We Are Leaving On Vacation Today

-Hey guys … before I forget it – Steve and I are leaving this morning for Cincinnati, Ohio and a movie convention.

We are going to be gone today through next Monday, and we’ll be back home on Monday evening … and our blog will return on Tuesday, the 24th of November, 2009.

Just two days before Thanksgiving.

-Taking a look outside … our morning temperature is 21 degrees under partly cloudy skies.  Today’s forecast is for: Mostly sunny. Highs 42 to 47. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

Looking good around this area of Minnesota for today.

Now for the Chicago area – where we are headed for … it is 47 degrees with rain.  Their forecast for today is: Light rain. Highs around 50. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 80 percent.

Chicago will have rain today and Thursday, then clearing and around 50 degrees on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Cincinnati, Ohio 0ur final destination will have rain today, the partly cloudy the rest of the week with temperatures in the mid 50’s.

So all in all, the weather for our trip this morning and through the weekend until Sunday looks pretty good … with a chance of some rain in St. Paul and Minneapolis when we return on Sunday evening.

Our plans are to stay in St. Paul, Minnesota on Sunday night and then return home on Monday afternoon.

-One of my favorite actors is going to be featured … The heterosexual bible known as Playboy features out actor Neil Patrick Harris in its December issue as part of a four-page spread on the 100th episode of his sitcom, How I Met Your Mother.

Harris appears with his two male HIMYMcostars, Josh Radnor and Jason Segel, who are all interviewed for the piece. Harris remains very clothed in the photos — like hisHIMYM character, Barney, the actor is dressed to kill in tailored suits.

“If you can afford it, I’d recommend having your own wardrobe department,” Harris tells Playboy.

We just might have to check out that issue.

-Another guy, I’ve come to love on Oprah – and he is so very talented … is moving on up.  She made television stars out of Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, and now, Oprah is hoping to do the same for interior designer Nate Berkus. Sony Pictures Television and Harpo Productions have partnered to launch a syndicated daytime show for Berkus, set to premiere in fall 2010.

This is the second show produced by Harpo and Sony. Their first, Dr. Oz, has had the most successful debut of any first-run talk show in the last seven years.

This isn’t Berkus’s first time working on a show for Oprah. In 2008 he hosted her prime-time series Oprah’s Big Give for ABC.

Berkus has long been a regular on Oprah’s show. In addition to offering design advice to viewers, he made an emotional appearance on the show in 2005 and talked about the disappearance and presumed death of his boyfriend, photographer Fernando Bengoechea, during 2004’s devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.

The couple had been vacationing in Sri Lanka when the tsunami hit.

-Lastly this morning, in the war between Levi Johnston and Sarah Palin – I think Levi is winning it hands down.  This is either one heck of a 19-year old self-described redneck or someone who has the serene confidence of knowing that the truth is on his side.

He is holding his own, and not blinking – his story seems pretty solid, compared to the ever wavering Palins.

-5:35 a.m., I’m going to grab some breakfast … Special K and skim milk.  Steve and I are planning to make it a regular get up time, and then head out the door around 8:00 a.m. this morning for Chicago.

Wish us a great safe trip … the good Lord willing we will both be back her on Tuesday morning of next week … around the same time.

We hope you guys have a great remaining week … enjoy the weekend, and we’ll see you later.

Until next time…

Finger Costs A Quarter Million

-One of the nice things about retirement is doing nothing!  That’s what I did yesterday – I just hung around home and relaxed and chilled out – trying to feel better and get rid of my cold.

-It’s darn cold outside this morning, here in Minnesota.  We’ve got 21 degrees under mostly cloudy skies.

Today’s northland weather forecast is for: Mostly sunny. Areas of fog early in the morning. Highs 43 to 48. West winds around 5 mph becoming south in the late morning and afternoon.

At least it is going to warm up a bit … which will be good.

Color weather radar, shows clear conditions around all of Minnesota this morning … with some rain and snow on the extreme northwest coast of the United States and also rain (where we are headed tomorrow morning) in Illinois and Ohio.

-Our colds are getting better.  Steve seemed to be feeling a lot better yesterday … while I was still on the mend.  My plugged head .. nose .. etc., seems to be improving which is good.

I spent most of the day just resting and relaxing around the house – not doing to much at all.  Steve on the other hand was busy with his job … and had to travel to the Iron Range for the entire day.

-In other news around the country … the much-anticipated full-frontal shot of Levi Johnston is not happening inPlaygirl, reports Gawker.com.

Daniel Nardicio, Playgirl spokesman and organizer of the shoot, says Johnston’s manager, Tank Jones, previously told him Johnston would show the goods, but he and his client reneged in the end.

“He did not give ‘full-frontal’ as his manager, Tank Jones, reported he would,” Nardicio told Gawker. “We’re thrilled with the photos we got and are confident people will love them. Although there may be glimpses, we did not get full-on frontal nudity.”

-Now if this isn’t about the most pompous thing I’ve ever heard. This man, Joel Osteen, thinks he’s so perfect that he can even call God out on his “mistakes”, which according to Osteen, are gay people. I suppose I could respond by saying I’m not so sure, but I believe the real mistake was Joel’s hair…and perhaps that tie, but let me refrain.

Of course this goes along with the previous Mormon belief that people of color were evil and actually being punished by God.

But hey, it’s good to know, that even in the world of some religions, mistakes can be made.

-Here in Minnesota, Gay and lesbian Roman Catholics who contact the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for spiritual guidance can find themselves directed toward a 12-step program aimed at changing their behavior. Australian-born Michael Bayly, who is the executive coordinator of a gay-Catholic committee, has organized a protest forum. Bayly, who is a member of St. Stephens Catholic Community, believes the Catholic Church needs to be “more accepting of diversity”

-We have a new “Five Guys” burger restaurant which opened yesterday in the Miller Hill Mall Complex.

Burgers are made from fresh, not frozen, ground beef. The buns are specially made. The large bags of potatoes stacked along a wall are for making the fries from scratch. Customers order at a counter and can munch on peanuts until their food is ready, a wait of just minutes. Burger costs range from $3.39 to $5.79 with choice of toppings.

While burgers dominate the menu, hot dogs and veggie or grilled cheese sandwiches also are offered.

-6:14 a.m. and my partner Steve will be up and out of bed shortly … to shower for the day.

-Lastly this morning … just a finger, is all it was and it cost him.

Buffoonish Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams flipped the middle finger to Buffalo Bills fans during Sunday’s Bills-Titans game in Nashville. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was in attendance. Adams later apologized and was fined $250,000.

I guess that is what money does to a guy … I’ll never know, I don’t have any and quite honestly I’m probably just as happy if not more than someone with millions.

What an idiot!

-Have a great Tuesday everyone .. enjoy the day where ever it is that you live.  Steve and I will see you back here tomorrow morning … Wednesday, just before we hit the road to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Until next time…

We Brought Home The Bacon

-The Minnesota Vikings didn’t play well at times on Sunday, but they managed to still have a relatively easy time with Detroit to raise their record to 8-1.

Final score from Sunday’s game was Vikings 27 Lion 10 – another victory.

-Good morning .. it is Monday .. yes we still have our colds.  I think Steve will be feeling better today, as he seemed to be feeling better yesterday.  As for me … well it is going away, but it just takes a bit of time.

I guess it goes with the territory – called life.

-Our morning weather is 25 clear degrees at this hour.  Today’s area forecast is: Mostly sunny. Highs 43 to 48. West winds around 5 mph becoming southeast in the late morning and afternoon.

It’s going to be a fairly decent November day, if the temperature is like it was yesterday around here.

-Steve has a busy day at his job, he heads up to the “Iron Range” area today to interview about nine different people for some employment with his company … so he will be out of town all day.

Myself .. no particular plans – except to get my health back and get rid of this darn cold.

I want to feel better by Wednesday – because that is the day we leave for Cincinnati our on driving trip.

It’s been proven the world over that people who take vacation, as in a real, away from work vacations, more often than not, live happier, healthier and longer lives.

If you have taken vacation recently, start planning your next. It keeps you motivated with something to look forward to, and if you haven’t, it’s time to plan.

-While the national forecast for holiday hiring is for the same level or slightly more than last year, that’s no reason to celebrate. Last year was the worst hiring season since 1989, according to federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

As far as the Duluth and northern Minnesota area goes … If you’re thinking about getting a holiday retail job, you’re probably too late.

Most stores have done their seasonal hiring.

“We get serious about hiring at the end of September and early October,” said Bryan Brown, manager of the Duluth Younkers store. “The bulk of our hiring happens in October and a little bit into November.”

It looks like jobs are kind of scarce around here for the holiday season.

-Talking about “holiday season”, when Steve and I were at the Miller Hill Mall on Saturday .. almost every store was crammed with people .. wall to wall people doing their Christmas shopping.

Gosh, I haven’t even thought of Christmas shopping yet.

Yikes!

-5:47 a.m. here … I think I’m going to grab some breakfast.  Yesterday, in spite of feeling kind of crappy – I fixed both Steve and I – bacon and eggs for breakfast.  We normally don’t eat a heavy breakfast – but we’d purchased some bacon and eggs on Saturday and thought we treat ourselves to something just a bit different for our morning breakfast.

I do have some really blueberry waffles – that I might just fix this morning, along with a 8 ounce glass of skim milk.

How about you?  What are you having for breakfast today?  Hopefully something enjoyable.

Steve will be rolling out of the bedroom around 6:15 a.m. to hit the shower and shave his cute face – then dress his naked body for work.

-Have a great Monday and a great week guys.

Steve and I will meet you back here again tomorrow morning.

Sports

-5:48 in the morning … good morning everyone … it is Sunday, and I’m awake.

My head is stuffed up, my eyes are runny and I generally feel like crap!  ”Why?” you ask…simple because I’ve got a head cold – and it is a dandy.  Yuck.

-Final score of last nights’ game … Pacers 113 Celtics 104.

-This morning it is a cold 28 degrees outside under clear skies.  Today’s forecast: Partly cloudy in the morning then clearing. Patchy fog early in the morning. Highs 40 to 45. West winds 5 to 10 mph.

Color weather radar this morning shows clear conditions over all of Minnesota.

-Speaking of sports … locally in Minnesota the TWolves lost their 10th straight basketball games last night.

-Today … I assume Steve and I will give each other haircuts -

-The Minneosta Vikings take on the Detroit Lions at the Metro Dome in Minnepolis, MN today at 12:00 noon.

Detroit is 1 and 7, while Minnesota is 7 and 1 – hopefully it will be an easy victory for Minnesota.

It might look like the Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has been shunted aside with the arrival of Brett Favre, but he’s embracing a valuable opportunity to learn from the master…who has been in the league for about 19 years now.

What a great learning experience to play under one of the all time great quarter backs in the NFL.

We all learn by example, and I think Jackson could learn some valuable life and sport lessons.

-6:24 a.m., and I think I’ll head on out to the kitchen for either some Special K or two waffles and syrup for breakfast.

It’s going to be a long cold day … and I hope by this time tomorrow morning I feel better and my cold is subsiding and I only hope the Vikings will … or this day will go down in history as a bomb.

-Have a great day guys, and be kind.  We will see you back here tomorrow about the same time.

We’ve Got Colds

-Well I think we both slept … but I have to say that I feel like crap this morning.  I’ve got a cold in my nose and head – and my eyes are watering, and my nose is all stuffed up.  Geesh, talk about fun – NOT!

-Out in the back yard this Saturday morning, we’ve got 44 degrees with haze.  Today’s Duluth area weather forecast is for: Cloudy. Patchy fog in the morning. Light rain likely early in the morning. A chance of light rain in the late morning and afternoon. A chance of light snow in the afternoon. Snow accumulation up to 1 inch. Highs 40 to 45. North winds 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest late in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

Then tonight the weather is going to be: Decreasing clouds. Lows 23 to 28. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph becoming west around 5 mph early in the morning.

So this moisture we have is going to move on our of the area and we’re going to get some colder weather.

Color weather radar does show snow and rain mixed across most of the northern half of Minnesota this morning.

-Steve’s day at work yesterday was super busy, and he felt super crappy to say the least.  This darn cold got him about one day before me – and now the two of us are sicker than dogs.

I can’t believe sometimes, with all the things that have been invented and medicines that have come along – that we truly do not have a “cure” for the “common cold”.

Doesn’t that seem odd?  Sure does to me.

Oh well, in a few days – I’ll be better and so will Steve and we’ll go on with life – as if the cold we had wasn’t even a problem.

-In news around the country, Brooklyn’s oldest gay bar, the Starlite Lounge, may be in danger of closing after the building’s owner sold the property. The lounge, on the corner of Bergen Street and Nostrand Avenue, has been at the location since the 1960s, and is known as possibly the city’s first black-owned gay bar.

Talking about bars – in Minneapolis the “Brass Rail” was closed most of the summer – as I think it was sold and then totally remodeled.  It just recently reopened … I saw some photos of the new “Brass Rail” in Lavender Magazine – but Steve and I have not been there to actually see it inside.

Steve and I don’t drink a lot .. when we go to Minneapolis.  Steve usually drinks 2 beers or 2 hard drinks, and as for me .. well maybe 1 beer but usually a glass of coke or a glass of water is my favorite.

-Fallen pastor Ted Haggard, attempting to put his scandalous past behind him, says he has become more understanding of gay people and LGBT rights. “I was always well aware of my own personal struggles, but my desire was to be more Godly,” Haggard said, according to KMGH-TV in Denver.  As if anyone really cares what he has to say.

-Our Boston Celtics lost last night to the Atlanta Hawks.  Final score was 97 to 86.  Lately the Celtics just don’t seem to have it together .. at least in the first half of their games, and last night was no exception.  Only thing is, they never recovered from their early game mistakes.

The youthful Atlanta Hawks are starting to grow up.

Joe Johnson scored 24 points, Jamal Crawford had 18 and the Hawks pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 97-86 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night.

The Celtics play the Pacers tonight at 6:00 p.m. and then have a few days off until next Wednesday evening.

Hopefully they’ll improve and make a come back tonight.

-In other sporting news…WWE star Chris Jericho is in some hot water after using some foolish language about Muslims and gays. Of course, he tossed around “fag.” Is this a growing trend? What’s discouraging is that he acknowledges that cameras are there and even jokes about the TMZ headline he’ll make. He’s proud of it. His comment after the outburst:

After seeing the video I realize some inappropriate comments were made and I apologize if I offended anybody. Just know that everyone on stage was having a blast and we all shared a drink and a laugh after! The good news is I got my wish of being posted on TMZ.

I put that through the “apology translator.” The translation and video after the jump.

I’m so happy I made those anti-muslim, homophobic comments. And everyone else liked it too, except those pesky fags and towelheads. So screw ‘em! I got my name out there, so it’s all good!

What a jerk!

-Closer to home and up the north shore in Lake County there was a guy missing on Lake Superior the past few weeks.  As it turns out his body was found … now according to official records – Douglas Winter, the Lake Superior kayaker whose body was found washed ashore Nov. 5 on the north shore of Lake Superior, committed suicide, his death certificate states.

He shot himself … how sad.

Life is really worth living, no matter how bad a person thinks that life may be.  Personally, to me life is the most precious thing we have, and it’s important that each of us learns how to live it and love it.

-7:25 a.m. … I’m running a lot behind time here in publishing today’s blog .. so I guess I’ll end here for today and grab some breakfast.

Steve is more than likely going to sleep in and I hope he is feeling better today and is able to just “relax” for the next two days.  He’s been stressed and up to his ears in work – and this is the time that he needs to relax and unwind and forget about all the cares of this world.

Have a great day guys – I’m off to the kitchen for some breakfast.

We will see you tomorrow.