Get the F out of here...

OMG... (consider this a 1 out of 10 on the OMG scale, but I need to blog about it)...

we usually have a peaceful sleep... no noise other than usual city sounds drowned out by a fan....

5am this morning... it was a dog fiasco... it started as a single dog barking...but turned into a pack ...right outside my freaking window...

I'm a heavy sleeper... for the most part...but I heard this crazy barking... (mind you again... at 5am)...

My saviour (Hal) had already jumped out of bed & thought I was still sleeping... He's out of the bedroom by this time & I look out the bd window & see 3 dogs barking like maniacs at our very next door neighbor's storage building (under it)... next thing I know... I see our back light go on.. & the next door neighbor's back light at the same time... then hear Hal play the role of the Dog Whisperer... "shhhh'' "get out of here dog's"....They were seriously going crazy...but all of a sudden... they scurry off... and another dog emerges from under the building after the mean pack was gone... I bet that dog was happy that my saviour helped him out :)

This is probably a post that is one of those... you had to be there to understand the hilarity...yet madness at being awoke at 5am by a pack of crazy dogs type things... but I thought I would share with you folks.

After I mentioned it to Hal this evening, he never even realized the whole episode woke me up & I witnessed this mid-night/morning mayhem.

Should I put the dog catchers name on my speed dial???

Football Contest Part 1

Ok... there are 15 more of these posts to go.... this is my opportunity to disclose who won the football contest between Hal & I (see my previous post about Ruth's Chris)...

I freaking won today! I picked more winning teams than Hal...

AND... to top it off... the Titans won!!!!!!

but thats not all... after the concert (see the immediate post below)... we stopped for an after theatre appetizer... we saw Lendale White and Bo Scaife ...

I've never approached an athlete or celebrity I've seen in the past...but... I had just enough buzz to think... WTF... these guys are not really known nationally... so they'll appreciate being noticed...so as we were leaving... I approached LenDale... and congratulated him on a great game... and requested that we go 2-0 after next week (against the Colts... yikes!)... he said..."Hell, Yeah!".... lol... exciting, shit, huh? Bo wasnt paying attention (not being rude, but didnt hear the brief interaction)...

They are both very promising Titans... it was interesting to see them... especially considering what fun day I had... (Titans won, went to a concert, I won the football contest against Hal for the week).

Dont mess with me...I'm on fire right now, bitches.

Elvis was definitely in the building...

I saw Elvis tonight! Seriously... lol.. Elvis Costello performed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center tonight. The sister-un-law had 2 fabulous tix to the show...and couldnt go... so she gave them to us...

It was quite fun. I'll be honest & say I've never really followed him but know who he is... (there were some people there who were REALLY into him).... I never turn down a chance to go to the Symphony though... it's a unique experience to see an artist perform while backed by a great Symphony group in a world-class building.

S-U-L had awesome seats...we had a pair of tix that were on the aisle... and I sat in the 2nd seat next to some older man... OMFG... I about punched him in the face... he had the most annoying/abnoxious breathing pattern I've ever heard... thankfully, there were several seats vacant in the row behind us...and early on, I told Hal that I was about to enter the 'red zone' if we didnt get away from him...

Once peace was restored, I was able to focus on the show...

The Symphony played for a while & then Elvis came out for a few songs... then intermission...and more Elvis... I only knew his song Veronica ... but perhaps I just didnt recognize some of the rest of the set...b/c... playing with an orchestra doesnt sound like a radio edit... right?

Anyway, it was a great time... I didnt understand what he was saying a lot of the time... I think the mic was a bit too much in his mouth...but anyway... a lot of people were really into it...

I had a really good time...dont get me wrong... but I thought about Bernadette Peters while I was there and wished I was seeing her again instead.

It's a personal taste, eh?

Losers have to pay sometimes...

Well, I lost, again :( Hal & I have had a friendly contest the past three years related to NFL games.

We survey the games each week of the NFL regular season & predict who we think will win each game that week (secret ballot, of course). The one who predicts the highest amount of winning teams each week wins.. that week... and at the end of the season... whoever has the most weeks of better predictions wins...

The loser owes the winner a fantastic steak dinner wherever they desire in town.

I won the 1st year... and since we were going to NYC, I decided on Knickerbocker in Greenwich Village. It was a glorious win in a fabulous place.

Hal won the 2nd year & I reminded him a few times to let me know where he wanted to go...but he never made a big deal about it... so I dropped it.

Well, I lost again the 3rd year ... and we were a bit behind on the reward... but tonight I had to pony up & take Hal to Ruth's Chris (after all, the new NFL season starts this Sunday). We've been to our share of awesome locally-owned, upscale steak-specializing restaurants... so were a bit resistant to the RC chain... but... OMG... it was freaking fantastic... the best steak I've had so far (ask me that after I go to Argentina!!!).

We paired it with a Malbec (Argentina red) wine... funny story... I got carded... and the server said to me... "just barely".... I said... just barely what? I'm 30? Hal said... just barely by 10 years... he was oblivious to our comments even though we werent whispering... odd, huh? I get the fact that people say I dont look 30...but I dont look a day under 21 either... odd...

Anyway...the dinner was fantastic... now I need a favor from my bloggy friends... please keep up the positive energy this NFL season that I can make the correct predictions & make Hal have to pay!!!

Light at the end of the tunnel...

Ok... I dramatically announced that I had accepted a new career position in my current company about 2 months ago... there's been some corporate red tape holding back the transition... but I got a response today!! I have--at most--one more month before I make the change... it's so nice to finally have a defined date... it's been tough just waiting around for what will eventually be 3 months ... but good things come to those who wait I suppose!

Another step forward to BA...

It's official... we've now confirmed our flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina!!!

I've been monitoring different airlines & flights for a while... and had a particular departure in mind all along. Unfortunately, the lowest price I saw was around a month ago, but I thought the price wouldnt get too much higher b/c the flight wasnt really full...Apparently I didnt keep a close enough watch b/c that flight is almost full and was a bit more when I booked today... oopsie...but a lesson learned.

With that out of the way, I'm so glad to have our reservation. One option would've made us go through New York but having to get from JFK to LGA and I wasnt in the mood for that. Instead, we're going through Miami both ways.

The flight from Miami to BA will be 8 hours...which is longer than I've ever flown, but thankfully it's an overnight and I can put on my Blanche Deveraux sleeping shades and dream about South America on the way!

Less than 8 weeks to go... but who's counting, right? :)

Labor Day Music Mania

Ok... the birthday festivities are so last week at this point... so now I have a decade to flourish as a 30-something.

It's a holiday weekend...and I'm loving every minute of it.

Hal's at the beach with his family this weekend so I've been hanging out with... me! (and friends sometimes).

On Friday night I had a few drinks with some of the gang that are in my birthday pic below... It was a lot of fun... thankfully it was only a couple of blocks away from my house... b/c I caught a bit of a buzz :)

Saturday was mostly uneventful for the most part...BUT... I've blogged about this before... I FLIPPING love seeing fireworks... and I happened to be coming home after a bit of shopping/running around Saturday night... and caught a fireworks show... I'm guessing it was after the Vanderbilt football game. Frigging love fireworks, yall... love love love... I still get that feeling I had when I was 6 y/o when I see them.

Sunday was (still is Sunday) a glorious day. I had to run out to the recycle center to get rid of glass (Note to Metro: Please start accepting glass with the curbside pickup). I'm always amazed that there are so many others dropping stuff off too, so it's a good feeling.

Anyway... on to the music mania... after that... I went to a record store... I realized that there were so many country diva albums I didnt have... so... click on the following links to see what I got:

Click here

and here

and this gem that I am listening to as I post this blog

How freaking fun is that? Plus, I have complained about this in the past... but my first Amy Winehouse CD was a censored version... and Hal bought the "Parental Advisory" version for my birthday...

I'm a happy guy right now...

Islands in the Stream...that is what we all are, right?