Conventional Wisdom

Jersey Shore

2010-01-08T12:37:00.003-05:00

So as you may have seen by now, MTV has a new reality series titled "Jersey Shore." It's a show about meat headed Italian American boys/girls who spend their summers at the "Jersey Shore." The show is terrible, I have managed to sit through one episode and that was all I could take. They filmed the show in Seaside Heights which is about 3min away from my house. You see I live on Barnegat Bay, and directly across the bay (and a bridge) is Seaside Heights. Gods vacation spot for all the New Jersey Guidos and Guidettes. In the winter the place is a ghost town, but a few cool sports bars remain open throughout the year. All the locals are there in the winter to watch football, hockey, etc...it's a good time. Anyhow now that you have a little background information I can move on to the meat and potatoes. A cast member of the show named "Snookie" gets punched in the face by a guy in some bar. It's been on the news, in papers, etc...created quite the stir. That's typically the scene during the summer in Seaside. I stay the hell out of that from May - Sept. It's just a bunch of ignorant ass punks looking for trouble. Much like a Saturday night at Cowboys for all you Lake Charles folk. Check out the video of this chick getting sucker punched. OUCH!

90 Minute IPA

2009-12-08T13:29:00.002-05:00

Many of you know that I love to try new beers. I like to get my hands on as many new beers as possible and I'm always up for adding a new beer to my "tried it" list. Some family members think I'm some sort of beer snob, or that I drink "designer beer," etc...Call me what you want, but their is more to life than Coors Light my friends. Don't get me wrong, Coors is a great beer for those really hot dog days of summer. You can easily chug a few silver bullets sweating over the grill, or right after mowing your expansive lawn. It's a great refreshing beer when really hot out and served ICE cold, but it doesn't even compare to the majority of craft beers...Which brings me to the point of this post, Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA. I tried this beer a few days ago and really, really enjoyed it. So I'm adding this one to the recommendation list, but be warned it's nothing remotely close to a Coors light. So to the yellow fizzy beer drinkers out there, you probably won't like it. Let's hope you do! Cheers.

Online

2009-12-08T08:11:00.002-05:00

You know what really grinds my gears? I'll tell you...people who say they are waiting "on-line" as apposed to the more correct and familiar term "in-line." I have noticed this becoming more and more popular lately as I'm out doing my Holiday shopping, especially with the older crowd. It really makes my stomach turn for some odd reason. I mean one is not standing on top of a line, when people form a line they make up the actual line. Therefore, when another person joins they are within it as part of it. Make sense? Maybe it's a regional thing...Anyone else out there hear people saying this? Boy it really drives me crazy! I blame Al Gore.

Terrible Blogger

2009-12-03T15:40:00.003-05:00

I just realized I haven't put anything on this blog in months. I'm terrible at this blog thing. Anyhow, to briefly catch everyone up I bought my first home In October. It's been great, so far I've remodeled the master bdrm and it looks fantastic. Owning a home gives you a great sense of self-worth and accomplishment. My Thanksgiving was spent with Jen's family here in New Jersey and we had an okay time. Not great, Not bad, just ok! We are getting ready to have my parents over for the Christmas Holidays. They are just in time to try out our newly decorated spare room with all the amenities of a 5 star hotel room! The family is doing great and my little girl is getting big very quickly. It really is amazing how fast she grows and learns new things. Oh, and Jenn started a new job in October working for the Government. She is a Mathematician for the FAA and loves her new career. The position she filled is very interesting and makes fantastic use of all the hard work and dedication she put into her college education. Yahoo for student loans!! Well, at least she is directly using her degrees on a daily basis. You should see the benefits Uncle Sam provides his minions. They most definitely don't suck! I hope all is well for everyone. I should really put forth more effort when it comes to updating this thing...

Happy Birthday Garrett

2009-06-23T08:12:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was my little brother Garrett's 21st Birthday. Wow, I really can't believe he's already 21. Boy how time flies...Well here's to finally being legal! Happy Birtday little bro!

New Tv and BBQ

2009-06-22T16:19:00.007-04:00

It has been a rainy June here in the garden state, with at total of 13 rainy days out of the 22 we've had so far. The grass is getting taller by the minute and the it's too damn wet to mow (not that I'm bitching.) So I spent Saturday just being lazy around the house. It was a pretty uneventful day, but after a busy work week it's just what I needed. Sunday Jenn and Adalynn took me to Famous Dave's for a Father's Day lunch and afterward we headed over to BestBuy. Now there's something you should know about best buy...I can't possibly go in that place and come out empty handed, it just doesn't happen. Ever. Anyhow, we went and looked at new flat screen TVs for our living room. You see, we don't NEED a new TV in the living room, but they had one hell of a sale on this particular model, and the rest is history. I managed to get the TV for 599.99 and the picture quality is great. I noticed the price already went up 200.00 overnight from the price I paid. See why I didn't wait! My parents got the exact same TV but in the 50" model during Christmas, so I already knew I liked the TV and since it was father's day Jenn split the cost with me, so it only came to $341.00. Not a bad deal for a 42" High Def TV. So now we moved our 32" flat screen to the bedroom and the 42" is in the living room. Life is good!

Hulu

2009-06-19T08:04:00.001-04:00

If you haven't done so already, check out Hulu. You can watch full episodes of your favorite tv shows for free!!

WMS Gaming

2009-06-16T16:14:00.007-04:00

I got a lot of questions about the company I work for when I was in LA for my grandfather's funeral. I thought I would post a link so all those curios minds could see who it is I work for, and what games we manufacture. So, now when you go to the casino(s) make sure you play our games so I can continue to receive a paycheck!

Land of the lost.

2009-06-15T00:00:00.004-04:00

Jenn and I went and saw Land of the Lost this weekend. I thought it was pretty good, and definitely worth seeing. Some of the scenes were really, really funny but I've heard a lot of folks complaining about the "cg dinosaurs, etc." I think they were trying to play off the original Sat. morning series of Land of the Lost. So if that's the case, they did a perfect job. Overall it made me laugh out loud throughout much of the show, and Jenn and I agreed Will Ferrel did a great job in the movie.

I forgot to mention that the movie was free (thanks Aunt Edith.) I received gift certificates as a xmas gift from aunt to the theatre, so that def. made the movie that much better. I still ended up spending $20.00 on two drinks, one popcorn, and one bag of Reeses Pieces. They screw ya with the popcorn, but damn it tastes good!

Time for a change.

2009-06-14T23:58:00.002-04:00

Gave the ole Blog a facelift. It was due time for a change.

Sween Flu

2009-06-11T08:14:00.002-04:00

Racial or Not?

2009-02-19T13:09:00.001-05:00

This political cartoon was posted in the NY Post yesterday. It has caused/is causing quite the uproar! What do you think?

Ting in the Can

2009-01-23T12:56:00.001-05:00

Home with Bells On...

2008-12-12T15:46:00.004-05:00

So Garrett is flying in to Philadelphia, PA tomorrow and will stay until next Sat. Then he, myself, jennifer, and adalynn are driving back to LA for Christmas! We will be there for 2 weeks and I can't wait to be back home! I need some good ole home cookin' and maybe a Darryl's Special. Anyhow, we are really excited and I can't wait to see everyone!

A Christmas Story...

2008-12-12T13:42:00.003-05:00

Oh Plaxico, no Red Ryder for you.......You'll Shoot your thigh out!

Getting in the Bailout Spirit

2008-12-12T13:30:00.011-05:00

It seems more and more people are getting in the bail out spirit these days. Something I'll never understand...So each day when I visit a property (casino) to do work on a machine, I fill out something called a Field Service Report. This is a brief summary of the work I performed, time, part(s) used, etc. The customer is to sign and print on the bottom, as well as myself. Once I get back to my office, I then enter this information into an Oracle database and close out the Service Order to show completed work and time justification. Also, we have a dispatch center that will start service orders for us when they receive calls from the casino. If this happens they will give you the service number so that you may fill in the rest of the information and close out the report once the assigned task is completed. This is due largely to the fact that lazyguy rarely even goes on the service calls, so it's hard for him to close out what he doesn't do to begin with. Well, it's that time of year when all the service orders have to be closed out for the end of the year, and there is a guy here who is extremely lazy and NEVER bothers to close his service orders. Since lazyguy doesn't close his out, my boss thought it would be a good idea to take the 1200 open reports and split them up between the 4 of us (techs) to close. Now for those of us who aren't very good with simple math, that's 300 each to close, and they take a few minutes a piece provided the server is in good standing. So much like other bailouts we've seen, some dumb ass make a poor decision and those who choose to make the right decision are stuck fixing the dumb asses mistake. So lazyguy will continue to be lazy because others will do the work for him, keeps his job, isn't held responsible and learned absolutely nothing. Also while I'm at my desk closing all these reports, I say to lazyguy "you're inbox is going to be packed with all these workflow mailers (an email sent to the person assigned to the task letting them know its closed)! He replies, you're not changing the name to your name? You're the one closing them, so you should change it to your name!" You have got be kidding me, this guy has to be effing joking. He was dead serious, so I responded with "You must be some kind of fool to think I would put my name on work i didn't do!" I didn't even work here when some of these reports were generated, so there is no way in hell im putting my name on work I didn't do. What's wrong with people? The nerve of this asshole... My momma taught me better than that, and what ever happend to integrity? The world today...

The Nightmare that is Paypal

2008-11-25T13:15:00.004-05:00

First off, it's been awhile since I've posted I know, but I have a story that every must read...Last Friday (Nov 21) I went by the ATM to obtain some cash to pay for the dinner I had just ordered. I went through all the steps, got my cash, retrieved my card, as well as the receipt. While walking back to my car, I glanced down at the receipt to verify my paper balance with my mental balance. What the? This Can't be right, my balance is way off...I went back to the atm and checked again to make sure this was correct, sure enough it matched the receipt it had just given me (why wouldn't it) but I just wanted to make sure. So I got a little worried, but went on and picked up my dinner. Once I got home and finished dinner, I hopped on the computer and checked out my account. There it was, the culprit of my balance mishap....A 750.00 Paypal charge. I freaked out and called them immediately. Someone obtained my password and sent themselves 750.00 of my hard earned money directly from my checking account (because that's what funds my paypal account). Holy shit was I pissed, you meant to tell me some sorry summabitch got on my account and stole MY MONEY. I called the bank, put in a claim with them and explained the situation, they are working on it as we speak. Directly after I called Paypal, and gave them a piece of my mind. What a mess....I have to go out on a service call, but ill get back to this in a bit...There is much more to the story!

So this was finally resolved by Paypal refunding my money. It took exactly seven days for my money to be returned to me, and another day for the bank to refund charges I incurred. Paypal will more than likely do nothing to this person seeing as how "it's hard for them to track" if the person uses a fake name, etc...In the mean time I had to creat a new bank account, which means updating all my automatic bill payments, debit card #, and anything else tied to the old bank account number. It's a real nightmare to change an account you've had for a long time. Bank of America was really helpful though, and did a decent job. Paypal however can kiss my ass. I have since closed my paypal account, removed the bank info, and told them just how their security measures currently in place SUCK!

Busy

2008-07-11T03:52:00.001-04:00

Im still around....just busy with work and life in general. All is well, just wanted to let everyone know...I will be back in Louisiana (hopefully) in October. Hope to see everyone soon!

American Idol

2008-04-28T10:54:00.000-04:00

Mom and Dad are in town visiting, and we decided to take a trip to New York City Yesterday. We were showing them St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is a beautiful, beautiful church. After watching a bit of mass, saying a few prayers, and taking in all the splendor of this magnificent cathedral, we snapped a couple pictures and walked out. As we were standing on the front steps of the church Dad noticed this girl. It turned out to be Carly Smithson, the latest person voted off American Idol. I have no clue why they voted this girl off because she can SING. Anyhow, she was really nice and took a few pictures with the folks. They were very excited, as they should be. We had a lot of fun and took some great pictures. It was a great day!

What a night...

2008-04-09T19:44:00.001-04:00

I was organizing all my photos on my laptop today and ran across this pic of a recipt. It was to shooter's waterfron cafe, a kick ass place on the water in Ft. Lauderdale. It was from January of last year and before I moved to Florida I was flying there often to help setup the Isle's (then) newest casino. This receipt was for me and one of my buddys that I worked with from Lake Charles. I had the Boss Margaritas and he had the Mai Tais. He was a light weight with only 6 drinks....what a weenie! Anyhow that was a fun night of expensive booze and sushi. Those Boss Margaritas were the best they served loaded with Patron Tequila and all the best liquors one could imagine in a margarita...When the Isle was buying, only the finest will do for this poor white boy.

12 Boss Margaritas...$108.00
6 Mai Tais...45.00
1 Boat of Sushi...$19.95
1 Platter of Sushi Rolls...$24.95

total $210.93

Later....

Adalynn Slide Show

2008-04-07T17:16:00.001-04:00

Just a slideshow of several Adalynn Pics!

I saw God today....

2008-04-03T11:47:00.005-04:00

Adalynn Marie LeBlanc was born @ 7:55 am today April 3, 2008. She came into the world weighing in at 7lbs. 7oz. She is healthy and doing well, and I couldn't be more proud! Jenn and I chose the name Adalynn from a list of names that Ray sent to me, and Marie is my maw maw's middle name on dad's side. Her name holds very significant meaning to us, and I think maw maw would be excited to know her great grandbaby shares her name. It makes me proud to know a part of her will live on through my baby girl. I have lots of pictures that I will post later for all to see, but I haven't slept in over 24hrs so I'm going to get some rest for now.

-Cody

A Job Prospect

2008-03-24T11:58:00.003-04:00

WooHoo! Finally a job I really want, that seems to be working out to my advantage. I was sifting through jobs last Wednesday when I stumbled upon a Field Service Technician job posting. It was for Konami servicing their slot machines in the Atlantic City Casinos. How Perfect!! I had a contact name and number from the website with job posting, so I posted my resume and hopped on the phone. One thing led to another and by 6pm that night I had already completed the first major task in their screening process. After one phone screening with the corporate recruiter, later that night I had a phone interview with the gentlemen who would be my boss. Everything went very well, and the next step is to meet in person. They are headquartered out of Vegas so they want me to fly there for an interview. That's great, but also risky business...See Jenn is due pretty much any day now, so for me to leave now is not a great idea. I let them know and they are willing to fly here and conduct the interview, so I'm waiting to get word on what will happen next. The job recruiter I'm dealing with spoke to me on Friday and said that he isn't recruiting for the position anymore, and that everything looks great. (He also deals with the hiring manager and said the guy was really impressed and "ready to buy a new company car for me." So cross your fingers and say your prayers this one works. I really want to land this job. It pays really well, and comes with plenty of perks.

Liquid Banana Bread

2008-03-22T09:58:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned before the local liquor store has a really cool section of single beers for sale from all over the place. They all are rated on the ratebeer.com website and I like to try different ones from time to time. I had this one last night and I thought it was really good. It certainly has a banana bread taste, and I reccomend it!

Here is the description from the site:
This dark golden coloured ale hugs the palate with great intensity. Its malty aroma is complemented by the gentle nose of Banana. Its flavour unfolds with a sensual sparkle and a smart crispness, which balances its aroma perfectly. Tropically fruity; its ripe banana flavour, emphasised by a hint of bitterness, comes from the addition of real fair trade bananas and finishes with an emphatic, steely dryness. 2005 Recipe changed from 5.5% to 5.2%

Pizza for the FEMA Rich in us all....

2008-03-22T09:48:00.006-04:00

I was watching the travel channel a night or so ago and they showed this pizza place that sells a pizza for $1000.00. I shit you not, a thousand bucks for this pizza pie. It's loaded with all kinds of expensive garbage, and I'm sure I wouldn't like it, but come on a 1K pizza. That's rediculous. I wouldn't buy it even if I was FEMA rich. I'll stick to my 10.00 Pizza Hut Pizza.

Post your favorite FEMALE Name!

2008-03-14T14:42:00.005-04:00

So here's the deal pickle.....We are having a baby girl and cannot agree/decide on a name. This is a lot harder than I figured it would be, I don't want my child to have some horrible name, nor do I want to give her some "cutesy" name that will fade with time. So everyone who reads this, please post your favorite female names. Tell your friends to come on here and post as well so I get lots of input. Oh yeah...LaFawnda, Shenequa, K-mar-tina, and Shi'thead are out. Come up with something not so Gossport.

Later

Arrogant Bastard Ale (Pt. 2)

2008-03-08T19:28:00.006-05:00

I mentioned this crap in another post and wanted to elaborate....The local Spirits Unlimited has a section of beers that are rated buy ratebeer.com, and this particular beer received a rating of 99. I grabbed the bottle, read the arrogant label on the back, decided I wasn't a yellow beer drinking ninny, and said "I'll show them." Well, they were right, I don't like their nasty ass ale. It's horrible. More horrible than that flat tire Aaron gave me at Garrett's graduation party. This stuff must be made from the scrapings off the floor at the naty lite brewery. It's bad. Don't drink it. Click the image to go to their Arrogant Ass Site.

Official Fish of "tha hood"

2008-03-07T22:12:00.004-05:00

This is a funny story....I found this at our local petco while killing time between Jenn's doctors appointments...I was laughing my ass off when I saw it, and decided I had to snap a pic with my phone...So I grab my phone and go take a picture when I hear someone say "You have to put me in the pic too if you want to be able to take pics here." It was a petco employee, and you guessed it, he was black.....I felt pretty uneasy after that and decided it was time to leave the niger trigger to his own devices....

I am not a fizzy yellow beer drinking ninny......

2008-03-07T21:56:00.004-05:00

This was my lunch. Well, part of my lunch. Jenn and I went to this cool Italiano Ristorante for lunch, which also happens to brew their own beer. So of course I had to get the sampler, and they were all really good, except the I.P.A. but IPA's always taste nasty to me. It was better than the Arrogant Bastard beer I had last week though...That was the worst beer ever made, but the description on the bottle pissed me off, so I bought one....Check it out here...Anyhow I had lots of good beers along with a good buffalo chicken wrap....Cheers Mate!

Progress

2008-02-28T13:22:00.002-05:00

Even though it's at a slow pace, it's still progress. Right? Right! Anyhow last Friday's hospital visit went well. I'm not certain why, but I'm enjoying these hospital visits lately. So, Jenn had more blood taken so that she could get her RhoGham injection. The reason for the rhogham was so that they could take her blood and make antibodies with it since she is RH- so her blood type won't harm the baby. For example, if our child has a different blood factor, Jenn's blood would see the opposing blood as a threat and begin attacking it much like your body fights off an infection. Since the aforementions is less than desirable, she has to have an injection to prevent this from happening. We were also told that it usually won't affect your first child, but more so your second. The first time around your body just prepares for the next time it encounters the opposing factor, so your second child is at a much higher risk. The injection however prevents this, so future children should be fine.

On to the more exciting news.....

As many of you know we have been unable to find out the sex of the baby so far, until now! Tuesday we had a 2nd level (detailed) sonogram done and found out we are having a healthy baby GIRL! We are stuck on names at the moment so please comment and let me know your top 5 fav. girl names. I feel as though we will never agree on a name....Last night we took a trip to babies-R-Us to register and pick out things we like. I bought the babies first little pink outfit. I have to go for now, i'll post more later.

Hurry up and wait...

2008-02-21T22:00:00.003-05:00

So we still haven't found out the sex of our baby. Last Friday we had an appointment to have an ultrasound performed, but still no luck. After arriving in the ultrasound area, we see a large sign posted that read "The Ultrasound Technician will NOT tell you the sex of your baby. Please consult your physician for this information." They meant this too, I tried talking the Tech into showing us, but he informed us that "the baby is too big, and he cannot clearly see. Also, we would probably not be able to find out what the baby is until birth." This was not what I was hoping for, but said I understood and we were on our way. The tech was a real jerk to say the least. I suppose having a 6 p.m. appointment on a Friday night would be prove to be a bad idea, but worked out for the best. Sooooo.....This past Tuesday we went back to Jenn's OB/GYN where she had the results of the blood test and ultrasound. It turns out the information the Ultrasound Tech submitted were deemed useless and now we are to see a specialist to have a 3D ultrasound performed next Tuesday(2/26/2008). I'm really excited, her doctor said this place well definitely tell us what the baby is, and we will be able to see very detailed imagery of the baby. Funny how things worked out I suppose....Anyhow, all is well in the for now. It's damn cold out though, and we have an 80% chance of snow tomorrow. We are to be at the Hospital at 11am for more blood work and a RhoGAM injection, but I'll explain the details tomorrow. Hope everyone is doing well in the South. I miss everyone!

I've moved

2008-02-08T12:39:00.000-05:00

As many of you know I now live in Toms River, NJ. I moved a week ago with my girlfriend to be near her family as we wait for the birth of our first child. I'm very excited and yet somewhat nervous. We will be going to the doctor on Tuesday of next week and should find out the sex of the baby. For friends and family that do not have my cell number and would like it, just send me an email @ codyrleblanc@gmail.com and ill send it to you. Anyhow, I have to run for now but I have an entire truck load of things to put on this blog. I've been horrible about keeping it up, but I really enjoy posting and reading my friends and families blogs, so my new New Years resolution is to post no less than 3-4 times per week. We'll see how that goes ;)

Greetings from freezing cold New Jersey!!

Going to the Big Apple

2008-01-06T22:38:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I spent my Xmas in New Jersey meeting my girlfriends family. This was my first trip to New Jersey, and I really enjoyed it. We decided to drive because it was cheaper than buying two airline tickets. Also, we have a small dog to accommodate as well, so driving just made sense. While in New Jersey, we took the train to Penn. Station in New York City and spent the day taking in all the sights. This was my first trip to NYC, and I really enjoyed it. This is not a place I would want to live, but a great place to visit and go to see shows, shop, enjoy great food, or just sight see. I really enjoyed the entire experience, my first train ride, my day in the city, and the time I spent with my girlfriend and her brother were fantastic. I hope to go back soon and do more sight seeing! If ever you get the chance to go, you must! I took lots of pictures, so go check them out as well as many others in my gallery!! Anyhow, I really enjoyed my Christmas, and the time I spent with my girlfriend and her family. They are from a really nice place in New Jersey, right on the Jersey Shore. Other than the lengthy drive, the trip was excellent. Go look at the Pictures!!

Over Populated

2007-12-14T22:59:00.000-05:00

I was bored earlier and decided to compare the population of Florida to that of Louisiana. I knew it was heavily populated here, but I didn't realize it was to this degree!

Winterfest

2007-12-13T23:35:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the annual Winterfest Boat Parade here in Fort Lauderdale. The parade is put on buy the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood (yes the place where anna nicole passed away). Seeing as how Fort Lauderdale is considered the Venice of the USA, we should see some pretty amazing multi-million dollar yachts. I'll be sure to have the digital camera handy and post pics Sunday. Also Alvin and the Chipmunks hits theaters tomorrow, so we may take a trip to Muvico!

2007-11-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

Our Thanksgiving Meal was excellent. I took a recipe I got from Emeril's Show and changed it up a bit to make one mean Cornbread Dressing with Andouille Sausage! Everyone must try this, it was fantastic!!! I'll find the link in a bit and post it here!

Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale

2007-11-22T15:27:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share with everyone a really good seasonal beer I found.
It's made by the BlueMoon Brewing Company.

Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale

This is obviously a Fall beer and contains spice you associate with fall dishes as well as pumpkin. I really like the taste, and have purchased several 6 packs since I found it at my local Win-Dixie.
Give it a try and tell me what you think!!

It's Been A While

2007-11-22T14:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I hope all of you have a great day and enjoy a marvelous Turkey feast with all the fixins. Jenn and I are having a really nice meal and everything smells great so far. I'll post pictures of each dish we made and links to recipes we used if anyone is interested in trying them out. Also, I'll give you a run down of how each dish turned out! As Paula Dean would say, from my kitchen to yours - Best Dishes! ha!!

-Cody

Busy

2007-07-07T13:59:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately, been really busy! I've got plenty to blog about and some cool photos to share too....I'll get some posts in this weekend so keep your eyes peeled!

-Cody

Warm and Moist

2007-06-26T04:31:00.000-04:00

MAN: I'd like to buy some dog food.

CHECKOUT LADY: Do you have a dog?

MAN: Yes.

CHECKOUT LADY: Where is he?

MAN: He's at home.

CHECKOUT LADY: I'm sorry, I can't sell this dog food to you unless I see the dog. Store policy.

The next day, the man returns.

MAN: I'd like to buy some cat food.

CHECKOUT LADY: Do you have a cat?

MAN: Yes.

CHECKOUT LADY: Well... where is he?

MAN: He's at home!

CHECKOUT LADY: Sorry, I can't sell this cat food to you unless I see your cat.

The next day the man returns.

CHECKOUT LADY: What's in the sack?

MAN: Put your hand inside.

CHECKOUT LADY: Hmmm... It's warm and moist! What is it?

MAN: I would like to buy some toilet paper.

Happiness in Making Others Happy

2007-06-13T05:06:00.000-04:00

I was at work last night/this morning and one of my co-workers said to me that I spend a lot of time making other people happy, and if I do as much for myself as I do for others. This has been weighing on my mind ever since. I've never really stopped to think if I do enough for myself, but my answer would be yes. Although, I always think I could be doing more to help others, but really it's my nature to make people happy. So the comment was made because I was sacrificing something of mine for a short period of time to help someone else, but also for simple things that, to me, seem only proper...Opening doors for ladies, holding the door for others, saying good morning to those in passing, using "sir" or "ma'am" etc... I would say this has mostly to do with my up-bringing, along with being from the south. The whole "Southern Hospitality" idea comes to mind. I've always said that if I ever won the lottery or fell into a large sum of money, I would spend quite a bit on others and I most certainly mean it!! Of course my loved ones would be taken care of first, but I'd spread the wealth around to friends as well. So make someone smile or feel good today, I'd be willing to bet you'll enjoy the feeling you get in return!

-Cody

2007-06-11T02:08:00.001-04:00

I love roller coasters and have been to several theme parks over the course of my life, but never have I had this happen! Damn!! 30 minutes is a long time to be stuck upside down. Hope no one is standing underneath for the vomit shower!

Gettin' Ink Done

2007-06-10T01:34:00.001-04:00

I was on the phone today talking with my mom when she brought up how upset she is with my younger brother. Last week my parents and I drove back from Louisiana to Florida with all my belongings so that I could get moved in my new apartment. It turns out while we were travelling and the folks were away, Garrett (my little brother) decided it was time for his first tattoo...So she begins to tell me the story of how my brother came in the house wearing a shirt that didn't quite cover up the tat and she was curious as to what was on his arm....after lifting up his sleeve she discovered it was a tattoo. I can only imagine what four letter words were used after that!! He had a cross done on his upper arm that he drew up and designed. Now I personally don't have any tattoos, nor do my parents, but that's not to say I'm against them. I think if you want to get something meaningful to you permanently stamped on your skin, go for it! I don't think it changed him as a person, and I definitely don't view him differently. I have often times thought about getting a Fleur de Leis on my upper arm because to me it sums up many things about me and my heritage. I don't know if I'll ever get it done, but who knows maybe one day...Hell, I'm right down the street from Miami Ink!...So it seems the shock is over and what's done is done...Garrett got his first tattoo and his mother shit a brick!!

What is a tattoo?

A tattoo is a puncture wound, made deep in your skin, that's filled with ink. It's made by penetrating your skin with a needle and injecting ink into the area, usually creating some sort of design. What makes tattoos so long-lasting is they're so deep — the ink isn't injected into the epidermis (the top layer of skin that you continue to produce and shed throughout your lifetime). Instead, the ink is injected into the dermis, which is the second, deeper layer of skin. Dermis cells are very stable, so the tattoo is practically permanent.

Tattoos used to be done manually — that is, the tattoo artist would puncture the skin with a needle and inject the ink by hand. Though this process is still used in some parts of the world, most tattoo shops use a tattoo machine these days. A tattoo machine is a handheld electric instrument that uses a tube and needle system. On one end is a sterilized needle, which is attached to tubes that contain ink. A foot switch is used to turn on the machine, which moves the needle in and out while driving the ink about 1/8 inch (about 3 millimeters) into your skin.
Most tattoo artists know how deep to drive the needle into your skin, but not going deep enough will produce a ragged tattoo, and going too deep can cause bleeding and intense pain. Getting a tattoo can take several hours, depending on the size and design chosen.

You thought you were having a bad day....

2007-05-12T03:45:00.000-04:00

DAVIE, Fla. (WSVN) --
A woman plunged her car into a swimming pool after she said she swerved to avoiding hitting something in the road.
According to the driver, she was traveling north on Knob Hill Road around 9:30 a.m. when she said she felt some sort of bump and lost control of her car. The car crashed through a gate and into Ima Hughes' backyard swimming pool.
"My first initial reaction was to find out if the person had been injured or not," said Hughes. "Thank God she seems to be OK and there's no problems. My second reaction is that we've had close calls here before. I have a small child that goes out this gate every single morning to school back and forth, and there's a tremendous speeding problem on this road."
A tow truck arrived on scene and pulled the car out of the pool. There were no injuries reported. The 24-year-old driver has been charged with failure to use due-care.

I was watching the local news around 12pm today and ran across this story and couldn't help but laugh, it happend right down the street from me. Gotta watch out for those neighborhood pools!!

-Cody

It's been a while...

2007-04-24T03:24:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I moved to Ft. Lauderdale with my job and I absolutely love it. I have been putting in 12+ hour days since March 19th to get this place (the casino) up and running. We finally opened up 2 weeks ago, and everything is going pretty smoothly so far. The interior of the building is gorgeous, it's extremely classy and filled with eye candy! It's the first and largest class III Racino in the state! Enough about work, on to the partying and drinking! The bar scene in downtown lauderdale is amazing. So many places to hang out and have a few, or hell have a bunch! Las Olas and the riverfront are great places to go out and enjoy the nightlife, as well as A1A! I took a trip down to South Beach in Miami right around spring break...Woah! The scenery was above average along with everything else...Cars, Prices of Drinks, Clothes, Food, Rent, hell you name it and it cost more...I didn't spend a single dime while there, but I know i'll be back this summer to drain the bank account! The weather here is excellent, sunny and warm everyday. I'm in the process now of looking for an apartment (downtown of course) and rent here is outdamnrageous. A nice (decent area) 1bdrm 1bth apartment will set you back 1k a month! F!cking crazy I tell you!! Anyhow, life in south Florida is grand at the moment, and I enjoy most every minute of it!!

Later on

Success

2007-02-21T22:59:00.000-05:00

While having lunch in the company dining room, I received a call from my manager to call the the guy I did my interview with on Saturday. So at this point I was certainly nervous, waiting to see if the news would be to my likings. When I answered the call, he said to me "I wanted to be the first to Welcome you as a new Supervisor here in Florida." I couldn't get the smile off my face for ten minutes. I was extremely excited. I finally got the job I had been pursuing for a month. All the hard work, resumes, waiting, and "playing it cool" would eventually pay off! wooohoooo! Next stop, Ft. Lauderdale baby!

The Sabbath

2007-02-18T22:57:00.000-05:00

Today was rather dull and void of any righteous activity. Work was work. I came home with a rather apathetic attitude and did absolutely nothing. Although, it wasn't a horrible day, just slow moving and quite routine. "Who knows what tomorrow will hold?" right? I bet I can guess....

Job Offer

2007-02-17T22:43:00.000-05:00

Today, I had a phone interview with our Corporate Tech Manager. It was concerning my application for the Tech Supervisor position I applied for in Pompano Beach. (Ft. Lauderdale) I think it went extremely well. I was calm, collective, and confident. (but not too confident) He asked me several questions about my job, the job I'm applying for, and my previous management experience. I responded well with precise answers for all his inquiries, and hopefully gave him just what he was looking for. The pay is exactly two thousand dollars short of what I was hoping, but I'm not dissapointed. Actually, I'm excited I got so close to the amount I thought was right for the position. I just hope I wasn't over zealous and a bit too eager. Never-the-less, I shall find something out on Tuesday. Wish me luck...

The effects of Green Tea

2007-01-28T16:03:00.000-05:00

So I've recently become addicted to Diet Green Tea with Citrus put out by Lipton. I'm always looking for a decent health conscious drink that tastes halfway decent, and finally found this. I drank my first one at work about a year ago, and have been an avid Green Tea drinker since...Many people ask me the benefits of Green Tea, and why they would want to drink it. So I have compiled this small bit of information to show the benefits green tea can have.

Also Known As:

Chinese Tea

Scientific Names:

Camellia sinensis

Uses (evidence based):

Overweight/Obesity (using green tea extract standardized to 25% EGCG)

Cognitive performance improvement.

Lowering serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL (bad cholesterol) and increased HDL (good cholesterol).

Lowering risk of breast, bladder, esophageal and pancreatic cancers.

Treating Diarrhea.

Reducing risk of Parkinson's disease.

Mechanism Of Action:

Green tea extracts rich in EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) are thought to increase calorie and fat metabolism. Antioxidant polyphenols (epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG, epigallocatechin or EGC, epicatechin gallate or ECG) are thought to be responsible for protection against atherosclerosis and heart disease.

EGCG is thought to be responsible for reducing risk of cancer. Possible mechanism is prevention of new blood vessel growth in tumors (so essentially you starve the tumor).

Polyphenols in green tea are thought to produce its antidiarrheal effects.

Caffeine in green tea may prevent adenosine's inhibition of dopaminergic transmission. Thus allowing for more dopamine which results in decrease in clinical symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

So there you have it, a drink that tastes good and can help prevent cancer. Drink up!

2007-01-28T15:34:00.000-05:00