Alcohol saves the day again...sorta...

So we had a bit of a snafu with the Christmas cards this year.  The husband had made the comment(s) he was sick and tired of the same old, boring family photo.  Ok, I decide I will take care of that situation.  I get Farmer Vinny to take a family photo that I staged and no one got to have input on it.  The photo was great and I was cracking myself up about it and the little message I put in it. Thursday night I had the company Christmas party and of course was drunk and wisely got a hotel room half a block from the office for the night so I would not kill myself driving home from the train station.  No big deal right?  Well some of the cards, namely our friends and family whose surnames begin with the letters A through C had been addressed.  Friday morning the horror in Connecticut takes place.  Well the cards for A-C got mailed out.  Suffice to say I sent out an email from work this morning to those people explaining the situation, apologizing at how the card in hindsight is completely inappropriate and that I will be sending out new ones- with a boring family photo.  I have learned that there is clearly a reason for the boring family photo on the Christmas card.  And clearly getting drunk at the company Christmas party prevented me from prepping the remaining cards to be mailed out.

Since we are on the topic, several friends have commented the card is pretty hilarious- clearly why these people are our friends.  And I got a very reassuring pat on the back from Mr. Barrett telling me I "handled the clean up well from a crisis communications point of view."  That made me feel a bit better as that is his job so he knows what he is talking about.

I am done shopping for everyone on my list and I actually have all the gifts wrapped and under the tree ready for the big day. 

We are having friends over to dine on Christmas Eve then I will pick up the boys the afternoon Christmas day and drop them off in the evening.  I am def wearing my Christmas pants Christmas Eve for dinner.

The AFHP ends this Friday and I must say I am looking forward to shaving.

Half of 90 aint so bad

The week of Thanksgiving was very busy at the cottage.  Not only were we hosting but it was also my birthday and dad's birthday.  Mom and dad came down Wednesday and stayed until Saturday.  Thanksgiving was awesome.  The boys were with us this year along with mom and dad.  We also had PJ and ST and two of our Graces- MM and MP.

The meal was amazing as usual.  The husband did a great brined turkey, wild rice dressing with a bunch of fruit, cornbread dressing with sage and sausage, white cheddar chipotle mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce with thyme and mustard (actually really good even though it sounds kinda funky) and roasted carrots and parsnips.  Mom being mom felt the need to do something so we had her make the pumpkin pies- one regular and one gluten free crust- on Wednesday when they got there.  I also made gluten free cranberry walnut muffins and an apple tart.  The highlight of Thanksgiving though was when mom got into the Scotch and when she asked for a second one both the boys blurt out "Grandma, every time you drink brown liquor you kill a little part of my soul!"  Her response was "Cheers." and she took a big swig.

I got a super, awesome, amazing birthday gift from the husband.  A Genesis compound bow and arrows.  Of course mom, dad and the sons were all making jokes about me now needing tights too.  I like to think I will be all Clint Barton-like but I am sure many people would think "You big queen, you are soo Katniss..."

Friday we all went to MP's place or lunch.  She made an amazing beef bourguignon and creme brulee for dessert.  We had a great time and then had left overs for dinner.

Saturday my younger brother came down with the wife and kids for birthday lunch for dad.  Of course they were late so they are now in the lie to them about what time things start so they are on time.

Sunday I took the boys to see Argo.  One of the great touches was the Warner Brothers 70s/ 80s logo in opening of movie and the fonts of the the opening and closing credits.  The movie was actually not bad at all and I have to give Ben Afflack credit for improving as an actor.

I am gonna guess that we go over the so called fiscal cliff.  I mean what little I know of game theory would lead me to believe the Dems look at the situation and say fuck it, let's go.  Their reasoning may be that when we go over they will land on the GOP and be in better shape to stand up and walk away albeit injured whereas the GOP won't survive the impact.

Speaking of the fiscal cliff, am I the only one nauseated by the whole Rise above bullshit CNBC is doing?  That is not journalism.  To my point, if you had any doubts CNBC is not news and only infotainment then look no further than President Obama's opinion.  He detly expressed it by giving his first official post election interview to none other than Bloomberg TV.  It is a huge coupe for BBRG and makes sense as BBRG is the only relatively non-partisan news channel aroudn these days and focused on news thanks to being privately owned and not worrried about selling advertising time.

Brandi Terrace at your service...

The husband and I cleaned the garage out this weekend.   I had had enough of the frost in the windshield in the morning and having the truck freezing when I get in.  We still need to get the garage door on the husband's side fixed and then he can leave his in the garage at night as well.  Sadly it means the bikes are put down in the basement for the winter.

I finally got caught up on all the t.v. I missed due to the cable getting knocked out from Sandy.  "Arrow" is actually not bad and Steven Amell is quite the specimen.  the husband and I agreed he is on the list...

Speaking of "Arrow" the husband signed us up for an archery safety/beginner course at the local firearms range/club.  We did well and hopefully s\Santa will bring me a Genesis compound bow...call me Daryl.

We have the menu for Thanksgiving all planned.  Tuesday and Wednesday will be prep days so ideally all we- read the husband- have to do is put things in the oven at the right time and voila- the picture perfect Thanksgiving dinner.

 Friday while chatting with PF he told me someone called his phone looking for Latisha Brown.  I told him I thought that would be a great drag name for him when he started.  He said he already had one and we got on the topic of how I was told you take the name of your first pet and the the street you lived on to make it.  So by that means I would be Brandy Terrace but PF and I though Brandi would make a much better spelling..

Mom and dad are coming down for Thanksgiving.  Friday is also Dad's birthday but we are celebrating Saturday instead so my younger brother and his wife and sons can come down and celebrate with us.

We saw Skyfall this weekend.  Javier Bardeem made a super, awesome villain.  I was surprised the movie was almost three hours long as it went by very fast while sitting there in the theater.

Oh Sandy

So Sandy the Superstorm definitely was super.  I am a bit perplexed though as we were told Hurricane Irene was the storm of the century and one tear later we are told Sandy is the storm of the century.  Apparently Irene was the storm of the preceding century, you know 1911 to 2011.  Sandy is the storm of the proceeding century, 2012 to 2112 (at least I hope).

We lost a lot of roof shingles- they were strewn all over the backyard- and a sixty plus year old pin oak.  Thankfully the pin oak fell into another sixty plus year old pin oak next to it and not on the house.  I was not sure if we were covered by our insurance for that or not- we are not. 

Thankfully- and this is what makes our country great I think- there was a wildcat tree removal team in town ad they took it down. These guys came in from Michigan.  They drove out to Jersey as soon as the storm hit.  They were looking to make easy money with lots of trees down.  The husband and I were dreading that it would cost us more than $2500 to dispose of the tree.  We had that number in mind because ST had to have a tree of similar size removed after Irene.  The wildcatters told us they could take it down for $750!  Clearly they thought they were getting the better of us ad we could not believe how cheap they were so we immediately had them take it down right then and there.

My youngest son is now a teenager.  His birthday is November 1st and he and his brother were supposed to be with us the weekend of November second but since we had no power, heat or- more importantly to tow teenage boys- cable and internet, I asked the ex to keep them for the weekend while we cleaned up.

They were with us this past weekend and the husband and I got the birthday boy a new iPod Touch- the fifth generation kind.  I am stunned by the product btw.  If you have WiFi it is essentially an iPhone.  It is really cool and I have to disclose that my 6 + year old iPod Touch went on the fritz last week I got myself a new one just like his but a different color.

So the election.  I don't think the results could be qualified as a mandate for President Obama.  51% of the popular vote is a slim majority,  If he had received 60% or more I'd say that is a mandate. 

I think I have lost and alienated friends with my commentary on President Obama being a moderate Republican in his actions- oh well, guess they were only friends if I agree with them politically which translate to not really friends.

One thing I have been expounding to some is when the refer to President Obama as a socialist.  I ask for one socialist action he has taken.  Generally they claim the Affordable Care Act is socialism.  Really?  So you are telling me the Affordable Care Act has nationalized all health insurance providers, combined them into one enterprise and the government runs it all now and has advocated equal outcomes for all who seek health care?  I dunno but it seems more like the plan Republican Governor Romney put in place in Massachusetts- oh wait because it is.  The retort to that is yes but the Romney plan tried to reduce the mandated services  whereas the President's plan increases them and places new taxes on...tanning salons!  OMG what would we all do if tanning salons were taxed out of business???  The horror..the horror...


I have been accused of espousing a belie in equal outcomes.  No, I get that not everyone gets to be a winner.  But I do believe that everyone should theoretically have an equal starting line and if the government needs to step in for that then so be it.  Funny how the GOP lives and breathes economic/social Darwinism but  not Darwinism in science and how the Democrats are the opposite.

My oldest is at the age where he is now gettign interested in lifting.  I have given him some tips and since he and his brother are with us for the Thanksgiving weekend I told him e and I would go to the gym so I can walk him thru some things. 

The Highlight Reel

I have been really bad about keeping up on writing I know but I have been totally infatuated with InstaGram...

Since I last wrote Mr. Clifford and Mr. Surrett visited us and we ended up at some super swanky party one night in Bucks County.  The theme was county fair so of course we broke out the cowboy boots, Wranglers, plaid shirts and trucker hats.  It was a lot of fun and I found that many straight women clearly have a hick fetish.  One woman asked me if I dressed like this all of the time to which I replied no.  She then stated- in front of the husband and her cute, German boyfriend- that she just wanted to rip my shirt open and essentially motor boat my furry chest.

Speaking of German, the husband and I are hosting some of my high school friends this weekend for Oktoberfest.  This is the gang that usually does a ski trip but that did not happen this year.  Instead we decided to do the real Oktoberfest in Germany but then one guy put a pool in, another added on to the house, another just had a second child, etc. so I suggested they all come to the cottage and we have Oktoberfest.  Everyone agreed.  There will be a beer tent- entry gained only if you have the wristband, brawts, Tyrolean hats for all and the husband is actually going to wear lederhosen.

I did a sprint tri in Asbury Park a few weeks ago.  Came in fifth for my age group and 54th overall so was happy with that.  My first transition totally sucked ass because I for some foolish reason decided to wear socks.  That mistake will not be made again in any race. 

The husband got talked into doing a half Iron Man with my younger brother next summer- ha ha!

Mom and dad were on mom's birthday gambling road trip last month.  They invariably ended up in Atlantic City so they stopped at the cottage on their way home and we celebrated mom's birthday with lunch and cake.  They boys were with us that weekend so they got to spend some time with their grandparents too.

Speaking of the boys- and not to sound like a boastful father but- apparently they are quite handsome.  We had a co-worker and her husband over for dinner one weekend we had the boys recently.  The Monday after all my co-worker could talk about is how handsome the boys are.  I told her I still see them as my little guys.  Then, the next weekend they were with us, the three of us were running errands.  We are in a check out line at CVS when this woman in front of us keeps turning around and staring at us.  Finally she asks if I am the father and I reply yes.  She then proceeds to tell me how proud I must be to have two such handsome and big sons. 

At what point do we call a spade a spade and admit Greece is in a depression?  I think they have been in a recession for something like five years now, isn't there a time limit that once you are in recession for over three years it is no longer a recession?

Doesn't Apple already have a mini iPad?  I think it's called an iPhone 5, right?

I am a bit disturbed by the whole glorification of military action and war.  I know it has been around since Lacedaimonians were around but it just seems to be at a cycle high these days.  Go figure- we are involved in a hot war and god knows how many cold war.  I say this all because the tv show "Stars Earn Stripes" just finished.  I never watched it but a lot of people at work were discussing it today and it just reinforces my belief the American Empire is in decline.  It is no different- just less bloody- than gladiatorial shows put on by the Romans.

The first Presidential debate is tonight.  I am soo excited to watch the season premiere of Supernatural instead....

Shutter day

I have to say it is sad Tony Scott felt he had no choice but to take his own life.  However I also have to question if we really need a sequel to Top Gun?  Don't get me wrong, great flick, helped define the late '80s and I still quote certain lines from it.  But is it really worthy of a sequel?

The Jerky Boys have had a min-revival at work.  Our favorite by far is the excellent Frank's Pickle Barrel Ass.  We of course did some leg work and it appears the company called was Eagle Pickles in Maspeth.  Of course we called the number and the same lady answered- so we hung up.

If you have never seen the t.v.  ad for Stamps.com it is really annoying.  They play it on BBRG TV all the time.  The one point that truly irks me is one guy saying there is nothing worse than having to go to the Post Office and stand in line to buy stamps.  Two things:  1) You don't need to stand in line these days as they actually have vending machines you can buy stamps at and 2) I personally can think of many worse things- finding out a loved one has some horrible cancer, having your dog die, the Large Hadron Collider creating a small black hole and destroying the world, Israel striking Iran and precipitating a much larger conflict to name a few.

The niece's wedding was a lot of fun.  The space was amazing and shockingly the flowers were stunning- who'd have thunk that the NY Botanical Gardens would have great flowers?  The food was very good and the best part was the wedding couple had a photo booth there.  I had never seen it before and it was pretty great idea.  You got two copies of the photos, one you had to glue into an album they had and you got to keep the second copy- which is now prominently displayed on our fridge.

Saturday was a shutter day for the husband and I.  A lot of our friends had told us we need to watch "Grimm."  So we spent all Saturday in the house, plopped in front of the t.v. catching up on all of season 1 and watching the two episodes of season 2.  It is not a bad show- not quite "Buffy" but clearly owes a huge debt to it and is not trying to be that show.  I mean that makes sense since David Greenwalt is involved in both shows.

Yesterday was a bit more productive.  We got up and did a 21 mile bike ride then I cut the grass.  I was psyched as I got to ride the lawn tractor.  With the drought still in effect I didn't cut it too short and I did not have to use the bagger.

I was surprised to read this morning that Frau Merkel wants to have a convention to write up a new Eurozone treaty.  What was even more surprising is that it got very little airplay or ink in the business press here.  Supposedly she hopes to have a date set for said convention in December.  I am sorry but that does not bode well for the whole thing.  It is also actually a pretty brilliant ploy.  We'll see how it all plays out.

Another topic I can't seem to fathom.  Last week there was a lot of chatter about the federal government thinking about a release from the SPR.  Then today I hear chatter about several international oil reserves supposedly getting ready to do a release.  It is real simple actually.  The whole war drum beating Israel has been doing over the last three weeks or so tells you that it may be more than just posturing.  Apparently I am one of the few who seems to think that is what all the chatter about strategic oil reserve releases is related to...

At times I wonder if it drives the ex crazy that her dog loves me and goes bonkers happy every time I go over to the her house to pick up or drop off the boys.  Hell even her cat loves me too.

I need an updated guide

Just some highlights as I have been really bad on writing lately.

The wedding we went to several weeks ago was a blast.   The husband and I were very busy setting up the chuppah, serving lunch for out of town friends and actually attending all the wedding weekend festivities. I actually sat next a woman who graduated from the same college I did but definitely a few years later.  The person on the other side was a professor from some Ivy League university who did not take kindly to me peppering him with so many questions about his field of work- he is a political science professor and I was basically hammering him on how do you model for things when humans are innately irrational creatures, lol.

I think I need an updated gay guide because clearly mine was published before the advent of Instagram.  I say this as I have come to realize if you are gay and on Instagram then it must say somewhere in the guide that you have to post as many shirtless selfies (as the Brits call self portraits) as possible....I am much more voyeur than exhibitionist so I do not post many selfies let alone shirtless ones.

My oldest finally got a proper haircut, started styling his hair and actually using product- holy shit he is growing up!!!  When I picked them up this past Friday I noticed and told him it looks really good and he will have chicks all over him once school starts up in a few weeks.  His younger brother- this is what is great about little brothers- blurts out it is already happening at tennis camp, lol.

I will admit I might be wrong about the Eurozone breaking up if someone can give me just one example of a state willingly giving up part or all of its sovereignty to another state.  Until that happens I stand behind my belief the euro is doomed because Germany will want to control things if they are footing the bill.

As a corollary to  my above statement on the doom of the euro, let me make it clear that it does not mean the end of the world.  The Large Hadron Collider creating a small black hole would most assuredly mean the end of the world; the euro disappearing and the markets going down does not.  Will it be painful?  Yes.  Will it cause problems?  Yes.  Will the sun still rise int he east and set in the west?  Yes.  Will the earth continue spinning?  Yes.

I think there will be some good t.v, i.e. major hotties on the show, this fall .  I am thinking mostly of "Arrow" on the CB with one Stephen Amell. 

The husband's niece is getting married this Friday at the Bronx Botanical Gardens.  It should be a fun time even though I will need to suit up at the office.

The boss took two weeks off in a row for vacation.  That meant the j.v. was on the field, i.e. me.  It totally reinforced what I told him over six years ago when he first interviewed me- I do not  want his job.  I am not wired correctly when it comes to dealing with "office politics" or having to answer the same question from the same person 4 different times.

Last weekend was my annual boozefest with the fraternity brothers.  Oh and we also took a small drinking break to do the Warrior Dash.  The course had a lot more incline to it this year and we all agreed the obstacles- whilst there was much more barbed wire- were not as good. 

You are slowly becoming a man

I almost got sick at work yesterday morning.  I happened to look up at one of the televisions and it was the one that had the Childrens News Brodacasting Corportion airing.  There he was- the man about 95% responsible for the repeal of Glass-Stegall  which lead to banks keeping profits but socializing losses.  This guy actually had the audacity to call for the break up of the TBTF banks.  Talk about hypocrisy.  I am surprised the guy was not crucified more in the press today.  He got off pretty lightly.

Then I moved over to BBRG and I heard some talking head averring that the Fed's dual mandate is causing huge problems.  So far, so good.  He then went on to say he can't understand why the Fed is worried about growth when they have delivered a 6-7% increase in the S&P 500.  WTF?  That statement right there beautifully encapsulates what is wrong with so many of the financial elites.  They equate price appreciation in the market with a growing economy.  I mean I get it as they are the majority owners of the assets that get traded and have had a huge rally.  JW has repeatedly told me I live in a lifestyle and information bubble and the guy on tv saying that a 6-7% rally in the S&P 500 is good for Joe Six Pack proves how myopic many in my industry really are.

I have to chuckle that I find myself defending Turbo Tax Timmy.  He really had very little recourse in the whole LIBOR-gate issue.  I found myself agreeing with one of the Democratic Congressmen who basically said he is getting scapegoated by the GOP because he is serving a Democratic President.

My oldest had a rite of passage the other day.  Instead of going to his job at his mom's boyfriend's place of work he was asked to stay home and wait for the cable guy to come.  He was told the cable guy would be there between 2-4 PM.  Of course the guy did not show up until 6 PM- hahahaha!  My oldest was pissed and went on a rant about what the hell is wrong with these people?  They grow up so fast don't they?

The whole Chik-a-Fil thing had me torn a bit.  I am all for free speech etc.  If people don't like what some business proprietor publicly says they can choose not to give him their business.  Then I read a friend's post on the Tome of Mugs:  "Ok people- to clarify: Having an opinion and expressing that (including an opinion on the opinions of others) = free speech. Having an opinion and expressing that, while simultaneously funding legislation that limits the civil rights of others = discrimination. See the difference?"  I don't think there are nay of those restaurants around here but I clearly would not give them my business.

That was sorta fun...not

So this Jew and Hindu are getting married and they have two goys making their chuppah for them...I know that sounds like the start of a really bad, possibly offensive ethnic joke but it is not.  The husband and I are the goys and our friends who are getting married this coming weekend are actually a Jew and a Hindu.  They are getting married down here and because we are local and we have an awesome set of tools they asked us to take care of it for them (they currently live in the city).  So yesterday we assembled it.  I learned the husband is afraid of the jig saw- ha!  I also learned that the two of us are both sometimes opinionated about how to do things.  There were several times where in my supreme snippiness I told the husband fine you cut it.  regardless we got it done and it will only be up during the ceremony for a short time so it does not need to be built to last forever.  The husband will be painting it though.

This past week was a bit truncated for me.  I worked Monday and then was off Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and back in work Friday.  I had the three days off because I and my brothers and our spouses and spawn all made the trip up north to mom and dad's new house to have a fete for their 50th anniversary.  The boys had a blast and it was really quite fun even with a family photo Tuesday in 99 degree weather.  That night we had a barbecue at the new house and Wednesday we hung out all day there and then it was a family dinner at a great restaurant on Skaneateles Lake. Thursday morning it was back here and since we had the boys for the weekend too they decided to stay with us Thursday night and Friday. 

This morning we got our tired, old asses out of bed way too early for a Sunday morning to go over to the county park and do a triathlon.  Not just any triathlon either but an Olympic.  I was not sure I was ready for it as I had given quite a half assed effort at training but I finished it.  My time by my Timex was 3 hours, 12 minutes and 23 seconds.  That includes all my transitions btw.  My only concern is during the bike ride there was a race official riding the course on the back of a motorcycle and I saw him look at me and make a note.  The race was a USAT sanction race so I am not sure if I incurred a penalty and if so for what I don't know.

Hmmm- I just saw my race results and I was assessed a two minute penalty- I am not sure what rule I violated but the good thing is the husband got one too, lol.  And my Timex was pretty accurate as with the penalty I came in at 3:14 and change...

This coming week is rather busy.  The husband has to demonstrate the chuppah tomorrow, Tuesday night we are having dinner with JD and JW, Wednesday we probably will have to tidy up, Thursday I have business drinks, Friday we have wedding guests staying with us for the weekend, the wedding Saturday.

The grand tour

Ok, yes it has been awhile but we were off in Europe celebrating our honeymoon five years after the fact.

We arrived in Paris Saturday morning and right away we were doing the tourist thing.  We hit everything.  I was asked what my favorites were and they are Hotel des Invalides- especially Napoleon's tomb, followed by Musee d'Orsey, amazing museum from a philistine in terms of art and culture; Tuileries Garden and running along the Seine very early in the morning.  Yes, we actually trained while we were on our honeymoon.  The one thing I noticed about European runners is they are not friendly at all.  Generally when  you are out running here, you pass another runner and make a small wave or nod in acknowledgement of oh, you are crazy/in pain too?  Not European runners.  Everyone of them looked at me like I had two heads.

We actually went out to a club.  You know how they have open mike night at a lot of clubs here in the States?  Well apparently the club we went to- Spyce was the name, apparently that is the French spelling?-clearly had open stage/stripper pole night.  Seriously- the place was tiny, had a deejay and stage and two very small bars.  We got there and there were cute go go boys on the stage dancing in skimpy attire.  They got off and then out of the crowd cam two other cute go go boys.  I looked at the husband and said whoo hoo, we hit open pole night!  The best act though was the last one.  These three guys came up and took off their overcoats.  Two were regular sized, gym fit hotties.  The last one was a giant- had to be around 6' 4", jacked, mustache, no body hair and ink all over.  The two smaller guys were wearing black leather jock straps and motorcycle caps.  The giant was wearing a leather jock strap with spangles hanging off the front, black leather boots to mid thigh, black gloves above his elbows and - wait for it- pasties with tassels hanging from them!  I and the husband looked at each other and said no fucking way!  He really did not dance at all, he just stood there doing pseudo vogue moves.  I said to the husband you know in his mind he is wearing a long red gown, is blonde and holding a cigarette holder...

We departed Paris on Thursday from Gar de Nord and went off to Bruges- no we did not see the movie and everyone tells us it is hilarious.  Bruges is technically a city as it has a cathedral.  Well technicality aside it is a small town.  How do I know this other than trusting my eyes?  Um because we actually ran around the entirety of it in fifty minutes.  My favorite thing in Bruges was the Basilica of the Holy Blood.  Apparently during one of the Crusades some noble brought back what is believed to be two drops of Jesus' blood.  How did Dan Brown miss that when he was writing The daVinci Code?

Saturday morning we took the train from Bruges to London- I was psyched as we got to go through the Chunnel- clearly dating myself by calling it the Chunnel instead of the Channel Tunnel.As we were en route the husband is warning me that  London's weather is notoriously grey and wet.  We got off at St. Pancras and it was sunny as all get up and in the mid 60s.  I looked at the husband and asked where he had packed my Oakleys.

London actually stayed sunny and in the mid 60s the entire time we were there.  I got more tan than the husband from all the walking around we did.  We did all the tourist things and London was much more social as the husband had lived there for several years.  I got introduced to his friends and thankfully they all gave me the nod- not that it would matter five years after the fact.  I was told I was quite mischievous and very American polite- I am not sure that is a compliment or sarcasm as I don't speak British...or quite get their sense of humor.

That is all for now, will write some more later this week.

Hitting "Reply All" isn't that embarrassing

So last week my man-crush here at work sent out an email that was work related.  He is also a closet sci-fi/fantasy geek so I replied "all I care about is the fight for Kings Landing "(we talk about Game of Thrones every Monday).

I mistakenly hit "Reply All" instead of plain old "Reply."  He emails me back telling me to watch that reply all button.  I tell him please, I have done way many more embarrassing things in my life than publicly state I am a geek.  More importantly I now know who all the other geeks- professed and silent- in the office are as they all replied back to me with some kind of comment on the show.

Tuesday morning I swear it was like Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.  First I almost hit a raccoon, then I definitely hit a fox (which I felt really bad about hoping it was not the mother who was going through our backyard with her two kits) and then had to stop twice for a near herd of deer.  I was just waiting for Marln Perkins to voice over "And now Jim will shoot the driver with a tranquilizer..." 

Apparently today is World No Tobacco Day.  Yeah, that so aint happpen' with me, epic fail.  As I have said before, they will pry the tin of Skoal from my cold, rigorous hand.

Some talking head was on BBRG tv yesterday commenting on how when the Texas S&Ls went under in the early '90s, all the other states helped bail them out.  He was saying that is what should happen in Europe.  Well yeah, I could envisage that happening-if Europe was a federal system!  It aint, I highly doubt it will become one so I don't see how countries in Europe will willingly bail out other countries banks.  Comparing Texas S&Ls getting bailed out y the rest of the U.S in the '90s to Europe today is apples and oranges- apple and oranges I say.


Am I the only one who thinks Mitt Romney makes Al Gore look like a lively, warm and personable guy?  Seriously, the guy is so forced and even more robotic than Al.  He is like Data except without the positronic brain.

Talk is sheep

So the summer has begun.  We had the boys this long weekend which meant we took in two movies, used the grill and did yard work.

Saturday morning I had the list of errands to do and took the boys with me when the hot sex on a stick painter showed up.  We ended up doing a few more things- namely getting the boys hybrid bikes (road and trial) for here at our house and my oldest got a fishing pole and tackle kit as he wants to fish on the canal at the back of the property.

Saturday night we tool in  Men In Black 3.  I thought it was just ok, rather nondescript.  The husband found it very boring and the boys liked it. There were a few funny scenes but the whole time paradox thing kinda annoyed me.  A time fracture really isn't a normal sci-fi trope.

Sunday we were kind of lazy and we went and saw Battleship.  I have to say I think it was a better action flick than MIB3 and I am surprised it only got a roughly 30% on Rotten Tomatoes.  I may be biased as I got to see Taylor Kitsch in nothing but a towel and he is totally smokin'.

Sunday night I almost blew up the house using the grill.  I made grilled flat bread using the pizza stone over charcoal.  That is not what almost blew up the house though.  On the propane side  I was supposed to grill hamburgers and hot dogs.  I preheated the grill, went inside to refresh my wine glass and came back out to see the propane side roaring and smelling like burning plastic only to see the frackin' line from the grill to the tank on fire!  I ran inside got the fire extinguisher and  put the whole thing out, reached under and turned off the tank and turned it off.  That shook me a bit.  So of course I drank more wine.

We got into watching "Total Blackout" on SciFi.  That is one messed up show but is really funny.  I think they have a rule that they have to have at least one really fey gay man in each episode.  I would love to get the husband and I on it as a team as he would be really entertaining.

So I just read that a newspaper in Spain, El Pais, is saying that Spain may get another year to meet the debt to GDP requirements.  Ok, if I was Greece that would totally make me say fuck you to the rest of the Eurozone and quit.  Maybe that is the goal.  Yet all the talking heads are preaching fire and brimstone for the Greeks if they default and leave.  Really?  Are you fucking kidding me?  How much worse can it get in Greece than the depression they are already suffering through?  At least if they are out and reissue the drachma they will be in charge of their own fate as opposed to having to give up their sovereignty to Germany.

I got no training in this past weekend which I am kind of bummed about as I have somewhat foolishly committed doing an Olympic triathlon in July with the husband.  "I'll give it a whirl" is what I think I said when we discussed it.  That means in about 8 weeks I will be swimming 1.5 kilometers, biking 40 and then running 10.  Wish me luck.

We had dinner last week with friends in the city.  We got on the topic of how the husband has been making his own mulch, how we compost  in touch with our inner Earth Mother.  Out of the blue the husband stated how he would like to get sheep.  I am all or that as I think it would be neat and we could make our own sheep's milk cheese and the husband could shear them, spin yarn form their wool and knit those hats you see all the Peruvians selling on the streets of NYC.  I told the boys this weekend and they agreed it would be a pretty cool idea to get some sheep.  We have the acreage so we could probably support a limited number- like two to three.  We clearly need to do some more research on the subject.  It also means we will definitely be fencing in the whole grassy area of the property next spring.

Damn- I missed St. Matthias Day

Monday was St. Matthias Day.  St. Matthias is the patron saint of luck.  I should have bought a ticket to Power Ball or Mega Millions.

I rode the bike at the gym this morning.  I am not sure the Star-Tec eSpinners are right about how far you ride. I was on it for forty minutes and supposedly I rode 15.2 miles.  That pace seems a bit fast for me honestly.  Don't get wrong- I posted it on Run Keeper, lol, but I am not confident I actually biked that far in that time span.

No Soccer Coach at the gym this morning but it did open on time.

I happened to read about a professional baseball player throwing his batting helmet at an ump.  Big no no and I wanted to see who it was.  Brett Lawrie.  I of course googled images of Brett and he is pretty darn cute. 

30 Seconds to Mars- the Nickleback of alt rock?  I ask that because I really think that are not that good of a band.  Maybe when they did an anthem for some animated owl movie that turned me against them but no, I just think they are an annoying, shitty band.

So it would appear that the French trans-sexual Christine Lagarde in her capacity as head of the IMF made a rather disconcerting statement regarding Greece earlier this evening.  I am paraphrasing when I say her comment was the IMF has to be technically prepared for a Greek exit from the euro.  Hello- that is a bell ringing.

I personally think- as I am in no way licensed to give investment advice to the general public- that the whole hullabaloo over Facebook is another bell ringing.  It just seems like it is going to end badly for all especially when you have a state-owned enterprise company as large as General Motors saying they are pulling their ads as they show no benefit.

Monday I left work early to go and catch my youngest son's last home track meet.  IT was raining, he was in the second to last heat for his 100 yard "dash" but I am pretty sure he was totally thrilled I made it.  He had that look in his eyes when he saw me before his race and a huge grin on his face.  I asked him if was surprised I made it and he hesitated and said no, he knew I would.  Friday I am leaving work early to hopefully catch my oldest sons' last tennis match.

The husband is doing a triathlon this Saturday.  I will be there to drive and cheer him on.  I may do one on July and an Olympic at that- have not really decided yet.

364 years and still going strong...

Small, local businesses are really hit or miss.  For example, we are getting a new washer and dryer installed- or so I thought.  Having owned homes before I thought I knew the drill.  I had the husband get the plumber on the calendar a month ahead of time before we needed him as all plumbers are scatter-brained.  The husband was excellent on communicating with the plumber and this is the guy that did the bathroom for us when we did it over.  He is very good at plumbing and reasonably priced.  Last night I get home only to find out the plumber says he can't install the appliances today or even this week.  WTF??  I was livid but there really is nothing we can do even though I vented that we should tell hi to fuck off and find someone.  It is not my fault he didn't finish some other job- he knew for a month he ha dour job.  His poor planning is not my problem.  I really want to write in the memo space on the check when we pay him "Fuck off and die!  I hope you fucking choke on this money."  but I most likely won't write that.

On the other hand we are getting the house painted as we are pretty sure it has not been painted in over two decades.  The husband scored big on the painter.  The guy is hot!  He is, to quote the husband, "Sex on a stick."  Ukrainian, blond, tall, amazing guns, hot ass that looks good in painters jeans and a great chest in a white tee shirt.  I told the husband after meeting him that we should offer him a cash bonus if he paints shirtless and lets us take lots of pictures.

The whole JPM situation is a shit show.  Some things I have picked up from it are for the "hedge" to have lost that much money that quickly can only really mean they had massive- like LEH size- leverage; it had to be 30-40x.  The other thing is there is no way in hell it was a hedge.  It was a prop bet on the markets and it went wrong.  They had to be a huge portion of the index and you don't do hedges that large.  Also it was not a hedge because whatever they were supposedly hedging would have mad even more money than they lost.  I also have to believe it shows how flawed Dodd-Frank was which makes sense since that was written by the lobbyists employed by all the banks.

Which leads me to my next point- Glass-Steagal.  We need it back.  If you think it can't happen then you need to look at Queen Elizabeth II's recent address to Parliament  She advocated splitting retail banking from investment banking.  It will happen.

Yesterday marked the 364th anniversary of the signing of the Peace of Westphalia.  Ironic no, considering all that is going on in Europe right now.  My stance on the euro has not changed and I clearly was two years early.  Greece will be out within a month and the euro gone by year end.

I went to the gym yesterday morning only to have to wait 15 minutes as no one was there to open it.  I find it irksome that I make the effort (along with probably 12 other people) to be there at 6 AM and the person responsible is  not dong the same- and they get paid- albeit I am sure it is a pittance.  So that cut my workout short but at least Soccer Coach was there.

Proper form at all times

So what is the proper etiquette in the gym when you see someone with really, really bad form- like so bad it makes you cringe?   I ask because for the last several months I have seen this guy at the gym who's form is probably worse than my college roommate's form- and his was bad.

The guy is probably around my age- if he were younger once could call him "lanky" or even "awkward" and that would describe him to a tee.  But since he is around me age we'll call him skinny. 

Anyhow the guy does the same exact exercises every day and I am sure he is getting frustrated he is not getting very good results.    I have almost told him several times that his form is terrible and if he fixed it he would see much better and quicker results.  Then I step back and think if he wanted to know he would ask or he would be using a trainer at the gym.

Speaking of the gym, this morning not only was orange Nikes there but there was also another hottie- we'll call him Soccer Coach.  Bit taller than me, huge calves, dark haired beauty.  Soccer Coach because he was wearing a tee shirt that identified him as "coach" and it was for soccer.

Could everyone please stop with the bullshit that Bankia (over in Spain) was partially nationalized?  That is akin to saying someone is partially pregnant.  The fact that the Spanish government only holds 45% of the company now does not matter.  They are now the largest shareholder and they are calling the shots.  The whole situation proves once again how important semantics are.

Speaking of semantics, yesterday I red how the Japanese government was taking over Tepco- you know them, they own the Fukishima reactors- to prevent the company becoming insolvent.  Really?  Something tells me the company was so close to insolvency already that it was all to save face.

Ron Paul and Paul Krugman faced off on BBRG tv last week and it was a very good discussion.  I am of the camp that Ron Paul won but it was pretty close.  I have to give Paul Krugman credit for openly admitting that  we are in a depression.  I think he is the first to do so on national television.

I really enjoy Instagram.  The one negative is I asked the husband for a digital camera for Christmas- which he got me and it is a nice one.  But I find myself using the camera on my phone all the time for the stuff I post there and I feel some regret that I don't use the gift.

Speaking of Instagram a friend who follows me there commented that the photos I like often border male porn.  My reply was he is bordering creepy stalker, lol.  I also told him I am married, not dead.  We both agreed that it is a fun app for amateurs like us.  I told him if the husband ever joined I'd most likely block him.  My reasoning is the husband is an avid collector of photography and I really would not want to get some art critique of photos I have snapped with my phone camera and posted for fun.

I also discussed Instagram with Mr. Barrett.  He is a tumblr guy but the apps are similar enough.  He commented that a photographer he knows was a bit derisive of Instagram.  I told him I understand why as it is a threat to his profession.  I feel similar about all the on-line trading sites out there.  I like to think that what I do actually takes some skill set that not just anyone of the street possesses.  With Instagram everyone can dream they are the next Thomas Ruff, Cindy Sherman, James Caseofbeer, Vik Munoz or Ansel Adams (that last one is for my straight friends).

I am really sick and tired of many people in my line of work who constantly try to "normalize" things.  It is a form of laziness they have picked up from those in the dismal science and think everything can and should be normalized.  Hello?  Markets are rarely to never "normal."

I got yelled at scolded reprimanded last week about wearing sneakers at work.  Really?  Don't get me wrong- I toe the line for my boss when I am told to but I am fairly certain there is not a single shred of evidence or model you could test for heteroscedasticity (just cuz I like that word and remember it from my econometrics classes- it really doesn't apply here) showing that what I am wearing on feet has any correlation or impact on the direction of financial markets.

Time for a title change

So Mr. Barrett was up visiting this past weekend and we got on the topic of our blogs. 

He casually mentioned he thought I might consider changing the title of mine.  He has referred to me as Darth Jersey since we first met at The Green Lantern on Go Shirtless and Drink For Free Night.

It is not a long story nor complicated but I just don't feel like going through it all.

It got me thinking that he was right as I have not actually resided in Hoboken for almost three years now.  Also if you are reading this and have not yet figured out I am gay and have sons from a previous marriage to a woman(I tried to live a straight lifestyle- it didn't work out) then do you really care what the title is?

Delusional

Ok so it's been a while- get over it, there are worse things in life and if you really are dependent upon my posts for some kind of fulfillment you may need help....meow.

Most recent happenings:  Took the boys up to my brother's in Massachusetts for their cousins First Communion.  No we did not make the ceremony as I was concerned entering the Church would cause a fire- you know from the lightning bolt striking.  We did have a nice brunch though with the family and then retired to my bro's house for some relaxation, Battleship, Wii and other activities.  Meanwhile I went with the bro and sister-in-law to see their new home- it is not a new house, it is an amazing old home in town they bought.  I got to give my sparkly, gay recommendations on kitchen design and other interior design things such as paint color.  I think it was a win for me as I gave both of them something they were trying to get out of each other- a banquette for her and a flush door for him.

Then it was back to their current abode for grillin', chillin' and drinking.  The boys had a blast and I am always amazed at how great they are with their younger cousins as I was admittedly a big douche bag to my younger cousins.  Clearly they got it from their mother's side...

This past weekend Mr. Barrett came up for a visit.  It is always god to see him and he gave me some excellent tips on geeky sci-fi/fantasy fiction I will be reading soon.  He got to do some birding with the husband and he even spotted some birds in his guide that were not yet checked off.

Saturday night we took him to the quintessential gay Jersey shore scene- The Parasite The Paradise in Asbury Park.  It was actually quite a bit of fun.  I had not been there in almost 7 years (the last time I was there I ended up in a threesome- TMI?) and it has changed a little.  The husband had not been there in almost twenty years and he was stunned at the changes.

I of course made an ass of myself on the dance floor but isn't that the whole point of a dance floor?  The husband told Mr. Barrett as we drove there (after they had done some tequila shots to celebrate Cinco de Mayo) that he had to make out with at least three guys.  Mr.Barrett did not but more importantly he had a lot of fun and got to fist pump (apparently that is not legal in the nation's capital?).

We also took in The Avengers.  It was a great flick for an overcast. rainy Saturday afternoon.  It was well paced and I did not realize it was almost two and a half hours long.  The only down side is neither Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth gave a full frontal scene or even a crotch shot.  Still- two thumbs up.

We are also finally getting the new washer and dryer installed next week.  They have both been delivered and are sitting int he basement.   We also decided to splurge and get a utility sink installed next to them- I am soo over the husband washing paint brushes int he kitchen sink.

Ok, so Greece is most likely out of the euro soon.  They are close to putting into power some seriously scary, bad people who espouse (what I considered) dead ideologies  France has thrown out their government.  Serbia has as well.  If one can try to look at the whole situation objectively there is really only one end game- which I stated almost two years ago- the euro is going away. 

Ok here's the quote:   "I think freedom means freedom for everyone,"  and the follow up is:  "I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish."  Who said it?  No it was not President Obama today.  It was former Vice-President Dick Cheney almost two years ago.  Why do I bring this up you ask?  Real simple.  With President Obama today saying same-sex marriage should be legal I have to wonder what the GOP response will be.  I am going to guess it will be all The Bible (also known as The Greatest StoryEver Told) says marriage is defined as one man and one woman line.  One would think that the party that supposedly believes in as little government involvement as possible and freedom at any cost would agree that the government should not be dictating to adults who are of age who they can enter into marriage with.  The hypocrisy is truly astounding.  One could almost infer from their position that freedom is really only for white, Christian males- sometimes women too but not in the are of reproductive rights.  If the GOP does not come down on the side of freedom and limited government I am going to have to assume my assessment of the party after watching their debates was correct:  They are crazy and are no better than the mullahs in Iran or the Taliban in Afghanistan- religious zealots who want to impose their idea of morality upon the rest of society at all costs.  It almost makes one wish there was a separation of church and state here....

I am this close to giving up on my delusional belief I will get my black belt.  I just cannot do it currently.  I am getting old and I have to say getting my ass out of bed at 4:10 every morning to go to the gym and getting home at 6:45 makes for one long day.  I was planning an getting back into the dojo- sweep the leg!- yesterday but decided I better check and make sure the schedule had not changed.  Well it did and now I would have to go almost every night of the week to achieve that goal.  I just can't do that right now.  The husband said he may have an idea but we have not fully discussed it yet as he started to give me grief and I asked hm when was the last time he went to the dojo- Cobra Kai never die!- and that abruptly ended the conversation.

Roman holiday

Been a while but I was out of the country.

ST planned a trip to Italy for PJ's birthday.  The husband and I joined them along with Framer Vinny and Lady Bell.  This was the first time I would be in Europe.  The flight over was fine even though I still had my earache and horrendous cold.  I was hacking and blowing my nose most of the flight.  My big fear was my eardrum would burst in a huge bloody mess on whoever was sitting next to me.  That did not happen and the husband was next to me anyhow.  I took tons of those pocket packs of tissues ( think like a dozen), my antibiotics, a huge bag of Halls cough drops and one of those zinc based cold preventative/easers.  Oh and the three vodkas on the rocks with olives (stuffed with bleu cheese- yum!) before the flight helped with my fitful sleep as well.

We landed in Rome and caught a flight to Naples.  Holy crap Naples is a pit from what I saw.  It looks like the Philly slum look sprawled over a larger area.  In  Naples the hotel had a mini-van waiting to drive us to Positano.  The highways on the Amalfi coast are daunting but the driver was quite adept at his job. 

The hotel was frackin' amazing!  Everything on the Amalfi coast is built into the cliffs and is pretty beautiful.  The hotel we got to and we had to take an elevator down to the lobby.  The rooms were beautiful.  The food was great and the company was the best. 

I slowly recuperated from my illness.  One day we took a car to Ravello.  We drove through Amalfi and stopped and walked around a bit.  The it was on to Ravello.  Ravello was amazing and the gardens we walked were great.  We hit the gardens at Villa Cimbrone. 

The last night in Positano we ate dinner in town which was fun.  The next day we drove back to Naples and took the train to Rome.  I gotta say the Europeans really know how to do train travel right.  We were on one of those high speed trains and made it to Rome in just over a hour.

Rome- now that is an amazing city!  It had the same kind of feel that NYC has in my opinion.  I don't know what economic crisis is happening as Rome was bustling all the time and the prices were not cheap.  I assume it is because there are constantly tourists in the city.  We hit all the spots- St. Peter's, the Pantheon, Ara Pacis, the Forums, the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain.  Thankfully I had just downloaded Instagram for Android before I left and used it to the point one of my friends on FB told me to step away from the Instagram, lol.

The last night were were in Rome the husband and I had dinner with my parents- yeah, really.  They were on a tour of Italy for their 50th wedding anniversary.  They started up north, saw Venice, Florence, Tuscany and ended in Rome the same time we were there.  So we took them out to celebrate.  But even better afterwards the husband and I went out clubbing until a bit after 3:30 AM- clearly I was almost fully healed, lol.

That was really the first time I had been clubbing and I have to say it was a lotta fun.  The place was on the outskirts of Rome.  We got there and there was a huge line.  The husband told me to stick close to him.  He walked up to the front of the line and asked the guy was this the entrance and how long would it be.  The bouncer asked were you from.  New York City.  He let us right in, lol.

It was three floors of music blasting, hot Italians, fog machines, confetti guns going off and an actual show.  The music was great, the eye candy was good and the drag queens were amazing.

The flight back was ok.  I couldn't really sleep as there was a bit of turbulence that had me shaken- pun intended.  I just am not great with flying.  

We got back late Saturday afternoon.  I screwed up scheduling with the ex and I was supposed to have the boys that weekend.  She was surprisingly understanding so I just picked up the boys very early Sunday morning for the day.  We celebrated my oldest son's birthday with cake and he wanted sushi for dinner.  Other than that it was a relatively lazy Sunday.

The past week was ok easing back into work.  The more I hear Spain is not Greece the more I think it is.  The French elections will prove quite interesting as well and have major implications for the rest of the Euro zone. 

This is going to be a bad tick season I can tell.  Yesterday the husband and I took the kids for a great, long trail walk.  The rest of the day we kept finding ticks on them, us, in the truck, in the house.  Thankfully the kids have their tick and flea killers applied so most are dead when we find them.  Still I am thinking I may need to get tested for Lyme's disease this year just to be safe.

Friday was the husband's birthday.  I had forgotten I took it off which was nice as I got to spend the day with him and the kids.  Friday night we went across the road to PJ's house for a birthday dinner.  It was fun but everyone ended up drinking a bit too much.

Saturday the kin-laws came down to celebrate the husband's birthday.  The arrived a bit after 1 PM.  We sat down and had cheese and baguettes and wine.  Then my mother in law and I went and did the grocery shopping for dinner.  I made dinner on the grill with charcoal.  Pork tenderloin with a dry rub and served with fire grilled tomato sauce.  The tomatoes on the grill were a bit tricky but the sauce came out very good. Dessert was the usual gluten-free, chocolate birthday cake.  I did put on candle that re-light though, lol.  the husband was not amused after like the fifth time he had to blow them out- I was called a brat.

They aren't just for kids

So last Thursday I was feeling pretty crappy at work.  The husband had the week earlier had a pretty nasty cold and it looked like I finally caught it.  I actually left work early and stayed home sick Friday.  


I figured I could do my usual neti pot drowning of what ever had taken up residence in my nasal passages and sinuses and seemed to be making an inexorable move into my chest.  Friday sucked as the kids where all excited I was home and would not let me rest at all- oh and plus I was constantly hacking up what felt to be pieces of my lung(s).  I also had to pick up the boys that evening as they were with us for the weekend and we had our usual Friday night dinner plans with PJ and ST.  So there was no rest for the weary.

Dinner went well actually, our farmer friend also joined us and we got to use the grill.  The husband made an pretty sick dry rub for lamb loin chops and I grilled them over charcoal as I did not feel like getting a propane tank and still had charcoal left from last season.  The lamb was a hit and even my youngest tried it which is shocking as he is usually a chicken only and only select vegetables. 

Saturday was a bit more successful int he rest department as I got to fitfully and sort of sleep in until 11:30.  As my oldest son's birthday s coming up and he was due for a phone upgrade I took him to the VZ store and we got him his birthday gift- yeah, I caved and got him the iPhone 4s.  He wanted the 32 gig one so that is what he got.  Then it was back to the house to try and rest some more- not so lucky- and then the four of us went and grabbed dinner- Mexican- and then I gave into the mania- yeah we went and saw The Hunger Games.  It was a good movie but I have to say seriously- what is the fuss?  Haven't we seen this so many times before?  "The Most Dangerous Game"  anyone?  didn't we all have to read that short story classic in 8th or 9th grade English class?  Even more recently (and I am totally plagiarizing a tweet I saw) The Running Man based on the Steven King novel?  Anyhow, still a good flick and I did not realize how long it was and I only had one cough drop plus with all the water I was drinking I had to go to the bathroom at least three times.  I am not so sure about reading the books.

Yesterday was about the same in terms of how I felt but I needed to put the game face on.  A good friend of the husband's from Argentina was in town and we were hosting her and her friend for brunch.  I made this flat bread with potatoes, shave asparagus, goat cheese and olive oil and the husband made this pretty amazing chicken salad with sliced pan fried chicken breasts and apples over greens with a butter milk dressing.  I also made brownies for dessert.  So we were up early cleaning the entire house and making the boys help as well.  At one point my oldest asked why their room needed to be clean.  I told him because guest may want to see the entire house.  Oh, so when we visit them I can see their bedrooms.  I said of course, the next time we are in Argentina you can see their bedrooms...

Brunch was a success and we had a very good time- the husband catching up with old friends and myself and the boys making new ones.  At one point the boys were int he kitchen whispering with their step-father when the friend told me she was very impressed with my boys and I have done a good job as a father raising them.  I demurely replied I could only take half the credit as their mother plays a role in their upbringing as well.

The guest left and I tried to nap a bit more before taking the boys back to their mom's to no avail as I was still hacking and wheezing.  I dropped the boys off and when I was driving back something happened with my right ear.  You know when your ears pop and you are equalizing pressure?  Well my right ear didn't pop and felt like it was still trying to pop. It had me a bit concerned.

We of course watched the season premiere of "Game of Thrones."  Even though the NYT television critic kinda dumped on it I thought it was an excellent episode.

I decided to sleep in the boys room and let the husband at least get a good night's rest.  As I laid down with a humidifier humming my ear started to throb.  I thought that was not good but I'd see how it felt int he morning.

Well this morning it had not changed and I noticed my balance was a bit off.  At first I just chalked it up to early morning  clumsiness.  But as I was driving to the train station I knew something was wrong so I stopped at the Wawa, emailed the boss and my co-workers I was not going to make it in, was going to get professional medical help.  I went home, logged onto the company's health insurance provider website and found a walk in clinic that opened at 8:30.  It was a nurse practitioner but that was fine as they can prescribe drugs in NJ. 

It may seem shocking I don't have a primary care physician but I think I ma like a lot of guys.  I am going to guess most guys don't if they are generally in good health to begin with- which I am (although I stepped on the scale and could stand to lose 5-10 pounds)- and only seek medical help when they really need it which means an emergency room. 

I was the first one there, had my check up and found out the root cause of all my recent ills was a massive ear infection in my right ear.  I laughed as I associate those as childhood ailments. The NP kindly explained that many adults get them but don't realize it and always think it is just a cold or a sinus infection.  So within 30 minutes I have my drugs and am on my way home. 

All in all a good experience with the system and since it was all in-network all I paid was for the drugs.

I am totally psyched I did go because we are flying out Friday and if I got on the airplane with a massive ear infection I can only imagine what kind of pain I would have ended up going through.

Hello Alleve my old friend, I've come to talk to you again

Ok so the race is finally done.  Free at last, free at last.  Quite honestly I probably should not have run it.  Two weeks ago on my last long run (12 miles) I most assuredly injured myself.  I am not sure if it was my groin or my hip flexor or some combination of the two.   It hurt so much I did not even train for the last two weeks.  The thing is though that when I mentioned it to the husband he of course made the bitchy comment "You better not cop out of the race."  That was enough to get my Irish up.  I had made up my mind that I would finish the frackin' race even if it meant aggravating my injury and getting a crap ass time on it.  I am not sure I aggravated the injury much but I did do the race five minutes slower than last year.  I was doing fine until about mile 8 and then hit a wall.  I actually walked most of mile ten and then a bit of mile twelve as well.  I think if I had not done whatever the hell it was to my hip I would have easily made the eight minute mile mark for the race.  Regardless I'll never know as I am not doing another one. 

Probably more than need be said in polite company but I have been popping Alleve like it is candy since Sunday afternoon and I think it is giving me serious gas issues. 


After the ace- which the husband and our friend MM cheered me on for- we went to TK's apartment, I stretched, took a nice hot shower and then we went and had brunch..

Yesterday I actually did hit the gym in the old neighborhood, walked on the treadmill for thirty minutes, lifted and then used the Styrofoam roller thingy to stretch out my hip.  Then the husband and I had dinner with MP and SJ at our old haunt.  I did not see any of my old secret boyfriends at the gym but there was definitely new, fresh meat to keep my mind occupied while I worked out...

Portugal is next, just saying.

One of the tings one learns in m line of work quickly is not to let others know what your pet peeves are.  People in my line of work are like a pack of jackals when we find out that something bothers another member of the pack.  A great example is the woman who sits between myself and the guy who shares my surname has an issue with people wearing short sleeve tee shirts under sweater vests.  So of course a week ago everyone of us wore a short sleeve tee shirt under a sweater vest.  It was awesome!

To further prove I kinda enjoy messing with co-workers, there is this young kid who drinks out of a metal water bottle- you know because plastic is so bad and what not.  I noticed that he always takes it with him when he goes to the bathroom and leaves it on one of the filing cabinets near the bathroom while he is doing his business. So of course I enlisted a few other people so that if one of us saw it there we'd move it to within sight of where he placed it but not the exact spot.  It took him a while to figure it out and he stopped doing it.  Phase two has just been initiated so that now when he leaves the desk we move it from his desk to the spot on the filing cabinet near the bathroom.  Yeah, ok maybe I am a little bit evil...

In case I had not stated it previously I am the alpha male in the house, lol.  I only say that because the puppy has this fetish with my clothing.  Every night when I am getting ready for bed he sits there and waits for me to take my socks of and then grabs them and runs away with them.  He could care less about the husband's socks and I tell him well clearly he wants the scent of the pack leader on him.

I have tomorrow off.  Just getting some stuff done with the husband and then have the Spring Sports Kick Off dinner to go to for my oldest.  He actually has his first tennis match next week but I don't think I'll be able to make it.

Barsoom

The weekend was actually petty good and relatively relaxing.

Friday night dinner was good as ST was finally back in town and we had the boys.  ST had missed a few due to his travels and my youngest was starting to get a complex that ST did not like him and his brother anymore.  That was put to rest at dinner.

Another interesting thing at dinner was finding out my oldest actually made the junior varsity tennis team.  Apparently the tryouts were all week but as he would lose his head if it were not attached to his shoulders he did not realize it until his friend told him he had to be there Friday.  So he went to one day of the tryouts, the coach told him he liked how he played and to show up Monday after school for practice.  This means we (his mother and I) will be attending the spring sports kick off dinner next week.  Oh and he also shaved for the first time!  He used an electric razor- I'll need to remedy soon....no electric razors. 

Saturday the boys and I took the kids for a trail walk while the husband did his training for his upcoming triathlon.  The I dropped my oldest off at his friend's house and they were off to the movies and dinner.  The husband and I and my youngest then had sushi for dinner.  I then went to bed as I was sore from the past week's training.  They all stayed up to watch some movie. 

Sunday I did the laundry and then we had the boys do yard work for a hour.  They picked up branches and sticks.  the deal was just for a hour and then we'd go have lunch and see John Carter.  I don't know why there are so many haters of John Carter.  the movie was actually really good and Taylor Kitsch was shirtless all the time.  The husband later commented on how he saw a lot of elements from Dune, Fringe, Star Wars and various other classics.  I then pointed out to him that actually all those things he mentioned had John Carter influences as the books were written starting in 1912.

Thankfully this is my last week of training.

Quit your bitching

So I did a pretty fast run this morning, 4 miles at 7:36 pace.  I think at my age thought I need to focus more on stretching both pre- and post-run.  I know one cannot dislocate one's hip and if you have a hip issue it is most likely really a groin issue (I learned this the hard way through MMA) so I need to remember to stretch tomorrow morning. 

I was starving for lunch today from about 11:30 on.  Finally the boss asked if I wanted to go grab lunch and I said hell ya!  As we were in the elevator I of course commented on my training (since it is all about me) and he asked if this was the last half marathon I am doing.  I answered in the affirmative to which he said good, I can't take anymore of your bitching about the training, lol.  Funny thing is earlier PF said the same thing to me so clearly I am whining a bit too much about this race.

I am gonna guess the CACs get activated which will lead to Greek CDSs getting activated as well.  Again there is no such thing as an "orderly" default but we'll see.

Omni Consumer Products: ED-209 coming soon to a neighborhood near you?

So some more great tidbits from the past weekend:

At dinner Friday night, my oldest actually called the husband "my step-father."  Holy shit!  I was a bit taken aback at such a bold step/statement from him.  I played it real cool though and did not miss a beat nor did the husband.  Sunday evening during dinner he asked me if I caught that and I sad duh!  Of course I did.  I think the husband was actually happy to be referred to as the step-father although I can never really tell as he keeps an excellent poker face about such things.  At least he was not called step-mother....

I hesitate to mention the next part of Friday night's dinner but it is almost too funny not to, consequences be damned.  The oldest has exhibited some curiosity about wine.  So during dinner he mentioned it several times and I finally asked would he like to try some.  He was a bit coy and not expecting that question I think be he finally said yes.  So I asked him if he would like to try white or red.  He stated both.  So he had a small glass of each and after trying them both he stated he preferred the red as it was "more robust."  WTF?  When I was his age beer was a big deal to me (I did not discover Rumpleminze until 10th grade) so for him to comment on red being more robust threw me for a loop.

Sunday afternoon as I was driving the boys back to their mother's house we were discussing movies for this coming weekend.  They mentioned that they thought Silent House looked really good and that their step-father thought so too.  I said well that is nice but we are seeing John Carter of Mars. I then said why don't you ask your mother's boyfriend to take you to see Silent House.  (For argument's sake let's call the bf Bob).  They said Bob is not as cool as their step-father.  Winner!  I know it seems really petty (I admit it is but WTF) but I was totally psyched to hear them say their step-father is cool.  I of course let the husband know ASAP.

I admit I am fairly conservative in my belief the government should stay out of as much of our lives as possible but I firmly believe there are certain aspects of society the government is really the only qualified to do- education, infrastructure, national defense, the penal system and law enforcement.  So when JW sends me a story about how the UK is considering privatizing law enforcement I get nervous.  All I can think about is Robocop and how the idea of enforcing the laws for profit is so not a good idea.

Since we are on the topic of politics, the husband asked me what GOP candidate has a viable economic plan.  Short answer is none of them.  It is real simple- the mess we are in pretty much dictates we need to raise taxes.  But since that is verboten thanks to that ass wipe Grover Norquist (who wouldn't even raise taxes to stem the rise of the apes and the overthrow of humanity) NO GOP candidate has a viable economic plan at all.  Too bad and even more reason I will probably vote for our current President.

So yesterday was my last long run for training was yesterday.  I did twelve miles and I am frackin' paying for it today.  I was very happy with my time as I think I will end up at or close to my goal of eight minute miles for my last half marathon.

The other reason I am psyched to get this race over is because Tuesday the 20th is the first day of spring which means I am getting my hair cut (actually all of them).  I am one shaggy beast right now as I have not been properly coiffed since the end of August.  It is driving me crazy and I cannot wait to get it chopped off.

Does anyone else get annoyed by AdSense and AdChoice things that show up on their websites when they are online?  I ask because today for some reason one of the sites that came up was "Established Men: Sugar Daddy Dating."  Really?  What site did I google to get that to come up?

I have several tattoos and I would get more if not for the threat of divorce hanging over my head like the sword of Damocles.  So of course I read about magic tattoos in Thailand.  It seems that you can go to this Buddhist monastery and get magic tattoos.  Sadly you aren't allowed to drink or they lose their powers.  But if you do you can go to their annual festival and get them repowered.  How cool is that?  If I were able to get more tattoos I'd go with the ones Rand al'Thor has on his forearms.  Just saying...

Driving

So last weekend I did my long run solo.  Saturday night we went to Philly and had tapas with JD and JW at a great place.  I was the designated driver so the husband had a lot of fun with wine.  He was all octopus hands at the dinner table which was both flattering and embarrassing.  He was hurting all day Sunday so I ended up doing my 11 mile run solo in the afternoon.

I admit that I did not see The Artist but I read the wiki entry for it and I have to say it sounds to me like Mel Brooks did it much earlier (like 1976 early) and funnier.  JD and JW said they had seen it and while it was a good movie they were surprised it got nominated for Best Picture.  I am surprised it won.  Jena Dusjardin winning the Best Actor for his role it was a bit surprising as well.

Speaking of Monsieur Dusjardin winning, I have to say it seems to me that we in America are going through a resurgence of all things French.  I have seen no less than three newspaper articles regarding recipes for cassoulet.  France has been leading  the charge in the Mid East for all of their former protectorates.  I don't think it is a bad thing but it is interesting.

I get somewhat annoyed at the GE commercial implying that without turbines you wouldn't have your Budweiser.  Really?  That seems a bit of a stretch as I am pretty sure Bud has been around longer than we have had electricity.  I know beer has been around way before we had any turbines as I believe it was first made circa 9500 BC in Sumeria, there is evidence it was in ancient Egypt and Iran as well.  Don't even get me started on many jobs GE has shed here in the United States- they really aren't that great of a corporate citizen here.

The whole farce that is the mortgage settlement announced several weeks ago is depressing.  If I understand it correctly, the people that will actually get help will only receive somewhere around $1500-2000.  So let me get this right, you lost your house via an illegal foreclosure and all you get is maybe $2000?  That is assuming the person who owns the mortgage is willing to help you settle.  Chances are if is FNM or FRE and they are not going to help you.  So the right hand of the government gives and the left hand takes away- nice.

So this may come as a shock to some but I will probably be voting for President Obama in November.  First- most of the GOP candidates just don't have anything sensible going for them.  Second, as JW pointed out to me I already have a moderate Republican in office.  It thought about and it he is totally right.  Everything President Obama has done is what a moderate Republican would have done.  I also am now sure President Obama will be a two termer.  I mean seriously- how can you take Santorum seriously when he complains about the separation of church and state?

Ok, Whitney Houston.  she was a crackhead.  Last I checked she did not save orphans from a burning building or throw herself selflessly onto a live gernade and save her fellow soldiers.  She died from a drug overdose.  So when TGT pulls a card making fun of her I find it annoying.  The best joke I heard was "What is six inches long and did not get sucked on for Valentine's Day?  Whitney Houston's crack pipe.

So my oldest had to pick his course for next year.  I and his mother were shocked to see he has driver's education as one of his courses.  Really?  WTF?  Since when did he get old enugh to drive or learn to drive?

It's an allegory right?

So the long weekend was good even though the boys were somewhat trying of their step-father's patience, lol.  The only bad part was I had to do a ten mile run and it sucked.  I did it at a nine minute pace which I am not happy with in the least bit.

Training really sucks now as I do not enjoy in any manner what so ever running more than eight miles.  This is the last time I will do anything longer than a 10k.  Fuck lotteries for any type of running race.  although I did sign up for the lottery for our usual start of summer triathlon.  I did it gladly as I know we will not be here to do it.    The husband and I are actually going to take our much delayed honeymoon as we never had a proper one five years ago.  So I took two weeks off in June and we will be going to Paris and London.  The only wrench that could be thrown into the works is if the husband gets a job by then.  If that happens it is a good thing and I will gladly delay our honeymoon another year if needed.

Speaking of going to Europe I have never been and this year I will be getting a hat trick.  We are going to Italy in April to celebrate PJ's 90th birthday.  Then we will be going for the honeymoon and finally we are going to Oktoberfest in Germany in lieu of the usual high school gang ski trip which we did not do this year.

That reminds me I need to find my passport and make sure it is up to day.

The whole drama of Greece getting it's bail out is just that- drama- almost farce.  They need to grow to pay their debts and when you institute severe austerity you cannot grow.  Greece is totally fucked.  They really should go the route of Iceland and make the bankers take their losses, issue the drachma again and get on with actually living some kind of life.

I kinda was up to speed on the whole Roland Martin tweeting issue about the David Beckham ad (he is on the list of not counting as cheating btw- David Beckham NOT  Roland Martin) and the thing that struck me was his wife and her angry tweet.  She tweeted gays "use our history to get equality."  I don't know who she means when she says "our" but first guess is Americans of African descent.  It could also refer to the original Thirteen Colonies I guess but I'll go with Americans of African descent.  She kinda has a point- who do those gays think they are getting all uppity and wanting equality?  Don't they know their place- our hair salons, florist shops, event planning, HR departments and the Catholic priesthood?  What makes them think they are equal and deserve to have all the rights the rest of the citizens have?   It makes me wonder that if Gandhi were alive int he 1960s would he have made a similar comment?  "Those colored people are using my history to get equality..."  Something tells me he would not have made such a statement.

The other weekend we had the boys we watched Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.  It was actually not a bad flick to get on OnDemand.  At the end of the movie I realized why Katie Holmes was in it as it is an allegory for her current situation, i.e. her marriage to Tom Cruise.  I mean her character was taken by dark, fey creatures ( clearly a reference to Tom) into the furnace (clearly a representation of the closet) and she became one of them.  And right at the end you here saying "no we wait...another will come..."  clearly referring to she hopes there is a divorce and another up and coming starlet will replace her in the furnace with the dark, fey creatures.  I guess that also could mean the little girl represents Nicole Kidman who escaped from that fate because Katie's character rescued her.

We are all looking forward to the John Carter movie.  I even bought the first three books for us to read.   My youngest has finished the first one and the husband is starting it.

Promoting "responsible" procreation?

The weekend was great.  We had the boys and we got to celebrate our 6th anniversary.  This Super Bowl was actually the exact date that we met at a party for Super Bowl XL.  I don't recall the final score but I know the Steelers beat the Seahawks.

ST was actually in London so dinner Friday night only PJ , Farmer V and his best friend KO joined us and the boys for dinner.  The husband made chicken chassaur and I made pecan pie for dessert.  We got my youngest to actually eat most of what he was served.  I think that had to do with an email I sent him describing how a young woman in the UK almost died mainly due to her diet of chicken nuggets and nothing else, lol.  The pecan pie was a massive hit.  Everyone asked if they could have more and I said no as I had to save a piece for ST.

Saturday I did my short weekend run- 4 miles and it was ok.  Then we did a bunch of things around the house and then we went and saw Chronicle.  I am ambivalent when it comes to "found footage" films as very few are actually that good- The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield come to mind- and some are stinkers- The Devil Inside according to most. 

Sunday I had to do my long weekend run- 8 frackin' miles.  I was seriously tempted to blow it off but the husband totally goaded me into it so I told him he had to run it with me.  As we start he tels me I get to set the pace- he always says that and then decides to pass me so I laughed at him.  He actually did let me set the pace and we did 8 minute miles the whole way- totally pumped I got that pace done.

I took the boys home and then I got home and showered up and the husband and I were off to the city for our friends Super Bowl party.  I am not really a Giants fan but I cannot abide the Patriots at all even though Tom Brady is smokin' hot.  Lawrence Tynes however comes pretty damn close.  I am positive that once the rioting started in Boston after the lose it ended with a typical chant of "Yankees suck, Yankees suck..."

Over the course of my career I have come to the conclusion that equities are nothing more than perpetual calls.  I mean they entitle you to a possible claim on some future earnings.  I mean think about it- owning a stock is similar to being an absentee bar owner.  Your employees- the bartenders (aka corporate management) is ripping you off.  The bar is doing great business, has the best happy hour in town and is the hot spot where the beautiful people hang out.  The bartenders are  allowing just enough of a profit to keep the owner from giving up on selling the bar.  I am not sure where the debt markets fall into this hypothesis maybe the suppliers?  Congress is definitely the mob running a protection racket for the bar tenders.

So the courts in California ruled Prop 8 was unconstitutional.  The one dissenter wrote that he wasn't convinced that there couldn't have been a rational basis for citizens to enact the law, such as promoting responsible procreation and optimal parenting.  I mean does that mean all single parents are not optimal parents?  Are people who have children procreating in an irresponsible manner?  If so does that mean they should have their rights restricted as well?  I don't know about you but to me that sounds like code for the Bible tells him so....

I am not at all interested in seeing Star Wars in 3D- any of the episodes.  Sadly even though I cannot stand Nicholas Cage and thought Ghost Rider sucked I will probably most likely go see the new Ghost Rider flick when it comes out.

So the O in OLED stands for organic

The weekend was actually pretty nice.  Friday night we had dinner with ST and PJ and the farm boys.  I made a chocolate cake and used my decorative frosting kit that I got for Christmas.  I gotta tell ya making flowers and what not out of frosting is not easy at all.  I definitely need to get a book or watch some YouTube videos on how it is done.  If you stood at least twenty feet yards away what I had done sort of passed for a flower.  My border on the cake though came out great.

Saturday I skipped the dojo and instead got my run in as the husband of course had a list of errands we needed to get done before we drove into the city for dinner.   I ran my three miles in just under 24 minutes.  I was psyched as I have to admit I do actually have a goal for this god damn race- it being the last half marathon I intend to do- and that is to run just under or right at 8 minute miles.  I have done the math and that means I need to finish the race in one hour and forty-four minutes or less.

So the oldest son is not the best student around.  He clearly does not understand the importance of handing in homework on time etc.  His grades going into the end of the second marking period clearly reflected it.  His mother and I both had a discussion with him.  I have resigned myself to the simple fact that he will just be a B or C student in high school.  No big deal, I know a lot of people who were and still have successful, productive, happy lives.  We did however decide he needed a tutor.  Of course the husband has been harassing him about how his tutor will be some hot, young thing with large breasts and that will get him to focus on what she is saying to him, lol.

Well the oldest actually did pretty well in his midterms and he told me to tell the husband that the tutor is exactly the opposite of what he said she would be.  The husband of course wants picture proof to which my oldest said fine, if you want to see flap jacks I'll get a picture of her for you.

I must admit I joined twitter.  Several people where expressing how great and timely it is and that you find out things so quickly.  I have to say that with my job I get news just as fast if not faster and can't honestly admit that twitter is any better at keeping me up on things than BBRG, RTRSY or any other news service out there.  However- I do now get to pseudo stalk Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gossling and some other hot guys.

With twitter now deciding to allow selective censoring in certain countries however I am debating if I want to use it as that seems to me to fly int he face of all information should be free, etc etc etc.

Speaking of stepping into the 20th century- the husband capitulated and joined Facebook!  I was pretty shocked when he asked me to help him set up an account.  I asked him why and he gave me some reason about hoping it will help him network better in his quest for a new job.  

Am I the only wondering what has gotten into France and their activist foreign policy in the past two years or so?  They led the whole Libya thing, they are at the forefront of the Iranian oil embargo and they are clearly agitating for regime change in Syria.  Are they trying to distract form their problems at home by taking such a vocal role?  I dunno.

So I have been intrigued by the whole OLED thing but I have to wonder- if they are organic light emitting diodes does that mean they are alive?  Could they form some kind of hive mind and become a superorganism much like an ant colony?  Can they gain sentience?  Do I really want a sentient television?  It could make for a pretty cool sci-fi novel....

Do as I say, not as I do

Training for the god damn race is going just fucking fine....I am still a bit bitter about this whole situation in case that was not clear.  I am actually doing a pretty good pace on my runs in the mornings.

The weekend was actually pretty nice and relaxing.  I actually took Friday off and made it a four day weekend, aka the wrap around.

I got back to the dojo- Cobra Kai never die!- for the first time since before Thanksgiving.  My core is still a bit sore from the work out joshu put me through but glad to be back stepping out on the mat.

Sunday I got to babysit my sons which was great.  The ex called and explained she was going into the city to see the Broadway show "War Horse" with all her friends from the barn and asked if I'd be willing to take the boys for the day- duh...of course I would.

I picked them up at 10:30 in the morning and we picked up breakfast and got home.  The day was quiet as the husband and I were getting ready for dinner guests.  The husband used one of the cook books I got him to make chicken chasseur- basically a French version of chicken cacctaiore.   I made a chocolate cake with homemade butter cream frosting.  The funniest part of the day was when the oldest asked what smelled so good and then asked the husband what he was making and what time dinner was.  I had to crush him and tell him he and his brother would be back at their mom's for dinner- ha!  Sometimes I am a mean dad...

So I was early again on my call for Greece defaulting.  It now appears it will be when they miss their bond payment in March.  The thing I am still at a loss to comprehend is how only the private sector will have to take the write down on Greek debt and the exact same Greek debt will still be marked at par or close to par by governmental agencies throughout the Continent.  As my bond friend said it is simple- the government has the power, aka a monopoly on the legal use of force and coercion.
 
Speaking of my bond friend the husband and I had drinks with him late yesterday afternoon at a local watering hole.  It was great to see him and sobering as even he is cognizant of the destruction of liquidity that is occurring in the capital markets.  It does not bode well for those (including me) in our line of work.  On a positive note though he and the husband got talking and he told the husband to send him his resume.  The husband has been dying to get his resume in front of someone at my bond friend's firm.

The other pretty amazing thing is my bond friend telling me he has completely given up on the GOP.  This guy is Republican through and through- more a Teddy Roosevelt kind than a Barry Goldwater kind- and for him to throw the towel in because he thinks they are completely losing it says a lot.  He is also the second smart friend I know who has given up on their party because they are completely corrupt and both owned by the oligarchs.  As an aside the other friend is a former Democrat.

We have a pretty light calendar this week- as in nothing on the docket.   Psyched for that and we do have the boys this weekend.  Of course we will be seeing Underworld Awakening.  I was totally psyched for the season premiere of "Being Human" last night.  I also foolishly stayed up late to watch "Lost Girl."  That one seems interesting but I think I will be keeping up with it on through On Demand.

I know I said I would not be talking about the supposed Oracle of Omaha, aka Mr. Buffet, but I have to make this comment.  It seems that one of his companies uses prison labor to produce goods.  Really?  He is worried about not paying enough taxes but has no issue using indentured/slave labor for production?  How can anyone take this sanctimonious windbag seriously?  He is all about do as I say not as I do it is clear to me.  The story of course got very little ink or airplay as it does not fit with the narrative the status quo wants the masses to follow.  If you find the story it is repulsive how it is spun as his company are the good guys in this situation because they realized they were breaking Canadian law by exporting slave labor produced goods to Canada.  So of course they voluntarily and unilaterally decided it would be best to stop exporting such goods.  Hello?  How about stop using prison labor?