I'll take "Four's a crowd" for $500...

[Writer's Note: This post was published July 11, 2009. I couldn't figure out how to change it on here.]

In May of 2009 this Blog site had a four way tie on its weekly Poll...









What is Can't we all just Blog along?





Correct!





Thanks Alex...





So I don't know what to do... Sliders/Robber Barons/Game Show Hosts and Jumping on Trampolines?







Sliders are small hamburgers. Often steemed. They are regaining popularity now. Everyone seems obssessed with little burgers.





Here's a photo.











Robber Barons is a term for an industrialist who made a lot of money through unfair business practices.








Not robbers like this:







Robber Barons like this:





Starting with (from left to right) John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and J.P. Morgan

Game Show Hosts:



Alex Trebeck is the best game show host ever. He knows everything. Enough about game show hosts.



Jumping on Trampolines:

Jumping on trampolines is fun. When I was a kid growing up in New Jersey nobody I knew that was actually fron New Jersey had a trampoline. The only people that had them were transplants from the west. For some reason, I thought having a trampoline meant you were rich. I have since come to find out that they aren't expensive. I did have an exercise trampoline when I was a kid. Wasn't that great.

***************************************************************************

So I started this post the end of May. I couldn't think of anything to say that was funny, novel etc. but I had to get it done. It was holding me down man. I had to break the chains and set myself free. This is what you get when you have a democratic voting system for post topics and a blogger who just comes up with choices out of thin air. Unfortunately, I don't have a set of rules that come into play when situation like this arise. Someday. I'm determined to bring more next time though. I have had a couple of ideas lately that may appear soon. We'll see.

I did put a new poll up on the top left for you to vote on. Take your time, think a lot, think of all the choices you've got, cause they won't be here tommorow, so vote a lot?...(Do you know where this poorly modified line comes from?)

Anyway, til next time.

The Dead Show!

So I've liked the Grateful Dead for years. One of my favorite bands of all time. A couple weeks ago a friend of mine called me with an extra ticket to their show at the Gorge. Actually, we were going to go to their show in 2004, but Amber was pregnant with the triplets and I didn't want to be 2 + hours away in case she needed me. Turns out, she didn't have the kids for about a month after that. Chalk it up to missed opportunities and fatherly responsibility, I guess?

But, I wasn't going to miss them this time. After all, they're already down a founding member and a handful of keyboardists. And this wasn't just a Dead show, the Allman Brothers were going to be there along with the Doobie Brothers. Is it clear why I couldn't miss this show? (Though I don't necessarily like the Doobie Brothers, they do have a ton of songs in regular rotation on classic rock stations.)

Instead of giving you a complete account of the show, I thought I would address the highlights through 10 Questions About the Dead.

1. What are the Grateful Dead? The Grateful Dead are one of the greatest bands of all time okay.

2. So why do the just call themselves The Dead now? In 1995, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter Jerry Garcia died. Now when the remaining original members play together they are just The Dead.

3. How would you describe their music? I like to describe their music as American Rock. They incorporate rock, blues, jazz, country, bluegrass etc. into their songs.

4. But, aren't they just a jam band? No. They're a jammin' band.

5. What kind of people like the Dead? All kinds. I saw complete families, hippies, bikers and stoners at the concert.

6. But, don't all the fans take drugs? Pretty much. There were a handful of people there that weren't on something. In the old days there was a lot of acid and marijuana etc. Now it seems like its mainly just pot. Though in a somewhat troubling scene, there were two couples in front of us with a 5 month old and a 12-14 month old. One of the husbands came back and I caught: "you'll enjoy your walk much more if..." and then they were chewing, I should say biting into, some tablets that looked like Mike and Ike's but weren't. The left after that so I can't report on the effects. I just hope those babies made it to bed okay.

7. So, how was the concert? It was a good show. They sounded really good. The guitarist that fills in for Jerry is great. They played a diverse set heavy on the late 70's and 80's material with some other gems thrown in. They played for over 3 hours.

8. How were the other bands. The Doobie Brothers played first. We got there about the middle of their set. They played all of their hits and sounded good, but not interesting. The Allman Brothers were great. Warren Haynes, who plays Jerry's parts with the Dead also plays with them. They played 2 hours straight.

9. So, are you glad you went? Definitely. It was a great show. Even though I got a really bad headache towards the end and threw up out of the car window on I-90.

10. Would you go again? Yes. As they say, "There's nothing like a Dead show".

Here are some pictures:

Here's me. Notice the strollers and kids in the background.

Here's the view of the Gorge:

Here's the stoners that sat in front of us:

I think they just came for the drugs. They didn't seem to be affiliated with or interested in any of the bands.

Here's the band:

Here are some random Deadheads from the show:

I didn't take this picture, but they had better seats than I did.

Here's the blanket I sat on:

That's my leg!

Here's the view from where we sat:

*********************************************************************************
Thanks for checking me out this week. Sorry for the delay on this one. I started writing it last Saturday before the show with the intent that I would finish it up early in the week. Well, I tried a couple of times and didn't know where I was going with it. But, here it is. Check back soon for other great posts. I put up a new feature last week so I wouldn't forget what has been requested.

Also, check out the new poll and cast your vote. All I can say is that it's important. So VOTE okay. Last poll there was a four way tie, so who knows what you're going to get with that post. I don't know any other blog that allows as much reader interaction as this one. Use it or lose it...

The Art of the Deal...

Alright, so can I brag a little? I know that I have set the bar pretty high here, but this might just raise it again. Possible? Yes!

So, Saturday came around as usual. On Saturday mornings, we clean. I handle a mean vacuum, but that's a topic for another day. We finished early. Before Maggie's nap. Made great time. Friday night Annie asked me for some glue to make a Mother's Day project for Amberlyn. (I presume that most of my readers are close acquaintances and therefore know my family, so for those of you from Waterloo, Ontario and around the world you will just have to bear with the personal references). Unfortunately, we didn't have any except for some rubber cement and you know what a mess that is.

Skip ahead to Office Depot. Now I spent some time as an associate at one of Office Depot's main competitors, OfficeMax. So, you could say they knew I was coming.

I saw it as soon as we got there. It was displayed on an endcap in the electronics. A clearance item, mail-in rebate, the "Last One". Let the negotiations begin. I was ready.

Then I waited. And waited. The kids were restless. I was chomping at the bit to get my claws into the unsuspecting Depot sales team.

I called on my negotiating idols.

Corleone

Trump

Spacey

I got the Department Manager. The Paper Department Manager...

She was frazzled already. They were busy. Did I mention I was ready?

I'll spare you the carnage, buy suffice it to say that I got the winning end of that deal.

The result: I walked out of there with a good laptop for... Ready? $200.00.*

My idols would be proud...

********************************************************************************

Hey thanks for stopping by. I know you don't have much time in your day and I want you to know that I appreciate you. If it wasn't for you, who would read this? Anyway, check back soon for some new topics. I added a list of upcoming posts so that I can keep track of the ones I blatantly ignore. You can't always follow the voice of the people. But don't despair, your voice will be heard.

On that topic, make sure you check out the new poll on the top right. Every vote counts. Double votes count twice. Feel free to double up.

*So, they couldn't find the battery so they dropped the price in half. I did get her to drop the price an additional 10% before that happened. Also, the after market battery was only $68. So it's still a great deal, Okay?