A couple Max and Minnie vids

Minnie is about one fifth of Max’s size, but she can stand up for herself pretty good.

Fevered Thoughts

-I’m sick again. Seems like every other week for the past few months I have had a cold, cough, or sore throat.

-This one is strange. I got a cough, then a fever and headache, then body aches, then I felt all better this morning when I woke up, then I got all the symptoms again only worse around 8 AM.

-My fever and headache has subsided, but I still have the cough and now a stuffy head.

-I think I am going to make it through the day. I almost called out last night, but I hate to miss work for a cough.

-I’m finished with my interview process for this iteration of the new operations class. I think I will find out the results within a week.

-The outage has been extended. That means more work opportunities, but also less rest to recovery from my mystery sickness.

-I promise to work this weekend on getting some pics and videos up from my trip to Cozumel, Cayman, and Jamaica.

-I think you’re going to like the videos of the stingrays, that may have been the best part of the trip.

-I was inspired to go snorkeling this weekend with Marcela, but I am not going unless I feel better.

-In case you wondered, Max didn’t even notice we were gone. My mom and dad took care of him while we vacationed and he had a good time being trained by “The Hammer” (my dad’s new nickname) and petted by my mom.

-He’s been very sleepy since we got back. Marcela theorizes that he is going through a growth spurt. He’s perfectly content to sleep nearly all day.

-I ran 49 rounds through the Kel Tec on Monday and had 3 rounds that failed to feed correctly. 450 rounds through the Glock and no issues, and 50 rounds through the Mossberg.

-I also picked up 50 rounds of 00 Buckshot and 50 rounds of rifled slugs. Another 50 rounds of each and I should be pretty well set for a while.

-The tea parties that took place across the nation yesterday drew an estimated national crowd of 150,000 Americans fed up with the waste and high taxes in this government.

-The parties were poo-poo’ed by the left wing media as right wing kooks organized by powerful interest groups and Fox News.

-Regardless of whether that was true or not, what happened to the message that “vote or die”, “rock the vote” and other left wing movements pushed over the past 8+ years that anything which draws people to the political process is good? This is the finest example of hypocrisy I have seen in a while.

-Janet Napolitano and the Obama admins Homeland Security department is casting some serious derogatory and nasty light on God-fearing people who believe in smaller government and the right to life. They’ve categorized people like me (I am pro-life and against a massive federal government and for local control) as potential threats to homeland security in a memo sent to all state and local law enforcement agencies.

-She also stated that another potential threat comes from military personnel returning from warzones over seas who may be having difficulty adapting to civilian life. It’s downright sickening what the left will stoop to in order to secure power.

-Enough political rant, I’m out. Hopefully I won’t be assigned to mandatory OT and I’ll be at church Sunday morning. See you then!

2nd Thoughts

-I am a strong believer in the Bill of Rights. Some politicians would love it if the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution would just disappear.

-In 1998, I applied for an received my FL Concealed Weapons/Firearms License. From application to receipt took about 24 days (weekends included).

-When my permit expired in 2003, I was a little tight on cash, so I didn’t renew it.

-Now that the permit is good for 7 years instead of just 5, I went ahead and reapplied. The process is supposed to take no more than 90 days.

-I applied on the second week of November and I just received my shiny blue card from the agriculture department’s licensing division last week. That’s well over 90 days.

-As I mentioned in a previous entry, I purchased a Kel Tec PF 9, the smallest 9mm manufactured right now.

-All the background and serial number checks were cleared as of yesterday (this was a used gun) and I picked up my new back up pistol for concealment yesterday.

-I have a picture that shows just how small and slim this 9 is. You would have to hold it to believe how little it weighs (under a pound).

Kel Tec PF 9

Kel Tec PF 9 Thin View

-I am prepared for a lot of recoil and hand shock due to the size of the gun. I’ll test the gun at the range April 13 when I return from my cruise.

-I am trying something different today. Instead of my normal Fuji apple today, I am having a big juicy Golden Delicious apple. I’ll let you know how that goes.

-Momma, thanks for the sweet tasty perfectly ripe banana that I had for breakfast today.

-In 3 days I embark on my stint around the Caribbean from Cozumel down to Grand Caymen and finally Ocho Rios Jamaica.

-My sweet mom will be watching our little dog Max while I am away. I hope he doesn’t get into too much mischief while I’m away.

-I’m not sure if I will get a chance to swim with the sting rays or not, but I’m definitely doing Dunns River Falls and snorkeling the reefs of Cozumel.

-It’s very difficult to get a vacation in the middle of an outage, so I was blessed to be able to do this trip.

-I’m not yet sure if I will be able to make it to church this Sunday. That’s up in the air right now. Stay tuned!

Whatever Thoughts

-Today is day #4 of the outage.
-I am getting OT on the days of my choice right now.
-Good news, I got invited back for a second interview.
-I’m totally digging Anthems for a Broken World.
-Saturday’s Top 5 is all about TSP!
-I’m craving some football again.
-I guess I’ll have to settle for the NCAA Tourney and NBA season/post season.
-Miami Hurricanes really blew it toward the end of the season and had to settle for a lousy NIT appearance.
-Max has destroyed two harnesses by chewing the front part. What a little dork.
-Vacation is two and a half weeks away. Caribbean here we come.
-Of the two movies that I have seen this week: Underworld Rise of the Lycans and Mirrors, neither was great.
-Obama and the congressional Democrats are really having a hard time continuing to shift blame for the AIG bonus mess considering they created it.
-I am sick of hearing how all our problems are everyone elses fault. Obama is making a mess of the mess he inherited.
-I plan on seeing all my LPC buddies this weekend at Flagship Cinema. I’ll be there at 7:30, Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise!

Free Thoughts

-Thursday is the day I post my thoughts. It’s pretty simple, I just type whatever pops in my head.

-The shooting at Wal Mart yesterday was all the talk yesterday at work. Apparently an angry boyfriend walked into the garden center and shot his former girlfriend who had just taken out a restraining order against him. He then fled to his home where he shot himself.

-The stock market doesn’t seem to like the US move toward socialism. Our economy was sick under President Bush, Obama apparently wants to finish it off.

-Hurricane season is just around the corner. I think I am going to start getting my supplies together now. Be prepared!

-Only 2 months since football season has ended, and I am having withdrawals. I hate football offseason. The Dolphins and Canes have a lot to look forward to this year.

-We are going to be even more organized in this year’s fantasy football season.

-The major football related news right now is the boat with the NFL players and agent whose 21 foot boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico in up to 15 foot seas. Friends of mine suggested that probably they plowed the nose of the boat into a large wave going too fast while rushing to get in, or they got sideways and were flipped by a big wave.

-Max had his little bit of masculinity removed this past Friday. It’s not bad enough that everybody mistakes him for a her, now he has been altered. Poor fella.

-My vacation cruise is exactly one month away from today. Snorkeling, hiking, and relaxing here we come.

-Marcela really hooked me up on Sunday. She made some excellent paella mixta with chicken, chorizo, octopus, little necks, muscles, shrimp, and scallops.

-I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I cannot wait for the TSP Anthems CD to be available.

-The work that Trav, the guys from TSP and the People for Care and Learning are doing for the people of Cambodia is God’s work. I’m so proud of them.

-I will see some of you this Sunday at the theater as we come together to worship, enjoy and learn from each other, be inspired, and be the church.

This is the coolest dog ever!

Hey, we knew Spuds McKenzie was cool. But he has nothing on Tyson.  Maybe one day, Max can attain just a fraction of Tyson’s coolness. One problem is that our little fluffy pal Max is too often mistaken for a girl.  But then again in these days, that’s not a disqualifying factor.

Max Factor

I know, I know. It’s not Monday. I can write a Max Factor post whenever I want. This is for Ela. Max went in a fluffy little fur ball and walked out a skinny and hardly recognizable rat. He’s still cute, but we are having a bit of a hard time getting used to his new look. I think he is a little embarrassed at his own nakedness. He’s acting a little “down” tonight since we took his glorious coat away.

Max looks like he’s lost without his hair.

Many Thoughts

-I think I am losing my voice.
-Yesterday I got a bit of a cough and today my voice is cracking.
-I sound like I’m 13 years old.
-Overtime was offered to me Tuesday for Friday, I said yes.
-Yesterday, my overtime was cancelled.
-This morning around 5 AM, I received a call offering overtime for today. Sweet!
-Last night I parted ways with my green Glock 19. I plan on purchasing a black model 17 or 19 Glock as soon as one comes in to Lou’s (5-8 weeks).
-My vacation is approaching. April 5 is right around the corner.
-I will be snorkling, hiking, relaxing, and eating.
-Last night Marcela and I went to Capri in Homestead and used our Christmas gift certificate.
-The restaurant was packed. I was surprised to see so many people.

Marcela at the Capri in Homestead.

-After our delicious spaghetti dinner, we enjoyed a real treat… Canolis! They were so good.
-I got to see my old buddy Oral Beason last night at the Dolphin Mall.
-Oral and Dee are having twins, one boy and one girl. That will make 4 for them.
-It feels like years since I have gone fishing out on the water.
-Max is going to get a puppy cut. We are taking off his long fluffy coat since he hates being brushed so much.
-Valentine’s Day is two days away. I will work that day but I have something planned.

The Max Factor

Poor Max had his first sick day.  We noticed Saturday night that he was especially mellow, content just to lay there and chill out most of the evening.  Then when I woke for work on Sunday morning (4 AM), he did not let me know that I was supposed to take him outside like he normally does.  I took him outside anyway.  As I get ready every morning, he has his chance to get a drink and eat a little food.  He drank a little, but did not eat.  As some of you know, I went home around 5:45 AM since they were overstaffed at work.  When I got home, Max was asleep upstairs and didn’t really show interest in getting up like he normally does.

After church, it was clear that he was not feeling his best because he hid in the corner of the front entrance area behind a plant and slept there.  At one point we were looking all over the house for him and he was nowhere to be found (he was tucked away hiding in a corner asleep).  By the time the Super Bowl rolled around, he felt very warm and was shivering.  Marcela tried to get him to drink but he wouldn’t.  He would get up every 30 seconds or so and re-situate himself, but he seemed confused and was looking back and forth with the saddest eyes.  Eventually, I got a turkey baster and filled it with water, held his mouth open and put the water in there and he drank quite a bit.  For the next hour or two he steadily got better.

By bed time around 10 PM, a noise outside woke him and he growled and barked for the first time all day, and he woke up and found a paper towel on the coffee table.  He took off with it, tore it up, and then we knew he was feeling a lot better.  The short of it is that we never found out what was wrong with him, but he’s back to his normal mischievous self now.

Various Thoughts

-I enjoy this blog entry because the topics are whatever pops in my head while I write.

-There is a lot of junk in my head sometimes; it’s nice to get it out.

-I am working overtime for only the second day since September. The only other time I worked OT, it was on a call in. This time I actually signed up and got notice Tuesday that I would get the OT. This comes in very timely since I lost almost 4 hours of work last week due to training and qualification.

-Also, I’ll be working this weekend so I will not be able to join you at the theater for our weekly Life Pointe Sunday party.

-I requested two more vacation days and it was ultimately approved. I now have all of Spring Break off.

-I will be looking for a 7 day cruise to fit my scheduled time. Right now I am leaning towards MSC Cruises (The Orchestra) to Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Dominican Republic.

-There are some serious deals right now, even on Spring Break. I assume that it is due to the economy. Check out Vacations To Go to see what I am talking about.

-Speaking of the economy… My stand by for my first political rant since the new prez took office.

-ACORN was accused of voter fraud in the presidential election this year and years past. In this new so-called economic stimulus package ($890 billion), $5.2 billion has been set aside for neighborhood foreclosure relief. $4.19 billion of that is supposed to go to ACORN.

-How does this pass the smell test? ACORN helps perpetrate fraud, then gets a $4.19 billion cash kickback. Like they say, “Dance with the one who brung ya.”. It makes me sick.

-Max really hates being brushed. Marcela normally does it, but I figured I would help her with that duty. I don’t want the little mop to despise her because she wants to keep his hair looking handsome.

-The little runt growled at me and then snapped when I was trying to take out a knot.

-I work Super Bowl Sunday, but I should get home before the end of the first quarter. Anybody hosting a party? Naw, you guys should be down in Plantation Key, right?

-My heart wants the Arizona Hurricanes (Cardinals) to win, but my head tells me that the Steelers are going to win this with their dominating D.

-I want Edgerrin James, Calais Campbell, and especially Antrel Rolle to win their first Super Bowl rings.

-The Edge left Indy the year before they won their Super Bowl title. I’d love to see him not only win a ring, but to be a major part of the victory.

-Last night I watched a show called “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” on Animal Planet. I am sure they embellished a little, but the show was riveting. They told a story with reenactment of a couple who were hiking a trail in the Amazon Basin when they got lost. Using a compass, they actually went in the opposite direction because the map was flipped with North at the bottom and South at the top. They were stranded 6 days before finding their way to a river where they were rescued by a boatman. I highly recommend the show, but be warned that it contains some disturbing and mature content due to the nature of the material.

-I’ll see you at LPC a week from Sunday if not sooner!