Lettuce Wait on the Line, Please?

Around the corner from my office on Madison Avenue is a salad place called Chop't. Now Chop't makes 'specialty gourmet’ salads. Every kind of salad you want or imaginable, Chop't can make for you. And they charge for the extra ingredients. So if you get a big salad with say croutons, peas and carrots with bleu cheese, it will cost about $11.00. Now normally I would shrug this off and say 'That's New York prices for you'. But the thing that sickens me is that at about 12:30 pm every day there is a very long line out the door of people waiting for A SALAD! Even in cold weather! I pass by them everyday and I do not know how I hold back my tongue.
I want to yell at these preppies on line:
'IT'S A SALAD!!!! THE LINE IS TOO LONG FOR A FRIKIN' SALAD!!! GET A LIFE WOULD YOU PLEASE! YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR WORK FOR A GODDAMN SALAD!!'
Am I missing something here? How could a salad be improved upon anymore to make Chop't Salads the salad to end all salads??
Goes to show you that with good advertising, people will fall for anything. I am just bewitched, bothered and bewildered.

- The Mountain Cat

Polar Bears or lemmings ?

Please tell me that I am not the only one who thinks these Polar Bear Club lemmings are one sandwich short of a picnic. Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean in January off Coney Island may not be the dumbest thing on earth but it's close.

Check this out Here are the "rules"... and of course I have a few comments. - I do love their website "http://www.freezinforareason.com/" but that animal on there looks more like a moose than a polar bear to me

-Participants must raise a minimum of $100 in pledges. - At least they are raising money for charity in this case a kids camp Camp Sunshine
-No Pushing! All participants must enter the water of their own volition. Please do not enter the water until asked to do so. - As if we didn't all learn this in kindergarten
-Participants will plunge their willing bodies into the water. The entire body must be submerged. - Well I guess in for a penny in for a pound
-No dry or wetsuits. Participants may smear their bodies with a liberal coating of bear fat. Note: This may negatively impact your social standing. - This has to be my favorite - Bear fat? are you freaking kidding me? I guess it would have a negative impact on your social standing. And just how do you get this bear fat in the first place in a very bear infested place like New York City? Something tells me I don't want to know. THIS is the rule that shows these folks have lost total touch with reality wetsuits are bad but bear fat well that's just fine... YIKES!

-No 'endurance' contests will be permitted. Participants must jump in and out. Yelling is optional. - I think this would be more fun if yelling was forbidden... Let's see how many of these lemmings would do this if they couldn't holler about it.
-Prizes will be awarded to the top fundraisers and costume contest winners. - How come none of the pictures I have seen show these "costumes"? They must have all been covering themselves with that bear fat. (YUCK) That actually might be mildly amusing.

So is anyone else with me or am I the one losing it? I think this is simply a case of people acting like lemmings. One dude did this a long time ago and others followed along. They don't really like doing this. NO ONE enjoys swimming in near frigid water. And just like lemmings this could lead to big trouble for the participants. (I refer you back to rule #2) If you don't believe me just remember back to George Costanza from Seinfeld in the "shrinkage" episode.

-Shane (doc)

The Best Show on Television is Back

This Sunday, January 6th is the premier of the fifth and final season of HBO's drama The Wire. For those of you who have not watched the show before, the four previous seasons have been absolutely phenomenal! One better then the next. Set in Baltimore, it is the continuing story about the drug crime in the inner city. Filmed on location in the real ghettos of seedy Baltimore.
I have never seen a drama with this much ambition. There are so many characters. So many story lines.
The cops and drug dealers play cat and mouse with the increasingly advancing technology of wire tapping and cell phones. Meanwhile, the cops can't properly get their jobs done because of all the red tape that goes on with the city politicians. And the drug dealers are in a constant battle with rivals who want to steal their 'package' or their 'corners'.

But the show is so much more. The shows title, The Wire is a metaphor for walking the thin line between Good vs. Bad. Success vs. Death. Reform vs. Relapse. Destiny vs. Change. Their are also side characters. One who struggle with drugs and fall deeper into a hole of addiction and poverty. Another is a former convict who is now clean but fights to keep the young kids off the streets and do something positive for the community. Their is a teacher who struggles to keep his pre-teen children from getting involved with drugs or ending up dead. They all add to the authenticity of real life as well as the gritty dialogue and real street lingo and 'Ebonics'. It is a constant struggle for every character to walk on that wire from day to day.

Season five will add even more characters. It will focus on Baltimore's media. How they influence and spin how the citizens, the politicians and the cops view what needs to be done to battle this increasing problem.

The Wire is created by former homicide detective and Baltimore Sun journalist David Simon. The Wire is based off his 1988 book 'Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets'. This book also spun the former TV series 'Homicide: Life on the Streets'. Another brilliant show set in Baltimore.

This show had not been as popular as other HBO shows The Sopranos or Six Feet Under. Probably because it is far from glitzy. And also there is no real star of the show, just a very large ensemble cast. (They even killed off their most popular character for a brilliant story line!). But the Wire still has gotten critical acclaim across the board. This shows appeal is its humanity and grit. And The Wire never take sides.

After this seasons 13 episodes, it will be missed. But will hopefully live on as a mirror to real life.

For more about The Wire, please check out HBO's web page:

http://www.hbo.com/thewire/?ntrack_para1=feat_main_image

- The Mountain Cat

Polls !

In this the year of the never ending Presidential election we thought that we would bring you our own series of weekly polls. You will find them up in the upper right hand corner of the blog and we will also introduce each with a post. Some will be serious but most will be lighthearted and fun. Please vote and feel free to make any comments you would like.

The first of these polls has to do with a guy who was resurrected to many of us in 2007 due to the success of his daughter. It's about that country music legend in his own mind Billy Ray Cyrus. So we wanted to know what you consider to be his biggest contribution to popular culture:

The Sweet Mullet:

The Achy Breaky Song or Dance:

Daughter Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana:

So please vote in the poll and give us your feedback on good ole Billy Ray.

-Shane (doc)

No more theft in '08

The following posting is from a Senior Mountain Cat:

While pouring my second cup of coffee in the deli on my way to work this morning, I thought to myself...this year I am going to stop stealing the Equal. There it is. The true confession. Total honesty. And even though I cannot escape from this truth, it seemed a metaphor for my greater New Year's resolution - which is to be honest with myself. By nature, I believe I am an honest person...and I don't often "steal." But I'm not sure I have been seeing all the possibilities for myself and even others quite clearly. This year I vow to take a more honest view of how I perceive myself, how I perceive others (especially in love relationships) and take an honest view of what I can achieve. I set out this year confident that with changed thinking, I can change my life and better serve others...and without stealing anything from anyone or myself, I will remain true and grateful.
Peace,

Christine (Vince's sister)

My Wants and Need for '08

2007 has given me many things to be thankful for (wife got her BSN, everyday I have w/ the kids, Gators were champs...twice), even if there were bumps along the way (family concerns, illness).

A lot of people use the words 'wants' and 'needs' as synonyms these days inappropriately. To be clear on what I would like to see/do/experience in '08, I have a need and short list of wants:

(BTW, as I write this, the following line from the Rolling Stones is stuck in my head: "You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need.")

Needs:
Honestly, I feel that all but one of my 'needs' is already met. I already have a wonderful family, great friends, and a spiritual relationship. The one need is better and more consistent communication with all them. For example, Doc and I pick up conversations after 2-3 months of not talking to each other like we never missed a beat. However, when you do this there are things that go unsaid (forgotten or omitted) that are important and help to further relationships.

Wants (for me or society in general):
To begin a new business venture: My wife and I have a business model we'd like to plan and implement. Maybe this is the year.

Spend quality time w/ my family, especially my Dad: You never know how much of it you actually have.

For people to be more respectful of others opinions: People will always disagree, but the spiteful way in which we view people with differing opinions is disgusting. Example, if I hear one more person say Bush is stupid, I'm gonna puke. He's smarter and could out debate 99.9% of the people that say he's dumb. Even worse are the people that believe someone else is misguided or an imbecile just based on their position (regardless of topic) without giving them a chance to explain why they feel that way.

(Addendum - Its okay to vent from the top of a soapbox every once in a while!)

Have more fun: I don't mean week-long vacations, we do that. Just throughout the day take the time to enjoy life and those around us. Stay away from assholes (if you need help w/ this in your workplace, then read Robert Sutton's The No Asshole Rule). I'd also like to take more short trips w/ the family. Too many weekends go by w/ nothing to show for it.

Continue getting in better shape: Over the last year I have changed the way I eat and exercise. Got to keep that up! I want my kids growing up w/ the understanding that exercise should be part of a daily, healthy routine.

Spend more time doing: The Internet is a great tool, especially for keeping in contact. There are just too many things on it that waste our time or get us in trouble. Get on, do what you got to do, and get off your ass...have a real life.

There are a few more things I could list, but these are my top wants as I sit here now. Besides, I have to get off my ass and go cheer for the Gators.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and that you each receive your needs & wants this year.

-The AbsolutGator (Chris - Guest Contributor)

I want to learn my alphabet in 2008

I am grateful for the abundance in my life. I am very luck to have a big family and a lot of good friends who I can rely on. I am blessed.
My goal in 2008 is an odd one (What else would you expect from me?) I want to become a Type B personality. I have always been a Type A person. Always restless. Always looking to improve. Always talking. And always complaining. I want to become more of a Type B person who will take everything in stride. Enjoy my down time. Take my time with things. And laugh at myself more. And the way I figure it that sure Type A people get more things done, but Type B people live longer!

Like I said, I have abundance and a lot people in this world don’t.

My life is good.

Happy New Year to you all!

- Vince (The Mountain Cat).

Happy New Year - Reflections and Resolutions

Ok, so another year has come and gone. This year has been particularly good for me personally. My wife and I had our first child a son and even though there were a ton of things I complained about (see this post) nothing really compares to the whole experience of becoming a parent for the first time. My wife Melissa and I have done our best to document each "first" in Patrick's life and will continue to do so in 2008.

So many times in my life on New Years Eve I have found myself toasting with others around midnight and hearing the familiar "Here's to a better year in ___ " Well I think I had a pretty good year this year. I quit smoking back in June (for my health and the health of the baby too) a habit that I have been struggling with for over 10 years and although that was not a resolution Per Se I still consider it an accomplishment. So I guess what I am saying is that not only was 2007 a pretty good year but now here I am staring at 2008 wondering how can I top this year?

What do I want to do better in 2008? I am not usually one to make New Years resolutions but that doesn't mean that they aren't useful. Off the top of my head (other than wanting to exercise more to lose the weight I put on when I quit smoking) most of the resolutions I would have probably involve my family. I want my wife and I to be there for my son's first steps (he can almost already walk - just doesn't have the balance yet). I want to make a trip to Florida this spring to see some good friends and get a chance to see one of my best friends' father whose cancer has returned again and it's not operable. I want to be able to relax and leave work at work and have home time to be with my family more in 2008. I also want to get more involved with our church and volunteer more time to help out with several things there as well.

Do those count as resolutions? What do you think? What kinds of resolutions or at least things that you want to do in the next year do you have? Give some comments and some feedback and leave your resoultions for making 2008 great...

-Shane (doc)

(One other thing that I hope Vin and I can accomplish with this blog is to start to write out the crazy story which has been our friendship over the past almost 20 years and all the crazy things that have happened to us - Look for those stories to start appearing here in 2008 archieved as "The Misadventures of Doc and the Mt. Cat.")