I give it 1.95 Thumbs Up

Note to the NFL:  Listen up....I have a suggestion that will revolutionize all future Super Bowls:  Scheduled bathroom time-outs.  When is a fan supposed to pee during a Super Bowl?  You can't miss any of the game, and you don't want to miss any of the commercials, so when?  My eyeballs were floating by halftime.  

I decided Beyonce was going to be the sacrificial segment of the evening.  The hard part was holding it until halftime.  They should schedule one first half and one second half time out for guys to pee.  Just 60 seconds of blank screen so there's nothing to miss.  

Women seem to be able to hold it forever on Super Bowl Sunday, even though on a road trip they need to stop every 12 miles.  (I think they just store up all their self-control for the Super Bowl.)

The game itself was great!  It's a shame all Super Bowl's can't be this entertaining.  When a game goes down to the last seconds for the winner to be determined, THAT'S a good game!  The ebb and flow, the momentum gained and lost....it was suspenseful in a very good way.  

I liked the way both coaches played not to lose, but to WIN.  Baltimore's fake punt in the first half, SF's going for the 2-point conversion at the end....that's how you play to win!  Kudos to the Harbaugh brothers and both teams.

Even the halftime show was memorable.  To me halftime is usually the time to make room for more beverage and prepare more food for the second half.  I actually watched (most) of this one.  While I'm not a big Beyonce (or pop music) fan, I must say she, and the extravaganza itself, were spectacular.

Awwwww.....

The big disappointment:  The commercials.  As always they were WAY too over-hyped.  A couple were good....the Bud Clydesdale colt....the Doritos goat.  I thought the RAM pickup "Farmer" spot was a nice bookend to last year's Clint Eastwood "Halftime in America".  Hyundai had some that brought a smile to my face, but the rest were uneventful, if not outright stinkers.  What was GoDaddy thinking?  They just pissed away $8 million dollars.  Blech!  Gag!  Hurl!

Oh, and the 34 minute power outage?  It didn't bother me at all.  I used the time wisely....I went to the bathroom.  ;)

S

Our wedding day, December 14, 2006

This time of year most people are laser-focused on the holidays, but at the Lowandslow household we have something a bit more personal to celebrate, too.  It was six years ago today that K and I said our "I-do's".  And like 'ol Blue Eyes sang, "We did it our way".

K and I met by extreme chance online back in Ought Six.  That's when I signed up for my free Journal Space account.  Not really understanding what I had, I started surfing it to take a look around.  That's where I saw a picture posted by dkmcb (male? female?) of a dandelion.  dkmcb asked what it was as they were coming up all over dkmcb's yard.  I answered and told said person how to control them.  (Yes, "Better living through chemistry".)

A few days later I found another post by dkmcb saying a painting project was planned and asking how to keep brush marks from showing in fresh enamel?  I answered that, too.  (Penetrol)  Said dkmcb contacted me asking how I knew these things?  (As a homeowner for 30+ years I'd pretty much seen it all.)

Think about it....if I'd logged on to Journal Space a few seconds earlier or later I probably would not have seen dkmcb's dandelion photo.  Now THAT'S fate!

Correspondence revealed dkmcb was a female from near Ft. Worth, Texas, temporarily trapped in the frozen north of Minnesnowta, her move back south approaching.   We became "smit" through JS.  It soon became obvious to us both there was "something" there.

Fast forward to autumn 2006.  We were together by then, and as patience had never been a virtue either of us possessed, we decided to make "us" permanent.  Both of us are very private people uncomfortable being the center of attention.  Hoping friends and family would understand, we decided to just take off for a romantic destination and get married.

Finalists were picturesque places near Jackson Hole, WY and Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA.  Turns out that by our chosen date, December 14, the Jackson Hole destination was closed for the winter, but further research showed Carmel would be perfect.

K-the-online-shopper found our hotel....The Tickle Pink Inn.  Huh?  "That sounds like some kind of sleazy 'No-Tell Motel'".  (Turns out the original property was owned by the Tickle family.)  We flew into San Francisco, picked up our rental chariot for the week (a mighty Ford Taurus), and headed south to the Monterrey Peninsula.

Once we found the semi-hidden turnoff and climbed the long winding road up to the top of the hill, we found the Tickle Pink Inn to be truly special.  WOW!  What a view!  (See it here if you like.)  Our very nice room had an intimate balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  We spent many hours sitting out there listening to the waves crashing on the rocks below.  We'd even leave the sliding door open a little at night to hear it then, too.  It was the perfect "white noise" to go to sleep to.  The staff was gracious, our room service breakfast delicious, and the evening "wine and cheese socials" were nice, too.

We took day trips down the Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur and the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, and of course enjoyed all the sights in/around Pebble Beach.  We found several quaint little cafes where we'd sit for hours at sidewalk tables eating and drinking....so nice!  

And Carmel-by-the-Sea....what a story-book place!  (This was the town where Clint Eastwood was mayor, before he took to talking to empty chairs. :)  The town was all decorated up beautifully for Christmas and the temps were comfortably cool but not really cold.  

And there was an entire area near downtown filled with whimsical little houses like these, much appreciated by an architecture aficionado like myself.

Our big day finally arrived.  We had an appointment with a non-denominational minister at "The Chapel in the Woods".  It turns out it was more like "The Building With Some Trees Around it Right Next Door to the Strip Shopping Center."  K saw it the day before when we made a dry run and was devastated.  I told her to find some place else....it was OK with me.  But the minister (a lady) seemed nice, so we (K) stuck with our original plan.  As things turned out the inside was decorated beautifully with lots of Christmas cheer.  All turned out well.

A funny moment:  As we were getting back in our car to leave the minister ran out yelling to us, "Oh Scott and Kelly....THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!"  It seems the $100 gratuity she just found in her envelope over-and-above the normal fee was apparently not customary in California.

All things considered, it was a perfect, private ceremony, and a perfect way to launch a perfect new life with a perfect new mate. 

Six years later and things just get better and better.  Life is very good!  I love you K.  Happy Anniversary.  :)

S

"Do ya' feel lucky....punk?"

I'm a big Clint Eastwood fan, and that was one of my favorite lines from the Dirty Harry series.  Hearing it now, though, I'm wondering if he was just taunting me to buy lottery tickets.  Yeah, while I'm out today I'll probably stop and buy a few tickets.  Lucky?  I dunno.  At least until the drawing tonight I can dream, right?  :)

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Speaking of "take the money and run", that seems to be what the land developer is doing with the subdivision where I've been building for the past several years.  I can't say I'm surprised.  In fact, I've been expecting it.  Because of the crippled economy his property sales have been few and far between.  Let's face it....people aren't exactly waiting in line to plunk down $150K-$300K for a lot.  Now he's caved, telling me he's agreed to sell almost all the remaining lots (at a reduced price, of course) to a builder who will go in with a "value" line of homes.  

For me it's either cut all sorts of corners, throw quality out the window, and go toe-to-toe with him, or move along.  That's no choice.  I suppose I'll just limp along a while longer doing small remodel jobs and hope one of my doctor connections will come through, deciding now is the time to build something newer / bigger / better.  (They'll pay for quality.)  I've always said "things happen for a reason".  I guess I'll put that to a test.

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The first local Arts Fest of the year is this weekend.  Looks like Luke (K's puppy) is going out in public.  Hope he behaves himself.  Have a good weekend, everyone.  

S

There's a snake behind every log....LOOK OUT!

par·a·noi·a [par-uh-noi-uh] 

noun

1. baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.

We have got to be the absolute most paranoid people in the world.  I commented on Monday how much I liked the Chrysler Super Bowl halftime commercial.  I found it to be very inspirational.  It talked about the American can-do attitude, pulling together, working hard, never giving up, etc.  I saw nothing political about it.  It was great!  Plus I'm a big Clint Eastwood fan.

Not so the viewers of FOX News.  I read that it was widely panned by them as a blatant attempt to support the Obama administration and thank them for their bail out from a couple years ago.  Huh?  Where did that come from?  

I have some conservative friends (I'm fairly conservative myself) who I think wake up every morning foaming at the mouth, ready to jump into their camo and paint up their faces and go out an hunt 'em some Socialists.  Then at the other extreme I have some more liberal friends who would swear on a Bible (if they have one) that the Huns are at the gate and will soon be goose-stepping up their front sidewalk.

What is wrong with people these days?  My only concern is that one political party or the other will gain control of BOTH houses of Congress AND the White House, and everything I see/hear/read is indicating that's not going to happen.  Just chill, people.  Go take your medicine, or maybe watch a Chrysler commercial.  Sheesh!  ;)

S

Clint Eastwood's "the man!"....with EDIT

This morning I clicked on YouTube to re-watch my favorite Super Bowl commercial from yesterday.  What I found instead was a screen saying the commercial had been pulled due to a copyright dispute with NFL Properties.  Hmmm....wonder why the NFL didn't complain BEFORE they took Chrysler's money and ran their ad?


It was a typical Super Bowl....a rather average game except for the last 3 minutes.  I didn't think either team looked "World Champion" quality hitting on all 12 cylinders.  More like the last ones still standing.  And the commercials?  Where was the pizazz, the supreme sense of humor from years past?  Budweiser might as well have just put a match to their $10M.  The same for most of the rest IMO.  If you weren't old enough to remember Ferris Bueller from the famous movie of the 80's, you probably didn't understand the Honda commercial.  The same with the  Volkswagen ad featuring the deformed looking guys.  What was that all about?  K had to explain to me later that it was a Star Wars reference.  You shouldn't have to explain a commercial.  


I did like the Chrysler halftime commercial.  It was powerful, and I thought using Clint Eastwood as their grizzled, determined-sounding spokesman was a stoke of genius.  Brilliant! 

I'd like to link to it for you, but thanks to the jackasses at the NFL I can't.  You think the NFL will give Chrysler their money back?  Haha!  


And then there was the commercial for the Abarth Fiat 500.  Wow, what a car!  Yeah, let's go with that.  See it for yourself right here.  (Ironically, Fiat owns Chrysler.)  Several others elicited a chuckle from me, but no real gut-busting laughs.  Oh, wait....I forgot about the girl head-butting the guy for his Oikos yogurt.  That was a funny surprise. Do y'all disagree?  Did I miss something?


Gotta go.  I'm off to buy a Chrysler, or a Fiat.  Or maybe some yogurt.  ;)


S


EDIT:  The Chrysler commercial is available again.  You can see it here.