Another Busy Friday

Today Was Crazy...
At work! Fridays usually are bad- because I am all alone and it is busy! Today was crazy busy! It turned into one of those days where everything I touched went sour, Al went to Auburn for the day and Todd was around but not inside much! Couple that with Ty getting fired yesterday and it made for a pretty crappy day! I was some happy to FINALLY punch out around six and head home! I am hoping for a much quieter Saturday tomorrow and some much needed catch up time! I hate being away from work for long periods because everything just piles up and is waiting for me when I come back! Hopefully, I will have help soon and things can get back to normal! I am glad I am home since I miss my wife and kids when I am gone! We have some projects planned for Sunday even though the weather looks like it will be crappy. We need to get our house puppified and ready for my new dog next Friday. Colleen is going to New Hampshire tomorrow to close out her Nana's things and the Vikings play at 1 PM on Sunday! I think I need to get my NFL radio thingy so I can at least listen to the games on line when they aren't on TV! I have been pretty lucky so far- I got to watch all of the first three games and that has ruled. Well, I am off to surf the web for awhile and spend some time with my wife before she goes to bed and leaves tomorrow morning! Night

I'm BACKKKKK!!!!

From Florida That Is!
I am sure everyone is riveted to know how my EXCITING AND FUN trip went so I won't tease! We flew out WAY too early on Sunday morning! Uneventful flights and we get in Florida at 1230 PM and the Vikings play at 1! I am panicking because I do NOT miss Viking's games! Period! We get to the hotel and we check in and I run my stuff up to my room and ask a lady if they have a sports bar in the hotel! She says yes and tells where it is so I run over, find the bar and ask the bartender where the Vikings game is and she sends me upstairs where a couple are watching the game and four or five guys in another table watching it. I get in there and it is 3-0 Carolina and they are driving for another score! They score and go up 10-0 and I notice the guy in front of me isn't happy about that! We keep watching and the Vikings tie the game up by halftime and I am being my normal self and watching the game! The guy finally turns around and asks me if I am a Vikings fan and I point to my shirt and he starts laughing! He is actually from Minnesota and we start talking and watching the game together! It was awesome! The Vikings came back and won behind a solid defense and enough offense and I had a BLAST! The bar is set up so you can watch like five games at once, I was getting PAID to watch the Vikings win, with OTHER Vikings fans! Probably the highlight of the trip for me! Shane wouldn't be caught dead in a sports bar which made it somewhat of a haven and I have NEVER watched a game with Vikings fans! The rest of the trip was boring classes that no one who reads this would care about, layovers and delayed flights that totally piss me off and stupid shit people wouldn't give a squirt of piss about! I did meet some cool people from Texas and we ate some good food and drank some beer while listening to a concert they put on for us! The food was pretty good- I thought it was better in Charlotte and the classes were not enough hands on in my opinion! I did learn enough to warrant the trip and I get to implement the stuff I learned tomorrow- a short six hours from now! Well, I need to get some sleep so I am off to bed! Night

Jessi

OK, So Tonight, Jessi Gets Her Turn!
Where do you start when she is the first person I ever fell in love with INSTANTLY? She was born at 11:30 PM on October 25th after a very hard and LONG labor on my poor wife! When she came out, her cord was covering her privates and we never found out whether we were having a boy or a girl so I had to wait a few more seconds until the doctor said, "it is a girl!" They cleaned her up, I got to cut the cord, they wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to me! I looked at her and was instantly in love and in AWE! I couldn't believe that I made something so perfect! It was the same thing with Sean but the first one! There is just something about becoming a Dad for the first time! The whole day, I will NEVER forget it! OK, enough about the day she first came to us! She is an incredibly bright yound lady! She is smart and popular and has lots of friends! She has fashion taste I only wish I had! She is my daughter and I am her father! I can't say that I am the best guy in the world to have a teenage daughter but I will manage when the time comes! I have some tricks in my bag and I have grown over the years a look to give when some teenage boy comes over to see her or pick her up! I know for a fact that I WILL leave an impression on them! If the thought of a pissed of me is what it takes, then that is what I will deliver! She is a wonderful cook! She can just whip something up with virtually no planning and going by memory and NAIL a recipe! I am not much of a girly man so I don't think her and I connect these days like we used to when she went hunting and fishing with me! I know what boys like to do because I have been a little boy for 39 years! I don't keep it secret that I work my ass off when I have to but I LIVE life whenever I can! I think that Jessi is actually more like me than Sean is! She is smart and picks things up instantly! She is patient and doesn't need to study very hard to get really good grades! She is very similar to me in a lot of ways! the things that she likes- she is very passionate about and she gives herself to the things she likes! She is a wonderful daughter and I think I will keep her! Some day, hopefully years and years from now, I will walk her down the aisle and give her away! I will get to see her graduate high school and college hopefully before that happens! Well, off to pack a little for my trip! I leave Sunday for Orlando so I will blog about my trip when I get back! Night!

New Nemesis!

Couple of Mallard...
Pictures to get me PUMPED up for October 1! I got pictures of the puppies from Joey today and I need to call tomorrow and see if they have any broen females left! I don't see what is wrong with a black one! They are cute, too! I leave for Orlando Sunday and I can't wait! NOT! I am not looking forward to it and what will be waiting on my desk when I come back! Work was uneventful today but busy as heck! The Vikings benched their QB today and I don't know if that is good or bad! I guess my opinion is he couldn't be any worse than Jackson and they were close to winning both games! I guess Sunday will tell the story! We fly into Orlando at 12:30 PM and the Vikings play at 1 PM so I have to find a bar that has the game on so I can watch it! I am thinking Shane will probably not be up for that! Well, it is almost 9 PM and I haven't slept that great this week so I am off to check a few more things online and go to bed! Night

Goose Hunting

OK, I Had a Monday Off From...
Work, so I decided to get some steel shot and a duck stamp and take advantage of the extended season on Canadian geese! I got up at 5 AM, got all ready and went out back with Dad at 530 AM. So, we didn't see any geese but we did see six turkeys and a couple of partridge. Then we went for a ride and still didn't see any geese but I talked him into driving down a road close to my house and checking out a huge swamp that Colleen had told me about! Well, that place was LOADED with ducks! There were mallards everywhere and I saw a couple of wood ducks and some black ducks, too! Well, Dad dropped me off, I went home and took a nap then went back to the spot colleen had told me about! I could TOTALLY get into duck hunting! There is all kinds of calls and trinkets and decoys! You get to have a dog to go get your ducks and I have an absolute duck haven just down the road! I am off to Cabela's to see what kind of money I am talking about before October 1 when ducks open! I have to say I know next to nothing about duck hunting but I learned turkey pretty good on the fly so I am going to dive head first into duck hunting! I can't wait to get a retriever and start training him or her to go get ducks! It will be nice to have a hunting companion to hunt with until Sean is old enough to tag along with me! Colleen seems to be OK with everything so far so I am off to do some research on decoys and calls! Later

Ok- I Will Play, Too

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison- of course!
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding-I prefer my pudding caucasian
7. Cheese fondue - yes
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich - yummy!
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart - yummy
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle- have tried- didn't like
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - had dandelion wine
19. Steamed pork buns- I am a boob man! No buns for me!
20. Pistachio ice cream- Love it
21. Heirloom tomatoes- yes- my grandfather grew them
22. Fresh wild berries- yes
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans - yes
25. Brawn, or head cheese (Ew!)- yes- my grandfather used to make it
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters - yes
29. Baklava -yes
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - clam chowder, yes
33. Salted lassi - I bet Timmy was pissed when they killed her and salted her!
34. Sauerkraut - Heck Yeah!
35. Root beer float - No Way- Ever! Oh wait, of course!
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - With Monica Lewinski?
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - Yes
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail- Never eaten one but have used oxtail to tie flies
41. Curried goat
42. Whole Insects - You don't fish in Maine and NOT eat some blackflies or mosquitos! Not by choice!
43. Phaalis - UMMMM NO!
44. Goat’s milk - Have tried it- very bitter and thin!
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - No but I sure would like to!
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - They are GOOOOOD
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - Heck yeah!
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV - Yes- in Canada!
59. Poutine - What self respecting man wouldn't go down on his woman? LOL
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores - Oh Yesssss
62. Sweetbreads - Well yeah!
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs - YES- many, many moons ago! Not THAT bad!
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - Heck Yeah!
68. Haggis - Yes- don't like it!
69. Fried plantain - Isn't that a Crabby Patty? Aren't they kind of small?
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - I have managed to avoid these STD's!
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill - I think we ALL know the answer!
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - Oh yeah!
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong - Is this a type of lap dance?
80. Bellini - no, but my Dad has one of their shotguns
81. Tom yum - NO- I am NOT eating Tom! This is a sick poll!
82. Eggs Benedict - Sorry, Honey but YES! I had them in Florida!
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. - No but bought tires there
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare - YES
87. Goulash
88. Flowers - Does clover count?
89. Horse - YES- does NOT taste good!
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam - I live in Maine and am a red neck! What do you think?
92. Soft shell crab - yes
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano - Isn't it 'No Problemo'?
96. Bagel and lox - Oh yeah! Delish!
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I am like Nicole in that I will try just about anything once! I do not have a refined pallet or anything- I just like different foods!

OK, Maybe Not

My Big Plans for...
A BBQ and wiffle ball game came to a halt! Jerry and Zack are sick and everyone else was worried about rain! Oh well, maybe we can do it another weekend! I have a duck stamp in my wallet, my Dad has a duck stamp in his wallet and our plans are to shoot some geese on Monday! I need to run to Bangor tomorrow and buy a box of shells and then get all my camo ready for some hunting on Monday! I have Monday off because I fly to Orlando for a computer conference next Sunday and I was told I can't work seven days! I am really not looking forward to Orlando! I don't like being out of work and I don't like being away from my family! Oh well, I need to do it because my boss is counting on me to come through and go so I will go, of course! My brother wants me to go over to his house tomorrow and watch football! I have some stuff to do in the morning and then we will see what the day holds! The Vikings play the Colts at 1 PM on national TV and he wants me to come out and watch it with him! We will see what happens but I will probably go! Well, I am off to take a shower and put on some PJ's and get ready for the night! Later