9 Years and 10 Games of Patriots and Doll Fans

It was a warm fall day when I pulled into my new home in South Miami on October 6th, 2001.  I had just moved down to Miami from Boston for absolutely no reason at all.  I was jobless but looking forward to the adventure of starting a new life in a new city.  I arrived to an empty house and began unpacking.  My roommates were out on the water for the Columbus Day Regatta and came home all sorts of riled up.  They decided to throw a party to welcome me that night which was pretty awesome.  I met a lot of cool people that night but the one who surprised me most was a Colombian girl named Maria who was into classic and alternative rock.  We talked for a bit and somehow sports came up and I mentioned I was a Patriots fan.  She didn't know much about football so that was that.  The party ended around 5am from what I remember.  Good times.

The next morning at 10am, there is a knock on the door and someone ringing the bell.  "What the hell is this shit?", I remember thinking to myself as I trudged over to the door in a zombie-like state.  It was a guy who said he was Maria's cousin.  He had two tickets and a parking pass for the Patriots/Dollfans* game and would sell them to me if I wanted them for $80.  Sold!  My first day in Miami was off to a great start!  I vowed that from then on, I would make it an annual event to go to the game when the Patriots were in town.  It's been 9 years to the day and I've kept that vow, having attended 10 Pats/Dollfans games since. 

2001 - Not much tailgating for this one since we got the tix that morning.  My roommate and I got to the game right before kickoff and parked in a lot far from the stadium, guzzling a few beers on the walk in.  On our walk from the car to the stadium, Troy Brown ran the opening kick back to the Dollfans 5 yard line.  We then heard from other tailgaters that the USA had begun bombing Afghanistan.  It was 1 month after 9/11.  The Pats took a 7-0 lead but it was all Dollfans after that as Lamar Smith ran all over the Pats D.  The final score was 30-10, Dollfans.  Two more things about this game...  Having moved to Miami from a small un-diverse town just North of Boston, I was experiencing major culture shock.  It seemed like no one spoke English in Miami.  At halftime, I was very moved when the American flag was draped across the field and a moment of silence for our brothers and sisters in war overseas was observed by all in attendance.  The other part about the game wasn't so surprising.  Jay Fiedler was having a great game.  He threw one pick in garbage time when the game was out of reach and was booed like no tomorrow as Doll Fans around me talked about how much he sucked.  Way to get behind your team.  The Pats would finish the season as Super Bowl Champions for the first time in my lifetime.  Figures the year I move away they win it all...haha.

2002 - A buddy of mine flew down with his girlfriend for this game.  We had an awesome tailgate with Pats fans who seemed to outnumber Doll Fans 2-1.  At least we got a nice buzz on because the Pats lost again 26-13.

2003 - I went to this game with my buddy, Ryan, whom I was also battling in fantasy football that week.  We sat in the upper endzone and he was rubbing it in each time the scoreboard flashed scores from other games where his players were scoring points in our matchup.  I had Tom Brady on my team and as the game went on, my fantasy team was making a comeback.  Our match was close when the Pats game went to overtime.  The Pats made a key defensive stop and then Brady hit Troy Brown for a 75-80 yard TD to not only win the game but give me the W in my fantasy matchup.  It was awesome and one of the best times I can remember having with Ryan.  He passed away 5 years later.  I still think about him all the time.  He was a great friend.

2004 - The Pats/Dollfans game fell on a Monday night this year.  A buddy of mine and I got to the game early and got the fire going to cook some dinner and drink some beers.  It was a good thing we had a nice fire going because it was the coldest night I can remember in South Florida.  At kickoff it was 52 degrees and there was a ton of wind.  We used the fire to keep warm and had 2-3 layers on!  Sure, it was nothing like a snow game at Foxboro but for Miami it was cold!  We scored killer seats for this game about 5 rows up on the 40 yard line and sat there with our hands going numb as they clenched beer after beer.  The Pats went up 28-17 about halfway thru the 4th quarter and my buddy, who had driven us to the game, wanted outta that stadium like a typical shitty Doll Fan.  I laid into him as we walked to the car for being a shitty fan and as we opened the doors the stadium goes nuts.  The Dollfans had scored but botched the 2-point try and were down 6.  As we drove South on 93, Brady threw an interception and Derrius Thompson (I'll never forget that jobber beating us) scored the game winning TD.  "THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T LEAVE EARLY!!!", I yelled at my friend the rest of the way home even though I was glad to not have had to deal with the loss in person.

2005 - I get to see my 2nd Pats win as they take the game 23-16.  Heath Evans, a former Dollfan, starts for the Pats at RB even though he's a FB and has a great game.  This was also the first time the Pats would see Nick Saban as coach of the Dollfans.  It was also the last.

2006 - The Pats played the Dollfans on my birthday this year and I scored great tickets for me and an old friend of mine from back home.  The game, however, will forever be remembered by me as the "Birthday Beatdown".  The Patriots lost 21-0 in a horrible game.  It was like I was a Patriot out in a boat on my birthday and a dolphin jumped out of the water and over my boat, taking a crap on my birthday cake in the process.  It sucked.

2007 - Redemption.  For as bad of a beatdown as 2006 was for the Patriots, they more than made up for it in this game.  Tom Brady threw 6 touchdowns with 2 going to former Dollfan, Wes Welker, and 2 being lobbed up in the air for Randy Moss.  Both Welker and Moss also had 100+ yards in this game.  The Pats would go on to break a bunch of records this year with an undefeated regular season and nearly a perfect season.  I still don't care what any Doll Fan who clings to the past says - 18-1 in the year 2007 is still more impressive than 17-0 in 1972.  I was at the Super Bowl when the Giants defeated the Patriots on a lucky heave and catch and that would've sucked more than the "Birthday Beatdown" had it not been for the insane time I had out there.

2008 - Tom Brady was injured and knocked out for the season on the opening drive of the first game of the season.  Matt Cassell came to Miami and led the Patriots to a blowout 48-28 victory, throwing for over 400 yards with 3 TD passes to Moss.  I got really shitfaced at this game and that's about all I remember haha.

2009 - Disappointment.  The Pats shot themselves in the foot this game.  Belichick overcoached and the players underperformed after going up by 14 on a bomb to Moss (one that I called before the snap) and a TD run by Kevin Faulk in the first half.  They led 21-10 after a lucky pass caught by Sam Aiken led to a TD but then blew a number of chances to score as the Dollfans crept back into the game and eventually won 22-21.  Davone Bess had a great game and looked like the Dollfans version of Wes Welker in this game.

2010 - This year I was nervous about the game.  The Patriots defense is abysmal this year and although the Dollfans offense doesn't impress me, I figured they would score easily and that their D would play strong and give Brady trouble all night.  We tailgated a good 4 hours for this game and sucked down many beers.  I couldn't have been more wrong about feeling nervous that the Pats would lose.  They won in a blowout 41-14 with Randy Moss not even catching one pass.  It was all defense and special teams.  The Pats would trade away Moss 2 days later to the Vikings and the Dollfans would appropriately fire their special teams coach.

Wow, nine years and 10 games of Patriots and Doll Fans.  My record at Dollfan Stadium/Landshark Stadium/Sun Life Stadium is an even 5-5.  Looking forward to breaking that tie next year!



*Out of all teams in all sports, I don't think there is a team I hate more than the Dollfans and that's coming from a Red Sox fan with extreme dislike for the Yankees and their fans.  I HATED Dan Marino growing up.  Not because he beat my team but because I thought he was an asshole.  Every time he would throw an interception or fumble, he would always yell at his teammates.  It was never his fault.  I also can't stand the majority of the Doll Fans and can't believe they would enjoy that moniker of fandom.  They are fair weather fans and most have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to their own team.  Just a sad group of fans.  Not all but many of them.  They also cling to the "perfect season" and bring it up whenever they feel the need to pretend how much their current team doesn't suck.

Wow, Good People In Miami

I'm blow away by an event that has transpired over the past 2 days.  I arrived home from work yesterday and got my mail and found I had a letter from the Traffic Citations department of Miami.  At first I thought it might have been those new video cameras in Coral Gables that had busted me doin' a "California Roll thru a stop sign or something but when I opened it up I found a parking ticket inside.  ""WTF?", was the only thought that entered my mind.  Not that I'm immune to parking tickets by any means.  I get them occasionally when I don't have change or something.  This one was different though.  I knew I didn't have my car that day.

I went online and found out where the ticket was issued.  It was a place I'd only been to once.  I had turned in my car that morning at Bimmer Shop, a BMW repair shop located caddy corner from Braman BMW.  I had wires on both tail lights short out and needed to replace the whole damn panel.  Bimmer Shop repaired it and did a great job.  In fact, I was impressed with how nice everyone that worked there was and that they completed the work within hours.  However, I guess at some point they had to move my car to a parking spot (their place isn't enormous) and while it was there it was ticketed.  I'm assuming they took the ticket and intended to pay it but forgot or something because I never saw it.  I knew nothing about it until I got the late notice yesterday in the mail.

I left a voicemail and sent and email to their office because it was after hours.  I also called the next morning. The girl who answered the phone was really nice and had just listened to my message.  She asked for my tag number and said they would take care of it.  Most of the time in Miami this means you have to call the person every day to remind them to do it.  Not this company.  She called me back within 10 minutes and let me know the ticket had been paid.  I couldn't believe it.

Bimmer Shop will definitely be recommended to any and everyone I know.  They can do body work on any auto and mechanical work on any BMW and they do a really good job in a short amount of time.  The people in both the office and shop are friendly and they showed me that they will make amends to any mistakes they make.  Good stuff all around.

"For a minute there...I lost myself."

Those lyrics from Radiohead's "Karma Police" couldn't better describe the events that transpired around 4:45pm at my workplace today.  After years of snide comments, insults, misrepresentations, mountains of disrespect, and casting it all aside, I couldn't accept it anymore.  I lost it.

I can't remember ever being that angry ever in the thirty-two years of mornings I've been blessed enough to wake up for.  Sure, there have been times where I've been angry but never teetering on the edge of physically assaulting someone without following through with it.  At least when I'd get into a fight there would be anger leading up to it but knowing that a scrap would end things right then and there made it easier to not be so angry if that makes sense. Even if I wasn't the victor (and believe me, I've taken my fair share of shots) at least my feelings were communicated in a way that was easy to understand.  As time aged on I sought out the path of more reason, telling myself that there was nothing worth getting so worked up about.  I let things go and it worked.

But there I was at 4:45pm, hands shaking as rage coursed through my veins causing them to pop out of my forehead and neck, turning my face tomato red.  I removed myself from the situation three times because I felt as if I couldn't trust myself to stay cool and, no matter how good it would've felt to communicate my feelings physically, that the repercussions in the end would not have justified the means.  Unfortunately, that just fanned the flames.  This was my job, my means of living life, and that was being used as leverage against me.  I felt trapped.  I felt owned.

My buttons had been pressed for years but this time the "out of order" light didn't illuminate.  Action was getting reacquainted with reaction.  I took all my frustration and anger and I let it go in a verbal way, refusing to give in and turn the other cheek.  I didn't curse (I'm still in shock I was able to do that) but instead chose to finally let all my feelings fly with the understanding that my little share session could result in my termination.  I didn't care.  I was not going to take one more ounce of disrespect and I was there to make sure everyone knew that.

In the end I was a little disappointed that I blew my stack because in a way I felt as if I'd lost the mild mannered person I'd worked so hard to become.  Overall, however, I was proud.  I was proud of myself for taking a stand, even if it was potentially my final stand.  I'd rather starve than feel owned like that.  After all, at the end of the day I report to myself, not a boss, not friends, not family, not God.  Me.

Wow, something's wrong with me

I love to gamble.  I gamble on sports occasionally, but my real love is the casino.  Lately, I've been hitting the blackjack tables but my real love is playing craps.  Nothing beats the camaraderie of a table full of people exploding with glee when a point is made or when a shooter gets hot and rolls for awhile.  I'm not a big gambler because I like to play for awhile and don't want to get busted early.  My conservatism also comes with a slight whiff of responsibility, you know, just in case I get busted.  Besides, I gamble because it is fun.  I don't gamble like it's a second job because one job is enough for me.  Knowing all this, you would think I would be excited to head to Vegas for a week on a basically all expenses paid trip?  Truth is, I'm really not that excited.

Gambling has been a real bitch to me ever since 2008 when I raked in about $8500 in winnings on four trips, the biggest being $3200 on my last trip of the year.  Since that epic year I haven't walked away a winner on a gambling trip.  It's been about two years of losing that has gotten into my head.  Yes, I gamble because it is fun but, for crying out loud, losing all the time kinda takes away from the fun.  And by "kinda" I mean "majorly".  I attribute most of the losses to playing more blackjack than usual after hitting big a few times in 2008.  Blackjack can be a very frustrating game.  When you constantly get dealt 12-16, the worst hands to be dealt, it's demoralizing.  I also blame my decline on my decision to gamble at the Hard Rock in Fort Lauderdale.  That place is full of losers and I think their funk has rubbed off on me.  The final piece of blame lies in my attitude when I get to the tables.  I catch myself nervous about losing and feeling cursed instead of saying, "Win or lose, who gives a crap, let's have some fun!"

On my last trip to Vegas in April of this year, I couldn't believe that I spent less than 30 minutes gambling on my entire trip!  And that was a 4 night stay!  I think it was good for me though.  I got back to having fun in Vegas the old fashioned way, with good ol' alcohol and partying.  Maybe that's what I needed?  A kickass time in Sin City without gambling to boost my spirits and get back to having fun in Vegas.  With a pocket full of cash and a flight that leaves soon, I guess it's only a matter of time until I find out.

Dear Joe Garcia

Dear Joe Garcia,

Today, for the THIRD TIME I had to send you ANOTHER REQUEST to stop sending me your spam email about your campaign.  What does it take to get it through your thick head that I do not wish to be solicited by you?  STOP SENDING ME EMAILS ABOUT YOUR CAMPAIGN!!!

There is now absolutely NO WAY I AM VOTING FOR YOU, douchebag.

Things That Puzzle Me

Rick at South Florida Daily Blog posted a link yesterday to a website that reviews the most disgusting fat-laden dishes at some of the more popular eateries in the US.  With his post he included this image...

Slightly disturbing, wouldn't you say?  What puzzles me is...how does this person take a dump?  I mean, that chair is clearly bigger than a toilet and it's practically being swallowed by that giant ass.  Maybe they make over-sized toilets for over-sized people?  Or maybe the person has to spread their butt cheeks around the bowl to drop some cable?  That can't be comfortable and I would imagine that an ass that big would basically devour a toilet.  What about wiping?  That must be difficult and messy.  I suppose they could use a bidet but it would have to have the strength of a fire hose to get in there.  I can imagine dingleberries are probably an issue too.  Their laundry is probably filled with undies that have huge bacon strips in them.

This puzzles me but it also makes me crack up.  I am my own best audience :)

Arizona - A Real Problem But What's the Solution?

The state of Arizona has been all over the media lately for the implementation of a law that aims to identify, prosecute, and deport illegal immigrants.  The problem with the law is that it requires anyone and everyone to carry immigration papers on their persons in case an officer of the law asks to see them.  In a nutshell, it's racial profiling and Hispanics are the targets.  

I am a firm believer in the fact that the United States of America has a serious illegal immigration problem.  I also believe that something needs to be done to remedy the situation.  Digging ditches and building walls is only a band-aid fix.  Walls can be scaled or tunneled under and ditches can be crossed.  The other day, I was having a conversation with my boss, a stout Republican who leans pretty far right, about the situation in Arizona.  He was all for it which I was slightly surprised about but then again not really.  I agreed with him that illegal immigration is a problem and denies legal citizens jobs but made the point that the law is basically racial profiling and that I think that isn't right.  He asked, "Ok, then what's the solution?"  I had no answer.

So, for everyone who gets on their soapbox and bellows about this Arizona immigration law and the injustice it has caused, I have one question...  What's the solution?

Life In the Hands of Strangers

This morning I was up at 4:15am and headed down to the lobby of my hotel to catch a ride to the airport.  I was just outside of Charlotte and had a 7am flight to Memphis, so I scheduled a ride for 5am.  I got down to the lobby at 4:55am and found the driver, Jerry, waiting for me which was a nice surprise since usually these services run a little late.  After helping me with my bags, Jerry got us going.  It was early but both of us were wide awake so we made small talk about golf as we made our way up the on ramp of I-85 South. 

About 10 minutes into our ride, we passed an 18-wheeler who was in the center lane.  We were in the right lane.  The next thing I knew, the semi clipped our car on the rear driver's side, sending us into a skid.  Jerry jammed on the brakes as we skidded across two lanes heading for the cement divider.  Our car had done a 180 and I noticed we were going to hit the wall on my side, right by my door.  Luckily, Jerry was able to control the car enough so that we hit the wall at the back bumper of my side and the impact was minimal.  We were somewhat safe.

Jerry asked if I was ok and I told him I was fine.  The funny part was that I was a little scared at first but it didn't last long.  I knew we were going to hit the wall but I knew it wouldn't be bad.  My fear was erased at impact and a new fear set in - the fear of missing my flight and having to cancel all of my appointments for the day.  That's pretty effed up.  Jerry called the police and then called his co-worker to come meet us and get me to the airport.  In that short span of about five minutes the driver of the 18-wheeler, who had originally pulled over, took off.

I was uncomfortable with our position because we were facing oncoming traffic on a highway.  I asked if the car would start and Jerry gave it a shot.  It started up and he straightened us out and then called highway patrol to get them on the lookout for the trucker that hit us.  We surveyed the damage on the car and it didn't look that bad.  When traffic died down for a minute, I said we should try to get to a safer spot on the other side of the road and Jerry agreed.  The car was in good enough shape to get us across the highway to the breakdown lane where we were able to stay safe until the police arrived.

The patrolman took our info and had us write up a statement explaining what had happened.  I wrote a nice detailed description because I really wanted to make sure that Jerry was not found at fault.  It definitely wasn't his fault.  I was also grateful that his instincts kept us from really getting smashed up and that he had called and arranged for a co-worker to get me to the airport so I could have a chance of making my flight.

I'm sitting at my gate now, safe and sound thanks to a stranger.  It makes me think about how I basically put my life in the hands of strangers every day on the road, whether it be a cabbie, driver, or pilot, trusting that they will keep us both safe.  The driver got me here safe but not without difficulty.  Hopefully the pilot will do the same!

Great Letter to Marc Sarnoff

I read this on the Coconut Grove Grapevine today and urge others to read it as well.  I've actually met Liz Goings before and she put together a solid letter regarding this ridiculous "don't feed the homeless" campaign that is being tossed around and is totally absurd.  Here is the link to the letter.  Grapevine isnt taking comments so feel free to leave em here but dont be a dick and make disparaging remarks.  That aint gonna fly here.

And for what its worth, I'm predicting that there will be a bad hurricane season for us in Miami this year.  I base this on no knowledge of weather systems but rather on history.  The last time I can remember it being this frosty outside for as long a period of time as it has been this year was the year we had Wilma and Katrina.  Maybe I'm wrong.  As much as I'd enjoy a Cat 1 or 2, I wouldnt wanna see a Cat 5 here, especially with this city in the condition its in now.

On the Road: Tacos El Gordo, National City, CA

It was bound to happen sooner or later...  I posted here what I meant to post at Blind Tastes.  Follow the jump for the correct post here.

Dear Chinese Porno Link Guy

You have been posting in the comment section of my blog for almost a year now.  While the Chinese characters look cool and although I have no idea what they actually say, I find it really annoying and really wish you would get the hint and stop posting them.  I can't imagine that my blog really gets that much traffic for you to find it worthwhile to put your porno links in the comment sections of my posts, nor can I imagine that anyone even clicks on them.  It's really a waste of your time and mine.

A few days ago, I admired your efforts to be tricky and use "donna" as an alias to disguise your identity when you left your Chinese porno links.  I even laughed at the fact that you thought that would work.  Silly Chinese porno link guy, I get emails when comments are posted and I noticed you felt the need to comment on 11 of my posts.  That was a big red flag.  The other red flag was that, other than the letters "AV" at the start, your comment was all Chinese characters, thus giving you away.

I really don't want to moderate comments because that is a pain in the ass, so I'm going to ask that you please stop posting in the comments section of my blog posts.  I will delete the comments every time, so find somewhere else to post your links to Chinese porno.  Thanks, buddy.

The End of the Road?

After posting about my airport travels the other day and receiving a comment from "miaexile" where he/she used their hippie power to suggest I had negative "aura" because I, like 99% of people who live here, find MIA to be a piece of crap, I thought about this blog and its purpose.

In truth, the only reason I really wrote that post was just to have something to write and to keep the blog current.  The more I thought about Blind Mind blog, the more I noticed that its really just a big ball of negative energy, a place where I vent frustrations and occasionally provide something of substance.  I had a feeling that I'd get an email or something from my buddy Rick over at South Florida Daily Blog asking what happened to the blog and sure enough, I did.  He was surprised to see it gone and suggested a farewell post, you know, in case there were any actual readers out there haha.

I thought about it and I've made the decision to bring the blog back.  Yup, call me the Brett Favre of blogging.  I realized that I've had this thing for many years and I still get decent traffic and comments from time to time, even if they are from douchebags or weird Chinese porno links.  I'm going to make the effort to provide more substance and less negative, maybe the occasional humorous travel story, or product review of something I like or find useful.  Yup, I'm back.  Thanks for reading.

Up In the Air...Again

A few thoughts and circumstances I encountered on this latest adventure flying the friendly skies...

1. Airports really need to get on the same goddamn page.  It's really interesting how what is necessary for the goose isn't necessary for the gander when one goes through the process of checking in for a flight and getting to one's departing gate.  At some airports, you can use a kiosk to check in and then wait in line to check your bags and then the ticket counter employees put your bags on a conveyor belt behind them and off they go.  At other airports like MIA, you go through the same process but then have to wheel your bags over to some other area for them to be screened by security even though there is a moving conveyor belt behind the ticket counter employees.  I'm sure there is probably a good reason for this, besides MIA being the most ass-backward airport in the country, but it just seems really dumb and a pain in the ass.  Every airport should do it the same way.  It would greatly reduce confusion for the traveler that gets the deer-in-the-headlights look because their originating airport didn't do it this way and now they are confused on their return flight.  Kinda hard to imagine why this is confusing but, for some reason, air travel makes people really, really dumb.  Another inconsistency comes at the security gates.  Ok, by now if you don't know that you need to remove all metal from your pockets and take off your shoes then you should be removed from the line and beaten senseless with a regulation-sized carry-on bag.  That's simple stuff.  The inconsistency that is annoying lies with airport security personnel who sometimes make you remove things from your pockets and sometimes don't.  When I left MIA on my way north, I went thru my usual routine and removed everything from my persons that was metal.  I left a chapstick in my pocket.  The lady at security made a big fucking to-do about that and made me go back thru the metal detector and put the chapstick in a bin.  You know, in case I had nuclear chapstick that would bring us all to our doom.  At LGA (LaGuardia), I went thru security 3 times.  The first time was for normal reasons and I made it through without issue (chapstick in pocket) but when I got to my gate and noticed I was still 3.5 hrs early (no other flights for standby) and there was no 1st class lounge, I doubled back and hit the next terminal over.  I got through security there without issue as well, had a few gratis beers in the lounge along with some veggies and dip, then headed back to my terminal to go through security for the 3rd time and catch my flight.  Here, I encountered the Security Nazi, you know, the dude who just likes to be a dick.  I went through the metal detector and it didn't make a noise so I thought I was good.  "Sir, I need you to go back.  Do you have any metal in your pockets?", the S.N. said.  "Nope", I replied before he noticed that nuclear chapstick in my pocket and made me remove it.  I did without getting irritated thinking maybe the "empty pockets" thing was new and then headed back through the metal detector.  Once again, no sound from the metal detector and once again this asshole stopped me and asked me to do it again.  Now I was irritated.  "Buddy, I do this almost every goddamn day.  In fact, this is the 3rd time if gone through security at this airport and I'm doing nothing different.  There's nothing setting off the metal detector.  What's your problem?"  He said something about me getting "four stars" as I walked through and that meant I had to go back.  Eventually, I took my money clip (stainless steel that is travel approved doesn't set off metal detectors) and put it in a bin which reduced my "star count" and appeased the Security Nazi.  I just wish airports would get on the same page with the same set of rules for each airport to eliminate delays and power trips by security.
2. Some people never cease to amaze me.  Look, flight delays happen.  Whether it be weather, equipment malfunctions, or whatever, shit happens.  Contrary to what appears to be popular belief, the airline employees have NOTHING to do with this.  My flight from LGA to BOS was delayed for 30 minutes and then another 1.5 hours.  This one woman apparently thought that the poor girl at the counter was responsible and began bitching nonstop for a good 15 minutes before she finally stormed off having accomplished nothing but elevating her own blood pressure and looking like a total bitch.  I thought it was kinda funny when the poor girl behind the counter went on break and the guy who replaced her decided to crush our spirits and let everyone know that although it said our flight would be leaving at 6:30p (1 hour late), we would actually be boarding at that time and then sitting on the runway for another hour.  He got cussed out by what I imagine was his supervisor but I appreciated him telling the god honest truth.
3. Sometimes you gotta give a little clear direction.  The plane I boarded on the aforementioned LGA to BOS flight was one of those smaller ones with two seats on the left side of the plane and one on the right as you board.  These planes have tiny overhead bins but I know my briefcase fits in just fine.  The guy in front of me was kind enough to let me put my briefcase up before he put up his jacket so we both could get our stuff in.  As I put my briefcase up, the woman behind me with the annoying, whiny voice asked, "How come you couldn't gate check that so we could put our jackets up?"  I kindly told her that my computer and some files were in there and that I needed to get some work done on the plane.  Again she bitched, "You could take them out, you know."  "Well, that's not gonna happen.  Sorry.", I said as she continued to bitch about her stupid jacket.  That's when I became irritated and gave some clear direction which got a clap from the woman next to me and sparked the guy behind me to say, "Forget it buddy, you can't win with people like that."  The guy then guessed that I wasn't married but the bitchy woman thought he was talking to her and went off on a tirade about being married for 42 years.  Guy behind me had the line of the night - "Man, that must be some luck your husband has."  Later on the flight the bitchy woman and her annoying friend both ended up getting airsick and puked in the barf bag.  Ain't karma a bitch?

The #1 Reason Why MIA Sucks

It's the people who work there.  Everyone has an attitude and that attitude sucks.  It's like they think they're doing the public a big favor by working there.  It's completely different than every other airport in the country and it's also the worst airport in the country.  I feel bad that many people have to have their introduction to the USA by way of Miami International Airport.  It's the worst airport in the country.  Seriously.  I think it was a year or two ago that somehow they got an award for best airport or most improved airport or something and it totally blew me away.  The selection committee must have gone out and drank tequila into the early hours of the morning before finishing off with 1,000 rounds of bong hits and walking in to cast their votes.

Thanks for continuing to under-service, under-perform, and underachieve MIA.  You suck. 

An Oldie But A Goodie

I was surfing the internet today and came across a link to a classic - cop and his wife eat pot brownies and then call 911 because they think theyre dying.  Slays me every time!

Enjoy!

Getting Political for a Minute

I read an interesting article today about a proposed tax hike of 10% on businesses in the indoor tanning service industry and it really dumbfounded me.  I'm no expert when it comes to politics and policies, but wasn't the goal of the Obama administration to support small businesses?  The indoor tanning service industry is about 99% comprised of small businesses!  A tax of 10% is ridiculous. 

They say that the idea is for the tax to support healthcare reform, you know, since indoor and outdoor tanning has been known to cause skin cancer.  Ok, I can kinda see the point there but aren't there industries that contribute more dead weight to healthcare than a tanning bed?  Look at the obesity rate in this country!  Large corporations operating fast food chains are who I would point the tax finger at.  Something tells me obesity and the many, many health issues that occur as a result of a person being obese probably end up controling more healthcare dollars than skin cancer.  But I don't have the facts, its just a hunch.

I just thought the Obama administration was all about promoting American small businesses.  If that is the case, as I'm positive it was during the election race, taxing an industry that is solely made up of small businesses doesn't make sense.  A tax of 10% on this industry is a heavy one and could mean the closure of many of the small businesses that make up the industry.  It's pretty hard to profit off of a tax when businesses fail as a result, isn't it?  And when these businesses fail, what's next?  Unemployment, that's what.

If someone can explain to me how this makes sense, please do.  I'd love to hear it.  Here is the link to the article.  I will admit that I did get a little chuckle out of the right-wingers in the comment section that immediately claimed that this is a tax on white people.

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010

Each year around this time when I notch another year of existence under my belt, I like to stop and think about the past year, what I've accomplished, what I've learned, and what direction to take to progress forward.  This year was a tough one for me both personally and professionally.  It seemed like every time I got a little momentum going in my favor, I was knocked down to the ground and forced to start over.  Ok, that's pretty normal.  Life is a rollercoaster, after all, and my goal has always been to revel in the anxiety of the ups and joyfully scream like hell while going down.  I guess this year I just got more motion sickness than usual and ended up puking my brains out a few times. It happens, I suppose.

At the same time, I also think that I shared more of myself than I ever have before in life and I'm pretty happy about that.  Socially, you would never know it but there are a lot of things that I hide or am shy about.  I can't really explain why, it's just the way I am.  I've had a blog for over 3 years now and if you aren't a member of the South Florida blogosphere or don't happen to stumble upon it, you would never know.  Many of my friends and pretty much all of my family have no idea that I write on this blog or my food blog.  Why?  Again, I have no idea.  I guess I never think to share.

Well, I'm making it a goal for 2010 to share more of myself.  I've already shown my food blog to my family and they were really surprised.  My mom started telling all her friends and all that shit too haha.  Yup, share more and accomplish more are my goals for 2010.  I have some big plans for this year, some I hope to share with everyone as things come to light.

Wishing all the best in 2010 to all who read my blogs, share blogs of their own, and comment in the SoFL blogosphere.  May this be your year to shine!