too many people eating Lunch at the LongHorn. Customer service was immediate, friendly, and professional. The food was scrumptiously delicious. I enjoyed the Parmesan Crusted Chicken with seasoned french fries and brandied cinnamon apples. It was a MASSIVE Lunch for my MASSIVE appetite !

3.  Meanwhile over at the Olive Garden the parking lot was jammed and crammed to capacity. That joint was totally jumpin’ – no doubt about it. I’ll wait until after the excitement dies down a bit to check it out for myself. The Greater Homestead area is starting to turn in to a little Italian mecca here in America’s Riviera with the Capri and Nazbar (down the road in Florida City), Mamma Mia, Olive Garden, and (soon) The Big Cheese on U.S. 1. It just so happens that Italian food is my favourite type of food, so I say to BRING IT ON !

4.  It’s the 7TH day of July, so you just know what that means !  No ?  Well it may not mean anything special for you, but for me it means that I am now a mere two months away from my next Carnival cruise vacation getaway. I set sail on the 7TH day of September (Labour Day Monday) on my 10TH anniversary Carnival cruise on the same exact cruise ship that I was on for my very first Carnival cruise during the Labour Day Weekend of 1999. GOOD TIMES !

5.  The 11TH season of “Big Brother” on CBS-TV begins this Thursday night at 8 PM EDT. It will air on Thursday nights, Sunday nights, and Tuesday nights through the middle of September. I don’t believe that I have missed a single episode of the series since it premiered 9 years ago in July 2000, and I don’t plan to miss any of the 30 or so episodes that will begin in just 48 hours. My Summer is just not complete until “Big Brother” is occupying the digital airwaves.

And that’s how I rock and roll on this Tuesday night. Thank You for caring !