Vacation log: Day 1

Woke up at around 6:30. Went in to the office at about 7:30. Arrived back home around 4 this afternoon after a long day of work. I've got a meeting tomorrow at 8 and a site check to do after that. If I'm not home by lunch to start a REAL vacation...Well, I won't mention the consequences just yet.

I'd be fine with almost a full work day while on vacation if it weren't for a call I got reporting on how great the fishing was going in Montana. You see, we take care of 95% of our business related transactions using Am Ex. As it turns out, there are frequent flier miles associated with each purchase. The rest of the upper management team at my place of business cashed in some miles and went to where the weather was cooler...leaving me here to run the show alone. I blame Tess for all of this. She is still too young to have all her shots so I can't take her to a kennel yet.

Its quite alright though. Let's set the record straight. There are 3 guys up in Montana enjoying some free time with people they see every day. Me, I'm back at home enjoying time away from them! Little do they know that the weather gods smiled the folks in Texas and removed the humidity and gave us a couple of degrees off the thermometer.

The best part about my "vacation" so far is that I was able to spend some quality porch time with some unruly blondes after work. I even got some decent pictures of those blondes while I enjoyed a "vacation beer" on the less hot than normal porch after work. What? You don't believe me? Fine...here is proof:

Molly smiles. A refreshing change from her usual growl.
Tess gets a glamour shot. Complete with wind blowing her flowing locks.

Yep...I'm still kicking...

Things have been pretty slow around here lately. I know. There are a few reasons for the slow posting. First, work has been pretty hectic. We've been operating a man shy causing a logistical nightmare. Second, I've been getting back into watching movies at night. And third, Molly and Tess have been enjoying time spent with their new friends Daisy and Gatsby. I've been unable to post because they need to be chaperoned.

Funny story related to my vacation. We've been talking about taking off after lunch on the 29th and coming back to work the Monday after Labor Day. You see, I'm not the best at keeping dates straight. All the while I was assuming that the 29th was the Friday before Labor Day. Well, I was wrong. It seems that it is tomorrow! OH JOY! Maybe I'll check the calendar the next time a vacation is scheduled.

I'm not going to go anywhere. I've got a few projects I'm going to try to knock out with the time off. Who am I kidding? I'm just going to sit on the couch, drink beer and scratch!

Oh, and just so everyone knows, Tess is still a butthead and so is Molly.

It just occurred to me...

Its almost time for some good ol' college football!

"Whoops"...I ment collidge futbal.

Its a tough call to pick the best college football game ever. Was it the game against that school in Austin after the Bonfire collapse in '99 or was it the one played against OSU 11 days after 9-11-2001?

I can't (and won't) pick one. The camaraderie shared by both sides on those two occasions makes me proud to root for a team in the Big 12.

On an unrelated note, when will Texas Tech stop wearing helmets that look like the hull of a pimped out bass boat?

Still here...

Posting has been slow, I know. Molly and Tess are pretty worn out too. It was a busy weekend. Let's recap, shall we:

• Enjoyed some microbrew Friday night
• Ran all the regular Saturday errands
  
• Drafted the best fantasy football team ever created
• Watched Tiger run away with another major (Yawn)
• Introduced the dogs to a toy poodle and a miniature Schnauzer (Guess who was the boss?)
• Now, I'm posting something because I can't sleep

Two weeks left until a well deserved week off.

Back to happier times in the Just Golden mail bag

A special thanks to Grins for sending this "political" button along. The Golden Party is eternally grateful to have her as a member.

Now I can't wait for the donations to start rolling in! The Golden Party appreciates all donations, large or small. As with any charitable contribution, a small part of the proceeds will go towards administrative expenses.

Thanks again Grins, you're a peach.

This is where it gets political

The race for the Governor's mansion in Alaska is a race I'll be following closely. Given the current state of American politics, I'm thinking we should start a grassroots effort of our own.

• I'll head up the Texas office...Molly will be the candidate, Tess will handle the Karl Rovian puppeteering.
• Grins will take the lead in North Carolina. Rainey will be the candidate there. Cody can provide the entertainment as the Billy Carter/Roger Clinton style relative.
• Golden Dreams has New Hampshire covered. Please vote for Cameron. Ferris, as always, will be hard at work behind the camera where he is most comfortable.
  
• Chickenhawk will take time out of her busy days to handle New York. Cooper will attempt to get votes by kissing a lot of babies.
• Southern Fried Girl will try to figure out just how Louisiana politics works. Gage will be running on a platform that includes brining each and every evacuee back home where they belong. He will be in constant contact with Tess for her advise on how to facilitate the re-population of Louisiana.
  

Do you have a Golden Retriever that might be interested in running for office? We have 6 states covered so far. I wonder if we can get all 50 spoken for?

Send me your home state, a link to a picture of your candidate(s), their names, a link to your blog (if you have one), and a few words on why your Golden Retriever should hold office. I'll update the map and the post as you respond. If your state is already spoken for, don't feel left out..All Goldens who respond will get the recognition they deserve. We can find a spot for any Golden willing to serve.

A special thanks to Ruth Sisk and Brinkley for the idea. They've got Alaska taken care of. Heck, they've even made t-shirts and bumper stickers! As long as Brinkley doesn't propose cutting Alaska in half and forming two states in order to make Texas the 3rd largest state, we're cool.

Update: Some folks can't put aside their ideology for a bit of light hearted "political" banter. I'm happy to report that I've just received my first (and second) piece of hate mail from a very articulate soul in Oregon. Apparently, someone in the "Beaver State" had an issue with Molly wearing a "W" hat and my reference to Karl Rove.

Allow me to formally apologize for that photo. It is wrong for a dog to wear human clothing. It was an error in judgment on my part. I staged the picture. I'm sorry for associating my dogs with the evil right wing.

Monday Update: So, I just got home from a rather pleasant Monday. Check the Just Golden mail bag...guess what was waiting for me? You guessed it, another gem from our good friend from "The Beaver State." I was tempted to copy and paste some of the better one-liners from the sweet, excellently composed email. My elder Statesdog came and gave me a little clarity on how best to respond:

I would like to thank my new pen pal for keeping the friendly suggestions out of the comments. You are a class act all the way. Please forgive me if I am slow to respond to your mail.

What's that Tess?

No. Trolls don't taste like chicken.

I know the folks at the Flickr Golden group love to pimp out their dogs...Where are you? We need 270 electoral votes to get it done. As of now, we are only doing slightly better than Mike Dukakis.

Nephew goes to the zoo

I haven't seen the little guy in a while. I can't figure out which one is him. Please help.

Public Service Announcement

Cure depression, loneliness and sadness...INSTANTLY!

I just returned from typical Saturday morning errands. As usual, my rounds included Best Buy for some "necessities." Strolling through the CD section, I came across a new live album from Robert Earl Keen. As soon as I saw it, I knew that it would be coming home with me. Its titled "Live at the Ryman," and very appropriately subtitled "The Best Show Ever Been Gave."

This album has all the fun, "turn it up loud" songs spanning many years. Maybe its the energy of being at the Grand Ol' Opry, maybe its the song selection...I challenge anyone to listen to the album and not be good mood. Its impossible!

A quick check of RobertEarlKeen.com alerted me of a show in Galveston next month. Sign me up!

This concludes this PSA...y'all have a good weekend...I hope everyone reaches into their pocket and finds 3 twenties and a ten. Your friends can thank Robert Earl for the round of drinks.

A couple days ago they were into Eastern philosophy...

Tonight they are trying out spooning. It's funny...less than two hours ago Molly tore into Tess with a growl that sounded a lot like "Fork you. You annoying little puke." Tonight's life lesson is sponsored by Molly and Tess- Forgive and forget...or is it don't go to bed angry? I'm so confused.

Tomorrow marks my first day back in an air conditioned office in quite a while. Maybe after my brain cools off from the past two weeks of baking in the sun, I'll be better equipped to decipher the lesson they are trying to communicate. I've never been so excited to type a proposal or draw a construction detail.

Until then, remember the Golden rule...

"If at first you don't annoy, try chewing through the neighbor's cable line. That should do it."

A or B?

One of these two was a complete butthead last night. One of these two knows that shoes are off limits. One of these two knows that stealing socks from the closet is forbidden. None of these two know that good dogs just curl up on the the floor when new people are around.

For Sale: 2 slightly used dogs. One will help you find where you left your lost bones, the other will annoy you to no end. This is a package deal. I'll start the bidding at 4 dollars...

What? I have a cat?

The back of a couch is no place for a dog. She was dealt with appropriately and I don't think we'll be seeing her up their anytime soon. Molly has her spot. Why can't Tess seem to find an appropriate one?

Ahh, that's better.

A few weeks ago I came to the realization that floors were made for dogs. I got sick of late night/early morning power struggles right next to me as I slept. New rule...no dogs in bed, no dogs on the couch. Molly can keep her spot on the chair and Tess is s.o.l. They can still sleep in the bedroom, they can still jump up on the bed and pant away to alert me when an unexpected gastric emergency is immanent, but there will be no further unbridled access. This is the law. Take it or leave it.

Updated: I've been trying to get a Yin Yang picture. Tonight we got so close.

Updated again: They did it! We have Yin Yang! Everyone must now be at peace.

Last one: Tess ruins the balance of the universe. Molly, unaware of the shift in the universe's dynamic, chooses to remain asleep.

The weekly Sunday revelation

As I type this post, I'm sobbing uncontrollably. This happens every Sunday evening at about 7 o'clock. Reality sets in and I am forced to come to terms with the fact that Monday is only a few hours away. I'll be back outside most of this week again. This means my alarm is set for 5:30 so I can be on site by about 6:30. Honestly though, a more realistic timeline includes hitting the snooze button until about 6 and making it to the job site by about 7:15. Being el Hefe has its perks.

Fortunately, in their infinite wisdom, the Discovery Channel has provided me with a "Dirty Jobs" marathon to console me in my time of grief.

A "tail" of two cameras

Ok...just one more post about the squirrel. We'll call him "Woody." Another attendee of Guys Weekend emailed me the following picture and looking through my pictures, I think we captured the same moment in time...just from different angles.

Lets start this, shall we? The picture he sent to me looked something like this:

Guess what the picture I took looked like? It went something like this.

Remember this when you read your morning paper. The very same moment in time can either make you sad for our good ole buddy Woody, or it can make you happy for our good ole buddy Molly. I've heard lots of talk about location, location, location...I tend to think that perspective, perspective, perspective is much more powerful and influential.

I wonder, is the New York Times hiring?

Just a post

Is it just me or is it hot outside? For the past week and the week to follow I'll be away from the comfortable confines of my air conditioned office...I'll be working on one of our construction sites insuring that the design intentions are conveyed. So, after the past 3 days in the field on a site without a spec of shade, I'm a little worn out. Please forgive any slow posting in the days to come. My life after work now consists of letting my ungrateful dogs out and encouraging them to take care of business as quickly as possible, throwing the ball much less than normal, rushing back inside to suck on some a/c, taking a cold shower and then passing out on the couch.

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do. August is rough though. I feel bad for our guys who have to go out and do it every day! Hey, why don't we make the best of an uncomfortable situation? I've had a great week because:

1. Being in the field means time to play with man-sized Tonka toys and envision being on "Dirty Jobs."
   
2. There is a country cafe where we eat lunch that advertises a chicken fried steak as large as a saddle blanket. Today I went with the "medium" and it was only the size of the saddle. The next time I order one, I'll go with the "wussy" sized one.
   
3. My tan is coming along nicely...even if it is a farmer's tan.
4. We'll be done soon and I'll be able to post some pictures.

That is all for now. Y'all stay in the shade and drink plenty of water.