While I was hunting at the farm, I had my camera and took some pictures. I thought I would post them here. There is about 59 acres so this is just a few areas.

My buddy's truck on the left and mine on the right. In the back is the building where they sell fruits, vegetables, plants etc.
This is the area I saw the buck. I will be back there real soon.

This is where we saw all the does first thing in the morning.

The building in the background is the old chicken coop. This is another heavily traveled spot for the deer.

Nature Wins.......Again

My day started at 5:15 AM when I got to the farm. It was about 27 degrees. I suited up and my hunting buddy and I headed into the woods at about 5:40 or so. The legal hunting hours are ½ hour before sun up to ½ after sundown. Sunrise today was at 7:17. At about 5:45 we saw 8 to 10 does, too early and way too dark for a shot. I got into my tree stand at about 6:10 and settled in. At 10:30, I had to get down and stretch my legs. I found another spot and stayed there for about an hour.

At 12:00, my buddy and I went and got lunch. When we finished, he went home and I went back out. Only this time, I brought my stool because my back couldn’t take the tree stand anymore. I set up right under my buddies tree stand. It is about 3 to 5 yards off the main trail, which is also used by the deer. As I sat there, dozing on and off, I saw and heard nothing.

At 2:00 I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and saw the ass end of a deer! The head was behind a tree. I figured it was a doe. As I got my bow ready for the shot, it took off sprinting down the path, about 3 yards in front of me. That is when I realized it was not a doe, but a 5 point buck!! It was too quick for me to get off a shot so I just sat there and watched what turned out to be my one and only shot, run off into the woods. I can’t believe how close he was to me. I finally gave up and called it a day at 4:00. My back had called it a day about 2 hours earlier.

On the way home I saw two does in someone’s backyard. I though about pulling over and getting the bow out and taking a shot but came to my sense quickly. At least I know he is out there and I’ll get him next time.

Bow Hunting

Although I have been hunting on and off since 1995 I have never gone bow hunting. I will be going for the first time on Friday. I am going to a private farm in North West New Jersey. I have a Hoyt Trykon parallel limb bow set at 50lbs. It is set up with a Toxonics 3 pin sight, although I only use 2 of them, 1 at 10 yards and 1 at 20 yards. The sight has a harmonics dampener. I am also shooting with a Whisker Biscuit which I have never used. I used to use a Nap Smart Rest. If anyone who reads my blog is a bow hunter, let me know if and how you shoot a Whisker Biscuit. I have heard most people shoot the cock feather up, but a few shoot it down. I had it installed at Simon Peter in Newton NJ, and was told it is best to shoot it up.

Anyway, like I stated in a previous post, I have yet to get a deer so I am looking forward to Friday. I have never hunting this early in the season. I’ve always had to wait until December for the permit shotgun then the regular shotgun in January and February. I was at Cheesequake Park yesterday and I saw a 4 point buck and 3 does. Hopefully I will see the same on Friday from my tree stand.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Four the past four years my wife, daughter and I went pumpkin picking. My daughter would pick which pumpkin we would get and I would carve it. OK, maybe I picked the first two. Here are the ones we did. Happy Halloween!!

Is there any good TV left??

All summer I waited for the Fall TV Line-up. I have my favorite sit-coms that I watch every week and since the Yankees didn’t make the play-offs I was looking forward to watching them. Well, so far I am very disappointed in them. The following is a list of the ones I watch and what I thought of them;
My Name Is Earl- Waist of my time. It used to be funny in the first 2 seasons.
How I Met Your Mother- Getting less funny each season.
Two And A Half Men- Losing interest. Like watching a comedian who is doing the same routine over and over.
The Office- Probably the biggest disappointment of them all. Although I found it to be the funniest, I don’t think it was as good as it could have been.

I also watched two new shows;
Worst Week- What could I say other than worst show.
Gary Unmarried- Has potential. There were some funny lines.

I also watch 30 Rock but have not seen it yet this year. From the looks of it I will be watching NASCAR, golf, football, hunting/fishing shows and the Food Network a lot this fall and winter.

End of Summer

My in-laws pool is closing on September 30^th. While this is the signal of the end of summer, it is also the beginning of my fall/winter hobbies. Bow hunting season is here and the striped bass should be running with-in the next few weeks. There is also plenty of fall trout fishing. I am going to dust off the fly rods and give it a try again.

The hunting in New Jersey is getting worse and worse each year. I am afraid to hunt on public land anymore. There are way too many people hunting in small areas. I am lucky; I have private property to hunt on (for now). It is a farm of about 59 or so acres in North West Jersey. If/when I lose that I am not sure what I’ll do. I don’t even pheasant hunt anymore. Especially on opening day. It is like a war zone.

Upstate New York is the place to hunt. I went turkey hunting up there this past April. I know a guy who has a hunting cabin and 7 acres that borders hundreds of acres of NY state land. I hunted there for two days and never saw or heard another hunter. You can only hunt for turkeys in the spring until 12:00 noon. Unfortunately, all the turkeys we saw were after 12:00 noon. As the saying goes; a bad day of hunting is better than a good day at work.

I Pod

I have wanted an I Pod for a long time and for some reason I have never gotten one. Now Apple came out with a new one. Well, two; the nano 8GB and the nano 16GB. The 8 GB is around $150 and holds 2,000 songs and the 16gb is around $200 and holds 4,000 songs (according to the specs at bestbuy.com).

I’m not sure that I need to have 4,000 songs on me so I am looking at the 8 GB. Does anybody have one of the new ones? For now I am using my Juke cell phone from Samsung, as it has a music player. Albeit only 2 GB. The one problem is the more I use it the quicker the battery drains on it. And if I use the music player for ½ an hour then make or receive a call, the phone needs to be charged. It can get quite annoying. Also, the Juke does not have external speakers, that I know of. I don't like the phone for many more reasons but that is neither here nor there. I guess it’s better than nothing until I finally get an I Pod.

More thoughts

One thing that I don’t understand is why someone would continue to read a blog that they don’t like. To me it is like watching a movie you don’t like or reading a book you don’t like over and over again. Why do it? You are the only one that is losing.

Actually, in a way, the more I read the inane, nonsensical (sorry for the big words) comments, the more obtuse (again, sorry for the big word) you sound. So keep up the good work of making me laugh.

A new me??

Last week I went to the doctor for a check up and had blood work done. I got the results back and found out that my cholesterol is a little on the high side. Needless to say I have to change my diet and, gulp, exercise.

I started off by going for a ride on my bike that I haven’t touched in over a year. I guess it’s true that you never forget how to ride a bike. Last night, my wife, daughter and I went for a walk. It wasn’t bad. I haven’t gone for a walk in a long time. We didn’t go that far though. Baby steps, right? I guess I should start playing more golf. Does that count as exercise? ;-)

I have to admit that I am kinda glad the summer is (unofficially) over. I spend a lot of time by the pool just sitting around eating and drinking and not getting any exercise, except for the occasional swim. I better really start watching what I eat because Thanksgiving and the Christmas season are just around the corner and I love to eat…which is what put me in the position I am in. Oh boy, I guess this exercise and healthier eating thing is going to be on going…..

9/11- Let's never forget

As I am sure all of you are aware, today is the 7^th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. While everyone talks about all the heroes (policemen, firefighters and EMTS), let’s not forget all the people who died doing what they do every day. The people who were at work in the towers. The people who had to go there just for the day. The people who were on the planes just going about their business. I have the utmost respect for all emergency personnel and thank them for the job they did on that dreadful day. But it seems that we sometimes forget that that a lot of people died that day in jobs that normally bring no danger or risk of losing ones life.

I knew one of the victims in the World Trade Center. I remember all she wanted to do was work in real estate in Manhattan. Who knew that when she finally got her dream job, it would ultimately lead to her death?

So, to Margaret, all the police, firemen, EMTs and all the other innocent victims, God bless you, your family and your friends. And most of all, God bless the USA. Shall we never forget 9/11.

Within 5 minutes I just found out that Jerry Reed and voice over king Don LaFontaine have died. They both died on Monday according to cnn.com.

I remember Jerry Reed from Smokey and the Bandit and also from many songs he had. She Got The Goldmine (I Got The Shaft), When You're Hot, You're Hot, Amos Moses to just name a few. Jerry was 71.

Of course, I know Don LaFontaine from the Geico commercial and hundreds of movie trailers. He was 68.

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No where in my previous post did I mention that St. Patrick's Day is an official holiday, therefore the comment was uncalled for (and deleted). I will no longer tolerate any abusive, profane or another other negative comment made towards me or my character. This blog is my own personal thoughts and views and I welcome serious and/or funny (NOT ABUSIVE) comments. If you do not agree with my thoughts or do not like what I post, then DO NOT READ IT.

Happy Halloween??

I was at the food store the other day and they already have their Halloween candy and decorations out. I know summer is un-officially over, but they started putting the candy out 2 weeks ago. It seems every year; holiday stuff is being put out earlier and earlier. Another couple of weeks and we will start seeing Christmas items on the store shelves.

The only thing worse than that was when I was a kid and enjoying summer vacation and started to see back-to-school commercials on TV and back-to-school sales in stores….in July. Well, I guess I’d better get to the store and buy my daughter a Halloween costume before they run out of them. That reminds me of the costumes when I was a kid. Superman, spider man etc. They all had the plastic outfit that you tie in the back and the plastic mask. When you put the mask on you could hardly see. Boy was it fun crossing the street or climbing up the stairs to ring the doorbell. And living in Jersey City there were a lot of stairs to climb. If it was hot out you’d sweat from the plastic. But if it was cold out, you had to put the costume on over your jacket then it would start ripping.

If that wasn’t bad enough, when we got home my mother would start going through all the candy and throw out the ones that were not sealed in plastic. I hated that part. Before Halloween, there is another holiday; OK, so it’s not an official holiday but it should be. On September 17th, it is half way to St. Patrick’s Day…. My second favorite holiday. Of course St. Patrick’s Day is my favorite, with Thanksgiving a close 2nd. Who doesn’t like a day dedicated to food, drink and football. With that, let me just say Happy Halloween. Oops, I hope I’m not too late. 

Anybody but Boston

Well, I think the New York Yankees 2008 season is nearing an end. After dropping the first two games to Boston, I don’t think they are going to be able to claw their way out of the hole they dug and make it to the playoffs (although stranger things have happened). Making the playoffs 13 years in a row is pretty damn good by anyone’s standards. If the Yankees can’t do it, then I am going to root for the Twins for the wildcard spot. I CAN NOT and will NEVER root for Boston EVER!! And I am going to root for the Rays for the division. And hopefully they will go to the World Series. Is that too much to ask for? You just have to wonder how much more they have. I just don’t want to see Boston advance to the playoff, let alone the World Series.

Summers almost over...

I can’t believe the summer is almost over. It ends as quick as it begins it seems. Last night in was dark out and I looked at the clock and it was only 8:10. What a bummer.

Well, one good thing is going to come out of the end of summer….deer hunting season is just around the corner. I have been shot gun hunting on and off since 1995 and have yet to get a deer. Oh, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to take shots over the years but due to the situations it was not safe to take them. One time I was on 5 or 6 does with a clear shot but behind them were houses, so I decided to pass up the shot. There have been a few times like that.

I have a better feeling about this year though. I finally got my archery license. Now I can hunt early fall, and the rut. Basically the bucks are looking for does to mate with. In the past years with the shot gun I was restricted to 1 week in December. Then, with an additional permit purchased, January. Some of February in certain zones. At least in New Jersey anyway.

I have private property to hunt on; otherwise I would not be hunting in New Jersey. There are way more hunters in this state than land to hunt on. And at the rate of the building that’s going on, there will be no land left period.

Anyway, I am looking forward to getting out there and doing some hardcore bow hunting.

No-bama

“People in this country are ready for change and hungry for a different kind of politics and … for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” WHAT? That is a statemant thatMichelle Obama made.

Barack Obama watched his wife's speech from the living room of a family in Kansas City, Mo., and appeared by video moments afterward. "How about Michelle Obama?" he asked the crowd. "Now you know why I asked her out so many times even though she said no. You want a persistent president."
My question is, why would people want to vote for this guy when his wife, apparently, has not been proud of her country until now?? I will never understand Democrats. This is the greatest F-ING nation in the world and you should be proud of it AT ALL TIMES!! Not just when your husband is running for president.
God help this nation if Osama, oops, I mean Obama wins. If he does, I think I’ll go over the border, eh?

Coward of all cowards

A man by the name Cornelius Abson, was arrested and admitted to the mugging of an 85 year-old women in New York City. He stole her money and cane! He admitted to other muggings of elderly people. In another case he took someone’s bible! Now he is in protective custody and on suicide watch. WHY?!?!? Because his rights may be violated if he was in general population and got his ass kicked? Or his family would sue if this low-life killed himself. What about the rights of his victims? According to the New York Daily News, several of his victims now live in fear. Everyday errands, such as going to the store are now fear filled tasks for the innocent people. Instead of enjoying their “golden years”, they now live in fear. So what if Cornelius Abson gets beat up in prison. He would then get a taste of what his victims got. He said he was a different person during the attacks because of his addiction to crack. Are we supposed to feel sorry for this scumbag now?

From the Daily New--- Abson was convicted in July 1994 for purse-snatchings with the same technique: choking and mugging his elderly victims. In May 2002, he was arrested for choking two senior citizens and swiping their money orders. He pleaded guilty three years later.
So if it was due to his crack addiction, then why didn’t he get help back then? I say throw him in general population and whatever happens, happens.
He did, however, show up to a bail hearing on Friday with a knot on his head and bruised ribs. I’m glad to see some one else feels as I do. Hopefully there will be more.

Don't ask me for money

I have, and still do donate to charities. I go to fund raisers of all kinds, play in charity golf outings and give in other ways when I can. A common sight at the food store I go to these days are kids with coffee cans asking for money for all kinds of activities. Baseball, football, cheerleading, Odyssey of the Mind (what is that??) and others.
While I know they need money for the activities, I am sure there other ways for them to raise needed money other than to stand in the front of the doors waving their cans asking for money. If it isn’t bad enough doing that, their parents and/or guardians are standing there watching them and encouraging them to stop every person and ask for money. I mean, you literally have to walk around them and in some cases ask them to move over to get in. Why can’t the parents see that and tell them to move to the side?
Instead of hounding and bothering people trying to do their shopping, why don’t they do something constructive? They could have a carwash, bake sale, candy bar sale etc. I was involved with activities when I was a kid but do not remember “begging” people for money. I think this sends a wrong message to the kids. It tells them that instead of going out to earn money for something, it is easier to ask people for the money.
There is, however, one person I give money to. Every once in a while there is an older gentleman, who sits at a table well off to the side of the doors, who collects money for disabled US veterans. He does not wave a coffee can, block the doors or approach anyone. He sits at the table and waits for people to donate money.
Just once, I would like to go to the food store without a kid stopping me, waving his coffee can and asking me to donate money.

Motel of Horror

My wife, 3 year-old daughter, mother-in-law, father-in-law and I stayed at The Eden Roc in Wildwood NJ this past week end, Friday 8/15, Saturday 8/16, Sunday 8/17 and checked out Monday 8/18. My wife, daughter and I stayed in an efficiency room at $126 a night for a grand total of $378. My mother-in-law and father-in-law stayed in a regular room at $115 a night for a grand total of $345. According to the web site, Visa and Master card are accepted but when you get there they deal with cash only. Also according to the web site there is a gas grill available so we bought food to grill. Upon arrival, there was no gas grill, only a charcoal grill that was absolutely filthy and unworthy of cooking on. Again, according to the web site "most rooms have new carpeting". My room nor my in-law's room had new carpeting. When we first arrived and checked in, my in-laws room was not ready and they had to switch rooms. The new room did not have new carpet either. In fact, every room that I could see into had no new carpeting. Instead was old worn out filthy carpeting that we were afraid to walk on bare foot. Laundry Facilities were advertised but we did not see them nor were they offered to us. We had two smoke detectors in our room both of which were inoperable. I had to threaten to call the local fire inspector before I was given a new detector for my room. Who knows how many other rooms have inoperable detectors. The bathroom and kitchen area were filthy and unclean. Again, we bought food to cook in the kitchen but were afraid to cook on the stove or use any of the pots, pans or plates etc. They advertise a kitchen with a refrigerator and stove. That is mis-leading. Upon check-in we found out it is a mini-fridge and a small two burner electric stove. The tub was so disgusting that we had my daughter stand up in the tub and poured water on her to clean her because we didn't want her to sit in the tub. My in-laws room had no working GFCI outlet in the bathroom, no working light in the bedroom, and a sink that would not drain in the bathroom and a shower curtain that was covered in mold. Shuffleboard also was advertised on the website. When we went to play, we found that the surface was severely cracked and uneven with the painted surface peeling rendering it unplayable. A heated pool was advertised but it was not working and no attempt was made to fix it. The gates to the pool area were not working. I was afraid a child could wonder out of his/her room and enter the pool area. The manager was hardly outside during our stay. When she was, she was the nastiest, rudest person I ever met. The maid service was the worst I have ever seen. They ran the vacuum for two seconds in each room, sometimes not even using it. The towels were old and worn out. I had to ask for toilet paper. The first time I ever had to do such a thing. All in all we were duped into thinking we were staying at a nice clean friendly motel but the Eden Roc is anything but. Had there been any vacancies elsewhere that weekend we would not have stayed there. Needless to say we will NEVER return nor would we ever recommend The Eden Roc to anyone.

Adventure Aquarium

I haven’t blogged in a while because I was on vacation. One of the places we went to was the Adventure Aquarium in Camden NJ. It was an adventure getting there. We used GPS on the way there and home and believe it or not but it gave us two wrong turns, 1 on the way and 1 on the way home. They both happened in the same area. I must admit that I was a little concerned about the area we wound up in. It is exactly what you think of when you think Camden NJ. Luckily it was only for a few blocks. Other than that, it is actually easy to get to. I should have just followed the signs and not trusted the GPS ala Michael Scott (from the show The Office).
Anyway, the aquarium itself was more than I expected. They had a lot to see. Baileigh (my daughter) got to touch a shark and a ray, as did my wife and I. She was very excited about that. We saw penguins, seals, sharks and many more fish. I was disappointed about the “Creature Section” though. I thought we would be able to see crabs and lobsters (which Baileigh wanted to see) but they had moved them out to bring in the sharks that we got to “pet”. For lunch we ate in the cafeteria. I must admit, although not 5 star cuisine, the food was not bad and priced reasonably. All in all we had a great day. I asked Baileigh what her favorite part was and she said “all of it!” My favorite part was seeing the sharks. Especially when you go through the shark tank tunnel and you see the sharks swimming on your left, right and over your head. It was totally worth the trip and we may even go back there one day.

Golf and lightning

Yesterday I played the best round of golf in a long time. I shot a 114. Now, this may be a VERY high score to some people but keep in mind that I only play a couple of times a year. Actually, I played about 6 or 7 times this year so far. But in the past three years I only played twice. So I will gladly take the 114. Of course what the score does not show (forgive me if I brag a little here) is the 50 foot putt I made and the best drive of my life. Probably around 250 yards +/-, right in the middle of the fairway (usually I go left). When we teed off, it was sunny and in the 80’s. By the third hole, the clouds moved in. We were OK until about the 6th hole. Then the rains came with thunder off in the distance. It only lasted 2 holes. The sky never cleared though. By the 14th hole, the rains came again. Only this time, the thunder was very close. When we got to the 15th green, we saw lightning. It was not that close…yet. I guess we should have called it a day but we figured we were almost done so what the hell, let’s finish. There were 8 of us and we were the first foursome and thought for sure our other foursome behind us would not be able to finish, but on the 17th hole they caught us. On the 18th tee, we saw it. Big huge bolts of lightning right over the club house. I am not going to lie, I was scared. As was everyone else. The wind picked up and the thunder was as loud as ever and we saw a lot more lightning but yes, we finished. So did our second foursome. Actually, there were two more foursome behind them and they finished. I have never played in rain before let alone lightning. That will probably be the one and only time….unless I am in the middle of another great round.

Bad TV

There have been a lot of really bad sitcoms on TV. Here is my list of some of the worst, in my opinion..
Chicken Soup
Emeril
Hot Properties
Family Matters
That 80’s Show
Titus
Baby Bob
Joey
Crumbs
Out of Practice
Stacked
Did I miss any? Let me know if you can add any.

Cheap beer

I went to the liquor store yesterday to get beer. I am getting tired of drinking the same stuff so I was looking for something different. As I was checking out the selection, a brand that I have not seen in a long time caught my eye. Schaefer beer. I remember my father drinking Schaefer in the 70’s. Looking at the beer brought back a lot of memories. So I decided to buy it. As I was pulling out the 12 pack, I noticed the brand next to it was another I haven’t seen in a long time, Pabst Blue Ribbon. I bought that 12 pack as well. Both 12 packs were $13! A case of beer for $13, I couldn’t believe it. On the way home I figured they would both taste like something out of the sewer, but to my surprise they were good. Albeit not as good as say, Heineken or Yuengling, but good none the less. The Schaefer was a little bit better. For the price and taste, Schaefer may be my new beer. At least for a while.

Montauk Monster?!?!

This is from 1010wins.com. What do you think? I think it is a fake.

Posted: Thursday, 31 July 2008 6:28AMUnidentified Creature Washes Up on Montauk Beach
MONTAUK, N.Y. (1010 WINS) -- Somebody call Scooby Doo!It looks like Long Island has got a creature of its very own. Locals spotted and photographed the dead - and as of yet unidentified - beast after it washed up on a Montauk beach July 12.Alice Stockton-Rossini reports:
It's kinda brownish with a beak that resembles a lobster claw and has pointy white teeth. It's been dubbed the 'Montauk Monster.'Jenna Hewitt, 26, and Rachel Goldberg, 29, both of Montauk told Newsday they were looking for a spot to sit on the beach when they saw 'The Monster.'"We didn't know what it was," she said. "We joked that maybe it was something from Plum Island."The thing is, nobody knows what it is yet, but the east end of Long Island has been buzzing with theories.Some think it's a sea turtle without a shell, others say it could be a raccoon or perhaps a rodent. A few people even think it's some sort of evil demon.William Wise, director of Stony Brook University's Living Marine Resources Institute took a look at the photo and told Newsday he thinks it's a fake."A talented someone got very creative with latex," Wise said.Asked to take his best guess he said he thinks it could be a dog or coyote that was diseased and in the water too long.Photo courtesy Jenna Hewitt

Down the Shore

I spent a day “down the Jersey shore” this past weekend. We stayed in Ortley Beach at a house my brother and sister-in law rented for the week. We went down on Sunday and came home Monday night. Before we left we went to the boardwalk in Seaside Heights. I felt like I was in a time warp back to the 80’s. I can’t believe you can still get an airbrushed T-shirt (I thought they were gay back then- let alone now). I was walking around looking at all the people, who some would call freaks. I couldn’t help but think that I was one of those freaks back then with my long hair and earrings and what not. Of course the whole area was packed with the ever present “bennies”. All you see are a bunch of Tony’s and Joey’s walking shirtless showing off their muscles. One big change that is very noticeable is the water. It is so much cleaner than back then. You could actually look down and see your feet clearly. No trip to the shore would be complete for me without a cheese steak on the boardwalk. I remember getting a cheese steak sandwich with real steak piled high and dripping with melted cheddar cheese sauce. My mouth was watering as I waited for it, but what I got was a steak-um sandwich with two slices of white American cheese. What a disappointment. Oh well, at least I still have the memories.

Stewart leaving JGR

Tony Stewart announced he is leaving Gibbs racing to become an owner/driver in 2009. He is joining Haas/CNC which will now be Stewart-Haas. I think this is a big mistake. It has already been proven that owner/drivers can’t really make it in NASCAR today. A few drivers who come to mind are, Ricky Rudd and Michael Waltrip. I also remember Dave Marcus had to hang it up. Some people may argue the fact that they are not as talented a driver as Tony Stewart, but driving is a full time job and owning a race team is a full time job; albeit Stewart is going to be half owner. If it were so easy to do both, why haven’t more drivers tried to do it? Tony Stewart is my wife’s favorite driver but I do not really care for him so I have mixed feelings about the whole deal. I guess we’ll see if it works in 2009.

Cigars

One of my hobbies is smoking cigars. I can’t afford to smoke the premiums so I used to get them from Thompson Cigars via the internet. When I first started getting them, I got good quality cigars plus some freebies with my orders. The last few orders I got from them were less than good quality. In fact, they were bad. The last order I got was so bad (they were hard as a rock when I got them and several were split) that I returned them for a new batch. Even though I bought the cheap ones I still spent $80 because I bought three bundles. The replacement bundles were not fresh either. I was able to salvage a majority of them. This was the first time I returned anything to them and when I called them to tell them that, the customer service rep was very rude. I told him I was going to take my business elsewhere due to the lack of customer service and several shipments of stale cigars. His response was basically go ahead. That was about 4 years ago. To this day I order my cigars from JR Cigars. Mostly from the web site because in New Jersey there are only 2 stores and they are both about an hour away from me. I still can’t afford the premiums so I get the JR alternatives. Although they are not as good as the premiums, they are still a very good smoke. I would not recommend Thompson to anyone but I highly recommend JR Cigar. In fact, if you go to the store in Whippany NJ, they have a bar that you can have a beer or drink with your cigar. They also have a lounge area with couches and chairs. You can also shop in their store for anything from cigar lighters and ash trays to golf shirts and ties and everything in between. When I lived in north Jersey I went there just about every two weeks to stock up. Now I have to resort to the internet for my order and have a beer with my cigar at home, with the occasional trip to the Whippany store. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to go place an order. Happy smoking…

The power of a blog

Sunscreen ban at Yankee stadium update. The below article is from nj.com; however I am still out $10. Oh well.

Yankees lift ban on bringing sunscreen into stadium
by The Associated Press
Tuesday July 22, 2008, 12:45 PM
NEW YORK - Go ahead, Yankees fans. Slather on that SPF 45 -- sunscreen is now legal in Yankee Stadium.
The baseball team has lifted a ban on plastic containers of sunscreen at their ballpark after deciding "not to be as stringent," team spokesman Jason Zillo said today.
Sports teams around the country started restricting what fans could bring into stadiums after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The Yankees' website lists bans on backpacks, briefcases, coolers, large purses, laptop computers and video cameras. Bottles and cans also are on the forbidden list, but the sunscreen question is not specifically addressed.
The New York Post reported today that Yankees fans were hot and bothered over the weekend because of a crackdown on sunscreen.
The newspaper said security guards confiscated garbage bags full of the stuff at entrances to the stadium when the team played Saturday and Sunday day games in 90-plus weather.
Zillo said the Yankees have banned sunscreen containers larger than 3 ounces for several years but the restriction was eased in the last few days and sunscreen is now permitted.
Major League Baseball, which promotes skin-cancer prevention through its "Play Sun Smart" program, leaves security measures up to teams. The Mets, allows sunscreen.
See more in Yankees

Sunblock ban @ Yankee stadium

There is a story in todays New York Post on the sunblock ban at Yankee stadium. Below is the link to the story. I am quoted in it. I hope this does not count as my "15 minutes". :-)

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07222008/news/regionalnews/sunblockheads__at_the_stadium_120930.htm

Grandma Madeline Brandon turning 100!!

In August we are going to a birthday party for my wife’s friend’s grandmother. She will be 100 years-old. Let me tell you, she is not one of those soon-to-be 100 years-olds that are in a wheelchair and hooked up to all kinds of machines and just sitting in a corner of a room. Madeline may not be able to get around like she did a few years ago but she still has all her faculties about her and is still sharp as a tack. So I started to think of something to buy a 100 year-old woman. I was going to get her roller blades or perhaps an X-Box. Or what about a football?? Seriously, what do you get a woman who is turning 100?
Here are some facts of the year she was born- 1908
Theodore Roosevelt was president
A subway linking New York’s Brooklyn and Manhattan opened.
The 1st US postage stamps in rolls were issued.
The forty-sixth star was added to the U.S. flag, signifying Oklahoma’s admission to statehood.
Wireless Radio Broadcasting was patented by Nathan B. Stubblefield.
Henry Ford’s first Model T rolled off the assembly line.
General Motors filed papers of incorporation.
The Chicago Cubs won the Baseball World Series (and are still waiting for another one).
Harley Davidson was 5 years-old.

Born in 1908
Bette Davis
Buddy Ebsen
Ethel Merman
Ian Fleming (James Bond author)
Jimmy Stewart
Mel Blanc
Don Ameche
Milton Berle
Nelson Rockefeller
Lyndon B. Johnson
Grandma Madeline Brandon

New Jersey

Gov. Corzine (from here on out will be referred to as Gov. Corslime) has been threatening to raise the tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway for some time now. I don’t know about you but I take the Parkway every day home from work and already pay $1.10 one way. I couldn’t imagine using the Turnpike twice a day now, let alone if/when the tolls go up. Instead of hurting the already over taxed people of New Jersey (we have the highest in the nation property taxes) for money problems our leaders are responsible for, not the people of New Jersey, why not lease advertising space on the Turnpike and Parkway. Lord knows we sit in enough traffic every day to read any and all advertising. Here’s my idea; instead of going through the Essex Toll Plaza or the Toms River Toll Plaza, you would go through the “Verizon Wireless Essex Toll Plaza” or the “Nike Toms River Toll Plaza”. This way, New Jersey will get some money and the tolls won’t have to go up as much as Gov. Corslime wants them to. I’m sure there are more ways to save and generate money if people started to think of them. We have to do something before the people of New Jersey are taxed and tolled out of the state- which may not necessarily be a bad thing. 

YankeeStadium

I went to the Yankee game yesterday with my wife, her parents, and her brother, his wife and their two kids. The last game at the stadium I went to was about five years ago. I could not believe the price for food and drinks. They were selling Fosters beer 24 oz. cups for $12.50!!!! But if you didn't want to or couldn't afford to shell out $12.50 for one beer, there was a cheaper alternative. You could get a Bud or Miller for a low low $8.50 for a 12 oz. bottle. I watch two guys in front of us spend $90 on beer and they only had about 4 or 5 each. It wasn't just the price of beer. We bought 6 bottles of water, two bags of peanuts and two bags of sunflowers seeds for $12.00. The exact same thing inside the stadium would have been $50. As I was standing in line for my $5.00 hot dog, people were complaining about the price of beer mostly, yet when it was their turn to order, they all got beer. I don't know which is worse, charging that much for beer or complaining that it is ridiculous yet buying it anyway. It just shows that no matter what they charge, there will always be someone there to pay it. Oh yeah, I had a can of sunblock on me which I was not allowed to bring in. I was told no cans- it was a spray can. So I had to put on my sunblock then either go all the way back to the car then wait in the long line (again) in the blistering sun and heat or toss my $10 new can of sun block. I tossed it because I did not want to wait a second time. So, someone from the stadium or the Yankees owes me $10 or a new can of sunblock.

Here is a picture of Baileigh after a day at the pool. Not sure if you can see her due to the camo. :-)

Greatest Yankee ever???

Whitey Ford? Yogi Berra? Babe Ruth? Joe DiMaggio? Mickey Mantel? Who is the greatest Yankee of all time? Let me hear from you who you think it is.

Garlic

With the rising cost of everything these days, I am always looking for ways to save money. Since I love to cook and I love garlic (I put it in almost everything I cook), I decided to try growing it. I thought there was garlic and that’s it but when I started to research it, I was blown away to see how many different verities there are. I found a web site, thegarlicstore.com, and I found everything I needed to know about planting, growing and harvesting garlic. I even bought garlic from them. You can use garlic from the food store but it is not as good as the garlic from a grower. It is very easy. All you do is break up the bulb into cloves. Leave the paper on the cloves and bury them in the ground in September or October. The following July they are ready for harvesting. I planted German Red and Italian Purple last October. I already pulled the German Red and used it. I have about 24 bulbs of the German Red and I didn’t even harvest the Italian Purple yet. I won’t have to buy garlic for a long time. I am going to take the 2 biggest bulbs of each variety and save them for planting next fall. Now my garden consists of garlic, tomatoes (a few types), Jalapeño peppers and basil. Each year I add something new.

One of my thoughts.....

My mind does not work like many people’s mind. I think of things that some would say are a bit odd. This is just a sample of things I think about from time to time. I recently got into wine and was looking it up on the computer to see if I should drink it chilled or not. One site I read said red wine should be served at “room temperature”. Now, if I was to drink it in my kitchen, it would be about 71 degrees. Yet if I am going to drink it downstairs in my TV room, that would be about 65 degrees. Or better yet, what if I was to drink it outside. Then what?? So, what is “room temperature”?

Vizio High Def TV

For as long as I can remember, I wanted an LCD high def TV with surround sound. They were always too expensive and decided to wait until the prices came down a bit- just like everything else. (I remember my first CD player from the early 80’s. Almost $400 and played 1 CD at a time) The prices did not come down as much as I had hoped. Someone told me about a company called Vizio. At first I balked at the thought of a “low end” high def TV but my brother-in-law got one and said he loves it. The one thing I heard was it had poor sound quality. I asked my broth-in-law about it and he said he has a surround sound system so he does not use the TV’s speakers because he heard the same thing. I finally had enough money to buy a 32” Sony LCD high def but I kept looking at the Vizio at Costco. After about 2 months of thinking and doing research, I bought a Vizio. Since I bought the “low end” brand, I was able to afford a 42”- which has to go on top of the entertainment center. I also bought a Samsung surround sound system. I have had the whole set up for about 3 months or so and I am extremely satisfied with it. The surround sound system has an up-converting DVD player which makes ordinary DVD’s look high def. With high def and surround sound booming, it is hard to watch regular TV. My only regret is not getting it earlier.

No fluke.....

Went fishing on Saturday. Took the wife and daughter and met my brother-in-law and his three kids at the pier. We were fluke fishing but came up empty. I did manage to catch a pretty big sea robbin though. Of course I threw it back. We also caught a couple of crabs (too small to keep) and about 20 lbs. of seaweed. My daughter had a great time and that made the fishless day worth it. A bad day of fishing still beats a day of yard work.

Jambalya

I spent the 4th of July at the in-laws. They have a big inground pool and we spend a lot of time there. My daughter LOVES swimming. I usually man the grill for appetizers and/or lunch. Sometimes I even bring my smoker over there and smoke some babyback ribs with a homemade rub and BBQ sauce. This time I wanted to do something different so I tried my hand at jambalaya. At the risk of patting myself on the back, it was really good. It is now going to be a new tradition, my 4th of July jambalaya, which I call, jambaJULYa. The recipe below is the one I used. You can make is as hot as you want and use chicken instead of shrimp. In fact, next time I might use chicken. We finished it off with a couple of good cigars and a glass or two (or three) of a German Riesling wine. Well…..enjoy.

JAMBAJULYA
Ingredients
· 2 tbsp vegetable oil
· 1 lb andouille, chorizo, or other smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
· 2 cups chopped onions
· 3/4 cup chopped bell peppers
· 3/4 cup chopped celery
· salt + cayenne to taste
· 1 cup long-grain white rice
· 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) whole tomatoes, chopped, with juice
· 1 tbsp chopped garlic
· 2 cups water
· 4 bay leaves
· 1/4 tsp dried thyme
· 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
· 1/4 cup chopped green onions
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or an large-cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for 2 minutes. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery. Season with salt and cayenne to taste and saute for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden, wilted and soft.
2. Add the rice and stir to coat evenly. Add the tomatoes with their juices, the garlic, bay leaves and water, thyme. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
3. Season shrimp with salt and cayenne in a mixing bowl . Add to mixture and cook for 10 more minutes. Cook until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed and shrimp is pink.
4. Remove from heat and let stand, covered for about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the green onions and serve. Makes 6 servings

Fireworks

Just like anyone else, I enjoy a good fireworks show….when done by professionals in a safe environment. What I do not like is when people do them in front of their house with no regard for their neighbor’s safety or the fact that they might find them annoying. I live on a cul-de-sac with a school’s ball field at the end of the street. It seems that somebody is setting off fireworks all year long. It annoys me around the Fourth of July let alone in September or March. I remember when I was a kid growing up in Jersey City, NJ there were always fireworks going off around the Fourth of July. It was also expected sometimes on News years Eve. But pretty much quiet the rest of the year. As I get older I can’t help but wonder if they annoyed me as kid and I just don’t remember or if I am turning into the man on the block that kept the kids balls when they went into his yard?? I hope it is not the latter of the two. With that said, have a happy and safe 4th of July.

Scary moment!!

Tuesday night we gave Baileigh a bath and as Beth (my wife) was getting her dressed, Baileigh started acting funny. She went limp and started to stare off into space. Beth called me into the room and I took Baileigh and headed into our bedroom to put her on the bed. I noticed right away that some thing was going on. My first thought was that she was choking. When I got her on the bed I checked to make sue she was breathing then told Beth to call 911. My mother-in-law is a nurse and she is usually the first person we call but I knew this was serious so I wanted the EMTs there right away. The second call was to “grandma the nurse” (who by the way got there at about the same time as the EMTs—go grandma!!).

As soon as the first police officer got there, Baileigh started to come around. The EMT’s were right behind him and right away they suspected a febrile seizure. As anyone who knows my daughter can tell you, she is not fond of any strangers and when she let the EMTs look at her and eventually carry her out to the ambulance, I knew she was not feeling well. Baileigh, Beth and her mom went in the ambulance to the hospital and my father-in-law and I followed in my truck. She was in the hospital from 9 P.M. to 12 A.M. getting all kinds of tests. Everything came back negative. She got the febrile seizure due to the rapid rise in her body temperature. She had a 103 degree fever.

When I was lying on the bed with her during the seizure, I did not know what was going on. It really sucks to watch your kid go through something like that and you are there but totally helpless. After telling my mother about it, she told me I had two febrile seizures as a child. One involving a fever around 106 degrees. They do run in the family.

I am happy to say that by Wednesday morning, Baileigh was back to her usual self. We went to Toys “R” Us and she got a few toys for being a good girl in the hospital then went to the doctor’s for a follow up. After the doctor checked her out and said she was 100%, we went home for a much anticipated and needed nap.

George Carlin

I was very sad and shocked to hear about the passing of George Carlin. Although I thought in his later years he was too much of a "preacher" I still found him funny. Some of his material made you laugh and go "hmmmmm" at the same time. There are not too many people able to do that. I can watch "What am I doing in New Jersey" a hundred times in a row. One of my favorite lines from him was (when people starting wearing colored ribbons for every cause known to man) "I wear a brown ribbon, 'cause I don't give a shit about anything". LOL George Carlin you will be missed. Thank you for all the laughs. R.I.P.

White Stripes!!!

I just started to REALLY get into The White Stripes, although I have enjoyed listening to them for quite a while. Are they still together? If anyone hears that they are going on tour please let me know.

Fishing

Took Baileigh (my daughter) fishing yesterday at Holmdel park pond in of course, Holmdel. I thought maybe we'd catch a fish or two. Boy was I wrong. We caught 8 sunnies. She even reeled in 4 on her own. Well, I held the pole but she did all the reeling herself. She even touched two of 'em. Not bad for a girl, huh? We had a blast and she was so excited when we caught them. I paid $4.25 for the bait but after seeing her reaction I would have paid $425. Maybe soon I will start her surf fishing for stripers, blues and fluke.

VACATION

This year my wife and I decided not to go on a typical week vacation anywhere. Instead, we are going to take a few days here and there and take my daughter to different places. So far we are going to the Crayola Factory, Sesame Place and the aquarium in Camden NJ. Not sure how many readers I have yet (if any), but if someone has any suggestions as to where to take a 3 1/2 year-old, please let me know. Of course I will be taking a day here and there for golf and fishing.

Tiger unstoppable??

I just found out that Tiger Woods is done for the season with knee problems. I guess he is human after all. :-) Well, maybe not, he did win the US Open with torn knee ligaments. Ouch, my knees hurt just reading about that. Although I am a Phil Mickelson fan, I started to like Tiger.

A Newbie

I am new to this whole blogging thing, so bear with me. I will fill this site with very important stuff (well, important to me). You may find it useful, helpful or just a waste of time but hopefully get a chuckle or learn something along the way. I will try to get to it as much as possible but I have a 3 1/2 year-old daughter who takes up much of my time. Oh yeah, and I will be bragging about her a lot. :-) Stay tuned.....