Arizona or Bust!

I had a few ideas for a post but frankly I have been busy at work and I am distracted by the idea of my upcoming vacation. For instance, maybe a whole bit on David Byrne at the Shelburne Museum as a tour guide as well as performer... "and here we have an old fashioned butter press... we churn it the same as it ever was, same as it ever was... same as it ever was!". You know, random shit like that. But it is 55 degrees out, and I want to shut down my computer, so have a nice week all, I will have a bunch of reviews in 2 weeks form AZ and or nation's capitol!

Monday... Again

So the gov't. came out w/ their big plan to save the economy and markets really rallied. So why did my day suck so bad? Sometimes you can really get mired in minutia... Ever notice how talking heads on CNBC cry and wail for somebody to do something, for instance the government needed to do something to save the economy. Then when somebody does something they complain about the action, regardless of what it is? Then if the government flip flops, these ya yos criticize that? Seriously, if these dickheads were so smart, they would be making a bunch of money at a hedge fund as opposed to armchair quarterbacking on TV.

So my buddy DG and I had a day off from the ladies Saturday and decided to spend it in style... watching basketball and drinking beer @ the Sunset Grill in Stowe. It was pretty ok! I had a "Belly Buster". It was a pulled pork sandwich on a toasted grinder roll w/ cheddar cheese and coleslaw! Oh yeah, and fries. My belly did nearly burst, but it recovered in time to rock an app. and entree (delicious venison w/ a pinot poached pear and parsnip puree) and Hen of the Wood. That place is great and keeps it's 2 thumb rating. The Sunset? Well, if you enjoy a dive bar like I do, then you might agree w/ my 1 3/4 thumb up. If you don't? Go have some lobster foam on your Waldorf salad fancy pants!!!

What Could Go Wrong?!

So we are looking at a 9+trillion deficit over the next decade? We are going to tax a bunch of people because AIG is a group of asshats? We have decided to make friends w/ Iran? Making fun of the Special Olympics while filling out brackets and appearing on T.V. every 12 seconds? Yeah, so far the Democratic government has made the last group of douchebags look competent! I know some banks and other companies thought they needed gov't. money but anytime you become beholden to the federal government... well sir, you are in deep sh*t! Frankly, these numb nuts can't decide on where to go for lunch but they are determined to overpay for it! This whole tax on TARP recipients? Good idea, why not just crush the city of New York! If wealthy people are no longer wealthy, what do you think will happen to the housing mkt, the restaurant scene, Broadway, services such as house cleaning, dry cleaning, Starbucks for f*ck sakes! There will be a trickle down and every body on "main street" whining about fat cats will soon find their wallet a little light as well. Am I mad about the stupid bonuses Merrill Lynch guys got for 2 months of work and a near bankruptcy? No, but I can voice my displeasure by not doing business there. That is how we can make decisions in a Capitalist society... our choice. Using the blunt object known as the Government never works out, and won't work out here either.

BTW, know how much I enjoy the NCAA tournament? A ton! I am watching it right now.

Commonly Asked Question

Why do Wall Street fat cats think they are masters of the universe?

Pretty simple answer here, they obviously have the power of Grayskull!!! Sometimes I wonder about you people...

Suprised it Wasn't One of Them Jarvis Boys!

Seriously, you can't make this shit up...

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009903140310

Economy is Bad

Even the most stable jobs are in trouble.

CEO of SeaWorld: Listen Shamu, this is never easy... I just, well, damn this is hard! We are going through some tough times and revenues have been down...
Shamu: aaauuuurrrgggghhhh
CEO: I understand, but the thing is, attendance to the Shamu exhibit has been down drastically. Our marketing people think that, well, you might have just run your course.
Shamu: aaahahhhggghhh!!!
CEO: Well yes but, the Shamu brand name has been strong since 1965 and it might just be getting stale. Ford is in trouble, so is GM, who ever thought they would go bankrupt? Even Citibank in in the toilet! I mean, do you have any idea how expensive it is to keep a 7000 gallon tank clean and heated?
Shamu: uuuuurrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!
CEO: You killed a trainer last year!
Shamu: oooommmmmpppphhhhh!!!!
CEO: No, that is not it. It is not just your salary, even w/ a pay cut... this is just not going to work. I am sorry Shamu, we have to let you go. We are filling your slot w/ a cheaper dolphin named Hal.
Shamu: AAAAHFDHKJLGHDJKGDKLHGDhk!!!!!!

I hope this economy turns soon. Not joking, this has taken down a lot of good people and I know most people, myself included, worry about their jobs every day. Dang...

Ideas for a Domain Name

I have not checked these to see if these exist but...
ITakeDumps.com... a blog where I talk about my daily action!
MarketZero.com... this one from my buddy Dick, a financial market blog from the Dude's perspective
WhoMadoffWithMy$.com... a site to keep track of all of the swindlers out there. will keep me busy
Monkeys&Midgets.com... pretty self-explanatory, a site about monkeys and midgets. oh yeah, and fat guys dancing!
ExplosiveGas.com... could either describe a rough day or be a utility stocks site?
YouMakeTheRules.com... We put a webcam on my buddy the Puma, Truman style!
Dislocution.com... a site for made up words that look like real words, we could then try to defend them as real words and maybe even turn them into REAL WORDS!!!!
NeverUsed.com... we chart the head size of "non steroid users" such as Clemens, Bonds, etc...
Shart.com... like a shit and a fart, this is a site for chronicling near misses.
PulledPorkFan.com... could either be a tribute to my favorite sandwich, or a porn site?

any other suggestions?

Pretty Big Day

Yup, today's my anniversary and so you know... My wife is an intelligent, lovely, and sweet woman and I am very lucky to be with her. So there!

Just watched Vilanova come from behind to beat Marquette w/ no time on the clock. I think the player of the game for 'Nova was actually the Marquette "defender" who looked like he was running from a fire on that last play. He made up for not rotating to the ball by running away from his own man who cut to the basket for a wide open layup. Well played sir! Btw, you get shot for shit like that in Columbia.

Madoff heading to jail, he had better hope he didn't steal money from his new roommate Bill "The Slow Painful Killer" Davis!!!

Want to throw up in your own mouth? Read the article in today's Wall Street Journal about how Goldman Sachs guys have to stay in Embassy Suites as opposed to the Ritz when they are in NY. The Horror!

Had a Brisuette sandwich from Saddie Katz today. 2 thumbs up! Go Saddie Katz Go!!!

Gotta Nice Little Weekend Planned...

Oh Baby, what a weekend! We had the in-laws in for the weekend and it was exhausting. They are good people and we get along very well but it is a whirlwind. One item of note was our second round @ the Open Arms Cafe in Shelburne. My special lady and I had gone on opening weekend and been overwhelmed w/ the scene. This past weekend we went around closing and found it to be a much more mellow pleasant atmosphere. There were still a few kids running around but that is to be expected w/ a family run operation. My sister and her boyfriend had a couple veggie wraps that were by all accounts tasty but maybe a little heavy on red onion. the mom and pop shared a burrito which was also enjoyable but a little onion-y. My lady and I shared a Cuban Club (Cuban w/turkey). I thought it was really good. I like the way they toast the baguette, it is crunchy w/out tearing up the inside of your mouth. Well seasoned sandwich, good flavor. We also had a Tunisian smoothie that was great. Overall I thought it was a nice little meal, 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Sunday? To mellow out we did a little antiquing down Rt.7. That's right, we went antiquing, want to fight about it?! Most of those places have a bunch of junk but sometimes you find something. We are looking for an antique bed frame. No luck but you have to play to win! the real highlight was the drive up Rt 100 from Killington to Waitsfield. It was a really great drive. Not bad traffic, beautiful scenery, I was able to speed. If you have a little time to kill and want to see something new check it out. Just watch out for the Kamchatka bear!

VT politics

Fun times up here in the North Country! So, as a caveat... I do not live in Burlington but I do work here so while I am interested in the political scene it is an arm's length interest. Back to my regularly scheduled program. On Tuesday, Burlington held the mayoral election. We have traditionally enjoyed electing ya-yos that might make most folks cringe (Bernie Sanders). This year we had the incumbent ya yo Bob Kiss, Democrat Andy Montroll, Independent Dan Smith, Republican Kurt Wright... and some other characters. So the fun part is that Wright won the initial election his 2951 votes easily outdistancing Kiss w/2585. Having not reached a majority though they went into an instant run off. Wright wins again. But, he still does not have a majority, run off part deux! Finally Kiss gets a majority and becomes the mayor even though he lost the initial vote and lost 2 of 3 votes over all. Vermont politics... They're FANTASTIC!!!!!

Time for a "Chickie Ride"!

I have wanted to post but it has been like a tidal wave of poo around here these days. Work is crazy busy, feels like we spend most days defending our existence rather than making something exciting happen but I guess that is the way it goes in markets like this. Have you ever found a benchmark movie and tried to imagine yourself and your friends as the characters? You always give yourself the best role right? Lately I have been thinking my workplace was very much like The Office. Obviously I am... Stanley! Who are you?
BTW, our cat took a dump that smelled so bad it woke me from a dead sleep the other night... I have to admit, I was a little grossed out... and kind of proud.
We had a little movie night the other night and it was a fun time. The movie of choice? Rebel Without a Cause. This movie absolutely kills me. I mean, it is shot well, the theme is universal (teen angst), and the interaction between parents and child is still relevant. That said, James Dean the 50s sex symbol and star of the movie is, well, a little mature for a high school kid. He is 24 I believe and actually looks about 35. You think 90210 was a little miscast? This is ridiculous. In addition, the star has a very weird sexual tension w/ his young male buddy Plato (not sure how his "girlfriend" feels about this). Then you have the father, who happens to be played by Jim Backus the Gilligan's Island millionaire, cruising around in an apron. Hey, how about a car chase called a chickie ride where one kid dies but nobody really seems to get in any trouble? Not weird enough for you? The main love interest Judy keeps trying to make out w/ her dad. At least he realizes this is odd and pushes her away. Of course, layer in early Hollywood overacting and you have a true gem. 2 thumbs up and a ton of unitended laughs!!! Nice work A-Bird for picking out a young Dennis Hopper, not a ton of lines but burning w/ intensity!