Flashback Saturday

I watched something on TV tonight that I thought I would never ever willingly watch - a MMA (mixed martial arts) fight night on CBS.  I have to say that it was like the proverbial wreck on the highway - I had to keep watching and couldn't look away. 

Let me preface by saying I hear about the MMA stuff every day at work, so I'm quasi-farmiliar with it. And I had no intentions of watching the fights tonight on TV, but I ended up being engrossed.  I have to say that while watching it, I truly believe I was chanelling my Grandma and Grandpa.  For, you see, every Saturday night when I was a kid, I would watch wrestling and roller derby with Grandma and Grandpa.  And I truly felt their presence tonight while watching Gina Carano and Scott Smith battle against their opponents tonight.  It was definitely a flashback moment to the early 70's with my grandparents. 

It was a Saturday night tradition - we would watch "Hee Haw", and then change the channel to wrestling.  And then at 10:00 we would watch "The Carol Burnett Show", and at 11:00, we would watch the roller derby.  They would let me stay up late on Saturday night, even though I had to be up early for Sunday School.  It was an awesome Saturday night.  We'd watch all of these shows, and have a snack of popcorn and orange soda, with one of my favorite candy bars thrown in. 

Tonight, I truly felt like I was back in the early 70's with my grandparents.  I think if they were alive they would have watched the MMA fights with me tonight.  And I'm sure we would have had our popcorn and orange soda, too.  And they would have been yelling at the TV just as loud as I was earlier while watching the fights. 

Flashback Friday

                 

While I was at work today amid all of the drama and chaos, my mind drifted back to this week in 2000 when I took a trip down to Nashville. Here is one of my favorite pictures ever taken of me, in front of the world's famous Toostie's Orchid Lounge.  Please note I am wearing one of my top three favorite t-shirts. 

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Wasn't That Supposed To Be Funny?

I was relaxing tonight after taking my bath and decided to watch "Last Comic Standing".  I watched last season's shows, and thought this season's comics would be just as funny.  Boy, was I wrong.  I listened and watched over 20 so-called comedians, and I only laughed one time during the entire show.  The only funny joke was from a comedian who was talking about the self check-out lanes at the grocery stores.  He made a comment about how he picked out the food and was checking hisself out, and asked if he needed to stock the shelves when he was finished checking hisself out.  Well, I thought it was funny, and it was the only time I cracked a smile during the show.

"Last Comic Standing" went off, and I was engrossed in my magazine and kept half-listening to "The Office", which came on next.  Some friends have raved on and on about the show, telling me how funny it was, so I thought it would have to be funnier than "Last Comic Standing."  Wrong again.  I didn't smile or laugh the entire show.  Maybe it's just me tonight; maybe I'm a tough sell when it comes to laughter.  But the only funny thing I saw during "The Office" was a new commercial for American Express starring Ellen DeGeneres.  It just hasn't been a funny night.

Live To Ride, Ride To Live

I went for another hour-long bike ride after supper tonight, and I'm proud to say this is my second long ride of the week. I rode over seven miles, all in record time.  And I did it while wearing my cool new padded bike gloves and helmet.  Yes, a helmet.  After hearing Mom and Dad and everyone else whining about how I needed a bike helmet in case I fell off, I finally got one this past weekend.  I have to admit it's not nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would bel in fact, after I've been riding a few minutes, I hardly notice it on my head.  It looks very cool, and with my wrap around Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, I look like I should be in the Tour de France or something. 

Get Well Soon, Big Brown

TWIT would like to wish a speedy recovery to Big Brown, who has a three-quarter inch crack in the inside of his left front hoof.  The crack was discovered yesterday, and a hoof specialist stitched up the crack with stainless steel wire.  It had healed enough overnight to allow the unbeaten colt to go for a mile and a half jog around the track at Belmont Park this afternoon.  When asked if he looked as good as he did before winning the Preakness on May 17, his trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said "He might look better."

Big Brown will attempt to become the first Triple Crown champion in 30 years, since Affirmed in 1978, in the Belmont Stakes on June 7.  TWIT wishes all the best of luck to Big Brown, his jockey, trainer, owners, and all of the other staff that watches over him. 

Happy Memorial Day

It's been an awesome Memorial Day for me.  First of all, I got to sleep in this morning instead of having to get up early to go to work.  That was very sweet.  Then I got the chance to walk down on the floodwall and [after a nice nap] ride my bike this evening.  I'm a little tired tonight but it's all good.  While riding my bike this afternoon, I passed by a cemetary where people were placing flags on the graves of veterans.  After I turned around and headed back home, I rode back to the cemetary and just stood there for a few silent moments as I watched the volunteers placing the flags by the gravestones.  For years I've seen this same scene on the evening news on Memorial Day, but I'd never witnessed it first hand.  It was a very solemn, moving experience.  I was misty eyed as I watched the volunteers place a flag in the ground and then take a step back and raise their hand in a salute. 

I don't mean to sound sappy, but I think that we should celebrate Memorial Day and Veterans Day every day of the year and not just on one day.  Every morning that we get up and get ready for the day ahead we should thank the Lord and the veterans that fought and died for our freedom. 

Link Of The Week

At TWIT, we always are on the lookout to help worthy charitable organizations.  This week, I found a site that helps out the SPCA and the World Wildlife Fund.  All you have to do is submit a photo of a place that you've been.  Visit http://www.zorro-the-cat.com/ and check it out.  There's no stipulation - the picture can be of literally any place that you've been.  And the site will contribute (through the kindness of their sponsors and advertisers) $5.00 to either the SPCA or the World Wildlife Fund.  Tomorrow, I plan to go through my photo archives and send them some photos to use.  Please take a minute and do the same. 

Got Milk?

As I was thinking about the record high gas prices yesterday, something dawned on me - with the price of a gallon of milk almost equal to the price of a gallon of gas, how come we don't hear people complaining about the price of milk like we hear everybody (myself included) bitch about the price of gas?  I guess it's because we really don't need milk every day, like we do gas.  Sure, women my age need milk to help us from getting osteo, and kids and babies need milk to help develop strong bones and teeth.  But we could get our calcium from supplements or from ice cream or cheese if we had to. 

Mom was talking earlier today to one of her neices/one of my cousins, who works in the office of one of the Large Chain Grocery Stores here in the 'Ville.  My cousin told her that we could expect the price of milk to hit $5 a gallon before we see $5 a gallon at the gas pump.  Faithful readers, that won't be too far in the future I'm afraid.  She said that the store's dairy suppliers are predicting milk to be $6 a gallon by the time summer is over.  She also said to expect to see the price of all dairy products to sky rocket.  Mom has a couple of boxes of powdered milk stored away down in the basement;  I guess she should get a few more to put back just in case.  Maybe I should stock up on my new favorite cottage cheese, too.  With the rising dairy prices, I'm kinda glad that I'm eating healthier and not forking over big bucks every week for my beloved Mint Moose Tracks ice cream. 

Flashback Friday

As I posted the other day, gas is at a record high [not only here] of $4.05 a gallon.  It's hard to imagine, but it's a few cents higher in other parts of the country.  I'm anxious to see what affect the high gas prices will have on holiday travel not only this weekend but this summer. 

I did some research, and found out the price of gas per gallon for the decade of the 70's.  It almost made me cry:

1970     36¢
1971     36¢
1972     36¢
1973     39¢
1974     53¢
1975     57¢
1976     59¢
1977     62¢
1978     63¢
1979     82¢

Gas Price Update

I was thankful that I had 3/4 of a tank of gas today and didn't have to stop and fill up because today on my way home from work it would have cost me $4.00 per gallon here in the 'Ville.  Yep, that is an all time high.  This weekend it was at $3.99 but today it went to the $4 threshhold. 

I'm fired up about it, as are most Americans, but yet there's not much I can do about it.  I can either pay whatever the price is per gallon and continue to drive or I can choose not to pay it.  As I've said before, I enjoy exercising to lose weight but I'm not that fond of walking and bike riding.

I did have an epiphany today at work.  Mark my words -- sometime in the very near future, on the local evening news, we're going to start hearing about shiester mechanics who claim to be able to put some super device on your car that will enable you to get better gas milage.  It's just a matter of time before the high gas prices bring out the shiesters.  You heard it from me first.  If some device or mechanism sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Where's Cookie Monster When You Need Him?

Cookie Crash Closes Highway

Illinois police said they had to close several lanes of a highway after a truck carrying Oreos rammed into the median, scattering cookies all over the road.

The cookie spill took place early Monday on Interstate 80 near Morris, Ill., said Master Sgt. Brian Mahoney of the Illinois State Police.

The truck was transporting about 20,000 pounds of double-stuffed Oreo cookies when the accident occurred, the Chicago Tribune reported.

It is reported the force of the crash caused the trailer to fall open and all the cookies to fly onto the highway's eastbound lanes.

The truck driver suffered no injuries, but the highway was shut down for massive cookie clean-up, which lasted several hours, Mahoney said.

Authorities said they are looking into what prompted the incident.

It's no wonder the clean-up lasted several hours, with all of that lard.  The only thing I can say about this is "Got Milk?".

Way To Go, Hillary

TWIT would like to congratulate Hillary Clinton on winning today's Kentucky primary.  At the time of this post, 84 percent of Kentucky's precints have reported, and Clinton was ahead with 65 percent of the vote to Obama's 31 percent.

Today while in Louisville awaiting the primary results, Hillary visited the awesome Lynn's Paradise Cafe.  I've had the pleasure to eat there one time.  I'm curious if Hillary ordered their awesome Bloody Mary, with a shish-ki-bob skewer of peppers, olives and tomatoes.   I'm thinking she did order one.  If I'd been there, I would have definitely ordered her one. 

TWIT performed an informal poll, and out of the 20 people that I polled, 18 of them voted for Hillary today.  TWIT wishes Hilliary much luck in Oregon tonight, and hopes that she will get enough super delegates to win the Democratic nomination. 

We Sure Feel Important

Before I went to bed last night, I checked the 'Rents' answering machine.  The flashing light said they had 12 messages.  Imagine our surprise when all 12 messages were about the primary election that will be held tomorrow.  Nine of those messages were from either Hillary, Bill or Chelsea Clinton.  One message was from former Miss America Heather French Henry asking us to vote for Hillary, and the other two were from local politicians also asking us to vote for Hillary.  We didn't have one phone call from anyone in the Barack Obama family nor campaign.  Maybe they'll call today. 

Day 8

We're finally back home, safe and relatively sound.  It sure was good to see some green grass after looking at desert for a week.  We left 100+ temperatures this morning, and when we had our layover in Chicago, it was in the low 50's.  We didn't know what to expect in Louisville, but were pleased that it was in 70 just as the sun was going down.  We're all three exhausted, and can't wait to sleep in our own beds tonight with our own pillows. 

 

Day 7

The trip is almost over, but the 'Rents had the time of their life.  It was definitely an experience, but I lost more than my ass this week; I'm afraid I lost a friend.  I did something very stupid and hurt someone deeply that I cared about.  Actually, "stupid" doesn't even come close.  It will be bittersweet coming home tomorrow - I will be glad to be back home, and at the same time I'm dreading it. 

Days 5 and 6

I'm having trouble with my cell phone and couldn't get a signal yesterday.  It's hot and I'm tired of the sand and desert and want to see some Kentucky bluegrass again. 

Day 4

As I type this, I'm sitting in the lobby of our hotel looking out the doors at the London Bridge.  Yes, the London Bridge.  It's in beautiful Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  The 'Rents and I can now say that we have walked across London Bridge and for the record it was not falling down. 

Yesterday morning when we left Las Vegas and headed for Red Rock Canyon, it was in the low 60's with winds of about 40 mph.  Needless to say, we didn't bring jackets because when I was in Vegas in May 4 years ago, the temps were over 100 every day.  It figures they have a freak cold spell when we're here.  As we drove on through Red Rock Canyon, the winds were so strong that we only got out of the car 3 times to take pictures.  It warmed up when we got to Laughlin, and today in Lake Havasu City, it's in the low 90's.  Even though I hate hot weather and love my a/c, I have to say that I truly love the desert.  It's just gorgeous, and the layout of the land truly amazes me. 

This afternoon, we've been pampering ourselves and resting.  We were able to check into the hotel early and have been resting in our gigantic suite and as I type this, Dad is taking the first turn in the jacuzzi tub.  As soon as I post this I'm heading back upstairs and wait for my turn.

For updates on gas here in Arizona and Nevada, I put half a tank in our rental car this morning and it was $3.79 a gallon.  In Needles, AZ we saw it for $4.79.  Ouch.  But as I said, I don't like the heat and it sure beats the alternative of walking through the desert pulling my suitecase on wheels.

Day 3

 

                              

Day 3 of The Trip has started extremely early.  As I type this, it's 5:30 here, and I've been up an hour.  It's not that I couldn't sleep - it's just that I went to bed at 9:30 last night and after my usual 7 hours of sleep I was ready to get up.  It's starting to get daylight, but when I got up and looked out the window, the sky and the neon lights were just gorgeous.  Just before dawn is the prettiest time of the day here that I've seen) .

This morning starts the driving portion of our trip.  We'll get our rental car and head first to Red Rock Canyon, and then back to Hoover Dam and our stop for the night will be in Laughlin.

Yesterday wore us out - it's no wonder we went to bed at 9:30.  We walked probably 4 miles throughout the day, and even though we spent a lot of time in the different casinos where we were sitting down, it still wore us out.  So today there shouldn't be too much walking for the 'Rents like yesterday.  But they're troopers and are two of the toughest people that I know, and they're ready to go at a moment's notice. 

I'm hoping that at Laughlin tonight Dad will hit one of the slot machines big and win some serious bank.  He didn't do too good yesterday, but I, on the other hand, was a big winner.  I think we've got a total of $250 in our TV fund.  I hope to have more in there tonight at Laughlin.

Day 2

Day 2 of The Trip started extremely early.  Dad was yelling through the connecting door from their room at about 6:30 this morning.  Not 6:30 Louisville time, but 6:30 Las Vegas time.  Never mind it was after 1:00 Las Vegas time when we went to bed.  But I managed to get dressed and drag myself next door to the awesome Barbary Coast for my traditional steak and eggs.  We walked up The Strip a few blocks and are now back in our rooms resting up for our afternoon adventure.  It's partly sunny and in the low 80's today - perfect walking weather.  But I'm going to take a nap in my nice frigid a/c cooled room instead.

Last night, I took Mom to see Cher at Caesar's Palace for Mother's Day.  I honestly don't know who enjoyed the show more - me or Mom.  It was pretty spectacular with 17 costume changes.  I have to say that the highlight of the concert was when Cher appeared on stage wearing a floor-length Indian headdress and sang "Half Breed."  I could have right then and got my money's worth.

Speaking of money, we're doing pretty good on the slot machines.  We haven't quite won enough for the high def TV that we want, but it's a start.

 

Day 1

Day 1 - we made it and are having a ball. It's 89 and sunny.

Vacation Eve

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.  Sorry - that's a line from an old Peter, Paul and Mary song "Leaving On A Jet Plane."  But our bags are packed and we are ready to go on The Trip.  We'll be up at about 5:00 in the morning and if Southwest Airlines cooperates, we'll be having our Sunday lunch at the Le Village Buffet at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. 

I was up at 7:00 this morning to print out our boarding passes, only to find out that I couldn't print the 'Rents' passes because they got a cheaper senior citizen price.  So after much discussion, as soon  as they finished their cereal I loaded them up and we headed to the airport to get their boarding passes and to get their age verified so this snafu won't happen again.  It took longer to park the car then it took at the Southwest ticket counter.  But I digress.  After we took care of that, we had a cup of coffee and shopped at one of the gift shops that had luggage on sale for 75% off.  I got an extremely cool purple carry-on bag and bought Dad a cool small black messenger bag so he can carry his own camera and bottle of water.  So the snafu turned into a very nice morning.

When I'm not able to get an internet connection, I'll text updates to TWIT so you, my faithful readers, will know where we are and what we're doing.  When I return, I'll go more into detail and give you the trip highlights. 

Flashback Friday

It's Vacation Eve Eve here at The Compound, and my mind drifts back to when I was a kid waiting for our vacation to start - when all I had to worry about was if I had packed enough candy for our trip.  Now, it's a bit different.  As the person in charge of this trip, my mind is racing, making sure I've got all the necessary reservations covered, and more importantly, if I have enough cash with me.  If only vacations were as simple as they were when I was a kid.

The only things I had to worry about were packing enough stuff to keep me from getting bored on our trips.  I would pack a tape recorder of some form, an ample supply of batteries and as many cassette tapes as I could pack in my bag to keep me entertained on our vacation.  Let me interject that when I was a kid, we made 3 cross-country trips, so that's quite a bit of entertainment to pack.  In addition to the many cassette tapes, I would pack plenty of magazines to keep me occupied.  On our trip to Canada when I was 12, I had the courage to pack a paperback copy of "Gone With The Wind" to read while vacationing.  Needless to say, I finished the book during our 1977 10-day adventure in Nester Falls, Ontario. 

As we get ready to embark on my trip with the 'Rents, I think back on what must have been going through Mom and Dad's minds back in the day.  All I had to worry about was keeping myself entertained ; they had to worry about things like what we would wear, where we would sleep, what we would eat, and where we would go.  But they were the parents - that was what they were supposed to do.  Now, it's as if the tables are turned; I'm the one that's made the reservations and have done the planning, and all they need to do is make sure they have something to keep them entertained.  It's just awesome how life comes full circle.

Gas Price Update

Yesterday was another tear jerker at the gas pumps.  Before we left work, a co-worker's wife called to let him know gas had gone up almost a quarter in their neighborhood.  So he and I both stopped on the way home at a convenience store that us usually the last to raise their prices, and boy we felt "lucky" to get gas for $3.64 a gallon, when just a block away it was $3.86.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined being excited over getting gas for just $3.64 a gallon. 

Last night, I made a comment about wanting to get online and look up what the current gas prices were around Las Vegas so I would have an idea what I would have to pay to fill up our rental car.  Dad said "Why?  Whatever it is you'll pay it."  He's got a point there.  Incidentally, gas is Las Vegas is averaging about a dime cheaper than here.  Whoopee. 

Biggest Loser Update

I weighed this morning on the Official Biggest Loser digital scales in the HR office at work, and I'm very happy to report another 3 pounds lost, for a total of 36 pounds in the past 3 months.  This weekend during Spring Cleaning at The Compound, I filled a garbage bag with pants, shirts and sweats that are too big for me.  I have to be honest and admit it was an odd feeling -- on one hand I was ecstatic that the clothes were too big for me, and on the other hand I was bummed because most of the shirts and pants weren't cheap.  But I plan on taking them to a local consignment shop and will hopefully get a few bucks back.

Sunday morning starts The Trip with the 'Rents, and I've made my mind that I'm not going to be as strict with my healthy eating as I have been the past three months.  I'm not going to Cinnabon and eat six cinnamon rolls either, and I'm going to stay away from anything with the evil high fructose corn syrup.  But I plan to keep it all in moderation and not go crazy.  All of the walking we're planning on doing will help, and once we get back home it will be back to business with my daily walking and bike riding.

Thanks again for the encouraging emails from you, my faithful readers. 

A Historic Day At The Compound

I had so many great things happen to me yesterday - I don't know where to start. 

First of all, after supper last night, Mom Flipped The Switch and turned on the air conditioning.  It wasn't that hot, but I sure was glad she turned it on so I can sleep with my window closed and not have to listen to all of the traffic and birds chirping.  This year's episode was the easiest yet; well, not as easy as last year when I didn't have to say anything.  Last night, the only thing I said was when I asked if they were going to turn the a/c on before we left for The Trip on Sunday morning.  Imagine my surprise when I got back from running an errand with Dad and heard the gentle hum of the a/c unit out beside the house. 

Second, my economic stimulus rebate check was direct deposited yesterday afternoon.  More money for me to help stimulate the economy in Las Vegas next week.  The Treasury Department sure wants us to have a good time next week, don't they?

The third awesome thing that happened yesterday requires some background first.  A few weeks ago during supper, Mom said to Dad "Do you want to tell her the news or do you want me to?"  Immediately, I thought it was something catastrophic.  Dad said "Let me tell her" as he was smiling proudly.  He said "For doing go great on your new healthy lifestyle changes, we've got something for you. It's something that every girl wants."  I said "You got me a Corvette?"  They said no.  I said "You found me a sugar daddy?" Once again, they said no.  Mom said "We got you a pony!"  They were right - it's something every girl wants.  Only this pony isn't mine to keep; we're just borrowing her for the summer.  Our neighbors four houses up raise and show quarter-horses, and they have a pony that belongs to their little boy.  The kid doesn't fool with the pony much anymore, so they're going to let us borrow her this summer to keep the grass chewed down in the back field.  So yesterday when I came home from work, there in the back were our new tenants Ginger the pony and Skip the 30 year-old Palimino horse.  They're both very gentle, and took a liking to us quickly.  I'll post pictures as soon as I can get them to pose. 

Way To Go, Brady

                    

TWIT would like to congratulate Brady Arneson on being the winner in this year's Minnesota Mullet Contest.  The 3 year-old from Red Wing, Minnesota won the contest sponsored by Hockey Moms Magazine. 

Brady's family is no stranger to mullet contests; his older brother Blake won the contest in 2005.  Their father Scott also had a mullet as a child, and said they will cut Brady's hair soon to keep Brady cool this summer. 

I did some quick research, and up north they refer to the mullet as "hockey hair."  Apparently hockey players of all ages think it's cool to let the back of their hair grow long so it will hang out from their hockey helmets.  Nuff said.  Anyhoo, congratulations, Brady.  Your mullet rocks. 

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Link Of The Week

We've all heard or used the expression "worth its weight in gold."  Have you ever wondered exactly how much one's weight was actually worth in gold?  Or maybe you thought someone was worth their weight in crude oil - something that is more precious than gold today.  You can find those answers at http://rough-equivalents.com .  In case you're curious, I'm worth $797.50 in bologna.  Fischers bologna, that is. 

Derby Day Observations

As I mentioned yesterday, I don't particularly care for the Derby.  Please note that I did not use the word "hate" in my first sentence.  But I did have a very meaningful incident yesterday on Derby Eve that I would like to share. 

I was on my way back home yesterday afternoon, after having an awesome lunch celebrating the birthday of The First Lady Of Country Music, Miss Tammy Wynette, with Diva Stacy at one of our favorite restaurants, the Bristol.  I was about 20 minutes from home, and was within a half mile of Churchill Downs when I was stopped at a red light.  To my right was a former Payless Shoes store that was closed.  People were standing in front of it under the overhang waiting for the bus.  It had just begun to pour down rain and was extremely windy.  Along with the people waiting for the bus was a family of four - the parents and two elementary school aged kids.  Spread out on the ground in front of the closed shoe store, they had a blanket along with a cooler, small charcoal grill and a couple of plastic grocery store bags with various food and other items in it.  In the two minutes that I was stopped at the light, it dawned on me that this was probably as close as this family would ever get to the big hoopla that surrounds the Derby. 

I'm not ashamed to say that I got weepy when I saw them.  It had begun to rain, and the extreme wind was driving the rain in every direction.  The father was trying to secure the bags and cooler, and the mother was trying to secure the blanket and the bags while the kids just tried to shield themselves from the blowing rain. 

People in this city just go absolutely crazy over the Derby, and here this small family was trying to have a little picnic probably as close to historic Churchill Downs as they could get.  At that same time, people had paid major bucks to get into Churchill Downs and were getting absolutely soaked, and others had paid even more money to get into the more prestigious parts of the track, and this small family was trying to keep their grill, blanket and kids from getting wet in the driving rain.  Scenes like that kinda put things into perspective.

Flashback Friday

In case you've been living deep in a cave in the side of a remote mountain, you should know that tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby.  People here in the 'Ville know that day as well as they know their birthdays.  The older I get, the less I care about the Derby.  But we do get Derby Eve, aka the Kentucky Oaks day, off as a company holiday, as do a lot of people here.  In fact, schools are closed on Oaks day, and with the popularity of other events, I think it's just a matter of time before businesses and companies start closing on the Derby Eve Eve.  But I digress.  As I said, schools are closed on Derby Eve.  But Diva Stacy and I have a place in Derby trivia books:  our school was the first school in the county or city to be closed on Derby Eve. 

Yep, our small Christian school that we attended from 8th through 12 grades was closed every Derby Eve.  Why, you ask?  Our school was less than a block from Churchill Downs, and the church would sell parking spaces in their parking lots.  Looking back, it seems like quite an oxymoron but back then, we didn't even think about it - all we cared about was being off from school on the day before the Derby. 

Now that we're older, Diva Stacy and I both dislike the Derby - for various reasons we won't get into here.  Suffice to say we both don't like the whole week leading up to the Derby.  But we've turned it around and now on what everyone else calls Derby Eve or Oaks Day, we get together and go out to lunch to celebrate the birthday of The First Lady Of Country Music, Miss Tammy Wynette, whose birthday is May 5. 

Back in the day, businesses and companies were never closed on Derby Eve; it was any other work day.  Now a lot of people will take off the entire week before the Derby so they can party it up.  As I sit here typing this, I reminisced and thought of the only time I ever took off Derby week; it was 2001 Derby.  I remember it because I was deathly (not exaggerating - you can as the 'Rents) ill from a severe viral infection and was in bed the entire week.  Yeah, that was almost as fun as this Derby will be. 

Mullet Watch

It's been a while since we've spotted any mullets; maybe with the weather warming up they'll come out of hiding sporting their mullets and sleeveless t-shirts.  We've got three sightings to report. 

First of all, I didn't elaborate on the two mullet sightings we saw at Universal Studios in Orlando.  Actually, I can't elaborate much because I don't remember what they looked like, but I do remember that we saw two of them.  Diva Stacy was able to take a picture of one of them, and I will post it in here as soon as she sends it to me. 

The third mullet was spotted just hours earlier here at work by my co-workers and faithful readers SH and JMc.  I saw it too, eventually, but they saw it first.  It was short, but it was definitely a mullet.  It was also very fuzzy and frizzy.  At first glance, we thought it was the result of a home perm gone bad, but upon closer inspection, we think the owner has naturally curly hair.  We think we'll name this type a "fullet" -- short for a frizzy or fuzzy mullet.

Mullet count: 9