FamGuyToday by Aunty Fox

on ABC News this morning, as the price of gasoline nears, and in some places goes over, $4/gal and threatens to set back our fragile 'recovery'. Most prices are determined on a supply and demand basis, BUT, while big oil is again making record profits there is a huge glut of oil in the US, with no place to store any more. Since the consolidation of the oil companies under the Bush admin, when they tossed out the 'monopoly/anti-trust' rules that used to apply, the few MASSIVE oil companies that remain can name their own price for the products we all so desparately need.  Looks like Exxon Mobil is on track to break their all-time profit records, in the hundreds of biilions, in the near future. I sure hope the board members remember to drop Dick and George a 'thank you' note.

that started out at the Lohi Steak Bar, in lower downtown, where we met w/the kids to celebrate Nate and Laura's birthdays during 'Denver Restaurant Week' festivities. One of the highlights, for me, had to be Kari's slinky new dress with the high heels that let her look me directly in the eyes. Pretty hot chick. Sunday morning was Old Farts Brunch, with the crew meeting at 'Ralphies', formerly Bart's, in Louisville, where,  their fantastic brunch menu includes a 'build it yourself' Bloody Mary station. Hmmmm. Then, we finished up here, where Carol outdoes herself each year with her Oscar Party. Piper charmed us all, as always, and we did our Oscar games with one difference, this year. I won. Ka-ching. All in all a fantastic weekend that I'm documenting here so I can look back and enjoy, from my rocking chair. Thanks everyone, for giving this ol' guy a lotta good memories this weekend.

at the beginning of the Bush admin, right before oil went from $15/bbl/ to over $140, the "Dick Cheney Task Force', on energy, met in secret. Many have used the 'Freedom of Information Act' to find out who/what/where, but all attempts at getting info have been stonewalled. This is what we do know. Many private energy industry executives participated in the Task Force. In particular, those identified as having been involved included then-Enron President and (convicted felon) Chairman Kenneth Lay, lobbyists Haley Barbour and Marc Racicot, and the head of Exxon-Mobil, whose company went on to post (world)  all-time record profits.  In April 2001, the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, sought to obtain the records of the task force meetings. [3] In July 2001 Judicial Watch filed suit on the grounds that the administration was not "in compliance with the Federal Advisory Commission Act (FACA), which mandates that certain docume...

from the paper this morning. Seems W cancelled a speaking engagement in Denver, after finding out he would appear with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Bush said he had no desire to share the stage with a man who 'has willfully and repeatedly done great harm to the interests of the United States' Oh, REEEALLLY. Don't wanna share the spotlight with an amateur, huh? Never, in the history of the US has anyone done more harm to our country than the arrogant cowboy from Texas, who ramped up oil prices, took us to war based on lies, and changed the financial rules so his big banker buddies could suck the equity out of US homes. 3 years after he was booted from office our country still dangles on the precipice. To compare Assange, who merely reported what was out there, to himself, is like Al Capone whining about a lawless jaywalker.

that you WON'T see on FOX,  Robert Gates, the Sec of Defense, under GWBush, said, 'Any president who, in the future, sends US ground troops into Asia, oughta have his head examined.' Oh really. W needs his head examined?  Who knows what you'd find there, BUT, I guarantee his investors LOVE it, cuz they made BIG money. W, the puppet who sold out his country for the Big Oil/Big Defense contractors. They gotta LOVE him, BUT, the rest of us gotta live with the consequences. Welcome to the real world.

and think nothing of it, BUT, have gotten out of 'golf shape', and today, after walking 18 holes yesterday, feel like an old man. Sorta hurting all over. Disgraceful, to have gotten outta shape, this bad. Obviously need to get out more, but the plans for the near future involve skiing, not golf. If I hurt this bad after golf, what's this old body gonna be like after a couple of days on the slopes? It hurts just thinking about it, but am gonna try to struggle thru it. This gettin' old is a bitch....

 FOXNews tops itself with a series titled  'Stars Who have Lost Their Looks'. NOTE, this is only for liberal stars whose political views don't agree with Rupert Murdoch's. Can you imagine a REAL news outlet using such a petty device to say, 'Gotcha', by posting pics of people who have gained weight and/or gotten older? Typical FOX bullshit. Don't believe me? Look here, http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/entertainment/2010/09/07/stars-lost-looks/?test=faces#slide=1

but the Palin tell-all book is off to an interesting start. Seems Sarah would write glowing 'letters to the editor' praising herself, under false names. Cool... AND, she vowed to appear ONLY on FOXNews, and none of the other networks, who were/are 'the bad guys'. That tell you anything? FOX could be counted on to only report one side of the story, the one that Murdoch/Palin/Repubs wanted you to hear, and not ask any embarrassing questions like, 'What do you read?'  Wow! That's a  news flash if I ever saw one. Sarah Palin and FOXNews. What a joke.

and I realize Wisconsin has to do something drastic when there's no money to pay the bills, BUT, for the gov to start the conversation by taking away all the union's collective bargaining rights doesn't seem right either. Also in the mix are a bunch of Dem reps who are hiding, out of state. What a crew. Very volatile situation, that many other states and cities will be watching, after 8 years of Bush & Co left the entire country in dire straits. The Repubs who voted to defund Sesame St and school lunches, after fighting to keep multi-millionaires deductions on their vacation homes, are going all in on this since unions helped to get Obama elected. Truth be known, any candidate the Dems put up coulda beat Bush after the people saw how he wrecked our country, but Obama and the unions became convenient whipping boys for the right wing that refuses to acknowledge the OBVIOUS source of our country's problems. So what else is new?

Democratic politicians. They lie and cheat and will say or do anything to get re-elected. BUT, compared to the alternative, who do all of the above, PLUS start wars, with no regard for life and limb, and fight attempts to create much needed jobs, so they can get back in power, they look like the best of the worst. Really. Look at the last 30 years. Look at the surplus Clinton handed to the Repubs in 2000.  Look at the economy, oil prices and wars, after they were in power for 8 years. Really. Look at it. Not even close. The Dems suck, but the Repubs are worse. It's not even close, as the Dems struggle to fix the damage that was done. By far the worst since the Great Depression. Really. Not even close. Look at it. I really hate Democratic politicians, BUT, until there's a third alternative, they are better than the Repubs.. Just look at history. Not even close....

about 'midlife crises', and the fact that most people actually don't have one, BUT, the best part, to me, was when the author pointed out that most people are most happy and content in their 60's. I know it's certainly true for me. Sure, I really enjoyed my hormone driven, athletic teenage years, and watching my children grow up was really special. However, as for pure enjoyment and contentment, I'm really 'loving life' at this stage. There was time when I figured someone of my age was so old that you might as well throw 'em in a hole and scoop dirt on them, cuz life was over by then. BUT, now that I'm here, it's totally different than my preconceptions. In a society that worships youth, fitness and beauty, many people look at old age (60's) as 'over the hill'. However, if you still have your health, home, family and can afford the creature comforts I think it is the prime of life. Of course, living in one of the best places on ea...

'Read my lips, we're gonna cut spending', does anyone else see the irony/humor, on several levels, in his statement? First, the Repubs are the ones who took a surplus, in 2000, and ramped up spending to the biggest deficit EVER, not even counting the 'off the books' funding for the 'oops, bad info' wars they started, AND, most of the spending they scream about now is being done to try to save the economy that they 'trashed' on SO many levels, AND, the last time someone said 'Read my lips', it was GHWBush, who broke his promise of 'read my lips, no new taxes' as soon as he was elected. These clowns would be funny, if it weren't so sad and scary.

that this latest round of silver demand has put the price of a silver dollar, (as well as other silver coins, accordingly) at $32.70? As our gov't (and others) print paper money, trying to find a way out of the mess  that Bush left, more and more people are turning to hard assets, like silver and gold, to preserve some buying power. I've always liked silver better, cuz it does double duty, with it's monetary as well as it's industrial value. It reached 30 year highs yesterday, and is up over a dollar per oz today. Where's it stop? Who knows....

There have been more reports lately, that claim Sarah isn't gonna make a run for the presidency. Aw shucks. What are the late night comedians s'posed to do, now that W, who only opened his mouth to change feet, isn't around anymore? Sure, Michelle Bachmann and Glenn Beck are a wealth of comedic material, but Sarah is the real mother lode. PLUS, it would guarantee a Dem victory, which is no prize in itself, but with them in charge at least you won't have the Repubs engineering "the Great Depression II, Act 2'. Please Sarah, get out there and show us what you got. With the mess that Bush left, we need a few laughs.

and FOXNews, it was laughable and idiotic, when Bill tried to prove the existence on God by claiming 'the tides come in and the tides go out, so obviously there's a God'. When someone correctly pointed out that the moon causes the tides, Bill doubled down with, 'well where did the moon come from? How come we have a moon and Mars doesn't, huh?' Well Bill, Mars actually has 2 moons, so I guess God loves them TWICE as much. If you don't believe me, watch this paragon of right wing intelligence here. http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/02/02/the-existence-of-bill-oreilly-proves-there-is-no-god

cuz there was always a fun way to do it. From waterpolo to beach volley ball and long walks or swimming, it was always easy to find a way to get the blood pumping. Course you had to relax, with a beach drink afterward, but hey, that's part of the price you have to pay.

in the local paper this morning, IF you happen to live in this area. Real esate is always local and this, as always, is a good locality in which to own a home. Boulder County real estate is within 1.8% of it's all-time high. Only 6.3% of real estate is 'under water'. Only one home per 1071 was foreclosed on in 2010. There's a reason people choose to live in this area, and you have to pay for that privelege. Some things just don't change.

of my favorite traveling companion.

but some of our favorites were 10 gals from MN, that were having a real good time. Have always liked the Minnesotans and Canadians, cuz they come down to have fun, like we do.

was put on the I-pods, crank 'em up, and stroll down the beach. This was the IberroStar/Toucan, where Ted and Kari got married, about a mile from where we stayed.

we returned to. Kind of a shock to the system, but is s'posed to be in the 60's for the next several days, starting tomorrow.

looking in the window one day, and snapped his pic. Looks like a real perv...

(top balcony) as seen from the beach.

cuz it is the one I had most often.

'Get Out of Denver", as we were stuck in a huge line of aircraft for de-icing. Found out later they closed the airport about an hour after we left. What a bummer that had to be for some travelers.

was part of the 'honeymoon suite' package, along with a huge walk-in marble shower, and lots of candles and special oils and lotions.

if she was enjoying our 'honeymoon suite', ( an extra $8/day). I can't remember what she said.

to our 'ocean front' room, was that we didn't have to leave a comfortable bed to get some sun and hear the surf, as we read.

I turned around and found this 'desperate housewife' from Colorado stalking me.

in the political world, that REALLY piss me off, but a couple of the worst are the subsidies paid to the oil companies, (oil depletion allowance), as they make record profits, and the ethanol subsidies, to make ethanol, which takes way more energy to create than it produces. PLUS, it wastes a bunch of water, and drives up the price of nearly all food products, as farmers get gov't $ to produce corn for ethanol, instead of growing food. BUT, it keeps the Repub states 'in the fold'. Midwest farmers and Texas oil men love it, as it sucks discretionary spending $ out of the economy. Screw the nat'l interest, they're making big money. Sacred cows, that the Repubs won't touch, while they cut school lunches and health care. Sickening, when you look at the consequences of the politicians that are only interested in being re-elected, instead of protecting the future of our country.

as the TV weathermen are saying the weekend and start of next week will be in the 60's. Nice...

down the beach, to the center of Playa del Carmen, for emergency supplies, OR a 5 minute bike ride. Did a lot of activities this time, and read and slept less. Enjoyed beach volleyball, water polo, darts, bocci ball, Frisbee, scopa, aerobics, and lots of swimming. Absolutely NO rocks on the beach, or in the water, which was nice, as we checked out the other resorts and vacationers from all over the world. The hardest decisions each day involved what food and/or drink and to have. So many choices and so little time. Did manage to keep up a tradition and leave some blood in Mexico. Some things never change.

they had some rules, UNLIKE the beach. Carol was SO disappointed.

from FOXNews the last few months, because of their continual distortions and constant propaganda of, 'Dems bad, Repubs good', ALL the time. It just pisses me off, when I think of the millions of people who get their 'news' from them, BUT, sometimes it was the only English information, (and weather) we could get from the USA. Was interesting to see their spin, then compare it to Rueters or the BBC, which also had some news of the world. Basically, the Brits poke fun at the Repubs, as they clamor for 'jobs'. but fight every program, like highspeed rail, or green energy or 'whatever' Obama does. Like the Brit anchorman said, 'they broke it, (the economy), but they fight every effort to fix it'. Met and spoke w/many couples from around the world, incl England, Wales, Italy, Sweden, Germany and many Canadians, among others. Bush is equally hated and jeered, (or both) as people realize how 'the cowboy' wrecked our economy, and much of the world...

from the pool-side bar, looking over the pool and ocean, was pretty nice. Normally, I don't eat pizza in Mexico, but, they made the BEST thin crust pizza, right at this palapa, that I've had anywhere. Even the Italians thought it was 'fantastico'. This was taken early in the morning, while getting expresso and croissants, which was our 'first breakfast'. Second breakfast usually included 'huevos rancheros', chocolate milk and lots of fresh fruit, after water aerobics in the pool. I REALLY miss the 'Viva Wyndham Azteca', and would highly recommend it, for the mid-winter blahs.

in Mexico. Don't usually 'get up with the sun', but got into the habit, for a while. Watched the sun come up, from the balcony, while we had excellent coffee and pastries, listening to the waves. Beautiful part of the day that I usually never see. Here, a cruise ship passes between our beach and the island of Cozumel, early in the morning. Really miss the feel of the warm ocean breeze.

Just returned from 9 days in paradise, and what a rude awakening it is. From 84 degrees to 4, with snow. 'Twas a good time to be gone, though, cuz I guess Colorado had some of the coldest, nastiest weather in years. Gonna take awhile for this old body to readjust. The pic above is from our room, 'on the ocean', with an amazing view, and sounds of the waves. Lots to do, back here in the real world, but am gonna ease into it, slowly. Later....