Only in Florida

Nobody can resist the bizarro charm of the Sunshine State. Even Norwegian skydivers go a little crazy when they come here. Of course, one could argue that a professional skydiver probably isn't the most sane person to start out with.

Winter? What's that?

I'm not going to say that I miss winter, because I don't. Yeah, it's always a little disconcerting the first time you see a Salvation Army bell-ringer wearing a tank-top and shorts. On the other hand, I don't miss having to start my car fifteen minutes before I leave work. And I don't miss scraping ice off my windshield. And I don't miss falling on my ass on slippery steps.

I do, however, miss snow. At least a little. I don't miss driving in it or shoveling it or getting it stuck inside my boots and that horrible, melting-snow-trickling-down-your-leg feeling. I miss skiing. And I miss snowmen. And I'd like to think that if Calvin & Hobbes had been around when I was a kid, I might have made one of these, too.

Nerd Alert!

"Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien died about 35 years ago... and when he passed away, he left an unfinished book behind.

His son has finished that work-- and it will be released next month. Three weeks before it's officially available, The Children of Húrin is already on Amazon.com's top ten bestseller list.

And They're Off....

The 2007 International Beard Championship is up and running!

Do you think you can put a bet on one of these guys at the Caesar's Palace sportsbook?

March Madness

This flippin' Memphis/Texas A&M game is killing me!

Life's Dilemmas

On the street where I work, the city is doing a major utilities renovtion project. It's a bloody mess. They've torn up the road, dug up the sewers, and uprooted some palm trees that were probably close to 100 years old.

Today, as a result of the utilities project, we had a boil-order for the water at work. So no clean water, no ice... no coffee (which left a lot of people very cranky).

Late in the day, I had to use the Ladies' room. And as I was washing my hands, I realized that washing my hands with potentially contaminated water probably wasn't such a great idea. On the other hand, not washing my hands at all probably also wasn't such a great idea. What to do, what to do?

It's raining babies!

For the second time in about three months, another friend of mine has had a baby.
First it was Sandy-bean, who gave birth to little Sophie in late January. Sandy and Brian must have the cute-baby gene. Seriously... how adorable is that kid?

Early this morning, another little bundle of joy was born, this one to my friend Nicole (aka "Crackhouse Nicki") and her husband, Walt. I haven't seen a picture of their little boy yet (who is as of yet, unnamed, so I'll call him "Crackhouse Baby" until he has a name. That'll get them cracking... no pun intended)

So you might think that all of this baby-talk (and my upcoming wedding) has my biological clock ticking like crazy, right?

Nope. Not even close.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for Sandy, Brian, Nicole and Walt. I think they'll all be great parents. It's just not something I have any desire to do.

A Moment of Silence

Alas, Poor Larry "Bud" Melman.
No, I didn't know him well... in fact, I didn't know him at all.
But as a late-night tv junkie, I'll sure miss him.

Time to Floss

Crap.
I'm sitting here at the computer, chomping away at some popcorn, and I just realized that I've broken one of my golden rules.

Never eat popcorn the day before a dentist appointment.

They're going to be busy with me tomorrow.

Crouching Tiger, Folded Dragon

One of the gifts my dad got me at Christmas was an "Origami fold-a-day calendar." Now, our computer desk is scattered with little paper houses, swans, whales, dolphins, and a lot of odd, undiscernable shapes.

On Presidents' Day, the calendar showed me how to make a bowtie out of a dollar bill. It was cute. But it wasn't nearly as cool as any of these.

My Inner 14-year-old Speaks Out

Yesterday, I got to interview Pat Cash. Remember him? Cute Australian tennis player, circa 1984-ish? The guy with the checkerboard headband?

Anyway, like (almost) all of the tennis players I've interviewed, he's very nice... down-to-earth... and easy to talk to.

So I asked him a question I've wondered about since I was fourteen. Nope, it had nothing to do with Tennis. Not even close. I asked if he's the same "Pat Cash" that's thanked on the liner notes to a couple of Iron Maiden albums.

You better believe he is. He smiled and laughed when I asked him, and we ended up talking about Maiden for a few minutes.

How cool is that?

Blogging Blues

Sorry about the slow going with the blog (again). I've been a little more faithful to Jeckyll & Bride lately, since this $%@&*! wedding is taking over my life.

Only In Florida

What, you mean I'm not the only one who's noticed this?

Somebody Really Likes Doughnuts

Perhaps you've seen this already-- if not, prepare yourselves.
The crack production team at WAGT in Augusta, Georgia might actually be a production team on crack.

Check out this little gem... if you dare.