Omaha Omaha Obama

Some pictures from last week in NYC; everyone was concerned about the potential of a blizzard before or during the Super Bowl, not BMW; oddly that is snow between the camera and the billboard. It appears as though the big ball game will happen without too many weather concerns. 

And someone made a stick drawing of me entering my luxurious Manhattan hotel, again with snow:

And this week snow and ice over ENC: it began with ice and turned into a light snowfall making it perfect for kids with sleds, knee-boards, ATVs, scanoes.....................did someone say scanoes? 

For the first time since we moved in this house the snow caused the NON delivery of the News and Observer, this is the third day of this NON event, and I'm really starting to get backed up now. Starting a juice cleansing event ...................

This group in Sanford looked to be having fun

 Annabel signals "GOOD!" on the PAT.....Super Bowl joke here...............

And we enjoyed the President's State of the Union address Tuesday night, matter of fact we stayed up all night for good fun, up all night to get lucky. Hey look old chums I'm getting jiggy with those Daft Punk lyrics, yeah.......that should make my kids shudder more than just a little. Great, want to hear more? Want to get weirder? SWMBO was singing along with it and told me who sang it, and that they were the guys in the helmets and the funny looking hat (seems as though someone should have told that fellow that he might be on camera that night, and not to wear a funny looking hat or a warm-up jacket that appeared to be 30 years old  HEY LEAVE ME ALONE) There, my work is done now. 

One unclaimed comment from the speech was that Speaker of the House Boehner was the darkest person on the dais. Not a racist comment, or it wasn't meant to be, I've got others if you would like to hear some. All jokes I heard from someone else mind you.

And just as this song was getting out of my head it reappears:

                      http://www.soundboard.com/sb/5_Dollar_Foot_long

And while you're on that site go ahead and listen to some of the other versions. Once you've had your fun try to get that song out of your head, go ahead............5, 5 dollars, 5 dollars foot lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng

In SC next week meeting our new representative, more on him next week. 

Bitter Baby.............

...................you're making a German spectacle of yourself. Obscure reference there, but the cold and snow in New York City made it very bitter indeed. My hotel was across from a Salvation Army location; Tuesday night I walked a couple of blocks to get dinner. I wouldn't make it through one night as a homeless person. 

Wednesday night we went to see Pippin and really enjoyed it. Annie Potts stole the show as the grandmother. Went out for adult beverages afterwards, Times Square in the year 2014 looks a lot more like Disney World than the center of the universe. Guliani should be given more credit for the cleanup. 

I understand this little fellow got into some trouble this week, I guess I've never understood the phenomenon, but then again 58 year old fat grandfathers probably isn't in his target demographics.......

And am I the only one who noticed this? Ever seen them together at the same time? Could be like that Michael/Latoya Jackson thing. You've never noticed that either? 

And kids this is why you don't work on your own air conditioning system. Seems as though the snake didn't understand low voltage either. Despite the horrible weather the AHR Expo was exceptional. I had appointments and walked the show for two full days, and only went to the downstairs section for one meeting, never did get to see that part of the show. Next year Chicago. 

My seatmate on the southbound train was a young urban African-American. As we left NYC he got his DVD player out and watched...................ABBA live in concert. After that he watched the Mel Gibson Passion of the Christ. No, I shouldn't judge by appearance, but what kind of movie mix is that?

In town next week, the schedule is chocked full.

After All Is Said and Done, What is Normal?

SWMBO did not like my crack about the wine-n-ator picture from last week, maybe she will like this new addition to her bathroom? More on the crack later

This guy died today. He was the smartest character on the highly believable 60's sitcom Gilligan's Island. Their story-line included a charter boat which had on-board a famous movie star and one of the richest (and by the way......... funniest) guys in the world. Why did they charter an old tub like the SS Minnow? Couldn't Thurston Howell afford to purchase a boat, or worst case charter one without the farm girl from Kansas. Maybe there was more to the story than we knew..............but then again, the professor could make a radio out of a coconut but fixing a hole in the boat got past him. Or maybe I think too much, or too little.

Everybody wants to grow older but no one wants to be old. I'm not sure who said that, might have been me, but in case you're wondering this is what Marilyn would like today. She would still be pretty. Goodbye Norma Jean!

Aha! Now we know a good use for the technician who needs a new belt.

Chase Cannon is a fine young man, and I think he got his Eagle badge, not sure. He played football and basketball with Jackson through his school years, and I really enjoyed watching him play basketball in senior high, he has a beautiful jump shot. He walked on at NCSU last year as a freshman and earned a scholarship for this season. Congratulations! Jackson sent me this from a NCSU fan website; Chase doesn't get a lot of time on the floor, but..............................

And that is funny. And this from the super secret USCG files: a recently released picture of NK hard at work, hope he has a good charge on that 12 volt and I know the weapon is ready!

Yes, you waited two weeks for that picture. Sorry. But as a reader you have to wonder what kind of websites I surf to find that shot. You probably know

Off to New York City next week for the AHR Expo     http://www.ahrexpo.com/

New York City! Still funny, I don't care who you are..............

Best and Wurst

No I don't like bratwurst, should have called it Best and Worst.

Best football player name: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, University of Alabama; and let the jokes begin.........

Worst Air Conditioning (commercial/industrial application) : AHRI Congressional Reception in August, Congress was not in session, but all of the aides were present for free food and drinks, air conditioning was not working since it was after 5:00. I sweated through my suit. Maybe at this point I should mention the reason I was there was because I work closely with AHRI and AHRI is the acronym for Air-Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Industry.
Worst air conditioning (residential application): The house we rented in Montreat. Actually there was no air conditioning and the house was just............kinda......wet, all week long. And hot. And steamy. And I had a great time as chaperon with some fine young men from our church. Read 4 books that week. Only lost a couple of the boys, maybe 3 or 4; you know, I really should have kept a nose count. 

Best sports surprise: Tie: Auburn scoring on the last play against Alabama; Duke Blue Devils football program, this year no longer an oxymoron!

Worst sale: I sold the Mercury 25 HP boat engine using Craig's List, went into the unlocked garage a few days later and discovered the trolling motor and deep cell battery were missing. Do the math.

Best BBQ: Skylight Inn, Ayden NC. Just right nearly every time.

Worst BBQ: Smithfield's Morehead City. The last time SWMBO picked some up the only flavor was black pepper. Great fried chicken though...............

Best HVAC/R Expo: Dallas, got so much more accomplished by not having a booth

Worst Philly Cheese Steak: Some place in Philadelphia

Best Philly Cheese Steak: Another place in Philadelphia

Worst pain: Knee, after unsuccessful return to competitive tennis

Best party, wedding and reception: all to Andrew and Leanne High, April 20

Worst hangover: April 21

Worst motorcycle moment: Watching my beautiful 1978 BMW r100/7 leave the driveway heading north on a small handmade trailer pulled by a Toyota Corolla. Sold it for $5.00 more than I paid. No, I am not going to calculate the hours or parts thank you.................

Best motorcycle moment: January purchase of a used 2004 BMW r1150rt; it's as though it was built in another century, a touring motorcycle that goes 0-60 in 4.0 seconds. Do some research and discover how many cars have that type of performance. OK, now look up how many street cars can..............now look up how many street cars that are less than $50,000, new or used. It's fun to ride.

Worst impression of Willis, from the show Diff'rent Strokes:

Uncanny, huh? I can't help but wonder to what subject he was previously referring. (What chew talkin bout willis?)
Best Christmas gift for TAR:

Uncanny, huh?
Worst Batman pun, let me know if you have trouble figuring this one out:

Get it? I can wait..........................

Best Christmas: 2013. Nearly all of our plans were jumbled and it worked out just fine.......

Best boat purchase: probably my last one, 21 foot Parker; I am looking forward to making a lot of fish insomniac nervous wrecks during the next decade or so.

Let's finish with a bunch of bests:

Best fishing trip: Tie between the Little Alligator River trip in the old yellow boat and my 15 pound Cobia that the Fishin Optishin claimed he caught. Of course that would have been easier to prove if my wife hadn't taken his picture with it.

Best summer internship: Jackson in DC for the second time, working for that evil right wing group NATE. Just kidding, calm down. We were able to see him a couple of times, and took Holly, Jay and Cooper one weekend. Good times................Cooper looking for 4 leaf clovers at Mount Vernon

Best OR worst haircut, I welcome your vote...............or not

We'll end on a best or worst entry, your pick:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5j_8YSxQu0 (you need to cut and paste, I can't upload it to this blog for some reason, in the mean time I dare you to watch all of it, make that a double dare)

Personally I liked it, but then again sometimes all of my oars aren't in the water

And I realize I didn't include the super secret combat picture of NK, but it's on my desktop and will be in here next week, same Bat time, same Bat channel. Figured out that Batman puzzle yet?

.............................and we're back

I've had a busy couple of days so I thought it best to publish on a Thursday rather than Friday. After all I make the rules, well the rules regarding this blog anyway. Well no, I don't make all the rules about the blog, well..................anyway.............. What did I miss? Have you noticed how the days are getting longer?

A rare Riley Christmas picture where everyone is smiling. It was a very different Christmas this year for a multitude of reasons but I'd like to cap it off my noting that TAR, Jackson and I had our Christmas dinner at the Morehead City IHOP. You can work backwards from there and see steaks for the Matthews family Christmas dinner, no Sanford crew for Christmas, didn't know if we would go to Durham, yes, it was very different, but good. There were several illnesses and schedule conflicts that caused our disruptions but in the end it didn't really matter. We enjoyed it. 

Difference reigns! This is the store formerly known as Woodcroft Optical. Big changes in Durham. The Fishin Optishin is moving on to other goals and objectives; I'll let him tell you what they are when he gets good and ready

Somehow or another we celebrated another New Year's Eve at the High estate, we think it's been going on for about 30 years but no one can remember that well. Memory lapses are the result of too much "cough medicine" 

Shrimp Carbonara was the highlight of our dining experience. Due to travel issues with SWMBO and I going in different directions and then meeting in Durham, I got a nice ride on the bike. See, it's all good!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, can't you just smell that shrimp cooking? We had lots of tasty treats including fried oysters as an appetizer. 

Keelyn doing her fish face

Cooper doing his Cooper face

.............................and Annabel doing her impression of a debutante. You might want to keep that picture for her wedding album. Of course by then the album will be a series of holograms or some new invention that my feeble mind cannot even begin to comprehend. 

So it's 2014 and I am still writing 1999 on my checks. Sneak peek at next week's blog, a recently declassified picture of Nephew Kevin doing his new job with the USCG, one more poke at that thug tar hole PJ, and also, the best and worst of 2013, you don't want to miss it, so tune in next week, same time, same channel. 

Happy New Year