Archive for the ‘General’ Category

From the Austin-American Statesman:

Overall wine drinking in the U.S. rose 3.2 percent in 2007 to 292.1 million 9-liter cases, according to the Beverage Information Group.

“If wine continues to grow at these levels, the U.S. will surpass both Italy and France to become both the largest wine market and biggest wine importer in the world by the end of the decade,” says Eric Schmidt, manager of information services for the Norwalk, Conn.-based Beverage Information Group

I did some math on this and 292.1 million 9-liter cases amount to 2,628,900,000 or 2.6 billion liters of wine. That equals 694,481,905 gal. of wine. Drink up America!

Ok, so yesterday I got a little to much sun.  Today didn’t go for my run or sit in the sun.  Just stayed in, drank rum punch, fixed breakfast for everyone again.  I have been asigned to task of Mr. Tech Guy.  Downloading everone’s pic’s everyday and uploading for those that want it uploaded.  Working on other laptops and answering questions about tech stuff.  Oh well, it comes with the job.

Spent the day in town doing some shopping.  Eat lunch at our favorate place, The Jerk Pit.  Food was better then I remembered!  Will be going back for dinner tonight but that will be another post.

Wondered in to a bar called Big Daddy’s while everyone else continued shopping.  Got a refile for my port-a-drink cup.  Dennis showed up and got a rum punch as well.  Then I found that they have a hammock in the bar.

I decided it would be good idea for me to try out the hammock.  Little did I know it was only hung up with a small nail on one end.  The quote for this one is, “Ken can hold his liquor but the hammock couldn’t”.

The folks at the bar decided that if I was going to stay they should fix the hammock.  Ended up using electric wiring to tie it up.  Then they invited me over to give it a trial run.  As you can see it passed with flying colors!

Ended up back at the house for a little swimming and more rum punch.  Then it was time to head out for dinner.  Nothing much happend at dinner.  We went to Road Kill for some music and bar-b-q.  Then headed across the street for some reagga. It wasn’t so good so we headed down the beach to BC’s.  Sat and drank till it was time to head home.

Yes, I have headed off to Belize again this year. It was so much fun last year that when the opportunity came about again I wasn’t about to pass it up!

This time I am taking 10 days for my vacation. Thursday and Friday will be spent on the mainland. This is the first time I have done anything other just fly out of mainland Belize. I have to say my first impression is I will not be doing the mainland again anytime soon.

The flight out was perfect. My flight left Austin 10 minutes early and arrived in Houston just as early. This gave me just the right about of time to catch my next flight. Deported from the same terminal as I  arrived! Even landed in Belize early as well. What else can I say! Perfect!!!

Got the the airport and found the bar upstairs where I had my first rum punch in Belize. Then I got a ride to the hotel/casino. Where they let me check-in even thought the hotel wasn’t under my name. Sorry Steve and Joy, I have both room keys. You will have to find my in the hotel bar to get into the room!

Checked out the casino and played a little blackjack. I managed to leave with the same about of cash as I walked in with. I made enough that I was able to tip the blackjack dealer also. Then I blew it all on slots. Oh well, still trying to kill time waiting for Steve and Joy.

Wandered around the hotel for a while and took some pictures of the place. Now just sit’n at the hotel bar drinking rum punches and writing this crap to keep myself busy.

Talk to everyone tomorrow.

From a post in DUI Blog

MADD’s Latest Weapon: Update

by Lawrence Taylor

My post last week concerning a California High School’s efforts with MADD to traumatize their students, drew quite a reaction from readers.  The following is an update:

School Defends Drunken Driving Hoax

Oceanside, CA.  AP, June 12 – School officials in Oceanside, California, are defending a scared-straight exercise that sent some El Camino High School students into hysterics.

One Monday last month, California Highway Patrol officers went to 20 classrooms and delivered the grim news that several students had been killed in drunken-driving car crashes over the weekend.

The news devastated Michelle de Gracia, who says she was nauseated and too stunned to cry. Others in her physics class were so upset that the teacher had to tell them it was all staged. Then they became angry. Michelle says says “they got the shock they wanted.”

A 15-year-old student says, while she feels “betrayed” by her teachers and school administrators, she also feels that “if it saves one life, it’s worth it.” Others disagree. During assemblies after the hoax, some students held up posters reading “Death is real. Don’t play with our emotions.”

Camino High guidance counselor Lori Tauber says “we wanted them to be traumatized.”

“We wanted them to be traumatized.”  One wonders where the MADDness is going next….

So, I will be moving into a house by myself.  I have been living with roommates for the past two years almost and it is time to have a place of my own.  My friend, who owns the house is going to be leaving his drum set there.  So, I guess have to learn how to play drums now!

I will also be getting a new puppy.  A friend of mine has family that cannot keep the dog.  With me having a house and yard I was ready for dog anyway.  Meet Bullet!

“If you purchased the green 20 oz bag of Innova dog biscuits–
the large size biscuits–for your pupsters, please check the
expiration date for a December 08 expiration date. This is
the batch in question.

Someone in the neighborhood who just recently purchased some
biscuits at Bark ‘n Purr in Austin,Texas found pieces of metal
& rocks in these biscuits when breaking them in half for their
dogs. The package was returned to the store & when they & the
store staff looked through some of the other biscuits in the
same package, they found more non-food items in the biscuits.
Bark ‘n Purr management contacted the manufacturers immediately &
the product has been pulled off the shelf & sent to the manufacturer.

[It was confirmed by] the manager at Bark ‘n Purr
this morning [Fri, 16 May 2008]

If you have a package in this batch–the batch that expires in
December 08–you can return it to them. As of this morning they
have heard nothing from the manufacturer.

I did ask the store manager if it is likely that this batch of
biscuits would have been distributed only in central Texas.
She said it would likely have gone out all over the country.”

From an article at Discovery News

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, a 48-year-old biochemist who grew up on a farm in Iowa, returned to the United States this week after serving six months as the commander of the International Space Station.

Everyone had told me to kind of expect a car crash at the end. That was a pretty accurate description.

So, after reading this article it turns out that Peggy Whitson and crew didn’t make it to the expected landing spot. Instead landed in a field 300 miles short of the landing site in Kazakhstan.

I was out lying on the ground, and I noticed these guys. They just didn’t have anything, just very poor people who live out on the steppes. You could tell by the way they were dressed. It was like “humm … these aren’t rescue guys, these aren’t SAR (Search and Rescue).”

They had the Kazak dialect, but one of them spoke enough Russian and he was talking to Yuri and asking him “Where did this boat come from?” and Yuri was like “What boat?” It took a while for Yuri to describe to them that this was a spacecraft and they kept responding with “nola” which means “OK, whatever,” and then they would ask another question. They just couldn’t comprehend, couldn’t believe what they were being involved in.

There were eight people there when we first arrived and two more truckloads of people showed up before the rescue guys did.

Read the full article…

Ok, one more quote from Peggy Whitson, never would have thought of this as a problem of space flight.

I feel pretty good. One of the common things you hear from long-duration fliers is that it hurts to sit down for a while because you’re not used to sitting anymore. I still feel that. Last time it lasted about three weeks.

‘Hello, is this the Sheriff’s Office?’

‘Yes. What can I do for you?’

‘I’m calling to report ’bout my neighbor Virgil Smith….He’s hidin’ marijuana inside his firewood! Don’t quite know how he gets it inside them logs, but he’s hidin’ it there.’

‘Thank you very much for the call, sir.’

The next day, the Sheriff’s Deputies descend on Virgil’s house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They sneer at Virgil and leave. Shortly, the phone rings at Virgil’s house.

‘Hey Virgil! This here’s Floyd…Did the Sheriff come?’

‘Yeah!’

‘Did they chop your firewood?’

‘Yep!’

‘Happy Birthday, buddy!’

(Rednecks know how to git-’er-dun).

Went to One World Theater last night to see A Day In His Life. Wow, what a show!

From the shows web site

Spend an evening with Rock icon ‘John Lennon’ (as portrayed by world-famous actor/musician Tim Piper), as he transports you to the very beginning of John’s life and remarkable journey that influenced the music and culture of generations. Share the inside story of the man, the music, and the legend, who as founder of the Beatles, created a ‘Revolution’ that shook the world.

It really was like being transported back in time. You could forget that John Lennon was dead and that you were listening to the man himself. It really was one of the best shows I have seen in a very long time.

The show opened with Revolution. Then Tim as John talked about his early life before the Beatles. Then played Julia which was his mothers name. The show then moved into his early material just as the Beatles were getting there start. The show progressed through the history of the Beatles with commentary between each song. The commentary was presented in the first person. It was like you were really listening to John tell you about his life.

The show finished up with John talking about his life after the Beatles and playing the songs from that segment of his life.

It was just an amazing evening. Wish I could see the show again.