Chincoteague Va

This weekend the family and I went down to Chincoteague Virginia and searched out possible places to rent during the week of Pony Penning.

For those of you that don’t know what Pony Penning is, it is when the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department round up the wild ponies on Assateague Island, which is right across the water, and swim them across to Chincoteague where they will auction them off. This is for thinning the herd and for the fire department to raise money.

I have been going to Chincoteague for about 30 years now and I really have not been back for Pony Penning in nearly 10 years. I have been avoiding all the tourists. But now that my own family is coming of age, I want them to experience the event.  It really is something that everyone should experience at least once.

I have to say that I am looking forward to it. Like I said, I have not been there during a swim in years and I want to pass this down to my kids. My parents took us down there almost every year. My aunt and uncle have a place down there and we would all crash there. Then as more and more of us went, their house filled up and we had to find other places to rent.

The island is filled with history and character and there are little quaint shops and there is always something to do.  It is nice going down when there are no events happening on the island.  I know that their main source of income is tourism but there is something spectacular about going down when it is the off season.

One day, I am going to buy a house down there.

I love it. It is my second home.

I can’t wait for July.

That’s All

Hey, this is a fun one! Heddy over at When Life Hands You Lemons… tagged me with a meme that involves rocking to your ipod.  So, I have my iPod classic on shuffle, here goes!

The Rules:
1. Put your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT(this is in capital letters, so it is very serious. No hiding your showtunes, folks!)

After you’ve answered all of the questions, tag 5 other people and then let them know they’ve been tagged to do the meme themselves!

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
Love Her Madly - The Doors

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
All Shook UP - Elvis Presley

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Just What The Doctor Ordered - Ted Nugent

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - The Beatles

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Champange Supernova - Oasis

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Beverly Hills - Weezer

WHAT IS 2+2?
Touch Me - The Doors

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
At This Moment - Bille Vera and the Beaters

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night - Bon Jovi

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Heaven Laughs - The Hooters

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Wild Side - Motley Crue

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Even the Losers - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Bing Crosby

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Icky Thump - The White Stripes

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Work This Out - High School Musical 2

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Scooby Doo - Kidz Bop Kids

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

Here There and Everywhere - The Beatles

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

Birdman - The Hooters

WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS?

That’s All - Genesis

So, now to tag….

Teeni, Kara, Rusty, Red, and Calamity

Seattle Ramblings

I spent another day wandering around Seattle.  This morning I took in the Pike Place Market.  It truly is a unique place.  I have been to many Markets but none compared to this place.  I spent the better part of the morning taking it all in.  The variety of merchants is overwhelming.  Also mixed throughout is the musicians.  They are scattered throughout the market playing piano, guitar, violin, and clarinet to name a few.  Of course the experience is not complete until you witness the fish throwing.  While you are so focused on the guys tossing yard long fish they somehow slyly slip and overthrow into the unsuspecting crowd causing people to scream and/or leap out of the way of what turns out to be just a stuffed hammerhead shark.  I do have to admit that I was on the receiving end of this fish throw prank.  It did surprise me and no I did not scream.  I did catch it and as it was coming at me the thought that cats would be following me all the rest of the day did enter my mind. 

After the Market I traveled across town to Pioneer Square to take the Underground Tour.  This was a very interesting tour of the city below the city.  Long story short, they built the city, had a fire and rebuilt the city over the ruins.    Underground you can find the original entryways into the city buildings.  It was very educational and entertaining.  The tour guides give the history of Seattle and how it grew into the city it is today. 

Some of the other things I have taken in today is the Umbrella Statue and the first Starbucks.  Unfortunately, I will not have much time the rest of the week to play since I have to work so I am fortunate that I had the opportunity today to cram in as much as I can.  

I am tired and I am worn out but I am much better for taking in as much of this beautiful city as I can. 

Seattle Space Needle

I took some time today to visit Seattle and my first stop was to the Space Needle.  While the weather was not the greatest to where I could see Mt Raineir, I did have wonderful views from the top.  I was able to look out over the Puget Sound and the city of Seattle at a height of 605 feet.  The one thing that amazed me was the stability of the Needle.  I have been to the top of several tall buildings like the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Empire State Building in NYC and in almost all of them you could feel the building sway.  Today was a pretty windy day and I did not feel any sway whatsoever. 

There is something amazing about being able to see a city from up high.  There is a certain peace that seems to befall the cities when viewing from above.  A person can almost feel godlike as they witness the activities of the people below who go about their daily routines not knowing or realizing that they are being watched over from above. 

After I came down from the Space Needle I took a walk around the area and as I was walking along the water I was directed by a local that the houseboat out on the water was the same one that was in the movie Sleepless in Seattle.  I tried to act interested and appreciative of his pointing out this local fact but in reality I have never watched this chick flick to know if he was telling the truth or pulling my leg.  I guess now I will have to watch the movie to find out the truth. 

Speaking of Sleepless, I woke up at 4:30 am local time since I am not yet used to the time change.  My body thought it was 7:30 am Eastern still.  Even in Seattle, there is not much going on at 4:30 am. 

My 100th Post

I have hit 100 Posts on this blog experiment.  I have gone through my last 99 posts and it was interesting to read through this journey, this experiment of mine.  When I first started I was not sure what I would write about and how this would blog would progress.  Interestingly enough, material seems to present itself in most cases.

In my 100 posts I have found some interesting friends/readers. 

I went back and found that I wrote some pretty funny things.  I crack myself up.  I guess that I am easy to amuse.  I hope you all have found some enjoyment from this little blog.  What a long strange trip it has been.

Here is to looking forward to the next 100 posts. 

You Found Me How?

Search engine terms.  This is a stat that WordPress keeps for you on your Dashboard page.  Reading the search engine terms that draw traffic to my blog is at times very amusing.  Below is a listing of several in the past few weeks that have drawn people over to my blog.   I was inspired by a few others I read regularly who have posted their search engine terms recently.

“How to control Mad Man” - if this is an issue of yours then you need the police, not Google

“What rhymes with squirrel” - Good question.  Karnack I am not.

“Where does cereal come from” - A cereal box idiot!!!!  Everyone knows that!

I get tons of hits from scabs and several about teabagging and teabaggers, go figure.

There seems to be a lot of folks confused about toilet paper.  Here are several of the more humorous search engine terms used….

“How to put Toilet Paper on Toilet Parer Roll” - you can use a computer but you can’t put a roll of TP on the holder? 

“Replace Toilet Paper” - another genius

“Toilet Ramblings” - is this really someones issue?  I thought I had issues

“Using toilet paper off the floor” - Toilet Ramblings is looking less astonishing right about now.  Why would you even want to consider using TP off the floor?  Get a fresh one off the roll.

This one surprised me - “Polish Black Slur” - WTF?  When have I ever come close to this?

“How does a shower work?” - I have a scary feeling that this one, even though they can use a computer and work the Internet, has never taken a shower. 

“How do I know my moles are normal” - You don’t.  People go to school a very long time for this.  They are called DOCTORS!

The Internet never ceases to amaze me.

NASCAR at Dover

I feel like I have been hit by a truck.  I am burned, sleepless and spent.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

I went to the NASCAR Nextel Cup race in Dover, Delaware yesterday.  It was one of the best races and race days at Dover in a long time, in my opinion.  It started with the weather.  When I was loading up the car at 3:30 am it was extremely humid and muggy but by the time we got to Dover and parked the humidity had dropped considerably and the morning was cool to where I needed long pants.

We took a short walk through the parking lot to the Dover casino/hotel to where they serve the breakfast buffet track-side.  There were changes to the menu this year and the food was much better than usual.  At $12 a person it is well worth it to fill up your tummies.  Once had completed breakfast it was off to the trailers and track-side events.   I love track-side events.  I get free toilet paper, deodorant, pet food, body wash, t-shirts and Tylenol. 

The race was excellent.  There was great quality racing on the track and drama all around.   Carl Edwards won (even though his car failed post race inspection.  He will be fined and docked points I am sure) and did his signature back-flip in front of where we were sitting. 

We left after the race and made it home in no time at all.  Usually at Dover we have to sit in traffic for hours.  Not this time.  A perfect end to a perfect day.   Even though I had ample sleep last night I am still extremely tired today.  I don’t know how I will make it through work.

Genesis

Yep!  I went to see them in concert last night at the Wachovia Center in Philly.  They sounded great and it was awesome to see them.  I had never seen them in concert and this was such a treat.  I was looking forward to this all summer.  They played nice long old instrumental classics and their hits like “Invisible Touch” and “Land of Confusion”.  For a bunch of old guys they sounded fantastic. 

I do miss the days when concerts were held at the old Spectrum in Philly.  Sure, you would walk in there and your feet would get stuck to the floor from the dried soda and beer and crushed carmel corn, etc…  The acoustics were much better at the Spectrum.  The sound was much better at the Spectrum.  The Wachovia Center is great for sports but for concerts - not so much.

I did not get to see hardly any concert this summer.  Actually, I didn’t see any.  Hmmmm….  That is unusual for me. 

Needless to say, my voice is a little horse and I’m still a little hard of hearing.  Even though I am still slightly under the weather, this show made me feel much better.  Now I can finally say that I have seen Genesis in concert.

The Name Game Meme

Tenni over at Vaguetarian Tea Room tagged me with a meme and being the good sport that I am I will play along. 

These are the “official” rules (I cut and pasted):

1. Players must list one fact, word, or tidbit that is somehow relevant to their life for each letter of your first or middle name.
2. When you are tagged you need to write your own post containing your first or middle name game facts, word, or tidbit.
3. At the end of your post choose one person for each letter of your name to tag.
4. Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them that they have been tagged, and to read your blog.
5. If I’ve tagged YOU (see below), please join in on the fun!

Okay - here’s my info: (Thankfully Teeni called me Mark which is a lot shorter and easier to do than Idle Ramblings of a Slightly Mad Man which would take people 3 weeks to read through if I had to use that)

M - Manly.  Red did give me a manly man award. 

A - Alert.  I have always walked into places and the first thig I do is look for exit routes, check out people and get a sense about them, etc…  It is a compulsion I have.  I will walk into a mall and look around thinking if someone pulled a gun or a bomb or there was a fire where would I go with the family that is safe? 

R - Realistic.  I am a realist.  I think that some folks have a misguided sense of reality.  I am not one of them.  I see things for what they are. 

K - Kind.  I really am.  I am a very simple and kind person until you get me fired up about something and then watch out!  I will ramble on about it!

Now who I have tagged

Red

Rosiebell

Lemons

Kara

Richmond Recap

It was the culmination of a perfect evening.  The day was spent in the hot sun, yet there was a gentle breeze blowing that kept a body cool.  It was Race Day in Richmond Virginia. 

The NASCAR Nextel Cup event was just a few hours away and my wife and I easily made our way to the track.  After parking the car very close to the track in Lot H, we walked over to the track where we enjoyed walking through the many event tents, merchandise trailers and event activities.  As I said, it was a hot day made cooler by the slightest breeze. 

While walking around outside the track it is commonplace to get beeped at by golf carts carrying track staff, merchandise suppliers and the handicapped.  As we were walking through I could hear a cart beeping at the crowd to let them through.  It was then I saw that the driver was Robby Gordon.  Robby has a nickname on the track as “Reckless Robby” since he has a reputation for wrecking others on the track just to gain a position.  After nearly getting run over my Robby I almost called my Brother-in-law to tell him that I nearly got run over by Robby.  But then how is that news?  Almost everyone gets run over by Robby. 

 I was disappointed by the flyover.  For those that don’t know, after the nation anthem is sung there is usually an aerial flyover by military planes or helicopters.  This race had a single C-4 bomber that came in from behind turns 1 and 2 and then banked over the backstretch and away from the track.  It did not even fly the entire way across the track.  What a ripoff. 

Once the race was started I forgot about my flyover disappointment.  The evening was great in that it was cool, there was a lot of action and excitement and my wife was enjoying herself.  This is important because several races I have taken her too have been bad for her.  At Dover it is usually too hot for her to sit all day, at Bristol it snowed and we froze out butts off, at Pocono it was cool and it had rained in the morning, but Richmond was perfect.  It was so great that she even suggested we buy season tickets for the race.  Of course I have to lose my season tickets for my Dover Fall Race.  I think that will be an acceptable compromise. 

The weekend is not complete without some playful teasing of my wife.  As you drive down the 95 towards Richmond you cross 2 rivers, the Ni and the Po.  My wife thought this to be really weird that they were such short names.  I told her that Virginia was a poor state and that they could not afford all the letters to make up the signs.  I said that since the river is really the “nickle” river the state lawmakers thought it would be cheaper to us the abbreviation used on the periodic table for nickle - Ni.  We then passed over the Po river and she asked me what element that was and I replied that the element was Polonium but that is not what the River is named after.  I told her that it was really the “Poor” river but when they made the sign the guy couldn’t understand the southern accent and thought they said “Po” river so he made all the signs Po.  But, since Virginia is a “po” state, they could not afford to change the signs.  My wife is now seriously wanting to send the state of Va money to help fix their signs because she believes me.  I don’t have the heart to tell her I was messing with her. 

Even though my driver did not win, it was a great weekend.  I am looking forward to Dover in two weeks.