Yesterday was a better day, they finally got gas for my guinness at the pub, for that I'm thankful, The bad news is that once you tap a keg of Guinness it begins to "sour". Don't laugh it's a fact. In fact I pride myself on being able to tell a bartender, within two days, exactly howmany days a keg of Guinness has been "on-line", and I've never been wrong! But now the currrent Keg is pumping, but it's been eight days with no pressure, at least another seven or eight before thay ran out of gas, and it sure is evident from the taste. (sigh) I guess I'll have to work on getting them to mount a new keg before I turn sour from the current keg contents.
Big Superbowl party at Buster's again this year, FREE draft beers, FREE house wine, Free Apps from kickoff to half time, FREE buffet (Ribs, Roast beef, Chicken tenders, and tons more) starting at half time, the usual tons of give away drawings for beer stuff the suppliers have been dumping in all year, and all for only $30 a head! If you're in the neighborhood drop by it's always a blast.
It just dawned on me that January is pretty much shot already, seems like I'm ripping those monthly calendar pages off at a much faster rate this past few years. The long awaited "Beach Re-nourishment" stuff is supposed to start arriving this next week, with the actual process beginning about the first of February. This is an engineering feat I'm really anxious to watch. If you think about it it's really mind boggling, rebuilding an entire seven mile stretch of beach by pumping sand from the Gulf of Mexico onto the beach and making the entire thing 75 to 1oo feet bigger! It is supposed to be all done by Spring Break, but we'll see. And then there are the pessimists who are saying "fine, ok, you got beach agin, but only til the next storm, and then we've pissed away a few million dollars again!" Who cares we'll at least start looking like we used to for as long as it lasts.
Got to get new tires for my little pick-em-up, so I called around and the best price was Walmart (almost $100 less than anyone else in town!) but no matter when I bring the truck down, 7a.m., 7 p.m., it doesn't mattter they say its a 3 1/2 to 4 hour wait! Maybe because the Snowbirds are here and have nothing else to do but sit and wait for new tires, I don't know! I guess I can wait a few more weeks before I do it.
well got to run, have a great day
-30-
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Friday, January 20, 2006
ooops! wrong button!
just a side bar here. My favorite pub ran out of "beer gas" that mixture of 75% nitrogen and 25% carbon dioxode with which they pump the Guinness and imported draft beers. (It is the only gas to use on guinness, and if you use it on your other imports you reduce spillage by about 80% plus your clientel will love it becasue you are tasting the beer, not the "fizzies" of a straight CO2 pump. The result is better tasting beer, less "bloating" and more $ at the register) They ran out last thursday, so I am on day eight without a pint of guinness! I've been reduced to Bass Ale in the bottle, not bad, but most definately not a substitute for my "Vitamin G". The result is I blame my budding case of Broncitis on my pub! (Seems logical to me).
I guess in the interests of health if they don't have gas back in by this evening I will take my Guinness glass and head to Beef O'Brady's for a pint. I have "discussed" the situation with the owner, his two sons, the GM, and every bartender on staff. Perhaps Discussed is too mild a word, ranted and raved and generally made a scene would be more like it! After all they have two tanks, one on line and a back up. Pray tell how you get to the point of BOTH being empty and noone even aware of it? The last time they ran out, about a year ago, they did the usual stupid thing, they brought in EIGHT tanks! Then they ran out six months later and had EIGHT empty tanks sitting around. You would think someone would say "Hey, we need a better system of tracking this stuff", but alas here we are again!
Well it's just one of lifes little aggravations I guess, but I want my Guinness!!!!!
I guess in the interests of health if they don't have gas back in by this evening I will take my Guinness glass and head to Beef O'Brady's for a pint. I have "discussed" the situation with the owner, his two sons, the GM, and every bartender on staff. Perhaps Discussed is too mild a word, ranted and raved and generally made a scene would be more like it! After all they have two tanks, one on line and a back up. Pray tell how you get to the point of BOTH being empty and noone even aware of it? The last time they ran out, about a year ago, they did the usual stupid thing, they brought in EIGHT tanks! Then they ran out six months later and had EIGHT empty tanks sitting around. You would think someone would say "Hey, we need a better system of tracking this stuff", but alas here we are again!
Well it's just one of lifes little aggravations I guess, but I want my Guinness!!!!!
Monday, January 09, 2006
Waitng for the other shoe to drop!
Great game Saturday for the Patriots, they sure looked like the SuperBowl Champs they are, and I think they still have'nt peaked yet for this year. Guess they'll be playing Denver this coming weekend, and I must say Denver makes me a little nervous, but I have faith in the Pats!
My brother in law and sister in law are down, he's only staying a couple days as work calls, you all know how that is, but my sister in law is staying for a week or two, should be fun.
Me? I'm just "hangin' out" waiting to see what my genius boss has planned for 2006. (I'm sure it's going to piss me off regardless of what it is because he is just that kind of an idiot! The "snowbirds" are here in full force and that's a good thing for the economy, but a bad thing for business. I feel like I'm running a day care center for senior seniors all day. They roam in packs, come in and wander around, have to see feel and pick at everything in the store, comment on every single thing they see ("boy they sure don't make these like they used to look how flimsy it is, bet it won't hold up six months!) They are the only people I know who are always asking for non-existent things which have such specialized applications it would take ten years to get back the cost on making 50 of them, and then they are pissed because we don't have them. And by the way the Canadiens apparently have the market cornered on these Robertson screws. They look like a regular screw except the head has a small square inset hole to put it in, and of course it requires a square headed screw driver tip. In the states you see a few, and just about any package of accessories and bits you buy has one or two, but the entire country of Canada must be assembled with these things and the Canadiens are always bugging me for special sizes. When you tell them they only come in packages with an assortment of other bits, (i.e. 75 accessories for $4.98) the answer is universal. "Oh, all I need is that one bit, do you have them seperately?" Of course not, they are probalbly about half a penny to make, and would retail for maybe on the high side for a nickel, but would cost who the hell knows how much to package, handle distribute, etc. I guess since Canada is semi-socialized they have lost the grasp of the concept that the purpose of business is to make a profit, ...or be out of business.
But the good news is Canadien men are quasi useless, the wives keep them on very short leashes, make damn sure they have no money on them, and I don't even want to think oof the fate they would incur if they spent a penny without spousal approval. Sometimes a guy will get very excited to find exactly what he has been looking for for thepast ten years, it's on a severe mark down to get rid of them, they are priced at half thier cost, and the then you watch them get crushed to dust, because the wife simply says, "You don't need it!" End of case end of story, end of the whimper of masculine independance. "Yes dear."
Well off to face the throngs today! Have a good one!
My brother in law and sister in law are down, he's only staying a couple days as work calls, you all know how that is, but my sister in law is staying for a week or two, should be fun.
Me? I'm just "hangin' out" waiting to see what my genius boss has planned for 2006. (I'm sure it's going to piss me off regardless of what it is because he is just that kind of an idiot! The "snowbirds" are here in full force and that's a good thing for the economy, but a bad thing for business. I feel like I'm running a day care center for senior seniors all day. They roam in packs, come in and wander around, have to see feel and pick at everything in the store, comment on every single thing they see ("boy they sure don't make these like they used to look how flimsy it is, bet it won't hold up six months!) They are the only people I know who are always asking for non-existent things which have such specialized applications it would take ten years to get back the cost on making 50 of them, and then they are pissed because we don't have them. And by the way the Canadiens apparently have the market cornered on these Robertson screws. They look like a regular screw except the head has a small square inset hole to put it in, and of course it requires a square headed screw driver tip. In the states you see a few, and just about any package of accessories and bits you buy has one or two, but the entire country of Canada must be assembled with these things and the Canadiens are always bugging me for special sizes. When you tell them they only come in packages with an assortment of other bits, (i.e. 75 accessories for $4.98) the answer is universal. "Oh, all I need is that one bit, do you have them seperately?" Of course not, they are probalbly about half a penny to make, and would retail for maybe on the high side for a nickel, but would cost who the hell knows how much to package, handle distribute, etc. I guess since Canada is semi-socialized they have lost the grasp of the concept that the purpose of business is to make a profit, ...or be out of business.
But the good news is Canadien men are quasi useless, the wives keep them on very short leashes, make damn sure they have no money on them, and I don't even want to think oof the fate they would incur if they spent a penny without spousal approval. Sometimes a guy will get very excited to find exactly what he has been looking for for thepast ten years, it's on a severe mark down to get rid of them, they are priced at half thier cost, and the then you watch them get crushed to dust, because the wife simply says, "You don't need it!" End of case end of story, end of the whimper of masculine independance. "Yes dear."
Well off to face the throngs today! Have a good one!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
One down three to go!
Well "We're baaaaack!!", The Patriots that is. Today is Sunday and I've got to follow that Steelers, Bengals game to see where we go next week. If the Steelers win, the Pats go to Denver, if the "Bungles" win we go to Indy! Either way we are most definately on the road to the Superbowl again.
Other related, well not really, items. My brother in law and asister in law are both down. He can only stay a couple days then back to Atlanta, but I guess my sister in law is staying for a week or two (I guess it's on a need to know basis!)
I'm drawing a bit of a blank this morning so it looks like this will be a pretty brief post. The local Pub just put in the Racing channel (RTN?) for several of our regulars who are into horse and trotter racing. While it's "ok", I just can't get overly excited about it, I'd have much rathered they keep the NTN Trivia stuff, but the costs are supposedly outrageous.
There are several other pubs dishing up the NTN, and a couple even have Guinness on draught, but I guess I'm like the old time patriot, "My pub right or wrong", it's not worth the hassle of moving my butt to a new "neighborhood". You know how hard it is to move into a new neighborhood? There are already regulars, so you are the "newbie", there is a "pecking order" of seniority, respect, "personal service" and of course "my stool". Everyone knows I sit at the far end of the bar, usually the first or second stool down, "Mikie" owns the corner with the full view of the front door, Jim & Linda the two either side of Mikie and I, and of course a few others have their regular spots as well. Regulars get thier "Channel priveleges", despite the ominous sign posted that proclaim "All TV's are preset and the channels can't be changed, so don't ask", and we even get "volume" if we want it so we can hear over whatever the management decided to put on the "house" speakers.
Then of course there is the whole "family thing". As a regualr you get all the straight skinny on the place, everyone there (called gossip by some), and really feel like part of a family, albeit aclassic dysfunctional one, but there is a "familiararity" that is both re-assuring as well as comforting. For example if you just frequent a number of different places with no real "home" you miss all the "good stuff", like now there are at least four waitresses tha have dumped at least $4,000 into "boob jobs". (Incidentally they don't look any different to me, but one of my "buds" tells me if I dropped by the Whale's Tail (local beach and hangout for all waitstaff off duty) I would most definately notice the differeence in bikini tops. Guess I'm getting old, it's a "so what, looks good but I'm married, doesn't help me".
Well got to go get another cup of coffee, finish up a few nit picks, and head out for the morning, so it's "post time"
Other related, well not really, items. My brother in law and asister in law are both down. He can only stay a couple days then back to Atlanta, but I guess my sister in law is staying for a week or two (I guess it's on a need to know basis!)
I'm drawing a bit of a blank this morning so it looks like this will be a pretty brief post. The local Pub just put in the Racing channel (RTN?) for several of our regulars who are into horse and trotter racing. While it's "ok", I just can't get overly excited about it, I'd have much rathered they keep the NTN Trivia stuff, but the costs are supposedly outrageous.
There are several other pubs dishing up the NTN, and a couple even have Guinness on draught, but I guess I'm like the old time patriot, "My pub right or wrong", it's not worth the hassle of moving my butt to a new "neighborhood". You know how hard it is to move into a new neighborhood? There are already regulars, so you are the "newbie", there is a "pecking order" of seniority, respect, "personal service" and of course "my stool". Everyone knows I sit at the far end of the bar, usually the first or second stool down, "Mikie" owns the corner with the full view of the front door, Jim & Linda the two either side of Mikie and I, and of course a few others have their regular spots as well. Regulars get thier "Channel priveleges", despite the ominous sign posted that proclaim "All TV's are preset and the channels can't be changed, so don't ask", and we even get "volume" if we want it so we can hear over whatever the management decided to put on the "house" speakers.
Then of course there is the whole "family thing". As a regualr you get all the straight skinny on the place, everyone there (called gossip by some), and really feel like part of a family, albeit aclassic dysfunctional one, but there is a "familiararity" that is both re-assuring as well as comforting. For example if you just frequent a number of different places with no real "home" you miss all the "good stuff", like now there are at least four waitresses tha have dumped at least $4,000 into "boob jobs". (Incidentally they don't look any different to me, but one of my "buds" tells me if I dropped by the Whale's Tail (local beach and hangout for all waitstaff off duty) I would most definately notice the differeence in bikini tops. Guess I'm getting old, it's a "so what, looks good but I'm married, doesn't help me".
Well got to go get another cup of coffee, finish up a few nit picks, and head out for the morning, so it's "post time"
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Things to do in 2006
Yesterday we got a panic call from one of my sisters looking for me to forward all my geneology research to my little brother who was going to have someone followup on it for a family trip to Ireland we are all making this coming August.
It's one of my life's goals to go to Ireland and see where my ancestors came from as well as see what happened to the "other side" of our family. Ever since I was a kid (too dumb to listen to what the "old farts" were talking about at the St. Paddy's day parade gathering) I've always been curious about it. As a second generation American citizen growing up in a blue collar family with four brothers and sisters it's always been sort of an enigma to me.
Welll it looks like I get to find out this August and I'm looking forward to it. My brother in law and I started researching the family history about fifteen years ago (primarily as an excuse to get to the Irish pubs for which Boston is so famous for), but it moved beyond that and we spent hours pouring over records and birth certificates, wedding certificates, and death cetificates and got back to our grand parents, who all came from Ireland. But that is as far as we got, the trail went cold.
My little brother has some business contacts in Ireland and he now wants to take up the gauntlet and see if he can add more to our quest. My tattered old looseleaf full of copies of all the records we could find still end in the early 1900's as each of our grand parents seems to have come to this country alone and met and married over here. Thier names were common, there was little if any clue as to how they got here (obviously by boat, but to where and from where?) that's what's perplexed us for these past years. It seems like there is a huge hole in data trails from there on.
Well it's up to him now as I have hit the wall (without dumping tons of money into these cottage industry geneologists who will do it for you)
Well now that I'm awake for the day I gueess I better take care of some other business that's pressing on me today. See you next entry!
It's one of my life's goals to go to Ireland and see where my ancestors came from as well as see what happened to the "other side" of our family. Ever since I was a kid (too dumb to listen to what the "old farts" were talking about at the St. Paddy's day parade gathering) I've always been curious about it. As a second generation American citizen growing up in a blue collar family with four brothers and sisters it's always been sort of an enigma to me.
Welll it looks like I get to find out this August and I'm looking forward to it. My brother in law and I started researching the family history about fifteen years ago (primarily as an excuse to get to the Irish pubs for which Boston is so famous for), but it moved beyond that and we spent hours pouring over records and birth certificates, wedding certificates, and death cetificates and got back to our grand parents, who all came from Ireland. But that is as far as we got, the trail went cold.
My little brother has some business contacts in Ireland and he now wants to take up the gauntlet and see if he can add more to our quest. My tattered old looseleaf full of copies of all the records we could find still end in the early 1900's as each of our grand parents seems to have come to this country alone and met and married over here. Thier names were common, there was little if any clue as to how they got here (obviously by boat, but to where and from where?) that's what's perplexed us for these past years. It seems like there is a huge hole in data trails from there on.
Well it's up to him now as I have hit the wall (without dumping tons of money into these cottage industry geneologists who will do it for you)
Well now that I'm awake for the day I gueess I better take care of some other business that's pressing on me today. See you next entry!
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