George Carlin

It was a shocker when George Carling died last month. I expected that old codger to be around for years, hobbling around on a gnarled up walking stick and waving his arms around while he grumped and fussed. He has been a comedy fixture my whole life. I listened to some of his comedy routines when I was a kid and watched most of his HBO specials.

He came to town a few years ago and did a standup routine for about an hour. I got great seats because of connections at the radio station. But to be honest, he came off as a bitter, twisted old man who wasn’t funny anymore. I was terribly disappointed in the entire show and wondered if it was me not being in the right frame of mind that night? Or has he lost his funny touch?

I read the other day that he had just done another show with new material and that his children are releasing it on DVD to try to milk a few more dollars out of their old man’s estate. I sure hope the show was funny this time. I really did like the guy and am sorry that he’s gone.

Life’s a Beach

My folks have a cottage on the water and we try to get over there at least once each summer to most importantly spend a weekend with them and also take advantage of the boating and water sports while there.

Having grown up on and around the water, I know how hard the elements can be on wood products and even some metals. Salt water and wind are very corrosive to furniture, decks, boats, etc. and there’s a good reason why the good quality boats use teak on their decks and trim. Teak is a dense, durable wood that can hold up to the elements for years and years. Teak does not require much care or maintenance, compared to other hardwoods. And it looks great.

I thought it would be nice to get my folks something for the cottage for their anniversary and I’m thinking a pair of teak chairs for the deck would be appreciated. I found a website that specializes in teak furniture and they have a great selection of teak chairs. Some of the classic styles are even on sale right now, which makes them very reasonably priced for the kind of quality that will last a very long time and very affordable for a nice anniversary gift.

Let’s hope my folks don’t read my blog before I have a chance to get them ordered and delivered to the cottage for their anniversary gift. I love surprising them!

New Laptop

I have a Dell laptop that I love and was stupid enough to loan it to a girl who needed it for a few days. I figured I could do without for up to a week with not much inconvenience. She needed it to do a big project and had a chance to make some good money from the project, so I didn’t mind. But after a week went by I started to worry and finally called her to ask for it back. That’s when she said that she was having a problem with it turning on. Arrrgh.

I had her bring it back to my house and sure enough, it no longer turns on. She swears she has no idea what happened. That she had worked on it a couple times and everything was great, but then for no apparent reason it wouldn’t turn on.

After she left, I looked at it more closely and I can see where the back left corner of the case is cracked and it is obvious it’s been dropped. That so pisses me off. I can’t tell you how pissed off I am. Not really that she dropped it - if it was an accident, then so be it. But to lie to my face and not take any responsibility for it at all. ARRRGGHHH. I can’t deal with this - she’s on the top of my sh*t list and that’s not a good place to be.

Internationally Yours

When you work for an international company you must develop an increased awareness for the holidays and celebrations in other countries. As American’s we are used to the banking-type holidays, when the banks, the post office, government buildings and sometimes school will all be closed for the day. Then there are the cultural holidays, like Mother’s Day, Flag Day, even Thanksgiving, that are celebrated in America on certain dates but perhaps not observed in other countries on the same dates, if at all.

A good example is Father’s Day. In America, Canada, and the U.K. we all honor our fathers by celebrating Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June, every year. However, in Australia, Fathers Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in September.

With Father’s Day just a little over a month away, our friends in Australia are already shopping for gifts and planning their celebrations. A great site to shop for Fathers Day Gifts is DadShop.com.au and it’s not bad for ideas for Christmas gifts, either. Check it out. I can be Australian for the day if the urge to buy me something overcomes you!

Mixed Nuts

I love nuts. Good thing, considering where I work. Ha!

Nuts were always a Thanksgiving and Christmas treat. Something you put out in a big crystal bowl with a couple pairs of hinged nutcrackers. You would site out on the front porch or in the kitchen and crack the nuts and chit chat. It was a great way to keep your hands busy while your tongues wagged.

Now I buy them already out of their shells and vacuum sealed in a can with the Planter’s Peanut guy winking at you. I like the mixed assortment with less peanuts, but I do like peanuts, so it doesn’t really matter. I don’t think I can pick a favorite, it’s a 3 way tie for first place between cashews, almonds and pistachios.