Digg's Taco Shop's hamburguesa

I had a craving for the hamburger from Digg's Taco Shop. Yes, a hamburger at a taco place. Don't laugh. It's actually pretty tasty. This is at least the fourth or fifth time I've had one. I've probably been accompanied by the same female coworker for three out of five of those burgers. She's got an addiction as she's probably had 8-10 burgers from Digg's over as many trips.

I was pretty hungry and didn't want to still feel so after eating just one burger so I bought two. The one below is the lucky winner to be eaten tonight! I refrigerated the other one because even though I was indeed still hungry, I didn't want to feel bloated by starting the second one and end up eating it all...because that's what I would have done — eaten it all!

In case you're interested, here is an article/review from the Dallas Observer's restaurant blog (while it lasts).

Digg's has actually increased the price of the burger by $1 since my coworker and I first had one about 6-8 months ago. At $5.95, it was a pretty good deal. At $6.95, it's still a good deal if you just get the burger but once you add a drink and maybe a side, you could probably get something bigger (and maybe better) somewhere else.

McDonald's loitering

Stopped by the McDonald's at 5220 N MacArthur, Irving, TX this evening around 8 p.m. There were three female and one male worker. Service was VERY slow. Waited at counter to order for 5-7 mins after the previous customer ordered. Finally took my order and I realized they got it wrong when they called me to say my order was ready — she didn't confirm it (well I didn't either) immediately after taking my order. I ordered a 10 pc McNugget meal with a Diet Coke, a Quarter Pounder (sandwich only), and an iced coffee. The order I picked up was a 10 pc McNugget meal and a Quarter Pounder meal. I don't know if the cost was more or less than it should've been but I wasn't that hungry and was going to share the fries with my child. We basically wasted an order of medium fries.

Some quick thoughts: I feel the value of the quarter pounder meal is not worth it. The hamburger patties were the smallest and thinnest I've had/seen. It's like the disclaimer of "pre-cooked weight" is used to cover the fact that the burger isn't EVEN CLOSE to being a 1/4 lb. I truly believe the slices of cheese could have been as thick as the patties and weighed nearly the same. I probably won't be going back to McDonald's for anything but maybe a $1 menu item or a coffee (the coffee is very good by the way).

The worst and funniest part of our visit was the sign that was just above my head where we sat but also posted throughout the dining area. I don't understand why they'd post such a sign in a restaurant, a fast food restaurant at that, where there is no need for table turnover since there is no waitstaff looking for tip wages.

Tennis media shows Federer favoritism, duh!

This showed up on my Facebook page today.

Don't get me wrong. I like Federer. I'm sure almost all who like tennis probably like Roger Federer or his playing skills anyway. He may not be their favorite player but it is hard to deny the accomplishments he's achieved as a professional singles tennis player.

That being said, this news report "leads" off with a bad statement.

When I hear it said that someone led a team to victory, it makes me think of that person as winning, playing awesomely and was just damn near infallible to the point that there was no way they or their team could lose.

However, this was not the case with Federer's "leading." He lost the first Davis Cup singles match for this final in straight sets to Gael Monfils. This would not be leading the victorious charge in my book. Stan Wawrinka on the other hand won his first singles match and was pretty impressive as a team with Federer in the doubles against Gasquet/Benneteau.

So maybe I'm splitting hairs here but I would say that Federer started out the day well by winning the first reverse singles match which just happened to secure the overall win and title for the Swiss Davis Cup team. Again I would not say that Roger lead the Swiss to a Davis Cup title rather that with Roger's win the title was secured and Stan did not have to play to break the tie.

I just get irritated with commentators or reporters overly supporting one player versus another just because one has fourteen grand slam titles while the other merely has one.

McDonald's McRibs

As you can see, the McRib is back at McDonald's. I'm not a McRib fanatic but I have always had at least one when they come back each year to the Mickey D's menu. I had a couple McD's gift cards with money on them still so I decided to have something from McDonald's for lunch today.

The shift manager took my order and was promoting the McRib value meal to me. He then said, "Do you want the extra McRib sandwich for just $1 more?" I joked, "So, are you asking me to add another 500 calories to the 1,000 the value meal already provides me?" He said, "Yep!" So I ordered the second sandwich for the $1 extra. However, after taking the photo, I repackaged the second sandwich to save for later.

Sea Aggie Preview at Texas A&M Galveston

I'm going to have me a high school graduate soon so I've (we've) been getting emails from various colleges. Some we've expected. Others I've never even heard of. Below is from an email that was sent to me from Texas A&M Galveston. What I found interesting is that for a prospective student to come see the Sea Aggie Preview, they have to pay their own way. Or I guess to be more exact, pay for lunch and a t-shirt. Either way, I don't think that this is a proper way to recruit a new student population.

Bad form Texas A&M Galveston, bad form!

Chick-fil-a off US 75 near Southwestern Blvd, Dallas

Went to get lunch for me and the wife. This was the drive thru at Chick-fil-a around 11:45 a.m. on a Monday. I can't believe people wait this long for food and especially this many people still think Chick-fil-a is "healthy." Yes, it's good-tasting food but people think it's also healthy because it's chicken. Everything is healthy in moderation. But I digress.

This is just a glimpse of the line that I caught. They have two drive thru lanes. The right one is all the way to the 75 service road and down it north to the Southwestern Blvd intersection. Which always causes traffic backups around lunch time at this location. It's ridiculous. Does it mean that Chick-fil-a is that worth it or that people are just foolish?

Oh well, either way, I would never wait more than 5-10 minutes between getting in line, ordering and getting my order from a "fast food" restaurant. I've got better things to do or better places to eat that require me to wait.

Going Deep with David Rees

I was channel surfing a week or so ago and came across this show: Going Deep with David Rees. I didn't know the name of the show at the time. What caught my attention was that this guy is supposed to show people things a "new light." However, what he showed me is that he's kind of an idiot. The stupidity is said at around 6 seconds on the video. Let's see if others realize his mistake!

 

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That's all I got to say about that!
 

Toshiba external hard drive

I have a Toshiba 2TB 3.0 external hard drive. It "crashed" on me. I quote crashed because it technically still worked as far as power and connecting but it wouldn't show/work correctly in My Computer. I also couldn't do anything with it under Computer Management—>Disk Management. The cursor would just turn into the spinning vortex of annoyance.

I didn't think the hard drive was bad because many times in the past I've taken the drives out of their housing and they end up working just fine for at least another 6mos to a year to still going. So, I tried the same thing with this one.

The funny thing about it, which is my reason for the post, is that the Toshiba case contained a Seagate Barracuda hard drive.

Now I don't know if Seagate and Toshiba are owned by the same entity like WD and HGST. If they are, then the post is all for not. Otherwise, we'll go back to it being funny.

By the way, the hard drive works just fine as an internal. Initially, it didn't want to work but after formatting it seems to be functional for the time being. Luckily, it's used for a back up of a back up so not too worried about it failing...if it does. I'm just trying to get more life out of it if I can.

State Fair of Texas 2014

A friend and coworker of mine asked me to go to the State Fair of Texas on this wonderfully cool day. It was the perfect weather and day to go. She had free tickets and she was paying for everything, how could I say, "No?" So not to go into too much detail, I figured I'd just post a few pictures from the day that I took with my cellphone.

I did not photograph it but I would say that the Chicken Fried Loaded Baked Potato was pretty good. Visually, it wasn't at all what I was expecting — an actual loaded baked potato that ha been deep fried — but it did at least taste like it should. I think it was around 14 tickets, which is WAY overpriced, but I made a decision to try at least a few of the fried finalists...and well, my friend was paying. Anyway...on to the photos.

Big Tex!

The Cotton Bowl

The Texas Star

Stockyard building replica

Alamo replica

Fried Sweet Texas

Fried Sweet Texas is one of the Big Tex Choice Awards 2014 Finalist (as reported by D Magazine's Sidedish. It's best described on the StateFairBlog:

“Traveling across Texas to try the best and most popular desserts gave inspiration for this fried treat. Fried Sweet Texas starts with fresh pie dough filled with crunchy pecan pie, juicy peach cobbler and creamy buttermilk pie. It is then deep fried until the crust is golden brown and flaky, and then served up with a side of Texas’ own Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream. A real tribute to Texans and their amazing sweet treats!"

In all fairness, the dessert is good. Is it better than Molten Chocolate Cake at Chili's (I think) or even better than the cinnamon rolls at Cici's? In my opinion, no. In fact, I think I used 14 tickets which amounts to $7.00 for the Fried Sweet Texas dessert and I wasn't satiated or my taste buds fulfilled. I can eat all I want of the cinnamon rolls with the Cici's buffet OR Death by Chocolate is like $5.00. Both you get more for your money and thinking about them right now, makes my mouth water. I don't have that reaction with the Fried Sweet Texas. The only thing I can say about that dessert is I tried it. However, I cannot recommend it!
 

Cobra Mustang golf cart

2014 Cobra Mustang Convertible

Big Tex Game Card

As labeled, the above image is a Big Tex Game Card. You MUST purchase one of these to be able to play ANY of the games along the Midway. It's ridiculous! My friend purchased two forty credit game cards for $20 each. That means we paid $40 for 80 credits. With me? Most games on the Midway charge 5 credits or more. My friend liked the water gun games...you know the ones where you shoot water into the mouth of something and it either moves stuff in a race of some kind or blows up a balloon until it pops. In my mind, these are tailored to children. As that, the games should be priced as so. However, the two that we played were 10 credits per player and some had a minimum of 2 or 4 players to play. So they get more money and only one winner. Anyway, we looked specifically for those water gun games that would allow a minimum of 2 players. Anyway, we had to play twice to win a prize. I let my friend win both times to get a 12-15" tall Gizmo. Yep! That's Gizmo from Gremlins. I told my friend that she paid $40 for that stuffed Gizmo which she probably could have paid much less for at somewhere like Amazon.com, Walmart or Target and she paid that much for a movie item from like twenty years ago! Anyway, I then won her a football in a football throw contest. That cost her $20 since I missed the first two times.

So, the main point of my mentioning the game card is that the State Fair has finally found a way to gouge even more money from Fair attendees. Coupons are used for food and rides only. Game cards are used only for Midway games. So, if you have any amount left over of cards or coupons, it makes it more difficult to use them all before you leave as they cannot be cross used.

Halloween costume advert...no, this is NOT spam

I have purchased one or two things from this company before: Gadgets and Gear. I originally thought this was spam with the subject line reading: "Be a Giant Penis This Halloween!" But it was not. It is funny though.

 

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That's all I got to say about that!
 

Mashed potatoes in a bucket

Went to my neighborhood Tom Thumb to get some groceries and dinner. My youngest went with me. We were pretty hungry and grocery shopping while being as hungry as we were probably isn't the best idea.

We didn't do too bad. We had to get some treats for a party my youngest was attending. We purchased Safeway branded chocolate-covered donut holes — 50 for $5. Yum! In fact, I purchased two tubs so I could have my fat-building dessert at home all day!

For dinner, we decided to get an over-roasted chicken. You know the kind they have these days at any big-name grocery in the middle of some aisle near the deli that was actually baked/cooked by the deli. They are usually like $4.99-$5.99 depending on if you have their rewards card.

Anyway, my youngest said we needed a side item to go with it. Which normally we don't but today we needed one. My youngest picked this bucket of mashed potatoes for like $3.00. I guess we could test it for such a low price. Besides, unless it's just completely horrible and disgusting, I'll eat it because I was born, bred and raised to NOT waste food!

So, long story short, these are pretty darn good! I was a little iffy when buying and initially warming them up (they're in a microwavable container) but the oldest, youngest and I liked them. I don't think the wife had any but I'm sure she would have liked them as well.

Sometimes you gotta live on the edge, especially with food. If it works out, cool. If not...try again.

I hate playing tennis...no I love it...I hate it...no...

I am playing in a tennis tournament tomorrow morning. For the past couple of years, I have been only playing doubles. I'm not at my singles weight is what I tell people but I actually just get too frustrated and pissed at myself because I don't get the chance to play enough for practice.

The weight really doesn't matter to me but that's just the 'joke' I use. I would like to lose a few twenty pounds just to be a little more light on my feet but I don't know if that will happen anytime soon.

Truth is, I suck at tennis. I've lost that competitive edge that I used to have. It sucks to be the nice guy across the net but I can't help it. I'm damaged goods.

Okay, I really don't suck. I just lack getting enough practice to be more consistent with my awesome shots! Once a week on a Saturday morning is not going to help me hone my shots. Of course, some of the guys I play with play 2-3 times a week and they really aren't any better when I come back after a couple of weeks or more between playing. It's sad for them (in my eyes) but also anger for me because I know I have the potential to be better than I am...if only I had more time to practice and/or persons to practice with.

I used to play singles at least 1-2 times a week with a neighbor friend. It was good practice just to get out and hit the ball. I am always better than him because most of the time when he would win a point, game, set or match, it was because I lost it from stupid shots and errors rather than him kicking my ass.

I lack consistent focus. Winning just stopped becoming the highest priority when I played. I was just glad to get out and hit. To have fun and enjoy the interactions with friends.

But then came leagues and tournaments. It was tough to change my mental game. Many times I didn't and I'd lose. Most of the time I'd take the first set. I then would let up because in my mind I had already won. I would know I could beat the guy so I wouldn't really have to do it because it was already a given. So, I'd lose the second set and usually the third if I didn't pressure myself mentally to pay the fuck attention and win the damn match. Worst is when I'd be up something like 5-1, 5-2, 5-3. I'd have one more game to win and I knew it could be done but I'd become unfocused and then I'd be at 5-5, 6-5 or even worse lose the set 7-5. I'd be mildly upset but, again, I'd be happy to have been able to play and have a fairly decent match even with the brain farts!

I only bring all this up because in my tournament tomorrow I am playing singles. I didn't tell my doubles partner that I also registered for singles. I didn't want him to get stressed out about my possible fatigue from playing possibly two matches before our first doubles match. I play at 8 a.m. and win or lose I play again at 10 or 11 a.m. At 1 p.m. will be our first doubles match.

I'm a little nervous...okay, a lot. I haven't played singles competitively in a long time. I mean there was the times with my neighbor friend but that really wasn't for any prize...just kind of bragging rights until next time. To top things off, I'm going to play this very consistent Asian guy that I've hit with on other days and even played a few doubles matches against with my doubles partner. I saw Asian guy a week or two ago and asked if he was going to play singles in this tournament. He said he probably was as the registration deadline was that Sunday by midnight. I joked with him and said I might play just to see him in the finals. Well, karma really likes to fuck with me so I'll be seeing him in the first match.

Again, he's not technically better than I am. He's just more consistent and he just happened to win this tournament, as well as a few others, in the men's 4.0 singles.

I am trying to prepare mentally now and hopefully that will automatically or at least help translate to me physically tomorrow morning. Our match is at 8 a.m. which means I have to get up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready, maybe get a light breakfast and leave to get to the city it's being hosted in about 25 miles away.

All good times ahead. If I lose, I can chalk it up to experience, I guess. I don't like to waste $25 but I guess it'll help me know where I stand. I'll be happy to be a 6-4, 6-4 loss but would be even happier if I pull off the reverse for the win.

We'll see. At least I know that I get to play in a consolation bracket if I lose and still have my doubles match to play.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Choices...choices

This is from a recent Fry's Electronics sales ad. What's more important, necessary or are both frivolous?

Is this the perfect shirt or what?

Saw this at Walmart or was it Target? I don't remember.




Sent by Absent-Minded Jay via his Samsung S3

High school band trip to Honolulu, Hawaii

** This is WAY past overdue from when I started but I have many thoughts and distractions on top of being a busy man. Just enjoy the post...or not.

So, my kids are privileged. Okay, not really. But they do go to a public high school that is 97.5% full of the privileged. We are able to benefit from this because we rent in the area versus buying. We are in what the "real" residents call a "multi-family dwelling." We'd NEVER be able to buy...not necessarily because I won't ever make that much money...okay, I won't ever make that much money...but not because I can't. It's because I won't waste my life working to afford something that isn't a necessity in my life. I'd much rather make enough to live and enjoy not working all the time.

Anyway, the marching band at this high school announced during summer 2013 band camp that they were going to Hawaii for this year's band trip. More specifically they would be marching in the Honolulu St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waikiki Beach on March 17, 2014 at 12 p.m. Most all of the kids were pretty stoked. Many of the kids probably have already been to ritzy vacation areas——maybe places like Vail, Cancun, Bahamas, and any popular destinations for the rich in North America, South America, Europe, Asia...okay basically anywhere the rich take their kids.

The student price was $1,970 since they will be in a quad occupancy room. The adult price was $2,030 as they'd be in double occupancy rooms unless they decided to be in quad occupancy. I prefer double as the wife and I were planning on going. She's still fighting her illness or the side effects from the illness but we were going to use this as a celebration of her making leaps and strides to betterness.

The wife didn't get as better as we had hoped so I invited my long-time friend who's basically be demoted to a well-known acquaintance to take her place. He'd have to pay of course but I had already reserved an extra space and I didn't feel like paying double or rooming with someone I really don't know. I thought about asking the one brother I still talk to but I ended up asking the lesser of two evils. I knew my friend and I would have fun. We just don't hang out as much these days as we used to and we live 15-20 minutes away from each other and also work basically across the street from one another. Anyway, so he was the lucky one to benefit from my wife still not feeling up to traveling. I could have just not gone with my kids but this is freaking Hawaii!! And, it's one thing if they were going to one of the 48 contiguous states...well, most anyway, some I'd still want to go...but this is a flight over an ocean with my two kids. I was not going to be worried about them sitting in good ol' Texas!

The band used a travel agent which was beneficial in including a few interesting excursions that I probably would not book to do myself or even as a family. Going just as a family, everything is costly so I have to pick and choose what's best, most fun and at a fairly decent price. Sometimes though, I do things that I REALLY want to do and I will pay whatever the cost is. Luckily, the total amount we paid included these extra activities so I'd be an idiot to not take advantage of them.

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  WHERE WE STAYED

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First of all, we stayed in the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. Here the hotel rooms were nice enough but they weren't all that. I didn't know what to expect but it really wasn't much different inside the room than when we stayed at Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel as a family back in 2010. I don't know what the cost difference is but they obviously are owned by the same parent company. I think the Circle Hotel had a much better balcony view (beach front for us versus beach view at Beach Hotel). The Beach Hotel room was a little larger maybe a couple of feet wider and longer, had a few extra room amenities like a flat screen TV with a PS3 which one could rent movies or games for 'free' as part of the room cost. Who's going to spend their time in their room playing video games or watching TV when the entire island of Oahu and the ocean are there to play in is beyond me but to each his own. I'm sure the Circle Hotel rooms have been updated somewhat since 2010——maybe not larger but amenities-wise.

There was a weird thing with the "all-you-can-eat" breakfast. It was sold to us as an international buffet breakfast. In reality, it was the same shit you get at Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn or some other hotel that has "Inn" or "Suites" in the name. I'm not saying that it's bad. I'm just saying it's never what they promote and advertise. The main difference between the Inn/Suites' continental breakfast and AWBH is they didn't have the pastries prepackaged in cellophane. Inside each room there was what I'd call an "insulated" lunch tote. It was about 10" long by 6" wide by 6" deep. You took this down to the breakfast "buffet" by the pool between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. You waited in line because some hotel employee is checking your key card to make sure you room at the hotel and belong in the line to get their breakfast "buffet." Once past the gatekeeper, you had a line of like six tables and stations that had various items on them from individual serving boxed cereals, milk, muffins, donuts, various other pastries, Japanese-type breakfast items like cold noodles and then just-OK coffee. You could opt for hot breakfast items like eggs, bacon and/or waffles but they would bill your room for those items. You put whatever you could inside the tote to carry and eat in a poolside chair or back in your room. That's what the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel calls an international buffet breakfast. The best parts of the breakfast was the poi roll/muffin with sweet poi filling. Everything else one could get at ANY hotel/inn/suite on the mainland or anywhere else I'm sure. Although the coffee wasn't memorable and the only cup they had was like the kind you'd use to rinse your mouth out at the dentist, I had to drink it because I NEED my caffeine in the morning to make it through the day especially getting up at 6:30-7:00 a.m. The urn of Kona coffee with pouches of powdered creamer we had available when we stayed at the Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel was much better than the coffee on the buffet line. Truthfully, I wouldn't have minded just hitting the corner McDonald's and paying for some spam and eggs or a sausage, egg McMuffin. But adding additional extraneous costs to my travel when the buffet is "free" was not in my game plan.

View of Waikiki Beach from our balcony

Sunset view of Waikiki Beach from our balcony

Pool and breakfast area as seen from our balcony

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  WHAT WE DID AS PART OF THE PAYMENT

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Germaine's Luau — This luau was a new experience. I didn't know what to expect but if it was anything close to the luau we attended on our last visit, then it couldn't be too bad. We took a luau bus from our hotel to the location. I guess it'd be considered located on the southwest corner of the island. We had an older lady guide that was kind of annoying and funny at the same time. She was very good at sharing all her cultural knowledge of Hawaii as she's a local...born and bred. The drive to Germaine's was kind of interesting. We took a lot of highway and went through an industrial park to get to the place. I'm sure there was a time when it was mostly trees, sand and rock around the Germaine's but not so much now. Luckily for them, they are located pretty close to the beach and ocean so they are able to keep the allure of a traditional luau. The entertainment was fairly good and the food wasn't too bad. The offerings were plentiful although I would have expected a few more options. Our last visit we did the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Overall, I believe the entertainment, atmosphere and dining was much better at the Cultural Center. I don't know the actual cost difference between the two different places but even if it's double or less, I'd go with the Cultural Center. Now don't get me wrong. Germaine's was a nice establishment with decent food and entertainment but it just doesn't compare to everything we got with a ticket to the Cultural Center luau.

Imu where the kalua pig is being cooked

Dining area and stage

Maita'i Catamaran — This isn't something that I would have planned to do myself. I'm not even sure that it's something to even consider. It was package in the deal so I wasn't going to miss it. It was a fairly enjoyable time to just be out on the water. The catamaran had a huge sail and at times we were really booking it. It was occasionally entertaining when some of the band kids got splashed and soaked from the bow dipping under the water a bit causing a big, splashing wave. We did get to see some dolphins swim along the boat. The ride started just off the beach in front of the Outrigger Waikiki went out towards the ocean then to slightly past Diamond Head and then back to the beach. It was probably an hour ride and the captain and deck hand were nice if not mostly silent. While it was somewhat nice and enjoyable, it's not something I think is really worth around $30. Can I mark it off my bucket list? Sure, if I had it on there but other than that I'd much rather spend $30 on some souvenirs I can take/send home. However, if it's something other people want to do, then you can't go wrong with the Maita'i Catamaran.

Waikiki Beach from the catamaran

Diamond Head from the catamaran

Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial — We did this when we vacationed as family a few years ago. It's the same except they finished the construction of part of the visiting center that was blocked off last time we were here. The new building is essentially a movie theater that shows photos and film clips to show the progression of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the aftermath and the subsequent USA's joining WWII. It's about a 20-30 minute movie and then you get to move to where the barge taxis will be boarded for the trip to The Memorial. One thing I did notice this time is that the visiting families with children did much better in controlling those children and having them respect the time and reverence of being on The Memorial. The landscape of the Harbor was much different too as there were not as many naval ships docked as our previous visit because the "naval war games" were not going on at this time.

Just inside Pearl Harbor Visiting Center

USS Missouri from inside the Memorial

American Flag thru top of USS Arizona Memorial

Name wall inside the USS Arizona Memorial

Nu'uanu Pali Lookout — This was also done on our previous trip. It seems to be a part of almost every available island tour and it was worth it just as much as before. The overlooked land was more lush than before as this visit was during Hawaii's winter time. This is still a "shouldn't miss" stop for any vacationers as it's a fairly peaceful and beautiful place to visit and it's free.

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  THINGS WE DID OUTSIDE OF THE PLAN

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We had a "your day" where there wasn't anything to do as part of the package. They did have "deals" that the band kids could've signed up for which included snorkeling in Hanauma Bay or hiking Diamond Head or parasailing somewhere. I told my kids that we already did the first two and we could parasail on the mainland but it was up to them. We/they decided upon my idea of renting a vehicle for the day to drive around to at least hit the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet as it's only open until 3 p.m. and Saturday, our free day, was Saturday. This was our only cheaper priced shopping option because The International Market Place was closed down for remodeling or something. It seems their link is currently down or wrong but you can view some online articles here, here and here while they last. Besides, last time we were here, the Swap Meet was $2-$5 lower than the Int'l Market probably due to convenience. Anyway, we hit the Swap Meet and I purchased more shirts this time around than last because I knew I'd wear the hell out of my shirts I bought. Besides, I decided this time around that if I bought too much that wouldn't fit in my carry-on, I was just going to check a bag or FedEx/UPS it to my home. My buddy also was prepared and had a checked bag that was 90% empty because he didn't know what he would come back with either. And it turns out that checking a bag is much cheaper than shipping it even via FedEx or UPS. Good call friend!

Blue Hawaii Helicopter tours — However, before the Swap Meet, we decided the day before to try something really different and definitely something my wife would not approve of. A helicopter tour with Blue Hawaii Helicopter tours. They do a tour of about half the island that starts at Honolulu Airport around and down to the southeast point then up north along the short to the northeast point and then back down the "middle" of the island to the airport. So we saw places like Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Oprah's house, Bird Island (I think), Schoefield Barracks, North Shore, Dillingham Airfield where some fighter jets were taking off and landing during flight exercises, some place in the lush mountainside where they were building sets for the new Jurassic Park movie and the same trail/dirt road along which 50 First Dates was filmed, Dole Plantation and few other places along the route that escape my memory at this time. It was WAY WAY cool! I'd have to say well worth the $200 each plus my buddy purchased the video for $25 (it comes on a flash drive) which includes video of inside and outside of the helicopter as well as mic/headset audio during the ride——it was cool except for one camera that was a little foggy/blurry which as part of the service and sales you'd think they'd make sure all lenses were free and clear...all in all the video was good enough for memorabilia sake. We also used two GoPros (hand-held by me and my friend however so a little bumpy). The helicopter held the pilot and six other people. Seating is based on weight distribution so my kids got the two front seats next to the pilot, I was on the outer right, my friend next to me and then a couple celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary on the left side. Our pilot was not only the pilot but a well-informed tour guide. He was good at what he did even though he looked to be the ripe old age of 18-20 years old. He may have been a little older but certainly did not look it. As stated, it was a good time!

Keneke's — My friend and I didn't visit the original location that I did in 2010. Instead, we ran into the location listed on the website. I asked the lady inside if the other location was still open (it was really just a hole-in-the-wall place) and she said yes. However, the website only lists one location so I'm not sure about the other. I would say that I felt like the food seemed a little tastier at the 2010 location but I'm not going to complain too much because it's ALL good going down!

Keneke's Grill at Punaluu

View from the back seating area at Keneke's

Kalua Pork and Pork Adobo

Pork Adobo and Pork Guisantes (aka. Peas & Pork)

Oceanarium Restaurant in the Pacific Beach Hotel — My friend and I ate dinner at this place. I ate here with the family the last visit so I recommended to my buddy to eat here again. It still looked the same as before but I think the food offerings were a little more. It's probably the difference between lunch and dinner but I don't know for sure as I didn't ask. The food was pretty good like before but there was no female diver feeding the fish in the giant tank.

Me's Bar-B-Que here or here — There was one day where the band kids had a lunch-is-on-you in between required activities. My friend and I wanted something more local like Keneke's but we couldn't travel too far due to the kids' responsibilities. Our last visit we walked by this place, Me's, on our way to L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. We thought about stopping but stuck with our original goal of trying L&L. This time with the kids, L&L was a possibility but it is a good walk from our hotel. Again, the time constraints were considered and we decided to stop at Me's Bar-B-Que. It wasn't too busy (see pic below). Me's had plenty of options familiar and not-so-familiar to choose from on their menu...way more options than the L&L Hawaiian BBQ in Plano, TX. Anyway, we ordered and everything was pretty damn good! Very good like Keneke's on our last visit although a few more items we were able to try/eat than offered at Keneke's. All in all, it was pretty good food for a decent price. I wish I had room in my belly to try everything on the menu. If you want something more of a local cuisine, definitely try this place. It looks a little scary (especially seeing the "Rent scooters here" sign and scooters right next to the seating area) but it's really good!

Order line at Me's Bar-B-Que

Me's Bar-B-Que (photo by Google Maps)

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  SHARING RANDOM PHOTOS FROM OUR TRIP

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Blow hole albeit not 'blowing'

Hanauma Bay

Secret Island Pavillion

Donkey Balls

90 cents gas rewards at Tom Thumb!

I've been to Tom Thumb a few times to grocery shop over the past week or so but I haven't had to get gas since I haven't driven twenty minutes each way to play tennis each weekend like I used to a month or so ago.

Anyway, today, I had to gas up my van. The price per gallon was $3.19 but using my gas rewards that I've built up, you can see the price I ended up paying in the image below. That's a 90 cent savings! This is a huge bonus as my van normally takes anywhere from $50-$60 to fill up from almost empty. Today it was $37.50!

I'm definitely applying for this job

The proof readers at Del Mar College or HigherEdJobs.com need to be fired...or at least severely beaten.

Cooking sliders

Started a couple of weeks ago but just now finishing and posting.

I've written about my appreciation of the sliders from Easy Slider Truck. They make 'em pretty good. But as we all know, it's not that hard to make a burger whether it's 1/4 lb, 1/3 lb, 1/2 lb or "slider" lb. No matter how you make it or with what add-ons, it usually tastes good or tastes good to someone. Anyway, it's been a few months or so since we've had any Easy Slider sliders. We just haven't had the time but also, the last time they were near my work, they were charging $8.00 for two sliders or $12.00 for three. It used to be two for $7.00 or three for $10. I think $4.00 a slider isn't worth it when I can get almost an entire value meal (fries, drink and burger) somewhere for $8.00. Anyway, the last time I went to buy sliders for the family, I got nine sliders which cost me $30.00.

So, the family decided to try and make our own. Well, I get to do all the trying and making. The wife and kids get to try the tasting. Hamburger meat @ $8.00, slider buns 12-pk @ $3.00, small goat cheese @ $3.00, strawberry preserve spread @ $3.00, and a pound of bacon @ $8.99 which equals a total around $26.00 plus tax. I saved roughly $4.00 but I also made 16 sliders——the last two (in the bottom pic below) probably could have been broken into four for a total of 18 sliders.

Below: is just the start of the sliders in the skillet. I just mixed the 95% lean hamburger meat with garlic powder. I sliced a yellow onion and put in the skillet with the patties to hopefully pick up some of the juice/flavoring from the patties.

Next: This is just one of the many sliders I cooked. A photo just doesn't do it justice on how good it looked and also lacks the tasty smell that makes the mouth water.

I had some leftover hamburger meat since I didn't know how many sliders I would/could make. I decided to make some Heinz 57 sliders. I mixed the hamburger meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Heinz 57. I ran out of slider buns so I thought I'd see how cinnamon raisin bread would work. Added some bacon and, voila! This shit was pretty darn good and tasty if I may say so myself!

Beachbody coaching IS essentially a pyramid

I have this friend that I've known since elementary school. He started as a coach part-time with Beachbody a few years ago and was able to quit his full-time job within the past year due to the fact he makes six figures as a Five-Star Diamond or Emerald Coach and his wife is Three-Star or something like what I described.

Anyway, I've had to endure his constant postings about "how do you start your day," "what's your favorite breakfast meal," "do you like to workout," "would you like to be your own boss, not work in an office and be able to spend time with your family all the while being healthy and helping others do the same," blah, blah blah, etc., etc., etc. It's quite freaking annoying, unbelievably annoying, and people REALLY should separate their personal Facebook page from their business page. Maybe even FB should regulate that a bit.

However until then, I know why my buddy does it. For the longest time, other friends of his/ours would say, "Dude, isn't coaching basically a pyramid." He would vehemently deny it as such. He would say, "No, no, no. Message or call me and I'll explain it to you." I never asked, didn't really care, but knew or heard enough about Beachbody coaching that in my eyes it is essentially a pyramid scheme albeit legal and not like the typically negative connotation people have of a pyramid scheme. So for him, having his posts and motivational questions/concerns on his personal FB page could possibly help him recruit more minions...uh, I mean team members...to help him progress up in coach status.

Many times I've considered hiding him because he's so annoying with his proudness in being able to quit his full-time "dead-end" job and how he thinks he's got a "designed life" or "present parent" compared to anyone else. It's like he's saying to everyone else that because we work in "normal" jobs, we aren't able to do the things we want to do or attend our children's school or extracurricular activities. With my current job, I've not really missed any of my children's activities that I actually wanted to attend or they wanted me to attend. So for him to come across like his choice is better than mine and made him a better parent that it's the choice everyone else should make. No! It shows that he obviously didn't put his family or whatever priorities higher than his previous job. I'm not saying we all can do it but it has nothing to do with being a Beachbody coach and not being one. It's an ignorant generalization.

So recently, a few of his friends posed the "pyramid" question to him since a few months or so ago he bought a new truck and he very recently just bought a huge house. The question was more of a concern with purchasing so many "high dollar" items based on income that isn't simply made by punching a clock for "guaranteed income" but on the production of others on the team underneath him since he's essentially at the top of the pyramid. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for him. He took a chance and it paid off...for now. What happens when the pyramid crumbles? When the fitness craze wanes or they come up with a pharmaceutical (and they eventually will) that will allow people to vegetate on a couch playing a PS6 or XBOX4 and lose weight!? I know the fitness industry has almost always continue steadily or even grown since the times of Tony Little's Gazelle or Suzanne Sommers' Thigh Master. But again, that's because they just haven't found that "miracle" drug yet. Technology and medical science is making leaps and bounds so they will come up with a diet/fat drug that will truly work.

Take for example a buddy/neighbor of mine who used to sell insurance. He would recruit sales guys underneath him to sell insurance and he'd get a percentage of each one's sales. It was lucrative about 4-6 years ago. In fact, he had a guy that made two million dollars one year without having to work himself. He made that much profit from all his team's sales. That's pretty good! And sounds very similar to the Beachbody coaching experience. But unlike my coaching friend, my insurance friend admits that his insurance business was essentially a pyramid. It's a good thing I didn't take him up on his offer to work for him years ago as he has had do something else, what I don't know.

My insurance friend has a college degree and years of various experience to fall back on. My coaching buddy has no degree (not that I think it's absolutely necessary) and he only has fifteen or so years of experience in his one previous long-term job/field.

So anyhow, without further ranting, I was curious one day and decided to see if Google could tell me how a Beachbody coach makes money. There's a plethora of sites but I think this one was genuine. He's a Beachbody coach and for some reason he seems to have no problem sharing/explaining how a coach makes money.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the Beachbody coaching pyramid at all. My friend just defends himself by saying it's not a pyramid and private message me if you want further explanation. That makes him look shady to me. Beachbody coaching seems very legitimate and very profitable for those that invest in it and themselves. I would do it but I lack focus and I'm impatient. I want/need money now not later after I build my team but if one never starts it'll always be later. So, if you have the time, effort and patience, go forth young stallions and mares! I like the Beachbody products like P90X and T25 which I'm trying to get the motivation to start up again (P90X) or begin (T25). I wouldn't mind trying Shakeology but it's cost-prohibitive for me right now...unless I decide to hit up one of my FB friends who are coaches...yes, I have more than one on FB but only one is UNBELIEVABLY annoying!

Again, after all this, enjoy the article and browsing Marcus' website. It's good and informative.



* Links in article that don't work since this is a jpg screen capture:
First and Third links about compensation plan here.
Second link "How Do Beachbody Coaches Make Money" here.
Fourth link "How Beachbody Coaches Make Money" here.
Full article online here while it lasts.

CVS does not believe in saving trees

This is the receipt that I got from buying stuff at CVS this afternoon. I purchased two 20 oz. bottles of Diet Dr Pepper. They are listed at the very top of the receipt and their line items take probably about two inches.

Add the payment information and the entire receipt for purchase could be about five to six inches.

The rest of the receipt is coupons...and some other shit, I guess. They could just send me my coupons as they have my email for my CVS account.

The receipt length as taken in the photograph is about two-and-a-half to three feet long.

I'm not a tree hugger but what a waste! Anyway...

Playing around with some macrophotography

I was going through some storage bins...trying to purge more shit that I don't use/need since my move to a smaller place last year. I have a bin of memorabilia which contains a lot of "junk," as my wife would say, that I just don't want to part with. Some of it I already had to because it was outside on the patio and rain water got inside due to a crack in the side of the bin. Anyway, much of the stuff got rusted or smelled like rotten ass so I had to purge them. I did come across this little "gem" in my recent browse-through.

This is a "coin" that my previous employer gave out to commemorate or some shit our start date. Below the truck was my signature and below it was my start date. I guess they thought this would make us feel better about working for such a shit-hole boss and employer. It didn't work for me. Some people still think it was one of the best places to work. I don't interact AT ALL with those individuals since I left that job fifteen years ago! They are the kind of people that will probably some day go crazy (that are already slightly bat shit to begin with) or do something crazy and I DO NOT want to be around them when that happens.

 

Anyway, I thought with the chemical reaction of the water to whatever this metal is, it was a good chance to try out some macrophotography with this "macro tube" I got some time ago that attaches between the camera and lens. It's not the easiest to focus and shit but it works. Just takes some playing around with which what doesn't in regards to photography?!