USA! USA! USA!

"Earlier this evening, President Obama called to inform me that American forces killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al Qaeda network that attacked America on September 11, 2001. I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude. This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."
President George W. Bush
May 1, 2011

This Day in History

What happened on July 7, 2010?
What happened on January 8, 2010?

My Favorite Beers In Jacksonville

Four of my five favorite beers are all able to be found in Jacksonville, though it might take some effort.

First is Miller Lite. It is easily available at Gate, Publix, Daily's, Broudy's, Costco, etc.. Affordable. Union Made. Taste's Great. Less Filling! I think the only place you can't buy Miller Lite in Jacksonville is at my daughter's Day Care.

Second is Yuengling Lager (Light). Yes, I prefer the Light version to the original, but Yuengling is fairly easy to find. Same as above, pretty much where they sell beer in JAX, that store will have it in stock. Ever since America's Oldest Brewery SOLD OUT about a decade ago and went to a national distribution, it is easy to find here in JAX. I remember when I first moved to FL from PA and saw Yuengling and how "cool" that was to buy it, and now you see it everywhere.

Third is Iron City Light. Gotta drink Iron City, especially during the fall football season in Jacksonville. Now finding IC Light in Jacksonville is a bit more difficult. You can find Iron City at Fresh Market, and occasionally at Broudy's, but the only place I have found IC Light is Whole Foods. Yes, Whole Foods! Seems strange to me as well, but you can buy both Iron City and IC Light at Whole Foods. Didn't realize the hippies that shop there drink it!

Fourth is James Boag's, Tasmania's Finest. My favorite beer from one of my favorite cities, Melbourne, Victoria. Brings back memories from Down Under. I searched for it for years in JAX, until one day I found it at European Street. I was excited and every time I ate there, would pick up a six pack, until they stopped carrying it about a year ago. Then while at Outback earlier this year I discovered they now serve James Boag's much to my pleasure. Supposedly they have it at Total Wine, but I haven't been to that place in over year to check it out.

Fifth is New Belguim Fat Tire. Now this is one of my favortie beers from my trip to Vail, CO in 1998. Ever since then, I have been searching high and low for this favorite, waiting over 12 long years until finally I found it this summer! I have still yet to find it in JAX, but hope one day to come across it somewhere, somehow. By a minor miracle of God, while in Atlanta this summer, we ate at TacoMac late one night and Fat Tire was one of their over 225 beers on tap. So after a few pints, it was a well cherished drink, after waiting over 12 years since the last time I had a Fat Tire.

A Fair Trade Sundae???

So I treated myself to my yearly Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream treat at this year's US Open. Figured why not drop $7 of my hard earned money on overpriced ice cream. It is for a good cause, like a 450% mark-up and profit to a company who makes $500 million in yearly revenue from ice cream sales (now I know why when you can charge $7 and get away with it). So I walked to the Food Court and came across the Ben & Jerry's booth and felt like I was walking into an Obama campaign office decorated with an Andy Warhol art exhibit. I should have turned around right then as I knew this wouldn't be good, but the options for Ice Cream are limited on-site and since I already ate a chicken/green bean/mashed potato & chocolate chip cookie dinner and an 8 piece chicken wing plate for a mid-evening snack, I said to myself, why not finish the day with some ice cream! So while waiting in line (actually randomly standing in front of the counter b/c there was no actual line and no one actually "working" behind the counter would tell you where to stand or help you) I noticed a bunch of posters touting Fair Trade this and that and peace signs and bunch of other hippie, liberal proganda crap promoting B&J ice cream products. There were pictures of cows and fields. Sunny skies and green pastures. Good old Mother Earth and groups of people holding hands, singing Kumbaya and eating B&J ice cream. It made me feel good that the .04 cents that they use from my $7 Ice Cream purchase was going to projects to end global suffering, the war in Afghanistan and Sarah Palin's Presidental Bid in 2012. At the same time I thought to myself, I just want some damm Ice Cream, and I don't need it to be made of organic milk from vegan cows, that graze on pesticide free fields, milked by members of Code Pink who happen to be dairy farmers. So after careful consideration of the menu, I selected a Fair Trade Caramel Sundae. With a name like Fair Trade, I figured it must be good for something to save the planet. My $7 was not only getting me overpriced ice cream, but I was probably supporting some farmer in Columbia who saved enough money to buy a parcel of the rainforest and save it from being burned down, so I figured the extra cash will be worth it. Anyway after a 10 minute wait to make the damm thing (4 minutes which was for the highly skilled, trained and motivated B&J staff to put whip cream on my "Sundae"), I finally got my treat. Of course as expected, it tasted more like Ice than actual Ice Cream. Your in New York and everything is overpriced and tastes like crap (besides Mammas, Mings and Carmines). On top of that, when do you ever get to eat a "Sundae" that is scooped into a blender, mixed with milk and ice and then blended for 30 seconds and poured into a cup. Last time I went to McDonalds or Friendly's that was knowed as a Milkshake, not a Sundae. A Sundae is a few scoops of ice cream in a cup, with a few toppings and eaten with a spoon. Not blended and poured into a cup and sucked through a straw. My only thought why B&J rebranded a traditional milkshake into a "Sundae" was that Fox News must have done a report how GW and Rumsfield must have liked Milkshakes back in the days after 9-11 and BHO mistakenly read off his teleprompter one time how he liked Sundaes (when he was actually supposed to reference a Milkshake). I digress. But anyway, to enjoy Fair Trade it has a price, like taste, value, quantity and quality! But in the end, that didn't stop me as I slurpped my Sundae in a cup down knowing I did my part to save Mother Earth. I want to thank Ben and Jerry's for being such a great steward to the universe, without their efforts, I probably would of had a cheap air compressed ice cream cone, topped with some hot caramel and peanuts. That would have been bad, as it would have probably cost half the price, come from a diesel powered ice cream machine dispenser (like the kind they have at the Golden Corral or any other respectable buffet restaurant) and covered with "normal" peanuts, which accidentally could have contaminated the next person in the line order. Wouldn't want to have that couple from California get peanuts into their 17-year old child's (who still has a peanut allergy and only eats lactose-free, soy rice, organic frozen dessert) order. My only redeeming moment from this whole experience was after I was finished, I put my emply plastic cup and straw into a normal trash can and not the blue recycle bin. I am hoping that all the time, effort and money wasted by Ben and Jerry to tout their wonderful ways will go to waste, as my one cup will now be a small piece of a landfill that will fill acres of land and will be unusable over the next 250 years or the time it takes that plastic cup to fully combust into Mother Earth's crust. Until next year, I will do my part in not saving the planet by going to DQ, Steak-n-Shake or Carvel.

** To read more about Ben & Jerry's Fair Trade and other useless, idiotic, meaningless policies, read the following link at www.benjerry.com/activism (Personally, I would rather give myself paper cuts and pour lemon juice on them then waste my time reading this, but if you really want to learn more, than read the link)

Rankings

If there was an Offical Tennis Stats Rankings, Chalmers V. Smith would be ranked #789 in the world. Do you think that rank is worthy of his skills? Or would you take the over or the under on #789?

SCREW THAT

http://www.news4jax.com/video/24376428/index.html

I don't think I would "just eased through them and went fishin" in a john boat. I would be turning around getting the heck out of Dodge!

MISS ME YET?

George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States.

THE CAPTAIN GETS IT!

Walked into my local Costco Warehouse to refill on some Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. Much to my surprise, I was glad to see the Captain offering $3.00 back in the mail for a purchase of a handle of his Original Spiced Rum. I am glad in these tough, economic times, that the Captain is out there looking out for the little guys!

Mini Mullet

Got a quick snap of the camera the other day of this truck driver looking guy with slicked back greasy hair and a mini-mullet!

First Time!

A few weeks back I took my first deep sea fishing trip. Went about 35 miles off the coast of St. Augusting on the Endless Summer II. Out at 6:00 am and back by 5:00 pm. Lots of fun, sun and best of all, I didn't get seasick! Fishes caught included Amber Jack, Mangrove Snapper and

some Beesline Jack!

10 In a Row

The Pittsburgh Pirates have now lost 10 games in a row and have an overall record of 23-42=.354% Why do the Pirates SUCK so bad? What is it now? 17 straight losing seasons, about to be 18? That is unacceptable and a total embarassment to the city of Pittsburgh! It is totally ridiculous that the Mangement of this organization is still in place and allowed to operate.

2010 Snake Count Update

Mowed the grass tonight and spotted 3. So to take the two earlier, their have been 5 confirmed sightings this year. All 3 were spared.

Second Political Post

And they wonder why we feel Washington is broken?

U.S DEBT TO RISE TO $19.6 TRILLION BY 2015
WASHINGTON
Tue Jun 8, 2010 6:19pm EDT
June 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. debt will top $13.6 trillion this year and climb to an estimated $19.6 trillion by 2015, according to a Treasury Department report to Congress.
The report that was sent to lawmakers Friday night with no fanfare said the ratio of debt to the gross domestic product would rise to 102 percent by 2015 from 93 percent this year.
"The president's economic experts say a 1 percent increase in GDP can create almost 1 million jobs, and that 1 percent is what experts think we are losing because of the debt's massive drag on our economy," said Republican Representative Dave Camp, who publicized the report.
He was referring to recent testimony by University of Maryland Professor Carmen Reinhart to the bipartisan fiscal commission, which was created by President Barack Obama to recommend ways to reduce the deficit, which said debt topping 90 percent of GDP could slow economic growth.
The U.S. debt has grown rapidly with the economic downturn and government spending for the Wall Street bailout, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the economic stimulus. The rising debt is contributing to voter unrest ahead of the November congressional elections in which Republicans hope to regain control of Congress.
The total U.S. debt includes obligations to the Social Security retirement program and other government trust funds. The amount of debt held by investors, which include China and other countries as well as individuals and pension funds, will rise to an estimated $9.1 trillion this year from $7.5 trillion last year.
By 2015 the net public debt will rise to an estimated $14 trillion, with a ratio to GDP of 73 percent, the Treasury report said. (Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Boo-Hoo Perfect Game

Since I follow the Pirates and they stink, I really don't pay attention to Major League Baseball anymore. I didn't hear about the Phillies Pitcher having a Perfect Game last Friday (I think) until a few days later. I guess someone else had one earlier in May as well? Also, I didn't hear about the latest near-perfect game until last night. Anyway, I have only see 1 replay of and I think the guy was safe. Yes the ball was in his mit and foot on the base before the runner, but he also was clasping his glove and the ball was moving. He raises his hand and glove and then has the ball in control. IMO, he didn't have full possession of the ball, it was still bobbling. I don't even know if that counts anymore, because I am only thinking NFL where the reciever must have possession of the ball (and it not be moving in their hands). I kinda forget the rules of baseball. 17 straight years of losing Pirates baseball will do that to you! Anyway, all this crap about replay and the Comissioner giving the guy a perfect game is stupid. Mistakes are made. It is human nature. To go back a day or two later and change the outcome makes no sense to me. You lost the perfect game. Get over it!

2010 Snake Count Update

So far for 2010, there has been two confirmed visuals of snakes on our property. One in February inside the garage underneath the recycling bin and one last Sunday AM on the front porch when I went to get the morning paper. The one in the garage was introduced to my shovel and the one on the front porch accidentally met the botttom of my flip-flop.

She Is Back

Sitting in the TV room tonight around 8:00ish. Still light outside, but starting to get dark. See something small and tan dart across the backyard. Rush to the window and it was her, our friend the little baby deer. She sprinted by the swingset and back into the right corner of the yard into the woods. Went to the tree line to see her, but to no avail. Through out some lettuce along the tree line and plugged in the spotlight. Hopefully she gets some lettuce and I can spot her tonight with the light.

Travis Did Not Do To Do List (Update)

Stike one thing off the list. Well kinda off. The swingset is about 1/2 way done. A Frame, two swings and Gondola is up. It is operational for swinging and in place in the backyard. Still needs to be placed in the proper spot in the backyard. Once that is decided, I then need to attach the slide to the right side of the A frame (it is built) and I need to attach the Teeter-Totter on the left side of the A Frame (not built, still in box). Plus after those two items get attached, I need to figure out how to anchor this thing into the ground, so when you actually swing on the thing, the threat of it tipping over no longer exists, as well as ideally I would like to frame it with some railroad logs and fill it with fake rubber mulch. So don't expect any updates soon that it is 100%, but will post a photo once the final product is installed.
*UPDATE* I looked at it closer tonight and it is already starting to rust!

Deer the Other Night

A quick, cool story. The other night we were sitting on the back patio for a drink when we heard some noises in the woods. Usually something is always rattling back there, but usually something small like a squirel. Being pitch black out, and not knowing what is back there in the nature perserve, it always sparks my curosity. Usually when I hear something like that, I grab our spotlight. So we got the spotlight, turned the thing on and starting shinning all through the trees and brush. Then I spotted two white eyes staring back at me. It was a small baby deer, about 10'-15' feet from the edge of our grass line and in a small clearing in the nature perserve. I have spotted several deer over the years and usually once they are spotted, or hear us make a noise, they dart off into the woods. Well this little guy (or girl) was different. I must have kept the light on them for a minute or so on and off and it just stood there and stared back right at me. I started to walk from the patio into the grass and not only didn't it run away, it sat down and settled into the small clearing in the perserve. So I got a little bit braver and walked all the way to the edge of the grass line and the little guy just sat there staring right back at me. It was pretty cool. Probably no more than 10'-15' away. I thought something must be wrong with this little guy. Where was it's mother? Usually when we see deer there are others, plus this looked like a new baby. It couldn't have been more that 75 pounds. So I walked back inside and looked for something to feed it, as I assumed something was wrong. Maybe it was sick? Mabye it was lost? We didn't have any carrots or apples, but I grabbed some lettuce. Don't know if deer eat lettuce, but what the heck. I walked back through the yard and still shined the light on the litte guy. Still sitting there and staring back at me. So I got brave and figured, let me get closer. So I started walking into the brush and literally got about 1/2 way, probably 5'-10' away from the little guy at this point in time. Don't think I have ever been that close to a deer in the wild. Tossed a piece of lettuce but didn't get close. Still just sitting there. Threw the other two pieces, got it a little closer, but this time scared him off. He got up and sprinted back into the woods. Went back a few minutes later looking for him with the spotlight, but didn't see him and my light was losing its power. The next day went out looking for the lettuce and it was gone, so hopefully he came back and had a snack. Hope to see him again soon!

Nine Days Since My Last Post

Anything exciting happen?

First Political Post

From time to time, I will stray from the founding principles of C&M to express a political point of view. Here is how I feel about what is going on in Washington DC this week.