I's Be Gittin' Me Sum Kulture!!

The other night my wife Marsha, our friend Pat, and I went to the Troy Civic Theatre to see their production the Odd Couple. We enjoyed it so much we are trying to decide whether or not to get season tickets.

The Civic Theater is in an old barn...more that 100 years old...that really is quite small, but still an enjoyable experience. It is so small, that the when the first row of seats are filled, it is extremely difficult to pass between them and the stage. We had a great time, though. Troy's Mayor, Michael Beamish, played a part in the production, and did an excellent job. Of course, he's a politician, so he's probably a natural actor.

Marsha is dangerous with a camera in her hand and had to get a picture of me when I wasn't expecting it.
All in all...an enjoyable night.

A World Record Big Mouth Bass!!

Today, mine and Marsha's friend Pat caught what must be a world record big mouth bass in a pond at the farm belonging to the Fraternal Order of Eagles here in Troy. Congratulations, Pat!! You go, Girl!!

SGT John Russell and Other Victims of Iraq and Other Wars.

SGT John M. Russell killed 5 of his fellow soldiers and wounded one more at a "Stress Center" in Iraq this past Monday.

What Russell is accused of doing is shocking but, in one sense, unsurprising – at least to those familiar with statistics on the psychological toll that war takes on our troops.

A 2008 Army study established that the rate of soldiers reporting serious mental health problems increases with each deployment. By the third go-around, 27 percent of soldiers show significant signs of stress. National Guard and Reserve troops are suffering the worst, another report found. Russell was on his third one year deployment to Iraq. His military record also shows that he served in Serbia through the last half of 1996 and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last half of 1998.

I believe that Russell suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Not that I'm a doctor, by any means, but the signs are all there.

When is our military going to learn that our troops are not disposable? That they cannot be used over and over again without showing signs of damage?

My heart goes out to the soldiers and their families that were killed and wounded in this tragedy. I do not condone what Russell did in any way, and believe he needs to pay for it, but I believe he is a victim, too.

Obama Tattoos?? Give me a break!

Can you believe people are putting Obama tats on their bodies? I voted for him, but I think that is going a tad far. 25% of Americans have tats, including yours truly, but this is bordering on the ridiculous.

Also, in about 7 years from now, you can expect to see in kindergarten and first grade a flock of kids named: Barrack Hussein Obama What-Ever-Their-Last-Name-Is.

Lets see what he does before we start groveling at his feet, folks. (Where is my soapbox?)

Obama and Biden Following in my Footsteps?

Well, I think the jury is still out on the new administration. I will, however, have to give them an A+ on their taste in hamburgers.



.
Yesterday they skipped lunch at the White House and went to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, VA.

I've eaten hamburgers there, and I will have to say that I don't think I've ever had a better one.

The menu is limited to a few small chalkboards. One breaks down the burger choices: You can order the patties simply grilled, with a chipotle-spiked “diablo” marinade, blackened Cajun-style, or au poivre with a black-peppercorn crust. Then specify how long you’d like your burger to sit on the grill: “recommended” (with a warm red center), medium (pink), or “cooked throughout.”

If you're ever on Wilson Blvd in Arlington, I highly recommend you try Ray's Hell Burgers.

Still More Windows 7 Stuff

I downloaded the Windows 7 Release Candidate to my new laptop today. This version is good until June 2010. The biggest problem with it is that it still does not have all the drivers it should have. That creates some problems, but none that are insurmountable. It is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

Be sure to read all the caveats carefully. Good luck if you try it.

The World is a Sadder Place today.....

Bea Arthur passed away at 86.

I remember laughing at her comedic style when she appeared on my red neck buddy Archie Bunker's show, and later on Maude, and Golden Girls. God bless you, Bea.

Craigslist

Yesterday, I put my laptop on Craigslist in order to sell it. I put it at a decent price, and ten minutes after the ad came out, I had two emails wanting it, and sold it to one of the persons that wrote. I never realized Craigslist was so popular. Beats the hell out of as far as I am concerned, if you want to get results quickly, although I do like eBay. I buy from them quite often.

Happy 35th Birthday!

Today is my daughter Jackie's 35th birthday. Jackie is the snaggle toothed little cutie on my shoulder with her brother, Matthew. Their sister, Mary, is in the foreground. Now Jackie has a husband and four handsome sons of her own. Happy Birthday, Sweetie, I wish you many, many, more.

URP!

Yesterday, my friends Pat and Russell took pity on me because I had been abandoned by my wife, who went with her Red Hat Group to visit her mother in the town she lives in about 40 miles from us.
They took me to eat at a Texas Roadhouse Restaurant.
This was the first time I had ever eaten in one, and it was a really pleasurable experience. I had filet mignon, baked sweet potato with all the fattening stuff....marshmallows, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon....and green beans. Prior to eating, we had an onion blossom. It was by far the best one I ever ate. Delicious.
The steaks are cut each day, and there is a refrigerated display case as you walk in showing the different steaks available.
They also have a bucket of peanuts on the table to nibble on while you are waiting for your meal. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy them for reasons I won't go into here. :)
We had a fine young waiter named Patrick, who did a great job taking care of us.
All in all, a fine meal and a good time. I highly recommend the Texas Roadhouse Restaurants to you if there is one near you.
After reading this, Marsha said I ate better than she did, and is now pouting until I take her to the Texas Roadhouse. :)