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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Still Here!

Yes, I am still here. I have just been busy. Sort of.

Busier at least.

And not really with anything mind boggling to report on. No brilliant flashes of inspiration. Nothing.

The Waverunner is here. It needs to be splashed at some point. I do not know when that will be.

I am facing an interesting problem. Where to keep the Waverunner. Right now it is living in the back yard. Behind a wooden fence. In front of the wood fence is the boat. It is as safe as it can be. Before anyone can steal it they first have to move a vehicle that is usually parked in front of the boat. Then they have to move the boat. The boat has 2 locks on it, one lock goes through a wheel, the other is in the coupler. It will be really hard to move the trailer without cutting these two locks off.

After that they need to unhitch the boat, open the gate, turn the Waverunner around (by hand - there is no other way to do it) and then steal it.

Problem is that I have to do all these things too. Before I can use it. I have to unlock the boat, hitch up the boat, pull the boat out, unhitch the boat, turn the Waverunner trailer around, hitch up to it, pull it out, close the gate, unhitch the Waverunner, hitch up the boat, put the boat back, lock the boat up, unhitch the boat, hitch up the Waverunner, and go.

In my estimation, this will take about 3 hours and 4 beers to accomplish. Maybe even more beers.

And that is only 1/2 of the picture! When I get home the boat has to be unlocked and pulled out. Then the Waverunner has to go into the backyard. Then the boat has to be put back and locked up.

There has to be an easier way. And there is.

Option 1 is the dry stack. I like this option. A dry stack is like a high rise condo for boats. Most sry stacks are under cover - so the boat is not in the sun and getting shit on by birds. You call the marina, and when you get there your boat is in the water. When you get back the marina pulls the boat out and restacks it using a giant forklift. They also wash the boat down for you.

The shitty thing I do not like is the monthly fee. Right now boat rent is free. As in no cost. The stack will require money.

Option 2 is a storage lot for the Waverunner. I could fit the thing in a small to medium size storage bay. All I would need to do under this plan is go to the storage lot, unlock my bay, pull the Waverunner out, and go. No problem!

Again - this will require a monthly fee. Which sucks. Right now storage for the Waverunner is free. Also - storage lots are prime theft locations. Thieves know that the owner is not likely to be there at any given point, and nobody knows anyone else - so nobody will know anyone is stealing anything.

I like free. Free reminds me of freedom!! And freedom reminds me of America! So I like free.

Fees I can live without.

So for now - free wins out over hassle. Yes, it will be a pain in the ass to get the Waverunner out. But as lazy as I am - free still wins!

Ill put up with the hassle in order to keep the free part free.

The money I save can be used for something else. Like beer. Cause Ill need a lot more of it if I am going to put up with all the hassle it will take to get to the Waverunner! Of course - this way the possibility of theft is actually a negative number.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Good Deals

I have a trailer for the jet ski. $100. It is almost new. Only dunked in the salt water once. The leaf springs still show a lot of the black paint that tends to flake off really fast when you use the things.

I had to tow it some 60 miles, on the highway. The hubs were warm but not hot. This means the bearings are probably OK - but Ill check them out anyway. When I get the time.

The tires look OK, but they are a few years old. The trailer was stored indoors, so the tires are not showing any signs of dry rot or damage from the sun. But the rubber could be hard - increasing the odds of a blowout. So I should get new tires.

But still - it was a great deal.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Awards Shows Are Retarded

So the Academy Awards were doled out Sunday night.

Everyone can tell you who the best actor and best picture is.

QUICK!! Who won the Nobel Prize for physics last year? Chemistry? Anything? One Nobel Prize winner??

And THAT is why this world is so messed up. The important stuff nobody cares about. The bullshit is what everyone wants to see.

I did not watch a second of that massive waste of time and energy. If I am not up to win an award, then I could care less about going to a ceremony.

The only exception of course would be if someone else I cared about was up for an award. Like a child or family member or good close friend.

But some asshole who would not give me a quarter to make a phone call from jail? I hope their limo gets a flat and they are so late to the show that it is over when they get there.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

And Now For No Reason At All...

A video for Doozie. Notice the lack of hats. And for some reason that is not clear - the inclusion of a midget.



The 80s had all the best drugs. And here is the proof.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Action Packed Days

WOW! How time flies.

When last you heard, I had broken down and obtained a new thing that floats. A Waverunner to be exact.

I have since sourced a trailer for it. Someone I know has one for $100. And it even comes with a 2 inch coupler! This is a big deal, my towing ball is 2 inches. So to make things easier, I like to keep 2 inch couplers on everything.

The sourced trailer has no registration, so Ill have to to the registration dance. This involves threatening to kick the ass of the flunkie who works at the tag agency if they do not give you a license plate.

NOTE - before you do this make sure you are NOT in a County tax collectors office. These offices are usually in the court house. You become some sort of big time criminal if you utter the words "Ill kick your ass" in a court house or on a county office - unless you are uttering those words to tell the judge what you heard someone else say.

But in the non-county private agencies - you can threaten anyone you want. The cops do not care as much. Everyone hates the tag agency, and everyone who walks into one has violent thoughts.

And now for some really exciting things!!

Today, I get to paint some walls. Yea - real exciting. But there is more! I get to use drywall mud to fill in some holes and shit too.

Saturday is the marine flea market in the Keys. Always good time. I am not really looking for anything in particular. But this flea market is fun because they have a beer golf cart. Is the beer stand too far away? No problem! Just flag down the beer cart! And one year there was someone raffling off a wheelbarrow full of booze! There were 12 or 15 bottles in the thing. The raffle was for charity.

Only in the Keys! There is a reason why people like to go to the Florida Keys.

Sunday I am going to assist with a regatta. It is a good enough excuse to get the boat wet. I will help set up the race course, and also act as an observer. I do not know what I am supposed to observe however.

Monday I get to go to some manatee thing. A biologist from Florida Fish and Wildlife is going to give a training session to various members of government agencies on manatee rescue. The morning is going to be the classroom stuff. The afternoon is going to be a practical mock manatee rescue - using a real live volunteer manatee.

And then Ill know how to rescue a manatee. Which may be useful. If I ever find a manatee in distress. I assume they send up signal flares or something.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Good Idea? Who Knows. But What Is Done Is Done.

What you see here is a 2009 Yamaha VX Cruiser. The VX line is the "base" lineup by Yamaha. The "premium" line are the FX models.

The VX Cruiser is the fanciest of the base models. It has the cruiser seat (for more comfort during extended riding) and the boarding ladder. It comes with an in-line 4 cylinder engine, 4 stroke that develops 110 hp. It has a top speed of just over 50 mph - which on the water is plenty fast enough to hurt yourself should you fall off. It also has "reverse".

There was a special promo going that included a 5 year factory warranty. Normally you get a 1 year warranty and for an additional $1500 or $1800 or whatever it was you could buy the additional 4 year extended warranty.

I take delivery on the ski sometime next week. The cover has to be ordered, so when it gets here I can pick the thing up. The special promo is what put this over the top. Well that and I got a good offer. I am working with this particualr dealer on another project which ties into their marketing, so it is not like I am just walking in off the street.

Anyone know of a jet ski trailer for sale? I suddenly need one. It should have a 2 inch receiver, so I do not have to buy another hitch and ball for the truck.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Stupidity Is A National Sport

As the sound of people in the unemployment line grows louder and louder, and as local government is having to cut back on programs that might actually benefit people - I have to wonder.

Why the fuck is the asshole mayor of the County between a shit and a sweat to finance a 1/2 billion dollar stadium for a baseball team using public money? Is he smoking crack?

Or is he just gay for the sweaty men playing with balls?

Monday, February 16, 2009

MIBS Wrap Up

Well another Miami International Boat Show is over.

At least for me. Monday the show is still going on, but I bet that traffic is going to be slow. If anyone shows up it will be amazing.

Friday I was at the powerboat section. Foot traffic on the docks was slow. I did hitch a ride on three boats. The Aspen 26, a World Cat 27, and a Freeman 33.

The Aspen is neat. It is a power cat with a single diesel inboard 110 hp engine. It is slow, but it gets 6 miles per gallon at cruising speed. They let me drive it. It tracks straight even with the single engine pushing only from the starboard hull. Great ride. Very smooth and dry.

The World Cat 27 is more my speed. It is faster than the Aspen, but it will also use more fuel. The ride is also really nice for a 27 footer.

The Freeman 33 was the king of the show. 60 mph with twin 350 hp outboards. Smooth dry ride - even at 50 mph going through boat wake. A monster of a boat for a serious hardcore fisherman or charter captain. Unbeatable in its class.

The rides were fun, but I am not looking to buy. Ill just have to live with what I have.

Saturday was the convention center. An all day affair. Lots of walking. Saw some cool shit. I picked up a few odds and ends. You always find cool shit at the convention center.

Sunday was the sailboat portion. I like the sailboat portion. You see different things. This beast was there.


This is the sailing yacht King's Ransom. King's Ransom is a 76 foot mega sailing cat with a close to 40 foot beam. It would be rock stable at sea with that kind of beam. It is a charter boat, for a mere $56,000 PER WEEK you can charter this beauty. You can split the cost with 8 of your best friends if you want.

But what is more my speed was a much smaller sailing cat. Only 35 feet with a 14 foot beam. For only $150,000 I could get one. I would then have to live on it, as that would be the only way to come close to justifying spending that kind of cash on anything.

Overall, foot traffic at the show was down. Way down. But this was to be expected. The question is who was staying away? People who just look at things, or buyers? Personally I think it was a mix of the two. Buyers were still there. Maybe not as many, but there were still sales.

So now - back to normal life. No more shows. No more free rides on boats I can not afford to buy. No more looking at floating studio apartments I can not afford to buy. Oh well - it was fun while it lasted!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Lazy's Key Economic Index

Yea I know - this is not news to anyone with a brain.

I went to the boating safety booth at the Miami International Boat Show today. The Miami show is one of the largest, if not THE largest, boat show in the world. If it is not the largest than the Fort Lauderdale show is, making Miami the second largest. Fort Lauderdale is just to the north by the way. Maybe 20 - 30 miles.

Anyhow, Thursday was the preview day. The day when admission is higher, and boat dealers invite people who have either already made deposits or who bought boats in previous years to come look at the new lineup. In years past, a lot of sales are made on preview day. If you pay the extra admission charge (almost twice as much) then it usually means you are a buyer.

Well, I have some really bad news.

The convention center - the largest venue at the show - was a GHOST TOWN. Seriously. There were tumble weeds and stereotypical cowboys pacing around with 6-guns saying "this town ain't big enough fer the two of us" and shit.

Empty. Dead. Nobody. No action.

At times, it seemed like more people were there with exhibitor tags than there were people without them.

I did not notice ANYONE sitting in the special chairs, getting free wine or champagne, and signing papers.

I think that a lot of dealers are going all in for the Miami show. If they do not sell something, it could be over for some of the dealers.

This is bad. The marine industry is a luxury industry, and luxury goods do take a hit if the economic winds are not fair, but boat people also have some serious coin. In years past selling a $200,000 boat was routine. Not a big deal.

Well, I do not think there will be much of that going on. People with $200k to spend on a boat are just not spending. Nobody's job is really safe. People know this.

I will be back at the convention center Saturday. I hope there is a LOT more foot traffic. Because preview day was a bust. For the sake of people whose jobs depend on marine sales - and there are a lot of those jobs - there needs to be some activity.

But with no credit, scared buyers, economic uncertainty, job insecurity, and tanking investments - if I were in marine sales I would be desperately looking for alternative work. Or at least making sure my employer is paying into the unemployment fund so that I can claim benefits.

As if unemployment compensation can be called a "benefit". You are still out a fucking job. Sure the money helps - but you know it will run out. And you know it is only a percentage of what you were getting. And you know that other jobs are hard to find. And you know that if you do find another job, it may pay less than what you are used to.

Some "benefit" huh??

More bad news is on the way. I can feel it.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Thursday Things

I have to go to the Miami Boat Show. It is preview day. This means they charge extra to get in. Usually this is the day serious buyers, or buyers from last year, show up. Show exhibitors hand out free tickets if they think you are going to make it worth their while.

I am not going to buy diddly squat. I have to spend time in a booth. The judge says I have to do community service, so I will be at a boating safety booth, promoting boating safety. Because boating safety is important.

By lying. OH NO! I never have beer on my boat!! For beer is dangerous! And it is. If you drink too much of it your chances of an accident are increased. And that is no good. But if you tell people that it is OK to have alcohol on board, then some ass clown will go out with a gallon of vodka, drink it, and end up causing a problem.

By the way - in FL you CAN have an open container if you are at the helm. Strange as this seems, it is true. So long as your BAC is not over .08% you are good. But you do not tell people this, because of the ass clown factor. As for me - I do not really have an open container at the helm when underway. I can never drink it. I am too busy driving. Plus, the beer gets all foamy and shit.

Speaking of beer, I done ran out. So I bought more. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and Anchor Steam Liberty Ale. Yummy.

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It seems that I have some spy ware or some other shit on the computer. So I am scanning it. I have used three programs. Each one found some shit. I recommend these programs - and best of all they are FREE!!!

1. Malwarebytes. Free. You install it on your computer. It scans for shit and removed it.

2. Spybot S&D. Again, free. You install it on the computer, and it scans for shit. It finds it and removes it. It also innoculates your computer, alerting you to registry changes (spyware typically fucks with your registry). It also protects against borwser hijacks.

3. Microsofy Live Scan. This is free too, although if you want to have live scan run all the time you have to fork over money. This works through the web. You have to use IE though. It takes FOREVER to scan. Hopefully, it will find shit and remove it.

You can not rely on just one program. You have to use a few of them. Each one finds shit the other ones do not. Or something like that.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I officially hate my phone. The fucking thing TURNS ITSELF OFF when the battery reaches about 80%. Just turns off. By itself. I have to plug it into the car charger, turn the fucking thing back on, HOPE it stays on, then call whoever I was talking to back. And apologize for having a shitty phone.

What the hell??

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Fat Fred the orange cat just fell off the edge of the bed. I laughed. This is why I can not have a waterbed. Cats have claws.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Views From Biscayne National Park

I went to Biscayne National Park. This is one of three national parks in my area. There is Everglades National, which is huge and composed mostly of swamp. Biscayne National is smaller, but better than 95% of it is water. And then there is one of the most remote parks in the system, Dry Tortugas National Park - located 75 miles west of Key West. I have never gone to the Dry Tortugas.

The stop in Biscayne National Park was one of the smaller islands, Boca Chita Key. At one point this tiny island was part of the City of Islandia. The city never took off, although on the census the area that is now part of the national park is still called Islandia. There was a master plan to develop the area. The great depression pretty much killed this idea. That was South Florida's first real estate bust. But before the idea went belly up, someone did start to develop Boca Chita key.

They built an ornamental lighthouse and a really nice harbor. Along with some stone buildings. There was never any electricity run to the island.


And this is a closer view of the fake lighthouse.


And it was open! Sometimes the door is locked, sometimes there is a park ranger or volunteer there keeping an eye on the thing. So I could get to the top of the lighthouse for a better view.


Looking to the north-northeast, at some smaller islands in the chain.


The harbor. In the winter when it is cooler there are always boats here. In the summer when the biting insects form thick clouds of death - not so many boats are here.


Looking north, towards Downtown Miami. I had to use the digital zoom on my camera to get this photo, using the hand rail around the edge of the lighthouse as a platform to hold the camera steady.


Looking out to the Atlantic Ocean. Heading in the direction this photo was taken, you will end up in the Bahamas after 60 - 70 or so miles.


And finally, another shot of the harbor, one of the original buildings, and the ocean.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Shrimpin Ain't Easy

Actually - yes it is.

And now it will be easier. Because I have spreader lights now!! 500 watt halogen floodlight spreaders.


That is one of the spreader lights. It is not turned on. This is what it looks like with them on.


Oh yea. Power. 1,000 watts of shrimp busting artificial sunlight!

And for the bow rails, I have two 150 watt lights! These lights will shine in towards the front of the boat when I am at anchor, so I will see stuff drifting towards me before it is in dipping net range. You can see the 150 watt lights above, but here is another photo.



So that is tw0 500 watt spreader lights, plus two 150 watt bow lights - for a grand total of 1300 watts of pure night busting halogen power.

Therefore, I need this.



To steal a line from this guy.....

I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!

Saturday, February 07, 2009

The Swamp

The latest cold snap worked out well. For me at least.

The bugs in the swamp were killed off. So I was able to sneak into the swamp with the telescope. This is always fun.

So what is the deal with the swamp? Simply put, the skies are darker there. In the city the countless lights wash out the night sky. Now the telescope works in the city - even with a washed out sky. To a point.

You see, most people are unaware of what a telescope really does. People often assume that a telescope magnifies objects. Well it does - to a point. But if you REALLY want to magnify an object, what you need is a MICROSCOPE.

A telescope gathers and amplifies light. It makes a faint object brighter. So I can point the telescope at what looks like an area of the sky with nothing, because the faint stars are washed out in the glow of the city lights. But through the scope the star cluster is visible.

So what is the deal with power? Why are telescopes advertised as "400x"? Well in one word marketing. For the most part, a telescope advertised by max power is a toy. A lesser quality instrument.

A better telescope will advertise "resolving power" - or the ability to see fine details. For example, some of the stars in the Bid Dipper look like single points of light, but they are really double stars. One is even a quad star. A telescope with good resolving power will see two points of light, where a cheaper one may only see one. A better telescope will also advertise the size of the primary objective or mirror. Larger is better.

I have a Meade LX90. This telescope has an 8 inch primary mirror. It can grab a lot of light. It has pretty good resolving power. But it can not tell good light from light pollution, so getting it to as darn an area as I can is worth the effort.

I was able to see the moon. It would have been nicer if the moon were not so bright (a bright moon amounts to light pollution) but oh well. Looking at the moon is fun anyway. It was BRIGHT! Blinding.

Saturn was also up. Saturn is always fun. I had some friends who do not look at stuff through a telescope much, they were very taken by the moon and Saturn.

By the way - for objects in the solar system high magnification is useful. With the highest power eyepiece I have I could make out bands on Saturn. Being able to zoom in on lunar craters is also cool.

For deep sky objects, you want medium to low power.

For star clusters, you want very low power.

I hope to be able to run out to Everglades National Park again before bug season resumes. On a night with no moon, or a very dim moon.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

WARNING!! It Might Freeze

That is right - I am under a freeze warning. Till the sun rises. It could freeze outside at any moment. Maybe even............NOW!

Actually - freeze warnings happen every winter. But the temperatures really only get low if you are inland. If you are close to the bay the water raises the air temperature a bit. I would imagine that in the everglades it is pretty cold right now.

I am about 1/2 way between the bay and the swamp by the way.

With the wind chill effect, it is supposed to feel like it is in the 20s. Below freezing.

Now this is not really so bad. The freeze in the swamp will kill the flying insects. Mostly the ones that bite humans. I hate those bugs. I will be able to venture into the swamps with the telescope. This is always fun. As long as there are not any bugs. Which there should not be. I hope.

7 days till the Miami International Boat Show begins. I have no life so Ill go to it. Maybe for three days. See the whole show. Take it all in.

But then again I can not afford to buy anything so what the fuck is the point??

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

A Few Things.

First thing - BOAT KEYS! I found them. You see, I had misplaced them. I was going to use the boat one day and could not find the keys. I looked all over the darn place. For days. And then when I had given up I had a locksmith come by to make a key. He was able to make a key that started the boat - but it was not the right key.

So where were the keys? In my bicycle bag. I have this nifty thing that clamps on the bicycle seat post and holds a bag. Inside the bag I keep a variety of shit that I might need while riding the bicycle - but probably just adds weight. And for some reason the boat keys were in there.

Why?? I have no idea. I guess I figured it was a good place to put them so I would not lose them. And that worked out - I did not lose them.

THING 2 - Skipper The Cat. Skipper has been having trouble with some allergy. At first I thought it was fleas. Easy enough to get rid of - just use that once a month flea goop. The vet gave him a shot to stop the itching and Skipper was on his way.

And then next month he needed another shot. And then another. So for the past 4 months Skipper has needed to go to the vet for a shot to stop him from licking and scratching himself. This is what he looks like now. Skipper is the gray cat, the orange blob is another cat.


Notice the lack of fur. And that is only part of it. His front legs are also mostly bald.

Anyhow this is a problem. Skipper is now on a special diet. He has to eat special (expensive) hypo-allergenic food. $45 for an 8.5 pound bag. So far the only place I know of to get it is at the vet.

Now here is the problem. The other cats. Skipper does not eat very much. The orange blob eats a lot more. And then there are 2 more cats. So if all 4 of them are put on the special expensive food that bag will not last long at all.

But if I do not put them all on the same food - Skipper will have to be kept away from ALL other foods. If he eats even a single bite of the other food, and he is in fact allergic to something in it, then he will itch. And the money spent on the special food is wasted.

And it gets better! After two months (resetting the clock to zero if Skipper gets any other food) if the itching is not under control then the allergy is NOT fleas and NOT food! This means it is something else. Something environmental. Maybe pollen. Maybe mold. Florida is covered in mold. Maybe the detergent I use to wash clothes. Who knows.

So then Skipper will need a blood test, which is not that accurate. The blood test will attempt to isolate what he is allergic to. Then Ill get a vial of whatever he is allergic to and the home game version of Vet Office. Then I get to measure out exact amounts of mystery liquid in the vial and inject it under Skippers skin. At first the injections are done daily. Then every other day. Then every third day. Then once a week. And so on. I think the dosage also gradually increases as the frequency decreases.

The idea behind this treatment is hypersensitivity. The same is done to humans. If you expose yourself to high enough concentrations to whatever you are allergic to - you loose the allergy. Your immune system becomes so sensitive to the allergen that the response to the slightest trace of it is attacked with vigor.

This is also why kids sometimes "grow out" of allergies. It has less to go with growing and more to do with repeated exposure.

According to the vet, this works 60-70% of the time. The rest of the time it does not work. But 100% of the time you get to pay for the treatment. The blood test is something like $400. The injections may have to go on for up to a year. A vial is something on the order of $60 - but one vial will last a long time. Maybe even for the entire treatment.

Fun huh? Yea. Tons.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Weekend Update

Time for another weekend update! And what a weekend it was. Three days, three trips north of the border.

No - not to Canada. To Broward County. Kind of the same thing right now - there are A LOT of snowbirds this time of year.

Sunday was Tour De Bar. But since I am an idiot I forgot my camera. But really there was not much to photograph. Just bars. There were a number of stops on the tour. Here is what I remember.

STOP 1 - Bonefish Mac's. DAMAGE - one pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap

STOP 2 - Galuppi's. A patio bar at a golf course. DAMAGE - three Sam Adams on tap.

INCIDENT!! Leaving Galuppi's I think I fell off the bike or something. I have fancy pedals and special bike shoes that clip onto the pedals. The cool thing - pedaling is easier as my feet are always in the "power stroke" position. Also your feet never slip off the pedals. The bad thing - if you start to fall over you better be able to get your feet out QUICK! I hit some soft sand. I was going slow. My left foot was unclipped, as I was getting ready to stop. But I fell to the right. My knee still hurts a little. Walking is fun. And I did not even hit that hard! No blood loss or anything! What the fuck???

STOP 3 - Bru's Room. Lunch stop. I had a sandwich of some sort. And more beer. Two more Sam Adams??? Whatever.

INCIDENT - Before stop 4 the tour had to cross over the intracoastal waterway! This was cool. I got to ride over a draw bridge. Going uphill sucks - going downhill is fun. Something about "gravity" comes into play. The uphill part was short - and I have some really low gears so it was fine.

STOP 4 - The Briny Pub, and "Irish" bar on A1A close to the beach. DAMAGE - One draft Guinness Extra Stout. Yummy.

INCIDENT - Somewhere after leaving Briny and before the last stop, I seemed to have LOST the shackle to my bicycle U lock. This sucks. It was a good one. I had to get a replacement lock - for $35. Also there was another trip over a different draw bridge!

STOP 5 - The Buccaneer. A proper dive bar for drinkers only. Do not expect food - there is none. There is no kitchen. There is just a rack of chips bags. And I also saw Ritz crackers with Cheese-Wiz. That was it. DAMAGE - one Sam Adams on tap and at least two Jager Bombs. That is Jagermeister and Red Bull.

STOP 6 - someone's house. I have no idea whose house it was. But it made for a good place to crash. There was a Super Bowl party going on so there was some sandwich platters and chips and whatnot laying around. A good place to recover from the tour and chill before going home.

And that was it. It was a good time. A intoxicated ride through the backroads of Pompano Beach, bar hopping via bicycle. It was even more fun that not all the bars knew that they were a stop on the tour. A bunch of crazy people on bikes just descended on hapless establishments all at once. Demanding drinks.

It was well worth the drive, and something I hope to take part in next year!

Sunday, February 01, 2009

A Good Excuse For A Party.

I could give a shit less about the super bowl. Really. Big whoop. A bunch of men wearing tight spandex pants tackling the man with the ball. Not exactly my thing.

But what the hell. Any excuse for a party is a good enough excuse for me.

So - without any more to do - its time for........

The 2009 Tour de Bar. Its kind of like the Tour de France. Well not exactly. It is NOT in France. It does NOT go over mountains. It does NOT take multiple days. It does NOT require peak physical conditioning. Come to think about it - it is not like the Tour de France at all.

But it DOES involve bicycles. And bars. And drinking. You start off in the morning (11 AM) at the first bar. You have one or more drinks - then ride to the next bar. Then repeat the process. The tour has 5 stops - then ends at someones house in time for the stupid bowl.

It should be amusing.