Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Tostitos Restaurant Style salsa. It is crucial that you understand my emphasis on RESTAURANT STYLE. This is the closest thing to quality Mexican restaurant salsa that you can buy in a store. I first became aware of this product in the early 2000’s but its appearances came in spurts. I am encouraged to see more and more jars on the shelves these days. With the Super Bowl coming up, this is a must-have for your viewing party. HOWEVER – be forewarned of the addictive characteristics of Tostitos Restaurant Style salsa. Don’t kid yourself and buy only one jar. I can easily slurp through a jar in one sitting. This salsa is best enjoyed with Tostitos SCOOPS chips.

This week, I love that we’re merely days away from the season premiere of LOST. With this being the sixth and final season, I have a pretty solid theory on how the show will end. (Leave your contact info in the comments if you would like to discuss.) There are lots and lots of questions that the writers must answer this season. Here’s hoping that they go easy on all of the romance angles and give us the good stuff. My good friend Clay has never seen an episode of LOST and won’t give it a chance. That’s about the only bad thing I can say about the guy. If you’re like Clay but DO want to give it a shot, please know that you have to start from the beginning. Luckily, we live in the Instant Age and you can easily catch up with DVD box sets. For those of you needing a refresher, I offer this neat clip below. But seriously, you may not want to watch it if you’ve never seen an episode before. Your brain will melt.



This week, I don’t like being behind the cell phone trend. I’ve had the same cell phone plan since two thousand and two (2002). My plan is obsolete. I went through the big Cingular/AT&T merger and wear that fact like a badge. But, because my contract automatically renews, I am allowed to keep this old plan. I just upgrade my phones, which I’ve done 3 times. My current phone is OK, I guess. I rarely use it but it dawned on me that I have a flip phone when everyone else has a mini computer in their pocket. My phone is no better than the phone my 65 year old father uses. What I really want is a phone that I can post Twitter updates with. I guess I could do that with my current phone but Oldie McPlan doesn’t have a text package. I just need a new start. At least that way I may feel that I’ve caught up with today’s high-schoolers. One bright side to my plan is the low, low monthly cost. I’ll need to think about this over a jar of salsa.

Sofa Update

Some of you may remember a few months ago I set out to reupholster a desk chair, sofa, and two club chairs. The desk chair was my first project which went fairly quickly.



Well....after I finished the chair the process slowed down somewhat. First of all the fabric I ordered for the sofa was on back order and took much longer to get here than I anticipated. Then when it finally arrived it was Christmas (need I say more). However now that the holidays have come and gone...I am back at it.

I don't have a good "before" picture, but the sofa is in the background.



Currently I am in the process of making the seat cushions and back cushions, which both take a lot of cording!

I will post more pictures soon.

Par-3 Course action

My buddy Clay "Bocephus" Branch and I took advantage of some warmer weather this weekend to play a little golf. We recently set a record for most consecutive days with highs below freezing in the B'ham area* so it was great to get back out. Clay and I played the par-3 course here at Oxmoor Valley. We had a lot of fun and were surprised that we pretty much had the short course to ourselves. There was a little bit of rust on the swings (mine particularly) so we didn't manage to capture a lot of great shot-making video.

(Or something like that - it's been very cold lately.)

I wanted to be sure to show my appreciation to the gallery following us on such a cloudy and windy day.

Clay shows his impeccable will and ability to block out all external distractions while sinking this par putt.

Like I said, we had a great time. If the weather turns out nice for this coming weekend, Clay and I might take on Oxmoor Valley's Ridge course. I hope to have more pics and videos for you then.

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like before and after photos. Aren’t these great for emphasizing change? Good change – like when formerly-fat people showcase their weight loss. Bad change too – like the revealing images of the damage done down in Haiti. When the weather warms up, I’m going to utilize the “before and after”method to share the work done to our landscaping and deck. Don’t expect any dramatic changes but if my ideas pan out, you’ll definitely notice an improvement.

This week, I love my Farmer’s Almanac. My mom tucks an almanac in my Christmas stocking each year and I’ve spent some time reading the 2010 edition this week. It’s mostly filled with hokey articles about how to make the best compost and advertisements for portable log splitters. But it also contains a long-range weather forecast for different regions of the country. I’m here to tell you that this thing is SPOT ON so far. I don’t know how they do it but just be prepared for a warm and wet summer in 2010. The worst news? The Farmer’s Almanac calls for a soggy Masters Tournament.

This week, I don’t like getting shocked every time I exit a vehicle. Because the weather has been a little warmer and more humid, the “auto sparks” haven’t been too bad this week. But you all know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s something about touching the metal frame of your car door in cold, dry weather that is right for tiny lightning bolts of pain. I don’t know what is worse: the actual shock or knowing that you’re going to be shocked. Then again, maybe it’s my fleece underwear that's causing my static electricity woes?

I kid! If only there was a way we could harness this static electricity…

WATER’S GETTING COLD JULIE!!!

Coaching Drama

I've been out of the loop lately so I'm not up to full speed with all of the coaching drama. I do know that, when I first heard the news about former TN coach Lane Kiffin on Wednesday morning, I was blown away. My next thought was, "Man, I bet Coach Tuberville is kicking himself for not waiting another week."

I saw this on EveryDayShouldBeSaturday and had to share. It's too funny.

I thought for sure that Coach Tuberville would end up at Texas A&M after this season but the Aggies put together a decent season and kept their coach. I think most Auburn fans will be pulling for Tommy. It's going to be interesting to see how a defensive-minded, ball-controlling coach will do at Texas Tech. Coach Tubs has vowed not to scrap Tech's run-n-gun, high octane offense. He's shown impressive fortitude in obtaining his offensive and defensive coordinators this week but at the end of the day, it will come down to which Tommy Tuberville shows up. Will it be the riverboat gambler? Or will it be the void we saw on the sidelines and recruiting trail during his last season at Auburn?

Time will tell. Best wishes to Coach Tuberville and his family. Let me say this America: Les Miles will be replaced by Tommy Tuberville at LSU after the 2010 season. You heard it here first.

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Andre Dawson. My favorite player from my favorite baseball team (Chicago Cubs) got the green light for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame today. "The Hawk" was everything that was right about baseball. Tall, skinny and broad-sholdered, Dawson smacked 2 homers in the only major league game I've ever been to (vs. the Braves in Fulton County Stadium). Hearing this news brought back a lot of good memories. Here's a clip of "The Hawk" at his finest:


And what about this song?!?! AWESOME!!!!!!

28 (Andre Dawson)Hes a Hero sound bite

(HatTip: Midwest Sports Fans via Deadspin)

This week, I love the new Golf Central set. Lots of BLUE - my favorite color. This show is the daily news/sportscast on the Golf Channel. Yes...there's enough golf material out there to have a daily show (Amiright, Tiger?!?!). The 2010 season kicks off this week and the Golf Channel unveiled its swanky new set. Believe you me, this is a big upgrade.


This looks a lot like the main set of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Network. Hmmm, I guess studies have shown that the majority of viewers (most likely males) prefer the color BLUE.


This week, I don't like being ask that question. You know the question I'm talking about. We've all been asked it over the past few weeks. Let me cut to the chase and share my answer:

"Heck no I'm not pulling for Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game."

How many Bama fans pulled against Northwestern? That's what I thought! I must add that I'm not necessarily pulling for Texas either. I'm an Auburn fan. Auburn's not playing in this game. And please don't make me feel bad about not pulling for an SEC team. I don't get into it like that.