FamGuyToday by Aunty Fox

how the media is finally saying there's a better chance of a 'double-dip' recession. Duhhh... You don't have to be an economic genius to see that we are headed down. Federal stimulus that isn't working, and is gonna be cut back, while home values are headed south, unemployment headed up, state budgets, depending upon sales tax, property tax etc, getting gutted, which will mean more unemployment and less spending and less hiring. A snowball rolling downhill, picking up momentum, with no positive end in sight. The only question is when the Bush recession officially becomes a 'Depression', like we haven't seen since the 30's. If you don't see it or don't believe it, you just ain't payin' attention. Thanks again, George.

Bailey's being a little brat tonight. It is a really nice, cool, breezy evening, with mostly a full moon, and for whatever reason, like never before, Bailey has decided she doesn't want to come in tonight. She'll come close to the door, but when we see her, and she sees us, she takes off. Don't want to leave the door open and don't want to stay up all night, so I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but I'm ready to go to bed.

is pretty neat tonight. A hot day, with an easterly breeze, (which is kinda unusual), this evening. I turned on the big Toro golf sprinkler, (with my secret, illegal key) and we have a really nice cool rain on us, and our yard. The wind turns it into a cooling mist, that is really nice, at the end of a hot day. I loved it, and so did the neighborhood kids. Like living at the base of Niagara Falls....

the Rockies go ahead of the Padres, 8-0, in the 6th, it looks like Ubaldo Jimenez is gonna win his 14th game, against one loss. And that one loss was when he was obviously sick. Pale and sweating, and bedridden w/the flu shortly after the game. Still, 14-1 ain't bad. One of the best starts ever, which isn't too surprising when you look at his fastball at 100 mph, and a big breaking ball at 97. Hard to imagine that kinda heat. Really fun to watch....

two hikers, a man and a woman, were hiking on the Peak-to-Peak Trail, outside of Nederland, when a gunman fired a shot, kidnapped them, tied 'em to a tree, and said he'd be back. The guy untied himself and they escaped whatever plan the nutjob had for them. The cops are still looking for the perp. Reminded me of a time, in the mid-70's when Carol and I decided to leave the city heat, which is so easy when you live in Denver, and spend the weekend camping, in the cool mountains, near Nederland. We found a nice campsite, all alone, and set up camp with a tent, firepit, music and hammock. As we settled into the evening, with a bottle of Annie Green Springs, we both noticed something was wrong. We backpacked and camped all over in those days, but this was different and we both sensed it. Once we shared our troubling thoughts we broke camp, in the dark and got out of there as fast as we could. I still remember that scary feeling as I walked through the dark to the Ranchero we ha...

to this point, BUT, gotta admit it. I'm totally burnt out on golf, after playing MANY days in a row, and I just got worse, instead of better. The good news? My back is better, cuz that's just how it works. The bad news? It seemed like work, lately, and golf shouldn't feel like that. Feel kinda dumb, complaining about something like this, BUT, it's my blog and I'm just writin' down feelings, and right now I'm burnt out on golf. On the other hand, am watching 'Enchanted', a sweet, cute little movie, that takes place in New York City, almost completely in Times Square and Central Park. Pretty cool, after we just been there...

is having chest pains again. Although I hate to admit I would wish the worst upon anyone, there is NO ONE who deserves worse than this SOB. Again, it hurts to say that, concerning a fellow human being, BUT, if there's anyone, on God's green earth, who deserves the worst, for all the pain and suffering he has caused, mainly among the poor innocents in Iraq, after his 'shock and awe' campaign, based on on, 'oops, bad info' killed and wounded tens of thousands, then forced millions to live without elec, water and sewer, after having had to live under Saddam, who HE and the CIA installed, with our tax dollars. Then, Halliburton, his company, made tens of billions more, with no-bid contracts, to rebuild what he destroyed. This isn't even counting how he and W wrecked our own country, for oil company greed. Dick Cheney, the worst of the worst. A greedy SOB with power. Too bad about the heart, DICK!

put on by the owners of 'The Dark Horse', in Boulder, was this Friday, and we were trying to count how many years we had played. At least 18, maybe 20, hard to remember that far back, but it is one of the best golf tourneys of the year. The only bad thing? It was 104 degrees, with LOTS of free drinks, which made it fun at first, but hard to finish. Then, today was the first day of the 2 day Senior Open, at Coal Creek, with good news, bad news. We got rained out, BUT it all pays double tomorrow, as it becomes a one day tournament. Gotta run, got some ribs on the grill and they are starting to smoke, way too much....

with the wild-caught sockeye salmon, that we WILL do again. Won't get into all the boring details, but, start out with a 'special' filet, do a light brush-on, of soy sauce, lime juice, dill weed, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, soak an oak plank in water, put it on the grill at 350, flip it right before placing the filet on it,and finish it all off in the grill, never turning the filet. WOW! Tasty, smoky, juicy salmon. Amazing...

as Obama fired/accepted the resignation of, Stanley McChrystal. The good news, he got rid of a wise-ass cowboy who had his own agenda, and wanted the war to go on forever, cuz it's what he does. The bad news? Obama is continuing to waste lives and money in a war that has no chance of being 'won'. Buncha crap, no matter how you look at it. We are in it, NOT to win it, but, to maintain the staus quo, so the Repubs can't accuse him of being a wimp. This war coulda been won by now, but W decided to attack Iraq, on 'oops, bad info', and now we gotta live with the consequences. Throw in the fact that May was the lowest EVER for home sales, since records have been kept, AND a robot sub knocked the cap off the gulf oil leak. I'm so sick of this shit....

for lunch today, and we had some great calamari, with a salad and clam chowder. Yummm. Then we went to a movie. Checked IMDB, like I always do, before spending $ on a movie ticket, and saw that 'Toy Story 3' had a 9.3 rating, out of 10. Never seen a movie rated so high, SO, we saw it after lunch. Fantastic movie. Kids format, but made for adults. Especially good in 3-D. Knew it was gonna be good, but wasn't expecting it to be THAT good. Would totally recommend it to anyone. A movie with tears and cheering. Kinda unusual.....

that Gen McChrystal wants to win the war that he is in charge of. Also, not surprising that Obama wants to heed the majority of the US populace, (NOT the FOX crowd), that realizes you can't win a war in Afghanistan, (just read your history, you idiots), SO, not a surprise that they are butting heads. FOXNews is trying to make this a litmus test for patriotism. SURPRISE! Bottom line, the General works for the prez, who works for us, and should shut up and do as he's told, and stop spouting off in a magazine, no matter how much the FOX crew loves it. And NO, I am not an Obama puppet. I think his 6 month drilling ban, in the gulf, is really stupid.

if anyone around here likes salmon like we do, but, if you do, King Soopers has fresh sockeye, that is just amazing. Sushi quality, almost maroon in color (much darker than pic), absolutely no fishy smell, so tender and delicate I ate quite a bit, sashimi, I guess you would call it, before it got cooked. Not cheap, but, like good corn on the cob, that you can't get very often, worth a little extra for this quality. Mmmmm...

several different authors, trying to find one worthy of my time and effort. Jeffry Deaver was pretty good, for the first book, but, after the second one, isn't worth pursuing. James Patterson's new book isn't too bad, but he has gone downhill lately. I even started a Garrison Keillor, but quit half way through, as he muddled on. Now, the good news. Lee Child, who, like Nelson DeMille, will spoil you for lesser writers, has a new book that I got on the waiting list for, at the library, months ago. '61 Hours' is his latest, and now that I am about 2/3 of the way through it, one of his better ones, which is saying a lot. Don't know how it's gonna end, and am blowing through it way too fast, but that's what I do when a great author has me in his sway. Lean, sparse writing, no wasted words and a mood that is totally absorbing. Lee Childs, and his creation, Jack Reacher, as an ex-MP who gets tangled up in some interesting stuff. The bad thing? I've read al...

in Central City, at the Fortune Valley Hotel/Casino, where we had 'comped' rooms on Friday night. Hadn't been to Central City/Blackhawk since Colorado changed the gaming rules and added several games, including, roulette and craps, and raised the stakes fron $5 to $100. Quite a change up in them, thar hills. Anyway, Kari had some free room coupons, so Paul and Kathy, and Tammie joined us for a little trip to the high country. I'm always impressed how the air cools down and smells so good up there. Everything is SO green and the streams so clear and lovely this year. Had great filets for dinner, paid for by the blackjack tables, which made the meal taste even better. Then, Saturday about noon, stopped at my granddaughter's house, where we were joined by Nate and Laura, Ted and Kari, and we enjoyed some of Nate's home brews and his famous marinated elk loin kabobs, plus Kari's prosciutto wrapped melon balls and spinach cheese dip. WOW! I am SO spoiled, but tha...

they are bitchin' about Obama, but in different ways, now. Half the time say that he hasn't done enough, to fix things in the gulf, then, their 'jounalists' complain that he has overstepped his authority, by forcing a business to pay too much, cuz that's not the 'American way'. In fact Rep Barton, R-TX, apologized to BP, for 'bullying' by the administration, that put $20 billion into an account for victims. No shit. No way these jerks will turn this bone loose, no matter how illogical it shows they are. So typical, as the 'drill baby drill' network/party, tries to cast Obama as the bad guy, for trying to fix the problems he inherited.. Anything new here? Not for this 'Anti-Obama-ALL the time' network. At least they are consistent.

when some right-wingnuts were whining about blaming Bush for problems that we are struggling with. A commentator said, 'Yeah, WWII has been over for a long time, but we still blame Hitler'. I would add, 'What's the statute of limitations on wrecking the economy of a country?' If/when we ever recover from the disaster of his 'reign of error', we can move on, BUT, I don't see it ending soon, in fact, I'm betting it's gonna get lots worse. 'Til then, this is his mess and has his fingerprints all over it. Don't blame the tow truck driver for the car you drove into the ditch....

It was Tammie's 50th b-day surprise party. Was supposed to be a Hollywood themed costume party but most people didn't bother to dress up, and it was cool and rainy, but Paul and Kathy had a 20x40 two sided tent that was perfect, and was nice to see a bunch of people I hadn't seen for awhile. I was in charge of music, and had a 64 song set, but most didn't get played as there were games and announcements and someone had found an old tape, from 26(?) years ago when we played coed softball at Storage Tech. Nearly everyone from the team was there, but without the younger bodies. The shorts we wore then were literally short, compared to what we wear now. Friends flew in from both coasts to surprise her and was good catch up with people I hadn't seen for a long time, AND, everyone got a chance to see and meet my granddaughter, who was looking especially cute, with her "Brangelina' parents. Kari made a great Lady Gaga, and Carol, as Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, lo...

Central Park is big, BUT, until you see it, from a high view, it's hard to comprehend how large it really is. As huge as it seems from here (top of 30 Rock), it REALLY seems big when you spend a few hours walking through it. Great place to see real New Yorkers, and tourists, on a Sunday afternoon. They say every square inch of it was planned and designed. Pretty amazing collection of plants, statues, fountains, paths, stages, lakes and landscaping. Some pretty pricey property next to it.

you see these beautiful old churches, like St. Patrick's here, next to skyscrapers. Pretty neat, and some of them have OLD cemeteries around them. Sort of like the cathedrals of Europe.

in this pic. Yup, playing the piano. THE piano from the movie, 'BIG', that is, with Tom Hanks. Still there, at FAO Schwarz, after all these years. Didn't get a chance to really play 'chopsticks', cuz their were some damn kids ruining my fun. They're everywhere, especially when you go into a toy store. At least we could sorta afford some stuff in this store, unlike the goodies at Tiffany's and Cartier's. Whoa! You wouldn't believe some of those prices...

is he supposed to do? The right-wingnuts, who have screamed about too much gov't control are bitchin about Obama not doing enough on the 'big oil' spill. The same jerks who said he wasn't passionate enuff, now whine about him saying 'I'm gonna kick some ass' cuz that's not presidential. Maybe he could get out here with a sponge, OR bomb BP headquarters, with some 'shock and awe'. The morons love that kinda stuff....

I worked in front of some of the LOUDEST bands in rock-n-roll, including the Who, Stones, Zeppelin and MANY others. I was told, at the time, that my hearing was gonna be damaged. WELLLLL, it may be true, or, maybe I'm just getting old. SO, if I act like I don't hear you, it may be true, OR, maybe I'm just ignoring you. Who knows, but Carol claims I'm going deaf. Could be...

about the oil disaster in the gulf, it is happening because the 'cementing' job was botched. As the drill bit goes through 18,000 ft of ocean floor, with different layers of rock, it meanders a bit, and when the well is cased, with pipe, there are gaps along the edges, that need to be sealed, with cement, pumped from the bottom up, so high-pressure methane gas can't escape. This was Halliburtons' job, they were paid well for it, and they screwed up. This Cheney-run company (historically), is the ultimate reason for this huge disaster. The company that made billions in profits. from Bush/Cheney running up the price of oil, with a war based on lies, is THE responsible party for the worst environmental disaster in our history. Surprised? Not me...

drug sniffing dog, just as I put the 'sleeper hold' on him. Had to do a quick karate kick to the officer, also, but I was able to escape.

on Broadway, and most expensive, was to Green Day's 'American Idiot', which is up for 3 Tony Awards. The cast did a couple of songs, live, on Good Morning America, this morning (ABC). For those of you who don't know who Billy Joe is referring to, as the 'idiot', I'll give you a hint. He's from Texas, and did more damage to our country (and the world) than any one person in history. Yup, it's George W Bush, THE American idiot, and obviously I'm not the only one who thinks so, BUT, I gotta be way up on the list of those who despise him, for all he did to wreck our way of life, for a LONG time to come.

I called down to the concierge and asked for a beautiful 'companion' to be sent to my room, and this lovely lady showed up. Not bad, huh?

we saw this Tiffany mosaic, which we had walked past earlier and not really noticed, BUT, later, the sun was shining on it, just right, and you could the irredescent tiles glimmer in the sunlight. Saw that it is the largest mosaic of it's type, in the world. Click on it to enlarge, and look at the detail. We stared for a long time....

New York memories, is from Sunday afternoon, while walking in Central Park. We stopped at the 'Boat House' for a break and were just seated outside when it started to sprinkle, so we went inside, just as it really started to rain. Luckily, we got a seat near the piano bar where this guy played Beatles songs for the next couple hours while we sipped Stella Artois, on tap, while the unlucky were left out in the rain. Truly memorable....

were a great way to see the city, with some good guides that knew a lot of interesting stories and facts. After the tours, then the view from high up, it was easier to find our way around. Never did ride the subway, which we planned to, but were able to take the tour buses and walk to where we wanted to go. Saw and did pretty much all we planned to do. Do wanna go back and see more shows, though...

from Top of the Rock, or 30 Rock, or Rockefeller Center, whatever you wanna call it. Was a hazy day, but the view wasn't near as good as from the top of the Empire State Bldg. Hard to imagine that over 8 million people are crowded into such a small area, but they are.

used to be in the center of this view, which we got on the way to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which really made the journey of our ancestors seem real. They came over here with NOTHING, and finally made it to Nebr where they struggled for many years. Just three generations back, they didn't even speak English, just German (my mom and Carol's dad) and Swedish (Carol's mom and my dad). We've come a long way in less than 100 years. ALSO, I can't imagine being in NYC, on 9/11/2001....

from our room, right on Times Square. At the very bottom, is the TKTS office, where we got super discount tix for 'Rock of Ages'. Most of the time there was a HUGE line, but we saw a break, and went for it. Neat neighborhood for theatre, food, bars and people watching, which was my favorite. Will go back, some day, do a Priceline bid on a hotel close to where we were, but at a better price. I 'heart' New York.

on Broadway. 'Rock of Ages' is a rock musical about a small town girl, who meets a wanna-be rocker trying to make it big, in LA, in the early 80's, with a semi-plausible script that allows them to do 27 songs from the era. A Tony Award winner that totally rocked out. My favorite evening in NYC. AMAZING talent, with a FANTASTIC sound system....

but something that got a lot of favorable pub, was Sir Paul McCartney's poke at Georgie Boy, when receving the George Gershwin Award "After the last 8 years, it's nice to have a prez who knows what a library is." Paul always had a way with words, and it's nice to know we're on the same page when it comes to the idiot from Texas, who caused more damage to our country than any single person in history. Evidently W heard about it and had a message for Paul.

cuz we been in New York City. Had a fantastic time and haven't walked that much in many years. Lots to see and do in the Big Apple and we did nearly everything on our list. Will post some pics and stories when I get a little time, but have lots of other stuff to do at the moment. At the very top right of this file pic is our hotel room. On the 16th floor, looking right down on the main part of Times Square. Great location to enjoy the city.

a lot more people doing this. The average borrower in foreclosure has been delinquent for 438 days before actually being evicted, up from 251 days in January 2008, according to LPS Applied Analytics. Now that over 25% of homeowners are 'upside down' with their home loans, you are gonna see more and more of them just stop paying and say 'OK, I'm gonna stay until you force me out'. Why not? I probably would. At least you can put that money toward something else, other than flushing it down the economic hole that Bush left us. Nearly a million people have just stopped paying, with more joining every month. I just don't see a good ending.