What better way to kick off the New Year?

I've been neglectful, I've been lazy, I've been remiss, but, I sure as hell haven't been asleep.   I found this image and immediately thought of  Dickey the Peap.  Somehow, I think it just fits the recipient to a tee.    

It's not an event; It's a lifestyle

I had my annual Christmas lunch with Dickey the Peap yesterday. Though the content of our meeting was highly enjoyable, it did not have quite the explosive revelations as last year.  That is not to say, however, that I came away disappointed. Hardly.

While sitting over lunch, enjoying a  sandwich and a couple glasses each of some fine, handcrafted ales, we discussed various topics that invariably end each time with the relating to the Frugal One's propensity to rarely make any type of spontaneous financial outlays.  Under any circumstances.  Oh sure, the little miser tries to turn it around on me and accuse me of some worse type of behavior, but, I accept that as the price for being able to bash him on this forum on a regular basis.   Anyway, we are sitting and laughing and acting like a couple of 12 year olds making fart jokes when a woman approaches out table.  She stops at our table and asks, "Are you Dickey the Peap? You don't know who I am, do you?"  Now, at this point, our boy instinctively reacts with the same deer-in-the-headlights look he displays whenever a dinner check or repair bill is presented anywhere near in his vicinity.  I could sense  that Dickey was now rapidy mentally going through the faces in his mind of every bill collector  he had ever known.  "I am not going to tell you my name.  We went to high school together. But, I thought it was you.  You haven't changed any."    Suddenly, the light clicked and recognized her as a girl he had taken on a couple of dates in high school a million years ago.  Nothing serious, just  a girl from his past.  "I've been looking for  you for a long time."  Now, at this point, I figure I have a front row seat to some good stuff.  I couldn't wait for the rest.  "We went out one time for burgers and milkshakes and I had to use all of my baby sitting money to pay the check because you had forgotten your wallet.  You told me that you would pay me back and I shouldn't worry about it.  I always thought you were such a nice boy and one who would keep his word.  You never did pay me back and,  as a result, I didn't have money the next day to ride the bus crosstown to where the  admissions test were being given and I missed out on being accepted into college. I ended up  getting married, had 2 kids, divorced, went broke, and am now stuck in some dumpy apartment. I figure if you had paid me the lousy $1.85 at the time, my life would have been completely different.  I just wanted to come over and tell you I have never forgotten you Dickey.  I would recognize you anywhere!"

Needless to say, our joyous event ended on a bit of a bummer.  While the frugal one used the restroom, I noted that the woman and her party were preparing to leave.  There was just one question I had to ask her.  "I hear you say that Dickey hadn't changed any in all of these years.  What gave it away?  His weight, body build, hair color?  What was it?'  Without a beat, she replied, "He's always had one simple identifying feature.  I knew right away it was him".  "What? What? Tell me what it is",  I asked.  "Two words", she said.  "Short arms".

An Identity crisis

Ah, Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday.

Sitting here pounding out this message, I have Pandora tuned to playing Thanksgiving songs softly in the background as I plan the logistics for our Thanksgiving Day feast. Kfred Jr. 1 and Goldilocks will be joining us along with Marv, the Neighbor, and his wife as well. The plan is to barbeque a turkey this year while Marv, the Neighbor, plans to augment the menu with a deep fried bird as well. There should not be a shortage of food.

I am having a bit of dilemma though as my black knicker pants and black top with the white contrasting cuffs and collar did not get finished by the cleaners in time this year.  My entire holiday mood around this day is heavily influenced by my  attire and, now, I only have my Pilgrim hat available for use.  This is  more than a bit troubling as I may have to resort to the true and tired Indian get-up.

I just don't know the connection Ghandi had with our forefathers.  

This is more than a little junk in the trunk

I have taken a brief break from my duties posting here, but, am back and what better way to return.............

A woman was arrested in Florida for injecting another woman's buttocks with a mixture of cement, oil, a tire sealant, and super glue as a means to enhance her buttocks in order to work in a club in south Florida. The apparent victim wanted to have a "curvier" figure and figured paying this "doctor" $700 was a cost effective way to get the look she was hoping for.

The good doctor had actually injected herself earlier as a demonstration of her prowess. As pictured by the good doctor's photo here, I would tend to think that any prospective patient would run the opposite direction upon seeing the results.    This is an actual booking photo and  WAS NOT PHOTO SHOPPED.

I wonder if anyone is discussing this expense and type of procedure as we debate health care options.

Jukebox: With Greatful Appreciation of our Veterans

It's Sunday Brunch

Hey c'mon, it's Sunday and I am tired.   We get a day off too, you know, so,  I'm taking the staff out to Brunch. Every time one of the Misfits say, do, or think something stupid, they have to put a dollar in the jar. We call it our Brunch fund. And as far as I can forecast, there's going to be a lot of Sunday meals.

Just like Sunday Brunch, most of the stuff here is overvalued, pre-cooked, and have already been sneezed on  by some snotty 6 year old kid.  But, go ahead:  take a look here and see if any of these days old items are to your liking.  Like most places, our admonishments are the same:  "Take as much as you want, read all that you take".

See you tomorrow.

It's Sunday Brunch

Hey c'mon, it's Sunday and I am tired.   We get a day off too, you know, so,  I'm taking the staff out to Brunch. Every time one of the Misfits say, do, or think something stupid, they have to put a dollar in the jar. We call it our Brunch fund. And as far as I can forecast, there's going to be a lot of Sunday meals.

Just like Sunday Brunch, most of the stuff here is overvalued, pre-cooked, and have already been sneezed on  by some snotty 6 year old kid.  But, go ahead:  take a look here and see if any of these days old items are to your liking.  Like most places, our admonishments are the same:  "Take as much as you want, read all that you take".

See you tomorrow.

So, that's how it is

Some random thoughts:

• Was that one of the best World Series or not? I am not a big baseball fan, but, always get stoked for the World Series. Game 6 was a classic which included some plays and events you simply don't see very often. Wow. What a lot of fun to watch.

• Fall is here.  I guess my semi frequent tarrings of Dickie the Peap on the golf course are coming to an end.  Oh well.  The little miser has all winter to lick his wounds. And take some lessons.  

• I have not been disciplined with my recent writings.  I am trying to post only meaningful topics that would appeal to our 2 faithful readers.  Honestly, I can't top some of the entertaining events going on around me of the societal type.  From politicians refusing to do anything, to Wall Street protesters accomplishng little to nothing, to Gummo , the Balloon Boy starting to assume the identity of Tiny Tim in "A Christmas Carol",  I can't equal it.  

I guess I will go supervise the costume selections of the Misfits for Halloween.  

Jukebox: It's all on the line tonight

Which club does she work?

Just in case, the Halloween spirit misses anyone, I offer this picture as inspiration.

There's just something wrong about all of this.

It's Sunday Brunch

Hey c'mon, it's Sunday and I am tired.   We get a day off too, you know, so,  I'm taking the staff out to Brunch. Every time one of the Misfits say, do, or think something stupid, they have to put a dollar in the jar. We call it our Brunch fund. And as far as I can forecast, there's going to be a lot of Sunday meals.

Just like Sunday Brunch, most of the stuff here is overvalued, pre-cooked, and have already been sneezed on  by some snotty 6 year old kid.  But, go ahead:  take a look here and see if any of these days old items are to your liking.  Like most places, our admonishments are the same:  "Take as much as you want, read all that you take".

See you tomorrow.

Jukebox: Raise your hand, brothers and sisters

It takes a while to load, but it is worth it. 

Occupy? I thought you said Apple pie

Strolling around the local Occupy Wall Street protest in my vicinity, I was surprised to find Dickey the Peap camping out and protesting with the rest of the unhappy people of the world. Now, I am all for some serious tax reform, closing of loopholes, and a general "reset" of how taxes and financial issues are developed, applied, and spent. I do not, however, think that camping out in a park for weeks on end and developing policy via a unanimous consensus is really very practical. If you want to make some change, take the protest where the policy has been implemented all this time: Congress. Not in the local park. If you want to be part of a campout jamboree, join the Boy Scouts. Otherwise, contact your congressman.

Regardless, upon spying the little miser, I asked him what his beef was. After all, as a card carrying member of the 1% club, I thought he would most definitely feel out of place in the middle of the common folk. Dickey replied that since he could partake in the donated food being served without having to pay for it directly, it was worth his time to be down there.

With this type of logic, I am glad I am part of the 99%. I think.

It's Sunday Brunch

Hey c'mon, it's Sunday and I am tired.   We get a day off too, you know, so,  I'm taking the staff out to Brunch. Every time one of the Misfits say, do, or think something stupid, they have to put a dollar in the jar. We call it our Brunch fund. And as far as I can forecast, there's going to be a lot of Sunday meals.

Just like Sunday Brunch, most of the stuff here is overvalued, pre-cooked, and have already been sneezed on  by some snotty 6 year old kid.  But, go ahead:  take a look here and see if any of these days old items are to your liking.  Like most places, our admonishments are the same:  "Take as much as you want, read all that you take".

See you tomorrow.

Jukebox: How could I have missed Jukebox Friday?

You can't escape the long arm of the law

I opened my Yahoo mail acct. yesterday and was surprised to find an email notification from the New York State-Department of Motor Vehicles informing me that I was "IN VIOLATION OF NYS V AND T LAW". I was accused of "speed over 55 zone". Now, I was a bit confused on this whole thing as I had visited New York in May of this year and rented a car while attending Kfred Jr. 2's graduation from West Point, but, I don't remember having any contact with any of New York's finest. I then thought perhaps this was a camera ticket and perhaps they had caught me on film.

Inspecting a bit further, I became a bit more suspicious. The ticket was from "Police Agency, New York State Police". The offense was dated July 2, 2011 at 7:25 in the morning and there was an attached zip file for me to open with all of the rest of the relevant information. I was just about to open said file when I looked again at the return email address and noted this message came from an email address of "infoyanol@nypolce.com". Gosh , that's not real professional. The police department can't even spell Police correctly and instead of a .gov suffix they have a .com suffix. Summoning all of my intuitive skills (and with a strong assist from ASK.com), I realized this is just a scam to get into your email address book once you download the zip file. I summarily moved this to the trash file and forgot about it.

I am not going to let these scammers get off the hook so easy, though. No sir-ree. Because of the severe time crunch I operate under, I plan to text them while driving on my way into Dilbertland. They don't know whom they are messing with.

It's Sunday Brunch

Hey c'mon, it's Sunday and I am tired.   We get a day off too, you know, so,  I'm taking the staff out to Brunch. Every time one of the Misfits say, do, or think something stupid, they have to put a dollar in the jar. We call it our Brunch fund. And as far as I can forecast, there's going to be a lot of Sunday meals.

Just like Sunday Brunch, most of the stuff here is overvalued, pre-cooked, and have already been sneezed on  by some snotty 6 year old kid.  But, go ahead:  take a look here and see if any of these days old items are to your liking.  Like most places, our admonishments are the same:  "Take as much as you want, read all that you take".

See you tomorrow.

Jukebox: How can you can Hank?

For Better or worse

To my Loving wife,

Today is our anniversary. 30 Years of being Married. Wow. I can hardly believe I am old enough to be married for 30 years.

As time goes by, a person beings to change; the weight starts to hang around, the skin starts to hang, the reactions begin to slow, and the endurance begins to weaken, among others. Even the memory begins to fade a bit. But, for me, the one thing that hasn't deteriorated is my love for one person. It has gotten stronger. Oh sure, some times I snap at, poke fun a little to far, and sometimes am just "out of line" towards you, my best friend and loving partner. (When I am over the line, I get stopped cold with one question: "Would you treat your friends this way?" Of course, the answer is no.)

When I think of though, who is my biggest supporter, my rock solid foundation, and who is glad to see me every evening when I come home, it's one person: you. Now of course, we have had our differences over the years, the raised voice arguments, the 2 day long quiet phases, etc. And yet, I have never once, ever, been told to sleep on the couch, or been asked to leave. We both know that we have an equal part of responsibility to self and an equal responsibility to each other. When we started out, we realized we had the same type of goals, ambitions, and dreams in life, and that by combining our efforts into one via marriage, we may have a good shot at attaining them. For the most part, I think we did.

So, here's to you, dear. Thank you for being who you are and for all you do. I am quite confident I wouldn't be where I am today without your love and support. I couldn't ask for a better wife (or life).

Love,

Your husband

It's Sunday Brunch

Hey c'mon, it's Sunday and I am tired.   We get a day off too, you know, so,  I'm taking the staff out to Brunch. Every time one of the Misfits say, do, or think something stupid, they have to put a dollar in the jar. We call it our Brunch fund. And as far as I can forecast, there's going to be a lot of Sunday meals.

Just like Sunday Brunch, most of the stuff here is overvalued, pre-cooked, and have already been sneezed on  by some snotty 6 year old kid.  But, go ahead:  take a look here and see if any of these days old items are to your liking.  Like most places, our admonishments are the same:  "Take as much as you want, read all that you take".

See you tomorrow.