Thought for the day...Mexican Food

Taco Bell: imitation Mexican food made by a bunch of white people who don't understand how to make real Mexican food.

Taco Bueno: good Mexican food you can coincidentally get fast made by people who understand how to make good Mexican food.

To those of you in parts of the country that only have Taco Bell: my apologies. Come to our part of the world and we will show you what REAL Mexican food is.

About 9 years ago when the company I worked for sent me to Kalispell MT for 3 months to teach new hire classes a friend and I went to a very trendy looking Mexican restaurant in the ski resort town of Whitefish just north of there. It was a busy place and we had to wait a few minutes to be seated. While waiting I happened to see into the kitchen area while a waiter had the door open. I told my friend "Mike, I think we're in trouble. Look in the kitchen."

Without missing a beat he said "On no. All white people."

Our fears were confirmed when we asked our waitress for a small plate of Jalapenos on the side with our meal and she said "What are those?". That was the worst Mexican food we ever tasted.

A couple of weeks later I was driving around at dinner time and saw what looked like and old Denny's building with a sign out front advertising Mexican food. To my delight I was greeted by a family of Mexicans who owned the restaurant. That was one of the best meals I'd ever had. I frequented their restaurant until I left.

My Friends, The Great Experiment...

...no, not transwarp drive, we're still working on that one. For this you start with 1/2 " plywood, some 2x4's, 4x4's and 1x6's, a few deck screws, a few adult beverages and next thing you know you have a 12'x5' table...

...then, add some foam panels for padding and...I think a few lights...

...a little snow, some ceramic buildings you've had stored for about 10 years, some Lionel Trains, a little magic, and you have a Christmas Wonderland for the kids and childrens of all ages...

I wasn't one of those kids growing up who fantasized about a massive train layout...trains were a bit before my time. I was more of a slot car guy (still am but more on that later).

But, there seems to be something eternal that links toy trains and Christmas. I just couldn't resist building this, low to the ground and all, so the little kids could enjoy it as much as the big kids. Let me assure you, from the look of wonder in the tiny eyes that have come to see so far I think we hit it.

There's been more than a few nights the last month or so since I finished this that I've gone down after dark, turned off the overhead lights, fired everything up and just sat. And watched. For hours on end. A couple of Saturdays ago my G.S. came over and we went down and just watched for an hour or so without saying a word...no need to. No need to talk, it's just enough to share the moment.

I built in some Easter Eggs...like George at Martini's Bar; Yoda at the head of the Trolley Line; Lightning McQueen - Sheriff - Doc Hudson - Dale Jr. - Mark Martin; the Baily Boarding House & the Building and Loan; even the Now Entering Bedford Falls sign, the High School and the Bridge.

Mainly this is a place to stop, leave this current darkness at the door, and remember the magic of Christmas and the gift of Love...the gift of Grace...we were all given so long ago that is still available to any who desire it.

I've already told everyone I know in the area, now comes your invite: if you live in or will be coming to the Dallas area anytime (this isn't a seasonal display, it's permanent) and would like to come by and see this (or the monster slot car track coming soon!) just email me and let me know. All of you are welcome.

Merry Christmas!

Beast's Refuge

Every Beast needs a place he can retreat to when the the world stops making sense. I'm no different. When we moved into our current house about 15 years ago I had a unique opportunity to build a work shop nestled down in the back yard to my specs (this was back in the days when I had a little money to put into such projects).

I decided on a 31'x31' space with a 31'x10' loft to give me 30' inside dimensions. Simple slab floor, plenty of plugs on each wall taking into account for a workbench on one side, 4 floor plugs on 10' centers, each wall with its' own breaker and commercial grade florescent fixtures. Decided to heavily insulate the walls, finish out with drywall/tape/bed. Stopped short of texture to save money but had them primer to seal everything. And, of course, central heat and air. This room's so tight the AC only runs about 30 minutes a day total to keep it at 80 in the heat of summer. Had them build the outside to match the prevailing architecture in the neighborhood. A very nice start to an escape from this world. The Cave:


Unfortunately almost immediately the whole building turned into a place where other family members and friends decided to store their 'stuff' because they didn't have room for it at their own abode [George Carlin's definition of stuff: when it's your crap it's stuff, when it's someone else's stuff it's crap] so between their stuff and mine after about a year you couldn't hardly walk through the place. Finally this past summer my Beautiful Wife and I issued the warning that if they wanted it they'd better come & get it or it was going out. We started around the middle of July and finished about the first of September. Loads of now-crap-formerly-stuff went to the curb, walls and ceiling painted, floor etched and painted (Wife suggested peach and tan but I decided on true Man-Beast colors: Black and Gray) and now a cave to be proud of:


And yes, there is a black mini-fridge stocked with an assortment of tasty refreshing beverages. Just a few finishing touches: already have cable run so just need a TV mounted on the wall (Ahh! Now I know what to do with all those Best Buy gift cards I've been saving from Birthday/Father's Day/Christmas the last couple of years!), then just need to run Cat-5 from the house for Internet access and that will be about it for fixing up.

Next up, chronicling the fulfillment of a life-long dream and the real purpose for all that square footage.

Best Time Of Year

October is the perfect month. You can contemplate the year to date and pause just long enough to soak in the world around you before the Holidays try to run you over. I'm determined for 2009 to not get swept away in the flood of commercialism and family time robbing 'things'-that-have-to-be-done-or-the-world-will-end. I'm at the start of a project close to my heart intended to give our family an excuse to come together this season and all year. This will be the culmination of a life long dream. I will post some in-progress pics in the coming days.

In the meantime, here's to a beautiful 'Moon Of The Changing Seasons'...if you need me you know where to find me.

Question---

If a midget fortune teller escapes from prison would he not be a small medium at large?

A Message From The Phantom...

Amor Numquam Moritur, indeed.

The Beast...

Many have asked where I came up with a handle like 'Beast'. Well, mainly three things over the years came together and it just kind of evolved.

First, I'm partial to the fairy tale. The basic Beauty & the Beast tale is at the core of many of the most powerful love stories, like Phantom Of The Opera. There's even some elements in stories like Star Wars. I'm still waiting for someone to do a serious big screen adaptation aimed at adults. The TV show from 1987 set new standards in my opinion for excellence in writing, acting (Ron Perlman was fantastic and Linda Hamilton? Mmmmm), and especially music.

Second, Psalm 73 is very close to my heart. Many a time I've had to apologize to God and say "Sorry for being such a 'Brute Beast' before you (in other words I made an ass out of myself)".

Third, I've always loved Mongo from blazing saddles. He strikes me as the quintessential Beast.

Mainly it all started in November of 1989 when my old P.O.S. Chevy half ton pickup spilled it's guts on I-35 40 miles from home and left me stranded at the end of a very hectic day. That thing was junk almost from day 1 in 1979. After 10 years, 115,000 miles, 3 engines (yes, 3 in 10 years and only 115k miles) and several cracks in the frame we came to the conclusion that it just wasn't up to the task.

Enter the Beast:

Purchased new the day after Thanks Giving 1989. It was a Ford F-250 HD (now called Super Duty) 4x4 extended cab with a 7.4 liter gas engine. It would pull half the world and could climb a snotty glass wall. On the down side it only got 9 mpg but on the upside it didn't mater if it was empty or pulling my wife's 30 ft goose neck with 5 horses or hauling 100 bales of hay it got 9 mpg. In 11 years & 190,000+ miles, other than normal maintenance and wear & tear, we had just 1 clogged catalytic converter before my idi...er...my son drove it 10 miles one night with a burst hose and no water in the radiator and cracked the head on the engine. These days you can't find anyone who will open a block with over 100,000 miles and a new engine was just too expensive, plus in our current house I just didn't have a place nor did I have the time to do the work myself like I did on the old Chevy at the old house. The Beast was a faithful helper and never let us down. Even at the end it made it home and died in the driveway.

We sold it and were down to 1 vehicle for the last 8 years. Not really a problem since I rode my bike everywhere. In '05 I bought the Motorcycle and that filled in nicely for getting around. Still, it's tough to haul stuff home from the Depot on a motorcycle.

For about the last year my wife has cajoled, persuaded, pleaded and twisted my arm until July 23rd I finally got...


...the new Beast. A little more civilized, to be sure, but much more spartan. The original had every option conceivable, this one just AC and AM-FM-CD. No power or remote control nothing. This will be a new experience for me. Every vehicle I've ever had was Black and had everything on it. So far we're getting @ 19 in town and 22 on the highway, right where the sticker says it should be. I must admit it's been nice to be able to haul my stuff myself when needed and not have to borrow someone else' s truck. I never dreamed I would buy a new vehicle ever again. I found a 2 year old one with 12,000 mile on it online. By chance I looked at the new section of the dealer's website just to compare prices to new and low & behold but the new one was just $200 more than the used one for the exact same model. I'm not that stupid so I opted for the new one. If this one lasts like the last one (and judging from the way Nissan builds their stuff I'm guessing it will) and considering that I don't put near the beating on a vehicle that I used to have to, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

On my mind...

I know there's not much up there but I did manage to come up with some answers to Laura's questions

Itching to work with… I know I sound like Hank Hill but I dearly love mowing with my Snapper Commercial mower with a Honda engine. Makes the yard look like a carpet and it starts EVERY time you pull the rope.

Listening to… white noise. Can’t really get into anything here at work. Never know when we will get flooded with calls.

Driving… the motorcycle. It was too nice this morning not to.

Shopping fix… plop me down in the middle of Cabela’s/Bass Pro, Home Depot/Lowes, Best Buy/Fry’s. I don’t want to buy anything, just want to wander around for a while.

Signature scent… Since after the first few minutes I can’t smell it anyway I defer to what my Beautiful Wife and Daughters like best (they will smell it a lot more than I will)-Aramis. Same theory applies to my hair. Since she will have to look at it more than me I have it cut the way she likes it.

Necessary extravagance… Weatherby Euromark in 257 Wby Mag with Leupold Vx-3 4.5-14x50mm scope. Either that or Cheesecake.

Maintenance must-haves… Casio Solar Powered G-Shock with Atomic Timing. I’ve had mine for about 4 years. It syncs with the Atomic Clock in Bolder CO. each night. I gave my son and SIL each one just like it. When we are all together we love to compare and see all 3 synced up to the second. Plus this thing can take everything I’ve thrown at it from construction to ditch digging to jack hammers to bike wrecks.

Fear factor… rats. OK? Let’s just leave it at rats.

Currently craving… What-A-Burger triple meat with cheese…but since that’s not good for me I’ll probably wind up with leaves.

Speed dialing… Just my wife and kids. I seldom get any calls from anyone else.

Latest splurge… toys for the Cave.

If I weren’t a… Beast I’d be the Timpanist for the NY Philharmonic.

Dreaming of… Montana.

16 and-a-half weeks...

The Beautiful Wife and I went to J.C. Penny's last night up at Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville (last day of August, mind you) and you would have thought it was Christmas Eve. Decorations everywhere, pushing for buying that 'perfect gift', Peanuts Christmas shirts, the only thing missing was Santa himself. Nary a trace of Halloween or Thanks Giving, they were going for the Christmas jugular. We had just come from Michal's (had to get some stuff for my special project...more on that later) and even they didn't have the halls decked like Penny's, just a couple of rows of fall/Halloween stuff.

I'm the worlds biggest fan of the Holiday Season, well-maybe second to Laura, but even I think 8-31 is a bit early for the full Christmas Kit.

I remember when I was just a little Beasty, about the middle of August everything in the stores was 'Back to School' (yuck). Then, come September 1 it was falling leaves, red-yellow-brown, sweaters & jackets. Middle of October you'd see some Halloween stuff then Nov. 1 it was Thanksgiving. And that Friday after Thanks Giving it was jingle all the way. Seemed everything had it's season. But when I was 5 I remember going into the old Woolworth's store the day after Halloween (a week before my birthday). They were taking down the Halloween stuff and putting up some of those aluminum Christmas trees. I thought it was neat to have Christmas stuff up around my birthday but all I remember mom saying was how ridiculous it was that they put Christmas decorations out so early.

So...in spite of what we may think it hasn't been a recent thing for stores to decorate early. But now there are more economic pressures than ever for retailers to perform they have blended the fall together and start the "Merry Thanks-Giv-O-Ween" season as early as possible. Heck, one of the biggest parts of my company's business is selling Giant Christmas Stockings...and Easter and Valentines and Patriotic and Halloween stockings, among others.

But who am I to criticize. I'm just a Beast who would be happy to spend his days playing with Toy Trains and Slot Cars.

17 Weeks...

...from today

AHHHHHHHH!!! It may as well be 17 days as fast as it will go!

One saving grace, I haven't seen Christmas decorations up yet at Wal-Mart or Sam's, although I did see some generic 'fall' decor for sale at W-M the other day but hey, it is almost the first of September.

It's been in the neighborhood of 100 since mid-June with some well timed rain breaks every 2-3 weeks so even though it's been a normal-hot summer here everything is surprisingly green and I haven't had to take out a second lean on the house to keep the grass green or keep it comfortable inside.

We are supposed to get a break for the coming days, only low to mid 90's and less humid. Believe it or not 100+ isn't hard to take as long as the humidity is under 30% but contrary to popular belief the Dallas-Ft. worth area runs around 50-60% most all summer WITH 100 or so in the day and never below 80 at night (that's the kicker...it never cools off). One advantage to North Texas summers is you always know where you stand with the weather - hot and humid doesn't sneak up on you. It slaps you in the face and makes you cry for Mama - but out Laura's and Jeremy's way the desert dryness will fool you into thinking it's not as hot as it really is and next thing you know your out on the ground or worse.

I'm eager for fall. Besides being my favorite time of year I have a couple of interesting building projects I've started that I hope to have finished for the Holidays. More about that and some pics later.

"What have we done...?"

What To Do...

If seated next to a jerk on an airplane:
1. Take out your laptop
2. Slowly open your laptop
3. Turn it on
4. Make sure your neighbor is watching
5. Close your eyes for a moment, then look up to the sky
6. Open your browser to this site

Laptop: $800 at least
Plane ticket: $200 minimum
Look on your neighbors face: Priceless

"Don't Say She Lost"

Blatantly borrowing this post title from Eldon. He posted sad news last Wednesday night. While he lost a wife and his children lost a Mother I totally agree with him...she did NOT loose. I'll go one more and say she is the winner. She beat cancer at it's own game and is now free. Please be in prayer for them as they have to start a life without their loved one. If you get a chance check out his posts the last few weeks. They are very touching, very honest (brutally so sometimes) and chronicle the closing days of their family's battle against this bastard of a disease.

I've lost a mother, grand father, an aunt to cancer. I have an Uncle who, although having beaten brain cancer, is now fighting the battle scars of loss of mobility. Even though Sandee's blog isn't updated regularly any more my wife got a FB update Monday and Sandee is still fighting with everything she's got. I doubt there is any one of you who has not been touched in some way by cancer.

I hate what this disease does. It not only tries to steal the life of it's victim but it tries to suck the joy, hope and love out of everyone close to them. I say dig in...don't give an inch. Ironic thing about cancer is it usually does the opposite...draws people together and gives them a rallying point and something to draw strength from.

[I've always tried to keep this blog at least a PG but...]
On October 27, 2007 Lori won her battle. They've changed her profile pic but it used to be the same picture of her, head shaved, looking defiantly at the camera, except it showed her flipping the double bird with the following on her shirt: "FUCK CANCER"

Can't say it any plainer than that.

Been really busy lately

I've missed posting the last few weeks. Been really busy here with work (a VERY good thing) and some home & family projects (another VERY good thing). Lots of news to catch up on and share...some of it sad. Be tackling all that shortly.

Another Day At The Office

From '02 until '05 my oldest daughter was a professional jockey...after her 3rd child she decided it was time to stop. Now she works with trainers and exercises about 10-15 horses a day. Once a year Philadelphia Park hosts an amateur race that she likes to ride in. This year she took 2nd. Although it's potentially a very dangerous profession I have to hand it to her for sticking to her guns and making her passion her living. Enjoy.