Some Memes You May Enjoy

Many a truth is said in jest.

- Life is like roasting a marshmallow

- Fun with captions.

- Hello is this the alcoholics hotline?

- Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.  That's the Law of Consistency. It doesn't matter how talented you are. It doesn't matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to grow, consistency is key." - John C. Maxwell

"Today's rain is tomorrow's whiskey." - Scottish Proverb

"I drink to make other people more interesting." - Ernest Hemingway

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." - Lao Tzu 

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"When reading the news, you can increase your productivity 100x by asking, 'Will I care about this a year from now?'" - Morgan Housel

"I pass with relief from the tossing sea of Cause and Theory to the firm ground of Result and Fact." - Winston Churchill

"The country is being destroyed by stupid people." - Donald Trump

"I drink to make other people more interesting." - Ernest Hemingway 

Don't Judge Me

Quotes for Today

Some quotes I hope may resonate with you.

"Books are the training weights of the mind." - Epicetus

"If you want to be a clear thinker you cannot pay attention to politics because it'll destroy your ability to think." - Naval Ravikant

"I distrust a man that says when. If he's got to be careful not to drink too much it's because he's not to be trusted when he does." - Dashiell Hammett

"Remember that to change your mind and to accept correction are free acts." - Marcus Aurelius

"The collective noun for a group of statisticians is a quarrel." - John Tukey

"I often carry things to read so that I will not have to look at people." - Charles Bukowski

"If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Advice from Dionysus

Three cups only do I propose for sensible men, one for health, the second for love and pleasure and the third for sleep; when this has been drunk up, wise guests make for home. The fourth cup is mine no longer, but belongs to hubris; the fifth to shouting; the sixth to revel; the seventh to black eyes; the eighth to summonses; the ninth to bile; and the tenth to madness and people tossing the furniture about.  

Good drinking advice from Ancient Greece via the book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization. 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I still don't see why Michele Obama would agree to be on Joe Biden's ticket. Then again I didn't see why Tom Brady would want to play for any franchise other than the Patriots... This post on Things We're Missing sums up my feelings pretty well. Though in my own personal case I'd replace church with playing pool, seeing live music and golf (don't judge me)... "Sin that pays its way can travel freely, and without a passport; whereas Virtue, if a pauper, is stopped at all frontiers." - Herman Melville... Don't judge me... There's not much enthusiasm for Joe Biden and outside of Michele Obama there probably won't be much enthusiasm for whoever is picked as VP. None of the women who campaigned for President had much support (otherwise they wouldn't have lost to the desiccated husk of Biden to begin with). And Hillary? She would negatively impact his appeal. The only outside the box solution I can see is Tulsi Gabbard but the DNC would never allow that. The lack of enthusiasm could really harm the down-ticket Democrat candidates... The Irish have long memories... 

New Year's Day

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Wayne Gretzky

"You regret 100% of the New Year's Eve shots you take on New Year's Day." Chris Lynch

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I' share.

- Ed Latimore's 10 observations from 2-years of not drinking

- Perhaps the most Australian thing ever

- We've just had the best decade in human history. We live in a Golden Age.

- Hong Kong protesters rally for China's Uighurs. I think linking the two causes is a smart move by the protesters.

- Wrong on so many levels

- Russ Roberts thoughts on health care without (much) Government

Saturday Morning Revelations

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

See drinking is good for you! Those quotes are from this medical study... My new motto in life is - Earning, Burning, Learning or Having Fun. The burning refers to calories (exercise) and I find it a nice little way to remind myself not to waste time... Reminder why people usually point their hyperbolic pronouncements toward the young. Because older people like me remember when the Democrats used a slogan like "Vote or Die" BACK IN 2004! Yeah - nobody friggin died because they didn't vote...  Was it just me or did everyone confuse Marge Schott and Madeline Albright? Just me?...  "You have to be odd to be number one." - Dr. Seuss (love that quote on so many levels)... Maybe the Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders are (much) better than people expected. Maybe Antonio Brown made a (huge) mistake in shooting his way out of town...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The DMZ in Korea is being dismantled. If unification or something close comes to North and South Korea how does President Trump not get awarded a Nobel Prize?

- We've all had days like this

- Quitter!

- This is sad - the annual Rolling Thunder ride is coming to an end. 2019 will be the last ride.

- Very cool

- An update on Craig James (who I still think is a dick)

- World GDP by Country - it is fascinating to watch

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Good stuff - rules for writers

- But wasn't curling invented as an excuse to drink?

- Interesting - the Trump Administration has saved Americans $26 billion on prescription drugs through increased competition fueled by the approval of 1,617 new generic drugs. 

- Another of the great pranks in college sports history

- Tom E. Curran with a sobering look at where the Patriots will find themselves next season

- Hawaii's Mars simulations are turning into moon missions. There is a very real race for the moon going on.

- Northern Exposure reboot in the works at CBS. Cool but how about releasing the original episodes on Netflix or something first?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Suddenly NFL people are wondering if Nick Mullens is going to do to Jimmy G what Tom Brady did to Drew Bledsoe... Any time I see Newt Gingrich - I picture him as Santa's gay half-brother to see if it makes him more likable... 10 Commandments of Irish Pub Etiquette... Quote of the Day: "I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened." - Mark Twain... Heh Heh... Rental Soap would be a good name for a band (or a really bad business start-up idea)... When a bad guy with a gun meets a good guy in a cowboy hat...

Giving Things Up

I can't recall when or why I decided to do it but sometime in January I decided that I would give up beer for the month of February. No it wasn't a Lent related thing. I just decided I was probably drinking too much and for me giving up beer pretty much meant giving up alcohol for the month.

There were just a couple of times when I was out to eat with others and allowed myself a glass or two of red wine. But other than that it really wasn't that hard. When out watching a game or playing cards with friends they'd ask why I was doing it and I'd say, "Just because" then joke that I picked February because it was the shortest month.

I didn't give up anything for March since it's my birthday month and I had a trip planned for Santa Monica and the Pacific Coast Highway with my girlfriend. I wanted my full range of vices available to me. Which was nice.

For April I decided to try and give up porn. I really did try but damn it... Well let's just say I was much more successful giving up other things.

In May I gave up Keno. No problem. And I've only played Keno once since. It is a waste of money and even if you say "I'm just doing it for the entertainment value" it's a losing proposition. Now even the thought of it makes me feel like a loser. (Though I still may have those Professional Keno Player business cards printed up as a joke.)

Coffee was next. My pot of coffee habit in the morning and two large Dunkin coffees for any long drive had long been a staple of my existence. The headaches were tough in the first week and a half and my energy levels dropped for about the same amount of time but I stuck to just one large hot tea in the morning (Irish Breakfast Blend) and by the end of the month of June I wasn't really missing coffee at all. Just like beer - I've gone back to drinking coffee but the amount has been drastically cut down and now any given morning it is 50/50 whether it's coffee or tea in my morning cuppa.

July I gave up betting on sports. Like giving up alcohol in February because it is the shortest month - I justified giving up placing bets because there's only really baseball in July. Both the NBA and NHL are done and football is still a couple months away. No problem. (Giving up sports betting during football season would be different but hey let's not get carried away here.)

For August I plan to give up eating.

Maybe I should clarify. I plan to have two 24-hour fasts on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. I hope to make this a permanent habit if possible. I've already started intermittent fasting based upon some of the health based podcasts I've listened to. Now I try to eat only between the hours of 9 AM and 7 PM. Between 7 PM and 9 AM just water. I've already experienced some benefits (lost 6 pounds) and am curious about adding in a couple 24-hour fasts into the regular mix.

Not sure what I'll give up for September yet but I like this giving things up deal. Maybe soon it will be time to go on a add things in kick. Trying to do something for 30-days straight is supposed to be the easiest way to create a lasting habit.

Anyway just thought I'd share. Try giving things up yourself. What do you have to lose?

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Communism in a nutshell

- See you can read this report one way and come to one conclusion - I read the report and I say the report shows the Marines are the best drinkers in the military! And 5 drinks isn't binge drinking - that's pre-gaming.

- Interesting - Intel vets say hacking of DNC server was inside job not Russians.

- Speaking of the Marines

- Tesla to build world's largest solar farm in Australia. Tesla really is a power company that also happens to make cars.

- Cool - the power of lightning

- Interesting - Russia liquidates its US Treasury holdings

Key West and the Patriots Game

Last weekend I went to Key West for a couple of days before going up to Fort Lauderdale on Monday to watch the Patriots play the Dolphins on Monday night. This was my first visit to Key West and it was all thanks to my great girlfriend Sue who was also my traveling companion and drinking buddy.

As a first time visitor I had the initial "Hey look a rooster!" reaction slowly morph to "What's the deal with all these freakin' roosters". I was also overly impressed with the idea of golf carts with turn signals being a major transportation mode.

For whatever reason I made a list of the bars visited and I'm posting that itinerary here for posterity (and because I have a shitty memory). Anyways...

Saturday:

- El Siboney which while mainly a Cuban lunch/dinner restaurant (pretty good food at very reasonable prices) is on the list because it was where we partook in our first drinks of the day.
- Salty Angler - our first "bar" bar of the day. Stopped in to get out of the rain (a brief afternoon shower) and to grab a quick drinkie. Liked it so much it was also our last stop of the night too.
- Cowboy Bills - a bar/gentleman's club/country music joint. Memorable for having PBR on tap and for a drunk flat-chested woman taking off her shirt to ride the mechanical bull.
- Viva Saloon - stopped here to catch more of the Army-Navy game
- Irish Kevin's - place gave vibe of wanting to be a tourist attraction like Sloppy Joe's without you-know being Sloppy Joe's. There's an actual Irish Kevin who neither Sue nor I found amusing.
- Sloppy Joe's - being a big Hemingway fan this place was on my bucket list.
- Aqua's - stopped here because Sue wanted to watch the drag show. When in Rome...
- Jack Flats - nice sports bar with all the games on. Stopped here to watch some of the Bruins game before going back to the Salty Angler for my "just one more drink honey" nightcap.

Sunday:
- Blue Macaw - our lunch respite from bike riding. "Famous" for their Bloody Mary bar but neither of us actually like Bloody Mary's (feel free to judge me). Enjoyed our lunch here.
- Captain Tony's - the site of the original Sloppy Joe's.
- Island Dogs - nice clean place with a very clean bathroom (which was something I was looking for at this point of the day if you know what I'm saying).
- Gas Monkey - don't remember much about this place except having the Beastie Boys song Brass Monkey stuck in my head the whole time I was drinking there.
- Flying Monkey - frozen drinks a specialty so I had a frozen mudslide.
- Bobby's Monkey Bar - an off the beaten path place. More of a locals bar with $2.50 Bud Light bottles and a pool table. If I were in Key West for a long period of time this would be my go-to hangout.
- Sandbar Sports Bar - stopped here to watch the first half of the Steelers/Ravens game and to have dinner. Good sports bar next to Sloppy Joe's.
- Jack Flats (again) to watch more of the Steelers game
- Bogarts - to watch the end of the Steelers game and play a couple more games of pool. Bartender was a nice girl from Shrewsbury Mass.

That was a long, fun weekend of drinking. Tomorrow I will discuss the Pat's Monday night loss to the Dolphins along with the rest of my NFL thoughts.

Enjoy!

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Netflix lawyers with the best cease and desist letter ever

- Copperhead bites woman at Longhorn Steakhouse in Spotslyvania

- Maybe we should stop adding things to our water supply no matter how good our intentions

- Heh heh

- The Chinese are stealing our mutant rodents!

- You have to admit - that was impressive

- Nancy Pelosi trying to say Colin Kaepernick's name is the funniest thing from all weekend

- Special hats off to Pittsburgh Steelers' Alejandro Villanueva - West Point grad, Army Ranger, winner of the Bronze Star and the only member of the Steelers to come out and stand for the National Anthem yesterday.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Incredible the difference a week makes. Even though the waters may have receded the damage caused will take months to fix.

- Interesting - scientists discover new form of black hole at heart of Milky Way

- Heh heh - we've all been there Hulkster. And we've also made this vow (only to later break it)

- Footprints suggest mankind may be much older than previously thought

- Insane workout!

- I really do wish Isaiah Thomas full health and nothing but the best. I hope Cleveland loves him as much as Celtics fans

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Can't believe Mental Floss didn't mention me in the post on Flotsam and Jetsam! I've been calling my miscellaneous thoughts and observations Flotsam and Jetsam for 13-years!... So the New York Knicks have offered Tim Hardaway Jr. a 4-year $71 million contract. The 4th year is a player's option which reportedly Hardaway will exercise as soon as the ink is dry and the Knicks realize just how stupid they are... So CNN assigns one reporter to find creator of a stupid GIF and success! Yet when they assign all of their reporters and resources to find a missing plane - complete failure!... Heh heh - life's like that sometimes... Does it make me racist that I find it hilarious when people tell Shaun King to "lighten up" on social media?... Always a favorite - top 10 medieval butt-licking cats... Summertime drinking tip - hard apple cider with a shot of cranberry vodka over ice makes for a delicious hot summer day treat...