Big Dog

I was purusing my company internal intranet home site and came across this video. I searched Youtube and found the same thing so I thought I would share it with you. Intel is highlighting it because it uses Intel Processors for it to run. Take a look at this robot. The 2-stroke engine is a little annoying but this machine can carry 340 lb loads and look at it handle itself when it gets pushed around and how it operates on ice. I have never seen anything like it. The possibilities for rescue, research, military are endless. I personally would like one to ride around on. I would wear a crown and some sort of robe made of red velvet. My sceptre would be made of shiny tin-foil and would sparkle simply from the gleam of my eye.

Don't Worry...

I am about to go Christian on you all for a moment. I go to Cedar Mill Bible Church. Being raised a Lutheran, CMBC is quite a change. Its big, informal, and has lots of options for kids. Anyway, the sermon (They call it a teaching) was from the book of Matthew 6:25-34. It is called "Do not worry". 2 verses from Jesus that caught my eye.

27: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?".

34: "Therefore do not worry about tomorow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Two helpful phrases to think about as we deal with this economy.

Obama won, Kara. Get over it!!!

I have already picked on Kara in a previous blog entry but just could not resist this... Kara, Kerry and Edwards are not going to happen! You need to come to grips and let go of your bumper sticker. Do it now and let the healing begin.

Dumpin' Dad

My Pops has been here for the last 4 weeks. He has been busy adding light fixtures, organizing the garage, and a bunch of other things too numerous to mention. So, how does a good son like myself, thank him? Take him to the dump! Here is a shot of him the day before his trip home to Texas. 1310 lbs of pure crap. Yes, we recycled what we could. Ahhh.... The Central Transfer Station... An indoor dump with its sweet smells and aromas. You are one lucky guy, Pop!

I am Skara of Kara

To those who don't know, it is a known fact that if you fall asleep at any gathering and Kara is around, you will most likely wake up with permanent marker on your face. Don't beleive me? Just ask David and Pete. They have lived through this. Well, what have we got here? It is a T-Shirt you can buy and wear proudly to warn her of the implications of her actions. You can buy this T-Shirt at www.tshirthell.com . Please use caution in opening this site as the T-shirts they offer are way beyond inappropriate. I suggest you do not open it at work.

As for me, I will not wear this shirt nor will I fall asleep at a gathering. Because to be frank, Kara Scares me.

Reserved Seating

Took a ride home from work today on MAX. Thanks to Ken for driving me to the the stop. (Ken and I are trying to patch up our shattered relationship over this blog). Anywho..... I am sitting in the priority seating area. When we come to the Beaver Creek stop and a bicyclist comes in. He hooks up his bike then taps me on the shoulder and tells me I need to move for him because it is priority seating. Seeing this guy is in his mid 30s and is in reasonably heathly shape (riding his bike and all) I pointed to the sign and said it is priority seating for Seniors and people with disabilities. I also told him I would be glad to move if that was the case. He got mad and told me that he was going to report this to Tri-met security. "Well" I said, "There just happens to be a tri-met security officer near the front of the car." and I pointed to him. The guy marches over there. Stands right by him then sits down without saying a word. Am I a bad guy for this? I don't think so. Here's to the dirtbags across this nation that make this country so great.

Wine Group - The aftermath...

Getting continuous complaints about an "odor" coming from the hall bathroom. The only thing left that has not been scrubbed down is the radiator. Sigh.... Thats going to be fun.

Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore is of course, a comedy classic. Lots of people think of the "Price is Wrong" part with Bob Barker. Or the Good lines with Shooter McGavin. I personally liked the Ben Stiller scenes. Ben Stiller had a small part in it but he was great. Here is a classic scene of him in action. He was an orderly in a retirement home.

Comic-al

The Comics Suck. Everytime I read them I get angry that I wasted my time. Will I ever learn? What is so good about them? Every strip is based off of some stupid quip back in the Vaudville days. Then they take that and wrap a picture or two around it and BAM!... Comic. What are those cute little kids going to say in family circus? What will Hagar's wife say to Hagar when he comes home late? Who gives a crap!! Look, if you like the comics then you should love the one I did below. I am angry and you are Welcome.

Dress Code

There are some things I like about my work..... No Dress code!

Open Range Chickens

Well, it is finally official. I am white trash... Is it because I have crap strewn around the driveway? Having a Stove sitting on the side of the house? Owning 3 different types of trailers? Nope to all of those. It is because my chickens are officially free-range. Here are my darlings roaming around the back-yard on Saturday. Pop says that they will stay fairly close to the coop. He was right. Except if they see you they tend to follow where you are going. We gave it a trial run and they were well behaved. Gracie, the neighbor dog even came to pay them a visit. Thank goodness Julie and Mark were there to stop her. This won't be a everyday thing but perhaps sometimes on the weekends. People need to be cautious coming over to our house on weekends now. I have no Idea how these birds will react to strangers. It could get real messy.

Wine Group at Timmy's Part 3

The theme of the wine group this month was red wine under 8 dollars. And, even though there were a lot of complaining and moaning going on from some of the wine experts, we all found some great wines that met the requirements. Out of 11 wines, we came up with the top 3.

Picture shows first on the far right and 3rd on the far left:

1st: Papio - Bri and Brendan - $6 New Seasons

2nd: Barefoot - Patty and Tim - $8 Trader Joes

3rd: Novella - Becky and Mike $3.21 Groc outlet

Click on the picture to get a better picture of the wine bottle so you can identify them better.

This group worked hard Saturday night performing extensive tests so all the readers can reap the benefits of knowing what to buy for an inexpensive wine. You are Welcome!

Wine Group at Timmy's Part 2

This is interesting. How many times have you had a party at your house and find an extra pair of shoes after everyone has gone? How on earth does that happen? I will not say any names as to who left them but they should be embarrassed. As a side note, Brad, you can come by any time to pick of some items you left at our house.

Wine Group at Timmy's Part 1

Here is an interesting fact: Mixing Wine, Beer, Mikes hard lemonade, and Jagermeister in one night is not recommended. Super special thanks to Patty, Erik and Donna for the clean-up work.

Pictured here is Donna (back) Patty, and Brad. Nope, thats not Erik.

More later....

50 Plates

Lsst Friday, my lovely wife and I went out for a nice dinner. 50 plates is the name. 13th and Flanders. Julie says 50 plates means they have different items from all 50 states. That may be as they do southern cooking all the way to Alaskan Halibut. Either way, it has the strange variety of choices. take my meal for example. I ordered 3 sliders and fries. What you see is a pulled pork sandwich, Fried Chicken and waffle sandwich (with Maple coffee syrup) and a San Antonio sandwich (Chorizo, cheese and cornchips). The fries came in a paper bag with homemade ketchup. It was fabulous. Patty ordered a more traditional Salad and Pasta dish stuffed with chicken which was also very good. I await to hear what my personal Restaurant Mentor, Leigh Anne, has to say about this restaurant. Well, Leigh Anne? www.50plates.com

to timmy, from ken...

To Tim and his readers,
I am reminded regularly of Timmy’s many talents. Just last Thursday we went into a music store at lunch time to get a music stand for my daughter. He walked over, picked a guitar off the wall, and started picking like he was James Taylor wearing a Mozart wig. When I ride with Timmy I see his talents (during the time he can stay vertical on his bike). At work he is so fluent with technical terms yet so personal in his attitude. He’s loved, yet feared. As he started blogging I thought “that’s ok. maybe he will write more and talk less”. As you know I don’t read his blog. I respected his space on the blog but then found out from other readers he is calling me selfish, stubborn, snobbish, even arrogant. This shocked me. As you know I don’t read his blog so I wasn’t aware of this backlashing. It cut me to the depth of my soul that I didn’t even know existed. How could one man, a supposed friend, cut into another without giving even a chance to retort (because, as you know, I don’t read his blog). So, this may be edited by the time it is posted by Timmy (because, as you know, I don’t read his blog) but I am putting myself on a limb……wearing my emotions on my sleeve but it’s all I can do. I feel like I’m arguing with a Republican. It’s one sided and I can’t win. Am I truly a socialist jackass as my friend once said?
I loved Timmy once and still love him now…….but this is a permanent scar upon the surface of our friendship. His will to undermine others just to boost his own morale and make a good story on his desperate, last call for help, blog saddens even the strongest of those who don’t read his blog (the remaining few on this planet).

And one final note to those readers out there. Timmy’s father once told me that Timmy as a young child once stuck a firecracker in a snake’s rectum. Is this the man you want as your home page?

I hope this makes it to those who need to see it………..because, as you know, I don’t read Timmy’s blog.

PS. Timmy, what is your fax number so I can send this over to you?

Viso Happy

Want to try a great energy drink? Viso. This stuff tastes really good. For those of you who don't like energy drinks because of the medicine taste, this is the drink for you. I think it is the Taurine that makes it Mediciney. This does not have it. Full day supply of vitamins and you can get it in diet, regular, with or without caffeine.

This is made in Portland too. Buying local as never been easier. Let me know what you think?

West Union Reunion

Portland just had a "Storm" I am not sure what the difference is between that and a solid week of rain. Perhaps it is classified as a storm if it rains a little harder and it is windy at the same time.

Either way, for those of us who travel down West Union between 185th and Deerfield were used to being detoured off of West Union after a semi heavy rain. The road would always be flooded out. Well, the county made major road and drainage changes and BAM! It Works!!! The heavy rain we had this week was no match for the new road. Hats off to Washington County!

Bethany Athletic Club Sandwich

Anyone a member at the Bethany Athletic Club? Its a really nice club. It has two swimming pools, racquet ball courts, basketball courts, lots of cardio machines, Weight lifting machines, Running track, etc, etc. I like this club alot. But what is up with their restaurant/Bar? The place is almost alway empty. Is this a hidden gem to get some good food at a good price? I don't think so. The place is empty because it sucks. The bar puts on some great drink specials and they have them daily. I am definately good with that. But what is up with the food and service? When the place is empty and you order fries, it should not take 25 minutes. That is unless they have to call in a cook who is at home watching TV, fire up the fryer and peel the potatoes. I would be good with the wait if the food was worth it but it is definately spotty at best. I know one of the cooks there and he is a great cook. Management: Let him make stuff the people like. Can it be that difficult? Go for the happy hour but come full.

I can't Drive 55

To the Honday Odyssey owner who was driving down Shute Road at around 7:30 last night.....

The speed limit is 55. That is Fifty-Five Miles per Hour. You were driving at 25. Do you see the difference? Even if you were reading the speed limit sign as Kilometers, that is still 34mph. And at 25, why were you hitting the brakes at every possible moment? I realize that the speed limit is the maximum speed limit and going slower is OK. But 30 mph under the speed limit is probably pushing it.

Brutal.

Yikes....

JF3-2-West Restrooms....

I am pretty darn sure I did not have to see this. So, I thought I would share it with you all.

Happy Birthday to me!

Thanks to all of you (like Becky, and Candy, and Leta, etc) who wished me a happy birthday on facebook. Thanks to the people who called me like Mom to do the same. Thanks for the people who sent me an email. And of course thanks to my friends and family who did it in person. To all you others out there..... Screw you! Perhaps you are thinking that you did not know it was my birthday. Well why is that my problem? Do I have to remind everyone that my birthday is coming up so you can wish me a Happy Birthday? What sense does that make? Think about it, Man!

Anyway, I would like to give a special shout out to the Voldengen family who brought over a cake and an 18 pack of Thermochromatic beverages (read the beer of the month entry for November). Thanks. But in particular, a super special shout out to their youngest Daughter, Mette. Look at the beautiful fortune teller she made for me!!! Mette is not much for talking with me but her gift speaks volumes. Thank you, little Mette!!!

Next up, My sister made a bound book of photographs of myself growing up. She dug for hours through my grandmother's collection. That was an awesome gift. Stay tuned for some exciting entries with pictures of me. You are all so lucky to know Timmyopolis!

Wine Pick of the Month

Another Classic. What makes a wine a classic in my view? Simple. Tastes good and is not overpriced. This wine meets both. Koonunga Hill has all sorts of high scores from these fancy magazines and blah, blah, blah..... Whatever. Its pretty darn good. And for $7.99 at Costco, how can you go wrong for dinner OR funneling?

Its wine like this that you would pay 36 bucks for at a restaurant and go to the store the next day to see it priced at under 10. Doesn't that womp your wimples?

Anyway, for those who are part of our wine group, you know that we are doing a special wine session this Saturday, Red Wine under $8 bucks... Don't get this because I already know about it and I want to find other cheap wines that don't taste like carbonated kool-aid.

Say Goodbye, Ralphie!

What a beautiful sight. From his pink bunny feet all the way to his official Ralphie Glasses, Miles is a classic! I have known this guy from his crazy bachelor days and now look at him..... A Husband, a Father, and man sitting at work in a bunny suit thinking he is Ralphie from Christmas Story.

Now, Miles is about to embark on a journey. The company is shipping him off to Austin, TX for a time or two. Even though I don't sit in the same Aisle with him anymore, he will be sorely missed.

As a friend, I want to provide him with the following advice:

1) Don't take and wear that bunny suit in Texas - Dangerous

2) Don't take your SE Portland Politics to Texas - Dangerous

3) Don't take your anti-inflamitory diet (or any diet for that matter) to Texas - Dangerous

4) Don't dye your hair blue while you are in Texas - Dangerous

5) Don't opt for the veggie platter when at a BBQ - Dangerous

Follow these 5 steps and things will go pretty smooth for you and your family.

Miles, I think I speak for everyone when I say you will be missed around here. Safe travels and we will see you in 6 months! Have fun.

Ken Sucks!

What did I ever do to Ken? I consider myself a nice guy, fairly easy to get along with, right? Well, Ken has continued to berate me and throw insults at me without regards to my feelings. Wanna know what he said to me recently? Do ya? Well, Ken refuses to read my blog. He says I talk too much already for him to have to go to a website to read about the same crap I talk about. Wow. That stunned me. How can he just spout off comments like this right in front of me? Well Ken, if your goal is to hurt my feelings and make me feel bad..... Mission accomplished. Now, the way I see it, our friendship is clearly on the rocks and all because of his refusal to read my blog. Please help me by talking to Ken, Emailing Ken and phoning Ken and tell him to read my Blog. Tell him our friendship is on the rocks. Sure, I will still hang out with him, Go Dirtbike riding with him, Camp with him, etc. But Deep in our hearts there will always be this kernel of hatred waiting to sprout. Once that pops open, its gonna be messy.

Don't Bug me.... Playin' Jumble

When I used to sit next to James (at work) he would sometimes ask me something and I would tell him, "Playin' the Jumble." Now I would like to share my daily brain exercise routine with all my beloved fans. Goal is to get all three puzzles done in 5 minutes or less. To do that you have to get the following scores or better for each game:

Daily Jumble: 1000 or better

Jumble Crosswords: 2500 or better

Word Vault: 4000 or better

Here is where you go: www.jumble.com

There are other games there but they take too much time. Go get 'em, tiger!

Beer of the Month

To truly choose a good beer, one must look beyond just the taste and into the features the can has to offer. Since when is taste a deciding factor in one's beer selection? Exactly. Coors packs a complete package into a wonderous can. Lets start off with the features.... Thermochromatic Can. I should not have to explain any more than that but to newbies, Thermochromatic means the can changes color based on temperature. If the Rockies are Blue, refreshed is you. That is all nice but how does it pour? Glad you asked. Not a problem with the SmoothPour(tm) Vented Wide Mouth opening. You see, Coors could of just settled with a wider opening and called it good. But they didn't. Look closely at the top when you buy your next 24 pack. It has a "canal" for air to enter once your lips pony up to the can. Simply Amazing. Now for the taste. What can I say. Coors sells a crap load of these things. That tells you something right there. It starts off with a carbonation flair, followed by a beerish overtone, ending with a watery finish. Perfect!!

Just like the October's wine of the month, November's Beer of the month also funnels well.

LTI

My first LTI. For those who are not in the know, LTI stands for Lucky Turd Invitational. It has been going on for some time over in Hood River but Ken, Mac Daddy, and I were invited by Billy and Brodey Deborde.

The LTI is a full day of Golf, Lunch, Bowling, Dinner, then a Poker Tournament.

Ken, Mac and I show up at 8am sharp as required. The Golf Club house was closed and there were 3 or 4 people wandering around. Good thing we got up at 5:30 to get to Hood River on time. I think we got going at around 10am.

The best part about the LTI is the attire requirements. The top picture is Mac Crappy dressed appropriately for the Reserve Golf course in Oregon. No Jeans, collared shirt, color coordinated, etc. Now look at the 2nd picture. Jeans, Sweatshirt, Work boots...... This is my type of Golf!!!! I felt right at home here. Take THAT you stuffy pukes at the Reserve! Ken and Billy won the golf but Mac Daddy pulled down some golf balls and a bottle of Crown for some Stunning KP shots. I was his partner and helped him with nothing! Its all you MAC!



After Burgers and awesome Chili, we were off to Bowling. The third picture is me in my dirty hat. why is my hat dirty? Didn't you hear? Ken jammed my hat into the bowling ball return. We had to get the maintenance guy to open it up and dig in there to get it. My hat was later jammed in again with Billy. The maintenance guy was more than happy to get his tools to disassemble the unit again. Thanks, guys. BTW, Billy you left your hat in Ken's car. I picked it up for you.

After bowling, we headed to dinner at a gas station for Corn-Dogs, Deli Burritos, and Fried Chicken. The place was packed with all of us jammed in there.

Mac was very excited to get his corn Dogs and a burrito for only 2 Bucks! Glad you are happy. Poker was nearby in someones huge metal building. I guess there were around 45 players. The final picture is the final table. Yup. I made it briefly. Got knocked soon after it started. Mac made 7th (payouts start at 6th place) Ken somehow made 3rd and made some cash plus he won the overall high hand with a straigh flush which brought him an extra $250 bucks.

The next day was miserable but we are all alive and I have no Idea why but there were no injuries. That NEVER happens. Thanks to the people in Hood River for the LTI, the Debordes for a place to crash and Ken for driving. Any additional info on this night stays within the group.