Happy Thanksgiving

Another Award and Another Tag

Well just like Morton Salt, when it rains-it pours! I've just received another award from my friend, Queenie Jeannie, over at Jeannie's Happy World.  She's a proud Army wife and a mother of three.  She's got a pinky cute blog and is one of the nicest bloggers to boot.  She received a blog award and switched it with another because she already had that award. She's marvericky like that. (Tina Fey, eat your heart out.)  Anyway, thank you so much for giving me the "I Big Red Puffy Heart Your Blog" award.  Since I'm combining this with a tag I received, I won't pass this award along. Instead, I send out kisses and hugs.

Steven over at Green Dads has hit me with a Four Things Tag Meme.  I don't want this blog to turn into a Meme and Big Awards blog but I think he, Brian, and Darius are such a cute family and I have such respect for them that I can't resist.  So I won't be a whiney queen and I'll do the damn tag. (Hmmm, did that sound too bitchy?)

Here it goes:

Four Jobs That I've Had

• Gas Station Attendant
• Customer Service Associate
• Waiter
• Trade Show Coordinator

Four Movies I Can Watch Anytime

• Hello Dolly! (I'm gay. What do you expect?)
• Any Harry Potter Movie
• The Notebook
• Auntie Mame (The Rosalind Russell version. Is there any other?)

Four Places I've Lived

• Pitman, NJ
• Hinella, NJ
• Oaklyn, NJ
• Santa Ana, CA

Four TV Shows I Love(d)

• Arrested Development
• Antiques Roadshow
• Everybody Loves Raymond
• Sex and the City

Four Places I've Vacationed

• Ocean City, NJ
• Wildwood, NJ
• Ocean Grove, NJ
• Las Vegas, NV

Four Novels I Have Enjoyed ReReading (Sorry, only 2)

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Four Websites I Visit Often

• Entrecard
• Pogo
• Nabisco World
• @!&*CENSORED*&!@ - Mr. Smiley likes to keep his personal world separate from the blogging world, and I'm sure you all appreciate that.

Four Places I'd Like To Be Right Now

• Brad Pitt's Lap (if that doesn't count as a place, it should)
• Disney World
• Southern California
• In bed snuggling with my two crazy dalmatians

Ok now I am supposed to torture pass this tag on to four bloggers who have to answer these questions and then pass along to four more bloggers and so on and so forth and well, you get the picture.  The only rules (rules? we don't need no stinking rules) are link to the person who gave this to you and link to your four recipients.  So here we go:

Lidian at Kitchen Retro - Because I love all things retro and kitschy and this gal actually has enough energy to keep two blogs running! And not just any old two blogs, two super cool blogs!

Tamicks. Life Through the Eyes of a Young Caribbean Girl - I absolutely adore Tamicks and I love her blog. She's really a pretty smart blog designer and a smartly pretty one, too. So go read it. Go read it now. You'll love it and you might learn something, too!

Gina over at The Clan McLeod - Gina has gone contest crazy over at her blog and it's all fun, fun, fun. She's a wife of a preacher man, she home schools her kids, and she blogs like a crazy fiend. If I ever had to be home schooled, I'd want Gina to be my teacher!

Patricia from Subjective Soup - Patricia is a recently retired teacher who claims to come from a vampire family. (read her There Are Vampires and There Are Vampires post for more vampy information) I'm a big fan of vampires (what gay man isn't?) and I love soup, subjective or bean.

Well there you go, I've awarded and tagged the night away.  I should have been cleaning the house and getting ready for Thanksgiving. Oh well, there's always tomorrow night!

Super Sized Award Combo, a Bookworm Meme, and My Daughter Is 29!

First of all, can anyone explain what "Meme" stands for?  Is it short for a word that starts with Meme? Is there any word that starts with Meme? Or does it simply mean Me! Me!?  Please don't explain it to me--these are just rhetorical questions.  Why? Because sometimes knowing less about something makes it all that more fun as you learn about it.

But before we get into the meme that was thrust upon generously shared with me by Dad To Two, I want to thank Kim, the Progressive Girl over at A World of Progress for sending some blog lovin' my way in the form of a super sized multi-award blog award.  Wow. That was a mouthful!  Anyway, she received 4 blog awards at once and grouped them into one super duper award and she has included me as a recipient!  Go check out her blog. Read it. Follow it. You'll be glad you did.

I am supposed to pass on these awards to my fellow bloggers but I've got my own little system in place for that, my semi-regular "You're Appreciated" post.  Don't think I'm ungreatful or unsharing (is that a word?) because I haven't named anyone else for these awards. I plan to do a "You're Appreciated" post soon so I'll be serving up some extra blog lovin' real soon.

My buddy over at Dad To Two has kindly hit me with a Bookworm Meme.  Fortunately, I have tons of books right near my computer.  I picked the bookcase that was a little bit further away, closed my eyes, (knocked over a nick-nack and a photo of my close friend's son) and I grabbed the first book I felt.  Here's how it is supposed to work:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next two to five sentences.

5. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book or the intellectual one. Pick the Closest.

6. Tag five people to do the same.

Ok so here is page 56 starting with the fifth sentence:

"He flocked back to a page headed NATURAL RESOURCES, and under SILVER read: 'No silver had been mined in Uberwald since the Diet of Bugs in AM1880, and the possession of the metal is technically illegal.'  There was no explanation.  He made a note to ask Inigo.  After all, where you got werewolves, didn't you need silver?  And things must have been pretty bad if everyone had to eat insects."

I'd be really interested if anyone out there can figure out what book this is from.  Anyway, if you think you know or even if you don't, post a comment. And now to torture forward this to 5 fellow bloggers:

1.  Mongolian Girl over at The Cusp - Anyone who plays with chainsaws AND wants to have dinner with Linda and me is OK in my book.  And I loved Angie Dickenson...

2.  Angie over at My Pretty Purse - Angie has the girliest girl blog I've seen in a while.  It's cute and adorable and oh so girly.  Plus she asked me for Martini advice! I love people who love martinis!

3.  The Verbal Warrior over at Read Between My Lines - This chickie-poo ( I can use sexist names like that cause I'm gay. It's one of the perks.) actually reads.  Plus anyone who drinks 3 cups of coffee and posts hot pictures of a guy named Dean on her blog is my kinda gal. And she likes my blog. She really likes it. (Ok, so Sally Fields I'm not!)

4.  The Dude from People In the Sun - This guy actually worked in a bookstore when he lived in England and he blogs about his mother.  Well, he finally blogged about his mother after she discovered his blog and her absence from it. Bet he did her proud and even posted a pic of them together.

5.  The Country Wife over at Country Life with Country Wife - She thinks I'm hot! Let me say that again, "She thinks I'm hot!'  What ever you do, Country Wife, don't look at that recent picture of me at Cork Restaurant. You'll see I've gained a little weight. And even better than thinking I'm hot, she has a widget on her blog that says, I Love My Lesbian Daughter.  Actually, the word "love" is represented by a rainbow heart.  Country Wife, you rock!

Lastly, it's 10:10 pm on 11/23/08 and my daughter is turning 29 tomorrow.  I cannot believe it. I still feel like I'm 16 so how can I have a daughter who is going to be 29?  I put some of her gifts in a gift bag that had "THIRTY" written across both sides in big letters.  I then wrote across the "thirty" in black marker, "NOT YET."  I hope she sees the humor in that.

Cork Restaurant - Fine Dining Without The Fine Dining Prices

Thursday night Linda and I had reservations at Cork Restaurant in Westmont. Westmont is a small "wet" oasis situated between dry Haddonfield and Collingswood. Due to the success of the many upscale restaurants that adorn the streets of Collingswood, several new and exciting restaurants have popped up along Haddon Avenue in Westmont, offering diners the option to have a drink along with their meals. Cork is the best amongst them.

Several South Jersey restaurants were participating in the "Off The Hook" 4 day promotion where local restaurants featured a four course local seafood dinner for only $30. Since Linda and I are seafood lovers, how could we resist such a deal?

Cork is not very large, with a small dining area of tables, booths, and a few recessed booths. Beyond the dining area on the right is a small bar and on the left a separate room for private parties and busy night spill over seating. A beautiful cabinet full of wine bottles takes up a quarter wall.

Linda was running late but they sat me at the table anyway, which I was glad they did. I ordered a ketel one dirty martini with blue cheese olives. It was good -- not great -- but good. Linda arrived shortly thereafter and I let her order for both of us, in which she took great delight.

Linda started with the Sustainable Seafood Salad which was a nice mixture of romaine chiffonade, calamari, shrimp, and mussels in a light herb dressing. I had the Billi Bi which was a saffron infused French mussell soup. The salad was excellent but it paled in comparison to the unbelievable taste sensation that was the soup. The soup was rich and velvety, yet not thick, with a buttery saffron taste. It reminded me slightly of oyster stew but way beyond anything I've ever eaten. I gave Linda a taste and practically had to wrench it out of her hands to get it back. We agreed that the soup was not only the best part of the meal that night but possibly the best thing we have tasted in years.

Linda had the Cape May Salt Oysters with minced pork black bean sauce. The plate only included two but she shared one with me. The salty oysters complented the light sauce and made me wish there were more than just two. I had the Barnegat Light Scallop Wellington which was a local wild mushroom and scallop in a puff pastry with a wasabi edamame puree. This was another outstanding dish which tasted exactly what beef wellington would taste like with scallops in it. We both agreed that this was our second favorite dish.

For the third course, Linda had the Blackened Catfish with jalepeno cheddar grits and collard greens. The catfish was nicely blackened and cooked to perfection. I've had the grits and greens before so I already knew how wonderful they tasted. Linda admitted that it was the first time in her life that collard greens ever tasted good to her.

I had the Grilled Rainbow Trout with herb roasted fingerling potatoes and haricot verts in a kalamata olive infused olive oil. I am a big fan of trout and this one, served herad to tail, was also cooked to perfection. Crispy and tender, the infused olive oil added the right additional flavor. I was in heaven.

For desert Linda had the "Tuna Sashimi" which consisted of a raspberry pate de fruit shaped like sashimi with a pistachio mint paste replacing wasabi and jelled orange marmalade-like slices for ginger. It was very clever and the only thing missing was the chop sticks. Unfortunately, it looked a lot better than it tasted but we sure did get a kick out of the presentation.

I had the "Oyster Pearls" tapioca pudding. Rather than being a normal thick pudding, this pudding was more soupy--but not in a bad way. Rich and velvety with a pearl-sized tapiocas, it was a delightful end to what was an extraordinary meal.

Our server, whose name slips me now, was wonderful. Friendly and attentive, she was on-the-ball yet not overbearing. I believe because I was taking pictures of the meal, we were visited by the Restaurant Manager, and then the Chef, and finally the owner. It was nice to have them visit and helped make our meal seem even more special. I told them that I would be blogging about the meal and that my daughter and her boyfriend would be coming in on Monday for her 29th birthday dinner.

Don't let the $30 special menu fool you. Their regular menu is moderately priced as well with appetizers like light and crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls ($6.50) and my personal favorite, Peking Duck Flatbread with a hoisin barbeque sauce ($12). They have fabulous solo pizzas with crisp crusts that range from $10 - $12 and main courses like Grilled Atlantic Salmon ($19), Bison Meatloaf ($20), Grilled 12 oz Rib Eye Steak ($22), and a Seafood Potpie chock full of scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, and salmon ($23). The have an extensive wine list (bottles are half price on mondays) as well as a large selection of draft and bottled beers. Speciality drink and martini prices range from $8.50 - $9.00.

If you're looking for fine dining and the charm of Collingswood but want to drink and don't want to pay exorbatant prices, then Cork is your place. Cork is located at 90 Haddon Avenue in Westmont. For reservations call 856-833-9800 or vist opentable.com.

An Open Letter to the Young Girl in the Parking Lot of Charlie Brown's Steak House

Dear Young Girl in the Parking Lot of Charlie Brown's Steak House:

You don't know me but you did a wonderful thing for my mother the other night. To give you a little background, my mom is 71 years old. My stepfather is 91. He wears a catheter all the time and needs a wheel chair to get around. In order to keep him lively, my mother occasionally takes him out to the mall or dinner at Charlie Brown's Steak House, their favorite restaurant.

About three nights ago after dining at the restaurant, my mother was struggling to get my stepfather into the car. It was cold and windy and he does not move as well as he used to. You saw this and (without asking) came to her assistance. You helped her finish getting him in the car and then folded the heavy wheel chair and put it in the trunk. My mother told you that you didn't have to help and you said that it was too cold for her to be doing that and you were glad to help. You have no idea the impact your kindness had on my mother.

She called me up to tell me the story and she was crying. No, not just crying but sobbing. She couldn't believe that this tiny little girl who did not know her would go out of her way to help her. My mother has been struggling to take care of Al (my stepdad) since he became debilitated about a year ago. This man was the "everyready Energizer Bunny" who did everything and took care of everything. Now the tables are turned on my mother and she struggles daily with his care. She refuses to put him in a home and feels that this man has worked his whole life and deserves to be cared for in his own home.

It's a big job and she does most of it by herself. I think the stress of all that work and the fact that his side of the family barely helps or shows interest, has taken it's toll on mother. It all came to the surface and exploded when you came to her aid. And don't get me wrong, you did a wonderful thing and I think my mother just needed to cry about it and get it out of her system. She's feeling better now and she will always have a little special place in her heart for you and so do I. If more people were like you, this world would definitely be a much better place.

Thank you so very much from the son of the woman you helped in the parking lot of Charlie Brown's Steak House. May all your kindnesses be returned ten-fold.

I Am NOT Corky St. Claire

Let's get one thing straight. (and I use that term loosely) I am not Corky St. Claire. I have never been Corky St. Claire, although I would not have a problem with being Christopher Guest cause I think he's a genius. Not a hot genius (you can't have everything), but a genius none-the-less.

If you don't know who Corky or Christopher are, than shame on you! Christopher Guest is one of the masterminds behind This Is Final Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman (where he plays a very gay Corky St. Claire), Best In Show, and A Mighty Wind. If you have not seen any of these movies and/or have no idea what I am talking about, you must lead a very sad and unfulfilled life.

But enough about YOU. This blog is about ME. ME ME ME ME and as I said before, I am not Corky St. Claire. Even when I was young, I was not Corky. When I was in my 20's, I was a bonafide twink. (If you don't know what a twink is, ask Nanny Goats in Panties as I've already explained it to her and I ain't gonna do it again) I was a Duran Duran lovin', parachute pants wearing, Madonna wannabe 80's gay boi.!

Sexy Hot Preston vs. Big Fag Corky

But some tough/sweet little blog reviewing chickie poo named Calamity has informed me that Corky is exactly what I am. I almost spilled my martini, had I been drinking one at the time. She belongs to Ask and Ye Shall Receive, which is a blog that reviews other blogs. Innocently, I asked for a little review of my modest little blog and this beotch darling girlie obliged my request. Read her review here but make sure you get your ass back to my blog to finish reading this post!

Now I take no offense in anything else she said. In fact, I've made (what I feel to be) a rather strong effort in meeting some of her demands suggestions. So I am addressing them here and now:

1. Corky St. Claire - I am so way hotter and I don't use the faggy hand motions or talk really gay like he does. And that hair!!! Puhleeze! And no comments from my friends about that hideous hair cut I had about three years ago that made me look like Moe from the Three Stooges. I corrected that mistake!

2. Blue Skies = Happiness and Barry Manilow - Egads, how wrong can you get. Have you ever heard ELO? I was a BIG fan and I loved the song Mr. Blue Skies. So there. (Can you see me sticking out my tongue, Calamity?) In addition to my paying tribute to ELO, I felt it was appropriate because I was dealing with a very serious depression. I was in a very bad place and needed something to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel. Mr. Blue Skies did that for me. (Can you see my tongue sticking out again?)

3. Blog Coloring is Wrong - I agree with you totally. Big chicken here when it comes to dealing with XML. But I got my shit together and look at my blog now.

4. Blog is Bo-ring - Harumph. I'll say it again, Harumph!!!! Well I changed my background to a more interesting background. And a pretty gay background too, after all, Calamity says I'm a big old gay boy and I should own it.

I collect cool barware from the 40's to the 60's.

No dolls or Judy Garland memorabilia here.

(The beanies are in boxes in my basement, so piss off.)

5. My Blog Roll is Huge - If you think that is huge, you should see my penis. (I got rid of the blog roll but I kept my penis. By-the-way, I call him Mr. Smiley cause when I look at him he looks like he's smiling back at me. Kinda goes with the whole Mr. Blue Skies theme, huh?)

6. My Blog is One Dimensional - Uh, read number 5.

7. I'm Sweet as Pie and a Good Person - Uh, of course. That won't change.

8. My blog is bland and vanilla. Needs more bloody hot posts - I like vanilla. It's my second favorite flavor. (My first is FREE) I'm a 48 year old sex addict, child abuse survivor (and I use survivor very loosely), gay pig who's been fighting that damn monster under his bed for as long as he can remember. Do you really want to hear about that? I think I'm at a point in my life where vanilla looks pretty damn good to me. (There, I revealed something very dark about myself. Satisfied?)

9. Give Us More than One Dimension - Gee, I thought I was doing that with all those political posts, which Calamity conveniently ignored.

Actually, I can't thank Calamity enough for all her suggestions. I enjoy blogging and don't plan to stop anytime soon. I will seriously take every suggestion to heart and work on making this a better blog. If you're a blogger, I seriously suggest you request a review of your blog. There's a pretty big waiting list so do it now before you forget! And as a reminder, I am NOT Corky St. Claire, and even if I was, so what? (Can you see my tongue sticking out?)

Little Girl Tackles Crane Machine In Quest for Stuffed Animals

This video is for all you SITS, Mommy Bloggers, and Daddy Bloggers, too... and anyone else who remembers how inventive little kids can be when they really, really want something.  This is one of the funniest videos I have seen in a long time!  Enjoy!  (Note:  When you click on the picture, it takes you to the Nothing Toxic website in order to view the video.)

Little Girls Will Do Anything for a Stuff Animal

If you can get past the whole 4 years old thing, she's perfect as a robbery partner.

Get humor videos at NothingToxic

$1.85/Gallon for Gas and My Coworkers Nether Regions

Talk about subliminal sex messages or what? Is she putting on lipstick or swallowing the whole damn thing?  And what about the gas attendant with that phallic looking gas pump in his hand? and that "I know what I'm gonna get" smile on his smirky face? 

That's a fairly eye catching headline, wouldn't you say?  It seems that in the fortys people were turned on by Sex and Oil and now people are turned on by Sex and low gas prices! It's sorta come full circle.  And I was so thrilled that the Gulf station next to the WaWa had gas for $1.85/gallon Friday.  It's right around the corner from my house so I flew in there right before coming home from work to fill my tank up.  And do you know what it cost me? Only $23.00 to fill my tank!  Woo-hoo.

Now that I've gotten you all worked up, you must vist my friend Erin's blog, Laughs and Rants from my Inner Child.  Apparently, Erin some unknown individual was trying to entice John her spouse/partner by strolling around the bedroom sans vetements, at least from the waist down.  It's one of the funniest posts I have read in a long time and I just had to share it with you.  It's called Let's Hear It For the Naughty Bits!  And if paying $1.85/gallon doesn't make you feel naughty, well maybe you should trying doing it sans vetements, but only from the waist down!

When I'm Alone...

When I'm alone

I start to think

of things that mean

the most to me

like funny thoughts

and sad songs

and lovers on a starry night
I want to laugh

and cry

and love

I want to be normal

and yet I feel

that I might need

to be a little strange

and like the cold

and want the things

I don't really want

To need the warmth

of mind and body

To need

surprise presents,

warm mittens,

and a close embrace

And yet I fear

that all these things

will escape me

and that the monster

beneath my bed

will confront me

and I will have to slay him

as I have done

so many times in my dreams

And yet I've never met

the monster

beneath my bed

Is it because

I am searching for something

that is not really there?

Could I be fighting someone

stronger than the monster

beneath my bed?

Could it be

that I am fighting someone

I've known for years

and yet I don't really know him?

Could that someone be

me?

Do I really want to be

alone

and feel the pain of

loneliness

which is so often disguised,

by shyness and differences,

as self-inflicting?

Am I trying to be

too different

from the others that I know?

Or is there something

I desire

from those I'm never with?

Is there someone

within me

that won't come out?

Or is that someone

missing

from my life?

Could that someone be

me?

Am I so afraid

that I cannot stand up

to my own self?

Or do I fear

what I might find

hidden behind this mask I wear?

Do I really need to be

someone

other than myself?

Has the time come

for me to slay

the monster

beneath my bed?

Or do I really want

to continue this masquerade,

dreaming,

fantasizing,

slaying the monster

beneath my bed

only

when I'm alone?

Stop Lunch Thieves and Gross Them Out at the Same Time!

Ever have your lunch stolen from the company fridge? or the sandwich you made to eat later on suddenly disappear? Well now you can keep your sandwich fresh and ward off lunch snatchers with one single product:  The Anti-Theft Lunch Bag!

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "How can a lunch bag be anti-theft? Does it come with a combination lock? Couldn't someone just steal the bag and chew off the lock to get to the goodies?"  These are all valid questions and locks on a lunch bag are about as useless as underwear on Lindsay Lohen. And like Lindsay, this bag doesn't need underwear or locks either.  Oh no, it's something so simple and yet so ingenious:  Lunch bags with green splotches on both sides!

Why not?  Everyone and everything is going green so why not green zip bags for your sandwiches?  It's a pretty clever idea.  Simply put your finished sandwich in the bag, zip it closed, and put it in your lunch carrier.  In fact, it's just what you would normally do EXCEPT it now looks like a nasty, moldy sandwich that's been sitting around for a week or two.  Only you know it isn't.

Fool your friends -- fool your family -- fool that jerk-off  poor hungry soul at work who is forced to steal your lunch because they don't pay him/her/it enough to afford his/her/its own lunch.  (Like they pay you any more, right?) Anyway, all's fair in love and war and 60 minute lunch breaks.  Thank SKForlee.com for coming up with this cleverly gross lunch protection.  Now would someone make fake out-of-date yogurt labels that smell like sour ass so that creep will stop eating my yogurts, too?

My Trip to New York City

Tuesday I drove to New York City with my co-worker, Beth, to check out the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show being held at the Jacob Javitz Center.  We drove to Weehawkin and took the ferry over to NYC.  The ferry drops you off behind the convention center and it's just a short walk from there to the front of the center. 

It was a beautiful fall day with just a slight nip in the air so we decided to sit on the top of the ferry to enjoy the view as we approached NYC.  It was so nice and it had me wishing that I had brought my camera, but I still had my cell phone so I sorta had a camera.  We took a lot of pictures but I didn't like some of them, especially the ones where I look like I weigh 5,000 pounds.

Anyway, we had a really good day at the show and got to see all the exhibitors Beth needed to see.  When we were done, we decided to venture out to find something better for lunch then the nasty food being served by the food vendors at the convention center.  Before we made it to any restaurant, we encountered this guy with his Urine Off box.

Urine Off is a product that removes animal urine stains and smells from carpet.  The people at Urine Off were giving away these boxes which had wheels and retractable handles just like suitcases.  So many people were dragging along their Urine Off boxes at this show and it made us laugh.  Could  you imagine the alternate names they could have used instead?

Think about it.  What if they called it Piss Off?  The slogan could go something like this:  "Don't get Pissed - Get Piss Off and tell those urine stains and smells to piss off!"  or maybe this:  "No need to tell hotel guests with pets to piss off when you have piss off." Anyway, we thought it was funny.

After we laughed at our stale bathroom humor we discovered this cool little Thai restaurant on Ninth Avenue between 35th and 36th Street called Aura Thai Fusion Cuisine.  It's a small place with an even smaller exposed brick bar with seating for about 22 people.  Everything is authentic Thai including the servers.  Lunch is extremely inexpensive with all dishes being $7.95 or $8.95 and they all come with a free spring roll.

Beth opted for the Red Curry with Tofu which included bamboo shoots, string beans, kaffir lime leaves, chili, and jasmine rice.  It came in a beatiful brimming bowl and although I didn't taste it, Beth loved every bit of it.

I love Green Curry which came in a big bowl of milky, green curry sauce with tofu, eggplant, bamboo shoots, basil, crunchy green beans, and somen noodles.  It was delicious and we barely spoke as we each enhaled our lunch.  Beth said it was my fault we ate too fast cause I was the "pace" luncher and I barely stopped to enhale between bites.  Oh well.

Oh, did I mention the free spring roll? It was a delicatley fried spring roll with a lovely sweet dipping sauce with little red specks of heat swirling within the sauce.  It was so good we gobbled them down before we thought of taking a picture.  We also ordered the unsweetened house iced Thai Tea (modeled by the lovely Beth in poor lighting with my lousy cell phone camera) which was delightfully subtly sweet on its own.  We were completely stuffed and at $25.00 including tip, it was an inexpensive treat to boot.  When we make it back to the Jacob Javitz Center again, we plan to return here.  What a gem!

On our way back to the car from the ferry, we encountered two Veterans coming home from the parade.  They were really nice guys and I shook their hands and told them how much we appreciated what they have done for our freedoms.  Beth insisted I take their picture.  The guy on the left is a Vietnam Vet and the other guy fought in World War II.  The WWII vet went into a story about how the peace treaty was supposed to be signed on the USS New Jersey but our president at the time was from Missouri and that's why it was signed on the USS Missouri instead.  These were great guys and we were so happy to get a picture of them with the NYC skyline in the background.

So that encompasses my day trip to NYC - beautiful weather, fun ferry rides, a succesful walking of the trade show, fabulous lunch, and proud US Veterans.  Some days are really good.  This was one of them.

Book Dads Contest: Win 2 Funny Books for Guys Who Read or Should Read or Need Something To Do When Taking a Dump

The guys over at Green Dads are holding a contest at their other blog, Book Dads, Fathers That Read.  I've mentioned these guys before and they've left comments on my blog.  Brian and Steven are two forty-something gay hottie fathers who have been together over 17 years and are raising their five year old son Darius. (And I didn't add the word "hottie" just because I'm trying to win their contest or anything like that. I'm apalled you would even think such a thing!)

Now before you run away form this post all you SITS out there, this is NOT a gay themed contest.  B & S are giving away two very funny books for guys.  These are books you can give to your hubbys, your grown up sons, your neighbors, and yes, even your gay male friends. (All saucy gals have gay ex-hubbys friends) 

Anyway, the first book is, Men With Balls - The Professional Atheletes Handbook.  A hilarious book for all atheletes and athlete wannabes. The second book is Is It Just Me or Is Everything Shit?  This book is a hilarious attack on all the crap produced from today's modern culture.  First of all, any book with the word "Men" and "Balls" in the title piques my interest. (See, I know big words like piques)  Secondly, I don't want to get into a pissing contest with anyone, but have you seen some of the crap I've produced in this blog? (All right, no more bathroom humor)

But seriously people, these books have ME written all over them.  And since Obama won the election, I've been feeling very bipartisan so I'm letting you all know about the contest by clicking here.  Besides, I get three bonus entries for posting about the contest and hopefully 1,000 more for referring to Brian and Steve as hotties. (Actually, they really are hotties.  Does that get me any more entries?)

This Weekend, Contests, and Daughter Does Me Proud

Ugh, I went way overboard with the eating this weekend. I did really good on Friday but Saturday I went over to Scott and Sean's for dinner. Sean made an awesome pork chop with spicy rub for dinner and it was so delicious. Amy said I should have brought my camera so I could blog about it. Well, no pics but trust me it was banging. Afterwards we had quite a few drinks and on my way home, I stopped at WaWa for a pint of Moosetracks ice cream, which I promptly scarfed down right before I went to bed.

Sunday night I met Scott, Sean, and some of our buddies at Merryfield's to watch the football games and drink cheap pitchers of beer and half priced wings and pizza. Heather was our server. We had a great time but I ate and drank too much, again. I do great during the week but when the weekend comes, I seem to lose the eating battle.


Moving on to better things, how about some contests where you can win some cool stuff? I love winning cool stuff. Hey, I just love winning. Anything. Really. Have a contest for dust bunnies? I'm there. Anywho, Jeannie over at Jeannie's Happy World is holding a contest. She's giving away a copy of her "Lose Weight-Feel Great" cookbook on CD to three lucky people. Considering how badly I want need to lose 20 lbs., I really need to win this cookbook. I get 5 entries for posting about the contest. To check it out yourself, click on the widget in my sidebar or just click here.

Diana, Cheryl, and Sheila over at 3 Scrap Booking Ladies are holding their Thankful 4 Fall Giveaway where someone is going to win a ton of scrap booking goodies. I sure hope it's me cause I want to make a scrap book for my mom for Christmas. She deserves the best and what these gals offer is definitely the best. I don't get any extra entries for blogging about the contest so I am going for any bonus "brown-nose" entries that might be available. For more details, click on the widget in my sidebar or just click here.

Heather and her boyfriend, Aaron

Finally, last night Heather asked me when I was going to get the oil company to come look at our heater. It's probably 35 years old and just recently started to barely blow any heat. Well, I haven't paid the oil bill yet so I told her I wasn't going to ask them to come take a look at it until the bill was paid. And considering it's over $350 and I am two months behind with AT&T, my paycheck on Thursday was not going to cover them both. She handed me $200 and said, "Here's $200. Pay the bill and get them out here. " I told her thanks but she didn't have to give me money. She replied, "Well, I live here too. I can help out." I hadn't asked her for any money yet because she's just started working and I wanted to make sure she had money for the holidays. It warmed my heart to think that she would offer me that money without even having to ask for it. I guess I must have done something right while I was raising her.

Dinner and an Award

Tonight Heather had dinner set up and ready for me to cook heat up. Since she's been working at the Bar/Restaurant, we have not been having regular dinners. Plus she's been spending more time over her boyfriend's house because they don't see each other as much. She loves to cook and bake and she's worried that I won't be able to make myself something to eat. She forgets that I was the one who cooked dinner every night when she was young. And what does she think I did for meals the 5 years she was away? I cooked ordered in...

See, I can cook. (or at least heat and assemble)

Anyway, she had the water boiling, the home-made gravy in the pan, and a breaded chicken patty in the fridge with the instructions taped to it. She made sure that I read all the instructions and that I put the chicken in the oven 7 minutes before I put that pasta in the water. It's sweet but oh so funny. Anyway, it turned out very good. Just look at the picture. (And Heather makes the best gravy with chunks of tomatoes, garlic, peppers and onions. I'm drooling.)

After dinner, I decided to take a turn away from politics and thank Tattooed Minivan Mom for giving me the Superior Scribbler Award. And why did I get it? Because I sent her chocolates. (Actually, she won them in my first blog contest) Go check her blog out. It's a blast! Here's the rules:

1. Post the award on your blog.

2. Link me for giving it to you.

3. Link the originating post - here.

4. Pass the award on to five more deserving people.

5. Post these rules for your recipients.

OK now here are my five recipients:

1. Chilled White Whine - Nancy Ellyn is a confirmed Jackson Browne fan and I give her this award because she deserves to get every blogger award available. Go read her blog. It'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

2. The Vintage Kitten - It turns out the Ms. Kitten is really Ms. Tiger when she read about what my daughter's boss did to her for voting for Obama. Grrr... and you must check out her blog. I love her photos and vintage images. Grrr again!

3. Old Lady Lincoln - This gal is the coolest grandmom ever. She's been married for 55 years and is a twice survivor of breast cancer, bless her little heart. Ya gotta love this gal.

4. My Brown Baby - I love Denene Millner's blog and she gets this award because she wrote the best "Obama Wins the Presidency" post I've read to date. Smart, savvy, and on-track, the Millner's family represents the movers and shapers of this generation. When her daughter said she wanted to be the first black woman on the Supreme Court, she made a believer outta me.

5. Green Dads - This goes to Steve and Brian, two gay men who are raising their son in California New York, where the were just told that they were not good enough to get married. How dare California discount their family. His post "America Get Over Yourself" qualifies for this award. It ain't over yet, guys.

Obama Wins and Americans Win...Well Some Americans Win Less

I can't begin to tell you how overjoyed I am with Obama's victory yesterday. He holds our future in his hands and I truly believe he will steer us in a stronger, better direction. But for me, and for many people like me, it is a bitter-sweet victory.

Bigots, Homophobes and Bad Hair Dye

Why is that you may ask? Well, Florida, Arizona, and California have banned gay marriages. The backwards, backwoods rednecks of Arkansas have even gone so far as to pass the unmarried couples ban on adoption, something clearly aimed at gay couples. While tens of thousands celebrated in the streets all over the country last night, others watched some of their rights being legislated away from them.

Shame on you America! This country was built on freedom and our constitution was written to protect rights, not deny them. Brian over at Gay Dads says it much better than I in his post America Get Over Yourself. I implore you to read it.

In addition, it seems that 70% of blacks who voted in California voted for Proposition 8. Now the win can't be pinpointed directly to this group because people of color only make up 6.2% of California's popluation. But it does speak volumes about what the black community thinks about the gay community. It shows that a group of people who have had their rights trampled upon in the past have no problem with trampling on the rights of others in the present.

And don't give me that it's not the same crap. I have been called vile names, spit on, threatened with a knife, punched in the face, chased by a group of guys, and even had someone try to run me over in his car, ALL BECAUSE I WAS PERCEIVED AS BEING GAY. I have had my daughter come home from a friends house upset because her friend's parent referred to me as a fag. She endured taunts of all kinds from the kids in school. Some things said to her were unbelievably nasty and I have no doubts whatsover that those little monsters were simply repeating what they heard at the dinner table.

Yes, electing Obama is a historic event and it opens the doors for many. But remember this, while some doors were opening, some were being slammed shut. Again and again and again. And I thought this was supposed to be the home of the free. Silly me.

My Daughter Was Harrassed At Work by the Owner's Wife Because She Voted for Obama

I am so mad I could spit. Apparently, the owner's wife came into work today and asked my daughter who she voted for. She told her Obama and this is the text message my daughter sent me today:

"The owner's wife asked me who i voted 4. Told her and she was furious and called me a socialist idiot and stormed off."

I was so angry I could have spit. I went to our human resource manager and she said there is no law against calling employees an idiot. And as long as she doesn't fire her or treat her differently because of who she voted for, Heather has no recourse.

Well doesn't that just suck!? How dare she attack my child for doing something good like voting! What right does an employer have to chastise an employee for excersing their right to vote? The Daddy in me kicked in big time and I wanted to go to her work and scream at that lady or break her arm or flush her head in a toilet. I didn't but boy did I want to. Fortunately, Heather kept quiet and just went about her work. But she texted me about 12 times during the day so I know she was upset. Her last text said that the woman was sure going to feel like an a$$hole when Obama wins tonight!

She works at Merryfield's Bar & Restaurant right here in Oaklyn, NJ. They have great bar food at reasonable prices. Even their drinks are reasonably priced and the local yocals crowd the place most nights. BUT, I may just go down there later, order a dozen wings (their wings are THE BEST in the county), and jump up and down screaming for Obama just to see it that woman will say antyhing to ME. Or maybe not, cause it is Heather's work and I have to respect her work space. But it's a good fantasy. And Heather is SO RIGHT. She sure is going to feel like an a$$hole when her candidate loses. I love my daughter and I am so lucky she is a strong and independent woman. She does me proud. And I'm glad she stood strong behind her vote for Barack Obama as President.