Six Degrees

It was only 5° when I trotted out this morning ... a record low, breaking the 15° mark set February 9, 2000 [there was an 8° day, in Philly, but I forget when, exactly]

I would have loved to go 5 miles [my plan only called for 4, but y'all know how I am] in 5° but my CementHead was froze. When the frosty cold dry air broke the back of my nose open and turned my snot-rockets into Extra Salty Cherry Slurpies, I knew I'd been out too long.

I think it may have gone up to 6°, when I came back. The water bottle I left on the porch wasn't frozen, but it turned to slush after I took the first sip. Pretty cool, actually!!! A wonderful science experiment [constant low temperature + a sudden drop in pressure = Instant freezing? I'm a dork] ... I know all know about "Six Degrees ..."

Electric Lemonade
1 ounce White Rum
1 ounce Vodka
1 ounce Gin
1 ounce Blue Curaçao
1 ounce Pineapple Juice
1 ounce Sprite

Mix and serve over ice in a highball glass.

As we sat at the pool bar, at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort in St. Thomas USVI, almost exactly ten years ago today, a lone guitarist played some funky reggae. His shiny black guitar was plugged into a nicely sized professional rig, complete with a Midi synthesizer and drum machine. Play a background rhythm track, sample a bass line loop, and then tell the machine to play a steel drum instead of an electric guitar.

Fascinating.

At the break, as I studied his set-up with much interest, he told us that he had played in Isaac Hayes’s band a couple of years before, on a tour of Europe.

D’Wife drank Electric Lemonade while I created some flow charts on the back of a few paper Bass Ale coasters.

Isaac Hayes was a guest on “Rockford Files” with Jim Garner who played an aging astronaut in “Space Cowboys” with Donald Sutherland who was an English Professor in “Animal House” which introduced us to Kevin Bacon as Chip Diller, the prick Omega pledge [“Thank you, Sir. May I have another?!”], and ROTC enlistee who gets trampled in the riot after the parade.

Clint Eastwood was also in “Space Cowboys.” Tim Matheson, who played Otter in Animal House with Kevin Bacon, was Officer Phil Sweet in the Dirty Harry film Magnum Force.

Clint Eastwood also directed “Mystic River”, a mystery starring Kevin Bacon.

Tommy Lee Jones [“Space Cowboys”] and Donald Sutherland were both in “JFK”, as was Kevin Bacon. But then, so was .. . everybody.

You're Kidding Me, Right?

50 miles for the year, today

Already

Exactly. I checked. It was easy, I keep a log now.

I think it took me till mid-February to run 50 last year

No

Wait

My first run last year was on February 10th

Fuck

I am such a changed person

Cool!!!

I like it!!! I like me ... I like us!!!

Thanks!!!

Could The Cup Be Unstoppable?

My Sunday afternoon ... I couldn't watch the game, but listened to Merrill & Mike instead.

Mariel laid out the design of the display. She did the coloring, measuring, taping and "non-hot" gluing. We took a walk in the woods together to find the trees, sticks and pebbles.

In other words: Daddy didn't make this for her, entirely



So ...

I didn't open my 1st beer until about 3:30 ... just before the Birds stopped the 4th and 2

The Cup wins again!!!!

Now ... I'm getting scared.

I'm Sooooo Late To The Party

.... But I'm here, now. So ... hand me a red plastic cup and point me to the keg. I brought some tunes.

Anyway ...

At my cousin's advice, I started a Facebook page.

I kinda feel like a "joiner" but also like "what took you so long, knucklehead?"

If you're a regular reader, I guess I'll see you soon?

The Origin of HammerBoy

A friend of mine asked where the nickname "HammerBoy" came from.

Here's the tale:

Blizzard of 1996: Echelon Village Apartments, Voorhees, NJ

Yeah, we'd been drinking a bit [Coors Light or Samuel Adams, most likely] and were pretty cabin-fevered by the second day, paralyzed as we were by 30" of snow and car consuming drifts. The stereo from the apartment below us was coming through the floor pretty strongly; and nothing that I'd want to listen to. Something in my noggin led me to believe that my new neighbor was a slight but tall Jewish kid. I was feeling pretty badass at the moment [I won't go into why, exactly] and reached into my toolbox for a rubber mallet that I used for "bike repair."

I figured I'd go down stairs to teach Mr. Schwartzengoldenbergenmeyer a little lesson in neighborliness.

The Mr. S that I expected, did NOT answer the door. I was instead greeted by an eclipse of a man; as tall and as wide as the door and dark as a moonless night.

"Is something wrong?" he asked as I snuck my arm behind my back, quick as lighting.
"Is the stereo too loud?" he inquired with a sweetness of tone and genuine politeness that frankly, scared the shit out of me.
"I'll turn it down," he apologized, then introduced himself and his girlfriend to me. I struggled to stash the mallet into the back of my sweatshirt [I'm pretty sure she saw, however] as I extended my hand. A hand which barely encircled 40% of his paw.

I found out that next week that my neighbor was George Hegamin; Offensive Lineman for the despised Dallas CowGirls, but a native of Camden, NJ: 6'7" / 330 lbs. He had moved back into the area to take care of his family.

A few years later, he would play for the Eagles. D'Wife enquired on more than one occasion [and always with a smirk] "Hey, HammerBoy! Go ask him for some tickets. If he won't give them to you; fuck him up with your little mallet."

This was not the first football player to rent in our development. Mark McMillian [DB] and Vaughn Hebron [RB] lived there as well in the early. I would play basketball with them at the courts nearby - 3 guys; 2 black, one white; average height: 5'7"; average income: millions.

Lucky Streak - Update

"How long will the magic last? Well, there are only two more weeks left in football season. If the Eagles and “The Cup” win out, that puts them in the playoffs. We’ll see. You can go to the well once too often and the cup doesn’t always run over. "

They split the final two games and by some miracle[s] - the God-awful Raiders defeating Tampa Bay being one, and Philly's devastating victory over the CowGirls being another - the Eagles and The Cup moved on.

This afternoon, the Dynamic Duo took out the Vikings in spendid and enjoyable fashion - Chris Clemons's body slam of Tarvaris Jackson in the end-zone as Asante Samuel cruised in, was a wonder to behold.

The Road Goes on Forver, and the Party Never Ends