Arcades, Caves, and Corgis

Word from CO again. We are having a blast in Manitou Springs. Yesterday we got up played some basketball. Amy made 15 shots in a row! Impressive. I was hitting from long range pretty well, but I am quite rusty. Broke in a virgin ball that my cousins gave me for a wedding gift. NBA regulation ball too. Anyway we went to eat at a place on the river for lunch and had an open faced turkey sandwich with brown gravy. Then we walked the shops of Manitou Springs and found the most awesome arcade we have ever seen. It's about 5 or 6 different buildings with games from the 40's all the way up to present day. They even had those deals where you put in a penny or a nickel and watch index cards with photos on them flip by as you crank them. We played the original Asteroids, Donkey Kong, and Tron. We also witnessed some bad ass folk drumming at the local music festival. I took this on my cell phone for all of you to jam to:



Next we took a drive up a very large mountain with no guard rails and at the top we explored The Cave of the Winds. The cave itself is pretty worn out and small, but it was a nice 50 degrees in there. Amy found a Corgi dog she liked tied up to the bleachers, and since we could not take him we ended up at Petsmart later so Amy could see some cats. We then went to Old Colorado City and walked around for a while before eating dinner at the Mason Jar. (A kind of Cracker Barrel type place.) I thought food here would be pricey but so far its not bad at all. We drove over to Colorado Springs so Amy could buy a non headache inducing pillow. We then returned to Old Colorado City so I could get my annual vacation chocolate covered frozen banana at a chocolate shop.

Everyone here is very friendly. There are dogs everywhere. It seems like dogs are more prevalent than children here. The weather is great. We have not had to turn on the AC at all. Its cool in the mornings around 50ish. Today we take the cog Railway to Pikes Peak, and tomorrow is Amy's birthday surprise trip. Here is the link again for more updated photos:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS!!!

Garden of the Gods

Friday night, we went to check out Garden of the Gods and take some photos. This morning we got up early, shot some hoops (Erik's getting better, is jealous of my skillz), and now we are off to grab some lunch, visit the Cave of the Winds (haha) and check out some of the local shops. One thing I've noticed, is this is the place to be if you want to buy art, get a massage/acupuncture/aura cleansing/etc..., or buy art. I'll report back with more observations later on. It's fun so far though!

Erik's set up a photo gallery on iWeb. Click here to check it out. We'll be updating it with new pics each day. Holla!

Amarillo by Morning

They took my saddle in Houston, broke my leg in Santa Fe. Lost my wife and a girlfriend somewhere along the way. It's been a busy trip.

Here are some pics from our morning in Amarillo. We got in last night around midnight, and got up early to eat at the Big Texan, which seems to be the main attraction in town. If you haven't heard of it before, it's the home of the 72oz steak dinner, which is free if you finish it in under 1 hour. There's even a raised area in the middle of the restaurant with a table and a digital clock, so everyone can watch as you attempt to finish your mammoth steak (including baked potato, salad, dinner roll and shrimp cocktail). We settled for the breakfast buffet, which was just as impressive.

After our scrumptious breakfast, we practiced our shooting skills, and checked out the rest of the place. Erik was quite the sharpshooter. I held my own. I rang some bells, and knocked down some cans. It was a proud moment.

Amarillo was fun, but Colorado was calling. Let's get this vacation started.

Trains & Automobiles

Won't be too long now, and I'll be in Colorado, hugging trees and riding cog trains. We have already scheduled a train ride to the top of Pikes Peak, and I am looking forward to it. I am also curiously excited about the meals we will be having, prepared by our guest vacationer and avid hunter, Jabella. I'm not sure if it's even possible, but eating elk and muskrat every day might wear out my trusty taste buds. Maybe he'll mix it up and serve up some chipmunk croquettes or bear skin tartlettes.

So much fun to be had! But first, a day full of fall designs, joyful smiles, hugs and Chris-quotes. Does the fun ever start?!? Yesss.

Gettin' his Guns Up

You are looking at the largest hand in the world, though it's from a rare condition called macrodactyly. It does appear that he is either supporting the great Texas Tech University (Go Red Raiders) or he is showing us how the shocker is really done.

Either way, he had surgery to fix his crazy hand, so he's just normal hand guy now. He can wear gloves and stuff now, and his high-fives don't knock people down. Yay for Handy!

Strong Winds?

Pretty clever. Pants that withstand even the strongest toots.
Must be Lycra. (insert Chris noise here...)

H-O-T

Teeth jewelery. Human teeth jewelery, from a dental clinic in China. I don't have any other details, but I picture that clinic looking like a scene out of Jacob's Ladder. Something tells me the Hot Topic kids are going to be all over this. Just a hunch.

It's the perfect height!

Check it out, a VW Bus made into a pool table:

The owner paid $8,000 for this Ohio-plated Volkswagen pool table bus with integrated storage area for balls and other supplies beneath its engine flap.

It's cute, kitschy and has a storage area for balls. :)

My Mornings (the video)

I told you my mornings were crazy. And yes, I used to have
darker hair, and speak French. Get to know me.

Dan's Weekend Job

Gotta make that paper.

Toilet Fish Tank

Finally, someone discovered a way to make going to the bathroom less boring! I will have to find something else to wish for when I blow out my birthday candles.

Liquid Kiss

The name of the sculpture is 'Yuanyang II', by Tsang Cheung-shing, a ceramic art tutor and product designer. Beautiful and clever, to say the least.

Creepshow Redux

Mark Voegel, 30, was found dead in his Dortmund, Germany apartment. His body was draped in spider webs and more than 200 spiders, several snakes, thousands of termites, and a gecko were feasting on his corpse. Proper authorities were alerted when concerned neighbours noticed a horrendous stench emanating from the apartment.

His black widow, Bettina, is believed to have administered the deadly bite.

Voeger's apartment has been described as both a "zoo" and a "jungle" by authorities. He never let people visit.

A police spokesman said: “It was like a horror movie. His corpse was over the sofa. Giant webs draped him, spiders were all over him. They were coming out of his nose and his mouth. There was everything there one could imagine in the world of reptiles. Larger pieces of flesh torn off by the lizards were scooped up and taken back to the webs of tarantulas and other bird-eating spiders.”

The spiders and termites managed to escape when the heating elements exploded and opened the lids to their tanks. The lizards were allowed to roam.

Voegel also kept a pet boa constrictor and several poisonous frogs.

He was dead for somewhere between seven and fourteen days when his corpse was found. Enough time for the creepy-crawlies to make a new home out of his apartment.

I wonder if he heard 'Dream Weaver' playing softly, as the lizards and spiders had their way with him? Inappropriate, my bad.
Good song though.

Stretching with Kermit

Miss Piggy must be stressing him out...
If you need to get your stretch on, let Kermie show you some of his best froggy-style moves. I might have to try these at work.

Damone's 5 Point Plan

"When it comes down to makin' out, whenever possible,
put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV."

Sweet, Clean Grubes

Click here to see Grubes' drop page.
(watch the pic above for a few seconds before scrolling down)

Michael Vick is a Tool, with Brains...

I hope he never plays in another NFL game. Maybe he ought to be dropped in a pen with a very hungry Mike Tyson, so he can get a taste of what he put those dogs through. Justice served.

I Heart A/C!

I am so happy that we have A/C now, that I wanted to post some super cuddle-ishous, expialadocious photos just for you. All three of you, the most loyal readership in all of blog land. (At least I think so)
Stay classy.
- xoxo

Blame Poltergeist

Here's a woman who, from the looks of it, must have witnessed extreme clown violence in her younger years. She can't even go to the circus! To help with her therapy, Mr. Giggles is called in. Poor guy just wants to teach people how to make animal balloons and he has to deal with this nut bag. Jeez Louise.

On a side note, it's fun(ny) to imagine that instead of 'clown', the therapist is saying 'your boss'. It works. Bosses are funny.

Cuter than a Bunny Sneeze

The Wonders of Photoshop

It's nice to know that celebrities don't always look flawless, though they are closer than most of us. Here is a great retoucher site that shows just how manipulated some magazine photos really are. I think most of the celebrities featured look pretty good in their original shots, but it's funny to see what is added on to, thinned out, brightened and lifted, for starters. My personal fave is the Eva Longoria photo. I've never seen a photo where the retoucher had to add weight on, though they did narrow her waist and lift her breastesses. Lucky.

Hot in Herre

I hadn't really noticed how hot it had gotten in our fair burg, until my car battery died Friday after work. I endured the heat waiting for Erik to get there, because Enose was on, and I love me some Corby. Once I finished working on my base tan, we went to get a new battery, and after some odd Wal-Mart customer service math, I walked out with a $36 battery that only cost me $14. Score.

Saturday morning, 7am, Erik asks the question that can only mean bad things: "Is it hot in here to you?" On the second attempt to flip the breaker to the failed A/C unit, it catches on fire. After some fun phone drama, the fire department is called, several voice mail messages are left for the useless property management company, followed by a personal visit to their offices to get the ball rolling, or their heads, whichever came first.

A/C guy shows up, and tells us that Monday morning we'll have a spankin' new air conditioner. He is now my favorite guy named Wayne. So, we packed up the kittones and our shizz, and spent the weekend at Erik's parents. We had some good times, made a trip to the ghetto spectacular, known as Hurst, to have a little B-day partay for my Mom. It was good times all around. Now it's Monday, the A/C is all fixed, and life is back to abnormal.

What Jägermeister Can Will Do

Police in Walkerton, Ontario had a surprising encounter with a suspected drunk driver on the holiday weekend when he refused to take a breath test.

A 19-year-old man was sitting in his car with the lights off on a country road in the early hours of the morning and when an officer tried to administer a breath analysis, the suspect drank the fluid from his contact lens case and ate one of his contact lenses. He then attempted to eat portions of his shirt and socks.

When officers tried to remove his clothing, a scuffle broke out and the suspect was subdued with pepper spray. When placed in a holding cell, he put his head in the toilet and refused to provide a breath sample.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 9; his name has not been released.

Bill Gates has fans...

...in Sarajevo. They like him so much they named a coffee shop after him. I guess there's a good chance they have WiFi, but can you bring Macs in? You know Bill is drinking the Haterade.

Funny & True

Never has a constitutional amendment been so perfectly illustrated.

Michael Penn - "Walter Reed"

Beautiful song. Beautiful video.

Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"

I think the choreography was ahead of it's time.
I'll admit, I like the song. It's snappy.

Kat Von D

I am all over Kat Von D's show on TLC, 'LA Ink'. It's great, check it out if you get a chance. I think she's D-lightful and D-lovely. Ok, old reference.

Anyway, here is a picture of her and her cat Ludwig. He is a shiny wrinkly ball of love. I really didn't mean for that to sound bad...

What My Mornings Look Like

Fish Baggie Soap

These are great! At first glance they are little fish baggies from the pet store, something that used to fascinate me as a kid, when my mom would buy fish for her aquarium. I guess I just liked watching the fish wranglers plop the little fishes in a bag, and spin the bag around to trap the air, before twisting a rubber band on top. Then I would watch the bag all the way home. I'm sure the fish were confused, but they looked like they were having fun in their their air tight little baggies.

Anyhoo, these soaps are the cat's pj's! You just take the plastic bag off (though that would ruin it, no?) and you're left with a clear bar of soap with a fish inside.

Fish are fun, except when they float. :(

From the Sex & The City Movie?

Funny enough, this is an ad for the new Sarah Jessica Parker perfume 'Covet'. The commercials are kind of odd, reminds me of the Sex & the City episodes when Carrie went to Paris, only this time she went mental and ended up being a street person who steals perfume. Odd or not, the perfume smells spicy-good. Poe is hoping to get her paws on some, and I might do the same. Yummy.

Bench it like Beckham

Looks like the Becks fans are starting to turn, and fast. I know his ankle is supposed to be jacked up, but homegirl better at least start suiting up and working for those millions. That goes for T. O. Owens too, and his frailness. Maybe he should stop working out those weird appendix muscles so much. He better come to play this season, or there is going to be a s**t storm. Trust.

Tono Romo, Killing Two Birds?

Thought I would post this in honor of football season getting underway. Maybe Tony's special friend should hold the 'ball' next time. Just saying.

Norm Monkey

This is an on-air argument between SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket personality Norm Hitzges and a caller, concerning pitchers going out of their way to hit batters.

If Norm were a monkey from "Planet Earth"...

Saturday, in the mall...

Well, It was a pretty good Saturday. Got up early, worked in my office for a bit, then Poecat picked me up and we headed to Northeast Mall. We then spent some quality time at Central Market, and Poecat returned home to Poje and Jaybird. After that I cooked dinner, gave the front and back yard a good mowing, and Erik did some trim-trimming with the edger and hedge-clippers. It was a good busy day, followed by a fine hot morning of oil-changing and car-cleaning. I am hoping that my streak of productivity continues throughout the day.

I did learn some things at the mall that I'd like to pass along to my readership (all 2 of you): When the water supply for the City of Hurst becomes contaminated, a better option for a water fountain signs might be 'Do Not Use', instead of just 'Out of Order'; There is no volume maximum for the fine folks at Radio Disney, when they are doing promotional appearances in the mall, and have full use of a microphone to harass any and everyone that walks by (and no, I don't want some free GoGurt, thanks); Sephora has a wonderful return policy, even if you've used the product before (Thanks to Poecat for the heads up). Sephora gets 5 stars and a high-five.

Now here's an awesome photo of the Erazm Baracz Chamber in the Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland. It's the world's oldest salt mine, and has been in operation since the Middle Ages. That is awesome.