August 2007

Just Another Mid-Afternoon Whine…

rmiles7721August 27, 2007Technology

Even with the meeting I made it home at a decent time today, right around 4 PM or so and only that late because I picked the girls up from school. I really need to make sure and go to bed at a decent time tonight. I felt like I was sleepwalking through the entire day. The fact that I go to bed at 11:30 and get up at 4:30 might have a little to do with it.

My head has been freaking pounding off and on for the last three days and today is no exception. I don’t know if I am getting a sinus infection or what but something is going to have to give here before I start pounding my head on the keyboard in hopes of relieving the pressure.

The meeting we were supposed to be having today was to include seven of the nine manager in the division, all of whom have food costs expenditures higher than they should. Mondays are food cost meeting day. If their food cost is high we spend a couple of hours checking tickets from the past week that they should have already checked but obviously haven’t been. Out of the seven, the only ones that showed up were my two that had to attend. I called the other district managers and let them know that they would get to hold their own meetings tomorrow and that I was on the way home. I stuck around about 20 minutes later than the meeting was to start and then left. Fuck them if they can’t get places in a timely manner. One of the managers from a store that is about 30 minutes from me was still in his store trying to get his paperwork together half an hour after we started. I just don’t have the time or patience for people that can’t get places on time anymore.

To aggravate matters my Internet connection is down again for the second time in a week. I am going to refrain from calling Charter as long as possible. It’s not like I can’t type this up offline anyway. I got home shortly before 4 and it was down when I got here, so there is no telling when they will get it back on, the asshats. That’s OK, I have to burn some stuff to DVD as well in order to get all of my stuff off of the HD and ready to ghost. I did come up with a 160 GB hard drive, but the one I need to ghost is 250 GB. Half the stuff on here is junk anyway.

Hey, looks like my connection just came back on. Very nice timing…

Heading In To Monday…

rmiles7721August 27, 2007Site News

Another weekend has come to a close. For me it means heading into the slow part of the week and a chance to get some cleaning done at work and catch up my paperwork. I am sort of winding down a bit. Although I was off this past Friday, since I have only had one day off the last two weeks straight I think I am going to try and take Wednesday and Thursday off if I can get the store covered. After that I don’t have myself scheduled off until September 9th so i could use a couple of days off in a row. Besides, I really need to get the area for the second pond finished and one day has just not been enough rest lately. I am exhausted.

One thing I do need to try and get done on my off day is to see if I have an extra hard drive in the basement. I believe one of mine is getting ready to crap out and I need to ghost everything over onto a new one before losing all of my data.. That would not be a good thing.

I have to go ahead and start getting ready for work this morning but just wanted to write for a few minutes before I go in. Unfortunately there is no chance of an early day as we have a meeting this afternoon and with me running the thing it would be slightly difficult to get out of.

No letters from the boy today but hopefully today or tomorrow…

It Could Be Worse…

rmiles7721August 26, 2007Site News

The weather is amazing sometimes. All three of my restaurants are within 12 miles of the house. Today I worked at the one that is farthest away and when I finally finished with my paperwork this evening or at least the stuff that I didn’t put off until tomorrow, it was pouring the proverbial cats and dogs. The wind was blowing so hard that the rain was coming down sideway, thunder was crashing and the lightning just kept on doing it’s thing.

I waited awhile for the storm to abate before driving home and when I did, rather than going the back way up Hwy 78 like I normally do I went the expressway. About halfway home there was an accident off to the side that looked like it had involved a tractor trailer and at least one car. Several fire trucks were there as well as an ambulance and police.

By the time I was within two miles of the house everything was bone dry. Not a drop had fallen on my poor dying vegetables today. If the sky was going to open up the least it could have done is dumped a bit of moisture at my place.

Work itself was kind of a drag today. it certainly wasn’t my worst day but it wasn’t my best either. Speaking of my worst day there are several to choose from.

The first year I was working for the company I actually waited tables most of the time. It was eight or nine months before I ever started cooking. Basically the manager had fired his night shift cook and I decided that I was tired of dealing with assholes and told him I wanted the job. He gives me this training manual and say “OK, you are the cook, read that and be here to cook the shift tomorrow night”. It was interesting at first because I had to train myself. I think I did a damn good job of it.

Anyway, I had been cooking for a couple of weeks and Halloween rolled around. Being the Heavy Metal babe magnet that I am (or thought I was 20 years ago) I along with my girlfriend at the time (she worked with me as well) decided to dress up for Halloween even though we had to work that night. In my infinite wisdom (that all 20 year olds have) I dressed up as Alice Cooper, heavy duty make-up and all. Damn, I kicked ass. That costume looked great. Unfortunately for me it is extremely hot cooking in a restaurant for some reason and it was busy that night. It didn’t take long before all of that makeup started rolling down my face, along with the rest of my body. It was nasty, and I spent several hours in the weeds just trying to keep up. It certainly wasn’t my worst day ever either but it’s damn sure one of the funniest I can remember.

So what was your worst day at work?

My Arms Are Too Short To Masturbate…

rmiles7721August 26, 20072Site News

Actually I don’t have that problem and if I did I would invent some sort of extension to grab ahold such as a girlfriend or a wife. Oh, wait. That’s right, I am married. See, even if both of my arms get chopped off in a freakish waffle iron incident I am good to go.

The wife sent me a link to this earlier, over at Nataliedee.

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Top Ten Hints Your Engagement is Doomed

rmiles7721August 25, 2007Parenting/Family

Since I have several sponsors and I do the paid posting thing I get around to different businesses sites and check out their blogs as well as the sites themselves. More often than not they are pretty cut and dried if not boooring. Not that I don’t find a wealth of information, it’s just that some days I have a hard time keeping my head from hitting the desk and having drool start forming. I am one of the unfortunate ones that used to occasionally have that happen to in school, normally in science or math class.

Anyway, I was over at JR Dunn Jewelers earlier (this is the part where I plug them). JR Dunn is a premier Jewelry showroom with two stores in South Florida. Their reputation for integrity and fine diamonds precedes them and as a family owned business instead of being one of the huge conglomerations you know you are going to get personal service whether you are shopping for a new engagement ring or looking for a diamonds for your 20th anniversary (OK, end the plug).

Here’s the good part. While I was there I stopped by J.R.Dunn’s Jewelry Blog and found the post referred to in MY title, Top Ten Hints Your Engagement is Doomed, which derives from real life examples if things that they have actually heard in their stores. My favorite is #5, “You asked out the sales lady who was helping you with your engagement ring purchase“. Man, I can relate to that. Running restaurants, I have seen on more than one occasion, a lady get up to use the restroom and just as soon as she is gone the gentleman starts to hit on his waitress. It’s hilarious but kind of sad all at the same time. I always feel sorry for his companion and I am sure that they feel the same way. Why on the world would you go shopping for an engagement ring and then hit on the salesperson? Save your money dude because you are going to need it for the divorce later.

Are more guys like that? I can’t say I don’t look but I certainly don’t ask other women out. That’s just not right, not to mention the fact that my wife would probably kill me if I did and she found out. Over the last 41 years I have come to value my life for some strange reason.

I also like #3 in the list as well, almost as much as #5. #3 is “You offered to pay for breast augmentation instead of a ring.” Now THAT I can understand…

MT-Visitor Stats

rmiles7721August 25, 2007Site News

I have just recently started to use a plugin called Visitor Stats for Movabletype 4.0. The javascript sits right in the header of the site and loads before anything else and seems to be doing a pretty good job of tracking everything here. It matches AWStats almost perfectly and has been giving me a pretty good idea of who is coming and when. The problem is that right now it isn’t compatible with dynamic publishing so the last blog that I will move over to the new installation of MT will be this one.

There is supposed to be a version coming out that will be compatible, hopefully soon. At that point I will move the site. I may go ahead next week and prepare everything for the move though so that when I do switch it will be that much easier. I am looking forward to having this site speed up even if it’s just the tiniest bit.


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Melbourne

rmiles7721August 25, 2007Travel

One other place that I want to go at some point is Australia. Some of the flora and fauna there is so different than what I am used to as to be almost alien to me, which is part of the attraction I suppose. It’s also a very beautiful place, although parts of Australia can be pretty unforgiving. Most likely I would stick to the cities for the most part anyway and visit Melbourne and Sydney and perhaps Brisbane.

Since Melbourne experienced a huge Gold Rush shortly after it was settled it grew very quickly and the wealth in the area allowed for beautiful architecture which still remains such as the Royal Exhibition Building…

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Hotels in Melbourne are pretty reasonable so once you get past the airfare it’s pretty easy to have a wonderful time on a budget. There are all kinds of museums and guided tours of the city and it’s surroundings that are easily accessible. Being a sort of a history buff I would love to go check out the Old Melbourne Gaol, which is one of the oldest buildings in Melbourne.

If you go east along the coast about 720 miles you can get to Sydney. It seems like a bit of a drive but along the way there are beaches and national parks as well as beautiful lakes and wildlife, not to mention great food. There are several popular resort towns along the route including Merimbula, Batemans Bay and Lakes Entrance. Hotels in Sydney are also easy to find and book but it’s better if you do it ahead of time.

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Everyone is familiar with the Sydney Opera House in Sydney Harbour. Photo by Matthew Field.

A little farther north in Queensland is Brisbane. Any visit to Australia isn’t complete without checking out the sites around Brisbane such as the Windmill, which is the oldest surviving structure in Brisbane.

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The Windmill was built by convicts in 1828. It was built for the grinding of grain and as a punishment for the convicts that manually operated the grinding mill. It was also the place where the first TV signals in the southern hemisphere were transmitted from in 1934. The broadcast from the Windmill until World War II.

Brisbane has generally been considered a smaller city than Sydney and Melbourne and thus hotels in Brisbane are generally a bit cheaper and easier to reserve although the population gap between the cities has been closing in recent years.

Gossip Girl

rmiles7721August 25, 2007Entertainment

The CW’s Gossip Girl is a new television teen drama set to air on September 19th created by Josh Schwartz, the mind behind The O.C. and Stephanie Savage. It’s based upon the series of bestselling books by the same name by author Cecily von Ziegesar .

The premise behind Gossip Girl is a group of upper class young students who live on the Upper East Side in New York City. It is a little bit past the reading age for my oldest daughter but we have looked through he books on the shelves and it’s something she is interested in reading once I actually let her purchase them.

Basically the show is narrated by an unseen character, the ‘Gossip Girl’ who runs a blog about her fellow Upper East Siders which tends to stir the post and keep the rivalries constantly going.

There is also a MySpace Fan Page where you can get updates and leave messages for the Gossip Girl as well. Don’t forget to tune in or record the Gossip Girl on September 19th on the CW.


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NFL Suspends Vick Indefinately

rmiles7721August 24, 20071Site News

CNN is posting breaking news that Michael Vick has been suspended indefinitely, without pay. From Commissioner Goodell’s letter to Michael Vick (posted on the NFL website):

» “Your admitted conduct was not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible. Your team, the NFL, and NFL fans have all been hurt by your actions.”

» “Your plea agreement and the plea agreements of your co-defendants also demonstrate your significant involvement in illegal gambling. Even if you personally did not place bets, as you contend, your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL Player Contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player.”


» “You have engaged in conduct detrimental to the welfare of the NFL and have violated the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.”

» “I will review the status of your suspension following the conclusion of the legal proceedings. As part of that review, I will take into account a number of factors, including the resolution of any other charges that may be brought against you, whether in Surry County, Virginia, or other jurisdictions, your conduct going forward, the specifics of the sentence imposed by Judge Hudson and any related findings he might make, and the extent to which you are truthful and cooperative with law enforcement and league staff who are investigating these matters.”

» “I have advised the Falcons that, with my decision today, they are no longer prohibited from acting and are now free to assert any claims or remedies available to them under the Collective Bargaining Agreement or your NFL Player Contract.”

Big news day, huh? I am glad to hear that the NFL is sticking by it’s morals and rules on this one.


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Fidel Castro Dead (again)?

rmiles7721August 24, 200728Site News

After the Cuban dictator’s 81st birthday on August 13th it was reported that his health has taken a turn for the worse and the Fidel Deathwatch is on again. Woo hoo! Perhaps this time it will turn out to be a bit more than rumors. There haven’t been any conifmations of it, but apparently denials are already coming out about his death, so who know?

Supposedly South Florida Police departments are calling in for reinforcements before any official announcement is made.

Even Val Prieto made an announcement earlier. and then came back on saying that nothing is official yet.

Update 5:35 PM EST – Val at Babalu Blog is reporting that although no announcements have been made several sources in different branches of the government are verifying that the story is true. As soon as I get confirmation (TV,Email,CNN) I will post it (if I am not too drunk)

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson’s Website, Rosemary’s Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam’s Blog, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Faultline USA, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The Uncooperative Radio Show!, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, CommonSenseAmerica, The Yankee Sailor, and Church and State, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.