Today is an absolutely gorgeous day, and I’m just chillin.  There are a few things that I should be doing, like updating my finances and mowing the lawn – but days like these are rare.  These are the days when people take half days for “dentist appointments” and go play 9 before dinner.  These are days when kids get “sick” after lunch and have mom come and get them.  I remember doing that when I was in high school, just dreaming of when I could get out of the cage.

That’s what I’m doing today.  I went to a local park earlier and just sat and people watched.  There were all kind of folks out, some wearing some pretty interesting things like these punk boots.  Others were parading their pets around with their no-choke dog harnesses and fancy collars.  Me, I just took it all in, read me a little Bible and passed the day away.  It’s a good day.

This weekend, I need to head to the ballpark and catch a game.  Nothing like a dog and a beer and the green grass.  The smell, the sounds, and the sights all come alive when you take in a ball game, or at least they do for me.  Hope you get to have a good weekend, and I hope you get to chill.

I’m leaving Texas and heading back to the Nati.  I spent the weekend there with my friends from college having a great time.  We played a lot of golf, basketball, derby and tennis.  We also went to the Rangers game on Saturday, which was awesome.  Our goal was to get 5 balls in batting practice, and we came away with 9 on the night!  One of those was from my favorite player, Josh Hamilton.  He actually threw me a ball during the game.  I flashed him my Reds jersey, and he threw it up after a catch and the third out of the inning.  It was awesome!!!

The other big news of the weekend was that my friend Ryan and his wife are pregnant with twins.  This is so great because they have been trying for months, and she was getting really discouraged.  I’m so happy for them.  It seems that we are all heading into that idea of having kids, which I’m all about.  We stayed at Wes’ house and he has two cute boys already.  I stayed in their room with the Thomas the Train Bedding, Wiggles Toys, and other fun boy toys.

My wife and I are hoping for a little bit more job security, but we’d like to start trying as soon as possible.  I cannot wait to have a baby.  It will completely change our lives, but I think it will be absolutely amazing.  I pray now that I would be developing into the man I need to be to be a good father.

Puppies are really, really cute.  I was asking a new friend the other day which she liked better, her dog or her cat.  She was hesitant because she didn’t know how to respond.  To me, that is an insult because my friends need to answer that dogs are better hands down.  They are way more fun.  Way more cute.  And better friends. The only issue you get into with puppies is the training, but this comes with all pets.  Of course there is the potty training, which a few newspapers can fix, but then there is the teething.  It’s very helpful to make sure you have a few durable dog toys lying around.  Otherwise, you may have a few shoes or furniture pieces torn up.  So, shop around for dog toys for aggressive chewers.  I love my dog.  I take care of him and pamper him a bit.  When I go out of town, I even let him stay at a nice place like this.  If you don’t have a dog, you don’t know what you are missing! 

Every year, there are new holiday toys out there that are the most popular.  Thanks to all the hundreds of thousands of dollars that advertisers spend on commercials and marketing during the year, they get to reap the benefits in the Christmas season if they have won the hearts of little boys and girls.

This year, a few of the winners are Ben 10, Transformers toys, Hannah Montana, and certainly the teeny bopper High School Musical.  Some of them actually scare me.  All of these license owners are holding the winning lottery ticket.  Sales are pouring in and there doesn’t appear to be any sign of slowing down.

If you have anything to do with Ecommerce and these toys, you are loving life right now.  I wish I had my own store, and I would definitely have these products to sell.  People are buying like crazy.

I just had some friends get back from a cruise they took in Alaska. I think they booked it from this website. I’m so jealous because they got to see glaciers, whales, dolphins, seals and all kinds of cool stuff. Two of them that went are actually engaged and were talking about how beautiful it would be to have wedding out west. I got curious and went online searching for Portland photography sites. It’s not Alaska, but these guys are close and it looks like they would do a great job.

Once they got back from their trip, they were so excited about the wildlife they saw that they bought an aquarium. So, now they are busy stocking it with the right fish aquarium decor and other supplies. I think it’s hilarious, but I’m sure I’d be as impacted as they were by the trip. It gets me really excited about the trip I’m taking in January to France with some friends.

I found a great place to find a pirate costume if you’re looking or any other kind of pirate merchandise for that matter.  With Halloween coming up, I thought a few people out there might be looking.  If you need any kind of pirate merchandise, check out this site – including cool pirate flag or anything else.  I highly recommend them if you are shopping for a party.

While I’m at it, if anyone is looking for a good Portland photography company, these are the guys.  They handled some pictures recently for a friend of mine and they come highly recommended.  I hate to be just selling plugs today, but they are some good companies.

After all, with National talk like a pirate day, you have to get the word out.  Arrrrr.

Ahoy, I hope everyone out there knows that it is National Talk like a Pirate Day, one of my favorite days of the year.  So, if you aren’t talking like a pirate by now, get started, the day is almost over.  Just be sure to roll your rrrrrr’s as much as possible.  It’s really not that hard.

I love this day, and I’m going all out.  I’m wearing my favorite pirate hat, and our office is decked out with cool stuff.  It’s just so much fun to go to Arrrrrrrby’s for lunch and ask people what their favorite condiment is…..Barrrrrr-b-que sauce.  I had a friend who was going out west to scope out a Portland photographer, and I told him to go down to the coast and go nuts.  I really hope he did.  Avast ye maties!

Hobbies are great to get into from time to time. It’s so much fun to discover something new that you like and then practice, practice, practice until you master it. Over the years, I’ve had several hobbies; golf, baseball, reading, and so on. Well, lately, I’ve been getting into home decor. I love to design the home to make it aesthetically pleasing. There’s something very relaxing about it.

One of the most enjoyable pieces I’ve been able to decorate with are aquariums. I love mine. I’m always online now, shopping for fish supplies and other parts you need to keep your aquarium active. They are so beautiful and peaceful, and add so much to a home. The glow at night is extremely enjoyable. I had a party recently, and a friend of mine, who loves pirate jewelry and everything pirates, even commented on how much she liked the aquarium. After all, it is National talk like a pirate day, arrrrr.

I just had some friends get back from a cruise they took in Alaska.  I think they booked it from this website.  I’m so jealous because they got to see glaciers, whales, dolphins, seals and all kinds of cool stuff.  Two of them that went are actually engaged and were talking about how beautiful it would be to have wedding out west.  I got curious and went online searching for Portland photography sites.  It’s not Alaska, but these guys are close and it looks like they would do a great job.

Once they got back from their trip, they were so excited about the wildlife they saw that they bought an aquarium.  So, now they are busy stocking it with the right fish aquarium decor and other supplies.  I think it’s hilarious, but I’m sure I’d be as impacted as they were by the trip.  It gets me really excited about the trip I’m taking in January to France with some friends.  Can’t wait!

I love it! I mean come on, where else can you search so many things, in such a short amount of time, and have it shipped directly to you. The only downfall right now is not having the tangible product in front of you, but I’m sure that will change soon. I’m thinking Back to the Future II. Surely, someone will come up with a sweet hologram image soon to make the shopping experience better.

So, I can buy a bit of everything online right now. For my nephew, I can get him Transformers bedding, and for me, I can get these. The ecommerce business just continues to grow and grow with no real end in sight. There are even companies out there now that will help you have ecommerce success. Maybe I should look into them more. It seems like everyone and their brother is making money online.