Raleigh-Durham NC

This is not really a good thing...

That's how it always starts...
"Oooh. Wings. Ah... Hooters girls."
Later there is the running and the screaming.

And police.

Can you say "restraining order"?

TBG out-

Nashville

Nothing happened in Nashville.

Absolutely nothing.

I don't care what you read in the paper or saw on TV...

Nothing. Happened.

End of story.

TBG out-

Anaheim

The NHL Adventure continues...
I've been in Anaheim for the last couple days...
(Home of the Ducks?... Well. I guess the name is appropriate...
They play at Arrowhead Pond. Heh.)

Installed hardware, tested cables, yadda, yadda, yadda...

The high point?

Dinner at King's Fish House.

On Katella near the arena...

I sat at the bar and enjoyed a half dozen Cortes Island Oysters...
Farm-cultured tray-raised oysters from the waters of British Columbia...

Medium sized, slightly salty...great Ostridae...

They were so good I also had a half dozen of another variety...

These are Canadian Cup oysters from Prince Edward Island.
Small, not as salty but very tasty...

The other great part of this meal is the presentation...
The oysters are on a tray of crushed ice, and 2 empty shells hold a dollop of cocktail sauce and a small serving of freshly-grated horseradish.
Very nice.


A dab of sauce, a few strands of horse... Mmmmm.

Onward- to Nashville...

TBG out-

Constant Readers getting testy...

"Come on! You haven't posted anything on your blog for 15 days, 7 hours and 10 minutes!!!"
- Luc from Montreal

Wow. Has it been that long?

Let's see... The 12th...NBA All Star in Vegas...multiply by clock issues, carry the nothin'... square the result... Damn. It has been a long time.

Ok... A recap.

All Star in Vegas.


A week-long bite-in-the-ass of problems, second-guessing, redundancy, and hours of testing and re-testing. A couple miles of cable and several fed-ex packages, and one long trip to a local laundromat... Sound fun? You bet.

Some sights from All Star 2007.

The Latin Twins,
Rios and Munoz...

Their mother still coordinates their outfits, even at events.

Brian Kabus

Napping duriing the pregame show...

Drew-

The tricycle man.

Teresa- Purveyor of cookies and radios.

The Bearcom Girl.

Jeff Pozz
(The New Guy)

Part 1

and Part 2.


The culprits?


Bill Lee from the Help Desk...

You know, Big Guy, you're going to walk funny after I shove that camera up your...nose."

In game mode...

Everyone "enjoying" the game...

So after it was all said and done getting home was a joy for some people...
If you were flying Southwest out of McCarran, you were in for a shock...

The check-in line was (really) a mile long.
It snaked around inside the terminal several times, then out the door and down the sidewalk, then down the road to another terminal. Literally, a full mile.

And it wasn't only on Monday... It was the same way Tuesday...
Lots of angry people...lots of missed flights.





Final Thoughts?

What goes on in Vegas... (i.e. Cash Withrdrawl from ATM)
Stays in Vegas. (Usually at the craps table.)

TBG, Out- (Out of cash, that is.)

Thar she blows!

Do you remember the old spoiler on the back of the Porsche Targa?
They called it a "whale tail"...





I'm noticing a trend here in Las Vegas...

The girls are wearing underwear as semi-underwear, or in some cases, outerwear...
Very much resembling the same Cetaecan characteristic.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I doubt that any woman wants to be referred to as a Whaletail...

(The worst ass-kicking I ever got from a girl was when I referred to her as "Crawfish"- you know... All the meat is in the tail. I don't remember much after that... I do, remember, however, that the doctor was gentle as he removed the size-six high heel shoe from my colon. But I digress.)

So... Whaletails...



The graceful lines...



The subtle power in the design...



The delicate detailing...



Symmetry...



the sophisticated coloring...


Ods Bodkins! An entire pod!

Amazing, out-

Bar Rules

Getting ready to visit several cities, no doubt I will have many entertaining run-ins with the TSA, flight attendants, beertenders and surly waitstaff at marginal places that serve food.
(Note that I didn't say "Restaurants". Not all places that serve food qualify as restaurants.)

From the recent post "Drink Drank Drunk" I got several comments, all basically saying "That was pretty funny. I laughed my ass off."
Someone also sent me "The Bar Rules"...
Some of them are common sense, and others are pretty good rules to drink by...
I've made some notes on the list...

So...
1. If you owe someone money, always pay them back in a bar. Preferably during happy hour.

2. Always toast before doing a shot.

3. Whoever buys the shot gets the first chance to offer a toast.

4. Change your toast at least once a month.

5. Buying someone a drink is five times better than a handshake.

6. Buying a strange woman a drink is still cool. Buying all her drinks is dumb.
(YT: Strange=Someone you don't know; I don't care how hot she is... Don't buy the blue-skinned eyepatch-wearing woman with the Capuchin monkey on her shoulder a drink. It can only lead to trouble.)

7. Never borrow more than one cigarette from the same person in one night.

8. When the bartender is slammed, resist the powerful urge to order a slightly-dirty, very-dry, in-and-out, super-chilled half-and-half martini with a lemon twist. Limit orders to beer, straight shots and two-part cocktails.
(YT: If you do, don't complain when it is made poorly.)

9. Get the bartender's attention with eye contact and a smile. NEVER yell "Hey you", or pound on the bar, they take great offense to this.

10. Do not make eye contact with the bartender if you do not want a drink.

11. Unacceptable things to say after doing a shot: "Great, now I'm going to get drunk.", "I hate shots." or "It's coming back up."

12. Never, ever tell a bartender he/she made your drink too strong.

13. If he/she makes it too weak, order a double next time.

14. If you offer to buy a woman a drink and she refuses, she does not like you.

15. If you offer to buy a woman a drink and she accepts, she still might not like you.

16. If she buys you a drink, she likes you.

17. If someone offers to buy you a drink, do not upgrade your liquor preference.

18. Always have a corkscrew in your house.

19. If you don't have a corkscrew, push the cork down into the bottle with a pen.

20. Drink one girly drink in public and you will forever be known as the guy who drinks girly drinks.

21. Our parents were better drinkers than we are.

22. Never talk to someone in the restroom unless you're doing the same thing— urinating, waiting in line or washing your hands.

23. Girls hang out, apply make-up, and have long talks in the bathroom. Men do not.

24. After your sixth drink, do not look at yourself in the mirror. It will shake your confidence.

25. It is only permissible to shout 'woo-hoo!' if you are doing a shot with four or more people.

26. If there is a D.J., you can request a song only once per night. If he doesn't play it within half an hour, do not approach him again. If he does play it, do not approach him again.

27. Learn how to make a rose out of a bar napkin. You'll be surprised how well it works.
(YT:Want to learn? Ask me in a bar sometime. NB:Sombrero Night would NOT be a good time to ask.)

28. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to drink in a bar. Go to the liquor store.

29. If you owe someone twenty dollars or less, you may pay them back in beer.

30. Never complain about the quality or brand of a free drink, and if you get one, tip accordingly or don't expect one again.

31. If you have been roommates with someone more than six months, you may drink all their beer, even if it's hidden, as long as you leave them one.

32. You can have a shot of their hard liquor only if the cap has been cracked and the bottle goes for less than $25.

33. The only thing that tastes better than free liquor is stolen liquor.

34. If you bring Old Milwaukee to a party, you must drink at least two cans before you start drinking the imported beer in the fridge.

35. Learn to appreciate hangovers. If it was all good times every jackass would be doing it.

36. If you ever feel depressed, get out a bartender's guide and browse through all the drinks you've never tried.

37. Try one new drink each week.

38. If you are the bar's sole customer, you are obliged to make small talk with the bartender until he stops acknowledging you. Then you're off the hook. The same goes for him.

39. Never tip with coins that have touched you. If your change is $1.50, you can tell the barmaid to keep the change, but once she has handed it to you, you cannot give it back. To a bartender or cocktail waitress, small change has no value.

40. If you have ever told a bartender, "Hey, it all spends the same," then you are a cheap ass.

41. Anyone on stage or behind a bar is fifty percent better looking.

42. You can tell how hard a drinker someone is by how close they keep their drink to their mouth.

43. A bar is a college, not a nursery. If you spill a beer, clean it up. If you break a glass, wait for a staff member to clean it up, and then blame it on someone else.

44. Being drunk is feeling sophisticated without being able to say it.

45. Its okay to drink alone.
(YT: Sometimes it's mandatory. Like when you're driving, for instance.)

46. After three drinks, you will forget a woman's name two seconds after she tells you. The rest of the night you will call her "baby" or "darling".

47. Nothing screams 'Nancyboy' louder than swirling an oversized brandy snifter.

48. Men don't drink from straws. Unless you're doing a Mind or Face Eraser.

49. If you do a shot, finish it. If you don't plan to finish it, don't accept it.

50. Never brood in a dance bar. Never dance in a dive bar.

51. Never play more than three songs by the same artist in a row.

52. Your songs will come on as you're leaving the bar.

53. Never yell out jukebox selections to someone you don't know.

54. Never lie in a bar. You may, however, grossly exaggerate and lean.

55. If you think you might be slurring a little, then you are slurring a lot. If you think you are slurring a lot, then you are not speaking English.

56. Screaming, "Someone buy me a drink!" has never worked.
(YT: Funny, it has for me...)

57. For every drink, there is a five percent better chance you will get in a fight. There is also a three percent better chance you will lose the fight.

58. Fighting an extremely drunk person when you are sober is hilarious.

59. If you are broke and a friend is "spotting you", you must laugh at all his jokes and play wingman when he makes his move.

60. If you are broke and a friend is "making a sport of you", you may steal any drink he leaves unattended.

61. Never rest your head on a table or bar top. It is the equivalent of voluntarily putting your head on a chopping block.

62. If you are trading rounds with a friend and he asks if you're ready for another, always say yes. Once you fall out of sync you will end up buying more drinks than him.

63. If you're going to hit on a member of the bar staff, make sure you tip well before and after, regardless of their response.

64. The people with the most money are rarely the best tippers.

65. Before you die, single-handedly make one decent martini.

66. Asking a bartender what beers are on tap when the handles are right in front of you is the equivalent of saying, "I'm an idiot."

67. Never ask a bartender "what's good tonight?" They do not fly in the scotch fresh from the coast every morning.

68. If there is a line for drinks, get your damn drink and step the hell away from the bar.

69. If there is ever any confusion, the fuller beer is yours.

70. The patrons at your local bar are your extended family, your fathers and mothers, your brothers and sisters. Except you get to sleep with these sisters. And if you're really drunk, the mothers.

71. It's acceptable, traditional in fact, to disappear during a night of hard drinking. You will appear mysterious and your friends will understand. If they even notice.

72. Never argue your tab at the end of the night. Remember, you're hammered and they're sober. It's akin to a precocious five-year-old arguing the super-string theory with a physicist. 99.9% of the time you're wrong and either way you're going to come off as a jackass.

73. If you bring booze to a party, you must drink it or leave it.

74. If you hesitate more than three seconds after the bartender looks at you, you do not deserve a drink.

75. Beer makes you mellow, champagne makes you silly, wine makes you dramatic, tequila makes you felonious.

76. The greatest thing a drunkard can do is buy a round of drinks for a packed bar.

77. Never preface a conversation with a bartender with "I know this is going to be a hassle, but . . ."

78. When you're in a bar and drunk, your boss is just another guy begging for a fat lip. Unless he's buying.

79. If you are 86'd, do not return for at least three months. To come back sooner makes it appear no other bar wants you.

80. Anyone with three or more drinks in his hands has the right of way.

81. If you're going to drink on the job, drink vodka. It's the no-tell liquor.

82. There's nothing wrong with drinking before noon. Especially if you're supposed to be at work.

83. The bar clock moves twice as fast from midnight to last call.

84. A flask engraved with a personal message is one of the best gifts you can ever give. And make sure there's something in it.

85. On the intimacy scale, sharing a quiet drink is between a handshake and a kiss.

86. 20% is the standard percentage to tip, so figure it out.

87. If the lights suddenly get really bright and the music turns off, that probably means you should head for the door.

88. You will forget every one of these rules by your fifth drink.


Famous, out...drinking.

Not a sign that will get you on TV

P2 and L3 both sent me this little jewel… Thanks y'all.

I think they wanted me to comment on the grammatical issues inherent in the young lady’s sign...

It should either read
"Put it in my five-hole, Sidney"
"Sidney, put it in my five-hole"
Hmmm…
Maybe it is correct… Perhaps she has a five hole named Sidney.
She needs some brushing up on her comma and hyphen usage.
(Lessons at Uncle Jay’s School O’ Grammar available for a nominal charge.)

Other slogans that her boyfriend wouldn't let her use:
"You can high stick me anytime"
"You're always welcome in my crease"
"Slap your vulcanized rubber disc into my netting, by which I mean 'do me!' you teenage Nova Scotian."
"Put your biscuit in my basket"
"Come on over to my place and I'll pull your goalie"

I think there is a joke about "Melon Arena" as well.

Unhappy ending to the whole sordid affair-
She got a 2 minute penalty for hooking.


For the Hockey challenged...


Famous, out-